This addition to the kingdoms and elves series is my absolute favorite. A must read. I have read this book 3 times and it just gets better and better. I have read all the other Kingdoms and Elves books several times over too! I'm 12 years old and kingdoms and elves is the best book series I have ever come across. Robert Stanek is the best author, only he can write a book like this. When you start reading you are swept away into the world of ruin mist. I can't not wait until book 4 is released. I thin that this book deserves more than 5 stars it deserves infinity stars Kingdoms and elves is a great new series that will be around and remembered for years to come.

I give this book 5 stars straight up. In my opinion the best one of the first three books. It has a really crazy twist in the end and if your thinking about getting this book and not sure trust me get it and if you don't like it then u must have no imagination. The whole Kingdoms & Elves series certainly hooks you from book one. I have read each book 4 times and I can never get enough! I love how we are introduced to new characters, very interesting! I love how Adrina remembers her past and gets over it. Kudos Robert Stanek!

This third book in the awesome Kingdoms and Elves series is so far my favorite, and Stanek has up to book #4 out right now. I LOVED it and it is tied at #1 with Harry Potter in my ranking of all time favorite books. Stanek has opened a window into a wonderful new world. He manages wonderfully many plots and subplots, many of which come together at the end and a few which carry to the next books. Mystery, intrigue, action, and leaving you wanting more in the epic lives of Adrina, Seth, Vilmos, Galan, Myrial, and Emel. I very strongly recomend this book to anyone in the age range of about 9 to 21! Teens will love it just as much, if not, even more than kids. Every one should read this very great book!

Although one's search begins with an alphabetized listing, the main body of this thesaurus (its original concept) is organized by category. This means that to find a synonym for e.g., "trouble", you will not simply be presented a list all the possible meanings of the word but you can choose your search depending upon the sense you are looking for. If you mean "annoyance" you will be sent one place for synonyms (nouns, verbs, adj, adv); if your meaning is more "presume upon" you will be sent somewhere else. In the case of "trouble" there are about a dozen places to go in the thesaurus depending upon the subtlety of meaning you are looking for. If you are a writer, this reference work is a sine qua non. Look no further than here for the best thesaurus in the world.

These days it's tempting to believe that you can do without a printed thesaurus. Thesauri are available on the web and there are even thesauri built into word processors. But these are pale substitutes for Roget's sixth edition.

It is much more comprehensive than other Thesauri, but it is still very easy to use. The index in the back contains an alphabetical list of words, and with each, an associated list of finer-grained definitions. For example, suppose you want to describe someone as "mopey" but that word doesn't seem quite right. When you look it up in the index you'll find "sullen" "glum" and "unsociable." Obviously, these have somewhat different characters. Next to each there is a reference to an entry to synonyms organized by category (instead of alphabetically). These lists make up the bulk of the book. Thus, the entry for "sullen" will lead you to a list of words similar in meaning to "sullen," and so on.

What makes this thesaurus easy to use is that the index at the back of the book is complete, so you seldom if ever have the experience of trying to look up a word and then find that it's not there, so you have to try to think of a synonym yourself to gain entry to the thesaurus. Second, there are 330,000 words in the listing of synonyms by category. Considering that the average college student's vocabulary is 60-80,000 words, this thesaurus should satisfy you.

One final note: if you really hate to shell out the money for this book, at least consider getting a used copy of the 5th edition, which came out in the early 90's and it still servicable.

A dictionary of synonyms or a "thesaurus in dictionary form" (now that's phony titling) requires that you think of one of the words by which they sorted the language. A true thesaurus, though, while unfamiliar at first like any new and powerful tool, will let you find the word you are looking for when you can't think of ANY word to start. All you have to do is go to the area with the right sort of ideas and browse a bit. This book only gets better with time. Every writer of every sort needs a copy of this. (Oh, and the index makes a great spelling list for all the words science- and law-obsessed spellcheckers leave out.)

The basic premise of this book is: defensive use of firearms is not just for the military and police; it is for every citizen confronted or assaulted by violent criminals violating their personal and property rights. This book contains numerous examples of citizens who used firearms to save their own lives, or the lives of others, before law enforcement arrived.

There are also examples of armed citizens coming to aid of stricken law enforcement officers, who probably owe their lives to the second ammendment rights exercised by the citizens. The stories of survival in the face of certain death at the hands of a violent criminal are gripping.

The book is a fast and easy read. Although not a great literary work, Robert A. Walters succeeds in telling the stories of victims turned defenders completely and understandably. No matter which side of the "gun control" debate you are on, this book will give you a good source of insight into the reasoning behind the pro-second ammendment advocates.

You will probably not sleep well at night after reading this book - unless you have an appropriate, loaded weapon nearby.

There are two things that I like about this book. I have always believed that the best way to learn anything in life is by following the sucessful examples of others. What better examples are there than real life ones? The book also gives good refutations on gun opponents' most popular beliefs:

1. A robber will not hurt you if you do exactly what he tells you to do.

2. Using guns as a self-defense weapon is a deployment of more than necessary force to stop a violent encounter. Martial arts and self-defense sprays should suffice in any violent confrontation

3. Silent alarms should be able to get law enforcement agents onto the scene of a crime in progress before anybody gets physically wounded. In other words, carrying a gun in a place of business is equivalent to trying to take the law into your own hands

4. Law enforcement agents are always here to protect you

Buy this book and read for yourself about the burgular who breaks into the house of a sleeping woman and, without saying a word to her, pulls out a knife and begins to slash her face. The woman did not even have a chance to comprehend what is going on before there are two deep lacerations in her face. The attacker was so strong that after the woman shot him four times, he still continues to beat her and cut her for about another hour. Ask yourself if the martial arts or pepper sprays would have been able to stop him if four .22 caliber bullets barely could. When did the police arrive? One hour after the struggle began.

Read about the jewerly store owner who quickly activates a silent alarm after seeing three men enter his store with shotguns. The first thing the robbers did was fire a shotgun shell into a nearby glass window. At this point, the store owner decided it was time to fight back. Before the police arrived, there was already an intense gun battle. Had the owner not possessed guns, the only thing the police would find upon arrival would have been a pile of dead employees and their dead employer.

Buy this book and see why every smart and responsible citizen should be armed.

I would like to recommend "STREET KARATE" by John McSweeney as a good companion to this book just in case your handgun decides not to work.

I finished reading this book very quickly. Every story was intense and captivating. The book was enjoyable for entertainment value alone, but it also contains critical information about personal defense.

Ever wondered what it was really like to be attacked by someone trying to kill you? These are stories of people who lived to tell the tail. Many potential murder victims only survived because they had a loaded gun handy.

On a personal note, my brother wasn't as fortunate as many of the people in this book. He was returning a tape at a well lit video store on a Sunday night when he was kidnapped by four thugs. They had his car, his cash, and all his possessions, but they murdered him anyway. Apparently just robbing people had become boring to them. They are now in jail, but I often wonder if my brother would be alive today if he had a gun with him.

I recommend this financial dictionary to my students--professionals in the securities industry--who are training for securities examinations. Because the definitions are written in plain English, it makes my job a lot easier.

As a novice to the investing world a book like this is an excellent resource. The definitions are laid out in an easy to understand format. Also, there are over 5,000 definitions.

Anyone that's involved in investing should have this book--whether you're a broker, banker or investor--because it has every investing-related term, as well as the latest jargon on the Street.

Written by a husband and wife team, PC Hardware in a Nutshell proves that technical books don't have to be dry. This book touches all the bases that you'd expect in a PC book but it goes much further. Beyond the purely technical stuff it focuses on what you need to know to make good purchase and upgrade decisions, and it's obvious that these people know what they're talking about. I bought this book intending to use it as a reference but this is a very easy book to get into as a straight-thru read. It's sometimes funny, at times outrageous, and never boring. It's refreshing to read something that ignores all the marketing hype. When a product is great, they say so. When a product sucks, they tell you that too.

My wife bought me this book for Christmas. I was impressed just flipping through the book and reading random sections so I decided to sit down and read it cover to cover. This is clearly the best PC hardware book on the market. Solid coverage, factually correct, and the opinions expressed are never contrary to my own experience. It's not as big as those huge compendium PC books with twenty different authors but there's more real information in it. If you're only going to buy one PC hardware book this is the one to get.

I'm getting ready to do a major upgrade of my home system. It's been a few years since I'd done much work inside a PC so I ordered this book to catch up on what I'd forgotten about. I'm glad I took the time to read it. This book recommends stuff by name, and that advice turns out to be on target every time. I was planning to buy an HP CD burner. Not the best choice says this book. It recommends buying a Plextor, which I'd never heard of. So I searched the Internet for hours reading about Plextor and HP CD burners and it turns out the authors are right. Plextor makes the best burners on the market and lots of people have problems with HP burners particularly with Win2000. And to top it off the Plextors are cheaper than the HPs. If you're planning to buy, build, or upgrade a system, buy this book. It'll save you its price many times over.

I recently bought this book at the L.A. Times book festival. I too am an addicted golfer. The confession, obsessions and insights of a golf addict is a most appropriate subtitle for The Golf Gods are Laughing. The funniest thing I've ever read about the game. JW. California.

I thought this was the most fun book on golf I've ever read and I've read quite a few. In many of the chapters I felt as if the author were writing about me, personally. (In one chapter, it turns out that he actually was.) I can't say enough good things about the way the book was written. It is down to earth, very, very accurate regarding the feelings that most addicted golfers feel, and just a real lot of fun to read.

I was so impressed with the book that I bought 24 of them (so far) and have sent them to a lot of my golf buddies.

I think that there's not much more I can say without being reptitious other than this is the best golf book I have ever read.

Sincerely,

Nobby Orens 1999 Golf Nut of the Year/Golf Nut Society of America, Guinness World Record Holder, Director of Golf Research/Plaza Travel

Robert the Bruce has captured us all since the Gods laugh and strike golfers down at will. A very funny account of the experiences we have all felt in learning this most rewarding and difficult game ever devised for the torment of man.

This account was made even more enjoyable for me since the encounters Robert experienced in Orange County, California and surrounding counties are in my primary golfing venues as well. Every course, every shot successful or failed have matched my experiences with the same highs and lows! As a collector of golf books and a practicing Golf Nut I highly recommend this book to all who either laugh along with the Gods or who desperately need to start.

The Golf Gods just won't quit laughing!

This book by CS Lewis was probably his most philosophical work. As such, it is not a light read at all and would probably prove difficult for beginners who have not been exposed to heavily philosophical material. But for those who want a highly intellectual philosophical discussion of the possibility of miracles, this book is certainly worthy of one's attention.

There are a number of strengths to this book which continue to make the book solidly relevant better than forty years after the revised edition came out. Lewis cuts to the heart of the matter very quickly in asserting that rejection of miracles apriori is a common attitude that at its core, is anti-intellectual. Attempts to base rejection of miracles on probabilities, as Hume tried to do, are philosophically untenable and require a betrayal of basic realities that are universally accepted.

Lewis then systematically dismantles the worldview that tends to most cradle apriori miracle rejection, naturalism. He compellingly shows that naturalism is a worldview that cannot stand up to philosophical scrutiny. Key to Lewis's presentation is his argument that naturalism can be demonstrated to be false in its complete rejection of supernaturalism merely by the reality of reason. Logic and reason of the mind, by themselves, are supernatural acts that cannot be explained or accounted for in nature, as naturalism demands. Supernaturalism, according to Lewis is not only possible, but pervasive since the act of logical thinking itself is supernatural in origin.

Lewis then eloquently argues that the relationship between nature and the supernatural are not hostile, but complementary. In Lewis's view, nature is quite pliable to accommodate and assimilate supernatural acts in ways that do not bring the kind of chaos and randomness that many naturalists believe to be reprehensible relative to the 'invasion' of nature by alleged supernatural acts. Lewis persuasively demonstrates that this concern is bogus.

Once the reality, possibility, and plausibility of miracles has been established philosophically, Lewis moves to classifying the Biblical miracles as either old creation or new creation miracles. Here, readers might be a bit disappointed by the presentation. Those looking for an evidential defense of miracles in general or any specific miracle in particular will not find it here. This is a philosophical presentation that is chiefly concerned with whether miracles are possible and/or probable. It is not an evidential defense of the possibility of any specific miracle. Lewis's central point is that human beings are disinclined towards believing in the inherent possibility of miracles for reasons that are not intellectually honest and calls for a fresh reappraisal of the possibility of miracles with a fresh attitude of open mindedness and a sincere commitment to soberly seek the truth absent bias. On this point, he does very well.

I noted that I thought the book deserved 4.5 stars rather than a full blown 5 stars. There are two main reasons why this is. First, his discussion of the Incarnation, while fascinating, was mostly off topic. The focus of Lewis's discussion was not on the miraculous nature of the Incarnation, but on its meaning to the believer and its relationship to nature. The discussion is good, but in a book on miracles, I found it to be misplaced. Second, and perhaps more crucial, is that Lewis succumbs to the very ad hoc skepticism that he argues so passionately against. Without elaboration, Lewis introduces the idea of 'Hebrew mythology' as being behind at least some of the miracles described in the Old Testament (Jonah and the whale being one). Why Lewis believes that some Biblical miracles are genuine while others are mythological is something he doesn't discuss. But the reader gets the sense that by taking this position, Lewis is caving in to the very kind of apriori rejection he repeatedly and rightly condemns throughout the book. Lewis's central argument is therefore undermined by his own unwarranted and unexplained backtracking from his own position.

But because this slip of reason is confined to only one or two paragraphs of the book, it is a weakness that while noteworthy and unfortunate, is not fatal to his argument. One who remains skeptical about the viability of miracles should consider that Lewis revised this book back in 1960 (in response to the arguments of Anscombe) and to date, there has been no compelling rebuttal to its tenets. Attempts to erect a solid rebuttal have been presented and then systematically refuted as erroneous and mostly illogical. As a result, this book has stood the test of time and remains a compelling argument that should provide great comfort and assurance to those who believe the Biblical miracles on faith, but wonder whether this belief can also be grounded in reason and philosophical argument. It can, and we should expect nothing less from the Creator who not only created nature and supernaturally intervenes in nature, but who also created perfect logic and reason.

"Miracles" is another book in which we are blessed with Lewis' flawless logic. I enjoyed this more than most of Lewis' other non-fiction work because, for some reason, it seemed a little less dry. Lewis necessarily spends a lot of time setting aright our incorrect preconceptions about the "natural order" of things. He carefully goes through the commonly accepted views of modern man (nearly the same now as fifty years ago) and states what is wrong with each idea in turn. After laying out what, logicially, is a more accurate view of the universe, he masterfully builds up his case for why miracles are possible. Lewis gives many convincing arguments and ends with a wonderful conclusion, answering the age-old question "How then shall we live?". Highly recommended, especially if you are looking for logical refutations of naturalism and pantheism.

Anyone who thinks that C.S. Lewis only wrote children's stories, fantasy and science fiction tales probably wouldn't be reading this book anyway. But if they did, they would find a book written by one of the 20th century's great thinkers. "Miracles" begins with an early quote that sets the tone for the rest of the book: "What we learn from experience depends on the kind of philosophy we bring to experience." Two experiences or worldviews are contrasted - the Naturalists who believe that nothing exists except Nature, and the Supernaturalists who believe in something beyond Nature. Lewis spends quite a bit of time examining the two views. Readers may think that too much time is devoted to this subject before getting to a discussion of miracles themselves, but the time spent is a necessary foundation to everything that follows.

How exactly do you define a miracle? Lewis defines a miracle as "an interference with Nature by supernatural power." Lewis then presents many questions. Are miracles in contrast to the laws of Nature? What exactly ARE the laws of Nature? Are exceptions possible? How does probability fit into the discussion of miracles? Later in the book, Lewis focuses on three categories of miracles: The Grand Miracle (God becoming man in Jesus Christ), Miracles of the Old Creation (miracles of fertility, healing, destruction, etc.), and Miracles of the New Creation (miracles of reversal, glory, resurrection). This last portion of the book I found to be the most fascinating as Lewis examines several specific miracles from the Old and New Testaments.

"Miracles" is a relatively short book, but properly read will take a little time to read. Take time to absorb and contemplate each chapter. Lewis left us with a lot of things to think about here, regardless of your worldview. You may not agree with everything Lewis says, but it will cause you to think long after you've closed the book.

Some enterprising publisher of lapsed titles--perhaps Dalkey Archives or someplace similar--should publish a new edition posthaste. "The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters" is a walloping good read, full of excitement, humor, and vivid characters. In places it reads as if Mark Twain and Henry Fielding had put their heads together for a collaboration. Robert Lewis Taylor wrote several books about teenage boys coming of age on the frontier, but "Jaimie McPheeters" was the first and by far the best.

I was fortunate to stumble across this book in our local used bookstore. My children and I read it together and absolutely loved it. The children think it is much better than any of the books their schools have required them to read. It is exciting, insightful, educational, and mostly just fun. Read this book!

Having read this book over 20 years ago, it has stuck in my memory as one of the Greats, where dozens of other titles are all but forgotten, and it is out of print?! A Pulitzer Prize winner, no less! This book needs to be available to hand down to my children and yours, and their children after them!

It has been awhile since I've read a book in this series, but returning to it I felt like I had never taken a break. Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin have become my good friends, and O'Brian swept me away with their exploits instantly. Even thought the style is decidedly un-modern, O'Brian's narrative thrust is irresistible. In this, the third volume of the series, Jack is still in debt due to the Admiralty refusing to honor a war prize based on a technicality, thus putting his engagement to Sophie in danger. Maturin is in real danger as the new Lord governing the navy broadcasts his name in a public meeting, thus raising possible questions about his role as a spy. Stephen's heart is troubled as well; he still moons over Diana Villiers, from the events of the second book.

How can you possibly dislike a book that contains a line such as this: "Jack, you have debauched my sloth." Yes, O'Brian has a certain amount of levity, although it is often hidden underneath the layers of the manners of the time. His style is somewhat like that of Jane Austen, where the most cutting of phrases are being said in the nicest of ways. You either like this sort of thing or don't. I like it, when I catch it, but I yearn for annotations, just knowing that there are some subtleties that are escaping me.

This is the third novel in the Jack Aubrey-Stephen Maturin series, and the story just keeps rolling right along. It's difficult to maintain the pace and the reader's interest for more than the first couple of volumes in any sort of fiction series, but O'brian certainly has the knack. This time, the newly-posted but still heavily indebted Captain Aubrey is detailed to ferry a diplomat to the court of an Indian prince . . . having been the unknowing beneficary of Maturin's leverage at the Admiralty. He's impatient at being out of the principal theater of the war with France, but happy to have any ship at all -- especially the frigate SURPRISE, in which he had served as a midshipman. Besides helping his friend, Dr. Maturin has his own reasons for visiting India -- Diana Villiers has gone there in the company of a wealthy merchant from the City and the East India Company. For O'Brian spends as much time on the details and development of his characters' personal interrelationships as he does on naval maneuvering and battles. And the descriptions of rounding the Cape of Good Hope are mesmerizing!

I read HMS Surprise several years ago, and I've read several others in this wonderful series, but I backtracked and read this novel again at the same time I listened to most of it in the audio version with Patrick Tull as the reader. It was a great experience. HMS Surprise comes close to being a perfect novel. From the rescue of Stephen in Port Mahon, to the scene on St. Paul's rocks, to the gale as they went round the cape of Good Hope, to Stephen's tragic adventures in Bombay, to the incredible battle with the French squadron, to Stephen's tragic relationship with Diana Villiers, to Maturin's duel in Calcutta, to whether Sophie would be waiting for Jack, every scene is near perfection.

Patrick Tull is a perfect narrator for O'Brian's work. He has the various voice down to perfection and you can tell he loves what he's reading.

Each book in this series has much to recommend, but his one stands slightly above the others.

Bob Fenner is one of the most helpful personalities in the industry. I bought his book only after finding his personalized help offered on [the internet]. He helped me avoid so many pitfalls with his website, I just had to buy his book. It's not all pictures like so many books, and it's up to date. I've saved myself a lot of money just using his book and following his advice. With the price of marine aquariums and fishes, saving even one fish buys this book for you. Check it out, or check him out on his site first. I'm sure you wont be disappointed.

It is needless to say how great this book is. It covers almost every possible topics for beginner and is very interesting reading. However, there are few things you may want to know:

1. The author sometimes scatter important notes of same topic in different section and never repeat. You want to read this book carefully and word by word.

2. Some topics are not very detail for a beginner. For example, the medical treatment for desease dont not cover the appropriate dosage or treatment time. For filtration system, it does not recommand which type of filter capacity is suitable for certain size of aquarium.

3. Many spices of fish and invertabrates have no picture in this book to help you identify them

4. This book is a must for any one who just started a marine aquarium but may not be enough for experienced aquarist

Overall, I still give this book 5 star for giving so much experienced advices that my marine aquarium is finally sucessful.

This is a great book to get you started. Most topics are covered in an easy to understand context. In-depth discussions about irrelevant topics are left out, although you will gain a greater understanding from this book much moreso than the average beginner book. It explains differences between fish only systems, fish & invertebrate systems, and reef systems and gives you all the knowledge you need to get started and maintain the system of your choosing. Although specific in-depth discussions are not found here as in other books I've read (i.e. books by Martin Moe who tends to elaborate on inpertinent information which may be of interest to advanced marinists), this book contains the most USEFUL information in one place. Pictures are great--very colorful and and helpful in some instances. Also, the author of "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" is quite concerned about the environmental impact of specimen collection on our coral reefs, and lays out an outlook that all of us should adhere to. I would definitely recommend this book to all but the most experienced who keep a salt water system.