Comics Books

When my friend told me about this manga 4 years ago my first reaction was "A manga about Igo (or Wei-Chi in Chinese)? Who'd want to read that?!" I resisted for about a year until I finally gave in to his naggings and picked up the first volume...and was completely hooked by the end of it. I immediately went and get a set for myseif, and to this day it has remained on the top of my favoriates (no small feat for someone who has hundreds of mangas and changes favoriates constantly). The story, the artworks, the characters... everything just grabs you and pulls you in and never letting go, and you don't want to be let go. I'm glad that they are bringing this manga to the US, and I'm going to collect the English version as well so I can introduce this wonderful work to my friends who can't read Japanese or Chinese. Do yourself a favor and pick it up, you won't be disappointed. This truly is a title that any manga or anime fans shouldn't do without.

Hikaru Shindo needs money fast and he's getting pretty desperate, even looking through his granfather's attic with his best friend, Akari, for any old junk he can sell. He's short of money because his allowance has been taken away by his parents for his bad grades in school. They manage to find an old Go board with what appears to be a bloodstain on it. Soon after that Hikaru begins to hear a disembodied voice only audible to him and then the voice is joined by a ghostly apparition of an 1000 year old Go player named Fujiwara-no-Sai from the Heian Period. He used to be the instructor to the Emperor, but a rival's plots threw him into disgrace and he eventually committed suicide. But his soul yearned to play more Go, and he has been able to appear to certain people through the ages to help him on his quest to play the "Divine Move". Now he hopes to enlist Hikaru in the drive to that goal.

I've found over the years that I can read manga or watch anime that get me interested in subjects I would never have sought on my own. The game of Go was something I had heard of but had no idea how to play before watching and reading Hikaru No Go. Even though I didn't understand every move being played by the characters I did get the GIST of what was going on, and felt suspense or excitement in what is essentially a mental game instead of a physical one. That is the true triumph of the writer and the artist. Making something that shouldn't be inherently interesting to non-players exciting and entertaining. Yumi Hotta's passion for the game really shows. Sometimes you can get swept up into another's passion through sheer force of will. The characters introduced in Volume 1 are likeable even though Sai is a little too girly for me. There's even a rival for Hikaru to go up against that is his own age, Akira Toya, the son of the best Go player in Japan, and a great talent in his own right. Great book. The anime series is good too.

I am amazed at how powerful an effect these books have had on my children. I mean that now that they have been reading these books they have developed an interest in playing go. They knew I played and have seen my go board but they never asked me to teach them until after they started reading these books. Within two weeks of the purchase of this book my 14 and 10 year old sons were playing go and I had never given any lessons to my 10 year old. They are continually asking me to get more of the series. It is great. I am very happy.

i love this manga its the coolest!!its about a kid named hikuru and he finds a spirt that used to play go and it helps him play go.its realy good i recemend it for all ages!

Yeah! I've seen the whole anime series (in chinese) already, and believe me it's really good! The end is sort of a "you choose" type of ending, so... you get my point.

Hikaru no go is a great manga promoting the ancient chinese/japanese game go. The object of the game is use black and white pieces and occupy most of the board. You can "eat" sections of your opponent's part by totally surrounding a portion of his pieces. Hikaru no go is about a young boy (6th grade) named Hikaru who just happens to find a go board in his father's attic! It seems that only he can see the blood stains on the board and suddenly a human/ghost come out of the board and has been longing to play go for the past hundred years. Sai (the ghost that looks totally like a person) couldn't die and go to heaven until he mastered the "divine move".

At first Hikaru, like any sane person, denys Sai what he wants (to just play go) Then, also like any sane person, consents when Sai's unquenchable sadness causes Hikaru to get sick. In Japan some people devote their whole lives just playing to and become go instructors. The game originally came from China, but it became more popular in Japan. Back to the story, Hikaru goes into a go club and finds that the whole place is full of adults. The suddenly he spots a boy his age and asks to play with him. Turns out, however, that the boy his age named Akira is the son of the best go player in Japan! Sai directs Hikaru in where to put the pieces and he wins without any effort. Akira is naturally shocked seeing that the way Hikaru holds the go pieces is like a beginner, but his moves are from hundreds of years ago! Akira has basically never been beat before, being a go prodigy, so now he has a new goal: to beat Hikaru.

The story progresses and tells about how hikaru gets taught by Sai in how to play the game, and expert moves. Hikaru learns very quickly and goes from a school team, to the city tournament, to applying to become a go instructor for life! It also tells of his struggles to beat Akira and how all the upper go players are keeping an eye on him. It's interesting when Hikaru and Sai go play on-line go with other real players from around the world. You get to see Sai kicking other countries' best player's butts!

Oh yeah, did I mention that only 3 people get become go instructors each year? Akira already got a spot the year before. Do you think Hikaru is up to the challenge? If he does get in, will he be able to compete with people on/above his level?

If you like this manga, I strongly recommend "Whistle!" as well

The content has been reviewed thoroughly (it's great, and well organized and fun to read). The book itself is on high quality, glossy colored thick paperstock. So not only is this a fun book for kids (and grown-up kids) to go back to time and time again, it should last for a long time.

I gave Howtoons to my 11 year old daughter for Christmas. She loves it, and it's a fantastic way to come up with active and interesting activities that don't involve a pile of imagination-crushing store-bought toys.

Her cousins have seen it, and they want their own copy too!

This book was recommended to me by a friend for my 9 year old son as a gift. Since he enjoys comic book, and enjoys making things (especially of it involves shooting objects), this was a real hit (no pun intended?). The stories are fun and the drawings well done. Very engaging and friendly, and has a universal rating. Highly recommended!

A nice guide for children nine years old and above.Adult supervision is recommended and the necessary materials are not supplied.A step in the right direction for all interested in chemistry.

This is a good book written like a comic. I wish there had been more interesting projects. Some of them I thought were a little shallow. I suggest you also go to the Howtoons web site and see some good examples there.

To finally have a chance to see Windsor McCay's artwork as it was intended is the treat of a lifetime. The reproductions I've seen in the past reduce the size of the art like watching a 70mm film on a regular TV set.

Nothing is being produced like this anymore. McCay's talent is beyond amazing, it would take a normal artist months to produce one page like he was doing every week. The book is exhausting and I can only read a dozen pages at a time. These are exact reproductions of actual newsprint pages from the time so all the printing imperfections are here but that should not dissuade the appreciation of this comic.

If you are a true drawn art aficionado find the money for this. You will not regret it.

Beautiful book.A splendid example of the quality of book production possible to-day. As for Little Nemo, one does not need to be a New Yorker- or even an American-to appreciate the artistry involved.
Chris Hunt, Alnwick, UK

This is a wonderful book - any digital animator should start here. Some of the frames look like storyboards for the Lord of the Rings films. It is amazing that a work of art of this quality appeared in a popular newspaper - and reproducing it now, at full scale, was a true labor of love. Winsor McKay was a fantastic artist.

This is the most beautiful book I have ever seen. Having purchased the complete Little Nemo book series in the 1980's I really looked forward to finally being able to see this lovely comic in its original format. When the book arrived today I realised that it was even better than I had hoped for, extremely high quality and of impressive size.

The only drawback is that it does only contain a selection of the story, but I can always read the missing pages in the cheaper old edition. A big applaud for the publisher who dared produce this wonderfull piece of art.

Let's be honest: this book's not cheap. Is it worth the price tag? Without question or hesitation: yes. If you're even contemplating buying this book, I probably don't have to tell you how great the Little Nemo strip was. What you'll want to know is that this book will make you feel like you've never really seen Little Nemo until now. It is a magnificent, absolutely stunning book.

First of all, this book is huge. McCay's work is reproduced at its original size, which reveals his superb draftsmanship in all its glory. If you remember Little Nemo as lovely but kind of cramped, you're not going to believe how open and expansive the strips look here.

Secondly, the color reproduction is superb. I'll take the editor's word that a great deal of effort was expended to match McCay's original coloring directions. What I will say is that the colors here are vibrant without being garish. It's really unbelievable that such sophisticated color work comes from a strip that's a hundred years old. I don't think most newspapers today could pull this off.

You really have to see the book to appreciate how incredible it is. This really sets a standard against which the other collections I've seen fall far short. If you can swing the price, you won't be sorry. You might, however, have a hard time finding a place to store it!

This book was really good along with the whole manga collection of love hina. The thing is that I watchd the whole love hina on TV. Once you get to book 4 or 5 then the plot changes. For instance on TV naru and keitaro never do it well in the manga they did. This book is still really good...but it just bugged me how it went off topic from the TV plot.

SPOILER WARNING

I'm not usually one to get emotional over manga or anything, but the end affected me realy strongly (especially the part with the time capsule). Keitaro and Naru get married (which the cover kind of gives away, but whatever), and maybe they get to finally "do it" without being interrupted. ;)

Anyway, I hear there's a manga sequel coming out in Japan. Maybe untrue but I can only hope...

I have loved 'Love Hina' from the beginning. Most of the people that I've come in contact I try to get them to read it but they look at say it's just a simple comic it's for kids (which is just so wrong) or I try to explain about and they go. "oooh it's a porno comedy!" So, I had to stop! 'sigh' however, if your looking at this book do yourself a favor and get from the beginning! Trust me!!!

This great manga series comes to a satisfying conclusion. True love wins out, and all that jazz. If you read the first 13 books in this series, you know you have to find out how it ends.

I borrowed the Love Hina manga collection from my friend and after reading the first volume, I instantly got hooked. Reading 5 volumes a day. It just kept wanting to find out what happened next. Bieng a romance comedy and me bieng a guy, I doubt I would enjoy that but this manga series has become ome of my top 5. I was so sad to see it end. Did I cry? Heck yah. It was a great ending to a great manga series. I knew you had it in you, Keitaro!!

This is a amazing book filled with full color glossy pages on every page! The perfect way to get your hands on the "originals." These books make great collectors editions. You will want to display this beauty! I purchased this for my husband who loves Spiderman & this is the only way for him to "have" the spectacular story from the very begining. This hard cover book with colorful dustjacket makes a great gift for any comic book fan as long as they don't insist on the real deal.

I purchased this collection for my father as a gift. HE LOVES IT!!! He owned many of the original Spiderman comics when he was a child and living on a military base in Japan. When my grandfather was stationed back in the U.S. my grandmother made him leave them in Japan.
This is a great gift for any true Spideerman fans or anyone who wants to get familiar with the actual comics. :)

An irradiated spider bite, a tragic twist of fate, a poignant proverb; over the years there have been numerous attempts to re-tell or re-interpret Spider-Man's origin. With some of them being successful and others not so much, any Spidey fan's best bet is to actually read the original Lee/Ditko comics in all their grandeur. The Marvel Masterworks series provides Spider-Man fans with this exact opportunity. Important to note - unlike some trades that compile these comics in black & white, in this collection, they are all in magnificent COLOR!

This particular volume, Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol.1 consists of Amazing Fantasy #15 (Spider-Man's first appearance) along with Amazing Spider-Man #1-10. This volume provides a great window to explore the original and definitive origin of Spider-Man with the introduction of his supporting cast, including: Uncle Ben, Aunt May, Flash Thompson, Liz Allen, Betty Bryant, and J.J. Jameson. We also see first appearances by classic villains, such as: Chameleon, Vulture, Doc Ock, Sandman, Lizard, and Electro, along with lesser known foes such as: the Fantastic Four's Doctor Doom, the Terrible Tinkerer, the Living Brain, and the Enforcers. Spider-Man also runs into some allies, with the Human Torch making multiple guest appearances as the webslinger's teenage foil.

Overall, the strength of these stories is Stan Lee's revolutionary concept in re-defining the traditional characteristics of a superhero. Unlike the morally perfect, father-figures that had dominated comic book pages for decades, Peter Parker was a socially awkward teenager who reflected his youth-oriented readers. Reading these early comics, we witness what is to become the trademark of Peter Parker's life: problems. From girl issues to money woes to his physically feeble Aunt May, it is Peter's personal life that remains the emotional core of his stories. While other heroes have the ability to retreat into their secret-identity, Peter's personal life is only more complicated by his newly earned powers and responsibilities. It is this aspect that made Spider-Man the most relatable superhero. Steve Ditko equally contributes to the success of the wallcrawler by making Spider-Man's world stand out with unique visuals, quirky costumes, and greatly depicted battles, particularly the classic showdown with Doctor Octopus.

Like all older comics, there is some dated dialogue that doesn't translate well into the vocabulary of the 21st century. There also is a tendency for Spider-Man and his villains to verbally narrate every action they engage in. However, the joyful and emotionally compelling nature of these stories diminishes these flaws entirely. This is a must have for any old or new Spider-Man fan!

That's what I call a great comic book collection! It just covers the earlier adventures of the Amazing Spider-man (#1-10 plus Amazing Fantasy #15) and the episodes'arts and scripts may not be as entertaining as some on the further issuses but still this collection remains a classic of its genre and is functional to the full understanding of the super-hero character Spider-Man.

For people who love comic books this is a nice thing to have. See how the Amazing Stan Lee started out his most popular creation. This book begins with Amazing Fantasy # 15 where Spiderman made his first ever appearance then goes on to present Amazing Spiderman # 1 - # 10. It includes Spidermans origin and goes on into battle with some of Spideys' most enduring enemies from Doctor Octopus to the Lizard, to Electro, Dr Doom and the Sandman. Spiderman even battles the Fantastic Four. The book even includes a small introduction by Stan Lee. The Marvel Masterworks series sits really well on the bookshelf next to the DC Archives sets. Collect books from both publishers and build a nice library of Superhero Mythologies.

Ever since my introduction to this webcomic two years ago, I have thoroughly enjoyed my weekly adventures into the world of Megatokyo and the misadventures of Piro and Largo, two American gamers stranded in Japan. (A circumstance that is entirely their own fault, I might add.)
Fred Gallagher and Dark Horse Comics combined to produce this wonderful print copy of Chapters 1 and 2 of the Megatokyo story, adding the highly amusing, if painful to see, SGD strips and a new section collecting the drawings of Piro and Largo's gameworld and an excellent short story based on that world. I hope to see more print editions of Megatokyo and maybe even a continuation of the Endgames story. Highly, highly recommended.

I must say, congrats to Fred for getting picked up by Dark Horse!

This is an amazing comic, been reading it now for... 2 years or so I think.. Keeps you coming back for more all the time.

As for book 2.. A much better quality than book one was by IronCat.. I have the IronCat book 1, but as soon as Dark Horse relases it, I'm getting that one as well.

This is a must read for everyone, this WILL become the staple must read for all manga fans, as much as Akira and Ghost In The Shell is for anime fans.

Can @nyone sp3ak l33t? L3t @lon3 underst@nd i7? I c@n kind@. I @bsolutely luv thi$ b00k. I s@y u @ll should read it at least 0nce!

The first book, in my opinion, is a necessity to every person who reads these types of books. But really, after Rodney Caston left, I've noticed the story's decline from the funny video game and computer jokes to a story running around Tokyo with a confusing romance-esque story. Sure, Fred wanted to go his own way, but I really felt it lost it's charm after that. Now the only thing Largo does is say "3V1L" and "L33t" in awkward places... then blows things up. Sounds cool, but really repetitive.

This installment of Megatokyo is a big improvement from volume one. The most noticeable change is the lack of notes at the bottom of each page. Those really slowed down the first book. The other improvements are character development and story complexity.

There is good news for Chobits fans. The PS2 accessory, Ping, takes on a bigger roll this time. Also Erika and Hayasaka are drawn so you can tell them apart.

Unfortunately, the stick figures from the first book are present in volume two, but it's only for two pages.

Volume two definitely has a high school feel to it, opposed to the PS2 feel of the first. I enjoyed seeing Largo teach English. It's good to have him doing something constructive. Although in the end, I was rooting for Piro.

This was a good book to pick up if you are just getting into the Spawn universe. It does omit issue 9-10 because of writer issues that happened in the 90's, but it is still worth checking out!

Product came in mint condition, smartly packaged, and shipped quickly. The book is great and so was the price.

This is the first 12 comics of spawn created put together into a collection edition which makes it great for all those Spawn lovers who could never get ahold of the older comics.

Very good buy, that is if you're into Spawn Comics and what not. Sadly enough it's missing a few issues for licensing problems. But all in all pretty good deal and I highly enjoyed it.

The ultra high profile and notorious comic book that made the big name companies re-think a darker edge for their mainstream characters, Todd McFarlane's Spawn is here from the beginning. After gaining much notoriety working on Marvel's Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man, McFarlane was one of the architects behind Image Comics, and Spawn helped the fledgeling company get off the ground. We all know the origin by now: government agent Al Simmons meets his demise, and strikes a deal with the devil to return to Earth to be with his beloved wife Wanda. Simmons is resurrected as the Hellspawn: complete with supernatural powers and demonic chains and charred and scarred flesh to boot. When he returns, he finds Wanda has remarried his best friend Terry, and the two have a child together as well. Not to mention that his memory has been practically obliterated, and he soon seeks vengeance on those who did him wrong. Besides Spawn himself, this first collection introduces many pivotal characters that would become icons of the series, including the foul Clown and his demonic alter-ego, the Violator, as well as the equally evil human Jason Wynn, and a host of other deadly enemies and few allies. Full of over the top violence and themes, Spawn marked a new era in comics that started off well, but began a chain reaction in character creation and storytelling that almost buried the industry forever. McFarlane's storytelling still packs a punch, but it's his artwork that is the mixed bag. His regular, normal character models have never been anything to write home about, but it's his design of Spawn that has always made the book a seller, and this is undoubtadly the best the series ever was before it grew into stale repetitiveness. Since Spawn was a smash hit, a feature film soon followed (and we all know how well that turned out, remember?) as well as the excellent and short lived HBO animated series. If you were late getting into Spawn, check this out to see what all the fuss was about, and it's a worthy pick up for those who have fond memories of the series in it's early days but don't have the single issues.

A beautiful books reminescent of Dr Seuss but a little darker. I love it.

Que placer tan grande da el encontrar un tesoro. Eso es lo que siento al leer este bello libro: un gran placer. Una historia que motiva y estimula el alma y la vista. No me deja de imprecionar el estilo tan unico y avanguarda de las imagenes.

Esta obra continua la exploracion en diseno, tematica y conceptuos visuales que empezo el autor en su primer libro. Solamente por su contenido grafico, este libro es una obra de arte moderno digno de ser incluido en museos y estudiado en escuelas de arte.

Illustrations were well done, however the Dr. Seuss wanna-be writing style lacks interest and fluidity. His attempts at the child-like poetry, ala Dr. Seuss with a Tim Burton twist, only prove that writing simple poetry with rhythym isn't as easy as it looks. All is not lost though, it did make a good beverage coaster.

This book delivers an AMAZING message on acceptance, and the art work is EXCEPTIONAL. A MUST HAVE BOOK!

This book offers the unique and witty humor of Michel Gagne' and lets us in on the insight to his imaginative mind and artwork. The story is that of darkness yet with a twist of humor and morals playing on the artwork that is both creative and very much his own. Highly recommended to anyone who is looking for the not so typical childrens books that we have all grown so weary of.

Back in the seventies, Silverberg really could do no wrong, at least by my estimation. Pretty much everything he did was an interesting bit of SF in its own right and often explored topics that SF didn't normally cover, or did it in ways that were new at the time. And he did this without being overly avant-garde or lessening the emotional impact of the work. "Nightwings" is probably overlooked because it was in its most famous form as a novella and in fact won a Hugo (and was also nominated for a Nebula) that year. Novellas are hard to release because they aren't long enough to warrant their own publication, so you either have to bundle them up in anthologies or piggyback them onto other books that may or may not have anything to do with the story in question. Fortunately Silverberg seemed to get around that problem by writing two other novellas to act as continuations of the story begun in "Nightwings". In the story he takes us to a far-future Earth that exists in the wake of a far more technologically advanced society that collapsed some centuries back. In this world humanity had fragmented into guilds, each serving their own purpose. Our viewpoint character is a Watcher, one of those who scans the skies in the event that we're invaded. Nobody really expects that to happen. But it turns out that everybody is wrong. The invasion, though, is almost beside the point. While it's the main bit in the first novella, what Silverberg does in the other two is deepen what we've already seen, exploring the intricacies of this new society and also how it reacts to sudden outside influence. In doing so, the Watcher sees humanity attempting to figure out if it has a place on its own planet, as well as trying to face its own shameful history that led it to this point. Its telling that for all the attention paid to the pretty flying people, they barely figure into the story, except to symbolize what most of us can't do. Silverberg manages to sketch out a fairly complex society in what amounts to very few pages, giving us enough for the big picture while letting us fill in the blanks, especially when it comes to the past history of Earth. He does this without making the novel six hundred pages and part of a larger trilogy. His prose, as is typical of this period, is sharp and lyrical, and he gives us plenty of nice mental images to take home: Pilgrims slouching toward renamed cities of our day, Fliers soaring into places most people can't go, people walking amongst the ruins of a past nobody can fully contemplate, decadent palaces and men both petty and bestial. It's fascinating and what other writers would spend entire series exploring, Silverberg nails it all in barely two hundred pages. And at the end we don't need to see more, he's shown us enough. Its impact isn't as great as his better known novels (it appears to share some of its themes with "Downward to the Earth") but the images it leaves us with of a future that is still recognizable even after everything is changed makes it one of his more notable works, and well worth giving your time to.

"Nightwings", an elegant collection of three novellas, shows the young Robert Silverberg at his lyrical best, telling a haunting, mesmerizing tale of a far flung Earth subjugated by the citizens of a distant planet once ruled by a brutal, imperial Earth. Told through the eyes of a "Watcher" - a former member of a feudalistic guild whose members were in charge of Earth's defense - the entire book works as a memorable tale of almost insurmountable loss, followed by redemption. Silverberg takes us on a magical journey through the streets of Roum (Rome), Paris and Jorslem (Jerusalem). Not surprisingly, the first novella, "Nightwings" - which chronicles the Roum adventures of the Watcher as the city is conquered by aliens - earned a Hugo Award.

The opening story of this collection, "Nightwings," is a classic: dealing with a decayed Earth, sexaul jealousy, a fascinating "guild" system, and alien invasion, it is one of the high points of the post-Golden Age era. The other two stories in the collection, while not terrible, do little more than flesh out the world. The major problem here is that "Nightwings" is avaiable in Silverberg's excellent collection _Phases of the Moon_; if you like science fiction at all, that book should be on your shelf. As such, it renders this collection somewaht unnecessary.

I am happy to say that this is the greatest book for science fiction lovers anywhere!! Silverberg has yet again astounded me with this awesome tale. Anyone who can read should read this book. :)

Long before Silverberg's Marjipoor Chronicles, there was "Nightwings."

This slim volume consists of three linked novellas that tell the story of a man who loses the woman he loves, and through one mistake, fails at his life's work and allows his world to be conquered. But ultimately, this is not a story about failure, but one about growth, renewal, love and redemption.

The story takes place on an Earth far in the future, one that has been brought to its knees by its own former arrogance. It is now a technological backwater in a large galaxy and has reverted to a medievalesque guild system. While some Watch the skies using intricate and decaying machinery, others Remember the world's history, and still others Dominate, using their position abusively where they will. The Fliers, descendants of genetically engineered humans fill the skies with beauty as they soar.

A Watcher loves the Flier with whom he has been travellling, but she loves another. He loses her in an invasion whose early signs he neglected to report. In the ensuing chaos, the Watcher becomes the unlikely custodian to a fallen Dominator and wanders the world trying to rebuild his life. He works as a Rememberer, learns the forgotten history at the heart of his world's downfall, and is ultimately purified, renewed, and given hope in the ancient city of Jorselm.

The story of "Nightwings" is simple and simply told, but it has a lyricism and beauty that make it memorable. Many of its themes resonate profoundly with contemporary concerns about cultural hubris, greed, and the growth of technology without the wisdom to regulate it properly. In the face of political devastation, personal redemption becomes intertwined with societal redemption.

"Nightwings" is a haunting and perceptive book. It made quite a splash when originally it was originally published, and the first part won a Hugo for Best Novella in 1969. It is good to have it available in paperback again.

Native Philadelphian Brandy Alexander fled her beloved city some four years ago for a semi-glamourous job of reporter in the City of Angels. Of course, no one in L.A. knows that she moved to get away from a love affair gone bad...just as her Philly crew has no idea just how silly and unglamourous her reporting gig in L.A. actually is. When childhood friend Franny calls to announce her impending marriage and the need for Brandy to serve as a bridesmaid, Brandy knows that she has no choice but to finally return home. Brandy quickly discovers that not much has changed on the East Coast...the old neighborhood is still intact, her friends are all the same, and former love-of-her-life Bobby DiCarlo is still married. But when best friend Johnny greets her at the airport with tales of murder, suspicious black SUVs, and missing people, Brandy is skeptical; when John starts pointing out malevolent-looking cars, she is intrigued; but when tragedy strikes quite unexpectedly, Brandy is horrified. With threats looming over herself and her loved ones, Brandy is determined to get to the bottom of all of the strange goings on. And the heat is really kicked up a notch when Brandy enlists the help of the gorgeous Nicholas Santiago. But...is Bobby's marriage really on the rocks? And with all of this testosterone flying around, given the drought that's been her love life, can Brandy really concentrate long enough to solve a mystery?
In the first of what promises to be at least as entertaining as Evanovich's Plum series, Ms. Fredman brings us a satisfying mystery with a romantic and comedic twist. I am thrilled that I have yet another series, and another author's work to look forward to...and I have already begun to spread the word.



DYB

Shelly fredman, is a great new breakthrough writer. shes funny and fresh.Her character brandy is totaly believeable,and so sweetly written.
I was hooked from the first page, and couldnt put it down untill the last page.All my friends recieved her book as gifts this holiday. They all loved it.....

Do yourself and your friends a favor and get this book asap. It's hilarious! My friends and I read it for our book club and, unlike Pride & Prejudice, we actually read it (no offense Jane Austen). So I highly recommend it to people who like funny mysteries.

What is a woman who is half Jewish, half Catholic, named after an alcoholic beverage and a porn star like? She is Brandy Alexander, a wannabe investigative journalist, a little quirky, a lot of fun, hilarious and absolutely loveable.

Brandy has been in Los Angeles for the past four years covering fluff assignments that pay the bills, but don't really satisfy her longing for harder edged investigative reporting. She comes home to Philly to be in a friend's wedding and soon finds herself trying to solve a murder.

Coming back to Philly brings Brandy face to face with the ex that forced her to leave her home town in the first place. Bobby is a sexy copy who just happens to be married with child now. Helping Brandy with her amateur investigating is a mysterious man of many talents, Nick Santiago.

Throughout the book the sexual chemistry is bubbling. Bobby and Brandy have a lot of unresolved issues and leftover feelings. Nick and Brandy have instant heat and a whole lot of new territory to cover.

This was a brilliant introduction to what I hope will be a long running and thoroughly entertaining series. I found the characters to be refreshing and completely genuine. These were all people you'd expect to meet or already know in your own town, people you'd love to hang out with on a Friday night. In between all the laughs and chemistry was an intriguing mystery that kept me turning the pages long after my body wanted to sleep. I started this book last night and finished it this morning; I didn't want to put it down and did only when absolutely necessary.

No Such Thing As A Secret was laugh out loud funny and a completely engaging read. All I can say is thankfully I have book two, No Such Thing As A Good Blind Date, already on my book shelves, because I can hardly wait to tear into it. I was in a book slump... and this book rescued me; Shelly Fredman has a brand new fan.

Shelly Fredman is a former Philadelphian who writes, teaches, elementary school, and loves chocolate, Philadelphia, and an active imagination. She has previously published CREEPS, a young-adult novel, and is presently working on a sequel to NO SUCH THING AS A SECRET. Shelly's motto is that "Reality is for people who lack imagination." Her second motto is that chocolate is good for you and you can never eat too much.

Brandy Alexander has returned from her puff reporting job in L.A. after a four year absence in Philadelphia. She left behind her love and soulmate, Robert Anthony DiCarlo, who married and had a child in her absence. While she is busy being joyfully reunited with her Phillie friends, her best friend, John, is apparently killed in a boating accident. Brandy witnesses the explosion, and her life changes dramatically. She decides to hunt down the killer, with Bobby (the police officer) challenging her every step of the way. Is Bobby involved in police graft or a coverup? Brandy enlist the aid of sexy Nick Santiago to help her as she enters the underworld of Philadelphia:

"The music pulsated in the background, permeating the air we breathed. Nick stared at me, and I flushed under his gaze. Damn, isn't there some kind of pill you can take for congenital blushing? I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. Wordlessly, he stood and stretched his arm out to me. 'I'm not a very good dancer,' I apologized. 'Neither am I,' he said, as he took me in his arms. Liar."

First off, Shelly Fredman is a hilarious writer! She has such a warm style of writing that the reader can't help but be pulled in as her Phillie friends rejoice in Brandy's return. But make no mistake, this plot is serious and confusing. Brandy Alexander takes the reader on a ride not soon to be forgotten. There is political corruption; danger everywhere; and Brandy has to transform from a feature reporter to an earnest investigator. But Fredman doesn't stop there. She surrounds Brandy with two luscious men, both vying for her attention. Brandy herself is lovably unaware of their intentions, but ultra-aware of their sexuality.

NO SUCH THING AS A SECRET is a titillating mystery full of fun and mayhem. There is a rich under-texture that separates the story from other authors and thus makes it a standout. But beware, Fredman leaves the love interest up in the air, which will guarantee that her readers will be clamoring for the next installment of Brandy Alexander. Cleverly done!

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer