_Men Among the Ruins_ is the post World War II political reflections of the Italian intellectual Julius Evola. Continuing along the same lines as he had in his more famous _Revolt Against the Modern World_, Evola advocates a return to Tradition and radical counter-revolution. This translation is divided into three parts: an excellent introduction to the life and thought of Julius Evola, the text of _Men Among the Ruins_ proper, and Julius Evola's defense when brought in front of a court for charges of subversive activity.

_Men Among the Ruins_ has been called a "dangerous book" and Evola has been called a fascist; however, if we are unable to read these "dangerous books" and decide for ourselves what they have to say then we will never be able to learn anything from outside of the dull conformist mainstream. The introduction to this book explains much of Evola's thought and life, while at the same time explaining the particularly tricky issues of his involvement with fascism, his lectures in Germany, his racist theories (unlike the crass biological racism of certain components of the National Socialist regime, Evola advocates a spiritual notion of race), and his relationship with antiSemitism (including mention of the notorious forgery "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion").

_Men Among the Ruins_ advocates a return to Tradition and a rejection of modern day liberalism, Bolshevism, individualism, collectivism, and the ideals of the revolution. Against this, Evola proposes a return to an underlying Indo-European substratum, authority, and a re-recognition of the necessity for transcendence. The book includes discussions of various aspects of the State, hierarchy, work and the economy, the Roman Imperium, corporativism (which Evola will somewhat reject along with socialism), militarism, and the role of war. Evola also tackles the issues of the "occult war" (including many of the rumors about the Jews - Evola rejects the more virulent forms of antiSemitism), the "problem of births", and Roman Catholicism as a component of that Tradition. I disagree somewhat with Evola's rejection of Catholicism, although it is unclear to me how much of this aspect of the Tradition is retainable (this would include recognition of the changes in the Church post-Vatican II, as well as the need to address the problem Evola brings up of the world's other religious traditions within the framework of Catholicism). Evola concludes with a discussion of the united Europe and a call for a new European Order. Evola writes specifically about the kind of men that are needed to compose this new Order, including old European families and military leaders. He concludes, "It remains to be seen which and how many men, in spite of it all, still stand upright among so many ruins, in order that they may make this task their own." The book concludes with Evola's defense before the Italian court and his rejection of his specific "glorification of Fascism" charge. This defense is one of the best clarifications of Evola's personal idiosyncratic thought that I have encountered.

In order to read this work, it is probably necessary to first complete Evola's more famous _Revolt Against the Modern World_. Most of Evola's other works that have been translated have a more esoteric bent to them and are less outrightly political. In the end however, Evola advocates a form of apoleteia, a phenomenon he will refer to as "riding the tiger", and a rejection of all party politics. In fact, Evola never participated in outright politics nor ever voted in his entire life. The book goes beyond the familiar schema of Right and Left political thinking and is certainly not to be recommended to any person completely absorbed in either mainstream or modernist ideologies and modes of thinking.

A great book. Not as good as his Revolt Against The Modern World but still great. A good read for any one interested in the Pagan Revival and fighting against liberalism, capitialism, and the new world order.

Now, with "Men Among the Ruins," the political Evola also enters the ruinous cultural landscape of America. Here we find the dynamite of Evola's world view, packed in the warning colors of black and red. Another safety-mechanism, as Joscelyn Godwin aptly remarks in his Foreword, is the hundred-page introduction to Evola's political thought by H. T. Hansen. The placement of a thinker in his historical and biographical context naturally relativizes the ideas that he advocates--however apodictically he may have expressed them. Hansen's analysis, taken from the German edition of the book ("Menschen inmitten von Ruinen" 1991) presents not only the first factual biographical sketch of Evola in the German world, but remains hitherto the fundamental treatment of his political development, above all in the Fascist and National Socialist epoch--although, as Hansen mentions in the additions he has made for the American edition, some very worthwhile works have appeared in the meantime, which help to sharpen many contours. Evola appears more and more as a central figure of a right-wing, 'reactionary' revulsion against the mass-aspects of National Socialism and the biologism of many of its ideologues. His 'spiritual racial doctrine' arises from the attempt to offer an alternative in the field of racial theory to the cattle-breeding mentality of the National Socialists.
In "Men Among the Ruins," the concepts of democracy and of electoral Fascism, of the nation-state and individualism, the bourgeois world-order, historical pusillanimity, economic thought-habits, to name but a few, are torn to shreds simply through being juxtaposed with the sovereign, Ghibelline, authoritarian, masculine, and solar Tradition. Then in the course of sixteen chapters, the ruins of the modern world are carted away, piece by piece. As the book closes, the view opens up: one breathes the new, freer and fresher air of the aristocratic spiritual and soul-world that one's reading has revealed, and sees in the distance a Europe united in the spirit of Tradition.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez said once this was the best novel ever written in Latin America. He's right. Bryce Echenique explores deeply Peruvian society while describing a world of illusion created for little Julius, who eventually will have to fit perfectly in this society. The author has shown before an outstanding capability to "paint with words" so as to give us a perfect picture from the reality his characters live in. In A World for Julius, the language is used in an exquisite way, allowing the reader to see, feel and understand the environment where the story develops. If someone wants to read something better, try the same book in Spanish.

This book is absolutely amazing. No words could make justice to its brilliance. I've read it three times. Bryce describes the Limean society and especially the huge social gap between the aristocracy (where he comes from) and the low class (indian inmigrants from the Andes that arrive in Lima to work in domestic jobs), through the eyes of a 6 year old kid in such a way that'll make you both cry and laugh. I've read most of the Latin American authors but this has to be the best, its Bryce masterpiece.

Funnily, Alfredo started writing it as a short story but got so involved in it that he ended up writing more than four hundred pages. He stopped writing the book only because summer arrived and he decided to go on holidays (as many L.A. writers at the time he as living in Paris).

Other master pieces are: 1. "Todos los cuentos": short stories about Lima in the 50's and 60's, in the same line as 'Julius'. This edition includes his first book "Huerto Cerrado" and "La felicidad Ja Ja"

2. "La vida exagerada de Martin Romana" : A Julius, its heavily inspired in his own life. "Martin" could well be a 28 years old Julius trying to be a writer in Paris in the 60s. Truly amazing.

I enjoyed it so much that I had to read it again. This book is about Lima's upper class life through the eyes of a little boy called Julius. Bryce descrives so well this world that the reader feels as if he was in this story. An excellent book like everything that Bryce writes. what's more,if you like it too, you can read "no me esperen en abril" that is very similar.

Kevin Henkes has written some wonderful books but Juilus steals my passion for reading. Everytime I read this story and act out Lilly's intolerable personality towards her baby brother Julius my students go wild. They especially love the part when Lilly is bending over the crib telling Julius the wrong order of the ABC's and 123's. I plan on buying all of Kevin Henkes books. I already have Chester's Way, Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Shelia Rae the Brave, Chrysanthemum, A Weekend With Wendell, and Jessica. He is a great author and his books exhibit his talent.

My entire family absolutely loves this book. It is a great read-aloud story that children happily listen to time after time. We call it "Max, the Baby of the World," after my youngest child. I bought extra copies and passed them on to relatives who have gone on to do the same. It is a timeless story of sibling rivalry and love.

As an educator, this book is one of the best. My kids and I both find this book excellent for children who are going through the changes of a new sibling. I read this book every year and my students always love it! The illustrations are simple, but expressive. A definte buy for the elementary school library!

I thought this book was excellent. When I saw this book in the library, I didn't even realize that he is the author of one of my favorite books-To be a slave. I picked up the book because I'm a comparative religion major and I learn best from autobiographies and memoirs-they make me feels like I'm experiancing the religion first hand. Though I was able to reinforce what I knew about Judaism with a visual picture from his words, I was even more impressed with his writing style. I usually read books that will help towards my educational goal only. But this book is a good read, just for its writing style alone. The way he describes his experiances, you get a clear understanding of what he's saying and feel like you know him and converted to Judaism yourself. After reading, I had an urge to visit a synagogue and a trappist monastery ( 2 places he beautifully describes in the book) and I will. I just finished the book today (Wed). I started the book on Friday night and with 2 kids and alot of work managed to finish it so quickly. I don't have spare time to write reviews but I felt compelled to write this one. I have respect for people who reveal themselves so candidly: those who use the pen to strip themselves of a false image. I recommend this to anyone interested in religion especially writers.

Mr. Lester is a great writer, and has the gift of objectivity about himself and his family, which is rare. His search for the way to connect to G'd is painfully slow, but joyful in its culmination.

Lester explores writes a revealing and deeply personal memoir of his spiritual searching and arrival at the Jewish faith. I west extremely moved by his candor as he describes his efforts to harmonize the various facets of his identity, as well as his honesty about the pitfalls he faced on the way.

Jews believe that those who choose judaism are not converting, but comming home. Lester's work is wonderful in that it lets the reader join him on this home coming. He willingly reveals the pain and the joy of this personal awakening.

A wonderful read for anyone who struggles with faith and a great message that there can be light at the end of that tunnel.

I first read 'Sandkings' in the annual Best of SF edition of OMNI magazine when I was in 8th grade oh so many years ago... I am STILL in awe of this story. When I saw the book at a store several years ago I figured maybe George had taken his amazing short-story and lengthened it to novel-size...or had simply written a sequel or well I didn't really care as long as it was built upon the best short-story I had ever read. I am sorry to say that it was just a collection of short stories

with 'Sandkings' being one OF them. This in NO WAY dimishes how utterly original this story is, though. I'm telling you the last written line of 'Sandkings' is worth the price of the book alone...but please, please do NOT spoil the surprise by skipping ahead and doing so. The main character is flawed in that he loves to be sadistic with these tiny adaptable creatures that learn to revere him as deity. But what happens along the way is horrific...and amazing. Spend an hour or two and read this short story and get to know one of the best novelists of the past 20 years. George R.R. Martin is fast becoming one of THE prominant names in the fantasy field (just check out his 'Song of Ice & Fire' series beginning with 'A Game of Thrones') but he was first a sci-fi author...he's not just good at both, he's fantastic...

So, I was a young man sitting in a movie theatre waiting for "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (with Donald Sutherland) to begin. I happened to overhear two people raving about this story they had read in Omni magazine called "Sandkings." I was so impressed by their reaction to the story that I made a mental note to seek it out myself.

A few months later, I found the back issue of Omni magazine and rushed home to read it. After assimilating the last glorious line of "Sandkings," I decided right then and there that it was my favorite short story of all time.

Nearly twenty years later, it remains my favorite short story.

Admittedly, I'm more of a horror fan than sci fi or fantasy fan, so Sandkings is closer to my heart that his other works. However, if sci fi and fantasy is YOUR cup of tea, you'll also enjoy the other very well written stories in this collection (including "Way of Cross and Dragon" and "In the House of the Worm.")

But I can honestly say that "Sandkings" is worth the price of admission alone. It's a true modern masterpiece.

I wish i had some pet sandkings! But since i dont i am glad to have this book. The title story is the best of the 6 and is worth the price alone. The other stories i found to be very good were "Star Lady" and "Bitterblooms". Sandkings is really a moral based story on what power can do to people. Martin Uses the metaphor of a man who is a deity to some insects.... but trust me they are MUCH MUCH more than just insects...

Bitterblooms was a cool little story with Vampires, a Girl Trying to get through the dark woods, and a mysterious house in the middle of nowhere....

Star Lady is basically the story of a girl and an alien boy with golden skin who land on a planet and are made slaves by a pimp. its got a really cool ending...

Buy this book if you can find it in a used book store.

This fascinating and informative book is crammed with all manner of information on the artistic vision, political struggles and plain hard work that went into the creation of the Sistine Chapel. Right up front you learn that Michelangelo did not paint that enormous ceiling lying flat on his back, but did so standing upright, painting above his head. You also learn that he did not want the job, seeing himself as not much of a painter and aching to get back to sculpting. The difficult technique of fresco painting is gone into in detail, giving the reader a glimpse of the monumental effort behind this masterpiece. The key characters in the book are, of course, the rugged rough Michelangelo and the urbane Warrior Pope, Julius II. This is art history vibrant with biography and background and makes for good story-telling.

Ahhh.....remember Charlton Heston as Michelangelo- all alone, on his back- painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? Well, in this very informative and enjoyable book, Ross King quickly clears up those two major misconceptions. Michelangelo was not on his back: the scaffolding was placed 7 feet below the ceiling. Michelangelo painted while standing, reaching overhead, with his back arched. And, he had plenty of help in his glorious enterprise. Michelangelo took on the project with a great deal of reluctance. What he had really been excited to do was the job Pope Julius II had originally had in mind: the sculpting of the Pope's burial tomb. For Michelangelo considered himself to be a sculptor rather than a painter. Though originally trained, in his early teens, as a painter, he had devoted himself almost entirely to sculpting in the nearly 20 year period which had elapsed between his training and receiving the summons from Pope Julius II to begin work on the Sistine Chapel. Additionally, Michelangelo had never before painted a fresco, which is a very tricky process involving painting on wet plaster. (He had once started preparatory work on a fresco project where he was supposed to go "head to head" with Leonardo. Alas, that project never came to pass!) So, Michelangelo did what any sensible person would do...he hired as assistants artists who had prior experience doing frescoes. Thus begins the fascinating tale of the four year project. Along the way we learn of Renaissance rivalries- Michelangelo had once taunted Leonardo da Vinci in public for having failed in his attempt to cast a giant bronze equestrian statue in Milan. Leonardo gave as good as he got: "He claimed that sculptors, covered in marble dust, looked like bakers, and that their homes were both noisy and filthy, in contrast to the more elegant abodes of painters." There was also the rivalry between Raphael and Michelangelo. The two artists couldn't have been more different- Raphael, handsome, charming, well-mannered and sociable (and a notorious connoisseur of beautiful women); Michelangelo- squat nosed and surly, pathologically suspicious, seemingly uninterested in anything unrelated to his art. Raphael was at work on a fresco in the Pope's library, in another section of the Vatican, at the same time Michelangelo was working on the Sistine Chapel. One of the most interesting parts of the book occurs when the ceiling is halfway completed. All the scaffolding was removed so that the Pope could examine the work to date. This was also the first time that Michelangelo could get an idea of how the ceiling would look from the floor of the chapel. He is said to have been shocked at how small his figures looked, and when he started work on the second half of the ceiling he decreased the number of figures portrayed but increased their size by an average of four feet. It is also said that at this time Raphael, realizing how much more public and prestigious the Sistine Chapel project was than his own assignment in the Pope's library, lobbied to be allowed to do the second half of the ceiling. Of course, that never came to pass. Mr. King manages to incorporate an amazing amount of material into such a relatively small book: We learn about the complexities of fresco painting, especially on a concave surface; what materials the pigments were made of and the processes involved in making them; Michelangelo's lack of interest in adding realistic landscapes to the backgrounds of his compositions (he considered landscape painting to be an inferior form of art); his sense of humor- in one of the tableaus he has a character "making the fig" at another character (an Italian equivalent of giving someone the finger). The author also shows us the difficult relationships Michelangelo had with his father and brothers (they were always hitting him up for money or trying to get him to use his influence to get them jobs, etc.). And, as a change-of-pace, punctuating the entire book we have Pope Julius II going out on various military campaigns to punish wayward Italian city-states (and dragging along his reluctant cardinals)! Somehow, Mr. King manages to weave all this together into a seamless, smoothly flowing narrative. This is an excellent book, both educational and entertaining!

Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King tells the story of four years, 1508-1512, in the life of three larger than life personalities: Michelangelo, Pope Julius II, and Raphael. Mr. King's latest nonfiction historical "thriller" is, however, more than a story of the four years that Michelangelo spent laboring over the twelve thousand square feet of the vast ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. In Mr. King's able hands it becomes an early 16th century soap opera, starring Michelangelo, Pope Julius II, and Raphael, and featuring all the intrigue, passion, violence, and pettiness of a Sopranos' episode. What's so astonishing is that all that is told actually happened -- it's history.
Ross King's gift is his ability to bring us, his readers, back through the maze of time and lead us to an understanding of all that coalesced -- politically, socially, and artistically -- to create great art, great history and, for us, great reading.
According to King:
"Pope Julius II was not a man one wished to offend.... A sturdily built sixty-three-year old with snow-white hair and a ruddy face, he was known as il papa terrible , the 'dreadful' or 'terrifying' pope.... His violent rages, in which he punched underlings or thrashed them with his stick were legendary.... In body and soul he had the nature of a giant. Everything about him is on a magnified scale, both his undertakings and passions."
Michelangelo and Raphael as portrayed by King:
"Almost as renowned for his moody temper and aloof, suspicious nature as he was for his amazing skill with the hammer and chisel, Michelangelo could be arrogant, insolent, and impulsive....If Michelangelo was slovenly and, at times, melancholy and antisocial, Raphael was, by contrast, the perfect gentleman. Contemporaries fell over themselves to praise his polite manner, his gentle disposition, his generosity toward others....Raphael's appealing personality were accompanied by his good looks: a long neck, oval face, large eyes, and olive skin -- handsome, delicate features that further made him the antithesis of the flat-nosed, jug-eared Michelangelo."
The stories of these three men during this extraordinary four year period and the art they produced is the story embodied in Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiling. The confrontations between Julius II and Michelangelo are legendary. "The major problem seems to have been that Michelangelo and Julius were remarkably alike in temperament. Michelangelo was one of the few people in Rome who refused to cringe before Julius."
For almost the entire four years Michelangelo was shadowed by the brilliant young painter Raphael, who was working in fresco on the neighboring Papal apartments. This rivalry the Pope seemed to enjoy and encourage. To help us better understand the friction between these two great artists King introduces us to Edmund Burke's treatise on the sublime and the beautiful:
"For Burke, those things we call beautiful have the properties of smoothness, delicacy, softness of color, and elegance of movement. The sublime, on the other hand, comprehends the vast, the obscure, the powerful, the rugged, the difficult -- attributes which produce in the spectator a kind of astonished wonder and even terror. For the people of Rome in 1511, Raphael was beautiful but Michelangelo sublime."
For me, reading a book like Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiling is the way to read history. Mr. King transported me back to those four years during which Michelangelo and Raphael created art both beautiful and sublime. I was there with and among the players, engrossed in the anecdotes King skillfully wove into his narrative. This is history -- up close and personal -- and yet far, far away from the pain, anguish, anger and turmoil that pervaded so much of the lives of Michelangelo, Pope Julius II, and Raphael. As I read, I learned, I felt, and I understood. Isn't that what reading is all about? I certainly could not ask for anything more.

This true story written from the perspective of an 11-year-old immigrant, truly sums up the immigrant perspective. My 4th grade students, journaled each day as if he or she were the central character, and begged for each of the five chapters. This book alone, replaced a 4-week unit that I had used previously to emphasize the impact of immigration on our state. Written by the author's daughter, with photos showing then and now, it is wonderful. FYI: We used, as the final journal entry, an account written by Yehuda when he finds his journal 70 years later and recounts the years since arriving in America.

The story reads well for any student needing to understand the trials and tribulations of people immigrating to the U.S.Important character traits are developed and their importance in reaching a goal are emphasized. The artwork makes a dramatic statement to anyone who opens the book. Elementary students should be attracted by this outstanding feature. As a school director and recently retired teacher, I purchased a copy for each of our elementary libraries because of the qualiy of this book.

This review is from Debbie,Paul,Ryan and Melissa. We all modelled for the illustrator,Laurie McGaw, of this book. It was a wonderful experience since some of our grandparents left Russia and Poland because of the war and we felt we could relate to the people in the book.The book has been presented to the our childrens' school in conjunction with the Holocaust unit. Teachers and kids alike found the book to be very interesting and beautifully illustrated. We recommend it to all nationalities and ages.It is not only a book about Jewish people, but also a book about what any immigrants coming to North America might have experienced.

This set of three novellas grouped into a book is a strange and haunting work whose effect lingers long. The stage is Earth far in the future, but an Earth whose pride and will have been shattered by terrible reverses. Silverberg paints a picture of the aftermath of human hubris, whereby pride and technological prowess carried to an extreme have led to the destruction of the continents of North and South America and ultimately to a "bankrupt" earth being placed in celestial "receivership". Beaten down and dispirited, humanity has been splintered in to a number of profession-specific guilds in a reversion to feudal times, with loyalty to guild superceding all other loyalties. The story is told through the experiences of a "Watcher" who has devoted his life to scanning the heavens for the approach of a long anticipated punitive invasion from a planet mortally wronged by human hubris. The book tells of the aftermath of the fateful invasion, resistance to which is rendered impossible by humanity's own divisions, let alone its reversion to a technological stone age. We follow the Watcher as, post-invasion, he seeks a new life and ultimately redemption. The topography is familiar and yet different as Silverberg plays on the names of well known cities (the holy cities of Roum and Jorslem, the romance of Perris in the nighttime). In majestic metaphor, the Watcher, after having his life's vocation rendered meaningless, delves deep into the past for lessons and finally seeks a new redemption, literally and figuratively, in a new united vision of love, tolerance and humanity. A book that is strange, troubling and yet inspiring.

Dave Deubler's review, shown here, is excellent, so I will only add that this is one of Silverberg's best. A must for any Silverberg fan. If you haven't read anything by Silverberg yet, then this one may very well hook you.

In this exquisite gem of a novel, Silverberg introduces us to the world of the far future. In this mysterious and only vaguely familiar land, the social order is dominated by the Guilds, who exercise enormous control over the lives of their members, each of whom plays some small part in a grand scheme whose totality is shrouded in the mists of antiquity. Thus one of the main threads of the story is always "How did things get this way?" Silverberg uses the story of a simple Watcher to reveal a long and complex history of Earth's rise, foolish pride, and subsequent fall. The Watcher's job is to search the skies, but why and for what is not immediately clear. Against a backdrop of magic, sunken continents, alien creatures, ancient wrongs and endless wandering around what we would call the Old World (Roum, Perris, and Jorslem), we come to appreciate the Watcher as a human being. In his love for the Flier Avluela and his loyalty to the Prince of Roum, amidst his failures, betrayals, renewal, and redemption, we see a microcosm of the human race's own journey from arrogance to fear to humility and finally beyond. A quiet melancholy pervades this book, as our protagonist wanders among the remnants of Earth's glory years, now decrepit relics. Yet Silverberg finds a way to conclude with the promise of salvation. Despite the unfamiliarity of the social order and the slightly modified place names, the book is easy reading, even for younger readers. There is no over-abundance of action, or of science, either, really, so perhaps this book won't be a favorite of everyone. There is violent conflict aplenty, but much of it takes place "off-stage" so it won't overpower the fainthearted. The mild sexual content is handled pretty much the same way, making it acceptable reading for all but the most sheltered young teens. In short, Silverberg weaves a spell of quiet mystery, timeless beauty, and eternal human values that is sure to entrance.

Overall, this is very good.

It covers all the main areas to writing a screenplay: Character, plots, story, etc. It covers the formatting stuff, and goes over the business side (getting agent, getting it read).

It has two things some of the other books don't: plenty of little exercises to help get you started. These were very helpful. And a full screenplay of his, with his annotated notes. The screenplay was helpful, particularly for me (a novice) to see how it all comes together.

The only downsides to this book are: 1) it's not as simple, structured, and easy to read as a couple of the others (Charles Deemer's I like alot), 2) The screenplay he wrote is not very good. You'd be better off going to [url] and downloading for free one of the hundreds of scripts there.

However, it did encourage me that if that thing could get optioned, that I could write one that gets optioned too!

If you're a novice, buy Deemer's to read first. If you're a beginner who's got some fundamentals and is starting to get serious, this is the book for you (but skip his script).

Keane's book is a essential for any screenwriter's bookshelf. Not only does it break down the A-Z essential elements of popular screenwriting, but it tackles the difficult subject of how to break into the business. You'd have to buy two or three books by most of the other popular screenwriting gurus to get the gamut of information that Keane packs into this medium size volume. His choice of films to reference as examples of different screenwriting techiniques is excellent and his humour keeps the fledgling writer from being discouraged. Keans writes in optimistic prose that makes you feel your goal is attainable. I read this book before starting my last screenplay and have since moved to Hollywood and had my work open quite a few doors. This is a coherant, reader-friendly how-to book that covers all the bases and is head and shoulders above the rest of its ilk.

Keane's approach to screenwriting emphasizes building on the foundations of concept and character, not just plugging variables into a screenplay formula. The chapters are organized in order of importance _for the success of the script,_ always posing tough questions upfront that can save the writer days of rewrite. Every time I start a new project or get stuck on one aspect, I go back to this book relying on it to point out story weaknesses as well as bring up practical business considerations. This guide is the next best thing to a personalized analysis, making the most of your abilities. Keane's anecdotes, advice, and tips carry weight because he writes from inside the entertainment industry, selling scripts that get produced today. From inkling of an idea to finding an agent, Keane's book is the most thorough and definitive screenwriting guide I've ever read.

Before I read this book, I knew nothing about Byzantium. So I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, and realized after I started that I had made a mistake; I didn't realize when I bought this book that it was the third volume of a three-volume set. Doubtless, it would have been less overwhelming to start at the beginning, especially for someone like me, with no previous knowledge of the subject. Still, I learned a great deal from this book; not only was it informative, but it wasn't nearly as dry and impenatrable as I'd been afraid it might be. In fact, the style is downright readable; Norwich actually has a rather pleasant, if dry, sense of humor.

I definitely plan on getting the first two volumes of this series, and continuing my education on the history of Byzantium.

The final volume of Norwich's Byzantine history is a literary trimph, despite the disintegrating nature of the civilization being written about. In this volume Norwich begins in the aftermath of the battle of Manzikert in 1071 and finishes with the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans in 1453. Norwich uses his elegant prose style to present this tragic story in a highly moving way.

All three volumes read like a eulogy at the funeral of beloved relative. In this period of dehumanizing social sciences Norwich brings the people of the past alive, and treats them with respect and dignity even when their behavior does not necessarily inspire kind treatment. The role and majesty of Byzantium has been overlooked in the West for centuries; in doing his best to rectify that Norwich has created one of the masterpieces of historical writing.

This, the final volume of a 3 book series, brings to end a rivetting and excellent histoty of the Byzantium Empire. I cannot add anything to the other reviews and comments on this series other than to say if your enjoy reading about history you should love these accounts of this Empire and its times. I found my first volume in a 2nd hand shop without knowing anything about its author or the subject matter. It was a great read and I could not wait to buy the following two volumes. I only wish I had read these books before I visited Istanbul in 1990. I loved them, they are excellent histories, the author does a great job in bringing the characters and times to live. Read the series and lose yourself in the history. Great books!