This was such an interesting tale in the beginning. It was a fantasy-based story that reminded me of the movie Predator but set in the Roman era.

I don't know which author started this novel, but he was by far the better writer because, by the middle half, it started to drag and bore me. I could actually feel the steam of the story run out. What a shame...

Great idea that could have panned out for a much better ending.

This is a well-written action novel, though its plot is not quite as original as some other readers may think. Like all good action stories, it avoids dragging passages--but there are no time-outs for character development. There are a couple of weaknesses in the book, however. One shortcoming is the climax, where the final confrontation ends rather quickly and ordinarily; and that is surprising, considering that the entire book up to that point hypes the speed and power of the phile.
Another shortcoming concerns a rogue subplot, about how the hero's teenage son is seduced by a tutor and "converted" into a willing homosexual (yeah, sure)--leading to the hero's nasty revenge against the tutor. That subplot, besides being ridiculous, serves no useful purpose to the main plot and is evidently only a gratuituous expression of the authors' personal bias.

Part history lesson, part absolutely believable science fiction, all thriller.

To put this book in movie terms, imagine a big game hunter from Ancient Rome encountering both an Alien and a Predator at the same time. The hunter should have a short messy end, right? Guess again. The ending will stay with you for a long time.

Ever since my friend got me to read Fraternity of the Stone, I've been reading Morrell books almost non-stop. Assumed Identity was a rather good book...except for the conclusion. The build-up and climax of the book are great (I especially liked the game), but I felt so deserted when the story ends without bringing Juana to light. I was disappointed by that fact, especially after Morrell dedicated an entire sub-chapter to her. It's good, but not his best.

This was my second Morrell book after 'Brotherhood of the Rose'. I will definately read more of Morrell's books. I don't like mindless action books but a story where the characters are 'human' and their journey involves action-orineted situations. This is that type of journey.

I agree that the ending for me was a bit dissapointing, there was so much left unresolved.

Assumed Identity starts with a brilliant premise -- an intelligence operative who is as much a Method actor as he is a spy -- and runs with it for over 400 pages. However, what makes this book special is not its intricate plot,but it's character study of a burned-out, tormented figure, Brendan Buchanan.

Certainly the most complex individual I've come across in years of reading spy novels, Buchanan is a masterpiece of characterization. So skilled is he at assuming false identities in the course of his work that his own identity is all but gone. And the battle he wages -- to find his former love, protect his new partner, and save his own life -- is as much to defeat the evil facing him as it is to get his life back, if that's even possible.

Assumed Identity also is one of David Morrell's most plausible works. Morrell has played fast and loose with spy tradecraft and facts in previous books, like The Fraternity of the Stone and The Brotherhood of the Rose, but he's clearly done his homework here.

David Morrell has evoked comparisons with Graham Greene and Ernest Hemingway. I think he deserves them, and Assumed Identity is proof positive of his talent.

Being from Chicago, I've waited for a book like this. Sadly, I've read every book there is on Jordan. There have been a few good moments here and there, but most have been highly forgettable paperbacks (Just to give you an idea of what I'm talking about: the syrupy hack Bob Green, of all people, has written TWO books on Jordan. Yet, I read both of them. I don't care; Jordan is so truly unique, such a dominant figure, that I've wanted to know as much as I could about the guy).

This book gives wonderful insight into Jordan. However, the book is much more about the entire panoramic story behind and around Jordan. The book centers on Jordan, but it is also about the NBA in general, the dominant teams over the last 20 year, the emergence of cable TV and the entertainment culture, as well as, the fundamental change between players from the time Jordan came into the league and now. It is truly the big picture, and it amazes me how easily Halbestam weaves the whole thing together.

If there's one thing I wish this book had, it's even more insight into the brilliant Phil Jackson. And, even though the entire book is about Jordan, it's still lacking in some way about the man's core. It's hard to put my finger on what's missing. Maybe if Jordan had consented to be interviewed - maybe then we'd undertand more.

Here's my favorite Jordan story from the book - I wish there were more. For some reason this one seems to get at the almost maniacal, pathological way that MJ thinks. And it makes sense; Jordan is so incredibly competitive, and pushes himself so hard, there must be something out of whack in there.

The story is about the deciding game 6 of the NBA Championship series against Phoenix. Halberstam pionts out that Jordan took special pleasure in playing Phoenix because he got to go against Dan (Thunder Dan) Majerle. It wasn't anything Majerle had done, it was about the Bulls GM Jerry Krause. Jordan hated Krause. Krause loved Dan Majerle and used to go on and on about how great he thought he was. Jordan, therefore, always took his game up a notch when playing Majerle. A Phoenix assistant, unfamiliar with the dynamic between Jordan and Krause, felt that Jordan attacked Majerle in such a way on the court that there must have been some vendetta there that transcended the game. After the Bulls won the game 6, and therefore the Championship, in very dramatic fashion, Jordan raced to the basket to get the ball. He held it above his head, and his teammates, many who knew that Jordan was contemplating leaving the game, thought he might say something poignant. Instead, Jordan yelled out, "Thunder Dan Marjerle A**."

Now that tells you something.

It is a very good book.

Especially in the early (pre-NBA) portion, this book shines. There are excellent stories about Jordan's singular desire and drive to win, absorb coaching, learn, and improve. And as any reader should expect from David Halberstam, it is literate, readable, and free of vapid gush.

It would be hard to read this book and not come away impressed at Jordan's willingness to push himself to do anything legal to be the best and to win.

What didn't I like about the book? There was no index and no footnotes. Much of it was derivative (I'd read The Jordan Rules and A March to Madness and recognized the portions pulled from them). This book sheds no light on Jordan's off-the-court life. It's not strictly chronological, making it confusing to follow at times. And Jordan's change from a wide-eyed and approachable young man to a sophisticated and more aloof man of the world, a worthy story in itself, just happens all of a sudden.

I'd still give the book four stars. The pre-NBA portion is in the same league with the excellent current Lombardi biography (When Pride Still Mattered), and the rest of the book, though flawed, is strong enough to merit the rating.

Out of the many, many, many Michael Jordan books out there, this is by far the best. David Halberstam does a great job not just capturing Jordan's life and career on paper, but the many people who were involved, such as Spike Lee, Jerry Krause, David Stern, and others. "PFK" is loaded with stories from Jordan's Carolina days, and obviously, his career with the Bulls. I think the best chapter in the book is the chapter which tells the story of a fabled scrimmage game at a Dream Team practice. That chapter was so good, they featured an illustrated version in a past issue of "ESPN Magazine". This chapter, and the entire book really shows the VERY competitve nature of Mr. Michael Jeffery Jordan, and I highly recommend this book to any MJ fan, or really any basketball fan, because as I mentioned above, this book goes above and beyond just Jordan, and is well worth the read.

Considered on purely military grounds, the heroes of Nazi Germany's armed forces were as remarkable as the best fighting men anywhere. Fighter aces such as Adolf Galland, panzer commanders such as Michael Wittmann, generals such as Erwin Rommell, all enjoyed the unfeigned respect of friend and foe alike. The soldierly virtues of boldness, duty, martial skill, and dash transcended national and ideological boundaries.

The most highly decorated man on the German side during World War II was Hans-Ulrich Rudel, stuka pilot, and this picture biography is a 277 page long valentine to him. He comes across as quite an alpha male in these pages. His lust for life brought him success in his military career, and his postwar mountaineering and sporting competitions.

Now, if you're here, you probably already know the background of Rudel's weapon of choice, the Junkers Ju-87 Stuka divebomber. By the time the war started it was already obsolescent, beginning to be outclassed by fighters entering service with the Western allies. But in the early going it was the very outward and visible sign of Nazi hyper-aggression. The black crooked-wing craft even looked somewhat like a flying swastika. The whine of its propeller and the screech of its dive siren triggered terror in its victims. Though the Stuka was soon driven from the skies of the Western front, it served in the East as a most capable ground attack airplane right up to the very end of the war. Rudel's Stuka was equipped with 3.7 cm flak cannons, to make it a feared _panzerknacker_, or tank buster.

This book relates in minute detail Rudel's many accomplishments. He and his squadron single-handedly beat back a Soviet armored assault. He rescued the crew of a downed Stuka from under the noses of the advancing Red Army. He was himself downed behind enemy lines and got back to his base in a masterpiece of evasion and escape. He even lost part of a leg and kept flying, was officially grounded and kept flying clandestinely. He finished the war with upwards of 2,500 combat missions, 500 tank kills, and one sunk battleship to his credit--an amazing feat given that he flew a slow, out-of-date aircraft in a theater where the enemy enjoyed air superiority from about 1944 onwards. Thank God his side lost, but the man deserved all the praise he got.

The latter third of the book deals with his postwar career as an adventurer masquerading as an industrial salesman. While "alive and well and living in Argentina" he schmoozed with the Perons, climbed the world's highest volcano three times, and got in some high-diving--all this with one leg, remember. Curiously, the book makes no mention and includes no pictures of Rudel's funeral, though the German edition of this translation was published four years after his death. It also does not discuss his continued Nazi sympathies, and his recurring embarrassment of the West German government with his right-wing activities after the war. But be charitable: he was the greatest combat pilot ever, and should be respected as such

This book details Hans Ulric Rudels personal views and experiences as a stuka pilot during World War II. It is based on his recollections as he had his Pilot Log stolen from him by Americans after he surrendered.

An exceptional man, who never gave up under the direst of circumstances. During the war he sunk a Battleship, destroyed around 500 tanks, shot down around 20 fighter planes and evaded capture behind enemy lines.

He shows us how one man can always make a difference.

I HAVE A PAPERBACK OF THIS BOOK WHICH PUBLISHED BY BALLANTINE BOOKS N.Y. IT IS A GREAT HISTORY OF NOT ONLY HANS RUDEL BUT ALSO WW2 EASTERN FRONT.

This book could have been called Alma Mater Memoirs. Denby's discussion of various works in the Western Canon is interspersed with recollections of his undergraduate days at Columbia University, and his impressions of his fellow teenaged students as well as the elegant demeanor of his professors ("he spoke the way a good many of the younger teachers spoke, in academic dialect, as if the dangerous subjectivity of language could be tamed by using standard terms, but he had energy and flair"). Denby gives his thoughts on a portion of Columbia's 'Great Books' course, focussing on the likes of Homer(Iliad, Odyssey), Sappho, Plato (the Republic), Sophocles(Oedipus the King), Aristotle, Dante, Shakespeare, Conrad (just name a few). He gives us the general theme and focus of each work while subordinating details. If you want in-depth explication of each work you won't find it here. On the other hand, his approach makes the works much more accessible for the average reader. Let's face it, not that many people (including myself) are going to rush out to buy The Republic to take to the beach. His writing style is readable and, at times, entertaining ("Socrates the great teacher seems to flatter his students and friends, praising them extravagantly. Oh yes, they're so wise, so clever, and his own powers are so feeble, so terribly feeble! But he'd just like to ask them some small question: What do they mean by such-and such a word, such-and-such an idea? And then WHAM! he catches them in some contradiction or confusion, and they're knocked sprawling").

As to why Denby wrote the book in the first place, he states as one reason that, despite his desire to read more, movies, magazines and t.v. had made his mind less able to concentrate, less able to keep "vagrant thoughts (from) charging in". This sounds a lot like me. Television has destroyed my ability to patiently graze upon the field of literary nourishment. Instead, I gravitate to quick and furious images, pastiches of petty drama and pretty divas rather than profound thought (of course, I'm also fairy lazy).

So, give a hoot. Read this book.

Would that we all could embark on such a journey; to revisit our college days and relive the lively discussions, the passionate arguments, and the idealistic strivings toward objective, unencumbered learning. However, while the journey was undertaken with only the purest of motives, the discovery itself will leave anyone determined to live a life of the mind not only cold, but full of sorrow and disgust. Instead of discovering the best that humans have to offer, he stumbled upon a virtual breeding ground of hostility. The students of today, rather than embracing the great books of the past, have been instilled with the unfortunate idea that all works of long ago are to be held in contempt; under suspicion and accused of racism, sexism, exclusion, and deliberate oppression. The philosophers, novelists, and social theorists have become tools of what appears to be (if one believes the P.C. crowd) a patriarchal, Eurocentric, slave-holding, jingoistic elite bent on crushing all minority opinion. Denby's book, which should be read side by side with Harold Bloom, presents the college students of the world for what they are: whining, self-righteous brats with little in mind but an egalitarian revolution where all literature, regardless of merit or talent, is equal; all thoughts, even the most lamebrained and esoteric, are valid and above challenge; and the free exchange of ideas, vital on a college campus, is discarded in favor of a guiding ideology of "bottom-up" virtue. We may have rejected the great books of our Western heritage, but we need them more than ever. Reason, not political grandstanding, must make a comeback.

As a former classics major, I have followed the debate over the western canon with a great deal of interest. But after slogging through Harold Bloom's "The Western Canon" for over a year and a half, this book was an absolute delight. David Denby reminds us just why these books are so important--they make you strugle to build a self, which is (or should be, anyway) the true purpose of education. I am also fascinated by how much his perspective has changed in the thirty years since he read many of the books in college. And in the chapter on Shakespeare--focusing on the parallels between King Lear and Denby's own relationship with his mother--the essay itself actually brought me to tears. I have been recommending this book to everyone I know, and now I'll recommend it to everyone I don't know...read it! It's amazing!

I found myself, overall, agreeing with one of the reviewers when he stated specifically that "Walden" is not a book to be read purely for enjoyment, it is not a thrilling read or even a very deep one in general but then one must remember in which time we live and the style used by Thoreau is one of the mid 19th Century which was prone to the type of writing he uses. Anyone who has read other novels of the time or rather written in that period will find similar styles eg James Fenimoore Cooper, Charles Dickens etc. In addition this is not a novel but rather a retelling of experiences of one man in his own adventure as he would put it.

That is not to say that Thoreau does not illuminate or at times give remarkable insights especially when it came to some of the people he met who had fascinating ways of life eg the woodcutter. The book varies from downright mundane and tedious to being very insightful and beautiful. Its amazing how someone can do this as he writes, verging from one extreme to the other. But then it was written from journal notes as he lived his life in the woods over two years experience and during that time a person changes as he adapts to his new way of life. At first its very exciting and new, any new experience is always full of a kind of life shock whether it be painful or joyful, the thinking mind, the mind absorbed in everyday "safe" tasks which define the "normal" life are absent in this new environment which requires new creative energies to survive, after a while this way of life becomes the accepted one and starts to be drained of the vitality it possessed at the beginning as one is fully acclimatised to it and it becomes the norm, after this stage comes the usual safety associated with the walls created to keep life ordinary rather than really being alive. This is hard to do when living in the woods by yourself where you need constant awareness to survive unless its a little too close to civilisation which provides the safety net which Thoreau always had available to him. But still during the period where he was very much alive and aware, life is lived without need for too much unnecessary thought, and this is the place from where insights and great creativity burst forth.

If one wants to know what it is like to be really truly alive in the moment and you are afraid to try it yourself and would rather read about it then try the books "Abstract Wild" by Jack Turner or "Grizzly Years" by Peacock. Am I wrong to criticise Thoreau so much ? Yes and no, eg Yes:see the comments by John Ralston Saul on exactly this aspect of Thoreau's writing, No: look at your own life or mine for example, in each case we do not escape this ordinary life we ourselves create. For the purely lived life expressed in poetry look at the poems by Basho, no clearer or more beautiful expression of life has yet been written. I say written not lived, lived can't be written down in full only a brief glimpse or shadow of it is possible even with Basho.

As regards what is said it often betrays Thoreau's astonishingly well read mind, quotes from the Baghvad Gita or other Hindu texts surprise because in Throeau's day very few people would ever have bothered to read the Indian works, the average American thought his own life and European works to be far superior. Thoreau often quotes Latin, often without reference, and the notes at the end of the book are very helpful. Thoreau's experience becomes the one Americans want to live at least without being in too much danger as he would have been in the true wild still available at that time in the lives of say the trappers or mountain men of the Rockies or any native American. As such it is an in between way of living wild.

So Thoreau's work is definitely worth reading even for only the historical value or the literature it represents. It stands by itself.

After I crashed and burned in a college intro to philosophy course, I wanted to see if I could find a work by someone who was both a thinker and a writer.

Thoreau, in his book Walden, proves himself to be it.

Walden is the narrative of the author's two year stay at the aforementioned pond. He has decided to live life simply, and in a collection of loosely connected essays, he describes the people, animals, and the pond that make up his new home. If you haven't spent real time out in nature, you might think this book is ridiculous. But go into the woods, and stay there until boredom and longing for the city stops. Just then you'll realize the awe he felt when examining the ice bubbles and listening to vagabond squirells. Thoreau has rediscovered the patches of Eden that still exist in the world. And if we are open-minded enough to listen to his instructions, we can find our way back to them.

Even if his insights into the idyllic perfection in nature fail to sway you to live more lightly in the world, Thoreau will open your eyes to the benefits of philosophy. He understands the man who marches to the beat of a different drummer, and shows through his clear, crisp text the results that thought and contemplation can hold for anyone.

This book screams simplicity!

In this book, Henry David Thoreau takes an extended look beyond human nature and human habit. He brings forth a new and exciting view point on life and teaches how to live in happiness without the confusion of mechanical materials. I had to read this book for a 9th grade Language Arts assignment, and I had never heard of Walden or Thoreau before this project was assigned. When I completed this book, I felt very refreshed. It encouraged me to take a second look at my own life, and simply discard of the things which were causing complications or confusion. This book stretched past the limits and capacity of my mind as a 9th grade student. It forced me to think. Judging by the majority of my peers, I am convinced that anything that would force them to THINK harder, deserves 5 shining stars.

I've tried over ten or so recipes in this book and all were both delicious and easy to prepare, however, if you can't cut or chop vegetables, then don't buy the book and stick to your macaroni and velveeta or have a bowl of cereal instead.

This book is for elegant vegetarian cooking and, like the book "Olives Table", is for special occasions and intimate dinners.

I learned a great deal while reading this book, especially about vegetables that I don't use on a regular basis (celery root, parsnips, brussel sprouts). I also learned about making thin-crust pizza and a different way of making homemade pasta.

The only problem I found was that she uses measurements like "one celery root" etc. Since her restaurant uses organic vegetables, they tend to be smaller that your average supermarket variety. If you know how to read a recipe and figure out proportions, this should not be an issue. If it looks like you've added too much of one vegetable, then you probably have. But not to worry, the recipes are very forgiving. Let's face it, how can you screw up a carrot?

We are fortunate to live close to San Francisco and have been to Greens several times, so when I saw the cookbook, I had to have it. I have used and enjoyed it since 1987. Everything I have ever cooked from it is fabulous. A special favorite is the leek and mustard tart. I'm on Amazon.com today because I served the tart to my sister-in-law and niece last month and they asked me to send them not just the recipe but the cookbook.

The recipes are complex and have a lot of ingredients, but that is what makes them taste so wonderful.. Don't leave anything out! Fortunately here in California the ingredients are all available at our neighborhood grocery. My husband jokes that even the most simple recipe in the book takes at least an hour to prepare, and it's true. You think, "This looks simple; it can't take very long," then it does take very long. But it's worth it. By the way, my husband is able to use the book just fine, and he is definitely a novice cook.

Believe it or not, my husband and I have been to France and Italy, and nothing we ate there was as good as the recipes in this book. We also enjoy the cookbook Fields of Green by Anne Sommerville, (who took over Greens aftrer Deborah Madison left, I think), but this is our favorite of the two. Happy cooking! Happy eating!

I just got this book a week ago, and made my first dinner with it last night. I made the Mushroom Lasagne, and the Peach and Blueberry Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream. All three dishes we superb. One of my non-vegetarian friends summed it up nicely by asking "Who needs meat?"

If you enjoy a finely crafted meal, and do not mind the time involved in creating it, get this book. It provides a lot of background information on various ingredients, and provides pretty good how-to instructions.

Things to know: Everything in this book is from scratch. For example, the Vanilla Ice Cream calls for 2 vanilla beans, not vanilla extract. All of the pasta dishes assume you will be making your own pasta, so get a pasta machine (the pasta turns out great with regular flour, no need for semolina. I did add an extra 2.5 Tbsp water to the intial pasta recipe, too dry otherwise). The soup recipes usually require a stock to be prepared in advance. While this increases the prep time, nothing can compare to the taste and quality of fresh ingredients.

This book would be good for someone who already knows calculus and wants to refresh their skills. In the mathmatical examples there are gaps where more explination is needed. If The book where more thorough in its explinations then the student could learn the subject with a lot less trouble.

This book was the textbook for a Calc 2 class that I took. It had been a long time since I took calc 1, and had forgotten most of the information. This book did a nice job of providing clear examples, and thoughtful exercises. It is one of the most readable math books that I have read (and there are a lot of bad ones out there). I would strongly recommend getting the answer guide also, since the answers in the book do not show how the problem was solved. Sometimes your answer could be correct, but appears different than the answer in the back because of the algebra involved.

I'm studying my major and I really need to learn Calculus. Even this book is for people who have studied this subject before it makes you think and imagine what you are doing. Sometimes it explains shortly some chapters, but it helps you to improve your skill and to learn by the way of thinking and imagination. I'll recommend this book for everyone who likes Math (specially Calculus) and who really wants to learn it well. In my own opinion is a nice book and what makes it special is the MATHEMATICA sofware it uses as well as it teaches you Calculus. If I have someday to teach Calculus I will use this book. The only problem... is ... as the MATHEMATICA software.

This is your average math textbook. I haven't had any problems with it. It gives pretty good examples and explanations for each section.

Sorry the book I meant to post was "3,000 Solved Problems in Calculus".

This book is good because it give you clear (easy) examples of the material it is explaining. The practice problems are also very good because they start off from the most basic then progress to advanced. This books has a lot of practical real world problems. Some of the material can be difficult at times, that's why I suggest you purchase "3000 Solved Problems in Precalculus (Schaums Solved Problems Series)" in addition to this book. The Solved Problems Series helps when you're studying quick examples just before the test.

I would like to say this book has a pretty good overview of tourist attractions, accommadations and travellers tips. It is however at times just rude to India and Hinduism in particular. It always mentions Buddhism first such as "Buddhist and Hindu temples" and the like. It also has the nerve to say of Varanasi, "before it was the most sacred place in the world for Hindu, the Buddha preached his first sermon near here". Besides this and incorporating the bogus Aryan Invasion Theory in the history section, I would recommend this book to readers but beware of some of its facts

I took this book on my first trip to India and once there didn't even use it. We didn't go to the tourist-y places so didn't need the book, and the places we went weren't in the book. The history and culture sections were useful in pre-trip preparation. We found clean and inexpensive hotels and restaurants on our own; it wasn't difficult. While in India I did find a book called Culture Shock: India. This is the book I wish I would have found and purchased before my trip and it's the one I've been recommending to everyone (even if they don't ask me!). Go to India without a guidebook!

I have a different perspective on this book than a "regular tourist". I was looking for the following -
a) a reasonably clear overview of each city or historical site, when it was built, and by whom, and why it is of importance to tourists and to India
b) reasonable detail for cities, outside of the usual tourist attractions
c) some attractions/ towns not listed in most tourist books.

I was checking the sections on West Bengal and Orissa in particular (having lived and travelled in both states). I used those sections to compare between this guide (the 1999 edition) and Lonely Planet etc. For my purposes, Rough Guide was the most helpful - in describing places, in offering different ways to get around (with notes on how safe it is for women etc), in evaluating the historical and/or tourist appeal of places, and so forth. I think I fell for this guide when I noticed the level of detail it had on eating places and places of worship in a residential area in South Calcutta (not to mention a critique of the Pipli handicraft industry).

The little vignettes on getting around in a Hindu holy site (and in temples, where allowed in) were also quite interesting. I have never been one to make pilgrimages, but if I wanted to do so, this would be useful to have along. The history section was surprisingly thorough and balanced - and I learned new things not covered in Indian history textbooks in school.

Is this book perfect? Of course not. But a guidebook generally cannot cater to all tastes equally. For me (a non-tourist but an NRI returning home), it did quite well (even though Jammu & Kashmir were omitted but Ladakh was included). It sparked in me the determination to visit Madhya Pradesh (one of the few states I have never visited) and parts of the Northeast. I would love to see a Rough Guide or the equivalent that focuses more on Eastern and North-eastern India, but until this, this works fine.