Product Description
Aric, a half-elf with a rare natural ability with the psionic discipline known as “the Way,” must find his place in a world ruled by the tyranny of evil sorcerer kings, and dominated by the savage wilds of the Athasian desert, a world presided over by the unrelenting crimson eye of Dark Sun®.
 
When Aric is brought into a quest to search for a priceless trove weapons, he would rather keep his head down and live a simple life.  But nothing is simple in the city of Nibenay with it reclusive ruler known as the Shadow King. And in a world where metal is the rarest of commodities, Aric’s “way” with metal is an even rarer talent.
 
Enlisted by the Shadow King himself to seek out this cache of metal weaponry, Aric heads into the desert with a treacherous band of adventurers.  Allegiances are tested and secrets are uncovered. But sometimes the secrets hidden by the sands of time should remain undiscovered.
 
When Aric and his band uncover an evil perhaps greater than the Shadow King himself, it is a race against time to see who will harness its power. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Its okay, Only if you LIKE Dark Sun
Being an Avid fan of Darksun this novel was OKAY.That being said, it felt like a marketing campaign for WOTC.It almost read like a MODULE you would have purchased as an adventure.If you are not into Dark Sun at all...avoid this book.

Good return to Dark Sun
I enjoyed the book and found it to fit into my perceptions of what Athas is like. It only had a slight 4th edition feel to it :)

Darksun is back!!!
I was hooked on Darksun years ago before it was put into hibernation as a DnD world/setting.And when I heard that it was coming back, I nearly jumped out of my seat!Darksun, for the uninitiated, is a magic ravaged world, with limited water, green life (the world is basically a desert), and where metal is scarce and highly valuable.Magic, because of the destruction it has caused, is viewed with suspicion and/or outright hatred, both preserving (good) and defiling magic (evil).Alongside magic, psionic powers play a large part in the Darksun setting.Slavery exists, and even those that are free live under the oppressive rule of the nearly immortal sorcerer kings, each ruling over a city-state with an iron hand.Athas, the Darksun world, is without gods and nearly without hope.There exist those that fight against the sorcerer kings and their oppression, including the Veiled Alliance, but resistance is few and far between, with most people seeking to live out their lives in a quiet, oblivious existence, under the watchful gaze of the sorcerer kings' templars, who ruthlessly enforce his will.It's truly unique amongst DnD settings.Another item of note is that many races have been annihilated from the face of Athas in an event called the Cleansing Wars, which were led by the sorcerer kings.It's really a very rich setting.

This novel is centered on the city-state of Nibenay, named after the sorcerer king of the same name.Without giving away too much of the story... the plot revolves around a mysterious evil that has been awakened when a city under the desert sand is uncovered during a storm.The evil awakened is one possibly more dangerous than the sorcerer kings themselves.A group of unassuming heroes take on the nearly impossible task of stopping this evil.Among these heroes are a half-elf smithy with an affinity for metal, his best friend a half-giant, some members of a merchant house, and a few nobles.

While not the best DnD novel I've ever read, the book still has its merits.The author clearly has a feel for the setting, which is utterly essential for this setting.The oppression of the sorcerer kings is detailed, along with the generally harsh life on Athas.Issues of racial distrust/suspicion/hatred are present, and the write also makes a point to express how valuable both water and metal are on Athas.In fact, coins are often made out of a ceramic material, broken apart to create smaller denominations (bits).Metal armor is rare on Athas, and the novel reflects that.The same goes for swords, although they are not non-existent, just extremely rare, with most people using weapons of bone, wood, stone, and obsidian.With these "technical" details aside, the story kept me engaged and entertained.It was nice to read a book not centered on Tyr, the one free city-state.

Among some of my complaints is that this novel, being the first since Darksun was brought back, should have given more background on the world as a whole.There were some flashbacks, but little background given to the other city-states, the other sorcerer kings, Borys (the on fully-fledged dragon on Athas), Rajat (the creator of the sorcerer kings), the various ages of Athas (I'm not sure how much of this was carried over in this newly revised setting), the Veiled Alliance, preservers and defilers (magic users) in general, the racial genocide that happened during the Cleansing Wars(i.e. there are no gnomes, fairies, trolls, and a few others), and a number of other generally unique issues related to Darksun/Athas.It's seems like it was kind of "assumed" that the readers would know some of this stuff.Personally, I would have liked to have seen this detailed a bit more - somehow.

At any rate, the novel is entertaining, especially for fans of Darksun.While not the best plot and story, it's worth the read and true to the setting.I really look forward to more novels, and I recommend this one to fans of the Darksun!

City Under the Sand by Jeff Mariotte
City Under the Sand by Jeff Mariotte- This is the first book in the relaunched novel line of Dark Sun, a setting of Dungeons and Dragons. Currently, this is a stand-alone novel. This is Jeff Mariotte's first novel that is set in a Dungeons and Dragons shared universe, but he's written a number of other novels. His original works include; Witch Season (Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring), Las Vegas (High Stakes Game and Sleight of Hand), The Slab, Boogeyman, Missing White Girl, River Runs Red, and Cold Black Hearts . He has contributed a number of books to shared universes; Gen 13 (Netherwar with Christopher Golden and Time and Chance with Scott Ciencin), the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel series co-written with Nancy Holder called Unseen (The Burning, Door to Alternity, and The Long Way Home), Angel series (Close to the Ground, Hollywood Noir, Haunted, Stranger to the Sun, Endangered Species with Nancy Holden, Sanctuary, Solitary Man, and Love and Death), co-wrote two Charmed novels with Constance M. Burge (Mirror Image and Survival of the Fittest), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (Brass in the Pocket and Blood Quantum), a CSI: Miami novel titled Right to Die, a novel in Star Trek: The Lost Era series called Deny Thy Father, a novel in Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda series titled The Attitude of Silence, an Age of Conan series called Marauders (Ghost of the Wall, Winds of the Wild Sea, and Dawn of the Ice Bear), co-wrote a 30 Days of Night series with Steve Niles (Rumors of the Undead, Immortal Remains, and Eternal Damnation) and wrote by himself Light of Day, he wrote a Supernatural novel called Witch's Canyon, a DC Universe novel called Trial of Time, a Spider-Man novel called Requiem, and he wrote a Criminal Minds novel called Criminal Minds: Serial Killers, Sociopaths & Other Deviants. Jeff Mariotte has worked on a number of graphic novels as well as comic book series. He's also contributed a number of short stories in various anthologies. City Under the Sand was released in October 2010 and published by Wizards of the Coast LLC.

On the sand strewn land that is Athas, metal is a precious thing. After a group of lost mercenaries stumble into a long forgotten city, they discover a huge store of metal and decide to show their find to the Shadow King of Nibenay. However, things don't go as planned, yet the message still reaches the ruler of Nibenay's ears. The Shadow King decides that it would be wise to set out and find this trove, and he knows of a person with a remarkable skill to help find it. Aric, a half-elf, just wants to be a smith and a general nobody. Being a half-elf is hard in Nibenay. The full-blooded elves don't trust you and the humans don't as well. So Aric prefers to not be known. However, do to his gift with metal, the Shadow King sends him out on the trip to recover the metal. However, what Aric finds could more evil than anything Athas has seen for centuries. It doesn't help matters when he and his friends unknowingly release it into the world.

Criticisms:
1) Rushed. The biggest issue that plagued the whole book is how rushed everything felt. There was hardly a time when the story slowed down enough to understand what was happening. It didn't help that the story was just fight after fight. The times that the story slowed down felt unnatural and took way too long to get through. Because the story was basically fight after fight, a lot of things suffered. The characters were poorly developed and easily forgettable and the story felt choppy and unnatural. The characters took the biggest hit due to the rushed pacing. No one was developed or went through a progression other than Aric. So pretty much, everyone else felt unnecessary and unneeded. No one had a distinct enough personality that stood out enough. The characters themselves would have been interesting, if it wasn't for the hurry and finish pace the story went. In fact, there was even times when I felt as though Jeff Mariotte just wanted to stop writing the story. It seemed like he may have realized that he had way too much going on to wrap up neatly in one book. So instead of pacing the story in a more controlled fashion, we have too much happening all at once. This really hurt everything and it killed some of the enjoyment I would have had.
2) Characters. Another major problem with City Under the Sand was the characters. In the main group of characters, I was constantly forgetting who was who, other than Aric. This can be explained with poor character development due to having so many characters in the story. However, towards the middle and end, the main characters did become more prominent and noticeable. There were even times where there was some good development going on and relationships forming within the main group, but this was tossed aside to hurry and finish the story. The other character issue was that there were way too many of them. Most of them never really played an important role, other than being named in a conversation or showing up for a minute to help move the story along. I don't know who these characters were nor did I know why they were need in the overall plot. The characters themselves weren't all that interesting, they weren't engaging, and there was just too many of them.
3) Lack of Exposition. One would think that due to City Under the Sand being the first book under the Dark Sun name, there would be some more descriptions of things and explanations. It's been more than a decade since the last Dark Sun novel was released, and for a new reader, some of the terms, creatures, ideas, beliefs, etc. were hard to follow and understand. It seemed like one would need a good amount of exposure to Dark Sun in order to really know things about the world. This could be a fault of mine, seeing as I have no background in Dark Sun other than a very basic understanding of the world. However, due to this being the first book in a relaunched series meant to gain the interest of new readers, I expected a little more exposition.

Praises:
1) Beginning. The beginning of the novel was surprisingly good. It really helped show what the world of Dark Sun was all about without giving away too much. It was interesting seeing a new world and I was very excited to start tearing through the novel. The characters at the start were interesting enough for me to care about their predicament. The build up of things happening after the mercenaries find this lost city was really suspenseful and, at times, terrifying. In fact, I couldn't remember when I was this excited to jump into a book. However, things quickly changed after we leave the mercenaries and we meet the bland characters that are in the rest of the book.
2) Dark Sun. Dark Sun is a very unique and different kind of setting. When I first picked up this book, all I knew of Dark Sun was that magic wasn't liked and caused the world to turn into a desert. After reading it, I know now a bit more about the world and am more than willing to read more. City Under the Sand really did pique my interest in finding out more about the Dark Sun world.

Side Notes:
1) Editing. It really seems like City Under the Sand never reached an editors pen. There were horrible editing mistakes everywhere, mistakes that a second grader would have caught. There was even a time that a saw a mistake on every other page. Quite frankly, it was more than pathetic.
2) Gates of Madness by James Wyatt. City Under the Sand also contains the third part of an event that is going to spread the worlds of the Dungeons and Dragons novels. The first part is found in the paperback version of R. A. Salvatore's The Ghost King and the second part is found in Bill Slavicsek's The Mark of Nerath. The next part is going to be in Richard Lee Byer's Whisper of Venom, due out in November 2010. This part is titled "Sigil" and it's interesting, but I'm not quite sure what's it's building up to.
3) Cover Art. The cover art that was released with City Under the Sand is boring. It doesn't draw you in nor does look good. The two characters on the cover are, for lack of a better word, disgusting. They don't look good at all. In fact, they look horrible. Their faces look unnatural and sloppy. If they weren't on the cover, I think that the scenery would have been leaps and bounds better. The cover art that was used was just disgusting and very off-putting.


Overall: 2/5
Final Thoughts:
City Under the Sand had a number of problems. The story was rushed to the point that it became frustrating. There was not enough detail in anything due to the frantic pacing. The characters were so poorly developed that they could not have been there and I wouldn't have noticed at all. Aric was the only decent character, but he seemed more like a side character than a lead. Another problem is the lack of exposition, something that a first novel in a relaunch of a setting that's been gone for over a decade needed. There were a few good things but they were hard to come by. The beginning was superb, introducing the reader to the world of Dark Sun and making it exciting and thrilling. Too bad that this would only last for about thirty pages. However, the world of Dark Sun is still a very interesting setting and I wouldn't mind reading more about it. However, I don't feel comfortable recommending this to someone without a good amount of knowledge of Dark Sun lore. That said, it did get me interested in reading other Dark Sun based stories.

Not for Old School Dark Sun Fans
As an old fan of the Dark Sun novels this doesn't do the world justice.The plot development is weak although the main idea is not without merit.Feels very much like a 4th edition adventure with a lot of time consuming combat encounters that don't necessarily develop the story but instead tangent off and take up your time.

A lot of the flavor of the Dark Sun world is lost.The fact that steel weapons seem to be everywhere really disturbed me.Admittedly there is a plot about recovering a stash of metal but why does every raider seem to have a steel weapon?The number of times I read the "clang of steel" or "their weapons flashed in the sun's light" really seems to miss the flavor of the world.Also defiling magic functions nothing like the previous novels which tweeks the old school fan in me.Goliaths supposedly called Half-Giants on Athas are always refereed to as Goliaths as though the author and company were afraid their audience couldn't understand the name change.

The main character is interesting.Has a cool power, a psionic connection to metal which makes him an excellent smith.What's interesting for a novel set in a D&D world is I don't know how you'd model that in the current 4th edition rules system.

The main plot is actually kinda interesting from a Dark Sun viewpoint, dealing with the uncovering of an ancient city buried under the desert and what secrets it holds.

All in all though I tend to go through a paperback novel a week but this one took me the better part of three to get through.It just wasn't evocative or interesting to my old school sensibilities.

... Read more

Product Description
A flirtatious young bride is strangled to death while vacationing, and only Poirot can unravel the woman's strange secrets. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (46)

Reading with Tequila
Evil Under the Sun threw me through a loop. I wasn't even close when it came to figuring out what was going on. So many tiny details mixed with an abundance of obvious possibilities made this book a wonderful mystery from beginning to end.

Poirot wasn't the least bit annoying in Evil Under the Sun. You know how he can get with his "little gray cells." This was one of the times when he's on vacation and actually seems to mean it for the majority of the trip.

I wasn't thrilled with the way the victim was blamed for her own death due to the way she lived her life. I was equally unhappy with the defense that she was not the brightest girl in the world, so she shouldn't be held responsible for her actions. I'll admit to strongly disliking the victim, but the concept of "she was asking for it" was insulting. It was also stereotypical of the time and must be viewed as such.

Evil Under the Sun was a great mystery with an ending you'll never see coming. This was definitely one of the better Poirot novels.

On The Edge Of Your Seat Mystery Book
Evil Under the Sun is a fantastic book by the one and only Agatha Christie. It starts off when a famous detective, Hercule Poirot, goes to the Jolly Roger Hotel for a nice relaxing vacation. Among the other guests are Arlena Stuart, a beautiful, man-stealer, rich woman. Events turn wild and Arlena is murdered. Who on earth would do such a thing? I thought I knew the exact person who killed her but the ending reveals a very different story. This is a GREAT book and it keeps you guessing until the last page.

-Corinne, 13

Poirot, less annoying than usual!Clever solution!
Summary: Arlena Stuart-Marshall is found strangled at a seaside resort. Who did it-her possibly cuckolded husband; smitten Patrick Redfern; the displeased Mrs. Redfern; or someone else? Luckily Hercule Poirot is on the case.

*No spoilers*

Thoughts: Poirot was not annoying in this book! I think it's because she'd been writing him for a while and then the involvement of the English police diluted his presence, which made me very grateful.

I did not figure out the murder and to be honest I think one of the clues the reader would be unable to use because it was based on physical description and there is a lack of it. I wonder if for my next AC I should make up a table and just input all of the information I receive. For example, physical description, likes/dislikes, alibi, possible motive, etc. Yet I still don't think I'd solve it. I did think the murder was committed in a very clever way. I was afraid this was going to end, like another one of Christies, in a manner which irked me the first time I read it but it's doesn't! I realize that doesn't mean much to you because of course I'm writing around the plot point which references the murder but I was very happy!

I loved the Gardeners; Mrs. Gardener talks and talks and talks while Mr. Gardener nods his head and obeys. They were good comic characters to include in a murder mystery which is rather dark by nature.

Overall: 4/5. Another good entry in the Poriot category.

"Don't You Feel it in the Air? All Round You? The Presence of Evil."
"Evil Under the Sun" is one of Agatha Christie's best mysteries, right up there with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None . To my knowledge, it's been filmed twice, a rather melodramatic feature film starring Peter Ustinov as the famous Belgian detective, and then more sedately with David Suchet as part of the ongoing television series. It's also been adapted as a video game!

At first glance, it's a typical mystery set-up: a group of colorful characters are gathered together in an isolated area, a murder is committed, everyone has motivation, but not all have opportunity. Throw in your usual red herrings, obscure clues, false leads, and a detective that can successfully puzzle it all out, and you have a perfect whodunit.

Hercule Poirot is enjoying a sunny holiday at the Jolly Roger Hotel, built on the idyllic Smuggler's Island. Around him the talkative guests sunbathe, gossip, knit, swim and watch each other. An observer of human nature, Poirot is in his element, and it's with interest (but little surprise) that everyone's attention is on Arlena Marshall, a retired but beautiful film actress, who revels in the attention. Tall, slender and bronzed, with curly red hair and oozing sex appeal, all the men are left dumbstruck in Arlena's presence, whilst the women gnash their teeth in disapproval. Not even Poirot is left unaffected by her beauty, but he's amply aware of the chaos that the woman is causing.

The man-eating Arlena enjoys toying with men, and currently has her hooks into Patrick Redfern, a young man who seems completely under her spell. The fact Arlena is a married woman and that Patrick's young, distressed wife is watching her husband engage in an affair right before her eyes, seems of little importance to Arlena.

Naturally, she ends up dead, and having already engaged in conversation with a rather fanatical reverent in which both men acknowledge that there is evil everywhere under the sun, Poirot is not hugely surprised to hear that Arlena has been strangled on an isolated beach on the island known as Pixy Cove. The only access to the island is via a causeway, though the police can't rule out someone coming by boat to the isolated Pixy Cove, Poirot instinctively suspects that one of the guests is the culprit. As the last one to see Arlena alive, pushing a dingy out to sea and clearly on her way to meet somebody, Poirot begins his investigation.

Who's the murderer? Everyone seemed to have a motive to kill her, from a resentful stepdaughter, a cuckolded husband, a jilted lover, a jealous wife, a romantic rival with designs on Arlena's husband...or was it something less personal? Was she the target of a religious fanatic? Did she disturb drug-dealers using Pixy Cove as a drop-off point? Was she being blackmailed? The possibilities keep piling up, as do the obscure clues scattered about: a bottle thrown out of a window, a pair of scissors on a beach, a bath drawn in the middle of the day - it all means something only to Poirot.

The atmosphere of "Evil Under the Sun" is brilliant; after first introducing the island as the home of a reclusive captain who never had a family, the story starts some years later after his house has been renovated into a resort (and most copies of the book even come with a map of the island). Despite the warm sunshine and sandy beaches, Christie infuses the book with a clammy sense of foreboding, danger, and even - evil. The characterization is vivid and as always, the twists and turns keep you guessing right till the end.

If you've never read Christie before, then this is a perfect place to start.

By far the Best Mystery Book!!
I couldn't stop reading this book!!! It was amazingly written. I love how the author introduced the story. Hercules Poirot was fantastic.

The book itself was delivered in great condition, shipped in time. You should read this book, you won't be disappointed! ... Read more

Product Description
An expression of the universal myth of the hero-quest, this beautiful story also portrays the Indian reverence for the source of life: the Solar Fire. Vibrant full-color illustrations capture the boldness and color of Pueblo art. A Caldecott Medal Book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

ARROW TO THE SUN by Gerald McDermott
Arrow to the Sunis a 1974 children's book by Gerald McDermott, adapted from Pueblo Indian myth. Here, the son of the Lord of the Sun strives to find and be accepted by his father.

The story is straightforward, as these folktales go. On its own, it's largely unremarkable. But McDermott's illustrations are mind-blowing.

Done in gouache and ink, the art features thick curves and right angles in a somewhat abstract style that'sreminiscent of Pueblo art (it's also reminiscent of Atari 2600 graphics). McDermott's judiciously limited use of color heightens the art by drawing the focus to its texture and focusing on the mood of the story.

Arrow to the Sun is a fine children's book with some of the most spectacular illustrations ever; it's certainly McDermott's best work.

Arrow!!!!
Wow! I can't believe I found this book! This was one of my favorites as a young boy. My library had this book and I checked it out so many times! What a great book! I hope other children are enjoying this book as much as I did.

Wonderful book
I remember reading this book many years ago as a child, and only recently read it again. The thing that stands out most about this book are the bright illustrations. Heck, I barely remembered the story itself, because the illustrations left such an impression on me. The artwork is gorgeous, and make a great addition to any collection of children's books.

Great book for many different discussions!
I used this book as part of an art lesson on the use of warm and cool colors to set a scene.This book uses a lot of warm colors.My students made lots of connections with the story line and the birth of Jesus (I did my lesson in December) and I found that correlation interesting.This book also lead into discussions about other cultures, beliefs and geographic locations.As a teacher, I loved using this book in class and as a parent, I loved the beautiful pictures and story line!

Arrow to the Sun
Ah, a fantastic native legend completely with brilliant artwork. It has a very classic feel to it. I think this is one of McDermott's finest work, and I have always admired him for his retellings of folklore. ... Read more

Product Description

A miraculous lesson in courage and recovery, Bending Toward the Sun tells the story of a unique family bond forged in the wake of brutal terror. Weaving together the voices of three generations of women, Leslie Gilbert-Lurie and her mother, Rita Lurie, provide powerful—and inspiring—evidence of the resilience of the human spirit, relevant to every culture in every corner of the world. By turns unimaginably devastating and incredibly uplifting, this firsthand account of survival and psychological healing offers a strong, poignant message of hope in our own uncertain times.

Customer Reviews (20)

Honest and Gripping
This book has essentially three parts plus one smaller one.The first part is told in Rita's voice.She tells of her childhood in Poland, a country that was largely populated by Jews. Her village was virtually unaffected by the Nazi invasion for the first couple of years.When the S.S. army arrived in approximately 1942, everything changed.As a very young child she and her family stay in an attic for two years.As previously mentioned, Rita witnesses the death of her brother and mother.She is deeply affected by these deaths.

In 1944, when the Russians first conquered Poland, the families emerged from the attic and went from one Displaced Persons camp to another. Isaac, her father, remarries and they immigrate to the U.S.The second section of the book (according to me) is Rita's growing up years.The family lived in New York then moved to Chicago where she eventually met Frank, her husband. They begin their family life in southern California where they add two daughters and a son to the mix.Their children grow and Leslie, the main author comes of age.

Section 3 is Leslie's voice.She describes her mother's behavior and her own reaction to her mother.Both women are stunningly honest.A major theme throughout the book is that Rita never had a childhood and was never nurtured.It seemed that she sought nurturing from inappropriate sources, especially her oldest daughter.

*Psychological commentary:(I mean, really, you expected it, didn't you?)Given that Rita's most traumatic experiences occurred when she was between the ages of 5 and 8, every so often her interactions with others seem childish and disproportionately immature.It makes sense, however, that when Rita was feeling stress in her interpersonal relationships, that she would revert to the child who still longed to be nurtured.The scared, lonely little girl in the attic.Carry on.

It is clear that Rita is a survivor yet she does not have her own identity.She is vicariously living through her children.Leslie discovers the term "enmeshed" in her adulthood.Honestly, there were many times during this part of the book that I couldn't remember which was the parent and which was the child.Leslie finds that her childhood habit of collecting accomplishments carry over into adulthood.She is the overachiever who seems afraid to have any down time.

Meanwhile, Leslie is suffering from generalized anxiety.Sorry about that.I forgot to warn you that I had another psychological commentary.Leslie also takes a trip to Poland where she is background for a cousin's documentary.There she meets the woman who kept the secret of the Jews in her attic, walked through her mother's old house, and became more keenly aware of what her mother experienced.She also discovers that children of the Holocaust survivors tend to be the hyper-achievers.They also tend to carry the grief of their parents on their own shoulders and feel responsible for their parents' happiness.

Leslie eventually marries and has children.It is only when her own daughter suffers from extreme separation anxiety that Leslie sees the connection. Leslie tracks down all of her mother's living relatives who offer new insights regarding her grandmother who died and the uncle preceded her.She also tracks down her mother's stepmother who paints a significantly different picture of their relationship.

This is a stunning undertaking.I found the honesty in which the book is written to be painful and genuine.It is also striking to see the contrast between the perception of a child and the perception of those who were there and remembered things differently.Perception is reality.

The fourth little section is written by Leslie's daughter who is processing the burden she had cast about her shoulders without her knowledge.It is also discovered, at this time, that Leslie is still gathering her accomplishments by being on important committees.When she realizes what she is doing, she gives up her shield and concentrates on being a mother.

Leslie is able to convey facts and feelings without judgment.She shares herself openly for the reader, as does her mother, and she assigns her own meaning when crucial to the experience.Much of the time, however, Leslie is objective and open to interpretation.

An amazing journey.

4 and half stars.
0 comments:

Interesting!
This book was a very sad, but informative book about a little girl who barely survived the Holocaust. What a terribly difficult time she and her family had and what horrible losses they had to face. The memories of that time never go away for those who survived. Life continues to be very challenging. I pray that they may some day find the peace of Christ!

A Must Read Memoir
What I Can Tell You: This is a must read! I would have loved reading this book with a friend or book group.

The story of Ruchel/Rita is quite amazing and gut wrenching.As her daughter states in the Prologue, Rita's story is very similar to Anne Frank's. Both spent two years hiding during the Holocust and hid with the help of others who would have been killed had they been found. However, Rita is here to tell about her story and pass on this legacy to her children and the generations after.

Besides it being a captivating book it is thought provoking and made me think of my own legacy and past and what I may be unconsciously handing down to my own children. Because, as Leslie mentions, our mother's past or families past, effects and shapes who we are as people.

Rita is lucky to have survived such an ordeal that changed history and is still affecting individuals.

Leslie, Rita and even Granddaughter Mikaela who has a big voice in this book are very brave to have started the journey of documenting the life and times of Ruchel/Rita. What a gripping story that will sit with me for quite some time.

I implore you to check out the book video here.

If you decide to read this book, know that you will learn a lot about yourself and your own relationship with your mother.

What makes this book even more special is the amount of photos peppered throughout the story. Seeing the smiles and knowing the two years they endured hiding is at times unbearable.

My heart breaks for the little Ruchel who just wanted to be held and told everything was going to be OK. I cannot imagine what it was like to lose her mother the way she did. Losing my own at 12 years old to Cancer was horrific. Losing her mother right after the traumatic death of her baby brother must have been excruciating.

Reading how Leslie's life was altered by her mother's and how ultimately Mikaela's is being affected by the trauma of her families past makes me think about my own life and how my past is affecting my children in positive and negative ways and how it will trickle down into their own adult lives.

Leslie and Rita's love shines through this haunting memoir.

wonderful
I have read many books on the holocaust and found this one to be very special. I loved all thr characters and how their lives unfolded .I finished this book in one day as i could not put it down,

fascinating story
One of the best memoirs I have ever read.Absorbing, hard to put down. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (31)

Pretty Satisfying
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow is a pretty good book. The legend itself was questionable at times--like when some stranger climbs into bed with the lass--but George wrote right through with no hesitations anda few twists to make the legend more believable. This book is great for someone who wants to read a fluffier book, because it was predictable. But hey, who doens't like happy endings?

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow
This is the second book I have read by Jessica Day George. I have to say that I am a fan. I love her writing style. Her books are so easy to read and very entertaining. This book is a fairy tale based on Norwegian folk tales. It reminded my of Beauty and the Beast meets Cupid and Psyche meets some other fairy tale I have long forgotten. It's full of trolls, a white reindeer, a magical white bear, and a nameless girl called lass.The story is full of adventure, hardships, love and loss. If you haven't read any book by Jessica Day George, I recommend them to you. The ones I have read have been fantastic.

Sweet, Beauty and the Beast
This book really surprised me.I absolutely loved the story, and the story telling.

The main character, the lass, fits in with Jessica Day Georges other heroines.She tend to have strong, capable women.They are poor (except for the Midnight Ball girls) and come from sad circumstances.But they all rise above the situation, given to them, to become something more.I really liked the lass, and the story she becomes involved with.It is a great take off of Beauty and the Beast.I truly enjoyed the writing, and loved the ending.This is my favorite of Jessica Day Georges books thus far.It warmed my heart, and kept me fully entertained in the process.I totally recommend this book.

Wonderful story!
This story is about a girl, the youngest in a family of twelve children, a girl with no name. The lass, she is called by her older brother, Hans-Peter. They live in a fantasy version of Nothern Europe, where snow is always falling and the families are always cold. After being effected by the enchantment of a White Reindeer, the lass finds she can talk to animals... And when she has a sudden encounter with a magical bear, called an isbjorn (which literally means ice bear), the lass heads off on a journey with the isbjorn to give her family the freedom and wealth they have always desired - all the while playing a dangerous game with the wicked spell-casters of the Northlands and the bear she comes to love.

This story was expertly told. It is original and adventurous. Jessica Day George once again delivers with her excellent writing and ability to retell folklore and fairytales with a spin. This story was originally a Nordic fairytale called "East of the Sun, West of the Moon." I've never read/heard the original story, so I don't know how close she kept it. However, because of how exciting George's version was, I want to find a copy of the original fairytale and read it.

Again, Jessica Day George writes wonderful fantasy romances while keeping things clean and sweet. I can't wait to own all of her books - to see them lined up all neatly on my shelf, and to think about the wonderful stories inside of them, knowing they'll always be a good choice.

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Chilly Fairy Tale
This is the story of a girl whose mother is so exasperated at finding not only that she was expecting again, but that the new baby was another girl that she didn't even bother to give her a name. She adores her eldest brother, but his return from work has left him changed for reasons she doesn't know. Along the way, this girl discovers she has a talent that ends up benefiting her and opening the possibility of adventure that will require her to cling to her courage and develop her wit.

This is really a beautiful book. I think the story telling is better than the Dragon series books, the characters mysterious and adorable, even the ones that shouldn't be. As I am not familiar with the original tale in all its variations, I'm not sure which parts are the original fairytale and which are George's imagination, but I adore her writing style, pacing and character development. She really is quite talented ... Read more

Product Description

Sun-Tzu is a landmark translation of the Chinese classic that is without a doubt one of the most important books of all time. Popularly known as The Art of War, Sun-Tzu is one of the leading books on strategic thinking ever written. While other books on strategy, wisdom, and philosophy come and go, both leaders and gentle contemplators alike have embraced the writings of Sun-tzu.

Sun-Tzu is not simply another of many translations already available, but an entirely new text, based on manuscripts recently discovered in Linyi, China, that predates all previous texts by as much as one thousand years. In translating the text, researcher and interpreter J. H. Huang traced the roots of the language to before 221 B.C. to get to the original intent; Besides offering a wonderfully clear translation, Huang adds an introduction to the history behind Sun-Tzu and his own comments on the meaning of the text. In addition, Sun-Tzu includes six appendices, five of which were uncovered at Linyi and are not found in other editions.The writings of Sun-tzu have stood the test of time, and J. H. Huang's Sun-Tzu is the edition for the next millennium and beyond. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Art of War
I got this book for a college class. I learned a lot from this centuries new old book. It's about power, how to plan for it; obtain it, and keep it. I learned a great deal about how governments and businesses work with power. Interesting book.

Good Book
Very easy read of this great classic with a great translation job. Makes you think about strategy for the battle field and for life in general. Ultimately it is up to the reader to take whatever they can from this great classic.

Art of War
Great book, it came 100% new. No markings or dog-eared pages. I was a little worried about buying a book for only $0.01 ($3.99 S&H), but I was willing to spend $4.00.
Con: It did take a few days to ship but well worth the wait.

Excellent and thorough translation of Sun Tzu with a fascinating section explaining the historical context of the book
I don't need to go into a poetic toast on why this book is good, so I'll give some (hopefully) useful information that may concern anyone worried about the quality of this particular version of the book. (My rating is also based on the authorship of this version. If you JUST want the Art of War text, you can find it for free at any number of places on-line, such as Project Gutenberg: [...]).



First, Sawyer is a scholar in Chinese history - he really knows his stuff so I'll say first that the translation is, at least, adequate (I know Chinese myself). It is all very objective and you won't find anything frustrating here.

Second, only about 30% of the book is actually Sun Tzu's Art of War. The rest of it is additional stuff of Sawyer's authorship. BUT the stuff he adds is NOT bad. Read below for a description.

You can look at the index in preview of the book, but I'll give a quick summary of what is in the book:
1) The first ~150 pages contain a summary history of China leading up to the time when the book (Sun Tzu) was written and explains the context in which the book was written (he explains the types of weapons, armor, vehicles, agriculture, political organization, etc, of the time period).
2) The ACTUAL book itself (Sun Tzu's Art of War) is about 80 or so pages. He leaves plenty on gaps between each page here and margins on the side, so you have plenty of room to write in notes if you desire. (I did myself to elucidate some of what is said in the text. Sun Tzu had a very mystical and Phynx-like, or "sagacious" as Sawyer would call it, way of writing).
3) The last major section is the end notes to the first ~250 pages. This section is about 80 or so pages long (but the text is MUCH smaller than the rest of the book and leaves very fewer blank pages or gaps. It probably amounts to 100-150 pages if made the same text size as the rest of the book).

Third, I would recommend skipping the notes section (#3) until you have read The Art of War over once, because he literally puts a half-a-page-long note after each sentence and after about reading 10 pages of the actual book, you'll find that you are at note 50-something. So for 10 pages of actual text from the book, you would have read 20 pages or more in notes. It is can get very tedious.

The notes themselves aren't bad though. He explains a lot of ambiguous stuff. He gives either additional historical context to what is being said, compares what is said in this book to other Chinese military books (I found this in particular hugely helpful), or gives alternative translations (typically they are significant changes) with his opinion on which one is more correct.



All in all great book. You can't go wrong. You just might be annoyed with the number of end notes, but they aren't of bad quality and are generally very helpful.

Looking forward to reading it!
Very good price, fast shipping, book was in great condition.I have read excerpts from this book through the years and a I am excited to finally read it in its entirety. ... Read more

Product Description
The war between the alien hydrogues and the faeros rages, reducing suns to blackened shells--including one of the fabled seven suns of the Ildiran Empire. The Ildirans are engaged in a bloody civil war and are bitterly divided. Can they overcome their internal fighting to face a deadly new enemy? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Too many instances of deus ex machina
I would like to offer an overall review of all seven books combined.Even though each book has its own sub-plots, one has to read all seven to stitch every piece together.Unless you plan to read all of them (a major time commitment) I suggest that you go find yourself something shorter to read.This is an epic saga.

I find the books and the story hard to classify.It is science fiction, but what kind?The story starts as if it is going to be hard science fiction.(That's why I probably consider the first book to be the best.)But then it degenerates into several parallel threads, many of which are pure fantasies.By the end of the seventh book, I felt that 90% of the threads and plot were more appropriately described as fantasy than science fiction.

Even if you prefer fantasy over hard science fiction, you will still be disappointed by the repeated "deus ex machina" saving the day.I count seven such cases, three of them occurring in the last volume.Anderson is very good in weaving a complex story to its crescendo and creating a very tense (nearly hopeless) situation for the heroes.Then he cannot get them out of there in any plausible way, and he resorts to dues ex machina time after time. Because of that, you will feel disappointed (perhaps even cheated) once you finish the story, even if you will find it entertaining most of the way.

The characters are one-dimensional.There are good sub-plots of love, hatred, betrayal, revenge... The evil is really evil, and the good-guys could do no wrong.If you don't mind that, you may enjoy the saga.

The whole Saga of Seven Suns series
I could go into detail about all the disappointing aspects of these books but I'm not going to waste any more time with the series.

- Unbelievable dialogue
- Unbelievable storyline
- Unbelievably repetitive (to stretch it to seven books)

I regret buying the books.

3.5 Stars, Entertaining and OK so far...
I was worried that the series was going to lose momentum, but it doesn't and more or less keeps the same pace.Plotlines start to converge while he continues to add more conflicts and fuel to the fire that you can tell will pay off in the upcoming books.I've read many series, Goodkind, Herbet, Assimov, Adams, Hamilton, etc. and overall, this series so far is o.k.I want to buy the next book to see what happens next when I was starting to get worried about the series when reading book 3, so that says something.

As long as the plotlines keep progressing and the story keeps going with momentum I will support it.But once it starts to go the way of Goodkind's "Let's see how far I can milk this cow" then I will drop it.This series definitely has that potential, but I hope the author doesn't do that.

Terrible book and series
This book and the series are boring, predictable, and had no characters I cared about.If you like big sweeping epics like Dune this is not the book or series for you.

Perfect space opera of all time.This is the perfect space opera.It is no fair for me to go into any detail.B
This is the perfect space opera.It is no fair for me to go into any detail.

B
... Read more

Product Description
On the floor of a church in northern Sweden, the body of a man lies mutilated and defiled–and in the night sky, the aurora borealis dances as the snow begins to fall....So begins Åsa Larsson’s spellbinding thriller, winner of Sweden’s Best First Crime Novel Award and an international literary sensation.

Rebecka Martinsson is heading home to Kiruna, the town she’d left in disgrace years before.A Stockholm attorney, Rebecka has a good reason to return: her friend Sanna, whose brother has been horrifically murdered in the revivalist church his charisma helped create. Beautiful and fragile, Sanna needs someone like Rebecka to remove the shadow of guilt that is engulfing her, to forestall an ambitious prosecutor and a dogged policewoman. But to help her friend, and to find the real killer of a man she once adored and is now not sure she ever knew, Rebecka must relive the darkness she left behind in Kiruna, delve into a sordid conspiracy of deceit, and confront a killer whose motives are dark, wrenching, and impossible to guess....


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Long nights for introspection
Boy!Those Swedes must spend a lot of time thinking about themselves: their foibles, successes, neuroses and any other thing that's bothering them or keeping them awake!After being bitten by the Stieg Larsson trilogy, I started looking for other Swedish authors of the mystery genre.This lady can write!Her characters are finely drawn and we get to know them by their introspection.The plot is good and the police and attorney parts are quite believable (what would I know--I'm neither a police person nor a lawyer!--but I read plenty of these types of books).I started her novels with the most recently published one (The Black Path) and decided I wanted to find out what happened to Rebekka earlier on.And I'm intrigued by the venue....about the same latitude as Juneau, Alaska.... but it sounds as though the weather is much colder and the scenery is bleak.If you liked the Stieg Larsson novels, I think you would like hers also.Perhaps not so much physical activity, but the mental trips are quite heavy.

Nice start to an interesting series
This is the first of what the author states will be six stories featuring tax lawyer turned crime solver Rebecka Martinsson and policewoman Anna-Maria Mella.Set in the snowy terrain of northern Sweden, the story gives the reader an introduction to Rebecka's past (which most likely helps to dictate her present) as it pulls you into a murder involving Rebecka's former friends.There is a bit of horror in the story and a disquieting solution to what appears to be parental neglect.Nonetheless, it is a good read that made me seek out book 2 and 3 in the series.

Mixed bag
Asa Larsson's debut novel is a mixed bag. She has an enormous potential, but lacks experience. Creative ideas mashed with old, many times seen tricks.
When you think of Sweden you don't imagine rigid evangelicals, and that is the surprising twist in this story. What is much less surprising is the cardboard characters of the pastors and the faithful. I very mich dislike evangelical fanatics, but even so, they are much more complex bunch that Ms. Larsson gives them credit.Little more originality and little less worn cliches would make this novel better and our experience richer.

excellent reading
This author caught and held my attention all through the book. It was a page turner but with some horrifying surprises.Found her to be believable and some of her phrases were very memorable. She has a style all her own and I am looking forward to her next offering, hopefully with less horror.

Be careful!!!
This book is exactly the same as "The Sacred Alter" also sold on this site.If you have one, do not get ripped off on the other thinking you have found a new Larsson title you did not have.The story is great. It is Amazon I am giving the lowest rating available for this ripoff.
... Read more

Product Description
The Coldfire trilogy tells a story of discovery and battle against evil on a planet where a force of nature exists that is capable of reshaping the world in response to psychic stimulus. This terrifying force, much like magic, has the power to prey upon the human mind, drawing forth a person's worst nightmare images or most treasured dreams and indiscriminately giving them life. This is the story of two men: one, a warrior priest ready to sacrifice anything and everything for the cause of humanity's progress; the other, a sorcerer who has survived for countless centuries by a total submission to evil. They are absolute enemies who must unite to conquer an evil greater than anything their world has ever known. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (154)

movie script?
Ok, first off,I hate when the characters think to themselves, I can take it if it is only a very small amount, but the author really doses the reader with italics of the characters thinking to themselves this or that, almost like a movie.It's as if the author was just looking for a movie deal with this work.I read all three books, by far the best part is the beginning of the 2nd booktelling some history of the world she has created.Much more time could have been spent in world building, and much much less in how the characters thought or acted.Also, if you are looking for epic battles etc... look elsewhere.The only thing epic about this series was the cliched interaction with the characters with each other or themselves.I read the whole series only because once I start a series, it is very very hard for me to abandon it...wish I had never started it.

Epic fantasy, part 1!But if this is all you ever read of it, you'll still enjoy the story
I was told that this is a great trilogy, so I gave Black Sun Rising a try.There are a LOT of pages of grim treks, and more grim treks, and some battles, and escapes, and tortures, and pseudo-philosophical discussions about the nature of good and evil... typical epic fantasy stuff.

Priest-soldier, and sorcerer, Damien Vryce is in the city of Jaggonath when an attack by strange, memory-sucking "Soul Eaters" attack the Adept Ciani.He, and Ciani's assistant Senzei, go after these creatures with Ciani in tow in the hopes that Ciani's memories can be restored.They soon join forces with the Hunter, a thousand year old creature who has mastered the strange planet-wide force, the Fae, and used it to develop and protect his empire in the Forest.The Fae is a type of planetary energy that can be utilized by some to perform... magic isn't the right word.With the Fae, you can understand, or bind, or manipulate.The Fae comes in different forms, and different people or creatures can utilize these different types of Fae in different ways.

Senzei considers Damien's way of life, and his god:
"And their god gives them nothing in return.No special favors.No easy miracles.Nothing but a single dream, which may never be fulfilled" (p. 233).Sound familiar?

They discover a sentient species called the rakh.Damien describes their social structure:
"'The females hunted for the rest of the pack,' he explained.'And fed them, in accordance with the local hierarchy.Dominant males first, then children, then themselves.With scraps for the lesser males, if any remained.Mammalian social order at its finest'" (p. 439).I'm not sure which mammalian social order C. S. Friedman is talking about here (the dominant males have a big mane of hair).I'm guessing he is mimicking the social and hunting behavior of lions, which is pretty unique, and in no way considered by anyone "mammalian social order at its finest."Biologists studying gray wolves, African wild dogs, and African elephants would probably disagree vigorously with Friedman!

I'm not sure I'll read the next book in this trilogy.This was a long tale of a story that could have been shorter.I got weary reading it, but I did want to finish.Those books that you don't want to finish are the problematic ones, and I don't put Black Sun Rising in that category.

Maybe I'll start that next book (When True Night Falls) and see where the chips will fall.

Simply Incredible, Unique, Powerful, MUST READ
Every so often, a book redefines a genre.This is that book.Friedman creates her own world and rules of magic that work so incredibly well.I've read this book three times.The characters are unbelievable, 3-d, logical, real...

The plotline is amazing, will keep you turning pages well into the night.

The series as a whole 'feels right'.Perfect length, pacing, storyline, characterization, seriously, get this book.

Arguably the best fantasy series ever.

On the Fence
I recently finished Black Sun Rising, and now still am unsure whether to move on to the second of the series and beyond.There were things that I liked about BSR and also things that I didn't care for and even more that just feel grey.
First for the positives. I liked the idea of a typical type fantasy world having been created from Colonization, and The Future.I liked the characters and how they interacted.I enjoyed the history of the world, and how it came out as the story went a long.
The negativesI found the narative to be too descriptive, short on excitement, intrigue, and long on details.I found the plot to be hodge podge, mostly predictable, and not very well thought out.
And now for the grey. The Fae, I was never drawn in to the idea of Fae/s.It seemed like the author dwelled alot on the fae, but with all of the various descriptions the feel of the fae was not very accesible or interesting.The writing, at times it drew me in, and others I was tempted to skip entire paragraphs to get to something more interesting (usually this is the seal of death for a novel with me).
I am left after this journey of a novel not knowing how i felt about it. Did i enjoy it? Not really. Did i hate it? NOt really.I've read some reviews that the next installment of the trilogy is much better, perhaps i will give it a shot, a hundred pages and see if I still feel blah, on the fence. If so I'll be one and done with this trilogy, ultimately nice effort but pure execution.

A Strong Start to an Imaginative Series
C.S. Friedman has a rich imagination, and it shows in this work.It's rare these days in SF/Fantasy to find someone who can create a truly original world: so much is derivative of what has gone before.

There is nothing derivative about this book.The ideas are fresh, the characters are engaging and nuanced.A very good read, well worth the money. ... Read more

Product Description
From the author of 33 A.D.

New York City, 1986.

The name of the beautiful woman in the red dress is Raine, and Vincent Walker has no idea she’s about to change his life forever – by ending it.

Now, impossible as it is to believe, Vincent is turning into a vampire. He sets out to find the woman who changed him, hoping she can take it back. Instead, he finds himself at the mercy of the infamous Council of Thirteen. Not wanting to risk any of its more valuable servants, The Council assigns him the task of bringing her back to be punished for turning him without permission. If he succeeds, the woman he loves will be no more. If he refuses, the Council will take out its anger on him, instead.

But Vincent is not the only one looking. Something driven by a century-old vendetta hunts them both, and it won’t stop until they are destroyed. If Vincent can find Raine first, the two may be able to disappear together. But he is beginning to like the growing evil inside him. Already he wonders if he will save her, or kill her himself.

Saying Goodbye to the Sun is the second book of the Tales of the Bachiyr.


"SAYING GOODBYE TO THE SUN by David McAfee takes Vampire fiction and makes it fresh again. A fast-paced page-turner that keeps you guessing until the dramatic conclusion unleashes a new concept so cool it's likely to become mainstream vampire lore." -- Jeremy Robinson, author of PULSE and INSTINCT ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Great Vampire Story with a neat take on the mythos
David McAfee has given us a great take on the contemporary vampire novel. It's not a "sexy vampire" book, although there is a love interest. It's not an "angsty vampire" book, although there is genuine soul-searching going on. It's a well-crafted story about a person whose life is changed, irrevocably, by something that he has no control over, and how he deals with it. Don't get me wrong, McAfee's protagonist isn't interested in a lot of navel-gazing, there's plenty of butt-kicking action to keep you interested. But the book looks at the consequences of our actions as well as the action sequences themselves. And along the way, he introduces whole new vampire powers, a whole new vampire society, and a fantastic world full of intrigue and back-biting (pun intended). I strongly recommend it and can't wait to read more from this author!

Unexpected!
I read the reviews for 33A.D. And I read the book,enjoying it but honestly finding it just a tad uneven.I had points I felt I was just reading to see if it got better (it always did).I certainly enjoyed it enoughto add the author to my "Buy" list though.

From the first page I was interested in Vincent.He inhabited a modern world (Well modern for me!) and was written right into it.I am a huge fan of natural dialog,whether it be a conversation between characters or the narration of the protagonist and the author really delivered here.Wherever Vincent was,whatever he was doing in this story it always felt right,here we had a character going through new trialsalmost every chapter and he evolved with those changes.By the end of the book Vincent is all but unrecognizable from his original statebut you will not notice it until you reflect back on the story.The author simply wrote the character so well you follow his protagonist through this evolution without realizing just how enormous it is.Wonderful writing,I look forward to David McAfee's next book.

This Was a FIRST Novel??
I wish I had read Saying Goodbye to the Sun before I read 33 A.D. Both books stand alone without a problem, but I would have liked to have had the author's full take on his version of vampires, as well as the history of the Council of 13 first. If you have the chance, read this one before the other.

That said, the author prefaces the book by stating that he never intended to publish this book and did so only at the urging of friends. Good for them! For a first effort, the story is remarkably well-polished. He also states that this is more of a romance than the other book. Okay, maybe a teensy bit, but it's still firmly entrenched in the horror genre.

As I stated in my review for 33 A.D., if you're expecting sparkly, loveable teenaged vampires with cutesy attitude problems, look elsewhere. This book is what vampire novels should be: scary and violent.
I don't recall any of Anne Rice's Vamps being cuddly, either.

The story is told from the POV of Vincent, a human turned vampire in the mid-1980's by a stunningly flawed vampire, Raine. She tried to resist turning him, but Vincent couldn't manage to stay away from her. Raine is being pursued by other vampires and after partially-turning Vincent, she disappears. In McAfee's world, vamps aren't allowed to be made without approval from the Council of 13 and Raine didn't get permission. The Council, in a rare move, decides to finish turning Vincent instead of killing him and sends him out to capture Raine.

The plot moves right along, while giving the reader detailed information on what constitutes the powers of vampires and their history.

If anything, I thought the book was a little short. He could have taken this storyline and doubled it, I wouldn't have been the least bit disappointed. I am eagerly looking forward to the sequel to 33 A.D.

McAfee Hits It Out of the Park Again
As a fan of "33 A.D." I was fairly certain that I'd find "Saying Goodbye to the Sun" to be a very good read. I was not the least bit disappointed, as David managed to intertwine horror, intrigue, a bit of history, and love in a narrative that held my attention from the first paragraph to the final word. Not only did David weave his story in a compelling way, but his superb ability to paint vivid mental images allowed me to feel as if I were an onlooker in the streets of New York and Boston, as well as in the hide-away where the Council of Thirteen "lived" and did their business.

This is the tale of Vincent, a man who goes out of his way to be in the wrong place at the wrong time with Raine, the wrong woman who, at the time, seems so right. (A bit convoluted? Yes, as is the story.) From that point forward, Vincent's time is spent dealing with the horrific consequences of his pursuit of the beautiful woman. As he comes into contact with an assortment of characters (to say the least), the plot thickens, and Vincent finds himself in situations far beyond anything he has ever imagined. As the narrative unfolds, it becomes a page-turner, not to be put down unless absolutely necessary. The ending is not quite what I anticipated, but is excellent.

If you are looking for excellent writing, in the style of some of the best of the vampire/horror genre (dare I suggest the initials S.K.?), give David McAfee's books a try. You are likely to become quickly enthralled with his them.

Another great vampire story!!!
I am hooked!I did not want to story to end.It is not a vampire love story but yet it is. a great read from a great author! ... Read more

Product Description
"Passionate, cantankerous, and fascinating. Rather like Korea itself."--Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times Book ReviewKorea has endured a "fractured, shattered twentieth century," and this updated edition brings Bruce Cumings's leading history of the modern era into the present. The small country, overshadowed in the imperial era, crammed against great powers during the Cold War, and divided and decimated by the Korean War, has recently seen the first real hints of reunification. But positive movements forward are tempered by frustrating steps backward. In the late 1990s South Korea survived its most severe economic crisis since the Korean War, forcing a successful restructuring of its political economy. Suffering through floods, droughts, and a famine that cost the lives of millions of people, North Korea has been labeled part of an "axis of evil" by the George W. Bush administration and has renewed its nuclear threats. On both sides Korea seems poised to continue its fractured existence on into the new century, with potential ramifications for the rest of the world. 25 illustrationsAmazon.com Review
Bruce Cumings traces the growth of Korea from a string of competing walled city-states to its present dual nationhood. He examines the ways in which Korean culture has been influenced by Japan and China, and the ways in which it has subtly influenced its more powerful neighbors. Cumings also considers the recent changes in the South, where authoritarianism is giving way to democracy, and in the North, which Cumings depicts as a "socialist corporatist" state more like a neo-Confucian kingdom than a Stalinist regime. Korea's Place in the Sun does much to help Western readers understand the complexities of Korea's past and present. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Great book
I had the privilege of visiting South Korea in 2001 as a tourist.Over the course of my life, I have met several Koreans thru work and school, and have read the occasional news article about the North - South division and nuclear politics.I joined Samsung this year, and one of my orientation sessions was in a reading room that contained numerous texts on Korea.This book was part of this collection.Wanting to know more about my new employer, I read this book in its entirety and came away quite satisfied.Coming in at over 500 pages long, this book provides a chronological history of the Korean peninsula with an emphasis on the 20th century.The book touches on a whole multitude of topics ranging from the written language to kimchi to art, but the emphasis is on politics and economics, and how bigger more powerful neighbors have often played decisive roles in Korea.These neighbors include the USSR/Russia, Japan, China, and the US.With regards to the post-WW2 era, the author takes a balanced look at Korea, with equal emphasis on how the North developed and views the South, and how the South developed and views the North.Both are quite enlightening.The author also does a wonderful job of citing the available literature on this topic, ranging from previous books by expatriates, to CIA documents from various Cold War events.Overall, a great book and a very enjoyable read.

Review of KOREA'S PLACE IN THE SUN
This history of modern Korea remedies to a large extent the paucity of Wnglish texts on the subject. The author is Professor of History at the University of Chicago. It provides a good understanding of the place of Korea in the modern world.

Excellent Perspective on Korean History
This scholarly work is extremely well documented and annotated and, at the same time, relates current aspects of Korean life to its origins as far back as 2,000+ years ago.

So much confidence in Korea
Bruce Cumings interpretation of Korean history shows off a confidence in which he accords the current Western acceptance of a Japanese-centric view of Korea's historical importance to be temporary and transitory when only viewed in light of not just contemporary Korean history, but in the context of Korean history in its entirety. The title of his book, Korea's Place in the Sun, shines this confidence in all aspects of his analysis, in his prose as well, of Korea.

Too bad for the cover, right? Great book!
Super detailed - almost to a fault. For me, it was an incredible read that I was hungry for - I didn't any more beginner's guides and overviews - I wanted detail and detail is what this book has. I strongly recommend familiarizing yourself with ancient and modern Korean history prior to reading this book because Cumings doesn't slow down for anyone - and for that I applaud him. Nicely done and recommended for anyone interested in more than a intro course on Korean history.

However I want to chime in and say this book is exactly what it claims to be - a one volume course on Korean history. Get ready for a level of detail that might scare you. Take notes because Mr. Cumings has and he is not afraid to site his sources.

Finally, he makes especially moving descriptions of the Korean war and demystifies the Miracle on the Han ... Read more

Product Description
Only now can the full scope of the war in the Pacific be fully understood. Historian Ronald Spector, drawing on newly declassified intelligence files, an abundance of British and American archival material. Japanese scholarship and documents, and research and memoirs of scholarly and military men, has written a stunning, complete and up-to-date history of the conflict. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (41)

The Most Definitive Work on the Pacific War
Ronald Spector's work, 'Eagle Against the Sun: The American War With Japan,' has proved to be the most definitive account of America's war with Japan in WWII. Definitive not because it covers every small aspect of the war but because it covers the behind the scenes aspects so well. It is written from the American point of view but makes gracious allowances for other views as well including the Japanese, Australians, and various pacific islanders. For anyone who cares about America's involvement in the Pacific war with Japan, this is a must have book!

Eagle Against the Sun
The Bok was in excellent shape and delivered promptly.I would highly recommend this seller.

US vs Jap
This books give a comprehensive review of the fighting betweenthe United State and the empire of Japan.All of the old battles and torture of Americans and other, by the japs have been gone over time and time again.What this book does,in only a few pages is outline in a very readable form and format for a person not too interested in learning a horrendous amount of facts.

No Maps? No Maps!
I do not understand how a history of a war spread over such a sprawling canvas could possibly be published without maps. Perhaps this is only true of the paperback version. This is a major barrier to understanding the strategy and even the thinking of the major characters in the narrative.

Knowledgable, exciting, comprehensive, balanced
Ronald Spector's history of World War II in the Pacific theater is a satisfying mix of panoramic strategy and battle-specific tactics. He is especially helpful on the roles played by prominent leaders--MacArthur, Chiang-Kai-Shek, Stilwell, King, Nimitz, etc. Their contributions are assessed through comments of both their supporters and detractors. Spector's own views on them are even-handed. The endnotes are comprehensive.

The narrative of the volume rates 5 stars, easily; however, the unaccountable absence of maps is aggravating--especially since the text cries out for an accompanying visual capability.


I bought the book on the recommendation of John Keegan found in the bibliographic essay in his The Second World War. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (31)

Pretty Satisfying
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow is a pretty good book. The legend itself was questionable at times--like when some stranger climbs into bed with the lass--but George wrote right through with no hesitations anda few twists to make the legend more believable. This book is great for someone who wants to read a fluffier book, because it was predictable. But hey, who doens't like happy endings?

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow
This is the second book I have read by Jessica Day George. I have to say that I am a fan. I love her writing style. Her books are so easy to read and very entertaining. This book is a fairy tale based on Norwegian folk tales. It reminded my of Beauty and the Beast meets Cupid and Psyche meets some other fairy tale I have long forgotten. It's full of trolls, a white reindeer, a magical white bear, and a nameless girl called lass.The story is full of adventure, hardships, love and loss. If you haven't read any book by Jessica Day George, I recommend them to you. The ones I have read have been fantastic.

Sweet, Beauty and the Beast
This book really surprised me.I absolutely loved the story, and the story telling.

The main character, the lass, fits in with Jessica Day Georges other heroines.She tend to have strong, capable women.They are poor (except for the Midnight Ball girls) and come from sad circumstances.But they all rise above the situation, given to them, to become something more.I really liked the lass, and the story she becomes involved with.It is a great take off of Beauty and the Beast.I truly enjoyed the writing, and loved the ending.This is my favorite of Jessica Day Georges books thus far.It warmed my heart, and kept me fully entertained in the process.I totally recommend this book.

Wonderful story!
This story is about a girl, the youngest in a family of twelve children, a girl with no name. The lass, she is called by her older brother, Hans-Peter. They live in a fantasy version of Nothern Europe, where snow is always falling and the families are always cold. After being effected by the enchantment of a White Reindeer, the lass finds she can talk to animals... And when she has a sudden encounter with a magical bear, called an isbjorn (which literally means ice bear), the lass heads off on a journey with the isbjorn to give her family the freedom and wealth they have always desired - all the while playing a dangerous game with the wicked spell-casters of the Northlands and the bear she comes to love.

This story was expertly told. It is original and adventurous. Jessica Day George once again delivers with her excellent writing and ability to retell folklore and fairytales with a spin. This story was originally a Nordic fairytale called "East of the Sun, West of the Moon." I've never read/heard the original story, so I don't know how close she kept it. However, because of how exciting George's version was, I want to find a copy of the original fairytale and read it.

Again, Jessica Day George writes wonderful fantasy romances while keeping things clean and sweet. I can't wait to own all of her books - to see them lined up all neatly on my shelf, and to think about the wonderful stories inside of them, knowing they'll always be a good choice.

yearningtoread on blogspot

Chilly Fairy Tale
This is the story of a girl whose mother is so exasperated at finding not only that she was expecting again, but that the new baby was another girl that she didn't even bother to give her a name. She adores her eldest brother, but his return from work has left him changed for reasons she doesn't know. Along the way, this girl discovers she has a talent that ends up benefiting her and opening the possibility of adventure that will require her to cling to her courage and develop her wit.

This is really a beautiful book. I think the story telling is better than the Dragon series books, the characters mysterious and adorable, even the ones that shouldn't be. As I am not familiar with the original tale in all its variations, I'm not sure which parts are the original fairytale and which are George's imagination, but I adore her writing style, pacing and character development. She really is quite talented ... Read more

Product Description
Book One of The Warrior Series

Sun Tzu and Sun PinÂ’s timeless strategic masterpieces are constantly analyzed and interpreted by leaders worldwide. For the first time ever, author D.E. Tarver explains the classic texts, The Art of War by Sun Tzu and The Art of Warfare by Sun Pin, in plain English.

War is the perfect training ground for teaching Sun TzuÂ’s ancient philosophies to attaining victory over an opponent. The Art of War outlines the steps for outwitting the enemy, be it an army of 10,000 or an unresponsive client.

The Art of War teaches leaders strategies to attain victory by:

• Knowing when to stand up to an opponent, and when to back down.
• How to be confident without being overly confident.
• Considering the cost of the campaign before launching an attack.
• Avoiding an opponentÂ’s strengths and striking his weaknesses.

“The one who is first to the field of battle has time to rest, while his opponent rushes into the conflict weary and confused. The first will be fresh and alert. The second will waste most of his energy trying to catch up.” Be the first to the battlefield with The Art of War.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Dumb and dumber
The Art of War - Sun Tzu's Classic in PLAIN ENGLISH.years ago I once started reading a copy of the popular classic, The Art of War.Disappointed and frustrated, I found myself having a difficult time understanding the concepts and principals addressed in the material due to how it was written. I threw it out in the trash.Fast forward to a few weeks ago, I purchased this copy of The Art of War - IN PLAIN ENGLISH only to find .. it was most likely written for a child's reading level.Again, another copy of The Art of War thrown into the trash.I would suggest reading "48 Laws of Power" instead which uses some of the same basic principals as described and taught in The Art of War.

Disappointing
I was less than thrilled with the quality of this publication.There were numerous spelling and grammatical errors--very unprofessional.It made me question the accuracy of the translation.I have read excerpts from other translations, and they do not necessarily agree with this author's interpretations.I should have spent a little more money and purchased a version with a more reliable perspective...

Great Book
The thing I like most about the book is that the author is straightforward and cuts to the chase. He doesn't attempt to sound really philosophical, so the reader doesn't tend to lose focus or interest while reading. It is a good, simple, quick read, which is also very informative and helpful.

I recommend this book to any and everyone. Whether you are in the military (GOD bless you all and thank you), a manager in any business, a student, or just a regular person doing nothing, this book can be applied to everyone's life. I hope this review was helpful, but even more, I hope you all read this book!

A few grains of truth in a lot of chaff
Today many of Sun Tzu quotas are floating around mixed with Shakespeare and the Bible. And as with many of the quotes, they are out of context and misleading. The quoter usually thinks repeating the word is some sort of magic.

It is easy with hindsight and a closer look at the future to dismiss Sun Tzu as his practical tactical knowledge is of a time and place long gone. He spends a lot of time on the use of weapons and information gathering techniques of the time. This can be interesting in a historical context; other wise it is quite amusing.

Oh yes those grains of truth I mentioned, well they may sound like clichés but thy are still viable. "Know your enemy and know yourself". Others are just practical sense and statistical outcomes that you learn in any military training. I could go through the list, but again that is why you buy the book.

Now just as you decide that the book is outdated for any practical purposes today we have artillery and now stealth and precision, the reminder that "no two wars are alike" and "it is flexibility that makes a difference" is being shown today to still be true. Even in today's wars there is a need for good intelligence and deception. We put a lot of time and energy into Psy-Ops. Sun Tzu shows the advantage in specialized units and crack troops.

I have spent several years in the military and in business and can say this book is a nice addition to history, otherwise of very little value to today's world for war or business.

It real challenge to the reader is which edition to purchase. Each edition brings with it different supplements and translations which can add viewpoints of the person(s) compiling the edition. So look at the details of the edition first if possible.

The Battle for Gaul: A New Illustrated Translation

Big fan.
I read a longer bigger version that took the simple ideas of the art of war and drew out lengthy examples and details on what they were talking about and what Sun was talking about. THis book really condenses that info. Its like cliffnotes for the Art of War. I didn't even realize that it also has the Art of Warfare until I finished the first half. See the book is actually two in one. About mid way through the book the Art of War wraps up and the second half is the Art of Warfare. Makes for a good deal to get a simple overall idea on the two texts. ... Read more

Product Description

The Best Fully Integrated Study System Available--Written by the Lead Developers of Exam 310-065

With hundreds of practice questions and hands-on exercises, SCJP Sun Certified Programmer for Java 6 Study Guide covers what you need to know--and shows you how to prepare--for this challenging exam.

• 100% complete coverage of all official objectives for exam 310-065
• Exam Objective Highlights in every chapter point out certification objectives to ensure you're focused on passing the exam
• Exam Watch sections in every chapter highlight key exam topics covered
• Simulated exam questions match the format, tone, topics, and difficulty of the real exam

Covers all SCJP exam topics, including:

Declarations and Access Control · Object Orientation · Assignments · Operators · Flow Control, Exceptions, and Assertions · Strings, I/O, Formatting, and Parsing · Generics and Collections · Inner Classes · Threads · Development

CD-ROM includes:

• Complete MasterExam practice testing engine, featuring: Two full practice exams; Detailed answers with explanations; Score Report performance assessment tool
• Electronic book for studying on the go
• Bonus coverage of the SCJD exam included!

Bonus downloadable MasterExam practice test with free online registration.

Customer Reviews (70)

Excellent Book
if you want to pass the certificationjava 6 exam, this is it the better way, just try it.

This is the One Stop Shop book..No Look further
Even though some of the the topics are tough and hard to understand, this is the best book in the market.

Helped me to prepare for SCJP
I got 90% on the test. I used this book and the K&R SCJP book as well. This book helps you to prepare for the test and only the test...nothing more and nothing less.

The CD is a joke!
The book is very good but get this--THE CD ONLY WORKS WITH WINDOWS!!!

Ummm Java is write once/run anywhere?!?!? And the CD only works with Windows?

Now if that isn't the ultimate irony I don't know what is...what, they couldn't write the CD content in, oh I don't know, JAVA?!?!?!

Fails Selt Test answers
Purchased this book in order to prepare for the SCJP exam. I found that the replies on the self test were not enough and found myself keep trying to workout the solution from the main material and some times could not.
Bit more description on the answers would have earned it a 5-start but without only a 3-start and unfortunately the need to purchase another book with better explanations on the self-test questions
... Read more

Product Description
Children of the Sun is a story of brilliant and later famous young people who deliberately chose decadence as an alternative lifestyle. The setting is England between World War I and World War II. The cast of characters includes Evelyn Waugh, Randolph Churchill, W. H. Auden, Christopher Isherwood, and Cecil Beaton among others. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent service
The book arrived in a timely fashion, in excellent condition and I would order from this seller again.

Children of the Sun...
The mind of this Martin Green is beautiful to experience. If you enjoy historical ideas and the drama of the mind, you'll love this book. He writes about the
period in English intellectual history stretching from the late Victorian period through WWI and into the 30's and 40's. What was the effect of the horrors of WWI on thediscriminating intellectuals of that period? That's what the author illuminates the conflicts between the Victorian and Edwardian fathers and and the post war sons, between the fatherswho started the war and sons who had to fight. Fascinating, compelling and elevating. A masterpiece of intellectual history.

The Gallery of the Underread and Underreviewed
You have never heard of this book unless you are a nitpicker and a history nut or just plain lucky.The theme is why British men beginning in the 1920s all seemed so 1. gay 2. feminine 3.fussy. English characters went from Bulldog Drummond to Lord Peter - or Hercule Poirot. Green traces a generation of upper classmen - and style dictotors - who believed masculinity and male aggressivenes was the cause of all wars esp. WW1. They redefined manhood - rejecting "Father Gods" such as the King, Lord Kitchener et al. How and why and how it failed is an incredible history. They were not gay but feminized believing it to be more civilized. England especially valued maleness of the Lord Nelson or Wellington, Britsh bulldog type but the first world war killed it - temporarily. It appears James Bond brought it bacj in the 50s.I loved the book because it explained why so many fictional heroes of the 20s, 30s even 40s seemed in England so understated.And how a rigid class system could impose such behavior even as it was collapsing. ... Read more

Product Description
This special edition of The Art of War by Sun Tzu presents this timeless classic in two forms:

Section I contains the complete thirteen chapters of Sun Tzu's masterpiece in Chinese, with the facing page English translation by Lionel Giles, without notes or commentary. This presentation avoids the objection that commentary tends to clutter and obscure the clarity of thought of the ancient military genius.

Section II contains the complete Giles translation of The Art of War, including his extensive introduction, and the fully annotated text with explanatory notes and critical commentary. His 1910 introduction includes an historical account of Sun Tzu's work, evaluations by and of early Chinese commentators, an essay examining the traditional Chinese attitudes toward war and a bibliography that details Giles' source materials. The text in this section includes critical commentary and notes by both Chinese historians as well as by Giles himself.

Lionel Giles, as the Keeper of the Department of Oriental printed Books and Manuscripts of the British Museum, was uniquely qualified to translate and explain this great classic Chinese work to Western readers. First published in 1910, Giles' translation is widely considered to be the definitive English version. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Wisdom for the ages
My father worked at the Naval Surface Weapons Center (now Naval Surface Warfare Center) for many years.I had exposure to issues of politics, strategy, and tactics from a very young age.One of my earliest memories was holding on to his pants leg and looking up at him as he discussed something in the paper.The topics tended to be violent, such as My Lai.I was born in 1968 and the 70s were a rough, turbulent time.

I heard about things like the Assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand at the dinner table.When I learned a little bit about physics, I said that I learned about physics from my father.Like, how he knew what happened and could talk about the angle of the gun and the ricochet effect and the slant of sun and etc - whether my father did talk about things exactly that way, I'm a little unclear, but he was very knowledgeable and he knew about this stuff from a physical point of view as well.

Once a question came up when I was in grade school about which presidents were assassinated in the 20th century. I was one of the few who knew that McKinley was on this list, having been killed in Buffalo in 1901.

There are a lot of people who think that "The Prince" is the go-to book for strategy.

In my father's view, and mine as well, a lot of people are incorrect.The Prince will tell you some things.But for THE succinct, no-holds-barred, lay-it-on-the-line source, it is The Art Of War.

One reason why I think The Prince is preferred is that it is not as ruthless as the art of war.Machiavelli had been a public servant/government employee and there was a change in administration so to speak.He was viewed as "bad" tortured and fired.He went to a remote place to recover and wrote the Prince - partly to get back in the good graces of those in power.

Here are a few sentences that show why The Art of War will be preferred by many over the Prince, to those who think about strategy:

"The Prince examines the acquisition, perpetuation, and use of political power in the western world. Machiavelli wrote The Prince to prove his proficiency in the art of the state, offering advice on how a prince might gain and keep power.

Machiavelli justified rule by force rather than by law. Accordingly, The Prince seems to justify a number of actions done solely to perpetuate power. It is a classic study of power--its acquisition, expansion, and effective use."

----

The word used here is "justify" and "justified."Justifying is not observing.It is making a case.Yes there is a lot of wisdom here but Machiavelli's emotions were involved and he was arguing a case like a lawyer might, in some ways.

His advice in many ways was harsh.That can lead a reader to overlook the fact that it is possible to be a LOT worse than this.

See the excerpt, above.Sun Tzu wants to control the women.They laugh and refuse to cooperate.He beheads the two favorite courtesans.Even the king tries to stop this but Sun Tzu says, you gave me the responsibility......and then, it is rule by terror, with no getting out of control again.A really good way to end insubordination.

Many/most wars are not fought like this.This is how you fight when you have no regard at all for the humanity of the soldiers you are commanding.To say that The Art of War is too much for some people, or that some prefer The Prince, is not to say they are "bad" or they don't know war, or they won't defend their country.It is to say more or less - that many people will react with revulsion when or if they read an excerpt in which the women are punished for a few minutes of silliness by having the two most "favorite" courtesans beheaded, and even new orders from the king cannot stop this.

I told my husband about this and he said, Sun Tzu should have been beheaded instead.It is hard for me not to have sympathy for that point of view.

Still, this advice works.It will work but the people who will make it work tend to be ruthless (meaning:without compassion).This book has stood the test of time for a reason.But do you win the war and lose your soul? (If you ever had one.)Who does this ruthlessly and consistently unless it is one who seems to place little value on human life?

Unless, things are very very very dangerous and there is an extremely important war that MUST be won.That's a different story.But thinking about a book that recommends execution for a few minutes of insubordination - I find it difficult to believe a commander would take that advice, that far.Many people who use this don't take all of the advice literally.

That is why a lot of people who read this book will do so for informational purposes and/or to use it and they will take it only so far.The Prince is not sanitized by any means, and it describes some tough choices but personally - it never made my stomach turn the way The Art Of War did.

**edited to add**

I have to admit my view is colored not by the book itself, but by the number of wars the United States has gotten into in the last few decades that I believe were not a good idea, in the first place.Sun Tzu warns people against fighting stupid wars, but from what I have seen, too many times, powerful people don't face their fears and then they start a war against "the enemy" (Russia in the Cold War, Iraq, Vietnam, etc.).Strictly speaking, that is an issue of misuse of this book, I believe.

There is some very profound wisdom here that I don't think gets enough attention:

Hence the saying:

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.

If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

This is very, very true.Someone who knows the enemy and knows himself can be extremely dangerous.Yet, there is a situation not addressed here:

If you know the enemy, and do not know yourself, what happens then?

Well it seems bizarre that that would happen, yet too many times people deceive themselves about any number of things.They think they are prettier/kinder/more popular/smarter/more compassionate, and etc. than they really are.These things involve inflated ego.(Some people are self-deprecating and say things like, I like looking smart.That's not what I'm talking about.I mean someone who looks at a true genius and says, 'I could do much better than that, easily, even without trying hard' when that's totally untrue.)

But what can be really dangerous is when a brilliant person has deceived himself into thinking he is stupid.Let's say, the Dan Quayle effect in reverse.This person will still have the use of his brilliance but will come across as nothing to write home about, b/c he has convinced himself he is not impressive.To some degree, some women and members of minority groups have been impacted by this.People can be very bright but they were convinced by others that they are not.If such people turn to resentment and start to think of truly brilliant people (such as "white males" who have succeeded greatly) with envy, they can become poisoned by envy.In many ways I strongly support feminism but there is that strain of resentment and envy in some of it and it makes me very, very uncomfortable.If I need to tear someone else down to build myself up, something is wrong.

The Civil Rights movement did not achieve its gains that way.People requested/demanded that their human dignity be recognized.Many whites had deceived themselves into thinking they were nice, good people who would not hurt a fly, while they were in some way involved in suppressing others' rights.That is one example of deceiving oneself.The Civil Rights movement was a really good thing, and in a way it was a kind of "war."

And then there is the famous quote:

All war is deception.When the enemy is far, let them think you are near; when they are near, let them think you are far; when you are weak, let them think you are strong....There is more, and I am paraphrasing but that is the gist of it.

People who fight wars like this can be defeated by someone else who reads the same information and has knowledge and compassion and says, hey, why are we fighting in the first place?That is a hard question to answer given this approach and the extremity and terror-inducing quality of it.It is a huge time sink, devoting one's thoughts to defeating "the enemy," and in many ways, what's the point?Many times people you think are the enemy, are not, and someone who is forever trying to be deceptive and fight an eternal battle is really wasting a lot of time.Time spent on such pursuits can seriously limit and block insight.

My advice:This book will teach a lot but it might scare people as it should if it is really taken seriously.Might be good to make sure the war is worth fighting, in the first place.

Tactics
This is Sun Tzu!. What can be added to?? If I was working in a Board Room/ office situation, or if I was again a police officer, or if I was a hardware buyer (instead of being retired), this work would be in close proximty all the time. Try to adapt and understand how it works and overlays today. When the info is mastered; start passing it down to your kids.:))

This is real 5-Star material.

Multiple sections equal multiple goodness...
The knowledge contained within the original thirteen chapters of Sun Tzu has continued to fascinate users for hundreds of years primarily because it can be applied to a multitude of challenges that every human being must face on a daily basis. Whether these challenges pertain to business, sports, or life in general, applying the teachings of Sun Tzu will strengthen one's ability to emerge victorious and gain a better understanding of how to prepare for future trials.

I currently own five versions of The Art of War. Some are collegiate versions that contain historical and factual information accompanied by a translation and insight, while others are designed to be more recreational. This version, translated by Lionel Giles, is my favorite of the recreational versions, as it is light and enjoyable, yet contains the general fundamentals of the original text.

The book is divided into two "forms" or sections. The first contains in Chinese the original (doubtful) thirteen chapters along with an English translation, which allows the reader to formulate their own insights into the readings. The second also contains a translation, but is accompanied by Giles' insight, which is in agreement (more or less) with most others that I've read and is very well written.

I for one appreciate the multiple forms because they allow the book to be read in various ways. For instance, a
new reader can use these sections to gain familiarity with the writings, while more familiar readers can appreciate the writings without the PhD dissertation. Either way, any reader can enjoy this book.

One of the most important military books in history
The Warring States period Warring States Period 475-221 BCE is a history of constant warfare, of alliances and counter-alliances, and of treaties made and broken.The nature of warfare evolved during the period.During the Warring States period, political stability was impossible to gain by adventurous military action.With the advent of swelling ranks of soldiers, protracted sieges, and an ever increasing drain on state treasuries, warfare became a serious matter for study.

Thus, the opening remark of "The Art Of War" states--without exaggeration--war had become the most serious business of the state, the key to survival or ruin. The author of this and other pithy aphorisms on how to successfully fight a war was Sun Tzu.Sun Tzu scholars place his writing "The Art of War" in the Warring States Period, based on the descriptions of warfare in the text. The book has received great exposure in the west starting in the eighteenth century after being translated by a French missionary.It has been reported that Napoleon studied the text and effectively put many of its teachings to good use.For the past 2,000 years, it has been the most important military treatise in all of Asia, even known by name with the common people.Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese military figures have studied it and employed its concepts to good effect.This is especially evident in the military tactics of 20th century revolutionaries like Mao Zedong and Ho Chi Minh.

The book is comprised of 13 chapters.The thesis of Sun's work is one should employ an army after a thorough analysis mandated by careful planning and the formulation of an overall strategy before embarking on a campaign.Sun emphasizes rational self-control, influenced by Daoist teachings throughout the book.

Chap 1-Laying Plans
18. All warfare is based on deception. 19. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.

Chap 6-Weak Points And Strong
8. Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.

The best translation is the Samuel B. Griffith edition

the art of war
another good book i invested in . such great work from Sun Tzu 10 stars bhahah ... Read more

Product Description
Six million years ago, at the dawn of the star-faring era, Abigail Gentian fractured herself into a thousand male and female clones, which she called shatterlings. But now, someone is eliminating the Gentian line. Campion and Purslane-two shatterlings who have fallen in love and shared forbidden experiences-must determine exactly who, or what, their enemy is, before they are wiped out of existence. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (45)

Wonderful and vivid
A very well written and incredible piece of vivid imagination.... Transports you to the future effortlessly and keeps you hooked to the end. The ending is a bit contrived but I guess It conveys a message in a way that one could have never anticipated. A pleasure to read and I'm happy to have stumbled across mr Reynolds by accident!!!

Time on your side
Great book, start to finish.The use of time scale is novel and worth the read in and of itself.

Due to the ending, I did not give it 5 stars, but it's definitely close (maybe 4 1/2).

Absolutely phenomenal. A scifi book like this doesn't come around very often.
The amount of space outside our solar system is nearly unfathomable. When you think about the fastest traveling spacecraft humanity has ever built travels at 50,000km/hr (meaning it could travel from New York to Los Angeles in less than four minutes) would still take over 9,000 years to reach the nearest star besides our own it is almost incomprehensible as to how vast our galaxy alone is.

With that scope in mind, Reynolds has crafted a mind blowing story in shear scope of ideas, distance, and time as we follow cloned versions of one woman (shatterlings) who travel around the galaxy gaining knowledge and experience to download the collective information every 200,000 years. What happens after nearly the entire line of clones is ambushed and destroyed is part mystery, part space opera, and part hard science fiction on the epic level that surpasses any work of science fiction in recent memory.

The epic scope of this book is mind boggling as two of the shatterlings are late to the 200,000 year reunion by over ten thousand years to arrive sometime after the ambush leaving most all of their counterparts dead. As a reader, it is impressive that these shatterlings have such a scope of time understanding as most humans can barely wait fifteen minutes for a cup of coffee. What happens next is a journey through massive amounts of space and impressive durations of time (tens of thousands of years). Wrapping your head around the lifespan of these creatures is a feat in and of itself, but Reynolds pushes the plot with a skill that is beyond impressive, never losing the reader in a vision of time and space that is nearly impossible to comprehend.

Reynolds has a knack for pushing the envelope in vision of space travel while never escaping from plausible scenarios and technology. The characters are compassionate, the situations are believable, and the mystery is engaging. This is one science fiction book that should not be missed by any member of the science fiction fan base. Even more impressive is the way Reynolds writes that engages the reader with hard science fiction and technology that might easily be overly described or too detailed. Every bit of this story is plausible (at least several epochs from now) and if this is a vision of the future I can only hope to be around to see some of Reynolds vision.

Highly recommended in every sense.

Good reading,

J.Stoner

Ambush in Far Space
House of Suns (2008) is a standalone SF novel.It is set millions of years in the future in a galaxy populated by transient civilizations.All these cultures have human origins.

The scatterling Lines are older than these civilizations.They are long lived clones of a few powerful persons who led the expansion of humanity across the galaxy.They extend their lifespans by time dilation and life suspension while traveling at close to lightspeed.

The Vigilance is a society of scholars living within a Dyson Swarm.They have a different form of longevity.The Vigilance collects data from every available source about anything and everything, but they are chiefly concerned with the Andromeda Absence.

In this story, Abigal Gentian is child of a very rich family in the Golden Hour.Her family specializes in biological organisms, such as clones.During a long -- thirty years or more -- childhood, she only had one friend of her own age.She created the Gentian Line, with one thousand scatterlings.

Campion Gentian is a male clone -- a scatterlings of Abigail -- in the House of Flowers.These clones started witn much the same memories, but live separate lives.Once in every galactic cycle they meet in a reunion to share their experiences.

Purslane Gentian is also a scatterling of the House of Flowers.While she and Campion are consorts, the Family generally frowns on such partnerships.

Doctor Meninx is a member of an aquatic species.He is traveling with Campion to the Vigilance on a scholarly pursuit.

Hesperus is a Machine Person.He is very handsome machine.

In this story, Campion and Purslane have repaired the stardam that is protecting the worlds of the Centaurs.Campion is eager to trade for a new ship to replace the failing Dalliance, but the Centaurs are only interested in a few of his trade items.So he decides to try another nearby ship trader.

Doctor Meninx is not happy with that decision.He really wants to go straignt to the Vigilance.But Campion is adamant that he must replace his ship.

Atesliga has only a few ships, of which none are suitable for Campion's purposes.Atesliga then mentions that he has many spare parts in the largest of the ships, so the Dalliance enters the moon ship to check the inventory.Then a force field grabs the Dalliance and holds it very firmly.

Campion tries to break out of the force field, but almost destroys his own ship instead.Then Purslane explains to Atesliga that they are scatterlings of the Gentian Line.Atesliga is reluctant to believe her, but she proves the relationship.

Then Purslane tells him that her ship is prepared to flee the vicinity to carry a message about their capture back to the House of Flowers.Atesliga knows that any such message would result in prompt retaliation by the powerful Line.He is suddenly eager to cooperate with the Gentians.

One of the spoils in Atesliga's possession is Hesperus.Ordinarily, Atesliga would have avoided offending an emissary of the Machine People, but Hesperus was posing as an organic person at the time.Now Atesliga is afraid to let him go for fear of retaliation.

Atesliga repairs the Dalliance, but they lose almost a year in the process.Now Campion and Purslane will be late to the reunion.At least they have Hesperus and other Line scatterlings as guests.

When Campion and Purslane near the Gentian reunion, they receive an emergency signal.Embedded within it is a message.Somebody has ambushed the reunion and killed off most of the scatterlings with Homumculus weapons.These hellish weapons were used to melt the surface of the planet.

This tale puts Campion and Purslane in a dangerous situation.They were told to flee, but instead decide to search for other survivors.Purslane gives Hesperus a ship from her hoard in which to flee, but he insists on joining the Gentians in their search.

The backstory of Abigail appears in eight segments spread throughout the novel.It starts with a visit from her childhood friend.Abigail has a new toy -- Palatial -- which the boy appears to disdain, but she knows that he will want to play the game on his next visit.

The novella Thousandth Night is a prequel to this story.This novel appears to be unrelated to the Revelation Space series, although similar weapons are mentioned in Redemption Ark.Read and enjoy!

Recommended for Reynolds fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of high technology, far reaches, and vast timespans.

-Arthur W. Jordin

What an amazing thrill ride!
Three million years in the making and what a ride! I'll not rehash the story description. All I'll say is that if you like Reynolds, you'll love this book. I just wished he'd write them faster! ... Read more

Product Description
Architecture/Environment
How to design buildings that heat with the sun, cool with the wind, light with the sky, and move into the future using on-site renewable resources
Developed for rapid use during schematic design, this book clarifies relationships between form and energy and gives designers tools for designing sustainably. It also:
* Applies the latest passive energy and lighting design research
* Organizes information by architectural elements at three scales:
* building groups, individual buildings, and building parts
* Brings design strategies to life with examples and practical design tools
* Features:
* 109 analysis techniques and design strategies
* More than 750 illustrations, sizing graphs, and tables
* Both inch-pound and metric units ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Dun, Wind & Light Review
Because I needed this book for school personally I have no regrets about the book. Even if I didn't need it for school I would still feel like the book is a interesting and useful tool when it comes to studying the effects of nature on buildings.

A must have...
An excellent book. A must have for any architect, builder, interior designer...

Just buy it.

I love this book, but the information is hard to use
This is one of the best books I've seen that address building architectural design considerations that affect heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting.It presents tidbits from real designs, focuses on maximizing the effects of the local climate on the building toward the objective of a comfortable and usable living/working space, and addresses supplemental systems as well.This information presumes a level of knowledge relating to some of these concepts that I don't currently have, making it a pretty hard read in many places.However, the book digs pretty deep into each area, providing enough information to get a good start on a building design.The fusion of engineering and creativity is my favorite feature of this book.It provides insight into creative building designs while also presenting the more quantitative factors necessary to size and evaluate a design for intended use.

AAE 330
I thought the book itself was really interesting although a little confusing. Especially when I actually had to use it for class assignments!

Integrated Review of Two Top Books That Mesh Well
Although I normally read books in twos and threes on the same topic to gain varied perspectives, this is the first time I am writing a single review encompassing two books.They mesh together so well that I cannot imagine studying this subject without having BOTH in hand.

The two books are Sun, Wind & Light: Architectural Design Strategies, 2nd Edition and The HOK Guidebook to Sustainable Design.

Start with the introduction in the Guidebook, which is blessed with a Foreword from Paul Hawken and see especially page 13 where the cost benefits are shown, with 48% energy savings for Gold, 30% for Silver, and 28% for Certified.See also the illustration on page 15 that I have reproduced in the image I am loading for both books: the old decision model was Cost at the top, with Schedule and Quality anchoring the triangle.the new decision model still has cost at the top, but Schedule and Human Health, Safety, & Comfort are on corners of this new pentagon, and the bottom is achored by Quality and Ecology, or what Paul Hawken would call in his books, "true cost" to the Earth and Humanitas.

NOW shift to the Contents and the Detailed Contents of Sun, Wind, & Light.As one reviewer notes, this is a course book.I did not recognize it as such, I saw it as one of the most gifted complete collection of factors to learn and apply that I have ever seen for ANY topic of study.The content and organization of this book is nothing short of Nobel-level "wow."Finish going through this book.

NOW go back to the first 218 pages of the Handbook, and study the checklists and varied helpful boxes and explanations.The rest of the book (217-459) is case studies of specific buildings, each a few pages, that can be left for last.

At this point, I went into the Glossaries and Bibliographies of both books.Each is distinct, neither supplants the other.They must be taken together.I read Glossaries, and Indices, as content, and use them as a form of "second look" (in extremely complex books, this is actually where I start).

NOW go back to the Case Studies in the Handbook, and read each from the point of view of what "take away" lessons are there for your own building.

Reading these two books was a real treat.Outside my office kitchen is a deck with an 11 point system for attracting birds from bluebirds and bluejays to cardinals, gold finches, two kinds of woodpecker, and a flicker as well as the more common birds.I believe in diversity, and I believe that if we don't get our act together and start living up to the ideals of Natural Capitalism (see other recommended books below), our world will go sterile and dark before out great-grandchilden can share in the beauty of this planet.These two books are part of the solution, and I am in serious awe of those who made them available to all of us, and at reasonable prices to boot.Well done!!!

Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming
Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution
The Ecology of Commerce
Ecological Economics: Principles And Applications
For the Common Good: Redirecting the Economy toward Community, the Environment, and a Sustainable Future
The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy
Capitalism 3.0: A Guide to Reclaiming the Commons (Bk Currents)
The Philosophy of Sustainable Design ... Read more

Product Description
Understanding Sun Tzu on the Art of War is both a source and an interpretation of Sun Tzu's Art of War written to clarify Sun Tzu's philosophies on war without compromising the subtlety of thought needed to master them. Readers of this book, from across professional disciplines, will find key advice on leadership, advantage, and how to proficiently overcome adversaries. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

I am ready
Whatever battle comes my way. I have read the Art of War and
think I 'get it' and will do well.

More than you bargained for.
In looking at the previous reviews, I would be out of place if I gave this book anything other than a 5 star rating.More importantly, I would be undervaluing it.The approach to the Art of War takes on a new perspective when the author brings into play the I Ching (Way of Life) to show the contrasting as well as similar viewpoints of these two powerful pieces of ancient literature that help us live our lives today.Cantrell's background certainly allows him to understand the interplay with modern business paradigms, but there is a deeper meaning that runs through his elucidative work here that affects every relationship you or I will have in our lives whether they be adversarial or cooperative.This book really does belong in everybody's library.

One of the most important military books in history
The Warring States period Warring States Period 475-221 BCE is a history of constant warfare, of alliances and counter-alliances, and of treaties made and broken.The nature of warfare evolved during the period.During the Warring States period, political stability was impossible to gain by adventurous military action.With the advent of swelling ranks of soldiers, protracted sieges, and an ever increasing drain on state treasuries, warfare became a serious matter for study.

Thus, the opening remark of "The Art Of War" states--without exaggeration--war had become the most serious business of the state, the key to survival or ruin. The author of this and other pithy aphorisms on how to successfully fight a war was Sun Tzu.Sun Tzu scholars place his writing "The Art of War" in the Warring States Period, based on the descriptions of warfare in the text. The book has received great exposure in the west starting in the eighteenth century after being translated by a French missionary.It has been reported that Napoleon studied the text and effectively put many of its teachings to good use.For the past 2,000 years, it has been the most important military treatise in all of Asia, even known by name with the common people.Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese military figures have studied it and employed its concepts to good effect.This is especially evident in the military tactics of 20th century revolutionaries like Mao Zedong and Ho Chi Minh.

The book is comprised of 13 chapters.The thesis of Sun's work is one should employ an army after a thorough analysis mandated by careful planning and the formulation of an overall strategy before embarking on a campaign.Sun emphasizes rational self-control, influenced by Daoist teachings throughout the book.

Chap 1-Laying Plans
18. All warfare is based on deception. 19. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.

Chap 6-Weak Points And Strong
8. Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.

The best translation is the Samuel B. Griffith edition

One of the most important military books in history
The Warring States period Warring States Period 475-221 BCE is a history of constant warfare, of alliances and counter-alliances, and of treaties made and broken.The nature of warfare evolved during the period.During the Warring States period, political stability was impossible to gain by adventurous military action.With the advent of swelling ranks of soldiers, protracted sieges, and an ever increasing drain on state treasuries, warfare became a serious matter for study.

Thus, the opening remark of "The Art Of War" states--without exaggeration--war had become the most serious business of the state, the key to survival or ruin. The author of this and other pithy aphorisms on how to successfully fight a war was Sun Tzu.Sun Tzu scholars place his writing "The Art of War" in the Warring States Period, based on the descriptions of warfare in the text. The book has received great exposure in the west starting in the eighteenth century after being translated by a French missionary.It has been reported that Napoleon studied the text and effectively put many of its teachings to good use.For the past 2,000 years, it has been the most important military treatise in all of Asia, even known by name with the common people.Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese military figures have studied it and employed its concepts to good effect.This is especially evident in the military tactics of 20th century revolutionaries like Mao Zedong and Ho Chi Minh.

The book is comprised of 13 chapters.The thesis of Sun's work is one should employ an army after a thorough analysis mandated by careful planning and the formulation of an overall strategy before embarking on a campaign.Sun emphasizes rational self-control, influenced by Daoist teachings throughout the book.

Chap 1-Laying Plans
18. All warfare is based on deception. 19. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.

Chap 6-Weak Points And Strong
8. Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.

The best translation is the Samuel B. Griffith edition

War as reality and war as metaphor
On the one hand, this movie line is seared, seared into my memory:
"Sun-tzu: If your enemy is superior, evade him. If angry, irritate him. If equally matched, fight, and if not split and reevaluate."Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) "Wall Street"

On the other hand, as we face the threat of global terrorism rather than superpower competition or nation state agression, nothing is more pertinent to the reality of conflict that Sun-.

My point is whether you wish insight into the day-to-day conflict of business, or into current global trends, Sun-tzu is absolutely essential, and this well-written, well-edited book belongs in your library. ... Read more