Butler Books

It is impossible to say who of the tremendous artists on this recording does the greatest honor to Yeats' words and intentions. Let us merely say it is the sort of contest which only the listener wins, especially if he or she has even one Emerald Isle gene in his or her make-up.

This is a wonderful collection of poetry. The readers contribute so much emotion to their reading. The listener can hear the music of Ireland in each voice. Every time I listen to this, I hear something new. Some of the poems included are: Stolen Child; The Indian to his Love; The Cloak, the Boat and the Shoes and The Sad Shepherd. This has brought many hours of relaxation and beauty to my evenings. I highly recommend this tape.

The variety of readers makes Yeats poetry come to life. If you like to chill in the car, this one is for you.

Quantum Tarot: A Tarot of New Physics

Buy this deck...you will not be disappointed!

Since the first visuals were available for this deck I have been waiting for its release and I am not disappointed. My first viewing of the deck was sitting with the evening sun coming through the window, sharing a good glass of Australian Shiraz with a friend and listening to the music of Blackmore's Night -- Castles & Dreams. Blackmore's Night -- Castles & Dreams
The cards are beautiful and it will take many viewings to see and all of the images as there are the readily visible and the more subtle that come from contemplation. Thank you Kay and Chris for your work!

The Quantum Tarot blends astronomical imagery, scientific theory and Tarot symbolism in a visually and theoretically breathtaking presentation reminiscent of the Voyager Tarot. In its time, the Voyager broke new ground with its photocollage style, in many cases incorporating astronomical photography with tarot symbolism. The Quantum takes that idea to a whole new level: just as the Hubble images used in the Quantum are a technological leap beyond what were available at the time the Voyager was created, the Quantum Tarot is an artistic jump into a world that the Voyager could only glimpse. Moreover, while I am not ordinarily a fan of Rider-Waite style decks, the Quantum Tarot adds an entirely new dimension -- well, maybe several of them -- to the style that makes the Rider-Waite-ness fade into the background. This is not the same old Tarot in new clothes; this is an entirely new world, entered by way of the Tarot.

That new world is the world of theoretical physics. Physics is the science of how things work, and as our understanding of the world grew beyond dropping things from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, so the theories that tie our observations of things into explanations of how they work grew in complexity. It became apparent that the theories that explain how very large things like planets and galaxies work, were on a collision course with the theories that explain how very small things like atoms work. Both sets of theories couldn't be true, and yet both seem to be. Even worse, it became obvious that all of these theories were incompatible in very basic ways with the theories that explain how ordinary things like clocks and bicycles work. While these new theories have given birth to a whole new world of technology, there remains the nagging problem of explaining how all of these things could possible work together, or even, in some cases, how they can work at all.

The Quantum Tarot takes us on a journey of this strange world of apparent contradictions and inconsistencies. Each card represents some theory, idea or object from the world of theoretical physics. Illustrated with a combination of astronomical imagery and Tarot symbolism, the cards invite one to expand one's understanding of the Tarot by considering how the Tarot symbol relates to some idea in physics. Maybe the other way around, too -- how these often disconnected concepts in physics might relate to a deeper understanding of things through Tarot symbolism. And this is where it starts to get interesting.

Take card XVII -- in the traditional Tarot, the Star; in the Quantum Tarot, String Theory. String theory is an attempt to reconcile the incompatibilities of quantum mechanics and relativity. That has been the dream of physicists for decades: to find a way of combining these two apparently un-combinable theories into a grand Theory of Everything, that would provide some basic explanatory framework of how everything, at bottom, large or small, works. It's been rough going, and it isn't there yet. Maybe it will never happen; there are reasons to suspect the Universe might not be reducible to a single explanatory framework. But the attempt has produced some interesting insights, not the least of which is, at a very basic level, the world is very different from what "common sense" tells us it is. That's a good thing, as common sense is more often a blinder to truth than a way of finding it.

This Tarot is in many ways its own mimic of string theory: it is an attempt to reconcile two things -- science and mysticism -- widely held to be incompatible and contradictory, into a unified framework of ideas. Now this is something I have always believed: that science, mysticism, and add to that philosophy, are convergent disciplines. I do not mean that any of those disciplines is reducible to any of the others -- that, for example, mysticism, or the Tarot as a form thereof, can be explained in terms of psychology, or that science ultimately reduces to logic (sorry Mr. Spock). What I do mean is that as our understanding of all of those disciplines advances, they become more similar than they are different, and each gives important insights as to how the others work. It would appear, for example, that the Uncertainty Principle, which has led some physicists to suggest a "participatory universe", is really the same principle, viewed through the lens of science, as sympathetic magick and its seasonal rituals, viewed from the standpoint of the nature mystic. QM and relativity shed a lot of light on how magick might work, and many physicists have noticed similarities between ideas in physics and mysticism -- books have been written on the Tao of this and the Zen of that. My guess is that the Theory of Everything, if there is such a thing, will ultimately look like some combination of ideas from these different disciplines, a twisted superstring in its own right, vibrating in every dimension of human thought.

To be sure, this isn't the easiest path to tread. If you'd rather meet a charmed quark than a strange one, and you assume a boson has bright red hair and wears a clown suit, you may be heading for rough waters here. I must say that the images on the cards aren't highly intuitive; while you certainly can read these as ordinary Tarot cards, you won't get the full measure of their wisdom without reading, and understanding, what the accompanying book has to say about them. The book is very good; its summaries of the scientific theories are excellent, but admittedly may be beyond those who have no interest or background in the subject. The Tarot of Everything might not be the Tarot for Everyone, but then again, what Tarot is? By drawing the reader into the parallel universe of theoretical physics, this Tarot challenges the reader to get beyond the repetitive and entrenched "meanings" of the cards, and enter a dimension in which the absolutes are uncertain, and the less believable something is, the more likely it is to be true.

I thought that this deck was a creative and interesting approach to the tarot, but there were some things about it that were a little disappointing.

For some reason, the deck is extraordinarily difficult to shuffle. I compared the size of the deck to the standard Rider deck, and the Quantum deck is maybe 1/8 of an inch longer. The Quantum deck is also quite a bit thicker than other decks. But once I was able to wrap my fingers around the deck and do an actual shuffle, the cards seemed to interleave with each other quite nicely.

Interpreting the meanings of the cards in the context of quantum physics is amazingly creative, and I liked that. The pictures of the cards are interesting, with a nicely ethereal quality to them. The pictures are quite original and interesting to look at.

The instruction booklet, however, is pretty horrible. Complex explanations of the workings of quantum physics are finely intermixed with the explanations of what the cards mean, making it difficult and time-consuming to locate within the text and figure out the actual card defintions. Far too many instruction books and booklets make this same mistake. The definitions of what the cards mean in this Quantum deck, therefore, are extremely user unfriendly. This is the very thing that keeps tarot card reading from being far more popular than it already is. No one but an experienced tarot card reader is going to be able to make much sense of the card meanings published in the accompanying booklet. I am going to have to go through the entire booklet and separately record the parts of the text that relate only to the meanings of the cards. Once I have done that, I will be able to use the Quantum deck more conveniently for doing readings. Right now, trying to figure out the individual card meanings in a card layout is a laborious, frustrating experience. I will wait until I have personally rewritten the card meanings in a clear, easy-to-understand way before I do any more readings with this deck.

The creators of this Quantum deck did separate the meanings of individual cards into two headings, one being the Scientific Backgroud, and the other being the Interpretation, but they continued their scientific explanations in with the Interpretations. They should have said everything they wanted to say about the scientific background under that heading alone, and then under the Interpretation heading included nothing more than what they wanted the cards to mean. As it is, in the Interpretation sections, you still have to wade through a lot of scientific information to be able to decipher the actual card meanings.

I worked at Gore Place as an intern in college, where Robert Roberts worked. Many don't realize that this is often credited as the first book published in the US by an African-American. Insight into the labors of a butler in the early republic, of interest to those who are curious about lives of Af-Ams of the era, even though his race is never mentioned in the book.

Do you know how to clean plate and silver wear? How to set up the dining room table? Make sure the tea set is ready for the mistress of the house? Which hard coal is the best one to use? How to prepare fish, fowl or mammals to be carved? How to make the best beer, lemonade and cooling cinnamon water?
Well, this book is the answer to your dreams.
Just don't use quick silver.

I bought this book both as a training guide for my own servants and as a bit of historical research into butlers. Published in 1827 originally this book is a look into the lives of an upper class American family through the eyes of their butler. He covers everything you can image from claening to serving meals to appropriate dress to a philosophical discussion of the roles of servant and employers.

Written by economics professor Henry N. Butler and law professor Larry E. Ribstein, The Sarbanes-Oxley Debacle: What We've Learned, How to Fix It is a sharp-tongued denouncing of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or SOX. SOX was a legal measure created in response to the misconduct of the Enron Corporation, with the intent of protecting investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures. Yet the strict new rules affecting financial practices and corporate governance regulation that comprise SOX cause a heavy direct and indirect cost - one so great, according to The Sarbanes-Oxley Debacle, that it harms the very investors it was supposed to protect as surely as the companies themselves. By creating opportunities for excessive litigation, increasing risk aversion by managers, and distracting executives' attention from maximizing shareholder value, among other flaws, SOX's disadvantages far outweigh its advantages according to the authors - who have come up with a far more viable plan to repeal or legally challenge SOX and address the issues SOX was meant to handle in a more effective manner. Especially recommended reading for policymakers and professionals in the field of corporate business law.

You can tell from the use of the debacle in the title that the authors evaluate the business effects of the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) regulations negatively. Their arguments are interesting and convincing. One of the great things about our system of government is that we can revisit excesses of the past and fix them over time. Butler and Ribstein take us through the climate that led to the enactment of this set of regulation and that was an over reaction to some large business failures.

The collapse of the Internet Bubble led many to believe that the failures by fraud of Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, Adelphia and others were examples of the entire business community. We now know, as many knew then, that these were indeed exceptions. Criminal and causing injury to many, yes, but exceptions nonetheless.

The authors make an argument that businesses and the investment community would have corrected the problems that led to the fraud on their own. Maybe. I think it likely that investors would have demanded that the things the fraudsters used to hide their bad deeds be done away with or without this regulation.

I think the authors are quite compelling in demonstrating the excessive cost of SOX, especially for small businesses. This has distorting effects for the market because it prevents some companies from going public in order to avoid these costs. While the costs of these regulations to large companies may only be cents per $1,000 in sales (not insignificant, by the way), the costs for small companies can be several dollars per $1,000 in sales. Such costs can be crippling to the growth of a small firm. The issues surrounding SOX and foreign companies deciding to list in our markets or not because of these costs is also significant.

The issues around outside directors and the legal liability put on CEOs are also quite significant. It sure sounds good to the public, but it can lead to a too conservative approach to business. Why take risk when it can lead to personal ruin? Yet, businesses exist to take risk. Establishing boards and hiring executives that are reticent to act can be costly for us all. Remember, it was fraud that caused the high profile failures, not risk taking in legitimate business ventures.

Yet, the legal liability is a time bomb waiting to happen. All businesses face times when things don't work out as hoped. Under SOX firms face an increased likelihood of being sued by shareholders who are unhappy with the performance of their investment. The authors also show us the difference in tort suits today against a century ago. Before it was neighbors suing each other being evaluated by a local jury. Today, it is too often a local complainant with a local jury feeling entitled to tap the supposed deep pockets of the out of state corporation. Hence, another reason for reform of not only SOX, but of tort law.

This is not a long book, but it is certainly informative. I recommend it for all business students who need to get up to date on their financial accounting, all business people for whom this is even remotely relevant, and any interested investor.

If your against Sarbanes-Oxley, or trying to learn more why people don't like it as I was, this will be a useful text. The authors find very little to like about the law and much to criticize. I personally think the authors are a little too critical of the law and tend to blow things out of porportion, but that's their viewpoint.

SCORCHED was a terrific read. I like stories that make me privy to the inner emotions and thoughts of the characters. I also like for the author to share information with the reader before the characters know it. In SCORCHED, Rachel Butler does both. Also, I like the way this plot develops, steadily with no glitches. This time, I agree with Harriet Klausner but not with another reviewer who speculates this is the end of the Selena McCaffrey series. Luke Morgan may have been left a loose end for a reason.

In Tulsa, devoted lovers, police officer Tony Ceola and artist Selena McCaffrey, return to their small cul de sac street after spending time with his extended family. They stop by her house, one of four on the block, because a package is outside her door. The package is put inside when "kitty' arrived at her place. A moment later an explosion occurs; kitty saved their lives. Inside his home is assassin Charlize Pawley, who though a respectable Savannah restaurateur, warns Selena that psychopath Damon Long has put a $500,000 hit on her; two pros have accepted the job. Tony believes Charlize is one of them.

They flee to Atlanta where they learn one of the killers is dangerous Luke Morgan. Damon becomes impatient so through Charlize informs Selena that he is visiting Greenhill, Alabama, home of her biological father Grant Hamilton. He knows she will come to protect her dad, who had thought her dead when her mom vanished just under three decades ago.

Selena and series fans learn what happened to her mother Amelia as Selena, Tony, and Charlize head to Alabama for a High Noon showdown; unaware of Damon's local ally. The story line is fast-paced with Tony worried that Charlize will double cross them as her motive to keep Selena safe is unclear and that his beloved will get hurt though he willingly will risk his life to insure she does not. Although Damon's obsessive need for vengeance seems out of character for this cold blooded yet logical in a macabre insane way killer, readers will enjoy being SCORCHED as Rachel Butler provides many of the answers to THE ASSASSIN and DEEP COVER.

Harriet Klausner

Looks like this is the end of the Selina McCaffrey's story. I'm really sorry to see it end because it's been a real blast. Rachel Butler definitely knows how to tell a story and keep it going through three books. I was hoping this one would be a setup for book number four, but after getting to the end, realized it wasn't.

In Scorched, the author delved more into the psyche of the characters involved, especially that of Tony and Selena. This is something I truly appreciated since I wasn't really sure how each truly felt about the other. There were more than a few tender moments between our two lovers, and what they felt for one another was made clear.

In this book, Selena and Tony are on the run from people who want to see Selena dead. This time around, however, she receives help from an unexpected source. I'm still not sure why this person would risk life and limb to protect her though, and wish the author would have elaborated a little more on the reason. While fleeing for their lives, Selena becomes acquainted with the family members, many of whom she never knew existed. What she learns somewhat proves to be detrimental to her own safety. Eventually, Selena ends up trusting some people she should and should not have.

There wasn't quite as much action as there has been in the two previous books; however, this reader felt it was just right. As always, Butler kept me on the edge of my seat, and I will miss this continuing saga.

I read this when I was in 7th or 8th grade. It was the most romantic book, I could imagine and inspired in me a desire to learn French so I could read the few phrases in the book in that language.
It's a story of growing up in the northern wilderness and falling in love with a voyageur who was away traveling the rivers.

I read this when I was in 7th or 8th grade. It was the most romantic book, I could imagine and inspired in me a desire to learn French so I could read the few phrases in the book in that language. It's a story of growing up in the northern wilderness and falling in love with a voyageur who was away traveling the rivers.

This tale of frontier life, in what is now Wisconsin, was one of my favorite historical novels for young people when I was growing up in the northern midwest in the 50's & 60's. The book portrays its characters and the times sympathetically yet realistically. The main theme tells of the maturing love between a young man who is ready to establish a trading post even farther west and a lovely ward of his French frontier family who was raised in the East and can choose to return.

I have read this book and I think it's great. Although I think there is a hole in the plot because Dr. Doom is the kind of guy who would not ask for anyone's help regardless of their expertise, he probably would have known the stuff himself

This book starts off with action as Doctor Octopus is freed from prison. Then it declines and picks up with an exciting finish. Spider-Man Readers will love this book for its fast-paced action.

Of all the Marvel trilogies (Mutant Empire, Time's Arrow, Diane Duane's books) this is the weakest, but it's still pretty good. I like the villain team-up of Doom and Octopus, and I'd bet real money that Askegren wrote all the Fantastic Four parts, 'cause they're as right on here as they are in _Countdown to Chaos_. The climax was kinda weak, but I loved the epilogue.

Elsie Saunders is a woman who has experienced much evil in the world. Her family doctor molested her, her priest was having an affair with her mother, and her father killed her mother and then himself. It's a violent world and she wants to take care of the evildoers who are let out early or are untouchable under the law in an inept system. So far Elsie has taken care of the man who killed her best friend and the pediophile who raped and abused another bud. After killing three more men for similar heinous acts, Elsie goes into hiding for five years.

Her vacation is about to end when somebody using her real name calls her to inform her that young teens are being raped and beaten. Elise reconnects with her friend who is working at a car dealership run by his lover. Two women who worked there are killed, their bodies mutilated in ways too ugly to describe. It is Elise who connects the rapes with the killing and she is determined to stop the people responsible for those acts using her own brand of justice.

SPIRIT OF THE SILENT BUTLER is a very raunchy, gory and graphic in terms of violence, language and sex but they fit seamlessly into the dark theme of the story line. Elsie doesn't act like a killer but she has a strong sense of justice and is determined that any predators that come into her orbit will be eliminated using methods that are not exactly legal. Babs Lakey is a cutting edge storyteller who tells it like it is.

Harriet Klausner

Lakey's _Spirit_ is a _Clockwork Orange_ for the new millenium. This is confident, ground-breaking fiction about Elsie, a heroine who takes on the controversial view that in a violent society, violence is sometimes the answer. Anyone interested in thrillers or social theory should sit down with these books.

Spirit of the Silent Butler by Babs Lakey, ISBN 1-928857-04-3

Well-known in the crime fiction field for her publication, Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine, Babs Lakey is also the capable author of the Elsie Sanders' books--Spirit of the Silent Butler being number two of the three in print.

Lakey writes extremely well and does what every real author is born to do, she integrates insights about genuine human functioning into her work. She achieves authenticity and goes one step further: She has guts. Lakey isn't guided by the market--what's hot and what's verboten--but writes according to her own vision of the subject matter.

Thus though she's quite a good author, she hasn't been able to place her fingers around commercial success. Her books feature the oddballs of society, the ones we don't want to acknowledge in our mainstream art. As I said, she reflects reality.

If you want to read something different than the (also skilled, but sometimes predictable) forms being pumped out by the New York houses, then you have to order this one at Amazon.

A murdering psycho is on the loose and Detective Lawrence (Law) gets out of bed where he was enjoying his Native American honey, Gee, to do his other duty. In the meantime, car dealer Darwin Silano has decided to step out of the closet and announce his love for boyfriend Tony--only to be met by a cascade of bigotry. Thank goodness, Elsie Sanders is coming to Minneapolis to settle things in the way only Elsie is capable of.

Violent, sexual, rambling and hard-bitten, Spirit of the Silent Butler, is the work of a talented wordsmith who shows the sensibility of someone writing for an audience that isn't generally acknowledged--but that does exist. If you're one of those readers who doesn't much go for today's overly tame mystery writing, try Babs Lakey.

G. Miki Hayden, author of Writing the Mystery, a how-to for both novice and professional, nominated for Agatha and Macavity awards.

This book is an easy read and gives great tips, hints, and suggestions for anything troubling you about the ways you assess and evaluate your students.

This book has very practical suggestions for teachers on using a variety of formative assessments in the classroom. Highly recommended.

This really is a quality book on classroom assessment. At times the authors tend to get a bit wordy or they go a couple of pages merely quoting other authors without adding their own information, but overall, this is a college textbook priced under 20 bucks that you can actually get something out of if you are an educator and care enough to be willing to actually change your assessment (grading) practices in order to improve student learning in your classroom. The book is not hardcover and is basically written on newsprint, but WELL worth it for under $20. If I were teaching a class on assessment, I would likely choose this text.

Originally published in 2000 by the Science Fiction Foundation in the UK this new edition features 3 new essays on Terry Pratchett. All of the earlier essayists were given the opportunity to revise and correct their earlier essays - after all Pratchett has had a few books published since 2000!

The book was nominated for a Hugo and Locus Award and this new edition will be eligible for the Hugo again!

This edition is completely reset and redesigned.

Great reading for the Pratchett fan who has everything.

There's also a limited run hardcover but it is available only directly from the publisher. Remember: Google is your friend!

There are risks inherent in literary criticism. Is it justifiable to analyse a writer's work? Is there danger of "reading in" to what the author actually says? Can you derive an author's thoughts through assessment of the text[s]? What service does criticism provide the reader? Literary criticism has been compared to someone chewing on writing and leaving the residue in a nearby paddock - watch your step. That charge isn't valid in this collection on one of our most unique writers. Certainly, our most unique "fantasy" writer. It is the fantasy base that has allowed some critics to place Pratchett's work outside "mainstream" literature. This set of essays sets that displacement to rest as invalid.

Terry Pratchett has produced three dozen books on his Discworld theme, complemented by the Bromeliad and Johnny Maxwell series plus some "children's books". Anyone writing such a corpus without repeating himself has some special qualities. The authors of these essays examine those qualities and find them among the best of fantasy writing. Whether the theme is Comedy, Tragedy, Heroes and "Leaders" or the conditions of everyday urban life, the writers show how Pratchett eases reality into view. Everything he writes contains material valuable in understanding ourselves. Even his humour, say these authors, imparts views of reality we may both laugh at and reflect on. How many writers share that skill?

Some critics claim to know how an author thinks. Edward James' essay, in this anthology of fourteen, has the closest valid connection to Pratchett's thoughts. They exchanged letters when they attended different schools together. Many of Pratchett's early ideas were formulated in his teen years. Exploring some of those ideas resulted in "The Carpet People", a book Pratchett wrote twice. "The Carpet People", his first venture into fantasy, was almost "formula" in it's character depiction. As several of these essays explain, Pratchett moved away from absolutes, creating unheroic heroes and compassionate evildoers. However Pratchett thinks, these writers assert, it's not in simple terms. His Discworld characters are far more complex than those of the "genre" fantasy. The comparison with Tolkien is inevitable, and several authors point out the distinctions between the two authors.

The writings here address Pratchett's characterisations - human, animal, anthropomorphic personifications and even a building complex. The list manifests the scope of Pratchett's grasp. Every reader will find a favourite, from Vimes to Vetinari. Although judging these contributions is difficult, perhaps Farah Mendelsohn's provides the most insight. She certainly tackles the most serious and difficult subjects. If nothing else, her comments justify the view that Pratchett is as much philosopher as fantasy author. Titled "Faith and Ethics", she describes how religion is dealt with in Discworld books. From "faith", she notes how ethics may rely on teachings - parental, academic or religious - but remains a question of how an individual deals with ethical challenges. Pratchett, eschewing absolutes as he does, produces scenarios in his tales that leave his readers clear that we must all make our own choices. There is no "escape from reality" here, she argues. We identify "self" not through others, but as we choose to see ourselves. As a "mirror of worlds" the Discworld confronts us with how to make that identification - and, "the Truth Shall Make You Fret".

For the Pratchett reader, this is an indispensable book. For the newcomer to the Discworld or his other works, this will be a resource to appreciating his wide readership. Young and old alike take to Pratchett for his unique approach to fantasy, to his characters and to the insights he stimulates us to consider. It says much that since the first edition of this book, its content has been enlarged. So long as Pratchett continues to write, there will be reasons to reflect on his ideas. There will be another edition of this book. Read Pratchett while you're waiting. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

It takes a special kind of courage to write literary criticism on the works of Terry Pratchett. After all, this is the writer who in "Guards, Guards!" described Critters who devour good writing and excrete thin volumes of literary criticism. Even the dullest critic can see the special perils of attempting literary criticism of a brilliant satirist and parodist.

But Pratchett is an author who needs serious study. With something over forty books written now, some three-quarters of them set on the Discworld, and perennial high placement on the London Times best seller lists, this is an author who has had amazing success. Those of us who have read Pratchett's work know him to be an outstanding writer. He merits serious scholarship. Even at the risk of being a target of serious irony.

This series of essays is a first attempt at that difficult task. The level of analysis and understanding is uneven, but all the pieces are thoughtful and thought-provoking. I especially recommend Farah Mendelsohn's essay, "Faith and Ethics," which takes on the most challenging aspects of Pratchett's themes with skill and insight. Only a few of the essays fall into the intellectual trap of forcing Pratchett into some pre-conceived philosophical framework. Many of the essayists recognize that Pratchett is very nearly unique in his world view, and don't attempt to lash him to something he doesn't fit, chopping off the inconvenient bits. And all of the essays avoid the most obvious trap in analyzing Pratchett: stringing together your favorite scenes from your favorite books. There are quotes and references, but they are used for a purpose.

You don't have to read these essays to enjoy, appreciate or understand Pratchett. But good literary criticism can increase that enjoyment, appreciation and understanding. By that standard, the essays here are good, if uneven. Recommended to those who have read Pratchett and appreciate fresh insights; probably not a good starting point to those unfamiliar with his books.