This is bottomline an excellent book with editors and contributors that are prominent in their fields. The subjects covered were relevant in my work and there were excellent references for further study. I have passed my examinations and impressed my senior specialist peers after reading and understanding concepts vividly elucidated in this tome.Time and again this book has been the basis for my lectures to paramedics and medical student.The text is too small though. If you want a serious and indepth reference on acute pain, this is it.

Yes thats it boys, a book on pain. Come and get it. I took the course because the textbook was neat I dropped it because the idea was gross. Maybe I'll go into dentistry.....

this book is wonderful I loved the book the picture are great and its a good story line I hope you parents read this to your children.

Anyone who loves the work of Woody Allen will appreciate this book. The photography is gorgeous, with behind-the-scenes shots as well as stills from the films. In addition, Woody comments on the making of the films.

If you are currently collecting or playing Magic cards, I suggest buying this book if you dont have it NOW! It is filled w/ information, fully illustrated cards, interesting facts, playing tips, etc. Also, buy the Magic Encyclopedia Volume 1.

Great book of pictures of Mirage, Visions, 5th Edition, Weatherlight & Portal. Helps alot with viewing the cards for collecting.

Richard Garfield is the creator of Magic The Gathering card game. This book gives the reader an in-depth look into the game and shows the beautiful illustration that each card contains. This is a must have for all players and collectors of the card game.

Inspired by Joe R. Lansdale and DC comics such as Weird Western Tales and Jonah Hex, Dark Highway's Skull Full of Spurs left a big ole smile on this cowpoke's face. Jack Ketchum's story Luck, about a man who continues to get himself killed over and over and the unfortunate fates of his killers was one of the books highlights. Another was Richard Laymon's story The Hangman, a great and surprisingly funny story about a vengeful ghost. The stories about the midget sheriff, a magic bullett which hangs in midair in the middle of main street and Cthulhu mythos in the old west are all also great. Pick this book up.

Skull Full Of Spurs lives up to its name: It is truly a roundup of weird Western tales that will shock you, scare you and entertain you to the uttermost degree. I had a blast reading this book and anyone who's a fan of horror fiction will, too.

The book contains 12 stories, all of them good, none of them bad. But of course, some stand out against the others. Jack Ketchum's "Luck" is a great little campfire tale, Rick Hautala's "The Screaming Head" is about a horrifying folklore legend that comes to life and Yvonne Navarro's "Divine Justice" plays with the idea of heaven and hell in a Western setting.

But there are three great masterpieces of the bizarre in this book. Richard Laymon's "The Hangman" is a classic ghost story mixed with the elements of the Western tale and ends up being a great, satisfying read. Lawrence Walsh's "The Devil's Crapper" is a funny and twisted story that will make you laugh with every word and every sentence. And Adam-Troy Castro's "The Magic Bullet Theory" (the longest story in the book) is an epic tale that is brilliantly written and highly satisfying.

And if that's not enough for you, there are also stories by Edward Lee, M. Christian, Nancy A. Collins and a very twisted, very disturbing story by Robert Devereaux. Skull Full Of Spurs has it all; horror, action, fantasy, humour... It has something to please every reader of the genre. This is one collection you'll want to come back to time and time again. So saddle up part'ner and get ready to be entertained!

I just finished Skull Full of Spurs and I thought it was great. My favorite was the story by Edward Lee. It's a real departure for him. The Brian Hodge story is also quite good. I haven't enjoyed a book this much since Razored Saddles. I'd like to see more of these weird western type stories hit the shelves.

Highly recommended.

The book is good reading and the plot is action-packed with characters that are well developed and imaginative. Of the main characters Sunflash the Mace, my favorite, is a powerful leader of good. Swartt Sixclaw is the vengeful force of evil in the story, and his son Veil Sixclaw is the outcast referred to in the title. Veil, who was abandoned as an infant, has been raised at Redwall Abbey by the kind mouse maid Bryony. Veil is a combination of good and evil and is a mystery throughout the story. His wicked behavior causes him to be thrown out of Redwall. As a result, Veil struggles with his emotions and the difficult choices he must ultimately make. In the end, Veil surprises the reader with his uncommon act of heroism. The author, Brian Jaques, grabs the reader's interest by including in the story the elements of war, love, violence, evil and friendship. I really liked this book and think that it should be read by anyone who enjoys action stories and just plain good reading.

"In legend could truth be told, Of a warlord's son, a ferret bold, With blood-red paws, he was cast out, But left a shadow of doubt..." Outcast, as my friends and I call this book, this is a work of unrealistic greatness. As in all of Brian Jacques books, they all have a wide span of characters. Starring Sunflash the mace, an incredibly strong badger who is searching for his destiny, Swartt Sixclaw, an evil warlord, and Veil, the outcast. This is one of the many books in the Redwall series by Jacques, such as: Pearls of Lutra, Salamandastron, and The Bellmaker. The story begins with Sunflash, being trapped and beaten by the unmerciful Swartt Sixclaw and his crew. A soon to be friend helps Sunflash escape. Before they leave, Sunflash breaks off a piece of tree and mangles Swartt's paw which Swartt vows revenge on. Along the way, each party encounters many adventures including Veil, Swartt's son. Will Veil every meet his father? Will Sunflash ever find his destiny? How many feasts are in this book? You'll need to read Outcast of Redwall to find the answers. Trust me, you won't regret it!

"Eeulaliaaaaaa!"
The camp came to life instantly. Two vermin fell under the club as the badger threw himself at Swartt. Before the ferret had half drawn his sword, the badger's club thudded hard against his foe's six-clawed paw. Swartt screeched and fell back injured, yelling to his creatures, "Stop him! Kill him!"

This is just one of the many action-packed scenes from The Outcast of Redwall. The author, Brian Jacques, puts up a compelling performance in this novel. It is an epic story with a great mix of action, adventure, and drama. It is a long book, over 300 pages, but is worth the time and effort to read it.
There are many characters in The Outcast of Redwall, but I'm going to limit them to just the main characters. First, there is Swarrt Sixclaw. He is very cruel and ruthless. He commands a large army. Then there is Veil, who is also pretty cruel, but not as ruthless. He gets kicked out of Redwall. There is also Sunflash, who is a Badgerlord. He is Swartt's archenemy. He is the protagonist. Finally, there is Skarlath. He is Sunflash's best friend. Skarlath is usually the wiser between himself and Sunflash. He is also usually a lookout: as he is a kestrel (a bird of prey).
Basically, the story is about a Badger Lord named Sunflash and a ferret warlord named Swartt. Swartt and Sunflash are archenemies. Later on in the story Swartt has a son named Veil, who gets taken in by the creatures of Redwall Abby (a great abby made of red sandstone). He commits a terrible crime and gets cast out (hence the title The Outcast of Redwall). Swartt, Veil, and Sunflash end up meeting, and one final battle takes place. But... you'll have to read the rest to find out!
In the end you learn that there is good in everyone, and that it doesn't matter what someone acts like or looks like because they still can be good at times. Also, it doesn't matter whether you are the son/daughter to a dishonest, deceitful, or a cruel person; you can still be a courteous, kind, and a friendly person.

Continuing with the characters and swords-and-sorcery style of the first Dreamlands book, this book moves the action into the seas and skies. Plenty of swashbuckling adventure aboard ships, with cannons roaring, fierce battles by boarding parties, and prisoners forced to walk the plank. However, since these ships spend most of their time flying through the air, this isn't your normal naval adventure! If you like a rip-snorting adventure tale, there's plenty of action here, which I think you'll enjoy whether or not you're interested in the Lovecraftian setting.

The hard-core Lovecraft fan might react a bit differently. Although the story is set in H.P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands, Lumley puts his own twist on things. In the original dreamlands stories, magic and mystery surrounded most of the amazing aspects of the setting. Lumley puts a more pragmatic, scientific explanation behind things. For example, he provides a scientific, practical explanation for how the floating city of Serranian stays airborne, and how the sky ships fly. Another twist on the original HPL stories is the role of the Nightgaunts. In Lovecraft's stories, they are loathesome, inscrutable, and usually operating on behalf of greater powers. Lumley has a human character who can control a grim of Nightgaunts to do his bidding, whether his goal be evil or good.

Lovecraft fans who like pulp adventure and are not bothered by Lumley's shift of style, emphasis and detail from the original will have a great time sailing the skies of the Dreamlands and wandering the streets of Serranian. Purists will take offense.

The proper background for this book would be to read _The Dream Cycle of HP Lovecraft _, then the first book of this series, _Hero of Dreams_, but if you insist, you can get by without it.

Take timeless Celephais, and the sky-city of Serannian, for instance - created by the dreams of a young English boy at the seaside, a beautiful place where nothing ages, changes, or passes away. The boy, upon his death as a grown man, re-entered Celephais to rule it as King Kuranes. (All this is recounted in Lovecraft's "Celephais".)

Celephais, ideal city of dreams - no crime, no wars, no problems, no slums - just timeless perfection, marble temples, and a gentle king.

Yeah, right. :)

Enter David Hero and Eldin the Wanderer, once of the waking world but cast in a different mold - two professional questers. Knights-errant, mirrors of chivalry? Not even in your dreams (although you'll note that no language worse than "Damn me!" is ever needed). Having lost the love of his life when she woke up at the end of _Hero of Dreams_, Eldin has been working on staying drunk, and Hero has stayed with him. Not being blessed with much business sense, they've been staying in the same low dives they've always frequented, even though they have (or rather, had) money.

So we begin _Ship of Dreams_ with "Down and Out in Celephais", as the two of them are hauled before a judge for drunkenness, non-payment of debts, vagrancy, assault, seduction, and arson, not necessarily in that order. (Eldin has a touch of pyromania, which comes out when he gets annoyed.) Yes, they're guilty of everything - except that Hero protests the seduction charge, since *she* seduced *him* ("Why, man, I'll carry scars down my back for the rest of my dream-life. That girl has nails as long as --")

Ahem. This puts them right behind the 8-ball, where Kuranes wants them - they have the choice of either accepting his commission, to act as his questers, or to rot for 5 years in jail.

Introducing:

- Curator, the mysterious, silent robot guardian of the Museum, who only comes out when visitors start thinking of stealing the treasures therein. After their first meeting: "If he ever lays eyes on me again, he'll kill me. And I'm sorry but...I think the same goes for you two." "What did *we* do to annoy him?" "You were with me, " the Wanderer answered. "That's enough."

- Zura, the Princess of Zura - a beautiful, living woman, ruling over Zura the land, which carries the stench of death, and to which no living person willingly goes.

- Gytherik, master of night-gaunts - and nephew of Thinistor Udd, the ambitious sorcerer that Eldin, Hero and Aminza faced in the previous book.

- Ula and Una, the lovely twins who are *really* interested in learning about the world...

A lonely princess who wants nothing more than to seduce Hero. A sorcerer's apprentice, grimly seeking vengeance for his fallen master. Two lovely, lusty twins, highborn girls out for a bit of excitement.

And if you take any of this at face value, there's a bridge in Inquanok that we'd love to sell you. :)

Lumley is **NOT** trying to mimic the Dunsany-like style in which "Celephais" was written, nor is he making any extraordinary effort to, e.g., scare the reader into swearing off subways forever (see "Pickman's Model"). If you want Dunsany, check some of my other reviews for links to his books; if you want horror, seek out some non-Dreamlands Lovecraft.

All you need is to appreciate this book for what it is - fantasy with a bit of humor. The *settings* are the same as Lovecraft's - I don't think anybody's going to catch Lumley out in a discrepancy with Lovecraft's framework, mythology, or characters, e.g. Kuranes, Randolph Carter. The tone is generally lighter than Lovecraft.

Talking With Artists volume.3

This book is pretty interesting. It is about artists who share what they like to draw and about their lives. They are asked questions such as, "Do you have any kids or pets?" The illustrators show some of pictures that they drew when they were children. They also show how the children illustrators got their inspiration to draw.

I liked this book because it was neat to see how good some of the kids are at drawing and then to see them draw as they are older. Also that was cool it showed how to draw pictures in the back of the book. I recommend this book to people who are just stating to draw and people that want to read an interesting book.

I got this book at the library for my children, but I think I enjoyed it as much as they did! (I plan to buy a copy of my own!) Instead of a cool, impersonal presentation of artists and their work, this book provides a refreshingly personal view. The artists talk about their childhoods, how they spend their days (the answers are fun & honest!), their families, and best of all, they give us peeks inside their studios. I don't know about you, but I love seeing inside of an artist's private workspace! It's like a glimpse inside his/her mind.
The styles of the artists are very diverse and they use many different techniques that kids and adults alike would like to try out. I highly recommend this book!

This tape is well done. The sound effects create an atmosphere that draws in the listener. The actors are dramatic, but not overly so. The short stories themselves are well written, delivering edge-of-the-chair suspense (or knee-slapping comedy, as the case may be).

As most net surfers are aware the Sci-Fi Channel's web site has included a section devoted to science fiction radio drama...Seeing Ear Theatre. One aspect of which includes originally produced productions cerated especially for the site and which has featured performances by many well-known SF actors as Micheal O'Hare,Mark Hamill,Marina Sirtis,and others. With a few exceptions, a lot of the dramas are based on recent short stories by SF writers such as Terry Bisson, Allen Steele, John Kessel and Gergory Benford. With the release of this audiobook editon(which includes introductions by SF's resident angry young{sic}man Harlan Ellison)now one can listen to these stories anytime you want. The best stories(IMO)are the Three Odd Comedies and The Death of Captain Future (which despite the pulpish-sounding title is a darkly humorous tale set in the future history of Steele's previous works such as Orbital Decay and Clarke County,Space). If you like audio drama-- especially newly produced audio drama...you'll love this collection and you may also want to check out Vol. 2 which should be on sale soon(I know I can't wait).

WOW what a story! Brian Smith could sell this as a short story by itself it is so good IMO. I just wish they sold a hard copy of these writings--not just audio! I have been reading Sci Fi for a long time. This guy is great! Reminds me of 2001, a space odyssey a bit. Worth the price just for this one folks! I noticed there are no other books by Brian Smith for sale on Amazon. What's up with that? He needs to write books, and Amazon needs to sell them--geez, do I make myself clear?

If you want a game to melt your mind, pick up Mage. This is the third of five lines of game books in the World of Darkness, and the one with the most hope. In Vampire, Werewold, and Wraith, you play the monster. In Changling, you play the doomed to die crazy hero. In Mage you wrestle with Reality. Your views shape the world around you. You are fighting other views, that clash with yours, to the point where your magic can be harmful to you. Overall, this is a great game. The layout is average, the system is standard White Wolf. The philosophy is fantastic. The world is what you make it. Literally. Things exist and happen because people believe they do. Your job is to change or survive people's beliefs. On the negative, the index is one of the worst I've seen. 1st Edition Mage had a much better index. The index is too short and not nearly complete enough. It even lacks the normal page framing, making it look like the authors forgot to do it before sending it to the printers, and just whipped something together. If you use this book and this game, make sure to use sticky notes for your most common rules...

Thats right. You'd have to be right out of the box of Autumn People if you think this game suxs. Seriously, this game is the best as far as the World of Darkness goes. I mean yeah the others do have some definite things running for them but come on. You get to toy with peoples beliefs here, even if that person happens to be an Atheist. The problem is those types might find this game frightening especially when they realize that reality IS up for grabs and regardless of belief its gonna be exactly the way you percieve it. Maybe some people can't handle that kind of responsibility and try to play ignorant to it. Well the Technocracy likes people like them and I like to watch them squirm to define something vulgar as a rational thing. Some people will never learn. But enough about people who such cause they can't figure a good cronicle to run, Mage: The Ascension is a book worth reading for enjoyment of reading alone. Hell I've been playing the game for years now and I still can't help but pick the book up and re-read it every once in awhile. As player and storyteller of this game I must admit its one of the most fascinating roleplaying game I've ever played.

This is the best game in White Wolf's game universe. I have never played a game with so many possibilities. This book is the core rulebook for Mage the Ascension Second Edition. The book contains everything you need to understand the Mage universe. Every aspect of the game is elaborated on fully or contains enough information for you to come up with the rest of the details. The book focuses on the Traditions but there is also a good amount of information on the Technocratic Union, Marauders, and Nephandi for you to use. The worlds beyond the Gauntlet and Horizon are also touched on along with sample umbrood. With this book any game is possible. You want to play a fireball-chucking mage? No problem. How about a hacker from the Matrix? There's a Tradition available just for that. Want to play a tough martial artist who can catch bullets? There are rules for that too. This is a great book that can stand alone without supplements, unlike its revised edition.