Captain Nemo is one of the most exciting science fiction novels I have ever read. I had to do a school report on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Mysterious Island. In those novels I felt Jules Verne could have gone deeper into the mind of the recluse, genius, scientist. Then, I found the Captain Nemo novel by Xavier Joseph Carbajal and I thought 'WOW'! This guy is Jules Verne reincarnated. The whole idea of Jules Vernes's character finally achieving immortality and peace, now being challenged by the very things that kept him alive so long, was a remarkable work of genius. Captain Nemo, with its super 21st Century submarines and telepathic sea creatures, is played out with exceptional style. I've noticed from other reviews about this Captain Nemo novel and audiobook, people from around the country and the world are fascinated by this innovative science fiction adventure. My book club and friends at school do hope this author takes us further with more of his Captain Nemo. Like Captain Nemo said to Captain 'Don Quixote' Riley -"The adventure has just begun!"

The words of this novel start off musical, with descriptions of the ocean and the stars, and then grabs the reader, plunging them into a not-stop adventure under the sea. Anyone who reads this novel will actually believe these characters exist. Out there right now. For those of us who live near the sea or the ocean, this powerful, genius is out there. Mr.Carbajal has created a prize with this fairy tale of the great Captain Nemo. Here is a man with the power to rule the world and chooses not to. The love this captain has for the oceans is intense; you can feel the emotions down to your bones. The scenes where they are driving golf balls off the top of one of the submarines was a brilliant way to show how this Captain Nemo and his crew dared every navy in the world to come after them. The technology with the spikes changing the salinity of the ocean to create hurricanes was very well researched. The chapter called "Atoll" had me gasping for water. Uriah, Ari, Kronos and especially the sea creatures with their telepathic powers was just the kind of fresh idea books need nowadays. I eagerly await the next chapters of this fantastic Star Wars under the sea adventure, and all the many more novels to come.

The wonderful thing about this Captain Nemo novel , is that it got a lot of my students interested in reading other classical novels and learn about other great authors. Since we read Captain Nemo we have read 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and Mysterious Island. Many of my students have started a debate as to whether or not this Captian Nemo is the Jules Verne character or some man who thinks he is Captain Nemo. Other unique ideas in Captain Nemo is how the character uses Latin to describe some of the species of whales and fish, as well as the science of the ocean techonlogy weaved within the dialogue of Captain Riley, Ari, Sonja, Jackie and other characters.The story also depicts the morals of the characters, with a twist on what is good and what is evil. Captain Nemo was also energized with vivid scenes of a mystic, underwater world. This novel is on its way to becoming a classic.

My daughter brought this audiobook to my attention. I studied Poe for my masters at USC and I wish this version of his work was around when I was doing my research. These performers get you into the true feelings of Edgar and his lesser know poems and short stories. The actor who plays Poe in this twisted love tale is constantly playful and disturbing. The poems are great and so is the unusual, often haunting, background soundtracks. My daughter is fifteen, and as a parent who is very concerned about what she is exposed to, I highly recommend Edgar Allan Poe: A Love Story for young adults and those of us who appreciate Poe's contributions to the world of literature and film.

My friends and I used this audiobook to help us work on a paper on Edgar Allan Poe for our high school writing and poetry class. This is an amazing story. We never knew these things happened to Mr. Poe. We always thought he was rich and famous and everybody loved him. Is this a true story? We've started doing more research on his poems and stories (our papers aren't due until May 3rd). Whoever played Lenore was great. But what is this love story about? Did Edgar love Mrs. Shelton? Or Lenore? What about the Woman in Black? What about Edgar's mother?

The production of this audiobook, Edgar Allan Poe: A Love Story is unbelievable. My son (17) needed to study Poe for school and this version of the poet/writers life is the best I've ever heard. I studied Edgar Allan Poe in college for my literature elective and watched some of the Vincent Price movies " The Pit and the Pendulum", "Fall of the House of Usher", etc - this audiobook is just as intriguing as those old horror movies. Now, this audiobook has bridged a few generations in my family. It's scary, has a brilliant way of telling a story, really sets the mood and the poems are great to help young students understand Poe. My family came into town from overseas during Thanksgiving, they found this audiobook to be so exciting,so they bought a few copies to take back home with them.

With the Old Breed, by E.B. Sledge is the best personal account of combat that I have ever read. It is brutally honest, as Sledge does not gloss over the horrific nightmare that is war.After reading Slede's book, it is no small wonder that 26,000 Americans lost their sanity in the Okinawa battle alone. He spares us none of the gory details, yet he delivers this true account in an eloquent style that gives the story even more impact. Sledge does not only desribe the fight against the Japanese,but also the mental battle raging within men on the front line, as he himself fights to remain sane amid the filth, fear and misery that were the battles of Peleliu and Okinawa.It is at times moving, and at other times stomach turning. At all times though it is extremely riveting, and I found that this book was very hard to put down. One can also not put down this book without a profound appreciation for the young men who went through the worst kind of hell for their country.

Three veterans of the First Marine Division have written accounts of WWII in the Pacific. E.B. Sledge in this book, William Manchester in "Goodbye Darkness," and Robert Leckey in "Strong Men Armed." Sledge's book gives an honest, plain spoken, first hand account of two horrific campaigns. He pulls no punches in describing the brutality and the horror, but he doesn't dwell on it. He merely describes it in a matter of fact fashion.

Leckey's book ("Strong Men Armed") doesn't dwell on personal experiences, but gives the vast panorama of the Navy/Marine Corps island hopping campaign, and helps to put Sledge's personal memoir into the context of the whole war in the Pacific.

Manchester's book ("Goodbye Darkness") reads something like the out-loud ruminations of a mental patient working through unresolved issues on the psychiatrist's couch.

Leckey is a noted military historian who has written a number of very good books on the subject. Manchester is a noted author, and of the three has the most recognizable name. Sledge, however, although not a professional writer, is the First Division alumnus who has written the best book on the Pacific War. (Leckey runs a close second and Manchester a distant third).

Somehow my recollection of Dr. Sledge as my cheerful, quiet-mannered, humble (but tough!) zoology professor is stood on its head after reading his book. How did this gentleman live through such stark and utter hell? How could anyone? But he tells you -- his fine scientific mind observant and sparing no detail to clouded memory or gentrified constraints -- so Peleliu and Okinawa are beyond my words (but no longer beyond my imagination). No one who has not endured the horror of entrenched infantry warfare could adequately describe it; but this book helps any reader who hasn't -- like me -- begin to fathom its terror. And as we begin to take it in, we realize what an enormous legacy of sacrifice that generation left us, that "with privilege comes responsibility," as Dr. Sledge says. How can we ever repay these numbed, reluctant heroes? I suspect we never can. But we can listen to some who were lucky enough to survive, and never forget those countless boys and men who came out maimed, or just didn't come out at all. We owe them all a tremendous debt of gratitude for the lives we lead today, and this book tells you, in graphic and heart-gripping detail, exactly why.

Mix a wonderful set of deep characters like President Marie Arcola, Senator Trevor Thomas, Benny and Fred, into a non-stop plot with a believable incident at a bio-chemical factory in Iran, add a bunch of suicidal racists who think they can start a holy war and you may get close to what Lady President is all about. The action scenes with Rockys Vampyres and the taking of the factory was brilliant. I was in the Air Force and the dogfight scenario was outstanding. This author, Mr. Carbajal, is better than most authors of books out there. He writes with humor, depth and can even make a grown man cry. My wife put the book down after the funeral scene and it took her a week to have the courage to pick this book up again to see how the story ended. She was impressed and I was impressed.This author has what it takes and is going places.

My daughter had to do a school paper about the upcoming Presidential Election and she brought home a copy of Lady President. I became curious and started reading the book. This is a really clever story. The idea of a woman president like President Marie Arcola and an accident in Iran was believable and the plot and subplots were energized. I read alot of Tom Clancy, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, and all the big New York Times Best Sellers. I have to admit, Lady President is up there with the best. My wife saw the author on a talk show interview on Channel 12 News when he was in New York. She was impressed with his ideas about Elizbeth Dole and the possibility of her becoming president or vice president, but she didn't get the book. Now her whole book club wants Lady president.

It is great to see a book like this. After all the years of people, movies and tv skipping over the idea of a woman president, here comes an unknown author out of nowhere with one of the most exciting ideas in the book world. Xavier Joseph Carbajal's Lady President is an exciting statement with great colorful, believable players. All the way from Senator Trevor Thomas, the multi-millionare-Washington D.C., political bully, to Joey Adiar, the lone gunman. The way this author shaped beautiful, powerful women into this story was excellent. I picked this one up when I was visiting a friend in Boston. I highly recommend this one. This is a high spirited, tale of a woman's struggle for respect, wisdom for her duty and strength in a time of crisis. If you see this book in the store, skip the dustjacket and read some of the pages. Pick a page, any page. All of this story is fresh and fast paced. This author is going to be up there with Grisham, Clancy, Koontz and the rest of the top ten. And there better be a sequel.

I started writing perl around ten years ago, and at the time my perl looked a lot like the c code I wrote in 1990.. or the FORTRAN code I wrote in 1975! And so it was for many years.

But this book, more than any other, helped turn me into an actual perl programmer. It covers the basics- things like 'use "$_" implcitly whenever possible, but don't refer to it explicitly if you don't have to'. There's a good description of slurp mode. And it covers those neat little tricks, like using:

($a,$b)[$a<$b]

to return the greater of two scalars.

It's not a book for the absolute beginner. But once you've written a few programs and start wondering why your perl doesn't look like that written by the perl gurus, this is the book to get.

Effective Perl Programming is a concise, well written guide that is packed with useful Perl tips. The book is a series of "Items" (in the same style as Effective C++) that are each a tip about how to use Perl. Each tip is accompanied by a detailed description that discusses the pros and cons or each tip and several examples. The tips are then arranged into sections such as "Regular Expressions" and "Object Oriented Programming". In a relatively small book the authors manage to present an enormous amount of helpful information.

This book is a worthwhile purchase if you are a new or intermediate Perl developer. The tips presented here will really help improve your code. However, if you have been working with Perl for a while then this book isn't worth the money. There might be a tip or two that you don't know, but chances are you know most of what is presented.

I've been using Perl casually for a few years now, but when I first got this book six months ago, I sort of skimmed through it and didn't find anything too interesting. But when I started doing a few Perl projects, I kept thinking, "Hey, didn't that book say something about a better way to do this?" So I'd look it up, and an elegant solution to my problem would be there. It's not that I couldn't have done it without the tip, because as all Perl programers know, "There's More Than One Way To Do It", but it taught me a cleaner way than I would have done otherwise.

Most tips are no longer than a few pages, and they are neatly organized by topic ("Regular Expressions", "Subroutines", etc.) in the index. Highly recommended for the semi-experienced Perl programmer who is looking to polish their programming skills.

Our family looked a long time before finding the info that Joseph Jenkins presents in his book. Having moved onto raw land after living in camping trailers and RVs, we had been used to chemical toilets and now faced a situation where we were weekly going to a dump site. I had heard that there were "composting toilets" which were a great alternative, especially for organic farmers, but that they were very expensive. Jenkins' book contributed more to our life than any other resource excluding the Holy Bible. He presents well documented facts for any one who is concerned with bacteria, disease, the environment, recycling and perhaps best of all simplicity and economics. Joes book has helped our family to live a less stressful and more productive life. What he presents can be understood by anyone and will fit the budget of the poorest of us. Joe Jenkins has given us one more tool to help us all return our planet to the beautiful garden it was intended to be.

I like it when a book makes me take a big step back and question my place in the world. The Humanure Handbook uses a daily function (going to the bathroom) as the context for doing just this. Not only does it cast a truth-shedding light on a deeply-entrenched and accepted modern appliance (the flush toilet), exposing it as a wasteful product of western laziness, but it gives the reader all the information needed to easily, affordably, and safely implement a much less wasteful system.

Probably the most important point made in The Humanure Handbook is the fact that we use the word 'waste' far to liberally and in the wrong way. In the phrase 'human waste' the word 'waste' should be a verb rather than a noun, because as a society we are going to tremendous expense to turn a valuable resource (human urine and feces) into something that is so hard to use that it is fit to be described as 'waste' (noun).

Jenkins works hard to challenge and ultimately destroy the reader's irrational fear of feces and to turn that 'fecophobia' into an enlightened respect for the resource that feces can be.

The author cites numerous scientific studies that corraborate his extensive personal experience with composting *everything* that a family household generates. His summary of the scientific literature pertaining to the practise of composting humanure is thorough enough to convince me (a proud skeptic) that anybody could safely compost humanure after a careful reading of this book.

I think the information contained in this book should be common knowledge and these methods used throughout the world. This would be one of the answers to help save our earth's precious drinking water, which we as a race so shamefully waste. The reading is light, informative, "can't put the book down" sort of book, plus hilarious too. If you are into self-sufficiency, back to basics, simplicity, homesteading the environment, and want to do something about water pollution, this has to be on your shelf, it will save you money and pay for it's self over and over.

I read this book during my 4th class of Espanol at the university level. This is not an introductory book, so don't bother to read it unless you have a solid understanding of Spanish basics, including basic conjugation, the subjunctive mood, etc.

This book has a lot of tips to sharpen your Spanish. Chapter 8 has "sentence starters" to help you start off your spoken Spanish; evidently these are the equivalent to English's "well..." or "the thing is..." Chapter 9 has "snappy answers" organised according to how you want to respond (e.g. in disbelief, with surprise, etc.) The answers for affirmation are quite useful (e.g. esta bien, claro, de acuerdo). Of course, you can easily get this information from any college-level textbook, but the distribution of these words into nicely organised categories is quite useful. There is also a chapter on how to swear effectively (evidently chingar is a strong word), which I never did in my classroom. An earlier chapter on how to use 64 key verbs was invaluable as well.

One particular chapter I loved was how to choose the correct Spanish word for particular English verbs. This can get tricky for some English infinitives like "to become" and "to happen." Another chapter on the history of the Spanish language was very interesting to read.

One thing I didn't like was the treatment of the subjunctive mood -- it left me a bit more confused, and my Spanish teacher actually told me that some information was incorrect. Finally, one glaring omission that I hope the author writes about in any later edition is the use of "por" vs. "para". To me, this trickiness is right up there with "ser" vs. "estar."

This book was so much fun and so useful I keep re-reading it, and learning something more each time. The author doesn't neglect grammar, but neither does he present grammar as a list of dull rules. Rather, he guides the reader through examples of how Spanish grammar and structure reflect how Spanish speakers think. It's practical, but not in the hackneyed "Can you direct me to the nearest bathroom?" mode. Rather, this book tries to help gringos learn how people really speak Spanish. There's much emphasis on traps which frequently snare native English speakers learning Spanish. The book is well organized, and written with a great sense of humor. My only minor quibble is the absence of an index. I agree with others: this isn't a book for those just starting out, pero cuando quieras aprender un poco más, ¡debes comprar este libro!

This book was required for a university class in Spanish conversation. There is so much information in this book that is invaluable to the Spanish student. It is written to show the intermediate student how to "break out" of the textbook Spanish into real, conversational Spanish. It tells you what aspects of the language are really used in common language and speaking, and it tells you what you should and should not say in order to sound more like a native speaker.

This is a book that can be read over and over again, and it is a very good reference tool. You should not expect to be able to remember everything, because there is so much information. It will tell you everything from how to vary your speech, to how to better learn and improve your Spanish, to how to recognize profanity. It gives you information that you cannot get anywhere else - information that they do not teach you in the classroom. I highly recommend it.

This book contains approximately three hundred one to three page entries on almost every aspect of Jewish culture, religion, and history. The entries are further subdivided into related chapters: the Torah, Biblical Judaism, the Roman Era, medieval european Judaism, American Jewery, Soviet Jewery, Antisemitism, Life Cycle events, Jewish Holidays, The State of Israel, and others.

J.L. is encyclopedic in scope, but the entries have a more familiar feel to them, in part due to Teluskin's own personal anecdotes that are found in many of the entries. This makes the reader feel like he is not reading an academic text, but rather listening to a friend or family member share his accumulated knowledge and wisdom.

I think most Jews will find a lot that they didn't know, or had forgotten, within these pages. For those who are considering conversion, this is a wonderful book to read cover to cover, because it exposes the reader to a full cross section of Judaism.

Clearly the best book I've read about Judaism. Rabbi Telushkin is inspiring, thoughtful, insightful, and an excellent communicator.

The book is divided into subjects, and can really be read in any which way suits the reader - you can begin in the beginning, middle or end, and you will be just as easily captivated.

For American Jews with less than thorough knowledge of Judaism, this is a perfect book. It also makes a perfect gift for a Bar/Bat Mitzva, and for anyone else interested in what Judaism is about, and what it has to say.

For interested non-Jews, this book provides a distinctly Jewish and Zionist perspective on the religion and the people. For example, few non-Jews (or Jews for that matter) know that "Jews" and "Judaism" really do not refer to a religion, but to a people whose homeland is Judea, which is often referred to these days as "the West Bank." The central and overwhelming importance of Judea (and its ancient capitals, Jerusalem and Hebron) and Israel to modern Judaism is evident in Telushkin's book.

Overall, an outstanding, inspiring work of great scholarship and sensitivity.

Through a series of short entries, Rabbi Telushkin explores hundreds of issues in Jewish religion, culture, law etc. This book makes a study of Judaism accessable to people who have little background. A major caveat is that when discussing halacha (Jewish law), this book is a very good guide but is not authoritative. The authorities are the original sources and time honored commentaries on these sources. Nonetheless, in this first of many books in this format, Rabbi Telushkin provides more than a mere overview of Judaism .. he actually provides a fair amount of depth. This book can be read through from cover to cover as part of a systematic study of basic Judaism or it can be used as a reference to look up specific information. I recommend this book, even to those who are already well versed in judaism.

If you were an orphan and all your life you continued to move from house because no one wanted to keep you,then finally,all of a sudden you find someone who actually likes you and wants you. That's exactly what L.M. Montgomery's novel Anne of Grenn Gables is about.

Anne Shirely is a smart talkative,very imaginative little girl who lived all over until one day the Cuthberts of Avonlea,Canada adopted her. Deciding to kepp her didn't come easily. They finnally did decide and she was so happy about it. During her stay she got into lots of trouble. Anne then has something that happens that is very nice but sad. In order to find out whatg happened,you will have to read the book.

I liked Anne of Green Gable because the character was very smart and had a big imagination. I also liked it because the plot was excellent. I recommend the book to anyone who is into reading stories with lots of plots and if so you will sure love this book!

A few weeks ago, I got really sick of today's children's literature. I had read enough mysteries and trashy books about romance to last me a lifetime. So I wanted something else to read, something well-written with a good plot and lifelike characters. I had to look no further than the first book I picked up- Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery.

Anne of Green Gables is the first book in the Anne of Green Gables series. It takes place, as most of L. M. Montgomery's books do, on Prince Edward Island in Canada. This particular story takes place in the town of Avonlea. It follows young Anne Shirley, an orphan brought to Green Gables to help Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert on their farm. Much to Anne's dismay, Marilla tells her that they wanted a boy to help around the farm, not a girl. However, Marilla changes her mind and decides to keep the dynamic young girl who would become Anne of Green Gables.

This novel is incredibly written, with well-developed characters and an intricate plot. I absolutely loved it. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a great example of children's literature at its height.

first of all, let me begin with I LOVE THIS BOOK! I have read this book more times than I can remember...easily more than a dozen...thus, I am going to set my mind to write a glowing review of it.

This book portrays a stunning sketch of Canadian History and Culture in the late 1800s to early 1900s. The character personalities are so real and so amazingly "human" that one cannot help but fall in love with them. You really get a taste of PEI in its glory.

This story is set in Avonlea, Prince Edward Island (Canada), a fictional settlement which is really Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, the place where Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author grew up.

The main character is Anne Shirley...and eleven year old, enigmatic, imaginative, sparkling, highly intelligent orphan who is sent to Green Gables, a farmhouse in Avonlea, under the impression that she was to be adopted by a pair of elderly siblings, Matthew and Marilla Cuthburt. But, apon arrival to Green Gables, Anne discovers that there had been a horrible mistake...the Cuthburts never wanted a girl...they wanted a boy who could do the chores and help Matthew with the farm. Anne was was in the "depths of dispair". Matthew, on the drive home from the train station had taken a great shine to Anne and had his heart set on keeping her, regardless of any mistake. Marilla, however, was not so easily enchanted. She agreed to let Anne stay at Green Gables on trial, to see if she would behave herself and lend a helpful hand to Marilla. After the trial, Anne is welcomed to Green Gables and flourishes under the love of the Cuthburts and all Avonlea folk. Anne, however, has one big problem. Her Hair. It is a hopeless shade of carrotty red and Anne felt that it was the ugliest hair anyone could imagine. She was extremely sensitive about it and she was horribly embarrassed about it. On her first day of school, Anne's hair was made fun of by Gilbert Blythe, the smartest and handsomest boy in school. "Carrots! Carrots!" he said. Anne's temper got the better of her and she was so angry she broke a slate over his head. After that, for many years, she snubbed Gilbert every time he spoke to her and he developed a boyhood crush on her.

Ah, but to keep this review interesting and the book mysterious, I will stop telling you the story and begin reviewing. The characters in the book are so well-defined that it seems to you that you know every character personally, like an old friend or neighbour.

And by all means, don't let the age recommendation fool you either...this book can be read by all ages alike...and I have no doubt that this book will still be my avid favorite at the age of 85.

The book is not boring, contrary to many opinions of those who read the first chapter of small print and historical settings. The discriptions will place you right into the heart of the story and you find you will laugh and cry while reading this story. Every time I read it I cry at a certain part which I'm not sure if I should reveal to you for fear of spoiling the good parts in the story, but it is dreadfully sad. If you read the book, then you will know what part I am talking about. The one saddest part in the whole story.

Although this book has some old ideas and ways of expressing them, you will learn a great deal of Canadian history through them and there's no doubt in my mind that this book will still be popular decades and most likely even centuries to come.

We all have books like this in our personal arsenal of "will read and reread again" books. ("Catch 22," "Cat's Cradle," books like that.)

I've torn into "Son of the Morning Star" six times now. This book is responsible for my spending a total of some 13 days at the Montana battlefield just trying to find out what George Armstrong Custer was up to on his final horrible day on earth. Connell weaves a spell over you, dear reader, and you just hate to finish this book. (You have books like that in your arsenal, too, right?)

The book was a Christmas gift from #1 son. Prior to reading "Son," I just thought of Custer as that Civil War stereotype we study about in high school -- brave, vain and, ultimately, dumb. Of course the book reveals a much more accurate and layered portrayal of this long-haired Hotspur. Connell has researched his subject to a fare-thee-well and yet the writing never gets pedantic. This book is a time machine and you're going to be whisked back to a hot June day, 1876. Be prepared. And you'll get both sides of the complicated US Army/American Indian debate, too. (Can't beat that with a stick!)

What was GAC trying accomplish that morning and afternoon? Why, in the face of a large amount of Indian braves, did he split his command into three battalions? Why did he send an important "come quick" note to an officer he sent off away from the pack train? Why did Custer ignore Reno's plight in the valley and continue a foolhardy attempt to smash the "enemy" at his flank? Did Custer get his first bullet (left side) at Medicine Tail Coulee? Would that explain the slapdash rush away from the Little Big Horn river and up the hill to the now-famous "Last Stand Hill?" This book makes you think.

This book is contagious!

Connell brings a novelist and poet's gifts to the writing of history. Would that all historians wrote prose like this. In a unique, non-linear style, nearly every aspect and detail, macroscopic and mundane, of the Little Bighorn campaign is laid before us, as well as antecedent and peripheral matters relating to it. One of the many marvels of the book is the way Connell writes unflinchingly about a brutal and tragic period, yet with a dry sense of humor that compels one to read passage after passage all over again, and aloud to anyone who will listen. Connell would be a great dinner guest, and friend to meet for a beer. I have read Son of the Morning Star three times, not counting innumerable browsings which threaten to draw me into the entire work yet another time. I've nearly memorized entire passages without intending to. Some may feel uncomfortable at a similarity Connell draws between the Nazi genocide and the European-American destuction of the Native American cultures and way of life. But hey, no one likes an attack on his national mythology, justified as it may be. Connell neither deifies nor demonizes Custer (or any other man or woman in the story), but treats him as a fascinating, flawed human being. His account is compassionate, but unrelenting in its exposure of human frailty and folly, wherever it may be found in the complex mosaic of history. Buy this book, enjoy, re-read, and hope that Connell takes up the historian's pen again

This book, in my opinion, is a superb introduction into the world of Custeriana and other characters and invents in U.S. history of that time.

What makes this book unique in it's portayal of the General and the events surrounding the famous last battle is that Evan S.Connell, who is primarily I believe a novellist, approached this topic with absolutely no agenda of his own on the subject.

Whilst this may not satisfy many historians it makes for great reading!! Making this a book ideal for somebody new to the subject wanting to learn more or the learned reader who just wants to be entertained and not swamped with complex time theories or arguments over the size of the village etc. There are plenty of books on the market that do this much better but not all are always as enjoyable.

Connell just reports on various different accounts in an easy going prose without really putting his own slant on the proceedings. He simply just writes about Custer, Benteen, Crazy Horse et all, giving examples of both the good, the bad and the downright ugly in all of them.

It is left to the reader to make up his mind on the events and actions of those who took part in them. Too many historians come to this powerful and contreversial subject with their own ideas on what happened, be it pro or anti-Custer, and this has a tendancy to sometimes, neccessitate a need to distort or bend the facts accordingly.

Refreshingly you come away from this book wanting to know more about the protaganists involved but without having a biased opinion on them. The General himself comes over in a fairly good light considering at the time of publication his character was probably at it's nadir.However Connell also shows up the darker side of the man that made him the paradoxical figure he was and why he remains so fascinating even after all this time.

Indeed what the book clearly shows is that what makes this such an enduring legend in America's history is that arguably it's most famous, or notorious, soldier left his mark not by a glourious victory but rather(as it was thought of at the time)a fairly ignominious defeat.What Connell does do is also give the credit where it's due to the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes at the Little Big Horn who actually won the battle that day, which tends to get forgotten in a lot of literature ammassed on this subject.

This was the first serious book that I bought on George Armstrong Custer and back in 1984(which I think was the year I got it) living in the United Kingdom there wasn't many books around at that time specifically on this subject. I found it an excellent starting point to begin further and more in depth reading on the General and his last battle.It may seem an odd subject for a Yorkshireman to show an interset in(I think it might be Errol Flynn's fault!!)but this book certainly kick-started a long lasting interst in Custer and that particular area of American history.