Prologue
The door to Dr. Hannibal Lecter's memory palace is in the darkness at the center of his mind and it has a latch that can be found by touch alone. This curious portal opens on immense and well-lit spaces, early baroque, and corridors and chambers rivaling in number those of the Topkapi Museum.
Everywhere there are exhibits, well-spaced and lighted, each keyed to memories that lead to other memories in geometric progression.
Spaces devoted to Hannibal Lecter's earliest years differ from the other archives in being incomplete. Some are static scenes, fragmentary, like painted Attic shards held together by blank plaster. Other rooms hold sound and motion, great snakes wrestling and heaving in the dark and lit in flashes. Pleas and screaming fill some places on the grounds where Hannibal himself cannot go. But the corridors do not echo screaming, and there is music if you like.
The palace is a construction begun early in Hannibal's student life. In his years of confinement he improved and enlarged his palace, and its riches sustained him for long periods while warders denied him his books.
Here in the hot darkness of his mind, let us feel together for the latch. Finding it, let us elect for music in the corridors and, looking neither left nor right, go to the Hall of the Beginning where the displays are most fragmentary.
We will add to them what we have learned elsewhere, in war records and police records, from interviews and forensics and the mute postures of the dead. Robert Lecter's letters, recently unearthed, may help us establish the vital statistics of Hannibal, who altered dates freely to confound the authorities and his chroniclers. By our efforts we may watch as the beast within turns from the teat and, working upwind, enters the world.
Chapter 6
Lothar heard it first as he drew water, the roar of an engine in low gear and cracking of branches. He left the bucket on the well and in his haste he came into the lodge without wiping his feet.
A Soviet tank, a T-34 in winter camouflage of snow and straw, crashed up the horse trail and into the clearing. Painted on the turret in Russian were AVENGE OUR SOVIET GIRLS and WIPE OUT THE FASCIST VERMIN. Two soldiers in white rode on the back over the radiators. The turret swiveled to point the tank's cannon at the house. A hatch opened and a gunner in hooded winter white stood behind a machine gun. The tank commander stood in the other hatch with a megaphone. He repeated his message in Russian and in German, barking over the diesel clatter of the tank engine.
"We want water, we will not harm you or take your food unless a shot comes from the house. If we are fired on, every one of you will die. Now come outside. Gunner, lock and load. If you do not see faces by the count of ten, fire." A loud clack as the machine gun's bolt went back.
Count Lecter stepped outside, standing straight in the sunshine, his hands visible. "Take the water. We are no harm to you."
The tank commander put his megaphone aside. "Everyone outside where I can see you."
The count and the tank commander looked at each other for a long moment. The tank commander showed his palms.
The count showed his palms. The count turned to the house. "Come."
When the commander saw the family he said, "The children can stay inside where it's warm."
And to his gunner and crew, "Cover them. Watch the upstairs windows. Start the pump. You can smoke."
The machine gunner pushed up his goggles and lit a cigarette. He was no more than a boy, the skin of his face paler around his eyes. He saw Mischa peeping around the door facing and smiled at her.
Among the fuel and water drums lashed to the tank was a small petrol-powered pump with a rope starter.
The tank driver snaked a hose with a screen filter down the well and after many pulls on the rope the pump clattered, squealed, and primed itself.
The noise covered the scream of the Stuka dive bomber until it was almost on them, the tank's gunner swiveling his muzzle around, cranking hard to elevate his gun, firing as the airplane's winking cannon stitched the ground. Rounds screamed off the tank, the gunner hit, still firing with his remaining arm.
The Stuka's windscreen starred with fractures, the pilot's goggles filled with blood and the dive bomber, still carrying one of its eggs, hit treetops, plowed into the garden and its fuel exploded, cannon under the wings still firing after the impact. Hannibal, on the floor of the lodge, Mischa partly under him, saw his mother lying in the yard, bloody and her dress on fire.
"Stay here!" to Mischa and he ran to his mother, ammunition in the airplane cooking off now, slow and then faster, casings flying backward striking the snow, flames licking around the remaining bomb beneath the wing. The pilot sat in the cockpit, dead, his face burned to a death's head in flaming scarf and helmet, his gunner dead behind him.
Lothar alone survived in the yard and he raised a bloody arm to the boy. Then Mischa ran to her mother, out into the yard and Lothar tried to reach her and pull her down as she passed, but a cannon round from the flaming plane slammed through him, blood spattering the baby and Mischa raised her arms and screamed into the sky. Hannibal heaped snow onto the fire in his mother's clothes, stood up and ran to Mischa amid the random shots and carried her into the lodge, into the cellar. The shots outside slowed and stopped as bullets melted in the breeches of the cannon. The sky darkened and snow came again, hissing on the hot metal.
Darkness, and snow again. Hannibal among the corpses, how much later he did not know, snow drifting down to dust his mother's eyelashes and her hair. She was the only corpse not blackened and crisped. Hannibal tugged at her, but her body was frozen to the ground. He pressed his face against her. Her bosom was frozen hard, her heart silent. He put a napkin over her face and piled snow on her. Dark shapes moved at the edge of the woods. His torch reflected on wolves' eyes. He shouted at them and waved a shovel. Mischa was determined to come out to her mother—he had to choose. He took Mischa back inside and left the dead to the dark.
Mr. Jakov's book was undamaged beside his blackened hand until a wolf ate the leather cover and amid the scattered pages of Huyghens' Treatise on Light licked Mr. Jakov's brains off the snow. Hannibal and Mischa heard snuffling and growling outside. Hannibal built up the fire. To cover the noise he tried to get Mischa to sing; he sang to her. She clutched his coat in her fists.
"Ein Mannlein . . ."
Snowflakes on the windows. In the corner of a pane, a dark circle appeared, made by the tip of a glove. In the dark circle a pale blue eye.
Excerpted from HANNIBAL RISING by Thomas Harris Copyright © 2006 byThomas Harris.
The Hannibal Lecter Books
Red Dragon |
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The Hannibal Lecter DVDs
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Book Description
HE IS ONE OF THE MOST HAUNTING CHARACTERS
IN ALL OF LITERATURE.
AT LAST THE EVOLUTION OF HIS EVIL
IS REVEALED.
Hannibal Lecter emerges from the nightmare of the Eastern Front, a boy in the snow, mute, with a chain around his neck.
He seems utterly alone, but he has brought his demons with him.
Hannibal’s uncle, a noted painter, finds him in a Soviet orphanage and brings him to France, where Hannibal will live with his uncle and his uncle’s beautiful and exotic wife, Lady Murasaki.
Lady Murasaki helps Hannibal to heal. With her help he flourishes, becoming the youngest person ever admitted to medical school in France.
But Hannibal’s demons visit him and torment him. When he is old enough, he visits them in turn.
He discovers he has gifts beyond the academic, and in that epiphany, Hannibal Lecter becomes death’s prodigy.
Customer Reviews:
Funniest one yet! Nabakov could not have done better.......2007-10-02
One of the top ten funniest books I've ever read: rarefied European nobility, Japanese aesthetics, post-adolescent crush, brutal crude enemies, and sweet sweet hot-blooded revenge. This is a comic book.
There is a rule in writing novels: start as close to the ending as you possibly can and push the action. There is a rule in filming monster movies: don't show the monster until you absolutely have to. There are rules about heroes and anti-heroes too, but they have become so hopelessly muddled in our post-post-post-(ideological zeitgeist of the day) that even the term "hero" is suspect [deconstructionists, hold your glee, I am *not* on your side].
Harris was clearly in a bind. Folks want more Hannibal, and those cases of Petrus cooling in his Long Island cellar aren't getting any easier to come by in this gilded age. But what to do? How to show the monster? But the monster is more powerful *not* explained! If you explain the monster, you've brought everybody backstage and showed them how the fog machine works. Honestly, isn't Michael Myers the unexplained killing machine in the first Halloween movie so much more interesting than the lame back story they finally cobbled together about him?
Thomas Harris was in trouble. Showing the monster means damning the monster to withered force. Sunlight on the vampire.
Solution: make it subtly out-of-cannon like the alternate universe comic books so popular nowadays. Hey, why not even make it a comic book? But Harris clearly got bored with that process and then proceeded to disguise the comic book for his own amusement.
In the words of Anthony Hopkins, "Okey Dokey".......2007-09-30
For a piece of entertainment literature, "Hannibal Rising" wasn't a total waste time.
In my opinion, it was certainly better than "Hannibal", which was too far over the top.
This book does, however, lack the good vs. evil race against time sleuthfests that made "Red Dragon" and "The Silence Of The Lambs" such compelling reads (if you liked those two novels, you should check out The Alienist: A Novel by Caleb Carr).
What we have here is an at least somewhat plausible explaination of how Dr. Lecter acquired his appetites, for both the aesthetic and the horrific.
Of course, as others have noted, given what we know of the character, there was only so much Harris could do with this prequel.
Maybe the handful of people who start off with this book would give it higher marks.
Plus, there is the gap between "Hannibal Rising" and "Red Dragon" that Harris could flesh out, so there's hope, or at least another novel possible.
p.s. As far as actors are concerned, Brian Cox did an excellent job portraying Lecter in "Manhunter". The Lecter character wasn't the focus of this early film, but Cox's performance was memorable.
PayBack Time.......2007-09-23
The was a wonderful book. I didn't detect any false notes at all. I just might re-read the other few books which I read a very long time ago. There was just so much beauty described in a fanciful way. But it was not described adequately why a brilliant mind would become hatefilled forever after it extracted the venegence it required. Was it because Hannibal inadvertently ate the soup? Maybe that's it. The Lady and the Detective could see that he had become a Monster but I couldn't. So perhaps that's the flaw of this book. We were never shown Hannibal killing people just for the joy of killing them. It was Payback Time and we sure have seen that in the media over and over in a zillion guises. Hannibal had his little taste of human flesh and later became addicted, right? First the soup and then "A brochette, cheeks and morels." Yum.
A disappointment for me.......2007-09-03
I have to say being a fan of the Hannibal stories; I was disappointed with this book. It starts off well and with a lot of promise and becomes quit predictable. I would say it's still worth a read for anyone who enjoys the Hannibal books to see what started it all, but I don't think I would recommend this book as a first read for anyone interested in the series, as you may never pick up a Thomas Harris book again.
The story is about revenge and has quite a few graphic torture scenes in it, in pure Hannibal Lecter style.
Nothing to write home about........2007-08-29
Another reviewer stated that Lecter in this latest book is a vigilante avenging wrongs done to him and his family by deserters and scavengers. I honestly think that of all the people that Hannibal killed it was in some way right a wrong or a flaw in the persons charecter. The only thing good to ever come out of this is Sir Anthonys protrayal of the good doctor.
Average customer rating:
- Great Trilogy
- Super Reader
- I wish it wasn't over......
- Trilogies Rock
- poorly read
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Valley of Silence (The Circle Trilogy, Book 3)
Nora Roberts
Manufacturer: Jove
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Dance of the Gods (The Circle Trilogy, Book 2)
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Spellbound
ASIN: 0515141674
Release Date: 2006-10-31 |
Book Description
The battleground has been chosen for the final showdown between those selected by the gods and the minions of the vampire Lilith. But there is one vampire who dares stand against her. And his love for the scholarly queen of Geall will complete the circle of six-and change the face of eternity.
Customer Reviews:
Great Trilogy.......2007-09-16
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and the two preceding books in the series. It was hard to wait to read the next book. I was able to really connect with this story and found it very interesting.
Super Reader.......2007-08-31
A pretty average and very light fantasy. It seems a group of vampire hunters from our world have gone to another to help a queen fight an evil vampire queen. Including a vampire nightclub owner, and a couple of other supernatural types.
For a war against an evil vampire queen, well, there really isn't much war. The evil vampire queen is pretty lame, too. Probably because she is a crazy girl that became a vampire, not really Lilith.
The battle at the end is over in about two eyeblinks. Pretty much it seems all this is kept out of it to have space for the romance parts.
Other than that, Roberts seems to be a decent enough writer, but I doubt she grew up reading about medieval warfare or monsters.
I wish it wasn't over.............2007-07-26
As I read the last few pages this afternoon I was caught in a bittersweet battle of not wanting the story to end and yearning to read the finale. What a great book and a great trilogy.
With the complex nature and background of Cian I would love to read about his journey through his life of being "damned" and his transition into "normal" society. I think we need some more of him. What an amazing character.
Trilogies Rock.......2007-07-19
Nora Roberts is the best a trilogies. They all have a good ending but you cant wait to read the next one. This book will hook you.
poorly read.......2007-07-16
I truly enjoy all of Nora Roberts books, and I read the first 2 Circle Trilogy books. The Book 3, I did not realize was ordered as an audio book. The story is great, the reading terrible. I would not recommend anyone getting the audio unless this is really your thing. I like to read and imagine what someones voice would sound like, not listen to a man try to read a woman's part and sound like a female. Terrible reading!
Book Description
There are many ways that a potential attacker can intercept information, or learn more about the sender, as the information travels over a network. Silence on the Wire uncovers these silent attacks so that system administrators can defend against them, as well as better understand and monitor their systems.
Silence on the Wire dissects several unique and fascinating security and privacy problems associated with the technologies and protocols used in everyday computing, and shows how to use this knowledge to learn more about others or to better defend systems. By taking an indepth look at modern computing, from hardware on up, the book helps the system administrator to better understand security issues, and to approach networking from a new, more creative perspective. The sys admin can apply this knowledge to network monitoring, policy enforcement, evidence analysis, IDS, honeypots, firewalls, and forensics.
Customer Reviews:
Light Face of the Dark Side.......2007-07-16
The Global Network is not a battle ground. It is a play ground.
This book although it covers security issues is great insight into the mentality that the security geeks can have. For them the security of platforms and networks are faulted and the hackers task is to disclose that.
A Wonderful Treatment of Network Security.......2007-06-12
At a conference I was at some time ago, a fellow mentioned to me that one person he would probably not want to play poker with is Michal Zalewski. I didn't really get his statement at the time, but after reading this book, I can now wholeheartedly understand his reluctance.
Although only 260 pages long, Michal's book covers an incredibly wide range of topics, pinpointing numerous areas in which incredible amounts of information about you and your computer are available, even though it may not seem that way at first blush. From the keyboard, to the processor, to the operating system, to the network wire, Michal points out the many holes from which this information is leaking from. His writing style gives rise to an entertaining narrative where a high-level picture makes the main concept available to everyone, while at the same time providing citations in the footnotes that let you delve into the details at a later point.
Silence on the Wire impressed me in so many ways that it's difficult to list them all here. Michal's understanding of so many areas in computer security is simply astounding. He covers each topic in just enough detail, not bogging down the reader in lots of technical jargon, but also not doing an inordinate amount of 'hand-waving'. His movement through the various components of the computer and the network is very well done; it ties together in a nice progression that the reader can follow easily.
I enjoyed the a nice selection of papers Michal discusses in which many ingenious attacks were described (timing attacks on RSA, SSH password recovery through timing analysis, TEMPEST, etc.). But one thing that truly stood out in this book is Michal's own contribution, which includes his work with p0f, the analysis of various ISN generators, and his work on identifying various web browsers through timing analysis. I was just amazed at how easily Michal pulled these 'fingerprints' out of seemingly random and/or innocuous data sets.
I had actually read about much of the work that Silence on the Wire covers beforehand, but in spite of that I learned a great deal from this book, and I know that many others can too. If you only read one book on network security, make it this one!
super.......2007-03-08
Thanks a lot, we are very happy to have this book in our library!
New look at the (in)security of networked computers.......2007-01-13
I am a student studying information security and I've read many books lately on the subject. Silence on the Wire is truly a unique book, and a nice change from the conventional reading material. Michal is a known expert in his field, and you can find many of his works and research in a simple search. His book focuses on the basic, yet most overlooked computer and network designs that can be attacked. In Silence on the Wire, Michal takes us on a long, treacherous journey of a packet, from when the data is first entered to its final destination. Along the way, we look at flaws in the design of computers and networks and how they are eventually exploited.
I held off reading this book all summer, after trying to read through the second chapter and finally getting frustrated with it. Chapter two is the book's downfall, as it spends entirely too much time getting to "the point" (as Richard Bejtlich puts it). Michal's explanations here were too confusing and will lose almost any reader. I think the section on the Turing Machine can be skipped over, unless you slow down and take notes and draw yourself diagrams of the information. Only then, will you probably understand what it's getting at. I'm happy to say though, reading the rest of the book was fairly easy; anybody with a background in network computing and security will be able to follow along.
Silence on the Wire is a fascinating read and I definitely recommend it to anybody who is interested or responsible for information security. Michal hopes his book will give you a new perspective on security and explore the relationships and interactions between components. I am glad I got to read this book and hope one day to contribute my own research to the topic.
Something to have in mind.......2006-11-10
Maybe not all of the possible threats described are real today, but one really get a glimpse into a world where the major objective is to exploit possibilities not intended to be there. People populating this world think differently than the rest of us, and an explanation of how they think is both scary and enlightening. Michal Zalewski walks us through various scenarios in an easy to understand and an often humorous way.
Average customer rating:
- Grafton's characters are becoming more real - -
- Great plot with interesting characters
- The Pace Changes
- Another winner in the alphabet series!!
- S is for....Say What?!
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S is for Silence (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries)
Sue Grafton
Manufacturer: Berkley
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The 5th Horseman (Women's Murder Club)
ASIN: 0425212696
Release Date: 2006-11-28 |
Book Description
Thirty-four years ago, Violet Sullivan put on her party finery and left for the annual Fourth of July fireworks display. She was never seen again.
In the small California town of Serena Station, tongues wagged. Some said she'd run off with a lover. Some said she was murdered by her husband.
But for the not-quite-seven-year-old daughter Daisy she left behind, Violet's absence has never been explained or forgotten.
Now, thirty-four years later, she wants the solace of closure.
In S is for Silence, Kinsey Millhone's nineteenth excursion into the world of suspense and misadventure, S is for surprises as Sue Grafton takes a whole new approach to telling the tale. And S is for superb: Kinsey and Grafton at their best.
Customer Reviews:
Grafton's characters are becoming more real - - .......2007-09-05
Some popular writers get kinda lazy I think - but Grafton's characters are becoming more real to me as the series winds on.
This is a very enjoyable tale and as some of her characters were teenagers when I was I found the description of the life and times very realistic.
The last chapter also seemed to copy her formula of having at least part of the book with characters (in this case Kinsey and the perp) behaving in a totally illogical and unbelievable way. I can't imagine why Grafton needs to do that - in this case it seemed that it was - 'well this is the last chapter and I only have 20 pages left to spice the book up and finish it' - a huge disappointment. But I'd still recommend the book - and I wish she'd taken the needed several chapters to bring it to a realistic close.
Great plot with interesting characters.......2007-08-22
I thought Sue Grafton's latest mystery, "S IS FOR SILENCE" was just a wonderful story and one of her best books. I've read just about every book from the series and I have never been bored with any of the stories. In this book Sue Grafton has written a top-notched cold case story. The missing person, Violet Sullivan, was to most people in the town a tramp, who had drank too much and socializes with too many men. Most people believed that she just skipped town with a man 30 some years ago. Kinsey Millhorne is hired by Daisy Sullivan to solve the mystery of her disappearing mother. I hope I haven't given away too much of the story for those of you that haven't read it. I certainly wouldn't want to spoil your read. Overall, the author created a series of interesting characters and the development of the plot and that of Kinsey's investigation. This is a suspense filled story that I highly recommend.
Another thrilling, and gripping Mystery that I highly recommend is The Monopoly FactorThe Monopoly Factor by Robert L. Saunders. There is much to admire in this legal thriller of corporate deceit, creed and murder. And you will be reading non-stop and you can't help but cheer on Barry and Susan as they take on the evil CEO Carl Rudd and his henchman Brunner. Check it out you won't be disappointed. Bye.
The Pace Changes.......2007-08-19
The point of view shifts from Kinsey in this entry in the series and Grafton accomplishes this with complete confidence. Her flashback scenes capture a fractured view of small town America similar to that of a Jim Thompson tale, but with sensuality we haven't seen in any of her other books. She's still the master of the middle-class noir ala Ross MacDonald. If she's gearing up for what comes after "Z", I don't doubt she's up to the task.
Another winner in the alphabet series!!.......2007-08-05
S is for silence: the silence of the lost, the silence of the missing, the silence of oblivion.
Thirty-four years ago, Violet Sullivan put on her party finery and left for the annual Fourth of July fireworks display. She was never seen again.
In the small California town of Serena Station, tongues wagged. Some said she'd run off with a lover. Some said she was murdered by her husband.
But for the not-quite-seven-year-old daughter Daisy she left behind, her absence has never been explained or forgotten.
Now, thirty-four years later, she wants the solace of closure.
In S is for Silence, Kinsey Millhone's nineteenth excursion into the world of suspense and misadventure, S is for surprises as Sue Grafton takes a whole new approach to telling the tale. And S is for superb: Kinsey and Grafton at their best.
S is for....Say What?!.......2007-07-05
Warning, if you don't want to hear about the ending, don't read this post.
I would have given this more than 2 stars, but the ending was very disappointing. I had no problem with the story's frequent flashbacks or the occasional sex scenes, they added realism and emotion, but the ending seemed hurried and didn't make any sense.
The killer was a very minor character in the story and the only interaction he had with Violet that I can remember, was a chance meeting at "The Moon" where he asked to borrow money from her. She turned his money request down, but that hardly seems like motive enough for him to kill her and take her money. Especially since he was already going to get a ton of money from the bank account his wife had forgotten about. He and his wife's characters were only mentioned a couple of times and made me wonder "what do these people have to do with anything in the story"?
When it got close to the end and Kinsey figured out who the killer was, I figured there would be one final flashback describing Violet's last moments and the what, why and how of it all. There was no flashback and the ending left me thinking....Say What!?
Average customer rating:
- A page turner and modern day thriller classic
- Still Rates an All-Nighter After All These Years
- Worth reading, even if you know how it's going to end
- Great Thriller
- The Real Villan?
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The Silence of the Lambs (Hannibal Lector)
Thomas Harris
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
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![Hannibal [BARGAIN PRICE] [Hardcover] by Harris, Thomas](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00009EF82.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
Hannibal [BARGAIN PRICE] [Hardcover] by Harris, Thomas
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ASIN: 0312924585 |
Amazon.com
The Silence of the Lambs, by Thomas Harris, is even better than the successful movie. Like his earlier Red Dragon, the book takes us inside the world of professional criminal investigation. All the elements of a well-executed thriller are working here--driving suspense, compelling characters, inside information, publicity-hungry bureaucrats thwarting the search, and the clock ticking relentlessly down toward the death of another young woman. What enriches this well-told tale is the opportunity to live inside the minds of both the crime fighters and the criminals as each struggles in a prison of pain and seeks, sometimes violently, relief.
Clarice Starling, a precociously self-disciplined FBI trainee, is dispatched by her boss, Section Chief Jack Crawford, the FBI's most successful tracker of serial killers, to see whether she can learn anything useful from Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Lecter's a gifted psychopath whose nickname is "The Cannibal" because he likes to eat parts of his victims. Isolated by his crimes from all physical contact with the human race, he plays an enigmatic game of "Clue" with Starling, providing her with snippets of data that, if she is smart enough, will lead her to the criminal. Undaunted, she goes where the data takes her. As the tension mounts and the bureaucracy thwarts Starling at every turn, Crawford tells her, "Keep the information and freeze the feelings." Insulted, betrayed, and humiliated, Starling struggles to focus. If she can understand Lecter's final, ambiguous scrawl, she can find the killer. But can she figure it out in time? --Barbara Schlieper
Book Description
Hannibal Lecter. The ultimate villain of modern fiction. Read the five-million-copy bestseller that scared the world silent....A young FBI trainee. An evil genius locked away for unspeakable crimes. A plunge into the darkest chambers of a psychopath's mind-- in the deadly search for a serial killer....
Customer Reviews:
A page turner and modern day thriller classic.......2007-08-30
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS by Thomas Harris
August 30, 2007
Amazon Rating: 4/5 stars
I had read RED DRAGON about five years ago and I enjoyed it a lot. I also saw the first two movies featuring Hannibal Lecter, and I decided I had to read all the books. So I finally got to THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. I am going to admit that I probably cannot give a good unbiased review because I remember a lot of the movie starring Jodi Foster and Anthony Hopkins, but I don't remember enough of it to say whether the movie deviated at all from the book or not.
With that said, there are two story lines. The main theme is the search for a serial killer referred to by the press as BUFFALO BILL. But there is another theme which caught on with readers and viewers, that of the murderer Doctor Hannibal Lecter, a criminal so insane that his acts will make you nauseous. His cravings for sweet meats is what leads him to his heinous acts; for example, he attacks a nurse while in jail, breaking her jaw and then eating her tongue. But what is so fascinating about the good doctor is his intelligence and his uncanny instincts pertaining to other people, especially towards other murderers.
With Lecter's help, the FBI goes in search of the mysterious Buffalo Bill, who is murdering and flaying overweight women for unknown reasons. There is no obvious pattern, no clue as to who he is. Jack Crawford of the FBI's Behavioral Science section pulls out a student from class, Clarice Starling, to help track down this killer. The latest missing victim is the daughter of a high profile senator, and knowing what has been happening so far with Buffalo bill, Clarice and Jack know that their time is limited to save Catherine Baker Martin. Every step they take is crucial, and must be precise and calculated, in order to get Hannibal the Cannibal's cooperation. Unfortunately, not everyone is cooperating, and because of some errors made, they may lose Catherine to the serial killer, who has an obsession with moths, one of their first clues.
The journey in search of the killer is of course an important aspect of the novel, but what readers will enjoy the most is the relationship that develops between Clarice and Dr Lecter. It's difficult to describe, but it is one of the more fascinating components of the story. While Dr Lecter has an evil streak, something changes when he is in the vicinity of Clarice. And Clarice knows that she has an edge with Dr Lecter for whatever reason, trusting Dr Lecter to a point that they behave as equals. The two play cat and mouse while she gets as much information out of him, while at the same time she gives him information about herself. The game is a race with time, as she has to figure out who Buffalo Bill is before this serial killer decides it's time to skin his latest victim.
While I'm not a regular reader of suspense and thrillers, I seem to enjoy them a lot when I do read them. So far I am enjoying the series of books by Thomas Harris, and while Dr Lecter was not the main focus in RED DRAGON, I found it interesting how Harris decided to turn the doctor into a full-blown main character in the rest of the series. My overall assessment of THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS was that it was one of those books that I thoroughly enjoyed and savored every page, just as Lecter savored his fava beans and Amarone! Fans of horror and thrillers should enjoy this modern day classic.
Still Rates an All-Nighter After All These Years.......2007-08-19
Thomas Harris's "The Silence of the Lambs," a bone-chilling thriller, was an immediate hit upon its 1988 publication. Now, nearly twenty years later, most of us inevitably approach, or reapproach, it knowing something about it; with the famous movie based on it firmly in mind. Yet, I, at least, had to fight off the temptation to stay up all night to finish it, although I surely knew where it was going.
Harris, to be sure, writes a great, tense story of suspense. He'd already published "Black Sunday," and "The Red Dragon--" where we were first introduced to Dr. Hannibal Lector. "Lamb's" plot concerns the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigations to catch a serial killer nicknamed Buffalo Bill. The agency sends trainee Clarice Starling to interview Dr. Hannibal Lector, former psychiatrist, imprisoned in a Baltimore insane asuylum, after having been found guilty of nine sadistic, cannibalistic murders. Lector has unusual tastes, and intense curiosity about the darker side of the mind. The formerly eminent medical man's understanding of himself, Starling, and the killer forms the core of the book.
"Lambs" benefits from a complex, multi-layered plot. As it proceeds, we realize that Lector knew all along where it had to lead. The author's timing is impeccable: he hits his high notes, then gives us a moment to unwind. We hardly dare breathe during the Lector/Starling Tennessee scenes -- we're waiting with dread for what we know will come; when it does, it's overwhelming. The plot's also titillating, let's be honest about it, sex change operations and all. Furthermore, serial killers were new to us then; the genre is still remarkably popular, judging by the countless rip-offs of it since. Finally, a lot of the story deals with gruesome material, but the forensics are still fresh, and it's always leavened by the author's black humor.
Harris created two of the most memorable characters in modern fiction in Lector and Starling. The author has an acute ear for dialogue: who doesn't believe the Lector/Starling duets? At another point, Harris has Barney, sole knowledgeable orderly in the mental hospital where Lector has been held, say to Starling," Listen, when you get Buffalo Bill -- don't bring him to me just because I got a vacancy, all right?"
The writer's eye and ear serve him well. He describes a character's car as "a black Buick with a De Paul University sticker on the back window. His weight gave the Buick a slight list to the left." He describes Clarice's thoughts: "Sometimes Crawford's (her boss's) tone reminded Starling of the know-it-all caterpillar in Lewis Carroll." Early in the book, he has Starling driving back to FBI headquarters at Quantico, "back to Behavioral Sciences, with its homey brown-checked curtains and its gray files full of hell. She sat there into the evening, after the last secretary had left, cranking through the Lector microfilm. The contrary old viewer glowed like a jack-o'-lantern in the darkened room...." Sorry, but ya just gotta read the book to get this stuff.
Worth reading, even if you know how it's going to end .......2007-03-17
I read Silence of the Lambs despite the fact that I've seen the movie (many times). I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it because the film version is so faithful to the novel. But there are still some variations between the film and the novel and there is a strange fascination for diehard fans in discovering them. In any adaptation there are elements of the novel that simply can't fit into the film. For example, in the novel Starling runs up against an FBI bureaucracy and internal politics that threaten to stall or even jeopardize her budding career and Jack Crawford copes with his wife's terminal illness. These plot lines add depth to the novel that isn't in the film.
The most compelling reason I found to read this novel though is that despite my familiarity with the story, it was still suspenseful. Even though I knew what was going to happen I still found myself furiously flipping pages. It's just that good a novel.
The heart of the novel, as with the movie, is the relationship that develops between Lector and Starling. While Lector first appeared in Red Dragon, it is in Silence of the Lambs that Harris really breathes life into the character. Lector, as fascinating as he is, never evolves. It is Starling who must take emotional risks, playing mind games with a sociopath, standing firm against a corporate culture that marginalizes women, and persevering in a political system that seems intent on holding her down.
Silence of the Lambs is an excellent movie, but before that, it was a damn good novel. I highly recommend both. If there is anyone out there that hasn't seen the movie and is thinking about reading the novel - wow - are you in for a ride. If you have seen the movie and you are wondering if you can still enjoy the novel, I think you can. You may know how it's going to end, but the ride is still worth it.
Great Thriller.......2007-02-23
Thomas Harris really pulls you in to the story from the very beginning. This book is so much better than the movie. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book.
The Real Villan? .......2007-02-16
Hannibal Lector and Buffalo Bill make this book worth reading...they keep it moving...but they ae not the real villan we should worry about. The real villan is "Dr." Chilton...few of us will meet a Hannibal or a Buffalo Bill in our lives (thank, god!!) but we meet folks like Chilton every day. They are everywhere among us.
And they would do to us, what he did to Clarice. The Chiltons of the world are the ones we should worry about. Enjoy Hannibal, but fear the Chilton's of the world.
The book doesn't say, but I hope Hannibal got Chilton in the end. It would be his just desserts, though Hannibal, who did have a sense of honor, would probably spit him (Chilton) out as being distasteful. Hannibal, like Darth Vadar, is a villan we love to hate...not so with Chilton.
Book Description
When Thomas Merton entered a Trappist monastery in December 1941, he turned his back on secular life—including a very promising literary career. He sent his journals, a novel-in-progess, and copies of all his poems to his mentor, Columbia professor Mark Van Doren, for safe keeping, fully expecting to write little, if anything, ever again. It was a relatively short-lived resolution, for Merton almost immediately found himself being assigned writing tasks by his Abbot—one of which was the autobiographical essay that blossomed into his international best-seller The Seven Storey Mountain. That book made him famous overnight, and for a time he struggled with the notion that the vocation of the monk and the vocation of the writer were incompatible. Monasticism called for complete surrender to the absolute, whereas writing demanded a tactical withdrawal from experience in order to record it. He eventually came to accept his dual vocation as two sides of the same spiritual coin and used it as a source of creative tension the rest of his life. Merton’s thoughts on writing have never been compiled into a single volume until now. Robert Inchausti has mined the vast Merton literature to discover what he had to say on a whole spectrum of literary topics, including writing as a spiritual calling, the role of the Christian writer in a secular society, the joys and mysteries of poetry, and evaluations of his own literary work. Also included are fascinating glimpses of his take on a range of other writers, including Henry David Thoreau, Flannery O’Connor, Dylan Thomas, Albert Camus, James Joyce, and even Henry Miller, along with many others.
Customer Reviews:
Moret Than Just Writing.......2007-09-12
I treasure every Thomas Merton book I read. His simple, clear language,humility,and great piety draw one instantly into an appreciation his monastic life and his relationship to the world. He shows us how to encounter God's love in our own lives,and his book on writing makes clear that writing must come from the true self, the self as created by God. And he does this right in the middle of the world. To be a saint, Merton said, a man must first become himself. This also applies to writers who, if they are to accomplish the task of communicating, must communicate God.
Merton and vocation.......2007-05-15
"Only in His silence can the truth of words be distinguished" is only one of the many aphoristic gems to be found in this collection of Merton writings edited by Robert Inchausti. Overall, it is a fine collection, but unfortunately, it is only a collection. Merton's vocation as a writer was hardly an easy calling. "Echoing Silence" does reveal those difficulties, but without some biographical narrative or explanatory notes to accompany the selections, one is left to enjoy Merton's profound insights isolated from the larger context. If you are familiar with Merton, you can appreciate the texts dealing with his difficulties in creativity and inner truth, between "writer" and "poet," contemplative monk and world famous author, but if you are new to Merton you will probably come away not fully appreciating the growth Merton went through in dealing with his internal conflicts and finding his "voice." His external conflicts are also represented here, but without some clarifications from Robert Inchausti, his difficulties with Dom Gabriel Sortais, one of Merton's censors, are lost. I do recommend the book as a good collection, but with reservations owing to its lack of background commentary or explanatory notes.
Always At Heart A Writer.......2007-05-13
Merton's vocation as a writer was at the heart of his Monastic vocation and it is wonderful to have this collection of his own reflections on this subject.
Art and Contemplative Spirituality.......2007-03-01
A poignant collection of excerpts of Thomas Merton's writing, spanning his entire monastic writing career: from his journals, personal letters, essays, and books.
Thomas Merton, of course, is an internationally acclaimed and respected writer and contemplative. If you are interested in art (writing and poetry specifically) and contemplative spirituality, or simply interested in Thomas Merton, I highly recommend this book.
Before this book, beginners in the contemplative-artistic scene had to either read about Merton second hand (which is not as enriching as reading him directly) or dive into his mass of writing (which can be disorienting).
The chapters are arranged by topic: Writing as a Spiritual Calling, Poetry, Other Writers, His Own Writing, etc. Inside each chapter, the excerpts are arranged chronologically. The later Merton is deep and balanced--his material is to be chewed by the mature--but at the same time, the thoughts of early Merton are invaluable to young, contemplative-artists. This book represents both--providing, incidentally, a cross section of his personal growth.
This book is one to read all at once to get an overview of Merton (and the development of his thoughts), and then to hold on to for years, rereading small segments.
Book Description
Overcome by a seemingly permanent, debilitating injury to his vocal cords, Duane Miller was forced to give up the life he loved as a pastor and teacher. Then with breakthrough technology he was able to begin teaching Sunday School again. But each short session was followed by days of excruciating pain and recovery. That was until God miraculously healed him while teaching one Sunday morning. Not only read about Duane's miracle, listen to the dramatic audio of the miraculous Sunday morning that Duane received his healing as he spoke. Tape comes free with the book.
Customer Reviews:
A modern day Joseph story.......2006-10-14
_Out of the Silence_ shows us the downward spiral of three years without being able to speak, not knowing what God was doing. It must have been as difficult and discouraging as Joseph's years before he was exalted as a leader in Egypt and later saved his family. Duane teaches us much about learning from God in difficult times.
I've ordered the book and heard his healing.......2006-07-11
I could not believe my ears when I heard Mr. Miller's testimony. I believe that miracles are for today and that God is still doing a mighty work for people if we will just turn our hearts to Him.
I could not help but believe the man. He had 200 witnesses, not to mention doctor after doctor examine his condition. He saw specialists that examined famous singers and other voice talent. They determined his voice was degrading with time.
No medical explanation could accurately describe what happened to this man, except for the fact that God touched his life and healed his voice.
There is no sensationalism prior to Mr. Miller's healing. There is no one hopping pews or handling snakes. This is just a faithful servant of God who was saved by a God who loves him and each and every one of us.
There is no coincidence in this. 3 years to the day of his last sermon, while talking about how God rescues and heals those He loves, this man is healed. God should receive all glory for what He has done. Amazing!
An amazing story of faith and hope!.......2006-03-18
I can't promise this story will touch you the way it touched me, but it will impact your life. It is beautifully written, surprisingly honest, remarkably poignant, and for me, very, very personal. In fact, I am weeping as I write this.
You see, I am currently experiencing the things he writes about. I had a terrific broadcasting career and an extremely rare voice that I lost to a paralyzed vocal chord. That, combined with the loss of the only woman I've ever loved, was devastating. I experienced the same loss of identity, feelings of worthlessness, financial devastation, hopelessness, and the desire to put a gun in my mouth to escape the pain, that Duane did.
In fact, I'm still in the storm, but this book gave me hope and built my faith! I know there's a purpose for all of this and that God hasn't abandoned me. If you, like me, sometimes struggle to trust or believe in a God who seems to have left you all alone, please get this book. It makes no difference if you have working vocal chords or not - anyone who has known great pain will relate to this story.
And whatever you do, be sure to get the companion tape so you can hear Duane's miracle for yourself. Although only six minutes long, it is very, very powerful!
GREAT SERVICE! .......2005-09-01
The book came VERY fast and was exactly as described. Very Happy and will do business again.
Encouraging.......2003-10-03
"God never does anything without having a purpose" the author tells us in the preface. This book is the story of how he, as one who makes his living communicating, lost his voice, and how he was healed by the Lord Jesus Christ. During his time of testing, his faith was being stretched. He describes various situations such as financial difficulties facing his college-age daughters. His wife told them, "Girls, I don't understand what God is doing right now, but this one thing I do know; He did not bring us into the desert to kill us. He will make a way for us. Stay in school" (p. 53).
On faith during such times, the author writes "At times, it may take more faith for us to maintain the right attitude through an anonymous trial than to preach to fifty thousand people in a superdome" (p. 61).
On receiving God's guidance:
"Quit looking for the grandiose and look for the routine...trust Him to lead you into His will for your life" (p. 64).
On Christian cliches:
"When I minister to people today, I am very slow to offer empty platitudes...Instead of platitudes, I've learned the power of silence and touch" (p. 95).
We're reminded that tests don't last forever. He describes the miracle he received from God and adds "The miracle didn't just bless me. It blessed thousands of people" (p. 140).
This is a faith-building book which I highly recommend.
Book Description
Ruth Haley Barton invites you to meet God deeply and fully outside the demands and noise of daily life. She leads you on a journey toward freedom and authenticity, toward becoming the person God created you to be.
Customer Reviews:
What Does it Mean to be Silent?.......2007-09-28
What Does it Mean to be Silent? In this book the reader is taken though the steps, both physical and spiritual, in what it means to be silent before God. How do we get a clear mind? How do we respond to tiredness? How do we respond to our physical body so that our spiritual self may seek God? These are all questions taken and answered in this book.
Great insights to time with God.......2006-11-10
Barton speaks from experience about life without solitude and silence. She is open and vulnerable. She shares from experience and backs that with biblical references. This book will help you see the rewards for solitude with God in your life; the struggles that one can have when trying to find that solitude time and space.
Deepen Your Relationship with God.......2006-03-26
A good primer for going deeper with God, with practical suggestions for how to spend time in silence before Him. Grounded and yet inspiring.
Unbiblical Nonsense Masquerading as Christian Theology.......2005-10-13
The subtitle to Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton is "Experiencing God's Transforming Presence." Had I been the editor, I might have suggested something a little more appropriate. Perhaps "A Textbook in Eisogesis" or "Constructing Complex Theology From Non-Supporting Scriptures." And really this book is an adventure in poor use of Scripture and unsupported statements.
Let me say from the beginning that I believe silence is important. I believe solitude is important. Both are important parts of a healthy spiritual walk. I also believe in the importance of meditation, albiet meditation in a Puritan sense rather than an Eastern sense of the word. While these are good and necessary parts of a healthy spirituality, they are also dangerous if misused, and particularly dangerous if used in ways not only unsupported, but forbidden by Scripture.
In Invitation to Solitude and Silence, Ruth Haley Barton seeks to lead the reader to prayer beyond words. "Much of our faith and practice is about words - preaching, teaching, talking with others. Yet all of these words are not enough to take us into the real presence of God where we can hear his voice. This book is an invitation to you to meet God deeply and fully outside the demands and noise of daily life" (from the back cover). This objection to vocalizing prayer is an undercurrent running throughout the book.
The reader will doubtless not be surprised to learn that the primary Bible passage used to support Barton's theology of silent prayer is 1 Kings 19, where Elijah hears God's still small voice or a small sound or thin silence or a low whisper, depending on the translation. From this single passage, Barton draws out a complex theology of silent prayer wherein we will only fully experience God if we engage in this practice.
According to Barton there are two primary reasons to enter into the silence. The first is to commune with God. She indicates that while words are useful, we sometimes use them too often and we can use them to express everything but matters of the heart. She encourages the reader to distinguish between heart and mind and to reduce the number of words in prayer while focusing instead on just being in prayer. The second reason to engage in silent prayer is to listen to God and receive guidance from Him.
When discussing guidance Barton writes, "The fact that we can't see God makes it easy to slip into a pattern of doing all the talking ourselves. Is it too much to expect that God might speak back to us, not only with expressions of love but with guidance that is trustworthy and wise? Is it grandiose to believe God might actually interact with me in such a person and timely way? And if I do hear something, how do I know it is God's voice and not just my own thoughts masquerading as something more spiritual?" (page 118). The answer, of course, is that we do expect God to speak to us and to do so in a deeply personal way. Yet Scripture does not tell us that we should expect the type of personal revelation this book advocates. God speaks to use as the Holy Spirit applies Scripture to our hearts. This may be unsatisfying for people who desire to experience God in their way, in their time and on their terms, but this is what the Bible clearly teaches.
There is great danger in allowing supposed personal communication from God to become normative. For example, Barton tells about God calling her to vocational, ordained ministry through her times of silence. Yet the Bible teaches with utmost clarity that women are never called to this type of ministry. She allows her personal experience to supercede the clear teaching of Scripture.
While the book focuses primarily on a theology of silent prayer, each chapter concludes with a "Practice" section in which Barton practically applies what has been taught. Early in the book she suggests finding a sacred space and perhaps an icon or object to help focus on God. Here is an excerpt from a later chapter. "Take a few moments to allow your body to settle into a comfortable yet alert position. Take several deep breaths as a way of entering into the silence and making yourself present to the One who is always present with you...In your time of listening today, ask God to bring to your heart a moment in the last couple of days where you were most grateful...Is there any way God may be guiding you to choose more of what gives you life?"
I was disappointed to see that Barton did not discuss the potential dangers of silent prayer. After all, this type of prayer is practiced in most of the world's religions. Many Christians believe, and with some justification I think, that entering the silence is the same for Christians as it is for Hindus or Muslims or adherents to any other system of religion. Surely it would be due diligence for Barton to warn that people may encounter forces other than God while in the silence.
It should come as no surprise that I do not recommend this book for any reason. The teaching Scripturally indefensible and potentially very dangerous. The author would have us believe that we can only truly commune with God and receive His clearest guidance if we engage in this practice. Yet she is unable to prove this with Scripture and so we must toss this teaching on the ever-growing heap of unbiblical nonsense masquerading as Christian theology. If you want to learn to pray, turn instead to Bryan Chapell's Praying Backwards.
Exellent shared prayer experiences.......2005-09-02
I think meditation in all faith traditions is about being still and being aware of the Great One (God, Wisdom, True Self, however you name IT) inside us. So it is with Barton's book, except that as a Christian, she wrote about being aware of God and His voice. I find this book wonderful in that Barton shared a lot of her own personal prayer experiences and she articulated for me what I myself felt and went through as I discovered how much silence I needed. I can also resonate with Barton's continual need to withdraw into silence so that I can hear God. Her prayer practices at the end of each chapter are suitable for all faith traditions. Some of the pratices might appear Zen-inspired, as one review here says, but really, I find this no issue at all.
Amazon.com
The spiritual traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Church are all but unknown to most Christians in the West, who often think of Christianity as split into two camps: Bible-based Protestantism and sacramental Catholicism. Yet in The Mountain of Silence, sociologist Kyriacos Markides suggests that Orthodox spirituality offers rich resources for Western Christians to integrate the head and the heart, and to regain a more expansive view of Christian life. The book combines elements of memoir, travelogue, and history in a single story. Markides journeys to a cluster of monasteries on Mount Athos, an isolated peninsula in northern Greece and one of the holiest sites in the Orthodox tradition. He also visits the troubled island of Cyprus, largely occupied by Turkey since 1974, and makes the acquaintance of a monk named Father Maximos, who has established churches, convents, and monasteries. Markides, a native Cypriot, tells the tale of this journey in a tone that's loose and light, with many excursions on Church history and Greek and Turkish politics. But despite the easygoing tone, the importance of this book is potentially immense. The Mountain of Silence introduces a world that is entirely new to many Western readers, and unveils a Christian tradition that reveres the mystical approach to God as much as the rational, a tradition that Markides says "may have the potential to inject Christianity with the new vitality that it so desperately needs." --Michael Joseph Gross
Book Description
An acclaimed expert in Christian mysticism travels to a monastery high in the Trodos Mountains of Cyprus and offers a fascinating look at the Greek Orthodox approach to spirituality that will appeal to readers of Carlos Castaneda.
In an engaging combination of dialogues, reflections, conversations, history, and travel information, Kyriacos C. Markides continues the exploration of a spiritual tradition and practice little known in the West he began in Riding with the Lion. His earlier book took readers to the isolated peninsula of Mount Athos in northern Greece and into the group of ancient monasteries. There, in what might be called a “Christian Tibet,” two thousand monks and hermits practice the spiritual arts to attain a oneness with God. In his new book, Markides follows Father Maximos, one of Mount Athos’s monks, to the troubled island of Cyprus. As Father Maximos establishes churches, convents, and monasteries in this deeply divided land, Markides is awakened anew to the magnificent spirituality of the Greek Orthodox Church.
Images of the land and the people of Cyprus and details of its tragic history enrich the Mountain of Silence. Like the writings of Castaneda, the book brilliantly evokes the confluence of an inner and outer journey. The depth and richness of its spiritual message echo the thoughts and writings of Saint Francis of Assisi and other great saints of the Church as well. The result is a remarkable work–a moving, profoundly human examination of the role and the power of spirituality in a complex and confusing world.
Customer Reviews:
Cmpared to the Magus of Strovolos.......2007-08-10
This book is not a total loss, but lacks in search for orthodox spirituality. The author turned preacher became an accepted pupil by the master. And then the breakup with the master. Ever since this author is flapping around in the wind, trying to recapture his original momentum with the Magus. He has flipped from researcher into an idiot in my eyes. But read it if you want to waste your time. There are remnants of Greek philosophy on Cypros, once the stronghold of the Knight's Templar.
Okay, but where is Jesus?.......2007-07-31
I regard this book as very good... as far as it goes. Its main problem is that, overall, it offers an examination of spirituality without Christ. Mind you, I don't know whether the author (and certainly not the main subject of the book, "Fr. Maximos"!) had this intention, but it came across to me as a serious blindspot in the book's presentation of Orthodox spirituality.
Much is made of the Threefold Way and the mystical-ascetical tradition of the Orthodox Church, and that is good. Generally, this is the stuff that many Christians are missing and need. But there is a decided lack of integration of this presentation of Orthodox tradition with the central reality of the Christian life, namely, Jesus Christ the God-man. Certainly, the reader can come away with some mind-blowing revelations regarding the supra-rationality of Orthodox mystical tradition and the application of that tradition to the life of every Christian, but I think the author rather assumes that the reader already knows Jesus in some sense and doesn't bother to bring Him into the picture. Or perhaps he doesn't see Christ's centrality to the Church.
I very much doubt that the relative absence of Christ is something that "Fr. Maximos" (a pseudonym for Fr. Athanasius, now Metropolitan of Limassol in Cyprus) communicated to Markides. Anyone who has had any contact with authentic Athonite monasticism knows that such monks are "all about Jesus," to put it colloquially. There certainly is much discussion of God, the Holy Spirit and grace in the book, but Christ, Who is the Door to Paradise, is hardly mentioned. One would have a hard time getting the impression from The Mountain of Silence that the very object and purpose of all this spirituality is Christ.
I did like the book, but in thinking about the manner in which it was recommended to me, i.e., as a sort of catechism, I would have to disagree with such a recommendation. As a priest, I would not present this book to any catechumen, because I would be concerned that he would become enamored of discussing the Ecclesia, plani, and logismoi, without any sense of where these realities fit into the life in Christ.
A lesser criticism I have of the book is focused on chapter 11, Escape From Hell. In it, Markides all but endorses the apokatastasis theories of certain writers in Church history. That is, he seems to put forward a belief that eventually everyone will be saved, basing it on what is a decidedly minority stream of theological opinion of some Orthodox Christians. I much more prefer Metr. Kallistos Ware's "Dare we hope for the salvation of all?" approach, such as is found in the last chapter of The Inner Kingdom. Markides doesn't quite claim that apokatastasis is Orthodox doctrine, but he also doesn't make it clear enough that this is simply his opinion.
All in all, the book is useful in that it presents a fairly easily digestible picture of some of the more difficult concepts in Orthodox Christian spirituality, but because of its defects as noted above, I would only recommend it to someone already catechized, while giving them the caveats I've elucidated here.
I have a friend who says that she came to Orthodoxy by falling in love with the Church, but now she finds that she hadn't yet fallen in love with Christ. This book could easily enable just that sort of phenomenon. But for someone who is in love with Christ and keeps that in mind, this book might help bring them closer to Him. The first step, the path, and the destination are all Christ.
After writing this, I find through some Googling that Kh. Frederica Mathewes-Green feels similarly: "By the way, a good book that gives an 'inside view' of what this spirituality is like in practice, with all its 'spirit-filled' elements, is 'Mountain of Silence' by Kyriacos Markides. I should warn that the author is coming from a very idiosyncratic place; he is a sociology professor who has come to fervent belief in miracles, evil spirits, theosis, and he is profoundly in awe of the wisdom of the Orthodox Church. What he doesn't get so much is Jesus. In his subsequent book he makes it even more clear that he thinks we need a version of Orthodox spirituality that acknowledges that it is divisive to insist on the necessity of Jesus Christ, and recognizes the universality of the path to enlightenment. Strange, isn't it? Lots of people say, 'I like Jesus but I have no use for the church'--he's the opposite."
Mountain of Silence.......2007-02-18
This book is a gem. You feel yourself present with Kyriacos as he talks with Fr. Maximos and learn from him as well. He is a very descriptive author so you find yourself drawn in to the scenary. I did not want to put this book down and look forward to re reading this book over and over again.
Excellent Read for Deeper Spiritual Knowledge.......2007-02-07
While I did not find this book as entertaining as Markides' three books on Daskalos (AKA The Magus of Strovolos)- Mountain of Silence is an excellent read! The book gives inside knowledge as to the workings behind what some call the vatican of Russian and Greek Orthodox religions
The author seems to give an unbiased approach to his observations. Markides tapes his conversations before typing them in his books; therefore, his accuracy in recounting the knowledge is perfect.
Throughout the book the reader will learn that there are no "real" short-cuts to enlightenment. This book outlines what is necessary for us to allow God to work through us via the road of Mystical Christianity. It also elaborates on the pitfalls that others have experienced along the way. Most importantly, the book also illustrates how to overcome the obstacles that others have overcome in order to be a receiver of the Providence and Grace of God.
This is an excellent book for all spiritual seekers.
The Treasure Trove of Eastern Christianity.......2007-01-25
Western Christianity in its quest for a "rational" spirituality has lost the rich tradition of meditation and contemplation which was presevered in communities in the Mid-East since earliest times.
This work introduces spiritual practices now seen as "New Age" or non-Christian oriental religious practice as bone fide early Chrisitan practices of our ancestors in faith.
Reading this book will re-inforce that Christian spirituality must transform the totality of the human person: body, mind (rationality) and spirit.
Book Description
A call to arms for families who have had loved ones disabled or dying in the pursuit of medical treatment...Well written and researched ...highlights this timely topic in a unique way that will evoke the reader's own experience. --Former First Lady Rosalyn Carter
Customer Reviews:
A Better Book By Far.......2004-11-02
This is a better book by far than the unfortunately better known INTERNAL BLEEDING. It is certainly more honest. It has the clear advantage of being written by people who know and understand the subject ,and unlike Internal Bleeding, it does not suffer the disadvantage of having been written by physicians who, purposfully or otherwise, seem very intent in obscuring the responsibility for medical mistakes.
The authors of Wall of Silence have written an honest and valuable book deciding (to the public's advantage) to let the chips fall where they may. A MUST READ!!
Truth be told.......2004-03-07
This book is a well researched, well written must read for all Americans. The authors share their personal story as well as the stories of others who have suffered at the hands of a careless physician. While the stories will break your heart, they may also save your life, or the life of someone you love. While none of us want to believe that those we trust with our bodies and our lives would neglect a sacred trust, the fact is it is happening all too often. This book delivers the message without hype, fear or hysteria. Read it, share it and take it with you.
First do no harm.......2003-11-18
If even one person dies, that is one too many. But it is not just one, not even 10 or 100 patients who are maimed and dying from health care mistakes. As Gibson and Singh reveal, the numbers are much much higher than that. And anyone of them could be you or your loved ones. Medical errors do not discriminate. Everyone is vulnerable even doctors themselves as patients.
Yes, to error is human but that really doesn't appear to be the problem here. A great deal of the problem appears to be that a percentage of health care providers make multiple errors because no one stops them. According to Grayson and Singh many nurses do not recommend their place of employment to their family and friends.
When people are not held accountable for their actions and the consequences of those actions everyone is endangered. Taking or being forced to take personal responsiblity for your actions and their consequences plays a large part in how many mistakes you make.
I would think it would be every irresponsible health care provider's nightmare to literally have to personally experience everything that they inflict on their patients.
Since health care providers are safe from the magic wishing wand, the next best thing is to guard against such mistakes and be public with the information. It is a matter of ethics. When you are ten and don't want to "rat out" a buddy it is rarely life or death. But health care providers are not ten anymore and it is their ethical obligation to put the safety their patients or potential patients first. Please read this book and tell others about it. All of our lives depend on it.
Dying for Safety and Accountability.......2003-09-15
What separates Wall of Silence by Gibson and Singh from other books on this topic is the refreshing and bold truth telling contained within it's human stories of pain, injustice and frustration. Not only did the authors shoulder the risks and courage requisite for listening to and then writing about the human face, consequences and devastation of needless medical error tragedies, but they also ferreted out and exposed the ugly truths, told by medical providers themselves, about how the pervasive greed, secrecy and code of silence in the healthcare industry works to bury medical mistakes through a host of means; including blackballing and burying the careers of the competent and ethical medical providers who dare to tell the truth and who place patients above profits. As a medical provider, I can find no better way to encapsulate the meaning and hope of this treatise than through those words offered by the Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. This book is, as she states, 'A call to arms for families who have had loved ones disabled or die in the pursuit of medical treatment.' And, I can only hope that it could also catalyze a 'Call to Arms' for medical providers who wish to return medicine and healthcare to the patient oriented, compassionate, ethical and hippocratic way of practice.
Buy this book.......2003-08-05
If you want to know the truth about the medical system and the enormous number of errors and cover-ups within that system, read this book. Well-researched with many shocking and heart-breaking case studies, the book provides answers as well as showing the problems. Thank goodness someone had the courage to buck the system and break down the Wall of Silence for all of us.
Books:
- Henri Cartier-Bresson: Scrapbook
- Hermetica: The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius in a New English Translation, with Notes and Introduction
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- Hollywood Portraits
- How to Become a Famous Writer Before You're Dead: Your Words in Print and Your Name in Lights
Books Index
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