I am an avid reader, particularly of fictional works. As an educator I an quite enthusiastic about new and upcoming talents. The author of Chased does a splendid job for the reader. You want to continue, never wanting to put the book down. The cover is quite unique; the illustrator is very talented also. This masterpiece should sell well.

Thank you Amazon.com

By reading the positive comments about CHASED I decided to read it myself and I am so glad I did. The interactions that the characters have is so intriguing. It is a work that is so well written and the author's main characters are so well portrayed; it's as if you were actually witnessing real-life situations. What an imagination she has and there are some phenomenally funny circumstances that erupt. Ms. Elmore-Smith has painted an upscale business world with unyielding energy.
THANK YOU H. ELMORE-SMITH

Every now and then a talent arises that needs to take center stage. Where has this author been? "Chased" has a magnetic pull-it makes you put aside all else and invites you into a fictional world that you do not want to leave. Honestly, the writer has a gift and I do anticipate her sharing her wonderful qualities as a writer again and again. Chased is required reading. Oh, and by the way, Ms. Elmore-Smith makes the corporate arena look good.

I first saw this book on a visit to the States in Feburary 1997. Since then I have been kicking myself for not buying it, seeing as it cannot be found anywhere! It is the complete sourcebook of Krynn, a must for all Role Players or Gamers, and even fanatical Krynn Collectors. It contains background information on the Heroes of the Lance and even Kenderish maps. There are songs, recipes, and the book itself is embodied with the true spirit of Dragonlance Adventuring. Being a small-time collector and currently owning 48 D.L. books, take my advice- this is not an oppertunity to be missed!

Johanna bachfrom@netvigator.com

Being a fan of Dragonlance for many years, but also being unlucky to not get this book the first time it was published, I was very happy to see that the publishers decided to put this book up for sale again. "Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home", is great if you want to know more history on the Dragonlance. It has a lot of info on the Gods of Krynn. There is deeply detailed information about the past of Krynn. Including wars, gods, dragons, and anything else you could possibly want to know.

There are also songs, poems, and recipes. Many of the songs and poems were published in the original Chronicles or Legends. But it is nice to have them in one place in easy reach. The recipes range from Gully Dwarf Stew to Otik's spicy potatoes. This book is definatley an entertaining companion to the Dragonlance world. People looked for it everywhere when it out out-of-print. So what better time to get it than now when they are publishing it again.

This books has lots of information like the legends, songs, recipes, and lots more this book is one of the best source book i ever had i have most of the books.. from the world of krynn., and got lucky to have the copy .. so.. wish they gonna reprint it.. thanks..

Knight of the Rose
-Est Sularus Oth Mithas-

This is purely and simply one of the best books ever written on the process of innovation and the interaction of technology, culture, systems, and individual personalities. If you are interested in the process of transformation or the development of technological change then this book should be on your short list. It should be required reading at every senior military school and for anyone who is really interested in transforming the health system.

This slender volume is actually a series of lectures given between 1950 and 1966 at Cal Tech and was influenced by a 15 year process of dialogue in a regular monthly meeting on the subject of technology and society. It reflects the insights and wisdom of a lifetime of thought about people and technology.

For those who care about transforming military institutions the chapters on Lieutenant Sims' reform of naval gunnery in 1900 and on the building of the best steam warship in the world in 1868 are marvels of bureaucracy confronting technology.

Consider just a few insights from Morison:

"It is possible, if one sets aside the long-run social benefits, to look upon invention as a hostile act--a dislocation of existing schemes, a way of disturbing the comfortable bourgeois routines and calculations, a means of discharging the restlessness with arrangements and standards that arbitrarily limit." (p.9)

When Sims reports remarkable success with a new system of gunnery he has learned from an innovative British officer ((Percy Scott) there are three stages of response from Washington:

"At first there was no response. The reports were simply filed away and forgotten. Some indeed, it was later discovered to Sims's delight, were half eaten away by cockroaches,
"Second stage; It is never pleasant for any man's best work to be left unnoticed by superiors and it was an unpleasantness that Sims suffered extremely ill.
"Besides altering his tone, he took another step to be sure his views would receive attention, He sent copies of his reports to other officers in the fleet. Aware as a result that Sims's gunnery claims were being circulated and talked about, the men in Washington were then stirred to action. "p29

The response was first that our ships were as good as the British so the problem was with the men and that meant the officers were not doing their job. "most significant: continuous-aim fire was impossible. Experiments had revealed that five men at work on the elevating gear of a six-inch gun could not produce the power necessary to compensate for a roll of five degrees in ten seconds. These experiments and calculations demonstrated beyond peradventure or doubts that Scott's system of gunfire was not possible." p. 30, note this is about a system that was actually being used with amazingly more accurate results. Sims' reform was not a theory it was an existing fact, which the Navy simply denied.

As Morison notes "Only one difficulty is discoverable in these arguments: they were wrong at important points."
"In every way I find this second stage, the apparent resort to reason, the most entertaining and instructive in our investigation of the responses to innovation." p. 30

"Third stage: the rational period in the counterpoint between Sims and the Washington men was soon passed. It was followed by the third stage, that of name calling." p.30

As things got worse Simms took the ultimate risk "he, a lieutenant, took the extraordinary step of writing the President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, to inform him of the remarkable record of Scoot's ships, of the inadequacy of our own gunnery routines and records, and of the refusal of the Navy Department to act. Roosevelt, who always liked to respond to such appeals when he could, brought Sims back from China late in 1902 and installed him as Inspector of Target Practice, a post the naval officer held throughout the remaining six years of the Administration. And when he left, after many spirited encounters we cannot here investigate, he was universally acclaimed as 'the man who taught us how to shoot." p.31

Morison concludes "the deadlock between those who sought change and those who sought to retain things as they were was broken only by an appeal to superior force, a force removed from and unidentified with the mores, conventions, devices of the society. This seems to me a very important point; the naval society in 1900 broke down in its effort to accommodate itself to a new situation. The appeal to Roosevelt is documentation for Mahan's great generalisation that no military service should or can undertake to reform itself. It must seek assistance from outside. " p.38

Whatever field of change interests you this is a book well worth reading and thinking about.

A superb look at the wonderous and creative spirit that enabled the twentieth century to excel in engineering and science.
The events depicted in the book tell of an age where the industrial revolution was nacent and men brimmed with ideas on how to construct and create a new society for mankind. A fine read for anyone interested in the art of technology and of engineering history in the U.S.

Elting Morison was a historian .. at MIT. I thought that curious, until I read his book. In a serious of beautifully wirtten historical essays, he traces the development and introduction of revolutionaly new processes or techiniques which profoundly changed the way things were done. But most interesting, and instructive, are the insights he provides as to what must be done to effectively introduce significant changes. For anyone who is frustrated by the time it takes to get things done, and who is interesting in learning how to shorten the process, this is a MUST read.

This is an absolutely amazing novel. The second book in the Empires trilogy, it completely avoids the "middle book syndrome". Most 2nd novels in a trilogy are about nothing and contain a whollllllle lot of travel, but this book is a very personal tale.

Batu is a general in the Shou army who is charged with stopping the Tuigan invaders. His wife is left behind to deal with the court. Out of these 2 simple plot devices a fascinating tale unfolds.

Without revealing anything I will say this, the novel is a very personal journey by Batu as he tries to deal with the invaders. The pleasant thing about this tale is the unexpected twists it takes. What you expect at the beginning of this story is not what you get at the end. Being that it is the 2nd book in a trilogy there are some things that you know MUST happen, such as the Tuigans continuing on to battle Cormtyr in the 3rd novel. This does not mean that a very powerful battle does not occur. It is the results of the battle and its fallout that are surprising.

All of the characters are interesting, and seem like real people. In fact, it is the honest portrayals that make this such a good book. After everything that Batu goes through his responses seem real, not as if they were manipulated to fit an outline.

It was further enhanced by the appearance of characters from the 1st novel, who come across as true to their portrayals in Horselords.

If you want a really good story with action and personality read Dragonwall.

This books holds the second dimension of the 3 dimensional gem called "The empires triology". Leading you to view the desicions and lives of 3 leaders all engulfed in a sweeping war makes you think a bit about right and wrong, winner and loser. Almost as good as "Horselords" this book opens a gate to the land of Shou Lung, it's court and it's field. As a young general attemps to hold the kingdom's borders from the sweeping horde of Tuigan barbarians, while his wife attempts to save his reputation and command from the hands of spy sent to undermine him.

A book that engulfs you in battles and conspirasies. A Must BUT can be fully enjoyed only after reading "Horselords".

Upon finding out this book is no longer in print, I felt upset-- upset that so many lovers of fantasy literature will never be able to read it. Fans of AD&D novels who are forgiving of the weaknesses of the genre will be shocked to find those weaknesses missing here. DRAGONWALL is a study of a man who struggles; he struggles between duty to empire and duty to his ancestry, love of family and love of emporer, and the hateful but necessary arena of politics versus the glorious but hardship-ridden theatre of war. Stunningly, this book satisfies on a variety of levels; the intrigue of court politics is intricate and suspenseful, the scenes of battle are breathtaking and involving, and the personal struggles wracking the protagonist make you understand him deeply. You will admire him and suffer with him. If any "fantasy" novel can bridge the gap between entertainment reading and literature, this is the one. Try to find it--it's incredible.

My friend recently got out of the Marines and he brought with him the most wonderful role playing system I've ever encountered, and I've played alot of them. The way it approaches the use of skills is truly the most effective I've ever seen. The combat system, which runs off the skill system, works beautifully. It is a shame that TSR took this spectacular system away from the role playing populous, though how they won the lawsuit when the similarities to D&D are so few and far between still stupifies us all. I recently picked up Gary Gygax's new game, Lejendary Adventures, and while reading it, I keep thinking to myself, "It's almost Mythus, but Mythus did 'this' better." The only problem that any of us had with Mythus was the magic system, which is a bit unbalanced. Other that that, it is the pennacle of role playing games.

The Dangerous Dangerous -- Mythus game system is the best! The book is great and well worth its (orginal) price tag of $26. Although the system needs more playtesting (too many opportunities for unfair exploits) and the book needs better editing (errors in the data tables are worse than typo/grammer errors). Mythus & Dagerous Journeys is great..The best!. To bad T$R (AD&D) sued GDW for frivilous copyright issues. Now WOTC (Magic the Gatering) owns T$R and Mythus (through a buy-out) and hopefully they will debug and re-release Mythus.

I loved Snarf quest for 10 years befor it finally disappeared.....but here it is again.

This book contains the whole snarf quest saga from Dragon Magazine. I bought this book years back, lost it, and will most likely buy another. (Yes it is that funny). 5 outa 5 stars. If you like Graphic novels, you should get a copy of this book... If you can find it...

I have used this book for several years with different grade levels. It is easy to use and I find it very complete in giving directions. The included rubrics are great!

It isn't very often that I get time to read fiction anymore, but when I read a good book I feel a certain responsibility to let people know about it. I'm James Drury, and I've played in plenty of Western shows myself. For those of you who don't know me I portrayed The Virginian on NBC television for many years. So I hope that qualifies me to leave a review on a Western book. Of course I could say the same thing about any Elmore Leonard book I've had the pleasure of reading, but the Bounty Hunters was great. It was short and to the point, but Leonard has this way of giving you such a great feel for the country and old West settings it just makes the book pleasant. He excels at making us see what he does in very few words. I have read all of the Western novels of Kirby Jonas on audio, and while I of course think he is my favorite author of Westerns, I have to say I have never read a bad Elmore Leonard book, and The Bounty Hunters is no exception. I don't know Leonard's history as far as how he does his research. I know Kirby Jonas lived in southeast Arizona when he was working on his first books, however, and it seems to me that Leonard has done a large amount of work in getting the facts about the Arizona and Mexico country down pat. I guess I've gotten into the habit of comparing every Western author not to Louis L'Amour but to Kirby Jonas, and although I would never put Leonard above Jonas I would sure say his books would "do to ride the river," with Jonas', so to speak. Give the Bounty Hunters a try. Right now I'm starting into Escape from Five Shadows, and it already holds great promise!

Since I was given three of Elmore Leonards westerns by a good friend of mine I have been buying and reading them often. As yet I have not read a bad one. So far they are ALL GOOD.

Forty Lashes Less One is a great story. Two prisoners, Chiricahua Raymond San Carlos and a black man Harold Jackson are in Yuma prison for murder. At first they are bitter enemies but the warden puts them in an experiment to see if a training routine of long distance running can be used for rehabilatation. And then the warden sends them after 5 mean dangerous men. The trail is rough and bloody but they are sucessfull. As soon as they bring these men in they tell the warden to kiss !!! . A great story, you'll love it.

I think of myself as a fairly avid fan of Dragonlance. And there are a couple of elements about the series that i like; like the fact that the some, 90+ books that have been written about the world of Krynn are, well, just that, about Krynn. What I mean is that the saga, once you're into it and familiar with the history, geography, etc, you can read a new story and things make sense. Another element that I like about the Dragonlance saga is the fantastic element (ie, dragons, chivalry of knights, and MAGIC). I like that fact that this book reassures me in both of those elements. The setting starts the book around the time slightly before the War of the Lance and the Companions, in a not-so-well known part of Krynn. And since the entire book is about magic and the study of it, it gives a very good look behind the every-day workings of magic, and insight into how and exactly what magic skills mean. Magic has always been such an elusive force in the Dragonlance world, where all they talk about is uttering of words and vague things like, "concentration" and "feeling of magic inside". This book really helps to change that.

This book was an excellent read for magic-lovers like myself, and had most of the elements that make a good Dragonlance book, like a good plot, a love interest, and and a well-developed, main character. If you like magic/Dragonlance/a good read, get this book. It may not be one of the VERY BEST DL books I've read, but it's still well worth the time, especially if you're a DL fan.

In fact, my only problem with this book was one aspect of the ending (if you haven't read the book, you may want to look away now...); Guerrand's sister is not addressed in the ending... She was perhaps my favorite character(i think it was because she seemed like such a helpless caged bird that tried so hard, and i'm really taken in for those "romantic"-type characters) in the book, and everything wraps up nicely except her... what happens to her? Why didn't she find out where Guerrand lived and ran away from home to Palanthas? Why didn't she just run away to begin with?? I know that the second book continues the story, so I'm hoping for the best....

This book provides alot of information about the three orders of magic in Krynn. A vague story of the Cataclysm and the Lost Citadel is told well in this story.

For the storyline, I found it pretty interesting. There are several plot twists, which reveal what actually happened in the previous chapters. The author, Mary Kirchoff, describes objects in the story very well, which makes the readers imagine the world better. The characters' feelings are all very different, not just one or two similar characters.

Overall, I thought this was a very well-written book for starting Dragonlance readers and the experienced one.

When I read this book I had no idea about fantasy , but I easily understood the whole story. ( about magic and everything.. ) Ýt was a great beginning to read other fantasy books.. The story was fascinating and VERY captivating , I hardly could leave it and spend time with my friends until the next day I finished it ! I highly recommend it to everyone !

Leonard is an experienced writer who knows precisely how to sketch the human frailties of his characters. Jack Ryan is the process-server so good at finding people that he's approached by some shady businessmen to locate a woman with a ruinous drinking problem. What's at stake is the money and maybe a chance for something that can pass for love, but the gallery of crooks includes a violent ex-con and an amoral wheeler-dealer. The text reads truer than life; this is surely an Elmore Leonard classic

In the unknown man Leonard has Jack Ryan a process server who is one of the best in the business looking for a man known only as "Unknown Man #89". Not truly unknown a few know him to well. A blonde hates him with a passion and a very bad guy wants him in hell. This all makes it hard for Jack Ryan as he has to get between those two people in order to capture #89. A very good read.

I stumbled upon 'Unknown Man #89' while looking for something else. I've read over two dozen Leonard novels, so at first, I thought it had to be new. Checking the back of the title page, I noticed it was copyrighted in 1977. So, I wondered why I had never heard of it?

And I'm still wondering. 'Unknown Man #89' (UM89) is fantastic. The protagonist is Jack Ryan, who was featured in 'The Big Bounce', an earlier Leonard novel. UM89 is a superior novel though. The stakes are higher and the characters more real than in 'The Big Bounce'.

Opening in Detroit, Ryan is a process server. He thinks he has finally stumbled on his calling. He is also a recovering alcoholic who attends AA meetings. An acquaintance, Jay Walt, sets him up with Frank Perez, who is trying to locate a Mr. Robert Leary with a business proposal. Before he knows it, Ryan is siding with Leary's widow in an attempt to get her dead husband's property while dodging shotgun blasts from Perez's associate Raymond Guidre.

The novel has a strong beginning that lets the reader learn who Ryan is up front: how he acts, what he believes, and what he does. The search for Leary brings in the rest of the characters and draws the reader into the plot quite well. The middle of the novel bogs down with events that lead to a key AA meeting, but then the action picks up and sprints towards the conclusion.

Overall, the novel is well paced. The characters are some of Leonard's most believable and interesting to the point you can picture what actors you would cast for the movie version, if there ever was one. I'd recommend this to any crime fiction fan, and as a must read for any Leonard fan. I still don't know why this novel was so obscure.