- Paperback: 416 pages
- Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (Sep 4 1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312865090
- ISBN-13: 978-0312865092
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.5 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 599 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,170,523 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
The fourth book in Bradley's "Light" series (Ghostlight, 1995, etc.) follows white magic Adept Colin McLaren from the turmoil of the 1960s and his meeting with darker magicians, such as Thorne Blackburn, to his retirement as the century turns. Throughout, he is aided by his friend, psychic Claire London Moffat, and haunted by his nemesis, Toller Hasloch, magical child of Nazi occultism. Continuing characters unite an otherwise episodic plot, as McLaren tackles one occult enemy after another, from those facing popular occult writer John Cannon (who for once has stumbled across real black magic) to an ancient Lovecraftian cult. Thematic concerns, too, unite the stories, which explore the temptations and burdens of supernatural power, the relationship of adept and apprentice and the constant fight for idealism in a flawed world. The New York and San Francisco settings are well handled and feature barely fictionalized versions of real-life esoteric sites and practitioners; the tone of the 1960s counterculture also rings true. Preachy but not simplistic, the novel mixes adventure with consideration of emotional, ethical and even social issues and so is of particular appeal to those who enjoy supernatural fiction with a message.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
Fifteen years after the end of World War II, Colin McLaren, occult warrior in service to the Light, realizes that the dark powers he fought in Europe have resurfaced in an America lulled into complacency by delusions of peace. Veteran fantasy author Bradley (Gravelight, LJ 9/15/97) employs the cultural and political history of America since 1960 as a powerful metaphor for the constant interplay of good and evil. Despite occasional lapses in continuity, this 20th-century Gothic fantasy stands as a tour de force of occult fiction. Recommended for most fantasy collections.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR A MASSACHUSETTS SENATOR NAMED JOHN F. Kennedy announced that he was going to run for president of the United States. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR A MASSACHUSETTS SENATOR NAMED JOHN F. Kennedy announced that he was going to run for president of the United States. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
quite disappointed,
By
This review is from: Heartlight (Paperback)
I bought this book because I have read and much liked other books written by MZB. This one was such a drag to read - literally- in dragged on and on. The characters are one dimensional and seem stagnant in their development. There were times when I wanted to scream at Colin McLaren, not to make the same mistakes over and over and over again.I was actually glad when I finished with this book.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Horrible!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Heartlight (Paperback)
I bought this book despite the seriously cheesy cover (my paperback edition had romance novel type cover art with a blond woman being bent over backwards by a studly man - although here of course the man had evil in mind) because I had read The Inheritor a long time ago and recalled enjoying it. But unfortunately, this book was nothing like The Inheritor. Many of the same events are rehashed from a different point of view, but this book really overdid the "telling, not showing" problem authors can sometimes have. Usually, MZB doesn't have that problem, so I'm not sure what happened here. I haven't read any of the other "Light" books, so don't know if they suffer from the same problem. Basically, there is absolutely no suspense built up at any point, and you never feel at all invested in anything that's happening, because everything is seen from a distance and matter of factly described. The characters are absolutely cardboard in this book (again, don't know if these same characters were better-written in others of her books), dialogue is flat, the random historical happenings thrown in to mark Colin passing through the 20th century seem forced in sometimes, the villains are 2-dimensional and never seem threatening...very disappointing book, I forced myself to finish it but was sad I had wasted money buying it. Won't buy any others in this series (e.g., Gravelight, etc.). Will go back to rereading all the Darkovan novels...and maybe The Inheritor.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Skip this one.,
By Tam "Tam" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Heartlight (Paperback)
I'm an avid fan of MZB, but this book just didn't make the cut. It's attempts to link book events to real life and other books are just tedious. And it follows a relatively stable character across decades in which he just doesn't change. Pick up a different MZB book -- you'll be happier.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
