Oh tormented people. One may read 'The Seagull' and wonder what's that all those things about death and killing, and failing love stories. So sad! But in Chekov's world this is a comedy, and it doesn't take too much to get why. It is indeed funny in some parts-- well, not the kind of funny we are used to, but nevertheless, it makes us laugh.

The tragicomic play is of paramount importance in modern teather. Rarely has a playwriter written such a realistic piece analyzing the life of an artist and his/her role in the society. In 'The Seagull' Treplieff is a writer wanna be, who is trying to grow over the shadow of her mother --an aging actress--, and to get an actress wanna be to love him. But above all, he has to deal with feeling jelous of Trigorin a youger and successful writer. There aren't many characters, but there is so much going on, personal dilemas, that the story grows to a placeless dimension.

Chekov can write with such a confidence that for not a second you doubt the existence of these people. His words are vivid. More than 100 years later, his play is up to date dealing with issues that are universal and timeless-- that can make you either cry or laugh.

Russian plays aren't for everyone--they are dense, heavy affairs, packed full of ideas and slow moving characters. If you are looking for a fast-paced potboiler with lots of action, etc. then stay away from Chekhov. But if you enjoy reflection and having something to talk about when you finish a book then Checkhov will serve you well--and, most improtantly, if you want to read "The Seagull" this IS the translation to get--Stoppard has done a wonderful job, making this classic even more readable and enjoyable.

"The Seagull," is also about how the constraints of society restrict us from achieving our goals. Constantin is not appreciated by the masses for his "experiemental" writing. Masha (?) feels trapped by her social position and unwanted by Constantin thus marries a schoolteacher who she doesn't love. Although Trigorin achieved success through his mediocre novels, he feels unsatisfied by not creating "real" art and compelled to anihilate anyone who attempts to create real art, such as Constantin. It is interesting to note that Constantin is secretly envious of Trigorin for his success and Trigorin is envious of Constantin for maintaining his integrity in his art. Maybe that's why they're always at each other's throats. Just my two cents.

I cannot say enough about Nicholas Guild's two volume series concerning the loves and adventures of one Tiglath Ashur. Whether you love history, romance, adventure or a combination of all three you will be entertained and educated all at the same time.

I locked myself in my bedroom after I found this book in my local library and didn't come out again until I was finished. This book is just an incredible read. Nicholas Guild, if you're out there would you PLEASE, PLEASE write some more of this stuff.

I don't care how you do it but find this book and "The Assyrian". I promise you you will love them.

I can do nothing but gush and rave about this book! Where has this author gone, and will there be more? Nicholas Guild has an amazing mastery of storytelling and language, as in this sequel to the wonderful novel, The Assyrian, he brings to life an ancient and admirable hero in the land of Assyria, about 700 B.C.

Tiglath Ashur, a prince who should have been king, detours through life at the whim and design of the god Ashur. Tiglath is noble, brave, wise, a disciplined commander of armies who can mete destruction or mercy as justice requires. His journey through life takes him to the heights of victory, and to the depths of banishment. He always looks to the god and his signs to guide him as he escapes assassins and takes deadly treks through scorching desert, labyrinthine swamps, and squares off with enemies who set traps for him in unexpected places. Tiglath has fascinating companions, too: Kephalos, his loyal and cunning servant; Enkidu, his mute giant of a bodyguard, and Selana, his feisty Greek wife. Not only does the plot of this book take you on a great ride of adventure and human emotion, but it is told eloquently, in language with rich metaphors and detail.

Of course I had to find out more information about this historical period of Assyria, around the time of Tiglath's father, King Sennacherib. What I found online was sketchy compared to the novel, but with that skeleton of historical records, the author has built an incredibly imaginative and satisfying story, about 1400 pages between the two books. I greatly enjoyed the first: The Assyrian, but Blood Star was even better, and to cap it off, it ended perfectly.

I bought The Assyrian while I was living in Panama. Back then, I was a 17 year-old guy,with my head full of dreams of greatness and ambition. I read it and inmediately felt myself identified with Tiglath; I thought I was someone powerful, lucky and admired by women. I read it again a couple of years later. I felt the character grew up with me in responsability, awareness, etc. It was OK again, yet different. Last summer, I was on a bookstore just checking the latest History textbooks(I'm a History student), when a flashy cover appeared to me: The blood star.I picked it up and surprisingly it was the sequal to my all time favorite novel.As I was on vacatios i "devoured" it in 2 nights. I couln't stop!! I thik it's better than The Assyrian. I read it as a25 year old man, and I felt the same thing: I've been growing up with the character. I introduced this masterpieces to all my family, including my fiancee's, and they love it. Thanks Nicholas for also showing me the right career (historian, after a couple of years studying Law), and thank you for those dreams come true.

This is not a book for the novice. The author presumes that the reader is familiar with basic astrology i.e. there are no details on how to draw up a chart from first principles given a birth date, time and place. In that sense the title is a bit mis-leading. I can't judge the book from an astrologer's perspective, since (as you have probably gathered by now) I am a novice!

I had read another book on Vedic astrology and it didn't come close to giving me the understanding that I got from this book. Everything was explained in easy to understand language. This book left me with a great appreciation for the science.

Although I have been a western astrologer for 28 years, I'm very new to Vedic astrology, and The Essentials of Vedic Astrology is only the second book on the subject which I have read. Thanks to Komilla Sutton's clear, inspiring and supportive text, I am now well and truly hooked on the subject. People coming to Vedic astrology from the better known western system will probably find themselves more at sea than those who haven't studied astrology at all: the reason for this is that, though sharing many elements, the two systems have a different way of arriving at the overall balance of the chart. Komilla steers the student through these differences in a way which clarifies and inspires, while at the same time providing a thorough and easy to understand foundation for people who know nothing about astrology at all. Her treatment of the subject of karma is particularly inspiring and reassuring; instead of treating it in a fatalistic way, she shows how karmic patterns can be traced in the chart with a view to working with them positively...a far cry from the usual impression of Vedic astrology as being fatalistic and dire. Her introduction to the Nakshatras, dashas and transits fascinated me and make complete sense in terms of my own chart and life events, and the material on Rahu and Ketu (the moon's nodes) has got me determined to buy her book on the subject. Though I don't see myself ever discarding the western system of astrology, I know my passion for Vedic astrology will continue to unfold, and this is in no small part due to Komilla Sutton's excellent, supportive, inspiring and accessible book, which I will not only continue to use for reference but will recommend to anyone else wanting a sound and lucid introduction to the subject.

In the first chapter or it may even be in the Preface, it says all the books available, if they are more than 5 years old, they are outdated. Its copywright is 1996, since then we have seen the New Economy Boom and now we are in the midst of a New Economy Crash(maybe). Right now, jobs are not as easy to come by, anyway.

I would have to say that so far its content is readily applicable, still. Although, we are not quite halfway through it.

Next to the "VaultReports.com Guide to the Top 50 MBA Employers," this guide is the best career guide for MBAs I've read.

Really impressed by research but most importantly it was right. Fundamentally changed how I approach my career and work - and it has benefited me greatly.

A must have. How great it is to have the facts from the people in the know.

I had a hard time getting into _The Seventh Swan_ at first; I think Gray's writing style was the culprit. He jumps between points-of-view constantly, so it's hard to tell who's thinking what. After I got used to that, though, I found a moving story in this book.

Alasdair is the seventh swan-brother from the famous fairy tale, left with a swan's wing instead of one of his arms because his sister was unable to finish that last shirt in time. He is a young Scottish lord in this novel, incredibly handsome but shrouded in self-pity and the immaturity that comes from having such a strange "childhood". Since he lacks his sword-arm, he has a bodyguard, Ewen, a gruff mercenary who is both more kind and more haunted than he seems.

Alasdair also has a sweetheart, Fenella, who finds out about what ails him--and being an intrepid young lady, sets out immediately to find the magic to give him back his arm! But dangers await, and many dumb decisions are made by various characters, and misadventures ensue. We come to care for all of the characters. Although I would have preferred a different ending to the story, _The Seventh Swan_ was worth reading.

Philip Pullman recently said that the big,important themes are dealt with in childrens' books. This proves him right. Love and attraction, keeping and breaking faith, fear and courage, and learning to live with, but not be bound by, your limitations, are among the themes of this magnificent story that redeems the often-cutesified term 'magical' and reminds us that faery is a dangerous place. I've read this book over and over again and every time it moves me to tears. If you can handle grown-up magic and real emotions, you must read it.

Did you ever wonder what happened AFTER some of the fairy tales you've read? If you've read the story this answers--or even if you haven't!--this will be worth your time to read and enjoy.

I loved _The_Seventh_Swan_. Even though I've read it over and over, I always react to it with wonder and hope and love and sorrow. I think you will too. Every time I glance into it I get drawn into rereading the whole tale, and I am very glad to have found it. [I try to collect the tales in this publisher's series, because I've enjoyed several of them.]

You may be surprised by this fairy tale. I highly recommend it, from the characters to the clever insights to the witty comments. Unlike most traditional tales, the characters have names and personalities; by the time the pipe plays you will know them. I suspect you will cherish them.

I invite you into the world of fairy tales - come, step inside, be breathless with wonder. =smile=

Also, to pique your interest in Gaelic, the author includes a glossary of the phrases he used at the book's end. It's made me realize that I too could learn Gaelic; some of the endearments are my favorite phrases.

IF you love action packed eciting books you should read Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. This thriller made me want to turn the page every second. It takes place in a very old town in London. It is about a kind doctor named Henry Jekyll. He creates a potion that turned him into a destructive crazy person named Edward Hyde. Not one single person in the small town expects the truth, that it's Dr.Henry Jekyll. What do you think the towns people will do when they find out it's Henry? You'll have to read the rest of this fantastic,and exciting book. If you like this book I recommoned you read "Kidnapped" also by robert Louis Stevenson!

If you love action packed book you should read Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.It's about a kind docter named Henry Jekyll,he makes a potiont that turns him into the weirdist scareist creature. No one expects it's the kind Dr.Jekyll.This story takes place in London.I think this is the greatest book of the year, because of all the exitment and action in it. If you liked this book I think you should read kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson.

If you like exciting books you will love Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson! The story takes place in olden day London. Dr. Henry Jekyll is a kind and caring person. Mr. Edward Hyde is a destructive crazed lunatic! With this distructive creature on the loose no one suspects that this monster is really their loving Dr. Jekyll. It was very a exciting book I couldn't wait to turn the page. If you like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde you would also like Kidnapped also by Robert Louis Stevenson.

I never got to see a copy of this book. However, I saw "Grinny" as a 1/2 hour cartoon special on that old Saturday morning tv series "CBS Storybreak". (I think ABC still has their books-made-into tv specials series.) Every Saturday morning, there would be a book made into and animation.

I read this book when I was about 10 and still have a copy of it now on book shelf (aged 25! ). It is a captivating and addictive read, with narrative that transfixed me from the first read. The narrative and sory telling is brilliant. This is a book that I will be passing onto my childeren. I only wish that the follow up book had been as exciting.

This is a really great book for those who're into science fiction and horror. The way Grinny hypnotizes the adults is scary, but the way the kids counter with their "eyes right" treatment is pretty cool.

my disappointment in this book can only be expressed by the following blunt statement: the purpose of this book is to enrich the author. no benefit to the reader is evident. I would recommend saving your pennies and looking elsewhere.

Quit simply the best book in my library to date,i have had this
book for approximatly 6 months and i have already made more
money in this time than i have made in the last 16 years working
for other people,and those are the facts.

Let me start by saying, this book was not what I expected. I really thought it would focus on a lot of please & thank-you's, along with the persuasive manipulation of people. I was pleased to find that this wasn't the case. The first sixty-eight pages are filled with amateur illustrations on one page followed by captions such as, "Fly first class for the price of coach"- after which the author would explain how to ask for an upgrade etc.. Needless to say, after reading the first sixty-eight pages I was ready to throw in the towel... But wait, from there the book exploded. This is a book about direct marketing. I am not a marketing specialist by any means, but this book helped me realize that everyone is marketing/selling him/herself in one way or another. From the six year old kid with the lemonade stand, to Sears, Penneys, or Victorias Secret, and Dell Computers, anybody that sells a product uses direct marketing tactics. Even Wal-Mart and Microsoft are direct marketers, very good ones I might add. Ted is a genius in this regard. This book was not only good, it was Outstanding. Oh, one other thing about this book which may discourage some readers is the blatant over-use of advertisement of Teds personal ads on Teds own books. It is very annoying, to say the least. Ted Nicholas does, however, walk his talk. I'm sure that along with the wording, the persistent and repetitive use of his brand of advertising have sold millions of dollars worth of merchandise. I have learned a lot from reading this book, and I have this motto, "Learn something new each day and keep the wolves away". Always keep an open mind as you read. This book is one to read and keep handy for future reference.

Lt. Lord Ramage single-handedly overcomes the fleet mutiny at Spithead, sees through a slaver's ruse to take a rich prize, exposes a spy, and winkles out a secretive privateer terrorizing the Caribbean. A busy, and entertaining, fellow.

I like the sense of adventure, the clever plots, Ramage's audacity and modesty, the nautical lore and clearly described maneuvering, and the sense of place. I don't like Pope's insertion of interesting lore as a device to delay the action once it's underway, his predictably good or evilly incompetent characters (irrespective if friend or foe), and his telegraphed plot solutions (despite coy circumspection). However, in Freebooters there IS one key character about whom Pope did maintain my suspicions through many chapters and another person turns out to have had conflicting loyalties. Two minor plot elements jumped out as inconsistent.

These McBook pb edition books have a nice look, heft, and feel. (Why DID they pick that silly name?) Again there's wrap-around cover art by Peter Wright, evocative in its ghostly silence and spidery tracery. Wright repeatedly over-emphasizes an integrated design for the catheads, one that reminds me of horned beetles or owls.

Is it odd how many maritime authors write series rather than one-off novels? Pope, Woodman, Kent, Forester, O'Brian; D.C. Poyer doing it for the modern navy. Maybe it is the ready handle of a rigidly structured career ladder to follow and explore, each rung offering a different view of command behavior and individual psychology. Do others find the early books in a series offer the greatest compass for ingenuity, excitement, and water-level story telling? For example, some of the later O'Brian titles in the Pacific drag interminably to small effect, and Lambdin's Lewrie loses some of his bold, ah, flirtation.

In the third installment of the Ramage series, can our hero overcome the mutiny at Spithead, deliver dispatches to 3 separate fleets and solve the mystery of disappearing ships? The fact that there are 15 more novels in the series hints at a successful conclusion. Of course the redoubtable Ramage will overcome all obstacles and emerge triumphant although not without controversy. In the first two novels, Ramage was successful but his means of achieving success left him open to criticism. It would be unreasonable for a first time reader to expect anything any different in Ramage three.

Like the first two novels, the action in Ramage and the Freebooters starts early although shots aren't fired until well into the book. Still the novel builds to a thrilling climax with lots of action along the way. It's a good read.

Pope typically includes mysteries and subterfuge as part of the action in his novels. In Ramage and the Freebooters there are covert operations, spying, and mysterious goings on. My only complaint in that regard is that it seemed obvious who was doing the spying.

I also had a couple of other concerns about the story. Ramage finds romance in the Caribbean while Gianna waits at home. He seems to feel no guilt about establishing another relationship while he is involved with Gianna. Oh well, this was published in 1969, "love the one your with" etc. Also, unless one has a map of the Caribbean, the sailing is confusing, as is the setting in the climax. Maps would have been a real plus.

Pope was a sailor and his knowledge of the sea shows. He does include some realistic details (his description of the fashioning of the cat for example) but doesn't overburden the story with them. The Caribbean is a winter vacation spot now but Pope conveys it as the disease infested hellhole that it must have been 200 years ago. Also, it is clear that Ramage is a born, charismatic leader. Some people are like that and Ramage conveys natural authority better in this novel than the first two.

Ramage and the Freebooters isn't as good as the first two but it is a worthy entry in the series.

.

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Review of the Ramage series of novels:

Don't read this until you have read the first book: Ramage and Ramage and the Drumbeat by Dudley Pope. Also included below a partial review of The Black Ship, also by Pope about a factual mutiny.

Book 1: Ramage

Book 2: Ramage and the Drumbeat

Book 3: Ramage and the Freebooters

Book 4: Governor Ramage RN

Book 5: Ramage's Prize

Book 6: Ramage and the Guillotine

Order them all, because you won't want to stop. The action is fast and furious.

This is third in a series of historical fiction by Dudley Pope. All of these are fictional novels based on British Admiralty records of the Napoleonic era. Written in the best tradition of Forester and O'Brien, these books will capture your imagination. And if you haven't read the Hornblower series by Forester, or the Aubrey/Maturin series by O'Brien, try them also. All of these are excellent books that you will treasure and reread. I particularly like these books by Pope. I recommend that you buy them all at once and read them in order. You will be glad you did.

If you enjoy reading accurate descriptions of naval maneuvers in the age of sail, or simply a good adventure yarn, Dudley Pope delivers. Pope conveys how the best of the best, handle emergency situations. He portrays these situations with realism and authenticity.

Review of this book:

Ramage, is given command of the Triton with orders to deliver a warning to three offshore fleets that the fleet in homeport has mutinied. His first job is to get the Triton under way and he comes up with a surprise to get the mutinous Triton's out of port. Even then he still has to hold the crew together and build their loyalty. Then upon arriving in the West Indies, he is given a mission and set up by his admiral to take a fall and must gamble against the odds to be successful.

Buy the series in the hard cover--worth keeping and handing down.

For more historical information about mutiny in history, read the factual story of the most notorious mutiny of all time in the, The Black Ship by Dudley Pope. It gives keen insight into the conditions of the time, an analysis of the mind of a heartless Captain whose floggings often resulted in the deaths of his men, the terrrible casualty rates due to Yellow Fever, and the gruesome deaths of the officers. One horrific tale, but if you have the stomach for it, well worth reading.

A good yarn. Buy them all. I'm starting on the next one tonight.

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Conrad B. Senior

I was reluctant to read this one after the "Seven-Percent Solution," but Mr. Meyer disappointed me by writing a much better story.

This story appeared first in Play Boy, and the book is a longer revision of that one.

The story is about Murders that haunted the west end. Of course Sherlock Holmes cannot hold back when there are murders nearby.

The good thing about the book is that Mr. Meyer does not claim that any of the manuscripts provided by Doyle were forgeries. The bad thing is that he still uses real characters, like Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, and Bram Stoker, which I still say is dumb.

One other thing I hate about these pastiches is that they insist on saying that Watson was a real person, and that he used to publish his work under the pseudonym Conan Doyle, or else that Conan Doyle was the agent under whose name Watson used to publish works. I realize that this is one way to make things continue, but come on, we all know that we are only fooling ourselves.

Anyhow, I think the book might deserve 4 stars if not for the little drawbacks I mentioned above, and I am sure you are going to enjoy it, but try first to get it from the library, just in case you detested it.

Unfortunately, I must confess to being a little disappointed with Meyer's second Holmes pastiche. First of all, he went overboard with the famous people. It was as if he was trying to pay homage to all his favorite writers at once. And all the famous people just hurt the story for me. Sigmund Freud in "The Seven Percent Solution" was okay because I don't think that the book would have been the same had Meyer created a fictional person to treat Holmes' cocaine addiction. But in this one, all the famous people just seemed completely unnecessary and I felt that the book would have been much better if Meyer had created fictional characters instead of putting Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, etc. etc. into the novel. Secondly, there weren't enough deductions in the book. And third, I felt that the book was too much about the mystery and not enough about the characters. Doyle's Holmes stories were generally a little more about the characters than the majority of this book was. But then this goes back to all the famous people. There was no need for Meyer to tell us about the characters because we already knew them. The last few chapters are very good as far as being a little more about the characters but most of the book was just too much about the mystery. I'm still going to give the book 4 stars though because it was well written and, as in his first pastiche, Meyer did well with Holmes and Watson. The basic plot of the book was also good and inventive and seemed like something that Doyle would have written. There were also enough interesting scenes that made the book well worth reading in spite of the problems that I had with it. To give just one example, there's a scene involving Holmes' indoor target practice and it is discussed in a little more detail than in Doyle's stories. I won't mention anymore of the scenes that I liked so as not to spoil anything for those who haven't read it. Overall, I found "The West End Horror" to be a very decent Holmes pastiche and I would recommend reading it, but just don't expect it to be as good as "The Seven Percent Solution". Also, this book is not about Jack the Ripper. I've read summaries that say the book is about Jack the Ripper but it isn't.

I've read The West End Horror 3 times and absolutely love it. I would recommend it to anyone who likes Sherlock Holmes and I think Nicholas Meyer writes even better than Conan Doyle! I used part of the solution as an example in a project I did recently on the... well if I give you the topic, I'll also give you the solution to the mystery so I won't spoil it.