Shepard Books

I don't usually enjoy reading Amish stories but I enjoyed this one. The only reason I cannot give this book five stars is I think for the cost of $12.95 which is what this book cost retail it should be longer than 240 pages. I wish the storyline of what happened before she went into hiding should have been developed more. Author did an excellent job of making her ex boyfriend a dispicable character and making the Amish family a close and loving family.

I did enjoy this book. I liked the little romantic notions through out. The characters portayed are well played out in the story.

This is a well written book by a young author that I could not put down! I read in a day and a half because I couldn't wait to see what the next page would bring! LOVED IT!!

This was an excellent book. I loved it! It was so sweet and exciting! I could not put it down!

I met Shelley at the 2008 ACFW conference AFTER I had read her novel. I didn't have the book with me so she graciously signed a book plate for me to bring home from the conference.

This is an Amish story with a difference. Even though I am also an anabaptist (Old German Baptist Brethren) I do not always feel the published Amish stories are "realistic," This one was. I highly recommend this book and will read the next one.

A.A.Milne's "Now We are Six" is a must for all chldren. Read it over and over, and son the child will learn favorite poems and can look at the words and read along. It is good that children learn the Real Pool characters rather than Disney's idea.

A book of poems and selections based on characters and events in "Winnie-The-Pooh by the same author. I like to give it to my young friends on their 6th birthday. A good book to be read to the child; a book to appreciate more as the child can read it for him or herself.

Beautiful edition of a classic. Most of the poems are great, some not so great.

We have the complete works of Milne. My 5 year old son and I absolutely LOVE Pooh collections. We enjoy our special time together reading Now We Are Six...and this book is not just to be enjoyed by a child...but for all of us who are still kids at heart and enjoy real literature of substance. Silly, heartwarming, fun and clever are just a few words I would use to describe this book! Disney's version of Pooh (books, movies, cartoons) is far inferior!

And as I sign off, I will leave you with one of my favorite poems from this book. Found on page 1 in my handed lovingly down 1950 edition. And after reading the poem, I ask you...who doesn't still feel like this from time to time? 6 or 106...this is a timeless classic!

Solitude

I have a house where I go
When there's too many people,
I have a house where I go
Where no one can be;
I have a house where I go
Where nobody ever says "no";
Where no one says anything-so
There is no one but me.

(AA Milne page 1 of Now We Are Six)

Book was in excellent condition and not readily available elsewhere. It arrived promptly.

The book arrived with a damaged cover. The top-left corner was pierced with something. We're trying to return it.

Dear friends:
This book shows a few things: how the medium is the message, how Shepard Fairey became one of the greatest american propaganda designers and how he represents an american art dream. Very didactic, inspiring, reflexive and extremely well edited book.

100% Recomended!!!

All the best from Barcelona!!

An impressive collection of works through his personal timeline. Beautifully bound, loving attention put to every part of the book. The printing is top-notch, a quality item all the way. There is a wonderful insight to the OBEY project, André the Giant, and many of the poster and print runs he's produced.

It sits proudly on my coffee table, bedside table, in my art studio.

Don't think, just spend the bucks, you'll be glad you did!

In response to Fairey's solo exhibition, Imperfect Union, (December, 2007) at the Merry Karnowski Gallery in Los Angeles, California, Mark Vallen, renowned artist, activist, illustrator and curator criticizes Fairey's work and career as an artist, in a essay published on his Art for a Change web site. Vallen expresses his outrage at how Fairey has made a career "out of the consistent, secretive and wholesale copying of other people's artworks" and describes why, in his opinion, "it should make obvious that anyone so ill-informed should not be in the vanguard of today's political art". He identifies Fairey's work as "machine art that any second-rate art student could produce" by picking apart Fairey's heavy usage of "silly portraits of a dead wrestling champion" as well as "absurdist propaganda". Vallen acuses Fairey of "toying with the veneer of radical politics" when "his views are hollow and non-committal". Vallen also explains how Fairey is "deceiving people by pawning off counterfeit works as original creations" with numerous examples of original pieces shown side by side with Fairey's "lucrative OBEY fashion line" version. In the example of the White Panther logo, Vallen emphasizes that by "exploiting the panther logo for profit by printing it on boutique clothing, Fairey has accelerated the dehistoricization and commodification of American history", and in his opinion, "has forfeited his ability to speak as a dissident". He states that "Fairey is guilty of utilizing historic images simply because he "likes" them, and not because he has any grasp of their significance as objects of art or history". Vallen further supports that "Fairey simply filches artworks and hopes that no one notices" and that "these days any amateur with a minimally written crackpot manifesto can make waves in the world of art". If Fairey has "developed a profitable livelihood exclusively based on pilfering the artworks of others", Vallen ultimately asks "can Shepard Fairey honestly be described as an artist who can critically assess the unholy union of government and big business, or offer comments on the underpinnings of the capitalist machine?". Koloman Moser, Ralph "Bingo" Chaplin, Pirkle Jones, Rupert Garcia, Rene Mederos, Félix Beltrán and Gary Grimshaw are a few of the plagiarized artists that are mentioned in Vallen's critique.

Please see these links:

http://www.art-for-a-change.com/Obey/index.htm

http://www.brghtnghts.com/blog/?p=150

I had always been a fan of the Rodchenko propaganda art from Russia's early Communist era. There was always something that just appealed to me, I recently re-discovered Shepard Fairey's work and began collecting up the pieces I liked most.
Shepard Fairey's work is dark, but inspiring; revolutionary, but also authoritarian.
This book is a chronicle of Fairey's evolution from sticker/t-shirt bootlegging teen to American Pop-Art icon, even if he might never want to characterize himself that way.
The book is hefty and handsome bound in red cloth with gold gilt colored text and the "Supply and Demand" print image on the cover.
It is full of Fairey's work and the story behind some of the street art he is famous for. There's also a glimpse into the philosophy of street artists, who separate themselves from what most people think of as simply vandals.
Fairey's run-ins with local police reveal much of the anti-establishment inspirations in his work. His anti-corporation campaigns and collaborations with musicians also inspire some of his best works.
A great book for the Shepard Fairey fan featuring much of his work from 1989 to 2005.
REVIEW EVERY BOOK YOU READ!

Mary Pecci's teaching method is the best I've seen. As the homeschooling mom of two boys, one now graduated and the other in high school, I used At Last! with both boys. I've looked at other reading programs, but I don't believe there is anything better. Ms. Pecci incorporates logical sequencing with repetition and clever seatwork activities for guiding teacher and student to success. Definitely five stars!

I wish more teachers and parents knew about this reading method. It is a well designed approach that really works!

*A quick idea for those familiar with the book -- I like to separate the "Good Guys" into two groups -- those that say their sounds at the beginning (B,D,J,K,P,T,V,Z), and those that say their sounds at the end (F,L,M,N,R,S,X).

This program turned around reading problems in our homeschool. In addition to clear instruction in the book, the author also provides lesson plans (word lists, etc.) for some basal reading series at her web site www.onlinereadingteacher.com She has a series of complementary work sheets that greatly decrease the preparation for the parent. You may also post questions on her message board, and she is quick and thorough in her answers. I have found this to be a highly successful reading program. My "problem reader" exclaimed yesterday as we deciphered words, "Oh! This is my favorite part of school!", and she now reads with confidnece. What more can I say?

Just a note to praise AT LAST! A READING METHOD FOR EVERY CHILD. I was introduced to it last year, my first year of teaching first grade, and AT LAST has since been an invaluable guide. I'm teaching a 1/2 split this year and using this program again. In fact, I've introduced my primary-level colleagues to AT LAST and, hopefully, by next month, all four first grades will be employing a variation on this program. Last year I enjoyed enormous success with AT LAST! and I anticipate even better results this year. My thanks to the author.

As a special education teacher for 22 years, I highly recommend this book to reading specialists, teachers, tutors, and parents who want the best method available for teaching people to read. I recently started tutoring using this book and am having great success.

Elmer is a very cute book with a great message. It's a little long for Preschool but great for older student's. There are little puppets that can be purchased to do along with the story, which are great and get students more involved.

The only reason I gave this item 3 stars is because it is in Spanish. When I ordered the book for my daughter, I intended to get the book in English. Boy was I suprised when it arrived! I LOVE the book in English and plan to order it that way next time. Please double check the book description before you order. I only found it listed in one (not obvious) place in the description! Don't make the same mistake I did!
Elmer

WE LOVE THIS BOOK & IT'S REQUESTED ALOT. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

This is a wonderful book! I am an art teacher and use it in my classroom to teach patterns. When I read it to my students (K-2) they laugh and giggle and just love it. It is also a great story to teach children that being different is aok and even something others may wish they were.

I had no intention of ordering 2 spanish versions of this book. I am not happy that I will have to pay to return them since "I" made the mistake. I went back and rechecked the description and it didnt mention that the books are in spanish. Not sure what I will do from here but not too happy about the situation. I have a class waiting for these books.

It rocked!!!! Best so far but I still got Unbeleivable and whatever she writes. So Spencer ends up with the blame for Ali's murder and Aria, Hanna, and Emily suspect its her. Well Aria and Emily did but Hanna never did get to reveal who A really was and A *** *** **** because "She knew to much" Aria is homless and boyfriendless and was pretty much ****** from her family. She's pretty sure her life sucks. Emily is being sent to a special group for gays but when she catches her coach with her ex... And for Hanna. Poor girl got dumped by her best friend after A totally sabatoged her and when A slipped up, Hanna got her digits and realized it was... This book made me wish Unbelievable would arrive from Amazon.com already. So suspensful and amazing. I sure hope Hanna returns after what A did to her. But as far as I know, A decided to get a new victim along with the pretty little liars. You'll have to see!!!

OMG, I was soooooooooo shocked by the ending. I don't think spencer meant to kill Ali. I think it was her sister, her sister says it pretty much in the book. I don't want Hanna to die, especially after meeting a great guy named lucas. Ugh, i wonder who is A. "A" is maybe now a murderer by killing Hanna, how could she. She lives in the area, how could this girl know EVERYTHING. I can't wait to get the 4th book in the series. There's going to be 8 books in total. YAHOO!!!!!!! Anyone who loves wathching or reading drama or gossip shows/books with a twist of mystery will love this books. You have to get this book. Its a must have for all girls over 13+ age. Love it. :D

PERFECT starts out with a flashback to a time when Ali was still alive and part of the group. Ali receives a phone call but doesn't share with Spencer, Hanna, Aria, or Emily. But that's kind of how it's always been. Ali was always the leader. Playing the girls off each other and keeping secrets on each of them.

Now, Ali is supposedly dead and the girls have all gone their own way.

Spencer has been nominated for the Golden Orchid. It's only the most prestigious essay contest in the country. The only glitch...no one knows that it's an essay that Spencer stole off her sister's computer one night when she didn't complete an assignment.

Aria is still secretly crushing on Ezra, her teacher. When they first met, Aria didn't know Ezra was going to be a new teacher at Rosewood. There was an instant connection, but so far they've been good about not acting on those feelings.

Hanna has had a major falling out with her now best friend, Mona. This has caused Hanna to resort to overindulging with food again.

And Emily. Well, she doesn't want to be on the swim team anymore. And she does want to date her friend Maya, but knows how violently her family would react to that news.

All four girls are still getting cryptic messages from the unknown "A." Who can possibly know all of their secrets, the ones that only Ali knew? As the messages keep coming, each girl gets tangled up in a web of her own creation.

A cliffhanger involving the remaining girls leaves the reader ready for the next installment of the PRETTY LITTLE LIARS series, Pretty Little Liars #4: Unbelievable (Pretty Little Liars), due out in May 2008. I picked up the first book in the series on a whim the fall of 2007. I kept being drawn to the cover. I sat down and quickly devoured the first story. From there, I was hooked.

The twisted lives of these girls at Rosewood are enough to keep anyone coming back for more!

Reviewed by: Jaglvr

Once apon a time there were four perfect little girls. Their names were Ali, Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily. Spencer was the perfectionist who had a bad habit of stealing her sister's boyfriends and has a hot temper. Hanna will do anything to be perfect, which includes being bulimic and shoplifting. Aria is trying to keep her disfunctional family together while dating her English teacher. And Emily, poor little Emily, the cookie cutter sweety pie, isn't that at all unless you consider the cookie cutter sweety pie to be gay. But last but definatly not least there is Ali. Ali was the Queen Bee, the leader, if she said "Jump" the girls would jump. All of the girls told her their secrets hoping that with her they would stay hidden -- but they were oh so wrong!

After a seventh grade sleep over Ali disaperred into thin air *poof* just like that. All of the girls were saddened at the loss of their best friend but were also relieved that their secrets would be safe. But that was when they didn't know about "A". Three years later they started getting threatening notes, e-mails, IMs, and texts from someone called "A". At first they thought that Ali was back because "A" was reminding each of them of their secrets. But then when Ali is found buried dead in her own back yard they relize that "A" is a whole other situation.

This book is by far the best in the series. Not that the first two weren't excellent but they had a lot of chearcter development and not as much plot development which just left more to be desired. Perfect is the perfect mix of plot development and character development. Spencer and Hanna were the two charcters that you need to foucus on because they are discovering clues about "A" and Ali's death, whether they like it or not. Aria also finds something out about Ali's personal life twoards the end of the book and has an idea about who her killer might be. But don't be so sure, the book's brilliant author, Sara Shepard, always has something up her sleeve. Emily is by far the blandest character but she is not to be forgotten because I always look foward to her chapters. Her chapters are one of the more interesting ones for some reason. Maybe it is because it is a lifestyle that we are unfamilliar with.

This book gives us so many clues about what happened to Ali and who "A" is. I am not going to tell you because you have to read the book to get the full experience. It is so much fun to put the microscopic but oh so important pieces of the puzzle together. These are my favorite books by far. I wish that ever book that I read could have the addicting power that this series has. You have to read the first two books though or else you will be completly lost. These books aren't the type of books that you finish and never give a second thought about. They stay burnt in your brain. I finished Perfect months ago and I am still every day interperating the book diferently and trying to see all of the possibilities of who "A" and Ali's killer are.

These books are a MUST READ for any teen. If you haven't read these books you are missing out on a whole world of execellent liturature.

In the first chapter, two 15/16 YO girls smoke marijuana. In the next chapter, a girl the same age goes to a bar, gets drunk, then has sex with an adult stranger in the bar's restroom. This book is nothing but garbage bordering on narrative child pornography. Shame on the book industry for marketing this trash to children. Parents, just because a book is in the teen section of the store or website doesn't mean it is actually suitable or appropriate for children--even teenagers.

I was at a medical info site reading about visual or eye migraines. I'd had them in the past but forgot whe facts about them. One thing they suggested was to read this book and included the link to this page at Amazon.

Everything C.S. Lewis wrote is worthy of reading and quite well written I just missed the connection.

Anyway if you want a way out there fantasy this is a great one.

They have done a wonderful job of recreating the origninal feel of the work using beautiful illustrations, quality paper. A wonderful gift for any child, or for a grandparent to read to a child.

Through the Looking Glass by Louis Carrol is a great book if you like imaginary places and mixed up things as well as little kid stories I would recamend this book to kids 11 and under because it seems like a really little kid book!The main place the character goes is the looking glass and she finds a magical world where everything is backwards! The first thing Alice see's is the garden and not just any old garden with any old flowers in it. It was a magical garden with talking flowers. Alice is now strolling through the flower jungle when all of a sudden she bumpes into Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum. After that they take her to meet the white queen. Will Alice meet the white queen? If she does will the white queen be as polite as nice as Alice expected? After Alice got out of the flower forest she wan'ts to meet the white king so Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum take her to see the white king and while Alice was talking to him the king took her to the castle to meet some of the people he knows and really the things wern't really people they were................?


The next part of my paragraph that I wan't to talk to you about the characters of through the looking glass. The main character is Alice she is so smart and so pretty and so young. The next two people I want to talk to you about are two idiots who are not so- smart and not so-small that are Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum they are so loud and rude they make a slob look neat. Another character is the white queen she is such a vrat she is ro rude Alice thinks she will explode if she said one more word. The white king is the last character that I want to talk to you about he is nice to Alice and not even as close to rude as the white queen is!

Illustrations are plenty, and the introduction is a nice addition. The best illustrated version I have ever seen, great for fans of Carroll and Peake both.

I read some of the reviews here... and there was a comment in one of them that says: "it's NOT QUITE a sequel to Alice In Wonderland because although Alice is older, she doesn't recall her past experience in wonderland."

Well... isn't that to be expected? How many dreams to you remember for the long term? None?

Alice DID change by the end of the first book -- but she may have forgotten exactly WHY she changed... because dreams just don't stay with people very well.

Also keep in mind that the author was a wierd drugged up stoner. So -- yeah... on all accounts -- I think this can be expected.

It's a good read.

The book has an amazing amount of information. I have really enjoyed learning about the flute. I had hoped for music to learn but the book is still very good.

I have bought a few beginner flute books, and this one is clearly a classic. Many previous reviews cover the book well already, but I must add that the section on emboucher and producing notes was too brief. The most challenging part of learning the flute is making good sounds come out of it, and the book does not seem to adequately address this with satisfactory depth or give more specific tips on what to do about this main obstacle to learning.

This book is informative, interesting and a great aid for a beginner, and perhaps for more advanced players, as well. It is full of very nteresting historical information and illustrations for wooden and bamboo flutes.
As I am a rank beginner, I can only speak from that frame of reference. But I definitely think you should give it a try, if you are interested in playing the flute.

This is the kind of book that should be required in band classes. It was nice to see some of the things you could do to repair the instrument, how to select an instrument, different types of flutes.

This guide to flute history, mechanics and playing technique is an excellent source for the beginner. It is written using understandable concepts that make it possible to visualize what is being taught. If you have not yet begun taking formal lessons with a teacher, this book will give you a good start.

Once upon a time, there were five little girls. These little girls were very different, but they still became friends. Best friends forever . . . or so they thought. One night in middle school, after a slumber party, one little girl - Alison, the most manipulative and controlling of the group - disappeared, and the four girls who were left behind - Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer - became Pretty Little Liars. Years later, as they approach the end of high school, Alison's body is finally found - and someone's stalking her old friends, leaving them messages and threatening to reveal their darkest secrets.

Unbelievable picks up just where Perfect, the previous book, left off - at the scene of an "accident" that left one of the girls with life-threatening injuries - and just keeps going from there. There's never a dull moment in this book. Hanna is immediately taken to the hospital. Emily is shipped off to Iowa to live with her prim aunt, uncle, and cousins. Spencer is shocked to find her cheating not only accepted but encouraged by her parents. Aria takes up a new art class, where she sees a familiar face. All the while, A keeps sending the girls messages. Before the book is through, the girls learn the identity of A - with devastating consequences.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: This could have been yet another series about vapid girls with money to burn, but instead, it's a dark mystery with unexpected depth and weight to it. Unbelievable is the fourth book in the Pretty Little Liars series, and it is just as addictive as the previous books in the line. Brimming with secrets and lies, Pretty Little Liars is definitely a guilty pleasure. Enjoy!

Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily are back, some in a better state than others, and ready to bring down A. When we last left the pristine Rosewood, Hanna had just discovered who A was, but she knew too much and A made sure she couldn't say anything by "accidentally" hitting her with a car. Now, as Hanna fights for her life, the other three girls have to clean up the mess that A has made.

Spencer finally remembers what happened the night of Ali's death and what she remembers isn't good. Could she really have killed Ali? Not only does she have to deal with the thought that she could have really killed her best friend, but she's got to reason with the guilt of stealing her sister's AP Economics paper, which got Spencer nominated for an award her sister should have won. With the feeling that A is constantly breathing down her back, will Spencer be able to keep her
cool composure, or will she finally pop?

After A let it leak that Emily likes girls, Emily's been living on the edge of sanity. Her parents don't know what to do with her, so they send her off to her ultra-conservative relatives in Middle of Nowhere, Iowa. When she arrives, Emily knows she won't last long -- then she meets Trista, an interesting girl who seems to understand Emily and doesn't mind talking to her. Will Emily last, or will she flee back to Rosewood and hope that she is accepted by those who love her most?

Aria's been kicked out of her mother's house after her mom found out she had been keeping the fact of her father's affair a secret for the past three years. Once again, we have A to thank for unveiling this bit of information. With nowhere else to go, Aria moves in with her father and his horrifyingly peppy girlfriend, Meredith. All Aria wants is for her life to go back to normal. When she starts an art class over at the neighborhood college her partner is none other than Jenna Cavanaugh, the
girl who was the terrible victim of a nasty prank that Aria was a part of. Can Aria ever escape her past or will it keep catching up with her?

Then there's Hanna, who really is hanging on for dear life. She can't remember anything from the night of the accident, especially the identity of A. The rest of the group doesn't want to pressure her too much, but they really want to know who A is. If this isn't enough, Hanna has to deal with her feelings for Lucas. She remembers hanging out with him a couple of times, but that's it. It seems, though, that a lot more happened. Will Hanna be able to get her memory back and solve the mystery of who A really is?

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS has always been a favorite series of mine. I mean, who can resist the scandalous secrets of others, especially of those who live in Rosewood? UNBELIAVALBLE completely blew all three of the previous books out of the water. It could almost be a stand-alone book if all the information we learn in the preceding books wasn't crucial
to the plot.

It seems that the author finally became comfortable with the characters in this book. They felt like real people and some of their issues became more realistic. I also felt that it was much easier to relate the characters in this installment. They didn't seem as stuck up and it was easier to like them. In my opinion, this is a particularly important part of a book, because if you can't relate then it's hard to actually imagine the feelings that the characters in the story have. While I think this was a weakness in the other books, the author has completely redeemed herself with this addition to the series.

The plot itself was great. Suspense has a totally different meaning to me now! At no point did I find myself knowing what would come next. I eagerly turned the pages hoping to devour more secrets and uncover more answers. The author did a great job hanging the identity of A over our heads until the final chapters of the book. And just as you thought you knew who killed Ali, wham!, the author threw another curveball at you. Before I had even started the book I had known that A would be uncovered in this book and was truly wondering how the story would continue afterwards, as there will be a total of eight books. I found that as some answers were told more questions surfaced. Again, the author left us with too many questions left unanswered.

Now I simply cannot wait for the fifth book. In the meantime, I urge you to pick up UNBELIEVABLE, as it is simply impossible to put it down.

Reviewed by: Tasha

This review will be as spoiler-free as I can make it, also I'm writing about the series as a whole, not just book 4.

Okay guys, I'm not gonna lie, I LOVED the first three books:
Pretty Little Liars
Pretty Little Liars #2: Flawless (Pretty Little Liars)
Pretty Little Liars #3: Perfect (Pretty Little Liars)
you MUST read each of these books in order or the story wont make any sense. The first three books set up a murder/stalker mystery that gets solved at the end of this 4th book.

There are 4 main characters/storylines that are interconnected with each other and unlike other teen series where there is one star and several back-up dancers, in this book Sara Shepard makes sure that all 4 of her main characters get equal time and interesting storylines. Each of the 4 girls could have held her own in her own book just with the backstory, auxillary characters and the plot that Sara gave her. Sara gives her characters real depth and flaws so that you can't really love them or hate them but you still wanna know what they're gonna do next.

I'll be honest, even though I'm giving this final book 5 stars, I was a bit disappointed at the ending. I suppose I was expecting something spectacular and way over the top (OMG ALISON COMES BACK FROM THE DEAD! LOL j/k) the payoff just wasn't where I personally wanted it to be, but then again I was literally speed-reading to get to the ending so, I think I will change my mind once I sit down and read all 4 books again in a row.

I've been with this series since PLL#1 came out in 2006 and it was an unbearable wait between books. I always had to pre-order them to make sure I got them the moment they came out and I have them all in hard cover. They are very colorful and pretty, if it means anything, they look nice on your bookshelf.

Usually I'm very blabbly and spoilery in my reviews so I'm sorry that I'm not being like that in this one, I just don't wanna ruin the ending for you guys! I wouldn't write a review at all but I gotta give this series 5 stars and give Sara Shepard her props, it's kept me interested and excited since 2006 and that's pretty tough!

I hope Sara keeps writing and comes out with an even better series soon and I hope this review was at least a little bit helpful for you.

I can't believe someone so close to Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer could really be doing this. A's identidy is really unexpected, just one of those characters you overlook but its how she knows all those things about the girls that the past 3 books in this series started to make since. Ali's killer is also a shocker and even though they say it was this , I'm not so sure. In this 4th book in this suspenseful series you find A's true identity and then she ****, you learn the truth about Jenna C., you learn Ali's killer, and your continued to Wicked the next book in the series. With Perfect endeing in such a suspensful heart wrenching way, I couldn't wait to pick up Unbeliveable and solve this mess but honestly, the mess only gets bigger...

When I recieved this book in the mail, I finished it within 3 hours! If you have not read the Pretty Little Liars series, you definatley should. They are absolutely amazing books!

I loved it. This is my all time favorit book right now. It is so exciting to see Lucuis back writing. I didn't like his soap opera vampire story, or his second time round Bill Gibson stuff, but the Valentine really did it for me.

Bravo!

It's hard to easily classify this title: part novel, part fantasy, is this story of romance and love lost in Florida, where a hurricane brings an unusual reunion with a lost love. A series of strange circumstances involves them in frightening possibilities in this unusual story.

The fascinating thing about Lucius Shepard is how he generates debate between intercolutors and the heat of argument.

However, I am puzzled that that debate by one intercolutor should be placed in the forum for criticism of the book itself.

In my work with children with special needs, I am called upon often to offer mediation strategies. I did not think those elective skills would be called upon in science fiction. In offering this balance, I would like to say that yes, Lucius' age is clear from numerous bios on line and off. However, the reviewer may not be aware of the debate in John Clute's Encyclopaedia surrounding the inconsistencies in Lucius' age. The issue therefore may not be arithmetical but about honesty.

Regarding Lucius' alleged retirement, I would again agree that this is incorrect, but only by degree. The reviewer Jay may have meant to pinpoint a trend. Dozois said of Lucius that "no year since has gone by without him adorning the final ballot for one major award or another." That was in 1990. By 1995 Dozois was reduced to republishing mainstream fiction from Playboy ("Beast of the Heartland") and stories that weren't even published _at all_ ("Human History"), in order to get Lucius' name into the science fiction press. This is a dramatic fall off in publishing, but certainly not retirement. Lucius himself said, in Locus, that he didn't see the point in writing for a time and so he stopped.

Regarding labels. I personally know the pain that these can bring, but I think that the label of "science fiction" is an innocent enough one. Again, those of us more familiar with the genre will know that this loosely encapsulates the wider subgenres of horror, fantasy and slipstream.

So I think one reviewer did indeed endeavour to get his facts right. Did the other?

However, these remarks are tangential to the book itself. Those of us who have met Lucius are aware of his towering presence and his command of centre stage. While he may not be above a little personal embellishment, this makes for a mastery of fiction. A man who lives so close to the edge of personal mythologizing (or past it) can bring great gusto to the art of the novel.

I recall my pleasure in my late twenties of discovering Life During Wartime, the story of a strong, vigorous youth rescuing a sexually traumatised woman by sexual expertise. Or "Beast of the Heartland," the story of a strong young boxer teaching a prostitute to love with his sexual expertise. Or "The Last Time," the story of a strong, violent man, coming to a nasty end during bouts of dramatic sex with a sexually traumatised woman. To paraphrase EL Doctorow, he is nothing, Lucius Shepard, if not a writer who knew a good formula when he found one.

Lucius has been one of the most popular science fiction writers of his era, and he is still popular today. Though it is also fair to say that he sits at the genre's table below the salt while the more sophisticated voices of modernist and post modernist irony (Silverberg, Gibson, Le Guin) conduct the conversation.

As always, Lucius remains a big man with a big voice, fearlessly shouting down boundaries, critics, genre distinctions and even those around him who would caution patience and control. While Valentine does not show the command and breadth of emotion that he has has had, the reactions below indicate that he can still create dialogue and polarise opinion.

I was surprised to see a new novel by Lucius Shepard as I had thought that he had retired some time ago. I have read all of his novels and was really blown away by the force of his writing in Life During Wartime. I like to think of Golden as an miss step and was hoping that Valentine would be all conquering. Unfortunately, it is closer to Golden than his best work. It is small, perhaps indicating a lack of stamina, and shares some of Shepard's overriding themes. His protagonist has "been around", is a tough guy, a sexual giant. While the love interest is, as usual untrustworthy, a slut and grateful for the sexual gratification the protagonist visits on her.

While this is depicted as a story about love, it could easily be seen as a repetition of his horror fiction, only sanitised for a more main stream audience (Mr Shepard wouldn't be the first SF writer trying to break into another audience in the winter of his career).

I found it strange to return to Shepard's work after the more prolific early 90s. And it resonates, but in a peculiar fashion, as he is now in his 60s.

This book does show promise and hopefully the next one will be longer, more developed and less slavish to his simplistic depictions of men and women.

I look forward to better things to come.

The guy who didn't like this book much writes as if he had some knowledge of Shepard and his work...but he gets most of it wrong.

Shepard has never been just an SF writer -- dark fantasy, horror, fantasy, magic realism, mainstream and some sf thrown in for good measure, sure, but not just SF.

Also, the idea that Shepard might have been in retirement is plain laughable. But, as the reviewer only appears to be familiar with Life During Wartime and The Golden, I reckon he missed the fifteen years of short fiction by Shepard across magazines and anthologies and in Shepard's own collections. Read a little more.

Shepard is also not in his 60s -- author birthdates are easy to find on the web. Math is harder, I admit, but check your arithmetic.

As for the book, I thought it was stunning. As usual Shepard's prose is poetic and evocative. I can't think of too many other writers working today who have his insight into, and his ability to illumine, basic human emotions. The book isn't sentimental or maudlin as its story might have been in the hands of a lesser writer, instead, it's painful emotional content is earned.

Now, it is true that there are no spaceships (well, maybe not), no ray guns, no cool weapons, no exploding heads. What there is is the story of a man and a woman and a set of circumstances they can't overcome however deeply they love one another. That's enough for me.