The original space opera, 29 Oct 2008
Do not expect the technological accuracy of hard science fiction or the social commentary of soft SF; this is Space Opera, adventure on a grand scale. In Skylark, the men are real men, the women are real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri just do not stand a chance.

E.E. "Doc" Smith is hailed as being the creator of both interstellar science fiction and of the Space Opera sub-genre. His visions of epic space battles by the greatest of heroes against the evilest of villains inspired many great SF writers through the 20th century, eventually leading to its eminent descendant Star Wars. This is were it all began, boldly going to galaxies far far away, seeking out new worlds and ways of writing SF. Skylark's faults may be many, but they are forgivable. If later works seem more refined, it is because this is the mother lode. Forget characterisation and realism: just hold on tight and enjoy the ride. All aboard?

CLASIC SI-FI IN THE OLD MOLD, 24 Dec 2007
THIS WAS THE FIRST SI-FI I EVER GOT AND AS ANOTHER READER SAYS IT IS A BIT DATED NOW BUT IT IS STILL AN EXCELENT READ. I MUST HAVE READ IT 6 OR 8 TIMESAND THE BOOKS ARE DROPING TO BITS BUT I ALWAYS ENJOY IT

I NOW HAVE THE SERIES I READ AND A BOX SET I KEEP

Classic series but dated, 10 Aug 2005
The skylark series is truely a classic but now might seem more than a little dated. If you can put aside the dated nature of this book and the series they truely are a excellent series of books.

The skylark of space I think is one of the first books ever to even suggest interstellar travel, and I have said if you can put aside the morality of the past (would seem a little sexest now) and the dated discriptions of science then you may really enjoy this book.

Excellent read, gripping series, a must have sci-fi book, 29 Dec 2001
This is the first of 4 books which chart the rival scientists discovery of a secret which releases ultimate energy. They battle it out over 4 books to see who can control the secret. They meet a lot of different races on different worlds and amass an army on both sides. A book you cannot put down but must read to the end! Well worth the money!

The original space opera, 29 Oct 2008
Do not expect the technological accuracy of hard science fiction or the social commentary of soft SF; this is Space Opera, adventure on a grand scale. In Skylark, the men are real men, the women are real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri just do not stand a chance.

E.E. "Doc" Smith is hailed as being the creator of both interstellar science fiction and of the Space Opera sub-genre. His visions of epic space battles by the greatest of heroes against the evilest of villains inspired many great SF writers through the 20th century, eventually leading to its eminent descendant Star Wars. This is were it all began, boldly going to galaxies far far away, seeking out new worlds and ways of writing SF. Skylark's faults may be many, but they are forgivable. If later works seem more refined, it is because this is the mother lode. Forget characterisation and realism: just hold on tight and enjoy the ride. All aboard?

CLASIC SI-FI IN THE OLD MOLD, 24 Dec 2007
THIS WAS THE FIRST SI-FI I EVER GOT AND AS ANOTHER READER SAYS IT IS A BIT DATED NOW BUT IT IS STILL AN EXCELENT READ. I MUST HAVE READ IT 6 OR 8 TIMESAND THE BOOKS ARE DROPING TO BITS BUT I ALWAYS ENJOY IT

I NOW HAVE THE SERIES I READ AND A BOX SET I KEEP

Classic series but dated, 10 Aug 2005
The skylark series is truely a classic but now might seem more than a little dated. If you can put aside the dated nature of this book and the series they truely are a excellent series of books.

The skylark of space I think is one of the first books ever to even suggest interstellar travel, and I have said if you can put aside the morality of the past (would seem a little sexest now) and the dated discriptions of science then you may really enjoy this book.

Excellent read, gripping series, a must have sci-fi book, 29 Dec 2001
This is the first of 4 books which chart the rival scientists discovery of a secret which releases ultimate energy. They battle it out over 4 books to see who can control the secret. They meet a lot of different races on different worlds and amass an army on both sides. A book you cannot put down but must read to the end! Well worth the money!

Daredevil enters the bronze age, 30 Oct 2007
He stood at last by God's help and the police:
But he remembered a time when he stood alone,
When to be and to delight were to be one -
Before the colours wrinkled, and grew small.

- Wallace Stevens, 'Anglais Mort a Florence'

I know that comics fans may quibble over me calling this collection of comics from 1969 to 1971 'bronze age', rather than 'late silver age', but for me Daredevil entered the bronze age the moment Stan Lee stopped writing him, just as Captain America did the moment Kirby stopped drawing him. Silver age Daredevil - as seen in the Essential Daredevil volumes 1 and 2 - was a dashing pulp hero, but on the showing of this volume Bronze age daredevil appears to have been nothing in particular; a costumed non-entity who seldom does anything more interesting than swinging off flagpoles and beating up low-level thugs. Gone is the lunatic grandeur of the first two collections, with their pirate captains turned world conquerors and their corrupt businessmen unleashing killer robot owls while their private islands explode around them; instead we have a succession of villains so minor, so totally lacking in any sort of star quality, that they are usually killed off at the end of Daredevil's fights against them. Daredevil appears to have forgotten most of his powers, appearing here as no more than a moderately talented athlete and brawler with super-senses that usually don't work; at one point he and the Black Panther - the BLACK PANTHER, the man who once beat the Fantastic Four single-handed! - are almost defeated by a handful of thugs with guns, despite attacking them by surprise, and in the dark. But then, the same thing seems to have happened to Daredevil's old enemies: Jester, Stilt-Man, Mr Hyde, and even Cobra, who was once a credible threat to Thor himself, all seem to have lost all their once-vast capabilities, and appear here largely as comic relief. And in the place of those swashbuckling heroics, all we're left with are forgettable gangsters and horribly clumsy attempts at 'social relevance', which address themes like racism and the anti-war movement with all the insight and subtlety of a sledgehammer. It's bronze age through and through.

There are good points. Colan's a very talented artist, and he does the best he can with the mediocre material he's given; and when he's given something decent, as with the ghostly flaming Aztec horseman Death's Head, he excels himself. Roy Thomas does a good job at exploring Daredevil's continuing relationships with Foggy Nelson and (especially) Karen Page, whose on-again-off-again romance with Daredevil provides the motor for many of this collection's plots. But overall, it's not nearly as good as the first two volumes, and I can't really recommend it to anyone but Daredevil completists. Look back over volume 1 instead: remember when Daredevil stood alone, before he wrinkled and grew small.

A Roy Thomas & Gene Colan masterclass, 16 Mar 2007
This volume largely consists of some wonderful scripting by Roy Thomas and masterful artwork by Gene Colan, with extra's by Stan Lee (who else?) Don Heck, Barry Smith and others.
Right from the start with the introduction of Starr Saxon and his killer android a darker side to Daredevil is apparent, he is on a downer over the break-up of his relationship with Karen Page and is prone to distractions. Saxon eventually escapes, for the time being.
The Black Panther stars in the first of 2 appearances as he tries to help catch an infected Daredevil. Then it goes up a notch with Mr. Fear re-appearing with a twist. It turns out the original Mr. Fear was murdered and replaced by Starr Saxon but as part of the darker atmosphere here Starr Saxon also falls to his death. DD then goes in search of Karen only to find her family being haunted by Death's Head in a spooky 2 parter with some Lovecraftian overtones which ends up with the death of the villain who it is revealed is Karen's father. DD then reveals his identity to Karen which helps link several of the later tales.
There's a 3 parter linked by Crime-Wave, starting with DD battling the Stunt Master (the first of his 3 appearances here) then the hitman Torpedo, who falls to his death, and finally facing off against Crime-Wave and his gang himself. This series features D.A. Foggy Nelson's relationship with his girlfriend who has served time in jail, see previous Daredevil books.
There's a great but way too brief fight against The Jester, The Cobra and Mr. Hyde. At some point you would think super-villains would cotton onto the fact that they make lousy partners.
Nighthawk makes a mystical nocturnal appearance from his early criminal days. Then with Karen Page leaving, DD faces the Gladiator in a prison based story as the Gladiator tries to break free.
Karen has left to go to Los Angeles where she gets parts as an actress and DD heads off in search of her. It brings a nice re-appearence for the Stunt-Master who has gone straight and now works in Hollywood. It also features the "Dark Shadows" gothic style soap opera Karen is acting in where one of the lead stars is murdered. It's a whodunnit which featured a memorable cover with DD, a mammoth and the La Brea tar pits. Then the Stilt-Man re-appears, co-starring Stunt-Master, again the Stilt-Man's main weakness is highlighted as DD brings him crashing to the ground.
Back on home-turf in New York we get a series of tales with social commentaries, starting with Kragg and his organised fight-fixing crime syndicate. Then the Black Panther re-appears in a tale highlighting the struggle many black Americans had just to go about their daily lives. The story is against the rise of the black-power backlash and urging people to fight by using the system, but Roy Thomas does not balk from showing some of the inequalities that lead to the frustration with "the system". Then neatly tying up the Karen Page link as her next lead actor turns out to be a bigoted patriot who becomes the Tribune to deal out his own justice to pinko's, commies, liberals and other subversives, he also gets to meet his maker earlier than he expected.
The Leopard Man is a brief alternative universe tale, a rather more neatly dressed Ka-zar type who is also blind.
There's a cross-over with Iron-Man bringing together SHIELD and Madame Masque (another reformed ex-villain Whitney Frost) against the Spymaster and part of the Zodiac, with another brief off world sojourn as the secret of the Ankh key is revealed.
Fittingly it ends with another social commentary tale where a gang temporarily blinds many in New York and DD aided by a group of blind New Yorkers manages to catch the villains.
These stories are among the best of the early DD tales and although old favourites like the Gladiator and the Jester only make brief appearances it is still a great read. The stories need to be seen in the light of the early 1970's and should be read in that context, especially those tales with racial and social inequality story-lines. Daredevil was always my favourite early comic book and remains so to this day, the villains don't always survive, the background characters, Foggy, Karen, and Willie Lincoln are well thought out and not just space fillers.
Come on Marvel, where's volume 4?

The original space opera, 29 Oct 2008
Do not expect the technological accuracy of hard science fiction or the social commentary of soft SF; this is Space Opera, adventure on a grand scale. In Skylark, the men are real men, the women are real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri just do not stand a chance.

E.E. "Doc" Smith is hailed as being the creator of both interstellar science fiction and of the Space Opera sub-genre. His visions of epic space battles by the greatest of heroes against the evilest of villains inspired many great SF writers through the 20th century, eventually leading to its eminent descendant Star Wars. This is were it all began, boldly going to galaxies far far away, seeking out new worlds and ways of writing SF. Skylark's faults may be many, but they are forgivable. If later works seem more refined, it is because this is the mother lode. Forget characterisation and realism: just hold on tight and enjoy the ride. All aboard?

CLASIC SI-FI IN THE OLD MOLD, 24 Dec 2007
THIS WAS THE FIRST SI-FI I EVER GOT AND AS ANOTHER READER SAYS IT IS A BIT DATED NOW BUT IT IS STILL AN EXCELENT READ. I MUST HAVE READ IT 6 OR 8 TIMESAND THE BOOKS ARE DROPING TO BITS BUT I ALWAYS ENJOY IT

I NOW HAVE THE SERIES I READ AND A BOX SET I KEEP

Classic series but dated, 10 Aug 2005
The skylark series is truely a classic but now might seem more than a little dated. If you can put aside the dated nature of this book and the series they truely are a excellent series of books.

The skylark of space I think is one of the first books ever to even suggest interstellar travel, and I have said if you can put aside the morality of the past (would seem a little sexest now) and the dated discriptions of science then you may really enjoy this book.

Excellent read, gripping series, a must have sci-fi book, 29 Dec 2001
This is the first of 4 books which chart the rival scientists discovery of a secret which releases ultimate energy. They battle it out over 4 books to see who can control the secret. They meet a lot of different races on different worlds and amass an army on both sides. A book you cannot put down but must read to the end! Well worth the money!

Daredevil enters the bronze age, 30 Oct 2007
He stood at last by God's help and the police:
But he remembered a time when he stood alone,
When to be and to delight were to be one -
Before the colours wrinkled, and grew small.

- Wallace Stevens, 'Anglais Mort a Florence'

I know that comics fans may quibble over me calling this collection of comics from 1969 to 1971 'bronze age', rather than 'late silver age', but for me Daredevil entered the bronze age the moment Stan Lee stopped writing him, just as Captain America did the moment Kirby stopped drawing him. Silver age Daredevil - as seen in the Essential Daredevil volumes 1 and 2 - was a dashing pulp hero, but on the showing of this volume Bronze age daredevil appears to have been nothing in particular; a costumed non-entity who seldom does anything more interesting than swinging off flagpoles and beating up low-level thugs. Gone is the lunatic grandeur of the first two collections, with their pirate captains turned world conquerors and their corrupt businessmen unleashing killer robot owls while their private islands explode around them; instead we have a succession of villains so minor, so totally lacking in any sort of star quality, that they are usually killed off at the end of Daredevil's fights against them. Daredevil appears to have forgotten most of his powers, appearing here as no more than a moderately talented athlete and brawler with super-senses that usually don't work; at one point he and the Black Panther - the BLACK PANTHER, the man who once beat the Fantastic Four single-handed! - are almost defeated by a handful of thugs with guns, despite attacking them by surprise, and in the dark. But then, the same thing seems to have happened to Daredevil's old enemies: Jester, Stilt-Man, Mr Hyde, and even Cobra, who was once a credible threat to Thor himself, all seem to have lost all their once-vast capabilities, and appear here largely as comic relief. And in the place of those swashbuckling heroics, all we're left with are forgettable gangsters and horribly clumsy attempts at 'social relevance', which address themes like racism and the anti-war movement with all the insight and subtlety of a sledgehammer. It's bronze age through and through.

There are good points. Colan's a very talented artist, and he does the best he can with the mediocre material he's given; and when he's given something decent, as with the ghostly flaming Aztec horseman Death's Head, he excels himself. Roy Thomas does a good job at exploring Daredevil's continuing relationships with Foggy Nelson and (especially) Karen Page, whose on-again-off-again romance with Daredevil provides the motor for many of this collection's plots. But overall, it's not nearly as good as the first two volumes, and I can't really recommend it to anyone but Daredevil completists. Look back over volume 1 instead: remember when Daredevil stood alone, before he wrinkled and grew small.

A Roy Thomas & Gene Colan masterclass, 16 Mar 2007
This volume largely consists of some wonderful scripting by Roy Thomas and masterful artwork by Gene Colan, with extra's by Stan Lee (who else?) Don Heck, Barry Smith and others.
Right from the start with the introduction of Starr Saxon and his killer android a darker side to Daredevil is apparent, he is on a downer over the break-up of his relationship with Karen Page and is prone to distractions. Saxon eventually escapes, for the time being.
The Black Panther stars in the first of 2 appearances as he tries to help catch an infected Daredevil. Then it goes up a notch with Mr. Fear re-appearing with a twist. It turns out the original Mr. Fear was murdered and replaced by Starr Saxon but as part of the darker atmosphere here Starr Saxon also falls to his death. DD then goes in search of Karen only to find her family being haunted by Death's Head in a spooky 2 parter with some Lovecraftian overtones which ends up with the death of the villain who it is revealed is Karen's father. DD then reveals his identity to Karen which helps link several of the later tales.
There's a 3 parter linked by Crime-Wave, starting with DD battling the Stunt Master (the first of his 3 appearances here) then the hitman Torpedo, who falls to his death, and finally facing off against Crime-Wave and his gang himself. This series features D.A. Foggy Nelson's relationship with his girlfriend who has served time in jail, see previous Daredevil books.
There's a great but way too brief fight against The Jester, The Cobra and Mr. Hyde. At some point you would think super-villains would cotton onto the fact that they make lousy partners.
Nighthawk makes a mystical nocturnal appearance from his early criminal days. Then with Karen Page leaving, DD faces the Gladiator in a prison based story as the Gladiator tries to break free.
Karen has left to go to Los Angeles where she gets parts as an actress and DD heads off in search of her. It brings a nice re-appearence for the Stunt-Master who has gone straight and now works in Hollywood. It also features the "Dark Shadows" gothic style soap opera Karen is acting in where one of the lead stars is murdered. It's a whodunnit which featured a memorable cover with DD, a mammoth and the La Brea tar pits. Then the Stilt-Man re-appears, co-starring Stunt-Master, again the Stilt-Man's main weakness is highlighted as DD brings him crashing to the ground.
Back on home-turf in New York we get a series of tales with social commentaries, starting with Kragg and his organised fight-fixing crime syndicate. Then the Black Panther re-appears in a tale highlighting the struggle many black Americans had just to go about their daily lives. The story is against the rise of the black-power backlash and urging people to fight by using the system, but Roy Thomas does not balk from showing some of the inequalities that lead to the frustration with "the system". Then neatly tying up the Karen Page link as her next lead actor turns out to be a bigoted patriot who becomes the Tribune to deal out his own justice to pinko's, commies, liberals and other subversives, he also gets to meet his maker earlier than he expected.
The Leopard Man is a brief alternative universe tale, a rather more neatly dressed Ka-zar type who is also blind.
There's a cross-over with Iron-Man bringing together SHIELD and Madame Masque (another reformed ex-villain Whitney Frost) against the Spymaster and part of the Zodiac, with another brief off world sojourn as the secret of the Ankh key is revealed.
Fittingly it ends with another social commentary tale where a gang temporarily blinds many in New York and DD aided by a group of blind New Yorkers manages to catch the villains.
These stories are among the best of the early DD tales and although old favourites like the Gladiator and the Jester only make brief appearances it is still a great read. The stories need to be seen in the light of the early 1970's and should be read in that context, especially those tales with racial and social inequality story-lines. Daredevil was always my favourite early comic book and remains so to this day, the villains don't always survive, the background characters, Foggy, Karen, and Willie Lincoln are well thought out and not just space fillers.
Come on Marvel, where's volume 4?

excellent takes me back to my southern roots, 04 May 1999
i stumbled upon this book by accident. IT hasnt left my night stand since.I love the southern dialouge,and the mention of the small southern towns. I recommend this book for anyone wanting a real taste of the south.Thank you Lee Smith for a wonderful book.

excellent takes me back to my southern roots, 04 May 1999
i stumbles upon this book by accident. IT hasnt left my night stand since.I love the southern dialouge,and the mention of the small southern towns. I recommend this book for anyone wanting a real taste of the south.

Exciting, Touching, Memorable, 29 Jan 1998
Saving Grace is easily one of the best novels you'll ever read. The subtle, clever writing style of Lee Smith draws you into the life of Grace as she battles poverty, religious fanaticism, and searches for her lost identity. Smith's perceptions about the life, feelings, and untapped potential of her character leave the reader with a stronger understanding of the hard lives these Appalachian women live. She brings into light a forgotten group of people and through Grace, increases the reader's own personal awareness.

The original space opera, 29 Oct 2008
Do not expect the technological accuracy of hard science fiction or the social commentary of soft SF; this is Space Opera, adventure on a grand scale. In Skylark, the men are real men, the women are real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri just do not stand a chance.

E.E. "Doc" Smith is hailed as being the creator of both interstellar science fiction and of the Space Opera sub-genre. His visions of epic space battles by the greatest of heroes against the evilest of villains inspired many great SF writers through the 20th century, eventually leading to its eminent descendant Star Wars. This is were it all began, boldly going to galaxies far far away, seeking out new worlds and ways of writing SF. Skylark's faults may be many, but they are forgivable. If later works seem more refined, it is because this is the mother lode. Forget characterisation and realism: just hold on tight and enjoy the ride. All aboard?

CLASIC SI-FI IN THE OLD MOLD, 24 Dec 2007
THIS WAS THE FIRST SI-FI I EVER GOT AND AS ANOTHER READER SAYS IT IS A BIT DATED NOW BUT IT IS STILL AN EXCELENT READ. I MUST HAVE READ IT 6 OR 8 TIMESAND THE BOOKS ARE DROPING TO BITS BUT I ALWAYS ENJOY IT

I NOW HAVE THE SERIES I READ AND A BOX SET I KEEP

Classic series but dated, 10 Aug 2005
The skylark series is truely a classic but now might seem more than a little dated. If you can put aside the dated nature of this book and the series they truely are a excellent series of books.

The skylark of space I think is one of the first books ever to even suggest interstellar travel, and I have said if you can put aside the morality of the past (would seem a little sexest now) and the dated discriptions of science then you may really enjoy this book.

Excellent read, gripping series, a must have sci-fi book, 29 Dec 2001
This is the first of 4 books which chart the rival scientists discovery of a secret which releases ultimate energy. They battle it out over 4 books to see who can control the secret. They meet a lot of different races on different worlds and amass an army on both sides. A book you cannot put down but must read to the end! Well worth the money!

Daredevil enters the bronze age, 30 Oct 2007
He stood at last by God's help and the police:
But he remembered a time when he stood alone,
When to be and to delight were to be one -
Before the colours wrinkled, and grew small.

- Wallace Stevens, 'Anglais Mort a Florence'

I know that comics fans may quibble over me calling this collection of comics from 1969 to 1971 'bronze age', rather than 'late silver age', but for me Daredevil entered the bronze age the moment Stan Lee stopped writing him, just as Captain America did the moment Kirby stopped drawing him. Silver age Daredevil - as seen in the Essential Daredevil volumes 1 and 2 - was a dashing pulp hero, but on the showing of this volume Bronze age daredevil appears to have been nothing in particular; a costumed non-entity who seldom does anything more interesting than swinging off flagpoles and beating up low-level thugs. Gone is the lunatic grandeur of the first two collections, with their pirate captains turned world conquerors and their corrupt businessmen unleashing killer robot owls while their private islands explode around them; instead we have a succession of villains so minor, so totally lacking in any sort of star quality, that they are usually killed off at the end of Daredevil's fights against them. Daredevil appears to have forgotten most of his powers, appearing here as no more than a moderately talented athlete and brawler with super-senses that usually don't work; at one point he and the Black Panther - the BLACK PANTHER, the man who once beat the Fantastic Four single-handed! - are almost defeated by a handful of thugs with guns, despite attacking them by surprise, and in the dark. But then, the same thing seems to have happened to Daredevil's old enemies: Jester, Stilt-Man, Mr Hyde, and even Cobra, who was once a credible threat to Thor himself, all seem to have lost all their once-vast capabilities, and appear here largely as comic relief. And in the place of those swashbuckling heroics, all we're left with are forgettable gangsters and horribly clumsy attempts at 'social relevance', which address themes like racism and the anti-war movement with all the insight and subtlety of a sledgehammer. It's bronze age through and through.

There are good points. Colan's a very talented artist, and he does the best he can with the mediocre material he's given; and when he's given something decent, as with the ghostly flaming Aztec horseman Death's Head, he excels himself. Roy Thomas does a good job at exploring Daredevil's continuing relationships with Foggy Nelson and (especially) Karen Page, whose on-again-off-again romance with Daredevil provides the motor for many of this collection's plots. But overall, it's not nearly as good as the first two volumes, and I can't really recommend it to anyone but Daredevil completists. Look back over volume 1 instead: remember when Daredevil stood alone, before he wrinkled and grew small.

A Roy Thomas & Gene Colan masterclass, 16 Mar 2007
This volume largely consists of some wonderful scripting by Roy Thomas and masterful artwork by Gene Colan, with extra's by Stan Lee (who else?) Don Heck, Barry Smith and others.
Right from the start with the introduction of Starr Saxon and his killer android a darker side to Daredevil is apparent, he is on a downer over the break-up of his relationship with Karen Page and is prone to distractions. Saxon eventually escapes, for the time being.
The Black Panther stars in the first of 2 appearances as he tries to help catch an infected Daredevil. Then it goes up a notch with Mr. Fear re-appearing with a twist. It turns out the original Mr. Fear was murdered and replaced by Starr Saxon but as part of the darker atmosphere here Starr Saxon also falls to his death. DD then goes in search of Karen only to find her family being haunted by Death's Head in a spooky 2 parter with some Lovecraftian overtones which ends up with the death of the villain who it is revealed is Karen's father. DD then reveals his identity to Karen which helps link several of the later tales.
There's a 3 parter linked by Crime-Wave, starting with DD battling the Stunt Master (the first of his 3 appearances here) then the hitman Torpedo, who falls to his death, and finally facing off against Crime-Wave and his gang himself. This series features D.A. Foggy Nelson's relationship with his girlfriend who has served time in jail, see previous Daredevil books.
There's a great but way too brief fight against The Jester, The Cobra and Mr. Hyde. At some point you would think super-villains would cotton onto the fact that they make lousy partners.
Nighthawk makes a mystical nocturnal appearance from his early criminal days. Then with Karen Page leaving, DD faces the Gladiator in a prison based story as the Gladiator tries to break free.
Karen has left to go to Los Angeles where she gets parts as an actress and DD heads off in search of her. It brings a nice re-appearence for the Stunt-Master who has gone straight and now works in Hollywood. It also features the "Dark Shadows" gothic style soap opera Karen is acting in where one of the lead stars is murdered. It's a whodunnit which featured a memorable cover with DD, a mammoth and the La Brea tar pits. Then the Stilt-Man re-appears, co-starring Stunt-Master, again the Stilt-Man's main weakness is highlighted as DD brings him crashing to the ground.
Back on home-turf in New York we get a series of tales with social commentaries, starting with Kragg and his organised fight-fixing crime syndicate. Then the Black Panther re-appears in a tale highlighting the struggle many black Americans had just to go about their daily lives. The story is against the rise of the black-power backlash and urging people to fight by using the system, but Roy Thomas does not balk from showing some of the inequalities that lead to the frustration with "the system". Then neatly tying up the Karen Page link as her next lead actor turns out to be a bigoted patriot who becomes the Tribune to deal out his own justice to pinko's, commies, liberals and other subversives, he also gets to meet his maker earlier than he expected.
The Leopard Man is a brief alternative universe tale, a rather more neatly dressed Ka-zar type who is also blind.
There's a cross-over with Iron-Man bringing together SHIELD and Madame Masque (another reformed ex-villain Whitney Frost) against the Spymaster and part of the Zodiac, with another brief off world sojourn as the secret of the Ankh key is revealed.
Fittingly it ends with another social commentary tale where a gang temporarily blinds many in New York and DD aided by a group of blind New Yorkers manages to catch the villains.
These stories are among the best of the early DD tales and although old favourites like the Gladiator and the Jester only make brief appearances it is still a great read. The stories need to be seen in the light of the early 1970's and should be read in that context, especially those tales with racial and social inequality story-lines. Daredevil was always my favourite early comic book and remains so to this day, the villains don't always survive, the background characters, Foggy, Karen, and Willie Lincoln are well thought out and not just space fillers.
Come on Marvel, where's volume 4?

excellent takes me back to my southern roots, 04 May 1999
i stumbled upon this book by accident. IT hasnt left my night stand since.I love the southern dialouge,and the mention of the small southern towns. I recommend this book for anyone wanting a real taste of the south.Thank you Lee Smith for a wonderful book.

excellent takes me back to my southern roots, 04 May 1999
i stumbles upon this book by accident. IT hasnt left my night stand since.I love the southern dialouge,and the mention of the small southern towns. I recommend this book for anyone wanting a real taste of the south.

Exciting, Touching, Memorable, 29 Jan 1998
Saving Grace is easily one of the best novels you'll ever read. The subtle, clever writing style of Lee Smith draws you into the life of Grace as she battles poverty, religious fanaticism, and searches for her lost identity. Smith's perceptions about the life, feelings, and untapped potential of her character leave the reader with a stronger understanding of the hard lives these Appalachian women live. She brings into light a forgotten group of people and through Grace, increases the reader's own personal awareness.

Provocative look at the often forgotten Appalachian history, 04 Aug 1999
This is an in depth, yet interesting look at the rich history of the Appalachian family life throughout the ages. From wichcraft to trailer-trash this book covers it all.

The original space opera, 29 Oct 2008
Do not expect the technological accuracy of hard science fiction or the social commentary of soft SF; this is Space Opera, adventure on a grand scale. In Skylark, the men are real men, the women are real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri just do not stand a chance.

E.E. "Doc" Smith is hailed as being the creator of both interstellar science fiction and of the Space Opera sub-genre. His visions of epic space battles by the greatest of heroes against the evilest of villains inspired many great SF writers through the 20th century, eventually leading to its eminent descendant Star Wars. This is were it all began, boldly going to galaxies far far away, seeking out new worlds and ways of writing SF. Skylark's faults may be many, but they are forgivable. If later works seem more refined, it is because this is the mother lode. Forget characterisation and realism: just hold on tight and enjoy the ride. All aboard?

CLASIC SI-FI IN THE OLD MOLD, 24 Dec 2007
THIS WAS THE FIRST SI-FI I EVER GOT AND AS ANOTHER READER SAYS IT IS A BIT DATED NOW BUT IT IS STILL AN EXCELENT READ. I MUST HAVE READ IT 6 OR 8 TIMESAND THE BOOKS ARE DROPING TO BITS BUT I ALWAYS ENJOY IT

I NOW HAVE THE SERIES I READ AND A BOX SET I KEEP

Classic series but dated, 10 Aug 2005
The skylark series is truely a classic but now might seem more than a little dated. If you can put aside the dated nature of this book and the series they truely are a excellent series of books.

The skylark of space I think is one of the first books ever to even suggest interstellar travel, and I have said if you can put aside the morality of the past (would seem a little sexest now) and the dated discriptions of science then you may really enjoy this book.

Excellent read, gripping series, a must have sci-fi book, 29 Dec 2001
This is the first of 4 books which chart the rival scientists discovery of a secret which releases ultimate energy. They battle it out over 4 books to see who can control the secret. They meet a lot of different races on different worlds and amass an army on both sides. A book you cannot put down but must read to the end! Well worth the money!

Daredevil enters the bronze age, 30 Oct 2007
He stood at last by God's help and the police:
But he remembered a time when he stood alone,
When to be and to delight were to be one -
Before the colours wrinkled, and grew small.

- Wallace Stevens, 'Anglais Mort a Florence'

I know that comics fans may quibble over me calling this collection of comics from 1969 to 1971 'bronze age', rather than 'late silver age', but for me Daredevil entered the bronze age the moment Stan Lee stopped writing him, just as Captain America did the moment Kirby stopped drawing him. Silver age Daredevil - as seen in the Essential Daredevil volumes 1 and 2 - was a dashing pulp hero, but on the showing of this volume Bronze age daredevil appears to have been nothing in particular; a costumed non-entity who seldom does anything more interesting than swinging off flagpoles and beating up low-level thugs. Gone is the lunatic grandeur of the first two collections, with their pirate captains turned world conquerors and their corrupt businessmen unleashing killer robot owls while their private islands explode around them; instead we have a succession of villains so minor, so totally lacking in any sort of star quality, that they are usually killed off at the end of Daredevil's fights against them. Daredevil appears to have forgotten most of his powers, appearing here as no more than a moderately talented athlete and brawler with super-senses that usually don't work; at one point he and the Black Panther - the BLACK PANTHER, the man who once beat the Fantastic Four single-handed! - are almost defeated by a handful of thugs with guns, despite attacking them by surprise, and in the dark. But then, the same thing seems to have happened to Daredevil's old enemies: Jester, Stilt-Man, Mr Hyde, and even Cobra, who was once a credible threat to Thor himself, all seem to have lost all their once-vast capabilities, and appear here largely as comic relief. And in the place of those swashbuckling heroics, all we're left with are forgettable gangsters and horribly clumsy attempts at 'social relevance', which address themes like racism and the anti-war movement with all the insight and subtlety of a sledgehammer. It's bronze age through and through.

There are good points. Colan's a very talented artist, and he does the best he can with the mediocre material he's given; and when he's given something decent, as with the ghostly flaming Aztec horseman Death's Head, he excels himself. Roy Thomas does a good job at exploring Daredevil's continuing relationships with Foggy Nelson and (especially) Karen Page, whose on-again-off-again romance with Daredevil provides the motor for many of this collection's plots. But overall, it's not nearly as good as the first two volumes, and I can't really recommend it to anyone but Daredevil completists. Look back over volume 1 instead: remember when Daredevil stood alone, before he wrinkled and grew small.

A Roy Thomas & Gene Colan masterclass, 16 Mar 2007
This volume largely consists of some wonderful scripting by Roy Thomas and masterful artwork by Gene Colan, with extra's by Stan Lee (who else?) Don Heck, Barry Smith and others.
Right from the start with the introduction of Starr Saxon and his killer android a darker side to Daredevil is apparent, he is on a downer over the break-up of his relationship with Karen Page and is prone to distractions. Saxon eventually escapes, for the time being.
The Black Panther stars in the first of 2 appearances as he tries to help catch an infected Daredevil. Then it goes up a notch with Mr. Fear re-appearing with a twist. It turns out the original Mr. Fear was murdered and replaced by Starr Saxon but as part of the darker atmosphere here Starr Saxon also falls to his death. DD then goes in search of Karen only to find her family being haunted by Death's Head in a spooky 2 parter with some Lovecraftian overtones which ends up with the death of the villain who it is revealed is Karen's father. DD then reveals his identity to Karen which helps link several of the later tales.
There's a 3 parter linked by Crime-Wave, starting with DD battling the Stunt Master (the first of his 3 appearances here) then the hitman Torpedo, who falls to his death, and finally facing off against Crime-Wave and his gang himself. This series features D.A. Foggy Nelson's relationship with his girlfriend who has served time in jail, see previous Daredevil books.
There's a great but way too brief fight against The Jester, The Cobra and Mr. Hyde. At some point you would think super-villains would cotton onto the fact that they make lousy partners.
Nighthawk makes a mystical nocturnal appearance from his early criminal days. Then with Karen Page leaving, DD faces the Gladiator in a prison based story as the Gladiator tries to break free.
Karen has left to go to Los Angeles where she gets parts as an actress and DD heads off in search of her. It brings a nice re-appearence for the Stunt-Master who has gone straight and now works in Hollywood. It also features the "Dark Shadows" gothic style soap opera Karen is acting in where one of the lead stars is murdered. It's a whodunnit which featured a memorable cover with DD, a mammoth and the La Brea tar pits. Then the Stilt-Man re-appears, co-starring Stunt-Master, again the Stilt-Man's main weakness is highlighted as DD brings him crashing to the ground.
Back on home-turf in New York we get a series of tales with social commentaries, starting with Kragg and his organised fight-fixing crime syndicate. Then the Black Panther re-appears in a tale highlighting the struggle many black Americans had just to go about their daily lives. The story is against the rise of the black-power backlash and urging people to fight by using the system, but Roy Thomas does not balk from showing some of the inequalities that lead to the frustration with "the system". Then neatly tying up the Karen Page link as her next lead actor turns out to be a bigoted patriot who becomes the Tribune to deal out his own justice to pinko's, commies, liberals and other subversives, he also gets to meet his maker earlier than he expected.
The Leopard Man is a brief alternative universe tale, a rather more neatly dressed Ka-zar type who is also blind.
There's a cross-over with Iron-Man bringing together SHIELD and Madame Masque (another reformed ex-villain Whitney Frost) against the Spymaster and part of the Zodiac, with another brief off world sojourn as the secret of the Ankh key is revealed.
Fittingly it ends with another social commentary tale where a gang temporarily blinds many in New York and DD aided by a group of blind New Yorkers manages to catch the villains.
These stories are among the best of the early DD tales and although old favourites like the Gladiator and the Jester only make brief appearances it is still a great read. The stories need to be seen in the light of the early 1970's and should be read in that context, especially those tales with racial and social inequality story-lines. Daredevil was always my favourite early comic book and remains so to this day, the villains don't always survive, the background characters, Foggy, Karen, and Willie Lincoln are well thought out and not just space fillers.
Come on Marvel, where's volume 4?

excellent takes me back to my southern roots, 04 May 1999
i stumbled upon this book by accident. IT hasnt left my night stand since.I love the southern dialouge,and the mention of the small southern towns. I recommend this book for anyone wanting a real taste of the south.Thank you Lee Smith for a wonderful book.

excellent takes me back to my southern roots, 04 May 1999
i stumbles upon this book by accident. IT hasnt left my night stand since.I love the southern dialouge,and the mention of the small southern towns. I recommend this book for anyone wanting a real taste of the south.

Exciting, Touching, Memorable, 29 Jan 1998
Saving Grace is easily one of the best novels you'll ever read. The subtle, clever writing style of Lee Smith draws you into the life of Grace as she battles poverty, religious fanaticism, and searches for her lost identity. Smith's perceptions about the life, feelings, and untapped potential of her character leave the reader with a stronger understanding of the hard lives these Appalachian women live. She brings into light a forgotten group of people and through Grace, increases the reader's own personal awareness.

Provocative look at the often forgotten Appalachian history, 04 Aug 1999
This is an in depth, yet interesting look at the rich history of the Appalachian family life throughout the ages. From wichcraft to trailer-trash this book covers it all.

Good start but disappointing end, 30 Jun 1999
I read this book based on a newspaper article and went out right away and bought it. It had all the makings of a good, Southern novel--family quarrels, death and secrets. As I got to the end, it was hard to keep track of who was related to whom and how others fit into the story. It was almost as if they were thrown in as the story began to wind down, just to give some resolution. I hated the ending; I think Smith the cowardly way out and never really answered some of the pressing questions. I've heard that this is not Ms. Smith's best work but I would be willing to try another novel by her

Glamourization of the filth that so easily besets us, 07 May 1999
This novel glorifies sin and filth. It contains adult language and adult content, and raises no theme, except one that tries to cover up the sins of extramarital affairs, and murder... it is a disgrace to any decent author, and should not be read... plain and simple.

THIS BOOK IS TRASH AND NOT LITERATURE, 10 Mar 1999
The content of the book was rediculas. The profantity shows a lack of communication skills. Lee Smith's vacabulary must be quite limited. I was required to read this book in my college English class. I know college students should be grown up and mature, but this offended me. I would rather read a book that could have taught me good moral standards than to spend my time reading a book that is of no use other than a class requirement.

Good then Bad then Good!, 29 Jan 1999
I started Family Linen and couldn't put it down....then I couldn't pick it up...then I couldn't put it down! I got confused with who was whose parents and while some characters were well developed others were not. When it was good it was very, very good. I'm still not sure who Clinus' father was! But definitely worth reading.

Modern Faulkner, 29 Sep 1998
If you liked Faulkner's *As I Lay Dying* and even if you didn't, you will enjoy this one from Lee Smith. I loved the knotted up lives of the family memebers, interwoven with insanity, incest and murder and all centered around the gathering of the children at the death of their mother. Though there are no journeys with smelly coffins falling into the river, each family member takes her/his own personal journey and becomes a different person for the knowledge he gains from the others. Definitely a Faulknerian type family with characters just as southern and mixed up. It is definitely worht the time and comparison.

The original space opera, 29 Oct 2008
Do not expect the technological accuracy of hard science fiction or the social commentary of soft SF; this is Space Opera, adventure on a grand scale. In Skylark, the men are real men, the women are real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri just do not stand a chance.

E.E. "Doc" Smith is hailed as being the creator of both interstellar science fiction and of the Space Opera sub-genre. His visions of epic space battles by the greatest of heroes against the evilest of villains inspired many great SF writers through the 20th century, eventually leading to its eminent descendant Star Wars. This is were it all began, boldly going to galaxies far far away, seeking out new worlds and ways of writing SF. Skylark's faults may be many, but they are forgivable. If later works seem more refined, it is because this is the mother lode. Forget characterisation and realism: just hold on tight and enjoy the ride. All aboard?

CLASIC SI-FI IN THE OLD MOLD, 24 Dec 2007
THIS WAS THE FIRST SI-FI I EVER GOT AND AS ANOTHER READER SAYS IT IS A BIT DATED NOW BUT IT IS STILL AN EXCELENT READ. I MUST HAVE READ IT 6 OR 8 TIMESAND THE BOOKS ARE DROPING TO BITS BUT I ALWAYS ENJOY IT

I NOW HAVE THE SERIES I READ AND A BOX SET I KEEP

Classic series but dated, 10 Aug 2005
The skylark series is truely a classic but now might seem more than a little dated. If you can put aside the dated nature of this book and the series they truely are a excellent series of books.

The skylark of space I think is one of the first books ever to even suggest interstellar travel, and I have said if you can put aside the morality of the past (would seem a little sexest now) and the dated discriptions of science then you may really enjoy this book.

Excellent read, gripping series, a must have sci-fi book, 29 Dec 2001
This is the first of 4 books which chart the rival scientists discovery of a secret which releases ultimate energy. They battle it out over 4 books to see who can control the secret. They meet a lot of different races on different worlds and amass an army on both sides. A book you cannot put down but must read to the end! Well worth the money!

Daredevil enters the bronze age, 30 Oct 2007
He stood at last by God's help and the police:
But he remembered a time when he stood alone,
When to be and to delight were to be one -
Before the colours wrinkled, and grew small.

- Wallace Stevens, 'Anglais Mort a Florence'

I know that comics fans may quibble over me calling this collection of comics from 1969 to 1971 'bronze age', rather than 'late silver age', but for me Daredevil entered the bronze age the moment Stan Lee stopped writing him, just as Captain America did the moment Kirby stopped drawing him. Silver age Daredevil - as seen in the Essential Daredevil volumes 1 and 2 - was a dashing pulp hero, but on the showing of this volume Bronze age daredevil appears to have been nothing in particular; a costumed non-entity who seldom does anything more interesting than swinging off flagpoles and beating up low-level thugs. Gone is the lunatic grandeur of the first two collections, with their pirate captains turned world conquerors and their corrupt businessmen unleashing killer robot owls while their private islands explode around them; instead we have a succession of villains so minor, so totally lacking in any sort of star quality, that they are usually killed off at the end of Daredevil's fights against them. Daredevil appears to have forgotten most of his powers, appearing here as no more than a moderately talented athlete and brawler with super-senses that usually don't work; at one point he and the Black Panther - the BLACK PANTHER, the man who once beat the Fantastic Four single-handed! - are almost defeated by a handful of thugs with guns, despite attacking them by surprise, and in the dark. But then, the same thing seems to have happened to Daredevil's old enemies: Jester, Stilt-Man, Mr Hyde, and even Cobra, who was once a credible threat to Thor himself, all seem to have lost all their once-vast capabilities, and appear here largely as comic relief. And in the place of those swashbuckling heroics, all we're left with are forgettable gangsters and horribly clumsy attempts at 'social relevance', which address themes like racism and the anti-war movement with all the insight and subtlety of a sledgehammer. It's bronze age through and through.

There are good points. Colan's a very talented artist, and he does the best he can with the mediocre material he's given; and when he's given something decent, as with the ghostly flaming Aztec horseman Death's Head, he excels himself. Roy Thomas does a good job at exploring Daredevil's continuing relationships with Foggy Nelson and (especially) Karen Page, whose on-again-off-again romance with Daredevil provides the motor for many of this collection's plots. But overall, it's not nearly as good as the first two volumes, and I can't really recommend it to anyone but Daredevil completists. Look back over volume 1 instead: remember when Daredevil stood alone, before he wrinkled and grew small.

A Roy Thomas & Gene Colan masterclass, 16 Mar 2007
This volume largely consists of some wonderful scripting by Roy Thomas and masterful artwork by Gene Colan, with extra's by Stan Lee (who else?) Don Heck, Barry Smith and others.
Right from the start with the introduction of Starr Saxon and his killer android a darker side to Daredevil is apparent, he is on a downer over the break-up of his relationship with Karen Page and is prone to distractions. Saxon eventually escapes, for the time being.
The Black Panther stars in the first of 2 appearances as he tries to help catch an infected Daredevil. Then it goes up a notch with Mr. Fear re-appearing with a twist. It turns out the original Mr. Fear was murdered and replaced by Starr Saxon but as part of the darker atmosphere here Starr Saxon also falls to his death. DD then goes in search of Karen only to find her family being haunted by Death's Head in a spooky 2 parter with some Lovecraftian overtones which ends up with the death of the villain who it is revealed is Karen's father. DD then reveals his identity to Karen which helps link several of the later tales.
There's a 3 parter linked by Crime-Wave, starting with DD battling the Stunt Master (the first of his 3 appearances here) then the hitman Torpedo, who falls to his death, and finally facing off against Crime-Wave and his gang himself. This series features D.A. Foggy Nelson's relationship with his girlfriend who has served time in jail, see previous Daredevil books.
There's a great but way too brief fight against The Jester, The Cobra and Mr. Hyde. At some point you would think super-villains would cotton onto the fact that they make lousy partners.
Nighthawk makes a mystical nocturnal appearance from his early criminal days. Then with Karen Page leaving, DD faces the Gladiator in a prison based story as the Gladiator tries to break free.
Karen has left to go to Los Angeles where she gets parts as an actress and DD heads off in search of her. It brings a nice re-appearence for the Stunt-Master who has gone straight and now works in Hollywood. It also features the "Dark Shadows" gothic style soap opera Karen is acting in where one of the lead stars is murdered. It's a whodunnit which featured a memorable cover with DD, a mammoth and the La Brea tar pits. Then the Stilt-Man re-appears, co-starring Stunt-Master, again the Stilt-Man's main weakness is highlighted as DD brings him crashing to the ground.
Back on home-turf in New York we get a series of tales with social commentaries, starting with Kragg and his organised fight-fixing crime syndicate. Then the Black Panther re-appears in a tale highlighting the struggle many black Americans had just to go about their daily lives. The story is against the rise of the black-power backlash and urging people to fight by using the system, but Roy Thomas does not balk from showing some of the inequalities that lead to the frustration with "the system". Then neatly tying up the Karen Page link as her next lead actor turns out to be a bigoted patriot who becomes the Tribune to deal out his own justice to pinko's, commies, liberals and other subversives, he also gets to meet his maker earlier than he expected.
The Leopard Man is a brief alternative universe tale, a rather more neatly dressed Ka-zar type who is also blind.
There's a cross-over with Iron-Man bringing together SHIELD and Madame Masque (another reformed ex-villain Whitney Frost) against the Spymaster and part of the Zodiac, with another brief off world sojourn as the secret of the Ankh key is revealed.
Fittingly it ends with another social commentary tale where a gang temporarily blinds many in New York and DD aided by a group of blind New Yorkers manages to catch the villains.
These stories are among the best of the early DD tales and although old favourites like the Gladiator and the Jester only make brief appearances it is still a great read. The stories need to be seen in the light of the early 1970's and should be read in that context, especially those tales with racial and social inequality story-lines. Daredevil was always my favourite early comic book and remains so to this day, the villains don't always survive, the background characters, Foggy, Karen, and Willie Lincoln are well thought out and not just space fillers.
Come on Marvel, where's volume 4?

excellent takes me back to my southern roots, 04 May 1999
i stumbled upon this book by accident. IT hasnt left my night stand since.I love the southern dialouge,and the mention of the small southern towns. I recommend this book for anyone wanting a real taste of the south.Thank you Lee Smith for a wonderful book.

excellent takes me back to my southern roots, 04 May 1999
i stumbles upon this book by accident. IT hasnt left my night stand since.I love the southern dialouge,and the mention of the small southern towns. I recommend this book for anyone wanting a real taste of the south.

Exciting, Touching, Memorable, 29 Jan 1998
Saving Grace is easily one of the best novels you'll ever read. The subtle, clever writing style of Lee Smith draws you into the life of Grace as she battles poverty, religious fanaticism, and searches for her lost identity. Smith's perceptions about the life, feelings, and untapped potential of her character leave the reader with a stronger understanding of the hard lives these Appalachian women live. She brings into light a forgotten group of people and through Grace, increases the reader's own personal awareness.

Provocative look at the often forgotten Appalachian history, 04 Aug 1999
This is an in depth, yet interesting look at the rich history of the Appalachian family life throughout the ages. From wichcraft to trailer-trash this book covers it all.

Good start but disappointing end, 30 Jun 1999
I read this book based on a newspaper article and went out right away and bought it. It had all the makings of a good, Southern novel--family quarrels, death and secrets. As I got to the end, it was hard to keep track of who was related to whom and how others fit into the story. It was almost as if they were thrown in as the story began to wind down, just to give some resolution. I hated the ending; I think Smith the cowardly way out and never really answered some of the pressing questions. I've heard that this is not Ms. Smith's best work but I would be willing to try another novel by her

Glamourization of the filth that so easily besets us, 07 May 1999
This novel glorifies sin and filth. It contains adult language and adult content, and raises no theme, except one that tries to cover up the sins of extramarital affairs, and murder... it is a disgrace to any decent author, and should not be read... plain and simple.

THIS BOOK IS TRASH AND NOT LITERATURE, 10 Mar 1999
The content of the book was rediculas. The profantity shows a lack of communication skills. Lee Smith's vacabulary must be quite limited. I was required to read this book in my college English class. I know college students should be grown up and mature, but this offended me. I would rather read a book that could have taught me good moral standards than to spend my time reading a book that is of no use other than a class requirement.

Good then Bad then Good!, 29 Jan 1999
I started Family Linen and couldn't put it down....then I couldn't pick it up...then I couldn't put it down! I got confused with who was whose parents and while some characters were well developed others were not. When it was good it was very, very good. I'm still not sure who Clinus' father was! But definitely worth reading.

Modern Faulkner, 29 Sep 1998
If you liked Faulkner's *As I Lay Dying* and even if you didn't, you will enjoy this one from Lee Smith. I loved the knotted up lives of the family memebers, interwoven with insanity, incest and murder and all centered around the gathering of the children at the death of their mother. Though there are no journeys with smelly coffins falling into the river, each family member takes her/his own personal journey and becomes a different person for the knowledge he gains from the others. Definitely a Faulknerian type family with characters just as southern and mixed up. It is definitely worht the time and comparison.

Not the typical Lee Smith humor and voice you expect, 30 Jun 1998
For those familiar with Lee Smith's work, some of these stories seem very familiar, like rehashes of themes and ideas from some of her previous works. The mood of this collection is darker than her other collections and the stories seem disconnected. They do not engage the reader as so many of her works do. As a huge fan of Ms. Smith's, (I have read all her work), I was a little disappointed and left a little flat.

Lots of words, no meaning, 16 Jan 1998
Reading the stories in this volume is entertaining, like watching TV. I don't have a TV. I read because I don't like TV. I read short stories because I often find sharp snapshots of crucial life moments.

Not in News of the Spirit. I found elaborate images and scenarios that, having been created, are left to whither with no sense of life force. If you don't like to have your beliefs challenged, this is probably a good choice.

If you're interested in exploring what we feel as we go through life, pick up a Kingsolver book.

The original space opera, 29 Oct 2008
Do not expect the technological accuracy of hard science fiction or the social commentary of soft SF; this is Space Opera, adventure on a grand scale. In Skylark, the men are real men, the women are real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri just do not stand a chance.

E.E. "Doc" Smith is hailed as being the creator of both interstellar science fiction and of the Space Opera sub-genre. His visions of epic space battles by the greatest of heroes against the evilest of villains inspired many great SF writers through the 20th century, eventually leading to its eminent descendant Star Wars. This is were it all began, boldly going to galaxies far far away, seeking out new worlds and ways of writing SF. Skylark's faults may be many, but they are forgivable. If later works seem more refined, it is because this is the mother lode. Forget characterisation and realism: just hold on tight and enjoy the ride. All aboard?

CLASIC SI-FI IN THE OLD MOLD, 24 Dec 2007
THIS WAS THE FIRST SI-FI I EVER GOT AND AS ANOTHER READER SAYS IT IS A BIT DATED NOW BUT IT IS STILL AN EXCELENT READ. I MUST HAVE READ IT 6 OR 8 TIMESAND THE BOOKS ARE DROPING TO BITS BUT I ALWAYS ENJOY IT

I NOW HAVE THE SERIES I READ AND A BOX SET I KEEP

Classic series but dated, 10 Aug 2005
The skylark series is truely a classic but now might seem more than a little dated. If you can put aside the dated nature of this book and the series they truely are a excellent series of books.

The skylark of space I think is one of the first books ever to even suggest interstellar travel, and I have said if you can put aside the morality of the past (would seem a little sexest now) and the dated discriptions of science then you may really enjoy this book.

Excellent read, gripping series, a must have sci-fi book, 29 Dec 2001
This is the first of 4 books which chart the rival scientists discovery of a secret which releases ultimate energy. They battle it out over 4 books to see who can control the secret. They meet a lot of different races on different worlds and amass an army on both sides. A book you cannot put down but must read to the end! Well worth the money!

Daredevil enters the bronze age, 30 Oct 2007
He stood at last by God's help and the police:
But he remembered a time when he stood alone,
When to be and to delight were to be one -
Before the colours wrinkled, and grew small.

- Wallace Stevens, 'Anglais Mort a Florence'

I know that comics fans may quibble over me calling this collection of comics from 1969 to 1971 'bronze age', rather than 'late silver age', but for me Daredevil entered the bronze age the moment Stan Lee stopped writing him, just as Captain America did the moment Kirby stopped drawing him. Silver age Daredevil - as seen in the Essential Daredevil volumes 1 and 2 - was a dashing pulp hero, but on the showing of this volume Bronze age daredevil appears to have been nothing in particular; a costumed non-entity who seldom does anything more interesting than swinging off flagpoles and beating up low-level thugs. Gone is the lunatic grandeur of the first two collections, with their pirate captains turned world conquerors and their corrupt businessmen unleashing killer robot owls while their private islands explode around them; instead we have a succession of villains so minor, so totally lacking in any sort of star quality, that they are usually killed off at the end of Daredevil's fights against them. Daredevil appears to have forgotten most of his powers, appearing here as no more than a moderately talented athlete and brawler with super-senses that usually don't work; at one point he and the Black Panther - the BLACK PANTHER, the man who once beat the Fantastic Four single-handed! - are almost defeated by a handful of thugs with guns, despite attacking them by surprise, and in the dark. But then, the same thing seems to have happened to Daredevil's old enemies: Jester, Stilt-Man, Mr Hyde, and even Cobra, who was once a credible threat to Thor himself, all seem to have lost all their once-vast capabilities, and appear here largely as comic relief. And in the place of those swashbuckling heroics, all we're left with are forgettable gangsters and horribly clumsy attempts at 'social relevance', which address themes like racism and the anti-war movement with all the insight and subtlety of a sledgehammer. It's bronze age through and through.

There are good points. Colan's a very talented artist, and he does the best he can with the mediocre material he's given; and when he's given something decent, as with the ghostly flaming Aztec horseman Death's Head, he excels himself. Roy Thomas does a good job at exploring Daredevil's continuing relationships with Foggy Nelson and (especially) Karen Page, whose on-again-off-again romance with Daredevil provides the motor for many of this collection's plots. But overall, it's not nearly as good as the first two volumes, and I can't really recommend it to anyone but Daredevil completists. Look back over volume 1 instead: remember when Daredevil stood alone, before he wrinkled and grew small.

A Roy Thomas & Gene Colan masterclass, 16 Mar 2007
This volume largely consists of some wonderful scripting by Roy Thomas and masterful artwork by Gene Colan, with extra's by Stan Lee (who else?) Don Heck, Barry Smith and others.
Right from the start with the introduction of Starr Saxon and his killer android a darker side to Daredevil is apparent, he is on a downer over the break-up of his relationship with Karen Page and is prone to distractions. Saxon eventually escapes, for the time being.
The Black Panther stars in the first of 2 appearances as he tries to help catch an infected Daredevil. Then it goes up a notch with Mr. Fear re-appearing with a twist. It turns out the original Mr. Fear was murdered and replaced by Starr Saxon but as part of the darker atmosphere here Starr Saxon also falls to his death. DD then goes in search of Karen only to find her family being haunted by Death's Head in a spooky 2 parter with some Lovecraftian overtones which ends up with the death of the villain who it is revealed is Karen's father. DD then reveals his identity to Karen which helps link several of the later tales.
There's a 3 parter linked by Crime-Wave, starting with DD battling the Stunt Master (the first of his 3 appearances here) then the hitman Torpedo, who falls to his death, and finally facing off against Crime-Wave and his gang himself. This series features D.A. Foggy Nelson's relationship with his girlfriend who has served time in jail, see previous Daredevil books.
There's a great but way too brief fight against The Jester, The Cobra and Mr. Hyde. At some point you would think super-villains would cotton onto the fact that they make lousy partners.
Nighthawk makes a mystical nocturnal appearance from his early criminal days. Then with Karen Page leaving, DD faces the Gladiator in a prison based story as the Gladiator tries to break free.
Karen has left to go to Los Angeles where she gets parts as an actress and DD heads off in search of her. It brings a nice re-appearence for the Stunt-Master who has gone straight and now works in Hollywood. It also features the "Dark Shadows" gothic style soap opera Karen is acting in where one of the lead stars is murdered. It's a whodunnit which featured a memorable cover with DD, a mammoth and the La Brea tar pits. Then the Stilt-Man re-appears, co-starring Stunt-Master, again the Stilt-Man's main weakness is highlighted as DD brings him crashing to the ground.
Back on home-turf in New York we get a series of tales with social commentaries, starting with Kragg and his organised fight-fixing crime syndicate. Then the Black Panther re-appears in a tale highlighting the struggle many black Americans had just to go about their daily lives. The story is against the rise of the black-power backlash and urging people to fight by using the system, but Roy Thomas does not balk from showing some of the inequalities that lead to the frustration with "the system". Then neatly tying up the Karen Page link as her next lead actor turns out to be a bigoted patriot who becomes the Tribune to deal out his own justice to pinko's, commies, liberals and other subversives, he also gets to meet his maker earlier than he expected.
The Leopard Man is a brief alternative universe tale, a rather more neatly dressed Ka-zar type who is also blind.
There's a cross-over with Iron-Man bringing together SHIELD and Madame Masque (another reformed ex-villain Whitney Frost) against the Spymaster and part of the Zodiac, with another brief off world sojourn as the secret of the Ankh key is revealed.
Fittingly it ends with another social commentary tale where a gang temporarily blinds many in New York and DD aided by a group of blind New Yorkers manages to catch the villains.
These stories are among the best of the early DD tales and although old favourites like the Gladiator and the Jester only make brief appearances it is still a great read. The stories need to be seen in the light of the early 1970's and should be read in that context, especially those tales with racial and social inequality story-lines. Daredevil was always my favourite early comic book and remains so to this day, the villains don't always survive, the background characters, Foggy, Karen, and Willie Lincoln are well thought out and not just space fillers.
Come on Marvel, where's volume 4?

excellent takes me back to my southern roots, 04 May 1999
i stumbled upon this book by accident. IT hasnt left my night stand since.I love the southern dialouge,and the mention of the small southern towns. I recommend this book for anyone wanting a real taste of the south.Thank you Lee Smith for a wonderful book.

excellent takes me back to my southern roots, 04 May 1999
i stumbles upon this book by accident. IT hasnt left my night stand since.I love the southern dialouge,and the mention of the small southern towns. I recommend this book for anyone wanting a real taste of the south.

Exciting, Touching, Memorable, 29 Jan 1998
Saving Grace is easily one of the best novels you'll ever read. The subtle, clever writing style of Lee Smith draws you into the life of Grace as she battles poverty, religious fanaticism, and searches for her lost identity. Smith's perceptions about the life, feelings, and untapped potential of her character leave the reader with a stronger understanding of the hard lives these Appalachian women live. She brings into light a forgotten group of people and through Grace, increases the reader's own personal awareness.

Provocative look at the often forgotten Appalachian history, 04 Aug 1999
This is an in depth, yet interesting look at the rich history of the Appalachian family life throughout the ages. From wichcraft to trailer-trash this book covers it all.

Good start but disappointing end, 30 Jun 1999
I read this book based on a newspaper article and went out right away and bought it. It had all the makings of a good, Southern novel--family quarrels, death and secrets. As I got to the end, it was hard to keep track of who was related to whom and how others fit into the story. It was almost as if they were thrown in as the story began to wind down, just to give some resolution. I hated the ending; I think Smith the cowardly way out and never really answered some of the pressing questions. I've heard that this is not Ms. Smith's best work but I would be willing to try another novel by her

Glamourization of the filth that so easily besets us, 07 May 1999
This novel glorifies sin and filth. It contains adult language and adult content, and raises no theme, except one that tries to cover up the sins of extramarital affairs, and murder... it is a disgrace to any decent author, and should not be read... plain and simple.

THIS BOOK IS TRASH AND NOT LITERATURE, 10 Mar 1999
The content of the book was rediculas. The profantity shows a lack of communication skills. Lee Smith's vacabulary must be quite limited. I was required to read this book in my college English class. I know college students should be grown up and mature, but this offended me. I would rather read a book that could have taught me good moral standards than to spend my time reading a book that is of no use other than a class requirement.

Good then Bad then Good!, 29 Jan 1999
I started Family Linen and couldn't put it down....then I couldn't pick it up...then I couldn't put it down! I got confused with who was whose parents and while some characters were well developed others were not. When it was good it was very, very good. I'm still not sure who Clinus' father was! But definitely worth reading.

Modern Faulkner, 29 Sep 1998
If you liked Faulkner's *As I Lay Dying* and even if you didn't, you will enjoy this one from Lee Smith. I loved the knotted up lives of the family memebers, interwoven with insanity, incest and murder and all centered around the gathering of the children at the death of their mother. Though there are no journeys with smelly coffins falling into the river, each family member takes her/his own personal journey and becomes a different person for the knowledge he gains from the others. Definitely a Faulknerian type family with characters just as southern and mixed up. It is definitely worht the time and comparison.

Not the typical Lee Smith humor and voice you expect, 30 Jun 1998
For those familiar with Lee Smith's work, some of these stories seem very familiar, like rehashes of themes and ideas from some of her previous works. The mood of this collection is darker than her other collections and the stories seem disconnected. They do not engage the reader as so many of her works do. As a huge fan of Ms. Smith's, (I have read all her work), I was a little disappointed and left a little flat.

Lots of words, no meaning, 16 Jan 1998
Reading the stories in this