Mines of Behemoth [Mass Market Paperback]

Michael Shea (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1997

Nifft the Lean and his companion-in-arms, Barnar Hammer-Hand, were often lucky. En route to working Costard's sap mine--very dangerous and sometimes nauseating work far below ground--they were shipwrecked. But this proved fortuitous when they met Bunt, who had been seeking just such as they. If they would work the sap mine, but also bring back 20 gills of fluid, he would make them exceedingly wealthy. So it was settled. Of course, the best laid plans sometimes do go a little astray.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Baen; 1st edition (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671878476
• ISBN-13: 978-0671878474
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,906,815 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazingly Imaginative Fantasy Entertainment, October 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mines of Behemoth (Mass Market Paperback)

Shea is one of the most underappreciated fantasy authors alive. This book will delight serious fans of the fantastic with its outrageous landscapes, bizarre creatures, vivid prose and plentiful black humor. Don't miss it.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sci-Fi or Horror?, January 12, 2007

By 

G. Chandler "Synapse Films" (Detroit, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mines of Behemoth (Paperback)

This is the question I ask myself. While Shea's character Nifft adventures in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy world, I would really characterize it as horror. And some of the best horror I have ever read. Now, when Shea tries to write pure horror, it IS the best I have ever read (Fat Face, I Said The Fly). Mines Of Behemoth has Nifft and his pal Barnar decending into the titular mines on a mission to gather a liquid from giant insects. Naturally, once at work, they find further trouble to get into by descending into Hell itself. Such close proximity to Hell leads to subtle changes in their personalities.
To fans of Nifft ( I.E. anybody who has ever read one of his adventures) this book is a must read. At least two or three times. Shea is the type of author writes stories that affect you long after you read them, as certain realizations set in only upon consideration after the story is finished. The best example of this is his horror novella I, Said The fly. The horrors within that story are really only hinted at. But yet, it is one of the most "horrific by implication" stories I have ever read.
If there is one thing Michael Shea is horribly guilty of, it's not writing enough! His stories are far too few. As I am reading one of his works, I frequently look with dread at the constantly shrinking number of pages.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Sadly dissappointing, June 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mines of Behemoth (Mass Market Paperback)

Having read the classic "Nift the lean" I licked my lips with anticipation when I heard that there was a sequeal/prequeal.I opened the pages expecting something akin to "The Demon Sea" sadly that was not the case. I found the writing surprisingly difficult to read lacking the usaul Jack Vance verve and wit combined with a Clark Ashton Smith imagery. Still other Michael Shea fans may disagree, how ever for me it was disappointment becaue I know Michael Shea is an exceptional writer.