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If you think fantasy is strictly for kids, this series will change your mind. In Rogers's books, you won't read about the magical elf and his dwarf buddies who go into the enchanted forest to find the dragon's gold. Rogers isn't afraid to get graphic with sex and violence, and the villians are spine-chilling and unsettling. There is some cheeky humor, and some of the circumstances are so demented you can't help laughing at them in retrospect (an orgy of demonically possessed pigs? how does he come up with this stuff?), but the tone is kept morbid and dark. Think of it as light on the Terry Brooks, and heavy on the David Lynch.
As a sequel, this book works brilliantly. The characters are great and Rogers defines them more thoroughly, especially the two who inspire the title. The plot is a thick, twisting rope of theology, politics, and finance. It's smart, it doesn't slow down, and you can feel the stark fatalism closing in for the kill in part three.
I can't wait to read the third volume, and I'm equally excited to see what Rogers does in the future. Mark E. Rogers is an independent author, and his work is so far outside the mainstream, it is really quite refreshing. If you're looking to try something new, definately check out the first volume of the series, "Blood and Pearls". From there, it only gets better.
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Wangyal Rinpoche delivers more than a guide to the practice of Dream Yoga- he delivers a guide to a complete nondual practice. The book includes meditation instructions, Guru Yoga and Dakini practices, breathing instructions, a guide to basic Tibetan bioenergetics, a little history of the Bon tradition, a brief introduction to Tantra and Dzogchen, and even a glossary filled with Tibetan and Sanskrit terms used throughout the book. There is enough here to begin a spiritual practice beyond dream yoga.
To the seeker looking for a guide to Tibetan mysticism, look no further- "The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep" is the perfect introduction.
The review on the back cover of this book is so well done and informative that here it is:
"If we cannot carry our practice into sleep," Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche writes, "if we lose ourselves every night, what chance do we have to be aware when death comes? Look to your experience in dreams to know how you will fare in death. Look to your experience of sleep to discover whether or not you are truly awake."
This book gives detailed instructions for dream yoga, including foundational practices done during the day. In the Tibetan tradition, the ability to dream lucidly is not an end in itself; rather it provides an additional context in which one can engage in advanced and effective practices to achieve liberation.
Dream Yoga is followed by sleep yoga; also know as the yoga of clear light. It is a more advanced practice, similar to the most secret Tibetan practices. The goal is to remain aware during sleep when the gross conceptual mind and the operation of the senses cease. Most Westerners do not even consider this depth of awareness a possibility, yet it is well known in Tibetan Buddhist and Bon spiritual traditions.
The result of these practices is greater happiness and freedom in both our waking and dreaming states. The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep imparts powerful methods for progressing along the path to liberation.
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, a Lama in the Bon tradition of Tibet, presently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is the founder and director of The Ligmincha Institute; an organization dedicated to the study and practice of the teachings of the Bon tradition. He was born in Amritsar, India, after his parents fled the Chinese invasion of Tibet, and received training from both Buddhist and Bon teachers, attaining the degree of Geshe, the highest academic degree of traditional Tibetan culture. He has been in the United States since 1991 and has taught widely in Europe and America.
"A detailed guide to using our night-lives for Awakening; thought-provoking, inspiring, and lucid."---Stephen LaBerge, Ph.D., author of Lucid Dreaming
"This explication of the dream and sleep practices becomes a window on the entire teachings of Tibetan Tantra and Dzogchen. I enjoyed this book immensely...powerfully and beautifully presented."---Martin Lowenthal, Ph.D., co-author of Opening the Heart of Compassion
Written with great compassion,the author stresses wisdom of developing mindfulness in daily life as a means to understanding the states of dream and sleep. It is one of the most important books that I have ever read, and I wish to express my appreciation to the author, and to encourage everyone with an interest to read this book and to engage in the practice.
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Mark Ryden's work has appeared on the covers of Communication Arts, Juxtapoz art magazine and Rolling Stone. His art is currently on display at the Earl McGrath Gallery in NYC. ...
Even scarcer than Anima Mundi was the release of the book BUNNIES AND BEES published in December of 2001 to coincide with the exhibit of the same name. This was published in a beautiful large format, 9 x 12, 50 pages, and contains Mark Ryden's work done after Anima Mundi making it an essential Ryden item. This was limited to just 8,000 copies. The paintings in this book are perhaps the best yet from Mark Ryden.
For the Ryden art collector, there's also the limited edition boxed set of the Anima Mundi book. Limited to just 500 sets, this contains the Anima Mundi book signed and numbered by Mark Ryden on a special limitation page not found in the normal edition; a signed and numbered giclee print titled "Sick Girl" which is reproduced in the book; an Anima Mundi bookmark, all packaged in a beautiful fabric box.
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I would recommend this book to any child, male or female. Although it is nice to have a woman as a main character who doesn't fit into any televised stereotypes.
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I hope there's a book VI.
The authors pursue a four pronged approach, describing how the political history, the Japanese culture, the organizational behavior of the Navy, and the development of the technology "grew" the IJN and to a certain extent led the country into war with the Allies. Techies will appreciate the detail provided on ship classes, including ship diagrams. In particular, I appreciated how clearly the authors managed to show how the perceptions of the IJN's commanders about "how a war WILL be fought" effected the force structure of the IJN.
The book is not without faults. The formatting of the book is in some ways amateurish. The scale of certain ship illustrations could have been chosen more carefully. I also found the comparison charts very difficult to understand, despite clear supporting prose. Finally, The authors could have been more clinical in their analysis of the IJN's errors. The contrasts to the "formidable logistics capability" of the U.S. Navy or the superb U.S. Marine amphibious assault capability were a bit too vivid.
Navalists will value this book for its technical content and its analysis of the decision making that led to the birth, growth, and demise of the IJN. Recommended.