Gorillaz: Rise of the Ogre

Book Description

"I tell you what, right, I can guarantee you're going to get some real juicy bits of Gorillaz info. I'll probably slag off loads of people, too. It'll be packed full of great shots from the sets of our videos, gigs, rehearsals, interviews...you name it. It's all in there. So place your order up front kids, this book going to be a scorcher!" - Gorillaz bass-slayer Murdoc Nicalls. This stunning, full-colour hardback will be the most unique rock autobiography ever published. Gorillaz have always been as much about the visuals as they are about the music, and the autobiography will be a feast for the eyes. Featuring brand new art from and designed by Jamie Hewlett, this is the full story of Murdoc, 2D, Noodle and Russel Hobbs for the first time. Included will be their emailing with their motley crew of collaborators, from Ike Turner to Sean Ryder, and accounts of the gigs, the movie (for the first time), the videos and the website - including the low down on Kong Studios, their legendary HQ. It is an essential purchase for a legion of fans.

Customer Reviews:

If you're a Gorillaz fan, you NEED this book in your collection!.......2007-10-10

Not only are the illustrations in this book wonderfully fabulous, but the story is hillarious and laid out in a way that creats a complete background for each member suiting each of their personalities. If you didn't know the story behind the Gorillaz, you'd assume the characters were real people, with real history!
I highly recomend this book to everyone!

Hooray!

My son loved it!!.......2007-08-06

My son has wanted this book for months. he earned enough money himself and wanted me to drive him 30 miles to borders. ilooked on amazon and found it $5 cheaper with free overnite shipping. Perfect!

excellent deal.......2007-06-13

The delivery of this porduct arrive around a month from the day the purchase was made. The product arrived in excellent conditions and this product was better than I expected.

Mistake.......2007-05-27

I unfortunately expected comic book from Jamie Hewlett rather than this huge story, so I was dissapointed. The book is nicely made and the story is very belivable since the characters are described very good - it looks like they really exist. But if you expect Jamie's early work like Tank Girl or Get the Freebies from Face magazine, this is not to be your choice.

Nothing and everything all at once.......2007-04-11

Probably the most concise visual history of the published work Jamie has done for this project as of yet and a great work of humorous fiction in it's own right. Continues the tradition of creating a surrealistic reality for the band where existing people coexist and interact with Murdoc, 2D, Noodle and Russel. Won't find much in terms of concept art (some early drawings though) or how Jamie and Damon masterminded the project but a definite pick-up for any Gorillaz fan.

The Labyrinth of Solitude: The Other Mexico, Return to the Labyrinth of Solitude, Mexico and the United States, the Philanthropic Ogre

Average customer rating:

A man of electric intelligence
Classic text but badly outdated
Interesting Book
Well Done, Octavio Paz!
Magisterial, profound and provocative

The Labyrinth of Solitude: The Other Mexico, Return to the Labyrinth of Solitude, Mexico and the United States, the Philanthropic Ogre
Octavio Paz
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Mexico | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 080215042X

Amazon.com

First published in 1950, The Labyrinth of Solitude addresses issues that are both seemingly eternal and resoundingly contemporary: the nature of political power in post-conquest Mexico, the relation of Native Americans to Europeans, the ubiquity of official corruption. Noting these matters earned Paz no small amount of trouble from the Mexican leadership, but it also brought him renown as a social critic. Paz, who went on to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, later voiced his disillusionment with all political systems--as the Mexican proverb has it, "all revolutions degenerate into governments"--but his call for democracy in this book has lately been reverberating throughout Mexico, making it timely once again.

Book Description

Octavio Paz has long been acknowledged as Mexico's foremost writer and critic. In this international classic, Paz has written one of the most enduring and powerful works ever created on Mexico and its people, character, and culture. Compared to Ortega y Gasset's The Revolt of the Masses for its trenchant analysis, this collection contains his most famous work, "The Labyrinth of Solitude," a beautifully written and deeply felt discourse on Mexico's quest for identity that gives us an unequalled look at the country hidden behind "the mask." Also included are "The Other Mexico," "Return to the Labyrinth of Solitude," "Mexico and the United States," and "The Philanthropic Ogre," all of which develop the themes of the title essay and extend his penetrating commentary to the United States and Latin America.

Customer Reviews:

A man of electric intelligence.......2007-09-24

Octavio Paz was a spirit who united an originality of vision with an intellectual rigor; a poet and political essayist deeply read in Western/Eastern thought as he was in the philosophical traditions (indispensable for knowledge). His razor-sharp mind immediately captured my attention with his witticisms, his irreverent reflections, his arbitrary opinions, his culture, and his valiant, insolent sincerity. This is the first of various books of caustic and penetrating essays of his country and fellow countrymen. Perhaps is too prolix for a foreigner who is not interested in all the details of Mexican politics, nonetheless it contains remarkable passages that illuminate the history of modern Mexico with another light, crueler but more real. Some of his passages are like the corridors of a lavish, sinister, and endless dream. This is somehow his philosophical and moral testament that is both moving and makes us reflect.

Classic text but badly outdated.......2006-12-01

Prior reviewer Scott Henson is correct, this book does not adequately reflect modern Mexico of the 1990's to present. Some elements of Mexican character as described by Paz remain true, but generally this book does not describe modern middle class Mexicans very well at all, who, while still small as a class, are nevertheless very Western in their general lives.

Reading this now without an actual awareness of life in today's Mexico, you would think that the country is still populated by stoic indigenous peoples at the mercy of fates they don't understand.

While that is true for some sectors of the population, the country has become as modern as many European countries. In fact, Modern Mexico reminds me of post WWII Italy in so many ways. One foot in the future and one foot in the past, and struggling to keep their balance.

Try reading this book and then watching Y tu mama tambien or solo con tu pareja to see the differences, as well as the continuities, with Paz' essay...

Worth a read, but no longer so relevant as it was once. And don't be fooled into thinking that this is the Mexico you will find upon visiting.

Interesting Book.......2006-08-12

The writing in this book is a bit thick and meandering, but it does give some interesting insight into a culture many Americans have a hard time understanding at a time when we need to understand the most. If you can handle the frequent revisiting of the same topics throughout the essays, you will learn quite a bit.

Well Done, Octavio Paz!.......2006-02-09

Looking at this book through a young American male, undergraduate student, double-majoring in Integrated Social Studies (Education) and History's eyes, this book was challenging to read. However, as I once read recently in an education text, "if anything is odd, inappropriate, confusing, or boring, it's probably important" (Developing Readers and Writers in the Content Areas: K-12/Moore, Moore, Cunningham, and Cunningham, 2003, p. 28).

I am currently in a Latin American history class, and decided to read this book for an assignment. Not having a background in this area made reading some sections difficult and dare I say, boring (important)! However, I enjoyed reading the original book "The Labyrinth of Solitude" and his "Mexico and the United States" essay.

Some aspects that sparked my interest in particular in "The Labyrinth of Solitude" include his discussion of the following: the characteristics of Mexican men and women in comparison to their American counterparts, democracy, socialism, the Mexican economy in the late 1960s, love, and wealth in relation to birth.

The other section that captured my interest was his prose comparing the U.S. and Mexico. In this work, Paz writes about several of the major general differences between the U.S. and Mexico, including the subjects of religion, history, economics, their different ties with European countries, language, and the men/women of the two countries.

Hence, looking at The Labyrinth of Solitude and Other Writings from an American viewpoint, there appears to be much of interest for the reader to learn about not only American culture and possibly some things wrong with it, but why Mexicans act the way they do and is their society as big of a mess as it seems from the outside looking in?

Magisterial, profound and provocative.......2005-05-24

Like all great books, Paz' exploration of the Mexican soul begins with concrete historical and cultural detail and exfoliates into something complex, profound and ultimately moving.

Paz sets his book at the junction where historical experience, ritual, myth, the Mexican sense of interior solitude, Mexico's European, Maya and Aztec roots, and its incredible legacy of art and writing intersect. The book-- in gleaming prose-- describes Mexico from both personal and historical points of view. His thesis is that, despite much of its horrific historical baggage and the mess that its twentieth-century governments made of it, Mexican culture understands that North American materialism and individualism are "nightmares reflected in the torture chambers of reason." Paz' eye, of course, is critical-- Mexico is here as scrutinised as its northern neighbour-- but his book shows that underneath what often appears to observers as a macho and weirdly tacky culture there is a powerful and enduring old wisdom.

This is a remarkable book-- a great intro to Mexican culture for those who've read the historical basics.

Average customer rating:

Just the right amount
Pro OGRE 3D Programming (Pro)
How could this have been published?
Skip this book.
It can be improved

Pro OGRE 3D Programming (Pro)
Gregory Junker
Manufacturer: Apress
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1590597109

Book Description

Pro OGRE 3D Programming is your detailed guide to utilizing the OGRE 3D engine, one of the best-in-breed 3D rendering libraries available. You'll learn what OGRE is, and more importantly, what it is not. OGRE gives you an object-oriented interface to render 3D scenes independent of the implementation, such as Direct3D or OpenGL. OGRE is available on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. It can be utilized to create a variety of 3D-based applications and is commonly used in game creation.

This book covers OGRE from obtaining the source to polishing the final product. If you are an aspiring game programmer with beginner/intermediate-level knowledge of game design practices and intermediate-level knowledge of the C++ language, this is the book for you. Familiarity with open source project management tools such as CVS and Subversion will also help you to digest the material. Included with the book is a ready-to-use Utility Toolkit class library useful for jumpstarting OGRE-based programs. You'll also find discussion of OGRE's capabilities from the perspective of a content creator, not just a programmer.

The content of this book was reviewed prior to publication by Steve Streeting, founder and lead developer of the OGRE 3D project.

Customer Reviews:

Just the right amount.......2007-05-29

The book presents all the crucial information in a very organized manner. I found the presentation to be concise and easy to read.

Warning: The book does not teach you how to make a game, It explains the core api functions of OGRE and some background behind them. This should give you a good start to utilize the 3d rendering capability offered by OGRE. You need another book or a course in game design before you can really start making non-trivial games.

Pro OGRE 3D Programming (Pro).......2007-05-25

This book was a well written , easily and objective. The goal of this book is to describe who to use Ogre 3D framework and you main functionality. I only would recommend this book for advanced developers .

How could this have been published?.......2007-04-22

Spending all day reading and implementing obscure APIs, you tend to develop thick skin for badly written documentation. Programmers generally don't have english degrees. You suffer through and glean the information you need to get your job done.

I'll cut to the chase on this review. This book contains NO information. That's right, it tells you nothing about how to use Ogre. The author spends the first quarter of the book on downloading, installing, and calling the init function (which takes up to three arguments).

Halfway through the book I started thinking "He's actually going to put and object in a scene any minute now". Nope, it never happens. After spending a hundred pages talking about how great Ogre is and the four types of objects he skips over actually using any of the objects. The book doesn't even cover the object trees. It flops back and forth between halfway done remedial 3D concepts (What is a camera? I'll tell you in chapter 7) and marketing speek (Ogre has a great plugin archtitecture you should love only I won't tell you how to use it).

I'm still in awe that something this free of actual content could be published. After reading the entire book, I still had no idea how to perform basic functions in Ogre like loading a texture.

This book has no audience. It doesn't really cover any basic 3D concepts so it's bad for beginners. It doesn't cover how to use the APIs so it's bad for a bootstrap reference, and it doesn't cover any core logic so it's bad for advanced developers. No one should ever buy this book.

Skip this book........2007-03-31

While this text represents what amounts to a noble effort on behalf of the author and the Ogre community, I'm afraid that the best I can say for this book is that it's not entirely terrible. Hoping to fast-forward past the traditionally hackish explanations offered by online documentation, I had purchased this book expecting to learn about Ogre in a more carefully structured and comprehensive (not to mention, professional) manner. Unfortunately, this was simply not to be.

The examples in this book... suck. They're terrible. Everything is simply copied (often incorrectly!) from the freely available Ogre samples. What's more, any explanation of this code is purely cursory, often suggesting that the reader "Check the website for more details," which are apparently too involved or lengthy for inclusion in this $35 hardcover text on Ogre. Oops.

Perhaps I've been spoiled by the OpenGL programming guide. For one reason or another, I've come to expect concise examples that illustrate a single idea presented with plenty of discussion on how this idea might be used in practice and some exposition as to what features exist to allow one to best do so. Compared to this expectation, what this book manages to give you is a tiny sampling of a semi-relevant example drawn from the SDK's sample projects, partnered with the name of the classes and member functions involved in said example all laid out in a nice monospace font, and that's about the sum of it (give or take one or two sentences of description-- sometimes). For instance, while one whole page is dedicated to a laundry-list of the Camera's member functions (clearly copied wholesale from the header file with minimal corrections), maybe three or four functions for interacting with the scene graph are *shown* (not presented) in the context of-- you guessed it-- a small subset of some Ogre sample project. This and some sample code showing how to query the scene in one or two ways is basically all you get from the ~30 page chapter dedicated to the subject.

Often times, the author spends pages upon pages singing praise to a particular feature of Ogre (render queues, techniques, LOD, schemes...), proceeding thereupon to omit any sort of actual explanation of how this feature is used later in the text. As you might imagine, this habit becomes quite annoying by the third or fourth time it occurs. Worse, still, is that any discussion that *is* presented by the author often culminates in a lacking, vague, and ambiguous description that ultimately fails to convey any sense of "The Big Picture." For one reason or another, the author seems convinced that a six line code snippet from the SDK is sufficient to explain just about everything there is to know about, say, Materials or SceneManager instances. And in the end, you feel *almost* as inexperienced with this library as you did when you originally set out to learn Ogre. Of course, by the time you've finished this book, you'll also have learned the valuable lesson that the website is really quite good-- but I'd bet that's not exactly the lesson you were planning to take from this book when you plunked down your money for it in the first place.

One final criticism: be warned! When this book first arrived, I was quite surprised to discover just how thin it was. Before you assume that it's because this book is concise and to-the-point also note that the print is TINY. It's a real pain that the publisher decided to cut corners and use a 10 point font to cut down on page count all the while selling this text as a clunky hardcover book! This, coupled with the numerous typos, bugs, and inconsistencies make for a very unprofessional read. If this were a freely available tutorial you could find somewhere on the website, I'd give it 4 stars. But this is a pricey, hardcover book that's supposed to be professionally edited, organized, and polished; hence, it gets 2 stars.

Okay, okay. This book isn't entirely bad. It's always nice when an open source project becomes big enough to warrant a book. And I'm sure that the author had fine intentions when setting out to write this text: some of the chapters do manage a decent description of their subject matter, and the author's enthusiasm for Ogre is quite evident in his writing (which can be amusing, at times). Unfortunately, however, this book is just not there yet: it is a thorough sales pitch, a high-level tutorial, and many suggestions to visit the website; expect nothing more.

My suggestion? Take his advice, and save some money. Visit the website and skip this book.

It can be improved.......2007-03-25

It was a good start for Ogre and really fill some blanks from the tutorial. I thought it would be covering more intermediate and advanced aspects and features of Ogre.
Ogre is such a wonderful engine and it needs a "Ogre's Bible" title.

Average customer rating:

Ogre, Ogre
If magical creatures are your thing, then enjoy this!
Amazingly "punny"
The Ogre's Tale
One of my favorite Xanth books

Ogre, Ogre (Xanth Novels)
Piers Anthony
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345354923
Release Date: 1987-11-12

Book Description

Smash, himself, was part ogre. Although ogres were considered so stupid they coud hardly speak, and spent their time eating young girls, seven assorted females had suddenly turned to him for guidance and saftety? In Xanth, one visit to the Good Magician Humfrey worked wonders....

Download Description

Smash, himself, was part ogre.

Although ogres were considered so stupid they coud hardly speak, and spent their time eating young girls, seven assorted females had suddenly turned to him for guidance and safety.

In Xanth, one visit to the Good Magician Humfrey worked wonders. But when a Nymph rides a Night Mare... Ogre beware!

Customer Reviews:

Ogre, Ogre.......2006-02-01

I started reading A Spell for Chameleon and enjoyed it so much I've read up to Ogre, Ogre now. I just wish I could find all the books in one place.

If magical creatures are your thing, then enjoy this!.......2004-12-13

Ogre, Ogre has a myriad of magical creatures residing in the land of Xanth: ogres, fairies, nymphs, centaurs, goblins, dragons, dryads, brassies and more. As in a typical Xanth novel, our two heroes, Smash the Half Ogre and Tandy the Nymph Girl, approach the Good Magician Humphrey for answers to their questions. When Smash arrives, Tandy has served the customary year for her answer. Smash, being a normally stupid ogre, couldn't even remember what question he wanted to ask the Magician. The quest for both of their answers pairs Smash and Tandy up on the way to the home of the Ancestral Ogres. Along the way, Smash also becomes the protector of 6 other females with quests of their own. Plot twists occur as Smash battles for his and Tandy's souls in the gourd world from the Night Stallion himself. There are violent battles with several kinds of monsters, and Smash must decide whether to draw upon his ogre strength or his human intellect. It is only after Smash and Tandy reach their destination that they both realize how the Magician answered their questions for the best.

I don't necessarily see how the conclusion of this story makes sense, even in Xanth, but it was still enjoyable to read. I like the orge rhyming speech.

Amazingly "punny".......2004-08-12

This book is what caused my addiction to Xanth novels (along with whomever I shared the book with). It combines all the characteristics of an amazing series: humor, love, friendship, action. I've read this book over three times and I still can't get enough. I recommend this and every other Xanth book to all fantasy literature enthusiasts!

The Ogre's Tale.......2004-02-16

Ogre, Ogre, is another fantasy masterpiece written by Piers Anthony in the series of Xanth. The Xanth according to the story is located south of a mundane state called Georgia, which the land of magic Xanth is actually Florida. The fifth series of the Xanth saga, the story another problem in the world of Xanth that has to be solve by a group of heroes to solve their problem, which is one of the reason I like this novel. Another reason I would rate this a four out of five is that these series would put a reader into suspense and would want a reader to continue reading this book and asking him or herself what would happen next? Furthermore, the different twist between the modern world words, ex. Catastrophe, eye-queue etc. makes this saga unique from different fantasy series. Ogre, Ogre, the seventh series of the Xanth Saga, introduces the giant sized Ogre named Smash. Smash although still talks in rhymes and looked terribly ugly, is still different from any ogres. The only difference that changes his life is that he is a vegetarian. Now Smash goes on a quest to find romance meanwhile a half nymph/human female named Tandy also goes on a quest to find someone to protect her from the evil demon. However in the end, they both wind up together in a quest to help each other. However, due to Tandy¡¦s knowledge about ogres, Tandy is horrified to travel with an ogre and does not trust Smash. Furthermore, as their journey continues, the ogre and the halfling then encounter more damsels in distress, similar to Tandy¡¦s situation. With another few damsel following with there, how will the ogre Smash and the halfling¡¦s problems be resolved? Well, the only way to figure out their resolution of their problem is to¡Kread the book!

One of my favorite Xanth books.......2003-04-11

This is one of my favorite Xanth books. Another favorite is VALE OF THE VOLE. They remind me of Oz: nice people travelling together and coping with obstacles and odd creatures. The characters here are livelier and more interesting than in VALE.

Have You Met My Ghoulfriend? (Mostly Ghostly)

Average customer rating:

HAVE YOU METMY GHOULFRIEND?(MOSTLY GHOSTLY)
Still Not All That Impressed
Great!

Have You Met My Ghoulfriend? (Mostly Ghostly)
R.L. Stine
Manufacturer: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0385746644
Release Date: 2004-08-24

Book Description

Nicky and Tara still live in Max’s bedroom, and while they’ve found some clues, they still don’t know what happened to their parents. Meanwhile, Phears is still desperate to get his hands on Nicky and Tara, and to pressure Max into turning them over, Phears brings a Berserker Ghoul to inhabit Max’s body—and make Max go berserk when he least expects it! But Max, Nicky, and Tara aren’t giving in to Phears. They have a few tricks up their sleeve—like one very talkative ghost cat, who’s taken residence inside the tunnel to the ghost world. . . .

Customer Reviews:

HAVE YOU METMY GHOULFRIEND?(MOSTLY GHOSTLY).......2007-04-14

I loved it! Max Can actully play soccer because of the berseker Ghoul!Read the book to find out how Max talks!It's Really Funny! Ha-ha-hee-hee!

Still Not All That Impressed.......2006-09-26

Here we are at the second in the Mostly Ghostly series, and I'm still not all that impressed with it. What I didn't like in the first one carries over to Have you Met My Ghoulfriend?, in spades! The characters are all very flat and stereotypical...the father and brother only becoming bigger bullies, the mom more annoying, even the teachers and principal are just caricatures...there because they have to be, not really fleshed out or made believable or interesting.

In this second volume, Max is STILL having issues and Max and Tara are still appearing and disappearing without much control over it. Phears is back and badder than ever...you'd thank Max would run from any and all animals at this point! Max is under threat of being "broken" by a ghoul if he doesn't nark on Nicky and Tara. You know, Phears seems incredibly dense, no one actually knows where the parents are, yet he doesn't get the message even after incredible doses of pain to his detainees...it just feels too drawn out...a ghost that's been around for a long time and is so very powerful ought to be a bit brighter! Disappointing also is the stark admission that Max is ok and loved by his father without question for the brief and shining moment he does well at a soccer match...tisk, tisk...was this really necessary? I'm only on book 2 and I'm sick of the poor Max, he's so misunderstood shtick. I'd like to see the author move on from this and flesh out (no pun intended) the mystery of Nicky and Tara and give Max some guts for goodness sake!

For the most part, the book is fairly predictable, but I did like the ending...I won't give it away here, but it was nice to see Max take some initiative and get one over one someone else for a change! I'll continue on for a few more and see if the series improves any...I sure hope it does, because I'd hate to give it up before finding out what really happened to Nicky and Tara (and their parents) because underneath what I don't like so far, I think there's a really good scary story! I give it a B-.

Great!.......2005-05-16

Phears is back. And this time he's brought a friend, A berserker ghoul. The friend hasn't come to play with Max. The friend has come to stay with Max. And with the Ghoul inside him. Max is one wild and crazy guy.

Average customer rating:

A Riot to Read
Entertaining 2nd novel
Still Laughing
Written Under the Influence
Never dead, but clumsy as hell.

In the Company of Ogres
A. Lee Martinez
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0765354578

Book Description

An uproarious new novel in the tradition of Robert Asprin and Terry Pratchett!

For someone who’s immortal, Never Dead Ned manages to die with alarming frequency--he just has the annoying habit of rising from the grave. But this soldier might be better dead than face his latest assignment.

Ogre Company is the legion’s dumping ground--a motley, undisciplined group of monsters whose leaders tend to die under somewhat questionable circumstances. That’s where Ned’s rather unique talents come in. As Ogre Company’s newly appointed commander, Ned finds himself in charge of such fine examples of military prowess as a moonstruck Amazon, a very big (and very polite) two-headed ogre, a seductively scaly siren, a blind oracle who can hear (and smell) the future, a suicidal goblin daredevil pilot, a walking tree with a chip on its shoulder, and a suspiciously goblinesque orc.

Ned has only six months to whip the Ogre Company into shape or face an even more hideous assignment, but that’s not the worst of his problems. Because now that Ned has found out why he keeps returning from dead, he has to do everything he can to stay alive. . . .

In the Company of Ogres does for fantasy, what A. Lee Martinez’s previous novel, Gil’s All Fright Diner, did for horror--and elves and goblins may never be the same!

Customer Reviews:

A Riot to Read.......2007-09-26

A quick and entertaining read, this book is populated by some creative and engaging characters. The author included lots of twists on the standard story line you're expecting to see make this an easy page turner. Highly recommended!

Entertaining 2nd novel.......2007-09-04

As a follow up to Gil's All Fright Diner, A. Lee Martinez's In the Company of Ogres provides all of the off-beat humor to be expected from one of his novels. I'm not regularly a fan of fantasy or science fiction, but I love this story for how relatable the characters are and how it doesn't take itself too seriously like so much of the fantasy books out there tend to do.
This book's cast of characters is like nothing else I've ever read. It has everything from conjoined twin Ogres named Martin and Lewis, a feminist Amazon Warrior that can only have sex with a man if he can defeat her in battle, a shape-shifting goblin, and a seductive siryn with a killer body- if you can manage to look past the fish face. And of course the hero of the story, Never Dead Ned. Despite the fact that Ned's been killed countless times in his life, he always comes back to life.
Oh, and there's also something about fate of the entire Universe being at stake or something. You know. No big deal.

Still Laughing.......2007-08-12

I bought this book on recommendation from a friend, along with Gil's All Fright Diner. I am still laughing over it! LOL As an accountant, it hit home in many, many ways. Martinez is still learning, but I will gladly read more!

Written Under the Influence.......2007-08-05

The following review originally appears on myspace.com/dorkgasmllc

A. Lee Martinez wears the influence of pop-culture on his sleeve. In his first novel, Gil's All Fright Diner , he names his protagonists after the song Duke of Earl, and in In the Company of Ogres, Martinez takes this a step further. Think of them as Easter Eggs for the Gen-X reader. Ogre twins Martin and Lewis, a tree-warrior who is not allowed to call himself an "Ent", and even the walking hut of legendary Baba-Yaga all are dropped in for flavor and texture in his second novel. Finally, we have a fantasy-writer who hasn't forgotten that his readers live in the real world!

The story follows a lovable loser who finds himself in charge of rag-tag group of misfits. Though he would rather be an accountant than a soldier, Ned is ordered to whip Ogre Company into shape within six months or face being turned into a mindless berserker. Martinez complicates this situation by giving his hero a propensity for resurrection and a pair of relentless super-villains who want to harness that power for themselves. Were this strictly a fantasy novel, much of the meat of this story would likely be a build up to some great final battle that critics would inevitably see as a Christ allegory, but in this authors hands, it is more like Stripes with swords.

In fact, the entire book feels like the best episodes of M*A*S*H* dressed up in the trappings of a traditional fantasy world. To say "traditional fantasy" is somewhat misleading, however, as no archetype is safe from the gleeful pen of Mr. Martinez. While he uses creature-types familiar to fans of fantasy, he twists them into objects of comedy gold. Ogres, Amazons, Goblins and Demons all look as we might imagine, but Martinez grants them a depth typically reserved for the subjects of BBC comedies. As Ned discovers who he is and why he cannot stay dead, the secondary characters all evolve in unpredictably humorous ways.

Martinez weaves the construction of this fictional universe he has created into his characters and, as such, we get the impression of a world as complicated as our own, but infinitely funnier. While he does not go far enough for us to consider In the Company of Ogres a satire, Martinez certainly takes a few potshots at bureaucracy, sexism, and racism. The story and its humor are very straight forward, and Martinez is obviously attempting to entertain us, not berate us with politics.
My only complaint about this novel is its brevity. While this keeps in tenor with the author's previous work, it still leaves a sense of promises unfulfilled. Like an interrupted act of coitus, there is a sense that what we got was good, but there could be so much more. Beneath the jokes and action lays a world full of intriguing characters and a mythology with which Martinez only teases us. The only fathomable reason not to extend the world of Never Dead Ned into a series is to avoid further comparison to writers like Robert Aspirin or Douglas Adams. In fact, the potential is there for a collection of books more akin to Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, where the mythology continues in each installment even if the characters do not. Alas, Mr. Martinez is still a young writer, and any extension of this universe will have to wait.

Like a good popcorn movie for smart people, In the Company of Ogres sets out to give us a few thrills and giggles and accomplishes it swimmingly. Don't look too deeply for meaning, but pick up the book anyway for its entertainment value and see if you can spot all the fantasy and pop-culture references the author makes. You might burn through it in a day or so, but it is the kind of book you go back and reread on a lark. I also would not be surprised if we saw this adapted as an animated series or even a motion picture down the road, so grab it now and your "early adopter" status will be secure.

Never dead, but clumsy as hell........2007-07-26

Never Dead Ned tries not to be noticed, tries to hide, ends up a... wait, wait, no spoilers. Suffice it to say the devil in the details (quite litterally in this book). Ned's adventure makes it possible for someone like me, who does not like Dragon Lance type fantasy, to get my fix of odd ball characters. They're all there, Ogres, Elfs, goblins, puny humans, and Duck Billed Wizards.

It's a great tale, just read it. Don't assume you've read it all before. This is a good spin on the genre, and it's extremely well written yet doesn't take 3 pages to tell you the protagonist woke up with a hangover.

The "Supernatural" Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls

Average customer rating:

Awesome
Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls
Great for fan
Perfectly written
Everything you wanted to know about things that go bump in the night

The "Supernatural" Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls
Alex Irvine
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0061367036
Release Date: 2007-09-04

Book Description

Twenty-three years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a demonic supernatural force. Following the tragedy, their father, John, set out to teach his boys everything about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America . . . and how to kill it.

Fans of the blockbuster television phenomenon can rejoice! A one-of-a-kind compilation of all of Sam and Dean's demon-busting knowledge, The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls contains illustrations and detailed descriptions that catalogue the more than two dozen otherworldly enemies that most people believe exist only in folklore, superstition, and nightmares:vampires, ghosts, revenants, reapers, and even bloody clowns. You'll find within these pages Sam and Dean's notes, observations, and memories interwoven with sections of John Winchester's invaluable journal, making this book the perfect companion to every thrilling episode—and an essential weapon in the secret war against the hidden creatures of the darkness!

Customer Reviews:

Awesome.......2007-10-09

I love this book and it is really cool the way it is written. I have so enjoyed reading it.

Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls.......2007-10-06

I love the show "Supernatural" and anything to do with it. This book was semi-interesting, mainly because it was written from the point of view of Dean and Sam Winchester and because it touched on the entities the boys have faced on the show.

Great for fan.......2007-10-06

SOme of the stuff in there is real folklore, it is a bible for the supernatural fan... the show or the real thing!

Perfectly written.......2007-10-06

Definately a must have book for all Supernatural fans. It explains all the myths that were the bases of the episodes in season one. Also, it is written in the Brothers point of view making it interesting to read. Highly Recommended

Everything you wanted to know about things that go bump in the night.......2007-09-30

This book is not just for those who are fans of the CW show Supernatural. Eric Kripke, creator of the show, prides himself on the validity of the legends and myths he uses in his show. This book gives background information about things encounted by the Winchesters with a few new critters added in. The text uses Sam and Dean's voices for each section and fans of the show can easily pick out which Winchester is speaking each time. This book is a must for those who want to learn more about urban legends and things that roam the night.

Average customer rating:

I'm Not Wild About this Story
friendship
My 11 year old daughter loved it.

Ghouls Gone Wild (Mostly Ghostly)
R.L. Stine
Manufacturer: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 038574692X
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Book Description

Max’s parents are planning to sell their house and move the family far, far away. But Max can’t leave Nicky and Tara, the two ghosts who live with him. They need him. He’s the only one who can help them become kids again! Max has to stop his parents!

Customer Reviews:

I'm Not Wild About this Story.......2006-11-16

Ghouls Gone Wild is the fifth book in the Mostly Ghostly series and here we find Max initially excited about his parents plans to sell their house and move to Texas where his father may have a new job lined up, especially after Nicky & Tara (his two live in ghost friends) get him into hot water by dunking the Mayor in the school swimming pool...on camera even. We discover (through Nicky and Tara) that there is a Ghoul (or two) running amok in the house and it's Nicky and Tara who find an old spell book and tell Max that they'll take care of it. When he realizes what great friends they are trying to be, Max knows he must do something about his parent's plan to sell the house...if you want to find out more about the Ghouls and if Max manages to succeed in sabotaging his parents, you'll have to read the book!

Overall, it's about the same as the previous in terms of what I like and dislike about this series. Max's brother is still an overbearing bully who is physically abusive (this goes beyond brotherly razzing in my opinion and I'm not all that fond of this aspect of the series), his father is also a bully, prizing brawn over brains who is generally permissive of the brothers abuse and verbally abusive himself, the mom is not much more than a doormat in these tales. Despite this, Max's character generally shines despite his clumsiness, his "helpful" ghost friends, and his torment at the hands of his brother...that is to say that he generally does the right thing and doesn't dwell on the negative things in life, and that in itself is a positive message for kids, that and the ever present message that friends (dead or alive) are always the most important thing...that you should always be ther for them!

As for the story...it's interesting, but I get the feeling that this was more exposition for a later volume as the story was short on the details of the Ghouls (with reason), the whole thing just felt like one big build up for something that didn't happen in THIS story, so it should be interesting to see where the next ones goes. This wasn't particularly scary...it also wasn't gory or even mildly creepy. My main question is what's up with the shadowy figure in black...I was left with the feeling that the ONLY reason to read this is to have the filler for something that's going to happen down the line. I give it a C-...there wasn't a whole lot going on here...and what was going on wasn't terribly frightening.

friendship.......2006-03-16

this book is about this boy named max and he find this to ghost named nicky and tara. The two ghoss who live with. They need him. HE's the only one who can help them become real kids again!
But Max has another problem right now. A figure dressed in black, with a face hidden in. It's a boy or is it? That's what Max needs to know, because this shadowy figure is following Max. Watching him. waiting for him. this book is also a great book for all ages. For example onev of the exciting parts are when max has to give speech to his class mates and messes thing up. He does not realy mess it up on his own it was the help of the ghost friends. The main plot would be that they have to figure out who is the misyrious figure is.

My 11 year old daughter loved it........2005-10-26

My 11 year old daughter can't wait for these books to be published. She loves them all. She is even doing a book report on one of them.

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Shrek 2 (The Movie Storybook) (Shrek 2)
Tom Mason , and Dan Danko
Manufacturer: Scholastic Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0439538491

Book Description

Join Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey on a journey to the Kingdom of Far, Far Away. There they meet all kinds of strange fairytale folk, including Fiona's parents the King and Queen, a wicked Fairy Godmother, and that fierce ogre-hunter, Puss-in-Boots. It's a hilarious adventure that proves that living happily ever after isn't as easy as the storybooks say.Scholastic's SHREK 2 books are sure to be a hit with kids and ogres of all ages--and you don't have to live in a swamp to get in on the fun!LICENSOR APPROVAL PENDING

Go Ask Ogre: Letters From A Deathrock Cutter

Average customer rating:

Go Ask Ogre is a great read
This is One of those Rare Books You'll Remember Reading
Pure!
'Go Ask Ogre' is a fresh and brutally honest book; recommended
Can't stop myself

Go Ask Ogre: Letters From A Deathrock Cutter
Jolene Siana
Manufacturer: Process
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0976082217

Book Description

Teenage hell has never been captured with such intense honesty as these actual letters sent in the late '80s from a suicidal girl to the singer of her favorite band.

Go Ask Ogre peers into the world of a misfit "cutter" who lives with an abusive mother in the rust belt. A tailspin of suicidal depression and self-injury leads her to write Ogre, front man for the industrial rock band Skinny Puppy. Soon he receives a flood of elaborately illustrated letters and journals filled with Jolene's most intimate thoughts-from her most painful secrets to hilarious observations and lucid realizations about her life and those around her.

At a concert, Ogre confides to Jolene that he has saved all her letters. Nine years later, a box from Ogre arrives at Jolene's door. Re-examining the documents, she realizes that writing these letters had saved her life.

Go Ask Ogre compiles Jolene Siana's actual letters, artwork, illustrations, and ephemera into a unique and powerful story of an extremely troubled teen who made it through the worst years of her life, and, through the power of music and art, transformed herself in the process. It is heavily illustrated and full color throughout.

Critical Praise:

"Pure, lucid and engaging...more authentic for a new generation of young women than, say, the 1971 cautionary tale about drugs, Go Ask Alice."-Susan Carpenter, LA Times

"Dark, funny and touching..."-boingboing.net

"Cringingly confessional, persistently desperate, yet often uproariously funny. All rendered and packaged in labor-intensive psychedelic outsider graphic design. An overdue riposte to the bludgeoning morality of the fabricated Go Ask Alice."-Doug Harvey, LA Weekly

"By turns fierce, funny, heartbreaking and wise, Jolene Siana's Go Ask Ogre burns onto the page in an intense collage of words and images that together create a portrait of a gifted young woman fighting to hang on to her own life and choosing an unlikely-but strangely suitable-ally for her battle."-Caroline Kettlewell, author of Skin Game

"Amidst the cultural and political corruption of the late 1980s, seeking and artistic teens like Jolene Siana found cathartic solace in aggressive and so-called 'morbid' bands like Skinny Puppy. That she persevered with the help of music that parents, preachers, and politicians condemned, but rarely tried to understand, is a moving lesson."-Alan Rapp, editor of The Journey is the Destination: The Journals of Dan Eldon and Dan Eldon: The Art of Life

Customer Reviews:

Go Ask Ogre is a great read.......2007-04-14

I loved this book and read it from front to back in one sitting. It is a great look inside the mind of a teenager. It takes you through all of her stuggles with unedited brutal honesty. It is easy to relate to her moments as a young woman growing up and her issues.

This is One of those Rare Books You'll Remember Reading.......2006-12-11

Jolene Siana's collection of letters and artwork sent to Ogre, from the band Skinny Puppy, is a moving chronicle of a girl's struggle to find place and meaning for herself at an age that is normally awkward at best. I found great beauty in this very human quest for self discovery and identity.

Pure!.......2006-11-07

In his Basketball Diaries -- also a dark coming-of-age tale, no coincidence there -- Jim Carroll wrote, "I want to be pure." Jolene Siana, in a book that bravely lets light into the darkest corners of her tortured teenage years, offers readers just that -- a visceral, unblinking, honest look at her own struggle to be pure, to simply become. The letters and artwork that compile this book may have been therapeutic. They may have even helped the author survive. And bringing them together years later may have helped her yet again. But this isn't a self-indulgent book. It's a generous and open one. It's really Siana's readers -- anyone who feels lost, alone, and in need of connection; anyone searching for something pure in a world that's anything but -- who benefit here. This book is a gift.

'Go Ask Ogre' is a fresh and brutally honest book; recommended.......2006-09-14

what can i write about this book that hasn't already been said before? its great, and obviously a great deal of care was taken when this book was put together. recommended for cutters, ex-cutters, goths, punks, and any other "outsiders" in general.

Can't stop myself.......2006-06-07

I can't stop reading this book. I'm not much of a reader but Jolene is an awesome writer. I can relate to it in so many ways. I'm a huge fan of Ogre. I love Jolene's artwork and the part about making handcrafted envelopes for each letter. ^ _ ^

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