New Zealand Books

The best treatment of traditional Pacific navigation practices, written by someone who actually could navigate.

This book is well-written, displels a lot of strange myths about native Pacific navigation, and provides a lot of interesting details useful to modern navigators when they run out of batteries in the middle of the ocean.

For most of us, sailing across 2000+ miles of open ocean from Hawaii to Tahiti (or vice versa) would be daunting enough even with using every modern navigation device such as a GPS. Consider that in 1927 with compasses, sextants, radio, etc, in the Dole Air Race from Oakland to Honolulu (the same distance as Tahiti to Hawaii) 3 out of the 5 planes that started out were lost at sea. Then consider that a thousand years ago the Polynesians in 50-foot twin-hulled canoes were regularly making such voyages without any kind of instruments, and that crossing 50 or 100 miles of ocean was thought almost trivially easy.

That a primitive (by European or American standards) people were skilled at ocean navigation was thought absurd. Kon-Tiki was an attempt to show that Oceania could be populated from South America by drifting on rafts and sheer luck of landfall. But it is now established that there was skilled and purposeful exploration and colonization--including Rapa Nui (Easter Island) which is 1000 miles from the nearest other habitable island. We, the Navigators is a fascinating look at "primitive" navigation techniques, and the author himself sailed from Hawaii to Tahiti using only these ancient techniques.

So you'll see how the Polynesians used the sun, moon, and stars to achieve accurate navigation. They also used the ocean swells (as distinct from waves): islands reflect and deflect swells, so by careful observation, you can get a sense of direction to landfall. Land also changes cloud patterns. Birds were watched intently. New Zealand was one of the last places found and peopled--from 1600 miles away from the northeast, perhaps by watching birds migrate in that direction. Different kinds of birds travel different distances from land--some travel 40-50 miles, others 20-25 miles: by observing at dawn where the birds came from, and observing which direction they went towards sunset, and seeing what kind of bird it was, you could tell that there was land, and what direction it was, and how far away it was as well. On leaving land, backsights would be taken to help establish currents and drift. The book has lots of drawings and illustrations--it's a real treat!

This book is written by an academic. I don't necessarily mean this in a negative sense. The author has done a very thorough research on the topic and presented his findings. The effect is a book that can be called a comprehensive treatment as far as it can be done given that the practictioners are disappearing fast.
The downside is that it can send you to sleep as the author systematically compares how the navigational techniques are practiced in the various island groups.

The strength of the book is not only its thoroughness but also the fact that the author is a skilled sailor who has gone on trips using these techniques. This makes the material so much more authentic, because the reader can relate how effective these skills are and yet how much practice they require.

The author provides commentary on many practices and relates them to our modern day knowledge. An example was their ability to recognize the impact of sub surface currents, something that is today a rather specialist piece of knowledge not available to the everyday sailor.

The most complete study of early navigation I have come across. The author does a fantastic job of comparing the different styles of landfinding as used by the Pacific islanders. Lewis brings the knowledge and experience of an accomplished western sailor and navigator to his studies, and in doing so is able compare and contrast ancient and modern techniques. A scholarly study of primitive navigation, the book is not always an easy read, however for the reader looking for a complete comparison this is the volume to have.

Good book for any helicopter pilot. My husband crashed his helicopter last summer, luckily he survived but the ship was destroyed. This book helped him get back into flying and learn from his and others experiences. As his wife, I liked the book also.

My daughter's boyfriend requested this book for Christmas. I was very happy to find it and receive it so quickly. It is exactly what he wanted! Thank you Amazon!

WOW!! I am a Helicopter Pilot w/just over 200hrs logged.This book has so much life saving information on what could happen to you when you don't cross all your " T's " .This book is so easy to read , its perfect for students & professional Helicopter Pilots.If you don't want to hear the truth about what could happen to you,then this book is not for you. I can't tell you enough how I wish that all Helicopter flight schools and the FAA should make this book manatory to read.This book could SAVE YOUR LIFE.

Well,i had been looking for a book related to helicopter accidents and causes until i saw "Fatal Traps For Helicopter Pilots".The dramatic accident rate of helicopter operations always took my attention and made me ponder over the subject.This book gives vast information of helicopter aerodynamics and inspects the accident "cause" and "result" logic,rather than connect the dots theory.It does not matter if you are a novice or a veteran pilot,you had better have a look at the Fatal Traps For Helicopter Pilots,because i am sure that you would find something from yourself in this book.
Bottom line;Helo pilots must read this book in order to save lives,because the experince which is the most valuable asset in aviation world comes to you with a reasonable cost.

First off, the idea of dissecting accidents to learn what/what not to do is a great idea and something that rotorcraft pilots definitely miss out on--Whyte should be praised for taking the initiative to do this. On the downside, too much of the book is just raw accident reports (or Whyte's summary of them) that offer either the most basic details or minutiae that makes sense only to the manufacturer's engineers. At some points it's frustrating to read through these not knowing where they're going, or trying to understand technical details only to end a chapter without getting any insight from them. Whyte could have vastly improved this book by taking the time to cut through the crap in these reports and focus on the details relevant to the point he's looking at, although the page count would have been much smaller...

On the flip side, the value in this book comes from:
1/ It is specific to helicopter flight and operations
2/ Whyte's sorting thru all the accident reports that illustrate all the bad stuff you read about in your training. In addition, some (but not all) of the illustrations and explanations go far beyond what you'll find in other books (eg, the FAA's book), making it a good complement for what you'll need during your training. For example, Whyte's book has the best explanation of VRS/SWP that I've seen.

I would have liked to see more focus on R22-specific issues (the SFAR 73 accidents) and a chapter on personnel safety at landing sites would have been a nice addition. Operation-specific hazards (eg, long-lining, operations over water or dense forest), discussion of the relative risks in different ships, and an analysis of how a situation could have been averted or recovered would have made this book a grand slam. Don't get me wrong, all student pilots should read this book at some point in their training, but I hope Whyte will significantly improve the content in later editions.

This book is the best Xena book I have read, maybe even better than the official one. It contains their biographies and a complete script of one of Lucy and Renee's conventions. It also lists the most websites and groups. The episode guide was very informative. It contained some mistakes that the author found with the show. This book is worth every cent!

I was one of the people Nikki Stafford interviewed for this book. Sadly, the fan survey she conducted had to be cut from the final version, but a great deal of information was still included. Nikki's research into the show, its stars, and the fans who built an international community around Xena: Warrior Princess in the early years is unsurpassed.

Some other books have since come out which seemed to me to be nothing more than blatant attempts to capitalize on the success of one of the most popular syndicated television shows in history. This book always struck me as something different. But maybe that's just because the author took the time to see what the fans thought and cared about.

One thing in this book that stands out from the others is that Nikki bothered to comment on the different episodes. This is better than the official book!! I like the way that there is a personal voice in the comments, and the way that the author dared to criticse it, and add some suggestions as well. Brilliant work!!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was very informative and by most accountants accurate. I would suggest this book to any Xenite! :) BATTLE ON!!

this book is great.it has every thing you need to know about xena.it has a chapter on the broodway production of grease that lucy was in.what lucy and renee were like as kids.it also has two or three pages of comics.if you love xena you'll live this book.

This is a superb look at the nitty-gritty world of selling. Although the author does fill it with case studies, they are all useful and thought-provoking. My favorite bit of advice concerns what happens to all top salespeople: they get their territory cut. Why? To keep them from getting complacent, of course.

Joe has gone out of his way to cut to the chase. There is no self esteem building and you can do it rah rah rather Joe's frank honest and what it takes to stay on top, remain on top and what to do when you are caught in a no win situation. As an MBA this type of book should be a mandatory read but the reality of tenured professors that are effectively running a union job do not understand how duplicitous and unethically the real business world can be. I finish this book in a few hours and the insight will last me a career. It is also refreshing from the standpoint that Joe has a soul and is interested in seeing the world and some great sales jobs he has had launched that opportunity. If you surf this book is especially cool(which I do and I can relate to the author on many levels.) Another reviewer was turned off by some profanity of which I do not remember so don't focus on issues of crass.

Anybody. I repeat anybody who sells, or wants to become a sales person, has to read this book. This book will keep you in the "game" longer, by playing corporate business model to your advantage. All successful companies value their sales force. But most Sales Managers make you feel like a zero. By reading this book you can change that number and pave a brighter future. Read and Prosper.

This book is a "must have" for the new graduate or anyone who is considering a career or taking on an adventure in sales.

Finally, a fun-to-read book on sales with valuable and positive insights on getting-in, finding the right company, and getting-out when your company becomes the "wrong company."

Joe T has real-life examples and experiences that show you how to work for yourself and enjoy the adventure. He teaches you what to expect in sales and get the most out of your job and keep your sanity. Rather than providing, rehashed "supposedly new", methods of achieving one time sales success, this book provides a "big picture guide" that helps a salesperson's lifelong career. HIGHLY ENTERTAINING AND RECOMMENDED!!!

I went to B-School, got my MBA, and gained valuable education on the theory and practice of managing a successful business. What I was disappointed by, were the unexamined assumptions around the "corporate dream", which I found pervasive at all levels of the curriculum. Too complex to go into here, but essentially...

Most business schools are in the business of selling the corporate dream and training future managers in the arts of profit maximization, organizational efficiency, competitive advantage, and market penetration. Rarely do they ever address the human reality of corporate downsizing, except as economic data points relevent to the afore mentioned topics.

The Sales Adventure Guide is a practical manual on how to cut through the corporate BS, understand the true meaning behind management-speak, and know how to cover your butt when your job is on the line, through no fault of your own. It uncovers the tactics, often unethical and sometimes illegal, that HR and upper management will use to make you go away, meekly, without costing the company a penny.

The Sales Adventure Guide will help you probe underneath the company's glossy exterior and public face, by showing you how you can ask the right questions and find out important information about the organization you will be contracting your time to.

This book will teach you how to protect yourself, play the corporate game with finesse, and enjoy your life, rather than feel browbeaten at the company's ingratitude towards the days, months, years of your life you gave them - which you will never, ever get back.

Corporate loyalty is a myth, most companies will lay you off without a second thought. Read this book, understand that we are all contractors now.

If you are planning on doing any driving in New Zealand this is the atlas for you. It is rather large but it makes it easy to follow the roads. I have a friend that lives there; she begged me to leave it for her.

The AA Zealand map/guide is an excellent source for all your driving & touring needs in New Zealand. Highly recommended.

This is an excellent detailed resource for travel in New Zealand.

This is the equivalent of the Rand McNally Road Atlas for New Zealand. I highly recommend it if you are planning a road trip through New Zealand. It helped tremendously with our trip planning. It also includes a table of distances between major cities and towns and estimated drive times.

If you're planning on renting a car in another country to do some sightseeing, I highly recommend this series of Road Atlas. I have several of them from different countries and all of them are extremely helpful when you want to make your own route for a driving excursion. It is large scale, with excellent detail on roads and routes. A must have for driving in other countries.

This was a great read.
I was hooked from the very first page.
I hope to see more from this writer soon.
My husband enjoyed this book also.

Guardian of Innocence contains the danger, fear and suspense essential to keeping the pages turning. The description of New Zealand reads like a travelog as Boynton sets emotional tone. The character of Marla Creighton is skillfully developed so the reader feels her anxious anticipation turn to disappointment when things are not as they had seemed, and, as the plot unfolds, her doubts and fears. Her spirit is never down for long. Hope, faith and a strong will create a believable heroine. When she perceives the life of eleven-year old Jessica is endangered because she may know the identity of a killer, Marla puts her own life on the line. The surprise ending adds the cherry to all the other ingredients which will fill a mystery lovers sweet tooth.

Boynton has crafted a suspenseful mystery, set in a part of the world that few will ever see. Though that is part of its intrigue, even better is the clever layering of plot lines and characterizations that keep you turning the pages. This could serve as the ultimate "how-to" model for any budding mystery writer. The book seems surprisingly small for the big payoff you get at the end, both in story and setting.

While I found Guardian of Innocence an intriguing mystery with well-drawn characters, it was Boynton's descriptions of New Zealand that really made the book for me. I have been to many of the places the Marla and Jessica went and it was fun to revisit them. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has been to New Zealand or is planning to go there. Boynton will make it come alive for you.

Good thing iUniverse.com is bringing back deserving out-of-print books. Guardian of Innocence, a jewel of many facets, is one of these.

It's a murder mystery. A priceless Celtic religious amulet is stolen, the thief is murdered, and the only witness - a child - is unable to shed light on the situation. And the amulet has vanished.

It's a romance. Marla Creighton, the child's companion, must sort her way among three tall-and-handsomes (two dark, one light). Who's the good guy; who's bad? Marla's choices may well determine her future, as well as whether she and her young charge will have any future at all.

It's a gustatory thriller, replete with descriptions of food that would turn a monk's attention from his prayers.

It's a marvelous travelogue, as the action moves among lovingly-portrayed New Zealand landscapes with their flora, fauna, art, dances, and native celebrations. New Zealand itself becomes a character in this novel, from the spirit-lifting sheep country, to the fascinating cities of Dunedin and Christchurch, to the fabulous Glowworm Caves, an impressive backdrop for some good old dastardly deeds, courageous enterprises, and suspense as the novel whips to its close.

There are even a couple of interesting twists at the end. Check out this book; it's like nothing you've ever read.

I found this guide full of interesting places to visit, sparking my interest and desire to see more of the world. I would love to discover the same type of pleasure that one would get from being immersed in a different culture, especially one as appealing as the one painted in RV in NZ.

It's my dream to have a holiday in NZ. This humerus discription of the adventures of the motorcaravan experience makes me want to go even more! A fun read for the traveler and nontraveler alike.

I have to admit, I had not thought about RV'ing through New Zealand. A friend once invited us to Australia and he and his wife actually do this RV thing in the States: they buy a motorhome, travel around the US (they are missionaries on furlough) then sell it and return back to Australia. Here, Carolyn Harris tells you how to purchase an RV and how to survive the North and South Islands of this beautiful country.

The book actually assumes you know a bit about RV's--there is terminology and technical discussion that someone who already toured in an RV might be more familiar with. Carolyn advises you on motor memberships (AAA and KOA), money, dealing with the Kiwis, where to go, what to eat and even, how to talk--there is a glossary of Kiwisms in the back of the book.

I enjoyed reading the glossary as much as the book and was interested in how a country so remote can be so like us and so unlike us in every way. If you are considering an extended stay in an RV down in the Roaring Forties (fortieth parallel south and beyond) this book is a worthy guide.

I found this travel book extremely informative. As an aspiring trans continental RV traveler, I have always dreamt of one day exploring New Zealand. I have traveled all across North and South America, and after reading this woman's humorous details of discovering the Kiwi lifestyle, I am confident New Zealand will be my next destination.

RV In NZ: How To Spend Your Winters Freedom Camping South-Way South In New Zealand by Carolyn Harris (a veteran of touring New Zealand in winter mootorcarvans) is the definitive guide for anyone wanting to explore the beauty and excitement of a New Zealand excursion. Readers are definitively provided with solid information and invaluable advice on everything from buying a motorcaravan and getting the motorcarvan on the road, to finding free and/or low cost parking as well as meeting and traveling with New Zealand "movaners". If you are planning a trip to New Zealand and want to explore that wonderful country first hand -- then give a careful reading to Carolyn Harris' RV In NZ!

Perhaps the best book ever to explain why New Zealand is not the USA with minor differences. There are considerable cultural and societal differences which may escape the visitor unless and until they experience New Zealand on a deep level. Some find the mysterious aspects of her experience of the Maori culture to be doubtful or merely coincidence. Those born in New Zealand will understand them and will not be surprised.

My mother mailed me this book from America to New Zealand because I have recently arrived in NZ and I will be living in New Zealand for the next year. I find Carol O'Bistro's insights about New Zealand culture relevent and insightful for a current long-term visitor. Her writing is lyrical and fun to read. I wonder what she is doing now.

I bought this book when I was visiting New Zealand in 1988 where people kept recommending it, and I am just now rereading it for something like the fifth time--including one time with a discussion group. This time through I am finding new delights that I must have skimmed over before. Parts of the book are naively New-Agey, but even those parts are personal and honest and fun to read. It is the story of a woman whose job takes her into the middle of an enormous cultural shift, and she manages to stay in the middle--between the world views of American bureaucracy and a traditional people's values, and somehow to walk that precarious boundary and to be receptive to the ways it changes her. It's an amazing story.

On September 10, 1984, at first light, New York's Fifth Avenue was the scene of an unusual ceremony. On the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art a group of Maori women wailed the ritual welcome: HAERE MAI !! Their calls were answered and taken up by a group of Maori elders down the avenue, their leader in a feathered cloak, their path cleared of evil spirits by a small band of tattooed warriors ferociously thrusting their spears.

It was opening day of a groundbreaking exhibition at the Met: Te Maori: Maori Art from New Zealand Collections. The elders were in New York to lift the tapu and open the exhibition. Their greeting was for their ancestors, spiritually residing in the 174 taonga (treasures) on display outside New Zealand for the first time. Nine years in the planning, Te Maori was the culmination of a massive exercise in politics and logistics.

Carol O'Biso was the registrar of the exhibition, responsible for the packing and safe passage of these treasures collected from a number of New Zealand museums. First Light: A Magical Journey is her lyrical story of this great adventure.

The "cultural artifacts" are believed by the Maori to be sacred and powerful. Carol, overwhelmed at first by the vast divide between her New York self and the ancient Maori beliefs, struggled to do her job in the midst of controversy over the exhibition. She was excluded by Maori custom from speaking at the many ritual gatherings in museums and meeting houses. Frustration was her constant companion, in those early days. Gradually the power of the collection became entirely real to her and she found herself honoring the treasures in ways she would not have found possible.

Carol spent several years packing, shipping and unpacking the irreplaceable treasures and was under their spell when she returned them to New Zealand in 1986. She handed them over, in yet another ceremony that left her in tears, to a New Zealand registrar for their awe-inspiring progress through New Zealand museums.

Carol's story is a very personal one and some of her early impressions of New Zealand were less than favorable. However the country's charm and especially the strength of the Maoris' respect for their culture led her to a deep appreciation of The Land of the Long White Cloud.

I had the privilege of seeing Te Maori in New Zealand, and First Light brought back vivid memories of its power. I read the book in the early 1990s and then gave it away (read it! you'll love it!), and when I found a copy on Amazon this month I was delighted to be reacquainted with it.

Linda Bulger, 2008

Thought provoking, moving and fun. The story is told in a masterful way that made me laugh, cry and sit-up thinking about it for a week after I read it. The author takes you along on her own personal journey and as her New York City eyes and heart transform into something miraculous so does the readers'. It touches the heart and reminds us of our humanity in the most magnificent way. Read it slowly; you won't want it to end!

The Land of Osiris restores to the Egyptian people their true proud heritage. Mehler looks at how research into the history of Egypt has been built on the opinions of non-indigenous people; foreigners who filtered what they saw with a chauvinism and superiority that was endemic to the invaders of this great land.

Not satisfied with the Greco-Roman model of the evolution of civilizations on this planet, Mehler began to study the oral tradition of the indigenous people of Egypt and learned that there was a hidden story waiting to be told. His book recounts this oral tradition and enlightens us to a much richer and older civilization than what we have been taught.

The Land of Osiris is a huge stepping stone in our journey to recover the wisdom of the ancient Khemitians (Egyptians).

Abd'El Hakim Awyan is a tourist guide. Period. Albeit an excellent guide, I personally would be hesitant about the accuracy of Hakim's information. This comes from years of living in Egypt and observing how these "indigenous masters" work and how they interact with foreigners, as well as how they acquire their information about various topics. Besides, the indigenous peoples of Egypt are not the Egyptian villagers who live infront of the Sphinx. The true indigenous people are the rare bedouin tribes still roaming the deserts such as the Hamitic Beja tribes or the Berbers of the Siwah tribe....

The Land of Osiris by Stephen Mehler is a very outstanding book. It is in fact the first book on the actual history and pre-history of Egypt written on the basis of knowledge received from the keeper of indigenous traditions, Egyptian archaeologist with European education Abd'El Hakim. Paradoxically, by so far nobody of Egyptologists was interested in the true history retained by autochthonous keepers! The book astonishes the reader by a great quantity of names of people who have explored archaeology and history of ancient Egypt. The book shows that the author is encyclopedic learning and deep awareness of manifold branches both of science and human life. His talent for a wide comprehensive analysis is a rarity among researchers.

S. Mehler filled the book by startling photographs, which allow us to touch to pre-historical places of boiling life of ancient Khemitians, autochthonous population of Khemitia (called Egypt by antique Greeks). In particular, a great surprise is the photograph of traces of a pre-historical harbor located now among uninhabited sands. He also presents incontestable evidence about direct contacts between pre-historical American civilizations and Khemitians. Basing on Hakim's knowledge of the Khemitian language, S. Mehler gives the correct interpretation of many terms, which so far were perceived as absolutely faithful (pharaoh, tomb, pyramid, etc.). The deciphering conducted radically changes our taking of ancient Egypt and put the Khemitian history back where their history found it. The book also tells about the organization of Khemitian community as a society of people with equal right. We have learned about the structure of their community that possessed a very deep scientific knowledge, which was based on the harmonic coexistence of people with Nature, or more exactly, with the universe that they perceived as a universal organism.

In fact, The Land of Osiris is an actual breakthrough in Egyptology. Bravo, Mehler! The book awakes consciousness and that is why it is highly recommended to everybody, from amateurs to scientists, from young to adults. A deep book for deep people.

Stephen Mehler's research, spanning over 30+ years, indicate that whenever there is a so-called "Power Place", sacred site or Vortex on Earth - three things will always be found. Flowing water, a source of natural crystal, and igneous rock (itself a source of crystal) - these three elements are found at every major site in Egypt, not by any accident. His major theme in the book is that the ancient Khemitian civilization, over 10,000 years old, was based on ANOTHER Nile River, in what is today called the Western Desert. The ancient Khemitians drilled miles of tunnels through limestone bedrock to divert this river to the present Nile Valley, and also built huge above ground aqueducts and channels to bring water to the sites. EVERY Per-Neter had water flowing into it to create acoustic harmonic resonance with each other . . . tremendous amounts of energy could be created this way.

This completely concurs with the evidence and functioning of the subterranean section of the Great Pyramid.

My copy of "The Land of Osiris" is highlighted thoughout. It is packed with solid new information.

Stephen's indigenous teacher, Abd'El Hakim Awyan, stated "Follow the water". Absolute truth.

If you want a fresh understanding of Ancient Egypt, The Land of Osiris is your best guide. In this well-written book Stephen Mehler provides a new perspective of this ancient culture distilled from his own research spanning over 30 years plus the invaluable knowledge provided by Abd'el Hakim Awyan, a master of the oral indegenous tradition. Rather than Egyptology with its western outsider bias, Stephen believes that we need a new tradition, a new paradigm, which incorporates this living indigenous knowledge and chooses to call it Khemitology. I believe this is a bold and necessary departure because the dead weight of mainstream Egyptology simply does not answer the questions that need to be answered. To put it in different terms, who were the ancient Khemitians and what did they know? Stephen's book is an introduction to answering those questions.

So what does Stephen give us. As a matter of fact, there are many items of fact and deduction but I will suggest a few. He gives us the land of BU WZR, the Land of Osiris and what it entailed. He asserts that the culture may stretch as far back as 65,000 years ago. He defines and clearly delinates the difference between a place of power (per-neter), a place of burial (per-ka) and a house of worship (per-ba). In the process he corroborates Christopher Dunn's theory that the Great Pyramid was a place of power. He shows us a clear connection between the Maya and the Khemitians. From satellite-based maps he demonstrates the bed of the Ur-Nile or proto-Nile covered most of what is today western Egypt. From shards of limestone canals he was shown by Hakim, he claims that water was diverted from West to East. He argues that the Bu WZR pyramids may have been part of a huge Fibonacci spiral rather than a ground map of the heavens as asserted by Hancock and Bauval. And perhaps the biggest of all, he concludes that the Sphinx is very, very old. Hakim, in fact, believes that it is over 50,000 years old. If you think this is a stretch, read Our Cosmic Ancestors by Maurice Chatelain about numbers found in Assurbanipal's library which were known over 64,000 thousand years ago.

Stephen has provided an invaluable service and guidebook for all students of ancient Egypt. I highly recommend this book to all.

Other Countries/Other Worlds
"Fantasy and Fiction for Adults"
By Louis Fried

This is a delightful collection of stories that hold your attention and imagination. The characters in each story are unique, one-of-a-kind and they pull you into their world never letting go until the end.

Mr. Fried takes the reader on an around the world journey full of his characters and their adventures that remain with you long after the story has ended. Each story is just long enough to enjoy when you have short blocks of time for reading.

Other Countries/Other Worlds is a book that is hard to put down, a must read. Congratulations to Mr. Fried for writing an extremely enjoyable adult fantasy/fiction book.

Tales which draw the reading witht the suspenseful adventure which captivates and overwhelms the leader with joy and longing for more more more.

Wishes do come true in this spirited anthology of short stories, all of which, whether the setting is a mythical planet or 15th century Malta or the pubs of Kilkenny, Ireland, center around the abiding desire of the protagonist. A werewolf desperately desires to rid himself of his substance abuse problem, a woman needs a mermaid's help to find love and motherhood, a guy with a horrible case of sciatica would sell his soul for a cure. All get their wish -- or what satisfies something elemental inside them - but never in the way they've planned, as Louis Fried uses fantastical settings and sometimes absurd, sometimes deadly real problems to paint a picture of human nature as sexual, avaricious, innocent, brave, and, above all, celebratory of the wonderful world of the senses. In essence, this is a thoughtful book wrapped in a sparkling package that will leave you cogitating as you chuckle.

These are the kind of short stories you found in Playboy during its heyday: well-crafted writing that makes you want more.

It reminds me of the science fiction of my youth - a bit of Rod Serling, a bit of Hitchcock, and a lot of magic and mystery. There is no techno-babble and no need to explain everything. And there is just enough sex to keep it interesting without excessive recourse to bodily fluids.

Fried is revitalizing the genre!

Fried's stories always delight with an unexpected ending.
Fried tells tales of humor, sex and war with endings you should have expected but do not.
These stories are for adults.