:: darcysbooks ::

:: Tuesday, August 26, 2003 ::

the visitor
sheri s. tepper

I've been a fan of Sherri S. Tepper ever since I read Grass about ten years ago. In The Visitor, she envisions a world rebuilt after the earth is hit by an asteroid. Researchers, put into cryogenic suspension right before impact, wake generations later to find a society based on misunderstanding, superstition, and fear. While I enjoyed the first nine-tenths of the book, I must admit that the ending left me more than a little cold...it was too simplistic, too santimonious, and a little too "pat." Not what I've come to expect from this writer. Without those last couple of chapters, it would be an excellent novel.

black heart, ivory bones
ellen datlow, terri windling

Black Heart, Ivory Bones is the latest in Datlow and Windling's series of adult fairy tales, and delivers the usual mix of short stories from new and established writers. Contributors include Charles de Lint, Tanith Lee, Neil Gaiman, and Joyce Carol Oates.
:: darcy 11:42 AM [+] ::
...

the amber spyglass
philip pullman

The third in the His Dark Materials series, this book concludes the adventures of Lyra and Will. This is a challenging series, especially given its target market, and unfortunately, unlike what I remember of the first two, this final book gets almost unbearably preachy at times. I don't mind books with a message; I do mind being bashed over the head with that message in an ever-more-irritating fashion. However, that being said, I would still recommend the entire trilogy for its complex, absorbing story.
:: darcy 10:39 PM [+] ::
...

the tribal bible: exploring the phenomenon that is american tribal style bellydance
kajira djoumahna

Written by one of the foremost dancers in the style, the Tribal Bible aims to give an introduction to the history and performance of American Tribal Style (ATS) Bellydance, and includes chapters on history, influences, costuming, basic moves, music, and performing. The book succeeds in what it sets out to do, and the design and photo illustrations are of fairly good quality. However, the writing style is sometimes biased and amateurish, and the descriptions of the basic moves (which are not illustrated step-by-step with photographs) are confusing enough that I gave up understanding many of them. I also find it annoying when a book that promises to teach you a basic movement vocabulary instead starts the instructional section off with referrals to the author's video instruction series (which is expensive for the beginner/dabbler) and then only describes a very few steps.
:: darcy 4:41 PM [+] ::
...