Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, 13 Nov 2008
I must say the author has made a good and funny translation of what would have considered harmless children's stories into modern day PC propaganda. What I will say is that it did get a tiny bit repetitive but otherwise it is a good read. Highly recommended for all those who remember the good old days of our children's stories

For everyone not PC repressed, 15 Dec 2007
For any Squaddies or ex-Squaddies who might read this review -

I swamped myself - you have been warned

Funny - or not?, 19 Aug 2007
I found the first two or three amusing - but after that it became just too predictable and, I confess, I never managed to finish it!

Oppression, Alienation, and the Three Little Pigs, 29 Dec 2005
Bedtime stories are probably among the oldest forms of tale-telling there is in human history. Before epic poetry, before political speeches, before religious tales of awe, there were people sitting around campfires and living in caves, caring for their young, speaking soothing sounds to their young.

Bedtime stories were quickly discerned to be an excellent way in which to reinforce not only language skills, but culture and accepted morality, too.

So, why is it that fairy tales, the more-modern equivalent of these stories, became canonised and thus immutable by the likes of the Brothers Grimm, etc.? Just what does Hansel & Gretel or the Little Red Riding Hood mean for us today, beyond being good stories?

And, are they good stories? Should we teach children there are houses made of candy and cookies out in the woods? This is the kind of question addressed in this delightful little collection, Politically Correct Bedtime Stories

Now, before you get your knickers in a twist, realise that this is all in fun, but, as it is fun, highlights certain important points nonetheless. Political correctness can be stretched to the limits of absurdity, like almost anything carried to and beyond its logical limits. That is not to say that political correctness is all bad. But, we do approach a time when nothing can be said for fear of offending someone somewhere at some time.

James Finn Garner highlights this in his introduction, by saying if he has inadvertently displayed any sexist, racist, culturalist, nationalist, regionalist, ageist, lookist, ableist, sizeist, speciesist, intellectualist, socioeconomicist, ethnocentrist, phallocentrist, heteropatriarchalist, or other type of bias as yet unnamed, he apologizes and encourages your suggestions for rectification.

In this volume, we have the following stories, revised and updated for the modern reader:

- Little Red Riding Hood
- The Emperor's New Clothes
- The Three Little Pigs
- Rumpelstiltskin
- The Three Codependent Goats Gruff
- Rapunzel
- Cinderella
- Goldilocks
- Snow White
- Chicken Little
- The Frog Prince
- Jack and the Beanstalk
- The Pied Piper of Hamlin

I shall recount part of the tale of the Frog Prince below, so you can get a sense of the style of the rest of the stories in this book, which present Little Red Riding Hood teaming up with the wolf against the violence of the hunter, the three pigs living in a harmonious collective, and of course, the frog prince: Once, there was a young princess who, when she grew tired of beating her head against the male power structure at her castle, would relax by walking into the woods and sitting beside a small pond. There she would amuse herself by tossing her favourite golden ball up and down and pondering the role of the eco-feminist in her era.

Well, to cut a not-so-long story even shorter (and to avoid infringements by limiting my take to a fair-use length!), the princess and the frog agree to terms, but when the frog approaches for a kiss, the princess feels harassed; however, she relents, and the frog transforms into a businessman who wants to make the pond into a golf course and condo development... The princess eventually decided that she really didn't need a prince after all, particularly one like this, and turns him back into a frog.

'And while someone might have noticed that the frog was gone, no one ever missed the real estate developer.'

Of course, apologies are due to real estate developers, those who wear tacky golf clothing, and those caught in an inter-species spell.

Fun for children of all adult ages.

BRILLIANTLY FUNNY, 06 Jan 2003
This book is for anyone who likes parodys or mocking the political systems. it is a 'value for money' book,as itwill have you laughing all the time (due to its humorous twists and phrases.) The book is composed of several 're-looks' at popular Fairy-Tales and Nursery Stories. I thoroughly recommend this book for everyone, as although it is based on Fairy Tales; its updated twists,endings and political humor makes it more adult- but keeping it light and not boring.

Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, 13 Nov 2008
I must say the author has made a good and funny translation of what would have considered harmless children's stories into modern day PC propaganda. What I will say is that it did get a tiny bit repetitive but otherwise it is a good read. Highly recommended for all those who remember the good old days of our children's stories

For everyone not PC repressed, 15 Dec 2007
For any Squaddies or ex-Squaddies who might read this review -

I swamped myself - you have been warned

Funny - or not?, 19 Aug 2007
I found the first two or three amusing - but after that it became just too predictable and, I confess, I never managed to finish it!

Oppression, Alienation, and the Three Little Pigs, 29 Dec 2005
Bedtime stories are probably among the oldest forms of tale-telling there is in human history. Before epic poetry, before political speeches, before religious tales of awe, there were people sitting around campfires and living in caves, caring for their young, speaking soothing sounds to their young.

Bedtime stories were quickly discerned to be an excellent way in which to reinforce not only language skills, but culture and accepted morality, too.

So, why is it that fairy tales, the more-modern equivalent of these stories, became canonised and thus immutable by the likes of the Brothers Grimm, etc.? Just what does Hansel & Gretel or the Little Red Riding Hood mean for us today, beyond being good stories?

And, are they good stories? Should we teach children there are houses made of candy and cookies out in the woods? This is the kind of question addressed in this delightful little collection, Politically Correct Bedtime Stories

Now, before you get your knickers in a twist, realise that this is all in fun, but, as it is fun, highlights certain important points nonetheless. Political correctness can be stretched to the limits of absurdity, like almost anything carried to and beyond its logical limits. That is not to say that political correctness is all bad. But, we do approach a time when nothing can be said for fear of offending someone somewhere at some time.

James Finn Garner highlights this in his introduction, by saying if he has inadvertently displayed any sexist, racist, culturalist, nationalist, regionalist, ageist, lookist, ableist, sizeist, speciesist, intellectualist, socioeconomicist, ethnocentrist, phallocentrist, heteropatriarchalist, or other type of bias as yet unnamed, he apologizes and encourages your suggestions for rectification.

In this volume, we have the following stories, revised and updated for the modern reader:

- Little Red Riding Hood
- The Emperor's New Clothes
- The Three Little Pigs
- Rumpelstiltskin
- The Three Codependent Goats Gruff
- Rapunzel
- Cinderella
- Goldilocks
- Snow White
- Chicken Little
- The Frog Prince
- Jack and the Beanstalk
- The Pied Piper of Hamlin

I shall recount part of the tale of the Frog Prince below, so you can get a sense of the style of the rest of the stories in this book, which present Little Red Riding Hood teaming up with the wolf against the violence of the hunter, the three pigs living in a harmonious collective, and of course, the frog prince: Once, there was a young princess who, when she grew tired of beating her head against the male power structure at her castle, would relax by walking into the woods and sitting beside a small pond. There she would amuse herself by tossing her favourite golden ball up and down and pondering the role of the eco-feminist in her era.

Well, to cut a not-so-long story even shorter (and to avoid infringements by limiting my take to a fair-use length!), the princess and the frog agree to terms, but when the frog approaches for a kiss, the princess feels harassed; however, she relents, and the frog transforms into a businessman who wants to make the pond into a golf course and condo development... The princess eventually decided that she really didn't need a prince after all, particularly one like this, and turns him back into a frog.

'And while someone might have noticed that the frog was gone, no one ever missed the real estate developer.'

Of course, apologies are due to real estate developers, those who wear tacky golf clothing, and those caught in an inter-species spell.

Fun for children of all adult ages.

BRILLIANTLY FUNNY, 06 Jan 2003
This book is for anyone who likes parodys or mocking the political systems. it is a 'value for money' book,as itwill have you laughing all the time (due to its humorous twists and phrases.) The book is composed of several 're-looks' at popular Fairy-Tales and Nursery Stories. I thoroughly recommend this book for everyone, as although it is based on Fairy Tales; its updated twists,endings and political humor makes it more adult- but keeping it light and not boring.

"In time flesh will wear out chains , 20 Jun 2008
in time the mind will make chains snap." Victor Serge.

Victor Serge's novel "The Case of Comrade Tulayev" is set in the Soviet Union in the late 1930s, long before "the chains wore out." It is a classic and haunting look at Soviet society during an era of party purges, show trials, and executions that deserves a place of honor on any reading list that also includes Arthur Koestler's "Darkness at Noon", George Orwell's "1984" and Vasily Grossman's "Forever Flowing".

Serge, born in Brussels in 1890 to Russian emigre parents, returned to Russia early in 1919 in order to support the newly created Soviet Union. He served as both a writer and journalist. However, Serge was one of the first of the old-line revolutionaries to oppose Stalin's concentration of power. He was arrested, expelled from the party, released, and arrested again. Finally, in 1936 after a public campaign by leading European political and literary figures, Serge was released and deported to France. He eventually found his way to Mexico where he died, penniless, in 1947.

The Case of Comrade Tulayev mirrors in some respects the murder of Sergei Kirov that set off Stalin's first great purge beginning in 1934. The story begins with the almost accidental murder of a leading member of the Central Committee, Comrade Tulayev by a disaffected clerk. The Chief (Serge's allusion to Stalin) immediately commences a round of purges, investigations, show trials and executions. The rest of the book takes us on a chapter-by-chapter account of a group of individuals caught up in the aftermath of the murder. Each individual represents a different component of Soviet society, from the lowly clerk to the high-ranking party functionary to the `oppositionist' already living in exile in Siberia.

Serge paints an intimate, vivid picture of each individual as they meet their fate. Like a storm at seas these people can see the storm on the horizon but they all seem powerless to either flea. They are swept up and prepared for show trials. The only option available to each is their ability to fight the omnipotent forces that want them to admit to crimes they did not commit and to implicate others in these same acts. The power of Serge's writing lies in his examination of the inner lives of his protagonists and their reasons for either accepting this fate or fighting to retain some shred of inner dignity. The outcome of each protagonist's story provides a cross section of human responses ranging from cringing supplication to death-defying resistance. The story of Ryzshik, the exiled oppositionist is particularly haunting. As with the others, he knows what is expected of him but he chooses to starve himself to death rather than confess to some non-existent crime.

The Case of Comrade Tulayev is most often compared to Koestler's Darkness at Noon. Although the comparison is very apt there are some critical differences in approach that bear mentioning. Darkness at Noon focuses on the self-reflection of one key player in the creation of the Soviet state, Rubashov. Koestler took one life, Rubashov's, and reflected on his own role (or guilt) in creating the state that was about to murder him. The emotional heart of Darkness at Noon (for me) is whether and why Rubashov would perform one last act for `The State". Serge, takes a broader look at the questions of individual guilt and collective responsibility. I think that by taking this broader look both Serge and the reader begin to think about, if not find a rational explanation for, how a society based on egalitarian ideals can allow itself to be transformed into a compliant, totalitarian state in less than a generation.

Victor Serge's Case of Comrade Tulayev is an excellent piece of writing. Highly recommended. L. Fleisig


A glimpse into the Russian mind, 05 Mar 2008
An excellent read. If you want to read it as a novel it will satisy, but it also provokes much thought not only on the corrupting influence of power in general, but especially in a Russian and specifically Soviet, context.
To me it highlighted the weirdness of some past societies which are still in living memory, the cheapness of human life, the bizarre conclusions of powerful figures and policy makers based on idealogies which held sway among millions, but which nowadays are looked upon in bewilderment.


Thank god it's back in print!, 10 Jul 2007
I read a copy of this book 30 years ago, then it went out of print and was impossible to locate. It expresses the Stalinist pogroms better than any other literature or cinematic experience, I have come across, manages to do.It is superbly written; so much so that I could even recall certain phrases from 3 decades ago.It is a much overlooked piece of masterly literature.Characters and descriptions beautifully observed and with a haunting quality which makes you glad you didn't live in Russia at the same time as The Chief!

An anti-Stalinist masterpiece, 03 Feb 2006
The tale of the 1930s purges in Stalin's USSR is told through several characters - a mix of innocents and committed Bolsheviks. More of an insider account than Koestler's "Darkness at Noon" but well worth reading them together. A boon in this edition is Susan Sontag's introduction, one of her last pieces.

A great, little known novel, 03 Feb 2005
This is a magnificent book. The opening shows us the random and spontaneous assassination of leading Party official, Comrade Tulayev, by an ordinary citizen. The paranoia prevalent in Stalin's Russia, though, could not accept such an explanation. As ripples spread out from a pond when a pebble is thrown in, so the web of supposed intrigue behind the act widens to envelop and subsequently destroy both friends and enemies of the regime.

Written by a man familiar with the regime (Victor Serge was not only condemned to the camps but was one of the very few people to be released and allowed to leave Russia after international protestations led by writers) this serves as history but, much more than this, as also a tragic, aching novel.

Read this then move on to Vasily Grossman's epic "Life and Fate".

Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, 13 Nov 2008
I must say the author has made a good and funny translation of what would have considered harmless children's stories into modern day PC propaganda. What I will say is that it did get a tiny bit repetitive but otherwise it is a good read. Highly recommended for all those who remember the good old days of our children's stories

For everyone not PC repressed, 15 Dec 2007
For any Squaddies or ex-Squaddies who might read this review -

I swamped myself - you have been warned

Funny - or not?, 19 Aug 2007
I found the first two or three amusing - but after that it became just too predictable and, I confess, I never managed to finish it!

Oppression, Alienation, and the Three Little Pigs, 29 Dec 2005
Bedtime stories are probably among the oldest forms of tale-telling there is in human history. Before epic poetry, before political speeches, before religious tales of awe, there were people sitting around campfires and living in caves, caring for their young, speaking soothing sounds to their young.

Bedtime stories were quickly discerned to be an excellent way in which to reinforce not only language skills, but culture and accepted morality, too.

So, why is it that fairy tales, the more-modern equivalent of these stories, became canonised and thus immutable by the likes of the Brothers Grimm, etc.? Just what does Hansel & Gretel or the Little Red Riding Hood mean for us today, beyond being good stories?

And, are they good stories? Should we teach children there are houses made of candy and cookies out in the woods? This is the kind of question addressed in this delightful little collection, Politically Correct Bedtime Stories

Now, before you get your knickers in a twist, realise that this is all in fun, but, as it is fun, highlights certain important points nonetheless. Political correctness can be stretched to the limits of absurdity, like almost anything carried to and beyond its logical limits. That is not to say that political correctness is all bad. But, we do approach a time when nothing can be said for fear of offending someone somewhere at some time.

James Finn Garner highlights this in his introduction, by saying if he has inadvertently displayed any sexist, racist, culturalist, nationalist, regionalist, ageist, lookist, ableist, sizeist, speciesist, intellectualist, socioeconomicist, ethnocentrist, phallocentrist, heteropatriarchalist, or other type of bias as yet unnamed, he apologizes and encourages your suggestions for rectification.

In this volume, we have the following stories, revised and updated for the modern reader:

- Little Red Riding Hood
- The Emperor's New Clothes
- The Three Little Pigs
- Rumpelstiltskin
- The Three Codependent Goats Gruff
- Rapunzel
- Cinderella
- Goldilocks
- Snow White
- Chicken Little
- The Frog Prince
- Jack and the Beanstalk
- The Pied Piper of Hamlin

I shall recount part of the tale of the Frog Prince below, so you can get a sense of the style of the rest of the stories in this book, which present Little Red Riding Hood teaming up with the wolf against the violence of the hunter, the three pigs living in a harmonious collective, and of course, the frog prince: Once, there was a young princess who, when she grew tired of beating her head against the male power structure at her castle, would relax by walking into the woods and sitting beside a small pond. There she would amuse herself by tossing her favourite golden ball up and down and pondering the role of the eco-feminist in her era.

Well, to cut a not-so-long story even shorter (and to avoid infringements by limiting my take to a fair-use length!), the princess and the frog agree to terms, but when the frog approaches for a kiss, the princess feels harassed; however, she relents, and the frog transforms into a businessman who wants to make the pond into a golf course and condo development... The princess eventually decided that she really didn't need a prince after all, particularly one like this, and turns him back into a frog.

'And while someone might have noticed that the frog was gone, no one ever missed the real estate developer.'

Of course, apologies are due to real estate developers, those who wear tacky golf clothing, and those caught in an inter-species spell.

Fun for children of all adult ages.

BRILLIANTLY FUNNY, 06 Jan 2003
This book is for anyone who likes parodys or mocking the political systems. it is a 'value for money' book,as itwill have you laughing all the time (due to its humorous twists and phrases.) The book is composed of several 're-looks' at popular Fairy-Tales and Nursery Stories. I thoroughly recommend this book for everyone, as although it is based on Fairy Tales; its updated twists,endings and political humor makes it more adult- but keeping it light and not boring.

"In time flesh will wear out chains , 20 Jun 2008
in time the mind will make chains snap." Victor Serge.

Victor Serge's novel "The Case of Comrade Tulayev" is set in the Soviet Union in the late 1930s, long before "the chains wore out." It is a classic and haunting look at Soviet society during an era of party purges, show trials, and executions that deserves a place of honor on any reading list that also includes Arthur Koestler's "Darkness at Noon", George Orwell's "1984" and Vasily Grossman's "Forever Flowing".

Serge, born in Brussels in 1890 to Russian emigre parents, returned to Russia early in 1919 in order to support the newly created Soviet Union. He served as both a writer and journalist. However, Serge was one of the first of the old-line revolutionaries to oppose Stalin's concentration of power. He was arrested, expelled from the party, released, and arrested again. Finally, in 1936 after a public campaign by leading European political and literary figures, Serge was released and deported to France. He eventually found his way to Mexico where he died, penniless, in 1947.

The Case of Comrade Tulayev mirrors in some respects the murder of Sergei Kirov that set off Stalin's first great purge beginning in 1934. The story begins with the almost accidental murder of a leading member of the Central Committee, Comrade Tulayev by a disaffected clerk. The Chief (Serge's allusion to Stalin) immediately commences a round of purges, investigations, show trials and executions. The rest of the book takes us on a chapter-by-chapter account of a group of individuals caught up in the aftermath of the murder. Each individual represents a different component of Soviet society, from the lowly clerk to the high-ranking party functionary to the `oppositionist' already living in exile in Siberia.

Serge paints an intimate, vivid picture of each individual as they meet their fate. Like a storm at seas these people can see the storm on the horizon but they all seem powerless to either flea. They are swept up and prepared for show trials. The only option available to each is their ability to fight the omnipotent forces that want them to admit to crimes they did not commit and to implicate others in these same acts. The power of Serge's writing lies in his examination of the inner lives of his protagonists and their reasons for either accepting this fate or fighting to retain some shred of inner dignity. The outcome of each protagonist's story provides a cross section of human responses ranging from cringing supplication to death-defying resistance. The story of Ryzshik, the exiled oppositionist is particularly haunting. As with the others, he knows what is expected of him but he chooses to starve himself to death rather than confess to some non-existent crime.

The Case of Comrade Tulayev is most often compared to Koestler's Darkness at Noon. Although the comparison is very apt there are some critical differences in approach that bear mentioning. Darkness at Noon focuses on the self-reflection of one key player in the creation of the Soviet state, Rubashov. Koestler took one life, Rubashov's, and reflected on his own role (or guilt) in creating the state that was about to murder him. The emotional heart of Darkness at Noon (for me) is whether and why Rubashov would perform one last act for `The State". Serge, takes a broader look at the questions of individual guilt and collective responsibility. I think that by taking this broader look both Serge and the reader begin to think about, if not find a rational explanation for, how a society based on egalitarian ideals can allow itself to be transformed into a compliant, totalitarian state in less than a generation.

Victor Serge's Case of Comrade Tulayev is an excellent piece of writing. Highly recommended. L. Fleisig


A glimpse into the Russian mind, 05 Mar 2008
An excellent read. If you want to read it as a novel it will satisy, but it also provokes much thought not only on the corrupting influence of power in general, but especially in a Russian and specifically Soviet, context.
To me it highlighted the weirdness of some past societies which are still in living memory, the cheapness of human life, the bizarre conclusions of powerful figures and policy makers based on idealogies which held sway among millions, but which nowadays are looked upon in bewilderment.


Thank god it's back in print!, 10 Jul 2007
I read a copy of this book 30 years ago, then it went out of print and was impossible to locate. It expresses the Stalinist pogroms better than any other literature or cinematic experience, I have come across, manages to do.It is superbly written; so much so that I could even recall certain phrases from 3 decades ago.It is a much overlooked piece of masterly literature.Characters and descriptions beautifully observed and with a haunting quality which makes you glad you didn't live in Russia at the same time as The Chief!

An anti-Stalinist masterpiece, 03 Feb 2006
The tale of the 1930s purges in Stalin's USSR is told through several characters - a mix of innocents and committed Bolsheviks. More of an insider account than Koestler's "Darkness at Noon" but well worth reading them together. A boon in this edition is Susan Sontag's introduction, one of her last pieces.

A great, little known novel, 03 Feb 2005
This is a magnificent book. The opening shows us the random and spontaneous assassination of leading Party official, Comrade Tulayev, by an ordinary citizen. The paranoia prevalent in Stalin's Russia, though, could not accept such an explanation. As ripples spread out from a pond when a pebble is thrown in, so the web of supposed intrigue behind the act widens to envelop and subsequently destroy both friends and enemies of the regime.

Written by a man familiar with the regime (Victor Serge was not only condemned to the camps but was one of the very few people to be released and allowed to leave Russia after international protestations led by writers) this serves as history but, much more than this, as also a tragic, aching novel.

Read this then move on to Vasily Grossman's epic "Life and Fate".

hmmm, I expected more, 09 May 2006
Schelling provides a lot of examples to illustrate the idea that individual preferences and actions may add up in very special ways and the macro outcome can be something nobody wanted. The problem is that the book does not go behind the examples, no general models are proposed, the deeper insights are missing. I have to recognize that some exaples are so well elaborated, that the aforementioned problems do not seem important. In summary, I expected more from a Nobel-prize winner.

The instinct to seek perfection in human affairs is as old as Western Civilisation; sometimes it is claimed that the perfect society is lost in the past, or is very distant in the future or across the hills, and sometimes utopia is seen as achievable in our own time, by the adoption of a particular political programme. The great strength of John Carey's anthology of utopian writing, though at times also a significant weakness, is that he is highly suspicious of the entire enterprise; it is not insignificant, he implies by careful selection, that one of the first pieces of Utopian writing is Plato's The Republic that, however benevolent its goals, is maintained by a mixture of force and lies and depends on squashing the aspirations of ordinary people. In his useful introduction, he points to some key themes: the production of perfect offspring and keeping them that way by education, the punishment of criminals, and the management of ageing and death. Carey suggests that there are insoluble problems in human life and that utopians tend to falsify them by regarding them as simple. This is a useful anthology, but a dispiriting one--Carey's determination to let no-one off the hook is harsh, but fair. --Roz Kaveney

Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, 13 Nov 2008
I must say the author has made a good and funny translation of what would have considered harmless children's stories into modern day PC propaganda. What I will say is that it did get a tiny bit repetitive but otherwise it is a good read. Highly recommended for all those who remember the good old days of our children's stories

For everyone not PC repressed, 15 Dec 2007
For any Squaddies or ex-Squaddies who might read this review -

I swamped myself - you have been warned

Funny - or not?, 19 Aug 2007
I found the first two or three amusing - but after that it became just too predictable and, I confess, I never managed to finish it!

Oppression, Alienation, and the Three Little Pigs, 29 Dec 2005
Bedtime stories are probably among the oldest forms of tale-telling there is in human history. Before epic poetry, before political speeches, before religious tales of awe, there were people sitting around campfires and living in caves, caring for their young, speaking soothing sounds to their young.

Bedtime stories were quickly discerned to be an excellent way in which to reinforce not only language skills, but culture and accepted morality, too.

So, why is it that fairy tales, the more-modern equivalent of these stories, became canonised and thus immutable by the likes of the Brothers Grimm, etc.? Just what does Hansel & Gretel or the Little Red Riding Hood mean for us today, beyond being good stories?

And, are they good stories? Should we teach children there are houses made of candy and cookies out in the woods? This is the kind of question addressed in this delightful little collection, Politically Correct Bedtime Stories

Now, before you get your knickers in a twist, realise that this is all in fun, but, as it is fun, highlights certain important points nonetheless. Political correctness can be stretched to the limits of absurdity, like almost anything carried to and beyond its logical limits. That is not to say that political correctness is all bad. But, we do approach a time when nothing can be said for fear of offending someone somewhere at some time.

James Finn Garner highlights this in his introduction, by saying if he has inadvertently displayed any sexist, racist, culturalist, nationalist, regionalist, ageist, lookist, ableist, sizeist, speciesist, intellectualist, socioeconomicist, ethnocentrist, phallocentrist, heteropatriarchalist, or other type of bias as yet unnamed, he apologizes and encourages your suggestions for rectification.

In this volume, we have the following stories, revised and updated for the modern reader:

- Little Red Riding Hood
- The Emperor's New Clothes
- The Three Little Pigs
- Rumpelstiltskin
- The Three Codependent Goats Gruff
- Rapunzel
- Cinderella
- Goldilocks
- Snow White
- Chicken Little
- The Frog Prince
- Jack and the Beanstalk
- The Pied Piper of Hamlin

I shall recount part of the tale of the Frog Prince below, so you can get a sense of the style of the rest of the stories in this book, which present Little Red Riding Hood teaming up with the wolf against the violence of the hunter, the three pigs living in a harmonious collective, and of course, the frog prince: Once, there was a young princess who, when she grew tired of beating her head against the male power structure at her castle, would relax by walking into the woods and sitting beside a small pond. There she would amuse herself by tossing her favourite golden ball up and down and pondering the role of the eco-feminist in her era.

Well, to cut a not-so-long story even shorter (and to avoid infringements by limiting my take to a fair-use length!), the princess and the frog agree to terms, but when the frog approaches for a kiss, the princess feels harassed; however, she relents, and the frog transforms into a businessman who wants to make the pond into a golf course and condo development... The princess eventually decided that she really didn't need a prince after all, particularly one like this, and turns him back into a frog.

'And while someone might have noticed that the frog was gone, no one ever missed the real estate developer.'

Of course, apologies are due to real estate developers, those who wear tacky golf clothing, and those caught in an inter-species spell.

Fun for children of all adult ages.

BRILLIANTLY FUNNY, 06 Jan 2003
This book is for anyone who likes parodys or mocking the political systems. it is a 'value for money' book,as itwill have you laughing all the time (due to its humorous twists and phrases.) The book is composed of several 're-looks' at popular Fairy-Tales and Nursery Stories. I thoroughly recommend this book for everyone, as although it is based on Fairy Tales; its updated twists,endings and political humor makes it more adult- but keeping it light and not boring.

"In time flesh will wear out chains , 20 Jun 2008
in time the mind will make chains snap." Victor Serge.

Victor Serge's novel "The Case of Comrade Tulayev" is set in the Soviet Union in the late 1930s, long before "the chains wore out." It is a classic and haunting look at Soviet society during an era of party purges, show trials, and executions that deserves a place of honor on any reading list that also includes Arthur Koestler's "Darkness at Noon", George Orwell's "1984" and Vasily Grossman's "Forever Flowing".

Serge, born in Brussels in 1890 to Russian emigre parents, returned to Russia early in 1919 in order to support the newly created Soviet Union. He served as both a writer and journalist. However, Serge was one of the first of the old-line revolutionaries to oppose Stalin's concentration of power. He was arrested, expelled from the party, released, and arrested again. Finally, in 1936 after a public campaign by leading European political and literary figures, Serge was released and deported to France. He eventually found his way to Mexico where he died, penniless, in 1947.

The Case of Comrade Tulayev mirrors in some respects the murder of Sergei Kirov that set off Stalin's first great purge beginning in 1934. The story begins with the almost accidental murder of a leading member of the Central Committee, Comrade Tulayev by a disaffected clerk. The Chief (Serge's allusion to Stalin) immediately commences a round of purges, investigations, show trials and executions. The rest of the book takes us on a chapter-by-chapter account of a group of individuals caught up in the aftermath of the murder. Each individual represents a different component of Soviet society, from the lowly clerk to the high-ranking party functionary to the `oppositionist' already living in exile in Siberia.

Serge paints an intimate, vivid picture of each individual as they meet their fate. Like a storm at seas these people can see the storm on the horizon but they all seem powerless to either flea. They are swept up and prepared for show trials. The only option available to each is their ability to fight the omnipotent forces that want them to admit to crimes they did not commit and to implicate others in these same acts. The power of Serge's writing lies in his examination of the inner lives of his protagonists and their reasons for either accepting this fate or fighting to retain some shred of inner dignity. The outcome of each protagonist's story provides a cross section of human responses ranging from cringing supplication to death-defying resistance. The story of Ryzshik, the exiled oppositionist is particularly haunting. As with the others, he knows what is expected of him but he chooses to starve himself to death rather than confess to some non-existent crime.

The Case of Comrade Tulayev is most often compared to Koestler's Darkness at Noon. Although the comparison is very apt there are some critical differences in approach that bear mentioning. Darkness at Noon focuses on the self-reflection of one key player in the creation of the Soviet state, Rubashov. Koestler took one life, Rubashov's, and reflected on his own role (or guilt) in creating the state that was about to murder him. The emotional heart of Darkness at Noon (for me) is whether and why Rubashov would perform one last act for `The State". Serge, takes a broader look at the questions of individual guilt and collective responsibility. I think that by taking this broader look both Serge and the reader begin to think about, if not find a rational explanation for, how a society based on egalitarian ideals can allow itself to be transformed into a compliant, totalitarian state in less than a generation.

Victor Serge's Case of Comrade Tulayev is an excellent piece of writing. Highly recommended. L. Fleisig


A glimpse into the Russian mind, 05 Mar 2008
An excellent read. If you want to read it as a novel it will satisy, but it also provokes much thought not only on the corrupting influence of power in general, but especially in a Russian and specifically Soviet, context.
To me it highlighted the weirdness of some past societies which are still in living memory, the cheapness of human life, the bizarre conclusions of powerful figures and policy makers based on idealogies which held sway among millions, but which nowadays are looked upon in bewilderment.


Thank god it's back in print!, 10 Jul 2007
I read a copy of this book 30 years ago, then it went out of print and was impossible to locate. It expresses the Stalinist pogroms better than any other literature or cinematic experience, I have come across, manages to do.It is superbly written; so much so that I could even recall certain phrases from 3 decades ago.It is a much overlooked piece of masterly literature.Characters and descriptions beautifully observed and with a haunting quality which makes you glad you didn't live in Russia at the same time as The Chief!

An anti-Stalinist masterpiece, 03 Feb 2006
The tale of the 1930s purges in Stalin's USSR is told through several characters - a mix of innocents and committed Bolsheviks. More of an insider account than Koestler's "Darkness at Noon" but well worth reading them together. A boon in this edition is Susan Sontag's introduction, one of her last pieces.

A great, little known novel, 03 Feb 2005
This is a magnificent book. The opening shows us the random and spontaneous assassination of leading Party official, Comrade Tulayev, by an ordinary citizen. The paranoia prevalent in Stalin's Russia, though, could not accept such an explanation. As ripples spread out from a pond when a pebble is thrown in, so the web of supposed intrigue behind the act widens to envelop and subsequently destroy both friends and enemies of the regime.

Written by a man familiar with the regime (Victor Serge was not only condemned to the camps but was one of the very few people to be released and allowed to leave Russia after international protestations led by writers) this serves as history but, much more than this, as also a tragic, aching novel.

Read this then move on to Vasily Grossman's epic "Life and Fate".

hmmm, I expected more, 09 May 2006
Schelling provides a lot of examples to illustrate the idea that individual preferences and actions may add up in very special ways and the macro outcome can be something nobody wanted. The problem is that the book does not go behind the examples, no general models are proposed, the deeper insights are missing. I have to recognize that some exaples are so well elaborated, that the aforementioned problems do not seem important. In summary, I expected more from a Nobel-prize winner.

Great as a prompt for further reading but little more, 04 Sep 2001
The FBoU is a very good book so long as you use it as intended. The aim is to give you a taste of the most important utopian literature from the past. Starting from almost 2000bc Carey guides one through Plato, Tacitus all the way through to Orwell and Huxley and beyond while stopping off along the way to consider an eclectic bunch including the Marquis de Sade, Zamyatin and Hitler. Indeed, it is the breadth of this journey which for some will undo the enjoyment of Carey's work.

Buying the book as a means to becoming well read in utopian literature in a short space of time will not work. The book provides excerpts from utopian works, the length of which I often felt were too short to be satisifactory. As a stand alone book, the FBoU does simply does not work. Such criticism is perhaps unfair, as this is not how Carey probably intended the book to be used. Indeed as a first port of call the book is very good. Having read the short extracts one is often left wanting more. This in many ways is a credit to Carey as he provides an introduction to utopian literature that otherwise would be left forgotten.

As a stimulus to further reading I have found few books as good as this, just don't expect to finish reading this book knowing all you would like to about the fascinating genre that is utopian writing.

An excellently varied anthology, 28 Mar 2001
In this book John Carey gives us a varied selection of fantasy worlds, from the more traditional 'perfect' utopias to the dystopias of Orwell and Huxley. The selection varies from 1000BC right up to the modern day and gives a fascinating insight into the dreams of societies, showing how little humankind has changed. It is interesting to note how similar the utopian's ideas are, and how some of them now occur. Carey's editing is sublime, with the plot of each novel clearly and easily explained in a few paragraphs. The excerpts are similarily well chosen.

fascinating chronological overview, 21 Apr 2000
a book of excerpts from works on the subject of utopia with contextual/background commentary

i've been dipping in and out of it since november'99 and it's fascinating

i'm reading it alongside 'the goddess vs the alphabet' & 'the english' which provide alternative views on linked subjects

Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, 13 Nov 2008
I must say the author has made a good and funny translation of what would have considered harmless children's stories into modern day PC propaganda. What I will say is that it did get a tiny bit repetitive but otherwise it is a good read. Highly recommended for all those who remember the good old days of our children's stories

For everyone not PC repressed, 15 Dec 2007
For any Squaddies or ex-Squaddies who might read this review -

I swamped myself - you have been warned

Funny - or not?, 19 Aug 2007
I found the first two or three amusing - but after that it became just too predictable and, I confess, I never managed to finish it!

Oppression, Alienation, and the Three Little Pigs, 29 Dec 2005
Bedtime stories are probably among the oldest forms of tale-telling there is in human history. Before epic poetry, before political speeches, before religious tales of awe, there were people sitting around campfires and living in caves, caring for their young, speaking soothing sounds to their young.

Bedtime stories were quickly discerned to be an excellent way in which to reinforce not only language skills, but culture and accepted morality, too.

So, why is it that fairy tales, the more-modern equivalent of these stories, became canonised and thus immutable by the likes of the Brothers Grimm, etc.? Just what does Hansel & Gretel or the Little Red Riding Hood mean for us today, beyond being good stories?

And, are they good stories? Should we teach children there are houses made of candy and cookies out in the woods? This is the kind of question addressed in this delightful little collection, Politically Correct Bedtime Stories

Now, before you get your knickers in a twist, realise that this is all in fun, but, as it is fun, highlights certain important points nonetheless. Political correctness can be stretched to the limits of absurdity, like almost anything carried to and beyond its logical limits. That is not to say that political correctness is all bad. But, we do approach a time when nothing can be said for fear of offending someone somewhere at some time.

James Finn Garner highlights this in his introduction, by saying if he has inadvertently displayed any sexist, racist, culturalist, nationalist, regionalist, ageist, lookist, ableist, sizeist, speciesist, intellectualist, socioeconomicist, ethnocentrist, phallocentrist, heteropatriarchalist, or other type of bias as yet unnamed, he apologizes and encourages your suggestions for rectification.

In this volume, we have the following stories, revised and updated for the modern reader:

- Little Red Riding Hood
- The Emperor's New Clothes
- The Three Little Pigs
- Rumpelstiltskin
- The Three Codependent Goats Gruff
- Rapunzel
- Cinderella
- Goldilocks
- Snow White
- Chicken Little
- The Frog Prince
- Jack and the Beanstalk
- The Pied Piper of Hamlin

I shall recount part of the tale of the Frog Prince below, so you can get a sense of the style of the rest of the stories in this book, which present Little Red Riding Hood teaming up with the wolf against the violence of the hunter, the three pigs living in a harmonious collective, and of course, the frog prince: Once, there was a young princess who, when she grew tired of beating her head against the male power structure at her castle, would relax by walking into the woods and sitting beside a small pond. There she would amuse herself by tossing her favourite golden ball up and down and pondering the role of the eco-feminist in her era.

Well, to cut a not-so-long story even shorter (and to avoid infringements by limiting my take to a fair-use length!), the princess and the frog agree to terms, but when the frog approaches for a kiss, the princess feels harassed; however, she relents, and the frog transforms into a businessman who wants to make the pond into a golf course and condo development... The princess eventually decided that she really didn't need a prince after all, particularly one like this, and turns him back into a frog.

'And while someone might have noticed that the frog was gone, no one ever missed the real estate developer.'

Of course, apologies are due to real estate developers, those who wear tacky golf clothing, and those caught in an inter-species spell.

Fun for children of all adult ages.

BRILLIANTLY FUNNY, 06 Jan 2003
This book is for anyone who likes parodys or mocking the political systems. it is a 'value for money' book,as itwill have you laughing all the time (due to its humorous twists and phrases.) The book is composed of several 're-looks' at popular Fairy-Tales and Nursery Stories. I thoroughly recommend this book for everyone, as although it is based on Fairy Tales; its updated twists,endings and political humor makes it more adult- but keeping it light and not boring.

"In time flesh will wear out chains , 20 Jun 2008
in time the mind will make chains snap." Victor Serge.

Victor Serge's novel "The Case of Comrade Tulayev" is set in the Soviet Union in the late 1930s, long before "the chains wore out." It is a classic and haunting look at Soviet society during an era of party purges, show trials, and executions that deserves a place of honor on any reading list that also includes Arthur Koestler's "Darkness at Noon", George Orwell's "1984" and Vasily Grossman's "Forever Flowing".

Serge, born in Brussels in 1890 to Russian emigre parents, returned to Russia early in 1919 in order to support the newly created Soviet Union. He served as both a writer and journalist. However, Serge was one of the first of the old-line revolutionaries to oppose Stalin's concentration of power. He was arrested, expelled from the party, released, and arrested again. Finally, in 1936 after a public campaign by leading European political and literary figures, Serge was released and deported to France. He eventually found his way to Mexico where he died, penniless, in 1947.

The Case of Comrade Tulayev mirrors in some respects the murder of Sergei Kirov that set off Stalin's first great purge beginning in 1934. The story begins with the almost accidental murder of a leading member of the Central Committee, Comrade Tulayev by a disaffected clerk. The Chief (Serge's allusion to Stalin) immediately commences a round of purges, investigations, show trials and executions. The rest of the book takes us on a chapter-by-chapter account of a group of individuals caught up in the aftermath of the murder. Each individual represents a different component of Soviet society, from the lowly clerk to the high-ranking party functionary to the `oppositionist' already living in exile in Siberia.

Serge paints an intimate, vivid picture of each individual as they meet their fate. Like a storm at seas these people can see the storm on the horizon but they all seem powerless to either flea. They are swept up and prepared for show trials. The only option available to each is their ability to fight the omnipotent forces that want them to admit to crimes they did not commit and to implicate others in these same acts. The power of Serge's writing lies in his examination of the inner lives of his protagonists and their reasons for either accepting this fate or fighting to retain some shred of inner dignity. The outcome of each protagonist's story provides a cross section of human responses ranging from cringing supplication to death-defying resistance. The story of Ryzshik, the exiled oppositionist is particularly haunting. As with the others, he knows what is expected of him but he chooses to starve himself to death rather than confess to some non-existent crime.

The Case of Comrade Tulayev is most often compared to Koestler's Darkness at Noon. Although the comparison is very apt there are some critical differences in approach that bear mentioning. Darkness at Noon focuses on the self-reflection of one key player in the creation of the Soviet state, Rubashov. Koestler took one life, Rubashov's, and reflected on his own role (or guilt) in creating the state that was about to murder him. The emotional heart of Darkness at Noon (for me) is whether and why Rubashov would perform one last act for `The State". Serge, takes a broader look at the questions of individual guilt and collective responsibility. I think that by taking this broader look both Serge and the reader begin to think about, if not find a rational explanation for, how a society based on egalitarian ideals can allow itself to be transformed into a compliant, totalitarian state in less than a generation.

Victor Serge's Case of Comrade Tulayev is an excellent piece of writing. Highly recommended. L. Fleisig


A glimpse into the Russian mind, 05 Mar 2008
An excellent read. If you want to read it as a novel it will satisy, but it also provokes much thought not only on the corrupting influence of power in general, but especially in a Russian and specifically Soviet, context.
To me it highlighted the weirdness of some past societies which are still in living memory, the cheapness of human life, the bizarre conclusions of powerful figures and policy makers based on idealogies which held sway among millions, but which nowadays are looked upon in bewilderment.


Thank god it's back in print!, 10 Jul 2007
I read a copy of this book 30 years ago, then it went out of print and was impossible to locate. It expresses the Stalinist pogroms better than any other literature or cinematic experience, I have come across, manages to do.It is superbly written; so much so that I could even recall certain phrases from 3 decades ago.It is a much overlooked piece of masterly literature.Characters and descriptions beautifully observed and with a haunting quality which makes you glad you didn't live in Russia at the same time as The Chief!

An anti-Stalinist masterpiece, 03 Feb 2006
The tale of the 1930s purges in Stalin's USSR is told through several characters - a mix of innocents and committed Bolsheviks. More of an insider account than Koestler's "Darkness at Noon" but well worth reading them together. A boon in this edition is Susan Sontag's introduction, one of her last pieces.

A great, little known novel, 03 Feb 2005
This is a magnificent book. The opening shows us the random and spontaneous assassination of leading Party official, Comrade Tulayev, by an ordinary citizen. The paranoia prevalent in Stalin's Russia, though, could not accept such an explanation. As ripples spread out from a pond when a pebble is thrown in, so the web of supposed intrigue behind the act widens to envelop and subsequently destroy both friends and enemies of the regime.

Written by a man familiar with the regime (Victor Serge was not only condemned to the camps but was one of the very few people to be released and allowed to leave Russia after international protestations led by writers) this serves as history but, much more than this, as also a tragic, aching novel.

Read this then move on to Vasily Grossman's epic "Life and Fate".

hmmm, I expected more, 09 May 2006
Schelling provides a lot of examples to illustrate the idea that individual preferences and actions may add up in very special ways and the macro outcome can be something nobody wanted. The problem is that the book does not go behind the examples, no general models are proposed, the deeper insights are missing. I have to recognize that some exaples are so well elaborated, that the aforementioned problems do not seem important. In summary, I expected more from a Nobel-prize winner.

Great as a prompt for further reading but little more, 04 Sep 2001
The FBoU is a very good book so long as you use it as intended. The aim is to give you a taste of the most important utopian literature from the past. Starting from almost 2000bc Carey guides one through Plato, Tacitus all the way through to Orwell and Huxley and beyond while stopping off along the way to consider an eclectic bunch including the Marquis de Sade, Zamyatin and Hitler. Indeed, it is the breadth of this journey which for some will undo the enjoyment of Carey's work.

Buying the book as a means to becoming well read in utopian literature in a short space of time will not work. The book provides excerpts from utopian works, the length of which I often felt were too short to be satisifactory. As a stand alone book, the FBoU does simply does not work. Such criticism is perhaps unfair, as this is not how Carey probably intended the book to be used. Indeed as a first port of call the book is very good. Having read the short extracts one is often left wanting more. This in many ways is a credit to Carey as he provides an introduction to utopian literature that otherwise would be left forgotten.

As a stimulus to further reading I have found few books as good as this, just don't expect to finish reading this book knowing all you would like to about the fascinating genre that is utopian writing.

An excellently varied anthology, 28 Mar 2001
In this book John Carey gives us a varied selection of fantasy worlds, from the more traditional 'perfect' utopias to the dystopias of Orwell and Huxley. The selection varies from 1000BC right up to the modern day and gives a fascinating insight into the dreams of societies, showing how little humankind has changed. It is interesting to note how similar the utopian's ideas are, and how some of them now occur. Carey's editing is sublime, with the plot of each novel clearly and easily explained in a few paragraphs. The excerpts are similarily well chosen.

fascinating chronological overview, 21 Apr 2000
a book of excerpts from works on the subject of utopia with contextual/background commentary

i've been dipping in and out of it since november'99 and it's fascinating

i'm reading it alongside 'the goddess vs the alphabet' & 'the english' which provide alternative views on linked subjects

Disappointing, 02 Dec 2008
This book is advertised at an intense investigation thriller. I did not find it much of an investigation or thrilling.

If you like books that are more about political games then you may like this book. The first 60 pages are mainly meetings with politicians and army officials which is supposed to outline the main story.


007 with Brains.... that's Dr Steven Dunbar, 05 Nov 2004
I was lucky I was on vacation, because I got this book Wednesday and just couldn't put it down. The Gulf Conspiracy is just one of those books that you dont know what bit is true and what's fiction. I know some guys that were in the Gulf and I've heard some interesting stories from them. I've read some other books by the author Ken McClure : Wildcard, etc and this character in the books, Steven Dunbar, is some sort of scientific ex-Special Forces action hero like Jack Ryan/ James Bond. He doesn't hang about.

A gripping medical thriller which I guess is the best book I've read for a long long time. Highly recommended, even if you're not on vacation !

McClure`s Best Book To Date, 16 Sep 2004
I`ve read all of Ken McClure`s books, and this is my favourite. Its a slight departure from his usual medical thrillers, as it combines the medical background with political conspiracy, and does this very effectively. It features Dr Steven Dunbar, who has appeared in some of McClure`s previous works. His investigation leads him to the death of a scientist involved in developing a vaccine used on British troops prior to the Gulf War, and also a Gulf veteran, claiming the vaccine has left him with a "Gulf War Syndrome". Dr Dunbar tries to get to the truth of what really went into that vaccine, and why people are prepared to kill to keep it secret.

Although, as with all McClure books, this does have a strong medical background, his easy style of writing ensures that this isn`t overwhelming, and the story flows along nicely. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from begining to end.

The Gulf Conspiracy, 06 Aug 2004
This was the first Ken McClure novel I have read, and I have to record how good a read it was. The subject of Gulf Syndrome is very topical, and the storyline is very believable. It was very difficult separating what is fact, from what is fiction. The last fifty or sixty pages of the book were great, and I could not put the book down till I had finished it. Should be made into a mini series/ TV film. Well worth a read.

Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, 13 Nov 2008
I must say the author has made a good and funny translation of what would have considered harmless children's stories into modern day PC propaganda. What I will say is that it did get a tiny bit repetitive but otherwise it is a good read. Highly recommended for all those who remember the good old days of our children's stories

For everyone not PC repressed, 15 Dec 2007
For any Squaddies or ex-Squaddies who might read this review -

I swamped myself - you have been warned

Funny - or not?, 19 Aug 2007
I found the first two or three amusing - but after that it became just too predictable and, I confess, I never managed to finish it!

Oppression, Alienation, and the Three Little Pigs, 29 Dec 2005
Bedtime stories are probably among the oldest forms of tale-telling there is in human history. Before epic poetry, before political speeches, before religious tales of awe, there were people sitting around campfires and living in caves, caring for their young, speaking soothing sounds to their young.

Bedtime stories were quickly discerned to be an excellent way in which to reinforce not only language skills, but culture and accepted morality, too.

So, why is it that fairy tales, the more-modern equivalent of these stories, became canonised and thus immutable by the likes of the Brothers Grimm, etc.? Just what does Hansel & Gretel or the Little Red Riding Hood mean for us today, beyond being good stories?

And, are they good stories? Should we teach children there are houses made of candy and cookies out in the woods? This is the kind of question addressed in this delightful little collection, Politically Correct Bedtime Stories

Now, before you get your knickers in a twist, realise that this is all in fun, but, as it is fun, highlights certain important points nonetheless. Political correctness can be stretched to the limits of absurdity, like almost anything carried to and beyond its logical limits. That is not to say that political correctness is all bad. But, we do approach a time when nothing can be said for fear of offending someone somewhere at some time.

James Finn Garner highlights this in his introduction, by saying if he has inadvertently displayed any sexist, racist, culturalist, nationalist, regionalist, ageist, lookist, ableist, sizeist, speciesist, intellectualist, socioeconomicist, ethnocentrist, phallocentrist, heteropatriarchalist, or other type of bias as yet unnamed, he apologizes and encourages your suggestions for rectification.

In this volume, we have the following stories, revised and updated for the modern reader:

- Little Red Riding Hood
- The Emperor's New Clothes
- The Three Little Pigs
- Rumpelstiltskin
- The Three Codependent Goats Gruff
- Rapunzel
- Cinderella
- Goldilocks
- Snow White
- Chicken Little
- The Frog Prince
- Jack and the Beanstalk
- The Pied Piper of Hamlin

I shall recount part of the tale of the Frog Prince below, so you can get a sense of the style of the rest of the stories in this book, which present Little Red Riding Hood teaming up with the wolf against the violence of the hunter, the three pigs living in a harmonious collective, and of course, the frog prince: Once, there was a young princess who, when she grew tired of beating her head against the male power structure at her castle, would relax by walking into the woods and sitting beside a small pond. There she would amuse herself by tossing her favourite golden ball up and down and pondering the role of the eco-feminist in her era.

Well, to cut a not-so-long story even shorter (and to avoid infringements by limiting my take to a fair-use length!), the princess and the frog agree to terms, but when the frog approaches for a kiss, the princess feels harassed; however, she relents, and the frog transforms into a businessman who wants to make the pond into a golf course and condo development... The princess eventually decided that she really didn't need a prince after all, particularly one like this, and turns him back into a frog.

'And while someone might have noticed that the frog was gone, no one ever missed the real estate developer.'

Of course, apologies are due to real estate developers, those who wear tacky golf clothing, and those caught in an inter-species spell.

Fun for children of all adult ages.

BRILLIANTLY FUNNY, 06 Jan 2003
This book is for anyone who likes parodys or mocking the political systems. it is a 'value for money' book,as itwill have you laughing all the time (due to its humorous twists and phrases.) The book is composed of several 're-looks' at popular Fairy-Tales and Nursery Stories. I thoroughly recommend this book for everyone, as although it is based on Fairy Tales; its updated twists,endings and political humor makes it more adult- but keeping it light and not boring.

"In time flesh will wear out chains , 20 Jun 2008
in time the mind will make chains snap." Victor Serge.

Victor Serge's novel "The Case of Comrade Tulayev" is set in the Soviet Union in the late 1930s, long before "the chains wore out." It is a classic and haunting look at Soviet society during an era of party purges, show trials, and executions that deserves a place of honor on any reading list that also includes Arthur Koestler's "Darkness at Noon", George Orwell's "1984" and Vasily Grossman's "Forever Flowing".

Serge, born in Brussels in 1890 to Russian emigre parents, returned to Russia early in 1919 in order to support the newly created Soviet Union. He served as both a writer and journalist. However, Serge was one of the first of the old-line revolutionaries to oppose Stalin's concentration of power. He was arrested, expelled from the party, released, and arrested again. Finally, in 1936 after a public campaign by leading European political and literary figures, Serge was released and deported to France. He eventually found his way to Mexico where he died, penniless, in 1947.

The Case of Comrade Tulayev mirrors in some respects the murder of Sergei Kirov that set off Stalin's first great purge beginning in 1934. The story begins with the almost accidental murder of a leading member of the Central Committee, Comrade Tulayev by a disaffected clerk. The Chief (Serge's allusion to Stalin) immediately commences a round of purges, investigations, show trials and executions. The rest of the book takes us on a chapter-by-chapter account of a group of individuals caught up in the aftermath of the murder. Each individual represents a different component of Soviet society, from the lowly clerk to the high-ranking party functionary to the `oppositionist' already living in exile in Siberia.

Serge paints an intimate, vivid picture of each individual as they meet their fate. Like a storm at seas these people can see the storm on the horizon but they all seem powerless to either flea. They are swept up and prepared for show trials. The only option available to each is their ability to fight the omnipotent forces that want them to admit to crimes they did not commit and to implicate others in these same acts. The power of Serge's writing lies in his examination of the inner lives of his protagonists and their reasons for either accepting this fate or fighting to retain some shred of inner dignity. The outcome of each protagonist's story provides a cross section of human responses ranging from cringing supplication to death-defying resistance. The story of Ryzshik, the exiled oppositionist is particularly haunting. As with the others, he knows what is expected of him but he chooses to starve himself to death rather than confess to some non-existent crime.

The Case of Comrade Tulayev is most often compared to Koestler's Darkness at Noon. Although the comparison is very apt there are some critical differences in approach that bear mentioning. Darkness at Noon focuses on the self-reflection of one key player in the creation of the Soviet state, Rubashov. Koestler took one life, Rubashov's, and reflected on his own role (or guilt) in creating the state that was about to murder him. The emotional heart of Darkness at Noon (for me) is whether and why Rubashov would perform one last act for `The State". Serge, takes a broader look at the questions of individual guilt and collective responsibility. I think that by taking this broader look both Serge and the reader begin to think about, if not find a rational explanation for, how a society based on egalitarian ideals can allow itself to be transformed into a compliant, totalitarian state in less than a generation.

Victor Serge's Case of Comrade Tulayev is an excellent piece of writing. Highly recommended. L. Fleisig


A glimpse into the Russian mind, 05 Mar 2008
An excellent read. If you want to read it as a novel it will satisy, but it also provokes much thought not only on the corrupting influence of power in general, but especially in a Russian and specifically Soviet, context.
To me it highlighted the weirdness of some past societies which are still in living memory, the cheapness of human life, the bizarre conclusions of powerful figures and policy makers based on idealogies which held sway among millions, but which nowadays are looked upon in bewilderment.


Thank god it's back in print!, 10 Jul 2007
I read a copy of this book 30 years ago, then it went out of print and was impossible to locate. It expresses the Stalinist pogroms better than any other literature or cinematic experience, I have come across, manages to do.It is superbly written; so much so that I could even recall certain phrases from 3 decades ago.It is a much overlooked piece of masterly literature.Characters and descriptions beautifully observed and with a haunting quality which makes you glad you didn't live in Russia at the same time as The Chief!

An anti-Stalinist masterpiece, 03 Feb 2006
The tale of the 1930s purges in Stalin's USSR is told through several characters - a mix of innocents and committed Bolsheviks. More of an insider account than Koestler's "Darkness at Noon" but well worth reading them together. A boon in this edition is Susan Sontag's introduction, one of her last pieces.

A great, little known novel, 03 Feb 2005
This is a magnificent book. The opening shows us the random and spontaneous assassination of leading Party official, Comrade Tulayev, by an ordinary citizen. The paranoia prevalent in Stalin's Russia, though, could not accept such an explanation. As ripples spread out from a pond when a pebble is thrown in, so the web of supposed intrigue behind the act widens to envelop and subsequently destroy both friends and enemies of the regime.

Written by a man familiar with the regime (Victor Serge was not only condemned to the camps but was one of the very few people to be released and allowed to leave Russia after international protestations led by writers) this serves as history but, much more than this, as also a tragic, aching novel.

Read this then move on to Vasily Grossman's epic "Life and Fate".

hmmm, I expected more, 09 May 2006
Schelling provides a lot of examples to illustrate the idea that individual preferences and actions may add up in very special ways and the macro outcome can be something nobody wanted. The problem is that the book does not go behind the examples, no general models are proposed, the deeper insights are missing. I have to recognize that some exaples are so well elaborated, that the aforementioned problems do not seem important. In summary, I expected more from a Nobel-prize winner.

Great as a prompt for further reading but little more, 04 Sep 2001
The FBoU is a very good book so long as you use it as intended. The aim is to give you a taste of the most important utopian literature from the past. Starting from almost 2000bc Carey guides one through Plato, Tacitus all the way through to Orwell and Huxley and beyond while stopping off along the way to consider an eclectic bunch including the Marquis de Sade, Zamyatin and Hitler. Indeed, it is the breadth of this journey which for some will undo the enjoyment of Carey's work.

Buying the book as a means to becoming well read in utopian literature in a short space of time will not work. The book provides excerpts from utopian works, the length of which I often felt were too short to be satisifactory. As a stand alone book, the FBoU does simply does not work. Such criticism is perhaps unfair, as this is not how Carey probably intended the book to be used. Indeed as a first port of call the book is very good. Having read the short extracts one is often left wanting more. This in many ways is a credit to Carey as he provides an introduction to utopian literature that otherwise would be left forgotten.

As a stimulus to further reading I have found few books as good as this, just don't expect to finish reading this book knowing all you would like to about the fascinating genre that is utopian writing.

An excellently varied anthology, 28 Mar 2001
In this book John Carey gives us a varied selection of fantasy worlds, from the more traditional 'perfect' utopias to the dystopias of Orwell and Huxley. The selection varies from 1000BC right up to the modern day and gives a fascinating insight into the dreams of societies, showing how little humankind has changed. It is interesting to note how similar the utopian's ideas are, and how some of them now occur. Carey's editing is sublime, with the plot of each novel clearly and easily explained in a few paragraphs. The excerpts are similarily well chosen.

fascinating chronological overview, 21 Apr 2000
a book of excerpts from works on the subject of utopia with contextual/background commentary

i've been dipping in and out of it since november'99 and it's fascinating

i'm reading it alongside 'the goddess vs the alphabet' & 'the english' which provide alternative views on linked subjects

Disappointing, 02 Dec 2008
This book is advertised at an intense investigation thriller. I did not find it much of an investigation or thrilling.

If you like books that are more about political games then you may like this book. The first 60 pages are mainly meetings with politicians and army officials which is supposed to outline the main story.


007 with Brains.... that's Dr Steven Dunbar, 05 Nov 2004
I was lucky I was on vacation, because I got this book Wednesday and just couldn't put it down. The Gulf Conspiracy is just one of those books that you dont know what bit is true and what's fiction. I know some guys that were in the Gulf and I've heard some interesting stories from them. I've read some other books by the author Ken McClure : Wildcard, etc and this character in the books, Steven Dunbar, is some sort of scientific ex-Special Forces action hero like Jack Ryan/ James Bond. He doesn't hang about.

A gripping medical thriller which I guess is the best book I've read for a long long time. Highly recommended, even if you're not on vacation !

McClure`s Best Book To Date, 16 Sep 2004
I`ve read all of Ken McClure`s books, and this is my favourite. Its a slight departure from his usual medical thrillers, as it combines the medical background with political conspiracy, and does this very effectively. It features Dr Steven Dunbar, who has appeared in some of McClure`s previous works. His investigation leads him to the death of a scientist involved in developing a vaccine used on British troops prior to the Gulf War, and also a Gulf veteran, claiming the vaccine has left him with a "Gulf War Syndrome". Dr Dunbar tries to get to the truth of what really went into that vaccine, and why people are prepared to kill to keep it secret.

Although, as with all McClure books, this does have a strong medical background, his easy style of writing ensures that this isn`t overwhelming, and the story flows along nicely. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from begining to end.

The Gulf Conspiracy, 06 Aug 2004
This was the first Ken McClure novel I have read, and I have to record how good a read it was. The subject of Gulf Syndrome is very topical, and the storyline is very believable. It was very difficult separating what is fact, from what is fiction. The last fifty or sixty pages of the book were great, and I could not put the book down till I had finished it. Should be made into a mini series/ TV film. Well worth a read.

Courage versus Tyranny, 12 Nov 2008
The book recounts the life of four sisters during the time of Rafael Trujillo during part of his regime that controlled the Dominican country on the island of Hispaniola. Haiti occupies the remaining part of Hispaniola and plays a part in Trujillo's murderous legacy since he slaughtered thousands of Haitians. Trujillo's government epitomized the harsh dictatorship, utilizing torture, murders, absolute power, and the suppression of free speech and civil rights. His personal, sexual abuse of women was well known. The four Mirabel sisters joined the underground fight to topple his government, but only one of them survived. The four sisters were known as the Mariposas (butterflies) and each one speaks separately in the chapters of the book. The courage of the sisters inspires as much as Trujillo terrifies. The book is an excellent read.

emotional rollercoaster with each character, 27 Mar 2003
A brilliant book, written superbly. The strong female characters are a subtle inspiration.

The book describes the turbulent times of the Domincan Republic in the 60's. The book is split into parts and tells the story from the perpsective of each sister. It is very cleverly written and i loved the diary entries given by one sister.

It is a book that i will be reading again and recommending to friends.

Wonderful, touching book, 08 Jul 1999
I actually first read this novel last year in our Advanced Placement English class...I found it to be a beautifully written book (heck, it even made the boys in my class cry!). This book really raises the awareness about the tragic history of the Dominican Republic. As for the reader who commented that this story strayed too far from truth: this book never claimed to be any sort of non-fiction, Alvarez in the post script admitted that the story and personalities of the four sisters were completely fictionalized and simply inspired by the true figures.

An inspiring and wonderful book!, 27 Jun 1999
Before I picked up this book I was unaware of the past political situation in the Dominican Republic. After reading this great book, my eyes have been opened to a different country and history. Besides learning about another historical despot, the Mirabal sisters had great courage to fight a tyrant. The bond between the four sisters was interesting and should definitely be read

An eloquent novel based on haunting real life events., 09 Jun 1999
In the Time of the Butterflies

The Dominican Republic suffering great despair was drowning under the brutal dictatorship that was commanding its country. Trujillo had killed, lied, and cheated to rule Dominican and now was coaxing its people to "enslavement," life without freedom. He hid his evil, perverted, dirty self with glamour and parties forcing women, children, and men to treat him as a god. The amazing heart wrenching story of the four Mirabal sisters who where brave enough to lose their comfortable lives to threaten Trujillo's power and save their country is portrayed in this eloquent novel. They are the "Butterflies," their code name in the secret movement to free their trapped country. Patria was the oldest trusted so much in her religion that her childhood dream was to become a nun, but at sixteen fate drew her to her beloved, and future husband Pedrito. The immense beauty shared by all four sisters only grew greater as Patria aged and gave birth to her treasured children. Though as her babies were consumed, along with herself by the "movement," and other things she loved, stolen or burned, extreme worry and stress threatened her beautiful existence. Minerva was rebellious and out-going, fascinated by politics and law. Law school, her enemy of the state teenage best friend, and her determined lawyer husband Manolo push her over, to become a important member of the "movement," to a place of no return where she stores thousands of weapons and illegal papers for the revolution. Maria Teresa is the youngest surrounded by boys and elegant clothes all her life. Well into her twenties she finally outgrows her vanity, marries wonderful Armando, has her beloved baby girl, and learns to create bombs of all shapes and sizes for the "movement". She loses it all, after sharing months of torture in prison and then bound to house arrest with her sister Minerva; Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa are brutally murdered on November 25, 1960. Dede the sister who survived had tried to keep her sisters and best friends from harm only to end up raising their children and mourning their deaths for the rest of her life. Julia Alvarez succeeds in creating lives and probable dreams for the real life Mirabal sisters who died for their country. This novel based on the real life accounts takes hold of you, entwining you into the lives of these brave sisters understanding their views and dreams and suffering their hardships. So as you approach the ending knowing their fate, you read to experience their death. You cry as though you also have to lost a sister, a part of you. I believe almost any audience, including students my age,14 and 15, can relate to this novel because we all face problems just as the AButterflies." Females may be able to relate more to the issues these four women faced; that is not to say that millions of men would not enjoy it equally. Not at any time did I find this novel boring although at times it may have been hard to follow. Alvarez jumps from past to present and between a different sister narrating each chapter. The book also includes and so many people and names to remember. It is extremely difficult to compare such a unique plot with such real characters to any other book. This is an extraordinary novel where four brave sisters -Patria, Minerva, Maria Teresa, and Dede speak across the decades to tell their stories -from tales of hair ribbons and secret crushes to gun-running and prison torture- to describe perfectly the horrors of life under Dominican dictator Trujillo. To better understand the haunting human cost of defying the government and saving freedom, this novel must be read by all!

Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, 13 Nov 2008
I must say the author has made a good and funny translation of what would have considered harmless children's stories into modern day PC propaganda. What I will say is that it did get a tiny bit repetitive but otherwise it is a good read. Highly recommended for all those who remember the good old days of our children's stories

For everyone not PC repressed, 15 Dec 2007
For any Squaddies or ex-Squaddies who might read this review -

I swamped myself - you have been warned

Funny - or not?, 19 Aug 2007
I found the first two or three amusing - but after that it became just too predictable and, I confess, I never managed to finish it!

Oppression, Alienation, and the Three Little Pigs, 29 Dec 2005
Bedtime stories are probably among the oldest forms of tale-telling there is in human history. Before epic poetry, before political speeches, before religious tales of awe, there were people sitting around campfires and living in caves, caring for their young, speaking soothing sounds to their young.

Bedtime stories were quickly discerned to be an excellent way in which to reinforce not only language skills, but culture and accepted morality, too.

So, why is it that fairy tales, the more-modern equivalent of these stories, became canonised and thus immutable by the likes of the Brothers Grimm, etc.? Just what does Hansel & Gretel or the Little Red Riding Hood mean for us today, beyond being good stories?

And, are they good stories? Should we teach children there are houses made of candy and cookies out in the woods? This is the kind of question addressed in this delightful little collection, Politically Correct Bedtime Stories

Now, before you get your knickers in a twist, realise that this is all in fun, but, as it is fun, highlights certain important points nonetheless. Political correctness can be stretched to the limits of absurdity, like almost anything carried to and beyond its logical limits. That is not to say that political correctness is all bad. But, we do approach a time when nothing can be said for fear of offending someone somewhere at some time.

James Finn Garner highlights this in his introduction, by saying if he has inadvertently displayed any sexist, racist, culturalist, nationalist, regionalist, ageist, lookist, ableist, sizeist, speciesist, intellectualist, socioeconomicist, ethnocentrist, phallocentrist, heteropatriarchalist, or other type of bias as yet unnamed, he apologizes and encourages your suggestions for rectification.

In this volume, we have the following stories, revised and updated for the modern reader:

- Little Red Riding Hood
- The Emperor's New Clothes
- The Three Little Pigs
- Rumpelstiltskin
- The Three Codependent Goats Gruff
- Rapunzel
- Cinderella
- Goldilocks
- Snow White
- Chicken Little
- The Frog Prince
- Jack and the Beanstalk
- The Pied Piper of Hamlin

I shall recount part of the tale of the Frog Prince below, so you can get a sense of the style of the rest of the stories in this book, which present Little Red Riding Hood teaming up with the wolf against the violence of the hunter, the three pigs living in a harmonious collective, and of course, the frog prince: Once, there was a young princess who, when she grew tired of beating her head against the male power structure at her castle, would relax by walking into the woods and sitting beside a small pond. There she would amuse herself by tossing her favourite golden ball up and down and pondering the role of the eco-feminist in her era.

Well, to cut a not-so-long story even shorter (and to avoid infringements by limiting my take to a fair-use length!), the princess and the frog agree to terms, but when the frog approaches for a kiss, the princess feels harassed; however, she relents, and the frog transforms into a businessman who wants to make the pond into a golf course and condo development... The princess eventually decided that she really didn't need a prince after all, particularly one like this, and turns him back into a frog.

'And while someone might have noticed that the frog was gone, no one ever missed the real estate developer.'

Of course, apologies are due to real estate developers, those who wear tacky golf clothing, and those caught in an inter-species spell.

Fun for children of all adult ages.

BRILLIANTLY FUNNY, 06 Jan 2003
This book is for anyone who likes parodys or mocking the political systems. it is a 'value for money' book,as itwill have you laughing all the time (due to its humorous twists and phrases.) The book is composed of several 're-looks' at popular Fairy-Tales and Nursery Stories. I thoroughly recommend this book for everyone, as although it is based on Fairy Tales; its updated twists,endings and political humor makes it more adult- but keeping it light and not boring.

"In time flesh will wear out chains , 20 Jun 2008
in time the mind will make chains snap." Victor Serge.

Victor Serge's novel "The Case of Comrade Tulayev" is set in the Soviet Union in the late 1930s, long before "the chains wore out." It is a classic and haunting look at Soviet society during an era of party purges, show trials, and executions that deserves a place of honor on any reading list that also includes Arthur Koestler's "Darkness at Noon", George Orwell's "1984" and Vasily Grossman's "Forever Flowing".

Serge, born in Brussels in 1890 to Russian emigre parents, returned to Russia early in 1919 in order to support the newly created Soviet Union. He served as both a writer and journalist. However, Serge was one of the first of the old-line revolutionaries to oppose Stalin's concentration of power. He was arrested, expelled from the party, released, and arrested again. Finally, in 1936 after a public campaign by leading European political and literary figures, Serge was released and deported to France. He eventually found his way to Mexico where he died, penniless, in 1947.

The Case of Comrade Tulayev mirrors in some respects the murder of Sergei Kirov that set off Stalin's first great purge beginning in 1934. The story begins with the almost accidental murder of a leading member of the Central Committee, Comrade Tulayev by a disaffected clerk. The Chief (Serge's allusion to Stalin) immediately commences a round of purges, investigations, show trials and executions. The rest of the book takes us on a chapter-by-chapter account of a group of individuals caught up in the aftermath of the murder. Each individual represents a different component of Soviet society, from the lowly clerk to the high-ranking party functionary to the `oppositionist' already living in exile in Siberia.

Serge paints an intimate, vivid picture of each individual as they meet their fate. Like a storm at seas these people can see the storm on the horizon but they all seem powerless to either flea. They are swept up and prepared for show trials. The only option available to each is their ability to fight the omnipotent forces that want them to admit to crimes they did not commit and to implicate others in these same acts. The power of Serge's writing lies in his examination of the inner lives of his protagonists and their reasons for either accepting this fate or fighting to retain some shred of inner dignity. The outcome of each protagonist's story provides a cross section of human responses ranging from cringing supplication to death-defying resistance. The story of Ryzshik, the exiled oppositionist is particularly haunting. As with the others, he knows what is expected of him but he chooses to starve himself to death rather than confess to some non-existent crime.

The Case of Comrade Tulayev is most often compared to Koestler's Darkness at Noon. Although the comparison is very apt there are some critical differences in approach that bear mentioning. Darkness at Noon focuses on the self-reflection of one key player in the creation of the Soviet state, Rubashov. Koestler took one life, Rubashov's, and reflected on his own role (or guilt) in creating the state that was about to murder him. The emotional heart of Darkness at Noon (for me) is whether and why Rubashov would perform one last act for `The State". Serge, takes a broader look at the questions of individual guilt and collective responsibility. I think that by taking this broader look both Serge and the reader begin to think about, if not find a rational explanation for, how a society based on egalitarian ideals can allow itself to be transformed into a compliant, totalitarian state in less than a generation.