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This is the best book I have ever read about the Eastern tradition, Vedic tradition. It contains 112 meditation techniques given by Shiva to Devi. The techniques are well detailed that one can just begin on their own at home. This book also answers any questions one may have, may it be about sex,desires just name it. It is in this book.

I am so grateful to Osho for giving this knowledge to the world. So far I have tried some techniques and already something is happening. If you are serious about inner transformation, this book is for you.

This book is Oshos commentary of the Shiva Sutras...it is very controversial, and I really love this book. Its like Osho is with you when you open it up and read any page...did i mention its over 1000 pages. Read with a really open mind, because not everything this wondrous man says will make you feel good, but it will make you FEEL ...what is good and bad anyway? This book is lovely, sweet, sour,human,god-like,nice,mean, confusing,enlightening. Makes you realize you are a human and you will never have NO ego. Osho has stirred alot of american "yogis" up, because they suppress their thoughts, diet, and desires. It teaches to have all these things but in moderation. Total non-duality. So REAL. If you are "up in the clouds" this book wil brng you right down to earth and see who you REALLY are.

Osho's Book of Secrets is truly a remarkable text and in many ways is the real bible that should be left in every hotel room. If I was only allowed to have one book on my shelf, this would be it.

The book is a transcription of Osho's talks on the 112 Techniques of meditation which are as old as yoga itself. These are the 112 ways in which one can transcend their mind and enter the bliss and truth of meditation. For every person there is at least one technique that will work to unlock the stress of the mind and allow the person to enter into meditation. The beauty of this book is the simplicity of explanation which makes what could be an esoteric subject easily accessible to anyone.

I have been on a serious path of meditation and yoga for a few years now, having recently returned from a 10 day silent meditation retreat in India, and this is the book I would recommend to all that are looking to try meditation. As my practice has gone deeper, my own understanding of the text has deepened with it. All of these techniques are there to try, not just to read and understand intellectually. They are there to transform you, to help you attain to your inner being and blissfulness.

Many other yoga and meditation books spend too much time on ancient texts and commentary and tend to make a simple subject seem overly complex and esoteric. Not this one. Read this if you want to understand the real deal of what meditation is and give it a try for yourself.

5 stars!

I try to avoid "feel-good" New Age books, mainly because I know that life is not always about feeling good, and I don't want to believe in, or practise, lies and deception, especially towards my own self. Who can want to deceive their own selves?

If you're a truth seeker, or have felt that at many points in your life you have had truths revealed to you that others don't seem to either know or care about; if you feel akin to Indian ways of thought and peaceful living, yet you don't want to repress your true emotions and feelings, and feel that it is wrong to do so; if you want a book that doesn't preach lies and deception based on New Age prattle, then this book is for you.

This is a very good book that is based on Tantra, not Yoga. According to the author, Yoga is more about repressing one's self. I have never believed that repressing anger or strong emotions will heal anybody, and I find such things hypocritical. While I believe in love and peace, let's face it, it's still an imperfect world. To live in such a world, we must go beyond appearances, and go beyond the mind, as the author claims.

I am not good at putting spiritual thoughts in words, but if you can relate to anything I am writing here, then be sure to pick this book up. It certainly is full of timeless wisdom.

The Tantra is the most scientific book of wisdom and spirituality that has ever existed. It has become my "bible" though I detest all organized religions and deny the existence of a personal god. The knowledge that the Tantra imparts is precious, timeless because it is drawn from true experience; its 112 techniques(of which sex is only a small part), are all workable hypothesis that can be tested--should you have the mind. Interpreted correctly, the Tantra can never harm and can only help. A work of extremely subtle genius, the book is disarming in its simplistic presentation of matters of tremendous depth. If one is not humble, one will surely miss the point. Genius must be brought to any effort to take from the Tantra what it so innocently offers. Misinterpretation is the very real danger. And so we are blessed to have Osho open these ancient pages and analyze each Sutra (sermon). He senses instinctively what is being said here and how it directly applies to our current misery--"modern" man--same old monkey. The fearful human mind that the Tantra addresses is now rushing about in cars, banging away at computers and amassing nuclear weapons. In Osho we have a fearless intricately comprehensive intellect warmed with insight and compassion. Osho's style is deliberately breezy, almost silly sometimes, because Osho's is a deeply, frighteningly serious mind. If you have the courage to follow him in his incisive reasoning and consider his astonishing conclusions--you begin to sense that there's much more to Osho than meets the eye, that God has outdone Shakespeare in this wisest of fools, this Osho who seems always to be grinning just a bit, laughing at the whole damn thing. Agree or disagree with him, we are fortunate, better off, for having encountered Osho, for having read him.

Charmed Life is about some kids who go to study magic with one of the official guys in charge of magic. He has a couple of kids of his own, and they are the usual school age to have the school age disagreements and fights and not being nice to each other that goes along with that.

The eldest also gets a bit peeved at being thrown in with the young brats, too.

A young boy, Cat, must deal with his crazy and selfish older sister Gwendolyn who is obsessed with her own magical powers. Certainly much slower and less exciting than Jones' Howl books (read: more for children), but still has her enchanting and seemingly effortless style that captures a world where "magic is like music". Jones is always a good read. The characters are mysterious and thoroughly enjoyable. Gwendolyn is ambiguous and silly and selfish and delightful. Cat is an innocent; Chestomanci is Jones' typical ambiguous and passive wizard. The imagery of magic, particularly Cat's matchstick nine lives, is absolutely delicious. Grade: B

I am constantly on the lookout for new fantasy reads, because not only is it difficult to find a truly lasting (and by "lasting" I mean you think about it all the time, read it again and again, and gulp down every one of the author's other books) fantasy story, but if you do that author is usually what they call A Lofty One-Piece Wonder who writes one astonishingly beautiful story, gives it to the world...then settles into retirement and ignores all letters posted to them begging for a sequel.

Ah, not so with Diana Wynne Jones.

Hearing about her was actually an accident. I had picked up the book "Inkspell", the sequel to a book I'd enjoyed very much (Inkheart) and saw, on the back, that there was a quote on the back from "Diana Wynne Jones, author". For fun, I wandered over to the J's. Only a few Diana books were there -- THE MERLIN CONSPIRACY, ARCHER'S GOON, and -- the book that forever endeared me to this amazingly talented author -- EIGHT DAYS OF LUKE.

Having five dollars just aching to be spent and about that many minutes left till we had to go, I bought it on a whim.

And inhaled it that night.

I was going through withdrawls. NEED -- MORE -- DIANA -- WYNNE -- JONES -- BOOKS!!!

I got back to Borders and began to scrounge the shelves. Hmmm. "Chronicles of Chrestomanci". Looked okay -- not as good as I'd thought "Eight Days of Luke" was, but -- what was?

I read a little, put it down. Read a little more, and -- couldn't stop.

I am now on Book II, "The Lives of Christopher Chant".

I think you understand what I'm trying to say. Buy this book -- and while you're at it get "Eight days of Luke", too.



Rating: Very Good

"Charmed Life" is my first Diana Wynne Jones book (I know, I know ... I'm a little late) and I'll openly admit I came to her work through Miyazaki's amazing film "Howl's Moving Castle". Imagine how stupid I felt when I realized that I had been missing out on one of the best writers of our age. While it starts off slowly, Jones's first Chrestomanci book is still a grand, magical, yet simple adventure that sweeps the reader off their feet into a quirky yet solid world that readers will enjoy again and again.

Eric, a.k.a., Cat Chant, is a small and passive boy who thinks that he has no magical powers unlike his sister Gwendolen. Gwendolen is an ambitious, spoiled, and powerful girl who dreams of controlling the world. One day, when their parents die in a tragic boat accident, Gwendolen's powers attract the attention of the dapper and eccentric Chrestomanci. Chrestomanci is an enchanter, and a nine lived one at that, so that means he controls and governs all magic in the twelve related worlds. Chrestomanci seems to take an interest in Gwendolen, so he invites her and Cat to live in his castle.

When they arrive at the castle, both children dislike it at first. But Cat, being the passive boy that he is, quickly makes friends with Chrestomanci's two children even though he's absolutely frightened to death of their father. But Gwendolen has other ideas. She hates the fact that she has to learn maths and history instead of magic in school, and she is absolutely appaled that Chrestomanci doesn't take notice in her powers. Soon, Gwendolen sets out on a war of wills and magic against Chrestomanci and his castle, and Cat is unbeknowingly caught up in the whirlwinds of his sister's dangerous ambitions.

Jones is brilliant in her prose and writing. She easily writes with a sense of whimsy, while at the same time fleshing out realistic characters and villains. Cat is passive at first, but he soon grows a spine and stands up against the one thing that holds him back (I won't ruin the surprise). Jones' magic is an everyday and casual part of life for the characters, but it comes in second to their emotions and the overall story. The story takes so many surprising twists that shocked and surprised me, I was literally biting my nails towards the end wondering what would happen next.

"Charmed Life" is a delightful and charming surprise. While not a grand and sweeping epic, it will still sweep readers off their feet with the simple and quiet humor, magic, and sheer enjoyment that Jones so evidently finds and puts into her work. This book is not to be missed, and I can only end with saying how foolish I feel now that I didn't find Diana sooner.

This story and the next ("The Lives of Christopher Chant") are easily the most complex and interesting stories in the Chrestomanci series, and really the ones that the rest hang upon, because they really explain who and what the "Chrestomanci" is, and the role he plays in the fascinating universe Diana Wynne Jones has created. This is fantasy at its best, well written and very inventive, with characters that seem both familiar and bizarrely unique. It is, I suppose, not life-changing fiction but it keeps you there and makes you care and gives an opportunity to wonder. (It is no accident that Hayao Miyazaki based his latest film - Howl's Moving Castle -- on one of Jones' novels: they seem to have imaginations that operate on the same wavelength; like him, she is endlessly inventive and capable of a sublime blending of the supernatural and the ordinary, and loves finding magic in machines, and has an obsession with cats.)

The basic premise of the "Chrestomanci multiverse" is that every time there is a major event that "changes" the world, the world actually divides into two alternate realities, one in which the event occurs and one in which it doesn't. Somehow, though, while the possibilities might seem infinite there are a limited number of possibilities that resemble the one Chrestomanci inhabits enough to warrant his general attention and concern. Within each major world variation, there are nine alternates (don't ask why just nine) that are apparently unified because they have the "same" people doing different things in them. It sometimes happens, though, that an individual within one of those realities has no parallel in the others, and so the "lives" that would belong to the other realities actually belong to him or her. Such a nine-lived individual has powerful magic and becomes a likely candidate for taking over the position of the British-hired Chrestomanci (think a mixture of Rowling's Minister of Magic for an indication of his range of responsibilities, with Head of Hogwarts for his overall competency).

Speaking of Rowling, some have compared Jones to Rowling and there are some interesting parallels -- so many that it is hard not to think that Rowling had at least read some of Diane Wynne Jones' stories. Still, I don't agree with others who say Jones is a better writer than Rowling. There is a way in which she is: for her elegance of prose, her compactness of style, for the overall simplicity and completeness of her stories. Still, I think that Rowling is superior because what Jones doesn't try to do Rowling does very well. Jones creates another world whose basic features are similar to ours, but is different in specifiable ways. In that sense it is pure fantasy, a work of the imagination that she can tinker with and alter in various stories but is basically self-contained and organized in such a way that each story can be really complete. Rowling fits her story of another world into THIS world and sets herself with what seems to me a much more difficult task of accommodating her fantasy to the unknown and improbable and strange and unfinished character of any story set in this real world. The edges in any such story are unwieldy and it is a real tribute to Rowling (though in no way a criticism of Jones who has other aims) that she can wield them so well.

Now this is the book everyone should read.I loved it and have shared it with many friends and all the same LOVE it.It is such a healing book for anyone who has lost a loved one.I recommend it greatly.Its another one of those books you just can't put down.
Thanks

This book was very interesting. The author is aware that many skeptics are reading this book and doesn't try to convince the reader of anything. I found this book very helpful after the recent loss of two loved ones.

I read this book after the death of my brother. It brought my out of the darkness and back into the life that continued to move on around me. It is an enlightening book, even for those who have traveled far on the path.

After reading this book, I came to the conclusion that Rosemary Altea may be sincere, but she is greatly deceived. The bible clearly states to stay away from psychics or mediums. She supposedly channels a spirit called Gray Eagle.

These psychics get their ability to have partial knowledge about you and your present situation directly from demons. No human has the supernatural ability to know what is going to happen to you in the future or anything about you in your present condition if they have never met you before. And if they do seem to have some type of personal information about you that could only be supernaturally picked up, then that knowledge is being transmitted to them by demons or they deceive people by doing "cold or warm readings".

Cold readings are where they make an educated guess about something about you, buy picking up clues, by what you say or do, or your appearance or age. If you tell them the information is wrong, they use a number of ways to distract you, for example some will tell you that they are getting information from a "playful" spirit that tells them false things, etc..... warm readings are where they have microphones in the studio before their show and they listen in, as people talk to friends that have come with them about deceased friends or relatives, and then they pick those people in the audience that they listened in on and use that information to make those people and others think they are getting a message from a spirit.

The bible says "And the person who turns after mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and him off from his people." (Leviticus 20:6)

If you want to see some damage done by new age teachings and psychics, I suggest a book by Sharon Beekmann called "ENTICED BY THE LIGHT ". She trusted the "spirit guides" that promised her fulfillment. By the time she discovered their frightening, true identity, it was too late--they had taken control of her mind....tormenting her, attacking her sanity, and pushing her to the brink of suicide.

For awhile I was involved in the New Age teachings and a book that really opened my eyes was "THE LIGHT THAT WAS DARK' BY Warren Smith. It is excellent!!!!

This book was given to me by one of my customers following the death of my son. I went on to write, Blessings In The Mire, and had this title not been taken, it would likely have been the title to my book. Having read this, I was privy to multiple magical events, including a couple of Eagle sightings, and one very large and beautifully expressive Rose miracle. This book, and Ms. Altea are priceless additions to your reading library, especially if you've lost a loved one.

Steve Murray does have knowledge about chakras and although his self help Reiki-books have gained interest from many prospective Reiki students that want to get into Reiki as a healing modality, Murrays happy students of Reiki obviously have no idea how his teachings are only discount versions of real in class Reiki training with a good certified, knowledgeable Reikimaster teacher. The information that Steve provides is insufficient and does not give Reiki real credit. I would never buy his books - as they are cheap, skinny, paperback versions of Reiki that are lowering the Reiki standards further all over.

I have purchased Steve Murray's Books, DVD's, CD's and Stones. I review them frequently and every time I do, my experience travels deeper. I have recently performed Reiki on people in New Hampshire, Alaska, California and Pennsylvania. I have also performed Reiki on a client from Aftganistan, I was raised Catholic. The Universal Power has unlimited power, unlike we think here on Earth.

Cheryl Ploetner
Jasper, Indiana

This Ultimate Guide provides very detailed information about the Chakra energy system, where they're located, how they affect physical, mental, and spiritual levels, including illustrations and charts for focusing Reiki sessions for specific ailments. Mr. Murray details the major 7 chakras front and back, in addition to the many smaller energy centers located in hands, feet, and joints.

This is something no one else seems to talk about, and it is so important to understand for healing purposes. Healing attunements are fully illustrated, which makes it so easy to follow. Wow! I have 30 years of extensive background in energy work, and this blew my mind. Very well done.

I Highly recommend this book.

I have read all the Reiki books by Steve Murray ( I have experienced all his attunements too ). And I can assure you there is nothing like this material in the market ( and I have a huge Reiki library ).
The books are clear and concise, containing all the information a Reiki person of any level shoul be able to find ( sadly that does not happen due to the secrecy and vested interest of some people in the Reiki world).

The DVDs are fatastic tools ( they are as powerful as in person attunements, and who say the contrary does not really understand the mechanics of Reiki or does not want to).

It is true that the books do not contain pictures of standard hand positions or the history of Usui Sensei and Mrs Takata ( but every other single book in the market does, so I truly understand Steve Murray not needing to repeat then once again and concetrate in the material that so far has been kept hiden for not a very good reason at all).

Resume : This is truly the best material any Reiki person should have in his or her library.

Maria (Scotland, UK )

Steve Murray's Reiki books are well worth purchasing, whether you are a beginner wishing to learn, or an intermediate student looking for reference material. His detailed instructions and lavish photo demonstrations of the various attunements and techniques are invaluable for those who don't want to memorize or can't remember something they've been taught in a weekend class.

The attunement DVDs are a wonderful low cost way to receive the attunements, especially for those who are not intending to go into Reiki as a business, but simply want to learn how to do Reiki for themselves, family and friends. My personal belief, based upon my own experience is that long distance attunements do work. I've been doing Reiki for myself and for those near and dear to me. I feel the success of the treatments is vouched for by the number of people who've been referred to me.

I appreciate Steve's attitude that the actual healing is the important thing, and that lineage and apprenticeship to a Reiki Master should take a back seat to that. Some people do need that sort of structure and instruction, and that's fine. Those so inclined should definitely pay the money and take a class to receive their attunements. Personally, I already had a background in Therapeutic Touch and Crystal healing, & I view Reiki as an enhancement of what I was already doing.

I found Steve Murray's books and DVDs valuable, & I'm pleased with his maverick view of a subject which should be allowed to grow and evolve, lest Reiki fall prey to too much ceremony and institutionalism.

This was such a great book! It was really cool how it told about Ashleigh before she got all famous and stuff. It was also a really sad book. Also, yet another book to add that the evil Cindy wasnt in I mean its great that she has her new loving family and stuff but shes a brat! I dont know how they can put up with her! So it was great to see another book without her. Not to give anything away but why did they do to Black Night what they did? Give him at least something! But all in all this was another great book!

Well, It was an okay book to read about.. I dunno. I just hate the fact that in the Ashleigh series books, hardly any of the things mentioned in this book were real-this was supposed to be the skeleton for the series, and it was hardly followed. They had a stallion, Stardust had a foal, and in the Ashleigh series, they died of strangles, wish is obviously not the paralyzing disease that they suffered from in this book called Paralytic Rhinopneumonitis.

I mean, do the 5-8 athers that write these books even READ the previous books for history? For referance? They are doing a horrific job of stringing this series together! I see NO point in having more than one author writing this series! I don't care if it takes alot longer than the usuall two months between each new edition of these books-I want quality, not quantity. I dont have the last ten books in the TB series yet, or the last 5 of the Ahleigh series, but from what I've heard, when comparing two stories together from past and present, they don't align properly to flow together. I figure they should pick one GOOD author to keep the series alive.

AND, has anyone seen the inconsitancy of the art work? I mean, in Ashleigh's diary, she for once looks her age, instead of about three years older. The art work of the early TB series and early special editions was lovely. And then, after that, it got all spread out-the horses didn't have the same markings, colors, or build. In book #9, Prides Challenge, his legs look horrific, and his legs, at least the forelegs, look like they are bay colored (black). All the very early artwork- in the ones centered around Wonder and very early works of Pride that is- have the signiature of 'Casale' somewhere on them. Those are some of the best works that are non-digital. 'Close Call' had a wonderful artist as well. Yet, alot of them are very poor quality, wich sadly, in some cases, matches the writing.

I miss the old artwork! I miss Joanna Campbells origional writing!

Also, I wish that the series would move up in the age section-the series, all compiled together, makes around 70 books. Does anyone else think that they should now be for the older, faithful readers? Little children will take a long time to read them anyway, and I love the books, but I do still wish that they would be a more challenging read, and longer. I can finish two of them in a day if I really focuss.

Thoroughbred are my favorite books in the whole wide world!!
They rock!! About Ashleigh's diary. It was one of the best books I've ever read. Also the saddest. I got very sad when
black night and wanderer got stolen. The saddest part of the book is when all the horses die. I cryed when black night died.
Also when Ashleigh had to move and leave stardust. I've been
reading thoroughbred books for about 2 months. This book is a
nice long sad story. IF you don't like it your crazzzy!!

P.S There are some happy parts too.

This is a real sad book! I felt bad when the horses were stolen. Then, when everything seemed fine and Ashleigh's grades broke a record, the virus struck. It was so awful when I found out about Jolita, I cried! It got sadder and sadder. I felt like I was the one holding the horses and crying and buying disinfectant. I kept hoping, hoping Black Night would live--the horses seemed so real! Then five mares died along with Black Night, and I was crying. By the time Ashleigh left Stardust and the farm, my tissue was soaked.

This book is the best ever. It was SO sad when Black night died, but I was happy when Stardust got better. HORSE LOVERS READ THIS BOOK!! ( P.S You might love this book too much )

this book may or may not be true, but if it is not then it's probably based on one or more true stories. it is told from the first person, and is very exciting. it does jump around some, leaving wide gaps of time. it is the story of an SS commander as the german army surrenders, and after. it also details the mens handeling of communist terrorists, and the battles they engaged in. there is lots of action and an intersting echo of todays events. this is a book i highly recomend. particularly for VETs of the current war on terror.

I loved this book. I don't believe as a christian that this is necessarily the right approach to win a war, but it is indisputable that you can win a war using Hans Josef Wagenmuellers methods.

This is a great story for all of the reasons mentioned in the other reviews, but the writing is really second rate. The use of exclamation points is childish in many instances.

Well worth your time if you can get your hands on one.

I enjoyed The Five Fingers by Gayle Rivers more than Devil's Guard.

It is another may or may not be true war story set in Southeast Asia.

This book purports to be a barely edited transcription of "18 days" of continuous tape-recorded narrative by Elford (a zoologist working somewhere in Southeast Asia) of a former Waffen-SS non-commissioned officer, encountered by the "editor" in a local bar. Unfortunately, the "Devil's Guard" is just a bad novel. There are too many historical anachronisms for this tale to even vaguely approximate a factual recounting. For example, the author refers to a French encampent at Dien Bien Phu, which places at least half of the action on or after March, 1954. As the defeat was not mentioned, it was before May, 1954 and as there was no reference to the battle, it's got to be before November, 1954. Within a page or so (in the Hailer Publishing edition, anyhow), our protagonist mentions working with a British military man who "fought in the Malayan Emergency for 3 years": the Emergency was declared in 1948 and ended in 1960. In order for there to be an encampment at Dien Bien Phu and for the British soldier to have fought for 3 years, the action had to have taken place in a very short time span in early 1954. This seems to contradict the chronology, as the narrator and his pals were former SS who left Europe in 1945 and joined the FFL around 1946. There was absolutely nothing in the story to suggest they were fighting for over 7 years at the time these references were made. Additionally, noted authorities on the French Foreign Legion, such as Bernard Fall, do not describe a unit comprised of German nationals, exclusively, much less one that was all former SS. Finally, none of the massacres nor any of the French FFL officers named appear to have existed. Aside from these major flaws, the approach to "counter-terrorism" espoused by Wagemueller, the putative principal of this yarn, was just that used to such worthless effect in the USSR. By thoroughly alienating the civilian population, the Wehrmacht was left without "native" allies and without indigenous support. A much more effective approach was outlined by David Galula in his seminal work, "Counterisurgency Warfare". If you are looking for a comic book or cartoonish tale, this might be for you. If an historical account is your object, look elsewhere.

To a soldier conflict and combat are the mainstay of his vocation and profession after a certain point the victor and vanquished become little more than facts to be minded by the history keepers (usually the victors) and refered too by the participants in abbreviated rhetoric and broken dialogs. The author has done the reader a great service in the delivery of this redition of the activities and experiences of soldiers as they traverse the perilious and unforgiving realm of those involved in the arena. The fact that this material is non fiction affords the reader the added benefit of being a glimpse of history rearely exposed from a participants perspective.

It was a good action book, alot of unexpected things happend to the Animorphs, another good into to the Animorphs series.

This book is interesting for kids that like their mind wonder and imagine how it feels transform into an animal. Also, this book is for kids that like to read adventure. This book is about a group of kid that can transform into diffrent kind of animals, but they cant stay to long into an animal or they will stay stuck into that animal and they cant go back into being a human and they have to act like an animal and think like an animal so that they can survive and live long. Also they have to to eat real live animals, and watch out for predetors that will eat them. It also lets know kids that its ok to be diffrent than others that every kid is unique in thier own way.

In this book, Tobias has been trapped in hawk morph since book 1. He dicovers that the Blade ship needs to refuel with water and air every so often, so the other Animorphs morph Trout and try to destroy the ship. This is a great book.

Tobias isn't like the other Animorphs. When they're done fighting Yeerks or flying through the sky, they just morph back from their animal bodies to their regular bodies. But Tobias stayed in hawk morph for longer than two hours. Now, he's going to be stuck as a hawk forever. Tobias is trying to deal with this pain, but nothing can make him feel better about it. Especially when he starts to feel attracted to a female hawk--even though he's a human on the inside.

Jake, Rachel, Cassie, and Marco are trying to help him get used to life as a hawk. But they're busy worrying about a gigantic Yeerk ship, and a new secret discovered--the Yeerks need lots of water from Earth for them all to survive. The kids use this information to morph fish and get inside the Yeerk ship. But when they get trapped, it's up to Tobias to save them--even though he's not human.

THE ENCOUNTER is the first Tobias book, and Tobias books are one of the best of the Animorphs. I thought that K.A. Applegate described Tobias's struggle through life as a hawk very well. The only problem that I had with this book was that it was a little boring. The only real action of the book was towards the end. But it's a good-read for Animorphs fans, and a must-read for all Tobias fans.

A delightful find. This is the third book in the young adult/teen series "Animorphs" in which the character Tobias permanently becomes a Red-tailed Hawk. The Animorphs story is generally very good and the characters interesting and rich. The author manages to write about the animal aspects in a believable way. I usually find transformation and shapeshifting stories to have story lines that make the whole point of transformation become lost. Applegate keeps the adventure intact by being descriptive, entertaining, and involving. This series is a must-read for those who enjoy animals, shapeshifting, and adventure.

Claude Brown's slightly fictionalized autobiography recounts his childhood and early adulthood throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Manchild in the Promised Land also documents the changing atmosphere of Harlem and the people it affected. Brown tells stories of himself as a hell-raiser, involved in theft and drug dealing, and spending time in juvenile detention centers like Wiltwyck and Warwick. He was able to establish a feared and respected name for himself both among the streetwalkers of Harlem and the inmates of the reform schools. Lacking formal education (resulting from years of playing hooky) and idolizing the criminal elements around him, he seemed to be heading down a short road of vice and danger.

Only after Brown moved to Greenwich Village shortly before turning twenty was he able to begin viewing Harlem with a more objective eye, and see the factors that led him down the downward spiral he had been traveling. One of the main reasons Brown believes he and his friends were wrought with such violence and recklessness is due to the mentality imported by their parents from the South. The thing that mattered most to them was fighting: for one's money, girl/family, and manhood (Brown 260). He feels that that rural mentality had been brought to a crowded city life that was not only incompatible with the setting, but also destructive. He laments, "it seems as though if I had stayed in Harlem all my life, I might have never known that there was anything else to life other than sex, religion, liquor, and violence" (Brown 281).

As a youth, Brown excelled in these very base attributes. It wasn't until the introduction of heroine, or "horse," as it was first introduced in the early 1950s, that he feels Harlem truly became unable to cope with their values. Instead of young men fighting for honor, they were killing and robbing for money to sustain their overwhelming addictions, introducing more guns into the neighborhood with desperate people wielding them. He witnessed his friends begin to fade away into scratching, nodding junkies. However, by this time Brown was able to leave and slowly break away from the crumbling Harlem he once knew, watching from afar many of the individuals he once hustled with fall victim to the crimes they themselves would perpetrate.

Many opted instead to stay in Harlem and live the street life. He attributes this to the attitudes of whites outside Harlem and the racism they encountered. To live a "clean" life usually meant to work for a white man who underpaid, referred to them in a racially derogatory manner, and made them perform the most labor intensive tasks. When it came to these prospects, most understandably chose the life of a self-employed drug dealer in Harlem over the self-effacing menial work elsewhere, despite the danger (Brown 287).

Where some people turned to drugs or religion to deal with these problems, Brown found his calling through more established and secular means. Education and music became outlets for him to express himself, gain a self-pride through non-criminal means, and eventually lead to a promising career as a lawyer and author.

One of the things that make this autobiography interesting is its use of language. Brown writes in a notable street dialect, however, the language itself evolves with the character. For instance, "cat" slowly comes into use around page 67 and is used throughout, though it receives less use towards the end. More notably, on page 109 the young Claude begins idolizing a street pimp named Johnny: "To Johnny, every chick was a b*tch. Even mothers were b*tches." And so on page 114 Brown writes "Jackie was a beautiful black b*tch." From then on women are regularly referred to as "b*tches" until the character matures enough to treat women with more respect, and Johnny's spell seems to have completely worn off by the time Brown falls in love with a fellow student. Likewise, the sentence structures become less erratic and grow in sophistication as the book goes on, using less slang chapter by chapter when he begins to change. This seems to be by design.

Claude Brown's personal accounts are no doubt fictionalized to some degree, for his characters go on exhaustive speeches several times, and he certainly didn't tape record them for every word. However, Brown's intentions are to present Harlem and its difficulties in approachable and creative ways. To allow readers (such as white-suburban-me) an inside look into the ways of urban life it invites an understanding and, hopefully, sympathy for the situations of the junkies, prostitutes, and drug dealers that we pass on the street. He shows them in a way that cannot be easily neglected, in intimate, personal relationships that reveal the influences and regrets that have placed them in those situations. These factors were not unique to the 1940s and 1950s. They existed before and do so today. Brown allows insight into the hardships while telling an encouraging tale of one who made it out. By personal drive and education, through art and self-expression (as this book is), he shows that the situation is not dire, but attitudes must change before the world will follow.

I can't believe I didn't write a review for a book I read 10 years ago. This is one of my favorite books. It was this one book that drew me into reading books and becoming a book lover. One of the best books I ever read. Highly Recommended!!

I was able to find this book relatively easy, based on a few keywords. My boyfriend started reading it several years ago and was unable to complete it. The storyline stuck in his memory and I bought it as a surprise for him, because over the years he mentioned it occasionally. Thanks for making the lookup so easy!

This book made such an impact on me when I read it the first time. I was in high school in New Jersey in the early '70's and had friends in Harlem so I visited often. To read such a vivid portrait of a young life at that time in New York City felt real for me. Claude Brown's writing influenced me at an early age. This work is a masterpiece and will stand the test of time.

Brown leaves no stone unturned when it comes to his life in New York. The Howard University graduate covers the story of the first generation of Southerners (his parents) that left to New York-the "promised land" where they expected to enjoy equality and prosperity. Instead, they were forced to deal with overcrowded living spaces and violent ghettos. He paints a picture of his rugged coming of age with vivid recollections of how he gained his rep as a brawler, the friendships gained and lost due to drugs and violence, as well as his fight to escape the seemingly hopeless condition that Harlem was trapped in at the time. After surviving run-ins with the law, brutal fights and the ravages of drug abuse, one can only hope to have half the mental toughness that Brown had to rise above his circumstances.

IF YOU LOVE HORSE'S YOU WILL LOVE THIS SERIES! IT IS GREAT FOR EVERY AGE GROUP AS WELL! I AM 27 YEAR'S OLD AND COMPLETELY CAPTIVATED BY THE CHARACTER'S BOTH HUMAN AND HORSE ALIKE!!!!!! THE AUTHOR TERRI FARLEY HAS AN SUCH AN ABILITY TO DRAW HER READER'S IN AND GIVE THEM A WILD, DRAMATIC, AND EMOTIONAL RIDE!!! THE CHARACTER'S REALLY COME TO LIFE AND YOU FEEL FOR THEM ( AGAIN BOTH HUMAN AND HORSE)!!!!!!

Phantom Stallion The Wild One is about a girl named Sam. When she was little she fell off her horse Blackie, and was injured very badly. Her dad sends her away to live with her aunt in San Fransisco for two years. When she comes back home Zanzibar (Blackie) has run away and didn't come back. That night, Sam sees a silver horse walking around outside. It has been appearing every night. It has also shown Sam a secret place in the desert where there's a whole herd of wild horses. When Sam, her dad, and some cowboys go on a cattle drive, Sam meets Linc Slocum who wants the phantom for himself. Can Sam stop him?? I really liked this book because it's about horses and I love horses. It is also a great adventure, and the author really describes it well. I hope you'll enjoy this book as much as I did!

liked this because I'm very into horses and this book is about a horse. It's sad about what happens to the horse, but the end of the story leaves you wondering what happens later on. This is a series and I do plan on reading the next book.
A girl named Sam got thrown off by her horse Blackie. It had been a near-fatal accident. Two years later, Sam returned to the farm and saw a silver mustang. She believes it is Blackie because when she said Blackies secret name " Zanziber" his ears would prick up to listen to what she had to say.
I would recommend this book to people who like horses because this book is about how Sam tries to find and keep her horse from being captured.

There is a very simple way to sum up my review. This book, and the rest of the series, is fantastic. In comparison to other horse series, this series ranks the highest, far above most others. This is my favorite horse series.

Here is a list of other horse series I've tried:

The Saddle Club - The books were pretty good. I read the first two, but since the books were never avaliable to me, I never read any more. However, the two books I read were pretty good. The television series was a little too corny for me. The acting and script was awful. There were some decent actors, but some over-acted. Dialogue in the script was not well done. There was a lot of, "Oh, will my horse be okay? Whatever will we do?!" One hundred plus books in a single series is not recommended, either. The main reason this series was a turn-off.

The Horseshoe Trilogies - I read one of the books in this series. It was pretty good, but it didn't make we want to read the rest. The book was too short and lacked a certain zing.

Thoroughbred - I think I read one of the first ones in the series, and I thought it was good. So, I friend went out and bought one of the books further into the series. A different author had taken over and I stopped after the first couple of pages. Not much in comparison to the original author, even if I only read one book that she wrote! Besides, this wasn't the series for me anyway. I don't have the feel of horse racing, because I've never been to a race and it has never been a huge thrill to me. Of course I love watching gorgeous Thoroughbreds race around a track, but I'm biting my nails at the same time, worrying that one will trip or break a leg. Take Barbaro for example. So this series didn't cut it.

Heartland - I liked these books. Many people say the books were too dark, but I disagree. I think they were scary at times, and made me worry, but that kept me reading. Best of all, these books were realistic, unlike other horse series I have come across. The events, characters, dialogue, ect. all seem real. HOWEVER, the books sometimes veered off the subject of horses. I felt there was too much romance and not enough horses. Problems with the horses seemed realistic, though. This series still didn't hit, but it was better. At least it kept me reading.

Chestnut Hill - I read the third book in this series and it was wonderful! Again, realistic characters and horses. However, in the first book, why would Dylan do something so stupid? If she was experienced with horses, she would know riding at night and taking a bet from one of those girls would lead to trouble. In the third book, there wasn't as much romance as Heartland, so that was an improvement. And this series seems more on my age level. Plus, the characters dealing with the horses seemed realistic. Lauren Brooke is a very good writer, but again, this series wasn't the best in the world. All of these series seemed to be following a pattern. They were all in the English style and some of them either spoiled their horses rotten, or veered off the subject of horses too much.

Phantom Stallion - That's when I came upon this series. From the first book, I was instantly attached. The author has such realistic characters, plots, dialogue, events, and settings.

Samantha Forster was in a riding accident two years ago. She fell off her colt, Blackie, while riding through a gate. In Blackie's attempt to escape, Sam fell from his back and catapulted to the ground. As she was falling, Blackie's hooves caught her head. Jake Ely, Sam's friend, galloped back to Sam's family's ranch to get help. Two years later, Sam is returning from living with her Aunt Sue in San Franscico, California. She was in a coma and, deciding that being closer to a hospital in California then two hours away in Nevada would be better for Sam, Sam also lost Blackie during all this. He had galloped for the range, the wild blood from his mustang father, Smoke, carrying through the tough events that life on the range can bring.

The night Sam comes home, a stallion comes to her and she knows it's her beloved horse grown and gone wild, with now earning the name of the legendary Phantom. Sam's horse was no longer the midnight-black colt named Blackie, he was now the silver stallion known as the Phantom. But along with every good friendship, their are tough times thrown at them. The antagonist (bad guy) named Linc Slocum, is determined to get the Phantom off the range and own the stallion himself as a "trophy". Sam won't let that happen. She knows the Phantom wants to be free, but how can she guarentee his freedom? Linc Slocum pulls a totally horrible and very realistic stunt that threatens to take the Phantom off the range. Only Sam can help him. But how?

The rest of the series is fantastic. All of the books are packed with adverture, realistic events, exciting plots, believable dialogue, and horses! And the subject does not veer off horses. There is the occasional couple of pages with Sam being in school at Darton High, which is always interesting and fun to read! Every book is a pleasure to read and the best horse series I have ever come across.

The idea for the series is also original. This series, unlike most horse series, features the Western style of riding. It also includes ranch life and mustangs, unlike the usual stable-bred, glossy horses in a fancy riding stable with girls running around pampering them and slipping them horse cookies every second. Sam and her family treat the horses on River Bend Ranch where Sam lives with respect, but they don't spoil them rotten. Sam tries to see through the horse's eyes, but she doesn't make a big deal out of petty things. She uses the same saddle for years, and never complains, she doesn't polish her saddle every time she spots a speck of dirt, and she makes her horse Ace work for his food, a nice warm bed, and a long curry-combing session.

Character personalities, actions, and dialogue are also what keep the series moving. Sam has two best friends, Jennifer Kenworthy and Jake Ely. Jen is extremely intelligent, but is always cracking me up with her sarcastic sense of humor! Jake is the quiet, silent type and is a cowboy through and through. He is always teasing Sam and it's always fun to read about what this mysterious, quiet, and horse-loving guy will do and say next! Another antagonist, although not as big as Linc Slocum, is Linc's daughter, Rachel. She has perfect clothes, hair, and is popular in school. But she has a horrible personality and is determined to make Sam's life miserable every chance she can get. Whether that's by dissing a horse, questioning Sam's clothes, embarrassing her, or flirting with Jake, Rachel will do anything to make Sam want to sock her. Terri Farley depicts all of her characters well and realistically.

The author also doesn't talk down to her readers. For some unfamiliar phrases, she'll take a moment to explain, but she'll expect you to know horse colors, breeds, tack, habits, ect. Terri also goes in vivid detail when describing a horse, a herd of mustangs, or a new character, which keeps me reading. This is a fantastic series. It's adventerous, exciting, realistic, heart-wrenching (but not dark), the horses are treated with respect, but not spoiled rotten, the dialogue is interesting, the characters are fun to read about, and the series is one of the most realistic series I have ever come upon. And most original!

Keep up the FANTASTIC work, Terri! And every horse lover should read this series!

I had actually read several of the other books in the series before I was able to find this one, and when I read it I knew a lot of what had happened but I loved it anyway! It starts out with Sam coming home from San Fanscico where she been staying with her aunt after a bad accident. She sees this beautiful silver stallion with some of the mustangs around her ranch, and she realizes it is the beautiful black colt she had raised, "Blackie" All grown up.
This story has a lot of adventure and I love it. It's defintely one of my favorites!

I bet there is a few people who are thinking about buying this for a younger relitive, thinking it's like the 4kids anime....you better back away unless you want your 7-10 year old pulling the perverted prank "panty tank". Yu-Gi-Oh! was originally intended for teens until 4kids messed it up so if your looking for some Yu-Gi-Oh! for your kids try "the pyrimid of light" ani-manga (its colored and has the same dialoge as the movie its self)

This is a good volume, of course it starts the series so don't expect anything too deep.The art is okay compared to takahashi's later style in duelist.The best story in this volume is duel 1:the puzzle of the gods cause that is where it starts.The others are fair but in my favorites includes duel 4 and 5.Note this is not for kids since it's too violent,doesn't feature the cards and the names and storyline are completely different from the edited tv show.

The first 7 volumes of the manga is pretty much what happened in the series that wasn't shown in the US. I recommend this to manga readers 11+ but be warned, there is violence and a lot of swears in this manga. I am 13 years old

Try, for a moment, to put aside all you think you know about Yu-Gi-Oh! and imagine something completely unexpected. Forget about the children's TV series. Don't give the card games another thought. And try to get past the tons of merchandise featuring Yugi's image. Let's begin to reconceptualize the character of Yugi.

That is, essentially, all that is needed in order to more fully enjoy Kazuki Tanahashi's creation, Yu-Gi-Oh! In the Manga, Yugi isn't the tough-talking little Goth boy you might expect. Instead, Yugi seems to be the polar opposite of this characterization - and deliberately so. A comparatively small teen with awkwardly-proportioned hands and feet, the slightly-effeminate Yugi struggles daily with schoolyard bullies, cruel adults, and even the doldrums which epitomize teenage life. While everything seems stacked against him from the get-go, Yugi finds himself optimistic, enjoying life whereas other similarly-affected kids would be beaten down by these oppressive forces.

And this is because he has a mind which is constantly stimulated by the games his grandfather provides him with. You see, Yugi loves puzzles more than anything, and can make a game out of anything. This is the quality that both alienates him from his peers, and gives him limitless courage to face each trial of the schoolyard. In this sense, there's some degree of all of us - after all, who doesn't love a good game? Who among us hasn't daydreamed about getting lost in some fancy labyrinth, or of solving a particularly challenging mind game?

As a result of his passion for puzzles, Yugi becomes someone different from time to time - a personality over which he has no conscious recollection or knowledge. This Yugi is a sadist, one who has no qualms over hurting those who tread upon the weak as a means of poetic justice. This Yugi plays games of a different sort, ones which torture the players unfortunate enough to lose ("Penalty Games," dished out to those who seemingly deserve such extreme punishments - blindness, insanity, death by fire, etc.), but only those who have manipulated others and exploited their helplessness. This Yugi later becomes known as "Yama Yugi" (or, "Dark Yugi").

In creating this series, creator Mr. Tanahashi explains that he had no concept of how popular his little character would become in the marketplace and in the media. Having met with no prior success, Mr. Tanahashi had no way of anticipating what would become of his little "strange story... that centered around 'The Mysterious' in everyday life." The first appearance of the ubiquitous card game based on the Manga does not even make an appearance in this first volume (a 7-issue series which spins off into Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist and nearly concurrently, Yu-Gi-Oh! Millennium World, and today's hot property Yu-Gi-Oh! GX).

While this book is - as one might expect - very popular with the kids, it certainly isn't the average American-written "kids' book." Inside these pages are tales of abuse, murder, torture... and, sometimes, even some bawdy humour ("Never play basketball in a skirt," says Anzu, the book's female protagnist). Certainly, it is filled with goofy stories light on the plot and occasionally, heavy on the characterizations - so it's a nice, light read. It's a children's title by way of Suzuki Koji, much the same way Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro was almost a grown-up movie disguised as kids' fare.

Yu-Gi-Oh! is a fun ride, packed with calculated fear and excitement, and endowed heavily with humanizing imagery (especially poignant is the image of Yugi reaching into a box, having nearly completed the 3-D puzzle he had kept with him for eight years, his clumsy hand searching for the final puzzle piece... only to discover it was missing, for all his pains. After watching him get beaten and extorted by a much larger classmate, knowing that the puzzle was what gave poor Yugi the most enjoyment out of life... This painful little scene is almost too much for dry eyes to absorb). It may not be the best of the genre, but it does deserve the attention it has received.

It also deserves a little more respect as well, but with marketing ever the ceaseless beast, this probably isn't too likely.

Many American children, especially those in the 7-12 age bracket, watch Yu-Gi-Oh regularly. Kids love the action and strategy. Parents love the 'appropriate' factor. Teens, however, hate the kiddiness, and anime purists abhor the editing.

Guess what? It's a lucky day for teens and anime fans.

Threats, fist-fights, and disturbing games (with disturbing conclusions) run rampant in this first volume of Yu-Gi-Oh, and although most people will love it, parents need to be warned--this is not for children under the age of 12.

Also, you won't find the card game 'Duel Monsters' anywhere in this first volume--in fact, it doesn't become the main part of the story until later on in the Yu-Gi-Oh anthology. Instead, however, you'll find out the origins of Yugi and his friends (with their original, un-Americanized names). And while all of this was originally created for a Japanese TV show, when 4Kids brought YGO over to the US, they skipped over the first few story arcs, and got right to the card battles.

Also, it's important to note that as this is a manga (Japanese comics, for the uninitiated) graphic novel, it reads from right to left, in traditional Japanese fashion. Of course, this means that you read the panels and text bubbles from right side to left side, but the translated text is written from left to right. It's ok if you don't understand--VIZ (the publishing company) provides a key in the graphic novel to help you learn how to read it. After 30 or 40 pages, reading like this will become second nature, so don't fret about that.

VIZ translates the sound effects, which is nice. The artwork is very nice (though not amazing), consistent, and easy to look at. The translation is very well done, with footnotes explaining any Japanese pop-culture references you might miss.

Overall, I'd highly reccomend it--to anyone over 12, and especially to older Yu-Gi-Oh fans who want to see a little bit darker take on the story.