A Stunning Achievement
926301
The first film in this three film panoramic recreation of Japan's best-selling historical novel of all time won the Academy Award for Best Foreign film.  All three films are wonderful, and so is the acting, photography, production, directing, and writing.  This romantic recreation of the life of Japan's greatest Samurai swordsman is a wonderful experience.  Based on the life and philosophy of one of Japan's great historical heroes, a gifted athlete, artist, poet, and philosopher, these three films are a treasure for Japan, Japanes culture, the world, and world culture.  I also recommend the novel upon which the films are based.  The major English language translation  is a delightful read.  My highest recommendation.
3353059
This book is an astounding work. I listened to the audiobook (read by the incredibly talented Jamye Meri Grant) and was blown away by the scope and intricacy of the plot and the striking beauty of the prose. Brissett has built a complex puzzle that twists and doubles back on itself so that she can make seemingly innocuous phrases grow in power. By the end, her words can caress you and slap you and punch you at the same time. This is a demanding novel, but it's so rewarding if you can stand to be confused until it resolves itself perfectly. I am so greatful to Brissett for the obvious labor that went into crafting this masterpiece.
4187593
A. G. Macdonell's seminal opus is the exception to a rather substandard writing career. However, his deliberate effort and enthusiasm shines through with this extraordinary tale of high adventure. Told with a contagiously dashing prose, witty observations, and unapologetic humor, Macdonell brings the tensions of the times to life through his articulately sketched characters. And what characters they were! If Napoleon had generals with similar skill levels of those of either Alexander the Great or Genghis Khan, there's no telling how far his successes would have reached, nor how long they could have been sustained. But that's the point that Macdonell almost uniquely makes throughout his narrative thread: that an army that inherently relied on standouts from the Enlightenment for its glory was also undone by the same tenacity of spirit that engenders all rebels, pirates, and smugglers to return to their roots as individual crusaders led by their own motives.
3585993
To begin a review of a book of this quality requires a long pause for breath. Quite simply staggering would be an understatement when attempting to describe what could be possibly be the best debut novel of the new millennia. Dancing on the Brink of the World weaves a complex web of multilayered plot lines accessable on multiple levels. Think of this novel as a three dimensional entity, formed from historial, conspiratorial, mechanical & mathematical components. Subtext abounds just waiting for the reader with the right keys to unlock it. The sheer depth of this novel is a rare find in todays world of disposable media.

  The novel is composed of three distinct sections; The Dance, The Brink & The World:

 During The Dance the reader is introduced to the main protagonists of the novel & also to a host of secondary characters who are vital  to the events in the later sections of the book. The author goes to great lengths to construct convincing, fleshed out characters, meticulously building the complex relationships which it is hinted will come to grisly fruition later in the novel. It's about getting into the skin of the characters, sharing realisations both about and with them which make the reader closely bound to the outcomes which will affect them. The level of detail gives an immersive experience & also an opportunity to find a dialogue with the character or characters one can most identify with.

  The Brink sets up for the main event of the novel - a plot to defraud the worlds largest credit card company of close to a trillion dollars. Fans of technical fiction will really appreciate the depth of detail the author goes into about the means which the main character has devised to pull off the biggest robbery in history. A canny mix of near science fiction combined with technologies we all hear about every day on the TV gives this section a convincing edge of realism. The goal is large but the plan is sound. The reader cannot help but reach the same conclusions as the anticipation is cleverly built for the final section.

 The World is the final, & most dramatic section of the novel. A conspiracy theorists feast. From Freemasons to Financiers, Shadowy agents to Spin doctors the concluding section of the book simply leaves one gasping for breath. There are a staggering amount of influences here just waiting to be discovered; a veritable goldmine of popular culture, internet conspiracy, history, spirituality and good old action by the bucketload. It literally picks up the reader and sweeps them along with the storyline.

Pivotal moments are in my opinion what make a good story, the sudden realisation for both character and reader of a moment of shared clarity of plot - serendipity. Dancing on the Brink of the world has these moments of clarity. Sudden realisations of deeper motivations of both plot and character. This book could be made into a hollywood action movie and yet at the same time be an academic deconstructionalists dream.

 This novel will reward you for what you take with you when you read it. It can be read on the level of a crime action story which will have wide popular appeal or it can be seen as a warning of the darker trends within our current society with a subtle tint of Orwell & Number 6. It reflects a depth and accuracy of research which is a credit to the skills of the author & yet is also a human story at the same time.

I highly recommend this book.
3995189
An incredible achievement. Though at times the technical jargon was beyond me, I never felt lost entirely. I read it in one and a half sittings, and didn't want to put it down. For a first book, it's even more amazing. I applaud the author for a true tour de force, and I don't know how he can ever top this. Thank you, Andy, for taking me to Mars.
501525
Silverchair has come a very long way since their debut album, "Frogstomp". In fact, their newest CD, "Diorama" is possibly one of the most brilliant albums ever to be released in the history of rock. Not bad for a few guys who seemed to get stuck in the "post grunge" category, even though every album since their first has inched upward towards a higher musical notch, largely due to singer/songwriter Daniel John's glorious writing ability. But without a doubt, Johns has taken the band much further than before with this new record.
From the first track, "Across The Night", which opens like a miniature symphony into an epic full of poetic lyrics, your senses are relinquished from the everyday songs on the radio and pulled straight ahead for the musical ride that is "Diorama".
The ride doesn't stop, with amazing songs such as the emotional pseudo-opera "Tuna In the Brine", the brilliantly orchestrated "Luv Your Life" and the best music and lyrics Johns has ever done; "After All These Years".
There is no fear on this record. No fear of what people may think, even though we live in such a time where the typical is all that is given a chance to be heard. And perhaps this record may be too much for some to comprehend, at least at first listen, but give this record time... In years to come, it will be hailed as a ground breaking triumph.
2324936
I wrote this as a comment to another reviewer but felt the need to add my comments as a brief review as well: This book is SUCH a remarkable accomplishment, that by contrast certain flaws barely register by comparison. This is a serious book, the only one of its kind that covers the depth and breadth its subject's history. It's a scholarly work and not a casual read. If it's the previously unformulated story you're interested in, then you won't be able to put it down. It does have images providing illustrations of particular examples discussed in the book - one's well worth the ink as they are unfamiliar. Yes, in an ideal world there would colorful sequences or a DVD of actual work, but we're in the flawed litigious world where copyrights trump the historical record.
1920635
Art Mattson's book is a remarkable feat of research. He has spent years in archives and libraries, in cities throughout the world, to assemble the poignant, tragic story of the wrecks of the Bristol and Mexico. The story he so eloquently narrates is full of villains and heroes, misconduct and altruism, all described in riveting detail. This book is highly dramatic and stirring in its presentation -- the stuff of feature films. I can't speak highly enough of this work, and recommend it without reservation to all, while urging those interested either in the Irish emigrant experience, the age of sail, or the history of Long Island to purchase this. You won't regret it.
965527
Challenging is the word for this exceptional novel, whose inexhaustible vocabulary is alone worth the price of admission. Certainly not for everyone, the adventure in erudition proved completely satisfying to a jargon hound like myself. I gave it five stars since it is a tour de force of concept and narrative, with a clever conceit underpinning the simple story line. The author seems to have read everything, a repository of popular culture, a sharp observer who can weave in Baroque composers, Stockhausen, Ai Weiwei, mix in a little Lady Gaga, and mash up how the government geo-locates us through cellular signals. I did not want the book to end, I read the last quarter of it slowly, luxuriously, sorry to get to the ultimate word. But if you are seeking something of the John Grisham ilk, whacked-out William Gibson sci-fi or a techno thriller with a lot of bang-bang shoot-shoot, you probably should go elsewhere. This is the deep stuff, an uncompromising writer prepared to heave observation and opinion in your direction and take no prisoners. Congratulations, Richard Powers. I am a fan now, and I thank you for renewing my confidence in American literature.
3285007
Since I've been a fan of Joel Achenbach for some time now, I was primed to like this book - just not as much as I did.  This book far exceeded my high expectations.

What makes this book so impressive is that it combines several disparate narratives into a coherent and engaging whole.  There is the technical story of obscure machinery and applied hydrodynamic theory explained so clearly that class credit should be awarded. There is the political story of the complex and ambiguous relationship between government and private industry when the former has the authority while the latter has the expertise. There is the human story of lives lost and anonymous specialists working under incomprehensible stress and with a shocking paucity of hard facts. There is the societal story of how a nation reacts to months of unrelenting crisis. There is the ecological story of massive oil pollution coupled with powerful chemicals.  There is the economic story of jobs lost and markets shaken.  And, finally, there is the cautionary tale of the inherent dangers when one operates powerful technologies in a poorly understood environment.

That Joel Achenbach has managed to weave these narratives together is impressive enough.  That he manages to do so in a way that reads in such an engrossing manner that one occasionally forgets that this is not fiction indicates a book that is truly remarkable.  Let me be clear, this book isn't just educational and important, it is extremely entertaining without ever losing track of the seriousness of its topic.  Part of this is that the subject matter - what Mr. Achenbach describes as a slow-motion Apollo 13 - lends itself naturally to a thrilling tale.  But the overwhelming reason for the success of this book is that Joel Achenbach is a brilliant writer.  The text is full of clever wordplay and insights that make esoteric topics clear.  That Mr. Achenbach creates such a complex narrative without ever falling prey to simplistic dichotomies or trite polemics adds greatly to the intellectual and emotional power of this work.

This is a great book. One that should be read, contemplated, discussed, and thoroughly cherished by all the residents of our engineered planet.
1107193
Never mind those skimmers who want from the trite crap between the covers of their paper-back bed-mates a chance to fantsize about partners they'll never have.  For readers (properly so-called) of novels (properly so-called) who want books of substance, here is your book of the year -- a rewarding piece of historical fiction that repays the mind while gripping the imagination.  Michael Ford has penned a remarkable story around a remarkable event, about which few of us know enough to even begin imagining.  Thanks to his research, the unimaginable details are all true of their kind, and writ here in vivid color; thanks to his creative vision and splendid way with words, this epic tale unfolds before one's very eyes like the grand event itself, complete with characters you'll hate, characters you'll love, and characters you don't know how to judge for the life of you.  The academic side of me, who teaches more Socrates in a semester than he cares to acknowledge, learned more about that era and that world than from any textbook; the mountain-climber side of me, who goes out of his way for the extraordinary, found this book to be better than a cold peak.  Pity we don't have more of substance like this fine book.  Don't wait for the movie, which will never be half as good.  Buy it and read it, and then read it again.
3432457
A monumental achievement in meticulous research, writing, and story telling.....and about so much more than an epic feat in engineering.
3499103
MR. and MRS. PRINCE is an extraordinary achievement. Meticulously researched and engagingly written, it uncovers a fascinating chapter in 18th-century African American literature. The story of the Princes, New England slaves whose trajectory takes them from bondage to farm ownership, is both the story of the struggles of all settlers in the north frontier during the Indian Wars and that of a brave African American couple establishing a life together and raising a large family against seemingly insurmountable odds. Told against the story of how, through painstaking research, the author and her husband were able to piece together the details of the Princes' lives (an adventure in itself), the book blends two fascinating narratives into one. As the narrative interweaves the moving story of the Princes with that of the two researchers indefatigable following every lead, the book lovingly evokes the past and present of a broad section of New England. The result is an extraordinary story of historical recovery and contemporary detective work that displays what couples working together can accomplish through hard work and determination. It is simply impossible to put the book down.
2948132
I had the pleasure of encountering this remarkable work in the most fitting way possible - by unexpectedly happening upon a book signing & reading with the author, Ms. Krahl, herself. I must admit that being introduced to an indelible project such as this by crossing the threshold of its very themes is as marvelous and serendipitous of an encounter as there may be. I was going for a drive on a beautiful late summer afternoon in Gloucester County, Virginia, and for whatever reason, my mind had convinced itself, for no reason whatsoever, that today was the day to pay a visit to the illustrious Inn at Warren Hall. I parked my car, noticing a gravel driveway full of other vehicles, and with the sincere hope that my historic curiosities would not be an imposition on any wedding rehearsal party, I entered the foyer.

I was immediately greeted by the kindest innkeeper in memory, and a similarly genteel introduction was made with Ms. Krahl before I even understood the event soon to begin. It took but a moment of conversation with Ms. Krahl to discern the passion, the commitment, and the intellectual rigor of accuracy with which she approached this book. It so happened to contain a bevy of my most prized and closely-held themes: Colonial Virginia, Horseracing, the North Shore Massachusetts Fishing Industry, along with the pursuit of self-atonement. And so I cracked a few pages for brief acquaintance with the material, and found myself a seat in the beautiful sitting room adjacent to the entrance.

It is essential to know that this is not a book about any single point of view. Trying to confine the book's innerworkings, its interwoven tapestry of culture, of time, of space, of faith, or of any other principle characteristic with which we generally project upon a novel's protagonists, may fall short of sufficient definition. The book is built upon a unique understanding of life and love, of self-worth and of self-identification. What it offers, however, is something for everyone. The themes, the descriptions, the dialogue, the research, and the detailed descriptions bring to life not a single world, but three. Ms. Krahl's dedication to the truth of the culture asserted in each scene allows for a transcendent work that not only approaches timelessness, but seeks to answer the question of what if time was a relative construction in the first place? I do the plot, and the book as a whole, no justice by trying to explain it here, as an Amazon review pales in comparison to an author who has dedicated fifteen years to fine tune such broad lenses to the point of crystal clarity. Do yourself a favor. Buy the book.
2363470
This book is splendid. It is the model of what contemporary history should be. Oberdorfers achievement is all the more impressive in that it tackled a huge controversial topic of the day, and did what books should do. It left its readers knowing more about Vietnam, and able to ask questions about where America was going in its involvement. To do this in 1971 was stupendous. To do it today would still be an achievement.
 Oberdorfer gives a brief background leading up to the Tet offensive, then a detailed picture of the battles. Given that fighting erupted all across South Vietnam, this is a great accomplishment. Oberdorfer is not shy about showing the atrocities the Viet Cong inflicted on Vietnamese, a notable feat for a journalist in 1971. But he also doesnt flinch about showing the deficiencies in South Vietnams military forces and, worse, its political class. Finally Oberdorfer surveys the battles impact on American opinion, paying close attention to the effects television had on the coverage and on opinion.
 The one thing I might have wished for is more history on the war, but after all, theres a reason Oberdorfer called the book TET: he thought it was a milestone, and wanted to concentrate on it. He succeeded, and history readers are in his debt. However painful reading this book can be to Americans, Oberdorfer did his damnedest to get to the truth, even while events had not finished. Its a great achievement
 Why, then, is the book relatively forgotten today? It is because David Halberstam, not content with poisoning American opinion with his writing, read the book first. What a shock it must have been to Halberstam, the Vietnam reporting hotshot, to see that Oberdorfer got there first, and without all the meretricious tinsel Halberstam had accumulated by showboating. If the truth, carefully sourced by Oberdorfer, had already been done, what was Halberstam to do? Easy: be the anti-Oberdorfer, use smears, change your mind without acknowledging it (compare the portrait of Robert McNamara in THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST, with McNamara Mark II in THE RECKONING), get even with all the people who disagreed with you (and to be fair, took a lot of undeserved shots at Halberstam while he was reporting from Vietnam) and above all, get the I told you so! attitude in the books. Compared to that, Oberdorfers calm, well-sourced digging for the truth wasn't going to get a big sale, nor any tinsel compared to Halberstam the Christmas tree on the rubbish heap got.
1856183
I have reconsidered my earlier negative review. Upon further perusal of this book, I have decided that it is an impressive and monumental achievement. There are many nuggets in the commentaries and essays at the back of the book. One must be cautious of the potential double whammy of academic skepticism coupled with Jewish ambivalence about the New Testament. But with that proviso, one will find many treasures in this attractively produced book.

As just one example: on the gruesome verses of Hebrews 11:36-38, that describe certain Old Testament saints as being sawed in half and suffering other forms of affliction, the commentary clarifies that this refers to such venerable personages as Zecharia, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Elisha and Elijah. And not to certain wierd dessert hermits from ancient times. This is the kind of information one can glean profitably from this book:

Hebrews 11:36-38:
36 Some faced jeers and flogging,  and even chains and imprisonment.  37 They were put to death by stoning;  they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword.  They went about in sheepskins and goatskins,  destitute, persecuted and mistreated-- 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves  and in holes in the ground.

And despite a certain amount of bitterness in essays describing anti-Semitism in the New Testament and throughout Christian history, this book brings together about 50 prominent Jewish theologians and scholars who collaborate in a ground breaking effort to bring their respectful inquiry to bear on the Christian faith. The scholarship is prodigious.

Highly recommended as a study resource.
3705461
Fall From Grace is a captivating epic about two supreme brothers torn apart by hubris, fate, andof coursethe presence of mankind. Set in a picturesque heaven that is palpable, beautiful, and practical, Richies world stretches over miles of lush landscape. At the outset each living entity of heaven plays his or her own role in maintaining a utopic society inhabited by the Angelic Host. Blacksmiths forge useful materials, farmers harvest sustenance, and Michael and Satanail, the novels main vehicles, watch over heaven as the Archon (ruler) and Logos (interpreter) of God. The ethereal harmony is soon disrupted, however, by the discovery of earth and mankind. The question of what the Angelic Host should do with this revelation stirs a debate that rips Michael and Satanail apart, causing a chasm among heavens angels. A ruthless war ensues in which Satanail leads an uprising of heretics, testing the faith of Michael and his band of Seraphim while corroding heavens beauty and grace.

It comes as no surprise that Richie, a seasoned Hollywood screenwriter, is able to craft such a well-organized and succinct plot, but with Fall From Grace Richie also demonstrates his chops as a novelist, penning seamless and vital imagery in lengthier prose. Each page feels like a meticulously brushed painting from Richies bountiful pallet of words. The narrative strikes an ideal parity between spiritual and contemporary storytelling, paying homage to Cane and Abel, while also feeling reminiscent of Tolkien and large scale Action/Fantasy films like 300 and Thor.

An expansive cast of characters fills out Richies heaven, each one vibrant and distinct. A particular favorite is Metatron, a six-armed scribe charged with recording all of heavens events since the dawn of time. Ultimately Metatron must abandon his academic documentation to play a significant and painful role in the fight against Satanails army. Perhaps most impressive is Richies tact in navigating the macro (a vast world of millions) and the micro (the uprooted relationship between brothers), a skill that other young writers may not have handled so elegantly.

Fall From Grace can also be argued as an inadvertent--if not prophetic--social novel. Reading the book during one of the most tempestuous political periods in recent American history, I noticed a few connections: a divisive battle for political power and a showman demagogue playing off of hatred and fear; a system in which a significant portion of the population is marginalized (some of heavens people are banished due to physical appearance); even heavens climate, which spins out of control as the war heightens, seems to reflect our own. Richie has written an original fantasy, but, as in all good art, there is much that we can learn about ourselves from the pages of fiction. I look forward to seeing what new insights J.R. will share with us in his coming projects!