Wizard Books

Well packed and arrived in a timely fashion. A pleasure to do business with.

Internationally renowned linguist Richard Lederer has packed his new book, WORD WIZARD, with a collection of brilliant, side-splitting essays from many of his 30-plus books on word play, language idiosyncrasies and anomalies -- plus some brand new hilarious material. If you like to smile, chuckle and laugh, this masterwork is a must read. -- Tyler Kaus, author and former national magazine editor and advertising creative director

This book is great, I love the Age of Apocalypse but I never got to find all of the books, it really helped! I recomend this to all X-Man and Marvel fans.

It is a great book. It is a must-read for all fans of the X-Men. It is so awsome to see them all different. Sabertooth on the good guys side? Wolverine with one hand? Gambit as a thief? You must read these chronicles.

This hardback, published by TSR during its heyday, was only promotional material at the time. But now it represents a treasure trove for collectors of TSR's offerings, such as AD&D, Gamma World, and several other games.

Loaded with glossy color photos, essays by the major contributors, and product lists with ISBNs, this volume is a can't miss for the serious collector!

Wayne Gralian
Wayne's World of Books / Krakow RPGs
WaynesBooks.com

This book rules! The choose-a-path story styling is a little obnoxious, but the setting, characters, movement, humor, it's all great! Makes me wish Pollotta did more Gamma World novels.

My son thoroughly enjoyed it. He was both enchanted and delighted. It definitey brought out his own creativity and kept his interest from cover to cover. Great book to read together, over and over and over again!

This is actually a childrens book but represents the sort of style a modern book could have. A short digest about something you never knew before.

Would you believe that an eccentric English girl could have been drilled in maths enough to enjoy it? That she could work for hours on making a flying machine when such things were unheard of? That she could understand the abstruse principles of a mechanincal calculating machine, enough to translate an Italian work about it working hard like a robot?

She had beauty, brains and breeding, and was an aristocrat. There was only one and only Ada. A true heroine. Where did they make them?

Carefully packaged in a neat small volume taking 15-20 minutes to eat up in one gripping and moving read.

"Alliance and Empire" is the seventh expansion set for the Star Wars Miniatures game, which started with the Rebel Storm Starter set back in September, 2004 (see more about the minis game itself in my addendum below). This set was released to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Star Wars. As such, these figures have a special square bases with "Star Wars" written on the front. HOWEVER, THIS SET IS STILL FULLY COMPATIBLE WITH THE OTHER STAR WARS MINIS SETS. There are 60 different figures in this set. Each booster comes with seven durable, pre-painted minis (including one rare OR one very rare figure).

The first thing I look for in any expansion set are how many characters I recognize from the movies (vs. those that appeared only in the books). I am particularly interested in figures from the original trilogy, and I am happy to say that there are at least 40 figures from the original trilogy in this set. Most are interesting and/or more powerful variations of earlier figures (for example, Boba Fett, Lando Calrissian, Jabba, Wampa, R2-D2 with C-3PO, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, Imperial Governor Tarkin, three different versions of Han Solo, and three different versions of Luke Skywalker). But, some of the figures have never been released before (for example, Wicket the Ewok, Ewok Hang Glider, and Jawa on Ronto). Notably, there are even a few great new common and uncommon figures from the original trilogy in this set (for example, Death Star Trooper, Death Star Gunner, Rebel Commando Strike Leader, Talz Spy, and a variation of the Ewok with a bow -- rather than just melee attack).

The rest of the figures are either from the prequel, the books, or generic/minor characters (however, some of these characters are also very good -- especially for use in the Star Wars RPG).

In sum, this expansion set is excellent for those interested in the original trilogy, and fair for those interested in the prequel.

ADDENDUM: (Please note that I include this addendum at the end of all my Star Wars minis reviews, so if you've read it before, there is no need to read it again.) If you want to play the Star Wars minis game as it was designed to be played, it is best to have at least one starter (each starter comes with game instructions, a map, a D20, terrain tiles that are very helpful and add great variety to the game, and more). I like the Rebel Storm Starter the best because it's from the classic era/trilogy, but the Clone Strike and Revenge of the Sith starters from the newer movies will also work. If you don't want to invest in a starter, you can also get one of the three "Ultimate Missions" books, as each comes with a double sided map and a few smaller terrain tiles (again, I like the Rebel Strom Ultimate Missions book the best because it is also from the classic era/trilogy). Or, you can buy the "Attack on Endor" scenario pack, which comes with TWO double sided maps (in addition to a scaled AT-ST that is fully usable in play). The main point here is that you'll need some type of map/grid. If you don't want to buy a Star Wars one, generic ones are also available at most gaming stores (you can use your imagination to set the scene, or draw terrain with an erasable marker right on the grid). Of course, the minis are also useful for the roleplaying game (RPG) - in which case you may not need a starter or map, but will likely need the "Core Rulebook" instead. Finally, they are just fun to collect for those who like all things Star Wars!

Though this book is perhaps best listed as a young adult fantasy novel, older adults can also find much to contemplate and keep them interested as well as it is not only plot-driven but character-driven, too. Characters, like Amber and Valerie, are both well-defined and believable in this book. Furthermore, even quantum mechanical ideas like those of parallel universes play a part as Amber is a Dragon Princess in her world: the Realm, yet she is a human in our world: the Over World. Moreover, it is a wonderful, non-sexist twist in this book that there are two custodians watching over the Realm, while living on planet Earth, and one is female and the other male. And, living in the "Over World," or Earth, both custodians don't realize at first that they are both custodian's of Amber's world, the Realm. In fact, they don't realize for a while that their actions on Earth cause reactions in the Realm. Finally, though this was Fesmire's first young adult novel, it flows seemingly easily as seen in both the dialogue and action within its pages.

This is an amazing book. It contains accounts of ancient history that will open your eyes! It is not for the rigid or closed minded. Reading this book shows us just how programmed we are in terms of what is "accepted" history. This is an extremely rare book. It is special, because it gives voice to ancient peoples whose voices have been purposely overlooked by the various powers that be. In this book, you will find Ptolemaic era Egyptians, expounding upon the origin of the Hebrews! What a switch! The book is full of stuff that will really provoke some deep thinking about how certain things really went down in ancient history. It is well worth the price, if you appreciate erudite scholarship, and can deal with long suppressed and obscure views, of what occurred in the ancient world.

It's been several years since I read the Elminster books for the first time. I picked up this book at the store, and I haven't been disappointed.

The writing remains both witty and exciting. The book itself is good, sturdy quality and has that great hardcover feel.