I've read several books about Bob Marley, and this is one of the best. Davis tells Bob's story--the good and the bad--with heartfelt love. (In fact, he concludes the book by saying Marley is a "god." Wow! I admit, that's a little much...) Anyway, Davis' book is FILLED with direct quotes from Bob, his mother, his wife, his band and his friends. Consequently, we get a behind-the-scenes look at many of Bob's most personal moments--the assassination attempt, for example, and Bob's discovery that he had cancer. It is clear that Bob's family and friends opened up to Davis in a way they hadn't with other authors.

I also appreciated Davis' book because of the respect it gave to many elements of Jamaica's culture--the "rude" boys and the Rastafarians, for example. Davis explained them with understanding rather than judgement, unlike other authors I've read.

My only wish is that Davis would update his book to include what's happened with Bob's estate and the remaining Wailers.

If you can only get one book, get this one.

One love.

The Life of the Virgin Mary is one of those little-known novels that deserves a much larger audience. Why the publishers brought this out as a biography is mystifying. It is in fact an epic religious fantasy dealing with archetypal themes in a profound and stirring way, covering the Virgin Mary's (Mariam's) life from childhood to her death in Ephesus. At times the novel reads like a thriller, so fast is the pace. The novel is also deeply researched (for instance, Marley produces the only convincing version of the Massacre of the Innocents, founding it in a real event that took place under Archelaus, the eldest son of Herod, during Passover). This is a magnificent, daring work, truly one of a kind.

This has to be the most under-rated novel I have ever read. It is a dark, mysterious, ghostly tale set in a strange ancient China of Marley's own creation, but which possesses a curious sense of realism and a lot of wry dark humor. It is impossible to sum up the complexity of this outstanding work. Every page cries out for attention, the sense of mystery and horror is omnipresent, and the main character, Chia Black Dragon is IMHO the most powerful and convincing personality in the history of fantasy. Truly brilliant.

Dread Dominion is a good book,except it's context is a little absurd.There some terminologies you might not understand if you haven't read the comic book series.

This isn't just the best of the Judge Dreed novels (and it's the best by far, the second being Dreddlocked, also by Stephen Marley), it is possibly the best black comedy SF thriller I have ever read. The pace is breathtaking and the situations and characters continuously inventive, leading up to a brilliant climax. If you don't believe me, just grab a copy and read the first few pages: you'll be knocked back on your heels - and I promise you the pace keeps up to the very end, never flagging. It's criminal that this book hasn't been reprinted (I had to hunt around for a second-hand copy). A must-read book.

This is a real thrill ride! Judge Dredd falls into an alternate MegaCity wildly different from his own. This Earth is ruled by an alternate Dredd, "Chief Judge Dread," who's hellbent on destroying our favorite lawman. In turn, "our" Dredd gets caught up in the fight to destroy his power-crazed double. If you've read some of the classic comic story arcs, you'll love seeing just how different things might have been. Packed full of alternate versions of familiar characters, oozing with biotechnology, and not without its share of humor. Don't miss it!

Instead of writing a review I am citing an error that I observed in reading the book. On page 141, Mr. Davis states that Bob Marley had a daughter named Kimane. He had a son named Kymani, who is now a singer and recording artist.

This is a very original book about the Tuff Gong. It traces Bob's evolvement as an infant-child, boy, pupil, "street rebel", struggling youngman, father, "lover", musician, poet, Rastafarian and beloved Freedon-Fighter we all know. It is a moving, evocative book. It starts almost like a mellow tale describing the humble, natural surroundings of the deep Jamaican interior into which Bob was born.

It almost immediately rises to a pre-climax of the hardships of Trenchtown, with Bob not only struggling to survive, but also hesitantly nourishing his dream of being a BIG musician, his tackle with the Rastafarian faith and his immediate deep conviction, his frequent "travels"; e.g. to visit his mother in Deleware, USA or his short stay in Sweden full of stress. To me, these are the formative stages of the "Tuff Gong International" and these travels overseas broadened his perspective, both as a musician and as a man, especially a highly sensitive man as Bob.

The book further on describes how Bob's talent and faith - in Jah and in himself - evolve into extraordinary, peerless musical craftsmanship, making Bob's music explode to the four corners of the earth ... almost like a miracle, in the twinkle of an eye! At the climax of this book, Bob is already a supertar, confident, uncompromising, mature, wiser and hard to equal, the wiry cult-hero from Trenchtown, Jamaica.

It's also interesting to observe Bob's relationship with the press, as the press was from the start of it all invariably attracted by his magnetic charm, which thing in turn really [directly or indirectly] raised him to the star of mythical and mystical prorportions that he REALLY is. Because he simply deserved it. Just at the climax of this book, Bob dies, and that's when - in retrospect - things really start looking like a tale, like an unended tale. Pathetic. Mystery. That's just when the "real universal meaning of being Bob Marley" comes to light and is understood: a mission.

Reading this book, one feels the sadness, the love, the hate, the pain, the hope, the godly determination, the fear, the doubt, the anger and the danger that escorted Bob throughout his astonishing rise to superstardom; he becomes almost a religious figure with his ever-growing numbers of fans and disciples, but much the same as his persona continues defying "classification". One can interpret him as a cult-hero, poet, prophet, revolutonary, "statesman", champion of human rights, supreme musician, or the painstaking musical craftsman who knows really well how to poetically "play about with words" in his compositions ...

... Yet, this book will show you how really simple, modest, serious, human, honest and humane Bob was and how this can be sometimes taken advantage of by others [including "friends"]. This is a very good, well-researched book and, I would say, a must for all of you Marley fans and Black Survivors out there [especially if you never read a full book about Bob!]. Peace! WE WILL FIGHT THE DEVIL!

You will enjoy this book as much as you would enjoy his music. Stephen Davis recreates Bob Marley's life from his ancestors to his final days . I really enjoy this book because Stephen Davis makes you feel like your there with him from days of dread to days of glory. I highly recommend this book to readers. Its very easy reading.

Stephens has produced a passionate and provocative book about three luminaries of African-American culture who have probably never been grouped together before---and certainly not so interestingly. Stephens, who holds a PhD in Communication, is doing something that more American Studies scholars should emulate: he's making comparisons across political boundaries, and he's challenging some prevailing orthodoxies about how we think about race in the US. Very much worth reading and arguing about.

[Not sure what is happening here - like 'Managra', the earlier reviews, including one by me for 'Sorcerer's Apprentice' are not for this book!]

Something that Doctor Who is usually bad at is the return of regular characters in such a way as to show the passage of time. With 'System Shock', Justin Richards gives this a go by reintroducing Harry Sullivan some twenty years after his travels in the TARDIS.

The Doctor and Sarah arrive on Earth in 1998, where they are drawn into an MI5 investigation of I2, a software company. They meet up with Harry, now an Assistant Chief of Staff of MI5, who assists them in this story of alien takeover via the Internet.

I found the returning Harry to be an excellent addition to the story. At the time of his travels with the Doctor, Harry was an often bumbling do-gooder who seemed more capable of getting in people's way than assisting. His time post-UNIT has made him a much more competent character without destroying his essential Harryness.

Also pleasing are the different reactions of the Doctor and Sarah to this older Harry. It's normal for the Doctor, but Sarah is shocked. It brings home the reality of time travel to her.

The story is pretty stock-standard, not different enough to warrant that close an examination, but it does provide a background on which the interaction of these characters can be watched.

'System Shock' has generated a sequel, 'Millennium Shock' which should please those who enjoy this book.

Having just become a Doctor Who fan , i started buying some of the books by virgin. One of the first was IOTCP. I adored this book and thought that the cast list at the end was a nice touch. The way the chapters are in episodes are a very nice concept and the cliff hanger at the end of Episode 3 is fantastic. The writing of the doctor is very much that of Patrick Troughton , another plus. Polly and Ben are OK and true to the show. When they are in the book shop and see the biography of River Phoinix is very touching. The Cat-People are a little to unrealistic bad a a good enemy. Over all this is a great story. Well done Gary Russell.

This missing adventure features the sixth Doctor (my personal favorite) and Mel as his companion. In my opinion, this book is what missing adventures should be like. A great fast paced story, with a lot of surprising twists and turns. The idea of the 6th Doctor being closer to the Valeyard than any other regeneration was fascinating. FUN FUN FUN