Book Description
When a mysterious worldwide plague starts putting millions of people into deadly comas, Earth's foremost expert on the bizarre, John Constantine, steps in with the "cure." After traveling from the dreary alleys of London to the glittering boulevards of L.A., Constantine realizes that a cadre of wicked demons and hellish monsters is behind the outbreak, and he'll have to sacrifice more than himself to put an end to the nightmare.
Customer Reviews:
Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03
A rash of unexplained comas have been happening, and when a little girl that Chas is related to is affected, Chas calls John in and asks him for a favor.
When he starts digging, he finds a demon, and Hell franchising out into the mortal world. It takes a lot of work in LA to sort some things out, as well as a deal with an Aztec death god.
This Engine's HOT!!!.......2007-05-08
Author Mike Carey and artist Leonardo Maco (perfect name for an artist, no?) create a moody, atmospheric horror story.
Carey's writing is spare and terse, creating mystery and pace. Marco's art is both detailed and dark. The cityscapes are well rendered, reminding me of Director Michael Mann's panoramic shots of Los Angeles in "Collateral".
The story features John Constantine's hard bitten chicanery and ability to hoodwink Hell's own. Casual fans will enjoy this work as much as hardcore Hellblazer-heads.
Unnecessary.......2006-12-19
Mike Carey and Leonardo Manco's run on Hellblazer was okay, but nothing spectacular. Hellblazer has been consistently losing readers for several years now (all you have to do is look at the sales figures), and something I read on a messageboard summed it up perfectly. "Hellblazer is like an old friend that you can't get rid of" - you don't particular love to read the book, but you continue reading it because you've been reading it for a long time. This is Vertigo's longest running title, and I can't help the feeling that even though it's not particularly good, they keep publishing it because they've always published it.
Which makes me wonder why they bother having an original graphic novel when it's the same creative team on the regular book at the time that they published it - this is basically six months worth of individual issues all published at once, instead of being collected afterwards. The problem with this book is the same problem with all current Hellblazer books - nothing ever happens. Obviously, since John Constantine is always going to be around, they can't make dramatic changes to his character, and after one the-world-is-ending story after another, and another, and another, you never really feel that it matters.
Essentially, Hellblazer has become a story about the freakshow side attractions and the supporting cast. Which is what this story is about. Like every Hellblazer story, a problem is introduced in the beginning, the problem is solved at the end, but through and through, we're exactly the same at the end as we were at the beginning. Sure, lots of people and demons die in the process, but they're not characters we care about or are emotionally invested in. Honestly, the sameness makes it boring. I suppose there's really no reason for this book to exist except to cash in on the mediocre Constantine movie. The other reviewers are right - one good thing about this book is that you don't need to know anything about the long backstory of Hellblazer to enjoy this book.
So I guess when it comes down to it, if you're already a Hellblazer reader, this is nothing that you haven't seen before (and you'll probably wonder why this was published separately and not in the series like I am), but if you're a brand new reader, it's decent enough a point of introduction. All this aside, evaluated on its own, the writing and storytelling is a solid B. Nothing great, but not bad. (Check out Mike Carey's much better Lucifer.) The art is actually pretty good, if you are into horror art, and gets a solid A.
An wonderfully satisfying "stand alone" story from Carey and Marcos.......2006-11-23
I liked the comment below that "All His Engines" was a lot like a Hellblazer "sitcom". I think that's dead on (except for the nauseating scenes of horror and violence that are typically omitted from a show like "The Jeffersons"). This graphic novel actually "feels" somewhat different from the typical "Hellblazer" collection. Almost all of the previous 14 Hellblazer compilations are just that - volumes that collect and compile serially published issues from the "Vertigo" comic series. But this one was written and conceived as a singular work under one cover, so the pacing is a bit different, and there is a lot less recapping and repetition in the work as a result. It makes for a very satisfying read, as a result.
"All His Engines" was my first exposure to Carey's work, and I was fairly impressed. While he doesn't have the bawdy irreverence and depravity of someone like Ennis, or the sheer inventiveness and snarkiness of someone like Warren Ellis, he knows how to tell a good, dark, horror story with amusing elements...in fact, he reminds me a lot of "Buffy's" creator Josh Wheden. And Leonardo Marcos, is, for my money, one of the most compelling and interesting graphic artists working today. Not since the glory days of Totleben and Veitch have I seen an artist who manages to combine fetishism, comedy and drama so well and so consistently. In the words of a critic in another context, "Let's give him a million dollars so he can draw comics forever. Or more importantly, less give him a million dollars on the CONDITION that he draw comics forever."
Their collaboration results in a cracking good "Hellblazer" story, one that remains true to the established roots of the character - the working class street magician, his family and friends, his peers and enemies - and also manages to bring in a new set of ideas to the world of black magic and the supernatural. I especially enjoyed the Carey's use of the Aztec "Death God" as a element of culture class between modern day "white" and "hispanic" mythologies - and Marcos' depiction of the Death God was at once both exactly what you would expect, and yet still impressive and scary.
So great plot, great pacing, snappy dialog, great art, more than a bit of action and violence and demons ripping each others heads off, a very tricky and satisfying resolution to the dilemma (that was still typical of Constantine's use of trickery, bluff, and misdirection)...and also a few unaffected glimpses of both the enigma and the sadness of Constantine himself.
I like it. I like it a lot. More, please.
BRILLIANTLY HORRIFYING!.......2006-08-28
"John Constantine, Hellblazer: All his Engines" is a brand new and original graphic novel written by Mike Carey with art by Leonardo Manco. As a Hellblazer fan ever since the blokes first appearance in Swamp Thing # 37, I can tell you it's one of the finest stories yet. When the granddaughter of Constantine's friend Chas goes into an unexplainable coma, he contacts John to try and help. Little Tricia is just one of dozens of victims of this same mysterious affliction. Constantine soon finds there is demonic influence at work which leads him and Chas to Los Angeles and the mansion of a demon named Beroul.
Beroul and several other demons have decided to open up their own, little parcels of hell on Earth...think of it like a franchise. Beroul wants Constantine to eliminate the competition and is holding little Tricia as ransom to secure his services. Constantine can cause no harm to Beroul without risking the life of Tricia as he has her soul imprisoned within his own fat, putrid body. There's a marvelously wicked scene when John first encounters Beroul at his swimming pool...a foul built-in, filled with decaying bodies that the demon is liquefying down in order to bathe in...Constantine is up against it again. He finds his only recourse may be to make a deal with an immortal being even worse than the demons...an Aztec God of Death!
"All His Engines" is typical of most Hellblazer stories with John making a mistake in judgment that leads to the death of an associate and in generally puts his friends in danger. And of course, in typical fashion John gets the snot kicked out of him on a number of occasions. But as ever, he proves his ultimate resourcefulness, particularly in dealing with Beroul's competition. You get a good idea of why just about every demon in the underworld would love his head on the end of a pole.
Hellblazer has always had artists who do a wonderful job of capturing the palpable darkness that is Constantine's world and Leonardo Manco is no exception. His depictions of the various demons and the Death God are truly horrific. The use of this being of a near forgotten mythology comes off as brilliant in its execution.
The book concludes with some fantastic resource information about the character and his creation by Alan Moore twenty years ago. Hard to believe it's been that long. Great story!
Reviewed by Tim Janson
Average customer rating:
- What The???
- Beautiful...
- I wish I could give this more than five stars!
- Finally---It has arrived!
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Five Star Stories #22 (Five Star Stories)
Mamoru Nagano
Manufacturer: ToysPress
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
Science Fiction | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Manga | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
Fantasy | Manga | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
Science Fiction | Manga | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 4887755228 |
Book Description
On Addler in JC 2997, Hathuha AP Knight - Wandam Harrer - suddenly disappears from a flagship returning from a diplomatic mission, taking his mortar headd and fatima with him. The AP death squad is dispatched to search and destory him. A worried Princess Mugumica then sends Jabo Beat assisted by local yocal, Voards Viewlard, to stop them. In the process, Voards tells the tale of how he finagled one of the Galaxy's premier fatimas, Megaella, out of Chrome Ballanche.
Customer Reviews:
What The???.......2006-04-19
This is a wonderful manga series, probably the best I've ever read.
However...
*No* one issue of *anything* is worth 918 dollars...
Dream on, bookmavens...
Beautiful..........2003-06-10
This manga is interesting, really long, and so beautiful. The drawings are elegent and kind of dream like. You wouldn't think they would work as well with this kind of story as they do. I highly reccommend this volume for all manga fans.
I wish I could give this more than five stars!.......2003-05-23
Newtype and Animage are my favorite anime mags, and now I get to read the amazing FSS manga that appeared in them! For years I stared at the pictures and tried to imagine what they were saying to each other...well, not any more. Now I get to read about the adventures of the Headliners, Fatimas, and the Emperor, all in English!
This is a must for any manga collector to have, serious or not! You won't regret it!
Finally---It has arrived!.......2003-03-07
I have been purchasing Newtype for years, and have always wanted to read The Five Star Stories. But I am just learning to read Japanese, so it was slow going (when it went at all.) But now, thanks to the wonderful people who printed this English language version, I can now read the story that I have admired for so long!
The art is superb, the story is exciting, and the characters draw you in and hold you there. I like how Mamoru Nagano has mixed the mythology of various countries and combined them with the technological driven dreams of our time. He has put an interesting spin on a cliche'd situation, and that is great! Kudos to you!
It may be hard to understand at first, but once you get into it, it's great!
I would love to be able to describe the plot to you, but I'm not sure I can remember that much of it. That's not to say that it lacks a plot--my memory is just incredibly bad.
Anyway, try it for yourself! The books are relatively cheap (at least where I bought them, so that's a plus.
Terrific art, gripping story, entrancing characters, and mythology all together in a reasonably priced package? What more encouragement do you need?
Average customer rating:
- Life changing - and delicious!
- The Honest Truth
- Valuable information
- Truth of fats
- Natural Nutrition
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Eat Fat, Lose Fat: Lose Weight And Feel Great With The Delicious, Science-based Coconut Diet
Sally Fallon , and
Mary Enig
Manufacturer: Hudson Street Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Similar Items:
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Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats
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Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods
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The Coconut Oil Miracle (Previously published as The Healing Miracle of Coconut Oil)
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Know Your Fats : The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils and Cholesterol
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The Untold Story of Milk: Green Pastures, Contented Cows and Raw Dairy Products
Accessories:
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Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor
ASIN: 1594630054
Release Date: 2004-12-16 |
Book Description
The healthy alternative to trans fats, this revolutionary program explains why we must eat healthy, saturated fats-especially coconut-to achieve weight loss and good health.
Since the late 1950s, it's been drilled into Americans that fat makes you fat, saturated fats (such as those found in butter, eggs, and red meat) are unhealthy, and tropical fats and oils (like coconut and palm) are downright deadly. And yet-as we eliminate saturated fats from our diet for fear of high cholesterol levels and hardened arteries-obesity, heart disease, and cancer rates have continued to climb.
Based on more than two decades of research by world-renowned biochemist and fats expert Dr. Mary Enig, Eat Fat, Lose Fat flouts conventional wisdom by asserting that so-called healthy vegetable oils (such as soybean and corn) are in large part responsible for our national obesity and health crises, while the saturated fats traditionally considered "harmful" are, in fact, essential to weight loss and health.
World populations on four continents that subsist on the coconut, with less evidence of heart disease, weight gain, or other chronic illnesses, provide the best proof of this food's safety and efficacy; dozens of studies conducted by prestigious, mainstream universities support the use of coconut and other healthy fats and reveal the faulty reasoning underlying the saturated fat/heart disease hypothesis; and case stories from a wide range of people illustrate how using coconut oil in concert with other healthy fats can spark weight loss and heal serious illnesses, including anxiety, hypothyroidism, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Featuring delicious recipes for each of its three nutritional programs, Eat Fat, Lose Fat is the book to help you build energy, lose weight, fight disease, and boost your immunity.
Customer Reviews:
Life changing - and delicious!.......2007-10-09
Fantastic resource, full of great information and delicious recipes. Worth buying even if you have S. Fallon's Nourishing Traditions. A must for every kitchen.
The Honest Truth.......2007-09-16
Well, here it is - this Raw, Honest and Delicously enticing book/cookbook will change your health, change your mind and bring the nourishing truth back into your kitchen forever. These two brave women have changed mine and my families lives forever. We are now eating better, feeling better and are much wiser about what is best for our health. Finally we are no longer confined to what the diet dictorcrats tell us is healthy - we know the truth and most importantly, so will you!
Valuable information.......2007-09-04
This book is an easy read with great information. I would recommend this book to everyone, but especially to those with cholesterol conditions and those with young children. It certainly has changed my way of thinking about food in general, more notably Fats!
Truth of fats.......2007-08-28
I enjoyed reading this book. It has changed my life. It does work and has made eating fun again. I have more energy than I have in 10 years. My skin is glorious and I'm 62 yrs old. My metabolism has kicked in again and I'm doing more. For anyone who suspects the food processing companies and government sanctioning of same, this book really opens your eyes.
Natural Nutrition.......2007-07-30
This book was an eye opener for me... I'd always found it difficult to stick to the "recommended" eating habits and felt that it was not natural... Surely the fat in milk and eggs is healthy I thought but who am I to go against all the "experts"... How can anyone get so much protein in during the day? One cannot; hence the need for all the protein supplements...
The only problem with this book is the fact that its "diet" may not be realistic to follow for many people... I did, however, take the good ideas they have and incorporated them into my own diet...
Customer Reviews:
Pyszny! (Outstandingly Delicious).......2007-08-03
One distinctive feature of this cookbook is the grouping of foods relative to the four seasons of the year. Also, the name of every dish is written out in Polish along with a full English-language translation.
This book traces the history of some of the Polish dishes. One also learns that the culinary customs of the Polish nobility had been influenced by those of the nobility of France, Czechoslovakia, Saxony, Hungary, and Italy.
There is discussion of an elaborate, multi-course Easter dinner for ten people. And, besides the more common Polish dishes, West provides details on the preparation of the roast suckling pig.
Offers a cornucopia of seasonal delights.......2001-02-24
Now in an revised and expanded edition, Karen West's The Best Of Polish Cooking continues to offer the kitchen cook a wealth of authentic, traditional Polish cuisine in an easy-to-use menu format bringing complementary dishes together for memorable dining. From Freshly Baked Potato Bread, Braised Spring Lamb with Cabbage, and Polish Sausage Simmered in Wine, to Tangy Apple and Leek Salad, Eggplant Crisps, and Tangerine Vodka, The Best Of Polish Cooking offers a cornucopia of seasonal delights spanning the entire the year.
A delicious change of pace from our everyday fare.......2001-01-31
I bought this book because of its price. I had no idea how popular it would be with my family. So far, every recipe I've tried has been a big hit. The contents are arranged into seasonal meals, such as "Easter Dinner for 10" and "Winter Brunch for 4." This makes it easy to choose dishes that work well together. In the back are sections on "Vodka Beverages," "Salads," and "Light Polish Fare." The recipes are relatively simple, and full of unexpected, delicious twists. (Who would have thought that horseradish gives just the right punch to carrot & apple salad?) I'm especially impressed by the Walnut Torte and the Cabbage, Leek, and Orange Salad. (My family has actually been taking second helpings of their veggies, thanks to this and other unique salads.) I never knew I could make anything so delicious and different at home. Some of the recipes were a bit time consuming, but most of the labor went into things like peeling potatoes and slicing mushrooms. Once the fruits and veggies are prepared, many recipes are easy and speedy. Just be forewarned that the yields are larger than you might expect. Many dishes for four people could easily feed six or more - and most of the planned meals include more courses than my family can eat in a sitting. However, we've been enjoying choosing a couple of dishes each night, and everything's so delicious that leftovers aren't a problem for long.
Average customer rating:
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The Best of Polish Cooking: Recipes for Entertaining and Special Occasions
Karen West
Manufacturer: Hippocrene Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
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Polish
| European
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ASIN: 0870521233 |
Average customer rating:
- The Best of Slovak Cooking
- Good Peasant Food
- not very good
- A good basic cookbook
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The Best of Slovak Cooking (New Hippocrene Original Cookbooks)
Sylvia Galova-Lorinc ,
John Lorinc , and
Sylvia Lorinc
Manufacturer: Hippocrene Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
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ASIN: 0781807654 |
Customer Reviews:
The Best of Slovak Cooking.......2007-06-11
If the author thinks this is the best of Slovak cooking he has not eaten great Slovak food. Sorry, I consider this book a waste of money.
Good Peasant Food.......2001-10-16
I must disagree with the reviewer from Amsterdam. I think this is quite a good cookbook. Though, if you're expecting Nouvelle Cuisine or modern fusion cooking, you will be disappointed. Slovak cooking is, at its heart, peasant food: hearty, filling, and unsophisticated...but good! Pirohy, dumplings, stuffed cabbages, pork dishes, poppy seed and nut rolls, and mushroom soup flavored with sauerkraut juice take me back to my Slovak grandfather's kitchen (my grandfather used dried wild mushrooms in his soup). My one criticism of the book is that, aside from the brief introduction, it contains no information on the cultural context of the recipes. Some personal anecdotes from the authors, and a bit more on the food traditions of Slovakia would be welcome.
not very good.......2001-08-05
This is not the best cooking book I have ever seen, there are not pictures at all, and some meal might be particular to the authors area in slovakia , the introduction starts with saying from slovak people, which is unknown from my girlfriend who is slovak... When I read this book, I felt like it was written very quickly, it does not seems to be written from someone who got the receipies from his grandmother. However, it gives a good overview of what they eat, I recommend the cabage soup, mnam !!!
A good basic cookbook.......2000-10-18
This is a good cookbook, with very easy to understand recipies with different variations of recipies like goulash, potato soup etc.
Book Description
The Bearded Dragon, also known as the Lizard of Oz, is an enormously popular pet from down under. It is estimated that in 1998, 100,000 Bearded Dragons will be purchased by reptile enthusiasts in the United States. A docile animal, Beardeds are relatively easy to keep in captivity–but they do need special care–all of which will be included in this excellent source for the beginning Bearded Dragon fan.
Customer Reviews:
Another great delivery .......2007-10-01
Again as usual Amazon has come through for me ... the book a learning device for my son came in the knick of time ... his bearded dragon seems to like it too... not sure if thats a good thing but ty Amazon as always a wonderful delivery and very efficiently done ...
Informative and very helpful for a first-time owner!.......2007-01-10
I found this review to be very helpful. It breaks down different areas, such as feeding, breeding, health, etc in a detailed manner. Very reassuring for a nervous, first-time owner who loves their bearded dragon!
bearded dragons.......2003-12-23
I love bearded dragons and have been doing research on them for a long time. Many of my friends and family have beardies and i hope to get one soon.My friend has this book and it provides alot of useful informacion.
Improper Information.......2002-09-04
I hate to be the only one who has a problem with this book, but I can't keep my mouth shut. This book was poorly written at best, containing information that was erroneous and possibly detrimental to the health of pet beardies. The author relied on what I basically refer to as "guesswork" rather than actual documented bearded dragon information. Just enough information to be ignorant is a dangerous thing. If you value your pet beardie, don't invest in this book. If you are interested in a book with a lot of good (correct) information, I would recommend: "The Bearded Dragon Manual" by Phillippe De Vosjoli/Robert Mailloux/et al. It is by far the most comprehensive guide to the care of bearded dragons at all stages of growth and development.
A Great book!.......2001-04-13
I recently bought a Bearded Dragon and bought several books about this lizard. I have to say that this book is one of the best. It is written in a very personal way (unlike many other "take care of your pet books" and I really like that. It is also very informative and has a lot of great images. The book tells you everything you have to know if you are a Bearded Dragon owner or wants to buy one - how to choose a Bearded Dragon, the terrarium, terrarium set up, breeding, the right food etc. I especially found the "food part" informative and with a lot of nice pictures. I highly recommend this book! My BD appreciated it! :-)
Customer Reviews:
An Essential Reference for Collectors.......2000-05-29
This book is a detailed description of premiums nostly obtained originally from Old-Time Radio shows and comic books. It catalogues each premium by character name (e.g., Captain Midnight, Tom Mix, Jack Armstrong), many with photographs. In addition to monochrome photos, there are also 12 pages of full-color collections of premiums by type (badges, rings, etc.) plus color cover photos of premiums. Author Tumbusch has researched the premiums diligently, which also include early television as well as radio, "premiums" from comic books and those as "prizes" in cereal packages.
In addition to listing values, Tumbusch makes a point of providing background, where possible, on the various premiums. Particularly for the new collector, the book makes it easy to identify some obscure ring or badge found at a flea market or garage sale.
The book is nearly a decade old, so the prices listed shouldn't be taken too seriously, though they might provide an idea of the relative values of premiums.
Even those not collecting such items should find the pictures and writeup of the premiums an interesting and informative perspective on the collectibles of yore.
Average customer rating:
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Better Homes and Gardens Wood: Kids' Projects You Can Make (Better Homes and Gardens Wood)
Manufacturer: Meredith Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Crafts for Children
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| Woodworking
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ASIN: 0696000318 |
Average customer rating:
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Harry Bertoia, Printmaker: Monotypes and Other Monographics (Great Lakes Books Series)
June Kompass Nelson
Manufacturer: Wayne State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Printmaking
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| Exhibition Catalogs
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ASIN: 0814319645 |
Average customer rating:
- Kostler needs a better "Boswell"
- More than you may ever want to know about Arthur Koestler
- informative and tedious all at once
- Until more starts appearing on Koestler, the best for now
- The light that faded
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Arthur Koestler: The Homeless Mind
David Cesarani
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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The Thirteenth Tribe: The Khazar Empire and Its Heritage
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The God That Failed
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The Sleepwalkers: A History of Man's Changing Vision of the Universe (Arkana)
ASIN: 0684867206 |
Book Description
Arthur Koestler, best known for his world-famous novel Darkness at Noon, stands as a cultural beacon in the post-1945 world. Along with Sartre, Camus and Orwell, he helped to shape the ideas of today. This major reassessment, based on groundbreaking and comprehensive research, sets Koestler's life and thoughts against the tumultuous century he chronicled and explores fully for the first time the continuing drama of his private life as a lover, a husband and a Jew.
David Cesarani paints an explosive portrait of Koestler that bridges the gulf separating public and private life, contrasting the work of a genius against the backdrop of his tormented soul and brutal private life. In England, Cesarani's revelations led to the removal of Koestler's bust at the University of Edinburgh, so strong were the feelings roused by his dissection of Koestler as a thinker and as a man.
A central European Jew born in 1905, Koestler was molded by his times. Uprooted by war and revolution and hounded by prejudice, he struggled to make sense of a world on the edge of apocalypse. His search for meaning, identity and belonging swept him up in the raging ideological torrents of his times -- Zionism, Communism, anti-Communism and both hard scientific and esoteric mystical pursuits -- and culminated in an idiosyncratic and deeply personal ideological position that has confused and eluded critics and commentators.
Equally restless in his personal relationships, Koestler made and broke friendships and marriages. His violent affairs with women were legendary, but until now the shocking details of his private life were hidden from view by loyal friends and obscured by the Olympian prose of his autobiographical writing. Cesarani is the first to make unrestricted use of Koestler's private papers. He also draws on previously secret documents held by the KGB and the FBI, which expose the depth of Koestler's involvement in the Communist Party and, later, his relations with the CIA.
Once a Communist, Koestler eventually rejected Marxism and led the intellectual counterattack that culminated in the fall of the Berlin Wall. His speculations on human nature and the future of mankind in the atomic age were stamped upon a generation that lived in the shadow of the bomb. But alongside his brilliance and charm was a darker side, fully plumbed here for the first time, which led ultimately to the tragic dual suicide with his third wife, Cynthia, in 1983.
With Arthur Koestler: The Homeless Mind David Cesarani has ensured Koestler's place in the pantheon of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century as surely as his forceful, provocative and groundbreaking study is guaranteed to reignite the controversy that swirled around Koestler in his life and his death, in his work and his actions.
Customer Reviews:
Kostler needs a better "Boswell".......2007-09-23
Koestler was the one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century, and one of its profoundest writers.
Unfortunately, Cesarani is neither great nor profound. He is a narrow-minded, wretched hack who does a politically correct hatchet job on Koestler, besmirching his reputation as the giant that he was. The biographer brings his notorious reputation as a character assassin to his greater subject. He is also a borish scribbler who dangerously considers freedom of speech to be "a relic of 18th-century liberalism".
Kostler needs a better "Boswell" than this petty mouse that would toss into the ashbin 300 years of hard won freedoms. Koestler writings were about those freedoms and the dangers stooges, such as Cesarani and other fellow travelers, muster against those freedoms.
More than you may ever want to know about Arthur Koestler .......2007-06-04
Arthur Koestler's intellectual road was a long one indeed. Cesarani traces in detail the many stations of Koestler's life. He does this with a certain sympathy but even more with a critical awareness of the personal failings. Koestler who is remembered today more for 'Darkness at Noon' and the revelation of the true nature of the Soviet regime and mind is an extremely complicated and difficult figure. What is I guess most surprising in this work is the revelation of just how nasty a character Koestler could be. He was a conqueror in his own mind and his relations with the women in his life of which there were many did not ordinarily make or leave them happy. Cesarani writes a lot about the Jewish side of Koestler and the transformations he went from being a pioneering Zionist to a mythmaking re- inventor of Jewish historical identity.
This book will tell its readers more than they may ever want to know about a human being whose life illustrates the truth that 'intelligence is not only everything it may not even be the most important thing'.
informative and tedious all at once.......2004-10-22
It's sad to have one of one's heroes shot down. Apparently Koestler's understanding of why old Bolsheviks caught in the Stalinist terror confessed to crimes they had not committed was based less on facts than on his own psychological dilemmas. It is also tiresome to have yet another biography of a central European Jew caught between assimilation and anti-semitism and between Communism and anti-Communism. As for K's alleged sexual proclivities, I could not care less. Another hero gone. They have taken George Orwell out by showing his nasty side, and now they have taken out Koestler.
Until more starts appearing on Koestler, the best for now.......2001-01-31
Koestler is the lost prophet of the 20th Century.In fact I only know much about him, thanks to my late father who was a fan (and curiously was born and died five years later than Koestler). He explored such areas as LSD, eastern religion, voluntary euthanasia and nuclear disarmament years before most people... He was caught up in many of the ideological causes of the age- Communism and later anti-Communism, Zionism, the movements against capital punishment and nuclear weaponry (although curiously he espoused abortion), as well as rubbing shoulders with a number of well-known people from different countries. No way do I agree with everything he said, but he has been written off because he alienated certain people. His writings about science for example, contain many controversies, but at the same time they contain many home truths.
I would recommend Cesarani's biography, for the simple reason there is so little on Koestler now, and his books are mostly out of print. It is heavy going at times, and there is a slight self-righteous tone going through the book. Koestler did do and say some objectionable things (wife beating for example and bullying), but then again so have many "great people". Winston Churchill for example said and did far worse things. Cesarani is right to point out Koestler's tendency to neglect his Jewish roots, but he overplays this theme since he repeats it through the book (partially because Cesarani is a Jewish historian). Most interesting in this book is Koestler's life which touched on many important events, many places and ideologies and which is an incredible life by any standards.
We need to re-examine Koestler, I think for many of the reasons above. Here are some books I recommend by him.
Darkness at Noon (novel)- about Soviet show trials. A classic of its time.
The Case of the Midwife Toad (out of print)- about the virtual character assassination of the scientist Kammerer and his startling experiments about evolution.
The Ghost in the Machine - Like Synchronicity, this gave its name to an album by The Police, and talks about the uncomfortable idea that the human brain may have dangerous self-destructive flaws in it, and that modern psychology (of that time of course) may have to reassess itself.
I would also recommend his essays such as Drinkers of Infinity, and The Heel of Achilles.
The light that faded.......2000-07-10
Just 40 years ago, he was considered one of Europe's great literary minds, and one of Zionism's most prominent intellectual stewards. Yet today, his reputation lies in such tatters that we need a new biography just to remind us that he wrote five novels aside from Darkness at Noon, as well as countless influential pieces of non-fiction.
What makes Arthur Koestler's fall into obscurity doubly surprising is that his intellectual trajectory ran alongside that of George Orwell, an author who couldn't be farther from obscurity if he were alive and writing today.
The similarities are startling: Both writers were leftists who awakened to the evils of jackboot ideology in war-torn Spain; both returned from the fight against Franco to denounce the propagandism of Europe's Russophilic intelligentsia; and both are remembered best by signature dystopic masterpieces in which they laid bare the frightening psychological engine at the heart of totalitarianism.
And yet Orwell's reputation is still strong despite a career cut short by illness in 1950, while Koestler's star faded long before his death 33 years later. So, why? This is one of the many interesting questions that David Cesarani raises in his dry, but methodically rendered biography, Arthur Koestler, The Homeless Mind (Random House, $45).
The pink decade of the '30s ended less than 60 years ago, but by post-Soviet lights, it seems more like centuries. Still, it is worth revisiting, if only to enjoy the highly charged political writing of the period. While modern authors and literary critics fight their culture wars over such issues as multiculturalism and feminism, mid-century antecedents such as George Orwell, Albert Camus, Arthur Koestler, and Andre Gide wrote their great works in the shadow of real wars. Millions of lives actually were up for grabs in their struggle to disabuse Europe's Communists and fellow travellers of totalitarian sympathies. Between the publication of Darkness at Noon in 1940, and his abandonment of political writing in 1955, no author did more to further this effort than Arthur Koestler.
But, as Cesarani illustrates in his rigidly chronological account of the writer's life, anti-communism was just one of the monomaniacal phases that filled Koestler's 78 years. As a young journalist, he moved from Zionism to Marxism to communism to anti-communism. He then picked up with anti-communism as a novelist, shifted into anti-revolutionism, and then adopted full-blown anti-rationalism. He flirted again with Zionism after the Second World War, then launched himself into chest-thumping Cold War jingoism, and finally retreated full time into his cranky obsession with science, psychology, and the mysticism that had suffused his life's work.
From a literary point of view, however, Koestler's only works of enduring value came between Darkness at Noon and The God That Failed in 1950. Before this period, his writing consisted largely of straightforward reportage and boilerplate left-wing propaganda. Afterward, when the battle for the West's most influential minds had already been largely won, his writing became sententious and sophomoric.
Unfortunately, Cesarani does not concentrate his efforts on that jewel of a decade sandwiched in between. Arthur Koestler's early meanderings through Palestine and Europe are all recounted with abundant, and often excessive, detail. At many points, whole pages are devoted to endless descriptions of marginal figures who flitted through Koestler's life. Yet where more interesting details are concerned -- Koestler's many fantastic domestic disputes and episodes of continental debauch, for instance -- Cesarani errs on the side of stinginess. How much better the book would have been if the author had trimmed some of the dry factual tinder to make room for full-bloomed treatment of Koestler's more intriguing adventures!
On the other hand, Cesarani does not flinch from describing Koestler's many faults -- especially the author's despicable attitude toward women. As episode after episode reveals, Koestler was a pathological adulterer, a misogynist, and, on several occasions, an unrepentant date-rapist. He was also a hopelessly self-destructive, vain, arrogant, and self-pitying man who marred each of his important relationships with disgraceful, drunken rows. In other words, he was in every way the psychological antipode to the ascetic, sober, humble "Burma Sergeant" who authored 1984 and Animal Farm.
Moreover, as with all egomaniacs, Koestler had the tendency to externalize his most obnoxious qualities. In his autobiographical works, Arrow in the Blue and The Invisible Writing, Koestler alternated between attributing his antisocial pathologies to dubious childhood traumas, and explaining them away by casting himself as the protagonist and victim of some redemptive cosmic journey.
What is odd in Cesarani's biography is that at the same time that he catalogues Koestler's many flaws, he seems anxious to claim him as one who "exemplified the Jewish experience in Europe during the twentieth century." In the book's early pages, especially, Cesarani eagerly traces each of Koestler's important life decisions to some profound but unspoken Judaic or Zionist impulse. The effort is hardly convincing, but even if it were, the reader is left wondering why anyone would want to claim this dissolute bully as one of their own.
But it was not just because Koestler was so disgusting in his personal life that his reputation has suffered. Unlike Orwell, who rejected doctrinaire communism in favour of democratic socialism, Koestler saw the socialist experiment as naive and anachronistic (and he said as much in the rather condescending obituary he wrote for Orwell). Although Koestler was quite positively against communism, he had no concrete vision of what should replace it. It was this intellectual failing that would ultimately nudge Koestler into useless teleological utopianism.
As with the life it describes, this biography fades into melancholy in its final chapter. Koestler died under bad circumstances -- a successful suicide attempt ending a nervous and itinerant life full of many attempts that were not. In a final Pharaonic gesture that cemented his reputation for cruel selfishness, he even convinced his perfectly healthy wife to accompany him into death. Sad to say, but it was an emblematic end to the life of the brilliant but despicable man who gave the world Darkness at Noon.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Canadian Journal of History, published by University of Saskatchewan on December 1, 1999. The length of the article is 1155 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Arthur Koestler, The Homeless Mind.(Review) (book review)
Author: Bonnie Sallans
Publication:
Canadian Journal of History (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 1999
Publisher: University of Saskatchewan
Volume: 34
Issue: 3
Page: 475
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from World Literature Today, published by University of Oklahoma on January 1, 2001. The length of the article is 533 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Arthur Koestler: The Homeless Mind.(Review)
Author: Hans H. Rudnick
Publication:
World Literature Today (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2001
Publisher: University of Oklahoma
Volume: 75
Issue: 1
Page: 123
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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