This series started out very good. The first book, especially, pulls you in and hooks you. But in each subsequent book, logic drifts further and further into the background, while plot convolutions and "surprises" (which usually counter "facts" laid out in previous books) take the fore. And do they all have to end with a deus ex machina? Please!

This was by far the worst, and fitting that being the worst and final book in the series, it has the worst and final ending of its own. The one star I am forced to give it, it does not deserve.

well there is not much to say it was just fantastic and i loved it

...ly bad! Wow! I am in awe. I had to give this book a 5-star rating simply because any aspiring author of Sciene-fiction or Fantasy should have access to a copy. It is a finely-crafted example of both what not to do when writing fiction, and how it is possible to achieve publication with no merit whatsoever! As mentioned elsewhere, the "deus ex machina" devices abound in this travesty, and lengthy descriptions detail the puppet-like nature of our "hero", and how he does not feel he deserves the appellation. Quite true, too. Who needs to be when you have boots and gauntlets that automatically react in the best possible fashion in the face of danger, and a gun that turns magic back at its nefarious caster? Oh, and all this "travelling to places you can see or remember just by thinking of it" guff...puh-lease! The preface mentions that the reader need not have perused the preceding books in the series. An accurate assertion, as refreshers are given ad nauseum...believe me - this was the first I had seen of the series, and I was well and truly sick of the constant reminders of things I had managed to grasp by the first or second time they were mentioned. It is hard to describe the nature of this book's plot woes...for one thing, the heroes are never really at risk. The only major casualties sustained by the Roundear and his cronies (ie. "goodies") are anonymous infantry and a distant non-allied city-state. We see a lot of Zady shouting "I'll get you!" and showing surprisingly good aim with avian excrement - surprising because she never hits any targets with anything more lethal. We see a lot of hints of incestuous admiration, and a wonderful piece of condescension so purulent that it singlehandedly made sense of the whole Political Correctness movement for me (it involves the warm fuzzy feeling one gets for a slightly retarded human child that is almost equal to the one we get for its normal counterpart). But maybe I was just in a bad mood by that stage and read too much into it. The ending, and especially Mouvar's explanation of the whys and wherefores of the struggle with Devale, was particularly rank in terms of plot and pseudo-philosophy. I was, quite seriously, putting down the book every page or so to stop for breath and clear my head. What more can I say - rush out and buy a copy now! Or better yet, borrow someone else's, because trust me - you DO NOT want to have paid to read this.

A writer with a different perspective falls into the same old plot devices. Too many cops willing to divulge information at the drop of a hat, a detective too willing to forgive a half naked woman who has just emptied a gun at him. Although witty,a story that carries little mystery or suspense, and too few believable situations.

I waited a long time for the paperback edition of the novel to reach the bookstore and Gar Anthony Haywood's Aaron Gunner series are definitely still at the top of my list. I enjoyed this story of Aaron Gunner trying to solve the mystery of a rap star who "supposedly" committed suicide. Did rapper Digga Jones, an up and coming rap star, who had everything going for him, fame and fortune commit suicide or did one of his fellow rappers, his manager or his record label executives do the deed? All these questions are answered and when you find out the truth, you may be surprised. Check out this novel as Mr. Haywood is definitely the real deal.

This is the first Aaron Gunner mystery I've read, but I will read the others! This intricate mystery involving several different cases is wrapped up in far fewer pages than the norm these days, and it was appreciated by this reader! Excellent plotting, spare writing: I recommend it highly!

Materialist anthropologist and scholarly careerist, Aveni goes to some lengths to try to debunk and/or discredit previous theorists and supplant their ideas with his own compendium of possibilities for the lines: "water, walking, astronomy, kinship, divisions of labor and ceremonial responsibility, sweeping, radiality," and two or three more, including line and terrasculpture as ceremonial labyrinth. The author is so busy condescending to people like Maria Reiche, who spent her entire adult life on the pampa, that he contradicts himself. For example, while he early-on questions Reiche's position that the lines are the "biggest astronomy book in the world," after rambling for some chapters from his materialist point of view, he grandiosely posits, "The Nasca lines were written in the stars." Boil it all down and get rid of the professional jealousy and condescension and the unnecessary recounting of other "wonders fo the world" and "earth geometry," and you have some pretty good photos and graphics and an updated list of theories. One warning: Aveni devotes only one chapter to extended discussion of the animal figures; his primary focus is the lines, trapeziods, zigzags, etc.

I was a bit doubtful about this book - *another* book on Nasca lines? However, despite some rambling on about "wonders of the world", which I thought beside the point, it has some useful background information about the Nasca and Inca peoples.

What this book does is successfuly emphasise how little we actually know about Nasca and the Pampa. The lines were NOT ment to be seen from above in a plane but formed,in some now indescribable way, a central part of community and spirital life of these people for centuries.

I found this book wandered around all over the place on topics not related to the lines or Nasca people, but I found it useful to fill in background information on the people themselves (what litte of it exists) and that is what I was after. I now know that most of Andean archaeology is based on a large dose of guesswork.

The lines are approched by the author in context to their enviroment and the people who built them - a wise and long overdue assement in my view.

This book is worth it for the background information on the Nasca even if it dosen't offer any real "answers".

I thought that the author did a superlative job as far as being comprehensive in regard to the various theories that have been advanced to explain the Nazca line enigma. The illustrations were excellent and, in most cases, the photography was the best available at the time of publication. Anthony F. Aveni also was very thorough in his integration of ideas from other sources such as pottery, textiles, and native customs.

If anything negative can be said of the work, it might be that the author has included too much between the covers. For example, it may not have been necessary for him to have devoted an entire chapter to other wonders of the ancient world which tends to tire the reader who, understandably, is more concerned with getting at the mystery at Nazca. At one point one tends to forget what the book is really all about. I realize that Mr. Aveni is wanting to give us a thorough presentation for comparison to the Nazca ground drawings and, thus, qualify them as the Eighth World Wonder from ancient times. He goes perhaps a bit too far in satisfying his own desires in this venture. He can, perhaps, be forgiven for his gallant attempt at providing an interesting 'filler'.

In conclusion, I would have to say that any serious student of the Nazca phenomenon would find Aveni's book invaluable. The book is an up-to-date work providing information on all previous theories by archeologists, anthropologists, astronomers and others, while at the same time mustering supporting evidence for the author's own arguments. While Aveni may not have solved the Nazca riddle, he has been successful in guiding the reader around previous pitfalls in thinking, and, at least, has shown what the Nazca lines are NOT.

He is selfish, arrogent, presumptous, and completely blind when it comes to women and she loves him anyway. He never changes despite how obviosly wrong he is. Instead of kicking his but out of her bed she just accepts everything. Yuck!!! this is not worth your time

One of the reasons I wished to write historical romances, was because of Maggie Davis aka Katherine Deauxville. I was running a bookstore at the time her historicals came out, and I had a customer that bought everything she wrote under either name, so naturally I had to see what had this customer so loyal. And am I glad I did!!! I fear some people often are not sure how to take Deauxville, because she refuses to conform to pattern writing, and I am sorry for them, because she is a writer with charm, wit, with strong research and able to create characters you will vividly recall years after you put the book down. And her medievals are just that, they endure and its a shame she does not get more attention for them. So if you love medievals that are fresh, not formula, and have missed Crystal Heart, Amethyst Crown, Daggers of Gold, then snap these up and enjoy!!! She is rich in detail of the period and local, and takes the reader on a wonderful journey in the Middle Ages.

In this tale - after the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror gives his knight Fulk de Jobourg ownership of Castle Morlaix in Wales and orders him to marry its heiress, Lady Alwyn Lesneven. Her father was hanged for treason, and Fulk put in control of the lands, so Alwyn, quite naturally, is not pleased to be commanded to marry him. Her villeins fears William's and Falk's wrath, so they truss her up and deliver her to the altar. Fauk is disappointed his bride has to be wed in this manner, but does his duty. Then promptly leaves her to go hunt rebel Welsh. It is a series a hardships, pains and struggles, with Alwyn making all sorts of mistakes, but eventually Falk and Alywn must face their lives together...with her continually thwarting his power and yet, she is unable to fight her growing need for him.

It is a wonderful tale, very non-stereotypical. Deauxville is able to walk the fine line between giving you an independent, headstrong character the women of today can appreciate, yet keeps within the believability of the period.

Way to Go, Maggie!!! PLEASE more historicals!!!

"Blood Red Roses" by Katherine Deauxville is my favorite Medieval Romance.

Before this Elizabeth Lowell and Kathleen E. Woodiwiss wrote my favorites. I read this book when it came out and I've spent years trying to figure out why I love it so much.

To start, the obviously well researched historical detail alone is incredible and makes me feel like I am there. My first reaction to Fulk, the hero, was that he's a big bully. But I began to see him as a very strong, very fair man in a brutal patriarchal society. How can Alwyn, the heroine, not love him. She's physically attracted to him and he's the father of her child and the lord of her castle. It *is* Alwyn's castle and it's inhabited with *her* people and she fights for it, and them, with all her heart. Alwyn and Fulk both fight for what they believe is right. They very often don't agree on what the right thing is. She thinks he doesn't understand and he thinks she's deliberately trying to provoke him. It seems realistic, men and women don't always see things the same way. Fulk seems like a medieval male and Alwyn seems like a medieval female (not some missplaced 20th century woman). I also enjoyed the supporting characters. But all in all it's a love story and the Hero and Heroine are two shining example's of the male and female beasts who must both compromise in order to have love.

I very rarely reread a book but I've read this one 5 times. I didn't even realize it was my favorite for a few years. Not until I finally noticed I never stopped thinking about it and started to reread it. I have since aquired all Maggie Davis' books, AKA Katherine Deauxville, and even though I prefer Historical romances I'll read anything she writes.

A few of my favorite Authors are Judith Merkle Riley, Eva Ibbotson, Carla Kelly, Emma Holly and Connie Willis.

The book is treating a new subject with few firmly established definitions and methods. The authors, who are describing their own work only, therefore become to subjective about the success of their method. This does not belong in a textbook, and the book should therefore considered merely as a compilation of personal comments/reviews. There are also too many repetitions of e.g. definitions, which sometimes are differing from chapter to chapter. In my opinion the book is more suited for readers who have some knowledge of the field beforehand, however, in that case the book is an excellent compilation of different methods and ideas.

This book explores the subject of combinatorial chemistry especially on organic applications. The book is devided in 12 chapters written by a total of 26 prominent chemists but this makes the book a messy affair because there is a lot of repetitions of definitions etc. All in all, I would not recommend this book neither for newcomers nor skilled chemists.

This was easy to read and really focussed on the organic chemistry aspects of combinatorial chemistry. I liked it MUCH better than the previous reviewer.

Anthony admits in "Bio of an Ogre" that a lot of his fantasy inspiration is from the Arabian Nights. Here he tries a similar story in his style. You are better off buying The Arabian Nights in an unexpurgated edition -- yes, that means that when the hero sneaks into the harem, he really does it with the ladies. Its easy to see that Anthony's bold sexual themes derive from the inspiration of his source. However, the book lacks a certain dimensionality to the characters, as if this is an early work when he was an uncertain writer. I don't remember much of the story or plot, and that says it all -- its a throwaway imitation. Get the original source!

While I admit the story and characters are simplistic, I rarely look for depth when reading Piers Anthony novels. Most of his earlier works are written to appeal to a younger crowd. This book is told straight out in simple language a tale of adventure with an appropriate mix of heroism, sex, stupidity, love, and conflict. Hasan is admittedly one-dimensional, but that is to be expected of a poor young man who has been exposed to nothing but goldsmithing in his life...until he meets up with a crafty magician who cons Hasan into trapping himself on a mountaintop. This turns a blessing in disguise when his only means of escape leads to the gilded, isolated abode of a dozen beautiful and wealthy princesses who adopt him as their brother. He learns much from them but still never quite loses his naivety through the story. But this same naivety ultimately keeps him on his pursuit to rescue the marvelously pretty, artificially-winged woman he meets, marries, and then loses to a wrathful queen of the Isle of Wak (also, incidentally, inhabited entirely by beautiful women). Several help him in his quest, including a hardened but compassionate military general witch and an arrogant but humorous djinn. The book reads quickly...great to breeze through and then give to a friend, and a nice paperback to keep on your shelf afterward.

This book is very interesting. A little different than his other novels, but definately worth reading.

This book may give you the "meat and potatoes" of sociology but unfortunetly it doesn't give you more than that. If your goal is to put some of your curiosity into perspective this is propably the book. But if you want to understand the field of sociology as an academic discipline this suffers from not focusing on theories but on themes. It will spark the "sociological imagination" but I will not read the book again and again.

This book may be helpful in high school but for college and up you need to supplement (or replace) it with one which focus on theories and theorists like "Classical & Modern Social Theory" by Heine Andersen and Lars Bo Kaspersen which is the best introduction to theorists from Marx to Giddens IMO. THIS is the book that will follow me always.

This [2nd Edition] is about as thick a book as some bibles are, but as bibles come also on pocket sizes, so should this book! It gives great previews on different aspects of everyday life, but doesn't offer anything new. This is like a referendum into sociology's different sides in whole. I wonder if the edition 3 will be as much "copy and paste" from edition 2 as this edition is from the first edition...

This book makes me love sociology, and understand it. I love the down to earth examples from real life situations, such as people working in health clubs and people on the streets and the way this gets used to introduce the meat and potatoes of sociology.

After reading this to my daughter I was intriqued to search for more information concerning the author's intent and message. Animals getting harmed and going to a prison camp don't seem to be the kind of story I want to read to my 17 month old.

Funny, my son and I liked it. Bear goes to town with a magic pencil, makes friends with Cat, saves cat and a variety of other animals from a guarded camp (Animal Control? funny place to find cows, though), and draws an idyllic hillside for these animals to occupy. The illustrations are quirky and unexpected, while the tone of the book is calm, almost somnabulistic. It does seem to have an underlying theme about harm to animals, but it is deeply placed, and my child was much more concerned with the clear "good and evil" parameters he's familiar with from fairy tales.

I got this when my son was about 4 yrs. old. He is now using it in a creative writing class in High school. Its his favorite book. We thought it was funny. I think because it is very different and unusual people cant seem to see the humor, nor the creativity side of it.

I buy virtually every video game book that is out there, and this has to be one of the worst ever. The directions given were freuently incorrect (i.e., lefts and rights for getting through mazes were constantly reversed) and on occasion, events were presented out of order. Some maps or diagrams of the puzzles would have been much more welcome than mediocre gray-scale artwork. Honestly, folks, download an online FAQ for help with Beyond the Beyond.

Please make more of these books because I didn't get one Because you arer out of print I bought the game but I need the book

This was a wonderful book, leading me through many difficult mazes in the game. BUT, to get at the climax of the game, and have to wander aimlessly in the ocean for days and days because I can't understand the directions to the cities??? Why didn't you just put in a map?