While I am just getting ready to go to law school at the University of Richmond, this book has calmed some of my fears, but it has also raised a few as well. I plan to use this book as a reference during my first year. I hope that I will be able to provide more positive comments as my first year progresses.

I've read most of the "prepare for law school" books and this was my favorite. It was funny and upbeat and didn't tell you what a huge mistake you'd made in going to law school. It was not as technical as some others, but offered a lot of opinions from actual law students.

"Book of the Wyld" left me with mixed feelings. The book did contain some interesting and useful information; all the new rules would add just the right amount of flavor to any Werewolf story. Unfortunately, this book left me wanting for more; I don't think it was as good as the two previous books about the Wyrm and the Weaver. "Book of the Wyld" could have definitely use some more work, but I think it is worth having in the end if you want add more the Wyld element to your stories.

" and the Wild was off picking it's toes or something." This the general stereo type I held of The Wyld. Yes it's the fountain of creation, but it had not been given the personification that the other members of the triad had.

Well no more.

The down side of this book: It tries to explain the unexplainable.

The Up Side: It gives insight to what is often the most misunderstood element of the WereWolf game. The book has a good selection of Wyld Fetishes and a couple (2) Rites that can work as good background material. The selection of Wyld spirts is good (20 pages worth, and the Gorgans), and can act as excelent additions to any game (be forwarned some are reprints though). It also incluedes a section on The Storm Eater, if any one was wondering more about it, you'll find some answers. The addition of "thresholds" is also something new to me.

And finaly the warning "The Wild is a doble Edged Sword." Under this topic there is a good section explaining the chaos that is The Wyld. As well as an discusion on insainity (The freind of Chaos) and how close association wiht the Wyld can lead your characters to the depths of madness, and how to deal with it as a storyteller, and player.

All in all a good addition to the White Wolf line-up.

Okay folks. I have a bachelor's degree in Psychology and have been putting it to work as a real estate agent for over three years now. Presumably you are looking at this book because you want to improve your numbers and make more sales.

This is not the book for you. I will say that the science is excellent. It is extremely well researched and documented. The book would stand up well in any scholarly journal.

However, it does not serve to motivate or improve ones ability to make calls. In the business of Sales we are looking for motiviation to get on that phone or in front of that next client. This book attempts to identify why we fear making calls and how to confront that fear. But in its painstaking examination of ones personality type it gets incredibly dull. So achingly dull, in fact, that even those among us most determined to find a reason not to make our calls today become forced to find another call avoiding alternative due to sheer mind numbing boredom.

If you are looking for an excellent way to fall asleep at night buy this book. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a way to make those calls just a little bit easier, go somewhere else. This book will not do it. In this case, naming your fear does not tame it.

This book provides an intriguing analysis of the underlying fears and beliefs that inhibit our ability to positively promote ourselves, thereby limiting our financial success. The discussion throughout the book focuses on the behaviors of sales professionals, yet it has applications to anyone who must initiate contact with others--in a business or social setting. As you read this book, you will more than likely recognize some of your own behaviors and hopefully some ways to improve your ability to accomplish your own personal and financial goals.

The authors clearly care a great deal about how children are educated and evaluated. However, the conclusions that are drawn go too far. While these are steeped in much current literary theory, that theory itself is still very speculative with little firm research to support it. Furthermore, although the book roundly condems most current types of reading tests, no promising alternatives are put forth. The main mission of Fragile Evidence is not to reform standardized reading tests or tackle the difficult task of improving them, but rather to just get rid of them altogether. Still, there are a number of good points raised about test validity, reliability, and perhaps most importantly the poor uses to which tests are put.

This book does an excellent job of pointing out internal and external validity and reliability issues with a wide range of standardized tests used to assess reading. I found it remarkable to note that most of these tests seldom (if at all) ask readers to read real connected text. The authors do point to some alternatives for reading assessment. Most knowledgeable literacy educators will already have a wide array of means for developing a full picture of any child's literacy development. This book opens the doors wide toward having a conversation around the reductionistic perspectives represented by standardized reading assessments, the purposes they are used for, and the impact they can have on children's literacy.

I first was introduced to Glorantha back around 1980 through RuneQuest. I read through all three editions, but always found the game lacking. The stories of the gods and heroes of Glorantha were always so much larger than a game where you are tramping around like a mercenary-scavenger struggling to get enough clacks to buy a brew. So when Hero Wars was first being touted I was quite excited. Finally a chance for the rpg to catch up with White Bear, Red Moon and Plains of Prax!

That was how I felt until I read through the game.

What I expected was a game that ignored the petty details of day-to-day life and went for the Grand Hero's Journey a la Joseph Campbell. Instead our hero-to-be is just another member of his tribe. Yes, finally you get to play someone actually out of Dragon Pass, and supposedly you are halfway to being a hero already, but the tone of the game is to fit into your culture, to deal with petty cattle raids, and to worry whether or not the crops will come in next year.

The system isn't too difficult to figure out ... after about a dozen reads. As a veteran of reading many types of rpgs in my 25 years of playing, I found the layout and explanations very confusing. The editing is attrocious. There are tables that are split from bottom of one page to top of another. As we are living in a day and age of on-screen editing and WYSIWYG word processing this is unforgivable. Skills are often ill-defined, sometimes not defined at all (I am still waiting for the definition of the talent "Snarl Darkness"). Yes, you can create skills off the top of your head, but you better have a group that is willing to put up with ill-defined talents. Then again, since that seems to be the editorial style of this game, go for it.

The game sets up as many problems as it solves. If your character is already a "local hero" why is it that Joe Nobody warriors (and most ordinary carnivores) will beat you up seven times out of ten? If you are supposed to be a hero (again thinking of Campbell), why is he worried about getting his cattle in? Where are the gods? Where are the wonderous items?

I look upon myself as the person this game was aimed for, someone with a strong interest in folklore/mythology, well-read in Glorantha, and disappointed with the limitations of RuneQuest. Instead I am utterly turned off to this game and its few supplements. Yes, the later supplements have improved in editing (I looked through them at a local game store, but refused to buy them on principle), but the basic game is poorly laid out, less "user friendly" for people not yet introduced to Glorantha, and far from clear in its focus.

Maybe someday a better version will be written.

Maybe this better version will appear in less than 20 years.

Glorantha has for years been the richest, most vibrant fantasy world in the gaming scene but, in my opinion, it has been let down by the Runequest system which was good - but not good enough. It could not cater for the mythic depth of the world, characters who could ride lightning bolts and become the avatars of ancient heroes, dragons the size of mountain ranges and adventures which would revolve not on who was the finest swordsman, but who best embodied his god's virtues and abilities. At last, that game is here, with a flexible and innovative system from Robin Laws, and already a stream of first-class supplements. This is, I confess, a terribly gushing review. You don't want to read any more of my extravagant praise - just buy this game, and play it. The Hero Wars are now.

It's been a while since I read this, and this is just my opinion, but I was disappointed with this one. I'd read the 1990, 1991, and 1992 editions previously, and I thoroughly enjoyed them.

I have read probably, (literally) 100 anthologies of short stories and this is the best I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Admittedly, Best New Stories from the South is my favorite yearly anthology. It presents the most consistent quality of stories each year. This is the best that I have read. Each story is powerful and distinct from the others. To me, the mark of a good short story is when you must put down the book after finishing it and think. Every story in this collection is that good. This book, hopefully, will hook you on the series.

The main reason that we bought this book was to find Irish names based on their meanings. Unfortunately, there are very few meanings of any of the names listed. If you are looking for an extensive list of Irish names but not interested in their meanings, then this is a good book for you. Otherwise I have come across many general name books that have much more complete lists of meanings along with the names.

This book is entertaining and makes a great conversation piece among my Irish relatives and friends but I have to be honest and admit that it's not very helpful or pratical with it's pronunciations or advice and I will be looking into buying some of the other Irish baby name books out there.

This book is much better than you would gather from reading the reviews. Although it's true, the pronunciations are not always correct, the book is an excellent source of interesting Irish names. There's also a section of names that are not used in Ireland for humans but which might appeal to people looking for an Irish-sounding name. The book also offers some historical perspectives not in other naming books.

Since Irish is a tough language to pronounce merely by looking at Irish words, it might be a good idea to get a brief overview of the language before wading through the names. It'll help with pronunciation. If you can't be bothered (who has the time?!), just double-check a name you like with a more official Irish source. That's what I do & it's no big deal. I really like the way the book is organized and I enjoy the extra info so it's well worth the price I paid for it, despite its few flaws.

This pair of authors has several other charming naming books. If you're a writer (or a pretender, like me), their little books are very handy.

This is the first book I've read by Shannon Drake, and let me just say that it will be the last. The story is mostly set in modern Venice during Carnivale. Carnivale becomes rich and beautifully alive to the reader as Drake describes Venice in very descriptive detail. That's the one thing I actually liked about this book. The romance (if you could call it such) between Ragnor and Jordan is completely undeveloped and unlikely. They know absolutely nothing about each other, nor do they seem to care--except out of vague curiosity. The only thing between them is sexual chemistry and that is all. Jordan spends the entire book being both attracted to and repelled by Ragnor, right up to the last three pages. The heroine is stubborn to a point of downright stupidity sometimes and tends to only go off for meetings with suspicious people in the bad part of town at night. The same scenario of her following a dottore while being chased by shadows and bat wings occur at least four different times, and after a while, I just started skipping the scenes, feeling a strange sense of deja vue. The vampires are not explained at all and the plotline is relatively predictable; I knew who the "mysterious head vampire" was ever since her fiancees death described. All in all, I think Ragnor and Jordan will break up in a year or two, Jared will continue to cheat on Cindy and just for kicks, maybe Nari will come back one more time.

Having read Beneath a Bloodred Moon, I wanted to find out how Ms. Drake's book compare to other authors I've previously enjoyed. I was disappointed. The book as it is slow, and muddled with too many characters introduced in the beginning that have very little to contribute to the entire story. I had to force myself to keep reading to fnd out when the plot will be revealed and that occured around the 125th page of the book...the only reason I was able to finish it was due to the reintroduction of previous characters from another book...stick with Elaine Bergstrom, Christine Feehan, etc. At least, they have plenty of action.

American book critic Jordan Riley visits her cousin Jared and his wife Cindy in Venice during Carnevale. On Fat Tuesday, the trio attends a masquerade party. After dancing with a "wolf", Jordan wanders into a blood bath in which her wolf rescues her from human looking beasts with fangs.

The police refuse to investigate, scoffing at Jordan's account as that of a foolish inebriated American tourist. The next morning Jared insists that it was a jest in poor taste, but Jordan rejects his explanation. Unable to let go, Jordan begins her own inquiries into her mysterious rescuer and the blood bathed orgy. Her quest places her in perilous danger yet puts her on the path for a lifetime of love.

DEEP MIDNIGHT is a strong supernatural romance that continues award winning Shannon Drake's vampire stories (see BENEATH A RED MOON and WHEN DARKNESS FALLS). The current tale engages the audience from the start, but readers of Ms. Drake's previous novels will find this one, albeit well written, to follow too closely, at least at the start, of WHEN DARKNESS FALLS. Still the story line is quite entertaining due to the relationship between Jordan (a delightfully daring damsel in distress) and the "Wolf" (a phenomenally powerful protector) leading to thrills for sub-genre fans.

Harriet Klausner

That lovely maximum, 'even Homer nods' (even the best author occasionally falls asleep at the wheel) is the only explanation I have for this book. Shannon Drake is an excellent writer, that being said, you'd never know it by reading REALM OF SHADOWS. Why?

Well for one thing, the female lead in the story is an annoying little snot named Legion--er, I mean Tara who has a bad habit of hanging out with American vampires in France. Now I understand why Tara is skeptical about the whole, supernatural world being real, thing. Really. But there is a difference between cynical and tedious and it took Satan THREE HUNDRED PAGES before she stopped saying: "No... it can't be. This isn't real! It's not happening, blah-blah-blah." Mind you, she was cool with the fact that her boyfriend (Trent) can read minds and hypnotize with his eyes, because--can't everyone? But the minute he tries protecting her, returning her stuff, saving her life or warning her of danger and suddenly tall-dark-and-furry is just a BIG JERK.

M'kaay.

The freakiest part of the book, I think, wasn't the werewolves, vampires, and mad scientists though. It was Tara turning into Buffy the Vampire Slayer going on 'killing spree' in the last 50 pages. What was up with that? Suddenly her usual diatribe of, "You're lying, this isn't happening, its not real!" gets turned into, "You talk'n to me? Are YOU talk'n to ME?" and things just went down hill from there. For those of you are new to Shannon Drake's work, my recommendation is to just pretend this book doesn't exist. (Realm of what? Nope, never heard of it.) Then go read Deep Midnight or any of her others because she really is a great writer--usually--but, yes, even Shannon Drake nods.

This is not Drake's best. Some Characters are back from her Beneath A Blood Red Moon Series. This book fails to make the reader really get into the book emotionally. I feel that the author may be trying to introduce us to a new series of books with more nightworld creatures with the introduction of warewolfs into the vampire stories and vampire hunters but this is not Shannon Drake's best. For a really good book read When Darkness Falls.

I found this book to be another great vampire, romance from Ms. Drake and I couldn't put the book down. I thought her plot line just awesome with some great turns and twists.