This is an excellent collection of essays by the greatest preachers in the Reformed tradition today. Some of the topics include The Primacy of Preaching (Mohler), The Teaching Pastor (Sproul), Evangelistic Preaching (Alexander), and The Foolishness of Preaching (Boice). John Piper's essay on Preaching to Suffering People is one of the best things he has ever written and by itself is worth the price of the book ten times over. Derek Thomas' essay on Expository Preaching is full of very good instruction. Joel Beakes' contribution on Experimental Preaching is also excellent. I highly recommend this book for pastors. If you are not a pastor, consider purchasing it for your pastor as a gift. He will be appreciative.

The Fact that this book is excellent should be no surprise, merely take a glance at the authors. This book will probably offend pastors who are in to the modern pop pyschology, but then they probably wouldn't be reading it anyway. Granted, that was probably unfair but...
Naturally some chapters are better than others, here are a few:

"The Lasting Effect of Experimental Preaching"--the essay on spiritual formation--worth the price of the book.

"The Primacy of Preaching"--by Albert Mohler--very good, a wake up call to the church.

"Expository Preaching"--good and bad examples of expository preaching, very fun chapter.

"Preaching to Suffering People"--by John Piper. It is by Piper, enough said.

"A reminder to Shepherds"--By John Macarthur, a fitting close to a fine book.

Absolutely essential reading for upcomming (as well as seasoned) preachers. A true gem, very informative, and a must for all who proclaim God's Word.

Most who are familiar with the Bible are not familiar at all with the content of the major and minor prophets. The emotional impact of hearing the book of Ezekiel--especially in one sitting, which this set makes not only possible but enjoyable--is rather strong. In fact, it got me kicked out of my church, because the prophets give a sense of the extreme condition in which God finds us, and I applied it to Christendom. In this day of "luke-warmness", that did not go over too well : ) Having this set on tape gives us opportunities that otherwise simply would not be there for getting the "sense" of what's in the most-admired and least-read book in the world. I'd advise buying it if you're in doubt.

I've used the prophets as an example. My point is that there's no substitute for getting a whole book (especially the large ones) at one time. I've rated it at four stars because many of the... publishers (I don't know about this edition) to save money, cut the books into different tapes, which makes it nigh unto impossible to keep one's place...How would you like to go fast-forward and rewind for 10 minutes trying to find the beginning of Isaiah?...

Mark Vedder

This set of tapes has served me well. I listen to them in the car. I read the Bible every day, and I enjoy being able to listen to the Bible as well. I feel that the Bible is God's word, and God is the only One that can provide security and salvation for mankind. God's plan for the earth is in the Bible. The Bible is more than a history book.
Scourby provides a good voice to listen to. I highly recommend this set of tapes for anyone who enjoys listening to books on tape.

Scourby's voice was made to read the scriptures! His ability to match the tone of each passage is astounding! Without having to rely on dramatization, he is able to transport you to ancient Babylon, where Daniel is about to be thrown into the lions' den, or to Jerusalem, where 12 year-old Jesus discusses law with the priests and doctors.

William Berry has written a well-detailed, although brief, look at his attempted escape and captivity after the fall of Correigdor. While not a scholarly look at these events, the author gives a good account of his capture, escape and trek through the jungle, recapture and liberation by American servicemen from Bilibid prison in Manila. He painfully recounts the agony these men went through as they were crammed, up to 13 men at one time, into a 10 by 10 cell and forced to sit, without flinching, and stare at the wall all day.

As a recaptured prisoner, Berry and his two comrades somehow survive the war, as the usual penalty for escape is execution. They were sent to the maximum security prison in Manila for "special prisoners", and many prisoners stopped here only long enough to be sentenced and shot. Berry, who was a fledgling lawyer before enlisting in the Navy, saw these skills save his life and the lives of his friends when being sentenced, not so much his arguments, of course, but rather how he shaped it to fit his audience (A Japanese tribunal)

This book does not take long to read, but it is an interesting tale, and well worth the time invested. But, if you want greater scope and detail of Americans in Japanese captivity, read "Prisoners of the Japanese" by Gavan Daws, an extremely informative and well-written look at the horrors these men had to endure daily.

The author of this book is my grandfather. I found this book to be inspiring as I am also a soldier. I am in the Army and found this book to give me a greater appreciation of my profession as well as bring a greater understanding of my grandfather's life and why he is so proud. I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to understand what POWs in the Philippines went through. I have lent my copy of his book to several of my friends and they all gave it great reviews as well.

One of the few true to life books written by a WWII POW. As a history buff I find the first hand accounts in this book of the authors experiances and the others he came in contact a first rate story of America's darkest time. A must for all those who want to know more about POW's of the Japanese.

Having been stationed in the Philippines and traveled to Battan and Corrigidor it brought the meaning of those visits a little sharper in focus.

Thorm takes you into the world of the shawnee indians from the begining of their oral history to present day, as seen through the eyes of a young boy as he spends the night guarding the tribal alter and sacred items. during this time the sacred items, one by one, take him on a journy back in time and explain their importance to his people, then and now. this book is well writen, colorfull, and easy to read will be enjoyable for any age, background or culture.

The author presents a very interesting story based on fact as passed down by oral tradition. The oral tradition will perhaps vary somewhat in the different septs of the Shawnee, and as oral tradition will not always be interpreted with the same exact meaning, but on an overall scale I believe the author has done an excellant job of representing the Shawnee people's history and tradition.

I have to admit that just as I was starting to savour this thin slip of a book I found that it was, indeed, mere selections. The whole narrative is actually three volumes, over four hundred pages a volume. I was left with a craven empty feeling like a fiend for his needle. Humboldt's writing presages Thoreau and through him ponders the transcendent raptures of the natural world. Reading through the visit to the Caribs reminded me of my visits to the Grenadines where their presence is still redolent in the shadows under the almond trees. I felt that I had imbibed the same air as Humboldt.

Alexander von Humboldt (of the Current fame) was a famous polymath during the age of enlightenment. Like many noblemen, he used his money and leisure time in esoteric pursuits, such as collecting flora & fauna and trying to find the deeper meaning of it all.

This particular volume has been well-translated from the original - there is none of that stilted 'I haf von the Cherman translated been' style - it reads conversationally (assisted by the editing-out of long passages where Humboldt takes one of his many diversions) yet it also gives us an idea of what the man was really like. There is an extensive set of notes at the back, not just references, but elaboration of the point, which I found very illuminating.

His travels to South America span 5 years, during which time he collects and measures EVERYTHING - for at this time in history, no-one knew what was going to be pertinent or useful to science or economy. There are some amazing descriptions where he was the first educated person to see places; the problems of travel in uncharted, trackless & mountainous country make terrific reading. We may scoff at the zeal of the man, but if Hiram Bingham hadn't done the same, we wouldn't have the fantastic ruins of Macchu Picchu to study.

We also learn of the relatively tight circle of 'scientists' at that time - almost everyone knew everyone else, either via letters, Society writings or personal contact - and they knew it all; there was as yet no division between geology, biology, zoology etc - it was just 'Natural Philosophy' and one studied the lot (of course some dedicated themselves to a favourite pursuit). What is amazing to us now is the most simple things were unknown; for example, a sailor at death's door deep in the bowels of the ship, 'miraculously' recovers when taken on deck, out of the fetid miasma of the orlop - well, who wouldn't?... There are many similar incidents.

Slightly heavy going at times, because of the writing style of the period, it is nevertheless chock full of interesting snippets and amazing discoveries, giving a great insight into the mind and motives of a typical adventurous philosopher of the time. *****

Flexner vividly recounts Hamiltons life and career through age 26. This reads like Dickens writing history - from Hamilton's miserable, impoverished home life until age 10, his teenage life in his adopted country, (America), his career in the Continental Army, his love for Elizabeth Schuyler.

Flexner Brings the young Hamilton to life through his letters and actions in the revolution. This book has a vividness that is remarkable. The famous and not so famous participants in the story come to life also - George Washington, The Marquis de Lafayette, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, etc.

This book has been criticized for being overly "psycological". This aspect is not over done. Simply put, this is a great story - well told, well researched. Highly recommended.

In the bibliography of this book Mr. Flexner wrote that he felt that the real Hamilton had become obscured through the years through the writings of people who were either too fawning or too critical, depending on their political biases. Mr. Flexner therefore tried to get back to original sources as much as possible. Reading quotations from Hamilton's correspondence is one of the great pleasures of this book. But there are many things that make this book special. The author has a smooth, easy-to-read style. I have read elsewhere, in connection with one of Mr. Flexner's volumes on George Washington, someone complaining that the style is stilted or "old-fashioned." I heartily disagree with that criticism. Mr. Flexner was born in 1908 and this book was first published when the author was 70, but there is nothing "old-fashioned" about the prose. The style is actually quite modern. Another thing I enjoyed about the book was that the author went into the psychiatric reasons for Hamilton's sometimes aggressive and impulsive behavior, but he did so in a reasonable manner. You didn't feel as though you were being bludgeoned with analytical arguments but Mr. Flexner "gently" gave some commonsense and logical reasons for why Hamilton behaved the way he did e.g.-the stigma of his illegitimate birth, his mother's irresponsible behavior, being brought up in the West Indies and being left to basically fend for himself at an early age, etc.

I also enjoyed the way Mr. Flexner concentrated on Hamilton's service as aide-de-camp to George Washington during the Revolutionary War. There is a lot of interesting military history here, dealing with the battles fought on Long Island and in Trenton and Princeton and Monmouth, as well as Yorktown. There are wonderful gems of information, such as Washington's propensity to lose his temper amongst his close aides, when he wasn't on "public view" and felt that he could "let his hair down" a bit. Other interesting scenes include: at the Battle of Princeton where a patriot cannonball went through the window of Princeton college and slammed into a portrait of George II that was hanging on the wall, "decapitating" the king. (The patriots took the portrait down and "repaired" it by having an artist paint a scene with George Washington in it!); The Battle of Trenton, where the patriot army celebrated by drinking up the liquor the Hessians had left behind. Washington wanted to pursue the Hessians but was forced to give up on the idea as his men were in no shape to do anymore fighting!; Finally, in the section dealing with the Battle of Yorktown, Mr. Flexner mentions that shortly before the battle word had spread that a British force, led by Benedict Arnold no less, had been so upset by the strong resistance they had encountered in trying to take a fortress in New London, Connecticut, that the British had executed the men who had wanted to surrender to them when the fighting was over. The patriot army at Yorktown wanted to get revenge on the British and Washington had to give a speech before the battle that he basically didn't want his men to "lower themselves" to that level. If British troops wanted to surrender the surrender should be accepted and they should be taken prisoner. The troops did obey Washington's directive...

On a final note, I felt Mr. Flexner was very fair in this book. The author looked at Hamilton from all angles and praised the good things about him- his intelligence and hard work and sincere interest in doing what he felt was good for the future of the country- but also criticized his sometimes rash and impulsive behavior, and the author didn't gloss over Hamilton's general disdain for humanity!

This was a really excellent book and well-worth your time.

I thought the art was reasonably well-done, though it ain't James O'Barr's drawing. The story wasn't all that bad, pretty original, but it seemed kinda stupid to me. I mean, Confederate soldiers reincarnated as a biker gang. Not really all that far-fetched, but why would the Crow wait that long? I mean, let's look at our past Crows...one year, months, weeks, days, same day... I guess, revenge requires a sense of timing too, though it really didn't work for me. I also didn't feel a lot of the emotion I felt with O'Barr's story. I guess, I'm so used to the lyricism and poetics of the original, that anything less just seems like crap to me. Anyway, this book is work a look, but I honestly do not think that any Crow comic will ever be as good as the original.

This book is an excellent read based on the comic by J. O'Barr The Crow saga continues in this new story of in which a Crow warrior is awakened 100 years later to get revenge for the injustices done to him and his family.

This book was a good series, but it was hard to understand and figure out how the crow and the enemies come back 130.years later so that Joshua could have revenge, I mean was the crow tied up for 130 years and joshua was just on a waiting list for that time, but still, cool book and I am still wanting to know where the hell is waking nightmare#2 and whats taking so long

I was happy with James Luceno's novel. What I think are the strong points is that it gives a lot of interesting backstory and background on the events leading up to The Phantom Menace (TPM). The issues of the taxation of the trade routes, for example, is much clearer when you read this book. As is the Trade Federation and Chancellor Valorum, who you also get to learn about. Valorum only had a few lines in TPM, but he was important in the scheme of things nonetheless. What's nice about the Star Wars novels is that they can develop characters you only see on the screen for a few minutes.

The characters are written well. This is important for any Star Wars book and Luceno clearly has a grasp of them. The dialogue rings true, particuarly with Qui-Gon, who has a pretty good role. Palpatine was also a highlight.

Regarding Episode 2 spoilers: the thought had entered my mind while reading, but I don't think it could spoil anything. I'm a big anti-spoiler fanatic, so I would be upset if that were the case. I highly doubt Lucas gave Luceno his EP2 script. I would also think Lucasfilm would want to minimize spoilers. But because this novel takes place pre-TPM, and there will be a good sized gap in time between TPM and EP2, I can't see there being major spoilers in this book. I sure hope there isn't.

The writing style is clear and well done. Luceno uses a vocabularly word here or there but it never ever becomes excessive. It is very light on techno-jargon as well. The action scenes are written clearly enough, which is not always the case with books.

The pacing was good. I read through this book fairly quickly. It starts off pretty good and then gets better. I always looked forward to reading it.

Compared with the recent DARTH MAUL novel by Michael Greaves, I would say they're both comparable in quality, with the MAUL book slighting this one by a hair. I recommend both novels. The MAUL book takes place before this one but it doesn't make much of a difference which one you read first. Both are highly worthwhile.

James Lucerno is greatly welcome in the Star Wars universe. I enjoyed his last two novels immensely and now he has taken a wonderful new step into the prequel time line. Reading this book, it really seems he has a handle on Senator Palpatine. If you were left wanting more of him (like I was) from the Phantom Menace, look no further. This book sets up the events of Episode 1 with Palpatine angling for the taxation of the outer rim trade routes on one hand and dealing with the Trade Federation on the other. Valorium is shown to be even more of Palpatine's target in this book. And Qui Gon Jinn and Obi Wan are well used, but the real strength in this story is the Senator who would be Emperor Palpatine. Star Wars fans...buy this one!

The book started a little slow, but picked up pace. We learn from this novel, how suave Palpatine is. He plays several sides of the political arena, and as we know, to benefit his interests in the future. Poor Valorum does not have too many allies, mainly the Jedi. The book centers on the Trade Federation and the Nebula Front...and taxation on the outlying systems. The Nebula Front is a terrorist organization out to get Valorum, or so it seems and also to reduce the control of the Trade Federation on its trading routes.

The book is written like a good suspense/political novel, and set in the Star Wars universe. You can expect some action with the Jedi, as well as the terrorists, but mainly dialogue makes up this book, along with plenty of twists, especially a couple toward the end.

Listening to the Bible in Alexander Scourby's wonderful voice is pure pleasure. Unfortunately, for the "dramatized" version, they gave all quotations--entire chapters in some places--to actors of mediocre skills. They sound like they didn't read the script ahead of time. Voice inflection is all wrong. It's an effort to make sense of what one hears. My advice: buy the Alexander Scourby version that doesn't say "dramatized" instead.

This is a voice only recording of the KJV bible. This recording took Alexander Scourby over one year to complete. This package comes with 62 CDs - the CDs will give you a lifetime of flawless listening. You can listen to this complete recording on line at - http://www.audio-bible.com /bible/bible.html

This is a wonderful narration of the original KJV of 1611. I have been been enthralled with the vividness of the scripture afforded by this dramatized version. The quality of Scourby's narration, inflection and emphasis -and the various voices all produce clarity that I don't think I would have otherwise had. This product is a blessing and I really can't stop listening.

I am in agreement with two other reviews I have read. Just the story concept alone was spellbinding to me, and as always before with Thom's novels, I sat down in great anticipation of a thoroughly absorbing, marathon read. In the beginning, it was very well written and interesting, so much so that when it started to go downhill, I stuck with it, thinking it would surely get better, but it never did! It just kept going downhill! Incredible! I felt cheated. This concept DESERVES a good telling, and I believe it could have it. James, try again -- I still don't believe I know anyone that could do it better than you.

Also, the explicit details of sex and rape were not only unwarranted, they were thoroughly, completely, downright DISGUSTING.

The differences I see between this story and his others are that it does span a very long time period, with many generations of people, and there aren't as many facts to go on. This makes me think he should stick to stories with a shorter time span, focusing on one person/family/tribe (you get the picture), and which has more information; OR he should just work a lot harder on a story such as this.

The story became SO boring, that it was truly an effort to even barely skim the book to its end.

The only reason I am giving a rating of two stars instead of one (which I was going to do), is that it did begin well, the concept is awesome (that still excites me), and the GENERAL storyline is good. I will read his next book with great (though guarded) anticipation.

Amazingly, I felt transferred into this wild wilderness, battling all of the various elements of danger contained within the world of the ragged travellers. This is the story of a Welsh prince of antiquity that leaves his embattled homeland to hopefully build another kingdom in paradise. The scenes on the ocean voyage are particularly exciting, as are the various encounters with the native peoples he and his fellow journeyers encounter. I found the novel entirely engrossing.Before devouring this book, I had never read any of Thom's other novels. I went on to read most of his other works in rapid succession. He brings the history of native America into sharper focus.

At age 52, I rank this as one of the three most entertaining books I've ever read, along with Goethe's Faust & John Grisham's The Firm. For two years, I had been researching Madoc and the Mandan to write a book on the subject; after reading Thom's book, I yield to a superior author who has thoroughly researched many sources and brought many mysteries together to reveal a likely history of actual events which occurred in Wales, the Southeast U. S., and along the Ohio River, culminating in the current location of the Mandan Nation in the center of our continent. As I continued reading, my jealousy quickly became admiration. I read this book five times in its first two months, and I continue to enjoy it today. I cannot comprehend any reaction other than excited enjoyment to this great book.