by Alexander Geiger ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 15, 2013
Pop-edutainment; a clever reliving of ancient Mediterranean history.
Awards & Accolades
Our Verdict
GET IT
With a stranded time traveler in the fourth century B.C. as his narrator, author Geiger brings a fresh take to the rise of Prince Alexandros of Macedonia.
The kickoff of author Geiger’s planned series is an enjoyable, if not entirely original, thought experiment propelling a quasi-fantastic historical narrative. A nameless young time traveler with an interest in classical antiquity—and armed with the pseudonym Ptolemaios and a false bio—is on a strict no-interference mission to observe the mythic Mediterranean circa 338 B.C. But he interrupts an orgiastic pagan ceremony (briefly pretending to be the god Dionysos to prevent a ritual murder of an innocent boy). Captured, Ptolemaios is brought before the battle-scarred, bemused King Philippos of Macedonia. Semibarbarian though he is, Philippos senses something unique about the wily stranger and puts Ptolemaios in charge of minding his son and heir apparent, Alexandros, as their dynasty conquers Athens and Thebes. Yes, this Alexandros will become Alexander the Great, though Ptolemaios, knowing their fates in advance and expecting imminent rescue by his Time Travel Corps, will do nothing to inform his captors of what lies in store, as father and son challenge the mighty Persian Empire. But, in hints and bits, we get the idea that smugly detached Ptolemaios himself has a “great” surprise brewing. While Alexandros remains somewhat vague—with coy nods to his rumored homosexuality and/or incest with his mother—and the narrator an aloof, callow cipher, Geiger eschews distractions of sci-fi gadgetry altogether to present facts and suppositions about Alexandros and his era (including his memorably monstrous mother, Olympias) in novelistic detail and occasionally questionable modern vernacular (Philippos: “Wham! We punched them in their kissers. You shoulda seen it”). Readers will look forward to future installments.
Pop-edutainment; a clever reliving of ancient Mediterranean history.Pub Date: May 15, 2013
ISBN: 978-0989258401
Page Count: 430
Publisher: Ptolemaois Publishing & Entertainment LLC.
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Share your opinion of this book
by J.D. Salinger ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 15, 1951
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.
A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact.
"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.Pub Date: June 15, 1951
ISBN: 0316769177
Page Count: -
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951
Share your opinion of this book
More by J.D. Salinger
BOOK REVIEW
More About This Book
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
APPRECIATIONS
by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2006
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
Share your opinion of this book
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.