Chronologically this IS the last adventures of Conan. He's an old man now, and after this adventure he doesn't return to his homeland; prefering to let his son Conn rule Aquilonia.

A decent read, and better than most crappy Conan-novels not written by Robert E. Howard, though still lacking that certain pulp feeling.

The book starts extremely well with one of the best scenes ever written about Conan (The tavern scene). It's forever burned into my brain. Burn it into yours. The second half lags a bit but over all it's very entertaining. The Isles is an important book in the Conan series because it's the last Conan story. Conan shows that even at 60+ he's still got more than it takes. Great ending.

Back in the mid-60's, when Lancer Books reissued the original Conan stories by Robert E. Howard, they enlisted the aid of L. Sprague DeCamp and Lin Carter to polish Howard's grammar, soften his more "politically incorrect" statements, and fill out the saga with pastiches. This, the last of the stories, is 100% pastiche, but it still has the flavor of Howard's barbarian. I first read it as a teenager, but now that I have passed the half century mark, the story has new resonance. In this adventure Conan anticipates George Foreman by several millenia. He may be old; he may not be the man he once was; but he can still outmuscle most foes, and those he can't outmuscle, he can outfox. At the conclusion of the book you might just get a little misty-eyed when Conan ends his adventure and sails off into the mists of time, never to be heard from again.

The 1999 edition that I read is a collection of 34 Harvard Business Review articles, class discussion papers and case studies written by the four authors (all business school professors) and a few others over the 1980s and 90s.

The chapters written by the four professors have a strong academic/pedagogic orientation. Dealing with basic issues in extreme analytic detail, they frequently belabor the obvious and often come across as though they have all the answers (chapters written by Sahlman were especially bad for this). The book does, however, provide some thought-provoking discussion and a reasonable introduction to the issues of assessing viability, planning and managing a new business, and of attracting resources. Some of the chapters not written by the professors provide a good "textbook" reference for subjects such as patent law, raising venture capital, and management technique in checklist style.

I give the book three stars for its rigorous analysis but not five because of its presumptuous tone and the fact that too many of the chapters lean toward the hypothetical. It lacks the genuine, practitioner-based input this subject deserves.

Sahlman provides a very comprehensive volume on the current stage of knowledge of entrepreneurship as a field. In the articles, which are mainly written by a limited number of professors, all important topics related to entrepreneurship are addressed, such as finance, personality, marketing, strategy, culture, and many more. From an academic perspective, it is a 10.

However, I often felt that it was missing more on the practical side. For example, there are a few case studies, but only on certain topics. It was missing more of the "been there, done that" perspective. Definitely there were stories, but in those there was more of a strategic analysis rather than visionary or inspirational.

Overall, this is a very good book to use as reference to certain topics, especially in an academic environment.

As an MBA student at Harvard six years ago, I had the opportunity to learn under Professor Sahlman. His class and his books are worth their weight in gold if you intend to either start companies or invest in them. This book brings together some of the best ideas from his colleagues.

Serling's book seems to be written mostly from interviews conducted during various TWA employee reunions. He calls it an "informal history", but it's more of a gossip fest. Don't plan on using this book for a term paper. However, anyone interested in TWA or Howard Hughes will find a wealth of anecdotal insights from within the operation, as recalled by people who were there. It is fun, although at times, labored reading.

In Howard Hughes' Airline, Serling captures the enduring spirit of Trans World Airlines. This book, resulting from numerous employee interviews, is able to give the reader excellent insight into why TWA is so special after 75 years in the air. From the eccentricities of Howard Robard Hughes to the genius of Jack Frye, this inside look at the world's greatest airline is sure to interest anyone from the casual historian to the aviation buff.

I purchased this book for my husband and at first I was shcoked to see the original price for this book was ($$$), well, this is very hard to find and my husband is really enjoying this. For someone who is or was a TWA employee, if you are one of the loyal ones, interested in the history of TWA you will enjoy this book.

This is a really cool two of a kind book!!It's really nice,like all the other TOAK books!!It has a good plot and is funny.
All I can say is:BUY IT!!!

I love this book!! It's so cool!! well ... 2 be honest.. i love ALL two of a kind books.. LOL
I really like the part where Mary-Kate have 2 go on-stage and then find out she got the wrong "Sugar" (by the way.. that's a horse) .. and the "sugar" she got now doesn't listen 2 her at all!!! But it all works out anyway...
In this book, Ashley get's in a fight with her boyfriend Ross because of a magic-trick, And Ashley didn't know you can't open the magic-box from the inside, so when Ross walks away from her, and she's going to practice by herself.... well she get's stuck in the magic-box, but at the end Ross saves her!!! It's a pretty funny, nice and cute book.. but, i still like "Surprise,Surprise" better!!!

This is a pretty good Olsen book! If you are a collector of their books like I am, than you should get this book! I am on chapter 4 right now because I just got this book like 3 days ago! So far Mary-Kate and Ashley are practicing for the Harrington Magic Show. Girls are suppost to pair up with a boy and of course Ashley picked her long time crush and also boyfriend, Ross Lambert, to do a magic trick. Their trick is sawing Ashley in half! Ashley is scared, but I have no clue what happens next! I can't wait! I better go and read some more. Mary-Kate's magic trick with her boy-partner is a little more trickier! Why, you ask? Because it involves Sugar, the horse!! But it happens to be the wrong horse Mary-Kate trains! Find out more by buying this Two of a Kind #21 book, Now You See Him, Now You Don't! You won't regret reading this book! =)

As usual for the Chaosium series, editor Price gushes academically about minor entries in the Lovecraftian Derby, and it's never more evident than in this collection of Lin Carter's mythos tales. Carter was a supremely talented editor and a good heroic fantasy writer (I love his Throngor novels) but his mythos writing falls prey to juvenile adoration and extremely flimsy plotting. Price's attempts to defend Carter's over-categorization of the mythos merely exacerbates the silliness of most of Carter's work. Interesting for mythos completists, but newcomers should seek other books in this series that deal with multiple authors (highly recommended: "The Hastur Cycle" and "The Nyarlathotep Cycle").

Robert M. Price and Chaosium Books have scored big again with the latest entry in their growing "Call of Cthulhu Fiction" catalog which explores aspects of Lovecraftian fiction. Price introduces the whole and each entry in The Xothic Legend with his quite considerable and thorough literary, religious and Lovecraftian erudition and iconoclastic wit. Lin Carter's take on the Mythos in his Xothic Legend Tales is an hommage to, and a pastiche of, both Lovecraft and Col. James Churchward (of "The Lost Continent of Mu" fame). The stories are entertaining, sometimes reverential to their subject matter, and offer the classic Cthulhu Mythos frisson of long-expected terror. A good place for the beginning reader of Mythos Horror, and a must for anyone exploring the background and effoliation of the genre.

These are the "Big Kahuna's" of Supernatural Horror. A very well compiled selection of Cthulhu Mythos by Chaosium & Robert Price. Price's introductions to the short stories are educational and perhaps even a bit witty. His writing is even better.
A 'Must Have' for Weird Tale, Lovecraft, or any horror fan.

This is the first volume of the collected 'Conan the Barbarian' stories originally published by Lancer Books in 1966, which was to have been 4th chronologically to Conan's 'life' (However the number '2' appears on the spine!) The original paperback edition had cover art by Frank Frazetta. The book contains 4 stories:

People of the Black Circle (REH)

The Slithering Shadow (REH)

The Drums of Tombalku (DeCamp, REH)

The Pool of the Black One (REH)

Robert Ervin Howard (1906-1936) created the premiere sword-and-sorcery character Conan the barbarian for the pulp magazine "Weird Tales" in the early 1930's. L. Sprague De Camp, an academic and literary fantasist, edited the stories for re-publication in the 1960's. He also obtained outlines for never-completed Conan tales from Howard's literary agent, Glenn Lord, and used them to produce pastiches in the Howard manner. "The Drums of Tombalku" is one of these stories; although REH is listed as co-author the story is really assembled from such adventures as "Jewels of Gwahlur" and "The Slithering Shadow". Oddly Conan plays an incidental role; it is Almuric the Aquilonian adventurer who discovers the lost, decaying city of a dying race who are preyed upon by a supernatural monster, and rescues the damsel in distress. Conan is tacked on at the end in a bit of mercenary intrigue that appears to be included only to give him a role in the story - as a fairy Godfather?

Of the real Howard stories, "People of the Black Circle" is the best, a neat mixture of sorcery, intrigue and action. "The Slithering Shadow" is a formulaic lost-city- decayed-race- monster-threatens-the-ingenue story, and "Pool of the Black One" is only a minor variation on the theme.

Darker than the other novelettes, and more uniquely Howard. Plenty of action, the people of the black circle is the best story. Sword swinging and hackles raising on his neck Conan hews through sorcery! An entertaining read, ignore the other bad reviews; this book will keep you occupied for hours with prose that spark the imagination like no others. George Lucas should try his hand at a film rendition of Conan before he dies.

The original Lancer paperback was supposed to be the 2nd in an 8-part reissue of the Conan stories. All 3 stories are by Robert E. Howard; none are 'finished' by L. Sprague De Camp.

"Red Nails" is one of REH's best. Unlike the typical tale of the lost city, dying race and monster-menaced ingenue this tale gives us the tough female pirate Valeria, who I wish we saw more of (in a different sense from what Howard provides!)

"Jewels of Gwahlur" is more typical of the lost- city genre, with Conan breaking up an attempt to defraud an African kindom of its mystic gems and rescuing the girl at the same time.

"Beyond the Black River" is classic Conan, as the mercenary- barbarian fights the Picts on behalf of Aquilonian colonizers.

Great stuff!

This is Robert E. Howard's best Conan novel, in my opinion. In one of the stories, Conan is forced to battle a prehistoric lizard, and outwits it rather than using "mighty thews" and "barbaric primal fury". Also, at the end of the same story, Conan is actually trapped for a while, and doesn't kill the main arch-enemy, but has to settle for eliminating the last bit of sword fodder. Overall, a good book.

The beautiful cloud formation on the cover of this text is the only photograph encountered in 408 pages of pedestrian academic confession regarding research that is helpful for persons studying fantasy-prone personality syndrome, perhaps, but useless for those with inquiring minds who want to know...

...if there is a connection between crop circle formations and supposed alien-contact, ...how physical objects can manifest before the eyes of several (fantasy-prone) individuals at once, ...the spiritual significance of the UFO-encounter phenomenon at a time when "the shift of the Ages" is in progress.

There is a stunning lack of curiosity here--a profound narrowness of mind which elevates pragmatic (and psychological) comprehension while excluding a wholistic evaluation. It simply isn't true, for example, that there isn't evidence of UFOs (or ooparts) in earlier centuries. The excuse that the authors haven't experienced the "faith" required to believe in aliens is lame. And their failure to return to the framing question which begins the work in an epilogue, begs the question, "Isn't this simply evidence of the 'publish or perish' syndrome?"

What this text does, it does well. But it doesn't do what we want an exploration of "the mysteries" to do! The subtitle is betrayed from the get go. Buyer beware, indeed.

These 2 men know their stuff! The best book I've read on UFOs in 10-years. The authors provide a detailed social, historical and political context for a number of UFO waves throughout history, using incredible detail that I have never seen before in a UFO book. They make a strong case for the psycho-social genesis of UFO waves, yet also show a remarkable depth of understanding and sympathy with witnesses. The many sketches of UFOs from the last century and early this century are excellent. While I have read widely on UFOs, much of the historical detail about early UFO waves and sketches, I'd never seen nor heard of before. This would be a good book for the peron who thinks they know it all on UFOs--there is a tremendous wealth of knowledge here.

The four tales in "Conan the Conqueror" cover most of the main aspects of the career of Robert E. Howard's character: raider, thief, pirate, and mercenary. (1) "Black Tears" by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter is one of several pastiches written by the duo based upon hints in Howard's note and letters to fill up gaps in the saga. It takes place after the classic story "A Witch Shall Be Born" (in "Conan the Freebooter") as Conan leads his band of Zuagirs eastward to raid the cities and caravans of the Turanians. King Yezdigerd reacts by sending out a strong force to entrap Conan. (2) Shadows in Zamboula" by Robert E. Howard has Conan destitute after a week of guzzling, gorging, roistering, ... and gambling. This is an above average Conan the Thief story. (3) "The Devil in Iron" by Howard has Conan returning the seas as a pirate, putting together a crew from among his old friends the kozaki and the Red Fellowship of Vilayet Sea. Conan and his crew stumbled upon an inhuman creature and mayhem ensues. (4) The longest story in this collection, "The Flame Knife" was one of four uncompleted manuscripts by Howard completed by de Camp. This novella was originally an adventure in modern Afghanistan entitled "Three-Bladed Doom" staring Francis X. Gordon, Howard's brawny, brawling Irish adventurer. De Camp transformed the story into a Conan tale. After King Yezdigerd crushes the Kozak host, Conan retreats southward with a sizeable band and joins the army of Kobad Shah, king of Iranistan and one of Yezdigred's strongest rivals. These stories are rather standard fare, evidencing in part the problems de Camp and Carter had in filling all the gaps in the Conan saga. Certainly these are stories you would read out of a sense of completeness rather than because there are any real gems to be found within.

As a native Oklahoman who has returned after a 35 year absence I found The Culture of Oklahoma to be very enlightening. The essays reinforced each other in an image of a state full of people who undervalue their strengths and whose devotion to individualism and populism keep them underachieving relative to much of the rest of the country. The same culture creates people who are warm, helpful, friendly and perservering. An image which stands out is the contrast of the "dust bowl" image with the reality of a state which is, by and large, lush, green and water rich. One hopes that younger generations of Oklahoma will grow out of the backwards parts of their past while retaining the positives.