Irons Books

This notorious book is a thinly-veiled antisemitic attack on Jews claiming they are behind a vast conspiracy to undermine the United States and deliver it to the communist Soviet Union. It has clearly attracted rave reviews from Holocaust deniers and other Jew-bashing conspiracy theorists.

Colonel John Beaty's book is truly remarkable. The man is a scholar, a soldier, and, clearly, a devoted Christian. In his magnificient work, Beaty exposes the long term enmity of the Khazar people for the Russians, its impact and resolution in the Bolshevik Revolution, and the influence of these same Khazars on American foreign policy within the Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman administrations. Further, Beaty elucidates the motives behind the crazy hodge podge of Truman administration foreign policy in the post World War II period and prophetically analyzes the roles of MacArthur and Eisenhower. Keep in mind that this book was written in advance of the 1952 election season, which saw the elite come to support Eisenhower in order to prevent the election of MacArthur and Taft.

In the corpus of this excellent manuscript, Beaty does make the following observation. In 1940, the World Almanac listed the world Jewish population at 15,319,359. The same publication in 1949 listed the world Jewish population at 15,713,638. As six million were alleged to have died during the "Holocaust", the reader is invited to reach their own conclusion.

Beaty writes with the passion of a soldier and a compassionate leader of men in desribing the Korean conflict, its sabatoge by the Truman administration, and the terrible toll this subterfuge represented. In this, today, one is, of necessity, reminded of the ongoing tragedy in Iraq.

This is an excellent and terribly important book. Pick it up and give it a read with open heart and open mind. You will be informed and renewed.

I read most of the book and found nothing about any holocaust hoax mentioned by reviewer "ruggero." Looking in the index showed no listing for the word holocaust at all. It might be in there somewhere, but I doubt it. The author seems too smart and too honest to deny the genocide against the Jews and numerous others in Hitler's regime.

What I did find were plenty of impressively documented pieces of evidence that both FDR and Truman knowingly allowed communists to crawl throughout their administrations, even up to the level of positions advising the president. Furthermore, it's rather obvious that Truman passively helped the communist forces of Mao tse Tung take over the nation of China. He did that by cutting off aid to the Nationalists. Before that of course he winked while Stalin scooped up all of Eastern Europe.

Great book, important work, should be a part of everyone's library for quotes and reference value. Plus America needs to become more informed so we can combat the enemies of truth, those infesting and controlling the Democratic party and the mainstream news networks. Yes, that makes me sound like a conspiracy nut. The problem is, if there really were a conspiracy, what would we call the people who figure it out? That's me, nut or whatever.

The Iron Curtain over America by John Beaty. Originally published in 1951, scholar and WWII intelligence officer Beaty's classic diagnoses America's condition in mid-century and finds our land threatened by the cancerous growth of Communist and Zionist subversion and control. The extraordinarily well-informed and courageous Beaty was one of the first Americans to breach the Iron Curtain of silence guarding the Holocaust hoax and the Middle East mess, and to call (in vain) for Americans to clean out the Augean stables of New York, Washington, and Hollywood. A revisionist classic.

I tried to read all of Col. Beaty's book but found it impossible
since the contents became so intensive as I ventured further into the book.

Much of it is related to politics and an era (1945-1950's)
when concerns about Communism under, over and behind
the US Government and Economy, were in their heyday.

It became lacklustre...

However, I did find the book valuable because it:

1. Exposes some of the Khazar influence over the USA
2. Is quite Pro-Semitic (Pro-Arab relations)
3. Was written by someone "in the know" about the Insiders
4. Gives a slightly sane "Right Wing Extremist" perspective
5. Reveals major media problems in the USA/UK/Everywhere
6. Proves that some wise folks in Texas were/are Pro-Arabic
7. Exposes some powerful Selfish Interest politics
8. Was diametrically opposite New York City politics
9. Offered adequate accurate citations

If You are looking for a book that will satiate
some of your appetite and curiousity for activities
"behind the scenes" in many societies, from a military
intelligence perspective, then this book can be revealing.

But as a conspiracy investigator,
I did not find any of it sensational
after reading it a few times.

If You are interested in discovering and testing
different perspectives, from an "extreme" side of politics,
and are very interested in actual history and US politics
from 1000 A.D. to the late 1940's and early 1950's,
then this book is worth more than its weight in gold.

If You are looking for a truly delightful rewarding book
that gives You a positive outlook,
and would be useful in Disciplining or Limiting
the Military Industrial Complex
and its ruling New World Order then perhaps look elsewhere.

The author was too much a hawk for a dove like me.

I used to think Iron Man was a stupid idea with a stupid costume. I was at the library looking for a comic to check out when I saw this. I looked at it, curious to see what was behind the cool looking cover. I liked the artwork(bad artwork turns a good comic story to garbage) and I thought the Idea of a hero stripped of his super powers(or armor), and forced to face them was pretty cool.

I think there where a few things I found frustrating, like Tony's relationship with Ru feels like it's falling apart( I find that frustrating), and the battles could have been more exiting(more heavily speed lined, different angles, more dramatic reactions, etc.). There were 3 to 6 fights of so.

Tony's armor is, to him, a menace. He tries to teach it to be a hero, because he can't kill it. It's to powerful. The armor get's the wrong idea and kills someone. the situation is very touchy, one wrong move and your dead. Thats the exitement.

The thing I think that sort of kripples the comics spice is all the words. He's telling the story to you, then there's all the talking. He(Tony) tells the story even in fights, which intimidates readers. It could have been made better (nearly everything in life could be better) but that doesn't mean it's bad. You might be the type who likes to read lots of diologue.

I have to say I really enjoyed this collection of issues from the latest Iron Man volume(!), the only part that didn't hold water being the relationship between Tony Stark and Rumiko Fujikawa.
Strange how Joe Quesada managed to actually make us feel sympathy for a deranged suit of sentient armor as it 'falls in love' with its creator, and the desparate battle that ensues is sure to quicken the pulse of loyal readers every time. The part I most enjoyed was the confrontation with Whiplash (formerly Blacklash) despite the kinky garb he was given, the ending of which I reckon would make a fantastic cliffhanger for the end of the long-awaited Iron Man movie- what a shame Tony wakes up and the revealing of his identity was... all a dream!! Maybe in an alternate reality this could have spun the comic into a completely different direction, and I feel it's a pity that it wasn't given a chance. Perhaps they should have kept that one 'in the wood' for a quiet moment in the title, as opposed to stunting this awesome opportunity in the middle of another big story.
As with all graphic novels I love reading comics without the advertisements, and the pace of this story arc is excellent. Give yourself a treat if only for another copy of the fantastic Sean Chen cover from issue #29.

Ok, I've read comics for years, but mainly DC. This isn't the first time I've read Iron Man, but the other times I read it was just flipping through pages at the comic store. The character always interested me but I never took the plunge. This paperback was my first Iron Man purchase and my first step into the world of Iron Man comics. With that said, let me assure anyone who is thinking about getting into Iron Man and is looking for a starting point, this is perfect.

The story arch is self-contained, and you don't need any knowledge of Iron Man history to know what's going on. The story is that over the many upgrades Tony Stark has made to the armor over time, and with the help of a massive electric charge by an enemy attack, the armor comes to life and becomes a sentient being. Stark opts to try to work with the armor and teach it right from wrong, but it doesn't work out that way and they end up facing off.

I skipped a lot of details becuase I don't want to give too much away. The characters are well written and there is definetly a lot of depth, and the story moved at a great pace. The artwork was fantastic and the whole thing felt really nicely done.

This is a very good paperback and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of comics and wants to get into Iron Man.

"The Mask in the Iron Man" is one of the more interesting stories since IM got rebooted since Heroes Return. Reason being, Quesada, rather than get caught up in trying to make Iron Man Cool with the latest improbable technology (which he does do), instead focuses on what makes Iron Man work in the first place: character. It's Stark himself, a man who suffers from the threat of heart failure and the relapse of alcoholism, that proves why this character still works after 40 years.

It's also an interesting study on why the armor exists at all in the first place. Is it more to keep threats like the Mandarin or Whiplash out? Or is it to put a barrier between friends and lovers, and himself? The awakening of the armor into sentience (which, I admit is a Rube Goldberg sequence of happenstance so improbable, I had to deduct one star, but it's still a rocking story) asks the old chestnuts "how do we define life" and "what is one life worth" in a whole new frame of reference, not from our P.O.V., but from the armor's AI.

Sean Chen's artwork is dense, but quality, and perfectly compliments Quesada's equally dense prose. Combined they show Tony Stark as the fascinating, contridictory character that he is, and "the Mask in the Iron Man" is a interesting study.

Now if they'll only collect Warren Ellis's "Extremis", I'll be a happy man...

Mask in the Iron Man, by Joe Quesada, Sean Chen and Alitha Martinez, was the first Iron Man tale in quite some time that managed to impress me. I started reading comics in 1989, and after a single issue (#246 in case you were wondering) Iron Man became my favorite Marvel character. Unfortunately I arrived just as the last truly great Iron Man run was ending. Since that point there have been a few good moments, such as John Romita's Armor Wars II and the ill-fated Heroes Reborn series, but for the most part the Iron Man series had been mediocre at best.

The Heroes Return relaunch put the series on a better footing, and with an artist (Chen) who was truly capable of handling the character. Two years into the series, Marvel head honcho Joe Quesada stepped in to handle the writing chores for the issues collected in this trade paperback. The basic premise is this: what would happen if Iron Man's armor gained sentience?

Never mind that the method it gained sentience is borderline absurd (bad Y2K software plus a lightning strike), it was still a fascinating concept. What kind of personality would the world's most technologically advanced weapon have? What would it want? What would it do? And could Tony Stark stop it if he needed to?

Apparently the armor is not unlike a surly adolescent. It wants attention and it is extremely jealous. It proceeds in pure stalker fashion to wreck Tony's life, destroy his relationship, and even kills one of his enemies. This is fascinating stuff, and for the most part Quesada handles the story quite well. Without giving too much away, the ending stretches belief, even by comic book standards. Quite frankly, there's no way the Iron Man suit is even remotely affected by Tony's "Survivor" tricks.

The artwork by Chen and Martinez is first rate. Both artists have a very similar style, and have the ability to inject energy into mundane conversation scenes as much as they do with the fight scenes. I would have much rather seen Joe Quesada provide the artwork for these issues as well (his cover art just made me want more), but I have no real complaints.

It's not perfect, but the series is by far the best Iron Man story I have read since the original Iron Man: Armor Wars saga. My only real complaint is that the Wizard send-away ½ issue, which was part of the story, wasn't included.

The writers provide excellent research and history on RAVENSWOOD, detailing convincingly how workers' battled back against rapacious employers. This is a timeless book, relevant for all times. Bronfenbrenner and Juravich, as usual, provide excellent research and analysis of one of the many struggles to save the steel industry in the U.S. Bravo.

As the daughter of a 5668 lockedout employee, who was really too young to fully understand the total impact of the lockout, I looked forward to this book. It has allowed me to have a better grasp of what it was really like for my parents and all of the other Steelworkers and their families. I have come to appreciate what it is to be UNION! This book gave me some suprises that I did not anticipate (PIC!! You know who you are!!!) It also brought me to tears on a numer of occasions. I know the fear, depression, hopelessness that all of these members felt. Bless our union! You truly held "ONE DAY LONGER" than that "Boyle on your Back" and prevailed!! BTW my dad did not make it through the 1st chapter before putting it down in tears, and never picked it up again, because it hits home that hard. Truly a must for anyone involved with this dispute or anyone involved in one of their own. Congratulations 5668

True-life tale of the Steelworkers victory in Ravenswood West Virginia. I lived through this event growing up, my father one of the proud members of Local 5668. This book is an excellent read, informative and entertaining. Excellent text for US History courses. I also recommend the film "Matewan."

Ravenswood is an excellent account of the recent labor victory for the USWA in 1992. The book reads well and does a very good job of holding the reader's interest as the tale of how Local 5668 fought the infamous Marc Rich and won. The drawback of the book is that is is written by very pro labor authors and the view point and opinion portrayed throughout is very slanted in the union's favor. Unbiased opinion and view point is missing, if you're looking for an objective view of the account, this book will not offer that.

This is a book about a strike against an aluminum plant in West Virginia by the United Steelworkers labor union in the early nineties. First, this is a genuinely good read (just based on the story....) with characters (all be they real...) that you root for and others that you shy away from (Emmitt Boyle and Marc Rich are drawn as evil incarnate....) Aside from this, this book serves as a record of a number of things: 1) a model for how a small-town labor struggle could be conducted on a broad-based front; 2) the ways in which capital does not exist in a locality so much as scattered throughout the world; and 3) an illustration of how labor stoppages in small towns have evolved from the days of Pinkerton thugs and picket lines to something more conplex and... well, modern....

I'd really recommend this book to about anyone but, well, honestly, only people really into labor are ever going to read this. This is a really good book....

Desde el incio este libro se nota que est escrito por alguien que conoce de Rock yque porsupuesto conoce a la banda. Mick Wall nos introduce en el naciente mundo del Heavy Metal britanico y da luces de cada hecho que transformo en histora a Iron Maiden. Si bien no hay muchas fotografias que acompañen el libro, no es menor que la historia de cada integrante te da luces de como la fortuna o una alineaciòn de planetas junto a la gente indicada en el lugar indicado. Si quieres formar tu propia banda te sera muy ùtil y si quieres ser un representante te da mayor informaciòn aun sobretodo por el papel de Rod Smalwood. Los testimonios son de primera fuente y de seguro te sorprenderas con algunos relatos, quien trato de grabar como Queen, quièn queria ser baterista en un comienzo, la elecciòn de Blaze como reemplazo, los shows en que Dickinson solo murmuro las canciones, el porque de la salida de Clive Burr etc, etc. Es la unica y mejor biografia de Maiden, aunque llega al 2004 de seguro que una 3ra ediciòn llegarà al 2008.

This is a really great book. Not only as it is the biography of one of the greatest heavy metal bands: Iron Maiden written by excellent writer Mick Wall (of Kerrang / Classic Rock fame). The book perfectly describes the bands unique determination to keep playing and growing continuously as band members are exchanged and overall music trends are changing.

The band's story is very inspirational and instills the mantra to never give up and keep fighting for what you thing is right will give results. Well recommended to all fans of music.

What I like about this book is that it tells the story behind the band and their music, rather than being a groupie/drugs tales book (like Hammer of the Gods on Zeppelin, for example). I've been reading magazine articles, books, etc. on the band for about a decade and a half, and I learned a lot from this book, but little from anything I've read since! It gives a large amount of detail on band member backgrounds and the rise of the band - I think you're about a third of the way through the book before he reaches the first album.
There are 2 reasons I don't give it 5 stars. First of all, the book breezes through what I (and many others) consider the peak of the band, the four albums from Piece of Mind to Seventh Son, and the author under-rates these albums. I've never met a fan who considers anything Maiden have done since the 80's as being as good as these albums, but the author considers the X Factor a masterpiece and Powerslave as full of filler! This is nonsense. Also, I think the book would be the better if it followed Bruce and Blaze's solo work a little - I think Bruce's albums in the 90's (specifically the 2 with Adrian Smith) are as much Maiden as anything the band put out, and both singers put out excellent work after leaving Maiden that are probably mostly listened to by Maiden fans.
I have the first edition of this book (from 1998, I believe), but it has been updated with each new album by the band. I'll probably pick up the next edition, if they update it for the new CD.

Disregard those negative responses. This book is amazing and very knowledgable. Any metal fan would enjoy it, and even super Maiden freaks will learn quite a bit from it too.

It's an amazing biography from one of the greatest/most influential heavy metal bands. Everyone should read it!

Mick Wall doesn't try to influence the reader with suggestions that any particular period of the group was better than another. Nor does his own personal opinions of which album was their best appear at all. This is just a well-balanced overview of one of the most important bands in rock music. For those interested in a sex and drugs book, this isn't for you. A great read, I couldn't put it down.

Worth reading as a portrayal of some aspects of Civil War soldier life. Driscoll does battle pretty well, and daily life better. He understands the community nature of a company.

He's not great at social mentalities, though. However earthy they may have been, I can't imagine 19th century people as promiscuous as this--particularly the well-bred judge's daughter, who would have ruined her entire life if she acted the way she does here.

Characters are fairly well-done with the above reservation, though I found Murphy as "wise Irishman" a bit too familiar. Sentence-level writing doesn't particularly shine.

I read this book for a class, and while it was valuable simply for the insight it gave me into the nature of the Civil war and the things men went/go through, I had a few major complaints about this book.

Driscoll is a formor military man himself, and I believe his own experiances have strongly colored his image of what the 2nd Wisconsin (Baraboo guard) would have been like. Problem is, the Culture of the 1990's is not the same as the 1860's. Added to that was poor reasearch.

Wisconsin is a State with a strong German history (I live here and have German ancestors). A great many German (and scandanavian) Lutherans and protestants settled there, fleeing from turmoil in Europe. It was from these folk that the Baraboo guard would have been formed. Many of these people would have been very religous, and would have taken their faiths and their morallity seriously.

While I don't doubt that the stress of war would put preasures on men which would make them loosen a little on their morals, Driscoll didn't give them any morals to begin with. The whole bunch of them were a lot of loud-mouthed swearing heathans, from day one to the end of the book, an image that is grossly inconsistant with the reality of Wisconsin at this time.

Another thing that bothered me was the Guard's Leautenant, going and having sex so readily with his love interest, and then her father knowing and not caring at all about it. While this might be common in today's world, the world of the 1860's wasn't so forgiving to young society women who indulged in "Free Love."

Getting past the gross historical cultural problems in this book, it was pretty historically accurate, and not an awful read. I don't think I'd bother reading it again.

An excellent tale of the Iron Brigade from its origins to the final terrible days at Gettysburg. Often tragic, but filled with incredible and descriptive acounts of combat from Bull Run to Cold Harbor. Driscoll captures the physical and emotional struggles, the heroics, the cowardice and the brutal aspects of war. The core of the story follows several men through the darkest days of the war, their sufferings, their fears, the comradeships they develope and the unit pride as members of the Iron Brigade. The story has an excellent ending. I would like to see Mr. Driscoll do another novel on the Irish Brigade. Overall, an exciting and enjoyable read. But the characters could have been detailed and fleshed out a bit more. I would recommend this novel to anyone intrested in this period.

Review by Gregory J. W. Urwin, University of Central Arkansas, in CIVIL WAR HISTORY, Volume 44, #1 (March 1998): The Iron Brigade was one of the hardest-fighting and most respected infantry formations in the Army of the Potomac, distinguishing itself in savage actions at Brawner Farm, South Mountain, Antietam, and Gettysburg. The brigade's members took an almost perverse pride in being Westerners in a predominately Eastern army. In combat, these rugged sons of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana exhibited an unyielding tenacity that prompted some observers to question whether such men could be composed of ordinary flesh and blood. But their valor carried a terrible price. The Iron Brigade suffered a higher percentage of its troops killed and mortally wounded than any other brigade in the Union army. Its sad and heroic story is the stuff of which legends - and good novels - should be made. The Baraboo Guards is John K. Driscoll's moving account of a fictional company in the Iron Brigade's oldest regiment, the 2d Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. The story opens in May, 1861, as a hundred men from Sauk County assemble at the town of Baraboo to depart for their regimental rendezvous at Madison. They soon board a train for Washington, D. C. and receive a harrowing baptism of fire at the First Battle of Bull Run. In the months that follow, the 2d Wisconsin is joined by the 6th and 7th Wisconsin and the 19th Indiana, although nearly another year would pass before the brigade would receive a chance to prove its mettle in battle. (The 24th Michigan was not assigned to the Iron Brigade until October 1862 after the slaughter at Anteitam.) A Civil War buff since 1961, Driscoll has written a fitting tribute to the Iron Brigade by focusing on the trials of a single company. Many outstanding war novels are essentially studies in male bonding, but Driscoll is to be commended for recognizing that the men of the Iron Brigade were already closely bonded before they ever put on uniforms. The Baraboo Guards repeatedly highlig! hts the fierce local pride that explains why so many Civil War units sustained such fearful losses and kept coming back for more. Driscoll's descriptions of training, camp life, picket duty, and combat are livid and completely believable. The book also features some shrewd character sketches that explore both the noble and ignoble sides of human nature. Although Driscoll throrughly researched the Iron Brigade's history, he occasionally lets his characters lapse into modern slang, which clashes with the period tone of his finely crafted prose. A few of the commands shouted by Driscoll's officers smack more of the eighteenth century than the drill manuals of the Civil War era. Like Michael Shaara in The Killer Angels, Driscoll also finds it necessary to invent a worldly wise, midle-aged Irish veteran to teach his green Wisconsins volunteers the fine points of soldiering. Driscoll's Michael Patrick Murphy (an ex-Marine, like his creator) is even more of a rogue than Shaara's Buster Kilrain, but he remains an unmistakably derivative device in what is otherwise an original and memorable historical nove.

A successful novel in my opinion, must first & foremost, create a desire in the reader to know the trials, tribulations & ultimate fate of the main characters. In this book the reader truly cares! The book enjoys a good number of larger than life characters who suffer unbelieveably cruel adventures, with varying degrees of fortitude, that enthrall the reader more & more as the book develops. One hundred innocent souls are cajoled by the jingoism of the local politicians in Sauk County, Wisconsin, to volunteer to go niaively off to a far-away war in which they had little idea of the motives for the same, & even less idea of the savagery they would ultimately be exposed to. Innocence is often the first casualty of war & the battle of First Bull Run quickly kills off the innocence of the Baraboo Guards. Their development from raw recruit to seasoned veteran is hard & wearisomely achieved. At each charnal house battle, characters who are dear to the readers' heart inexorably bite the dust. As battles commenced I found myself crossing my fingers to protect those I had become most endeared to. To no avail! The book is historically accurate in all aspects. The uniforms, equipment used, etc. The timing & circumstances of the civil war battles. Action is rousing & clearly related. Wounds are painfully described & deaths keenly felt. I found the slightly thin love affair that runs through the book, a little unsatisfactory, but I'm probably being too much of a nit-picker. This book moves along at a cracking pace. Whilst not exactly a joy to read, it is certainly a worthwhile & rewarding experience. I heartily congratulate the author & unhesitatingly recommend the book.

It's a smartly written quick read that, nonetheless, isn't particularly outstanding. Don't expect much and you'll probably get a pretty enjoyable afternoon out of it. A quirky, but more or less stereotypical hybrid of "some guys meet in a bar and go on a quest," and "cute, spunky, insipid little know-it-all solves the mystery."

So if you're looking for something a little different from the-dungeons-and-dragons-usual, you'll probably find it lackluster at best. But if that's what you're looking for? You've come to the right place. There were points I couldn't tell if I was reading a book or someone's carefully edited roleplaying logs.

Cimozjen doesn't have a lot of depth: I winced a little when the word "paladin" randomly, abruptly appeared. He has a good name, though. I guess that is important. There is a golem thing. That is pretty cool. There is also a horrible little elf girl who belongs in the trash can. This part is admittedly an issue of personal taste. If your personal taste favours energetic, convenient know-it-alls with an endless font of observational skills yanked straight out of a mediocre episode of Law & Order, you'll probably be OK with her -- and hey, the whole book, too.

(Don't expect a lot of mystery in this mystery.)

I am tired of books that save the world. This is a solid story where
everything doesn't end perfect. Best book Ive read in over a year. (I read all forgotten realms and some Eberron). Bolme is now a must read author with Salvatore, Byers, Baker and Kemp.

In Bound by Iron, Edward Bolme has written some unique characters in a plot with a surprising ending for this stand alone novel. In a story reminiscent of a John Grisham thriller, Bound by Iron begins with a murder and leads the heroes into a web of lies, deceit, and greed. Bound by Iron is the first novel in Eberron's Inquisitives series.

Bolme explores the themes of justice, honor and righteousness in this novel. Cimozjen is a paladin, a warrior of the Sovereign Host whose sense of right and wrong is strong. Minrah the journalist, on the other hand, is what is often called a "chaotic good" character. She does not do evil things, but will do whatever it takes to get what she wants, especially in pursuit of a story, even to the point of putting her companions in harm's way. Four, the warforged, provides a tabula rasa that the other two characters are trying to imprint with their own values. Each character walks away from the story being changed, for better or worse by their contact with each other.

I liked this Eberron novel. Some readers may find the dialogue a little contrived, but I didn't. The mystery aspect of it was simple, so fans looking for fantasy noir won't like this novel. It does give a soldier's eye view of some of the major events of the Last War on the Eberron world. Cimozjen and Torval's comradeship was a well-written aspect of the story, and in a way reminded me of Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front in the way it delved into the mind of the front-line soldier, if in a more simplified way. Even with the philosophical aspect, it was still a good adventure story with lots of sword action. Bound by Iron is a fun reading diversion. Its unique characters, unusual ending, and detailed fight scenes gave hours of reading enjoyment.

I've read a few other books and stories by Edward Bolme, and this was probably the best of them. The plot moved along well -- neither too quickly nor too slowly -- and most of the characters were interesting. The locations and background story to the world were consistent with what I've read in other Eberron books, as well.

My only complaint is the same I had for Bolme's other book, the Orb of Xoriat: his endings are unsatisfactory. The story doesn't so much end as it just stops -- it's like the author ran out of time and had to quickly tie together the loose ends, or he ran out of steam and just ended it...I don't know. Regardless, 90% of it was good, and definitely worth it if you are interested in Eberron.

Bound by Iron is an exciting mix between fantasy and mystery. The book is fast paced and action packed. The characters are solid and well written. The hero is not your cookie-cutter invincible type. Instead, Cimozjen is an interesting mixture of paladin and soldier. What I liked is that in several scenes it is shown that he is not invincible and not infallible. He makes mistakes, he gets injured. This character feels real. I also liked the interaction between the characters.

The plot of the story is also interesting and although predictible in a few spots it was very well written. I thought the ending was very well done. I highly recommend this book.

Considering the price, this book is a great buy that provides a good overview of life in a tank battalion. Tactics, training and armaments are well covered, though there is too much time spent on the familes back home. Some of the stories may be embellished, but they are accurate enough for the average reader.

This is a great account of the Gulf War. The most fought part of the ground war, yet the least covered. Everyone hears about 73 easting (2ACR) and the 7th Cav debacle with 1 Cavalry Division, but this unit (1AD) fought the largest tank battle since World War II without combat losses. Yes I was there.

was with 6-6 inf. as a brad. commander in c. co. found the book very accurate, right down to the detail of the falling out between iron mike and col. meigs who is now the cinc in usaeur. very good book and very accurate as to the battles we fought.

Iron soldiers is intersting reading that tells the true story of the First Armored Division in combat with Iraq's Republican Guards. Tom Carhart writes as if he was there during the combat misssions. He has exact information and details that describe many personal events about the prepration, deployment, and battles. He highlights and explains the fear and concerns of some of the leaders as they prepare to leave Germany. I almost relive the Gulf War when I read Iron Soldiers. I was a First Sergeant with the Alpha Company 54th Engineer Bn at Wildflecken Germany and my company was attached to the 2nd Brigade 1AD during the Gulf war. Any soldier who was in the ground war should read this book. I believe that they will relate to it and get satisfaction in knowing that we did our job well. First Sergeant William E. Miller (Retired)

While I was looking for a story on ground combat during the Gulf War, I was a bit dissapointed to see much of the book spent on the preparations in Germany before the division shipped out. Not a bad book, but not what I was looking for.

I love the play versions of Dahl's work.
Same magical stories adapted into a very managable script with ideas for staging, lighting, costumes and props. I am a teacher and this is a script I will definitely consider using when teaching Children's Theatre.

Although this is a perfectly adequate play for elementary schools to perform I was disappointed that it was so much shorter than the book and left out alot. The heavy use of a narrator to tell much of the story rather than the actors detracts from this adaptation.

This tale is full of magic, suspense, wonder, and even bugs.
Get half a page in and you already find out where JK Rowling got Harry James Potter's name from (James Henry Trotter is the star of this book). This is such a great book to read to yourself and an even better book to read to your kids. The imagery and the magic are great. The Cloud Men and the rainbow paint are just imaginative enough for little kids to love.
I docked the book a star painfully. It was because Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is so much better than this and there has to be some kind of scale.
James and the Giant Peach is a book you should read; it's a book that tops most peoples' kids' books of all time lists.

This was a great book full of adventure. James had a great life with his parents until they were eaten by a rhinoceros and he was forced to live with his two aunts. His aunts were very mean to him and he was not happy at all with them. One day he met a man who gave him a magic bag of beans. He dropped the bag on his way to his house. The beans caused the Peach Tree to grow very large. James' aunts charged people to come and see the giant peach. James found a hole in the peach and climbed in. Inside the peach James found giant bugs that would soon become his friends. James and the bugs left for an exciting journey inside of the peach.
We thought this book was a great book that was very hard to put down. The whole book left us wondering what would happen next to James. It was full of adventure and would be great to use in the fourth grade for Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Health.

Roald Dahl has always been one of my favorite children's book authors. His books often are slightly dark, but triumphant in a way that remind you of Lemony Snicket and Harry Potter. In this tale, however, James is an orphan living with horrible aunts. He escapes his horrible existence when he climbs aboard a peach that keeps growing and growing. Delightful in that he gets to live in a peach, and everything in the peach including a worm gets to become James' size as well. Also recommended are Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events and the Emily Cobbs Collection.

As a fat 12 year old, I picked up my first copy of Muscle Builder Magazine and transformed my body and my spirit. Within a year, I had broken the 60 yard dash record at my junior high school. This transformation, largely motivated by the efforts of Joe and Ben Weider, changed the direction of my life and catapulted me into a lifelong mission toward health and fitness.

This book was an inspirational story of commitment, courage, tenacity and guts. The Weider's ultimate success was the result of overcoming many hurdles and obstacles along the way. In their final chapter, Joe Weider cites his "lessons of bodybuilding: Determination, Persistence, Concentration, Focus and Patience." I will add one more -- Resilience - the ability to bounce back after getting knocked down.

The only reason I didn't rate this book five stars is that I would like to have liked to have seen more content and photos regarding the early bodybuilders who were foundational to the success of the Weider empire.

I normally won't read/purchase autobiographies and the Weider brothers (particularly Joe) only reaffirms this stance. Autobiographies are subject to bias and usually paints the subject in a often times rosier than truth light, with that said here is my review.

The Weider brothers no doubt have paid their dues with tireless effort and an impressive work ethic. If this book was only about Joe Weider and his role in publishing this no doubt would be a stellar book. It is good read only because of the author's contribution and not necessarily what comes off like bloviating (especially with Joe Weider).

Ben Weider is proud of his IFBB and he should be, for it has allowed him to see the world. He came off actually more interesting than Joe due to his interest in esoteric and historic pursuits. However a piece of advice for Ben Weider: if you want bodybuilding to be admitted into the Olympics start testing for drugs as prescribed the IOC. The constant reference that bodybuilding received IOC consideration nearly 10 years ago is irrelevant. This topic of drug abuse, particularly anabolic steroids, is the dirty not so secret plague that the Weiders have successfully danced around for over 40 years.

Joe Weider comes off as less than honest or incredibly naive. Here is old Joe making money hand over fist (good for him) while body builders such as Schwarzenegger, Columbo and Zane promoted his fitness and supplement products. The truth is that you can take all the Weider products you want, work out hard and still want (unless genetics is on your side) become the size of these competitors. However Joe admits that at first he did not believe they were juicing up, later admits he was naive, then tells you he hates drugs and finally rationalizes it by saying championship atheletes will do anything to win. What he should have said was that the cash flow was too sweet to pass up at whatever or whoever's expense.

In the world of Weider, in particular Joe, he is never at fault. Bob Hoffman, his York barbell company and the AAU are satan. His ex-wfe is a downfall early in his career. This passage is particularly interesting because Joe Weider mentions a daughter. As a previous reviewer pointed out he devotes maybe two sentences to this daughter and apparently has no contact with her. This is odd considering how Weider often preaches family values in his lifestyle mantra. When Vince MacMahon and his shortlived WBF presents competition, especially after several top IFBB bodybuilders (most notably Gary Strydom) jump ship to compete in the WBF; Joe merely says he welcomes them back to his fold following the WBF's collapse. What he doesn't tell the reader is that he "penalized" the bodybuilders 10% of their first year annual wages upon their return to the IFBB.

Joe Weider also fails to tell the reader that he settled with the US Postal Inspectors in the 1970s (Schwarzenegger testified on Weider's behalf) and later in the 1980s with the FTC for ridiculous claims he made concerning the performance results of his products. Why this "highlight" is omitted this reader has no idea.

Joe and Ben Weider would have been wise but probably not as rich if they had promoted natural bodybuilder, which adheres to IOC drug testing and is now growing in leaps and bounds. This would have worked well with their idea of a clean and fit lifestyle. Additionally Joe Weider himself all but lays claim on jumpstarting the fitness lifestyle, when in fact it was him and others including Jack LaLanne and Charles Atlas.

When Schwarzeneggar has blazed a Hollywood and political trail, ecclipsing the immigrant's American dream; Joe Weider is sour that he fails to garner some credit. The truth is Schwarzeneggar-Weider relationship was one back scratching the other during the governor's days as a bodybuilder. Did Weider open the door for Schwarzeneggar to come to America, yes, was the rest of the story due to Austrian's drive and relentless pursuit, yes. In other words Weider is only due some credit and Schwarzeneggar returned it in spades when he became the face associated with bodybuilding. This reader almost has to wonder if it is Mr. Joe Weider that should express some gratefullness to the determined Schwarzeneggar.

What I liked about this book was some of the early recollections of bodybuilding as told by Joe and Ben Weider, as I weight train regularly. Additionally both Weider brothers prove to me they are marketing geniuses. The author also did a fine job of piecing together this read.

No doubt about it, Ben & Joe Weider made bodybuilding what it is today. From Ben's tireless efforts as an ambassador of the sport and brother Joe's passion with the magazines, Your Physique, Muscle Power, Muscle Builder, Mr. America, All American Athlete and Vigor to the current Muscle & Fitness and other magazines, forming the IFBB, offering bodybuilders a alternative to the joke that the AAU, York Barbell and Bob Hoffman offered and quality nutritional products that actually worked, bodybuilders all over the world owe a huge debt of graditude to the Weider brothers.

My only complaint is that the Weider brothers did not take proactive action against anabolic steriods.

Hooray to the brothers of Iron. Thank you for taking our sport to levels that only you two could have dreamed of. Ben & Joe are like the Walt Disney of bodybuilding.

ANYONE WHO CALLS DAN LURIE GUM UNDER HIS SHOE SHOULD HAVE THAT SHOE UP HIS HEINIE
THIS IS AN EGOTISTICAL, SELF SERVING WASTE OF TIME. I WAS HOPING TO LEARN WHAT I DIDN'T KNOW BUT ALL I LEARNED IS THAT JOE WEIDER IS FULL OF HIMSELF. IF YOU WANT TO LAUGH AT SOMEONE WHO THINKS HE IS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE BUT IS REALLY A FALLING METEOR, THIS IS IT.
JOE WEIDER, IF HE IS DOING NOTHING BUT PUTTING DOWN EVERYONE AND GIVING NO CREDIT ANYWHERE, WILL MAKE HIMSELF LOOK BAD IN THE END, THE CONSENSUS WILL BE ALL EGO AND NO FACT, NO HEART, JUST EGO AND MERCHANDIZING. THIS WILL NOT FARE WELL FOR HIM IN A OVERVIEW OF THE SPORT, LOOK....LET US THINK DEEPLY HERE...WHY DEPRIVE PEOPLE OF THEIR JUST RECOGNITION? WHY? IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE. IT TAKES A DECENT PERSON TO GIVE RECOGNITION TO OTHERS, WHY DEPRIVE THEM? IT IS A FORM OF STEALING, STEALING SOMEONE'S NAME, FAME, GLORY, CREDIT, TAKING AWAY FROM THEM WHAT SHOULD BE GIVEN IS A SIN, AND JOE WEIDER, BY WRITING WHAT HE WROTE, SHOWS WHAT HE IS INSIDE, A MAN WITHOUT HEART, EMPATHY OR LOVE....THIS WILL FARE BADLY FOR HIM IN THE END, IN THE HISTORICAL MEMORY.

Joe Weider made his name and his fortune promoting the sport he loves and for which he has an astounding amount of passion --- bodybuilding. There is no one who even comes close to putting the sport of bodybuilding on a par with other sports. Nor is there anyone who has come close to promoting bodybuilding or resistance training as a way to gain health that can last a lifetime.

This book is extremely well written. I suspect that's because a professional writer was brought in to make that happen and Mike Steere did a wonderful job. However, one can certainly see the different styles in communication in the chapters written by Joe and by brother Ben.

The really fun reading, the wonderful reading was that in the chapters written by Joe. But one will notice soon into the book that it is a love fest by Joe Weider to Joe Weider.

Weider blames other people for his failures, including a near bankruptcy and a failed first marriage. He also shows an incredible lack of love or human caring for his one and only child by his first wife. He mentions the child in passing and with no emotion. One wonders why he married a woman he didn't love or resect.

All through the book Joe Weider brags about all he did for the sport of bodybuilding and he takes full credit for it all. He puts down numerous other people in the business.

When Arnold was giving a speech and didn't give Joe credit for making it all happen for him, Joe was angry and upset. He wanted the credit and he wanted it publically. Well, truth be told, he deserved the credit. Arnold would still be a nobody in Austria without Joe Weider. And one needs to understand that egos are as huge as muscles in bodybuilding.

This book gives us a look at the golden years of bodybuilding. It gives us the history of bodybuilding. It's an incredibly powerful and exciting book that gives us an insiders view into bodybuilding from the beginning.

There has been a lot said about Joe Weider. Much of it bad. Bodybuilding is perhaps the only sport that has no sanction against the use of anabolic steroids.

The articles we read in Muscle and Fitness, while great reading, offer workouts that the average person can't do. One has to be juiced to be able to handle all the reps and sets and gym time advocated in the articles. And one certainly has to be juiced to gain the mass of a Ronnie Coleman and the other greats of today. Even Arnold admitted taking steroids in his day and he was nowhere as big as the guys (or some of the gals) today.

Weider comes off as a bit of sexist. He also comes off as very tight with money. Perhaps one can forgive that in a man of his age as long as you don't have to live with him or be around him.

Anyone who is the least bit interested in bodybuilding, in running a business, in the magazine business or sports business should read this book. It's one of the best books I've read in a long time.

You can't help come away with inspiration if you're a businessperson and a glowing love and respect for bodybuilding if you love the feel of iron working muscle and know the value of regular lifting.

I highly recommend this book. It's perhaps the best book of the year --- at least out of the books I've read.

THE IRON TONIC is a bleak little story as the cover proclaims, but bracingly bleak? Perhaps if you're in a certain sort of mood, I don't know. But it does perfectly capture a chilly winter atmosphere.

What I love are the circles in each illustration that draw your attention to some random item in the picture or to something relating to what you're seeing. There's no strict story here but it's possible to imagine some sort of bigger picture to the ominous and vague situations.

There's one bit where a person in a fur coat is standing near a winding stream with rays of sunshine breaking through bits of the grey sky, and the insert zooms in on a big ghostly hand in a sunbeam pointing to a spot in the stream with the accompanying text, "A fugitive and lurid gleam/Obliquely gild the gliding stream." Rich in symbolism? Nah, probably just nonsense. But that's fine by me.

i love dark humor. i am a big fan of angus oblong and joyce carol oates, but i have to say that i hated this book. there was nothing special about it at all. it was not funny, it was not thought-provoking, it was not even the least bit creepy. if i could have i would have given this book a zero rating. this goes for the many other books i have read by edward gorey.

THE IRON TONIC, originally published in limited edition by Albondocani Press in 1969, comes here in a more widely accessible reprint. It is one of his brief stories where each page shows a droll pen-and-ink drawing with the briefest of text. Here, the tale (well, there's very little plot) is set in at a grey hotel and snowy environs in Lonely Valley, home to various aged and "unwell" people. Along with each illustration is a couplet, e.g. "It's known the skating pond conceals / A family of enormous eels." Most of the book is made up of the wanderings of a handful of characters and what they see in this strange wintry landscape, where objects fall from the air and a dead orphan lies beside the path.

Somehow I didn't find this as satisfying as some other Gorey efforts. If you've never read any of Gorey's work, you can't go wrong in starting off with THE OTHER STATUE. Save this one until you are a bit more acquainted with his art.

In typical Gorey fashion, this book makes no sense. Unlike some of his works, which have plots that go nowhere, The Iron Tonic makes no pretense at story. It's simply a collection of couplets, with Gorey's usual detailed and quirky illustrations, in a bleak and wintry setting. And there is no iron tonic in the book whatsoever, which Gorey fans had doubtless already guessed.

It's an excellent example of Gorey's work, as long as one goes in knowing what to expect from this author.

Sometimes I'll stop and look at an Edward Gorey construction (like "The Iron Tonic") and wonder to myself, "How exactly was this book received in 1969"? Gorey spent years and years perfecting his craft to the best of his abilities. In "The Iron Tonic", hard core Gorey fans will not be disappointed. Those unfamiliar with Mr. Gorey's books may find this one a poor first showing. Advertised on its cover as a, "Bracingly Bleak Tale", it is nonetheless amusing in its dourness. Using his old reliable pen-and-ink, Gorey follows the trials of those attendees at a gothic grey hotel in the middle of an icy wilderness. In the backgrounds of many pictures, the observant reader will notice numerous tiny figures dashing around in the background. Objects fall from the sky regularly, and it is not particularly alarming (or unnatural) to find the occasional dead orphan at the side of the road. I can't say for certain that this book wouldn't be appreciated by some children. Undoubtedly there are those out there eager to scarf up anything this well illustrated. But the large majority of kids will find "The Iron Tonic", unsatisfying, and that is as it should be. If the large population of kiddie-dom was made up of Goreyphiles we'd be living in an eerie wonderful world. That day may be coming, but it is not here yet.