Cairo

Conflict & Dreams
$16.98
About two years ago I was a huge progressive metal fan. So I potentially praised every release by Inside Out or Magna Carta. And so when I saw a Magna Carta label on Cairo's "Conflict And Dreams" I immediately bought it.
That was the time when the legend didn't meet my expectations. Two years ago this CD was for me too hard to digest. It was to minimalist in approach for a prog-metal release, the production was too raw ( in a negative meaning ) and I couldn't stand the horrible vocal melodies that Bred Douglas was singing.
But since those two years my tastes in music matured. But did I liked Cairo's second release better?
No! I find it now even worst than earlier.
Still I think that it has a bad production and the singing is terrible. This is a pretentious recording with a lot of annoying crescendos, uninspired melodies and irritating rip-offs from Yes and ELP. I admit that there are some "moments" but they are so rare that you probably don't want to find them anyway.
If you are looking for today's good progressive rock, go for Spock's Beard or even Glass Hammer and leave Cairo to people that didn't like them. Try at your own risk.

Cairo: The Practical Guide
$19.95
Whether you are staying in Cairo for a week or a month - or longer - this guide can be your best assistant for all things Cairene.
I lived in the city in the mid 1990s and was given a copy of an earlier edition of this guide on arrival. I used it the first day, and multiple times after. It gives all kinds of information: restaurants, shops and markets, clubs and cafes, essential clothing, climate, health information, traveling around Cairo and Egypt, and especially, important Arabic words in an easy to use construction.
There are so many things that are included it is impossible to list them all. I still have my copy, and it is nearly coming apart from the use I gave it. (I look up things and take the new edition with me when I visit Cairo.)
I have read and even bought a few other guides, but this one is really by far the best.
Herbert L. Smith, author of "Cairo: The Mother Of The World"

Cairo
$17.99
Cairo the city holds many secrets for foreigners. Cairo the graphic novel isn't so obtuse; it puts some of those secrets out there for all to see and uses them to kick off a story that is part mythology, part social commentary and part full-blown adventure.

The combination works. It's a debut from writer G. Willow Wilson and longtime illustrator M.K. Perker (Turkan Soray Lips, Fairy Tale Mafia) that uses magic realism to propel its five principal characters into a heady battle with ultimate evil. Among the participants are Kate, a bored young American seeking meaning in a strange city; Shaheed, a fellow American of Lebanese heritage who claims to be just passing through Cairo on his way to Beirut; Ali, a political activist and newspaper columnist; Tova, a member of the Israeli Special Forces who has lost her way and needs to get back to Israel; and Ashraf, a drug smuggler who has just come into possession of a strange hookah pipe. Of course, all five characters converge and become intertwined in a sometimes complex plot.

Fairly early on, Cairo takes a giant leap into the fantastical (this is a book about the strange world that most of us never see, after all) when Shams, a genie --- more accurately, a jinn --- pops out of the hookah. With the stage set, Wilson is able to weave in a series of fun cultural fantasy and myth against the strikingly realistic background Perker has laid out. Shams, it seems, is under a curse put upon him by an evil magician, not to mention being chased by an evil demon.

If it all sounds too gimmicky, complicated, or just plain strange, wait. Wilson has a light touch, which is exactly what Cairo needs and deserves.
This is partially allegory, and some standard elements of mainstream comics rear their heads, but overall, it is a plainspoken and craftily simple tale of human existence caught up in a much larger, and very intense, battle between light and dark. Best of all, it often has the feel of old pulp fiction adventures or old movie serials --- fast, furious action clomping away while hapless innocent characters inadvertently drawn into the action try to make their way. To see this take place in the eerie underworld of Cairo--- and especially with such earnestness and care --- is a fresh treat.

Wilson rushes perhaps a little too hastily to her third act's ending, which does create a jarring climax to an otherwise well-paced tale. But aside from that, this is an impressive debut and shows that Wilson is a talent to watch out for in the future. She has already moved on to the ongoing series Air --- also from Vertigo, and teaming her up with artist Perker --- and has written for the superhero comic The Outsiders. Air shows that Wilson is no one-trick pony; she's a great imaginative talent, and it's going to be interesting to watch where she goes from here.

-- John Hogan

The Kat Trap: A Novel (Zane Presents)
$15.00
I picked this book up and could not put it down. Katrina aint no joke, this chick is raw. It is a page turner from the first page to the last. You Can't wait to find out what Katrina is gonna do next and the ending is mind blowing. Now, remember this one is only for the grown and sexy. You need to pick this one up.