Kahn Books

Sherrill has no fear of color therefore her books always just 'grab' me. Techniques are new and interesting.

If you love stamping and sewing like I do, this is the book for you. Clearly written and leads you to your own creativity!

Creative Stamping with Mixed Media Techniques is another valuable resource and creative inspiration book from Sherrill Kahn. Both books by Ms. Kahn are full of outstanding photographs to inspired dozens of mixed media adventures. Her work is bold and colorful, and incorporates numerous mixed media techniques that are easily accessible to all readers. There are dozens of project ideas in the book that will satisfy crafters, and even more valuable are the demonstrations of painting and stamping techniques that readers can explore and adapt to their own artwork and projects.

If you love rubber stamping and painting on fabric, you need just two books: this one and the author's first, Creating with Paint. I have both books and love them equally-and, more importantly--I USE them extensively in my own artwork.
I have also taken two workshops with the author, Sherrill Kahn, and highly recommend them. Take a workshop with Sherrill if you can! She's a very encouraging, supportive and inspiring teacher, and all of these qualities come across in her two books.
One of my favorite aspects of Creative Stamping is that Sherrill shows you in step-by-step photos how she layers dyes, paint and stamping techniques to arrive at her highly complex fabrics. It's easy once you see how she does it, and that's why Creative Stamping is a must-have for any fabric painters library.
Lots of information, inspiration, and some great how-to projects make Creative Stamping well worth the investment.
Check out Sherrill's web site: www.impressmenow.com.

Again, Sherrill has produced a book worth examining for wonderful pictures, and step-by-step techniques. My greatest concern is once again finding the trademarked material TYVEK utilized in craft work. The makers of TYVEK specifically have stated it is never to be heated or used other than for what it is specifically designed for. Deathly toxic, once more it is appalling to find it used with a 'heat outdoors' statement attached. Does the company know this material is being used this way??? As an art educator I must not only be aware of this safety info for myself but for my students. Poor editing let this one slip by.

A brief, attractive pamphlet of simple Hawaiian chants and affirmations that can be done for contemplation or relaxation. The author is of Hawaiian heritage and upbringing; on the final page, she shows a typically Hawaiian concern with genealogy, tracing her ancestry back to La'a Uli La'e La'e, primordial oneness. Examples of the techniques are personal incantation chants such as A'u La'a Kea, I am the Sacred Light; also, storing breaths for particular purposes, such as Maluhia, Peace, or Hau Oli, happiness. The affirmations are much the same as in any New Age, positive thinking book, but clothed in the Hawaiian language, they show a new beauty. This is not a theoretical work. Read it if you want to learn a few simple things to practice, practice, practice! By the way, the chant in this book called Ma Kahi Kina E can be heard as track 2 on George Naope's album Na Mele'o Kawa Kahiko (Chants of Hawaii).

This is a pamphlet, not a book. It is stapled down the middle. Half the pages are filled with advice on relaxation -- about 7 lines per page.
I think it would be worthwhile to study the techniques with the author, as they are rare and valuable, but if you are particular about how the books you buy are put together, get an actual look at it before you buy.

Conscious breathing can absolutely change your life! Mahalo, Kahu Kahn, for bringing a Native Hawaiian perspective to this growing field of awareness in a practical, easy-to-read, yet profound guidebook to Hawaiian Meditation.

This is a wonderful book written for the layperson as well as the professionals in the helping field. In HA Breathe, Dr. Kahn clearly guides the reader through ancient Hawaiian meditation practices and also gives the reader insights in how to relax and focus "in the moment" at times when it may seem as if the world is spinning out of control.
Dr. Kahn writes this book with a commitment to teach the world to breathe Aloha (love) into this world. And truly make this world a better place for our children.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is committed to making this world a better place.

In today's fast paced world, we have all experienced the stress associated with keeping up with our daily commitments. However, Dr. Kahn has given us a gift with Ha Breathe, to remind to take the time to breathe and recharge our bodies with air. She reminds us to take time to ground ourselves in the present moment and to send love out into the world through our breath and intention. This is a great book for anyone interested in learning about Hawaiian healing, chanting, and the importance of breath work. Mahalo Nui Loa, Dr Kahn for sharing your knowledge with the world!

... I'm not finished with Kahn's book, but I find the central thesis fascinating. I had not considered it before. Almost everyone seems to believe that Plato's philosophy developed over time. It seems possible to construct a time line of dialogues with the "early" ones representing Socrates more than the later ones.

Who before Kahn has ever suggested an "ingressive" approach, where Plato's philosphy is fully-formed, but only revealed in pieces? Perhaps others, I do not know. But I think the model Kahn suggests opens up a whole line of thinking about Plato. So Plato didn't discuss "recollection" in the Meno without having the fully fledged idea of Forms in mind. I've always had the impression that scholars were saying that Plato's doctrine of "recollection" was the most advanced position he had at that time, as if "Forms" hadn't occured to him yet.

Anyway, I like where Kahn is going. He may not be expressing the "common opinion," but he is correct to tie the literary qualities in with the philosophy. ... I could be wrong.

I do not believe I can capture the sheer audacity and interpretive hubris of this book so I quote the author: "The anonymity of the dialogue form, together with Plato's problematic irony in the presentation of Socrates, makes it impossible for us to see through these dramatic works in such a way as to read the mind of their author. To suppose that one can treat these dialogues as a direct statement of the author's opinion is what I call the fallacy of transparency, the failure to take account of the doctrinal opacity of these literary texts. What we can and must attempt to discern, however, is the artistic intention with which they were composed. For in this sense the intention of the author is inscribed in the text. It is precisely this intention that my exegesis is designed to capture, by construing the seven threshold dialogues together with Symposium and Phaedo as a single complex literary enterprise culminating with the Republic. And that means to see this whole group of dialogues as the multi-faceted expression of a single philosophical view." (page 42)

Most scholars understand Plato's dialogues in terms of philosophical stages, that is to say, Plato had an early period, when his thought was dominated by Socrates, later came the middle period, culminating in the Republic, when he came, more and more to express his own ideas, and finally a period where he turns against Socrates entirely. But Kahn wants to know what if Plato had the plan of the dialogues mapped out in advance. What if he was critical of Socrates from the beginning? What if Socrates is not his spokesman, but an object of his criticism? Certainly, if Kahn's interpretation stands up, he has Occam's razor on his side. If Plato's dialogues break down into three groups on stylistic grounds, does that justify the assumption on that basis, the three groups date from differing periods, when Plato held differing points of view? Or are we better served to believe that these grouping constitute a literary device intentionally employed by Plato to advance a single, unchanging program? Moreover, how do we know Plato preserves the historical Socrates in his writing, or is even interested in doing so? My training is in biblical studies so I am glad to hear someone asking the same questions about the dialogues of Plato that have been commonplaces in relation to the Gospels for over a century? Are we to assume that because Socrates never performed miracles that that justifies shoddy scholarship? Certainly, from the perspective of Biblical scholars, who have been disavows the biographical nature of the Gospels for decades, reading books like Gregory Vlatos Socrates, Ironist and Moral philosopher gives one the impression that it was written in another century. And it was written (or at least published) in this decade.

This is serious scholarship. If such things intimidate you, you are better off leaving this one alone. If you enjoy such things, this is a treat.

This is one of the best books on Plato that I have read. Kahn's thesis--that Plato's early and middle dialogues present a unified philosophical vision that is gradually revealed from dialogue to dialogue (what Kahn calls the "ingressive method")--is a new twist on the unitarian thesis that the Platonic corpus gives no evidence for the sort of philosophical development that has been spotted by interpreters such as Grote, Campbell, Vlastos, Owen, and many others (probably most others, in fact). But even if one is a developmentalist at heart, one can benefit greatly from reading this book. The approach is both philosophical and scholarly, of use both to the philosopher and to the classicist. Even when it is difficult to agree with Kahn (for example, he holds that the Gorgias is an earlier work than the Protagoras, in spite of what appears to be a more complex moral psychology and a more sensitive treatment of the hedonist thesis in the former), grappling with his arguments can be both a challenge and a thrill. Rarely does disagreement serve to educate so well.

It is disappointing, though fully understandable, that this book does not treat the late dialogues. There are hints here and there that Kahn thinks he could extend his thesis further, but his treatment of the Pheadrus in the last chapter is more promisory than productive.

When the first empirical experiments confirmed Einstein's theory of relativity, story has it he was unphased. "If it had been otherwise" he is quoted as saying, "I'd feel sorry for God." If Kahn's interpretation of Plato is not correct, I feel sorry for Plato. To hear Kahn tell it, Plato is a great genius who did not, as modern scholarly orthodoxy holds, develope his point of view over time, but rather developes his reader over time to accept his ideas. Kahn believes that the decisive influence on Plato's life (other than, of course, Socrates) was the coup of the Thirty. These aristocrats overturned the Athenian democracy and, instead of ruling nobly, showed Plato how depraved and stupid obligarchy can be. The worst of these revolutionaries were Plato's brother and cousin. The only is bright spot was Socrates' brave stand against the tyrants only to get it in the neck once democracy was restored. The problem was that the ancient Greek religion was an aristocratic, heroic religion (see Homer) which encouraged the aristocrats to behave like barbarians. What Plato was trying to do was introduce a new religion (philosophy) which would civilize the aristocracy. To prove his point, Kahn must progress from Ion and Hippias Minor, through Gorgias (where he states his question fully) to the aporetic dialogues (Lysis, Meno, Charmnides) to the Protagoras (the most problematic of the dialogues to fit into his theory)and finally to goal the great middle dialogues (Symposium, Phaedo and Republic). It's quite a ride.but if you can hold on, well worth it.

I had written a lengthy review of this work but, since it has never appeared on this site, I will attempt to reprise it in a more condensed version. Charles Kahn is a highly respected scholar of ancient philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, this book does him no credit and actually calls into question his very ability to read Plato. Put as broadly as possible, Kahn sees the platonic corpus as an attempt by Plato to gradually educate his readers in his doctrines. The progress he traces is from the "earliest" works (eg. the Apology) to the Republic, which he regards as the fullest revelation of Plato's teachings. To that end he proceeds to ransack every dialogue within this period for indications of a "developmental" approach by Plato. Differences between dialogues are papered over or fobbed off on the vague assertion that Plato wasn't engaged in a coherent discussion of the topic-in-question at this point in his writings because he didn't believe that his readership could understand it. Essentially Kahn has inverted the usual "developmental" approach to Plato (ala Gregory Vlastos) by assuming that Plato's writings evolved while his philosophy did not. While this assumption is preferable it does not aid Kahn in his interpretation.

This book is a classic example of a scholar letting his critical apparatus (and prejudices) get in the way of the necessary task of sustained, careful exegesis. Kahn has absolutely no "feel" for the "literary" elements of the dialogues and he cannot give any reasons for the fact that Socrates's discussions are different when he is speaking with different interlocutors. Kahn ignores very important details for the sake of his pet thesis and it is invariably those details which disprove Kahn's readings. Why does Diotima lecture Socrates about eros in the "Symposium" but it is Socrates who does the lecturing in the "Phaedrus?" Kahn is incapable of asking or answering this question. Plato was a writer of considerable comedic talents but Kahn pays little or no attention to this. He is also enamored of making embarassing statements about Plato being a "mystic" and a "metaphysician" who is not interested in the everyday world. As Kahn never defines what a "mystic" would be it is very difficult to know whether he is referring to Madame Blavatsky or Plotinus. In addition, Plato's consistent engagement with politics and its relationship to philosophy disproves such assertions. Furthermore, Kahn's dismissal of Xenophon as "unphilosophical" raises the question of whether the ivy-league professor is being careless or just incompetent. Recent work on Xenophon has revealed a thinker of subtle complexity who was well regarded by men such as Cicero, Machiavelli, and Sir Philip Sidney. Kahn's inability to understand Xenophon is one in a series of grave flaws which capsize this work. Put as baldly as possible, this is a bad book--perhaps the worst I have read in several years--which should never have been published. The hypothesis is absurd and the analysis very shoddy. What other readers seem to interpret as "boldness" is really just zealous belief in a questionable interpretation (ie. monomania). Plato is far too subtle a thinker and writer for Kahn to grasp so the professor decided to construct an effigy of Plato which he then sets alight, believing that it is the real thing. Avoid this work at all costs and, instead, spend your money on Sayre's "Plato's Literary Garden" or Sallis's "Being and Logos" where you will be treated to a wonderfully complex discussion about the ancient sage and his writings.

Hello all! I downloaded a 32 mbyte demo version of "Ray Dream Studio 5", and unfortunately, there was no pdf type tutorial included so only the online help could answer any potential questions. That really wasn't what I wanted so I went cruisin' through the Amazon and found this little gem. With the very reasonable price; shown above, it was worth every penny. It gives a jam-packed, 300 page introduction, and provides a solid foundation that leaves you in a good position to tackle more involved tutorials. (Perhaps - "The Ray Dream Handbook"). In particular, their coverage of the "Free Form Modeler" and the "Mesh Form Modeler" packages is exceptional. If you should test out the Ray Dream demo before buying the product, this is definetly a -BUY! By the way, if you decide to download this hefty package from the internet and have a 28.8 modem like me, do it between 12am and 7:30am!

I just bought the book today, it is worth the price. Its easier to read than the manual, and gives you enough information about each section of the program. better than the tutorials provided in the manual.

When I started using Ray Dream studio, I became quite discouraged with the manuel the software came with. Visual Quickstart helped me to get through the basics of raydream, but it still has left me with some unanswered questions. I do recommend this book to beginners, although the authors are far from becoming engaging writers. If only Kurt Vonnegut was into this stuff. The guide (as they say) is inexpensive, and it can provide the novice with a basic understanding of how Raydream Studio works. I would definitely be lost without it.

While the book does cover the basic elements within the program, it doesn't explain why or when you would want to use the features, nor give good examples of what can be done with each feature. This is a book designed for beginners, and the level is correct. But, beginners more than anyone need tips and examples to get up and running. So, save your money, and do the tutorials that came with Ray Dream. Then, you can get a truly useful book like Ray Dream Handbook by Sledd.

I lost count how many times I threw the Ray Dream manual out of my office in a fit of rage because it was so poorly written and arse backwards. I then decided to do a little research on the internet and I was so relieved to find I really was not an idiot and that others had the same problem with the manual too.....thus I was directed to two great books. One was the Visual Quick start and the other a Handbook by John Sledd. I picked them both up and thumbed through them both and instantly realised that I would need to go the Quickstart way first.......OH TRUE BLISS......no more fits or rage and tears...this book was great for an absolute beginner in the world of 3d......this then made the transition to John Sledd's handbook painless.

This is an outstanding, fascinating book. It's no wonder it has won several awards. Anyone with an interest in fertility and infertility, Jewish culture and/or tradition, anthropology, and/or reproductive technologies should absolutely read it. Very well done, informative, provocative.

This is a brilliant book, eloquent, incisive, original. It is just the sort of work to attract first rate minds like Jodi Foster's.

As a professor of Judaic Studies with a keen interest in Ethnography and Israel, I thought this book, which fell into my lap, or rather through my mailbox at my university, would be of interest. I found Susan Kahn is that genre of writer I abhor: arrogant, know-it-all, and so married to erudition that she has no voice. I can't imagine how anyone, with or without my interests in kinship and Israel, would possibly make it all the way through this book. I did so, and much to my dismay. Do yourself a favor and don't go burrow into this tome. It is unrewarding; a sad statement about this "experts" utter lack of a humane voice in her work. Whatever her talents, writing well is not among them.

It's no wonder that this book won the National Jewish Book Award this year. Kahn zeroes in on a much neglected area -- the lives of women in Israel-- and a subject -- infertility policy -- of interest not only to medical anthropologists and other scholarly researchers but to interested would-be parents and their friends and families around the world. In exploring Israel's public policy on reproduction and the way Israeli women go about utilizing it, Kahn has written a fascinating, provocative, and rewarding book.

Great topic, well researched and well written. Sometimes funny. I learned a great deal about the details of the topic. Moreover, the book informs the political issues and climate of statehood for a fledgling nation at the most personal and intimate levels. I've read the other reader's review and can't imagine that the vituperative commentary is in any way suggested by the topic or the book itself. Perhaps a little New Haven vs. Cambridge rivalry. Hey, grow up! If you are a reader with an interest in how Jewish motherhood and Jewish statehood relate, read the book. If you are a kvetch, have some chicken soup and you'll feel better in the morning.

This is one of the least thorough interpretations of The Secret History of the Mongols. Anyone who finds this book of any interest should read the same book translated by Francis Woodman Cleaves or Igor de Rachewiltz, both versions are considerably better.

It is a gold for historicals but will be very hard to read for people who are not interested in Mongol history

The Secret History of the Mongols is one of the most important primary source for study of Mongol history and Chingis Khan. Also, this book is very impressive poet like Homor's great works. I know Francis Woodman Cleaves has already translated it into English. He is great master of Mongol history, however, his "King James English" is terrible, especially foreigners like me. Paul Khan's work overcomes this big problem. The easy and spoken English let everyone enjoy it. Now, read it, enjoy it, and feel the "World Conqueror"

The Secret History is a record of the Mongolian Royal families, which is thought to have been written during the thirteenth century. Paul Kahn has kept the original prose format in his translation, which I feel makes this the only version to own. It begins with the creation myth of the wolf and deer from which the Mongolian people (in legend) are descended from; throught he birth of Temujin, and ending with the ascention to the throne of Ogedai Khan. I highly recommend this to those who are looking for primary sources to add to their Asian history collections.

Fabulous! If you are bound for Mongolia you MUST read this.... or bring it along as a gift for your guide. Easy to follow and a wonderful look into the past! I LOVED this book.
A keeper.

I thought the book was very interesting and hard to put down.The detail was amazing until I realized the subject had kept notes of his early career. It left me wishing for more information about his war and post-war career. While the intricisies of the cryptanalytic processes described were hard to follow sometimes,enough information was given to keep the reader's interest. A real tribute to a genius and a national treasure. The book aroused my patriotic emotions.

This book goes into considerable detail regarding what was done but provides almost no information on how it was accomplished. Rowlett was one of a small group of mathematicians who were introduced to cryptography by the legendary William Friedman. As recounted in the book, the group had remarkable success in breaking both Red and Purple,the Japanese diplomatic codes in use prior to WW II. Rowlett describes how the group was trained under Friedman's direction but supplies no information what so ever regarding the nature of the training. This is the case throughout the book as it relates to how every issue of importance was analyzed. The section of the book which describes the construction of the device to decode Purple is excellent in recreating the intensity of the event. One can almost smell the odor of burning electrial equipment when the contacts on the first version of the device melt and then fuse. Rowlett was obviously acutely aware of the importance of protecting the technical information related to the activities he was engaged in ; however, in doing so he produced a document which although descriptive is not at all informative. It is highly unlikely, because of antiquated security considerations, that the full story of this remarkable accomplishment will ever be presented at a level of granularity it deserves.

This book by a pioneer cryptanalyst gives a fascinating insight into how Army cryptanalysts developed the skills and techniques that lead to the breaking of the high level Japanese Diplomatic code "Purple". It describes how the team lead by Rowlett duplicated the complex Japanese Purple cipher machine from manually broken intercepted messages - a feat that astonished Navy cryptanalysts. It describes how Rowlett developed the concepts for a code machine used by the United States during World War II that was never broken by enemy cryptanalysts. The overall account is exciting. It gives the reader a behind the scene look at the numerous obstacles American cryptanalysts faced both internally and externally - and how they overcame them. It is written by a man who for security reasons remained in the shadows for years but in the world of secret communications stood as a giant. After reading The Story of Magic one should read Hitler's Japanese Confidant by Carl Boyd. The reader can then begin to fully appreciate how reading Japanese diplomatic messages contributed to the United States diplomatic and military successes.

Truly a great American hero -- Rowlett provides an abundance of detailed history and information regarding U.S. cryptography during WWII.

His book demonstrates how he applied his genius in extremely high stakes military situations involving the development and application of code breaking and encryption technology.

The author is able to keep the reader's interest in dealing with a complex subject.

An intriguing disclosure of highly secret activities that moves one from the days of the "Little Orphan Annie Secret Decoder Pin" to the ultimate in the use of electronic machines in the 1940's.

Frank Rowlett's story is an intense day-by-day account of life as a cryptanalyst in the Signal Intelligence Service during the years leading up to WW II. This story puts together important pieces of the historical puzzle. As a story, it is exciting, and brings history alive.

This book was published as a well bound, hardback, dust jacketed book by Aegean Park Press, a publishing house well known for re-printing (keeping available and alive) important Cryptanalytical, Cryptological, Cryptograhic publications in softcover 8-1/2" x 11" format. Just the way this particular publishing house, who specializes in crypto works is treating this book "screams" the high regard they have for it.

If you're looking for crypto course work, the how-to-do-it, Aegean Park Press has it, (though not in this book). If you are looking for the taste and feel, the heart and soul of real cryptanalysts enjoying their work, that IS the form & substance of this book; as well as being an important historical work.

It is the author's ability to properly convey the ideas of the given subject that should be addressed not who the author chose to review it. Having read books by several of the "well-known' authors in the area of Topology, i.e. Munkres, Kelley and Bourbaki, I found this book quite informative, lively and lives up to the author's assertion that there is a definte need for books that are less dense(terse, pedantic) and which get right to the point, illustrating and presenting the material essential for an introductory exposure to Topology. The exercises are well chosen and extend the material presented in the text which is a complementary bonus since there appears an unfortunate trend in some texts to have seemingly irrelevant exercises at the end of each section. Also I found this to be good book for independent study and strongly recommend it to all highly motivated undergraduates.

While a good sense of humor is as necessary to reading (and hopefully to learning) topology as is mental acuity, self-serving Reviews by Authors are offensive and similar "contributions" by Authors' relatives (if that is in fact what we have here)are even more so given the price of textbooks these days. Why doesn't the good professor submit the results of a survey of his students (anonymous and conducted by someone other than himself, we would hope)who have used this book as a text? Better yet, would the professor submit an open letter to a peer-reviewed journal soliciting such evaluations from colleagues at other schools which haveused his text?

As the father of the author, I recommend this book heartily to topologists the world over. I originally purchased my copy at Blackwell's bookshop in Oxford, England. --Irving Kah

I find this to be an excellent treatment of concepts with have been made quite difficult in other texts.

I used this book as a supplement for math590(ind.study) on simplicial homology groups. This book is good because its cheap, concise, and rigorous (and characterizes all compact surfaces as well as proves the simplicial approximation theorem). There are hints and answers to the exercises which are numerous and vary in difficulty. I think this is the best all around book Dover offers on topology; Maunders is completely in a league of its own.

This is really a first class presentation just like many of the other Cracking the AP series books. It explains the BC curriculum fully and has a good assortment of practice problems, yet you will want a textbook that has similar problems so you can really build up your speed and accuracy. The only problem I saw was that there was a relatively high percentage of erroneous results in the answer pages (compared with a typical Calculus text). If you use Maple, Derive, Mathematica or even a TI-92 you can verify those answers the book doesn't agree with you on. Other than that it is very effective.

I had no clue what was going on in my AP Calculus class, and I was about to take the AP exam, in a couple of months. So I decided to buy the Princeton Review book, because their SAT materials were pretty good, so I assumed that this book would be good too. It is, it's easy to understand, and really teaches you the basics of calculus. But that's the problem, it's too easy, when my teacher gave us practice exams, I had no clue what was going, even though I had prepped with this book. Perhaps something like Barron's would be a better choice because I heard that it offers more depth, so if you want to get like a 3, then go with this book, but if you want to shoot for something higher, go with a more demanding book.

The author, David Kahn does a superb job of explaining in clear, simple, casual manner many of the more difficult topics cover on the AP Calculus exams. He provides numerous step-by-step instructions of how to master many types of problems and also gives a lot of quick tips and tricks. He has obviously had much experience teaching this course. This book is amazingly easy, even fun, to read. There are numerous examples, practice problems and actual exam-type questions. I found this book organized and written in a way that makes it stand out from all other books of its type. I especially found it more readable and useful than the long-time favorite in its class - Baron's AP Calc. Review.

This series, of which this is the second book, is one of the most memorable I've ever read (3 times now). The concept of going back in time to create the present is exceptionally well done - the David Gemmel Jon Shannow novels have a similar concept. The idea that our mythology is based on past cycles of earth time is also very well done. It's a pity this volume (Time's Dark Laughter) was left on a flight to Perth and that it is now out of print.

Unlike the original of the series (World Enough, and Time), this book has no excuse for its flaws and that's a shame. WEaT was, for its time, something very different from the usual fantasy novels on the shelves. TDL unfortunately isn't so much a sequel to WEaT as a reinterpretation of the original and continuation of the original storyline to a drastically altered conclusion. And I don't mean this in a good way...

The author takes the original setting and characters and begins to tie up loose ends, beginning with the "Joshua and the Queen" plotline. This (through Rose, another character from WEaT) initiates a second "rescue journey" by the remainders of WEaT, a new character (Aba) and one from WEaT that was only lightly utilized (D'Ursa Magnu). However, the characters are definitely five years older and much different than before, and the rescue journey plotline and concurrent expansion of the setting (further details on The City With No Name, the Queen, and the general West Coast area) only take about half the book. So far so good...

But then the author utterly re-interprets everything about the novel(s), including characters, plotline, history and such, with the birth of The Child. It was almost as if he wrote the first half a year or so after WEaT, then wrote a dozen movie knock-offs for Spielberg and Lucas, then remembered he had a novel to finish and came back to it with an entirely different concept on what it was about. And the new concept just doesn't fly. It's ponderous reading, even moreso than any volume of the Thomas Covenant/Illearth War series, and drags out to its inevitable conclusion in spurts (many wasted words filled unnecessary paragraphs, whereas entire other sections which should have taken several chapters were completed in but a few pages). The storyline was very uneven, and after only a few chapters I didn't even care what was going to happen anymore...I just wanted the book to end.

But as bad as that was, the author had one more rotten trick up his sleeve to firmly cement a Two Star rating here. At the end he totally re-interprets the setting from post-apocalypse USA in roughly 2300 CE to a pseudo-Hyborian age type setting where everything in the books has actually happened in the *past* relative to modern times, and explains it with a trite, contrived "Time is a rubber band and everything repeats itself again and again" bit of pop philosophy. Yes, this is as bad as the infamous "Luke, I'm your father" reinterpretation in Star Wars, and it's not even an original idea. Moorcock used a similar concept to MUCH greater effect in his Eternal Champion novels a decade or more prior to TDL. Then, in conclusion, the author drops a short "and here's how some of them lived happily ever after" epilogue into the mix to tie up loose ends, having left Beauty in the Mosian Firecaves and Aba in search of his sister and lover.

I'm hoping that someday, someone will rewrite WEaT and TDL as a movie script, throw out everything about The Child, and make a good 150 minute action-adventure fantasy movie from the material. But somehow I doubt that will happen; I can't see it being done well-enough to get anything less than an R rating while remaining true to the vision of the original setting and plot, and it certainly would test the boundaries of cultural acceptability (it's an anthropomorphic world, with humans and vampires as well, so there are quite a few scenes of animal/human/vampire "interaction" that play with the bestiality taboo...just how are they going to explain the relationship between Josh the Human and Isis the Cat)?

This was one of the three best books I have ever read. The characters were engaging, and the plot was so thick that once I picked this book up, it was not possible to put it down. If you're looking for a book so good that you will stay up all night reading, this is it!