From the first word, I  was immersed....
930646
From the first word, I was immersed, I was there in this old, stone prison, this dungeon, where the worst of the worst await their death sentences.  The narrator is one such inmate, a lover of books and solitude, who sees beauty in this dark enchanted place.  The lady, as she is known, comes to death row to get to know the men whose time is expiring, in hopes she can save some lives.  This has been her job for a very long time.  In hearing about the background of her latest lost soul, York, it is revealed how shockingly similar his background story is to her own, but the differences in how the two cases were handled made all the difference in the world to their fates.

The writing was poetic and  actually lovely in describing some of the very horrific things these men have done and are still doing there in prison. The most horrible is left unsaid.  What one of the guards is doing is appalling.  Our narrator tries to detach himself from it, to escape into another world through either his books or his vivid imagination.  In the end, the book is about an important topic that mandates something be done.  One can only dream.
99962
This book engaged me from the first page and held me captive to the end which took me less than two days. It is especially impressive for a first novel. I look forward to the second!!
4702448
Well I must say that I have not enjoyed a book so much in as long as I can remember. Being an avid reader of history, biographies, and mostly non-fiction, what a pleasant surprise when I heeded a friends advice and picked up "Swim a Crooked Line".
Mr. Griz grabbed me and threw me in the station wagon, and along I went on a spectacular ride with the family and friends in his gripping novel about real life in real America. I ended up feeling as if I personally knew all of the characters and felt a lasting kinship, with both sadness for the past, and hope for the future.
 Good on Ya Mr. Griz!!  Thanks for the ride.. I will be on the lookout for your future works.
My only complaint was that I couldn't put it down and it ended too soon.
Vinnie Terranova
1943749
I am not a history buff, nor a passionate reader of novels. But Redemption was a delightful experience for even this sedate reader, who normally confines such activity to current events, facts-figures etc... I was initially aware of what seemed-like excess detail, but quickly became accustomed to the style, realizing that I was being thrust into a "virtual reality" that allowed me to "see" the characters and scenes in an extraordinary, realistic manner - that my imagination wouldn't normally  elicit from a printed page...
The riveting story-line is fast-moving and enticing - keeping the reader involved to the point of constant anticipation of "what's around the next bend."... The chronicle also contains subtle (and some not-so-subtle) messages related to moral issues and human nature - in addition to the exhilarating "adventure".
266823
There's something about a Tim Powers book that makes me reluctant to start it.  Perhaps it's the knowledge that the blasted thing will take over my life for the time I spend reading it.  "Declare" sat on my shelf for a month, and it seems my trepidation was justified.
"Declare" drew me in and kept me there.  The intricacy of the plotting (I found myself flipping back and forth many times), faultless pacing, the words chosen with a jewler's precision, the mix of history and fantasy... It was both a pleasure and a deeply unsettling experience- my mind raced every evening after I forced myself to put it down, trying to assimilate, trying *not* to draw conclusions too soon.  Right down to the ending, I was consistently and happily surprised- and the climactic scene was so vividly presented that the words disappeared behind the images they conjured.
"Declare" is, perhaps, not quite as mythically transcendent as "Last Call", but it is more bound to history as well.  It surpasses "Earthquke Weather", which fell a little flat for me.
One last note:  I must disagree with Patrick Shiffrar's complaint.  When I started reading, I had very little knowledge of the Philby case; I have a bit more experience with the other topics, but certainly not in any great depth.  Yet I had no trouble with these elements in "Declare"; they did not interfere with my enjoyment at all.
Besides, I *like* that Powers is a demanding author.  He makes me *want* to look up his references, and then re-read his books. It's what makes reading them so rewarding.
1488947
Reading this novel was a whirlwind.  It made me feel like I was watching a projector slideshow.  Each section was its own photograph, its own moment and together they painted a beautiful, grotesque picture of growing up.  I had a chance to hear Mr. Torres speak and he seemed to show apprehension at the thought of this novel as a coming of age story.  I understand his fear and I think the complexity of his story and the independence of his characters allowed this novel to avoid that categorization.
 To that point, his characters were magnificent.  I loved the way he declined to name the main narrator.  I think it gave the audience some freedom to interact with the text and participate in the creation of the narrators identity.  I think its incredibly that Mr. Torres was able, also, to differentiate the narrators two brothers, Manny and Joel, so effectively in so few pages and with so few lines.
 But I think the real mastery was in the way the narrators parents were portrayed.  If this is not a coming of age story, it is inescapably a family story.  Paps is painted as this masculine beacon of testosterone and Spanish blood while Ma is described as a very young, messy, crazy white woman whos never all there.  I think these very distinct portrayals allowed Mr. Torres to deal with themes revolving around family motherhood, authority, and respectvery efficiently and effectively.
 At first the speed at which the novel moves was a little jarring, but by the third section, I was caught up and really enjoying it.  I think this kind of narrative structure is a fresh new way to tell a story.  Its a story boiled down to its essence.  Theres not a single unnecessary detail or description that doesnt matter.  Theres no slogging through backstories or justifications for why the characters act the way they do.  In many ways, it made me feel an unusual closeness with the author.  It was like he was allowing the reader into his private thoughts.  He wasn't defending his characters or making excuses.  He just presented them as he perceived them and then stepped back.
 I think that style really made me connect to the characters.  More than anything, it made me worry for them.  I think worry is the most accurate depiction of my feeling for most of the novel.  I was always rooting for the boys, but I was bugged by my own institutional rigidity and every rule they broke made me both reach out and turn away.
633970
I so enjoyed each word, feeling and emotion I felt.
I found myself smiling and nodding, remembering memories long forgotten.
Simply a joy to read and feel.
Thank you
3683763
I went in to this book not knowing what to expect, but found that after hanging in for some of the exposition, it was difficult to put down. The reader, like Thurcroft, is suddenly smack in the middle of a supernatural mystery. Martin tantalizes us with just enough details to keep us on the hook, without spoiling anything or making it too easy to guess how all the pieces fit together. I was absolutely hypnotized by the way some of the characters managed to time travel and communicate with each other from different planes. But that isn't the end of the spills and chills that Martin cooks up for us. Add some dead bodies piling up along the way and the threat of aliens arriving any minute, and I absolutely had to find out how it all unfolded.

Thurcroft reads as a fleshed out character, complete with a fragile marriage and the temptation of an affair. But, its really the mind-blowing things he uncovers that makes this story shine. I want to divulge them all; however, that would take away the fun of discovering what the heart of this government conspiracy really entails. Martin imagines and outlines some complicated scientific concepts, making them vivid and yet easy to understand.

The end definitely hits the mark. Without giving it away, my taste would have been to go a bit darker in the conclusion, but thats just a personal thing. And, don't get me wrong, this story is not rainbows and butterflies at the end. Its a perfect mix of reality and a dash of hope. So, not only will you have taken an adrenaline inducing ride, you won't feel depressed for days. Now that I think about it, Im grateful thats not this reading experience. Bravo, Martin.
3741499
The real genius of the book lies in the first sentence of the first paragraph of the book. I felt emmotionally connected to the character and got sucked into the book... Made me feel like i was part of the story.
2929894
The first few chapters of My Wife's Affair felt clunky to me, too many self-conscious pretensions aimed at creating an air of light, cultured intellectuality on the part of the narrator. It almost turned me away from reading further but because the story soon fell into a slightly easier voice, (and just enough of one), some of the studied appearances dropped in favor of a more genuine intimacy, I plugged on. And from there it didn't take long for me to get hooked into the story, the voice, all the characters, the plot and the cat's cradle of tangled impulses underneath the story. Soon I loved it and like others reviewing here, I didn't want to put it down. Fortunately I'm kept pretty busy, which helps me to pull out and savor a book because I can only steal a read here and there. I could see ripping through the book in an afternoon, or a few days, because the story does pull you along. But I was glad it took me over a week. This helped take an already somewhat compressed story and let it spread out a little, it's private moments morphing from temptation to indulgence, from escape into chaos, lingering enough for the effect to be felt before being returned to the shelf. A fantastic read with truly marvelous insights into the depth of complex feelings where twin impulses exist simultaneously, equally inexplicable. Bravo.
3969840
While perhaps uncouth, I'm writing this review having not yet completed the novel. But I want to share with customers the feeling I have right now as the book awaits, breathing, on the table in the room adjacent as I write.

My attention was snared on the first page and I'm currently taking an excruciating break as I can't wait to see what unfolds next (and I can tell and/or hope the primary character is up to something beyond just his stated premise thus far).

The writing style is refined yet accessible and just inventive enough to be interesting without having alienated at least this reader (I segued to this book from "The Interpretation of Murder" --my first taste in "period" writing, or even mysteries for that matter. The aforementioned book, while ambitious, is pale and Hollywood-ish compared to "The Meaning of Night".)

*****UPDATE*****

As I've completed the book I can say it has been a substantial experience. A perfect blend of page-turning without sacrificing artistry. While constantly moving forward there are inevitable, yet some genuinely unexpected turns, peaks and valleys.

And I must say there was some heartbreaking humanity instilled in Glyver as one of if not the last lines declares his sorrow and remorse for the stranger he kills on page one. I was instantly pulled from the complex, bitter journey preceding the final page and instead manipulated enough to consider that Glyver, a murderer, was worthy of my sympathy and pity.

I read somewhere that Cox is planning another book revolving around this cast of characters. Needless to say I'll be in line.
866656
When I purchased Jeff's book a few weeks ago I did what many do with books...put it in my "plan to read" stack.  There it has waited for the time when I would pick it up and actually take the dive within.

Yesterday was the day.  I pulled it out in the morning, began reading, and didn't put it down until the afternoon when I had turned the last page (yes, including acknowledgements).  This was quite unusual because I had a day of work in the office planned and some deadlines looming...but instead I found myself experiencing an impromptu day, one which took me on a journey that I never could have predicted.

While reading the book I believe I traveled through the full expanse of human emotion.  At one moment I was belly laughing as a surprise insight into the hilarity of human behavior jumped out unexpectedly like a rabbit from behind the bush.  The next moment I was weeping profusely as a truth of real life sunk into the deep and hidden recesses of my soul and unearthed the buried but subtly influential pains within.  I realized that in those remote places lie the things that make us most human...the seemingly shattered dreams, the longings unfulfilled, the life script that seems to have gone awry.  Tucked away out of sight are the hopes and aspirations that have been battered by the waves of time and reality and have been reshaped and reformed but are still attempting to stand.  Multiple emotions in juxtaposition, overlaying yet not competing, expanding and deepening, yet not crushing.  This is what I experienced in a bolus yesterday as I dove beneath the waves and not only took a look around, but engaged in the journey of "Faith in the Fog", allowing my heart to feel to the depths.

It was a cleansing and refreshing time for sure.  It was also a time where the lingering questions came into full view.  Can I trust God in the fog?  Can I know that He is able to work even in the darkest of places when He seems so silent?  Can I release the fear that my life would mimic the pier that just dropped off into nothingness at the end of the walk?  It's crazy to reveal that even as a life-long believer the questions return and even persist.  Yet it is in the vulnerability of humanity that I have found the greatest of freedoms.  I have to know that it is the only place from which to minister.

I am thankful that Jeff wrote Faith in the Fog.  I am thankful that he is not afraid to confront the party line or the status quo...the words and clich&eacute;s that taunt and tease, the expectations and assumptions that leave one dangling on the cliff realizing that the rope you thought would take you to the summit is in fact only tied to a fragile tree eking out existence in the crack of the rock.  I am thankful for the reminder that even in the fog there is a God who is present.  He may be mysterious and He may not allow our questions to be answered.  He may do things totally outside of our imagination or expectations.  He usually does.  But He is there.  He is faithful.  He can be trusted...even in the fog.
123149
I didn't expect to become as engaged with this book as I (almost immediately) did.  As the mom to a few riders, I thought I'd thumb through and pick up some lingo.  The story, the actions, captured my attention and really made me feel that I was seeing and experiencing the same journey that the author took.  I was caught in the "quest." I highly recommend it.
730520
I was pulled into this story by the first line and couldn't stop reading until the last.

For a shorter piece of fiction, there is a lot at work here, with much happening behind the curtain and in what isn't said, and therefore in the reader's head, which I like. At times I wanted to see/know more (re specifics, and the relationship, and the trauma etc), but then it wouldn't be the same shorter piece - it would be a novel(la).

The voice/style is compelling and intriguing, and I immediately found myself asking questions about the situation, the characters, their past, the reasons and more. Yet I believe all of these questions were resolved, as they should be, in the unfolding story.

The writing is mature and yet simple; as in easy to follow and enjoy. And there is depth, and issues within issues - for example, I could recognise parts of myself in the main character, and how I've allowed myself to haunt (and be haunted by) a relationship, and all the pain and joy that can be found inside and out of that madness.

I also liked how what I believe to be the woman's name is revealed, spotting something different from the second and wondering.

An entertaining voice, a compelling story, and an author I will be investigating further.
3868801
This book had me entranced. As someone who has no understanding or insight into the strife, rage, and drug fueled world that Wally writes about, I was able to visualize it perfectly. His writing style is so detailed, but not so long winded that you forget what's being described. The first several chapters jar you into an environment that seems unfathomable, but also necessary to get into the mindset of the characters. I was captivated from start to finish  wondering which direction the story would twist and turn. Excellent first novel, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next.
4472845
Well, this certainly wasn't what i was expecting. In the best possible way i mean. I had it in my head that this was going to be a crime/police novel that follows the usual path towards the inevitable conclusion. Ermm, i was wrong.  Whilst reading, every so often i had cause to sayreally? or as if, no way would that happen. (you see where im going) however, what came as more of a surprise was after id finished it. Those first few days after you finish a novel and digest it. What happened then, was the feeling that i experienced. The slow dawning of realisation that id actually just finished something pretty special and unique. The things i had questioned whilst reading the book came together to give the reader a very clever, very well written, intriguing story. And then, as if i needed itthe definitive moment when just thinking about the story puts a smile on your face! You know youve just been privy to a work of pure genius and loved it. To fully enjoy it though, id make sure that during the reading of it, you remember that this IS  a work of fiction and as such the author is allowed a certain poetic licence and as a reader, just go with it. Its worth the ride!

When you start this book, you do hit the ground running, and im pleased to say that it never lets up. The crux of the dilemma is actually one that we all experience in day to day living. Do you help? If you see someone in trouble, what DO you do? Would you stop and offer a hand or would you think, nah, none of my business. This moral issue isn't something new and im sure 99% of us would like to say that we would stop and offer a helping hand. What the author does with this story is explore what happens when that good deed backfires, in a most spectacular way.

The characters and personalities in the book are fabulously done. The author executes the whole work with an artistic flair from beginning to end. Almost with an air of flamboyance over the whole thing. (But as i said, just embrace it, go with it, and youll enjoy yourself immensely!) The storyline, the premise, was definitely enough of a teaser to do its job. It was this initially that peaked my interest.

I could go on, but really, the best thing you could do for yourself is pick it up and read it. Just lose yourself in a work of fiction that has a nod towards the realism of others in this genre and enjoy
3993618
I don't often write reviews, mostly because I don't usually want to take the time but I had to share one, simple point about this book.  I usually speed read through books, skipping over unimportant or repeated dialogue to get to the point.  I couldn't tear myself from one word of this book.  Each word held so much meaning and incite into the character's thoughts it was simply brilliant.  When I would catch myself skimming and moving to plot points I stopped myself and made myself go back and read each word because each word was that good.

The story hooked me in from the beginning and did not let go until the very end.