Before I begin my tirade on this disappointing addition to the Elfquest series, I would like to aquatint the reader with my past experience with Elfquest. I first discovered Elfquest when I was eight and from that encounter I learned to read well and not only that, to love reading. Ten years later I'm again interested in the series. I reread the first four books and was happily surprised that the sentimental power of Elfquest had not faded; collectively, these books are unequalled in their ability to attach the reader to the characters. However, the quality of the artwork has declined sharply since Quest's End and the narrative has suffered a similar depreciation. Don't get me wrong, I thought all the books up to Reunion were pretty good, if not at Elfquest's peak. Unfortunately, Reunion is trash. The drama begins with an interesting plot (the palace is destroyed, Rayek's duel with Cutter, etc.) but is rapidly reduced to embarrassingly trite and unoriginal characterization and story line. For example, the human girl Joan of Arc character is utterly ridiculous not to mention terribly contrived....right, this girl organizes a revolt, saves the Elves, and becomes a warrior within the course of two nights. To make it worse, the cliché of the evil warlord is repeated yet again: Evil Warlord's repressive policies incite revolt giving the heroes the time to sneak into the enemy compound and save the day. Trash. I can't understand how the gifted artist who produced Quest's End could stand to let this be printed.

If you want to read this book despite these glaring flaws, plop down in a bookstore and read it there (like I did) and save your money. With this, much of the very rich tradition of Elfquest is squandered.

"Reunion", volume 12a in the Reader's Collection and the sequel to "Ascent", features the heartrending conclusion to the story of the elves' quest to reclaim the Palace of the High Ones from Winnowill and her partner, the warlord Grohmul Djun.

The story in these episodes is the most sobering and poignant yet seen in the Elfquest series - and, ultimately, the most uplifting. Surprisingly, the suspense does not come from wondering whether the elves will survive their attack on the Djun's fortress. Rather, the story revolves around how the heroes react to the deaths of two of their own (just in the first three chapters!), and whether their quest is worth so much suffering. The sobering death-scenes early in the story serve only to heighten the effect of the climax, to make it much more meaningful. Many, indeed most, Elfquest stories have been as memorable, but none have been as moving as this one.

Although this book is not in color, a note on the production is in order. The artwork, which had been rendered in color originally, reverted to black-and-white beginning with the fourth chapter of this book; for budget reasons WaRP Graphics gave up color production in September 1995, the year the American comic-book market tanked. Understandably, some of the BW chapters look sketchy, since these were to have been colored-in originally. The last chapter, though, was drawn entirely by Wendy Pini, and is a visual treat, nothing new for her! (It also served as a preview for the artistic style she would show in the "Dreamtime" series, now published as Book 8a in the Reader's Collection.)

Despite the production troubles I have mentioned, this is a most memorable tale and a fitting capstone on this series. (Moreover, the Pinis are currently working on the _sequel_ to this story - stay tuned!)

I'm a big fan of all the original Elfquest graphic novels, and while this one is far from being one of the best, it's still an excellent read. Reprinted from the second half of the "Shards" series, with excellent writing from Wendy and Richard Pini, this follows the wolfriders final ascent to restore the palace and stop Winnowill once and for all. The art, while not even close to Wendy Pini's abilities, is done particularly well by Brandon McKinney. Most notable though is the art done by Wendy who returns for the last 3 chapters of this book. The most interesting aspect is the final chapter of the book which is done in a storybook form instead of the regular comic form. The only real downside is this is one of the tortured victims of the xeroxed in black and white from the orginal color comic books (with the exception of the last few chapters which were originally published in black and while), which is unfortunate cause it deserves much better.

I love the fact that my son is into Batman Beyond for many reasons. One of those reasons, or so I thought was to encourage his desire to read. Not true with this book.

My son is almost 4 and loves books but this one has comic book style format on every page. He likes that he possesses such a book with Batman Beyond on the cover but loses interest when I try to read it to him. Maybe when he is older this will not be an issue.

My wife and I are doing everything we can to encourage our 7-year-old to read, and since he loves Batman Beyond, this book was a natural choice. The book tells the origin of "Batman Beyond" effectively, if very sketchily. It is presented in comic book (or maybe graphic novel) format, and the artwork is solid, standard, comic book style art.

Although the book is supposed to be targeted for children 4-8 years old, I'd narrow that range to 6-8. Your average first grader will have a bit of difficulty with many of the words.

The strongest recommendation I can make for this book is that my son read the entire book on his own initiative without any prompting or encouragment from us. That was the first time he ever read a book completely on his own, so needless to say, I'm thrilled.

Mark Brandon Read (Chopper) is a self-styled, self appointed avenging knight for the oppressed, the weak and the enemies of truth, justice and fair play. Of course this is what he wants us to believe. In reality, he is a murderous thug with delusional albeit grand ideals.

This book can be read on many levels. As readers, however, we are positioned from the outset to see the book in a particular way: "From a civilized view, Read is a monster. The question is: What made him like that? Was he born or made that way? These are interesting points to ponder." After reading these lines from the editors, apart from the anemic nature/nurture theory they propose we ponder, I couldn't help returning to the word "civilized". As a so-called civilization, we are conditioned to see violence as something separate, an aspect of ourselves that is somehow unnatural, but can be unleashed when it suits us. As Read says in his book, "Posh people love gangters." What I find curious is Chopper (with a little marketing help) has positioned himself squarley in this tradition; and has made the image fit firmly in Australian popular culture.

In a way this book is a paradox: on the one hand it exalts violence to romantic proportions, then, weakly, condems it. "Don't do as I do, do as I say." "Don't live a life of extreme violence and crime like me, kids, but aren't I a really cool gangster?" Dangerous.

For those of you who would like to gain greater insight into Melbourne's underworld and prisons, then this book is for you. If you're the kind of person who enjoys graphic violence in the extreme, buy and read this book.

Otherwise, skip it.

If you have just stumbled upon this book, you might be interested to know that there is now a movie about "Chopper" Reade, which is what got me to buy this book. Frankly, as between the book and the movie, I prefered the movie but that was entertainment afterall, and this is reality, presumably. 'Chopper, From the Inside' is the autobiographical reminiscences of one of Australia's most notorious criminals. This book actually helped to make Mr. Reade into something of a celebrity if not quite a hero in his native land. One may ask oneself how a sociopathic brute of a man with decidededly homicidal tendencies could attain such status? Well, I suppose that it helps that Mr. Reade has both the talent for telling a good story and a well-developed if dark sense of humor. It helps too that the war Chopper wages is primarily directed at other members of the criminal world and the flotsam and jetsam that float into and out of this world. In other words, he seems perfectly harmless so long as you, personally, don't cross him. In addition, if he is to be believed, he is loyal to a fault, a romantic when it comes to the honor of his mates and lady friends, and just generally the type of fellow you would want around if it ever came to a bit of bother. This isn't the kind of book that one walks away from with deep insights into the humanity that lies within all of us. Rather, it is a well told tale of murder, mayhem, casual violence, friendship, loyalty, love, and honor, by and about a fellow who knows better. It is this knowing better, that helps to explain why even when his activities go beyond the pale, the depravity seems logical and, in this protagonist's queer world, somehow fitting. This book was an interesting read, but not quite good enough for me to pay full retail for the second installment of his story, if that tells you anything.

Mark "Chopper" Read, Austrailia's most Notorious Criminal Character! You want True Crime? With a Twist? Pick up this, his Best selling memoir. His life, exploits, opinions, and a cultural history of the, in america almost unknown, world of the Austrailan Underworld. I Cringed, Sweated, Laughed and felt I was there throughout, from Chopper's very Personal & very Unique writing style. See the Film, it's Excellent! But read the story too! But don't stop there head on to Chopper 2!

There are quite a few errors in this book and the content really only touches the surface of TCP/IP. However, it does contain enough info to pass the exam and it does make learning IP relatively easy. This is a good book for people that are new to TCP/IP. If you know a little about subnetting etc. then I would look to something a little more in depth. SAMS TCP/IP in 24 hours is good, but the definitive technical reference is TCP/IP Illustrated by W. Richard Stevens. That said I give this book 3 stars as a entry reference to TCP/IP.

I bought this book and read it in order to prep for the MCSE TCP/IP NT 4.0 and by using this book and Trancenders practice test I passed the exam with a very good score. Not only did the book help me to pass the exam it made me understand the concepts as well. The only reason I did not give the book a 5 star rating was because I used the softwars it came with for practice test and I never found it that helpful. If you want to pass the exam and understand the concepts read this book and use trancender practice test software.

This is one of the best test prep books that I could have read about TCP/IP. I read it front to back, practiced with the Transcender tests, and passed handily.

I had the official Microsoft curriculum by my side, and had read it half a year ago and didn't want to do that again! Sometimes the official Microsoft press material can be too detailed (but I think you should always read them). I felt that Brandon Cameron was both an experienced engineer, and an excellent teacher. He anticipates what you might not understand, and he repeats what's important several times, in several ways. I agree with several of the reviewers that this is an incomplete treatment of TCP/IP in the Microsoft environment. Of course it is! But this is excellent, and accurate test prep coaching. I enjoyed reading it.

I know that for die-hard Elfquest fans, the turn to other artists is difficult. Shards is a prime example of the shift to more comic book-like writing and art. It will never compare to the original Series 1-8. However, I had prepared myself for this when, after 5 years of not picking up an Elfquest, I decided to start back up with the series. Expecting the unfamiliar style of art, as from Worldpool, I was pleasantly surprised at the art in Shards. The characters were recognizable and often strikingly like Pini's work. Her art was mixed in and it made for an adaquate and enjoyable read. Although we would all love for Wendy to be doing it all, I think this will do. But I really hope the movie is worth all this!!

Sadly, you must be forwarned. First, the stories are in black and white: not pen and ink, but half-toned copies of color originals. Secondly, this is not the entire tale of the broken palace's saga. The book ends in the tell-tale "To be continued in Shards #1"... So, you'll have to follow the battle for the palace in Collection books #11b - Ascent and #12b - Reunion. And, Ember's tribe's story in #11a - Legacy and #11b - Huntress.

That being said, the artwork is exceptional, concidering the varying artists compiled. Good form, WaRP! Pleasingly Pini-esque! And, the story does indeed flow with characteristic Pini style: quick, crisp and can't put it down! If you're unfamiliar with the Quest, recommend reading Kings of the Broken Wheel, at least, to get a better feel for the story line. And, of course, Collection books 1 - 4 (the original Quest) to get a good handle on who's who.

I was pleasantly surprised by Shards. As an Elfquest fan since 1985, I had been reluctant, in recent years, to read stories that weren't strictly written and drawn by the Pinis. But this book has rekindled my interest in the series. Although the artwork does vary from section to section, it is pretty faithful to Wendy Pini's original style. The storylines were intriguing, and I can't wait to find out how they are played out in further installments of Elfquest. I would, however, SERIOUSLY suggest reading Elfquest graphic novels 1 through 8 and The Hidden Years before reading Shards, in order for the plot to make complete sense and to understand the long character histories.

I bought this book on recommendations from other ghost hunters on-line. I was truly disappointed. First, the book is full of spelling and grammatical errors. So much so that it distracts from the reading. Second, what appears to be hypocritical content. In one place, the author rips apart the Amityville horror case, basically calling it a fraud. He doesn't even mention that one of the foremost demonologist couples, the Warrens, visited the house and was convinced. But later, he uses the Warrens as they dealt with other cases, treating them with the respect they deserve; but only, apparently, as long as they covered cases the author was comfortable with. Third, he quotes the Bible in several parts of the book, and slams Witchcraft. As a Wiccan, I was offended to read that I was being duped by demons, practicing what I thought was positive magick. I am very disappointed in this book.

I just received my copy, and I can see why past reviewers have loved and hated this work. It contains some good information. However, the Reader can easily become frustrated by the exceptional number of typos, misspellings, and grammatical mistakes. This, to my way of thinking, is the downfall of private/small publishers (ditto for Web sites). I guess my favorite of the typos is in the bottom paragraph of page 106 concerning vampires. It reads, "A wooden, iron or silver stake in the heart will destroy them. Chopping off a vampire's head will destroy it. Crucifixes and holy water can inflict great pain and suffering on these unholy breasts [sic!!]." What make that funnier is the drawing on the opposite page of a female vampire! Magnificent!

Excellent book. I am part of a ghost society in the Kansas City area and there are a lot of people that I know who have this book and love it. I happened to get mine copy from an online auction and I have talked to the author several times via e-mail. He has been so helpful to our ghost hunts and is very friendly. I recommend this book to anyone who's interested in real ghost hunting.

I just finished Dreamtime and was looking forward to continuing on with Cutter and his Tribe. Unfortunately, that was not to be. I started Rogue's Curse and cannot finish it. It feels completely out of sequence, which it is and gives away things in Reunion, which I haven't read yet.

If you buy this book, read it at the end of Reunion or not at all. I'll keep my copy rather than return it just to have a complete set of books, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

I, too was confused by the way this book jumps out of continuity with the others. It takes place after the Battle for the Palace Shards. And that is a stroy not told for a least a few more books after Rogue's Curse. I don't know why they decided to do that, it doesn't make any sense. However, it is a very compelling story, and it shed a new light on the often misunderstood character of Rayek. I did miss the other elves while reading it, though. I look forward to getting back to their story in future volumes. I recomend getting it, but not until it's chronlogicaly nesescary by story, not by number. Don't make the mistake I did by reading it too soon, it will give future plotlines away!

For the numerous years I've been reading Elfquest, Rayek has been one of my least favorite characters. But being the EQ fanatic I am I had to get it. When they first brought it out in this graphic novel version I thought that it was the same as the hardback Rogue's Challenge that was released a few years back due to the same cover. To my happiness it wasn't. It was a totally different novel and compilations of stories. By the time I finished reading this I had a totally different view on Rayek and not only LIKED his character but felt sorry for him in a lot of ways. A definate need to read if the Elfquest characters have made it into your life.

I would only recommend this book to someone who has nothing better to do then read words from a confused grown and immature man venting his self-inflicted issues and dramas. "A refreshing change", I think not. How many more people are going to write about thier problems?? Don't authors know that we all have problems of our own? How shameful to group the problems of "Barry" with problems of all African-American men.

I wasted my time reading about a black working man with a bastard child and a drinking problem who's obsessed with some white girl. OK, what's so unique about this situation?? Absolutley nothing!!

I will say that Mr.Bennett's writing style is intresting. That was the only reason I finished the book. Let me give "Barry" some advise... Lower your ego, go to AA, be a stable father and don't try to find yourself through a woman. Now let me give some advise to anyone thinking about getting this book... Only buy it if you feel like reading God knows how many pages of self-pity.

EASY 'CAUSE YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL is a glimpse at a confused,
young, urban Black man who wants desperately to bring
some positive direction to his life.

25 year old Barry Waters is an aspiring musician and father
of a six year old daughter. He is struggling to 'find
himself' and doesn't realize he just needs to look within.
He has been employed as a waiter for the Forest Green Golf
Club for 5 years and though this is a dead end job; to
everything there is a purpose. When Barry meets his co-worker,
blue-eyed Maria Danucci, his heart trembles.

When Barry looks in the mirror, he knows he must make some
serious changes before he can accept the challenge. Because
what he sees is a man who has run out of other people to blame;
it's time for Barry to grow up.

Bennett writes with a warm, sensitive male voice, indicative
of the new Renaissance Man. But I struggled as I tried to
grasp much of his message, because I felt like I was stumbling
around in Barry's head while he was finding himself. I do
applaud the unguarded openness with which Bennett writes and
I think he is a voice that will command respect.

Reviewed by aNN

Brandon Bennett's first novel, Easy Cause You're Beautiful, tells the story of
Barry Waters. Barry is in his mid-twenties and feels like his time is running
out. He has a dead end job, bills to pay and a daughter he is struggling to
maintain a relationship with and support. Although he is unhappy with his
life, his way of coping is avoidance, alcohol and marijuana. Once he meets
Maria Danucci at his job all that begins to change.

Suddenly, Barry finds himself wanting to be a better man. But wanting to
change and actually changing are two different things. As Barry develops high
hopes for a potential relationship with Maria, he finds himself aspiring to
greater things. He struggles with his alcoholism, his family relationships,
his relationship with his daughter and her mother and his own insecurities.

Easy 'Cause You're Beautiful is a wonderful book that gives voice to a twenty
something African American male that is ready to grow up. The book focuses on
the day-to-day struggles of a man with a dead end job, a child to support, and
with a desire to finally find true love. This book was a refreshing change
from the many books that offer a female perspective on things. Brandon Bennett,
a musician himself, did a great job of integrating his own love for music into
the story as well. He addresses a number of tough issues, including substance
abuse and interracial relationships with finesse. I loved the way the ending
was both surprising but not overly neat and tidy. If you are looking for a
book that addresses a lot of the issues being faced by young adult African
American men without the predictability and "high drama" of some of the
mainstream fiction that is out there, check out this book!

Reviewed by Stacey Seay

I wanted this to be a good book because the idea is a good one. The sentiment of a man writing about the woman he has yet to meet is touching and imaginative. The layout of the book is creative and even the title is captivating. Unfortunately, and believe me when I say that it truly pains me that there is no nice way of saying this, the content is, well, terrible. To start with there is a problem with the frequency of certain words. The book is 105 pages long with 5 to 50 words on any given page. The word "beauty" or "beautiful" is used 72 times (I saw it so much I started highlighting it whenever I came across it). It is practically the only adjective used apart from "precious." (Someone please get this man a thesaurus!) The word "little" is used so much the reader begins to choke on it. "As I sit in front of a little campfire gazing up at the twinkling little stars." In a few places it is substituted by the words "tiny" or "small" but mostly, everything is "little." (Why is everything so diminutive in size? "little coffeehouse," "little hilltop" there are TWO "little river[s]." Does he live in Tiny Town?) The writing is simply too saccharine. This leads to a further, more theoretical, problem with Hers Is Beauty. For all that the author mentions "honesty" the love portrayed is not believable or realistic or even true. It is the cloying love of a 14 year old, completely desperate and blind. There is constant talk of tears and a teddy bear is even mentioned at one point. The author is right when he suggests that a woman must be "appreciated," "understood," and "held" and he makes one or two good meditative statements, however, I would be terrified if I was his girlfriend for this simple reason: what woman could live up to the portrait painted here? I found it frustrating as a woman because I am not some "little" treasure to be clutched to someone's heart-I am vast and changeable as the ocean itself. It would be interesting to discussing the true nature of love with the author.
To Mr. Boyd I would make a recommendation. The first comes from my writing teacher, Tom West. Show-don't tell. Saying something is beautiful requires blind faith on my part. It has to be proven to me with descriptive writing.
I consider myself a romantic but rather than finding my self moved to tears I found myself moved to laughter, which I feel bad about because here is this man pouring out his heart and it is one of the funniest things I have read in years. I appreciate that it takes courage to put such things on paper, so I suggest he get involved in some collaborative efforts in order to improve his writing abilities. It is only a first try, unfortunately someone published it.

Don't be fooled when reading about this book for sale. This book wasn't written by the Brandon Boyd who is the lead singer of Incubus. There is a website for this book that shows the author and tells all about him. Just a warning before you buy the book based on the authors name.

Hers is beauty was an awesome book it set me in a place were I would love to be it had so much passion adn warmth in it.....it made me want a guy like that sooo bad hahaha but yah this is a great book buy it NOW
LUV YA ALL
Kristin C.

I can't recommend this overview. I've read several books like it and this one was poorly written. It's a hollow read, no offense.

If one is searching nothing but potential cocktail party conversation about the various religions of the world, (s)he may well enjoy CIGTWR. The problem is many of us, including this reviewer, consider the subject from a serious angle. As a "church shopping" lapsed Roman Catholic, I encountered little of note between the pages. As a practical matter folks like me will be examining the mainline Protestant Churches. This so-called "guide" offers 3 pages on all the various denominations! This was a guide to nowhere! Blocks of pages are devoted to Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto. This was all very nice, but with the possible exception of Confucianism, I won't retain a single iota of those chapters. To be fair to the authors, I have no doubt they meant well. The publication is very well laid out. The graphics are clear, well spaced and set in large type. It is a fast read. This is a boost to those seeking a "religion lite" approach. For these readers, 4 stars are warranted. But for we remaining searching Pilgrims, only 2.

The stated purpose of this book was "to build bridges...to increase mutual understanding" between people of different faiths. In keeping with this goal the authors deemed it necessary to omit any information that could possibly offend anyone. As such, the book reads more like a Hallmark card than a serious textbook. Rather than raise issues with which some believers might disagree, there is very little information about what the major religions have to say about spiritual issues. For example, I found it odd that none of the Judeo-Christian chapters mention the concept of eternal damnation - I consider this a significant concept and an important difference between Christianity & Judaism. While certainly not all believers would agree on this topic, to simply ignore the issue is negligent. Similarly, there is little to no information on the various faiths' views on potentially controversial topics like the nature of the deity(ies), creation, apocalypse, fate of non-believers, etc, etc. There is also scarce mention of the numerous problems that have occurred over the centuries in the name of religion - wars, persecutions, subversion of scientific thought, etc (the 3 sentences on the Crusades describes them as "a series of military conflicts"). Needless to say, if you are curious to know the various faiths' views on issues like birth control, the role of women or homosexuality, you can give this book a miss. The strength of this book is that it concisely outlines important historical facts and observances of all the major religions. This is enough information to have a polite conversation with a co-worker of a different faith, but not enough to understand their religion. Unfortunately, it is not possible to seriously deal with the subject of world religion without raising controversial issues. In choosing to show how similar all world religions are, this book does not do justice to the variety and depth of human belief.