The conceit of "Stephen King's Creepshow," the 1982 horror anthology film directed by George A. Romero, was that these were the stories in a horror comic book. The implicit homage was to the great E.C. horror titles of the 1950s (remember this is before "Tales from the Crypt" popped up on cable TV), an idea reinforced by the fact former E.C. artist Jack Kamen did the cover art for this graphic novel version of the film that was based on a comic book. The chief attraction here for me was not that Stephen King wrote these stories, but rather than Berni Wrightson was the artist for the five adaptations collected in this volume. That is why I bothered to pick this book up in the first place; I had seen the movie and while it was fun it was nothing special. "The Crate" was the best episode of the bunch and "Something to Tide You Over" had some nice moments. But I had the illustrated version of "Frankenstein" that Wrightson did and a toney table top book "The Studio" that featured his artwork along with another favorite, Barry Windsor-Smith. This is why I was really expecting something special and why I was rather disappointed with this volume, because I do not think Wrightson delivers his best work. Part of the problem might be the coloring, which I believe was done by Michelle Wrightson, but for the most part it seems clear that that these five stories are no where near the artist's best work. Again, I think "The Crate" is probably the best of the bunch (although I really thought this was where Wrightson would go to town with the monster) and "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" is halfway decent (even offering echoes of the Swamp Thing). "Father's Day" and "They're Creeping Up on You" are the first and last stories in the book and neither is an improvement on the original film stories. Stephen King has done better and so, in case you are missing the thesis of my review, has Bernie Wrightson.

If you like horror comics and anything by Stephen King, then you will LOVE "Creepshow". This book ties in with the movie and it's some of Kings best work. Wrote in the best "Tales From the Crypt" style, its a rollercoaster ride of terror and laughs. "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" is one of my faves, both in the book and the movie.(Steve King is a GREAT actor, isn't he?)The illusrations are by the brilliant comic artist, Bernie Wrightson and when paired with King's flair for the macabre, well; you can't go wrong. So buy it, buy it, buy it! You won't regret it. (FYI: Stephen King's son, Owen was the boy who got even with his dad for throwing away his comic book, in the movie. heehee, everyone needs a good voodoo doll!)

This is a comic book version of the screenplay based on Stephen King stories. The drawing and story included in the book hold true to the movie and the plots of the different stories included. King's love of the macabre and unusual twists comes through even in the abbreviated version of these stories.

If you like the movie, then this book is a must have for any King fan.

This is actually the first book at a new publisher; there was another 12 novels released by another publisher. This is a pretty good Wild Cards novel. Just in case you've never read a Wild Cards novel, they are science fiction based on the earth where a virus was released back in the '50s. This virus killed 90% of the people infected, 9% of the people got a Joker (deformity with or without some sort of super-power) and 1% got an Ace (a super-power of some sort). This novel focuses on a search for a conspiracy against Jokers, a group that wants to eliminate all Jokers. Rather than several stories that are loosely or not related, this novel follows the recent pattern of a single plot tied together by several inter-related short stories. The novel includes several of my favorite characters: Croyd "Sleeper" Crenson and Jay "Poppinjay" Ackroyd. Several new characters are also introduced and add to the universe nicely. Of course, the story makes more sense by knowing some of the background from the previous novels, but they are not necessary. Especially with the ending which left me saying "Oh no" to myself.

The characters almost come to life as you read, and the storylines are great. A must-read for anyone interested in science fantasy or comic books.

As an avid reader of Science Fiction, I must confess that there was a certain amount of reluctance to review this particular book. Because, you see, I am a fan of the Wild Cards series, and have been for many years. For those of you unfamiliar with the series, let me sum up. The series from number 1 to number 12 is based on the idea of what would happen if we had people with superheroic powers on Earth now. Then it goes further and says, well what if these people were given these powers by an alien virus, which could kill you or cause some kind of disfigurement? When you get the virus, one of three things happens. You die, which is what is called drawing the Black Queen, you can become disfigured in some strange way, like grow tentacles, or feathers or something wierd, then you draw the Joker. If you are really lucky, you can gain superhuman powers, which is called drawing the Ace. Now put all of this in our world as we know it and it gets a little strange. There has been a change in publishers and artists with the series. Baen Books has picked it up, and the new cover artist does a wonderful job. (Wish this one had been around when Tachyon was still around) There has been a fire at a church in what was the Bowery but is now called Jokertown, and a new fire inspector has been called in to investigate. What she uncovers is a web of lies, deception, and murder so entangling, that she is caught in the web. Now she must use all of her skills, and a few friends, to find answers.. But the truth is always more dangerous, especially when there are some who would rather not let it be known. If you like comic books, you will like this book, although I would reccomend that you run, don't walk, to get the series 1 thru 12 by Bantam Spectra, and then read this one. There are also graphic novels of the Wild Cards Universe, and other stuff.

If it is detail you want this book has it. It is a great Sci-fi type book. It is a great book for someone who likes gory books

I'm always singing the praises of Stephen George to anybody who will listen and NIGHTSCAPE is one of my favorite books from this hugely under-appreciated author. A young boy, reunited with his mother after many years, is pursued by a bizarre cult. The boy and his mother, along with a tortured man who is out for revenge for the cult's murder of his brother, find themselves at odds with the mysterious group that seem to be everywhere. The closer they get, the less human the cult appears to be, and the young boy starts to go through a bizarre transformation as he is seduced by it's members. This is a startlingly original, wildly suspenseful book, and a great introduction to Mr. George's work. If you appreciate horror with a fantastic edge, do yourself a favor and seek this book out. You'll be glad you did. And just like me, you'll find yourself hunting down the rest of his work after you do.

Evan evolves in more than one way here. This book is not only sci-fi but a mystery and a thriller.with this book you can escape into a whole other place.

Stephen Minta weaves a modern journey in the footsteps of Byron into an evocation of byron's romantic nature and in the process, creates a useful and idiosyncratic view of the poet. Much as he did in his previous book, "Aguirre", Minta quietly traces his subject's antique journey through the echoes of his own modern one. While not simply a travel book nor yet a biography of Byron, this history is an inventive and skillfull combination of the two, and a useful addition to the already strining bookshelves of admirers of the romantics.

This is many books in one and packed with information but easily digestible - a fascinating combination of Greek history, biography of Byron, and description of the author's own travels through Northern Greece, the Ionian Islands, and Albania. It's helpful in explaining the complexities of the Greek struggle for independence (or ethnic cleansing or civil war) when they spent half their time fighting each other and where neither side was blameless. Byron's character was almost equally complex and interesting. In addition you get for your money an excellent guide to parts of Greece and some insight into the complex and interesting character of Stephen Minto.

While contemporary British society is tautosemus with conservatism and the British state carries the tradition of an imperialist empire, many a British scholar shall honour his country by giving it its fair place as a lamplighter of humanity. Many an English scholar shall be a freethinker and a truth-seeker and a creator and admirer of true beauty. Such was Byron and such, it appears is Stephen Minta. Though not perfectly factually accurate as he might attempt and desire to be, Stephen Minta achieves with precision an intuition into the nature of Byron that most his predecessors have failed to see or altogether denied. Geniuses like Byron do not conform to the average human standard of behaviour, and are so often misinterpreted and misrepresented. Scholars have denied their understanding to Byron's fascination not with the dead classical Greece but with the surviving Greek spirit. It is notable that the current compilation of Byron's "complete" works does not include few final poems that he did write in Greece and that offer closure to the Giaour, Childe Harold and the Isles of Greece. And beyond his intellectual inheritance to Britain and the world, Byron, the lover of freedom and nations, has most amazingly affected the life of Greece and was finally politically successful even despite himself, even beyond his grave and century. The interpretation of Byron presented in this book by Stephen Minta is chasing away shadows of bogusness and don-quixotism that have been tainting Byron's portrayal. A true pleasure to read and a work for which the times are ripe.

From the real-life story of the meteoric rise, and subsequent fall of Tom Molineaux, freed slave who comes to England with one purpose alone--to defeat the reigning champ, Tom Cribb. Seen through the eyes of various people who saw him (including, notably, Harry Flashman's father) (Flashman himself gets a brief mention) and who are telling their experiences to an unknown person, presumably an author or writer.

Since Tom's fate is revealed in the prologue, watching Tom's arc, which will bring him achingly close to the top only to fall, is painful. But what makes this book is watching the attitude of those arond him, and the Napoleonic-era society which is delighted to embrace him as a novelty--and to turn against him the instant he becomes a threat or a failure. For all the wine, women and song he is given, the turning point in this book is when the misunderstood Tom realizes he will never be accepted, as a non-white, non-English contender, society and the mob will turn against him the instant he is seen as likely to become the champion.

Fraser, as he showed for the later 19th century in the Flashman books, and as he did for the Edwardian era in Mr. American, shows an intimate knowledge and understanding of Regency England, which is brought to life for our enjoyment.

A more serious historical novel than we are used to from MacDonald Fraser. This novel still contains much of the wit and pizzazz found in the Flashman papers. The flavour of that era is strongly portrayed, but the heavy use of "olde Englishe" makes the book difficult to read and in my opinion, does not add to the story. A glossary at the end helps, but does not cover all the terms used. The central character, Tom Molineaux, a black slave in America who wins his freedom in a boxing match, almost achieves his life's ambition of becoming the bareknuckle champion of England which at that time was "the world". But he fails to cope with his own demons and sinks to an early and undignified end. Is it a tragedy? MacDonald Frazer, leaves this question open. Tom started as an uneducated slave, then travelled to London, became famous, met the King, fought for the English bareknuckle title twice, and bedded some of the most famous "ladies" in England. It sure beats slavery!

One of the delightful things about the work of George MacDonald Fraser is the wide range of subjects he addresses which are knit together by one singular talent - his ability to breath life into another era.

Those who have only read The Flashman Papers (not a bad thing by any means) have only seen one facet of Mr. Fraser's talent. When he applied it in "The Steel Bonnets", one of the most confusing, convoluted and bloody periods in English history leapt into focus. Now in addressing the doomed career of Tom Molineaux, a former slave who freed himself by beating another slave to death, Fraser sheds some much needed light on that contradictory period which was Regency England.

Using Molineaux's brief career as the subject of an "industrious inquirer", Fraser brings in the views of such diverse observers as an eccentric upper class "pedestrian" who - between walks to Scotland and back - trains Tom Cribb for the second bout, a boxing journalist of the period whose florid hyperbole disguises the fact that he is rarely able to actually attend the matches and, of course, Flash Harry's "guv'ner", Buckley "Mad Buck" Flashman.

"Black Ajax" reveals more about the attitudes, prejudices and life styles of the Regency than it really does about poor Tom Molineaux. For those looking for a politically correct read, look elsewhere for, as Fraser is fond of saying, history cannot be bent to suit today's attitudes and still remain history. For those who revel in Fraser's adept use of dialect and period slang and his ability to bring an entire era to life, this is for you.

This book is a good read although it can be slow at times. Adam Bede is, of course, the title character. But it is Hetty Sorrel that Eliot uses to raise questions about a very judgmental society. Hetty's "fall" asks the question of who is to blame. Throughout the novel she is never given much guidance, although she is expected to act in the proper manner. In fact, Eliot may not have even known how to deal with society's reaction to Hetty, therefore, making a dull ending that does not make much sense. Eliot seems afraid to address the issues of Hetty being integrated back into society and the consequences of her actions. In failing to end the book with Hetty coming back home, Eliot fails to make her point. That being, the influence of a society in the actions of their people. Who is to blame? Eliot herself, in the weak ending, backs down to the very own society she is questioning. Hetty is not allowed to return, therefore, the society is never forced to deal with the issue. In the end, Eliot raises many questions regarding the structure of society. However, she does not follow through and falls short in the ending. All in all, I would highly recommend this read. If you can get through the slow spots, you will raise many of your own questions about who is responsible when someone falls short in our own society? Good Luck and enjoy!

I just finished "Adam Bede," turning to the novels of George Eliot after a long stint of reading only Thomas Hardy. A long-time fan of Hardy's work, I thought him to be my favorite English author -- George Eliot, however, has proven to be quite the challenger to Hardy for a place in my heart.

"Adam Bede" is the tale of simple people making their way in the world, each of them encountering hardship and sorrow along the way. Eliot's style is immediately engaging: she addresses the reader directly, and it seems like she is behind the scenes everywhere, pulling up a curtain to reveal vignettes in the lives of her characters. She forces the readers, almost, to fall in love with Adam immediately -- the strong, righteous man whom the story will carry along its rocky path. Similarly, Dinah emerges immediately as the source of peace and goodness in the novel, and it is always refreshing when, in times of turmoil, she appears.

I was bothered by only one element of the story, but I think it is rather easily overlooked: Adam's unrelenting love for Hetty. Eliot gives little background as to why his feelings for her are so strong, and all we really know of her personality is that she is incredibly vain because she is incredibly beautiful. Adam never struck me as a character who would fall for such a "surface" woman. His final choice for a wife (which I will not reveal in case amazon.com surfers haven't read the book yet) seems much more appropriate.

All in all, the journey through this book is a most rewarding one. I look forward to my next Eliot read!

This book was a dirty task to complete, but I was so enchanted with the romances that I couldn't put this book down. Not only of romance (Eliot's forte), but with tragic twists. Superb, and also difficult read. Readers of all ages will find this story beautiful and hard to forget.

I thought this was a sex manual, it's not. It's really a summary of a bunch of articles and books thrown together. Better and possibly cheaper to read the original sources. I didn't find it terribly helpful but you might want to get it for your son when he turns 16 if you have a good relationship with him.

Too bad did the reviewer (too cowardly to give his/her name) who called my book a summary of other articles and books doesn't know what he/she's talking about. Winston and I personally spent more than a year of our lives doing original research and writing for this book. First rule of writing: write what you know. That goes double for reviews. The second rule is, if you don't know what you're writing about, keep your fingers off the keyboard. Sorry if this sounds snappish, but I have zero tolerance for this brand of stupidity.

As the mother of a teenager and a very sensual person, I found this book to be very helpful in many situations. Though a woman, it has helped me in a couple of quandaries. I really like the format used. I have recommended this book on the discussion board I lead, "Talking to Kids About Sex," through iVillage TWN's Parent Soup Community. I have also recommended it to many friends.

I travelled alone through Italy with this book by my side. It was such a valuable tool for finding cheap lodging and great places to eat. The book breaks up lodging, meals, and shopping by the regions of Italy. The only criticism that I had was that it neglected to cover the southeastern regions of Italy, where I felt I could have used the book even more so than in a city like Rome. All in all, I felt like I had the insider's track on Italy, and as a result, I had a great time and came home with many wonderful memories.

Not too heavy in weight, yet heavy with description, historical views, fun details, well organized and full of wonderful advice. Definitely a must have for anyone who loves to travel.

While I felt the book was bit too long, it was however filled with interesting and colorful characters, great descriptions of the lonely vastness of Texas and the hardy folk who peopled that region. Mr. Harrigan did a good job of blending in fact, lore and some good dialog between the characters. His viewpoint from the Mexican side of events was well done and well researched and with some terrific character cross over meetings. The march of Santa Anna's army during their northern advance was excellently told. The growing unrest between the Texians and the Mexicans was captured in such a fashion as to make both side clearly understood. I did find the main character of Mary a tad boring at times, her broken nose was a nice touch, but she seemed to be propelled by guilt through the entire book. The botonist was pretty colorless and flat in my viewpoint. He just didn't seem to fit the role but maybe that was the intent. When the storyline is directed into the events at the Alamo, the book excels. The chapters about the actual battle and the aftermath were superbly written, drawing the reader into the darkness and misery and fear that must have stood beside each defender. I liked the concept of Crockett leaving the compound to seek reinforcements, based on fact I've read. But there was no mention of one Louis Rose, who actually left the Alamo before the place was sealed off and the reference of rockets being used by Santa Ana was a pleasant surprise. The author did mention red flags being used to signal "no quarter, no prisoners" but he did not mention the "deguello" (from the Spanish verb that meant "to slit the throat"- degollar, which was the sorrowful, somber and haunting bugle tune. I felt this was a powerful instrument to instill fear in one's enemies and was used by Santa Ana for several years before the Alamo. All in all, the novel was lengthy but rich in detail, good balance of characters and their lives, graphic scenes involving the Goliad massacre and the fight inside the Alamo itself. A worthy topic of a TV or cable mini series. I highly recommend the old Republic flim "The Last Command" with Serling Hayden as a good partner to this novel. It is available through Amazon and worth checking out.

All things considered, this was not a bad book. It held my interest from beginning to end, mostly because of the strength of the novel's first half and the strong character development there. The fictional story is naturally overshadowed in the second half by the historical battle.

In the first half, we get a glimpse of Texas frontier life through Mary Mott and her son Terrell as they run their inn near the gulf coast. We see the inside of Mexican politics through Edmund, the botanist who works for the government of Mexico, and through this plot device we are able to see the political situation from a Mexican perspective. The Mexicans saw North Americans as "land pirates." After all, Texas was part of Mexico.

The action that eventually brings Mary and Edmund together is both interesting and informative about the historical events that led to the Battle of the Alamo. The budding relationship between Mary and Edmund is written in a subtle and sensitive way. I liked both these characters in the beginning. Edmund is proud and highly educated but has absolutely no knowledge of women and apparently has never considered them necessary, his only love being his botanical study of Texas. The widow Mary is wiser in a worldly sense and is attracted to Edmund but she waits for him to make the first move. This complicated relationship keeps the first half moving.

Eventually the author needs to get his characters inside the Alamo and this is where the novel runs into trouble. The formerly strong and wise protagonists, Mary and Edmund, choose to go to Bexar, a place they know will soon erupt into heated battle at the Alamo, for some rather silly and implausible reasons. And as they get into more and more trouble on the way, I kept wondering why they ever went in the first place. This weak link compromises the fictional story throughout the entire second half of the novel.

The battle itself is well done. Harrigan writes battle scenes with realistically graphic violence and gore. As with any so called historical novel, the author must be careful not to change history or historical persons, and at the same time invent dialog and actions that can never be verified. Harrigan has done a good job with the battle itself. He's taken out or changed some of the better-known legends. He did this based on the latest available historical documents, according to an interview with him that was published on the Internet.

The fictional characters serve little purpose in the second half other than to get the reader into the Alamo, and later into the command post of Sam Houston. Harrigan pulls no punches in his treatment of this legendary Texas hero. Houston is shown as a drunken vacillator who is despised by his men.

All in all this was a good novel. Harrigan has enough love for Texas history not to revise it, but only to try to clarify it. An historical novel is not a bad way to teach history as long as the reader can keep the fiction separate from the history. This fictional story falls apart in the second half, but you don't buy a book called "Gates of the Alamo" to read a love story.

I read the book with great interest, as I am a Texan, and I wished to get a clearer idea of the actual events at the battle of the Alamo. Mr. Harrigan's book provided a well-researched and superbly written chronicle of the event. I agree that his book also provides some background concerning the viewpoint of the Mexican leaders. I have a couple of problems with the book. All of the main characters are repeatedly beaten, shot, stabbed, and/or clubbed before the battle of the Alamo ever begins. I understand that the Texas frontier was a rough place, but I think it is a little over-done. Also, the sexual disfunction of the botanist Mr McGowan is a little destracting and does not really serve the main story line. The sentence structure and choice of words are first rate and compare favorably with "Lonesome Dove." And the attention to historical accuracy is evident and appreciated by this reader.

"The Gunslinger" was one of the first books I ever read by Stephen King (sometime in the early 90s), and even though it's not one of my favorites, it's still worth reading if you like King's fantasy novels. It takes place in another world where Roland, the gunslinger, pursues The Man in Black across dry, dangerous terrain, entering town after town and stumbling across various characters who will ultimately lead him to a mortal battle with The Man in Black.

This series/book isn't like King's typical horror fare (i.e., "Cujo" or "Carrie"); it has more of a western/sci-fi feel to it. That's probably why I didn't like it as much. But if you're into this type of genre, then you'll more than likely enjoy the Dark Tower series--"The Gunslinger" (#1), "The Drawing of the Three" (#2), "The Waste Lands" (#3), and "Wizard and Glass" (#4).

The Gunslinger begins the saga of Roland, an old west style gunfighter lost somewhere in a strange parallel world. It is a classic story of good vs. evil and only begins a race to the mythical Dark Tower. This book is a short fast read that sets up the plot for the Dark Tower series. The characters are imaginative and interesting, although King leaves allot of holes in the puzzles their pasts (to be pieced together in later installments). As a stand-alone book, it's average King but it's obviously essential if you want to try on this epic multi-book quest. A decent read that will leave you scrambling for answers in Part 2.

First, if you are a Stephen King fan, this novel is unlike his other works. Secondly, if you don't like Stephen King's other works and you enjoy reading fantasy, you will like this book. This book is unlike any horror novel written by King. If you have read the Eyes of the Dragon, this book is similar to that.

I read this book for the first time three years ago. Since then I have read the entire series and read this book two more times. It seems like King is telling two stories. One is of Roland's past life and the other is the situation he is faced with. I find Roland's past as interesting as the current plot. For fantasy lovers, I might compare Roland to Aragorn from Tolkien's work. One of the last great men of a great people. Willing to die for his cause and for honor. He is the best at what he does, he does not feel pain, he cannot quit. His task is to find the Dark Tower. Where he will find it and what it holds he does not know.

What happens. The gunslinger is following the Man in Black. He tells us the story of a town he destroyed because of the Man in Black. We meet Jake, a boy sent from our world to Roland's by the Man in Black. We follow Jake and Roland across a vast desert as he trails the Man in Black. Nothing can keep Roland from the Man in Black, and in the end Roland talks with the Man in Black.

I like this novel, I like this series. I highly recommend it.