This is an excellent collection of essays by the greatest preachers in the Reformed tradition today. Some of the topics include The Primacy of Preaching (Mohler), The Teaching Pastor (Sproul), Evangelistic Preaching (Alexander), and The Foolishness of Preaching (Boice). John Piper's essay on Preaching to Suffering People is one of the best things he has ever written and by itself is worth the price of the book ten times over. Derek Thomas' essay on Expository Preaching is full of very good instruction. Joel Beakes' contribution on Experimental Preaching is also excellent. I highly recommend this book for pastors. If you are not a pastor, consider purchasing it for your pastor as a gift. He will be appreciative.

The Fact that this book is excellent should be no surprise, merely take a glance at the authors. This book will probably offend pastors who are in to the modern pop pyschology, but then they probably wouldn't be reading it anyway. Granted, that was probably unfair but...
Naturally some chapters are better than others, here are a few:

"The Lasting Effect of Experimental Preaching"--the essay on spiritual formation--worth the price of the book.

"The Primacy of Preaching"--by Albert Mohler--very good, a wake up call to the church.

"Expository Preaching"--good and bad examples of expository preaching, very fun chapter.

"Preaching to Suffering People"--by John Piper. It is by Piper, enough said.

"A reminder to Shepherds"--By John Macarthur, a fitting close to a fine book.

Absolutely essential reading for upcomming (as well as seasoned) preachers. A true gem, very informative, and a must for all who proclaim God's Word.

Most who are familiar with the Bible are not familiar at all with the content of the major and minor prophets. The emotional impact of hearing the book of Ezekiel--especially in one sitting, which this set makes not only possible but enjoyable--is rather strong. In fact, it got me kicked out of my church, because the prophets give a sense of the extreme condition in which God finds us, and I applied it to Christendom. In this day of "luke-warmness", that did not go over too well : ) Having this set on tape gives us opportunities that otherwise simply would not be there for getting the "sense" of what's in the most-admired and least-read book in the world. I'd advise buying it if you're in doubt.

I've used the prophets as an example. My point is that there's no substitute for getting a whole book (especially the large ones) at one time. I've rated it at four stars because many of the... publishers (I don't know about this edition) to save money, cut the books into different tapes, which makes it nigh unto impossible to keep one's place...How would you like to go fast-forward and rewind for 10 minutes trying to find the beginning of Isaiah?...

Mark Vedder

This set of tapes has served me well. I listen to them in the car. I read the Bible every day, and I enjoy being able to listen to the Bible as well. I feel that the Bible is God's word, and God is the only One that can provide security and salvation for mankind. God's plan for the earth is in the Bible. The Bible is more than a history book.
Scourby provides a good voice to listen to. I highly recommend this set of tapes for anyone who enjoys listening to books on tape.

Scourby's voice was made to read the scriptures! His ability to match the tone of each passage is astounding! Without having to rely on dramatization, he is able to transport you to ancient Babylon, where Daniel is about to be thrown into the lions' den, or to Jerusalem, where 12 year-old Jesus discusses law with the priests and doctors.

Thorm takes you into the world of the shawnee indians from the begining of their oral history to present day, as seen through the eyes of a young boy as he spends the night guarding the tribal alter and sacred items. during this time the sacred items, one by one, take him on a journy back in time and explain their importance to his people, then and now. this book is well writen, colorfull, and easy to read will be enjoyable for any age, background or culture.

The author presents a very interesting story based on fact as passed down by oral tradition. The oral tradition will perhaps vary somewhat in the different septs of the Shawnee, and as oral tradition will not always be interpreted with the same exact meaning, but on an overall scale I believe the author has done an excellant job of representing the Shawnee people's history and tradition.

I have to admit that just as I was starting to savour this thin slip of a book I found that it was, indeed, mere selections. The whole narrative is actually three volumes, over four hundred pages a volume. I was left with a craven empty feeling like a fiend for his needle. Humboldt's writing presages Thoreau and through him ponders the transcendent raptures of the natural world. Reading through the visit to the Caribs reminded me of my visits to the Grenadines where their presence is still redolent in the shadows under the almond trees. I felt that I had imbibed the same air as Humboldt.

Alexander von Humboldt (of the Current fame) was a famous polymath during the age of enlightenment. Like many noblemen, he used his money and leisure time in esoteric pursuits, such as collecting flora & fauna and trying to find the deeper meaning of it all.

This particular volume has been well-translated from the original - there is none of that stilted 'I haf von the Cherman translated been' style - it reads conversationally (assisted by the editing-out of long passages where Humboldt takes one of his many diversions) yet it also gives us an idea of what the man was really like. There is an extensive set of notes at the back, not just references, but elaboration of the point, which I found very illuminating.

His travels to South America span 5 years, during which time he collects and measures EVERYTHING - for at this time in history, no-one knew what was going to be pertinent or useful to science or economy. There are some amazing descriptions where he was the first educated person to see places; the problems of travel in uncharted, trackless & mountainous country make terrific reading. We may scoff at the zeal of the man, but if Hiram Bingham hadn't done the same, we wouldn't have the fantastic ruins of Macchu Picchu to study.

We also learn of the relatively tight circle of 'scientists' at that time - almost everyone knew everyone else, either via letters, Society writings or personal contact - and they knew it all; there was as yet no division between geology, biology, zoology etc - it was just 'Natural Philosophy' and one studied the lot (of course some dedicated themselves to a favourite pursuit). What is amazing to us now is the most simple things were unknown; for example, a sailor at death's door deep in the bowels of the ship, 'miraculously' recovers when taken on deck, out of the fetid miasma of the orlop - well, who wouldn't?... There are many similar incidents.

Slightly heavy going at times, because of the writing style of the period, it is nevertheless chock full of interesting snippets and amazing discoveries, giving a great insight into the mind and motives of a typical adventurous philosopher of the time. *****

Flexner vividly recounts Hamiltons life and career through age 26. This reads like Dickens writing history - from Hamilton's miserable, impoverished home life until age 10, his teenage life in his adopted country, (America), his career in the Continental Army, his love for Elizabeth Schuyler.

Flexner Brings the young Hamilton to life through his letters and actions in the revolution. This book has a vividness that is remarkable. The famous and not so famous participants in the story come to life also - George Washington, The Marquis de Lafayette, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, etc.

This book has been criticized for being overly "psycological". This aspect is not over done. Simply put, this is a great story - well told, well researched. Highly recommended.

In the bibliography of this book Mr. Flexner wrote that he felt that the real Hamilton had become obscured through the years through the writings of people who were either too fawning or too critical, depending on their political biases. Mr. Flexner therefore tried to get back to original sources as much as possible. Reading quotations from Hamilton's correspondence is one of the great pleasures of this book. But there are many things that make this book special. The author has a smooth, easy-to-read style. I have read elsewhere, in connection with one of Mr. Flexner's volumes on George Washington, someone complaining that the style is stilted or "old-fashioned." I heartily disagree with that criticism. Mr. Flexner was born in 1908 and this book was first published when the author was 70, but there is nothing "old-fashioned" about the prose. The style is actually quite modern. Another thing I enjoyed about the book was that the author went into the psychiatric reasons for Hamilton's sometimes aggressive and impulsive behavior, but he did so in a reasonable manner. You didn't feel as though you were being bludgeoned with analytical arguments but Mr. Flexner "gently" gave some commonsense and logical reasons for why Hamilton behaved the way he did e.g.-the stigma of his illegitimate birth, his mother's irresponsible behavior, being brought up in the West Indies and being left to basically fend for himself at an early age, etc.

I also enjoyed the way Mr. Flexner concentrated on Hamilton's service as aide-de-camp to George Washington during the Revolutionary War. There is a lot of interesting military history here, dealing with the battles fought on Long Island and in Trenton and Princeton and Monmouth, as well as Yorktown. There are wonderful gems of information, such as Washington's propensity to lose his temper amongst his close aides, when he wasn't on "public view" and felt that he could "let his hair down" a bit. Other interesting scenes include: at the Battle of Princeton where a patriot cannonball went through the window of Princeton college and slammed into a portrait of George II that was hanging on the wall, "decapitating" the king. (The patriots took the portrait down and "repaired" it by having an artist paint a scene with George Washington in it!); The Battle of Trenton, where the patriot army celebrated by drinking up the liquor the Hessians had left behind. Washington wanted to pursue the Hessians but was forced to give up on the idea as his men were in no shape to do anymore fighting!; Finally, in the section dealing with the Battle of Yorktown, Mr. Flexner mentions that shortly before the battle word had spread that a British force, led by Benedict Arnold no less, had been so upset by the strong resistance they had encountered in trying to take a fortress in New London, Connecticut, that the British had executed the men who had wanted to surrender to them when the fighting was over. The patriot army at Yorktown wanted to get revenge on the British and Washington had to give a speech before the battle that he basically didn't want his men to "lower themselves" to that level. If British troops wanted to surrender the surrender should be accepted and they should be taken prisoner. The troops did obey Washington's directive...

On a final note, I felt Mr. Flexner was very fair in this book. The author looked at Hamilton from all angles and praised the good things about him- his intelligence and hard work and sincere interest in doing what he felt was good for the future of the country- but also criticized his sometimes rash and impulsive behavior, and the author didn't gloss over Hamilton's general disdain for humanity!

This was a really excellent book and well-worth your time.

I thought the art was reasonably well-done, though it ain't James O'Barr's drawing. The story wasn't all that bad, pretty original, but it seemed kinda stupid to me. I mean, Confederate soldiers reincarnated as a biker gang. Not really all that far-fetched, but why would the Crow wait that long? I mean, let's look at our past Crows...one year, months, weeks, days, same day... I guess, revenge requires a sense of timing too, though it really didn't work for me. I also didn't feel a lot of the emotion I felt with O'Barr's story. I guess, I'm so used to the lyricism and poetics of the original, that anything less just seems like crap to me. Anyway, this book is work a look, but I honestly do not think that any Crow comic will ever be as good as the original.

This book is an excellent read based on the comic by J. O'Barr The Crow saga continues in this new story of in which a Crow warrior is awakened 100 years later to get revenge for the injustices done to him and his family.

This book was a good series, but it was hard to understand and figure out how the crow and the enemies come back 130.years later so that Joshua could have revenge, I mean was the crow tied up for 130 years and joshua was just on a waiting list for that time, but still, cool book and I am still wanting to know where the hell is waking nightmare#2 and whats taking so long

The book started a little slow, but picked up pace. We learn from this novel, how suave Palpatine is. He plays several sides of the political arena, and as we know, to benefit his interests in the future. Poor Valorum does not have too many allies, mainly the Jedi. The book centers on the Trade Federation and the Nebula Front...and taxation on the outlying systems. The Nebula Front is a terrorist organization out to get Valorum, or so it seems and also to reduce the control of the Trade Federation on its trading routes.

The book is written like a good suspense/political novel, and set in the Star Wars universe. You can expect some action with the Jedi, as well as the terrorists, but mainly dialogue makes up this book, along with plenty of twists, especially a couple toward the end.

In short, this book was great. It provides an excellent story line and background for what happens in Episode I. When the Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter came out I thought that book would be the one to help answer the questions to Episode I, but as it turns out it was just a fun, albeit morbid, read. Cloak of Deception was the tool used to provide excellent background for Star Wars fans. Valorum is given much more of a role than in Episode I, along with each of the Senators we glimpsed for brief seconds in the movie. The taxation of trade routes finally makes sense as well as Jedi, Judicial, and Senate activities. Despite this book being the beginning of a saga, many old friends join us n this well thought out story, Darsha Assant and Anoon Bondara from Darth Maul. Vergere from Rogue Planet and the New Jedi Order. Even Tarkin and Sate Pestage make their brief appearances. This is a very worthy and exciting read. Enjoy.

Cloak of Deception is not only an exciting read, but it also nicely sets the stage for the events of TPM.

Most importantly for Star Wars fans, this book explains what the vague "dispute over taxation" at the beginning of Episode I is all about. Much of the information to be found here would have improved the film as well, by more fully explaining the motivations of key characters and more sharply setting the tension. For instance, the fact that the dispute isn't really about taxes, but rather about (a) a nascent rebellion, (b) the reactions of both the Trade Federation and the Republic to growing anarchy and (c) political control over large portions of the galaxy is important to understanding the issues behind TPM. Of course, Palpatine's behind-the-scenes manipulation of everyone on every side is also interesting and illuminating. As a side note, I think that in TPM Lucas wanted to hide Palpatine's actions behind a veil of secrecy and mystery, a goal that was largely successful. On the other hand, Lucas was so successful that the film left us clueless as to what the political factions were debating and why the Trade Federation was making such a hostile play for Naboo. TPM as a stand alone film would have been better served if Lucas had cleaned up those plot lines a bit - even one or two lines explaining the dilema would have helped (it's all about motivation!). Cloak of Deception corrects that oversight.

Perhaps just as important to the future development of the SW epic is Luceno's treatment of the rift among the Jedi regarding the nature of the Force. Luceno tell us that some (Qui-Gonn Jinn among them) adhere to the precepts of the "Living Force," while others (the majority of the Jedi Council) follow those of the "Unifying Force." In the interest of brevity and my unwillingness to spoil an interesting plot line for fans, suffice it to say that this book begins to explain why Qui-Gonn is somewhat of an outsider (his adherence to the Living Force) and how these conceputal differences have somewhat divided the council. I think that this philosophical difference will also tie in with the midi-chlorian thingies and the disappearing Jedi conundrum (SW fans understand those references).

I'm not even going to outline the plot in this review - it's mostly standard dueling, space chases and other swashbuckling. As far as all of that goes, Luceno does a fine job balancing action, political intrigue and character development.

Footnote: I think that reading this book will probably be as essential as watching TPM again before Episode II hits the screens. The political intrigue is bound to play a role in the next film, too.

Listening to the Bible in Alexander Scourby's wonderful voice is pure pleasure. Unfortunately, for the "dramatized" version, they gave all quotations--entire chapters in some places--to actors of mediocre skills. They sound like they didn't read the script ahead of time. Voice inflection is all wrong. It's an effort to make sense of what one hears. My advice: buy the Alexander Scourby version that doesn't say "dramatized" instead.

The Scourby Dramatized audio CDs are more expensive than some of their competition, and may have a the odd technical glitches, but overall are worth the purchase price. This is especially the case if you can find a sale or get a good used set. Although the music might make the words slightly harder to hear in a few areas, Scourby's voice is pleasant to listen to and seems to draw you in more than the other readers I've heard. If you are listening for more than a few minutes, the music and dramatization help hold your attention. The other dramatized audio bible I've heard is the Zondervan one. It has many of the same strenghts as the Scourby versio, but to me the reader's voice does not seem to have the same magnetic quality that is present with Scourby.

I have been listening (mostly at night, as I fall asleep) to the Bible read by Alexander Scourby for a while now. This is a super-helper for anyone who wants to know the Bible but does not like to read or is too tired or busy. There is also a difference between READING the Bible and hearing the Bible. You pick up nuances and details that you might miss when you're reading, and some of these are very significant! This is a great gift for your Christian Friends.

(Rom 10:17 KJV) So then faith cometh by HEARING, and hearing by the word of God.

I've never finished a book of this length as quickly as I did this novel. I couldn't put it down. I was spellbound by the action, and felt a part of the Welsh explorers as they discovered the mysteries of their new world. I have purchased this book for many friends to enjoy. I have read four of Thom's books and still believe this is his best.

At age 52, I rank this as one of the three most entertaining books I've ever read, along with Goethe's Faust & John Grisham's The Firm. For two years, I had been researching Madoc and the Mandan to write a book on the subject; after reading Thom's book, I yield to a superior author who has thoroughly researched many sources and brought many mysteries together to reveal a likely history of actual events which occurred in Wales, the Southeast U. S., and along the Ohio River, culminating in the current location of the Mandan Nation in the center of our continent. As I continued reading, my jealousy quickly became admiration. I read this book five times in its first two months, and I continue to enjoy it today. I cannot comprehend any reaction other than excited enjoyment to this great book.

Amazingly, I felt transferred into this wild wilderness, battling all of the various elements of danger contained within the world of the ragged travellers. This is the story of a Welsh prince of antiquity that leaves his embattled homeland to hopefully build another kingdom in paradise. The scenes on the ocean voyage are particularly exciting, as are the various encounters with the native peoples he and his fellow journeyers encounter. I found the novel entirely engrossing.Before devouring this book, I had never read any of Thom's other novels. I went on to read most of his other works in rapid succession. He brings the history of native America into sharper focus.