Chris Owen Books

I loved all 4 of these books and thought they were well written, not to mention I learned so much from them! Chris you are so good keep those books coming!!

(Amazon Star Rating: Within the range of a 3, it's a 3.6) An older veterinarian and a younger cop must learn to trust each other as they embark on a formal BDSM relationship. The real affection between the characters and the subtle writing make this story absorbing. Many hot sex scenes! Note: The short review is to save you time. The long version can be found on my Obsidian Bookshelf website.

MY FAVORITE BOOK IS BAREBACK BY CHRIS OWEN. AFTER I READ BAREBACK I BEGAN READING ALL OF HIS BOOKS. WITH THE HELP OF JODI PAYNE HE HAS PROVIDED READERS WITH A VERY WELL WRITTEN BOOK. IT INVOLVES TOBIAS A DOM WHO HAS BEEN AWAY FROM THE SCENE FOR SOME MONTHS BECAUSE OF HIS HEARTBREAK OVER HIS INVOLVEMENT WITH HIS THEN SUB PHANTOM. ON HIS 41ST BIRTHDAY HE DECEIDED TO GO BACK TO THE S&M CLUB WHERE HE WAS A MEMBER. THE OWNER WAS A CLOSE FRIEND AND THRILLED TO SEE HIM AGAIN. EVERYONE STARED AT TOBIAS AS HE WAS A WELL KNOW AND WELL LIKED DOM. EVEN HIS OLD LOVER AND SUB. PHAN STILL LOVED HIM. NOT IN LOVE WITH HIM BUT LOVED HIM. TOBIAS FELT THE SAME TOWARD PHAN. BRADFORD INTRODUCED TOBIAS TO NOAH, A GOOD LOOKING MAN IN HIS LATE 20'S. BRADFORD TOLD THEM HE THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE GOOD TOGETHER AND LEFT THEM ALONE. NOAH HAD BEEN WITH A FEW MASTERS BUT THEY NEVER SEEMED TO WORK OUT. HE DEFINITLY WAS NOT INTO DEEP PAIN AND CAGES SCARED HIM. IT WAS UP TO TOBIAS TO FIND OUT WHY. HE NOTICED NOAH HAD A SCAR ON HIS SHOULDER AND DECEIDED TO ASK HIM ABOUT IT LATER ON. YOU'LL ENJOY WHAT HAPPENS WHEN TOBIAS DISCOVERS NOAH'S FIRST DOM IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TORMENT HE FEELS. AFTER STUDYING AND LISTENING TO NOAH HE SAID HE'D TRAIN HIM. NOW ALL NOAH HAD TO DO WAS SIGN A CONTRACT. THROUGH TIME NOAH AND TOBIAS FALL IN LOVE. BECAUSE OF THE CLOSENESS BETWEEN TOBIAS AND PHAN NOAH FEELS THREATENED. HE CALLED PHAN AND ASKED IF THEY COULD MEET. WITHOUT HIS KNOWLEDGE PHAN CALLED TOBIAS TELLING HIM ABOUT NOAH ASKING HIM OUT FOR LUNCH. LATER WHEN NOAH FOUND OUT HE BECAME UPSET. NOAH AND PHAN ENDED UP LIKING EACH OTHER. NOW REMEMBER I SAID LIKED NOT LOVED. I JUST GAVE YOU A SLIGHT INDICATION ABOUT THE CONTENTS OF THIS BOOK. THERE IS SO MANY EXCITING INCIDENTS INSIDE OF THIS MARVELOUS BOOK. I THINK DEVIATIONS: SUBMISSION BY CHRIS OWEN & JODIE PAYNE IS ONE HECK OF A BOOK! AFTER YOU READ THE FIRST IN THIS SERIES YOU'LL FIND YOURSELF BUYING THE SECOND BOOK DEVIATIONS: DOMINATION. YOU'LL ALSO DISCOVER THE SECOND BOOK IS AS ENTERTAINING IF NOT MORE SO THAN THE FIRST. NOW FOR A THIRD BOOK. HUM, NOW THERE'S A GOOD IDEA.

I really enjoy M/M erotica and romance. But, I wasn't so sure about gay BDSM. This book totally changed my mind! The characters are engaging, the story is realistic and the sex is hot. But, there is also a deeply felt relationship beginning between Tobias and Noah that makes the reader want more. The BDSM aspects can be a little uncomfortable to someone who isn't involved in that (like me), but no more uncomfortable than stories that have elements of rape, danger or abuse to propel a plot. I devoured this book, and the sequel "Deviations: Dominance" is a couple of days. If you are a fan of gay romance, do yourself a favor and try this. The third book, Deviations: Discipline has been released by Torquere and should be available soon from Amazon.

I really enjoy M/M erotica and romance. But, I wasn't so sure about gay BDSM. This book totally changed my mind! The characters are engaging, the story is realistic and the sex is hot. But, there is also a deeply felt relationship beginning between Tobias and Noah that makes the reader want more. The BDSM aspects can be a little uncomfortable to someone who isn't involved in that (like me), but no more uncomfortable than stories that have elements of rape, danger or abuse to propel a plot. I devoured this book, and the sequel "Deviations: Dominance" is a couple of days. If you are a fan of gay romance, do yourself a favor and try this.

A body falls from the sky in the dry New Mexico wilds. Two native American ranchers sight the mysterious image and set off to find it. Nearby to the body impaled in the limbs of a tree, they find a suitcase full of money.

This could be their lucky break, or their worst nightmare. They decide to risk keeping the money -- and to face the inevitable consequences . . .

The native American insights are a delight to read. Louis Owens's beautifully crafted prose leaves a last impression.

Owens' third American Indian crime thriller has received praise from Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly, Booklist and others. The consequences of trying to keep found money (in this case, $850,000 dropped from a drug dealer's plane in remote New Mexico) take ranchers Will Striker and Billy Keene on a wild ride. Enter sex and magical realism, stir, and find yourself reading a "well-wrought thriller capped by a twist-filled climax."

Louis Owens has crafted an engrossing story that mixes a not unfamiliar crime thriller with the supernatural world of two half-Cherokee friends, Billy Keene and Will Striker, and Billy's elderly grandfather. When Billy and Will watch a body and suitcase full of cash fall from the sky while out hunting, their entire world changes immediately. After a brief debate, they decide to leave the body where it impaled itself on a pine tree and take off with the $850,000 dollars in cash; but, before they even get out of the forest, they are attacked by a helicopter.

Yes, the beginning seems familiar and the storyline done before; but, the direction this book takes departs from your standard boilerplate crime thriller. Between romance with beautiful strangers and the grandfather involving the spirit world in protecting Billy and Will, this book is a fun romp from beginning to end. And, don't expect a pat ending, as the climax of this story has a twisting and turning path to the last word.

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A Guide to my Book Rating System:

1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.

from the very first paragraph. Owens's brand of wit and humor blend with his examination of the ranching life in the New Mexico desert to create a highly-charged, complex murder mystery. Set in Indian country, Nightland stakes a strong multicultural claim to the art form of the American Murder Mystery, but it stakes a claim also on the magical realism of American Indian and South American literature. The resulting blend of ghosts and grim realism give the story a dark, mystical, enspirited patina. The pig and dog are hilarious counterpoint to the Cherokee mixedblood heroes. Round out the story with amiable ghosts, a seductive shape-shifter, and some nasty bad guys and you have a bona fide page-turner.

Billy Keene and Will Striker, the main characters of Louis Owens' novel Nightland, are half-breed Cherokees living on failing ranches in New Mexico that their grandparents bought from the Mexican-Americans whose family had a grant from Spain [who took the land from Native Americans in the first place]. They're out hunting deer when a man [who we find out is of Pueblo Indian blood] falls from the sky and ends up skewered on a juniper tree. A suitcase full of money falls with him. Despite misgivings, Billy and Will keep the money. Then all hell breaks loose. Nightland is at heart a thriller, but as with Owens' other novels, it is also a musing on identity. Native American spirituality and the supernatural play a key role in the novel, so if suspension of disbelief is a problem for the potential reader, don't start this book. This is a much faster read than Bone Game and The Sharpest Sight. I found Nightland to be one of the highlights of my summer reading. Oh, and as if my opinion actually counted, I think Richard Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino should buy the rights to Nightland and make a movie. One of the pieces of sad news from this summer was that Louis Owens had taken his own life. He left us five great novels, including Nightland.

I haven't even received this book yet, and I'm already so sure it will be as good as the last 2, I'm not hesitant to rate it.

I had gone past this series several times, but after reading an excerpt on another site I ordered Submission and Domnination, although not too sure what I was going to be reading entirely. I would have ordered Discipline as well but didn't realize it was out, it should be here any day. I am not in the least involved, or knowledgeable about the BDSM scene, so like Jem have no idea how accurate it is, but loved the books nevertheless. The characters were well developed from the beginning, and I will admit I got really wrapped up in the intensity of the story, so much so that I had to put it down and walk away for awhile a few times.

The balance, or the striving for,in the relationship between Noah and Tobias was very well and thoughtfully written, as well as the scenes in the Stable. You could feel Noahs struggle and submission to Tobias, as well as Tobias' need to Dominate, and understand them on their level. Noah's playful personality is engaging, and you find yourself warming up to Tobias as he falls in love with Noah, and becomes more vulnerable, something that really shakes him up.
These are characters you would like to revisit time and again, even like to meet. The author's have done a marvelous job, and my thanks to them for a great story, great characters, and handling the storyline and theme so well. Although you may like me, find the theme of BDSM a bit uncomfortable, I would recommend this to anyone who can manage a look at the darker side of need. And not to mention the very Hot, um--intimacy.

The third in the sublime 'Deviations series' and as thoughtful and well written as ever. The characters are fleshed out well and explored on a far deeper level than a lot of erotic fiction currently on the market.

This book explores the emotional side of Tobias and Noah's relationship and their friendship with Phantom even deeper than the previous: 'Domination'. While this is a welcome thing, the core theme of the series suffers a little - the development of the emotional/love side of the story, as wonderful as it is,takes the stage more at expense of the BDSM elements that gave the first book (Submission)it's edge and thrill. Although this changes towards the end, and we get more of what we expect from 'Discipline',it seems a long (or perhaps just impatient!)wait to get there.

I agree with another reviewer here, Jane, in that the character of Noah seems to need a little bit more toughness or control, lacking in this title, and as the reader, I also felt this. I hope this gets remedied a little in the next book as Tobias seems to have lost something of his hard Dom edge (as satisfying as it is to see his emotional side though). However, I loved that a 'flip flop element was introduced in Noah topping occasionally - as a side note - I would love to read a prequel spin off about the training of Tobias and Bradford as we know (though only with scant details) that they were trained together and I think this would be a delicious and sexy story to read.

Despite some truly sizzling and gorgeously passionate sex and love scenes, there are surprisingly not as many 'scenes' or explorations of the BDSM parts of their lives as one would expect, which is a little disappointing. Perhaps a better balance needs to be struck between the love story and the D/S elements which were more lacking here than the previous titles. Still, the book is very enjoyable and has far greater character development than most other books in this genre and I, like others, eagerly await the next title.

I also hope that Bradford and Phan have their own spin-off series at some point, or Phan with a slightly more compassionate Dom - Bradford is a less emotional person than Tobias (as far as we know thus far). Personally, I find most of the characters interesting - Bradford, Brian, Nikki, Luca for example and would relish the chance to read more about them - perhaps a good thick book of shorter stories or a series focussing on them? Perhaps I'm just greedy though ;)

Third book in Deviations explores Noah limits, a trip to Paris and a very erotic 'scene' in a sex club! I love all of the characters, since they are fully developed and add to the story of Tobias and Noah. I appreciated that Noah wanted Tobias to be a little tougher, since I too have felt that he was losing his Dominant edge since falling in love with Noah. I felt he was getting too soft from the initial book! This looks like it will be dealt with in the upcoming novel along with our dear, adorable,hot,sexy Phantom and his dom. Bradford. It is touching that everyone is reaching out to Phan. in dealing with his emotional problems. This series is so rich in descriptive narrative, plot development and wonderful characters; IMO, it reaches out and pulls you into the lives of Tobias,Noah,Phantom,and Bradford. Love the eroticsm of 'play' at the club in Paris! Hot!HOt!Hot!

I agree that this series makes for exceptionally good reading, and this latest book does not disappoint. The authors continue the story of Tobias and Noah, now that their relationship is firmly established. This made the book more enjoyable for me, since they are truly a couple here. The sex continues to be hot and heavy, with some surprises thrown in for the reader and the couple. The dialog is again very well written, and the story is fun. The trip to Paris was quite juicy!

I felt that most of Phantom's participation in the story was a set-up for a future book. The conclusion of "Discipline," while satisfying, cliffhangs a little on Phantom - implying that he will take a more active role in the next installment, and perhaps have his own novel. Though I think this is a logical progression, and I want to know Phantom's full story, I would be disappointed if Tobias and Noah didn't find closure to their tale. Their lives are certainly intertwined with Phan's. I want to see the consequences of their decision whether or not to live together, and their new contract.

This series is a wonderful look at the world of BDSM (though I have no idea if it is accurate), especially for those of us that may have been reticent about reading such material. I cannot recommend this series enough! I can hardly wait until the fall for Volume 4!!

Deviations:Submission, Deviations:Domination and now Deviations:Discipline. Like its predecessors, Vol 3 is very well written indeed. These 2 ladies are excellent M/M romance writers. They have given us such wonderfully sensitive and vulnerable men in Tobias, Noah, Phantom and Bradford.
The 3rd volume see Tobias and Noah taking their relationship to a new high, as their love and trust strengthen. It is most heartening to have Noah finally conquering his one fear. As for their trip to Paris, it is just so pampered, hot and pure sex!
However as much as I would love to read about Tobias and Noah I personally feel that their Dom/Sub as well as lovers relationship has more or less climaxed in Vol 3, with not much room for more angst and future emotional entanglement. Meanwhile Phantom is the character worth focusing on. I am most interested in Phantom's fate and this being M/M romance, I certainly wish to read about this endearing Sub eventually finding love, if not with Bradford, then with another compassionate but strict Dom. Vol 3 does feature Phantom and his side story is so well written that I find myself somewhat flustered when the plot switches back to the main couple Tobias and Noah.
I hope Chris and Jodi will not merely consider but do write a spin-off on Phantom and Bradford soon. However Phantom's story may have to wait as the 4th volume, most likely continuing the story of Tobias and Noah, is the writers' next offer. If you love Vol 1 and 2 you certainly could not afford to pass this one.

This is the sequel to Deviations: Submission. "Submission" left the reader as the two characters, Tobias and Noah, began to move beyond simple dominant and submissive--falling in love. That book explored the BDSM world with Noah, the submissive, as the focus. "Domination" switches the focus to Tobias. These two are developing a relationship, and they have issues to overcome just as any other couple does.

This series is excellent; well-written, fast paced, with fully realized characters (both supporting and main). Another book featuring some of the supporting cast as main characters would be more than welcome. I understand the third book in the series will be coming out April 07 and the fourth in Fall 07. Yeah!

I never expected a BDSM-themed book to have such a powerful love story, but there it is. Read these two books--now.

This is an amazing continuation of deviations:submission. I do not know how much truth there is in the BDSM world potrayed here. And it is not easy to understand anyone getting high from whipping, pain and subjugation. But I do appreciate the needs of both Subs and Doms in the story. The plot here is fascinating and charged with emotions and the characters beautifully drawn out. I wish there is more from Tobias, Noah, Bradford and Phantom and I hope both Chris and Jodi will deliver. And yes, I also like to recommend another emotionally charged M/M BDSM "Golden Boy" and "Golden Man" by Claire Thompson , e-books available from Ellora's Cave.

Jasper is excited. He has got a promotion and a new office. The first morning he is waiting the elevator to his new office when, from the CEO personal elevator come out Mr. Nero, the CEO's personal assistant and quite without words, he takes Jasper up to the 35 five floor, the CEO's floor.

Michael Nero was a 40 years man, handsome and reserved. And really during that lift, he doesn't say much, unless subtly asks about Jasper's personal life. But then a gift, a late night phone, a warm smile in the corridor... all contribute to make Jasper dream about this man and how his name, Mick, will sound on his lips during love.

A short and interested tale, about a office affair with a open question: Jaspet will be like all the other employees, men and women, that in the last 40 years have made that same ride in that elevator?

The story is very short and I can't really have a strong opinion on Jasper and Michael. Michael is a very sober man, very controlled with other people, but not cold. He is warm with Jasper in every public situation, and very hot in the intimacy. Jasper is less sure but not uneasy with Michael, and he can quietly admit his attraction for this man.

Jasper Starr has just gotten a promotion at work. On the first day in his new position he takes an interesting elevator ride and finds himself receiving gifts by Michael Nero....is the man being nice or is he flirting?

Michael is a very private individual. Jasper is more playful and outgoing. Chris Owen writes a mysterious but hot tale of two men meeting at the office. The Tower is a quick fix to any mundane day that needs a pick me up.

Raine
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Sitting in his sandbox, playing with his toys, three-year-old Finn Cormag witnesses the moment that would determine his life's path, Ari Sloan's birth. Finn and Ari live in the same world but different dimensions. Living in the Alpha dimension allows Finn the ability to see into the lives of those living in the Beta dimension, but his only focus over the past 30 years has been Ari. Now a scientist in the Alpha dimension, Finn discovers a way to use the Between space of the two dimensions to get closer to Ari, and going against better judgment he allows Ari to become aware of his presence.

Now able to speak to and see each other, but not touch a friendship builds between the two men at the same time Alpha security increases around the Between space putting Finn's life at risk. Use of the Between space is forbidden in the Alpha dimension and could lead to death if caught and with no proven evidence it is also believed that passing through the Between space can also result in death. With Alpha security aware of his actions Finn makes the choice to risk his life to cross the between space into the Beta dimension, Ari's world.

As a sci-fi story, Converge is fantastic, but on the romance level I'm a bit discouraged. There is more to the story than just Ari and Finn, there is Ben, Ari's boyfriend and Blake, Finn's colleague. Circumstances arise to come between Ben and Ari's otherwise comfortable and what appears to be a happy relationship, Ben's not a bad guy and he and Ari did love each other. As for Finn and Blake, I hoped for more to develop between them, but Ari was and is Finn's only focus. Finn and Ari did develop a connection between one another that could possibly be the start of something beautiful, but there are many obstacles for them to overcome beginning with Finn's adjustment to living in the Beta dimension. Converge gives you a lot to think about on a scientific level, and it definitely leaves you wanting for more. Chris Owen will be giving plenty more in the sequel Merge, but unfortunately we have to wait until May to read it.

Ley
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Walker is a young man for the first time far from home who is lost in the mountains at the beginning of the winter. He tries to reach the pass but seems that he has lost his track. And then he meets Horace, a big man who lives alone in a cabin among the mountain. Horace has no earth to leave alone the lad and brings him home with him.

A big snow arrives and another one and seems all to natural for Walker to remain with Horace: but Horace has some stranger ideas, he loves to touch and to kiss, and he loves to do that to men! And Walker, who is a total innocent, never has done that never with a woman, is enthralled but this man. And maybe when winter will pass, Horace will keep him in the cabin...

Walker is a poor lad, innocent of life and of sex. Maybe he is not gay, maybe if he had met a girl he could have married her, but he has met Horace and Horace is so gentle and insistent and the things they do together are so pleasant... so wickedly pleasant. Horace is a tought man: he has lived much, he has seen more, and now he only wants a quiet life in his mountain cabin. But if he can share that life with a willing lad like Walker, he sure will do everything to keep this man.

An interesting reading, very arousing, even if I hardly can believe that a man in the last year of the nineteen century could know and make the things that Horace makes to Walker. So you can amuse yourself with the defloration of Walker by the hand of Horace (literatelly) and see how he slowly falls on the wicked side of live.

I've never read a Chris Owen book I didn't love, and SHADY RIDGE & NEON SKY is no exception. Hank is quiet and tough, Charlie is big and cuddly, and together they make a scorching hot couple.

The sex in this book is out of this world. The first sex scenes are between Hank and the guys of his "relaxation team" that he visits twice a year. The rest of the scenes are between Hank and Charlie, and they sizzle. These big switch-hitting alpha cops enjoy lots of rough, sweaty sex...whew. Sit in front of a fan while reading this.

This is a fun, sexy read. Like in all of Ms. Owen's books, there's an actual plot. The story revolves around Hank and Charlie exploring their sexual attraction for each other, dealing with the pressures of a co-worker relationship, enjoying each other in and out of uniform, and falling in love along the way. Best of all, it's a Chris Owen romance, so you can count on a great balance of sex and emotion and a guaranteed HEA.

This is fantastic rainy day entertainment. I read it just after a string of real stinkers, and it restored my faith in M/M romance authors. Worth every cent.

The first half of this book is wonderful. I loved the story of Tor and Jake, up until Tor cheats on Jake. That's where the book lost me.

4 years together and then wham. Jake wasn't "communicating" with Tor, so it turned him away. Uh uh, I'm not buying that story. He was horny and didn't think.

I'm sorry I wasted the money on this book. It would have been great.

I love cowboys and hot gay sex. However, this is a novel torn between a love story with a plot and a porn novel. It never really reaches either point. The plot is pretty flat and gets lost between the sex and the sex isn't raunchy enough to be flat out porn. I would have wished for a more complex story with a few good hot love scenes than what is presented. I would love a story on par with Brokeback Mountain with its emotional range and feeling that has some good sex in it.

This was my first read by Chris Owen but it won't be my last. I wasn't so sure about this book at first because the first half was basically gay porn. Since I'm a woman I thought this just wasn't for me but I hate not to finish something I start so I forged on. Thank God I did! The relationship between Tor and Jake took me through so many emotions I was a wreck by the end of the book. Their connection was so intense, and Owen pulles you in so deep, that when they went through their heartbreak you felt it right along with them. I damn near cried twice and I'm not the teary kind. I finished this book over a week ago and I still can't get it out of my head. It's that intense. I didn't really like Broke Back Mountain because who wants to go through all that boredom (too much sheep hearding) just to have a sad ending. This is the book that should have been made into a movie. It was ten times better!

This was recommended to me as a good way to write a story about a relationship breaking up and coming back together across a long time period. It does come across as cleverly constructed in that respect, despite some sloppy or non-existent editing.

I suspect the author set out to write a potboiler, found he liked his characters, and then started to actually wrap a story line around them. This made for some false starts and oddities in the book. At one point I got lost (WHO is this guy???)and had reread to find a minor character mentioned early and then passed by until he reappeared much later as a focus point. One straight character keeps playing as bi-curious but the author never initiates him. Some other characters are introduced but never developed to their potential.

The dialogue was solid, without the gay-queen descriptions of irrelevant clothing details, cock size, etc. that some books have in abundance. The sex was believeable although the tolerance of some of the straights was not. I've never encountered straight men who could tolerate being where they see and hear gay sex acts frequently.

Overall, an interesting, mostly believable story line with some nice structure to the writing. If poor editing bugs you, you'll be only slightly annoyed -- not enough to lay the book on the trash heap.

(Amazon Star Rating: Within the range of a 3, it's a 3.2) Jake Taggart, a foreman in his late thirties, has overcome a dark past and found a new life working on a prosperous cattle ranch in Arkansas. The only thorn in his side is a younger cowboy named Tor (Tornado) who seems to have no respect for authority. Their mutual antipathy unexpectedly turns to passion one rainy night. This starts a trend of hot sex that continues on almost every page of the 371-page book. They also have emotional pitfalls to negotiate as well, including temptation, misunderstandings, and an epic failure to communicate. The novel makes an unusual foray beyond the happily-ever-after you get with most romances, and tries to show two flawed men struggling to save their relationship before their foolish actions damage it beyond repair. Worth reading. Note: The short review is to save you time. If you'd like the long version, please visit my Obsidianbookshelf website.

This book is very well written. It is the first technical book that I have read cover-to-cover in years.

This book's first chapter is about the only one that is clear. The rest of the chapters are unfortunately not well presented and structured. The examples and the CSS examples are laid out in very confusing ways. It is very often difficult to tell which snippet of code matches which screenshot. In that respect, chapter 7 is a nightmare.
Also cruelly missing from the book are a list of all possibly attributes for each property.
You will not be able to learn CSS entirely from this book. You will have to either buy another more comprehensive book, or to use Web tutorials.

This book is perfectly fine if you can't be bothered to seek out most of this information online. The authors' own websites are actually some of the best places to start. But the book is useful, even down to the entire chapter devoted to analyzing Netscape 4's CSS abilities--something most others will simply not cover.

However, the price of this book is about two times too high. It's short, with no CD, but it runs as much as many of the "phone-book" tech books. This is a fifteen-dollar value, no more.

Over the years, CSS has helped change the way information is displayed on the web. Since its inception, CSS has evolved into a full-featured language capable of formatting not only text but almost all elements of a web site such as tables, lists, and more. CSS is not the easiest language to learn, but a book such as this helps.

Cascading Style Sheets: Separating Content from Presentation by Owen Briggs, Steven Champeon, Eric Costello, Matt Patterson, is a great way to not only be introduced to CSS but also to learn the details that will ultimately help you to design or convert existing sites using the CSS language. The book introduces you to simple CSS formatting involving text and other web elements such as lists, tables, and more. After relishing some of the simple formatting concepts, the book guides you through the more complicated process of creating layouts using CSS.

Beyond direct applications of CSS, the authors explain some subtle issues that you will encounter while using CSS. While CSS is standardized by the W3C organization, the implementation of CSS varies across various browsers. The authors do an excellent job of covering some of the inconsistencies and how to resolve them. You are provided specific examples of code, and you are also given code that would help older browsers into displaying CSS-based layouts.

The book also takes interesting breaks from explaining CSS concepts and provides insights into unique features about CSS that are cool to know! One such section, explains how to make your pages downgrade gracefully and display properly in text-only browsers.

The various authors present the information very clearly, and you, towards the end of the book, will have learned how to not only use but also implement CSS in your design solutions. To aid you in your quest of applying what you have learned, the authors provide sample projects and brief guidelines before sending you off on a full filled CSS coding journey.

This is a great book for beginners and advanced users of CSS to learn and reference from.

Overall, this is an outstanding text for learning CSS and how to appropriately use it with HTML and XHTML. It is perfect for someone who is already comfortable with basic HTML markup and would like to leverage the various advantages of CSS. The book's only weak point is its coverage of the CSS box model. Arguably one of the more difficult parts of learning CSS, the chapter on the box model makes only passing reference to the float property, which is used very frequently in CSS layouts. Other examples in the box chapter were overly simplified and did not give much more info than I've found online.

The chapters on the basic syntax of CSS are very good and the typography coverage is outstanding.