V Books

"Re/Search 8/9: J G Ballard", which dates from 1984, is the single best book that's been published on Ballard. This latest offering from Re/Search brings us right up to date, containing a variety of interviews and discussions with the author taken over the period 1983 to 2004. There's lots here on Ballard's usual themes - psychopathology, death of affect, and so on. But the guts of the book lies in the three lengthy interviews in 2003 and 2004, in the course of which Ballard also visits such contemporary issues as 9-11, neo-cons, globalization, the end of the 'Age of Reason', and terrorism. As a counterpoint, there's a series of more informal, and often amusing, discussions that the Re/Search people have had with Ballard over the years they've been associated with him.

Whilst the interviews don't quite reach the heights of those in "Re/Search 8/9: J. G. Ballard", it's a worthy addition to Re/Search's portfolio of books by or about J.G.B., and a great companion to "J. G. Ballard: Quotes".

like a chisel blow to marble, each interview within the pages of "jg ballards: conversations" reveals the fascinating form that is the mind of one of contemporary fictions most innovative writers. 'conversations' is a collection of, funnily enough, conversations with the science fiction author, along with contributions from friends, colleagues and assorted associates, rounding the man and provocative thinker into one of the most astute in literature.
especially illuminating is an interview with david pringle, the editor of the magazine 'ambit' who has worked with ballard for more than 30 years.
if you are already aware of ballard's sensibility and vision then this compendium is a MUST. if you aren't already aware of ballard, then this compendium is DEFINITELY a must.

This excellent volume from the seminal underground SF publisher RE/Search is a definite must for anybody who is a fan of JG Ballard or of intelligent, thought-provoking discourse in general. Transcripts of conversations with various people with Ballard from over a couple of decades veer, often presciently, over subjects as diverse as internet sex, 9/11, the psychology of George W Bush and Tony Blair, the Stockholm syndrome/masochistic victim mentality methodology necessary to keep Western society running, psychopathology, violence, literature, and a thousand other subjects Ballard always has an original opinion on.

I found myself stopping frequently when reading this book to digest the information (overload) I had just ingested, and it certainly gave me food for thought and many interesting topics of conversation with my wife. Subsequent readings after the first reveal different layers of thought and theory after the initial culture shock of reading about things like religions regulating against a sane, peaceful society wears off. Buy this book. You won't regret it. Seriously. It certainly opened my eyes in a brilliant, innovative way to many latent strands and strains of faulty or faultline thought in modern life, and I'm definitely grateful for that.

Check out www.laurahird.com/newreview/jgballardinterview.html for more information on this and J.G. Ballard Quotes.

J.G. Ballard has spent most of his adult life quietly in a UK suburb. This collection of conversations is like being able to spend a surreal tea time with Ballard himself. Spanning discussions held in the early 1980s up through interviews held in the past few years, CONVERSATIONS is a compendium of Ballardian thought in the raw, composed freestyle like jazz music only between two people speaking.

The 20 year time span allows a good perspective on how political and social patterns predicted by Ballard in his writing during the 60s and 80s have come to pass as cultural reality. A Cronenberg Brundlefly will be quite at home on the wall overhearing these conversations.

The work that has earned J.G. Ballard his reputation as a prophet of the present runs the full gamut from the perverse to the catastrophic, from the utterly Surreal to the deeply personal. In J.G. Ballard Conversations, a new collection of interviews from RE/Search, Ballard exercises his trenchant observations live and uncensored. Running jags on the politics of paranoia are illumed with scientific/poetic clarity and a critical sense of the absurd on every page. But to say that Ballard is ahead of his time or a proponent of "science fictions" is misleading. The opposition that at one time may have existed between realistic fiction and "fantasy" or "science fiction" has been dismantled. Society's skewed relationship to realist fiction is explained by Ballard as the failing imaginations of contemporary men and women of letters to ascertain a world quickly leaving their ilk in the perfumed car exhaust.

"I think realist fiction has shot its bolt--it just doesn't describe the world we live in anymore. We're not living in a world where you can make a clear separation (as you could, say during the heyday of the 19th-century realist novel) between the external world of work, commerce, industry and a fixed set of values, and the internal world of hopes, dreams and ambitions. It's the other way around--the external world is a fantasy nowadays. It's a media landscape generated by advertising, and politics conducted as a branch of advertising.
There's an envelope of fantasy that is just pouring out of the air all the time, shaping all of our most ordinary perceptions... Fiction surrounds us--it's more than fiction, it's fantasy of a very peculiar kind that creates our environment. And to describe you've got to get away from realism. Yet the bourgeois novel survives and of course it's immensely popular--which is a bit of a problem."

Ballard's ability to lay open our present like a surgeon with a scalpel never fails, although his often satirical wit more closely resembles a butcher hacking us to pieces on his block. The real gravity in reading Ballard's musings lie in mapping his recurring obsessions, which even in the candor of casual conversation articulate the core themes of his novels. Ballard literally seems pathologically transfixed with the collective pathologies of modern society, how these pathologies manifest themselves and grow through individuals and in culture at large. His often fatalistic perspective on how individuals may or may not be able to cope with this transforming psychological landscape is a major concern throughout much of Ballard's thinking spanning years of acute insight:

On page 60, interviewed in 2003,
'I don't want to make an apocalyptic prophecy--I hardly ever do anything but make apocalyptic prophecies [!]--but I see elective psychopathy as the coming thing."

Or on page 136 discussing the politics of unconscious media manipulation embodied in figures like Ronald Reagan, in an interview from the 1980s,
"He clearly has the possibility within himself for people to impose their fantasies on him. That's the key thing... It's almost as if what one needs is a sort of reverse charisma now. Not a light that shines outwards, but the ability, like a black hole, to draw light inwards."

Or on page 100, from an interview in 2003 speaking of more direct modes of herding the masses:
"Psychopathic behavior seems to appears to immensely increase the possibilities of life--that's how whole nations can embrace, quite voluntarily, psychopathic acts. One could argue that both Nazi Germany and Stalin's Russia were elective psychopathies on a nationwide scale... There may be profound masochistic strains running through modern industrial man, that every now and then summon forth these demons like Hitler and Stalin who then do what is expected of them. It's a frightening prospect, but I think the Age of Reason is over."

And on page 166, in a 1991 interview with Lynne Fox, on the larger implications of the Surrealist legacy and whether creative insight into these cultural phenomena can serve as a satirical antidote or if it is never more than a harbinger of the end:
"It would be very difficult to make the Dali/Bunuel films made at the end of the 1920s today because the sight of people dragging dead donkeys through a drawing room would [seem to be] some sort of advertising stunt--a beer commercial. The external world is so strange, so full of fantasy, that you can't use the classic Surrealist approach."

The affinity Ballard feels with the Surrealists comes from the need to map a new mythology, one which recognizes the deeper strata of human consciousness skewered out on the pig poles of the everyday. "I'm trying to suggest that there is a new psychological order awaiting us, I'm as convinced of this as an ordinary individual as I am as an imaginative writer..." (167).

Whether discussing the co-optation of Surrealism by product advertisers, the ever-evolving romance of technology and human sexuality, or how the fictions of our day-to-day existence are now more fantastic than the bravest works of literary endeavor, Ballard's ability as a conversationalist and thinker never leaves a moment dull.
RE/Search has done a marvelous job in assembling and maintaining a recorded archive of an extraordinary and sadly-overlooked point of view. The photographs illustrating this collection create a pervasive feeling of some bizarre and quintessentially Ballardian mental landscape. Airbrushed models pouting their desirous and desiring faces juxtaposed upon dirty and transpiring buildings, sparkling bathers in near-futuristic water-slide playground utopias somehow magically growing out of vast deserts, and campy-looking old laboratory portrait photographs where without much suggestion the scientists could easily be mistaken for costumed sadists committing acts of sexual barbarism upon comely supine machines and more-than-willing control consuls. The publishing brilliance of RE/Search shines through in this perceptive coupling of words and images. This is the same sensibility that expertly paired the illustrations of Phoebe Gloeckner with the text of the Atrocity Exhibition to create the definitive and now infamously classic RE/Search edition of that twisted masterpiece. J.G. Ballard Conversations, with little doubt, will garner a similar following amongst those who know and appreciate Ballard's genius.

I thought the examples in this book were excellent. They helped a lot in understanding the concepts. However the 2.3 API has not yet been covered. But overall a good read with good examples.

The book was indeed wonderful and comes in handy for a programmer in his day-to-day activities. I am working in Java Servlets for the past one year and I have been wanting to have a quick reference as well a good companion for me.

And I have found one today written by the four stars whose names tell that they belong to my Country. I really feel proud for these people have written such a wonderful book. I would urge the publisher to keep these authors always on the top of their list.

Hats off to the Authors!!!!!!

The book is well structured and the contents very much relavant to the topic discussed. this can be used for learning and as a reference for experienced programmers. The examples are pretty good and easy to follow. Would rocommand

If only I had this book when I first worked with Java Servlets. The writers must have kept their audience in mind when they wrote it. The detailed explanations and examples, in this book, are extremely helpful. I was completely thrown away by their Shopping Cart examples because till this point I have not found any reference material that could superbly explained it the way they do. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is, or plans on, working with Java Servlets to get this book.

After reading Marty Hall's Core Servlets and JSP and O'Reilly's Java Servlet Programming 2ED, I think this book does a better job of teaching and explaining the concepts and examples as they pertain to servlets in a clear and concise manner. Hall's and O'Reilly's books are good after you read this one first since they are more in-depth. I've been looking for a book that clearly explains Applet-to-Servlet communications. I've finally found a book that explains Applet-to-Servlet communications far better than the other 2 books, or any other books for that matter.

Marty Hall's examples are too scattered. For instance, you'll be on one page, but it will reference code from a totally different chapter-the layout of such examples are too annoying for me. Most of O'Reilly's examples are not explained very well and needlessly complicated (like most O'Reilly's books), but its examples are comprehensive. Both books over-use multiple classes or user-created packages when explaining a concept. I'd suggest using just one or 2 classes to explain a concept, as this book has done, which has reduced code clutter spanning multiple pages. This may go against "proper" OOP, but who cares as long as the point is made. If you have read any books published by Murach, then you'll know what I'm talking about. Too bad Murach don't publish a book on servlets! Don't get me wrong, Hall's and O'Reilly's books are good for in-depth coverage, just wished I had read Java Servlet Bible prior to reading the others.

Anyways, Java Servlet Bible isn't comprehensive and in-depth as it should NOT be in one book. The title is just marketing-if you feel tricked, look at that 545-page book again. But, it does a good job of covering the basics. It explains Servlets at their core and other APIs that servlets often use (JDBC) and useful programming paradigms (MVC architecture). It even threw in a brief intro to JSP to illustrate how to create dynamic web pages.

BOTTOM LINE: This is an excellent book to understand, learn, and get startly quickly with servlets. Read the other books afterwards for more comprehensive and in-depth coverage.

PROS: easy to follow, examples are clear and concise. Best of all, it doesn't try to teach you XML-related technologies like several other books : ) .
CONS: pricey, section on security too brief

Jing is an exciting manga, filled with adventure and wonder. The panels of each page are packed with detail, with mysterious locations of all kinds. Each time Jing sets off to steal something, there's sure to be a twist you won't expect. Yuichi Kumakura has all sorts of complex ideas and themes running through the series. He seems to have a reason for each unusual name and place. I was also charmed by the interesting tidbits between chapters that added to the depth of the world. All in all, a fantastic read!

Jing is the best! It's the story of a crafty bandit who has a knack of getting in the strangest situations with the strangest creatures. It's a good read in the action and humor section, so, if that's your thing, you'll love this! (and if you aren't interested yet, just wait until you see the way too cute porvoras in book 2! and if that still doesn't get you interested, well... to each there own, I guess) Oh yeah, did i mention the art's pretty good too?

Well, I've read alot of Manga, but this one is probably one of the best. I've read up to volume four so far,And, needless to say, I'm pretty much addicted to it.

There isn't much of a story to it, it's just about a boy and his bird in pursuit of fine and valuble treasures, while fighting evil villains along the way. Most of the events don't lead up to anything, and past events don't make any difference in the next volumes. It's fun to enjoy just an action flik sometimes though.
The artwork in this Manga is Very, very good, to say the least. It's so original, I've never really seen anything like it. It's like a whole new sub-style to Manga. The best part is that the high-quality artwork is maintained through the entire thing, with going down in detail. It's also very addicting. O_o
All in all, I'd say buy it. You may like it if you're not much of a storyline person, just looking for some action.

Jing King of Bandits is AWESOME. It has theifs, taking birds, and a casino! Recommed for ages 7+, this can be violent at times. If you like manga GET THIS BOOK!!!!!! There is an anime for it (like all good manga). So if you want a good boook get this!

Jing: King of Bandits is about a teenage boy named Jing and his talking bird Kir ( that can also shoot bursts of energy out of his mouth.) that go from place to place in search of rare treasures. Now I know that that sounds pretty typical but it's a little different than what you might expect.

A few things you need to know about Jing before you start reading it is that 1: Unlike the majority of Manga out there, this one doesn't really have much of a continuity to it. At the start of each new story you see no indication that the previous one ever happened. Normally that totally bugs me, but for some reason it seems to work really well in this series.

2: The only recurring characters you ever see in the series are Jing & Kir. the only other mainstay is that all of the stories involve a girl in some way. All of which are either cute or hot. And while Jing is never very interested in the girls, Kir is always trying to put the moves on them, often with hilarious results.

3: Jing is not so much about action as it is about the mystery and intrigue leading up to the discovery of the next treasure. It's not to say that there isn't any action in Jing though, because there is some pretty good action in there.
So far out of the 4 volumes that i've read The Lost City of Reviver story in Vol. 3 is probably the one I've found the most interesting.

And 4: From first glance the art style in this manga looks very childish, and that is what kept me from buying the series when it first came out. And while Jing looks just like some kid with a spiky hairdo you will come to discover that he is a very slick character. Unlike in the anime where just by looking at him you can tell how slick he is.
So while the art syle looks childish, the series isn't.

This is currently one of my favorite series out right now and I am always looking forward to the next Volume to come out.

So if you're looking for a series that isn't like your typical Fantasy Manga, then I highly recommend you check this out.

I first discovered John Carter in paperback form in an old discount bookstore when I was 18 years old. I bought it for 1.50 or something like that. Am I glad I did. I could not put the book down. Fortunately the book store had the remaining volumes in the set (Del Rey) and I was able to purchase and read them all.

I am 40 now and happened upon these editions of Burrough's Mars saga so I purchased them all. I have read the first two volumes and the stories are as fun and magical as they were when I first read them. I give this edition only 4 stars because the publisher could have done much better than the same cover illustration on each volume. I give it 5 stars for the stories inside though.

If you have never read these stories before or perhaps read them long ago, I recommend reading them. They are wonderful fun.

I read the John Carter series for the first time when I was around 12. I have since gone back to the first three books at least a dozen times. I find their simplistic view of good and evil refreshing. There are few things as cool as John Carter and Tars Tarkus standing back to back at the foot of the Valley Dor fighting off thousands of white apes in the quest to save the Incomperable Dejah Thoras.

I still remember reading the passage when John first sees Dejah for my first time. Captured by huge 15 foor six limbed monsters (later to become friends), he looks up to see her in a window looking down at him, with a longing hope of rescue. Again, very cliche' and yet at the same time, really powerful.

In order to really appreciate this book, you have to have the next volume as well, as it includes book 3. In reality, books 1-3 of this series are actually one story, and it ends with an excellent bang. The rest of the series is OK, the Chessmen of Mars in particular is decent; but the first 3 books (living in the first 2 of this set), are the pinicle of sappy, romantic, old fashioned good guy saves girl literature. IMHO of course:)

Many studios have optioned the rights but the projects never went anywhere. Pixar now has the rights and I'd be suprised if they don't make a trilogy. It is reported to be a mix of live action and animation.

Great reprint of this great classic science fiction / fantasy series. Much appreciated. Looking forward to purchasing the remainder of the series when they are published.

Leonaur Ltd. is publishing the definitive Edgar Rice Burroughs 21st century editions. These usually contain 2 books of the different ERB major series in order - thus far John Carter, Pellucidar, and Carson of Venus. In the future, possibly Tarzan!
These books are handsome and my rating is mainly based on this - the ERB fan knows best about the rest of it.
This first volume of Joh Carter of Mars contains 2/3 of the greatest science fiction/fantasy trilogy ever. What is nore remarkable is that these were published over 40 years before Tolkien's LOTR and over 50 before Tolkien became fashionable. "A Princess of Mars", "The Gods of Mars", and "The Warlord of Mars" are ERB's greatest work.
It is sad, in a way, that Tarzan obscures ERBs Mars novels for the general public. These books deserve to be beter known, and it is astonishing no movie or TV adaptation has ever been attempted (which might be a good thing, after all!). If only Steven Spielberg or Peter Jackson were interested!
Of course, genre and ERB aficionados have long know and cherised these great stories. I wonder how many others were first attracted to these by the magnificent Ballantine editions of the 1960s?
If you are a fan as am I, support Leonaur Ltd.'s efforts by buying these magnificent books.

Can't say anything bad about it. My Children have all of these in this series and really enjoy them. Makes them think! I have had some great discussions with my children after they have listened to these CD's. Great stories with Biblical discussions of Creation vs. Evolution. WOW! We are Loving it!

Jonathan Park Volulme V: The Explorers Society: Jonathan Park Radio Drama (Jonathan Park) Fun and exciting! We enjoyed listening to these with our 9 and 12yo sons on a very long road trip. It speaks of various places around the world and peaked our interest to find our more about the subjects & locations. Great for geography and history buffs as well as those who want to explore the creation side of the evolution/creation debate.

The Jonathan Park audio dramas are some of the finest entertainment you can purchase for your family. They are exciting and fun, but at the same time educational. Our children, ages 7 through 14, listen to these dramas over and over.

This set and the entire series are superb for kids. The action and adventure in the stories grip children's imaginations. The morality is wholesome and parents have nothing to fear on that end. Science is woven into the stories and kids learn a lot (I have learned my share too!). Supplemental materials are available on an online website to reinforce the science behind the stories. My kids listen to them over and over. I should note that I am speaking of two boys, ages 6 and 8 and they have been listening for about 2 years.

This is a keeper in our home. We have all 5 sets and love them all. My kids have really learned a lot about evolution vs. creation. They listen to them over and over!

The Kedrigern Chronicles, Volume 2: Dudgeon and Dragons proves to be yet another delightful and leisurely read by breezy fantasist John Morressey. No, it's not epic blood and guts Sword & Sorcery stuff, but is rather a more genteel and frothy form of fantasy. Kedrigern doesn't wield a soul-thirsty sword or carve up evil henchmen like so much sirloin steak. Like most civilized, learned mages, he uses instead his hard-earned knowledge and talent for wizardry to resolve his clients' dilemmas. Kedrigern is a homebody who dresses unassumingly and would rather wile away his time at his cozy cottage on top of Silent Thunder Mountain, in the company of his beloved wife Princess and their enthusiastic, ugly but loyal house-troll Spot. Alas, fate seems to be ever conspiring to send the reclusive wizard away on long, inconvenient trips to accommodate his vocation and, sometimes, to also oblige the whims of the more outgoing and convivial Princess.

This lighthearted second omnibus contains two full-length Kedrigern novels: Kedrigern in Wanderland and Kedrigern and the Dragon comme il faut, and seven short stories, 5 of which feature our favorite crusty wizard and 2 centering on his wizardly acquaintances. The author also writes a one-page foreword (a quick blanket recap of events leading to this point) and a 2-and-a-half page afterword. Nice to also hear that there are two more omnibus collections forthcoming.

Here are the contents:

Kedrigern in Wanderland (novel) - As their third year wedding anniversary looms, Princess announces that she wishes to have a magic wand as an anniversary gift. So, with reluctance (as usual, he'd rather stay home), Keddie takes his wife on the road again, and becomes embroiled in a quest involving the sentient magic sword Panstygia, Mother of Darkness (formerly a princess named Louise) and her ensorcelled royal kin (now in the forms of an iron shield, a crown, and a wand).

"To Market, to Market" (short story, first published anywhere) - Inspired by Christina Rossetti's poem "The Goblin Market," this one's about Kedrigern and Princess coming to the aid of a farmer, whose daughter Nell has been ensorcelled by nasty goblins.

"Reflection and Insight" (short story) - There is dissent in the marriage of King Sigert and Queen Brissault. Kedrigern has been commissioned to procure a magic talking mirror, as a birthday present by the king for his wife, in hopes of reconciling their differences. Of course, it's never that easy...

"Conhoon and the Fairy Dancers" (short story) - This one features the Irish wizard Conhoon of the Three Gifts, a colleague of Kedrigern's. Conhoon comes to the aid of a Hero, whose princessly wife has been bespelled by the capricious fairy Twisty Mike: her hand has been turned into a lobster claw. Conhoon must go in search of Twisty Mike and petition or force him to reverse the spell.

"Legend of Fair Women" (short story) - Tristaver is another contemporary of Kedrigern. Tristaver is not that proficient in wizarding, thus he specializes mostly in love charms. One day, he is prevailed upon to help a warrior maiden on a quest for the Grove of Desperation, where they must face a Gruesome Monster. Tristaver finds himself having to resort to base cunning and what lowly magic he does possess. His solution is fairly brilliant.

Kedrigern and the Dragon Comme Il Faut (novel, first appearance in English) - This one is an episodic adventure centering on Kedrigern and Princess's dealings with the romantic and magical entanglements of a haughty prince, a cursed (with cowardice) heir to the kingdom, a just-elevated princess (formerly a commoner and an enchanted cricket, but now chaperoned by a "civilized" dragon), and a doughty female knight out to prove herself. The last one mentioned also appears in "Legend of Fair Women." Keddie also encounters 5th-rate charlatans posing as wizards, verbal arachnids, a demon-possessed lord, and foul sorcery involving the mythical All-Tree.

"Fair Weather Fiend" (short story) - Kedrigern and Princess look into the problem of a king, who, on a bright and clear blue day, was seemingly struck by lightning and made addle-witted.

"The Indispensible Little Prince" (short story, first appearance in English) - Kedrigern rides to the rescue of the King of Darkwood, whose kingdom is under attack by malignant forces and whose princely son has been reduced to carrot size.

"Cold Comfort" (short story) - Kedrigern returns home after a month away and discovers that Princess and Spot have gone missing. He determines that a shapeshifting frost giant has stolen away his wife and his devoted house-troll. He turns to his old friend Bess the Wood-witch and comes away with two weapons with which to face the deadly frost giant: a camel-bite spell and a vial of Bess's noxious brew Old Fenny Snake.

"The Game is A Foot" (short story) - Shades of John Dickson Carr! Kedrigern, while staying at an inn, must play sleuth and solve the locked-room mystery of the murder of an abusive, loutish knight.

For anyone who loves Kedrigern, Princess, Spot and all the eccentric characters created by John Morressy, this book is a delight. Each tale can stand alone, but are mostly organized to create a continuing saga. A must read for Kedrigern lovers.

What more needs to be said, it's the Kedrigen series !!!

In the mid-1980s, author John Morressy began writing about Kedrigern of Silent Thunder Mountain, a most puissant wizard. Expertly combining traditional sword-and-sorcery Fantasy with humor, these stories are laugh-out-loud funny, and an excellent addition to the library of any Fantasy reader.

This book combines two of Morressy's full-length novels with six short stories, many of which I have never seen before (the second novel appears nowhere in English, except in this book). If you have never read the Kedrigern books, then I suggest that you get this book, and join the ranks of the Kedrigern fans. If you are already a fan, then all I can say is that you *must* get this book!

The following stories are included in this book:

Kedrigern in Wanderland (209 pages) - Princess develops a desire to obtain a magic wand and prods the reluctant Kedrigern into undertaking yet another journey. Along the path, Kedrigern and Princess encounter a princess who was cruelly turned into a sword by an evil wizard; who also turned her brother into a shield, her sister into a crown, and her cousin into . . . a wand!

To Market, To Market (12 pages) - When a farmer's daughter goes off to the goblin market to obtain fresh fruit, she falls afoul of their evil magic. Kedrigern is only too happy to help, but it might just be that Princess's years in the bog might be of more help. (This is actually the weakest of the stories.)

Reflection and Insight (12 pages) - King Sigert has hired Kedrigern to find him a magic mirror that will flatter his wife, and hopefully save his marriage. However, when Kedrigern shows up with a mirror that cannot tell a lie, things work out quite differently than expected.

Conhoon and the Fairy Dancers (20 pages) - When Conhoon of the Three Gifts, the most famous wizard in all Ireland, has a hero come to his door, he finds that a new adventure awaits him. The Sidhe have ensorcelled the poor mans wife, and so it is up to Conhoon to once again outwit the Good People. (A great story!)

A Legend of Fair Women (23 pages) - Tristaver is an old friend of Kedrigern, but the only field of magic that he has ever excelled in was the production of love charms. But when a warrior maid drags him onto a deadly quest, it seems that his magic will be of little aid...or will it?

Kedrigern and the Dragon comme il faut (212 page) - When Kedrigern sets out to save an old friend from a demon, he runs into more complications than even he thought possible. Along the way he encounters a con-man wizard, the fiancé of a prince (now a cricket), talking spiders, an enchanted ruby, and a dragon who needs to get in touch with his inner-dragon.

Fair Weather Fiend (20 pages) - When Kedrigern is summoned to aid a king who has suddenly lost his wits, he must use his wits to find out who did it and why.

The Indispensable Little Prince (15 pages) - Kedrigern is summoned by the King of the Darkwood to defeat an evil enchantment that has befallen the kingdom. However, little does Kedrigern realize that he faces an ancient and malicious evil. (In spite of its size, this is probably the best story in the whole book!)

Cold Comfort (18 pages) - Returning to Silent Thunder Mountain, Kedrigern finds that that Princess and Spot (his house-troll) have been kidnapped. Bending all his magic towards finding them, he finds that the trail heads north, towards the biggest threat Kedrigern has ever faced!

The Game is A Foot (21 pages) - While staying at an inn, Kedrigern meets a most ill tempered fellow, a bullying knight who is used to getting his way. But, when the knight turns up murdered, with no wound or trace of magic on him, it's up to Kedrigern to solve this baffling mystery.

In the mid-1980s, author John Morressy began writing about Kedrigern of Silent Thunder Mountain, a most puissant wizard. Expertly combining traditional sword-and-sorcery Fantasy with humor, these stories are laugh-out-loud funny, and an excellent addition to the library of any Fantasy reader.

This book combines two of Morressy's full-length novels with six short stories, many of which I have never seen before (the second novel appears nowhere in English, except in this book). If you have never read the Kedrigern books, then I suggest that you get this book, and join the ranks of the Kedrigern fans. If you are already a fan, then all I can say is that you *must* get this book!

The following stories are included in this book:

Kedrigern in Wanderland (209 pages) - Princess develops a desire to obtain a magic wand and prods the reluctant Kedrigern into undertaking yet another journey. Along the path, Kedrigern and Princess encounter a princess who was cruelly turned into a sword by an evil wizard; who also turned her brother into a shield, her sister into a crown, and her cousin into . . . a wand!

To Market, To Market (12 pages) - When a farmer's daughter goes off to the goblin market to obtain fresh fruit, she falls afoul of their evil magic. Kedrigern is only too happy to help, but it might just be that Princess's years in the bog might be of more help. (This is actually the weakest of the stories.)

Reflection and Insight (12 pages) - King Sigert has hired Kedrigern to find him a magic mirror that will flatter his wife, and hopefully save his marriage. However, when Kedrigern shows up with a mirror that cannot tell a lie, things work out quite differently than expected.

Conhoon and the Fairy Dancers (20 pages) - When Conhoon of the Three Gifts, the most famous wizard in all Ireland, has a hero come to his door, he finds that a new adventure awaits him. The Sidhe have ensorcelled the poor mans wife, and so it is up to Conhoon to once again outwit the Good People. (A great story!)

A Legend of Fair Women (23 pages) - Tristaver is an old friend of Kedrigern, but the only field of magic that he has ever excelled in was the production of love charms. But when a warrior maid drags him onto a deadly quest, it seems that his magic will be of little aid...or will it?

Kedrigern and the Dragon comme il faut (212 page) - When Kedrigern sets out to save an old friend from a demon, he runs into more complications than even he thought possible. Along the way he encounters a con-man wizard, the fiancé of a prince (now a cricket), talking spiders, an enchanted ruby, and a dragon who needs to get in touch with his inner-dragon.

Fair Weather Fiend (20 pages) - When Kedrigern is summoned to aid a king who has suddenly lost his wits, he must use his wits to find out who did it and why.

The Indispensable Little Prince (15 pages) - Kedrigern is summoned by the King of the Darkwood to defeat an evil enchantment that has befallen the kingdom. However, little does Kedrigern realize that he faces an ancient and malicious evil. (In spite of its size, this is probably the best story in the whole book!)

Cold Comfort (18 pages) - Returning to Silent Thunder Mountain, Kedrigern finds that that Princess and Spot (his house-troll) have been kidnapped. Bending all his magic towards finding them, he finds that the trail heads north, towards the biggest threat Kedrigern has ever faced!

The Game is A Foot (21 pages) - While staying at an inn, Kedrigern meets a most ill tempered fellow, a bullying knight who is used to getting his way. But, when the knight turns up murdered, with no wound or trace of magic on him, it's up to Kedrigern to solve this baffling mystery.

This is a book about dreaming. In native north american culture folks "dreamed" their lives. this is an excellent portrayal of this in (basically) present time case. This book conveys examples to some of the plights current youths face, having split up and mixed backrounds in native american heritage. But also the fading way of dreamers, people who IMAGINED life before letting it happen. Highly recommended if you have read anything about dreaming, also recommended if you know nothing about it but are open to the idea that reality is what you make it. A wonderful story stand-alone as well.

William Penn's novel Killing Time with Strangers, winner of an American Book Award for 2000, is not just exceptional literary craft, it's great fun. Penn seems to be saying some wonderful, optimistic things about the human condition, while poking fun at our preoccupation with the trivial and forcing us to consider basic questions, such as, what are we really doing here? Is life really just a matter of `this, then that?' Such questions are gently woven into a highly imaginative and extremely funny story. The novel shows us the LaRue family, and in particular, son Palimony Blue, whose tale is narrated by a weyekin, or Indian spirit guide, dreamed by his mother Mary. The story works on many different levels. Its structure is highly sophisticated yet unless you are examining it from the perspective of literary criticism (which you can -- this work has already received one prestigious award, and will no doubt be examined in college classrooms, if it isn't already) -- you just appreciate the ease with which it joins the stories of Pal's family, his mixblood Indian father, Indian mother, generations of native American ancestors, the story of Pal himself from infant to man, the women in Pal's life, the loves of his life (including his one true love, Amanda), ending with hope and promise in the birth of his own children. The book shows you, in splendid real-life color, the connections between all things. Before Pal is able to dream his true love, Amanda, he seeks, finds or thinks he finds, Love in a series of humorous and often lustful encounters along the way with many colorful 'strangers'. These characters make for a very entertaining story. And, unlike so many books thrown at us today by popular writers, where the characters are `born, drink coffee and die', and whose messages (if any) don't matter one whit to life or literature, this book offers in a new and imaginative way some reassuring messages: that love really makes a difference; and we can (and need to try) to hope and dream a better world. Along the way, Dreaming is an engine that propels us, and a vehicle to create our path and vision. And laughter is, still, wonderful medicine for what ails us.

Also recommended (same author): This is the World (short stories): The Absence of Angels (novel); Feathering Custer (essays); All My Sins Are Relatives; As We Are Now (Editor, essays); The Telling of the World (Native American folk tales)

William Penn's novel "Killing Time with Strangers", winner of the American Book Award for 2000, is not just exceptional literary craft, it's great fun. Penn seems to be saying some wonderful, optimistic things about the human condition, while poking fun at our preoccupation with the trivial, and forcing us to consider basic questions, such as, what are we really doing here? Is life really just a matter of `this, then that?'

Such questions are gently threaded into a highly imaginative and extremely funny story. The novel shows us the LaRue family, and in particular, son Palimony Blue, whose tale is narrated by a weyekin, or Indian spirit guide, dreamed by his mother Mary. The story works on many different levels. Its structure is highly sophisticated yet unless you are examining it from the perspective of literary criticism (which you can -- this work has won one prestigious award already and will likely be examined in college classrooms, it's that good!) -- you just appreciate the ease with which it joins the stories of Pal's family, his mixblood Indian father, Indian mother, generations of native American ancestors, the story of Pal himself from infant to man, the women in Pal's life, the loves of his life (including his one true love, Amanda) and finally, the hope and promise of the future, the birth of Pal's children. The book shows you, in splendid real-life color, the connections between them all.

Before Pal is able to dream his true love, Amanda, he seeks, finds or thinks he finds, Love in a series of humorous and often lustful encounters along the way with many colorful "strangers". These characters make for a very entertaining story. And, unlike so many books thrown at us today by popular writers, where the characters are `born, drink coffee and die', and whose messages (if any) are momentous in the sense only of, 'of the moment', and don't really matter a whit to life or literature, this book offers in a new and imaginative way some enduring and reassuring messages: that love may really make, not just 'a' difference, but 'the' difference; and we can (and need to try) to hope and dream a better way in this world. Along the way, Dreaming is both an engine that propels us, and a powerful vehicle to create our path and vision. And laughter is, still, wonderful medicine for what ails us.

I was impressed by W.S. Penn's Killing Time with Strangers. I thought the author was witty, intellegent, and understanding. The characters in the book were well developed, as was the plot of the story. I would be forced to disagree with anyone who rated this book less than a 5, for I have not only bought this book for myself, but also for my friends and family as gifts. This book has everything, romance, adventure, and a part of all of us that connot be left out. The author has a unique understanding of humanity, and therefore, his story telling is enhanced. This book can be enjoyed by everyone, no matter what their character. I was so happy that this book won last year's American Book Award, (obviously this proves my point about this being a good book). After reading this book, I know you will rush out to buy all of W.S. Penn's books.I reccomend this book over all other books on this website. Thank you all for your time.

After reading this book, I think that Magical Realism, Native American style, may catch on as a distinct genre. The author, an "urban mixblood Nex Perce" is an English professor and it shows through in echoes from classical literature, but Penn also includes the classics of the Americas (such as the Popul Vuh) which makes this work unique and why I think that Penn may have opened up a whole new genre (if anybody can follow this act).

"Without storytelling, human beings don't exist" says Penn's narrator (a "Wyekin" or spirit guide, who, in his comic incopetence reminds me of Ed's Indian spirit guide in TV's "Northern Exposure").

This is the story of Palimony Blue Larue, son of Mary Blue and La Vent Larue, misnamed in the hospital becuase a nurse couldn't imagine anybody naming thier kid "Palomino" after a horse! So Pal goes through life trying to please and be liked as his father before him did, while his mother and her Weyekin spirit guide try to prevent him from making his father's mistakes and teach him how to dream his way out of the white world. His mother didn't want him in their world. Says Mary Blue, "I want him to envision and make a world of his own in which they are not foolish but all their knowledge and instinct don't matter because they don't have any effect."

This must have been the spirit that prompted the famous Ghost Dance.

Pal's mother, Mary Blue, is the spider woman on the set, goddess of wisdom and time, endlessly beading and feeding strangers and friends the way Penelope did - or one of the Fates. She has "...years of her Dreamer's practice at harmony, at the balance that comes from not judging until it's time and even when it became time, ususally not judging the person but maybe the results, and not harshly, which came full circle from the balance achieved by not judging, but putting the thing itself in perspective, by connecting it to five hundred years of human activity and thought, by seeing that very little about real human beings really changes. Once you realize that, once you learn to dream, which helps to create that realization, you gain humor - sometimes, outright laughter - but always the humor that is the resilience of survival."

How much of this is like the Australian aboriginal dreamtime, I wonder?

Pal gradually catches on, but with his own spin. His yellow butterflies become post-it notes by which he dreams his ideal woman, Amanda, into existence. But Amanda does declare towards the end of the book that "I'm real." Not something Pal dreamed. "Dreaming is an imaginative act. But it's very real," he says. "Like telling stories. The Navajo beleive that by articulating something, putting it into words, you actually make it exist. You bring it into being. Dreaming's like that. It makes things exist by imagining them with power. It makes them exist by imagining a world in which they mean a lot."

Pal's epiphany comes when he burns his post-it notes and says they're "dead lectures...names and dates and questions that have to mean what people have already decided they have to mean. Not a single hidden meaning in one of them. Nothing that lets you glimpse the other side of things or look for what's behind or between the words, like stories."

Besides the classical references, there are echoes of other authors in this work - Erdrich and Silko, Anaya and even Alexie - but Penn still has his own voice. He could have used a better editor who would have weeded out sentences such as, "Odd how they don't want their listeners to take part in how their stories make the world, though, isn't it?" which is simplistic at best and patronizing at worst. And you have to connect the dots and pay attention or else you have to go back and check the author's definition of terms. But it's worth it for the world view.

I'm making this work sound like a literary exercise - which it isn't. It's an entertaining story, but you have to pay attention or miss the point. You have to read it to the end to get to the beginning. So it's not light reading. But again, it's worth it.

pamhan99@aol.com

No te dejes maltratar por miedo, cuate. AGARRA LA PIEDRA DEL VALOR EN ESTE LIBRO !

y nos metieron a una escuela...
Luego luego, hubo un niño más grande que me empezó a molestar y luego a pegar.
Mi mamá me preguntaba que por qué trapia moretones, y a mi me daba verguenza y no le decpía la verdad.
Pero como parece que las mamás se enteran de todo ( porque tuvo que ser ella.¿Quién mas ?) una tarde, luego de regresar de la escuela ( y ya no quería ir..palabrita ) me encontré este libro en mi almohada...
Los dibujos para iluminar estaban de pelos..¿Pero sabes que estaba más padre? TIENE RAYITAS ADENTRO PARA QUE TU TE PONGAS COMO EL MERO MERO DEL CUENTO... Y PONGAS AL MALO, AL QUE TE FRIEGA Y TE PEGA...
POs un día me armé de esta piedra del valor, y me le enfrenté al que me pegaba... Cuando me dio el primer moquete, me paré furioso y le pegué muchas veces hasta que lo hice chillar y prometer que ya no se iba a meter conmigo solo porque soy más chico!
A mi me chocan los pleitos:Lo perdoné y desde entonces ¡SOMOS LOS MEJORES AMIGOS !
No te dejes maltratar por miedo, cuate. AGARRA LA PIEDRA DEL VALOR EN ESTE LIBRO !

y hasta de High School..
Todos los chicos necesitan apoyo para protegerse de los mayorcitos abusivos...
Y ESE ES EL PROPÓSITO DE ESTE LIBRO!

Elementary School were THE WORST OF MY WHOLE LIFE!!1
Harrasas and beaten by a bigger BULLY !
I read this book, owned by my nephew... And felt amazed!
I could have avoided hell as a kid if I had had it...

Please, don't let your child suffer silently at school... I never told my parents! It's so EMBARRASING !
Just buy this book for him...
Do it, please

PARA NIÑOS ?
Este le enseña a las criaturas a enfrentarse ( no a puñetazos ) con el que abusa de su fuerza o de su posiciòn.

¡MARAVILLOSO !

Nosotros, los padres, tambièn aprendemos algunas lecciones con La Piedra del Valor

This is the third book of Parkman's that I've read. Previously, I read Pioneers of France in the New World and The Jesuits in North America. About all three I would say a) they are absolutely amazing works of brilliant, inspired scholarship, b) Parkman's measured, objective, caring approach to the topics -- and the beauty and tone of his writing -- is extremely compelling, and c) my grade school, high school, and college education did not provide me with the gritty, fascinating facts about what REALLY happened back in the 17th Century in North America.

This is not James Michener (as much as I have enjoyed his works) packaging and making sense of history -- or the dry, intellectualized expert texts I had to read in school -- or the politically correct wholesome simplified upbeat teachings of my youth, with for example the perfect Puritans and the friendly Indians sharing Thanksgiving.

This is what really happened, detail by detail, based on exhaustive research of original texts -- letters, reports, maps, government documents, earlier histories, etc. Fortunately for Parkman, the early adventurers did a lot of writing, including many of the members of religious orders who accompanied or in some cases led the explorations.

My main takeaway from these true histories is how incredibly dangerous, unsuccessful, and unpredictable the courses of events were in these times (and probably in our time as well). In a way they are like anti-stories, or anti-history. Good often does not prevail over evil; heroes do scandalous things; scoundrels act heroic; no one is assuredly, consistently good or evil; when you least expect it there is a generous caring act; and when you least expect it, when all is going well, there is a foolish, unfortunate, destructive act that ruins all that has been accomplished, etc.

That is, while there may be certain patterns in events, these patterns themselves are constantly shifting, and the most logical and predictable outcomes almost never happen. In other words, Parkman has truly captured life in all its shades of grey and inconsistencies.

His treatment of the Indians is a perfect example. By modern day standards, it is egregiously politically incorrect. But he reveals them in all of their savagery, helpfulness, childish immaturity, wisdom, thievery, generosity, deceit, and unpredictable kindness. The commonplace cannibalism and similarly common extreme forms of repulsive torture done by Indians are carefully documented and reported throughout his texts, as well as the way their easily given friendship essentially saved the lives of most of the key European adventurers at one time or another.

These books are definitely not for the faint of heart or people who want a simplistic "Dummies Guide" to history!

While there is a new Introduction, this is the historic account of Robert LaSalle's exploration of the Louisiana territory in the 1680s. Parkman first published this treatise in 1869; it has since been reprinted numerous times. An excellent, thoroughly engrossing recounting of the exploration of the territory which LaSalle claimed for France in 1682, through which the reader not only learns of the daily travails of the little band of explorers, but also, the human frailties of the man, Robert Cavelier, known as LaSalle. This book gives life to a name from history, and exemplifies the methodical research done by Parkman in the days before telephones, faxes, and copiers. I was thoroughly impressed by the subject and the writer. Excellent; informative, totally enthralling reading-writers of today should take note! Kudos to the publishers (and Krakauer) for bringing this series (back) to life!

For those who liked Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage" or Lansing's "Endurance", make room on your bookshelf for another favorite. Parkman tells the story of LaSalle's journeys in North America with a novelist's style and a historian's attention to detail.

Of particular interest were Parkman's references to things which exist "today" referring to his time, the mid to late 1800's. As such, the reader is treated to a double dose of history by viewing past events through the eyes of someone who wrote over 100 years ago. The book was an exciting and enjoyable read.

My only criticisms of the book were that the volume of the footnotes was somewhat distracting, and that a few key phrases were not translated from French. Otherwise, excellent.

Parkman is that unusual combination of great scholar and wonderful writer. His books depicting the history of French exploration of North America and the conflict between the French and the British for control of North America remain the basic narratives of these events. Parkman's writing, combining narrative, psychological insight into major historical actors, and use of rhetoric that seamlessly reflects his narrative, is often superb. This particular book is almost entirely devoted to the career of the Sieur De La Salle, the French explorer obsessed with establishing French control over the Mississippi valley. Parkman provides vivid portraits of the almost incredible hardships of travel in North America, the character of politics in the French colonies, and an insightful treatment of La Salle and his associates. Parkman's powerful but restrained language often recalls the style of Tacitus.

I picked this up on a lark and found I couldn't put it down. A fascinating story, extremely well written and a pure pleasure to read. I travel extensively and found it amazing how many places I go to regularly have a direct link to La Salle. Couldn't recommend it more.

One of the most comprehensive landscape ecology materials existing on the market nowadays. Ideal for landscape ecology beginners or for for anybody who wonders what fragmentation, ecological processes and patterns are.

This is an excellent book that intrigues the informed while explaining complex information in such a way that novice readers can follow along.

It is a good book that help us to maintain an equilibrium of the landscape when we mad some changes to it. The content will be usefull for different areas of study, maily ecology, but also here in San Luis Potosi we have a class that we call landscape ecology. This class is the architecture carrer. We got many information from the book.

If the credentials of the authors didn't convince of the quality of this book, I'm not sure I can. I will say that I have read and re-read the book several times, and that it's a vital resource in our laboratory. From the various issues of scaling to what analyses do what, this book is an excellent resource of theories and technologies involved in Landscape Ecology.

I use this book as the recommended text for both undergraduate and graduate courses in landscape ecology. It has a useful synthesis of recent trends in the field and particularly good chapters on scale, landscape metrics and disturbance. The accompanying CD has jpeg versions of most of the figures, which is handy for preparing lectures, although the quality of some of the digital images from CD (especially graphs and line charts) isn't so great. The literature review is thorough without being overwhelming, so it's a good entry point into the professional literature in most areas of landscape ecology. My main criticism is that the writing style is somewhat dense; I didn't find it easy to read from cover to cover. People looking for a cursory introduction to the field may do better to start with an alternative text. As a teaching and reference text for landscape ecology, however, I think this book is the best available.