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Book reviews for "Young,_Mark" sorted by average review score:

Tom Sawyer Abroad
Published in Library Binding by Bt Bound (1999)
Author: Mark Twain
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Tom too immortal to go away
To make a long story short, Tom and Huck and Jim get trapped on a weather balloon, the owner of which plans to kill himself and the two. In a struggle, the scientist plunges to the Atlantic ocean, whereupon Tom and Huck and Jim quickly master the balloon. They find themselves in Africa.

This book is entertaining because the character Jim becomes intellectually intolerant of Tom. And while Tom has the better arguments, by far, we are amazed by Jim's attitude. It stems probably from Tom's treatment of him in the Huck book.

I would have liked to see Tom land in England. Only because America was so sharply apart from England, as they remain now.

My rating is 3 1/2.

JUVENILE ARGONAUTS OVER THE SAHARA
This book picks up right after the hullaballo has died down from Tom and Huck's triumphal return. Tom kinda craves notoriety as he competes for the unofficial title of Hannibal's First Traveler. Then Tom, Huck and Jim are accidentally kidnapped by a mad inventor and go sailing off in a hot-air balloon. They eventually find themselves adrift over the Atlantic Ocean but when they sight land, it is not Europe! This book is told with youthful zest and slangy vocabulary by an admiring Huck in the first person, so that he can praise Tom's leadership skills and powers of argument!

The three unintentional argonauts finally realize that they are sailing over the Sahara Desert, where they have a variety of adventures, interspersed with juvenile deductions and debates. Their adventures are right out of Arabian Nights: no magic lamp or genies, but caravans, lions, mirages, warring Bedouin tribes, devastating sand storms! All interspersed with Tawin's wry humor as he slips in some snide remarks about more serious social issues (spoken through the mouths of babes). Not much of a plot, but plenty of lively dialogue as the boys try to argue using logic and indulge in youthful dreams of sudden fortune. A fun read with sly social criticism. But really, Mark Twain, Tigers--in Africa???

This is what Tom, Huck, and Jim are really about!
If you really want to sink your teeth into three of Mark Twain's greatest characters, read this book. I actually prefer it over Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Twain went much deeper in defining the characters; Tom thinks he knows everything and loves to argue, Huck takes everything literally and loves to argue back, and Jim is well. . . Jim! I will say this: If anyone has ever found the portrayal of Jim offensive, it's no different here, but I'm assuming that if you're considering reading this, you must have enjoyed the other two books. So, what are you waiting for, read it!


Bscs Biology: A Molecular Approach
Published in Hardcover by Everyday Learning Corp (2000)
Authors: Mark Bloom and John Greenberg
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Too confusing
I used this text for Honors Biology as a high school sophomore and the material was presented in a complicated fashion that makes it hard for a typical reader to understand. While I am generally a good student and can grasp new ideas quickly this text was complicated and in my opinion needs a lot of teacher aid in explaining, especially for first year biology.

Excellent AP prep text!
I used this book in my Biology PreAP class, PreAP meaning prerequisite to AP Biology, and managed to always get the highest test scores in class(although I do get the highest scores in all my classes)! Its topics cover the cellular processeses almost as in depth as AP Biology and will no doubt build a strong foundation when entering AP Biology. And although it maybe very in-depth for a typical high school freshman--its actual targeted audience are gifted students at the sophomore level--especially when it comes to its most complicated subject of Biochemistry, it should come as simple and quite obviously logical if read carefully. Its biggest strengths are in the evaluation questions, which help you to build an effective writing strategy and study guide when it comes to writing those lengthy scientific essays in AP Biology exam. Of course, this book alone won't guarantee you a 5.0 in the AP Biology exam(as you do have to get a new book for AP Biology), but it is the book that will guide you to that goal!


Captain America: Man Without a Country
Published in Paperback by Marvel Books (1998)
Authors: Mark Waid, Ron Gamey, Ron Garney, and Scott Koblish
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Yuck.
This is just more proof that Mark Waid doesn't understand Captain America. The story is incredibly boring, overly wordy, and has a stupid ending. I bought it because I was a big fan of Waid's stuff, but this sure didn't read like a Waid story. If you want good Waid, go buy Kingdom Come and Flash. Forget this schlock.

Great Captain America Tale
The basis for this book is what is the worst thing that can happen to Captain America? How about being thrown out of America and having your American citizenship being taken away from you? That's what happens here as Steve Rogers tries to find who framed him for a crime that he didn't commit. It's an exciteing story which builds to an explosive climax and it could only have been written by Mark Waid.


Inferno! (The Way of the Tiger Series)
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Berkley Pub Group (1989)
Authors: Mark Smith, Jamie Thomas, Bob Harvey, and Jamie Thomson
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Inconclusive
If this book weren't the last of the excellent "Way of the Tiger" ninja series, it would deserve 4 or 5 stars. Unfortunately, "Inferno!" seems to have been the final book of the series. The problem stems from the fact that the book's "ending" is not really an ending. The hero's main quest remains unfulfilled at the end, robbing the story, and the entire series for that matter, of a satisfying conclusion.

well, it actually does come to a conclusion...
I just wanted to make the comment that it DOES come to a conclusion of sorts, just not the one one would expect. Basically, the character takes on an impossible mission--going into the Rift, and pays the consequences, so basically any decision you make, you will end up dead (even at the end, apparantly, as you are trapped and about to die). I read this book years and years ago, and was trying to find out if they ever continued the series (the black widow could spontaneously croak or something, or the hero could make a miraculous escape, or even better, the series could continue, except 30yrs in the future, with avenger's son reclaiming the throne and fighting evil, or something like that). Overall its a good book, although not quite as good as some of the other superb books in the series. I was definitely disappointed to see this series come to an end.

It would be great if someone turned this series into a video game...


Peter Parker, Spider Man: One Small Break
Published in Paperback by Marvel Books (01 July, 2002)
Authors: Paul Jenkins, Mark Buckingham, and Wayne Faucher
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SPIDERMAN SLIPS A BIT WITH THESE STORIES!
Paul Jenkins presents four storylines in Spiderman: One Small Break...one of them is good. I'm a huge fan of Spidey but he has been portrayed in a much better style (both plotwise and artistically), look no further than J. Michael Straczynski's Spiderman: Homecoming for a perfect example. Jenkins stories seem to slide back-and-forth between serious and cartoonish way too easily, the artwork only emphasizes the cartoonish nature.

The storylines presented here cover Peter Parker: Spiderman issues #27-28 and 30-34. They include...

#1 - Spiderman battling his arch-enemy Stromm...and then being placed into a situation where he has to decide, "Is it right to kill someone if thousands of future lives will be saved?" Interesting question but it could have been presented in a much stronger light. The villain of Stromm is also not one of the stronger antagonists that Spidey has battled.

#2 - Spiderman battling a revenge hungry foe called Fusion. This storyline takes several interesting turns, the most interesting being when Spiderman receives that "One Small Break" of the title's name. Overall an average outing but there was plenty of untapped potential.

#3 - The best storyline of the bunch (and the only one worth reading in this collection) is a story dealing with Peter Parker (not Spiderman) and his past relationship with his Uncle Ben. The story focuses around an annual attendance of a Mets game and it works on several levels. Again there is some cartoonish nature that detracts from it and keeps it from reaching a "Best of..." level, but overall this one is a great read.

#4 - A silly and stupid and underdeveloped story about a man cursed with dangerous powers and who is being chased by some friendly monks (in the Monk-Mobile!). UG! Why was this story written in the first place...much less included in a TPB? What a waste of space and it doesn't say much if this is the higher level of story to be included into a mainstream TPB.

If you're "Jones-ing" for a Spiderman read then you may want to pick up One Small Break. But if you want to read Spidey in some of his top storylines then look for other TPB's available such as: The Death of Gwen Stacy, Power and Responsibility, or Untold Tales of Spiderman, you'll have a better time there.

This book is very good-Fusion rocks!
While many people have been dissing Mr. Jenkins in favor of the current "Amazing Spider-Man" team, he actually presents a very good collection of stories. His tale on assisted suicide makes you think, and the baseball story was touchy. I for one also enjoyed the William story, due to it's inspiring ending. However, the highlight of the book is the Fusion saga- Fusion, an cool-looking villian, has a very personal gripe with Spidey, even though they've never met. What's this guy's major malfunction, and why is it driving him to kill hundreds? You'll have to read the book to find out!


Predator: Hell & Hot Water
Published in Paperback by Dark Horse Comics (1998)
Authors: Mark Schultz, Gene Colan, and Gregory Wright
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HELL AND HOT WATER - PREDATOR : ok but not great.
The artform in this one is kinda unusuall. ,, but works pretty well, though it wasnt the coolest stuff i've seen ... story is kinda different too,, predators hunting for prey deep down in the sea... of course some stupid humans find out about the hunters and get smacked.. not much predator in this one.. if youre a predator fan , you should check it out, if youre just an average comic reader this one aint nuthin special...

carl

More Fun than A Murderous Bathtub Toy
In my opinion, this installment of the continuing Predator saga was actually better than many pieces of feedback seem to imply. The art is actually above average, the storyline - brought to us from the Southern Chilean Coast - is done fairly well considering the watery implications on a normally landbound struggle, and the Predator is in enough of it to keep from overwhelming the reader with the drudgery of meaningless combat while still posing a threat.

The story setup is as follows:
A fishing vessel located several miles from one of the archipelagoes that make up the Southern Chilean Coast find themselves in a fast-moving weather front. While riding out the gargantuan thunderstorm in its tow, they notice something unusual; first a deafening roar and then something of an electrical ghost that first hovers, tries to ascend, and then crashes into and slips below the water's surface. Enter an array of stunningly foolish humans who, after theorizing that the "bogeys" (yes, they do know about the Predators and their atypical hunts in only the most humid of regions) were attracted to these frigid waters by some seismic activities, decide to go and play tag with the Predator. This, of course, leads to deaths, plenty of them, and to some strange discoveries in an undersea cavern that show why the Predator was really here.

As I said before, this was interesting because it removed the Predator from the trappings of its blandly overplayed normality, plus it had some other elements that were, in a word, odd. If you only want fighting and nothing more, however, skip it. If not, however, you should at least give it a once over.


The Flash: Dead Heat
Published in Paperback by DC Comics (2000)
Authors: Mark Waid, Oscar Jimenez, and Humberto Ramos
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stay away from this one!!!!!
what a teribale waste of money!the story was bad,the plot stunk, the art was worse yet.a total waste of the flash's cariture.lets have him run around through half of the book racing his foe,how stupid.i don't recomend this one to anyone and i'm a flash fan.

Wonderful
Well this story took place in The Flash issues 108 to 111 and Impulse issues 10 and 11 and have been collected here. The story is about Savitar who is in his own mind the God of speed, and when he finds out others are using the speed from the speed force and so he cuts them off...All but wally west The Flash and thats when all hell breaks loose. This story has it all, lots of speedsters like the first flash and others and you have "Speed Ninjas" who work with Savitar so all in all you get a good story with lots of the "Flash family" in it. Also you have the death of a few speedsters as well so if your a flash fan you will not want to miss the story about that.

My one problem with the book is that it has a cliffhanger ending! trades should never leave the ending open like that because you buy a trade for the complete story not cliffhangers. but DC comics have published the second book "Race againist time" so you might want ot pick it up at the same time if you want the whole story.

What if the Flash were evil?...
That's the question this storyline seeks to answer. In The Return of Barry Allen, Wally had to fight someone who sought to replace his mentor. Now he has to battle Savitar, an enemy just as fast as the Flash, but who has studied the origin of their power for years. He can do everything the Flash can do, and more-- he can lend speed to others, he can accelerate and decelerate objects, he can metabolize his wounds and heal instantly. He's ruthless in his quest to embrace the Speed Force, and will do anything to accomplish this-- including destroy everything and everyone Wally holds dear...


Mark-Paul Gosselaar: Ultimate Gold (Saved by the Bell)
Published in Paperback by Aladdin Library (1992)
Author: Beth Cruise
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Average review score:

This book was not good
This book had bad grammar and was not that interesting to me. It needs to be rewritten and made more interesting.

This is a great book!
This book is great. I can't count how many times I've read it and memorized parts! I love Mark-Paul Gosselaar and this is a must for all fans.


Artists: From Michelangelo to Maya Lin
Published in Hardcover by U*X*L (2001)
Authors: Judy Galens, Mark Swartz, and UXL
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From Michelangel to Maya Lin review!
This book clearly states the life of lots of the artists in the book, but not enough on their art related life. The book is intresting, but not the best book in the world. This book is good for reports, and has almost every artist you can think of. I think that this book is good if you are reading it for a reason, but if you are reading it because you have no other books to read, then it might get boring.


Boogeyman
Published in Paperback by Dark Horse Comics (23 June, 1999)
Authors: Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier
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Good, but not typical Aragones picture cartoons
If you're looking for the classic no-words Aragones comics, then don't get this book. It is more like the comics you read in the papers.


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