Characters Books

Beautifully written. Historical depiction of medieval life is colorful, gritty and real. The characters are multi-layered and fascinating. The plot twists and turns are edge-of-the-seat exciting, and the stories of these people are deeply emotionally moving. Historical fiction doesn't get any better than this.

I have read other historical fiction based in this time and place (most notably Sharon Kay Penman's trilogy of Here be Dragons, Falls the Shadow and The Reckoning). This book was written long before Penman's books, but compares very well. I was very touched by this trilogy.

You have to really WANT to finish these three books. Otherwise there are plenty of paragraphs where you might put the volume down. But the relationship between Isambard and the younger Harry, and the final payoff are well worth that effort.

These do not read as smoothly as the Cadfael series: there are a couple of sentences employing subjunctive, one early on that may leave you scratching your head, you might have to grab a good dictionary the first time you encounter "liefer", and "doubt" is often used to mean certainty. The sort of descriptive passages that Peters makes sing in the Cadfael series sound an occasional sour note here.

The core story is quite a good one, though, and the characters well-developed. Isambard is a great "honorable villain".

I'm trying to avoid spoilers here, but I will say that the circumstance that placed 3 of the characters in an important location near the end of the final book felt contrived. Also, a bit more conflict in book one would have helped add some suspense and realism. Simple setbacks like running low on the supply of a certain color stone, or having a wall collapse would have balanced things a bit. As it stands it's nearly one big happy journey until the one big conflict.

The first book in the trilogy, The Heaven Tree, tells the story of master stonemason Harry Talvace as he is hired by Ralf Isambard to build him a great cathedral at Parfois along the Welsh Marches. Isambard also brings courtesan Benedetta along with him as mistress, although he is unaware that Benedetta bears a lifelong unrequited love for Harry. Harry makes a desperate choice to save a child from hanging that has dire consequences for himself, his wife and Benedetta, although Harry returns to his commitment to complete the cathedral despite the sentence of a traitor's death hanging over him.

The Green Branch, the second book in the trilogy takes up the story of Master Harry's son (also called Harry) who has been raised in Wales as a foster son to Prince Llewellyn. Harry is unknowingly drawn into the adulterous affair between Llewellyn's wife Joan (also known as Joanna) and William de Braose, and as a result of the scandal Harry flees Llewellyn's court and heads to Parfois to enact his revenge against Isambard for his father's death, but fifteen year old Harry is no match for Isambard and is taken prisoner. Ralph refuses to ransom Harry back to his family, and eventually the hatred that first existed between the two sworn enemies develops into something very different and unexpected to both men.

In the final book, The Scarlet Seed, Harry continues to learn the masonry craft of his father whilst still being held prisoner by Isambard. Desperate to free Harry, Benedetta offers Isambard another hostage, one he cannot refuse, but a choice unacceptable to Benedetta's servant John the Fletcher. John makes an attempt on Ralph's life that takes a tragic turn, and as a consequence the jailer now becomes the prisoner in his own home. As the Marches explode into civil war, the Welsh storm the unassailable Parfois and the fates of Isambard, Madonna Benedetta and Master Harry are forever entwined through eternity.

While the start of The Heaven Tree may be a bit too slow paced for some readers, Pargeter's beautiful prose and lyrical writing is one to sit back and slowly savor like a fine red wine or chocolate (or both!!) and I highly recommend this for any lover of medieval fiction. It's not quite as perfect a read for me as Penman's Here Be Dragons, but pretty darn close, and that final scene in the cathedral between Isambard, Benedetta and Master Harry (I'm not telling!) was nothing short of perfection. Five stars.

It took me several attempts to actually read this book. It's over 900 pages and the opening chapter is rather verbose. However once I got fifty pages into The Heaven Tree, I was hooked! I love this book!

I love this series! It is the ONLY series I have ever given 5 stars! Highly recommended!

This is an excellent series full of suspense, humor, and creative plots.
The characters are memorable and entertaining. It's a feel good read. Want more!

The second installment in this series continues to keep me reading at breakneck speed, ignoring my children, burning the mac n' cheese, and letting the phone answering machine pick up all the calls. Let me just say, I think I've bought a pair of those shoes ;) Keep up the good work! Luckily I'm late to this series so I can just go directly to #3!

After reading 'ENCHANTED INC.' I was very excited to read the next book in this series by Shanna Swendson, 'ONCE UPON STILETTOS' and I am happy to say that the second cast it's spell on me just as the first did.

In this book Katie Chandler is back, only this time the trials and tribulations of working for MSI, Magic, Spells & Illusions are starting to take a toll on her personal life. Katie and her boyfriend don't seem to be on the same page, the evil Phelan Idris seems to be out to, if not ruin her life, at least make it considerably more annoying and when her parents come to NYC for a visit she has to be on double duty as a tour guide and protecting her mother from magic. Because as Katie soon finds out her small town Texas mother is an immune too!

To make matters worse it seems that there is a spy at MSI and the spy's target seems to be none other than Katie herself! But all of this couldn't come at a worse time because in the midst of it all Katie begins to lose her most valuable resource, her immunity.

I am really enjoying this series. It is everything that you would hope for in this type of series. It has charm to spare, lots of whimsy and just a dash of romance to top it all off. I think anyone would be sure to enjoy these Katie Chandler books just as much as I have.

Katie Chandler returns to readers in time for the holiday season in New York City, showing us a new perspective on its weird and unusual inhabitants - a magical perspective. Katie discovered, in Enchanted, Inc, that she is a magical immune. She sees fairies, gargoyles, and gnomes where other people see nothing unusual at all. But when her parents decide to come visit her for Thanksgiving, Katie's misgivings distract her from her heavy workload at MSI, Inc (Magic, Spells, & Illusions), where her boss, Merlin, has charged her with ferreting out the spy within their midst. Unfortunately for Katie, her immunity to magic seems to fading, and she's having difficulty hiding it from her co-workers while she endeavors to find the traitor in their midst.


All Katie wants is a normal relationship. Most men, however, can't handle the weird happenings that seem to follow Katie around the city. Katie finally manages to snag more than a first date with a lawyer she works with, but her heart seems to want to be with someone else - Owen Palmer. Owen is a wizard where she works, but he treats her like a sister. So while Katie searches for the source of the rumors and discord at work, she is juggling a new relationship and the family visit, as well as the holidays in the city. Katie also discovers that she has inherited her immune status from her mother, which has made explaining the bizarre much more difficult without telling them about magic. But when Katie's mother starts seeing things that Katie doesn't, she wonders if she's lost her immunity, which, in turn, might mean the loss of her job, which has come to mean more to her than she realized.

Swendson's first story featuring Katie Chandler came as a pleasant surprise, and her sequel was not disappointing. Katie is one of the most pragmatic characters in an enchanting story I've ever read. There is mystery involved in her story - who is the spy, and why are they after Katie? But there is also romance, humor, and magic interlaced into the plot, so I would have trouble trying to limit this to one genre.

I thoroughly enjoyed this installment in Katie's ongoing drama of life, love, and the pursuit of normalcy, and I look forward to the next, which is Damsel Under Stress, due out in May 2007.

Silent Suspicion is an awesome action packed mistery that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat, non-stop. Dr. Lee Meadows is a gifted writer with the ability to bring characters to life. Once you start reading, you can't stop! I found this mistery to be exciting, entertaining and relexing. I feel lost and empty without Linc and his brothers after completing the book. I can't wait for "Silent Rage" to hit the bookstores, the preview of chapter one is greatly appreciated and gives me something to anticipate in the near future. Dr. Meadows, I'm proud of you and your on going excellence!

Silent Suspicion is an awesome action packed mistery that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat, non-stop. Dr. Lee Meadows is a gifted writer with the ability to bring characters to life. Once you start reading, you can't stop! I found this mistery to be exciting, entertaining and relexing. I feel lost and empty without Linc and his brothers after completing the book. I can't wait for "Silent Rage" to hit the bookstores, the preview of chapter one is greatly appreciated and gives me something to anticipate in the near future. Dr. Meadows, I'm proud of you and your on going excellence!

Silent Suspicion was one the best murder mystery books that I have ever read. The mystery of the story had me so involved and anxious that I really wanted to cheat and go to the back of the book. However, I refrained and weathered the storm of intrigue and let "MR. LINC" do his thang and investigate and eventually solve the eight year old murder of Deborah Norris. I found all the characters entertaining in their role as the plot thickened. With the finger of suspicion pointing at so many I couldn't figure out whodunit...I LOVED THE INTRIGUE. Mr. Meadows, the "EPILOGUE" was da BOMB. Totally unexpected, very real, touching and a GREAT ending....LOVED IT. MAY YOU BE BLESSED CONTINUALLY IN YOUR WRITING CAREER! I look forward to reading "Silent Rage"

Silent Suspicion was one the best murder mystery books that I have ever read. The mystery of the story had me so involved and anxious that I really wanted to cheat and go to the back of the book. However, I refrained and weathered the storm of intrigue and let "MR. LINC" do his thang and investigate and eventually solve the eight year old murder of Deborah Norris. I found all the characters entertaining in their role as the plot thickened. With the finger of suspicion pointing at so many I couldn't figure out whodunit...I LOVED THE INTRIGUE. Mr. Meadows, the "EPILOGUE" was da BOMB. Totally unexpected, very real, touching and a GREAT ending....LOVED IT. MAY YOU BE BLESSED CONTINUALLY IN YOUR WRITING CAREER! I look forward to reading "Silent Rage"

Ex-Raider, Ex-Cop turned Private Investigator, Lincoln Keller is back in Silent Suspicion overturning plots and notorious deeds of deceit. This time around Linc is hired by high profile Judge Warren "War Zone" Henderson and his wife, Sylvia to investigate the eight year old unsolved murder of Deborah Norris (Sylvia's sister). Deborah was a freelance journalist who was murdered during what appeared to be a robbery, but the Hendersons do not accept that explanation. Since the case is unsolved, it is still considered an open case by the Detroit Police Department and this causes Linc some apprehension because the presiding detective is Lieutenant Nick Knackton. Knackton and Linc have a long standing beef which is fueled by his jealously over Linc's involvement with Detective Candy Malone. All of these factors combine to make an engrossing mystery.

When Linc first took the case, he thought that it was pretty clear that Deborah's death was a robbery turned bad and expected that he'd do a little investigation and bring it to a close in two days with the same conclusion that the police had made. However, after spending little more than 24 hours on the case, Linc felt there was more to the story then just a robbery gone bad. As Linc gets deeper into the investigation, he encounters past friends and acquaintances of Deborah Norris who seem to have something to hide. A myriad of characters enter the story who are far from girl and boy scouts.

Political cover-ups, adultery, blackmail, and crime rings are just a few of the obstacles that Linc encounters as he digs into the past. Along the way, readers are reintroduced to some of the characters from Meadows' previous book, Silent Conspiracy, namely, The Keller Brothers, Julie, Night Life, and Tank among others. Silent Suspicion is as compelling as Meadows' earlier book and it will leave readers thirsty for another Lincoln Keller mystery. Silent Suspicion is a 4 on the RAW Scale.

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I love this series, being an Aussie and all, it's nice to be able to share a part of my first reading experiences with my American kidz!
Unfortunately this amazon provider was extremely slow on shipping (ony coz it was free) I ended up finding that barnes and noble were soo much faster I have two now but am happily going to give this copy to another young reader as a gift:)

I had great expectations for this book, since my (3-year-old) son loves Slinky Malinki so much that he can recite virtually the entire book. Our family found this one rather disappointing. There is very little story, and the word choice is not nearly as colorful as in Slinky Malinki. Still, my son does enjoy this one, although I suspect it won't hold his attention as long as Slinky, since it's so much simpler. Now that I know this is one of Lynley Dodd's early books, I understand that better. It's probably best for a slightly younger child (right around 2) who loves dogs.

I got this to read to my three year old. It is the first in a series. This is a fun quick book to read. My daughter likes it. She enjoys guessing which dog is next. The characters come in and out of the story in the same sequence. I think it is a cute book and I will buy more in the series.

Lynley Dodd is a FANTASTIC author. I own a ton of her books. I love them, children love them. The characters are characters you instantly fall in love with. The vocabulary Dodd uses is creative and intelligent, and leads to great conversations with kids. The books rhyme and remind me of Dr. Seuss without the nonsense words.

You won't be disappointed with Dodd's books.

I love this book. I won this book as a readathon prize 20 years ago when I was seven. I think the target audience for this book is probably more likely to be kids aged 3-6. It was a definite favorite of my little brother's - he learnt the words off by heart before he could read. It is also a favorite of my nieces and nephews, and I have just ordered one for my baby who is due any day now. The really fantastic thing about this book is that it is actually a fun read for adults too - If my nieces ask me to read them a book I always grab a Hairy Maclary. They are just the right length, and have enough of a storyline to keep you entertained as well.

This book is excellent for younger kids. For older kids 12-18, I like the following two books. The Edge Effect: Achieve Total Health and Longevity with the Balanced Brain Advantage and Don't Like to Read, Then Don't, Listen!: How to Turn Any Type of Text Into Audio Files That Can Be Read to You!

I have three kids and can always use some new ideas and some review on old ideas. The book really helped my husband and I get on the same page. Liked it a lot. Worth the money

This is a great book but you have to have a lot of patience to follow through. It does work so keep trying.

This book was recommended to me. I was at first skeptical, but was amazed to see that if used consistently, it works!

My goodness! I wish I had this book 35 years ago! I bought it for my grandkids. I read it, and highlighted all my mistakes in a pink high-lighter, then used a yellow highlighter for my son and daughter-in-law's mistakes. My Son was not to receptive of learning these things about himself, but my daughter-in-law has read the book.
I hope they implement the book into their lives, but if they don't its their choice. I think its great.

Seven Sisters is quite an enjoyable read. This book introduces some new characters to the Benni Harper series and makes for an mildly suspenseful read.

"Seven Sisters" is the seventh novel in the Benni Harper series. Benni Harper, a lifelong resident of the mythical Central california Coast town of San Celina, is a former cowgirl, a quilter, and now has a job as the curator of San Celina's folk art museum. Benni, who was widowed when her first husband died in a car accident, has been married to San Celina's cheif of police Gabe Ortiz for several years at the time of this story.

The story starts off with a bang when Gabe's nineteen-year-old son Sam tells Benni and Gabe that his girlfriend is pregnant, and they plan to marry. The story rapidly becomes very complicated when the identity of Sam's girlfriend is revealed. She is Bliss Girard, one of Gabe' rookie policewomen and, more importantly, a grand-daughter of the Brown family, one of the town's oldest and most powerful families. When one of the extended members of the Brown family is murdered at the engagement party for Sam and Bliss, the family struggles with the realization that there is most likely a murderer among them. As the police search for the murderer, the Brown family tries to keep all their secrets hidden. And Benni Harper struggles with trying to maintain a balance between her natural sleuthing capabilities and her role as the police chief's wife and future mother-in-law to one of the Brown family grand-daughters. Benni also experiences more than a touch of jealousy when Gabe's gorgeous ex-wife Lydia comes to San Celina to meet her son's fiancee.

The California setting is richly described with the conflicts between cattle ranching, horse racing, and grape growing.

Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down. As I mentioned above, "Seven Sisters" is the seventh book in this series but it was the first one that I've read. What a happy discovery to find a whole new series with a wonderful setting and a richly developed cast of characters. I'm looking forward to reading all the other books in this series!

I started reading the Benni Harper mysteries "in the middle" of the series. I was hooked and immediately bought the whole series so I could follow the storyline thread. Her stories are very different from other mysteries with "predictable" plots but if I were to expand on that, I'd give away the unfolding of the Seven Sisters story. Actually, Earlene Fowler has a marvelous gift for drawing one into the lives of her characters. She makes me laugh, and provokes a "being there" frustration (empathic with Benni's frustration)with the events. Her stories are not all nice and neat - hey, life isn't nice and neat. But they aren't what I would call icky, gruesome and gory either. If she has written a series of "chick-lit" mysteries, it's chick-lit at it most fun. Her subject matter is also fascinating as a learning experience. That's from a fan who is nearly as old as Dove! Don't pull just one book (such as Seven Sisters) from the series - start at the beginning and become part of the community - flawed tho it may be. It's laugh-out-loud funny, snuggle-up-under a quilt comfort, confusing and unnerving chaos - and an absolutely marvelous read (even if, but please don't, read out of the series order). I'm so glad I discovered Benni Harper and her family and friends!

I love this series -- I am an unabashed fan. Even though I figured out the mystery very early on, I still enjoyed it very much.

This book is the rare mystery where the murderer never gets a legal comeuppance.

This is the seventh book in the Benni Harper mystery series and takes place in San Celina, California.

Benni Harper the curator of the local folk art museum and her husband Police Chief Gabe Ortiz seem to have worked out a lot of their earlier marital problems when Sam, Gabe's son tells them that his girlfriend Bliss is pregnant. Bliss, happens to be a member of the very wealthy and influential Brown family.

Both families seem to rally around the young couple and even Gabe's beautiful ex-wife appears for the first time in this series. At a party celebrating Bliss and Sam's engagement, a Brown relative is found murdered. Benni tries not to become involved in the case, but is forced into helping by Ford Hudson the officer in charge of the homicide investigation.

This interesting story is a little darker than the other mysteries that Benni had been involved with and takes us into the tangled web of old family secrets and the truth about the seven sisters.

Great book, it was very informative and OH! so very true. Joyce Meyer is the greatest. A very profound visionary.

I purchased this for a bible study at my church and have been reasonably happy with it. I don't totally agree with some of her concepts, but the general idea is definitely worthwhile.

A must for those who have the "I can't believe I said that!" moments!

There are few books that I have read more than once, and this is one that merits not only reading more than once, but in having it on hand for a constant reminder. It could not have had a more appropriate title. It catches the eye then captures the heart and soul of anyone who feels (or can fianally admit..because many of us do) they have a problem with their mouth. It also gives them hope that they are not doomed to the self excuse of "well, that's just the way I am. I tell people what I think and people admire me for it". Uh....no they don't. Once you discover that you don't always have to win, your life becomes so much more peaceful. This book has helped me very much to begin that process. I try now, not to let every thought work like a gumball machine....from the brain to the tounge then out of the mouth. I now think very hard about what I say, first. And, because of that I see now I don't always have to open my mouth. I've had some painful withdrawal episodes in the process, but it has been worth it. I like myself better, now. This book has truly been a God send. Thank you.

We have watched Joyce Meyer's weekly (Mon-Fri) program for a few years now and overall find her to be a very good practical teacher on how Scripture corresponds with daily life issues. The product is formatted well and is designed to partner with her book of the same title. A worthwhile topic!

I was giving this book by a spiritual mother. Joyce, in her tell it like it is manner, informs us of how we set ourselves up for the 'lesser' things of life.
She gives a practical spin to the scripture 'life and death is in the power of the tongue". Its not about get rich scheme success or how to name it and claim it; this book teaches you how to train your ear and bridle your tongue to only speak what will manifest Godly character in your life. It also teaches us about the ills we do to poison our spirits and how to be liberated! PRAISE GOD!

By looking at five different aspects of our personalities, we can see how our uniqueness in each of the areas combines to create an incredible potpourri of advantages and opportunities. Through an examination of spiritual gifts, passion, abilities, personality and life experiences, the author takes us on a journey to understanding our original divine design. With copious quotes, lists, and reflection questions, the author forces the reader into a very personal examination of the way that they are hard-wired. The The appendices are not superfluous but take the user on a journey that is exciting and filled with potential. It would be difficult to read this book and not emerge more confident and self-assured.

5 Reasons why this book is a MUST read. Here's my SHAPE acrostic.

Simple: Erik does an incredible job of making this stuff easy to use.

Helpful: The Spiritual profile that every participant leaves w/ helps the reader to succinctly understand what their next step for service is.

Authentic: if you're able to go through the small group curriculum ( video ) you'll seek Erik's authenticity. It's the real deal.

Passion: As you read the book you'll sense a desire to want to do something bigger than your normal everyday routine. You'll discover or rediscover your passion to impact lives or causes on a daily basis.

Experience: You must experience SHAPE either in book form or through the small group curriculum. Both are incredible resources!!

This book helped confirm the strengths I felt I had. The assessment really opened my eyes to the specific ways my spiritual strengths can be used to help others. I also appreciated the part of the book about having a board of advisors and a training partner. We can learn a lot from the people God has put in our life.

What an eye opener! After reading SHAPE and applying what I learned, I discovered where I truly am in my life, what I am good at, and where to spend my energy in daily living. Based on the content of SHAPE, I have made significant changes that have improved me, my marriage, and my other relationships. This is a must read if you want to get to know yourself on a deeper level, put your true talents to work on what matters most in life, and make a difference in the world you live in....

This book was a great follow up to the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. While Warren's book helped me understand that God created me for a purpose, SHAPE helped me discover how I am made to achieve this purpose and the practical steps to put this purpose into action!
Since reading both these books, God has revealed my purpose and shape to me and I am dedicating my life to becoming a marriage and family therapist. I am currently working in the field and going to school to get licensed as a therapist!

ROFL, LMAO funny fiction in a semi-plausible historical settings. Defames many of the figures you yawned over in World History back in 9th grade. Flash is a real man's man. Read the books, preferably in order.

Given that my introduction to the Flashmen series almost coincided with the tragic (although not unexpected) death of George Macdonald Frasier I have made it my news years resolution to let people know about his wonderful books.

They wouldn't be good without the main character Sir Harry Flashman VC; who without ever really meaning to became the most highly decorated solider of the Victorian Era. This is all of course just a byproduct of his attempts to save his own worthless hide, with the reader cheering him all the while. They are also outstanding in their great attention to historical accuracy backed up with a large amount of footnotes.

This particular installment "Flashman at the Charge" is the first purely military Flashman adventure since the first book in the series and it is wonderful. Flashman (and the author) are back to true form here. Flashman of course has no intention of going to fight "The Great Russian Bear" but his idiotic lovable wife gets him appointed as a kind of Master at Arms for one of Prince Albert's German nephews. It is then decided that the boy needs battlefield seasoning for eventual command one day. So it is for to the Crimea Flashy goes for a date with the light brigade. This is only half of the story.

Overall-I think it is the best of the series everything clicks without force or effort.

Frazer keeps his series alive with yet one more finely written installment in the Flashman series.

Our Flash Harry is a rotten sort of fellow, but amicably so. Keep him out of harm's way, give him some undeserved glory, warm him with a bottle and a trollop, and he's happy. But in this episode, he meets someone far more rotten, the chilling Count Nicholas Ignatieff in chilly Russia, where Flashman is held after being captured during the Charge of the Light Brigade. Ignatieff is merely the nastiest aspect of a nasty land. Even Flashman, appalled by serfdom's cruelty, sees no difference between it and slavery.

Flashy maneuvers to avoid service during the Crimean War, but has the misfortune to be assigned as mentor to Queen Victoria's German cousin who can't wait to go to the front. Flashman somehow stumbles into three major actions on the same day. After capture, he is held in genteel captivity by a medieval Cossack lord who alternately fascinates and repels Flashy - and who details Flashman to impregnate his married-to-a-weakling daughter. He escapes during a serf rising in a thrilling nighttime sleigh ride, accompanied by his lover clad in nothing but furs, and the priggish Scud East, a fellow officer, prisoner and former classmate obsessed with notions of duty. Flashman is recaptured and watches in horror as Ignatieff has a random prisoner beaten to death with the horrifying knout, merely to intimidate Flashman. After being hauled off to Central Asia in chains to aid in Russia's planned invasion of India, he busts out with local rebels who draft him into yet one more life-risking but glory-generating escapade. He meets another notable babe, the Asian rebels' half-Chinese princess known only as Ko Dali's daughter, a chilling manipulator whose seduction has a deeper motivation.

In this fourth packet of the Flashman Papers, our man Flash finds himself in the thick of the Crimean War, including the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava. Flash endures the regettable Lord Haw-Haw, the Earl of Cardigan, who led the Charge (although Lord Raglan deserves at least some of the blame for that fiasco). The reader is introduced to William Howard Russell, the famous Times of London who invented modern war reporting (the generals didn't like having a reporter around then either).

Harry also spends some not altogether unpleasant time in captivity in Russia - although a near encounter with the Russian knout leaves him with severe dyspepsia. Later Flash escapes, but ends up in in a Russian dungeon with Central Asian chieftain Yakub Beg and the warrior Izzat Kutebar. Rescued by Beg's people, Flashy shows some shocking signs of acting entirely honorably and contrary to his self-interest, but his odd behavior is soon explained.

If you are unfamiliar with the Flashman series, each book is a packet from the supposedly historical Flashman Papers. Flashman is a character of fictional history twice over, first in 'Tom Brown's Schooldays' published in 1857 and now in the George MacDonald Fraser's rediscovery. Fraser makes Flashman not only a cad, but also a reluctant and serial war hero. If you ever start to think Flashman has turned over a new leaf, just keep reading. If this kind of thing interests you I do suggest that you start with the first book in the series, 'Flashman', although each book stands on its own.

The Flashman series weave historical detail together with spell-binding stories told with frequent hilarity. Highly recommended for fans of British historical fiction or a good ribald tale of any kind.

After reading "Flash for Freedom," with its nauseous blatant racism expressed through Flashman's perspective, I began to wonder why I was drawn to the series. Even in the Spanish picaresque novels, rogues tend to mature in their skullduggery. But I already had "Flashman at the Charge" in the exercycle pile, so I plunged in. I'm glad I did. This is the most successful episode yet, in terms of skillful plotting and literary devlopment. Why, it's so well written that I'm sure some Flash fanciers will be disappointed. It also spews most of Flashman's bile on Russians and British army officers, two subspecies of Homo sapiens that I have no investment in. The big surprise, however, is that our Harry at last seems to be affected by experience. Several times in the book, he reveals admiration for the noble and contempt for the ignoble. He actually admits to feeling an emotion close to friendship for two other men and honest intimidation in the face of a powerful woman. And he acknowledges sympathy, sneeringly of course, for the suffering of others! What's all this coming to? Is Flashman gonna yield to the temptation to do something honorable!?! I guess I'll have to read the next book to find out.

To be precise, this is a perfectly fascinating book. I've been a Tintin affionado for decades, along with my children and now my grandchildren, and had no real understanding of how Herge's work intersected with 20th century history. Learning this in detail, and getting a notion of how the stories and their portrayal evolved, have greatly increased my already great appreciation for Herge's genius.

If you are a Tin Tin fan then you will love this book. I have to confess that I have not read the whole thing but what I have read is insightful and interesting. It gives excellent information about each Tin Tin story as well as a unique insight into Hergés life. I high recommend this book for any serious Tin Tin devote.

My kides are a little geeky and are enthralled by any of the series. It is good clasis sci fi for them. Suggested if you kids like adventure kid stories and sci fi.

This book has used the extensive archive of Herge, to which the author was granted unlimited access. The book is certainly enlightening and offers great insight into Herge's mind. The author rightly presents each Tintin adventure in its proper historical context, and exposes fascinating parallels of the adventures with Herge's own life. Most of the illustrations are juxtapositions of Tintin frames and concepts against the source material from Herge's archive of newspaper clips and books. Some comparisons are very convincing. Some comparisons are stretched, for example, the alleged inspiration for the carnival costumes of Les Joyeux Turlurons in Tintin and the Picaros. Groucho Marx amongst the crowd ogling at a blonde? I don't know about that... Please note that some of these comparisons are extracted by the author, who tried to read into Herge's mind. We will never know for sure what inspired Herge.

The criticism of the stories occasionally is uneven. The author knocks Flight 714 for stretching reality with its extraterrestrials and flying saucers. How about the Shooting Star, where a meteorite the size of an island drops out of the sky? Giant popping mushrooms and mutant arthropods, I don't know about that...

The text sometimes is dry, and sometimes too esoteric and only relevant to readers of the English editions of Tintin. I have read all Tintin books in French, so I could not care less about the subtleties of the English translations of French names. For other readers, this trivia may be interesting. Finally, the book ends abruptly, without as much as one paragraph of an epilogue, a reflection on the total Herge oeuvre.

Why the small print? The print is so tiny you almost need a magnifying glass. This is not a physics paper, it is a book about comics, and in comics readability is paramount.

Overall, this book undoubtedly was well researched. It definitely was worth the money. I came out with a renewed appreciation of Tintin and Herge. I wish the author was a more compelling writer.

A strange book! The information and illustrations in it is great, but there are curious qualities to it. The writer is a native speaker of English, but from errors in sentence structure and some obvious mistakes in word usage, this publication was translated from French. There are curious recurring preoccupations and repetitions, almost suggesting that each chapter appeared separately, possibly in a magazine. For example, the comparison of Herge's work and that of his studio with that of Raphael and his assistant Giulio Romano occurs at least three times! The reproduction of pictorial archival material from Herge's collections and elsewhere alongside panels from the books is fascinating. But Farr often dedicates a lot of space to discussion of the source of a particular image or set of images -- and then there's no illustration. At other times there are illustrations that are scarcely mentioned in the text.

Still, we have to be grateful for all the data given here. I remember an old Tibetan lama looking at "Tintin in Tibet" with my children, and pointing out corners he knew in the panoramic picture of Katmandu, being puzzled by the Abominable Snowman, and laughing at the pictures showing levitation. In the '60's I camped all through through Yugoslavia; my young kids were reading "King Ottakar's Scepter" and constantly pointed out details in the landscape that matched the book. Herge did his homework, and it's great to have the sources laid out.

Despite its flaws, this book is a keeper.