Review of Spotted Lily (Paperback)

SPOTTED LILY is a remarkable novel of dark satire.It is brutal and terrifying.It is painful and beautiful.It is profound and I think it has the makings of a classic.This is far from an easy read, and it is not commercial -- it simply cannot be, not with the nature of themes it explores:god is dead and ultimate ennui.

Herein lies a peculiar, resonant, and bitter combination of Bulgakov's THE MASTER AND MARGARITA, a very adult version of Philip Pullman's HIS DARK MATERIALS, and frequent touches of Kafka and Marquez's ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE.

The satire is dark and biting and yet it is the pathos of Angela that got to me, her humanism and vulnerabily and the subtle nature of the fragile self and self-image hell (on earth!) she wallows in -- it broke my heart.

The novel is steeped in a succession of naturalist and surreal details -- sensual, beautiful/ugly dissonance and erotic fetish, frequently shocking and supremely memorable.There is loss of dignity and the redemption of self, over and over; a dance.

And the Australian heart is there -- I who have never been to Australia feel that now I have; the Bush is IMPRINTED upon me. Her childhood home, the secret place her father wept... flowers placed in ordinary jam jars to bloom in small private wonder.

The journey of Angela is ultimately an amazing piece of pshychological portraiture.And her deal with the Devil is merely the tip of the iceberg.

This is, to me, a work of literary significance, far transcending the boundaries of genre of the fantastic -- Anna Tambour makes an amazing novel debut.

Product Description
Angela Pendergast, escapee from the Australian bush, grew up with the smell of hot mutton fat in her hair, the thought of her teeth crunching a cold Tim Tam chocolate biscuit-the height of decadent frivolity.

Now, though her tastes have grown and she knows absolutely what she wants, her life is embarrassingly stuck.

So when the Devil drops into her bedroom in her sharehouse in inner-city Sydney with a contract in hand, she signs.

He's got only a Hell's week to fulfil his side, but in the meantime he must chaperone her-or is it the other way around?

A Locus Recommended Reading List Selection

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Review of Dave Dangerous and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Paperback)

I have been reading this book (Dave Dangerous and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse) as a chapter book to my kid's. I got so interested in it I ended up all night reading it for myself. The author has a quirky sense of humor that really reminds me of the old Monty Python shows. The book is definitely targeting younger people but the authors wry sense of wit and engaging writing style makes it enjoyable for adults as well. If you are reading to your kids at night like I do, this is a great book for the older ones that are getting more interested in chapter books.

Product Description
Dave Dangerous, a 12-year-old soccer crazy Scottish schoolboy and gifted amateur detective, goes on summer vacation to San Diego with his parents. Upon overhearing a conversation about a kidnapping, Dave determines to find the victims.Joining forces with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (whose real names are John, Paul, George and Ringo) and Samantha, the most annoying girl in the world and niece to the missing persons, Dave embarks on a hilarious adventure where he has to, amongst other things, help win the most important soccer game of the year between two Goblin tribes, outwit an Ogre who has delusions of being an actor, survive a trek through the desert and ultimately save the world. Who say's vacations aren't fun?

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Review of The Alukam (Paperback)

This is certainly one of those cases of don't judge a book by its cover. The cover art looks like a ten year old did it and does nothing to portray the quality of this story. This is an excellent police procedural novel that pits a police detective, who also happens to be an Orthodox Jew, against a cunning centuries-old serial killer.

This book was fascinating in all the details, and not just in the exploration of Judaism, both historical and modern. The author is obviously extremely well read and constantly adds interesting tidbits of information about almost everything. I learned a lot from reading this book like the fact that embalming fluid is bright pink, the difference between a clinical pathologist and a forensic pathologist, that you can tell an unmarked police car from the heavy duty locking gas cap. So much extraneous information, although all of it interesting, that the author came across as somewhat of a know-it-all trying to show off. Despite that, the book will certainly satisfy the lovers of Vampire fiction, adding an entirely new chapter to an already huge vampire mythology, and at the same time will intrigue the mystery lovers, with its realistic approach. The Alukam is certainly a book that vampire lovers don't want to miss.

Product Description
From 17th Century Poland to 1993 Florida, this fascinating novel seamlessly combines the matter of fact style of a police procedural with the horror and eroticism of the vampire. Drawn from obscure stories in the Jewish mystical tradition, The Alukam presents an entirely new type of vampire, one unaffected by crosses, sunlight, or any of the usual remedies, and who can rest in his coffin only on the Sabbath.

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Review of The Reflection (Paperback)

Wow! What a story! Great plot, gripping, entertaining, easy to read. I could not put the book down until I finished it! The story is full of twists and turns, and it keeps you on the edge until the very end. Great job! It is a visual book, and I could imagine it being used for a movie script one day!

Product Description
Bren Stevens is a young man whose life takes an unexpected twist when his name turns up in the will of the late Thomas Windfield. Odd since Bren has never even heard of Thomas Windfield. Odder still since Mr. Windfield went to his grave five years before Bren was even born. This sets Bren on a journey to England to claim his gift: Windfield Manor. Abandoned for thirty years, the house sits outside Lurkdale, an eccentric village that has seen its share of curiosities. Yet nothing has prepared them for the arrival of this stranger, a man whose face is more familiar than anyone would care to admit.

About the Author
Joe Bright got the idea of becoming a novelist when his high school teacher told him to pick the thing he was best at and figure out how to make a career out of it. After struggling for several weeks certain that he was good at nothing he concluded that his one true talent was making up stories.

Besides pursuing his writing career, Joe has taught English in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Berkeley, California. Currently, he resides in Studio City, California.

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Review of Cola Wars (Paperback)

HARD TO FIND BOOK.I DO ENJOY IT.I RECOMMEND IT FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN THE HISTORY OF PEPSI AND COKE.GREAT BUY.

Product Description
In a time where all water is infected by the poisonous "sludge", two cola companies struggle for world domination. Super-heroes representing the Coak-Cola and Popsi-Cola corporations slug it out in pursuit of ultimate victory while the down-trodden common man suffers from dehydration, caffeine-addiction and dental decay.

Jack is as SS-man, a Special Services Operative for Coak-Cola. He does the dirty work and makes a good living. He's got a posh pad, a fast car, and chicks really dig him. Everything is going just great until he begins to catch on that his employer is not so benevolent as he had once been lead to believe.

Something is rotten in Cola-Land. And Jack, reluctant Jack, along with a mysterious new super-hero who calls himself "The Blue Buddha", must make a stand for truth, justice, and clean drinking-water for all.

About the Author
Dennis J. Barton is a Special Services Operative for a major cola company. He hopes to develop super-human powers and make a stand for justice and truth.

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