This is the greatest book, even if your not into mystical fantasy the romance and action is great.

A book which draws you in and holds you there. You don't just understand, you ARE the characters. The style is the in the ancient folktale style, which is fitting for the characterization. I was fourteen when I first read this book, and since then it has become my "teddy bear" book, brought with me everywere. It gives you a way out of your mundane reality.

For years I'd seen this book in the shelves of the public library, but I'd never given it more than a glance. But just recently I was browsing the shelves, after having found what I was looking for, and chanced upon Child of Faerie, Child of Earth. I read the inside cover for probably the 5th time in the past 3 years, thinking maybe I ought to read it, and see if it was any good.

So I checked it out, brought it home, and began to read... and I couldn't put it down! The story is so simple, and yet so enthralling all at once. I immediately liked Percinet, the green-eyed elf with a sweet sense of humor and such persistence. Me being the addictive reader that I am, finished the book in a day. I loved it not as one loves a flowering orchid awash in dew, but as one sees a white daisy in a field, and loves it for its simplicity and purity. If ever I am in a bad mood, I shall pick up this book and read my worries away.

I recommend it to any avid reader, any hopeless romantic, any believer of Faeries, any lover of adventures, any magically talented soul, anyone who enjoys a story, pure and lovely. Any reader, any age, will love this book. I did. Even as I was in the midst of A Clockwork Orange, Julius Caesar, and so many dark and serious and sorrowful books, Child of Faerie, Child of Earth was my beam of hopeful light, my life-saving beacon. It is a book like no other.

This is the sixth book of the series and it still brings something new to the 34th FIST. The storyline is much different that previous books but it still keeps you on the edge of your seat.

On the opposite, there is always previous information coming from the previous books that is good to know while reading. It puts everything in perspective. Flashback from Elnear, Wandejhar, Society 436 and Diamunde reminds you of the previous missions for the marines.

What's next?? I need to wait for number 7: Kingdom;s Swords...

Hangfire can be said to be the best in the series after Blood Contact, might even consider it to rank equal to it. Even though both Sherman and Cragg are still inconsistent with the platoon makeup, the plot and story still flows very well. I also like the lead-in, and preparation they have done on several chapters for the major intergalactic war that they had hinted at in Blood Contact. Fact is, I'm kind of upset that I have to wait that long for the the war that I hope will take more than one book to finish. Then again, if I have to wait too long between books, I might have to bite someone to calm myself... heheh 8) I will highly recommend anyone who even has the slightest interest in Sci-Fi Military books to read this excellent book, but who isn't a nitpicker with minor inconsistencies.

Hangfire is the best so far in the series. Good action, good story, and it has a good lead in for the next book. Gives a lot more development on characters who weren't mentioned much or haven't been used much in the last few books. A very good read

This friendly guide will help everyone from newbies to experienced users. Seniors may turn first to their grandchildren for help getting on the Internet, but if the kids are not available, Mr. Modem is.

This non-threatening, friendly introduction to the 'Net will hold the newbie user's hand from installation to surfing web sites.

I have two Web sites, feel rather comfortable on the Internet, and still found Mr. Modem's book full of helpful information.

Don't miss his "Fast-Forward Look into the Future of the Internet!

Mr. Modem's book is filled with wonderful information for surfers of all ages! It's a terrific resource and so much fun to read. I couldn't believe I found myself laughing outloud while reading a computer book.

When my dad got his new computer a couple of months ago and wanted to start surfing the Internet, I let him borrow my copy and now I can't get it back from him. He's learned so much and is now a real pro.

My personal favorite chapter is the one on web sites. This is by far the best collection of web site URL's I've ever come across. I also learned so much in the chapter on search engines which has really helped me find what I'm looking for on the web much quicker.

Thanks, Mr. Modem, for writing such an educational AND entertaining book!

I bought this book as a holiday gift for my dad (who has always been a bit stymied by his desktop computer) -- he dove right into it & didn't speak to any of us for a couple of hours, so judging by that reaction, I'd have to guess that it was pretty readable for your average intelligent-but-techno-naive senior. Mr. Modem covers a lot of ground (how to get online with an ISP, how to use a search engine, etc.) without going too deeply into any particular topic. Instead, the book gives lots of URLs and places for the neo-surfer to try out his new skills. Hey, maybe Dad will even get the hang of Amazon.com soon ;-)

As one of the poets featured in Will Work for Peace, one might expect me to be a bit biased, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Most poets work in a virtual vacuum, only tenuously connected to each other by the occasional workshop or shared membership in a 'poetry society'. When Brett Axel first approached me for a submission to an anthology he was considering, the names Marge Piercy, Lyn Lifshin, Moshe Bennaroch and so many others were abstractions to me as a fledgling poet. I knew these tremendous writers were 'out there' somewhere, beating down doors with their words and keeping a struggling artform alive. But to think that someday I would ever share a credit with these dynamic modern poets would be a pipe dream at best. It is through the sincere efforts of Brett Axel that many newer voices like mine have an extraordinary opportunity to appear with Pulitzer Prize winners and other poetic heavyweights. By way of an honest review, however, I will say this- not everything in this book will be to your particular liking. I myself came across some works that did not move me in the way the author may have intended. Some imagery can be raw and visceral, using shock value in place of craft at times. But to ignore those voices would be an even more shocking turn of events, so praise be to the editor for not sacrificing his vision to a senseless conformity. As Pete Seeger so aptly put it in his quote, trying to read all these poems at one time would be like trying 'to swallow Manhattan whole'. I say to you- buy this book, read this book, but understand that it's what you do after reading this book that will ultimately define who you could be. Poetry is alive and well, and lives in the blunt pages of Will Work for Peace.

Brett Axel visited my Church and I bought a copy of Will Work For Peace from him, not for poetry, but because I care about working for peace. I started reading through it thinking It'd just go on my shelf and that'd be the end of it, but the book grabbed me and kept me rivited. If I had known that poetry was this alive I'd have been into poetry. I've been reading some of the poems to my friends who also didn't think poetry was important and they are saying the same thing. Fantastic! There's no way to get through this book without having your old mindsets challenged. It's funny, powerful, sad, and uplifting. A book that deserves to be read by everyone. A book that really can make the world a better place!

Just amazing start to finish! I like the disregard for fame used in putting the book together. That great poems got in even if they were writtenby nobodys. Look at Roger Bonair-Agard's poem on page 74. Shortly after Will Work For Peace came out he won Slam Nationals, becoming Slam Champion of 1999, which will be getting him lots of offers. But Zeropanik Press didn't need to be told he was good by an award. They could tell by his writing! Good for them and good for all of us because Will Work For Peace is a literary milestone. It's a new standard for all future anthology editors to try to live up to. Thumbs up to Brett Axel and Thumbs up to Zeropanik Press for their guts and integrty.

This book was not the literary version of Top Gun so if you are looking for seat of the pants air combat this is not really the book to read. The author was a navy EA-6 Prowler pilot during the Gulf War. He flew from the U.S.S. Midway. One of the more interesting parts of his story is that he was a new carrier pilot at the start of the conflict, therefore, he had to get accustomed to flying from a carrier during war conditions. The tensest passages in the book deal with his night landings and aerial refuelings. The actual job his aircraft performed in the war, although very valuable, was a bit dull. This was not air to air fighter pilot dogfights.

I was also a little disappointed with his descriptions of what life was like on a carrier during wartime. There were some descriptions, but not enough for me to get a good picture of his time out on the ship. Do not get me wrong, the book was enjoyable and the writing was good. The book did tell the story of the war that most of us would not get to hear given the author was not a fighter pilot glamour jockey. I just wanted a bit more overall details of his group's missions and life on the carrier and skip the love story.

There has got to be a rush that comes from taking off from an aircraft carrier in a jet, being accelerated by a steam catapult and a pair of screaming afterburners to nearly 170 m.p.h. in less than 2 seconds. Nor does it take a Stephen King to imagine the stress involved in trying to get back aboard a carrier on an inky night in a plane low on fuel. Among naval aviators, this is what separates those who can "hack it" from those who cannot. For carrier pilots do not land their planes so much as slam them aboard heaving, yawing ships at sea. So it is that night landings, in which vertigo and optical illusion are routeine and depth perception nonexistent, become "the practice of overcoming the fear of death," writes Lt. (j.g.) Sherman Baldwin, who spent his nugget - maiden - cruise aboard the USS Midway during the Persian Gulf War. If Baldwin's introspection sets "Ironclaw" (the call sign of his squadron) apart from others of its ilk, make no mistake: This is a book about flying. It begins with the author's first night catapult shot aboard the Midway and with great perception describes life for those who come and go on a seaborne aircraft carrier at war

Navy pilot Sherm Baldwin ushers you silently into the cockpit of his Navy Jet Prowler in the Gulf War as he lands and takes off both day and night onto the smallest aircraft carrier in our fleet. You feel all his experiences at first hand, right along with him and his crew. My twelve year old son likes the book as much as I do ("the best book I ever read," he told me) probably in spite of the fact that "Tank" Baldwin courts his wife to be Alice by daily letter from the Gulf War. No surprise to me that the Military Book Club has chosen IRONCLAW as its lead selection this Fall. Give it a try ... the first chapter will have you gripping your seat wondering if can land this damn plane

The story is pretty good and does brings something new against Charlie Bass and his men. It is different than the tribal on Elneal or the tank of Diamunde and its brings some action for the marines.

I was unable to put down the book as I was reading since I was waiting for a grande finale. However, once the book was fully read I had some questions about missing links.

Anyway, I am still very pleased with the outcome of the book. I will finish reading HangFire and buy the seventh book Kingsdom's Sword once it is out.

Enjoy

As previously, Sherman and Cragg, have produced another military sci-fi page turner. This book moves along at a good pace and keeps it going throughout the entire book. The introduction of aliens opens an entire new vista for the StarFist series. If you are familiar with military sci fi and don't know the Starfist series, get with it!

In the first Starfist novel, the 34th FIST went up against a bunch of nomadic, "low-tech" tribes. Next, they trained a puppet-police force to stand against rebels. Then, they spearheaded an invasion against an entire mechanized army. What's left for the fourth book, you ask? Heck, ALIENS!

A remote research outpost on a planet a bit too far gone to be accurately called "remote" suddenly disappears. True to form, the bureacracy (sp?) diddles around before deciding to send a single FIST platoon and the Navy's most embarrassing rejects to investigate. Of course, L platoon, 34th FIST, draws the short straw...probably the best thing the powers-that-be could've done. *g* So, how do you makes heads and tails of a planet covered by swamps and impassable mountains, littered with corpses, full of gigantic lizards (some of which want to melt you), and all the while encumbered with the only human survivors, a rag-tag band of pirates? Just put Charlie Bass in charge!

This novel was non-stop from the beginning! Old comrades, new friends, mysterious pasts, enigmatic genocides, and a diabolically sentient race that's next to impossible to track, mindless in its persuit of the destruction of all things human, and simply ingenious in its tactics all add together to make a truely original read! Not your typical "slimey alien drooling on floor grunts a few gutteral noises then whips out a super-advanced weapon and blows the sun up" cookie-cutter beastie, these are coldly calculating commanders with hordes of mindless minions to do their bidding.

This is a very highly recommended book! I couldn't find anything to tick on it for, except maybe Dan Cragg and David Sherman's continual downplay of the Navy forces...which, as an ex-Navy man myself, I can totally understand. All in all, I can't wait for book five and six to come out!

This is an excellent book. It tells you about Sherman's horrific march to the sea. Burke Davis combines letters, Sherman's memoirs, and other Sherman books into the splendid narrative. It captures the feeling of his 60,000 man army. It tells about the pillaging of Georgia and the Carolinas and the determined southern women. This book brings right into the destructive path of Sherman's army. I reccomend this book to everyone!

Burke Davis is one of America's premeir Civil War historians, and with "Sherman's March," he provides a well-balanced and highly readable account. General Sherman was a visionary whose tactics against civilians and infastructure in Georgia and the Carolinas helped speed the war to its conclusion. Of course, the human cost was high, but not by 20th Century standards in which this type of warfare would become the norm. Furthermore, the South NEEDED to be whipped as Sherman whipped them to avoid the type of "stab in the back" mentality that showed up in Germany after World War I and led directly to Hitler. Sherman's March left the South with no illusions about who won the war and about exactly what kind of Hell the war was. Sherman himself said that "War is misery and you cannot refine it," and he endeavored to bring that misery to the heretofore relatively untouched deep South.

Burke does a good job of showing the grave damage inflicted by the march and holds Sherman accountable for the excesses inflicted by his army. He also shows how Sherman's tactics contributed greatly to the end of the conflict in part by causing many of the men in General Lee's command to desert. The march was a work of military genius, and Davis has documented it in fine fashion.

William T. Sherman considered himself the best strategist of the Civil War generals. His march to Atlanta succeeded with a single battle. He maneuvered his troops so the enemy withdrew. This very readable book tells about this later campaign. Burke Davis spent over ten years gathering eyewitness accounts fro obscure and forgotten sources. Fourteen pages in the Bibliography replace footnotes; this book is for reading as history.

Atlanta was a major supply station for the Confederacy; it was targeted like railroad marshaling yards in WW II. Destroying railroad yards, an oil refinery, and warehouses was a military objective, but the fires spread (as in 1871 Chicago). Sherman was blamed for the destruction of private property (p.6). Sherman's army would live off the land; they could take what was in the open, but could not enter homes (p.8). Most of Sherman's troops were from the West: Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, one regiment of white Alabama Unionists (p.11). Sherman reduced formality to a minimum, and gained these troops affection.

When war was declared Sherman volunteered. He turned down an appointment as brigadier general for a colonel of regular infantry (p.15). Sherman was put in command of the Western army, and began to develop his theory of total warfare with highly mobile forces (p.18). Sherman's capture of Atlanta helped Lincoln's re-election. His march to Savannah was planned using census reports of farm production for each county. Sherman had a flat hierarchy, officers reported to him directly (p.26).

This foraging, or pillaging and destruction, was unique in American history (p.43). The looting and destruction of the Milledgeville statehouse library reminded one officer of the looting of Egypt (p.64). Sherman had a low opinion of newspaper reporters: they had earlier said he was insane, and published military news that was used by the Confederacy (no censorship then). Sherman was forever blamed for burning Columbia (p.161), but he intended to only destroy public buildings (railroad depots, factories). He said the fire was started by cotton bales burned by retreating Confederate cavalry. Others said it was caused by drunken troops (p.179), and the failure of the Governor to destroy the liquor supplies. His campaign was marked by unexpected cruelties, last seen in 17th century European wars. But not in North Carolina (p.216). Colonel Rhett was a symbol of the arrogant Southern ruling class (p.228). Sherman's focus was on winning the war rather than a victory, so he avoided a battle if possible (p.239)

Sherman's "Memoirs" in 1875 assessed the roles of individuals and governments in a bluff and candid manner, without sentiment. Sherman had some Southern admiration because of his opposition to Negro voting rights, but lost this when he termed the Confederacy as an "idiotic, criminal conspiracy" (p.300). This made him more popular with the Northern public. His death in 1891 had this eulogy: "He never acknowledged an error and never repeated it" (p.302). Sherman said "War is Hell". Clausewitz correctly said "war is the continuation of business rivalry through non-diplomatic means". Destruction in a country eliminates competition for manufacturers, creates new business for merchants and new investments for bankers. War is paradise when you profit from it.

Although I give the artist much credit for the minors cards, some of them are astounding beautiful and meaningful. In general I found this deck too loud in the intensity of the images and facial expressions( the eyes are so gross). Also, the cards have much ornamentation and are much crowded. I have a taste for more simplicity,I don`t like distracting borders.
This deck is valuable in the artistic demonstration of a technique, but not what Tarot really is about. This happens when a Deck is commissioned to an artist that does`nt have Tarot knowledge; it is void and superficial. When a Deck is made by a person that has studied and used Tarot, you can feel the energy and Mystic in the images, and in the Deck as a whole, even when you touch it.

Back in the 1970s, when I first became involved with the tarot, I remember being very disappointed with the cards available at that time. The Waite deck, in its time a ground-breaking and innovative project, had, in my opinion, all the zest and brilliance of Arthur Edward Waite's writing style -- as Regardie put it, "turgid, pompous and pretentious." To me, utterly useless. Then along came the Sacred Rose. For the first time, here was imagery that was bright, clear in meaning, reflective and yet also very much alive. I never really took the tarot seriously until I encountered this deck, and even now, with many other fine and innovative decks having appeared on the scene, this is still the deck I consider the best. The images are reminiscent of stained glass, but really evoke an entirely different feeling than other decks.. Rather than telling you what the cards mean, it seems as though the images draw their meaning out from the inside. In addition, there is none of the formal stodginess of traditional decks; you can almost smell the woods and flowers that illuminate the borders, and feel the forces the cards represent, something like looking toward the stars on a cold, clear night. If this all sounds a bit romantic, it is because the images are themselves romantic, and that kind of interaction is what succesful use of the tarot is all about. this is a good deck for beginners as well as experienced readers, and is capable of producing readings from the mundane to the deepest of spiritual encounters. Highly recommended; don't leave your astral home without it.

The Sacred Rose Tarot Deck by Johanna Gargiulo-Sherman is one of my favorite decks. Her use of imagery to convey the symbolic meanings of each of the cards is not only thoughtfully rendered, but is easy to understand and learn even for beginning tarot card readers. I love her use of color and shape to energize and give fluidity to the compositional elements of each card. Even though this deck was published in the 80's the cards are as relevant and powerful today as they were in its first introduction. A great deck for both collectors and mystics.

Having taught Finance at various schools, I found this book refreshingly straightforward for a topic most of my students find complex. Unlike a lot of the text type books on this topic (which are also good for technical analyst types), the authors have captured and synthesized a very clear strategy which works.
The incorporation of LEAP's which were introduced in the early 1990's and training on the language of options which I find many brokers do not understand, makes this volume unique.
I recently began recieving the fax service which provides real time reccomendations and ongoing guidance for all positions. So far I have achieved results beyond what I used to achieve with my regular equity positions.
I would reccomend this book for those that are new to options as well as those who have some years of experience. I have found it a small investment that pays for itself many times over.

As someone intimidated by the subject of options trading, I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in investing in the stock market. It introduced me to the fact that options are not the 100% gample I previously thought they were (but my stocks are!). It shows how options, if used properly, can actually provide risk protection. This manual also shattered my preconceived notion that option trading was just for high rollers. It offers unique strategies for a range of investing levels, including smaller investors such as myself. Don't let the casual presentation mislead you. These authors are seasoned veterans in this field and have proven they know what they are talking about. "Optional Wealth" is a worthwhile read and a great source for both information and motivation!

I bought this book a year and a half ago and have made over $100,000.00 following the strategies. I am now planning on retiring within the next 6 months to do this full time. My friends and family have bought enough books entitling me to receive the fax service for free since I started this type of trading. And now that the book is available at Amazon.com, you too, can aquire it. I hope you all take a risk and enjoy the rewards as I do with my new cadi. Have a wonderful life.

"Stork Club" is a pleasant surprise. It is the remarkably well- researched story of a one-time bootlegger from Oklahoma, by way of Washington and Detroit, named Sherman Billingsley. The author had the obvious cooperation of Billingley's daughter. Mr. B ran Manhattan's Stork Club from the mid- 30s to the mid -60s. Located on East 53rd Street, it was arguably the world's most famous nightclub, when there were such things. "SC" deals relatively briefly with the glamorous café society clientele such as Ethel Merman, Humphrey Bogart or the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. It concentrates on the harder edges of Mr. Bs life; the bootlegging days in the Midwest, his (successful?) fight to free himself from the mobsters like Dutch Schultz and Owney Madden, needless run ins with Civil Rights activists and the ultimately ruinous struggles with local unions. Mr. B was always fighting something including internal theft, a fickle public and disloyal employees who left him to start their own nightclubs. He appears to have been his own worst enemy. "SC" ends on an unsurprisingly depressive note. This reviewer would definitely recommend "SC" to any native New Yorker of a "certain age" or those curious about an earlier, VASTLY more gracious, more livable and more desirable New York than the current yuppie playground it has become. A personal note: Mr. B had the well-deserved reputation of being kind to young people and servicemen. .... "SC" is your chance to at least read about it and imagine.

"Stork Club" is a pleasant surprise. It is the remarkably well- researched story of a one-time bootlegger from Oklahoma, by way of Washington and Detroit, named Sherman Billingsley. The author had the obvious cooperation of Billingley's daughter. Mr. B ran Manhattan's Stork Club from the mid- 30s to the mid -60s. Located on East 53rd Street, it was arguably the world's most famous nightclub, when there were such things. "SC" deals relatively briefly with the glamorous café society clientele such as Ethel Merman, Humphrey Bogart or the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. It concentrates on the harder edges of Mr. Bs life; the bootlegging days in the Midwest, his (successful?) fight to free himself from the mobsters like Dutch Schultz and Owney Madden, needless run ins with Civil Rights activists and the ultimately ruinous struggles with local unions. Mr. B was always fighting something including internal theft, a fickle public and disloyal employees who left him to start their own nightclubs. He appears to have been his own worst enemy. "SC" ends on an unsurprisingly depressive note. This reviewer would definitely recommend "SC" to any native New Yorker of a "certain age" or those curious about an earlier, VASTLY more gracious, more livable and more desirable New York than the current yuppie playground it has become. ...Mr. B had the well-deserved reputation of being kind to young people and servicemen. My two visits to the Stork, just prior to its demise bore this out. They were nice to my date and me. ... This must have been a high-class place in its day, a "day" that is gone for good. "SC" is your chance to at least read about it and imagine.

I have always been a big fan of history, historical events, places, etc. but I never really thought about the age of the nightclub.

This book brings the past to life. Telling the story of poor Sherman Billingsly who brings to life a dream, to own his own nightclub. Seeing him rise to almost superstar status and to see the dream slip away with the changing of the times.

When I bought this book I figured it would be a read it on and off type book....I read it cover to cover in one sitting. I lost almost an entire day, but it was well worth it.

Hearing the stories about the stork and it patrons....Ethel Merman, Walter Winchell, John F Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe. Picturing the gangster behind the scenes waiting for a cut of the auction. The people who ran the club and just learning about the legendary club.

This one is well worth it! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!