I really enjoyed reading the play out loud to my husband during a long car trip. It has clever dialogues and interesting characters. However, it does not have the same depth as Steve Martin's earlier plays. That's why I knocked it down one star.

Nevertheless, I can't wait till the play comes to the Bay Area.

This play was wonderfully written. Although short, it was laugh out loud funny, and delightfully racy! Steve Martin once again shows his comic genius in the adaptation of Carl Sternheim's play.

This play, adapted by Steve Martin from a crazy old German farce almost 100 years old, is fresh, bawdy, smart, and really really funny. Anyone who loves Steve Martin's literate-kooky mind will adore this! It was a hit in New York last year. It should be done at every theater around the country, and soon!

The idea of "the best of the Oxford American" brings out a lot of expectations. This magazine has been the home for a lot of special writing. This book provides some of those moments. I especially enjoyed the narrative of the small town photographer burdened by the unwelcome insights of his coworkers and the blank misunderstandings of his Disney World roadtripping friends. I think that the criticism by Tony Earley would have made just as good an introduction to this book as did Rick Bragg's more metaphorical observation that this writing is "heavy on the salt."
I would recommend this book for anyone that wants to read about the South as it actually is -- unique, history-addled, and genuinely "salty".

This collection of works--fiction, nonfiction, poetry, reportage--by the biggest names writing in or about the South is a real treasure. For those already familiar with "the New Yorker of the South" it will remind those what have made the magazine so special for so many years, and for those who have not discovered the magazine, BOA will be a great introduction to the best in Southern belles lettres. The book, like the magazine itself, is a little trad and not good on commenting on the lives of blacks, gays/lesbians, and immigrants to the South, but there is much for everyone to enjoy here.

When Baron Soontir Fel, the greatest pilot of the Imperial forces, is captured by the Rebels, he tells all in the confines of an interrogation cell to Wedge Antilles, the greatest pilot of the Rebellion - also his brother-in-law.

Stackpole brilliantly shows the past carrer of Fel in the Imperial Navy, how he met Syal Antilles, Wedge's sister, and how it comes to be that Fel defects to the Rebels.

The story falls short in the cofusing final third, however. Not much happens and what does happen is very jumbled and not thought through. Then again, Stackpole isn't exactly the Master of the Hidden Plot. But it is well worth its cost in dollars in the first two-thirds; after all, I bought it.

'Blood & Honor' is basically two stories in one, including dramatically different art teams, so I'll do my best.

The first part, 'The Making of Baron Fel', is definitely one of the most unique pieces of SW ever assembled. Picking up right where 'In the Empire's Service' ended, Baron Fel is in Rebel hands and through the interrogation chair reveals his life in service to the Empire in a mix of narration and flashbacks that could only be achieved in comic book format. Fel's story is indeed a compelling one and does the rare feat of presenting a clear philosophical case against the Empire.

It has also been both praised and criticized for its extensive use of cameos. I, for one, will do some praising, as it does help to tie the SW galaxy together. Appearances by people such as Tarkin, Thrawn, Derricote, Isard, and so forth are key to the story, while people like Post ('Family Ties')and Turr Phennir ('In the Empire's Service') serve to tie together pieces of Fel's life and the over all XWRS story.

The art by Steve Crespo is good, with well-done people and a good amount of realism. The spacecraft, while reasonably detailed, are nowhere near those of John Nadeau and his wizardry with technology. The whole thing, for better or for worse, has a rather crisp look to it, as opposed to the very dirty style of Gary Erksine.

The slightly longer second part, 'Family Ties' is a little of a letdown. The art has little detail and the movement isn't very fluid either. The story itself is alright, a bit of a nice breakaway after 'In the Empire's Service'. It opens in the aftermath of the Brentaal Campaign, where General Salm gives a little eulogy for the dead Aggressors and Rogues. Following is Fel's introduction to the rogues and greeting that is not too kind. Then Wedge send Plourr, Hobbie, and Janson to Corellia on a mission that takes up the rest of the story. The appearance by Kirtan Loor was a nice touch, enhanced even more so when Corran Horn and Iella Wessiri from Stackpole's novels take on roles as co-stars.

'Family Ties' was colored by Perry McNamee instead of the usual David Nestelle, and, call me spoiled, but it shows. One particular scene, if you read the dialogue, takes place at night, but you couldn't tell that by simply looking at it.

Overall, its is a key link to the rest of the series and is recommended for that and because of the very interesting look into the Empire provided by 'The Making of Baron Fel.'

Blood and Honor, the follow-up story to "In the Empire's Service," is comprised actually of two stories, not just one. The first, "The Making of Baron Fel," is quite possibly the best X-wing comic ever. It was released on the stands as a special 48-page issue, and is quite outstanding. The second story is the 2-issue "Family Ties," which often vies for a position as the worst of the Rogue Squadron stories. Although these stories conclude some of the plots from the previous comic, they incidentally also pretty much completely drop the "Rise of Isard" story, leaving that to continue in the next Rogue Squadron story.

The Making of Baron Fel is simply an outstanding comic. Basically it is, as the cover implies, the life story of the Empire's greatest pilot. It is told by Fel as he sits in a Rebel interrogation room, and really takes the guy from "Imperial pilot extraordinaire" to one of the most sympathetic characters to show up in the Star Wars mythos. The art suits the story perfectly, and we get to see a ton of familiar faces. There are cameos by Isard, Derricote, Thrawn, and Hal Horn, as well as a bunch of Rebels before they defected from the Empire. This comic also gives us a good look at how truly corrupted the Empire was, and why so many people were so willing to serve under it. There are also several surprises, including the identity of Fel's wife, as well as Fel's offer to the Rebels. This comic alone is worth the cover price of Blood and Honor.

Unfortunately, Family Ties does not fare so well. Janson, Hobbie and Plourr (shouldn't she be back on Eiattu by now?) go on a mission to Corellia to ensure the safety of Baron Fel's family. Along the way they bump into a few familiar faces (including Corran Horn and Iella Wessiri in their CorSec days, as well as their Imperial liaison and nemesis, Kirtan Loor), as well as a few old enemies of Fel's. I didn't mind the art style, except that the characters were changed. Plourr was never before a buxom, spandex-wearing type, and Horn's X-wing as well as Horn himself and several other characters were also somewhat butchered. There were a couple funny running jokes, but no particularly wonderful dialogue, and there was only one space battle, thrown in at the end almost obligatorily, and then only to show off Corran's skills in a fighter so that the Rogue could make some jokes about how he'd never be a Rogue.

The Making of Baron Fel was exceedingly good and definitely worth reading. Family Ties was not. I definitely recommend this comic for the one, if not the other.

Steve Hamilton's "Cold Day in Paradise" was an excellent first novel, introducing us to the unusual hero, Alex McKnight.

However, this follow-up seems thrown together haphazardly. Although I hate to be picky, there is one disturbing error in this book. In the first novel, one of the main characters was EDWIN Fulton. In this book, the character's name mysteriously changes to EDMUND. Is this an author's faux pas or an editors? In any case, it is a shoddy booboo!

Also, in this book, Alex doesn't really do much of the private investigating at all, leaving it up to Leon Prudell, who emerges as more of an interesting character than McKnight. McKnight seems to be a whiny, pessimistic, self-pitying failure in this book, and his "devotion" to finding the missing Dorothy is rather tiresome and unmotivated.

The inclusion of the Russian Molinov and the scene in the ice cabin is way over board. The resolution, likewise, is too pat and contrived. Seems like McKnight should consider his choice of friends in the future, since in both books, they certainly aren't what they seem.

I do agree that Hamilton's descriptions of the frigid Michigan weather is stunning and evocative; unfortunately, the story and pacing in this one is tepid.

I also have a problem with Hamilton continuing to toy with us on McKnight's plans for revenge on his foes from the first book. Get with it, Hamilton. Stop manipulating and use your extraordinary writing abilities to deliver good reading.

A number of years ago, Steve Hamilton, introduced his character Alex McKnight to the reading public in the award winning book, A Cold Day in Paradise. This book was met with much praise and readers waited anxiously for his next book.

Now in the Winter of the Wolf Moon, Mr. McKnight provides his old and new readers alike with a most worthwhile successor to this title.

Choosing to return home to Paradise after being injured Alex, is surrounded by the physical world of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as well as some charactes. Winters are fierce and Alex spends time taking care of his father's cabins, policing the area from recreational snowmobilers and playing ice hockey with hsi old friends. Inevitably there is a mystery which he must help solve as he also deals with the emotional fallout of watching his partner get killed during a botched robbery. While the mystery angle of the book keeps the reader truning the pages I found the conversations between Alex and some of his cohorts as well as the customs and mores of inhabitants of this area more intriguing. I did particularly enjoy Hamilton's attention to detail which is so vivid that I imagine other readers felt the cold as I did, hear the ice crunching unerneath the snowmobiles and shiver as short days turn into long nights.

Now once again, I am faithfully waiting for Mr. Hamilton's next title.

Winter of the Wolf Moon picks up where A Cold Day in Paradise left off. It's winter in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and Alex McKnight is caught up in another missing person case involving the DEA and Russian drug dealers. Vinnie, Jackie, Chief Maven and Leon Prudell are back and better than ever. The plot takes you on a roller-coaster ride from Michigan to Canada, with Alex snowmobiling, playing hockey and spending way too much time in the hospital. And Hamilton gives you winter in the upper peninsula...a character in and of itself. You won't be able to put this one down. The only bad thing about reading Winter of the Wolf Moon, is that once you've finished, you'll have a long wait for the next Steve Hamilton mystery.

Most of the Most of S.J. Perelman (part of the Humor and Wit series of Modern Library) is a lengthy, though abridged, volume of the Perelman pieces from 1930 - 1958, many of which originally appeared in the New Yorker, among other magazines. This book should not necessarily be read straight through, as I did to my slight regret, as it can become a little overwhelming. There is some dating in the material but it is more of a delight how little effect time has taken on the comedy. The best pieces are, without a doubt, the marvelous Cloudland Revisited sequences where the author looks at books and movies he admired in his youth to see what horrible things time, experience and maturity have done to them. These selections are the treasures of the volume. A fine look at the almost lost art of a certain form of humour writing at its height. A wonderful volume to be savoured slowly.

I agree that it should be a capital crime to butcher Perelman's published works, but since I can't find an unabridged copy of "The Most of S. J. Perelman", this book does well enough. As the only thing removed was "Acres and Pains", and that CAN be on its own here, I would strongly recommend this book.

all you so familiar w/perelman read another review. this is for the uninitiated. buy it. try it. you won't regret it. you will then want seconds and move on as i will to what the other reviewers are wishing this one was. this book is a riot. hah!! laughed right out loud and had the people in the next booth at the restaurant get up and move to another booth. now that is what i want in humor. not some namby pamby wimpy what-the-heck-are-they-trying-to-convey junk one is so exposed to today. something you can grab a great big slice of and nearly choke on. this is a real feast. nearly my last as i was laughing so hard i thought i'd die. a real wordsmith as they say. i think they did say that and it is true. it is all true. every word of it.

I just finished reading The Judge by Steve Martini. I checked the book out of the local library on the advice of a friend. I had a hard time getting into the first four of five chapters and thought perhaps it wasn't going to be any good. But my friend assured me that if I stayed with it, I'd become fixated with it. He was right. I couldn't put it down. I could kick myself for not being aware it was a television movie and I missed it. That's what I get for being a reader instead of a tv watcher. I can only attest that if the movie was anywhere as good as the book, I would have thoroughly enjoyed it. Martini's style of writing is a little different and it took me a while to get used to it. But once I finally was "fixated" on the story, then I didn't seem to notice it any longer. Attorney Paul Madriani is truly the kind of attorney a client hopes to find for representation. Martini proves his character to be full of intelligence and wit in a world where attorney's have to stay on their toes. Only a master of story-telling could have written such a story, unless of course, Martini might be drawing on real life experiences. I have already checked out another novel by Martini, The Attorney. I can't wait to get started on it.

Great characters and a great plot. wow what an ending! I had to read all of it until I ended it. I simply could not put it down! Great plotting through out this great legal thriller. Grisham better look over his shoulder. Martini is simply a great Rival in legal thriller writing! The beginning is what I am looking for and the middle is perfect. The best part is when they put the judge on trial. The greatest work by Martini. warning: Don't start this on any weekend if you plan to read this book all week long. start it on a week day and plan to end it on a weekend!!

If you are a fan of 'Legal Thriller' books, and have NOT readSteve Martini, NOW is the time to get to know attorney Paul Madriani.Like most people I enjoy Grisham -- however NOBODY writes a better clear-cut legal thriller than Martini. I first caught the bug with 'Compelling Evidence' and I've been hooked. I'm not a big fan of novels written in 'first person' but I don't mind it in this case because of how GOOD Martini's writing style is. And 'The Judge' is Martini at his best. I LOVED THIS BOOK. I can't say it any better than that. And the ending, what a GREAT way to wrap up a story. I DO recommend reading the earlier Paul Madriani novels before getting into this one, however it DOES stand on its own, but one of the characters is developed in the earlier books to the point where you appreciate the situation Paul is in better if you 'know' his relationship with the murder suspect from the other novels. Even though, don't put off reading this story. Legal thrillers don't get any better than this. And Grisham's talent notwithstanding, Martini's least entertaining legal thriller is superior to anything Grisham has written -- and that isn't to say I DISLIKE Grisham, it just shows how MUCH I enjoy Martini. Give it a shot, and thank me later (I KNOW you will). Let me know what you think, e-mail me and tell me what YOU thought of the book. I welcome positive AND negative responses, although I can't IMAGINE someone NOT completely enjoying this book. Enjoy.

I was never a fan of Steve Martini, and, unfortunately or not, I will not be one after having listened to this audio adaptation. Now, sometimes bad audio versions of book can be due to the ineptness of the reader. But Joe Mantegna's reading was full of energy and nuance, what there was available. I believe the problem lies within the source material. Martini has committed the cardinal sin of courtroom thrillers--he's made them boring.

This was my first Steve Martini book. The book is about Paul Madriani, a divorced criminal trial lawyer, who had an affair with Talia, his boss' wife, and was eventually let go from the firm. He is on his own when Ben, his former boss, is brutally murdered and Talia is accused of the crime. He defends her in court.

The storyline behind this courtroom thriller is absolutely fantastic. It took about 100 pages for the book to get really interesting, but once the story took off, I couldn't let go of the book. I can't wait to read one of his other books and I hope you enjoy 'Compelling Evidence' as much as I did.

Paul Madriani, the protagonist, abruptly left the law firm of Potter, Skarpellos three years ago when Ben Potter discovered that Paul was doing motel briefs with Ben's vivacious wife, Talia. As the story opens, Ben, on his initiative, meets with Madriani for the first time since Paul left the firm. First, they discuss the disposition of Paul's terminated affair with Talia, and agree never to mention it again. Then, Ben reveals that his being selected to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court will be announced soon, and invites Paul to take over administration of an important trust fund since Ben will not have time for this responsibility in his new position. Paul accepts and they agree to meet again for dinner the following night to discuss the details.

Shortly before the appointed hour for their next meeting, however, Ben supposedly blows away the top of his head with a shotgun. No one really believes that Ben Potter killed himself though, and sure enough, we learn that not a shotgun, but a small caliper pistol like the one Talia owns was the true murder weapon. Guess what! Talia is charged with murder and Paul Madriani, assisted by "tell it like it is" Harry are her lawyers.

The drama unfolds with manageable twists, turns and surprises. The cops and the DA seemed convinced that Talia did it, but the reader is soon convinced that she's innocent, so the story has a "whodunit" element along with the courtroom drama. Martini sets his story in "Capital City" in an unnamed State, which I suspect allows him to mix and match actual legal rules and proceedings from different jurisdictions to suit his plot and courtroom activity. This is not obtrusive, at least for a non-lawyer.

It's a satisfying read; something to do while your waiting for the next Grisham novel.

I have found that as Steve Martin matures, his work matures as well, and becomes enjoyable on many different levels. Shopgirl is another wonderful example of that maturation. Like many others here, I also could not put the book down until it was done. I found it sincerely enjoyable, with characters I could care about. I continued to wonder what happened to them after I was done with the book, a sure sign that I found it compelling. Unlike a lot of books I have read lately, the majority of the characters evolved, learned from their experiences, allowed themselves to shaped by them. You didn't get the feeling that you'd come right back to where you started when you got to the end, that all was for naught. There is more than one relationship explored. There is not only Mirabelle and Ray, but also each of them with themselves, with various supporting characters, and even a couple of supporting characters' relationships with THEMselves. It's about how we come into contact with some people in our lives before we're really ready to, and how we become ready, an experience I know I've had before. It didn't revolutionalize my life or anything, but I could definately see myself on some of its pages. Shopgirl may well be L.A. Story in book form (I admit I haven't seen it), but it obviously comes from a place that Mr. Martin is familiar with.

I first saw SHOPGIRL while waiting for a plane at Dulles International Airport. It caught my eye because of its color and picture on the cover. It was not until then, I realized that Steve Martin wrote it. After reading the reviewers' comments on the back cover - which I rarely believe - I purchased the book. By the way, their comments were a quite accurate description of the storyline.

The strength of SHOPGIRL is the character development. Martin has the rare talent of getting inside the heads of the key characters. He seamlessly moves from thoughts to feelings, dialog with another, then moves on to the second person's thoughts, feelings and finally the reply of the second character to the first. He employs this strategy to illustrate emotional growth within ALL the personalities. This is a difficult writing task because each time one character speaks to another; Martin performs six complex writing tasks. When one analyzes his text, his writing is quite remarkable.

The storyline is sentimental, but not mushy. The level of realism stifles any potential mushiness. In addition, I suspect that Martin's character, Ray Porter, is a reflection of Martin's own personal experience. This is a reasonable assumption since Ray Porter's character is quite profound. Martin offers a greatest amount of depth in Porter's personality. The realism of the storyline stems from the depth of the characters and corresponding personality development.

All in all, SHOPGIRL is a good story. I highly recommend it - particularly if you are flying from Pittsburgh to Charlotte, North Carolina. You can complete the entire book within that timeframe.

This 130-page novella by Steve Martin is a small slice of life. The shopgirl is 28-year old Mirabelle, who sells gloves at Neiman Marcus. She's looking for love but can't make a meaningful connection in vacuous Los Angeles. Her relationships just don't click until she meets Roy Porter, a millionaire in his 50s. He's looking for love too, but just not with Mirabelle. The writer has an excellent understanding of human nature and has the ability to clearly explain that what the characters say is usually not what they mean. I felt I knew them all, including Mirabelle's co-worker, Lisa, who uses her feminine charms as a weapon. Once I started reading, I couldn't put the book down. It's well written and the plot moved quickly, drawing me into the author's world. I found myself identifying with Mirabelle and was pleased with the satisfying ending.

I've seen all his movies and have bought and read everything about Steve Martin for years. And this book told me things that enlightened me more accurately about the man Steve Martin than all the other stuff I've researched. I don't know how Walker put it all together because it covers so much time and he worked on it for twenty some years but it's a one of a kind. I loved it because I'm a Steve Martin fan but my mother (72 years old) loved it because of the intriguing and funny stories of Walker and Martin when they we kids. We even had some good laughs just talking about the those stories after we had both read the book. Each chapter seems to stand on it's own with a beginning and an end. It makes for easy reading and yet has a riveting continuity.

It must have been very hard for the author to bare his guts about himself and about Steve. I've never read a biography like this. It's very good.

Thank you Mr. Walker!

I enjoyed this book greatly as it was written very much from the heart of the author. It allows a look into what it was like to be a friend of young Steve Martin. It is also interesting to get to know Morris Walker as he bares his soul and shares his personal thoughts and feelings about the fun times they had together. Any fan of Steve Martin will enjoy this opportunity to know vicariously what it was like to grow up as his buddy.

I found Morris Walker's honest writing style refreshing. You can tell this nostalgic memoir of boyhood tales is a trustworthy and accurate chronicle of one of America's greatest comedic treasures.

The photos included are wonderful and I learned some interesting things about Steve Martin that I hadn't known before. A true "must-read" for Martin fans and a heart-felt glimpse of a super-star's youth!

Morris Walker's book, 'Steve Martin: The Magic Years' is all that youth is supposed to be. The important of friendships... of mentors... of people who see in us what others overlook.

The story of Martin & Walker's boyhood friendship takes us back to a time when Disneyland was young, and Orange County still grew oranges.

The stories are priceless, and filled with a charm that isn't often found today. This is the tale of two kids; lifelong friends who will always remember the 'Magic Years.'

And it's funny.