Stevens Books

Besides discovering my kid, he has been an invaluable resource with both his books and his coaching! He makes acting fun and easy to learn for kids! All his books are highly recommended.

This book really helped my auditioning skills. Just learn a commercial each day and you will be ready to book.

Reading this book has greatly enhanced my auditioning skills. After working some of the commercials from this book, I was able to book a national public service announcement! I had the opportunity to train in person with Chambers Stevens and believe he is an acting genius. This book includes all the secrets on how to land commercial jobs and has worked wonders for my career. I would highly recommend this book to any aspiring actor who wishes to master the art of performing a commercial.

When my son started acting he was nervous going to an audition.
The good thing about this book is the author shows you what happens at an audition.
He takes you through the process step by step.
The author's style of writing is very funny. My son and I were laughing and then when he got his first audition we found it happening just like in the book.

I bought this for my son, as well as the scene book for kids, and he hasn't put them down! They're a really good resource for kids who are interested in acting. I've also noticed that his memorization skills have improved since I got him these books. If you have a child interested in acting, I highly recommend both books.

This book is outstanding. Excellent real world examples. Takes readers from top to bottom through the industry. Really geared toward the whole independent/amature film community and how to achieve professional results working within the industry. I highly recommend this book cover to cover.

Being a skeptic, I tested Mark's capsule exercises on a script I was preparing for the IFP Spotlight Award. The results were unnerving - I discovered buried treasure I didn't know I had within my story and eliminated an entire subplot that didn't service the STORY. Mark demystifies the concept of marketing, asking simple, direct questions. By asking "why would anyone want to see your film?" Mark goes past just marketing and addresses the issues that draw people to filmmaking in the first place. When I put the book down, I had a clear vision of the kind of filmmaker I want to be - and a great set of tools to get there.

In the course of making a film, we found this book to be very helpful. It organizes info about the business side of the filmmaking process.

A lot of people throw the title "guru" around, but Bosko's the real deal. As a filmmaker, if you've ever wondered how to: get press coverage, create a media kit, find an attractive title; identify your movie's hooks, locate distributors, exploit the power of the web, get audiences and distribution and actually sell your movie or video...then GET THIS BOOK! Bosko "tells all" in an easy-to-read style that gets the creative juices flowing. No filmmaker should go anywhere near a camera without reading the hard-core, straight-up instruction and advice in this book.

This book is so great! I got a copy after reading a review and it lived up to every claim. The techniques in the book's "Self-Distribution" section showed me how to set up regional sales for a film that otherwise has not made any money up until this point! I can now proudly say that my DVD is available in 17 video stores in Pennslyvania and New York thanks to the tips in this book! Get Bosko's book if you want to sell your film - it is that simple.

Este libro te ayudará a cambiar la rutina de trabajo para tener una mejor condición y mantenerte sana y sobre todo en figura. TE LO RECOMIENDO!

SE ME OCURRIO PROBARME MI TRAJE DE NOVIA... Y ME SENTE A LLORAR ABRAZADA DE EL...
Mi matrimonio era pèrfecto, mi familia maravillosa... y aunque no estaba pasada de peso... ¡NI DE CHISTE ME CERRABA EL TRAJE !
Habia desarrollado una cintura de boiler y una absoluta falta de tono muscular..
Despès de 5 meses con estos ejercicios... ME QUEDA MI TRAJE DE NOVIA... !

COLEGAS ( soy médico )que duermen una horra menos que yo y salen de jogging como perros perseguidos por el antirábico...mientras que yo TENGO MEJOR CONDICION FÍSICA, MUSCULATURA Y APARIENCIA QUE ELLOS...
Se mueren por saber como le hago..pero es secretito: Hago mis ejercicios mientras voy en el coche rumbo al consultorio, cuando esoty viendo a un paciente y hasta hablando por teléfono !
Este libro ES LA BENDICION FÍSICA MAS GRANDE QUE EXISTE !

SENTADA, porque tengo un servicio de proveeduria para el que hago y vendo sandwiches ( muy ricos,eh?), pero estos ejercicios han sido mi salvacion, ya que antes era deportista y cuanod deje el deporte por el trabajo, me comencé a engordar la barriga...

Pues se acabó la barriga, Y NO ME FATIGO !
Vi el resultado en 4 SEMANAS

¡ME HORRORIZÓ VERME SIN ROPA EN EL ESPEJO !
¡QUE'FACHA !
Imposible salir de la casa con un bebé recien nacido... NI tiempo me quedaba...
Mi esposo me compró este libro ( SOSPECHO QUE EL TAMBIEN TENIA INTERES EN NO ESTAR CASADO CON UNA BRUJA!) y 4 meses después, mi cuerpo es el mismo de antes !
Firme, duro y esbelto !

A captivating mystery with a bonus of a wonderful "trip" to my hometown of Ft. Worth. It wove just the right balance of innocence, intrigue and nostalgia to keep me reading until the book was finished! Comfortable, readable writing style. Can't wait to read the next in that series, Grinning in His Mashed Potatoes.

This is one of the best mysteries I have read in a long time. I can not wait to read the rest of the series.

This is one fun book to read. Moseley's knack for off the wall dialogue and wry, sharp humor is evident in this mystery. Honey Huckleberry becomes a reluctant sleuth after a phone call from one of the three Stevens she knows is really a 4th Steven she doesn't know. From thereon out, Honey finds her rigidly organized life as a book seller representative in a tizzy. And now she has about four men in her life---her secret lover; a handsome if dense cop; a smoothly exotic gardener, and an old friend from school who is now a movie director. In the first half of the book, I can't count the times I laughed aloud at Honey's escapades, especially her paranoia and fear about the pantry in her parents' home. I hope I can find some more of Moseley's Huckleberry adventures; I just loved this book!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Holly Huckleberry lives alone in a house left to her by her parents. She lives her life on schedule, with each week of her sales trips to bookstores carefully planned, even down to what her wardrobe will be. Her life is all carefully planned until she receives a call from The Fourth Steven. She already knows three Stevens, each one of whom is an important part of her life. This Steven recites the line from a poem which Holly knows well, and she also knows that she is to respond to him with the next line. It's a game she plays with childhood friend Steven Hyatt, but this is someone else altogether. This Steven refers to a murder, and that's where all the trouble begins. We follow Holly on her travels around Texas, down to South Padre Island where she visits her boyfriend Harry. No matter where she goes, however, Steven's calls follow her. Who is this stranger and how does he know so much about her? Finding out the answer to that is what the book is about and it's an enjoyable adventure.

I picked this book up expecting another ho-hum female PI, and barely enough going on to hold my attention. Instead, I got a real pleasure that i carried around until i had finished it (same day I started). The characters are interesting and a little eccentric, and eccentric without being stupid. The plot is good, but really secondary to the interplay of the charcters. First thing this morning i logged on to order the rest of Ms. Moseley's books. I highly recommend this book

By Dag Stomberg (St. Andrews, Scotland)

I write to sound the praises of this extraordinary book.

Truly, a help for all of us to see the POLAR DISTRESS and
what to do for saving endangered bears.

This book is a superb piece of work. The written commentaries and the photographs are excellent. It is a must have for every home. Steven Kazlowski's talents truly shine in this publication!

Wow! I have a few of his books, all good, but this tops them all. I love polar bears and even have a few of his nature prints on my walls. This book is enlightening and the facts are alarming. Great job, once again.

I have been to Kaktovik before with the pilot that flew Steve for some of the aerial shots in this book. My visit to kaktovik was wonderful, we even saw Polar Bear tracks, but this book really brings the bear to life. Steve has done a marvelous job of capturing the spirit of the bear as well as the other life in Alaska's Arctic region. There are treasures within it's pages, not just the bears, but the people in the region and the other wildlife. It exemplifies much of what the Arctic is all about. I feel like I am back up there while looking through this book! A must for collectors of Alaska wildlife books! Thanks for bringing me back there, Steve, through your eyes and your talents! I love the book!

I met Steve in Deadhorse (prudhoe bay) some years ago, and we have been friends ever since. It was my privledge to pass him on to other friends as he immersed himself into the Arctic. Steve is continuing a proud tradition of naturalist explorers and photographers that extend back to John Muir. I was in the area when National Geographic blew into Kaktovik, took a few photo ops and blew out. In contrast, Steve, like Micho Hoshino did, actually lives with the animals. He staked out a polar bear den for a month waiting for the opportunity of a few photos. Thousands of hours have been logged watching and waiting, most of them in rather challanging conditions.
Even more so, the very act of living a life of meditation in the wild will transform one's spirit and vision. He has honed his eye and awareness to a sharpness that few of us will either have the time, opportunity or dedication to achieve. I am in awe of the amazing clarity that he has brought to not only the great northern bears of the arctic, but to the ramifications of the whole world about us as we continue to lose that which every ecosystem should treasure. Bravo Steve.

This book is a must-read. It has changed my life. After reading about the human rights abuses concerning fertility and reproduction that have taken place, I have come to realize that we take for granted our right to bear children. Please read this book, it is a real eye-opener.

I never knew about the famine in China in the late 50s, early 60s, but reading the incredibly extreme measures the government was/ is? willing to go through wasn't in some way influenced by those horrible events.

Yes, the method of enforcing the one child only policy are brutal and heart-wrenching, but I cannot help thinking this decision was not taken lightly just as another means to oppress people.

The very horror and brutality makes me wonder what horrible forecasting, what dire conditions were predicted to make those in power feel the need to create the policy and then to enforce it so strongly. If up to 40 million died in the first famine, what numbers were foreseen for the next one? I have to think it must have been apocalytic in suffering predicted that forced abortions and even infanticide were deemed the lesser evil.

This account of a woman in China, including the events of her life from her birth in 1948 to the time she became a permanent resident of a free country in the 1980s, is full of high interest for any one who wants to know what it is like to live in China in her time, and I presume today. It is indeed a chilling account of the way things are in a country which accords to abortion a higher position than life, and the accounts of the way abortions are performed I don't suppose would be what pro-abotionists would like to read about. But I found the book educational and eye-opening.

This book is truly an eye opener. It is well written and I found it hard to put it down. The story of Chi An, a chinese woman and her life, in particular how the 'one child' policy affected her, is fascinating. It made me realise how lucky we are in the Western World, and how much we take our freedom for granted.

I've read "A Mother's Ordeal" twice now and it's one of the most compelling books I've ever read. I was born just weeks apart from Chi An, the main character in this true story, but our lives have been lived worlds apart.

As she vividly describes her childhood in Communist China, her poverty and famine and cruel government policies, I couldn't help but trace my own life events and be painfully aware of the blessings I've received in comparison to her life lived under vise-grip pressures of a government not concerned for its own people. As I read about her eating pancakes made of tree leaves and sleeping through school in the afternoons because of her weakness from hunger, I pictured myself going door-to-door to collect money in milk cartons for the "starving children in China" and now I've been introduced to the first-person story of one of those children.

This book helped me to put a very human face on the stories I've read in the newspaper and studied in history classes. I am a deeply pro-life woman, and yet I can fully empathize with women in China who are forced to submit to abortion because of the relentless, crushing pressure experienced on a daily basis by the women of that country by a government committed to a one-child policy at any cost, which is so graphically explained in this book. Reading it makes me ask myself how strong I could be under the same circumstances.

You will not be able to forget her descriptions of her C-section done without anesthesia because of her desire to avoid the dangers the anesthesia posed to her unborn son, and to admire her courage and the deep mother-love that drove her to do so. And even when she becomes a birth control worker who imprisons and berates and forcibly aborts other women (even her best friend, in labor at full term), you cannot see this woman as a monster herself, but as part of a monstrous system that must be exposed and changed.

This book may change your understanding of abortion forever and make you more committed than ever to ending its destructive power in a very pro-woman way. It will most surely challenge excuses for UNFPA funding of these policies in China. Thank you Chi An, for telling your story!

The author really gives the cat in this story a voice, not to mention the cat is just like mine. Great story and pictures. I read it to my fourth grade class and they enjoyed it.

This is a humorous look at an imaginary life of Merl the "special" cat. He has his cat people and when they bring a puppy into the home, Merl begins an adventure. Kids love to hear it over and over--the illustrations are also very lovely. I love to read this out loud.

"My dish. My sofa. My chair. My mouse. My Bed." These are the words uttered by Merl, a very special cat and above each two word sentence is an excellent illustration. Merl, who always seems to have his pink mouse toy in his teeth by the tail is a happy, content cat, until his owners bring home a puppy. The puppy dog licks and slurps Merl to no end, apparently not aware that cats and dogs aren't supposed to be friends. Merl does everything he can to discourage the puppy, but in the end finds that nothing he does will shake this dog's love, so he leaves and seeks out a new home.

However, everywhere he goes he has problems, first a lady dresses him up like a show cat, children fight over him and he winds up sleeping in a box on the street until this dog comes by and guess what, that dog is the puppy all grown up and he takes Merl home and Merl decides to be friends after all, but there are a few rules he lays down and they are, "My dish. My sofa. My chair. My mouse. My bed and My Big Dog."

This is wonderful book for children just learning to read. The illustrations are simply beautiful. Your child will just love this. I know my girls did when they were learning to read. Five stars from me for "My Big Dog."

Awesome book! Only thing that I didn't really like so much were the grey people (they seemed to be photographs) that were inserted with the animals) Merl certainly is a very special cat, and I can't think of a reason why any child wouldn't love this book. I'm especially fond of Merl's pink mouse toy.

That aside, the writing is great and the illustration (Aside from the grey people) fit the mood of the whole thing fanatsticly. The 'i'm so irritated' cat face is just perfectly captured.

Our class thought this book was funny! We laughed when the cat, Merl, got dressed up as a girl. Our favorite part was when the kids played tug-of-war with Merl. You have to buy this book! It is excellent!

At first blush this book appears to be a footnote to a writer who had an eccentric hobby. Since Professor Boyd's definitive biography some may consider that there was little else to explore. The scientific achievements of Vladimir Nabakov were not lost but perhaps overwhelmed in the literary story.
Nabakov's Blues does more than just dust off the lepidoptry papers. The book is in the final assessment a celebration of how science and research are never a sterile academic exercise but a reflection of greater issues of the beauty and elegance of intellect at work.
During the course of shedding light on the under recognized research we are reminded that the mundane work of classifying and sorting often underpins more glamorous tasks, but are also given insight into the many quiet achievers in science, who often take considerable personal risks to complete research which is part of a greater whole and leaves them only as a name in a arid catalogue.
We are too prone to identify the heros and not those who without clamor or boasting actually do the work.
Nabakov himself never "promoted" his science although he made it clear that his butterflies were an integral part of his life. We grow to specialise and those who can travel in literary circles as well as science are rare. The authors Johnson and Coates do themselves demonstrate that they too can travel the literary salons and the research laboratories, and write an elegant supplement to Professor Boyd that transcends that status to become a commentary on the man who was in many ways a true renaissance figure.

NABOKOV'S BLUES

Nabokov's Blues: The Scientific Odyssey of a Literary Genius. Kurt Johnson, Steve Coates. Cambridge, MA: Zoland Books, 1999. Pp 372 $27.00

In his Field Guide to the Butterflies of North America Alexander Klots wrote of the genus Lycaeides that "the recent work of Nabokov has entirely rearranged the classification of this genus." The response of Vladimir Nabokov, the acclaimed author of Lolita, Pale Fire and Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle, was "That's real fame. That means more than anything a literary critic might say."

Nabokov was born in April 1899 and his reputation as a leading literary figure of the century he was almost born in seems secure; the Random House Modern Library proclaimed Lolita the fourth greatest novel of the century and the memoir Speak, Memory, the eighth greatest work of non-fiction, thus Nabokov was the only author to feature in the top ten of both lists. It is well known that Nabokov had a strong interest in lepidoptery. Often however it is dismissed as mere dilettantism, or seen by academics and critics as a source of Freudian symbolism. Nabokov himself detested such phenomena as the crass observation that "insect" and "incest" are anagrams, and attacked "the vulgar, shabby, fundamentally medieval world of Freud, with its crankish quest for sexual symbols." Full-time lepidopterists were either ignorant of Nabokov's work or regarded it as amateur dabblings; perhaps they also felt resentment at this part-timer who was nevertheless dubbed "the most famous lepidopterist in the world."

Kurt Johnson is a lepidopterist associated with the Florida State Collection of Arthropods, while Steve Coates is an editor at The New York Times. This, their first book, fights on many fronts; it tries to restore Nabokov's scientific reputation and give some account of lepidoptery's place in his life and literary work; pleads for the oft-ignored discipline of taxonomy, more important now than ever in the light of the crisis in biodiversity; and is an exciting scientific adventure story ranging from the "incorrigible continent" of South America to the squabbles of the world of academia.

Nabokov's scientific work belongs in every sense in a different era; he represents one of the last of the gentleman naturalists. Lepidoptery was an interest inherited from his father, a prominent Russian liberal assassinated in Berlin in 1922. It remained constant throughout the upheaval of the Russian Revolution and exile in Cambridge, Germany and France. On coming to the United States in May 1940 he soon visited the American Museum of Natural History in New York City with certain puzzling specimens from Europe. In Autumn 1941 he visited Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology and found the collections in disarray, and first as a volunteer and then as a part-time research fellow in entomology he endeavoured to straighten it out. This was typical of the war years; considerable lacunae existed in academia and were filled with available workers with little regard for their professional training.

Nabokov's paper Notes on Neotropical Plebejinae is the key in the reassessment of his position in science. It was a pioneering classification of the Latin American Polyommatini, a diverse group of Blue butterflies with members from the tip of Chile to the Caribbean. This paper established a broad framework of genera for later researchers to insert new species. In 1948 he left the Museum of Comparative Zoology to become Professor of Russian and European Literature at Cornell University. This marked the end of Nabokov's formal association with the world of lepidoptery, and with the publication of Lolita Nabokov's fame became a two-edged sword as far as his scientific reputation was concerned.

In the 1980s a series of expeditions to Las Abejas, a jungle enclave near Dominican Republic's Haitian border, began to turn up new specimens of what were known as Blues. Over the next decade and a half, Johnson and other lepidopterists travelled all over South America, becoming increasingly aware of the crucial relevance of Nabokov's classification system to the multiplicity of new species they discovered. In these chapters the authors make us aware of the biodiversity crisis which means species are becoming extinct faster than science can ascertain their existence. The humble place of the taxonomist, seen by some as a drone of biology, is scarcely deserved, considering the importance of this work. The authors are also at pains not to judge Nabokov by the standards of today; some of his beliefs on mimicry and evolution appear scientifically unorthodox, but reflect that when he was working these issues were still being resolved.

This book will provide both enjoyment and enlightenment to any reader interested not only in Nabokov but in the relationship of the arts and sciences, the current state of natural science and the biodiversity crisis. The crucial question for Johnson and Coates is "Was Nabokov a true scholar of Lepidoptera, or merely a dilettante whose contributions were remarkable?" The casual observer might wonder how "mere" a dilettante would make "remarkable" contributions, but the question is deeper; seeing Nabokov as a scientist gives the understanding of his life and works a whole new dimension.

The authors seem to suggest that a healthy relation between CP Snow's "two cultures" requires not a facile "unity" but a deep appreciation of both the humanities and the sciences. Nabokov's quote "Does there not exist a high ridge where the mountainside of 'scientific' knowledge joins the opposite slope of 'artistic' imagination" is often quoted in this context. Far from an airy abstraction, this refers to a specific example; Nabokov's 1952 review of a book centred around the drawings of John James Audubon; Nabokov found Audobon's butterfly drawings inept, and wondered "can anyone draw something he knows nothing about?" Nabokov considered a knowledge of natural science indispensable for a truly cultured sensibility; he was shocked when his literature students at Cornell University were ignorant of the names of local trees and birds.

We see Chekhov and William Carlos Williams as doctors and as writers; we see Primo Levi as a chemist and as a writer. Johnson and Coates convincingly try to persuade us that Nabokov should be seen as a writer and as a lepidopterist. Nabokov himself said "whenever I allude to butterflies in my novels ... it remains pale and false and does not really express what I want it to express, what, indeed, it can only express in the special scientific language of my entomological papers."

I picked up the paperback of this book because I'd heard about it when it was in hardback. For anyone who is fascinated by science, literature, history, sociology and much more, they will find the blend of story, information and insight in this book satisfying and enlightening. Its never gets dull because you're reading about a historical literary figure, and his biography, tons of information about science and exploration, the scientists who completed the formative work Nabokov began at Harvard before becoming famous after Lolita, and how this all fits together in todays biodiversity crisis and squabbles over whether Nabokov was really a bona fide scientist or just an boyish aficionado. I felt I had learned a great deal from this book but also enjoyed it. It is a great blend of historical fact, new stories, and insight the into world's environmental dilemmas. I also had no idea of the complex ways in which Nabokov interwove butterflies and their images and symbols into his novels.

This book is a fun read for anyone with an interest in the personal histories that shape authors, in biology and/or in the environment and ecology. It provides great insight into the scientific passion that moved one of the more interesting figures in literature, and nicely weaves the tale of Nabokov's first passion, lepidoptery, providing many interesting biographical details (including his wonderful sense of humor!), and the modern day story of the scientists who continued his work and discovered that his scientific legacy was truly as important and inventive as his literature. It discusses the science in a way that is interesting and easily understood by the non-scientist, but does not diminish the nature of the scientific information conveyed. In addition, it shows how the science impacted the literature. How interesting that a butterfly-gathering trip would provide the backdrop for Lolita! I found this book to be very interesting, informative and entertaining, and I highly recommend it.

Nabokov's Blues by Kurt Johnson and Stephen Coates is a testament to the dogged pursuit of their art by basic scientists such as Drs. Vladimir Nabokov and Kurt Johnson who continue their efforts with minimal funding and little glamour, and the roles played by happenstance and eccentricity in substantial discoveries. The adventure stories spun by Stephen Jay Gould in Wonderful Life and Jonathan Weiner in The Beak of the Finch in high profile, well-financed disciplines, and by Mark Jaffe in And No Birds Sing and now by Johnson and Coates in Nabokov's Blues in lesser known arenas, demonstrate how events and personalities conspire. Johnson and Coates capture this process and invite the reader into this adventure as the scientists and their colleagues pursue the magic of butterflies. Nabokov's Blues is an engaging retelling of the exciting set of adventures, in the field and in museums, begun by one of the great storytellers of the 20th Century, Vladimir Nabokov. With the disclaimer of a member of a class described by the reviewer as "eccentrics and polymaths" who played a minor role in Kurt Johnson's great adventure, I cannot disagree more strongly with Richard Conniff's assertion in his February 20,2000 review in The New York Times Book Review that "the authors fail to capture the full wonder and oddity of the enterprise." This is exactly what the authors accomplish.

I am the mother of 3, and I cook EVERYTHING from scratch. I like the spiral binding. The book is sturdy and the pages stay open. There is a lot of advice in the beginning of the book but I did not find the advice helpful because I've already "been there, done that" and figured it out on my own by making mistakes. The advice may be very helpful to a new mother -- would make a great gift. As far as the recipes go, some are great (Mediterranean Chicken, which is adapted from The Silver Palate) and some are not. There are a lot of short cuts and adaptations from other cook books, which is kind of unoriginal. Some of the recipes I don't get -- there's one for stir fry chicken which consists of buying veggies, chicken and bottled sauce (why buy a cookbook when the recipe is on the back of the veggies package?). And, some of the recipes are not for kids -- my kids wouldn't touch the food. Although this book is good for the one-armed cook, I think that the recipes in my Gourmet (5 Ingredients), Bon Appetit (Keep It Simple, Everynight Cooking), and Rachael Ray books are just as easy and great.

I received this cookbook as a birthday gift over a year ago and it is - by far - the best, most useful cookbook I've ever owned. I was a decent cook (definitely not a chef!) but, over the past year, this book has elevated tremendously my ability to provide delicious meals for my family. My husband even publicly commented about this recently at a party we were attending! I knew I liked the recipes, but I didn't realize that he had noticed so much!

The recipes are wonderful, delicious, and easy to prepare, and even the non-recipe chapters are full of useful information (such as how to stock your pantry). I can't recommend this book highly enough!

I have raved about this cookbook to my friends. I have several cookbooks but the recipes in this one are actually for meals the children WILL eat! Yay!!!! :) The meals are easy to prepare, simple and delicious! I especially love the sections on planning simple get togethers (with specific menus all spelled out) and the slow cooking section. I use this book several times a week and have to say I finally have more selection for what to make for dinner and I'm enjoying the variety too. BUY IT!

I bought this book not for a new mother but for a busy mom, I would buy this book again without hesitation for baby showers in the future.

I have given this book to several new Moms. The recipes are tasty and easy to make (I have a copy myself). This book makes a great and unique baby shower gift. It's always well received.

This book was the first of the Malazan saga that I found myself skimming. Previous books in this series compelled more interest and a thorough reading as introductions of new fascinating arenas/characters overcame shotgun character development.

Erikson's gift in crafting a believable messy universe is undeniable. Unfortunately, a loosely common yarn he threads to present this vast realm to the readers includes too many protagonists and excessive focus on peripheral players with cryptic powers whose actions often remain perplexing before and after (even volumes later) the deeds. His style of intermixing short snippets of events from many different characters within a page or two further discourages readers' involvement.

By sacrificing character development in the previous volumes, the conclusions reached with more or less the same characters in Reaper's Gale seem impersonal and uninvolving. Often, I had to remind myself that I am reading a fantasy novel not a history book. Maybe if Erikson took Tolkien's apprach to Arda... or introduced a Thomas Covenant or two!!!

The 7th book in the series is a well told tale in the saga. Its not the best of the series (Memories of Ice, Bonehunters, Gardens of the Moon) but it is welldone nonetheless. The last 250 pages just race by and you will not want to put down to stop. The first 2/3 of the book is hard to put down as well. Throughout, there are tragedies and triumphs, grief and humor.

Its a truly complex book and ultimately rewarding, as well.

Can't say enough about Erikson and the Malazan Book of the Fallen. However, this trade paperback of Reaper's Gale had a packet missing in it. 32 pages were repeated after page 544, so I missed 32 pages of action. Very annoying. I don't know if it was just my copy or all of them, but I was pretty upset about this. TOR really should proof their ashcans before sending them to press, or at least pull the bad copies before shipping them to market.

I think this may have been the best book of the series.
It raps everything up and action action action.
Simply Loved it

With every book Erikson writes I become more and more impressed. In the beginning I thought it was good writing, interesting story and world, but wasn't too sure. Book 1 was pretty good, book 2 fell a little short, but book 3 picked up and from then on each successive book got that much better, which brings us to the most recent book, by far the best so far.

Erikson writes epic fantasy on a level all his own. The world is massive and engaging. It is at once believable and yet otherworldly, creating a fusion of worlds that leaves your jaw hanging. I am amazed at how well he writes the characters and holds such a complex and huge story together, with each book at least 800 pages.

In Reaper's Gale we finally see the two worlds, the Malazan and the Letherii, finally begin to converge. We get to see the Bonehunters as well as the Tiste Edur. But it wouldn't be Erikson if some new aspect were not introduced to add such color and flavor to an already mind numbingly full bodied book. We see the Awl, the Benetract, an Ascendent previously undisclosed and a bunch of Elder gods.

I could go on and on but I wouldn't do the book or Erikson justice. His writing is amazing. His world is amazing. Everything is amazing about this series. I think he is by far my favorite fantasy author out there right now, and is one of the few authors who can write more than a three book series and make every single one of them an amazingly complex book that is also a page turner. Bravo Erikson.

If I could give this a 10 out of 5, I wouldn't hesitate. And the upside? Book 8 is coming out in a few months so we don't have long to wait to indulge ourselves once again.

5 stars.