Dragons: A Pop-Up Book of Fantastic Adventures

Book Description

Dragons are popular as never before—and here they pop up in fire-breathing action!

Five dramatic dragon stories from around the world, including Beowulf and the Firedrake, St. George and the Dragon, and those from ancient China and Japan come to life, literally flying from the pages. Dynamic paper-engineering has these magnificent dragons snapping their jaws, casting fire, and flapping their massive wings. A book sure to be a hit with dragon-lovers of all ages.

Customer Reviews:

Dragons.......2007-10-04

I'm a little disappointed of this book.because it's too slim book for the price. but it is so wonderful pictures.

Cool pop-up book... lots of teeth, fangs and scales.......2007-04-06

The fantasy-oriented D&D types among us will revel in this boldly illustrated pop-up book... The dragons literally leap out at you, all tooth, claw and leathery, scaly skin. There are abbreviated versions of several famous dragon stories -- St. George, Maud & The Wyvern, The Sea King's Daughter, Beowulf, etc. -- and flashy artwork to match. The pop-up elements are relatively simple, which also means they are more durable than some of the more clever, complicated other books. If you're a dragon fan, you'll dig this book... a lot!

Love these dragons!.......2007-03-27

This is a great book of dragons; the pop ups are excellent! My niece loves it - she is a big dragon fan. I'd recommend it highly!

Pop-Up Book.......2007-03-10

I purchased this book for my 6 year old grandson. He just loved it. He was so excited about the book that he took it to school the next day to share it with his classmates. The book just sparks the imagination.

A Wonderful Adventure!.......2007-02-21

This is truly a wonderful adventure for adults and children. I did a whole series of reading on castles, knights, kings,queens,...a month of "Royal Reading"! I ended with "Dragons: A Pop-Up Book",and each page brought "ooo's and ahh's" from the class, and LOTS of discussion at the end of the book.This book paved the way to some very creative writing from students that normally had very little to say. Thank You Keith Moseley and Amazon!

Average customer rating:

The Handmaid's Tale, a Unique Book
Disturbing but a great read
captivating, didn't care for or feel satisfied by the ending...
A Future All To Close...
Liked it.

The Handmaid's Tale
Margaret Atwood
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin (T)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0395404258

Book Description

In this multi-award-winning, bestselling novel, Margaret Atwood has created a stunning Orwellian vision of the near future. This is the story of Offred, one of the unfortunate “Handmaids” under the new social order who have only one purpose: to breed. In Gilead, where women are prohibited from holding jobs, reading, and forming friendships, Offred’s persistent memories of life in the “time before” and her will to survive are acts of rebellion. Provocative, startling, prophetic, and with Margaret Atwood’s devastating irony, wit, and acute perceptive powers in full force, The Handmaid’s Tale is at once a mordant satire and a dire warning.

Customer Reviews:

The Handmaid's Tale, a Unique Book.......2007-10-08

The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood, is a unique book. Even though it was written over thirty years ago, the politics come through to me as very similar to some of the world's current governments. It is a hugely realistic fantasy book, one that has parts I can see coming true very soon. Margart Atwood's descriptions gave me a detailed picture of the hard, limited, and completely controlled world in which Offred lived in. The way she told her story made me think that she had so much spirit in her life before she became a handmaid, and to read the descriptions of her life made me think, "Oh yeah, I do that." Or, "I dress like that all the time." Things that we take for granted were things of the past in this book. The descriptions of places, however ordinary, were rich and detailed. I loved how towards the end of the book, the reader gets more of her story, and the whole thing gets involved and complicated, at least compared to Offred's life earlier in the book.
I would recommend this book to people who like almost disturbingly real novels, suspense, or science fiction. This would also be a good book for people who enjoyed The Giver, but The Handmaid's Tale is much more advanced, and is probably not suitable for people under 12.

Disturbing but a great read.......2007-09-23

Chilling and upsetting, this book shook me up but it was a great read. Very well-written, very powerful. I had to take a break from reading after finishing this. Loved it.

captivating, didn't care for or feel satisfied by the ending..........2007-09-22

heavy at times, but I love Atwoods books. I would recommend this book.
I did not care for the way the book ended, but I did learn a lot from it. It is eerie how close to the edge Atwood's stories go and yet as we peer into the future still believable. Atwoods dark imagination keeps me reading more and more of her books.
My favorite to date: The Blind Assassin
Least favorite to date: Cat's Eye or the Edible Woman

A Future All To Close..........2007-09-14

i may not be a graceful reviewer, but if you somehow stumble on this book the way i did...you will love it and want more. I love how strange this world was and how corrupt. Society and life has been altered...You feel like its the past only to discover that was our country in the future...
LIKE CHILDREN OF MEN!

Liked it........2007-09-05

But I didn't love it. The ending drove me nuts (but I won't blurt it out, for those who aren't there yet). Overall, it was well written, if a little trite.

The King Beyond the Gate (Drenai Tales, Book 2)

Average customer rating:

Super Reader
A Jewell in the Empire
Fantastic book
Not as good as Legend, but still Good...
Second in the Drenai Series

The King Beyond the Gate (Drenai Tales, Book 2)
David Gemmell
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345379055
Release Date: 1994-12-28

Book Description

Once the mighty fortress had stood strong, defended by the mightiest of all Drenai heroes, Druss, the Legend. But now a tyrannical, mad emperor had seized control of the fortress, and his twisted will was carried throughout the land by the Joinings --- abominations that were half-man, half-beast. Tenaka Khan was a half-breed himself, hated by the Drenai for his Nadir blood and despised by the Nadir for his Drenai ancestry. But he alone had a plan to destroy the emperor. The last heroes of the Drenai joined with him in a desperate gamble to bring down the emperor -- even at the cost of their own destruction.

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-08-26

An old man has a prophecy of Gold, Ice and Shadow, the men who will oppose the Dark Magic.

It is a century after Druss held Dros Delnoch, and the Drenai emperor is insane, and using old technology/chaos magic to make armies of half men/half beasts. He has disbanded The Dragon, his elite force.

A few of the leaders of this unit remain, however, and they have had enough. Resistance is also starting to form in Skoda, but is likely to be crushed.

Tenaka Khan, the half Nadir descendant of both Ulric and the Earl of Bronze will lead, as he is the Prince of Shadows. Ananais is the Golden One. Decado, the Ice-Killer, the best swordsman in the world has give up violence and become a priest.

To his shock, he learns the temple he is serving in is a Temple of the Thirty. Although he has no magical powers himself, he will lead the White Priests in battle against the Dark Templar parodies that server Ceska the mad.

Along with the farm woman Rayvan and her rebellion, they will oppose the perversions, but to win, the unthinkable has to happen. Dros Delnoch must fall, and at the hands of the Earl of Bronze.

Not as good as Legend, but that would be pretty hard. Gemmell has the same sort of ability for th creation of races and political structures that Robert E. Howard possessed, even if his world appears to be set thousands of years in the future, rather than in the past, given the ice age and ancient technology references.

A Jewell in the Empire.......2007-08-15

This is a special book among many great works from an acknowledged master of the genre. But what makes this book stand out from the crowd? In my mind, it is the classic heroic fantasy storyline. It has all the seeds necessary for easy adaption to film. You can almost picture the actors striding along epic sets, fighting for lost ideals like honour, love and family against horrific opposition and evil...
The books starts in a lonely, abandoned barracks. It is a reminder of lost days, when things were right and true within the empire. A reminder of the faded dreams of youth. And the first hero we meet, he is tired, jaded and without hope or dreams. He lives only for an empty chance to kill a monster he failed to oppose in the past.
He is Tenaka Khan, the Prince of Shadows. A man whose whole being shouts "destiny", but whose destiny was never reached. A man who is an outsider wherever he goes.
Enter an old man, haunted by his unwitting aid of an evil empire. With him is the only good thing that he has left. His legacy. Her name is Renya. The meeting of Tenaka and Renya is one of four crucial moments that might change history.
The second is when a mysterious, gigantic warrior called Darkmask comes hunting for Tenaka Khan. You will have to read the book to find out the other two moments!
The themes of this novel differ a little from other Gemmell books. Many Gemmell books focus on redemption as a theme, and of course, that is a theme of this novel as well.
However, I would argue that the main theme of this book is the meaning and value that is placed upon friendship. Do our characters place the lives of their friends above their own? Is their friendship strong enough to withstand temptation and great pressure? How much do you trust your friends?
These are the themes running through the novel. Seeing the iron regard that the main characters have for each other (and the doubt that others have), their love and honour, you begin to feel the stirrings of hope that they may succeed. But the odds are so great, that you know that success is still a very remote possibility. Out of reach...
This book has elements of high fantasy, heroic fantasy, classic adventure and horror thrown in for good measure. It is an excellent read, and has a fantastic ending. Do yourself a favour, if you haven't already, and get this book!

catch up with other gemmell fans at: [...]

Fantastic book.......2007-01-09

A great book and series. Well worth the read if your a fan of fantasy or just starting.

Not as good as Legend, but still Good..........2006-11-28

Ok, there was no Druss the Deathwalker, which is never a good start for a fantasy novel. However, Tenaka Khan is a pretty good substitute in a pinch, which is what is happening to the Drenai in this novel. Many of the same themes occur as they did in Legend, where one man makes the difference, and shows the farmers and the recruits how to fight. However, as a twist, Tenaka Khan is half Nadir, and therefore not to be trusted.

Plenty of action, and plenty of bodies in a good old fashioned adventure story. I would suggest reading this if you enjoyed legend, if only so you can continue with the Drenai tales until book 6 - the Legend of Deathwalker, which is one of the greatest books ever written. Seriously.

Anyhow, I am sad as I write this - as Gemmell has recently joined the ranks of Druss the Deathwalker in that castle in the sky. Gemmell was a giant of the high-fantasy genre, and he has certainly earned his place with The King Beyond the Gate.

Relic113

Second in the Drenai Series.......2006-11-23

Sadly David Gemmell died a short while ago and I find it difficult to review a book that I first read when David was very much alive and only just beginning his trade as a writer of fantasy novels. Admittedly his first offering were acceptable but not great, but he honed his skills and grew to be one of the greatest fantasy writers ever. If you have not read any of his books then now is the time to start, I am sure you will not be disappointed. The only sad thing is that David will not be around to write new books that would bring even more pleasure to his multitude of fans.

A hundred years have past since the defeat of Dros Delnoch. An heroic defeat, but a defeat nonetheless. Now the people of Drenai face a new enemy, an emperor, kept in power by the Joinings, beasts of awesome strength and power, plus the Dark Templars, warriors who are virtually unstoppable. Only one man can save the Drenai and defeat and destroy Tenaka Khan, the prince of Shadows.

Average customer rating:

Worst. Sequel. Ever.
I guess Mr. Adams had a mortgage payment due.
"I love it more than bunnies!" ; )
Delightful
Worthwhile Read, but Much Different than Original Novel

Tales from Watership Down
Richard Adams
Manufacturer: Alfred A. Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679451250
Release Date: 1996-10-15

Amazon.com

The original Watership Down is one of those wonderful works that appeals to readers both young and old. The story of a group of rabbits on an adventure into unfamiliar yards, farms, and fields made for an imaginative, captivating journey. This latest work follows the aftermath of the original's climactic ending and includes the rabbits' retelling of various myths associated with their rabbit-hood, plus some new twists and developments. This is a captivating introduction to Adams's warren for first-time visitors, and those who loved the original Watership Down won't be disappointed.

Book Description

Watership Down was one of this century's best-loved works of imaginative literature. Now Richard Adams returns, to tell us what happened to the rabbits after their defeat of General Woundwort.

Tales From Watership Down begins with some of the great folk stories well known to all rabbits. Then we listen in as Dandelion, the rabbits' master storyteller, relates the thrilling adventures experienced by Al-ahrairah, the mythical rabbit hero, and his stalwart, Rabscuttle, during the long journey home after their terrible encounter with the Black Rabbit of Inlé (as narrated in Watership Down). Finally, in the principal part of the book, we are told eight enchanting stories about the rabbits of the Down-- Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, and their companions--including the impact on the warren of the obsessive doe Flyairth, and the appointment of Hyzenthlay as a female Chief Rabbit and partner to Hazel.

All readers-- the millions who remember Watership Down with the deepest affection, and also those for whom this volume will be their first encounter with the rabbits-- will find these nineteen tales utterly compelling, the fruit of Richard Adam's spellbinding narrative power and ability to conjure up a world that is at the same time both real and unreal.

Customer Reviews:

Worst. Sequel. Ever........2007-10-01

Unbelievably tedious PC hackwork -- I had just finished reading the original "Watership Down" out loud to my son when I read this and the contrast was horrifying. "Watership Down" is an all-time classic great novel, but "Tales from Watership Down" has absolutely none of the magic of its predecessor and is proof of a shocking decline in the author's powers (Richard Adams was born in 1920 and wrote "Watership Down" and several other good novels in the 1970's and 1980's, but in this 1996 work he is unrecognizable).

I guess Mr. Adams had a mortgage payment due........2006-07-13

What an awful, shallow, boring money grad. Tales from Watership Down is a pale ghost of the original book. On its own, it is a bad read; next to the original Watership Down, it is a steaming pile of garbage.

Secret Underground River. Are you kidding me?

"I love it more than bunnies!" ; ) .......2005-11-03

I haven't read the first book yet, but since everybody else says this book is worse than the first, gosh, I'm going to love the first book. If there's the one greatest thing in this book I must capitalize upon, it would be Speedwell's Story. If you haven't read the book, and want someone to spoil for you, here are three words: sky-blue horse (Or is that two?) I like the El-Thingummy stories best. You should try this book if you like rabbits. I like rabbits!

Delightful.......2005-06-08

This is a great sequel to Watership Down. In some places its tone is a little darker than the original. The orginal was male dominated. A female chief rabbit and a female oswala are introduced in this book. It is a worthy successor to the original.

Worthwhile Read, but Much Different than Original Novel.......2005-06-05

This book is not very similar to the original novel, which is what I think makes it so interesting and worthwhile to read. I definitely prefer the original, but I believe this work has something important to say. Each of the tales is worthy of the telling and the reading.

I probably will not re-read this as I have the original work, but I don't think I should be comparing this novel to the original one in this review. This is good storytelling in-and-of itself and does not need to be put side-by-side with Watership Down.

The shorter tales are excellent quick reading, and make this an easier book to pick up and put down in our busy lives. Much of what the author is saying in these tales is incredibly fascinating. I was particularly drawn to the paradox that the man-smell, which the rabbits would generally use as a reason to outcast one of their own, is actually what saves the warren. The wisdom of the characters to recognize this is nicely woven into the tale. As with his other works, Richard Adams shows incredible insight into our natural world, especially that of community living animals. It is nice to see humanity in these creatures; or rather, theirs reflected in us. (I am not sure which is more accurate.)

This is a nice collection of touching tales that definitely have something significant to say. As long as readers are not expecting a repeat of the original book, I believe this will be an enjoyable experience. Just don't expect it to read like a sequel.

J.H. Sweet, author of The Fairy Chronicles

Average customer rating:

A good ancient, mythical story
Inner demons
Mythic fantasy about Iceland
Icelandic alchemy
original and exciting

The Woman and The Raven
Marlene vor der Hake
Manufacturer: BookSurge Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1419660608
Release Date: 2007-02-02

Book Description

A woman at the icy end of the sea yearns to reach the stars but her broomstick refuses to fly. When a mysterious raven lures her into daunting adventures, with wide-ranging implications for the well-being of all living things, she learns that neither ghosts nor monsters are her deadliest adversaries, but the whisperings of her own fears. Fighting her way through her darkest nightmares the woman prevails, but realizes in the end that each man alone must create his heaven or his hell on earth. THE WOMAN AND THE RAVEN is a poetic myth about the importance of the words we say to ourselves, and others.

Customer Reviews:

A good ancient, mythical story.......2007-07-20

Based on Icelandic myths, this story takes place in the distant past, when trolls and elves still walked the earth. A woman lives alone in a cottage, far from anyone else. It is full to overflowing with books, parchments and scrolls, many written in languages that were dead even back then. She yearns to return to the stars, but her broomstick refuses to function, for she has lost the magic.

A raven-wizard gives her three tasks, in order to help heal a broken world. The woman must return a runic sword to its proper owner, a knight who has been dead for many years. She must, single-handedly, defeat a hideous wyvern living in a huge lake (think of the Loch Ness Monster, but with a nastier disposition). Then, the woman must find and return a large blue gem, the Stone of Antariel, to its rightful owners, a race of elves. It's not as easy as it sounds; the forces of evil are keeping a close eye on the woman and her progress.

This story has a different, almost mystical, feel to it, and it's really good. It's a short novel, about 100 pages, and anyone who enjoys ancient, mythical stories will enjoy this one.

Inner demons.......2007-06-01

Reviewed by Susan Pettrone for Reader Views (5/07)

In this somewhat slim volume, a world of mystical, magical life begins. Set in an icy world filled with wintry beauty, we meet a woman on the first page of "The Woman and The Raven," who though strong in her independence, is caught within a nightmare of her own making. Though she seems satisfied carving a life for herself out of what the wintry land around her offers, still she dreams of more. Her dreams, incantations and legends interwoven within this book, are simple yet so complex, that at times the reader isn't sure what is happening is within the present, the past or possibly the future. Her nightmares become reality as she is faced not with the demons and monsters most are afraid of, but terrors which are hers alone.

There is no doubt in the mind of the reader that this woman is fantastical in many ways, but as the story grows, the legends and magical life of this woman create a tapestry of such contrast between beauty and horror that the ending of the book leaves the reader realizing that the monsters she battled were not of the real world around her but were monsters created of her own fears. These fears are those which live within her heart....fears which she alone must face and overcome.

The mood set within the pages of "The Woman and The Raven" is also touched by this woman, for her experiences had the ability to take this reader from a small room in a home amidst a big city and transport her to a fortress of elves within a far away land. This was a book where I found myself enraptured with the story within while feeling an odd sense of internal connection while visiting this land so different from my own. Perhaps it was because this woman was battling demons not unlike many we battle each day or perhaps it was because she seemed to be someone we all have known at one time in our lives. Whatever the reason, "The Woman and The Raven" was a book this reader will not long forget and which will I expect, be one drawn from the shelves and experienced over and over again, each time anew as the woman within makes discoveries, not unlike those many of us make every day.

Mythic fantasy about Iceland.......2007-04-18

This brief book reads like a mythic tale out of Icelandic folklore--and perhaps it is. The author spent time as writer in residence at the cultural center in Gunnarssfnun, Iceland, and thanks the people for their songs and stories.

The story takes place at a time "when trolls and elves roamed the earth." The unknown woman heroine, the chief character, is a magic-user, but she can no longer fly to the stars, our ancient home. She is set on a difficult path by a Raven-Wizard: she must use a runic sword, slay a vicious wyvern and recover a lost Elven gem, which gives our world its light. These seem impossible tasks, since she must oppose the Shadow Sorcerer, the evil one loosed upon our world.

The writing has a lyric mystical quality about it, even though it uses simple words; and in a few sentences it reminds us that men can make of Earth either a heaven or a hell.

Armchair Interviews says if mythic fantasy is your forte, then you will want to read this one.

Icelandic alchemy.......2007-04-13

This tale from the Icelandic Eastfjords takes the readers by the hand and leads them through a magic realm of sparkeling snow and colorful skies into legendary lands. As you wonder through winter's wonderland the wind searches your bones, the heart yearns for life light as the stars and you drift into tales within tales, some of them as ancient as archaic fears. Despite the songs and stories contained within a story the tale is not just that. The adventures of the reluctant heroine beset with doubts only serve as a fable - much like Paolo Coelho's Alchemist - for the reader to look inside and change the little voice that we all carry in our head so that it may speak of freedom and success and no longer of defeat and failure.

original and exciting .......2007-03-27

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this original and exciting adventure among trolls and elves. People of legends and sagas come to life and you get to know them as well as your next-door neighbor.

Average customer rating:

Hoping to be swept away...
The Literary Fantastic According to the Master Himself

Fantastic Tales: Visionary and Everyday
Italo Calvino
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679415262
Release Date: 1997-10-28

Amazon.com

The brilliant Italian writer Italo Calvino (1923-1985) compiled Fantastic Tales: Visionary and Everyday, a historical overview of great fantastic literature of the 19th century. Many of his 26 selections are from well-known authors (Sir Walter Scott, Honoré de Balzac, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, Ivan Turgenev, Guy de Maupassant, Robert Louis Stevenson, Henry James, Rudyard Kipling, and H.G. Wells), but Calvino largely avoided their best-known stories; the only inclusions likely to be familiar to many Americans are Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown," Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," and H.G. Wells's "The Country of the Blind." The remaining contributors range from moderately well-known to obscure. So the reader who purchases Fantastic Tales gains not only an intelligently annotated anthology of superb fiction, but, in one pleasant sense, a collection of mostly new stories.

Interestingly, some of the finest stories are by authors least known in America. Théophile Gautier's beautifully written, wrenchingly ironic "The Beautiful Vampire" establishes the traditions for romantic vampire fiction. Mérimée's "The Venus of Ille," a tale of culture clashes (Parisian and rural, ancient classical, and contemporary Christian), is sharp, well-written, and uncommonly horrific. With the gorgeous "A Lasting Love," the sole woman contributor, Vernon Lee, paints the most vivid portrait of obsessive, transcendent, destructive love.

Caveat: Calvino's introductions sometimes reveal more of the plot than readers will like. --Cynthia Ward

Book Description

Compiled by Italo Calvino, one of the essential writers of the twentieth century (and editor of the best-selling Italian Folktales), Fantastic Tales is a rich and wide-ranging collection of twenty-six classic, uncanny tales from the nineteenth century written by an intriguing panoply of European and American authors. Master storyteller himself, Calvino has contributed an informative introduction to the collection, and an engaging précis to each story.

As Calvino writes in Fantastic Tales, which traces the genre from its roots in German Romanticism to the ghost stories of Henry James: "The fantastic tale is one of the most characteristic products of nineteenth-century narrative. For us, it is also one of the most significant. . . . As it relates to our sensibility today, the supernatural element at the heart of these stories always appears freighted with meaning, like the revolt of the unconscious, the repressed, the forgotten. . . . In this we see the modern dimension of the fantastic, the reason for its triumphant resurgence in our times."

Fantastic Tales is a fantastically canonical anthology assembled by an editor who, in the words of Salman Rushdie, "possesses the power of seeing into the deepest recesses of human minds and then bringing their dreams back to life. "

Italo Calvino's works include The Road to San Giovanni, Numbers in the Dark, Six Memos for the Next Millennium, The Baron in the Trees, If On a Winter's Night a Traveler, Invisible Cities, and Mr. Palomar. Calvino died in 1985.

Customer Reviews:

Hoping to be swept away..........2001-07-13

I was instead disappointed. I enjoyed Italo's Italian Folktakes so much that I thought this would be another endless read. Instead, I found it dry and methodical. While some of the stories were intriguing, the majority were immature works created by talented authors. Meaning, many of the stories just didn't have the direction, plot, or moral I expect from a "fantastic tale."

The Literary Fantastic According to the Master Himself.......2000-06-29

The stories collected in this volume span through some several hundred years and many languages. The authors represented wrote not only in the genre of the fantastic, they are recognized masters. But here we find their finest, eeriest, most bizarre and phantasmagoric tales. Reading through the book provides a real sense of the development of the ghost story and the fantasy through the years.

Perhaps of even greater importance, for those of us who are Calvino fans, we can see what stories the Italian fabulist cherished most, what he read and what influenced him. He places each book in a historical and literary context, and the opening essay is truly key to understanding Calvino's theories of the fantastic, which in themselves make this book worth buying!

Average customer rating:

Start Your Journey

What you need to know about life

Life Changing Experience

Theology for Everyone

Parables that Appeal to Everyone!

St. George and the Dragon and the Quest for the Holy Grail
Edward Hays
Manufacturer: Forest of Peace Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0939516071

Customer Reviews:

Start Your Journey.......2004-02-13

This is an excellent book for anyone who is navigating a personal spiritual journey. We used this book in a church study group and the discussions it generated were lively and interesting. Although I think I would have enjoyed this book if I had read it by myself, having a group to share with and an informed spiritual leader deepened my understanding.
Edward Hays has an amazing talent for gently waking up spiritual areas in the brain.

What you need to know about life.......2002-07-25

As I was sitting on a bench at the end of a long desolate road, slowly sipping my oolong tea, when I pulled out this book and began to read. Oh the joy. I breezed through the pages as my mind wandered throught the wonderful tales that Mr. Hays spins. I couldn't put the book down and the memories and myths will stay with me for a long time. I recommend this book to anyone that is trying to find their spiritual inner self.

Life Changing Experience.......2000-05-30

I was a senior in High School when I was first introduced to this author. At that time in my life I seeked guidance in a spiritual sense but found few sources from society to help me. A theology teacher showed me 3 parables from Hays' writing and I quickly went out to buy the book. I won't try to explain the messages you get from this book because everyone takes away something different from reading it. Look at the other reviews and decide for yourself but this book is definetly worth the price and you won't spend too much time reading it since the book's length isn't all that long. Although be forewarned you will probably find yourself picking this book up off the shelf after completing it. I don't think I know anyone who has read it only once.

Theology for Everyone.......1999-06-24

Fr. Hays is a gifted storyteller. His parables find their way through cynicism and doubt, and work in the reader's heart at a profound level. Having read nearly all of Fr. Hays's books, I recommend _St. George and the Dragon_ as a starting place for his compassionate, loving, inclusive, and atavistic theology. It is the story of a man with a deep spiritual longing who is uncertain how to fulfill it. His mentor appears in the form of an ancient dragon offering assistance, guidance, and a slyly humorous wisdom. This is not a book to be read once and put aside, nor is it a book to be read quickly. It will seem new-age-y to some readers, but it isn't. It will appeal to those who are hurting, those who are young at heart, teenagers, and especially to those whose religious background includes ritual. Everyone embarking on, or already on, a spiritual journey will find something holy here.

Parables that Appeal to Everyone!.......1998-07-15

Edward Hays is a tremendously gifted writer and a thought-provoking theologian. His parables are truly amusing, but at the same time offer the reader much to think about. Hays has the rare ability to write for many levels. This book was recommended to me by a member of the clergy, but I have shared several stories with young teenagers who are just beginning to grapple with their own spirituality.

Reading this book was a personally rewarding experience. The best part is that when I pick it up again in a year or two, I will have completely new insights. It is a book about a spiritual journey that meets you where you are on your own spiritual journey.

Book Description

It was a time of legend, when the last shadows of the mighty Roman conqueror faded from the captured Isle of Britain. While across a vast sea, bloody war shattered a peace that had flourished for two thousand years in the doomed kingdom of Atlantis.

Taliesin is the remarkable adventure of Charis, the Atlantean princess who escaped the terrible devastation of her homeland, and of the fabled seer and druid prince Taliesin, singer at the dawn of the age. It is the story of an incomparable love that joined two worlds amid the fires of chaos, and spawned the miracles of Merlin...and Arthur the king.

Download Description

E-Book Extra: "Stephen R. Lawhead on." (The writing process; The Atlantis/Britain connection; Whether or not Arthur existed, etc.)

Taliesin is the remarkable adventure of Charis, the Atlantean princess who escaped the devastation of her homeland, and druid prince Taliesin, sole survivor of the ruins of the British Isle. It is the story of an incomparable love that joined two worlds amid the fires of chaos, and spawned the miracles of Merlin.and King Arthur.

Customer Reviews:

Starts off wonderfully and sadly goes flop.......2007-09-25

I won't give a synopsis of the story; you can scroll down to find several of these. If you're a die-heard Christian and like pot-boilers you might find the last third of the novel delightful. Lawhead does an excellent job of giving the reader two story lines- sub-plots - and then merging them. Up to the merging chapter, the novel is rich in scope. But then the two main characters meet and oops, Lawson wallows in the romance between the two and all else is botched, forgotten, ignored. Talieson, a Druid, bard, seer who's supposed to change the world and be remembered through the ages... becomes a love-sick puppy strumming silly songs and gawking at Charis.

Charis' father is against the match because his line has been 'pure' through the ages.... although, after suffering a battle wound in Atlantis he married his nursemaid... a woman with a very dubious pedigree. Charis never thinks to mention this the entire time dad is waxing furious about racial 'purity'. She and Talieson run away to a small town where he strums his harp and they make google-eyes until their child- Merlin- is born. (Charris must remain in bed for her pregnancy and Talieson never leaves her side.)

Forget about Talieson's father, back home with the tribe, all struggling desperately to build homes and find enough food to make it through the winter...along with fighting invaders. (Although Charis' father and brothers now insist they are not warriors and do not fight, they left Atlantis in the middle of a war... go figure.) Forget about the fate of Britian.

Add to this Talieson's conversion to Christianity and Lawson's second wallow- the reader gets numerous sermons via the sweet Christian priests and Talieson- and the novel just takes a huge nose-dive in ill-logic, non-sequitors, maudlin smoochings, and sermonizing.

Before Talieson's Christian conversion, the novel showed seemingly marvelous insight and acceptance of numerous beliefs and practices. But once Talieson becomes a Christian, he does nothing but preach about the One God, and sigh over Charis.

If all this isn't enough to have you grinding your teeth, the book ends with Talieson given an ignoble death as he and Charis head home after the birth. Ah well... so much for a seer/singer who was going to change the world and be remembered forever. Merlin is born and poor Talieson is no longer needed, since he's performed his function.

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Lawhead here takes the figure of Taliesin the bard, and throws him together with a young priestess of Atlantis.

As far as that goes, it doesn't seem too incongruous, so points for that. Throw in some prophecy, impending doom, and a creepy young girl and you have an ok story.

Not for Me.......2007-08-30

A decent read, one that I was enjoying, until it got REALLY preachy about 2/3 of the way through the book. I picked the book up knowing the the author was a Christian, and it didn't stop me: I'd be a fool and a biggot to choose not to read a book based solely on the author's beliefs...but then he started to cram those beliefs down my throat. And THAT'S when I put the book down, unfinished, never to pick it up again. To quote Homer Simpson:

"Awwww...this isn't about *Jesus* is it?"

Sorry Homer, I'm afraid it is.

A New Slant on the Arthurian Myths.......2007-08-04

Stephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. His works include Byzantium and the series The Pendragon Cycle, The Celtic Crusades, and The Song of Albion. Stephen Lawhead has his home in Austria with his wife.

I admire Stephen Lawhead's writing very much. It is quite obvious to the reader that the author loves his subject matter and in his historical novels has diligently researched the material that he uses. Even with Taliesin, which can only be described as a fantasy, the way the author sets the scene makes the reader almost believe that they are reading a factual rather than a fiction book.

This story begins the series of books about the Arthurian legends and begins with the sinking of Atlantis and the escape of its people to Britain, including King Avallach and the Price Taliesin. During the waining of the power of the once mighty Rome, a tale is told that brings about the miracle of Merlin and Arthur, the Once and Future King.

Flawed timeline, but excellent storytelling.......2007-06-30

This book shows Lawhead's superb talent for taking the reader into another world, time and place. Descriptive elements and sense of story were fanatastic. Those familiar with history will find many flaws in the book, however. The major example being the destruction of Atlantis during the late Roman era--which was described many centuries before the setting of the novel by Greek writers. (I also found it curious in the novel that the Romans knew nothing of Atlantis, even though they would have been familiar with Plato...) The connection he tries to make is understandable, but history buffs may find the inconsistencies annoying. Other little things, like English families eating "potatoes" long before the New World was discovered occasionally disrupt this excellent "story." In the end, though, it is just that--a superb re-shaping of several myths, meshed together to form the dawn of Arthurian times. If you approach it as fantasy, it is a great read. Don't use it to cram for your Arthurain Myth 101 Final, though!

Lewis Carroll's Alice: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (The Pennyroyal Edition as designed and illustrated by Barry Moser)

Average customer rating:

Great book; better illustrations.

Lewis Carroll's Alice: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (The Pennyroyal Edition as designed and illustrated by Barry Moser)
Lewis Carroll , and Barry Moser (Designer & Illustrator)
Manufacturer: Univ of California Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

British | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Fairy Tales | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0520048156

Customer Reviews:

Great book; better illustrations........1999-10-27

The story of Alice in Wonderland is repeated in a very readable text and is as delightful as ever. This is not, however, a childrens' book. Barry Moser's illustrations tell the story of Alice in a different, dark and somewhat menacing way. Is the rabbit hole just the means to reach an amusing world of people and animals with strange names and stranger habits, or is it the path to a nether region where the normal rules of social conduct and the shape and size of "people" don't apply? If his illustrations mean anything, Moser thinks perhaps it is the latter. For example, the Queen of Hearts appears not as the crazy, but ultimately harmless, creature of a Disney movie. Moser shows her as a dark and foreboding character and by his illustartion suggests that "off with her head" is a real threat. The text of the book is standard Alice, but the real reason to buy it is to get Moser's illustrations. This is definitely not a book for 10 year olds. But those of us who grew up on Alice as half comedy, half light hearted spoof will enjoy this twist on a traditional tale. Moser's other illustrations of classical works such as Moby Dick and The Devine Comedy are also well worth acquiring.

Average customer rating:

a strong second
Charming fantasy series
Seekers and Ghatti enter international diplomacy
Good, but not as good as the first one...
It blew me away!

Mindspeaker's Call (Ghatti's Tale)
Gayle Greeno
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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

ASIN: 0886775795

Customer Reviews:

a strong second.......2005-12-31

A lot of second books in a trilogy lack the initial burst of energy from the first, but this one is just as good if not better than the first! I thought it was great, and some new characters are introduced. I particularly like Hru'rul! This book is great and I strongly recommend having book 3 on hand to start once you finish this one!

Charming fantasy series.......2005-10-13

Vesey is gone, but Doyce and the Seekers face new threats as they begin to realize that the ghatti aren't the only Mindspeakers on the planet....and the future may lie with the Gleaners who have been persecuted as evil! Highly recommend for fans of this series, cat lovers, and those who also like Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series (horses as bondmates)

Seekers and Ghatti enter international diplomacy.......2004-09-16

It's been six months since Doyce's stepson Vesey and the renegade "Gleaners" (telepaths) he led were destroyed, though not without cost to Doyce herself: ever since that battle she has closed herself off mentally from everyone, including her would-be lover Jenret (whose presence she wasn't even aware of) and her beloved Bond, the ghatta Khar'pren. So Khar is delighted when the chief of the Seeker corps asks Doyce to join a diplomatic mission. The chief (only?) continent of the ghattis' world was long ago divided by its human colonists into two countries: the Seekers' Canderis, which is a republic, and Marchmont, a monarchy. Recently Marchmont's aged queen died without obvious heirs, and border incidents have been multiplying ever since, endangering the freedom of trade between the two nations and, thereby, Canderis's prosperity. Accompanied by several other Seekers and their ghatti, plus Nakum, the forester, and his ghatt Saam as guides, she sets out for the border. When Chak, the Bond of the senior Seeker, unexpectedly dies and his human walks off a cliff with his body, Doyce is promoted to head the party, much to her dismay, and they continue on their way.

In Marchmont, intrigue is afoot, and questions are everywhere. Who is the heir, and why can't he or she be found? Who is the mysterious Steward who guides Marchmont while the search continues? Who is trying to disrupt the Seekers' mission? Where does the D'Artagnan-esque guardsman Arras Muscadeine stand? Can the Canderisians stop a palace coup from placing the power-hungry Lord Maurice on the throne? As they struggle to carry out their mandate, they learn, to their astonishment, that Marchmont is overrun with telepaths--but these are not the meddling Gleaners of Canderis; their society acknowledges them and they function openly and, for the most part, ethically. Their powers will prove crucial to the resolution of the situation--but so will the Seekers: the late Queen on her deathbed urged her people to "wait for the ghatt" who would lead them to their next ruler, and so one does.

Although by no means a quick read, this second in the Ghatti's Tale series is equally rich in texture and insight, and author Greeno displays a keen understanding of how governments and economies work and how people react to psychological stress. (Some reviewers take Doyce to task for her "whining," but I understand her feelings: she thinks there should have been something she could have done, as Vesey's stepmother, to prevent him from growing up so twisted, and she believes she should have nurtured rather than destroyed him, which naturally makes for guilt.) The climactic scenes may be difficult for some readers to bear, as two ghatti and their Seekers die gallant but violent deaths for a country that isn't even theirs; but in the end the right triumphs and Doyce and Jenret appear to be on their way to healing.

Good, but not as good as the first one..........2002-06-17

For some reason, Greeno chose to destroy MOST of the main characters -- almost as if she was worried any book without a lot of senseless deaths would be unprintable...The Ghatti are also relatively absent for much of the book, which I found a great disappointment.

The plot and characterization are otherwise brilliant... It was nice to see Greeno decide to treat the "Gleaners" a little more rationally in this volume than she did in the first. The only problems really occur where Greeno evidently "needed" to inject elements that didn't fit in with reality. Still, it's worth the extended read, if only for a historical set-up for the next novels.

It blew me away!.......2000-10-12

I couldn't put it down until I hit the end and I couldn't wait for my next visit to this world! This was a great read, if you love cats, telepathy or the interaction of just people and animals you'll love this book!

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