Anne Books

This product is pretty good. When I got it, everything was here, and I was very eager to start making things. The book has instructions on how to crochet before learning to knit with the spool. There are tips on how to tie ends together, seal ends (you use nail polish to keep the ends from fraying), and a couple others. Then it shows how to knit with the spool, and has different patterns you can try with the many different colors of string and beads it provides. It doesn't have enough string to make many bracelets with the 4-spoke stitch, which was a disappointment to me. It was very hard to choose which string to use with the certain colors of beads. 8) All in all, it's a (as I've said before) pretty good kit. 8)

I received this book for Christmas, and so far I love it. The instructions are so simple and well laid out, anyone can follow them. This book teaches a very basic crochet stitch and later, you use the spool included with the book to makes any type of jewelery you want to. I recommend this book for teens and crafty 'tweens'. This is also fun on long car trips... trust me, I've tested. :)

My 9-year old daughter absolutely loves this. The instructions were easy enough that she learned to spool knit by herself. She has made beautiful rings, bracelets, and choker necklaces as gifts for friends and family.

Amazon offers this at a great price; I've seen it in several stores for $20. If your daughter enjoys making jewelry, this is one of the best; it's much more fun and challenging than the usual "bead stringing" jewelry crafts.

I think this is a great book, I think it's worth every penny. Although one might become tired with the bead inserts and the struggling to properly handle the spool while at work, I think it's not really the book's fault, so I can't say I've got any complaints about that. As far as the quality and selection criteria for the materials provided along with the book, I think they're rather satisfactory. The book pages themselves are fun to read and look at, from ingenous drawings of every existent step to making each piece to pictures of how the bracelets and rings will look like in the end. Overall, I don't think I have complaints about this instructing book, and i exhort all those interested to buy it.

I love this book because it has easy to follow instructions and it is very interesting.

This book covers pretty much all the stains you are likely to deal with at home.

I bought a copies for my daughters. One has a toddler and the other is expecting a baby soon. I told them they don't think they need this now, but wait.

Great shape and timely arrival.

I have found this book to be a great addition to my laundry room for quick reference. I have given several away as shower gifts, a high school graduation and birthdays. I like the size and the easy reference.

This seems like a great little book and should be very useful for many years. I trust it because it is published by Good Housekeeping whose test labs do a lot of testing and research.

Artists, writers, and other creative individuals know that our passion tends to bring with it great ups and downs. One day, we are on top of the world. The story, the painting, or the healing flows like we are simply channeling the work. There is no effort, no thinking, and no worrying about the end result.

Then, seemingly for no reason, we get stuck. Just getting to the computer to type is more than we can handle. We find ourselves fixating on a single aspect for hours (or days or even months). At some point, we begin to judge ourselves as lazy and question our talent. Forcing the issue only seems to make the problem worse.

Standing at the Water's Edge is a must have for any creative individual. In her counseling work the author has come to understand that there is a real psychological reason that we choose such creative endeavors. Essentially, we are trying to immerse, engage, or otherwise make connections with other human beings. This is something that we both unconsciously yearn for but are also terribly afraid of achieving. So we start writing completely open and willing to make that connection. Then, we start to analyze: will the reader like this, what will my publisher say, will this book sell as well as my last book, etc. Basically, the fear takes over and disrupts the flow. In knowing this cycle, we can learn ways to keep the creativity flowing, particularly by seeking out relationships that serve our immersion needs in various healthy ways.

This is a very readable and understandable book about the problems associated with being creative, and how to overcome these blocks and fears. The insights in this book can also be applied to parenting and other relationships. A new approach to psychology and the creative experience. Wonderful!

Though intended as a tool for professional artists immersing in the creative process, Dr. Paris' book has universal appeal as a profoundly revealing guide to understanding the human condition and teaching all of us how to immerse in healthy relationships with our children, our parents, our partners and others. As a single mother, I only wish that I had been able to read this book 18 years ago when my sons were first born. Dr. Paris puts herself out there, sharing not only her professional therapy experiences with gifted artists but also by exposing her own creative hopes and fears and highly personal dreams.

It has profoundly opened me to a new understanding of my own early childhood relationships (dysfunctional and otherwise) and given me guidance and hope for healthier relationships with my own children. I have always believed that creativity is our soul calling, and that nurturing a child may be our greatest masterpiece though I have made mistakes in the pursuit of both. Dr. Paris' book has given me hope that it is never too late to heal ourselves and our relationships whether that be in pursuit of an artistic endeavor or in the raising up of our children to know boundless joy.

In ten chapters, Anne Paris explores the creative impulse, what may block it, and how to avoid the pitfalls. I admit to skepticism at first, as so many books on this subject fall into the pop psychology category, but the author has navigated these shoals skillfully, offering coping skills, insight, and impetus to readers who strive to create.


Writers, artists, and businesspeople should benefit from this book. As a writer, I found it particularly intriguing, especially the chapter on family dynamics, in which the author explains that roles are often thrust upon us without our knowledge. Paris addresses what can occur when one is viewed as "the baby" (even when we are older). With intriguing insight, she points out that when such a person achieves success, she upsets the applecart because her siblings "could not tolerate her change in position in the unspoken family hierarchy; her siblings could no longer feel better than their sister (an experience they needed to boost their self-esteem)..." When experiencing this situation, some writers even give up their craft, perhaps feeling the price of success is too high to pay. Paris urges, "Take back your dreams of childhood and then reach for them!"


The author acknowledges that the creative process does not have to be a lonely, solitary endeavor, as we have heard so often. Feedback, interaction and encouragement from friends, co-workers, and colleagues are useful and beneficial. Being positively seen by others when we are young is important. But if that is not part of our history, Paris suggests we can turn to "positive fantasies of a perceived audience," thus affirming that imaginary supporters, even ancestors, can bless and enrich our creative endeavors.


As I read, thoughts of my personal experiences surfaced, and I realized that each time before I make a public appearance, I summon a memory of my first poetry reading decades ago at a Women's Voices Writing Workshop in Santa Cruz, California. My audience applauded, whistled, stomped, and sent me home with an empowered feeling that I resurrect each time I get up to read my work. I don't know where any of these women are now, or if they are still writing, but I hold them in my memory as a gathering of compassionate souls whom I summon to bless my efforts when I need them. It was and is one of the principles Paris explores in Standing at the Water's Edge.


Having read Csikszentmilhalyi's Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, I was delighted to see parallels in Paris' content. Flow explores the mental and emotional state in which an artist, if she is fortunate, finds herself in order to bring the creative process to its highest level, a condition the ancient Greeks referred to as Kairos.


At the end of each chapter, readers are offered "Guides" with helpful suggestions. So much of this book spoke directly to me. Multiple quotes sprinkled throughout the book enriched it. In short, Paris' entire theme seems to echo a quote from one of my heroes in the art world, Vincent van Gogh... "I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart."
For people who create or who would like to create, for those who have struggled with fears and blocks, this book is more than helpful. Paris will move you toward understanding yourself as an artist.

by Joan Shaddox Isom
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Standing at Water's Edge by psychologist Anne Paris is an exceptional read for everyone. The author brilliantly examines our fears that prevent our access to our ultimate creative potential. She highlights that our deep connection with self and others is a powerful tool that can encourage inspiration and creativity. Whether you are an artist, musician, author or simply someone who is interested in facilitating your creativity in every day situations, this book is a valuable guide.

Throughout this book, the author offer practical "Guides" that are questions and exercises that shift us beyond what we perceive to be our fears and blocks so that so that realize our potential.

"Standing at the Water's Edge" is well documented with footnotes, a Bibliography, and most helpful Index, so that you may conveniently refer to subjects presented in the book.

Good read and highly recommended.

Katie Davis, Awake Joy: The Essence of Enlightenment

This story had me from the beginning. Of course, who can resist puppies. But even so, a very clever way to introduce Izzy's family through the way they interacted with the new puppies.

Then Izzy is abandoned by her father, and left with a cold, distant mother. At this point she seems almost oblivious to what has happened, yet at the same time she is very independent. It's an interesting mix of strength and immaturity that does well in characterizing adolesence.

I have to admit the blurb sounded a little cliche, but the writing is good enough and the characters interesting enough to keep me reading and wanting to know what will happen next.

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this excerpt. The writing is terrific -- ironic, without being detached -- and the story is compelling. Leaves you wanting to read much more.

This is an endearing sentimental story about monumental loss. Izzy Chase has great spunk. She makes your heart get all fuzzy as you wish you could just hold her in your arms and say everything is going to be OK.

The opening scene with the puppy being squashed sets the stage for the impending seperation of Izzy's parents. I like the contrast between Izzy's pain over her parents spilt and the warm, wonderful relationship she has with the other puppies and her friend Jolene.

It was such an original coping mechanism when she started dying everything orange after her Dad leaves. I wonder if she'll ship him his orange clothes. I can't wait to see what other whacky and clever things she does in the wake of her parents spilt. I look forward to reading more of Elliott's endearing family story.

Izzy Chase is my favorite kind of heroine, a tomboy who toughens rather than crumbling in the face of tragedy and loss. We see glimpses of the trusting, happy girl in the young woman who's reinventing herself among performance artists, poets and drag queens in New York, but we mostly see the mask. Anne Elliott's writing has a beautiful compression and specificity, and this touching story is never sentimental or predictable. A writer who needs to be read by all!

Really love the opening scene with the dog. Izzy is very much a sympathetic character, especially as we learn more about her family background. The author's realistic style is highly readable, and we get a real sense of Izzy's thoughts and feelings although the book is written from a third person point of view.

The author's synopsis for what happens later in the book makes me want to read more--there is so much going on! I do feel bad for Izzy, though, for the "romantic disappointment" and "drunken date rapes" (Elliot)...

I really enjoyed this book, and read it in 2 sittings. The author was a courageous young woman and I'm amazed what she accomplished in such a short life. It is written in a pleasant conversational way that I felt like I knew her a bit when I finished.

The one thing I wish it had was a more in depth study of the authors family (Theresa also had a sister who had CF, and died a few years after she did). Her family went on to have a few more children (were her parents aware of the risk?) after her and her sister were diagnosed. I was also curious to how it affected them emotionally, I wish maybe her parents could have touched on this a bit more, just because it was so interesting I would have loved to know more, particularly how her sister struggled as well.

I also recommend Breathing for a Living by Laura Rothenburg, my favorite book.

I think Teresa Mullin achieved her goals in writing this book. It's a truly eye-opening account of what it's like to grow up with a severe chronic illness---how much she had to fight to be able to even be given a chance to do things we all take for granted. I was especially horrified by the account of the sadistic sounding head nurse at her prep school, who seemed to enjoy making her feel out of place. It was sad but telling to read about her delight in very ordinary things like pulling an all-nighter with friends studying and then going very early to Dunkin Donuts---something most of us would not count among life's big events.

I also realized how the emphasis on finding the genes for genetic diseases might distract those who would otherwise work to make everyday life for people with the diseases better. Mullin felt it might have been not that hard to find a way to better fight lung infections and loosen secretions, but so much of the time and money went into finding a cure, and not into finding new treatments. That must be a huge dilemma.

I don't know anyone personally with CF, but I do know quite a few children at my sons' inclusive school that are living with severe chronic conditions, and this book will affect how I see them. I wish the best for Mullin's family. I think her parents should also write a book. They would have much to tell about their life with two children with CF---their younger daughter Susan's story is overshadowed here, naturally, as Teresa was away from home so much, but I would love to know more about her, and about how the parents decided to have more children, and about their work on the behalf of CF. I want to thank them for having this book published.

The book is full of brio, and evinces an emotional maturity that may come only from an early intimacy with one's own mortality. Teresa comes alive again on the pages, with a rare, first-hand account of life with cystic fibrosis that will earn her immortality among her readers.

Teresa's book about her life is excellent. She's a strong-willed, brilliant person who conveys her experiences without a hint of self-pity. She's articulate and honest, and she opened my eyes to the shortcomings of preventative medicine and its neglect of those who are already living with disease. She also reminded me that you can't take a break from fighting injustice. Every day she fought it, through exhaustion and other people's ignorance. Teresa seems to have had a tireless spirit, and I hope this book helps people remember to continue Teresa's fight against medical complacency and the marginalization of chronically ill people.

Teresa's words are filled with insight, purpose, and pure honesty. The Stones Applaud offers the healthy an eye-opening account of life as we've constructed it, and offers the chronically-ill a champion for their cause. Highly recommended.

I read this book shortly after the death of my mom. It was very touching to me... not a "self help" book but just a simple and insightful story that I think would touch anyone who has had a loss of a pet, a friend, or a family member. I have given this book as a gift to several friends who have gone through a loss and they have been touched by its message as well. Kudos to the author who has managed to write such a poignant message in a book that can be understood by a child as well as an adult.

The value in this work is not only within the words I read but also in the words and memories that were evoked while reading.
Memories of my old dog "Sparky" came back to me as I read and I realized that my dog was as real today as he was the last time I saw him over 40 years ago. I will never forget curling up and sleeping with my head on his side, safe and sound.
I was reminded of a conversation that I had with my mom a few years ago. I was talking about the great camping and fishing trips dad took us kids on, mom remarked that there was only one actual camping trip in her memory. Yet to me the memory of many fun camping and fishing trips and the many words of wisdom that were spoken over the campfire is my personal reality.
I personally see this book as being about more than death and grieving, but also and perhaps as important, a book about the warmth and eternity of memories generated in life.
Very well done

This book gives comfort and relief for anyone who has ever lost someone special. It is very powerful yet gentle with one's emotions after the death of a loved one. A good book to read to all ages.

I loved the "story teller" way this author approaches the grief process. Not only for kids, but for adults as well. I can imagine myself in the "tappestree" of life, as anyone of us can, putting myself in the authors place and how this relates to my life. More than anything it is a book of hope, a book to help us view and see death and grieving as a very natural process. I couldn't help but feel the awesome task as a parent, in the gift I have to give to my own children on a very real human event.

This book is wonderfully written and helps ease the pain of losing a loved one.

So, your intrested in starting tarot? This tiny book has loads of information for those who are unfamiliar with the tarot. It tells you all kinds of spreads and gives meanings for the cards. I like this book because it had pictures of the cards from many different decks. This could help a beginner choose which deck looks good to them!

This is a sweet little palm-sized book that is perfect for reading on the bus or train or during lunch breaks or between classes. It's small size makes it convenient to carry with you anywhere. The print is also rather small so you might not want to give it as a present to someone with less than excellent vision.

This is an excellent book for people who know very little about tarot, and want to get a good first impression of it.

The book is printed in color on good paper, and covers briefly every aspect of it - it's history, uses, types of decks, card meanings, and spreads.

The most attractive feature of this deck is that it features cards from many different decks, allowing the reader to get an impression of a wide variety of decks - something I havent seen in any other book, except in the expensive Encyclopedia of the Tarot which is *much* more expensive.

I love to show this book to people who are not familiar with the tarot just to give them a quick impression of it.

My only reservation is the price - I think it's a little too expensive if it's the only item in an order. I'd recommend ordering it along with something else to spread the shipping fees over a couple of items.

This book is perfect for those who just want to dip into Tarot. It is not for a serious card reader, but it will do to help figure out what each card means. I found it most useful to get a look at the different kinds of Tarot deck designs available, and the various spreads for telling fortunes. Great help if one wants to design one's OWN deck, too!

For such a little book, it is loaded with Tarot history and helpful information on the definitions of each card and suit. I especially enjoyed looking at the wide variety of sample cards from various decks. Lionnet also presents several different layouts, besides the usual "Three Card" and "Celtic Cross", that encourage diverse experimentation.

Another helpful item was the collection of "sample readings" at the end of the book. Lionnet applies each layout (i.e. Jungian, dual Options, Celtic Cross, etc...) to a specific Querent and then discusses each card in the spread in relation to the other cards.

A handy book for either the casual or the merely curious, this would make a great gift.

Anybody who's read a lot about or even worked with afflicted clients and thought they have a good understanding of what it'd be like to have Schizophrenia will find this book a real eye opener! It's a MUST READ for all families, friends, workers and Doctors alike. It's written in a very easy to read and understandable format, as unemotional as could be possible in such circumstances. I personally think it is the best book on Schizophrenia that's available within a non-clinical context. I give it the highest of recommendations.

The disgraceful lack of help that Anne Deveson and her son, Jonathon, recieved in the early-to-mid-eighties when Jonathon was seriously mentally ill with schizophrenia is a sad indictment on the psychiatrists and a system that was - and still is in a lot of ways, I believe - totally impotent.
Anne and her son's terrible experiences happened in Australia, but, here in the UK, every so often, we have seriously mentally ill people attacking and killing innocent by-standers.
It must also be strongly emphasized that these violent individuals are just a SMALL minority, and that the VAST MAJORITY of people with these afflictions are NOT dangerous at all, and, if I may give you an even better perspective: murders committed by so-called "normal" people, if you like, in England and Wales, number about 300 a year, while murders committed by people with mental illness number about 40 a year. Yet, due to biased reporting and the stigma surrounding mental illness, newspaper journalists do NOT state these facts in context and thereby give the impression that everyone with schizophrenia is a potential knife-wielding maniac, probably because the headline KNIFE MANIAC sells papers. I don't know!
Having said that, for people who are seriously mentally ill like Jonathon was - he thought his mother was evil and was out to get him, yet was not treated for his illness because he didn't want to be - to be Sectioned under the Mental Health ACT, here in the UK, mentally ill people must be a danger to themselves or others, OR THEIR CONDITION BE DETRIMENTAIL TO THEIR HEALTH.
I have read that many psychiatrists and social workers ignore the last part of this act, and this would appear to be why we have seriously mentally ill people - people who seem to be unaware of their illness - living (and dying) on our streets.
This is gross neglect, in my opinion, also due to the fact that the Mental Health Trusts in the UK are so under-funded.
The mentally ill have nowhere to go that provides them with the support they need after leaving hospital - a lot of the time before they are well enough - to make way for someone who is even iller than they are.
Moral is also at rock bottom among the mental health workers due to this under-funding and cutbacks.
Most of these seriously mentally ill people could be saved from their sufferings and even death - and from occasionally causing harm to others - if they WERE treated and the mental health professionals had the resources to do their jobs properly.
To this schizophrenia sufferer, this chronic under-funding that prevents the mental health professionals from doing their jobs properly, and the newspaper journalists who sensationalise these terrible tragedies, is a complete and utter disgrace.

New edition published 1998 by Penguin

There are two books that should be ordered together, this one, "Tell Me I'm Here" One Family's experience of Schizophrenia, by Anne Deveson and "I am Not Sick I Don't Need Help" by Dr. Xavier Amador. "Tell me... is a story from a mother's perspctive of doing everything possible for a young adult, and her relationship with her son who had a duel diagnosis of both Schizophrenia and drug addiction. This mother did just about everything to bring her son to recovery. "Tell me...: is told with a good writing style and down under mater of fact blatancy. It is easy to follow the events of this woman's life and how the illness affected not only her son but the whole family that loves a person who has schizophrenia. "I am not Sick I Don't need Help" is the clinical method, which might bring a schizophrenic loved one into medicine compliance. The two together can be a powerful ally to both protecting not only the ill person but the caregiver as well. The two books together can give shocked loved ones of an ill person a fighting chance at surviving "the crisis event", and the initial treatment phase which is very emotional for all and exausting. According to one psychiatrist 99.99% of recovery in schizophrenia is medicine compliance. These books do not support stigma and fear, the first two hurdles when the loved one is diagnosed.

This book is one of the most heart wrenching stories that I have ever read. The author takes you into the world of schizophrenia. You feel the emotions and the heartache that she felt while seeing her son slip in and out of madness. It is the only book that has ever made me cry while reading it. It is the only book that I have been moved to share with people.I encourage anyone who has the chance to buy it, and don't forget your handkerchief, you'll need it.

This book, 3rd in the series, is about Acorna's daughter. It is like the other books in the Acorna series, filled with time travel, the Friends, and a people once again in Peril. Well worth buying if you like the original Acorna series.

I have read the entire Acorna series as well as her children's series. I enjoyed this particular book very much. I actually have enjoyed all the books. The only negative thing I can say is the ending seemed very rushed. I like that all loose ends were tied up but the solution seemed so last minute and easy that it just didn't feel believable. They went thru all the trouble to find the cause of the plague and cure it only to have something completely different solve everything. And all of this done in the last 6 pages of the story! I would have liked to have seen a little bit farther into their future as well. But for an ending, it was alright and satisfying in itself, all criticism aside.

I am a avid reader of Anne McCaffrey, as such when one of her books comes along I read it. As always I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I can recommend it to any sci-fi reader, and if they havent read any of her books before, maybe this one will tempt them to read her others. I am happy to add it to my collection, and look forward to the next book.

The plague has decimated many planets and the federation has collapsed due to loss of personal. Khorii, the daughter of the revered Acorna, has stopped the plague but it now has mutated into organisms that eat up inorganic matter. Planets and populations lie in ruins and Acorna is helpless to assist her daughter because she has symptoms of the plague and is in quarantine with her husband.

It is up to Khorii and her twin Arriin to find the cause of the plague and figure out a way to stop it. The sisters travel back in time to the homeworld of the Ancestral Friends, a self-absorbed, long lived shape changing and space faring race that used the unicorns from earth to create the Linyaari race. There they find mutable homes that change shape and resemble of the symptoms of the plague. The key to saving the galaxy turns out to be figuring out why the material from another planet turned deadly and analyze it to find a means to eradicate it.

This is the third and final book in the "Acorna's Children" saga and its space opera at its most entertaining. Typical of an Anne McCaffrey plot is the arrival of surprising twists that readers will enjoy and know there is never a dull scene in this enthralling tale. All the loose ends are tied up and all the questions are answered. Although part of a trilogy, THIRD WATCH is a stand alone thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Third Watch (2007) is the third SF novel in the Acorna's Children series, following Second Wave. In the previous volume, Coco the pirate chieftain was disappointed at the lack of treasure on the Estrella Blanca, but accepted Mikaaye onboard the Black Mariah as a healer and pirate trainee. Khorii and Ariin returned to Vhiliinyar to visit their parents and friends within the quarantine pastures.

In this novel, the twins and Khiindi the cat travel back in time to the wardrobe of Akasa, Ariin's former mistress among the Friends. Of course, the Friends know Ariin as Narhii, the name they bestowed upon her at birth. Since they look alike, Ariin wants Khorii to replace her so that she can go investigate something without the Friends noticing her absence. Khorii acts differently than Narhii, but the Friends would never notice.

First the twins travel back even further in the past to drop off Khiindi with the Ancestors. He should be safe among the unicorns while Ariin does whatever she intends. Since this latest time is prior to the birth of the twins, Khiindi once more becomes the shapeshifting Grimalkin and makes friends -- as a unicorn -- with the female Ancestor Halili.

Returning to the closet, the twins separate. Ariin hides while Khorii distracts Akasa. Khorii -- pretending to be Narhii -- asks the Friend to show her the way home as a ploy to get the Friend out of the house. Then Ariin sneaks out and goes her own way.

Once outside, Khorii notices that the front door is shaped and colored as an eye. In fact, the whole front of the house looks like the upper half of Akasa's face. Akasa is pleased with the effect, but Khorii wonders at the degree of vanity that it indicates.

In this story, Ariin gossips with the Friend technicians while Khorii wanders among the Friend hoity-toity. Ariin learns some interesting things, but Khorii meets the Friend Odus and learns that he is odious.

Ariin travels through time to join the Friend Pircifir in his historic voyage of discovery. Pircifir is a venturer, traveling through time and space looking for items that might interest the Friends. Grimalkin -- as Khiindi -- returns to get Khorii and they too join Pircifir on his voyage.

Eventually, the group finds a planet that contains snakes and tubes. The tubes are able to change their shape. When brought back to Vhiliinyar and properly trained, these tubes become the mutable houses of the Friends.

This tale leads Khorii, Ariin and Khiindi to the source of the plague and finally to a way to eliminate it. The tale also suggests an origin for the Linyarri. This volume probably concludes the immediate series, but Acorna's children will almost certainly return for further adventures. Enjoy!

Highly recommended for McCaffrey fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of the Linyaari, time travel, and mysterious plagues.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Being a horror fan, I was pleased to find this anthology. There are not that many 'theme' anthologies, and many of them just pull from the old classics. All 21 stories are new, written for this compilation. The theme of treachery naturally lends itself to stories of demons and gods, and many of the stories hinge on religion in some way. My favorite of those were Jerry Olton's 'The Judas Lesson' and 'Perfidy' by Dennis L. McKiernan. Olton has a great twist on Christianity and Christmas. If kids are bribed by Christmas to be good, as their religion dictates they should be, what would happen if their religion dictated they be Judas rather than Jesus? And what happens when they fail? 'Perfidy,' the shortest story in the collection at three pages, was a powerhouse condemnation of the Hebrew God's betrayal of humanity.

One that was not derivative of religion, and my favorite, was 'Kiss Me, You Fool' by Del Stone, Jr. Having already read his novel _Dead Heat_, with its zombie anti-hero, I was expecting something strange. This short story is a nightmare, with utterly horrifying creatures, human and otherwise. The humans are believable and recognizable. The monsters although unique, resonated uncomfortably with some archetypal fear and truly creeped me out. The story is sexy, hilarious, and has one of the best backstabs ever devised, through its sheer strangeness and off-handed cruelty.

All the stories were of high quality. The editors did a fine job. My only complaint is that there was no biographical material on the individual authors. I would have liked to have seen what other writings they had available.

This anthology is such great fun! The baddies range from truly human villains, -- as in the wonderful story by new author Nancy Moore, to otherworldly creeps-- like Esther Friesner's charmer, to something in between-- see Scott Edelman's unusual second person narrative. This book is a keeper, one of those collections you'll enjoy reading more than once.

Thank you! This, by far, is one of the better collections of short works by various authors I've picked up in a very long time! It covers a range of genres, settings, and times to bring you intriguing tales of backstabbers at their best. Most of the stories are exceptional, a few thought-provoking, some are funny, some surreal, some darkly morbid. It should leave you wanting not only a second book of Treachery & Treason, but also seeking more of the works of the talented authors inside--exactly what a book like this is meant to do. Congratulations on a job well done!

One of those modern rarities, a themed anthology. But what a theme! Maybe food has more weight in the affairs of human history than betrayal, but not by much. The stories themselves cut an astonishing cross-section through the heart of modern short SF. From the terse action fiction of William C. Dietz and Anne Bishop, to the jewel-like cyber-punk poetry of Tom Cool, to the tough-minded and elegiac "Borders," by Nancy Jane Moore -- Treachery and Treason presents stories that transcend the science fiction genre. Particularly good are the stories by Cool and Moore. "Frozen" is a dazzling tone poem to love and broken promises. "Borders" by Nancy Jane Moore is a riveting action story of a labor revolt, set on the Texas-Mexican border in the near future, and of the anguished soldiers who are brought in to put it down. Moore is a clean, tough action writer with a fine eye for historical irony, an unsentimental view of political reality, and a sense of genuine moral outrage at her heart. Buy the book for "Borders." Keep it to read the rest.

This anthology encompasses stories from both the science fiction and sf/fantasy worlds. Anne Bishop's story, "By the Time the Witchblood Blooms" is a short story about a favorite character from her series, "The Dark Jewels Trilogy" who exacts some well-deserved revenge. Julie Czerneda's story, "The Passenger", examines the question of individual good vs. what is good for the majority. I also enjoyed Dennis McKiernan's "Perfidy", which looks at a bet between God and Satan...and who in the end really committed the evil act. These stories are all about treachery in some way; however you'll find yourself wondering if the "treachery" is in actuality a very good thing.