Lloyd Alexander Books

I loved this book, great debut novel! I love the locale of the story, wow Vancouver who knew...made me want to plan a vacation there. The main character "Tylowe" very sexy. Mr. Horn is very talented as a writer, but then an added bonus, is his spoken word cd that comes with the book. Overall great read!

I loved reading Brush Strokes. The book was filled with wonderful imagery like the scenic rides to and around Vancover, the erotic and romantic love scenes, and the plots leading up Elliot getting a taste of his own deceptive medicine (lol). However, Tylowe was in for surprise of his own (winks).

The book takes your imagination there-as if you are there watching it happen. I enjoyed the way the characters were developed and the complicated situations Tylowe became a part of. I loved the way art (poetry, paintings, art gallery, and school)was blended through out the book.

Tylowe was a pleasure to follow as the main character. He was smart, sexy, poetic, thoughtful, considerate, accepting of others, strong, and evolved to love again even though it was potentially dangerous to become involved with his new found love. He is good! lol

The book contains nice erotic romance. I thought it was appropriate and well done.....lol! In fact, our A.A.S.K book club recently featured this book. One of our discussions included the "push up" move and the thong snap....and no one mentioned the park scene! Hummmm(lol)! Oh we had a good time discussing this book!

Kudos to Mr. Alvin Lloyd Alexander Horn on his first novel, and I am looking forward to seeing more in the future!

Poorly written. I never made it to the end of the book. Not entertaining enough.

As I have expressed already to you Alvin, Your words captivated me. the day the book came is the day I finished it. It was emotional and real, sensual in all the right places. The art, the expression of words and character. It had my stomach excited to know what each new page would bring. The story line was easy to find yourself in the pages as you read along.

This book is a sexy, erotic, emotional love story of a man picking himself up after finding out how hard love can really effect the decision we make for our future. I loved it!

I really enjoyed reading Brush Strokes. This book is must read for all who like erotica! The imagery is fantastic and made me want to hop a plane to Vancouver B.C. and ride through the streets on a Ducati. The main character Tylowe is a man's man but I love the way he thinks...if only he was real(LOL)!

The book has some twists and turns that will keep in involved and turning the pages right till the very end, but the best part for me were the poems. They were sexy, sultry, thought provoking, moving, promising, and inspiring. I only wish I could write that well.

Shouts out to Alvin Lloyd Alexander Horn for a great book, I'm sure he will bring the noise on his next book...I can't wait!

The first time I read this novel, I really couldn't get into it that much and considered it inferior to the author's other series, The Prydain Chronicles. I was wrong; this trilogy stands among the very best of young adult literature and I wish it were included in the reading lists of English classes.

Westmark is a country where the king has lost his will to live due to the believed premature death of his daughter, Augusta, and Carabbus (the chief minister) has surreptitiously taken over. My firs thought was that this sounds a bit like "The Two Towers" where Grima Wormtongue speaks for the possessed King Theoden. Carabbus has instituted a reign of terror and there is great discontent amongst the military, peasantry, and nobility of the realm.

Entering into this volatile mix is Theo, a printer's devil (assistant) who witnesses the cold-blooded murder of his master at the hands of Royal Guards and questions his pacifist stance after falling in with Count Las Bombas, a rogue; Musket, a warriorlike dwarf, and the mysterious Mickle, a street urchin.

The book is a young adult primer on the psychology of war and its justification; violence is seen through the eyes of those who inflict it and those who suffer from it. The writing is sparse and much of the detail found in The Prydain Chronicles is gone, however, that does not diminish the book's characterizations.

I highly recommend this book and its two sequels, The Kestrel and The Beggar Queen.

Westmark (Firebird) I used this book twice now. The first time was in a 6th grade LA class and most recently in a 5th grade Junior Great Books Group. All 7 of my (JGB)students loved the book. The description of the characters & setting is excellent and they loved the ending. Alexander shows a great sense of humor and keeps the reader in suspense until everything comes together in a surprise ending.

Lloyd Alexander has to be one of the best fantasy authors, ever. I have yet to read a book of his that isn't wonderful and doesn't bring up some moral or thought-provoking issue in a fun, interesting way.

"Westmark" is the first in his trilogy of the same name. Westmark is a fast read and focuses on Theo, a printer's apprentice, who finds himself in the underground rebellion against the chief minister when his master is murdered by the chief minister's men. With his trademark dry wit, great characterization and plot development, Alexander introduces us to several characters who will play an important rule in the future of the kingdom of Westmark.

The moral questions that Theo will struggle with throughout the series are introduced in Westmark. Is violence ever okay? If change is needed, what is the best way to set it in motion? Is mercy a good thing or is it just being weak? These are just lightly touched on, but foreshadow the questions and ideals that Theo will be facing throughout the other books.

A good introduction to the trilogy and one that could even be read as a stand-alone. I'm eager to finish the rest of the trilogy to see how the characters grow and resolve their questions.

The main character Theo is in big trouble. The book starts out with Theo in his masters print(he is the printers devil)shop. One day they get a huge order and start working on it. Just as soon as they almost get done with the printing order, Two government guards come in and hit Theo right in the stomache. His master helped both of them exscape(by fighting the guards off). Once they get far away the master makes Theo go a seprate way and to run off, but theo finds the person who gave them the order, Los Bommas and his dwarf guard Musket. Theo pleads for his help and he finally helps him but they soon find out that the evil Chief Minister Cabbarus has killed Theo's master. He will be soon to find out that Cabbarus has an evil plan that involves theo and the Los Bommas.

I just finished reading this entire series of books (Westmark, The Kestrel, The Beggar Queen) and thus now feel the need to review them. I started reading the first book a year and a half ago, and it has taken me this long to get around to reading the last one. It's not that I'm a slow reader; on the contrary, I just didn't like the books enough that I was in any hurry to get through them all. I realise that I am a lone voice here in criticising these books, but I just don't think they lived up to the hype. Their subject matter is war and revolution, two things I have more than a passing interest in (the last book I wrote was set in WWII), but in spite of that I just didn't find these books very interesting. Worse, I found them disturbingly violent, especially the second and third books, which didn't read as if they were written for adolescents about adolescent characters (Theo and Mickle) at all. Look, I know war is brutal. People die in it and that's a fact. But the body count in this series was phenomenal, and given that these books were written for young adults, that made it all the worse. I'm no shrinking violet...I just wanted this to be more than a simple role call of the fallen, or a description of how a whole lot of people met their grisly end.

Look, this writer's writing isn't bad. He's clearly an intelligent man, and he's more than competent at his craft. His grammar is good, and his logic is sound. But to my mind he just didn't have that extra something, that spark, that ability to create characters and events that I really care about. I did not empathise with the characters. They were all fairly 2 dimensional, and didn't have depths. (ie. The poet didn't write or quote any actual poetry. The lovers never really showed their love. And so on.) Moreover, these were people faced with war, and surprisingly, that didn't seem to worry most of them too much. They all seemed rather too willing to sacrifice their lives, even for causes or people they barely knew at all. None of them ever really showed fear -- in the face of war, I would have! None of them did what most soldiers do on the eve of war -- living out their time to the utmost, enjoying themselves as if the day is their last, knowing that it probably will be. These characters did not really have fun or cut loose, ever. They barely felt or did anything for themselves. They only minimally interacted with each other -- when they did it was usually just in a military capacity. Where was their sense of humanity, their sense of self or even their sense of self preservation? I did not get a sense that they were real people. Rather, they seemed more like gamepieces in an intricate military game. I never really empathised with them, or felt much for them. But then that was probably just as well, since most of them got horribly killed in the most brutal and bloodthirsty of ways.

At the end of reading this series I reached this tally:

BODYCOUNT: hundreds, probably thousands.
NUMBER OF TIMES THIS BOOK MADE ME SMILE, LAUGH, CRY OR REALLY FEEL: zero.

Not encouraging.

Some readers say this book has dry humour. I wouldn't have called it humour. Witticisms, perhaps, but they're more like clever observations than humour. They didn't make me laugh or even smile. If a standup comedian tried to pass them off as humour he'd be booed off stage for not being funny.

Some people say that the point of these books is to answer the question of whether or not it's okay to kill. Well, if that's the case then the author seems to be saying, yes, it's not just okay but it's a good idea to kill. In fact, why not kill hundreds of people? Why bother trying to reach a diplomatic solution to matters of war and democratic choice when you can just have a huge body count instead? What a lovely moral to teach the kiddies! And we wonder why there's so much violence in society.

There have been some very important revolutions in history, some of them very justified and needed revolutions that improved the lot of the people who rose up in them. There have, of course, been a lot of stupid and disastrous ones too. I am glad that someone has written about the subject of revolution, especially in a way that educates the young. But I just wish it could have been written better, with more empathy and heart and more emphasis on the human face of revolution rather than just the scheming and military manoeuvering and killing.

If I ever have kids, I'm going to make sure that their bookshelves are stocked full of Lloyd Alexander's books. Most famous for his award-winning The Prydain Chronicles, Alexander has carved out a little niche for himself in children's literature by taking his often-used (but never stale) technique of adapting a particular culture's mythology and shaping it to include his own brand of wisdom, poignancy and humour. For The Prydain Chronicles Alexander borrowed heavily from Welsh mythology as found in the The Mabinogian, whereas The Iron Ring (Novel) focused on India's The Ramayana: A Modern Retelling of the Great Indian Epic and The Arkadians was based on Grecian legend. For The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen, the story is given a Chinese setting.

Jen Shao-yeh is an innocent, yet good-hearted young prince who hears about the kingdom of T'ien-Ko from a mysterious stranger named Master Wu. Enraptured by the tale of the peaceful and happy kingdom, Jen is given permission by his father to seek out T'ien-Ko and learn the secrets of King Yuan-ming's safe and happy governance. Accompanying him is his faithful (though grumbling) servant Mafoo, and a collection of strange gifts chosen by Master Wu to present to Yuan-ming. Jen is initially confused at the seeming worthlessness of the six gifts: an old sword, a saddle, a flute, a bowl, a paint-box and a kite. However, Master Wu insists that they are valuable, and Jen sets off optimistically to find the legendary kingdom.

Of course, nothing goes according to plan. As Jen's royal entourage slowly dwindles (as does his strange assortment of gifts through a series of misfortunes) the prince's hopes of reaching T'ien-Ko gradually begin to dwindle - despite his meeting with the lovely Voyaging Moon, an intelligent flute-girl who cleverly uses the prince to escape her lecherous master. And yet, it is not with our protagonist, but through the gifts that the narration flows. As they part from Jen and constantly change hands throughout the story, we see the true value of each of them - realizing that this value comes from the personal gifts of their owners.

Furthermore, it becomes clear that this is a coming-of-age story, as the naïve prince goes from innocence to experience throughout the course of his journey, learning wisdom, patience, love and a fuller understanding of the world: particularly the injustices of his own kingdom. With the loss of his possessions, his honour and his identity as prince, he ends asking himself the inevitable question: who am I? Struggling with his integrity and sense of worth, Jen finally succumbs to despair in a bone-chilling chapter, though he is helped along at the most opportune times by the enigmatic Master Wu - or is it Chu? Or Shu? Or Fu?

Lloyd Alexander's warm, humourous narration just leaps off the page. On describing the elderly man who approaches the gate of the royal palace we are told: "He was not a beggar, because he asks for no alms. He was not a man of wisdom, because he asked for something ridiculous: he demanded an audience with King T'ai." Likewise, if you were amused by the tendency toward extravagant titles in The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure (the Cliffs of Insanity for example), then you'll love the lengths to which this book goes to in naming various objects, including the Rod of Correction, Hand of Enthusiastic Obedience and Pavilion of Joyous Mornings.

Alexander also has some fun with the chapters, usually giving each one several subtitles, and ending each one with a few lines to entice the reader onto the next installment of the story, for example: "Our young hero is eager to start his journey, but Master Wu seems to be casting a dark shadow on a bright prospect. What can be the difficulty? To find out, read the next chapter."

There is always one requisite female character in Alexander's books, who inevitably act as the love interest to the male lead. However, Alexander always writes her with such wit, affection and twice as much intelligence as any other character in the story that you cannot help but fall in love with her yourself. By the skill of his storytelling, Alexander always manages to keep her from becoming a Mary Sue, and Voyaging Moon is no exception. Bright, clever and cheerful, it's no wonder Jen falls head over heels in love with her!

In short, this is a terrific book. Filled with life-lessons that never sound preachy or heavy-handed (something not even Philip Pullman or C.S. Lewis could completely pull off), a satisfying conclusion in which all of Alexander's scattered pieces come together to a climactic finish, and several laugh-out-loud moments: "Give the task to the lowest-ranking official in the palace. If something fatal happens to him, he won't be missed. Better yet, send a high official, who will be missed even less."

Genre: fatansy

Jen goes on a journey. He meets new friends. He learns a life lesson. I liked most about this book was the plot. its a good story basis and a great setting. What i like is at the begining was kinda hard to get interested in but soon after it makes you not want to stop. i would have to say my favorite character was the Madd Robber Moxa. He robbed people, but only certain people that fell into a list of rules, he was a theif but a kind one.

"There, perched cross-legged on the tiles, she put the flute to her lips and played a sparing melody, praying that some how jen would hear it wherever he might be and the the music would bring him to her." pg -130

This girl has barely met jen and known him for such little time but cares so deeply for him :)

this is a good book and it has such a good story line and keeps you reading till the end.

1 question i have after reading this would be Is the a sequel?

i would recommend this book to anyone and its story is one anyone will enjoy

This delightful tale set in Ancient China during the Tang Dynasty depicts the story of a young prince setting out for his first journey into the world. He embarks with a cache of oddly plain gifts destined to convince the leader of a supposed utopian kingdom to reveal his secrets for success. Along the way, the prince faces various hardships that challenge his strength and unveil a greater person inside than he knew existed. Hilarious humor and sarcasm are interspersed throughout the captivating dialogues. My kids would never let me put it down without an appeal for "just one more chapter - pppppplllllleeeeeeeeaaase!"

I was read this book when I was a child, and I am still fond of it today. I just bought a hardcover, so I can keep it in my library for when my kids are old enough. Ive read it to kids and few books have the same affect. It's a giant fable with interesting characters and a smooth plot. gripping, Fast paced, and moral driven, its the perfect book to get kids (...). don't be intimidated by its large size the print is large and it goes by fast, don't worry about you OR them losing interest, I'd say you could start them on this book at 7 and even you be interested on how it progresses no matter what age you are. (I still have friends that are 21 reading this book.)
I put this in my Favorite book category

The Remarkable journey of Prince Jen is a good book for many reasons. There are many different charecters, a good plot and there are good morals and values. Also, at the end of each chapter, Lloyd alexander sums up what happened in that chapter in case you got confused!

A friend loaned me her copies of this series. I enjoyed them so much I wanted my children to be able to read them, but I was apprehensive about having them read her autographed copies, and they weren't available at our local library. I was so delighted to find them at amazon.com and at such a great price I just couldn't pass them up. This is one of those true classics, great for both kids and adults. Enjoy!

I am just reading this for the first time in my mid-thirties. I must say, I absolutely love it. I have been a fan of the Chronicles for over two decades and this is a wonderful addition to the series. It expands on characters in Prydain that we all love. I don't think it matters if you read this without knowing the characters. However, if you've read the series before reading this, you will pull more out of it, and therefore love it even more.
Yes, it is geared to the younger audience, but if you grew up reading the series and have never read this, it is well worth picking up.

"Stories of the mythical land so beautifully conceived by Alexander are written with grace and humor....Each tale stands alone, a small gem." -Bulletin of the Center for Children Books

This book is really all adventure, magic and very imaginative! The short stories makes the other Prydain Chronicles clearer, more interesting, and makes it have more depth.

There are eight tales in this book:

"The Foundling" is a story of the old enchanter Dallben and how he is found as a baby floating in a wicker basket by the three old hags of the Marshes of Morva. This tale is interesting and also surprising in a way.

"The Stone" tells about a farmer named Maibon and how he helps one of the Fair Folk, Doli(!), and recieves or more like requests one of the precious Stones which can make the person and everything else stay young forever.

"The True Enchanter" is a romantic story of Princess Angharad, the mother of Eilonwyn, and how she has to choose her husband, an enchanter, at the Castle of Llyr.

"The Rascal Crow" is a kind of like a fable about a crow who scorns the help of others and ends up nearly getting killed if it was not for those very animals he had looked down on.

"The Sword" is a sad and grim tale about the real history of the enchanted sword Dyrnwyn and of King Arhitta.

"The Smith, The Weaver, and the Harper" is an interesting tale about how the Lord of Death attempts to get the greatest hammer, shuttle, and harp of all Prydain.

"The Truthful Harp" is about who else than Fflewddur Fflam and about his special, if a bit troublesome, truthful harp.

"Coll and his White Pig" is the story of Coll and how King Arawn tries to get Henwig. Animals of all kinds aids Coll in his journey to retrieve Henwig.

This book was very interesting and I honestly can say that it's one of the best books I've ever read. The moment I read the first page, I didn't want to stop until I finished. Even though it looks very boring because it is a fairly small book, don't 'judge a book by it's cover!' I definenly and higly recommend this book!

The superstars of children's literature often have to contend with the continual cries of their fans for further adventures and stories. How long do you think J.K. Rowling will be able to keep her promise of only seven Harry Potter tales before she breaks down and consents to one further story? We should never forget that when a character (or characters) becomes famous and beloved, he/she/they cannot rest in peace. Even Sherlock Holmes rose from his grave to star in further adventures and imaginings. It should come as no surprise then that Lloyd Alexander acquiesced, after a fashion, to his adoring public. After being asked to writer further tales from the land of Prydain, Alexander chose to give the public what they wanted. Sort of. The stories in this book do take place in Prydain and they do contain many of the beloved characters we've grown to know. In a sly twist, however, Alexander sets all these tales BEFORE any of the action we read about in the Prydain Chronicles. This experiment in prefacing the stories we already know so well could have ended up as either derivative or as depressing as George Lucas's attempt to create the first three movies of the "Star Wars" series. Instead, they end up as tiny parables that speak about hope, light, and beauty in the midst of potential bloodshed and terror. They're well worth a reading.

There are eight stories in this book in total. The first, "The Foundling" is the tale of how the sorcerer Dallben was raised by three weird sisters in the midst of a swampy home and gained more wisdom than he wanted. "The Stone" shows us the dwarf Doli and his encounter with a man who wants to live forever (and finds it unaccountably dull). "The True Enchanter" is a kind of how-they-met tale explaining why the princess Eilonwy's mother (who, like all of Alexander's heroines, is exactly like Eilonwy herself) fell for her very unmagical father. "The Rascal Crow" is just Alexander's excuse to write his very own Aesop tale about a too-clever crow and his animal allies. "The Sword" explains why the sword of Drynwyn met Taran black with blood. "The Smith, the Weaver, and the Harper" is another parable, this time displaying the continual greed of man for something a little better. And finally "The Truthful Harp" shows how Fflewddur Fflam got his magic harp and how Coll and Dallben met in "Coll and His White Pig".

The stories (as Alexander himself points out in the Author's Note) can be read without having picked up a single Prydain book before. I wouldn't necessarily recommend doing that though. How significant is the average reader going to find the fact that King Rhitta died at the hand of his own sword deep in the Spiral Castle if they haven't already picked up "The Book of Three"? Or that Dallben grew old before his time? These stories aren't strictly need-to-know, but it certainly does help. As for the tales themselves, they're all right. Nothing too spectacular, if you want my honest opinion. They take the most basic elements of all good folktales and rework them over and over. If there's a common theme in any of these stories, it's that all good tales work in threes. Alexander has reworked them in such a way that they do appear somewhat original, but don't be particularly surprised if you can predict where each story is going long before its close.

In the end, this book is really best for those die-hard fans of "The Prydain Chronicles" who're clamoring for further Lloyd Alexander facts and fancies. Anyone else will probably find the books a little repetitive and not particularly new. They're lovely little tales but there's little to recommend them but the books they preface. Nice but unnoticeable.

This highly readable collection of short stories provides a wonderful look at some of the characters and events that take place before the Prydain Chronicles.

The titular story, "The Foundling," tells of the enchanter Dallben and how he came by The Book of Three from three well-known enchantresses.

"The Stone" tells of a farmer named Maibon and his encounter with Doli of the Fair Folk, and learn to be careful what we wish for.

"The True Enchanter" is the romantic story of Eilonwy's mother Angharad, and the man who won her heart.

"The Rascal Crow" introduces us to Kadwyr, the father of another rascal crow named Kaw. It runs in the family.

"The Sword" tells of none other than Dyrnwyn, the most powerful weapon in Prydain, and the tragic events that kindled its powers against those not of noble worth.

"The Smith, the Weaver, and the Harper" fleshes out one of the most dominant themes of the Prydain Chronicles: how the Death-Lord Arawn went about deceiving the people of Prydain and stealing their greatest treasures.

"The Truthful Harp" puts Fflewddur Fflam on center stage, told at the time when he left his crown to become a bard, and gained a harp that wouldn't tolerate his "colorful" facts.

"Coll and His White Pig" is the story of when the oracular pig Hen Wen was stolen from the retired farmer Coll, and how he rescued her with a little unexpected help.

As I said, these stories take place before the events of the Prydain Chronicles, but have far more weight if read afterwards. Then read the Prydain Chronicles again for the value that these stories add.

The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha is one of the best books I've ever read. It's an adventure novel about a boy named Lukas-Kasha who was offered an apprenticeship by a carpenter on the same day that he ran into a tall, skinny magician who transported him to another world. In this world, he became a king. Shortly after he became king, he had many people trying to murder him. What happens next, you may ask? Does the magician transport him back to his own world? Read the book and find out!

I first read "Lukas-Kasha" at twelve, and loved it so much I promptly read it a second time. I then wrote an enthusiastic book review of it. At thirty, I still remembered it and wanted to read it again -- only to find it was out of print. About six months of searching landed me two well-used copies, which I promptly gave away in my enthusiasm to win converts. Perhaps I'll now buy five or six.

I've read a few other Lloyd Alexander books, and they strike me as rather formulaic fantasy, a genre I don't care for. "Lukas," on the other hand, is a very non-formulaic fable. Rather, it is a keenly insightful, compassionate, and honest treatment of universal issues facing adolescents: developing an identity, deciding between right and wrong, developing deep friendships, coping with loss and disappointment, and formulating a system of values.

One adult friend of mine dismissed "Lukas Kasha" as "puerile;" I can't agree. While I admit some of the dialogue and a few of the jokes are labored, the overall narrative gives a convincingly optimistic vision of the triumph of compassion over greed and self-interest. If you know of a sensitive, earnest young adolescent, male or female, perhaps a little misunderstood, you couldn't do better than to give him or her this book.

Remembering Lloyd Alexander from when I enjoyed his novels in grade school, I just had to pick up and read this book when a younger sibling checked it out of the library. It was every bit as entertaining and delightful as I remember his other books (mostly the Prydain Chronicles) to be. It tells the humorous tale of the town delinquent, Lukas Kasha, and how he is magically transported to the kingdom of Abadan where the people instantly hail him as king. All is not well in the kingdom; however, and the story shows how Lukas is transformed (almost against his will) into a mature and responsible man. Lloyd still spins a wonderful story, and "The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha" is guaranteed to entertain.

This is an absolutely enjoyable book. Lukas Kasha is a young man who claims the title of the town laze- when a magician sends him to another land and he's the new king of this land. Lukas Kasha much grow up, learn to govern, and stick to his morals in a kingdom of very few morals. (Killing is the norm for many of the people in this new land.) The plot is fast paced and the characters are fun. It is easy to get swept up in reading this book and loose all sence of time. Wonderful. I particularly liked the lessons Lukas learns during his adventure and how he takes them right away and puts them into place in his life. I also liked how he tried to do right by people even though encouraged not to and the easier way would be to not help the people he did help. Truly a great lesson in how everything that you put out, you get back ten fold.

Enjoy.

"The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha" is a fast-paced, funny adventure by Newbery-winner Lloyd Alexander. It's got action, a dash of romance, humor, tragedy, and a moral lesson that doesn't beat you over the head. It's not quite perfect, but fairly close to it.

Lukas-Kasha is a professional bum, an accomplished slacker, a boy who takes great pride in doing nothing at all. But all that has to change when a strange magician sends him through time and space in a bucket of water. He washes up on a strange beach, and is quickly whisked off to the city of Abadan and is crowned King Kasha. (It was prophecied by the astrologer that the next king would come from the sea)

At first, Lukas is fine with this. Then he finds that the sinister vizier Shugdad is using him as a puppet -- and when he rebels, Shugdad plans to do away with him as he did the previous two kings. So Lukas runs away into the desert with a proud slave girl (Nur-Jehan) and a tart-tongued poet (Karim), to get help from the fierce, honorable Bishangaris. But Shugdad still wants to kill Lukas, and will do anything to get control of Abadan.

Alexander uses a cultural backdrop to most of his books -- most notably Wales in the Prydain Chronicles, but he also uses China, India, Greece, and so forth. This time, it's the Middle-East; he does an outstanding job of the exotic city of Abadan and the raw wilderness of the desert. There are some outstandingly funny scenes, such as Lukas tricking a merchant out of a horse. And the subplot about Lukas's growing selflessness is an excellent, subtle moral lesson.

Lukas is one of Alexander's most likeable heroes. He initially isn't very sympathetic because he is so proudly, insistently lazy, but his untapped decency wins out when he is called on to be a king, or a warrior, a trickster, or a peacemaker. He just needed something to spur him on. Nur-Jehan is flatter than most of Alexander's heroines, because she lacks that special spark that the other heroines do. Karim is likeably acidic, the voice of reason, and the astrologer Lucman is sweet because he simply cannot get his predictions right, until he's scrounging in the streets.

It's not Alexander's best, but it's up near the top of the list. "The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha" is definitely worth a read, and definitely a keeper.

"You will be wealthy and famous!" Has anyone ever told you your future? In this book it all starts out when a carpender goes to get his fortune told to him. The fortune-teller tells him hes going to be very wealthy and famous. He will also find the love of his life and live the rest of his life with her! When he goes back later that day to ask more queshtions the fortune- teller its gone!
A minute later a women came in thinking he was the fortune-teller asking him to tell her her future. He didint know what eles to do so he started to tell her exacly what the fortune- teller told him. The lady of course belived him and went and hold her family and friends about him and told them they had to come see him. The first lady's daughter came and he feel in love. What ever happend to the real fortune-teller? Is the new fortune-teller really going to live the rest of his life with the new girl? You will have to wait and find out!

The fortune tellers is great book full of great morals. I think that its message of "learn from being conned" is great. The guy is conned by a fortune teller, and he then uses what he learned to make money.
In conclusion, I think you should read this book. It is good, it has good morals.
READ THIS BOOK

The Fortune-Tellers is an interesting story about a carpenter who wishes he could have more and wants to know about his future and what it holds. He goes to a fortune teller and asks what his future holds for him. The fortune-teller on the other hand is a fraud as you can tell just by the first thing he says. "Rich you will surely be"..."if you earn large sums of money." This is the kind of talk that the fortune teller tells this poor, innocent carpenter. Unfortunately the carpenter buys all this and he goes back to his work. After thinking, he wanted to know more about his future and goes back to the fortune teller to ask questions. Waiting for him is a special twist you would've never expected.

This book is great for children 10 an under and even some adults. It's a great African folktale teaching one about karma in a sense.

During this book a young Carpenter hears theirs a Fortune-Teller in the village. He finally finds it, and the fortune-teller tells this curious man that someday he will find true love. During the night this brave, unwilling man goes back to the old man's stand and takes his magic cap, and his crystal ball, and while this is going on a Banker lady is watching him. The next day the real fortune-teller lift, and the carpenter became the new fortune-teller. Everybody from his old crummy village came to ask him some questions in his new, and approved village. Even the Banker lady, her husband, and her beautiful daughter came to visit. That's when the carpenter found his true love after all. The carpenter and the unbelievable woman get married under true, and peaceful love. Read this amazing story to find out what will happen next.

During this book a young Carpenter hears theirs a Fortune-teller in the village nearby. So this guy went on a outstanding mission to find this fortune-teller in the village. He finally finds it, and the fortune-teller tells this curious man that someday he will find true love. During the night this brave, unwilling man goes back to the old man's stand and takes his magic cap, and his crystal ball, and while this is going on a banker lady is watching him. The next day the real fortune-teller left, and the carpenter became the new fortune-teller. Everybody from his old crummy village came to ask him some questions in his new, and approved village. Even the banker lady, her Husband, and her beautiful daughter came to visit. That's when the carpenter finds true love after all. The carpenter and the unbelievable woman get married under true, and peaceful love. Read this unbelievable story to find out what will happen next, will the Carpenter die, or will he stay alive through his new career.

About this book, I enjoyed mostly all the adventure and precarious places that Lionel the cat and his friends were trapped in. Pursewig the mayor (evil) is on their heels to steal money from poor townspeople every chance he gets. Lionel is sent from his master, a wizard, who changed him into a man at his wishes. Arriving at the nearest town, Lionel discovers that all humans have completely different personalities.

He is on a great chase to rid the town of Pursewig and his comrades. You will enjoy this book and word by word, it will become more exciting.

Great book for any cat lover.

author of "Hobo Finds A Home"

He, my son really likes these books, but this one was a little short. He wants to read more of these books.

I received this book inmediately after I ordered it, great condition.

I love the book so far. The name of my book is called The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man. So, the best part about the book is when the cat kept asking, master please, can I be turned into a man? That was the best part so far. The other part of the book I enjoyed was when the master turned the cat into a man, and he had all of his clothes on the wrong way. He had his shirt on his legs, and his pants legs on his arms. The cat's name is Lionel. The master's name is Master Stephanus. I love his name, becuse it's different, and it's closed to my name. The only thing I don't like is when the cat says he can't go to Brightford, because all of that time he said can I go?, can I go to Brightford?

ISBN 0525461213 - Although I'm giving Rizka 5 stars, I do think the book's target audience of Young Adults is just a little off. The Pippi Longstocking-esque main character, the cartoon-like other characters and the storyline(s) seem to me to be more appealing to slightly younger readers. Still, a fun and well-written story.

Rizka, a gypsy who lives on the outskirts of Greater Dunitsa, where she awaits her father's return, has her finger on the pulse of the town. From Big Franko, her friend, to Chief Councilor, her nemesis, Rizka understands them all better than they understand themselves - and better than she understands herself, for that matter. Using their own fears and superstitions, Rizka "fixes" the problems of many townfolk and, in the end, teaches them a great deal and learns as much about herself.

The characters, cartoonish and very colorful, are delightful in their own weird ways, and the stories throughout all tie up neatly. The younger end of the Young Adult readers will enjoy Rizka's adventures, and probably wish for more!

I'm bucking the popular assessment here. I read a dozen YA novels during the recent holidays, and this was my least favorite. In fact, I thought it was just silly, and not in an entertaining way. The sappy ending triggered my gag reflex.

The other books I read were much better and more entertaining: "Z for Zachariah," "When Zachary Beaver Came to Town," "Out of the Dust," "Mind Games," "Just Ella." Even the ones that have already slipped out of my mind were better than "Gypsy Rizka." I wish that one would slip out of my mind.

This is probably my favorite of Lloyd Alexanders books! Its a hilarious story with a great storyline and fabulous characters! And who couldnt love the cat! Its definitely the funniest and most light-hearted of all of his books. A must read!

This excellent, humorous, well-written books tells the story of a young half-Gypsy girl Rizka living in a town with an archenemy, an admirer, and a friend.

The villianous Sharpnack wants Rizka run out of town, so he cooks up devious plots. But Rizka cleverly outwits him every time.

Rizka only stays in this town where she has hardly a friend because she is waiting for her gypsy father to return to get her. Meanwhile, she becomes good friends with the warm-hearted Big Franko, becomes the sole admirer of Sofiya Pumpa, the mayor's daughter, and achieves the status of enemy in the Councilor in Chief Sharpnack's book.

You will laugh as Rizka cleverly outsmarts Sharpnack and slowly wins the townspeoples' trust fairly and squarely. (She even helps two couples get married!) I recommend this book very highly.

P.S. If the person who gave me this book (you know who you are) reads this, I broadcast "Thank you so, so, so much for this great book!"

Lloyd Alexander is probably the greatest children's author living today. Gypsy Rizka is another great book by the master. Alexander has always brought strong heroines to children's lit. Rizka is yet another great to add to the list: Eilonwy from The Prydain Chronicles, Mickle from the Westmark Trilogy, Isabel from The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian, and Vesper Holly from her own books (there are also a few more which I haven't gotten to yet). This novel, besides its excellent characters, has a lot of humor. Alexander displays his unbelieveable imagination with the unusual methods Rizka utilizes to get out of trouble. Nobody mixes high adventure with humor as well as Alexander. The prose in this novel is unbelievably polished also. Gypsy Rizka doesn't have as much depth as some of Alexander's other novels, but there are not very many childrens books that can entertain like this one can. Overall, Gypsy Rizka is an amazing novel.

What a phycological journey Sartre is presenting us in every little story of this book. Wow! All the stories are perfectly written. My favorite ones are "The Wall", "The room", and "Erostratus". I must admit though, I found "Intimacy" a bit hard to follow.
I recommend this book to everyone who wanna read a unique piece of work of existentialism. You won't regret :)

This particular work of J P Sartre should be ranked as one of the masterpieces in modern literature...The author used to possess a penetrating insight in the complex mind and behaviours of a modern human being...It is true that he analyses different reactions of any human mind on the basis of the doctrine of existentialism, of which he is one of the main proponents...However one should not look upon his judgement as biased as the celebrated basis of his philosophical doctrine, ie. "Existence should precede the essence " is really logical and highly optimistic as well as humanistic....All the five stories that are presented in this book bear the mature signature of an efficient interpreter of human mind along with it's anxieties and the decisions and choices taken at such critical moments,eg., when a man is condemned to die.....It seems the stories in this book imply that one should always consider those anxious moments,those contradictions that are constantly perturbing the man and only his response and choices that he make, ultimately defines him and give him a relative meaning in this otherwise meaningless world..I feel this book should be read by those who are aware of the divine futility of human life but still are optimistic about the triumph of human mind and creativity.....

In fact "The wall" was one of the best stories in the book along with "Erostratus" where once more Sarte makes his claim on the proof of freedom, and how most of us tend to pretend we are not that free and crawl behind our available and yet limited choices.

The wall gives the reader the chance to infuse into the consciousness of characters with, seemingly, absurd & extreme behaviors. The depiction of the inner world of these marginal people, rationalize their conduct by using some common humane themes like willingness to survive, fear, submission to power, altruism etc.

"The Wall and other short stories" is a triumph in literature. Each story explores the depths of human thought and reason through an existential point of view. Each story can be interpreted different by all readers, therefore making this a great book for discussion.

"The Wall" is the first story presented. It consumes the reader because of its brilliant writing style. The story is narrated by a man named Pablo Ibbieta, who is in a jail cell with 2 others awaiting execution the following morning. Every event that transpires that particular night is analyzed almost too thoroughly thus leaving the reader in a trance. I wont get into it too deeply, but believe me, this story is worth reading...i guarentee it will have to be read again. After finishing the story, I felt as though nothing mattered. Who cares if the dishes were not washed, who cares if I would be late for work. Believe me, this story will have a profound impact on the way you think. Don't be surprised if you have a new appreciation for life. This story enlightens the mind.

Another great story from this book is called "Erostratus". Erostratus was a character who wanted to be famous, so he burned down the temple of Ephesus, which was one of the 7 wonders of the world. This is the central symbol of the story, the quest for glory. It also brings up an interesting point when the narrator asks one of his colleagues "Who built Ephesus?" and the colleauge did not know, he only knew who burned it. "Erostratus" in short is one mans decent into madness because of his quest to be remembered. The ending of "Erostratus" is filled with suspense and makes your heart beat in fear. It serves as a grim reminder that there are people of this type, and we should be prepared at any time for them to strike.

There are also 3 other stories, that being "The Room", "Intimacy", and "The Childhood of a Leader", which also draw the reader inside the workings of the mind through an existential window (ie: we are all here by accident, man is condemned to choose).

In short, these stories are all perfect, and leave the reader with a feeling of enlightment. Sartre is an extremely intelligent and clever writer. This is evident in these short stories. So turn off the television, buy this book, and start questioning your existence, you owe it to yourself. Besides, they are short stories, so you will be able to get through at least one a day...that isnt much to ask considering the benefits you will reap by reading them.

I found this book to be more predictable than the first two in the Vesper Holly books. The villain is given to monologuing his intentions away; the climax pales in comparison to the El Dorado Adventure, especially. Some of the writing also seems more forced than in the previous books (i.e. let's see how many times we can remind people that they're Philadelphians, even when awkward).

Still, the parts I enjoy most in this book as well as the previous two deal with Brinnie's thought processes (or lack thereof), and the author does not disappoint yet again. All in all, it's an enjoyable read, but just lacks the pizzazz of the previous books.

This is a great book for all ages to read. Creative, original and not to mention funny, this book keot me reading until four in the morning. A girl named Vesper, a courageous, smart and strong girl, goes off to the country of Drackenberg with her aunt and uncle. Her dear aunt is then kidnapped, catapaulting them into a high-racing adventure that ends up with a DaVinci painting and guard dogs snapping at their heels. I could not put this book down. It was exciting, suspensful and funny all at the same time. It was a good change from all the books about courageous boys to find one about a smart, strong girl. This book is a great read for anyone.

This is one of the Best Books I have ever read. This book is a stroke of genius. The Main character, Vesper Holly, is this strong, smart girl who goes to the country of Drackenburg. There is this evil guy, Helivtius, who tries many creative ways to kill them (Including an exploding sausage). If you are a person looking for adventure, excitement and suspense that is different from your average book, read this! If you are a girl looking for a book about girls who are strong, read this! This is a really good book! Five stars, two thumbs up!

This is like a Nancy Drew book only better. Vesper Holly is a young woman who is in the care of a couple - Brinnie and his wife Mary are friends of her deceased parents. Vesper is headstrong, courageous, daring, fun, exciting, smart and talented.

In this book her guardians are invited to a diamond jubilee and Vesper convinces them to go. So off they go only to run into their old nemisis who has tried to kill them in previous adventures. This time is no different. A kidnapping, traveling with gypsies, a bomb, and many other exciting things happen.

What an excellent book. I learned a little bit while I read this book and I totally enjoyed the read.

Enjoy.

"Look out Indiana Jones! Here comes Vesper Holly!"... how completely true in this fantastic book by the author of the Prydain Chronicles. Vesper's back, along with her insufferable guardian Brinnie and his suprisingly strong-willed wife, Aunt Mary. The dear girl has dragged them off again, this time to a diamond jubilee for the Grand Duchess of Drackenberg, where they promptly bump into the notorious Professer Desmond Helvitius. Naturally, Vesper wants to know why Helvitius is visiting Drackenberg, so off she goes, dragging Brinnie around with her like Sherlock Holmes dragged Dr. Watson about the streets of London! Like all of Vesper's stories, adventure is the key. Kidnapping, exploding sausages, and a portrait by Leonardo DaVinci follow, making this a non-stop action adventure! Move over, Indiana Jones! Make way for Vesper Holly!