Bryan Books

This book is full of art that enhances the history of philosophy. It also has several references to the philosophers' writings. I had checked it out in my local library and found so much information that I couldn't, or didn't want to, get through it all in a few weeks.

The Story of Philosophy is an encyclopedic history of philosophy. It is well laid out, being divided by eras of philosophy. Each section has many pictures usually relating to the philosopher or history of the time. Bryan Magee's writing style is decent, though not always clear or engaging. Unfortunately, the book is marred with bias.

Bryan Magee is clearly not sympathetic to religious thought. He is critical of religion throughout, often giving naturalism the final say or criticism on a topic. He abandons spirituality in the end, with but a brief mention of religious existentialism. Religious philosophy is far from dead and Magee is far from objective on the topic.

As example, Magee bluntly states that the Bible supports a flat earth by quoting Psalm 93. The Psalms are a collection of ancient songs. Taking a verse in a song as a literal scientific statement is not a fair or honest interpretation. Galileo stated this in his defense to the Catholic Church. Magee often alludes to the negative consequences of religious philosophies, yet gives a detailed defense for the naturalist philosophy of Nietzsche (which influenced such people as Hitler and Stalin).

The bias is unfortunate, because The Story of Philosophy is an otherwise decent, if not colorful, overview of philosophy.

The DK series of books seem targeted for younger readers, and Bryan Magee's comprehensive guide to philosophers throughout history is no exception. There is little text and many illustrations and photographs. It is a bit simplistic for those who've studied philosophy, but for a new student or someone who wants a generalized account of the history of philosophical thought, it's a good book.

In this short book, Magee examines the history of Western philosophy by looking at key philosophers and their ideas.

This book is very clearly written and beautifully illustrated. While it lacks the depth necessary to introduce a university student to the subject, this book would be a valuable addition to high school libraries and worth buying for younger readers, as well as adult readers who have not had higher university education but are curious about life's deeper questions.

This book lacks in depth coverage of Eastern philosophy, but that is well covered in other books such as Ninian Smart's 'World Philosophies.'

This book is very nicely compiled and tolerably well-written (although not beautifully or engagingly), but only 20 pages in errors and oversights have quite nearly ruined it for this reader.

As has been pointed out before - the Paradox of the race between Achilles and the Tortoise is followed by the statement "Perhaps one day it will be solved." I find it unbelievable that any educated person would fail to see immediately upon reading this (or writing it) that this 'paradox' is quite easily solved with a basic understanding of limits.

The other error that bothered me was a reference to Leibniz as the discoverer of calculus with no mention of Sir Isaac Newton. These two had a long bitter fight over who first discovered calculus, and it seems that not to mention Newton in this matter is either very biased or simply erroneous.

I am a student of science, so these are the errors that I catch - I hope that such errors do not occur so frequently when covering the topics more central to philosophy, because I will not so easily catch them and may be misled.

I imagine that I will continue to read this book, but it has quickly shown itself to be less than the gem that I had hoped for.

This was a pretty good book. Nothing on my top shelf list or anything. It was kind of slow in some parts and with my ADHD it was hard to keep my attention at times. :p Overall on a 1-10 scale I would give it a 6 meaning above average. Not as good as "His Dark Materials" but worth getting if you have a road trip to take and need something to keep you occupied during the drive.

Chad.

I liked this book because all the different characters had their own voices. I liked Charlotte best because she was smart. And I also liked when Lucy was the princess in Dr. Cadaverezzi's show. It was funny when Max's girlfriend Eliza kept calling his coach horn a trombone. And then he made his coach horn shoot a pea and he shot it through the mayor's hat by accident. There were a lot of silly parts in the book because some of the grownups weren't so smart. Charlotte, Lucy and Hildi, who were the kids, were the smartest people in the book I think.

I would recommend this book to other kids. It was funny and a little scary but everyone is OK at the end except for the bad guy.

We enjoyed this story on a five hour car ride - three kids under 14 and one adult. We thoroughly enjoyed it!

Count Karlstein is a classic fairytale with hints of Faust, Hansel and Gretel (The Brothers Grimm), and Charles Dickens. The story has a lively combination of characters both straight and comic. The audio version is clear and well portrayed with a cast of 8 actors.

Count Karlstein is a villain who is the sole remaining relative of a pair of orphan girls. These girls, though young, are thoughful and resourceful. But some evil plan is underfoot. How do the maid, her impetuous brother, the lawyer, the magician, the constable, the Englsih teacher, the silly lovers, and the deamon work to thwart each others efforts? Read or listen on!

This book was funny because there were a lot of characters who had silly names like Roliopolio and Snivelwurst.

I liked when Charlotte found a wooden head that she named Herr Woodenkopf and carried it around everywhere. It tricked people into thinking it was someone's head and that was funny.

I really liked Charlotte and Max and Eliza. They were the good guys. I did not like Zamiel the Huntsman, he was the bad guy and so was Count Karlstein.

I liked that everyone in the audio book has different voices so it is kind of like listening to a real show.

A parody of gothic melodramas,COUNT KARLSTEIN, could be confusing to the presumed target audience of upper elementary and middle schoolers. The book is told from the viewpoint of several different people and Pullman's writing here is not as well delineated as in his later books. Lots of characters are quickly introduced and I found myself thumbing back to remind myself exactly who was who, especially in the beginning chapters. The plot is over the top and exciting with lots of fun surprises revealed in the closing chapters if the reader is patient enough to wade through the rather cumbersome beginning.

This book went way beyond my expectations. It is packed with evidence-based care for children with autism spectrum disorders, care that in some cases can lead to full recovery. It is shocking how much we actually do know about autism and it's causes and treatments, despite what we hear in the media. There is a lot of excellent research, published in top peer-reviewed medical journals, that is simply ignored by mainstream medicine. Many doctors are simply unaware that this research exists at all. Some doctors, such as the author, don't settle for the standard "no one knows what causes it and there's nothing we can do" party line- an opinion which is NOT based in evidence. the issues underlying Autism Spectrum Disorders are extremely complex though, so be warned. Each child is unique and there is no "road map" to recovery, but this book may help you understand what your child needs and where to keep looking for help. Looking for answers doesn't guarantee that you will find them, but NOT looking pretty much guarantees that you won't!

This books accomplishes much. It is a bio-chemistry overview, explaining what should happen in a typical body and highlighting what is being found to happen via research. It discusses potential causal agents of this multifaceted disease. It includes an excellent bibliography of each and every work cited. It summarize what is known today, discusses the multiple interpretations of existing studies, and highlights where additional research is needed.

This book serves as a map for parents to read and consider their children; it provides details about the system and helps to provide insight into where things may be awry in your child. ASD does not fit neatly into a single box, and it is reviewing the studies that helps one determine what might help their own child.

I have a child, born in 2001, with regressive autism and have for four years been working to heal him from the effects of his vaccines using biomedical interventions such as are outlined in this book. I so appreciate the careful and systematic way Dr. Jepson lays out this terrible disease. Although it's frightening as a mom to read all the complicated dysfunction that has happened to my child's immune system and neurological development, it's better to know than not know, so that I can work more effectively at healing him. He is getting gradually better. I plan to give one of these books to our pediatrician. Tragically, the mainstream medical community is utterly oblivious to what is happening medically to these afflicted children. Of course, to look too closely at this disease would compel them to acknowledge that the vaccine program is extremely dangerous, too many shots, too soon, and THIMEROSAL is an insane thing to be injecting into an infant. With one in one hundred and fifty children affected, how can the American Academy of Pediatrics turn a blind eye to the suffering of these children? We must help the pediatricians to deal more responsibly with our children, one doctor at a time if necessary. This book will be a great help towards that end. Thank you Dr. Jepson.

This book changed my perspective, not only of autism but of the aproach I had of troubles in aging, auto-immune diseases, oxidation, aminoacids, etc. I've been looking for this information for a long time.
Gladys Roij

This book is NOT only for parents with autistic children. People who have "leaky gut" syndrome, and genetic defects associated with MTHFR NEED to get this book as a resource for understanding. Best description of leaky gut and C677 and T1298 I have found yet outside medical literature.

The author seems blunt about being a non-health worker. His clear goal is to mine the field for ideas. Perhaps because he sees folks SICK for 2, 5, 10 and 15 years with the so called experts!

Some ideas are likely wrong, some have potential and others may have merit.

I have just received my copies of; The top Ten Lyme Disease Treatments, Lyme and Rife Machines and the 2008 Lyme Disease Annual Report and as an artist the first thing I noticed is that they are all attractive books with high gloss covers and attractive cover design. Ok, the giant tick on the 2008 Lyme Disease Annual Report is kind of creepy and made me itch all over just looking at it but it is still an attractive cover and one can't argue it appropriateness. I especially like the navigational theme of the compass and the silhouette of the hiker looking up towards the rising (or setting) sun, on the cover of The Top 10 Lyme Disease Treatments. Lyme Disease and Rife Machines size and cover design had more of a textbook or workbook feel to it which also seemed appropriate to me considering it's technical subject matter.

The second thing I noticed was the long list of well known and highly respected names in the Lyme world that graced the covers, forwards and inner pages of Bryan's books. Names like James Schaller M.D., Sue Vogan the host of "In short order" radio program, Ginger Savely FNP-C (whom I have had the pleasure of briefly cyber chatting with), Tami Duncan from LIA, Susan Williams Public Health Alert contributor and VP of TXLAD, Richard Loyd, PhD an electrotherapeutic device expert. The pages of Bryan's books are filled with ground breaking discoveries from the top minds in the Lyme disease world.

The third thing I noticed was the large print, which will be a Godsend for those Neuro -Lyme sufferers whose vision has been affected and for those that have trouble reading because of other Lyme issues.

If you or someone you know has advanced Lyme disease and are looking for a supplement to your current treatment protocol or especially if you are looking for alternative treatment options then Bryan's books are well worth reading.

For more complete reviews of Bryan's books and more information on Lyme Disease visit my Lyme Blog at: http://lindaslymediseasejournal.blogspot.com

To see art work and poetry created by Lyme sufferers visit the Lyme Awareness Art Projects Website at: http://www.lymeawarenessartproject.com

(You can cut and paste these website addresses in your browser's address bar or just Google "Lyme Awareness Art Project" and "Linda's Lyme Disease Journal")

It is a very good book, easy to read and understand. I learned a lot from it, thank you Bryan Rosner.

The book could have been written on half the paper. It is somewhat helpful, but extremely repetitive. Less words and more information would have been appreciated.

Having Lyme for many years I did not appreciate this book. As a matter of fact some of this author's ideas do not match that of my very competent LLMD. On page 81 he discusses cell wall inhibitors and says they are never indicated for lyme and should be avoided. And he also brings in that Trevor Marshall, PhD (Marshall Protocol) says we should avoid them. The problem is that this isn't true in all cases. My LLMD (Lyme Literate Medical Dr.) did not agree with this when I questioned him about it. (And we have had lyme for 10 years, not acute.) In our family we have used 2 of the cell wall inhibitors that he says should be avoided and have had tremendous success with them. We just follow the treatment with cyst antibiotics. The good thing is the author admits his position is investigational and open for debate. The problem is that lyme sufferers already are grasping for help and newly diagnosed patients may not be open to these drugs after reading this. Also I believe most of the info in this book can be found on the internet or better yet with an appointment with a great lyme doctor. I personally felt this was a waste of my money.

It's hard to write a review for something like Scott Pilgrim so I'll be brief.

Were you born around 1979-1987? Do you like old school video games and punk rock? If so then this book is for you.

The basic plot of the book follows Scott Pilgrim, a 20 something Canadian slacker, as he attempts to woo Ramona Flowers by defeating her seven evil exes. What follows is a mangaesque pop culture extravaganza. It's also hilariously addictive. It's refreshing to see something so unique out there on the market. Sit back. Read this book. Let the sheer awesomeness of Scott Pilgrim take over. It's new. It's different. It's fantastic. The characters are great. The humor is priceless. The black and white art is a perfect fit. If you're feeling brave, jump into the world of Scott Pilgrim. It's good times.

Scott Pilgrim might just very well be one of the funniest and most enjoyable things I've read in the last five years. The pacing is swift, the dialogue is witty, the plot simultaneously familiar and mundane and also completely outlandish and awesome. The closest thing I've seen in comics to Veronica Mars (and that's not saying one is better than the other), and I think a reviewers quote of VM also sums up Scott Pilgrim nicely: it "explores the fears and anxieties of near adulthood without belittling them." If you haven't already purchased this book, do it.

I have found that most of the reviews of this book thus far have been the product of either stuttering enthusiasm or unwarranted spite, an unpleasant situation owing to the fact that Scott Pilgrim is a polarizing book, a book that caters to a very specific type of person.

I am not, as it turns out, that type of person.

But, I'm not the sort of person who likes to waste time gushing mindless praise or spewing mindless vitriol either--LET'S GET EVENHANDED!

For those of you sitting on the fence about whether to read this: I was a fence-sitter too. There were aspects of this book that attracted me: the dynamic, manga-inflected art, the melding of the whimsical with the mundane, the goofy humor. But there were things I'd heard about and noticed from the previews that I found equally off-putting, namely the plethora of references to videogames and indie-rock culture.

Now, I have NO problem with either videogames or indie-rock, both things I've grown up with and enjoyed. What I DO have a problem with is this 21st century habit of fetishizing our influences and making compulsive name-drops, this way we've confused Being Cool with Mentioning Things That Are Cool. This isn't to say I'm 100% against this sort of thing, but there's a specific time and place to use it in storytelling, and there is such a thing as overkill. Like words, references are good when you're using them to say something, and bad when you're using them to show off.

This reference-heavy mentality informs Scott Pilgrim to a hefty degree, and I feel it does so against creator/artist/writer Brian O'Malley's better artistic instincts. The visual nuance (as has been stated elsewhere, his facial expressions are superb; he gets an incredible degree of emotional mileage out of very simple shapes) found in the book seemed to indicate to me somebody far cleverer than his writing and characterizations let on.

I'll state this forthrightly: the characters in this book are weak, the protagonist glaringly so. I understand that it's the first in a six-book series and so there's further character development to be had, but if a reader such as myself can't find the characters compelling enough by the end of the first book, then we aren't going to keep reading. The hero comes off as an unlikeable, emotionally immature doofus, which would be fine if he was given positive traits as well, but he isn't. Most of the other characters, with the exception of Wallace Wells, Scott's gay roommate and Knives Chau, Scott's 17-year-old "girlfriend," seem to be little more than hip-looking extras, and that extends even to the girl Scott pines after and who is the catalyst for basically the entire plot (Scott must defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends, etc).

A lot of people have written that they were hooked by the slice-of-life tone of most of this book and then taken aback by the incredibly silly ending, but I felt just the opposite--the book works best at its silliest and most cartoony, lampooning the conventions of manga and videogames (a justified use of referencing, for once). There's a very good punch-line at the end of the "boss fight." It was the only thing in the book that made me laugh out loud, and it felt more real and more genuine to me than all the drama that had unfolded beforehand.

Bryan Lee O'Malley is a talented comic maker, and the first half of Scott Pilgrim is an excellent book, but by the end it is a hollow joyless exercise in hipster nostalgia.

The story begins as a surrealist romance between our slacker protagonist Scott Pilgrim and subconscious traveling delivery girl Ramona. This is a charming tale well told and just goofy and surrealistic enough to properly convey the craziness of love at that age. Unfortunately as time passes it becomes clear that Mr. O'Malley becomes less interested in telling a good romance story and more interested in aping nostolgia for a cheap laugh.

By the end the characters all become 1 dimensional, and the interpersonal conflicts are replaced by feats of strength. It is a sad sign that the end of the first book climaxes with a literal boss battle where the "power of teamwork" (not to be confused with actual team work) is used to win the battle. This would be a whimsical diversion if it was not (in later books) taken so seriously.

This book series actually has grinding and sub-bosses, it sells out its own story to become a retelling of old video game cliches. As such it becomes about as exciting as it is watching a stranger play an old video game, Amusing for a few minutes, then endlessly tedious...

I'm a big fan of comics, particularly indie/underground comics, and after hearing so many rave reviews about Scott Pilgrim, I finally picked up vol. 1. Perhaps my expectations were high, but I was sorely disappointed. While the art is unique, refreshing, and captivating, the sudden genre-jumping from a slice-of-life comic taking place in the modern-day (though cartoonish) real world to a martial arts anime kids' show/video game comic was just too jarring for me. A lot of plot developments happened very suddenly, made no sense, and then were immediately swept aside, meant to be accepted at once by the reader, with no satisfactory explanation whatsoever. And on top of it all, I find the main character thoroughly unlikeable and unrelatable. While I appreciate the revolutionary technique of combining seemingly unrelated genres and the vast potential of comics as an art form, this one was just too much for me to swallow, and I can say I'm really confused as to why this comic has such a huge fan following.

Bryan Peterson is a photo genius! I first read his understanding exposure book and was blown away by the detail and examples he gives in that book. after chatting with him via e-mail, he recommended this book. If you ever have taken a portrait(which everyone with a camera will or has) this book gives the inspiration to explore the full potential of every shot you will ever take from now on!

I loved this book also! Just as informative as his other book! A great asset for any collection!

Bryan not only is a great photographer, he is gifted in teaching others what he knows. He tells you exactly how to get the results he gets. The book is very good.

This is the material that is ausent here, in Uruguay. I believe the reviews before published, were right!! and I'm very pleasant to recommend this book!

This is a book meant for YOU, the photographer who wants to invest time, time to look closely, observe and then tweak the image to the point that YOU find it acceptable. Bryan has found a good balance in text and pictures. He shows clearly what defines a successful picture and from then how to make that a winner ! Beautiful examples enrich this book, but don't neglect to read also, the text is highly informational, for both digital and analogue photographers alike.

Good book for explaining death to a young child. No religious views or overtones are used, the book is an excellent tool that simplifies the cycle of life.

My Grandmother died on May 27th and since then my son who is just shy of 4 has been asking so many questions. We've always used books as a tool for our discussions to help us explain things to him. I bought several books and even though they were good, this book was just the perfect fit for a 4 year old. It's matter of fact, simple to understand- no hidden meanings or euphemisms. Now when he asks why a bug died we can say, "That was HIS lifetime" or when he gets upset and asks when our cat is going to die we can say, "He's still living in-between" and he just gets it. I run an assisted living facility and am ordering it for my resource library so that the resident's families can borrow it if necessary.

We used this book in every classroom discussion in our elementary school when we had a death among our faculty. It was very helpful

As advertised - great pictures, nice text, very use-able especially with pre-school kids -

This is a really great book to get for children and to read to children. It explains life from birth to death on a level kids can relate to. When you are at a loss for words trying to figure out how to make a child understand, you need to read this book .

Although the description said for readers ages 4 - 8, there is no way this book is readable to any but the brightest 8 year olds. The book is probably great, but I was mislead by the description. (The rating of "1 star" was for these young readers, not for older kids or adults.)

corpus-callosum's [Amazon.com] review mentions "At the end of the articles, Ford has placed in parentheses an abbreviated reference to the specific book and page number that coincides with the topic being discussed. "

There are two numbers separated by a comma- the first is the tradepaperback/hardback HaperCollins or Harper Trophy page number, the second (after the comma) is for the Harper Trophy rack sized (mass market) paperback editions.

Examples from the Companion book listings to check pagination of the Narnia editions you have to see if they match up on the correct page:

Lion Witch Wardrobe: Hosea 11:10 "at the sound of his roar" 79,85
Prince Caspian:Isaiah 9:1"the people that lived in hiding" 72,75
Dawn Treader: Isaiah 6:6 "a little live coal" 207,224
Silver Chair: Psalms103:9 "I will not always be scolding" 236,250
Horse & His Boy: Daniel 4:24 "not a donkey!" 219,235
Magician's Nephew: Job 38:7 "stars themselves singing" 107,117
Last Battle: Deut.33:27 "between the paws of the true Aslan" 121, 134

I have the trade paperback Harper Trophy "full-color collector's edition of Narnia, boxed set ISBN: 0064409392 and the first number of the two (the one before the comma) matches perfectly in all the Narnia books.

This reference is a must for any Narnia fan. Although it is done 'dictionary style', I read straight through it, picking up bits of information I never knew & finding connections between & new symbolism in characters, places, & things from all the books. Especially worth a read are entries on broader topics like sexism, the roles of adults vs. children, & the influence of Plato.

I resold this book immediately, without even browsing all the way through it! I thought it would be a fun book to help me re-enter the Chronicles of Narnia world, but there aren't any short summaries of the books and their meaning. There are many long references to obscure characters. Without remembering which are the most important characters in which books, it's hard to look anything up.

I first entered Narnia as a child, simply pushing the fur coats aside and stepping through the wardrobe into the snowy world near the lamp post. I didn't need a guide book. Things just unfolded and I went with the flow of wonders. I came back for an extended visit when I was expecting my first child. There were concepts there that I had not noticed before as "concepts". I felt inspired and doubly moved by its beauty. Now, I'm at the "grandma" age if not yet in that reality. I've popped back in to visit old friends and this guide book is truly a "companion." I realize that the word "companion" in the title refers to the fact that this volume is a companion to the Narnia books, but for me the title has a double meaning, in that it is also my companion on the journey to Narnia, my tour guide, so to speak.
This book takes you by the hand and encourages you to look closer, gently pointing out the secrets of the locale that only the natives might know. It gives insights and provokes thought and dialogue. It is a neat holistic view that encourages an appreciation for the big picture by illuminating the subtle details. It is also the kind of tribute to the minute of one's heroes that all "fans" love to pour over. If you are a young person just let Lucy help you find your way into Narnia and I assure you that you will have a splendid time, but if you are a bit older I recommend this travelog and the company of this wonderfully helpful and insightful book.
This book also contains an insightful foreward by Madeleine L'Engle, author of "A Wrinkle in Time".

I hesitate to rate any book five stars, but will do so when it satisfied all my expectations and gives me far more. Pvt. Sneden's journal does exactly that.

In the context of civil war journals, in my humble opinion, it rises above many others for three reasons. First, Pvt. Sneden is simply an excellant writer. Not surprisingly, the journal is no example of modern grammatical rules, but of course, that would not be expected in this context. Still, I found Pvt. Sneden to be one of those writers with a gift for painting a picture in words. It is one of those books, unlike many historical primary sources, that you do not find yourself rereading parts to try to figure out what the writer is trying to say. Secondly, Pvt. Sneden had an extremely unusual perspective for a private soldier. He acted as a map maker and had been attached to headquarters units for most of the period covered in the book. This allowed him to comment based on many perspectives as he traveled through multiple commands in each campaign. Likewise, he gave some insight to the conduct of the general officers he worked for mapping. Thirdly, Pvt. Sneden Had a hobby of drawing pictures of almost anything he tripped over on the battlefield. The analogy I would draw would are to people these days who always have a camera and will take a picture of anything that strikes them as an interesting shot.

Besides those positive aspects of this book specific to Pvt. Sneden, there are two other aspects of this book that makes it exceptional in my opinion. First, as to primary sources, I would submit that most readers would agree that the most important factor in evaluating them is veracity. In other words, the memoirs of a politician I would guess would never be taken on face value due to the bias of the author. In this book, even describing his time as prisoner, Pvt. Sneden in a very large seemingy presents a vey balenced picture of his experiences. There might be some comments put in after the war for dramatic effect, but the editors flag them. Even flagged as possible exagerations, Pvt. Sneden established his credibility to a sufficient degree with me that I would not so easily disregard such comments.

Secondly, the editors do an excellant job providing the backdrop to Pvt. Sneden's journey through the war.

In my humble opinion, this book should recognized as excellant primary source material writing about the period. Likewise, I believe it well worth the cost of anyone with an interest in the period.

The finding of primary source material is of great value in the field of history as it can give us a glimpse into the past through actual eyewitnesses. This book gives us a chance to see the American Civil War through the eyes of Robert Sneden of the 40th New York Regiment. His skills as a cartographer produced some remarkable depictions of some of the battlefields, land features and prison scenes that alone are worth studying. As the compilers of this book stated, his memoirs and drawings were quite substantial.

Sneden's observations offer us a glimpse into camp life (though he was spared most of the front line activity), some of the personalities of the war, the unfolding events of battle and perhaps most descriptive of all, life in the numerous prisons he stayed in, including those in Richmond, Salisbury (though briefly), and Andersonville. Once again it is his remarkable sketches and drawings of these places that capture our attention, though of course his written descriptions can be quite vivid and detailed, especially concerning some of the gruesome features of battle and prison life.

Sneden wasn't so much writing a history as he was detailing his day to day activities and observations during his time of service and captivity during the war. But it is these types of accounts that can offer new insights into historic events that we otherwise may never have known about and in Sneden's case especially his drawings. Of course even these types of sources need to be carefully scrutinized for factual errors as well.

Do you ever read book and have trouble putting it down? For Civil War buffs this is it. While RK Snedon rambles on a bit at times, there can be no better insight into the maelstrom that was the Civil War. The drawings are fascinating as is the courage and positive attitude of an individual faced with obscene circumstances.

I always look for first hand information in journals. These are the journals by Priv. Sneden. The pictures that he drew are wonderful and his first person accounts of his journey throughout the Civil War are sad & touching. It is worth it all to read a first person account of his stay at Andersonville Prison in Georgia. Both his books, "Eye of the Storm" (his journal) and "Images of the Storm" (drawings of his journey) are prized books to treasure and will be passed on through generations. What a wonderful gift Priv. Sneden left behind.
My heart aches for this wonderful young man who realized nothing
from his legacy.

Eye of the Storm is a rare opportunity to see a new yet original view of camp and prison life. You will find yourself drawn to Sneden's original illustrations time and time again. The more you study them the more you see. It makes you want to see more and larger versions of his drawings. Brayn and Lankford have done a good job in not tainting Sneden's work while at the same time pointing out some important historical questions. I marked over twenty parts to use in reference and speeches.

I don't know why it took me this long to get on board the FABLES bandwagon. For years now, left and right, everyone's been pimping this series to me. Now, count me converted. I finally read a FABLES trade paperback, and, it turns out, everyone's right. This is some of the best reading currently being produced in comic book-dom, and I got straight-away hooked. FABLES: STORYBOOK LOVE happens to be the third volume, and is so good I just had to say stuff about it.

Some background: Once upon a time, some terrible, terrible thing called the Adversary went on an all-out bloody invasion of the fairy tale kingdoms, causing now suddenly deposed magical creatures, these "fables," to flee to far distances in search of sanctuary. The refugees escaped into our world and were able to make a home of sorts. And, so, today, in a nondescript nook of New York City sits Fabletown. Ah, but if the regular Joes only knew...

And, by the way, those fairy tale creatures who couldn't pass for humans instead while their days away in a concealed place called the Farm, in upstate New York. As you may imagine, being forced to live in seclusion tends to foster unrest. See Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm.

Even though FABLES boasts an ensemble cast, it's not surprising that the most noteworthy characters are Snow White, who is Fabletown's no-nonsense deputy mayor, and Bigby Wolf, Fabletown's reformed and resident sheriff. In fact, at the back end of Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile, Bill Willingham's great prose short story - which focused on the Big Bad Wolf as he was in the olden days and how he first met Snow White - not only put the finishing touch to a wonderful read, but made me start really rooting for something to blossom between these two. Anyway, with that romantic regard in mind, things kind of come to a head in this third volume.

FABLES, Vol. 3: STORYBOOK LOVE reprints issues #11-18 of the series. Things start off with "Bag o' Bones," a fun, homespun-flavored story of Jack Horner set during the Civil War era, including that time he ends up playing cards with the crafty debbil. I haven't yet checked out JACK OF FABLES, the spin-off comic, yet it's pretty evident that Jack Horner is one of those likable rogues. To quote Willingham himself: "Jack is basically all of the Jacks who have ever appeared in fairy tales, folklore, nursery rhymes and old folk ballads." So Jack's been a busy, busy cad.

Next is a two-parter. Issues #12 & 13 tell of an overly-curious journalist who, believing that Fabletown is a hotbed of vampires, plans to publish an expose. But dummy makes the mistake of telling Bigby about it. Bigby and his fable cohorts concoct a pretty clever scheme to foil the guy. A mostly lighthearted caper, with a grim ending.

Then comes the meat of this volume, the four-part "Storybook Love." Goldilocks (the villainess in FABLES Vol. 2: ANIMAL FARM) works in concert with Lord Bluebeard to once and for all get rid of Snow White and Bigby. Their shenanigans involve the ensorcelling of Snow and Bigby and sending them off into the wilds, with the notion of then murdering them. It doesn't work, and this story arc culminates in a discovery which binds Snow and Bigby closer (the particulars of which actually end up royally ticking Snow off). Plus, Lord Bluebeard and that insufferably good-looking wastrel, Prince Charming, dabble in friendly, and then not-so-friendly, fencing.

Finally, in "Barleycorn Brides," Bigby narrates to Flycatcher the origin of Smalltown's traditional rite of passage. It's cute.

I wasn't too sure, going in, whether Bill Willingham would be able to pull this off, but he does, and brilliantly. He gathers all these characters - drawn from all walks of folklore and mythology - and manages to place them into one cohesive continuity. More, Willingham lends character development and a dose of realism to these fantastical elements. I've liked Willingham since back in his days with THE ELEMENTALS, and it's nice to see he hasn't lost his storytelling skills (and lest folks forget, dude can also draw). And, naturally, part of the fun is in placing the lesser known characters (Did you know that Bufkin, the flying blue monkey originates from the Oz books?). Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha's artwork, by the way, perfectly complements Willingham's great writing and whimsy and humor. I dig the way they draw Bigby Wolf. Not to mention, I could waste long moments staring at James Jean's expressive covers.

FABLES is published under DC Comic's Vertigo label and is intended for mature audiences. These issues are laced with profanity and occasional nudity, so you maybe shouldn't hand these out to the young 'uns. But for those older types who relish urban fantasy and reading stories by Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman, FABLES hits the spot. This series is marked by the unexpected, by its intrigues and grotesqueries and topsy-turvies, where the Big Bad Wolf is a hero and Goldilocks is a psychopath, and the Frog Prince is a janitor. And, for these expatriated fables, is there a happily ever after?

Not if Bill Willingham has anything to say about it (and he does).

After the somewhat letdown of a second volume (that's only in comparison to the stellar book one), Fables is back in full force with the best volume yet. It's also the thickest, clocking in at eight issues; that is three more than either of the previous volumes. It has two one-shots, a two issue story arc, and an entire four issue story arc. The one-shots give awesome backstory, and the longer arcs push the story forward in exciting and surprising directions.

The first one-shot gives us a glimpse into earlier days, when the Fables were still new to the New World (our "mundy" dimension). It features Jack as the main character, who fights as a Confederate soldier in the Civil War and deals--literally--with death. The story was quite a captivating read, and one of the best issues yet. I'll skip to the end of this volume, which also features a one-shot. This is a more traditional Fable, and features Bigby telling Flycatcher the tale of a how a certain thumb-sized Fable (not who you're thinking, but she plays a part in it as well) came to become a thief and a hero. That one was a bit of a 'meh' ending after so many awesome things happened in the middle, but without considering its place in this book, it was a solid enough issue.

The two story arcs, however, are the meat and potatoes of this collection. The first has the Fables (minus Snow White, who is still getting over the events of Animal Farm) dealing with a large threat; a journalist who has come to realize what they are... and he plans on outing them to the public. The only thing is, he thinks they're vampires. Funny as this is, it turns into a very dark tale that really brings out the contrast between Bigby and the increasingly villainous Bluebeard, who have very different ideas about how this journalist should be handled. Both of the characters are very fleshed out, and a lot of tension is left unsolved... until the very next story arc. In the four issue story arc, the titular "Storybook Love," the status quo flips. One of the characters graduates from possible threat to major villain, romance blossoms between some cool cats, and Prince Charming (easily one of my favorite characters) surprises everyone with his actions. This is easily the best long form story arc so far.

Not everything is sunshine, though. I have a major issue with how penciller Mark Buckingham suddenly--and drastically--changed the structure of Bigby's face. He once has a very chiseled jaw and well defined features... but now, I suppose to highlight his wolf nature, he looks like he has a very loose mask of melting flesh hanging from his bones. Odd choice. All in all, however, it was a thoroughly entertaining read.

8/10

This third Fables trade paperback collects issues #11-18 of the Bill Willingham series. I'll presume anyone reading this is already familiar with the series and direct those unfamiliar to reviews for the excellent Volume 1 and 2 TPBs. For new fans, the first two pages of Volume 3 feature capsules off the main characters and summaries of the first two story arcs.
The two-part caper "A Sharp Operation", penciled by Lan Medina, shows a tabloid journalist about to expose the secrets of Fabletown. The title story arc, penciled by Bryan Talbot, spans issues #14-17 and focuses on Bluebeard's and Goldilocks' deadly conspiracy against Bigby and Snow. Both of these plotlines feature outstanding development of the characters from the first ten issues.
This TPB is bookended by a pair of lesser one-shots featuring (respectively) Jack in the post Civil War American South and a flashback to the legend of the Lilliputians. The artwork in the former includes some finely detailed scenes but that of the latter tended toward the cartoonish. Overall, the cover price offers good value for an eight issue collection, especially considering Amazon's discount.

This third volume in the excellent FABLES series is even better than the first two. The primary storyline picks up where Animal Farm left off, with Snow White recovering from her normally life-ending wound and Goldilocks on the run. All seems to be peaceful after the episode at the Farm, until a nosey journalist shows up threatening to reveal what he guesses to be the Fables' colony of vampires. From there, the pace of the story remains very intense, with accomplished and attempted murders, coerced and freely-given sex flings, and high drama throughout. There are also two background stories included in this volume: An explicit tale of Jack's exploits during the Civil War, and A more fairy tale-like story of the beginnings of Smalltown.

All of the stories presented here are very entertaining, making this book a hard one to put down. Only one high profile Fable is introduced here. Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty) plays a prominent role in the efforts to silence the misguided reporter, and is sure to have a place in future tales. Prince Charming plays a major role in this one, developing some surprisingly large ambitions that will unfold in upcoming issues. The title of this volume comes primarily from the strange relationship between Bigby and Snow, but could loosely connect with any of the individual stories within. My advice, take this one slowly to make it last. You'll be tempted to read it all in one sitting, but delaying gratification will prolong your experience and heighten your enjoyment. Remember, there are only 13 Fables titles to date, you don't want to rush through them too quickly.

This volume collects issues 11-16 of the monthly comics. The first and last issues each tell self-contained stories tangential to the main Fable world. The central two-thirds of this book moves the general story arc along with the precision of a physics lesson: as the pressures increase within this little community, the situations heat up.

Prince Charming is charming only in name - his womanizing takes a notably non-mythical turn. Goldilocks still dates out of her species (not that I have anything against other species, mind you, but I'm not sure I'd want my sister to marry one). Briar Rose takes a nap. Snow White and Bigby end up on a hot date - neither has memories from it, but one has something else.

The Fable mythos updates many of our childhood fairy tales, in a world of distant warfare and urban exile. If you've followed the story since volume 1 of the collections, you'll know that my plot hints say just about nothing - there's always another twist to the creativity that brings these characters to new life. The artwork doesn't blaze new trails and people looking for BamPow super heroes will find only a little, very little, to cling to. The art team is strong and competent, though, and the scripting creates characters that you really want to like (or to dislike, trust your judgement). Also - I'm not sure this is wholly a good thing - the series grows on you. I'll be back for more, and in proper story order for once in my life.

-- wiredweird