First of all, please ignore the review below that proclaims this book to be "Pagan Lite". This reviewer has cut-and-pasted that review, verbatim, under all of the books in the Sabbat Series. Given that I've read several of them which don't fit the "Lite" description, I am surmising that the reviewer read maybe one of the books and made a generalization about all of them. Bear in mind that they are written by different authors, with varying degrees of knowledge and writing skills.

Anna Franklin and Paul Mason do a great job here with the fragmentary material they have to work with. Lammas/Lughnasad is possibly the most obscure of the Wiccan holidays, both because little survives about it and because the sometimes uncomfortable theme of sacrifice is present in it. The authors piece together what information remains to us about the deity for whom Lughnasad is named--Irish Lugh, Welsh Llew--and about the ways they were honored. Since this isn't a huge body of information, they supplement it with material about other sacrificial gods whose rites occurred around this time of year, such as Odin, Adonis, and Dionysos. They add in some of Robert Graves's evocative speculations about sacrificial kings, and together all this stuff will give you a good starting point for your Lammas rituals.

There are also recipes, incenses, spells, dyes, etc. Additionally, there is a large section on warrior magic, since Lugh was a warrior and Lughnasad is often considered a time to honor these fierce energies. This section almost could have been another book, dealing with things such as totem animals.

The book concludes with several rituals for the season, each with a different cultural slant (Druidic, Norse, general Wiccan, etc.) The rituals are relatively simple as written, which I like, since it means I can use them as a framework and flesh them out with my own writing and ideas.

Overall, a valuable book about an obscure holiday.

*--A chant I made up.

When discussing the sabbats, most pagan and wiccan books reserve only a few paragraphs to the various cellebrations, and most specific titles devote most of their time to Yule or Samhain/Hallowe'en. Lammas often gets a paragraph or two at best, and no real descriptive text giving you even a starting point on cellebrating the sabbat. Having taken a timid step toward the Sabbat series of books by Llewellyn with "Yule," and "Hallowe'en," I snapped up a copy of "Lammas" in time for my celebration in August, and read it cover to cover.

Much like Morrison's worldly take in "Yule," Franklin and Mason have penned a book that is a blend of various pagan and celtic folklore and world harvest celebrations. From Lugh to fashioning corn maidens, to specific Lughnasa magics, and rounding it all up with a cookbook perfect for any first harvest spread, the book was quite full of ways to craft a more serious Lammas cellebration, and had just the right mix of inspiration and lore to make it more than a glorified arts and crafts book for your New Age shelf. I cannot say enough about the folklore aspect of this book: there is so much here that helps bring a real focus to your Lammas cellebration.

Definitely more useful and in depth than Ravenwolf's "Hallowe'en" (the weakest of the series so far), "Lammas" will find a welcome home in the hands of beginner and more experienced pagans and wiccans alike.

'Nathan

It is true that the Llewellyn series of books on the pagan Sabbats is a mixed bag with some of the eight books being light-weight, some being useful and some, as in this case, being excellent in every way. Each of the books should be judged on an individual basis. This title has a thorough introduction and much history and lore on the subject of the pagan holiday or Sabbat called Lammas or Lughnasadh. The writing is engaging and well-researched and very informative. It discusses among others the customs of well dressing, Telltown marriages, handfastings, and Highland games. It provides good detail on the myth of the Celtic god Lugh from whom one name for this holiday is derived. It discusses similar harvest festivals and practices from other cultures around the world. It provides a well-rounded view of this holiday and does not depict it only as a harvest festival but includes the lesser-known aspects of competition, gaming, warrior activities, divination and the lore of the Ash tree. Even a well-read and experienced pagan is likely to find new and interesting insights in this book. It contains a good section on Lammas traditional foods that include Boxty Scones that I can personally attest to as being delicious. The craft section of this book has many seasonal crafts that are fun and easy, including the familiar and traditonal craft of making corn dollies. There are recipes for making incense and herbal dyes. The chapter on Warrior magic is filled with evocative and colorful crafts as well. Several simple but meaningful rituals are also included, adaptable for personal Sabbat celebrations.
The book is thorough and though not a beginner's book, certainly helpful and easily understood. It makes keeping this Sabbat a deeper experience and I think it will be much appreciated by the serious pagan. It is an interesting look at lesser-known cultural customs even for the non-pagan and can aid significantly in one's appreciation of the subtle turning of the wheel of the year.

In studying Judean history in the first century CE, there is no historian more important than Josephus, especially when one is interested in the study of the historical Jesus or of the world around him (the religious/social/political climate, etc.) Josephus is not only the only Jewish historian of this era to comment on Jesus, he is the only Jewish historian to thoroughly present the history as well as psychological outlook of Jews through a lengthy span of time. His works are immeasurably important to anyone interested in this line of study. This book contains all of his important works and more: his autobiography, Jewish Antiquities, The Jewish War, Against Apion, and an extract out of Josephus's Discource to the Greeks Concerning Hades (the last of which is EXTREMELY HELPFUL in understanding the Jewish view of the afterlife at the time of Josephus.)
This edition of Josephus is helpful, with occasional essays on certain topics (i.e. "Josephus and the Romans" or the family tree of the House of Herod.) The translation is a little stale, but easy enough to understand (and I am assured that the faults in the original Whiston translation have been corrected.) The textual notes are VERY helpful, if a little dated and biased. It is for these negatives that I gave this work 4 stars instead of 5-- though I really am indebted to those who put together this extremely comprehensive, helpful volume of one of the most important historians relating to the history of Israel/Judea.

THE ONLY THING I DID NOT LIKE IT, IS THE SMALL LETTERS. YOU GET TIRE AFTER A WHILE OF READING.

Josephus' _Wars of the Jews_ is a masterpiece. His firsthand recounting of the Destructon of Jerusalem by Titus in 70AD is captivating and telling. To properly understand human action at the farthest extreme of desperation and depravity, one needs to read this book.

It is a shame that Hebrew civilization is not honored in our view of history to the same extent that the Greek or Roman is.

They were not content to do something as mundane as build a successful business. Rather, they were hell-bent on global domination. Along the way, they were afforded the stature of world leaders, idolized like rock stars, and treated like folk heroes." "When the history of the Digital Age is written, the story will be boiled down to the empires created by five men: Bill Gates, Steve Case, Larry Ellison, John Chambers, and Jeff Bezos." "They are The New Imperialists." "Yet, who really are they? Beyond the scores of cover stories, newspaper headlines, television interviews and biographies, their personal motives and motivators have remained a mystery." "Until now." "Mark Leibovich spent 18 months interviewing the men themselves and over 400 people who have known them best: family, friends, neighbors, former teachers, classmates and lovers, colleagues, employees and adversaries. Combining the information he gleaned with his own unique take on these men, Leibovich has written a fascinating collection of biographies emphasizing their little known and deeply personal quirks, motivations, warts, demons, and vanities

In case you are not familiar with the people who "virtually" rule our technology-laden world, according to Washington Post technology reporter Leibovich, they are Microsoft's Bill Gates, Amazon.com's Jeff Bezos, American Online (AOL)'s Steve Case, Oracle Corporation's Larry Ellison, and Cisco Systems' John Chambers.

Software-manufacturer Microsoft, of course, needs no introduction; Oracle developed the data management software used in ATMs and credit card terminals; Internet retailer Amazon.com, like most of its adversaries, uses hardware developed by Cisco to finalize consumer purchases of books, movies and CDs, among other products; and the world's most successful Internet service provider, AOL, recently became part of the world's largest media conglomerate when it merged with Time Warner.

Leibovich spent 18 months interviewing the book's subjects, and their families, friends and acquaintances, with the goal of looking at "what formed the desperate edges to their ambitions."

Gates and Ellison, at the time of writing, were the world's two richest people, respectively.

Ellison attributes his drive for success to the fear of its alternative. "I can't imagine anything worse than failing," he says. Also fearful of aging, he helps fund research on a hormone believed by some to slow the process.

Ellison is in the middle of building a compound near San Francisco which includes "an 8,000-square-foot main house; five guest residences [where guests will select food from a computer screen and have it delivered to them by boat], an underground network of basements and tunnels; a forest of cherry trees...streams, waterfalls, ponds, and a lake...a tea house, boathouse, amphitheater, indoor basketball court and recreation centre; a horse stable; three garages for Ellison's 14 cars; and a sprawling garden to be maintained by a staff of 20. The lake will be filled with purified drinking water."

Quite a step up from the apartments he lived in as a child where his adoptive father frequently told him he "would never amount to anything."

Aggressive when it came to growing his business, Ellison reportedly ended meetings by chanting, "kill, kill, kill." In his personal life, he went on "Oprah" to make "a public plea for a wife" after divorcing his first three.

Envisioning a small but successful Internet bookstore when he conceived Amazon.com in 1994, Jeff Bezos quickly discovered he was onto something and soon branched out into other product lines. In a nutshell, he's the one responsible for turning "computer screens into the new store windows," as Leibovich notes.

Bezos is known for a laugh so loud and unusual "that his younger siblings used to refuse to sit with him in movie theatres." In grade 12, his library card was revoked for laughing too loudly in the library.

Bezos is well known for scrutinizing prospective employees and Leibovich shares a story about how, when Bezos was interviewing a candidate for the position of chief financial officer for Amazon.com he asked why she had placed 2nd instead of 1st out of 27,000 when she wrote her CPA exam. The candidate replied that it was because she hadn't studied.

She got the job.

As a child, Bezos read a lot of science fiction books and would say later, "It was a great way of expanding your ideas of what's possible and what's not." Meanwhile, his mother let him watch "Star Trek" and the "Three Stooges," which could explain both the laugh and his fascination with cyberspace.

Cisco is the primary manufacturer of the equipment people and businesses use to connect to the Internet, and Leibovich describes Cisco's John Chambers as being "the executive personification of all the Internet's promise and prosperity, a man floating on the new-economy balloon. Until it popped."

A fellow Cisco executive declares, "John will often say, this will be really challenging, but isn't it really fun?!"

In the year 2000, Chambers, who has dyslexia, was paid a total of $157.3 million for running Cisco. At their highest point, Cisco shares had risen 100,000 percent since their initial public offering.

It is here that we learn of the angst Bill Gates experienced during the recent antitrust trial which would give Microsoft the dubious distinction of becoming known as "America's most embattled company." He takes his work - and Microsoft's future - seriously, saying, "If I'm worried about something at work, it's there 24 hours a day."

When he started Microsoft, he resolved the company should not take on debt, while insisting it maintain enough money to survive for one year with no sales. Obviously, that year never came. Gates currently has a net worth somewhere in the neighbourhood of $54 billion. In an interview, Leibovich asked Gates if there is "a burden in being so wealthy and having everyone know it." Gates responded, "Sure. But there is an offsetting benefit."

Gates was born into a wealthy family in Seattle, and when his mother, via intercom, asked him what he was doing in his room as a child, he ignored her. If she persisted, he'd yell, "Thinking!"

The thinking would eventually pay off, especially when he started thinking about computers, an obsession that started when he was 12.

America Online founder Steve Case is reputedly called "the Wall" at AOL due to his lack of emotion.

Of Case's childhood, Leibovich writes, "These were the dark ages before chat rooms and instant messaging, when kids called one another together by bouncing a basketball on a driveway." Case spent so much time in his room his parents called it his "office," and getting mail (the old-fashioned kind) made his day. When he wasn't in his room, the basketball games he played with his brother and childhood friends were extremely competitive, and he was known for "a penchant for the board game, Risk, where the object of the game was world domination."

Strange that later in life he would come to dominate the world's Internet service provider market.

Leibovich's book is a powerful read, providing us with a critical look at these men and their companies, and what is most interesting is how their vastly different personalities each seem suited to success.

Leibovich's use of the word "imperialist" is apt to the extent that each of the five "restless kids" (Case, Chambers, Bezos, Gates, and Ellison) grew up to "virtually rule the world" and now preside over the 21st century's equivalent of an empire. Thus each can be viewed as a modern-day emperor. In that sense, they are (at least for now) among the "royalty" of the contemporary business world. Frankly, I find them much more interesting as ordinary human beings in most respects but who do indeed possess a few extraordinary talents which help to explain why each has achieved so much thus far.

Leibovich organizes her excellent material with five chapters, each dedicated to one of the "new imperialists." Having just read Florence Stone's The Oracle of Oracle: The Story of Volatile CEO Larry Ellison and the Strategies Behind His Company's Phenomenal Success, I was already well-prepared for the first chapter. Stone's comments about Ellison are remarkably;y consistent with Leibovich's, both agreeing that Ellison is one of the most complicated, sometimes contradictory, and on occasion infuriating people they have as yet encountered. Consider Leibovich's account of a conversation with Adda Quinn, to whom Ellison was once married, years before the founding of Oracle: "Quinn calls Ellison the most charming, brilliant, and non-boring man she has ever known. He also gave her an ulcer, she says, with his deceptions, darting interests, and changing moods....He had an explosive temper and Quinn said she feared for her safety as their marriage was ending. The couple kept guns in the house -- they lived in a rough part of Oakland and had been burglarize -- and she thought that Ellison was becoming increasingly erratic." There are many other similar comments by whose who had direct and frequent contact with Ellison. Obviously, Ellison is an exceptionally intelligent man but also "volatile" and, when it serves his purposes ruthless.

The chapter which interested me the most is the one devoted to John Chambers. He and the other four "achieved their dominance seemingly overnight. and to a degree that has exploded any previous notion of commercial scope and scale. Moreover their wired age goals go beyond mere geographic expansion; they incorporate a kind of lifestyle imperialism in which traditional lines of media and commerce are constantly being pushed." However, to a much greater extent than any of the others, Chambers has helped Cisco Systems to achieve its dominance through aggressive M&A initiatives and strategic partnerships. His preferred approach is collegial rather than confrontational. I also find it significant that Chambers' personality and leadership style are far less flamboyant than those of Ellison, Bezos, and Case. Also, based on the information provided, he conducts himself in a manner which suggests that he is much less competitive than Gates. However, it is important to remember that this may well be a skillfully cultivated perception rather than a reality.

What we have here are mini-biographies, albeit more substantial than "portraits," of five uncommon men, all of whom are distinguished by "their quest for social ubiquity, a sense of manifest destiny that is captured in America Online's corporate mantra, 'AOL Anywhere.' It's a poignant statement, not just of one company's voracious aims, but of the kinds of boundless goals that the networked economy now allows for." Thanks to Leibovich, we have in a single volume what will help us to understand "one of the most transforming and tumultuous eras in American history." Leibovich has rigorously examined where five of its greatest leaders came from and "what they've grown up to be"...at least so far.

Duberman's biography of one of the pioneers of the civil rights movement and one of the great Americans of the last century is both accessible and academically thorough. Almost one third of the massive book's pages are comprised of endnotes, detailing and commenting on every source. However, the book is easily read straight through by a layperson, due to Duberman's writing style, which maintains objectivity while not merely relegating itself to a listing of historical events (he, at times, intersperses his own interpretations of Robeson's actions and beliefs, while defending those interpretations and not allowing them to cloud his reporting). It is also the powerful, moving story of Robeson that keeps the reader engaged. There ought to be no doubt now, a quarter-century after his death, that Robeson was a true hero, a noble man worthy of his historical vindication. Duberman's book doesn't merely hero worship, it examines the life, points out the flaws (his estranged marriage and infidelities, his steadfast support of Stalin), and gives the reader a chance to examine a life much worth examining.

Martin Duberman presents an exhaustive, objective examination of the awesomely talented, psychologically complex, and perhaps politically naive Robeson. I am white, and grew up in a racist family, but from the moment I heard Paul Robeson's recording of "Get On Board, Little Children" I was hooked. I was only 14, but that song, less than 90 seconds long, launched me on a journey away from bigotry that is still proceding, 43 years later. I fell in thrall to the voice, ended up owning 11 vinyl albums and reading everything by and about him I could. His defense of Stalin-era Communism is stubborn and troubling, but there is no disputing his importance as a fighter for civil rights before it was fashionable. I am not sure how those of us who were not yet adults in the '40's and '50's can fairly judge the politics of the man...especially those of us who are not Afro-American. I prefer to let his controversial politics take a backseat to his pioneer acting and singing. This was a real MAN, who could hold a stage with only his voice and his charisma and his talent, making white, affluent audiences listen to negro spirituals, union songs, Chinese and Russian and German songs, and like it. Robeson was glorious and tragic, brilliant and flawed, courageous but sometimes selfish, furious often and yet capable of the most tender lullabies. One of the most fascinating American lives of the 20th Century. Professor Duberman has done great work with this book. If Robeson interests you, buy it and read it. I'm glad I did.

There are two recent biographies in my library that I am proud to own above almost all others: David Levering Lewis' two volume biography of W.E.B. DuBois and Mr. Duberman's biography of Paul Robeson. Despite the fanatical rantings of would be fascists that Robeson was a communist, Robeson was an American hero in the truest sense and in the best tradition. He was a man who recognized that all of his remarkable achievements could be destroyed by his persistent public demands that the United States live up to its proclamations of being the land of liberty in a Cold War environment of paranoia, hypocrisy, persecution, and oppression of dissenters by actively and effectively addressing the grievances of its Afro American citizens. He was a genius who sacrificed his most productive years in the cause of civil rights and justice for those who, it must be remembered, were being segregated, lynched, disenfranchised, economically exploited, stereotyped, and humiliated in every area of American society throughout most of Robeson's lifetime. Robeson courageously kept common cause with his people---and not just those who shared his color---when his successes allowed him every opportunity to serve only his own personal interests in comfort for the rest of his life.

Duberman does more than offer a biography of Robeson;he presents a biography of Robeson's times and environment that clearly demonstrates how his passion for justice and the realization of the American Dream for EVERY citizen was constantly reinforced by the events occurring around him, two examples of which are the Scottsboro Boys case and the failure of the United States government to adopt anti-lynching legislation. Duberman does not gloss over Robeson's conflicts over revelations that the ideal communist state had become a Stalinist nightmare but presents the information in such a fashion that the reader might reach his or her own conclusions. My conclusion was that Robeson's failing, if it is that, was that he could not abandon his commitment to the ideals of equality, brotherhood, and justice claimed by the Communist Party as a reality in the Soviet Union until and unless the United States realized those ideals regarding its own Afro American citizens, its poor, and its workers. Like many other prominent Americans of the time, Robeson was seduced by a hope for a dream of Marxist, as opposed to Leninist/Stalinist, communism. Unlike many of those Americans, Robeson remained faithful to the dream despite the reality. Even giants have flaws and Duberman carefully and fairly documents Robeson's. Condemning Robeson for holding fast to his increasingly desperate dream of social justice realized somewhere on the planet---as was also the case with DuBois---may serve the myopic political agenda of some who would never dream of condemning, say, Charles Lindbergh for his racist views and unabashed support for Nazi Germany or Henry Ford for his notorious anti-semitism, but it is a biased and extremely limited assessment of a hugely gifted man all too aware of the limitations placed upon millions of American citizens solely because of their color.

Despite the efforts of the FBI, the State Department, Joseph McCarthy, the House UnAmerican Activities Committee and others, no evidence has ever been presented to demonstrate that Robeson ever became a member of the Communist Party unlike DuBois who, in his NINETIES, formally joined the Communist Party only after being subjected to the machinations of the agencies of the United States government to block his return to the United States and as a last defiant gesture to those who attempted to silence him.

Duberman's biography is the tragic and inspiring story of an American hero in black who represents some of the finest qualities America has to offer the world: He fought for the right in the face of overwhelming and insurmountable odds, submitted his talents and careers to the flame of anti-communist hysteria, suffered at the hands of the government of HIS country with dignity, and never stopped believing in the attainment of the American Dream of equality and social justice that was the driving force behind his politics. I can think of many historical Americans who are held up to us as "heroes" and are far less deserving of the characterization than Paul Robeson.

Paul Robeson is not and will not be forgotten. Martin Duberman has done much to demonstrate that we cannot afford to forget this man. And those who offer obviously knee-jerk criticisms of Robeson should at least have the decency to read the book.

I had heard neither of book nor author when I unexpectedly received this book from a friend. She mentioned its being a book which presented a strong sense of place. It is indeed that, but rather more as well. Moritz Thomsen lived in Ecuador for a number of years, but then, for various reasons, launched on an extended voyage around Brazil, from Rio up the coast, around to Bélem, and then along the Amazon to Manaus. The real voyage, however, was along the twisted, frazzled byways of his soul, a journey so painful that no physical hardship could rival it. Thomsen is no doubt a good writer, because the ultimate picture we get is exactly the one he saw---peering out at Brazil through the miasmic forests of his excruciating memories. We meet a few strange or pathetic characters---but very few, mostly other foreigners---we view Brazil through his jaded, pessimistic lens, and most of all we delve into his past. He takes us along two rivers---the Amazon in a boat, and a jungle river in western Ecuador in his mind---but there is no retrieving him from the tangled mess of an awful life. The book is excellently constructed, it is honest in the style of Tobias Wolff, it has riveting descriptions of nature and of a life among poor Ecuadorians that few outsiders, save Peace Corps Volunteers, might ever have known. Thomsen understands and describes very accurately the deep exploitation of millions of people in Latin America, an oppresion that is nearly impossible to break, given the policies of rich countries. But ultimately, how you like this book is going to depend on your own personality, your own taste in tragedy. Thomsen starts with a quotation from Paul Theroux about travel being the saddest of pleasures. I felt that Thomsen did not prove the point. He is a man who spent most of his life rejecting everything that he could have been, everything that his arrogant, abusive father wanted him to be. He accomplished very little, made a total mess out of his life, had no (visible)lasting relationships, and at last came to a vague realization in his sixties that he was a 'writer'. I doubt if he can ever escape from the clutches of his long-dead father---will he ever be able to write anything beyond that endless battle ? Describing his life was no doubt the saddest of his pleasures and reading it, for some people, may be labelled a close second. In a way, I wish I had not read THE SADDEST PLEASURE. I prefer my pleasures separate from my tragedies and while such separation is not always possible, I do not savor the juxtaposition.

I found out about Thomsen from a Paul Theroux reference and like many of Theroux's references to other writers and books, this turned out to be a winner. It's the story of an expatriate, perhaps running from his father, or looking for life's answer, joins the Peace Corps at the age of 48. After leaving the Corps, he remains in Ecuador and scrapes out a living on a farm. After being forced off the farm by a younger co-worker, Thomsen embarks on a journey that takes him to Brazil and the Amazon basin. The journey is described from the poor travler's point of view with many sad recollections of his life.

Thomsen touches on so many aspects of the struggle to assimilate with an adopted culture only to realize that we can only be native to one culture. For as much as Living Poor is the handbook for current and future PCVs, The Saddest Pleasure may the best COS material available.

The author contradicts himself in the first chapter. He writes about how incredibly wonderful it is on the 'other side' and how people who have NDE's very often become extremely angry and hostile when they are resusitated and brought back to this world.

Yet, a few lines on, he tells the story of a woman who asks the Being of Light if she can come back to Earth because she wants to go dancing! It can't be all that bloody great through the ruddy tunnel if dancing in this world is better. I have come across authors who have contradicted themselves, but never before in the same chapter!

Another thing that annoys me about this book is that the author is very selective when quoting research results to back up his theories. For example, in the chapter 'Explanations' he quotes from research by a Carl Becker who explains why the tunnel effect experienced by NDEers can not be explained away as a leftover memory from the experience of birth, as has been suggested by other scientists. However, he could just as easily have quoted from books by Brian L. Weiss M.D. who has regressed many patients who very clearly indeed recall their birth experiences, and in the greatest detail, all of which were proved to be true.

Other than the above, I enjoyed 'The Light Beyond' and would recommend it.

This work seems to be more complete and better thought out than Life after Life (which I rated high). Dr Moody has a way of presenting the information of NDE in way that allows the reader to come to his or her own conclusions. He does offer his own response to the phenomena and explains that he has been moved by the direct contact with NDE people. Dr Ring also stated a similar emotional transit by association (how could one not?). As suggested, the idea of spirituality being important as opposed to religion, to me appeals to the average intellect. To live ones life with the virtues of good and love being foremost because it is the right thing to do for yourself and the world around you, seems like a grand idea. I believe this book helps us in that direction. The opinion that there was not a wealth of new data or ideas does not seem important. What seemed significant was the maturing of the concepts and the slight contrast to the first books personality. You could feel a certain security from the author that he was now presenting us all with a great truth, rather than a new cult curiosity. In all-- well worth reading.

One of the best books EVER written, along with Dr. Moodys Life After LIfe and Reunions

First, if you're going to rely on this guide, spend some cash on a couple of decent maps, especially for Kuala Lumpur. This guide has by far some of the most off-the-mark maps I've ever experienced with Lonely Planet. DO NOT rely on the book! As well, some amazing hotels are missing, and they're literally next door to some pretty grotty places the authors here rave about.
Also, I found the author's attitude to Singapore to be rather tiresome. Much is made of the fact that the city-state is cleaner than other congested and polluted cities in South East Asia, and that 'color' has been wiped out of Singapore.
But it seemed to me that authors had an underlying motive when writing about Singapore, to slyly convince travellers from visiting the place, or at least, from staying too long.
Of course, Singapore's not a place where anyone stays on for more than a week. But the author's mightier-than-thou point of view (that only cities with disgusting toilets, $5 hotel rooms and edgey red light districts are worth visiting) was annoying. Also, it was continually noted that Singapore is a "repressive" country. I think one only has to travel to countries like China, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and even Morocco before they can whine about Singapore being repressive.
But I digress.
Finally, precious space is wasted in the guide with the inclusion of Brunei. I think LP should give Brunei it's own slim little guide (look at Maldives or Bhutan if you want to see tiny countries with their own books). First, Brunei is culturally and politically different from Malaysia to warrant its own book.
And it would give the Malaysia authors precious space in which to include some decent maps.
Yes, I'm griping here, but when you bring a guide for a longish trip, you tend to notice these things!
Anyway, you could do worse... but Lonely Planet could have done better.

Lile most Lonely Planet guidebooks, this travel guide won't come as a disappointment to any of its readers. The unmistakable excellent standards we can expect from LP, combined with the fact that this particular guidebook is in its 8th edition already, makes of this book a masterpiece no traveller to the region should leave behind. The information about hotels and restaurants, things to see and do, etc, is dense, well-written, excellently ordered, and up-to-date. Likewise, the maps, the various tips on do's and dont's, are invaluable. As always, the sections on history, politics, culture etc, are excellently written and well condensed, ensuring pleasant reading for the traveller and the prospective traveller alike. Without exaggerating nor diminishing the fascination of this wonderful part of the world, this guidebook does great service to Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. It is the ultimate travel tool for those intending to visit these countries, enabling them to make the most out of their stay, as well as ensuring moments of fascinating reading.

We ended up calling it "the Bible". Why? Because all the answers are in it.!! Several times we said to our selves that this information should have been in LP. And looking one more time - it was usually there. LP helps you plan and avoid vasting time. Of course you shold try to do things which is not mentioned in LP but this can be a major challanges. The guide goes every where and the information is incredibly reliable. So if you go - bring LP or bring no guide book at all - alternatives are poor sustitutions. We also brought a Footprint - but the reality is that nobody is above or besides LP. 22-08-2001

This is an outstanding account of observation and the understanding of processes that an enlightend thinker can find in those observations. This book will help people of almost every level of experience to see more in the outdoors, or any where else in the real world, for that matter.

Reminicent of Guy Murchie's "The Seven wonders of Life" or anything by Loren Eisley, this book charms you with it's open and honest joy in looking at the world. Informs you on two levels: the behavior of creatures and forms in the natural world, and the parallels you can draw from observations into your own view of yourself, and your place in the world.

Highly recommended.

Paul Krafel's Seeing Nature is one of those rare little books that change people's lives. Like The Little Prince and Jonathan Livingston Seagull, it has the power to capture the heart and imagination of almost anyone.

Krafel's simple stories and deceptively plain language lead the reader into a fresh new world where noticing an anomalous absence of stones, or peeing on a rock, can lead to unforgettable new insights into human nature and the laws of the universe. No one with the capacity for wonder can fail to be captivated by this book.

Delightful mind morsel. Innowen and Razkili are very lovable main characters, the plot is thrilling, the beauty of it will leave you floating in a cloud of euphoria for days. My only gripe is, after I finished the book, I lusted for more about the lovers. Dangit, they never did the deed...

Shadowdance was my first introduction to the world of SciFi & Fantasy. Few books I've read have brought both tears and joy to my eyes. I loved Robin's poetic words to describe ordinary objects and the way the author took me to the dark side of sex and mankind. Robin's character development and use of gay overtones added a beautiful dimension to the fantasy. The love between Innowen and Razkilli gave me, a gay reader, an emotional feeling I could identify with.

I just found and read this book, and I'm completely in awe. It's dark and grim, and yet ultimately uplifting. Bailey's prose is tight and lush. His scenes are visual and intense, and he sustains a level of poetry throughout the entire book that few writers achieve. The magic is subtle and beautiful. No lightning bolts shooting from fingertips here, no fireballs or flashy stuff. In fact, one of the things I like best about this book is that it completely avoids all the cliches of most fantasy. I really like the bronze-age setting, and Bailey's research really shows. But most of all, I like the intensity of the building relationship between Innowen and Razkili. Like everything else about this book, the characters are subtle. They develop and grow as the story progresses. This book is definitely one to keep and reread again and again, and I'm delighted to have discovered this author.

If I were Tim Robbins in Robert Altman's 'The Player' I might pitch a well-read exec like this: Imagine a biopunk version of William Gibson's 'Burning Chrome'. But I'm not. Briefly, I have a love/hate relationship with science-fiction. Love the genre, hate most of what I find out there. Most science-fiction is poorly conceived and/or poorly written. Di Filippo is different. As a writer, his prose is as tight as his ideas are original. 'Ribofunk' is an excellent collection of short stories connected by a shared dystopian world where genetic engineering has been taken to the extreme. What it means to be human has changed as 'splices', individuals possessing a blend of human and non-human DNA, have become the norm. Animal antlers, fish gills, insect limbs and a host of other add-ons can be acquired in shops for reasons ranging from fashion to military functionality. One's human rights are determined by the possession of no less than 51% human DNA. These and many more provacative premises are cleverly explored throughout 'Ribofunk'. Each story stands on its own. Taken together they form a strange kaleidescope of a future that seems much closer and more plausible with each new 'biotech' headline.

How I wish this writer would do some more of his speculative SF. This collection of short stories is some of the most innovative and well conceived stuff available without a prescription. I absolutely recommend this to anyone who likes writers like greg egan or neal stephensen.

This is a very entertaining, very engaging book. Fantastic, creative use of language combined with amazing insight into the possibilities of nanotechnology, cloning, genetic manipulation and better living through chemistry. The book and stories are fun but have depth and emotion. I reread this in 2001 after reading it 5 years ago and I was amazed at the perceptive forward vision that the author had in some of these stories originally published 10 years ago.