Perry Books

Changed the way I write, February 28, 2006
Reviewer: Barry Hilton "Barry Book Lover" (St. Louis) - See all my reviews
What made me the most money in eBay eXtasy wasn't the eBay eXtasy strategy itself but the author's explanation at the end of the book on his writing process.

It was the KEY I'd been looking for.

I know a lot about 3 subjects that I've been wanting to write about but I never knew where to start. As a BONUS to eBay eXtasy, the author explains how he went from writing strictly for major publishers to this eBook format. This was EXACTLY what I've been looking for as he explained how to create a book even if you cannot type, even if you know nothing about editing, even if you can't form a sentence, as long as you have the knowledge that someone else wants...! I had NO idea how simple it was to go from idea to book and I don't know why Greg Perry told the world this secret (he doesn't think it's a secret, he's just being helpful I suppose) but as for ME it has changed my whole view of my career over the next few months.

Thank you Greg Perry!!!

Oh... and the eBay eXtasy strategy works amazingly well, and I think its simplicity is what makes it so important for ANY online seller.

I'd be FAR more money ahead if I'd know about this much sooner. This technique is simple and obvious except you'd never think of it (at least I hadn't and I've sold a lot on eBay). I like the bonus material as well, I want to write my own eBook now!

This book could and should be condensed to about 5 pages. I have never read anything so redundent in my life. The ideas are not bad but.....

In our eBay business, we must monitor costs as well as profit margins to maximize every cent.

eBay eXtasy helps us to grow our percentage margin AND provide a needed service at below market rates to our buyers.

I'm surprised this technique isn't used more. It's extremely simple.

If you don't follow this simple technique, you aren't maximizing your income.

You're leaving lots of money on the table. Maybe only as little as $1 per auction, but think how your gross profit adds up over time, over 100s of auctions.

Do NOT settle for "average income" when you can have far more for about 3 minutes worth of one-time work.

The heading is a joke, by the way. I will say that when compared with abortion and some of the other big science/big brother things going on in the present, early 20th century Eugenics does seem almost quaint.
As for the work itself, it is bright and clever and witty as noted by many reviewers here, but give me C.S. Lewis any day for a novel. Chesterton also bashes Calvinists a bit, and as a Calvinist I think he is a bit misguided on this point. Maybe we're not a laugh a minute but I don't think we're the sorry example of Christianity he purports us to be.
Much of the book is edited, and I really like the editor's observations. I had a few quibbles though, he says 'woe' one place where he means 'woo', stuff like that. I guess if you're the editor you still need someone to edit you. Again, a quibble, but that combined with the anachronistic quality of the subject gave it a less than polished feel.
Still, I would recommend this book as a glimpse into what inspired C.S. Lewis' space trilogy as well as for a raw view into what goes on when government decides they know what is best for you.

Nothing by G.K. Chesterton is ever disappointing, but this is/was downright prophetic. It's a must read for all who seek a better understanding of the negative utopian forces and their politically correct power at work in society today.

It helps to explain historically how one politically correct slippery slope can and has led to another, (within public accepted opinion and mores), and the real and present danger of dismissing the amoral indifference toward human life of the left and some members of the right. It argues against a religion of science and/or government, of any man being bright, wise, trustworthy, enough to determine who has reproductive "rights," for others.

Since any argument against anything is an argument pro something, or some things, this is an argument pro human dignity, the value of life, the dignity and rights of family, the rights of man to be free from the tyranny of science and government "elitists," who deem themselves to be "supermen" and everyone else to be subjects under their rule.

Eugenics is a GREAT EVIL. Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parent Hood, was associated with Adolph Hitler. She wanted birth control for only people of color, the poor and the catholics. When the Holocost came up front, they pulled back. But, the philosophy hasn't changed. They are fighting to export abortion to foreign countrys. I really think that we really need to wake up. We have professors that think we should kill babys born with Down's Syndrom and Spina Bifida. This is after they are born. What more do we need to know? Pax

For a collection of essays written prior to the first World War, Chesterton may have been addressing a modern audience rather than his contemporary one; yet anyone who has read Chesterton could say that regarding any number of his books. True, this book was published after WWI, much of it was written as a response to what Eugenicists were asserting at the time. A note for the editor: have the copy proofread prior to publishing. There are many errors which ought to have been caught before printing. The idea of re-printing the Eugenic articles is a novel idea.

On a final note, much of the eugenic ideal has been absorbed into modern thinking. The hate has been better disguised, but the hateful ideas are well incorporated into the fabric of modern life.

I'm a brazilian(unemployed) agronomist.I read this good book free on internet.This is a good book.
When this good book was writen, eugenics was supported by great scholars,famous politics, famous doctors(Dr. Morris Fishbein, the AMA's President), famous americans presidents,etc.
Against all of these stooges, came Gilbert K. Chesterton, a writer catholic man.
After all, Roman Catholic Church and G. K. Chesterton were right about eugenics.
After nazism, eugenics became so ridiculous, that now, eugenics has a new name:Ecology.

Matadora seems to follow the Man Who Never Missed rather indirectly, with the main characters following in the footsteps of that man, Emile Antoon Khadaji. The setting is a unique mix of science fiction and martial arts of the kind found in the best Hong-Kong action films. The universe is deep and consistent, and revealed expertly.

Dirisha, a martial arts master searching for more in life, finds a school training the best bodyguards in the galaxy. It also has a few political goals. Matadora's plot flows well but ends in a very perfunctory way without actually resolving any of the major plot arcs, obviously to flow into the next book. For the most part, this is not a disadvantage. Note also, there are several explicit sex scenes, one of them homosexual.

Lastly, the book is a very fast read. I finished it in about two hours. Negative points for the low value for cost and the ending.

I started the Matador series with this book and HAD to have all the others. It's fast paced, well written and has a Black WOMAN as the main character. When was the last time you read a book with all of these qualities. Dirisha takes no prisoners in love or war. Yes, there is some sex but it's not X-rated and last I heard sex is a normal part of life. This book has killing, too and that should be (but isn't) more offensive than sex.

The series is a great read as is anything by Steve Perry, who has become one of my favorite authors. :)

Matadora picks up where the first novel in the series, The Man Who Never Missed left off, Dirisha Zuri, the lovely and deadly former bouncer of the Jade Flower is walking the infamous Musashi Flex, an underworld challenge of martial combat that allows killing, when she is pulled back into her former employer's mysterious web of rebellion and is given an offer she will not refuse: the chance to train in Emille's secret style of Martial Combat, and to become one of the empire's most sought after and feared bodyguards a MATADOR.

I found this book not only boring, but absolutely not suitable for anyone under 18 because of the (to me) gratuitis and explicit sex scenes involving, woman/woman, man/woman threesome, etc. I absolutely had no expectation of this when I began reading. Also, the book is very boring, very little in the way of any "action", mostly a lot of (I presume) the author's philosophy. I skimmed through to the end, in hopes of something interesting occuring, but to no avail. I will not buy any of his books in the future!!

Matadora was the hardest to find of the series until the last few years and an increase in used book postings online.

The three first published books of the "Matadora" series are a seamless tale of martial arts, politics, spirituality, and psych warfare told in a lean pulp style. "The 97th Step" is the later written prologue to the story and is not as lean.

I am not a martial arts reader but this series blew me away and I paid a premium to get some of the originally hard-to-find paperbacks like this one.

The writing is adult and contains sex although it is not gratuitous. If you are scared of sex and have not read pulp adventures before be warned.

This book tells the story of a lesbian fighter being drawn into a group opposed to the increasingly tyrannical and corrupt government. You will want to read "The Machiavelli Interface" immediately after this and pick up at least "The Man Who Never Missed" and probably "The 97th Step" of the others in the series. The books after "The Machiavelli Interface" ("The Albino Knife", "Black Steel", "Brother Death") are not as important or as good.

The politics in the series give a timely warning on democracies becoming corrupt but really this is a straight adventure series with the unique perspective for me of martial arts philosophy. File this under pulp adventure writing above the genre while telling the stories of a few individuals setting out to topple an evil empire.

Transgressions provides readers with the opportunity to sample ten different offerings from ten different authors. There is a gritty 87th Precinct novella from Ed Mcbain and a lyrical offering on a child abduction from Joyce Carol Oates. Steven King is well represented with a short but strangely moving tale of a 911 survivor haunted by his souveniers from his unlucky co-workers.

I enjoyed Transgressions for both its quality and variety. While no story in particular was a stand out, each provided a sample of the particular author's style. Like a buffet, a taste is really all you need to determine where (and whether) you will return for second and third helpings.

From what I've read, it seems like a lot of readers bought this just for the King novella. While King's short novella excellent, I highly recommend you read all the others, too. There's a lot of good material in this big book!

Since I am a big fan of Sharyn McCrumb, this compilation was chosen to find something harking back to her historical novels. "The Resurrection Man" was Southern in setting alright, in Georgia instead of Tennessee, North Carolina or Virginia, but it predated her Appalachian ballads. Why she chose such a morbid subject is beyond me. This story takes place in pre-Civil War and concerns the maneuvering of a medical school doctor to get the cadavers he needs for anatomy class.

In 1852, Dr.George Newton, was forty-five years old and paid his carefully-selected servant to obtain supplies (newly-buried bodies from the cemetery) saying, "We must make use of the dead to help the living." After serving fifteen years doing this grotesque work, he returns to show the freed blacks with white guardians how to be grave robbers. In 1859, the doctor contracts tetanus (lockjaw). Then the war intervened, bypassing Augusta, for the big city of Atlanta. Slaves were called servants. The doctor's supplier returns to the college as a porter.

Walter Mosley contributed "Archibald Lawless, Anarchist at Large." The longest was John Farris' "The Ransome Women." Lawrence Block wrote "Keller's Adjustment." This collection of ten stories was edited by Ed McBain, a writer in his own right. TRANSGRESSIONS is a "quintessential classic collection of stories" by mystery writers.

Hopefully Ed McBain's effort in convincing a stellar cast of fellow writers to contribute the novellas that comprise "Transgressions" will induce publishers to encourage more of the same.
Don't get me wrong, I love long novels. But, in these days when we all seem to have less time than we'd like, the novella is the perfect form to consume in a short period. And, the novella is a deserving and time-honored part of literature. Nabokov and Simenon, to name two among many, excelled in the form.
McBain, who contributed an interesting tale of his own, deserves kudos for the roster of superstars who joined him in this venture. The 10 stories provide a good introduction for those not familiar with the work of some of these writers.
Naturally, some stories are better than others. That, of course, being defined by personal taste.
My own favorite would have to be Anne Perry's "Hostages," a moving look at the continuing plight of families in Northern Ireland. Sharyn McCrumb contributes an excellent Southern gothic tale, "The Resurrection Man," and the awesome Walter Mosley is represented with "Archibald Lawless, Anarchist at Large." There are also tales by Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King, Jeffrey Deaver, John Farris, Donald Westlake and Lawrence Block.
I can truthfully say I enjoyed all 10 stories and a few writers who were less familiar to me will now receive more attention.

After the success of his novel BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, Evan Hunter (Ed McBain) turned to what were then referred to as "novelettes," his subject being the 87th Precinct detectives of Isola (think New York). As time passed, the 87th Precinct novelettes grew to full-length novels. Fifty years later, McBain persuaded nine other mystery, thriller, and horror writers to submit what are now called "novellas" of around a hundred pages each.

The result was one of my most enjoyable reads of 2006. I don't know why I don't read more anthologies. It was in an anthology that I first experienced Stuart Kaminsky, Sharyn McCrumb, and Lawrence Block.

Coincidentally, one of the best novellas in this anthology is one by Block. Block returns with his enigmatic hit man Keller in KELLER'S ADJUSTMENT. Block manages to make us feel empathy for the man. Although he has sex with a Phoenix real estate saleslady, Keller is essentially a lonely man. He needs somebody to talk to. He once had a dog, but a former girlfriend took it with him when she left; he went to a therapist, but the therapist turned into a snoop, and he had to dust him. Unwilling to take a chance on a living breathing entity, Keller buys a stuffed animal to talk to.

Jeffrey Deaver also responded to the call with FOREVER. In it he introduces Tal Simms, a mathematician/statistician working for Westbrook County Sheriff's Department. Simms is considered a "computer geek" by the rest of the detective squad, especially homicide detective Greg "Bear" LaTour. Simms and his eventual partner LaTour are confronted with several suspicious suicides. Older rich couples are killing themselves under dubious circumstances. In most respects, the underdog character Simms is every bit as likable as Lincoln Rhymes. I would definitely buy a full length novel featuring Simms.

A new discovery for me was John Farris. Farris's THE RANSOME WOMEN concerns a beautiful art appraiser named Echo Halloran who agrees to pose for the great artist John Leland Ransome. She's not only flattered, but as a budding artist herself, she wants to learn from him. Her boyfriend, police detective Peter O'Neil, is suspicious, and with good reason. I enjoyed this novella so much I ran right out and bought FURY, THE TERROR Farris's masterwork.

I have to admit that Ed McBain's own contribution, MERELY HATE, was my principal motivation for purchasing the anthology. I needed my 87th Precinct fix, and it's great as usual. It is post 9/11 in Isola, and the detectives are called to investigate the murder of a Muslim cab driver. Through these cab driver murders, McBain capsulizes the reason for the problems in the Mid East.

Other writers who contributed novellas were Donald Westlake, Anne Perry, Joyce Carol Oates, Walter Mosley, Sharyn McCrumb, and Stephen King. All of them were excellent.

I read this book for my book club, and I felt it was a powerful look at history and race. The injustices faced by the characters to be utterly gut-wrenching, and knowing that this is based on true life only makes it harder. An important and wonderfully written book.

This is a REAL novel, written by an authentic novelist. His recreation of 1940s Harlem as a moral universe unto itself unfolds like something Duke Ellington might have composed -- jaunty, sexy, smooth and bombastic. My only complaint would be that the narrative at times lacks a compelling drive, making some sections overly picaresque and stagnant. Nonetheless, an impressive piece of work.

The third in Baker's "City of Fire" trilogy of historical fiction about New York City, this book is set in the early `40s in Harlem with the story told through the eyes of a young Malcolm Little, who in later life would become Malcolm X, and the fictional Rev. Jonah Dove (based on Adam Clayon Powell, who also appears as himself in the book.)

Baker's meticulous research results in Harlem scenes that resonate with believability. Laid against the backdrop is the story of Malcolm and Elijah Muhammad (founder of the Black Muslims), which has to be dealt with on a symbolic level. While an enjoyable read, this one didn't quite measure up to the promise generated by Baker's first two parts of the trilogy, Dreamland and Paradise Alley.

STRIVERS ROW is the third book in Kevin Baker's trilogy of historical novels about New York City. His ambition for these books is enormous, and it is the reader's good fortune that he has fulfilled, and then surpassed, the trilogy's huge potential.

As DREAMLAND, the first book, took readers to Coney Island at the turn of the century, and the second, PARADISE ALLEY, took us to the Lower East Side during the Draft Riots, STRIVERS ROW gives us Harlem just as World War II breaks out. Hustling, hellish, hard-hitting, hipped to the play Harlem --- just the sort of place a young man named Malcolm Little selling ice cream on the Yankee Clipper might plan to visit for an evening's entertainment and wind up never getting back on that train again. Malcolm Little is the cocky, good-time, pre-Islam Malcolm X, whose casual drug use and petty crime start to spiral out of control just as his rage over the condition of black Americans distills into an overwhelming feeling that there must be something more.

Malcolm shares the narrative with Jonah Dove, son of Milton Dove, whom readers might remember from PARADISE ALLEY. Jonah is a minister, pressed into inheriting his father's place in the church despite his doubts and lack of a calling. Milton Dove is a hero to his flock, the legendary founder of the church, and Jonah feels entirely inadequate to his task, a feeling that inevitably becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. He has been secretly indulging his habit of "passing," banking on his light skin to lead people to assume that he is white, after a humiliating incident on the train. Malcolm Little witnessed the minister and his wife, saw how drunk white soldiers treated them, and the two men keep running into each other at crucial moments, both bewildered that "the man from the train" keeps turning up.

Malcolm is unaware that the love of his life, the white singer Miranda, is actually Jonah's equally light-skinned sister. She has turned passing into a way of life, protected by West Indian Archie, Malcolm's mentor in drug dealing and number-running. Kevin Baker makes the two men's frequent encounters seem inevitable: their problems of doubt and self-loathing are so similar and such products of being young black men in white America that they transcend all their differences in character. The crises increase until Harlem is on the brink of a riot and both men are matured and permanently changed by their experiences.

Strivers Row is an actual street in Harlem, the destination of choice for blacks who have found a way to succeed. World War II, however, makes it impossible to live there without remembering the Jews of Europe. They liked to live in the same neighborhoods too, and it only made it easier to round them up and kill them. The characters in STRIVERS ROW question if assimilating with mainstream white culture might be a better choice, and if it might not be self-destructive for black men to fight a white man's war.

Kevin Baker takes great glee in working in the colorful, marvelously funny slang of the period. Readers might find it helpful to peruse the jive glossary in the back of the book before plunging into this unforgettable novel about another of New York City's crucibles.

--- Reviewed by Colleen Quinn (CQuinn9368@yahoo.com)

For six years and three books, Baker has been building, brick by brick, his own city, and it is a classic. With Striver's Row, the high-rises are inhabited, the streets are paved, the corners are teeming. You see how the country came together, and you understand that the world of books has been resting in sure hands. Baker has a detective's eye and a preservationist's heart: but most of all, he has a writer's head, and the proof is on every page. This book tops off a trilogy, but Striver's can be read alone; if it were a first novel, it'd be a cause for celebration. As the end of a series, it's an occassion for gratitude.

The pages should read 246 plus index, not 264. Published by Princeton University Press, 1978. This book is 26 years old and still relevent. Paul Colinvaux takes a penetrating look at the science of ecology.

The author states in the introduction that "It is in Darwin's writings that one finds the true roots of ecology."

Chapter 3 answers the question posed in the title of the book. It is very well written and has an interesting section on "Tyranosaurus Rex."

I was hoping for more accounts of big fierce animals doing battle with each other. Like a blue whale taking on a pride of lions or something, or several grizzlies attacking a hippo. This book was a little disappointing in this respect. However, I still give it 5 stars for evoked fierceness, if not actual fierce fierceness.

This book is clearly written introduction to various aspects of the natural world. Colinvaux tells us why every species has its niche, why big fierce animals are rare. He discusses the efficiency of life, the nation state of trees, the social lives of plants. He asks why the sea is blue, takes a look at the ocean system, the regulation of the air, considers what hunting animals do, speaks about the social imperatives of space, and why there are so many species. He concludes with considerations of the stability of Nature, and People's place in it.
Among the most illuminating discussions for me was his explanation of the differences between the red- earth unfarmable land of the tropics, and the brown farmable earth of the temperate. His description of the relatively empty - of- life sea, the 'desert sea' as he calls it was also informative. His whole description of how size in plants and animals helps determine their overall frequency and mass was too , for me, something new.
Most of the subjects he writes about are ones I do not know enough to really question or contradict him about. But I can attest that the work is a tremendously interesting one.

Colinvaux presents complex ecological concepts in a way that makes them accessible to an interested general reader. While it would be nice to see an updated edition of this book, it is an excellent overview of the subject.

*But didn't know that you wanted to ask.

Actually, when I purchased this book from Princeton University Press, I thought it would be about the lives of tigers, leopards, jaguars and other big, fierce animals. I've read and enjoyed a few such zoological tomes over the course of a lifetime---on seagulls, on penguins, or koalas---though my usual fare lies in literature, history, travel, and anthropology. So, when I finally took Colinvaux's work off my shelf, I was rather surprised to find that it was about the whole circle of Life. I kept on reading though and now am glad I did. If you feel yourself lacking a scientific background, like your reviewer, and you have some basic curiosity about the field of ecology, this book is going to be just the ticket. The author has a genius for keeping it simple, keeping it clear. From the idea that every species has its niche, he expands to a host of other topics like the amazing inefficiency of plant life in converting available energy into growth (around 2%, compared to the efficiency of human-made engines, at least 20%); the grouping of trees in forests, the social life of plants; why the sea is blue (no life in it); the composition of soils in different parts of the world; how different sets of plant communities succeed one another as the environment changes; the peaceful coexistence of the vast majority of plants and animals instead of the vicious "law of the jungle" sometimes depicted in other literature. I'm just scratching the surface here. Many of the topics explored bear on the hot issues of the day, for instance global warming, pollution, and exploitation of earth's resources. Each topic is very understandable. If I were a high school or community college biology/ecology/botany teacher, I bet I could make a couple semesters' lectures out of this one book, it's that good. When the author tries to analyze human behavior and geopolitical rivalries on the basis of ecological principles in the last chapter, I think he falls between the cracks. Certainly human beings are animals only recently graduated from hunting and gathering. Their child-bearing habits must hark back to the Ice Age as Colinvaux says. But to try to predict human history on the basis of ecology alone is risky. The predictions made in the 1970s already look out of date. Other than this small criticism of one chapter, I heartily recommend this book. And it seems that the scary, ferocious Tyranosaurus rex (largest predator that ever lived) is a myth. It was a lazy carrion-eater. Ah well, sorry, Rex, you looked great in Jurassic Park !

All of Perry's series of Matador novels (including BLACK STEEL and THE OMEGA CAGE) taking place in the same universe are marvels in adventure storytelling. To date he has written over 5 additional novels that either preclude or occur after the events of the MATADOR TRILOGY. Some like the Omega Cage have peripheral characters that come to the fore in their own harrowing and fantastic adventures to those like BLACK STEEL where one particular Matador confronts an evil bent on keeping a dark secret. In all of them we continue to get top-notch sci fi action adventure that puts Steve Perry head and shoulders above other writers. The 97th step does not disapoint

The 97th Step is the fourth novel written in the Matador series, but is the first in internal chronology. It is the story Mwili Kalamu, a farm boy from Cibule, who ran away from home at the age of fourteen and who is destined to become Pen, the teacher of Emile Antoon Khadaji.

Leaving Cibule, he takes the name of Ferret and becomes a lane runner, living at the fringes of society and stealing to make ends meet. During this period, he becomes the partner of Bennet Gworn, a fellow laner, but then has to abandon him when a heist goes bad. Later, he becomes the partner of Stoll, smuggling illegal merchandise, and meets Shar, an exotic dancer who sees him as a soul mate. All falls apart, however, when Gworn gets out of prison and comes looking for him.

After Gworn kills Stoll and Shar, and he kills Gworn, Ferret tries to forget with drugs and alcohol, but the memories still fester in his mind. After a long period of continual intoxication, he meets his old martial arts teacher, Dindabe, in a bar and agrees to resume his studies. The workouts flush the poisons from his system and he begins to regain an interest in life as he regains his proficiency in the arts, but he still lives from day to day, with no long term interests.

Dindabe introduces him to Moon, a Sister of the Shroud, and encourages him to become her student. Ferret goes with Moon to the training center on Manus, near Wewak, New Guinea. Although doubting his own commitment, he takes the name Pen and gradually becomes engrossed in the program and finally graduates.

This novel is a tale of enlightenment. Pen has no real faith in himself, for everyone around him has either turned against him or died. Before Pen could accomplish anything, he must recognize himself as a person and have faith in that person.

Recommended for Perry fans and anyone who enjoys tales of martial arts in a SF setting.

I have read all of his books and he has got to be one of the most outstanding authors around. This particular book I would consider his masterpiece.

I started the Matador Trilogy with "The Man Who Never Missed" as, I suspect, did most people. But the story starts 50 or 60 years before with the development of the boy who becomes the man called Pen. The word "Easy" is not in Pen's dictionary and he goes through three distinct life stages as the illusions of his life are shattered one by one. As a person who has had a few minor difficulties in life (nothing compared to the character of Pen) I was left wondering what is keeping this person alive. It seems to be the vague feeling that there is something out there. Some purpose or meaning. A reason for being. Happily, he finds that reason but it is more humble and, at the same time, more wonderful then anything he had ever imagined.

This is a wonderful book and a key part of the Matador series. If you like science fiction, religion, philosophy, ethics and morality then DO NOT MISS "The 97th Step".

If you are really old and you ever saw (and liked) the movie "Circle of Iron" then you will certainly like this book.

Readers of Steve Perry's Matador trilogy will appreciate the background this volume provides, and in fact this makes a good chronological introduction for new readers of the series. The 97th Step is a novel primarily focused on character development, which is out of the ordinary in the sci fi genre. Your typical sci fi novel is far more focused on plot line and imaginative gadgetry. Although this book includes both of these elements, the unmistakable emphasis is on tracing the evolution of Mwili the farmboy to Ferret the thief to Pen the martial priest.

Make no mistake, the story includes some riveting action sequences and pulse-pounding suspense, and these definitely keep it interesting. However, there really is not much of a unifying plot other than as a "biography". The author makes liberal use of the flashback technique to recount Mwili's teen years and escape from Cibule, as well as Ferret's escapades with his former partner/lover turned nemesis, Gworn.

I guess one thing that was a bit of a turn-off for me was the author's undue emphasis (in my humble opinion) on sexuality. Admittedly this is part of Mwili/Ferret/Pen's personal history and character makeup, particularly as it relates to other figures like Shar, Gworn and Moon. However, this is not an element I usually look for in this genre (in fact, it's normally absent altogether), and I personally prefer to keep it that way. Call me an old-fashioned prude, but I remember the days when plenty of great sci fi novelists wrote excellent stories without the need to inject gratuitous sex. But for this, I might give this book 4 stars.

But don't let my personal hangups turn you away from an otherwise good book, and definitely a great trilogy. The Matador series is a very enjoyable read, and The 97th Step makes it complete.

Text book received in good condition, however their was a delay in getting it. Next time will ask for express service.

I am currently a Latin 2 student in high school. We've been in this book since Latin 1 and are using it again this year because we didn't finish it last year. Anywho, I, unlike many of my classmates, have enjoyed this book (at least to some extent). It has been an excellent book to learn from, as long as you have a competant teacher. Latin is not an east language to learn.
The stories you have to translate in this book are somewhat interesting (some are more interesting than others). One thing I truly enjoyed about this book is that it has things like Roman Myths and Roman Life. You learn a lot about the Myths and the Roman way of life. I also enjoyed the artwork in the book. Especially the pieces that are from museums and the maps.
The book also has a VERY helpful appendix in the back. It has the Latin endings, a prounciation guide, and a mini-dictionary that is made up of the words that you learn during that year.

This is an excellent book if you are looking to learn Latin (or if you enjoy doing collages and need some pictures and maps and you can afford to spend a lot for something like this!).

This is a very well-written textbook series. I took Latin I and II using this series, but I had to switch to the Cambridge Latin series for Latin III when I changed schools. Ecce Romani is a much better series than Cambridge. It contains many assets (such as an English-Latin AND Latin-English dictionary, multiple challenging practice exercises in each chapter, enjoyable stories, well-organized vocabulary sections in each chapter, etc.) necessary for the enjoyable and productive study of Latin which the Cambridge books lack. The Ecce Romani books are well organized and more enjoyable to learn from. I highly recommend this well-written series to everyone.

The Ecce Romani series is particularly good for teaching Latin to 7th - 10th graders. The format is "kid-friendly" and provides enough interest to keep most kids motivated to move forward. The lessons are the story of a Roman family - Dad, Mom and son (Marcus) and daughter (Cornelia). The kids have various friends and we get to learn about the activities of their servants (and how the kids annoy them) and the various things the family does on its way to Rome. Each chapter is short - has a good number of new words - and many opportunities to translate. Lessons and activities are included for each chapter (declensions, cases, etc.) as well as interesting facts about Rome, the gods, way of life, etc. The back of the book contains a latin to english and english to latin vocabulary dictionary of words from the book. There is also a pretty decent pronunciation guide and an index indicating where particular grammar concepts can be found.

The series moves at a good pace but older high school students (starting latin in 10th or 11th grade) might find the stories in the first book tedius. If the program is started in 7th or 8th grade, this series is one of the best!

Latin has a reputation of being a difficult and dull language to learn. Most textbooks present it in a scholarly way, focusing on transaltions of the works of ancient authors, and not giving modern learners a connection to their lives. The Ecce Romani series presents Latin in an innovative and attractive way. Every chapter begins with a a painted color picture and short story (in latin) about a fictional Roman family made up of Cornelius-a senator, Aurelia-his wife, Marcus-son, Cornelia-daughter, and Sextus- a boy staying with them for a period of time. Each tale develops the family and other characters as well as showing aspects of daily life. All the new vocabulary (old vocab is sometimes included too) is included on the same page. If you have every studied a foreign language, you know how easy paragraphs are to read when you have all the English words on the same page. The 2 column list contains nouns, verbs, expressions, adverbs, etc. A new grammar concept is introduced after each story, and future stories continue to use it, so it is not forgotton. This way, the stories become more detailed (and interesting) as you progress.

On the pages after the story are also pictures, maps, and helpful excercises that furthur your understanding on the language and culture. In between most chapters are short and informative lessons about daily life, myths, history, among other things. (For example: "A Roman Family", "Aeneas", and "The Founding of Rome")

At the end of the book is an outline of all the grammar explored, complete with noun and verb charts. There is also a Latin to English, and English to Latin dictionary containing EVERY WORD in the stories plus their chapter number.

I would recomend this book to ANYONE interested in studying Latin, as I think it's the best book on the market. It's easy to learn with, colorful, tastefully put together (no tacky graphics and layouts typically employed in textbooks), and packed with maps and pictures. Try this out and soon you'll will have a thorough understanding of Latin!

Great book. It's amazing what Perry has been through and the things he has sacraficed for auto racing.

This is an outstanding book detailing the trials racers go through just to get a ride. This is one of the few books I have read over the past few years that I could NOT put down. I read it in one sitting. It was captivating and a great read.

Even if you don't remember Perry you have to read this book. After reading Perry's story I became totally selfish and said "I'm glad all that happened because that was one gripping, funny read".
Not only is Perry's story a fascinating insight into the old days of F1, he's a damn good writer and a very funny man. Even if you're not an F1 fan this is a very interesting read.

In someways, reading this book you are constantly thinking: no way this can all be true. It would seem that lightning can strike not only twice but multiple times. F1 officially always portrays (especially in current era) a gloss of glamour and flash. You rarely hear the story of one that fights and struggles beyond those that may come up, not perform and fade away. Perry seems to have perfected the art of pulling up from the bootstraps, getting kicked hard and starting all over again. In this book you can see the scramble for sponsorship, the stretch to make ends meet and how it becomes an undying desire. I have had acquaintances whose dream to make it in the NFL eventually lead to the loss of marriage and all else and I can connect with that dream of reaching for the golden ring but falling off the horse instead. This book moves along well but you are always juggling is it true, is he really good or just really crazy. You want the pieces to fit together but fundamentally the dogged determination to keep going provides not only humor but motivation.

Not all racers are as determined to succeed in racing, nor as articulate as Perry McCarthy, and damn few are as funny! This is a great, quick read with a laugh a minute.

I had to return this item cause my husband gave me the wrong ISBN but it arrived nicely packaged in new condition.

I teach nursing aids and this is the manualI use with my students.
excellent manual and my students use also the workbook.

Wow, if i would have gotten a textbook this thick when i was going to CNA classes, i would have been pissed since the class was only four weeks, that would have meant that i would have to cram all that info into my brain in such a short amount of time. anyway, its a good book containing actual photos, i skimmed through it a little and found that this could also be used for the instructor as well as the student, so anyway,this is a good book to have even after you get your certification,i also purchased the workbook, but have not looked it over yet.

This book was in great shape and very reasonable. It was delivered as scheduled with no problems. Thank you

I first must say I could be biased with this review as I have only read the first chapter. I bought this book as it was a requirement for a class I had to take. What I could say after reading the first several pages was this was poorly written. I'm not criticizing the content, but the writing. Everything is too choppy, making it very difficult for to read. Very poor flow of words. Some grammatical errors as well.