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Angel Of Darkness Caleb Carr (Little Brown £15.99)
u CAL-LfBuCAR R
Calet) C art's tiehut noxe- Hie Alien/st \‘.’()lK(’(l like a tontt on period fit tron's unfortunate reputation You ta'i't :nagrne t'.'.eeu ('<i(1 lanes or :ntroverted geeks hayvrig :nto his florid
lhs :s a seguel o‘ sorts, featuring the same divergent out forthright tharat ters who handed together in 189‘) as an art-not detet trve agenty Putting a serra: killer A year later, they are patting to l);l.l(l a watertight (ase against a (ortnrvng k.dnapper who -s (onnet ted to tne deatns of several (-‘lrr(Il("‘. in susprt :oust rt umstantes
((i"l".‘.()1'l<'sli't(‘i.' ettentrrt team dyv‘antts and the taboo suit-ett of murderous viomen n (ontert agarnst tne :rhrant hat l<drop of fin de sret/e Nev: Yorx, pittzng the maverrtle ll“.(‘$!l(;(f'.()l$ aga es! the (orrupt (rty authorities in their [LJSLHI of' tne :ieauly unlaiiis
lvlrrlenn:al paraLle's give the story atiued "esonarrte onry British lV drama Between Hie lines rnatt hes it ‘o' stope, (ittI'lO'ltK -ty ant: :mpatt .n a 'nooeiri-day setting 'DM.
Scepticism Inc. 80 Fowler (Cape £9.99)
SCEPTICISM eo FOWLER
INC.
Billed as a hilarious satrre' on organised religion and 'the greatest novei ever narrated by a supermarket trolley', St ept/(rsm //l( tells the story of Edgar lvlalroy, founder of a (ham of metaphysrtal hettrng shops Religious ‘nuts' as they are referred to, place bets for vast amounts of mOney to demonstrate the strength of their
faith Of tourse the pets (an never be proved and Steptrt rsrn Int hetomes a sarldly suttessful 'll‘tlllllldlf()l‘(l: ousrness vvnose motto is 'Who Knows, and WHO presents ( usto'ners thil hadges stating ‘l've put my money where my metaphysits are'
Sadly Bo Fonz'ler‘ is no Lenny Brute anti nahat satire there purports to he rs juvenile, not prtrng lf you find the idea of Vatrtan issued (()rl(1()rris‘v‘v'hrtt‘ glov-i II‘ the dark hearing the prtture ot' the VleJ‘. Mother hilarrotrs then this :s the 1)()()K for you Otherwse it reads ifkf‘ a dissertation with some “.‘vd( Ky hits to tattn the tutors eye Alv‘rxr
Martin Dressler: The Tale Of An American
Dreamer
Steven lvlillltauser (Phoenix House £12.99)
MARTIN DRESSLER
; IHE Hit or Mi AHERICAN DREAHER " V
it!!!“ R 0 F t N 8' Rut:trii‘i‘lfliittlltylE it
a..;...r;.-5TEVEN MILLHAUSER
A truly remarkable at hrevement, Mart/n Dress/er, \‘.'hi( h earned its author the 1997 Pulrt/er Prr/e for fittron, Imprints itself (telrtately, rno‘elrhly onto the reader's mind, leavrng a dark resrdua! phantom set of memories, etht) ret oller trons of plates never seen
lhe son of a (rgar maker, Martinis porn and the New York of the late 19th (entury Ambitious Ill a turrous, o'etat hed way, he negrns a rapid (Irml), astendrng the ladders of opportunity Leaving tne topattonrsts of ms rnherrtante, he moves from hotel heli- ooy to owning and handing rnt reasrngly plrantasmagorrtal hotels of nrs own eret trng the stuff of dreams high on hard steel frames
Movrng everyvrxhere around lvlrllhauser's :mmat ulately Judged prose rs the I)(l(I\()I()Llll(I sense of a (rty in the slow vrolente of rnvent.ng itself, the perpetual hum of progress, the deafening and soundless grind of one (entury ahuttrng another We retognrse the hrrth of our own dyrng (entury
Wrth hrs vague, abstratt ambition, Martin rs (reator, produtt and (aptrve of hrs own Amerrtan Dream one full of half seen strangers and sharp hauntrng details, where the fantastrt and the everyday to-exrst, a dream that is a world but, like all other dreams, must fade frnally away tDLl
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_ CLASSIC FIRST LINES PRIZE CONTEST
(klord \Vorld‘s (‘lassiex the "(lll volume series ol- elassie I‘ paperhaeles eovering everything from .-\ri.stotle to /ttl.l. ' heing relauneheef this month with a ne\\ [(ltlh. lo eelehrate. lhr' ll}! has got together with Oslortl l'niversity Press and \V’aterstone‘s hoolx'sellers to“ offer readers the ehanee to \\iii the I_l~[_t;l'._l_l‘)f_ pri/e of. dressy:- ' lo he in with .1 ehanee to win vour height in hooles from ’33.». Oxford \\”orld‘.s (:lassies all you have to do is itlentilv the ‘ hooks from which the four opening lines helmv have heen
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CLASSICS
1. 715 I wal/e’d through the wilderness of this
world... ”
2. “ t is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must he in want of a wifi’. ”
“Call me Ishmael. ”
4. ‘21 Saturday afiernoon in November was approaching the time of twilight, and the vast
tract ofunenclosed wild known as Egdon Heath emhrowned itself moment by moment. ”
(Jump/ere [he entry/or)” and lHH/l/ i/ in a! any WA’l‘lzltS'l'trs'lz’s lii'llllF/J in lidiuhrtil’e’h or (Magi/mt m‘ semi 1'1 m Tm; l./.s"//Ci Assrt; Firm List s. \X/A'r‘r.tts‘r‘oxI-.’s. 13-14 I’IttNtt-s Sim-Iii, Iit)1.\'l'rt'l<t.ll EHZ ZAN BY 1 APRIL.
The first prize winner will win their height in hue/if.) from ()x ord llf/orlds (fl/[5512‘s and hire runners—11p
i mi eaeh wilt/ire hooks/rm}; the series.
LIST‘
GLASGOW AND EDINBURGH EVENTS GUIDE
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20 '.'a.' 2A:;' 1998 THELIST 93