Series Books

This is a gripping adventure story about imprisonment and escape. Henry Charriere (1906-1973), or Papilon, was a French criminal sentenced to life for murder (he claimed innocence) in 1931. Readers follow as he arrives across the Atlantic Ocean at the penal colony in Guiana (South America) for a life of hard labor under the hot sun. Papilon set his sights on escape, and flees on a small boat to Columbia, where he is captured and re-imprisoned. Escaping again, Papilon lives with some coastal Indians, moves on, and again is captured. Eventually returned to Guiana, Papilon endures two years in solitary confinement. Then he escapes by boat to Venezuela, ends up imprisoned there, and is set free in 1945. Readers follow his every move with great interest, but we don't know how much of this narrative is true - all, most, or some. Whatever the facts, this is a gripping story of adventure, daring, justice (or injustice), and escape.

The book is somewhat different than the also-superb 1972 movie starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. Also, Charierre married and ran a resturant in Venezeula, returned to France as this book arrived in 1969, and put out another (BANCO) before dying of cancer in 1973. Then, in 2005, a 104-year old ex-convict named Charles Brunier (1901-2007) claimed he was Papilon, adding to the mystery.

A petty thief wrongfully convicted of murder by a French court in 1931. The bulk of this narrative, and it is a tremendous one, is this man's incarcerations in penal colonies in French Guyana: the many escape scenarios and attempts; the final escape to the mainland; and 2 years living with the local Indians.

Charriere's writing style is spontaneous, lucid, and totally without pretense; real storytelling prowess. The storylines are inbued with perserverance, grit, and undercurrents of humor. He never surrenders to despair; his sense of intrepid survival and courage sustain him throughout the 13 years of his imprisonments. The will to live is the engine that drives these riveting episodes.

The question of the authenticity of this narrative, like the Castaneda books, arises; but ultimately, it doesn't matter if this story is true or not. This is an adventure story; and hyperbole is always involved in the narration of any adventure, regardless of degree. It is the power of the storyteller that mesmerizes the listener/reader in this, a hero's journey. In this case, it is a journey of liberation from a series of hells.

After reading this book, you will come away feeling enriched by this man's intrepid spirit. Highly recommended.

Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts

Charriere's book was impossible to put down. Whether novel or real, his story as a prisoner is unforgettable. Highly recommended.

One of the great adventure books of any time; certainly had had huge impact on my childhood as it was more mesmerizing and novel and gripping than any of the more conventional classics. There it was: a documentary that once again proved that the human spirit at its highest truly becomes indomitable and cannot be destroyed.
The writer erected the monument to the spirit that went unbroken even in the harshest brutality of the Guyana's tropical gulag.

No, there's no need whatsoever for some poor sod to re-translate the whole book! It still reads beautifully. But, and this is a BIG but, the translation is, today, WAY TOO TAME. The quaint, oblique, charming English expletives he employs now badly interfere with the book's mood and thrillingly immediate, rough flavour. He translated this book way back in 1969; even the English aren't so delicate any longer. Please, isn't it time to honour Charriere's original manuscript, and dirty things up a bit??!

DRAGONSINGER shows off sci-fi/fantasy writer Anne McCaffrey at her best and most accessible. Of the three books which make up the Harper Hall trilogy, this one is my favorite and a book to which I've returned a bunchful of times. Only thing is, whenever I dust this off (or, come to think of it, any of the early Pern novels), I tend to go ahead and re-read the whole friggin' series. The Harper Hall trilogy, more so than any of the Dragonriders of Pern novels, is targeted towards a young adult audience, but it'll certainly charm a reader of whatever age. And if one is looking for a capable, extremely engaging role model, then look no further than Menolly of Half-Circle Sea Hold.

DRAGONSINGER picks up almost immediately from where Dragonsong left off, with Menolly arriving at the Harper Craft Hall to begin her harper's apprenticeship. A gifted songwriter/singer/musician and the young accidental mistress of nine gluttonous but ever loyal fire lizards, the shy and vulnerable Menolly finds herself near overwhelmed by her new circumstances. She's very conscious of her horribly scarred hand (which prevents her from playing her music) and her still woefully tender feet (from having outran Thread, deadly silver spores which periodically rain on Pern). At Harper Hall, Menolly meets and is intimidated by an array of stern and skeptical teachers. She faces the scorn of her fellow female students, with whom she must share room and board. Her unconventionality and her rare fire lizards mark her as a target of curiousity and envy. For Menolly, all this is almost too hard to bear. But she loves music and loves her fire lizards. And, it turns out, she has more friends than she thinks...

DRAGONSINGER, first published in 1977, is the second book in the Harper Hall trilogy, and, in my opinion, is the best of the three. It continues Menolly's coming-of-age tale and introduces the readers to a gang of winning characters, such as the quiet journeyman Sebell, the majestic, offbeat Master Shonagar, and the impish and ingratiating Piemur (who would take center stage in Dragondrums). Of course, the awesome and perceptive Masterharper Robinton figures in most of the Pern novels, and he makes his presence vigorously felt here. Who wouldn't want to work for someone like him?

Another neat thing about the Harper Hall trilogy is that it allows the reader to relive events in McCaffrey's other novels. Specifically, the timeline of DRAGONSONG and DRAGONSINGER coincides with that of Dragonquest (Dragonriders of Pern), so that, just as we revisited Jaxom's impressing of Ruth thru Menolly's eyes in DRAGONSONG, here, we get Menolly and Harper Hall's horrified reactions to F'nor's disastrous foray to the inhospitable Red Star. Later, the third Harper Hall entry, DRAGONDRUMS, would touch on events occuring in The White Dragon (Dragonriders of Pern Vol 3).

McCaffrey warmly covers a span of seven eventful days in Menolly's life, chronicling her transitioning from an uncertain, bashful young girl to a confident one with the world opened up before her. Menolly is tall and gangly and unsure, and so appealing. It's a joy reading of her overcoming her challenges, making new friends, and impressing just near everyone with her musical talents. My favorite moments would have to be the ones in which she's engaged in her music or spending time with her fair of fire lizards (and, believe me, both activities take up huge, huge chunks of the book). Scenes to look out for: the first time Menolly feeds her fire lizards at Harper Hall, the impromptu Hall concert during Threadfall, all the moments with Shonagar, and Gather Day. As ever, McCaffrey peppers her book with sightings of benevolent dragons, who constantly guard Pern against Thread, and their miniature and inquisitive cousins, the fire lizards. Actually, in this Harper Hall series, the focus is more on the fire lizards than on the dragons. McCaffrey lends Menolly's fire lizards their own distinct personalities, from the imperious Beauty to the nagging Aunties One and Two, to the beleaguered Uncle, to the aptly named Lazybones.

Compared to the other, more adult-oriented novels about Pern, DRAGONSINGER is a lighter, more intimate read, and not as intricately plotted. The stakes here don't shape the world, just Menolly's personal universe. But, I'll tell you what, you'll get caught up in it. DRAGONSINGER (and a whole mess of McCaffrey's novels, come to think of it) fits cozily on my shelf of comfort books. I normally have two copies of books which I particularly love. With DRAGONSINGER, I have three, two of which are pretty threadbare. Such a good read.

The harper Hall Trilogy is my favorite set by McCaffrey and interestingly the first books I read by her. I love dragons and there for dragon stories, particularly ones were dragons are not mindless monsters of destruction, so it would be odd for me not to like these books. The story is very original and the characters well written. If your not sure of getting into the Pern books, this is the series to read! Dragonsinger is a really strong book, despite being in the middle of a set. The story keeps going strong and the characters stay true to themselves.

I know I wasn't supposed to read this book first, but it was on the free book cart at the library. And I've wanted to read McCaffery for some time now. I'd give this book four a half stars. I'd like to have given it five. But I'll get to that in a minute. Her prose is elegant. Each of her characters is clearly defined. The main, Menolly, is strong and modest, but often bleek and insecure because of her background. Thus her behavior makes sense at times when she is overly passive when she shouldn't be. As well as apologizing for every little thing. However, her giving a shiner to Benis was priceless. I love the tiny info on the Fort Sea Hold, and look I look forward to getting clear description when I read DragonSong. The only problem I had with this book was there was no real action, besides the brawl at the Gather. Though I must say, the book was not boringt any time. But I did have to put it down from time to time because its lack of action.

Can't wait to read more McCaffery. I see why she's one of the leading authors in the SciFi/Fantasy genre.

Menolly is now at the Harper Hall. However, she is a geek/nerd and doesn't fit in with all the girls who like doing the standard chick things. Plus there just happens to be a bunch of fire lizards following her around.

She also has to deal with the problem of choosing or being asked to choose a specialisation and someone to be a mentor.

Menolly has achieved her dream of living in Harper Hall, despite the disadvantage of being born female. But she does not know how she will fit in and the fact that she accidentally Impressed nine fire lizards causes disruptions in class and jealousies from the other students. That she comes to realize her full talent as a musician, singer and songwriter and revel in the company of other musicians is the delight of this perfect fantasy novel.

This gem of a story is appropriate for creative girls and women of all ages, all creative endeavors because it says that the barriers the world puts in your way won't stand up to friendship, hard work and talent. I wore out two paperback copies before breaking down and buying it in hardback. Highly recommended.

The definition of the word `requiem' is a musical service or hymn in honor of the dead. How fittingly that word rests with the subject matter of this novel. `Requiem for a Dream' is just that, a musical hymn in honor of those crushed and shattered dreams. When reading Selby's phenomenal (and I mean that in the most extreme sense of the word) novel about abolished hope and sheer desperation the reader is forced to face the ugly truth about our horrific society.

You ever read that novel or watch that film that just eats away at the pit of your stomach and pains you to your very core? You ever struggle to turn the page or fight to watch the screen because the onslaught of negativity is picking away at your spirit and bringing you to a dark and lonely place you never wished to visit? That is the feeling experienced when reading (or subsequently watching the Aronofsky film adaptation) this novel.

The novel opens by introducing us to four people. We have Sara, an older Jewish woman who lives for television. The opening scene depicts her son Harry, strung out as usual, stealing her television to pawn it for money in order to get his next hit. Harry also has a girlfriend Marion as well as a best friend Tyrone C. Love. The three of them enjoy a nice taste of heroin every now and again and will do just about anything to get it. Sara dreams of one day being on television, and when she gets to opportunity she grabs it by the horns. She is convinced to lose enough weight to fit into her favorite red dress, the one she wore to Harry's bar mitzvah. This leads her to diet pills which she quickly and dangerously forms an addiction to. Harry and Marion on the other hand begin to develop a plan to buy and sell heroin for a profit, that way they can one day by that little coffee shop and make a life for themselves. This little plan involves Tyrone as well, and as the dope starts pouring in, their idea of a small taste begins to grow until they can't stomach the thought of selling any of it but feel compelled to keep all of it for themselves.

The novel brilliantly portrays the mind of an addict; the `I'll never get that bad, I can stop whenever I want to' mentality that cripples the mind and fortifies the very essence of the domination of the soul. All four of these individuals are taken over and beaten down by the disease that is addiction. There is a scene where Tyrone is arrested and spends some time in the jail cell with an elderly addict, a man who is so far gone Tyrone is disgusted by him. Tyrone is determined never to be that man, never to become that dependant on the taste, but the first thing Tyrone does when he gets out is cop him that taste. He doesn't realize that he is already there.

The novel, like I mentioned, is horribly depressing and utterly frustrating, especially as the novel comes to a close and everything begins to spiral into oblivion. As we watch Sara, Harry, Marion and Tyrone's lives completely fall apart in a gradual yet perpetual tumble towards rock bottom we are left with the bitter taste of pain and misery in the back of our throats. Experiencing Sara's mental deterioration at the hands of the pill; watching Marion degrade herself to escape the sick feeling of withdrawals; seeing Harry cast aside his own well being in order to keep that high; watching Tyrone come to realize he is no better than the men he despises; all of this eats at our very being and transports us to a place unlike any we've ever been.

Like the movie, the novel excels when focusing on the female characters. Sara and Marion are by far the most sympathetic and interesting characters in the novel; with that said they are also the most depressing and utterly devastating to read about. Their final outcome is far from pretty and makes the reader feel helpless and alone; much like these characters.

`Requiem for a Dream' is far from pretty. It is dirty, gritty and at times unbearable; but there is no denying that it is a masterpiece; literature at its finest. Hubert Selby Jr. is a deeply controlled and phenomenally capable writer who understands the appropriate darkness of his subject; an author who takes something so terrible, so bleak and painful and makes it quite frankly one of the most important novels ever penned. In my humble opinion this is the type of novel that should be mandatory reading at any substance abuse rehabilitation center. After reading this grisly novel (and of course watching the equally grisly film) I could never even stomach the idea of drug use. In a world that glamorizes any and everything harmful to the soul, `Requiem for a Dream' stands apart as a very real depiction of all you stand to lose.

If you've seen the film, better fasten your seatbelts. Aronofsky went easy on you. I can't adequately describe what Selby achieved in this novel, or in "Last Exit to Brooklyn". He is capable of describing the most brutal things with apparent (but ONLY apparent) objectivity, but at other times he writes with astonishing delicacy. I can't even think of another writer who can do that half as well as Selby.

If you found the last 20 minutes of the film as horrifying as I did, Selby's account of the fates of Harry, Sara, Marion, and Tyrone will make you want to cry for all of them.

This is not going to be an easy read for a lot of people, but it's a masterwork.

It's just that good.

If you've read "Last Exit to Brooklyn," you'll be familiar with Selby's habit of not using quotation marks when he writes dialogue. But even if this is your first exposure to Selby, you'll figure out who's saying what pretty quickly.

And don't skip Selby's prologue.

As an aside: ELLEN BURSTYN WAS ROBBED! (As Sara in Requiem for a Dream, she really should have gotten an Oscar. I'm just saying.)

Hubert Selby Jr writes with in a way that is astounding. Bringing a story like this so heavily to life, to a point where it completely envelopes and engrossing you, all the while disgusting you is a great fete. I saw the movie, which is great in its own right, but not near comparison to the language of the book. Definitely recommended!

Selby's ability to capture inner monologue is incredible. You not only empathize, but you believe with each one of the characters. You hold on to the dream and it crushes you. Should be read in highschools everywhere.

You need to be ready before you read this book. Upon finishing this little dandy I was physically shaking. I can't think of any other book that has made of shake. The manic style and never ending punch in the face flow of this Hubert Selby Jr. masterpiece will stay with you for the rest of your life. If you saw the movie and so decided to not read the book, you are making a mistake. The book is a totally different experience then the movie. Each is a masterpiece in a completely unique way. It's amazing how real this book is. You will feel insane compassion for the lowest of individuals. You will want to reach out to these amazing characters. I don't know how Hubert Selby Jr. does it. His mind must have been a dark but beautiful and loving realm. If you want to be a book this one will make you its own. Read it.

Rosewell high is any ordinary high school, but the only thing is that you don't know what's really happening.
There are 7 caracters theire names are Max, Liz, Maria, Alex, Michael, Kyle, Sherif Valenti, and Isabel.
Max, Liz, Maria, Isabel, Michael, sherif valenti are the main main caracters. Max always liked liz and when she was shoot in the stomach max healed her and she thought she was going to die and he told her to lie and she did and
after she went to his house and she asked him how and he told her he was an alien and she freaked out. So he thinks she hates him until later. Liz never liked him but wounce she found out she found this urge to just fall in love with him and do everything to save his life. Max, isabel, micheal, and maria are all aliens and hopes that liz dosent tell sherif valenti about theire discovery.I would really recommend this book to all ages.

This book is GREAT! Probaly the only book in the series that the TeleVision adaption kept completely - The outsider is a great piece of literature. Its cute, quick, daring, and intresting. ESPECIALLY if you keep reading the series, you'll notice how unique and great the customers are. A Definate Must-read. Esspecially for teens.

Although meant for young adult readers, this book is a worthy read by adult standards as well. As a lover of Roswell the WB series, I was at first elated to discover that they were rooted in this wonderful series by Melinda Metz. After I read the series, however, I became apalled at what a mess the show writers made of the situations and characters involved. It is unfortunate that they lost their vision of who their characters were meant to be. Luckily, Metz never does.

Wow! What a great read! I couldn't put it down. I wanted to read the book because I'm such a big fan of the TV show. It's soo much better!! The story is basically a modern Romeo and Juliet love story. Max is an alien from another planet who is in love with a human girl named Liz. When he saves her life, both their lives and everyone elses dramatically changes. This book focuses on Max and LIz's love story but there are also other interesting characters like the other 2 aliens, Micheal and Isabel, and Liz's 2 friends Alex and Maria who all have their own stories unfolding. The first book is by far my favorite out of the series, but you have to read them all. Just to warn some people: it is a story about ALIENS but it mostly centers on the characters relationships with each other. I would steer clear if your a BIg SF fan.

The pilot episode of Roswell was one of the better episodes of the series I've always thought, I got a copy of this book because it's the one the series is based on. While the writing style is probably aimed more at the teen market if you're older and liked the series this book won't be a bad item.
A few things are very different, Max is a blond and blue eyed senior, Liz is Liz Ortecho (whose dead older sister Rosa O'D on drugs)- instead of Parker, Michael Guerin is an A student (all three aliens are)and Isabel is the little sister- a junior in High School.
Liz's shooting is a little different than the series, Sheriff Valenti and son Kyle are meaner (and Valenti is a member of a secret government anti alien group). The incubation pods are mentioned, as is the cave, but in the book Michael came out of his pod days before the Evans (who shared a pod). A lot of things show similarity to the first season of Roswell, although not all were in the same episode- it seems obvious to me that the writers used this book as a sort of guide.
I don't know if I'll get the rest of the series but this one was a quick, fun little thing to read, and a lot more like what you saw on TV than most book to TV adaptations usually are.

This is THE BIBLE. This is the gold standard for the exposition of the TCP/IP protocol stack. Every other TCP/IP protocol book must be measured by the yardstick of this book. This is simply the most comprehensive book ever written on the TCP/IP protocol stack. It's crystal clear and utterly lucid. Stevens tome leads the reader logically, methodically and effortlessly through all of the layers of the TCP/IP protocol stack: the Link Layer (ethernet frames), IP layer, Transport Layer etc. All nuances of TCP/IP are discussed: Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), RARP, ICMP, IGMP, User Datagram Protocol, Transmission Control Protocol etc. In particular, the 135 page exposition of the transmission control protocol is a masterstroke. Application level protocols such as DNS, NFS, FTP, SMTP are discussed at length. TCP/IP Illustrated is Unix-centric. Given that the roots of TCP/IP are in Unix, every serious appreciation of the protocol requires at least a basic understanding of Unix philosophy. This book is a masterpiece of technical writing in Computer Science. Do not be mislead by the one negative review of this book on the spurious grounds that it is outdated. The TCP/IP protocol has not changed since the publication of this book in 1994. I have two copies of this book and will probably buy a third copy. I very, very highly recommend TCP/IP Illustrated Volume I.

It is a very good book for understanding TCP/IP protocol suite. It has lots of tools explained in detail to explore the different protocols on unix/linux based systems. Most of the protocols are presented well. It is a must have book for learning networking concepts. I highly recommend this book.

Either if you're a pro or a student, this book is a MUST-HAVE. "Buy it NOW, don't waste more time" is the best advice I could give to you.

This book has very well detailed TCP/IP information, unfortunately some of the information is outdated. The book is easy to follow, and would make an even better learning tool if updated. I bought the book since it was required reading for a class, but I would opt out for a younger publishing on this topic if I had a choice.

This is a good book that covers all the fundamentals of TCP/IP networking. Good illustrations. Seperate chapters for each common application protocols.

I grew up with Angelique as my mother was a big fan. We used to watch the movies all the time. I only wish the books and the movies were available in the US to buy as i would definitely be a buyer of both series

I first read the Angelique series when I was in high school, 30 years ago. Her story always stayed with me. At one time I had ALL the Angelique books (that is all the ones published in english). I went looking for them the other day to reread them. I can't find them! I can't believe I got rid of them!!!ARGH! Now Angelique is selling for $45! I now have to buy all the books again to reread them.

I would compare "Angelique" to "Kristen Lavransdatter" by Sigrid Undset. Heroines like these come along once in a generation.

The book traces Angelique's story from her childhood in Poitou to her arranged marriage to the horribly disfigured Comte de Peyrac. Her days as a criminal in the Court of Miracles, her time in the tower of Nesle and finally her triumph.

The detailed research in these books is mind boggling. It was this book that sparked my interest in Louis XIV and French history. Everything in these books is based on historical facts. In Angelique La Voisin predictes that the King will love Mme de Montespan and Angelique but that he will marry Mme Scarron. This is what actually happened! The poison conspiracy also is historically documented. Sergeanne Golon is not the only author(s) to write about The Court of Miracles. In "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" a large part of the action takes place in the Court of Miracles. If you look at a Michelin guide map of Paris the Court of Miracles is identified on it.

For Angelique readers here is a list of her books in chronological order:

Angelique (sometimes appears as two books Marquise of the Angels & The Road to Versailles)

Angelique and the King

Angelique and the Sultan (Angelique in Barbary)

Angelique in Revolt

Angelique in Love

The Countess Angelique (Angelique in the New World)

The Temptation of Angelique

Angelique and the Demon

Angelique and the Ghosts

I am not surprised to see that nearly every single review of this book is 5 stars. The book IS that good.

The Angelique series (actually 10 book) is one of the most enjoyable reads, as well as movies. It has everything one would want in a story: action, adventure, secrets, love, hatred and revenge in the time of Luis XIV. Although the story is far more interesting while Angelique is still in France (the first 5 books), her adventures in America/Canada are also pretty good. Unfortunately, it is impossible to find a new edition in the English language. I am lucky enough to be bilingual and was easily able to find the new editions of the full series (and the movies) in Russian, it has never been out-of-print in that language. However, I would love to reread it in English. The mini-series is also fantastic although it takes some liberty with the written plot and Michele Mercier is the perfect Angelique. If you can get it (in any language) the book is a must read and the mini-series is a must see!

Anyone fortunate enough to first read these books while young (I was in my late teens), will very likely want to read and re-reread them as he/she gets older. I do, and simply cannot recommend them highly enough. One of the reviewers here states that Anne and Serge are born storytellers but is misinformed: Serge did indeed produce writings, but he was primarily a scientist and he provided invaluable research for earlier Angelique books; their historical accuracy, human insight and fluid yet economical prose were, and remain today, the key to their enormous success. Anne and Serge Golon combined their very different talents but Serge was adamant in crediting the authorship to his wife. For your information, Serge died in 1972 but, so far as I know, as of May 2007, Anne is still alive and resides in Versailles. There are various websites, www.worldofangelique.com, Wikipedia, etc.

I started reading this series in the 70's while travelling enroute to my husbands next military assignment. I have read them 4 different times in a period of 20 years. Just getting ready to read the 9 books again since it has been apx. 5 years and I can't wait to re-read them. After reading the reviews in this section, I was astounded to learn that it has been made into a series in some countries on tv? Wow, what a fantastic series it would be for HBO or one of those broadcast companies! I am hoping that they are published as one person mentioned here as leather bound copies for collection. My copies are yellowed, tattered and torn but "saved" nonetheless, for re-reading. Thank you for all this wonderful information and please add my pleas to have it re-published as soon as possible.

CHILD OF THE HUNT

Christopher Golden & Nancy Holder (1998)

RATING: 5/5 Stakes

SETTING: Season Three

TV CHARACTER APPEARANCES: Buffy, Joyce, Giles, Xander, Willow, Oz, Cordelia, Angel, Sheila Rosenberg, Xander's Dad, Xander's Mom, Ira Rosenberg, Cordelia's Dad

MAJOR ORIGINAL CHARACTERS: Connie DeMarco, Brian Anderson (runaways); Liz DeMarco, Jamie Anderson (runaways' parents); Erl King (villain); Lucy Hanover (ghostly Slayer); Roland (Erl King's son); "Robin Hood", "King Richard" (sorcerers)

BACK-OF-THE-BOOK SUMMARY: "Jousting contests, human chess matches, lords and ladies and beggars . . . a traveling Renaissance fair has come to Sunnydale. The fair may seem terminally uncool, but Buffy and her friends are charmed anyway. Especially by a sad-eyed boy named Roland, who serves as the court jester. Unfortunately, the people from the fair are not the only visitors in Sunnydale. Roaming the countryside are nasty little creatures with a taste for flesh: the dark faerie. They are minions of the Wild Hunt, servants of the evil Erl King. Buffy's challenge is to annihilate the king and his murderous horde. But the path to his destruction leads straight to Roland, who is not quite human . . . and destined to become the Slayer's mortal adversary."

REVIEW

Child of the Hunt was the first Pocket Books adult Buffy novel, following the early Archway series of "young adult" novels. The change in tone and length serves the novel well, as Child of the Hunt is able, like many early Buffy episodes, to discuss a real problem facing youth (in this case, runaway teens) through the context of a supernatural crisis.

The main villain of the story is the Erl King (also known as Hern the Hunter), a mythological entity who leads the Wild Hunt, a murderous pack of demons which kills some humans but sweeps up the lonely, the depressed, the suicidal, and others in the throes of misery to join the cause before moving on.

The theme of the novel is parents and their children, and we get to see, at least, briefly, scenes with each of the Scooby's parents--some of whom have never been portrayed on screen, like Willow's and Cordelia's fathers. Written and set near the beginning of Season Three, the story benefits and integrates Buffy's decision to run away from Sunnydale at the end of Season Two.

The authors (Golden & Holder) deliver their usual excellent characterization of the Buffy cast, but what makes this novel really stand-out is the portrayal of the supporting characters: the runaway teens and their parents. Unlike the supporting characters in most Buffy novels, these aren't generic victims or bystanders--they each have a real personality and a role to play in the story. In addition, the Erl King has some real weight as a villain with the incorporation of real-worth myth.

Not much more needs to be said. Child of the Hunt combines a real-world problem, an interesting fictional menace, and great writing. The result is an excellent novel, worth picking up at any used bookstore.

(c) 2008 Jeremy Patrick (jhaeman@hotmail.com)

Jhaeman's Buffy Reviews: [...]

I was skeptical about reading any book based on a TV show, but this one was very well-thought out. The characters stayed true to their television depictions in a whole new and very interesting story. I recommend this for any Buffy fan.

does anybody else get why this book gets two diffrent covers? the one shown here (brown with xander, buffy and angel) and the one with buffy and a demon? their both about the fair.... so someone please explain.... AND is there any other buffy the vampire slayer books with altertive covers?
if you like "little things" the buffy book with spike of the cover, you must be a dark faerie fan so you'll love this book
p.s chistopher golded and nancy holder rock, buy anything with there names on
love ya D

This was my first Buffy the Vampire Slayer Book. I read it before I even watched the show, the plot just seemed good to me so I bought it, and little did I know I was about to become a Buffy Fanatic. It starts off with Buffy and this hunt that goes through the town and they take people capture. All the rest I can say is "WOW" I'd give this book 10 stars if I could. Even if you are not a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Book you should pick this one up.

P.S. Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder are the best Buffy writers in the series.

Not a bad novel, but far from being a great one. Mr Golden and Ms. Holder have a decent grasp on the Buffyverse (though, given their expertise, far too many errors still creep in). My biggest gripe here is with the writing style. Many things in the book are simply described. We are told about what happened rather than seeing them played out in a scene. This should virtually never happen in any novel.

Perhaps I have standards that are set too high, but I never see the fact that a novel is a media tie-in as an excuse for lazy writing.

Time has not eroded the significance of this book's contribution to the world of architecture. Though it reaches back to timeless solutions to architectural problems, it is also a way forward. As we devour our social capital in a half century of indiscriminate urban sprawl, this book offers alternatives that will help us revitalize our urban centers.

This book is the quintessential book on the subject of creating authentic living spaces.
This book provides a near mystical approach to architecture in a very simplistic form that anyone can understand.

This was an extremely helpful book in using to decide what house or town home to buy, why spaces might work, what needs to be added to them, etc. I am very glad I bought this book.

This book talks specifically about what works and doesn't work when building cities and towns and how to take the human element into consideration when doing so. However, I found its conclusions and most of its patterns applicable to software engineering. There are good books on software design patterns such as "Head First Design Patterns", and there are some good books on user interface design such as "Designing Interfaces: Patterns for Effective Interaction Design", but this book really helped me merge the idea of software design patterns with the user perspective in a way that other books I have read have not.

If you are a software designer, read the book all the way through, make notes as you go, and see if it doesn't help you write better organized code that is more responsive and coherent to a user who walks up to your user interface completely uninitiated in your method of design. I know it helped me.

I bought this book after reading the glowing reviews on amazon. It was also an inspiration for Will Wright to make SimCity and the SIMS..... so I had high expectations.

I was shocked to find how opinionated and philosophical the book is. I expected the book to look at the history of cities, towns, etc. and describe patterns that already exist (much like the GoF's software design patterns book talks about patterns that people actually use). Instead the book presents a series of ideals about how the world should be structured.

If these ideals came from concerns I could identify with, I would take it more seriously. But instead they attack "problems" which I do not perceive to exist. For example, on p. 43 "The homogeneous and undifferentiated character of modern cities kills all variety of life styles and arrest the growth of individual character." This statement is contrary to my experience. I have met many great characters from cities, and seen profound cultural differentiation emerge from cities (e.g. jazz, abstract painting, hippie culture, punk, you name it). But the authors proceed as if cities killing character is axiomatic. I agree that there is a rural character that is not present in cities. But citydwellers have another type of character which is equally valid.

I have only made it through the first 100 pages. In these pages are so many naive ideas about mixing cityspace and vacant space. I live in Los Angeles so I know about sprawl & I also know a lot about cars -- while they are aiming for less sprawl then LA, they also neglect traffic congestion. They claim that making small roads in places make people reluctant to drive there.... the experience worldwide (worst in Malaysia, I hear) is that people use whatever roads are present, and if the roads are small, they then just end up sitting in traffic. The author's are naive in their structuring of space, nowhere do they cite any hard evidence of how these structures function.

I might make it the rest of the way through.... at least it's an easy read, with so many repetitions in how the models work you can kinda skim through it. I like the spirit of the book, it is reminiscent of P.M.'s bolo'bolo.... but where bolo'bolo comes from a purely emotional position, these authors take themselves seriously and believe what they are saying is objectively true. I give the book 3 stars because it is nice to see someone work through the ideas of bolo'bolo (which was actually written ~6yrs after alexander's book). I would give 5 stars to a book that did so by looking more at actual data of how spaces are utilized, and presented designs that didn't have obvious flaws in them.

I rented this book on CD and thought, how could I go wrong with Nora Roberts. I found this book to be slow and I really did not care about the characters. The language bothered me and Eve Dallas just did not come across well in this book. I did not find this book interesting and for an 8 hour drive I fought to finish it. Nora is too good for this kind of writing. Read her Irish trilogy a much better choice.

Once again Eve tracks down the sadistic bad guy. Ms Robb has a superior talent. I am glad she decided to share this talent with the rest of the world. I hope she continues in this matter.

As ever with the Death series JD Robb rocks. All the favorites character are here and continues to draw you into their lives. You feel invested and entwined in their lives as Eve & Company continue solving crimes and making you care.

Another winning book in the "...IN DEATH" series, this one finds Eve fighting for justice for the lower class citizens of New York.

After finding a street sleeper dead in his crib, his heart surgically removed, it doesn't take Eve long to figure out that there's some type of conspiracy involved within the medical community. When the threats become personal and Eve is forced to hand over her weapon and her badge, her personal life takes a turn for the worse.

This is a very emotional Eve & Roarke read, and highly recommended!

Someone is killing the homeless of New York, in the year 2058, and removing their body parts! As Lieutenant Eve Dallas unravels the mystery behind who is killing them and why (affectionately known as the "sidewalk sleeper murders"), she is forced to face an adversary who will stop at nothing, including framing her for murder, to get her thrown off the case. Torn between a love for the job, a pursuit for the truth, and fighting to keep the one thing that she REALLY loves, besides Roarke, her badge, Eve is stripped of everything, and for the first time in the series, we see Eve really vulnerable and hurting (even too sad to spare with Summerset, who we all know she has a love/hate relationship with). With her true friends support, Eve continues her journey in discovering the truth, no matter what the consequences. And we all learn how really important her careeer and badge are.

If you love the "in death" series, you will love this book as well. You even get an opportunity to see Dr. Mira, Feeney, McNab, Peabody, Baxter, Webster (old lover of Eve's), and Commander Whitney. And I finally find out how Trueheart and Dr. Louise's characters are introduced into the "in death" series. [I must admit that I have not read the series in order, so finding out these things is always helpful]. I highly recommend this book.

This book is the third out of a series covering the twins Caramon and Raistlin. This book was a great book and explains the story of Raistlin becoming the greatest mage to ever live. Great book, very hard to put down.

This book was a great ending for the Legends trilogy! It is beautifully written and touches your heart. I got really scared when Caramon and Tas went into the future and saw Caramon's corpse. The world couldn't end! But I luved the ending, where it teaches a valuable lesson: there is good in even the most evil people.

Loved the book, LOVED it, but very very disappointed that the saga doesn't continue forward from this spot. There are other books that pick up later on (much later) but naturally I'd like to see a smooth segue' into the next segment of this same tale. Oh, well...the series and this book are still well worth reading.

This book wasn't what I had in mind and I was sorely disappointed in it. I thought this book was going to have a twist to it and that Raistlin was going to be persuaded into the good side by Crysania at the end or that he was going to turn back to were he left her. I also think that the author should have gave Raistlin some love and caring at the end. I was touched by how Margaret Weis wrote that Raistlin was blinded by tears, but I was also wondering why he didn't just go with them at the first place. I think that there should totally be more love and a bit less death.
Besides this point about Raistlin, the book was OK, but I don't think it was better than the two others. I have to give props to the painter of the cover though; his paintings for Margaret Weis' books are spectacular and make everything more realistic. The conclusion was strong with emotion, but to me, it wasn't the best conclusion to fit the other two incredible books.

Test of the twins, the concluding novel in the Dragonlance Legends trilogy, is the story of "saving a soul". The story is, in my opinion actually the concluding novel in the six volume series compiled of both the Dragonlance Chronicles and the Legends. The novel effectively and entertainingly ties off nearly all of the loose ends and left me with a distict feeling of completeness.

In the author's own words, the book is about "saving a soul". The reader is, and was in previous editions, led to believe that it is Raistlin's soul that needs saving, however it is notl; it is his twins'.
Caramon, the twin, is the one who needs saving. He is Raistlin's opposite and keeping with the theme of the series, his soul must be saved by the light in order to balance the evil of Raistlin.

The authors also do a reasonable job of dealing with time travel. The pebble, Tasselhoff, is superb in his role and is easily the "best" character in the series, with Fizban coming a close second. Fizban in his limited role, almost seems as a kender himself.

About the only part of the novel that I did not like was the limited definition of magic. The term casting of a spell means nothing more than it says, more details are needed.

I would recommend this novel and series to anyone looking for an easy, fun, engaging read!