King Books

"The Skin" is a complex and fascinating book.

Ostensibly it is about the American army arriving in Italy during WWII and coming into contact (often for the first time) with Europe's spiritual and moral corruption and degradation. The idea was copied a (little) bit by Joseph Heller in Catch-22. If you've read Catch-22, you have SOME an idea about what to expect.

But "The Skin" is a deeper book than Catch-22, and Malaparte was much more interested in the differences between the decadence of the old world and the brash, conquering innocence of the New World, where things such as defeat are considered physically and morally impossible. Defeat is actually seen as morally reprehensible and somehow or other, the fault of the defeated.

Unlike Heller, Malaparte never portrays the military or the politicians as out and out bufoons: he realizes that people are invariably more complex than that.

It is a rare combination of intellectual writing, combined with moments of vibrantly dark humour. An example: when an American liason officer speaks about Italian women selling their bodies, Malaparte replies that all that they are actually selling is their hunger. And that it'd be a marvellous thing if every American soldier could take home a piece of hunger to show his wife what amazing things you can buy for money.

The title, by the way, refers to Malaparte's comment that once flags have been proven worthless and shamed, the only flag people are willing to fight for is that of their own skin. The indomitable spirit of mankind is shown to be a greedy, grasping thing that will stop at nothing in order to continue existing. And the spectacle is anything but edifying.

This is not an easy book, and it is not a book for everybody. In fact, if you believe in the manifest destiny of your country or are used to dividing people between winners and losers, save your time and do not buy this book because you would not understand it.

Malaparte's book is a series of autobiographic episodes set in WW2 Italy. It shows the despair and degradation of a place where everything, everything is for sale and the only thing that matters is your skin, saving your skin and living another day. In many respects, however, Italy becomes a metaphor for the whole of Europe (watch the movie "Berlin - year 0") in those times, and perhaps mankind. In fact, Malaparte's language is often poetic and his book transcends his times to become a universal portrait of suffering man. It is the suffering, defeated man that Malaparte takes pity of, while describing man in his hour of triumph as "unbearable".

Among all the rhetoric on the Liberation and the magnificent new future that awaited Europe after the war, here is a writer who preferred to set his eyes on a painful present. Malaparte gives us a description of a terrible time which has the same timeless value as Thucidides' account of the plague in Athens.

A particularly enjoyable part of the book is the description of the contact between the Old and the New World. Malaparte, an officer of the Italian Corps that fought alongside the Allies in the Italian campaign from 1943 onwards, was very good friend with some American officers and knew General Clark. He has left us a wonderful description of the mixed feelings of the US troops in experiencing, often for the first time, the reality of Europe, of their obscure fascination and, at the same time, contempt for "corrupt" Europe, of their genuine innocence mixed with a presumption of moral superiority. In an unforgettable dialogue, an American woman serving in the auxiliary forces contemptiously asks Malaparte how can women in Naples prostitute themselves for a packet of cigarettes, clearly they must be putting their habit ahead of their honor. Malaparte drily answers that "With a packet of cigarettes, they can buy 3 kgs of bread"...

This is an intense and vivid account of Malaparte's experiences in his native Italy during the American occupation. Set largely in Naples, it picks up where his masterpiece Kaputt left off, and nearly attains the haunting, hallucinogenic power and bitter humor of his earlier work.

'The Skin' is tainted, however, by a deep misanthropy that permeates the work, and which was perhaps latent in Kaputt but seemed more justified when directed against the Nazis and other Fascists he encountered than against his countrymen. This misanthropy is voiced explicitly on a few occasions, but most venomously expressed in his racist, homophobic, and red-baiting descriptions of black American soldiers and upper class gays, respectively. So the hopeful, humanist note on which he ended Kaputt decays sourly as he recounts his experience in the ruins of Naples following the Allied landing.

Translator David Moore doesn't attain the fluid clarity of Foligno's English rendering of Kaputt, and he irritatingly refuses to translate the French and German conversations that appear throughout the book. His rendering of Florentine street idiom in Cockney accents is a poor choice.

Overall, not the equal of Kaputt, but still a memorable book.

Malaparte's "The Skin" is more than a sardonic look at the American occupation of Italy in WWII. It's a hilarious, and very sad, look at the human condition -- how low humanity can fall and how fatalistic and depraved we can become in the face of devastation. Malaparte speaks openly about the "trade" in African-American soldiers in occupied Italy, when desperate Italian families sent their daughters looking specifically for Black America soldiers to bring home -- because they were more generous and kind, more loyal and more loving -- and because they always brought loads of G.I. food to their adoptive families. You wouldn't get away with that kind of truth now, not in America. Malaprate also gives us some of the most catastropic scenes every written about the aftermath of WWII in Italy, scenes which will embed in your memory forever and recur as nightmares. He is sardonic, yes. But that is a good thing, for war is a bloody joke on those who somehow survive. Malaparte speaks of the exhausted Italian soldiers who, during the American occupation, were told they had to "live up to the shame of Italy" and were dressed in green-dyed uniforms taken from dead British soldiers, many with bullet holes and blood stains. This is a story of an insider's story of catastrophe, loss of beliefs, ruin, bombed out homes in which one still had to live, a country's most beautiful women flung at the victors to provide food for the defeated . . . . Don't miss this book. Take it from me. The only book in American literature anything like it is "The Hogs of Cold Harbor" about the true victors in our so-called "Civil War". You're missing a fundamental exercise in horrifying, bloody, hilarious literature if you don't try Malaparte's "The Skin". He's up there with Louis Ferdinand Celine, looking down on us from their crosses.

This is one of the better written books I've ever read. In fact, I've read it three times and each time I was suprised by its superb irony, excellent dialogues and lyric style. Reading it, I used to think I was reading again Dante's Comedia, but written in 1943 and sewed to our material earth and humanity, instead to Heaven or Hell.

Now that the world is at war again, may be we should read again this book...

Really nice collection of all sorts of fantasy art..from the cliche "dragon with muscle man" stuff to really really abstract images.Even has a few nice sculptures! Get it!

As with every year, the Spectrum series has proven itself to be an indispensible resource for any fantasy art fans. It doesn't matter if you're a casual fan, like myself, or an art connoisseur... There's something in here for you.

Spectrum 8 is more or less just like previous Spectrum books. The art is broken down into sections (Books, magazines, unpublished, etc.) and each section has a Gold & Silver award for the best pieces of art in that section (based on what the Spectrum jury thinks). You can spend hours looking through this book, only to pick it back up again a month later and spend another hour or two reading through it.

I suggest you purchase the hardcover edition and stash it away in your bookcase, because you'll be looking through it for years to come.

I just got my copy of "Spectrum 8". What a great collection of fantastic art. The series gets better with each volum and I like the fact that sculpture pieces is also included. I can spend and hours just observing the colors and details of the images, not to mention the fact that Moebius is finally recognized as 2001 Grandmaster. Well worth the price I paid for the hardcover. I don't need to mention much about the reproduction quality of the artwork, because it is superb. Enough said.

this book is such a great collection of artwork with artists ranging everywhere from well known designs such as those from the resident evil, spawn and a little of the sandman comic to many unknown artists who are just as highly talented. they use every different medium in this book, each with their own distinct praises. some of this artwork inspired me to start my own drawing and painting again, that's how good it is. i highly recommend this to any true fan of fantasy art.

There's a lot of imagination and talent in this book, and with such a varity of styles it's sure to appeal to a wide range of tastes. Personally, I enjoy the edgier, more contemporary material, but there is also plenty of more traditional "faries and unicorn"-type stuff as well. I especially like seeing some comic book covers being treated as the art they are, w/o the title covering up a good chumk of the work.

All in all, a GREAT collection! May it inspire you to write, drwa or create something outstanding of your own...

My son really enjoys reading the testimonies of the athletes. It's been a great inspiration for him.

My ten year old spotted this Bible at a recent trip to our local Christian book store and couldn't quit talking about it. He couldn't wait till it came in the mail and was so happy with it. My son is an avid sports fan and he knows the athletes well. He has really enjoyed reading all the testimonies. Because our son goes to a Christian school he is pretty knowlegeable about the Bible and has memorized a lot of scriptures.(For his age.) I am so excited because I know that this will only encourage him more to read the Bible and get into the Word. I feel like anything that makes learning more fun is definetly the way to go. I can't recommend this Bible enough and I think my son will enjoy his for several years.

This was a Christmas gift for my son who is an avid sportsman. This will be a great companion to the Bible he already has, and a great help for the high school students he mentors.

This Bible is an excellent devotional for sports fans! It covers, I think, every sport there is, highlighting certain athletes, teams, or memorable sports events and tying them into the message of the Bible. My personal favorite (being a Cubs fan) is the parallel it draws between Psalm 106 and Chicago Cubs fans -- with the common feature being "longsuffering!" Definitely a must-buy for the Christian sports fan.

The Sports Devotional Bible makes the Bible relevant for me with biblical principles illustrated through sports analogies and lessons. The devotionals are short and concise and take about 5 minutes a day. It is a well-conceived spiritual game plan for spiritual development that will help you to build your faith.

I am in a women's investment group and we used Ms. King's book as a textbook--it was VERY HELPFUL. I would recommend it highly. After working through the book, we invited her to speak to our investment group (she lives about 150 miles from us). She came and we learned even more through her lecture.
She will return and give us more information and even do a book signing.

This text is a Best Best for investment clubs and individuals who want a clear understanding of stock market investing. My investment group has read several other texts on investing but this one gets our vote as being the most user-friendly and informative of the bunch. We like it so much that it has become a regular part of our Club agenda.

I have read a good number of books on investing and Nancy King's book is one of the best. It is well laid out and easy to understand. It is for new individual investors as well as those of us who have been doing this for a little while. I found the information on how the New York Stock Exchange works very interesting. I never knew exactly what happens after I place a buy or sell order - the author explains the whole process. I am ordering a couple more of Nancy King's book to give as gifts to friends who are interested in investing.

Nancy King has done it. I have been looking for an investment book that I could understand and really get some information that I could use. This is the one!!! Now I can investment my money with confidence. Thanks Nancy!

A book which quickly became one of my all-time favorites is Stock Market Investing Made E-Z by Nancy B. King. I bought it last October just as I was, finally, determined to invest in the stock market. (I say "finally" because I graduated from high school 25 years ago.) The book presents all aspects of buying and selling stocks in easy-to-comprehend, bite-sized paragraphs. After reading it, I opened an account with an on-line brokerage and got started early this year..certainly a difficult time for the market, as we all know. But I applied what I had read and did my homework nightly by reading the business sections of a couple of newspapers and various financial websites, and the first-quarter's turbulence and my beginner's exhuberance notwithstanding, I am doing well in the market. And my 401-K is doing much better because I am managing it instead of merely contributing to it. Also, I have taught a couple of friends how to get into the stock market and manage their own retirement accounts. Certainly, this book has motivated me to invest more and consume less. Thanks, Nancy, your book has enriched my life.

The travels of Gwernin Storyteller, bring you into the myths and history of 6th Century Britain in a way that captivates the reader. It is a fascinating read, with each chapter being able to stand on it own as a story. I highly recommend this book and it's sequal, "Flight of the Hawk".

G.R. Grove's book "Storyteller" is sort of difficult to categorize. It's historical fiction, but a sort of whimsical fiction which is told in the tradition of the Canterbury tales. The book is a collection of individual tales, wound by the bard Gwernin. As he travels about telling his stories chapter by chapter, the wider story is revealed of his travels around Wales during the middle ages. You are introduced to an evolving, colourful cast of characters that Gwernin meets along the way, as well as those who accompany him on various adventures. As they travel, the reader hears stories of legendary England, including tales of King Arthur. You follow Gwernin through various life-experiences, and even as he falls in love.

I sort of expected this book to be much like the required reading of my High School AP English class; a chore to read and hard to retain. However it was not. It was a pleasure to read this book. Storyteller is an extremely friendly read, with a well-researched foundation, and a light-hearted tone. There is no doubt of the author's knowledge and expertise on the historical material in this book; however it is not presented in a burdensome or pretentious manner.

I confess that this style of book would not normally attract me as a reader. I tend to shy away from historical fiction. I find that more often than not, this genre is simply written as a means for an erudite author to show off his/her knowledge of historical subject matter, and the story, no matter how good, can be completely obliterated by the profusion of archaic terms and facts. Storyteller has shown me that this isn't always the case, and that sometimes a good book is just a good book. G. R. Grove is clearly an excellent writer. I can't find anything to criticize about the author's style or voice. The first paragraph will snag you and you will be engaged throughout. Then you will be dropped off at the last paragraph wanting more. Luckily, she has provided us with a sequel, which I will be reviewing soon.

I have been given no choice but to give "Storyteller" a full five medallions (stars). It is not run-of-the-mill work by any means. It isn't what I normally read, but it has me looking forward to the next installment. I recommend this book to anyone who just loves a good story; for there are plenty of those to be had in "Storyteller."

Storyteller is a series of tales chronicalling the adventures of Gwernin in his journy to become a bard in 6th century Wales. The reader will get a sense of both Gwernin the young man experiencing these wonders and dangers for the first time, and also of Gwernin the old man, looking back on his life, telling us of his triumphs, and of his youthful stubornness and folly. One delights in Gwernin's successes, but also can enjoy cringing with his embarassment. With true understanding of human nature, Ms.Grove has created a character anyone who has been through adolescence can relate to, yet firmly rooted in his own time. Throughout one gets lost in the mindset of that early century. The country itself becomes a character as it comes to life through Ms. Groves lyric prose, rich in well-researched detail. Each chapter gives a tasty mouthful, the perfect treat to devour before bed-time. I eagerly await the next instalment.

The thing that will most stick with the reader is the Welsh Flourish with which Grove writes. In fact, to add to that flourish, a pronuciation key is provided at the end (and is in fact integral to enjoying the book).

Storyteller follows the travels of a young 6th century Welsh bard named Gwernin. Gwernin starts from his home with a companion and proceeds to wander the country getting room and board where possible in exchange for his storytelling prowess. Along the way he encounters a variety of noble people, renowned bards, and charlatans.

Although one may wonder about the integrity of the interactions between Gwernin and the people he encounters, the integrity of the setting is not impeached. In fact, it is clear that Grove has spent many loving hours investigating 6th century Wales and wishes to convey that to her readers. Additionally, it is clear that Grove has a penchant for the bardic arts and likewise wishes to bestow that upon her readers.

Storyteller will give readers an excellent insight into Wales of the sixth century. Furthermore, they can garnish some fun and easy to re-tell stories by reading this work.

I immensely enjoyed this book because of its excellent historical content and the blend of tale and fantasy which makes it so much fun to read. The life of the bard portrayed in the stories is well based on historical research and the tales he tells and experiences have the right blend of myth and life that I think a person living in that time period would have believed. I am looking forward eagerly to the next instalment. Gwernin is a very realistic character and I believed in him absolutely. As for the brushed with faery he experiences, he would have believed their reality even if they were dreams for the early Welsh lived much closer to the land of myth than we do today. I think fans of both fantasy and historical novels will find this book to be a wonderful read.

I read about The Sun Kings in the Smithonian Aviation magazine. For anyone wondering about the history of our sun, this is a must read. You might think that this is dry reading but not so. It delves into the lives of many famous people who made astounding discoveries about the sun. A very interesting book. Jack Main

In his book, The Sun Kings, author Stuart Clark introduces the reader to both the early history of solar astronomy and astrophysics and the reasons why such studies are important today. Clark begins by telling of the events near September 1st, 1859 in which the Earth was bombarded by a huge solar storm. While the effects of this storm were readily observed around the planet, only one person seems to have witnessed the cause, a huge solar flare on the Sun's surface. This man, Richard Carrington, forms the the central figure of Clark's narrative but he is not the only scientist who contributes to the story. Along the way we meet William Herschel and his son John, Warren de la Rue, George Airy, George Ellery Hale and a number of other figures whose work will gradually shed light on (pun intended) the murky physical connections between our world and the star it circles.

As is often the case in biographical sketches of a scientist's work, the story begins before Carrington's contributions and continues after he meets his tragic end in what be seen as a mid-life crisis gone horribly wrong. In this sense, while Carrington may seem like the subject of the book, the bigger theme is how humans came to understand anything at all about an object that could not be touched, sampled or controlled. In presenting this, Stuart does a good job of describing the science and the culture in which it took place without getting bogged down in the technicalities of the work. By presenting the material first with a pair of near catastrophic events, the author engages the reader and then holds on by revealing the events and personalities that shaped the work done. Gone is the sort of inevitable march towards knowledge approach that many simple treatments of scientific topics use. This is replaced by a better tale of false starts, professional (and sometimes personal) disputes and rivalries along with the triumphs and collaborations that are part and parcel of scientific inquiry.

The only quibble I have is that Carrington's personal story is left a bit undeveloped as compared to the larger scientific theme. I would have liked a bit more discussion of the tradition of the British "Gentleman Scientist" and certainly a deeper analysis of Carrington himself as well as some of his actions. Much of this may be lacking due to a dearth of sources available to the author however and I certainly can not find fault with showing restraint and speculating if that is the case. This is a relatively minor quibble. A bit more serious is the lack of a good explanation of why the Sun has a magnetic field and why is acts in the way it does. It seems that if the author can find a way to simply explain differential rotation as he does, more effort could be put into discussing a bit more of the physics behind the observed phenomena.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone seeking a better understanding of the Sun, the history and culture of science or the process of scientific inquiry. Those wanting to know more about how the Sun works might be well served by checking out an astronomy textbook from their local library to supplement the material included here.

It isn't often one finds a book offering readable science along with fascinating portraits of scientists. THE SUN KINGS is an exception that does a truly commendable job of exploring the explosive nature of 19th Century astronomy and the idiosyncrasies of its practitioners. Reginald Carrington's meticulous solar observations and his discovery of solar flares and their effect on the earth are the book's major theme. But there is much more in it about the astronomical greats of that age. The Herschels (father and son), Humboldt, Hale, as well as others whose names have survived attached to various phenomena such as Bode's law, Fraunhofer lines, and the Maunder Minimum figure prominently in these pages. Clark has also sprinkled the tale with intriguing anecdotes--the meteorologist who fired dead chickens from a cannon to test the often-repeated story that tornados had stripped chickens of their feathers, the telegrapher who turned off his batteries during an aurora borealis and powered his line with the magnetic field created during the display, and the first improvised solar cooker, used to fry an egg. The 1860 total eclipse expedition with its first photograph of the event is alone worth the price of the book. Add to that the depiction of the savage infighting among the scientists of that day and the difficulties faced by amateurs and women as they were grudgingly allowed into the sacred circle of academic astronomers--these make current fracases in that field seem minor by comparison. From it all, however, emerged what seems to be a truism today, but a truly major scientific discovery--the relationship of the sun's pulsing heartbeat to events here on earth, springing in large measure from Carrington's observation of a magnificent solar flare.

This book is real history. It is well written, covers the important points of the history being written about, and is very informative. Clark has written a history of the discovery of the nature of the sun, and of how its magnetic field effects the earth. Clark does a very thorough job describing the lead researchers and how they operated. The basic science is discussed very clearly. I learned a lot.

This book is highly recommended for anyone even remotely interested in history.

Although this excellent book's subtitle mentions "modern astronomy", the book is really about the sun and how certain key individuals, the "sun kings", have made important discoveries towards our better understanding of some aspects of our nearest star and how the earth can be directly affected. In particular, the role that sunspots and solar flares play in producing auroras and magnetic storms on earth is historically explored. The author weaves his remarkable tale from the mid-nineteenth to the early twenty first century. Everything is brought together in the last couple of chapters in which our current understanding of solar astrophysics is presented. Also discussed is modern research on the observed relationship between the number of sunspots and the earth's climate - another possible contributing factor to climate change. The writing style is clear, very engaging and quite friendly; this book is very difficult to put down, in part because the author skillfully includes details of individuals' personal lives intermingled with the science that they were pursuing. The book can be enjoyed by everyone since the author was very careful in avoiding scientific jargon and in meticulously explaining scientific matters. I definitely look forward to reading more of this author's books.

I recently bought this book for my middle school sister's birthday and just flipping through it I knew it was perfect. Girls (and boys) need strong female role models, not just celebrities. I am happy that my younger sister can name every player on the Detroit Tigers baseball team but they don't even know the most popular of women athletes such as the Williams sisters. I can't wait to give this gift of current history and inspiration to the strong girl warrior athlete that is my sister.

This book is a fabulous gift for a female of any age. The photographs are both stunning and thought provoking. 100 Sports? Who knew there were so many sports opportunities for women and girls! The handicapped athletes are truly inspirational and the extreme sports are fascinating. I gave this book to my daughter who pored over every page. The quotes from the women really add to the book. I wish there were more inspirational books for girls.

I bought this book for my 3 nieces. However, it's so inspiring, I am going to get another for me. The photography is fantastic. Truly amazing!

I gave this book to my 12-year-old niece for her birthday, and she was awed by it. The photos are beautiful (and so are most of the women)! This book has a huge soul. I recommend it to everyone - man or woman, young or old - you'll be uplifted.

This is one of those books that can change your life. The photos are so totally inspiring. This book will be on all of my friends' coffee tables.

Sword in the Tree is a great way to introduce kids to the Middle Ages. Young readers can read the book on their own because the vocabulary and sentence structure are simple. The book is in no way dumbed down, however. This was a difficult and danger time, and the subject matter reflects the era. Highly recommended reading for elementary age kids (my 5yo daughter LOVED it). Also recommended for older children: Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle.

Once your child has moved beyond easy phonetic readers, you'll want to find interesting books with large print that aren't too difficult or overwhelming for the new reader. Bulla's "The Sword in the Tree" fits this description perfectly.

Try reading the first chapter to your young reader to spark his interest. Then read the next chapter or two aloud together so he/she becomes familiar with the words and flow. Then sit back and listen as your child finishes reading this exciting book about greed, courage, and chivalry.

"I am Lord Weldon! __I__ am Lord of Weldon Castle!!"

I must have been about 7 or 8 when I read those words, spoken by a 9 year old whose father was believed dead, to his evil uncle. The boy's mother stood by silently.

As a child, I sympathized with him.
As a female, I felt offended. I didn't understand why the little boy believed he outranked his fully grown adult mother in power and prestige.

As an adult with some historical perspective, it makes more sense.

This was a great story, about family love and adventure and history, and I will always be grateful to Clyde Bulla for awakening the earliest feelings of feminism.

I read this out loud to my 4-year-old son, who loves anything involving King Arthur, and he was captivated. His only disappointment was that there is no book to follow with more tales of the young Shan and his adventures. I highly recommend this as well as other historical fiction by Bulla. I have also read "Pocahontas and the Strangers" to my son, and he loved that as well.

(written by 9 year old reader of book)

There are 14 chapters in this book. It has people like King Arthur. It has a sword in it. And it has a battle in it. There is an Oak Tree that is the tree. There is a picture in every chapter. You will like this story. Do not take my word for it, look for this book in the library or the book store.

(note from parent:)
My son really enjoyed reading The Sword in the Tree, just as he has other books by Bulla. They are excellent even for relunctant readers like the one who wrote the above review.

Tales From the Dark Tower is not a book.

Tales From the Dark Tower is a work of art.

Wow... I never thought I'd start a book review like that. But then again, I never quite expected to read something like Tales From the Dark Tower, either. Because it was truly a sweet experience; one of the best ones I've had so far in my career as a book reviewer.

Well, then, what's so great about it? Let me put it this way: it's hard something that is NOT great about it. Everything, from the beautiful artwork on the cover and throughout the book (all done by genius Joseph Vargo) to the quality of the paper to the stories themselves; it's all top quality and I cannot think of a single thing that I don't like about the whole thing. Not one.

And that makes writing a review quite difficult. Why? Because there's simply not very much to say about the piece except that it's a definite must-buy. I don't usually say that; in fact I rarely say that at all, but this time I have no choice but to face the pleasant facts: I loved it. From the first page to the very last. Several different authors contribute with stories, and they're all masters of their craft.

Sure, some people might think the stories are goth-cliché. After all, they are all very much alike, both in setting (in or around the Dark Tower) or in the way the different authors present their ideas (haunted cemeteries, pale and beautiful gothic beauties, forbidden love that forever haunts the unfortunate ones, dark and sinister clouds that blocks out the sun, scary gargoyles staring down at the mortals, and so on). But then again, Tales From the Dark Tower IS a gothic collection, the authors are goths, the readers are goths, it's all a big gothic get-together and thus the stories should and could not be written any other way.

As I write this I have the book next to me on the desk. It looks beautiful. And I'm jealous on all the people out there who have still to discover it. I usually don't read a book twice, but this time I think I have to reconsider.

And I hope a sequel one day will see the light of day. Or rather, the darkness of the night

Tales From the Dark Tower is not a book.

Tales From the Dark Tower is a work of art.

Wow... I never thought I'd start a book review like that. But then again, I never quite expected to read something like Tales From the Dark Tower, either. Because it was truly a sweet experience; one of the best ones I've had so far in my career as a book reviewer.

Well, then, what's so great about it? Let me put it this way: it's hard something that is NOT great about it. Everything, from the beautiful artwork on the cover and throughout the book (all done by genius Joseph Vargo) to the quality of the paper to the stories themselves; it's all top quality and I cannot think of a single thing that I don't like about the whole thing. Not one.

And that makes writing a review quite difficult. Why? Because there's simply not very much to say about the piece except that it's a definite must-buy. I don't usually say that; in fact I rarely say that at all, but this time I have no choice but to face the pleasant facts: I loved it. From the first page to the very last. Several different authors contribute with stories, and they're all masters of their craft.

Sure, some people might think the stories are goth-cliché. After all, they are all very much alike, both in setting (in or around the Dark Tower) or in the way the different authors present their ideas (haunted cemeteries, pale and beautiful gothic beauties, forbidden love that forever haunts the unfortunate ones, dark and sinister clouds that blocks out the sun, scary gargoyles staring down at the mortals, and so on). But then again, Tales From the Dark Tower IS a gothic collection, the authors are goths, the readers are goths, it's all a big gothic get-together and thus the stories should and could not be written any other way.

As I write this I have the book next to me on the desk. It looks beautiful. And I'm jealous on all the people out there who have still to discover it. I usually don't read a book twice, but this time I think I have to reconsider.

And I hope a sequel one day will see the light of day. Or rather, the darkness of the night.

I have to start by saying that I have wanted this book forever. I am a big fan of Joseph Vargos, who amoung us has not seen his art at places like Hot Topic? A friend and I even exchanged postcards done by Vargo as our primary means of communication. His art is beautiful and most of his well known works are contained in this anthology in plate form. The quality of the paper lends itself well to the art prints and those are stunning. Had the volume been slim and only contained his art, I would have given it 5 stars.

However, since the work is also an anthology I feel I have to be fair and review it as a book, too, and I have to be honest, I have read better. There is a wide range of stories in this volume. Let me start by listing all the works with their authors so if you are looking for a specific author, you'll know if they are here. There is **The Dark Tower by James Pipik and Joseph Vargo **Born of the Night by Eric Muss-Barnes **Vampire's Kiss by Christine Filipak and Joseph Vargo **Masque of Sorrow by Christina Filipak **Shadows by Joseph Iorillo and James Pipik **Sentinels by James Pipik and Joseph Vargo **Sorrow's End by Jalone J. Haessig **Noctem Aeternus by Robert Michaels **Nightwatcher by James Pipik **Vesper Tolls by Joseph Iorillo **Sanctuary by Russell Norotny **Lilith by Joseph Vargo and **Watcher at the Gate by Joseph Vargo.

The stories are connected together by a single thread, which is the history and occupants of the Dark Tower. Some are undead, some are alive (though usually not for long) and all have tales of sorrow and morality to tell. Most of the stories are good, though I felt that many could have stood on their own without being connected to the Dark Tower. I even thought that once or twice the authors wrote the stories as stand-alones and then added elements to make it connect to the anthology. I think most interesting were the stories by Joseph Vargo. It's interesting to see what went through his mind, the stories behind his paintings as hold by him. Ultimately, I think my only complaint is I wanted the quality of the writing and stories to match Vargo's art, and that is nearly impossible. His art is so beautiful that it is very difficult to reach that level with another art form -writing.

I would recommend this book just for the Vargo plates alone, especially since Amazon now has the paperback for $16.99. The art is worth it.

So buy it, curl up on a dark and stormy night, and enjoy.

It's got great tales, awsome art work, and sexy scenes. You can't get any better than this.

I am not actually Mike, I'm his 14 year old daughter, just so ya know.... I found the book at Hot Topic and i just HAD to buy it. (It was only 15 dollars at the time, so go to hottopic.com to buy it, it is still like 4 dollars cheaper!) This book is absolutely AMAZING! If you are into gothic "fantasy" this is definitely the book for you! It is full of lavish illustrations bu Joseph Vargo of Monolith Graphics...I couldnt put the book down once i opened it! The various authors -including Joseph Vargo- do a wonderful job of painting a mental picture for you with their words. I would recomend this story to anyone looking for an extremely well put together book, but the squeamish should probably stay away, because of excess blood spillage. ... I would read it a thousand times, maybe more..if only i had the time.. Anyway, its a great read!

You may also be interested in The Gothic Tarot. Joseph Vargo came up with and illustrated it all by himself! His talents are unbelieveable! ...You can get the Gothic Tarot from Hot Topic or hottopic.com, when i purchased the deck it was only $16!!

As a black female living in Orange County I was very touched and inspired by this true masterpiece.I would have rated it TEN STARS if I could. I urge all Americans,Black,White,Hispanic,Asain etc to buy and read how great things are accomplished when the races work together.The heroes are the black runaway slaves and their white friends who helped them at risk to themselves. God Bless Roger King who wrote what could have been lost to history.Those of us who live in Orange County know Mr.King and are lucky to attend his lectures.Keep up the good work Rog. Stacey McKeon.

this piece of history is cleary written , with factual items as well as tales handed down from generations. it is an entertaining read with an important theme

After reading this book, I will start to refer to author Stephen King as the "other King." Roger King's historical cronicle surprised me and I considered myself a "hisory junkie."

As a resident of Orange County I was lucky to attend one of Prof.Kings lectures. I was awstruck by this great mans wit and powerful intellect.This thoughtful and informative book is a MUST read for the young people because it tells the story of of Orange Counties past,Americas past and the struggle of the African Americans in the 1850 era.If you get your child one book this year,make this one it.Where can I attend another Roger King lecture?

I loved it! I couldn't put it down! I read it in one afternoon without stopping, something I never do. I never realized the plight of the slaves in the North. It made me proud to be an American.