This book is the perfect accompaniment to classroom instruction. The authors make the concepts clear and easy to understand through concise explanations of all the important cases and trends. Extremely handy when preparing for an exam!

As treachery and betrayal become the prime weapons in the warbetween Ar and Cos, Tarl Cabot is trapped in the siege of Ar'sStation. ... In Vagabonds Of Gor, Tarl Cabot faces perhaps his greatest challenge of all, as he is caught up in the myriad dangers and intrigue of two mighty powers at war!

This is definitely any chemist's bible. It's co-authored by J. N. Murrell, J. M. Tedder and S. F. A. Kettle 3 british professors. According to them the book aims "to bridge the gap between the semi-qualitative description given in Coulson's Valence and the formal mathematical description given in Walter, Eyring and Kimball's Quantum Chemistry". Indeed it has that and much more. It approaches bonding theories in an accessible and friendly way. From the electronic theories of pi delocalization in organic compounds, such as the Huckel method, to which it devotes a whole chapter to the crystal field and ligand field theories for an approach to the description of inorganic compounds it contains some serious and still accessible introduction to Quantum Chemistry and its formal language demonstrating nearly every step necessary to a good understanding of the matter. Excellent drawings and schematics combining rigour with visualisation. A must have ! Note: my copy is from 1964 and therefore the review regards this print.

The recipes in this slick cookbook are neither for beginners, the lazy or the poor. One could invest a good deal of time and money in preparing some of these elaborate dishes. There are some fairly simple bread recipes in this book that I want to try; and I can testify that the Key Lime Cheesecake with a Toasted Nut Crust (page 258) is as good a cheesecake recipe as I have ever seen. I believe the secret is that the eggs are separated. The cake is as light as a souffle when done. I have baked it three times now, and my friends cannot get enough of it. (This recipe alone makes the book worth owning.) Directions are minimal, however, so you're on your own. (For example, you are never told to grease the springform pan. Neither are you given any indication as to how the cake will look when done.)

What this book does provide, however, is insight into what a meal would be like at Norman's Restaurant. Also, all information about the wonderful fresh vegetables and fruit of South Florida--complete with great photographs-- makes those of us who must drive half a day to see the ocean hungry for salt air.

There are a lot of ways to do fusion, Norman's is simply one of the best I've encountered. But be warned, a lot of work is needed to prepare the dishes. Most of his recipes require that you prepare an additional sauce or prep-kit (like his bean kit that can be used for soups or BBQ sauce), so you have to read the recipes very carefully. If you do spend the time, you will be greatly rewarded.

Norman's dishes are all generally rich and spicy. His themes are Caribbean and South American, with Asian and European (primarily French and Spanish) influences. He uses a lot of Habanero (VERY hot), red onion, assorted tubers, and plantains, he is clearly very influenced by creole cooking (he is based in Florida afterall).

Starters: He has a great "starter" section with drinks (his delicious "Hot Lolita" is a tequila drink with honey and hot peppers) and accompanying nibblers (Norm's "Not and Nasty Nuts", peanuts baked and spiced); a great way to kick off a dinner party. His guacamole with fried plantain chips are great for picnics. He also has an eggplant with goat cheese that is simply excellent.

Soups: Very very rich, but oh so good. He has a plantain chicken soup that is to die for. Again, so rich it's good in small portions for a dinner party. He also has a gazpacho that is completely unlike any you've tasted, and a "conch" soup that he says his "patrons would riot if I took it off the menu". I believe him.

Salads and Main dishes: Tea Spiced Pan Seared Tuna and Spinach Salad has become one of my favorite quick meals (great citrus dressing). Juicy steaks (venison and traditional beef), lobster dishes, chicken (creole in nature), and others, his main dishes are a little eclectic, but generally excellent.

You'll also find side dishes (lots of peruvian potato and boniate sides), sauces, and prep kits in the back which I've enjoyed. I made BBQ oysters with his BBQ sauce and they we're superb. He has desserts, bit I personally haven't gone there yet...

If you are into the effort (for intermediate to advanced cooks) and like or want to get into (spicy) fusion then you should buy this book. I've given it away to two friends and will likely continue to buy it for others.

There are a lot of ways to do fusion, Norman's is simply one of the best I've encountered. But be warned, a lot of work is needed to prepare the dishes. Most of his recipes require that you prepare an additional sauce or prep-kit (like his bean kit that can be used for soups or BBQ sauce), so you have to read the recipes very carefully. If you do spend the time, you will be greatly rewarded.

Norman's dishes are all generally rich and spicy. His themes are Caribbean, with an Asias influence. There's also a little French in there (rich and buttery), which makes for a great combination. He uses a lot of Habanero (VERY hot) and plantains, he is clearly very influenced by creole cooking (he is based in Florida afterall).

Starters: He has a great "starter" section with drinks (his delicious "Hot Lolita" is a tequila drink with honey and hot peppers) and accompanying nibblers (Norm's "Not and Nasty Nuts", peanuts baked and spiced); a great way to kick off a dinner party. His guacamole with fried plantain chips are great for picnics. He also has an eggplant with goat cheese that is simply excellent.

Soups: Very very rich, but oh so good. He has a plantain chicken soup that is to die for. Again, so rich it's good in small portions for a dinner party. He also has a gazpacho that is completely unlike any you've tasted, and a "conch" soup that he says his "patrons would riot if I took it off the menu". I believe him.

Salads and Main Dishes: Tea Spiced Pan Seared Tuna and Spinach Salad has become one of my favorite quick meals (great citrus dressing). Juicy steaks, lobster dishes, chicken (kinda creole in nature), and others, his main dishes are a little eclectic, but generally excellent.

You'll also find sauces and kits in the back which I've enjoyed. I made BBQ oysters with his BBQ sauce and they we're superb. I honestly can't remember if he has desserts, haven't gone there...

If you are into the effort (for intermediate to advanced cooks) and like or want to get into fusion then you should buy this book. I've given it away to two sets of friends and will continue to buy it for others.

I saw this play in person, and just finished the book. Nothing better than great poetry made for our time. Highly recomend for those who who've seen it, or heard a review. Some of the plays are musical so they don't translate well to paper. One drawback.

Love's Fire embodies our perception of language. The spoken and unspoken voices of God, Love, Nature, and Humanity become the essential elements in this collection of one acts. Riveting and powerful, Love's Fire demands to be performed. Not only is the language spoken by the actors and heard by the audience, but the language of our contemporary masters blends with the master of language himself, William Shakespeare. As Love's Fire reinvigorates our grasp of language we come to an understanding that poems, sonnets, books, plays, spiritual songs, or body movements fuel the fire of love. An excellent piece of work by 7 masters who dedicated the collection to the Bard.

Shakespeare's inspired words talk to today's audience through the intriguing interpretations of master American playrights. Especially fascinating is John Guare's "The General of Hot Desire". These original works defy description...so read them...or better yet...perform them...and appreciate these unique literary gems in all their splendor.

I feel this book was the best book of the series, the plot line was wonderful, a small mixture of mystery involved in the task Tarl had to complete.

However- yet again we see how very Weak our Hero is when faced with women. He strives so very hard to be a good "Gorean" male- and always seems to fail in some small respect.

This book spurred the creation of a LARP group- the TUCHUX's which sometimes come out to SCA events. a very good read, and ties in nicely with books much loater in the series.

If you read only One Gor Book- this sould be it!

I have always considered "Assassins of Gor" to be John Norman's magnum opus in his Counter-Earth series, but there is no more enjoyable novel than the novel that comes before it "Nomads of Gor." After bonding with the Priest-King Misk, Tarl Cabot is sent from the Sardar Mountains to find the last egg of the Priest-Kings, which has been hidden among the Wagon People. Unfortunately, the Wagon People are probably the most xenophobic on Gor and will not take kindly to Cabot just walking up and joining them.

"Nomads of Gor" has two great strengths, both of which are rather unique to the series. First, Norman does a masterful job of creating the civilization of the Wagon People, which consists of four tribes. I suppose he might be basing his research on some nomadic tribes of Earth, but I did not sense any strong parallels as I did, for example, with the "Viking" like "Marauders of Gor." We get a sense of the culture of the Tuchuks, one of the four tribes that Cabot stays with as he searches for the egg, which goes well beyond what we have seen up to this point in the series. The customs, especially the competitive games the Wagon Peoples play, are much more detailed than what we had seen in the towered cities of Ar and Ko-ro-ba.

Second, this is the funniest of the Gor books, with the humor coming mostly from conversations that involve the character of Harold the Tuchuk, although Kamchak, also of the Tuchucks, has his moments as well. It is not far fetched to say that these are two best-developed supporting characters in the Gor series, and I would contend that this is due in large measure to their sense of humor. But the humor is clearly Norman's, who has this style of using short sentences to develop his droll wit. This is character driven humor, where who says what in which situation makes all the difference; none of the lines that tickle your funny bone would ever evoke a laugh by themselves, because context is everything in Norman's humor.

I always wondered why Norman did not return to the Tuchuks later in the series, but maybe he did not think he could pull off a return visit that equaled the success of this effort. This is also the novel that introduces Vella, the former Elizabeth Caldwell of Earth, who becomes one of the key continuing characters in the Tarl Cabot novels. Of course, this opens up the giant can of worm regarding Norman's Gorean philosophy that "slavery" is the natural state of women, who can only be truly "free" when they totally submit to a master. I have to admit that I never took this idea beyond the fictional level and that as the series progressed I flipped through the long philosophical discussions between masters and slaves in later novels (Norman is the pseudonym of philosopher Professor John Lange). I also know that there are people who take the Gorean lifestyle very seriously. I could quote Abraham Lincoln in response to this topic, but I would probably be closer to the mark if I just said different strokes for different folks and went my own merry way.

The bottom line for me is that I enjoyed Norman's early Gor novels in the seventies the same way I had enjoyed reading Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars novels in the sixties (when I discovered them). The first six novels of the Gor series standup well against the Burroughs novels that obviously inspired Norman in part (there are strong parallels between the first work in each series). If you find the philosophical aspects of these books offensive, then do not read them.

I was so surprised at how good Priest-Kings of Gor, my first Gor book, was that I decided to try another one, Nomads of Gor, the next in the series in which Tarl Cabot attempts to carry out his mission for the Priest-Kings. The strong point of Priest-Kings was the depiction of a truly alien culture. The culture in this one is not quite so alien...the lifestyle of the Wagon Peoples is based on that of the Mongol hordes of the 13th C. In all other respects this book is even better than the first. I'd even go so far as to say that it has all one could ask for in an action-adventure story: plenty of action, delightful characters (especially Kamchak and Harold), a richly detailed society, humor, intrigue, surprises (but I did guess most of them before they were revealed), and even one of the most bizarre monsters I've ever read about. Particularly delightful was the sequence where Tarl Cabot and Harold go to the walled city of Turia on their separate missions. Fast-paced and humorous, it reads like something out of the Arabian Nights. There is one other aspect of the book that needs to be addressed: the issue of slavery and abusive behavior towards women. It's much more prominent in this book than in Priest-Kings. There is no doubt in my mind that the kind of actions depicted here happened in the real world of the Mongols but I don't think he has quite gotten the psychology of the situation right, at least for most people. There are three women in this book who come to be dominated: Aphris of Turia, Hereena of the First Wagon, and Elizabeth Cardwell of New York (yes, New York!). The first two are haughty, even arrogant, and despise the men who come to dominate them, the third is simply terrified of the situation she finds herself in. Yet, when given the opportunity to escape slavery and go back to their former lives of power and luxury, they choose not to because they have become so fulfilled by the domination of their Masters. Nonsense! Well, there are submissive personalities out there (male and female) and if that is what they want for their lifestyles who am I to say no, but that certainly does not fit the profile of Aphris or Hereena. Norman seems to be saying that slavery is the "natural" lifestyle for all women and that is just wrong. So here is my dilemma: John Norman is obviously a master storyteller but if the reviews of his other books on this website are any indication, he hasn't even hit his stride yet on the slavery theme. I feel conflicted. There are lots of Gor books out there that I would probably enjoy immensely if it weren't for the gender issues but then they wouldn't really be Gor books without the gender issues, now, would they? I like what I've read so far but don't like where I think this series is headed. What to do, what to do?

"Can You Forgive Her," the first of the Palliser novels of Anthony Trollope, deals with two romantic triangles, each with a lady who has difficulty making up her mind between an honorable man and a charming rogue. Lady Glencora Palliser is married to a highly respected Member of Parliament who is obviously destined for a top position in the government. However, she is still in love with an extremely handsome ne'er-do-well whom she had earlier barely been dissuaded from eloping with. Alice Vavasor, after an entanglement with her cousin George, has become engaged to John Grey, a perfect man in every respect, perhaps too perfect for the adventuresome Miss Vavasor. The two ladies come perilously close to deserting the worthier men for the scalawags, whom the reader can see becoming worse and worse scoundrels as time passes, especially George Vavasor. Alice even breaks her engagement with the perfect Mr. Grey, whom she really loves, and becomes engaged to her self-centered cousin, to her almost instant regret. A subplot deals with yet another triangle, the rather absurd rivalry of farmer Cheeseacre and self-styled hero Captain Bellfield for the hand of a wealthy fortyish widow. This sometimes distracts from the main plot, and yet the reader is left with the idea that perhaps the flirtatious widow might be the best catch of them all; at least she knows how to have fun. The chief merit of the novel is the brilliant characterizations. No author in fiction can surpass Trollope in creating real people with motivations which can be throroughly understood, no matter how the reader might disagree with the characters' actions. The novel's length is perhaps necessary to permit Trollope to fully develop such a vivid, believable and engrossing cast.

Lady Glencora McCloskie is "cumbered" by great wealth, Mr. Palliser though wealthy enough can use more for his political ambitions. A marriage is arranged between these two, though Lady Glencora loves a charming ne'er do well. So far it might be a Harlequin romance, but Trollope, whose generosity of spirit is matched only by the clarity of his eye, makes these stock figures and those around them real, odd as all humans are, and yet familiar. Thus Mr. Palliser at a climactic moment, "You are wrong about one thing. I do love you. If you do not love me, that is a misfortune, but we need not therefore be disgrace. Will you try to love me?" Then he is called from the room."He did not kiss her. It was not that he was not minded to kiss her. He would have kissed her readily enough had he thought the occasion required it. "He says he loves me," she thought, "but he does not know what love is." How they learn is a process that extends thru the six "Palliser novels." worth reading for students of life, writing, or love

This is a great Victorian novel, and the first by Anthony Trollope that I've read. After reading Can You Forgive Her, I was inspired to buy the entire set of Palliser novels; I plan to read and savor each volume in the series over the years. Can You Forgive Her introduces us to Alice Vavasar, her father, cousins, and fiance. Alice struggles with the question of whom she should marry. George is brandy; John is milk and honey. I love that! What a choice! Trollope has a wonderfully amusing style, evoking with great clarity 19th Century life in Victorian England. It's a time so very different from ours in the U.S., and yet, one can learn a great deal about the roots of some American cultural obsessions with love and politics. A hint: if you don't know British parliamentary history, you may want to review a little. However, don't let this deter you from trying out this splendid, enjoyable novel.

It seems many of the reviewers have misread this wonderful book. "A River Runs Through It" is not about fly-fishing and Montana any more than "Romeo and Juliet" is about Italy. MacLean uses fly-fishing as a back drop for his story about family, time, and love. If it could be summarized in a sentence (and it cannot) it would be about loving completely without complete understanding. The scope of the book expands far beyond the confines of fly-fishing. I think that is why so many readers, even the ones who think it's about fly-fishing, see themselves and their families in this book.

I only write all this because I'm afraid readers who would truly enjoy this book may be turned away, not wanting to read a book about fishing. It's a beautiful story, beautifully told.

Do not ignore this book simply because you may not have an interest in fishing. This 104 page story does consecrate a considerable number of pages to starkly poetic descriptions of fly fishing (lovely, haunting descriptions of men standing in Montana's Big Blackfoot River, attempting to achieve something great in the half-light of a rocky canyon), but this story is not about fishing. It is about two brothers who vaguely understand that--much like a river--life takes its own twists and turns and cannot be stopped by man. Life cannot always be understood in an intellectual sense, but sometimes it can be appreciated in a visceral one, and perhaps we can pull moments of brillance from it, just as a fisherman might pull a beautiful trout from a river. Maclean gives us his life and his heart in this story, and it is impossible not to be touched by his emotions. Everytime I read this book I learn something new, and as I plan on reading this book many more times to come, I suppose I still have a lot of learning to do.

One of the ten best works of fiction written in the English language, this book, but particularlly its title novella, takes the reader not just on a trip through the world of fly-fishing, but through the trip of life. Maclean's work tackles the difficult question: how does man relate to the world around himself? Maclean's work is not just the culmination of an author's hard work, it is the culmination of a lifetime of experiences, rolled over in his mind till the full meaning of those experiences is understood. One need not enjoy fishing at all to appreciate the stories of this masterpiece. In fact, it could be argued that it isn't even about fishing. It's about love, art, faith, doubt, charity and all the other myriad things which infest the life of ordinary man. The University of Chicago Press does not publish fiction works as a rule. It's worth the time spent reading to find out why they broke that rule with Norman Maclean

After his most popular Gor novel, "Nomads of Gor," and his magnum opus, "Assassin of Gor," John Norman has Tarl Cabot head off in a new direction in this 6th volume of the Counter-Earth series. I think "Raiders of Gor" is a notch below those two, on a level with "Priest-Kings of Gor," which is certainly a comparable novel from the series since it also redefined Tarl Cabot's role on Gor.

We have heard mention of Port Kar in the earlier books and now Tarl Cabot is visiting the cesspool of Gor. The city has no Home-Stone and power belongs to those strong enough to take it. However, on his way to Port Kar, on a mission in service to the Priest-Kings, Tarl Cabot has an experience with transforms him from the Tarnsman of Ko-ro-ba into Bosk, captain of Port Kar. One of the consequences of this change is that Bosk is not inclined to serve the will of the Priest-Kings in their battle with the Others. But even in Port Kar, the coming war for the control of Counter-Earth is part of the power politics of the Council of Captains.

"Raiders" focuses much more on the Tarl/Bosk character at the expense of some of the wonderful supporting characters Norman had created in the previous couple of novels, although there are a few (e.g., the slave-boy Fish). But whatever faults the rest of the novel might have for fans of the series, the sequence in which Bosk decides to stay and fight for Port Kar is one of the dramatic highpoints of the series.

"Raiders of Gor," at least for me, was the last really decent John Norman novel for a long time ("Marauders of Gor" was the next one that was up to this level). After this point what is usually described as the Gorean Philosophy becomes more dominant than the adventures of Tarl Cabot in Norman's writings. It is perhaps telling that out of print copies of his novels "Slave Girl of Gor" and "Kajira of Gor" go for more than "Nomads of Gor" and "Assassin of Gor."

Raiders of Gor is one of the best books of Norman's Gor series (right along with Magicians of Gor).

First of all it features all the expected ingredients of a Gor novel: A lot of bondage situations and non-consensual sex amidst the typical Gor-like setting with adamantine warriors dominating their submissive female slaves. Plus an elaborately carved fantasy world with unique flora, fauna and complex human (and non-human) societies.

But as a welcomed change, our hero Tarl Cabot doesn't wander through this world like the invincible and unaffectable symbol of virtue, law and order he had become in the first 5 books of this series. Instead we discover a darker side of our ideal warrior that Norman exploits to create an intelligent story of downfall and rise-back to power. For the first time I found myself really rooting for Tarl as he first succeeds in establishing himself as a competent swordsman in the anarchic pirate city of Port Kar, to finally become the savior of his newly chosen hometown, when he wards off a large-scale attack on Port Kar by rival seaports.

The only reason that kept me from giving Raiders even 5 stars was the usual exaggeration of Tarl's achievements, like defeating a small armada of war barges with just a longbow and a huge quiver of arrows. Or the flight with his warbird across miles of open sea through a severe thunderstorm. But those minor flaws aren't too crucial to spoil the fun, and whatever you can say of Norman's idiosyncratic and maybe sexist fantasy setting, Raiders of Gor is one exciting fantasy book featuring strife, passion and a fallen hero set to become a morally stained yet emotionally matured elite warrior in a wild and dangerous archaic world.

I read this book because a man wanted me to understand his fantasy of women. Of all the Gor books, this particular one is the most fun becuase Tarl becomes a man of Port Kar. Port Kar is the center of evil in this world. He was forced to sacrifice his dignity and his freedom, and once freedom was regained, he no longer felt compelled to do what is good and right but to do what suits him. I am a women and I didn't find their treatment of women appalling. In fact, I relished the idea of being a good woman and have since tried harder than ever to be a good Kajira for the man who wanted me to read Raiders. I have been enslaved by Jakob and by Gor. I have been marked with a K. I am happy living in my own private Gor fantasy, although most people would never go that far. I would highly reccomend at least reading Raiders, and the other Gor books, and perhaps incorporating it into a little role playing in the bedroom.

I had heard that Norman got back on track in terms of action-adventure in Marauders of Gor, his take on Viking life a la Gor. (Can you imagine Vikings that are chess fanatics? Sorry, it just doesn't fit the image!) Unfortunately, it is only partially true. The first half of the book establishes the character of Ivar Forkbeard, a typical John Norman-style roguish hero, and life in Torvaldsland to which Tarl Cabot is drawn by the abduction and possible murder of his runaway slave Telima by the Kurii, the alien race opposed to the Priest-Kings. This part of the book contains the usual Gorean hijinks such as the abduction of Hilda the Haughty of Scagnar but is marred by Norman's obsession with the domination of females. The level of cruelty towards woman in these books is becoming increasingly disturbing. But in the second half the Kurii show up and from this point on Norman is indeed back on track. It then rivals the first 6 volumes as fun reading. If the first half had been as good as the second half, I would have given it another star.

"Marauders of Gor," the 9th volume in John Norman's Chronicles of Counter-Earth, was the last of the Gor novels that I really enjoyed. One of the Others comes from the north bearing a token of the death of Talena, Cabot's one-time free companion. Cabot heads north, as much out of a sense of vengeance than to continue in the service of the Priest-Kings, from whose cruel control he has been trying to free himself. In many ways the book is quite reminiscent of the most popular novel in the series, "Nomads of Gor," with Tarl Cabot finding comradeship with the barbaric transplanted Norseman of the north. The parallels are clearly the same, with Cabot having to gain acceptance with a group of fierce warriors who do not trust outsiders, helping his new friends with their endeavors, and having them help him with his own in return. The character of Ivar Forkbeard is more boisterous version of Kamchak the Tuchuk, and my favorite sequence in the novel is when Forkbeard comes up with a way of defying his liege lord for an unfortunately slight. The book also offers a pitched battle between the Kurii, as the Others call themselves, and the warriors of Torvaldsland. Of course, it would not be a Gor novel without a couple of choice examples of women being taught by a strong master than only by accepting total dominance can they achieve true happiness, but at least in "Marauders of Gor" the focus is still more on the conflict between the Priest-Kings and the Others rather than on the Gorean philosophy, which pretty much dominates the rest of the series. The idea of transplanted Norseman also finds Norman borrowing another Edgar Rice Burroughs tradition of "lost" civilizations, as we shall see with in future novels with transplanted Native American tribes and the like. After the relative disappointment of the previous two Gor novels, "Marauders" almost gets the series back on track for those of us who enjoyed the adventure and political intrigue more than the sexual conquests, but Norman quickly abandons not only that focus but Tarl Cabot as a central character in the novels that followed this 1975 effort.

I have read all the Gor books. But this was the first I ever did read so prehaps I view it through rose tinted glasses.
It really is one of the best.
Tarl travels north to a Viking type country and we finally see open battle with the ferocious Kurii.
If you have not read Norman before you will be suprised. His descriptive style of writing is like no other author I have ever seen. Meticulous descriptions of weapons, objects, places, set pieces, give Gor a flavour unlike any other land.
And now onto the controversy. It is all about the ultimate in co-dependant roles with males being the domintator and females the submissive partner.
Now I can understand the viewpoint but we dont need to hear it over and over again. Just do what I do, and skip over these pages. Thankfully you will not have to do it that much in this book, unlike say the last few in the series where over half of the text is taken up with it.
Despite that quibble get this book now.