Taking two lines from the historian Suetonius ("At the age of 25 he sailed for Rhodes and was captured by pirates off the island of Pharmacussa. They kept him prisoner for nearly forty days to his intense annoyance."), Panella has crafted a novella length exploration of Julius Caesar's mental transformation from politician/poet to great leader. His captivity by the pirate lord Cutter, and subsequent ransom negotiations allow glimpses into both the development of his "command" abilities, as well as his classically educated poetic side. The idleness of being in captivity becomes a device allowing for Caesar to ruminate on his young life. Thus, there are flashbacks throughout the book showing the political climate leading up to his capture, his marriage to Cornelia, and his sensuous (and graphically described) affair with Servila (Brutus's mother). A fair bit of this backstory tries to present him as a man of destiny, a spin that somehow never quite feels right. Toward the end we get Cutter's life story, which is full of the cruelty and gore of ancient Rome, but never really rises above archetype. The lean and precise prose is quite readable, and there are a few rousing moments in the ship-to-ship battles, but it's not really the swashbuckling adventure tale the jacket blurbs would lead you to believe. A cautionary note that has nothing to do with the quality of the prose- the publishers have done their best to create a novel, but be warned, it's really a novella length story. Although the book is 192 pages long, the text doesn't start until page 15, and once you count up all the blank pages and half pages at chapter changes, there's another 60 pages of dead space!

Two historical novels on Julius Caesar were recently released, Vincent Panella's first-person account, Cutter's Island: Caesar in Captivity (Academy Press, Chicago, 2000, 197 pages, ISBN 0-89733-484-1), and Patricia Anne Hunter's omniscient third-person narrative, No Other Caesar (Authors Choice Press, 2001, 224 pages, ISBN 0-595-15778-5). Short but rewarding is Panella's first-person account of a small but critical stage in the life of Julius Caesar, the time he spent in 75 BC as a captive of the pirates on their secluded island. The telling is vigorous, the characters of Caesar and of the head pirate, Cutter, are well-developed, and the concentration on a single sequence of events is tailored to keep the reader's interest and understanding growing in tandem. Hunter begins with Caesar's famous intereview with Sulla ("In that boy there's many a Marius") in 81, when the dictator tried, unsuccessfully, to get Caesar to divorce Cornelia, daughter of Cinna, and she follows him through the rest of his political and military career, right up to the closing scene in the hall of Pompey's theater on March 15, 44, taken from Suetonius's Life of Julius Caesar. The penultimate line of the novel is "Even you, boy?" - rendered by Shakespeare as "Et tu, Brute?" Both authors are concerned with historical fidelity to Whereas Panella concentrates on character, Hunter emphasizes historical events. Both novels are well worth reading. Choose Panella's lively work if you prefer more depth and, through Caesar's experiences with the pirates, a foreshadowing of Caesar's character as it will eventually be revealed. Choose Hunter's tightly-packed account, if, instead, you wish to follow the development of that character all the way from the bold defiance of Sulla's wishes that could have gotten him killed, through the full realization of that very boldness and decisiveness in the heat of battle and chill of politics, right up to the careless indifference about his own death that led him to ignore all the portents and warnings and on the very Ides of March to make himself the object of "the most senseless crime in history" (Hunter quoting Theodor Mommsen). A cautionary note: neither book is overly violent or pornographic, but both contain sexual passages (auto-erotic in Panella) that might warrant a PG-13 rating. Be sure to read them first before assigning them to a high school class. Fred Mench, Professor of Classics, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey

An exciting look into young Ceasar's psyche. Mr. Panella's inventive prose does justice to the subject material. A quick read, but well worth it. Highly recommended.

To tell the truth, Century of Dishonor put me to sleep. I was forced to read it for a AP US History class. If you can stay awake to read it, it details everything you need to know about how the U.S. government has swindled and cheated Native Americans in this country. It was written in the late 1800's and we just don't talk like that anymore as a country. Like my teacher said: "The reason this book was so powerful was because it listed every incident with many tribes to bring home this point: There needs to be a change how they handled the Native Americans." No one in the class read the book cover to cover, including myself. I would never recommend reading this book, except for research (there's a 150 page or so Appendix along w/ the actual book)or if you're REALLY into that stuff. Even in the latter case, theres lots of better choices.

Bearing in mind that this book was written at the time when Native Americans were still "Savages" and totally responsible for all atrocities perpetrated in the west,in the eyes of the White Europeans, Helen Hunt Jackson made a brave stand in trying to educate these same people to the needs and requirements of the Native Americans.

With each chapter given to a different Native American nation she tries, and in my opinion succedes,to make people understand the hopelessness the Native Americans found themselves in, and the only recourse they had was to fight to preserve their way of life, all too sadly with devestating consequences.

Through each chapter the same theme occurs, the whites cheat,steal, murder, and abuse the Native American and very few Whites tried to correct these wrong doings, and the biggest offender the US Government, and even today the US Government do not appear to be too interested in the Native Americans.

The book is "heavy going", and one can be forgiven in thinking, as they read through it, that I've been here before, because the facts are presented in the same way for every nation, but that notwithstanding, I feel this is a book that should be in anyones library who professes to have an interest in Native Americans.

Yes Helen Hunt Jackson was a brave pioneer to voice her opinions in favour of the redman all those years ago, had more people listend, perhaps the Native American culture in all its glory would still be with us today.

This (unfortunately) timeless work is a scathing indictment of US Indian policy from independence until the 1880s. It includes a general treatment of bad-faith attitudes and policies, and a series of more detailed case studies of exceptionally egregious violations of legal treaties & human rights. It is timeless because of ongoing popular and official ignorance or lack of concern for American Indian rights, economic problems and indigenous culture---witness, for just one chilling example, the continuing imprisonment of Oglala/Anishinaabe activist Leonard Peltier, for murders he did not commit.

Jackson was a pioneer activist for Indian rights, and passion and commitment shine through on virtually every page of this book. While it is true that her writing style might seem dated to some contemporary undergraduates, the intrinsic interest of her subject should hold the attention of any reader with more than a marginal interest in the topic. It is still useful for research purposes today, though it is perhaps most valuable for history and/or anthropology courses on changing attitudes & policy toward Indians.

In teaching about American Indian history, a main reservation about assigning it would be the need to present what Indians themselves have said and/or written about their encounters with Euro-Americans. For a fine variety of views on these issues, see Peter Nabokov ed, "Native American Testimony," and (among many other sources) memorable works by two premier Indigenous scholar-activists: Ward Churchill, "From A Native Son," and Vine Deloria Jr., "Custer Died For Your Sins."

I started out with practically no knowledge of accounting - this book did a very impressive job of introducing me to the various concepts. I can now read and understand the financial statements put out by the companies. Our professor used this book very extensively - he would talk about a topic and then point out the page numbers where the authors had written about that topic.
This is a pretty good reference too - I have refered to the book many times when I see certain accounting terms used in the press. The authors have kept the explanation very concise and have inserted examples that capture the essence of the explanation.
I found the book to be very expensive though.

I used this book for my Financial Accounting I course I took this past Spring working towards my Bachelors degree. This was in the first accounting course and I really didn't know too much about accounting beforehand. While the book overall is a good text and full of helpful information and examples, the first chapter or two were totally useless because they approached accounting pragmatically and tried to cover too many fundamentals too soon. Accounting is not an easy subject and theres no easy way to get started with it. However, my professor (who had used the book before) skipped over the first couple chapters and taught us the fundamentals using her own method which did work very well and then the rest of the book made more sense. At times it seems the book might cover a topic or circumstance in only one or two sentences and then will have a problem or two that deal more extensively with that short concept. The only reason I could think they did this was to stimulate creativity and learning and force the student to figure out how to mold the various principles to fit a particular "new" situation rather than just have you memorize some rules. Some might not like this method...

I used this Textbook in my MBA Financial Accounting course at DePaul Unversity in Chicago, IL. I had very little knowledge of the topic before I took this class.

This book is well written, well organized, and is not too wordy. Because of the depth of this book and its brevity, every sentence is important and I found I had to reread chapters about three times before I really understood the material.

I did notice a few minor typos in the chapter exercises, but for the most part I found it extremely accurate.

This is a difficult subject and this book covers much material. Each chapter must be read carefully. To fully understand the material, I highly encourage doing the exercises in the back of each chapter. Houghton Mifflin has the answer keys in Excel files on their web site, but you need a password to get it.

I can understand the person who found this book confusing. I don't think this book is great for somebody new to the subject. But after getting your feet wet in the subject, this is an excellent text.

This book will make a wonderful reference for years to come. In fact, my father, a small business owner wants my copy.

The latest Niven book 'The Burning City' looked interesting, and having heard that 'Magic..' was a prequel-of-sorts, I decided to read it first.

This was my first experience with Niven and if it's representative of his body-of-work as a whole, I can see why he regularly collaborates with others...he's not very talented with the written word.

Most of this book was stilted throughout. Topping that off, it's just not horribly interesting. Perhaps we can give Niven a little credit for being one of the forerunners of the modern fantasy boom, but calling this book a classic isn't something I'll ever do.

The fact that other reviewers have remarked on its similarities to a popular children's fantasy game speaks volumes.

Here's an overview: Four magicians and a Greek soldier combine forces to find new sources of mana. Mana is what allows magicians to perform magic but it is a resource in limited supply and magicians in the past have squandered the supply away. They use the last bit of mana they can find to travel to northern Europe to find the last living god and steal its mana.

I read this book a number of years ago when I was younger. I decided to read it again because my memory of it was good. I can't say the book was bad, but it wasn't great. There were some interesting ideas about magic and the scene of travelling on a cloud still gets me excited (it sounds like fun). If you're into fantasy and magic this book is for you. It's a quick read and the version I have has fantasy drawings on almost every other page. It's almost like a fantasy comic book.

Most of Larry Niven's considerable oeuvre takes the form of the Heroic Quest,but using the vocabulary of hard science fiction. In "The Magic Goes Away", he leaves the space ships and gravity generators on the shelf, and addresses the Quest directly.
In doing so, he reveals a level of poetry of language and sensitivity of characterization that is rare in any genre, and unheard of in science fiction. "The Magic Goes Away" is in a class with "The Circus of Doctor Lao" and "Green Mansions": Small, easily-read fantasy novels that will stay in your mind forever.

Ghetto Schooling: A Political Economy of Urban Education Reform, is an interesting explanation of the case study done by the author, Jean Anyon. Anyon was a part of the attempted educational reform of the Newark, New Jersey schools in the late 1980's and early 1990's. Although most of her personal contact was with the faculty, staff, administration, parents, and children of the Marcy school, she gives the historical background for the Newark schools system starting in 1860. This history ventures all of the way to the present, which includes her personal experience in the reform process. Although the reform process in which she participated in failed, she did learn a great deal and shared a lot of insight about school reform. Her main point was that reform would not happen until the economic and political systems that surround the schools are transformed, neither would the schools be transformed. (Anyon 13) I found this book to be informative and insightful. Through this reading I have a better understanding of the inner city school setting, and how much help is needed there. Unfortunately, as Anyon point out, money is not the answer. The answer is reform on the larger scale. This book helped me to see this. Additionally, because of my current quest to become a teacher this booked helped me to prepare for some of the obstacles I may face. Although I will probably never teach at a school like those in the Newark district, it is very beneficial to my learning process to see the problem that plague the educational community. I am glad this book was part of my college curriculum.

Jean Anyon's book, Ghetto Schooling: A Political Economy of Urban Educational Reform paints a harrowing portrait of the struggles of those who have a role in inner-city schools. It is written in three parts that address the present situation, reflect upon the past, and look to the future, respectively. The book took several years to write due to the level of research involved for the historical content, but the personal account was based on four years of the author's participation in the reform effort in Newark, New Jersey, beginning in 1992. The reform efforts targeted eight schools in the central section of the city. (On a broader note, the historical text of the book points out that the decline of the schools really began in the 1930s.) The book begins by showing the present state of education within the reform district, but then postulates the reasons for this status by looking at the historical foundations of the problems. In the first chapter of part two, Anyon begins the historical breakdown by looking at early situation with educating the children of the many immigrants who came to Newark beginning in the 1860s. Despite early attempts at reform, the seeds had already been planted for the disenfranchisement seen today. The historical context of Anyon's research design shows decade by decade the continual decay of the Newark schools. Reform efforts were suggested, but never truly implemented. After the period of organized crime and municipal scandals had arrived, Anyon notes that:
"Because there was no rescue of the Newark educational system in 1968, it would continue to limp along, and further generations of Newark children-the grandchildren, the grandchildren, the great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren of the southern rural immigrants-would
join their parents in the ranks of the uneducated and the undereducated. Many would therefore be unable to participate in the economic and political institutions of U.S. society" (p. 127).

This generational cycle of poverty and hopelessness is at the heart of Anyon's determination that changes can only be effective if they consider the sociocultural status and economic plight of those involved. I found the accounts in the book to be a revelation to say the least. I think people like myself who are born and raised outside urban areas live in blissful ignorance as to the true state of education for the thousands trapped in a cycle of poverty and despair. I like that Anyon takes such an honest approach to her research, realizing that to be effective she must be disclose everything she witnessed. The only change I would like to see is the statistical information presented in some type of graph form so that it would be easier to read and interpret. Otherwise, I found the book to be an invaluable read as a future educator. In fact, it has made me think beyond the world of education and to ponder my place among the human race and the responsibility I must take for needs of my fellow man and the generations to come.

The book, Ghetto Schooling A Political Economy of Urban Educational Reform, written by Jean Anyon, is an informative book concerning the issues surrounding urban education, funding, and racism among many groups. Ghetto School is divided into three sections, with 8 chapters, providing background of the Newark, New Jersey school system and plight of inner-city schools beginning in 1860 and following through to present day. The results of Anyon's research should be a wake up call for all involved in education, from educators to politicians, and parents. In my opinion, the question is now more relevant than ever. Which factors led to the inadequacy of educational opportunities for urban school districts? Anyon defines her research by "describing the social milieu of isolation and poverty, then illustrate how these conditions affect urban schools. (Anyon 3) When looking back, Anyon has shown the implications for the future, central cities now hold only 29% of the nations population and comprise less than 12% of the national electorate (Judd and Swanstrom 1994, Anyon 1997). As mentioned through her research, the majority of the middle class tax base and industry in which supports both the middle class and school system have relocated to the suburbs. Within these events a deeper problem was created; inequalities within the school system of Newark itself. According to the Council of Great City Schools, large city districts (79%) are funded at a lower rate than are suburban schools; nationally advantaged suburban schools spend as much as ten times that spent by urban poor schools. (Anyon 7) With inner cities holding less than one-third of the total population, convincing voters that change is necessary and needed is a daunting task. To change the past, present, and future, reform of the inner city school is needed. According to Anyon, reform of the Newark inner city school districts will not happen until the economic and political systems in which the cities are enmeshed are themselves transformed so they may be more democratic and productive for urban residents. (Anyon 13) I found "Ghetto Schooling" to be a provocative and educational source of historical information. As a teacher, and future administrator, the need for understanding the vast array of social, political and legal mandates truly dictates not only education, but also the city and state in which they reside. Anyon creates a very realistic in description of past events, many of which are still seen today. The material presented not only punctuates, but makes a very colorful statement of the current economic situation facing many states, including Illinois. After reading this text, I have a better appreciation for the sheer complexity of school funding. Illinois uses three very complicated formulas for determining funding of public schools alone. Anyon's explanation of public education is complete, complicated, and enjoyable.

I just finished reading this book like 15 minz ago & i thought it was great! i came online 2 find out more info on the author & stuff so it was aight & i might read another book by Julius Lester well thatz my opinion i*m out ~holla~ represent

Long journey home is a very intresting book. Reading about African American Slavery in history books doesnt have the impact that reading these simple stories have. Here I am actually reading about the experience of real people.

I find the stories so intresting I did not want to stop to have my supper. If you knew me you will know that does not happen too often.

As a young person living in England, I recommend it highly not just to other people of colour like myself, but to anyone who likes a well written story. The stories are sad and happy and they make you think about life, and to be glad that the world has become a more understanding and place.

Winston (London)

I've read a lot of slave narratives over the years and, like the first reviewer, found these very compelling. I wanted to know what happened to the characters after "the end" and didn't want the stories to stop. I'll be reading more work by this writer.

This book is designed to do something that simply should not be done. While the mathematical inadequacies of the American public are conceded here, teaching people sixty tricks is hardly the solution. Furthermore, if someone cannot divide by 4 in the normal way, how is it possible that they will learn to do it by dividing by 2 twice? The rules of division are the same in both cases. If someone understands the rules of arithmetic, then all of these tricks are superfluous.
Even if these sixty special cases are thoroughly learned, that is, memorized, the amount of mathematics digested will be minimal, as no generalizations are made. For example, one of the tricks is the rapid multiplication of any one- or two-digit number by 101. But the reasons for this are never explained, so the end result is the reader knows only one particular operation on a small set of numbers.
The accountant or bookkeeper that wishes to increase their ability to compute on the fly may find this book of interest. But, to all others, the message is simple and direct, spend your time learning the general rules of arithmetic!

...

I have to admit I hated the first rapid math book he wrote.Besides that,this book is way more better than the first.I gave it three stars instead of five because you have to memorize all of the addition ,subtraction ,mutiplication, and division tables.I wish he would teach rapid math tricks to remember your tables.You'll keep saying to yourself "If only I knew my facts this trick would be alot easier." I hope he reads this.

I am a long retired teacher and supervisor of mathematics. In addition to having taught math for many years, I have also written and published materials covering the same subject. I am now using this book with an eight year-old math whiz and find it valuable to introduce him to rapid calculation and then an analysis of why it works (largely based on our place-value system of numbers. The various methods are interesting but most of them are not very practical for everyday calculation since most are special cases rather than general applications. For successful use they also require instant recall of the basic number facts and there is no hint as to how this can be accomplished. Barring that prior requirement not many math phobes will become highly skilled arithmeticians in 30 days using this or any other book.

The book contains many interesting tidbits on famous dead movie stars, but it full of glaring mistakes. For example, in one section on William Randolph Hearst his wife is named as Millicent. However, in the section on Marion Davies his wife is named Pheobe, who is actually his mother. I have found inaccurate dates and locations. One paragraph will contradict another. The amount of errors makes the whole book suspect. Also, directions to some of the stars final resting places is detailed and others not all. For a serious Thantologist, I would only recommend this book for entertainment value.

This book has some good stories in it but as far as grave hunting goes, it's not very complete. It's okay to have for entertainment but not as a reference book.

In reading Final Curtain I found myself back in the Hollywood of yesteryear with those famous names and people who made HOLLYWOOD and its movies great. I enjoyed the book immensely,Final Curtain is not just a book about death and gravestones, but about the people who gave and used their various talents to entertain.

A sure indication that you have arrived at an independent, intellectual, and honest position is the degree to which both sides of the ideological fence find fault with your work. Mr Wilson experienced that with his earlier book THE DECLINING SIGNIFICANCE OF RACE, the radical liberal left, excoriated him as selling out his race and lambasted his work as cultural determinism. With THE TRULY DISADVANTAGED, Mr Wilson gives as good as he gets.

Cogently he argues that the Great Society architects thought that creating educational, training, and development programs would, by their very existence, simply cause poverty to shrink. There was very little analysis of the impact that changes in the US economy would have - not only on the programs, but on the beneficiaries. One telling indication that his finger is on the correct pulse - economics - is this: in nearly every year that unemployment has risen and wages have fallen, poverty has grown worse, yet "when the economy has picked up, poverty has lessened."

There are a couple of things that are significant about this book, which, even now, 14 years later, makes it one of the more useful and original analyses even done on US urban problems.

(1) When it was written, in the late 1980's the economic trends that Mr Wilson so clearly elucidates as the problem were still largely unstudied, especially the interconnectivity and complexity of the issues. Mr Wilson says conservative writers such as Charles Murray are incorrect when they proclaim that because poverty rates were as high in the 1980's as they were in the 1960's, the Great Society programs were failures. This neglects, or conveniently ignores, the fact that there was a doubling of the unemployment rate, which disproportionately affected blacks. The causes of huge unemployment rates amongst young black men are less to do with racism, but more the following: the mechanization of southern agriculture, the large number of baby-boomers and white women who entered the labor market in the 1970's, and the profound shift of the economy from manufacturing to service industries. Blacks were heavily represented in manufacturing and the decline in key sectors such as automobile, rubber, and steel had a particularly deleterious effect on black employment.

(2) While it can be seen that THE TRULY DISADVANTAGED was in part, a response to conservative analyses of the issues, this book is not a rhetorical rejoinder. There was significant new material brought forward by Mr Wilson and the focus was on an objective assessment of cause; not on ascribing blame to racism, culture, or government policy. I remember reading UNHEAVENLY CITY REVISITED as part of an Urban Studies course at college in the 1980's and what has remained with me, and is heightened when compared with Mr Wilson's book, is the rather shallow analysis of the former, and its emphasis on cultural and social factors as determinants for urban decay. I graduated before Mr Wilson's book was published, so have no idea if it was used as a text. It should be.

This book stands as an insightful look into the causes of urban decay and poverty; it highlighted economic trends that were not seen by others and it came out at a time when competing scholars were offering only narrow, single source answers. If you prefer one of the latter, there is non better than LOSING GROUND which lays the blame for black poverty squarely at the feet of government policy.

"A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore it; or offer your own version in return" (Salman Rushdie)

We're still waiting for an equally well-reasoned and rounded version as this one.

In The Truly Disadvantaged, Wilson attempts to concentrate where his previous work The Declining Significance of Race left off, more specifically the effects of social isolation, male joblessness, and single mother headed families have perpetuated a self-fulfilling prophecy among young black youth. A daunting task at hand, I must say, but I think he makes valid points, yet they aren't articulated as well as in his previous work.

I believe that this is a worth while book for any reader trying to understand the complexities of the urban poor.

Groundbreaking and unconventional, Wilson took a completely independent stance in this book, one that managed to displease partisans on both left and right. What he argues for is, among other things, that race-based programs and policies are doomed to fail because they ignore the core economic issues which in the inner city communities are at least partly defined by the elimination of industry-based jobs. Since Wilson wrote this over 20 years ago, the original economic problems are now massively compounded by precisely the kind of social problems he at least in part predicted. A brilliantly argued work that is perhaps even more valuable today because partisanship from both conservatives and radical "race based" activists has almost completely replaced reasoned, compassionate understanding.

I rarely give 5/5 for anything, whether it be music, art, or cinema. But Julius Evola and the UR Group have presented one path in this book for the student to apply to her or his life to progress magically through this world and on into the next. This text is not for the beginner or the non-practitioner, they are for those that are willing to trudge forth ... and I'm sure they know who they are.

You don't have to agree with every method put forth by the UR Group, but to experience and understand what they teach is to be well on your way.

This is probably the most profound and significant work on magic to appear in the last fifty years. Readers of Inner Traditions' other Evola translations will know that his works are not an "easy read." They require careful, multiple readings because Evola is not a New Age huckster but a genuine master. His command of the most difficult texts of philosophy, mysticism, and occultism--East and West--is absolutely remarkable. But reading Evola you sense that you are in the presence of a man who not only exhibits great scholarly erudition, but also a high degree of spiritual attainment. INTRODUCTION TO MAGIC confirms this impression, for here we learn of the spiritual and magical disciplines to which Evola and his UR group subjected themselves. This is most definitely a "how to" book, but it is far from "introductory" in the sense of being painless or easy. This is a demanding book, demanding in that it will require careful study, and demanding in what it requires the aspiring adept to DO, practically, in order to perfect his soul. The spiritual aim of Evola and the UR group, and all of the exercises in this book, is to achieve consciousness of, and identification with, a "higher self." This involves nothing less than a will to completely transform and perfect oneself. It is a path which requires the strictest mental and physical discipline. It is not for those casually interested in "the occult." Indeed, Evola warns that this path is actually dangerous to those who would take it up casually or without full conviction. If you are a serious and dedicated student of occultism, if you are ready to embark upon a path which WILL transform your life, and if you are prepared for the struggle and conflict that this will inevitably bring with it, then you must read INTRODUCTION TO MAGIC. No other work on magic is as frank, as explicit, and as profound. Evola's approach is also blessedly free of any infusion of Christianity, Kabbalism, or "Egyptianism." His is truly a Western pagan magical path. It is recommended that you read this work in conjunction with other works by Evola, especially his book on alchemy, THE HERMETIC TRADITION, and his magnum opus, REVOLT AGAINST THE MODERN WORLD. Both of these are also published by Inner Traditions.

Quite simply the most penetrating magical text that I have encountered in all my years of study. The collection of essays on magical theory and practice by Evola and his associates set a standard by which future works appearing in the English-speaking occult world will be judged. Of particular merit are the essays entitled "Knowledge of the Waters" and "On the Magical View of Life" - herein are given great secrets never before so clearly stated. There is no hackneyed, watered-down GD-OTO-Wiccan ephemera to be had here - those accustomed to that kind of spiritual spoon-feeding may find themselves a bit flabbergasted after ingesting this information, but may also find themselves a bit wiser in the process. The unleashing of Evola onto the American esoteric community has been a blast of long-needed fresh air; those with the will and vision to make the Ascent will find in him a great mentor. If you buy only one book on magic, make this your choice. You won't be disappointed.