Book Description
A new supplement that further explores fiends of the D&D world.
Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells is a supplement designed to be the definitive resource for information about devils and the Nine Hells of the D&D world. Like its predecessor Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss, this game material is completely compatible with the D&D core rulebooks and is intended for both D&D players and Dungeon Masters.
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Robin Laws is a freelance writer who has designed dozens of roleplaying game products, including most recently Dungeon Master’s Guide II.
Robert J. Schwalb is a freelance developer and editor who primarily works on game products for Green Ronin Publishing.
Customer Reviews:
An Excelent Source for Devilish Exploits.......2007-07-12
This book is all about Devils and the Plane where they reside. I mean all about them. In my mind there are three really fantastic masterminds in Dungeons and Dragons: Dragons, Mindflayers and Devils.
If you're looking for content you can use all the time, then this isn't the best book for you. Go look at the compendiums or the Complete books. If you want villains and powers to tie together an entire campaign from level 1 into epic, than this is for you.
Included inside is a very nice tale of the creation of hell and the devils that can be easily adapted for your home brew world. Then theres feats, spells, prestige classes, descriptions of the layers and lots of new devils.
Again I must stress that the prestige classes, feats and spells are really geared towards either serving devils or fighting them. This book is a commitment to a devil themed campaign. It does so beautifully.
With the help of this book, my main villain just became a pawn in planar politics. My PCs have lots of options, on how to progress forward. I've got lots of ideas and environments for epic feeling quests before we get to the main devils. I highly reccomend it.
Hell awaits only the most brave or foolish.......2007-05-30
Well, I have to congratulate Wizards for adding another great book to the list of accessories. Our group runs several high level to epic level campaigns and this is a must for anyone who wants to involve the Blood War and the politics and intrigue of hell to your campaign. The new stats for the all the major players are here along with prominent followers and factions for each lord. There are many new feats and skills specific to just these planes as well as a few new presige classes that you can use for PC's and NPC's. The other great things is the plethora of roleplaying ideas for each of the nine hells, including cities, landmarks and many maps to really help you flush out your campaign. Things like this and other information make it a must for your collection so that when your party meets Mephistopheles, its an experience that they will never forget!
Awesome Book.......2007-05-16
This book gave great inside views into hell. It gave the facts on how hell lives, sleeps and breaths, along with the ArchDevils to go with it. If your planning on running a adventure in hell for a duration of time i suggest this book.
Useful Add-on.......2007-05-13
This book is a very good addition to any D&D campaign that plans on traveling to the Outer Planes, or fights extraplanar threats on a regular basis. The maps of the nine layers, and the detailed write-ups of the unique leaders of each of the layers add to it's usefulness. The extra devils are also useful to allow for rotating of devilish threats.
Deviliscious.......2007-05-07
If you are a cruel DM (at times) then this is the book for you. Nothing like a trap door to Hell to get your adventuring party set-up for a TPK. In all seriousness, this is a great source for Devils in any DM's line-up, I am glad I picked it up.
Book Description
In the wake of a shattered alliance, the New Republic fights a relentless new enemy in an all-new adventure in the bestselling Star Wars saga...
Faced with an alarming image of Han as a battered hostage of the Yevetha, Chewbacca takes on an urgent mission. Meanwhile, Leia calls upon the Senate to take a stand and eliminate the Yevetha threat--even at the cost of Han's life. As a former Imperial governor takes his battle to the runaway Qella spaceship, Luke's continuing search for his mother brings him dangerously close to Nil Spaar's deadly forces. And as the Yevetha close in on the forces of the New Republic, Luke takes a desperate gamble with an invisible weapon...
Customer Reviews:
Still angry, but at least it's over..........2007-05-18
Finally! We have reached the end of this terrible series!
Luke breaks off with this girl, learning that she lied to him. What a dork! How could he allow himself to be deceived by her and drag him all over the galaxy doing nothing and then just walk away as if nothing happened? Obviously, she must have been HOT.
Lando's little ship journey finally turns out to be not as much of a waste of time as it was in the first two books. Chewie goes out to rescue Han. And the whole Yevetha plotline is neatly wrapped up and thrown away (it was that bad).
This is probably the best of the three books (not saying much). Something actually happens in the book, and it is actually quite exciting (a word not known in the previous two books). I mean, I think my heart rate went up for a brief time (no, it wasn't related to getting closer to the end of the book). The characters are still badly portrayed, but if we were looking at good portrayals, we would be reading Timothy Zahn, not this series.
As I closed this book, I was happy. Happy that there were no more books and that this terrible, terrible series was over. Happy that this author has never written a Star Wars novel since these. Not so happy that I wasted so much time on these, but beggars can't be choosers.
Oh, and by the way, read this series at your own risk!
poorly written, but entertaining.......2007-01-09
I thought this was the best after I got hooked on this trilogy- I really wish i hadn't thoguh!
Didn't Enjoy It At All.......2006-06-23
I didn't like this trilogy. This was the best one but it was still awful. Not going into the plot. Amazon does that for me but this book was boring. I hate the Lando sections. Just wasn't exciting and other than the story of Chewie and his son didn't further the characters. I don't recommend you get this book unless you've suffered through the other two in the trilogy and want to find out how it ends.
Good end to Bad trilogy.......2006-01-13
Ok, so it is finally over. For such a bad series the end was good. It makes much more sense now (not). The only thing that really made sense was the fact that Luke was searching for his mother and basically it boils down to the fact that he was lied to. He went on a wild goose chase. The author did a really bad job with all of the characters except for Chewie and Lando. Luke would never act like that and Leia (it was worse than the other two and that is saying a lot). In the first two books the author didnt do a bad job with Han, but he really was not in the much. But this time he was it quite a bit, he gets kidnapped (Han Solo kidnapped, you have got to be kidding). All and all I would say skip this series it really has no connection to the rest of the star wars universe.
Great Book.......2005-09-05
Michael P. Kube-McDowell is a superb writer. He beautifully conveys his stories and at the same time actively involving his reader in entertaining and fun ways. I would recommend this series to anyone looking for an exciting fast-paced read that will expand on a familiar theme and story line.
As for the seller, the book was in great condition and I appreciated the quick clean delivery. Thank you! ***** for you too!
Book Description
Morinaga and Souichi have come to an understanding. Morinaga can "love" Souichi … from a far. But when the tension builds up, how far will Morinaga go to obtain his senpai?!
Book Description
The impossible people who make life’s journey so difficult are everywhere—at the office, in restaurants, on airplanes, living next door, members of your own family. They’re . . .
• your “nothing is ever good enough” boss
• the “no price is ever low enough” client
• the next-door neighbor who redefines the meaning of paranoia
• the maître d’ who looks through you as if you don’t exist
• the father-in-law who you know is always thinking about how much better a life his Janey or Joey would have if only married to someone other than you
Ron Shapiro and Mark Jankowski give you a simple and highly effective 4-point plan for dealing with all of them and more—N.I.C.E. Their system shows you how to neutralize your emotions so you don’t just react but act purposefully and wisely. It enables you to identify the type of bully, tyrant, or impossible person you’re facing—the situationally difficult (something has happened that turns an otherwise reasonable person into a temporary terror); the strategically difficult (she has empirical evidence that being difficult is a strategy that gets results); or simply difficult (being difficult is his 24/7 M.O.). Then you’ll learn how to shape the outcome by controlling the encounter and, finally, how to get “unstuck” by exploring your options.
Using colorful stories from all walks of life— “He called me the scum of the earth and it went downhill from there,” “First, lock all your vendors in a small room,” and “The boss from hell”—the authors bring their lessons to life, from business life to family life.
Customer Reviews:
If you deal with "difficult" people, you MUST read this book!.......2007-10-04
BULLIES, TYRANTS & IMPOSSIBLE PEOPLE by Ronald M. Shapiro and Mark A.
Jankowski is a book whose title caught my attention . . . when
I then saw the subtitle--HOW TO BEAT THEM WITHOUT JOINING
THEM--I was hooked with the awareness that this something
that I had to read, because I often find myself having to deal
with folks that might well be considered "difficult" only because
I'm trying to be generous here.
The authors, founders of the Shapiro Negotiations Institute,
bring in many examples that can be applied to life, home
and work situations . . . what's best is that these are
real, coming from such diverse fields as sports, politics,
dining out, and personal relationships, to name just a few.
As I was reading, I kept thinking how Shaprio and
Jankowski made difficult situations seem as if they
could all be handled, such as this one example
involving Phil Jackson when he was coaching the
Chicago Bulls:
He recounted in INC. magazine how his players learned that the best
way to overcome someone who is attacking you, emotionally or
otherwise, is to replace the impulse to strike back with the impulse
to become more focused on the game. Jackson recounted that
when the Bulls played the Detroit Pistons in the late 1980s,
Detroit would win because the Pistons were able to incite the Bulls
into fighting back. It was not until the Bulls learned to control
their "strike-back" impulse that they were able to overcome the
Pistons. As Jackson recalled, "Everybody on our team was
slammed around. . . . Players were tackled, tripped, elbowed,
and smacked in the face. But they all laughed it off. The Pistons
didn't know how to respond. We completely disarmed them by not
striking back. At that moment, our players became true champions."
I gained another valuable tidbit of information when I read about how
Shapiro and Jankowski talked about "writing their press release" . . . they
said:
It can be challenging for most of us to come up with solutions
that allow the other side to save face. Because it's hard to step
outside of ourselves and think like the other side. (Hey, they are
the other side. How could they be right?) One technique we
have used to bridge the gap to their foreign territory is the
exercise of "writing the other side's press release." In other words,
as you come up with options they may find attractive, give
yourself the hypothetical assignment of crafting a statement to
the press that explains why the resolution is a "win" for the other
person, as if you are the other person. Forcing yourself to go
through this exercise will ensure that you frame proposals or
options from a point of view that demonstrates benefit to the
other side. It is rare that you will ever be in a situation in which
you are writing a real (not just hypothetical) press release. But
once it did happen to Ron. He did actually write the press release
to announce the other side's "victory" (which, in reality, he had
shaped and defined on behalf of his client). It's a story that
graphically demonstrates why options work and how to employ
them to get out of a maze filled with apparent impasses.
Lastly, I liked the fact that humor was also used throughout
the book, such as in this retelling of a famous anecdote about
executives who worked for the infamous banking baron J. P. Morgan:
Morgan was tyrannical. He demanded endless, thankless work from
his cadre of distinguished, educated, highly skilled business
managers. He was notorious for never complimenting, but always
disparaging their efforts, privately and publicly. But he paid
them huge sums of money. When asked why these men
continued to work for the abusive Morgan, one replied,
"He's got us by our limousines."
I don't know if I'll go quite that far in working with others. . . however,
as a result of reading BULLIES, TYRANTS & IMPOSSIBLE PEOPLE,
I will now go out of my way to recommend it to others--particularly
if they deal with such folks on any sort of regular basis.
How to Handle Bullies.......2007-04-03
I purchased this book because I was having problems in my department. My supervisor, a head counselor and a co worker were giving me a hard time (i.e. hacking my computer, harrassing me, etc.) Thanks to this book, I know how to handle them without stressing out. Many of my friends suggested that I pack up and leave without a fight. I thought that was crazy as I have been on the job for 14 years and the main person who caused all the grief have only been with the company for 3 years. I never had a problem standing my ground as I fight back with the above bullies. This book however, teaches you how to mentally fight back and outlast the bullies.
First the book focuses on identifying the bullies. Then it gives you a plan of action for each "type" of bully once you have identified them. It's premise is working to outsmart the bully versus fighting back which I did and it always ended up back to square one. The book also gives you scenarios and different real life cases (both successful and failures) so that you can know how to incorporate the lessons in your life and learn from the author's failures.
You must realize that you cannot keep running from corporate bullies. My sister does and she has had 15 jobs within the past 6 years. Not only did the bullies win, but her job resume reads like a book and makes her appear to be the trouble maker. Once I finish I am going to loan this book to her. I always tell my friends, just because you run from one bully another bully always surfaces, it may not be at work (and sometimes it will like my sister's corporate bullies) it may be in some other area. People...you cannot keep running from these types all of your life. At one point in time you are going to have to stand and face the music. I'm glad that I did...I ended up getting the raise that I fought for 13 years (my co worker is a brown noser and got one immediately, hence I fought back and the bullying started). Plus, now I have piece of mind knowing that I can handle any BULLY that comes my way. This book is a keeper..keep it in your library to refer back to....now, I have another bully to concur...my car dealership...a long story...but I feel confident I can handle the situation.
A MUST read!!!.......2006-08-29
Being in corporate America, raising a family, holding leadership positions within the community- this book arms you with the tools to take on any challenges within those environments. I suggest it to anyone who finds themselves in a "hot" situation. It's a must read again and again!
Excellent book about dealing with difficult people.......2005-09-13
"Bullies, Tyrants, and Impossible People" is an excellent book about dealing with difficult people. We have all had to deal with person that flies into a rage, tries to use unscrupulous tactics to get their way, or is just plain difficult.
Shapiro and Jankowski present the material in an excellent fashion. Each topic they bring up is followed by an example situation that they have experienced and how the technique they used broke down the techniques of the difficult person. They also give instructions to identify what type of difficult person you are dealing with as well as a step by step formula to put you back in control of the situation.
The only negative thing I have to say about this book is that the techniques are easier said than done. The first and most important step for dealing with negative people is learning to control your emotions which is hard to do when you are being yelled at or taken advantage of.
I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn to deal difficult people. It's easy to read, easy to remember, and gives lots of examples. 5 out of 5 stars.
Let's Negotiate........2005-08-17
We've always heard that if you can't 'beat them' to join them. This book has the opposite approach -- do not join in with these weird troublemakers. These authors started their own management aides with the systematic approach to getting what you want: Neutralize your emotions, Identify type, Control the encounter, Explore options. In fact, they wrote a book called THE POWER OF NICE.
From grade school on, we have been exposed to bullies, usually the bigger, richer and fatter kids who bully the smaller ones on the playground. I know someone who was called "Carrot Head" to make fun of his red hair; he asked me, "What were you called on the playground?" I told him I was not singled out to be called anything. I was active, atlethic for someone so small (a regular little tomboy who could play ball and run with the best of them). However, my boys were sometimes bullied twenty-five years later. The older black kids picked on Jeff because he was so much smarter than they, and almost caused him to be hit by a car when he was trying to get away from them on his bicycle.
Zach was sensitive, so he was of the kind who would join so as not to be bullied, and he excelled in sports (for his size) and earned their support and respect. They thought he was a tough guy and so 'cool' with his swagger -- and he was not ashamed of his musical and artistic talents.
Justin became one of the bullies, as he got in with the bigger boys from the wrong side of the tracks. He blended in and became one of them, abandoning his music and the arts for the juvenile antics which get one in big trouble. He will never be a substantial adult as a result.
Tyrants come in all forms and places, not just bosses. I see some of the bus drivers as tyrants as they rant and rave and take out their frustrations on the riders who are their 'bread and butter;' they know that nothing will be done about it, and they will 'get away' with the verbal abuse. We don't have to be a Hitler to be a tyrant. Even a Sunday School teacher can be a tyrant.
About 'impossible people,' I am the expert -- as I sometimes come across to those who don't agree with me as one of those bad, bad stubborn people who won't back down. They see me as one who is not resistant and will do something about the situation. They don't see me as I talk about their antics and bad attitudes and abusive ways to City Council and KTA meetings. Those people don't see me as an 'impossible' person but a concerned citizen. I sat by a nice woman in Sunday School who said "Oh, I have heard your name; you are political." I replied, "No, I am not a Democrat or Republican; I am just verbal and vocal." I stand up for those who can't and don't know how. Whether or not I shall continue is in God's hands.
You learn in this book that if you don't rule your emotions, they will rule you. Know who you're dealing with or you'll never know how to deal with them. What you don't control often runs amok. Ultimatums without options lead to impasses. Fight, Flight or Focus. There are three different kinds of Difficult: Situationally, strategically and simply. Knowing which you have in front of you at the moment makes all the difference in how to deal with them and what the outcome will be. Whether it can be negotiated or simply ignored.
They also teach us how to turn dead ends into detours, why and how options work, "how to engage the other side in exploring options," and ending without escalating. In the beginning, they tell us a grim fairy tale with a happy ending. They tell us about the 'boss from Hell' but not about the husband or son from hell. They use colorful stories from all walks of life, from the 'scum' of the earth to the rich and famous. The authors bring lessons from business life to family life. That's all, folks!
Customer Reviews:
Save your money.......2006-02-20
I was so disappointed with this final book in the series. It's nothing more than a complete rehash of what happened in the first 5 books. Granted it comes from the point of view of Hope's sister, Spirit, the vast majority of content was just cut-and-pasted from the original books. I kept reading through the book in the hopes that there'd be a continuation of the story after Hope's death, but very little was added.
While Piers Anthony's books are almost always guaranteed to be a good read, the lack of original content in this one was a complete let-down.
I guess some work is for art, and some is to pay the rent. This was definitely the latter.
A nice wrap-up to a fantastic series.......2002-05-22
Iron Maiden is a very pleasant read. It manages to cover the time span of the entire series to this point, but with a fresh perspective. While the writing is not as strong as the other Space Tyrant books, it did a nice job of filling in the holes where Spirit's life was concerned. Finally, we get inside her head... though to a limited degree. Hope was the author of his own biography, whereas Spirit provided Hopie with materials and let her expand upon them as appropriate. Once you accept that the approach fits with Spirit as we know her from the other books, the different tone works. Overall, a pleasant finish to a series that is one of Piers Anthony's best.
Average customer rating:
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Remembering Defeat: Civil War and Civic Memory in Ancient Athens
Andrew Wolpert
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0801867908 |
Book Description
In 404 b.c. the Peloponnesian War finally came to an end, when the Athenians, starved into submission, were forced to accept Sparta's terms of surrender. Shortly afterwards a group of thirty conspirators, with Spartan backing ("the Thirty"), overthrew the democracy and established a narrow oligarchy. Although the oligarchs were in power for only thirteen months, they killed more than 5 percent of the citizenry and terrorized the rest by confiscating the property of some and banishing many others. Despite this brutality, members of the democratic resistance movement that regained control of Athens came to terms with the oligarchs and agreed to an amnesty that protected collaborators from prosecution for all but the most severe crimes.
The war and subsequent reconciliation of Athenian society has been a rich field for historians of ancient Greece. From a rhetorical and ideological standpoint, this period is unique because of the extraordinary lengths to which the Athenians went to maintain peace. In Remembering Defeat, Andrew Wolpert claims that the peace was "negotiated and constructed in civic discourse" and not imposed upon the populace. Rather than explaining why the reconciliation was successful, as a way of shedding light on changes in Athenian ideology Wolpert uses public speeches of the early fourth century to consider how the Athenians confronted the troubling memories of defeat and civil war, and how they explained to themselves an agreement that allowed the conspirators and their collaborators to go unpunished. Encompassing rhetorical analysis, trauma studies, and recent scholarship on identity, memory, and law, Wolpert's study sheds new light on a pivotal period in Athens' history.
Average customer rating:
- Eye Opener
- Lord Foulgrin's Letters
- Christian novels of this calibre are far and few between
- A real "eyes in the back of your head" opener
- Poorly written and unoriginal attempt at copying a master
|
Lord Foulgrin's Letters : How to Strike Back at the Tyrant by Deceiving and Destroying His Human Vermin
Randy Alcorn
Manufacturer: Multnomah
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
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The Ishbane Conspiracy
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Edge of Eternity
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Dominion
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Deadline
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Safely Home
ASIN: 1576737152
Release Date: 2000-06-16 |
Book Description
This repack of Randy Alcorn's gripping bestseller delivers us from ignorance of the devil's schemes. Foulgrin, a high-ranking demon, instructs his subordinate on how to deceive and destroy Jordan Fletcher and his family. It's like placing a bugging device in hell's war room, where we overhear our enemies assessing our weaknesses and strategizing attack. Lord Foulgrin's Letters is a Screwtape Letters for our day, equally fascinating yet destinctly different -- a dramatic story with earthly characters, setting, and plot. A creative, insightful, and biblical depiction of spiritual warfare, this book will guide readers to Christ-honoring counterstrategies for putting on the full armor of God and resisting the devil. Alcorn says to win the battle we must know our God, know ourselves, and know our enemy. Lord Foulgrin's Letters, in unparalleled and compelling fashion, helps us better know each.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Download Description
Does God have plans for your family beyond accumulating stuff in a large house in a nice suburb? How can moms and dads establish a home where God?s presence blesses each relationship and biblical principles shape the future? Brief chapters written by popular radio personalities Dennis and Barbara Rainey?such as "Pray with Your Mate," "Train Your Disciples," "Sink Your Roots," and "Give Your Children You"?set out a clear, workable master plan for a dynamic, God-pleasing family. This and future titles in the series will deliver down-to-earth advice, encouraging stories, timely insights, and life-changing truths for leaving a godly family legacy
Customer Reviews:
Eye Opener.......2007-07-12
This is an eye opener. I highly recommend this book. ONE person gave it a negative review and THAT review actually promted me to get this book because everyone else seemed to like it. Well, let's just say that the majority rules in my opinion. C S Lewis set the stage and introduced an awesome concept and is clearly a master. But Alcorn brings it home for today and even honors Lewis a bit in this book. Gotta get it!
Lord Foulgrin's Letters.......2007-01-05
While I enjoyed the book and got a lot from it, it wasn't a page burner for me. It was interesting to see how the enemy twists and uses our human flaws for his good. It really shows the spiritual battle that is always raging on around us. It makes me think about guarding my mind, heart, eyes, and ears from things. If you've wanted to read C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters, but just couldn't get through them, then this is a good read for you.
Christian novels of this calibre are far and few between.......2006-05-23
I have read hundreds of books, and never have I walked away feeling a deep sense of satisfaction. Make your guardian angels' job a lot easier, read this book, and stare the devil in the face. Reading this book made me realize how powerful and powerless the devil is. The devil is the father of ALL lies, the bible says. Any and all lies, great and small, are from the devil. Amazing how easy it is to forget that. Like the other reviews on here state, read this book!
A real "eyes in the back of your head" opener.......2005-07-25
"Know your enemy. Read his mail." is what is stated on the back cover...and that is exactly what you get! This book shows you that the things you overlook everyday, those little challenges to your walk, are not just a coincidence. A man I greatly respect once said, "There is no angel named Coincidence", and Lord Foulgrin's definately proves it. I can't tell you how many things this book has made me realize about spiritual warfare. It is happening, and the niave will take that gentle slope, without sharp turns, down to that unhappy place that they don't want to believe really exists.
Poorly written and unoriginal attempt at copying a master.......2005-07-16
My rating says it all. I believe this man is guilty of a literary crime. But more pointedly, this book was a dreadful waste of time and money. Firstly, any author who tries to copy a literary giant like C.S. Lewis already has before himself a daunting task. And Alcorn wasin no way up to it. His writing is flat and unoriginal. His plot is predictable and contrived. This book lacked the profound insight and depth of Lewis' "Screwtape Letters". Worse yet, the most interesting lines in Alcorn's copy were lifted straight from Lewis. Lewis' drama seems to emanate from deep personal struggle and insight while Alcorn's is nothing more than a made-for-TV movie. This was the first and only book I have of Randy Alcorn. Suffice it to say, after I use it for kindling, it will be the last.
If my rant sounds harsh, it's just because as a "young" Christian, I find the boorishness and shallowness of most contemporary Christian literature both annoying and stupefying. Where are the insightful Christian writers of today? Is there no one who can capture the gravity of the Christian struggle or the philosohical depth of Romans? The best advice I can give anyone is to read the early Church fathers, the writings of C.S. Lewis and the Christian classics such as Bunyan. It seems anything written since Bonhoeffer is just a tragic waste of time.
Average customer rating:
- Well-painted portrait of a tyrant
- An invaluable biography of Milosevic
- Eichmann Redux
- An Essential Read
- BALCAN TURMOIL
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Milosevic: Portrait of a Tyrant
Dusko Doder , and
Louise Branson
Manufacturer: Free Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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Serpent in the Bosom: The Rise and Fall of Slobodan Milosevic
ASIN: 0684843080 |
Book Description
Who is Slobodan Milosevic?
Is he the next Saddam Hussein, the leader of a renegade nation who will continue to torment the United States for years to come? Or is he the next Moammar Qaddafi, an international outcast silenced for good by a resolute American bombing campaign?
The war in Kosovo in the spring of 1999 introduced many Americans to the man the newspapers have called "the butcher of the Balkans," but few understand the crucial role he has played and continues to play in the most troubled part of Europe. Directly or indirectly, Milosevic has waged war and instigated brutal ethnic cleansing in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo, and he was indicted for war crimes in May 1999. Milosevic's rise to power, from lowly Serbian apparatchik to president of Yugoslavia, is a tale of intrigue, cynical manipulation, and deceit whose full dimensions have never been presented to the American public.
In this first full-length biography of the Yugoslav leader, veteran foreign correspondents Dusko Doder and Louise Branson paint a disturbing portrait of a cunning politician who has not shied from fomenting wars and double-crossing enemies and allies alike in his ruthless pursuit of power. Whereas most dictators encourage a cult of personality around themselves, Milosevic has been content to operate in the shadows, shunning publicity and allowing others to grab the limelight -- and then to take the heat when things go badly. Milosevic's secretive style, the authors show, emerged in response to a family history of depression (both of his parents committed suicide) and has served him well as he begins his second decade in power.
Doder and Branson introduce us to the key figures behind Milosevic's rise: his wife, Mirjana Markovic, who is often described (with justification) as a Serbian Lady Macbeth, and the Balkan and American politicians who learned, too late, about the costs of underestimating Milosevic. They also reveal how the United States refused to take the necessary action in 1992 to remove Milosevic from power without bloodshed -- not realizing that he uses such moments of weakness as opportunities to lull his opponents into traps, thereby paving the way for a new consolidation of power. Now, in the wake of the victory in Kosovo, it remains to be seen whether America will learn this lesson or whether we will allow this deeply troubled man to continue to pose a threat to European peace and security as the twenty-first century dawns.
Customer Reviews:
Well-painted portrait of a tyrant.......2002-07-21
Dusko Doder and Louise Branson's book covers Milosevic's life and path to power up to Kosovo, when NATO bombardment of Belgrade forced him to back down. The book reveals how Milosevic gave himself a name in 1987, when his boss, Serbian Communist Party leader Ivan Stambolic, sent him to Kosovo to quell down Serbian riots. When confronted by protesters who told them the Kosovo Albanians were beating them, he uttered the phrase, "No one will ever dare beat you again." He became a hero from that day on, a figure to whom the Serbs could rally around.
Milosevic knew that too and betrayed Stambolic, his political mentor, to become president of Serbia. The important things here are the parallels and dissimilarities between Tito and Milosevic. Tito, a communist, wanted a united Yugoslavia, a nation of Slovenes, Croats, Serbs, Montenegrins, Macedonians, Muslims, and Kosovars. Milosevic, a nationalist, wanted a united Serbia, but only for the Serbs. And he wanted to be leader of all Serbs, meaning the Montenegrins, Serbs in Serbia, Bosnian Serbs, and the Krajina Serbs. He even told Milan Panic, Yugoslavia's prime minister, that he was the "Ayatollah Khomeini of Serbia. The Serbs will follow me no matter what."
The trouble with that was, the Serbs in those other areas already had their own leaders, such as Radovan Karadzic, so he had to discredit them or put them down under his thumb, which ultimately didn't work.
Some things that have come to light is the back door deal between Milosevic and then-Croatian president Franjo Tudjman, on dividing Bosnia between them. Milosevic didn't care if he lost the Serb-populated Krajina and Eastern Slavonia, both in Croatia, saying that he would repopulate Kosovo with the Serbs from those regions.
But when the chips fall down, Milosevic used nationalism to get power for himself. The beginning of the end came in the middle of the war in Bosnia, when he was beset by UN sanctions and the Western economic blockade. His own position eroding so he endorsed the Vance-Owen plan to divide Bosnia into ten cantons--3 Serb, 3 Muslim, 2 Croat, 1 (Muslim-Croat), with Sarajevo organized like Washington D.C. Karadzic was vehemently against it and split with Milosevic.
Milosevic was the "man of the hour" at the Dayton talks, in which he agreed to give Sarajevo, the holy grail to Bosnian Serbs, to Muslims, as well as division of Republika Srpska by the Posovina corridor. It was not his to give, but he did it to make himself the good Serb to the West and to cut the Bosnian Serbs down to size. However, this move alienated him from true nationalists such as Karadzic and militia leader Vojislav Sesejl.
Milosevic seems no better than a schoolyard bully. He torments the weak but upon facing someone stronger, backs down, as he did in Kosovo. It took the non-violent student group OTPOR to oust him, but that's another book, which I hope is well-researched and documented like this book.
An invaluable biography of Milosevic.......2001-09-12
2001: Slobodan Milosevic appeared in court somber-faced; remaining as defiant and arrogant as ever in response to the charges leveled at him by a presiding judge. It seems like he was brought to justice only by chance; consequently his indictment and later arrest proves that no war criminal can hide forever. His name cropped up repeatedly when war in Kosovo broke out in 1998 and more so when NATO forces intervened and bombed rump Yugoslavia throughout the spring and early summer of 1999. Years before, in Bosnia, he was seen as a problem-solver, appeasing opposing parties and mediators at the Dayton Accords. Three years later, he was seen as the opposite: manipulative, conniving, secretive, deceiving and a perpetrator of gross human rights. The question of his life and background has remained constant, one of speculation and mystery.
Dusko Doder and Louise Branson, therefore, have written the first definitive biography of Slobodan Milosevic. Although their work appeared some time before he was overthrown in October 2000 and later brought to justice in The Hague (obviously the biography is now in need of a little bit of revision in order for it to be up-to-date), it helped to place the Kosovo war into its proper context by focusing on Milosevic, who to all intended purposes, ignited the ethnic question in the Serbian province to his own advantage and did not balk at violating human rights toward transforming Kosovo into a province dominated by Serbs.
His early years, through his birth in Pozarevac, Serbia, on August 22, 1941, to his time at Belgrade University where he became a Communist Party member that played an important role in his development, are detailed in this biography. Emphasis is placed on Milosevic's two-faced diplomacy abroad and at home, where friends one day became enemies to be `removed,' just like the people under his rule, seen through the wars in (respectively) Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo.
The biography is written and reads like a fast-paced novel, filled with all the almost unreal espionage and seedy characters to be ideally found in fiction. A study of Yugoslavia's demise is incomplete without Doder and Branson's magnificent and revealing biography; to date, there are other works coming out, and surely more will appear, but it remains to be seen if they surpass the current.
Eichmann Redux.......2001-07-15
Some argue that Milosevic is solely responsible for the terrible deeds committed during the civil war in Yugoslavia in the 1990s: without the nationalist indoctrination and provocation undertaken by this tyrant, the war may never have taken place. Others argue that the war was inevitable, and that Milosevic was merely acting out a role that any Serbian leader in those circumstances was destined to play: the real villains here are the people of the former Yugoslavia who bear centuries-old grudges against their neighbours and are willing to obey orders to commit heinous moral crimes.
One would expect a biographer to adopt the former, `Great Man Theory of History' position, and a historian to adopt the latter position, with its emphasis on longer-term historical processes. The authors strike an appropriate mix between these two explanations. As the title suggests, they pull no punches in depicting Milosevic as the epitome of Machiavellian evil, but they are also sensitive to the details of the social and political environment which allowed him to rise to the top. As such, the book reads less like a biography than an in-depth political history of Yugoslavia between the late-1980s and the present, and is therefore of interest to students of political science.
Milosevic met his future wife Mirjana Markovic at high school in Pozarevac. They also studied together at Belgrade University. Mira studied sociology and was by all accounts an outspoken firebrand; Sloba studied law and was by all accounts a dull spirit and unoriginal thinker - perfect, it would seem, for a career in the Communist Party. Slobodan's political instincts were finely tuned to the times. He knew that to climb up the Communist Party hierarchy, he had to have a mentor. Ivan Stambolic, a friend from Belgrade University, played this role for Milosevic. Articulate and well-connected, he moved up the hierarchy, and by 1975, he was Prime Minister of Serbia. Crucially, he never forgot about Milosevic. Slobodan followed him nearly every step of the way, until the late 1980s, when he started scheming to replace his former friend in the top job.
It was at this point that Milosevic made his infamous conversion from communism to nationalism, with typical Machiavellian poise. In April 1987, Kosovo was about to erupt into civil unrest, with the minority Serb population complaining about their treatment by the majority Albanian population and threatening a mass exodus. Prime Minister Stambolic ordered Milosevic to visit the province in order to calm both sides down. To put it succinctly, he disobeyed orders. Instead of calming them, Milosevic declared to an angry Serbian crowd that "No one will defeat you again". The ecstatic response of the crowd must have seared into Milosevic's mind the importance of the nationalist card. Over the next months and years he assembled a coalition with the aim of protecting Serbian rights from being trampled by her neighbours.
The Serbian nationalist mindset seems to be a curious mixture of glorification of military defeat (the 14th century Battle of Kosovo was an enormous defeat for the Serbs) and a belief that her neighbours are unjustly benefitting from the bravery of the Serbs in defending their freedom. Of course, there is some merit in the idea that the Serbs have received the rough end of the stick for centuries and should not be subjugated simply to preserve some delicate balance of power, as Tito evidently intended. However Serbia, with Milosevic at its helm, was surely the central player in the collapse and civil war that took place in the 1990s. When it was clear that the country was disintegrating, Milosevic made a secret deal with Slovenia, to allow it to secede. After the unilateral secession of Croatia in 1991, Milosevic planned to incorporate large swathes of Croatia in which there were Serb majorities. Infamously, he united with Croatia's Franjo Tudjman to invade Bosnia-Herzegovina and divide the spoils.
Doder and Branson also alert us to the wider international context in which the civil war was played out. The United Nations, and the various peace envoys sent to negotiate truces, assumed that self-determination for the various `parts' of Yugoslavia was not only the answer, but the right thing to do. In the process, the beliefs of the substantial minority of people who saw themselves as first and foremost `Yugoslavian' (but were perhaps not as vocal as the extreme nationalists) were disregarded. One is reminded of the current centripetal forces in Indonesia, and whether the United Nations would support its break-up.
The authors also point to the significant support of Milosevic by the United States, perhaps an extension of the tradition in American foreign policy of supporting dictatorships if they bring stability to the region. Milosevic was depicted as a peacemaker at the Dayton Peace Accords - requests to America by the Serbian opposition parties for assistance in deposing him were rebuffed. Four years later, however, following the collapse of the Rambouillet talks over Kosovo, Milosevic was depicted as a warmonger and the full force of NATO was brought against his nation.
Milosevic: Portrait of a Tyrant is valuable book for students interested in Yugoslavia's post-war political history, particularly since the 1980s. Written in 2000, it obviously excludes the war crimes indictment and trial. This process alone will require another Eichmann in Jerusalem, although given his recent performance, the focus ought to be the farce, rather than the banality, of evil.
An Essential Read.......2000-04-02
This portrait of one of most disruptive and important figures in the Balkans is handled with insight,balance,and a deep knowledge of the historical and cultural complexities of Southeastern Europe. From a journalist team who lived in the region and speak its languages, the reader is given a unique and accurate picture of the Balkan psyche, mentalities, unresolved aspirations, and crosswinds of post-Cold War tensions which continue to play out in the region. It is an indespensible volume necessary for understanding both past and future events.
BALCAN TURMOIL.......2000-03-03
This book is the perfectly reflecting the situation in Serbia under dictatorship of Slobodan Milosevic. The author is extremely well informed about the facts of Balcan turmoil, provoked by dictator Slobodan Milosevic. Excellent reading selection for any serious politician.
Customer Reviews:
Amazing and truly eye opening!.......2003-01-29
Once you get passed the fact that this book has no author and simply and editor, then perhaps you can pay attention to the teachings within.
Prophecy aside.......It's Philosophy is in arguable...........1998-03-26
First off....I am not a huge fan of spiritual books . Growing up having preachers quote the bible to justify just about any attrocity {forgive my spelling}, tainted my view of spiritual scriptures. I am however a huge fan of philosophy. Though this book is prophetic (and a crazy one at that.....Christ coming back in a spaceship crazy} its philosophy well worth exploring. It encompases all religions and I believe gets to the heart of who we are and why we are here. It is written in lamens terms and does not babble endlessly in obscurity which one often finds when reading both philosophy and spiritual books. Hey.....i was a disenchanted youth who sat around, smoked pot and shunned the rest of the world for its cruelty. If this book can reach the most distant burnout, I guarantee you will thank yourself for reading it.....if only you can find it....and if you do let me know....and please pass it on to a friend.
ChristianKohli
Book Description
Fidel exposes the hypocrisy of Castro's liberal fan club, delivering the brutal truth about the tyrant the Fidelistas call the first and greatest hero to appear in the world.
Customer Reviews:
Not all liberals are stupid .......2007-09-09
Just wanted to weigh in here as a liberal who also teaches Spanish.
I loved both books, the one on Che and this one. I teach my advanced students not to buy into the mythology of Motorcycle Diaries. We study Cuba and Latin America, and the history of dictators such as Peron and Pinochet. We study the Dirty War and students come away with a much better idea about these two men who somehow have become symbols of freedom or revolution instead of the oppressors they are.
So be careful of buying into the propoganda that all liberals love Che and Fidel.
Ask a Cuban!.......2007-05-15
Back in the early 80's I was a stupid liberal who believed the propaganda in the media (agitprop) regarding Fidel being a "benevolent" dictator after reading a glowing book extolling his many virtues and painting a picture of a utopian Cuba. When my Nicarguan and El Salvadoran immigrant friends vociferously disagreed with me, I read "Against All Hope" by Armando Valladeros, my first book on Communist dictatorsip, which shook me to the core. I began to question my preconceived notions and embarked on a journey through the rich genre of anti-Communist literature by those who actually LIVED under the brutal regimes--Nien Cheng, Haing Ngor and Alexander Solzhenitsyn, among others. Their stories are distressingly similar, harrowing and painful to read, about the malignant ideology which crushes the human spirit and justifies beatings, murder, incarceration, and all manner of evil while masquerading as good, just and humane. I also read books by American authors who had been Communists, had second thoughts and left the "progressive" faith: Collier and Horowitz, Whittaker Chambers, etc. These wonderful authors turned me around politically and philosophically, and helped me to start thinking critically. I now apologize to the Cuban people (and all the victims of Communist repression and genocide in the 20th Century) for my previous naivete, but in my defense I was young, Democrat and had tried hallucinogens and marijuana, all of which clouded my judgement back then. Plus, I used to believe Mike Wallace and the liberal media. Big mistake! For some reason they are vested in their "progressive" fantasies and do not let the truth disturb them...and they all seem to hate this country which has given them so much. Very sad.
"Fidel, Hollywood's Favorite Tyrant" by Herbert Fontova is a very important addition to this genre because it offers history, facts, and story after story by witness after witness, about Cuba, Che, Fidel, and many of the prominent American sycophants who toady up to this corrupt, murderous, barbaric dictator. Did you know Fidel is one of the world's richest men (Forbe's magazine) and a master of propaganda, having learned from the masters (Soviets). This is a bitingly funny, touching and comprehenive book. Fontova is clearly passionate about this subject, which to me makes this book even more enjoyable. It is sorely needed because Fidel is finally going to his just reward in the netherworld--and the Cuban people may finally get a reprieve after 50 years (a half century!) of suffering and countless deaths. What happens next--in the very near future--is history in the making. I will be watching closely, hoping and praying for Cuban freedom, for the USA and the rest of the free world, and to see how the liberals in Hollywood and the media react. Will they hysterically mourn his passing or finally TELL THE TRUTH about this monster? Their reactions will say more about them than Fidel. Who do you believe--a rich American who flies to Cuba on a private jet and has a "personal audience," with Fidel, sumptuous food and living accommodations for a few days--or the average Cuban who has actually lived the nightmare? It will be very illuminating, especially when the obituaries and books are written and hidden stories emerge, as they always do after the death of a tyrant...Can anyone now alive remember how sweet life was before the revolution?
Hooray for Humberto for having the guts to write this book.......2007-02-27
I love this book and cannot wait for Humberto's next book on Che. I find his information very well researched and reflective of his extensive and informed studies in Latin American History in which he has his Masters degree from Tulane University.
I am a first generation American. My mother left Cuba in 1960 at age 15 and she, like so many other Cuban exiles,have in fact been back to visit Cuba recently, and we have had several family members in Cuba visit and keep in touch.
Before Castro, Cuba was a very enlightened country. As indicated in Humberto's book, the per-capita income was high and the standards of living were high also. This was because Batista encouraged unionization and established a minimum wage in Cuba.
This did not go over well with the wealthy property owners or business owners. When Castro came about and promised reform, it was primarily the upper classes that supported him. They wanted to do away with the unions and minimum wage for their own economic gain.
The people that supported Castro were not the poor farm workers or laborors. The poor people opposed Castro as indicated in Humberto's book. They had more to gain by keeping Batista then they did by having Castro take over the country.
The Cuban people that backed Castro and Che were expecting socio-economic reform, not the political reform that was the end result.
I think more people should read this book. Hollywood glamorizes Che and Castro as heros that liberated the poor people of Cuba. Reading this book may help people to the realization that Castro and Che took this beautiful, tourist magnet of a country and turned it into a third world country that "not even Hatians" (per Humberto) ant to immigrate to.
Even more Miami lies.......2007-02-26
This author is incredibly biased and left Cuba when he was a child- too young to remember or understand anything. I don't know his family's story, but the truth is that most of the Miamians have never even been to Cuba and are 2nd and 3rd generation, and that the first wave of Cubans was not poor people on rafts- it was fascists who supported Batista, rich brothel and casino owners, mobsters, etc. Not a great crowd, to say the least. People love Fidel Castro throughout the world for a reason... check out "Fidel, the Untold Story" for a good documentary that gives the other side. I'm not saying Fidel hasn't done some bad things, but he's not even close to the Stalin that the liars in Miami paint him as. For all my anti-Communist sentiment, I have to say, this book is ridiculous. Anyone who actually believes that Cuba was better under Batista had better think twice about the sources they are hearing.
Correct? Maybe, but poorly written........2007-02-22
This is called a book, but written in the form of a blog. I was reading Fidel and instead of facts about the dictator or his rule, I was bombarded with a rant about the evil of the left and hollywood in America. Instead of true history this is a partisan rant.
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- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
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