This is a collection of short stories about Hunter Rose, the first character in Matt Wagner's Grendel mythos to have been possessed by the dark force known as Grendel. Each of the short stories are beautifully illustrated in diverse styles by such talented artists as Teddy Kristiansen, Tim Bradstreet, Mike Allred, Matt Wager, etc. in a wonderfully clever black, white and red colour scheme. The black and white helps bring out the noir mood of the stories (and is well suited Grendel's black and white costume), while the red highlights such items as the blood and roses closely associated with Hunter Rose and Grendel. This technique is not fully innovative (see Miller's Sin City series and some arthouse movies), but is well done here. The stories are all by Matt Wagner and are, of course, well written. Unfortunately, some aspects of the stories rob them of their full power.

First of all, if you are nonfan and not familiar with Grendel/Hunter Rose, those stories whose purpose is mainly to flesh out his history are not very meaningful. You get a glimpse at his story, but that's it. Secondly, if you are a fan familiar with the characters, the fact that they were only around for a extremely brief, although brilliant run and are now a long dead and forgotten part of the mythos in more recent stories also renders the increased background of Hunter Rose less meaningful (and no new insight into the Grendel entity itself is offered). It is not unlike the black character in Kubrick's version of the Shining: sure, he was interesting in the beginning, but there was no point bringing him back into the story just to get killed by an axe. Mayber Wagner will prove me wrong when he finally takes back control of the series.

Fortunately, I believe it is still possible for readers, even casual ones, to get caught up in the short stories whose focus are more upon nonrecurring characters (thus we get their complete story). However, while those stories are effective examples of noir literature, they are all too brief for the reader to get as tied up with the characters as one would wish and the supernatural/superhero aspects of these stories also take away from their effectiveness.

Matt Wagner covered noir territory far more effectively in his Sandman Mystery Theatre series. Still, this collection is a rather handsome volume.

This was the second of Wagner's works on Grendel that I picked up, the first being Devil By the Deed. Out of the two I'd have to say I preferred "Devil By the Deed". While "Devil By the Deed" is a completely self-contained story, "Black, White, and Red" is a series of short stories that build on and add greater depth to many of the characters in the former.

While I don't really think you'd need to read "Devil By the Deed" first, I think it would really give you the big-picture of the relationship between the characters and the context in which each of the short stories take place in. You should be able to find "Devil by the Deed" for around ..., so it couldn't hurt to pick it up at least in addition to "Black, White, and Red".

The first story in the TPB is "Devil's Advocate". I liked it so much I was really excited about the rest of the stories. Only later did I find out that it had in fact won an Eisner Award in 1999 for Best Short Story. While the rest of the stories are good, they pale in comparison to "Devil's Advocate". If nothing else you should pick up "Black, White, and Red" #1 just so you can read the first story in the TPB. Depending on how much you like the other material, you can pick up the entire series.

Matt Wagner's Grendel is a character created to explore and examine the nature of aggression and its impact on the individual and on the community. The first to wear the infamous Grendel mask and wield the peculiar two bladed spear was the ruthless, self-directed master criminal Hunter Rose. In Grendel: Black, White, & Red, we are treated to a series of Wagner's short, stark, unforgettable stories, each one illustrated by a different artist and all showcasing the dark world of crime, revenge, the human psyche, and a primal justice that bears no relationship to courtroom law. This is a "must" for graphic novel genre enthusiasts in general, and Matt Wagner fans in particular!

After reading Heretic Kings, I noticed several things that had slipped pat me when I read the first book in the series(Hawkwood's Voyage). This has reduced my opinion of the author, and I'm now not sure whether I intend to finish the series.
My first problem is that many of the characters are black and white, and behave in an incredibly predictable manner. Abeleyn, for example, was faiarly interesting during the first book but falls into the cliched "young prince grows into kingship" mould. What makes this worse is that the author repeatedly has both Abeleyn and other characters make this observation. Rather than allow his character's actiosn to speak for themselves, Mr Kearney takes a much less subtle rout.
Secondly, I have problems with the plot, because it too is slipping into a predictable groove. Very little happens during this book that an average reader would not anticipate. There are no complete surprises such as those in George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. I never felt truly worried about the protagonists, because they were never in any real danger.
All that being said, Heretic Kings has a unique and imaginative environment that sets it apart from most other fantasy books. The Renaissance-era technology is well-implemented and believable, as is the nature of magic in Mr. Kearney's world.
Although the aura of suspense is somewhatlacking (Kearney gives away secrets much too freely), I would still reccomend this book to anyone who is intrigued by the setting and doesn't mind the intermittantly bad writing.

My full review is with Hawkwood's Voyage. If what you loved in the first book is the sometimes overdetailed descriptions of sea-travel, Church politics, and Dwoemer apprenticeship, you will be disappointed. Kearney instead puts the narrative in a higher gear: the ideas are narrative and character driven. Paragraphs in "Hawkwood's Voyage" which sometimes seemed to come from an encyclopedia are now streamlined to relate directly to characters and action. The Western Continent holds secrets which.... we are actually told about. I expected to be bored, but Kearney ratchets up the action. The 3rd book is even more pure -- though still realistic and maturely written-- action. An amazing series. Keep going.

"The Heretic Kings" is the second book in the series called "The Monarchies of God." This series is an epic fantasy with multiple plot threads and many realistic characters. In book one, the Merduks are trying to take over Western Normannia and the whole Eastern continent is under war. Richard Hawkwood has lead an expedition to the Western continent to help start a new civilization that would be secluded from the war. At the end of book one, you are set up for book two.

Many questions will be answered in this book including these: What will happen to the people that Ricard Hawkwood has lead across the Great Western Ocean? What is going on in Charibon? In Abrusio? What is happening to all of your favorite characters? In addition to the answers that will help resolve your anxiousness to know what is happening you will be riveted due to new plots.

Paul Kearney gives you great characters. The characters in "The Heretic Kings" are not cheesy, one-sided people that you could just tear apart and make fun of. Every character is interesting and can be cared for. From King Abelyn to Corfe, all of the characters are people that you wish that you could know.

There are multiple plot lines and many characters to this great story, but don't let that interfere with your enjoyment of this. Once you are into this you will be hooked and you'll have this novel done very quickly. Before you read this second novel in this series make sure that you have read book one of "The Monarchies of God," titled "Hawkwood's Voyage." "The Heretic Kings" will definitely thrill people that have read book one and you will enjoy this novel even more than the first one. This is an epic fantasy must read.

Happy Reading!

Mr Paul Carus comes at the problems of evil in society with a refreshing,albeit strained, neutrality. I think that Mr. Carus seriously digs Satan and this comes through in the background of his writing, especially when he came no longer hold his tongue in the witchcraft sections. He is a mighty scholar, tis true, but I wonder, Mr. Paul Carus, where is the discussion of our present understanding of evil? The Chapter "In Verse and Fable," was a move in the right direction, but sadly, the book dries up before Carus can point to any application of his fine scholarship to our present existance, so it becomes simply a fine reproduction of the endless parade of devil literature...

A wonderfully written and illustrated book takes you through the concept of devil from the ancient egypt to modern times. Paul ideas on the demonology of the christendom will keep you on the edge of your seat. A must buy classic!

Paul Carus's classic treatise, writ and published to great occult acclaim circa 1900, remains a much deserved classic; 350 illustrations carefully chosen alone warrant applause, but it is his highly focused text that deserves scholars' attentions and demands republication. Foremost of importance for current day readers is the extent to which the work delves far beyond the pulpish, tho non-fictive, profit-orientated goals of the majority of the Devil's historians making a buck and a name out there today (Jeffrey B. Russell, whose depictions of the late eliphas Levi as a mere flop Satanist---of which as a devout Catholic Abbe' he was strictly railing against the entirety of his miraculous life---exemplifies such). None such opinionations are within carus's exemplar work. Crucial to this review is coneying the standard of success he reaches in establishing his goal of a thorough, precise and organized historiography mapping and dilineating the crucial developments and differences amidst the varied beliefs and ideas concerning evil and its dominions and servitors, on a level worldwide in conception. Cultural relativity is and remains established throughout; no opinions are broached to instead focus strictly upon orientating the reader with The History Of The Devil And The Idea Of Evil ( the book's subtitle) with little sensationalism besides the already stranger than fiction truth of the matter.

As a Romantic debauchee lusting for poetic description with the kind of wit that bites its object of desire in the middle of the back, my only complaint of such a work as Carus's lies here. Those searching for the blasphemous variety need not turn to necromancy to evoke such animated literature as some precious few remain miraculously in print ( Eliphas Levi, Montague Summers,and Grillot de Givry, respectively, all relative contemporaries of Carus---1860, 1926 & 1931---serve excellent examples). Carus however was unconcerned with novelistic delights and concentrated upon discovering underlying formations of principles and morality within a cultural context; his establishing of historical factual sources, verifiable and in most cases evident, posits him upon a high mount of scholarly regard in the lands of comparative religions.

This book Graven Images was good! In this book there are three stories. My favorite story out of all of these is the "Binnacle Boy". The "Binncle Boy" is about a boy who dies in a ship reck. There are not alot of pictures in my book but I still thought it was a good book.

The 3 stories were all connected in some way. But they are also very diferent,too The author puts a twist at the end.

This book was a pleasure to read. It was easy to understand. There was no violence and it had many morals we can all use. For example "don't be 'nitpickey' about things.

Actually, this edition has two novellas - "Dr. Slaughter" neing the basis for the film of the same name. After seeing the dissappointing film, I was unexpectedly shocked to discover how I could be absorbed by amoral heroine and her challenges. Mostly, this is thanks to Paul Theroux's crisp and inviting prose. While today's authors repeatedly assure us of their expert credentials in writing technothrillers, political thrillers, historical fiction, legal thrillers and so on, only Paul Theroux triumphs on an endless and rariefied reservoir of dissassociation, being an alien and an outsider. Dr. Slaughter, a brilliant and beautiful specialist in petro-economics, is already well versed in using sexual favors to supplement a meager income when she becomes "an escort". Using her dissassociation as a shield against the monumental dreariness of her existence (her miserable flat in London seems perpetually frozen), she prospers, never realizing her proximity to the true love that eludes her or the danger she places others into. The revelation at the end seems no surprise, yet packs an emotional wallop.

Please take out the duplicate review which says 0 out of 1 found this helpful, when there was no place to make such a comment. It looks bad on my promotion page and doesn't help your sales!

There is some monkey business going on with the Pretty Woman review page, which shows that 0 out of 1 people found this review helpful, and Half Moon Street page shows 1 out of 1 found it helpful! Find these guys!

When I read this I thought It was really un-realstic andboring. I like all Animal ark books and I have got them all includingthe Wildlife ways collection. I was surprised that Lucy Daniels wrote this. Okay in places,boring in most

Mandy's grandparents are watching a friends hamster. They don't know how to take care of the little animal. Mandy knows all about hamsters and agrees to stay with her grandparents to help out. But Mandy isn't sure what to do when the hamster disappears! Will Mandy find him in time?

Mandy volunteers to watch Frisky the hamster while her friend is on vacation, but his cage is mistaken for an item that is going to be sold at the rummage sale. Will Mandy and James find Frisky before it's too late?

This is a great addition to the Animal Ark Pets book series.

When I bought this book two years ago, I had no knowledge of TCP/IP networking. Some of the topics particularly subnetting, were not well explained and confusing. Now that I know subnetting quite well, I think the author made it too complex for such an easy subject. This book is more for engineers who deals with product development such as routers, switches, etc. Think again in buying this book if you're a beginner.

If you're new to TCP/IP networking, look elsewhere. The material is dry and not presented in an educational material.

However, if you need a good reference to various aspects of this subject, it's pretty good. Some of the material is slightly out-of-date, but for the most part, it serves well when there's a small detail that's bugging you, or you need to just refresh your memory about something.

Whether you know nothing, or everything about TCP/IP, this is the best book. If you have no or a very basic knowledge of TCP/IP, this book will explain everything in great detail from scratch. If you consider yourself an expert, this book is still a great reference. I have gone back to this book over and over again for reference material. If you work with TCP/IP, this book should be considered required reading.

I thought about returning this book but its fairly cheap and by the time you pay shipping....

The suggestions in this book fall into 3 categories. (1) the obvious: movie, window shopping, dinner, etc., (2) the silly (lunch at a hot dog stand--do you really need instructions?) and (3) the ones you wish, like share a bath. Hint: if you and your date are taking baths together this book is superfluous.

Of course there is the usual, film festival, wine festival, bike ride and so on. But you can get this out of the sunday paper.

Since I don't go out all that often, when I do I'm always stuck for ideas for dates. And since my women friends are getting tired of my bugging them for date ideas, this book is wonderful! Not to mention that my women friends are releived I'm not bugging them anymore. But seriously, this book contains literally a ton (well ok maybe more like 75 or 80) ideas for dates. And they are for the most part "alternative" ideas and not ones like the dreaded "movie" or "dinner" date. Things like live theater, train rides, planetarium or factory tours, film festivals, bird watching, etc.

Not only are the ideas mentioned, but also background information about them. For example, the author lists playing pool as a date idea and then lists the different types of pool games there are. I never knew that. This is one book that I know I can refer to the next time I meet some nice lady and want to do something other than a movie.

Now it's just a matter of finding nice women to go out with!

There are plenty of ideas in this book, although many of them are rather ordinary (go to the movies, walk in the park). But the sheer volume makes it certain that you will find at least a couple dozen that will work for you.

I would also recommend for more creative and unusual date to go to 300creativedates. com -- I loved what I found there and more importantly so has my girlfriend.

Every Community has its mythological heroes. Paul Robeson not only projected a positive image for millions of African Americans during his era, but had an undeniable genuis. In this case, the reality lived up to the myth of the man. In this book, we have an opportunity to hear his own side of the story, in his own words.

Good book for anyone who wants to learn about this unsung american hero. When will history books teach the youth of our country about this man?

Paul Robeson was a proud man. A man of bravery, intelligence and integrity. He was a man who had to walk alone, as men must do sometimes. He formed his own opinions, defined his own ideology, and stood up for that ideology when confronted. Faced with hatred the way he was, many men would give in and surrender, Mr. Robeson refused to do this. He walked the road that Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, and Michael Jordan walked and he lived to tell it like he saw it. All the kids who live in poverty should know that education is the key to being your own person, if you need a guide, read Here I Stand.

I did not think such a simple thing as fear had so many reverberations and meanings until I read Paul Newman's book and thought about it. I did not realise how many small fears may hide one large fear. What this book did was help me penetrate the various disguises of nightmare and panic, the different hobgoblins and ghosts one shares and runs from down the centuries. I was truly enlightened by this study which has so many varied aspects.

This was interesting, in that it explained that fear had a kind of beginning. I did not realise about Pan and I had not thought before that fear was a primary element in controlling people nor that ghosts themselves can be used as a way of curtailing violent tendencies in individuals. Things like the vampire myth were placed in an historical context, so that you learned why certain fears sprang up when, and what was the root sensation behind vampires and hobgoblins. There was a lot of witty writing in the book which I thoroughly enjoyed, too.

I was fascinated by this book because it shows how out fears change down the centuries. We start out by being afraid of many things - spiders, wolves and ghosts - and then gradually our curiosity about them grows. In this book we learn about how ghost stories were used as a form of social control, to make people confer money to monasteries, how panic and end of the world cults were used to whip people into a furore of flagellation and bodily abuse, about Pan and the ancient roots of terror, about vampires, werewolves and alien beings. We learn how fear and fascination are inmixed and about how the twentieth century showed a burgeoning of strange obsessions and desires. I did enjoy this book - found it scholarly and racy at the same time - and I am going to give it the highest mark.