Quills Reviews

Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters

Published in Paperback by Quill Pen Classics (2008-07-21)

Author: Logan Marshall

List price: $14.95

Average review score:

The Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-04

Very good reprint of the original book. I own the original, but it is in very poor condition, so this reprint allows me to read the book as printed in 1912, without further damaging the orginal. Definitely a good value.

The Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters

Helpful Votes: 8 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2000-01-12

A truly wonderful but heartbreaking true story upon story told by eyewitnesses. No talking heads building it up all out of proportion that we"re so full of today. So little is mentioned today of the fact that this ship was on fire {coal bunkers} when it sailed. I own an original copy and am curious as to it"s value?

The book is great

Helpful Votes: 8 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 1999-09-27

I really enjoyed this book. I have always been interested in the Titanic I have one of the original books that has been in my family all these years and was always hearing about the titantic and now the book belongs to me. It is a 5 star book.

Rebirth through a Reprint

Helpful Votes: 9 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-12

Because I have an original copy of this book from 1912, I was especially interested when I saw that it had been reprinted. I'm not sure why it took so long for me to know it was reprinted, but I just found out and bought it. My initial fascination with this grand ship was sparked by this very book, and lives on today. I have many Titanic books, and though I appreciate color, nothing can top this original. It's one of my favorites!

Awesome book!!

Helpful Votes: 9 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 1999-05-03

This is a very great book. You won't be able to put it down. The insights into what really happened that night in April will keep you reading the book in one sitting!

The Sweet Everlasting

Published in Paperback by Quill Press (2000-01)

Author: Judson Mitcham

List price: $11.00

New price: $3.32
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

What a beautiful book.

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-28

This novel is so beautiful and heart-breaking. It just kicks you in the stomach, but I can't recommend it highly enough. My mother is from a small town in Georgia and I grew up spending lots of summers there and reading The Sweet Everlasting was like looking at family photographs or hearing my grandmother tell us stories. I was not expecting to love this much as much as I did.

Sweet Evelasting

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2000-01-28

Tremendous book. This is the best book I've read in the last 3 years. Very readible, incredibly moving. This is not brain candy. It will make you think for a long time afterwards.

Outstanding Novel

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-02

Life can change in an instant. Picked an old paperback copy of this up at a used book sale. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Easily one of the best "stories" I've read in years (and I read many, many contemporary fiction novels). If you ever take your relationships (family or friends) for granted, read this book. You won't anymore. It's extremely well written; authentic without seeming contrived.

Do not read reviews for this book.

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-03-25

Although critical reviews for this book are accurate and give it much deserved praise, do not read them. Let Ellis Burt tell his story to you the way he wants to--give him his own timing. To know the story beforehand is to take away your involvemnent in the terrible and powerful discoveries that he must make as a human being: about others, his society, and himself. This is a tale of sin and redemption. To know his sins too soon is to underappreciate his redemption--what there can be of it.

A touching and gripping introspective.

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 1997-09-24

The storyteller carefully nurtures the recollections of the people, places and events that have shaped his destiny. And, in the end, provides a powerful, emotional understanding of the importance of love.

Ticket to a Lonely Town

Published in Paperback by Atomic Quill Press (2005-09)

Author: Bruce Henricksen

List price: $15.95

New price: $7.75
Used price: $6.00

Average review score:

Ticket To a Lonely Town is worth your time.

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-30

After reading "After the Floods" by the same Author I read this one and found it equally very enjoyable.

Excellent read!

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-03

Fantastic book with very realistic insights into character's regrets. Each short story ends leaving the reader wanting more.

Like butter or better . . . .

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-12

This is just the smoothest prose. I loved this book, it was a joy to read.

A Ticket Worth The Price Of Admission

Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-03

The storied lives of Henricksen's characters include lovers who regret their failed romances, husbands and wives who regret their failed marriages, fathers and mothers who regret how they failed their children. One, attempting to speak to his deceased wife, as "if dust could speak to smoke," says to her, "I wish that we could slip back, as on a trail of ancient starlight falling through time, and begin the story again."

Rather than wallow in self-pity, they attempt to reinvent themselves in the same manner in which one couple's old schoolhouse has become converted into a thriving commercial enterprise.

Some of Henricksen's characters appear in more than one story, giving the book a novelistic quality. In one story you see a character from his own and often delusional point of view. In a following story you see him again from the eyes of other characters.

Together, the characters form an ensemble of loveable losers who have made important bad choices while attempting to make up their lives. Their bad choices are important because they become lessons learned. But as much as they strive to invent and reinvent their lives, they often discover what they have become was not what they had intended.

These are poignant stories whose characters help us behold and feel their failures, shame, and isolation. They are poets who don't know it, poets whose innate sense of humor often helps them endure their pathetic human circumstances, poets who help us attain or regain awareness of who and where we are within the human comedy.

The book concludes with a personal essay in which Henricksen admits his characters are often aspects of himself and "choice slices of my own life." By writing short stories he discovered how "fact and make-believe are allowed to share a bed."

Literary Fiction at its Best

Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-09

These are wonderful stories of longing and hope sprinkled with humor and regret. Henricksen's style is lyrical and vivid, and his depictions of New Orleans, Minneapolis, and other locales bring today's America to life. For reades who enjoy discovering a new author of real iterary power, this book is an unanticipated gem.

The War in the Air

Published in Paperback by Quill Pen Classics (2008-07-21)

Author: H.G. Wells

List price: $14.95

Average review score:

H.G.Wells is a great author...

Helpful Votes: 11 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2003-12-19

First, before anything else, he links us to a character, a man named Bert Smallways, who we will follow and this allows us to see what is happening from the view of a normal man within the book. The first few chapters in fact deal only with Bert, pushing much of the major events into the background, suggested by news headlines that nobody seems to notice.
But when wars come it comes with a bam. The Earth's weapons seem to be bomb carrying airships and gun carrying airplanes.
The airships seem to be the major weapon, becoming the terrors of the sky, huge monster craft that carry death to the cities of Earth.
Why airships? The book was published in 1907. While airplanes were just being invented and designs played with, blimps and dirigibles were already flying about in good numbers. By the time World War One cames about, German airships are bombing London. Airplanes started off during the Great War totally unarmed, used for scouting out enemy movements and checking out the landscape. So, for him to suggest that airships would become the wave of the future in combat is not a great leap of logic.
One scene has German airplanes and airships destroying an American fleet of warships, a chilling vision of things to come.
As each nation designs and builds it own aircraft things get out of hand. While the air fleets can bomb the cities, they can't TAKE them (not being able to carry any troops) and they can't DEFEND them (as they carry many bombs, but few weapons to fight other aircraft), so soon the world is nothing but burnt out buildings and thousands of airships attacking anything on the ground that even LOOKS dangerous.
Will Bert survive? Will he get back to England? Will mankind ever learn to live together?

A LESSER-KNOWN WELLS MASTERPIECE

Helpful Votes: 14 out of 14 total.
Review Date: 2003-07-14

"The War of the Worlds" wasn't the only masterpiece that H.G. Wells wrote with the words "The War" in the title. "The War in the Air," which came out 10 years later, in 1908, is surely a lesser-known title by this great author, but most certainly, in my humble opinion, a masterpiece nonetheless. In this prophetic book, Wells not only predicts World War I--which wouldn't start for another six years--but also prophesies how the advent of navigable balloons and heavier-than-air flying craft would make that war inevitable. Mind you, this book was written in 1907, only four years after the Wright Brothers' historic flights at Kitty Hawk, and two years BEFORE their airplane design was sold to the U.S. Army for military purposes. In "The War in the Air," Wells also foresees air battles, as well as engagements between naval and aerial armadas. His gift of peering into the future is at times uncanny.
We see this worldwide war through the eyes of Bert Smallways, a not terribly bright Cockney Everyman who is accidentally whisked away in a balloon and lands in Germany right on the eve of that country's departure for war. Bert is brought on board one of the German airships, and so personally witnesses a titanic battle in the North Atlantic; the Battle of New York (in which the length of Broadway is destroyed and many buildings near downtown City Hall Park are levelled, looooong before 9/11); and the huge fight between the German and Asiatic forces over Niagara Falls. And these are just the start of Smallways' adventures. Wells throws quite a bit into this wonderful tale, and the detail, pace and characterizations are all marvelous. But this isn't just an entertaining piece of futuristic fiction; it's a highly moral one as well. The author, in several beautifully written passages, tells us of the terrible waste of war, and the horrors that it always entails. In this aspect, it would seem to be a more important work of fiction than even "The War of the Worlds." While that earlier work might be more seminal, this latter tale certainly raises more pressing issues. And those issues are just as worrisome today as they were nearly a century ago. In his preface to the 1941 edition of this book, Wells wrote: "I told you so. You damned fools..." As well he might! And it would seem that we STILL haven't learned the lessons that Wells tried to teach us so many years ago.
Perhaps, at this point, I should mention that readers of this novel will be faced with many geographical, historical and vocabulary/slang terms that they may not be familiar with. If those readers are like me, they will take the time to research all those obscure terms; it will make for a richer reading experience, as always.
I said before that this novel is a masterpiece, and yet, at the same time, it is not perfect. Wells does make some small booboos in prediction, for example. Zeppelins were not more important than airplanes in war; civilization did not collapse after World War I. He tells us that the distance from Union Square to City Hall Park is under a mile, whereas any New Yorker could tell you that it's more like two. Wells mentions that the Biddle Stairs (which were built in 1827, led from Goat Island to the base of Niagara Falls, and were demolished in 1927) were made of wood, while in fact they were made of metal and encased in a wooden shaft. But these are quibbles, and in no way detract from the quality of the work. Indeed, this is a novel that should be mandatory reading for all politicians, not to mention all thinking adults.

Stunning, disturbing prophecy

Helpful Votes: 19 out of 20 total.
Review Date: 2004-01-18

H.G. Wells-what a genius. He foresaw the future better than any supposed "psychic." This novel, little known but available again, is the proof.

In the early 20th century, the invention of aerial vehicles precipitates the outbreak of a worldwide war that had brewed for hundreds of years. The aircrafts' ability to wreck unlimited destruction lays waste to civilization, reducing it to pre-Industrial revolution levels. That is the basis of this incredible piece of political and scientific prophesy. Wells unleashes his full understanding of human "progress" and the fraility of political systems, and with every page hits truths about war and technology even more applicable today than during World War I, the combat that Wells envisioned here. He even saw 9/11 and the Iraq War, pegging Western European complaceny so accurately that I felt my jaw drop to the floor on a few occasions.

Honestly, this H. G. guy was one in a billion. He was utterly, incalculably brilliant. He was also a helluva writer, expressing ideas with flashes of humor, irony, and passion. Wells uses a countryside Englishman as witness to the fall of civilization, and manages to effortlessly switch between the epic canvas of war and the cameo portrait of a normal man seeing everything he ever understood about the world fray apart before his eyes.

In a terrific last stroke, Wells writes the final chapter that sums up the possibility that "progess" may be an illusion. This novel deserves to be considered amongst Wells finest, and this new edition with Duncan's insightful introduction, may be the firest step in getting it the wide audience it deserves.

The century of total war

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-13

Written in 1908, Wells predicted warfare as we know it now. He foresaw pushbutton wars, "cold-blooded slaughters ... in which men who were neither excited nor ... in any danger, poured death and destruction on homes and crowds..." Paradoxically, Wells also predicted it to be "a universal guerilla war, a war involving civilians and homes and all the apparatus of social life." He predicted weapons "ineffectual for any large expedition or conclusive attack, [but] horribly convenient for guerilla warfare, rapidly and cheaply made, easily used, easily hidden." Specifics of the story needed to be credible to Wells's 1908 reader, but major points could have been drawn from today's headlines.

Wells's war encircled the globe, years before WWI showed how widespread a war could become. Rather than narrate global destruction, though, Wells told his story through the viewpoint of Bert Smallways, an everyman of modest means, achievement, and intellect. In fact, Bert's only real skill was a knack for being in the wrong place when world-shattering events came to pass. Starting from his bicycle shop in England, Bert's involuntary travels made him witness to the destruction of whole blocks and rows of blocks in New York City, then to the rise of Eastern armies that over-ran the Western world. Then, somehow, he made it back to his sleepy village to settle into a post-war agrarian life without technology - easy enough, since the village had slept through the technology of the time anyway.

Despite the zeppelins used as warcraft, Wells's forecasts hit the bullseye of many targets. He predicted the worldwide caches of hidden weaponry, not too far from what we saw in the Cold War. He also predicted the bafflement of the common civilian, who really just wanted to settle down with a spouse, a house, and food on the table. Headlines aside, that's still the case today.

-- wiredweird

Wonderfully forward-thinking, but somewhat bloated

Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2006-05-04

Bert Smallways is a rather backward sort, trying (but not too hard) to make a living in England, and watching the advance of technology. But, technology is moving on in directions that he might never have guessed. With the advent of the airship, a secret arms race has broken out among the world's powers, and a new type of war is about to break out.

When Bert is accidentally scooped up by a German fleet, on its way to launch a surprise attack on the United states, he finds himself with a front row seat to the greatest war that has ever been - the war in the air! This new war is to be a different sort of war than all the wars that came before it, unprecedented in its ferocity and destructiveness. When everything can be smashed, what will be left? A good deal less than you might hope.

This now largely forgotten work was written by H.G. Wells (1866-1946) in 1907, and is a masterpiece of forward thinking. While Wells missed the true course of the development of military aviation, his grasp of what a major war, involving fleets of aircraft, would mean was spot on. In fact, this book is quite spooky in its prediction of the destruction of cities and modern infrastructure, and in its portrayal of fleets of warships destroyed from the air! As a prediction of the future, this book is nothing short of amazing.

Well, if the book is so good, why is it now forgotten? In fact, while Wells' portrayal of aerial warfare is right on target, the book, as a novel, is not as good as it should be. The story starts out quite slowly, wasting too much time on the development of the character of Bert Smallways. And, there are many places throughout the narrative where the book could have benefited from some pruning and tightening of the narrative.

So, if you are a fan of H.G. Wells, or are interested in how correct a man of 1907 could have been about modern warfare, then this is the book for you. However, if you are looking for a good science-fiction story, you might be disappointed. Overall, I found this to be an interesting story, one that I am glad that I read. It's almost frightening how close to reality Mr. Wells was. I just wish that he had had a better editor.

Windkeeper (Windlegends Saga)

Published in Paperback by Amber Quill Press (2002-11)

Author: Charlotte Boyett-Compo

List price: $18.50

Used price: $20.06

Average review score:

WindKeeper

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-08

Prince Conar Aleksandro McGregor is the Prince Regent of Serenia. He is arrogant and somewhat childish, yet honorable in all his dealings with others. As a child, he had suffered dearly, with that pain being etched into his soul. He will let no one know what has been done to him. Upon being the recipient of an attack in a stable, he is surprised to receive assistance not from his Elite Force but from a beautiful young woman. His pride takes a beating when he realizes that this woman has saved his life. In his arrogance and conceit, he reluctantly allows her to travel with him to his home since that is her final destination, not realizing that this journey will change him completely. He tries to find out more about Liza to no avail. They encounter dangers, and along the way he finds love. The problem lays in the fact that he is betrothed to another and is to be married within the year. His heart lies with Liza, yet he has a duty to his country in marrying his betrothed, Princess Anya Wynth, Firstborn Daughter of Oceania.

Liza is a courageous and secretive woman who knows how to defend herself. From the moment she saves Prince Conar from an attack, she is intrigued and curious about him. She worms her way into riding with him to his home as well as into his heart. On this journey, she learns more about Prince Conar and slowly falls in love with him, the person, not the title. She is powerful in her own right, and allows Prince Conor to see her power in order to save him. Liza freely gives herself to him, knowing that he belongs to another.

Windkeeper: Wind Legends is a story full of love, romance, adventure and intrigue. Charlotte Boyett-Compo has created a world that I could clearly see in my mind's eye. I suffered and cried with Prince Conor, and I cheered for Liza. When an author can draw me in as Charlotte Boyett-Compo has done, I know that the story is a winner. I devoured every word and sighed with longing when the story ended too soon for me. Charlotte Boyett-Compo leaves you with a great follow up ending, and I can't wait to read her next installment in this series. Windkeeper: Wind Legends is a recommended read for all

Idalmi
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

True Dark Fantasy gets no better than this!

Helpful Votes: 11 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2003-11-26

Prince Conar McGregor and his wife, Princess Anya "Liza" Elizabeth, were still deep in love. Conar and his father, King Gerren, ruled the Serenia region of the world. Liza was part of the Multitude, one of the Daughters of the Sea. Few knew that, of course. She was more well known for her ability with a crossbow. Conar and Liza were dedicated in their quest to destroy the Brotherhood of the Domination.

Conar's evil twin, Galen, wanted Conar dead and Liza by his side. Knowing this, the Domination planned to use Galen as a way to force Conar into returning to the Great Abbey of the Domination - from where he had escaped just before the age of thirteen.

The sorcerer known as Kaileel Tohre had always had a dark fascination with Conar. He wanted Conar the same way Liza did, as mate. To save Liza, Conar would return to the Domination and complete the Rite of Passage to become "One of the Chosen". Then he would go through the Final Rite of Consecration. If Conar lived through it, he would BE "The Chosen One of the Chosen"! Conar would possess the combined power of the White and the Black Paths.

The battle between good and evil continues!

***** RATED R for dark fantasy scenes and violence. No one under the age of 17 should read this series! Now that I have stated that, if you like your fantasy novels to be "anything goes", then this author should be on the top of your Favorites list. I never knew what would happen next and often it was the worst thing possible. It kept my on the edge of my seat from the beginning until the end and hungry for the next book! True Dark Fantasy gets no better than this! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch.

Fabulous! Very highly recommended

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-11

Fans of Charlotte Boyett-Compo will cheer the release of WINDKEEPER, originally available only in paperback under the title THE KEEPER OF THE WIND. Complete with previous pieces that had been edited out, WINDKEEPER is destined to become a best seller.

The three thieves thought him an easy mark, little suspecting that the intended victim was Prince Conar Alexsandro McGregor. Conar would have fairly beaten all three of them in a fair fight if the innkeeper hadn't arrived at an inopportune moment. But help quickly arrived from a most unexpected direction. Concealed in the loft, a mysterious stranger leaps to the Prince's aid, showing deft proficiency with weapons. But this was no ordinary weapons expert. Indeed, when the expert of blade and crossbow is revealed to be a woman, Conar is astonished. His rescuer only gives the name Liza, refusing to reveal her surname, heritage, country or past.

As they journey together, Conar falls madly in love with the mysterious beauty. But he has been pledged to another since birth. It was the deceased Queen's wish that he marry Princess Anya of Oceania as her parents were close friends to herself and the King. Conar has refused to journey to meet his intended, relying on another's account of the young woman, who has been described as a limping toad -- certainly no comparison to the mysterious Liza. And so a promise is made, that while on their journey, they might be together. And when the journey ends, so does the romance. But a heart is a delicate thing, and not likely to give up that which it loves.

Beneath the surface of Boyett-Compo's romance runs a tantalizingly evil subplot. Conar, without full memory of his past, has fallen victim to the evil Brotherhood of the Dominion, a sinister sect of warrior priests dedicated to the erudition of free thought and the enslavement of humanity. A vicious and cruel sect, the Domination is led by Kaileel Tohre, a priest who intends to control the prince and has sorely underestimated the adversary he faces with Liza.

A rich and complex weave of adventure, romance, and fantasy, WINDKEEPER is an extraordinary tale with great promise of powerful sequels. As readers have come to expect, both humor and grace are well balanced in this tantalizing novel. Indeed, move over Robert Jordan, for you have competition. With the depth of characterization so easily penned by Boyett-Compo, these characters live long in the readers memory, demanding the story continue. This reviewer not only very highly recommends WINDKEEPER, but wishes the sequel were ready now!

Perfect Dark Fantasy Romance....I Loved It!!!

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-13

I think this book rates in my top 5 as far as keepers. I devoured this dark fantasy, and believe me....it is dark.
Prince Conar McGregor is only 20 years old, but one reading this book wouldn't think so. He is far more mature than his age. He has responsibilites. He is to be King one day. He has trained to be a soilder, is well educated, and even has a handful of illegitimate children. And he is also hiding a dark secret, a secret that has ruined his childhood and scarred his soul. And with all that against him he was still able to love.

Conar met Liza while on one of his journeys. She basically saved him from death while he was fighting some thieves. One snuck up behind him and that was when Liza intervened. He was astonished to find out the person who saved him was a woman. He was impressed with her warrior skills, and later when she tells him her intent is to love him, he is astonished. He doesn't have high regard for her race. But that quickly changes when they began their journey to his home in Serenia. He begins to see she is differnet from any woman he has ever known. She cares about him not as a prince, or what he can do for her...but as a man. The man he really is inside, the man no one else knows.

But their love does not seem destined to be as Conar is to be married to Princess Anya from a different land. This kills him for he will love no other but Liza. And on top of all that, there is an evil sorcerer named Kaileel Tohre who wants to destroy Conar. Tohre has made it his life mission to make sure Conar feels no happiness.

In this book Conar is made to endure such pain and loss, that my heart went out for him. But that pain was rewarded richly at the end, and was a pleasure to read. I loved this book. Their was so much depth and emotion. Liza was such a strong character. She was smart, independent, and a skilled warrior. She was also devoted to Conar, and to her love for him. And Conar was one of the strongest hero's I have read about in a while. He had endured so much physically and emotionally, and still he was able to give and love. I cannot wait to read the rest in this series.

terrific romantic fantasy

Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2004-11-14

Hearing rumors about his fiancée whom he never met, Prince Regent of Serenia Conar McGregor dreads his upcoming marriage to Princess Anya though he knows he must fulfill the obligation his parents made for the good of his country. However, he reconsiders honor and obligation when Liza the keeper saves his life using a dagger more adept than any warrior he knows. At first thinking "he" would make a fine soldier apprentice, Conar realizes that his rescuer is a female as she rides off on her steed Windkeeper with him following her.

A storm sends the couple seeking shelter in the keep of Conar's younger twin brother Galen who detests his sibling for being in the way of his inheriting the throne. Galen has allied with the evil sorcerer High Priest of the Brotherhood of Dominion Kaileel Tohre, who "owned" and abused Conar as a child leaving him unable to love anyone. With Liza assisting the Prince against deadly foes, Conar begins to learn that life truly is leaving behind his living dead existence for her love.

The opening tale of the Windlegends Saga, WINDKEEPER is a terrific romantic fantasy that stars a powerful cast who make Charlotte Boyett-Compo's sword and sorcery world seem authentic. The story line is action-packed from the moment that Liza rescues Conar from thugs and never slows down until the final altercation, which provides a fine finish to this tale and sets up the next book (see WINDSEEKER). The lead duo is somewhat typical of the sub-genre, but no one will care an iota as they go about their adventures with fans rooting for them to succeed as a couple and against the Brotherhood turning WINDKEEPER into a keeper.

Harriet Klausner

Cartooning: The Art and the Business

Published in Paperback by Quill (1989-04)

Author: Mort Gerberg

List price: $15.00

New price: $28.43
Used price: $0.38

Average review score:

The first book anyone who wants to be a cartoonist should read

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-27

I read this book over a decade ago and it was full of practical tips to help me realise my dream of making a living by drawing cartoons. It stops you from making a lot of common mistakes. I'm now syndicated, drawing Arctic Circle for King Features and even though I've been a full time cartoonist for 9 years, I have still referred back to this book often.

The only how-to book you'll ever need

Helpful Votes: 10 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2001-05-31

Mort Gerberg, longtime New Yorker cartoonist, has created the reference book to beat all reference books. Notice I said "reference book" and not "instruction book"--those wishing to learn how to draw cartoons will be disappointed here.

Originally published under the title "The Arbor House Book of Cartooning", Gerberg's book aims for aspiring professionals, those who are serious about pursuing cartooning. He is brutally honest about the pitfalls of the business, yet avoids the "sour grapes" approach of other cartooning-book authors such as Ken Muse (in other words, the "this business is tough and the editors are idiots, so it's hardly worth bothering" attitude).

Unlike authors of similar books, Gerberg lets the reader know that there are more markets for cartoonists than just comic books and comic strips. He not only covers the aforementioned subjects but delves into greeting card production, spot illustration, and magazine gags.

Gerberg is one of the few to write at length about gag writing for comic strips and magazine panels, and makes good use of his vast experience in both fields to examine the anatomy of the gag. The section on comic-strip creation is filled with common-sense knowledge that took me some twenty years to discover on my own. Gerberg even goes so far as to discuss the making of a winning comic character without descending into vague generalities. He compares today's comic characters (such as Garfield, Dilbert, and Beetle Bailey) to radio and TV comedians of the past. The best such characters, he says, were those with clearly defined comic personas (such as Jack Benny). Older readers can probably remember Benny's reaction when told by a robber, "Your money or your life!" The line was not funny in and of itself, says Gerberg, but if you understood Benny's comic persona, it was hilarious. (You Gen-X and Gen-Y folks might want to rent a few tapes to understand references like the above.)

At the rear are addresses of greeting-card companies, comic-book publishers, and comic-strip syndicates, but be warned--even the latest version is full of out-of-date information. Those wishing to find addresses are better off consulting Artist's Market.

If you're an aspiring cartoonist, keep this book within arm's reach. Gerberg even had the foresight in the paperback edition to underline those passages he felt noteworthy, so the reader can examine important points at a glance. My own copy, sadly lost now, was well worn after several years' use. My suspicion is, yours will be too.

Cartooning The Art and The Business

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2000-01-20

I checked this book out of the Library and once I read it I had to have it in my collection!

A thorough, illustrated guide by a New Yorker cartoonist

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 1999-10-12

Gerberg pulls no punches in writing about the difficulities of breaking into cartooning. But he also writes about the pleasure and satisfaction of this deceptively simple art form. From cartoonists' tools to how to generate ideas, from comic books to greeting cards and editorial cartooning, this one book probably answered all my questions about the profession. Lots of cartoons from a smorgasbord of cartoonists are a treat to study -- and chuckle over. Thanks, Mort.

The Chamber

Published in Paperback by Amber Quill Press, LLC (2003-05-01)

Author: T. L. Gray

List price: $15.50

Used price: $8.49

Average review score:

Gripping

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-06-14

T.L. Gray's The Chamber, is a fast paced, gritty story that grabs the reader and won't let go till the very end. Supported by cast of hard core, wounded souls, this is a story that must be read.

T.L. brings the story to life with superb characterization and quick paced dialouge. This is the type of story you can't stop thinking about and can't wait to get back to. Well Done

Heart pounding, gut wrenching thriller

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-16

Maria Carvania is tired of running. Ever since she was put into the Witness Protection Program because she had gathered incriminating evidence against Benito Juarez, the head of the Venezuelan mob, she has been hauled from one safe house to another. Only they have turned out to be not so safe, and Federal agents assigned to protect her have ended up dead.

Will Skaggs, the agent assigned to the case, knows he has run out of options. No matter where he places Maria, Juarez seems to find her. Will knows that there is only one place where she will be safe until the trial, where she is scheduled to testify against Juarez. Driving her into the secluded hills of Kentucky, Will literally drops Maria onto his friend Seth Harris' doorstep and drives away. Seth is furious with Will and determined to return Maria to him, but when the danger escalates, Seth knows he cannot leave her at the mercy of Juarez. Calling upon an unusual band of mercenaries to aid him, Seth and the rest of the group swear to protect Maria from Juarez and settle an old score in the process. THE CHAMBER is a heart-pounding, gut-wrenching thriller filled with fast paced suspense and interesting characters. There is never a dull moment in this book! From the opening line to the epilogue, this book is filled with snappy dialogue and a unique plot that holds the reader's interest. Ms. Gray carries out the plot and the development of the characters fabulously. Each and every character, including the secondary ones, are well planned down to the smallest detail. Maria is a strong heroine who has faced an extremely trying ordeal without losing the values that she holds dear. Seth Harris is a complex hero who cannot help but admire Maria even though he repels her idealistic nature. The band of mercenaries have seen and done horrible things in their lifetime, yet these men remain compassionate, witty, resourceful and strong. This reviewer especially enjoyed Ms. Gray's use of "saintly" nicknames for the mercenaries. Throughout the book, this reviewer found herself making fun parallels between the nicknames and each character's personality.

The romance aspect of the book takes a back seat to the suspense, but the heart pounding tension of the fight for survival more than makes up for that. Ms. Gray has written a wonderful suspense that showcases her talent and her eye for details. This reviewer will be watching as Ms. Gray climbs her way to the top of the ladder of success.
Cindy © Love Romances, 2001-2003. All Rights Reserved.

dark romantic suspense

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-12-02

Journalist Maria Carvania will settle the "debt" with legal justice but prefers something more biblically personal like an eye for an eye in her obsession to see Benito Juarez pay for the death of her brother. The truth is that she could never directly get at the Venezuelan drug lord except through testifying against him in a court of law. However, Juarez' thugs murder several agents while trying to kill Maria.

In Kentucky, Will Skaggs dumps Maria on former Special Forces veteran Seth Harris, who insists that he is retired and not trusting the desperate Juarez reach. Seth has no choice but to keep Maria safe because he is now a target too and has a history with Juarez also. As they fall in love, Maria and Seth must trust one another if they plan to live past the trial as Juarez will murder both of them without a qualm.

THE CHAMBER is a dark romantic suspense tale that hooks the reader the moment that one of Maria's protectors stops humming and never lets up until the climax. The writing is superb as it keeps sub-genre fans wondering if the duo and a few close saintly associates are going to make it even when they are supposedly safe in Kentucky. The lead couple is a solid pair trying to do the right thing and survive; however what makes the duo seem genuine is that though they fall in love, the romance serves as a powerful subplot that adds depth and realism to a strong thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Can one woman stop a drug lord?

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-06-23

Can one woman stop a drug-lord? That is what Maria Carvania, the journalist, thought, when she decided to obtain information and agreed to testify against Benito Juarez. Several agents and Maria's family have been killed as the crime lord has tried to eliminate her.

That's where Seth Harris comes in. Seth is an ex-Special Forces Soldier, and he has been recruited by the DEA to protect Maria. Seth does this quite begrudgingly. He tries to return Maria to the DEA agent who dumped her on him, but the agent has disappeared. Now Seth must deal with his own connection with this drug-lord, who is the son of the brutal crime lord Seth killed years earlier. Seth is forced to gather his old band of soldiers in order to protect Maria until she can testify.

This is one of those reviews nearly impossible to write. THE CHAMBER is a bone-chilling action story. I was enthralled from the first page, so much so that I am having a difficult time deciding what to write. There are almost too many elements in this book to count? Almost too many to count: romance, suspense, intrigue, action, drama, and light comedy are the ones that come to mind. Reading this book invokes feelings such as anger, sadness, grief, happiness, joy and relief. It has been awhile since I've read a book that moved at the pace THE CHAMBER did. You never knew what is going to happen.

One thing that makes THE CHAMBER so compelling is the various mysteries that involved each of the characters. Maria, for example. What is really motivating her? Why is she willing to risk life and limb to catch this drug-lord? What about Seth? Why did the agent dump Maria on him? What is about Seth that makes him the perfect man to find a way to save Maria? The motley crew of men working with Seth are amazing. There are Joan, Francis and Gabe, all men with saintly nicknames. The reader will enjoy finding out what each of these names means to the men who carry them. These men have a history behind them that will make you blink more than once. THE CHAMBER is so thorough that it answers every question about every character, including the three men working with Seth.

I find that I cannot say enough good things about THE CHAMBER. I will definitely make room in my schedule to read Ms. Gray's next release. She certainly has a way of grabbing the readers' interest and doesn't let go until the final page.

Robin Taylor
THEWORDONROMANCE.COM
2003 Rose Award Nominee

Cover Me

Published in Paperback by Amber Quill Press, LLC (2007-02-07)

Author: Sharona Nelson

List price: $15.00

New price: $13.50
Used price: $6.00

Average review score:

If you like romance novels, you'll enjoy Cover Me

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-03

I picked this book up on a lark, started it one evening around 9pm and stayed up to finish it that evening. Although I wouldn't say that it rises above the romance genre, it's creative and enjoyable. The story is complex (although I'm not sure how I feel about the mob plot line...) and the characters are vividly portrayed. I recommend it! You'll enjoy it.

Fun between the covers

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-25

GO FOR IT!
You'll want to read Cover Me from cover to cover in one night like I did. It's fun, fast-paced, and downright real for anyone who was ever young and trying to love, live, or just survive in Boston. Sunny is no namby-pamby heroine and her imperfections shine: I love her Dickensian monikers for friends and enemies (she dubs her parents Silly and Daffy), her colorful language, and her passion for ice cream and, well, passion. Everyone wants a friend like Dulcie and a lover like Ben...even if they exist only between the covers of this book. Enjoy!

Look here for a description of Cover Me's story

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-07

I am the author. For some reason, I cannot make the book's description always appear. Here, then, is the story of Cover Me. (And please ignore the rating's stars--Amazon forced me to pick a rating.)

Single mom Sunny Montgomery survived a lousy childhood with hippie parents as well as a terrible marriage with the cheating Kirk Stanley (AKA Kirk the Jerk), so she figured she could deal with whatever life threw at her. In short order, however, Sunny loses her job, car, health insurance, and life's savings.

What's a single mother to do? Get married, of course--though not for love.

Sunny accepts a marriage-of-convenience offer from her landlord, Ben Hart, so that she and Libbie, her asthmatic daughter, will have health insurance. The only problem is, she's falling in love with him--despite the fact she thinks he's gay. And, while she sometimes craves more distance from the temptation known as Ben, heaven knows that good, affordable apartments in Boston are as rare as winters without snow.

Through it all, Sunny views her life through a comic lens. She succeeds when she takes chances, when she puts her heart on the line, and when she stops nursing old wounds and forgives. Whether beset by estranged hippie parents, money troubles, a creepy new boss, an is-he-or-isn't-he faux husband, or the Boston mob, Sunny sustains herself with her inner strength, her best friend Dulcie, odd-duck neighbor Ray, and lots of mac-and-cheese, hot dogs, and ice cream. Oddly enough, what Sunny's daughter, Libbie, wants--comfort food and plenty of SpongeBob SquarePants on the tube--aren't fundamentally different from what Sunny wants--happiness and love.

Sunny's struggles teach us that making lemonade from life's abundant supply of lemons isn't too difficult, as long as we follow our hearts...

A Must Read!

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-27

I loved it! Any single mom could relate to this story; fictious or not. The book is an easy read and it draws you in where you can't put it down. I practically read it cover to cover in one sitting. The characters are priceless; loved all of them. Sunny and Ben were my favorites and Kirk the Jerk my least.
I personally know the author and can't wait for her next novel.

Death of the Fox: A Novel of Elizabeth and Raleigh

Published in Paperback by Quill (1984)

Author: George P. Garrett

List price: $14.00

New price: $5.99
Used price: $1.70
Collectible price: $14.00

Average review score:

Engrossing historical novel

Helpful Votes: 10 out of 15 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-13

This is a totally engrossing, deeply learned historical novel based on the life of Sir Walter Ralegh (Garrett's preferred spelling), with emphasis on his last few days before being executed by order of James I. Garrett "paints" a brilliant picture of Ralegh's life and times, and rather than relating his story in chronological order, he describes and develops, through various voices, the major events that have brought him to the prison cell he now occupies. In one chapter a fellow soldier relates Ralegh's military career, emphasizing the bravery, pride, and honor that guided him in all things: even at the end after failure in Guiana means certain death for him in England, Ralegh out of pride and honor brings his ship home rather than desert his pledge. Most of the chapters are told in the voice of an omnipotent narrator as they focus on events and people associated with Ralegh: Francis Bacon, a schemer always in debt, eventually impeached by Parliament for bribe-taking; Edward Coke, who as Attorney-General tried him in 1603 in a cruel and most unfair way; Queen Elizabeth, who granted Ralegh all sorts of favors and privileges; James I, prejudiced against Ralegh ever since the death of the Earl of Essex, his partisan, the blame for which fell on Ralegh's shoulders; even the Bishop of Salisbury who administers to Ralegh's religious needs the night before his beheading (they have a brilliant conversation about innocence, the King's justice, and fear of death). Garrett's prose is muscular and authoritative: it shows a great deal of research, but his notecards are nowhere to be seen. Anyone interested in Ralegh or in superbly written historical fiction will find much to praise in his book. Highly recommended.

beautifully written, but hard to get through

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 1999-05-13

If you are ready to read some beautiful prose, then check this book out. Garrett's writing is wonderful, but rather thick. Take some time to read this book, as it is not one that can be read in one (or even three) sittings, but is well worth the read. Raleigh is very well portrayed here, with all his character quirks thrown in for good measure.

simply some of the best american fiction in recent years

Helpful Votes: 7 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2004-05-28

The intensity with which this novel focuses on every moment of two days of Sir Walter Ralegh's life (and the era-spanning memories that run through his mind) can make you wake up to the passing of your own life. The book paints a big canvas, dealing with the political intrigues and daily life of the world most moderns know through Shakespeare. It has a sharp eye for historical ironies, at times can be spooky in its showing of puny humans caught in the vast forces of history. But it is also a celebration of man and womankind, and one particularly complex and interesting man.

The research that must have gone into this is amazing, the book is a fund of knowledge. If you know something about English history of this time, you will take pleasure in witty ways the facts are revealed. But if you don't know anything about the period or place, you will find yourself in an alien but strangely familiar world that unfolds with the feeling of current events. A great novel of politics, society and the mind.

Lots of copies are available used -- get it.

Engrossing and Beautiful

Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-06

Garrett's novel is one of the best works of historical fiction I have ever read--and one of the best works of literary fiction. His knowledge of the historical setting, the detailed narrative and his stately pacing make an already fascinating story completely engrossing. His moving depiction of Raleigh the "Fallen Star" living with memories and facing the inevitable is coupled with an unsentimental look at the intricate machinations of Raleigh the "Fox." With the exception of Thomas Flanagan, I can't think of another author who writes historical fiction with so much intelligence and subtlety.

Head Over Heels

Published in Paperback by Amber Quill Press, LLC (2005-06-01)

Author: Cindy Procter-King

List price: $15.00

New price: $13.50

Average review score:

Head Over Heels

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-03

Justin Kane was relying on his girlfriend, Tina, to help him impress the owners of a bicycle manufacturer in order to secure a distributorship that will help him expand his mountain bike stores, CycleMania. Unfortunately, Tina chose two days before the manufacturer's representatives arrived to announce that she didn't think their relationship was going to work - she wanted more from Justin than he seemed able to give, things like marriage and children. What was he going to do? He had planned on introducing Tina as his fiancée to the reps of the bike manufacturing company, and take them on a couples mountain-biking weekend.

Magee (pronounced Mah-gee) Sinclair of Sinclair Advertising was worried about a recent rash of blunders that had cost the agency several clients. Trying to regroup, she would do anything to make sure that the CycleMania account didn't suffer the same problems. So, when CycleMania owner Justin Kane asked her to help him land this distributorship by pretending to be his fiancée the coming weekend, she didn't hesitate to agree. It was only after she committed herself that she found out that she'd have to impersonate Tina and pretend to know how to mountain bike. Of course, Justin didn't know that last part - she'd told him that she was an experienced biker when she was pursuing his account. Would she be able to pull off the impersonation?

What a set-up for a comedy of errors! Everything that can go wrong in this scenario does go wrong, and the reader is well entertained by the comedic chaos. The plot is even and well-paced, with no slow spots. The protagonists are well written characters, and very realistic. Magee is a well-intentioned, slightly clumsy woman who really wants to succeed in her father's agency, while Justin is fixated on business (he has a life plan, you see). When the two come together, the resulting confusion blows their expectations out of the water, and makes them re-evaluate what they want out of life. The sex scenes are more sensual than graphic, but quite satisfying in context. I quite enjoyed this book, and found myself getting funny looks as I giggled over the mountain bike riding scene while standing at the bus stop. If you like your romance with humor, you'll love this one. -- Jean, Fallen Angel Reviews (courtesy of Fallen Angel Reviews)

Magee Sinclair goes Mountain Biking!

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-04-16

This is one you must read...what a wonderful book with so much humor I was laughing out loud through out...Justin Kane and Magee are the best h/h -- I fell in love with him and I want Magee for a best friend...I was laughing hysterically when Magee shops at The Raincoat Rendezvous with her new friend Katie...She has a red face just listening to the sales girl tell about the *stock* but when she has to buy something she ends up with the HUBBA HUBBA condoms...it was such a funny scene in the book you have to read it just for that...Of course Magee on the mountain bike was also funny and I don't ride!! There's Justin's EX-girlfriend from H**L who throws herself in the middle of story and him, too...I had great fun reading this book as you can tell...Cindy Procter-King wrote a winner of a book and I hope to read many more by her.

Romantic comedy that full of humor and laughter

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-10-16

Justin Kane is the owner of CycleMania, specialized in selling mountain bikes. He is going to lose the contract with Willoughby Bikes this weekend because his girlfriend, Tina Johnston, chooses this moment to dump him. Nathan, owner of Willoughby Bikes is a man who values honor and commitment, and Justin wants to portray a happy couple with Tina to gain the deal. Without Tina, Justin needs another woman to masquerade as her immediately. He is running out of time and Magee Sinclair enters into the picture. Magee is the account executive of Sinclair Advertising and wants to gain business with CycleMania. When Justin suggests his outrageous plan to Magee, she agrees to be "Tina". She wants to earn the new title, Account Director, by gaining the contract with CycleMania, rather than being the daughter of the boss. In order to ensure the success of the weekend, they have a practice date and make some cheat sheets. Everything turns out to be disastrous during the Willoughbys' visit but the worst thing is that the real Tina Johnston suddenly shows up at Justin's cabin.

HEAD OVER HEELS is a romantic comedy, full of humor and laughter. Magee is the perfect girl for Justin. Although she is clumsy and lacks self-confidence, she has courage to take up the challenge in masquerading as Tina and to ride a mountain bike that she has no experience with. Justin is a businessman and not the marrying type until he spends the weekend with Magee. A few passionate kisses, a fake relationship and business deals creates this refreshing love story. A fun and delightful read.

A wonderful read!

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-27

Head Over Heels is just so much fun. It passes - and then some - the only test that matters to me: I couldn't wait to get back to it. I found myself thinking, while attending to life's chores, "I wonder how Magee (the central character) is going to dance her way out of this (generally self-constructed) pickle.

The characters not only have depth as individuals, but the chemistry between them is almost palpable. Every romance novel should succeed so wonderfully on this most critical element. Head Over Heels is simply a great read - I can't wait for more from this author.

Quills Books