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Review Date: 8/15/2007
Helpful Score: 3
This is a great book for younger (and older) science fiction fans. I read this for a children's fiction class and was truly caught up in the plot. This is the kind of book I was looking for when I was younger.
Review Date: 8/9/2007
From back cover: This is the third book starring the wry and melancholy Czech detective - and the one in which history catches up with the sleuth. As he doggedly pursues the truth about Praque's latest murders - like the case of the asphyxiated dancer, or the mystery of the missing bank teller - Boruvka is himself caught in a web of conflict, deceit, and treachery. For this is 1968 - the year of the Prague Spring, the Russian invation, and massive defections to the West. It is a time when Newspeak replaces testimony, justice plays second fiddle to ideology, and some criminals are more equal than others.
As Boruvka stumbles through this political minefield, his life is increasingly compicated by his gnawing conscience, his wrong-headed colleagues, and - as always - his incurable soft spot for women. Finally the conflict becomes too great, and the detective is forced to come to terms with himself - and with the perverted "justice" of the Russian regime - in a startling climax.
As Boruvka stumbles through this political minefield, his life is increasingly compicated by his gnawing conscience, his wrong-headed colleagues, and - as always - his incurable soft spot for women. Finally the conflict becomes too great, and the detective is forced to come to terms with himself - and with the perverted "justice" of the Russian regime - in a startling climax.
Review Date: 1/27/2008
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed reading this fifth installment in the series. I read quite a books in this genre & not all of the authors are able to keep it fresh. I like the way the characters evolve not only in their powers, but also in their relationships. A recommended read for fans of the series!
Review Date: 1/20/2008
Helpful Score: 1
This was a really fun read for me. While it would definitely fit into the category of "paranormal romance," it reads more like historical fiction. I liked that the main character, Yelena, doesn't have all of the answers. She learns about the rules of magic along with the reader. Also, I felt the author did a nice job of creating a memorable alternative world. And, while there is romance in the story, it doesn't overwhelm the plot.
I have already added the next book in the series to my wish list!
I have already added the next book in the series to my wish list!
Review Date: 8/9/2007
From Inside Cover: This book takes place on an army base in rural Czechoslovakia, where the draftees of the Seventh Tank Battalion reluctantly prepare for the inevitable war with America.
This is life in the Czechoslovak Stalinist People's Democratic Army at it's most insane, bawdy, and raw. It's a romp though the idioces that prevailed under Soviet occupation and bred fear and nonsense. For all the rules and regulations of oppression, though, the human spirit triumphs here.
With endearing ideological indifference, the young men fake tank maneuvers, study Russian texts with horror novels stuck inse, and mock patriotic songs with their own lyrics. Tank Commander Danny Smiricky, the hero of many Skvorecky novels, is at his most subversive and charming. While Danny tries to cope with his boisterous, not-too-bright, homesick troop, he dreams of love and getting out of the army by fair means or foul.
Review - a great read for the fans of the Smiricky character.
This is life in the Czechoslovak Stalinist People's Democratic Army at it's most insane, bawdy, and raw. It's a romp though the idioces that prevailed under Soviet occupation and bred fear and nonsense. For all the rules and regulations of oppression, though, the human spirit triumphs here.
With endearing ideological indifference, the young men fake tank maneuvers, study Russian texts with horror novels stuck inse, and mock patriotic songs with their own lyrics. Tank Commander Danny Smiricky, the hero of many Skvorecky novels, is at his most subversive and charming. While Danny tries to cope with his boisterous, not-too-bright, homesick troop, he dreams of love and getting out of the army by fair means or foul.
Review - a great read for the fans of the Smiricky character.
The Return of Lieutenant Boruvka: A Reactionary Tale of Crime and Detection
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
1
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
1
Review Date: 8/9/2007
Things looked very black for Lieutenant Boruvka in "The End of Lieutenant Boruvka." But in this, the fourth and final volume in the series, the sad-eyed detective turns up again, this time in Canada. Boruvka is working as a parking lot attendant in downtown Toronto, after a spectacular escape from a Czech prison which provoked an international scandal, when a young woman is murdered, perhaps in a spy coverup. Boruvka lends his years of experience and hardwon pessimism to the neophyte Canadians on the case (including his daughter, who works for a feminist detective agency).
Review Date: 2/2/2008
Helpful Score: 3
I really enjoyed this book. The main character, Rue, is independent and strong, not unlike many heroines in this genre. She was raised with her own kind in a secluded community, yet finds a way to live among humans and to survive.
There were some things that bothered me about the patriarchal nature of the drakon but I think that if the characters were too "modern" it would have been contradictory to the setting. I am looking forward to reading other books in this series.
There were some things that bothered me about the patriarchal nature of the drakon but I think that if the characters were too "modern" it would have been contradictory to the setting. I am looking forward to reading other books in this series.
Review Date: 7/25/2008
Back Cover: An electrifying public speaker, Sojourner Truth was a leader in the crusade against salvery in mid-19th century America. Born into slavery in 1797, she was auctioned off as a child to another slaveowner and separated from her family. She was finally given her freedom in 1827 - several years before she assumed the name Sojourner Truth and became a traveling preacher. She was soon renowned throughout the East for her eloquence and wisdom. Her reputation spread even further in 1850, when she published the story of her life as a slave. She then embarked on wide-ranging lecture tours to advocate the end of slavery and the need for women's rights. She also helped to rouse support for the North during the Civil War and became one of America's first female black activists.
Review Date: 8/8/2007
Helpful Score: 9
In this story of a reluctant succubus, Richelle Mead has succeeded in creating (yet another) fascinating world of demons, angels, vampires, etc. Georgia Kincaid is reminiscent of other such characters - the edge of Anita Blake meets the romantic longing of Sookie Stackhouse. Likeable characters and great storylines - it was a pretty quick read but I was sad when it was over - I'm looking forward to the next book!
Review Date: 8/9/2007
From back cover: Josef Skvorecky's novels have established him as a major author around the world, but his less well known essays include some of his most stimulating writings. "Talkin' Moscow Blues" is the first-ever collection of Skvorecky's essays, reviews, and interviews. Here are deeply personal stories about the friends and events that have shaped his beliefs and his writings; thoughtful examinations of the nature of art, politics, and freedom; reviews of writers such as Faulkner and Kafka, and filmmakers Jiri Menzel and Francis Coppola. And sprinkled throughout ar Skvorecky's livey commentaries on the foibles of both East and West.
Review: This book gives you some insight to the authors experiences and how they shaped the development of his characters. A fascinating read for a fan of his work.
Review: This book gives you some insight to the authors experiences and how they shaped the development of his characters. A fascinating read for a fan of his work.
Review Date: 8/8/2007
This is a book of rewritten fairytales. Although not all created equal, some were fantastic. It is interesting that a few fairytales are represented more than once...a fun, quick read.
Review Date: 8/6/2009
Helpful Score: 1
I really enjoyed this book. It starts off with a fairly 'normal' story line. Poet Maggie Smith has been corresponding with Pulitzer-prize winning poet Davis Cooper for years. Despite her continued requests to meet him in person and write his biography the two never met. After Cooper's death Maggie discovers that he has left her his home in the Arizona desert. Maggie travels to his home, hoping to gather enough information to finally write about his life. As she strives to reveal the truth about Cooper's life, mysterious death, and relationship with this long dead artist wife, she embarks on a spritual journey of her own. The ancient mysticism of the desert asserts itself upon her, forcing Maggie to re-examine her own life's path.
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