Escape Books

Having grown up in the AOG denomination, and having witnessed much of the corruption of the 70's and 80's, I could believe most of what the author details. It has a gossipy feel...rather "National Enquirer" for the pentecostal set. It kept my interest, although I could have done without the gratuitous description of his first intimate encounter with the woman who would become his wife. The tone is self-pitying, but perhaps he had reason to feel poorly-used by the powers-that-were at the time.

...parts of this are hard to believe. Mr. Miles became a circus ringmaster on the way to his dream of Hollywood stardom, and got entangled in the late-80s web of evangelical Christian corruption. That part of his book, and the surrounding stories, are (relatively) believeable. What isn't is the connections to the Kennedy assasination, Marilyn Monroe's death/murder/suicide, and the Jim Jones religious cult mass suicide in Guyana in 1977. Otherwise, those with an appetite for this kind of stuff will, as Austin Miles himself puts it late in this book (quote approximate), "[you] will read this book, cover to cover, because it [has] lots and lots of juicy gossip and that will certainly appeal to the likes of you!"

Whether it will appeal to the likes of anyone unfamiliar with the PTL scandal--now more than a decade removed--is difficult to say at best.

How bizarre (and unbelievable) is this: "Gathered together at that retreat center was a group called Camps Farthest Out (CFO). . . baptism was conducted in this group. A gourd of water with a hose attached was hung from a tree limb . . . the other end of the hose was inserted in the rectum of the person being baptized . . ." (p.238, DCMB, 1989)

I laughed out loud at that nonsense. Brothers and Sisters, we will have a baptism today at the old oak!

He had me going until THAT. Now, although I accept some of what he says, I wonder, Does this man have a problem? A deep problem?

First published at the height of the televangelism scandals of the late 1980's, "Don't Call Me Brother" recounts the story of a boy who ran away to join the circus, became a well-known ringmaster, found Jesus after a miraculous healing of an audience member that occurred after Miles asked for silent prayer for the man, and later became a fixture on the PTL Club. Much of the material here will not be shocking to anyone who followed PTL scandal (and who didn't?), but the slander, hatred, and hypocrisy shown by rank-and-file ministers of the Gospel was quite surprising, at least to me. Also surprising is the contention by Miles that homosexuality and adultery run rampant in the Assemblies of God denomination. I can't help but think he's overstating this just a little. But, there's more to the story than what is emphasized.

Miles is somewhat mysterious early in the book about his first marriage. It almost seems like his daughter just arrives on the scene with scant explanation. As the story unfolds, it seems that his first wife was responsible for getting him caught up in a conspiracy concerning the Kennedy presidency and Marilyn Monroe. Thus, Miles has to go through a name change from Al Maddox, his previous stage name, to Austin Miles. Toward the end of the book, we learn that the FBI has been harrassing acquaintances of Miles, paying them off (or not paying them off, in the case of the good church folks) to come up with dirt on him to destroy his reputation. Therefore, the FBI seems to be as much or more to blame than the church. The hostility he received from the church could have simply come from fear of the FBI. But then, this is a book attacking the church, not the FBI. Miles will probably never write that book.

His second marriage to the love of his life, a Swiss heiress, is threatened by his religious conversion and subsequent departure from his life as a ringmaster to constantly be on the road to speak at churches and religious functions. Once again, it seems the church is to blame for destroying his family. However, if he'd have handled things with a little more wisdom, he could have had Jesus and his family, too. Could it be that he was at least a little bit to blame for the situation?

Interestingly, he still cannot bring himself to explain away the healings and miracles that were part of his ministry. If what a previous reviewer said is true, that Austin Miles has returned to the ministry, then it's probably the undeniable power of God that he experienced firsthand that kept him connected. Hopefully, there are some needed reconciliations that have taken place since this book was written. With all that said, this is a book that is hard to put down once you've started, and is a worthwhile read if the reader keeps things in perspective.

The author is not a particularly loveable guy. After all he was one among the traveling preachers whom he exposes here. However you probably will feel for him as his life and family fall apart. His stories of the evangelists who travel from church to church rang true to me. My childhood church was involved with the things Miles talks about and he even mentions my former church's pastor by name. (See Angels on Assignment.) I have a childhood memory of a one eyed traveling preacher coming to preach at our church. After having someone blindfold his good eye he proceeded to `read' people's names off their driver's licenses. Once the congregation was all worked up by this `miracle' they passed the collection plate. (If you're wondering how he may have managed this trick of reading with an empty eye socket read James Randi's book The Faith Healers.) Read this book for an eye opening peek behind the scenes of Pentecostalism, televangelism, and the Assembly of God church. If you or someone you care about is involved with this movement I especially urge you to read this book. The connection to Jim Jones (remember poison kool-aid?) was a shock to me.

This book is very good but got a little carried away. The thought of getting butted of a cliff and getting torn apart by zombies is just plain creepy. There were cool parts and funny parts. If this was a movie I bet it would at least be rated PG or PG-13.

This book is very good but got a little carried away. The thought of getting butted of a cliff and getting torn apart by zombies is just plain creepy. There were cool parts and funny parts. If this was a movie I bet it would at least be rated PG or PG-13.

This is an alright book because it's easy to read. This book was for SSR in my english class. Its about a girl that goes to camp and when she goes hiking stuff start to happen to her. It was boring because I knew what was going to happen.

R.L. Stine is a great author and he's one of my favorites.I love Goosebump books.Especially the choose-your-own-adventure ones because you can never expect what will happen next.In book number 19, Escape from Camp Run-For-Your-Life, you are going to a sports camp. The camp that you are going to is called Camp Pendleton.But then you see a sign up ahead that says CAMP RUNNING LEAF.But people call it CAMP RUN-FOR-YOUR-LIFE.You wonder why they would call it that way. Then... when you get there you notice that the camp coaches work as slave drivers.The campers are robots.And the food is just sick.
There are two activities that you will have to choose from.One is the Selection, and the other is that you can look for bones in the Zombie Cave.
If you choose the Selection, you get to do an obstacle course. But why is the water sqirming?
If you choose to look for bones in the Zombie Cave you get a chance to win a medal.Or you can be one of the zombies.

This 137 page book is great for anyone who thinks their brave enough. You get to choose from over 20 unique conclusions both good and bad.So whay are you waiting for, go pick up a copy of this book now. I know that you will like this book, here are some other books that you can choose from: #5 Night in Werewolf Woods, #14 The Creepy Creations of Professor Shock,and #17 Little Comic Shops of Horrors. Thank You Very Much For Your Time.

R.L. Stine is a great author and he's one of my favorites.I love Goosebump books.Especially the choose your own adventure ones because you can never expect what will happen next.In book number 19, Escape from Camp Run-For-Your-Life, you are going to a sports camp. The camp that you are going to is called Camp Pendleton.But then you see a sign up ahead that says CAMP RUNNING LEAF.But people call it CAMP RUN-FOR-YOUR-LIFE.You wonder why they would call it that way. Then... when you get there you notice that the camp coaches work as slave drivers.The campers are robots.And the food is just sick.
There are two activities that you will have to choose from.One is the Selection, and the other is that you can look for bones in the Zombie Cave.
If you choose the Selection, you get to do an obstacle course. But why is the water sqirming?
If you choose to look for bones in the Zombie Cave you get a chance to win a medal.Or you can be one of the zombies.

This 137 page book is great for anyone who thinks their brave enough. You get to choose from over 20 unique conclusions both good and bad.So whay are you waiting for, go pick up a copy of this book now. I you like this book, here are some other books that you can choose from: #5 Night in Werewolf Woods, #14 The Creepy Creations of Professor Shock,and #17 Little Comic Shops of Horrors. Thank You very much for your time.

A gripping plot that keeps you asking for more. It's Gaia like you never seen her before. You'll want to read Fearless in one sitting

It all begins with Gaia returning from her hellish visit from the hospital. She turns to Natasha for advice, yet Natasha neglects Gaia's wishes to call some contacts from the Agency. Natasha tells Gaia to just sit tight and wait it out, which we all know Gaia is not about to do. She then thinks of Tatiana and how she never puts up with ...and doesn't like to 'wait stuff out'. Natasha informs Gaia that Tatiana went out for coffee. Before leaving to seek out Natasha, Gaia gives Sam a little visit, making plans with him to talk about finding her father.
Gaia then heads to the local hangout coffee place; a place she tries to avoid. Naturally, the FOHs are there, but right in the middle of the gang...is Tatiana and Ed. she gets close enough to listen to their conversation, which is about Heather. Suddenly, Megan, a fellow FOH, gets an idea; to throw Heather a benefit, to help raise money for Heather's blindness. Gaia says that she doesn't think it's a good idea, in her strong-type-...ed-off get-the-hell-outta-my-face way. Jake comes along, out of no where and, as usual, pisses Gaia off. Just as she's about to throw a punch, someone grabs her arm. Ed. Draging her off to a quiet corner, he gives her a little kiss and tells her to calm down. But Gaia's attention is diverted to a certain man buying coffee, who seems oddly familiar. While Ed tries to grab Gaia's attention, she scans this guy and remembers that he's the EMT who told her that she couldn't ride in the back of the ambulance with her father. She thinks, automatically, that seeing him more than once in the past two days is a bit odd for her. Finally, by waving his hand in her face, Ed gets her attention and tells her that they are drifting apart. He tells her that they're gonna have a date, a REAL date, with Gaia wearing a dress and everything. She agrees, kinda.

There's a little snippet of the beginning. To find out the meaning of the title, read the book.

well I hate to say this, but this book was very very close to not even worth being in the series. Yes she had great plot twists. I loved how things kept going wrong for Gaia, and I loved her psycho analyasis talk after each time she was attacked. However it's been killed with her and Ed. If this relationship is brought back I think I will stop reading. DOn't get me wrong, that's why I read this far into the series. I lvoed Ed and Gaia together, but shes thrown so many complications in and so many breakups and problems it's lost intrest. I am left thinking no matter how other books go, Ed and Gaia will never work and that kills it for me.

OMG! This book really stretched my patience thin. Francine Pascal has been using the same, unnerving technique of hooking us readers...by lengthening the plot of Gaia in a never-to-be-normal life...again and again.Book #16 had me thinking that Gaia's life couldn't get any worse, but Pascal proved me wrong - nearly 11 times. Nothing's reasurring about this book, especially who Gaia loves or cares about. Yeah, Gaia kicks . . . of thugs who are mostly egocentric males, but even the action scenes are fading in adrenaline and originality. There's one thing to always look forward to in every new book in the series...(drumroll)...lengthened suspense of how Gaia's life/future will turn out, even if it means 20 more books in the series. If you like plodding, repeatedly worn plots, Pascal's plan to lengthen the series will be an abundant fountain of reassurement. To me, the books are a waste of time. Instead, I focus on reading a variety of books, even nonfiction. Read Tamora Pierce, COURT DUEL, Garth Nix for original plots starring R-E-A-L heroines everyday teen girls can relate to.

ok, it's official. i'm giving up on happy endings for gaia and ed. their relationship goes down the drain in about every way possible. timing really ... in this book. gaia has no idea how lucky she was to have ed in her life. i even threw the book against the wall, vowing not to finish it or get the next one. well, needless to say...i finished it today and i'm kind of mad that i did. so, after months of reading 26 books in this series and STILL not feeling satisfied, i'm giving up. i'm not reading the next one. also, something is up with sam...and we still have no idea what happened to gaia's father. so, if you're an ed and gaia lover, like me, i don' think you'll care too much for this book. but, i do hope that you enjoy it more than i did.

This was an exiting and little known story about one of the great liners of the 1930's. If only it had a happier ending!

great read. story is told in a very interesting manner. this little know subject is brought forth with great storytelling

Shadow Voyage tells the story of the escape of the Bremen. The story is interesting and well told. We may not have heard this story before, but there are many stories of WWII that we have not heard or that have vanished into the murkiness of war. It is quite extraordinary to have a story such as this, which is on the surface only of interest to employees of Norddeutscher Lloyd and their relatives, told 60 years later by an American. Thank you, Peter Huchthausen, for bringing these stories to light. Better maps would help us understand exactly where the locations are; thus the reduction of a star here. On a personal note: a crewmember, a purser,from the Bremen was having a picnic at my grandparents house in suburban NY when he was called to return to the ship for the imminent departure that evening. No one ever heard from this fellow again, nor had any idea what happened to him or to the ship. Thanks to this marvelous book, we at least know that he made it home, however briefly. This is a story about ordinary people in extraordinary times.

"Shadow Voyage" is the story of the Bremen, a German luxury passenger ship. SV opens in late August, 1939 on the eve of WW2. Hostilities are imminent. Some westbound German ships are recalled to Europe in mid-Atlantic. Bremen's skipper proceeds to New York, hoping for a fast turnaround. The authorities try to delay the sailing until the British Navy can set up a blockade, but run out of excuses to hold her. Assisted by foul weather, Bremen evades the dragnet and sails safely to the Russian port of Murmansk on the Barents Sea. The reader might wonder why Germany ever trusted Russia as her ally. Bremen then makes her second (!) dash for freedom -this time under war conditions-to her namesake home port. She is sighted by the British submarine Salmon, but her by the book skipper refuses to attack the unarmed and unescorted Bremen! SV is a solid wartime saga, but the adventure was not critical to the conflict's outcome. SV is well researched, with poignant if reconstructed dialog and offers fast, pleasant reading. Author Huchthausen carefully portrays Bremen's crew as dedicated and professional sailors. There were ardent Nazis aboard but they are firmly in the background. One might wonder if an Allied agent set the fire that destroyed Bremen at a dock in her home port. SV would rate 5 stars but for 2 defects. The first is the lack of a glossary of nautical terms. The second is the inadequacy of the MAPS! This is an all too common defect in military tales and one that this reviewer has railed against before. But in a novel placed almost entirely at sea, good maps are obligatory! How many of us can find the Skagerrak, the Kattegat, the Kola Fjiord, Great Belt or Wesser Estuary without one? Those paying hardcover prices should not have to also secure a World Atlas to follow the action. Hopefully, forthcoming paperback editions of SV will remedy this defect. That would promote SV back to its' more deserving permanent rank of 5 stars.

Overall the book is a good read, even though in part it might be considered an historical novel, as much of the dialogue, although based on memoirs, seems rather made up; it does have the right 'feel' to it however.
But there are a number of niggling errors, these among them. The stacks of the Bremen were raised considerably in 1930, so in 1939 could not be considered squat.
The Conte di Savoia never held the Blue Riband, and the Rex held it only westbound.
The Spanish Civil War began in July 1936, so there could not have been riots about German involvement in March or July 1935. The Hakenkreuz had already been adopted by then.
The Hunting Salon was an auxiliary/private dining room next to the main restaurant on E deck, not on A deck. It had no stuffed animal heads as did many American smokers, nor any Gobelin (French) tapestries. Gobelin is a generic German term for any scenic tapestry, and these were all of German design and make.
Historians of all stripes should be more careful.

I am surprised at some of the past reviewers of this book. They sound like armchair secret agents that want a book like this to tell them all the secrets of 9/11, Roswell and the Kennedy assassination, all for under a dollar!



The truth is, however, that this book is a how-to manual for people who need to lay low for a while, because of financial problems, stalkers, vengeful ex-spouses, or what have you.



Do the techniques it describes work? YES. Using them I was able to disappear for several months during a time when a vengeful and psychotic ex-boyfriend wanted very much to put a bullet in me. He is now sitting in prison, and I am safe for at least 20 years. But if I hadn't found this book then I would likely be dead at this point.



I strongly recommend this book for anyone who needs to get away from things for a while - without anyone being able to track them down.

If you read this book and find yourself saying, "wow, I never would have thought of that!" you may have more important issues to deal with than ones your looking to run away from. The suggestions offered are very basic and common-sense which was a little disappointing; more annoying is that the author continually points you to other books, most of which are published by... you guessed it, the same publisher that put this one out. It comes across as a thinly veiled advertisement more than a manual.

I am really disappointed in this book. There is nothing written that cannot be figured out by an average adult. The suggestions given do not go into enough detail to be useful. Instead, try a book like Bulletproof Privacy, by Boston T. Party, if you really want to cover your tracks.

this book is more like a large pamphlet. The book is mainly a lot of ideas that are somewhat common sense (at least to me). In order to make most of this book work for you, you might want to also get a book on how to extremely lower your standards. The author suggests most of his ideas to become homeless and hitchhike as opposed to actually setting up a new identity although there are a few ideas about that. All in all for the length of the read i didnt expect to much, but got a few ideas.

Most books on the subject of Fake ID tell you how to start over completely. You have to sever ties to your former life permanently and completely. There is no going back. But what if you aren't sure you want to change your ID completely? What if all you need is an extended vacation to collect your thoughts and prepare a plan?

"Cover Your Tracks Without Changing Your Identity" introduces the concept of a "light identity change". This interesting title explains how to leave your old identity intact but keep your problems finding you at your new location. Using Wilson's tactics in "Cover Your Tracks Without Changing Your Identity", you will be able to return to your former identity if you desire.

The information contained in this unique title will undoubtedly help many people.

When I heard about the events after the book "The Ancestor Cell", I was deeply heartbroken. Gallifrey did not have to be destroyed, neither did the Doctor's memory needed to be taken from him, because it sucks. I'm glad that the TARDIS is back, the Doctor's memory though, that's another thing. At the end of the book, he couldn't even remember Sam, which is a great disappointment. Not to mention, I was still a little upset. I feel a bit better, but not entirely well until the Doctor's memory completely returns. As for Gallifrey, perhaps it is best to put things to rest.

The Doctor and Fitz are reunited at last. But the Doctor isn't quite the man Fitz used to know. Searching for Anji Kapoor's kidnapped boyfriend the Doctor And Fitz soon find themselves caught up in a struggle between two rivals to be the first privately funded man in space.

Being the last in the `Stranded on Earth' story arc sees a fun, classic story like the ones before the arc had begun. Fitz is back, hours after the eventful happenings on the now non-existant Gallifrey. The TARDIS has returned. A new companion has come aboard and best of all, the Doctor is his old self again (well kind of, he still lacks a lot of his memory and has a tendency to end a situation with more violence than usual.)

A strange part of the novel is the inclusion of the American version of UNIT, they do play a part but have no bearing whatsoever on the story. The ending is great, ending it with the same feeling ,story that continues into the next story (like with the classic 1st Doctor televised stories) and makes this a great starting point for new Doctor Who readers. This is a fun, light hearted book that rounds off the whole `Exiled on Earth' arc wonderfully. RECOMMENDED!!!

Escape Velocity should have been a watershed book for the 8th Doctor line. There's an awful lot of agenda on the plate of Colin Brake, writing a DW novel for the first time. There's the return of Fitz, last seen 6 books ago. The introduction of a new companion, Anji (a soulful, sexy... stockbroker??). The return of the TARDIS, the original TARDIS (last seen a year ago). And the escape of Doctor Who into Time and Space once more.

Escape Velocity is a genial romp. Two factions of an archetypal alien race (the insane warmongerers and the peaceful philosopher-kings) are stranded on Earth, working on competing teams to send the first privately-built vehicle into space. Those competing teams were once friends (and of course, right in betweeen is the women they loved). This is a simple and effective setup, and a good thematic backdrop for the Doctor's own escape into space.

However, the book tends to zip along with all the energy of a pulp story, when it could be argued that this novel, of all others, required a little more thought and dignity (and better-edited prose). Nothing unpredictable or novel ever happens.

It's best to read "Escape Velocity" as a collection of set pieces. The Doctor's reintroduction to Fitz, and the TARDIS's rebirth, both should bring a smile to the reader's face. Anji, the new companion, is an excellent stockbroker and a slightly less excellent girlfriend. We know this because Brake tells us so -- every couple of chapters, when it becomes important, a piece of character outline is stapled into the text. This is nothing new -- technical fiction writers dump their exposition into the text at necessary times (Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton to name obvious examples). It speaks better of the surrounding books that we've come to expect more than this from our "Doctor Who" potboilers, and that's why it's disappointing here.

Escape Velocity is a fast, easy read, safe and predictable. Not necessarily in a good sense. When the Doctor is returned to space, we don't get a taste of new, dangerous uncharted waters -- we simply get a replay of the very first "Doctor Who" cliffhanger, from 1963. A sense of adventure and the unknown has been lost, and it will be up to future writers to return "Doctor Who" to the cutting edge where it has thrived for parts of five decades.

Colin Brake's first Doctor Who novel is not a resounding success. The prose is a bit laboured, the Doctor's first meeting with Fitz in 100 years (as far as the Doctor is concerned) is rather anticlimactic and the characters are rather wooden.

The reason this book gets three stars, though, is Anji. Her character is a breath of fresh air after the companionless books that have just passed. Brake goes into a lot of detail about her and we really get to know her. Her relationship with her boyfriend is real (I've known people like him).

Escape Velocity brings the Caught on Earth arc to a conclusion. It's not necessarily a satisfying one, but it does provide a good jumping off point for the next series of adventures (even down to the menacing shadow on the TARDIS door at the end of the book).

I'm not quite sure what to make of ESCAPE VELOCITY. On one hand, it is certainly a very flawed work, with many more holes and problems than I'm usually comfortable reading. On the other hand, I can't say it was an entirely unpleasant read, or even an unenjoyable one. It's a fun romp, if you turn your brain off at the door.

There are a lot of major problems with this book. The motivations of the main villains are not stated until near the end, and even then they are so ill-defined, that it's difficult to grasp what they are doing and why they are doing it. Unfortunately, this fault extends to a lot of the other characters as well. The book spends far far too much time telling us about people rather than showing their actions to us. There are places where it feels as though it is still in outline form, waiting for the author to come over and flesh out these sequences. The prose doesn't do any favours in this department either, as it's workman at best, but occasionally slumps down into incoherence.

The poor pacing is probably one of the main aspects holding this book back. Every time it starts to do things well, the action will start skipping ahead randomly, utterly killing any positive momentum that it had gained. It's not so much a case that the book takes two steps backwards for every one step forward -- rather it takes one step backwards, three steps sideways, a step and a half in a diagonal direction, and spins around on its tiptoes before being gang-tackled at about the 40-yard-line for a minimal gain (and if you like that NFL analogy, wait until you read the ones in the book). This was really a shame, as the bad parts really started to outshine the places that had potential. About half-way through the story I found myself mentally cheering the book on, hoping against hope that it would succeed despite itself. I felt like a soccer mom, bravely shouting encouragement to her skinny, smaller-than-the-other-kids child to defy the odds and not let the team down. And fortunately, despite some moments where it gets really rough, ESCAPE VELOCITY did not score an own goal.

On the plus side, the introduction of the new companion, Anji, is done fairly well. It's obvious that a lot of thought has gone into what makes this character tick. Alas, not as much thought has gone into what makes this character tick inside the context of this story. What everyone has said about her character outline being randomly cut'n'pasted into the text here is completely, one hundred percent correct. It would have been nice to see Anji's thoughts and reactions better integrated into the story.

I also liked the method in which the Doctor arranges to meet Fitz "at St. Louis"; this was quite clever. The reaction to the restored TARDIS was done very well, and the characters of Anji and her boyfriend had a nice chemistry going. The problem is, however, that for everything that I liked, there was something lurking around the next page to annoy me. The aforementioned lack of proper motivations, the pointless inclusion of the UNIT competitors and, worst of all, the sheer silliness of the ending.

ESCAPE VELOCITY was a hard book to dislike. Although it made several major mistakes, it managed to somehow tell an entertaining story that held my interest throughout. It goes from good points to bad in a seemingly random, unpredictable manner, but for all its flaws, it seems to have its heart in the right place. Recommended as a fun romp, as long as you aren't looking for something to take completely seriously.

The criticisms of this book are true. The information that the reviewers say is lacking is indeed not there. More importantly, the information--especially the photographs and drawings--that is there is spectcacular. While I would like to know much more information about the life of the prisoners, and many other details, the information that is here would likely be much harder to find than what is missing if the authors had not provided it. I think that the problem might be the title more than anything else. Possibly the title infers something different from what was delivered.
I was thrilled and amazed to see B24 and B17 aircraft with Swiss air force markings. These must be really rare photographs indeed.

Squadron Signal books are primarily printed as an aid to model builders. With this in mind, amost the entirety of the book is dedicated to detailed photos and drawings of the aircraft in question.

This is in response to one of the previous reviews that wished there was more information on the pilots interned in Switzerland. You might want to read "Refuge from the Reich" by Stephen Tanner. He goes into all the details regarding the men and includes a nice, concise, history of how Switzerland ended up being neutral.

This review is mainly a response to previous reviews more than the book itself. For those familiar with Squadron/Signal publications, the format of this book will be familiar. The subjects of most Squadron/Signal publications are aircraft specifically, more so than the men who flew them.

The two previous reviews for this book (as of the time of this posting) are actually for Strangers in a Strange Land Vol. II: Escape to Neutrality. The first (and more interesting) volume of this series, also by Stapfer, dealt with allied aircraft that had fallen into the hands of the Luftwaffe during WWII.

The story of the planes and men interned in Switzerland during World War II is little known. Unfortunately, after reading this book, it is still mostly a mystery. I congratulate the authors for tackling the subject, but their treatment is superficial, focusing primarily on the aircraft and only secondarily on the men who flew them in. Though the book is full of excellent photographs of the planes that limped into neutral Switzerland, it does not examine some of the greater issues of the internees. There is little on the way the interned aircrews lived while in captivity, even less on the notorious Swiss prison camp the Swiss operated for some internees. The authors, who are Swiss, do touch briefly on the delicate balancing act the Swiss played during the war in placating their stronger neighbor, Nazi Germany, while at the same time staying neutral and providing a haven for combatants. One interesting story that is covered briefly is the fact that the Swiss, on occasion, did fire on US aircraft, and in several circumstances, that fire, whether from a Swiss fighter plane or antiaircraft fire, resulted in the deaths of American airmen. There are, however, other stories of the Swiss escorting damaged ships in to land, or not turning rescued crewmen over to the Germans. In short, this is a good book, but it could have been much, much more if it had taken a multi-dimensional approach to the history of the Swiss internees and their aircraft.

This book is one of many which tries to debunk the death of Jesus on the cross and his resurrection. And it fails miserably just like all the others. The author believes that Jesus did not die on the cross but rather was taken down from the Cross alive and placed in a tomb and after three days left the tomb and eventually went to India to preach the gospel to the Lost Tribes of Israel that were living there. This is just another version of the Swoon Theory. And the one of the strongest arguments refuting this theory is Strauss' critique. It basically says that when Jesus appeared to the Disciples, he would have been in really bad condition; he would be limping; his side wound would still be open; he would be tired and sweating from all the walking. But how would Jesus convince the disciples that he was raised from the dead under these conditions? The disciples would have said that Jesus is alive but not raised. The Bible clearly says that Jesus rose from the dead (Lk 24:34, 2Ti 2:8).

The author tries to get around this problem by claiming that those who put Jesus in the tomb put a "special" ointment on his nail wounds, which healed his wounds within three days. And the sources he states that show medical evidence for this ointment are all Islamic books. That alone is quite sketchy. But to believe that Jesus' nail wounds in this feet and hands healed in three days requires tremendous faith. Even modern medical practices cannot achieve such a high recovery rate.

The author tries to prove his point by using the Gospels. Although, I'm not sure which Gospels he is using, the biblical Gospels or Gnostic Gospels. He grossly misinterprets the Scriptures and does not have a holistic understanding of the Gospels. For example, he misinterprets Matthew 16:28 where it talks about some will not taste death before the coming of the Son of Man in his kingdom. He thinks this verse proves that Jesus did not die on the Cross. But "the coming of the Son of Man in his kingdom" is best interpreted by scholars to refer to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD by the Romans. Jesus coming in his kingdom can include not just blessings but also judgment. But the Jewish Christians would have seen the destruction of Jerusalem as the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

It is apparent that the author is attacking Christianity because he had a bad experience with a Christian. He bases his theology upon his experience, which is dangerous. He thinks that God will always answer the prays of those who are opposed or persecuted. The author once was in a situation where he was oppressed and he prayed to God and God answered his prayer, so therefore God must answer a pray by an opposed or persecuted person. So when Jesus said on the Cross, "Father, Father, why have you forsaken me?", the author finds it hard to believe that God would not answer that pray and save His Son from the cross. Basing a theology on an experience is in most cases unfalsifiable. If I said that I went to a cave and an angel appeared to me and gave me some revelation from God, then how can you ever falsify my claim? You were not in the cave with me.

This book is an interesting read but not very scholarly. And the author is not well educated in Roman crucifixion or the Gospels.

I have recently read The Rozabal Line and Jesus Lived in India: His Unknown Life Before and After the Crucifixion. I find it incredible that this book (a century ago) could say what these books are saying today... that Jesus did not die on the cross, that he lived on in India (which was his spiritual home owing to the lost tribes in India theory). Hazrat Mirza's book may lack much of the "science" that has been cited by Kersten or Haigins, but it makes up for that in spiritual content.

To think this author had come up with this theory over 100 years ago is just bind-boggling. I wouldn't be surprised if all these new documentaries, books, etc. coming out regarding jesus are using this book as their premise!

Jesus in India, though innovative in its proposed mechanisms for Christ's survival from death on the cross, is essentially just a theistic twist on the same swoon theory that had been explored and exploited in the 17th and 18th centuries. Ahmad, founder of the Ahmadiyya Sect of Islam and author of this book, has taken a further step in attempting to persuade his audience to his point of view: he dives into the text of the gospels and extracts verses which he spins into a tale of a divine conspiracy that results in Jesus' escape to India.

The problems with Ahmad's thesis are many, and I will briefly attempt to expound the most pertinent.

First, the very premise of extracting verses from the gospels which could indicate that Jesus survived the cross is a horrendous method of investigation. If the gospels clearly delineate that Jesus died on the cross, which they do (Mt 27:50; Mk 15:37; Lk 23:46; Jn 19:30,33), then extracting verses from those very documents to support the idea that he did not die on the cross amounts to simple text manipulation.

Ahmad extracts facts such as Jesus' short duration on the cross, Pilate's desire to release Jesus, Jesus' knees not being broken etc. as indications that he must not have died on the cross. But when the gospels clearly state that Jesus died, attempting to cast events in a vague or ambiguous light to make it appear as if Jesus did not die is simply distraction and distortion. Ahmad also uses Jesus' statement that his sign would be the sign of Jonah (Mt 12:39-40) to declare that Jesus prophetically announced that he would survive the crucifixion (since Jonah survived the belly of the whale). Of course, such a usage of this verse completely ignores the verses where Jesus clearly says he would be killed upon his return to Jerusalem (e.g. Mt 16:21).

In addition, Ahmad uses Jesus' declaration that he was sent to the lost sheep of Israel as a clear reason to believe that Jesus would travel to India, since, according to Ahmad, the Jews who had been relocated there in the time of Nebuchadnezzar are those "lost sheep". Although this is clever and ingenious, it has three problems: 1- there is little reason to believe that those are the lost sheep, when term "lost" in the gospels most often means spiritually and not geographically lost. 2- even if it were the case that Jesus' primary objective was to spread the message to India, this does not necessitate the idea that he himself would have to travel there. His teachings could be spread there via his disciples. This would be more in line with even Islamic thought, as Muhammad is said to have come for all mankind, yet this does mandate that he travel to every part of the globe. But, most importantly, 3- this rendering of "the lost sheep" completely disregards the Great Commission (Mt 28:19), where Jesus clearly states that his message was to be spread throughout the world, not just the Jews. Thus it was not as Ahmad claims, that Jesus could not have died because his mission was not yet finished (see Jn 19:30).

The fact of the matter is obvious to the non-biased reader: the gospels declare that Jesus died on the cross. To extract verses and manipulate them in effort to make him appear as if he did not die is faulty methodology which pushes the bounds of honest investigation and borders on biased propaganda.

Finally, Ahmad does not resolve the contrary evidence of early documents which record the fact of Jesus' death (e.g. Tacitus, Lucian of Samosata, Mara Bar Serapion, Josephus, etc.) Though he does not directly address this point, he appears to have an implicit response. In answer to such records of history, as well as to the Strauss Critique, Ahmad offers a theistic swoon theory: if God chose to save Jesus, then Jesus could survive the cross. Unanswered by his implicit theory, however, is one extremely significant problem, itself a deathblow to Ahmad's whole position. If God chose to save Jesus in a manner that makes it look like Jesus was resurrected, especially in light of Jesus' prior claims to resurrection, then God is responsible for the creation of Christianity, a false religion which causes billions of people to worship a false God. Can Ahmad truly believe that Allah, the God of Islam that despises shirk (the worship of anyone but Him alone) would be the sole cause of the most pervasive shirk religion of history? And considering that shirk is the only unforgivable sin in Islam, can Ahmad honestly say that Allah would consign billions of people to Hell on account of saving Jesus just so he could travel to India?

Jesus in India is thus pockmarked with loopholes of faulty methodology and reasoning. What starts as a haphazard extraction of certain verses and total disregard for others is carried through a train of logical improbabilities and sheer speculations, ending in a self-defeating proposition with which even Ahmad himself would never even agree.

Long before Holger Kersten (the German archeologist) heard of it and before the Davinci Code was ever dreamed up, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad laid it all out. The debate as to what happened to Jesus has puzzled seekers for centuries. This book makes it tangible, even clear. I have heard several stories regarding what happened to Jesus during and after the crucifixion, and while some are quite entertaining, none fits all of the pieces together like Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's rendition. He references the Holy Qur'an, the Gospels (verse by verse), the Hadith, ancient Hindu and Buddhist records, a Russian traveler's findings...It's truly the most amazing and thorough treatment you will find on the subject. And the subject is ground-breaking--for if it is true (I am now convinced that it most certainly is), this stands to disprove modern interpretations of Christianity, silence those Jews who claim to have killed Jesus (thus, proving him a false prophet), and set aright the modern-day Muslims who believe in a Jesus not too different from the Christian belief. This book will be recorded as one of the single biggest causes for the crumbling of false ideologies and for the victory of Islam.

This book gives you just enough information to help you to plan a great family vacation. They give you places and numbers to call to get more information on some great trips accross the country. For a busy parent who wnats to get more bang out of their short vaction this is a must have. We love the book.

This guide was a wonderful breath of fresh air. As parents of a 14 yr old we were really tired of the same old vacations and really had no idea that exploring North America could be so interesting. Our family used this book as a guide on a recent trip to Montana and South Dakota. It was a terific trip--from the Blackfeet tours to Little Big Horn to Lakota Pony Rides, we truly had a unique experience. Ms. Stapen's guide helped us navigate and explore the most interesting sites these states had to offer. The guide was very informative, especially pointing out those places that are "kid friendly". The book was even helpful in pointing out certain tours not especially suited for kids.---ie. the tour at Little Bighorn. While this did not stop us from going on tour, it did prepare us for the " are we finished yet" complaints of our 14 yr. old. I highly recommend this guide for anyone considering vacationing anywhere in the U.S. From the Pacific Northwest to the East Coast and throughout Canada, this book will help you if you are truly looking for a different type of vacation. I urge anyone to consult this guide---- it will open up a whole new world!

As the mother of two active and intellectually curious boys, I was so disappointed with this National Geographic book that I am sorely tempted to return it to the publisher. My aim: to find some suggestions for hikes in the White Mountains and family resorts in New Hampshire for this summer and an exciting, wilderness approach to seeing the West for next summer. The cover: a healthy, athletic father and son, in a kayak on a pristine lake. The subtitle: wildlife encounters, cultural explorations and learning escapes in the US and Canada. The inside: Connecticut's only entry is an Indian museum at the Mohegan Sun gambling casino; four of Massachusett's five entries are museums in downtown Boston and the fifth a small recreation of the Plymouth Colony; New York's six entries include three museums in New York City, two adult continuing education programs in upstate NY and a weekend workshop on Indian culture in the Catskills. I could go on ,but it would only bore you. In short, every entry I read (and I quote only those states I am familiar with) could have been found in literally any run- of -the- mill (free) guidebook found in any hotel loby, restaurant or Chamber of Commerce office. (SeaWorld and Busch Gardens in Florida?? Give me a break!). I implore you to save your money and pass on this book!

Stapen's book on family adventure travel is one of the best of its kind. Our family was looking for new types of vacations (other than the usual places like DisneyWorld, the beach, etc) that would cater to children of different ages. We are looking forward to trying out several of the recommendations, such as a night at the zoo, space camp, dogsledding, llama trekking and exploring native american culture. The writeups are well done and the book is very enjoyable. A must for families. I am over 50 but could not put that in Box 5 for some reason .

This book is a real dissapointment. There is no 'adventure' here. It's just a list of museums from around the country. Now these are nice museums, but perusing the AAA Tourbooks will give you the same information for free. This books is a waste of money.

June 10, 1940 was a good day for Hitler -- his conquest of Norway was complete. Germany was now able to safely import vital Swedish iron ore from the Norwegian port of Narvik, effectively bypassing the British blockade. For Young Norwegian fishermen like Ole Grotle, it was time to sail away to freedom.

In occupied Norway, the standing army went underground, and an active resistance to the Nazi occupation began. Fishing boats and expatriates that had fled Norway were recruited to begin ferrying weapons, supplies, agents and refugees for the Norwegian underground.

British historian and military author David Howarth offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes history of these risky operations -- The Shetland Bus. His own naval experiences as a sailor and boat-maker in Shetland made him an ideal second in command, under Major L.H. Mitchell (a Scandinavian expert), at the tiny clandestine naval base.

Hoping to avoid notice by searching German patrol boats, maritime aircraft, as well as well-positioned shore batteries, and observation points, inconspicuous Norwegian fishing boats became the preferred vessel for the Shetland Bus. Needing to operate under darkness, as much as possible, on missions for up to three weeks duration, the covert vessels were restricted to the dark winter months only.

Many surreptitious operations were successfully carried out by the tiny force. Over 400 tons of arms were eventually delivered to Norway and 350 refugees rescued. Those secretive operations that met adversity are the heart of Mr. Howarth's book.

The author retells a number of adventure vignettes about undercover Shetland Bus operations. Fishing boats shot to splinters by strafing German aircraft -- floundering boats, far out in the stormy winter seas, never to be seen again -- Cold, injured men swimming between icy islands, hunted down by determined German patrols -- weary agents sneaking from farm to farm in search of help from sympathetic countrymen.

The boldest military operation assigned to the Shetland Bus is retold in 'Big Game'-- the attempted attack on the anchored German Battleship Tirpitz by two-man torpedoes (Chariots). Mr. Howarth's most riveting chapters follow desperate agents on the run across Norway with German authories in dogged pursuit.

As a war correspondent for the BBC, Mr. Howarth sharpened his skills for writing adventure stories. His book relates bravery, courage, and resourcefulness told in the low key, restrained British style. Mr. Howarth's heroes seem to be struggling against winter weather, treacherous seas and their own countrymen as much as the Germans.

A difficulty with war stories is that the voice of the enemy is usually missing, and this is surely the case here. Well into the book, I felt the author was straining to make an adventure book out of a subject that did not really deserve one. The author admits that life in the Shetland Bus operation was rather "picturesque and adventurous and sometimes even enjoyable." Operating far from the view of formal authority, team members became romantically involved with girls in Norway and sometimes brought them back to their cozy hideaway in Shetland.

Suddenly, all the air goes out of the story when the Shetland Bus is re-equipped with U.S. Navy sub chasers. The missions instantly became routine, with no casualties suffered during the last two winters of the war.

Concerning "The Shetland Bus" -- the operation and the book -- readers and author agree: "we wondered whether it had all been worth while." The Allies' invasion of Norway never did come. Mr. Howarth consoles himself that all the arms delivered must have worried the Germans and helped cheer the Norwegians through the occupation. More likely, the ten divisions Germany was forced to maintain in Norway could have been useful to the Reich elsewhere.

"The Shetland Bus" contains a gallery of 17 interesting photographs, and 3 maps. This book will be of interest to World War II espionage fans. For those who truly care about the Norway Campaign, "The Shetland Bus" is essential reading. Other similar books by Mr. Howarth are "The Sledge Patrol: One of the Greatest Adventure Stories of World War II" and "We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance."

The Shetland Bus" is the story of the British/Norwegian operation to run supplies, ammunition, weapons and secret agents from the Shetland Islands to Norway during WW2. Rescued refugees took the return trip. These efforts were key to the Norwegian resistance to the German occupation, which tied down 10 divisions and 280,000 enemy troops.
Author Howarth was well placed to write SB. He was the number 2 British Naval man in the Shetlands and had a key hand in each mission. He was obviously as close to his men as a good commander can be and writes touchingly, respectfully and personally about his charges. We learn of close escapes from the treacherous weather, quislings and the persistent, if over stretched, German authorities. If his men were in trouble, they could -and did- die in minutes in the icy North Sea, far from shore or any hope of rescue. The author lends the reader an appreciation for the sheer logistical strains behind the Shetland Bus. Balancing people, personalities, supplies, and technical details was a demanding job- one, which the author plainly relished. He was a talented writer, producing 18 historical works, several of which are available on amazon.com.
The weak side to SB is that Howarth was shoreside throughout the war. The action here is all second hand and the telling suffers. Howarth simply wasn't there. He was hundreds of miles from the action. Since this book first appeared in 1951, one gets the distinct impression that, so close to the War's end, some censorship of classified information may have been imposed. Something or someone may have held Howarth back. SB is hard to rate. Out of respect for the author, his obvious writing talent and his men: 4 stars. Amazon.com fans may wish to scroll through Howarth's (apparently) better-received WW2 efforts; "Sledge Patrol" or especially "We Die Alone". I'll end on a positive note: Here is one military book with decent maps! Hooray!

This is about the British effort to provide boats to move people between England (from the Shetland Isles) to Norway and back. Primarily agents, guns, and supplies to Norway and agents at risk back out.

The author writes well and he does a good job of telling the stories of what the Norwegians went through in Norway. That part is written in a less immediate form as the author was not there and is relating the story to us.

It's an interesting sidebar to the war. And the book is well written. But that is all it is. It's a sidebar that while important, was not critical to the strategic effort (although many in Norway might disagree). And while well written, the book does not reach out and grab you.

So I'm glad I read it. But there are other books that I would have enjoyed more that I could have read instead.

An interesting story of the operation of anti-Nazi forces in Norway during World War II. Howarth was the Royal Navy officer responsible for coordinating activities with Norwegian fishermen during this time. The stories represent the resistance Norwegians provided the Nazis and Quislings in Norway. Howarth was not allowed to go to Norway because of the dangerous activites, but his account is first hand, so I discount the previous reviewers assertion that this book is not truthful enough. From the previous reviewer's viewpoint, we can't trust any second or third party accounts. Well, Howarth was there and interacted with these resistance fighters, so that is good enough for most readers.
The Shetlands are a remote island group of the United Kingdom. Howarth provides some details of the history of the region, and the geographic detail. Then the stories of ferrying supplies and spies to German occupied Norway. These stories are interesting, but not as interesting as the shoot ups I read about in some other Howarth books (We Die Alone, The Sledge Patrol, D-Day -June 6, 1944). Howarth is a great author, and I have read eight of his books. Anybody wanting to read good history should read his books. It is a shame of his recent passing, because I will soon run out of books written by him.

I've rarely been on a small boat on the ocean, I've never been to the Shetland Isles, and I wasn't on this planet during WW II. So, I found this book to be an interesting perspective that describes several years of a special operations group that supported Norway during the war. The book presents, rather drily at times, the stories of the men and ships who built the Shetland Bus operation -- from the time that they requisitioned and provisioned the ships and fishermen/sailors to the time when the wooden fishing ships were replaced with faster, more reliable submarine chasers.

The glue that holds this book together is the adventures of the Norwegian sailors, as retold by Howarth after the debriefs of the crews. (Howarth was prevented from sailing by the British Navy so his only first-person perspectives are from the operations and shipyard management side of the picture.) In short, what makes this book real is the stories about the storms that they sailed through, the difficulties in getting their small vessels across the North Sea, and the narrow scrapes they had with the Germans when they entered the protected waters of the Norwegian fjords

In summary, this is a marvelous account of a small but important operation. It could be improved by slightly more adventurous writing style but is definitely worth a read if you're interested in seafaring adventures or personal stories from the World War II era.