I enjoyed reading this book, but early on I knew the ending. So once I got to the end I wasn't shocked, but I liked the way the author handled it. Robyn was a good character and she knew her stuff. If you're into the Zodiac aspect, this book is for you.

This book was really great. I really love books about werewolves and this book was one that I really loved. I wasn't really expecting the ending but it was really cool. This book has all the genres for a horror book: slasher killing, a strange but cool hero, good setting... I love this book, you should definetly read this book!

In the small town of Branton, a savage bloodthirsty cougar is on the loose, killing anyone in its way. First it was the animal keeper at the game farm, and then the high school student, Chrissie Kelly, followed by the hunter who was on its trail. But for two teenagers--Cory Darnell and Holly Parker--these killings mean more than just the random, thoughtless attacks of a cougar. For Cory, it's physical proof of the unaccountable bloody visions that have been plaguing him lately. He can't remember where he's been or what he's done when he blacks out at night, but he remembers the hunt and the kill of all three people vividly. Is he, indeed, responsible for killing his girlfriend and the other two people--or is there something far more sinister happening in Branton? The one person who knows the answer to this is Holly, the lone teen investigator who is out to prove that the cougar is just a cover up for a much larger, smarter creature--a werewolf. But first she must find out who the werewolf is, because after only three deaths, the creature is hardly satiated, and more people are likely to die unless Holly can find and kill it before then.

The ending of "Santa Claws" was definitely exciting, even though I had guessed the secret of the werewolf beforehand. Still it's well worth reading if you're a fan of horror and, especially, of werewolves. As warning, there is some violence, but it's tolerable if you're used to blood and guts and you're older than twelve. The ending did leave a possibility for a sequel, which I would love to see happen. I really enjoyed this book and think a second book would be just as good.

The only thing that bothered me, though, was the front cover and the title of this book--both greatly misrepresented the story. There's very little to do with Christmas except the mention of holiday caroling and decorations at the end of the book, plus the snow. And the creature on the front cover could have been anything, but hardly looked like a wolf of any kind, least of all a werewolf. If I had known "Santa Claws" was about werewolves, I probably would have started it a lot sooner.

Queria satisfacer la curiosidad de este lector de Valladolid y decirle que Nicholas Wilcox es el alias con el que el escritor jiennense Juan Eslava Galán (Premio Planeta de Novela) ha firmado este genial libro.

Me encanta su forma de escribir, así como el tema, completado en su posterior trilogía templaria.
Pero, tengo dudas si Nicholas Wilcox existe realmente o es , por el contrario, un pseudónimo.

De la misma manera que el lector de Valladolid, me intrigaba que un extranjero, un británico, no sólo tuviera gran conocimiento sobre la cultura española, sino incluso utilizara expresiones tan propiamente españolas; mi intriga aumentó cuando no pude encontrar la referencia del traductor. Gracias a emalagon porque de paso satisfizo mi curiosidad sobre esta obra en verdad genial que tuve la suerte de encontrar en Madrid el año pasado. Agradezco informes acerca de otras obras de Juan Eslava Galán, así como de libros afines al tema de la "Lápida templaria".

As many reviewers have said, the very monotony of Aleksandra's last diary gives it an eerie significance. However, beyond that, there is little to recommend it. Entries, spaced one to a page, mostly consist of a single brief paragraph, and the content is boring-- notes on the weather, her health, the health of her children. "Sat for 10. m[inutes] on the balkony [sic]." It is a very short book, and a very quick read. Only for the true Romanov fanatic (of which I am one), I'm afraid. Aleksandra's letters and the letters & diaries of the others who shared her captivity are far more interesting.

Alix's diary is a most important document,
it reveals her , but in a very different way to say
how her letters do.in her diary, it is of chief importance
to note the things she leaves out, and how laconic the
text itself is.this tells as much about her at the time
than had she written pages about her feelings and experiences.
This is an extremely important book, the last page is
agonising - the "ex-Tsarina" has written in a fine and clear
hand "July 17th" - but the page is blank. We have to read
what Alexandra didnt write - between the lines.her last
diary reveals her final states of mind, her humaness, her fear,
in those last terrible words, in the entry for July 16th.
Alix has written her own memorial here, and it is a just tribute.

It is ironic that, being the most private of persons, many of the last Tsarinia's most intimate thoughts are now available in several books, including this recently declassified diary of her final days. However, readers who search out this book are probably sympathetic, and will find her daily entries of interest and sometimes moving. Alexandra wasn't writing a best-selling novel -- simply a daily account of the tedium of their imprisonment, and how she, her family, and attendants passed the time -- but for those interested in Alix, her husband, and children, this book is a valuable link to their final days. The introduction, essay by Jonathan Brent, and other sections are all appropriate accompaniment. It will be interesting to see if excerpts from the children's diaries also are eventually published; several books compiled and edited by Russian archivists already have quoted from some of those diaries.

If you are interested in the last tsar and his family, I invite you to contact me at whitcombj@juno.com.

You definitely want to have this book. It's physically easy to carry in your coat pocket, its concise, and very useful. The map is okay but you will need a more detailed map like "Streetwise
London". Otherwise, I would have given it 5 stars.

Another popular guide aimed at budget travellers with detailed information on London hotels, sights and restaurants. Also has ideas for day trips and information on Paris for a weekend trip from London.

If there were more stars available I'd give it all there were. We referred to this as 'The Bible" because of the tube map alone.

This book could have been excellent. Monsarrat is a good story teller. I think this book should have been expanded into several volumes rather than it's current form. The entire first section is devoted to a third person history lesson on the life and times of Sir Francis Drake. It culminates when the Spanish Armada is set to invade England and is driven off. That is when the real story begins.

As an adventure story, this one is a little lacking. As a history lesson, it is good at showing some of the more obscure incidents in time. Wilbur Smith and Gary Jennings are the masters of adventure/history.

Anyway, if you decide on this one, plan on it taking a long time to read. Very little action to speak of and only one real character is developed.

Is The Master Mariner the same as The Master Mariner Running Proud. Their reviews look the same, and I wonder if it's the same book published with different titles. Can someone help me?

This is my first book by Nicholas Monserrat. From the very first page the author held me captive all through the novel. To weave a fictional character in and out of historical events, and real peoples lives, was a stroke of story telling genius. I was both entertained and educated, and left with a desire to know more about the happenings that the central character lived through. This book will, I'm sure, satisfy anyone with a sense of adventure and an eagerness to learn.

After a brief recapitulation of the eventful first volume in this series, Pope picks up the day to day adventures of Lt. Lord Ramage in his first command. Carrying the love of his life to Gibraltar, Ramage falls in with frigates, both Spanish and British, has an onshore diversion spying on the enemy, has a run-in with a Levanter, and returns to save the day for the fleet and his beloved Commodore Nelson.

Ramage is a clever dog, and Pope smart enough to keep us in the dark about his hero's tricks until he's about to crash aboard an enemy ship. I love the atmospheric detail of antique things and actions, but Pope is also a bit talky, his factual asides occasionally breaking into the action, rather like a sprinkle of sand on plum duff. Often his asides serve to draw out an action to interminable, almost real-time, length. For example, Pope has Ramage engage in a monologue on the texture of deck wood while he makes a fateful decision during Adm. Jervis' great fleet battle off Cape St. Vincent in 1797 (NB: this is NOT Nelson's fatal battle at nearby Trafalgar, in 1805). In such ways Pope stretches a single-ship action to 80 agonizing pages, with hardly a page for the actual cut-and-thrust of boarding. Maybe Pope is trying to give us a study of the thought processes of successful leadership, at close to the last time leaders were wholly on their own. Good thing Ramage has the loyalty of his crew and the luck o' the divil for his thrilling but disobedient series of escapades here off Spain, or he'd've been flogged 'round the fleet. (If you want to try your own hand at sailing a radio-controlled model square-rigger, my search of the Web suggests it will cost us thou$ands vs several hundred$ for a fore-and-aft rig.)

I suspect many of the episodes are exciting fantasy, but set in solid historical contexts (easiest to write while the hero is still a minor officer unlikely to have been mentioned in dispatches). The jolly steadfastness of Ramage's tars could become tiresome; reminds me too much of Marryat. Kudos to McBooks for the typography that catches the insouciance of Ramage, and for the thrilling wrap-around cover art of Paul Wright.

This is a very entertaining book, with an real barn-burner of a battle at the end. The best thing about this book is the unusual and creative tactics Ramage uses during the battles. The battles in this book are not the usual artillery slug-fests. The book is fairly well-written, although Pope doesn't come close to Patrick O'Brian in terms of quality prose and witty dialogue. The characters are likable but not terribly three-dimensional. One of the reasons I really like Pope, though, is that he was incredibly knowledgeable about sailing and the age of fighting sail and it shows in his writting. At one point, Pope gives a brief history of the ships of the line in Sir John Jervis' squadron (real historical ships) and he lists every major battle they fought in and who commanded them at the time. Of course he could have just looked all that up, but I think that he just knew all that history. The final battle is essentially the Battle of St. Vincent, but it is greatly modified for dramatic purposes. Pope obviously loved his subject matter. At one point he gives about a page and a half description of all of the beautiful features of a ship of the line. I have also read that of all of the major writers in this genre, Pope was the best real-life sailor. (He spent many years of his life living on and sailing his boat, the Ramage). But anyway, this series is excellent so far; one no fan of nautical fiction should miss.

.

**********************************************

Review of the Ramage series of novels:

Don't read this until you have read the first book: Ramage, by Dudley Pope.

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 second 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, in command of cutter Kathleen, is ordered to proceed to Gibralter to support Lord Nelson. On the way, he manages to find a unique way to capture a dismasted Spanish frigate and untold other adventures, that I won't give away.

This book describes Ramage's exicting activities immediately prior to and through the battle of Trafalgar where he plays a pivotal role. The actually battle of Trafalgar, aside from a few liberites take with respect to our hero, is not surprisingly accurate in the account of battle. The book is great fun and so is the next one!

*************************************************

Conrad B. Senior

Pope writes heroic stories of the British Navy in the age of sail, not as easy as Capt. Marryat nor as grimly vicious as Jan Needle's. The stories in this series are suitable for anyone from a youthful age. They build well to the moments of intense action and there's darn little vivid blood, "salty talk" or eloquent cursing even in situations that demand it; Ramage is one ferociously cool customer. These books have a generous look and feel, like a hardback without the boards (or price).

This is the first Ramage novel based substantially on true (if minor) historical events. Maybe for that reason there are fewer daring action scenes here than in the previous four novels. Ramage is assigned another thankless and politically dangerous mystery to solve, loses his fourth ship in 5 books, faces his second mutiny and second privateer, upsets the Admiralty again, requires an Act of Parliament to be passed, and is still a Lieutenant. We learn such things as the British mail packet-boat system (when surface mail was faster to the Caribbean than it is today!). Also, how to fiddle insurers, the loading of guns, detecting wood rot, rules of neutrality, the giving of parole, and the origin of mahonnaise, among other bits of nautical lore. Pope seems to give Ramage expert knowledges that such a young man might not have known. Pope can write evocatively of the seas and seacapes when he turns his mind to it.

I have read the first five books in this series and I would say that this one and Ramage and the Drumbeat are the best of the five. This one has an interesting plot (involving captured post office packets) that is something a little different from the norm. Creating complex, realistic characters has never been Pope's strong suit, but I think he does a little better here than usual. The best thing about this book, however, is that there is some good action at sea and another situation that develops at the end that is very suspenseful. Another very good thing about this book is that there is not yet another new, bland romance for Ramage to get involved in. His first love, Gianna, returns and is as fiery and funny as ever. Pope's books are certainly not great literature, but they are fairly well written and make for good, light reading.

Review of the Lord Ramage series novels:

Don't read this until you have read the first four books of the Lord Ramage Novels by Dudley Pope.

For more historical information on history of ships of the Royal Navy, read SHIPS OF THE OLD NAVY by Michael Phillips.

Lord Ramage Novels

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

Book 7: Ramage's Diamonds

Book 8: Ramage's Mutiny

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

This is fifth 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, be sure to 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. That is what I am doing.

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 the task of determining why Post Office packets, delivering mail from England to the Caribbean and back are disappearing. This story was based on true events. Post office packet brigs were surrendered to French privateers in the manner described because of "ventures", insurance policies, carried by treacherous officers and crews, and a Post Office packet was ransomed at the neutral Portuguese port of Lisbon in the same circumstances and difficulties as the Lady Arabella of the story.

In the age of Nelson it took 45 days for mail to be delivered from England to the Caribbean. Today, surface mail from England, takes 60 to 90 days to reach various islands in the Caribbean.

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

A good yarn. Buy them all. I starting reading the next one last night. Conrad B. Senior S/V Echo

This book is more than just a hum-drum listing of works that were taken, lost or destroyed in the years leading up to and including World War II. It is an intriguing and thought-provoking look at the attempted cultural occultation of not just its own nation and ideals, but of the Nazi aggression on the world. The Nazi way of condemning certain "degenerate" works, either Jewish or Impressionist for example, painfully exhibit the ultimate crushing of free thought and expression which were so vital to the Nazi regime's recipe for authoritarianism.

But the underlying Nazi menace is only a part of the suspenseful undertone in this book. The various heart-wrenching stories of the brave souls who tried to protect and salvage the many works of art (on both sides surprisingly) are what give this account a real kick. To me the accounts on the Soviet front were especially remarkable.

My only complaint is that since I am not, as I suspect the majority of the readers are not, art historians, the significance of many of these works directly mentioned is lost. I would like to have seen more pictures of the art work in question. (I have uncovered a documentary in the works based on this book which might allieviate some of this problem, but until then...)

For those interested in the history of World War II and who might have exhausted the typical military accounts, I highly recommend this alternate angle into Nazi repression and its effect on those who lived through it. Heck, I recommend this for anyone who enjoys history.

For anyone who's not an art scholar like me, this book can be a difficult challenge. But if you persist, you will be impressed by Nicholas's investigative powers, stunned by the audacity of Nazis, and perversely fascinated by the protective lengths of museums, artists, and ordinary civilians took to save their treasures from falling into enemy hands.

*** The appropriation of great works of art may not be a crime equal to the holocaust of human lives, but we can begin to grasp the progression of tyranny in stolen property and the systematic imposition on everyday lives. It is a story that doesn't have complete resolution. Even today, works of art remain missing or await return to their rightful owners. Many treasures were destroyed, however, and will never return. It is a haunting echo of other, more heinous war crimes.

World War II was unique in so far as war can have different degrees of intensity, scope, or perhaps evil. The Germany of the Nazis was one with an insatiable appetite, whether for killing, inventing crimes so heinous new words were needed, or the absolute fervor with which they wanted everything. They literally wanted everything, whether changed to suit them, or in the case this book discusses, they wanted art, all of it. Their actions went well beyond the spoils of War that a victor generally has taken as his own, either from greed or an imagined sense of recompense for the battles fought. They wanted to change the demographics of the planet, had they succeeded, they would have managed the greatest art theft in History.

It may sound like a bizarre comparison, but the "Grinch" of Dr. Seuss fame came to mind while reading. The fictional character like his Nazi counterparts attempted to wipe out a culture by taking everything. The list of names of Artists includes every Master that ever painted, sculpted, drew, or any artisan who created a work of beauty. Nothing was overlooked; imagine having to return over 5,000 bells stolen from all over Europe. Yes, bells, as I said they took everything.

The book has some great photographs. There is a photo of one of the Goering residences and the Art he had stolen. It may sound bizarre but it looks like a bad yard sale. Any taste he had was in his mouth. It's quite a feat to amass priceless objects, and then display them in such a way and in such numbers, that the result is a garage sale. The picture also illustrates what the whole theft was about, the desire to have stuff, all the stuff you could steal. Happily they lost, or the world's great art would have become the personal property of the artistically challenged moral degenerates of the Third Reich.

Much more intriguing was Ms. Nicholas's treatment of how so much art was preserved, hidden, and protected. A photograph of DaVinci's "Last Supper", or better said the protective covering, is simply amazing. So too are the photos of American Soldiers casually posing with a Goya, or standing with The Ghent Altarpiece. Aerial photographs of destroyed cities where virtually all that was saved was the Art.

There are also troubling events after the War that remain to the present. So much art was stolen yet again by the Victors, some has reappeared, and much has not. Even the custody that was taken of many works after the War by this Country, and displayed at our National Galleries is an event I would hope we would never again repeat. The value of these objects, the tons of precious metals, and other items are beyond calculation. Hopefully with the changes in Europe and the Former Soviet Union more art will find it's way back to where it originally resided.

In the end all the effort the Nazis expended on their desire to feed there egos probably saved many, many pieces of art. I am in no way suggesting what they did was correct. If they thought they were saving art for future generations of people and not their superior race of automatons, they would have destroyed it. And the Corporal's fondness for Paris didn't hurt either.

A very well written and interesting book for the art lover, or for fans of well crafted History.

This book gives a good idea of what it is like for people to have this all on their shoulders. It seems that my dad isn't the only one that has a few problems raising kids. I think reading it made him feel a little less alone.

The book is easy reading and provides some easy techniques to keep children happy. I found some of the information useful but common knowledge. It's a good beginning for any single father.

This book is insightful and full of accounts of valuable life experiences. At times hilarious and thought provoking, sad and uplifting, I would recommend it as a reference book for such educational courses presented in high school or college as Child Growth and Development, Marriage and Family Living, and any parenting course.

This is an extremely valuable compendium of what almost any pracitioner needs to know about 40 of the most commonly used statistical distributions. It is designed as a quick lookup reference for each of the distributions. Most chapters begin with a few brief lines describing some of the applications of the distribution, and then provide a list of relevant formulae, such as for the distribution function, probability density, moments etc. Relationships to other distributions are defined, means of estimating the parameters provided, and ways of generating random numbers from the distribution are indicated.
Graphs of the distributions are shown with varying parameter values in most cases.

The book should be seen purely as a handbook on statistical distributions, not as a theoretical reference. The book is ideal for those who make use of statistical distributions in other fields, and who are not necessarily statisticians themselves. I have no formal statistics training, but use distributions extensively in my own work, and found this book very easy to understand. I have been using Johnson and Kotz monographs fairly extensively as references for the distributions in which I am interested, but find this book a much simpler reference for the basic facts of the distributions. In addition, its consistent use of notation across the chapters makes it much easier for the reader to cross reference.

I refrain from giving 5 stars to the book because of a few weaknesses, primarily omissions. Firstly, as an earlier reviewer pointed out, the lack of an index is a little annoying sometimes. Secondly, the bibliography is very slim, and so the reader interested in finding further details, proofs etc., is given very little direction. Thirdly, there are a few obvious omissions, such as the cumulative distribution function for the chi-squared distribution. Fourthly, random number generation is described only when the generation is relatively simple (for example, a method for generating random variates from a gamma distribution is described only for special cases). Finally, I would like to have seen more guidance provided in the sections on parameter estimation, such as first and second derivatives of log-likelihood functions when the estimates have to be derived iteratively.

This is the most thorough reference on distributions that I have found. The information contained about each distribution is concisely stated in a few pages - you would probably have to look in several books to get the same material. Most useful to people writing digital simulations is instructions on how to generate the distribution using random number generators. This is especially useful if you don't have access to statistical software packages. Lack of an index detracts, but is minor. Listings are alphabetical, by distribution name, so you might have to page through the book to find one that is not in an obvious location (like continuous uniform is listed as "rectangular", but discrete uniform is listed as "discrete uniform"). You need to be familiar with basic statistics to understand the book; but you don't have to be a statistician.

This is a very good reference for univariate statistical distributions. It provides maximum likelihood and moment estimation formulas for many distributions i'ven't seen anywhere else. That's right that the price is quite high for the number of pages but this information is invaluable for practitioners who need to fit distributions to real data.