Series Books

Every 'Valdemar' book I've immersed myself in has taken me to a wonderful world that I wish really existed.

Kerowyn, like her grandmother before her, is a strong woman, but still very much a woman, as her attraction to a certain Herald shows. She is also a woman not led around by her hormones (Thank goodness.)

A book that should be recommended to all teen and pre-teen girls as a role model.

One of the Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey, this is the story of Kerowyn, why she became 'famous,' and how she became one of the Heralds of Valdemar. I am a big fan of Lackey's Valdemar stories, good versus evil with the use of a little mind magic and some very hard work. I think a teenager would like these stories if they would read long enough to get 'into' the story. I high recommend this series.

By The Sword is part of the world of Valdemar which Mercedes Lackey has fleshed out and detailed over many novels. This one is not actually a part of the series but it is connected to the series that precede it and it lays the groundwork for some of the stories that evolve after it.

In essence, this book is the story of Kerowyn and her life and development from the age of 16 until she approaches 40. Kerowyn is a very appealing character. She is a very strong woman who has significant skills that are typically not encouraged in the somewhat archaic world that she inhabits. She is the daughter of a minor noble so the world expects her to be married off to some other minor noble to breed children and act as the hostess of the manor. Unfortunately - or fortunately for this story - Kerowyn has no interest in that kind of life. Kero (as she prefers to be called) is a high spirited woman who has her own mind and logic about how things should be and seeks to be appreciated for who she is. The manor-lady role is not for her!

The story starts as Kero is running the kitchen in her father's household which is celebrating the upcoming nuptials of Kero's brother and his chosen bride. While the feast is going on, a band of bandits, led by a mage, attacks the keep, kidnaps the bride, kills her father, and disables all the males who are part of the party. Kero takes it upon herself to ride after the kidnappers and retrieve the bride. To do this she needs help and so she turns to her grandmother who is known to be a mage and was a mercenary band captain for help. We are now given the first magical item that will figure prominently in this story and several others in the future. Needless to say, Kero succeeds in her quest of saving her brother's bride.

Just like in real life though, being successful in a task that you are not even expected to attempt leads to both good and bad things. The good is that the wedding can proceed; The bad is that no one is willing to deal with this strange being (Kero) who did something that many men would have failed at! So, Kero decides to leave her life behind and moves in permanently with her grandmother and her friend who train her for the life of a mercenary.

A new complication arises here as Kero is paired up with the younger brother of the heir to the throne in her land. Darren is sent to Kero's grandmother for similar training as he will likely become that country's army commander in the future. As the two teenagers learn the basics of fighting, they also manage to explore each other's other feelings - and they also explore the meaning of lust and love. After three years together, Darren is recalled to the capital following his father's death, and Kero goes off to seek her fortune.

The next portion of the book details Kero's experiences as a mercenary and briefly chronicles her movement through the ranks and ends with her taking command of the company and running it successfully for ten years. A main feature of the early part of this portion is that Kero meets up with a Herald of Valdemar, rescues him from the Karsites, falls in love with him, and has to give him up to ensure his rescue.

In the final portion of the book, Kero takes her mercenaries to Valdemar to assist in the fight against Ancar. This portion ties all the disparate parts together as Kero gets to meet Talia - the Queen's Own Herald; Queen Selenay; and more Companions. It is no surprise that the book ends with her remaining in Valdemar but I will not divulge the various plot twists and turns so you can enjoy them yourselves!

It is easy to see that Kerowyn's story is the story of any strong-willed and capable woman who has succeeded despite the normal "conventions" of what a woman's place in the world is. Despite the thin veneer of a fantasy, sword and sorcery kind of world, Kero is determined to be judged based on her merits and accomplishments and she succeeds in her chosen career. The story details the struggles that ensue because of this and lays out how she juggles her career, her loves, and her positions with her family and others. It is a very positive story as Kero manages to get all she wants in the end, but the struggles she goes through are a fascinating read.

The story is also skillfully interwoven into the Valdemar storyline. Kero meets some characters that were featured in earlier Valdemar series' like Talia, Selenay, Dirk, and Elspeth. Kero introduces some plot points that will obviously be addressed in future tales from Valdemar like Selenay's marital status and the magical sword Need. While this is quite a good standalone story and book, it is clearly part of the Valdemar storyline and should be read as part of that sequence.

The story telling is at times fast and furious and at times slow as molasses. For the most part this was good as major personality developmental points deserve a very slow and methodical treatment. About the only complaint I have along these lines is that Lackey employs the internal dialog device far too frequently with Kero. It was not necessary, in my opinion, to constantly have her describe her internal debates and thoughts. I highly recommend this book!

One of her best, and a nice long book to boot. While she does get bogged down in some typical Lackey weaknesses (excessive internal dialogue, for one) the action keeps coming and the central character, Kerowyn, goes through a great deal of realistic personal growth.
I read this around the same time that I read the Paksenarrion series by Elizabeth Moon (also fantasy featuring a female mercenary soldier), and wondered if Lackey had been inspired by Moon. Moon does it better, thanks to her own military background, but Lackey deals inventively with her fantasy world and the ways in which magic can aid soldiers in their daily endeavors.

I have read just about every book Mercedes Lackey has written about Valdemar and the Heralds. It isn't possible for her to write too many of these tales. And the more she writes, the better the story becomes. There is such a richness of detail that you feel you are right there in the story. When you put the book down, you still wish you were there and can't wait to find out what happens next.
Kerowyn's Tale is just one more piece of the wonderful puzzle that is Valdemar and all the surrounding countries and cultures.

I don't agree with the negative reviews of this book. I read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi and can promise you this is one of the best series.

Ruin Mist Chronicles is four books: Keeper Martin's Tale, Kingdom Alliance, Fields of Honor, and Mark of the Dragon. Elf Queen's Quest is the first dark path story, an alternate telling of the happenings in Ruin Mist.

The books have enjoyable characters. The plots have numerous twists and turns. I would highly recommend this series to any one even slightly interested in fantasy.

Robert Stanek's Ruin Mist books are fantastic. The books are available in adult and children's editions. For adults, the books are the ones in the Ruin Mist Chronicles:

Keeper Martin's Tale
Kingdom Alliance
Fields of Honor
Mark of the Dragon

Elf Queen's Quest is the first book in the Ruin Mist Dark Path, which is an alternate telling of the story. Read Elf Queen's Quest only if you enjoyed the previous four and can't wait for the new Lost Ages series.

If you've read the Ender books by Orson Scott Card, you probably understand how good an alternate telling of a story can be. In Stanek's Elf Queen's Quest, the differences in the telling are more subtle, but if you've read the other books, you can see the differences, and can guess at the direction of the dark path.

Has anyone else noticed how many strange negative reviews/comments Stanek's books have received on Amazon and other places recently? They're all similarly worded and use similar phrasing. Most finish by basically telling people to go read George Martin instead. That's very strange. Even stranger is I found the same similarly worded negative reviews/comments when I want back through the old reviews of this book and Keeper Martin's Tale. Again, many reviews end by telling people to go read Martin or other authors but more times than not Martin is also included in the list.

Strange also how, Keeper Martin's Tale had three small reviews, basically one or two lines, in the 2 months after it was published and then a fourth review in April from "Bifford the Mage" that says this:

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I've Been Had., April 7, 2002
There is something fishy going on here. This is nowhere near a 5-star book. The writing is extremely amateurish, with awkward phrasing, stilted language, and grammatical errors throughout. The style seems more suited for the 9- to 12-year-old crowd than adults... Save your money and skip this poorly-written book.
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The second review of Elf Queen's Quest says this:

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Not that good. April 11, 2002
I have read many times how people compare this book and "Keeper Martin Tales" to the "Ice and Fire" trilogy by G.G.Martin. Let me tell you something: Stanek's books are NOTHING like Martin's masterful works. "Elf Queen" and "Keeper Martin" are not even as good as "Wheel of Time" by Jordan, and I got sick of "Wheel" a long time ago! It is not as these are bad books, but certainly not what I expected after reading those glowing reviews.
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This book, Elf Queen's Quest, had exactly 1 review when the above review was written. Many similarly worded reviews have been submitted since. Seems like some people (or more likely one person in particular) write bad reviews of books to get their kicks and push other authors, and that's just plain wrong. It takes a special kind of psychopath to keep writing bad reviews of an author's books under a variety of pseudonyms. Since this pattern has continued for the past 3 years here on Amazon, on forums, on other sites, this person or persons seem to still be at it, and that begs the question why?

The answer is probably this simple: Stanek has written a worthy epic fantasy and it had strong positive word of mouth. His books were probably pushing down some other book or author that was trying to a) break in to the market or b) compete in the market. So how do you kill the success of good books? You repeatedly bad mouth them on Amazon and other review sites, in a variety of forums and discussion boards post nasty comments, you get your friends and other people to do the same. Also, I'm not convinced it's George Martin fans doing this. Martin may just be the point and shuffle scapegoat.

Problem is these books are good, and they have continued on, but modestly and not with the success they started with. When I first saw this book and Keeper Martin's Tale, both were on the Amazon SciFi bestseller list. They remained on the list from about Feb 2002 to about Oct 2002 and then dropped off after several months of dirty tricks and negative publicity campaigning. There can be no doubt the dirty tricks and outright lies abouth these books have had their affect. They've tarnished the image and reputation of a good author, and probably ensured that the success of whatever competing book or author was trying to make it.

I picked up this book and the others in the series when I saw the same dirty tricks being used to harm sales of this author's books on Audible. At Audible, it was the same story. I saw this author's books on the bestseller list from about March 2005 to early October. The same dirty tactics of flooding the books with negative reviews, bad mouthing the books on discussion formums, and elsewhere was used to knock the book down. I haven't seen it on the bestseller list since. I guess it's mission accomplished for the dirty tricksters who for whatever reasons don't want this author's books to be successful. Problem is, these are good books and they continue on because of this, but the author will probably never get the critical success he deserves.

I read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi, and I can promise you that this series of books is among the best. This tale takes place mostly in the Kingdoms and the Reaches, lands of men and elves. The history of these kingdoms is expertly blended into the plot, and you effortlessly become emersed into the world. I can't overstate the skill with which the author draws the reader into his world. It feels as if this land, with its people, traditions and history is as real as our own. The series is supported to be four books - Keeper Martin's Tale, Kingdom Alliance, followed by The Fields of Honor and The Mark of the Dragon. Elf Queen's Quest is a retelling of the story in what the author calls The Dark Path.

Stanek has made and continues to make significant contributions to fantasy. He had a vision of a world with alternate histories and he put these alternate histories down in print in the form of alternate paths for readers - a novel idea of pure genius. Original ideas that good always are copied (and so this novel idea has been copied), regardless the genius and the implementation of this novel idea is hard to deny.

Stanek writes openly about the dark and light paths through the story. Elf Queen's Quest represents the start of the dark path. Keeper Martin's Tale represents the start of the light path. This was clear in everything I read about the early releases of both books, and should have been clear to early reader such as those 1-star reviews have been plastered at the top of this book's product page for almost six years now. Such reviews or not only unfair, they are tacky.

As others have said, the proper reading for adult readers of this sequence is Keeper Martin's Tale, Kingdom Alliance, Fields of Honor, and then Mark of the Dragon. Elf Queen's Quest is meant to be read last as a start to the dark path. In the years since this was released, I have waited expectantly for the sequel dark path books. I can only hope Stanek will listen to fans and not naysayers and soon publish the dark path sequels.

This is a fantasy series that renewed my faith in fantasy. It has made a new fantasy lover out of me, and every fantasy reader should give it a chance. Overall, this is a very impressive series with depth and realism.

Ruin Mist Chronicles is an excellent series, but you need to read the books in proper order. It goes Keeper Martin's Tale, Kingdom Alliance, Fields of Honor, Mark of the Dragon. The Ruin Mist Dark Path if you've read it, provides an alternate telling of the story of Ruin Mist. I have an original edition of Keeper Martin's Tale and Elf Queen's Quest. Both begin with a preface that explain this, but a friend of mine who got the books recently has a different edition and there's no preface.

What the Keeper Martin's Tale preface says is:

In 15 BD, the Watcher, Xith, is recorded as saying that "History belongs to the teller and is only as reliable as the teller's recollection of it." This is the truth of the matter, and why Keeper Martin, head of the lore keepers, chose to pen his own version of the histories of Ruin Mist before and after the return of Dalphan the Wanderer. Through Keeper Martin's gathering of history from various individuals, the story of Ruin Mist is retold in these pages. Keeper Martin would like you to think that his version of the history is the only truthful and correct account but then again, history belongs to the teller and is only as reliable as the teller's recollection of it.

The Elf Queen's Quest preface doesn't tell where this version of the story originates. The preface is about Queen Mother and the book's prologue does begin with Seth, so that may be a hint.

If you read and liked the original 4, this is a good follow up, but it's not a sequel series.

In an age when architects and planners were spouting all kinds of brave-new-world nonsense (or mindlessly absorbing it, or even worse - building it), Jacobs burst onto the scene with an incredible dose of sanity mixed with common sense and wisdom, carefully observing the urban environment and drawing a host of remarkably sensible conclusions. For some reason we architects seem always at risk of believing our own nuttiest fantasies. Jacobs is a perennial corrective.

Still relevant, still useful....and still ignored by the common city engineer. Our city's planners need to re-read this sucker.

This is a book that relates to designers, and city planners as well as the "un-educated". Reading this book will certainly inform one on the purpose and importance of city planning.

This book will give you a reason to want to go visit the city, or to go out and get into the city you already live in. Her reference to the "ballet of the sidewalks" gives a whole new twist to what is going on in a busy downtown. City planners, take note!

If you are interested in community building, urban planning, and city life in general, this is a must-read. Though the book is older, the themes and ideas stand the test of time.

Fast-paced, exciting, moving, heroic, fun, provocative---what else could a reader want in a book? so to say I found 'Kingdom Alliance' to be an enthralling read is an understatement. Amongst many great qualities of the book, I especially enjoyed the amount of detail Stanek uses. I felt that there was just enough to bring the reader 'right there,' to the point where I was feeling Vilmos and Adrina's emotions along with them.

Readers who have been have read Stanek's first installment in the Ruin Mist Chronicles will not be disappointed. The story picks up where Keeper Martin's Tale left off, at the end of the battle at Quashan' and the sacking of Alderan. Vilmos is now called a mage in training, one of the first human magus in a millenia in a time when magical beings and creatures are hunted and killed. Vilmos has a big challenge ahead and his life is changed forever. After he leaves Quashan' with Prince Valam's promise a safekeeping, he and Xith go north to the Mouth of the World. In the meantime, Adrina and Emel have gone their seperate ways. Adrina goes to Klaive to see her betrothed. Emel must return to Imtal. In parallel story lines and groups of alternating chapters, Adrina and Emel work to help the elves, each in their own way. Stanek's lush writing and attention to detail make this epic flow effortlessly. He leaves readers wanting more and thankfully Fields of Honor and Mark of the Dragon are already completed.

This book is full of action and adventure as Vilmos continues his journey. Before you read this book I would recommend reading the first book called 'Keeper Martin's Tale' which I would give five stars to. In this book it tells a story about a couple people. The first being Vilmos, a young teen cursed by magic, Adrina, a teen who is a princess, and Seth a long lived elf. You will read about how Vilmos learns new skills, the hard ships he goes through, if he will ever meet Adrina and Seth again, and all of the battles he goes through. Not every chapter in this book has action but it keeps the reader's attention going with new twists and turns. It's also a great read.

This is a fantastic follow up to Keeper Martin's Tale - a true joy to read full of mystery and intrigue and action and adventure. Like many readers, I found this to be even better than the first one. The series continues to be entertaining and interesting and has become one of my favorite ongoing fantasy series.

What makes it different from other fantasy series is that fantasy world is as much a character as the characters themselves. Stanek moves between three to five different characters, so its like your in their head seeing through their eyes. So you can be immediately whisked across the land into another battle, another intrigue, another personal struggle at the turn of a page. Often instead of getting just one pov you get two or three different povs and it just makes it all the better.

Stanek isn't afraid to kill of his characters, even some of the most beloved ones get the ax. I like that but it can be difficult to read when your favorite characters is killed off.

It's going to be interesting, that's for sure, to read what happens next. And the best thing there's two more to enjoy: Fields of Honor and Mark of the Dragon.

Keeper Martin's Tale is one of my favorite books, and this was even better. A good read and recommended to anyone who likes fantasy.

I can't live without this... I have my LeRobert & Collins unabridged and my Larousse mini dictionary and this. And now my American friends in France stole my French Verbs - even so well worn that there was no front cover and the pages were all folded (lol!). So I have to get ANOTHER one.

Everyone with whom I ever took any French class had this book, and when they didn't they used mine - tattered and torn and thoroughly marked up - and eventually bought one.

I lived in France 5+ years and you just have to have it. They pull the subjunctive on you and you can't figure out what verb they are using - so you go home and pull this out. ALL the tenses are right there on one page.

It's a must for someone who really wants to learn to speak the most beautiful langue du monde!

I purchased this book years ago when I first undertook my study of the French language. One of the difficult parts about learning French and other Romantic languages is the verb conjugations that one must learn that correspond to the different tenses. This book simplifies the conjugation learning process for some of the most commonly used French verbs. I can truly say that this book was one of the essential tools (along with a dictionary and actual real world practice) in learning French. Definitely would recommend it.

This was my first purchase in the 501 series. It will definitely not be my last. If this volume is any indication of the scrupulous yet extremely accessible nature of the Kendris' work, then this series is a must for any foreign language student or lover.

all books I have purchaes have been exactly as described. I am satisfied

An invaluable reference work for professionals or students. Serious students should read and review this text. Experienced French speakers will find it useful for those odd, little encountered forms.

I read this book after watching - several times over - David Simon's most recent work, The Wire. I have always been interested in detectives and was drawn by this book because it is non-fiction. As well as being a highly enjoyable read, I would say there were three main takeaways. First, the detailed first-hand account of actual cases and methods of investigation (including related disciplines such as interrogation, medical examination, ballistics, trace evidence, etc. as well as the legal processes and challenges that lead to conviction) have made me much more familiar with the actual process of solving murders. Second, a basic understanding of the structure and organization of a homicide unit within the police department and how the system is incentivized to solve crimes. Third, an appreciation of how these detectives - through late-night drinking sessions and office humor - manage to make their lives livable when they are not dealing with the darker side of their profession. Simon's first book is really special, I look forward to reading it again someday.

Homicide is one of the better of the crime reporting novels I have read. Simon was definitely at the top of his game.

He manages to write the book with more of a novel feel then a biography of the people involved. Other similar books, such as 'Homicide Special' try for the same thing, but you still feel the writer in their presence. Simon makes the reader feel as if they are there without feeling that the writer is intruding on anything.

The cases the officers work on are all interesting, and not all are slam dunks or even solvable. Many authors would feel a need to make their book have cases with endings. I applaud Simon for not giving in to that temptation.

Baltimore definitely plays a role in this book, and you get a real feeling for the city. You can see in this book the seed that would eventually sprout the series 'Homicide'.

If you are interested in detective work this is an excellent read. I highly recommend this book.

great book - heard David Simon on NPR and he knows the streets of BMore

Journalist David Simon's homicidic tome, published in 1991, follows a group of detectives from the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit for an entire year, beginning in January 1988. It is a gritty, great read about the matter-of-factness of murder in a city with one of the highest rates in the nation. An article in a recent (April 19, 2008) issue of New Economist highlights a recent drop in that rate (from 282 homicides in 2007). During the year of Simon's internship, there were 234 murders, followed by (p 618) 262 in 1989 and 302 in 1990. Based on those four years, that's an average of one violent death every 18 hours.

What Simon was able to put together from his year's worth of journalistic scribblings on life with the good guys and the bad guys is a fantastic fly on the wall's eye view: the graphic violence of crime scenes, the raunchy humor of and banter between the detectives, the despair of the victims' family members, and the utter stupidity of many of the criminals: (p 16) "the investigator's saving grace is the killer's overwhelming disposition toward incompetence or, at the very least, gross error." His Guidebook of Death Investigation Rules are remarkable: (p 34) "Rule Number One...the page 1 entry in a detective's lexicon: Everyone lies." Rule Five is equally profound (p 237), "It's good to be good: it's better to be lucky." Best of the book: Simon's ability to capture the events in a comprehensive and cohesive manner, even with several welcome change ups to the overall chronological format. Covering every aspect of "life on the killer streets" Homicide is a perfect read for tome-loving crime buffs, neither category of which I belong. Also good, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer, and Green River, Running Red by Ann Rule.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love Mr. Simon's writing style, which is both intresting and easy to follow. The only negative about this book is the language, which may offend some people.

I read portions of this book aloud to several people and with no exceptions grownups and children alike, it touched their very souls. I found it in an elementary school library but just had to have a copy of my own after I read it. It is a quick read as well as a must read. It will change your entire life view about the importance of reading and writing and learning. I can't say enough about this book. Read it. You will immediately see what I mean.

"Clottee get me food!" Think if you were a house slave how you would feel like a piece of meat always being bossed around and made fun of. If you want to read a book about a slave girl this is the book for you.
A Picture of Freedom is a Dear America story, like you would have never thought. You might think she is always tired and sad. However she works day in and day out just to stay alive. This girl Clotee wants to be like others as free people not a as a slave. She wants freedom. Her friend Spicy and her aunt Tea respect her. Furthermore one day she thinks about running away. Then she thinks if she runs away and gets caught, she might be killed. If she stays here at the plantation her life will be rotting away and working for nothing for the rest of her life. So what would you do if you were a slave?

I picked up this book because I am interested in slavery and Dear America. What a great read! Having to use "thinking squares" for it the first time I read it didn't ruin it for me. Clotee is likable, intelligent, and respectful to older slaves. The ending is not stereotypical (no more details given). My only complaint is its portrayal of slave owners (they are people just like the rest of us), but I see where Clotee would get that negative perception of them. I recommend it to pretty much anyone!

Clotte, a twelve year old slave girl at Belmont Plantation in Virginia, has been reading and writing as long as she was fanning for her Master's son during the hot summer months. She hasn't told anyoone about it, not even her mother figure, Aunt Tee, or father figure, Uncle Heb. A new slave was bought by the Master and to Clotee's suprise she was muscular and pretty at the same time. Hince, Clotte's brother-friend, had feelings for her and they started to court in the cooler and winter months. Hince was a jockey for the Master and he had never failed Master Henley until a team from Richmond bet that thier horse could beat Big Can, Hince's horse. One of them drugged Big Can and Hince lost the race, therefore having to be sold to the Richmond team who was moving to the Deep South where slaves had it even harder than in Virginia. Spicy and Hince couldn't handle being apart and ran away. This made Clotte think she needed to help slaves that were going to be sold to the Deep South or that were going to be sold to anywhere else. Clotte had the aid of Master's son, William's abolitionist tutor mentor. However when he was forced to leave and attempting to shut down the Underground Railroad passage through Belmont Plantation, Clotte felt that she needed to keep it open since it was so important. This book is good for any adventure reader and it helps to understand the way that African American slaves had it back in the 1850's and '60's.

This is a wonderful, heartwarming story that is perfect for introducing the plight of slaves to children without frightening the children to death. Clotee, though a slave, retains power from her masters by learning to read and write and keeping a hidden diary of her observations. Though this is admittedly unrealistic (where is she getting all these writing materials), the power she retains in doing this keeps the situation from ever feeling overwhelming or helpless to the child reader.

Another stellar installment in the Percy Jackson series. The labyrinth details are inventive and fascinating and the revelation about Pan is though-provoking. These books are fun, funny, and educational. Keep 'em coming!

What a way to introduce kids to Greek Mythology. Each Percy Jackson book is better than the last. With all the crazy adventures Percy has in this book, it is fun to have a reference book handy to learn more about mythology. Once you start reading this book, it is hard to put down. After reading it a second time I'm only disappointed I have to wait so long for the next installment.

this is the fourth book in a very well written series- my 5th and 7th grader were equally engaged.

A must read in the Percy Jackson series! It has humor, action, adventure, drama. I am already anxious for Rick Riordan to publish the next one in the series.

Ever since I picked up the first Percy Jackson book, I knew he was the one for me. Percy is caring and brave.. and funny counts for something. I know lots of parents read these too. I have re-read and re-lived the whole series again, which makes me realize how great these books are. I have recommended them to anyone and everyone.
The fourth book didn't disapoint me. Although I won't give the full summary of the story (it's been a month since I read it), basically Percy goes to a new school, whcih has its share of trouble for him. Again, like all the other books, there is a quest. I found this quest to be the most exciting for me. There were lots of new characters introduced, like Hera, so I found that very awesome, since I have always liked Greek mythology.


SPOILERS!!!!
Of course, as I am a true romantic, I found the blossoming romance between Annabetha and Percy addicting. I was literally flipping the pages, going "When do they meet again?" Annabeth kisses Percy at Mount St. Helens, therefore expressing her feelings for him, but Percy is too dense to realized that she does like him like that. He knows he is in love with her but his concentraion on thisdelicate matter is disrupted by the return of Rachel Elizabeth Dare and the landing of Percy on Calypso's island. Calypso is banished to this island because she helped the Titans in the big war. Every thousand years or so, the gods are cruel and send her a hero to nurse back to health. Calypso falls in love with them and begs them to stay, but they must return to their own world. They can never find the island again. Percy is very torn between staying and going to save the world, but eventually leaves. I was really sad actually he didn't stay with Calypso. Although I have always been a fan of Annabetha nd such, something about Calypso made me like her, maybe because she was so accepting. Then there is Rachel. Ahh, Rachel. Annabeth is very jealous of this girl as Percy keeps accidently running into her and is becoming one of her best friends. Matter of fact, Annabeth stalks off mad quite a few times in the presence of Percy and Rachel. Percy, dense as ever, doesn't realize why, but I don't think Rachel would ever take him from Annabeth. She knows waht he doesn't.

And here ends my review of the blossoming romance. I promise I'll be more critical with my next review, but I have troulbe remembering the action unless I just read it. Ohh, Percy Jackson fans: the movie is going to come out next year!! I'm excited of course. I would like to be Annabeth haha. I find her really cool. Sigh. I am not an actress however. So read this book, please!

Useful and entertaining stats books are hard to come by but this one has hit the mark! Comprehensive and clear explanations of statistical theory are provided as well as of SPSS output. Love the examples and icons. Who would have thought a stats text could make me laugh out loud?!

dr. field has done an excellent job of making stats understandable and spss user friendly. as a social psychology grad student, i enjoy the ease of use found with the index. if i forget the differences in rotation methods for factor analysis, i can quickly find clear explanations in the book. i suggest to all grad students and advanced undergrads using spss to get a copy of this text!

When I study my MBA classes, this book helps me a lot. The book provides essential review of all Statistic knowledge in the beginning of each chaper, and then lead readers use SPSS step by step.
Especially the practical examples and funny illustration, I will say the book is the only one interesting and powerful Statistic book I can find. I highly recommand it for readers work for Marketing, Medical , Engineering , Finance, and MBA classes. The book can lead you to resolve many "real" problems.

This book contains very comprehensive explanations and descriptions with practical examples which are sometimes not so familiar with me (I'm a physician.). overall, this is an excellent book and I regret not being able to meet such a book in a way more focussing on medical fields. But this has a critical shortcoming in book-binding. you should not read this book so many times to keep the original shape. that's a reason why I gave 4 stars.

I love this book. It covers everything from the most basic t-tests and ANOVAs to factor analysis. It tells you the basics of what the test is meant to do, what sort of data is appropriate for it and it tells you how to actually run and read the test in SPSS.

It isn't the best book for someone who wants a detailed explaination of how to calculate a statistical test by hand and it doesn't give extensive detail on the assummptions required for each test. Nonetheless, it's a great quick reference book, particularly if you've already had a statistics course and you just need a refresher. Graduate students will find it useful.

I fell in love with Cal and Niko. I wasn't looking to get hooked into a new line of books but I couldn't help myself. The brothers' relationship is true to life, touching, and funny. The storylines are riveting. I had a hard time putting down this last book. I am anxiously waiting for number 4.

Rob Thurman once again delivers a great read, with a rich and complex fantasy world and strong, likeable characters.

I just got these books and read them back to back. What a great series! Plot driven, emotionally rounded and 3D characters. I was absolutely immersed by page 3 and now I am waiting for more!

Kym

Serial killer here didn't do it as a villian. The villian here was just a little too omnipotent... too scary, for too long and there too much of him. And just not enough of Robin Goodfellow for my taste.

The most enjoyable character in the series is Robin Goodfellow, and while he isn't the main character his presence is the salt, the fun and the seasoning. They all are amazing but Robin and his antics are way over the top. Without sufficient Robin there just is a lack of fun and cowbell. Next, the issue driving Robin to distraction, in light of his enormous ego, didn't quite compute with me. Perhaps it was not explained enough to convince.

I'm not that impressed with George, his destined fate with her, and his anguish over her isnt cutting it with me. It was weak. Or rather it didnt in this book. It made more of an impression at the end of book two. I also thought the way book 3 ended was an awful cheap shot to keep us hanging for 1 or 2 years, but what can you do.

The previous two books I liked way better.

What is different here than in earlier books? They introduce concepts that were fairly amazing to us for the first time; eg.,Auphes, how Pucks procreate .eg..its too complex to get into., Auphe homeworld, A lot more detail on Auphes in prior books. There seemed to be a lot less of that in this and the lack of it has an impact. And the lack is missed.

But thats just me. Just note, I will buy the next book.
The troll guy under the bridge was a better villian...



And just not enough of Robin Goodfellow for my taste.

A supernatural serial killer is stalking the streets of the city and its up to Cal and his brother Niko to find the killer and fast. There are 2 other subplots, one involving Cal's desire to get laid and another involving a plot to murder their close friend Robin, who is a puck.

I liked the beginning but I quickly grew bored with Sawney (the villain). Not a big fan of serial killers and a serial-killing redcap just seemed a tad meh. Cal's subplot involving his romantic difficulties didn't enteratin, because neither girl was anything more than filler for Cal's 'ordained' love George. Since I'm not a fan of George, and the author didn't present any serious rivals for her, I didn't care for the tease. Yeah, we get it, Cal's trying anything to run away from his destined girl. Can we get back to the main plot please?

The plot involving Robin could've been great, but left me with a: 'that's it?' feeling. I expected a bigger reveal, I guess.

Overall, an ok read but I liked the first 2 better.