F Books

Catseye is another book based in and around the Dipple slum settlement/camp, or whatever you want to call it. There are only a few options open to those that live here. In Judgement on Janus, the main character there chose one, the young man in this book chooses another, taking temporary jobs to try and get by.

He lands what is basically a pet shop job dealing with exotic animals, who turn out to be far more than they seem. This leads to a dog and his boy sort of escapades, or the other way around.

After reading just about anything science fiction put in front of me for years, I hate to admit that this is my first foray into Andre Norton's work. The characters and the world instantly start out feeling stable and developed so there doesn't have to be any long spots of backstory narrative. All the details fall right where they need to go so the reader doesn't have to do much work. It's like you open the cover and the adventure begins.

I very much enjoyed Troy's plight through a place that's not exactly friendly to his type and how he grew as a man throughout the story.

The action of several of Norton's science fiction novels have begun on Korwar, whose people deliberately chose to make the planet a playground for the rich and powerful of the galaxy. Ironically, this is the best possible protection for Korwar from the interstellar corporations represented by those same people - while they often plunder worlds for natural resources, they won't foul their own nest.

Despite their protection, however, Korwar isn't untouched. During the great war between the Council and Confederation governments (its aftermath appears in several books, such as DARK PIPER), the capital city of Tikil became the site of a refugee camp. After the war, those whose worlds were gone, whether destroyed or traded away at the peace table, had nowhere else to go, so the refugee camp became the Dipple, an unofficial 3rd face of Tikil making an ugly contrast to the expensive haunts of tourists or even the working city of the spaceport and warehouse district. The Dipple is a perennial problem, and CATSEYE follows Troy Horan, brought to this sterile warren as a youngster from the plains of Norden. There are only three options open to a Dipple-dweller: attempting to join the Thieves' Guild (as Ziantha of FORERUNNER FORAY escaped), signing on as indentured labor for a frontier world (as Niall of JUDGEMENT ON JANUS did), or scraping by without sub-citizenship by competing in the very tight casual labor market, as Horan does. Consequently, while the protagonists of FORERUNNER FORAY and JUDGEMENT ON JANUS also came from the Dipple, Troy Horan's story is the first to concentrate on Tikil and Korwar - the other tales leave the planet early in the story.

On the morning the story opens, Troy has incredible luck - the assigner has a job for someone with "knowledge of animals", and Troy's reply that he has that of a Norden herd rider lands him indefinite employment at Kyger's pet shop, which provides exotic pets as status symbols for the rich. Troy's initial worries about the decade separating him from any contact with animals aren't a problem - his initial work assignment to help retrieve some new acquisitions from the port lengthens when an attempted hijack en route puts a full-time Kyger employee temporarily out of action.

But why would anyone try to hijack a shipment of exotic animals bound for a life as pets - even as pets of the Gentle Fem San duk Var, rich and influential though she is? Delivering a fussel hawk and accompanying its first hunting expedition with a Ranger of Korwar (and giving us our first glimpse not only of Korwar's huge unspoiled nature preserves, but of the mysterious Forerunner ruins of Ruhkarv) leaves him with an impression that Korwar's guardians are taking an unusual interest in what is, after all, only a pet shop. After all, it's not *illegal* to convince credulous rich people that their little darlings can't survive without special diets, available from Kyger's. :)

Then the routine of delivering special pet food to a Sattor Commander's beloved kinkajou is disrupted by murder - and Troy covers the kinkajou's odd behavior with a plausible story for the police. He finds himself wondering just how intelligent these animals are - and whether he should ally himself with Kyger, who may provide a permanent escape from the Dipple, or with a certain cats-eye view of the world.

(Ruhkarv, and the disastrous fate of the last archeological team ever allowed in the place, are mentioned in some of Norton's other works - DREAD COMPANION mentions it in passing, while a Zacathan scholar in BROTHER TO SHADOWS attempts an experiment with a revised version of the device that brought final disaster to the Ruhkarv team - but CATSEYE provides more information about Ruhkarv than any other story to date.)

Catseye (1961) is a standalone SF novel in the Dipple universe. When the War of Two Sectors broke out, the Council had evacuated the Horans from Norden to the Displaced Persons center on Korwar. Range Master Lang had volunteered for military service and did not return. Then his wife died of the Cough, a passing illness that was particularly hard on those from Norden. Their son was the sole survivor of the Horan family.

In this novel, ten year later, Troy Horan has only his wide Range Master belt and a few memories to remind him of Norden. Now he is working as a casual laborer in Tikil. One morning, he is offered a job by the mechanical assigner and accepts it. Today he will escape the Dipple for a few hours.

Troy reports for work at Kyger's, a purveyor of extraordinary pets. On his first day, he frustrates an attempt to steal a pair of Terran cats. Supervisor Zul -- a full-blooded Bushman -- is wounded in the attempt and Kyger offers Troy a seven day contract to fill in for the injured man.

During the incident, Troy receives a warning in mindspeech from the cats. Later, he approaches their cage and exchanges a few thoughts. He conceals these communications from his employer and co-workers since he is not really sure what has happened.

Troy has an affinity for animals and does especially well with the fussel hawk, a hunting bird from Norden. He is asked to accompany a customer into the wild to prove the bird's qualities. He will spend three days in the company of Rerne, a high ranking member of the Hunter Clans.

Before this excursion, Troy is sent to a hillside villa to deliver special food for a pet kinkajou owned by Commander Varan Di. Since the Commander had just been murdered, the patrollers warn off his flitter, but allow him to continue after he explains his errand. As he is approaching the villa, the pet runs away from a patroller carrying it out of the building and leaps into Troy's arms.

The patrollers are upset at finding the pet rummaging through the Commander's papers. Troy points out that the kinkajou is a very imitative animal and his probably copying his master's habitual routine. While he is talking to the patrollers, the kinkajoy is pleading with him in mindspeech to take it away from the estate. Eventually, the patrollers tell him to return the pet to Kyger's shop and they fly away.

In this story, Troy finds that a pair of Terran foxes can also talk to him in mindspeech. He even overhears a conversation between the animals and their master. He begins to suspect Kyger of some form of espionage. Then Kyger is murdered and Zul tries to kill these animals. Troy steals a flitter and flees into the wilderness with the five Terran animals.

Troy and the animals are followed by Kyger's associates and the flitter is forced down in the 'accursed place' of Ruhkarv. Now they are hunted not only by Zul and his men, but also by the rangers of the Hunter Clans. They travel deep within the alien ruins and find much to fear therein.

This story is a precursor to the Beast Master series. Although Fors has mental communications with the great hunting cat Lura in Star Man's Son, this tale depicts a team of human and animals. Unlike Storm Hosteen's beastmaster team, however, Troy's group is more accidental than intentional. But it is still a combined force against their enemies.

Highly recommended for Norton fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of human-beast teamwork, future cultures, and high adventure.

-Arthur W. Jordin

I won't go too much into the plot, as another reviewer here has done so quite excellently. However, I want to point out that Catseye was published for the Young Adult market and so can be read by both children, young adults and adults. I originally read this novel as a child and it still remains one of my favourite Andre Norton books.

Far, far into mankind's future, when humankind has spread out into the stars from the original planet of Terra and encountered other races...Young Troy Horan is a refugee/displaced person due to war, living the shadow life of an unwanted, non-citizen in the Dipple camp. His world and past life has gone forever and he has no future. The elite and powerbrokers of the galaxy, gathered on the pleasure planet of Korwar, prefer to ignore the unpleasant truth of the Dipple under their noses.

One day, Troy has the unbelievable luck to secure some temporary day work in a luxury pet shop. While there, he stumbles on a mystery that could cost him his life, and he goes on the run with the special sentient luxury pets he has discovered he can communicate with in the petshop.

Who can Troy trust? He and his Terran animal friends hold a dangerous secret, and various interested and powerful parties now set off in pursuit of Troy and his friends as they escape into the highly protected nature wilderness that comprises most of Korwar, and finally into the mysterious, forbidden and sealed ruins of a previous race which existed on Korwar. The ruins are officially sealed for a reason - can the escapees survive their pursuers and what lurks within?

Language and content are appropriate for children/young adults. In addition, the writing and plot is at an extremely high level, appealing to adult readers as well. Some themes are environmentalism, power, war, refugees and animal rights. One of my favourite SF books still, as an adult reader. Also one for cat lovers.

I found this book to be very intriguing and suspenseful. It completely captivates you from page one. Stolen moments from my family were rewarded by discovering the multi-faceted characters and feeling as if I had stepped into their world and personally knew them. Sadness and mystery are woven into the lives of each character ... absorbing the reader so that they feel like they must get to the end. Once there, long kept secrets are unveiled and a surprise ending leaves you on the edge!

A definite page turner!!! Bill Reina is able to get into the hearts and minds of his characters that takes his reader on a journey of excitement, lonliness, and love. It is not until the surprise finale that you realize the ride you have been on and wish would never end. Bill, I'm hoping for a sequel!!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading great novels. From the first page to the last, I could not put it down. The way the characters were developed really allowed me to connect and grow with them as the book continued. The twists and turns throughout the book kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next, and the suprise ending capped off the book leaving a lasting effect on the reader. This book is definitely an easy read, full of excitement, and not one dull moment.

The novel is full of guessing, events that take place lead to many different possible outcomes that are not so predictable. The author manages to have lives so eventfull, full of excitement, and drama that is so intense however it still stays within the realm of possibility. The characters in the book are both flawless and have great flaws. The flaws that they have are brought out by the author to increase the charaters personality. It makes them so real you start to think you actually know the person. When infact doing this makes them perfect characters. The novel is full of morals of life and you will be stunned at how well anyone can relate to some of the events in the story. Caverns is a great book to read, enjoy, and learn from.

I thought this book was truly insightful. Any reader will be able to relate to some aspect of this book whether it be love, betrayal, self exploration or drive. From the minute I picked this book up and read through the opening chapters I was hooked. I was able to relate to the many aspects of the book in regards to soul searching and career drive. From the opening and CAG stock to the Cayman Islands, this book had my full attention. I read the 480+ pages in just 2 days. I recommend this book to anyone who wonders about things larger than themselves and what lengths people will go to in order to show love or cover things that they may have done in their past.

Clear Blue Sky is a glimpse into a day in the life of street cops starting on September 2nd leading up to the events of September 11, 2001.

"Greater Love has no man than this that he lay down his life for his friends." This is what firefighters, policeman and other rescue works gave on that fateful day. The main character Tony Cavalucci is a macho Italian who has been a patrol policeman in New York for the past 11 years. Tony's father had 22 years on the force before that. Tony's precinct is Midtown, Manhattan, in a brick building off 9th Avenue. His partners name is Joe, another macho Italian man who is a born again Christian.

Anyone remember the TV show NYPD BLUE? That show was kind of a day in the life of real policeman on the job and off in their personal lives. September 2nd Tony & Joe volunteer to get some overtime on Labor Day patrolling for a parade heading downtown. The events are similar to the ones I remember NYPD BLUE show to be.

Tony Cavalucci is a new Christian and his Italian family is not so happy about his decision to follow Jesus. Tony is engaged and his brother Vinny wants to give him a bachelor party that will include lots of drinking and prostitutes. Tony and his bride to be don't want any part of this party. Vinny and the rest of the family think that there is something wrong with Tony when he doesn't embrace the bachelor party with open arms. His family and brother think he's no fun anymore. He doesn't want to drink with them, and he doesn't want to have bachelor parties. What's up? The family thinks it must be his fiancé Michelle. Tony's family hopes he hasn't taken this Jesus stuff serious. They think Tony will come around to his old ways soon it will just take a little manipulating by the family to control the situation.

Tony struggles to honor his family and follow Jesus. On an early morning fishing trip with family and a few friends Tony explains why it's ok sometimes to miss church. "If you are only going to church because you're afraid God's gonna punch you, you're going for the wrong reasons anyway. I don't like to miss church and I don't do it very often. But the Lord likes fishing, and He'll be there with us!" I like how he said that.

Tony says to himself "I took Joes' advice (about praying) but I found I couldn't focus trying to pray, drive and keep my eye on the cab at the same time. Joe seemed to be fine with it, so I left the praying to him."

I get a kick out of Tony sharing his struggle as he says "Honestly - Okay - I didn't' say crap, I said the "S" word and was feeling guilty about it. Then I thought about what Joe says, that God forgives me if I ask Him to, and I felt confused that I cursed and now I expected God to forgive me when I did something wrong. ; Then I got aggravated that I had all this crap in my head when I was trying to cuff this guy and was glad when Rooney jumped out of the car and ran over to help me." It's funny and gut honest. I can see this macho Italian man doing this on the streets of New York.

As I read about Tony and Joe and their lives as policemen I kept wondering when September 11 events would happen as I turn the next page. These patrol men are not search and rescue personnel. They are street policemen walking their beat when tragedy strikes. No one was quite sure of what happened when the first plane hit (like the rest of us). I'm sure everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing on that day when that first tower got hit. The first mission for the patrol cops was to keep some kind of order on the streets by keeping the traffic and people moving away from the towers. No one was sure of what would happen next. They wanted everyone out of the city and out of danger.

I know that I could not fully grasp what was happening on the streets of New York after that first plane went into the building and then the second when I watched the video clip on TV over and over that day. F.P. Lione interviewed policemen that actually lived thru this. They describe what happened through not only what they saw, but what they heard, smelled, touched and felt physically and emotionally. It was really enlightening to read the description.

TONY Cavalucci actually starts to pray for each person that jumped from the building. He says "I remembered what Joe said about going ino God's thrown room, and I asked God if I could come in and talk to him. I felt inside he told me yes, to come in and pray for these people."

I liked how this book showed Tony and Joe's faith in action on the streets of New York; it's funny, sincere and edgy. It is a heavy subject that the authors handled really well. I know this book will be hard for some to read (because of the subject matter) but I really recommend it.

Nora St. Laurent - Book Club Servant Leader
www.psalm516.blogspot.com

This book is a Christian themed police procedural. The protagonists are patrol officers assigned to the midnight shift of NYPD's Manhattan South Precinct, especially partners Joe Fiore and Jerry Cavalucci. The patrol vignettes are an interesting snapshot of NYPD activity in the commercial center of the city. The authors draw a compelling portrait of Cavalucci's struggle with alhocol and a dysfucntional family, especially the strains placed on his fiance and her son. Cavalucci's attempts to bring order and sense to his professional and private lives lead to the Christian component of the book. Joe Fiore, Cavalucci's partner, and Michele, his fiance, are deeply religious Christians who try to help Tony resolve life issues by example and references to scripture and the power of faith. The characters are engaging and the reader is caught up in Tony's struggle. The best part of the book is the account of 9/11 from our police officer characters' perspectives. It is at once terrifying and inspiring. We all saw the tragedy. The characters lived it. The authors vividly describe it. The last eighty pages alone make the book well worth buying and reading. An outstanding effort.

In CLEAR BLUE SKY, Frank and Pam (F. P.) Lione continue the story of New York Police Detective Tony Cavalucci in a stand-alone novel (their first in hardcover). The talented husband and wife duo have three previous NYPD books under their belt, and the experience shows as they pen their best --- and grittiest --- police novel to date.

If you missed the now (mostly) out-of-print Midtown Blue series that chronicles the time leading up to this novel, you're in for a treat here. Tony is engaged to single mom Michele and looking forward to being a full-time dad to her young son, Stevie. With a wedding in the works, the couple has lots to talk about --- and plenty of tension.

The chief stressor is a bachelor party that Tony's loud and argumentative Italian family is insisting on. Michele lets Tony know that if the bachelor party goes as planned, she's calling it quits. Of course, this isn't the real reason why Tony's family has mostly turned against him. They don't care for his hard-won sobriety (his sister Denise calls him "Mr. Twelve Stepper"), and they're not crazy about the fact that he's marrying Michele, a single mother. They also don't like his new-found commitment to faith. It's not long before the inevitable showdown occurs, and Tony finds that he must choose between his family and his fiancée and her son.

And what a family. Tony's divorced mom is dating a Harley biker. His father's trampy second wife is pregnant, which his father seems to find unusually upsetting --- and we discover why, as the novel unfolds. Add a few Mafia relatives, and the sparks (and punches) are sure to fly at any family gathering.

Underneath the tension is Tony's insecurity about his own worthiness. "The truth is, I felt kind of like a fraud with Michele. Like maybe if she really knew me, she wouldn't be so quick to marry me.... It was like I kept waiting for the hammer to hit me and things to crash and burn around me like they always did."

Joe Fiore is Tony's wise Christian partner, and one of the reasons why Tony has been able to stay sober and deal with his Italian family. He's also the reason why Tony has found a renewed faith. But Tony has stopped going to church and hasn't been able to talk to Michele or Joe about why. His conversations with Joe reflect the reality and messiness of church life.

Tony's life as a cop provides some of the best moments in the book. Speed chase scenes, almost-too-strange-to-be-true incidents (a dog that is electrocuted when it pees on open live wires on a lamp post vandalized by the homeless for their boom boxes), the ins and outs of a grand jury trial, and even a burglary in a geisha house all score high on the "wow, I didn't know stuff like this went on" scale. Insider lingo also enlivens the text --- one man with a bandaged head injury is said to be wearing a "Bronx party hat." As in the other Lione books, there are plentiful descriptions of Italian food that will make your mouth water. It's a wonder Tony doesn't weigh 300 lbs.

For those readers new to Tony's story, F. P. Lione is an Italian-American married couple, Frank and Pam, who are both children of NYPD detectives. (Frank has also served with the NYPD). Their direct experiences with the police force and love of the city lend authenticity to the novel. The narrative isn't without some troubles --- lots of consecutive sentences that begin with "We" and "I", for example. But they pen some killer descriptions, such as this one about Friday bingo night at St. Michael's: "Kind of like offtrack betting, with old Italian women in rolled-down stockings."

The twin towers on the cover and prologue clue in the reader that CLEAR BLUE SKY's story will climax in the events of September 11th. In a post 9/11 world, where it seems as if every emotional drop has been wrung out of the fictional and nonfictional publishable possibilities, I was skeptical that anyone could write a moving scene six years after the fact. But the Liones handled the tragedy well enough to give me goosebumps. It's also a crucial and believable way for them to literally nudge some of their characters into a stronger belief in God.

The Liones just keep getting better in every novel. They adeptly blend Italian life, relationship issues, fascinating stories from the New York City streets and faith into a page-turning read that will hook new readers while continuing to please fans of their previous books. Don't miss it.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby

It's several months after the release date of Clear Blue Sky but I don't want to neglect writing it up. I've not read any of the Lione's previous novels so I don't have a feel for their voice overall. However, I will be picking up previous and future books because the story of Tony and Michelle, New York and his life as a cop, a son, a new Christian and a man were intriguing and gritty and real.

I was surprised that the majority of the book didn't deal with September 11th, that this huge and very well written and gut-wrenchingly told event was only a small part of the lives of Tony and Michelle.

The writing is narrative and to-the-point and through the eyes of Tony, an Italian New York cop, who is at a crossroads in life. He is facing changes within his close knit and very dysfunctional family. He has chosen to marry a woman who doesn't please the majority of his family members because she is not willing to put up with the dysfunction, the alcoholic brawls and the mind games. Tony, a reformed bad boy, has a fledgling faith and a strong friend/partner/mentor in Joe. But Tony is pulling away from church because something just isn't looking right and he doesn't know what to do about it. Tony's brother and father are closer than ever and edging Tony out and Grandma, the sweet old lady, is losing control so she's pulling out all the stops and not looking quite as sweet. All of a sudden alcohol is looking really good to Tony and he's wondering what it's going to cost him to have Michelle as a wife.

There is so much to this story. The writing is a little more nuts and bolts than I generally dig into, but the characters and descriptions and details pulled me in and didn't let me go. I want to read more about Tony and Michelle. I want to see the entire family healed. I want to hug Joe because he acts like Jesus. There are situations and words that would offend folks, so be forewarned. But if you aren't easily offended and squeamish, look into this novel.

With the Labor Day weekend and its feasts over, the overworked NYPD police know they can catch a breath after tons of overtime mostly involving crowd control. Police officer Tony Cavalucci did his job, but crowd control is a part of his patrol work he hates as he dreams of getting "out of the bag" and into a plainclothes anti crime unit.

He and most of his peers fear the new mayor will return the streets to the perps as his aids are not impressive; still he does his job of patrolling the streets. Following a graveyard shift on the morning of 11 September 2001 on a warm clear day he stops for coffee and muses unhappily about the demands his family have placed on him. His brother wants him to host a wild last fling bachelor party to remind him what he is giving up by marrying. His extended Italian family especially his mother hates his fiancée Michelle as she is ethically and religiously incorrect and had a child Stevie out of wedlock. They insist he drop her or else. As he ponders whether he will have to give up one of the two families he loves, all that changes when he notices smoke coming from one of the Twin Towers.

CLEAR BLUE SKY continues the insightful look at the life of a New York City cop (see the previous three Midtown Blue novels: not read by me - THE DEUCE and THE CROSSROADS; read by me SKELLS). 9/11 is important to the plot, but comes towards the latter part of the novel as readers follow Tony's personal and professional life in the days just before the tragedy (much of the setting), during the rescue attempts, and immediately after. Fans of police procedurals will appreciate this series that focuses on the cop on the job and off the job as readers obtain a perceptive glimpse of the work pressures and family demands on a police officer.

Harriet Klausner

I am really into geometrical and prism designs...they have an unspoken pull on me...the main challange for me when I color them is to balance somehow the color hues and tones with the geometrical segments of the design...so in the end to be able to get something stunning...the main drawback is when I let myself think too much about what goes with what...I like complex designs, they are more challanging...I use this hobby as a form of active yoga meditation(shutting off my mind while I focus on the design)...all in all, this coloring hobby is the simplest and effective way of gradually developing an inner sense of order, harmony and discipline...

If coloring calms you and you like art this is the book for you.

Though I've just begun using it, I bought the Mandala Coloring Book to aid me in relaxation after hectic days and before bed. It is intriguing, to say the least. While coloring the intricate designs, I'm not able to think of much else, making it easier to wind down and "turn off" my head.

I found colored pencils worked best for getting into some of the tiny lines and tight corners of these mandalas. I found coloring them to be almost medatative.

Recovering from back surgery, I knew my artistic mind needed a more relaxing, yet retain a stimulating art media to keep my interest. This book does it! Mandalas do have spiritual or rather meditative foci that can help increase healthy thinking as one heals, but the FUN I have had using my professional color pencils, watercolor pencils and a bit of charcoal, chalk, and pastels on the quality paper in this book have really taken my mind off my pain. The mandala images are all on one side of the paper throughout the book, so no bleed through and as I mentioned, the paper quality is not cheap newsprint common of other coloring books. Since getting this book (and a few others!!), I have recommended them to several family members and now they are checking out this great way to relax and use their right "side of the brain" in more ways than one. One additional component of this book are the several pages of blank circles at the book's end where YOU can design your own meaningful mandalas...something many self-help instructors and counselors encourage people to do.

This book is definitely worth every penny and is one of the best of the adult coloring books available. I also wish retirement centers would provide this type of quality art books for residents to provide healthy mind stimulation and possible growth and/or mainttenance.

The definitive life, based on the official "Process of Beatification and Canonization," and thus totally factual and documented. Of humble education and assigned to a forgotten farmers' village, he attracted the whole world to Ars and was proclaimed "Patron Saint of Parish Priests" in 1929. Ate one meal a day, slept only a few hours a night, heard confessions up to 17 hours a day, converted thousands. His body remains incorrupt. A grace-filled story of total love of God!

"In the span of nearly 50 years of priesthood, what is still the most important and most sacred moment for me is the celebration of the Eucharist. My awareness of celebrating in persona Christi at the altar prevails. Never in the course of these years have I failed to celebrate the Most Holy Sacrifice. If this has occurred, it has been due entirely to reasons independent of my will. Holy Mass is the absolute center of my life and of every day of my life. It is at the heart of the theology of the priesthood, a theology I learned not so much from text books as from living examples of holy priests. First and foremost, from the holy Cure of Ars, Jean Marie Vianney. Still today I remember his biography written by Fr. Trochu, which literally overwhelmed me."  (English text of the address given at the International Symposium on the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Promulgation of the Conciliar Decree Presbyterorum Ordinis on Friday, October 27, 1995. Text acquired from L'Osservatore Romano, Weekly English Edition.) Text can also be viewed at the Vatican web site.

This is the best biography of Vianney I have read. It is tough going at times, partly due to its length and partly due to its tendency to be repetitious, but it is well worth the time in order to learn more about the personality and life of this exemplary priest.

Often books about saints are so full of fanciful musings and imaginings that it is difficult to decode fact from fiction. This book is based on the research proceedings and interviews of witnesses for the canonization of St. Jean-Marie-Baptiste Vianney. The book examines the life of the saint through the eyes of those who lived and interacted with him on a daily basis and recounts stories based on theirs shared experiences of the man. The author presents the reader with documented accounts much like what one would hear from witnesses recounting events that had taken place in a court of law. This gives the book a certain authenticity. Clearly, the author has a tremendous amount of respect for the Cure d'Ars but I think that it is the result of what he has uncovered in the collected documents of the saint's life rather than the musings of a man who out of an admiration for a saint, whose life is documented only through fanciful stories based on hearsay or legends, has written a text that is difficult to accept because of the lack of evidence for what is being presented. I would recommend this book because it is well written, balanced and accessible to most readers. I also find that you will get of fairly clear picture of who the Cure of Ars was, how he lived and what he accomplished over the course of his relatively long life. He was truly a remarkable man!

What makes this such an amazing and enthralling book is not just the unbelievable life of this humble priest---but the quotes and thoughts of those around him; many impressions from those who knew and worked with him, etc...It also documents extremely well the historical backdrop of France in the eighteenth century; what was going on at the time; how the Church was persecuted, innocent priests guillotined by the savage Revolution; how the Church had to go underground. It was forbidden to say Mass and any priest doing so was punished; families harboring priests were likewise punished. It is a well-documented thorough portrait of a most remarkable saint placed in a historical context. It is engrossing, fascinating and inspiring.

John F. Walvoord makes studying prophesy, for beginners and bible scholars alike, interesting and understandable. He also makes studying a controversial subject exciting. I highly recommend another one of his books, Every Prophesy of the Bible.

Walvoord's work on Daniel avoids all the common pitfalls. He is not credulous, doesn't exaggerate, deals with data fairly, and accurately critiques liberal unbelief convincingly.

Of the tons of books I've read dealing with Daniel, none can compare with Walvoord's scholarship and insight. If you want to understand Daniel, you must read this book carefully.

Dennis McCallum, author Organic Disciplemaking: How to promote Christian leadership development through personal relationships, biblical discipleship, mentoring, and Christian community

In the feild of O.T. Eschatology, it is almost impossible not to reference Dr. Walvoord. This book is indepth. I love the fact that he does justice to the various views that he dealt with concerning the book of Daniel. He is a scholar and a gentleman. The material in this book would be considered seminary level. Anyone interested in learning more about the book of Daniel should get this book. I would just about equal this book to Leon Wood's commentary on Daniel.

This commentary on the Old Testament book of Daniel is noteworthy for its detail and its coupling of the author's dispensational interpretation with presentation and analyses of alternate interpretations and their inadequacies. But for the endtimes ("eschatology") novice, I'd suggest first reading Renald Showers' Daniel commentary, 'The Most High God,' since it's purpose does not include critiquing other views, but stays focused on a concise, readable, less overwhelming exposition of Daniel. (In case you're unfamiliar with Daniel altogether, Walvoord and Christians of dispensationalist theology consider Daniel to be the "Key to Prophetic Revelation" as title says, because Daniel chapters 2 and 7 give the broad panorama of Gentile kingdoms (including the final one to come), and most importantly, because Daniel chapter 9:24-27 tells of God's post-Babylonian captivity plan for Israel, including the upcoming 7-year period commonly referred to as "the tribulation," when the Antichrist reigns, and which is foundational for an understanding of the book of Revelation which details this period.)

I read this book around the same time that I read J.D. Pentecost's book called Things to Come. I felt that Walvoord did a great job of unlocking some of the mystery in the book of Daniel. It is, in my opinion, an excellent commentary on the book of Daniel. Of course, there is nothing better than prayerfully reading, rereading and then reading again the book of Daniel itself and allowing the Holy Spirit to teach you--no commentary can take the place of the scriptures themselves. I didn't read this commentary until I had read Daniel multiple times as well as the whole Bible. If you just read books without actually soaking yourself in the Scriptures first you will not "get it" and you may actually get confused.

Este libro me parece un mensaje muy especial para los Dejados atras. No solo te da pistas de lo que sucedera si no que te dice que los dejados atras tienen otra oportunidad, mucho mas dura y catastrofica pero oportunidad de estar al fin con nuestro Dios.

ESTE NOVELA ES IMPRESIONANTE, ES UNA NOVELA APOCALIPTICA COMO NO LA HAY, TE ATRAPA DESDE EL PRIMER MOMENTO NO PODRAS DEJAR DE LEERLA UNA VEZ QUE EMPIECES (UNA NOVELA DE DESASTRE COMO NO LO HA HABIDO EN LA HISTORIA Y QUE PRONTO SUCEDERA) SUPER RECOMENDADA (Y SUS SECUELAS NO SE QUEDAN ATRAS SON IGUAL DE INCREIBLES) NO DEBES DE PASAR ESTE ESTE LIBRO, EXIGE SER LEIDO

Si alguna ves tuviste dudas de como es eso del ARREBATAMIENTO DE LA IGLESIA aqui te lo narran. Si eres nuevo en Cristo y no te queda claro que pasa o si llevas varios años jugando al "Cristianito Dominguero" este libro te va a sacudir. Aunque es ficción, esta lleno de verdades Biblicas que han de cumplirse, nadie sabe el día ni la hora pero podrías estar viendo un montón de ropa en el lugar donde estaba tu amig que te hablaba de JESUS... No puedes dejar de leerlo, dia y noche, comiendo y en el baño, un excelente inicio a la serie de DEJADOS ATRAS, corre por el siguiente libro: COMANDO TRIBULACION.

Encuentro facinante ciertos pasajes de este libro. Nos narra como los creyentes desaparecen y otros miles se quedan.

Que Dios nos da una segunda oportunidad o debiera decir tercera para aquellos dejados atras.

Un mensaje de Dios de misericordia.

Esta novela ha hecho que piense en el juicio final y las consecuencias que tendremos que afrontar y ademas de hacerme muchas preguntas y buscar respuestas a lo que puede ser ese juicio final. Ademas que nos deja ver que DIOS es tan maravilloso que da una segunda oportunidad para aquellos que son DEJADOS Atras. Es un libro fascinante y dificil de soltar. Definitivamente es un libro que exige leer los libros subsiguientes.

I could not put this book down. Once I began reading it, I had to finish it. It was full of mystery and suspense. I can not wait until the sequeal comes out. I have told alot of friends about this book. If you like suspense, mystery and a all around good book, Buy this. I recommend it to everyone.

Mr.Davis book kept me on my toes. I never knew what to expect next. It made me think,and explore the way the human mind can find a faucet to place the blame on someone eles. I cant tell you how often when asked if I like a book my respones is that it was just okay. This time I can truly say that this book is AONE. you wont be able to put this one down!!!

It was one of the most execiting books that i have ever read. i could not put it down, had to finish it. it was GREAT !!!!!!

I really enjoyed your book, I don't normally read books. Your brother Steve gave the book that you signed to my husband and he gave it to me to read. I was recovering from an illness so I had time to read it. It really kept me wanting to keep reading it. I want to read the next book you have comig out. Keep up the good work. Teresa Tanner

This by far is one of the best novels I have read, in a long time. The suspence in the plot keep me reading. The book was a roller coaster ride and made you want to come back for more. I am definintly looking forward to the sequeal.

I am completely satisfyed one more time! no delay, no problems perfect.

I bought this book a few years back and it is quite excellent. I think the series is updated every few years, and things constantly change with dinosaurs. This book has excellent drawings and actual photos of models, replicas, and skeletons of dinosaurs. Microraptor is in this supplement as well, and dinosaurs evolving into birds is discussed in here as well. Different groups like the sauropods and hadrosaurs are discussed with new discovers and information. Many oospecies and footprints are discussed in here as well. Highly recommended for any paleontologist, dinosaur enthusiast, and/or future paleontologist(like me).

If you are a serious dinosaur lover with some money to spend, this is the book. At the time of publication, every classified species was included, along with pertinent details and from 1-3 pages of write-up. It talks of the holotypes, it has 1-2 photos on every page, it gives it all. It is exhaustive, well written, and just simply outstanding. Put it this way, paleontologists and reconstructionist-artists keep this on their desk like the military folk keep a copy of Jane's, it's simply far and away the best reference on the various species of dinosaurs. Is it pricey? Yup. However, you could easily spend far more buying every dinosaur encyclopedia sold on Amazon and still come up with a fraction of the material that is in this book. To be blunt, no other reference is in it's class. Throw in that periodic supplements are published that describe all of the new species and information discovered from the previous release, and you simply can't go wrong.

If I have to pick one flaw, it's that some of the photographs are of poor quality, however most of these seem to be because the only surviving photo is a zerox or what have you, so the quality is dependant on the source picture, not due to any corner-cutting (of which there seems to be NONE) in the book.

A year after the second supplement, here's another! Donald Glut's indefatigable efforts at keeping us posted about all developments in the world of dinosaurs are nothing short of astounding. Always fascinating reading for specialist and general maniac alike.

In the ever changing science of paleontology, sometimes it is impossible to keep up...until now. Donald F. Glut's Dinosaurs: the Encyclopedia, along with this subsequent and future supplements, reviews and condenses ALL (not merely some) of the technical papers published on the "terrible lizards" and packs them into one place. Want to know whatever happened to Brontosaurus? Look it up! For the budding enthusiast who is not quite sure what all the jargon means, a dictionary of terms is included in the back. If you are serious or want to be serious about the study of dinosaurs, Glut's encyclopedia is the place to start. Personally, I plan to purchase any and all future supplements to this wonderful bible of dinosaur science.

People with epilepsy come up to me all the time at walks, in clinic, at events, and tell me that "Dr. Devinsky's book changed my life." So I read it, and it changed mine, too. I am now working for an epilepsy research study that Dr. Devinsky is leading called the Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project, and my daughter is a participant. Together, we're working with Dr. Devinsky to try to make better diagnoses and improve treatment for people with seizures.

I'm sure some of our findings will be included in future editions of the book. Anyway, to sum up, an excellent book by an amazing physician, this book is written for people with no medical background. You definitely won't feel overwhelmed with scientific jargon; Dr. Devinsky breaks it down into ideas and terminology that is easy to understand. This book will also make you more effective if you must discuss your or a loved ones' epilepsy care with your physician.

This is a very informative book. I would recommend to both freinds and family members of Epilepsy patients.

I found this book very beneficial and loaded with many important facts and information for lay people to comprehend.

Great for patients/families with a new diagnosis of epilepsy or someone that has had epilepsy for many years.
Excellent handbook to have available.

This book offers a great overview of epilepsy. I found it up to date and informative. I would highly recommend it for anyone who is newly diagnosed or who has a family member diagnosed with epilepsy.