Customer Reviews (3)

Past and present all a-jumble

Fergus Fadden is going through a rough stretch: an Irishman residing in the strange world of Hollywood, he is adapting a novel he wrote for the movies, but is afraid he'll have to change more of it than he wishes. He needs to pay alimony to his ex-wife, however, so can't easily abandon the assignment. Then one day he wakes up and encounters his dead father on his couch wanting to talk. This hallucination, if that's what it is, triggers a number of flashbacks into Fergus's past. He hopes to get from his father an answer to the "meaning of life" question (his father offers him no clue) and, even more, if there's an afterlife. All his father can tell him about that is to have faith and believe. Of course, no one, not even his dead father, can give Fergus any definite answers, for they all reside in Fergus himself.

The least realistic of his novels, the reader sometimes has difficulty understanding what Moore is trying to get at. Some scenes, such as the one involving 20 questions and another involving being chased by a mob, are also confusing. But Moore characterizes Fergus well, especially his struggle to fight his demons brought about by the hallucinations. But I have to admit it's not among my favorite of Moore's novels.

moving
Fergus is, in my opinion, one of Brian Moore's best novels. Apart from being a really good read, it is also very well written in the literary sense. It is about ghosts, both living and dead. It is also about coming to terms with one's past. A dialogue between past and present. There are resonances of James Joyce in parts of the book. I found it quite a moving book.

Lacks an ending
I had tired of the "hard" reading I've been tied up with of late, so I took a quick novel break, reading this brief work by Brian Moore nearly straight through. In a way, it's a work similar to John Fowles' Mantissa, although in many ways it's a more successful book. It does lack an ending, but the process of discovery in the novel is still quite pleasant. ... Read more

Product Description
'The only wise prediction to make about a new Brian Moore novel is that it will be unpredictable and wise,' wrote Christopher Ricks reviewing "Black Robe", one of the twenty magnificent novels which put Brian Moore into the first rank of world writers. Northern Ireland may have shaped him, as he grew up one of nine children in a Catholic doctor's Belfast household, but World War II took him to Africa and war-ravaged Europe, and Canada freed him to become a writer. In 1955 he published "The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne", the first of many novels which led steadily to international critical acclaim. He was a writer's writer, baffling contemporaries with how he pulled off his literary feats. Patricia Craig, who began this authorised biography with the help and blessing of Brian Moore himself, and his wife Jean, pieces together the colourful life that lay behind the novels. She also reveals the droll, romantic, cant-hating, affable and brilliant man who so disarmingly enhanced twentieth-century letters. ... Read more

Product Description
Since Moore's death in 1999, there have been no systematic pieces of full-length Moore scholarship; this book represents a timely literary treatment and fitting tribute to Moore as novelist. This is an in-depth study of the writings on Brian Moore that considers the convergence of literature with theology. Many critics have discussed how Moore's life is reflected in his works, while others have dismissed his fictions as simple narratives in the mould of classical realism. In the book, Gearon contends that Moore was one of the great observers of Catholicism in all its modern and historical controversy. The book builds upon five decades of Moore criticism and scholarship. Looks at most -- if not all -- of Moore's works spanning from 'Judith Hearne' (1955) to 'The Magician's Wife' (1997). ... Read more

Product Description
This is nonfiction commentary. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Novels by Bernard Maclaverty, Novels by Bob Shaw, Novels by Brian Moore, Novels by James White, Novels by Paul Kearney, Sector General, Monarchies of God, the Dream Millennium, the Sea Beggars, the Genocidal Healer, Star Surgeon, the Galactic Gourmet, Cal, Mind Changer, Code Blue - Emergency, Black Robe, Land and Overland, One Million Tomorrows, Double Contact, Night Walk, Ambulance Ship, Catholics, Ground Zero Man, the Statement, Star Healer, Orbitsville, I Am Mary Dunne, Final Diagnosis, the Watch Below, the Silent Stars Go By. Source: Wikipedia. Free updates online. Not illustrated. Excerpt:Cal is a 1983 novel by Bernard MacLaverty , detailing the experiences of a young Irish Catholic named Cal, who is involved with the IRA .Plot summary One of the major themes of the novel is the way in which Cal attempts to come to terms with taking part in the murder of a reserve police officer by his friend Crilly, an operation for which he was the getaway driver, while at the same time trying to fend off the murderous anti-Republican "Orangemen ". Making things even worse, Cal finds himself falling in love with the slain man's wife, Marcella.One of the notable characteristics of this novel is that it has five chapters, similar to traditional tragedies, including that of Romeo and Juliet. This is because the story of Cal is in itself tragic, as his downfall is due predominantly to his own choices and mistakes, although the story itself would not be classified as a tragedy.Cal lacks self-esteem, one source of which is the death of his mother, who held him in high regard - following her death, Cal seems to be only capable of thinking of himself in a bad light. Another factor adding to Cal's initial unhappiness is being a Catholic on a mainly Protestant estate and being part of the minority in N... ... Read more

Product Description
Critics of the Irish novelist, Brian Moore (1921-1999), have largely concentrated upon his use of faith and realism; although such examinations have illuminated his novels in intriguing and useful ways, much has been neglected by viewing his work solely from these perspectives.The sheer variety of Moore s work discourages a single viewpoint because his oeuvre refuses classification, be that through narrative mode, his use of religion, or his varied use of setting.The approach of this book, which is the first of its kind, examines how history influences Moore s texts as well as how it codifies his individual characters.By the end of his career, Brian Moore was rewriting history in order to create new narratives that explored colonialism, identity, religion, and the intersection between differing interpretations of the past. In all of these cases, a careful examination of history opens up the texts to new readings. This critical analysis examines Brian Moore as a writer who was heavily invested in the representation and the meaning of the past. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the most extensive account of Moore's fiction to date that considers his many works from the early stories to the recent novel, No Other Life. Moore, who was born in Ireland but is a Canadian citizen and resides predominantly in the United States, has earned an international reputation as an important novelist. This book sets out to demonstrate a discernible pattern of concerns that cut across Moore's fictive output over the last 40 years. It argues that the concerns of love and faith (and the interplay between them) form the backbone of Moore's oeuvre. Sullivan draws from interviews with Moore and presents a study that convincingly demonstrates how Moore's fictions, from first to last, take their place in a larger thematic and formal masternarrative. ... Read more

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A beautifully written Hitchcockian thriller, full of suspense and intrigue.Somewhere in an unnamed Eastern bloc country, someone is out to silence Cardinal Bem. Is it the Secret Police, or is it -- more shockingly -- fanatical Catholic activists who believe that Bem, by keeping the peace between Church and State, has finally compromised himself too far? Narrowly escaping an assassination attempt, Bem is abducted by sinister, anonymous men, and spirited away to a 'safe house' against his will. Evading his unknown captors, he is faced with a horrifying proposition: no longer sure of whom he can trust, Bem realises that he alone can avert the revolution which threatens to tear his country apart! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

One for the Dustbin of History
"The Colour of Blood" is set in an unnamed, fictitious Eastern European country during the 1980s. (References in the text date the action to late August and early September of 1986). At least, the country is ostensibly fictitious, but there can be little doubt that Brian Moore had Poland in mind; the country is predominantly Catholic, has a strong, independent trade union movement on the lines of Solidarity and power lies, not with the civilian Communist Party leaders but with a military dictator reminiscent of General Jaruzelski. To make it even more obvious which country he is referring to, Moore gives his hero the surname Bem (after the Polish national hero Jozef Bem) and his military strongman the surname Urban; Jaruzelski's propaganda minister was named Jerzy Urban.

After Cardinal Stephen Bem, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in this country, narrowly survives an assassination attempt, he is taken into what is described as "protective custody" by men claiming to belong to the Security Services. He discovers, however, that his captors are not what they seem, but are in reality members of a fanatical anti-Communist movement within the Church, who despise Bem because they seem him as a traitor and a collaborator with the regime. Their aim is to prevent him from attending a forthcoming religious celebration in which a more radical Archbishop intends to call for protests and demonstrations against the Government. Escaping from his captors, Bem has to make his way to the celebrations to ensure that his own call for peaceful co-existence can be heard.

Moore is sometimes bracketed together with Graham Greene as a "Catholic novelist", but there was an important difference between them. Greene was brought up as an Anglican but converted to Catholicism as a young man. Moore was a "cradle Catholic" who lost his faith but who nevertheless continued to deal with Catholic themes. "The Colour of Blood" reminded me in some respects of Green's writings. Like some of Greene's novels it is in form a political thriller, but a thriller which attempts to deal with religious and philosophical issues. There are similarities with Greene's "The Power and the Glory", another novel about a Catholic clergyman confronted with a dictatorial, anti-religious regime.

Nevertheless, I felt that "The Colour of Blood" did not work either as a thriller or as an exploration of politics and religion. On a purely technical level, I found it dull and pedestrian, a thriller which fails to thrill. On a more serious level I found it dispiriting and politically objectionable. I do not mean by this that Moore is an apologist for Communism; no Marxist novelist wishing to make propaganda for his particular creed would be likely to set one of his novels in a thinly-fictionalised version of Jaruzelski's Poland, a regime which abandoned the last vestiges of the pretence that Communism was a dictatorship of the proletariat rather than a dictatorship pure and simple. Although Jaruzelski was ostensibly a Communist, his real ideology was a jackbooted, parade-ground authoritarianism, virtually indistinguishable from that of his ostensibly capitalist contemporaries such as Pinochet and Galtieri.

Moore's political creed, as expressed through his main character Bem, amounts to a sort of passive fatalism, a belief that God is on the side of the big battalions and that the little man, if he knows what is good for him, will not challenge their divine right to rule. What makes it so depressing is that Bem opposes not only violent resistance to the regime- Christian pacifism has a long and honourable history- but also any form of non-violent protest. Just two years after this book was written in 1987 the falsity of that creed was exposed when all over Eastern Europe- not just in Poland but also in Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Rumania- the little men stood up against their oppressors. The Berlin Wall fell and Communism found itself in that dustbin of history it had long predicted would be the resting-place of all opposing ideologies. This book should join it there.

A Cardinal Chase
The Colour of Blood is a tight, page-turning Catholic thriller in the Graham Greene tradition. The opening sequence hits the ground running: Cardinal Bem, head of the Church in an unnamed Soviet bloc country, is being chauffered back to his residence when "he saw, peripherally, a black car racing very close to his. He turned to look. The driver, a woman, wore a green silk scarf tied around her head. Beside her in the passenger seat, a bearded man, holding a revolver in both hands, raised it, aiming at him."

That's just the first page. The rest of the book follows the Cardinal as he flees from unknown captors and attempts to discover what organization was behind the assassination attempt--the Secret Police, who are antagonistic to the Church, or could it have been a fringe organization within the Church, who feel that Cardinal Bem has compromised too often with the Communist government?

Brian Moore's writing has textbook clarity: limpid, economical, and unfussy. "The Colour of Blood" was short-listed for the prestigious Booker Prize in the U.K, and was awarded the Sunday Express' Book of the Year. Though it drags in a few spots, and the ending (as another reviewer noted) is somewhat anticlimactic, on the whole the novel is well-crafted, suspenseful, and deeply orthodox. As an exemplar of smart genre writing, "The Colour of Blood" could take pride of place next to a Graham Greene thriller.

Slow Speed Chase
RE: AUDIO CASSETTE VERSION. In this Cold War curiosity, the Catholic cardinal of a Russian puppet state must balance the forces of the secret police on the one hand and the "patriotic clergy" on the other, while struggling to maintain his own link with God. The character study of the hero is strong enough that the reader may be carried well into the tale before realizing that nothing much actually happens. The baddies are not ruthless enough and the promised action is never delivered so that ultimately the story is as gray and drab as everyday life may have been in such a place.

THE GREAT THRILLER
This book is indeed a page-turner. It is enthralling and difficult to put down. It is well-written, and the characters are believeable and engrossing. I found myself caring for the characters and rooting for one over the other. The book does draw you in. However, the plot leads us on and on into what is finally a dismal abyss. My problem is not that the final twists of the plot are implausible. My problem is that the entire ending of the book is simply miserable. Also,my problem is hard to find the study on this book, such as the study on the characters, their conflict, the plot, etc. And really, I should have known. The hallmark of Oprah's books is that they are bleak yet hopeful -- until the end, that is, when her book choices are still bleak but all hope has been unrefuteably obliterated. So, this was a good book. But take heed: there is no happy ending here. Nothing to feel good about. No hope at all. None. So finally, I was left unsatisfied even though it was a good read.

A driving story of a good man in a world turned upside down.
Though he is a cardinal, Bem has successfully managed to avoid the sin of pride, and is attempting to do the will of his god, within his church. Surrounded by gentle and religious people, immersed in the day-to-daydetails of his regime, he is totally unprepared for the sudden intrusion ofpersonal violence in his life. An attempt is made on his life, followed byhis kidnapping and incarceration. Suddenly, he finds himself strugglingagainst hidden enemies, and struggling to find and feel the will of hisgod.

This is perhaps the most taut and action-packed of any Brian Moorenovels. Right down to the last word, this book will keep you riveted andstraining. And in Cardinal Bem, Moore has perhaps created one of his mostsimply admirable and likeable protagonists ever. But he lacks none of theinner honesty and complexity that mark Moore's protagonists. In addition tobeing an incredibly suspenseful thriller, the book is as emotive andthought-provoking as anyone could ask. It is a beauty. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A crackerpaced political thriller
I was lucky to have found this out-of-print Booker Prize nominated title in a second hand bookshop. I was attracted to its setting in an unidentified Eastern bloc country and its tale of political intrigueinvolving the Church and the State. It also has at its centre thefascinating character of Cardinal Bem whose faith is fully tested as hebattles dark forces threatening to unleash chaos on his tension fraughtcountry. The plot moves at a frenetic pace which leaves you breathless. Ifound myself in the midst of an attempted assasination within the firstpages of the novel and propelled into a plot which twists and turns anddoesn't let go until the last shocking word is spilled. The ending had asense of inevitability about it - you could smell it coming. I finished thebook in one sitting. I just couldn't put it down. Moore's cracker pacedthriller makes an excellent read. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Unengaging characters, setting, and situation
I have to admit that the area of organized religious hierarchies and their trappings is not one I am very interested in.That said, I felt that this book failed for me in several ways:1. I didn't feel for the characters 2. Thus, when the characters were in danger, I did not feel any suspense. 3. I didn't care about the pre-1989 Soviet bloc country or the religiousorganization inside of that country, further reducing my interest in theoutcome.4. The internal religious moral arguments the main character haswith himself are represented by short and summary resolutions - this topic(and others) don't seem to be explored, as much as thrown out anddiscarded.5. The detail was very sparse, and I wasn't drawn into thesetting.

After finishing the book, I felt as though I had wasted my time.

exciting suspense novel from Brian Moore
Color of Blood is one of the more exciting books that I have read in a long time. The main character, Cardinal Bem, demonstrates to the reader his struggle of being on the run from those who look suspicious, which includesalmost anyone. A good book to read when you want suspense with a surpriseending.

A driving story of a good man in a world turned upside down.
Though he is a cardinal, Bem has successfully managed to avoid the sin of pride, and is attempting to do the will of his god, within his church. Surrounded by gentle and religious people, immersed in the day-to-daydetails of his regime, he is totally unprepared for the sudden intrusion ofpersonal violence in his life. An attempt is made on his life, followed byhis kidnapping and incarceration. Suddenly, he finds himself strugglingagainst hidden enemies, and struggling to find and feel the will of hisgod.

This is perhaps the most taut and action-packed of any Brian Moorenovels. Right down to the last word, this book will keep you riveted andstraining. And in Cardinal Bem, Moore has perhaps created one of his mostsimply admirable and likeable protagonists ever. But he lacks none of theinner honesty and complexity that mark Moore's protagonists. In addition tobeing an incredibly suspenseful thriller, the book is as emotive andthought-provoking as anyone could ask. It is a beauty. ... Read more

Product Description
On a weekend visit to Carmel, California, sober andrespectable Anthony Maloney has an extraordinary dream which is tochange the pattern of his entire life. He dreams that outside hishotel window, on a previously empty parking-lot, an open-air markethas appeared containing dazzling collection of pricelessVictoriana. Laid out before him he sees a vast array of exquisitefurniture, paintings, jewellery, tapestries and musical instruments -a fantasy beyond measure for Maloney, a lifelong enthusiast. Wakingfrom this strange reverie, he crosses to window, only to discover thathis dream has come true...

Set in fantastic, surreal world, The Great Victorian Collectionis a fascinating exploration of the disturbing, intangible nature ofreality. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

drdickens
This story does not make sense either on a literal or symbolic level. The narrative is crude and forced. The theme is vague.The writing has a few good moments but is generally flat.One has the impression that Moore didn't know what to do with the situation after he set it up.He plowed forward into a series of unbelievable scenes until there was no way out.In the end, he chose the easy way out.

The Great Victorian Collection
Brian Moore's wistful, libidinous, fabulously imaginative novel describes an event that can't have happened, but it did. The slipstream tale is radically different from his usual work in content and style but--typical for him--compelling, provocative, funny and sad, and completely worthwhile. And the overarching question is the very one he worries at in his novels about faith: What is real, what isn't? Premise:His protagonist had a dream, and it comes true.Out of his REM state and into the parking lot behind a motel in Carmel springs up, in one swoop, a collection of Victoriana like nothing else on earth.In this gaudy fairground are hundreds of famous objects that are neither missing from the British museums that own them nor copied but somehow in two places at once.Objects thought to be long ago destroyed somehow exist again, in pristine, working condition.Don't worry about what's real and what isn't.Be there now.

Stuff
Tony Maloney, a history professor, on vacation in Carmel, CA, goes to sleep in a motel, has a dream about attending the Great Expedition in London in 1851, and when he wakes up, a magnificent collection of Victoriana is set up on display in the parking lot. A dream come true at first, but eventually the collection begins to take control of his life, and there is nothing he can do to get rid of it - not even dream another dream! He ends up committing suicide.

It's an interesting idea and Moore's broad humor is on display here. But it's pretty much a single idea and often while reading it, thought it might have worked better as a short story. Good, but Moore has done better work in other books.

This book is a dream come true...
....literally!
Anthony Maloney is assistant professor of history at McGill University. At twenty-nine years old he is already a specialist on everything Victorian. If there's anything to know about the Victorian era, Anthony knows it.
While attending a series of seminars in California, he decides to indulge in a few days of rest and relaxation before heading home to Montreal. One night, alone in his hotel room, Anthony has a profound dream about London England...
He suddenly awakes and when he looks out his window, finds that down below on the huge hotel parking lot, a complete exhibition of Victorian culture has appeared overnight.
He climbs out of the window and wanders among the endless aisles of Victoriana and is soon met by a man asking "Are you in charge of this?"
Without understanding why... he replies "Yes" and from that moment when Anthony claims ownership of The Great Victorian Collection, he will never be the same.

What follows is a truly realistic treatment of what would happen to someone who found themselves in this truly unrealistic situation.
A bewildered Anthony tries to process the fact that his "dream" brought this spectacle into existence, while everyone from the hotel manager, the law enforcement agencies, the press, television media, the surrounding community... descend upon him for an explanation of how he has done such a thing.
We're not talking about a few doilies and candle-snuffers here! There are gigantic working fountains... a locomotive... entire buildings that were not there the night before! Previously unknown collections within the collection... rolltop desks with handwritten letters locked within!
Of course, he does not have an answer. He only knows it's there. Everyone sees it. And he's responsible for it.
This collection consists of vivid replicas of existing Victoriana, and experts are called in to vouch for its authenticity. Most find that the stuff is so "good" that it is indistinguishable from the originals which are still located in their respective museums and locales around the world.
There seems to be no other explanation for how such a monstrous display has appeared here in Carmel-By-The-Sea (overnight, no less) than to conclude that Maloney DID in fact "dream" it into existence.
As such, he becomes a worldwide celebrity.
Many people believe his story, and many do not. The plot revolves around the way these supporters and detractors affect Maloney's psyche. It appears as though the previously unextraordinary and perfectly normal professor is now on the verge of going completely bonkers. And who can blame him?

The problem becomes the uncertainty that surrounds the perpetuity of the Collection. Will it slowly fade? Will it disappear overnight, as quickly, and inexplicably as it appeared? Is Maloney responsible (though his continued dreaming) to keep it in existence?
And what should be done with it if it does last forever? Should it become a Disneyland-like tourist attraction?

Maloney finds that if he tries to manipulate the Collection in his waking state, it begins to deteriorate. And the Collection becomes a nightmare to him. Can he turn over to the world what he has created? He attends to it with a jealous possessiveness, and finds that he cannot let go of it. Psychologically, the Collection imprisons him... creates unendurable insomnia, and other life-threatening perils.
Because of the initial scandal, and subsequent absence from the University, Maloney has long since lost his professorship... only to be offered it once again after he becomes an established celebrity.
Should he return to Montreal and try to re-establish a somewhat normal life... or stay with the Collection?

He is torn. His dream becomes a living nightmare.

There is so much more to the plot than I'm saying here in this review because I don't want to ruin anything for readers. There is the usual Moore romantic dalliance thrown in, and it's wonderful stuff.
The beauty of the book is the way Moore makes such an unrealistic situation seem like the most normal thing that could have happened. The way that Maloney and those around him react to the Collection seems very natural, very believable.
And all in all, the book reminds me why Moore is definitely one of my favorite writers of all time. This one is a real page-turner from start to finish.

An intense, internal, emotional rollercoasterride.
In this dreamy, strange little tale, a relatively ordinary man struggles to escape his seductive but limiting fate.

Tony Maloney has a dream which comes true. Fabulous! But, like King Midas, he finds that this giftis not the ultimate joy he first thought. Tony wakes up to the reality of aprecious collection of Victoriana - and cannot leave it. He fights to freehimself from his precious burden, and finds that things are even worse thanhe thought. His abandonment of his treasure causes it to be damaged, and hecannot bear the pain of watching its deterioration.

Moore has taken anunlikely premise, and uses it to produce an oddly believable tale of innertorment. Maloney's inner sense of artistic integrity and his sense of thevalue of his treasure become the means of his punishment.

As in theother Moore novels I have read, the story seems to drive itself through itsinner logic, and is simply a gripping, haunting story, independent of anymoral message.

Similar to "Cold Heaven", the protagoniststruggles against an unknowable greater power to assert free will. This isan excellent read. ... Read more

Product Description
Jack Haringa.The very name strikes fear in the hearts of the grammatically challenged.But fear not semicolon abusers and malapropists!The tables are turned in Jack Haringa Must Die!, which collects the very best Haringa death scenes and tales from... Jack KetchumChristopher Golden Brian Keene Craig Shaw Gardner James A. MooreLaird Barron Nick Mamatas Mary SanGiovanniLee ThomasBev Vincentand many more. With an introduction by Paul G. Tremblay and an afterword by Jack Haringa himself, this fundraising anthology will thrill you, scare you, tickle your funny bone and have you resounding the battle cry, Jack Haringa Must Die! ... Read more

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This is the first comprehensive study of the ethics of G. E. Moore, the most important English-speaking ethicist of the 20th century. Moore's ethical project, set out in his seminal text the Principia Ethica is to preserve common moral insight from skepticism and, in effect, persuade his readers to accept the objective character of goodness. Brian Hutchinson explores Moore's arguments in detail, showing Moore's ethical work to be much richer and more sophisticated than his critics have acknowledged. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An important contribution to the current literature in ethic
Hutchinson writes with grace and flair. His judgments of Moore are penetrating and wise, neither adulatory nor inimical. Unlike most writers on Moore, Hutchinson is at home also with Moore's epistemological and metaphysical works. He correctly ties Moore's realism ("objectivism") in ethics to his defense of common sense in epistemology. Moore's "innocence" (Keynes's word) regarding the existence and knowability of values is nicely compared with his much discussed, with derision or admiration, "innocence" regarding the existence and knowability of material objects. Moore thought that both are obvious, and that only intellectual confusion leads to thinking they are not. Hutchinson's book is an important contribution to the current literature in ethics. It would be an excellent "companion" for readers of Moore. ... Read more

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Father Paul Michel, a Canadian missionary on the poor Caribbean island of Ganae, rescues a little local boy from abject poverty, and sets him on the road towards a dramatic and dangerous future as a revolutionary priest and, later, as the first democratically elected leader in a land of dictators. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Forces at play in the Caribbean
Jeannot, a child born into poverty on a Caribbean island, is "rescued" by Father Michel and raised by the Church. But Jeannot, who is a dynamic figure, goes beyond the spiritual-only concerns Father Michel has invested in Jeannot's upbringing and becomes a revolutionary, concerned with the plight of the poor on his island.

He is elected president of the country, and institutes a series of sweeping reforms that put his own life in danger. Father Michel begins to question what Frankenstein's "monster" has been "created." Moore looks carefully at the three institutions fighting for power here: the Church, the military (representing greed and the "standard way" of doing business), and the "people" (Jeannot). Moore's writing is suspenseful and intelligent.Very well done.

Again, superb Moore
No Other Life is a vieled portrait of Jean Betrand aristide,told of course in fictionalised form.Told through the eyes of his fellow priest and discoverer,if you will, it tells the story of an activist priest,watching his people become further and further oppressed,until he himself decides to enter politics.{this book was written in the period that aristide was in exile}The descriptions of island life are pure Moore,as is the age-old moral ambiguities,the question of faithvs.politics.{Moore claimed to be agnostic,which wouold fit this book quite well} The books title comes from the narrators own soul quest,and his affirmation thereof.The ending is open-ended,as the aristide character becomed messianic,which,along with powerful colusion of military,corporate and religious powers leads to his downfall.Another moral, challenging novel form the late Mr. Moore.Excellent!

disappointing
Although Brian Moore is one of my favorite authors, I didn't much like this one. But the scene from which the book takes its title was for me unforgettable.

Has the Spirit and Cadence Down
A very nice read from Mr. Moore.Well paced and well stocked with voices at once familiar and seemingly authentic.A good meditation on the rights of outsiders to interfere with the affairs of State, and on the splitloyalties between serving man and God.This book is in a similar vein asBlack Robe (also by Brian Moore) and Monsignor Quixote and The Power andThe Glory (by Graham Greene). ... Read more

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A complete guide to PCMCIA that includes coverage of software aspects of multifunction cards, power management, and other essential PC topics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Completely worthless, online content is gone, and the book is nearly substance-free
I needed to work on a legacy PCMCIA driver and ignored the other reviews here on Amazon. They're right, this is a worthless book.

This book has sample code in the internet.
This book explains the simplifed concept of PC-Card and PCMCIA. but it is not enough to understand well. If you want to develop the PCMCIA card device driver in windows operating system. Please choice this book. also Peer-to-peer communication is not care of this book. But you can find the source code of this book. .... exactly It is difficult to find the source code to me.

If you expect Windows NT or XP device driver, you need to buy the other WDM book to develop the Windows NT/XP device driver.
also If you are going to develop the PCMCIA linux device driver. It is not good chioce for linux.

Book's software link is DEAD!!!
After purchasing this book and thinking I would be able to download the utilities and source code mentioned in the book... Also, it appears as if they are going out of business... their domain name is listed for sale at the top of their homepage.... Save your money and look elsewhere.

totally useless
this book:

1. failed to explain the basic concept of PC card.
2. a list of useless sample code. You can not figure out
anything from the sample code.
3. The utility code can not be ftped from the author's website.
4. everything is old except the publishing date.
5. No matter you are a beginner trying to understand PC Card, or
a experienced designed trying to update your brian, this book
is a total waste of your money.

get something else
At the high price it's listed at, this book is definately not worth the money.Even with a publication date of April 2001, this book feels old.ASCII graphics were used instead of proper tables or graphics in numerous places, and many of the examples given are dated.In addition, a whole 20% of the book was devoted to DOS/Win3.1/OS2 (like anyone still use those), with 30% more being a copy of the freely available Linux PCMCIA Programmer's Guide (by David Hinds).That leaves 10% about Windows 95/98/NT/CE, 30% of introduction, and 10% of user documentation on utilities that are possibly useful.The book does however have a fairly decent overview (though incomplete) on the PCMCIA API's of the aforementioned OSes.It also makes a feeble attempt at covering CIS and Multi-Function cards (pretty much to the extent of "Just use this API" with no explaination behind it).The book definately falls short of the cover promise of being "everything you need to understand 16-bit, cardbus and multi-function pc cards".

If you're new to PCMCIA and want to get a general feal on PCMCIA programming on one of these OSes, this book might help you (it's not worth paying more than $10 for it if you ask me).Otherwise, it'll probably be a waste of time and money.Consider getting something from the Mindshare series. ... Read more

Product Description
Humans are unique in being able to convey such complex information using speech, and in the range of ideas, thoughts, and emotions that can be expressed. This crossdisciplinary book explores how the motor gestures of a speaker are transformed to sounds and how those are mapped onto meaning in the comprehension of spoken language. ... Read more