Ed O'Neill Books

This book give types of Insurgencies that history has show us and the definitions that make them different to each other.

Everyone, at some time or another, looks for a magic wand, for that perfect solution to a problem. In the last few years, since the end of the cold war and of our comfortable belief that conflict was something that happened between two superpowers, by proxy in far, distant lands, we have had to wake up to the reality of a transnational insurgency that has the power to affect us wherever we are, be it in a commercial building in New York, a hotel in Jakarta, a train station in Madrid or a bus in London.

Since Francis Fukuyama's optimistic "The end of history" (as premature a title as ever has been written), a number of books have been published that analyze small wars, as these are now at the forefront of the news. Reading these books one hopes to find an answer to the new phenomenon of an apparently religiously driven discontent that is spanning two continents (Africa and Asia) and has actively engaged proponents in another two (America and Europe).

Bard O'Neill's "Insurgency and Terrorism", published by Potomac Books in 2005, is a well-written analysis of how and why insurgencies develop. Does it give readers an immediate understanding of how to deal with the Al Qaeda's new threat of an international Islamic insurgency? Does it give us the magic wand we are seeking in a flash of inspiration? Unfortunately no. But the problem is that there are no easy solutions to the incidents of terrorism we are facing today. It is disingenuous and fallacious of Governments to propose and believe in easy solutions to this problem, as "Mission Accomplished" all to painfully has shown.

It does however pay to analyze carefully the situation we are dealing with in it proper (and several) contexts. And this O'Neill does reasonably well. Insurgencies have been fought against invading armies, or against unpopular regimes that use established armies to impose their governance. In the first seven chapters of the book, O'Neill offers a structured analysis of the socio-economical motivations for insurgencies, the environments in they are fought and the strategies used to fight them, the importance of gaining and using popular support (through conviction, propaganda and coercion) as well as manipulating external support (outside the areas directly affected by conflict), and the organization and hierarchy of an insurgent operation. Through this structured categorization O'Neill examines how insurgencies develop and succeed. Also through this analysis we discover how different Al Qaeda's operations are today from past guerilla engagements.

Indeed, in this revised second edition of the book, O'Neill does keep the discussion current with references to how he believes the insurgency Al Qaeda is leading fits (or otherwise) in to his analyses. One would assume that Al Qaeda might deserve a chapter of its own but that is unfortunately missing; as O'Neill observes, the group's strategies and objectives don't fit particularly well in to any past or present insurgency. For instance, Mao's strategies are reasonable well described, particularly the requirement of support from the masses, and their mobilization in support a protracted popular war strategy, that seems to be one of Al Qaeda's aims. But, as the author points out, the closed cell organizational structure, loosely independent of a central authority, "is not conducive to mass mobilization." It is interesting to contrast Mao's doctrines on insurgency with Al Qaeda's today. O'Neill might have juxtaposed the two types of insurgency more strongly; in the section describing Mao's approach to coercion (as one of the tools used by insurgents to gain popular support) the author recalls Mao's "Eight Points of Attention" used to ensure his troops did the following:

* Speak politely.
* Pay fairly for what you buy.
* Return everything you borrow.
* Pay for anything you damage.
* Do not hit or swear at people.
* Do not damage crops.
* Do not take liberties with women.
* Do not ill-treat captives.

How different from the tactics being used by Al Qaeda today! Particularly the last two points! Mao led what arguably must be history's most successful insurgency and his tactics and strategies were successfully used in another war that began as an insurrection: the conflict that Vo Nguyen Giap conducted first against the French and then against the Americans. However Al Qaeda's protracted war doesn't seem to be modeled on any previous engagement.

Indeed O'Neill doesn't specify any example in history on which the Al Qaeda led insurgency is based. But it is in evaluating historical context that the book is quite weak. The approach O'Neill takes is structural rather than historical. He defines categories, and then finds insurgencies that fit them. The historical background of each insurgency is barely sketched out in most cases. And this leads to some omissions. For instance, there are references to the 1948-1960 Malayan Emergency throughout the text. But the context within which the British were eventually successful has been completely ignored: Gerald Templer's plan to set the country on the path to Independence, thereby voiding the political appeal of the insurgents, is not mentioned. Indeed neither there is a mention of Templer himself, who arguably was the architect of the most successful counterinsurgency effort ever staged by Britain. Of even more relevance today, and even though Afghanistan is mentioned throughout the book, no reference is made to the failed colonizing efforts made by the British in three disastrous wars conducted by them against Pashtun warriors, whose descendants also routed the Russians, and, in spite of all the recent American, Coalition and NATO efforts, are still causing seemingly endless trouble today. One might reasonably assume that a more detailed analysis of these two events would have been useful in the final chapter in which O'Neill evaluates possible Government responses to the threats presented by insurgencies. A far more detailed historical perspective of insurgencies, beginning with how the Romans fought successfully against insurgents in the lands they conquered, can be found in Walter Laqueur's "Guerrilla Warfare" published by transaction in 1998.

Even though the historical contexts of the various insurgencies O'Neill describes aren't presented as thoroughly as one might expect, the structured categorization of insurgents' operations allows the author to define a number of possible counterinsurgency strategies in the final chapter of the book. It is in this chapter that we find out that there are no easy solutions to be expected. Indeed a single definition of "victory" is not given. O'Neill observes that one of the most important factors in the success of a response is to be able to anticipate insurgents' plans and counter them effectively. However anticipation can only come from an administration that has a clear understanding of the opposing forces' strategies, tactics and goals. Without a clear comprehension of these, responses can be misdirected at best or play directly in to the goals of the insurgents at worse. In limited, national engagements, insurgent forces' strategies can be understood, but historically there has been a steep learning curve Government have had to face, and the learning has been (and obviously still is) faulty. This learning curve is much steeper for insurgencies that span beyond a single country's borders, as international cooperation is needed in the fight against them, and politics provide a huge barrier against this.

In conclusion, the book gives the reader some very good insights on how recent past insurgencies have developed and been handled. In today's context what the book misses out on is a strong thread that might give more specific insights in to how we might tackle the problem of a transnational insurgency that is driven through the very modern tools of communication (such as the Internet) by a group of people whose ideals are very firmly rooted in the medieval past. This lack of a thread is probably due to the fact that O'Neill wrote the first edition of the book in 1990, well before the rise of Islamic extremism. In keeping with the original structure of the book, the second revision shows that the Al Qaeda revolution is in a category of its own. It become implicit that we will need to develop new tools to fight it, and not much of our previous knowledge and experience on insurgencies can be called upon successfully.

This is an excellent book. The author is a well known and respected expert of the field. The book begins with an introduction that attempts to level set and baseline definitions and meanings. Although this may appear to be semantics, the differences both subtle and great is important. The book is well organized it is easy to refer to a specific chapter or section in the event you need a quick refresher and or reference. The book is well written, concise and offers a large quantity of foot notes at the end of each chapter. This book is for both the expert and the novice.

Terry Tucker, Adjunct Professor, Military Studies/History University of Maryland and Senior Doctrine Developer SANGMP, Vinnell Arabia

I have read the first edition of this book and I found it very useful to understand insurgency and terrorism. Moreover I wish I had read this book when I was in Colombia or in Haiti where we had to deal with insurgencies. In my opinion the book is an important tool for the intelligence analyst because it shows a framework to analyze the complex phenomenon of guerilla and insurgency. It was very valuable for me to learn about the four strategic approaches (conspiratorial - military focus - protracted popular war - and urban warfare)

As I wrote above, I read the first edition, so I don't know if the ideas that I'm going to write about are been included or not. The first one is about the "Legal Warfare" that was developed by the Insurgencies in Colombia and Argentina. It consists in accused soldiers of violations of human's rights. On almost every occasion they were false accusations. Therefore, they were judged and condemned by the civil authorities. However, nobody accused the terrorists of human right violations. The last one is about the insurgency that is developed from a defeated army. This is the case of what Col Volckmann said in his book "We remained" about the resistance in Philippines in World War II.

In conclusion, the book is brilliantly written and is very useful to understand and defeat insurgencies.

Terrorism and Insurgency by Bard E. O'Neill, is an invaluable resource for those interested in understanding insurgency and the relevant factors that lead to its success or failure.

This book appears to be written for a classroom audience (the author in fact provides a proposed semester-length class schedule complete with lesson plans and assigned reading). However, O'Neill also has government analysts and policy makers in mind. Throughout the book, and especially in chapters covering government response and the conclusion, he stresses the value of providing as complete a picture as possible while keeping in mind objectivity and maintaining an unbiased approach to analysis.

O'Neill begins his book by looking at insurgencies and the related fields of terrorism and guerilla warfare. His framework for analysis includes understanding the nature of the insurgency, insurgent strategies, both political and military, understanding the physical as well as human environment, organization, and the role of external support.

In the final chapter, O'Neill lays out a comprehensive lense through which a government analyst could view its adversary and policy makers can create successful counterinsurgency operations. Urging the avoidance of polemics and shortsightedness, O'Neill provides a credible and realistic lense through which to create effective countermeasures.

O'Neill helps to settle many unhelpful arguments and issues for analysts. For example, he rejects the false dichotomy of freedom fighter versus terrorist, as one deals with ends (freedom fighter) and one is a means to get their (terrorism). As such, a freedom fighter can use terrorist tactics to achieve his ends.

Also, a driving factor that many insurgencies use to determine their strategies are the physical and human environment around them and the perceived and real government response. Understanding this is invaluable both for insurgents and counterinsurgency operations.

The ideology, or political campaign, the insurgent group promotes, serves the valuable function of differentiating friend from foe. Providing an alternative to this ideology is integral to separating insurgents from the majority population (assuming the insurgents are a minority).

Many insurgencies survive through external support from other states or insurgent groups. One method students and analysts can use to find weaknesses to exploit is by knowing which insurgent groups do and do not receive external support and the motives for the disparity.

Finally, many responses to insurgency fail because of inflexibility, sloppiness, ignorance, bias, anger, bureaucratic imperative or psychological aversion. These failings create often flawed and fatally mistaken counterinsurgency strategies. Avoiding this should be of primary concern.

This is a classic young childs book. Told through the eyes of a young boy the book takes on a real young child feel. The rhyming words that make it easy to read and the bright expressive pictures have captivated my young childrens imagination.
I would recommend this book and also the first book by these two creative individuals; The Boston Ballonies.

We found this book while vacationing in Maine and it's beautifully illustrated, rhymes, funny, ironic, a good book to enjoy. It's probably perfect for a 3-5 year old but a 2 year old and older kids would probably enjoy it too.

Loved this book. It is for children and will be enjoyed by the adults reading it to them. The illustrating is great. Highly recommend.

I got this book because my son loved the "Boston Balloonies" so much and this had the same illustrator and author. This book tells the story through the eyes of the little boy, so the illustrations are even more expressive. The bright colors and expressive facial expressions on the characters helped captivate my 1 and a half year old. I'll admit that he doesn't have the attention span to get through the whole book yet, but I imagine that it would be perfect for kids starting at 2 and going all the way through grade school.

Just like Boston Balloonies, the text rhymes in a "Suess-ish" fashion, so that also is great for little ears.

It's a nice hard-cover binding with full-color pages. It's not a board book, but the pages are thick enough to not tear easily. Great price!

Boston Balloonies is a descriptive and funny tour of Beantown--from the perspective of anthropomorphized balloons! Toddlers to ten-year-olds will enjoy floating and bouncing through pages of wonderfully detailed illustrations and lilting words.

The rhymes are buoyant and clever; fun reading for kids and parents. Think more sophisticated Dr. Seuss.

The hard cover will be appreciated when this book turns out to be one that's read over and over.

Illustration-wise, there is so much going on! Each "Balloonie" is a distinctive, memorable character, and a child is sure to find something new in the Boston scenes' details every time.

Overall, Boston Balloonies is energetic and fun for a wide range of readers. No book better explores Boston by balloons!

The Boston Balloonies is a cheery, rhyming children's picturebook about colorful balloon creatures who gallivant about the fine city of Boston and take in its wondrous sights and features. "They drift down the alleys. / They glide up the streets. / They float past the shops / That sell silver and sweets. // And the ones that sell books, / And a few that sell jeans, / And a bunch that are known / For their Boston Baked Beans!" Color illustrations brimming with leap-off-the-page enthusiasm add a special touch of cheer to this fun and friendly storybook.

I just bought this book, and my 1 and a half-year old loves it! It's a great price for a hard-cover, and the illustrations are bright and catch my kid's eye.

The text rhymes, so I think that helped hold his attention, as well.

I would say that the target age range for the book would most probably start at around 1.5 and go all the way up through grade school.

From cute cherry cheeked little girls to bratty school boys, from the rich to the poor, from the sickly to the healthy, these paintings of children made by Victorian artists tell us a lot about the artists but also about the times they lived in. Many of the paintings don't touch on the subject of poverty or the hard life of the poor, not because the poor didn't have a hard life but because those types of paintings just didn't sell. Yet a few of the artists did try to show the truth, showing, in some ways, the street life of the lower classes and the fate of their offspring. From babies to young adults, this book is full of beauty and innocence.

I like this book a lot. Great depth. Great story. Great details. Fantastic suspense. A fine book to read. A great book to buy. Buy it grab and read it all.
I love the ending. Beatty did a great job.

(This review is for A View from the Bridge, which I give 2 stars. I think that All My Sons is Miller's best play, and rate that 5 stars)

During the 1940's, Miller and director Elia Kazan were close friends (Miller actually dedicated All My Sons (1947) to him). In 1952, Kazan went before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and named eight people that had been members of the Communist party. Miller was very disappointed in his friend and wrote The Crucible as a metaphor for the witch-hunt that was taking place in Washington. Kazan responded with On The Waterfront, in which Marlon Brando fingers a corrupt union leader. Miller responded to Kazan through drama again in 1955 with A View From the Bridge.

Eddie Carbone turns in two Italian immigrants because one of them (Rodolpho) is dating his niece (Catherine), whom he secretly (even unknown to himself) lusts after. Eddie is eventually killed by the other immigrant (Marco).

Alfieri is a neighborhood lawyer whom Eddie seeks out for help to keep his niece away from Rodolpho. He tells him that there is nothing the law can do for Eddie, and that he should just "wish her luck." Alfieri is the quasi-narrator of the play, and it is his neutral view from which the play takes its name (he is also a bridge between Italy & America, between old world values & the American law). He is a Cassandra character - he knows what will happen and Eddie does not listen to him.

It's much less dimensional than Death of A Salesman or All My Sons, an incredible play about war-profiteering and cover-ups that has never gotten the attention it deserved (it reappeared on Broadway in the fall of 2008).

Arthur Miller appeared before HUAC in 1956. True to his word, he refused to supply political information about other writers and entertainers. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and blacklisted, but it was eventually overturned.

Arthur Miller never ceases to impress me. As one of the greatest American playwrights in history, Miller depicts the lives of these characters in a beautiful yet relatable way. Definitely a good read if you have a free afternoon to yourself. I would suggest reading the whole thing in one sitting. Definitely helps the pacing of the story.

Arthur Miller's View from the Bridge is a lengthy, emotionally packed drama that focuses on perplexing longshoreman, 40 year-old Eddie Carbone who has a disturbing inappropriate fixation on his 18 year-old niece. Lawyer Alfieri provides intermittent narration on the unfolding drama with tragic consequences.

The 50's play, considered in Best American Plays, takes place in Red Hook Brooklyn, NY, where an Italian family, Eddie Carbone, wife Beatrice, and Catherine, the 18-year old niece whose mother was Beatrice's sister. It's unclear how young she was when they took her in, but since she has become a young girl, Eddie has been in control of her actions, the normal coming-of-age sexuality, like when he accuses her of the looks she gets by "walkin' wavy".

Neice Catherine's argument to prove a short skirt isn't as short when she stands up and walks, she says, "when you see me walkin' down the street.......Eddie replys "Listen, you have been giving me the willies the way you walk in the street, I mean it."

Beatrice's two cousins, who are brothers, are immigrating from the beautiful mountains and oceans in Italy, but where poverty is the predominant force. The beautiful view is what is across the bridge.

Hiding from immigration, the brothers are respectful and here to work and Catherine is soon in love with younger brother, Rodolpho. Through his own admission, the idea "eats" at Eddie, as his torment is fueled each day. Eddie is challenging, belligerent, sarcastic and evil.

We don't learn a lot about his wife Beatrice's past or Eddie's, we just know that wife Beatrice is very aware of his actions and obsession toward Catherine. Beatrice and Eddie have not had sexual relations for months and she is craving to be his wife again.

During the first act, the set-up is done well. The reader learns quickly about the sexual obsession; we learn how dedicated and respectful the immigrants are, we learn the frustration with Beatrice, and we learn very well, what makes Eddie tick!

The drama moves quickly, it is intense and complete! There is a movie version, but I truly believe the best way to see this and get the feel of characters, is to see the entire play on stage. Movies leave out so much feeling one needs to grasp to gather your thoughts.

I recommend highly, Miller's All My Sons (Penguin Classics)"All My Sons" and The Price and of course, the popular Death of a Salesman (Penguin Plays). .......Rizzo

The great play writer Arthur Miller had the idea for "A View From The Bridge" when he was doing research on a longshoreman who was executed by the mob for attempting to revolt against union. He heard a story about another man who denounced his relatives to the Immigration Bureau. The play is not only about this fact, but also concerning on tense familiar and social relationships, and also there is a sexual identity subtext.

Although "A View from the Bridge" is not as famous or as good as "The Crucible" or "Death of a Salesman", it is an interesting piece since its characters are so well developed. One of the main themes in this play is the `naming names'. Just like Miller himself, the main character Eddie Carbone, had the chance of denouncing his friends. Unlike his character, the writer when inquired about his supposed communist friends chose to be loyal to them.

But certainly, the main symbol in the play is Brooklyn Bridge, that means, among other things, pathway of opportunity to Manhattan and also the linkage between American and Italian cultures. And the community where the play is set is very close to this bridge. Miller has created again some effective characters in this play, who are forced to face problematic situations. They may not always succeed, but the writer does - at least most of the time.

What really kills this recording is the Guy Noire style narrator.

Garrison Keillor kills this recording.

We keep waiting for the wry and subtle in-jokes, and they fail to come

What we get is real life.
Guy Noire only gets in the way.

This recording arrived in its box as ordered, used. I was surprised not to find a lengthy brochure inside. I highly recommend you also get the play as written by Miller, perhaps at A View From the Bridge, Arthur Miller, I do not know, but I wish I had read the play along with hearing this live recording, as the issues raised in this play are crucial for where we are today.

We are all immigrants and the grandchildren of immigrants, except for instance the Cherokee and the Sioux, etc. By what moral right may we now deny these who come as ew ourselves did?

This play explores the nature of the immigrant, and the illegal one, and the criminal networks which hold them enslaved, as they are today, and the criminal employers who need pay them nothing, as they are illegal. For this reason they are labelled illegal, to pay them nothing.

This play is not The Crucible as other reviewers wish. It is not Willy Loman, although issues of hidden sexual diversity may also find tracing.

It is a play about poor immigrants, some illegal. We need read it today.

Yet this recording may well not entirely provide a clear View from the Bridge.

Apparently there was some adaptation in order to make it a purely oral reading, and thus the dominance of the Guy Noire character (a lawyer) who even provides descriptions of actions on stage as one would not hear in the theatre except in certain productions of Bertolt Brecht. All the same it was not clear to me just what Ed O'Neill was doing with Marco in the end. For all we could tell from the sighs they might have been, well, dancing.

And that is the second distractor after Guy Noire: Ed O'Neill. We all know and despise Ed O'Neill from Married with Children - The Complete First Season, the hand in pants Al Bundy character is unshakable and the voice is clearly his here, despite the harder Brooklyn edge.

It is hard to come to love Al Bundy, and it is hard for us here to identify enough with Ed's character to care in the end. We are thus tragically left with melodrama (reinforced by Guy Noire) rather than tragedy, bathos rather than pathos.

And that is a shame. This play has much to tell us now today in so many ways.

When we hear the original Caedmon recording of Death of a Salesman with Lee J. Cobb and Dustin Hoffman we do not need audio-visual clues telling us what we are not seeing, nor an Our Town type telling us what we ought to be seeing. Here I find the omnipresent, omniscient, ironic Guy Noire character intrusive and drawing from the direct drama, and wonder how much the original play has been adapted for this recording. Perhaps none. Perhaps too much. I need to read the book.

I think people in other reviews have not heard this play clearly enough, but through the lens of other works by Miller. Read this work on its own. Do not read King Lear as if it were Romeo and Juliet. This work stands strongly on its own. We need read it now.

We need open our arms to the huddled masses, as our Liberty statue promises. We need destroy the economic injustice which enslaves millions in our own homeland to the profit of a superfluously wealthy few, who when things fall apart get even more trillions thrown their way.

Hear the subtext of this play. It preaches equality. It preaches justice. It preaches love. It preaches equal opportunity. It preaches America.

Read the play. And then try this recording by the LA Theatre Works. You might even come to understand Al Bundy as the complex Eddie Carbone.

Dr. Guillory offers a revised and newly updated edition of his definitive guide for the one in five people suffering from spastic colon, cramping pains or nausea after eating, constipation, gas, and diarrhea--the variety of uncomfortable digestive symptoms known as IBS--Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Revealing questionnaires and special temporary diets are featured, as well as detailed information about testing and medications. Included are special stress reduction techniques along with corrective exercises and advice on lifestyle changes that provide relief

Dr. Guillory offers a revised and newly updated edition of his definitive guide for the one in five people suffering from spastic colon, cramping pains or nausea after eating, constipation, gas, and diarrhea--the variety of uncomfortable digestive symptoms known as IBS--Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Revealing questionnaires and special temporary diets are featured, as well as detailed information about testing and medications. Included are special stress reduction techniques along with corrective exercises and advice on lifestyle changes that provide relief

I thougth the book was very interesting and helpful.

When a Dr. writes a book, we all assume that all the conculsion will be based in fact as opposed to annecdotal fiction. While Dr.Gerard provides a good explanation of what IBS is and a high level guide to reducing IBS symptoms through diet and lifestyle changes...he fails to provide enough details on the diet that is needed. Also, he does not do a very through job of analyzing and discussing dietary fiber supplements, such as metamucil which have proven useful for many IBS sufferers. For example, in his writing that experts are split on whether or not Metamucil can help IBS sufferers with Dir..h and that he doesn't feel it works is not very useful to a person who just bought this book looking for a "Guide to Prevention and Relief".He should state that for those other experts that think Metamucil is helpful, how they suggest taking the supplement and what are the common issues that surround such therapy.

To answer your main questions about Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Gerard Guillory's _IBS: A doctor's plan_ is an excellent place to start. It is filled with useful tips and has a reassuring tone. I highly recommend this book, along with Dawn Burstall et al.'s _IBS relief: A Doctor, a Dietitian and a Psychologist Provide a Team Approach to Managing IBS_. Both books complement each other well and provide useful information. (see my review of Burstall et al. at amazon.com)

One of the top challenges for a good DM is to run a quality city adventure, as you have to have lots of potential NPCs that your players can run in to - and, you often have to create a lot of them on the fly as well. This book gives the DM a lot of good information about a medium sized city that can be put into a lot of generic campaign settings fairly easily. You have information about the king and his family, then the idle rich "Blackflame" nobility (who can cause a lot of problems), the guilds, as well as the underworld. Very solid information, and not over the top/overpowered like some of Ed Greenwood's past work on the Forgotten Realms. If you want political intrigue in an adventure - you have tons of potential with the Blackflames and the guilds... if you want a dungeon crawl, the city has an extensive sewer system that you can populate with all kinds of bad guys... this book has a lot to offer anybody who is into D&D and the d20 system.

Another of my large Kalamar purchase, this book initially impressed more than the Kingdoms of Kalamar sourcebook did. In the end however, it got the same rating, and the same overall impression. Nice, hung together well enough, lots of NPCs in good detail, but numerous irritations and inconsistencies dragged it down. Worse, not one immediate idea for an adventure sprang to mind reading it. This might be a lack of imagination on my part (I'll not so humbly say that this is unlikely), or more likely the kinds of adventures suggested by this book don't appeal to me.

This book is an exploration of a city in the campaign setting, and follows the same feel in that the emphasis is far more on the politics rather than old ruins or monsters. This is fine, but not quite what most people expect from AD&D. The cover is a very nice picture of a stone and a fire giant fighting while adventurers watch behind small hills, and the city in the background. Unfortunately, that's about all that these kinds of threats are seen, except in passing. The underground sewers are detailed well, but most areas are given the same "rumors of treasures hidden in the walls" treatment.

So the emphasis is on the people and their interactions. The city overall is one with a very peaceful reputation. You have five main groups, the Castle, the Guilds, the Nobles, the Priests and the common people. The Castle and leaders seem mostly good, with the potential heir being somewhat weak, leading to worries as to what will happen if the Lord dies. The guilds are builders, craftsmen, parcel carriers, etc, and basically well respected. There are one or to evil guildmasters, but very little detailed as to if they have any real plans. The Nobles are the most interesting group at first, as they're disliked by the commoners and Guilds alike. But rather quickly it's obvious that most follow a pattern.. Leader of the house, the heir is almost always a young man or woman who either seeks adventure to make a name, seeks adventurers to provide a power base for when they become the leader, or weak/not interested in the job of being house leader. One or two plots are laid out in fair detail, but they still didn't really grab me, and the sameness of each noble house got monotonous after awhile.

The religions are primarily good or neutral, and the evil religions again follow a pattern of only a few followers, want to expand their powerbase in the city, preparing to do so but not yet... One religion is truly evil, with some fleshing out of the despicable practices of its leader, but this was only a blip in the monotony. The shady dealings in the city are minimal and glossed over in the chapter devoted to this, because the town watch is so effective. The section on adventures is quite thin, and almost nothing in it really grabbed me.

Another element of this book that I disliked were some writing style choices and inconsistencies.
1. Names not always consistent between book, glossary (with page number where character is found) and the NPC list.
2. Almost every paragraph had at least one word in quotes, sometimes needed but more than often not.. Example: "If being 'noble' accords him special privileges, he will shamelessly make use of them ... However, he knows very well that anyone who truly believes Talasaarans are 'better' than their fellow Geanavese..." These quotes interrupt the flow of reading for me.
3. The authors use city-wide versions of common words throughout (at least they do explain the meaning) but this is annoying when they're for words like street, corner, avenue, left (sinister) and right (dexter). Again, it breaks up the flow.
4. The walkthrough of the city switches from guide-book style of simple description to actual guide style ("Now, as we go down this street, we decide to turn in the sinister direction and...") multiple times. Combined with huge amounts of quotes and city specific terms, plus including information already mentioned in the rest of the book, this chapter seemed a waste.
5. Sometimes the book goes into great detail about specific plots and plans (well, all of a couple of them), and other times things that it would help the DM to know are merely mentioned and then left alone as something that "No one really knows.". This seems inconsistent.

Ok, so lots of complaints.. It still gets a three for the high production quality and the wealth of NPCs and locations included. The nits and sameness drag it down to just average.

I ordered this book along with, "Police Officer Exam California : The Complete Preparation Guide (Learning Express Law Enforcement Series. California)," for my brother as he was taking the test to enter the academy. I must say that he did pass his test with help from these books, but it took him a couple tries, and I don't think this book accurately prepared him for testing. But it did help a little. I would say that these a generous three stars.

Most of the stuff in this book is some of the things you would hear from a law enforcement officer, like I do (dad is a cop and I will be the 1st female in the family). This book is pretty good if your want to see what a real exam will look like. It also give alot of tips for you application and interviews. It tells you what your training will probably be, and gives you tips on how to do some physical training, with alot more information on other things. So, if your getting into law enforcement, I can say this is a right book to get. But if you know a police officer asks them for some insight on the field, too.

AND FOR ALL THE WOMEN OUT THERE IF IT'S YOUR DREAM OR THIS IS THE PROFESSION YOU WANT TO GO IN TO I COMEND YOU, FOR I AM A WOMAN, AND I BELIEVE IF YOU FEMALE OR MALE GO FOR YOUR DREAMS AND THE THINGS YOU WANT IN LIFE!!!!!!!!!!