Initially, one would think that a truly talented author's quirky, unique style could not be very nearly duplicated. But Brad Strickland is doing a fine job with the characters that Bellairs created, and this is one of his best efforts.

Lewis Barnavelt and Rose Rita Pottinger have to participate in a talent show whether they like it or not. When they hit on the idea of doing a magic show (fake, not real), they end up consulting a friend at a museum who allows them to borrow some books on stage magic. But when Rose Rita picks up an old parchment scroll, she inadvertantly lets a drop of blood fall on some magic dust -- and the dust turns into a living spider. The two of them flee, but Rose Rita brings the scroll, with intent to return it.

Except she then starts acting oddly. When the talent show results in a dismal failure, Rose Rita is left with a burning hatred and a wish for revenge. Then she starts dreaming of becoming a giant spider, and hearing the voice of the scroll's previous owner -- Belle Frisson, a sorceress who now wants to use Rose Rita to rise again and live forever.

This is labelled as a "Lewis Barnavelt" book, but at least half of it focuses on Rose Rita. While fans of Bellairs will be well acquainted with Lewis's insecurities, Strickland takes the opportunity to delve into a few of Rose Rita's. He also manages to give us a message about revenge and hatred and grudges without beating the reader over the head with it. The Message is simply there.

How much of a "Bellairs" book is this? Very much so, and not just in terms of having creepy beasties and a megalomaniac villain. The pacing and tone are very correct, as is the usage of maybe-it's-real-maybe-not ancient magics. I could have used a little more bickering between Mrs. Zimmerman and Uncle Jonathan, but the comforting scene between Rose Rita and Mrs. Zimmerman makes up for that.

Strickland does an excellent job with the evil sorceress Belle Frisson, and uses the ever-growing, evil-spirit spider very well also. The idea of a drop of blood turning powder into a malevolent spider is not just good spinechilling material, but it also is quite Bellairsesque.

This is an amazing spinechiller. I do warn you though: Arachnaphobics should definitely not read this book, or they'll never sleep again.

I think that Brad Strickland Did a good job with this title. The story has some depth, and the character development is good, as well. I think this is the best Bellairs' novel that Strickland Has written so far, and would give it a full five stars!

At first serving as a finisher for the late John Bellair's uncompleted DOOM OF THE HAUNTED OPERA, GHOST IN THE MIRROR, and VENGENCE OF THE WITCHFINDER, Strickland took those characters to new heights in the late 1990s by churning out books like THE HAND OF THE NECROMANCER, and THE BELL,THE BOOK,AND THE SPELLBINDER which mimicked Bellair's writing style down to the letter. In SPECTER, Strickland goes from mimicking the man to being the man. He captures the vocabulary and characterizations of Lewis Barnavelt and company flawlessly in a terrifying story darker than all of the other books combined. Please check out this book. I hope Strickland continues to write. He is hitting his stride now.

Having worked in insurance for years, I expected this book would be of interest to people like me. I was surprised, however, to find it has a much broader appeal. It was fascinating to read how commercial insurance developed in conjunction with and support of our country's development. Many will be surprised to learn of its significant role in protecting our society and promoting our economy.

The personal stories about the people who developed the business are especially enjoyable--some of the most interesting are
about founders of major brokerages and those associated with
problems at Lloyds of London in the eighties.

I recommend this book to insurance and business professionals and to general readers with interest in American history.

Spreading the Risks: Insuring the American Experience is a fascinating account of the key events shaping the development of property and casualty insurance as an indigenous American business -- from colonial times to the present day. It is based on 13 years of research by an industry insider who had unique access to insurance leaders and records. It also is the most complete account I've found of how the insurance agency and brokerage system evolved through disasters and economic transformations into the 21st century.

It has an extensive bibliography and a comprehensive index that make it especially useful as a source of information.

Spreading the Risks does an outstanding job of telling the amazing story of the insurance industry. Who knew that insurance could be so interesting?

John Bogardus and Robert Moore have clearly spent considerable time researching this material and their "real life" experience in the field shines through beautifully. This book is incredibly valuable to people in the insurance field. However, it is written in a way that also appeals to the person who is simply curious about business, history, and life in general.

The book does a great job of demonstrating how the insurance business (in the past, and now ) affects all of us.

Saint Seraphim of Sarov: A Spiritual Biography, is the best account I have read regarding Saint Seraphim. The author lived the Orthodox ascetic life in the Russian tradition and knows something about the Saint from the inside, as it were. This account has the most information I've seen, and is the thickest book on him I've seen as well. It might be said that 'the Saint is in the details!' Many of his experiences are akin to the experiences of Saint Anthony the Great of the Egyptian Thebaid. Something I didn't realize were the reasons for which he spent 1000 days and nights on his knees on a rock in the forest praying to God. After having reached an exalted state of holiness, he fell into a sin in his thoughts, a(read: 1) sin of judgement against another monk. In his sin, according to Father Lazarus, he suffered such a catastrophic fall, sin in thought only though it was('the little ones to dash upon a stone'), that this 'banishment from Paradise' was only healed after such a cross-bearing penance on that rock-"My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" Go ahead and buy this book be you an Orthodox Christian or seeker, or anyone interested in an icon of the Apostolic life lived with the greatest zeal and faithfulness to God. The story of how the bear came and ate right out of Saint Seraphim's hand is in there as well!

Amazing biography of one of the greatest Russian saints. Very detailed, very emotional. Quite a few great illustrations. Get it and it will change your life.

For anyone who thinks that monks are eccentrics or that their lives have nothing to teach us, has Fr. Lazarus Moore got news for you! St. Seraphim of Sarov, a Russian saint of the last century, "fought the good fight" every day of his life, and he changed the lives of thousands around him. This is an amazing story. Read it!

The Stanislavski System: The Professional Training of an Actor has been the soul of my acting teaching for 30 years. It is based on the later evolved vision of the great master teacher, as revealed to Eugene Vakhtangov and also to Sonia Moore, herself a master teacher. The approach here is clear and usable, and de-mystifies American pre-occupation with emotional substitution techniques dominant since Lee Strasberg's distortions based only upon Stanislavski's early work. This approach is accessible for young actors and is encouraging to the nurturing of their talent and development. It encourages emotional honesty without being improperly invasive, so it is good resource material for public school acting teachers and advanced students, as well as acting students from college to conservatory to proprietary school.

This is a great book- much more simplified than any I've seen! It concentrates a lot on physical action, a definite necessity for budding actors (or old fogies trying to get back into it!). A pleasurable read!

This book is made and talks about the teachings of the great Konstantin Stanislavski, a name you should know if you are an actor. It has chapters outlining the Method, and it'll help your acting abilities galore

I found this gem by accident on the shelf of a secondhand store, along with several other books on the subject of cruising (which I also bought). This was by far, the best written of the bunch! They say the key to being a good author, is finding your "voice" on the written page, and Jim Moore has certainly done this. Jim has a narrative style that is entertaining as well as informative. He seemlessly blends together the tale of an adventure and lifestyle story that is full of amusing anecdotes, along with truely useful information about sailing, navigating, and living on a sailing vessel. I also appreciated Jim's ability to maintain continuity throughout the book (something not common in the others I've read). Read it the first time for the shear enjoyment. Read it the second time using a highlighter (if you ever plan to go cruising)!

I'm sorry to say, I haven't read Moore's first book, but I can certainly recommend this one (after reading it twice). Moore has a down to earth writing style and is a real thinking sailor. By that, I mean that he has come up with a lot of good solutions to sailing problems, and he shares them in this book.

Besides a running narrative of his experiences, some of which have little to do with cruising, he shares what he has learned about seamanship and life on a boat. He demonstrates how to make a boat leakproof, how to anchor properly, and how to avoid a knockdown while you're sleeping. He throws in a few fishing tips as well, including one that involves vodka (a surprisingly useful tidbit).

In comparing this to a similar book, Lin Pardey's "Cruising in Serrafyn", I'd have to srongly favor Moore. Pardey wrote intirely too much about personal relationships and not enough about sailing.

I've read some pretty negative reviews about Moore's first book, but, IMHO, this one is worth the read.

Jim Moore takes us on Swan his home made 36 foot sloop in the pacific and then around North America. You learn about Molly the Mate, Vane the proud wind vane, CN (Cool Navigator) the smart allec Sat Nav and other picturesque characters. You will travel to places you will not want to leave. You will also find some of the lessons that the author learned on sailing, cruising and fishing.

This was John Moore's first book for me. It introduced me to an entire world of not just the old west brought alive today, but true spirituality within the context of grass roots family living. Especially father-son relationships. I've recommended this book to well over hundred persons. A great gift for graduation! Both encouraging and sad. Encouraging that there are still folks like John and his family. Sad what is happening to our country with the loss of direct experience with life. Too much of our lives is lived through the media and PC--2nd hand living. This book will grab you with life on life's terms.

This book has been such an inspiration to my family and friends. We so believe that the lessons taught in Mr. Moore's letters to his son should be shared with young parents, we have given away over 75 books. We highly recommend this book to anyone whose responsibility it is to raise children to become adults of good character and strong faith.

John Moore writes this book from a spirit that lives within all of us. This book emodies the true value that books can bring us. John Moore has spent his lifetime to this point learning some immense lessons that we can be privy to and digest in the scope of an evening or two. I am writing a review of this book as I have come to send a copy to a friend. I would venture to say that anyone who reads this book, especially a man, who does not have parts of his soul stirred, is not wholly alive. And as a parent, it is great wisdom. I shared passage after passage with my wife, who had great appreciation for the human insight Mr. Moore shared. I now have a great desire to visit the ranch and man from which this book was birthed.

When I first picked up my copy of Unicorn Riders of the ORB, I thought nothing of it. Little did I know then that such a sweeping whirlwind of emotions could be contained in such a slim volume. Michael G. Moore has created a tale that resonates within the souls of all mankind. It speaks to us all with a visionary optimism that uplifts the human spirit. Moore's characters are at once tragic and heroic, glorious in their triumphs and disspirited in their defeats, and altogether HUMAN in a way that is stunning in its honesty and beautiful in its message. In these characters, we see reflections of ourselves.

The narrative style is nothing short of brilliant, drawing on the techniques of Tolkien, Dickens, and Garcia Marquez and reinventing them in a creation that is both satisfyingly familiar and breathtakingly new. I found myself completely absorbed in Moore's worlds by the vivid detail found in every setting. The dialogue explores brave new worlds of emotion and excitement, while at the same time it is filled with the subtleties of message that only the finest authors could hope to reproduce.

There are no words that can do justice to this marvel of modern fiction. Moore has redefined the science fiction genre, and indeed the entire literary canon, with this exploration of the hopes and fears found deep within the hearts of man. Unicorn Riders of the ORB sets a standard that will likely remain unchallenged in this lifetime - unless, of course, there is a sequel!

Unicorn Riders of the Orb is quite possibly the most prolific and masterfully crafted novel ever released into it's field. Yet the definitions of it's "field" are so very skewed with this veritable piece of art for it stretches the bounds of literature itself. It is a beautifully sculpted work that drives to the heart of the huma mind. Our desires, our fears, our wants, and our fundamental needs. All are brought about in this mind-boggling masterpiece. With a breathtaking storyline that makes us truely feel at one, we are hurt, loved, betrayed, and even brought to tears by the stunning exposition by Moore. Moore, a Guru by his own rights, has done what no other man on the face of this earth has even dreamed of achieving in a slim 150 pages. This slim volume is burning with a desire, a desire found naught in our lives, but in the deepest reaches of our soul. One feels complete upon finishing that final, beaten page, and it's words leave a final imprint upon the fabric of our inner self that leaves us feeling lost and futile when not immersed deep within its pages. Unicorn Riders is by far the most beautiful and absolute literary work to have ever graced our lives, and quite frankly, I pity da fool who misses out the Unicorn Riders.

Unicorn Riders of the ORB is a veritable masterpiece of science fiction. Moore continues the legacy which Isaac Asimov began decades ago. The action is fast-paced and engaging, and the depth of the characters provides for a compelling storyline that grips the reader and draws him or her into this rich and interesting world. Moore sheds new light onto a field that is often tiresome and predictable. The story commences on the planet Jubrelius where three young rebels find themselves in the midst of a deep galaxy-spanning conspiracy that threatens to deliver the universe into the grips of the evil Timeless One. These three youth embark on a daring quest that will take them from the Planet of the Porols to a floating city to the Rock Struck by Eight in order to seize the power of the Blue Light and cast down the Mortar. The stunning conclusion is wholly satisfying and yet will leave you craving for more. The underlying philisophocal messages carry a lesson that is universally applicaple. You will want to read this classic time and time again.

This is an absolutely brilliant book. It chronicles a time when punk was more than just some retarded fashion statement made for MTV (admittedly, MTV didn't exist...) Jim Jocoy has done his thing well, and efficiently shown the attitude of punk in the late 70's. One of the best things about this book is the fact that he didn't sift through people and pick out the ones that looked like models, or the pretty singers, he took anyone and everyone he could find that contributed to the punk rock movement. Even greater is the fact that he has pictures of bands and singers right next to the "normal" people, and to the untrained eye, nobody would know the difference. Everyone was impressive. I also loved the prose at the end by Exene Cervenka. It's very well-done and beautifully written.

When I first heard about this Book, I eagerly awaited it's arrival. An Excellent documentation of the Looks and visual attitude that was unique to the San Francisco Scene. Even though the Photos include LA, London and NYC Stars, that original San Francisco feeling still emerges overall. It cries out for more books exploring it's values different from other Punk or Rock scenes. But at least we have Jim's Excellent Documentations and memories. Hopefully More Books coming from him in the future!

....the West Coast punk rock scenesters created a style that looks surprisingly fresh and edgy even today: pink 60s leather coats, striped tees, shredded preppy button-ups, busted jeans, high heels with anklets, asymetrical haircuts, teddy boy coats, geometric print 80s, shrunken suits w/ skinny ties, and more. This is a great book for DIY fashion ideas-- from a time when ripped tee-shirts didn't cost $75 at trendy boutiques and jeans didn't come pre-sandpapered.

I am going to start of by saying Tauvaris Moore's first fictional novel set the tone for the good guys. This first book in this three part series is great. Whipped & Sprung \'hwipt an(d) 'spr (schwa, symbol for ing)\ : adj 1 : a label to describe a man who is having a hard time moving on from a relationship; 2 : the label placed on a man who is determined to make sure his woman is happy; 3 : the state of a man who is afraid to say how he really feels.

his story will take you into the life of one bitter man and his three friends as they struggle to maintain their respective relationships. Darrell, JaQuan, Angelo, and Daren deal with closure, cheating, and dating women with children. According to them, manhood is put to the test every day. And while there is nothing wrong with holding a man to high standards, their female counterparts should be held to the same standards. Whipped and Sprung is man's perspective in the raw.

It is for anyone who has ever wanted to know what goes on inside a man's head about relationships. This book will finally expose all the unfair treatment that men have to put up with over the course of a relationship. The foreshadowing in the this story lets you know that something BIG is going to happened by third and final book is written. The author has promised to release the entire series this year. I suggest you pick it up and keep up with the series.

This is by far one of the more fascinating stories I have read in long time. I really can't wait to read the rest of this series. Tauvaris J. Moore exposed a truth that is long forgotten and that is, there are a few good men left... If I could say the one theme about this book is, don't trust perception, because things are not always what seem to be. The foreshadowing of things to come is gripping. I suggest that you pick this one up and keep up with the series. The author plans to release the entire series this year. This three book series seems to be headed to an explosive conclusion.

am going to start of by saying Tauvaris Moore's first fictional novel set the tone for the good guys. This first book in this three part series is great. Whipped & Sprung \'hwipt an(d) 'spr (schwa, symbol for ing)\ : adj 1 : a label to describe a man who is having a hard time moving on from a relationship; 2 : the label placed on a man who is determined to make sure his woman is happy; 3 : the state of a man who is afraid to say how he really feels. This story will take you into the life of one bitter man and his three friends as they struggle to maintain their respective relationships. Darrell, JaQuan, Angelo, and Daren deal with closure, cheating, and dating women with children. According to them, manhood is put to the test every day. And while there is nothing wrong with holding a man to high standards, their female counterparts should be held to the same standards. Whipped and Sprung is man's perspective in the raw. It is for anyone who has ever wanted to know what goes on inside a man's head about relationships. This book will finally expose all the unfair treatment that men have to put up with over the course of a relationship. The forshadowing in the this story lets you know that something BIG is going to happend by third and final book is written. The authur has promised to release the entire series this year. I suggest you pick it up and keep up with the series.

This is by far one of the more fasinating stories I have read in long time. I really can't wait to read the rest of this series.
Tauvaris J. Moore exposed a truth that is long forgotten and that is, there are a few good men left. This battle of the sexest story takes things to a whole new level. If I could say the one theme about this book is, don't trust perception, because things are not always what the seem to be. The forshadowing of things to come is gripping. I suggest that you pick this one up and keep up with the series. The authur plans to release the entire series this year. This three book series, seems to be headed to an explosive conclusion.

I have to agree with the other readers, this book is a gem. You will feel like you're right there with the characters! A must read.

One of the best contemporary novels I have read. The scene from which the title comes offers a BEAUTIFUL, original and mouth watering image that will stick with the reader forever.

I read this book 7 years ago in college and still think of it frequently. Moore's lush settings and precise literary technique underscore the personal, deeply held pain of Mamie and Claire's past. I have read all of Moore's books and this one is the best.