Bryan Books

As an Aston Villa fan the name Paul Mcgrath is legendary, and so is the book, this is truly a great book about a great football player, if you havent already read this, i suggest you do, because this is one of the best football biographies ever written.

this is more than a football biography - the story is moving and deserves to be made into a movie - directors take note

This is a translation of the incredibly obfuscated ISAF rules into human readable form. Actually it tops that since it provides many examples and diagrams to illustrate the proper application of the rules in real racing situations. You might be a little bit surprised to find that at least 50% of the rules are of little or no application in the real world of racing. But you'll be happy this book didn't spend much time on the wierd esoterica. It's not a book on tactics but as tactical issues arise, due to the rules, the book expounds upon them. Bring this with you to your protest hearings, you won't regret it. If you should have to cite a rule precisely, the ISAF rules are included in the latter half of the book.

This might have been titled: An idiot's guide to the racing rules. It assumes little or know prior knowledge of the racing rules. It is organized by situations you will encounter in a race, applying the rules to various common situations at the start, upwind leg, rounding the windward mark, etc. All explainations are illustrated with cartoon-like diagrams that clearly illustrate the application of the rule. There are citations to the relevant rules for every situation, and the rules in full are at the end of the book. I'm just getting into racing, and found it to be very helpful in explaining a complicated subject. I'll refer to it again and again. Highly recommended.

This book is a good compilation of children's poetry about self, environment, family, and imagination. As a teacher, I found it to be a good resource to get my students thinking creatively/"outside the box" when delving into the poetic realm.

My kids (Age:7&10) and I all enjoyed this book very muchsince we received in the mail from Amazon. Every night, we take turnreading to each other -- usually I go first and then the kids. Thekids enjoy all the funny ones and the wonderful drawings that Ashley had created. This is a really great book. My daughter even recognized a few of these poems as her teacher had shared with her class early this year.

This was an interesting period of time; authors were still giving us the tried and true spy vs. spy and the USSR was on its last legs. This is one of those books, but it is very good. The author peppers the book with plot twists that keep the reader on his toes. You cannot take his work for granted; so much is going on that if you get a little complacent you miss things. The characters are also kind of cagey; they tend to surprise you at times. Overall, this is one of the better books from the end of the cold war.

The detail and brilliance Comrade Forbes goes into when writing his book is astounding. The twists have twists, shaded with the grim glow of realism.

A good workhorse of a book which takes you through the steps of creating a strategic plan for your organization. A little sketchy in some areas but does provide great worksheets to action all the stages. I particularly liked the emphasis on trying to be realistic in your approach and in the resources needed.

When our organization decided to engage in the strategic planning process, I reviewed a myriad of resources, and I believe that this workbook is the best. Not only does it explain the planning process well, but it offers a variety of paths through which to pursue planning, making it useful for any organization at any stage of growth. Plus, the worksheets are a great addition. Overall, the workbook has helped our planning process tremendously.

yeah unicron rocks love this story you even get a cool origin of how unicron and primus became mortal enemies and how he sets out to destroy all of primus' children which happens to be the transformers.

rodimus prime rocks, good story, kind of sad to see infreno die but in the tf universe characters die all the time but are somehow revived for furure plots death's head was brilliant.

Simon Furman had been writing Movie spin-off storylines in the UK Transformers comic for a while before The Legacy of Unicron. It allowed him to tell new stories without clashing with the US stories, which featured pre-Movie characters.
That said, The Legacy of Unicron was the first true sequel to the Movie, as we find out what happened to Unicron's head after the Movie's climax, as well as how the uplifitng ending of the Movie actually panned out (let's just say that Furman went the cynical route=D).
The 2006-era Transformers are forced to face Unicron once more, this time with the help of popular bounty hunter Death's Head (who exits the Transformers continuity in this issue) and trash-talking Junkion Wreck-Gar. This plot also paves the way for the Time Wars (to be reprinted in July).
There's not much to the story, in all honesty, but it is exceptionally well-written, and the art is simply lovely.
There's also the tantalising prospect of the origin of the Transformers, which stands as canon because the US writers couldn't be bothered to do one before Furman did! =D
All in all, a great addition to Titan's Transformers library.

Triopia And The Burden Of Excess by Bryan Richards is a coming-of-age novel (based largely on the author's own real life experiences) about spiritual conflict, personal doubt, and human transcendence. A dedicated missionary for the Mormon Church comes to a crossroads in his life while studying Judaism and Islam, and must weigh the values of group orthodoxy and individuality hand in hand. A compelling, serious, superbly crafted parable, Triopia is very highly recommended reading.

Triopia and the Burden of Excess is an entertaining story about a young American's six-month study in the Middle East. As a Mormon facing internal conflicts about his own spirituality, Daniel arrives in Jerusalem with a quest to gain a wider understanding of religion, civilization and humanitarianism.

Daniel contemplates the roots of the three main religions of the region - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - and how each has historically shaped culture and society, and affected individuality and group orthodoxy.

It is during this time that he realizes none of these religions, nor any government has managed to resolve a continuing cycle of conflict: the fight against racism, the fight for unity and the fight for diversity.

Seasoned with a youthful and often amusing narrative, Triopia is also an intelligent philosophical novel that offers perspective on several controversial subjects, especially the clash between individual thought and group orthodoxy.

Triopia and the Burden of Excess is based on the author's personal experience as a student in the Middle East. When Bryan Richards went to Israel in 1988, it was with a pro-Israel mentality, but after witnessing the age-old conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis firsthand, he came home with an understanding of both groups and the inspiration to write this thought-provoking novel.

It was very amazing read this book, give you a good knowledge of the evolution of nuclear power and all kind of fast attack US has. For the people interesting in join the submarine fleet I do recomend this book.

This brief (48 pages) book takes a look at US nuclear submarines and their development. This marks another Jim Christley effort, following up on his earlier book on the US Fleet submarines. This book only covers "The Fast Attacks" (SSNs), so one hopes there will be a follow on focused on the ballistic missile nuclear submarines (SSBNs).

In his latest effort, Christley tackles an attempt to sketch a thumbnail history of the US nuclear sub program. He starts out with "the propulsion problem", which aptly describes the shortcomings of diesel-electric propulsion, and the need for speed and endurance, and a brief lesson in power requirements vs. speed. He describes the brief investigation of hydrogen peroxide propulsion, and then the decision to "go nuclear". He moves through the Nautilus, describing both her incredible capabilities (in dodging hunters and "destroying" carriers during war games) as well as her shortcomings with respect to noise and hydrodynamics. The smaller Skate class gets a section, with brief mention of their arctic exploits. Skipjacks are next, with a new hull design ("cylinder of revolution") giving these boast unparalleled underwater speed. The reasons for the move to the Thresher/Permit class are next detailed. There is an extended section on the noise problem, and the design features of this class to reduce noise radiated into the sea. Christley mentions he was stationed on both Skipjack and Permit class submarines, and despite their greater length, he found the layout and space utilization of the Skipjacks to be superior in his opinion. He also covers the loss of Thresher, some of the reasons for the loss, and SubSafe improvements introduced as a result.

The Sturgeon class gets a mention, surprisingly brief, given their mainstay role in the Cold War. Chrsitley mentions that they had good crew habitability, and were capable of long deployments. He also mentions that since they used the same SW5 powerplant as the Skipjacks and Permits, and as a result they lost another 3 knots of speed from the Permits, which were in turn slower than the Skipjacks. This trend toward speed loss was viewed as a serious issue, and a new class of submarines with a more powerful reactor (S6G) and additional quieting was designed. These were the Los Angeles class submarines. Christley describes the three main sub-designs within the class, as the vertical launch tubes (for Tomahawk cruise missiles) were installed, and under-ice capabilities added.

Chrsitley closes his review of the evolution with the Seawolf and new Virginia classes. The Seawolf class was in response to the Soviet Union's latest attack boats, but just as the Seawolf program was getting underway, the Soviet Union collapsed. Only three of the 29 planned boats were built, with the last (SSN-23) modified for special operations. A less expensive alternative was sought in the Virginia class. Christley makes a point of the dual role that advanced computer capabilities have made for the Virginias. First, the Virginias were built using advanced CAD/CAM procedures to design and fabricate the submarine hardware without extensive paper blueprints. Secondly, the Virginias incorporate extensive computer control in the submarine, reducing the crew size and integrating control functions.

Following the individual class descriptions, there is a very nice section on submarine sensor systems, and the increasing sophistication of the sonar systems on board each class. The advantages of the switch from analog to digital signal processing are described, along with a description of the different sonar array systems used. A bit of the terminology used to designate the individual systems is also highlighted, along with TMA (Target Motion Analysis) and Doppler shifts as ways to determine dispositions of other ships and submarines. There is also a section on fire control and weapon systems, describing how targets are identified and tracked, as well as a nice chart of submarine weapons systems. The book closes with some brief descriptions of Cold War submarine operations, and a section on disposal of old nuclear submarines.

Throughout the book are sets of charts that describe briefly the characteristics of each class of submarine, and give the names of the ships, hull numbers, launch dates, as well as the commission and decommission dates. Color artwork includes a very nice cutaway diagram of a Los Angeles class submarine, a Sturgeon trailing a Russian submarine, and color side views of all the major nuclear US SSN classes. One minor point is that all of the submarines are drawn with the lower hull red, upper hull black scheme, which is not always the case over the years, and never was for the later Virginia class, which are all black. There are also some nice color photos throughout, including a couple of intriguing ones of the Nautilus in drydock (looks like the recent 2004 drydocking at EB), with lime green antifouling paint.

Overall, this book is well worth the money, and serves as a nice introduction to US attack boats. Not as heavy duty as Polmar & Moore's "Cold War Submarines..." (which is referenced), but certainly a good place to start.

The Villikon Chronicles is a must read for any true SciFi fan. Kinnaird has woven a complex war hero saga that not only tells the story of Captain Kort Villikon, but that of an entirely new universe of characters. The saga itself is on par with the likes of Star Wars with a bit of Dune mixed in.

The neo-cinematic artwork of The Villikon Chronicles is in a class of it's own. Reading these books, one definitely gets a sense of watching a movie unfold on the story board like pages. While visually stunning, it does take a little getting used to. At first the layout made following the storyline a bit of a challenge. After just a few pages though, it became much easier to follow. By the middle of the first book it seemed as though I were watching a film rather than reading a graphic novel.

There are enough intricate twists and turns in the plot to ensnare anyone. I truly enjoyed this captivating three part saga and I highly recommend placing it on your must have list. It must be noted that these books, though not rated, may not be suitable for younger children.

The Villikon Chronicles: Ascension of the Expatriates is based on Kinnaird's motion picture screen play The Villikon Chronicles. RueViews eagerly awaits the next chapter and it's silver screen debut!

If you can't find this series in your local comic store, be sure to order your copy online and check out their out their website for tons of character information at www.villikonchronicles.com It's a read worth receiving, and an epic that will last through the ages.

So what exactly is The Villikon Chronicles, you might ask? It's the story of Captain Kort Villikon, a respected soldier and military commander who is framed for the horrendous crime of genocide. His punishment is to be banished to the prison world of Itasca. A world swarming with warmongering clans, pirates, and a vampirical race known as the Porphyrian Hive. Through it all, Villikon learns how to survive in this hostile world and seek a way to escape it so that he may extract vengeance upon those who framed him.

That description barely touches the surface of this story. This is the sort of tale that makes the Ten Commandments look like a child's read. Written and created by Bryan J. Kinnaird, The Villikon Chronicles took a roundabout way to becoming a comic series. Originally, it was written and planned as a movie.

The authors have spent years researching Will Rogers. In this book, they provide insight into the friendship of Will Rogers and Wiley Post. A friendship which ended in their untimely death when their plane crashed in Alaska. The book tells the biography of Rogers and Post. Will Rogers has been writtten about and spoken of often. However, it is hard to find articles about Wiley Post. This was what I was seeking when I read the book, as Wiley and I descended from the same Post family. The book contained articles which I'd never heard before. Very well written and interesting.

IF YOUR INTERESTS TEND TOWARD HISTORICAL FIGURES AND AVIATION, THIS IS AN INTENSELY INTERESTING BOOK. THIS IS NOT ANOTHER REHASH OF THE POST/ROGERS CRASH IN BARROW, BUT RATHER A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF ALL THE PERSONALITIES AND HISTORY BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE CRASH AS WELL AS HOW THEY ALL TIED INTO THE TRAGEDY. THE AUTHOR BUILDS A FASCINATING, FACTUAL RECONSTRUCTION OF THE ACCIDENT AND A CONVINCING CASE AS TO WHY IT HAPPENED---AND IT'S NOT WHAT THE AUTHORITIES OF THE TIME WOULD HAVE YOU BELIEVE.