This book was an excellent source from which the youth group at my church built their service on youth sunday. The conversations span many topics and are very useful in developing a strong bond with God through an interesting technique- actual dialogue between Ryan and God. Ryan's book serves as a great tool in thinking of new ways to share God with others. I was very impressed with it, and have read it several times.

This book was the most complete reference I have found to date. It helped me a great deal with research on finding my Irish ancestors. It contains a history on each county and parish and explains in detail all the records available for research in those areas. Examples and pictures are provided of certain documents, and information is discussed on the meaning of each. Specific addresses where each document is available is provided, along with specific dates the documents cover. This book may be a little overwhelming as to the content, but I would recommend it as the most comprehensive reference book on Irish ancestry I've found to date.

From the book jacket, "Inspired by _The Last of the Mohicans_ by James Fenimore Cooper," _Last of the Breed_ is part of the "Adventures of Wishbone" series. Wishbone, a perky Jack Russell Terrier, connects modern-day events with books he remembers "reading." In this particular adventure Mr. Leon King, a local real estate developer in Wishbone's home town of Oakdale, wants to build a Tastee Oasis fast-food outlet on the edge of the town park. He gets permission to do so, by nefarious means, from the Oakdale Town Council. The moral of the book, from which Wishbone draws parallels to Cooper's novel, is that the land is important and progress (in the form of fast food outlets) isn't measured by paving over every available inch of landscape. What is especially impressive about Steele's treatment of _Mohicans_ is that he is truthful to the original. He does not gloss over the violence (he includes a throat-slashing and the Massacre at Fort William Henry), nor does he try to change the ending of Cooper's novel. Wishbone even says, "I had forgotten how sad the ending of this story is. Let me just take a moment..." before moving back to the "triumph" over Mr. Leon King. _Last of the Breed_, while certainly not a substitute for Cooper's _Last of the Mohicans_, is certainly a good primer for reading Cooper's novel. Moreover, it treats readers, both children and adults, to a throughly enjoyable ecofriendly story. Well done, Wishbone!

Because I'm a huge fan of Spike, I knew that I had to find a copy of this rare graphic. I'm very glad that I did. It contains 3 reprinted stories, and 1 original story.

ALL'S FAIR- takes place during the World's Fair of 1933. The story follows Spike and Dru as they maim. Slash, and slay their way through the glitter and lights of the Fair. They also encounter hideous demons from another dimension and highly skilled assassins out for blood.

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS- As the pair travel to Sunnydale to be near the Hellmouth, the star-crossed lovers stop in St. Louis to do a bit of gambling and cause major mayhem on a riverboat casino. But, their blissful vacation is cut short by river demons.

PAINT THE TOWN RED- this story takes place shortly after Spike and Dru leave Sunnydale at the end of Buffy's second season. Dru's renewed love for Angel drives a wedge between the lovers. The end result is both of them trying to hurt the other as much as possible- which is a whole lot! With James Marsters helping with the writing, and Ryan Sook's artwork, this is by far the best story of all four.

WHO MADE WHO- tells the tale of Spike and Dru's final break up in Brazil. This is an epilog to Buffy's season three episode " Lover's Walk".

The only downside to this graphic is the artwork. Highly stylized, it's a deterant to fans who like Spike for his rugged good looks.

Still, if you like Buffy, Dru, or Spike and can find a copy of this graphic, than by all means buy it!

P.J. Carisella and James W. Ryan attempt, as the title so hints, to solve one of the most controversial mysteries of World War I. The death of Manfred von Richthofen, the so-called 'Red Baron,' is a tale that still is shrowded in mystery and uncertainty. Carisella and Ryan's efforts (more so the former than the latter) are commendable and certainly laudable for their exhaustive research and correspondence with eyewitnesses to the event (mainly Australian ground gunners), but the arguments to be found within the book's contents are, despite the work surrounding the endeavour, still questionable.

The events of the morning of April 21, 1918, are the central theme to the book, although Carisella devotes a lengthy chapter to the life of Richthofen prior to the fateful day in which the flyer (who shot down 80 confirmed victories, thus establishing himself as the leading ace of World War I) met his end. While pursuing a novice flyer in a Sopwith Camel, Richthofen broke his own cardinal rules of flying by pursuing the novice low to the ground and well behind enemy lines. Captain A.R. Brown, a Canadian from Carleton Place, Ontario, managed to get behind Richthofen's distinguishable all-red Fokker Dr.I (triplane) and fire a number of bursts into the plane. Richthofen's closeness to the ground made his crate susceptible to anti-aircraft fire from Australian infantry, of which a substantial number of Aussies managed a few pot-shots at Richthofen. When the Baron finally did crash, having sustained a single bullet that passed through his chest that drowned his lungs from mass internal bleeding, a major controversy erupted over who was to bear the title of victor. The newly-formed R.A.F. pointed the finger towards Captain Brown, while the Australians pointed it towards their own comrades.

Carisella recounts the events of that day meticulously and with painstaking detail that merit the meaning of history and research. His conclusion, however, bears question. His final argument, is that the credit to shooting down the Baron is to go to Sgt. C.B. Popkin and Gunner R.F. Weston, two Australian groundsmen. It is here in that the reviewer disagrees. The evidence provided by Carisella must be examined in light of more recent material unearthed by aviation historians and buffs alike (Carisella's book first appeared in 1969). Upon reading the substantial accounts of Australians that witnessed the event, faults begin to creep up. The accounts wildly contradict each other, and a number of "witnesses" even went so far as to claim that there were only two planes involved in the incident, when in fact there were three!

Accounts of post-mortem examinations of Richthofen's shattered body also conflict. Some claim that evidence points toward Brown, seeming that the point of entry was almost in line with the point of exit. Others contradict this, claiming that the point of entry was below the exit wound (pointing to the Aussies).

It is useless (and because of space limitations) to point out all the conflicting explanations. In is in this reviewer's opinion (who himself recently completed extensive research for a term paper on the topic) that the fateful shot was fired by the Canadian, Capt. Brown, although the theory of Australian ground gunners should not be ruled out entirely.

Carisella and Ryan's book offers tremendous perspective into the controversy, among others, but sadly, it is currently out-of-print. These two historians deserve the credit for ambitiously and ruthlessly pursuing such a controversial subject that inevitably contributed to the ever-growing legend of Manfred von Richthofen and his exploits. Who precisely killed him is for the reader to decide for themselves. Most probably Brown, but until the unlikely event in which physical evidence will somehow be acquired (unlikely in that Richthofen's Fokker was literally taken apart by souvenir hunters and the skeletal remains tossed into a shell-crater where it was inevitably left to disintegrate), only then will the dusts of controversy finally settle over the death of the greatest fighter pilot of that war.

Edition which was reviewed: P.J. Carisella and James W. Ryan, "Who Killed the Red Baron?" (New York: Avon Books, 1979).

Good writers should be able to make their work suitable for all ages (especially younger readers) without making their prose sound overly simplistic or juvenile. This should be especially easy for books on baseball, since there's "a lot of little boy" in both the writers and readers - it should come naturally. Perfect, unfortunately, is just plain bad. How these writers can take some of the most dramatic stories of baseball and make them uninteresting and virtually unreadable leaves me (nearly) speechless. Even Ken Burns' Baseball series' mention of some of the perfect games in far less space is far more compelling. In addition, I found that there was really very little information - even with the recent games - that isn't already readily available in the briefest of articles found elsewhere. At most a few known quotes and dugout/clubhouse anecdotes can be found for each game, amid a wash of overly simplistic and juvenile text. Book should have been titled "See Spot Pitch". Can't recommend it, sadly.

I just have to say that the writing in this book was very bad, and the best part that someone pionted out as the "nearly perfect" section in the back was written by someone else.

do not buy it.

If a "PERFECT GAME" is a flawless pitching effort, well, author James Buckley didn't pitch one here. Good solid outing, however, by one of the most knowledgeable writers of the Diamond Arena. The research here is as respectable as the writing itself, with the latter being a bit simplistic for the mature reader. Especially rewarding for the student of the game are the earlier pieces and Buckley does a fine job of recalling those faded days when the game was young and fresh and Americans everywhere just could not get enough of it. Highly recommended, especially if, like myself and probably every true baseball fan, you love stats.

It is Redfield's genuine sense of optimism that makes me pick up his books and read them. There is something contagious about a positive outlook on life and spirituality. But I have never read a book by him that did not go miles beyond naive in its treatment of religion/spirituality.

Redfield and his associates have loaded a plate for us at the salad bar of religious and philosophical syncretism. They have put some good things there. But the nutritional balance is suspect. Moreover, like mixing chemicals pulled randomly from under the kitchen sink, the resulting combination may be volatile.

My biggest complaint against this book is its willingness to 'spin' religious and philosophical 'developments' so that they fit neatly into their spiritual evolution paradigm. No matter that their notions run cross-currents with the larger context within which many of these religious and philosophical ideas have developed. It reminds me of a kind of inter-religious proof-texting, whereby religious leaders of the ages are all pointing in the direction in which the authors want us to go. But this is NOT where many of the thinkers and religious leaders of the past suggested we go.

Also disturbing is the book's over-simplification of ideas concerning evolution. While the authors deny that they do so, the book is built on the assumption of a linear trajectory that is not well attested by history or science. While I normally spend a lot of time criticizing Post-Modern thinkers, it might be wise for Redfield and company to take some of their critiques seriously and realize that the universe is not a 'just add water and stir' kind of place.

In truth, this is a digested cut and paste book glued together with wishful thinking.

Honestly, though, I think it is done with the best of intentions. And I will undoubtedly pick up Redfield's next book and read it, too.

Lastly, I would caution the reader that there is basically nothing new here. If you have read New Age books before, you have read this one. The strongest part of the book is the annotated bibliography (for which I commend the authors). Again, I don't agree with their interpretation of what they have read, but they are reading a lot of interesting things. To repeat...I can't help but feel good feelings for the authors. But this book leaves a lot to be desired.

This book is an overview of the entire spiritual journey. It is a like a map of human consciousness, covering the evolution of our understanding of God, as well as giving information about every aspect of the spiritual path. It is not a novel (like Celestine Prophecy, etc.), but rather it is a guide to help each person as they increase their awareness of their own spiritual understanding. Redfield and Murhpy present an excellent overview, which I found inspiring, informational, and well-researched.

Really enjoyed this book. It's clearly written for a curious, intelligent layperson, not scholars. Contains a great, concise, general overview of evolution, getting more specific as applied to the evolution of spiritual and philosophical schools of thought that have shaped our current ways of thinking, very clear presenations of many examples of ways in which we humans appear to be in the midst of (or quickly approaching) a period of rapid evolution in our awareness and capabilities, a significant number of practical ways a person might explore these ideas for him/herself, and a wonderful bibliography/recommended reading list . I found the book, enjoyable and inspiring, and would recommend it to anyone with a sincere interest in a greater understanding of the implications of individual, societal and global evolution of consciousness, and for people looking for ideas for participation and practice.

The author tries to separate the myth from the man and does offer some interesting analysis from his cynical viewpoint. But in debunking the myth, his point of view oversteps and creates another myth. The reader must continually weed these opinions from the facts, which he weaves in, back and forth in chronological time, using this device to often repeat his criticism, both real and imagined. Being published in 1969, Daniel James was at the disadvantage of writing soon after the events, but he does manage to make some interesting analysis when he's not too busy alienating Che.

The Wheel of Time saga is an uninspired, hardly original, badly written pile of junk. It is difficult to see a plan into its development, and the story sounds like a free association of words at the psychanalist's office. If The Lord of the Rings had not been around may be the Wheel of Time would have had a shot...but, to be honest, if the Rings had never been written, Robert Jordan would have had nothing to (badly) copy.

What this is: an epic adventure. It would be imappropriate to review the WOT series when speaking of the Prophesies of the Dragon book; it's also not really a supplement akin to, say, The Monster Manual for D&D--the only extra skills, feats, backgrounds, etc are those directly related to NPCs in the campaign. What Prophecies is designed to do is take a party of characters through their first six levels of adventuring, which correspond roughly to the first six books of the series of novels. The players are allowed to play a key behind the scenes roll in the story of the novels and cameos have been scripted for many of the book's key characters. It's a really ambitious undertaking; players have to be given a compelling storyline, feel like they're making a difference in a campaign that covers over a year of game time, without letting them change what happens in the novels.

Does it work? I am currently GMing this adventure. On paper, it looks really good. Some of the scenes, especially in the later parts of the story, look exciting, moving even. Faile's cameo is perfect, for example. In practice, though, it's been an extremely frustrating experience. First, the early encounters (as pointed out by another reviewer) are unnecessarily difficult and add nothing to the plot. As things progress, the authors presume too much on the goals and motivations of the players. There is one chapter, for example, where the introduction says something along the lines of, "Upon entering the city, the players will want to find (a certain NPC) as soon as posible and will definitely want to investigate the actions of (another NPC)." The players in my campaign knew they wanted to talk to one of these guys eventually, but the other one was off their radar completely. Throughout, I've had to improvise ways to keep them approximating the plot line of the campaign and by chapter 3, they're feeling very manipulated.

The campaign assumes the party wants to do nothing more than hunt down dark friends and expose evil plots and will take great personal risk and go through great hardship (including, at one point, a monthlong trek through a winter wilderness without adequate provisions) on the chance of thwarting same. Characters with any other motivations (say, a character modeled after Mat or Nynaeve in the books) will feel forced into situations unnaturally. There has been more than one point where one of the players saying, "I *think* this is where the plot wants us to go."

So, in conclusion, while this adventure is excellent in its dreams and scope--and it's definitely better than something I could have designed myself--but it will fail often fail as a game. If you are intending to run a WOT campaign, buy this adventure, read it so that you thoroughly understand its scope BEFORE you even let your players make up characters. The characters need to be in the philosophy of the story or the story won't work.

It's not a supplement. That'd've been useful. It's a big adventure set. That could've been useful.

Then we met the Demon-Bear.

Allow me to explain. In d20, animals don't get feats. One of the early mini-adventures has a BIG bear that has lots of bonus feats...and a party of first and second-level PCs is supposed to defeat it. When it can kill a PC with one swipe of its paw. Right.

That's emblematic of the problems with this adventure set. It's written with little attention to rules or game balance, or even party survival. Some adventures throw opponent after opponent at the PCs, but with such poor healing capability, you'll inevitably have PC casualties. While those aren't necessarily bad, having the odds stacked so heavily against you isn't fun.

Another flaw is that, in many instances, PC decisions don't matter. You are, in fact, on rails in a good many adventures, and that's BAD. The adventure in Falme, in particular, comes to mind.

It could've been good. Really. Almost anything would've been better than the ... introductory adventure included with the main book (1st-level PCs...against 3rd-level trollocs that outnumber you, and, oh yes, have high strength and high-crit-range weapons!)...save this.

If you're intending to GM Wheel of Time d20 adventures, save your money and look elsewhere. You can come up with stuff that's easily better.