Byrne Books

... that works VERY well. We have Logan doing his best, we have a connection with the that time summer event, we have MARVEL special guests and we have a unexpectdely link with a 70s series whose main characters should be more valued. And we also have BYRNE, of course!

Lies this book is all lies you need god in your heart do not read this book it tricks your mine to believe the wrong thing

Great reading material filled with wisdom and inspiration. I couldn't have read a more appropriate book for this time in my life. I would encourage anyone who is in the process of redefining their life's journey to read The Secret. Through my personal efforts and the written words from The Secret I am living my authentic self.

It's one of the only books that tells of the Great Secret. It's worth every penny, plus a whole lot more!

You can't tell from this book that there IS "a secret". A better alternative to "The Secret" is "The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham" by Esther and Jerry Hicks. Their examples are much more clear and relevant. Also, "The Power of Intention" by Dr. Wayne Dyer is a more practical implementation of the concepts talked about in "The Secret".

Don't waste your money and time on "The Secret" (unless you can borrow it from someone else) when there are so many other more valuable books on

I read many of the reviews last night. I am writing my review to give others food for thought.

I like the book. The repetitive aspect is to bring the point home. This is how we learn things by doing or reading them over and over again. The Secert for the person who asked what it was.

Ask-with gratitude
trust-with gratitude
believe-with gratitude

Be grateful for what you have, turn your attention, thoughts and feelings to what you have and that gratitude, live in that way and ask for what you want in the same way.

I would agree that the ignore overweight people could have been stated better. Her point I think was more to not identify yourself with the overweight people if you want to have you perfect weight.

One the Holocaust comment. She did not blame the Jews for that, nor did she blame the natural disasters on those in them. There are genocides happening at this very moment in other counties. The Jews were not the only ones that suffered in the Holocaust. She said something in their thoughts put them there at that time and that place. A much simpler example. You are buying a house. You have narrowed it down to two houses. One is in a flood zone, and 10,000 dollars cheaper than the one not in the flood zone. The Realtor tells you this area has not flooded in 30 years. So you buy the house in the flood zone and two years from when you buy your house get flooded. Your thought process put you in the house that flooded.

The science remark of no real scientists would believe the law of attraction is the same as the law of gravity.

Not too many years ago real scientists said it was a fact that the Sun revolved around the earth. They said it was a fact that the Earth was flat. It was scientist that did not accept the "fact" that showed us differently. If those how invent things thought like the people who wrote all the negative review nothing would be invented and they would not have been able to read the book much less post a review from their computer.


On a final note. If you purchase a book and you get one thing out of it that benefits you then the book was worth the money to purchase it. At least that is how I feel about books. You don't have to agree with everything the author says either.

I hope that has provided those reading the reviews with food for thought.

I have learned a couple of things from the book to add to my work on progress which is myself. I do not think it was a waste of money.

Let me just start with the basics. If you believe Jesus to be the son of God, this book will not change your mind about His role in the world and in granting you salvation. If you do not accept Jesus as the son of God, this book is not going to change your mind either. What Thomas Cahill offers is a well written, if not particularly deep, take on Jesus, how the Gospels attempt to portray Him and how the world changed due to His presence. In contrast to some members the Jesus Seminar, Cahill takes the Epistles of Paul and the Acts of the Apostles seriously in portraying Jesus. Cahill also offers fairly good overviews of the styles of the various Gospel authors and how they reflect different aspects of Jesus. Having said that, this book only barely touches the surface of its subject and that is what proves frustrating about it. You simply can not cover Jesus, the Gospels, and the world before and after Jesus in 300 pages no matter how well the book flows.

This book is full of quotations from the Bible which is what makes Cahill's theme easy to follow. That is what does it for me, a Christian interested in secular history; putting people, places, cultural norms and language together with verbatim quotations from the Word of God. Cahill knows how to give the average reader flavor in an otherwise dull subject.

Cahill refrains from over intellectualizing on this theme, a grand stroll through history that intersects with a history changing personality. I have been a Christian now 34 years. If I could have read a book like this early in my walk, it would have advanced my understanding of scripture by many years.

Beware of the snobby intellectual detractors of this book. They either are envious of Cahill's success as an author or do not enjoy reading the actual scriptures.

D M Murphy

This book really casts a new eye on an old story. I think everyone will enjoy this book no matter what your background. Most of the book is pretty much a standard commentary on the gospels. The last part of the book is really outstanding. Cahill here as he does in all of his books provides exciting broad based description of the setting of the gospel story. He interrelates his comments, the scripture, and the historical events going on at that time to create an exciting new story. He also describes events in a very exciting way. He tells the story like you are reading it in a novel or the newspaper. That adds luster to the greatest story.

Cahill also interjects little stories about the power of the gospel in shaping modern values we have today. Any believe will draw strength from that. The only problem with the book is we don't see enough of those stories.

Overall everyone will enjoy this book.

Not a theological book, this actually is cataloged as "Biography" in the Catloging-In-Publication data on the title verso. The title comes from Jacob's blessing of Joseph in Genesis 49:26.

So don't read for the theology, read for the language. One of my favorites is that the word translated "inn" in Luke's account of the nativity is actually a word that usually refers to a family homestead. The homestead would have been full--of Joseph's relatives, who as Cahill says, could "count to nine" and gladly consigned Mary and Joseph to the stable as punishment for their supposed sin!

Cahill's writing left me feeling that it is impossible to learn more about the historical character Jesus without holding him more and more in awe.

Thomas Cahill speaks about the beginnings of the Christian religion with so much passion, it's almost poetry. I was warmed and made better by reading this book.

I love the movie, and i love to get inspired by artbook, but this book like other said its 3/4 script, major disappointment, barely any concept, and the art work wasnt all that fantastic.
If you guys love movies artbook, i suggest the superman return artbook and the Xmen2 book, its full of awsome concept, storyboard, etc. Or most of the pixar book except a couple... like the incredible...

i loved the storyboards, the story of the creation of the movie, a must have if you're a fan

This book was only meant to sucker fans out of money. It's nothing more than a shooting script decorated random bat silhouettes around the edges. Not a single interview, not a single Making-Of section in any aspect, not a single photo of The Dark Knight's Two-Face character, no alternate beginnings or endings or deleted scenes, nothing but the same exact script used for the movie. The only redeeming quality, which isn't worth Amazon's price, is the books cover; a beautifully rendered painting of the late Heath Ledger as Joker. I highly suggest saving your money for the REAL "art of" book they will surely release in the future because this certainly is not it.

it's just black and white script printed on expensive paper with about 10 pages of unappealing choices of production art. The begins artbook was at least an artbook. This is not if you want this for art images.

I was drunk when I bought this book, so I feel like I was taken advantage of. But it is a great book, so it's kind of like I woke up next to a hot chick instead of a fat chick. In that case, I really can't complain. Ha:)

I have lots of guidebooks - and lots of Lonely Planets, for that matter. But despite the fact that they say they are for "independent travellers", I keep finding ridiculous reviews on restaurants and hotels, to the point where I've stopped using them.

The History, Snapshot, and similar sections are great, but if you have a brain of your own - use it. Forget their restaurant and hotel recommendations, as I'm not even sure they visit the places. Sometimes they have history or comments on places that is worthwhile to read, though. All tourbooks may have these drawbacks, to be fair.

Finally, I think I'm going to stop buying Lonely Planet's, though. First, they always act like driving is so scary everywhere, when it's actually quite easy to anyone with a brain. They also forget to give worthwhile tips on getting a car, etc. I imagine that this is their way of "saving the Earth". To a person who does care about the Earth, but doesn't believe that being a dirty hippie is going to save anything, this - and all their other BS trying to coerce their opinions onto you as fact - gets really freakin' old. Yes, yes, I know, LP is founded by some hippie freak from AUS or something - whooptie doo. That doesn't mean I have to pay some jerk who's going to push his politics on me, whether I agree with them or not.

This was a gift and hoping it would arrive in time but no problems there.

I started to use Lonely Planet 15 years ago. I can say that I am a witness of how much quality deteriorite it has been. I used to just buy it by default. It was a Bible for me. But, a BIG but, this Lonely Planet Australia set a new lowest standard for the series.

First of all, it had so old information. The hostels listed in the book in Sydeny probably were closed more than 5 years ago. One hostel in bondi beach that I wanted to go that was listed in the book. When I showed up in the hotel address, there was a internet café and pub. No hostel at all.

Second. The most unbelieveable of all, the book I have, which is 2004 version, has no mention at all about the Olympic Village in Sydeny. Oh my God! Sydney Olympic was in 2000. Can you believe that after 4 years, they still didn't update it? I was reading it again and again, before I throw this book away to trash can, I still didn't belive that they can omit all the information about Olympic, like the village, the boat to go there, like the stadium... they pretend that there is no such a thing!

I know that Lonely Plante started many years ago in Australia, by some Australian backpackers. So it is a REAL shame that Lonely Planet Australia is so bad. If there is negative score, I will give that. As one star is minimum, I have to give that. But my true belief is that this book deserves negative 5 stars!!!

On my recent trip to Australia, I only visited the typical big American tourist spots: Sydney, Melbourne and Cairns (Great Barrier Reef). This book had great information about where to stay, what to do, and great places to eat.

LP Australia provides lots of background and history for each city as well as information about what's been going on. It's almost like having your own personal tour guide. (Of course, when I was there this last December, they were having race riots at the beaches - so I avoided those.)

The only draw back is I think that the maps could have been a bit more clear as sometimes it was difficult to see where a hotel, site or food establishment was.

All on all, a great book. It came in very handy on my two week trip.

I started to use Lonely Planet 15 years ago. I can say that I am a witness of how much quality deteriorite it has been. I used to just buy it by default. It was a Bible for me. But, a BIG but, this Lonely Planet Australia set a new lowest standard for the series.

First of all, it had so old information. The hostels listed in the book in Sydeny probably were closed more than 5 years ago. One hostel in bondi beach that I wanted to go that was listed in the book. When I showed up in the hotel address, there was a internet café and pub. No hostel at all.

Second. The most unbelieveable of all, the book I have, which is 2004 version, has no mention at all about the Olympic Village in Sydeny. Oh my God! Sydney Olympic was in 2000. Can you believe that after 4 years, they still didn't update it? I was reading it again and again, before I throw this book away to trash can, I still didn't belive that they can omit all the information about Olympic, like the village, the boat to go there, like the stadium... they pretend that there is no such a thing!

I know that Lonely Plante started many years ago in Australia, by some Australian backpackers. So it is a REAL shame that Lonely Planet Australia is so bad. If there is negative score, I will give that. As one star is minimum, I have to give that. But my true belief is that this book deserves negative 5 stars!!!

This is one of the most innovative & noteworthy projects by Byrne since his various '80s works.

I *really* like this, even though the art style is a bit more sketchy than I'd like. He tracks the families of both Superman & Batman in real time, from their earliest years to old age. Byrne did several DC Elseworlds titles in the mid-'90s & early 2000s. Here's a brief breakdown of some of those projects:

1. Generations. I love seeing the way Superman & Batman develop over the years, from 1939 on, especially in the way their costumes are drawn. We get to see the various outfits each character wore, in each of the different decades. Batman's costumes in particular are really great to see. I like the earliest bat-like look, as well as the futuristic armor later on. Superman's look doesn't change as dramatically.

2. Batman & Captain America. Done around 1996, this very slim paperback is what inspired Byrne to do Generations. I consider it to be about average in quality.

3. Generations 2. In my opinion, average in quality. Tries to cover slightly different decades & characters than in Generations 1. I really felt like the concept was a bit less fresh at this point. I highly recommend Generations 1 over this.

4. Superman: True Brit. I like this. It's a whimsical, cartoony take on Superman being raised British. I like the art, but the humor hits us over the head with all things British; it's a bit over-the-top to say the least. It's getting pretty mixed reviews.

There was also a Generations 3 released in individual comics, but it hasn't been made into a paperback as I write this. Really, the feeling of innovation for me is captured in Generations 1. So it's the first Generations I recommend getting, even though I prefer Byrne's '80s Man of Steel editions to his Elseworlds works overall.

This comic has got to be one of the best I've ever read! John Byrne is a genius! The storytelling is excellent and the very concept of the different eras and drawing the characters accordingly was a Brilliant idea. Anyone who likes the new Superman Batman crossover series should definitely add this piece to their collection!

A fun romp through the generations : a look at some what ifs, if the Kent and Wayne families were more closely linked.

The Bat-Mite Mxyzptlk team up is a classic. A lot of fun. Very nice work by Byrne here. This is very much in the vein of the Impossible Man stories, at Marvel, or Fantastic Four type work that Byrne put together on that run.

Superman & Batman: Generations, An Imaginary Tale is a good idea for a story: "What if Superman and Batman aged in real time as the decades pass. What would there lives be like?"

I thought the story was decent but the artwork reminded me of Sunday newspaper comic strips. The writing was very campy. Example: Batman calling Robin "Old Chum"?? I thought I was watching the '60's TV series.

Another flaw in the story: You are constantly teased by repeated appearances of Bruce Wayne's wife whose face remains hidden. You never get to know who she is in the story.

If you're a die hard fan of Supes and Bats, you'll like this story. I'm used to reading and enjoying the "Superman/Batman" series (top notch artwork and great writing) so this book was a let down for me.

I love John Byrne's take on the possible progression of the Batman/Superman legacy. It was interesting to see the different time periods and the children of the 2 icons. I found it amusing that we never see the face of Batman's spouse, which leaves us to speculate which woman finally got Bruce to settle down.

A good, fun read.

This was a great read, but it spent too much time trying to discount Rhonda Byrne's "The Secret" movie and book, and less time telling the reader why its really God behind the Law of Attraction.
The author of this book was left out of the movie by the creators of it, and seems to have a personal grudge, even though he repeats that he does not.
If you are a believer in God, you will totally "get" this book, as I did, and you might even enjoy it.

How open is your mind? There is More to the Secret puts that to the test. This book is compelling, religious-based and appealing to all audiences who know of the Law of Attraction. It's an examination of Rhonda Byrne's best-selling book, The Secret. This book takes it a step further in incorporating God into the spectrum and piecing the rest of the puzzle. Gungor expresses that There is More to the Secret. Gungor uses examples of Scripture which work hand in hand in digging deeper into the power of the mind. This book is enlightening and intriguing.

Gungor supports "The Secret" but stresses that there is much more discoveries to be made. Gungor discusses the kingdom of God. Science and faith can work together in harmony and both need to be open to new ideas, developments and discoveries. Gungor expresses the need to embrace and allow more access to what God has created for us. Our influences influence how we interpret things such as with the Bible, our world and our faith. Gungor explains that we must be open because there are missing truths everywhere.

(written by Melissa L. Maldonado)

Final Note: Online and Telephone counseling has been shown to be a good way to help many struggling people. Learn how to provide online and telephone counseling with this excellent training guide:The Therapist's Clinical Guide to Online Counseling and Telephone Counseling: The Definitive Training Guide for Clinical Practice

Decided to read this one after the "Secret". In "There Is More To The Secret" looking for balance about half way had enough closed this book and will not pick it up again. Found my answers in the DVD "Secret".

My first reaction to 'The Secret' was mostly positive - the message was a flashier rehash of the philosophy espoused by so many well know self help gurus - Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, M. Scott Peck to name a few. Howwever, after discussing the film's premises with others, comparing it to 'Down The Rabbit Hole', as well as re-viewing the film, I realized that the film and the book needed further tempering. This audio book should be mandatory for anyone viewing the film or reading the book most especially for younger generations who haven't been exposed to the wisdom gained from life & education.

The difference betwween 'The Secret' and the other authors mentioned earlier, has to do with the crass commercialism and greed seemingly espoused by the anthologist - which is a more accurate title for Byrnes. I was horrified by the scene with the child dreaming of & getting a bicycle. I was also offended by Rhonda's assertion that if you don't want to be obese, don't look at someone who is.

This book, 'There is More to The Secret' should be read by anyone who has seen the movie. It is not a religious tome, but rather an explanation of ancient wisdom that was espoused by many traditions down through the millenia - pagan, Christian & Judaic.

You'll see it when you believe it (also a book title) is a reality. However, what you want also has be healthy for one's soul. That's another reality not seen in the movie. Remember the adage 'Be careful what you wish for, you might get it.' Simply put, the grass always looks greener when you lawn is properly taken care of.

Health, wealth, happiness, love, perfect self-expression and abundance. This is my motto in life. Because God wants us to be healthy and wealthy and loving and live life to the fullest. The Byrne-Law-of-Attraction makes that point, but also postulates among other things that we are the master of our destiny which is far beside the truth.
Byrne should have added one or two persons introducing a Christian perspective to her book. This would have added true value. Neale Walsh does not do enough in this department.
I have read both books in depth. Today I read parts of the Byrne book almost daily and the Gungor reflections once a week as background guidance for a Christian life.
The Byrne text flows, stimulates the mind, gives the feeling that the sky is the limit, which, of course, it is not. The Gungor text is "fire and brimstone", while rightfully pointing out that all we do and plan to do is subject to the Will of God. But reading Gungor does not really let my thoughts fly.
My advice is: work with the Byrne text and keep in mind at all times the quote in James 4.13 (listed in the Gungor text). "..if God is willing we will live and do this or that". Lead a full life but keep in mind that God is the ultimate arbiter.
God has given us life to live our life to the fullest under our own free will, but subject at all times to His will. This is what I believe.
He has organized life for us according to His laws. And the Law-of-Attraction, which is in truth a derivative of the law of cause and effect is part of His law, and to be used by us to the fullest, yet lived by us in His universe and in accordance with His will.
I realize, however, that the Byrne book was written for readers across all denominations. Which proves another law of the Universe, i.e. that you cannot be all things to all people.

I enjoyed this book very much. It had many twists and turns whcih kept you engaged. I would highly recommend this book if you enjoy reading about intrigue and deception.

I bought a copy of this book at a local bookstore in Germany and the cover is different from the one in the USA. What called my attention about this book was the phrase "an unholy Trinity" and the book blurb in the back cover. This is one of those purchases I didn't regret.

The chapters are small but packed-full of details and action. The book moves back and forward from The Temple Knights giving the background story to the book, to Jerusalem's present time, and Vatican City.

After reading it, I decided to write a formal review. Below is my professional review of this book.

THE SACRED BONES BY MICHAEL BYRNES

On his debut novel, The Sacred Bones, author Michael Byrnes brings us a fascinating mix of myths, legends, and themes of today in a controversial story full of intrigue, conspiracy, murder, modern technology and religion- the perfect combination for a breath taking story.

The book starts with the story of the Knights of the Temple and their duties regarding the Church and its secrets. The story then moves forward and the suspense starts in Jerusalem's present time. A relic is stolen from beneath The Temple Mount leaving behind death, destruction, and confusion. Both Muslims and Jews are blaming each other for this incident and both start their own investigation. The Israelites authorities bring in antiques expert, Graham Barton, to help with the identification of the stolen relic and its commercial value, whereas the Palestinians bring in political mediador, Razak bin Ahmed bin al-Tahini, to conduct the investigation and to reduce tension among the radical Islamic groups ready to take action for the desecration of their El-Aqsa Mosque.

Meanwhile, in Vatican city, American geneticist Charlotte Hennesey, Italian anthropologist Giovanni Bersie, and Father Patrick Donovan work together to analyze and identify the human remains inside an ancient Jewish burial box - an ossuary.

This book is a roller coaster of emotions as all these characters find themselves inside a spider web of conspiracy, murder, potential war, cover up of evidence, and zealous actions to protect an ancient secret. Will the truth set them free? Or will the truth cause their death?

I highly recommend this book to readers looking for a fiction book tastefully written, while merging difficult topics with the eloquence of an experienced storyteller. I can see this book finding its way to the big screen and becoming a major motion picture.

Bravo Mr. Byrnes!

Congratulations to Michael Byrne on a great first novel. I look forward to reading the sequel to this book. It was good to read about a smart woman who used her brains not her looks, a Muslim with a heart and a conscience, and a Vatican official who wasn't satisfied with the status quo.

This was a very enjoyable read. The plot was great and the characters were well developed. The ending was worthy of any blockbuster thriller.
Highly recommend!

This novel started out very well but at the end, it was predictable and not that interesting. The story takes place partly in Jerusalem and partly in Rome. An ossurary is stolen and it is believed to contain the bones of Christ. The Vatican was responsible for the theft, it used a mercenary to steal the ossurary. From there, the story progresses back and forth from Rome to Jerusalem as there is an attempt to identify the bones and get them back to Jerusalem. The main characters were a little weak and not fully developed. However, I found from a historical perspective, it was pretty interesting, from the use genetic engineering to date and identify the age, condition of bones to the whole issue of the struggle between Muslims, Jews and Christians.

Ghost Rider battles Satan, the ultimate adversary, who unfortunately comes across as a stereotypical, almost comically inept supervillian. A necessary look at the character's origins, but it only got better from here.

Demonic biker boys, and cheesy super bad guys. As much fun as I remembered, with some early looks at quite a few of Marvel's supernatural type characters. You meet Daimon Hellstromm, the Son of Satan, the Witch, and others. Flaming skull head guys are cool, comics artists have worked this out as now there are several of them.

I purchased this item to relive some of my younger years after I saw they made a Ghost Rider movie. I remeber reading the comics that my older brother had bought when he was young and while I love the comic, the "Essentals" presentation is horrible!
It's BLACK and WHITE! Now I have nothing against gray scale comics I own and enjoy several, but Ghost Rider was orignaly in COLOR! Transfering it to black and white make a lot of the artwork look just plain bad and you lose the original intestiy of the comic, is Ghost Rider's head on fire or is it emenating a gas? The paper they choose to print this on is also of poor quality, I've seen flyers stuck under my windshield wiper of better quality.
If you haven't read any Ghost Rider and you want to find out the orignal storyline by all means pick it up it's only $12 and it does have all the comics including the spotlights where Ghost Rider orignaly appeared. I hope in the future Marvel will release Ghost Rider in it's original color and maybe on paper that is not better suited for the restroom than a book.

Ghost Rider was one of many Marvel characters created in the 70's that has been much maligned in terms of his origin, status, and overall how he's been written. Essential Ghost Rider suffers from the same problems that are apparent in many of Marvel's Essential books: this contains early visions of the character, but the stories themselves are not entirely essential. Essential Ghost Rider begins with motorcycle stunt performer Johnny Blaze making a deal with the demon Mephisto to save the life of his stepfather Crash, and in return, Blaze offers up his soul. However, as these things tend to go, the deal turns sour, and Blaze ends up being bonded to the demon Zarathos; transforming him into the flaming skull-headed spirit of vengeance known as Ghost Rider. All this is told in the opening Marvel Spotlight issues, which are the best to be found in this collection and feature the excellent art by Mike Ploog, who helped give Ghost Rider his awesome, trademark look. However, after we get to Ghost Rider's own issues, the book becomes wildly inconsistent and convoluted as a revolving door of writers (including Mike Friedrich, Marv Wolfman, Doug Moench, Gerry Conway, and Jim Shooter among others) all attempt to do their own thing, while trying to insert cameos and guest spots from top tier Marvel characters like Spider-Man, the Hulk, and Daredevil. Not to mention that the book has a mix of heroic and horror moments as well that only works occasionally. That being said, Essential Ghost Rider is worth checking out for fans who want to see just where the character got his start, but don't expect anything prolific, or "essential" for that matter.

All of the Marvel "Essential" books/TPBs collect 'old' (60's,70's) comics. Each collection reprints a lot of comics into one volume for a reasonable price; however, they are all in black and white, on cheap newsprint, and bound poorly.

If you are into the older comics these collections might be for you; but personally I was very disappointed.

This was not my favorite of Rob Byrnes. I felt there was no character to just grab you. I bought this book after reading THE NIGHT WE MET which is a much better work of fiction.

I recommend this for only a light read. I could have taken it or left it.

I honestly don't know why I continue reading these types of stories, but I realize that by doing so, I'm partly to blame for the fact that they keep getting written and published.

The good parts of this book: the author has a relateable writing style, doesn't try too hard to justify the bad behavior of his characters and he ties all of the different subplots together neatly by the end of the book.

The bad parts: none of the characters, save for Angel, the waiter, have any redeeming qualities which would inspire the reader to root for them. Sadly, that's less a reflection of the writer's lack of creativity than it is of the modern/urban single gay man. The main character is lazy, allergic to the truth, a user, a doormat and a totally passive-aggressive codependent. The supporting characters share most of the same qualities in addition to snotty elitists, haters of the 'unfabulous' in absolutely everything, and, in many cases, blatant racists.

In a world where a picture like "CRASH" can win the Best Picture Oscar for its completely stereotypical portrayals of racism in the new millenium, I suppose it's not surprising that a book like this would be written/published/enjoyed. While the main and a few of the supporting characters eventually wake up from the completely worthless comas that are their lives, it feels overindulgent to celebrate them for doing so, because in the end, the only thing they accomplished was achieving a basic sense of humanity that should be the standard expectation of all, not the glorified exception.

I had to read this book for a gay men's reading group I belong to and was very disappointed.

The book is poorly written, shallow, the characters have no redeeming qualities, and it reflects the typical and superficial "low" values of idiodic gay men trapped in self-created stereotypes. This was an annoying experience for me: to see the one thing that disgusts me most about gay men in the US "fictionalized" (a "Queer as Folk" nightmare).

The story and it's characters are truly "American": gay men don't act like this in Germany and this type of book/behavior is exactly why Europeans hate us so much. (I'm an American living abroad). The book is an embarrassment.

I do not recommend purchasing this book.

David, 31

I don't know which is more disheartening, that gay authors keep turning out such inconsequential fluff or that people seem to like it. But even fluff should have a sympathetic protagonist and a believable plot, and this book fails on both counts. At 39, failed actor Brett Revere has the maturity and insight of a 19-year-old; he's the void at the center of this black hole. Turning down a role that doesn't meet his lofty standards, he will do anything -- which ultimately means lying, cheating, and stealing -- to get ahead, anything except get a job (he disdains the working class.) He inexplicably falls in love at first sight with a man who engages in the above vices on an even grander scale and treats him like a doormat to boot. If Brett were a naive young new-comer to the big mean city, this might have worked, but at his age (too old to be any kind of "boy") he's already been failing in New York for quite a few years and doesn't have the charm or wit to succeed in his ill-conceived scheme or to merit the attentions of a cute younger guy. His attempt to pass himself off as a "trust fund boy" (the phrase quickly becomes tiresome) is not convincing and the"elite" of New York society, at least as described here, would see through him in a minute, if they cared at all about another social climber.
The book is competently enough written, if laced with stereotypes and political correctness (rich white men, bad, people who date racial minorities, good). If only the editor mentioned in the acknowledgments had taught the author when to use "I" and when to use "me;" that he didn't or couldn't is also disheartening.

TRUST FUND BOYS has a great premise, and the telling of the story is entertaining. The problem with the book, however, in my opinion, is that our hero, Brett Revere is too enthralled with Jamie to see reality. How many times can one be "burnt" by a supposed "love interest" before one recognizes that the love interest is an opportunist and user? How many times can one be "passionately attracted" to a really nice guy before one recognizes that one must at times be influenced by the heart and not merely the calculatons of one's brain? While the story allegedly sheds light on the workings of Gay Gentlemen's Clubs, the story becomes tiresome and redundant. If you have nothing else available to read, pick-up this book. If you have not read it yet, but plan to, put it at the bottom of your reading list.