The stained glass window illustrations and simple, straightforward text allow readers to learn about young King Arthur. This book is a staple for me each year, as I read it to my second graders. Each year they love it! Sabuda provides a cool author's note too! Sabuda is a gifted storyteller/book creator!

This is, quite simply, a beautiful book. I wish it had been a little longer! The story, as the author admits at the end, comes right out of the Malory version of the Arthurian legend, which is perhaps the best known. This story, therefore, comes as no surprise to those of us who love King Arthur. The surprise here is in the illustrations. He has put us into the medieval tale in a new way by illustrating the story with stained glass windows. Well, that's how they look, anyway. And we are drawn through them into Arthur's time. Sabuda admits that he wrote and illustrated this one especially for the boys, and I can see how it would appeal to them. But there's nothing here that would turn off a girl's interest, either.

Sabuda is well known for his amazing pop-up books, and I have copies of all of them. I'm glad I've added this book to my collection. Although it's not a pop-up, it's a very interesting concept, and it's beautifully executed. I know the kids will love it! END

This book is an excellent example of fantasy fiction. The imagery is very precise and allows the imagination of the reader to make a clear picture of the action as it is taking place on the page. I felt as though I were an invisible witness during the battle scenes. It was like a movie running in my head. He allows the reader to interpret the scene with the minds eye as they read along.

Mr. Brucato allows the reader's imagination to take over where his words end. I especially like the humanity he gives his characters. They are not superhuman space creaters, but flawed with some weakness that allow the reader to relate to whatever situation the character is in.

Finally, I like that he did not try to invent a new language for his characters. There is nothing I hate more than having to constantly refer to footnotes or a dictionary in the back of the book as I read, this interrups the flow of the story.

I will read more by this author! Excellent book.

The sory captured the reader's interest immediately. It draws you into the lives of the main charachters and weaves magic throughout for many interesting twists to the story. It is the type of book you don't want to put down until you finish it. I highly recommend this book for all to read. I can't wait for the sequel.

This overview of Third Reich Edged Weapons is a must for all collectors whether you have 1 or 100 in your collection. A very good overview of the different variations of dress daggers with clear and representative pictures of each. Also has chapters on swords, dress-bayonets, engravings, etc. The book also has a number of chapters that should be read by all collectors. Especially the one on counterfeit daggers. It is the sort of book you as a collector just can't put down and as a reference book it is worth its weight in gold. It also has a very useful listing on RZM numbers. Good thing it is card-cover because I can see wearing this book out if it was paper-back. The book could possibly have had more color photographs, and a more updated overview on values.

Barbara Willard's If All the Swords in England, first published in 1961, makes a happy comeback in this quality paperback edition by Bethlehem Books.

The drama unfolds during the turbulent years of the argument between King Henry II Plantagenet and Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, concerning juridical authority in church matters.

After the tragic deaths of their parents, brothers Simon and Edmund Audemer are separated. Edmund becomes a page in the court of King Henry II, while Simon becomes a scribe in the household of Thomas Becket.

Willard's use of the literary device of the two brothers allows the reader a "first-hand" glimpse into both the characters of Thomas Becket and Henry II as well as into the climate of the times.

The book is full of exciting episodes (including a miracle), and interesting characters. Barbara Willard's If All the Swords in England presents a timeless story of courage and conscience. It is also an excellent introduction to the heavier Becket by Anouilh and T.S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral. Grades 5-7.

Mithril is an excellent first sourebook from Sword and Sorcery. It gives a good overview of the city itself (although the city map is of at best average quality), provides details of the church of Corean (with new rules for paladins and monks as well as one new prestige class), and includes excellent regional material for the northeast portion of Ghelspad.

Specifically, the book gives us a map and description of Mullis Town (as well as a few adventure hooks), and shows a map detailing the human, titanspawn, and orcish areas of influence in Lede. The adventure hooks are well done, as they incorporate sufficient detail to make "filling in the blanks" easy, but remain concise. The descriptions of the various orcish tribes and their political/social environment is a great jumping point for a campaign that could treat orcs as more than faceless cannon fodder.

Equally important, Mithril itself, despite its lawful good character. has a wide variety of options and tensions within that can lead to all manner of adventures - ranging from exploring the ancient catacombs beneath the city to ethnic human/half-orc conflict to political and religious intrigue.

Overall, a good book and a great buy. Although, like most S&S products, the art is all monochrome (and frequently not up to the standards of Wizards of the Coast products), this is a minor complaint because the content is great.

This book shows that it isn't just brute strength that will win the day. It's also knowledge, and the ways you apply that knowledge. Interesting way to look at the effect of technology on a (more or less) medeival society. Also interesting to see how magic and technology work together. All in all a great read, I can't wait to get the next one. The only reason I give this book 4 stars not 5 is that it depends on the next book too much. The ending is left entirely too open.

That's a great book about the Dreamer, the Dark Queen, and others.
A book filled with Magic and Power.

_______________________
Can't wait for the next one!

Steve Wilkinson volunteers to participate in a sleep experiment at his college, but something goes terribly wrong. As his spirit is wandering in the land of dreams, he is called through to another world/dimension by a wizard. In this world, there are the traditional fantasy races: Olvir/elves, Umbrian/humans, etc. The enemy is the Morvir, a country where male children are taken from their homes at age 5 and trained for war. Only the best become officers and soliders, the rest are castrated and sent back to work the fields and do other menial labor. They are ruled by the Dark Queen who wants to take over the land. The only one who can stop her is the Dreamer...

Unfortunately, Steve has no idea what is going on. He is a typical college student and understands little about battle, honor and such. However, he is a fast learner. He quickly becomes one of Erelvar's legir (sworn man) and becomes embroiled in the conflict between the races.

This is a fast paced fantasy adventure. The world was familiar, yet slightly different than a traditional fantasy setting, which was fun. The characters were well-drawn. All of them learned, developed and matured throughout the novel. Martin spent some time showing the war through all of the different races so that the reader could understand how they viewed the conflict. Each of the characters had weaknesses and all suffered crippling losses. Steve's knowledge of technology helped, but he didn't single-handedly save the world. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy. Even though it is rather typical in the premise (person from modern world sucked into another world where he is the only one who can save them from destruction, etc.), Martin's writing style makes this book a great read. Highly recommended for any readers of fantasy.

For those that are NOT familiar with the idea, WOTC has offered an 'Open Game License' to any publisher that would like to contribute to the further growth of the d20 system that has been implemented with D&D3Ed.

Sword and Sorcery Studios is one of the leaders in the race to see who will dominate the d20 market (outside of WOTC). With White Wolf Games as Publisher/Printer of their materials they stand a good chance.

Of all of the campaign settings to date, The Scarred Lands is easily the most imaginative, without journeying so far afield that they lose site of the core d20 rules.

The Scarred Lands takes the classical concept of a war in heaven and turns it on its ear. This blasted landscape of a continent and the surrounding waters is a direct result of a war between the Gods and the Titans. Gorges carved by a Titan's sword, a sea of Blood born of a wounded Titan at the bottom of the Ocean's depths... it goes on from there.

This setting is exactly the opposite of campaigns like the Forgotten Realms or even the venerable Greyhawk campaign. The Scarred Lands is a dangerous and dealy place, full of strange and wonderous people and things... a city of Necromancer (each and every one of them striving to be a lich), a city whose very walls are the arms of a giant mithral golem... this is NOT low fantasy...

So, give The Scarred Lands a try, if you are familiar with the D&D Third Edition Gazetteer or the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, the formatting will be easy for you to follow.

Finally, SSS has stated their manifesto to be "3rd Edition D&D with a 1st Edition feel"... with that goal in mind... I'd say they are succeeding.

This book gives brief descriptions of the continent of Ghelspad and all of its kingdoms and countries and with this, it is the first publication by White Wolf that gives deeper insight into the upcoming Scarred Lands Campaign Setting.

Be prepared everyone! The Scarred Lands really rock!

If you already own the D&D Third Edition Gazetteer or the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, you will have no problems with this book. It is made up the very same way the other two mentioned books are and seemlessly fits into the 3E-rules. This is a D20-System Open Gaming License product.

This is the ideal way to introduce new characters into the heroic spectacle of a Dragonlance campaign. The arcane sword of Sturm Brightblade, the valorous knight who fell in the War of the Lance, has been stolen - and it is up to the adventurers to bring the culprits to justice! But once the pursuit begins, they find themselves caught up in a dark web of power far greater than anyone suspected... a great dungeon adventure, and very well scripted.

This title is higly recommended but for the shoddy work of the photographer, a troublingly untalented person. But the text is very valuable.

Having met the author some years ago on October 19th, the annual Yorktown Day celebration of Cornwallis's surrender, and with Thomas Nelson, Jr., being my fourth-great grandfather, I am a bit partial to this book. The detail gives a since of being there as Thomas Nelson grows up in the aristocracy surrounding him. The authors ability to pull together daily newspaper items, wills, government documents, family genealogy, and wide source of information into a flowing lifespan of a great patriot. Descendants of the Virginia Page or Nelson family will find this book a great joy as they will learn more than any other book about the Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Nelson, Jr. Enjoy and live the past in this remarkable recovery of our Revolutionary history.