This book rocked! We made last-minute travel plans to Brussles with no idea of what we would find once we got there. The book contains practical and interesting walking tour maps of plenty of towns worth visiting. This came in quite handy when we began taking the trains throughout Benelux using Brussels as our hub.
Of all the books we brought with us on the trip (Frommers, Fodor, Time Out and others), This book turned out to be the most useful of all and was the most dog-eared by the end of our two weeks.
We only used one of the restaurant reccomendations -- no great shakes, but then again, that was not what the book was for.

I have made 3 trips to the area covered by this book, and it is the first resource I reach for when looking for ideas on what sights to see. Steinbicker orients his tours to train travel, so if you drive, and park at the train station, which is always easy to find just by following the Station signs in any city, you don't have to worry about finding parking in the right end of an unfamiliar town.

His walking tour maps are excellent! On more than one occasion I haven't even bothered stopping at the visitor information office for a local map, as those he provides in the book are quite accurate. He does give the location of the tourist information office in each city/town, along with some history, currency informtaion, eating suggestions, European train transportation information (rail, bus, and Metro pass info), and a driver's glossary (translations) for each country, that are quite helpful.

Two words of caution:

1) He lists the days of the week and times that sights were open and closed in 1995, when the book was published. Check the current schedules; I have found his information to be dated sometimes. 2) If you buy this book, anyone you know who's planning a trip to this part of Europe, who takes a peek at it, will literally BEG you to borrow it. I've taken my copy on 3 trips, but it has actually been on more than a dozen with friends and co-workers.

Daytrips has everything you need to be a do-it-yourself tourguide. Trips are based on major cities in each country with estimated distances and times, so you can see what you want on your schedule. Each trip has at least one, and more often several, walking tours all of which begin at the train station (or bus stop if the area doesn't have one). The maps are detailed and clear; although I would recommend stopping at the local tourist information center and acquiring a map-locations for information centers are always highlighted. Each tour has some historic background on the area, places to visit and some dining suggestions. As a previous reviewer has noted, take prices and opening times with a grain of salt-they can and do change. I was a tour guide in this region (including Germany) for three years, and this book was always in my backpack. Without a doubt, Luxembourg, Belgium, and rural Holland are under visited by tourists. Luxembourg is probably the best-kept secret in Western Europe. The people in Benelux are friendly, especially towards Americans, prices are not outlandish and the scenery is excellent. HIGHLY Recommended.

This book is a tremendous work of story-telling. Winston Groom brings the allied armies WWI experience in the Yres salient alive through use of personal letters and journals, but still keeps us abreast of the larger picture at both the command and theater levels. I have read few accounts that so effectively balances both of these objectives, and I thoroughly enjoyed putting such a small, albeit crucially important, part of the western front under the microscope.
Historically speaking, I am troubled that this book reads like the official British history [read propoganda] of the war. The position that the war was the result of German militarism, and that England and the U.S. were forced into the war by German barbarism are not so much argued as asserted. At every chance Groom seems to take the opportunity to point out the brutality of the German armies and their commanders, but understates or calls into question the same on the opposite side. There is little to no investigation of the German soldier's life in the salient except for the few references to Adolf Hitler, which itself carries a clear connotation, which leaves a vision of the German soldiers as nameless faceless killing machines. This is interesting because it stands in direct contrast to the wonderful photographs contained in the book, which shows the German armies mired in the same desolate wasteland as the allies. I would have even been satisfied with him focusing on the allied soldiers, if not for the clear biased for the allied official history of the war. Since this book was basically a character study of the allied armies in the Ypres salient, rather than a detailed analysis of the war at large, I don't think this was the place for such value-judgements. As a junior arm-chair historian, with a great interest in the broader issues of the Great War, I found this detracted from the overall experience.
In the end I would enthusiastically recommend this book, with the usual historical caveat of know your author, so that the wheat can be separated from the chaff.

I have a long-standing interest in history in general and military history in particular. After reading dozens if not hundreds of these books, I have found that the ones that stick with me are the ones that are beautifully written.

"A Storm in Flanders" is such a book, focusing on the British experience in the Ypres Salient during World War I. Groom wrote "Forrest Gump," as well as several history books. He knows how to put a sentence together and how to tell a gripping story. Once I picked this book up and started reading, I was hooked.

Much as Stephen Ambrose has done in his elegant books about World War II, Groom moves seamlessly between the generals in their chateaus and the grunts in their trenches. He makes use of diaries and poetry to tell the human story of a struggle that is all too often reduced to an abstract description of maneuver and battle. And he is very fair in his assessments--he acknowledges the criticisms of General Haig and many of the other leaders of the war, but he is always careful to balance these views with other considerations. The result is a well-told tale, fair and sympathetic to everyone involved.

The story of the Ypres Salient is not pretty. Groom does not pull his punches and does his best to give the reader, sitting in a comfortable armchair, some sense of just how horrible the Great War was. In a passage that I found especially memorable, Groom quotes Lieutenant Alfred J. Angel of the Royal Fusiliers during Third Ypres: "The stench was horrible, for the bodies were not corpses in the normal sense. With all the shell-fire and bombardments they'd been continually disturbed, and the whole place was a mess of filth and slime and bones and decomposing bits of flesh."

How anyone could live and fight in this hell on earth without going mad is simply beyond my comprehension, yet many British, French and German soldiers managed to do just that for four years running. Groom doesn't delve too deeply into the psychology of the soldiers, observing that "the search for 'why' and 'how' remains elusive and any effort to reason it out is to fashion a mirror of hell itself." He is probably right in saying that "[a] truly sobering thing would be a glimpse of what was actually going on in their minds during the fighting. That would not only be sobering; it would be perfectly frightening."

If you like a "A Storm in Flanders," I would recommend two other books. The first is "Face of Battle" by John Keegan, which tries to explain how soldiers keep fighting despite the horrors of war and the threat of instant death. The second is Sir Martin Gilbert's "The First World War," which describes the entire war using a relentless chronology that is truly compelling. Neither of these books is as well written as Groom's "A Storm in Flanders," but both are well worth the effort to read.

Winston Groom's "Storm in Flanders" succeeds in attaining its own express goal: to write a popular history, instantly accessible to American readers of the earlier 21st century, concerning one of the most brutal battle sectors of the Western Front: the notorious Yypres Salient (or Passchendale). This was the strip of coastal land in Belgium - Flanders, to be precise - that was assigned to British, Irish, Canadian, Australian and other Imperial troops, and which consumed men by the thousands in four separate, equally grisly, battles.

Thanks largely to the works of the "war poets," the Yypres Salient has become emblematic of the worst excesses of WWI: war by attrition, massed human wave assaults, catastrophic loss of life, gas, barbed wire, shell shock, mud when it rained and a horrendous lunar landscape when it wasn't raining. The fact that the Belgian watertable lies only inches beneath the ground made for a brutally muddy combat area; the military technology of the day favored attritional warfare; the diplomatic machinery meant there was no hope of an early peace.

While these are all totally accurate - and vividly brought to by Groom - there were myths: there were very few true "chateau generals"; most lived near the troops and many died bravely; men did not live in perpetuity at the Front: they were rotated there in 48 hour shifts. This is not a complex analysis of high diplomatic or military strategy, it is a straightforward and terrific piece of storytelling.

I wasn't too impressed with this guide.
Now that I have bought it I don't think it's a good idea to put together three countries as small as they can be. I have been living in Belgium for a year now and can tell that there is a lot more to see and do that the book says. This guide only goes for the main things but it would be nice for once to have some off the tracks hints and do something different. There are so many little towns in Belgium that are by far more interesting than some of the larger cities. The guide has a few good information to it. Especially for Liege, but frankly I would have likes to know more about some other towns. I also like guides that have a bit more history.

You can't imagine my surprise and delight to find a book that had every concievable information I needed on Luxembourg. I am planning to go for the summer and had been going crazy trying to find information and Fodor's The Netherlands,Belgium,Luxembourg has given me every information I need to have an enjoyable trip.It gave me not only the hotels in the city but in the countryside as well. It gives the points of interest in each town or village.The resturants and their prices and the hotels. I am extremely happy. I especially found the 'smart travel tips' to be important for me because I will be traveling alone and independently. The book will be going with me. I like that Fodor gives me a short description of the hotels and resturants and what to expect if I stay in a hotel or eat in a resturant. I was apprehensive when I could not find information on Lux but now I feel like I know the place. Biggest helpful hint. It told me where I could find places to change my money to the local currency and Luxembourg A to Z explains what will happen when I arrive and depart. Very good book.

This is a great book, it points out some really great sites to see, and also tells a little about the history of the countries also. This is a good book for those who are going to these countries for the first time!

This was our 2nd time using a Rick Steve's book (the first was the Italy guide book, which was great)...and I found the France guidebook lacking depth. He touches large portions of the country with the guidebook, but the regions we visited (Provence, Alps, and Paris) were void of much detail. In particular, we found the sight-seeing recommendations to be quite skimpy. The restaurant and hotel recommendations were ok, but we found our favorite hotels on-line or in a different guidebook. If you get this book, be sure to only use it as a companion to a more comprenesive guide, such as Lonely Planet or Fodor's!!

Raves
The French phrases are excellent-kept it simple. I was complimented for my French.
Rants
The Orangery Musee housing the Impressionists does not open sometime in 2002 as indicated in the book, but 2006. Long walk from Louve to find out its not even open. Made up for this with article on Montmarrse musee with Monets-short cab from Latin quarter-well worth it.

Rule #1 when traveling in Europe: pack light! You will carry your stuff up many stairs from the metro. You certainly do not want to bring 10 books on each region you will visit!

For the person who wants to experience the countries tourism and the real culture behind the front door, this is the best guide I've seen. I've been to Europe with another guide, and this one beat it hands down! I felt like a professional traveler and actually had other tourists befriend me and ask for advise--all from this detailed and wonderful book!

It's a must have for any person who wants to make sure they see everything they came for without breaking the bank or wasting their time.

This book handles the telling of the operation in a decent manner. I would liked to have seen a bit more depth in all of the areas, especially the attack, where the author seems to lose control of the chronology. There were some great pictures included but never a comprehensive map of the fort in diagram. Other than these personal preferences, I'd rank this book with the two short masterworks ,"Pegasus Bridge" and "Band of Brothers".

This is a good book but not a great one. Mr Mrazek could elaborate a bit more on the tactics of the glidermen. Also, his writing style made it somewhat difficult to track the timeline of the various units. Overall, this is a good book about a very daring raid.

This is a good book that covers one of the most daring small unit actions in WWII. The reader is introduced to the operation from its planning phase, and continues to the operation and the impact it had. The coverage prior to the raid is first rate. The actual mission itself became a bit dis-jointed with all the Airborne teams spliting up. With few books covering the subject, this work is a must for those who are interested in this op.

I have now read all of the novels in Dorothy Dunnett's Niccolo series, and like all of the others To Lie with Lions is a great read. I read it over a long weekend, and even with its 626 pages, I had to keep reading until I completed the book as I became more and more interested in what would be the conclusion to the long struggle in which Niccolo and his wife were engaging. But the problem I have is with the apparent conclusion to this relationship. The section is rushed and does not appear to follow logically from all that has been presented before; the motivations and rationalizations of the characters seem incomplete and somewhat illogical. I could present specific details, but I do not want to give away too much of what happens. Dorothy Dunnett is an excellent writer; her set-piece scenes, some of which were mentioned in the Kirkus review, are as well-written as anything I have ever read. The problem is in the psycholgy presented in this closing section. I hope she clarifies the internal and external relationships of her characters in the book to be published later this year. Even with these criticisms, the book is still very much worth reading and savoring. It could just have been one of her very best, worthy of the best of the genre and possibly even surpassing it.

This is an amazing series. At times I think the history is the best part of it - you must stop to check up on Trebizond, or Cyprus, try to untangle what Brugges is, figure out the connection between James III of Scotland and the later Jameses - the 15th century springs to life in Dunnett's hands. And besides the history, Dunnett creates incredible characters, with Nicholas at the center, complex genius that he is. (In what guise does Nicholas live today?) Kathi Sersanders, the lively spirit who best understands him, represents the best of us, admiring and loving, and his son Jodi seems as familiar as all of our own children. Dr Tobias, the doubting and brilliant foil of Nicholas, is a magnificent creation, (and another way to represent the reader at his/her best). Okay, so it's a (long long long) soap opera, but you just can't go wrong: at the end you have Nicholas and his loyal band to dream of, and nearly a whole century of history that you never knew existed. Sign me up for the Dorothy Dunnett tour of the world!

This is the sixth book of the Niccolo series. Here, the plot centers on the center of Europe: The Duke of Burgundy and the King of France and the King of Scotland: Nicholas serves them all to achieve success for his grand plan.

The competition between Gelis and Nicholas continues, only this time she lives with Nicholas in Scotland and their son, Jodi. Living together does not mean the race is over, only that it intensifies. The outcome will soon be revealed!

In this chapter, the author continues her description of Scotland, but also of Greenland and the great market for Cod that exists between this country and the great Hanse Merchants of Germany. Once again, Nicholas is able to beat his competitors and gain more wealth.

More descriptions of new places, new people and customs and all told with incredible with and knowledge.

I can't wait to read the seventh chapter....

Although this book is compact it is too heavy to carry if one is on a walking tour. I can read a newspaper without glasses, but with glasses I had trouble with the type. It is not in an orderly format nor is there is a good section on hotels.

I have had great experiences with the DK Guides. I use it extensively in my trip planning and this is the guide I take on the trip.

This guide provides execllent information about local sites throughout Beligium. It gives very clear guidance concerning what you can find and access information. It also helps you to locate the sites with indexed maps and diagrams.

I have found that this and the other DK Guides are bit weak in providing guidance about what to see. That is, it offers little qualitative information--everything sounds equally wonderful. And we all know this is not necessarily the case.

So I always find another guide that has more opinions and recomended tours to determine what to see. I espiecially look for guided the provide suggested walking tours. This has worked out well for the most part. I use other guides to plan the trip and the DK Guide in the country.

It has very usable maps although sometimes too limited in scope and you may require a local map to get around beyond the central city. Also, because the book is a bit heavy and too large to fit in a jacket pocket after the first day or so I leave it in the hotel and rely on the local map when walking about.

The one topic I find most reliable is DK's restaurant recommendations. The two places I tried in Brussels were fantastic and offered everything that the guide described. I have had equal success with DK's restaurant recommendations in other cities/countries.

I think this is an indispensible travel guide as long as you know what you are using it for--planning or background info, etc.

Very good book for the ones who want to get to know in details this wonderful country which has been active part of the contemporany history of our world.

It gives you information from the wolrdly famous French wineyards to tips about travelling in to the Romanish sites spread over around the country.

Its write style is very accesible to everyone who wants to start travel books reading and deep explore the frontiers around the globe.

When I first heard that the man who had provided the model for the Jon Lovitz character on the criminally neglected cartoon series 'The Critic' had an autobiography out I was understandably excited. Sad to say, this latest entry in the memoir sweepstakes is a grave disappointment. A homely collection of borrowed postmod effects, graceless prose and anecdotes so boring that one begins to suspect the author of a passive-aggressive hostility. Alas, no matter how funny he may look, Luc Sante's no Jon Lovitz.

"This book is the missing link between Benjamin's Arcades and Frank Kogan's fanzine Why Music Sucks, more streetwise than the former and with more potatoes than the latter, while not overlooking the traditions of the Rabelaisian catalogue, the Bretonian weekly junkshop run, or just good ol' Oulipian hijinks. You read this, then shoplift his templates and project them up onto the mural on the darkened childhood bedroom wall of your own life. Sometimes they come out looking like Nan Goldin's photographs; your psyche runs for cover." - John Wójtowicz

When I had the opportunity to study in Belgium I was told "Belgium is a beautiful country - when the sun shines." That is certainly correct. But if this book had been published before I left for Belgium it would have shown me a way of seeing this country in a whole new light. There is more than one source of sunlight. Luc Sante is one of those sources. If you are planning an extended stay in Belgium read it before you go. Even better, if you have had the experience of living in Belgium for a reasonable length of time you will want to get on the first plane back there.

I mostly concur with those disappointed by this finale to an otherwise enthralling series.

There are really two "stories" to comment upon. First, the overarching story of the eight novels ends less than satisfactorily, with the wholesale slaughter of characters overdone. Where is the final confrontation with Simon? Hardly anyone at the end gets enlightened with Henry's true parentage--one of the main plot drivers of the whole series. And who the heck is Bonne? I'll pay Dunnett the compliment of intentionally leaving a few loose ends (do any of these dovetail into the Lymond books?), but they are frustrating all the same. Don't look for any further character development except for Henry and, perhaps, Jodi a bit. The fascinating Gelis turns into a cardboard character after the reconciliation, and Nicholas morphs into a helplessly manipulated wimp. An epilogue linking to the Lymond novels, though, is understated and beautiful--every word counts here.

Second, the story within the novel is a blithering account of mind-numbing minutiae of Scottish politics and history. Where is the adventure and suspense of Africa, Trebizond, Egypt, and Cypress? Other that a Scot, who cares about which clan supported which palace intrigue? And the occasional list of Scottish lords and their relationships (characters who are otherwise not introduced and about whom we care nothing, although they also pad the bloated List of Characters at the front of the book) are sleep-inducing at best. I am sure Dunnett waxed proud of her beloved Scotland, but had this been the first novel of the series, it would have been my last.

Despite all of the above, of course you should read Gemini if you have read the rest. It's hard to say goodbye to such compelling characters. Just be prepared for a big disappointment.

"Gemini" is the long-awaited finale to Dorothy Dunnett's blockbuster series, The House of Niccolo. Nicholas de Fleury - banker, world traveler, former owner of a small private army - returns to Scotland to make reparations for the economic damage he did in the course of his revenge on the St. Pol family. With a wrench, he leaves his wife, Gelis, and son, Jordan, behind in Bruges in safety because he fears that Jordan St. Pol, his presumed grandfather, and David de Salmeton, an adversary in trade, may take revenge on him through attacks on his family.

Nicholas returns to Scotland as the agent of his wife, Gelis, but finds himself working to shore up an unstable Stuart monarchy, threatened from without by England and from within by cadet members of the royal family.

As with all Dunnett books, "Gemini" is packed with marvelous set pieces, lush descriptions, lucid explications of the politics of the day, heart-wrenching deaths, and moments of joyous triumph. Questions raised in earlier books are answered - mostly - we readers need a few things left to argue about, don't we?

Judith Wilt has provided an excellent introduction that synopsizes the seven earlier books ably, but reading them in order is still preferable.

I am stunned after completing this eighth book in the Niccolo series, but I'm also very, very sad. I have now finished all fourteen books in Ms. Dunnett's saga and it saddens me to know that there is no new installment where I can lose myself in this quite remarkable family. In this book we finally get a lot of answers as to why Niccolo acted as he did in all the previous books. We see who is real enemy has been over the years and it is a surprise to all of his friends even though Niccolo has known all along. He has tried to minimize the damage and tried to control this serpent in his midst, but finds that it can't be done and it comes to a sad, sad conclusion. Niccolo faces great losses in this book, but he comes out a stronger man for them. Ms. Dunnett is truly a master storyteller and I recommend that everyone read her series the way she suggests. She suggests that you read the six Lymond chronicles in the right order and then these eight in the Niccolo series, and then go back and re-read the Lymond chronicles. All will be much clearer and her prose is so complex that a first reading of all the books is not nearly enough to get all the complexities and double-dealings that occur as standard fare. I am exhilerated after completing the series, but as I mentioned, very sad. I don't think I'll find an author or a series to compare. I would give the entire series of fourteen books ten stars if I could.