Coming out of RazorBlade Press, Hideous Progeny is one monstrously beautiful anthology that explores the world as it would have been if Dr. Victor Frankenstein's gruesome experiments had not gone awry. Writers such as Tim Lebbon, Peter Crowther, Steven Volk, Steve Rasnic Tem, and Rhys Hughes (to name just a few) each donate a small literary organ to the mix, and everything is skilfully stitched together into a marvellous book by first-time editor Brian Willis.

Cosmetically, the book is a two-face: while cover design by Chris Nurse is nothing short of outstanding, the internal layout is not without blemish. For example, outside margins are too wide, story titles are not always at the same height in the page, and the author's name is italicised in some but not all of the instances. Another gripe I have is that page numbers on the right-hand pages are left-aligned; plus, headers have no indication about the stories presented below them: these will give you a bad time if you want to riffle through the book to look up a specific something. There are a few extra typesetting warts and moles as well, as I noticed some characters showing up in a different size than the rest of the text, uneven spacing between words, typos derived from bad OCR, and so on. I sincerely encourage RazorBlade Press to pay more attention to internal design in the future, and run a few spell checks as well. Still, don't let appearances fool you, because the writing on these pages is top-notch.

In the whole, I was not in the least disappointed by Hideous Progeny while expecting quality work. Many short stories surprised me by their original angles, and all are very well written. The subjects are quite varied too, although some do overlap a little - it seems inevitable given the limitations inherent to their collective premise. I have my favourites, of course: Peter Crowther's piece is shocking yet touching at the same time, and the idea behind "Mad Jack" is a simple but nevertheless brilliant one. "The Banker of Ingolstadt" is perhaps the funniest in the book, and I found Steven Volk's "Blitzenstein" to rank among the best.

Whatever shortcomings the book has, they're quickly overwhelmed by the superb fiction it it, not to mention a downright gorgeous cover. For £6.99, it's well worth getting Hideous Progeny: not only will you be adding a fine specimen of a book to your library, you'll also be helping small press business to thrive. Because I want to see more from RazorBlade Press. Oh yeah.

Even if your educational background is in labor law, this book is vital for understanding the complex procedures of the National Labor Relations Board. Practicing before the NLRB is a very unique experience and you will quickly find the agency has its own way of doing things. I am a lawyer and I use this book every single time I represent a client in any kind of NLRB proceeding. It's expensive, but well worth every penny (besides, it's tax-deductible as a business expense).

My wife and I love to do projects ourselves. But with out a background in construction it is sometimes difficult to complete large tasks such as shops and other out buildings. This book has provided us with the specific knowledge we needed to solve problems when they arise. The book is laid out in such a way that you can quickly find several solutions to most any problem. This is one of the most complete and accessible books we've found.
If you are thinking of adding to your house or building a shop or other building this book will give you the tools to succeed.

I purchased this book for my husband for Christmas, but after he commented that he wanted to build a shed, I had to give it to him early. He designed the shed he wants to build based on the book, but now has moved onto re-siding our home, again based on the book. This book provides all of the fine details on how to build, frame, and do it all yourself. It contains better detail then most internet sites and very specific drawings.

A great purchase for a do-it-yourselfer who wants to do things correctly!

I bought this book along with an armful of others its type to help me with a remodel. It is by far the best and easiest to understand. It has made my home a library for my buddies who come over, drink my beer, and read this book. (I don't check it out for fear that it will never return) This book has everything in it from entire section views to views of specific details with a narrative on best practices, where to start and how to do it right. It is a must for a do-it-yourselfer that intends on undergoing framing activities during his or her project. Besides you might get some of your friends that drop by to read the book, then you can put them to work on your remodel :-)

I've read the on-line debate about this book with pleasure. I understand the conflict, but I come down on the side that says this book is a great read.

I readily agree with those who say the descriptions can be too long and too colorful, and, especially those who say that they could not imagine moving to Venice to marry a "stranger." But, when I finished this book I felt I had spent the last few evenings with a highly entertaining, charming, and impulsive friend. That we had spent the visit talking about life, love, food, and Venice. And, that I wished she could have stayed longer. Not that I wanted to live like her, or agreed with all her decisions, but that listening to her talk was simply fascinating.

I loved the description of small things about Venice, her admission that all in love is not perfect, and her determined, wily temperment.

Take this book to the beach. Use it to spice up a dull week. Read about this woman's flight of fancy. Don't judge her life choices based on practicality or her word choices based on Hemingway. Just relax and enjoy.

I have spent the last two nights in Venice... not really, but I feel as though I have, lying in bed amidst fluffy pillows, with a glass of red wine and my hot-off-the-presses copy of A Thousand Nights in Venice. What delightful book it is, Marlena takes us all on a romantic journey into the unknown. What happens when you meet the love of your life in, um, for lack of a better term -- middle age? How do you pick up and move across the world to an unknown place and cast your lot with a charming stranger? So many of us have had this fantasy while traveling, Marlena had the courage to act on the opportunity when it appeared. She has a lovely way with words, her descriptions of people, places, and best of all -- food, will sweep readers into an exotic world. Enjoy!

Subtitled, "An unexpected romance," I was pleasantly surprised to find this jewel of a book to be in the biography section, but, of course, it is actually a true story of a middle-aged lady (she kind of hides that fact for a while) who leaves everything behind in her American life, including her now grown children, to marry an Italian who somehow fell in love with her simply by seeing her in Venice on a business trip.

Venice is hard to explain to someone who has not been there; it's a city in the past living out the present, as it has for hundreds of years. One wonders what goes on between the canals, in all the second floors of all the buildings that can only be reacted by pedestrian bridges or water taxis. Reading this book after such a trip makes it all the more enjoyable. The addition of recipes in a biography must surely be a first. Also, the use of an autobiographical format to tell a love story, is also very unusual. If there's one fault in the book, it's that we want to more about Marlena's life, both before her U.S. life fell apart but especially after she has been married for several years, after the book's conclusion. It really deserves an Epilogue, but this in no way diminishes the romance, coupled with the pleasures of the water city. But I would like to know her husband('the stranger')'s last name which as I recall, is never even mentioned in the book.

I recently spent a semester in Ireland & N. Ireland & this was one of the books we were required to read. I drank a lot of Guiness & didn't do much homework so I can't really tell you much about the book. What I did read was good.

Translated from the original French, this work from Jag enthusiast Bernard Viart focuses on the XK sports cars from the continental point of view. Most photos are of Jags in European settings, looking good in their unusual--to the American eye--continental trim (amber turn lamps, roof-mounted antenna, and chunky number plates).

Extensive text; each model from the SS90 to XJ-S is discussed in detail (except for the Series 1.5 transition - only a few paragraphs and 3 photos!). Factory, personal, and racing photos are used in chronological sequence, with a special appendix of "Jaguar at LeMans photos" over 1950-1964. Lots of French photos, many from their days hanging around the track at LeMans. The translated text often has a quaint tone ("But let us put flesh on the bare bones of the story...") but is good info nevertheless. Don't go looking for a specific topic, though; there is no index...none.

Lyons died in 1985 during the translation; but still contributed a gracious forward (in French) thanking the authors for letting him see the final proofs. The authors don't say much about themselves, but it's clear they are enthusiasts of all marques with a special affinity for Jaguars.

The book was poorly written. As a work of fiction, I found it not very entertaining. There are several events within the book that even for a work of fiction was just a little too much to swallow. I am tempted to mention scenes, but the "review guidelines" prevent me from doing that. I guess you have to either trust my review, or read the book yourself.

Understandable that it is a work of fiction. However, even the historical references are incorrect. For a more entertaining and informative read, There are far better books on the Battle of Saipan, the Marianas Turkey Shoot, and the Marianas Campaign out there. You will be surprise, that fact is more entertaining than this particular work of fiction.

Here are just a few of the books (non-fiction) which I found to be very entertaining and informative. Oba: The Last Samurai, Saipan 1944-1945 by Don Jones, Saipan: The Beginning of the End by Carl W. Hoffman. The first book from a Japanese perspective and the second from an American perspective. Both books can be ordered on Amazon.com.