Fleming adds the detail and the smashing debonaire of oo7 together and comes up with the incredible novel: On Her Majestey's Secret Service. The high adventure, the beautiful Bond girls, and James Bond's "save the day" attitude make On Her Majestey's Secret Service a must read! I've written several books myself but none compare to this. I stayed up late until one in the morning reading the wonderful descriptions of the exploits of Bond, James Bond. It, along with Casino Royale, The man with the Golden Gun, Goldfinger, and You Only live Twice, are ranked high on my favorite novels list and should be yours. The head of SPECTRE and his Number Two man torment the spy but as always, Bond defeats the evil plans of Ernst Stravo Blofeld but for him to only fight another day!This book is so good it should come with popcorn!

One of the last of the original Bond Books, On Her Majesty's Secret Service is also one of the best. Picking up a year after the end of Thunderball, this book finds James Bond again battling the nefarious schemes of Ernest Stavro Blofeld and SPECTRE and, most importantly, falling in love with the beautiful, resourceful, and ultimately tragic Tracy. Though the usual intrigue is well-presented by Fleming, he also makes it clear that Blofeld's plan is hardly meant to be taken all that seriously. (Without ruining it for those who might never have read the book or seen the surprisingly faithful film adaption, it all comes down to Blofeld hidden away in Switzerland, pretending to be an allergist, and brainwashing English farm girls. No, it doesn't make a lot of sense but Fleming obviously had so much fun presenting it that most readers won't take offense.) The heart of this book -- and this Fleming treats with an admirable seriousness that should take his critics by surprise -- is the love story between Bond and Tracy. In Tracy, Fleming has created perhaps his most fully realized "Bond girl." Vulnerable yet resourseful and more than capable of taking care of herself (and, at times, perhaps even more so than Bond himself), its hard not to fall in love with this character and when Bond finally does decide to reject all others for her, its impossible to disagree with his logic. Its a compelling, rather touching love story and, even though most Bond films know how its going to end, the ending still packs a heavy impact.

As for Bond himself, after being a rather predictable presence in Thunderball, he's back in full form as a full realized, interesting character in this novel. On Her Majesty's Secret Service was written after the release of Dr. No (Ursula Andress even makes a cameo appearance at the time) and one can sense that, with this book, Fleming is reestablishing his claim on the character. From the intentionally ludicrous evil scheme to the frequent excursions into Bond's head (revealing him hardly to be the ruthless, unflappable killer that filmgoers though him to be), Fleming comes across as a reenergized writer in this book -- determind to let all the new Bond fans out there know who is really in charge of their favorite secret agent's destiny. The result is one of the best of the original Bond books and one of the best spy thrillers I've read in a long time.

I've read every Ian Fleming James Bond novel, and I must say, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is an undisputed #1. This is James Bond at his finest. He is at his most resourceful and clever, not relying at all on gadgets. It is a more serious book as well, with the best ending of them all. I would highly reccommend reading many of the other novels first, because before you can really appreciate James Bond doing what he does in this book (I'm not going to say what it is), you should understand his past experiences. It is the most personal and thrilling of all the novels, and it is a very close match to the movie. In conclusion, people may say that "From Russia With Love" is the best, but trust me, nothing can compare to this book.

By far the most realistic of the Bond books. Fleming's description of the MGB (later KGB) headquarters in Moscow's Dzherzinsky Square, where the plot to lure British agent James Bond to his death is first revealed, is reputedly based on information to which he was privy in his capacity as a WWII officer in British Naval Intelligence -- likewise the recruitment and training of the psychopathic killer Red Grant, one of the most formidable of Bond's enemies (and the only one in the films who looked for a while about to kill Bond for sure! 007 meets his match in Grant!) This is the book behind what in my opinion is the best of the Bond movies, steeped in the atmosphere of the Cold War into which the Bond series was born. 007 travels to Istanbul in pursuit of the bait, a Lektor decoder which can read top secret Soviet military and intelligence signal traffic. Another form of bait is the beautiful Tatiana Romanova, an MGB cipher clerk allegedly in love with Bond, willing to defect with the Lektor if only 007 will come and fetch her. (Fleming takes yet another jab at the Reds by choosing this name for Bond's love interest -- Romanov was the family name of the last Czar of old imperial Russia, the family doomed to extinction by the Russian revolution.) Kerim Bey adds a bit of panache, mischief and mystery as "Our man in Istanbul," Head of Station T (for Turkey). A truly great and suspenseful plot!

Fleming seemed to have used his first four novels (Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, and Diamonds are Forever) to warm us up to the Bond character and used the same plot style for the first four novels. In From Russia, With Love, Fleming takes Bond and his writing style to a higher, more intellectual level. Fleming is masterful in setting the scenes without being too boring. Bond doesn't appear until the second part of the book (Part II-The Plan) and you hardly even notice. Another interesting note is that of the James Bond movies, From Russia, With Love the movie follows the novel pretty well, even in lesser scenes such as the gypsy fight. This, perhaps, is due to the fact that Fleming was alive only for the filming and release of Dr. No and From Russia, With Love. This book is clearly Fleming at the top of his game and an outstanding entry to the series.

Considered by many to the be the best James Bond 007 book of all time, From Russia With Love delivers the perfect formula for a James Bond novel. Originally, Ian Fleming's tales of 007 were not going so good, so he intended with this book to kill off James Bond once and for all. The end of this novel is quite a surprise to a first time reader.

The book begins by telling of the commanding rule of SMERSH. The leader of this organization is General Grubozaboyschikov. Also working is Colonel Rosa Klebb and director of planning Kronsteen, who treats real people as if they were chess pieces. The muscle of the group is a homicidal madman, who follows orders, and is in practically perfect physical shape, Donovan "Red" Grant. These evil minds have planned the perfect way to destroy the life and reputation of James Bond. Their plan is to lure 007 with the beatiful Tatiana Romanova and a Spektor cipher decoding machine as bait. Then Grant will meet up with them eventually and kill them both. However, SMERSH will take it a step further to lie to the public that Bond and Tatiana were in an affair, and that Bond commits suicide. It's a perfect plan.
Bond indeed does travel to Istanbul, believing that this girl wants to defect, and will give him the Spektor machine only if he personally helps her. 007 meets Darko Kerim, and a wonderful gypsy fight adds to the fun of the story. Bond and Tatiana travel on a train back to Europe, where he meets Red Grant and is told of the plan to kill him. An extremely bvrutal gun and fist fight breakes out between the men with 007 shooting Grant. 007 goes to Paris with Tatiana to catch Rosa Klebb in a meeting. However, Klebb releases a poison knife from her shoe and kicks 007 in the leg, before being taken away by the police. The story ends with 007 lying on the floor of the hotel room...

Perhaps the finest story of Ian Fleming, filled with the excitement and adventure to give this book it's reputation as on of the best 007 novels ever!

The African American Writers Handbook : How to Get in Print and Stay in Print by Robert Fleming is the most comprehensive book on writing and being African American in the publishing industry. This book gets beyond the promoting part of being a writer. This book delves into the real issues and explores serious questions such as agents and if and when race should be an issue. This book will soon be the standard for all writing courses worldwide.

The African American Writer's Handbook is an excellent writer's source, even for me and I am not an aspiring writer. I cannot believe how much information there is in this small book for writer's and reader's as well. Mr. Fleming shares his vast knowledge with the reader. His excellent Writer's Resource section alone is worth more than the cost of the book. Mr. Fleming has removed weeks maybe months of research legwork and has put everything one needs to know to get started in the world of writing in less than 400 pages.This book is a very necessary tool for all would be authors. It also gave me a diffferent view of and a brand new respect for my favorite authors for their hard work and dedication to their craft.Why would anyone not interested in writing buy this book? Because it gives you insight into the whole genre of writing. Because you get a chance to read interviews with editors and author profiles. You also get URL's to websites, a list of AA booksellers with addressses, telephone and fax numbers and much more.I so recommend this book.Vannie

For any African-American writer, published or unpublished, self-published or mainstream published, this book is priceless. It is a powerhouse of information that any writer can benefit from. From tips on writing and submitting book proposals, query letters, and manuscripts to advice on locating and obtaining an agent to interviews with some of the top people in the business, you can walk away with a ton of knowledge that will help you push your writing career forward.

The AA Writers Handbook can save you dozens of hours of research because everything you need to know is comprised in this one gem of a book. While there are a ton of writing handbooks, it is a breath of fresh air to see one completely dedicated to the plight of AA authors. This book should definitely be included on the reference shelf of any writer serious about their craft.

I bought this book to read about Barrow's role in John Franklin's career and several Arctic expeditions, but was pleasantly surprised to find information on aspects of Barrow's enthusiasm for exploration that I don't believe I'd ever really heard about before.

The same (really remarkably influential) gentleman who sent the Royal Navy into the Arctic in search of the Northwest Passage also sponsored several expeditions into Africa to discover, among other things, the course of the Niger river.

This book forms a very nice summary of the history of the Royal Navy's attempts to discover that all-important Northwest Passage, giving form and coherence to series of expeditions that otherwise rather boggle my brain. The most pleasant surprise for me, however, was reading about the African expeditions; new information for me, and engagingly presented as well.

You will find it well written and striking a nice balance between presenting sufficient information to communicate the gravity of the issues faced by "Barrow's boys," and overwhelming the casual reader with too much information.

The history of the interactions between Barrow and those Rosses is particularly engaging, and tempts me to revisit M.J. Ross' very thorough joint biography of Captain John Ross and Sir James Clark Ross (Polar Pioneers : John Ross and James Clark Ross).

An interesting book, beautifully written, and full of unexpected wry humor, light but not light-weight; I enthusiastically recommend this book to persons interested in British polar exploration, the Franklin expeditions, and the decades-long animosity between Barrow and Captain John Ross.

This was a well written book on the many Polar and African interior explorations that were sponsored by the British in the first half of the 19th centry. From trying to find the North-West Passage above North America to searching for the legendary "city of gold" called Timbucto in Africa this book kept me interested throughout. Never before or for that matter since has such a group of explorers been assembled. The man responsible for these quests was John Barrow, a man who had a dream of mapping uncharted areas of the world. He set into motion the largest and most expensive series of explorations in the history of mankind. This is a story of courage and determination like no other that I have read before. This book recounts the stories of men who spent years stuck in the freezing cold in their dreams of being the first to find a passage across North America. The book also details the adventures that other men had in their quest to map the interior of Africa. Other stories of different areas in the world that were explored are also included. John Barrow might not have been as successful as he would have liked but his dream inspired later explorers and set a benchmark that carried on into the 20th century.

For 41 years John Barrow manipulated the Royal Navy and the British Government to pursue his own fixed ideas on geography.
His mistaken belief that there was an open, ice-free sea at the North Pole, a permanently clear North-West Passage and that the Niger emptied into either the Nile or the Congo, caused the deaths of unknown numbers of men, the loss of ships, the expenditure of a king's ransom and the physical and mental breakdown of many of Britain's elite officers.

This is the story of that prolonged tragedy; the irony of it is that it fathered the most amazing feats of endurance and privation, that they are regarded today as the pinnacle of human endeavour - only the similarly ill-equipped expeditions of Scott come close.

Barrow's 'Boys' are his hand-picked officers (strangely, they were usually totally ill-suited to the tasks he set them) who are either ambitious, incompetent, zealots or plain insane (or any combination!) and Barrow goes out of his way to ignore all the best advice from those with the real experience, to either under- or over-equip the expeditions, seemingly never hitting the right balance.
The internecine rivalry of the officers, the badly-picked crews, the obstructions of companies and kings, all combine to produce farce after explorational farce. On top of this, each failed expedition only fires his zeal, perversely convincing him that he is right, so off goes another doomed expedition.

If anything tells us that inhabitants of ivory towers have no idea of the real world, it is this book ... Get it and enjoy!

I come from Western Australia and books are hard to find on the subject of eating disorders. A friend from the States sent me this book because she knew we were having problems finding anything written by a parent for a parent. As I read through the pages it was as if she was talking about my life, my feelings, my fears, my terror for my daughter. It helped my feelings of isolation subside, I now knew we were not battling this alone a lot of other parent's were fighting this terrible disorder. I stopped feeling as though we could not win this fight for our daughters life, if Mary Callaghan could survive so could we, so could our daughter. I cannot thank the author enough for this book, it is essential reading for any parent who finds themself in this situation.

Mary Callaghan's sharing of the day to day realities,feelings and impact on other family members in this book is so differenct from anything else I've read. Other books educate about the disorder. Mary's book tells what an eating disorder looks like and reinforces the need to fight hard to help our daughters help themselves.

I am editor of a newsletter called Positive Voices dedicated to helping families cope when a loved one suffers from an eating disorder. Mary's book, Wrinkles on the Heart, was recommended to me by one of the previous reviewers. It is the ONLY book I have been able to locate written by and for families dealing with eating disorders. Mary's book has been an inspiration to my family with our daughter's illness. Mary, thank you for sharing your struggles with us, so we know we are not alone and to inspire us with your words to continue battling this illness together, as a family. Thank you for your Positive Voice! Megan Bryan

I admit that out of the novel this was the first one that i picked up and read. good place to start at huh? I probably should have started at the beginning of the series but, surprisingly enough i wasn't too confused in this novel, without having read the preceeding events that had lead up to it. I liked the author to this book also, more so than the other i have since read. He characterizes the Brujah in the story very well, and even though they are not my favorite clan, this is my favorite novel to the series. But i don't suggest for anyone to just pick up any novel and start, and because otherwise you will just get confused. I know when i started the malkvavian novel, and the lasombra novel out of nowhere i was quickly regretting not having started at the beginning of the series.

Gherbod Fleming's Clan Novels are among the best in the series. This is the way they should be written. It felt like it was telling the story of a Brujah, rather than the story of a stereotypical Brujah. Would not recommend the book to anyone who has no experience with White Wolf's World of Darkness... unless of course you were willing to read the Clan Novel series (a fairly good introduction to the gaming universe). I'd also recommend reading The Masquerade of the Red Death trilogy, which is probably an easier introduction to the World of Darkness.

This book hooked me right from the start. It had great action with enough discription to put you there, but no to much to drag the story down. It also had some good cloak and dagger guessing and reguessing as facts continued to become clear. But over all it was a fast paced ride that never let me down.

Also this book while dealing with other plots from the other books, keeps them in small quantity, and really packs the story from the Brujah stand point.

I had to delete several more things I was going to say as I hate to do spoilers and ruin stuff for others. So please forgive the shortness... 3 more paragraphs had details better left read from an author that paints a scene I would have butchered trying to retell.

I would have to say that this was one of my favorite in the series, and would have to say that no matter what you thought of the other books, you will like this one.

Pat Elrod has been writing about vampire Jack Flemings adventures for longer than most vampires survive. Killed, thrown in Lake Michigan, and resurrected - we have followed Jack from helpless fledgling to assistant to a detective and nocturnal owner of the Lady Crymsyn nightclub. Jack has a knack of making shady friends (and girlfriends) from Chicago's underworld, a penchant for heroism, and, unfortunately, is non-living proof that becoming a vampire does not increase one's intelligence.

In this episode Jack starts out by breaking up a kidnapping for his friend Escott. One of the kidnappers turns out to be both psychotic and resistance to Jack's trips. The worst happens, Jack is spotted sipping his favorite cow, and now faces blackmail and exposure at the hands of a ne'er-do-well society member will the morals of a snail.

The counterplot involves Jack's old friend Gordy - crime boss and fellow nightclub owner. A New York gangster shows up wanting to take over the territory. Yes another psychotic, with a tendency to get drunk and nasty. The ensuing crisis catapults Jack into temporary leadership of the local crime ring with results that would be comic if they weren't so horrific.

Elrod isn't one to deviate from a hitherto successful formula, so Jack does what he does best - make a mess of things. One would think that, after eight novels in which he is perpetually being shot up, knocked unconscious by wooden chairs, and otherwise embarrassed in the pursuit of goodness , that Jack would have figured out that vampires should also stay away from places where angels fear to tread. But such is not to be the case.

Hapless vampires to not necessarily make great protagonists. What is cute, or funny loses interest when the same thing happens time after time. If I was a vampire with Jack's luck, I would willingly ride off into the sunrise - and kiss my horse every night. What saves the book is what always does - Elrod's writing ability, which makes a mundane plot sparkle enough to keep up one's interest. But even that time is coming to an end. This will probably be the last in this series for me - while it remains an enjoyable confection.

Continue on with the life of a vampire. Would love to have more people reading Elrod's books.

It has the structure of episodic TV. Each novel has a whole adventure story in it involving new people we've never met before, their problems, and eventually a resolution of their problems.

But meanwhile, within each novel, Jack Fleming struggles to become a "better" vampire -- when he's not even sure what it means to be a vampire. He has problems that resolve at the end of the novel into even worse problems yet to come.

Charles Escott, Jack's human partner, struggles to keep his private investigating business going despite Chicago's gangsters and the depression.

Together, they are telling us a tale of two people assimilating trauma and overcoming it. All right, those of you who've read my vampire novels like Those of My Blood know that's what I write, so it's no surprise it's what I prefer to read.

Charles Escott has had his psyche reamed and re-arranged by events -- from the first book where a vampire walks into his office in dire need of blood, to his Dark Sleep where he must confront his past. And Jack wakes up murdered and now a vampire, and must confront the implications of his hypnotic powers and his bloodlust. Every time he thinks he has it all together and stabilized, another case comes along and he learns he really has no clue what being a vampire is all about.

In COLD STREETS - we go with Jack to a whole new level of bloodlust -- learning, feeling, and knowing what it means when a vampire has all his blood drained out of him. Is there anything he won't do to replenish himself? And how can he live with it afterwards? Will his human friends stand by him? Do they know how to administer psychiatric therapy to a nearly catatonic vampire?

It seems to me this series is very much like the TV Series Magnum P.I. -- with Jack Flemming as Magnum and Charles Escott as Higgins. Instead of being set in Hawaii, it's in 1930's Chicago, and instead of being a caretaker of a large house, Charles is the owner of the house and the private eye. But their relationship is very similar.

In COLD STREETS we've come to 1938. I keep wondering what's going to happen when the war comes to America. Will Jack enlist? Will they draft him? Will he dodge the draft and go overseas by himself on his own mission? After all, Charles' family and friends in England are going to need help.

I do hope P. N. Elrod keeps writing these novels. I'm dying to see what she plans to have happen next. I guarantee it won't be what I would write -- but I won't be able to put it down once I get my hands on the next book.

Live Long and Prosper,

Jacqueline Lichtenberg
...

As an avid Ian Fleming fan, I always recommend this one to newcomers who enjoy the films and want to check out the author who inspired them. Bond doesn't just waltz through this one unscathed... he goes through hell to accomplish his mission! The scene in which a poisonous centipede crawls all over Bond's naked body while he's in bed will make your skin crawl. The torture-tunnel sequence, in which he must worm his way through yards of heated metal, tarantulas and more, is also incredibly gripping. And Dr. No's demise in the book is even more unusual than the way he bought it in the film! Read this one, and see Bond the way Fleming intended him to be seen. Roger Moore never endured trials like these!

This book is supposed to be the sequel to "From Russia with love", in fact it begins with Bond in hospital due to a life-threatening injury obtained in "From Russia with love" but recovers, M(Bond's boss) decides that there is no better way to get Bond back in shape than give him a "simple" mission in the island of Jamaica where the representative of the British Secret Service(John Strangways, who also appeared in Fleming's Bond novel "Live and let die") has disappeared, Bond's mission is to find out what happened. This "soft option" leads Bond to his most dangerous and thrilling mission yet and leads to him to do an "obstacle course", to a fight with a squid and a fight with a "dragon"! I thought this Fleming's most suspenseful book as I never could tell what would happen next and this kept me hooked, so much so that I read it all in one day! Unfortunately, this is also Mr. Fleming's most far-fetched. It was far-fetched in the sense that I don't think even Bond(who at that point was supposedly half-dead) could have defeated a 60-foot squid with just a dagger. That apart it's a great, great thriller. Read it, wonder in awe at it's elements, then read it again just to savour Fleming's writing. Unfortunately, the movie never did the book justice. I heard that in "From Russia with love" Fleming planned to simply kill off James Bond, thankfully he didn't and produced a marvellous book in Dr. No.

Probably the best Fleming Bond. Takes place in, and captures the flavor of Fleming's favorite site he knew so well: Jamaica. The progression of Bond's venture to Crab Key through to the denoument (which takes up the second half of the book) is the best -- and most exciting -- sustained writing Fleming did. This sequence contains the classic moments: the introduction to Honeychild Rider, the revelation of her past, the Dragon, the bizarre "hotel" within Dr. No's complex, the dinner, the extraordinary tunnel of horrors chapter (one of Fleming's most inspired scenes), and the ignomnious end of Dr. No. This is Fleming at his full powers of (sometimes weird) imagination. Unlike other Bonds -- say Moonraker --Dr. No can be read again and again

It was so fun to read a book on the Revolutionary War that was from the view of the private. No huge battles here, just the day to day struggle on what he endured and why he endured all the hardships. Made me really admire the commitment they made.

This book is one of the few complete accounts of a common soldier
in the American Revolution. Joseph Plumb Martin explains in detail the events that take place at Valley Forge, Trenton, and
Yorktown. Mr. Martin first published his narratives as a book titled Private Yankee Doodle. This book is a book that shows the suffering and victory of the young nation. Great for anyone who loves histoy!

This book is one of the few historical accounts from a common
Revolutionary War soldier. Joseph Plumb Martin relates in detail
the events of our nation's longest war. From the winter at Valley Forge to the battle at Yorktown, the book is thrilling to read. Mr. Martin first published his narratives as Private Yankee Doodle. This book would be great for the library of those who love American history.

Brian Karas's Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! is an exciting and cute story about three bunnies and a first time gardener. The menacing trio are a curious bunch of cottontails just looking for food. Mr. McGreely (a first time gardener) has different plans! Mr. McGreely is determined to get those veggies into the pan and on to the plate. But, too bad for Mr. McGreely. Those fluff balls get past his fence, wooden wall, moat, and his huge cement castle equipped with barbed wire, a satellite dish, and a drawbridge. This hilarious book is filled with twists and turns, bunnies and vegetables, and one very upset gardener.

Both my 1 1/2 year old and 4 year old love this book. The love to yell "muncha, muncha, muncha" as the bunnies raid Mr. McGreeley's garden. We laugh as each method he tries becomes more elaborate. The easy words and repetition makes this fun for toddlers too.

This book is wonderful--even my 2 1/2 year old loves it. He follows the location of the bunnies, names all of the vegetables, and tracks how determined Mr. McGreely gets with each page. Chanting "muncha, muncha, muncha!" is truly contagious, and having the suprise sharing of the vegetable crop is a nice end to the book. The illustrations are amusing. This is definitely a good one to purchase for your child's library.