Book Description
FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSIOLOGY, Third Edition, is based on Lauralee Sherwood's best selling Fifth Edition of HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY: FROM CELLS TO SYSTEMS. While both texts cover the same key topics in a current, engaging, and clinically relevant manner, FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSIOLOGY is briefer, lower in level, and requires less of a background in chemistry, physics, and math than its sister text. Essential content is organized around the central theme of homeostasis, as demonstrated by the system-specific homeostatic model that opens each chapter, as well as the "Focus on Homeostasis" that completes each chapter. New to this edition are process-oriented figures, created to aid today's visual learners. These figures include step-by-step descriptions summarizing and integrating various aspects of essential concepts. Another noteworthy addition is the comparative and early introduction of "Principles of Neural and Hormonal Communication"-a NEW Chapter 4. This edition also showcases an emphasis on real-life experiences, using analogies as well as new "Clinical Note" icons, which flag clinically relevant material. The text is also supported by PhysioEdge 2-arguably the best student CD-ROM on the market-which ties concepts and art together with narration and animation. This free CD-ROM has been revised to include new media exercises and tutorials, and is integrated with this Third Edition to encourage students make optimal use of the available media. Instructors are likely to find indispensable our Multimedia Manager with Instructor Resources-a CD containing ALL line art from the text, over 40 animations, electronic versions of instructor materials, and Microsoft® PowerPoint® lectures.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent starting text.......2007-02-12
Underlying the broad study of physiology lies several important principles; unless these are appreciated, studying physiology can prove to be difficult, time-consuming, and ultimately an experience you'd rather forget.
Often in the hope of gaining a complete understanding of physiology, students will make the mistake of trying to attack the bigger/detailed texts such as guyton, ganong, and berne& levy. Unfortunately these books (particularly the latter two) are quite advanced and detailed, possessing a lot of minutiae. These books are useful for postgrads in science or for those sitting medical specialty exams. What you need if you're starting out in physiology is a book that clearly emphasises the principles, and avoids swamping you with detail that will quickly erase your appreciation of the big picture (your examiners will reward such perspective, and not the regurgitation of random facts! - the same is true for all areas of study). Sherwood does an amazing job of providing this information at just the right level for the beginner, laying down a solid foundation for further learning. I recommend using this as a primary text and consulting the other heavy weights for the fine print if your course syllabus (or thirst for knowledge!) requires this.
A simple and straightforward text........2007-01-06
This is a very simple textbook. The content is clearly geared toward the beginner in biology, and the text could even be well-recieved and understood by nonscientists. That said, I think the book functions best (oddly) as material for upperclassmen in biology. The scarcity of detail - intended to make the book easier for the lay reader - actually serves the advanced student nicely by avoiding repitition of concepts already thoroughly covered in other courses. This is a physiology text which covers exactly that: physiology. It gets tiring after several years of schooling in biology to deal with all the overlap between classes (I cannot count the number of times I have had to memorize the reactions of the glycolytic pathway, for example), and this book avoids that. Overall, its a great rundown of the important concepts in human physiology, and would probably make a nice refresher for someone who took physiology in the distant past.
Doesn't stand alone........2000-05-31
This text was informative for the student just begining their anatomy and physiology education. However I believe it was put to best use when combined with another anatomy text (i.e.Tortora's Principles of Human Anatomy). These two texts are a powerhouse of information. They play well off of eachother. Where Tortora lacks in technical explanation and precise description Sherwood excells. Where Sherwood fails in graphic visual description Tortora more than makes up the difference. As a visual learner it was difficult to fully grasp certain concepts without another text to refer to. I believe for someone who learns best from verbal description this book would be incredibly beneficial. I used this text in a community college, pre-nursing, anatomy and physiology course and although it was helpful, it provided more of a complete picture when combined with the other text (Tortora). Overall I did find it more helpful as a reference resource than a teaching tool.
Book Description
Get the edge in physiology class with HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY: FROM CELLS TO SYSTEMS. Author Lauralee Sherwood has streamlined physiological study without dumbing it down by organizing the material around one central human process: homeostasis. In addition to the easy-to-understand text, Sherwood ties physiological study to real world scenarios in fields like pathophysiology and clinical physiology. Plus, it includes PhysioEdge, the most powerful CD-ROM you can get. PhysioEdge2 is packed with tutorials and fast access to answers. And Personal Tutor with SMARTHINKING (access to a live online human physiology tutor) and InfoTrac (an online university library that will save you a trek across campus), HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY: FROM CELLS TO SYSTEMS is the text you need to succeed in physiology class and get ready for health-related careers.
Customer Reviews:
superb physiology text.......2007-05-18
Thorough, clear, great figures/diagrams. I've used this textbook for 2 classes and refer to it periodically when I have questions about health and the body's workings. Gives a good overview of topics, as well as useful details.
beautiful.......2007-05-07
This text covers the material well yet is easy to read. It is well organized and the drawings/pictures are beautiful. I am enjoying learning a difficult topic !
They advertise the wrong item.......2006-08-31
In the search and title it says Human Physiology: From cell to systems by Sherwood. It is not this is an study guide to accompany the textbook. Also when are reciever in the front page say clearly textbook not included. The name of this is Cram101 Textbook Outlines. I am very dissapointed because now I have to return this wait for my money back in the meanwhile order the texctbook elsewhere.
Great supplement for the book.......2005-10-09
I use it to study before my exams... great for reviewing the material... great summaries of each chapter and exam type review questions
False Advertising.......2005-09-25
Although the book is in decent condition, it is completely black and white, not to mention is is the paperback edition, and not the hardcover as advertised.
Book Description
The brand new author team of Prescott, Harley and Klein's Microbiology continues the tradition of past editions by providing a balanced, comprehensive introduction to all major areas of microbiology. Because of this balance, the Seventh Edition of Microbiology is appropriate for microbiology majors and mixed majors courses. The new authors have focused on readability, artwork, and the integration of several key themes (including evolution, ecology and diversity) throughout the text, making an already superior text even better.
Book Description
'Destined to be a classic work on the topic, Enterprise Security Architecture fills a real void in the knowledge base of our industry. In a comprehensive, detailed treatment, Sherwood, Clark and Lynas rightly emphasize the business approach and show how
Security is too important to be left in the hands of just one department or employee -- it's a concern of an entire enterprise. Enterprise Security Architecture shows that having a comprehensive plan requires more than the purchase of security software -- it requires a framework for developing and maintaining a system that is proactive.
Customer Reviews:
Step by step professional.......2007-01-15
It is amazing how different books can be. I read dozens of information security management related books, but this one is only I can use in my everyday job. If you are consultant or professional CISO, this book offers tips of how to do things right and how to be efficient. It is information security management bible. Buy hardcover version because you will use it every day.
Really helpful for enterprise securty. Not a techie cookbook........2006-02-21
This is a particularly interesting book in that it proposes an approach to developing security architectures that are aligned with Business Needs. Most of the other literature that I have seen in this field seems to throw itself into technical detail and try to be a "cookbook" for techies.
The book is in two distinct parts - this first outlines the philosophy and approach of SABSA (Sherwood Applied Security Architecture) and the second draws on the authors' considerable experience in using SABSA in real-life scenarios, giving a set of "standard" services and mechanisms that should be considered when building an Enterprise Security Architecture.
If you are looking just to do techie "black box" security engineering with routers and servers then this book is not really for you. This is a book for those with a responsibility for enterprises where security can be seen as enabling the business rather than fighting it.
Like others with whom I have spoken, I liked the "quick notes" in the left hand column of every page that let's you speed read each chapter. They made it really easy to set a good insight into the subject quickly and focus on the areas that I really wanted to know more about.
One hidden gem in this book is the approach to Measuring Return on investment in security - it opened my eyes to using security as a business enabler.
Book Description
In Ministering Cross-Culturally, the authors demonstrate that Jesus needed to learn and understand the culture in which he lived before he could undertake his public ministry. The authors examine how this can help us better understand what it means to establish relationships of grace with those from different cultural and social backgrounds. With more than 70,000 copies of the first edition in print, this incarnational model of ministry has proven successful for many people. Several sections in this second edition have been rewritten, and the entire book has been updated to reflect development in the authors' thinking. Drawing from the authors' rich experience on the mission field, this book will benefit anyone who wants to be salt and light in a multicultural and multiethnic world.
Customer Reviews:
very helpful for those ministering in other cultures.......2007-04-06
I have studied and prepared for overseas mission work in the past, and this book was not on my list. After reading it, i am recommending it for others i know in training. It reviews many of the factors that influence how we relate to others and is quite eye opening.
The classic text, but some problems.......2007-03-23
The objective of Ministering Cross-Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships, according to the authors' statement on page 124, is "to show that the incarnation of Christ is a model for missionary and other Christian ministry." The book is essentially an interpretation by Sherwood Lingenfelter of Marvin Mayers' model of basic values and the relation of this model to incarnational ministry. On page 14, Lingenfelter states that his goal is to "share some of the conflicts and struggles that [he] experienced and to explore their meaning for the larger issues of cross-cultural living, work, and ministry... [by going] beyond specific personal experiences to the underlying principles of culture and communication," through which interpersonal relationships are maintained. He claims, as a central thesis, the universality of Scripture and the love example of Jesus Christ.
While, for the most part, Lingenfelter's thoughts were well-reasoned and insightful, there were some concepts that were uncomfortably flawed or biased.
The first area of consideration is that of generalizations. Perhaps one of the most obvious examples of this was the conclusion drawn by the author upon finishing a study at the State University of New York College at Brockport. On page 48, Lingenfelter notes that, because those surveyed tended to be event-oriented, "American college students today are not as time-conscious and as highly motivated to keep a schedule as their culture would want them to be." It would seem that the students in one school in the northeastern comer of the United States are hardly a representative sample of American college students as a whole.
While not as glaring as this assertion, there are many other areas where Lingenfelter makes broad generalizations. Throughout the text, he shares some observations about American and Micronesian culture that seem to be more sweeping than research might warrant. Wisely, the author explains on page 48, that "there are individuals in every culture who are at variance with the pattern of the whole." This is an important disclaimer, but, having made it, Lingenfelter proceeds to made statements about culture as a whole. Aside from being statistically uncomfortable, this practice chips away at the thesis he is advancing. If the goal of the missionary is to become incarnate in his host culture, is he to adopt the practices of the majority of the culture, of the individuals with whom he is working most closely or of someone else? To inculcate the attitudes, thought processes and behaviors of a slight majority of a native population may result in isolation from the large minority segments of the culture.
The most disturbing biases, however, were those that Lingenfelter exhibited in drawing his conclusions at the end of each chapter. The perceived goal of this book was to assist the reader in becoming more balanced in his thinking and moving toward the goal of following Christ's example of being a "200 percent" person, fully integrated into both one's home culture and host culture. The assertion is that one is to develop balance, yet Lingenfelter gives very unbalanced presentations relating to each of the matrices of Mayors' model. He assumes that his readers are ingrained in "Western" thought patterns and spends the vast majority of his time celebrating the viewpoints of Yapese culture as being more closely aligned to Biblical teaching, while denying the value of traditional Western attitudes and behaviors.
This bias is practiced throughout the book, but a few striking examples should be noted. On pages 62-64, Lingenfelter gives more than ample space to a discussion of how Jesus and the disciples were holistic rather than dichotomistic in their judgments. He writes: "The Gospel writings suggest that as Jesus taught he utilized right-hemisphere, pictorial, concrete, holistic, and analogic strategies rather than left-hemisphere, verbal, abstract, dichotomistic, and analytic thought." As proof of this point, he cites Christ's use of concrete analogy, parable, current issues and personal case studies in His ministry. In contrast, the author gives only a token mention to Paul, who argued almost entirely from a Greco-Roman perspective and presented the Christian faith in an arena of logic and rationale, a very left-hemisphere, "dichotomistic" pattern. Obviously, the content of the Gospel needs to be communicated in a way that relates to the host culture, but to imply that Jesus' method of communication to the Jews was superior to Paul's method of communication to the Gentiles is to ignore the evidence of Scripture.
The third noted problem was that of strained or questionable analogies. On page 16, Lingenfelter notes that "Jesus came as a helpless infant" and that it is significant that "Jesus was a learner." While Christ gives an excellent example for cross-cultural ministers to follow, it must be understood that it is impossible to become a literal infant in a different culture. This is an advantage that Christ had that is unavailable to the missionary today. The minister can seek to develop a childlike attitude toward learning, but one must realize that he or she cannot fully incarnate himself into a host culture in the way that Jesus did. To draw all direction for cross-cultural ministry from the external practices of Jesus is to limit the way that God can work in non-Jewish cultures. Lingenfelter's assertion, on page 24, that "we are to become incarnate in the cultures to which we are sent" is a valid one, as is his recognition that we will never attain the full balance of incarnation that Christ achieved in His ministry on earth.
On the whole, Lingenfelter presents a valuable tool for self-understanding, but his work should be read carefully and critically and should be balanced with works by authors such as Harriet Hill, who advance the limitations of the incarnational model.
Great resource for any Christian.......2007-02-14
This book is one that I would recommend to any Christian who encounters someone from a different culture (hopefully that means all Christians). This book helps the believer to understand how to be more like Christ, who came to our world as a different culture. It helps the reader to recognize how our own culture is often deterministic of how we view others and how we act, even in things as simple as what time we arrive at a meeting. This is a must read for anyone who will do missions. I read it as a counselor and have recommended it to many people in the church.
Ministering Cross Culturally.......2007-01-19
This is a helpful book to give an introduction to how culture not only shapes others, but our own thinking. Understanding this is critical to thougthfully crossing cultures. The book is not exhaustive in the areas a culture shapes, but is a helpful start.
Good preparation.......2007-01-07
This book was extremely practical and very easy to read and understand.
Even though we were going to a very different culture than that of the Yaps, the principles helped us seek to look at things differently. It opened our minds a bit more to the differences and helped us UN-AMERICANIZE our thinking a bit.
Great book... fast read... very practical.
Book Description
“International interest in this distinctive art form was renewed by Sherwood, whose personal collection is considered the world’s most comprehensive. Captivating and commanding, this opulent compilation superbly show-cases vivid new interpretations of familiar subjects.” —Booklist. “Equally important for both botanical and art collections.”—Library Journal.
Customer Reviews:
Reference .......2007-01-11
This book is very helpful, especially as a reference for anyone learning botanical illustration or anyone wanting to learn about specific botanical artists.
It's beautiful art work also makes it very nice as a "coffee table" book for others to admire.
Great Contemporary Botanical Art.......2005-05-07
As a rank beginner in watercolor and pen and ink I much appreciate the effort it takes to produce great illustrations of natural objects. Shirley Sherwood has brought together her remarkable collection of modern botanical paintings (and some ink renderings) in "A Passion for Plants: Contemporary Botanical Masterworks" and made them accessible to the public. It is certainly an impressive effort.
Unlike many styles of illustration, botanical art usually involved a finely detailed painting on a white background, occasionally with additional smaller drawings or paintings. Occasionally a background is also provided, but most have no background. The renditions of just about every artist featured are extremely well done and it is hard to pick a favorite. Kate Nessler's watercolor of Rose Hips & Oak Leaves, Mariko Imai's exquisite watercolors of carnivorous plants, Elizabeth Dowle's paintings of fruit, Francesca Anderson's detailed ink renditions of sunflowers and cacti, and John Wilkinson's ultra realistic (complete with insect damage and hover flies!) watercolor of Ligularia, are just a few of the treats in this magnificent book. It sure makes for a tough standard, but a worthy one, for us beginners!
A great book for artists, botanists and anyone interested in plant illustration!
A superb, international collection of botanical art........2002-05-30
This is an excellent collection of botanical illustrations reproduced in very detailed, rich color on quality paper. Artists from all over the world are represented with brief biographies of each one. I think this book is one of the best books to have if you love botanical illustration and would like to see examples done by highly skilled, scientifically accurate illustrators. Just as good or better than the first Shirley Sherwood collection book.
Customer Reviews:
One of the best intros to DC politics and Marion Barry.......2005-07-13
The Barry era was more than just the grainy footage in the hotel room, and Jaffe does an excellent job of recounting the hope and promise that many Washingtonians held when Barry was first elected Mayor as part of an grassroots coalition of low-income blacks, liberal whites and a growing gay and lesbian community and how badly that promise was betrayed.
There is no doubt the 80's were an awful time for DC. Crack, violence and economic abandonment by the middle class, nearly killed DC. Most major urban centers faced similar problems in the 80's thanks to Reaganism and white flight but Jaffe clearly documents Barry's inability to anything besides compound the problems faced by DC through financial irresponsibility(largely due to patronage) incompetent and criminal staff and Barry's growing personal addictions to drug and sex. He documents Barry's failings without demonizing him or resorting to the disguised racism of many of Barry's detractors.
It should be added that Barry was recently elected back onto City Council, representing the nearly all black and poverty stricken Ward 8. Many outside DC couldn't believe that DC residents would want this guy back on the City Council, but those folks don't know Ward 8 or Barry's appeal. While DC is booming economically, Ward 8 continued to be ignored by the rest of the city and the Mayor. By voting for Barry against a Mayoral ally, Ward 8 was warning the rest of the city that they will not be ignored.
Good look at a complicated city.......2005-03-01
The urban problems of Washington D.C. are laid bare with some wonderful historical perspective. This is a city where the normal municipal politics (race, poverty, patronage) are complicated by the national politics that weild a veto power over this city.
This book easily could have been an unreadable tome, but the authors did a great job of keeping the book moving and putting the charachters in proper perspective.
A must read for those involved in city politics.......2000-12-26
Fascinating read. Great background.
Needs a Sequel.......2000-10-14
"Dream City" compares with Mike Royko's "Boss" as an excellent expose on urban politics. But while Royko's protagonist, Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago, at least had his city's best interests in mind despite the shortcomings of his political machine, Marion Barry only cared about one thing, Marion Barry. That this vulture perpetuated his own power on the backs of the powerless who were his strongest supporters is sickening and fascinating at the same time. "Dream City" was published in 1994, right before the leech Barry returned to the Mayor's office to do four more years of damage to the capital city. Under Daley, Chicago was "The City That Works." Under Barry, DC was the city that didn't.
Will the real Marion Barry please stand up.......1999-12-15
This fascinating book about the current state and recent history of our nation's capital focuses largely on the story of Marion Barry, who was, when the book was written, both a once and future mayor of the city. How much blame Barry must shoulder for the city's social and economic problems is a question that remains to be answered, but the detail provided by the authors, both journalists with long experience of the city and its politics, offers fascinating glimpses into the reality behind the mask. One story alone is worth the price of the book: Marion Barry, who has long tried to identify with the city's most downtrodden, at one time (when he first went into politics) hired an exconvict to teach him how to 'talk street' so that he wouldn't sound too educated (he has an M.S. in Chemistry and was working on a Ph. D. when he became involved in the civil rights movement - not the Marion Barry I thought I knew).
This is a fascinating book. A bit out of date now, but containing material I have not seen anywhere else that helps explain some of the very bad times D.C. has experienced in the last few decades.
Product Description
In the mid-1970s Craig Stecyk wrote, "Having known Adams over the years i really can't say he's changed much. He remains one of the most spontaneous, unpredictable persons i've ever encountered..Everything you've ever heard about him is probably true,or should be anyway. Mere words could never come close to accurately describing him." Decades later these words still ring true and Jay is a living legend. Documentaries chronicling his life have won awards,"Hollywood" attempts to corral the real-life story on the screen have failed miserably, the truth is rarely understood.-This is a book of photographs of the legend as a boy. Taken by his stepfather, Kent Sherwood, mostly before anyone like Stecyk or myself shot pictures of him, not to mention the legions who would photograph him over the years after we did. These are some rare early moments of Jay, his friends and his lifestyle. Dig it! -glen E. friedman"JAY BOY" is distributed exclusively by Tailtap.com here at Amazon or through very select stores only.
Customer Reviews:
AWESOME.......2007-02-11
If you like reading about the Z-Boys and learning more about Jay this book rules! My son hates to read so i bought this book for him and he read it cover to cover and loved seeing all of the old school pictures of Jay.
Average customer rating:
- She gets caught...then she gets saved over and over...
- Good book for teens
- Huyen
- Staggeringly Unsatisfying
- Courtly Intrigue - Bookwyrm Chrysalis Review
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Crown Duel (Originally Published as the Two Books Crown Duel and Court Duel) (Firebird)
Sherwood Smith
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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The Seer and the Sword
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ASIN: 0142301515 |
Book Description
Young Countess Meliara swears to her dying father that she and her brother will defend their people from the growing greed of the king. That promise leads them into a war for which they are ill-prepared, which threatens the very people they are trying to protect. But war is simple compared to what follows, in peacetime. Meliara is summoned to live at the royal palace, where friends and enemies look alike, and intrigue fills the dance halls and the drawing rooms. If she is to survive, Meliara must learn a whole new way of fighting-with wits and words and secret alliances.
In war, at least, she knew in whom she could trust. Now she can trust no one.
The Firebird edition of Crown Duel combines the hardcover editions of Crown Duel and Court Duel-and features a never-before-published story by Sherwood Smith!
"A fantasy world fit for the most discriminating medieval partisan." (Publishers Weekly)
Customer Reviews:
She gets caught...then she gets saved over and over..........2007-09-28
I will admit to you that I have not read this entire book. Infact I've only made it to the very beginning of Part 2 and I am disappointed. Sherwood Smith has always been interesting to me. I am now reading the book: Inda and I think that it is very enjoyable...
But on the cover of this book is a girl, scratched and bruised with a sword in hand. Now when I pick up a book with a cover like this and reviews that are four stars or higher I expect to find some action - this is no action in this book. Nor is there any suspence.
Now please I know that I haven't read part 2 and that Part 2 may be the climax of the story so no offense to anyone that enjoyed this book.
I thought that it had potential but the only thing I read was Mel (the main character) getting captured, sleeping for days on end and then waking up to somebody saying, "Drink this, my lady." or something of that sort.
Try some books by Sherwood Smith but I don't suggest you reading this book...
Sorry for the low stars but I just expected better.
Happy Reading!
Good book for teens.......2007-09-24
Crown Duel is a pretty clean read - wih no sex, scenes of intense violence or other material usually featured in fantasy novels. The story commences well, with an underlying, slowly developing romance. There are a lot of silly parts. The main character, "Mel," is developing into a woman. And it really doesn't happen overnight. She is gaining alot of emotional maturity (as time goes by) but suffers many emotions I certainly felt myself as a teenager, and that take time to grow out of. From an adult perspective, I enjoyed Mel's character and the things she learns, but didn't identify with her as much as my younger self would of.
Alot of the storyline is summarized instead of artfully written - creating a flatter, less intense story. I read and kept reading because it was interesting, and because there was a lot of action to keep me turning the page - but the writing style needs a lot of polishing.
Part 1 and Part 2 really are like two very seperate books, as the description says they were originally published as. Not really sure why they were combined into one, except that part 1 had a pretty unsatisfactory ending.
The little short story at the end is pretty silly, but honestly very realistic: having been pregnant, that is pretty much how it feels (crying, happy, sad, all at once). It's too short even for a short story - just a few thin pages - maybe to give the book more of a "happy ending" feel?
Mel might be a better character to read about from third person-a little space can go a long way.
Huyen.......2007-09-17
This book is awsome. I love it. I thought the details she wrote in this book were amazing. You read through the book and you can picture what the scenes are going to be like. I love all the characters and the action. The action in this book is awsome! I would definately recommend this book to anyone who likes court tricks, swords, duels, king/queen/prince and so on. Its fast and fun/easy to read. Grasps your attention right away. I love it. ESPECIALLY the second part/Court Duel. I LOVE IT!
Staggeringly Unsatisfying.......2007-08-15
I found CROWN DUEL to be a long series of anti-climaxes. Again and again, our heroine is backed up into a corner, only to be rescued at the last moment. No matter how much circumstances change through the novel - as Meliara transforms from a barefoot countess to a noble with fearsome allies and power of her own - the pattern stays the same. Things get so bad that the protagonists find themselves helpless, hamstrung, and unable to act - and then some third party steps in at the crisis and poof, everything's ok again.
I was also disappointed with the character of Meliara - she is supposed to be, I believe, one of those strong-woman-warrior types, a female leader, a heroine. At first, I thought that we were witnessing her growing pains - the frequently idiotic behavior of a courageous girl on her way to becoming a battle-tested and truly admirable woman. Except she never grew up, and I had to abandon that notion. I don't think it's a coincidence that at the end of it all, Meliara's major success is throwing a fine party. Which is nice and all, but not really heroine-caliber.
The romance was similarly botched. Meliara gets a secret admirer, who courts her indirectly. This develops well enough. But the secret admirer is a real person, and his face-to-face relationship with Meliara remains so static that when the final reveal finally came along I didn't really buy it. Once again, it's too easy - Meliara recognizes her admirer in the flesh, all other troubles are swept aside, and poof, happy ending.
My favorite part of a good story is reading about the ingenious way that a protagonist solves some knotty problem or other - political, magical, romantic. I like the imagination, the strategy, the hard choices involved. I felt like I was consistently denied that payoff here, and I was really disappointed.
Courtly Intrigue - Bookwyrm Chrysalis Review.......2007-08-12
Well-worn. Dog-eared. Falling apart at the binding. These are all ways to describe my poor copy of Crown Duel. Once published as two books, Crown Duel and Court Duel, Firebird Fantasy reprinted them in 2002 as one, a very wise decision as the two stories are only halves on their own. Together the two books create a heroic tale of Mel as she leads a rebellion as a bare-foot countess, to her attempts to survive the deceptions of royal court life. I must admit, though, to loving the second book the most, and have often been tempted to just reread Court Duel, but in the end, I always want the full tale, and begin at the beginning, as any great journey should.
The first book chronicles Mel, as she and her brother, Bran, fight off an invading army sent by their greedy king. Leading a group of hastily-trained villagers, Mel employs sneaky tactics (such as harassing all night or flooding the enemy camp) to hold off the invading army. When Mel ends up injured and captured by the enemy, she is taken by the Marquis Shevraeth to the king, and sentenced to die if she doesn't surrender. Escaping, she leads them on a cross-country chase, is rescued by the Marquis, and forced to realize that while her ideas might be noble, her methods are less than successful. Feeling defeated, she retreats back home after the king dies, convinced she lost the battle.
Into the second book we go, as Mel is dragged off to court by her brother, still feeling defeated for not keeping her promise of making the kingdom a better place. At court, she finds a new kind of battle, navigating the graces and deceits of those who have been schooled as courtiers all their life. As the former king's sister and family make trouble and Mel deals with her `enemy' the Marquis being decided as the new king, Mel still manages to save the kingdom and realize love in a place she was afraid to look.
Sherwood Smith has created a world full of tiny details that form a living world. From the unique hour keeping, using colors and candles to keep time, to the detailed language of fans that the courtiers use to display their true words while trapped in the court of a corrupt king, the reader will find themselves in a vivid setting, experiencing Mel's journey with her.
I'm rather indifferent towards the cover of Crown Duel. In some senses I like it, but I also feel that it isn't all that interesting. It certainly wasn't the main element that led me to read the book.
Here's a quick lesson in cover design. Look at the books that you own, note how many have people on the cover. Now note how many of those people are looking straight at the reader. That's a way to get an instant connection with the potential book buyer while at the store. Take a look at the books facing out next time you go. I have also noticed that many YA male/non-gender books feature symbols or abstract covers, while ones aimed at girls more often use a female looking to the reader.
Books:
- GetBackers Volume 8 (Getbackers (Graphic Novels))
- Gone with the Wind
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6)
- Healer's War, The
- Heaven and Hell (North and South Trilogy Series Volume 3)
- Hell and High Water: Global Warming--the Solution and the Politics--and What We Should Do
- Hell's Gate (Multiverse, Book 1)
- Here Be Monsters! (The Ratbridge Chronicles)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Drawing From The Modern
- The Second Captain Underpants Collection: Books 5-7 & Adventures of Super Diaper Baby
- Impressionist Quartet: The Intimate Genius of Manet and Morisot, Degas and Cassatt
- Perfect Timing
- Survey Of Historic Costume: A History Of Western Dress
- The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: Revised and Updated: The Fate of the World and What We Can Do Be
- The Day I Turned Uncool: Confessions of a Reluctant Grown-up
- Pablo Picasso: 30 Postcards
- My Kids Don't Live With Me Anymore: Coping With the Custody Crisis
- Pointman
Organic Chemistry: A Short Course
Alcamo's Fundamentals of Microbiology, 8th Edition
Task Analysis: An Individual and Population Approach, Second Edition
Fundamentals of Biochemistry: Life at the Molecular Level
Human Anatomy (5th Edition) (MyA&P Series)
Lab Manual for Sherwood's Fundamentals of Physiology: A Human Perspective, 3rd
Study Guide for Sherwood's Fundamentals of Physiology: A Human Perspective, 3rd
