Talisman Books

This book is very simply a review of a number of amulets from various traditions with a little information on their use.

There is not really much to say about this book, you either liked it or didn't. I think that they did a great job in the descriptions, and orgins.. I think that this book is more for reference though it is great reading, and easy understanding.

Talismans are objects designed to attract good luck and help you do certain things, while the purpose of amulets is to guard the wearer against outside forces. From the beginning humans have worn objects as protection or to bring about certain events, to obtain strength or to enhance certain mental qualities. Nelson's book presents a huge selection of ancient and modern talismans and amulets drawn from many cultures, and explains how to charge an object with psychic energy. The chapters include: Goddesses of Antiquity, Egypt, I-Ching, The Celts, Runes, The Western Zodiac, The Maya, Totem Spirits and Power Animals. The images of the totems and talismans are provided on the left-hand pages with their explanations on the right. This is a fascinating little book that provides very valuable information in an easy-to-read manner, without ever becoming too esoteric. It will also be of interest to students of esoteric and symbolist art. Black and white photographs and illustrations enliven the text.

A good beginner's book that categorizes the pieces under several topics such as culture, system (i.e. Runes, I-Ching, Totem), time period, some gemstones, etcetera.

There is an average of two pieces displayed per page, at roughly 2 1/2" each in length, which lets for a good view of details. The depiction's are either scanned (which is nice since one can see how the symbol was actually used), sketched or drawn as line art.

On the opposing pages, the history of each piece is concisely explained and is categorized as talisman, amulet or both. And under the talisman or amulet heading (in many cases the symbol falls under both), the author briefly explains what the symbol either draws to or repels from the wearer, respectively.

The introduction is only half a page long, which suits this book just fine since its function is that of a reference book as opposed to a scholarly work on the subject. As for appearance, the book is of a compact size and has an appealing layout. And although it is not an all-inclusive work, it does cover a broad, general range of pieces and is very reader-friendly.

Finally, me being a sucker for a small hard cover book, I am somewhat disappointed that the book is only available in paperback. Because, it is of my humble opinion that a hard cover would have added "outside charm" to an otherwise five-star content.

A very enjoyable read. Jacobs displays an uncanny ability to put himself inside the minds and cultures of his characters. Some of these stories plumb the disillusionment of idealistic '60s "gringos" or Central American guerrilleros who have seen the revolutionary struggles they supported turn sour. Others are more personal and apolitical. Jacobs employs a style that is influenced by Latin American magic realism, often to haunting effect

The Book of Pain and Suffering is a short story that will be lauded for years to come. In short, it is one of the best works of this century by an American author.

A very enjoyable read. Jacobs displays an uncanny ability to get inside the minds and cultures of his characters. Some stories plumb the disillusionment of idealistic '60s "gringos" or Central American guerrilleros when the revolutions they supported have turned sour. Others are more personal and apolitical. Jacobs employs a style influenced by Latin American magic realism, often to haunting effect

Curious about the Bahai faith in relation to the Christianity I was raised in, I read this book. Judaism and Budhism are omitted but the chapters describing Christian, Muslim and Bahai history were very informative. Others were too evangelical for me and made some large leaps in reasoning. Still, even if I were a devout secularist I would not be able to resist the vision of world unity described in the final chapter.

The notion that Baha'u'llah was Christ returned will make many Christians uncomfortable, but then, if you await Christ's return, exactly how will you discern when it happens? With all its imagery, Revelations does leave room for interpretation.

If you are secure in your belief that the religion you were born into, or have since converted to, represents the whole truth and has no peer, then a book like this should pose no danger. In the other case, it may be what you are searching for.

There is revolutionary thinking in every part of taday's life. People are told to step outside the box and look at previously proven ideas from a different angles. This has led to many discoveries.
But, when it comes to religion, all minds seem to be closed. We stick to the same old ideas that our ancestors had. This book helps you take the leap of Faith to find a new beginning.

George Townshend served as Canon of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin when he learned about Baha'u'llah and the Bahai Faith, starting a traumatic journey in search of religious truth which put him in disfavor with the church establishment and led to the resignation of his Orders after 40 years. In all revealed world religions the coming of the Kingdom is identified with the appearance of the Supreme World Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts, the returned Christ, the Qa'im, the new Buddha and about 1850 Baha'u'llah announced that he was this redeemer and the bearer of God's message to modern man. Ignored by the kings and rulers whom he addressed, he died in the Holy Land in 1892, an exile and captive of the Turks. Today there are followers of the Bahai Faith in every nation on earth. Townshend was particularly interested in that part of the Lord's prayer "Thy Kingdom come" and investigated whether Baha'u'llah was in fact the returned Christ. He found that a large number of people gathered in the Middle East in the 1840s waiting for Christ's return, but in vain as they overlooked an important clue in the Bible. 'Christ and Baha'u'llah' is the story of his investigation and in 1957 he decided to put his findings in book form to make it easier for others to conduct their own investigation.

Townshend starts the chapter on "The False Prophets" with these words: "As Jesus had prophesied, the false prophets contrived to change the essential meaning of the Gospel so that it became quite different from that which the Bible recorded or Jesus taught. It has long been generally believed that Jesus Christ was a unique incarnation of God such as had never before appeared in religious history and would never appear again. This tenet made the acceptance of any later Prophet impossible to a Christian. Yet there is nothing in Christ's statements, as recorded in the Gospels, to support this view, and it was not generally held during his lifetime."

Three chapters discuss Muhammad, but I found these excerpts helpful in understanding the relationship between religions. "Muhammad was already about 40 years old when he began to teach ethical principles similar to those in the Old Testament and to proclaim the succession of the prophets, including His own succession to Jesus Christ, whose Divinity and whose Gospel he called His believers to accept. But after a few years he found Himself forced by severe and continuous persecution to leave his native town for Medina where he at once began the execution of the real mission of His life, the building of a spiritual nation." And "To the Christian Muhammad showed the greatest kindness, insisting that all Muslims should fully accept both Jesus Christ and His Gospel, and assuring them in the Qur'am (Sura 5 verse 85) that they would find the Christians nearest of all men to them in affection, He took them under his protection."

If you are uncomfortable about the religious truths that have been handed to you; if you are uncomfortable that religious friendship has turned into religious rivalry; if you are open to learn about the evidence that convinced Townshend that Baha'u'llah is the returned Christ, this is a good book to study.

After sacrificing himself for his friends, Torin has now become possessed by the evil Illysp. And with the Crimson Sword in their control, the Illysp become nearly invincible. The only hope for the land lies in the hands of the half-elf Annleia, who appeals to a higher power in order to discover how to defeat the Illysp.

This third novel is the most exciting and action-packed yet. With the events culminating, the odds seem insurmountable. As even the most trusted of friends could be hosts to the enemy, it becomes harder for the characters to know who has or has not been possessed. Over the course of the three novels, Torin gains friends, a fiancé, a magical sword, becomes king; and then, looses it all. Even his own body, when the Boundless One possesses him. More enemies, means more battles; and Thompson doesn't skimp on the violent details. A fantasy story of epic proportions, The Divine Talisman is a wonderful conclusion to a tale of destiny, friendship, love, and sacrifice. Fans of the fantasy genre will definitely enjoy this trilogy.

this book has so many battles and war and just somes up evething almost. the best book in the series just great if you read the other 2 books you will enjoy this book alot.

On the island continent of Pentania, to save his people, former mushroom farmer, King Torin of Alson, the bearer of the legendary Crimson Sword, sacrificed himself. However his death bought time for his people to unite the country against the horde of the evil Illysp, but the capital is divided into warring factions grasping for power; civil war is imminent at a time when the Illysp send their even more malevolent once dead Illychar to destroy and recruit all in their path. Adding to the certainty of defeat, death, and reincarnation as a mindless evil Illychar, is the only symbol of hope, the Crimson Sword which is lost.

No one is aware that Itz lar Thrakkon "the Boundless One" Illychar has possessed Torin's body; obtaining his memories. The final hope resides with the half-breed daughter of the last Vandari elf; this half-elven Annleia must defeat Thrakkon and beg the all knowledgeable Dragon God Ravar to reveal how to vanquish the Illysp if there is a way; three impossible tasks.

The final tale in The Legend of Asahiel saga (see THE CRIMSON SWORD and THE OBSIDIAN KEY) is an exhilarating good vs. evil fantasy with a marvelous twist, the fate of Torin that provides freshness to the typical quest saga that is much of the makeup of this thriller. The story line is fast-paced as Annleia becomes the last resort hero with no chance of success at achieving any of her BHAGs let alone all three. Fans of the series will appreciate this fine entry but new readers would be better suited to read the previous books, especially THE OBSIDIAN KEY, to better understand how things got so desperate on Pentania.

Harriet Klausner

I found this book fun to read and quite useful. It gives information on all sorts of herbs and how they are used in medicine and magic. The author does the same thing for gemstones. This book even contains a super section on tea and tealeaf reading. Morwyn is a clear and interesting writer. Her books always make a fascinating read, and GREEN MAGIC is no exception. A useful addition to all Witches', Magicians' and Herbalists' libraries. Highly recommended.

I found the book very interesting,it is a great book for general information.It has just enough information to help beginers but not to much to make the reader overwellmed. If you are interested in herbalism and magic. i recomend this book highly

I've always been a nature lover, enjoying playing with plants, and learning all about them. A Witch friend gave me this book. Even though I'm not a Witch myself, I was entranced. Right away I could tell that the author, High Priestess Morwyn, is linked into the natural world and has a profound love for flowers, trees, stones -- the gifts of Mother Nature. Her book gives fascinating background on the properties, associations, and lore surrounding botanicals and stones, and shows how to use them for healing, magic, and pure pleasure. I especailly loved the chapter on tea leaf reading and magical uses for teas. The thoroughly researched appendices on herbs and stones covers over 100 botanicals and gems. GREEN MAGIC has become an important, well-thumbed addition to my library. What's more, I can buy the herbs directly from the author through her website dunravenhouse.com. Under "Botanicals" Priestess Morwyn writes about even more magical and medicinal uses for herbs. Highly recommended!

The Scions of Shannara is a fictional book with classic adventures and romances. The story tajes place in the Four Lands. There are different races like the dwarves, elves, humans and several others.

Three hundred years have passed since Allanon the Druid died. The Four Lands have changed since then. The Elves have vanished and the Dwarves have been enslaved. The Southland is under the rule of the Federation. However, Par Ohmsford still has the power of the wishong. Allanon's spirit summoned Par and Coll and a few others to rid the Four Lands of the dangerous shadowen.

Par's cousin Wren has to find the elves. His uncle, Walker, has to bring back the Druids Keep in Paranor, and Par and Coll have to find the Sword of Shannara. Once all the quests are complete, the Four Lands will be back to normal.

I would recommend that you read the first Shannara books before you read this one. Several of the characters are descended from previous characters and knowing the history helps to understand the book.

Terry Brooks' writing style is one of a kind. He focuses on description and details so that one can see everything. When Brooks describes a character, it is thorough and one might find them selves agreeing or disagreeing with a characters thoughts.

I liked the book because there was a little bit of suspense and mystery. Just when you think you have figured it out, something else happens to twist the story around. The end of the story is surprising and it makes you want to read the rest of the series of Shannara.

There were some things I didn't like about the book. For one thing, it was kind of repetative. I read all the books before the Scions of Shannara and they were pretty much the same. Another thing was the characters didn't interact much. Sometimes, in the book, it would be days before anyone talked to someone else.

Overall, I thought that this book was unique because even though the story line has been seen before, Terry Brooks came up with new ideas that suited the setting and made it his own.

It follows in the footsteps of the Shannara Trilogy, with more magic and more energy that keep you guessing and hoping and right on the edge of your seat. It was a very well written and exciting book and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

I have never even heard of the Shannara before. I bought book 3 when I was in grade 8. It sat on the bookshelf for about 7 years. I was sitting at home and began to read it. I couldn't put the book down. I read to about page 100 and my dad told me I shouldn't start a series without reading the first book first. So I went to the Grande Prairie Public Library and got out The Scions Of Shannara. I read this book in about 4 or 5 days. I loved it. It had a good story line. The way Terry Brooks, described Par Ohmsford, kind of made him sound like a bad ass. Which describes me. So I really liked it. I am just starting book 2 and am on about page 120 and it is still the same. The Shannara Heritage is very interesting, and would reccommend it to anyone. Especially if your still young and exploring the library's to see whats out there

An ancient and evil statue unearthed during an archaeological dig travels to London and awakens ancient evil in a house and throughout the city in this spell-binding ghost story written by a top author of supernatural fiction. A family man struggles against terrible influences on his unborn child while his blind wife probes beyond her senses in a series of slow-building, unpredictably satisfying chapters.

The author of "The Talisman" studied English, Persian, Arabic and Islamic Studies at the universities of Dublin, Edinburgh, and Cambridge, and lectured at the universities of Fez in Morocco and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. In his introduction to this book, Aycliffe assures us that, "The Babylonian bits(for the most part) are accurate, as are the Arabic and Persian references. I share with (M.R.) James the tendency to give in to temptation and provide my readers with authentic incantations and and historic personages."

For this reader, at least, the author's authenticity is what made "The Talisman" so fascinating and frightening. The ancient Babylonian demon Shabbatil is made to come alive (or was it ever dead?) through a combination of archeology and evil intent. The resulting plagues of blindness and demonic children form a mystery that is slowly unravelled by Tom, a museum curator and his wife Nicola, a doctoral student. Their son, Adam is one of first children to fall under the influence of Shabbatil. "The Talisman" builds to a horrifying crescendo of evil, and its end is not a tidy gathering-in of loose ends. As the protagonist comments in the final pages, "The past is not dead, it merely sleeps."

Incidentally, Jason C. Eckhardt is the illustrator of "The Talisman", not its co-author.

Having recently read and reviewed Aycliffe's "A Shadow on the Wall," I was interested in investigating more of Aycliffe's horror work. A friend of mine came to the rescue and produced a very nicely bound and presented version of the text. For the record, the text is the same in the 'unlimited' edition, which, unfortunately for those of us on smaller budgets, is just about has hard to find.

Thomas and Nicola Alston, recently moved to London with their son Adam, have set up living in a fine old house previously owned by Peter Lazenby. Lazenby had an excellent reputation as an archeologist, but was also noted for a fondness for female undergraduates and wierd rituals. Tom Alston has taken a position at the British Museum where he runs into and old friend, Edward Monelli. Monelli's wife recently died at a dig in Babylon, and he has returned home grieving, with her last, very unusual find. It is a very ancient statue of Shabbatil, who was the prototype for legends of Satan and other equally unpleasant netherworld characters.

In no time at all, Alston discovers that there is some tie between Shabbatil and the spirit of Lazenby, and that something strange is happening to Adam. When Monelli shows up dead, Alston moves the statue to the Museum, but it is far too late. Atmospheric tension builds as children fall victim to demonic possession, and a plague of blindness begins to afflict the populace. Specters of evil and the dead haunt Tom's family, and this is just the beginning. Alston and his wife seem caught up in a whirlwind as they struggle to find some way to overcome Shabbatil's baleful influence.

It is impossible to resist the tale of pre-Babylonian evil, full of eerie chants, amulets and ghosts. Even though the demonic possession plot has been a bit overused in the last decade or so (blame it on Buffy), Aycliffe does a good job of weaving traditional and original elements together to make a strong tale. "The Talisman" is not as tightly written as "A Shadow on the Wall" though, and some errors are introduced because Tom, the usual narrator, sometimes steps out of his role to comment on another part of the tale. Otherwise, this is as good a ghost story as you might want to read.

I found the book wonderfully refreshing. A nice change from the modern versions of the crusades. Also I am curious about the rarity of the particular book I own. Anyone with any info please email me.

This is a wonderful adventure set in the Holy Land of Crusader fame, a tale of Richard the Lionheart, of his noble knight Sir Kennethof the Leopard (the prince royal of Scotland in disguise) and of the great Saracen ruler Saladin who fought the historical Richard to a stand-still in Palestine and showed his chivalry and nobility in the process. In fact, Scott's tale makes it clear that it is Saladin, not Richard, who is the nobler and wiser chieftain through a series of intrigues which see Saladin playing physician, matchmaker and spy all the while Richard is being gulled by traitors and self-interested allies around him. In fact, the great hearted Richard is moved to condemn to death his greatest knight and supporter, but for the machinations of Saladin and the loyalty of one good dog. This is a fun tale, full of adventure and exotic locales, every bit as strong as Ivanhoe, but, perhaps, just a shade less rich in colorful characters and mayhem. Read it anyway. It's worth it. -- Stuart W. Mirsky The King of Vinland's Saga

I read this book more than forty years ago and still can see the way men become swayed by religious pressure and how some men see through the politics and remain with clean hands.This and other books cause me to understand how religions fall and others leap to be the next world power.What religion was the father of the muslims before he was a muslim;what religion past did the first pope [not peter] really come from?The TALISMAN is still a good read today.

Even if they never remake the alternate boards ( cityscape, dungeon scape, and the rest) it's still one of my favorite board games. Game play is a bit random, and tactics don't help you much but I think it's more fun watching the guy in the lead turn into a toad and lose everything than it would be winning threw guile.
games tend to take an hour per player in my experience so plan accordingly.

This review is more for those who know at least a little of the game. So I mainly cover what the different is from the 1st/2d editions. Also the news I have heard up to date. (FEB 7 08)

Black Industries has done well with this game. the Layout is the same as the 1st/2nd edition game. The Artwork is beautifully done. in fact when I get together with my dad to play his complete 2nd edition with all the expansions we use my board and the updated rules. The important updates that you actually have to go to Black Industries to find out about is that you do draw a card in the desert, and that the prophetess's power (as well as the orb of Knowledge's power) to draw an extra card should work that you draw the proper # of cards and if there is one you do not wish to encounter then you may replace it with the next adventure card but you must encounter that card. (This is a very important rule that helps balance that character out) there were a few other minor things but those were the two most important.

Black Industries did announce that there will be expansions for this edition but so far there is no word as to if they will be the same as the previous edition expansions or not. I really hope that they bring out the alternate endings soon as just the crown of command can get a bit dull.

There are also three downloadable characters from the Black Industries site. the Pixie, Hobgoblin and the Gnome. The Hobgoblin is the only of the three that was in the old list of playable characters.

The Pixie is safe in forest, can avoid enemies in the woods and always has two spells. 1 Strength and 5 Craft.

The Gnome is safe in the forest, starts the game with two spells and teleports anywhere within the region on a roll of six. 2 Strength and 4 Craft

GREAT GAME my wife and I play about once or twice a week. (I use the alternate endings from the 1st/2nd edition that is all I have added)

I played Talisman through my college years in the mid to late 80s. It was our "default" board game and we all loved it. Unfortunately, we all moved on with our lives and the fellow who owned it moved away and fell out of touch. I've hoped for years that it would be re-released as used copies with missing pieces sell for $80-$100 online. I received my copy of this new release of Talisman today and played it with my friends tonight... I can definitely say that the magic is back!

The game itself is basically the same game I played back in the 80s with a more detailed set of instructions and a bigger board. The characters and rules are pretty much as I remember them. Each player randomly selects a character to play (such as the assassin, the prophetess, the monk, or the troll) and maneuvers through three consecutively more difficult regions of the board to reach the center. As the game progresses each character will become more powerful by randomly encountering and defeating various monsters, gaining magical items and followers. Players can also help or interfere with each other as they progress. The game takes one to three hours to play for two to six players.

The only complaint I have about this new edition is that the plastic counters that are used to track lives, strength, and craft are all one color and that makes the numbers a bit hard to read. Overall I am thrilled with my purchase and hope that the old expansions such as The Dungeon, The City, and Timescape are released as well. Highly recommended!

Once again a great Modesty Blaise book marred by a major flaw.

"The Xanadu Talisman" is the tenth book in the Modesty Blaise series of books, and was written by Peter O'Donnell in 1981, i.e., 16 years after he had started the series with "Modesty Blaise" in 1965. By now the series was well established and very popular, with a large number of fans (including myself) waiting impatiently for each new book.

Unfortunately, by this time the series was on a slow downwards trend - my rating for each of the first seven books is four or five stars, while books eight, nine and ten only get three stars each. This is because there were two problems that were becoming more and more pronounced with the later books in the series: a repetitiveness in the basic plots and the way in which the bad guys were becoming less scary and invincible, and more weird and silly.

In this book, like most of the books in the series, Modesty and her loyal sidekick Willie Garvin encounter some nasty bad guys. Modesty and Willie get captured, and then, through their ingenuity and incredible fighting skills, they break out of imprisonment and win several battles against the bad guys.

The story in "The Xanadu Talisman" is quite good, sufficiently complicated to keep you guessing for a while. There are also several sub-plots that come together in a satisfying way, and a couple of interesting twists in the last three chapters. To avoid revealing too much I'll just say that a stolen (and re-stolen) treasure of immense value is involved as well as the kidnapping of a young English woman.

Much of the action occurs in and around Morocco. A wealthy Arab sheikh, Prince Rahim Mohajeri Azhari of Saudi Arabia, has built an isolated palace high in the Atlas Mountains. This is Xanadu, and it is here that the climax of the story occurs.

Unfortunately, Prince Rahim is not the top bad guy. (The book would have been better if he was.) Instead, the top bad guys are Nanny Pendergast and two young brothers, Jeremy and Dominic Silk. It turns out that Jeremy and Dominic were left in the care of Nanny Pendergast at a young age, and grew up being trained by their nanny to become top criminals and martial artists. Sounds crazy? I agree. No matter how deadly Peter O'Donnell portrays this trio they still come across as totally ridiculous, and this is an irreparable weakness in the book. A good thriller needs some really formidable bad guys, like the ones who populated the first five Modesty books, not wimps like the Silk brothers and their nanny.

On the plus side I can mention that Modesty and Willie have finally given up smoking, and that this book has a clever humorous ending, instead of the sugar-sweet endings of some of the previous books in the series.

I'll complete this review by explaining the quote that I used on the subject line, "Was bad combat move. Better I take Arab first ... he have submachine gun." (page 276) This can go down as "famous last words", having been uttered by one of the protagonists just before dying. In the heat of the final battle he found himself confronted by two enemies and chose to shoot the one he personally hated instead of the one who was more heavily armed. Bad combat move.

Recommended, but do yourself a favor and start reading the series from the start. The first six-seven books are the best.

Rennie Petersen

This later entry in the Modesty & Willie saga really delivers-- the second half is almost all action, and the plot is never too kooky to spur active disbelief. The early clue will be deciphered by history buffs, but it's satisfying for all that. We also learn more about Modesty's beginnings, and her first murder-- in self-defense, but traumatic for all that.

Straight-ahead entertainment at its best.

Another great Modesty Blaise. The story takes you from North Africa, through the French Riviera back to the Sahara, and has some terrific moments. Little Krell is one of the best characters in the series, and this book has some of the best combat scenes you will read.