Roberts Books

i read this story when i was little and always love it but it never made me think as much till i found out my best frind was going to have a baby being a book lover herself and a Liberian she told me right away that she wanted her baby to have as many books as possable but mostlly this one in it's Original hardback form with black and white pictures and i went about finding it for her for the baby shower she got a lots of books that day but i will be one i will never forget the look on her face when she got this one or how i felt or what lesson i rembered learning when i read the book later after i gave it to her so guess we bouth got something from it and one day when her 1 1/2 year old Daughter get's old enough to read it i'm sure the Tradition of what this book teachs to young and old alike will carry on with my Niece and any other like her who read this book because books carry a great power to teach us many things if we are only willing to listen and this is true for any book if we just take the time to stop and read them

I remembered this book from my childhood and ordered it in remembrance of my husband's grandfather whose last name was Ferdinand. It is a beautiful story and the illustrations are a perfect compliment to the text.

Ferdinand marches to the beat of his own drum. A great parable of being yourself, regardless of outside influences.

My mother read this to me as a little girl. I'm now 45. As I began to add books to the libraries of my nieces and nephews this was and still is the one book I consistently buy for them. Along with the gentle nature of the book in regards to Ferdinand's passive, gentle character, I love the illustrations. I'm also always looking for books such as this which can lead to discussions with children about the way to treat animals. In my family we learned and still our little ones learn the word gentle, gentle when dealing with animals and babies....I can imagine using the words gentle, gentle with our little ones discovery of a bull such as Ferdinand.

This is a must for my grandchildren. If it was good enough for my kids, it's good enough for theirs.

I was wondering for a long time while playing in chess tournaments what was the best way to train. This was to improve my game and to make me perform better in tournaments. I had a lot of books that just had materials to learn from. But I wanted to know what to study, how to study and then when I get to the tournament what to do to put me in the best shape.

WELL, WINNING CHESS TOURNAMENTS FOR JUNIORS, WAS THE BOOK I WAS LOOKING FOR. Not only did it cover all of those things, but it has some really cool material for actuall study. It was fun too because it used funny true stories like about the "Chess Genie" and what other kids try and do to disburb you while you play.

But I liked also the stuff about the rules that isn't told to you in the rule book. And the parts about how the thinking processes make typical mistakes. This book shows you using real positions from actual games where you typically make mistakes under chess psycology.

Though if you just want lots of great materials on endgames to study, a set out opening system (completely outlined), lots of tactical problems that are the most important to learn, then for this alone this book is great. I agree with the other reviews who say there is not another chess book like this one.

Want to improve? Want to know how and what to study? Want some great material for study? Golly, I love this book (I do think the picture of the two kids on the front cover is cheesy and staged, so I am glad I didn't judge this book by the cover as I am certain those kids did not know anything about chess but the girl is cute and the boy is dorky looking).

I notice that Robert M. Snyder uses the (for Juniors) ie: Winning chess for juniors. Anyways, I came across books by Robert Snyder from the publisher chess for Everyone. And it would appear that all the chess for Juniors have become chess for Everyone. Some examples: Unbeatable chess Lessons, More unbeatable chess Lessons, Chess traps, and Winning chess tournaments. My question is are these books the same just with different covers or are they different in any significant way?

When I purchased Winning Chess Lessons for Juniors, I realized it actually contained much less instructional material then I had hoped for. Eventually I realized why and am puzzled as to why no other reviewer pointed this out. It is a companion book to Unbeatable Chess Lessons for Juniors, another book by the Author. This book by itself is inadequate, but I realized it is for owners of the previous book, Unbeatable Chess Lessons for Juniors. This book intentionally dodges around the material covered in Unbeatable Chess Lessons for Juniors so none of it is repeating (This is a good thing).

This book is an add-on to Unbeatable Chess Lessons for Juniors, an upgrade if you will. This is a great book, but is to slim to be by itself. Get Unbeatable Chess Lessons for Juniors, and this book, and you should have no problems. As for the material covered in this book, it teaches you about tournaments and their rules. Chapter 3 is a psychology chapter, which is interesting and helpful, but nothing to rave about as other reviewers have. Chapter four shows you opening charts. While this did show me a new way to organize my openings, it didn't teach me much. The author mentioned for teaching that the reader should read Unbeatable Chess Lessons for Juniors. Finally, it has a thick tactics chapter full of useful tactical puzzles(about 100 of them). It contains a nice endgame study chapter, then some annotated games by the authors national champions.

All in all a good book... for its intended purpose. I didn't take any stars away because for its purpose as an add on to Unbeatable Chess Lessons for Juniors its great.

This really helped me improve how I did in tournaments. I had read some other chess books, that helped. But this book was the most helpful because it helped condition me for tournaments.
I especialy liked the chapter on psycology that teaches you about thinking mistakes during your play. Also what to be like eating, drinking, proper sleep during tournamnets and then about preparing.
How to study and what to study is neat. It also gives a lot of study stuff, problems, games, openings and endgames.
It also has some very funny true stories about players and things that happen. Very good book.

"Winning Chess Tournaments for Juniors" was the most useful single chess book I have read. One thing that hasn't been said in the other reviews, though implied is that this book helps you with ORGANIZATION and STRUCTURE in,

Helping you prepare for tournaments.

Telling you how to use many books, computers, methods of practice in ways that I never knew about.

Making it so I understand the rules and how to use them to your advantage. I will not likely be taken advantage of again!

Helping me prepare an opening system properly.

Telling me what is important to know about endgames with the endgames to study.

The importance of pattern recognition with many tactical puzzles to work on.

What to look for in a good qualified coach and chess teacher.

How psycology plays a part in chess and how you make mistakes when you analyze.

My list can go one, but I think I have said enough for now. I thing this book is simply the best book to help you do improve.

I rented this book on CD and thought, how could I go wrong with Nora Roberts. I found this book to be slow and I really did not care about the characters. The language bothered me and Eve Dallas just did not come across well in this book. I did not find this book interesting and for an 8 hour drive I fought to finish it. Nora is too good for this kind of writing. Read her Irish trilogy a much better choice.

Once again Eve tracks down the sadistic bad guy. Ms Robb has a superior talent. I am glad she decided to share this talent with the rest of the world. I hope she continues in this matter.

As ever with the Death series JD Robb rocks. All the favorites character are here and continues to draw you into their lives. You feel invested and entwined in their lives as Eve & Company continue solving crimes and making you care.

Another winning book in the "...IN DEATH" series, this one finds Eve fighting for justice for the lower class citizens of New York.

After finding a street sleeper dead in his crib, his heart surgically removed, it doesn't take Eve long to figure out that there's some type of conspiracy involved within the medical community. When the threats become personal and Eve is forced to hand over her weapon and her badge, her personal life takes a turn for the worse.

This is a very emotional Eve & Roarke read, and highly recommended!

Someone is killing the homeless of New York, in the year 2058, and removing their body parts! As Lieutenant Eve Dallas unravels the mystery behind who is killing them and why (affectionately known as the "sidewalk sleeper murders"), she is forced to face an adversary who will stop at nothing, including framing her for murder, to get her thrown off the case. Torn between a love for the job, a pursuit for the truth, and fighting to keep the one thing that she REALLY loves, besides Roarke, her badge, Eve is stripped of everything, and for the first time in the series, we see Eve really vulnerable and hurting (even too sad to spare with Summerset, who we all know she has a love/hate relationship with). With her true friends support, Eve continues her journey in discovering the truth, no matter what the consequences. And we all learn how really important her careeer and badge are.

If you love the "in death" series, you will love this book as well. You even get an opportunity to see Dr. Mira, Feeney, McNab, Peabody, Baxter, Webster (old lover of Eve's), and Commander Whitney. And I finally find out how Trueheart and Dr. Louise's characters are introduced into the "in death" series. [I must admit that I have not read the series in order, so finding out these things is always helpful]. I highly recommend this book.

This book changed my life and my world view. Seth is very powerful. The first line of chapter one is: "The living picture of the world grows within the mind". I've read this book at least a dozen times. And year after year, it reads like a new book every time I pick it up. If you're wondering what life is all about - this book is for you - it will open your mind.

This Seth chronicle focuses very heavily on beliefs. Quite simply we form our reality by our beliefs. He takes us thru many examples of how our beliefs form our reality. The Self is not limited. Only our beliefs can limit the Self. There are no boundaries or separations of the Self. There is only ONE.

Given the main thrust of this book, the following are some samples of what I considered truths:

- What exists physically exists first in thought and feeling. There is no other rule.
- We are the architects of structuring our belief systems. Re-structuring our beliefs is like rearranging furniture.
- Conflicting beliefs cancel out our power thus creating the "feeling" of powerlessness.
- Inners sounds have a greater affect on the body than outer sounds.
- All things have a consciousness such as the atom and all is self aware.
- There is no division between the mental, spiritual and the physical. They are One.
- Aggression is natural and is a force of nature. The act of birth is an act of natural aggression. Do not fear your power. Violence is a result of the "feeling" of powerlessness.
-Reincarnation is a distortion. Each life is a "Point of Power" and they occur simultaneously NOT linearly. The human brain is not equipped to comprehend this fact.
- Intellect and feeling together make up your existence.
- The serpent symbolized the deepest knowledge within creaturehood. Eve symbolizes the intuitive nature; the ego is symbolized by Adam. The Tree of Knowledge bore its fruits of "good and bad". This was the first time choices were available, thus the birth of free will.
- The story of the fall with Satan as the leader represents the part of All That Is, or God, who stepped outside of Himself and became earthbound with His creatures offering free will that "previously" had not been available.
- We create our own illnesses. They are not thrust upon us. Our illnesses reflect our belief systems. Our bodies are the external representations of our minds.
- There is a lag, a lapse in time, during which beliefs cause material actualization. I have experienced this truth myself. This is the first time I have seen it clearly explained.
- Western medicine is one of the most uncivilized hypnotic devices. Doctors treat the effect and not the cause, which of course is in the mind.
- You are not what you eat, but what you think.
-Our venture thru this physical experience is the equivalent of a dream state. As we understand time, we will merge our inner comprehension with our physical self and form our world on a conscious basis.
- Parents choose their children and children choose their parents.
- Love does not demand sacrifice.
- True religion is not repressive.
- Jesus of Nazareth did indeed say "Love your neighbor as yourself" and at the time was ironic. At that time no man loved his neighbor but distrusted him. Much of his humor has been lost in the Christian dogma.
- "The meek shall inherit the Earth"......meant since you form your reality, those who think thoughts of peace will find themselves safe from war. They will be untouched by it. They will escape it and literally inherit the Earth. Once again the translation has been lost.
- God did not sacrifice his Son by allowing his Son to become physical.
- The elderly are misunderstood. The elderly are looked at as feeble, weak and at the end of their good years. This is false. In fact their consciousness has accelerated. Many switches are activated that remove barriers that allow great journeys inward while still living in the physical world. Much could be learned spiritually from them. Instead they are sent to retirement institutions regarded with pity and forgotten.

This book drives home again and again that your beliefs determine your physical, mental and spiritual environment. Specifically THE PRESENT IS THE POINT OF POWER. Your power is now. The physical self is not all of the Self but it is a part of it. It is a point of being that can change the future AND the past.

I've read several of the Seth books. I much prefer them to the Abraham material. I love this book, over the years reading the Seth material I have also come to love Seth. Reading the seth books is one of the few experiences that I can say truly altered the course of my life. I am forever changed, and for the better, thank-you Seth and Jane.

Far from some oversimplification of how we create reality, Seth leads the reader, step by step, into the incredibly complex nature of the soul. I read and reread, probably only a few pages at a time, as the material is so spiritually stimulating yet thick with new information that it must be digested (at least for me) a little at a time. The authenticity of the material is indisputable making this (as well as all Seth books) an essential read for any sincere seeker.

This is one of those rare books that can literally change your life. Physically, it's just paper and ink, but the IDEAS it contains--

For anyone who has deep questions about oneself and the circumstances of one's life, this book is an astonishing eye-opener as well as a practical workbook. Highest recommendation.

This is a great book, top-notch quality both on the text, pictures, quality of the paper used and information provided. In my opinion just one thing could make this book even better: a better organization/rating system for the fishes/invertebrates covered. The author put a lot of text for each fish/invertabrate without a simple to read classification on wheter a beginner like myself should buy or not that particular animal. For that I am using the excellent The Complete Book of the Marine Aquarium [Hardcover] By Vincent B. Hargreaves, which provides a rating from 1 thru 5 on each animal depending on the complexity of keeping it on a fish tank.

Robert M. Fenner's THE CONSCIENTIOUS MARINE AQUARIST is an outstanding library reference. Revised and updated in a second edition, it provides saltwater hobbyists with a wealth of detail on keeping a successful saltwater aquarium. Chapters cover, in detail, everything from water health and saltwater species biology to discussions of setup options, maintenance, and more. Color photos abound and the information is detailed, not cursory. A top pick any saltwater hobbyist - and collections catering to them - must have.

This is a very informative book for anyone who is starting up a new saltwater aquarium. The illustrations are great. It covers a lot of depth and provides practical tips to setting up and maintaining an aquarium.

This book provides a great overview of the hobby. This is really where most people should start off reading in the hobby to determine if they're going to create a reef in their living room. Perhaps some should start with Paletta's The New Marine Aquarium first as a quick 1 day read, but really those who plan on enjoying the hobby would be well served by skipping the superbasic and getting into this book. That's not to say this is the only book you'll ever need - but this is enough book for most people to be quite content with. (For those of you who are 'bitten' by the hobby, The Reef Aquarium series by Delbeek & Sprung is an excellent resource, but there are others.) Enjoy,

I have been keeping a marine tank for less than 1 year. I got tired of just using the internet for all my knowledge-base of marine aquariums; spending many hours digging through all the forums for whatever current problem/issue i had, reading so many conflicting opinions and answers from 'experts', and often ending up at least as confused as when i began.

So I bought this book, read it, and feel much better equipped for the hobby. I still refer heavily to internet sources for more granular knowledge, but at least I now have a solid, reliable source for a foundation on which to build.

This book gave me more confidence, and left me eager to learn and do more in this hobby. It is beautifully illustrated, well composed, and the author conveys his own passion of the hobby and eagerness to educate responsible marine hobbyists.

This particular book is as it's title implies Back To Basics. It is an excellent book which will give you a historic view of how things were done in the past and give you a foundation to build your skills on.

In the event of a disaster, it will give you guide lines on how to do tasks and build skills to help you come out on top of many situations that can result from a natural disaster, a financial disaster and hone your survival skills. I recommend it for this reason.

While the book is out of print, it is still available at a reasonable cost through the connections that Amazon.com offers.

We have found this resource wonderful. There's more in this book than I could have asked for gardening, preserving, how to chop would, how to make tools... Our 10 year old son enjoys reading it too and learning about how to really make items that he would use. We were looking for a resource to help us "survive" if need be on our own, also we were looking for items that were more cost effective in this hard economy. Great resource!

This book will teach you best tips and tricks for raising your own food, and a whole lot more. I purchased it as a replacement of my original book that I bought in the early '80s. I was so thankful it is still around! I wore the cover right off my old book and passed it onto a friend in need of this knowledge.

If you are into living off the land and need advice on how to do it, get this book!

This illustrated book has been published chiefly for those who are new to country living, and/or who have an interest in self-sufficiency and in retrieving some of the "lost arts" which are appurtenant to traditional country life. The information is mostly introductory and rudimentary... a good start for most folks new to these areas of interest.

I have lived in the foothills of rural Appalachia for 55 years and have been involved in carrying out nearly all the construction, activities, arts, and crafts found within this text. Some of the text, (along with the accompanying drawings and photos), is quite good. The information is solid and one can get started along the right track; however, the work goes astray (the publishers sort of "threw in the kitchen sink"), into areas which are not particularly relevant to traditional country living. The editors simply went too far afield when they got into topics such as "Winter Sports," "Kayaking and Rafting," "Foraging for Flour and Emergency Rations," and so on. Most of these subjects are tagged on at the end, I felt just to make the book longer, (it's plenty long enough at 456 pages!)

Additionally, on topics such as "Emergency First Aid," "Fly Fishing" (and fish identification), and "Recipes," there are obligatory sections, none of which are all that useful since these are subjects, any one of which could fill volumes. Had these areas of specific interest been omitted, the more appropriate topics could have been somewhat expanded, such as "Barn Building" or "Preserving Meat and Fish".

There is a far superior (albeit, much older) version of this sort of book which was published by Reader's Digest some years ago: READER'S DIGEST BACK TO BASICS. I can highly recommend it and I've referred to my worn copy time after time.

While there is quite a great deal of quality information in this Skyhorse Publishing Third Edition (2008) for those seeking a new or improved life in the rural countryside, I still feel that the editors strayed off-base to the point that I cannot heartily recommend the work.

One of my top ten books. I am an avid outdoorsman and believe in being prepared(Boy Scout Motto) to take care of one's self "off the grid". This book might as well be my bible. It does skim a little on some subjects but on the whole it gives a thorough enough explanation of all the skills one would need to scout out, build, propagate, and flourish on a frontier farm. Excellent illustrations to accompany all the subjects.

My only thing to change about it would be a slightly larger thickness of stock for the pages. I know this would make this rather large book even heavier but the pages have a tendency to bunch and fall midway through the book. A slight qualm about an otherwise flawless book. Read it flat to avoid this problem.

If you want to learn about how to be completely self sufficient I highly recommend this book.

Wow! All the recipes I have tried have been fantastic! A.R.Clearly has tried and adjusted the recipes until they work. I bought this 2 months ago and have tried several recipes. I did order Authentic Foods flour, as suggested, and am very happy I did so, since the super-fine grind has clearly made a difference.
I have tried the basic sandwich bread and it has far exceeded any others I have bought or made from scratch or a mix (with the possible exception of Whole Foods brand Gluten-Free frozen bread). This week I sat at my desk at work and was eating a sandwich with this bread. A friend stopped by and did a double-take! She said "it's so unusual to see you eating such a yummy-looking sandwich!"
I have also made the soft-pretzels, which were tasty, but I allowed them to rise too much, so the cooking was more difficult. The Blueberry muffins, and Pumpkin Bread look, taste, and have a crumb very much like they were made from wheat. The Walnut Bread was tasty, but crumbly, and may just need smaller walnut pieces added to help it keep its shape. The Almond Biscotti were very tasty and cooked up well - they passed muster with my gluten eating friends. The chocolate chip cookies were tasty, but were very dependant on the oven temperature being correct and my oven tends to run on the low end of temperature. The apple pie was very tasty, but there was too much crumb topping for me, but the rest of my family enjoyed it. I plan to try out several more recipes and I am looking forward to them.
I agree with another person's review that there is a lot of refined sugar and fats - just like most wheat based cookbooks. However A. R. does provide some guidelines about how to make many items a more healthful with whole grains. Also, most things use Canola oil in this book, which tends to be more healthful than butter and creates better results with the GF flours. As a side note, the publisher or A. R. gets kudos for using what appear to be pictures of gluten-free products on the front and back covers (rather than stock picts of wheat-containing breads as other GF cookbooks have done).

I stumbled upon this cookbook in the bookstore and bought it. It has become my favorite and most used GF baking guide. It is the only one I really use anymore. Recipe ingredients are simple, processes are easy, and the end products are DELICIOUS! My Non-Celiac friends are asking for the recipes. I have even started making my own creations using the base recipes in this book. I am ordering of these books as Christmas gifts.

I'm reducing my wheat and gluten intake to see how my body motabilizes food. This book is the best cookbook period. Because it is a gluten and wheat free book is beside the point. I eat as healthy as I can because my immediate family is diabetic and overweight. I have reduced my sugar intake as well. I know the author says to follow directions exactly but I have substited sugar and eggs in her recipe with no problems. I use xyletol, agave, stevia and zero instead of sugar. I also use an egg replacer. So far there is no prolems. the combinations of the recipes are amazing. Thank you to the author for taking the time and energy to pass on this labor of love. It is very much appreciated.

I had an ever-growing collection of gluten-free cookbooks, driven by mediocre recipes or lack of the specific recipes I wanted... but then I found Gluten Free Baking Classics and I no longer need to go looking for bigger or better cookbooks.

Every single recipe is an absolute winner. The shortbread is divine, the chocolate chip cookies are my new standard, the vanilla cupcakes are better than my old wheat-flour ones, and I have total confidence when I try a new recipe that it will turn out wonderfully. Easy recipes and tips make it even better (no running around town looking for 10 different kinds of flour). This book may be smaller and simpler than others, but it is the best; I have recommended it to all of my celiac friends. *****

I finally figured out I was intolerant to dairy and gluten. I'm a TOTAL junk food junkie and I REFUSE to eat subpar desserts simply because they fit my dietary needs. They HAVE to be good enough that I don't feel like I'm missing out. The recipes in this cookbook are incredible.
1. The lemon cake on the front cover? TO DIE FOR!!! I replaced the butter with soy butter and the milk with soy milk and . . . ta da! Dairy-free as well!
2. The chocolate chip cookies are awesome. You would honestly never guess they were gluten-free (or dairy-free for that matter!)
3. The brownies are fantastic, but since I like less of a milk-chocolatey taste to my brownies I make them with Ghirardelli's Bittersweet Chocolate Chips (before I went dairy-free. Those chips are NOT dairy-free)and I think they're far better that way.
4. I love the sandwich bread, although I only needed to bake it for half the time. Must be doing something wrong, but it still tastes great!
5. The pizza crust is fantastic. The "dough" is ridiculously difficult to work with and you'd never think it could possibly bake into something that tasted both crisp and chewy, but surprise surprise!
6. The rustic flat bread (focaccia) recipe is great. I actually use that bread as my sandwich bread. It tastes great toasted. It's just easier to make this bread than the sandwich bread so I usually just use this as my all-purpose bread.

The great thing about this book is that it teaches you how to adapt normal recipes to suit a gluten-free lifestyle. This is truly the only gluten-free cookbook you need to buy because not only are the recipes great, but the basic flour mixes that she teaches you to make will help you make other things that aren't in this cookbook. Buy it! And make the lemon cake! (Although it takes FOREVER!)

As other reviewers have said, this story has stayed with me my whole life. I read it and re-read it many, many times as a child. A wonderful story showing how a young boy faces a personal challenge and the strength he gains along the journey. For German Shepard lovers, Leader is a dog that will stay with you for a long time to come.

I first read this in third grade. And re-read it at least a dozen times. I was enthralled by how the dog was trained, how the kid learned to read braille... I even checked out books on braille and tried to make my own using a pin to bump up paper. I'm now in my mid30s and still have vivid memories of this book. Along with "From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler," it's in my Top 10 of Childhood. Buy it, read it, love it.

My 3rd grade teacher read this to our class and I remember it to this day, and I'm now 53!! Recommended it to my youngest son to read in 4/5th grade and he loved it. This book should be on a required/recommended booklist for everyone in elementary school.

This was the very first book I actually read all the way through with out zoning out when I was a kid. It held my attention and captured my heart in its true way of expressing a new way one has to live in a moment of tragedy. I was 13 at the time.

I was the kid that always fell asleep in class because absolutely nothing interested me. But this book changed all that...

I'm James Garfield's granddaughter. He dedicated the book to my mother, Carolyn Lazarus, who is now 81 years old. My granddad lived to be 102 years old, living half of his life blind. He had a seeing eye dog, Coral, a golden retriever who was the sweetest animal I've ever met and she was so very attentive to him. He would have been very flattered to read these reviews so I thank all of you who have taken the time to write about Follow My Leader.

Whether or not you believe in reincarnation or spirit guides or even pre-birth planning, this book has something to teach you. The book helps us look at the negatives in our lives and turn those into positives - especially the negative people we encounter. Instead of harping on the negative lessons our parents (or anyone) gave us, we can thank them for being examples of how to and how not to be. It's a complete flip from the negative to the positive. I felt like a tremendous load had been lifted after I finished the book. Again, even if you don't believe in mediums, reincarnation, etc., you can still learn from this book. Give it a try.

If you have unanswered questions about why some of your relationships didn't work out, or why certain things seem to just "happen" to you, read this book! You will get a better understanding of how we chart our lives, prior to incarnation, in order to learn the lessons our soul needs to grow and perfect. Robert Schwartz does a wonderful job of researching!

The author is very humble in his approach to his subject. He, along with the reader, is in 'learning mode'. He takes a back seat to the real people and their real stories and is as awed by the information provided by psychics and channelers as we are. I will be using this book as a reference and will also be recommending it - highly - to others. For someone who has long believed in reincarnation and the healing it offers, I know what is important is the effect of what we believe. We accept that God exists but it is the extent of our faith which gives us strength and hope. Why scoff at the fact/concept of reincarnation, at the idea we've led many lives and even chosen the people, the events - beforehand - in them? A famous personage once opined that it is a miracle we've lived even one life. WE are not just 'one-hit wonders'; we have so many songs in our repertoire.
This book is so beautifully written and arriving at the last page was like leaving an old friend or ending a wondrous journey. I look forward to the next one and have emailed the author to share with him how much I loved his book. The heartbreaking stories, the insights and wisdom from the channelers allows us to feel a little bit more powerful, a little bit more knowledgeable and yes, even more humble to the greatness of our spiritual universe.

With my mother dying I had a lot of questions about the journey of souls. This book is packed with a lot of wonderful information and gave me a sense of calm and made me felt more accepting of situations and people in my life.

One of the most important books I have ever read. This book confirmed to me many things that I have always inherently felt to be true, but more than that, it has helped me see life and the people in it from a much more elevated perspective. I cannot stress how amazing it is. I am re-reading it once again. I hope the author writes another very soon.

Stanek has made and continues to make significant contributions to fantasy. He had a vision of a world with alternate histories and he put these alternate histories down in print in the form of alternate paths for readers - a novel idea of pure genius. Original ideas that good always are copied (and so this novel idea has been copied), regardless the genius and the implementation of this novel idea is hard to deny.

Stanek writes openly about the dark and light paths through the story. Elf Queen's Quest represents the start of the dark path. Keeper Martin's Tale represents the start of the light path. This was clear in everything I read about the early releases of both books, and should have been clear to early reader such as those 1-star reviews have been plastered at the top of this book's product page for almost six years now. Such reviews or not only unfair, they are tacky.

As others have said, the proper reading for adult readers of this sequence is Keeper Martin's Tale, Kingdom Alliance, Fields of Honor, and then Mark of the Dragon. Elf Queen's Quest is meant to be read last as a start to the dark path. In the years since this was released, I have waited expectantly for the sequel dark path books. I can only hope Stanek will listen to fans and not naysayers and soon publish the dark path sequels.

This is a fantasy series that renewed my faith in fantasy. It has made a new fantasy lover out of me, and every fantasy reader should give it a chance. Overall, this is a very impressive series with depth and realism.

Has anyone else noticed how many strange negative reviews/comments Stanek's books have received on Amazon and other places recently? They're all similarly worded and use similar phrasing. Most finish by basically telling people to go read George Martin instead. That's very strange. Even stranger is I found the same similarly worded negative reviews/comments when I want back through the old reviews of this book and Keeper Martin's Tale. Again, many reviews end by telling people to go read Martin or other authors but more times than not Martin is also included in the list.

Strange also how, Keeper Martin's Tale had three small reviews, basically one or two lines, in the 2 months after it was published and then a fourth review in April from "Bifford the Mage" that says this:

--
I've Been Had., April 7, 2002
There is something fishy going on here. This is nowhere near a 5-star book. The writing is extremely amateurish, with awkward phrasing, stilted language, and grammatical errors throughout. The style seems more suited for the 9- to 12-year-old crowd than adults... Save your money and skip this poorly-written book.
--

The second review of Elf Queen's Quest says this:

--
Not that good. April 11, 2002
I have read many times how people compare this book and "Keeper Martin Tales" to the "Ice and Fire" trilogy by G.G.Martin. Let me tell you something: Stanek's books are NOTHING like Martin's masterful works. "Elf Queen" and "Keeper Martin" are not even as good as "Wheel of Time" by Jordan, and I got sick of "Wheel" a long time ago! It is not as these are bad books, but certainly not what I expected after reading those glowing reviews.
--

This book, Elf Queen's Quest, had exactly 1 review when the above review was written. Many similarly worded reviews have been submitted since. Seems like some people (or more likely one person in particular) write bad reviews of books to get their kicks and push other authors, and that's just plain wrong. It takes a special kind of psychopath to keep writing bad reviews of an author's books under a variety of pseudonyms. Since this pattern has continued for the past 3 years here on Amazon, on forums, on other sites, this person or persons seem to still be at it, and that begs the question why?

The answer is probably this simple: Stanek has written a worthy epic fantasy and it had strong positive word of mouth. His books were probably pushing down some other book or author that was trying to a) break in to the market or b) compete in the market. So how do you kill the success of good books? You repeatedly bad mouth them on Amazon and other review sites, in a variety of forums and discussion boards post nasty comments, you get your friends and other people to do the same. Also, I'm not convinced it's George Martin fans doing this. Martin may just be the point and shuffle scapegoat.

Problem is these books are good, and they have continued on, but modestly and not with the success they started with. When I first saw this book and Keeper Martin's Tale, both were on the Amazon SciFi bestseller list. They remained on the list from about Feb 2002 to about Oct 2002 and then dropped off after several months of dirty tricks and negative publicity campaigning. There can be no doubt the dirty tricks and outright lies abouth these books have had their affect. They've tarnished the image and reputation of a good author, and probably ensured that the success of whatever competing book or author was trying to make it.

I picked up this book and the others in the series when I saw the same dirty tricks being used to harm sales of this author's books on Audible. At Audible, it was the same story. I saw this author's books on the bestseller list from about March 2005 to early October. The same dirty tactics of flooding the books with negative reviews, bad mouthing the books on discussion formums, and elsewhere was used to knock the book down. I haven't seen it on the bestseller list since. I guess it's mission accomplished for the dirty tricksters who for whatever reasons don't want this author's books to be successful. Problem is, these are good books and they continue on because of this, but the author will probably never get the critical success he deserves.

I read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi, and I can promise you that this series of books is among the best. This tale takes place mostly in the Kingdoms and the Reaches, lands of men and elves. The history of these kingdoms is expertly blended into the plot, and you effortlessly become emersed into the world. I can't overstate the skill with which the author draws the reader into his world. It feels as if this land, with its people, traditions and history is as real as our own. The series is supported to be four books - Keeper Martin's Tale, Kingdom Alliance, followed by The Fields of Honor and The Mark of the Dragon. Elf Queen's Quest is a retelling of the story in what the author calls The Dark Path.

Ruin Mist Chronicles is an excellent series, but you need to read the books in proper order. It goes Keeper Martin's Tale, Kingdom Alliance, Fields of Honor, Mark of the Dragon. The Ruin Mist Dark Path if you've read it, provides an alternate telling of the story of Ruin Mist. I have an original edition of Keeper Martin's Tale and Elf Queen's Quest. Both begin with a preface that explain this, but a friend of mine who got the books recently has a different edition and there's no preface.

What the Keeper Martin's Tale preface says is:

In 15 BD, the Watcher, Xith, is recorded as saying that "History belongs to the teller and is only as reliable as the teller's recollection of it." This is the truth of the matter, and why Keeper Martin, head of the lore keepers, chose to pen his own version of the histories of Ruin Mist before and after the return of Dalphan the Wanderer. Through Keeper Martin's gathering of history from various individuals, the story of Ruin Mist is retold in these pages. Keeper Martin would like you to think that his version of the history is the only truthful and correct account but then again, history belongs to the teller and is only as reliable as the teller's recollection of it.

The Elf Queen's Quest preface doesn't tell where this version of the story originates. The preface is about Queen Mother and the book's prologue does begin with Seth, so that may be a hint.

If you read and liked the original 4, this is a good follow up, but it's not a sequel series.

Excellent book for true fans of Robert Stanek. If you, like me, finished Keeper Martin, Kingdom Alliance and Fields of Honor, and are waiting for Mark of the Dragon, get Elf Queen's Quest you won't regret it. I hope there are many many more dark path stories, I can't get enough of Ruin Mist.

Robert Stanek's Ruin Mist books are fantastic. The books are available in adult and children's editions. For adults, the books are the ones in the Ruin Mist Chronicles:

Keeper Martin's Tale
Kingdom Alliance
Fields of Honor
Mark of the Dragon

Elf Queen's Quest is the first book in the Ruin Mist Dark Path, which is an alternate telling of the story. Read Elf Queen's Quest only if you enjoyed the previous four and can't wait for the new Lost Ages series.

If you've read the Ender books by Orson Scott Card, you probably understand how good an alternate telling of a story can be. In Stanek's Elf Queen's Quest, the differences in the telling are more subtle, but if you've read the other books, you can see the differences, and can guess at the direction of the dark path.