I just want to let readers know that the trade paperback of this book should be coming soon (Wildside Press told me August), and that the second book of "Vengeance of Masks", CITY OF TOMBS, is slated for publication next year: it's finished and at the publisher now. Best, Rosemary Edghill

If you like Kushiel's Dart you'll absolutely love this book. Pick it up! I can't wait for part 2 to be out!

"Vengeance of Masks" once again proves that Rosemary Edghill can write anything, and do it with flair.

The story is written in two different styles, which befits the two almost diametrically opposed characters. The first is written in an epic, almost melodramatic style. This is befitting, as the first character, Childeric, has an almost luckless existence. He's God-emperor of the Eidolon Empire, but realizes he has no real power at the ripe old age of eight. His uncle, Prince-Regent Dabaoth, wants to kill him, but can't due to politics and the unusual power the Emperor holds.

Simply put, the Emperor holds a demon enchained; to be Emperor, you must surrender your will to a mask, which is supposed to give you control over the demon -- and thus, everyone else as well.

However, this isn't quite true. If you use the mask too soon, the demon can bind you -- and that's what happens to the luckless Childeric.

As his horrific story unfolds, we meet our second character, Arcadia. She's a writer, producer, and film maker from our world, but isn't famous and perhaps doesn't even want to be. Yet, as we meet her, fleeing from a party where her would-be boyfriend basically hit her up for a "if you give me what I want (entry into film school), I'll give you what you want (sex)" deal, she's very upset, nervous, strung out, and half-drunk. Her car goes off the road . . . problem is, she wakes up in the Eidolon Empire.

Yet, it might not be, because she's stuck where she is. She can't really go anywhere. Then, she meets Childeric, and realizes he's the character she wrote about years ago . . . someone who's had too much doom follow him, and now believes in almost nothing, yet is more noble than not despite doing unspeakable, savage things in the name of survival.

The ending is a major cliffhanger; I'm not even going to try and get into that. Suffice it to say that I read this book in one sitting, and can barely wait to find out the ending (revealed, I hope, in book two).

Ms. Edghill outdid herself with the characterization of Childeric. He's noble, caustic, self-absorbed, abusive, and lovable despite himself by turns -- a do-gooder fully aware his deeds might not amount to much, yet compelled to do it anyway. Oh, and every so often, Childeric does something totally shocking and seemingly out of character, almost as if he's saying to the reader, "I don't want to be lovable. Leave me alone."

Sorry, doesn't work that way. :)

Arcadia is closer to most of Ms. Edghill's heroines. She's smart, tough, can take care of herself, very witty, and more than a little shell-shocked about the situation in which she finds herself. And Arcadia, whenever she shows up, is written in a very straightforward prose style (similar to most of Ms. Edghill's other s/f and fantasy writing); Childeric, while he's onstage, talks in near-Shakespearean overtones and cadences, as if he's a character in an epic melodrama (which, indeed, he is).

This is a terrific, multi-layered book, with lots of surprises, suspense, and mystery. Also an intriguing hint of romance (which isn't quite as expected, either, by the heroine).

If I could give this book over five stars, I would. Definitely the best book of the year so far, hands down. Buy this book!

Despite the enormous costs of healthcare in the US, the system is percieved by many as being unresponsive to the needs of patients. Rather than being at the center of peoples concerns, patients wait in line at the whim of insurance companies, doctors, HMOs etc. Mistakes occur more frequently than one would expect, and all too frequently denial is the only remedy offered. The authors of this book by taking a number of case studies and speaking to patients and health care providers provide a very compelling analysis of the problem. No one party is singled out for undue criticism. Rather, the book explains how weaknesses in the design of the system result in poor performance across the spectrum. This book is definitely recommended for anyone who feels let down by the healthcare system.

High time a book like this was written putting a human face on the crisis of medical error running rampant in this country. It's time the public realizes what is happening and vocalizes a well-deserved and long-overdue sense of outrage!
Were any other industry guilty of killing the same amount of people per year -- conservative estimates put it at 98,000 per annum; which is the equivalent of one jumbo jet airliner crashing each day, every day throughout the year, year after year, unchecked -- we'd have Congressional inquiries and public demands for accountability and safety, in the same way we demand it of the aviation and chemical process industries.
The healthcare delivery industry touches every person's life and demands no less scutiny and accountability. We need national standards for safety, recognized protocols for handling accidents and 'near misses,' root cause analysis of medical-induced deaths and disabilities and plans for continuous improvement by providers. Most importantly, as this book reveals, we need the system to weed out bad doctors and recognize those who are providing excellent, commited service to the public.
This book puts a face on this pervasive epidemic -- takes the deaths and injuries out of front page, "it will never happen to me" sensationalism and puts it squarely in our own doctors' offices and community hospitals where a broken system continues to harm us and our loved ones without any clamor for improvement.
This book is a wake-up call for reform. I hope it has the same impact on the quality of medical care in this country as "Silent Spring" had on improving the health of our planet. Buy this book and read it today! Then get your Congressman/woman on the phone and demand full disclosure and accountability!

This book opens your eyes to the importance of being your own advocate for your health care. Do not consider Doctors as the GODS they like to think they are. They make mistakes that take lives or leave permanent damage. This does not mean all doctors. But if insurance companies were not run by doctors the bad doctors would have been run off a long time ago and the good doctors insurance rates would not be high. This book tells it all and should be read by everyone who might someday need the the care of the medical profession.

Ms. Daniell shares her world in down to earth essays. She puts her reader on the scene as she takes the reader on a trip through her adventures as a bold Southern woman, anxious to taste new experiences. Her languge is honest, concrete, and sometimes shocking. Lisbeth J. Thom

Nowhere else will you find the compelling honesty in writing that you do in Rosemary Daniell's. She's direct, to the point, and knows how to touch the reader's emotional core. If you desire real writing, with themes and visceral values attached to it, read this latest collection of Rosemary's writings. It makes me want to sneak away to a desert island with her and have her tell me these stories personally!

While all the pieces in this book are exciting to the contemporary female reader ,in Daniell's signature piece, "The Deer Who Loved to be Hunted: a Reflection on James Dickey's Women", she delineates power relationships between men and women using her own relationship with her former mentor and lover, poet James Dickey. As an example, along with in depth interviews and reflections of the experiences of a number of other women who were a part of the late poet's life, another interesting-and recent-essay is "I Wrote about Sex and Got Called a Whore": in this piece, Daniell describes the libel suit she brought against the BOMC, which was successfully settled in her favor. In the piece she describes, why she considered pursuing this lawsuit a strongly feminist endeavor: indeed, she raises the question, "Would a male writer ever be called a gigolo because he had written honestly about sexuality?" This is one of the most inspiring books I've ever read!

I would like to thank Dr. Cohen for sharing such an intimate part of her life. Before reading her book, my perspective on death was quite different but now I realize that life goes on and that death may not be quite as tragic. Selfishly we would love for our loved ones to be around forever, but they have in fact "gone to a better place". We often feel uncomfortable talking about someone who has died but the truth is that we should feel happy to share those memories. I have also learned that being supportive at a time of loss is the most important gift you can give to soemone. I recommend this book to everyone!

Dr. RoseMary Cohen has given us the privilege of following her private struggle to find meaning in an unexplainable tragedy. She shows how truly evanescent life can be. Her book has changed my own attitude to my own family. I now know how precious each second with them can be. I had the privilege of knowing Liana in life. Through Korban, I can forever recall her presence, and the impact she made to others in her young life.

This book has taught NOT to fear death. usualy we dont pay attention to small things that happen every day,thanks to this book I learnt that every things in life has a meaning and explanation. We have to learn from the author how to behave when our dear pass away,in the most dificult time in her life the author demonstrated courage.Rose mary cohen kept her faith in god.her strong will and her hard work made her stronger, that it how she managed very well to rebuild her family after the accident.

An outstanding, deeply moving book,The Mark of the Horse Lord is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It is the story of Phaedrus the Gladiator, who poses as Midir, Lord of the Dalriadain (a tribe of Northern Britain). Set during the Roman period, it describes the customs and beliefs of ancient civilizations clearly and believably. Its realistic inclusion of cruelty and death, however, makes it inappropriate for very young readers. I highly recommend it for ages 12 and up--it may be classified as a "children's book," but it far surpasses many adult books I have read. Its central theme--the true meaning of kingship--is powerfully and beautifully developed as Phaedrus gradually grows in love for and understanding of his adopted people. Phaedrus himself is a very real person, as are the others--Midir, the true king of the Dalriadain; Liadhan, the woman who blinded Midir in order to take his throne; Conory, Midir's closest friend, who alone recongnizes that Phadrus is an imposter; and Liadhan's daughter Murna, who Phaedrus loves. In the end, Phaedrus recognizes the deepest meaning of kingship, and becomes the Horse Lord in truth, and not just in seeming. And, as in all the best books, the reader is left with the feeling that it all really happened--just that way--and that nothing could have happened differently.

Who can weave a story of history, suspense, excitement, danger, heroisim, and drama with more skill than Sutcliff? I have read 9 of her books, but so far this surpasses them all! Former gladiator Phaedrus is made king of the Horse People, a northern British clan, impersonating Midir, the true Horse Lord whom the wicked queen Liadham blinded and so disabled him from coming to power. Phaedrus and his followers try ridding themselves of Liadham, but she escapes. Many battles against her follow. The Mark of the Horse Lord will draw you into the days of ancient Britain with the adventures of the new king. A superb piece of work, a must-read!

To me, this is the best of Rosemary Sutcliff's many fine books, and my personal favourite. I suppose I should find the basic premise that one man can successfully impersonate another from an entirely different culture with only a brief period of indoctrination, but somehow it hardly seems to matter! You see Phaedrus the gladiator growing into the kingship he has assumed, and finally dying for his people as he has lived for them over his scant year as ruler. As with all Rosemary Sutcliff's books, it works on one level as a really good adventure story, with all the fine detail of battles and riding and chariot driving, but it is far more than that, and every time I re-read it I see something new.

LA APARIENCIA VAN DE LA MANO, PORQUE cuando termine lña semana de embellecimiento y cuidados que te recomienda este libro maravilloso, ME SENTI FELIZ Y HERMOSA.
Y mi marido se dio cuenta..hasta se comenzo a encelar...

y peor aun en casa que en la oficina..
Creo que nos merecemos una semanita de apapacho con estos cuidados..que LUCEN EXTRAORDINARIOS !!

Yo llevo el método de este libro cada trimestre, porque para el puesto de Relaciones Públicas que ocupo, necesito VERME LO MEJOR POSIBLE...
Tengo 29 años, pero desde que practico cada tres meses LO QUE ESTE LIBRO INDICA, TODO MUNDO ME CALCULA 21!
Y no falta el o la curiosa que me pregunten si me he hecho cirugía plástica ! Pues no:Solamente el método de este libro
Y el método es sencillos: SON CUIDADOS PROFUNDOS POR SIETE DÍAS.. Y ni siquiera quitan mucho tiempo!
No importa qué edad tengas...inténtalo y verás que resultados tan fuera de lo común !

I really enjoyed reading this book and I can't help but be a little critical but I wish Rosemary would put a little more sex in her scenes. If you've read "The Insiders" now that was sexy and erotic, it really turned you on at times, but then again there were some scenes that were uncalled for. "The Insiders" was the beginning of my book collection. I also loved "Crowd Pleasers." Anyway, "Love Play" was fun to read. There was a lot of spitting drama between the two main characters which I enjoy. I thought Rosemary could have done a better job with the ending....it was just too easy to figure out that the characters would have been happily in love with each other. I mean she just went into "boy, I think I love you" and it was over. I thought if the two characters were going to keep bickering, their should have been a lot more passionate sex between the two and not in the last quarter of the book. I was getting tired of waiting till something sexual would happen. I've read a lot of Rosemary's novels and think this book will be my last. I've been reading a lot of Kat Martin books lately and I now have a new collection of her books. She has a lot of steamy loving, clean of course, sexy scenes that really turn you on and make you feel good and a very well written stories. You should check her out. Sorry fan readers. I guess I'm just a little more disappointed with Rosemary's books. Anyway, I really think this book is still worth reading. I just felt I had to speak my peace.

For such a twisted "love" triangle I throughly enjoyed Mrs. Rogers work, and I really didn't want this novel to end. It is a love story on a major detour, and is something I certainly wouldn't have thought of, but I am glad Mrs. Rogers did. As surprising as the plot was, I was even more surprised by the ending, and would really love to hear more about how all turned out in the end. I truly wish that more of the story was still left to read.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. Just thought it ended too abruptly, maybe because I didn't want it to end...

Guiltied by 12 Galaxies! of a Rocketronic Society!

Others who have posted reviews of this book are certainly correct in their assessment -- it's engaging, harrowing, enlightening, etc. HOWEVER, nobody has addressed the actual CAUSE of Schreber's insanity which, of course, is key to the reading of his memoir. The patient in most cases, and certainly in this case, is unable to tell us matter-of-factly what is troubling him. Instead, he tells us of his dreams or his imaginings, or his horrible delusions. It is then the psychiatrist who untangles the web. I can't recommend highly enough, as a companion to Schreber's memoir, the book "Soul Murder: Persecution in the Family," written by the psychiatrist Morton Schatzman. The book is now out of print, but can still be found used. Instead of describing the book,I'll quote from the jacket flap: "Daniel Paul Schreber (1842-1911), an eminent German judge, went mad at the age of 42, recovered, and eight and a half years later, went mad again. It is uncertain if he was ever fully sane, in the ordinary social sense, again. His father, Daniel Gottlieb Moritz Schreber (1808-1861), who supervised his son's upbringing, was a leading German physician and pedagogue, whose studies and writings on child rearing techniques strongly influenced his practices during his life and long after his death. The father thought his age to be morally "soft" and "decayed" owing mainly to laxity in educating and disciplining children at home and school. He proposed to "battle" the "weakness" of his era with an elaborate system aimed at making children obedient and subject to adults. He expected that following his precepts would lead to a better society and "race." The father applied these same basic principals in raising his own children, including Daniel Paul and another son, Daniel Gustav, the elder, who also went mad and committed suicide in his thirties. Psychiatrists consider the case of the former, Daniel Paul, as the classic model of paranoia and schizophrenia, but even Freud and Bleuler (in their analyses of the son's illness) failed to link the strange experiences of Daniel Paul, for which he was thought mad, to his father's totalitarian child-rearing practices. In "Soul Murder," Morton Schatzman does just that -- connects the father's methods with the elements of the son's experience, and vice versa. This is done through a detailed analysis and comparison of Daniel Paul's "Memoirs of My Nervous Illness," a diary written during his second, long confinement, with his father's published and widely read writings on child rearing. The result is a startling and profoundly disturbing study of the nature and origin of mental illness -- a book that calls into question the value of classical models for defining mental illness and suggests the directions that the search for new models might take. As such, the author's findings touch on many domains: education, psychiatry, religion, sociology, politics -- the micro-politics of child-rearing and family life and their relation to the macro-politics of larger human groups." For me, this book shed a great light on "Memoirs of My Nervous Illness." In reading the other reviews, I get the sense that some people have concluded that Daniel (the son) "simply went mad," or "something went wrong," when the truth is that his father was a border-line personality and one sadistic man who inflicted his own brand of insanity on his children. If only we had something to document the father's childhood . . .

Shortly after the death of Daniel Paul Schreber, Sigmund Freud used his (Schreber's) memoirs as the basis for a fantasy of his own. Everyday readers are lucky that Schreber wrote down so much of what he saw, heard and felt during his many years in German mental asylums, for his own observations are far more artistic and harrowing than anything Freud ever wrote.

In this book, Schreber takes us into his world--the world of the genuine schizophrenic. He writes of the "little men" who come to invade his body and of the stars from which they came.

That these "little men" choose to invade Schreber's body in more ways than one only makes his story all the more harrowing. At night, he tells us, they would drip down onto his head by the thousands, although he warned them against approaching him.

Schreber's story is not the only thing that is disquieting about this book. His style of writing is, too. It is made up of the ravings of a madman, yet it contains a fluidity and lucidity that rival that of any "logical" person. It only takes a few pages before we become enmeshed in the strange smells, tastes, insights and visions he describes so vividly.

Much of this book is hallucinatory; for example, Schreber writes of how the sun follows him as he moves around the room, depending on the direction of his movements. And, although we know the sun was not following Schreber, his explanation makes sense, in an eerie sort of way.

What Schreber has really done is to capture the sheer poetry of insanity and madness in such a way that we, as his readers, feel ourselves being swept along with him into his world of fantasy. It is a world without anchors, a world where the human soul is simply left to drift and survive as best it can. Eventually, one begins to wonder if madness is contagious. Perhaps it is. The son of physician, Moritz Schreber, Schreber came from a family of "madmen," to a greater or lesser degree.

Memoirs of My Nervous Illness has definitely made Schreber one of the most well-known and quoted patients in the history of psychiatry...and with good reason. He had a mind that never let him live in peace and he chronicles its intensity perfectly. He also describes the fascinating point and counterpoint of his "inner dialogues," an internal voice that chattered constantly, forcing Schreber to construct elaborate schemes to either explain it or escape it. He tries suicide and when that fails, he attempts to turn himself into a diaphanous, floating woman.

Although no one is sure what madness really is, it is clear that for Schreber it was something he described as "compulsive thinking." This poor man's control center had simply lost control. The final vision we have of Schreber in this book is harrowing in its intensity and in its angst. Pacing, with the very sun paling before his gaze, this brilliant madman walked up and down his cell, talking to anyone who would listen.

This is a harrowing, but fascinating book and is definitely not for the faint of heart. Schreber describes man's inner life in as much detail as a Hamlet or a Ulysses. The most terrifying part is that in Schreber, we see a little of both ourselves and everyone we know.

Ok, I am no writer so will just give my little ol opinion. Book is very nice, tons of great information and wonderful pictures.

However, it is not a book if you want to learn how to plant a garden, keep a garden or plant herbs etc..This books is mainly full of information of what herbs do, not what I wanted, but still a lovely book..

Now I need to find a book that can help me to grow a nice vegie and herb garden without killing everything;o)

Rosemary Gladstar's Family Herbal: A Guide to Living Life with Energy, Health, and Vitality, is basically all her small manuals (Home Medicine Chest, Herbs for Beauty, Herbs for Children.. etc..) condensed into one handy volume with added information she doesn't include in her other books. She has been an herbalist for quite some time, and really knows her stuff. She also presents it in an easy to read and understand format while including some information about scientific properties of certain plants. Of course, you can't only have one book on herbalism, you have to cross reference, but this is a good book to add to your collection. It has a lot of good recipes, too.

I own many herbal books, but this one stands head and shoulders above all the others. Reading this book is like walking into a house with treasures hidden at every turn. Unlike other herb books I've read, Rosemary explains how using herbs is not just a way of treatment, it is a way of LIFE. She explains how herbs can become a part of your nutrition, medication, beauty routine, garden and home. All her recipes work fabulously well. They have obviously been refined over the years and stood the test of time. Her little life anecdotes which appear scattered throughout the book are delightful, instructive and serve to draw you further into her world. Her resource list at the end of the book is extremely helpful. Thank you, Rosemary, for sharing your world and love of plants with us. I truly hope that this book will be passed down to my kids and their kids and beyond (if it doesn't get too beat up from being in the kitchen all the time!).

Let me start by saying I really did, for the most part, LOVE this book. I found, though, being an American, some of the "UK English" and terms left me puzzling out parts of the story. The NICU story itself impressed me greatly (being the mom of a 26 weeker myself) but most of the Scotland vignettes really seemed to detract from Saul's story. I even read the book a second and third time to see if I had missed something- for the most part, they just didn't seem to fit! On the whole, I really recommend this book for ANYONE that has been touched by the NICU- and if you figure out the Scotland thing, please e-mail me! :)

I read this book shortly following the birth of my daughter. Although my baby was a healthy 8lbs at birth, this book made me so much more conscious of the fact that she is a living, breathing, thinking, little person. I find now that I interact with her differently; aware that even at 2 months of age she is capable of forming thoughts. Rosemary Kay did a great service to ALL mothers; reminding us through Saul's voice that babies are people too. These days I find myself wondering what exactly my 'little Ella' is thinking.

I never knew it was possible for the written word to simultaneously break my heart and uplift my soul. "Saul" is completely compelling, gripping me from the first page and not letting go until the last. The story, told from the viewpoint of an extremely premature baby in the NICU, gives amazing insight into what the world of these tiny ones might be like. While I think it might be too emotionally fraught for someone who had recently experienced a miscarriage or lost a child, I will still recommmend it to all of my friends and colleagues.