This RPG has proved brilliant and entertaining for both novice role-player and experienced, for both those familiar with Moorecock's work and those who are not. I'll be the first to admit that the release of 3rd edition D&D has distracted me from this ingenious work of dark fantasy but before 3rd edition came out this system was the only one out of the many I have played in my 12 years of gaming to hold my attention (there are plenty of new rules that cropped up in 3rd edition that look familiar to ones in this book). The system of incresing abilities and skills is much better than the much acclaimed 3rd edition D&D. This game is also a much more "realistic" RPG than anything that TSR or Palladium ever put out. The fact that characters do not gain levels but instead increase their various skill and ablities by practicing them is a BIG step towards working realism in RPGs. There are none of the class restrictions found in other RPGs in this game. You can do what you learn how to do. And for those of us tired of explaining why our worlds are not controlled by the blatantly more powerful elven and dwarven races, this games' human-only content is quite refreshing. There is of course the non-human race known as the Melniboneans but they are little more (functionally speaking) than an eldritch and sorcerous race of decadent humans. My only complaints are that the book is paperback and that more people don't realize it's brilliance. Combat is extremely well laid out with an unsurpassed balance of realism, utility, and entertainment. Even if you do not plan to run the campaign this book is FULL of great ideas applicable to any RPG from personal character quirk lists to a great and novel system of allegiance to the forces of law and chaos. Just beware of those brutal critical hit tables! oof! Feel free to e-mail for general correspondence concerning elric!.

Apart from its lackluster art, this greatly original dark fantasy rpg will blow you away. The rules and the setting are easily some of the best in the business. If you play RPGs and are tired of the cliche Tolkienesque fare, this is a must buy!

Possibly excessive exuberance aside, I still stand by my last review and am curious about the experience others have had with this game. Email me at my new address, Kaecyy@MochaMail.com, if you like. Blood and souls, baby!

This book is about the ethnographer. F.E. Williams.
He spent twenty years as Government Anthropologist in the Australian Territory of Papua.
Between 1922 and 1939, Williams took photographs in about eighteen different ethnographic locations throughout the eight administrative divisions of the territory.
235 images are printed in large format and beautiful quality, about 200 appear in print for the first time.

This book gives you excellent advice on teen problems in today's world we live in. He provides answers to the most common questions teens face today: peer pressure, faith, morality (he himself had these same questions).

Although this book is aimed at teen-agers, adults will like reading this book to help their teen-agers through some of tough times teens face.

This book significantly changed the way I, as a teacher of Language Arts, think about what we do in secondary classrooms every day. Without ever being strident or laying blame, the authors methodically, movingly demonstrate that in so many ways, most middle schools and high schools are still far off the mark in how they teach English. And yet, the answer is right there--all we have to do is listen to the kids.

Sure, it's easy for us to listen to the good readers, the ones who zipped through "Lord of the Rings" in 5th grade, who devour books. But when do we really listen and respond to the needs of those kids--particularly, as the authors point out, boys--who never read, who say they hate to read?

The authors studied, and carried on extensive dialogues, with 49 boys in grades 7-12. What they found will shock and dismay some readers. To others, it will come as no surprise. Still others may see it as a call to action: Increasingly, many children--and boys in particular--fail to make any significant connection with what goes on in the language arts classroom. Even passionate teachers may be of little help, so long as they insist on imposing the conventional canon of "great literature" on all students. What's more, students who resist traditional reading are by no means necessarily illiterate. Many are highly competent readers of computer manuals, sports magazines, graphic novels and internet communications--to name just a few. Many are passionate about these alternative literary activities. But they find no reinforcement for them in school; often, it is quite the opposite.

The authors argue that we must reach students first through the literate activities they already know and value, and tap into these interests, these sometimes unconventional literacies, as ways to engage them in meaningful, real activities. Then, if all goes well, they will begin to seek out wonder and meaning in ways that go deeper than the surface, and the door may open, for some, on that world of symbolic, philosophical, emotional meaning that is so valued by teachers and other lifelong readers.

When I first picked up this book, I expected it to be a "sugar coated" writing by one more musical artist, trying to wax eloquant, when actually doing little more than delivering a half-hearted self-gloification piece. Not so with M.Smith's book. Granted, his true talent is better captured in both his songwriting and his vioce, the book never the less delivers a well thought out message. It is clear from the book, Michael dearly loves those he sings for. His inspiration comes from God, his reward is evidenced in his acknowledging the impact his songs have had on others. While M.Smith writes about the impact, he also reminds us how music can both bring us closer to God and to strengthen our relationship with Him. M.Smith takes us beyond the comfort of being a mere listener of music, he wants us to see music as a way of advancing the Gospel but also as a ministry unto itself.

It's Time to Be Bold is an excellent read for anyone who wants to believe in and preach the Bible, but feels it is irrevelant to today. Through personal stories of his own and those of his fans, Michael W. Smith creates word pictures never thought of before. You will see church as the best hang-out on earth and the Bible as awesome as any romance or action novel. The bottom line: Smith is real. He realizes that young Christians need to evangelize more than ever in today's society and that with a few basic rules you can do it. This is a must read and, believe it or not, even more inspiring than many of his songs!

This book has many spritual messages for young and old alike. Based on some of Michael's own life experiences, he gives incredible first impressions about his experiences and touches the heart of the reader. You too will find it "It's Time To Be Bold" to stand up to face the challenges that life seems to present. Some of his experiences are near the same things I went through and can relate to. He really spoke what was on his heart and touches the reader.

Michael Gear's Indians, Mountain men, entrepreneurs, and even effete New Englanders ring of faithful to their time and place. This is not only a good story with finely etched characters, but good history as well

YOU JUST CAN'T FIND ANYTHING BETTER TO READ. FROM THE FIRST LINE I AM ALWAYS CAPTIVATED BY THE PROSPECT OF MEETING OLD FRIENDS INTRODUCED IN PREVIOUS WORKS. BOTH MICHAEL AND HIS WONDERFUL WIFE KATHLEEN HAVE A WAY OF TRANSPORTING THE READER TO THE TIME IN HISTORY YOU ARE READING ABOUT. I NEVER READ MORE THAN A FEW PAGES AT A TIME TO TRY TO PUT OFF THE END FOR AS LONG AS POSSIABLE. I KEEP ALL OF THIER BOOKS SO THAT I MAY READ THEM OVER AGAIN. I HOPE THEY KEEP THEM COMMING FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

Gear fans will enjoy this authentic recreation of the American Frontier. If your not familiar with the Gear's work (he also co-authors early American novels with his wife), you can compare them to Jean Auel, William Sarabande, and Terry C. Johnston for their descriptions, historical accuracy, and believable charaters. His scholastic philisophical theories are put to the test as Richard "Dick" Hamilton ventures into the western portion of North America. Aboard a traders boat bound for a land far from civilization, Dick encounters lively individuals that will cause him to analyze all that he thought to be true. A companion named Travis teaches him through mountain logic, commom sense, and a few hard knocks. An entertaining novel with an ending that will make you want to go out and get the sequel!

Having been raised in central Montana, I was waiting for historical or geographical innaccuracies. I found none. The writing was excellent and did an excellent job of portraying the relationships between the traders and the Native Americans. I felt it handled the issues of race and racism tactfully while at the same time hitting them head on. Highly reccommended.

I don't know when a book has enthralled me more. I came away challenged to understand my surroundings and those folks around us. Historically Coyote Summer is with out peers. Please Micheal continue this story.

I bought this for my father for Christmas and he absolutely loved the book. He has read the Jean Auel series several times over and loves it. He has read all of the "People of..." series by Michael and Kathleen and absolutely liked those.

Hands down he said this was perhaps the best book he has ever read in his 73 years. For as many times as he has read and loved the Jean Auel series that is saying a lot.

Requiem for a Rogue is the fifth X-wing Rogue Squadron story, and the fourth to see print in TPB form. It's not quite as good as The Warrior Princess, and it's not nearly as good as either Phantom Affair or Battleground Tatooine. I think this book may well have the worst art in the series, and it just isn't very entertaining. However, some of the story elements validate the somewhat iffy plot points of the computer game Mysteries of the Sith, and this collection also includes the hard-to-find Rogue Squadron special which they were giving out on the opening day of ESB special edition. This is also the last of the "independant" RS stories; after this they're all included the in the bigger "Rise of Isard" Story Arc.

Basically, the Rogues are asked to go looking for a Bothan passenger liner which has dissappeared. They follow it's hyperspace trajectory, and find it landed on a planet. When they touch down, they find the Captain was killed in the "crash," but things also look very suspicious -- the Rogues suspect that the crash was actually sabotage." It turns out that there's an ancient Sith temple here, one which Palpatine was planning to turn into a base, that of course has a stockpile of hundreds of TIEs, and things get ugly from there.

Many of the plotlines and ideas really stretch my ability to suspend disbelief in this comic, but there are a few surprises. And the writing is OK, just not the best. Overall, I think this is probably the worst book in the Rogue Squadron series.

'Requiem for a Rogue' is probably the most unique in the series. The Imperial-type villain is missing, the role instead shifting a bit throughout the story. The Rogues are trapped on a forested planet while searching for a missing Bothan spaceliner, but things are very odd here, and the Bothans seem to have other plans as well. The Rogues get forced between a rock and hard place here, and the end results in the death of not one, but two of the Rogues.

The art by Gary Erksine is very detailed, but senses of movement are pretty much lost. The work has an overall 'dirty' look to it, which works well considering the circumstances. Forests and trees and brush and such are well done, which is good considering the setting. His people seem a bit, well, ugly, but one can get around that. His non-humans, like Ibtisam, Nrin, and the numerous Bothans, are well-done. Although his style does have problems, it works better overall with 'Requiem' than it would for any other arc. David Nestelle works magic with the colors, enhancing the art and giving it a bit of a three-dimensional quality. Possibly the best coloring in the series.

Jan Strand return from 'Battleground: Tatooine' to script this one, and the quality is pretty much the same. The elements of stuff like Sith magic may not bode well with many a fan, but it does tend to work in the sense that this planet of Malrev 4 is Force-potent, most likely resulting from its past. Such things have been seen on other worlds in other series, so its not too far-fetched. The dogfights are well-written and interesting, which is good because 'Requiem' has more of them than any other XWRS story arc. Like a lot of other XWRS story arcs, 'Requiem' suffers a bit because of length restrictions. The scenes between the characters in between the fighting are good, but it seems like more is needed. A similar situation comes up later in 'Mandatory Retirement', but in that case proof is given of what kind of scenes can come out of such situations.

Overall, its is recommended. While not the quality of most of the other story arcs, it has a well-built climax and sets the stage for the second act of the XWRS series.

I enjoyed this book, as it was action packed, while still leading you through an involving plot. You see the true depths of what Bothans are capable of, when influenced by evil. Not only this, but you also see an extension of the theory proposed in "The Last Command": that the Bothans knew all about most of the Imperials secret storage facilities, but never felt like telling anyone else. I'd like to see this explored more deeply in a novel sometime. Anyways, another good Rouge Squadron book/comic.

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.

This book deals with the highly skilled, advanced, scientific mind of a Brew Master or scientist who needs an answer in skilled scientific jargon, this is not a Homebrewing book by any means. I have been brewing for 16+ years, and have 80+ books on the subject of the Brewing Art and this book I doubt, I'll ever open!

Great resource! Technical background in chemistry a must!

Finally, a book geared toward the craft-brewer! The information in this book is presented in a very straight forward, easy to understand manner. There is no overly technical language or formulas to confuse the reader, nor are there any costly or impractical techniques that are out of reach for most craft-brewers. This book is a must have for anyone working in the craft-brewing industry, or the home-brewer looking to reach the next level.