Curtis Books

Creo que es uno de los libros mas completos que hemos visto. Mi esposa y yo lo leemos semana a semana para ver cuales son los cambios, tanto en ella como en el bebe. Lo recomiendo con los ojos cerrados!!!

I loved this book, kept it right by my bedside for easy access and reread pertinent chapters. I felt more comfortable about my pregnancy knowing what was happening to my body and my baby. I especially enjoyed the detail in which the author described conception and the subtle changes which occur in the mother's body. With this edition, I can now share it with my Spanish speaking friends. ¡Gracias!

I found the book quite entertaining. Not perfect; Y2K was a bit too prominent (making it look a bit dated), a bit of a slow start and character development was a bit uneven, but once well into the book I couldn't put it down, though I'm generally not a fan of Christian apocalyptic fiction. (Caveat: I picked up the book because I know the author.) I'm now awaiting the sequel.

When I picked up "Synthesis" to read for the very first time, I honestly thought that it would be just another lackluster paperback novel half-plagarized from its numberless predecessors. But instead, the book had a theme all its own with a message that transcends time in a practical, tangible manner. "Synthesis" is an entertaining treatise on the facade that our society is constantly reinforcing.

Question: What do tarantulas, a minimart, a dead German Shepard, and a stripper have in common?
Answer: They're all Thicker Than Water.

If you're looking for a quirky mix of wicked, romantic, unromantic, and fearsome tales; Thicker Than Water is the anthology for you. Each writer brings his or her own brand of horror to the table and the result is something too deliciously fun to miss.

First up is a twangy backwater yarn set in a place where "...you can't hardly drive across town without caking your Goodyears in the slimy carcasses of tiny, eight-legged speedbumps." Cullen Bunn's Blood Feud tells the story of poker buddies who square off with the legions of Hell and, to borrow a phrase from the author, this tale is blacker-than-snuff-spit and every bit as fun as it sounds. Bunn has a real brilliance for delivering the loony macabre and his voice is dead-on. Blood Feud is guaranteed to tickle your funny bone and scare you witless.

Next up; Blood Rose Editor Mark Worthen gives us The Minimart, the Ruger, and the Girl, a tale that puts the vampire right there in line with you while you're paying for gas. When first we meet retired-biker-turned-slushy-ringer-upper Nick, he's in the middle of trying to transport a corpse on his Harley. Pay attention. Nick pops up again in a later story and you'll be very glad he does. I liked Nick instantly, as well as Lysette; a vampire that looks like a beautiful teenage girl but has all the smarts of her ninety some odd years tucked away in her bag of tricks. I liked Metronome Kid too. M., the R. and the G has a little bit of everything; mystery, suspense, a few snorts, and some romance. I want to see a whole book of Nick and Lysette stories. The same can be said for The Carrion Bird, the Angel of Death, and Me. Nick's voice is a dry, endearing hybrid of crusty and sweet and it's easy to see why Lysette feels the way she does about him. He never takes himself too seriously and Worthen creates magic with this character. Speaking of magic; Maslow's Magic Eight Ball, another Worthen piece, provides a nice contrast with a slightly more poetic style.

And now for something completely different; J.P. Edwards lends a soft beauty to Thicker Then Water with two offerings that give a richer, more emotional depth to the concept of horror. Voices in the Dark is a mysterious piece, rife with mood and color, and in White Roses and Matching Caskets, Edwards' soothing tone is served up with just the right creepy edge. These stories are apt to touch you in a deeper place, and if that isn't scary, I don't know what is.

Three stories by Curt Hoffmeister round out Thicker Than Water with a spicy concoction of history, sex, and blood. Jade is a cop story with a comic-book flavor and a werewolf sprinkled in. It opens with a stripper sliding head-first down a pole. Hoffmeister has a knack for injecting comedic and supernatural elements into unexpected places. All three stories are woven together by the sinuous golden thread that is the French vampire Desiree Le Gallienne. This beautiful icy-eyed bloodsucker is not afraid to dole out a Cruel Destiny to those who deserve it. My favorite is Behind the Veil of an Odalisque whose title is a perfect metaphor for the sumptuous intrigue you'll find within. Desiree infiltrates a Moslem harem during the Ottoman Empire to save a slave girl kidnapped by Barbary pirates. Hoffmeister delivers big-hearted vampires and crisp, clever wit amid a dazzling spectacle of jeweled candelabras, flashing sabers, and ripped guts. It's the perfect finish for an anthology fueled by a vast and colorful array of terrors.

Thicker Than Water is a good collection of vampire short fiction by four authors. Nine unusual stories of vampire fiction will enthrall you long after the book is read. The stories range from cheesy B-movie type horror to frightening tales with spiders, werewolves, ghosts, and of course vampires. Voices in the Dark was the most touching story, but my favorite one was Jade, the story of a vampire stripper. These authors skillfully draw you into a voyeuristic view of their world and the tantalizing glimpses will fire your imagination. It was a pleasant surprise to find other short stories in the book involving the same characters. Although brief, they are deep with friendship, love, and desire proving that blood really is thicker than water.

"Twilight Warriors" is an excellent overview history of air-supported special operations against the Soviet Union, the People's Republic of China, North Vietnam and other hostile locations during the Cold War up through the early 1970s. The author shows how the operations were conceived, how they worked (or didn't, in too many cases) and what the results were. He provides a good discussion of Air America and the use of non-US nationals in these operations such as Nationalist Chinese, Tibetans and Cubans. He also mentions why certain aircraft were chosen for certain missions. Peebles compares the success of the Special Operations Executive and the OSS in World War Two with the failures during the Cold War, and his summary of the meager results of these later covert operations is straight-forward and honest: while the operations might have had some greater degree of success, the very nature of the totalitarian states they were aimed at presented a huge obstacle in infiltrating outsiders who could effectively create and sustain a resistance movement. For readers who want to know more about a particular operation, the bibliography is a great starting place. My chief reservations about this title are (1) a lack of maps (not the author's fault!) and (2) no discussion of whether there any new air-supported covert ops after the fall of South Vietnam--did they stop completely, or is sufficient information lacking to say anything about them? Despite those (minor) criticisms, this book is highly recommended, especially for libraries who may not have much else on Cold War covert operations.

As you might guess from the title, this book talks about airborne operations conducted against the Soviet Bloc during the cold war. It includes not only operations against Russia, but also the covert operations during the Viet Nam war, operations against Cuba, etc.

As I was reading this book I couldn't help but think of the older book "Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage" by Sherry Sontag, Christopher Drew, and Annette Lawrence Drew.

I didn't realize just how close we and the Russians were going at each other during the Cold War. We are very, very lucky that some of these incidents didn't turn out to be really nasty.

The one thing that I kept expecting in this book was more on the RB-47 intrusions into Russia during the late 1950's and early 1960's. It is my understanding that about 40 US planes were shot down with a loss of a couple of hundred men.

One thing that I really liked about the book was the summary chapter at the end. His analysis of what we did, what the Russians were doing and the results were surprising and very informative. I'd like to see this part expanded another fifty pages or so in the next edition.

Meanwhile it's still a great book, get it and "Blind Man's Bluff."

"Great Expectations" is one of the few works by Charles Dickens that I had neither read nor had any contact with. Other than knowing title and author, I had no knowledge of the work before reading this book. After reading it, I can say that the effect was what one would hope the Classics Illustrated works would have on people. The contact generated a desire in me to read the original work.
The artwork is generally dour, reflecting the reality of London in Dickens' time. While there were pockets of great wealth, there were enormous sections of grinding poverty and struggle. The lot of orphans was especially hard, with no social safety net of any kind, they were at the mercy of whatever benefactors they happened to encounter.
In many ways, the best way to learn about the social conditions of England in the mid nineteenth century is to read the novels of Charles Dickens. He tells it like it is, a place of great social consciousness, where the upper classes could do no wrong and the lower classes were expected to know their place. There is no better indicator of that than when working class Joe Gargery nurses the now gentleman Pip back to health and then after his recovery, Joe leaves Pip and goes back to his social station.

Philip Pirrip, otherwise known as Pip, has great expectations. Given the opportunity to become 'a gentleman', his life becomes a quest fueled by his misguided and false hopes and dreams. And most of all: of unrequited love. All of which unravels.

There is something there for everyone: mystery, thriller, drama, comedy, social commentary, romance (in a twisted sort of way). GE is about human nature and love, forgiveness and hope; a perfect blending of all these gritty elements that make up Life.

I'm not going to go into the plot, others have done it, and much better than I ever could. What I will say is that Great Expectations is a book that everyone should try to read. Don't rush, but peruse, read slowly, savor it, appreciate it. The characters are vivid and heart-breaking, the personal growth of Pip from young boy to man, emotional and dramatic. You will feel for all the characters that will stay with you long after you've finished it.

The introduction by Irving should be read. But AFTERWARDS. He gives an interesting biosketch on Dickens, the story arch and influences of GE. I was definitely enriched for having read it. The back also has the Original Ending of GE that Dicken's wrote, a list of works and a short but concise bibliography about Dicken's the man and his works.

This was my first read of Dicken's and I was expecting a book bogged down and heavy with prose or overtly poetic speeches, and a book that would make me want to go to sleep: I was pleasantly surprised. While the style can be difficult & you will have to re-read parts of it, it's manageable, though, it's a good idea to have a dictionary on hand. There are parts that do go on and chapters that seem static, but the language and rendering of 19th century England and the characters make it all the worth while. Only then, will you understand why this book a true Classic.

Great Expectations didn't meet my expectations. I was a little bored throughout the begining and middle of the story. I think what kept me reading on was the desire to read a "classic" (I usually read biography or history).

I continued reading because I wanted to find out if Magwitch would meet his daughter. In addition, I was interested in Pip's strong desire to be a gentleman. Other than help his friend in business and dawdle about thinking about an emotionally deadweight chic, Pip didn't seem interested in obtaining a job or taking real advantage of his opportunities. I'll give Pip credit for helping his friend attain stature in business, and eventually going on to operate with his friend after losing his unearned wealth. But the lazy part is 19th century gentleman, huh?

Maybe Dicken's purpose was to show the benefits of wealth and the slothfullness of one who didn't have to work himself to attain it. Maybe it hit me at the wrong time, as my fiancee just took a hike and left me after I just sold my house (and now have no place to go). Trust you me, I won't be wasting my life away like Ms. Havisham though. I haven't reached gentlemanly status and need to continue working . . . .

I've only read Charles Dicken's Nicholas Nickleby and Oliver Twist in addition to "Great Expectations". Of these, I thoroughly enjoyed Nicholas Nickleby. In the future, I'll look for Kates and Madellines and not Estellas. Great Expectations was a tougher read for me as these characters just simply didn't entice my interest too much. Of course, maybe I needed a brighter read . . .

Many people scoffed this book back in my freshman English class, because it was Dickens, and Dickens meant "boring" to them. However, shrug off the normal tendencies to stereotype an old-time classic to be a bore, one can find a true delight in this beautiful story of a young man struggling with an impossible love, the pressures of money and society, and, of course, himself. It is an excellent, absolutely enriching read.

Great works of English literature from the 1700s and 1800s shared one thing in common; twists and turns in the plot lines that are never fully exposed until the last lines of the book. Chief among these twists are reversals of fortune both good and bad. So goes this work of literature. Though read by many as children, I would consider it more worthy of young adults, as the text can be quite boring for anyone below their teens. Basically, the plot revolves around Pip, a boy who grows up poor in the care of his sister and apprenticed to a blacksmith; a blue collar job by any standard. But he comes into an inheritance which he gladly accepts, leaving behind his previous life. A second theme of this story is his awe and obsession over Estella, a pretty girl who he meets first when young and poor when she does not even see him, and later one when he is rich when she cannot look past him. This is the probably the part of the book best remembered; a boy infatuated with what he cannot get, only to re-encounter it on later on in life as something he might not want anymore.

As a book, it is shorter than most of Dickens' work, and much easier to read. But it has less historical meaning, and to me, less exploration of social ills than his other works such as Oliver Twist and Great Expectations. The book focuses more on personal travails, and how relationships between individuals all depend on the where the individuals came from. The book is interesting enough, but not that exciting, and I would not consider it as a mandatory work for all students to read.

I used this book as my primary study guide for the Programmer Exam and it definitely helped me passing with high score.

This book is just right for this exam and covers all the objectives very well. I would certainly recommend anybody who is planning to prepare for the exam to read this book. Even experienced Java Developers can gain much of the knowledge of Java Language Fundamentals by reading this book.

However, based on my experience with the exam questions, I believe, this book is somewhat light on topics like Garbage Collection and Collections. If you aim to pass with high scores, you need to put more stress on these two topics and hence need to supplement this book with additional resources/tutorials freely available on the Internet. Otherwise, this is just right for the exam.

Obviously no one made a CURSORY proof-reading of this edition, or they would have seen dozens of double-quotes in the examples appear as some odd character I have never seen before. Once I figured it out I could decode what was meant, but it was a distracting nuisance. Obviously no one made a DETAILED proof-reading of this edition, or they would have seen us taught the size in bits of a double as 16 instead of 64. Obviously no one made a PROGRAMMING proof-reading of this edition, or they would have seen 65 listed as the byte-code of a lower-case 'a' in one of the exam samples, which made me choose "none of the above". Because of the errors which I DID see, I had little confidence in anything else that seemed questionable.

The chapter on Collections (which was probably added in this edition as it is new in 1.4 I believe) was not detailed enough, and didn't satisfactorily answer the chapter's own review questions.

The sample exams were not anything like the real one, which I failed. I kissed that $150 goodbye.

I studied this book carefully twice through and passed the exam easily. It may not be perfect, but it was all I needed.

I find it hard to believe that a study guide this error ridden was ever released given the gross errors my study group has found. We feel a lack of confidence in the material presented in this text and in the authors in particular. We have to verify everything presented in this text and believe nothing to be true without doing so. This is not a good way to study for a certification exam. We need a trusted and reliable reference, not a work of fiction.

We are not at all pleased with the material covered. Nor are we pleased with the mock exams which we all agree are too easy.

In all I would suggest that you not purchase this book and wait instead for the next release of Kathy Sierra & Bert Bates book.

The exams on the accompanying CD are crap.
The engine is buggy (sometime you cannot see the whole text) and answers are wrong. E.g.
Q: "Which access modifier will allow access only within the class and package?"
A: "friendly"

Maybe friendly, but definitely wrong.

Embraced by the Light is one cliche after another. This book is written as 'proof' that Jesus is God, and affirms the faith of the author and anyone willing to believe her words.

Most of the story on her early struggles with faith, her near death experience, visions, etc are no different than any other near death account from a devoted Christian. Her vision seems to me to be something similar to an acid-trip, as the vividness and 'knowledge' she discovered is much like that of one using psychedelics.

The authors style is one of cheap religious inspiration...no wonder this was a bestseller. It preys on our desire to find deeper meaning in the world and to affirm existing faiths as truths.

This is a life-changing book - it changed my view of life and afterlife and helped me immensely with dealing with the loss of my parents. I could not recommend it highly enough. I have given the book to many friends as well as recommended it to both the support group from the nursing home my mother had stayed for the last 9 months of her life as well as the VNA Hospice who helped us during that time. They are recommending it as well to the current families in the program. We are here to help each other as well as to learn. This book helps you to be the best person you can be.
Mary Ellen

I am the author of: [[ASIN:1432710257 Embrace The Light; a women's story through poetry to touch your heart

This book is very touching to the heart, mind, and spirit. It will give you hope and faith while grieving your loved one who passed. This book Embraced by the Light is inspiring and uplifted. It suggests when we die our spirits go to a much better place. It suggests to live spiritually with God, To know that in the end we will be with God and our loved ones experiencing incredible joy, love, and peace. I higly recommend this book it will touch your heart.
I am the author of Embrace the Light-a womans story through poetry to touch your heart. I had a vision of Mother Mary at the age of seven. I was crying at the time for the abuse I was suffering from my mother and father. Mother Mary told me it was all for a purpose and that I would touch children. Incidently, I have worked with children for twenty years and miracously many of these children and young adults have turned their lives around. Like this book suggests God does exist and when we die God and our loved ones are all waiting for us with open arms. Treat others kind, trust God, live a spiritual life and Embrace the Light!
Donna M. Solitario
Author of: Embrace the Light-a womans story through poetry to touch your heart

This book is a must read I believe for anyone who has lost someone or has had a near death experience. You can probably read this book in one day.
Loved it!

What a great Journey you are taken on with the Author to be able to get chances in life and to get a chance to die and come back to share with others , just how wonderful beautiful etc life is and that there is more to life than just here.. Take the journey with her, and love one another .. Nicole author of rainy day poems and more 1 and 2

Given the many accolades assigned to this film over the years (not the least of which are Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay Oscar Nominations), I was expecting a classic, top-tier romantic comedy on the order of When Harry Met Sally. Unfortunately, Four Weddings and a Funeral fell well short of those lofty expectations.

The sad part is that the film does a great many things well. The movie has many funny moments and the ensemble cast is mostly exceptional, especially amongst Charles' highly eclectic group of friends. However, it suffers from one fatal flaw: the female lead is terrible.

Andie MacDowell's Carrie has all the charisma of a piece of upholstery (and a cheap one, at that). A combination of a poor performance and a poorly fleshed out character arc combine to make her perhaps one of the least interesting cinematic romantic interests of all time. There is very little chemistry between she and Hugh Grant, nor is any indication really given of what attracts Charles to her outside of the fact that she owns a nice hat and is a demon in the sack. She has one good line after the first time she and Charles get busy, and that essentially ends her contribution to the film.

While entertaining in parts, the lack of an even adequate female lead (both a function of the actress and the script) kills this highly overrated film.

Also this particular iteration of the DVD is terrible. It is a dual-layered disc, with the widescreen edition on one side and the fullscreen on the other. However the "widescreen" edition is shown letterboxed... on my widescreen labtop it still displays at a 4:3 ratio with letterbox bars, unnecessarily shrinking the image. Also, someone at the studio apparently thought it would be a good idea to have English and French audio options, but subtitles available only in Spanish. If you are a fan of the film, you're probably better off going with the 2006 Deluxe Edition.

I enjoyed this movie a lot. I liked Hugh Grant a lot in this movie, he did a great job. I would highly recommend this movie.

Charles (Hugh Grant) is what some people would call a player. He has had numerous relationships, but commitment is not in his vocabulary. Charles's fear of commitment suffers a challenge when he meets Carrie (Andie MacDowell). Carrie is intelligent, mysterious and honest, and is very self-confident and care-free. Charles struggles against his feelings as he finds himself falling in love with Carrie, but not wanting to speak those words aloud.

This movie is humorous from beginning to end. Sometimes the humor is worthy of a laugh, but much of the humor just made me smile. Regardless of whether I was smiling or laughing, I was completely involved in the story and I wanted Charles and Carrie to end up with each other. There are four weddings, and a sad funeral, but each wedding and the funeral provide opportunities for an array of jokes and gags.

I only have one complaint about this movie. There is significant use of four-letter words throughout. Unfortunately, one portion of the movie benefits from the language so eliminating it would also eliminate some of the humor, but there are places where the language was unnecessary. Obviously this movie is more suitable for an older audience. I would probably avoid showing the DVD version to anyone younger than 16 or 17 years old because of the language.

I have seen comments about Hugh Grant and his "mumbling." I guess I have a different definition of mumbling. I thought Grant spoke his lines about as clearly as I talk (maybe I mumble), and other than brief moments where he was being introspective - let's face it, people may mumble when they are thinking out loud - Grant does not mumble.

I am also impressed that Hugh Grant somehow said four-letter words and left a string of girl friends behind him, and yet he still looked sweet and innocent. I guess that was why he was able to get another girl friend each time he dumped the last one.

Andie MacDowell is beautiful and expressive and perfect for this role. She is sexy and mysterious and intelligent and sensitive, sometimes all at once. I could readily see why Charles was smitten by Carrie. As with most characters Andie MacDowell plays, she brings elegant and classy Carrie to life.

This movie was good enough to gain two Academy Award nominations, for Best Picture and Best Screenplay. Beyond those nominations, the movie won 23 significant awards, such as the British Comedy Awards for Best Comedy Picture in 1994. The movie was nominated for another 14 awards of varying stature.

"Four Weddings and a Funeral" is a rare light romantic comedy that relies on an unusual combination of subtle and blatant humor in combination with an intelligent plot. I wondered whether Charles had a hope of capturing the heart of beautiful Carrie to the end of the movie, even as I was smiling and laughing at the humor. If you enjoy light romantic comedies, Hugh Grant or Andie MacDowell, you will find this award-winning movie to be worth more than one watch.

Enjoy!

I have pretty much all of Hugh Grant's movies, so this one is another one in my collection. It is not my absolute favorite, considering all his others and Love Actually being my all time favorite movie ever I think! But this is definitely worth watching and owning if you like Hugh Grant. It's mostly a story of a group of friends and events in their life with a subtle focus on Charles (Hugh Grant) and Carrie (Andie MacDowel), who seem to keep meeting each other at these seemingly unrelated events, but also seem to be falling for each other. But there is a little twist in there that I'm not going to give away here. You must watch it! It is definitely a charming British film!

Four Weddings and a Funeral follows Charles (Hugh Grant) and friends through a period of time in which they attend, um, four weddings and one funeral. Most of the movie actually occurs at these ceremonies so the film is aptly named all around. Charles meets Carrie (Andie MacDowell) at wedding number one and a good portion of the movie revolves around whether these two will end up together or not. There are various subplots involving four of his friends as well as his brother, most of them involving romance of some sort.

This is the movie that made Hugh Grant a star and it's easy to see why. He plays his stuttering nice guy to perfection and is helped by a script that any actor would gladly kill for. Andie MacDowell plays a terrific counterbalance with her mellow charm. The entire cast of largely unknown (in the U.S. at least) British actors does a fantastic job of infusing the film with warmth and life. Another plus is that this is the rare movie where the cast looks like real people instead of supermodels. It helps ground the film and make the characters seem more real.

This deluxe edition DVD is a nice presentation. The picture has been cleaned up and converted to anamorphic format, the sound is crisp and there are some nice "making of" documentaries. Finally, there is a commentary track for those interested in that sort of thing. All in all, it's a nice package and worth a few extra dollars to get.

In summary, Four Weddings is a great movie. The humor is quirky, though, and probably not for everyone. For anyone willing to take a chance on something different, however, this is a true keeper. It was an instant classic when it was released and remains one to this day.

I read this book many times. Quinn and Cam is great character. It is about Quinn the princess who lived under the wishing lake. She want to vist outer world - known as earth so one day she visit it by accident. she has to deal with everything until cam get her back to her kingdom. her kingdom lived in medieval era.

I remembered I really liked this book, I've never liked a book enough to finish it in a day, but I did. I borrowed it from the library as an assignment at first that was recommended to me from the librarian. Afterwards, I liked it so much, I had to go out and buy it for myself.

Princess Quinn lives in Mandria, a magical kingdom set beneath the surface of the earth. Her only view of the world above is through the water of a magic wishing pool, located above the chamber of the famous wizard Melikar. Seeking excitement, Quinn and her friend Cam (the Wizard's Apprentice) attempt a spell to send them to "Outer Earth". Through a mishap, only Quinn is sent, leaving Cam to face the wrath of the Wizard, and Quinn to face a completely unfamiliar world alone.

For me, the most captivating aspect of the book is the humorous situations that ensue due to Quinn's very different mores and expectations from those in Outer Earth (what would appear as ordinary, modern-day life for us). She's baffled by the revealing clothes that people wear, the miracle of electric light, and the lack of defined protocol in human interactions. For example, here is Quinn's take on an amusement park:

"Another contraption looked like a giant spider, but at the end of each skinny leg was a basket full of people, spinning and calling out to each other.

From every direction, shouts and screams seemed to shake the air. Why were these people being punished? What horrible crimes had they committed?

Quinn's fear made her step behind a fountain to observe and not be seen. This must be an Outer-Earth prison. How barbaric!"

Fortunately, Quinn finds a safe haven in the home of an elderly man mysteriously connected to Mandria, with two teenage grandchildren. She attends high school (filled with mysterious scenarios to her), falls in love, copes with jealousy, and encounters a dangerous enemy. Meanwhile, back in Mandria, Cam is mourning Quinn's absence, and sending her mental messages to help find her way back home.

There is magic to this story, but it's not enough to overwhelm the tale. The magic is more a vehicle to offer hints of wonder for the reader, and to cause trouble for Quinn. It's more a time travel story than a story of magic, really. Quinn could almost be any Medieval princess, mysteriously transported to a modern-day high school. The juxtaposition of her Medieval phrases and sensibilities and those of the modern kids offers entertainment, and in some cases enlightenment.

I found Quinn to be a likable, realistically flawed heroine. She's impetuous, and the tiniest bit vain (a consequence of her pampered upbringing). She made me laugh, and I cared what happened to her. I appreciated and cared about Cam, back in Mandria, too. And when I got to the end of the book, I wanted to read more. That's always a strong indicator for me of a satisfying read. Fortunately, I have Cam's Quest waiting on my nightstand.

Although this is listed as a middle grade fiction title (ages 9 to 12), it features dating, and even falling in love. I think that this content makes it appropriate for middle school kids up to age 14 or so. Princess Nevermore should please fans of fantasy, as well as fans of historical fiction. It's a relatively quick read, not as plot-complex as the Harry Potter books and other epic fantasies, but one that will leave readers wanting more.

This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on April 3, 2007.

Cam, the apprentice sends Princess Quinn to the outer world from Mandria, and she meets Mondo,Sarah,and Adam. She becomes apart of their family for awhile. She ends up falling in love with Adam, and while all that is going on she is trying to get home to Mandria. I liked the book. The characters were pretty much believeable. At first the book didn't have my interest, but as I started to get farther into the book, I couldn't put the book down!

I left a review for the original publication of Princess Nevermore, but found it necessary to leave a review for this new edition as well. Why?

1. There is not one line or thought that hasn't been changed in some way.

2. It is an exceptional story.

3. A very original idea with a great plot that expands the idea.

4. Princess Nevermore has brilliantly written Characters.

5. This book is truly a page turner without exception.

6. New characters are introduced to us that are important for the sequel, Cam's Quest.

Princess Nevermore is about a 15-year old princess, Quinnella (Quinn) from the underground Kingdom of Mandria. She is best friends with Cam, the wizard Melikar's apprentice. Cam and Quinn have always dreamed of traveling to Outer-Earth, our earth. They've planned it out over the years. Quinn visits Melikar's chamber often, and views the outer world through the wishing pool, which borders our world and theirs.

On one visit Quinn gets that chance to visit our world by spell-traveling. Her moment arrives when Cam says the spell that will send the both of them to Outer-Earth. However, something happens that changes the course of their careful plan. The Princess (Quinn) is accidentally sent to Outer-Earth, alone and without anything but the dress she is wearing.

Cam is left to bear the burden of his grand mistake, and when Melikar tells him that the princess doesn't know how to return, Cam realizes the consequences of his actions.

Quinn is both amazed and alarmed when she sees Outer-Earth for the first time. She quickly befriends an older man named Mondo, but his grandchildren are a different story. She has no trouble getting to know Adam, but Sarah seems to want nothing to do with Quinn.

Quinn decides to go to "lessons" at the local high school with Sarah and Adam. However, she is not prepared for the language barrier and never knows if what she is saying is proper for our world. It also doesn't help that a guy her age has taken sudden interest in her and the "strange" things that happen around her.

Torn between her desire to return to her world and the desire to remain with Adam in his world haunts her everyday. Not knowing how to return creates a hurdle and a burden for her. The only ones who can help her find her way home are below the river and can only send thoughts and suggestions to her for her safety.

But, will that be enough? Will her love for Adam be enough for her to stay on Outer-Earth? Will she and Sarah ever be friends? Will she escape the dangerous path that she's heading on?

This is truly a great read for ages 9 and up. I couldn't put it down and continue to return to the story. The new characters and other kingdoms and villages were a joy to read about. I'm truly grateful to have come across such a fantastic story and will enjoy it for many years to come.

As a fan of history I enjoyed this book. It was interesting to know what life was like for a Greek Hoplite on campaign.The battle scenes are done well as are the characterizations. I never realized how much rivalry there was in the Greek city states. The Spartans were incredibly different from the other peoples of Greece and it shows in this book. The things these men had to undergo in the deserts of Persia fighting is amazing that any of them returned home. A great read for people interested in historical fiction.

In THE TEN THOUSAND, Michael Ford uses Xenophon's ANABASIS (or, as sometimes published, THE PERSIAN EXPEDITION) as his outline. The potential is tangible; ANABASIS is an account of outnumbered, outpowered, and out-of-their-element mercenaries who overcome a near endless series of hardships and dramatic reversal of fortunes to get back to their homeland. Moreover, the original story reads as a bit of a travelogue, and although it has it's shining moments (indeed, I gave it 4 stars for it's depiction of Greek Virtues), suffers from some pacing issues and remains somewhat flat when compared to conventional narrative prose.

Potential is the key word here. Although Ford has a terrific flare for description, and a thorough knowledge of Ancient Greek Culture, he largely fails to improve upon the pacing issues of Xenophon's original (which for Xeno is largely forgiveable, as he was not writing a mainstream Novel). The story still remains primarily a series of skirmishes, travel, and rest periods (and to be fair, changing it too much would be straying from the real story). Ford attempts to balance out this aspect with a secondary story arc, involving a love affair between the narrator Theo, and a member of Prince Cyrus' entourage who is not who she seems to be. This story arc, in the end, supercedes the main plot to become the final character climax of the story, with very unsatisfying results, as this arc is introduced too far into the plot to be of any signifigance to the reader save to break up the mundane aspects of travel. The 'revelation' of the girl's identity is clear to anyone paying attention hundreds of pages earlier. It won't do to have the reader realize something so major, and leave the protagonist willfully ignorant of it until it is, literally, shouted in his face. This still would not be so bad if not for the other major flaw the author fails to overcome; characterization.

ANABASIS was certainly not a story of 3-dimensional characters. Many come and go, with little resolution to their inclusion. Ford does add more personality to the characters, but this is merely pushing them to 2-dimensions, tops. To have the added character interactions hook the reader at all, they have to be likeable, and most of the main characters are not that exciting to listen to. The most grating to me was Theo's frequent waxing into philisophical musings, the absolute apex (or antapex, if you will) of this is his thoughts on how the night smells during a full moon, and the life affirming sound of an earthworm. This is hamfisted and nonsensical. The moon doesn't smell like anything. It's an abstract of an abstract.

I could go on, but I will stop. Suffice to say I had some problems with the story, although some of them are probably due to my previous knowledge of the events in the book. But that is only accounting for some of it, the rest are chalked up to just plain bad storytelling. If I were to re-read one of these 2 stories, it would be Xenophon's original book. Despite it's flaws, it rang truer, and contains additional exciting events after the Greeks get to the Black Sea, which Ford uses as his cut-off point.

I don't want to end on a completely negative note, however. I did, after all, give this book 3 stars. That is because it does do a great job of transporting you into the ancient world, and Ford does show obvious enthusiasm and fondness for his material. He's certainly a good author, and I would probably give him another shot. This was, after all, his first published novel. If i was too agressive in my attack on this book, it is due to it's comparisons to Steven Pressfield's GATES OF FIRE. GoF looms over all other Greek Military stories in the way Everest looms over foothills. For every 5-star story, well, Something has to suffer in comparison.

Well written account of the ten thousand, for his first book it is quite good. I thought that the book did not need the love story angle,but other than that I loved it. Very graphic and detailed battle scenes, and good characters.A must read for historical fiction fans of greece

This book is a very long read, and it's a VERY slow read. But it's well worth it. You truly feel like you're there with the soldiers. When they hurt you hurt etc. Definitely a good read.

"The Ten Thousand" is Michael Curtis Ford's fictionalization of Xenophon's great work of Greek antiquity "Anabasis". The story is of an ill fated mission where exiled Persian prince Cyrus commissioned a Greek mercenary army to help over throw his brother and take the throne. However in the battle Cyrus is killed, and so that leaves the army stranded several thousand miles away from home, and in the middle of hostile country. The story is narrated by Themistogenes of Syracuse (or Theo for short) who is a slave and personal attendant to General Xenophon. After their benefactor dies, Xenophon leads the mix and match army of Spartans, Athenians, Rhodians, and thousands of camp followers through deserts, freezing mountains, snow, and hostile barbarian tribes to finally make it home.

This is an extremely rousing adventure based on one if histories most exciting events, yet is little heard of; unlike, say, the Battle of Thermopile. I have seen where some people didn't like this book, and have compared it unfavorably to Steven Pressfield's "Gates of Fire". I also compare it to that book, though as an equal. I thoroughly enjoyed both books. I liked Ford's a little bit better though. While both books are about history, and therefore the climax is usually a forgone conclusion, Ford has the slightly happier ending. Do not get me wrong, there is tragedy along the way, like that of Theo's lover, and some of the characters that started out meet a cruel fate.

Xenophon is really well fleshed out here and comes off as a real person. He is a tough spot, and must react with discipline and a certain amount of coldness that is actually necessary, though the consequences weigh heavy on his soul. The book is told in the first person by Theo, and he is also an accessible narrator, and I thought his relationship with the Persian concubine Asteria was bittersweet but real.

A great adventure I think is vastly underrated.