Critical companions to popular contemporary writers

Provides an overview of the life and career of author Maxine Hong Kingston, along with scholarly readings of three of her works and a primary and secondary bibliography.

Presents a critical reading of the novels of writer Tim O'Brien, including a discussion of each of his books along with brief biographical information.

Presents critical analyses of eight novels by Walter Mosley, creator of the African-American detective Easy Rawlins, each with a plot synopsis, character portraits, thematic discussions, and historical contexts, and includes a biography of the author.

Presents biographical information about Maya Angelou; discusses her work in the context of the tradition of American and African-American autobiography; and includes analyses of each of the five volumes of her serial autobiography.

An introduction to the works of Isabel Allende which analyzes six of her novels, discussing plot, character development, thematic concerns, historical contexts, and alternative critical perspectives.

Analyzes seventeen of author Robert Ludlum's writings to try and determine if there are any themes and ideas that can be found throughout his novels.

Contains detailed analyses of nine novels by author Arthur C. Clarke, written between 1973 and 1997, and includes information about Clarke's life, as well as a discussion of how his work fits into the science fiction genre.

Provides a critical analysis of six novels by Tom Robbins, published between 1971 and 1994, and includes biographical information about the author, a discussion of his context and style, and a bibliography.

Provides information about the life of contemporary author Erich Segal, examines his fiction in the tradition of the sentimental novel, and analyzes seven of his works written between 1970 and 1995.

Presents an analysis of author James Clavell's writing which is characterized by his depiction of cross-cultural encounters of Westeners with the Far East, looking at each of his six fiction works, and including a genealogy table of his characters, a glossary of foreign language words used in his novels, and biographical information.