Jackson Books

This is an exceptionally beautiful and interesting book. Even though I had no prior interest in chinese textiles I was quickly drawn in by the stunning photographs and the helpful essays. The book makes a great gift for anyone interested in Asian art or textiles in general!

This is a must read if you are interested in collecting Chinese Rank Badges.

A great reference book to identify the symbols, styles & the various techniques that was used. The color photos are just beautiful showing over 150 different types of Rank Badges.

I love this book! The two different parts of this book really works. In Part One, written by Beverley Jackson is an interesting look at Chinese culture and the journey to the mandarin squares. The fictional story of two boys and their different journeys brings the mandarin squares to life. The studying and sacrifices involved in order to wear the mandarin square are staggering. It heightens the appreciation of the squares themselves in Part Two.

In Part Two, David Hugus does an excellent job in dissecting and then explaining the elements making up the squares. Beyond the intellectual and technical issues, Hugus also discusses mandarin squares in the marketplace.

The two authors obviously have a great love and interest in the mandarin squares and the Chinese culture. I recommend this book highly.

This is the best and most complete book available on Mandarin Squares. A must read for the collector of these badges.

The text is extremely informative and the most comprehensive on the subject. It has well over 100 beautiful pictures of many examples of the nine civil and nine military rank badges.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Chinese Textiles especially in the intricate embroidered Mandarin Squares and learn about their history.

This book is a must for anyone interested in Asian art and, in particular, the Chinese rank system and the textiles associated with it. I expect this book to become THE reference book on the subject. I highly recommend it to all those dealing in antique Chinese objects and museums specializing in Asian art. It is obvious to me that both authors have not only throughly researched their topics but also are impassioned by them.

Lakota Moon is a fascinating work of historical fiction. A real page-turner, this novel should be equally appealing to readers both for its historical accuracy as well as its gripping and moving love story. I highly recommend this wonderful and intelligently-written book, and I am anxiously awaiting the next installment in the Lakota Moon trilogy!

-Lenrose Fears, Atlanta, GA

Inspired by a true story, Robyn Jackson's "Lakota Moon" begins when 13-year-old Mary Eliza McElroy and her family head across the Oregon Trail to begin a fresh start in life. And as Mary
Eliza and her siblings sit around the campfire at night, they listen to guide Silas Wells' stories of the dangers of Indians along the trail. Even the trappers and traders warned them
they were in hostile Sioux territory.

Then Mary Eliza's worst fear comes true as she is taken captive by a Lakota Warrior named Mysterious Medicine. Suddenly alone and away from her family, Mary Eliza must rely on those
she has come to know only by the word of others and find the will to survive.

She soon finds herself a slave to Owl Woman, a kind-hearted Grandmother of the Lakota whom Mary Eliza begins to care for in time. As the months go by she begins to learn, understand and
respect their ways of living and is even adopted by Owl Woman and the Lakota as one of their own.

Then suddenly everything changes as Mysterious Medicine begins to show his true feelings for her and her own feelings change for him as she falls in love for the first time. Now torn between her biological family and her adopted one, Mary Eliza must make the toughest decision of her life while facing war, jealousy, denial and tragedy along the way. In the end she will give way to her heart as it travels along the path of the Lakota and with Mysterious Medicine by her side, she finds an unconditional love that will never die.

So refreshingly different from the ordinary romance novels, "Lakota Moon" pulls it's own worthiness with a love story so powerful you won't want to put it down. Characters and scenery come to life and are rich with detail in every way as historical events stay true to it's own nature allowing "Lakota Moon" to pull readers right into the story. We see a side of the Lakota and the white woman who became a part of them that many have never wittnessed before.

The first of three novels, "Lakota Moon" will capture your heart and leave you feeling breathless from beginning to end. Robyn Jackson is a phenomenal storyteller in her own unique way and her Novel "Lakota Moon" is a keeper on any native romance fan's bookshelf.

The BEST historical fiction novel I have EVER read! I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good read based on fact! It warms you and chills you! It's a rollercoaster of various feelings and emotions for the reader! The research done for this book is astounding! Ms Jackson has touched the realms of all emotions!You can SEE these characters...You can SMELL the crisp air around the indian camps... You can FEEL the intensity of the Lakota's feelings...you can HEAR the elk songs...you can TASTE the sweetness of the wild berries...You can trust that this is one of the best books you'll EVER read!!!

The gripping, heart-wrenching story comes alive in this historically accurate narrative. You feel as if you've always known her characters and deeply understand their lives. When you pick it up for a cozy winter reading, have a tall cup of hot cocoa nearby because you're not going to want to put it down until it's finished! I bought one copy for myself. After starting to read it, I bought 10 more copies for Christmas gifts!

"Lakota Moon" is the skillfully woven adventure of Mary Eliza's transformation from a captured young pioneer girl to a Lakota woman known as "Goes Alone." Goes Alone's story is artfully told weaving coming of age, Lakota language, Lakota culture, historic events, and psychology of capture into the adventure. The author's knowledge of these areas makes the story both fascinating and educational.

The setting is the westward migration, a time when settlers journeyed the route from Independence, Missouri known as the Oregon Trail. Thousands made the courageous and rigorous tramp over the habitat of Native Americans who had lived lightly on the land for thousands of years. It was shortly after passing Fort Laramie, a stop-over for the weary but determined settlers, that Mary Eliza McElroy became the captive of one tribe of the Lakota Nation.

While the west is being transformed by the relentless march of thousands of settlers, the Lakota are transformed in Goes Alone's experience from a people to be feared, her captors, to a people where she is accepted and loved, her family. The tribe is also transformed in our mind from marauding savages to a community which is rapidly being displaced or killed as they desperately try to hold on to a way of life and a land that has fed, clothed and housed them for generations.

This struggle is made even more difficult by the unwillingness of the settlers, the army and the government of the new nation to grant to these native peoples the same rights we vowed were the heritage of all men as expressed in the United States of America's own Declaration of Independence, the second paragraph of which states,
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness...."

We become indignant and angry when Goes Alone experiences the violation of her freedom of choice by her nation of origin and family of origin. If these emotions help us to become more sensitive to people of other races and to cultures much different from our own, then Robyn Jackson will not only have entertained us but also helped us spiritually. Please God, may it be so!

Reviewed by Shelley P. Richardson of Birmingham, Alabama, Illustrator of "Can a Rooster Drive a Tractor?" and soon to be published, "Rooster's Gumbo."

What a wonderful book! In addition to being a terrifically exciting story, Jackson, the author, vividly creates a sense of time and place. One is transported to America at the turn of the century - a period of transition and change in which Frank Grigware, the protagonist, is innocently and irreparably caught. This book succeeds on every level. Outstanding!

I picked this book up on a whim and once started I couldn't put it down. It is a great true story of the real old west. Young men seeking adventure, train robbers, unjust imprisonmemnt, daring escapes and more. You should really give this one a try!

I cannot recommend this book highly enough! I loved every single page, and I hated to see it end. (For me, that's rare.) Action, adventure, excitement, and suspense...all set in, to quote the book's subtitle, "the vanishing west."

Well worth the money and well worth reading. In fact, I think I'll read it a second time.

In 1906, the twenty year old Frank Grigware announced to his family that he was going to see the world. They had been living in eastern Washington for years, and he wanted to see more of the West than Spokane. His mother understood completely; it is not an uncommon occurrence for a young man to want to roam before settling down to respectable ways. He hooked up with his best friend Frank Golden, and they figured they would do some prospecting in northern Idaho. A tough life loomed, but Grigware had no idea that he would as a result be accused and convicted of a crime he did not commit, incarcerated in the toughest prison in existence, escape from the prison, and remain on the lam from his country for the rest of his life. The astonishing story of Grigware's life is told in _Leavenworth Train: A Fugitive's Search for Justice in the Vanishing West_ (Carroll & Graf) by Joe Jackson, who shows that Grigware was guilty of nothing but naïveté when he associated with train robbers. He was, however, found as guilty as the rest of them, and a quick decision gave all the defendants life imprisonment, at Leavenworth, the first US federal penitentiary.

It was only six months into his sentence that Grigware, who the prisoners could tell was not really one of them, was let in on an escape by four other prisoners. Using the classic ploy of threatening with guns skillfully crafted of wood from one of the shops and blackened with shoe polish, they hijacked a train that regularly supplied the prison. Grigware was the only one not captured quickly, and for the next 24 years was one of America's most wanted men. The trail was long cold, even after President Woodrow Wilson commuted the sentence of the other robbers because the evidence in the case was so lacking. The FBI refused to back down, and it spied on members of Grigware's family, which was sadly fractured by his escape. Grigware in sorrow knew he could communicate with none of them, but set up a respectable life in Canada, becoming a Canadian citizen and a well-liked member of the community of Jasper, Alberta. He was not found until 1934, and what happened afterwards is of great charm. There was a groundswell of Canadian public opinion against any sort of extradition; even the game warden circulated a petition. The mild Grigware had made many friends, and he was the sort of reliable citizen Canadians wanted. Grigware's wife (who had not known of his past), when the press reported her simple statement, "Nothing will ever break up our home," made up the minds of any Canadians that had doubts on the issue. It became an international incident, and a clash of redemptive versus retributive justice.

Grigware was reunited with his family, which had long thought him dead; the meeting with his aging mother could not have been sweeter. But he could not return with her to the US, nor return for her funeral. President Roosevelt waived extradition, but no pardon was ever issued, so if he ever came back to the US, he could land right in Leavenworth again. That result would seem preposterous as the decades went by, but in 1957, J. Edgar Hoover was still sending out directives that insisted that agents monitor Grigware's relatives in case he were to show up. Every FBI memo issued about him screamed that HE WOULD KILL OR BE KILLED RATHER THAN BE RECAPTURED, a rumor that had arisen in 1911 and which still headlined Hoover's directives about Grigware, who was then seventy-one years old. This exciting and frustrating story, crammed with period detail, reminds us that courts are not always right and that as much justice as was available in this case came from the hearts of ordinary women and men.

Veteran Virginia crime journalist Jackson strips bare a capricious justice system as "the servant of time and place and ambition." In that, this book is a philosophical sequel to his Pulitzer-nominated "Dead Run," a contemporary exploration of Death Row.

Jackson is an immensely appealing writer and a graceful reporter. "Leavenworth Train" is meticulously documented, but the engaging narrative flows seamlessly. Grigware was dead long before Jackson took up his story, but the haunted fugitive comes alive in these absorbing pages, a headlong flight into justice and mercy.

Michaelangelo sculpted the statue of David from a block of clay. Cindy Jackson's experiences in transformation have mirrored just what is possible. It is proof that we are all beautiful and all that's needed is to uncover it. You are right - underneath the layers is your truly beautiful self. The line is crossed when you are addicted to improvement because of a fragile self-worth. However, if the pursuit is part of an emotionally healthy and balanced way to express your self-love and best self-GO FOR IT!!! Cindy Jackson is her own artist, she is very misunderstood, but courageous for sharing her experiences.

I have followed Cindy for many years, never missing any American TV show she was to be on, and I have followed her remarkable transformation. I have been interested in plastic surgery long before I knew anything about Cindy, I have read every article, watched every TV show regarding PS. Maybe someday I will work with Cindy, ha.
To finally read the life story of someone you have followed is a great journey. I learned that Cindy did not have an easy childhood, but overcame her adversities and took control of her life, never taking no for an answer. Cindy has lived the kind of life that I dream of, and reading her book gives me the inspiration to have the surgeries I want, and to do the things I want, and stop listening to what others expect of me.
Cindy has lived, and will continue to live, an amazing life.

I have followed Cindy Jackson since I first saw her on American TV. Not only is her physical transformation fascinating, but her lifes journey is equally fascinating.
Cindy has lived an incredible life, growing up on a farm, never really fitting in. Instead of doing the 'right thing', Cindy did want she wanted and moved to London. She made an exciting life for herself in London singing in a rock band.
The books takes you through all phases of Cindys life, childhood, boyfriends, family, but the book really takes off after she arrives in London. The book has sex, drugs, rock n' roll, and alittle royal gossip, but I enjoyed reading about her surgeries and why she choose to do what she did.
I check her website ... regulary to read the 'latest news' of what she has been doing. I also recommend her Plastic Surgery Guide and Video as well, both invaluable for those considering surgery.
Thanks Cindy for sharing your life with us, finally.

Woman turns herself into a living Barbie Doll!

I have been following Cindy in the press since I first heard about her in 1994 while living in England. I suppose in some ways it was almost like a car wreck, where you are involuntarily compelled to slow down to take a look. While I didn't actively search out info on her, if I saw something in the paper or on a talk show, I looked at it. It was always pretty much the same article or interview, 'American spends over $50k, $75k or $100k to look like a Barbie Doll'. As time went on, she really did go from being pretty in 1994 (about 2/3 of the way through her body morph plan) to being absolutely stunning in 1997. That really intrigued me as I would not have thought it was possible for someone to change themselves so much through cosmetic surgery and not look like the NYC 'cat woman', Cher, or Michael Jackson. Cindy looks completely 'normal', albeit beautiful.

I ordered her 'how to' cosmetic surgery guide and video last year and it was very interesting, describing what she had done. It is a useful guide for anyone considering cosmetic surgery. This book, Living Doll, is really her full story, beginning way back when she was a child, through her rock & roll days, to her cosmetic surgery, being in the public eye and how the press can distort the facts to make a better headline. I thought the book was well written and honest, well worth the read (especially for anyone contemplating multiple cosmetic surgeries).

Cindy Jackson has been described as the woman who is trying to make herself look like a Barbie doll. But if you read her book she is not trying to look like Barbie, she is trying to look her absolute best using information she found as an art student that gives the proportions for a perfect face.

Cindy was born to a mother and father who focused more on their interests than on Cindy's. It wasn't that she was not loved. It was that her parents did not know how to parent well. At 6 Cindy's dad handed over the wheel to an airplane while they were in the sky and told her to fly the plane. This was his idea of helping Cindy learn to be capable and competent.

Cindy wanted to enjoy the fussiness of being a girly girl by dressing pretty, playing with dolls and making herself look cute. But her parents wouldn't spend much money on Cindy. As a result she wore hand me downs, had few toys and never felt pretty.

One day she found a Barbie doll at a local discount store. After several days of tears her father broke down and bought it for her. This doll triggered deep emotions in Cindy who imagined what the life of the doll would be like if she were real.

As Cindy grew older, she felt she did not get things she should because she felt she was not attractive. And she embarked on a series of operations to perfect her face.

The first operation corrected the bags under her eyes. I personally thought Cindy looked great after this procedure and needed no further refinement. Cindy however, is on a mission to be as perfect as possible. This book describes her childhood and each of the surgeries she has had to look like her vision of the ideal woman.

Surgeries include having her skin lifted and completely redraped on her face in order to smooth wrinkles, permanent makeup, lip surgery, cheek implants, her chin cut down and more.

Cindy does look lovely in the after pictures however, I read once that you can tell if someone has had their lips injected because the upper lip is larger than the lower and this is not normal. Cindy does have a much fuller upper lip. She is probably in search of that fuller lower lip now.

The book gives a few insights as to what to look for in a plastic surgeon. Mainly though its focus is on Cindy and why she chose to do what she did. A number of graphic photographs of Cindy in the stages of some of her operations are included. Living Doll is an interesting look at total physical transformation.

this book is a excellent read. one of my favorites Brenda Jackson is one of my favorite aurthors you will enjoy readingabout the madaris family

This is a great book for readers new to Brenda Jackson's books. I first read Surrender and wondered who are all these people she's talking about? Now I know. Justin, Dex, and Clayton are highlighted in their own books in this collection. My favorite by far is "Eternally Yours" -- Clayton and Syneda's story. They don't have as much emotional baggage as the others in their books (which is a good thing), but they did have plenty of sparks flying between each other. The funniest scene is when they are in Florida on the porch after returning from dinner. That was hilarious!

If you are new to Ms. Jackson, please get this book. You won't be disappointed to get to know these brothers from the beginning. Now as I make my way through the rest of her books, everything and everybody fits.

The 10th Anniversary Collectors Series was a great way for me to get caught up with the Madaris novels I have missed. I thoroughly enjoyed all three tales about the Madaris brothers. This novel was filled with romance, love, sensuality, as well as suspense and drama! Justin, Dexter and Clayton definitely showed us that romance IS NOT DEAD! The storyline flowed smoothly and the secondary charaters introduced throughout the novel only aided in adding just the right amount of spice and intrigue to these tales. I have to say "Eternally Yours" is my favorite of the three. Clayton and Syneda were HILAROUS. And I enjoyed the fact that they were friends before they became lovers. It made the romance and intimacy between them more realistic and extremely HEATED! Each story built on the next and only improved in richness and texture as Mrs. Jackson weaves all the family members, business associates and friends lives together. I will definitely have to search for subsequent titles to complete this series because I just have to know what happens, not only to the Madaris family, but also to their circle of friends! A Definite MUST READ!

This book is great, especially for the new fans of the Madrais family, because the first book in the series(Tonight&Forever) is out of print. This book contains the first three complete stories that started the saga of the Madrais's. This is a continuing series, so for those who have read other books in the series and need to know how it started, pick up this book. For those of you who have not been intrested in the Madrais's, I would advise that you get intrested. I have read every story in the Madrais collection and I have yet to be disappointed, Mrs. Jackson has a way of leaving you wanting more.

As of this writing,I just finished reading the "Madaris Saga" and it was excellent. Justin, Dex and Clayton are truly some fine men even if Dex was irritating at times. I`ve been late to work on many occasions due to being up at all hours of the night reading this book. Everytime I say "just one more chapter", I always read more. It`s that addictive. I truly have to say that Justin,Dex and Clayton are men who love and love hard. Now that I`ve read their saga, and Christy`s story(Unfinished Business),I hope that Ms. Jackson`s future novels focus on the other Madaris sisters(Traci and Kattie). Come on Ms. Jackson, you`ve got to write about them too. Brenda Jackson is truly in a class all by herself. Excellent Storytelling!!!!!!!

Brown does an excellent job of introducing the reader to the period of late antiquity in this work. He is able to cover the major political, social and philosophical transition of the Roman Empire of the Antonines to the emergence of the Christian Succesor States with clarity, and accuracy. Although this work does not take an indepth look into any of the many subjects that fall in this period, it is an excellent overview, and maintains a level of scholarship that is almost unparalled in a work of this nature. The book is documented to an excellent degree, so that even the most critical reader can see where it is that Brown is comming from. I would recomend this book to anyone from the avid scholar to the most casual reader.

From an Age of Equipoise to an Age of Ambition- the Poisoning of the Classical Spirit

I found this book to be an extremely clear and well-written explanation of the decline of classical Greco-Roman civilization. The period from the second to the fourth centuries, from the Antonines to Constantine, is covered. The author makes a very good case that the cause for this decline in the classical world was primarily due to a concentration of wealth and power into fewer and fewer hands. He shows this to be true in economic, political, cultural, and most especially, religious spheres. He also shows the obvious parallels with our own age without being heavy handed.

First he shows the grand show of power and tradition in the age of the Antonines to be primarily an empty hollow thing. It was the gigantism that precedes decline even if the players of the time could not see it. The societal restraints and governors that constrained individual ambition began to erode. The old code of civic virtue, of demonstrating your greatness by contributing to the benefit of the society, the polis, crumbled. Wealth was concentrated into fewer and fewer hands. The common people were forced off of the land. Bankruptcy became commonplace across the empire. Politically, power concentrated into a smaller and smaller circle centered on the court in Rome, and then Constantinople, and away from the provincial towns and capitals. Culturally and scholarly, all status depended on ones mastery of polished Greek and the ability to quote precisely from the classics (i.e. scholarship depended more on the size of your library than the size of your intellect.)

It is in the religious and spiritual sphere that this tendency to place all authority in the hands of an elite becomes the most insidious, and the most damaging. It is demonstrated that ,traditionally, the average man of the Greco-Roman world saw that world as alive with supernatural forces that he interacted with on a daily basis. The pagan participant in the mysteries experienced the divine through direct contact. This slowly changed with the rise of Christianity. Men were told that only "official" intermediaries could bridge the gap between heaven and earth. As a result this gap widened into a chasm. The old comforting classical assumption that heaven and earth lived side by side in gentle communion faded away. In the author's words, the leaders of the Christian church came to stand between heaven and an earth emptied of the Gods.

With all economic, political, scholarly, and religious power concentrated in the hands of a tiny, ruthless, corrupt elite, is it any wonder that the common man lost any interest in maintaining the empire? The old system of civic virtue and of the old delicately balanced system of obligations from ruled to the rulers, and the rulers to the ruled, had been poisoned.

Any of this sound familiar?

I cannot say enough about this extraordinary book. Everyone who is interested in the environment that led to the rise of Christianity will find this book fills in many details. Brown's analysis of the decline of classical Greco-Roman civilization is well done, concise, and comprehensive. I highly recommend this book!

From an Age of Equipoise to an Age of Ambition- the Poisoning of the Classical Spirit

I found this book to be an extremely clear and well-written explanation of the decline of classical Greco-Roman civilization. The period from the second to the fourth centuries, from the Antonines to Constantine, is covered. The author makes a very good case that the cause for this decline in the classical world was primarily due to a concentration of wealth and power into fewer and fewer hands. He shows this to be true in economic, political, cultural, and most especially, religious spheres. He also shows the obvious parallels with our own age without being heavy handed.

First he shows the grand show of power and tradition in the age of the Antonines to be primarily an empty hollow thing. It was the gigantism that precedes decline even if the players of the time could not see it. The societal restraints and governors that constrained individual ambition began to erode. The old code of civic virtue, of demonstrating your greatness by contributing to the benefit of the society, the polis, crumbled. Wealth was concentrated into fewer and fewer hands. The common people were forced off of the land. Bankruptcy became commonplace across the empire. Politically, power concentrated into a smaller and smaller circle centered on the court in Rome, and then Constantinople, and away from the provincial towns and capitals. Culturally and scholarly, all status depended on ones mastery of polished Greek and the ability to quote precisely from the classics (i.e. scholarship depended more on the size of your library than the size of your intellect.)

It is in the religious and spiritual sphere that this tendency to place all authority in the hands of an elite becomes the most insidious, and the most damaging. It is demonstrated that ,traditionally, the average man of the Greco-Roman world saw that world as alive with supernatural forces that he interacted with on a daily basis. The pagan participant in the mysteries experienced the divine through direct contact. This slowly changed with the rise of Christianity. Men were told that only "official" intermediaries could bridge the gap between heaven and earth. As a result this gap widened into a chasm. The old comforting classical assumption that heaven and earth lived side by side in gentle communion faded away. In the author's words, the leaders of the Christian church came to stand between heaven and an earth emptied of the Gods.

With all economic, political, scholarly, and religious power concentrated in the hands of a tiny, ruthless, corrupt elite, is it any wonder that the common man lost any interest in maintaining the empire? The old system of civic virtue and of the old delicately balanced system of obligations from ruled to the rulers, and the rulers to the ruled, had been poisoned.

Any of this sound familiar?

Brown is able to establish the foundations for anyone interested in late antiquity with clarity and scholarly depth that is unparelled in the field. This book, although taking a broad picture of the period, and focusing on a shallow over view, rather than taking an indepth look into any perticular aspect of the period, is still scholarly enough to interest even the most particular historian, but will catch the interest of the beginer also. Browns conclusions are well thought out, and are based on an extensive, and acurate picture of the period. The documentation is incredible, hundreds of documents are quoted, and carefully indexed, in a book under 200 hundred pages, so the most nitpicky readers can see exactly where Brown is comming from. This should be the model for broad view scholarly work, this is truly an excellent work.

Dr. Nicholas Anthony isn't quite as bad as Ebeneezer Scrooge, but he's seen enough stupidity, commercialism, and pain intensified by Christmas to be rather apathetic towards the holidays. Then, he finds himself in an abandoned cabin with Zee, a lovely woman who is half fey, half goblin, and her two young siblings over Christmas. She awakens feelings in Nick he didn't know he had, drawing him into her quest to stop Quasim from sacrificing countless numbers of children to darkness. Nick also learns that he has fey blood himself. Over the hours they spend together, Nick and Zee discover each other's worlds, each awed by the newness. They are joined by the heroes and heroines of previous Lutin books for a battle filled with danger and surprises.

***** The early scenes describing some of the whacky Christmas emergencies that Nick encounters are laugh out loud funny. Many of us can identify with Nick's tiredness of the Christmas hype, and the way he finds his way to the true heart of the season brings joy and hope. This book has one of the most uplifting endings of any novel this year at least. *****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore, Freelance Reviewer.

Qasim the hobgoblin has come up with an ingenious plan to free his peers. All he needs is several hundred human children to die. To attract the kids to him, this Pied Piper intends to pose as Santa at the mall.

At about the same time that Qasim begins implementation of his brilliant strategy, hybrid (human, Fey, and Goblin) Zee Finvarra flees with her two younger siblings from her Goblin kin. She recognizes the disguised Qasim and knows he cannot be up to anything good. However, a nasty ice storm created by her relatives pursuing her detains her from warning anyone. Dr. Nicholas Anthony is also caught by the sudden storm. He ends up sharing a cabin with the stranded Zee. Though a non-believer, he willingly risks his life to keep the Finvarra siblings safe from creatures that just cannot exist as a confrontation between good and evil is about to occur on a Nevada desert.

No one does romantic fantasy better than Melanie Jackson does (see TRAVELER, DOMINION, and THE COURIER). Her latest thriller is another winner as readers will root for the lead couple to defeat the vile villain (as nasty a malevolence as fans will find) and make it with one another. Especially interesting is the metamorphosis of Nicholas from non-believer to doubter to convert as he learns there are plenty of mysteries under the heavens including his own bloodline. Ms. Jackson is at her masterful best with this exciting tale.

Harriet Klausner

I have read all of Melanie Jackson's Wildside series books and she has built an interesting world with equally interesting characters. The newest, The Master, is no exception.

The book delves more into the world of the Goblins and the Fae. More specifically, this book deals with the Hobgoblins and their leader Qasim. In previous books he was painted as the bad guy, but in the book you see a softer side and you as the reader learn the Hobgoblins are not the danger that was believed.

I think the strongest thing about this book is the characterization. The main characters Nick and Zee were well-portrayed. Their were times when things were awkward between them, which added believability to the story. The setting was on target and the Christmas theme was incorporated well into the book.

The Master also lets you know what has been happening with the other Fae characters we have come to know from other books in the series. My only complaint was that the ending was a little rushed and everything was tied up so quickly. I really think Ms. Jackson needed another 40 or so pages to better end the story with.

I would recommend for potential readers to NOT start off with The Master. Their is a lot of backstory in this book that might leave the reader confused. If possible start with the first in the series- Traveler.

All in all, the book was a 4 stars. Good job, Ms. Jackson!

If you haven't read the other books in this series, I suggest you read them before you read MASTER. At least read STILL LIFE first. All of them are wonderful. This one is excellent.

Zee Finvarra is part human part goblin and part fey. She is running away with her half brother and sister. They are half goblin and half human. Their goblin mother has bonded with a full goblin who hates humans and that includes Zee and her siblings. She is desperate and hopes Jack Frost and the other feys will accept her and her family.

Nicholas Anthony is an E R Doctor. He has no use for Christmas and very little for fantasy. When he finds Zee and the children he can't believe they are part lutin. But the beauty of Zee's face captures his imagination. She is very beautiful and her devotion to the children is wonderful.

Qasim, the hobgoblin, is trying to find a way to save the rest of the hobgoblins and release them from their tortured existance. If he can get the humans and goblins to go to war, maybe he can force the release of his brethern. So he begins to kidnap children to be sacraficed on New Years. Surely this will force the humans to wipe out the goblins.

Zee, Nick and the rest of the feys must make a desperate attempt to stop the slaughter.

As with her other books we are snatched into an alternate world full of life, death, love and magic. I loved it. I can't wait for the next one. WILDSIDE FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, buckle up, Paranormal Addicts - it's about to get bumpy! Melanie Jackson is at it again. She and her herd of Goblins...umm...Lutins are up to their no-good tricks once more, in the fifth in the series of Goblin...umm... Lutin books. The Goblins have just about ruined every major city in the US - (I'm waiting for Melanie's Goblin...umm...Lutin horde to go ruin the Kentucky Derby! Ah, Melanie you have to! You really have to! Of course, the Lutins in the Infield at Derby might go unnoticed! hehehe). So instead of ruining another city, the Goblins turn their attention to wrecking something hallowed - Christmas. What next? The World Series. Apple Pie? Some might argue the retailers don't need any help with ruining Christmas, but Qasim, the ill-tempered Hobgoblin from her previous books, has now set his sites on wrecking Yuletide with a devilishly Lutin plot. He shall dress in a Sanity Claus outfit (Whoops, got a little Chico Marx tossed in there!)...Santa Claus outfit and go around sacrificing children in a ceremony designed to set the Lutins free from bondage.

As usual, Melanie has conjured up special denizens of the Fae to do battle with the evil Lutin Empire. This time the part-human lovers are Dr. Nicholas Anthony and Zee Finvarra. Zee is a half-human, half-Goblin on the lam with her younger siblings. They're hiding from their wicked Goblin stepfather, sheltering in an abandoned cabin in the Nevada desert. Nick, a sexy Pixie-human half-breed, is trying to make it home for the Hols when a sudden ice storm causes him to detour to the cabin where Zee and her family are staying.

Will Nick and Zee rescue Santa from all the Bad PR? Will the Goblins see Christmas decorations out in Wal-Mart in July? Will Chico Marx's ghost reveal that Harpo was really a half-Goblin? These and other earthshaking questions are fully answered by Jackson.

X-Men mutants have nothing on Jackson's Lutin Empire! The Wildside Tales are stand alone, but for full Lutin enjoyment, you need to really read them all - Traveler, Outsiders, The Courier, Still Life, and now, The Master (in that order). This is a very original, fresh romance series. Jackson has carved her own niche in the paranormal field.

Just remember, the Goblins will get you if you don't watch out... and buy Jackson's enchanting tales.

Excellent Holiday book. I read this book in 2000, again in 2001 and it will be re-read in 2002. My favorite story was The Choice by Monica Jackson.

I got much more than I had anticipated as I read these stories of inhabitants and former inhabitants of Mystic Ridge. The stories contained history as well as wonderful characters with whom anyone can identify.

this book was an easy read it was full of beautiful stories. my favorites were by ms.jackson and ms.esdaile. the book repaired hearts and mended them back together again. ms.green did an excellent job on bringing back together to people who loved one another once thru a business deal that turned out to be a bad one. ms.jackson's story was fabulous it had history written all over it. you want believe what she had instored for these two thinks to their past in another life. ms.esdaile gave nana's family a shaking just bring close together as a family thru her death. ms. forster's story was also nice she brought to people together who were opposites and made them right for one another in my opinion.

Great Book. I can't say enough about the interesting and unique concept that ties all four stories together. I would love to visit Mystic Ridge just to chat with Solomon. His ending comments were perfect. During this time of year, it was heartwarming to be reminded that we are only traveling paths started for us long ago. Many of us are learning to ackowledge our ancestors and their roles in our lives. This book reminds us of their importance. I loved all the stories, but I think 'The Choice' was my favorite. Read it and see if you agree! Good job ladies! (Typos and other errors continue to be a problem with our books, but we will continue to support our authors while things get better)

These four Christmas stories were awesome. Each story was something truly special and they were all first-class material. I must admit my favorite was The Choice by Monica Jackson. I know the holidays are over but if you can your hand on a copy of this novel, do so.

Loads of fun!
Definitely needs a lot of friends to play but it's hilarious and fun.

This is Munchkin! If you dont have Munchkin, get one today! Go to your local hobby shop or buy it here.

It's a Munchkin expansion. Munchkin is awesome. Get as much Munchkin cards as possible. Incidently, the Ranger Class added in Munchkin 5 is cheap and annoying, so use as often as possible.

i'm a big fan of munchkin, this expansion is a great addition to the game.
I recommend the whole munchkin line. collect multiple themes for great "Munchkin Madness".

At last, the rangers have arrived! They can tame the monsters and ride them like the steeds of Munchkin 4. While I thought Munchkin 4 did the best job of balancing the series (providing plenty of handless items and hirelings with class) this one's cool too. And just in time for you know what, we have the Philosopher's Scone. :)

Just when you think Munchkin can't get any more fun, they release this eldritch spawn of a card game. Lots of clever as well as painful puns. Those who are familiar with the Mythos will have a special fondness for this game. The introduction to Munchkin of the Cultist class, as well as special rules for how cultists affect game play, are most welcome (though, it does make the length of time for a 3 player game far faster than normal). My only regret was that the set wasn't twice as large, but that's what expansion decks are for.

My sons (11 and 14) really enjoy playing this game. As a long-time reader of the Cthulhu Mythos stories, I get all the jokes although they're lost on my sons. I look forward to playing the other Munchkin games.

If you're a fan of Steve Jackson Games Munchkin (the card game that spoofs D&D) and know something of HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu stories (perhaps you've played the very excellent Call of Cthulhu) then you MUST get this card game. It's a fun, easy-to-learn, non-collectible card game.

It follows Munchkin rules and could be used as an expansion, but it's even better stand-alone. There are some new Cthulhu specific rules. There's a new cultist class that's hard to get rid of. And the rule for summoning in -goth monsters is a very special new way to mess with the other players.

But, for me, it's all about the puns. Just hysterical.

I was very happy to see a Cthulhu addition to Munchkin... well, besides the level 20 Cthulhu monster in the Munchkin Bites set. This set adds in cultists, which is a nice addition when you have more players, as cultists get bonuses for other cultists being in the game, though it's very difficult to stop being one. The other classes are investigators, professors, and monster whackers. There are no side-kicks in this set, which was kind of a bummer. It would be nice to include some research assistants or something like that. You don't have to have read any Lovecraft to appreciate this set, though it helps if you want get the jokes and puns.

Another wacky and fun Munchkin version, this time into the mind bending world of HP Lovecraft's Ancient Evils From Beyond The Stars (and possibly under the bed). The best feature is the "cultist" mechanic, that speeds play and adds a few great twists to stabbing your buddies in the back! The jokes are not as fun and inspired as in "Impossible", the classic Munchkin sets or "Bites!", but there are still plenty of chuckles, puns and groaners.