Movies Books

It's Friday night, you're tired after a long work week, and you're wandering the aisles at Blockbuster looking for a good family film. No need to go through the brain damage of reading millions of obscure DVD sleeves when you have Michael Booth's fine book, which recommends some little-noticed but still-great films appropriate for the schoolkids in your house. Screenit.com is OK if you have a specific idea for a rentable movie, but Booth's book is much better when you need recommendations (and for the fun writing, too).

This book is both helpful and enjoyable to read. The commentary addresses its audience with insight and intelligence. Best Family Films has been really helpful - particularly with concerns on the wide range of whether PG-13 movies are more of a PG or an R rating. This book has taken away parental angst.

Booth has a great feel for which movies work for which audience/age group. His recommendations have been 100% when selecting movies for our family.

Michael Booth is the thinking person's alternative to that other Michael (Medved) who professes an interest in family films. Booth's reviews are informative, helpful, witty, and a real pleasure to read. Highly recommended!

This guide's succinct reviews are really useful. Every review is on one page, with an entertaining tidbit, age-appropriateness and run-time on the facing page. I found several of my all-time favorites, but what's better is that I found a few gems that weren't on my list yet.

I don't normally write reviews, however in this case I felt compelled to do so. If you're looking into the topic of family films, let me save you some time. Get this book. As others have noted, Mr. Booth's reviews are entertaining, informative and spot on. His selections include films off the beaten path. Good stuff!

New York after the Jewish Holocaust in Europe. Herman Broder lives a frantic life between 2 wives, and soon to be three. He writes books for a rabbi. His life is a lie, a big lie to which he's grown used. His mind is a mess, just as his life is. The women around him are products of their survival experiences in Europe during the war, as he is too. Religion is present in every page, almost every line, whether it's mentioned with hate or with hope. Things Jewish are ever present: one gets to learn a lot about Jewish customs and terminology.

The story, however chaotic and improbable, almost ridiculous, doesn't fail to be interesting. The author sure knows how to move on between scenes and keep the pace of the changes in Herman's life. The overall impression is of confusion in all areas of live: sentimental, business, psychological, and of course, religious.

These characters behave so weird after their painful experiences, their loss of loved ones, and their witnessing of so much suffering, that they don't believe in anything anymore, not even in why they keep living. Seems they are bewildered and just make most of what they've got at that very moment: which for Herman is most of the time sex. But that is a temporary refuge from insanity, not permanent. People here are lost, drifters melting into the human masses of New York City.

The book is readable, well told, but the story ain't much fun. Herman just annoys me. And the others aren't very likable either. It's a mess of a book that leaves a sweet-sour taste.

How does one cope with such a thing? You know? The Holocaust.

It was the Holocaust that took Herman's parents, wife and two children. He manages to survive by hiding in a hayloft. For three long years, a former servant in his home, Yadwiga, a plain, uneducated but loving Polish woman, keeps him hidden and alive. After the war, we find Yadwiga and Herman married and living in Brooklyn. For other Holocaust survivors, Brooklyn represents opportunity, a sense of re-birth. All around him, new families are being formed out of what is left of old ones. Old customs are being renewed. The old prayers are said. Feasts are held. Traditions prevail. Life goes on. The future is hopeful, but not for Herman. Herman merely exists. He has a job as a ghost-writer for a famous rabbi. Herman is good at writing inspirational messages, messages of hope. But, Herman is not a believer. Not anymore. Not since the Holocaust. To Herman, God is either dead or an enemy. God is out to get him. Herman has a mistress, Masha, a camp survivor. His life is complicated. Then, as it turns out, his first wife who supposedly died in the camps, she's alive. Now Herman has two wives and a mistress. Complicated. They all want a piece of him. Emotionally, he retreats to the hayloft. But, emotionally, Herman is already dead, as dead as he would have been had he been found and sent to the camps, as dead as the rest of them, as dead as his faith in God. In the hayloft, minute by minute, day by dragging day, Herman was exterminated.

Isaac Bashevis Singer writes a novel of sheer absurdity and yet, page by page, he makes it very believable.

Herman Broder is a Jew who managed to escape the gas chambers of the Nazi Holocaust by living in a hayloft with his mother's servant Yadwiga from Poland for three years. His wife was not so lucky.....she and her children were all killed by the Nazis......at least that is what we (along with Herman) are led to believe early on. Herman manages to make it to the United States where he marries the peasant girl servant Yadwiga out of sheer gratitude for her saving his life, not out of any kind of a love or fondness for her. And while he is married to Yadwiga, he is carrying on an affair with Masha, who also went through her own camp horrors in Russia. Herman identifies more with her, not to mention the fact that an attraction also exists there, both physically and intellectually.

But just when you think the suspension of disbelief Singer creates cannot get any more bizarre, it does, when Tamara, his ex-wife, shows up in New York, after surviving the Nazis. Herman now has two and sometimes three women after him, and still he is unable to commit to any one of them. Singer creates a novel of absurd proportions, and then has the temerity to keep it growing! And the arrant brilliance in it is that it works on the reader to the very end.

Along the way the characters reveal thoughts which make one think more of a philosophical treatise than of a novel, a mark of a great writer and one of the reasons I could not put this book down:

"How peculiar that a panful of brains should be constantly wondering and not able to arrive at any conclusion! They were all silent: God, the stars, the dead. The creatures who did speak revealed nothing."
-Isaac Bashevis Singer, from the book "Enemies, A Love Story"

There are few writers such as Oscar Wilde to whom I can say they are unequivocally brilliant......Singer is certainly one of them.

In New York

The hotel staff

gave me the chair

that

Isaac B Singer

used to

lean his back against


years before he died




custom made


produced

out of gentle wings of butterflies


that circled his first wife's head


every day and night in Treblinka


before she finally

went

up in smoke




So

I went down at the front desk


A weird occurence

of

that strange and powerful thing

I certainly

wanted to bring to their attention



Of course they say


I. B. Singer

never stayed here

never had a first wife

nor she died in the concentration camp



But what's metter?



My back

feels better


way better



ever since

There are reasons that Isaac Bashevis Singer won the Nobel Prize for Literature, and all of these reasons are apparent in ENEMIES, A LOVE STORY.

Though he is not the only Jewish author to have won the Nobel, he is the only author whose primary writing was in Yiddish. Hence, the version of ENEMIES that I read was a translation.

Still, the simplicity of his prose shines through the novel. His storytelling skills are spellbinding.

Mr. Singer perfectly captures the undertone of desperation and doom connected with those who endured the Nazis and survived.

This novel will shock and it will sadden but it never will be less than writing at its finest.

Coach Grant Taylor's life seemed to be running in reverse. As a high school football coach, Grant had yet to have a winning season after 6 years. Angry parents were pushing for him to leave.
On the home front, things weren't much better. The Taylors' attempts to start a family had failed. They had financial problems,their house was in constant need of repair, and their old car left them stranded more often than not. After an encouraging conversation with an older man who had been praying for the school and the students, Grant decided to give it all over to God. I won't spoil the story for you by revealing what happened after that, but believe me, things did begin to happen!
I am not a big sports fan so I didn't know how much I would like "Facing The Giants". I didn't see the movie until after I read the book. Wow was I ever surprised! I LOVED this book! I laughed, I cried.....it is so much more than a sports story. It amazed me to see what really is put into motion when an individual,then a whole football team,gives their best to God and trusts Him for the outcome.

Eric Wilson is best know for suspense novels with historical backgrounds. With each novel he's shown growth and depth as an author and a man. His first four novels were very different and yet revealed trademarks of the Wilson signature.

Now with the release of Facing The Giants Eric stands everything you've known about him before on it's proverbial head and shows he's no one trick pony. Not only can he come up with imaginative plots and characters that are at once real and larger than life, but he can also take someone else's work and make it his own. This he's done with Facing the Giants.

Originally a grassroots successful film depicting the real life struggles of a high school football team, their coach and community, Eric Wilson's novelization takes that framework and builds his own story brick by brick. Yes, much of the book reflects the original movie, but Wilson adds depth and meaning where a film-goer might be left to wonder.

Admittedly, this isn't my kind of story and I've told Eric so. I much prefer suspense. However, it is a great read and a reminder of God's faithfulness even in the darkest night of your life. As always Eric brings characters and situations to life, raw with emotions, heart, courage and weaknesses.

Next up for Eric is the novelization of another film, Flywheel--coming in April. And then, in October, Eric will change everything again with the release of book one of the Jerusalem's Undead series. Book one is called Field of Blood. Think 1st century Jerusalem and vampires. How can you not want to read that?!

I loved reading this book. It even made me cry! The part where he makes the player crawl the entire field with the guy his back is incredible! I even loaned it to two of the boys I babysit who love football and the loved it! Great book! I would recommend it to anyone!

Herein lies the rest of the story.

These days every successful movie is either preceded by or followed by a companion novel, but many novelizations fail to stand on their own. Poor or lazy writing, failure to understand the onscreen characters, failure to add something new to the original--these errors and others weaken the majority of movies-turned-books. FACING THE GIANTS suffers none of these troubles and stands to widen the movie's already sizeable audience.

Wilson's novelization of Stephen & Alex Kendrick's screenplay is as enjoyable, moving, and inspirational as the original film, and it provides an excellent way for fans to re-experience FACING THE GIANTS for the first time and for first-timers to finally jump on the bandwagon. What's more, the book version not only expands a few scenes and adds a few others, but allows the reader to see inside the heads of several key characters--something even the best actors can't perfectly convey.

Just as Dan Reeves said about the movie (see front cover), this story is one that every Christian, athlete or otherwise, should experience in one media form or another.

It is all about the motive. It is all about the heart.

I received this book Saturday and read it all the way through today, after watching the movie again yesterday. I think the book and the movie make a great combination. I had seen the movie several times, and I think the book added some details that are not seen in the movie. While I was reading the book, I was able to visualize what took place in the movie. Eric Wilson did a wonderful job of putting the movie on paper. I will often return to the book, when I need encouragement, and probably later on watch the movie again.
I think it is important to understand the whole plot before jumping to conclusions. It's easy to think this is nothing more than a feel good Christian book/movie, but after a couple times, you start to get the message. I found myself actually identifying the emotions where I was hyped up at times (especially the game for the state title), but the extra details in the book really helped; for example when Larry Childers wheeled himself to the end zone and stood for his son when David was about to kick a field goal to win the state championship. From the book, I could see the encouragement a father provided for his son, and that gave David the encouragement to give it his best. I could say much more, but I was very happy to see this in print.

This book is an awesome book. I remember reading Famous Monsters of Filmland back in the 60s. The quality printing of this book is incredible. I love that they had printed a hard bound version. It's well worth the money. The color of the paintings pop right of the page.

I'm in agreement with another reviewer that mentioned the book could have been better written. That being said, it is well worth the price for all the fantastic paintings and drawings. A must for every fan of horror and sci-fi art.

Even without text, this book would've earned 4 stars, just for the impressiveness of Gogos' work. Within this book are large, crystal-clear repros of his most famous monster cover paintings, as well as samples of his illustration work.
The only setback for this book is its lack of depth in the text. It seems that whoever was sent to interview Basil didn't ask too many questions, didn't want to really know too much about him except for his general acheivements, and didn't ask him for a demonstration of how he works. Among all of the great pics, some candid ones of the artist would've been nice, most notably a pic of his studio.
Still, the images are so rich in color and character. Worth it!

First of all...Like so many reviewers before me have said; almost every boy that grew up in the '50s & '60s anxiously collected our 35 cents every month so we could go to the local candy store & buy the latest issue of Famous Monsters of Filmland. This magazine became our bible & 4E Ackerman became our surrogate father. More than 45 years have passed; but I can still remember those magnificent covers as though it were yesterday. Basil Gogos painted the cover of the Gorgo issue which had a blue background & also the Vincent Price issue which had a white background,etc. This Book displays all of Basil Gogos outstanding cover art which graced the cover of FM for so many years. Don't take my word for it...ask Stephen King, Rick Baker, George Lucas, Stephen Spielberg, John Landis, Rob Zombie & a host of others..This book is an absolute delight for the senses & like fine art is meant to be treasured,

this book is great.Very happy to included this one in my collection.Already have a tattoo planed of bride of frankenstein.

Didi Conn's book is OK for fans of the movie "Grease". Most interesting is her behind-the-scenes info on everything from famous scenes from the movie(like the "Greased Lightning" musical segment) to the premiere of the film. Some of her interviews with the stars are insightful and some of the photos are OK. But Conn should have perhaps hired a ghost writer as her style is a bit weak. Also, it would be nice if there were more color photos in here as well. True Grease fans will appreciate this book.

If you love the movie Grease this is a book you have to have. It is full of behind the scenes information about the cast,play,and movie. It also is full of candid pictures from cast members. It also tells about the casting and production,and is an overall wonderful book!

This book is all a Grease fan needs except the video.Full of rare B&W and color pictures.Bio's+interviews with the cast.General info and lots more.I recommand that book to not only Grease fans but also Olivia,Didi,Stockard,Jeff and John fans.

There's not a lot of new information in this book, unless it's about what the stars are doing now. There are lots of cool photos, although they're in black & white which is pretty disappointing. There are maybe a page or two towards the end, which are colour photos, but the black & white photos don't seem too clear for some reason.

There's not much reading to do either, and it took much about an hour to read right the way through. Didi Conn (Frenchy) was the perfect person to write a book about Grease. Whether she's babbling on about how drop dead gorgeous John Travolta, or that the actors were only a "little bit older" than the characters they were playing, she does it in such a bubbly way that you smile right the way through.

This is a terrific book, and well worth hunting it out on Ebay, or buying it used from Amazon. Mine was brand new, and managed to entertain me for a morning. But you have to be a serious fan of Grease. There is not a lot of new information, but the pictures are well worth it.

This book is full of rare information that the average Grease fan would love to know! The photos and facts are very interesting and fun to look at and learn. I would recomend this book to anyone that loves Grease, Olivia,Stockard,John,Jeff... It is truely the best asortment of information,and pictures I have ever read and or seen of the movie Grease!

I really like this book, it goes way back to the radio programs...
I love seeing and reading about the people who played the parts years ago and have since passed away or left the show.
It is a great book for Guiding Light fans.
If you don't have it GET IT!

i have the hardback version of this book. This magnificent book came along in 1997 when "Guiding Light" was celebrating it's then 60th Anniversary. This month marks the show's 67th Anniversary {it having began on radio in January 1937 as a 15 minute sermon from various reverends from the Little Church in Five Points}. The radio show expanded to traditional serial melodrama by 1948 with the introduction of the German immigrant Bauer clan, a family that's STILL a part of the show to this very day, plus a host of other families. The book talks in-depth about each and every storyline that had a major impact or is at least memorable to fans. Admittedly, the first generation of fans who recall when the show was on radio are either no longer with us or are in their 80s or 90s by now. And so, this book, as i see it, was also designed to highlight the radio years for the contemporary fans of today who might've started watching in the mid '80s or the early '90s and afterward. The show moved to TV in June 1952 (continuing on radio until 1956). By now the Bauers were the focal point and the storylines were written to revolve around the Bauers and the conflicts they had with each other and the community. Bert was a social climber at first but she out-grew it by the early '60s after she had a pap smear, one of the first storylines in a soap opera to deal with such topics; Bill was a womanizer and an alchoholic; Papa Frederich was the German immigrant patriarch; and as the decade grew, Bill and Bert's son Ed became a doctor and an alcoholic while brother Mike became a womanizing lawyer. The book really gets "juicy" when the '70s section rolls around. 1971 was the debut of Michael Zazlow as Roger Thorpe, the scheming corporate ladder climber who was always being over-shadowed by nemesis Ed Bauer. And so, the '70s were dominated by the quadrangle of Roger Thorpe/Holly Norris/Ed Bauer/Peggy Fletcher. Storylines like that, plus the 1977 arrival of the wealthy yet sinister Spaulding clan would prove to be the show's success, causing ANOTHER very popular triangle of Alan Spaulding/Elizabeth Spaulding/Mike Bauer. The book gets vague in the mid '80s section because i recall things that the book leaves out: like 1986's return of Alan Spaulding. The book says Alan made his return with help from Baron von Halkein...which is true. But the book leaves out Alan's missing years (1984-1986) and never lets the reader know that Alan had been living life as 'Gregory Samuels' in San Rios after having been shot and presumed dead by the FBI, who were hot on his trail in early 1984. Alan had managed to seize control of several emerald mines and use an alias to avoid detection. If fans see this review they'll now know about Alan's missing years. Apart from that bit of history left out of the book, i have no complaints. The back pages of the book give histories of the families that were currently on the show: Bauer, Spaulding, Lewis, Reardon, Chamberlain, and Cooper. There are two tributes to the two most popular characters: Roger Thorpe and Reva Shane. Charita Bauer, the actress who played Bertha "Bert" Bauer from 1949-1984, is also given high praise. All of the awards from the industry to fan-voted are also shown. There's even a section where favorite couples are highlighted: Phillip and Beth; Mike and Elizabeth; Rick and Abigail; etc. Jerry ver Dorn gives the introduction and he holds the record for second longest running cast-member. He's played attorney Ross Marler since 1979. The record holder is Charita Bauer, of course, with 35 years as Bert. The other person with the most consecutive years behind Charita's 35 and Jerry's 25, is Tina Sloan...she's played Nurse Lillian Raines since 1983, this is her 21st year on the show. This book is dated, of course. A lot has happened on the show since late 1996/early 1997. seek out back issues of Soap Opera Digest for re-caps of action post 1996. This book is a must for all fans of the show both young and old. Until someone comes along with a potential 70th Anniversary book in 2007, this 60th Anniversary is an excellant introduction to the show.

Great book! Lots of information about GL. I enjoyed reading what happened in the episodes before I was an avid watcher.

Hopefully, there will be future update editions of this wonderful missive on the history of daytime's oldest soap. Not just for fans, either!

I have been a huge fan of GL for a few yrs now..the only thing that sux about this book is that all the great gl stars have left.. wendy moniz as dinah marler and cynthia watros as annie dutton will greatly be missed..

it is a great show...but the WRITING DESPERATELY NEEDS to improve...but the memories from 1990-1997 were truly spectacular...finally we see THE LIGHT!

I Love You Because You're You. It's the perfect message of unconditional love that we can share with our little ones. What a wonderful way to express exactly what we want to reinforce with our own little ones. I absolutely adore this book.

I Love You Because You're You shows cute illustrations of a darling little fox and his mother (which becomes grandmother when I read the book). In each picture, the little fox is expressing parts of his personality and different emotions. Sometimes he's loving, curious, and full of energy. Other times, he is sad, scared, or angry. However, no matter what the mood, Mama reiterates that she loves her little one nonetheless.

We received this book as a gift when our baby girl was born. I love this book. The verse is very sweet and simple and describes emotions that will be familiar to a young child. The illustrations depict the emotions with enough detail that a child can start to recognize them. Very few children's books these days have illustration this nice. Highly recommended.

LOVE is an unconditional. This book illustrates the differences between like and LOVE. This is a great book to read to children of all ages. The illustrations are marvelous. Even though the choice of roles may be a little gender biased, the story still depicts and models (for parents or caregivers) the art of teaching love.

Great book, easy to read and really lets your child know they are very loved and very special.

My favorite line in this elegant volume is when
the regally dressed Mama fox says to her little one,
"I love you any way you feel, no matter what you do."

How many of us wonder, "Will they still love me, even
though I......." fill in your blank?

How many times we PRAY the important people in
our lives will love us unconventionally and how many
times do we deny ourselves the comfort of a
"Yes, ofcourse I will love you any way... no
matter what you do"?

Read this child to the preschooler in your life
AND be sure your teen-aged children (nieces,
nephews, neighbors, passers-by) are listening
as well. Read it often.

Read it to yourself when you are feeling low -
and allow yourself to be embraced by Mama Fox.

It is a less-than-five-minute investment
in contentment, peace and growth in
unconventional love... and hopefully the message
will carry over into the hearts and souls
of the listeners.

Bob Burns is the foremost collector of sci-fi and horror memorabilia, and it's all kept in his basement. This book is a guided tour through Bob's remarkable collection of props, costumes and other items that Bob has collected for nearly 50 years with anecdotal stories by Bob about how he acquired the items, as well as Bob's life long experiences both in front of and behind the cameras of Hollywood.

There's a pair of Frankenstein's boots worn by Glenn Steele, the Captain America costume worn by Dick Purcell in the Captain America serial, costumes from Flash Gordon...There's models of the rockets from George Pal's "Destination Moon" and a replica of The Time Machine. Latex props from Alien and The Terminator..space helmets and laster blasters from 50's era TV and films. A marvelous collection and the object of envy of baby boomers everywhere.

in addition we'll learn of Bob's background as a makeup artist and the films he worked on as well as his short-lived career as a horror magazine publisher who went head-to-head with Famous Monsters of Filmland. We'll see Bob's long career playing a gorilla in appearances on shows like The Lucy Show as well as the short-lived Saturday morning show Ghostbusters.

From there Bob takes us through the many years of putting on some of the most elaborate Halloween displays and shows to ever show up in suburban America with help from guys who would go onto become some of the most famous special effects gurus in Hollywood like Dennis Muren.

This is a fun and utterly engrossing travel through time as we tour Bob's collection and see items that he saved from the garbage heap. Highly recommended!

This book is a lot of fun. Bob Burns is one of the greatest collectors of movie memorablia. After reading this book, I've decided I want to hang out in his basement.
The anecdotes make this a fun read and the pictures are fantastic.

It Came From Bob's Basement is one of those books that I look at over and over again. Not only are the images terrific, but the writing is exceptional. Apart from Bob Burns' incomparable passion for these icons of science fiction culture, what really emerges for me is a very accurate portrayal of Mr. Burns' big heart and generosity. Bob's intention was never to make money from his collection but rather to be a museum director and caretaker of priceless relics that millions of people have seen in many of the world's greatest films. Now, with the publication of this book, everyone has an opportunity to see these items first hand and I would highly recommend they do so!

This is a man who shows his love of film in every word of this book. Lots of photos ( still I want more shots ) of props that you would never think would have ever been saved. Lots of good stories and things you never knew about many of the films. Great read, I just sat down and didn't stop until the end.

Why doesn't some one with some Big Hollywood bucks open a place where the props and and seen and perserved.

Come on George and Steven... special effects and movies made you millions give something back and perserve the past.

Bob Burns has written a wonderful little book titled, "It Came From Bob's Basement." This book is chronicle of a moment in time that has long since passed from our lives, but we can always take a moment to revisit. Bob grew up in the 1930's when many things, which we now take for granted, were in their infancy. Before video games, and a color television in every home, a child was more innocent; their imaginations were fueled more by a sense of wonder in discovering the world around them.

We seem to lose that innocence much earlier every generation, Bob has never lost it. He chronicles his awe as he discovers movies such as King Kong, which so captured his imagination that it set a path for his life's destiny, and became part of a lifelong fascination with science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Bob has worn many hats in his life, follow him as he changes from Major Mars, a live matinee host for children, to Bob Burns the contributor to many memorable horror movies of the 50's and 60's. Bob's fascination with movies has led him to many strange roads, and contributed to his ever-growing list of friends, some of whom are very well known. Over the years Bob has collected a multitude of movie props, many of which were given to him by his friends in the industry, a lot of these appear as gorgeous photographs in Bob's Book. A movie that I loved as a boy growing up in Southern California, was the Time Machine. This movie was so special to me, that when I see it today, I still see it through the eyes of the child that I was back then. Bob has the fully restored Time Machine prop in his collection, he not only includes photographs, but he tells the fascinating tale of how the studios put it on the auction block, and sold it to the highest bidder. Despondent, Bob told his good friend George Pal, (The man who directed the Time Machine, and many other excellent films.), who assured him that he would one day find it, since he was meant to have it. Many people over the years have had the opportunity to visit Bob's Basement, and view not only the "Time Machine," but all of his other movie props and memorabilia, and listen as he tells the stories behind each one of them. For those of you who have never had this wonderful opportunity, Bob has created this book for you, as he invites you to come in, sit down, and visit with him in his basement.

Seriously. This lady apparently never threw away ANYTHING. She didn't even throw away the "Glorious Aryan Motherhood" medal she got from the Nazis in 1938 in an effort to entice her back to the Third Reich, though she was much offended by the "award" and described her displeasure in pithy terms. Conversely, she proudly told her daughter, Maria Riva, that whereas most daughters inherit medals from their fathers, Maria would inherit medals from her mother, and these decorations (including the U.S. Medal of Freedom and two degrees of the French Legion of Honor) are displayed in one of the book's many color photographs.



This splendid book is a Marlene Dietrich museum all by its lonesome. Gorgeous photographs from every stage of her career (including some very sexy and risque ones displaying her famous legs to best advantage!) are coupled with a visual catalogue of the most interesting of her clothing and possessions, including her famous good-luck rag doll, which appeared in several of her movies, and a pair of matched pistols she received from General George Patton (with whom she is rumored to have had an affair) during World War II.



Speaking of which, Marlene's WWII service, one of the great defining experiences of her life, gets full attention in this book, with many very striking photos of herself at the front. My favorite pictures from this period show her watching a training drop by the 82nd Airborne Division, the unit closest to her heart, in Holland in early 1945.



Marlene, of course, is famed as one of the great style-setters of the 20th century, and we see many, many photos of her outfits and accessories, both as display items and when she was wearing them.



Can I use the word "splendid" twice in one review? :) Because that is exactly what this book is. It's a bargain at any price you care to name, and one of the best retrospectives on any great film star I've ever seen.

This is a dream of a book. Full of glorious photos and facts. I highly reccommend this to all Dietrich and film fans. All public figures should be the subject of a book like this.

A delicacy! The best book of photographs I have seen on Dietrich and a compendium of beauty, not only hers but all that was created through and with her. A must have book.

I simply had to have this book when I first heard about it, being the huge Dietrich fan that I am. I couldn't wait for it to arrive, and when it did come in, I ripped the box open. The book was truly worth the wait! Filled with photos of incredible costumes, rare "in-life" moments, private letters from lovers, this book helps create an understanding of "Dietrich", the person. No book, no film, no insight could ever truly capture all the many mysteries that exist in each and every person. In Dietrich, there seemed to be many more than usual. While not going into great depth as to why she had all those lovers, or how she learned to create and control her incredible image, the book does offer an amazing trip down Dietrich Lane, which any Marlene fan will absolutely adore. The book is well worth the price, as it fills 260 pages with 289 photos, many not seen before. A must-have for Dietrich fans!

If you were a fan of Dietrich and were allowed to own only ONE book about this woman, then this should be the book to own. To reiterate another reviewer's thought -- it is EXQUISITE.

I read this trilogy in its first run back in 2000, and was in shock and awe all the way through. The Reeves-Stevens' take on the world of DS9 was absolutely incredible, and they made a menace of the Pah-Wraiths in a way that the series unfortunately never did. I was gripped by every chapter; from the seeming destruction of DS9 and the formation of a new wormhole, to the creation of the subspace shockwave that seemed to destroy the universe, to the journey into the past in search of the red orbs. Just as the characters drove the appeal of the show, so too do they drive the appeal of this trilogy. Now as an omnibus set, I hope many more fans have an opportunity to read this tale, as it may give them new insight into the genius that was Deep Space Nine.

I agree with Omni. When I first started reading I was determined to make it thought although the beginning seemed poorly written and confusing. By the time I got to book III, it was difficult to put the compendium down. The authors did an excellent job of referencing canon works in small ways here and there and they also do a very good job of making sure that the conversation is typical of the characters (for the most part). Aside from the occasional religious tirade by a random cast member and portraying the Captain as a slightly apprehensive leader (as opposed to his all-out persona in the show), it was one of the better Star Trek books I have read.

THIS IS THE BEST BOOK I HAVE READ IN A WHILE. I AM A SOPHOMORE IN HIGH SCHOOL AND THIS WAS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAD EVER READ. I RECOMMEND IT TO ANY STAR TREK FAN OF ANY OTHER PERSON WHO WANTS TO READ A GOOD BOOK

THIS BOOK IS THE BEST I HAVE READ IN A WHILE. I THINK I LIKE STAR TREK DS9 THE BEST. THE CHARACTERS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED MORE THAN ANY OTHER STAR TREK SHOW CHARACTERS. THE BOOK HAS A LOT OF GOOD DETAILS SUCH AS THE VARIOUS DESCRIPTIONS OF THE "UNFINISH INTERIOR" OF THE PHOENIX. THE STORY IS ONE OF A KIND. THE CONTINUAL JUMPS BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN DIFFERENT TIMES BEFORE THE CARDASSIAN WITHDRAWL AND THEN JUMPING TO DIFFERENT TIMES IN THE TIME AFTER THE CARDASSIAN WITHDRAWL.

If you are a fan of any Trek series, this book is for you. If you especially like DS9, there is no frinxing (I hated the way Quark used that swear-word) way you should miss this trilogy.

To date, this trilogy combined in one book is my favorite Trek (not just DS9) novel! Time-travel, religion/philosophy/science, alternative timelines, the War of all Wars, the End of the Universe, the destruction of DS9, False and True Emissaries, THE Sisko... there is simply soo much to this book that it is amazing the authors didn't lose focus. In fact, all the plots are handled well and very few plot holes emerge.

The novel starts off investigating a simple murder and quite simply takes off from there. Once the Red Orbs are discovered I found I literally could not put down the books. I read the whole trilogy in just over a week, making this my fastest read trilogy ever (faster than the Lord of the Rings, which admittedly is slightly longer).

The characterizations in this book are spot on perfect. There is subtle foreshawdowing to events that occur in season 7 of DS9 and the last episode of Season 6. The events in this book take place after Sisko et al try to save the dying woman Captain from the planet but before the season 6 finale... which means we get to see Jadzia Dax in action! Some of the subtle hints to her death are quite sad, yet never do they or other allusions become overdone.

Also, Admiral Picard makes an important appearance in this trilogy... Yes, he is finally an admiral, with QUITE an important mission! Other characters, notably Voyager ones, make short appearances. In the alternate timeline we also get to hear what has happened to most of our beloved characters like Riker. And hey why not bring back Thomas Riker for some fun? Vic himself plays quite an important role and his philosophical inquiries are intriguing.

The authors know much about Trekdom and share that knowledge well, though they limit it so as not to make the book ridiculous like some other Trek books. They are also experts in nonlinear time and time travel. Real explanations for why I can or cannot kill my grandfather are given, something I immensely enjoyed.

How can a book that sees the return of Vash and Garak confronting himself (literally two Garaks!) fail to grab a reader's attention? It had mine continuously.

If you'd like to know what I thought about each individual book, please look to my individual reviews for books 1-3. It is best to read every book in this series, although the authors try to make it so one can pick up book 2 or 3 without having read the previous one(s). I strongly recommend reading all 3 because you'll get a more full and rich understanding not only of DS9 and the books, but of your own life.

Trilogy definitely deserves a hardcover release.