I happened upon this book at the library,and when I finished it that same night all I could think was WOW!Why have I not heard of this author before?His style is fresh,colorful,and almost hypnotic.There is something definitely wrong when trashy airport horror novels sell like hotcakes and this amazing short story collection doesn't even get a mention anywhere.I am just glad i've found such a talented author who I do believe puts his peers to shame.He is truly a sick,twisted genius.

In the tradition of Clive Barker's "Books of Blood" series, this book is EXCELLENT! If you want to read good, solid fiction/horror, check this book out!

I have a number of books that I haven't read and always keep them till the time is right. There are many that you just can't take on if you had a great deal of things to do. This book fell once into this category, and I regret it to this day.

I'm all for short stories. You can learn a great deal through reading them and you just can't beat the feeling that you can finish one every night before bed. These stories written by Fowler are more than that. You just can't get enough of one and you have to jump into the other. The book is not just an amazing read, but a feat altogether. This book was recommended through a review I had written for another book. I ignored the recommendation at first, but at a time I could not find anything to do, I thought I would give it a try. It's a very fast read and really entertaining. The horror touch, though there, is really set in thwe background, and the flavor of literary fiction is the one that takes control through the pages.

The last story sums up every other story and makes sense of everything that has gone through and through. Hearts in Atlantis by King, played on the same theme of intermixing characters, but it was Fowler who devise that role in this book taht was published before Hearts time, but some time.

In all, this is really an entertaining read that just grasps you and won't let go. Fowler is successful in bringing all his stories to life. It's just a shame that his books are not readily available in bookshops and you really have to dig deep to find what this underrated author has produced.

This collection is masterly! Lay aside all your preconceptions about the horror genre and just read these stories: they're intelligent, witty, wistful, genuinely unsettling and written with a wonderful eye for the small and horrifyingly day-to-day details which make life so much crueller than fiction. What a pity that this guy has been pigeonholed as a mainstream horror writer when in fact he's so much better than what I've come to expect from the genre nowadays. "Looking For Bolivar" is my favourite: a terrific story in any context. His novels are great, too. Try them!

Much is known and published about the Incas of Peru, but, in comparison, little is known about the great Kingdom of the Moches. In the Northwest aired coastal plains of Peru flourished the Moche kingdom between the first and eighth century A.D.

This highly stratified culture, constructed and maintained a vast irrigation canal system, pyramids, places and temples. The Royal Tombs of Sipan was written to serve as a museum catalogue of the finds. The discovery, excavation, and current

interpretation of the three royal tombs recovered from Sipan happened between 1987 and 1990.

This book is wonderful. The beautiful color plates that chronologically lay out this amazing discovery makes the archeological dig at Sipan come alive. Highly recommended for those students of Archeology and those who are interested in the diverse Peruvian Culture.

As an ancient history enthusiast, I found this book to be a fabulous discovery on my part. The oversized format and pull-out recreations are pure joys to the reader. The excellent text, penned by the excavating archaeologist and by the leading authority on Moche iconography, is illustrated with wonderfully detailed photos as well as line drawings of scenes imprinted upon the artifacts themselves. I recommend this volume to anyone interested in pre-Inca history and art, as well as to anyone fascinated by the mystery revolving around the discovery of ancient treasures.

Awesome collection of 25 short stories and essays about soccer. My favorites were Stephen Baxter's "Clods," Tim Pears' "Ebony International" Nicholas Lezards' "The Beautiful Game," Steve Grant's "Casuals," Geoff Nicholson's "The Winning Side," Mark Morris's "The Shirt," and Mark Timlin's "Wonder Boy." That said, almost every story has something worthwhile about it, and for a soccer fan, this is a must read.

Christopher Fowler and John Bolton give us here a phenomenal comic strip. It is centered on the mental world in which people can really be free, themselves, without any restraint from society and from their own personal censorship. We are ourselves and free only on this mental level that lies beyond real life. Real life is grey, drab, sad, full of norms and predigested behaviors. The mental plane is free, full of colors, full of adventures. Everything is possible and we meet there the strangest beings we can imagine, all those who have left their bodies somewhere in the real world to live the freedom of their minds. But somewhere there is a myth : the desire of those liberated souls to go back to the real world and see their real bodies. They discover then that in the real world they live a life of total alienation, often pent up in some asylum, whereas on the mental plane they can be free and experience feelings that would be impossible in the real world, because on the mental plane they accept any absurdity as being freedom and real being. Yet, in a way, generally catastrophic from a social point of view, the mental state they are in on the mental plane, can free their social bodies and beings in real society by some supernormal, extranormal intervention. The drawing is creative and rich in colors and strange forms. On the mental plane everything is possible, and the drawing assumes this freedom to produce a vision of real freedom in insanity. We long for the possibility to be there and finally get rid of all our restraints. Even if life on the mental plane is only possible if our bodies are still alive in society, somewhere, in a way or another. A fascinating world that is given a tremendous force by a very creative language.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

First read this upon it's initial release when I was in high school and absolutely loved it. Horror, action, ancient mysteries, occult, plot twists- I couldn't put it down. Then I forgot about it. 12 years later I was recently going through some boxes at my mother's place and found an old, tattered paperback entitled 'Rune'. So what did I think after re-reading? Well... still lot's of fun but... the characters are, unfortunately, incredibly stereotypical. The two detectives on the case are older gentlemen and one of them is about to retire. Whoa, original. And the protagonist's girlfriend is so stereotypically, frigidly perfect that it is a wonder he sees anything in her at all. I'd have killed her myself. Anyway, still an engrossing read, but I certainly see flaws now that I didn't as a kid.

This is a good book. It had it all, a great story, good characters, wonderful action and a quick pace. This is just a good old exciting book. The author peppers the book with plot twists that keep the reader on his toes. This author writes in a way that is tight and slick that keep you interested through out. This is a solid murder mystery. Ok, so the detective that is used is straight from central casting, but that book is not bad. The story comes together and you believe it. I would have liked a bit more depth on the locations and characters, but not a bad read

This is what I call a proper mistery book. Gripping reading and good timing of each occurrence, psychology of main characters is detailed enough to provide credibility to an overall rather far-fetching theory.

Christopher Fowler has an atmospheric setting and a nifty plot to hang his story on but that can't last for three hundred pages. The characters are undeveloped to the point of being annoying. Scenes seem to be writing in such a rush that everything melts together. And of course we get the standard police-trying-to-solve-a-mystery subplot.

I am not a new comer to Christopher Fowler's books, and have been waiting some time to get my hands on this early book. Normally a writer develops a style throughout his work, and if you read later works before the early stuff, you can feel disappointed, or e'en like you are reading the work of a different writer. Not so with Fowler. This early work is just as riveting as his later offerings. It is fresh and bright, for all its moody and dark descriptions. In this novel Fowler writes of a people who glid from roof to roof on wires, and dispise the world below for its corruption. However, factions develop in 'roofworld' and a war begins, this war means bodys on the ground. Apart from the mysterious dead falling from the sky there is a second, though equally important story based on the ground, that of a book deal. These two stories mix, ultimately becoming one very engaging read. Some parts of the book may appear obvious when you are reading them, but they turn out to be the opposite, and Fowler has merely duped you into thinking that you have heard it all before, and that you are so, so, clever. The London setting is fantastic, but some of the descriptions (of music or high culture, for example) are a little dated, but as long as you can remember them, you can wallow in the past, rather than becoming lost in things that don't exist anymore. As I had been looking forward to reading this for such a long time, I could easily have been disappointed; and I am not so great a fan that I cannot criticise. However this book, is nearly perfect. The story is well written and original enough to keep you suspending your disbelief, the setting is described so atmospherically as to allow you to visualise London whether you have been or not. The characters are engaging and are a wide enough mixture as to make youmourn their deaths and "whoop" at their trumphs. The bad point is theslight dating, and that is about it. This is a brilliant introduction to Christopher Fowler's work, and is good enough to make you want more. I highly recommend this to anyone, whatever type of book you usually like, forget prejudice and pick this up.

I picked up this little gem from my local library a few years ago, I sat down and read it, a few hours later I was disappointed to find the librarian telling me to leave, I was imagining myself flying through the air above Londons poor ground dwelling mortals below, I was mesmerised by the thought of a hidden society in this day and age of security cameras living an exciting but deadly lifestyle.

Modern day London is rocked by a stream of horrific murders, two unlikely people are drawn into the roofworld community, people who have left the world below to pursue an alternative lifestyle, however a dangerous faction exists within their secretive society one dedicated to controlling the roofworld by any means. This is a horror novel, with some truely gruesome scenes, not for the faint hearted, I recommend this book to horror fans, it offers more than just the usual blood curdling screams. Go buy it borrow it just get it, read and enjoy.

the book is nicely illustrated with color (and b/w) pictures.

Bad i found it unsatisfactory mainly because of its incompleteness.
Today armored vehicles they come in versions with A/A artillery,
SS/missiles and S/A missiles. You wont find any information
on these. I think the editor couls skip some old vehicles
in order to provide a full coverage of modern versions like
the finish automatic loading mortar, the russian Chrizantema,
the russian S-300 systems etc.

Not really a complete book, but of good quality.

This book is the best and most comprehensive millitary vehicle identification book I have ever read. I'm an M1A1 tank driver for the US army and I was impressed with the amount of information in this book. I actually used this book to point out flaws on our Vehicle ID test. Now that I have it, all my fellow tankers want a copy.

if you want to read his best work then get phycoville. this book is a wonderful account of life in the suburbs. it shows how petty differences and social standing can influence your existance. the first part of this book no doubt goes on day to day in suburban life. the second chapter will have some relevance to things you would privately like to do to your neighbour!

I may not review this book as the best but Christopher Fowler has got better and better. Spanky was brilliant...Phsycoville was excellent and no doubt Disturbia will be even better. An author (who along with Scott Smiths - A Simple Plan) got me reading again. Thanks. Nige

I first came across Fowler in the Vox N' Roll anthology where his creepy story "At Home In the Old Pubs of London" stood out as the best in a distinguished lot. (That story reappears as the lead story in this collection.) I gather Fowler is a prolific writer of horror novels in the UK although you'd be hard pressed to guess so from this collection this strong collection of twelve stories. Three of them have near-future settings, but that's the closest they flirt with genre fiction. Each story retains its own voice and sucks you in-and I think it might be fair to compare some of them to Roald Dahl's work, both in terms of black comedy and final page twists.

One of my favorite stories was the deadpan "Rainy Day Boys", in which two London flatmates bicker and kill someone in King's Cross. It's funny stuff, and first appeared in The Second Time Out Book of London Stories. I also quite enjoyed "The Beacon", where an old man enters the age of the Internet, although I must confess I don't really understand the twist at the end. "Come On Then If You Think You're Hard Enough," is a very brief and good piece about male violence. "Living Proof" is the most Dahlesque story in its noir depiction of a journalist trying to regain his pride-very good, although the final twist is rather foreseeable. I also quite liked "Sex Monkeys" which details in roller-coaster fashion a darkly hilarious chain of events set off by a wayward sexual aid.

The second story, "Crocodile Lady," is a decent story revolving around a middle-aged teacher emerging from her marriage and facing her demons in the subway. A similar female character is the central figure in "Seven Dials," which attempts to grapple with time. The near-future stories are "The Look", which is a scathing anti-fashion industry piece that might appeal to lovers of Bret Easton Ellis. In "The Torch Goes Out", walls are being erected to literally separate the violent chaotic "inner" city with the middle-class "outer" city/suburbs. It's a decent premise (somewhat akin to the Deadenders graphic novel series) that doesn't really pay off. "Something For Your Monkey" is a P.G. Wodehouse inspired "light" comic story which isn't nearly as amusing as anything by Plum (then again, what is?)... until the final page, where a waiter makes a devastating laugh-out-loud speech which makes the whole thing worth reading. "Eighteen and Over" is the one false step in the collection, comprised of an exchange of letters between a filmmaker and the British version of the MPAA ratings board.

Altogether, this is a very good varied collection of short fiction. I doubt I'll go back and check out Fowler's horror stuff, but I'll definitely keep a lookout for his next book of fiction.