Carey Books

A enchanting collection of short stories all about the little people of Ireland. One of the interesting things about this book is, that not a single one of the writers was actually born in Ireland. That should not come as a total surprise as there are somewhere about 50 million people worldwide who claim Irish ancestry and there are only 5 million people living in Ireland.
The reason we find the little people only in Ireland is very simple.The faerie were the moderate middle angels in the time of the great war in heaven between Michael and his angels and Satan and his angels.When the matter was settled,and the "bad angels"were sent away,there was some discussion as to where they should be sent.Since they could no longer remain in heaven,they opted for Ireland.It was,after all,the place on earth most like heaven.They had the Emerald Isle all to themselves until the Celts came,a variety of humans for whom they didn't have much affection,so they retreated to the west of the island and their caves and forts and hills and islands in the river and other hangouts.Their situation was made worse when the monks came and replaced the Druids.The latter were poperly afraid of them,but the Catholic clergy vigorously denied their existance and denounced them from the altars.They decided it was not prudent to take on the priests directly, and withdrew farther into the ground and into mystery and magic.
There you have it;and this book is filled with stories of mystery and magic about the;Leprechauns,Pookas,Silkie,Banshees,Faeries,They,The Gentry,The Troop,Bansidhe,Clurichauns,Dullahans,Merrows Fear Gorta,Grogachs,Leanbaitha,The Royal Folk,Fey,Pixies & Nixies,Sheaghshee,ButterSpirits,or as many just call them "They".
They are all here to amaze,entertain, scare and yes,even entertain you.

This was better than I expected, actually. Greeley divides the book into two parts, actual stories involving the fairdinkum mythological types such as leprechauns, sidhe, and other such supernatural beings, and 'literary fantasies' in the latter, where you get space swan pilots and a time stranded Fianna, etc. The first half is where the good stuff is generally, but Tremayne's in the latter is good, although a pretty standard vampire storie, no faerie to be seen.

Emerald Magic : Herself - Diane Duane
Emerald Magic : Speir-Bhan - Tanith Lee
Emerald Magic : Troubles - Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple
Emerald Magic : The Hermit and the Sidhe - Judith Tarr
Emerald Magic : The Merrow - Elizabeth Haydon
Emerald Magic : The Butter Spirit's Tithe [Newford] - Charles de Lint
Emerald Magic : Banshee - Ray Bradbury
Emerald Magic : Peace in Heaven? - Andrew M. Greeley
Emerald Magic : The Lady in Grey - Jane Lindskold
Emerald Magic : A Drop of Something Special in the Blood - Fred Saberhagen
Emerald Magic : For the Blood Is the Life - Peter Tremayne
Emerald Magic : Long the Clouds Are Over Me Tonight - Cecilia Dart-Thornton
Emerald Magic : The Swan Pilot - L. E. Modesitt
Emerald Magic : The Isle of Women - Jacqueline Carey
Emerald Magic : The Cat with No Name - Morgan Llywelyn


Celtic tiger expansion requires Joyceian swansong solution.

4 out of 5


Faerie werefox hero longevity deal.

4 out of 5


Paddy pub brawl plan.

3 out of 5


Pro-magic loner choice.

2.5 out of 5


Spudless, merwoman remains.

3 out of 5


Grey Man relief band.

3.5 out of 5


Noisy dead woman waits for the obnoxious.

4 out of 5


Seraph Shee.

3 out of 5


In the way of us.

2.5 out of 5


I'm a syphilitic sucker for Lucy.

3 out of 5


Showbiz suckers.

4 out of 5


Oisin the legends, really.

3 out of 5


Irish eyes are flying.

3.5 out of 5


Beardless men easier to reel in.

3.5 out of 5


Moggy warning.

3 out of 5

I suggest pausing between stories to clear the mind. All the writers bring their own style, but also that Irish lyrical writing. To really savor each one, you need to avoid rushing straight through.
Not being well-grounded in all the creatures of Irish folklore, some of the scarier stories surprised me. These are not your Lucky Charm leprechauns.
I'd also recommend Norah Roberts'A Little Magic which embraces Irish fantasies with a romantic flair.

What a lovely book! I gave it as a gift to myself, because Father Greeley is one of my guilty pleasures. I have always been a huge fan of the work of Charles De Lint, and the Butter Spirit's tithe was a great read, very fun. Likewise Elizabeth Haydon, whose prose has always reminded me a little bit of William Butler Yeats, infuses her charming take with the poetry only found in Irish blood. Judith Tarr, an author I had not read before, also impressed me favorably.

There is not a truly bad story in here, though I thought the Carey and Yolen tales could have been a bit better told. But all in all, this is a wonderful collection for anyone who enjoys great storytelling, a great variety of interpretation, and magic.

This wonderful book is a collection of some fifteen stories of Irish magic. The authors of the stories are all masters of the writing profession - Tanith Lee, Ray Bradbury, Fred Saberhagen, Morgan Llywelyn, and others. The book is arranged into two groups: The Little People, and Literary Fantastics, but don't imagine that it is quite that clear. The stories all range in setting from the ancient past to the very modern, and each is a masterpiece, ranging from the sad to the heartwarming to the hilarious.

As you might expect with an anthology, I found some of the stories to be better than others. I loved Cecilia Dart-Thornton and Jacqueline Carey's stories of ancient times (I always loved the old Irish heroic stories), and also Fred Saberhagen horror story. Those are my three favorites, but my hat is off to Peter Tremayne's story, which juxtaposes the horrors of yesterday with those of today. (I wish I could tell you about it, but that would be spoiling things!)

Yep, this is a great group of stories. If you like Irish stories, then you absolutely most get this book. And even if it's just that you like good modern stories of the fantastic, you will love this book. I highly recommend it!

This was a well-conceived and voiced book about what happened to the siblings that remained when their brother disappeared, their individual struggles to be seen and heard in the world and in their own home. I recommend it for adults and older teens. Check out my blog on books at allthepage.today.com

Once again, and awesome story by Lisa Carey. She can't write a bad book! This book, like all her others, is fantastic.

This book jumped out at me because of the cover. The first page and the back cover had me hooked. Lisa Carey is a literary gem. I love her characters and the way she draws you in as a reader. I felt for every one of those characters. I have already told several friends about the book and I am confident they will buy and love as much as I do. Thank you God for this book. It is one of those you can't put down.

The Furey family (interesting name, there's a lot of it repressed) hasn't been the same since the oldest child, Hugh, disappeared. It's never really specified what happened to him, but that is less important than the effect it had on his parents, sister and brother. This is one of the darkest books I've read this year, but the author sure got me to care what happened to the characters. Owen is bullied by a former older friend, who likes sexual abuse and playing with a loaded gun. He fakes an illness for months to avoid going to school. Lena gets involved with a drug dealer and starts cross-dressing, passing as a boy to the extent of becoming physically involved with girls. In the search for her missing brother, she ends up in a nonstop party scene that is reminiscent of Bret Easton Ellis's Less than Zero. As the children slip into life-threatening nightmare, the parents pay them little or no attention, focusing on their own grief. The mother, Elizabeth, doesn't get out of bed for months and drives her own mother out of the house. The father, Henry, is fired from his job, and not for sympathetic reasons. These two seemed like the most self-centered irresponsible people ever. After one child attempts suicide, they get angry with her! They always seem to focus on the child in obvious trouble and ignore the others. Fortunately, Owen at least does have some positive adult interaction in his life, from unexpected people.

Angels are a big theme in this book, which I really liked. The title has to do with angels, and is a great thought. Henry is supposedly writing a book about angels, though for a long time it seems he's hardly qualified. When Owen's religion teacher in Catholic school tells him something about people and angels, Henry interprets it as saying Hugh is dead, and yanks his kids out of Catholic school and has the whole family leave the Church.
Before that, he had the kids receive First Communion, Confirmation, and all the rest of it. The children get no explanation for anything. Owen becomes obsessed with angels on his own, and his teacher, who comes to his rescue at one point, is named Mr. Gabriel.

There is so much to this book, and I don't want to give away too much. I recommend it highly, and I'd read more of Ms. Carey's work.

EVERY VISIBLE THING has much to offer but it involves the reader in the main characters' lives to the point of discomfort. There is much symbolism in the novel including the names of the protagonists. The family surname if Furey and their three very troubled children are Hugh (who has been missing for years after a disastrous encounter with a very horrid girlfriend) Lena who seems to be clinically depressed and whose parents seem oblivious to her problems and Owen who is also largely ignored by his parents and is mercilessly bullied by some almost unbelievably precocious fifth graders. There is also a lot of angel symbolism which doesn't seem to be quite as well realized as the author hoped. The setting of the story is suburban Boston in the 80's and Ms. Carey provides enough detail about the decade to bring it back to life. In fact for such a slim novel Ms. Carey provides the reader with an amazing amount of information regarding all her major characters' lives.

This book gives an excellent overview of the trees found in the eastern part of North Amercia. Only way it could be better would be if some of the illustrations were in colour. Great value for money.

This is an excellent and comprehensive book with detailed descriptions of trees by their leaves, flowers, fruits, buds,and bark. The trees are described in their summer and winter aspects. It is a fine reference book not a book to be used in the field to identify trees. You should have an idea which general family of tree you are looking at to narrow the search down as the trees are arranged according to family. At the beginning of each tree description is a section listing those characteristics that are most helpful in identifying the tree. There is also a section at the end comparing the tree to those with which it is most likely to be confused. A glossary of terms is given at the back of the book and dichotomous keys to the families are given at the front. At the beginning of each family more detailed dichotomous keys are given to help the reader distinguish one member of the family from another. Leaf shapes and edges as well as types of fruits, flowers, and buds are illustrated to help the reader understand terminology used in the descriptions
Although trees of Eastern North America is the subject of the book, it is not devoted only to native trees of the area.

The instructor I took field biology with in college highly recommended this book. He thought it was by far the best guide for identifying trees. Now, years later and having used (or attempted to use) many different field guides, I know why he was so crazy about this book. Winter or summer, if you are looking at the bark, leaf, or bud, the very clear and detailed pictures and unambiguous text will allow you to identify any tree with certainty.

Very nice book! The edition I own is the 1983 printing, so I am unfamiliar with recent changes. Book has good drawings of leaves (often several), fruits, twigs, buds and leaf scars. Excellent info on summer and winter identification included in text and step-by-step outlines. The step-by-step outline starts at the front of the book and helps you identify the family in which the tree in question belongs. Then turn to the section on that tree family for help isolating which species you have on your hands. There are good text descriptions throughout to aid identification as well as information on history, growth, and commercial uses of the trees. Not a field guide for the size and weight conscious though. Keep it in your living room or SUV.

I bought my 1983 edition when I was active as a park district volunteer. What sold me on this book was that it went beyond the tree's identification, and told you more about the tree itself. For example, looking up the Sycamore it says "The Sycamore is also known as the Buttonwood, Buttonball-tree, and the American Plane Tree. It is one of the most massive of all our native trees, perhaps exceeding all others in the diameter of its trunk... The wood is heavy, hard, tough and coarse-grained; being difficult to work or split. It is used for furniture - both solid and veneer, interior finish, siding, musical instruments, boxes and crates. Practically all butcher's blocks are made from the Sycamore..." and so on.

I love Gaiman, and I greatly enjoyed the Neverwhere novel and thought the TV series was pretty good, too, so naturally I wanted to read the graphic novel as well. I didn't expect it to be so very different from the show, even though it's based on the same book. The characters were very well drawn, and the plot was every bit as brilliant as in the novel. Some of the characters were changed greatly, to my disappointment, but overall it was very faithful to the book and a great read.

A most unique and magical book of fantasy and amazement has now been transformed into a beautifully illustrated and fantastically written graphic novel. Mike Carey, author of the successful Lucifer comic books series (from the Lucifer character in Neil Gaiman's Sandman), brings his own slant and viewpoint with his graphic novel adaptation of Neverwhere. Together with Glenn Fabry, who also illustrated the comic book series The Authority, Carey has managed to not only skillfully adapt the book in a the graphic novel version, but also make the scenes run from one to the next and get the whole story told in under two hundred pages of graphic work, as opposed to the under four hundred page book. Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere serves as an excellent introduction for those who haven't read the book but are interested, and it makes the perfect segue, after completing the graphic novel, to just go straight to the book. Being one of my favorite books ever written, I'm glad to say that this adaptation lives up to my hopes.

For more book reviews, and other writings, go to www.alexctelander.com

I think the vision of Neil Gaiman has finally been realized in this wonderful adaptation. The BBC miniseries came close but remained rather
underwhelming. Thankfully, Glenn Fabry's illustrations ring true to the original spirit of the book and Mike Carey does a fantastic job at the unenviable task of re - telling Neil's beloved story. Highly recommended.

Since Neil Gaiman was basically one of the architects behind DC's mature themed Vertigo line, it shouldn't be a surprise that one of his novels would be adapted into comic form. Hellblazer and Lucifer writer Mike Carey is charged with adapting Gaiman's Neverwhere novel into comic form, with Glenn Fabry providing the art. The first thing you'll notice is how successfully Carey is in transfering Gaiman's work to the comic page; managing to retain the theme and atmosphere that Gaiman created in his novel. There is a bit of sacrificing some story elements to manage to fit everything into this TPB, but Carey still manages to hit the ball out of the park in this department. As far as Fabry's art goes, you'll either dig it or you won't, and his renditions of the Neverwhere characters are hit and miss. That aside, this adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere should satisfy fans of his novel, and for those who have never read the book and only know Gaiman through his celebrated comic creations should give a look to the original novel and this more than solid comic adaptation both.

As any avid book-lover will tell you, concrete images of the characters invariably form in the reader's imagination as a story unfolds. Defined by the author only by adjectives and actions in stark black-and-white, their appearances will still become solid reality that, in some cases, cannot be jarred.

My wife is pretty unshakeable on the subject. Once she gets a picture in her head, she doesn't want any casting director or comic-book illustrator to muck about with her imagined view. So she approached the new comic-book adaptation of "Neverwhere" -- her fourth favorite Neil Gaiman novel, she told me, but the one she's read most often -- with extreme reluctance. She put it down a few pages in, disheartened by unavoidable differences in perspective.

I know how she feels, but I'm a little more fluid in my view. For me, Simon Jones and David Dixon made the perfect Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect in BBC's 1981 adaptation of Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," and yet I was still able to enjoy the very different look in the 2005 Hollywood version starring Martin Freeman and Mos Def in the roles. Similarly, Gary Bakewell and Laura Fraser, while they didn't match my preconceived view of "Neverwhere" characters Richard Mayhew and Door, were perfectly acceptable in the roles in that BBC miniseries. And I'm equally comfortable with artist Glenn Fabry's interpretation in the new comic-book collection.

Call me wishy-washy if you must, but I'm adaptable. Take the thuggish Croup and Vandemar, the truly evil pair that dogs Door's heels for much of the story. The BBC series and Fabry's artistic rendering couldn't be more dissimilar, and yet they're both right, in the greater context of the story. Both versions seem to suit Gaiman's vision, if not my own.

And for me, that's what matters. I don't care if they match my view of the characters, but I do care how well the story is told. And this story, adapted from Gaiman's original novel by Mike Carey and illustrated by Fabry, is told well.

Hell, it's great. Carey successfully boiled the novel down to its most necessary elements, retaining the flavor and flow of the story with far fewer pages to work with. A lot has been lost, sure, but he's retained the essence of Gaiman's narrative -- and the novel is still out there for anyone who wants to read the full work.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.(n e t) editor

This series by Patricia Finney features Robert Carey, the youngest son of Lord Hundson who in turn is the bastard son of Henry VII and Mary Boleyn, Ann's sister. Carey has landed a position as the Queen's representative at one of the border forts between England and Scotland, at a particularly crucial time, when Elizabeth's heir, James, is king of Scotland, and his succession to the English throne will unify the two countries. Carey's main motive in accepting the position was to get away from creditors in England. And in the first of the series, Carey, began to establish himself as a kind of monarch in his own right in that most politically crucial of geographies. Now less than a year and three books' worth of adventures later, Carey must return home to London at the summons of his father, who is now the Queen's Lord Chamberlain. Carey has to deal with creditors who are stalking him, his father's girlfriend (and once his,) Mistress Bassano, her devoted swain and family servant, the rather unimpressive Will Shakespeare, and the fact that his gullible elder brother Edmund has disappeared in what turns out to be plague infested London, and Hundson's chief enemy, Thomas Heneage, probably has something to do with it. Meanwhile a bunch of counterfeit coins are turning up, and the penalty for counterfeiting is death. And Carey's Scottish man, Seargent Dodd is amusing everyone with his bumpkin ways and accent, while being extremely frustrated by their decadent city ways and lack of recognition for his family rank. It's fun stuff with great characterization and just about the best period resurrection I've ever experienced. But then that's true of all of Finney's work, and here, slick London kind of made me miss the crass and vulgar North.

The impression I get is that the Carey books are "fun" projects for Patricia Finney to take on between more serious books like Firedrake's Eye and Unicorn's Blood -- whatever the case, they are so worthwhile that I bought the UK editions before they were available in the States. All I can say about Finney's research is that I have made a study of swords and swordsmanship of the period, and her descriptions suggest that she has gone the extra mile in getting the details right, when many historical authors would settle for the Hollywood version. I recommend the whole series as a fine example of entertaining, well-written adventures that make the most of their Elizabethan setting.

Short of the monarch, the only person who Sir Robert Carey would heed an order from to come to London is his father Lord Hunsdon the Queen's Lord Chamberlain. Robert knows that the big city has many individuals irate with him, as he owes them a lot of money. However, his father needs his help and thus, accompanied by his Land Sergeant Henry Dodd, Robert travels south to London.

Hunsdon informs his son that he needs his peculiar skills as a detective. Robert's older brother is missing and a scandal is brewing that could cost Hunsdon more than just his job of security for her highness if the Queen becomes upset with the family. Robert is to find his sibling, a gambler, and bring him safely home. Unbeknownst to the detective and his companion Henry, the Vice Chancellor has set in motion a plan to use Robert and his brother to discredit their father in the eyes of Queen Elizabeth.

A PLAGUE OF ANGELS, The fourth Carey Elizabethan mystery, is a fabulous investigative tale that employs real persona from the history books including the lead character. Appearances by literary figures such as Shakespeare and Marlowe add a feel of authenticity to the plot, but the story line belongs to Robert and his sleuthing, and the stunned, naive Henry, seeing the big city for the first time. Sub-genre fans will enjoy this novel and P.F. Chisholm's three other Carey books (A FAMINE OF HORSES, A SEASON OF KNIVES, and A SURFEIT OF GUNS).

Harriet Klausner

This book shows evidence of an amazing amount of research into the daily life of Elizabethan London. Perhaps this is, as one reviewer suggests, how Patricia Finney has fun in between her longer Elizabeth I mysteries, but all I can say is she does a lot of hard work too!

Sir Robert Carey was widely though of as the Queen's nephew (the illegitimate grandson of Henry VIII) and Chisholm makes the most of this fact in her mystery, using her hero's physical resemblance to the Queen and his father, Lord Hundson's, temperamental resemblance to Henry VIII to build a complicated tale of revenge, ambition, and murder. A score of minor--but also real!--characters thread through the story: Mistress Bassano (a member of a real family of Jewish musicians at the court), Robert Greene, Christopher Marlowe, and even the balding Will Shakespeare appear.

So many historical mysteries are more about evoking a powerful setting than telling a complicated tale of skulduggery, but with this book you get to have both. The setting and characterization are nearly perfect, and the central mystery pivoting around the consequences surrounding an alchemical experiment gone wrong is not only perfect for the period but darned confusing as well! I highly recommend this book, and the other books in the series. But, read A Famine of Horses (the first in the series) first or you will find yourself a bit lost for the first half.

This is the kind of book that makes life worth living.

Written in a spare yet vivid style, with outstanding dialogue, Plague of Angels features well-known characters from the first three books of Chisholm's series. But, due to a letter from Carey's father, they've had to ride south to London. Readers be encouraged: this is no Renaissance Faire.

Characterization is particularly strong in this volume because it's from the point of view of Sergeant Dodd, the tough, morose, thoroughly engaging Borderer. His viewpoints on London, the aristocracy, and Carey are not only humorous but have a certain ring of truth. I'd always liked Dodd, but in the course of this book he became one of my favorite historical fiction characters of all time. Carey, seen through Dodd's eyes, retains his notable charm and savoir-faire. And Chisholm does something nearly impossible: writes about real historical characters and does it well. Yes, Shakespeare is in this book, and yes, it works.

The plot is an exciting one, of course. Some of the twists aren't quite as well developed as they could be, but between the plague, the Fleet Prison, and our hero facing torture by the bad guys, it's hard to care.

I was particularly impressed here with Chisholm's presentation of Renaissance mentalities. The pure terror evoked by the plague, in an age when diseases were unstoppable and more or less uncurable, is very well described. It's also worth mentioning that, although her protagonists are male, Chisholm does well with female characters, making them realistic products of their time but still strong, interesting individuals.

My Grandfather, Lt Fredrick Theodore Pierson, also served with VB 109 as an Air Combat Intelligence Officer, I have read Buzz Miller's long out of print: I Took the Sky Road and I have a lot of copies of official photographs My Grandfather took during his service with the unit and it is nice to see some of them published.

I finished this book and found it a real testamonial to the hard life and sacrafices that the past generation made to provide us with the life we have. We owe alot to the WWII folks. What was missing was the conditions that the war was fought under, no e-mail, flying across the Pacific at 200 mph in non airconditioned and non presurized planes. Also the navigation was different without GPS and SAT locating, The writer did not call out these hardships that made that flying and fighting much worse than we would tolerate today.

My Dad was a co-pilot in VB-109, so I've heard the stories since I was a tot. We both read the book and compared notes- my father still has his flight logs, uniforms, and a Japanese rifle from a Saipan "hunt". He also remembers the events very well.
There are some inaccuracies in the book that could be easily corrected. For instance, the Iwo Jima raid did not follow raids on two other islands, but only one. There are some other minor factual points in need of correction, too. Many of the best stories of the squadron are not reported in the book.
What's missing from the book (maybe purposefully) are descriptions of what the men were like, and what they were feeling. Yes, they were brave men fighting to defend their country, but, mostly, these were a bunch of young guys scared to death, hoping they'd survive another mission- or stay out of it if they were lucky.
Miller was a gung-ho Annapolis grad who many thought crazy in his zeal to try to take on the Japanese single-handedly. Many of the other airmen did not share this extent of zeal, i.e., they would not shoot men swimming in the water after a ship was attacked, they would buzz an undefended factory once or twice (to give workers time to get out) before a bombing run. If their plane was shot up or someone injured, they'd figure enough was enough, and head back home. Miller would continue to press the attack and take on destroyers and even a cruiser (which he sank at Truk). Miller was quite an enigma: he'd be furious with those who didn't have his guts, and cry when they didn't come home.
Quite a guy!
One also gets the false impression from reading the book that the B-24 Privateer had overpowering firepower that could sweep the decks or silence ground gunners with ease. Not at all so, says my Dad. It was a big lumbering aircraft which, when not permitted the element of surprise, was an easy target at 200 MPH at 200 feet. Fortunately it could take alot of abuse, and the surviving airmen of VB-109 owe their lives to that old plane.
Anyway, it was a fun book to read. It would make a great movie.

This book provides excellent reporting on the missions and personnel for the squadron I flew with during World War II. Much of the information contained in this book was reported in my squadron book, "A Pictorial Record -Patrol Bombing Squadron One Hundred Nine" by Lt.T.M.Steele, but Steele's document is out of print and probably only available from '109 crewmen, like myself. Unlike the Steele publication, Alan Carey's book has much of this information summarized and tabulated and, if you are looking for something or some crewman,it's easy to find. I like that. I suppose this is one of the contributions of the book.

The pictures are good and generally clear. The publisher did a good job on that because I suspect many of the pictures were copied from dark or yellowed photos offered by crewmen which would be more than 50 years old.

The book should be of most interest to the living crewmen of VB-109 and VPB-109. But probably moreso to their children and the grandchildren of the crewmen. I know that to be my case; my grandchildren seem most interested in my role during WW II and this book tells most of the story at least for the combat end of it. So, my wife and I purchased one book for each of our childen with the intent that they pass the book on to our grandchildren. Then, when their grand father is gone, they will have the story. In the meantime, they may no doubt have questions which might "open grandpa up" to reveal more of his experiences that have not or may never be published.

Good history books on our VB-109 and VPB-109 squadrons are out of print or very hard to find. Here is an opportunity to get essentially the same information by way of Alan C. Carey's book, "THE RELUCTANT RAIDERS".

Mr. Alan C. Carey has written a riveting history of the United States Navy Bombing Squadron VB/VPB 109 during its existence from 1943-1945, while serving in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II. He has defined not only the squadron's mission with accurate details of specific flights, individual crew achievements, and combat techniques but also the indomitable spirit of its personnel under the duress of the times. "The Reluctant Raiders, The Story of United States Navy Bombing Squadron VB/VPB 109 in World War II" is an account of military life not only for the military historical buff but for the average reader as well. Mr. Carey has utilized personal interviews with crewmembers and old photographs to add dimension and depth to the cold statistics of this particular Navy Bombing Squadron. It is an account of a group of average, young men who achieved exceptional things, utilizing initiative, ingenuity, and courage on a daily basis under adverse conditions. Mr. Carey's historical documentation of VB/VPB 109 is an exceptionally outstanding tribute to the United States Navy, Commander Norman M. Miller and every individual who served in the 109th.

I am a new acupuncturist that has taken an acutonics course before, and I love using tuning forks in my treatments. My treatments always seem more intense when I use tuning forks. I was feeling a like I needed another class, or a good book to learn more and my mentor recommended this one. I absolutely love this book. It has helped me so much. It gives you history so that you can understand the backround of how tuning forks were ever used in healing, and it gives you great guidelines on how to use them and which tuning fork would be good for what technique. There are also pictures. I think this book would be great for any beginner as well as a refresher for those who need one.

Very informative book and a unique look at healing. Even if you
don't use the sound healing and tuning fork protocol healing outlined in this book, you will come away knowing more about the Shamanistic origins of Chinese Medicine and the Tao,and the link between Music and Science.
There is also an opportunity to learn a great deal about acupuncture points and music and sound.
I use tuning forks, but have lent this book to friends who do not who thought the book was a good read.

Specifically when I bought this book, I was looking for a more practical guide to using the forks that I recently purchased from Acutonics. I am in love with the forks, and they have increased the effectiveness of my work by leaps and bounds! (however the forks themselves do not even come with information regarding the specific frequency or any suggestions for practical applications - information not available on the website). This book is,in my humble opinion, a marketing tool used by the Kairos institute in order to make a few extra dollars when taken in conjunction with their classes (they sell this book for $64.95 on their website!). I could have more easily learned online the actual history of vibration and sound healing, instead of trying to read it in the book. It is more like a history oriented text book - written by the creators of the Acutonics System of Healing, and less of a hands on practical application guide - which is what I was expecting with this book. Since I have very limited experience with meridians and accupuncture the style of this book was not at all helpful to me. There are no reference guides as to the locations of the points or meridians. The book does have a chapter on clinical testimonials by some therapists (all licensed accupuncturists & teachers at the Kairos Institute) that is pretty confusing for the non initiated. What would have made this an outstanding book would have been to include a reference section on the fork's freqencies and accupuncture points and meridians (at the very least the ones referenced in the book) so the self learning reader doesn't have to find another book just to use in conjunction with this one - or take the courses!

This new 2nd edition of Acutonics: There's No Place Like Ohm is even better than the first. I find the new color treatment insert and the new case studies extremely valuable as a guide in treating myself, my family, and friends! The book is beautifully illustrated and gives a wonderful history of sound healing and the Music of the Spheres.

I love Jacqueline Carey's series about Phedre, beginning with Kushiel's Dart. It is one of my favorite stories. I also enjoyed The Sundering, though not as much.

The Sundering is a takeoff on Lord of the Rings, upside down. Sauron is the good guy here, and Gandalf is the bad guy. Frodo is a bit of a dupe, sent to destroy Sauron's power, even though Sauron was much kinder to him than the good guys ever were.

In this story, Gandalf's name is Malthus. "Mal" means something bad, as in malady. Frodo's name is Dani. He is accompanied by his uncle Bilbo, whose name here is Fat Uncle Thulu.

The dwarves are intact, but the elves are here called Ellylon, and are not as short as the elves of LOTR. Instead, they are the size of the elves in the LOTR movie, man-size.

Aragorn is in this story as well. His name is Aracus Altorus rather than Aragorn son of Arathorn. Same guy. Leader of the Borderguard, and the hereditary king. And as in LOTR he is scheduled to marry an elf, the Ellylon beauty Cerelinde.

Sauron, here called Satoris, isn't half bad. He inspires love and loyalty. It is his big brother Haomane who is the real pain in the butt. All of Satoris's brothers and sisters have ditched our world, gone across the sea, I suppose across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in America while the action of the story is in Europe, more or less, though Haomane's home is described as an island, not a continent.

Haomane wages unjust war against Satoris. On Satoris's side are Jackie's version of orcs or trolls, which she calls fjeltrol. They are big and strong and ugly. They are bigger than humans. But they have hearts of gold and are the good guys. The beautiful Ellylon are a bit of a load, conceited as all hell. So while Tolkein made it obvious who to root for because his good guys were cute and his bad guys were ugly, Carey turns that upside down for us. Ugly good guys, cute bad guys.

I was confused with some of her terminology. Souma. Soumanie. Marasoumie. Rhios. Half the time I barely knew what she was talking about when she mentioned these things. Apparently there is a lot of magic in her world, and the souma is a great source of magic.

Her characters are so interesting that I always wish the books were illustrated.

The main additions she has to LOTR are some new characters. Satoris (Sauron) has his three main helpers. I suppose they could be compared to the ring wraiths, and once in a while one of them is a Black Rider, but these three really aren't ring wraiths, and have interesting characters of their own. One of them, Tanaros, is the star of the book.

I enjoyed this book but it cries out for a sequel. Everything about the ending screams out SEQUEL.

I'm honestly surprised by the bad reviews (speaking of those left for the individual paperbacks). I can't understand how this can be compared to the perspective of the Nazgul, or to the LotR at ALL - this is completely different! The Nazgul were intent on world domination and the complete and total subjugation of all people and races underneath them; Satoris only wants to be left alone. I really liked this book - we're given a completely NEW perspective on the "dark God" premise. What if ... what if the so-called "dark God" is NOT in fact the one who is responsible for [name your calamity here]? What if the so-called "light God" is the one who is trying to take over the world and [name your megalomaniacal purpose here] through any means possible - lies, twisted truths - and then basically force everyone to do things his way? What if, in other words, everything you THOUGHT was TRUE, was, in fact, WRONG?

This is the premise of this refreshingly original idea. Satoris Third-Born, formerly known as the Sower, whose Gift was the Quickening of the Flesh (aka - passion, lust), is now called the Sunderer, the Banewreaker and all manner of dire things. Satoris had incurred Haomane's wrath by refusing to take away his Gift from Men - at his sister Arahila's pleading - three times. Haomane wanted this done for a couple reasons - first: he had refused the Gift for his Children, the Ellyl, because he had made them immortal; however, Men became jealous of them and began to war against them in an attempt to gain knowledge about how to become immortal themselves, therefore leading to b) there were just too many Men (in his opinion) and they didn't show proper respect for the Ellyl, who were obviously their betters. As a result of Haomane's various attacks upon Satoris, the Souma (the Eye in the Brow of Uru-Alat - the World's Creating God) ended up split apart, the world Sundered and the sea poured in. Satoris was wounded by a splinter of the Souma, a wound that never heals - however, he did catch hold of this splinter, and maintained possession of it - a dagger he called the Godslayer. Satoris now remains in Urulat with the various Children created by the Shapers, and the other six Shapers stay across the Sea in Torath where they continue to plot. That is the background of the story.

Flash-forward: In the first book - "Banewreaker" - almost everyone in the world believes Satoris alone is responsible for the Sundering and splitting of the Souma. As a result, Satoris is despised universally, despite the fact that all he wishes is to be left alone in the fortress he created in the Gorgantum Defile, in the mountains he has Shaped. He has called to himself Three Men and bound them to his service, stretching the Chains of Being and granting them immortality - Tanaraos, called variously Blacksword, Kingslayer and Betrayer; Vorax, the Glutton; and Ushahin, the Dreamspinner. In "Banewreaker," the signs of war have appeared, and Haomane's Prophecy for the downfall of Satoris is in the process of being fulfilled - a daughter of the Ellyl is to wed a son of the house of Altorus, that which is Unknown is made known, that which was hidden is found, etc. It is up to the Three, with the help of their allies the Fjeltroll, the Were, and the Men of Staccia, to stop those who would fulfill the prophecy and thereby destroy Satoris and bring about the reign of Haomane First-Borne.

In the second book - "Godslayer" - we continue to follow the attempts of Haomane's Allies to fulfill Haomane's Prophecy, and Lord Satoris' Allies attempts to stop them. We spend a good bit of time with the Bearer - Dani of the Yarru Yami - in his travels to get to Darkhaven, as well as with Lilias in her captivity among the Rivenlost. Unfortunately, years of indoctrination leaves the Rivenlost and the races of Men completely unable to believe anything of what they are told of Satoris. Only the Lady Cerelinde - held in the fastness of Darkhaven, begins to question her beliefs. And, of course, by the time she does it really is too late.

I really liked this story - those who compare it to LotR or the Belgariad are - in my opinion - not giving the story the credit it is due. I have read LotR well over a dozen times, and must have read the Belgariad close to that - and I can't see that much of a similarity. I'll grant you that the very basic premise is somewhat the same, but it is a standard convention in this sort of story - however, Ms. Carey takes it into new and unexpected directions and I was happy to see it. I can, with confidence, suggest this to anyone who is willing to read this and take the time to really think about it. That's not to say I got the ending *I* wanted in the book! But the book ended as it should - as the dragons say - "All thingss mussst be as they are."

This is an interesting book. The world is believable. the different races recognizable. It is told from the perspective of Satoris, the third born shaper of the world. He is supposed to be the bad guy that caused the world to be sundered.

And war is coming. It is led by the children of the first born shaper, Satoris' brother Haomane. They are allegedly the good guys. So now we have a classic battle between good and evil, only good isn't that good, and evil might actually be innocent of the charges against him.

I found myself cheering for Satoris as everything about him fell apart. I really didn't like Haomane at all. There are magical weapons, prophecies, but no one becomes all powerful that none can stand before him.

This is a story filled with rich characters, and they experience the spectrum of love, betrayal, honor and pride. This is good story and fine fantasy.

Recommended.

Yes, I have read and loved all the Kushiel series; they are astonishing, wonderful books. Yet those who pick up the two volumes of the Sundering because they loved Phedre, and come away disappointed and complain the books fail to measure up, are missing the point entirely. These books are a different genre, and a different kind of accomplishment; they are a fantasy epic which is also a philosophical and ethical critique of the epic genre.

Of course, the similarily in narrative structure to the Tolkien epics is conscious and purposeful. Almost every character from the Lord of the Rings is found here: Gandalf-Malthus, Frodo-Dani, Aragorn-Aracus. Previous reviewers may have missed that the arguable "heroes" of this story, Tanaros Cavaros and the "Misbegotten" Ushahin Dreamspinner, are analogous to the leader of the Ringwraiths and Gollum. And Satoris Banewreaker, of course, is the Sauron who the Elves/Ellylon so lyrically claim to be bent on the destruction of all that is good and beautiful, working tirelessly "to cover all the world in a SECOND darkness!!!"

I wonder, how many of us who read and loved the Lord of the Rings ever wondered why Sauron would wish such a thing? Did the explanations of his motivations ever seem thin? Sauron was supposed to have created the Orcs "in savage mockery" of the Elves; a force of pure evil, needing no purpose other than destruction, with no desires, even in creation, except to mock and ruin. What Carey's epic is meant to show, and it succeeds beautifully, is that there are no such villains. There can be no races, such as the Orcs in Tolkien, without redeeming characteristics. To exist at all, especially to exist as a living community of any kind, living creatures must manifest certain virtues. The "Orcs" on the Sundering epic are ugly, certainly, and the "Elves" fear and despise them; yet Carey shows the Ellylon hatred and fear of the trollish Fjel as a product of their own limited aesthetics and the enmity between their races. The Fjel lack the beauties and brains of Elves and Men, yet they are real creatures, and therefore, in order for them to continue as a race at all, they must reproduce and rear their children, they must have some forms of love and loyalty. As this epic unfolds, the awareness grows in the reader that the "orcs" of Tolkien could never have been anything but a savagely distorted picture, a lie wrought by those who hated them from a distance. The power of the Ellylon to tell their stories with beauty, and thus inscribe their point of view as history, is explicitly thematized by Carey's hero Tanaros, who reminds the lovely Ellyl lady that every story has two sides, and that no Elf or Man has ever listened to the stories of the Fjel.

Tanaros himself stands as one of only two counter-examples; he himself is a Man, one who once served the ruling house of the oldest of Men's kingdoms. Once a hero in the best epic style, a loyal general who loved his king and his wife, now he is the most famous villain of his own race of origin. Long ago, he discovered his wife's new child to be, not his own son, but the son of his own best friend and beloved liege. The power of his loves fueled the violent madness of his hatred when those loves were betrayed, and he killed both his wife and her lover. Only in the service of Satoris can he re-discover loyalty and purpose, as only Satoris was willing to allow him the "dignity of his hatred" and allow him the chance to make a new life. The kingdoms of Men call Tanaros "Wifeslayer" the worst of comicbook villains, and see his service to Satoris as simply confirming how evil he is; a man who killed both wife and king could only flee to bad black Satoris in his evil dark fortress. Yet Carey shows us Darkhaven through the eyes of Tanaros as a haven, a place of beauty and dignity, and Satoris as the being who has given Tanaros sanctuary-- as well as a love that has never failed nor been untrue.

The Darkhaven of this epic, this Mordor, was built by Satoris after his first war with his older brother, who, wrathful at his younger brother's refusal to obey, burned the world with the fires of the sun and left Satoris wounded and scorched. Darkhaven is dark not to symbolize evil, but because light hurts as well as illuminates, and because fire is the weapon of the elder Shaper who believes, on thin grounds, that his own will is the entirety of truth and goodness, and that Satoris' refusal to obey him is the essence of wrong and evil. Darkhaven is guarded by Fjeltroll and staffed by madlings, and here is the poignant heart of Carey's vision. For Tanaros is only one of the ambiguous and complex heroes of this story. The other is his counterpart Ushahin, like Tanaros a byword for evil among the Elves and Men of this world, and like him a product of the very world and races who fear and hate him.

Ushahin Dreamspinner, unique in this fantasyworld, is half Ellyl and half mortal Man. The Ellyl, children of Haomane FirstBorn, are a race gifted with mind and heart, rationality and love, but immortal, and without the gift Satoris was asked to give to every other race: Desire. It was Haomane's command that Satoris withdraw Desire from Men which Satoris refused, the refusal for which he is called the Sunderer. Desire is an ambiguous gift, and one both Men and Elves find easy to blame for the crime one Man committed upon a daughter of the Ellylon; the crime of rape. Ushahin Dreamspinner was conceived in that rape, abandoned by the kindred of both parents, and almost killed in childhood by a crowd of other children with rocks. His appearance is all the more monstrous for the remains of remarkable beauty ruined, elegant bones shattered and ill set, wide-set eyes permanently dilated and crazed; he embodies all the horror of human cruelty and callousness, and walks in their dreams to show them the image of a child's fist with a rock breaking another child's face to bits. Called "The Misbegotten" by both the races from which he sprang, Ushahin serves Lord Satoris for the sanctuary Satoris gives to all the mad and broken of the world, those Ushahin calls to Darkhaven where they are safe and loved.

It is Satoris' relationship with Ushahin and his madlings that thematizes the true heart of this amazing critique of epic storytelling, this reply to Tolkien's brutal aesthetic of bright beautiful Elves versus nasty ugly orcs. When the lovely Ellylon lady arrives in Darkhaven and learns that it is a sanctuary for madlings, for all those beings broken and maimed by the cruelty of the world, she is of course appalled. The lovely, the perfect lady, of course she cannot fail to feel pity and mourn for the victims of cruelty and neglect who find safety and love in Darkhaven. Yet she protests they could be fixed, that Satoris ought to heal them and make them pretty again, a response that Tanaros shows in its selfishness with his reply: "To my lord Satoris, she is already beautiful." He loves them as they are, and finds the beauty they have in themselves, not needing to transform them into pretty elf maidens to find them lovely. Similarly, the Ellylon cannot realize the limitations of their own attitudes towards the half-elven Ushahin; they blame Satoris for not "fixing" him, never imagining that it is tghe Dreamspinner himself who refuses to be "healed" to erase the signs of what has made him what he is.

The Elves can only imagine beauty as being like themselves: perfect, tall, glowing with light, and above all, lucky. The scars of the unlucky, of all those who have been hurt, the stories of all those whose lives have been shaped by pain-- they can only see those things as flaws to be erased. What the limited aesthetic of the Ellylon cannot understand as valuable is the same thing that disappears in the caricatures of "orcs"-- the values and features of *life*. Life that struggles through pain and trauma, life that nurtures young, life that makes the best of ambiguity, life that goes on imperfectly.

It is finally an aesthetic of life with which Carey counters the simplistic aesthetic of epic in the Tolkien vein. In place of a god whose mysterious will must be obeyed as the definition of Goodness, we have a god who wishes only to live as he sees best, and survive the despite of his older brother's wrath. Haomane First-Born believes his own vision to be the definition of truth and reality, and his own will as the determiner of goodness. In such a belief-system there can only be one kind of choice: obedience is good, and defiance, evil. Counterpoised to that simplistic lie, Carey gives us a meditation on the nature of choice as life-determining, or choice and responsibility, of truth itself as ambiguity and complexity.

I love this book. It has helped write letters in difficult situations. Highly recommend.

From sales and goodwill letters to collections letters and those covering employment, this revised and updated fourth edition of Business Letters For Busy People which provides templates and samples which can be quickly adapted to suit virtually any kind of business venture. The accompanying CD-ROM contains the templates for all of the samples in the text, further reducing the time needed to quickly locate and utilize a professional-sounding letter.

Just the ticket a quick template and short tips.

When they talk about busy people they are serious. This book is not full of chapter upon chapter of what to do. Rather it is templates for almost all occasions with marginal notes expaling what to add and why.

A Great Timesaver !

Jim Dugger has done a great job writing a book for us pragmatic business people who want to write the most appropriate letter in style and structure) for any given situation but don't want to spend hours learning how. I'm an Entrepreneur, work fast paced hours and sometimes take on multiple tasks in my company. This leads me to have to write sales letters, customer relations letters, internal memos, etc. To do this I need to be flexible in my communication with various people and this book helps me do just that. I keep this book handy on my shelf, and so far I haven't been disapointed. It will provide you with two primary things: quick advice for writing letters in professional situations and over two hundred business letter formats for easy reference. The book is organized in such a way that you can easily flip through it, find the type of letter you want to write, and find the best format to follow with a breakdown of each part of the letter and what it's function should be, as well as some general information about that specific type of letter and a visual representation of the letter itself. The over two hundred letters cover almost any type of letter you will have to write as a business person. I would have given the book 4.5 stars if it was possible, but I chose not to give it five stars because I would expect a book on business letters in today's day and age to now include at least some information on e-mail letters, or letters written in the context of e-commerce. I think that if the author came out with an equivalent book for writing e-mails or business letters for people in e-commerce situations, or perhaps made an addition to this book, it would provide important additional resources to the average user given the popularity of new internet technologies. Otherwise the book is excellent, and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants a quick reference and guide to writing business letters!

Cadet Kirk was a really cool story. I never thought he would be by the rules since he probebly broke every rule in Starfleet as a captian or admiral. Also I never thought Spock would ever approve of something Kirk does espesually because they've only met up a few times and Kirk is younger than Spock. That's part of why I enjoyed this book and if you want to go back to the beginning this book is a good resource.

The first adventrue of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. This book was made for kids, but it does apeal to adults too. To see the beginnings of friendship and leadership by Kirk was good. Kirk was by book, and it was surprising. McCoy was witty and Spock was somewhat solid. The three of them trapped on a planet trying to thrawt a plan to kidnap a popular doctor. This book resembles novel Trek books quite well. I liked this book and I'm sure other adults will too.

The book was a great adventure which takes us back to where it all began. Three raw cadets attempting to work out their differences and triumph in the best traditon of Star Trek lore.

It was a great charcter ddevelopment book. Not many people could imagine that Kirk used to be so by - the - book. After all he has broke every rule in Starfleet and has been demoted. Still, the story turned out nicely. And the way Kirk tricked Spock, that was genius. There was only one thing, if McCoy is an ensign now it would have been a year or more between books but Kirk is still a first year cadet. Did he flunk? Another five star job by Todd C. Hamilton.