Bradley Books

I bought this book because I wanted to fill in the holes between the Darkover books without having to wade through fan fiction. I've never read any of the other Friends of Darkover collections. In my opinion, the stories ranged from excellent to painful.

"Hilary's Homecoming" was a nightmare continuitywise. I know that MZB has stated that she was never concerned about continuity in her books, but there is a minimum. I mean, Hilary comes home as a very young virgin from Arilinn and meets her grandson as a potential suitor!

The longest story in this book "Everything But Freedom" about Rohana Ardais (from the Renunciate trilogy) ran nearly 100 pages and was only vaguely interesting. Several of the other stories were also about the Free Amazons; they were interesting, but forgettable.

The highlight of this book was definitely the section on Dyan Ardais; specifically, the last two stories, "Man of Impulse" and "The Shadow". "Man of Impulse" deals with Dyan's stay with Merryl and Marilla at Lindirsholme, which was referenced in "Sharra's Exile". "The Shadow" is about the relationship between Regis and Danilo between "Heritage of Hastur" and "Sharra's Exile".

Although most of the collection was pretty mediocre, the book is definitely worth buying if just for Dyan's stories.

For those who have been reading the "Friends of Darkover" collections of fan fiction that MZB has edited, most of these stories will be familiar; only a couple of them are new. These are the stories, written by MZB herself, that have appeared in the various collections, collected here in one place for those purists who refuse to read the Darkover fan fiction but want to read everything that herself has had to say. They include "To Keep The Oath", the story of how Camilla came to be a renunciate; "The Keeper's Price", written in collaboration with Lisa Waters about the failed keeper Hillary Castamir, "Everything But Freedom", about the Lady Rohana, and several tales of Dyan Ardais.

The writing is excellent, as any regular reader of Marion Zimmer Bradley could have guessed, and the stories give us interesting glimpses into the interstices between the full-length Darkover novels.

If you've collected all of the Friends of Darkover Collections, you may not feel that it's worth the price of a whole book just for two new stories (although the new ones -- "Hillary's Homecoming" and "Hillary's Wedding" -- are both quite good) but if you have not been willing to buy collections of fan fiction for the one or two actual MZB stories per book, this is the book for you.

I've had much better math books than this one. However it does the job but the examples and things that it covers aren't as good as my other calculus book.

This is the most comprehensive, yet easy to understand book on multivariable calculus I have ever seen. It's packed with lots of tips, examples, explanations and graphs. It even includes "how to"'s on multivariable applications using the TI-92. These authors really know how to teach.

This book is written primarily to an academic audience of professors and graduate students and seems based on a collection of articles written in academic journals. For those looking for a compendium of this research, this book offers a well written summarization. In particular, it does a good job of going through recent ideas of partisanship and what accounts for the changing state of party identification in the U.S. over the past fifty years. Beyond this, however, the book has some important weaknesses. In particular, its big claim to fame is in advancing a new theory of social identification to explain why people cling so tenanciously to their attachments to the Democrat or Republican party. This is fine, except they never really develop their theory in any detal (it is only explained in about 4 pages). So unless the reader is familiar with a lot of social pscyhology their explanation will not have much resonance. More importantly they provide no explicit tests of their theory. I found it ironic that authors who spend so much effort undermining the empirical weaknesses in other research, provide no direct empirical tests to validate their own claims.

What is incredible about this book is its succinct restatement of the body of work these authors have worked on over the past decade and what has come to characterize the state of the field in the macropartisanship in political science. It is an easy read and will definitely become a classic

This is a fun book to read. It features a couple of minor mistakes but is mostly accurate. What sets this apart is the author's sense of humor. He doesn't take the subject too seriously, nor should he, but he does recognize Rod Stewart's prodigious, if often misused talents. I found myself laughing out loud on a couple of occasion as he pokes fun of Rod's womanizing and often poor taste in clothing. Rod fans probably won't find much new here but for those of us who find Stewart watching a fun sport, it is enjoyable to read yet another opinion of the Tartan Terror.

Named after one of his famous recordings - "Rod Stewart. Every Picture Tells A Story" - this book is great treat for all Rod Stewart fans. It has a large format, and it's filled with fantastic (some are very rare!) photographs that make you smile. The book does tell quite a story, page by page. About Rod's roots and beginnings, his style and his voice, and his way with blondes, too! It frankly examines Rod's musical, sartorial and love lives.

I like Bradley's Darkover series, but the books about the Free Amazons or the Renunciates have always been my least favorite of the books. There is a lot of overwrought 1960s and 1970s feminism in these books, with all the gender politics of that era, lesbian relationships, abused women and the horrible men they have triumphed over, etc. etc. etc. It feels dated in 2008.

I have been a Marion Zimmer Bradley since the beginning. I am 70 years old and have really enjoyed her book. The Saga of the Renunciates is spellbinding and you cannot wait to see what happens next. I recommend this saga to anyone and all ages.

As fiction: 3 stars. As history: 0 stars.

On the plus side, this slim volume does cover a lot of material, and does a fairly good job of it for limiting itself to about two or three small pages per society.

On the minus side, the author doesn't really make an attempt to present alternate points of view, and even some of his historical interpretations strike me as a little simplistic. He quotes highly questionable sources. In general, the author has drunk the Kool-Aid, and has a tendency to label every event that occurs behind closed doors as an anti-democratic global conspiracy aimed at creating a one-world govenment. There's a difference between a conspiracy to rule the world and a club for people who already rule the world.

All in all, it's an entertaining read, provided that you understand what the author does not -- that it is largely a work of historical FICTION.

A good overall evaluation of the area of study. A great book to start with. Also great for refrences to start your own research in areas you find intresting or suspicious. I highly recommend this book to anyone who seeks some hidden truths about our economic and social background. I enjoyed the great amount of history included in the read. I really have a better understanding of why some things are set up the way they are in our modern world. Dont only buy this book, but share its knowledge!

I just received this book in the mail today and it is absolutely breathtaking! The pictures are SO dreamy and gorgeous, showing unicorns in heavenly settings, often with humans and other animals. The pictures gave me a wonderful feeling of nature, harmony, and dreams that are wild and peaceful at the same time! There is a small amount of information about unicorns, but it's mainly an art and poetry book, not a guide to unicornlore. If you love unicorns, you MUST add this book to your collection! It is an absolute jewel and I will treasure it forever.

This book is good if you like pictures of unicorns. It was very impressionable for its poetry coupled with the pictures. The style is flowy and suits the poetry.

If you love sword and sorcery, you will be pleased with this delightful anthology of women being, well strong women! Engaging and entertaining - you will want to read it over and over again. Get the whole 21 volume set.

Includes stories by Deborah Burros, Mercedes Lackey, Laurell Hamilton, Rima Saret, Gary Herring, Jennifer Roberson, Paula Helm Murray, Diana Paxson, Walter Kleine, Nancy Pine, Andrea Pelleschi, Vera Nazarian, Stephanie Shaver, Eluki bes Shahar, Josepha Sherman, Linda Gordon, Jere Dunham, Dave Smeds, Elisabeth Waters, Lois Tilton, Cynthia Ward, and Margaret Howes.

for its size, this is probably the best overview of titian available in english. the color reproductions are beautifully done, the sampling of titian's works is comprehensive yet compact. the historical essays on the epochs of titian's output and the commentaries to each painting are well written and highly informative. a few major works, such as the venus d'urbino, are reproduced in smaller format and discussed only in passing, as they could not be included in the exhibition. even so, only rona geffen's study of titian's women goes farther and deeper into titian's originality, humanity and genius. highly recommended.

There is an imbalnce between text and illustrations. The text is extensive, competent and easy to read. The illustrations are of average quality and tend to be small. Some of Titian's major works such as the Depostion from the Cross at The Accademia in Venice and the portrait of a Doge [Chigi?] at the National Gallery are not included'

Never heard of them. The usual answer. The same went for me till June 10,2000 when I personally met a Triple Nickler at Carter's Grove, Colonial Williamsburg, Va. The interest stirred in me to know more of these fine paratroopers in the U.S. ARMY during WW II. It seems that this is the only book with the Triple Nickles' history. Take advantage of this book while there are still some out there. Guaranteed, you'll want to know more about these fine paratroopers who endured so much because of their race, but stood as exemplary models that most of us would fall short. Maybe if we, as readers, pay more tribute to these fine men, more will come forward with their books to help resurrect the historical memories that we beckon to know more. If The Triple Nickles is the only book available, I highly suggest reading it to witness the start of the finest intergrated fighting force of the world. Don't let this piece of history slip through your finger tips!

We were lucky enough to get this book at a Black Educators Conference, but had the sad, but familiar, experience of wanting to share with a young man for inspiration -- and never seeing it again.

The book is written for young adults, but can keep the interest of adults reading it. It tells the story of the first Black paratroop squadron, which served in WWII. As was similar in many of the early US military/minority encounters, these men were trained to fight but then given kitchen duty. Eventually they were given a chance with the 82nd Airborne and went on to have many successful missions.

I found the book to be inspiring and humbling. It would do both blacks and whites good to read it to remember how things were, and not sugarcoat history.