Barrett, Neal Books

Dawn's Uncertain Light

Neal Barrett

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Dawn's Uncertain Light 3 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Is "Dawn's Uncertain Light", by Neal Barrett, Jr., a good book? That's a trivial question, as anything written by Neal Barrett, Jr. Is a good book. If he wrote user manuals for vacuum cleaners, the result would still be a set of literary masterpieces. But the more relevant question is whether you should read "Dawn's Uncertain Light", and there we must tread on more shaky ground.

"Dawn's Uncertain Light" is the sequel to "Through Darkest America", Barrett's earlier post-apocalyptic masterpiece about frontier life, warfare, and unsettling dietary habits. "Dawn's Uncertain Light" picks up right where the earlier book left off, with Howie on a cross-country odyssey to find his sister at Silver Island. Upon arriving, he finds the island in ruins and encounters a band of escapees who inform him that Carolee was killed. This drives him to further pursuit of revenge, and he eventually falls in with a mysterious preacher who takes him by sea to California.

As far as writing goes, Barrett delivers exactly what's expected. The writing is raw and simplistic, the emotions roaring forward just as they did in the first book. The grand finale is a classic of Barrett-style cynicism. But my beef (ahem) with this novel is that it retroactively changes the meaning of much of what happened in "Through Darkest America". After reading the revelations at the end of "Dawn's Uncertain Light", the whole situation becomes less one of anarchic insanity reigning supreme, and more of a long gripe about religion and politics. To my mind, "Through Darkest America" was so perfectly constructed to deliver its message that I didn't really want to see a sequel meddling around with it.

Aldair: Legion of Beasts

Neal Barrett

List Price: $2.25 By: DAW Amazon Marketplace: 35 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

An Exploration of the Nature of Humanity 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is the fourth novella of the Aldair tetralogy. The first three books are "Aldair in Albion," "Aldair, Master of Ships," and "Aldair Across the Misty Sea." In the series Barrett explores the nature of humanity as he traces the exploits of Aldair, who seeks after truth and knowledge. In the first book Aldair, quite against his will, embarks upon an Oddyssey of discovery in which he traces his ancestry all the way back to the fabled Isle of Albion. When he learns the sobering truth of whence he came, he must continue the quest until he at last discovers the why and how, and most importantly, the what next. The first few books in a series are usually best, and the Aldair saga is no exception. When we get to "Aldair: the Legion of Beasts" quality has hit bottom, but readers of the first three books will want to know how it all turns out. The conclusion is not completely satisfactory, and the epilogue looks like the sequel hook for a fifth novella that never came to fruition. If Barrett ever writes the fifth book, I'll supply him with at least one buyer.

Aldair in Albion (Aldair)

Neal Barrett

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The Nature of Humanity 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Aldair, quite against his will, embarks upon an Oddyssey of discovery in which he traces his ancestry all the way back to the fabled Isle of Albion. When he learns the sobering truth of whence he came, he must continue the quest until he at last discovers the why and how, and most importantly, the what next. Answering these questions takes Aldair through three more novellas, entitled "Aldair, Master of Ships," "Aldair Across the Misty Sea," and "Aldair and the Legion of Beasts." In the series Barrett explores the nature of humanity as he describes Aldair's quest for truth and knowledge. The first few books in a series are usually best, and the Aldair saga is no exception. This novella is far and away the best of the Aldair series.

Aldair Master of Ships (Aldair)

Neal Barrett

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The Prophecy Machine

Neal Barrett Jr.

Amazon Price: $6.50 List Price: $6.50 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Spectra Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $0.01

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Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Hooters, Hatters, and menacing evil

Even in a mystical world where centuries ago animals were magically changed into humans, the land of Makasar us considered strange. Its two major religions are Hatters and Hooters. During the day, Hatters, wearing hats of course, wander about jabbing pointy sticks into bystanders. The night is ruled by the Hooters, who hoot and set fire to people and things. Hospitality is considered a capital crime. And Newlies, the humanize animals, are treated lower than scum. So when Finn, the Master Lizard Maker, finds himself stranded in Makasar-along with his lover, an attractive Newlies named Letitia, and the grandest, most magical creation of his illustrious career, a talking, thinking, rather cantankerous mechanical lizard named Julia Jessica Slagg-his first thought is a quick exit.

But the Nuccis-strongman son, mad father, and ever madder grandfather-have other plans for Finn and his loyal companions. There's an odd machine in their basement that needs fixing, and who better to do it than a Master Lizard Maker? There's more here than meets the eye, however, and Finn soon realizes that the future he faces could be very dark indeed.

Through darkest America

Neal Barrett

List Price: $15.95 By: Distributed by Contemporary Books Amazon Marketplace: 17 new & used starting at $2.30

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

borderline masterpiece 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 8 people found this review helpful.

It's really too bad that the kinds of people who read post-apocalypse novels tend to be sub-literate and do not understand prose writing. As a result we are left with people endlessly praising predictable, tone deaf hack work, such as the egregious products of Stephen King or Larry Niven, while ignoring real masterpieces in the genre, for example, this mini-classic from Neal Barrett, Jr.

This book has a sequel that is also well above the genre average, though not as good as the original. Don't hesitate to purchase them both if you're that rarest of birds, a fan of the genre who actually appreciates good writing and original ideas.

Through Darkest America 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Anyone who's read any book by Neil Barrett, Jr. knows that optimism is not the man's forte. He revels in darkness and cynicism. Perhaps it was a result of reading one too many syrupy tales of humanity's joyous rebirth from the ashes of apocalypse, but in "Throught Darkest America" he sets out to carefully eliminate all vestiges of hope. The resulting book is brutal, the back cover declaration "not for the squeamish" is an almost ridiculous understatement. But for those willing to tough it out, it's also memorable for its unique way of attacking the subject.

Howie, twelve year old at the start, lives in a frontier world centuries after "The War", where twentieth century technology has vanished. The whole country is now organized similar to a nineteenth century frontier town, with the government taking levies to support a war somewhere in the West. With all animals exterminated, food now comes from 'stock', human-like but apparently unthinking creatures raised on farms. Barrett reinforces this world building by writing the entire book in old fashioned American dialect reminiscient of Mark Twain.

Among its strengths is character development. Barrett expertly captures the awkward guilt of youthful sexual discovery in a conservative religious culture. Of course, Howie's peaceful existence eventually gets shattered, his family torn apart, and he sets off on a voyage towards the war zone, encountering life-changing treachery along the way. Much remains unexplained, with plot threads left dangling, but the point of the story, perhaps, is that in real life much is always left unexplained. In "Through Darkest America", it is the journey that matters, not the destination.

"Babylon 5" (Babylon 5)

Neal Barrett

List Price: $10.35 By: Boxtree Ltd Amazon Marketplace: 10 new & used starting at $1.99

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Dungeons & Dragons: The Movie (A D&D(r) Novel)

Neal Barrett

List Price: $6.99 By: Wizards of the Coast Amazon Marketplace: 82 new & used starting at $0.01

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Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

whether you liked the movie or not you will love the book! 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This is fantastic.. it includes scenes that were inexplicably missing from the movie..great character development and vivid storytelling..

Those LOSERS who posted a review of the movie instead of the book need to get a life. I have read the book and many will agree with me.. any areas that you think the movie failed in.. the book does not! And if you loved the movie you will like the book even more.. as it goes into many of the secrets and fleshes out things that were left for granted in the film. Want more Norda and Elwood? it's in there. Want a more serious snails? it's in there. More battles..more action.. more plot.. more about the mythos...its all in there!

Editorial Review:

From the big screen to small print, the Dungeons & Dragons: The Movie novel brings to life one of the most widely recognized fantasy settings of all time.

The Empire of Izmer is on the brink of chaos, its leader foully murdered by a powerful mage who seeks to take the throne for himself. Nothing stands in his way but a young, headstrong empress.

No great heroes rise to defend the kingdom but a pair of young thieves. With the reluctant aid of a red-bearded dwarf wielding an axe and an attitude, Ridley and Snails search for the only weapon that can help the princess-the Rod of Red-Dragon Control.

Judge Dredd

Neal Barrett

By: Sanctuary Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 3 new & used starting at $5.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Judge Dredd was a great book as well as the movie. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Judge Dredd the book had everything the movie had and even a little more. Don't plan on just picking this book up and reading it for a minute, once you start reading it, you're hooked and you can't put it down.

In the future,one man is judge,jury,and executioner! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Judge Dredd book was as exciting as the movie.Although the format might be different,it is still a great book you don't want to miss!

Great! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Judge Dredd was a great book! It's highly recommended to those who have not read it. Buy it today

Great book! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I wasn't disappointed in the movie and the novel didn't either! It has all the action and science- fiction bits combined in one! You might be even surprised that this was actually one of the first drafts of the script for the top-notch movie.

Editorial Review:

In a violent Third Milennium Earth, Judge Dredd, the most powerful keeper of the peace, is wrongly accused and sentenced for murder just before he discovers that he is a clone who was genetically designed to be the perfect lawman. Movie tie-in.

Highwood (Ace double)

Neal Barrett

By: Ace Books Amazon Marketplace: 1 new & used starting at $4.50

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