Shepard Books

Frank Thompson has re-edited some interviews with silent-film director Henry King into chronological order. King talks of his days as an actor, and then a silent film director. In the 1930's he moved to the Fox studios and directed many good films (including some classics such as THE GUNFIGHTER [1950]). King talks about Daryl Zanuck (the mogul at Fox) and many film stars such as Lillian Gish, Ronald Coleman, Gary Cooper, and Gregory Peck. The book has an excellent filmography in the back, plus a few pictures of King throughout the years.

This book told me a lot about native american life.Also told me a good deal of information about my ancestor Holdfast. He was a great warrior.And I woundn't know anything about his without this book.

This book has everything- a mystery, a valiant search, a happy ending. It is the story of the search for the nesting site of the whooping crane. It took 17 years to find the site, the discovery of which assures the world that this site will not be destroyed and insures that these birds may survive the impact of an ever growing human population. We owe so much to these brave men who worked so hard to find where these glorious birds nested. The book is well written and illustrated.

I read this book as a child. Re-reading it recently I could feel the wonder of a small child exploring a beach in the early morning. Now I don't know which came first, the description in this book or my love of early morning beachcombing.

A sentimental review, I admit. Still, I think this would be a perfect book to read with a small child before his or her first trip to the ocean.

A few book reviews grumbling about people's lack of linearity in entertainment. On the whole, a vaguely decent issue (rounding up), as half is average, with the Shepar et. al. being the good story, and not a lot else of interest. Nothing bad, though.

ASIMOVS171 : Tyger - Jack McDevitt
ASIMOVS171 : The All-Consuming - Lucius Shepard and Robert Frazier
ASIMOVS171 : Hole-in-the-Wall - Bridget McKenna
ASIMOVS171 : Marnie - Ian R. MacLeod
ASIMOVS171 : The Magician - J. P. Boyd
ASIMOVS171 : To the Eastern Gates - Thomas Wylde

Wanna make a cosmos?

3.5 out of 5


Deadly deviant dishes means fungus faced diner's chef leavetaking.

4 out of 5


Bigot future watch.

3 out of 5


Younger relationship.

3 out of 5


War leader betrayal.

3.5 out of 5


Hyper alien sex.

3 out of 5




3.5 out of 5

I am one of those people who can't get enough of something. I can't get enough knowledge about physics. So when I saw this book, I thought "Bingo!" I checked it out, and whoa! Forget Encarta or Groliers; this actually explains relativity, and clearly! I now can almost understand this theory. Read this book, physics maniacs!

This simply-written children's book chronicles tbe first day that a little girl spends with her new kitten. The girl thinks about all the wonderful things her kitten will become as she watches him play and eat.

A good book for a young child who is about to get a new kitten.

Fantasy collections tend to be like the genre itself: a few gems among the dross. This collection is a refreshing exception, with many good stories and only a few that I didn't enjoy. Mike Ashley displays a great deal of knowledge about the genre and about what makes a good fantasy story.

"Mammoth Book" kicks off with an intriguing story by Theodore R. Cogswell, "The Wall Around the World," a HP-esque story of a wizard boy who yearns to cross an incredibly high wall that blocks off another part of the world. "Darkrose and Diamond" is one of Ursula Le Guin's returns to Earthsea, a touching little love story. Robert E. Howard's "Valley of the Worm" is a relatively dry piece of work about a warrior reliving a battle against a monster. Ashley then digs back to the very beginning of fantasy for George MacDonald's "Golden Key," a story about a young boy who finds a strange golden key. Another pre-Tolkien master is Lord Dunsany, whose chilling "Hoard of the Gibbelins" tells about a man's run-in with the goblin-like Gibbelins, who eat "nothing less good than man." Clark Ashton Smith's "The Last Hieroglyph" is a vaguely Dunsanian story taking place on a future time when the world is dying. Jack Vance's "Sorcerer Pharesm" is an intriguing story about the naive thief Cugel and the creature TOTALITY.

Darrell Schweitzer's "King Yvorian's Wager" is a very traditional-feeling fable about a proud king who makes a wager with Rada Vatu, a very sinister god. Fritz Leiber's "Howling Tower" is a story about a barbarian and his sidekick Gray Mouser, who find a strange tower in a wasteland, and a man who has been afraid for many years. Michael Moorcock and James Cawthorn bring back Moorcock's classic anti-hero Elric of Melnibone for an adventure with a love interest, ghouls, and a mad minstrel. Robert Zelazny brings Dilvish the Damned from Hell for a new battle in "Bells of Shoredan." Tanith Lee produces an intriguing, beautifully-written short story in "Hero at the Gates," where a strange man arrives to help a desert city escape an evil scourge. Patricia McKillip's beautiful "Lady of the Skulls" has a group of men arriving at the home of the mysterious Lady. Louisa Cooper's "Sunlight on the Water" is an excellent story, in which a man mourning his beloved late wife finds out a few things he hadn't noticed about her personality. Harlan Ellison's "Paladin of the Lost Hour" is about young Billy's friendship with the strange old Gaspar, who hides a secret side to his personality.

Theodore Sturgeon provides the slightly disturbing "Yesterday Was Monday," in which it is found that the world is only illusion. Charles de Lint's "Pixel Pixies" is a light fantasy about irritating little pixies and industrious hobs. Another classic fantasy is A. Merrit's "Moon Pool," a bizarre fantasy about strange and beautiful things along the moon path. Lucius Shepard's "Man Who Painted the Dragom Griaule" includes many of the usual trappings of fantasy, but thankfully does not fit into the ordinary mold. James P. Blaylock's "Nets of Silver and Gold" is an intriguing story about two childhood friends, one of whom definitely has an unusual outlook. Lisa Goldstein's "Phantasma of Q____" takes place in a world quite like ours, except slightly different in its fantasy elements, in which a phantasma has shown up in front of the author. James Womack earns an "Audience," a poignant story in which a curator tells a saddening story to the narrator. And the collection rounds out with Michael Swanwick's "Edge of the World," a slightly bizarre but very snappy story.

With a gorgeous, intricate cover and a foreword by Ashley before every story, this is obviously not a quick-and-dirty collection. Rather, it shows a great deal of thought. Only a few of the stories left me unaffected; I wasn't really impressed by Moorcock's, Howard's, or Sturgeon's. On the other hand, most of the others were ones I had not read before, and I enjoyed the introduction to underrated fantasy authors.

Fantasy fans searching for good, original, non-derivative reads should check out this book, for stories ranging from earliest fantasy to modern-day twists and turns. Good work, Mr. Ashley.

This is a wonderful book that is divided into 8 sections and depicts beautiful photography. The mother/daughter team give an accurate description of the manatee and their plight. Also, manatee anatomy and their sixth sense are explored. THis is a good book for any level teacher who is introducing a unit on Manatees or Endangered species. A plug for Save the Manatees is also mentioned with contact information on their back book jacket.