Series Books

I really enjoyed this children's book. The art work was excellent. All children make mistakes. I thought the way the book handled Howie's mistakes was an excellent teaching tool for young minds. Children who read at this level are so impressionable. This book gets my highest approval!

As a first grade teacher, I see this as a enjoyable book for my beginning readers. The children will love reading about all the trouble Howie gets into. It may remind them of the trouble they themselves cause. It is good for children to see love and forgiveness in action. I can't wait for the new school year to start so that I can share this series with them and see their delight.

The Howie books are a delightful series for young readers. Howie brings a charming message of God's love and brings humor and adventure as well.

I just graduated from college with an elementary education degree. I read -Howie's Tea Party- and was found the entire Howie series charming and am enthusiastic about adding it to my classroom library for young readers.

My 10-year old daughter enjoyed the character of Howie and the repetition used in the book.

Surely, if this man had any other surname, this novel would have received the acclaim it deserves... the cloud!

"Reading some of the reviews I notice a few individuals reading much further than the words on the pages - a word for those Millionaire virgins... try not to do this until say, your 5th or 6th read. It may interfere with your enjoyment "
- ME, just then

To think I stumbled on it by ACCIDENT, attracted to a 1984 re-print with a compass on the cover, having recently read a half entertaining nautical adventure! A read so enjoyable I'm almost relieved it did not receive its due - over-analysed masterpieces and authors often get spoiled through the process, or on occasion battered into a film... the silver lining! Enjoy!

"An Innocent Millionaire" is a bitter book and quite obviously the work of an angry man. Vizinczey gives vent to his hatreds on just about every page of his novel. Some of his targets are well-ventilated already: lawyers, taxes, junk culture, greedy corporations, etc. But it is his two main hatreds -- women and New York City -- that cause him to lose perspective and damage an otherwise rather impressive novel.

First the misogyny. Vizinczey's dislike of women leaps from every page of this book. Most of the women in his story are just the tools of the rich men in their lives. Almost all of them are faithless. The few successful women all slept their way to the top. Take, for example, the female character who publishes and edits a prestigious fashion magazine. Before we have a chance to waste any admiration on her, V assures us that she is no more than an ex-fashion model whose married lover bought the magazine for her just to keep her happy. Another successful woman whom V takes pains to keep us from admiring is the Chief Valuation Officer for the Bahamian Ministry of Finance. Despite the fact that the woman has earned a bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida, a masters from the University of Toronto, and a doctorate from the London School of Economics, V dismisses her as "Nassau's top she-bureaucrat" (note: none of the male bureaucrats in the book is ever referred to as a "he-bureaucrat") and assures us that she is nothing more than an overeducated secretary who acquired her government position by sleeping with her boss. As the main characters are leaving this woman's office, they deride her with an anecdote one of them believes is worthy of "Playboy" and dub her "Miss Passionate" -- a reference to another secretary they all disdain. In fact, V seems to have a special distaste for female secretaries. In a later scene, after the main character concludes his business with a female secretary who has never been anything but pleasant with him, V concludes: "If there is a hell, there must be a special pit reserved for nice, sweet, charming intelligent secretaries who have spent their niceness, sweetness, charm and intelligence on covering up for their bosses."

But even more than women, V hates, despises, LOATHES New York City. The last third of the book is nothing more than an extended diatribe against New York lawyers, New York art dealers, New York politicians, ad nauseum. It's a shame, too, because this bile poisons the book just as the shipwreck story is beginning to get interesting. But the shipwreck and its history pretty much vanish once V sets his sites on his real target: NYC. In fact, in many ways, the Note From The Publisher appended to this edition of the novel by the University of Chicago Press (and which, by the way, reads as if it were written by the author himself) is a small analog of the novel itself. The Note starts out interestingly enough by telling us that Vizinczey is a difficult name to pronounce, leading us to expect that somewhere before the Note's end we will learn that pronunciation, just as in the book we hope that somewhere near the story's end we will learn the final fate of the shipwrecked Flora. But, alas, the promise is never kept and the Note, like the novel, devolves into another cliched rant against NYC, which is taken to task for failing to fully appreciate Vizinczey's genius. Although we are assured that the book was reviewed favorably by the NYTimes Book Review when originally released, we are expected to share the author's outrage that it was reviewed in brief and apparently not given the kind of consideration that a major literary work deserves. We are told that when the author's first novel was published in 1966, it received so little notice in New York that it had to be remaindered after three months. As if New York City itself is responsible for the fate of every author who doesn't become as well-praised as, say, Graham Greene. Tens of thousands of novels get published in this country every year. Just to get mentioned in the NYTBR is a rarity for most writers.

At any rate, I for one had no difficulty understanding why the culturati of NYC (or anywhere else, for that matter) might have been underwhelmed by An Innocent Millionaire. For one thing, it is burdened by the author's blatant efforts to evoke the reader's memory of Heinrich von Kleist's tale "Michael Kohlhaas," a much better story of justice denied. Kleist's name is evoked about twenty times during the course of the novel, just in case we don't get the connection. It is almost as if V had been trying to write his own reviews of the book and became bitter when the NYC reviewers wanted disagreed with his self-assessment. This heavy-handedness combined with the author's troubling misogyny and blind hatred for NYC torpedo what could have been a really great novel. At one point in the book a character derides such schlocky plotboilers as Colleen McCullough's "The Thorn Birds" and Sydney Sheldon's "A Rage of Angels." V is a better writer than either of those two populists, but his novel is only slightly more worthwhile than Sheldon's and not nearly as well-realized as McCullough's. Ironically, it is V's hatred of NYC that does him in. He seems to be insisting over and over again that NYC isn't worth the consideration of any decent person, much less a true artist (one of his Ten Commandments for writers is "Thou Shalt Not Worship London/New York/Paris"). But if NYC is so beneath his consideration why does he fume so over the fact that his work hasn't been better received there? He should have stuck with his shipwreck story and left his hatred of NYC for some other venue.

Stephen Vizinczey (sp?) is, in my estimation, the greatest living author I've read. Or at least my favorite. He is also a great hero of mine, and I do not have many heros.
Why is this? The man tells the truth. He isn't concerned with the consequences of revealing his thoughts to all comers. A previous reviewer accused him of misogyny, but I don't believe she's read "In Praise." I think what she was pointing to is a quality I regard as a virtue in Mr. Vizinczey. He is brutally honest in all things, and for a man playing at being omniscient, he does a pretty good job. One of these things he is honest in is the role that appearance plays in our thoughts and interactions. Some people use sex appeal outside of the bedroom. Sometimes the social progress people make in life is tied to their attractiveness, and sometimes this is not the case. Mr. Vizinczey is not the only one who finds this remarkable.
Mr. Vizinczey has also taught me a great deal about life. To get any lasting knowledge from a book is noteworthy, but the roles that two of his have played in my life seem more like the work of the Hand of God. I read this book at the age of 24, working my way up the economic and social ladder in NYC, and at the same time, hating the goals of success. The first 200 pages confirmed my beliefs about the cannibalistic nature of success, and then, as I contemplated giving up on my idea of success, my fictional alter-ego's luck got better. He met a lawyer who took on the case he had previously lost all hope in winning, and still was not quite convinced that it was worth trying. Mark Niven said something like, "The world is evil!" To which his attorney replied, raising his arms and looking at the sky, "But there is also chance."
Damn, that was a valuable lesson.

I read this book once in high school and once in my third year of college. When I first read An Innocent Millionaire I was intrigued by the adventure. As an adult I found that the book was really about life , of tragedy and the state of the world we live in. This book is a must read.

In difficult times we like to turn to books, especially to novels. But it would be a mistake to think that only light and syrupy stories bring us relief. On the contrary, we need the company of authors who, thanks to their perceptiveness and creative vigor, describe the world as it is, without false embellishment. We sense that these writers are able to face the worst of all possible worlds because they keep alive in themselves the promise of peace and goodness. For this reason we are moved by their vision.

Vizinczey's Innocent Millionaire brings us such a subtle solace. The novel is an enthralling roller-coaster of fortunes and passions, full of striking dialogues. It even manages to say something new about the birth of love. Marianne, the heroine of an ultimately tragic love affair, is one of the most lovable woman I have ever encountered in fiction, surpassing even the desirable and generous ladies of the author's previous masterpiece In Praise of Older Women. But this is a very different novel. Here the author weaves a tragic love relationship into the story of a fraud, showing how small and ridiculous are all those stupid and greedy people who make our life miserable or dull. If you are satisfied with the world as it is and approve its values, you will scorn this book. But for the dissatisfied reader, it is a rare treat and a unique source of comfort.

This (and Vol. 2) are both really good books that anyone with an interest in mathematics should own. Is it as good as Apostol's two volumes (Tommy I and II)? No. Is it as good as Spivak's "Calculus"? No. But it is still very good because the exposition is wonderful. I own both volumes and am glad - but if you only want one Courant book, please buy "What is Mathematics".

Those books (volumes 1-2) can be seen as a new edition of Courant's classical Differential and Integral Calculus, volumes 1-2 (that can still be used for general calculus courses). The first volume was written while Courant was still alive, and the second was postumous. I believe that they are the best work to start understanding analysis. Indeed, for the general scientist (as a physicist) it contains all the theory needed for any application. The book is not easy reading though. Much of the text can be understood on first reading, but there are pretty profound sections, mostly on the appendixes, that turn the book genuinely onto a book of analysis. The second volume requires some mathematical maturity, and I doubt whether it is suitable for beginners, but it is simply the best book of multivariate calculus that I know - and it is really difficult to think of a better presentation. Courant was a giant, and his concept of mathematics shines in every page of those books (although he did not see the publication of the second volume, his hand can be seen in every page). For the serious mathematician, a must-have. For the beginner, the best way to get in love. Courant and John don't lie, they give every proof and guide you most gently in this complicated garden called mathematics. I'd give it aleph stars if it was possible.

Springer have reprinted the original 1960s Wiley editions of "Introduction to Calculus and Analysis" volumes I and II by Courant and John in three new volumes under their "Classics in Mathematics" title: "Introduction to Calculus and Analysis I (pages 1-661)" (ISBN: 3-540-65058-X), "Introduction to Calculus and Analysis II/1, Chapters 1-4 (pages 1-542)" (ISBN: 3-540-66569-2), and "Introduction to Calculus and Analysis II/2, Chapters 5-8 (pages 543-954)" (ISBN: 3-540-66570-6). The back section of Volume II/2 (pages 821-939) has solutions to the exercises in both the books comprising volume II, that is "Introduction to Calculus and Analysis II/1" and "Introduction to Calculus and Analysis II/2".

Note that when Volume I of the original Courant and John "Introduction to Calculus and Analysis" was published in the 1960s by Wiley, an accompanying solutions manual for Volume I was prepared by Prof. Albert A. Blank. When Volume II was published by Wiley, Prof. Blank's solutions were incorporated into the back of Volume II (in other words, Volume II comes with the answers to the questions at the back of the book... or in the back of Volume II/2 in the case of this Springer "Classics in Mathematics" reprint.) However, the Springer reprint of Wiley's Volume I lacks solutions to the exercises in the textbook.

If you buy Volume I, do a check on the Internet for an old 1960s copy of Prof. Albert Blank's "Problems in Calculus and Analysis", which is the original solutions manual to Courant's Volume I.

This is a rewrite of the great book by Courant, and it does justice to its origin. I prefer the somewhat more charming original book of Courant myself, but I have taught from this one too and learned something more.

Since the original Courant costs $120 for the 2 volume set, this volume at $33 is a bargain, so snap it up. This is 10 times as valuable as most current $130 calculus books.

I give 5 stars to this book because in contrast with the majority of the calculus textbooks it gives the reader the perfect combination between rigor and intuiton. Another thing that I also like a lot is the fact that volume 2 has solutions to almost all the excercises, which is great because some of the problems are very difficult. I really think this book is a "must have".

Not since Eliot set upon the drizzly Dank has an Americanevidenced such bold, imaginative writing. I accidently happened uponProfessor Sloane- White's ethnography while designing what is perhaps the first psychology curriculum to emphasize a cultural and international perspective for the national university of a developing country. Sloane- White's account of a segment of Malay society added to our perspective in considerable measure through its imaginative,lucid conceptualization of a people seeking to define themselves in their emergence from a colonial past. We have appreciated far better after our reading of this remarkable volume how psychological personal identity must be coupled or integrated with a conceived social/ cultural dimension - here represented as nationhood...this revealing work, one as melodic in its prose as an Eric Clapton piece is in its musical lines.END

Not since Eliot set upon the drizzly Dank has an American evidenced such bold, imaginative writing. I accidently happened upon Professor Sloane- White's ethnography while designing what is perhaps the first psychology curriculum to emphasize a cultural and international perspective for the national university of a developing country. Sloane- White's account of a segment of Malay society added to our perspective in considerable measure through its imaginative,lucid conceptualization of a people seeking to define themselves in their emergence from a colonial past. We have appreciated far better after our reading of this remarkable volume how psychological personal identity must be coupled or integrated with a conceived social/ cultural dimension - here represented as nationhood.

Do hurry in re-stocking this revealing work, one as melodic in its prose as an Eric Clapton piece is in its musical lines.

We hope to tempt the Professor to an invited lecture to help launch our new psychology major in the upcoming academic year, and look forward to more from pen.

Essentially, an ethnographic account of the Malay rich, the first of its kind in English, but there exists a number of similar ethnographies in Malay not mentioned or referred top. The book is strong on the narrative but so-so on the analysis, and offers no real new secondary data. Should be read along with Scott's "Political Ideology in Malaysia" (1974), a semi-ethnographic study of Malay top bureaucrats.

Good news from the frontiers of international capitalism: the magic of the market, mit entrepreneurial hustle reveal urban Malays' hots for profits, for the scramble for them--and the efforts made to square this lust for entrepreneurial life with old customs and beliefs. I enjoyed the fascinating portrayals of successful Malays seeking to sanctify the pursuit of success with conventional moralism. It is illuminating to compare the most rapacious American nineteenth century robber barons' invocations: an ethic of hard work and providential rewards, with modern Malay mild businessmen's explanations of their wealty state among others, rich and poor. This book shows a superb effort in this regard. Those robber barons conflated selfish ambitions with civic virtue, and merged private gain with public good.

A was a most worthwhile read: Sloan's compelling comparisons of competing styles of capitalism, often shown through the lives of Malay entrepreneurs. It is a book, this, that imparts excitingly, the ironies and conflicts, the contradictions, among the styles of global capitalisms extant.

See how some entreprenuers present themselves as noble or heroic. This is a masterful synthesis of original research and writing, in a tone perfect to the historical moment. This is a time, after all, when CEOs posture as culture heroes, multinationals equate entrepreneurship with creativity, and the marketplace enjoys the status that God enjoyed in medieval thelogy. I won't spoil it--read this book--to see how the Malays do it!

Jolly good piece of vibrant field work and writing with imagination!

Malay Muslim enterprise is cleverly revealed; their pentient for "entrepreneurship" is exciting and is taken in like firewater or an elixir.

Affirmative action surely worked its magic for many malays, and acted as black magic against other ethnics. The price through history may be presented as as an aggravated ethnically polarized country, not yet a nation, in the sense of a pressing awareness of the needs and aspirations of all ethnic groups in Malaysia. Dr. Sloane brilliantly unravels the mystery of development of the Malays via a government program of affirmative action.Other Malaysians haven't been beneficiaries of economic policy: they mainly get it in the neck, affirmatively and laconically.

Deeply contextualized descriptions of social class, gender, domestic life and the Malay facility for networking help to show the dramatic effect of a dominant Malay Muslim government policy on economic development- to be understood, without ambiguity, as quotas, big time.

This book appears to be the first in depth research of urban, affluent Malay culture in the process of radical transformation into modernity/ postmodernity- quite a ride for those experiencing the consequences of this state-led, hyper pro-Malay capitalist moderne intensification-- wedded, in part, to Islamic resurgence.

One of my favorite chapters involves the business of alliances in elucidating the social relations among the young lions of entrepreneurship; relatedly, I was fascinated by what Sloane conceives of as the social limits of an entrepreneurial identity.

One wishes all ethnographic studies were so brilliantly conceived and executed, clearly and briiliantly written, quite touching, really.

This book arrived in top condition and in time. In a college book store this book cost a lot more, so I am very pleased to be able to buy it from this seller.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the descriptive way the author wrote. I have been through Colorado and have seen the beauty she described. Also enjoyed the story because there wasn't a lot of violence and if there was any sex, it was only in our imagination which is the greatest kind. I was amazed at how the lady rode for miles in rugged wilderness without seeming to get lost. The fact that she could subsist on meager food was also interesting.

For many years I saw this book in National Park bookstores and passed it by thinking it would be an example of the overwritten, rather tedious journals of other Victorian travelers. When I finally found it at a used bookstore and rather reluctantly bought it, I was surprised to find out how exciting and relevant her story was.

Because I live in Colorado, I recoginize and travel through many of the places she describes. Just this weekend as we traveled along Highway 67, my husband and I remarked on the likelihood, that this was the same route she'd taken out of Colorado Springs.

Her accounts lend life to the grey, weatherbeaten cabins, abandoned roads and rusting rails that we see. Even though many parts of Europe and the US were relatively modern at the time of her adventures, it is surprising to read just how primitive and precarious was the life of many Colorado settlers.

Even if you aren't from Colorado, read this book to become aquainted with a Victorian woman who found a way to live life fully. Read it to learn about life in the west. Read it just because it's a good read.

I bought this book while visiting Estes Park, CO...hungry for books about life in the West that may not be so readily available here in NJ. I found it to be one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read! Isabella's descriptions of the Rocky Mountains and the climate through which she travelled are vivid and gripping. But more than that, she gives a detailed and honest account of what life was like for settlers on the frontier. How she managed to ride thru the mountains where the only "trails" were tracks of wagons or animals, when often those were covered with the seemingly constant snow, boggles the mind. Her love for Colorado sings out in every word she writes. I too was deeply touched by its beauty, and hope to return again, this time with an enriched appreciation due to this wonderful recounting of Isabella Bird's journey.

Did you ever read any of the BEANY MALONE novels by Lenora Mattingly Weber? In them I first read about Isabella Bird and her remarkable life in the American West. Beany's older brother, Johnny Malone, is a teenager when the series begins, a young Denver boy with a remarkable passion for unearthing the memoirs and daguerrotypes of Colorado pioneers and taking notes on the old-timers who settled the state. Their colorful lives make his ordinary life seem rather pastel, so he often sinks into a nostalgia of the past, while his family members tease him about the dreamy look in his eyes. He helps a veteran journalist, Emerson Worth, complete his magnum opus, OUR CITY HAS DEEP ROOTS. And among the pioneers Johnny obsessed about was none other than Isabella Bird, so when I found this book on a recent trip to Boulder, I added it to my rucksack.

If you are reading on horseback, as Isabella Bird did, this is perhaps the ideal book to carry with you. She was a woman used to the English-style horse with its Ascot breeding and high carriage. What she found in Colorado were, naturally, the horses of the West, more perfectly adapted to the mile-high atmospheres, but slung somewhat lower than anything she's been used to and slightly swaybacked. Bird adapted quickly, and the fun of her autobiography is to see her taking in her stride a series of calamities and hardships that would have Job complaining bitterly! No matter if it's an insect infestation or tumbling right through a sheet of ice into zero degree river chills, for Isabella Bird it's all part of a day's fun. Travel writing in the 19th century was, of course, the leading genre of prose. From no other source were English-speaking readers able to find out more about other people's lives, and the curiosity was immense.

You'll like Isabella, and her crazy love affair with Colorado. She remains very much a lady, but will challenge your preconceived notions of what a lady is and isn't. Most of all you will thrill to follow the course of her journeys up and down the mountains through which, now, there are some better trails but still the same amazing sunrises which she describes with the thrill of one for whom every day's an adventure.

This book has more humans adjusting to life with the Jaran, and some Jaran adjusting to life on earth. Some people even visit the Chapilii, and communication (or not) is interesting. We meet several new characters, while the old ones continue to develop - Tess, Charles, and even Anatoly finally come into their own. It has a cool vision of the internet's future. In some ways this book ties things up... but some new twists are introduced... leaving Jaran lovers impatient for the eventual book number five!!

After "Jaran", which I love (and can exist independently of the rest), the next few have been comparatively disappointing. But this was fantastic. After the book finished I kept dreaming about it. There is just so much depth and potential: in characters and plot. I was a bit sad at the final status of one of the main characters (I'm not going to give it away...) but I'm falling for some of the newer ones. Really you have to have read the previous books to understand much of this book. But if you haven't, you will still enjoy the richly developing characters and the interesting (truly alien) aliens. Speaking of the aliens, I like their culture: long may they prosper!

I just completed book 4 of the Jaran series, and am thoroughly hooked into this story! I MUST find out what happens next! The whole series is fantastic, with each book offering new and exciting twists in the story. The only drawback to book 4 is that the reader is left hanging - just when the story gets even better! A highly enjoyable read - highly recommended! However, M. Elliott, would you please continue the story?? Please? It would greatly help this Jaran addict... :-)

and I patiently wait for the next book ... which may be awhile according to the Official Kate Elliot Page. Seems she has been working on other projects, also good reads.

She plans on several more books in the Jaran series, but it doesn't sound like she'll be getting back to those until she finishes her sequel to _The Golden Key_ (which is an excellent book too, btw) which she'll do after she finishes "Crown of Stars". In other words, we've a long time to wait for more in this fantastic series.

The "Rowan Gant Investigation" series by M.R. Sellars is an excellent mystery/suspense/crime series. Mr. Sellars's writing style is a bit different than most other authors' but it makes for compelling, page-turning drama. Every time I pick up one of his books, it's nearly impossible for me to put it down. This particular installation brings into focus the idea that whatever you send out will come back to you three times over. And, oh boy, does something come back for one of the characters!
Pick up the series if you want a great summer read!

What a roller coaster of a book - I literally could not put it down until the very last page. Good plot, great characters and the witches are the GOOD guys for once. A must read, but only with the lights on!

This is a great series of mystery books that deal with Witchcraft in a very respectable way. The main characters are witches who help the law decipher occult symbols found at a St.Louis murder site. It's a fairly realistic portrayal of wiccans. Christians won't approve, but the book gets heavily into the craft and it's tenants.

Check this one out, it was a rollercoaster ride.

MR Sellars is a deliciously addictive author. The Law of Three is his best work yet (although I'm sure I'll ammend that once I finish Crones Moon- the first two chapters are certainly promising!) Anyone looking for a spine tingling whirl wind of a read is sure to find MR Sellars works to be superb. The only negative thing I can say is that they just don't come out fast enough- but like all good things- they're WELL worth the wait!

I have just finished this book and really loved it! Once again, M.R. Sellars has scared me silly. I think the thing that makes the Rowan Gant series so good a read is that unlike some books that have fantastical bad guys, trolls, and wizards (oh my) he gives us rather ordinary folks and completely plausiable bad guys. There really are crazy fanatics in the world, we all know it. Sellars just shows us what they are capable of doing. Read it with the lights on!

I fell in love with Clark and Marty in the traggic but sweet Love Comes Softly movie, so I had to order the series, eight books in all. The plot thickened with each child born to Marty and Clark. I connected with Marty the wife, Marty the mother, and Marty the grandmother. Then when Belinda [Marty's baby girl] gave her inheritance away and went back home without one thing to assist her aging Mom and Dad, I was appauled. I just finished Like Refined Gold, the last novel in the saga of Marty and Clark's family, The Prairie Legacy, starring Virginia, their granddaughter, Belinda's daughter. I love the rock solid faith portrayed in this inspirational fiction and how true to life Janette Oke portrays the hearts of wives, daughters, and grandmothers. You don't want to miss Marty's granddaughter, Virginia, Belinda's daughter, and her search for Mr. Right,and the toughest battle of "true motherhood". I treasure all twelve of these novels.

I have enjoyed the whole series of books by Janette OKE. They are wonderful family reading and can be shared with all ages.

The last book in this series is by far the best of them all. It is sweet and sad. I think it is really cool that Mindy is willing to go see the mother who left her. Everyone should read this book.

Many fans of Janette Oke have asked her to bring back Clark and Marty Davis and she does so in this series. This series is about their granddaughter Virginia, Belinda's daughter.

Virginia lives on a farm with her husband, Jonathan, and their children. Jonathan works with his brother breeding and raising horses. Lots of changes happen for Virginia in a few short years.

Their daughter, Mindy, was left with them by her mother when she was very young. Mindy knows about her "real" mother because she still has some memories of her. But since she has lived with Virginia and Jonathan she's called them mother and father because they are the only real family she's known.

Mindy hopes her mother will soon come to Christ. She prays for her as often as possible.

Mindy's mother comes for a visit and requests something that Jonathan and Virginia won't agree to.

I really liked this book! I like the Love Comes Softly series better so far but maybe I need to finish this series before I compare them. But I do suggest this series, it does a great job of continuing the story of the Davis Family.

this book is so great. i loved it. i hope Janette oke
does write another series. or is there already ?

For people who enjoy reading for the purpose of getting into the story. The books written by David Eddings' are for people who get attached to characters and love to immerse themselves in reading. To me his books are like coming home for a visit.

If you want to read simply to get to the finish line---Eddings is not for you.

My brother (who loves reading books) suggested I give this to a friend's teenage daughter who's into Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, etc. I bought her Vol 1-2, and the sequel after that. And she loved it!

Eddings writes mindless drivel, but it is ENTERTAINING mindless drivel - great for telling the world to go soak its head and just sitting back and having a good time.

Along with The Belgariad, the Malloreaon is probably my most beloved series of fantasy. I read all the books in the series over 10 years ago & to this day when I just need to escape, I find myself in this world. What David Eddings has crafted is every bit as beautiful as the Tolkien world, as magical as Harry Potter, and as rich as Anne Rice's history in the Vampire Chronicles. The characters are faceted & complex, the story line flows easily & I feel that I am a lucky reader to have found such a magical world!

I've read alot of fantasy books from all kinds of authors. High fantasy and Epics and light fantasy. Usually in a series, the first 3 books are the best and if there are any after that they decline. I started out reading the Belgaraid knowing that this series was "light fantasy" and I didn't expect anything more than that. Then I get to the Mallorean and not only did it surprised me but it was actually better than the Belgaraid. Even the 3rd book in the Mallorean was better than the first. It seems that the author got better as he wrote and had a story to tell instead of stretching out a shorter story just to sell more books.

From the very begining of this story you'll feel like your're right there with Donahue, George and the rest of the Bodes from the Third Herd of the Mobile Guerilla Force. Donahue explains everything with great detail from starting an IV to infiltrating a VC camp. I really liked this one. I felt like I was on the mission with them. Thanks Mr. Donahue, looking forward to your other work! Highly recommended reading to anyone interested in Special Forces during Vietnam.

This author takes the readers into a VERY REAL jungle in which the Mobile Guerrila Forces operate as a unique, "special forces" type of unit, including non-English speaking Cambodians that are very dedicated to the mission of the U.S. personnel. At one point, the reality of the jungle is brought into the forefront when a big Tiger picks up their trail, and they have to protect themselves from it as well as from the enemy------a very good and unusual read.

I read this book, although under a different title, the one that I read was called 'No Greater Love' but it is the same story. This book is very exciting and riveting, and it also tells of the unquestionable heroic actions of the men who foght for this force, both U.S. and foreign. One reviewer made the mistake of saying that this was the only force to use guerilla tactics in Vietnam, this is not true. The LRRPs (long range recon patrols) used gurilla tactics and went out with only usually a six man team. Although their main goal was recon, they very often ended up ambushing the enemy, and usually came out on top. I think though that anyone who reads this book will agree that these men deserve our highest respect and that we thank them for their brave service. If you havent read this book, I wouls suggest buying it.

Mr Donahue writes an excellent first-person account of his experiences with the MGF, and after reading all 3 of his books (MGF, Blackjack-33, Blackjack-34), he left me wanting to read much more of his accounts and experiences in Vietnam. I hope that Mr Donahue may someday write an account of the MGF's POW rescue attempt mission, as well as other MGF accounts.

I like the style of his writing in all 3 books; the first-person style moves fast and leaves the reader breathless. These are very hard to put down once you start. Mr Donahue gives only sparse background information and jumps right into the action. Mr Donahue makes you feel as if you are looking at everything right through his eyes.

If you have military experience (especially combat arms), you will truly enjoy this book, as well as Mr Donahue's others. The sounds, smells, stresses and fatigue will all come flooding back through his writing. If you are not familiar with military culture, terminology or methodology, you might struggle a little bit BUT there is a glossary in the back of the book.

I highly recommend ALL of Mr Donahue's publications; they give a good overall perspective of what was done right and what was done wrong in this war, and are great examples of how good of a job our fighting men & women did in Vietnam (contrary to what mainstream media & film try to portray).

Mobile Guerilla Force is a very good book about the only American unit to use guerrilla style hit and run tactics during the Vietnam war. This book chronicles a mission called Blackjack 31 that lasted nearly a month in VC territory. The light company of 13 Americans and Cambodians successfully navigate this enemy sanctuary, the infamous War Zone D. During this mission they called in 27 airstrikes, raided 15 base camps, & fought 51 engagements in some of the harshest terrain in the world. The vivid and dark jungles are brought to life with amazing clarity. The strength of this book is that you feel the danger of moving through the jungle and at any time may face a violent sudden death. I enjoyed learning about the Bodes and was impressed with how they can fight and keep up with the highly trained Americans. This book is highly reccomended to those interested about Special Forces, the war in Vietnam, or Guerrilla Warfare. It is a fast read and you will be impressed with this story.