When Baron Soontir Fel, the greatest pilot of the Imperial forces, is captured by the Rebels, he tells all in the confines of an interrogation cell to Wedge Antilles, the greatest pilot of the Rebellion - also his brother-in-law.

Stackpole brilliantly shows the past carrer of Fel in the Imperial Navy, how he met Syal Antilles, Wedge's sister, and how it comes to be that Fel defects to the Rebels.

The story falls short in the cofusing final third, however. Not much happens and what does happen is very jumbled and not thought through. Then again, Stackpole isn't exactly the Master of the Hidden Plot. But it is well worth its cost in dollars in the first two-thirds; after all, I bought it.

'Blood & Honor' is basically two stories in one, including dramatically different art teams, so I'll do my best.

The first part, 'The Making of Baron Fel', is definitely one of the most unique pieces of SW ever assembled. Picking up right where 'In the Empire's Service' ended, Baron Fel is in Rebel hands and through the interrogation chair reveals his life in service to the Empire in a mix of narration and flashbacks that could only be achieved in comic book format. Fel's story is indeed a compelling one and does the rare feat of presenting a clear philosophical case against the Empire.

It has also been both praised and criticized for its extensive use of cameos. I, for one, will do some praising, as it does help to tie the SW galaxy together. Appearances by people such as Tarkin, Thrawn, Derricote, Isard, and so forth are key to the story, while people like Post ('Family Ties')and Turr Phennir ('In the Empire's Service') serve to tie together pieces of Fel's life and the over all XWRS story.

The art by Steve Crespo is good, with well-done people and a good amount of realism. The spacecraft, while reasonably detailed, are nowhere near those of John Nadeau and his wizardry with technology. The whole thing, for better or for worse, has a rather crisp look to it, as opposed to the very dirty style of Gary Erksine.

The slightly longer second part, 'Family Ties' is a little of a letdown. The art has little detail and the movement isn't very fluid either. The story itself is alright, a bit of a nice breakaway after 'In the Empire's Service'. It opens in the aftermath of the Brentaal Campaign, where General Salm gives a little eulogy for the dead Aggressors and Rogues. Following is Fel's introduction to the rogues and greeting that is not too kind. Then Wedge send Plourr, Hobbie, and Janson to Corellia on a mission that takes up the rest of the story. The appearance by Kirtan Loor was a nice touch, enhanced even more so when Corran Horn and Iella Wessiri from Stackpole's novels take on roles as co-stars.

'Family Ties' was colored by Perry McNamee instead of the usual David Nestelle, and, call me spoiled, but it shows. One particular scene, if you read the dialogue, takes place at night, but you couldn't tell that by simply looking at it.

Overall, its is a key link to the rest of the series and is recommended for that and because of the very interesting look into the Empire provided by 'The Making of Baron Fel.'

Blood and Honor, the follow-up story to "In the Empire's Service," is comprised actually of two stories, not just one. The first, "The Making of Baron Fel," is quite possibly the best X-wing comic ever. It was released on the stands as a special 48-page issue, and is quite outstanding. The second story is the 2-issue "Family Ties," which often vies for a position as the worst of the Rogue Squadron stories. Although these stories conclude some of the plots from the previous comic, they incidentally also pretty much completely drop the "Rise of Isard" story, leaving that to continue in the next Rogue Squadron story.

The Making of Baron Fel is simply an outstanding comic. Basically it is, as the cover implies, the life story of the Empire's greatest pilot. It is told by Fel as he sits in a Rebel interrogation room, and really takes the guy from "Imperial pilot extraordinaire" to one of the most sympathetic characters to show up in the Star Wars mythos. The art suits the story perfectly, and we get to see a ton of familiar faces. There are cameos by Isard, Derricote, Thrawn, and Hal Horn, as well as a bunch of Rebels before they defected from the Empire. This comic also gives us a good look at how truly corrupted the Empire was, and why so many people were so willing to serve under it. There are also several surprises, including the identity of Fel's wife, as well as Fel's offer to the Rebels. This comic alone is worth the cover price of Blood and Honor.

Unfortunately, Family Ties does not fare so well. Janson, Hobbie and Plourr (shouldn't she be back on Eiattu by now?) go on a mission to Corellia to ensure the safety of Baron Fel's family. Along the way they bump into a few familiar faces (including Corran Horn and Iella Wessiri in their CorSec days, as well as their Imperial liaison and nemesis, Kirtan Loor), as well as a few old enemies of Fel's. I didn't mind the art style, except that the characters were changed. Plourr was never before a buxom, spandex-wearing type, and Horn's X-wing as well as Horn himself and several other characters were also somewhat butchered. There were a couple funny running jokes, but no particularly wonderful dialogue, and there was only one space battle, thrown in at the end almost obligatorily, and then only to show off Corran's skills in a fighter so that the Rogue could make some jokes about how he'd never be a Rogue.

The Making of Baron Fel was exceedingly good and definitely worth reading. Family Ties was not. I definitely recommend this comic for the one, if not the other.

Jim Gladstone's The Big Book of Misunderstanding achieves what is nearly impossible in the twenty-first century - - it provides a fresh take on the American Family. In passages filled with humor and nuanced insights, we are introduced to the uniquely flawed, yet sympathetic, members of the Royalton family. At the center of the story is Josh, an awkward, thoughtful boy who stumbles through a painful growing up process. Although Josh is gay, this is only a minor element of his intriguing journey to adulthood. More central is Josh's struggle to maintain independence from an unconventional father who is so thoroughly controlling that he alienates the entire family. This conflict leads to a powerful scene in which Josh must decide the course of his future. Universal themes and smooth, masterful prose make this wise, engrossing novel a must-read.

I know what it's like to be constantly confused with yourself. The coming of Age of Josh Royalton didn't look to bright throughout the novel. But there was always a sentence with a hint of hope that kept me reading. I garantee that everyone who read, or will read this book, can identify with it in some way. Just reading about his early childhood, made me feel like I could taste mine through the pages. A coming of age with some twists in it is always a good book. I couldn't think any more highly of this novel.

I feel like I have been waiting for this book for five years. Since I was 15, I've been reading books with young gay characters, but I'm dissappointed because they all center on Coming Out as this HUGE trauma, as if being gay was the only big issue in our lives. In THE BIG BOOK... Josh's parents are very cool about his being gay and that's not the central concern of the novel. Some of my friends have had major issues with their parents about coming out, but plenty haven't, so its great to find a book that focuses on other things. Lots of my friends- guy/girl/straight/gay - have concerns about trying to have independent identities apart from their families, and that's what this book is mainly about. Its funny, too, and the retro details are fun to read about. It's not preachy, or touchy-feely, and it doesn't feel like a "Message" book...Just a really true-feeling story that totally pulls you in.

The translation of this work is at best clumsy and frequently appalling. As a previous reviewer notes much appears to have been carried out using, poorly, a dictionary. Thus we have "knife" used to refer to what in English is commonly called a sabre. The reason being (I assume) that the character used to describe the weapon commonly means knife. Frequently, she has chosen arcane language. Thus we get "myrmidon" to describe a senior captain/bodyguard; the translater not appreciating that the term when used in English literature is either jocular or derogatory. Some phrases and clauses are meaningless. It all reflects badly on the editorial team at the Chinese University Press in Hong Kong and, unfortunately, tells one much about the standard of English here. Where does this leave the reader? Frankly, I cannot understand how anyone could give this book a high rating other than out of a desperate desire to read something of this genre. The Deer and the Cauldron is far superior. This book can only be recommended to somebody who is prepared to persevere with the translation out of an interest in martial arts literature.

This book is a pleasant read but certainly not amongst the author's better efforts. The translation perhaps does not do justice to the original work in Chinese. Anyway, if you can, grab The Deer and The Cauldron, of which 2 books were already released in the trilogy, (Oxford University Press in HongKong, not the other OXford Univ. Press sites which do not do justice to this great book by not listing it.). Another wonderful read in this genre is the Blades From the Willows trilogy by HuanZhuLouZhu (publisher: Wellsweep, in UK, sold in US by Cheng and Tsui), translater: Robert Chard. Again 2 of the 3 books are available, although only 1 is available in the US. If you can grab a hold of either of these gems, be prepared for a treat. I have read many, many science fiction and fantasy books, from Tolkien to McCaffrey to Pratchett etc., and found that the Chinese Martial Arts novel genre is just as engrossing and entertaining as any I've read. Works like these should not be limited to the Chinese-literate but be translated to English to be enjoyed by the Chinese-illiterate as well.

This is a spin-off of a multi-volume Cha novel, not yet translated. Fox Volant and the Snowy Mountain features a few common characters. It is not considered one of Cha's best works, but was a convenient book to translate first, because it is shorter than most, and has fewer references to Chinese culture and history, making it more accessible to those who don't know much about the Manchu dynasty or the Shaolin temple or historical figures.

Although the translation of Fox Volant feels a bit clumsy, especially at the beginning, I still enjoyed reading. In fact, I started and finished in a day.

However, anyone interested in reading a Cha novel should start with his masterpiece, The Deer and the Cauldron, the last and arguably best martial arts series by China's greatest martial arts writer. Definitely give Fox Volant a try, but only after you've read the three volumes of Deer & Cauldron. More of Cha's novels are being translated, and I am eagerly looking forward to devouring them.

This books was pretty good, but I thought it was pretty boring. I usually don't think any books are boring, but this one was b-o-r-i-n-g! I'd get it if I were you, though, just to try it out, because judgeing by the other reviews here, I guess it depends on what kind of books you like.

In my opinion, I liked the story because it was really interesting. I like reading books about dogs and about adventure in nature. It is fascinating to read about the out-of-doors and man's relationship with dogs. The only part I didn't like about the book was how the book ended. The ending could have been better, but I think Mr. Kjelgaard was setting the stage for the next book in the sequel.

Irish Red is known as a Jim Kjelgaard classic, it is supposed to be one of his best books ever, I feel the same way about it. Irish Red contains not only suspense but it also has plenty of action. Old Red has fathered a few pups to Sheila and Mike is the runt. What he lacks in size he makes up for in spirit and effort. Although he may lose a pig, and get into the garbage, Mike helps to save the day. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone who thinks that the outdoors is an interesting place, if not you probably won't enjoy it. This book is for people of all ages to enjoy, so read on.

I agree with many of the reviewers below that this book was helpful and often interesting. It gives a readable orientation to one of the most important movements in the software industry today, and the editors have been fortunate to gather together so many contributors who obviously know whereof they speak. In particular, the editors' Introduction, Eric Raymond's "Brief History of Hackerdom," Richard Stallman's account of GNU and FSF, Bruce Perens's discussion of Open Source, and Tim O'Reilly's essay on "Infoware" were informative and thought-provoking.

That said, it should be noted that the Amazon reviewer above gets it wrong when she writes that the book gives a "fascinating look at the raging debate." In fact, *nothing* about Open Source is debated in this book, which is a major disappointment. As the reviewer from Princeton below notes, the goodness of everything Open Source and the badness of everything Microsoft seems to be a given for many of the writers. At the risk of criticizing the book for not being something its creators didn't intend, I think it would be greatly improved with the addition of a wider range of viewpoints and even a dissenting voice or two. (There are a number of essays that could give place to some alternate content: Eric Raymond's second essay, "The Revenge of the Hackers," leans heavily toward the self-congratulatory, as does the Netscape cheerleaders' "Story of Mozilla." And Larry Wall's "Diligence, Patience, and Humility" seems to have been included not on its own merits but on the author's reputation as the Perl Deity.)

A final wish is for the book to address a broader range of readers. As a longtime computer user but a relatively new programmer, with no formal business training, I found many of the essays to rely heavily on the jargon of hackers and MBAs. More editorial control here, in addition to a broader range of content, would make this book seem less like preaching to the choir and more effective at spreading the Open Source gospel.

This is a good idea on O'Reilly's part to try to document the history and goals of the Open Source movement, which had roots in several college campuses and research labs in the '70s and '80s, and became news in the late '90s with the popularity of Linux, Apache, and the decision of Netscape to open its browser source. The best introductory piece, however, is probably Eric Raymond's "Cathedral and the Bazaar" which is not in this book(O'Reilly publishes it separately, but it's available free on the Web and short enough to be read in one sitting). As for this collection, I liked Robert Young's business case for distributing open source - his story of how Red Hat was launched reminds me of the Compaq tale of "three guys in a restaurant". The Apache article is also quite good, and Linus Torvalds offers a brief but interesting (and characteristically opinionated) article about how Linux evolved technically. There's also a good article discussing the various open source licenses (BSD, GPL, Netscape, etc) and what they do and don't restrict.

Others I was less impressed with. Stallman's article is predictable and self-serving. He explains how he evolved his software-as-gift philosophy but doesn't come close to terms with how the software industry can support substantial employment if all source is given away. There's yet another history of the different branches of BSD Unix. There's a breathtaking inside account of the launch of Mozilla which ends with the fancy Silicon Valley party when development has finally gotten underway. The low point is Larry Wall's "essay", which is a frankly ridiculous waste of time and print.

Although this is a mixed bag, there's enough reference material and interesting points of view to keep the book around.

First of all, take a look at the list of authors. It reads as a "Who's Who" guide for the software and tools I'm running on my current system. (Kernel by Torvalds, GNU/Free Software by Stallman, Open Source Software by a number of individuals/companies (esr, Perens), development tools by Cygnus (Tiemann), DNS by Vixie, web server by Apache (Behlendorf), CGI programming in Perl by Wall, browser by Netscape (Hamerly, Paquin), Linux Distribution by RedHat (Young), and references by O'Reilly. (Of course, there should be an "et al." behind every one of these names.)

This is a great book for achieving basic literacy in the (generically-termed) Open Source movement.

By reading this book, you'll get rms' view of why software must be free. (And indeed, why it eventually will be free.) You'll also find out how some companies (like the newly-merged RedHat/Cygnus conglomerate) can thrive in a market where the product is free.

If you read *all* of the essays, you'll even find out why the Free Software Foundation's GPL does not work in some cases, and how "Open Source Software" is similar to and differs from "Free Software". (The below reviewer should be slapped with his Clue Stick for not taking the time to read and understand this important difference. ;-)

And you'll also find out why Perl (like Larry Wall himself) is so strange and brilliant at the same time.

The reason this book only gets 4 stars is due to the lack of proofing. One of Wall's diagrams is completely missing, and there are numerous typos. This is the first O'Reilly book I've seen with a lot of stupid mistakes. (And I've seen a lot of them. =)

PKG

The art in this book was really good. I didn't like the black and white drawings as much, which is why I don't think the artwork deserves a 5, but the paintings are excellent. The drawings didn't always look much like the characters from the show. For instance, the drawings of Anya hardly ever looked like her. The paintings, though - some of them looked almost looked like photographs, put through photoshop filters or something. Very nice. I found myself wishing that some of the BtVS comics could look that good.

Now, the story. It takes place during one of those bleak times in the series - after Buffy died for the second time, before the musical. Willow and Tara have some rough relationship moments because of Willow's overdependence on magic, and it's this problem that starts the monster troubles in this book. Buffy's still trying to get over the fact that she was torn out of heaven, Dawn is doing her best to become a deliquent, and Spike loves Buffy. Oh yeah, Xander and Anya are having relationship disagreements as well while they plan their wedding. Basically, this book doesn't tell you anything about the series or characters that you don't already know. This wouldn't necessarily be a bad this, if the story had been better. I didn't think the story was all that interesting, and it was only because the book was so short that I managed to get all the way through it at all. I would recommend this book for the art, but the story isn't worth it.

Buffy is having increasing difficulty adjusting to her return to the living in the sixth season. No matter how hard she tries, she has been unable to reconnect with her life and friends. During her absence, everyone seems to have developed a completely new set of problems. Giles cannot decide if he is leaving. Xander and Anya are engaged, but do not seem very happy about it. Tara is increasingly distressed about Willow's compulsive quest for increased power. Spike is in love with Buffy and not handling it very well. And Dawn, well, Dawn seems intent on becoming a juvenile delinquent. Nobody seems to have much time for Buffy, except maybe Spike, and he has too much time.

Now Dawn has taken up sneaking out at night with her friend Melinda and hanging out at the local rave. This is a tough scene, and the guy Dawn likes best, Skeeter, makes a hobby of drug dealing. This is bad news, since Skeeter is hung up on Velatti the DJ. Velatti has one major flaw, her other night job is drinking blood. The beautiful vampire convinces Skeeter to team up with Parnassus another bloodsucker, with a new drug to sell. This concoction gets its human users high and then turns them into a whole new flavor of vampire intoxicant. Dawn and Melinda, teenagers anxious to be cool are drawn right into the middle of this vampire's version of a meth lab.

While Buffy frets about Dawn, and tries to figure out how to get her life back, Willow discovers an ancient volume called 'The Book of Tears.' Unable to control herself, Dawn delves deeply into the book's spells and somehow unleashes a new horror on Sunnydale. Parnassus suddenly finds himself entranced by the Queen of Tears. In return for a promise of the ultimate high, he begins the process of opening a portal to the Queen's dimension. The main ingredient for this is the sacrifice of a virgin. Enter Dawn, once again.

With the entire Scooby gang dealing with one kind of addiction or another, Spike turns out to be the hero of this piece. He is the only one who realizes that there seems to be a disaster in the making. Unfortunately, no one wants to listen to him until it is nearly too late. By that time, Dawn has vanished and everyone is clueless.

On top of the show, we have Buffy comics, graphic novels, plain novels and now, illustrated novels. One has to admire the determination of the BTVS marketing folks for continually finding something new for Buffy's fans. Brian Horton and Paul Lee have combined forces to provide some excellent color and ink work. This makes up a bit for a novel that reads a bit too much like a comic book. Fassbender and Pascoe are good with snappy dialog, but they lack the skill of someone like Chris Golden when it comes to making an entire novel hang together. Still, it's good reading, but not to die for.

This book was put out in a different format. Mostly story line, but a few pictures. I absolutely loved it, and hope more will be coming. So much better than the comics, where there are just a million pictures of monsters, and almost no story. Glad to see Spike taking a more prominent role. Any story with Spike (or Angel) is worth a look, and this is one of the better ones.

I've seen some reviews that criticize the book for being too stream of consciousness and others for not being s.o.c. enough. The fact is, for the most part it's not s.o.c. at all. (See the Chicago Manual of Style, 10.45-10.47 and note the example they give...Joyce knew how to write s.o.c.). A better word for A Portrait is impressionistic. Joyce is more concerned with giving the reader an impression of Stephen's experience than with emptying the contents of his head. What's confusing is the style mirrors the way Stephen interprets his experiences at the time, according to the level of his mental development.

When Stephen is a baby, you get only what comes in through the five senses. When he is a young boy, you get the experience refracted through a prism of many things: his illness (for those who've read Ulysses, here is the beginning of Stephen's hydrophobia - "How cold and slimy the water had been! A fellow had once seen a big rat jump into the scum."), his poor eyesight, the radically mixed signals he's been given about religion and politics (the Christmas meal), his unfair punishment, and maybe most important of all, his father's unusual expressions (growing up with phrases like, "There's more cunning in one of those warts on his bald head than in a pack of jack foxes" how could this kid become anything but a writer?)

It is crucial to understand that Stephen's experiences are being given a certain inflection in this way when you come to the middle of the book and the sermon. You have to remember that Stephen has been far from a good Catholic boy. Among other things, he's been visting the brothels! The sermon hits him with a special intensity, so much so that it changes his life forever. Before it he's completely absorbed in the physical: food, sex, etc. After it he becomes just as absorbed in the spiritual/aesthetic world. It's the sermon that really puts him on the track to becoming an artist. One reviewer called the sermon overwrought. Well, of course it's overwrought. That's the whole point. Read it with your sense of humor turned on and keep in mind that you're getting the sermon the way you get everything else in the book: through Stephen.

After Stephen decides he doesn't want to be a priest, the idea of becoming an artist really starts to take hold. And when he sees the girl on the beach, his life is set for good. That scene has to be one of the most beautiful in all of literature. After that, Stephen develops his theory of esthetics with the help of Aristotle and Aquinas and we find ourselves moving from one conversation to another not unlike in Plato (each conversation with the appropriate inflection of college boy pomposity). In the end, Stephen asks his "father" to support him as he goes into the real world to create something. I like to think that this is an echo of the very first line in the book. The father, in one of many senses, is the moocow story. The story gave birth to Stephen's imagination and now it's the son's turn to create.

This is such a rich and beautiful book. I suppose it's possible for people to "get it" and still not like it, but I really think if you read and re-read, and maybe do a little research, the book will open up to you the way it did to me.

"A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is James Joyce's autobiographical novel, first appeared in book form in 1916. After over 80 years it is still read and studied all over the world highlighting the place it has received in literature. It portrays the early and teenage life of Stephen Dedalus. This is the same character who later appears in 'Ulysses' (1922) as a matured adult.

Joyce walks us through the life of Stephen Dedalus in five stages written in a third-person narrative. Anyone interested in Joyce's intellectual, spiritual and physical journey of life should read this great classic which is the prelude to 'Ulysses', one of the best novels ever written in the 20th centaury.

As Ezra Pound correctly predicted 'A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man' would "remain a permanent part of English literature" for centuries similar to the place 'Ulysses' has reached in literature.

A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN does not so much solicit deep thoughts and great emotions so much as it wrings them out of the reader. To finish this book is not to feel uplifted and encouraged for Stephen Dedalus, but to feel that at least he has made progress and knows enough of his strengths and weaknesses that he may make something of himself. Is this not possibly where we are left at the end of all great coming-of-age novels?

Joyce takes us through five stages of Stephen's youth. As a boy in 1890's Dublin he hears his father arguing that Irish nationalism has been sold out by the Catholic clergy. Soon Stephen's hands are "crumpling" beneath the paddle of an unjust priest. He becomes a leader in his class, an intellectual in a world where many believe: "If we are a priestridden race we ought to be proud of it. They are the apple of God's eye." Later Joyce spends eleven inimitable pages on these apples explaining in colorfully exhaustive detail what it would be like to be baked in a hellpie (for God is loving but God's justice is harsh). Five pages on the physical tortures of the eternal fire, and six more after a break about the mental tortures--Dante himself would be impressed. Fear of hell scares Stephen sufficiently enough to repent from his teenage brothel-frequenting phase. He goes to rather interesting extremes of devotion, even considering the priesthood as a vocation. But his questioning nature is even too intellectual for the jesuits and he discovers another path for himself at and after college.

Joyce writes poetic, often urgent prose: "To live, to err, to fall, to triumph, to create life out of life!" becomes one of Stephen's clarion calls. A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN should be read by anyone looking for one of the best tales of intellectual, physical and spiritual awakening we have. Its beauty is best savored slowly. The rhythms might be difficult to pick up at first, but it really won't take very long until you will have a hard time putting the book down.

This is the central question explored by Conrad in Lord Jim. Jim is ultimately a character who inspires our sympathy due to his inability to find reconcilliation for his one tragic moment of weakness. In him we find a person of tremendous potential that remains unrealized as the tragic circumstances of his abandoning his post aboard the Patna continually haunt him and the associated guilt drives him to isolation.
Conrad successfully explores the concepts of bravery, cowardice,guilt and the alternative destinies that an individual may be driven to by these qualities.
The narrative can be a bit confusing at times as Marlowe relates the tale by recalling his encounters with Jim. The book reminded very much of Somerset Maugham's THE RAZOR"S EDGE" in style. However I believe that Maugham did a much better job of incorporating the narrator into the flow of the story. Overall LORD JIM is a wonderful classic novel that I highly recommend.

After reading this book (along with several other of Conrad's books) I am under the impression that Joseph Conrad may very well be my favorite author. Here is another masterpiece, a deeply incisive study of character of the motivation and the ultimate failure of all high-minded ideals. Granted my own personal world view falls directly in line with this realization and therefore prejudices me towards anything the man might write, but, when considering such a lofty title as 'favorite author' one must regard other aspects of the novelist's creation. As with the others, Conrad wins by the power of his stories.

Lord Jim is my least favorite of the the four books I have read by Conrad. The story is rather scattered: a righteous young man does something wrong that he holds himself far too accountable for and the public shame the action brought him exaggerates the reality of his failure and makes him believe the rumors swirling around about his so-called cowardice. He spends the remainder of his life trying to reclaim his self-regard, mostly exaggerating his own importance in matters he hardly understands. His goal is to liberate the primitive people of the jungle paradise he inadvertantly finds himself in (due to an effort to escape every particle of the world he once inhabited) and his once high-minded ideals and regard for himself lead him to allow those people to consider him almost a God.

Jim likes being a God and considers himself a just and fair one. He treats everyone equally and gives to his people the knowledge of modern science and medicine as well as the everyday archetecture and understanding of trade that those primitive folks would otherwise be years from comprehending.

Of course everything ends in failure and misery and of course Jim's restored name will be returned to its demonic status, but the whole point of the novel seems to me that one can not escape their past. Jim, for all his courage in the line of fire has tried to avoid all memory of the once shameful act of his former life and by doing so becomes destined to repeat his mistakes.

Lord Jim is far more expansive than the story it sets out to tell, ultimately giving a warning on the nature of history and general humanity that only a writer of Conrad's statue could hope to help us understand.

If there is a flaw it is not one to be taken literally. Conrad was a master of structural experimentation and with Lord Jim he starts with a standard third person narrative to relate the background and personalities of his characters and then somehow merges this into a second person narrative of a man, years from the events he is relating, telling of the legend of Jim. It is a brilliant innovation that starts off a little awkward and might lead to confusion in spots as the story verges into its most important parts under the uncertain guidence of a narrator who, for all his insight into others, seems unwilling to relate his personal relevence to the story he is relating.

Nevertheless (with a heartfelt refrain), one of the best books I have ever read.

This is the fifth book I have read by Conrad, and through these readings I have come to deeply appreciate his literary power and the perfection of his stories. Conrad has the skill to border about several similar subjects, without repeating himself. "Lord Jim" is truly a Shakespearean tragedy, mainly because of the Shakespearean nature of the main character. Jim is a young naval officer with high hopes of heroism and moral superiority, but when he faces his first test of courage, he miserably fails. While 800 Muslim pilgrims are asleep aboard the ship "Patna", Jim discovers that the boat is about to sink. There are not sufficient lifeboats for everybody. Should he wake them up or not? He gets paralyzed with fear and then sudenly jumps into a boat being set up by the rest of the officers. He is taken to trial and disposessed of his working licence.

Ashamed and humiliated, Jim dedicates the rest of his life to two things: escape the memory of that fateful night, and redeem himself. This agonizing quest to recover his dignity in front of his own eyes leads him to hide in a very remote point in the Malayan peninsula, where he will become the hero, the strong man, the wise protector of underdeveloped, humble and ignorant people. Jim finds not only the love of his people, but also the love of a woman who admires him and fears the day when he might leave for good. The narrator, Captain Marlow (the same of "Heart of Darkness") talks to Jim for the last time in his remote refuge, and then Jim tells him that he has redeemed himself by becoming the people's protector. Oh, but these things are never easy and Jim will face again the specter of failure.

Conrad has achieved a great thing by transforming the "novel of adventures" into the setting for profound and interesting reflections on the moral stature of Man, on courage, guilt, responsibility, and redemption.

Just as in "Heart of Darkness" the question is what kinds of beings we are stripped of cultural, moral and religious conventions; just as in "Nostromo" the trustworthiness of a supposedly honest man is tested by temptation, in "Lord Jim" the central subject is dignity and redemption after failure.

A great book by one of the best writers.

It's amazing how much of an aura of mystery the obscure Boba Fett has acquired in the Star Wars mythos. In the films, this character has about a half dozen lines tops, but the mysterious armor, demeanor and standing as one of the greatest bounty hunters in the galaxy piqued fans' interest.

In "Enemy of the Empire," we see Fett's first encounter with Darth Vader. Writer John Wagner takes a humorous look at some of the denizens of the Star Wars galaxy and we get to find out how Fett received that odd dent in his helmet that appears in both Episodes V and VI.

"Enemy" didn't win any Eisners (comics' highest award), but it had solid storytelling and art (even if the latter was somewhat cartoony). A nice, light read featuring that mysterious bounty hunter on an adventure that fits quite nicely in the Star Wars epic.

While working one's way through the arts of bartering for souls, a person has to be careful who they choose to align themselves with. This holds true for anyone wanting to make their way out of a deal alive, from the lowliest of traders to the mightiest of bounty hunters. In Enemy of the Empire, Boba Fett learns just that, finding out that perhaps Darth Vader isn't an individual to be bartered with and that something worthy of his attention has to be profitable as well as dangerous in order for him to thrive. He is sent to find a certain someone that has an item in their possession, one that can tell the future in ways that some species would find disturbing, and that can even bring a player like Vader himself hunting for your head.

The storyline that is presented in this TPB is really a good one, brimming with some odd species, a bit of intrigue, and the art of bounty hunting that makes people seek out Boba Fett. It touches on a little of the methods on how to track someone, how your armor can sometimes get an array of ugly reminders of why you should or shouldn't be wary of dealing with anyone, what to do if you are attacked by one of the most dangerous forces in the universe, and how truly messed up some people's abilities can be. The problem in the book is that its art doesn't hold a candle to the interesting worlds involved in the storyline and that, despite the attempts to seem somewhat humorous at times, it fails to evoke laughter from myself. Instead, it seems to take away from some of the faces involved, especially when you are dealing with Vader and his boss, not to mention the rank and file that happen to make up the universe's shady characters. It took me a long time to get past this little portion of the book and, were it not for the fact that Fett was involved, I would have perhaps skipped past it completely.

This isn't to say that the read is worthy, because it is. You simply have to be ready for something of a disappoint in the art department - which I was a little prepared for but not to the extent that it laid out here. Also included in this is "Boba Fett's Salvage (or Boba Fett 1/2), which isn't that bad of a story and that is not the most fun piece to find by itself, making it a better by and something that friends of the hunting class might want to look into. Just remember to bring an open mind to the table because, well, mixed results sometimes anger the viewing mind.

The world of 'Star Wars' comics has been able to achieve heights of drama in expeceptional works such as 'In the Empire's Service', 'Outlander', and 'Mandatory Retirement.' This is not anywhere near that list. Then again, its not supposed to be.
It's for entertainment value, plain and simple. The art and writing are somewhat silly while still having an elemnt of drama and reality to them. John Nadeau of the XWRS fame has a very different art style here, one far less dramatic and far more silly.
Then end is good, especially regarding the fight between Fett and Vader and the fate of the Pessimists. (I love irony.) Overall, while its by no means the best SW comics out there, its a fun, quick read and reccomended as such.

This book was terrible! Choose your own adventure books are hard to keep up with where the choces are. It's better to read a book with a set plot. Also, it has hardly anything on everyday life on the ship. It's okay if you like Choose your own adventures, though

This book is great,I am a Titanic lover and also I wanted to know what it was like on the Titanic and it gave a chance to what happen on the titanic.So your not a titanic lover like me,Its ok if you don't have to read this book,but I think its.So give this book a try.

This book was good enough to grab my attention, especially because there weren't choices at every page, like some books which I don't like. This book was also exciting enough so that I was tempted to read on and on. I am also liking the fact that there is a VHS tape, and I can't wait to get that!

So if you're looking for a good Choose Your Own Adventure story, you've come to the right one.