Valley of Death is one of the sexiest and most exciting books I have ever read! The love scenes sizzle and the action beats the Lethal Weapon movies! The characters are beleivable and so real. I'd like to meet Jack Riley in person to see if he's really that good in the sack!

Craig's book pulls you into the world of Jack Riley and Moria Clark, full of fast-paced adventure and romance. Valley of Death was a nonstop thrill ride that kept me intrigued with each new twist and turn. Ceaselessly exciting, Craig's novel keeps you turning pages until the finish.

Valley of death was an awesomely paced page turner that I couldn't put down! It has the action and humor of the Lethal Weapon Movies and the romance of Romancing the Stone! Form Chicago to the Arctic, it never stops and never lets up! if you buy no other book this year, buy Valley of Death!

Many of my students (high school English) have read this book. In fact, I used THE WORLD WEAVER as the summer reading selection last year. WHY would I do that when Senior English-what I mainly teach--is ENGLISH LITERATURE??? The students will read this book. When I gave previous students the opportunity to read the book as one of their yearly novels, they told me, "Mrs. Burke-Cremeans, I actually read it and liked it. It is the first book I have ever finished."
I have used this book in 9th, l0th, llth, and 12th grades--the first edition--and this new edition. The students continue to tell me how much they like it and wish there would EVENTUALLY be a movie.
When we are having problems getting students to read, this one is a great choice.
As an avid reader, I do not like Fantasy at all, however, I certainly enjoyed Larkin, his friends, and their antics. Besides being quite interesting, I enjoyed "seeing" how the group worked together COOPERATING with each other. The diversity of the students was an added touch.
Etchison's words give us the opportunity to come away having liked the book, having "pictured" the kids in our minds, and having learned what can happen when we accept one another-no matter what. I LIKE THIS BOOK.

I am an English teacher in High School. I find it difficult to get students to read. I have taught 7-12...same problem with the reading.
However, students of all ages (including my seniors) enjoy this book. They almost always have something good to say about the book. Often I hear, "This is THE ONLY book I have ever finished."
Why give students books they HATE??? Why not let the ONLY BOOK read be one they will remember???

The book is full of examples of delicious figurative language...it allows the reader to "think"--what if I were one of these students? What if a Larkin were in my life? Would I believe him?

This book would make a fantastic movie...

Reader Comments sent to author: 1. I like the book a lot. The girls in the book...are just like the little clique I belong to. I have never been interested in books before, but I can't seem to put this book down. 2. I don't like to read, but there was something here that kept me reading. 3. I enjoyed this book because it was suspenseful, exciting, and flat out neat. 4. It made me think about what was really going on in my life. It took me by surprise, too. It was an awesome book and I'm glad I got to read it. 5. I changed my view of other people around me--people like Donnie who seem like jerks but may not be. 6. This book showed me that I have to push myself to achieve my goals. It changed my life.

i have taken this book to me 3 years in a row that i've gone to yellowstone, and it has shown me where the fish are. This is the best fly-fishing guide i have ever seen. If you plan on fly-fishing Yellowstone seriously i highly reccomend this book.

A very logically organized guide covering the lakes and streams of Yellowstone. With this book as a guide and real-time input from local fly shops, you should be well positioned for success.

The book will tell you where to fish, when to fish, and what patterns will likely be successful. A small investment for a potentially enormous return.

Yellowstone Media Group Inc. has a great new DVD, "Fly Fishing Yellowstone Hatches - DVD, that is also excellent.

Three years ago I bought this book from Craig Matthews at his store and everytime I go to Yellowstone I STILL use it. Of all the fly fishing books I have about where to fish this one is the best by far.

Craig tells in DETAIL about no only WHERE the fish are, but what to use at that time of year and what fish are in the water.

If you are planning on fishing in Yellowstone..then this is your book!

Scott Cash Thompson

Michael Craig, a securities attorney, describes the basis for success or failure in 50 big money business deals. He examines the strategy, risks and personality dynamics involved. Craig highlights 10 rules for success he gleaned by observing patterns in these deals, rules you can apply to your own business transactions. This well-crafted book groups several deals to illustrate each rule, although many of the deals reflect several principles. At the end of each story, the author recaps the lesson at hand and explains what went right or wrong. While executives, company owners, and those who do deals for them will find this book especially valuable, we at getAbstract also recommend it to general readers, who will enjoy reading these inside accounts of well-publicized deals.

After having read many business and political articles by Michael Craig, I'm glad to see his talent has finally been noticed by publishing houses. This book is not only entertaining but a must read for anyone in business or anyone considering starting a business. Oh, to have this book 100 years ago!!!

This is when business is at its most exciting -- when the façade of carefully laid plans and beautifully executed plays fades into a reality of last-minute decisions, Hail Mary passes and ego-driven competitiveness. This book looks at 50 such moments, dividing them into ten categories, such as "Do Your Homework" (The disastrous formation of Cendant from the merger of HFS and CUC Int'l) and "Take Advantage of Your Adversary's Weakness" (John Kluge buys and breaks up Metromedia). From small but critical decisions (Michael Robertson purchases the domain name MP3.com) to gigantic transactions (Quaker Oats acquires Snapple), from those that worked out beautifully (Berkshire Hathaway purchases Coca-Cola stock) to those that failed miserably (Novell acquires WordPerfect), deals are dissected. What emerges is a compelling case that dealmaking, at least as much as running a company or creating products, is what separates good companies from bad.

Mike Craig is one of my very favorite business writers. As he's demonstrated time and again on the website that I edit, he's in possession of one of the rarest traits in business writing: hands-on knowledge of how deals are put together. Having defended, sued, represented and antagonized dozens of public companies over his decade and a half as a corporate attorney, Craig knows how these deals are put together. Better, he knows how to explain them with flair.

This book is at its best when Craig is taking a company to task for a bad decision. Sony's ruinous acquisition of Columbia Pictures is gleefully detailed, from the initial overpayment to the hiring of Peter Guber and Jon Peters at inflated rates to the way Sony laid down when Warner sued them for hiring that duo. You can almost hear Craig giggling as he chronicles the missteps.

Genocide. Ecocide. ugly words, but far worse is the actual doing of these atrocities. the book is passionate without being preachy, balanced in trying to stick to the facts without over dramatizing them. its is well written and easily read, convincing and deeply saddening. a must read for anyone desirous of knowing what is going on on The Roof of the World.

realpolitik versus the faith of the Dalai Lama and the people of Tibet. chinese communist with the millenium old chinese racism and serious blindness to all things not-chinese versus poor, buddhist, hill people. Tibet is loosing and may already have lost.

One thing missing from the book is an impassioned and reasonable plead of why the West, European and American people should give a damn about what happens in such a remote, poor, unimportant part of the world. her argument stems only from a call to justice and a call to the unity of humanity. and this is relatively unspoken. it is assumed in her passion for the people and Tibet and justice for there case.

Give me a minute to argue the Tibetan case.
1- you buy Chinese goods, these effectively support the government and allow the rape of this poor country and its people
2-there is a unity of humanity. we in the west are detribalized and owe little loyalty between the level of our families and the national governments.
3-the connectedness of all is real. for instance. ship the tibetan forests to china, silt load in the major rivers in India will be enormously increased. the destruction and flooding there will kill millions and destroy the wealth of another poor nation. this will have great effect on the military and political situation in this volitile region.
4-in is an example of the nature of chinese, communist, secular, expansionist, imperialist power at it rawist, most destructive, murderous.
5-the tibetan people through the Dalai Lama partly, but through their faith have much to teach the world, and they are doing so in actions, with their bodies and lives in a way that shames the materialist West. a very important lesson about what is really important in life.

but after all of this.
justice freedom faith
are more than words. they are deeds.

and this book will help you understand why some people are killing other people in Tibet. today. tomorrow.

I knew VERY LITTLE about what happened to Tibet and the Dalai Lama, until this book. It's a very good read....Please consider buying it and learning about the abuse of human rights in other parts of the world.

China is now the newest trading partner for America. This bookand "In Exile from the Land of Snows" by John Avedon offer agreat deal of understanding tho the nature of the Government ofChina. If you are planning to do business or just buy the "Madein China" Label you should want to understand where much of yourinvestment goes and the horrors that your dollars pay for. This is nota read that will leave you unmoved. You will want to know more...Another Video to see is a chinese and Tibetan language film "Windhorse" Very accurate when compared to the other histories listed above and current news reports out of Tibet. For more on Tibet visit the website of the Tibetan Government in Exile at www.tibet.com or for a beginners introduction to Tibet visit www.tibetanphotoproject.com and then come back and get this book. Reading this book is a worthwhile journey in today's global marketplace.

J. W. Jackson is an ex Boston policeman. He likes to live the simple life and especially to fish. He, his wife Zee, who is a nurse in the local hospital, and their two children, Joshua and Diana live on Martha's Vineyard.

Paul Fox is shot outside the E and E Deli in Vineyard Haven on the island. J. W. and Zee were inside eating. J. W. runs outside to help him. Luckily Paul was wearing a bulletproof vest.

It is possible that Paul's brother, Donald, who is an Olympic gold medalist who is now a ruthless real estate developer, was the intended target. Donald's company is trying to buy up fuzzy old deeds and evicting homeowners on the island. One of his agents, Albert Kirkland, recently tried to buy the Jackson's home. J. W. is a part-time PI and takes the case to find out who is trying to kill Donald.

J. W. begins looking into Donald's life and finds many suspects, especially angry homeowners on the island. He begins looking into John Reilly for a friend and finds that no one knows where he lives. In attempting to follow him home, two men begin following J. W. From here things just keep getting complicated until J. W. can finally make sense of everything.

I love this series. We vacationed in New England last summer and we went to Marth'as Vineyard specifically because of my reading this series. It is as lovely in the books as it is in person. Mr. Craig has really captured the life and beauty of the island.

The main characters in this series are well written. Every time I read a book in this series, I feel like I'm catching up with an old friend. In each book, the new characters are constructed just as well. He has a real gift for making his characters real.

The plot in each book, this one included, is so well written you cannot figure out the mystery completely.

I truly enjoyed this book and love this series. I highly recommend it.

Philip Craig continues to have quality books one right after another. I happened upon his books three years ago and have read all of them. I only wish he could write/publish more per year.
Someone in Hollywood should also wake up and make some movies out of them. Watch out Mary Higgins Clark!

If you have read Craig before, there is both recognition of style and surprise. I've noticed the other reviewers and the Editorial reviews are partially giving away the mystery, not mentioning what a wonderful flowing who done it mystery this is. The characters are well defined, the chapters are clearly planned and separated so as not to loose even the most light hearted. I have to say, I think this is Philips best yet, and that is a heavy statement. If you enjoyed this, read Mad Light by Maddox.

Lest we forget the horror that is war.

Standing, as we are, on the cusp of what historians will call the Second Gulf War, the world is confronted once again with the terrors and brutality that warfare stirs in the human psyche. Each of our living generations carries distinct and vivid imagery of what those horrors are. The further back in time our collective memories stretch, the more brutal warfare becomes. Tragically, as our technology has advanced, our ability to wage a lightning war -- an antiseptic Blitzkrieg if you will -- has become so profound that the youngest of our generations have forgotten, or never learned, just how terrible war can be. In a world where our most recent conflicts have seen more friendly fire casualties than deaths attributable to combat, to be captured, tortured, and deprived of basic human necessities is now something of an anachronism to Americans in the 21st century.

To counter our fading memories, Oliver Craig Allen, with the help of his wife Mildred Faye Allen, has given us one man's perspective of the grim realities faced by thousands of American prisoners of war during World War II ' many of whom never returned home alive. The Allen's do not attempt to tell the sweeping and rich history of American combat in the Pacific during the war, nor have they put together a comprehensive history of Bataan, the Death March or even of the unit in which Red Allen served. Rather, this is a story of survival in the face of almost unimaginable brutality at the hands of Japanese captors. Throughout the story, the reader is met head-on with Allen's completely honest assessment of himself, not as a hero or otherwise notable figure but as a simple young man who ended up in a terrible situation from which there was little hope of escape. Allen's gritty determination and tenacious will to survive is perhaps the most salient feature in this work which traces Red Allen from the years prior to his enlistment through his freedom from captivity and to his return to life as a civilian deeply affected by his experiences in combat and captivity.

Among the many prominent facets of this work is Allen's depiction of the ever-present fog of confusion and chaos that surrounded the battle for the Philippines and life as a captive of the Japanese. This story does an exceptional job in painting a clear picture of the fall of the Philippines and the abandonment of our armed forces thereafter. As a stand-alone memoir, Abandoned on Bataan is a good read about a terrible time. It is also valuable as a component in the larger story of the hell that was life as a prisoner of war under a Japanese captor with only the vaguest regard for individual dignity and human life.

"Abandoned on Bataan" is the detailed memoirs of Oliver Allen, one of may American soldiers left behind on the Bataan peninsula during World War II. Most people with even a basic knowledge of the history of the war in the Pacific know of the Bataan death march and the condition of the people when they were rescued from camps in China and Japan. What we generally don't know much about is what happened between those events. Oliver Allen's story fills in that detail with his personal experiences. He details the treatment received (including the rare instances of kindness shown by individual soldiers), the daily life in the camp, the work details, the health conditions, and the eventual liberation. It is a story of strength in the darkest hours of human travesty, it is a story of surviving, and it is a story of winning against all odds. For those with an interest in history and in particular an interest in Bataan or the war in the Pacific in general it is a highly recommended read.

One man's story of survival, as told to Mildred Allen. A teenage American GI recounts his years (1941-1945) of starvation, torture & germ warfare as a prisoner of war of the Japanese Empire in the Philippines & Manchuria.

ABANDONED ON BATAAN isn't about great generals or mighty battles, it is much, much more important, for it is about the survival of human dignity, compassion & hope against all odds. Yes, Red Allen ponders on the differences between cultures. Yes, his perspective of his captors is all-American, his point-of-view, however, is both prosaic & honest.

Yearning to become a pilot, teenager Oliver Allen answers the call to duty as the storms of war rumble over Europe & China. Unable to attain his dream of flying planes, he enlists anyway & is immediately shipped to the West Coast, on to Hawaii & then across the Pacific to the Philippine Islands into the maw of the Japanese advance.

That Red Allen survives is due as much to the simplicity & hardscrabble of his Texas childhood during the Great Depression as to the ebullience of his youth, not to mention pure damn luck!

Embedded in this memoir is history as well as a mystery. What were the reasons the world went to war in Europe & in Asia, & what were the feathers the POWs found in their Red Cross packages & parcels from home?

ABANDONED ON BATAAN is an astonishing read. Profoundly modest, detailed & authentic. Time & time again, this prototypical survivor has the opportunity to dwell on self-pity & whine about horrific injustices visited upon him & his fellow POWs, however, he rarely does so, to his credit. It's the story that counts & the Allens have written a riveting memoir.

Very good choice of topics. Clear presentation. Caters to a wide variety of audiences.

I'd give it a 5 if it included a chapter devoted practical aspects of experimental light scattering measurements, techniques, and instrumentation.

The authors' lively and `user-friendly' style of presentation help bring material of an advanced nature within the reach of a larger number of readers than most books that deal with the subject at this level. I highly recommend this classic reference.

I have found this to be a very useful reference for calculations of light-scattering properties of particles of various sizes and shapes. Discussions of subjects ranging from geometrical optics to Mie theory appear clear and complete. The book also includes computer algorithms for computing scattering properties of homogeneous spheres, coated spheres and cylinders.

In this sequel to Angelina Ballerina, Angelina learns that her ballet school is to put on a performance for the Princess of Mouseland. Angelina is crushed, though, when she gets sick in time for the tryouts. Forced to settle for a supporting role, she takes her mother's advice and determines to do her best at the part she is given. This is the story of Angelina's triumph!

Once again the unbeatable duo of Katharine Holabird (author) and Helen Craig (illustrator) combine to create a supremely lovable book. My ten-year-old daughter tore through this book, thoroughly enjoying the story. Yes, it wasn't a challenge to her reading ability, but she loved the story, and I appreciate any book that keeps her reading! Both my daughter and I highly recommend this book.

"Angelina and the Princess" is the first of the Angelina series my daughter and I have, but we plan to get the rest as we love this so much. Angelina is a tiny white mouse who yearns to be feminine and sweet, but is sometimes headstrong and silly--just like most girls I know (including my five-year old daughter!). Angelina has a dance recital coming up and she is pining away for a major role. However, as she's sick on the day of auditions, she doesn't do well and in fact, barely is able to crawl back home and into her worried mother's arms. She knows she did poorly, and her mother admits as much too, which brings me to one of the things I love about this book--there's no sugar-coating the fact that Angelina has gotten herself into a pickle. It's a storybook, and a fantasy at that, but it's realistic enough to keep the edge off the sweetness.

Angelina is counseled by her mother to do her very best. I don't want to give away the ending, but by keeping a cheerful attitude and trying to do her best for the whole dance company, Angelina is amply rewarded. It's a story with a moral, but the moral isn't presented in a sickeningly sweet way.

The illustrations by Helen Craig are truly a treat. Set vaguely in a Victorian England mousedom, they depict tiny cottages with climbing vines, drapey dresses with floral prints, tiaras, bouquets, adorable furniture, and so on. Three cheers to both Helen Craig and author Katharine Holabird for a book which is a joy to read and great fun to peruse just for the illustrations alone!

I bought this book for my nieces (three and four) who started their ballet lessons. I first hesitated because Angelina was a mouse who does not look like Mickey Mouse, instead looks rather like a real mouse, but all the pictures are so wonderfully detailed and cute. Not only my nieces love the story, but they are also interested in other things in the pictures (e.g. posters and toys in Angelina's bedroom etc). They have been reading it over and over, and each time they report me the things they noticed in the pictures. I am not sure if it is recommandable for little boys for the girly storyline, yet I am sure it is a great book for girls, especially who loves ballet.

In this next book in the Angelina Ballerina series, Angelina can hardly await the arrival of her mom's new baby. However, when the baby arrives, she finds that the baby is now the center of everyone's attention. Wracked with jealousy, Angelina has a lesson to learn...

This is a very cute book. I like the lesson that it taught, and my daughter and I both loved the story and the wonderful illustrations. This is a good book, one that we highly recommend to you.

Katharine Holabird's "Angelina's Baby Sister" follows in the tradition of all the other Angelina Mouseling books. Angelina Mouseling is a small white mouse--perhaps somewhere between six and ten years old in people years--who has the complete attention of her parents and grandparents no matter what. Then one day, her mother has a baby! The new baby sister, Polly, is adorable and Angelina tries very, very hard to be interested and attentive and loving. But it's tough. No one is much paying attention to Angelina now that Polly's here, and that's especially upsetting to Angelina because she's recently been given an award at dance class.

Angelina finally gives in to her anger and throws off steam in the privacy of her bedroom. The problem is that in doing so, she accidentally breaks the award statuette she's recently earned. The adults--parents and grandparents alike--are surprised by Angelina's mood and soon figure out the connection to the new baby, Polly.

All ends well, however, and Angelina is able to look at Polly as a possible new audience member for Angelina's impromptu dance recitals at home. This is a dear, sweet book that examines honestly the difficulties involved in dealing with a new sibling. The illustrations by Helen Craig are, as always, just precious--softly colored, beautifully detailed, and always in step with the text.

Someone gave my 3 year old daughter this book when we had a new baby. Angelina has a hard time sharing the spotlight, and her family's time with the new addition. So did my daughter! But, reading this book with her gave us some "cuddle time" and helped us deal with incorporating a new and demanding member of the family! I've given this book as a gift many times since!