If you enjoy science fiction books, then you should read When The Tripods Came. This must read book is a story about a boy named Laurie living in a world that was recently taken over by giant tripods. These mechanical monsters are quickly destroyed but not before they manage to hypnotize most of the planet's population. The world is taken over; Laurie, his family, and his friend, Andy flee from England where they were living. They go to live with Laurie's stepmom who left to stay with Laurie's grandma and ill grandpa. The small town where they had sought refuge is quickly taken over and they are forced to seek refuge in the mountains. Can they survive in a world conquered by tripods? To find out read the series.
If you like science fiction, adventure, and friendship, you have to read this book. This book is only one in a series of four. I enjoyed this book and I think you will too.

This is a great series. In the first book an alien race comes to Earth in the form of the Tripods. We know little of who they are or why they come, but they easily learn about how humans work and are soon taking over the planet (but I won't tell you how). The second book (and in reality the first book published) we find ourselves on a Earth that has been ruled by the Masters and their Tripods for as long as anybody can remember. While Will Parker, Henry Parker and Beanpole, the major characters of the last three books, seem to find everything from before the Masters, such as the City of the Ancients and even a simple wristwatch, strange and fearful the readers (us) find it normal and rich in details only they can truly understand. The third book and the fourth continue to follow the characters from the second novel, as they fight to free the world from the Master's tyranny. With each book, with each page we (and the humans within the novels) learn more and more about the alien race, till they no longer seem like Gods, just very advanced creatures, even likeable in some ways. But they HAVE to be stopped, for their future plans for Earth do NOT include humans. In fact, if they are not stopped, all native life on the planet is doomed!

I was given the "Tripod's triology" for my twelth birthday twenty years ago and was fascinated by the story of English boy Will Parker's flight to the White Mountains to a band of free men who were amongst a few who had escaped the ruthless tyranny of the Tripod's and their ibfuence of 'the Cap' which was applied to people at the age of thirteen to control them. With cousin Henry and later companion Jean-Paul (known as Beanpole) the boys have several interesting adventures including the destruction of a Tripod. Will met one of the free men in his village who urged him ti escape.

In the next book, City of Gold and Lead, Will and companion Fritz are chosen to enter the city to spy on The Masters, the aliens who control the tripods. Will learns much from his Master who thinks Will is just a normal slave, not a spy! There are many fascinating descriptions of the city that are too numerous to mention but Will escapes the city and Fritz is left behond.

Fritz returns early in the third book, The Pool of Fire, with an incredible story of survival. Will learnt that in four years the Masters wil return and wipe out mankind with posinius air. The free men band together and the cities are penetrated and two of them destroyed. Will plays a part in the attack on the final city with Henry becoming a posthumous hero. Sadly, at the conclusion of the book, John Christopher reminds us of the nature of mankind.

I found the books again while moving house and fell in love with this series all over again. After visiting Amazon, I discovered about the prequel, When the Tripods came, whoch I am yet to read. But the other three books are enthralling for younger readers.

I do not feel Marlowe's "Faustus" is quite as good as his "Massacre at Paris" or "Edward II," but I still consider it an outstanding play. "Faustus" is very true to life in that many people can not stay behind the 'this far and no further point.' The opening is quite chilling as Faustus decides that the legitimate knowledge of this world is not good enough and he immediately decides to cross into forbidden territory even at the expense of his soul. To this day, I never have forgotten the chills I felt in 2.1 when Faustus signs the unholy contract. It is interesting that even after Faustus signs the contract, that he is presented with several oppurtunities to escape his fate: "Faustus, repent; yet God will pity thee" (2.2.12). But he can not give up the fruits of the contract. (His powers, having Mephostophilis at his command, etc.) After the chilling tension of the first 2 acts, Marlowe releases the tension for the next two acts by having Faustus perform several practical jokes (of an evil nature to be sure), but nevertheless it offers a release of tension while at the same time we can see how malignant Faustus has become. I once read that many people feel the 3rd and 4th act are way too silly and that they drag the play down. But I don't think this is the case at all. I can not help but think Marlowe was trying to point out that in all honesty, there was a worthless aspect of the fruits Faustus sold his soul for. Furthermore, Acts 3 and 4 help us to see the mentally disturbed side of Christopher Marlowe himself. In 5.1, Faustus has 1 final chance to avoid his fate, but he resolves himself to damnation after enjoying Helen of Troy. If I were a betting man I would be willing to wage that Marlowe is pointing out that sex is an ultimate driving force. To this day, I have never been able to forget the final soliloquy of despair in 5.2 followed by the demons carrying Faustus off to hell. Marlowe himself dedicated much of his life to blasphemy, and I can not help but feel he was coming to terms with the church and starting to realize he better cut it out or else. Not only is this an excellent play, but it also helps us to take a look at Marlowe himself.

"Dr. Faustus," the play by 16th century writer Christopher Marlowe, has been published as part of the Dover Thrift Edition series. The brief introduction to this version notes that the play was first published in 1604, and also discusses its relationship to a German text from 1587 known as the "Faustbuch." In his play Marlowe tells the story of the title character, a scholar who is "swollen with cunning." Faust dabbles in the dark arts of "magicians / And necromantic books," and literally makes a deal with the devil. These actions drive the tragedy forward.

This play is a curious mixture of Christian theology, tragedy, slapstick comedy, and colorful pageantry. It moves along fast, and contains some really beautiful and stately language.

"Dr. Faustus" is ultimately a cautionary tale about human pride and ambition. I must admit that in the end I find it less satisfying than some of the other great tragedies of the Elizabethan era, perhaps because this play relies less on universal human issues than on a culturally-bound theological contrivance. Still, it's a noteworthy play that, I believe, still holds relevance for contemporary audiences. ...

I, like many English majors, was assigned this play for my English Lit I class thinking it would be more of an exercise than anything else. I was pleasantly taken off guard. I was surprised about how well I could relate to or at least empathize with the character of Faustus, in a play written hundreds of years ago.
Marlowe has a great sense of style in his writing which was ahead of his time, rivialing Shakespeare historically though slightly predating him. He shows a great sense conflict and tension throughout the plot and characters who are very much architypical of the human condition; the quest for forbidden fruit, dealing with own's own need to conquer, lust for greed, exhibiting vanity (the other of the seven deadly sins make appearances) and so on. There is a religious undertone to the play which is easy enough to follow without having much knowledge of Christianity, this play is easy to enjoy without considering much of the religious dogma which was inserted as a guide for the audience of the time.
Perhaps what is most interesting about the play is Marlowe's use of black humor as the reader will find that there is much comic relief spread throughout the play (mostly through other characters mocking Faustus in ways unbeknowst to him, and you yourself may be laughing alongside of them.) Marlowe's style could arguably be seen as a significant influence on Monty Python and other British comedies going back as far as Shakespeare. The play is very much in the vein of what we might consider modern day 'British humor'; dark, often bleak, obsurd, hysterical.
Dr. Faustus doesn't take long to read, is highly entertaining, and you may even get something extra from it by examing your own moral tendencies. Without a doubt the best piece of literature I've read last semester.

John Christopher did a really great job with the sequel to 'The White Mountains'.

In 'The City of Gold and Lead' the White Mountain's leader, Julius comes up with a plan to stop the Tripods. They will go to the 'Games" and compete, hopefully winning, and go to the City of the Tripods to study them. Will, Beanpole and a new character named Fritz are chosen to go and compete in the Games. Fritz and Will are winners and are carried in a Tripod to the City. The two boys are separated and become servants for different Masters. The Masters are what control the Tripods. During his time in the City, Will learns a lot- why the Tripods invaded Earth, why they capped people, what happened to Eloise, and where the Masters and the Tripods came from.

This was a really good book to answer questions about 'The White Mountains'.

I am an avid fantasy ansd sci-fi reader. If you like either Genre this is the book for you. It is well thought out and has a very involved plotline. If you enjoy reading i suggest this and the other books in the series...The white mountains...The city of gold and lead... and The day the tripods came

"The White Mountains" is fine as a stand alone book; but any reader who enjoyed it will want to find out the answers to so many questions left unanswered. What would happen to the main characters: Will, Beanpole, and Henry? Will we ever learn more about the Tripods? And, of course, will the Tripods ever be defeated?

"The City of Gold and Lead" answers some of these questions. It explains the Tripods and how they came to dominate the world and enslave mankind. It informs us of the new lives that Will, Beanpole, and Henry have in the White Mountains. It introduces us to the characters of Fritz and Julius who become major figures in the struggle against the Tripods.

It also answers the question of the fate of Eloise, the beautiful girl who Will befriended in "The White Mountains." (It is disappointing that the ONLY female characters of any importance in the entire trilogy are Eloise and her mother, the Comtesse.) Personally, my favorite part of the series was Will's temptation by the good life at the Castle of the Red Tower where he met Eloise. In "The White Mountains" Eloise said goodbye to Will forever because she had been chosen to serve the Tripods in their city and would remain there as a slave for the rest of her life. One of main reasons I felt compelled to read "The City of Gold and Lead" was to find out what happened to Eloise and would she ever be freed from that slavery. The reader will discover the answer to that question at the Pyramid of Beauty in "The City of Gold and Lead."

Although "The City of Gold and Lead" answers many questions left from "The White Mountains," it also leaves the reader with new questions about the fate of a major character, the conflict with the Tripods, and the future of mankind. There are so many unanswered questions that most readers will have to read "The Pool of Fire," which is the last book of the series, to fully enjoy "The City of Gold and Lead."

I had to find a book at our school library for a readingassignment. I hate doing this, because I never find anythinggood. While I was looking for a book, I pulled out "The White Mountains". I looked at the cover and thought it was a cheap rip-off of "War of the Worlds"... But you can't tell a book by its cover! Time ran out, so I picked up that book, and we checked out our books and started to read. I was hooked! I got in trouble several times for reading in class. I kept reading and reading, and when I finally finished, I almost cried! But the next day I went to school I found out it was the first book of a series. I got the next one, "The City of Gold and Lead" and I'm still hooked! Now I've started the 3rd book, "The Pool of Fire." I love it too. I'm not totally sure why I like it... It's just... GOOD! Buy the series! You will love it! I'd give it 6 stars, and I recommend it to all ages.

I am a fifth grade student at Waldron Mercy Academy "FGD".
If you want to read a real science fiction page turner this is a book for you. It's about these three kids who live on the earth when robots called "Tripods" take over the planet. The Tripods took over the humans by means of a cap. "Capping" is a ritual when a 14 year old boy becomes a man. The book starts when Will, a 13 year old boy meets a man who tells Will that he is not capped and that the Tripods tell you commands through the caps. He also tells Will that there is a place called the "White Mountains" where the "Tripods" can't cap you. Will then sets off for a journey filled with amazement and peril. Along the way Will meets Henary, Will's cousin, and Beanpole, his real name is Jean-Paul. I really loved this book and I hope you will too.

In Every boys life, there comes the Capping ceremoney. Will Parker never made a very big deal about it, it was just something that happened to everyone. Then Ozymandis told him the truth: That truth sent Will on an incredible journey full of pitfalls and victories.

Will starts off on his own, but is soon joined by Henry, a cousin. But instead of being an old friend, Henry is an old enemy. But Will is forced to take him, or risk Henry telling his family where he has gone and why.

On another leg of their journey, Will meets a French boy named Jean-Paul, but he is so tall and thin, they nickname him Beanpole. Beanpole is a huge help, and even discovers some of the mysteries of the ancients. (oohh, mysterious, huh?)

I would highly recommend this book to just about anyone. If you are shaking your head because you "Don't like science fiction", I tell you, this book will make you LOVE sci-fi! Then read the rest of the series. Just one taste of John Christopher's writing won't be enough to settle your appitite. It wasn't enough for mine! :)

"Thank You For Smoking" made me reconsider my perspective on even the most hated industries (in this case the tobacco industry). Although likened to Satan, the protagonist, Nick Naylor is just an ordinary person who is doing what he can to keep his job and pay his mortgage. When put in that perspective, Naylor is even a likable guy--you can hate him for advocating cigarettes, but you can't hate him for being human. A feminist is more likely to be angry with the protagonist for his objectification of women than a non-smoker is going to hate him for lobbying for the tobacco industry. Buckley does well in his characterization of the protagonist but slightly lags behind on the others. What he tells you of the other characters is only what Nick can see, thus giving you more insight to Nick than anyone else. I picked up this book as a requirement for a class under the sales pitch that it was the "funniest book you will ever read." After opening the cover, I was beginning to wonder if I had left my sense of humor back home because I was simply not finding anything worthy of a chuckle. However, after pressing on (and may I remind you this was for a class), I found myself thoroughly entertained once Nick was kidnapped by Peter Lorre and the author had proved his cleverness by coming up with Nick's perfect punishment--being covered with nicotine patches! With this stunt, Buckley had gained my trust and I could finish the book in a more responsive frame of mind. Although I never would have picked this book up on my own, I found it to be an easy and entertaining piece of writing. I am glad to have read it because I showed myself that despite being an extremely picky reader, I can once in a while let go enough to broaden my horizons.

Even with a short attention span, a dislike for contemporary fiction and a natural resistance to forced reading assignments, I managed to thoroughly enjoy the wit and humor found in Christopher Buckley's Thank You for Smoking. The protagonist is the antagonist; the attitude is dark yet truthful and the characters artfully dynamic. Nick Naylor is the chief spokesperson for the Academy of Tobacco Studies. He pays his mortgage by stretching, twisting and hiding the truth about tobacco from the public, and as a result lives his life as a target for despise. Buckley's talent as a writer concisely and sarcastically reveals the culmination of events that grow from Naylor's continual and conscious lying. The readers' separation from Nick's dangerous life provides perspective for humor - continuing to prove the "it's funny when someone else falls down" theory. As Nick's awareness and follies increase so does the readers' fondness for this tragic hero. When boss-man, BR, turns up the heat, Nick's urgency to regain the integrity of tobacco for a newly health-conscious society shifts into a high gear. He begins to make blatantly false public statements that in turn introduce him to death-threatening enemies and the praise of the Captain, the tobacco-god. With manic intensity he continues to finagle his way into the media until he is so deeply loved and hated that bodyguards, FBI interrogations and secrete plots with his fellow "Merchants of Death" become necessary. Oddly, Nick's increasingly good job results in an increasingly malignant response from his boss, and the notion of internal tobacco scandal calls for extreme measures. The curious scandal and how Nick manipulates and escapes brilliantly fuels the plot. Buckley writes with a mesmerizing tempo, gluing your eyes to the pages. Between his cynicism, humor and talent for creating anticipation, Buckley weaves Thank you for Smoking into a book that is impossible to leave unfinished. My only criticism is the last chapter, which is weak and jumps almost too radically to a pleasant conclusion, however the fury of events leading up to that single final chapter makes the book well-worth the read.

Nick Naylor is your classic American weasel. Like Bill Clinton at the cutting edge of convincing his country that he didn't have sex with Monica, Nick almost persuades America that smoking is good for you. As a tobacco lobbyist and two-timing master of manipulation, Nick bolsters the smoking world. He slivers his way through Clean Lungs conventions and talk shows with Oprah and Larry King, squashing his health-crazed rivals and attaining the crown to his profession. But Nick obtains more than just a pay increase. He must brave a mass of enemies involving his jealous boss, BR, his alluring assistant, Janette, the non-smokers of society, and fanatical abductors who try to kill Nick with nicotine patches. Nick's only outlet from the havoc is when he's lunching with his two best friends, the spokespeople for the alcohol and firearms industries, or-when he's getting laid. Although Christopher Buckley creates a humorous mockery of corporate America, this novel contains some loopholes. The language can be too elaborate at times, tripping up the reader before he can ingest the action. Nevertheless, I recommend this read. The plot portrays the wicked reality behind what moves the money of America, while the suspense keeps the pages turning.

Chris Matthews has written a extremely readable, informative, and fair history concerning two of the most important politicians in the post war era. Both were elected to the House of Representatives in 1946. Kennedy ran as a fighting conservative and Nixon as a common sense liberal. They became friends while serving in the House and later in the Senate. When it appeared that Kennedy might die in the mid 1950's Nixon broke down and cried. Both come across as extremely fair minded Senators politicians to do the right thing. Their friendship did not survive the 1960 election. After Kennedy was assassinated, Nixon could never live up to the myth of Camelot. It haunted him throughout the rest of his political career and played a part in his descent into Watergate.

Chris Matthews, former journalist and Tip O'Neill staffer, and more recently host of MSNBC's "Hardball", has written an informative book detailing the political relationship between two men who became president, John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. Going back to when they first met, at the start of the 80th Congress in 1947, and continuing long after Kennedy's tragic assassination in 1963, until Nixon's resignation from office in 1974, Matthews reveals the ebb and flow of the relationship, and how it affected history. His story continues after Kennedy's death due to Matthews' convincing theory about how the deceased president and his family left President Nixon in a state of obsession, prompting him to go to extreme lengths to help assure his victory in 1972, convinced that the Kennedy legacy and the deceased president's youngest brother, Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy, could thwart his chances for a second term.

Matthews draws his analogy from the Peter Shafer play and subsequent film "Amadeus," which revealed the tremendous jealousy of famous Austrian court composer Salieri toward young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. While an accomplished professional, Salieri was obliged to rely upon form and hard work. Mozart, on the other hand, exuded a seemingly effortless genius and that indefinable quality known as charisma.

Nixon felt the same way about the handsome young Senator Kennedy. He felt in his shadow when in the presidency and was fearful that Ted Kennedy would ultimately seek the big prize in 1972. Matthews cites the Ted Kennedy factor as a major reason why Nixon, determined to leave as little to chance as possible, launched his ruthless Palace Guard operation which culminated in a "Dirty Tricks" campaign and Watergate, which resulted in Nixon becoming the only U.S. president to resign from office.

Matthews reveals that Kennedy and Nixon began as friends but, as it became increasingly obvious that they would oppose each other for the presidency, became tenacious competitors. Matthews tells his readers that the first Kennedy-Nixon presidential debate in 1960, in which Nixon's stiffness cost him dearly, had been preceded by a similar debate in 1947 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, when they were both freshmen congressmen. On that occasion, as in 1960, Kennedy was the ingratiating debater, relaxed, making contact with his audience. Nixon, on the other hand, was like the tense debate competitor seeking to impress a panel of judges, concentrating on raw facts at the expense of failing to generate warmth and spontaneity.

Matthews saw Nixon as the ultimate journeyman and Kennedy as the politician touched with genius. He notes that there are no memorable phrases associated with Nixon speeches whereas Kennedy is known for his electrifying Berlin speech as well as his inaugural address, when he stated, "My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."

This book shed tremendous light on the relationship between two of the dominant politicians of the Cold War. Kennedy and Nixon were intertwined long before their famous debates and the election of 1960, having entered Congress on the heels of WWII heroism. And they remain intertwined forever, with the Kennedy Center resting next to the Watergate complex along the Potomac River. Matthews paints a balanced, fair portrait of both men. Both were politicians who did what they felt needed to be done. And it may have brought both of them down. Matthews' book shows how Nixon's own insecurities, many of which developed as a result of his proximity to Kennedy in the Senate office building, led to the events of Watergate. And it was Nixon's strong anti-Communist push that drove Kennedy to allow military action and political assassination attempts in Cuba and Vietnam. Action-packed, fast reading.

This is the 26th of Pratchett's Discworld series. Though it's a good read, it's not typical of the rest of the series. This book seems to be Pratchett's attempt to have some fun with the quantum nature of space and time. I'd guess he'd just read some books on string theory or quantum mechanics and thought the stuff was interesting (which it is: Planck distances and quantum foam are cool things and explain a lot of discrepencies in other theories). Theoretically, this is a book of Death and his grand-daughter, Susan. But, they're essentially bit-players. The real players are Lu-Tze (seen once before in "Small Gods" (which is a fairly important book in the series, though I didn't care for it)) and his apprentice Lobsang Ludd. Since Pratchett seems to be using the book merely as a vehicle for talking about space/time, the plot's a bit thin. But it IS fun to read.

I have just read this book, and wow is all I can say.

The novel is a cross between the next Susan Sto Helit novel a and a 'new character' novel. The History Monks are the real main characters in this book, expounding on Lu-Tze and his new apprentice, Lobsang Ludd.

The novel is, without a doubt, one the the better novels he has written. I would give it 4.5 stars (but Amazon won't let me)-it's a great book, but there are better ones out there.

The plot is interesting, to say the least, and the last half of the book kept me reading all night (but this is a normal occurence for me, esp. with Pratchett books I am reading for the first time), and works well. And the Igors, who have populated every single book since Carpe Juglum are back. Even though Igors are funny (espically the Pratchett version of them), their apperance in four straight books is a little odd. He's apparently got all these Uberwald ideas, and Igor keeps trotting out for another round of 'yeth, marther'ing.

Also, the Auditors are back, and are a lot better then they were in Hogfather. They have also started a new trend-but you'll have to read the book to find out...

Overall, though, the plot is interesting, the History Monks are colorful (but could use a little development), and the apperance of the Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse is quite funny.

This is a book to read.

For the Perennial Pratchett Fans: This book is firmly in the Death series. Death and Susan have to save the world. Again. Is anyone keeping track of how many times the world has almost been destroyed?

For the New readers: This book stands on it own well enough. Regular fans will already know Death, War, Famine, Pestilence, Susan, Nanny Ogg, Igor, Lu Tze, and the Way of Mrs.Cosmopilite they are old friends and we are happy to see them again. But Pterry gives enough information so new readers are not lost. Just know that if you like them you can read more about them without waiting for another book.

So what is it about?

The Auditors have hired Jeremy, a man with a perfect sense of time, to build a glass clock that will stop time.

Lu Tze and his apprentice Lobsang Ludd of the History Monks are on a mission to stop the clock.

Susan is working as a school teacher until Death puts her to work saving the world. (Nanny Ogg has a cameo as the world's best Midwife)

Death is having a hard time getting the other three Horsemen to Ride Out for the Apocalypse.

And then there is the Fifth Horsemen, Ronnie, who left before they got famous.

All the stuff about the History Monks is one continuous joke about Kung Fu movies.

The Five Horsemen lend themselves to Beatles references but also to any rock band where some members are more famous than others.

Susan seems to have developed a Chocolate dependency. It is nice to know that Pterry understands these things.

The American edition cover is hideous, they could not have made it more ugly if they tried. Are they actually trying to lose business?

The British cover is the usual Josh Kirby (in case your are wondering it depicts the History Monks' time storage vault,. The little yellow figures are monks. They are getting buckets of water and yak butter out of storage wells to cool and grease the time spindles)

I have read several books on PHP, but found this one particularly interesting because of the well structured-ness of the content.
All the topics are fit in a logical progression and i could feel myself gaining more knowledge at each progressive step. However, individual chapters did not help me become an expert in that area, but i felt justified with the money i spent on 974 pages of quality PHP reading.

With the book market flooded with compendia on PHP and MySQL,
I have been looking avidly around for a PHP book with coverage on PostgreSQL and ODBC.
This book has come at the right time for me - It covers the functionality aspects of MySQL,
PostgreSQL and ODBC - MS access and SQL server, through a common application that
runs through each of these chapters. I must admit however that the application was not high-end, but
it served very well the purpose of demonstrating the functionality of each database with PHP. I further
appreciated the use of GTK to develop a standalone app for the same database application. I am looking
forward to buying more of these common-theme-thread books - It has really helped me to good effect.

Good book to start serious programming with DB (MySQL or other ones) outside of learning to do
real medium to large scale web app development with PHP.
Also notice that this book has been written by authoritative peers like Luis Argerich (i am a fan of
his phpbuilder articles), Thomas,Rawat and scollo(from the earlier Professional PHP Programming) and
James Moore (moderator on PHP-GTK) and reviewed by many memebers from the PHP quality team.

I am mastering professional PHP knowledge undaunted.BUY IT NOW!

This wonderful atlas is a joy to read, re-read and keep as a family reference resource. The pages are very well laid out, the maps are easy to read, the colors are vivid. The amazingly vast amount of information about planet earth and space contained within its pages is extremely easy to locate. The glossary section is comprehensive and detailed. The 10th edition has upto date information as compared to most other atlases. Since so many borders have changed in the past ten years, I believe this book is an absolute MUST for anyone who has some interest in other parts of the world. I cannot think of a better use for the amount I paid to buy this book and I will recommend it whole-heartedly to students, teachers, writers etc. In comparison with other atlases like National Geographic, Hammond or DK, in my opinion, this book will give you the biggest bang for the buck!

In choosing a world atlas for my family, I looked at all that were available: from Oxford, National Geographic, Rand McNally, Hammond, DK, and other publishers. This new edition of the Oxford
Atlas of the World is clearly the gold standard. Just published, it is of course the most up-to-date atlas available. More importantly, it is accurate and detailed, exquisitely produced (a joy to look at)and very readable. Unlike other atlases, for example, the maps do not run into the gutters. The introductory section containing informational maps and data (country population, income, products,languages, etc.) and stunning satellite photos is virtually a book in itself and worth the price of admission. And for all that one gets, the price is more than reasonable. This is more than a reference book--it's a good read. I highly recommend it.

In choosing a world atlas for my family, I looked at all that were available: from Oxford, National Geographic, Rand McNally, Hammond, DK, and other publishers. This new edition of the Oxford Atlas of the World is clearly the gold standard. Just published, it is of course the most up-to-date atlas available. More importantly, it is accurate and detailed, exquisitely produced (a joy to look at) and very readable. Unlike other atlases, for example, the maps do not run into the gutters. The introductory section containing informational maps and data (country population, income, products, languages, etc.) and stunning satellite photos is virtually a book in itself and worth the price of admission. And for all that one gets, the price is more than reasonable. This is more than a reference book--it's a good read. I highly recommend it.

In the exciting conclusion of the Tripods series, the resistance movement has finally reached the point where they are prepared to take decisive action to foil the alien Masters' final plan to claim the Earth. Will, Beanpole, Henry and Fritz, the boys who have figured prominently in the previous two novels, are destined to have pivotal roles in this final struggle as well. The strengths and weaknesses of the other books are evident here, too. John Christopher has devised a great story with a satisfying ending, as our central characters rededicate themselves to the challenges confronting a post-Masters Earth. However, Christopher's story is really too big for the minimalist style he has adopted. Years pass in the course of a few pages and I was left with the feeling that I was being allowed only a glimpse of what could have been a richly detailed, fascinating world. Of course, this book was written with young readers in mind, so brevity was a natural concern. Christopher's Tripod books follow the primary adage of show business: always leave them wanting more.

I want to begin this review with a disclaimer. I only read one book in this trilogy. That book was The Pool of Fire. It recaps the events of the last two books. Will Parker, his cousin, Henry, a German named Fritz, and a French boy, real name Jean-Paul, nicknamed Beanpole, because he's tall and thin, fight the mysterious invaders known only as the Masters. The Masters want to take over Earth and turn it into their new home. Will and Henry were sent to the City of Gold and Lead to spy on them. TPOF is set months after the events of TCOGL. The Masters still want to take over Earth. It's only a matter of time. To stop them, Will and his friends must be willing to pay the ultimate price. One of them does. Hint, hint, if you want to know who it is, read this book. If you loved these books, watch the series. Back in the '80s, there was a series called The Tripods on Channel 11 in Durham, New Hampshire. It was an Australian series distributed by Lionheart Television, the U.S. distributor for the BBC's programs.

The exciting conclusion to the White Mountains series does not disappoint the reader.

Will and Fritz have escaped the City of Gold and Lead and return to the White Mountains. They begin a journey to recruit young boys into their resistance, taking a long journey across Europe and the Middle East and back.

After they capture a Tripod and a Master named Ruki, they inadvertantly discover the Masters' weakness to alcohol. And Fritz and Will lead a team back to the city.

The book ends full circle from the beginning, and still leaves questions in the end.

This is an excellent read and an excellent conclusion to an excellent series!