History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Castles & Crusades Castle Zagyg Dark Chateau

Average customer rating:

Very good classic d&d

Castles & Crusades Castle Zagyg Dark Chateau
Gary Gygax
Manufacturer: Chenault and Gray
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Castle Zagyg Volume One: Yggsburgh
Castles And Crusades Monsters & Treasures
Castles And Crusades Players Handbook - New Printing
Castles & Crusades Assault On Black Tooth Ridge
Shadows of the Halfling Hall - Castles & Crusades

ASIN: 1931275696

Product Description

This adventure is designed for and fully compatible with the Castles & Crusades Role Playing Game and the Castle Zagyg: Yggsburgh adventure and campaign setting.

Long before the Archmagi Zagyg moved into the deeps of the great castle that came to bare his name, he took up his dwelling in a house north of the fledgling town of Yggsburgh. The house there he built of stone, and around it a great fence. Here he hid himself away, nestled in the deeps of the Menhir hills.

This Chateau served as his home for many years and labored in its laboratories learning the trade of the wizard. Here lay his apothecaries, his conservatory, and solarium. He built donjons beneath and flooded its recesses with all manner of dark thought and incantation, until at last a heavy, brooding darkness lay over the Chateau. Few visited the eccentric mage and the fear of his madness spread through the valleys and across the hills of Yggsburgh. But one day, without warning the wizard gathered his books and charts, his beakers and jars and all the myriad materials of his studies, closed its doors and removed himself from the Chateau. Later the folk of Yggsburgh learned that Zagyg had settled in the nearby castle, whereat he continued his many and varied magical studies.

And the Dark Chateau was far from his thought and fell into disuse and ruin.

Goblins came to haunt the hills about and many times set to plundering the old house, but often it proved too daunting, too deadly and the bones of many stout goblin soon mixed with the rubble about of the house. But they spoke of this place around their camps and eventually rumor of the haunted manse came to the folk of Yggsburgh. Here it is fashion to discuss the wizard and his dark abodes, the greater and lesser. They tell of wealth undreamt of, and power in magic left lying upon the stony floors.

There in the Menhir Hills lies the Dark Chateau and the wealth of the Magis youth, all tokens for the taking if the adventurer be brave and have the fortitude to bury his comrades in the halls of the dead.

An adventure module for 3-6 characters of 1st - 3rd level.

Customer Reviews:

Very good classic d&d.......2006-05-14

This is a terrific Rob Kuntz game for castles and crusades. I like much but not all of Rob's work. I'd say this is his best work. It is action-packed, but old-school in the sense that if the PCs are stupid and wildly aggressive, they will almost certainly be slaughtered. In other words, there are serious dangers in the module, some of which are best avoided.

It is a preview to the Castle Zagyg (Castle Greyhawk under a different name due to copyright issues) series of modules that is forthcoming.

The module is for L1-3.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade Official Strategy Guide (Warhammer 40,000 (Bradygames))

Average customer rating:

Not worth $20, but still useful
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade Official Strategy Guide (Warhammer 40,000 (Bradygames))
good, but could have been excellent

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade Official Strategy Guide (Warhammer 40,000 (Bradygames))
BradyGames
Manufacturer: BRADY GAMES
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Supreme Commander Official Strategy Guide (Official Strategy Guides (Bradygames))

ASIN: 0744008557

Book Description

BradyGames’ Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War — Dark Crusade Official Strategy Guide includes the following:

A complete walkthrough of the entire game.
Detailed mission maps.
In-depth listing of every unit and structure.
Extensive enemy listing.
Expert multiplayer tactics.

Platform: PC

Genre: Strategy

This product is available for sale worldwide.

Customer Reviews:

Not worth $20, but still useful.......2007-04-03

I got it for $.01 (yes, that's 1 penny) at Best Buy as part of a special sale they were having that day. There were some inaccuracies in the maps, and at least one map was missing entirely, but the information they did have was extremely useful in the campaign. My guess is they were working off a pre-release edition of the game and changes were introduced after the book went to press. At higher difficulty levels, you have to get right out and take the fight to the enemy immediately, and knowing where to find him often means the difference between defeat and victory.
What I found most disappointing was the race descriptions. The guide contains a list of unit and building stats for each race, but certain details were lacking here too. (For example, the guide makes no mention of which units are capable of infiltration and which units can detect infiltrated units.)

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade Official Strategy Guide (Warhammer 40,000 (Bradygames)).......2007-03-09

Poor quality, B&W, images. Weak strategies. Threw it away!

good, but could have been excellent.......2007-01-26

The guide is a good place to start. It give maps and starting locations for both the attacker and the defender. The tips are good and it does go over some of the strengths and weaknesses of the various armies. What I feel is lacking are good, solid tips and strategies. There isn't a section that details which areas are good to attack and which to bypass. There isn't a good section that goes into detail of how to fight against or with certain armies. There are some global tips to do so, but it could be more detailed. Over all I believe that this strategy guide is well worth the money.

Average customer rating:

Dark Crusade
Karl Edward Wagner
Manufacturer: Warner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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Bloodstone
The Midnight Sun: The Complete Stories of Kane

ASIN: 0446881546

Average customer rating:

Clegg delivers new mythos to tired vampire genre.
I couldn't get into it ...
Vampires wanted
Vampiric Horror
Clegg reinvented

The Priest of Blood (The Vampyricon)
Douglas Clegg
Manufacturer: Ace Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

The Lady of Serpents (The Vampyricon)
Mordred: Bastard Son (Mordred Trilogy)
Touch the Dark (Cassandra Palmer Series, Book 1)
Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson Series, Book 2)
Moon Called (Mercy Thompson Series, Book 1)

ASIN: 0441013279

Book Description

The man known as Falconer was born the bastard son of a whore, served the royal court as a predator trainer, and warred against the infidel Saracens as a conscripted soldier in the Holy Land. But it wasn't until he found himself in the arms of a creature called Pythia that he found his destiny-as a vampire.

Customer Reviews:

Clegg delivers new mythos to tired vampire genre........2007-09-17

Having read everything Clegg has written, I waited nearly 3 years to start this series as I wanted to read all three back to back to back.

THE PRIEST OF BLOOD is a brilliant work by a great author. he gives you a rich background to put upon it characters that you believe in, a story that makes you gasp at certain points and dialogue that rings true.

The first 190 pages (before he gets "dead") are some of the best, most lyrical prose I have ever read.

A great start to what I expect to be a landmark trilogy.

I couldn't get into it ..........2007-09-05

I couldn't get past the ponderously heavy and extensive history that opens the book. I didn't even get to chapter two. Heck, I was snoozing by the second page.

I'm more of a Butcher fan.

If you are a history buff, or like your SciFi/Fan/Hor steeped in background, this might be a perfect fit.

Vampires wanted.......2007-01-16

Not bad for the start of a series, but it's not the smoothest read. The storytelling seems a bit disjointed, but it's a decent take on one of my favorite creatures of the night. I'm looking forward to seeing if the author can improve with the next book in the series.

Vampiric Horror.......2006-12-18

I love everything Clegg touches. His book are either bashedly frightening or incredibly suspenseful while also remaining quiet. The Priest of Blood is something new for Clegg. A vampire horror novel that takes place in medieval times. With lots of action, lots of blood, lots of violence. But in the end, the final result left me feeling a bit indifferent is somewhat also curious.

Aleric is a low-born working class boy who has a talent for talking to birds and training them. This talent brings him to live with a rich family where he will work as a bird trainer. He is ashamed of his prostitute mother and has never really known his father. He mourns his grandfather, the only man who has every loved him, the one man who kept reminding him how special he was.

When Aleric falls in love with the wrong woman, and when his mother is accused and killed for witchcraft, his life takes a downward spiral. He is sent off to fight a war he has no interest in. And in this war, he will come face to face with creatures of the night. He meets a beautiful, lustful woman who soon enough turns him into a vampire. Little does she know that Aleric will be given more powers than he should, more insight than any other new vampire.

I loved the first half of the book. The story was quite interesting and very suspenseful. But the moment Aleric becomes a vampire, the fantastic part of the story takes over and puts a halt to the emotional story Clegg had been building since. This maybe a rare case of too many ideas with too few pages to tell them all. Soon enough, Aleric is being called the chosen one, the one vampire who will liberate the rest from the stronghold the dark Queen has on them.

There are quite a few great moments in this novel, as when Aleric and his troup are trapped in a boat with creatures floating all over them. But for the most part, the last half of the novel seems rushed. Some scenes felt a bit too quick for me. Clegg usually takes his time to tell a story. His stories rarely feel rushed. But this one is an exception. I wanted more details, more information. I needed more descriptions. More scenes that talked about Aleric's first years as a vampire. He takes so much time talking about Aleric's upbringing that his vampiric rebirth seems to be rushed.

Maybe this will get solved in the next installment (since this will be a trilogy). Maybe not. All I know is that, although I had mixed feelings about this one, I'm still curious about the next installment and will surely read it the moment it becomes a paperback.

Clegg reinvented.......2006-06-21

The Priest of Blood, Douglas Clegg's new book, gives us a complete new world of supernatural weirdness. He takes the fantasy and horror genres and slams them together to make a dark, compelling, and strangely beautiful world. This is Clegg stepping up from ordinary genre horror and flexing more powerful creative wings.

Average customer rating:

The Knights of Dark Renown

Manufacturer: Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0345021045

Product Description

Mass market paperback by Ballantine, 1971. Cover art by Gino D'Achille. He was Reynald of Chatillion. He had killed more than 70 Moslems, men, women,and children. Known to his friends as Prince Reynald, he was known to the Saracens as the Red Wolf of the Desert, the most dangerous man in Palestine. Historical ficion set in the time of the Crusades. 305 pp

Average customer rating:

Are Book Sagas Worth It?
Joint Review of Dark Wing Series; Solid - 3.5
A good combination of mystical and military scifi
I DON'T MIND HANGING, BUT A LOUSY ENDING IS NOT A GOOD WAY TO END A BOOK.
A mystical Science Fiction story. The series goes on and on and on

The Dark Crusade (Dark Wing)
Walter H. Hunt
Manufacturer: Tor Science Fiction
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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The Dark Ascent (Dark Wing)
The Dark Path
The Dark Wing
Dauntless (The Lost Fleet, Book 1)
Fearless (The Lost Fleet, Book 2)

ASIN: 0765349833
Release Date: 2006-05-30

Book Description

The Dark Path introduced a new alien force into the delicate balance of power.nbsp; This force was the actual puppetmaster of the human-zor war and now wishes to bring both worlds under its madness inducing shadow.nbsp; The Dark Ascent brought into focus a secret conspiracy that is disrupting the balance of power on both a military and metaphysical level.But the same ancient philosophy of the zor race that prophesized "the Dark Wing" has also foreseen a hero that will meet the new menace--a hero now mystically embodied in a rebellious space commodore by the name of Jackie Lappierre.Now in The Dark Crusade as armadas clash and outposts fall, the overly confident alien menace is forced to confront a zor human alliance that has been warned, their covert and insidious plans of infiltration now exposed....but all is not as it seems to be. The "vuhl menace" may not be the ultimate enemy, and the all-powerful puppetmasters that have lurked in the shadows have entered the endgame where the mysteries of alien prophecies may have already determined the outcome.Though victory is hardly attained bynbsp;either side in The Dark Crusade,nbsp;the page turning and thought provoking climax will forever alter the fate of sentient life in the galaxy.

Customer Reviews:

Are Book Sagas Worth It?.......2006-07-10

Loved the first book and looked forward to the next one. Got the next one and found out it was turning into a series and groaned "oh no - they never live up to their starting volume!" Got the third and darn it - each book has kept me yearning for the next - not sure where it's going but still keeps up the suspense from the first book and I'm looking forward to finding out where everythings leading :)

Joint Review of Dark Wing Series; Solid - 3.5.......2006-01-24

These 4 books - The Dark Wing, The Dark Path, The Dark Ascent, and The Dark Crusade - exhibit many of the standard space opera devices. There are the winged and in many ways admirable aliens, the remorseless insectoid alien adversaries, the hidden powers attempting to manipulate human fates, and the sprawling and somewhat corrupt space empire. There is also more than a touch of mysticism with events mirroring myths of the winged alien species. Nor can it be said that Hunt has done anything particularly novel with these devices.
Nonetheless, Hunt is a more than competent practictioner and these books are a decent read. Hunt does quite well with reasonably tight plotting and characterization. His integration of the mythic elements is better than average. These books are better, for example, than David Weber's very popular books.

A good combination of mystical and military scifi.......2005-11-16

I always thought that this series had been a trilogy. I read the orginal book where the zor were the enemy, and I thought that it was an interesting read. The second book had also been pretty good, and when I saw this book I thought that it was the third in the trilogy. I was thus surprised to find out that not only is it the 4th in the series, it is also itself a cliffhanger.

The story itself is well done, although it did not begin to grab me until the middle of the book where I could see the roots of facism taking hold in the Empire via the Blazing Star. I admit to skipping over a lot of the mystical stuff and focusing on the actions, but the plot and characters are solid. I would be interested in seeing where the story will go next.

I DON'T MIND HANGING, BUT A LOUSY ENDING IS NOT A GOOD WAY TO END A BOOK........2005-11-11

I was completely taken in by Hunt's style and world he has created in the DARK WIND series. The previous reviewer is correct, the culture, religion, villains, politics,etc are all very fascinating. However, having read the first three, I thought some answers would be forthcoming in this fourth book. Without giving anything away here, I have to say that the ending and chapters leading up to it are very very drawn out and in the end, inconclusive. I like the books, don't get me wrong, but I am not going to be reading another 6 or 10 books here to get to the end of the story (I have done this already more than once on other series which are just as good or better) which at this point needs more than the MYSTERIOUS whoever is bad or evil or whatever. If this author wants to keep my attention, the next book better have some clarity. SERIES IS A GOOD IDEA, DO NOT RUIN IT JUST BECAUSE IT WORKS FOR THE SAKE OF DRAWING IT OUT. I know you need to eat too.

A mystical Science Fiction story. The series goes on and on and on.......2005-10-17

This is the fourth book in what seems to be a never ending series. At first glance it seems to be a science fiction book, and it is mainly a classic space opera, but there are strong elements of fantasy. The three main races in these books have mental powers, and there are many themes of a mystical nature.

The first book in the series, "The Dark Wing," set the stage for this series. Humans were fighting with the zor, an alien bird like race which is heavy into a mystical view of the universe. The second book "The Dark Path" takes place years later when the humans and the zor have learned to get along, but are threaten by a new alien race. Some humans are dragged into the zor's approach to life. Jackie Kearny ends up on a quest for a special zor sword, the gyaryu. In the third book "The Dark Ascent" the new alien race, the vuhl, have attack the humans and zor, and initially have great success. The humans and zor learn some ways to protect themselves.

A large part of "The Dark Crusade" focuses on a small group of humans and zor, the Blazing Stars, who have learned a very effective way to fight with the vuhl. Their ultimate goal is to completely destroy the vuhl. The war changes from the humans and zor protecting themselves. It isn't even about conquest; the Blazing Stars want to exterminate the vuhl.

There are clear hints of another form of life which is trying to manipulate the humans, zor, and even the vuhl. We don't know who they are or what limitations they have. Some how this other group, life forms, or beings are tied to six colors of a rainbow. They do seem to be trying to get the humans and zor to destroy the vuhl. One thing I've wondered is are they playing a complicated chess game with humans, zor and vuhl as pieces; that the colors have picked sides and are trying to defeat the other colors. I wish the author gave us a bit more information about them.

The story is complex and rich in detail. There are many characters and the story bounces from viewpoint to viewpoint. The story moves along very well and never drags. It isn't clear that this series will have a conclusion any time soon. More and more characters, races, and threads get added with each book. The story is well written. If you like space opera and don't mind a story that leaves you hanging, then check out "Dark Crusade."

Average customer rating:

Enjoyable
The best Kane novel --- but still not perfect!
Must-See
Great book!!
Definitely a collectors item.

Dark Crusade
Wagner
Manufacturer: Baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0671720597

Customer Reviews:

Enjoyable.......2006-08-26

I hadn't read anything in this genre is a long while, and was surprised to realize how much I missed it. Kane is a new character to me, and I'm now definitely interested in reading more of his exploits.
Kane combines a brilliant military mind and a ruthless savagery into a pragmatically effective package. I enjoyed the character all the way through the book. The cruel but effective means he had of solving problems kept reinforcing the fact that this protagonist was anything but heroic (though of course what hero would even consider serving the Dark Crusade?). It would have been nice to have learned more about him, though. Teasers were thrown out there that told me little.
I can't imagine, btw, how that last chapter could have worked as a stand alone short story, with no context.

The best Kane novel --- but still not perfect!.......2005-06-03

Dark Crusade is a HUGE improvement over Wagner's other Kane novel (and the sequel to this book), Darkness Weaves (I haven't read the much-maligned Bloodstone, the only other Kane novel). In my Amazon review of the Darkness Weaves paperback, I complained that while Kane was only cool until he opened his mouth due to lame, anachronistic dialogue, in this novel Wagner makes no such mistake. However, the author still falls into the same trap of being unable to make Kane interesting or even likable until 2/3 of the way through! Until then, Kane never says anything remarkable at all, nor do we get much insight into his motivations or past. Instead, as in Darkness Weaves, we get a small number of minor characters and antagonists that, while doomed, are far more interesting and likeable than Kane ever could be. Kane is no Elric, Conan or Fafhrd. I can only hope that Kane's short stories (collected in The Midnight Sun hardcover) paint him out to be a much more interesting, in-depth character than these novels (it's next on my list).

Don't get me wrong, Dark Crusade is still a highly enjoyable read, with vivid battle scenes and nasty surprises, but it could have been so much better if Wagner had only bothered to endear us to Kane early on, instead of waiting until the last minute. By the time we get to the end, we really do feel for Kane as he walks up the stairs of the cursed Tower of Yslsl to an uncertain fate. However, an extra "throwaway" chapter (originally published as a separate story) has been included in the Baen reprint: "In The Lair Of Yslsl," which, while clearing up Kane's fate, is poorly written in comparison and strains credulity. Yslsl was much better left as an indescribable, unknown horror lurking at the edges of the story. My advice is skip "In The Lair Of Yslsl" and let the novel end where it should have, leaving the reader wanting more, not less.

If you're considering buying the expensive and out-of-print hardcover, Gods In Darkness, which collects the three Kane novels, my recommendation is don't waste your money. Buy Dark Crusade and (maybe) Darkness Weaves separately as paperbacks. You'll save money and these novels have been way overhyped...

I agree that the fantasy genre needs more books about villains and anti-heros as the main character, but Karl Edward Wagner's Kane novels don't quite do it for me (although Dark Crusade comes very, very close, and I do recommend it). If you want to read a flawless, gritty fantasy novel by Wagner, try The Road of Kings. That's easily the finest Conan pastiche ever written and puts even the best of the Kane novels to shame.

Must-See.......2004-02-27

This book gave me an enjoyable read. The only problem with this book that I found was the fact that I have read the other books in the series. On its own, this is a great book, but I know how Kane acts in each of his other adventures.

His character is inconsistant with how he acts in Bloodstone and later stories (novels or short stories): he doesn't learn from his mistakes. Orted Ak'Ceddi shows his incredulity when he constantly makes idiotic attacks on opposing forces.

Kane should have known this when he made the decision to stay and fight when the city was infiltrated.

Wagner did a god job with describing the events in great detail, and the only flaw that I could find (granted, a rather large one), is the inconsistency with the protagonists character.

That is the only reason this book got a 4 star level: it didn't flow well with the rest of the series. On its own, it is a solid 5-star book, but the fact that it was in series made Dark Crusade a book less than its potential.

I have read this book three times, and I am re-reading it again.

Read this book: a fantastic choice, well drawn-up, and a great read.

Great book!!.......2002-06-24

The pace is fast but with enough details to let you get into the characters.

My only complaint (if you can call it as one) is that you MUST read the next book because this story does not resolve itself or the characters.

Powerful characters and a lot of mystery surrounding the character Kane.

Looking forward to reading the rest of the story!!

Definitely a collectors item........1998-05-06

Without doubt, Kane is the most compelling and enigmatic hero/antihero ever. Scholar, sorceror and warrior, Kane wanders the ages manipulating entire kingdoms and races for his amusement.

Cursed with immortality, the only remedy to alleviate infinte boredom is court intrigue and conquest.

Karl Edward Wagner has created a character of striking contrasts in a world of medieval beauty and gothic horror.

Book Description

Suppose you had to fight a war in a place you could not go. So you sent warriors protected in a specially made armor to do the fighting for you. For thousands of years you sent them. For thousands of years they fought and died in your name only to be resurrected and returned, again and again, ever engaged in eternal war, waged by immortal warriors.

Now suppose the device to grant them infinite life has been stolen by your enemy who now has the power to existence-erase your warriors forever.

A science fiction horror story set in the Sixth Millennium, the first book of the apocrypha trilogy is told in a tense Gothic style, immersed in Anglican and Norse myth and lore. Chronicling the quest of the lost Ark of Souls, Odyssey into Oblivion takes you into an alien civilization on the verge of redemption and resurrection-a culture very similar to our own, and every bit as terrifying.

What thing so vile, Good and Evil have joined forces against it?

You have plunged into a galaxy deep in war. Fought light years beyond the Dark Ages, the Empire of the Known Realm is heavily engaged in grim conflict against cunning enemies struggling for their own survival amidst the savage stars. The adventure before you and the Great Galactic Crusade that you are about to undertake, chronicles the Legends and Legions of two embattled empires and that of their allies in their race for everlasting salvation or eternal extinction. Racing across eternity, every infinite inch is measured in human lives. And for Mankind, time and souls are running out at the speed of light.

Spanning timeless dimensions and fathomless space, it is a war of attrition waged between the Apostates of the Apocalypse and the ancient Apostles of Armageddon. It is an Age of dark science and deep secrets. A time when the Legions of the Lord battled the Dominions of the Dark Forces raging throughout the astral heavens of Valhal and the Known Realm, where the stars have long ago descended into darkness. Yet to conquer the Cosmos completely means to triumph in the holy quest for the lost Codelax, the divine celestial instrument that is the creator of souls. For whomsoever possesses it, holds the fate of all else. For with its sacred powers, it is decided who is reborn into the physical world and whose soul is forever cast into the black void.

Miraculously, the Codelax's beacon, code named "Pale Vector," is traced to a lost world deep in a remote part of the Trident galaxy. Operation "Phantom Finder" commences as three Star*Ships are sent on a clandestine mission to the small planet christened KHT-21. There, astonishing discoveries are made. Discoveries that must be kept secret at all cost.

Beyond the Dark Crusade

How do you survive in a society in which logic and reason are viewed with great suspicion? In a time when science is despised and deemed the work of Satan? In a land where those who dare experiment are exiled and executed?

How do you live in a culture where science and religion oppose each other and will stop at nothing to gain influence over the minds of men? Where each vie for the very souls of men? In a place so distorted, the line between Good and Evil has disappeared between ordained destiny and ordered damnation?

Imagine the Dark Ages of Medieval Europe during the time of the Crusades and the exploits of the Knights Templars. Recall the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars from 1209 to 1229. In 1210, Pope Innocent III, unleashes "Orders of Fire and Sword" against those outside the Truth of the Church. When about to lay siege to the French city of Beziers, the Bishop was asked how the crusaders would be able to tell the good Catholics from the heretics, his reply was, in effect, "Neca eos omens. Deus suos agnoset" (Kill them all, God will know his own.) This is the origin of today's "Kill them all, Let God sort them out" phrase. And to this day, this edict is, at least doctrinally, enforced and is known as "Nulla salus extra eccesicm" (Outside the church, is no salvation.)

Now envision these Dark Ages light years beyond our own galaxy, in a far distant place where the Trident Empire is similar in structure and authority to the Roman Catholic Church of that time. Imagine the Knights Templars as its military crusaders (Recall their connection to the Holy Grail [Codelax]) and the Dark Archives as the Realm's spiritually guiding force (the Papacy.) Within the Archives, are zealot agents (part illuminati, part inquisitor) and disciples of the Dark Sciences (known as "Black Coats," who seek the "Truth" and holy relics of the Realm) as similar to the infamous Gestapo of the Third Reich. (Remember, Hitler was obsessed with holy relics and the occult and the Knights Templars were renowned for their almost supernaturally advanced architectural skills.)

It is the Sixth Millennium in the Realm of the Trident Galaxy. Within the Empire, a secret society known as the Dark Archives has been created. With absolute authority, its agents set out to locate and retrieve the lost Ark of Souls. Having complete impunity, they begin to purge the Realm of what they consider the spiritually unclean.

Chosen as the Empire's name and symbol, the trident spear of Neptune signifies the Emperor, the Prince, and the Codelax, (the "Father, Son and holy Ghost," i.e., the Trinity). Its three prongs represent the three military strains of the human race. Its tips point out an ordered Universe; Heaven, Realm, and Man.

The Empire's nemesis, the Triskelion, takes its name from the trimvirate formed by the three Seraphim (highest order of angels) cast of out Valhal (Norse heaven). They hold that Cosmocrater, (Grand Creator of the Cosmos - material universe, physical world - Greek myth) made them, and as such, they are not subject to be ruled by the Emperor nor belong to his domain. (Some Christian texts proclaim that it was the Angels of God who created Man when ordered to "furnish the house of the Lord.")

The term Lord and Emperor is used interchangeably with GOD, as he is both ruler of Valhal and the Realm. GOD, in this context, is an anagram for Governor of Domain, and neither signifies nor suggests any One True God.

This stand alone novel contains a Preface, Prologue, Preamble, Epilogue, Codices and a nine page Lexicon. The Lexicon provides the origin and meaning of the names and terms used in the novel to give the reader a deeper understanding of their importance in the story. Though many cultures throughout history can be found on its pages, most are taken from Anglican, Greek, Roman and Norse myth and lore. You need not be a historian nor a mythology scholar to enjoy the adventure. Latin phrases and their translations are sparely included to represent the "ancient tongue of the Lord" and to create a certain sense of authentic scripture.

Author's Note

This novel is not for the faint of heart. It contains graphic, gruesome and grotesque depictions of violence. It is through such physical suffering that the spirit is forged and the soul purged of impunity. The more painful the experience, the more important the lesson. And the greatest lesson to learn in the conflict between Good and Evil is to discern between Good and Evil.

"From the hottest fires come the purist ashes"

In war, it is wise to know your enemy. But when the greatest threat lies beyond death, only those who truly know themselves shall be saved.

It is in the blackest abyss that the spirit shines brightest"

This book is very scary. Who would believe our history if it were told using aliens and monsters? Who could believe it? Who would want to believe such things actually occurred? Though set in another time and place, it could well be the story of our own savage saga written in science fiction form. Past, present, and future merge into events that will continue to repeat themselves, again and again, as Mankind descends into the Material Universe across the stars. It is in our nature. As the Neuro Tech Gilguy would say, "that is the way we are wired".

Dark Lord Seito admonishes Starla for questioning his motives by reminding her, "We both come from a race that killed the son of GOD. Do not judge me."

If you have ever wondered what would scare the hell out of Satan, this book is it.

Customer Reviews:

Incredible book a must read!.......2005-06-08

This is one of those books you cant out down. How many twist can you put in a book. Very Impressed D. L., I want to know when you are releasing your next book... Keep them coming

I couldn't put it down.......2005-05-13

I don't have a lot of time to spend reading these days, but with this book I made time. I just couldn't put it down. I picked it up literally every chance I had. In the morning, during breaks at work, and before I went to sleep. To say that the story line is good would be like saying that the pyramids of Egypt are "ok". It just draws you in and won't let go. I'm not going to spoil the ending for you, lets just say the Mr. Burt will blind side you on so many levels that you can't see any of them coming. This book will make your head spin and give you cause to wonder why other writers can't keep you entertained like Mr. Burt. But don't take my word for it. You have got to read this book.

J. W. Willey

This IS the next great space opera........2005-04-22

I've been reading fiction, science fiction and fantasy for as long as I can remember. I've read Asimov, Clark, Card, Anthony, Weber, Heinlein, Dick, King, Jordan, Martin, McCaffrey, Koontz, Tolkein, Gibson, Creighton...heck, I could go on for a few pages. Suffice it to say that there's not many stories or series by major writers that I haven't read, not to mention my dark secret: Star Wars and Star Trek expended universe novels.

Anyway, I say all that to say this: After all I've read, the characters I've grown to love, the stories I can't get enough of, the vast and richly detailed worlds I've seen in my dreams, the first book of the Dark Crusade series has blown them all away.

Burt draws you in with a mixture of gothic fantasy, mythology, and high tech weapons and armor. He details a dark and gritty universe where the forces of dark and light have been clashing for thousands of years, and the one great device lost at the beginning which can return all of the fallen warriors to life.

This first book is the story of the rediscovery of that device and the Empire's struggle to liberate it from the clutches of the planet's inhabitants, the giant insectiod Vexthrax. Some of the descriptions of these battles and what the Vexthrax do to their prey actually gave me chills!

I don't want to give out any spoilers, but suffice it to say that you will not be disappionted if you pick up this book! I got one of the first copies off the press and I've already read it so many times it looks twenty years old, and can't wait for the next in the series!

Jes Hall
Information Services
University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

Steve's Review.......2005-04-17

I've been reading fantasy and SF for a long time and I only keep a few books around to reread every so often. Mr. Burt's book is one of those that has joined that library which includes Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, David Drake's Hammer's Slammers, and Asimov's Foundation Trilogy. Mr. Burt has managed to combine some of the more intriguing aspects of each into a new story that is difficult to put down. The basic premise is an ancient war once raged across the known universe which culminated in the development of a great weapon. The first use of the weapon changed time and space, and threw the weapon into the void. Since that time, many have sought this weapon. As the reader, we get to view the discovery of this weapon by a group of individuals who each have thier own agenda. The politics and "cold war" existing between some of the spacefaring races sets the background for an intellectual battle of wills and an action packed war for survival of mankind. If you enjoyed the political maneuverings in Foundation or the battle of wills in Ender's Game or the chaos of war in Hammer's Slammers, this novel is for you. And be sure to put your name in your copy should you lend it out, because you may not get it back.

Randy's review.......2005-04-12

I don't read science fiction. I read this book because I was asked. WOW!!!!! This turned out to be the best book I have ever read. D.L. Burt is a pyrotechnic writer. His vivid descriptions keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. I have read the book at least three times and can't wait for the next in the series.

Batman Shadow of the Bat : The Tally Man (Knightquest The Crusade, Part One of Two)

Average customer rating:

A Pleasing Entry

Batman Shadow of the Bat : The Tally Man (Knightquest The Crusade, Part One of Two)

Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

Batman | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Batman | Characters | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000FHZJTU

Product Description

Incredible Shadow of the Bat Knightquest the Crusade comic from over a decade ago! A must have for any Batman fan!

Customer Reviews:

A Pleasing Entry.......2006-05-24

As I moved out a few months ago, I was looking through my old comics I got as a teenager and these 90s Batman comics stood out. This is another episode of Batman's Knightquest Crusade, where Bane breaks Bruce Wayne's back and Azrael takes over the role as the new Batman with a more menacing, cyber-like costume. The cover artwork on this one stood out.

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