I'm currently rating ALL of the clanbooks(since I own them all and the I Own It button has vanished) so here are my words on this. It's good, like them all, but not a clan I favor.

The ravnos are one of the clans more shrouded in mystery than many of the others. It is for this reason that many people( players)take the thievery and vice for granted thinking that playing one of these guys is no fun. The book shows that they have darker secrets than imagined and that chimestry is one of the most useful disciplines, as I found out in Berlin with the 5th gen Ravnos. Even though most of them are gone now after the rise of their antedelluvian, this is still a good sourcebook to use if you're going to have one of the two remaining ravnos in your chronicle.

I have been a Vampire player for about 3 years and I have never had so much fun in playing any other clan as the ravnos... They are cunning and tricky, everybody must always watch out about where they are and what they do. They steal you while you aren't looking and they lie to you like it's really the truth. The Ravnos are powerful beings, with their chemistry powers. I apreciate the new merits and flaws that they put in the book and to all Vampire players... BUY THIS BOOK!!!

Having read this book, I find myself much less mystified by the sometimes-nonsensical operation of computer-like networks over telephone-system infrastructure. Dr. Walters does a superb job of explaining the fundamental thinking behind the 100-year-old telephone-technology evolution and how it contoured itself to meet the required level of service in an optimum fashion. He further explains the quality and type of service required for computer networking and how it significantly differs from that of telephony.

Steve laces the book with sufficient simple examples, humor, and genuine technical detail to make the book an enjoyable learning experience for just about anyone with an interest either telephony or global computer networking. This book is valuable for engineers and a must-read for investors.

Having read The New Telephony in great detail I conclude that this book is a useful, timely and comprehensive guide to the state of the art in the telephony industry. The author has a rare ability to translate complex problems and concepts into easy to understand descriptions that highlight the essence of the issues. He walks the reader through the key elements and developments of both traditional telephone networks and the Internet and builds on this to contrast the emerging "new" telephony with that of traditional "old" telephone networks and their operators. Refreshingly, this is not just a book about technical communication protocols and standards. The book also highlights the importance of operational issues, wiring, billing, regulatory, reliability, economics, inertia and competitive drivers. It provides the reader not only with an understanding of the key technologies but also with an appreciation of the drivers that motivate service providers to apply these technologies in their networks. The book then contrasts different views and scenarios on how the New Telephony may take shape in the market place. As the Foreword by Lucky concludes "It is rare that these [different] views come together in one book, but here they do, for all of us to ponder and appreciate".

I am prompted by Pete's review of The New Telephony to respond. This is not a novel nor is it meant to be exciting. It is a thoughtful technical book. I am happy to hear the 6th grade students in NSW Australia might find the ideas presented in this book as fitting to their level of education. If this were truly so it would shame our graduate students for they might have to struggle with some of the ideas and concepts included in this book. Dr. Walters does take pains to try and make these complex transmission concepts, standards and methods clear and understandable. He blends both the science and the engineering showing not only the how but the why it must be so. To summarize the current state of telephony is a difficult task because of the broad range of topics entering into every consideration. Dr. Walters develops the ideas and thoughts so that the current state of telephony makes sense...at least as to its reasons for being so.

This book, in my estimation is a must read for anyone currently concerned with almost any aspect of telephony.

David L. Favin

Bauer is no Shelby Foote and this book no elegant synthesis of art and history. It remains a serviceable addition to the history buff's library, however, with its detailed accounts of the politics and battles of this little known conflict. Through Bauer we can appreciate men such as the unsung Commodore David Conner, the brash Commodore Robert Stockton, the easy-going, slovenly Zachary Taylor, the brilliant Winfield Scott. Civil War buffs will want this volume to appreciate how this conflict shaped the tactics and personalities of the next great confrontation in American history.

Bauer has done a great job here. It might be a little spare on the personalities, but for those who know nothing about this war, and there are multitudes, this is a good start.

The only thing I disagree with is Bauer's notion that the United States had nothing to fear from foriegn expansion into the near empty land which was claimed by Mexico. Republican Government had few friends in 1846 and we should put ourselves in the shoes of Andrew Jackson, Sam Houston, and James K. Polk when we think of this era. They believed, and probably correctly, that the worst threat to the survival of the U.S. was to continue to try and exist with such a huge open territory on our borders. All that would be needed would be a foreign power with a thirst for empire on our borders and we might cease to exist. Men who thought this way were not imperialists, they were filled with fear for the survival of their decendants. Mexico was not governing much less defending the territories necessary for American survival and something needed to be done about it and fast. I don't recall any of the great Americans of this era ever using the term "manifest destiny." (Bauer doesn't say that either. Revisionists use this newspaper term.) More like manifest survival. This opinion shouldn't of mine shouldn't keep readers from enjoying this book, though. Wonderful job Dr. Bauer!

This is the best of the Mexican War books I have read. The only critical comment I would have is that the actors sometimes get confused as Bauer tries to put their experience in this war in a context with the War Between the States. His careful scholarship, though, shows how closely PBS came with its mini-series and where they failed. Few books, I think, give such insight into the role of fashion in historical research, which, by itself, is valuable to us amateurs. It is the last book on this subject of which I am aware which has not taken political correctness into account and so his critical attitude towards the Mexican government and that country's ruling classes might provide food for thought for some.

It is very hard to get an interesting book about aircraft accidents without, at the same time, getting "yellow" in the analysis.

Clearly, the author tried to be serious but the final result is precisely what the title says: A lot of final reports...without further analysis. It should have been interesting having a more general analysis (similar to books by Perrow or Reason) instead of being satisfied with the analysis included in every report.

Highly recommend this book for anyone interested in well-publicized airplane crashes during the 90s. Authors recreate the accident using NTSB reports in a concise and gripping manner that made me feel like I was in the cockpit. At the end of each report a list of references and additional reading list is given for readers interested in getting more information. Authors are captains at major airlines and NTSB accident investigators.

Dinosaur lovers (or their parents) have many books to turn to these days, in a wide range of genres: technical encyclopedias, with carefully drawn skeletons and accurate scientific information; exciting memoirs of digging expeditions; historical accounts of the "Bone Wars"; and illustrated guides for a popular audience.

"The Big Book of Dinosaurs" falls into the last category; the main credit rightly goes to the artist, Bob Walters, whose fine illustrations make this a tempting gift for any young dino-phile of your acquaintance. Like many dino-artists, Walters' style and colour preferences are quite distinct, and I find his renderings rather pleasing.

Sadly, there are some errors in the text that really shouldn't be there: Giganotosaurus comes out as Gigantosaurus, theropods become therapods, to cite two examples. When the prevailing standard for dinosaur books nowadays is meticulous accuracy (no serious palaeontologist would have let those errors slip by), this is genuinely disappointing.

For stunningly illustrated dinosaurs *with* careful, accurate accompanying text, I would turn to "Dinosaurs: the Biggest, Baddest, Strangest, Fastest" by Zimmerman/Olshevsky, to name one outstanding example.

Walters' artwork certainly deserves better; perhaps the next edition?

Showcased with the superb, science based artwork of Bob Walters, The Big Book Of Dinosaurs is an ideal introduction for young readers to the fascinating world of the dinosaur. Replete with up-to-date information on the latest discoveries in the paleontological study of dinosaurs, there are profiles of more than one hundred dinosaurs from all regions of the world presented an easy-to-read, the fact-filled text. Of special interest is the section devoted to how dinosaurs evolved over millions of years into some of the animals populating the earth today. The Big Book Of Dinosaurs is an enthusiastically recommended addition to any school or community library collection for children of all ages on the subject of the dinosaur!

with so many tiny tidbits of interesting information stuck in here and there it was a learning experience just reading the special highlights throughout the book. There were useful lists of important dates and happenings throughout each chapter and even suggested websites relating to each chapter's material for further information. The way the book was written made for easy understanding of the material and better memory of what was read. Although the book follows a text book formula it was fun to read which is rare. A real find!

I looked for a long time to find a decent world history; one that was neither 10,000 pages nor painfully dry. This is the best I found. It is a very readable book of reasonable length. The authors make good use of sidebars with thought-provoking bits of literature which are scattered throughout the overall history. They also make a good attempt at discussing underlying causes and patterns behind the historical events. I perfer that to a dry recounting of the facts, even if I may not always agree with them on the interpretation. It was surprisingly neutral on religious topics, given the origin of the book.

This fifth volume in the Thieves' World series contains stories by Janet Morris, C.J. Cherryh, Asprin, Lynn Abbey, David Drake, and Diana Paxson - with Andrew Offut noticeably and thankfully absent. The stories range from the grotesquely gripping to the merely entertaining, and overall are more enjoyable than most of the previous Thieves' World books. The highlight is Paxson's "Mirror Image," which features the two only endearing characters in all of Thieves' World, the painter Lalo and his wife, Gilla. Lalo, you see, had been cursed/blessed. His portraits revealed the inner soul of the subject, not the exterior facade (thus his large, domineering wife appears as a goddess). In "Mirror Image," Lalo paints a self-portrait and the result is a very moving tale. Despite the false packaging (the "invasion" referenced in the title is hardly that, just an omnipresence of mysterious, powerful foreigners), The Face of Chaos is, perhaps, the first Thieves' World book I'd recommend without reservations.

A collection of top fantasy writers have contributed to this unique experience of tales.

Very few surgical fields demand a complete and comprehensive knowledge of the entire human body. Plastics and reconstructive surgery is right up there when it comes to that. A successful Plastic surgeon incorporates knowledge of Gross anatomy, microscopic anatomy, tissue physiology, physiology of the patient itself and the innate aesthetic sense to recreate from tissue and prosthesis alike.

Grabb and Smith's text offers a comprehensive and engaging review of the essential aspects of Plastic surgery. Each Chapter starts with a review of clinical anatomy and leads on to Clinical aspects of diease. Historically important surgical approaches as well as current techniques are discussed. Disease classification is also described in excellent details through the use of tables.

I do firmly believe that this book is a worthwhile investment of time and money.

When I received the Book with Cd I thought that Cd will contain some interactive materials or MCQ self test kind. To find the CD as exact version of the book makes me wonder whats the idea behind.

A character-driven portrayal of Sir Walter Ralegh, largely told in flashback, but also involving some fairly fast realtime action.

Nye writes well on a sentence level. Generally, I found his historical portrayal believable, and his characters multifaceted, although I don't quite buy that Ralegh would be such a political innocent that he wouldn't realize why Elizabeth could by no means risk becoming pregnant. The plot is exciting; it bogged down a bit for me about 3/4 of the way through, but Ralegh's attempts to escape execution are fast-moving and gripping.

The different portrayals of Elizabeth in historical fiction are interesting. She's always larger than life, even when, as here, she has aspects of the grotesque. And generally, as here, she's shown quite negatively. I like the darkness of the way she torments her favorites in the book, though I rather doubt it's what really happened.

I disliked the homophobia with which James I and his lover Villiers were portrayed -- it's fine that James is a negative character, but the prejudice here seemed to go beyond Ralegh's normal Renaissance-era reaction.

In the final analysis, there's something self-indulgent about this book, about Ralegh and his endless self-recriminations and maundering. Still, readers of Elizabethan historical fiction will probably want to have a look at it.

With famed courtier Sir Walter Ralegh as his speaker/writer, author Robert Nye creates a fictional journal which includes all the elements of high drama the reader would expect of this vicarious peek into Ralegh's very private and intriguing world--his climb from obscurity to the highest levels of court life, the nature of his tumultuous relationship with Queen Elizabeth, his career as a soldier, his secret courtship and marriage, his loathing of the venal King James, his thirteen years in the Tower of London on false charges, and his eventual release by King James to search for gold in the New World.

The journal, which begins in 1618, moves back and forth in time, alternating vivid tales of Ralegh's tenuous existence aboard the Destiny, a ship off the coast of Guiana, with his colorful reminiscences of life in Elizabeth's court, when, as a young man he was living the heady life of a courtier. The ebb and flow of the journal creates its own narrative movement and conveys both the vibrant excitement of Ralegh's days as a young man and the melancholy self-reflection which dominates his old age. Sensuous descriptions and self-deprecating wit characterize his revelations about his younger days, while the privation and trauma he experiences at the end of his life elicit both sympathy and admiration as he tries to redeem his pride and reputation while walking a tightrope between his mutinous crew, his duplicitous king, and his Spanish enemies.

Though very exciting and full of fascinating period detail, Nye's novel is more than a biography, however. Ralegh tells us that his journal is ultimately a log of three voyages: first, the voyage of the ship Destiny--his present, day to day life; second, the voyage of his history--his past and his fortunes; and, third, the Voyage of Destiny, not his life or his ship but something more than the present, the past, or both together. This third journey is an internal one, and we observe Ralegh making an effort to achieve deeper understanding, not only of himself, but of the real values which give meaning to man's existence, not the values imposed by society. He is accompanied, on both his real and his symbolic journey, by an Indian named Guayacunda, a mysterious man whose tribe was wiped out a hundred years earlier, and whose ancestral heritage, language, culture, and even real name have vanished completely, leaving him without the ancestral values he thinks would give meaning to his existence. As they share their dreams, they search for an understanding of truth which will give value to their separate realities.

Multi-leveled and totally satisfying, The Voyage of the Destiny uses the fascinating life of Sir Walter Ralegh to illuminate the search of a thoughtful man for truth and meaning in life beyond what society and its values have imposed, not one truth at the expense of others, but truths which come from a life lived with respect and humility, not with pride or a need for recognition. In that way, Ralegh discovers, he may achieve true honor. Mary Whipple

Today, despite the progress that has been made since the Civil Rights Act, systemic, and often unconscious discrimination persists against African Americans. Why is this the case? I believe Walters and Smith would argue that presently Americans are lack the ability to analyze society in political, economic, and structural terms. The result is that we, as a society, and African Americans, as a minority, are blind to the very obstacles that must be overcome. The value of "African American Leadership" lies in its ability to situate the discussion of African American leadership in the midst of a social, political, and historical exegesis. The weakness of the book rest with its deficiency in theoretical and methodological approaches, as well as its lack of attention to how other societal inequalities besides race (socioeconomic stratification, for instance) should be part of the discussion. Walters and Smith, take on the challenge of educating their audience about the social and historical forces that influence "Negro" and later "Black" leaders' effectiveness throughout history and even today. Towards this end, I feel "African American Leadership" has met the challenge. The contemporary pioneers of the movement towards social equity must build on and learn from Walters' and Smith's discussion.