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The series, so far as I can tell, aims to provide biographies of prominent gay people targeted at bright adolescents. Escoffier's book fulfills its mandate, but does much, much more. In a very small compass it describes the period 1900-1945, discusses the political and economic questions that took up much of Keynes' life, and paints a rather engaging portrait of the Bloombury group. It is also a surprisingly balanced biography of Keynes. Without wanting to denigrate the series, I fear that the rubric under which the book appears will frighten off potential readers who are neither queer nor under 20 years of age.
That would be a mistake. Other than the massive three volume biography, and Heilbroner's witty synopsis of 40 years ago, there is a real paucity of good information about John Maynard Keynes, and an excess of misinformation, maybe even disinformation. This biography can be read in an afternoon, possibly at one sitting, yet it is good enough to recommend to anyone who wants to understand that political and monetary hopes and disappointments of the first half of the twentieth century. Escoffier is not afraid to call them as he sees them, but the result is surprisingly fair and balanced, even if I would not have phrased some things the way Escoffier did . His stress on exploitation as the hinge on which the Edwardian economy turned gave me pause, but it is not necessarily incorrect. So far as I can tell, Escoffier's views on a number of questions are quite different from those of Keynes, nor is this book a work of hagiography, which makes the overall fairness of the result even more remarkable. In short, I really do recommend that you read this book if you have any interest in any of its topics: Edwardian Britain, the Treaty of Versailles, economics, Bloomsbury, government finance (the Bush administration seems to be radically "keynesian" in a way John Maynard might not have approved), or being queer in the first part of the 20th century.
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DuBois, Brendan: "The Cross of God" follows (in 3rd person, time of the 1st Crusade) Brother Frederick, an abbot in Germany, woken in the dead of night because his cousin Sir Geoffrey has returned from Jerusalem to see him. But Geoffrey won't trespass on holy ground, because a wizard in the Holy Land cursed him with a horrifying vision of things to come.
Edghill, Rosemary and Edghill, India: "Killer in the Reign" combines elements of the legends of Tam Lin and Thomas the Rhymer in the same hard-boiled style as "The Maltese Feline" (see _Catfantastic V_), as a serial killer stalks the neighbourhood of Carterhaugh. Hired wand Artos of Pendragon & Lake is called in because all the victims resemble the Queen, who doesn't permit the Table Knights to handle her security arrangements.
Friesner, Esther: "In Days of Old" opens with the Sir Weylin early-warning system: Camelot's watchmen are to notify the king IMMEDIATELY whenever Weylin returns from a quest. This time, though, Llew and Baird argued too long over who'd deliver the bad news; they're dead meat if they can't get him to leave by sunrise. [I *like* this one. Guenevere being the kind of woman who'd design dopey-looking uniforms is a nice touch.]
Hoffman, Nina Kiriki: "Faint Heart, Foul Lady" (From the saying 'faint heart ne'er won fair lady.') Setting's like Malory's England, but the characterization's better and the cast differs. Young Sir Bran, the narrator, really wanted to be a bard; instead, he's a poor knight in several ways (no money, can't repair armour, terrible lancework), because his mother reared him to avenge his father's death. He's a good person, though; when Nix (a commoner who wants to be a knight) saves him, his mentor, and a damsel from a dragon on Bran's first quest, Bran wants to help Nix out. Makings of a deal, here...
Huff, Tanya: During one of the "Nights of the Round Table", Camelot's cleaning lady shows her granddaughter the ropes - and *nobody's* a hero to his cleaning lady. :)
Norton, Andre: "Red Cross, White Cross" were the emblems of the Templars and the Hospitallers, respectively - and now that Philip of France's greed has forced the Church to outlaw the Templars, the Hospitallers are to take their lands. But Michael, last left alive to keep the Templars' trust, has a brother among the Hospitallers, although he himself in a cruel jest is now a knight without a sword hand.
Patton, Fiona: "The Captain of the Guard" - Viktor Endrik - is his guards' only protection from the demon they serve: the Malik Lord, who used to hunt his own people in his nonhuman form before Endrik's bravery convinced him to prey only on his enemies. Now under siege from the kingdoms of the south, Malik captured a knight from the encircling armies who asks Endrik the key question.
Rabe, Jean: "Buried Treasures" follows the viewpoint not of the elderly Templar, last to escape from Philip's dungeons, but (in 3rd person) of Rogan, the ship's captain promised rich payment - including fabulous maps - if he can get the Templar safely away with the last of the Order's treasures. The old Templar's great integrity, more than his still-formidable fighting ability, is the most notable thing about the nameless knight, determined to continue to protect his charge from mortal greed.
Reichert, Mickey Zucker: "Squire Thorian's Trial", one way or another, marks the end of his life's dream of joining the Order of the King's Knights. Since he has not only his lady but their disabled daughter to support, if he can't earn knighthood he'll need to find a safer career than the usual runner-up choice of the army. Knowing Thorian must win at least 2 of his 3 final fights, his own squire offers him a terrible temptation, bought from the king's magician.
Schwengel, Kristin: "In a Lifetime" Gedyr, though he appears youthful, has been a sellsword for several lifetimes, always moving on. In the aftermath of the fight at the beginning of the story, Gedyr realizes that there are gaps in his memory - and that perhaps the secret of his fate lies buried therein.
Sherman, Josepha: Like Alan Dean Foster's Mad Amos, Andris has a mount at least as smart as he is - Meg, unusual enough as a "Knight Mare" even if she couldn't talk. But five years of spectacular success have brought their own punishment: a bored, aging king has set them a task designed to force Andris to choose death or dishonor.
Sinor, Bradley H.: "And the Wind Sang" Be warned that this story immediately reveals the secret of Lance's survival, although not the details provided by _Merlin_'s "Central Park". Here Nimue has a greater role; she's recalled Lancelot to post-Arthur Camelot because an old enemy has returned to kill again. The greatest shock, though, is the stranger claiming *he's* Lancelot...
West, Michelle: "The Knight of the Hydan Athe" Hydan Athe is unique among the Athelands - specially protected from the abuses of the outside world. Sanna, the innkeeper's daughter, loves the knight's only son - but Neville's only written twice since the prince took him away. Now he's returning in a time of ill-omen, as the mysterious 'white athe' - its more ominous name is not spoken - has begun growing in the wisewoman's garden, forshadowing death. [I've never seen West put a foot wrong in a short story; they're all good.]
Yolen, Jane and Stemple, Adam: "Rodergo's Song" goes one step past Yolen's poetic contributions to other anthologies, providing sheet music as well as lyrics.
KNIGHT FANTASTIC is a fantastic anthology as each of the fourteen tales is well written and keeps reader's attention. The knights are all heroes that strive to meet the expected code of conduct in a medieval world filled with deadly mystical and human foes willing to cheat to kill them. The opening ballad is different, but adds credence that the editors and all the contributors were paying homage to one of the more interesting characters of history, The Knight of the Realm.
Harriet Klausner
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As the book explains, the interview process is not just about the 'right' answers to certain questions. It is also about considering the needs of those at 'the other side of the desk' and the criteria by which they will assess you. The sample answers to difficult questions will help you formulate answers more relevant to your particular discipline. Good Luck!
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My only disappointment was that she didn't see parents with disabilities like her father, nor kids with disabilities. Of course kids with disabilities spend time with family, dance, and play games. That they wouldn't is a pernicious stereotype. I wish the photographers had combated it.
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I think the author may be onto something here, something even more important than the idea of using Grant's life as a way to help business managers, perhaps.
I like history and have read my share of it, but I'd never been able to really get into the history of the Civil War, or even early American history in general, despite having had childhood friends who were into Civil War history, and even Civil war reenactments. The author's using an important figure of the time as a sympathetic character, a focus around which to build an interesting account of his contributions, also meant that he needed to present much of the historical context and discuss a lot of the actual history of the period. In the process he really wrote a mini-history of the events during this time that was much more engaging and absorbing than your typical history that I have read. As a result, I learned much more than I ever had before about this important phase of our history.
I think this approach would be equally applicable to other important figures and times. It might seem that this is just re-inventing the idea of a biography, but again, I've read my share of biographies too and this book was much more interesting the way Barnes did it. Much of that is because the author makes you feel like you are right in the center of the action with Grant during this critical time as he makes many of these difficult, life-and-death decisions. So if we are to call it biography at all, Barnes's approach is a much more interesting way to do it.
I hope the author may do other books like this as I would be very interested in reading them, too.
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The rhythm of Up and Down on the Merry-Go-Round captures the excitement and happiness of a child on a merry-go-round ride, and is fun to read aloud. The brightly colored, detailed, and imaginitive depiction of an old-fashioned carousel are irresistible, both to me and my child.
I only wish this title were still available in hardcover. My two-year-old resists returning this book to the library, and requests it be read to him (often several times in a row) many times a week. I'm about to order a softcover copy, but I don't think it's likely to hold up to the use it will see. A must for every young merry-go-round lover.