I wasn't sure what to expect with this anthology, but I found myself enthralled from beginning to end. Nnedi Okorafor's "Crossroads", Seth Lindberg's "Atropos", and James Dorr's "Madness" were special delights.

A great mix of chilling, horrifying, and otherwise entertaining stories.

This is a great compilation of magic, madness, culture and creativity. All of the stories were pretty satisfying, some of them terrifying! There are some writers here that are going to go places. Watch for the authors of the two longest pieces, Nnedi Okorafor (her story is called Crossroads) and James S. Dorr (he wrote a story called Madness).

This Book is about a king who lives in a castle. He has a baker called Adrian.The King always eats eggs. Adrian makes the king chicken eggs,goose eggs,duck eggs.Then he shouts More More More! The Next day he read in his Newspaper that a dodos egg was spotted on an island.So he told Adrian to prepare the boat.To get to The island.

It's incredible no one takened the time to review this magnum opus of one of the most important committed thinkers of our time. Bloch's life itself well traversed almost a century,seeing himself and participating in the early innovative artistic movements,Expressionism, the plays of Brecht,Schoenberg's 12 Tone Dodecaphonic means. He also carried diatribes with the likes of Gyorgy Lukacs, as well as writers he admired Anna Siegel. Utopia is a realm that never seems to go away. For Bloch it was a way of gaining distance with the world,in fashioning a path toward it yourself. He said someplace that we all inhabit our own durational frames, and that we develop, or come to see our horizons not simultaneously as we have been taught to believe. This massive three-volume work is a mere encyclopedia tracing where mankind has found its horizon,sometimes placing it theri aritficially, as in art. Goethe Faust has a prominent place here as well as early secular religions of the world, how each shares this vision of Utopia Bloch so impassioned voice seeks. Marx is here as well, and it was Bloch who for want of a better term, introduced the warmer side of the human spirit to into Marxist discourse. Bloch, as Adorno,Horkheimer,even Lukacs, were not really political animals,nor consummate players, so they each saw the Soviet Union as some hope, less Adorno,who was skeptical of everything. The early religious leader Thomas Munzer, Luther's arch enenmy during the burgeoning Reformation and the Peasant Wars is also a point of reference for Bloch. And music makes an entrance, however Bloch really never got to know modernist repertoire, his thoughts are abssorbed with the classics, Mozart,Beethovem Bruckner and Wagner all have places in his Utopian edifice.

Do you know need a reason to buy this book? I can give you an excellent one -- it's called the Table of Contents. It lists 700 pages worth of Robin Hood ballads, plays and more. It has the earliest ballads and plays where Robin is merely a yeoman, the first play that casts him as the Earl of Huntington, and later ballads that give the "origins" of Little John, Maid Marian and Will Scarlet. Also, there's an introductory article on the history of the legend and complete introductions and notes to all the ballads and plays. The notes and introductions are by Stephen Knight and Thomas Ohlgren, two top Robin Hood scholars. If you want to read the original tales of the outlaw, or if you are teach a course in Robin Hood, this book is an excellent buy. Just treat it with care. I notice my cover is fraying somewhat.

The Rough Guide To Southeast Asia is a comprehensive and superbly organized travel guide to Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Enhanced with a full-color illustrated section introducing Southeast Asian highlights, The Rough Guide To Southeast Asia provides the traveler with accounts of destinations ranging from urban city nightlife to beautiful isolated beaches. A compendium of reviews for the best places to reside, the best foods to eat, the best drinks offered, and the best places to party, The Rough Guide To Southeast Asia also covers a veritable wealth of available activities ranging from a sunrise climb up Mount Bromo to boating down the Mekong River, to diving into the waters off the Philippines. Profusely illustrated with maps and plans for every region, as well as dependable transport details (including border crossings and island ferries), The Rough Guide To Southeast Asia is "user friendly" and highly recommended for anyone planning a visit anywhere in the exotic countries and climes of Southeast Asia.

One of my patients-one of the very few who are actually able to converse with me in ICU-and I had a discussion of our mutually held enjoyment of classic style murder mysteries. We found that we had read many of the same novels, but one author she mentioned was new to me. Candace Robb and her Owen Archer mysteries were among her favorites, and as she described them, I felt that they might appeal to me as well. At the lady's suggestion, The Cross-Legged Knight was my first introduction to Ms Robb's work.

At first I was uncertain that I would like the author's style. I find that some writers of historical fiction, of which this is a form, are somewhat pedantic in their efforts to get their readers up to speed with respect to their chosen period. Whether this is to lend verisimilitude to their work, or because they can't bear to waste even a scrap of their hard won research, I can't say. I needn't have worried, though. Most of the author's descriptions of the medieval environment, of the various occupations, of clothing and speech were smoothly introduced, and the meanings of unfamiliar words were easily taken from their context. In checking Ms Robb's vita, I discovered that she had prepared for a PhD dissertation in medieval history and literature. Having done thesis for at least Master's level in two different areas myself, I can honestly say that one lives with these hard won scraps of information day in and day out until they become part of one. For Ms Robb, the 14th Century is "home," and it shows!

I enjoy the work of Ellis Peters and her Brother Cadfael series very much. Spending time with her delightful characters is a satisfying way to "get away from it all." In fact, I find that when I read fiction-when I read it at all-I do so at least as much for the company of the characters as for the story. Creating this type of ambiance is a difficult task, so I expected to find myself unimpressed with Robb's sense of character and personal history. Again I was mistaken. She peoples her 14th Century city of York with individuals with whom the reader is pleased to spend time. Owen Archer and his wife, the apothecary Lucie Wilton, are wonderful people, and their household is a delight to visit. Owen's "boss" the Archbishop of York, with whom Owen has an uneasy relationship, is a complex and interesting person. The other families have at least as much of a history as the central characters, giving the book an ambiance similar in many ways to the charming Barsetshire stories of Angela Thirkell.

The mystery itself was well penned. It begins almost at once with an attack on Wykeham, the new Bishop of Winchester, and progresses to the murder of a midwife, keeping the reader guessing at every paragraph. Like Colin Dexter and the Morse mysteries, The Cross-Legged Knight takes several twists before the guilty individual is brought to justice.

I enjoyed the book enough to look for all the others.

It's the eight episode for Candace Robb's quintessential medieval spy Owen Archer and
neither the author nor the character seems to be slowing down.

Archer, the trusted one-eyed spy for the Archbishop of York, is once again thrust into the
maelstrom of deadly struggles between the Lancasters and the Church. What is a spy,
married to York's only female apothecary, to do?

Whatever direction he choose, he's bound to find a puzzle. For one, the Bishop of
Winchester has created a situation that could plunge the country into a civil war. Through
the bishop's apparent bungling, a trusted friend to King Edward III and knight of the
realm has been captured by the French and before a ransom could be negotiated, he dies in
prison. His widow, the Lady Pagnell, holds the bishop fully responsible and wishes to
extract her own pound of flesh (to borrow from Shakespeare some two hundred years
later).

While in York to try to smooth things over with the Pagnell family, the bishop finds his
own life in danger. Coupled with what appears to be attempts to assassinate him, murder
is discovered when a fire goes up in flames, leaving the victim inside. Thus, Owen Archer's
sleuthing skills are called in. Owen's wife Lucy, the co-protagonists of Robb's series, has
recently had a miscarriage and her recovery, both mentally and physically, is taking its toll
on the Archer household. The woman murdered had been responsible for helping Lucy in
her recovery and both Lucy and Owen feel driven to find her murderer.

And, of course, the hunt is afoot and with Robb's usual good skill, York is eventually given
the solution. But before the murderer is revealed, Robb has a story to tell and, once again,
she does it with exciting readability. Weaving quite effectively history with fiction, the
Robb stories appeal to both historians and whodunit readers. Her ability to capture the
landscape and atmosphere of 14th century England is noteworthy and her plot designs well
worth the time.

Owen Archer is back in York, after a long sojourn in Wales. His apothocary wife, Lucy, has just lost a baby and is mourning its death. In York the Archbishop Wykeham has the ire of the Duke of Gaunt on his head and he fears that the powerful Lancasterian is trying to kill him. Archer finds himself in the midst of the feud and must rely on his friends to help him but make sure that no harm comes to them.
It is a pleasure to have Owen back in York with Lucy by his side. The mystery is serpentine and clues are there for the careful reader. Robb brings medieval York to life with intriguing characters and multi-layered plot.

As an ardent freemason and avid reader, I found this book extremely riveting. Hard to believe that from a book on medieval history, but believe it. I opened the package from Amazon and immediately started reading. With my wife yelling for me to come to bed two hours later, I answered with the usual, "just a minute!" I couldn't put it down. I finished it that night and finished Unholy Worship the next night. Great books!! I will buy more books from these guys in the near future. If you are in the least bit interested in Templar history or it's ties to modern freemasonary, get this and any of Dafoe's books!!

Warriors and Bankers, by Stephen Dafoe and Alan Butler gave me a sence of pride in my heritage. But more than that it gave me hope that such a noble and courageous order such as the Knights Templar not only survived but had the forsight to make many subtle contributions to our day to day life. Friday the 13th will never have the same meaning for me again, or for that matter my next visit to a bank. Alan Butler and Stephen Dafoe have written a book that lays their research out in an easy to read and comprehensive format. Every page was food for thought and provocative in its implications of the Templar history and subsequent survival. A must read for the etherial and esoteric history buff. From now on I'll seek out other books by the authors. I loved this unexpected little gem of a book and will definatly tell my friends about it. If this site had a six star rating - this book certainly deserves it.

This book is a must-have for those interested in The Templars. In a sea of Nonsense and ancient falsehoods, regarding the order of Knights Templar, this book is a shining gem of common-sense. The authors strive to use Logic, instead of silly fake documents and other ludicrous garbage to speculate about the known and suspected history of the Templars. Instead of quoting long sections of other recent books, the authors simply refer you to the other works, assuming you have probably already read them, anyway (and...they are most-likely correct). If you have read the other works about the Templars--esp., Robinson's "Born in Blood," you will find this book a concise, easy read with some new thoughts on the subject of the Templar's history. If not, this book gives you ample research suggestions.... So, either way, you can't lose. Another benefit of this book is that it is thin-enough (because the authors get directly to the point, instead-of heavy quoting and such) to place it in your jacket or pants pocket. This would be a great book to loan to your friends, if you practice my own method of using clear contact paper (slowly and carefully) over the cover of the book, to prevent it's destruction in transit. Look for their other books, as-well! I loved "Unholy Worship? The Myth of the Baphomet, Templar, Freemason Connection," by Stephen Dafoe. If you enjoy thinking for yourself, you will enjoy their books....if you do not like thinking for yourself read Kah!

While this book is oversized, making it good for having lots of pictures, the material inside is very much a treatise into european knighthood only, addressing almost not at all middle eastern, eastern soviet, or asian thoughts and ideas.

But, it does have good pictures.

Absolutely a must-have book, filled from cover to cover with archetecture, heraldry, manuscripts, effigies, and statues. It provides an in-depth look at the High Middle Ages... the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. There is also quite a large bit dedicated to the political evolution of the time. This is a fantastic book!!

First off, this book is of the medieval knight and therefore spends most of its time covering English and French History. So, I'm not sure where these comments come from wanting middle eastern knights. They weren't knights. They had different names.

The scope of this book covers the Hundred Years War to the aftermath of the Wars of the Roses . . . expect to cover mostly French and English History, as these were the two cultures who began the chivalric code and were the main players during that era.

While it's true that there were knights in other areas of western and eastern Europe, they all emulated the French and the English. That's why Turnbull spent his time with these two countries.

If you want a similar example to THE MEDIEVAL KNIGHT but hate anglocentric History, check out his THE BOOK OF THE SAMURAI or even THE MONGOLS. Just stop whining! :D

If you are looking for an indepth history of the Anglican church, this is it. It not only explores the past to present, but also issues about the future of Anglicanism. Not light reading.

I had looked long and hard for a systematic overview of the Anglican Church in one volume and Stephen Sykes and company delivered the goods. The book is a collection of essays that describe what it means to be an Anglican. The contributors are scholars from within the Communion, including such notables as Peter Toon, Reginald Fuller, and Sir Henry Chadwick. All of the essays are well written, informative, and scholarly. The book is divided into 7 main parts: 1) History of Anglicanism (beginnings to late 1980s) 2) The Gospel in Anglicanism 3) Authority and Method (Scripture, Tradition, Reason) 4) Anglican Standards (Articles of Faith, Ordinals, Catechisms, etc.) 5) Church Sacraments and Ministry (Doctrine, Fundamentals, Communion, Laity, etc.) 6) Anglicanism in Practice (Morality, Pastoral Roles, Church-State Relations, etc.) 7) Prospects for the Future (Ecumenical Movement, Non-Anglo Anglicanism). There is also a very helpful glossary of terms and an index. With 500 pages and thirty essays, The Study of Anglicanism is bound to have the answers to most questions about the Anglican Church. I highly recommend the book to everyone, Anglican or non-Anglican, who wants to understand more about this unique, exciting Church.

As his second book on Templar issues, Dafoe does a commendable job 'debunking' the foolishness of the Baphomet myth. He explores in detail the trials of the Knights Templar and the charges which arose from their suppression. He then goes on to describe theories surrounding the 'head' they were supposed to worship and interweaves them with the theories and descriptions of the devil of Christianity. Finally, he ties it all together with an excellent presentation of the Taxil hoax, showing the ludicrousness of the charges made today by certain religious intolerants. Regretfully, one piece of reference material used by Dafoe (a quote from Nesta Webster) makes assumptions without proof (and the reference itself is hardly definitive). This notwithstanding, this small (75 page) book is one you will refer to again and again when you read yet another of the strange and contemptuous charges leveled against Freemasonry.

Ed King- Anti-Masonry: Points of View http://www.masonicinfo.com

Not for a long time have a picked up a non fiction book that has so captivated my interests that I couldn't put it down until I was finished. This book opens up new and compelling fields of study in the history of the much maligned and often misunderstood Fraternity- Freemasonry and The Knights Templar. This book is not just for men who have chosen to enter this Fraternity, but provides Masons and non-Masons alike a fresh and compelling, imfortive view of it's history, rituals, and reasons for the general undeserved mistrust. The author (Stephen Dafoe) offers the reader a book that is well researched, beautifully illustrated, and an easy read.This is a truly a book that will appeal to all people who have in interest in history, mythology, and a want for a clear view of what Masonry really stands for- The love of God, the tolerance of all religions and peoples, and a desire to make good men better men.This is one book I will re-read just for the sheer joy of it.

Indeed, this is a good book. But to get even more out of it, read The Illuminati Manifesto.
The Illuminati Manifesto makes public the secret of the Craft for the first time ever!