I'm not surprised to find this book listed as a Children's Book - who else is supposed to enjoy beautiful illustrated fables?

The answer, of course, is the grown-up who reads it aloud. The detailed illustrations in this book will fascinate the fortunate child who hears the tale. The fortunate adult reader and the child will enjoy following this story about an unhappy king, laden with "things" he thought would make him happy.

A classic consumer, he "gets" more and more - his closets and rooms are burdened with beautiful treasures that bring him little joy. He thinks the only thing he doesn't have - one of the quiltmaker's quilts - will bring him that elusive happiness. But she only gives to the poor - despite his threats and angry attempts to show her who has the power - she will not give him a quilt.

She tells him how he can get that quilt - the answer of course is simple, once he figures it out.

A wonderful gift for that person you know who always gives (s/he might like reading it to children or grandchildren) or the quilt-lover on your list. The colorful quilt patterns shown and named inside the front and back covers, and inside the dustjacket(! ) are fantastic.

Like "Old Turtle," this is a beautifully illustrated book with rich layers to be enjoyed by children and adults, year after year.

If you are a quilter, or even if you aren't, this is a beautiful book about the value of giving. The book is well-written, if not very subtle. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and the tie in to quilts makes for an interesting story.

My children, age 7 and 9, both love this book just to look through and read to themselves. I like to look through and match up the quilting patterns. -- Oh, an added extra is a search and find in the middle ... younger kids will love this.

For quilters, there is a tie in with fabric still available in some stores and you can make a quilt to go with the story line. Altogether, a keeper.

my children love this book. the story is about a king that collects beautiful things and demands a blanket from a mountain woman who makes amazing quilts but she refuses...she only gives her handmade quilts for those in need. the king is not considered a needy person. he demands a quilt and even though he tries to do mean things to her like leave her in a bear's cave to get his way, but she always comes out with a new friend because she has helped those she was left with. she finally tells him to give away all his things to get a quilt. for every item he gives away she'll sew another square. it has a great moral about helping those in need. the ending is great! the book has inspired my children to help make baby blankets for newborns in need as a christmas service project. we plan on sending the books to all our relatives on our christmas list while donating blankets in their honor. if you're looking for the perfect book for someone with a caring heart....this is it! also perfect for the quiltmaker in your life.

Bennett and Gottesfeld have taken what we think of as an oft-told tale and invigorated it by giving the Anne Frank story a dynamic link to contemporary youth. A generation of young Americans who were born well after the end of World War II -- to whom Anne Frank is not a household name -- will discover a world, and a heroine, that they will identify with and will be unable to forget. And without being preached to, they will come to realize that Anne's story is not circumscribed by years, miles or religious orientation. Adults familiar with the story will see it in a new light, and will be reminded of how courage and optimism in the face of impending tragedy are characteristics that span the generations. This is the kind of book that goes beyond mere storytelling; once read, it cannot be forgotten, and I urge both parents and their children to read this book and to talk about its implications. It is not merely history...it is LIVING history: compelling and well-written, and a must addition to every home and school library.

I had been hearing rave reviews about the play "Anne Frank and me" and I was excited to have a chance to read the novel version. I was not disappointed. It was the most witty, intelligent, honest Young Adult novel I have read in a very long time, if not the ever. Cherie and Jeff have done a fantastic job not only conveying the angst teen girls all over the world go through on a daily basis (unrequited love, the mind-numbing spirit destroying hell of high school, not being able to connect with your parents) but they were able to deal with one of the most serious subjects in history--the Holocaust. I feel that this book should be put on to the reading lists of schools all over America--it really brought the horrors of an old historical event that isn't extremely relevant to a middle-class Protestant young adult to life. Buy this book--you won't regret it!

This is one of the best books I have ever read. And that is saying something, because this school year I read over one-hundred books. I am half-Jewish and very interested in the Holocaust. I have seen books that tell everything you need to know about it- the important people, who won and why, what Hitler's idea of a perfect German woman was, who was on which side, and what happened to the poor gypsies and jews.
But, excluding THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK (which I am not yet allowed to read)this is the only book I have come across that tells you what it is like to be there, scared.

The main character is named Nicole. She loves to dance, has average looks, and has a major crush on a boy named Jack, who in turn likes her friend Suzanne, who is sweet and has strawberry-blond hair. Being so typical, it is pretty obvious that she spends Literature class thinking about Jack the hottie instead of listening to Mrs. Litzer-Gold, a Holocaust survivor. (Note that I say Holocaust, not WW2. It is so much more than a war). But then she, along with some family and friends, gets warped back into the Holocaust. She becomes Jewish.

This is a book of sadness, of death, of fear, of friendship, of hope, of faith in God (or G-d, sorry)and of love. If you read this book you will never forget it. Please take my word for it that this book will touch you heart more than any Jacks of the real world will. Keep this book on your bedside table. Keep it for whenever you need a laugh, an adventure, or a little touch of mechalony.

I have read Eric Hansen's Traveling with Mohammed and Stranger in the Forest with much satisfaction. I enjoy travel and adventure books and both of these fit my interests. My knowledge about orchids is very limited and I doubt I would have read Orchid Fever until I heard of a new book by Mr. Hansen.

"Orchids" I said, by Hansen? Well I bought it and now I am trying not to buy one of these orchid creatures. The orchid world described by Hansen encompasses all the world has to offer; life, beauty, culture, pleasure, excitement, and the mis-use of power and guidance of those entrusted with political and regulation ability. It is strange how organizations such as CITES are created to preserve, protect, and educate and the results appear to be less than desirable.

Another book to be read and enjoyed by Mr. Hansen. I would recommend it to anyone, not just orchid lovers.

If Eric Hansen were to publish a shopping list, I would read it. He is a superb writer, and he displays his talents to perfection in "Orchid Fever." That I have no personal interest in orchids is irrelevant; Hansen brings his story to life with a fascinating cast of characters, journeys to the ends of the earth and back in search of orchids and their admirers, and hilarious descriptions of lust, intrigue and exotic behavior among humanity's fine floral friends. Every increment of the book is exquisitely crafted: sentences, paragraphs and chapters stand on their own as perfect gems, yet the book as a whole is so beautifully paced that it holds your interest throughout. I recommend that you read "Orchid Fever" aloud with someone you love in order to fully appreciate every finely polished, meticulously constructed sentence. My partner and I did so, and spent many delightful evenings laughing our heads off, reading and re-reading Hansen's gorgeously loony descriptions of the universe of orchids and orchid lovers.

Whether you happen to be an orchid lover, or merely a curious bystander, "Orchid Fever (A Horticultural Tale of Love, Lust and Lunacy)" will have you by turns helpless with mirth and seething with indignation, or else simply agog with incredulity from start to finish. For it is, quite simply, an absolutely stunning piece of investigative journalism, dressed up as a tale of personal obsession and eccentricities. Written using plain language and with an outstanding witticism, it makes for compelling reading throughout, whether or not you know anything about orchids, or the orchid-growing and trading communities that it explores.

Chapter by chapter, alternating hilarious episodes with the downright unsettling or just plain unbelievable, Eric Hansen gradually lays bare the seedy underbelly of a world that perhaps few of us realise exists. He reveals an alarming world-wide conspiracy, fuelled by greed, protected and upheld by idiotic international bureaucracy and a network of power politics, which daily threaten innocent lives and legitimate livelihoods as well as vast swathes of natural fauna that they purport to be protecting.

Populated as it is by gentle, likeable heroes, blackguardly villains, utter buffoons and the most outrageously bizarre of characters, it is sometimes easy to forget that this book is factual, so far-fetched are some of the events and scenarios that its author recounts. And yet, this somehow makes the book all the more scary, for occasionally things happen to make you realise that it is not a work of fiction. And at that point, the anger sets in... anger that things should be this way and are likely to remain so, despite the best efforts of some of the book's obvious heroes.

Thoroughly researched over a period of some seven years and never less than fascinating, this book exposes the full and terrifying consequences for anyone who succumbs to orchid fever. It is an essential read for anyone who thinks that orchids are nothing more than beautiful but harmless flowering plants. Or indeed for anyone who has never heard of fox testicle ice-cream!

For many Americans, Jackie Chan made his screen debut in the late 1990s with such hits as *Rumble in the Bronx* or *Rush Hour*. But a privileged few have been enjoying his movies for more than two decades, from the cheap, non-stop-kung-fu flicks he first starred in to his more recent and more expensive cop movies and period pieces.

*I Am Jackie Chan* is the story of the making of these movies and of the man who made them possible: a first-hand, first-person account of Jackie Chan's eventful life, from his training at a Peking Opera school, where we discover the overweight bully who was to become "big brother" Samo Hung, to his second and hugely successful attempt to conquer the American public.

The book unravels the rather bumpy ride to stardom of this atypical martial artist who always preferred being beaten up by the bad guys to the other way around, who repeatedly risked his life to perform the most incredible stunts ever filmed (Jackie stop! We don't want to lose you!) and whose happy-go-lucky persona finally eclipsed that of Bruce Lee himself.

I really loved this success-story, set in a world whose death warrant was signed in 1997 when the Communists took control of Hong Kong. Jackie has seen it all, from the Shaw Brothers to Golden Harvest; from the greatest of all Hong Kong directors, King Hu, to that smug, overbearing, cigar-smoking individual with a penchant for "bathroom humor and clumsy slapstick"- Lo Wei; from the evil Triads to the elitist clique of the movie stuntmen, who lived in the present because their future didn't even have a wire to hang on to.

If for you the names of Cheng Pei Pei, Michelle Yeoh (pre-Tomorrow Never Dies) and Yuen Woo Ping (pre-Matrix) have more magic to them than the equivalent Hollywood names, then you will enjoy this unique, exotic auto-biography, which really begs for a screen version in the vein of *Dragon: The Story of Bruce Lee*.

A good companion to this volume is the 75-minute video documentary entitled *Jackie Chan: My Own Story*, which shows rare footage from his films, bloopers and interviews with Jackie Chan, his closest associates and the American stars who count themselves his fans. At the end of this documentary, Chan says that he has fulfilled his three dreams of personal success, but that he now has a fourth one: world peace. I think we definitely ought to give him that. He deserves it.

I have read the autobiography, I Am Jackie Chan.This book is some three-hundred pages long but good from page one.I liked this book because it was very well written by the person who actually lived it.This book takes you all through the life of a small poor Chinese boy who worked his way up and went on to become a well known movie star.It all started with his living in the emporer's castle, his dad being the cook and his mom the maid.On ascale from one to ten I give it a ten because it kept me interested the whole time and I never wanted to put it down.Jackie Chan had many experiences in his life that we will never have. He attended the school of the Peking Opera in his days as a child.Also a student at the opera was NBC's hit show Martial Law's star, Samo Hung.Jackie started out as a stuntman, constantly searching for work. He became known for his stunts and began getting bigger and bigger pieces of movies,and in more famous movies themselves.If you look carefully you can find Jackie Chan in Bruce Lee's famous movie, Enter the Dragon.(My personal favorite)To sum this all up I'm just going to say that this book is great and beyond a shdow of a doubt well worth reading.

First and formost, if your a Jackie Chan fan, you owe it to yourself to read this book. I was captivated from beginning to end with this surprisingly touching book. It really sounds like Jackie is talking to you, giving you insite rarley seen anywhere else. I had no idea of the things he has gone through in his 45+ life so far. This book also has an added chapter, bring the book up to the beginning talks of Shanghai Noon (previously it went up to filimg Rush Hour). Highly recommended to everyone curious about this incredible action star.

This book is an exceptional reference for preparing for CCIE and for knowing Cisco IGP implementation, although, I assume many hands-on practice labs and work experience are also required in addition to it. It made my life easier, thinking that CCIE and expertise in IGPs are attainable. All chapters are great, especially OSPF, but I think redistribution and filtering wouldn't hurt to have more examples. I would suggest a second edition in order to cover features and commands added by Cisco, since the first one came out, increase its difficulty and add few more case studies and troubleshooting scenarios to complete it. This book is so great for the theoretical explanation of IGPs and not for their practical application. It would've been another 1000 pages to accomplish that. Actually, I think CiscoPress and Jeff should publish a book only with IGPs case studies, troubleshooting (real-world, basic, moderate and very difficult cases) and technical tips given the complexity of this information. Anyway, look no further! This is the world's number one book about Cisco interior routing protocols.

I've just finished reading Jeff Doyle's "Routing TCP/IP Volume I" book and feel confident that I can now pass the CCIE lab in the near future. His presentation of TCP/IP IGP routing protocols is very clear and concise, with a perspective and insight into internetworking which is rarely encountered. This edition combines introductory, historical, conceptual and practical materials, and RFC's, with a first rate writing ability into one scintillating package.

The chapter on OSPF was particularly satisfying going into the depth where the next step would be research into the protocol. Having said that there is a very pragmatic side to this book including configuration examples within the text as well as configuration and troubleshooting exercises and review questions at the end of the relevant chapters.

By leaving nothing on IGP's out and all the while remaining emminently readable, this book marks a very welcome and refreshing addition to the internetworking literature and will no doubt become known as a seminal work. I truly appreciate what I have learnt from this book, and am very much looking forward to the publication of Jeff's next work on EGP's, in Volume II, in July.

This is the best book I've read on IGP Routing Protocols and their implementation on Cisco Routers. The book takes a reader from basic IP routing fundamentals through to in-depth implementation of the most complex IGP routing protocols. The book is easy to read and flows in very logical manner. I especially enjoyed the chapter (8) on Cisco's EIGRP; It was the most detailed coverage I have read on Cisco's proprietary Interior routing protocol.

Additional Comments:

I did note the following errors in the books print listed by chapter:

Chapter 5

Page 193, Paragraph 1, Sentence 4 and 5

The statement with regard to holddown timers and Routers running RIP routers is false. The statement read "If an advertised hop count is higher than the recorded hop count and the update was received was originated by the recorded next-hop router, the route will be marked as unreachable for a specified holddown period. If at the end of that time the same neighbor is still advertising the higher hop count, the new metric will be accepted". The reason this is wrong is because, a router that receives a route with a higher metric than the currently recorded metric and the advertising router is also the recorded next-hop router, the router will immediately install the new metric. (lab tested).

Appendix F

Page 970, Chapter 7, Answer 1

The given answer is not completely correct as stated. First the answer states that the router labeled C on page 321 and who's configuration is on page 324 will interpret the RIPv2 routes 192.168.90.0/29 and 192.168.13.86/28 coming from routers A and B respectfully as 192.168.13.64/27 and discards them because this route is directly connected to one of router C's interfaces. This is incorrect first because the routes that will be advertised by routers A and B will be 192.168.13.80/29 and 192.168.13.80/28 respectfully not 192.168.13.86/28 and 192.168.90.0/29. Secondly because router C is configured with the default rip settings, which allows the router to advertise RIPv1 and receive RIPv1 and RIPv2, which will allow router C to correctly interpret the masks sent with the RIPv2 updates sent by routers A and B as such router C will have both (Lab Tested).

Appendix C, Chapter 11, Answer 1

The answer as stated is not completely correct. The answer states that in order to redistribute between the IGP domain and the RIPv1 domain the router labeled B should have its mask changed from /27 to /28. Although this facilitates the routes from the IGRP domain into the RIPv1 domain it does not completely facilitate the reverse. The reason for this is that when router B receives the RIPv1 updates from router C it interprets those routes to have a /28 mask due to the new mask on its E1 interface. This results in the IGRP domain believing that the subnets in the RIPv1 domain have only 14 hosts per subnet where as they really can have as may as 30 hosts. In example take the subnet 172.16.2.32/27 which possibly contains hosts 172.16.2.33 -62 in the RIP domain, when this route is redistributed into the IGRP domain it would be interpreted to only contain hosts 172.16.2.33-46. This would cause packets originating in the IGRP domain destined for the hosts numbered 172.16.2.47-62 to be returned unreachable by the routers in the IGRP domain without further configuration. i.e. static routes.

Ever since "Apollo 13" hit the theaters and astronaut Jim Lovell was interviewed on National Public Radio's "Fresh Aire" program, I've been meaning to get this book. Finally I did, and I'm glad. It is a remarkably informative book. Anyone who saw the movie or was paying attention to the news in April 1970 knows the basic story. Where this book excels is in giving us a very behind the scenes look into the people and machinery surrounding the Apollo 13 mission, in a much more personal way than is possible in a movie. Through personal recollection and what must have been innumerable hours of interviews by Jim Lovell and his co-author, the book lets us peek into the minds of the astronauts, engineers, and NASA administrators who dealt with the crisis, as well as the family members' reactions to the danger their loved ones suddenly found themselves in. And at the same time, the book manages to explain the technical details of flying a spaceship and navigating by the stars in both normal and highly extra-ordinary situations. Unlike the movie, this book does not seek to dramatize the events it chronicles, which are dramatic enough by themselves. If what you want is a completely unvarnished look at the Apollo 13 mission, I can think of no better source than "Lost Moon"

Lovell writes a gripping account of the space mission that almost made him a permanent fixture in the heavens.

Apollo 13 grabbed the attention of the world and brought back to a confident nation the danger and great risk associated with exploration. On its way to the moon, a tank blew out, causing a partial systems failure and raising the possibility that the three man crew might not be able to return safely to earth -- or even intercept our planet to try a reentry. (they faced the very real possibility of skipping off of the earth's atmosphere and traveling forever through the cosmos).

Although filled with technical talk, this book is very much a human story. It is filled with heros: the astornauts, the men at Mission Control who guided them safely back and the wives who very publicly waited to see if their husbands might be martyred to our scientific ambitions. Lovell puts this all very much into perspective. He gives excellent background of his preparation as well as the planning for the mission. The critical days aboard the spacecraft and at Mission Control as all of the problems associated with bringing him back alive are solved are as fascinating and as absorbing as any Tom Clancy novel.

Lovell tells a great story in a superb manner

An incredibly well-written and well-paced account of one of the most dramatic moments in the history of the U.S. Space Program. As opposed to the dry (although factually accurate) "13: The Flight that Failed" by Henry S.F. Cooper, it lets us peer into the very human side of the people who flew and guided this mission. But in addition it gives startling and often humorous insights into the very early days of the space program, when Mercury was still underway and Lovell was recruited into the fledgling Gemini program.

I found two other books enhanced my appreciation of everything that went into the Apollo 13 mission. One is "Apollo: The Race for the Moon", another behind-the-scenes history told from the point of view of the engineers who worked on the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs. The authors are Charles Murray and Catherine Bly Cox. Another book is "Chariots for Apollo: The Making of the Lunar Module," by Charles R. Pellegrino and Joshua Stoff. When you read about everything Grumman did to create the lunar module, you understand just why it fit so well its role of life boat during the Apollo 13 mission.

With the launch of the initial International Space Station components next year, the world will enter a new phase of space exploration -- a time where cooperation, not competition, is the by-word. At such a time, looking back on how we got to where we are now -- our space program roots, as it were -- is vitally important. "Lost Moon" does the job with grace and flair.

This novel concludes the Dark Elf trilogy. The series was quite good, not amazing but not terrible either. The most interesting part of the series was the first book (Homeland) where Salvatore laid out the entire world that Drizzt lived in.

The second book shows how Drizzit rejected his society and struck out on his own. However, his race is so widely hated that finding acceptance was quite difficult. Indeed, this theme continues to be of importance in this novel and in "The Crystal Shard" (book 1 of the Icewind Dale Trilogy).

The reason I liked this novel was for the final change in scenery; Drizzit finally emerges from the Underdark to see the daylight. He finally finds some measure of acceptance in this world; but it is hard won and not without misunderstandings. Indeed, this novel brings back the inner turmoil that is a feature of many of Salvatore's protagonists. Dealing with violence continues to be a problem for Drizzit. When should he use his swords? Why does he still feel guilty if he kills someone in the name of self-defence?

As I mentioned in my review of "Exile," there are typical fantasy elements in this novel in addition to Drizzit's problems and struggles. There are battles, fantastic monsters and other such staples of the fantasy genre. While reading these novels is enjoyable, I've been looking for something that it is in the same epic vein as, "The Lord of the Rings." I remain open to recommendations.

The series was reasonably interesting. This is my eighth Salvatore novel that I've read in recent months. I've started the Icewind Dale Trilogy, but I don't know how much of it I will read. I may switch to reading a different genre for a while for variety.

Let me start at the beginning. When I first read Salvatore's HOMELAND (The first book of DET), I was captured by his lyrical style of writing. All characters seem to have a purpose and a destiny. It's an interesting concept in writing, a complete story. That's what the Dark Elf trilogy is.

Homeland introduces a powerful family line, similar to that of the Godfather. In fact, throughout the whole trilogy experience I'm surprised at all of the similarites between the two. Drizzt Do'Urden is a classic hero, and a tragic one... a great twist.

R.A. Salvatore here brings his superb "Dark Elf Trilogy" to a close. This novel is without a doubt the best of the series. This novel is different from "Homeland" and "Exile" in that it takes place out of the Underdark, on the surface of the world. Because of this Salvatore's writing is explored in a new way as he describes the nature and surroundings around the main character, Drizzt Do'Urden, where in the first two books of the series Salvatore's descriptions were not as used as they were in this novel.

Drizzt has reached the world beyond the Underdark, which turns out to be an interesting place for Drizzt. From the beginning of the book when Drizzt is spotted he is thought to be a villain with the intention of making the world a bad place. Drizzt is accused as the murderer of a whole family and is being chased by a ranger, Roddy McGristle. Meanwhile, the orcs are considering Drizzt a threat and are about to make war against him. While Drizzt is out in the wild of the worlds he meets Montolio (or Mooshie) who is a ranger. Montolio teaches Drizzt history and skills to survive in the world and shows Drizzt how he is really a ranger. Montolio is a great friend and advisor. Together Drizzt and Montolio battle an army of orcs. This is not the end of the story as there is much to be told by Salvatore, but I won't tell you about that; go ahead and read the book.

This book is not a clone of J.R.R. Tolkien's works as it offers an original plot and great characters. This book does, however, include many of fantasy's creatures, such as orcs, goblins, dwarves, giants, and much more. You get the idea. This didn't bother me, though, as all of the creatures took on interesting characters.

Not many trilogies in the fantasy genre have kept me as entertained, as moved, and full of wonder as R.A. Salvatore's "Dark Elf Trilogy." To get the full impact of the story that is told here I advise you to go ahead and read the first two books of this trilogy before getting on to this one. This is a fantasy novel to read over and over again.

Happy Reading!

From the second I pick up book 1 of the Dark Elf Trilogy, I was captivated by the intense way of writing. This book has given me a profound new way of reading. I just completed Homeland and can't wait to begin Book 2: Exile. Salvatore is and absolute genius. I would find myself up into the early morning reading of Drizzt's struggle in a world with no integrity that he could not appreciate. It's amazing that an author can come up with a society such as the Drow. This book has definately created a new interest in my reading, and I am definately going to read more like it. Salvatore's stunning writing and play of words captivated me like no other book has. From the moment of Drizzt's birth, to the stunning climax, and up until the moment Drizzt disappears and leave his only home, I found myself not wanting to miss a single word. And the imagery of Guenhwyvar as being the only one who understands Drizzt is absolutely pure genius.

Re-reading Homeland after the first time five years ago brought back much memories. Undoubtedly, some of Salvatore's best works were in his earlier periods.

When the book came out, Drizzt was already a familiar character to to readers of FR novels, having been introduced in the Icewind Dale Trilogy - Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver and The Halfling's Gem. His combat skills with the twin scimitars were already well documented, as well as his faithful friend the magical panther Guenhwyar.

In Homeland, Salvatore attempted to explain the origins of how a drow, traditionally enemy of the surface world, came to be a defender of the weak and upholding justice in the realms. He began with societal description of Menzoberranzan, a mighty drow city where Drizzt's natural family resided as one of the stronger noble clans. Through a combination of macro and micro view of interaction between the drow clans, Salvatore depicted a society where the strongest rule, not only among families, but also within.

Born to a world dedicated to Lloth the Spider Queen, where everything is permissible (except being caught) to further personal benefit, Salvatore showed how a unique combination circumstances shielded the young drow noble was shielded from the despoiling influence of his society until he was sufficiently strengthened physically and emotionally to face the stark truths of everything around him.

Throughout the theme, Salvatore dictated a furious pace of the progress of the young Drizzt through his formative years, learning his place as a page, a warrior trainee and a student in the drow academy where inter-student rivalries were literally deadly, before Drizzt finally took his place as a fully fledged male noble in his clan.

At intervals, there would be a page or two of personal contemplation of Drizzt on his Menzoberranzan years, the lessons he learned, and re-learned upon the benefits of hindsights. These musings serve as an interesting read to readers, allowing them to bring their own mullings to pace with Drizzt's developments. This, is one of the better parts of the book, which overall is an excellent piece of reading.

This is a book about...

Drizzt Do`Urden makes an attempt to grow up in a world of darkness. But his heart is filled with ethical integrity. The first book of the outstanding trilogy illustrates how he grows up, and creates things that are always looked upon later. Truly, the first book to this trilogy will remain a classic.

I especially liked...

Drizzt. Drizzt is a believable character, and well-rounded. He completely contradicts the beliefs of his family and most everyone else around him. His family believes that power comes from being "dark", and it is often proven through their harsh actions. Yet Drizzt is an ethical drow elf, that is better than any other. What else can be said?

I didn't like...

Being the first book, Drizzt has no true companions that play a role beside him the entire time. He is constantly abandoned, and betrayed, creating my mind to go skeptical. I guess it helps develop his character though.

When I finished this book I wanted to...

A friend had gotten me the box set trilogy. Thank God. Because the first thing I wanted to do was read more.

This book made me feel...

It made me look at our own world in a certain perspective. Drizzt grows up in a world where integrity and ethics are commonly rejected. Although, we are not killed or sacrificed for our morals, they are often rejected. After reading the book, (actually the trilogy), I become more of a cynic, even though, to some extent I already am.

I recommend this book because...

It's beyond exciting. If anything, read this book not for it's great literature caliber, but because Drizzt's life is his own.

I don't recommend this book because...

A lot of people aren't into trilogies, or sagas, or stuff like that. In my opinion, I don't suggest reading the book, unless you're up to reading the entire thing.

Further Comments...

R.A. Salvatore is one of the greater authors of our generation. Other books like his Icewind Dale series cannot be taken for granted. Surely, Salvatore's vivid style of writing will live on throughout the days of the future.

This is actually a presentation on de Tocqueville's life and times, centered on a general analysis of Democracy in America, but including much background on his family's history, his political career and accomplishments and a look at the historical context of France, Europe and the US in the mid 19th Century. The themes of DiA are reviewed with many quotes from the book and from commentaries by de Tocqueville's contemporaries. He is presented in all his glory: his hits (the brilliant insights into social character, the nature of democracy and his devastatingly astute, timeless analysis of our American identity) and his misses (his advocacy of war and his surprisingly traditionalist views of society's class structure). An occasional cheesy French accent in some of the characterizations is the only flaw. This is a _great_ commute tape, I look forward to "reading" more in this series on other great writers!

There is no doubt that Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America is perhaps the greatest book ever written on the US government and the principles of democracy. Tocqueville clearly shows both the promise and the problems of democracy. In many ways he is not at all flattering of the Americans, and in fact shows us how really terrible we can be. Nevertheless, he still shows hope in the ideas of democracy, and points that it is possible to overcome these problems.

The Mansfield edition of this book is a wonderful translation with great annotation and references, that make it good for a studnet or a casual, non-social theory, interested person to read. The introduction is also beautifully written and lays out the ideas de Tocqueville had marvelously. I think that this will be the edition to use in the future.

After hte events of last year, it is important for us to keep in mind what this country is about, what are its true problems, and how we can improve it. The problems that de Tocqueville points out are not something that panders to either left or right in our current sense, but points to problems fundamental in all democracies and particularlly in the American way of democracy. Yet, his hope should be uplifting.

Toquevilles' Democracy in America, written over a century and a half ago, is almost as relevant today as when it first appeared in print. Outside of the Federalist Papers, no book is as essential to a American student of political philosophy as this. This book is neither a manifesto of the right or left - both sides can draw powerful arguments (and lessons) from this work. Paramount to the book are the conflicts between equality and liberty, which today remains the core difference between the major political parties. Toqueville also predicted the rise of America and Russia, as well as the growth of the central government - a hundred years before it became reality. His praise of the American system of decentralized, voluntary associations is also dead on. A wonderful book.

A great winter novel to read. So much action and perfect for our troubling times. The Russians have no idea they're getting ready to meet one of the toughest girls I've ever heard of in Dee Dee Daniels. She won't quit for anything, including Russia's henchmen. This is a great story for women to read. My Mom loved it, so did I. I think this could also be a good movie.

What a perfect story for young girls to read. Dee Dee Daniels overcomes all the odds and her own self doubts to achieve her dreams. But she doesn't count on all the obstacles thrown at her during this page-turner, one that should go down as one of the best of the year. Schneider brilliantly weaves his plot to a dramatic climax, not unlike his first novel, The Fix. If there's one problem I see--it's that I'm now finished with it. This was excellent.

The games has it all in suspense , drama ,passion , cold war politics ,family bonds loveand the great human stuggle .Achieving greatness and living your dreams ! no matter what the odds .This book is a must for every american family > Jeff schnieder makes you feel as though this was not a fiction story it feels very real , it's real as it's gets .I've read jeff's last book the Fix witch I thought was the best book I've read in years , so I'am not surprised by the amazing writtng talents of the author .This is simply a great american author with anthor amazing book .Can't wait to see the movie .
John Grisiam beware ! youhave been passed up!
Frank karaglanis