...is that she is the _only_ modern chronicler of the Arthurian legend to give us a King Arthur who merits his own legend.

This is not to say that her retelling of the Arthurian legend is the greatest of modern times: that honor, IMHO, remains with T. H. White's _Once & Future King_. Yet though White does better justice to the legend as a whole, his King Arthur himself is, alas, perhaps the least memorable character in the book: appropriately enigmatic, but not very impressive.

But Stewart's Arthur...! Merlin himself, though the narrator of the story, is in awe of this Arthur, even as a boy. Here at last is an Arthur to be reckoned with; an Arthur worth fighting and dying for; an Arthur capable of bringing Camelot into existence by sheer moral force; an Arthur worth all the books and stories devoted to him.

Here, too, is a Morgause to take seriously -- though for Morgan you will have to go to Stewart's _Prince & the Pilgrim_, and for Mordred, to _The Wicked Day_, both quite worth reading, esp. the latter.

In fact, fans of The Merlin Trilogy _must_ read _The Wicked Day_, for Arthur's story is not complete without it. Merlin, of course, drops out of the story halfway through, long before the fall of Camelot. It is this fourth book that brings the story to its startling yet richly satisfying climax.

This was the best book that I have ever read in my whole entire life

Mary Stewart's trilogy dealing with the Arthurian legends is a favorite of mine. I enjoy reading the humanized version of a legend which I find intriguing every time I pick it up. The author did an excellent job of bringing the characters to a level at which the reader can sympathize with them while still looking upon them with a certain fascination. As Mary Stewart is one of my favorite authors, this opinion may be biased, but I think everyone who has never read at least one book of the Merlin Trilogy has missed a truly satisfying experience and should rectify the situation as soon as possible.

This book is a marvelous tool for crystal working. Doesn't just give you a list of the stones and what they are good for (like almost every stone book out there) but teaches you about stone properties through color, among many other things. It teaches you how to work with your crystals, cleansing, meditating, programming, divining, use in jewelry, choosing and much more. Excellent tool, highly recommend.

This book cover much more than just stones and their propeties. In it you will learn how to work with them in various ways. It is a course book in many ways for she takes you thru lessons from one chapter to the next. This is not a new book but it is one of the best.

It's so much more than just a crystal handbook. Very interesting and discusses many different aspects involved in healing.

Crystal dreams brought out emotions I have not felt from a book in years.I was so caught up in the superb details and the and the style of writing I felt as if I was walking the very streets expriencing the story.Thank you Mr Riley for giving this hopeless romantic proof true and pure romance is still alive.I look forward to more work and have found a truly gifted a talented writer I will share with everyone I know

Crystal Dreams was not mushy to me at all! I laughed I cried and felt everything else in between all throughout. Crystal Dreams is very wholesome and very heartwarming reading, my life is that much more enriched by the experience (o-:

I love romance novels only if they are of the "old school" style. So refreshing to see a romance that doesn't have to depend on pornographic passages and illicit activities. It's wonderful to see a book written by a man that seems to understand how a woman real feels about romance. Hope Mr. Riley is either writing more just like this, can't wait for his next book. Hint. Hint.

I love this book. I was so surprised at the contents of each stone section within this book. It even offers the meanings of the stoens when they apear in your dreams. The lore and hystory of the stones gives me the greatest joy to read. This is a deffinate for anyone interested in stones, whether you are healing or casting magick.

I only knew stones through their scientific aspects- my husband is a jeweler. My research for alternate birthstones led me all over the net until I found this book. Not only does it give countries of origin, history, dream interpretations, & magickal uses; it has a section on stone divination (sometimes known as lithomancy) and basic meditations/rituals. There are extensive tables & keyword listings as well as an EXCELLENT bibliography. There are no photos or chemical compositions, but I already owned DK Eyewitness Handbooks that cover them well.

This book has a lot of very useful information about stones and their properties. It's easy to read and to understand. The only drawback is that there are no pictures of the stones. I'd definitely recommend purchasing this book, but maybe supplementing it with a book on how to identify the different stones.

Important background information on these lovely historic glass houses is matched with lovely photos. It would make an excellent book for planning travel to any of the cities where these conservatories are located. Well known properties are listed as well as ones less famous. This book is a "must" if you are a lover of gardens and plants.

This book contains beautiful photographs and is very well written. Ms.Cunningham has done a wonderful job.

Gardeners, Horticulturists , or anyone else will enjoy the beauty of this book. What struck me was the beautiful preparation and the reproduction of the Photos. The color and architectural features leap off the pages.

The history of the development of Conservatories adds an extra dimension - and of course nearly every large city has one, open for visiting now !

A great read, and a terrific gift for anyone.

Besides this book I have also read :"IN PURSUIT OF ARSENE LUPIN" ,"ARSENE LUPIN vs HERLOCK SHOLMES","EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF ARSENE LUPIN" in the early '90's translated into greek. I was totally taken by the portrail of the character and by how well-written the book was!!! I've managed to convince my husband to read :"The Extraordinary Adventures... " (the only title we could get from the library) and he absolutely loved it!We have decided to buy all the titles we could find because they are worth having. All lovers of SHERLOCK HOLMES should give Arsene Lupin a try!

I'm kind of surprised to find a fan of Lupin. I have seen many Holmes manias but I was the only one who had any interest at the wonderful frenchman in my district. It's a sad thing that many people didn't had the chance to taste the sweetness of Maurice's stories. well, who ever you are, read some and you'll need some.

It's really a pity (almost a shame) that Amazon.com doesen't have a complete list of Leblanc's work. Anyway, if you're intersted, in Brazil contact Editora Nova Fronteira. I really don't know if they are still publishing the books, but you should try. Leblanc's hero and at the same time, villain, is Arsène Lupin, a frenchman talented for arts, literature, wining young ladies' hearts, and, oddly, robbery. He is the portrait of the frenchman, hilarious, independent, clever, and human. Leblanc hit the bull's eye creating this kind of character to go against the other mistery characters of his time, like Agatha Christie's Poirot, or Father Brown, or Inspetor Maigret and, most of all, the All-Time Brittanic Sherlock Holmes. As a matter of fact, there is a book called "Arsène Lupin meets Herlock Sholmes", figure out why! "Crystal Stopper" is one of the three Leblanc's books one must read, it's the first one. The other two are called "The hollow Needle" and "813". In these books, Lupin is involved with treasures, has to decipher complicated plots, has to save his life and lives of people he cares about. The most funny chapters are the ones he has to deal with the french police force. He even disguises himself as a well-known and respected inspector for years, and no one is able to discover him. If you're sick and tired of Miss Jane Marple and such characters, take your time and find Leblanc's books. Another good guess is "The teeth of the tiger", showing an older and tired, yet very alive, Arsène Lupin. Follow him and discover his secrets, his passions, and his treasures.

I bought this book to help myself answer the question "am I in the right job?" The Crystal-Barkely methodology was time-consuming, yet easy to follow and helped me learn new things about myself. I used the results to realign myself within my company and focus on areas that play to my strengths.

This is a simple, practical, realistic approach to examining your experiences, determining your values and defining how to move forward with a life and work change. Many books discuss it, this one tells you how to do it. Don't be deceived by it's size: this is chock full of advice.

Seeing yourself differently in very specific ways, and valuing that uniquiness seems to be the first practical step toward ultimately differentiating if not distinquishing yourself. Exploring and eventually commiting to what you care about personally as well as potentially professionally, confidently communicating how you will use your most preferred skills to best meet those needs of your selected "partners" is empowering and energizing. Important points are humorously supported by cartoonist Sam Gross.

Katrina introduces the 12 chakra system in this book. She uses higher vibration crystal to activate the chakras outside our body. Crystalline Transmission (transform our physical body to be a crystal!!!) is the goal of crystal practice to adapt the increasing frequency in the Earth. Though this book has be written for 10 yrs, it is still advance for most crystal users.

This is the culmination of her work with "crystals" and should be read AFTER the two earlier books. It is unique in that it is not "Hokey" but well grounded and useful. I studied with her while she was still in Taos, NM and am indebted to her for her insights into the crystalline world.

By the way; It's KATRINA, NOT KARRINA

In this book the third and last of the series, Katrina takes one step by step to the higher levels of crystal work, again intergrating the proper stones for this level. It is a call to enlightment and discusses the transpersonal chakras. Very informative about the intergration of the Soul Star and Earth Star and the Stellar Gateway. Again as always, easy to read, well presented. Highly recommend this book. Gail Fo

Read how Jen the Gelfling saves his planet from being ruled forever by the cruel Skekies. Learn how He Meets Kira, Augrah,and a fuzzball with teeth called Fizzgig. See how he sayes the Pod people! This book is hard to find, but it's worth it!

Thank You Jim Henson were ever you are

Delightful, enthralling fantasy based on the cinematic creativity of the late Jim Henson, this book proves much deeper than mere action-oriented adventure--of which there is plenty. Almost a psychological novel, THE DARK CRYSTAL reveals the coming-of-age of the last male Gelfling on the planet of Thra. From his quiet, dreamy existence in the secluded valley with the ponderous but cerebral urRu, Jen must suddenly depart on a Quest whose details are not fully explained to him. This gentle boy leaves his comfort zone in a desperate attempt to save his planet from another miillenium of destructive rule.

Jen's goal is to find a special crystal shard and reunite it with the mother crystal--now dark with grief and anger at the senseless destruction. This crystal is coveted and guarded in the Dark Castle by the vicious race of Skeksis, who terrorize the planet with their bat spies and insect zombies. Our unlikely hero has only his flute and his wits to guide him, but several surprise friends offer help and advice along his dangerous odyssey--including the last girl Gelfling. Together they race against celestial time, as the Great Conjunction of the triple suns is imminent.

I must admit that I picked up the book because I had seen the mesmerizing movie, in which no human face is seen, yet the characters express and inspire human emotions. But this novel stands proudly on its own merit, just as the Dark Cyrstal hangs mysteriously suspended in mid-air. This is high adventure at its best, coupled with penetrating psychological drama, as the author reveals the various nefarious schemes and motivations of the evil characters. Also the vacillations and maturation of the innocent Gelfling pair, driven by ancient Prophecy. Fear no Hollywood hack job, but settle back to enjoy a wonderful read--for kids of All ages!

In these poems, she captures memories as if they were fireflies and shows the us the world through her eyes, a world where a black woman must confront not only racial stereotypes, but class and sexual barriers, yet keep it together and keep it real. She riffs language with her saxophone, metaphorical pen and she takes us into her family as if we were family too, back from a long journey and fills us in on everything we've missed, good bad and in between. I especially enjoyed the poems about her family.

The poetry of Crystal Williams showcased in Kin is versatile, insightful, candid, funny, smart, memorable, emotionally compelling and direct. Tower: Ivy and candied yams don't mix.//What must it have been to be the first/black bud beneath ivy-veiled stones./There you were, breath soft/and quickly obscured. Crossing, climbing/with hoisted ancestor-eyes, making your way to sit at back?/To sit. To sit and listen, your mind whittling, haunted/music popping your veins. And then to hunch/beneath a flicking light. Where was that and/what must it have been?//These certainties://Yams are not indigenous here./To sow them one must toil/under rigorous sun. To reap/them backs must bend, arms must reach./And there you were, sowing and reaping./And here we are sowing, reaping,/listening for a kindred voice/singing, sanging, sangin' softly, 'chil.

In "Kin" Crystal Williams shows the multiple and overlapping meanings that "family" can have. Her own complex family dynamic informs her poetry, but so do her relationships with her friends, her idols, even strangers. "In Search of Aunt Jemima" is one of the best explanations of "personhood" one could hope to read.