this was one of the best hardy boys books ever! the ending was soooooooooooo cool! by combining tom swift with the hardy boys, the author has created one of the best books of all time! science meets detective in this totally awesome book!
i recommend it to anyone who loves the hardy boys! you'll love it!

This is one of the best books I have ever read! In this book Tom Swift And the hardys team up to stop a mad man called the Black Dragon, from making a time storm that could cause the end of the world. Tom goes back in time to when the dinosaurs ruled the earth, Fenton Hardy goes back in time to the 30's and Frank and Joe have to go and save him and this is the greatest aventure they have ever had! Certainly my favorite!

Phil Hardy's excellent endevour to catalogue the films of, primarely, Hollywood reaches it's peak with the Horror and Science Fiction books. They both reveal a genuine interest in the media and, as an information non-digital database, these two items are the ultimate choice for collectors and horror/SF aficionados. Where Leonard Maltin says goodbye, Phil Hardy says hello. These items can be used either as a coffeetable companion, or as an encyclopedia for the serious movie-fan. There are some european films that deserves mentioning that have been omitted, but in view of the overall care in which way theese books have been presented, the omissions are readily excused. Tony Fischier

I am still waiting for a perfect horror reference guide and this one comes pretty close. It is still missing dozens of titles that are elusive, but not THAT elusive! Most of the missing titles are still available on video at most video outlets! For anyone mildly interested in the genre, this should make you a hardcore addict! For those already hardcore addicts, you will probably cringe at some of the films missing but enjoy the extensive research put into the films. Yes, some pictures would look better in color, but the book's already a fortune, why have the price raised? Don't let the price discourage you, this is the best guide I've seen in the past few years (besides Michael Weldon's exhaustive PSYCHOTRONIC books). If you're still wary about buying it, look at the measurements of the book and how many pages it has. Nuff said.

The fact that this encyclopedia has not been updated since its last reprinting in 1995 borders on the offensive. That's because it is simply the best reference of the genre I've ever encountered. The book is filled with short to medium length reviews of horror films from every period in film history (up to 1992) and every nation which dabbles in the genre.

The fact that the encyclopedia is that complete is not necessarily its biggest asset. The reviews which compose the book do not simply provide summary, a quick line or two of evaluation, and a useless star rating a la Leonard Martin. Instead, each review examines its subject in relation to other similar works by subject, studio, director, actor, etc. It refuses to provide star ratings, favoring a more detailed explanation of a film's strengths and weaknesses. Also, and this pleases me the most, many films are examined through a critical lense, looking at how the film explores gender, culture, politics, economics, etc.

Combine these strengths with the inclusion of just about every horror film ever made and you have a book horror fans will leave by their bedside.

This encyclopedia treats the horror film genre as it should be treated, an important and vital field of art with a history and voice to be heard. Any causal or serious student of horror films must own this book. It will deepen and enlive their enjoyment of horror, from the absurd and esoteric, to the classic and mainstream.

This book has it's flaws, there is no doubt about that, various films are missing, the writing is overly politically correct, almost every film is considered either racist or homophobic and every time a women is killed it is because the director either hates or fears women. Did they ever think that maybe the reason there are beautiful women in these movies is so that there is something to hold the viewers interest between killings rather than having them nod off because of the inane dialogue. Then there are the racist cannibal films. Most of these films are little more than a chance to show some extreme gore and nothing more should be read into them than that. I must say that I am surprised that they missed the right wing political views that are rife in ZOMBIE. They also give away the ending to half the films.

Still, it's a great book, and I'm not beiing sarcastic. As a reference guide for the horror fanatic it's second to none. I have certainly never read anything with as much information on each individual film as this, as I mentioned before there is sometimes too much information, ruining twist endings and giving away key plot elements before you have had a chance to discover them for yourself, but you just have to be careful how you read it. I've owned this book for a few years now, and have read it through about twenty times and I am still picking it up often and going over old ground and discovering new information. Any horror fan must own this, no two ways about it.

I'm many years out of college and thought I should start reading some more of the classics. Previous favorites of mine have been The Sound and the Fury, Jane Eyre, and Pride and Prejudice. I saw Tess of the D'Urbervilles on my sister's bookshelf and for about a year I considered reading it. Finally, I picked it up and began. Wow! I read it in about three days. I never expected I would feel so much by reading this book. I cried when she baptized Sorrow herself. Her concerns that he be buried in the churchyard and her efforts to ensure he was were touching. I wanted to help Tess Durbeyfield. I thought she was a very complex character--she was sweet and unworldly but she wasn't actually stupid. And she was strong in many ways--for example, her family relied on Tess for so many things--eventually even their support. In fact, I hated her family for not working harder and making their own sacrifices. All the burden was on poor Tess. I also wanted to shake some sense into Angel. He really did wrong by Tess--although he eventually realizes this, it comes too late. The only thing I really did not care for was the sudden inclusion of a minor character (who we met earlier)into the end of the book and the implication that she would play an important role in the future of a major character. I barely knew this minor character and NOBODY could compare to Tess of the D'Urbervilles. If you are reading this to find a good book, ignore the negative reviews by high-school students and buy this book NOW. It's unforgettable.

What a wonderful piece of literature, and quite a liberal (read: feminist) story for the time period it comes from! Not only are the characters well-drawn and utterly flawed (just like real humans) but the main plot reads as timeless.

The heroine (Tess) takes most of her life as it is thrown at her. When she finally decides to take some small measure of control of her fate, it is her very womanhood - and the lack of choice accompanying it - that is slapped back in her face.

A great love story in many respects, in the end the true love here is Tess' love of herself (and the reader's love for her), and her unwillingness to be a victim her entire life.

Thankfully, you'll find no happy endings in this book. What you will find is a story written by an early feminist, and characters that will stay with you forever.

Please ignore the immature high-school student reviews and understand that this book is a masterpiece. Hardy analyzes the relationship between human desire and society's mores to an unprecendented degree. The characters are multi-faceted and very life-like. Hardly aptly avoids the mistake of creating mere carciatures of the pure woman, idealistic intellectual, and spoiled playboy. Moreover, his use of religious allusion is excellent although this may alienate the modern, secular reader. And perhaps this is the problem with some readers. Finally, Tess is an admirable and strong woman who had difficult circumstances. How many people would act as admirably in her circumstance? Not many! The reviewers that criticize her actions should realize this and that they ignore one of Hardy's key points: Don't be so judgemental! This is one of the best books I have read and believe me, I have read a lot of the "good" books.

Thomas Hardy's family had a long history as players of instrumental music in the local church, and here Hardy creates an entertaining novel involving a fictional church choir.

The characterizations and dialogue of his "Mellstock Quire" are detailed and interesting. The plot includes some very funny scenes--with the scene involving the visit to the vicar being among the best.

You'll also find something in this book that you'll never see again--a Hardy novel with a (relatively) happy ending!

As much as I love to read, I wasn't very convinced about this book when my dad picked it out. But I can now say it's one of the best books I have ever read. It's sad yet honest, beautifully written. I recommend this book highly.