Rules Books

I wish I had this book when I first started DMing players.

The book explains (in detail) motives and twists for undead of different types. I found this to be the most enjoyable and useful (for me)part of the book. DMs may find it useful for the templates which can be applied to nearly any character to produce an individual speciman of the covered types of undead.

The book even covers how to create non-evil undead (allowing for characters and NPCs in a similar vein (bad pun, I know) to Anne Rice's Louis the Vampire.

I found the layout of the book functional, and pleasant. The artwork (especially that by Phil Renne) to be very good and appropriate and overall the book has a high production quality with few spelling or grammatical errors.

The book is designed for d20, version 3.5. It covers 5 undead races, 25 mortal and undead racial templates, 9 prestige classes, 37 new arcane and divine spells and contains 14 artifacts and magical spells all contained in 128 pages including the d20 OGL and one ad. To me, that's decent value for money.

Did I say that I wish that I had this book when I first started? Oh yeah, that's for sure.

Any fan of the original Conan novels will want this book. It has maps and drawings of the races and good explinations for the Conan series. I am glad to have added this to my library along side my Conan novels.

If you REALLY want to know about the USA involvement in Nicaragua read this book. One comes away with a clear picture of the years 1912 through 1933 in Nicaragua. To be even better the book could have explored the position of the middle and worker class but information is scarce. All in all one of the best books written on this era in Central America

Those of us who are Court watchers usually associate amicus curiae (or friend of the court) briefs with interest groups, who are most frequent sources of such briefs. What has generally been overlooked, that is until this fine book made its appearance, has been the involvement of Congress in the filing of amicus briefs with the Supreme Court. Based upon extensive and painstaking research by the author, the utilization of this technique by Congress and its individual members becomes much easier to discern. Focusing basically upon the period since 1977, the author addresses such key topics as who in Congress is likely to participate in filing amicus briefs; what types of cases are likely to draw Congressional amicus attention; what motivates members of Congress to file such briefs; and most importantly, who actual effect do Congressional amicus briefs have on Supreme Court decision. The author relies upon published sources and her own extensive interviewing, particularly of members, staffers, and most importantly former Supreme Court clerks to get at these issues. Many helpful charts are included to facilitate understanding of the data; and, believe it or not, the footnotes actually appear at the base of the page, which makes following the analysis very much easier. To oversimplify, the author basically concludes that Congressional amicus briefs have little if any impact generally on the Court (except perhaps in difficult statutory interpretation situations), but since the real purposes behind filing such briefs (scoring points with interest groups and constituents, e.g.) are not dependent upon winning in the Court, this is not a key consideration in submitting amicus briefs. At slightly over 200 pages, supported by an excellent bibliography, the discussion moves along promptly. By the end of the book, one has a pretty solid grasp on the particulars of Congressional amicus participation, its motivations, and consequences. An extremely rich and valuable resource on this topic, worthy of carefuly study.

Tiefer's book is a one of a kind reference that thoroughly examines the inner workings of the United States Congress. As a former Hill staffer, Tiefer is very familiar with the workings of the legislative branch. From a bill's introduction to the rules concerning its committee life to the final floor vote, Tiefer explains the entire process in-depth. Even for those well-versed in the procedure of Capitol Hill, Tiefer traces the history of certain rules or traditions governing the House and Senate. Also, Tiefer goes behind the written precendents and rules to the informal yet improtant traditions that govern how legislation passes through the more deliberative Senate or the House. While one can read this book cover to cover, like myself, it also serves as a handy reference guide for researchers and scholars. Laden with footnotes, Tiefer well-ducuments his vast number of sources. As a well-written one-of-a-kind work, Tiefer has done an outstanding job. For those who desire an insider's perspective on this nation's legislative branch, I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

handy guide for all episcopalians,especially if your in a position of church leadership, or just want to know a little about how the wheels turn within every church ,within the national anglican community. slim,readable and accurate canons from 2006 national convention. I refer to this book quite often as a refresher.

After years of fighting the consulting battle alone, this book came along and I realized that all of my experiences were held in common by that group known as "Consultants." I realized that even my "failures" were tremendous learning experiences that made me a better consultant. What a relief to know I'm not alone and part of a grand tradition. What I learned: Always, always look for the customers pain. Sell to that and you create real value, satisfaction and repeat business.

In her introduction to "Could Have Been Worse: True Stories, Embellishments, and Outright Lies," Rebecca Rule writes, "Some people collect stamps or buttons or coins...I collect stories and make no bones about it." In her book, she shares her humorous, sometimes touching, and always interesting stories.

She wrote, "Yankee is an attitude," and you get a taste of exactly what she means in the story, "Perley Gets A Dump Sticker: A Harrowing Tale." From the names she chooses for her characters, you get a feel of what they are like. Perley is not having the easiest day. He needs to get to the dump but his "new" truck that he got from a friend's falling-down woodshed doesn't have a dump sticker. Person after person gives him a hard time, each one more of a stickler than the last. You'll laugh out loud at the conclusion of Perley's harrowing tale.

Another one of my favorite stories was "Thief." You learn so much about the characters that you feel you know them. Bunny could be the lady that lives diagonally across the street from you. Poor Bunny was innocently shopping, headfirst in a bin of fuzzy slippers looking for the perfect pair for little Beany, when a brazen thief wearing a pink sweatshirt with a glittery Santa on it, steals Bunny's pocketbook. So much action ensues that it is hard to believe that the story is only nine pages long.

Once you start this book, you're not going to want to put it down. Whether you're from California or Canada, you'll be transported to down-home New England while reading Rule's stories.

The Courtroom Explained Through the Trials of the Century uses the major cases of the last decadeinvolving President Clinton and O.J. Simpson to show how the courtroom works. The book examines the courtroom principles underlying these questions: Didn't Monica Lewinsky first admit to a sexual relationship with President Clinton in tapes surreptitiously recorded, later deny it in an affidavit, then admit the relationship before the grand jury and Senate? Weren't O.J. Simpson and President Clinton both the subject of DNA testing? By summarizing these important cases and explaining the principles of evidence, The Courtroom Explained is a great reference book for undergraduates and law students.

Explosive! This is military law the way it was meant to be written: powerful, eloquent, speaking to an inner voice we didn't even know we had. Stigall's genius is in the way he takes ordinary words, like "remitting" and "dispossessed," and makes them dance in your mind like enchanted pixies with bedazzled legal briefcases. Shazam, this is one fine summer read!