This beautifully written book brings to light, in an understated but poetic way, the genius and greatness of the man who, as Gaustad says, "was out to do nothing less than alter the institutional structure of the Western world." It is a measure of our time that many people-especially young people educated pursuant to the fashionable bromides of contemporary social science education-have never heard of this first founder of liberty of conscience and disestablishment of religion in America. In our epoch of attempted "faith-based" governmental initiatives, Gaustad's book reminds us, by constant reference to the writings of Roger Williams, of those principles that, after a bitter struggle of more than a century, came to distinguish this nation from the government-controlled religion and thought of the rest of the world. The life of Roger Williams shows that deeply held religious belief necessarily implies an unwavering commitment to the principle of absolute separation of church and state. Williams' life also demonstrates that at least one colonial leader tried, unsuccessfully, to overcome the tendency of the Puritans to treat Native Americans as less than human or as mere subjects for conversion to Christianity. The tragedy of Williams' life consisted solely in the failure of his decades-long effort to resolve the conflict between rapacious, religiously hypocritical English settlers and the Native Americans. The triumph of his life was his original pronouncement, in this country, of the enduring but often threatened principle that government should be restricted to civil, not religious, tasks. More than a century later, Jefferson and Madison built on the foundation that Roger Williams so nobly established in his writings and in the constitutional documents of Rhode Island.

Gaustad did an excellent job of portraying not only Williams' beliefs, politic and theology but the state of the world that led to their development and need. Very readable, never boring, practical and insightful to William's America as it is to ours. WE could learn a great deal from Williams, even so mamy years later. Gaustad truly brought him to life.

Gaustad's Liberty of Conscience is the second biography of Roger Williams I have read this summer. Perhaps because the first, Covey's The Gentle Radical, was so prolix, I loved Gaustad's work. His selection of historical data, his clear sequencing, and his explication of Williams's own writings make this a delight to read. Seventeenth-century Britain and colonial America and all those names one vaguely remembers are vividly described. The prose is clear and attractive. I came away with a new appreciation of Williams. Gaustad sees him as the first to set forth those principles of religious liberty that were picked up after him by Locke, Penn, Jefferson, and others and which we take for granted today. Toleration is a subject of current conversation within the United States. This biography depicts someone who fought for toleration in a time when people were being banished and even executed for not believing what the political powers said they must believe. It really gives a healthy perspective on our times. I recommend it highly.

In John Logan's moving yet horrifying "Never the Sinner" we meet two infamous killers, and the mystic, mythic figure that chose to defend these two.

Set in the 1920s, Logan spins the story of Leopold and Loeb, two rich, handsome teenagers that, due to the mixing of their personalities and dangerous philosophies (Nietzche gone bad) decide to kill someone for the experience of it. After this henious act, Clarence Darrow rides in, not to wipe the guilt from their souls, but merely defend them from going to the gallows.

There are several moving aspects to this play which Logan has brilliantly captured in small scenes. The courtship and love between Leopold and Loeb is explored fully. Some ficiton and non-fiction written about these two shy away from the possible homosexual connection, but not Logan. Their actions are horrendous, their self-centered thinking abhorrant, but the relationship between the two powers this play and is intriguing. You want the union of these two not to result in murder, but in love.

The other passionate part of the play comes with the introduction of Clarence Darrow in the second act. He rides in and becomes a fierce adversary of the death penalty, and brilliant argues against the ultimate punishment. However, his courtroom bravado is tempered by scenes with the boys, when he tries desparately to understand the actions of these two. And due to his efforts, Leopold and Loeb begin to struggle with the consequences of their actions, and become more human (which, upon my understanding of the actual story, never really happened).

John Logan has given us a play that reads very well, is very passionate and compelling, and a true classic of theater today.

John Logan contructs a masterful picture of the times and people involved in the first "crime of the century." This is a dazzling piece of work that could only exist on the stage. Suspenseful, involing, emotive, compassionate and above all amazingly theatrical, this work stands not only as a terrific documentary play of an important time, but as an engrossing example of how powerful a medium the theatre can be.

When it comes to Leopold and Loeb, John Logan is the best story-teller. His use of a time manipulation and powerful language makes this play as full of suspense as one can. I have visited Chicago and "haunted" the sites mentioned in this book and, after talking to people about this true story and completing the research I intended to, I came to the realization that this book WAS as much an obsession with Mr. Logan as it is with me now. He portrays the brutal truth along side the unfortunate morals and ideals these two young murderers were plagued with. Clarence Darrow, in his closing summations for the defense of these boys, stated, "I may very well hate the sin in all the world, but never the sinner." I think, as John Logan certainly did, that this statement characterizes the time and mood (as does this book) of the early 1920s and the Leopold and Loeb - Crime of the Century.

Okay, I admit it, the only reason I bought this book was because I read an online review which mentioned that this book was filled with references to The Who and in fact, every chapter was titled after a Who song! Well, I love to read and I love The Who even more so I decided to buy this book. I stayed up very late for three nights in a row until I finished "One Last Hit", it was hard to put down! I loved the sly references throughout and especially adored all the Who references; the woman drummer with a photo of Keith Moon on her desk, the autographed photo of Pete Townshend from eBay - - and the last bit of the book, where Joe Portugal hears that John Entwistle died, really DID make me cry. Thank you Nathan for writing this book and thank you for dedicating it to John Entwistle - you BOTH rock! I'm waiting for the sequel . . .

What a great book! Especially if you are a baby boomer. Terrific plot and great characters - make sure you have a big enough block of time to get through this - I read it on a cross-country flight and the time just zoomed by.

This was the first time I read Nathan Walpow, but won't be the last.

"One Last Hit" is the third Joe Portugal book and revolves around Joe's exploits as he gets his old band, The Platypuses, back together and his search for their elusive lead guitarist. The problem is that somebody's trying to kill members of the band not long after they reunite.

Joe is a very likable character and the dialogue is fast and funny. Walpow also gets in plenty of musical references through his character, mentioning "unsung" (no pun intended) bands and albums that may just have the unfamiliar looking them up. A nice touch is that chapters are titled with Who/Pete Townshend song names. Fans of a good mystery and '70s rock will enjoy this fun book.

A quick note on the publisher, UglyTown: they are the reason I bought "One Last Hit" in the first place. They publish beautifully designed paperbacks and whether they choose the authors or the authors choose them, it's a good fit. I have everything they've ever put out (including a series for teens) and enjoyed them all.

Displaced Jewish musicians from Germany, not suspeced of Zionism, find themselves in the ideologically zealous Palestine of 1937.
With the prospects of going back to Germany becoming slimmer, and the future of Jews in Palestine being shaky, they try to find condolence in music.
The personal differences between the four quartet members are intensified by the division of the novel into different parts, each one the diary of a different quartet member.
While the music making and the social surroundings are always present, the book's main merit is in presenting the personal turmoil that people undergo when uprooted from their homeland, especially one that has betrayed them.

This is a superbly well-written book, beautifully translated into English from the original Hebrew. It operates on many levels: nominally, it is about four displaced German-Jewish musicians, refugees from Hitler's Germany who find themselves in Palestine in 1937. Metaphorically it can be read as the power of chamber music as a common denominator among disparate personalities and fractured lives. It also offers insights into traditional European culture in the context of a pioneering social experiment in the Middle East. A riveting read. A civilising experience.

I thought this was an intelligent and beautifully written book. No fireworks, car chases, television drama. Instead, we get intriguing characters and complex relationships. A brilliant look at Israeli society and four people trying to make music together.

Received autographed copies of your book and already sold all of them here in the Ear Nose Throat Clinic. Thanks so much. We need lots more! All of our Doctors at the Clinic are quite impressed with your talent, your gift of writing, quotations of scripture and vocabulary. Your book is informing, enlightening, and a challenge to the imagination in Christian Science Fiction. You may have another Tim LaHaye "Left Behind" series, or movie for evangelistic ministries such as Rev. Billy Graham, Pat Robertson, Carman, Trinity Broadcasting Network, or a talk show topic as a guest author on The "Oprah" Show. You really are a talented and gifted person, with a large/deep vocabulary. Thanks for the terminology in the back of your book. We are looking forward to meeting you in person at your booksigning here in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, at The Books-A-Million Stores, Lemstones, and local Library; as well as local T.V. station, W.D.A.M. Mid-day Show, in June 2001, this year.

My colleagues and I have now had the opportunity to read and give some discussion to your novel, SPACE ARK! We are in agreement that it is sci-fi at a high level with all of the requisite ingredients to do well in that niche market. Your writing evokes good visual impressions in the narrative while the dialog is nice and tidy. Some really good writing. I think this should easily find a home with the right book publisher. I am very appreciative you brought SPACE ARK! to my attention. It is a novel richly deserving of publication. The Austin Wahl Agency

I enjoyed Space Ark! very much, and I wanted to tell you so. The concepts, some familiar, and some intriguing ideas I'd never imagined, were intertwined into a very captivating story. The overall premise, I thought, was quite original. There were some twists and turns that kept me engaged, even though I had a strong feeling it would end somewhat the way it did. I'm GLAD it ended that way in fact. I like stories that leave me feeling whole and safe as this did! I consider myself somewhat technically oriented. I have a habit of reading even fiction as though it were a technical manual. Your vocabulary is one of the richest I have encountered. Wow!

What can I say. The world is lucky to have the work of Anna Swir. I read her book again and again. Each time, I feel renewed, more easily accepting my own journey.

Anna Swir writes some of the most beautiful and deeply stirring poems I have ever read. It dives into the frailty AND the power of this womans spirit. Her poems paint pictures in your mind so real and tangible it is guranteed to leave you grasping for emotions and feelings that you may not have known existed within you. I say that it's a must read for women, and I know that coming from a man that is kind of a silly statement. But believe me, Anna writes from a unique and touchingly feminist point of view that in my humble opinion, all women would find both refreshing and inspirational. Here's a preview of her work I found to be beautiful: "THE GREATEST LOVE... She is sixty. She lives the greatest love of her life. She walks arm in arm with her dear one, her hair streams in the wind. Her dear one says, You have hair like pearls. Her children say, Old fool." Poems about old women are hard to find, as if they were taboo, or not worth mentioning in pretty prose. Anna Swir relates often to the matriarch as a symbol of timeless beauty and strength. One final: "THANK YOU MY FATE... Great humility fills me, great purity fills me, I make love with my dear as if I made love dying, as if I made love praying, tears pour over my arms and his arms. I don't understand what I feel, I'm crying, I'm crying, it's humility as if I were dead, gratitude, I thank you my fate, I'm unworthy, how beautiful this life." The book is also filled with some statements on her life, which after reading and understanding what she was surrunded by, leaves you in absolute awe every time you swim through her poems. Please, read these poems. You can thank me afterwards.

This volume of Anna Swir's poetry was translated by Nobel Prize-winnner Czeslaw Milosz with the help of Leonard Nathan. Anna Swir writes in simple free-verse about her parents, her childhood in Poland, death, love, and growing old. Most of the poems are very brief, though some are long enough to fill two pages. And though brief, they are all full of emotion.

I have bought and read this book and thought it offered a practical approach to dieting and fitness. Got me motivated to start exercising more and watching what I eat. As long as I know I can still have cookies and such but in moderation, then I can work easier towards obtaining a fitness lifestyle that will work for me. Loved the cover!

I thought that this book was great! After I read this book it made me see the big picture of living a health and active life style with out giving up the things I love! I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to start live a healthy and active lifestyle!

I found this book motivated me to get out and do something more physically active. The premise is that anything is better than nothing and any little activity will get you moving and eventually onto bigger and better activities. I like to dance with my son, chase my son to get him dressed and changed, and play with my dogs. It's a start.

The myriad stories begun throughout the series are brought together here, as plot-threads you didn't know existed are revealed and then woven together (and none of them are dissatisfying cheap tricks, either). Many questions are answered, but not all of them.

The scope of the finish here is the biggest I can remember, and the poignacy of the end is distinct from the triumph or anti-climax at the end of many other major science fiction tales.

I've read this entire series four or five times completely, and it was worth it every time.

This is the first in the series that I have read,but unlike most series novels the history and characters are well explained thus able to comprehend the situations.Brazil the perfect hero is not the classic hero as he uses deceit and other human prows to achive his goals.It is noted that a lot of classical work shows the hero as a moral,'justice for all',... character while true human nature of corruption and other and philosophy that the ends justify the means are ignored.Such greats as Alexander The Great have employed ruthless methods and it is seen that Brazil is the same.As conclusion compared to classic good versus evil and pure fantasy fiction this novel is a work of art.

I have to say the Twilight is in my opinion the best Well World novel that has been written. It brings back my favorite character, Nathan Brazil, and it also explains more about the history of the Well and even why Nathan Brazil was really left as a Guardian. I thought that it also incorporated some good villians and and subplots and left a very big opening for many new Well World novels. All in all, I say it is a very good book and a must have.

Daniel Valentine is a detective of the first water--intelligent, handsome, and gay, he teams up with Clarisse Lovelace in "Vermilion," the first book featuring this fearsome duo in a first-rate comedy suspense series (all with a color in the title, ala John D. MacDonald). Set in Boston (as are the following three), Valentine starts looking into the death of a young hustler, found dead on the lawn of an outspoken homophobic legislator.

Perhaps better known for its tea parties and baked beans, nonetheless, the city of Boston is all aghast at this latest turn of events, especially the political factions and the gay community. Of course, the police have set this case on "top priority." Valentine, who works as a bartender by night and a detective by day, involves his best friend, Clarisse (who's a not-so-inspired straight real estate agent). Author Nathan Aldyne balances well the suspense and intrigue of the murder and its implications with some very wry, dry humor that makes fast reading reading this novel.

Of course, by book's end, the murder is solved--but not without first involving some very smart sleuthing and calculations on the part of Valentine and Clarisse, a path that leads them into some very seedy, questionable, and dangerous areas.

Nathan Aldyne is also the author of "Cobalt," "Canary," and "Slate." ...

When these books first came out (80's) I do not remember there being a lot in this particular genre (except for the Brandstetter mysteries - which were much more serious.) Now these humorous gay detective stories seem to be everywhere, but the ones I've read come nowhere close to these gems.

Vermillion is the first of 4. The others are Cobalt, Slate and Canary. (Actually, they could almost be the titles of Pet Shop Boys albums ...) Anyway, the Boston/P-town settings are great, the Daniel & Clarisse team is hysterical, the stories solid, and the 80's period --once current with the first publication -- is sweetly nostalgiac.

If you want a good, light, comic romp .. get these books. And hold onto them .. they come and go quickly from print.

Okay, I admit I'm a fanatic when it comes to this author's books. He wrote horror novels under his real name (Michael McDowell) that I could not get enough of as a teen. I still reread them all. Then just as I came out, I discovered he co-wrote these four books, and I devoured them as well. I think they are part of the reason I now live in Massachusetts...kidding, but they are tightly plotted mysteries set in pre-HIV Boston & Provincetown. Buy them lest they go out of print again!

'Like setting Rocky Marciano against Mike Tyson. Unlike boxing, however, chess posesses a mass of statistics that can be treated as raw material for comparisons.' Nigel Hawkes, The Observer.

'The book undoubtedly will stir controversy among chess fans and statisticians. Even if you skip the maths tables it is still a rattling good read.' Grandmaster Larry Evans, Syndicated Column, USA.

'Who is the greatest player of all time? Warriors of the Mind proposes to answer that question in as definitive way as possible.' GEORGE BOTTERILL, THE NEW STATESMAN.