O Books

I discovered this series orignally via a loan [yes, all were returned] over 10 years ago. Over the next 5 years I painstakingly collected them, all long-since out of print, for myself from used bookstores across California. Having read and reread them to the point of needing "new" copies yet again [thanks to Amazon this time], I cannot recommend the enire trilogy enough.

This end piece wavers not at all with regard to the charaters, story, plot and tone as begun and carried through Sword of the Lamb and Shadow of the Swan. Alexand, Adrien, the Concord, the Phoenix, the Outside... you cannot help but be caught up in the personal, political and global struggles of the society which MK Wren has created. The technology developed as part of this post-Disasters environment makes their world only that much more appealing.

Intensely detailed, the historian in me was just as delighted with the "archive lectures" as with the "current" story line. The lectures are also very much a necessary part of the first read-through.

Within the character's lives and the attendant system-wide events they are a part of, there are enough challenges and setbacks to keep what is going right from feeling over sappy and preordained. I only wish that, like the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings [the only series I've gone through more copies of], there were more books to go with these three.

Have I been vague enough in my praise? May I also say that I liked the original cover art better?

I read the first of these books when I was in 7th grade. It took me two years to locate a copy of the 2nd book and two more to find the 3rd. It was well worth the wait and I stayed up all night to read the final book. The characters are wonderfully crafted, the story line is multilevel. The only books I have read more times are "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Lord of the Rings". If you can locate a copy of these in a used book store, buy them! Don't let the romance novel apperance keep you from enjoying these great books.

When I first read this trilogy, I found it very deeply flawed. The drama was so over-the-top, the posturing of the characters so ludicrous, the general space-operaish feeling so unashamed. It was laughable.

And still. I have come back again and again to the trilogy. It has everything: the appeal of the peek into aristocratic life, dashing princes (and even pirates!), beautiful princesses about to be ravished by depraved cowards, tyranny, slavery, a secret society to overthrow them... wow.

If M.K. Wren had had a sense of humor and a sense of the ridicolous, she could easily have become Lois McMaster Bujold. Even as it is, this _is_, despite all, a good, engrossing read. There is no denying it: I shook my head a lot, but I was greatly entertained. The moment when archvillain Ussher dies bravely, owing his heroic resistance much more to madness than to greatness, was really, really great.

All in all, I'm a bit disappointed that Wren has not written any more SF.

Why does every book I like go out of print! Clearly my mother was cursed. That said, this is an excellent trilogy (containing very plausible character development). It also has swords and spaceships! Whoopee! However, I must admit I skipped the sociological chapters (and I'm a lecturer).

I found the 2nd book (Shadow of the Swan) of the trilogy first and was immediately hooked. I found the first book (Sword of the Lamb) next in a used book store in Dallas ( this was years before Amazon.com) and searched for the third (House of the Wolf) for 3 years. It is the most engrossing and enthralling set of books I have found since the Lord of the Rings. I've worn out two sets and am now wearing out the 3rd. It has adventure, action, romance, morality (and immorality), philosophy, religion and can still be classified as hard sci-fi. Character development is superb and the historical progression into the time of the trilogy is frightingly believable and, given current events, terrifyingly possible. This is a trilogy that needs to be re-printed in hard cover and is appropriate for all but the youngest of readers, both male and female.

My grandson (22 months) laughs when this is read and at the same time has learned the names of various musical instruments

This book is a trip ! I teach Music K-2 and all the children loved this book. The best part about Shy Fellow is that it's a great teaching tool in terms of all different musical instruments swallowed. The children were amused, curious and interested with every page!
Music Teachers: I highly recommend this book !!

This book is delicious! A parody on the song, " I know an old Lady who Swallowed a Fly", "I know a Shy Fellow Who Swallowed a Cello" is funnier and delightfully illustrated. I purchased it because I am a music educator, and I highly recommend it for children from ages 3 to 100, but only if they have active imaginations.

The kids in my class loved singing along. I read/sang it with my K-3 music students. They all know the tune and enjoyed this variation. I used it to introduce various instruments and as a memory test for the kids. Cute pictures, well written. Just be ready to explain the word "bellow."

Barbara S. Garriel has created an interesting shy fellow who has an almost never ending appetite for musical instruments. With the artistry of John O'Brien and the writing talents of Ms. Garriel, this shy fellow takes a whimsical journey that will have everyone smiling. This book is a "must have" !

Legendary journalist Theodore H. White (1915-1986) always wrote with great eloquence, but never more so than in this superbly moving autobiography. White begins by describing his impoverished boyhood in Boston's Jewish ghetto and his undergrad days (on scholarship) at Harvard in the 1930's. He then writes with great passion about his years as a correspondent in war-torn China (1938-1945), which included working for Time Magazine, reporting on China's leaders, and helping to curb a famine. The author's attachment to the Middle Kingdom has doubtless inspired several readers (including myself) to visit that enchanting yet tragic nation. White also describes his career in post-war Europe, and his days as a returned U.S. journalist during the prosperous 1950's and beyond. Readers get a first-hand look such notables as Dwight Eisenhower, Mao Zedong, Chou En Lai, Douglas McArthur, Chiang Kai-Shek, Joe Stillwell, Konrad Adenauer, etc. We also get an intimate look at John F. Kennedy's bid for the Presidency, and his brief tenure in office. White concludes with a bittersweet account of returning to his once-tranquil boyhood home in the 1970's - now encircled by ghetto blight and violence.

Theodore H. White was one of the top journalists of the 20th Century, and perhaps best known for his MAKING OF THE PRESIDENT series (1960-1972). Very few writers have ever matched his eloquent prose, which is abundant in this superbly moving 1978 memoir.

.......how a young man's decision to add Chinese to his college curriculum changed forever his life, placing him at all the pivotal points of history in his time....meeting the men with the visionary ideas........and writing of this journey so exceptionally we all experience the intimacies of every moment.

I really LOVE this book, have read it several times! I can't believe one person was able to do all of these fascinating things and tell about it in such an engaging manner. The material in China in WWII is probably the most fascinating and tells stories about the Chinese leadership that most westerners don't know. The McCarthy era and the Kennedy campaign and assasinations also were riveting.

This is one of those rare authors that can make an exciting history jump off the pages at you. And White was lucky: he saw some of the most interesting events of the 20th century, up close and with access to the principal players. The latter part of the book, where he describes the inner circle of the Kennedy camp on election night, 1960, is one of the best passages I have ever read.

Theodore H. White (1915-1986) is widely regarded as one of the greatest journalists of the World War Two "G.I." generation. TIME magazine once called him the "godfather of modern political reporting", and he is best known for his classic "Making of the President" series of books. From 1960 to 1980 White covered every presidential campaign and observed the political leaders who participated in them. He became so well-known that candidates from John Kennedy to Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan gave him unprecedented access to the inner workings of their campaigns. White's first book in the series - the bestselling "Making of the President 1960" (which covered the Kennedy-Nixon contest) earned him the pulitzer prize. Yet White was far more than just a political reporter, as this marvelous memoir proves. By 1976 White had grown both tired and bored of covering presidential politics, and so instead of doing another book on the '76 campaign, he decided to write his autobiography. In "In Search of History" White offers a superb chronicle of his remarkable life and career. Born and raised in a poor Jewish slum in Boston, White came from a family of intellectual Jewish immigrants who nonetheless experienced grinding poverty. In his youth White was in many ways a child prodigy - he was both brilliant and energetic. He sold newspapers to help his family pay the bills, attended Harvard University on a scholarship and became fluent in Chinese. In 1938 White, only 23, flew to China to cover that nation's heroic resistance to the Japanese invasion. He was soon hired by Henry Luce's powerful TIME-LIFE magazines to be their Asia correspondent, and for awhile he was Luce's star reporter. White vividly describes his experiences in China and Asia during World War Two, from a devastating famine to his meetings with legendary Chinese leaders such as General Chiang Kai-shek (whom he despised) and Communist leaders Chou En-lai and Mao Tse-tung (with whom he formed a wary respect). He also met the great American generals of the Asian theater of the war, such as Douglas MacArthur and Joseph Stilwell. White seems to have been present at a vast number of great historic events, and among his best descriptions is that of the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri in 1945. After the war White moved to Europe, where he covered that continent's attempts to rebuild and unite and America's efforts to help. In the fifties White began covering American politics, and then in the sixties he both covered and became a close friend of the Kennedy family - thus becoming (as he reluctantly admits) emotionally closer to his subject than he should have been. White's closeness to the Kennedys was dramatically revealed in late November 1963, when Jackie Kennedy personally chose him to discuss the intimate details of the assassination in Dallas and to write a "final word" about JFK. It was White's "Epilogue" (published in LIFE), that created the legend that Kennedy's Presidency was "Camelot" - a word which Jacqueline Kennedy insisted be used in describing her husband's administration. It is apparent from "In Search of History" that White led an extraordinary life and had many adventures (and misadventures) along the way. He is an engrossing writer, and despite the book's length I never grew bored or restless. Among the thousands of journalists of the twentieth century, White almost certainly belongs among the top ten, and this autobiography proves why. Highly recommended!

Party books always catch my eye since our family gets together often. However this book not only caught my eye -- I bought it! I also suggested my library buy it, and after reviewing it, they agreed! I am thrilled with the new ideas I can use on old friends and family that have been to more than a couple parties at our house. After awhile it seems like you've served the same food and done the same thing. Instant Parties gives complete, fun ideas for parties with a different twist - not weird - just refreshingly new!! The humor the book is written with encourages your party brainstorm, and if you hadn't planned on giving a party, it will get you in the party mood!! It's a great book.

Are you tired of "sitting around and having pleasant chatter" type parties? This book gives you creative, manageable, fun ideas for parties that your friends will be talking and laughing about for years. If you want the "same old-same old" - buy a different book.

The format is entertaining - so just read it for the fun of it - you can dream of the friends you would invite.

I am planning to buy several as gifts for my friends. I want the whole bunch to bond together by planning and participating in a variety of parties as described in the book.

Great ideas, easily done! An American theme which can be readily adapted to anywhere in the world. We have used several of the themes already, and have had great fun - we've even become popular with our friends for a change. Well written and fun to read - we laughed until we stopped!!!
Highly recommended to anyone with a sense of fun and adventure. To anyone else - you don't know what you're missing!

I live in Key West FL and as you can probably imagine a quite a town for parties. Like most Conchs I hold 2 jobs to cover the costs of living large in paradise so I don't have the time(or the creativity truth be told)to pull off a party that measures up. The 2 parties I have thrown so far using this book has made me quite the center of attention amongst my (rapidly expanding) circle of friends. Two words "BUY IT!" I can't wait to throw the "Done Yer Duty" party after the holidays. p.s. The book is also very funny. Too bad there is not a 6-Star rating available.

It's about time that a party book was written that still allows you to have fun at your own gathering instead of worrying about the weird French dish in the oven. A great, unpretentious book that features creative ideas and is entertaining to read even if you have no friends to throw a party for. These are parties that are quick, easy, and fun that won't stress you out or empty your wallet. I highly recommend it!

I am traveling to Ireland soon, and found myself in need of a Rough Guide-- because no one else does it better. So far its been instrumental in planning my trip: from arrival in the Southern port cities to a trip around the Ring of Kerry to our planned stay in Dublin, its the starting point in accounting for lodging, restaurants, and activities. No guide can encapsulate the entire country they're "guiding" you through, but the very best give you a great sense of where and how to begin engaging with the country or countries in question and the Rough Guide typically does this with aplomb. I'm also headed to Britain on this trip too, and trust-- I've got the Rough Guide for Britain, too. Laurence West

I used this book for a 10-day driving trip around Ireland with my mom. My mom had brought Frommer's and Fodor's guide books, and we kept coming back to the Rough Guide. I'd used my first Rough Guide in Ecuador and loved it. What I love is that they cover everything, not just the tourist traps that the "mainstream" guide books do. The book's recommendations are right on and they have information on even the most out-of-the-way places. The book's best suggestion was climbing Mount Errigal - quite a hike, but so worth it.

Even the maps in the book are excellent. We ended up using the Rough Guide maps combined with a tourist map we got at the aiport for a large-scale view of the country. The Michelin driving map we brought ended up being too complicated to use.

After several great experiences with them, Rough Guides are now my guide book of choice. You won't be disappointed with this one!

This is the first Rough Guide I've purchased, and I'll be looking for more in the series. I like the way the guide is structured, by county and town/smaller area, with attractions described in detail enough for a reader to decide whether or not to see them.

I was weaned on the Blue Guides when I first did international travel. I loved the detail about towns and historic sites in those guides along with the suggested tours. The Rough Guide lived up to this standard for me. It provided a good level of detail to enjoy our touring with an organzization of the information that made sense.

This was the 3rd "Rough Guide" I've used, and in my opinion they are the best resources for travel to new countries. They not only cover the "standard" areas and sites in detail - including a good range of lodging and dining options - but also take you off the beaten track, exposing nice gems not covered in other books.

If you like to really EXPLORE a country, rather than find the next good shopping area or find the most economical place to sleep, this book and ALL of the "Rough Guides" are for you!

I hated the thought of this book ending. This adventure book became one of creativity in survival with some interesting twists and turns, too exciting to put down. When I finished the last page I knew there had to be a sequel....here's hoping to see the next adventure of Millie!

This book was a fabulous account of the growth of a middle aged woman from someone always dependent on her man (father or husband) to a self assured independent individual. I hope no one ever has to go through the process through which she learned her true self, but the story pulls you in and holds you fascinated, always taking a twist that you did not forsee. It was easy to read and made a cold, rainy weekend bearable.

This book was a fabulous account of the growth of a middle aged woman from someone always dependent on her man (father or husband) to a self assured independent individual. I hope no one ever has to go through the process through which she learned her true self, but the story pulls you in and holds you fascinated, always taking a twist that you did not forsee. It was easy to read and made a cold, rainy weekend bearable.

Mildred is MY kind of woman. A real survivor. She uses not only her physical strength, but her mind to overcome the obstacles placed in her path. I really liked the way the book was written in the form of a journal. I found that I could read a while and then if I had to leave it for a day or two, it was easy to pick up the continuity of the story. Mildred was portrayed in a very realistic way and Ms. Purtee's descriptions of the problems she encountered were at times mind-boggling. Good work, Georgia! When is the sequel coming out?

As a man, I thought I wouldn't like this book. My wife almost forced me to read it so we could "talk" about it. But after the first few pages, I got hooked and could hardly put it down to go to supper. Again I say, "What a woman!" She's a little paranoid, but has to be, I guess. Anyway, when Mildred finally finds her inner strength and begins to kick butt and take names, i almost yelled out loud. This book had the two things I like most, humor and action. I didn't like one or two of her descriptions, that's all.

I AM STUCK IN THE TUNNEL AND I CAN'T GET THE THREE FIRES TO MEET. AND ALSO I CAN'T GET THE TWO ANIMALS TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE DOOR.

Hi! I'm in the budah temple, and i can't find the book to give to the green budah. I reallllllyyy need help i'm begging. LOL Thanks

Where is the knife in the aztec world ? please. brwnsele40@hotmail.com

I have looked everywhere for this book and I have not seen it anywhere. can you please tell me where and how I can buy it?

No review I would like to know where to find this book

The idea behind the book is great, but it lacks the satirical bite of The Wandering Jew. As a "realistic" novel it suffers from the fact it has only one source, the Bible

This is another masterpiece from Stefan Heym, the pseudonym for Helmut Flieg. The author is an East German/American Jewish writer, known for his controversial political standing, and as an advocate of "real socialism" he has been a victim of totalitarism and western democracy alike. In "The King David Report," Hyem has retold the old biblical/legendary/historical story of King David. The main character, who personifies the author, is Ethan of Ezra, a wise, truthful man who has been entrusted by King Solomon to write the official version of King David's life and deeds. Ethan is the intellectual who must face the conflicts of time and who is tormented by the limitations which are set to his writing the truth, who soon realizes that learned men are an annoyance to the people and a bother to the servants of the King. To what extent should he expose the truth of King David's life, who setting aside his political glory can also be accused of being a murderer, adulterer, and a machiavellic leader? How does history deal with a King whose only purpose was power, who only loved himself, whose God was made exclusive to himself and justified his crimes in the name of the Holy One? Ethan soon realizes that the outlaw will cover his tracks rather than leave behind accounts of his exploits, and a high price is to be paid by those who are willing to bring forth the truth.

How are we to deal with historical undesirable matter? Tell it all, tell it with discretion, or don't tell it. Heym's intention is to extrapolate the story of King David to events taken place in our recent history, something that comes out quite easily for the reader. But despite oppression, torture, false witnesses, perversion of the facts, plariarism, and the death of the innocent, the author is a positive, optimistic thinker. He believes that it is impossible to entirely divorce history from truth and expect it to remain credible. "As the sun breaks through the clouds, truth will break through words..."

"The King David Report" has a complex structure, a well-documented background, and a clear ironic transparency. It is a well-elaborated piece of literature, which must be seen as a historical novel, a biblical account, and a political satire.

An amazing portrayal of an honest man caught in the forces of a history driven by less-upright minds.

An eminent scholar is asked by King Salomon to write a true - nothing but the truth - biography of his father King David.
The scholar's research reveals a not so quite divine portrait of the late king. It is heavily stained by incest, sodomy, treachery, lechery, manslaughter, bloodbaths and opportunism. In one word, it exposes a satanic character.
King David followed the advice of his counsellor: 'In order to reign you should have but one goal: power, and love only one person: yourself.'
The scholar discovers also some very compromising facts about the present king.

He recognizes all too well that he lives in a split world: 'I do not say what I know; I say what I don't think; I think what I don't say; I want to say what I should not think. I am a dog turning around and around trying to catch a flea on my tail.' 'Truth is the daughter of ill fate.'

His report becomes a tohuwabohu: a rewrite of a rewrite ... until he looses his job.
The king's command of a true biography turns into an order for censure. There should be a yawning abyss between reality and what his subjects should believe: 'Do as I say, not as I do.'

This novel was (and is) an extremely intelligent attack on the 'newspeak' of one party-communist regimes, which wield(ed) complete control of the communications sector.
But the problems it tackled are even more actual and widespread today. Our world is dominated by big media monopolies, which are controlled by the powerful, who in turn control the government. These powerful people are not interested in the truth, only in 'their' truth.
Sabotage or direct liquidation of free objective journalism is rampant all over our planet.

This novel is an extremely clever and magisterial exposure of the all important 'the media and the powerful'-issue.
A must read.

Being the account of the life and times of the Biblical King David, this historical novel, masquerading as an official report from King Solomon's designated historical interpreters, shines a brilliant light on the Biblical David as well as on the process by which fact becomes "historical truth". Imagining the court of King Solomon, a somewhat small-minded, self-seeking, albeit reasonably clever, Near Eastern potentate, Stefan Heym here conjures for us a picture of a reluctant scholar sucked into the maelstrom of politics and revisionism by which governing bureaucracies have historically secured their rule. Called to Jerusalem by King Solomon to help glorify the memory of his father, David, and establish the regime's bona fides, Ethan of Ezra, an actual Biblical personage credited with writing one of the psalms, must seek out the varying threads of King David's life from those who have survived him and meld these with the official records and documents of Solomon's court, all with an eye toward creating a legendary king who will give legitimacy to the rule of the petty tyrant, Solomon. Ethan does this at continued risk to his own life and to what is his, driven by an insatiable desire to ferret out and preserve some semblance of truth. All the while, he must find ways to compromise and get away from the court intrigues in one piece. The King David he discovers is not a particularly lovely specimen of humanity and it is Ethan's challenge to preserve a glimpse of this true David, through the smoke and mirrors of the official history he must write. Satiric and ironic by turns, the tale has one real flaw: its characters, though sharply realized, remain aloof from us, people we see but do not greatly care about. However, the book is so well written otherwise, the ancient world of the Bible so brilliantly evoked, that this deficiency does no harm to the book itself. This one is finely wrought as it lays out a convincing tale of how the Bible we have may actually have come to be and of what must really lie beneath the surface of the confused and folklorish tale of David that has come down to us from its ancient authors.

SWM The King of Vinland's Saga

I read this book after my mother died 16 years ago and I still recommend it when someone I know has lost a loved one. It really explains the grief process and lets you know that no matter how you feel and how you respond, you're not losing your mind. I found it very comforting. I also pulled it out and reread after having a miscarriage. This book is full of wisdom that will help with any loss. I highly recommend it!

Lead Me Home:: An African-American's Guide Through The Grief Journey

At a time when I had lost 3 people that I loved very much over a period of only 6 months, I was not sure where to turn. Friends, family and co-workers said, "just take it one day at a time". Although this is a very true statement, understanding the emotions you are feeling and why can really, really help after a loss. This book doesn't just touch on death, it encompasses all losses from a job or divorce to the loss of a loved one. There are so many different things to consider and this book helps to drill down to your connect to the job or person and why the loss if effecting you in the way it is. I highly recommend this book, it does have a bit of a religious spin but not as a turn off, as a warm welcoming feeling that someone else understands.

This book has helped me so much during a very rough time in my life where I've split from my husband, lost my house that I dearly loved, and moved to a place that I hate. It helps you understand what you're going through, and it gives you things to do that can help. An amazingly good book!

I purchased this book after the sudden death of a friend. I was at a complete loss as to how to deal with it, and had never experienced this type of loss before. I was shaken.

I can't believe my good fortune to have this book. It taught me so much about the role Grief plays in our lives, as well as it's not just limited to the lose of a person or relationship. Grief can come in all forms from all things. I found it very comforting to discover this and it actually helped me to embrace grief as a natural precursor to healing.

This is definitely a great book to have around, and did give me some tremendous insights. I highly recommend this book for anyone having experience a loss or a feeling of loss that you can't seem to attach to anything. I really feel like this book was a sanity saver in a sense, as it helped me identify something I would have never recognized as 'grief-worthy.'

This book was an excellent guide for me when my husband came out of the closet. I felt like I was lost, floating in space. I was so scared to face what was happening to me. This book gave me the courage to face my worst fears and continue on. This book helped me at the worst time of my life by giving me a map to follow to get through. Thank you Alla writting such a read able book.

I bought this hard to find book for my son and my grandchildren. It was my son's favorite book when he was young and now my grandchildren are now enjoying it. This book has brought many good memories in my life.

I had this book as a child and loved it, but lost it. I was so happy to find it at amazon. They really do have an impressive selection of books.

This is a great book for kids just learning to read. Even 2 and 3 year olds love reading along with you (it repeats so many times that they know the words by heart after reading it a time or two). This book works really well if the child reads it to you or at least pretends to read it.

I a 39 years old with 4 children- Pre-school to high school. This was my ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOK as a child. I have searched antique stores for it, wishing for years that I had coveted my copy of this book, but I guess it just got away. Jill Reiter, Parker Colorado

I am 34 years old it was my all time favourite as a child growing up in Canada. I now live in the United States and have a child of my own. I now want to share this great story with him. He is 2 1/2 and loves fish. Thanks!!!!!!