I have always loved the style and social politics of the Regency period (the time of Jane Austen.) But when I read "Sense and Sensibility" in 7th grade I found the first few chapters lifeless, dull and hard to read. Two years later I was encouraged by a friend to give "Pride and Prejudice" a try. I did and have since become a complete Janeite. I am now able to peruse joyfully through "Sense and Sensibility" with a new understanding and appreciation of Jane Austen. The reason? "Pride and Prejudice" is fresh, witty and is a great introduction to Jane Austen's writing style without the formality of some of her other novels (unlike S&S and Persuasion Austen does not give us a 10 page history of each family and their fortune.) If you have never read Jane Austen or have read her other novels and found them boring, read Pride and Prejudice. The characters, and the situations Austen presents to them, are hysterical and reveal a lot about Regency society and morality. This book perfectly compliments a great writer like Jane Austen and is essential to every reader's library. The Penguin Edition of the book is stellar and I personally recommend it not only for the in-depth and indispensable footnotes, but also for the cover that is non-suggestive of any of the characters' appearances. In summary "Pride and Prejudice" is a great book for beginner Austen readers and seasoned fans, and Penguin Classics is a great edition for fully enjoying and understanding the book.

Pride And Prejudice, written by Jane Austen, is an amazing work on the nature of love. Austen uses beautiful language and intriguing characters to tell this story of courtship in a time when reputation was everything. The main character, Elizabeth Bennet, is a clever-witted woman who manages to gracefully glide through the lines set up by society. Although she does not always come off as lady-like, her charm and confidence demand the reader's respect. She is surrounded by a cast of diverse characters, creating a riveting plotline. Her mother is a rather quirky character who wants nothing more than to see her daughters wed. Her father, on the other hand, is a sarcastic and intelligent man who favors Elizabeth for her wit. These characters are brought together with the Bingley's when Elizabeth's older sister, Jane, falls for Mr. Bingley. Here, we are introduced to the stubborn and proud character of Mr. Darcy. He seems to be above everyone else and completely opposed to the idea of love.
When Elizabeth Bennet catches Darcy's eye, however, a battle between the mind and the heart begins. These two chracters are faced with the obstacles set up by a strict, Victorian society. Their largest obstacle, however, will be to overcome their own pride and prejudice, and discover their love for one another. Is this a battle that the heart can win?

It is unfortunate that most first time readers of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE see it merely as one more book to be endured in 11th grade English. However, most soon enough catch the magic of an author (Jane Austen) who can weave a spellbinding tale of love, romance, satire, and passion while all the while poking a not so gentle thrust at the social mores of the early 19th century. This book is no frilly ancestor of a Harlequin romance, even if it shares with the dim-witted heroines of Harlequin a time-honored plot of lovers who meet and find an instant dislike that later morphs into enduring love. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE starts off with that basic premise, but what sets it off as classic is what goes on behind the lovers, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. A careful reader usually notes the society in which Elizabeth and Darcy play out their little games of cross-purpose verbal repartee. The world of Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is a society ruled by conniving and single-minded women who see men only in terms of the size of their wallets. Whenever a new bachelor appears on the scene, the women of the novel (with the exception of Elizabeth, of course) immediately try to guess his income so that they can decide if one wishes to marry him. His age, his looks, his habits are much less significant than his income. A fat purse compensates for a fat head.

Modern readers typically call such schemers 'golddiggers,' and according to modern values, perhaps they are, but these readers ought to judge the book's morality against the age in which it was written. Austen (1775 - 1817) lived in an England that prized manners and breeding over all else. It is no surprise, then, that since the reclusive author felt most comfortable only in the company of women, that she would limit her book only to the thoughts, feelings, emotions, and habits of women. In PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, men are never permitted to occupy center stage, nor are they shown interacting independently with other men. If a man is present in any scene, so must a woman to control and observe his actions. Men--even the eventually triumphant Darcy--are generally portrayed as vain, sycophantic, sarcastic, and totally aware that they they are prized only for their money.

The world of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, especially if one has seen the fine film version starring Greer Garson, is one that seems to have been built for women to inhabit. All the women wear flouncy, bouncy dresses with huge flowered hats that Scarlet O'Hara might have worn in GONE WITH THE WIND. Even those ladies that complain of poverty never lack the funds to afford those outrageous outfits. Further, Miss Austen stages a ball in just about every third chapter that permits single women to size up eligible men. As these dandefied women and uniformed men speak to each other, the modern reader probably will be surprised at the excessive politeness and deference tossed unerringly about. This strict adherence to a surface morality ought not to fool the reader into assuming that the characters are as inwardly noble as they are outwardly polite. In fact, behind this massive wall of formal phrasing and good manners lies the same fears, jealousies, and general backstabbing that pervade a modern disco. What gives PRIDE AND PREJUDICE its perpetual charm is the biting irony that causes the reader to wonder: 'Did that character say what I think he (or she) just said?' The modern reader can best appreciate Austen's wit if she can read between the lines to sense the tone of the moment. If such a reader can see that this book is a polite if powerful indictment of a way of life that even Austen wished to poke fun of, then perhaps this reader can appreciate the charm of a book that grows with each successive reading.

I first read this when I was 10. Still a pleasure. What can I say about Brian Daley's Han Solo material?

Daley's style is all action, with some fairly challenging visual descriptions, that give your imagination a brief workout. The pages-long fighter duel in _Star's End_ a is a perfect example, you should be prepared to hear the swooshes.

There's not a lot of invention, just variations on a planet-hopping Star Wars formula of getting out of one jam after another, while rescuing your friends or picking up new ones.

It's more believable than fantasy, because Daley obliges the laws of physics more often than some we can mention, and there's no weird Force stuff. There's very little theme at all here, and in fact it's quite squarely in the pulp tradition of science fiction/fantasy action that Star Wars takes after.

If you have an appetite for a little more pulp, try Leigh Brackett's _Starmen of Llyrdis_, _Sword of Rhiannon_, or the Skaith planetary trilogy. George Lucas read the Skaith trilogy and hired her to write The Empire Strikes Back.

This book is an account of Han Solo and Chewbacca's adventures at some point between the third A.C. Crispin Han Solo Trilogy Book and the second Daley H.S. book - Han Solo's Revenge. It's a must read for all connosieurs of fine Star Wars fiction.

In viewing the original Star Wars movie, it did not take long to realize that the mercenary duo of Han Solo and Chewbacca were not as self-centered as they proclaimed. They later turned out to be heroes as they came back and rescued Luke from the pursuing fighters. However, we learned nothing as to the reasons why Solo became a rogue.
The circumstances leading to Solo becoming a mercenary are briefly explained in this book, although not completely. It is no surprise that he had been in the military, but the reasons for his leaving are only hinted at. The main plot of the story is that the Millenium Falcon needs some repair work done and the only organization that can perform the necessary work out of sight of the Empire is currently in trouble. Han and Chewie come to the rescue with Han leading a battle against both their adversaries and with himself as he reunites with a woman from his past. The action is fast and interesting and the story further expands the characters of Han and Chewie as we learn more about what made them what they were in Star Wars. I hope that somewhere in episodes 2 and 3 we learn the complete story about their origins. If you are a fan of Star Wars, then this book is one you must read.

...that JFK's Presidency and marriage to Jackie were not romantic fairytales. Heymann has done an impressive amount of interviews and research, and while some readers may argue with his interpretation of certain events, there's no doubt that he's done his homework. This book follows Jackie from her surprisingly unhappy childhood, which was marked by an ugly divorce between her dashing yet womanizing and big-spending father and her uptight, social-climbing and rather cold mother. Jackie was a definite daddy's girl - she adored her father and never seemed to care too much for her mother or the second man she married, wealthy stockbroker Hugh Auchincloss. Thereafter comes the familiar story - she grows into a beautiful and sophisticated young woman (who emphasizes her father's French ancestry and ignores her mother's Irish heritage), attends the best women's private schools in the US and France, becomes engaged to a nice yet boring young stockbroker; but then breaks off the engagement when she begins dating a sexy and exciting US Senator who just happens to come from a wealthy family - John F. Kennedy. Then comes the high-society wedding, the rocky marriage (made so by Jack's constant cheating and Jackie's aloofness from her in-laws), her glamorous tour as First Lady, the assassination, and finally her controversial marriage to the crude yet wealthy Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Although Heymann tries to be objective and fair to his subject, the book does seem to emphasize the flaws and dark sides of Jack and Jackie. Some readers who have a romantic view of Jackie may not want to read this book, as it will definitely destroy your romantic view of her. Yet while she had her flaws, there's no denying her now-legendary poise during her husband's funeral or her outstanding role in raising her two children to be good citizens and good people. Overall, this is an engrossing warts-and-all biography of one of the most famous women of the twentieth century.

This gives you everything you've ever wanted to know about Jackie Onasis. It also mentions on the first page that Jackie's mother's family were "lace curtain Irish." Many people mistakenly believe that Jackie was all French, but she was actually half French. Her mother's family emigrated from Cork, Ireland, and her grandfather had a rags to riches story. That wealth is the main reason that Jack Bouvier married Jackie's mother, Janet Lee. The whole book is exciting, and I would recommend it to anyone.

As a British reader born after the 1960s I did not really know that much about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. A friend gave me this book and I began to read it out of a sense of duty. By the end of the first chapter I was hooked! I thought this was an exceptionally well written and researched biography that gives a very balanced view of a fascinating personality and period. The background to the Onassis wedding and the sections on JFK are especially good. It has left me wanting to read more about America in the 60s.

This looks into how Han Solo operates and provides some explanation as to why he is how he is in the films. Set between the other two Daley HS books.

I remember reading the library's hardback copy of this when I was ten, then saving up for the paperback, so I was a little reluctant to read it again as an adult. I was pleasantly surprised to find out how well the book had aged. Some ideas seemed fresh the first time, though they were already old cliches in 1980 - but Daley made them fun again. Daley's portrayal of Han Solo is faithful to the films, and he gives Chewbacca something to do besides hoot and grow hair. The book is a bit less than the whole of its parts - every chapter is entertaining but when the Big Solution to the various mysteries arrives it doesn't really account for what's happened.

Then again, who would read a book like this for the mystery story? Daredevil piloting, terrible death narrowly avoided, the perils of smugglers with hearts of gold, corrupt slavers, and considerable wit. Any Han Solo fan would enjoy this book.

Picking up not too long after Han Solo at Stars' End, maybe a couple of months later, Han Solo's Revenge continues Brian Daley's chronicles of some of Han Solo's more daring early exploits. In this next volume of the Han Solo Adventures, the author continues to uphold the high standards set in the first book and gives us another rousing, fast-paced yarn set in the Star Wars Universe. Han, Chewie, and the Falcon are all completely in character throughout the book, and in fact this is one of the few Star Wars novels ever to actually use Chewie for something other than a set piece.

Han and Chewie start this novel pretty much bankrupt, and so they take a shady job promising them 10,000 credits. Unfortunately, things turn sour when the job turns out to be slave running, which carries with it an automatic and summary execution if caught. Han manages to outwit the slavers and escape, but he figures he's still owed 10,000, and so he decides to head to his rendezvous and collect. But when the Corporate Sector Authority gets involved, things start getting more dangerous.

While this book isn't quite as memorable as its immediate predecessor, it is in many ways a superior book. First of all, it has more of a plot rather than just a mission that the characters are undertaking. In addition, while there is not quite as much action in this installment as the previous one, there's a lot more dialogue and character development. There's a character in this book who is amusingly and completely unintimidated by Chewbacca, and my favorite droid duo, Bollux & Blue Max, returns as well. Moreover, we get to see Chewie sing, we get the first ever swoop race, almost twenty years before Shadows of the Empire came along with that novel idea. Chewie gets to go flying without benefit of a ship, Han gets to do a lot more seat-of-the-pants flying, and there are more, and more interesting, ancillary characters in this book than in Stars' End. In addition, in this book Gallandro, a gunman with possibly an even quicker draw than Solo, is introduced. There are pirate boardings, run-ins with various high-ranking individuals, great and innovative escape, you name it...

Overall, this is another more than worthy, if somewhat short, addition to the Star Wars mythos. Highly Recommended.

Huh, didn't know about that.

Well. This was actually the 3rd book I read from Brian Daley, after the Coramonde books. I picked it up at a used book store not knowing anything about it. This is the only other fantasy book he wrote or published (to my knowlege...who knows what he has stored up in his attic? Maybe the sequel?), and it's not quite as good as his other two. But it's still really good.

The story's about Crassmor, a knight who lives in the Singularity, which is the single focal point for all other realms, like the center of a wheel. All realities are connected to the Singularity by the Beyonds, a barren wasteland, where time and distances are different from solid realities. There seems to be a lot of rifts between different realities, the Beyonds, and the Singularities. Many people cross over without knowing how they did it or where they are. There were several famous/infamous historical figures/organizations, like NASA, a part of the Nazi-German army, Blackbeard the pirate, etc. Crassmor becomes a knight and saves the Singularity from several mishaps that could have led to its destruction.

It does explain some of the physics of the realms better, like why most people use swords, bows, etc. It seems that complicated weapons like guns, etc. that have many moving parts, are more liable to stop working for one reason or another.

Brian Daley was continuing to develop his unique writing style, and the book reflects this, having sort of a sarcastic feel to it, but not as much as his Fitzhugh/Floyt trilogy. I didn't know about there being a sequel before reading one of the other reviews, but it doesn't really show. The book ends well, it doesn't leave you hanging, so the sequel would be more of an addition to the story, not a completion. It's a shame they didn't publish it, but maybe some day they will....

I bought this book at a garage sale and enjoyed it immensely. Unfortunately, it was supposed to have a sequel. A sequel that now looks as though it will never be published. In the copy that I have it seemed the sequels release was eminent. It even went so far as to have a small sample of the upcoming tale. Still it is a well-written and engaging tale. So I say read it anyway, but be prepared to never know the rest of the story.

Gosh, I liked his writing so much. But I really liked the world of Tapestry, even more than Coramonde. It gave a cool reasons for wierd stuff to show up that didn't necessarily "make sense" and had this deep sense of history and mystery that made the Coramonde novels special. There were a lot of little touches so characteristic of BD, e.g., the space shuttle heat tiles and the arrival of Count Cagliostro. Yes, I recall reading snippets of sequel. Too bad, though the book does end complete.

Get it. :)

These classic Star Wars stories are great. They are easy to get into. All three start out in the middle of something, which is the way that the movies in the Star Wars trilogy started out. In addition, they contain two of my favorite characters from the Star Wars Universe: Han Solo and Chewbacca.

The writing is great and is easy to get into. Like Zahn did for all the characters in the Heir to the Empire trilogy, Brian Daley gets every little bit of Han Solo's character traits. It is fun to read about Han Solo's adventures before A New Hope. Most of the stories take place in a new area of the Star Wars universe: The Corporate Sector. This provides a very interesting backdrop for the duo's adventures. Watch out for how Han treats the droids Bollux and Max differently from Threepio and Artoo.

This collection is a great read, and if you are a fast reader, you can read one story a sitting. Read it at all costs. ****1/2 stars (out of *****)

Brian Daley did a fantastic job on these novels. He wrote perfectly for Han and Chewie even before they were fully developed (the books were written in 1979 and 1980). An important part of the novel is the characterization, at which Daley is very talented. Han and Chewie speak and act like they would in the movies. The Solo adventures are action-packed and never slow down. A must read for Han Solo fans. If you're looking for something in a Star Wars novel besides seeing MORE remnants of the Empire pop up again and again, you HAVE to read these books. In them, Han deals with the Corporate Sector Authority, a group unrelated to the Empire, but just as dangerous. Daley introduces new and interesting characters that become as much a part of the book as Han or Chewbacca. These books will definitely not disappoint a true Star Wars fan. They're full of all the action and excitement that epitomize Star Wars. I would give the books a 10 except that there are a few somewhat goofy moments. In "Han Solo's Revenge", Chewbacca escapes stampeding animals by quickly making a glider out of a dead pterosaur. That seems a bit ridiculous to me, but everything else is just perfect.

I have read and re-read this book since it frist came out and was relieved when I read The Han Solo Trilogy - Volume 3 : Rebel Dawn to see that A.C. Crispin had included references to the books and the fun and exciting adventures that were written. The characters were written just as I had immagined they would be, based on the movies. It should be included in any Star Wars novel collection.

As an individual story, the first book in the series is unimpressive, but combining the 4, they were enjoyable. Not Mr. Daley's best, in my opinion, but still well worth reading. I enjoyed the several stories competing for attention.

I went into this book feeling a sadness, knowing that with Mr. Daley passing away, this would probably be the last new material I would ever read from him.

Although GammaLAW was broken down into 4 seperate parts, it was written as one book and was [probably] intended to be read as one book. I kept this in mind, and I think it gave me a deeper appreciation for it. GammaLAW is also a harder read than any of his other works, and so it might seem to some people who like other books of Daley's as not so enjoyable. I understand completely, but there are too many 2- and 3-star ratings for it.

Brief synopsis: a force of Exts from the planet Concordance under Allgrave Burning are recruited to join LAW (the Legal Annexation of Worlds) and participate in a GammaLAW mission (Gamma is low priority, Alpha is high, and Beta is somewhere in between) under the command of Commissioner Dextra Haven, who believes that she can find an end to the interstellar war between Humanity and the alien Roke on the planet of Aquamarine. Murphy's Law strikes almost from the beginning, and they spend the rest of the time trying just to survive.

A word of warning: it follows around 4 main groups of characters and is a harder read than any of his other books, but I believe that if you can see past these shortcomings and just read the book, you'll probably like it. If you like Brian Daley, but have a hard time with hard reads, it's probably for the best that you look elsewhere.

In style, it's closer to his Coramonde books than Alactiry Fitzhugh and Hobart Floyt. It's more graphic and more serious in its tone, whereas Fitzhugh/Floyt, Solo & Company, and A Tapestry of Magics have a more playful, sarcastic tint to them. There are very few, if any, funny or light-hearted parts in GammaLAW. It's all about hi-tech military warfare, and the outcomes and repercussions of it. Don't be expecting anything close to his other works.

Although this doesn't rank near the top of my favorite books, the story is solid and believable. Mr. Daley was very good about researching his topics and getting the facts and physics straight. I found only one problem, if it is a problem and not just me, but it's a minor one: he describes the sling guns several times as having a noticeable recoil (if I read it right). This would be accurate if you're talking about firearms, in which the bulllet has its own propellant that pushes backward to send the round out the barrel. However, the sling gun works much like a slingshot, pushing the round forward through the barrel with an elastical force, not backward. It would seem to me that the shock from this would travel forward, not back (I'm not an expert on this, so if ballistics, etc. is your area of expertise, you can confirm or deny what I have said. That's just what it seems like to me).

Thanks for writing such interesting books, Brian. You're missed here.

This is a very complex story with a lot of characters. It's not obvious after reading the first novel what the "point" of all this is. However, it's clear that this first book is setting up a very involved story involving a number of different human groups and one hopes, aliens.

Standing on its own feet, it's not an especially great story. But one hopes that the follow-up stories pull all the various pieces together into a cohesive unit.

Eventhough this is not an earth-shattering book, volume II of Gammalaw is thoughtfully written. The book is much easier to read than volume I. The plot is well developed and the story flows smoothly. One gets a feeling for the chatacters in the book, various settings, and problems they have to overcome to survive. I am eager to read the other volumes in this series!

As far as I know, this is not the original ending to Story of O. In the original, O commits suicide when she finds out her master has abandoned her. I cannot find the original for anything. (Granted, I haven't tried too terribly hard, but...) I would greatly appreciate any leads or information. The original French is fine. Email me: love_erni@yahoo.com

More on the topic, I agree, this version bites. In the intro, the *author* gives a disclaimer: she doesn't think the same way she used to. O has changed in her mind. Nothing about the Chateau resembles the original. I wonder if even a different person wrote it. Hmmmm.

Having read The Story of O and found it to be rich in description and intensely erotic I was totally disappointed by the sequel which was neither. Being a double spaced this book was also a lot less material for the money. It built to nothing and did little to grow the character of O. As others will be curious enough to buy and read the book anyway because of its heritage I can't blame them for it, but warn that they will be just as disappointed as I was.

The book was cut into two parts by the publisher withoutPauline Reage's knowledge. I have read several other reviews by otherreaders here on Amazon, and just wanted to add some info andimpressions. History-wise, "Reage" was a very well knownwoman, a feminist in France in the 50s. She died within the last tenyears. There is a full-length book interview with her that I own thatis out of print, published when the book was first re-released in theUSA in the 70s... quite fascinating. So, to clarify, what has beenpublished on "O" is 1) The original truncated book in Francein the 50s and USA from the 70s on. 2) The original ending as"Return to the Chateau" in the late 70s or 80s. 3) Eitherjust before or just after, a rip-off called "Story of O"Part II that makes "O" into a dominatrix. 4) At least oneillustrated version of the original book. 5) A film version in the70s -- reviewed in Time Magazine at the time, starring Corinne Clery-- hot, hot, hot-- and 6) the 10 part Video set sold on Amazon.com --also pretty darn hot. Contemporaneous with "O" in the 50'sa book called "L'Image" (the Image) was also published bysomeone rumored to be Reages lover... I can also say that I find thebook wholly well-written, erotic, fascinating and interesting, but cannot avoid doing so due to my own interests. Some of the scenes inthis book, as well as Part I, are quite indelible in my mind. Oh,well, I am probably at 1000 words. .... ....