Dorian Hawkmoon, the last Duke of Koln, is another of Moorcock's instances of the Eternal Champion. Hawkmoon's tales are especially amusing, as the world on which Hawkmoon adventures is the nearest allegory to the world we know in Moorcock's sword-and-sorcery writing.

Count Brass, protector of the south-Provence country of Kamarg, is content to be left in peace in his castle as the Dark Empire sweeps down over Europe from the island nation of Granbretan. His neutrality is questioned by an emissary from Granbretan, Baron Meliadus. While Meliadus is at Brass' castle, he falls in love with Brass' daughter Yisselda, and attempts to kidnap her. Meliadus is forcibly ejected from the Kamarg, and begins to plot revenge.

That's where Hawkmoon enters the story, but to say how would be to spoil the fun. Read it for yourself.

The Hawkmoon novels are, of the "classic" Eternal Champion books (Elric, Corum, Hawkmoon, John Daker, and Erekose), those which best approach the brilliance of the Elric series. Where the problems lie in the DAW editions are in the pervasive and annoying typographical errors. Someone at DAW was asleep at the wheel the day The Jewel in the Skull landed on their desk. Hardly a page goes by without an ugly typo that, if the reader is skimming, will change the meaning of a sentence. Very sloppy work from the publisher. Unfortunately, Murphy's Law dictates that the better the book, the more likely this sort of thing is to happen. And make no mistake, The Jewel in the Skull is a very good book. Would that it had been treated as such by its publisher. *** ½

OVERALL FEELING: Evil Empire trying to take over an alternative European world; standard pulp swords and sorcery; easy read; somewhat good; few interesting points; some interesting characters; some are caricatures; flows well.

MARKETING APPEAL: This story came about in the 60s, I believe, when pulp sci fi magazines were a big thing; I doubt it made a lot of money at first but the Eternal Champion, most notably Elric and Corum, were a popular series. Remember, this was during a time when fantasy was just getting some notice but mostly in pulp magazines. Besides Tolkien and Le Sprague de Camp and a handful of others, there weren't that many.

SCORING: Superb (A), Excellent (A-), Very good (B+), Good (B) Fairly Good (B-) Above Average (C+), Mediocre (C ), Barely Passable (C-) Pretty Bad (D+), Dismal (D), Waste of Time (D-), Into the Trash (F)

DIALOGUE: B STRUCTURE: B- HISTORY SETTING: C CHARACTERS: B EVIL SETUP/ANTAGONISTS: B- EMOTIONAL IMPACT: C+ SURPRISES: B- MONSTERS: B- PACING: B+ THE LITTLE THINGS: B OVERALL STYLE: B- FLOW OF WORDS: B CHOICE OF FOCUS: B- TRANSITIONS/FLASHBACKS/POV: B- COMPLEXITY OF WORDS/SYMBOLISM/THEMES: B-

OVERALL GRADE: B-

CONCEPT: The idea of a technologically mixed Eurpean area, which exists thousands of years into the future, is an interesting one. During the 60s to 70s one could easily believe the world was destroyed by nuclear warheads and the results ended up in a future medieval Europe with magic and technology. Archetypes are heavy (see below for more details) . . . at its time, it was quite original.

CHARACTERS: they're average to very good.

DIALOGUE: Again, as character introspection is rare in this tale, it's reflected, to some degree, in dialogue. See the CHARACTER section on this point. Overall, the dialogue flowed well and the characters sounded somewhat different. But, no one stood out exceptionally like in better series like that of GRRM or even lesser ones like Kate Elliot's THE KING'S DRAGON.

PACING: The book is sparse to begin with; only 160 pages . . . but it moves quick. I think the pacing is great. Of course, the pacing is so good b/c Moorcock doesn't give us a lot of details. Everything is brief . . . succinct . . . he should be writing scripts. Sometimes though; I'd like more details. Have to be fair here in comparison to authors who have meatier texts; 160 pages; it's easier to move fast compared to 900 pages as the typical epic fantasy. Back when Moorcock was writing, novels were shorter and would be considered almost novelettes today. By the 70s and 80s the fantasy novels shot up to 400 or 500 pages. Since RJ's WHEEL OF TIME series, the novels have shot up to 800 pages or so per book.

FAVORITE DESCRIPTIVE PASSAGE: "The castle was built of the same white stone as the houses of the town. It had windows of thick glass (much of it painted fancifully) and ornate towers and battlements of delicate workmanship."

"The Baron was almost as tall as Count Brass. He was dressed in gleaming black and dark blue. Even his jeweled animal mask, which covered the whole of his head like a helmet, was of some strange black metal with deep blue sapphires for eyes."

OPENING PASSAGE: "Count Brass, Lord Guardian of Kamarg, rode out on a horned horse one morning to inspect his territories. He rode until he came to a little hill, on the top of which stood a ruin of immense age. It was the ruin of a Gothic church whose walls of thick stone were smooth with the passing of winds and rain. Ivy clad much of it, and the amber blossoms filled the dark windows, substitute for the stained glass that had once decorated them.

FLAWS: Not enough character introspection . . . most of the characters were archetypes so the emotional arcs were less than say in his ELRIC series where the character is far more developed and emphatic. Again, give it some latitude, as I believe he wrote this out in pieces for magazines. Quite different from the expected fantasy novel of today. OVERALL STYLE: Again, he's succinct. One thing I really like is Moorcock's narrative approach; he'll sometimes jump in as a narrator to explain things; sort of like Tolkien's THE HOBBIT but not quite as much. He also has a setup at each chapter to sort of lay down the setting.

THE LITTLE THINGS: Moorcock's division of the Evil Empire into jeweled masked faces in the shapes of different animals was interesting . .. pig, wolf, mantis, etc. The mix of technology with magic made for some interesting fights and events.

COMMENTS: Apparently, Moorcock was never big on Tolkien so he took the opposite approach in his works; far darker; less details; more gore; not as happy.

Proddow and Fasel have done their homework and provide the reader with a lengthy history of the diamond and its stature in the jewelry world. From the beginning, it was considered rare, unusual and much to be treasured--and its status as such ensured that it would be used in only the most elegant, important, and imaginative jewelry. We learn of the origins of the famed Tiffany setting for diamonds. This was a prong structure which supplanted the formerly popular bezel setting by exposing the pavilion (bottom) of the stone itself, thereby allowing more interplay of light and sparkle. This seemingly simple approach ended up establishing Tiffany as one of the world's premier jewelers. We learn about the freedom jewelers felt during the Art Deco and Art Nouveau periods--the freedom to approach jewelry as art and not just dull commissioned pieces from nobility. We learn about the way Jackie Kennedy wore several diamond pins in her hair during a 1960s trip to Paris to SUGGEST the appearance of a tiara--without the royal associations of an actual tiara.

Proddow and Fasel have done their homework in providing splendid photographs of both well-known and rarely-seen diamond pieces. The book is particularly strong in showcasing nature-oriented jeweled pieces. Particular stand-outs include:

- An astonishingly beautiful butterfly brooch from the 1890s, in which the butterfly's body is made of a diamond and a ruby and the winds are enormous carved and etched diamonds (p. 20), not to mention a diamond and platinum butterfly brooch in which actual butterfly wings are encased in rock crystal (p. 32);

- An actual lion's paw seashell in which diamond tentacles climb the shell's grooves and set off the gleaming coral color (p. 87);

- An enormous Cartier snake necklace commissioned by Mexican actress Maria Felix in 1968 and featuring over 2,400 diamonds on one side. The other side was done completely in colored enamels, making the necklace reversible (p. 112);

- A tortoise compact made from a real tortoise shell and pavé diamond head, feet, and tail (p. 130).

This book is an invaluable and instructive guide for anyone who loves diamond jewelry and appreciates the imaginative flights of fancy it inspires in its creators. Highly recommended!

Worcester also throws in many phrases and words which simply would not be known or used in the late 19th Century. The attitudes are also very modern and very American. While I imagine that Holmes would not dislike a small urchin such as Tommy, I do not think he would have allowed himself to get overly emotional with a client; after all, that's what Tommy was. At the same time, Watson performs many feats that would undoubtedly be extremely uncomfortable, if not impossible for a man his age. Yes, he was a rugby player--years and years before. Not to sound nitpicky, but this book just isn't the real deal.

It may be good enough of a plot and an engaging read for someone unfamiliar with the real Holmes or for someone who is not able to discern the difference between late 19th century British attitudes and late 20th century American attitudes, but it is not good enough for me.

Here Holmes is onstage throughout but again does little that is Holmesian. Nor does the plot make a particle of sense. A man plans to steal a priceless jewel, but first goes out of his way to attract the attention of Holmes, then has to waste time in a preposterously convoluted effort to destroy Holmes' reputation and frame him for a murder, so that he won't interfere in the jewel theft. Got that? As in the first novel, the identity of the main villain is obvious from his (or her) first appearance, so the only suspense is related to how Holmes and Watson will foil his plans and bring him to book.

The author's research into 1880s London is good, but used mainly in several Watsonian wanders through the city, in which Watson always views and reacts to things as would a man of the late 20th Century (instead of the late 19th).

Some of the characters are colorful and effective, and the plot keeps moving along. It's not a great addition to the currently huge list of Holmesian pastiches, because the Holmes of this novel is far more a 20th Century Action Hero than he is the world's first Consulting Detective.

The Villian never really gives a reason for his quest, aside from the undead standard "I hate all living beings" spiel. Klossk pretty much is played as pure evil, with no redeeming qualities at all (you never even feel like his attacks are somehow justified in his own mind). As an aside, his werespider compatriot is the only really intersting character and I would have loved to have seen her fleshed out more. Also, the Klossk is some rare type of undead, but no explanation of how his being such a creature differentiates him from other more well known undead types. 2 paragraphs and all the confusion over his Morgh status would have been resolved.

At the end of it all it all comes down to the question of whether the book is worth reading. If you like really well fleshed out characters, with no real background then you'll love this book. Looking for a fun interesting read? Pass.

The other complaint about this book isn't that it is part of the City Series, and 90% of the book is set in the wilds, but rather that it had no sense of where it was located. This story could have taken place in any world setting. This one really dropped the ball.

2 stars for characterization only. This could have been a terrific read!

Unlike Temple Hill and City of Ravens, the Jewel of Turmish did little to explore the city of Alaghôn, nor justify the city its name nor the book its title. The story was divided between two threads, the druid Haarn and sellsword Druz in the wilderness, and the ancient evil Borran Klosk escaping from his captivity to spread terror in the Vilhon Reach. While both threads were properly developed in their own right, their intertwining was almost accidental and had no element of a plot at all.

The author planned well the series of events which gave the readers an intimate insight into the character of the druid hero. He did not do so well with the villain Borran, readers were left guessing to Borran's actual motivations.

There were numerous references to events in the From the Sea trilogy by the same author, I guess Mel Odom just couldn't resist. Though there was *some* connection, the repetition just gets on the nerves after a while.

As mentioned by a previous reviewer, the author appeared to find too little pages to do justice to the climax after a skillful build-up which took 262 pages (the book had 311). The element of intrigue deftly introduced by Allis, the liason officer assigned to Borran Klosk by shadowy masterminds working behind the scenes, simply evaporated. It could have been put to better use, the additional pages would have been justified by a stronger storyline.

While I have no real complaints about the hero and the villain having only *one* showdown, it was brilliantly done and flowed very well with the story (who needs recurring encounters anyway), I was rather disappointed that it did not bear any significant impact on the hero; emotionally, intellectually or otherwise.

On the surface, Timothy Treadwell's book "Among Grizzlies" is a book about one of my favorite subjects: bears. This is why I read the book from start to finish. But it isn't long after one begins the book before one realizes that just beneath the surface this is actually a book about a man with a death wish and all the talk about bears (which can make for an adequate "bear read", mind you) is really a series of descriptions of this sad individual's numerous attempts to force a horrible death upon himself.

Treadwell begins his book by describing his being shot at by drug dealers and his having taken an overdose of illegal narcotics that only CPR and an Emergency Room could bring him back from. From the beginning to the end of the book he talks about his addiction to and abuse of alcohol. When he reaches the point of the book at which he sets out to live among Alaska's wild Grizzly Bears and describes the many times that he was charged by irate Grizzlies for having come within ridiculously close proximity to these bears in his attempts to kiss them on the nose, etc, it is clear that his interest in bears is simply a continuation of a long progression of suicide attempts disguised as "experimentation". At the end of the book he tells us that of all the bears he came to know during his stays in the Alaskan wilderness, the one he "loved the most" was the one bear that had tried most seriously to kill him.

This book is by no means scientific. In fact, I have never read a book written by a person who had spent so much time in the wilderness only to come away from it with so little understanding of it. At times Treadwell admits to being a very incapable wilderness explorer and he tells his readers of such instances as the first time night fell upon him while he was alone in the wilderness. In that instance his problem was that once it had become dark he realized that he had never so much as unrolled the tent he had brought to live in and so he would be totally unable to set it up in the darkness.

But in another bizarre description of his being totally surrounded by nature's bounty, watching huge Grizzly Bears procuring so many clams that they were fattening for winter as he watched, Treadwell worries that he will starve to death because he had eaten his last Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich and finished off his last can of Tuna Fish and the plane that was scheduled to bring him more food had not arrived on the anticipated day! Unfortunately, he wasn't kidding.

This would be a harmless, albeit a bit ridiculous, book were it not for the fact that Treadwell adopts a superior, "Holier Than Thou" attitude toward hunters and other wilderness explorers. He talks about legal hunters and poachers as if they were one and the same and he blames licenced sportsmen for the decline of America's Grizzly population. This is untrue. He also blames sight seers in the Alaskan wilderness for driving bears to inadequate habitats and refers to these tourists as "these people", completely ignoring the fact that he is not only one of "these people" but also by far the most intrusive among them.

Bears are good. People are bad. Treadwell is good because Treadwell is a bear. This is Treadwell's strange, immature philosophy.

In his epilogue Treadwell reminds his readers that he never intended his book to have the effect upon others that Hemingway's description of the running of the bulls had.

I wouldn't worry about that, Tim.

I guess it's fairly obvious that as much as I enjoy reading about bears, I had an adverse reaction to the thought of Timothy Treadwell roaming among them and fancying himself one of them. There is a great deal of bear discussion in this book and many of his descriptions of bear behavior and the reaction of bears to Treadwell's behavior are not devoid of value for bear enthusiasts. For that, one might want to read this book. I might even recommend it.

My hope is that when Treadwell finally accomplishes his real goal, the bears he lives among will not acquire a taste for human flesh as a result of his having forced the meal upon them.

I have never been an animal advocate until now. Timothy's beautiful narration of his adventures to the Grizzly Sanctuary have helped me to better understand the horrible turmoils of another species. His stories of Booble, Mr. Chocolate, and Timmy the Fox are those that convey the complexity of the wild and its' relationship with man. This book is meant to educate the layman through incredible photography and narration.

I highly reccomend this book to anyone with even a slight interest in grizzlies. The information is compelling and informational. Kudos to Timothy for telling his story through photography, scientific information, and beautiful narration.

An example of his artistic license is writing of being the first person into an area he calls the Forbidden Zone -- without revealing that it was actually the site of a major clamming industry in the distant past, and is regularly visited by bear-watches. He writes about how bears chose to sleep near his tent, as though attracted to him -- without revealing that he is the one who chooses to camp where they would be sleeping anyway. Claims about the closeness of his relationships with the bears need to be taken with a grain of salt.

Tim does not pretend to be a scientist, but he makes many statements that could be mistaken as scientific. For example, the weight he gives for each grizzly is just a guess. When he writes about how big boars normally eat razor clams shell and all, whereas sows do not, he is apparently unaware that the few bears he watched closely for a few days aren't typical.

With all those limitations, why do I give the book a 5-star rating and 3 cheers? Because it has no more limitations than most adventure books on bears, while offering a wealth of insights about grizzly behavior that will be new to the general public. It's a wonderful book, written with great warmth. It paints a much more typical picture of bears than more sensationalistic books like Kanuit's "Alaska Bear Tales" ... and "Some Bears Kill". For although such books may be carefully researched, they focus on the relatively rare circumstances where a bear attacks someone, and even rarer cases where the person is killed. Bears actually spend very little time in aggression, even against each other. Most of their time is spent feeding. Even affectionate nuzzling or play commonly occupies more time than aggression, as Tim describes with great charm.

Tim is far from the only person to camp out with grizzlies on the coasts of Alaska. But he was the first to spend so many seasons (now 11) in the same areas, getting to know individual bears exceedingly well. He can identify over thirty bears by sight without having to put collars or ear tags on them. He has known some of these bears through three generations. Cubs trust him because their mother trusts him, because her mother did. There are only a small handful of people who have ever known bears so personally, and no one else who has known so many individual grizzlies so well.

If he seems obsessed with stopping bear hunting, think of how you might feel about dolphins, whales, gorillas or chimpanzees being killed for sport. Think of how you would feel if your dog or cat were shot. Once you know bears as individuals, it's hard to accept the idea that they have less right to live than to die for the kicks of anyone with a hunting license and a gun. Tim has done his best to "give back to the bears" by campaigning against hunting, and by trying to teach people that they can be as friendly as giant dogs.

If he can ever get past embellishing his experiences to make them more entertaining (perpetuating his own myths) and begin working more closely with scientists, he could play an invaluable role in grizzly conservation.

I applaud Jewel for putting herself out there. And yes, I liked many of the poems in the book.

There's nothing wrong with disliking her work. I can respect those who feel that way. However I think that those individuals should have been a little less condescending. I am not a culture snob-- I wouldn't presume to tell anyone else that what they enjoy reading is trash if it works for them.

What is good poetry anyway? Really? Is it something so obscure that 98% of the population can't understand it or wouldn't spend (waste?) their time trying to? Is it something that only intellectuals can understand? Who are you comparing her to -- and using what standards? Whose standards?

This is not to say that Jewel is on his level, but don't forget that Melville was dismissed as a mediocre writer in his day. Thus, opinions on what is good and bad art are temporal.

Some people enjoy Shakespeare and Yeats -- others prefer spoken word and poetry slams. I enjoy both.

I think that the most important measure of art is how and if it affects those who view/read/hear it.

It is easy to say that her work is horrible. But, could any of you do a better job? And even if you thought that you could, would you be brave enough to share it with the world?

Can you imagine how quiet a plane crash would be if you were deaf?
How unbearably loud a rape?

Buy this book! Its well worth it. Get her book of memoirs as well. Its called "Chasing Down the Dawn".