Characters Books

Another fun read for children and grandmas & grandpas, moms and dads. Stella and Sam are a delight to spend time with on the pages of lovely artwork.

stella, with her red hair and similar fiesty personality, is the PERFECT guide for both summer and winter fun. both my boys love her wacky, child-like and TRUE explanations of seahorses, snowbanks and fun to be had, either in a bathing suit or snowsuit. the illustrations are lovely, the text is true and the attraction for all is evident. this book should not be missed.

This is a wonderful book to read with your children. My daughter, age 2 3/4 loves this book, even though she has never seen snow. It evokes happy memories of snowy days from my childhood. The watercolor pictures are beautiful with just enough playful detail to keep interesting when reading again and again. This book is well written and well illustrated. Stella is fun, with lots of energy, like Olivia (Ian Falconer).

Stella certainly is the Queen of her Domain, which is the world inhabited by her brother and herself. With her flaming red hair (a visual highlight of the book), she rules the roost when Sam sees snow for the first time. Stella's explanations to Sam of how the world functions are occasionally accurate but more often creative, alternative, and imaginary. They provide for some great laughs for children old enough to know the truth (bears don't really eat snowflakes for breakfast, do they. . . ?). Their anonymous and silent dog follows their adventures through building a snowman, building a snow fort for a snowball fight, sledding, and making snow angels. The dialogue is very child-like, without being childish and condescending. It gives kids a voice to which they can probably relate, whether it's the supremely confident Stella or the more cautious Sam.

The book's watercolors are very cool! Gay captures the orange-red of Stella's hair, the "safe" green of Sam's snowsuit, and the traditional brown of their dog. She captures amazing detail without being overwhelming: leaves and birds on the tree branches, the other kids in the snowball fight, the trip up and then down the hill on the sleds, and the making of snow angels (the final picture of the dog is priceless!!). The complexity of the pictures matches the level of the dialogue---somewhere between the intense complexity of a Grame Base, for example, and the beautiful simplicity of Eric Carle. Gay is right on the money.

Bottom line: This is a great book for kids and their parents! Parents will enjoy reading of Stella's parallel universe, and kids who are old enough to do so will enjoy correcting her errors. It's a fun day with Stella and Sam. It's almost worth getting the book for two pictures: Sam standing on a pile of snow, with his pot belly, firmly-secured hat, and green snow suit; and the dog doing the snow angel at the end. If you don't love Stella's hair and attitude, then you need to adjust your sense of humor.

I love this book. The first time I read Stella, Star of the Sea I fell in love with Stella and Sam. I was so excited to see this new book. I am going to read it to my class as soon as possible. It is an excellent book. (Stella's pointed nose and round belly make the book a must buy!)

this was a cute story about a brother and a sister at the beach. this is the brother's first time at the beach and he doesn't quite know what to make of the whole thing so he asks his sister a lot of questions about why things are the way they are, which she creatively answers, because of course all older siblings are all knowing and all powerful in the eyes of their younger siblings. one of the questions he asks, for example, is what is a starfish (or something to that effect), to which the sister replies, starfish are falling stars that fell in love with the sea. by the end of the book after they finish talking the sister asks if the brother's coming in the water, and he pauses before yelling out yes and running forward. it's cute.

the art is very fun and energetic as well.

I was introduced to the 'Stella' books by a friend, and what a find they are! The pictures are beautiful to look at, and the little details are wonderful - It's so much fun to find Stella and Sam's pet dog and see what he may be up to. Stella is a 'wise' little girl, her logic is creative and it's really just plain fun to read! (...even more fun because our daughter's name is Stella...She loves to hear these books read out loud!)

This is one of my favorites! The artwork is gorgeous and little brother Sam's inquisitive nature is funny. Stella's answers are also quite creative. My daughters really enjoy this one.

I just discovered Stella and Sam this weekend and they are now officially my favorite children's characters ever! The brother and sister relationship has never been explored with such sweet simplicity. A worried Sam asks the truly stellar Stella question after question after question, and she answers with pizazz and panache, until Sam can't help but be influenced by her infectious enthusiasm. Their paunchy little-kid stomachs and Stella's flame-red hair are sooooo cute that the book would be worth the buy even for the pictures. Luckily you don't have to compromise - the dialogue makes it difficult to read without laughing aloud and the story flows with a fresh feeling that is completely enjoyable.

Stella aquaints her little brother, Sam, to "The Sea"--a world to which she is an expert and which adults do not seem to inhabit. He is testing the waters, obviously timid about his first ocean adventure. She is an avid explorer--unafraid to share her waters with fallen stars (starfish) and galloping sea horses. It's worth buying this book just to see the picture of the two fishing off of the pier. Absolutely Adorable!

Welcome to the world of Roland, his fellow Gunslingers and the Dark Tower - It is a wonderous and complex universe. This tome will act as a kind of guide and assist you with any questions you might have.

This concordance was actually put together as a reference for Stephen King himself, as he explains in the beginning of this very excellent and detailed document.

Here within lies the Dark Tower and all its mysteries, names, characters, locations, mythology, etc.

This is an ideal book for the Dark Tower fan, or fanatic. The details refer back to actual page numbers of the original novels, the new revised editions, etc and the format is easy to use.

Ideally, finding answers to your questions is the key to a well put together reference book - and this book has been researched and put together expertly.

I would strongly suggest this book for an accompanyment to the Dark Tower Series.

Long Days and Pleasant Nights.
turtlex

A concordance, by definition, is an alphabetical index of the principal words of a book, as of the Bible, with a reference to the passage in which each occurs. This does a most excellent job of doing so. Well studied! I almost wish I'd waited for it to come out before reading the series. A must have for all Tower geeks.

Apparently being a personal assistant to Stephen King has certain perks, especially when you're writing a concordance to his bestselling Dark Tower series, both volumes of which are contained in "The Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance." Robin Furth doesn't outline much that isn't also in the book, but she does an excellent job outlining the information about King's entire series.

Furth includes plenty of data on the seven novels of the series, starting with an essay that refreshes the reader's memory. Furth starts the actual content with a list of characters with biographical info, from "Abigail" to "Zoltan." Then it's the areas of Mid-World, from the lair of the vampire nuns to Roland's long-lost homeland; the areas of our own world, and portals between the worlds. There are some pretty decent maps as well.

Additionally, she describes the various terms and phrases used in the High Speech, Mid-World language ("graf" is apple beer), prayers and sayings ("If it's ka, it will come like the wind"). And just for reference, she includes organizations, dances, holidays, magical items, instruments, as well as outlining various maps, as well as cultural items from our present world, and maps. Not to mention references to King's own work within the series.

The Dark Tower series -- which stretches through seven long novels and one short story -- is enticingly complex and mysterious, set in different worlds and times. It's also interlinked with other novels of King's, like "Insomnia" and "Eyes of the Dragon." So it's inevitable that even the die-hard fans will forget Character X or fair-day Z -- yet Furth's book allows easy clarification and consultation.

Furth does an excellent job organizing and annotating the book, including the books in which the items appear, and which pages are significant. She also maintains a calmly distant attitude in the book, without getting too gushy about King's work. But she does slip up occasionally; it's jarring to hear about "screwing" someone with a gun in a scholarly work.

Robin Furth's "Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance" is a good accompaniment to the Dark Tower series, and even those who have read the series many times will want to keep it at hand. Very useful.

The Dark Tower series is as long and complicated as the Bible. The Bible has a concordance. This needs one too. There are so many characters and so many meandering sub-plots that you need a road map to keep everything on track. Robin Furth did it for us. Furth is dedicated to this series and seems to know every nuance. THis book helps. And it makes a good campfire game to open the book randomly and start a topic. Well worth your time and $$$...bg

I don't really want to get into this that much because what is there to say besides that if you have a Dark Tower question--you're going to find the answer in here.

This has everything...maps, family lineage charts, every character even hinted at, and every possible setting and/or situation in the seven books.

Marsh, battered in body and spirit, finds his own cure in the migrant strawberry fields. His search for a killer puts him back in focus.

Greenleaf's language mastery captures the essence of the migrant worker's plight and engages the reader in Marsh's quest for justice.

This excellent Greenleaf novel opens with Tanner recovering from a gunshot wound in a hospital. He meets a young woman there who has many more problems than himself. She gets him back into "life". But later she is found murdered. Tanner has made promises to her and intends to carry them out. Villains had better beware. Great stuff!

Did you every wonder where your fresh strawberries come from? Or the pears, peaches, grapes, pineapples on your table?

Stephen Greenleaf explores the agricultural caste system through the voice of his private investigator first person narrator, John Marshall Tanner.

Tanner is a great narrator: an intelligent, world weary private eye. Tanner goes off to the strawberry fields of the Salinas area to investigate a murder, then two, and actually three. But this isn't a story of violent murder; it is a story of agricultural communities, of dating in the l990's, of small town politics, of family rivalries. Tanner's weapon is simple: he asks questions. The answers eventually fill in the pieces of a mystery.

This is a great read.

Strawberry Sunday, by Stephen Greenleaf, was nominated for an Edgar Award, 2000 -- and reading it, it's not difficult to see why. This is a mystery novel with a social conscience and a wry sense of wit. It begins with the hero, P.I. John Marshall Tanner in a hospital recovering from a gut shot and mourning the death of his close (cop) friend Charley Sleet, but most of the action takes place in the California Salinas agricultural community. Tanner has resolved to find out who murdered Rita Lombardi, a fellow hospital patient who wants to better the life of farm workers.

There are lots of red herrings, wonderful characters, and witty and often hilarious dialogues with them (and with himself). Tanner often reaches wrong conclusions and gets plenty of egg on his face, but in the end he prevails; he's a tough guy with loads of grace. Strawberry Sunday is a punchy, funny, touching novel. Read it.

As a long time fan of Greenleaf and Marsh Tanner, I thoroughly enjoyed Strawberry Sunday. I love books that inform and challenge me as well as entertain, and can always count on this author to accomplish that.

A rumor has been circulating that Greenleaf planned to retire the Tanner series, and with the last book seemed to have done so, in a most excruciating way. With this book, Marsh has been returned to me and I can imagine him, one of the rare really good people, continuing to do what he does best.

I just returned from reading this to a classroom of 2nd graders (basically, 7 and 8 year-olds).

This book seemed to be at just the right level for these kids. Most of them understood how Strega Nona and Bambolona tricked Big Anthony, but a couple didn't seem to. This, to me, is an example of how one book can provide opportunities to test a child's power of perception or provide him or her a new way to look at things. Nice.

As a read-aloud, the book is just about the right length (maybe a tiny bit long), and there are several opportunities to use character voices, making it a lot of fun and captivating. Many of the pages contain small-ish pictures, so it is not ideal for holding up and showing to a class unless you can sit very close to them. This book would be even better for a child in your lap or as a bedtime story, where a child can look at (for example) the dichotomy between the results of Bambolona's use of magic and Big Anthony's sad attempts, even while you're still reading the words (a great example here where the pictures contain more story than the words).

Something that places this book above many shorter or "younger" picture books is that the storyline include a minor subplot (Big Anthony, feeling slighted by Strega Nona, goes to work for the baker, who, since Bambolona has left, needs an assistant). It works without taking up too much space and detracting from the main storyline. Plus, the book contains a small amount of Italian (always translated immediately).

So... creative, funny, and provides learning opportunities (did I mention that Big Anthony learns a lesson in it as well?). How can you go wrong?

In Strega Nona's Magic Lessons we once again join Strega Nona as she teaches Bambalona and a surprising new student Antonia (Big Anthony in disguise) to be Strega too. Bambalona learns well while Antonia struggles and gets it all wrong (humorous and expected, given Big Anthony's past with Strega Nona). When the day comes that Strega Nona gives Bambalona her spell book to study and tells Antonia that she's not ready yet, well, Big Anthony can't accept that and sneaks out in the middle of the night to get the book....and that's when he does it again, he messes with Strega Nona's magic and turns her into a frog. Both he and Bambalona are horrified and worried that they'll never get her back. As usual its love, honesty, integrity and a little forgiveness that wins the day. Another fine addition to the Strega Nona series! Readers will love this fun and silly look at what makes the world go `round. I give it five stars, I love the charming and timeless quality of the stories and illustrations (which are simple yet have a strong old world flavor that is ever so appealing).

The three main characters in this book are Bambolona, Strega Nona, Bid Anthony, and Antonia. The story starts off with Bambolona having to work at her father's bakery. She always had to wake up before the sun rise and was sick and tired of it. She told her father that she had too much to do and that she could use some help. Her father just told her to get up earlier. Bambolona has enough with working athe the bakery, so she decides that she is going to go see Strega Nona, so she can learn how to do magic.
Strega Nona is overjoyed to have Bambolona learn magic. Big Anthony, who works around the yard outside and around the house, wanted to learn magic too. Strega Nona says no to him. Big anthony gets upset and decides to go work at the bakery. the baker fires him because he eats the food and doesn't do what he is told. he decides to go back to Strega Nona's house.
When Strega Nona answers the door, a girl is standing there and is named Antonia. Strega Nona is happy that she is there and will teach her magic too. Bambolona does a great job and Antonia doesn't do anything right. Strega Nona thinks that Bambolona is ready for harder magic. Antonia thinks she is too, eventhough Strega Nona says no.
Antonia decides to steal Bambolona's book of hard spells. The next day, she tries to turn an iron kettle into gold. She ends up turning Strega Nona into a toad. She didn't know what to do, so she decides to ask Bambolona for help. She says she can't help her.
Will Strega Nona ever become human again, or will she stay a toad forever? Read the book to find out. I enjoyed this book because my parents use to read it to me all the time when I was younger.

Poor Big Anthony! He tries so hard, but he just hasn't quite learned that his talent lies in other areas. You and your child will love this tale told by Tomie de Paolo (the master!). The artwork is colorful and the story is full of grins and giggles. Girls will like this book because the girl in the story can do things better than Big Anthony. Boys will like this book because it shows that you can make mistakes and learn from them. I loved it, and so will you.

As a wiccan, it's important to me to show my daughter positive examples of witches in stories and through my own actions...her auntie sends her Strega Nona books for every special occasion and she LOVES them! She's still too young to understand much of what goes on, but she loves it when my husband or I change voices to give life to certain characters (she loves my husband's Big Anthony voice) and at 1 year knows already which one in the pictures in front of her is Big Anthony, which one is Strega Nona and now which one is Bambolona! BIG Bravo to Tomie de Paola for showing folks out there that witches can be good and wise...and fun!

First and foremost it's "Strega Nonna." "Strega" means witch or hag and "nonna" means grandmother. Therefore, it's about a grandmother figure who's thought to be a witch.

I enjoyed reading this book because I thought it was funny.
I liked all the magic spells that Strega Nona did. She made all the people in her town happy. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes magic.

This story is about a girl Nona who goes with her friend Amelia and learns how to do modern magic. Nona doesn't want to do magic the modern way. She goes back to her grandma to learn the magic the way her grandma does magic. I think children 9 and up would like this book.

I just love Tomie de Paola books. He is for me a great inspitation. As a college student, studying to be a teacher I took courses that I needed to do an Author Study. I found his books the greatest. However I must say...I knew about Mr. T. de Paola even before the author study. I especially love his Strega Nona series. In my high school days, I volunteered at he library in my neighborhood to read at a program they had called STORYTIME
each month they had a different author. I enjoyed reading His books....The kids love him also. When I had my own children, I read the book Strega Nona as soon as I brought them home. Of course also his other books. I am a collector of his books. I do not want to offend any other authors who also write children's books. I like them too. However Tomie's books touch my heart.
His chapter books for the older children are FANTASTIC.....As a matter of fact at my school, there is a big section set up just with his books. I find that he write from the heart. THAT IS WHAT MAKES A GREAT AUTHOR.

Just want to say THANK YOU Tomie de Paola. And Kids Read Read Read. His books are great....

This is the prequel to "Strega Nona" and has the same brilliant illustrations as the original classic, but the colors are brighter. This one has more characters than the first and a more complicated plot. Here we learn how baby Nona grew up to be a magic woman. It's great fun and a nice surprise for all those who read "Strega Nona" years ago.

This book is an awesome study aid to Jesus Christ's Sermon on the Mount, Matthew Chapters 5-7. As I read through the book I had so many "WOW!" moments as I began to understand Christ's Words and teaching. It's a deep, but an enriching study. I think studying the Sermon on the Mount and committing ourselves to carrying out the teachings of Christ is what our existence is all about. It's all about Jesus Christ and in keeping it all about Him, life will be full of blessings.

Among all the doctrine, parables, and lessons of the Bible, none is as difficult to walk in as The Sermon on the Mount. Jesus' teachings, captured in Matthew 5, challenge and convict all thoughtful believers.

Oswald Chambers offers radical insights into those difficult-to-live-out principles. For example:

"The Sermon on the the Mount produces despair in the heart of the natural man, and that is the very thing Jesus means it to do." p.10 and,

"[Jesus] did not come to teach us only: He came to make us what He teaches we should be." p.10

Even the most mature believer will be challenged by Chambers as he gets infinitely close to our tender spots: "Most of us are pagans in a crisis; we think and act like pagans." p.57

Oswald Chambers, best known for his no-nonsense, plain speaking about the most difficult truths in the Christian experience hits the mark time and time again in this special book.

This is real meat for the hungry soul.

I hasten to incorporate and embrace the review of Oswald Chambers's Studies in the Sermon on the Mount that, due to my own error in posting, was credited to my colleague Terry Dunford.

It was I who wrote the review and who subscribe to it, and I will not burden Amazon with a repeat of that presentation. I hope they will post it, whether crediting it to Terry Dunford or to me.

Richard G. Burns, J.D.

First I would like to point out that the dark cover shown in the first photo for this product is not the one the publisher is shipping at this an on a point, highlight the ability of God in contrast to our inability, and then to challenge you directly to wholly lean on God for your strength to obey God. He emphasizes that the Holy Spirit will come through to help you obey. He's very direct without fancy illustrations. However his typical word picture or illustration usually packs a whale of a punch, driving home the point with a spiritual weightiness not found in many books. I love this guy and highly recommend this particular book. It's worth every penny. An illustration of this is how he couches the idea that you are the salt of the earth against the idea that God has not called us as some seem to believe to be the sugar of the earth. In a few sentences he demolishes what was a very popular view of how Christians should be. He then examines the effects of salt in a few situations (wound dressing for one example) to show that we must impact those around us even if it doesn't feel good for them initially.

He doesn't waste your time with long stories that feel good but don't have a lot of power in them. He packs each paragraph. There are many meaty thoughts in this book. Don't hesitate to purchase a copy if you have an extra eight bucks.

I was delighted to see this particular title listed among your Owald Chambers books for sale. I have devoted 15 years to researching and writing about the Biblical roots and influences in early A.A.'s Christian Fellowship. And no one can fully grasp the story of early A.A., its cures, and its principles and practices without understanding the importance that the pioneers attached to the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5 to 7). Sadly, a number of AAs have settled for the belief that Emmet Fox's Sermon on the Mount was the cornerstone of A.A.'s sermon emphasis. No so! The fact is that both A.A. co-founders Dr. Bob and Bill W. stated that the sermon itself contained the underlying philosophy of A.A. And my title The James Club: The Original A.A. Program's Absolute Essentials (http://www.dickb.com/JamesClub.com) contains a verse by verse study of the three parts of the Bible AAs considered essential--the sermon, the book of James, and 1 Corinthians 13. Hence it is with the Bible itself that A.A. students of spirituality should start. Next, however, they need to know how broad was the supplementary reading. And that is where Oswald Chambers comes in. Dr. Bob and his wife stressed the importance of the sermon, and they read it in their groups and in the early meetings. But Dr. Bob also accumulated, read, studied, and circulated the background sermon books. And I found these among his library (that came into the hands of his son and daughter). I encountered Oswald Chambers's Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, E. Stanley Jones's The Christ of the Mount, Emmet Fox's The Sermon on the Mount, several books by Robert E. Speer that covered parts of the subject, a number of books by Rev. Sam Shoemaker to the same end, several titles by Harry Emerson Fosdick such as The Manhood of the Master, and a number of books by Glenn Clark. And all of these presented a broad field of interpretive writings on Jesus's sermon that enhanced the early pioneers' understanding. And if one takes Chambers's title and sets it alongside Jones's title, he will see that these two writers were, in effect, contending that the gift of the holy spirit without the sermon on the mount in practice was as inadequate as the sermon on the mount in practice without the power of the holy spirit.

I have written two titles, Dr. Bob and His Library, and The Books Early AAs Read for Spiritual Growth. Both include Chambers and his studies as favorites. And people who want to get the full depth of the early A.A. Christian believing will profit immensely by looking at this Chambers book.

As an aside, when I contacted Mrs. W. Irving Harris, widow of Rev. Sam Shoemaker's assistant minister, she provided me with a complete set of the Oswald Chambers books indicating these were part of Sam's favorite books. The set has now been donated to the Griffith Library in East Dorset, Vermont; and one can gain a good understanding of the importance of Chambers to the thinking of the New York A.A. ideas taught by Rev. Sam Shoemaker to Bill Wilson and to the Akron fellowship's focus as led by Dr. Bob.
God Bless, Richard G. Burns, J.D.
Incidentally, it would appear that Amazon has erroneously listed my colleague Terry Dunford as the writer of this review, but it is I who makes the review and recommendations.

You couldn't have stories that are more fun to listen to. These are why Superman is the premier Superhero today.

This is theatre of the mind at its best.I like Bud Collyer,the voice of the Man of Steel, better than ANY movie or TV Superman.I love the way he did Clark Kent as a tenor and Superman as a baritone-especially when Clark turns into his alter ego and Collyer would change mid-sentence-"This looks like a job FOR SEPERMAN!"The stories are action-packed and the serial format keeps you on the edge of your seat!Once you start listening,you won't want to stop!If you only know the man from Metropolis from books,movies nad TV you should get this.

I bought a copy of this great audio collection last weekend! I am a big comic book fan, and enjoy listening to and reading the classics. This is a must have for any comic book history collector! The quality is superior, and the great plots have you listening for hours on end. I enjoy having the tapes run in the background while I do my work in the office. I almost feel like I am reporter at the Daily Planet!

These stories are great. Superman is powerful but not so powerful that nothing is a challenge. Clark Kent has a backbone. Lois is not annoying. The stories are not far-fetched space aliens, but actual criminals and gangsters. These radio dramas are well written and will not bore. They are all connected into two large stories which helps. They come with a booklet on the history of the radio dramas and entertainment at the time which is very informative.

I love this CD set. This 5 CD set containing 27 action-packed radio episodes starts off with the explosion of Krypton and works in all of the classic Superman elements. Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, Clark Kent and the Man of Steel. Did you know Jimmy Olsen appeared in the Radio Series long before his freckled face showed up in the comic?

This box set starts off with Supermans origin. A hero being useless without villians, he quickly faces off against serial style villians like the Yellow Mask and the Wolf. All the sound has been remastered and it comes in a great box set. I love it!

An all too plausible tale of a government project run amok...developing "cannon fodder soldiers" by utilizing baboons spliced with human DNA. When a prison break from a nearby prison results in freeing a bunch of these "pseudo-soldiers" along with their embryos, the elite Green Berets are called to capture and destroy these creatures.....first with only part of the truth and finally as the crisis escalates- with the whole truth.Very frightening and all too possible!

I don't care what Name Bob Mayer chooses to write under he just writes great stuff!

I got this because of a friend who said he loved it. Well he was right. I couldnt put it down. Mayer just pulls you in deeper and deeper until you want to know what happens, so you turn every page faster and faster. And let me tell you the end does not disapoint. Pick it up if you can find a copy.

The third novel in the Dave Riley series is suberb. A splendid mixture of a government science project gone wrong, Special Forces operations, the CIA and the army. When genetically enhanced creatures, Synbats, escape from their creators and raise havoc with anyone in their path, Riley's team is assigned to clean up the mess. Terrific plot, great characters, nifty dialog, plenty of explosive action and some really creepy scenes with the creatures lurking in the shadows and sewer tunnels in Chicago. A good blend of action, dialog and comradeship. This would make a great action movie if handled right. Find this series if you enjoy action adventure books with a twist. The books are hard to find in some cases, but they are out there. Check out Mayer's other books, The Gate and The Line (written as Bob McGuire) for more splendid action novels. More Dave Riley.

This is a fast-paced and easy-to-read action thriller with a hint of sci-fi which could well become science fact! Escaped convicts break into a biotechnology lab and unintentionally release two genetically-altered creatures bred to be the ultimate fighting machine. Sounds familiar? Well, this is better than PREDATOR! As the creatures prey on unsuspecting campers, Civil War re-enactors and Special Forces personnel brought in to stop the Synbat(synthetic battle form) creatures, it is up to ongoing hero Dave Riley, a SPECFOR commander, to stop the Synbats. And it seems, they're heading for Chicago . . . This would make a rockin' movie as well!

"The Tango Briefing" is certainly the fastest-paced, most entertaining Quiller adventure I've read so far. Elleston Trevor (using pseudonym "Adam Hall") reuses the same basic premise of his classic "Flight of the Phoenix" - a plane crashes in the desert - and adapts it remarkably well for his world-weary "ferret" Quiller. This is a return to form of sorts following the somewhat slower-paced, more Le Carre-esque atmosphere of "The Warsaw Document", which put Quiller in the field without an operator. Thankfully, in "Tango Briefing" Quiller is grudgingly reunited with Loman (who first appears in the somewhat lesser second novel, "The Ninth Directive"), and who, in Quiller's view, is both prissy and too wrapped up in bureaucratic protocol to be fully trusted. Their tenuous partnership matures and adds a shade of humor and character development often absent from the previous books.

Though I would certainly consider "Tango Briefing" to be a classic, it is not without flaws. In every novel, Quiller rambles on about "brain think vs. stomach think", "the organism" crying out to live whenever he puts his life in jeopardy, and uses the saying "no go" whenever possible. It probably made more sense when the books were published every couple years, but wears a bit thin for those of us reading the books now. Likewise, there are a number of loose ends that are never fully developed. Who was the "second cell" that was trying to murder he and the previous agents and what happened to the unseen marksman with the gun that was "really quite big"? Likewise, I'm not sure we are ever given a good explanation of how the "cargo" ended up on Tango Victor or who the "clandestine" group was that smuggled it aboard. It can be argued though that because the books are written in first person, Quiller himself never knows and readers can guess based on clues. It is frustrating though, especially since Trevor goes to such great lengths to reason out minute details and lend credence to a couple otherwise unconvincing moments in which Quiller dodges difficult predicaments. All in all, though, I think this is a great adventure and feel that the series should be given a faithful film adaptation - one at least in which Quiller is not portrayed as being American.

You read Quiller & everything else pales in comparison. James Bond is embarrassing & LeCarre's characters are boring bureacurats. Quiller however is resourceful, brave & vulnerable at the same time. He doesn't need gadgets or even a gun, he is better, stronger & braver than most of us, but the plot & his actions still remain credible. He's also human: he doesn't hide his fear of going back "to those nasty birds", nor the fact that while determined to die, he'd rather avoid it. You never get the sense when reading that it's a character you can't relate to.

There is a lot more info on the Quiller series at www.quiller.net, a fan site.

In this adventure, Quiller is first challenged to define his own objective. The geography is real; you can feel the heat and see the shifting sand and share his thirst. You also share his satisfaction when he succeeds - and then his determination when he is sent back to die.

Quiller is back, and this time he's being pitched headlong into the deserts of Algeria with the mission of locating and destroying a downed plane with a cargo that could embarrass the British government. In typical Adam Hall fashion, the objective that the eponymous hero is asked to risk his life for is not world-shaking. The freedom of the world is not at stake, and failure will not mean that his closest friends or loved ones will meet a fate worse than death. Quiller is an adrenaline junkie, driven to risk his life but disciplined enough to adhere to rules and regulations of unthinkable strictness. (For instance, agents are not allowed to steal from private citizens, disallowing them from hotwiring a car to escape certain death.)

As with all Quiller books the real draw are the enormously telescoped action scenes, where a few seconds or minutes worth of action can take up an entire chapter. Hall tries to give us an insight into every factor that goes into the instinctive decision making of an intelligent and highly trained individual by creating an impossibly fast internal dialogue for Quiller at every decision point. We get to know why he choses a specific karate strike, why he positions his head slightly to the right or left of the steering wheel when a sniper is trying to gun him out of his car, and a thousand other details. The overall effect for the reader is that you can almost step inside these situations and feel that you have lived them.

This is, in my opinion, the best written book of the Quiller series, and it is well worth checking out if you like spies or action.