Movies Books

Based on the same-titled movie released in 2001, Mel Odom's novelization of the Angelina Jolie flick is top-notch, enveloping every quality that made the archaeologist one of the most popular icons of the video game franchise.
Lara Croft observes the first third of a complete planet alignment - an event that happens once every five thousand years - through the high-tech telescope at her home, Croft Manor. Little did she know, only hours later, she would become an integral part in protecting the alignment's omnipotent power from ill-intended hands.

Through her deceased father's gift of a planetary clock, she travels from one exotic location to another to locate the pieces of the power's medium, a triangle emblazoned with the All-Seeing Eye, the Masonic symbol of omniscience. But an internal desire to see her father again brings her motives to locate the triangle halves into question. If she finds the pieces, will she use the power it contains for herself? Or will she snatch the godly control away from her foes and bury its abilities for another five thousand years?

Odom's literary portrayal is accurate and engrossing, detailing the emotional impact of each event and discovery, someting that may be lacked in the film version. Rather than drooling over Angelina Jolie, Raider fans can envision the described settings and locales in the book with relative ease, with every exotic touch in place. There are only very slight changes in the book, such as Croft enemy (or perhaps not) Alex West's naked romp from the shower to the bedroom in response to mysteriously lurking shadows (provided by Croft, of course); that differs from the movie's ending locale of the dining room and its strategically placed dining table.

But the story proceeds with the same heart-pounding action and romantic passion that's found in the box-office seller. Though short, it makes the reader feel as though they are in Croft's military-booted shoes, even as much as the video games do.

- T.C. Robson

This book is great. It is just like the movie, only with a little more dialouge. There are even parts before Lara's dad died telling how he tried to stop the evil. The deleted scenes only able to watch on the DVD are in this book, and I thought that was great! The action level seems a little less than the movie. The book seems to just speed by the action and to the point. I didn't really like that factor. If you liked the movie, read the novel, it is GREAT!

Very good in fact. It adds alot to the movie. More fleshed out characters and such. It's only 6 bucks, so what do you have to ose? Another plus is the 8 pages of pictures featuring the amazingly beautiful Angelina Jolie.

This book was just.. WOW!! It was way better then the movie, b/c the movie can only put a certain amount of scenes, but the book you get it all! i loved all the stuff between lara and alex, if you are a lara/alex fan this book is definatly for you!!

Long ago a meteor fell onto Earth with a magical, metallic form within it. Witnessing its power, it was forged into the (thought of) holy form of a triangle and a temple was formed to protect it. A city grew around the temple, The People of the Light were there. During an invasion, the nine planets aligned and the power of the Triangle was shown. Realizing no mortal should possess such power, the High Priest ordered it cut into two smaller triangles. One stayed at the temple. The other was hidden at the end of the Earth. However, the Craftsman who cut the Triangle in half secretly made a highly advanced device. It could serve as a guide to find the hidden piece, and preserve the Triangle's powers for future generations. It was a magic clock.

Lady Lara Croft was much like her father had been. Beginning with a clock he had hidden for her to find someday and tales he had told her as a child, she must set out to save the world. The Illuminati, a secret group of powerful people, were out to find the two triangle pieces before the planets aligned (which happened only once every 5,000 years). At her side was Mr. Hillary, her butler, and Bryce, her technician. Two tombs must be entered and survived or the world would belong to Manfred Powell.

***** I made that brief as possible, but left out much to do it. Even though the movie, as of now, has not been released, I can already tell that the book gives much more insight to Lara and the adventure in which she finds herself. However, many scenes have the potential to be much more vivid and exciting on the big screens! I found it to be a wonderful book! I plan to be in the theater, with a huge group of friends, on its first night out! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

This is an extremely thorough, even-handed and well-written bio. The author's approach is intelligent and his research and references are extensive.

One learns that Brooks began as an upper middle class wildchild from the plains who determined early to be a great dancer. She had talent and determination. But Fate along with timing made it possible for her to escape Kansas for New York City at the tender age of 15 (!) to train with a premiere dance company. She seems never to have gotten past being that wildchild and was, at 17, dismissed from the troupe for unacceptable behavior. Soon she was a dancer on Broadway, including a stint with the Ziegfeld Follies. Next stop, the movies!

Being admittedly "selfish and stubborn" as well as volatile, Brooks tore through New York, Paris, London, Hollywood, Berlin and back, living it up and burning bridges all around. By age 25 she was finished in terms of ever becoming a movie star or great dancer. She eventually disappeared into a gin bottle, was reduced to dance instruction, retail sales and finally "love for sale."

This is all fascinating enough, but her late-in-life resurrection as a rediscovered silent era "icon" (based mostly on films made in Europe in the late 20's) and as a newly minted writer is the surprising twist toward the end of an otherwise bleak life story.

Her work in Pabst's "Pandora's Box" ought to provide Brooks all the immortality any actress could desire. She is spectacular as Lulu and deserves every accolade. She was a beauty, but there were other beauties of her era who achieved greater stardom - Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow. Her "black helmet" hairstyle was well suited to her looks, but it's more likely that Colleen Moore actually popularized the look, having been a superstar of the 20's (which Brooks wasn't)and the iconic "flapper." As for her skill as a writer (with reference to "Lulu in Hollywood"), I find Brooks interesting, insightful and even poetic, but there is an underlying note of bitterness that undermines any claim of objectivity. And, considering her decades of gin guzzling, I question her ability to be very accurate 40-50 years after the fact. For me, the mystique and power of Louise Brooks comes down to her performance in "Pandora's Box," her primary and glorious claim to fame.

Read "Louise Brooks" by Barry Paris and form your own conclusions. Don't miss "Pandora's Box." The Criterion Collection DVD boxed set includes Kenneth Tynan's 1979 profile, the TCM production, "Looking for Lulu," a 1970's interview with Brooks and other extras.

This book is an expansive overview of the life of Louise Brooks and also of the early days of the movie industry. Very throughly researched, it gives a nuanced look and the beautiful, brilliant and maddeningly self-destructive icon. It also is a wonderful history of the entertainment world in the 1920's and the personalities who populated that world. A must-read from fans of Louise Brooks.

Several books have been written about Louise Brooks, but this book is probably the most concise and most thorough of them all. The book starts off with Louise's birth and it describes all the people that helped to make Louise so interesting and famous. There are many black-and-white photos of Louise, from the time she started in show-biz (at age 4) to Louise in her later years, just before her death.

Since Louise Brooks had such a fascinating life, it is not a surprise that this book is so long. Each Chapter basically covers a chunk of her life, and each Chapter describes (in detail) the characters that encountered & shaped Louise, and also all the Theatre and Movie productions that Louise was involved in.

This is what a biography should be: insightful, understanding, offering a measured & complex view of its beloved subject. And what a subject Barry Paris has in Louise Brooks! Her beauty, her intelligence, her compelling charisma all shine in these pages, giving us a multi-faceted view of this ravishing star. For someone who had never heard of Louise Brooks, this biography will send him or her in eager pursuit of her all-too-few films & her own writing -- and both are of the very highest standard.

It's clear that Brooks never did anything without wanting to give her all, to make true art out of it, a work of beauty & meaning that would stand the test of time. And the same could be said of this superb biography. While Paris clearly adores Brooks (and with good reason), he never succumbs to blind hagiography. Nor does he stumble in the opposite direction of pathography. His purpose is to explore the life of a fascinating woman, and to present it to the reader as thoroughly & lucidly as possible. He succeeds on every level. Louise Brooks emerges from these pages as both a flesh & blood woman, and as the dazzling, mysterious icon she became to countless admirers.

In short, the best book on Louise Brooks you'll ever find, most highly recommended!

I have not yet read this entire book, but just glancing through it when it arrived I would find that I have just read twenty pages or so whenever I openned it up. I can't wait until I read it cover to cover.

I have read this book and My Girl. I absolutly looove these books, and the movies are great too. I love reading the books and I won't ever set that book down, literally. Vada is such a cool girl and the book gives her a unique outsider taste to her. She is such and interesting girl and this book is the greatest book written to come for centuries!

I loved this book. It is adventourous,romantic, exciting, and partially sad. It was a 4 tissue story. The book is about a girl who is writing a report and has to find out information about her mother who died after Vada, the girl, was born. It was a great story. I think anyone that likes to search for new things and enjoys a little mushyness would enjoy this story.

A project another project, but this one is about someone she knew nothing about. Vada Sultenfuss is in English and the day is almost over. In the last few minutes of class, she was told that she had to do a project. When the teacher asked who she was going to do it on she said she would do it on her mother.When she sais that, the class was silent. The next week was spring break, so she wanted to go to L.A. to see if she could find anything out about her mother's life. After, finally persuading her dad to let her go, she was of to L.A. When, she got to the airport she was supposed to find a boy named Nick who would take her to her uncle. Lucky for her she finds him. Unlucky for her he has a bad attitude. Nevertheless, the two of them get a taxi and are off to her uncle's house. For the next five days of her search for information about her mother, nothing but misfortune cane her way. These adventures create an enjoyablebook that I think any girl who likes adventures will have trouble putting it down until the last page.

I just LOVE this book! A great sequal to the first book. It's mainly about a thirteen year old girl, Vada Sultenfuss, who has been assigned to do a project on someone she admires but never really met. Naturally, she chooses her mother, who died because of birth complications. Her dad's an undertaker, who remarried to Shelly, the lady that does the make up on the...uh, deceased people. Now Shelly's pregnant. It's not one of those fairytale stories, where Shelly's the evil wicked fairy stepmother, or anything. Really. Vada actually likes Shelly, but has mixed feelings about it. She doesn't mind there's a baby, but she feels bad about the fact that she'll have to give up her room, something her mom had chosen. Another thing is that she's afraid that Shelly might die too. In the mean time, she has her new friend Judy to think about, whose currently dating the oh-so-cool-and-totally-snott-faced...(drumroll, please)Kevin Phillips. Soon, she decides to go to L.A., her mothers bithplace, to find out more for her report. Once there, she meets up with her Uncle Phil, his girlfriend, and his almost stepson, Nick. It starts out as a bribery thing, really, with Uncle Phil paying Nick five bucks to take Vada from the airport, and ten to take her around the place. Vada finds Nick incredibly disagreeable and wonders why he tags along anyway, if he dislikes her so much. She finds out more about her mother, though usually dissapointing bits, but eventually confides in Nick pretty many things, such as her mood ring and Thomas J.They become friends, really good friends. Really, REALLY good friends. Dare I say, a little more? Then, she finds out about some guy her mother had already been married to, and begins to worry that this Jeffery Pommery guy could actually be her father. She finds out once she meets him, though, that she's wrong. Totally, completely, embarrassingly wrong. She even got to keep a vidio tape of her mother singing and acting. So, in one little Spring Vacation, she finds out about her mother, gets her ear pierced(barbaric customs, Nick calls it) and gets a sort of couisin, once Phil proposes. Not that they want to be couisins, they'd rather be... well, Vada doesn't say, but you know. Now, at the airport, she gets her first kiss. Second, actually, afterall, Thomas J. kissed her first in the first book, but that's another story. Anyway, guess who does it? Nick, of course. On her way back on the airplane, she finds a tiny box with the chandeleir earrings that she wanted, along with a note saying, "In memory of barbaric customs. Love, Nick." Intrigued by the "love" part? Too bad for you, that's basically the last we ever heard of Nick. Once home, she rushes to the hospital to find that she is now a sister. Stepsister. Whatever, you know what I'm talking about. I'm not about to tell you the end- okay, I already told you most of it, but still, it's REALLY worth reading!! Since most people will probably see how long this review is, they'll probably skip it. Well, there goes twenty minutes writing to a waste. Oh well. Just one last thing: YOU...MUST...READ...THIS...BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love this book. The minute I started reading it, I could not put it down. Tonight I am renting the movie. I can't wait! I am going to read the first My Girl next. I heard that was really good also. I'll let you know how I like it.

Stephen King did a good thing by writing this book.The charcters and cast
are wonderful, This is one of my all time favorite, what goes on behind the walls of a prision.

After reading 85 novels, I finally read a Stephen King story. My friend who encouraged me to start reading had been after me to read him for awhile. I am really glad that I did. He is a great story teller and kept me in the story even when I wasn't reading it. As I have said before, a good writer is someone who can paint a vivid picture in the reader's mind's eye. This is done here in painting a picture of life in Shawshank Prison, Maine. This a great story of one man's strength to survive against all odds; we can all learn from this. It certainly should be told to all those who would think of breaking the law.

"Stand by me" - this is the most important sentence in the novel The Body written by Stephen King. The novel is about the natural and deep sense of friendship. Four boys are keen on experience an adventure, they take a long way to see a dead body in the forests of Maine. Alone on the way of excitement and fear, they are between childhood and adulthood. The story is easy to read and also to understand.

Reta hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, was a great short story by stephen king. I enjoyed reading this book and even watching the movie. I was suprised how much the book grabed my attention and how I didn't ever put it down.

I recently watched both "The Shawshank Redemption" (with Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman) and "Stand By Me" (with River Phoenix, Jerry O'Connell, Wil Wheaton and Corey Feldman) and this prompted me to dig out my old copy of Different Seasons. Most people are surprised when they learn that those movies were based on novellas by horror master, Stephen King, but he shows that he's not just into scaring the heck out of you.

The story cycle bases one novella per season, and each follows characters on a journey, whether it's one of hope, descent into corruption, coming of age, or life through offspring.

"Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" takes place over decades, as a prison inmate retains his spirit and soul, while breathing life into a dark institution, and whose patient nature finally leads him to freedom. The story is told in first person from the point of view of old Red, the guy who can get you things, about Andy Dufresne, a young banker jailed for the murder of his wife and her lover.

One of Kingýs great strengths is creating a believable voice for his characters, and as you read this tale, it is like Red is talking to you. Other King strengths are providing back story and creating a world in which these characters live, one with a past, present and future, and it makes them three dimensional. One of Kingýs flaws is going off on tangents and digressions a bit too often, but he always comes back to the story.

ýThe Bodyý (basis for ýStand By Meý) is a coming of age story about four small town boys on the cusp of entering Junior High School. On the Friday before Labor Day, they set off to find the body of a missing boy. One of the four boys, Vern Tessio, overheard his brother talking to a friend about the dead body.

The characters fall into several categories: Gordon LaChance, who narrates the story as an adult, is the dreamer/writer whose older brother died earlier that year. Chris Chambers is athletic, tough but smart. wise beyond his years and the white sheep in a family of black sheep. Teddy Duchamp is the psycho wiseguy who wears thick glasses and hearing aids as the result of his war veteran father putting his head to a stove. Vern Tessio is the least intelligent, but plays a key symbolic part as the one tells the others about the body and also is the first to spot it.

Along their journey, the boys encounter adventures, such as Milo Pressman the junkyard operator and his dog, Chopper. There is a run across a high trestle as a train bears down on them, a swim in a culvert full of leeches, and a night in the dark woods with screaming wild animals. When they eventually reach the boys, they have a run in with a group of teenage hoods from their town. A major difference from the movie, is that this story details the aftermath of the confrontation after the boys return to town.

King does a nice balancing act with his adult narrative and pre-adolescent dialogue, making each voice unique and fleshing out each boyýs character to make them multi-dimensional. All four experience growth, but Gordon and Chris take this growth with them as they get older. Donýt let people drag you down. Thereýs a lot more to this story than just kids looking for a dead body.
My bumps here are again that King goes off on tangents and digressions, some to fill in background and history for the characters, but sometimes really straying far from the course. At one point he takes nearly a page to say that someone is dead, where ýThe kid was dead. The kid wasnýt sick, the kid wasnýt sleeping.ý Would probably have sufficed.

I wonýt go into a lot of detail about the other two stories. ýApt Pupilý is about a boy who discovers a Nazi war criminal living in his town, and blackmails the old man into telling him stories about the war in exchange for not blowing the whistle on him. The stories the boy hears slowly lead him into senseless acts of violence. In ýThe Breathing Womaný a ýdisgraced woman is determined to triumph over death.ý

These four stories combine to make an interesting cycle, and demonstrate that Stephen King has writing talents that stretch beyond his horror work.

#9 of the Deborah Knott series- The "carny" comes to town and with it a murder. Deborah is the one to find the victim. A long lost relative appears in this one as well. This book is a turning point for Deborah and the series. A surprise to the reader! I am starting to really enjoy this series. It took several of them to get there but I am glad I did not give up. The most notable aspect of this series is the author's way of highlighting something distinct about North Carolina in every book and weaving a mystery along with it.

I really liked this one. It was clear that Maron had fun writing it.

i really like this book! it's great to discover a new mystery author.

this is a great book! i'm glad that i discovered margaret maron.

Cozy mysteries are really of two types: Novels in the traditional cozy style whose main emphasis is a mystery and its resolution (e.g., Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers) and novels in the more modern cozy format, whose main emphasis is on social interactions (primarily between family, friends, and coworkers) with the mystery being a smaller component of the exposition. This is definitely a cozy in the latter form. Remove the additional social interactions, and this mystery could be presented in a novella or even a short story, although not as interestingly.

If you find modern cozies appealing, you will certainly find this an interesting book. Here, self-assured Judge Deborah Knott finds a dead worker while visiting the annual Harvest Festival Carnival. The reason for this death and the identity of the killer is the primary mystery. The preface provides a family tree of the Knott family, which is absolutely needed, as the Knotts are a large family, many of whom are presented in this novel. Readers will find themselves frequently referencing this chart to keep track of Knott family members. Fortunately, the number of carnival workers and additional characters is relatively small, but it may still pay to keep some brief notes of who they are as you read. There is also an informative addendum with a glossary of carnival terms, e.g., "cutting up jackpots", "plush", "rake `em and scrape `em" that are used in the novel.

I felt the story started somewhat slowly, but it quickly caught my interest, and as events unfolded it became harder to put down. Although the story is told in the first person, in terms that will probably appeal mostly to female readers, and there are probably more descriptions of Judge Knott's clothing choices than would interest male readers, this novel should none-the-less appeal to both sexes.

The novel reads quickly and easily, and provides a very enjoyable way to relax.

I must say that I really enjoy this book. It is well written and provides alot of very good information. It is a good resource book to keep in your RV. I am planning to go full time RVing in the next couple of months and this book helped me to make that important decision. Read and enjoy folks!

We found this book a very valuable resource for planning on our eventual fulltiming phase of life. It is a very easy read, but it also has the information you need. It's very well laid out! Thanks for a great book!

Support Your RV Lifestyle: An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road (Second Edition)
is a wonderful resource -- it's well-written, filled with great information, and is inspirational and encouraging, as well. Jaimie Hall is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about her topic. It's obvious that she's a seasoned traveler -- and has been both working on the road and talking to many other RVers who have worked while enjoying their travels.

The book summarizes over 350 jobs (in categories like work at rv parks and resorts, christmas tree farms, state parks and national forest areas, concessions, seasonal jobs, sales of rv related products, crafts, writing and consulting). Details like how to handle resumes, long-distance job interviews, contact information and communication while traveling, and the right questions to ask about jobs are also covered. In addition to the many options it lists, it points out possible problems and challenges one may encounter on the road while trying to find a job or while working.

If you (like us) are thinking about traveling in an RV, this is the book to have in the planning stage -- and I assume it will also be helpful when on the road.
Also check out the author's website and enewsletter.

My husband was intrigued by the idea of full-timing in an RV. This book gives you ideas of working while moving around in your RV. Maybe working a seasonal job in a theme park or with a tour group, on a guest ranch or in a national park appeals to you. Some jobs offer free campsites.
Ultimately I chickened out on the idea, but if you think the open road is for you and want to make some money along the way, be sure to read this book.
It includes a ton of info in the appendix: including contact information for state tourist bureaus, state parks, state revenue offices and state motor vehicle and licensing bureaus and more, plus an additional 32 pages of resources.

Many people who contemplate living the RV lifestyle probably equate it with a leisurely retirement. But what if you combine RVing with a lucrative work life? You may discover that you can hit the road at a younger age and reap more rewards.
Support Your RV Lifestyle spells out in great detail exactly how to live this dream life. Jaimie Hall speaks from her own experience and culls information from a wealth of other sources to create a comprehensive tool for planning to live and work on the road.
Just as you wouldn't set out on a trip without a road map, you would be miles ahead by consulting this guide before embarking on this life journey. There's a lot more to consider than where to park your vehicle each night. Don't assume you'll just "find a job" when you reach your destination. There are many considerations, from tying your marketable skills to a job on the road, to balancing work and fun, to tax implications. Because Ms. Hall is so thorough with her guidance, you will be well-equipped to make decisions about how to combine work with pleasure.
It is likely that some of her 100-plus pages of worksheets and resource lists would assist travelers in general, not only those traveling and working out of an RV. You'll recoup the price of this travel guide many times if you choose to follow its course for living and working on the road

Derek Rydall talks about the ideas in his book on my spiritual entertainment talk show in a way that shows he's living the message in every fiber of his being. Reading his book renews my passion and confidence for my personal dream and vision of shining as a real light. He reminds me of my divinity and power in this magical play of life. He explains "oneness" like I've never grasped it before. He reveals the most important "it's who you know" metaphysical truth in Hollywood. He reminds me of my higher purpose and now I have a much deeper meaning to my work in television, and I'm able to articulate it to others so I can touch and awaken all those who cross my path on this beautiful journey. He enables us all to be true healers through the entertainment medium as we perform the real work of remembering and awakening wholeness in every heart on the planet. -- Tamara Henry, MA, Producer/Host, IN with Tamara Henry, Santa Monica News Anchor

In his second book, Derek Rydall attempts to provide an antidote for the cynicism, greed and rampant sociopathic tendencies which plague the entertainment industry. To counter these, he exhorts people to become `enlightened entertainers', who see the entertainment industry as a force for Good and who live their lives accordingly. A tall order, perhaps, but in the book he provides all the necessary information in order to set out on this journey of the soul.
Rydall starts off with the basics: identifying what enlightened entertainment is, and why audiences need it. He also provides the basic tools needed for the journey: types of meditation and soul-searching exercises. Next up is the big picture, a look at the realities of show business and the spiritual world, and how these contrast and (possibly) interact. Changing the business is something which can only happen one person at a time, so the rest of the book is devoted to developing the character of the reader. First on the purely personal level, then specifically as an artist, and finally as an entertainment professional. The final section of the book helps the reader create a career plan.
This book is definitely very New Age in style. If you're not into spirituality, the book won't do much for you - although many of the exercises are introspective ways of getting to know yourself better, and these will be beneficial for anyone. If you are spiritually enclined, Rydall's book will undoubtedly be inspirational and provide you with great insights.

This book is not just for screen writers who want to go beyond simple entertainment to meaningful film, but for all writers who want to make a difference. The time for enlightened entertainment is now! This book is not only a stepping stone and good resource, it's invaluable. Read, learn, and profit.

Firstly, well done! Well done, congratulations and two thumbs up for writing There's No Business Like Soul Business. Not only was it an inspiring read for the spiritual warrior but a brilliant example of someone wanting to help other artists and pass on oh-so-valuable insights about not only life but the wonderful world of entertainment. Reading each chapter I could hear the lessons of Deepak Chopra shining through, as I have read many of his books, and then to apply them to entertainment breaking down the myths that people can get caught up in, and allow a new road to be paved for the "enlightened entertainer" who can then make the conscious decision to shift his/her attitude and focus on your inner being as the tool for transcedence is...well, awe-inspiring.

A must read for anyone wishing to follow their dreams in the wonderful world of entertainment!

Marshall Dunn (Sydney, Australia)

Derek,
First let me complement you on your book. I really am inspired by every word. I did the visioning exercise today on the industry. I've know for some time that my purpose as an actor and writer is to wake people up to their humanity through the emotions evoked in my performances or my writing. Today I got so clearly that the essence of the industry is love and connectedness.

Thank you!
INSPIRED in 2007,
Traci Dority

Gave this book to our Son so we will see if he enjoyed it after he has time to read it. Thanks for shipping it in a timely matter.

Its Christmas 2007 and I am a big Tony Stewart fan. I received this book from family and wasnt all that thrilled since it only goes up to 2002 and to be honest I know absolutely nothing about dirt racing, sprint cars, midget cars, USAC, IRL, or Kart racing.
Well I do now.
I started glancing through the book and got hooked. Its written by Tony (with another writer Mark Bourcier ) so its in his own words. Its Tonys thoughts and memories. It gave me a huge insight into a racer I thought I already knew a lot about. I really enjoyed reading it, from his start as a child up to his NASCAR career. It has a lot of comments from a lot of people he has met in his life as a racer and a regular guy. If you are a Tony fan or a racing fan, this is really a good read. I doubt if hes this open now but he is just as honest and he hasnt changed his feelings.He discusses his honesty and troubles and fans and lots and lots of racing. I knew he was good but after reading this I came away more impressed than ever. I plan on checking through Amazon for more. more. more.

I loved this book. It was very entertaining. It really held my attention. As a matter of fact it only took me a week to read it all. That is pretty good for me and always a sign of a good book. I highly recommend it. It had some pretty funny stuff in it.

this book is a great tool for those wanting to know just how someone as talented as Tony Stewart got where he is. Its a book on racing and stays out of being too personal.

Well, I would think it would be a great book, however, I have been waiting for more than two (2) months for Amazon to sent it to me. I hope those of you who order it have months to wait for it to be shipped to you. Good luck and happy racing!

Au unforgettable journey through the century written by one of the most open-minded and talented jazz journalist of our time! A MUST and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING!!!

The main reason I read this book is because I have become a Billie Holiday fan in the last 2 years and up till now not a true lover of jazz. This book caught my attention when I did a search for books on Billie. There was about 6 to 7 pages on her but I never imagined how long this book would be! Not a bad thing though. I know it took me a long time to read as it is SO detailed and thorough. It was truly an education for me and I have a much greater apprecation for jazz! Gary Giddens is an exceptional author and is obviously a veteran writer and really knows his stuff! A truly well written book. Highly recommended for lovers of jazz and those of us who are just beginning to have a love for it!

The source of Coltrane's 'Impressions' was (Morton) Gould's "Pavanne" and not Ravel's "Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte" Giddins, however, confuses them on page 484. (After all, what's a pavane among friends?)

As someone who has spent a career reviewing documents and spreadsheets, I have a simple philosophy: if there is one error, I assume that there are others. This cost Gary a star.

Gary Giddins was only a name to me until Ken Burns's JAZZ series aired on PBS in early 2001. While I appreciated all the commentators in that remarkable series, it was the observations of Giddins that I began to eagerly anticipate night after night. He made me SEE music that I knew and loved but whose structure and complexity I had often been unable to grasp. Despite some jazz appreciation classes in college and haphazard collecting of old jazz records over the years, I had not gotten much past the "I know what I like" phase. His passion for music I was less familiar with led me on some rewarding treasure hunts.

I bought "Visions of Jazz" shortly after the conclusion of the Burns miniseries. I devoured it. I have turned to it time and again in the intervening years. Many critics overanalyze their subjects to the point where they suck the life out of the very thing they're attempting to illuminate. Giddins does not have that problem. His prose sings and swings with the elan of his beloved Sarah Vaughan.

Giddins's re-examination of the music of Ellington and Armstrong may seem at first blush to be superfluous; you may think you know all there is to know on that subject. But he proves that even the most accessible jazz figures and their music evolve from and operate within a such a complex idiom that periodic re-evaluation is necessary, and, if approached with respect for both the subject and the reader -- which Giddins has above all else -- it is most welcome indeed.

There are chapters in "Visions of Jazz" about musicians with whom I was completely unfamiliar. But I took a chance and read them, and wound up buying some Matthew Shipp recordings. It's that kind of book. You can take out as much as you put in.

As much as I appreciate Giddins's bone-deep love of jazz, his scholarship and wry humor, I also respect him for his fearlessness in making a case for, say, the inscrutable Cecil Taylor. But I am probably a big fan of someone who leaves Gary Giddins cold, and that's OK. The jazz tent is big enough for us all.

Why not 5 stars? The only "perfect" thing in jazz is Ellington's "Just a-Sittin' and a-Rockin."

To the previous reviewer: Mr Giddens was RIGHT. Coltrane's Impressions was based on BOTH pieces of music.

When I bought this I was hoping for some form of indexing of the characters and plots of the novels. What I got was a compendium of author comments on the creation of their novels. Interesting, worth reading, I'm glad I bought it, but it wasn't quite what I was hoping I would get.

Hi all, if you read the star trek novels and have plenty of them this is THE STARTING POINT to figure out what books are placed where in the star trek chronology. Thuis one shows the books covers and gives a synopsis of each book - simply amazing. And its a thick book too, so perfect fot that rainy day to sort through your star trek novels = ) And the price if great too, so click that mouse and get it sent you - highly recomended!!!

Every serious Star Trek fan should have this book. It's interesting and fun.

I cannot imagine all the research that Ayers did to assemble this book. The book is far from complete, but still to track down all the various Star Trek book covers, get interviews, write up summaries is a phenomenal achievement that should help all ST fan writers track down the best in ST fiction.

The factoids concerning the various books are fun and interesting. I, myself would have loved to have heard more on Barbara Hambley's Ishmael where she combined two television shows into one novel.

Another missing fact. That there were major differences in the hard cover and paperback version to the Star Trek:Generations novelization due to the alterations in the last moment on how our beloved Kirk was killed.

Someone at Pocket Books should consider doing a similar type text for all the Star Trek comic books that have been written. Now, that would be a great book. In a few years, I do hope that there will be a second edition to this text, with some of the non-contributing authors telling their side of the story on getting their books out.

Excellent read.

JThree
[...]

Yes, this book indeed contains each and every volume of officially released StarTrek fiction and not only sketches their plots, but also presents b/w pictures of each cover. What makes "Voyages of the Imagination" more than just a simple bibliography is the stories behind the novels, that Jeff Ayers collected in many interviews with the authors. Just the job of conducting these must have been immense. Still more incredible is the time arrow that places every chapter of the fictional world created by the StarTrek novels in the right year since 5 billion years b.c. until 1 012 260. Compared to that, the presumably giant task of finding a nearly practical structure for the bibliography consisting of miniseries which are part of other miniseries that also correspond to tv series, seems small.

But I could think of many other features that I would have expected from this book:
* The plot summary of every novel or short story never tells the ending and usually isn't more detailed than the back covers. I don't like that since I really was interested in the whole story archs.
* There is never a critique of any of the fiction. "Voyages of the Imagination" doesn't tell the readers whether any of the books is worth reading or not so much.
* I would have liked summarizing articles on which characters from the TV and movie productions appear in print fiction and how they develop; who was newly invented by the authors; where are overlaps between the novels that exclude each other etc.

On my rating: Apart from a complete bibliography and some fun with reading the stories behind the stories, this book doesn't offer me anything of what I had expected. But it gets a big bonus from me for the incredible task done and for the fact that it's the first of its kind. Therefore, three stars.

Martin Jost


I originally wrote my review in German:
Ja, dieses Buch enthält wirklich ausnahmslos jeden Band von offiziell veröffentlichter StarTrek-Fiction und umreißt nicht nur kurz dessen Handlung, sondern präsentiert auch s/w-Bilder vom jeweiligen Cover. Mehr als nur eine bloße Bibliografie ist Voyages of Imagination durch die Hintergrundgeschichten der Entstehung, die Jeff Ayers zu vielen Romanen in Interviews mit den Autoren recherchiert hat. Die Arbeit, die allein dahinter steckt, muss unglaublich gewesen sein. Noch unglaublicher wirkt aber der Zeitstrahl, der in jedes beschriebene Jahr von 5 Milliarden Jahren v. u. Zt. bis 1 012 260 unserer Zeitrechnung kapitelgenau den Ausschnitt aus der fiktionalen Welt der StarTrek-Romane einordnet, in dem darüber erzählt wird. Daneben scheint die ebenfalls nicht hoch genug einzuschätzende Leistung gering, eine halbwegs übersichtliche Struktur für die Bibliografie zu finden, in der Miniserien mit anderen Miniserien verschachtelt sind und dabei noch einer der Fernsehserien zugeordnet werden müssen.
Mir fallen aber auch noch zahlreiche Features ein, die ich mir von diesem Buch gewünscht hätte und die bei so viel Vorbereitungszeit doch hätten machbar sein müssen:
-Die Zusammenfassungen der Handlung jedes einzelnen Romans bzw. jeder anthologisierten Kurzgeschichte verrät nie die Auflösung und geht selten mehr ins Detail als die Umschlag-Rückseite. Ich finde das schade, denn mich hätten die vollständigen Handlungsbögen interessiert, die in der Roman-Welt ablaufen.
- Eine Kritik der Bücher fehlt völlig. Mit dem Handbuch "Voyages of Imagination" lässt sich nicht entscheiden, ob irgendeines der Bücher lesenswert ist oder nicht.
- Zusammenfassungen wären interessant gewesen, aus denen hervor geht, welche Charaktere aus den TV- und Kinoproduktionen mitspielen und sich weiterentwickeln; welche Charaktere neu eingeführt werden; wo es sich ausschließende Überschneidungen zwischen den Romanen gibt u. s. w. Diese hätten am Ende jedes Kapitels in tabellarischer Form oder am Ende der Beschreibung jedes Plots hervorgehoben Platz gefunden.

Zu meiner Bewertung: Abgesehen von einer vollständigen Bibliografie und einigem Lesevergnügen über die jeweiligen Menschen hinter den Geschichten bietet dieses Buch nichts, was ich mir von ihm gewünscht hätte. Einen dicken Bonus erhält es aber für die gründliche und unvorstellbar umfangreiche Arbeit die drin steckt und dafür, dass es immerhin endlich das erste seiner Art ist. Unterm Strich also 3 Sterne.

Martin Jost