Irons Books

Commander Werner has written a fascinating account of his experiences as a German U-Boat captain during WWII. A variety of books have been written about overall submarine warfare, but this author provides us with an interesting perspective based on his personal experiences.

We quickly learn that the submariner leads a harrowing life in a claustrophobic metal tube where the humidity quickly turns everything into a sodden mess, including the food which turns moldy and covered with slime, but is still eaten. For the men aboard it was a glorious time for the first full two years of the war in which only 47 boats were lost while millions of tons of allied ships were sent to the bottom. Then things changed. In 1943 alone 237 German submarines were sunk. By war's end close to 800 boats were lost at sea.

The book describes an interesting form of evolutionary warfare. Unfortunately for the Germans the Allies evolved more quickly as they developed better radar detection systems, began using more fast convoy escorts, and inaugurated the use of small aircraft carriers to provide air support. An interesting innovation that I hadn't heard of before was the planting of buoys in the areas around England that sent radar signals. A U-boat surfacing would detect these signals and, thinking they were about to be attacked, would submerge again. Werner also slowly becomes aware that the Allies had broken the submarine codes. Everywhere he went the enemy was waiting for him. If you wanted to stay alive you had to maintain radio silence.

Mr. Werner salts his account with descriptions of his life ashore during the war. Going on leave was pleasurable, but as the war progressed he details the gradual destruction of his homeland. Even close to the end he and his comrades expected Germany to win the war. The author concludes the book by discussing his unpleasant experiences as a prisoner of war.

This book is a fantastic evocation of what it was like to fight in a u-boat in WW2. It is also great at recording the way the tide of war turned against the Germans and the U-boat arm in particular.

However: It is not factually accurate as far as I can tell. Werner consistently overstates the number of ships sunk by the boats on which he serves. While this might be thought to represent a genuine mistake caused by wartime conditions it is clear that Werners' story telling goes beyond that. For example: he provides a detailed description of an attack on Convoy SC122 which sinks several ships and which must be fantasy. Not only is the U230 not recorded as having sunk anything in this convoy, it is also not recorded as ever attacking the convoy although it was involved in the operation. Werner must have made it up.

While this doesn't detract from this being a good book to read,and while it is obviously based on wartime experience it certainly isn't anything like an accurate history.

This is a very well written account or Commander Werner's life durring WWII from an ensign in the German Navy to Commander of his own UBOAT. From the best times of the war for Germany to the fall of Germany. Werner's entire journey through the war as told from the perspective of a navy man serving on a German Uboat. It also gets into his personal life a bit, family etc. He even has a run in with the Gestapo, I would highly recomend this book to anyone who appreciates history and a perspective from the German side of the war. The uboat tactics are very intresting as well.

I was a bit biased about the view from the other side. I was told that the Germans considered anything on this side of the Atlantic to be American, such as Newfoundland,Nova Scotia,Canadian destroyers & Corvettes,etc...all American apparently. Despite most of the warships in the North Atlantic (after 1942) being Canadian, the Germans rebadged them as American. I guess they found some common ground with America after all. I just couldn't identify with the story. The books about the Tang, Wahoo, etc were far more entertaining. Anyway, still not a bad book.

this book at times stretches credibility,it almost seems like a work of fiction because of the numerous hairline escapes of Werner.When he was interviewed at the end of the war even the British post war interviewers couldn't believe his miraculous escapes of the subhunters.With the British domination in the field of electronic warfare,the Germans might as well have pumped embalming fluid in with the fuel oil of their,"Iron Coffins".then as if the tale isn't already stretched beyond believability, he has even more narrow escapes from numerous prisoner of war camps at the end of the book.The detail of the tales however make the book credible and entertaining,maybe a higher power allowed Werner's escapes in order for him to write this book.Unknown to Werner when he wrote the book and unknown to WW2 Uboat commanders,the confidential command communications between German U-boats was compromised in 1943,by the British cracking the Germans'Enigma code.U-boat operation locations were known to British subhunters simultaneously with the German command. There almost couldn't be another reason behind Werner's phenominal luck(although he was undoubtedly a skilled professional).So get ready for a tale of shattering nerves and physical pain(as one of the captains'crew chiefs can't keep the submarine trimmed and the vacuum from the snorkel send the submariners popped eyes and shattered eardrums.Still some of the accounts of Werner's survival of the depth charges and aircraft attacks stretch credibility.

I bought this DVD for my boyfriend for a Christmas present with my fingers crossed. It's impossible to describe how movie-centric he is... we've chosen vacation destinations based on movies. It was a HUGE hit! He's watched all of the extras at least once now, and he loved the creative way Criterion made the front insert look like an old newspaper. It's gritty, ahead of it's time, and Kirk Douglas is a true star! Criterion wins again (as if anyone thought it'd be otherwise!).

Ace in the Hole (Billy Wilder, 1951)

Thank heaven (or Criterion) for a release of Billy Wilder's notorious and brilliant Ace in the Hole for the home video market. As topical as it may have been fifty-six years ago, today it has an unprecedented relevance to American society. It's rare that a film's importance grows over time. This is one of those cases.

The story centers around Chuck Tatum (Kirk Douglas in the performance of his career), a disgraced newspaper reporter who finds himself working in the backwoods world of Albuquerque journalism, covering compelling news stories like a rattlesnake contest. While on his way to cover one such story with cub photographer Herbie Cook (Green Grass of Wyoming's Robert Arthur), he stumbles into something much bigger: Leo Minosa (Richard Benedict), who owns a service station/knickknack shop in the dusty little town of Los Barios, has gotten himself trapped in a mine collapse while looking for Indian relics in a cliff dwelling to sell to tourists. Rather than simply helping the guy out, getting one story, and going on with his life, Tatum-- desperate to get back in the good graces of the Eastern papers with a strong series of stories-- concocts a plan with the corrupt local Sheriff (Ray Teal) to keep the story alive for a week. In the process, he manipulates everyone around him, including Leo's cynical yet naïve wife (Jan Sterling).

Wilder takes the idea of the media circus to new heights here (including having an actual circus on the grounds during the latter half of the film). Ace in the Hole is a relentlessly pessimistic film in which no one cares about Leo Minosa the human being, only about Leo Minosa the story and what each person can get out of it. Leo's wife wants a way out of hicksville, as does Tatum (and, to a lesser extent, Herbie); the sheriff wants re-elected; the head engineer of the rescue team wants an exclusive on the fat contracts that come with the sheriff's re-election; even the competing papers' journalists, who are the only people in the film kinda-sorta set up as the good guys, just want the story, and their editors eventually want Tatum. After a while, news stops being news and starts being entertainment. (Note that Wilder has no illusions about this from the get-go; the first story Tatum files has less to do with Leo Minosa than the Indian curse that Minosa believes trapped him in the shaft.) This, of course, is exactly what's been happening to American culture since not long after Watergate.

Topicality, though, is not the only reason to watch Ace in the Hole. Wilder was one of those great directors, now an endangered species, who could do anything (and often did); the melodramatic Ace in the Hole was bookended by Sunset Blvd., the finest piece of film noir of all time, and Stalag 17, the movie that (loosely) formed the basis of the television show Hogan's Heroes. Imagine a modern director filming three so widely differing movies in a row, not to mention having all three of the movies, fifty years later, being known as timeless classics of filmdom. Wilder got the most out of every actor he ever cast in a movie, and knew where to put the cameras and how to film the shots so that all that acting talent could be showcased in the finest possible way. A Billy Wilder movie is filmmaking at its best, and Ace in the Hole, finally available again after languishing in obscurity so long, is ample evidence of that. **** ½

Ace In The Hole (aka The Big Carnival) was directed by my hero, Billy Wilder. He is the genius who gave us Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard and Some Like It Hot - three of my all-time favorite films. Ace In The Hole, however, suffers from the over-the-top performance of Kirk Douglas who manages to play every scene with clenched teeth and boiling-point anger. His early scenes in the small newspaper office in Albuquerque are so over-played that he comes off like a man in need of a straight-jacket rather than a job. I believe it would be a more powerful film if his character were a little more sympatetic initially, thereby shocking us once his dark side is fully revealed. As it stands now, we are not surprised at the depth of his depravity because of Douglas' inability to bring some subtlety to his performance. Having said all that, there is much here to recommend...some solid acting performances and a powerful story of greed and power and how contagious corruption is. Jan Sterling stands out as the cold and indifferent wife of the man trapped in the cave. She delivers the only funny line in the movie, "I don't go to church. Kneeling bags my nylons." She can be seen in Caged and in her Oscar-nominated performance in The High And The Mighty. In closing, I would like to say that I think William Holden would have brought more subtley and dimension to the lead role. However, it is what it is and I my hope is that this review has peaked your curiosity and you will watch the film and decide for yourself.

"Don't worry, Leo. I'm your pal." That's Chuck Tatum speaking. He's a hot-shot big city reporter who has been fired from every top paper he's ever worked for. Now he's hit bottom. He works for the Albuquerque Sun=Bulletin, a small town daily which puts yard sales on its front page. Tatum needs the job, but he's determined to find that one big ticket story that'll put him back in New York. The man he's talking to is going to be that big ticket. His name is Leo Mimosa, owner of the desolate, dusty Mimosa's Indian Curios ("Gas and Oil, Drinks on Ice") in Escudero, in New Mexico's high desert. Leo is currently 300 feet underground, trapped in a cave-in while looking for ancient Indian pots he can sell for a few hundred dollars. In the next 111 minutes, covering five or so days, we're going to experience so much corruption of the soul, misplaced trust and consuming ambition...leavened by so little humanity...that we'll want to take a bath afterwards. This is one of director Billy Wilder's greatest pictures. For me, it's permeated not by Wilder's famously sardonic outlook toward humanity but by the inevitability of commonplace tragedy. That there are only one or two people we might think well of isn't so much a limitation as an element that sharpens the fascination with great story-telling combined with vivid acting.

While Tatum controls his big story, and while Leo becomes increasingly desperate, to the point of believing Tatum is his only friend, we encounter a cast of characters who are either stupid and venal or sly and venal. Top of the list is Tatum, himself. Kirk Douglas gives an utterly believable portrait of a man, excellent at his job, who can taste the big-time again and is determined to do whatever it takes to achieve it. "I'm on my way back to the top," he says, "and if it takes a deal with a crooked sheriff, that's alright with me! And if I have to fancy it up with an Indian curse and a broken hearted wife for Leo, then that's alright too!" Close behind is Jan Sterling as Leo Mimosa's wife. Lorraine Mimosa wants out...out of Escudero, out of New Mexico and out of her marriage with Leo. She's a pouty bleached blonde, callous and discontented. Gus Kretzer, the local sheriff, is corrupt and more than willing to work with Tatum to insure he gets the kind of news coverage he needs for his re-election. And there are all those visitors to the cave where Leo is trapped...gawkers, thrill seekers, whole families out to set up camp and see what happens. Food booths and a carnival keep them contented while a drill pounds away at the rock to reach Leo. It's the slow way which Tatum has maneuvered to insure his exclusive coverage of Leo's predicament can play out over the next few days. Leo literally is Tatum's ace in the hole. The conclusion is as depressing as Wilder's depiction of human character. The movie's whole set-up, in fact, is designed to make us feel uncomfortable at what we're seeing. If we've ever slowed down to get a better view of a traffic accident, if we've ever watched with fascinated revulsion as a snake swallows down a live mouse or a mantis gnaws at a struggling lizard, we have to recognize that in spirit we're also part of the crowd eager to see what happens.

What makes the movie stand apart from so much of Wilder's skilled cynicism in some of his other films, I think, are two elements. First, Wilder plays this story straight. There's no sardonic comedy or witty, misogynistic lines. He serves us up a serious, well-acted drama and then compels us to take it seriously while he makes us squirm a little. Second, he includes two characters that give us some relief from Tatum's ambition and our own unease. First is Herbie Cook, played by Robert Arthur, the young photographer from the newspaper. Herbie is a graduate of a journalism school, a little naive and so innocent-looking you want to protect him from Tatum's manipulations. Second, and most important, is Jacob Boot, played by that fine character actor, Porter Hall. Boot is in some ways our conscience, the serious, realistic publisher and owner of the Sun=Bulletin who has the quaint idea that telling the truth is important. Boot is able, although not by much, to show us that people come in all flavors, and that venality is only one of them, no more or less than trying to do the right thing also is. In Ace in the Hole, however, nothing good happens in time. As Tatum said earlier, "It's a good story today. Tomorrow, they'll wrap a fish in it." Same with people.

Some call Ace in the Hole a noir. I'm not one of them. For me, it's a powerful drama, and it transcends genre classification. We might as well call Macbeth a noir simply because Macbeth has a tragic hero, a femme fatale, death and the inevitability of fate. The two-disc Criterion release features an excellent black-and-white picture transfer and several extras which include interviews with Kirk Douglas, Billy Wilder and screenwriter Walter Newman. There is an audio commentary by Neil Sinyard, identified as a film scholar. Amusingly, the booklet insert which has essays by Molly Haskell and Guy Madden is in the form of an edition of the Albuquerque Sun=Bulletin.

Ignored, unappreciated, even despised by the majority upon its initial release, Ace in the Hole is a bold social critique that pulls no punches. This movie holds up the public mirror and tries to make people see just how much they suck.
Kirk Douglas delivers another fearless performance as Charles Tatum, a shameless big-city reporter that has been exiled from several lucrative jobs. So he retreats to a small town newspaper gig in New Mexico, in order to reestablish his career.
Tatum hates his new job, and desperately searches for the big break that will propel him back into the limelight. That moment eventually comes when a mine collapses, trapping a worker inside. Tatum takes charge of all the relief efforts, not out of concern for the desperate man inside, but for the fame that accompanies this tragedy. A media frenzy ensues.
One moment that illustrates Tatum's arrogance--other reporters try to move in and capture some of the news coverage. One says "We're all in the same boat". Tatum's cynical response was "No, I'm in the boat. You're in the water."
This movie is an excellent display of humanity's overall decline of morality. How vanity supersedes compassion. How humanity has lost touch with one another. I'm not trying to sound judgemental, heck I'm ignoring all company policies and personal job responsibilities by writing this review. Nobody's perfect. But this is a great movie, with powerful but controlled acting and a significant message.
So now, go hug a stranger. No, on second thought you better not. You'll probably get punched.

To praise from other reviewers I would like to add a heartfelt "WOW!".

I just wonder how come Hollywood hasnt already made some Grand Epic based on this historical heroic episode.

On the PC angle one must say that though the story is told from the Christian view of events, the author makes it clear Turks and muslims were just as much heroic fighting and dying for their beliefs. If St Elmo's defenders were made from true hero stuff, the Janissars and others that led charges against its walls stepping over thousands of their own dead friends surely must be fairly said to be heroes too.

A true, historic and total battle of heroes from all sides that puts to shame even the Trojan War (mostly a legend, btw)

This is my kind of book! Some 300 pages devoted almost exclusively to among the most vividly depicted battle scenes I've ever read. Loved it, though the novel might have benefited from being a tad less battle-heavy and a bit more integrated, if you will. The novels of V.A. Stuart are good examples of what I mean. Still, "Angels in Iron" is the most unputdownable novel I've read since Peter Forbath's "The Last Hero".

OK, the book isn't perfect. There are some grammatical errors. On page 88, for example, Nicholas Prata writes that "less men reached St. Elmo". And there are occasional narrative problems. On page 279, Prata writes that "He [La Valette] was not content to allow the Turks to slip away unmolested, but planned to give Mustapha yet another wound to nurse upon the long journey home". Really? Well, maybe so, but we don't hear of this plan again, let alone of its implementation. To be sure, Mustapha is bloodied one last time, but that event has nothing to do with La Valette. Also, speaking of La Valette, was he always strategically correct? Prata accepts that he was, with little or no reflection. Well, while La Valette is exceptionally admirable (how badly we need him and his Knights today!), I thought that aspects of his St. Elmo strategy left much to be desired. In costing the Turks far more blood than they should have shed for that piece of rock, La Valette won the battle. His men could and should have been removed to fight another day -- and without the slightest tarnishing of honor.

All that being said, this is a terrific read.

This is just an exceptionally good read! It's chocked full of action that while graphic at times still has class about it. There's intrigue and side storylines to add to the overall interest. And, militarily speaking, it's realistic in that the reader is informed about how logistics and morale played as important a role in the final outcome of the siege as did weapons and tactics. I found it almost impossible to put down!

What a wonderful book! It should be recommended reading for young men. It provides illustrations on what it meant to be a knight and the importance of onoring your family's name.

In today's myopic age of "it's all about me." Young people give little or no thought on how their actions or deeds reflect on their family. They are taught that humans are nothing more than animals and then society is shocked when our youth make heinous headlines.

This book is a good start at an antidote.

Look, here's what I got to say about Prata's book: magnificent.

Period.
End of story.
There is no debating this- you can'y deny its greatness. It's almost like someone witnessed a retard beating an obnoxious genius in a game of chess- and managed to put it into a book. If you're into Crusader history, you will flip out over the unimaginable, mind-blowing magnitutde that is this book. If you don't like history- too bad, you're going to be swept up in its masculinity anyway. Oh yeah, that's right- I said masculinity. This book is so manly that even the most lesbian of lesbians and feminine of feminists will be forced to read slack-jawed for hours at the events of this book. At the end of it all, you'll feel your heart pound as its literally breaks in mid-motion, resulting in a keeling motion that ends with you sprawled out on the floor, gasping for air as you try to comprehend the splendor and literary majesty of this book. Seriously, folks- this book is so good it will leave you in need of a new change of trousers- every time you look/think/read/talk/fantasize about "Angels in Iron". In short, I would recommend this book be cumpolsory read in public/private schools for grades K-12, then, for every college student again; finally, I would make it mandatory reading for anyone that
A)Gets married
B)Is alive/dead
C)Eats
D)Breathes

And there you have the sum of it. Basically, this is the Keanu Reeves of books. ANY books. Period. End of story. Exclamation point.

I'd never heard of Tennapel, and at first glance, this graphic novel looked a little too cartoony and goofy for my sensibilities. But it had cowboys and robots, so I was willing to give it some leeway. And while it is pretty slapstick and silly, I did end up having a fun time with the quickly paced genre blending story. Yeah, the humor's kind of broad, and the pacing is sometimes too rushed and hectic, but it's hard to go wrong when you combine a card-cheating reluctant hero in old California with elements like evil cowboy robots, a hooker with a heart of gold, an Miwok shaman, Sasquatch, an evil Transformer-like train robot, and the Loch Ness Monster. Somehow, these disparate elements work well together in Tennapel's able hands and fluid artwork. Good (mostly clean) fun.

What an outrageously joyous story. I had the pleasure of meeting the author for the first time at this year's Comic Con in San Diego. Very nice guy, and very humble. Iron West is actually my first exposure to TenNapel's work (besides Earthworm Jim). A friend lent his copy to me. I enjoyed it so much that I had to buy most of his work he had on display at Comic Con.

I highly recommend this book. I am not really into comics, but this is a great great starter to get you into it; if not into comics, then into TenNapel's wonderful creativity and imagination.

Doug TenNapel is an artist of many strengths. Most apparent to the casual observer is his incredible ability as an illustrator; he fashions some truly beautiful images and depicts motion with singular fluidity. His visuals alone would be enough to make his work worth checking out.

But there is much more to this guy than his drawings. He also happens to be one of the best storytellers around, one whose characters and situations are exceptionally compelling. None of the people or events in his stories ever feel like filler or formula. They all contribute beautifully to the work as a whole, be that contribution a thoughtful reflection on faith and morality or be it a good old-fashioned fart joke.

"Iron West," while it does carry a well-stated moral about responsibility and integrity, focuses more heavily on silliness than TenNapel's last few books. Whereas there is a good amount of philosophizing and allegory to be found in his "Creature Tech" (one of my very favorite graphic novels), TenNapel presents "Iron West" as more of a straight ahead romp. But it never, ever feels shallow or empty; it just feels incredibly fun. TenNapel pulls disparate elements--cowboys, robots, and numerous surprises which I would not want to ruin--into a coherent whole. Everything gels, and it does so in unpredictable and constantly delightful ways.

This is one of the most truly entertaining graphic novels I have ever read. I highly recommend it, as well as Doug TenNapel's other excellent books. "Creature Tech" is my personal favorite and an excellent place to start, but "Iron West" is tough to beat if you're in the market for a wild, bizarre, and truly satisfying ride.

Iron West has a sense of action and cool that I just don't see in the vast library of whiny emotional alternative comics that turn up every year. Still, I must admit the thought of a western sci-fi tale didn't really catch my attention at first, but knowing that the art would be great, that was enough to get me sold. Don't get me wrong, the art itself is reason enough to buy Iron West, as I have filpped through the pages just admiring it, but Iron West also has a fun story to back TenNapel's incredible style.

If you haven't figured out by now, the story of Iron West starts out with the protaganist, Preston Struck, being chased down by a group of bounty hunters, when he discovers a race of lethal robot cowboys and has to make the decision to save his town from being overrun. In the process of all this he faces a sasquatch, a shaman who is part of a colony of robot "Injuns" (Indians), and a giant train transformer with a western flare. Like his art, It's weird, and thats what makes it so interesting and worth your time. The whole story is non-stop action just like it should be. Surprisingly this is also the funniest of TeNapels's books and made me laugh quite a few times, something other GN's of this type don't even try at.

Iron West looks great, reads great, and is great. There really is no reason you shouldn't pick it up. Sure, it could have been longer but whats here is so good its more than forgivable. highly recommended.

Iron West is another in a line of great, entertaining graphic novels from Doug TenNapel. All of the classic TenNapel trademarks are there - it is somewhat quirky, kinetic action, humor, a few thought provoking moments, and a well crafted story.

Iron West is a "genre blender" mixing the obvious western themes with a bit of sci-fi, and then adds a touch of fantasy just to take an already frantic action sequence to a new level. But it is handled with such skill that you don't even notice the blending of genres by this point. You are too wrapped up in the story being played out in front of you to register the fact that yet another genre element has been put into the mix.

TenNapel's art in Iron West is his best so far. As other reviews have mentioned, his characters have a look that leans toward "cartoony" but retains the detail of texture and features and even personality that make them real to the reader. His backgrounds (and sometimes lack thereof) always seem to work perfectly to the advantage of the story. He doesn't over-render a lot of detail when it isn't needed, and knows the power of a more abstract background that often plays with the foreground and negative space. But then there are the full page establishing shots, full of texture and detail enough to put you right into the setting with the characters.

Story wise - it is purely and simply fun. I'm sure there could be some deeper meanings read into it about technology and it's de-personalizing effect on humanity, but these are never heavy handed or feel forced. The plot is a roller coaster ride that reminded me of an Indiana Jones movie - just when you think there is a moment to catch your breath, here comes something else. Iron West has an action/adventure movie feel to it that transcends its own blending of genre elements. In other words - it is fun and entertaining. Purely and simply.

The only drawback I have found is that it seems too short. But a lot of that has to do with the fact that there are very few slow moments and a lot of action, chase scenes, battles with robots, and then of course there is the Sasquatch doing what appears to me to be some sort of kung-fu/WWE Wrestling combination while killing clockwork cowboys. And I didn't even mention the Loch Ness Monster...

Fans of TenNapel's previous work will not be disappointed. Those unfamiliar with the wonderful world of Doug will get a great idea of the blend that is TenNapel's unique style. This mad scientist mixture of a graphic novel succeeds where so many other genre-blending attempts have failed; it manages to make you forget there are genres being combined. Western, science fiction, action adventure, monster movie - whatever. By the time the "final battle" is taking place, you won't even notice. You'll be too busy enjoying the story.

Having purchased The Three Musketeers and The Man in The Iron Mask I realised that there were three intermediate novels pulling the story together.Twenty Years After, The Vicomte De Bragelonne and Louise de La Valliere bring the complete story of the musketeers into focus. To gain the most from these stories they need to be read as virtually one book in five large chapters.

After writing The Three Musketeers and Twenty Years after, Dumas wrote a third installment to the trilogy. It is probably the most controvercial book in the trilogy, as can be revealed by reading many of the reviews. For starters, it's LONG: over 200 chapters. As a result, the English-speaking world has split it into three books: The Vicomte de Bragelonne, Louise de la Valiere and The Man in the Iron Mask (the most famous volume). The length is certainly a problem, in fact is it THE major flaw in the conclusion of the trilogy. Dumas is never terse or concise, but in this three-part book, he produces an monolith. This was largely due to him overcomitting himself and having to write this much for financial reasons. However, while this is a major setback, the three books still have elements of great, almost sublime Dumas left in them, which can be extracted if approached in the right way.

The final installment of the trilogy represents the dear old Athos, d'Artagnan, Porthos and Aramis maturing and growing old. The trilogy thus moves from more active and straightforward swashbuckling to a more complex and sombre picture. Like the previous book Twenty Years After, it is not completely clear as to who's in the right and who isn't, only this time it is more so. Like the previous book, age has placed the former Musketeers in a somewhat divided situation, this time involving many a clandestine dealing of state and international level. Finally, in this three-part saga, we are introduced to a huge number of characters while our Four at times take a back seat for several hundred pages. This has been criticised as well, but has a point.

In terms of this specific volume (The Vicomte de Bragelonne), it is the most historical one, as initially d'Artagnan and Athos are brought out of retirement, united in their royalist causes. After completing an adventure reminiscent of their former, more "action-packed" years, the intrigue of the newly-ascended Louis XIV begins. It is here that we can see Dumas as painting a brilliantly detailed picture of what he sees as France moving towards a more centralised, efficient yet pedestrian autocracy from Richeleu to Mazarin to Louis XIV. For the first time, d'Artagnan finds himself serving (and appreciated by) the king, however, the novel asks the question of whether this is at all a good thing. In the power-struggles of the court, we see the irony that the "detractors" of progress are often more honourable than its supporters.

If you only expect more action involving the Four, then don't bother reading this at all. However, if you persevere, you will get to see sublime glimpses of what a long way the Musketeers of old have come (for better or worse), what they think about the entire society they live in and what Dumas thinks. As well as some of the old-fashioned-style adventure. I think that the fact that this is obscured by an overly-drawn-out style, while annoying, does not detract from this being an honourable conclusion to the trilogy.

While the main characters of the Musketeers saga are present here, The Vicomte de Bragelonne does not make nearly so good use of them as in the previous two books. While true that the characters have aged along with Alexander Dumas, they retain their flair for adventure and their basically upright personalities. What fails, unfortunately, is the writing itself. Bragelonne is the first of three novels that make up the trilogy ending in The Man in the Iron Mask. But while the last installment is well known worldwide, the first two (this one and Louise de la Valliere, the latter of which I've not yet read) remain obscure. At least in this case, there's a reason for that.

First, the plot is scattered. Even by Dumas's normal standard there is little coherence. The first third of the book, roughly speaking, is fully up to the normal Musketeer standard, involving two of our heroes in military intrigue during the restoration of King Charles II to the English throne. Bravo all around for that. But after that, the story devolves into somewhat stale palace politicking in the new reign of Louis XIV. We start to see some hints of the broader schemes involving the full cast, but not enough to grab our attention.

Finally, to put it bluntly, there's just something stale about the style this time around. Dumas has yet to find his proper voice for this installment, and hence he loses the reader. I'm assuming he finds it again by the end of the trilogy, but it's just not present here.

If you are reading this review, you have probably already read the Three Musketeers and Twenty Years After. You are wondering if it is worth it to continue with the series. If you decide to go on, you have three more 600+ page novels ahead of you. That is a lot of time and energy.

If you are foremost into the swashbuckling aspect of the Musketeer stories, I would not go forward. The Musketeers are now in their late 50's. They are still vital characters but they are no longer young men looking for any excuse to duel with the Cardinal's Guard. From this point on, there is a lot less sword play and campaigning. The focus of the story moves to the intrigues of Louis XIV court.

I am continuing with the series because I like the characters. I want to find out what happens to the four friends. In this novel, D'Artagnan and Athos are the principal characters. Aramis and Porthos do not show up for the first few hundred pages. Dumas has kept me entertained for the first two thousand pages of this saga and I am counting on him to keep me entertained for the next 1500 pages.

This book is part one of a three part series, the next two being the Louise de la Valliere, and the final being the more well known Man in the Iron Mask. I understand this was originally one HUGE book, but is now more commonly broken up into these three books.

This book starts about ten years from where Twenty Years After (Oxford World's Classics) ended. Although the book is titled the Vicomte de Bragelonne (who is the son of Athos), we don't see much of him except for the first and last parts of the book. The rest is filled with the adventures of D'Artagnan and Athos while they separately scheme (unbeknownst to the other) to aid Charles II of England to claim his throne. LOL, D'Artagnan's scheme in regards to General Monk. Aramis and Porthos are up to something mysterious and make only the briefest of appearances. The rest of the novel is filled with the mysteries and intrigues of the French court, and ends with the marriage of Henrietta (Charles II's sister) to Louis XIV's younger brother, Phillip.

If you loved the musketeers, history and intrique it is well worth your time to spend on these books.

This book not only captures the true meaning of friendship; it defines how friendships are formed and enhanced by the great game of golf. Add Konik's deep appreciation for the Scots' gift of golf to the world and you have a work that is a great read and a must for all golfers from duffers to scratch players.

I have played played most of the courses mentioned in this very readable book. Their experiences brought back many fine memories.... To go to Scotland with good 'buds' and to see how golf is part of the basic fabic of everyday life there, really sums up the trips I have taken. It is the next best thing to actually going there. Also true to fact, is that there are really no bad links courses, just lesser known ones....

This read compares very favorably with books such as 'A season in Dornock' and should be read prior to any first time trip to Scotland / Ireland.

Magnificent. Personally, I have never played a round of golf, however, I was encouraged by a golfing buddy to read this book. When I finished the book, I called to thank him. This journey takes you beyond the beautiful courses of Scotland and into your own heart. Author Konik does a masterful job of conveying an introspective look into himself, his relationship with his friend, Don and ultimately an examination into the reader's own being. Incredible.

I'm a tennis man myself and only procured this fine book because I was so impressed by the author's other book, "Ella in Europe," which had me weeping tears of joy. Even though I didn't appreciate the golf descriptions in "In Search of Burningbush," I found the author's perspective on friendship and spiritualism to be a revelation. Before I read Mr. Konik's dog book, I was not aware of this man's writing talent. After reading "In Search of Burningbush," I feel confident in saying that he is one of the great writers working today.

What a fascinating, captivating read. Konik certainly has the gift of a talented wordsmith. Passion exudes from these pages of his desire for a true golf buddy, and it comes in form of physically strapped Don. Through this buddy, life in whole new dimensions is opened for Mike through golf excursion to Golf's Holy Ground.

Connections ensue about lovers, Shivas Irons, bravery, betting and many more.

The whirlwind tour that they have leaves one energized and somewhat mystically partaking in their great turf adventure fortnight in Scotland itself. So much remembered here connects with us readers. For this reviewer, golfing buddies habits which set one off, ala Don's smoking habits. One of my links buds, a psychologist takes his whole bag off the cart to hit a shot which couldn't require more than two, max three club choice. Or those encanted moments after multi-round experiences huddling and going through the scorecards as if they were travel slide shows.

This is just exceptional work. One I'll cherish and turn to again over time to make those connections again. Play on!

All three of Mannock's books are exceptional. Many of us have read countless renditions of WWII fictional efforts...this is the best of the genre.

No need to go into a synopsis of the plot. Other reviewers have done that. This book sat on my shelf gathering dust for months before I finally read it because I didn't think a story about a WWII German U-boat crippled and hiding in a Louisianna bayou could possibly have the kind of action I was looking for. Boy,was I wrong. There wasn't one flat page to speed-read through in the whole book. Plenty of action and an unpredictable storyline kept me up into the night to see what would happen next. Characters to love, hate and admire throughout. The story progresses with twists and turns like a "crazy Ivan" and it is not just a good read, it is a fun ride! The ending is at once sad and wonderful. This book will stay with me and haunt me for a long time.

I read John Mannock's SEN-TOKU RAID before this one, and it took me a while to hunt up a copy of IRON COFFIN, but it was definitely worth the hunt.

I wasn't that in love with the "frame" story, but once we got into the action I was hooked. This guy Mannock is going to be here for a while, I reckon. I recommend fans of a good fast-paced action yarn hunt this puppy up and give it a try.

I'm definitely keeping an eye out for his third book.

Steve Vernon
(author of Long Horn, Big Shaggy: A Tale of Wild West Terror and Reanimated Buffalo)

This has to be one of the best books I've ever read. I started reading it again after I finished it because I didn't want to leave the people behind. A tough war novel that jerked tears out of me at the end. Wow.

I, too, was drawn to this novel by the cover art and the blurb on the back. I found this to be a very well-written book with a good story line, well-developed and believable characters, and good dialogue. I would recommend this one to anyone who is interested in submarine warfare during WW II.

Storm of Iron is a wonderful, heart pounding fast paced action pack book.The point of view of the Chaos Marines are shown in this book, and unlike mindless butchers, they have goals, and some sort of ideals. The Iron Warriors are described in detail and it stays true to the fluff that they are first and foremost siege troops. On the imperial side tales of brave heroics echo threw the book as the imperials fight from one desperatatley hopless situaton to another. The charachters come out wonderfully and the writing is fluid. overall an excellent book to anyone's collection

This was the first Warhammer book that I have read. Since then I have read about 75 and collected about 50, to include the Ultramarines Omnibus that this is loosely tied into. I have all of the Horus Heresy to date (Sep 07) and all of the Commissar Cain to date. I have to say that this is my favorite! I have re-read it about 4 times since I got into it 18 months ago. I highly recommend this book! You can read the other reviews about the plot and details if you like, I am not going to go into it here. I really felt that this was well written and I love the character detail that he went into on both sides. It has you rooting for both sides, I felt connected to Honsou and the Imperial Guard at the same time. The whole book keeps you in suspense because he goes into so much detail on each side, that you don't know until the end which side will win. This is a book that belongs in everyone's library!

Yep, ignore the other reviewers who give these 40k books 4 or 5 stars, THIS IS the best 40k book and no mistake. I've been into 40k for years, most of these books are badly written and of poor quality - not doing the fiction justice - but this one is different.
The only two books worth a look are:
1. Storm of Iron...........and
2. Greyknights!
The rest are really poor in comparision, that includes the Horus trilogy by the way! so if your new to this genre these 2 are the best place to start.

Good story, describes warhammer at its best.
Though, a bit too much details, blood and gore at some times. Could have done with less...

First, Storm of Iron is very well written. It is consistent has great storyline and very few flaws, if just one that I recall.

Like other reviewers said lots of violence and conflict, I add great character development and interactions with a plausible ending. Graham, you did a terrific job! Keep it up!

Reading Rauch's book reminded me of Alvin Kernan's book Crossing the Line. If you found either compelling, then I'd recommend you read the other. They are vitally different, but powerfully similar in their very real, personal and detailed personal history of WWII. They ought to be required reading. Not since I read Stalingrad have I felt this way about a book on WWII.

This true story of Georg's perilous, horrific term as a soldier in WW 11 includes loving letters home to his mother and the realities of the war he spared her. His style reveals his intelligence and humor in the face of starvation, frozen conditions, illness, and battle. There is a bittersweet charm in his voice which captivates the reader from beginnng to end.

I am an old man and I read a lot of books and always have. I just finished The Jew With the Iron Cross and remember no book that I have enjoyed more. We go with this author as he goes reluctantly into war and go step by step with him to it's end. We see much of the inhumanity to man and the unbelievable depravity into which some fall. We also see a spirit in a young, normal, intelligent man that cannot be broken. This is an outstanding true account of three years of the life of an incredible individual. I remember no other book that I finished with tears running down my cheeks. This is a story that will remain with the reader forever.

Georg Raush's memoir of his experiences during WWII is a powerful and moving story of how an individual can get caught up in a conflict not of his own making. His honesty, humanity and wit shine through at almost every turn of the page. I was particulary impressed with his strength of mind and perserverence in dealing with a continually and worsening horrible situation. His strong ties to his mother and family were, in my mind, a large part of how and why he survived. I believe he was destined to survive, in part, in order to share his story. I had the priviledge and pleasure of meeting the author a couple of years ago in the course of a trip to Mexico. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to understand what war is like and what it does to its participants.

Georg Rauch powerfully fills a void that has been missing from WWII history. His experience as a German soldier is a human one, not only in terms of being a German soldier in general, but also in his own unique experience. The use of the humanizing letters home is a brilliant contrast to the grim robotic realities at the front, a progressively dehumanizing environment.

Rauch's Jewishness becomes all the more powerful through his restraint from making it an overriding theme. Instead, he imparts a universal message, to which his ethnic history contributes an important added element. I could not help but think of American black soldiers drafted into fighting in Vietnam, for a country that at the time showed no great love for them.

The author makes his story a universal experience by his unsparing honesty, his unbreakable integrity. He could have skipped his agreement to become a spy for the Soviet Union. But he knew the reader would relate to the moral dilemma and that he was acting in all our names when he decided to cooperate. Rauch, unlike Bill Clinton, could never be guilty of smoking without inhaling.

This book combines astonishing incidents with frequent suspense and tragedy. Its matter-of-fact language draws us into the experience. The author's wife Phyllis has done such a superb job of translating from the German that it reads like original English. Nobody can read this book without a change in attitude toward war and life itself.

This book and its corresponding tapes are great to read and listen to the actual dialogue of the Supreme Court. I used the Tinker (student expression) and the Abington (Bible reading) cases in my School Law class. These cases enable students to listen to a primary source.

Great buy. Excellent recording quality. Makes an excellent gift for any attorney or anyone else interested in learning about the workings of the US Supreme Court and its inner workings. Highly recommend.

These recordings are a great resources for anyone intersted in the US supreme court. This is probably doubly true as the nomination and approval process is upon us again. The records reveal much that is lost in a purely written transcript, which is the source of one of my misgivings of the packaging -- the companion book is nothing more than a literal transcription of the tapes. The book could have provided more background, or in-depth analysis, or a copy of the constitution, or the full text of the opinions. Sadly, it provides none of these.

It is remarkable how the personal experiences of the various justices seem to color their opinions. Most interesting is when future Supremes appear before the court as attorneys.

Finally, I find it interesting that the quality of the arguments seems to be independent of the decisions of the courts -- some of the weakest orators yielded winning arguments.

Still, despite these misgivings, this provides a wonderful ear to the wall of the highest court in the land. Perhaps the best thing about these arguments is that they are completely accessible to the layman -- there is little legalisms, just big issues understandable by all, even if they are controversial.

I teach a course at a local community college and use this book as my text. The book is relatively cheap, especially for college books, and very well written. It describes some of our most influential Supreme Court cases in the past half century. The style that it is written in is ideal for learning and keeping the reader interested.

First it gives a short one page synopsis of the case that sets out the basis facts. It then quotes the actual Supreme Court oral argument but edits the transcript to give it a more narrative style. The editting is great for explaining the background legal principle while setting out the facts to make the read more enjoyable. After the editted transcript of the oral argument, a short editted version of the Court's opinion is printed. This opinion is nicely editted so as to keep readers interested, unlike the full text of most of the cases that would scare lawyers away.

In summation, the book is organized very well and suitable for those wanting to learn about history, those wanting to learn legal principles, or even those just wanting a fun read.

I fully enjoyed this series and own each set. The first series has additional charm because of the nice packaging, which decreased in charm as later sets came out. The plastic display holder and hard cover companion book, including a transcript of each tape, is a nice touch.

The sets does have a liberal slant, though not excessive, which reflects the author. [Justice Marshall gets some play a lot, but then again, his questions often tend to be entertaining.] This doesn't hurt too much, since the commentary is relatively brief, and centers largely on the facts of the case. And, the cases are generally landmark, not leaning one way or the other per se. Anyway, the first tape's "introduction to the Supreme Court" is well done.

I don't find it too troubling that the book doesn't have the whole opinion. The book uses a typical "casebook" approach and prints important excerpts. The book would be much larger if the full opinions were printed. Nor do the excerpt style hurt too much, again it would take much more space to do so. For those interested, Jerry Goldman has a CD-ROM with complete orals of some cases. Also, Oyez.com provides many.

I must, however, note that Irons et. al. provided some sloppy editing, which he admitted to some degree later on. He has the "Reagan Administration" involved in a case before Reagan came to office. He has "Justice Marshall" asking a question in a case before he came to the Court. And, some substantive facts and explanations contain some errors. I'm not sure how some of these things were missed in editing.

Nonetheless, overall, it is a very educational series. It further suggests why we should be able to hear these things on C-SPAN.