Books

The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 3)

Average customer rating:

my son is addicted
Percy Jackson is fantastic
More, Monsters, Mysteries and Mythology
thers got to be another!
Here we go

The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 3)
Rick Riordan
Manufacturer: Miramax
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2)
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Physik (Septimus Heap, Book 3)
Gregor and the Code of Claw (Underland Chronicles, Book 5)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)

ASIN: 1423101456

Customer Reviews:

my son is addicted.......2007-06-27

My son, who was never a big reader, has become a big reader because of this series. The only problem is telling him he has to wait for the next book. He loved this book and the ones before it. My son would read this aloud to my younger son, who became just as addicted. Great book, great author!!!

Percy Jackson is fantastic.......2007-06-27

I never thought I'd find a series more enjoyable than Harry Potter. Percy is a breath of fresh air. I love the tie-ins to Greek gods, his goofy teenage sense of humor, and his interesting collection of friends. I look forward to book #4.

More, Monsters, Mysteries and Mythology.......2007-06-23

Percy Jackson is back for his third quest. By now readers of this lively series will know what to expect, and they will be largely satisfied with this entry in the series. Kronos' evil has continued to spread and so Percy, Thalia, as well as a newly discovered half-blood, and a Huntress of Artemis, must work quickly to stop a monster, who is so powerful that he could destroy Olympus. The action continues and Riordan once again writes an ending that will leave the readers surprised and curious about what will happen in the next book.

thers got to be another!.......2007-06-15

if you want to read this book and havent then your serously missing out! i love the seris i think it is even better than harry potter! perct jackson son of posiden saves a little sea cow named bessie no one knows how important this cow is! percy is in love and is afraid to to show it we all know that he and annabeth are so in love! but annabeths mom is so over rated! well luke is not dead but died?! you meet a super cool dude he is apolo yea and has a fricken sweat ride! you also meet the godess of love! ares comes with her and ares curse on percy comes true but no worrys folks he dosent die he just holds the sky up instead! and 2 people die and percy gets another enemy! boohooo theres zombies in this one! and percy gets to talk to his dad and his dad vowges for percy to stay alive becuase he is a hero so he gets to PARTY with the GODS how unfair is that i wish i could party with the gods too! oh well you will love it i promise!

sincerly sorry
d.j.c

Here we go.......2007-06-14

Following the popular The Lightning Thief and the equally good The Sea of Monsters comes the third of the projected five-book Percy Jackson series. Not only does it stand as a worthy addition to the series, I'd even go so far as to say it's the best yet.

Following the accidental "rebirth" of Thalia the daughter of Zeus (who was once a pine tree) Annabeth, Percy, and Thalia go to the school where their friend Grover has located two presumably Italian half-bloods, Nico and Bianca di Angelo. Monsters abound, and Bianca is rather shell-shocked by the whole thing (but not Nico -- he has the Greek God trading card game!)

Turning up just in time, the goddess of the hunt manages to save them and go after the member of the party who has disappeared. Fans of Annabeth will be slightly disappointed at her part in this book (she doesn't show up often) but if you find Thalia interesting (like me) you'll enjoy it, too.

With a prophecy dangling over their heads that involves not only a few campers but members of Artemis's Hunt as well, and with Thalia's dreaded sixteenth birthday approaching, they have limited time to get to San Francisco, save Annabeth, and put the curse of the Titan Atlas back onto the Titan's shoulders (literally!) More important, though, is the revelation of the di Angelos' parentage...a dangerous secret that, once again, throws the chance to overthrow the Olympians back into the sinister Kronos's hands.

Some new additions to the cast of gods Percy meets are Artemis, Apollo, and even Annabeth's mother, Athena. These always add color to the books (Apollo's characterization as a reckless cool-guy was very funny) and I hope we get to meet all twelve Olympians by series' end.

Highly recommended.

China Shakes the World: A Titan's Rise and Troubled Future -- and the Challenge for America

Average customer rating:

Well written, informative book
A Journalist's Eye
All Shook Up
China Shakes the World
Great reading for those interested in China's influence

China Shakes the World: A Titan's Rise and Troubled Future -- and the Challenge for America
James Kynge
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0618705643

Book Description

"Let China sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world." Napoleon's words seem eerily prescient today, as the shock waves from China's awakening reverberate across the globe. In China Shakes the World, the former China bureau chief of the Financial Times, James Kynge, traces these tremors from Beijing to Europe to the Midwest as China's ravenous hunger for jobs, raw materials, energy, and food -- and its export of goods, workers, and investments -- drastically reshape world trade and politics.

Delving beyond mere recitation of by-now-familiar statistics, Kynge's on-the-ground reporting provides alternative explanations for China's explosive transformation, revealing many of the usual reasons given for its growth to be myths. Most important for the future, he details China's deep, systemic weaknesses -- rampant fraud, crippling environmental crises, a corrupt banking system, faltering government institutions, a rapidly aging population -- that threaten even greater global disruptions. And he demonstrates the profound consequences of those weaknesses for American manufacturers, oil companies, banks, and ordinary consumers.

Through dramatic stories of entrepreneurs and visionaries, factory workers and store clerks at the heart of this global phenomenon, China Shakes the World explains how China's breakneck rise occurred, the extraordinary problems the country now faces, and the consequences of both for the twenty-first century.

Customer Reviews:

Well written, informative book.......2007-06-01

This book is money and time well spent if you're interested in a contemporary survey of China.

Kynge really does an outstanding job with a complex topic. He has a journalist's nose for a story, is well connected in China, and the length of time he lived in the country allows him to really portray his observations in a sophisticated cultural and historical context. He nicely weaves in statistics and facts throughout the book without distracting from the narrative.

A Journalist's Eye.......2007-05-24

I've loved the lyrical quality of this book. It looks at the many problems facing China from the ground up and individual journalist's eyes. For a big picture view that is based more on economic analysis, see my own book: The Coming China Wars: Where They Will Be Fought and How They Can Be Won

All Shook Up.......2007-05-12

The incredible economic momentum in China necessitated by the rush of the population to the cities is creating economic tidal waves throughout the world. However, their economic surge is not without problems, such as widespread pollution. An excellent and informative read.

China Shakes the World.......2007-02-28

China Shakes the World is a brief anecdotal survey of China's rise as a great economic power. I took three major themes from the book:

- Many of the Chinese government's current policies are forced upon it. China's people have come to expect sustained high growth rates, and a failure to meet this expectation would have severe consequences for China's rulers. To encourage high growth rates, and because they are not democratically accountable, China's leaders simply ignore the adverse consequences of rapid growth, such as environmental damage. Yet the long-term consequences are inescapable. In the realm of foreign policy, China's most urgent need is access to natural resources. This need forces China to engage with some unsavory regimes and use its influence in the United Nations to protect them from international pressure.

- Much of China's current economic strength is the result of starting from a low base: while China has been at least a regional power for millennia, it has not done a good job of providing for its people. As a result, its rural population in particular is willing to undergo almost any hardship to escape grinding poverty. China's rapid economic growth can also be explained, in part, as a reaction to the loosening of artificial restraints on growth: e.g., totalitarian controls that prohibited any type of private enterprise until 1978 and China's isolation from the rest of the world during much of its history.

- China is pursuing the development strategy pioneered by Japan and the Asian tigers of climbing the technology ladder from relatively undemanding manufactures that rely on cheap labor (e.g., textiles) to more capital-intensive manufactures, specifically targeting machine tool manufacturing as a strategic industry. Because of China's extremely inexpensive, disciplined, and well-educated work force, and because its manufacturers emphasize market share over profit, there is little that the West can do to compete with China in many manufacturing sectors.

On these points, I found author James Krynge, a Financial Times reporter, to be convincing and reasonably entertaining. I found him to be less so when he indulges in some Lou Dobbs-style populism in decrying the effect of China's manufacturing prowess on U.S. manufacturers.

Great reading for those interested in China's influence.......2007-02-22

This is one of the best books I have read on contemporary China. The author provides a balanced look at the worldwide effects of a modernizing nation backed by extensive research. His personal accounts of individuals affected by this rapidly growing economy provides an interesting backdrop to the main story he is telling -- the challenge of balancing economic and social prosperity.

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

Average customer rating:

Bigger than life personalities?
Lessons from a Self Made Billionaire
Good Stuff In This One!
Book Great, Quality Good,
Very Impressive

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
Ron Chernow
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance
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Carnegie
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ASIN: 0679438084
Release Date: 1998-05-05

Amazon.com

Ron Chernow, whose previous books have taken on the Morgan and Warburg financial empires, now turns his attention to the patriarch of the Rockefeller dynasty. John D. was history's first recorded billionaire and one of the most controversial public figures in America at the turn of the 20th century. Standard Oil--which he always referred to as the result of financial "cooperation," never as a "cartel" or a "monopoly"--controlled at its peak nearly 90 percent of the United States oil industry. Rockefeller drew sharp criticism, as well as the attention of federal probes, for business practices like underpricing his competitors out of the market and bribing politicians to secure his dominant market share.

While Chernow amply catalogs Rockefeller's misdeeds, he also presents the tycoon's human side. Making use of voluminous business correspondence, as well as rare transcripts of interviews conducted when Rockefeller was in his late 70s and early 80s, Chernow is able to present his subject's perspective on his own past, re-creating a figure who has come down to us as cold and unfeeling as a shrewd, dryly humorous man who had no inner misgivings about reconciling his devout religious convictions with his fiscal acquisitiveness. The story of John D. Rockefeller Sr. is, in many ways, the story of America between the Civil War and the First World War, and Chernow has told that story in magnificently fascinating depth and style.

Book Description

John D. Rockefeller, Sr.--history's first billionaire and the patriarch of America's most famous dynasty--is an icon whose true nature has eluded three generations of historians. Now Ron Chernow, the National Book Award-winning biographer of the Morgan and Warburg banking families, gives us a history of the mogul "etched with uncommon objectivity and literary grace . . . as detailed, balanced, and psychologically insightful a portrait of the tycoon as we may ever have" (Kirkus Reviews). Titan is the first full-length biography based on unrestricted access to Rockefeller's exceptionally rich trove of papers. A landmark publication full of startling revelations, the book will indelibly alter our image of this most enigmatic capitalist.
        Born the son of a flamboyant, bigamous snake-oil salesman and a pious, straitlaced mother, Rockefeller rose from rustic origins to become the world's richest man by creating America's most powerful and feared monopoly, Standard Oil. Branded "the Octopus" by legions of muckrakers, the trust refined and marketed nearly 90 percent of the oil produced in America.
        Rockefeller was likely the most controversial businessman in our nation's history. Critics charged that his empire was built on unscrupulous tactics: grand-scale collusion with the railroads, predatory pricing, industrial espionage, and wholesale bribery of political officials. The titan spent more than thirty years dodging investigations until Teddy Roosevelt and his trustbusters embarked on a marathon crusade to bring Standard Oil to bay.
        While providing abundant new evidence of Rockefeller's misdeeds, Chernow discards the stereotype of the cold-blooded monster to sketch an unforgettably human portrait of a quirky, eccentric original. A devout Baptist and temperance advocate, Rockefeller gave money more generously--his chosen philanthropies included the Rockefeller Foundation, the University of Chicago, and what is today Rockefeller University--than anyone before him. Titan presents a finely nuanced portrait of a fascinating, complex man, synthesizing his public and private lives and disclosing numerous family scandals, tragedies, and misfortunes that have never before come to light.
        John D. Rockefeller's story captures a pivotal moment in American history, documenting the dramatic post-Civil War shift from small business to the rise of giant corporations that irrevocably transformed the nation. With cameos by Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, Jay Gould, William Vanderbilt, Ida Tarbell, Andrew Carnegie, Carl Jung, J. Pierpont Morgan, William James, Henry Clay Frick, Mark Twain, and Will Rogers, Titan turns Rockefeller's life into a vivid tapestry of American society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is Ron Chernow's signal triumph that he narrates this monumental saga with all the sweep, drama, and insight that this giant subject deserves.

Customer Reviews:

Bigger than life personalities?.......2006-03-01

Rockefeller is reported to have searched endlessly for golf balls lost in an attempt to recover them, yet could nearly buy the world - why?

Objective biographies are important to show that it is rarely money or greed that inspires the mind of man; it is the pursuit of the solution to the particular problem that he has defined worthy of solution. Both great inventions and great works of art have been formed as a result of the tiny seeds of construction or of destruction that engage the human spirit.

Without it, are we not all merely reduced to automated machine status, the robots of today for the future of tomorrow?

Is the mind of man made for the pursuit of money, or for the pursuit of satisfaction of what he perceives is worthy of addressing, focusing his attention upon the manner and the object of his passion?

What makes people tick is a source of inspiration often overlooked in the attempt to idolize or endow humanity, and far too often, misconstrued by mistaken others who aim to profit from that misinterpretation.

Molded soles, like molded fingerprints, rarely sit anyone else. Why then do we not concentrate upon the perspective of what men aim for, and why, rather than what they accomplish, and its yield?

Lessons from a Self Made Billionaire.......2006-01-01

This book is the best biography I've read thus far.
Ron Chernow has a deep understanding of
economics and history. He uses this understanding to
paint an accurate, balanced and complete picture of
the Rockerfeller dynasty with J.D. Rockerfeller as the
center of their powerful universe.

To emphasise just how well this book was written,
consider the fact that I spent my whole
Christmas weekend reading it! I couldn't move from my
library or sleep until it was done. Though the book
weighs in at approximately seven hundred pages, it is
reads like a novel, a trait which makes it both
palatable and pithy.

Synopsis

Rockerfeller has all the traits of a classic self made hero. His
antecedents are not amazing. He grew up in a poor
family featuring a bigamist foot-lose father who was
hardly ever around. His father taught John painful
lessons in business and human behaviour. John's father
would regularly tell John to jump from his high chair
into his father's arms. Once, in order to teach John
never to trust anyone, he told John to jump. He then
walked away, leaving John to slam painfully into the ground.
John's mother was the backbone of the family; quiet,
anassuming and hardworking. He assumed the role of
surrogate father and dedicated his life to ensuring his
mother and the rest of his family were safe, secure
and happy.

When Rockerfeller got into the business world, he
began as a book keeper. It was from these early
beginnings that he showed the traits that would be the
core of his success. He was meticulous and diligent
when keeping financial records and accounts. He would
manage his own funds as well as the company's money down to the
decimal point! Like Warren Buffet after him,
J.D. Rockerfeller would emphasis that "numbers are
everything."

J.D also proved that discipline is more important than
intelligence. In school, he wasn't the sharpest blade
in the set but his slow, diligent, determined and
disciplined approach to study ensured his success. He
emphasised this in his business dealings as well. With
this method, he created the jaggernaut monopoly of
Standard Oil. He began by consolidating the mass of oil
refineries and wells in Cleveland under his umbrella.
Later, after recruiting his alter ego, Henry Flagler,
they would proceed to dominate the oil industry
thoughout the world.

Rockerfeller also exemplified a reticence that would
inspire respect and fear in his enemies while planting
admiration and loyalty in his friends. At board
meetings, he was often known to lie back in a settee
with his eyes closed as he let his leiutenants debate.
Later, he would discuss these issues in great detail,
as though he had absorbed and understood everything
without skipping a beat. Within his company, he was a
ghost. Employees would never see him arrive or watch
him leave. However, they were made acutely aware of
his presence when he popped up at some underlings desk
and discussed their jobs and records in great detail. He
knew everything and everyone.

Later on, Standard Oil would become the focus of the
anti-trust movement. The Spellman Act was passed in
order to curb its power. In later years,
Rockerfeller's juggernaut would be split up with
unforseen results. Instead of destroying his wealth,
as his detractors and politicians had hoped, his
wealth and that of his shareholders trippled!
Rockerfeller's success was enduring and could not be
stopped or limited.

Rockerfeller dedicated the first half his life to becoming the
richest man on the planet. He then dedicated the
remaining half to becoming the greatest philanthropist
in the planet. His medical foundations brought
back the disciplined approach he applied to business to
the medical field that had erstwhile been dominated by
quacks and homeopaths. Were it not for Rockerfeller's
contributions to medicine, modern health might not be
as advanced as it is now.

After living to the ripe old age of ninety eight,
Rockerfeller had achieved more than most people achive in a
hundred lifetimes. He was one of those individuals so
powerful that he forever changed the destiny of
humanity forever.

Something in the nature of J.D. Rockerfeller had to
occur in America, and it is all to the good of the
world that he was tight-lipped, consistent and
amazingly free from vulgar vanity, sensuality and
quarrelsomeness. His cold prsistence and ruthlessness
may arouse something like horror, but for all that he
was a forward-moving force, a constructive power.

--H. G. Wells. The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind.

Conclusion

This book is mandatory reading for all students of
success. It teaches the nature of the monopolist, the
spirit of the leader, the hunger of the rich, the
ambition of the visionary, the structure of a dynasty
and the soul of the innovator.

I've idolized Rockerfeller my whole life. Reading this
biography gave me an understanding of both his faults
and his virtues. It humanised him. The fact that
Rockerfeller is so much like a next door neighbour
leads the reader to a very important conclusion:
success is not about nature, it's about nurture. It
is not about intelligence but of intent. It is not
about destiny but of decision. It is not about magic,
it is about method.

Each of us can make the decision to be successful. All
we have to do is practice the method by mimicking that
of the giants who have come before us. That is the
Billionaire Way.

Good Stuff In This One!.......2005-12-18

We do want to know what made John D tick, and about his family as well. Are we surprised to know it was mostly do-ray-me with some Calvinism thrown in? Perhaps not. At least we are glad to know that he could spare those dimes... And that he enjoyed his twilight years gofing in sunny Ormond Beach!

If we are from Southwestern Pennsylvania, we have heard the unsavory stories of how he consolidated his power and even if we aren't we have Miss Tarbell's journalism to fall back on.*

Chernow relates this part of the tale well. Would that there were a bit more about the surreptitious doings of Mr. R's agents and underlings. Ah well, the good people of Oil City and Titusville remember...

If we want to know what happens to the children of the rich and famous, Chernow has that too, and there is nothing quite like this book's sad account of John D's daughter's ill-treatment in the hands of a rather well-known psychoanalyst. The train, the Rolls and the waving handkerchief will remain long in the reader's memory.

*The History of the Standard Oil Company : Briefer Version by Ida M. Tarbell, David M. Chalmers (Editor) (Paperback)

Book Great, Quality Good, .......2005-09-01

The seller was on time and very quick. The book is exactly what I wanted, but it said "like new". The book was from a public library with all of the stamps and codes and stuff on it. Not a big deal, I just wish I had known that before. Otherwise the transaction went great.

Very Impressive.......2005-04-05

It is Ron Chernow's writing style and skill that impressed me the most; next was the level of detail offered about John D. That said, John D.'s life in itself, as pesented by Ron, offers an invaluable lesson or two.

Average customer rating:

Titan: the Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
Loved this one
A fascinating character study
Titanic Biography
Difficult to imagine how it could be done better

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
Ron Chernow
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Morgan: American Financier

ASIN: 1400077303
Release Date: 2004-03-30

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

Titan: the Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr........2007-06-27

I have been a readaholic for about 50 years, and this is one of the best ever. This guy was a truly fascinating individual, made tremoundous contributions (both good and bad) to American life as we know it. The author does an excellent job of covering his life, the book reads as easily as a novel. I ordered this for my brother-in-law, as I felt anyone with an interest in business and history has to read this.

Loved this one.......2007-06-08

I believe this book was as good a business book as it was a biography. I was loned it by a friend and probably given 5 copies out to friends over the last couple of years.

A fascinating character study.......2007-05-07

If you want to understand the modern-day corporation and CEO, this is one of the keys to the kingdom. Rockefeller, the grandfather of Standard Oil, defined what it is to be an American king. Simultaneously a greedy, capitalist who counted every penny he earned and one of the greatest philanthropist ever, Rockefeller is a fascinating study in the contradictions of being a good citizen, a corporate leader and a devout Christian. The man almost single-handedly eraticated crimpling diseases by funding medical institutes around the country -- only one of the many accomplishments of the 9 decades of his life. This book is exquisitely written, meticulously researched and a great way to understand an important period of American history that still continues to influence us every day.

Titanic Biography.......2007-04-26

John D Rockefeller, Sr. founded the modern multi-national conglomerate and. through his charitable giving, both modern medical research and modern medical training. In short, he was the Bill Gates of the last century.

(Actually, Mr. Gates, another great man, arguably has a ways to go to accomplish what Mr. Rockefeller did in his long, long life).

Ron Chernow brings this complex and fascinating American icon to life in a way that made me feel like I knew John D Rockefeller Sr, personally.

Chernow is infinitely fair, very thorough, and a great story teller. He has an especially keen eye for the telling detail. For example, you'll learn that Rockefeller's father used to sell cure-all elixirs as a faut doctor in the backwoods of Ohio. Chernow then draws the parallel much later to Rockefeller's foundation of a medical research philanthropy.

If you want to understand one of the greatest men the world has ever produced, I highly recommend you let Ron Chernow guide you through this journey.

Difficult to imagine how it could be done better.......2007-04-25

I'm currently working my way through the list of twenty books Charlie Munger (Warren Buffett's partner) recommends in the second edition of Poor Charlie's Almanack (very highly recommended). Thus, I am reading books I frankly wouldn't otherwise be (which I'm feeling increasingly sure reflected poorly on me) and I therefore feel somewhat less certain about my opinions. For example, I've read very few biographies and so it's harder for me to compare it to others.

With that caveat, I do read a lot, and I know an excellent book when I come across one - and Titan (2nd edition, 2004, 679 pages) is first rate. The author has clearly done a staggering amount of research, writes well and clearly and is admirably even-handed in his approach (so much as one can tell without reading the background material oneself). I think these are probably the three key factors in producing a biography and it is difficult to find fault in his approach to any of them.

Rockefeller comes across as a fascinatingly strange mixture of cold hearted and genial, a hyper-religious bandit who was convinced that his was God's work even when it involved political bribery and industrial espionage on a grand scale. I found it particularly interesting that he was not considered in any way remarkable in his abilities whilst at school - it appears his success was mainly due to his utterly relentless approach and self-discipline. There are many other interesting subtexts that emerge through the book, such as the enormous difficulty in preventing great wealth from destroying family relations.

My approach to reading my way through Munger's list is to devote an hour to reading each day before I do anything else (I found that was the only way to ensure it got done). Towards the end of Titan I realised that I found it more interesting than the (good) thriller I was reading and I suspect that is the final accolade. The excerpt from the New York Times review quoted on the front of Titan describes it as `A biography that has many of the best attributes of a novel....". So this is a book where you really can have your cake and eat it: you get to learn without giving up any time from entertainment. Highly recommended.

Teen Titans, Vol. 6: Titans Around the World

Average customer rating:

One Year Later, It's Still Good
Keeping the great tradition of good Titans books
Classic Titans in a whole new way
A fine return to form
Teen Titans Continues to Impress

Teen Titans, Vol. 6: Titans Around the World
Geoff Johns
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1401212174

Book Description

In the wake of INFINITE CRISIS, a new year of exciting adventures begins as Robin and Wonder Girl meet the "new" Teen Titans. Also, the formation of the mysterious and secretive Titans East gets underway!

Then, the Doom Patrol joins the Teen Titans in their battle against the Brotherhood of Evil. Why will a former Titan refuse to rejoin the team?

Customer Reviews:

One Year Later, It's Still Good.......2007-04-26

Unlike most of DC's books, Teen Titans survives the jump ahead one year with the same writer, and the same quality. While we miss some of the original members, Johns and Tony Daniel give us a good new mix of classic teen heroes and new arrivals. Rose Wilson works despite far too much baggage, the guest appearance by the Doom Patrol is intriguing, and seeing the team find its footing again is interesting. At some points, it follows the same patterns that Titans comcis have for years - how many times has the team collapsed and started over? But the characters are likeable, the art strong, and the pacing great. If only the rest of DC were till enjoyable.

Keeping the great tradition of good Titans books.......2007-04-10

This book starts things up after the Infinite Crisis and introduces alot of new characters. Tony Daniel's art is wonderful. The story restarts the Titans as a Family.

Classic Titans in a whole new way.......2007-04-03

The Teen Titans mythology is definitely preserved and brought to new light under the wing of Geoff Johns and Tony Daniel. "Titans Around The World" begins One Year Later after the Infinite Crisis. The team is at a dark time and in disarray. Superboy is dead, Starfire is missing, Raven is gone, Gar is on a new team, Cyborg is broken, and Bart is the new Flash. There are new team members and new characters who really feel like they're part of the gang when Johns brings the past and the present together to make excellent storytelling as always. Conflict arises between teammates and the Titans must find out which past member was a traitor so they go around the world searching.
This is the first time we see Robin in his new Post Infinite Crisis outfit as well. Robin's overall character has taken a step in Batman's shadows, as he grew after the Crisis. A fallen team member from the past returns and Deathstroke ends us with an amazing glimpse into the next arc of Teen Titans. Many things are different and this story explains what happened over the lost year and we get to see first hand the repercussion of that. Johns dives deeper in the mythology of the characters and expands on the whole team to bring us somewhere new at the end with an expansion of characters that we love like the classic Titan characters now.

A fine return to form.......2007-03-28

After a few shaky issues, Geoff Johns returns his relaunch of the Teen Titans to the great form that readers have come to expect from Johns' run. Around the World picks up after the cataclysmic events of Infinite Crisis, with the team in shambles. Superboy is dead, Kid Flash is all grown up and now the new Flash, Beast Boy and Raven are gone, and Starfire is likely dead as well. Robin, Wonder Girl, and Cyborg are still around though, and are joined by new members, including Ravager; better known as Rose, the daughter of Titans master villain Deathstroke. The Doom Patrol, or what's left of it anyway, are here as well, and Johns pens a more than solid super powered story which plants seeds for future events, including an interesting turn for Robin and Wonder Girl. Tony Daniels provides a majority of the artwork throughout this TPB, and his work is quite good. All in all, Around the World is a fine return to form for Johns' run on the Teen Titans, and here's hoping that the busiest writer at DC still has some tricks left up his sleeve.

Teen Titans Continues to Impress.......2007-03-21

Geoff Johns continues to impress with this next volume in the Teen Titans series. It is one year after the events of Infinite Crisis and the Teen Titans have gone through many different members one of whom is a traitor. Robin returns as does Wonder Girl both profoundly changed by the death of Superboy. Cyborg who was out of action after his time in space comes back, Ravager once an enemy is now an ally, Beast Boy and Raven are both MIA. Johns does a great job with his characters, keeping them constant but at the same time making sure they have evolved to keep the story sharp. Tony Daniels art is excellent and the only disappointing moment when Daniels is not the artist. It was nice to see Doom Patrol back in action. This collection was fun and overall excellent.

Average customer rating:

If you liked the first two, you're going to buy it anyway...
Grand and sweeping
All Powers Have Their Limits?
SUPERB! THRILLING! A Magnificent Conclusion to a Terrific Trilogy
Capital closure!

Titans of Chaos
John C. Wright
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 076531648X
Release Date: 2007-04-17

Book Description

Titans of Chaos completes John Wrights The Chronicles of Chaos. Launched in Orphans of Chaosa Nebula Award Nominee for Best Novel in 2006, and a Locus Years Best Novel pick for 2005and continued in Fugitives of Chaos, the trilogy is about five orphans raised in a strict British boarding school who discovered that they are not human. The five have made incredible discoveries about themselves. Amelia is apparently a fourth-dimensional being; Victor is a synthetic man who can control the molecular arrangement of matter; Vanity can find secret passageways through solid walls; Colin is a psychic; Quentin is a warlock. Each power comes from a different paradigm or view of the universe. They have learned to control their strange abilities and have escaped into our world; now their true battle for survival begins. The Chronicles of Chaos is situated in the literary territory of J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter books and Neil Gaimans American Gods, with some of the flash and dazzle of superhero comics.

Customer Reviews:

If you liked the first two, you're going to buy it anyway..........2007-05-21

Reviewing the third book in a trilogy is a bit of an exercise in futility, but here goes...

The first half of this book is plotless wandering through what are known in the Role-playing game world as "Mini-quests", but it picked up my interest again about halfway through, just in time to lose it again on a climactic battle that is a study in the definition of the word "Overblown".

But,if you read the first two, then you just GOTTA know what happens to Amelia and her friends, so go ahead and get it, you don't really have a choice.

Grand and sweeping.......2007-04-30

Like everything John C. Wright writes "Titans of Chaos" the conclusion of the Chaos trilogy is grand and sweeping. A mixture of science fiction and fantasy the action and characters in this book really unique. Titans of Chaos is also the best book in the series. The first two books while also excellent brought the plot and the characters along, "Titans.." gives us the five orphans with a fuller realization of the powers of the various paradigms as they fight to find out what factions among the Pagan gods are working to kill them.

John C. Wright imagination is is full bloom in the ways that their various paradigms are used together and the myriad ways in which they are used. I found myself rushing through the story to get to the end and at the same time dreading finishing this unique trilogy. As you read you get totally swept along in his imagination and his ability as a master storyteller.

All Powers Have Their Limits?.......2007-04-29

It is my considered opinion that Mr. Wright could use a touch more discipline in his writing. His early works, particularly the Golden Age trilogy, were incredible--absolute must reads. He has virtually created a new genre--modern mythology. If it weren't for Google, I'd have been lost in the dazzling, non-stop introduction of characters, themes, and ideas grabbed from history and polished up for a new era.

"Titans of Chaos" is the conclusion of the Chaos trilogy of which, the first volume, "Orphans of Chaos," seizes the reader from the beginning with a complex web of characters new and familiar. Five children are coming of age and realizing that they are not British subjects but rather the descendants of gods from various dimensions and realms, each of whom has particular powers that are neutralized in some fashion by a mysterious cabal that wishes to contain the powers these children represent. Though hinting at an epic confrontation of powers, the first volume came to the abrupt end all too common these days as publishers seem to be unwilling to publish one book when they can publish three.

So, in the second volume, "Fugitives of Chaos," Mr. Wright has his five protagonists make a break for freedom, which is somewhat complicated by the fact that his characters don't know who they are running from nor where they might run to. The book didn't seem to follow the same path as had been mapped out in the first volume and suffered from certain excesses not relevant here.

Yet based upon the strength of prior works, I signed up to get my copy of "Titans of Chaos" hot off the press. It is a much better work than the second volume but seems as though the author tossed off a chapter at a time without any sense of when or how things would wrap up. "Titans" is almost a stream-of-consciousness version of storytelling. Thus, the Chaos trilogy is completely unlike the Golden Age trilogy in which the ending was foreshadowed by a conversation that takes place in the very first chapter of the first book. Much of the power of the Golden Age trilogy was found in the fact that Mr. Wright knew where he was going and it was quite a ride.

In "Titans," the development of several of the characters ends as the narrative focuses much more closely on Amelia Windrose. Clues and hints to Amelia's background and purpose never quite pan out and the ultimate battle involved an entirely new character who had not even been hinted at in the first volume--it was also strangely anti-climactic. And why, after the reader has invested so much in these characters, must the author present as the ultimate ending of a story involving the interplay of gods, powers, principalities, etc.--good and evil incarnate--going to end in a tawdry, though (thankfully) implied rather than explicit, episode of adolescent fornication?

I am and remain a huge fan of Mr. Wright; however, his gifts as a writer evidence that he is capable of much, much more. Another reviewer has likened the Chaos trilogy to a Harry Potter for adults--yet what is fascinating about the Potter books is that each book adds to the prior, that the author gave out just enough hints in earlier works to make the journey endlessly inventive and interesting; they have a destination. The destination of Chaos promised to be a confrontation between powers that predated the Earth itself, or possibly a discourse on the Promethian gift that so defines humanity. It promised to be more than what it was and that has left this reviewer terribly disappointed.

Nevertheless, I recommend this work as head and shoulders above most other offerings of the genre and will eagerly await Mr. Wright's next effort.

SUPERB! THRILLING! A Magnificent Conclusion to a Terrific Trilogy.......2007-04-24

Warning: Contains some spoilers for books one and two in the series

~
~
Ever read a novel and the adrenaline starts spurting in your body and you keep going, "Wow!" as you read? Well, this conclusion to the fabulous fantasy series by John C. Wright did that to me. Now, that's not to minimize the fun, smarts, and utter enjoyability of books one and two in the Chronicles of Chaos. It's simply to assert how slam-bang and adventuresome and satisfying this one was: A perfect, awe-inducing finale.

So, in book one we met our "orphans", who, through great smarts and innate powers (only just blossoming), manage to escape the clutches of the mythological beings holding them captive, including the sexy-bad-boy Boreas, alias Headmaster Boggin, and a really creepy Grendel. They've figured out they are much older than they seem to be and that they aren't students, but prisoners. They can't remember their true identities, but they have remnants of memories, and those memories bespeak of origins that are strange and wondrous. Despite their valiant attempt at freedom, they are recaptured, and their memories are erased. Ah, but a bit of Amelia monadal fiddling makes sure that we get to book two...

...where Amelia begins to regain her memories. Eventually, a successful escape ensues, along with further discoveries by our heroes and heroines of who they are and what they can do. Plus, a truly titanic encounter with the monstrous and beautiful and very, very dangerous Echidna (kicking scene!), before that book ends with the Olympian martial fleets coming at our intrepid heroes and heroines: Amelia (the first person narrator and inhabitor of multi-dimensions at will), Victor (Amelia's big first crush, our man of logic and matter manipulation), Vanity (the lovely one whose dreamship aids in their escapes and adventures, and whose boundary stone does some tres cool stuff), Quentin (our Dr. Strange of sorts, our magic-man with an honorable soul if some nasty apparati), and Colin (our randy bad-boy who needs to stay inspired to accomplish wonders, and who seriously wants him some Amelia).

So, we open with our fugitives trying to escape the clutches of Mavors' (Mars/Ares) army of lizard-men and Atlanteans, and the mountainous, pyramidal ships of the war god that I thought were a delight to visualize. And I will offer no big spoilers here of a truly terrific series of adventures, discoveries, and mind-boggling battles. Just about anything I say would be a spoiler, given how packed this novel is and it's breathless pace.

I will say that we get some lovely mixes of the fantastical-mythological with the science fictional, so that we are tripping in a real best called science-fantasy (in one sense of that classification), that gorgeous hybrid that Mr. Wright manages with dazzling deftness, and in particular in a segment of the novel that thrills with imaginative space travel. I dare you not to go, "WOW!"

You'll see our fugitives in San Francisco, LA, back in England, on a deserted island, up beyond the stratosphere, down in dreamland, and wherever they go, trouble follows in ever-increasing and astonishing measure. I've never had such fun reading showdowns. I mean, geesh, wait til you get a load of these Maeanads. It gives girlpower a whole new spin.

Along with some wonderful intellectual musings, some Christian allusions (oh, lord, how I felt utterly moved by the magnificent intrusions into the prelapsarian world), some randy coming-of-age antics, some very funny bits that had me barking--one has to adore Colin with his war cry of "Amelia Windrose!"--and some truly dark and terrifying moments when it seems as if there is no way our kids can win the day, then even darker and scarier ones when you think, "Okay, THIS TIME, they're done for," even if you know better. When the climactic showdown with the one who has manipulated people and events and plotted the demise of our "orphans" finally arrives, it's like being on the wildest, craziest ride in some fantastic amusement park run by a lunatic genius.

But all rides end. Sigh.

A quieter, but no less of a battle, conclusion lets us feel a true denouement (but not without leaving room for more Chaos stories, which I hope will come). The reader can feel satisfied because love, loyalty, cooperation, abilities, friendship, sacrifice, hard work, brilliant problem solving, and audacity do, indeed, bring an ending to smile about. Oh, happy day.

Well, you can tell I loved TITANS OF CHAOS, right?

If you like the dazzle of superpowered heroes in comic books, if you like science-fantasy, if Zelazny's AMBER series zinged you, if you like intellect that isn't stuffy, the high mixed with the low, if you want to see what Cupid/Eros would be like if he lived on the West Coast and had entrepreneurial leanings, if you loved Harry Potter and want to see how it might be fashioned if there were five Harrys, not just one, and the enemies were much more numerous and powerful than Voldemort, if you want to see what happenes when "kids" who can destroy an entire universe have to figure out the way to walk the tightest of tight ropes in order to survive themselves and not destroy Earth, this is the series for you.

Recommended in a big, big, one might say TITANIC, way. (But read one and two first!)

Mir of Mirathon blog
Asst. Editor
Dragons, Knights and Angels Magazine

Capital closure!.......2007-04-22

This final volume in the Chaos Trilogy is a wonderful extra-dimensional Toad's wild ride for adults. TITANS OF CHAOS is absorbing fun.

Our heroes -- Amelia, Victor, Colin, Vanity and Quentin -- markedly mature (in comparison with the previous books) as they fight fantastic battles against armies of Amazons, sirens, nymphs, mechanical steeds, and maenads under the command of lord speedy himself, Trismegistus, a.k.a., the Olympian, Hermes.

Before the bloody wars commence however, the five "young people" hide away to explore and expand their individual paradigms and powers, and Wright's imagination carries us along on a nimble romp through ways to bend "reality." Among the joys: soaring with Amelia on her "superwoman" flight; the reader's freedom-seeking spirit is unleashed too. Great entertainment also is the group's impromptu space adventure; they (especially Amelia) hope to plant a Union Jack where no one has trod before. However....

TITANS OF CHAOS just bursts with the flowering of the titans' superhuman talents as the author spares no effort to describe the added geometries, spirits, physical properties, secret passages, and moral webs they perceive and harness in our humdrum 3-D world. This is gorgeous mind candy.

TITANS OF CHAOS finishes as satisfyingly as one may dare to hope. While ORPHANS OF CHAOS gripped the reader with the dizzying audacity of new concepts and a horde of gods' identities, and FUGITIVES OF CHAOS filled in some blanks and kept a forward momentum, TITANS OF CHAOS thrillingly fulfills the promises implicit in the previous books. This trilogy isn't for every science fiction or science fantasy fan, but it is a full-bodied accomplishment that some will truly adore. Enjoy the saga in its entirety now.

How to be a Billionaire: Proven Strategies from the Titans of Wealth

Average customer rating:

Not for everyone...
Exceptional addition to any business library...
That's Right - Shoot for Billion with a "B"
Great read - well worth your time!
The bedside book for every moneymaker and aspiring billionaire!

How to be a Billionaire: Proven Strategies from the Titans of Wealth
Martin Fridson , and Martin S. Fridson
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0471416177

Amazon.com

Forget Regis Philbin's Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Martin Fridson's How to Be a Billionaire sets its sights much higher, and therefore seems an even more appropriate (if somewhat less realistic) goal for today's tycoon wannabes. There are some 200 individuals in the U.S. alone who now breathe this rarefied air, writes Merrill Lynch managing director Fridson, and no reason why those who adopt their philosophies cannot join them. To that end, he studied more than a dozen of the self-made super-rich, including Sam Walton, Bill Gates, Wayne Huizenga, and Warren Buffett. He then synthesized their techniques for success into nine strategies: take monumental risks, do business in new ways, dominate your market, consolidate an industry, buy low, thrive on deals, outmanage the competition, invest in political influence, and resist unions. Dividing profiles of these high fliers into chapters focused on their prevailing principles, he shows how each played a critical role in the growth of an empire. Walton didn't invent discounting, for example; he tweaked existing practices for the late-20th-century marketplace. Likewise, Huizenga didn't start individual companies but integrated existing competitors into powerhouse organizations. While Billionaire may not be a true self-help manual, it does offer a fascinating glimpse at tactics used by those who've played the game and won. --Howard Rothman

Book Description

"A truly enlightening work filled with fundamental strategies that have worked for others.Martin Fridson documents the essential principles inherent in every billionaire's success."

-Gordon Bethune
Chairman of the Board and CEO
Continental Airlines

Self-made billionaires all have one thing in common: they excel at making money. But hard work, thrift, and focus are only part of the story-you hold the rest of it in your hands. How to Be a Billionaire is the first comprehensive picture of the real strategies and tactics that built the great business fortunes of modern times. Packed with engaging accounts of titans like Ross Perot, Richard Branson, Phil Anschutz, John D. Rockefeller, Wayne Huizenga, Bill Gates, J. Paul Getty, and Kirk Kerkorian, How to Be a Billionaire will show you principles that can increase your wealth and business acumen to the mogul level.

How to Be a Billionaire looks at the careers, the methods, and the minds of self-made billionaires to distill the common keys to titanic accumulations of wealth. Each chapter explores a specific strategy and brings it to life through extended profiles of past and present masters of the art of making money.

Do you think innovation is the best way to prosper in business? Sam Walton, founder of the Wal-Mart retail chain, would tell you otherwise. The key to Walton's success was supreme devotion to copying the methods of other successful discounters.

What could be less complicated than buying low and selling high? But the ascent of

Warren Buffett, John Kluge, and Laurence Tisch to billionaire status depended on much more than an eye for good bargains. And if you're looking to thrive by outmanaging the competition, look no further than Richard Branson. When the founder of Virgin Atlantic needed to reduce his staff by 400 people, 600 volunteered to take off a few months on sabbatical.

How to Be a Billionaire identifies the methods, beliefs, and behaviors every businessperson must understand and emulate to reach the pinnacle of riches. A manual for success that can benefit every aspiring tycoon, it is a fascinating read for anyone intrigued by wealth and how it's gotten.

Praise for HOW TO BE A BILLIONAIRE

"How to Be a Billionaire offers fascinating insight into the subject of building wealth. As a result of his exhaustive research, Martin Fridson is able to explain the wealth-creation process from a unique perspective. As the reader will discover, there is no single formula for success, but there are certain categories into which these concepts can be placed. My personal advice is to remember the words of Winston Churchill who said, 'Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.'"

-Ross Perot

"Martin Fridson has created the ultimate roadmap to the American Dream. He comes as close to extracting a formula for the acquisition of wealth as any book I have ever read."

-Jeff Sagansky
CEO, Paxson Communications

"Martin Fridson's book has a number of very insightful and thoughtful analyses, something you don't pick up in many business schools."

-Philip F. Anschutz
Chairman and CEO, The Anschutz Corporation

"How to Be a Billionaire is a powerful arsenal of dead-on strategies for increasing your personal wealth and business acumen. Marty Fridson details the tactics of self-made billionaires with great intelligence and insight. I wish this book had been available when I was starting my career."

-Spencer Hays
Founder, Tom James Company
Executive Chairman, Southwestern/Great American, Inc.
Chairman, Athlon Publications

Customer Reviews:

Not for everyone..........2007-01-28

I was quite amused how some locals bought the book hoping the author's would enlight them with something realistic. The book is not for the general public and most of the solutions are basic financial management. I didn't bother buying the book since it was available at my local library. For those wanting inspiration to make a business, go for it and read this book.

Exceptional addition to any business library..........2006-12-07

I came across this book at my local library and after reading it, brought a copy and been re-reading it for the last year. With Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich, it is my blueprint to my personal goals of amassing one billions dollars.

Though much of the information is pretty tough to understand at first, with much persistence and open-mindedness, this book has motivated me more than ever with every page I turn.

What can I say? Get the book and see for yourself.

Definitely worth more than its flashy gold cover.

That's Right - Shoot for Billion with a "B".......2006-05-11

This book, more than any other book on creating wealth, spells it out. If you want a get rich quick plan - sorry - this book is about the slow and steady! Can you say Tortoise and the Hare? Just like everyone else, I was taught to get a good education, get a job and live happily ever after until reaching retirement - get my gold watch and the company will take care of me. Hah! The truth is, the old ways don't work. The people who are profiled in this book were all successful in their own way.

I believe that if you model yourself after a successful person you will be successful. That's not new. What's new is to follow in the footsteps of one of these giants and success will be yours!

Great read - well worth your time!.......2006-04-16

This is a terrific book & I highly recommend it to aspiring business moguls of all ages. Though the title and the cover are a tad "over the top," the substance delivers. This is a thorough analysis of some of the more common strategies used in achieving great riches. Throughout the book, the author introduces us to a dozen or so most accomplished businessmen in history. Specifically, we learn of what is it that they actually did that helped them achieve great success in - arguably - the most competitive field of human endeavors - accumulating great wealth. The book is well balanced as business strategy descriptions seamlessly intertwine with historical and biographical insights. Martin Frdson, a terrific writer, is one of the very few people who could pull it off. A bit of context here is in order: Martin Fridson is a very accomplished guy. With an undergrad in history and an MBA (both from Harvard), he gives the reader a unique vantage point on combining both history and business strategy. Specifically, Mr. Fridson is one of the biggest authorities in the field of high-yield bonds (a.k.a. junk bonds) - and has been for a long time. High-yield world is often a treacherous mine-field dominated by marginal companies with weak balance sheets. Stories of great deals and disastrous failures are abound. Mr Fridson has seen many fortunes both created and lost and he brings this balanced perspective to the readers of this great book.

The bedside book for every moneymaker and aspiring billionaire!.......2006-03-09

This book is the ultimate guide to moneymaking! If you wanna be a huge player, this book is for you! The author, mister Fridson was doing a wonderful job by exposing the strategies employed by the best teachers you can have, the billionaires themselves. Their way of life, their way of thinking, the way they make deal. The hard way!

How to be a billionaire is the perfect tool if you want to emulates the titans of wealth. As you can see in my others reviews. I'm a self-taugh business student and a fan of those "How to be rich" book. And I've never seen a book as valuable as this book. And I never heard of something as useful and inspirational for any accumulator of wealth.

Some passages of this book are long and boring, but nothing is pointless. Every single line of this book are of worthy academic value in your quest of being superrich.

Before receiving this book, being billionaire was somewhat out of reach. But now, I'm fully loaded and inspirated by the strategies from the titans of wealth. I love to go to the extreme and I know everything is possible if you really want it.

So how bad do you want it?

The higher you aim, the bigger your gains!

Titan Quest Official Strategy Guide (Official Strategy Guides (Bradygames))

Average customer rating:

Diablo For Adults
No Maps
Solid but not quite complete
No Maps!
Very Good Book

Titan Quest Official Strategy Guide (Official Strategy Guides (Bradygames))
BradyGames
Manufacturer: BRADY GAMES
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Programming | Games & Strategy Guides | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0744008069

Book Description

BradyGames’ Titan Quest Official Strategy Guide includes the following:

A comprehensive walkthrough of the entire game.
Detailed area maps pinpointing key locations.
In-depth item and equipment listings.
Extensive bestiary.
Unbeatable tactics for each mode of gameplay.
Coverage of the game editor.

Platform: PC

Genre: Role-Playing Game

This product is available for sale worldwide.

Customer Reviews:

Diablo For Adults.......2006-11-03

If you played the old 8 bit Nintendo "Battle of Olympus" or any of the Diablos and enjoyed them you will love this one. Beautiful to look at, fun and challenging to play. Aside from the rather abrupt ending which seems to be endemic with RPG games it is a very satisfying journey. The great thing is that the complexities and variations of the characters is huge so you can play it over and over and never get the same result. Also, you can create your own game though I wouldn't suggest it til you've played a few times. If you really enjoy RPG you will have a great time with this game!

No Maps.......2006-08-27

This guide gives a good walkthrough of the game. Gives very good info on all the ability paths and even gives a couple of example characters. BUT IT HAS NO MAPS. Could get as good walkthrough with maps online!

Solid but not quite complete.......2006-08-25

The Official Strategy Guide for Titan Quest is a solid if unspectacular product. Most of the basics are well covered. More than 50 pages are devoted to the various masteries and skills in the game with decent advice on how to build a character. They could have done more to suggest combinations of masteries that work well together but the section is certainly useful.

The next major section of the book provides walk-throughs of both the main quest and the many side quests. This information is just barely enough to get you through if you have a problem but as others have mentioned there is only one map of a single dungeon and that's it. Most of the time, that really isn't a problem. The game is very linear with a straight path. Keep moving forward and kill what gets in your way and you'll do fine. But occasionally, I did struggle to find things and the guide was not as helpful as it could have been.

There are also full sections on the items available in game and the beasties you will encounter. In all honesty, I didn't use these at all. The info is there is you want it, though. Don't want to play the game alone? There is some basic information on multiplayer games to help start you on that that path as well. And, finally, the guide also offers tips on building your own maps to share with friends or post online.

All in all, there is a wealth of material in the guide and I was happy I bought it. Most of the value for me was realized in the sections on masteries and quests but your mileage will vary depending on what you're looking for. It could use some maps and a little more detail but it is well worth buying if you want to play Titan Quest.

No Maps!.......2006-08-11

The book description lists "Detailed area maps pinpointing key locations". There is only one map in the book, of the labryinth in Greece, and it's not exactly detailed. Maps of any kind, even if they aren't "detailed" would be very useful, especially where you are trying to find a specific person/foe. It's easy to get 'lost' in some of the underground caves/crypts/etc and miss areas.

Colour screenshots would have been nice, or at least better detail on the ones that are in the book. As it stands, the screenshots are not useful, they just fill in page space.

Other than that, it's not a bad book, the information on the Masteries and the item data is quite useful.

Very Good Book.......2006-08-11

Pros:
This book has good item stats and walkthrough. The mastery/skills chapter also has a lot of detail and tells you wheather the skill is good and if that skill has good modifiers
Cons:
I would have liked some colour in the book especially in the screenshot in the walkthrough.

Overall this was a good book and i was pleased with my purchase

March of the Titans: A History of the White Race

Average customer rating:

The End of White History?
An impressive piece of research
A Long Time Coming -- But Worth The Wait

March of the Titans: A History of the White Race
Arthur Kemp
Manufacturer: Ostara Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Living White
Race and the American Prospect: Essays on the Racial Realities of Our Nation and Our Time
A People That Shall Dwell Alone: Judaism As a Group Evolutionary Strategy, With Diaspora Peoples
Why Race Matters
Defensive Racism

ASIN: 0620251174

Product Description

The complete and comprehensive history of the White Race, spanning 350 centuries of tumultuous events. This is their incredible story - of vast visions, empires, achievements, triumphs against staggering odds, reckless blunders, crushing defeats and stupendous struggles. From the time of the emergence of the White racial type, their wanderings to the four corners of the globe, and finally into space itself: This remarkable story of human endeavor is without parallel or comparison, and is a story of awe, inspiration and heroism.

Customer Reviews:

The End of White History?.......2007-05-08

Arthur Kemp makes a convincing case about the way white civilizations have declined in the past and will decline in the future--through mixing with other races. Nearly all the technological innovations have come from the brightest of the white race, as the author amply gives evidence for. Once non-white societies can no longer gain access to white technology, such as the Japanese in World War II, then their technology stagnates or declines. Kemp gives the example of Japanese fighter planes that were out of date by the end of the war, compared to the new planes created by brilliant whites. (I would take exception to this claim because I know some Jews, whom Kemp does not consider to be white, but Semitic, have created medical cures). Most of the great civilizations of the past have started out as being mono-racial white states, but decline as non-whites become part of the civilizations. It is the race that makes the civilization and once the race disappears then the civilization is destroyed with only ruins left.

Kemp gives a broad overview of all white societies through time, showing evidence that whites have been in such remote places as South America and Easter Island in ancient times where they left their mark before they were killed or absorbed into the local population.

It is important that whites control the territory that they live in and do not let others in. Rhodesia is a good example of whites coming into a territory, offering jobs, food, and medicine to non-whites which decreases their mortality rate and increases their population. Unfortunately, non-whites begin to outnumber the whites and eventually rise up to slit the throats of their benefactors. The author is anti-humanitarian because of these reactions against charity.

Because of the burgeoning population of non-whites and decrease of population of whites due to birth control, the future looks bleak for whites and the advanced civilizations that they have created. Large influxes of non-whites into white territory will eventually lead to the destruction of white society due to race mixing and loss of control of territory. According to Kemp, "might makes right" and whichever race predominates in an area will determine the nature of that society. Modern times are peculiar in that many whites actually welcome rather than resist the destruction of their society and themselves. Unless there is resurgence in racial consciousness and willingness among whites to stand up for themselves and their civilization, whites will face extinction in the near future. Whites have never been immune to folly or destruction as this history proves, but these times seem especially threatening for them and many of them don't even seem to realize it, preferring egalitarian fantasies to the harsh realities of survival, violence, and competition between races.

The main criticism against Kemp is that he may have exaggerated the race mixing in countries such as Portugal and Greece, claiming that large numbers of the modern populations have mixed blood from Arabs and Negroes, which is why he says that these countries are not as advanced as they used to be, but he does refer to genetic studies of populations of different countries when making his claims. Kemp goes so far as to say that Mediterranean whites no longer exist, but have become race-mixed in such places as southern Italy. He claims that the only people who have some resemblance to these "Old Europeans" are the Basques and the Welsh.

Kemp is critical of Christianity, presenting historical events that show how the religion was spread by the sword and how the religion retarded the scientific progress of white societies during the "dark ages" when Christianity ruled supreme.

Kemp is particularly chagrined to report the reduction of the white populations throughout history. Wars among themselves over Christianity and black slavery have disseminated the population. The black plague did its damage and was an early form of bio-warfare instigated by Asiatic enemies. The Spartans eliminated themselves by fighting too many wars. The aggressive nationalism of the world wars also did unnecessary harm to the population. (But all is forgiven after the World War II, Kemp has an interesting section about how Nazi scientists were part of our space program, before this all white men's club was diversified.)

Necessary wars are the ones in which whites defend themselves from foreign enemies of a different race because the conquering people always mix their blood with the conquered, which will degenerate the gene pool of whites. Asians and the Turks have threatened to destroy white society in the past with their invasions. Kemp shows us a harsh reality based on survival of those who are strong enough to conquer territory and keep it safe from invasion. Either a race is growing strong and expanding its territory or becoming weak and losing it.

Whites should also not let immigrants of foreign blood in, the way that Rome did. These immigrants looking for a better life in an advanced white civilization will eventually overwhelm it. Once those of foreign blood are in a white society and are accepted as equals by law, the society begins to decline through race mixing. Kemp also thinks it has been foolish for whites to conquer a people who are non-white and then mix their blood with them as they rule over them, such as what happened in India. Eventually a mixed and degenerated race presides over a declining society.

An impressive piece of research.......2006-12-31

The detail and thoroughness is impressive. Also, it is impressive to read an accurate history of European Caucasians that doesn't pander to the politically correct. In fact, it is refreshing just to read the truth.

A Long Time Coming -- But Worth The Wait.......2006-12-05

As far as I can see, this seems to be the only volume available on this subject. Masses of books on the history of other races, but political correctness has kept this one out of print - until now. First let me say that this is NOT a racist book ! It is what it says, a history of the white race from their first appearance through disaster and diaspora and right up to current date. A total tour de force, which must have taken years of research to produce. Of necessity, its almost 600 pages of large, almost A4, format, in quality hardback, could not possibly contain every last detail, but enough is there to be the catalyst for detailed study of other sources. It does not shy away from the less salubrious pages of white history, notably slavery and the philosophies of the Third Reich, and thus manages a fair and balanced view of white history. Neither does it sheer away from critique where it is needed. This is not written as an academic text, and thus is very accessible to the intelligent layman. Not only is it interesting, but it is a good read too. I can do nothing but recommend this book to readers who want to find out where they came from, and need a balanced view of racial history in a world which is oversupplied with "tommy knockers" who would demean the role of the white races in the march of history. This is a refreshing change from the politically correct flood of material which portrays the white race as some kind of curse on the Earth. Sure there are negatives. There are in any history, but Kemp makes the point that overall there are more positives than negatives. Read this book and decide for yourself.

Titan, Book Two: The Red King (Star Trek, the Next Generation)

Average customer rating:

too many nongay characters
I really want to like this series.
Improving Series
The Red King Through The Looking Glass
Solid entry in an enjoyable new Trek series

Titan, Book Two: The Red King (Star Trek, the Next Generation)
Michael A. Martin , and Andy Mangels
Manufacturer: Star Trek
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0743496280

Book Description

Investigating the disappearance of a secret Romulan fleet, the U.S.S. Titan, commanded by Captain William Riker, is unexpectedly propelled more than 200,000 light-years into the Small Magellanic Cloud. One of the Milky Way's satellite galaxies, the Cloud is also home to the Neyel, the long-sundered offshoots of Terran humanity, with whom the Federation has had no contact in over eighty years.

Nearby, Riker's uncertain ally, Commander Donatra of the Romulan Warbird Valdore, rescues a young Neyel, the survivor of a mysterious cosmic upheaval that seems at times to be both unraveling and reweaving the very fabric of space...the fulfillment of an apocalyptic vision that has already claimed millions of lives. Titan's science team soon finds evidence that the ravaging of Neyel space is the work of a vast and powerful intelligence: the stirrings of a dormant consciousness that is maintaining the existence of the Small Magellanic Cloud -- and all life within it -- from one moment to the next. And if it should awaken, the consequences are unimaginable.

As Riker considers his options, his new crew struggles with the scientific and philosophical implications of what they've discovered...while the young Neyel in their midst forges a bond with the captain, conjuring old ghosts Riker has yet to lay to rest.

Customer Reviews:

too many nongay characters.......2007-05-31

Why do Troi and Riker have to be so obviously straight? I'm sick of having heterosexuality rammed down my throat. And those knowing looks they give each other.....

I really want to like this series........2007-02-07

Riker, Troi and Tuvok on The Titan. I'm sold. I love the idea. Riker and Troi were always my favorite on The Next Generation. I always thought Riker would make and intense, cowboy-like captain. Throw in a little Voyager by adding Tuvok. I think it's great. Now, on to the title of this review... I really want to like this series. I wasn't that impressed with the debut novel, Taking Wing, but I figured given some time this could prove to be a good series. I think The Red King is a step in the right direction. My main problem with this series is the focus on the authors' original characters and the ridiculous amount of diversity within the crew. Now before I'm sued, let me just say that I'm all for diversity. This book just takes it to an almost comical level. To name a few examples, we have the dude who can seperate his body and make each segment act individually. The doctor recently escaped from Jurassic Park, and don't even get me started on the lady who can only breath water... I mean she wears a special water suit on the bridge! A water suit. It's too much. I'm fine with the Klingons, Ferengi, Cardassians, Bajorans, etc. I just think Dino Doctor, Water Lady and their wacky friends are a bit over the top. The vast majority of the people who read these books are doing it for Riker, Troi and Tuvok. Some of the original characters are very intersting, but most are very forgettable yet have equal page time with the heavy hitters. It's unbalanced and a little disappointing. All in all, I'd say this book is worth a read. Still, I am anxious to read book three; it is written by a different writer and I look forward to getting a new perspective on this promising series.

Improving Series.......2007-02-06

Titan The Red King by Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin is an improvement over the first book in the series, but it still has a ways to go. This book is the continuing story of Captain Riker's ship, the Titan. He spends a lot of time in this book, as in the last, trying to determine exactly what his role is as captain and how to mold his crew into a cohesive group. I find the Riker character as written to be very tentative and unsure of himself, which is a far cry from the Commander Riker from the television series who was always self assured and always knew exactly what he was doing. The authors still have not figured out what to do with Counselor Troi-- she is supposed to be the Diplomatic Officer, but Riker does most of the diplomatic stuff and Deanna's contribution continues, once again, to be her continued exclamations of "Pain! I feel pain!" shades of the first season of Next Generation! They also don't seem to know what to do with First Officer Christine Vale--she just seems to be there but does not seem to have a real reason for being.

There are so many directions for this series to go-- its premise of exploration brings back the original flavor of Classic Trek, and its multi-species crew is similar to the New Frontier series, although the authors continue to pat themselves on the back about it. Hey! We're diverse! We've got lots of different species and we all get along! The message is constantly thrown at us until it gets tiresome.

Still, there is potential here, and I hope that once this series gets over its self congratulatory newness, it will become a solid series in its own right. The characters and situation are there-- they just need to improve the execution-- and for goodness sake, figure out a use for both Commander Troi and First Officer Christine Vale.

The Red King Through The Looking Glass.......2006-11-11

I enjoyed this installment of the new Tital series very much, even with having to deal with the whole gay influence being an underlying theme of the story that could have easily been done without.

Now, the main story itself, I really enjoyed. I thought it was just as good as the first book, if not just a little better. I am excited to see where this series will evolve to and what will happen in the 3rd installment that I am reading now, or the 4th one, slated to be released some time in 2007.

Solid entry in an enjoyable new Trek series.......2006-10-11

My biggest regreat regarding the new Titan series of books is that they aren't on TV. I would've definitely preferred to see the adventures of Captain Riker, rather than Archer on my TV screen. I also have other, more personal reasons for really liking this series of books.

It saddens me when I read criticisms like 'there are too many aliens in this Trek novel'. And that 'having too many aliens dilutes the purity of the Trek franchise'. I find this attitude extremely offensive, because it flies directly in the face of Gene Roddenberry's original founding vision. Trek is not about war and violence, or destruction, or racial purity or segregation. The original Trek and its successors have been all about diversity. So we have a half-Vulcan half-Human First Officer. Or an Android third-in-command. Or a shapeshifting security chief. Joy in diversity is the key to understanding Trek's appeal. If people don't like that, or take issue with it, then they shouldn't be reading or watching Star Trek in the first place.

Granted, you can criticise the prose. Or the plotline - which is essentially a rehash of Diane Duane's 'The Wounded Sky'. Only without the cool Hamalki spider or the Inversion Drive. But I like both Taking Wing and Red King more for the powerful message that's buried in its pages. That diversity of race when combined with unity of common values and purpose, can lead people to perform truly great deeds of compassion and bravery. I think that's something we've all forgotten in these fearful times.

Both 'Taking Wing' and 'Red King' are satisfying wrap-ups to Star Trek: Nemesis. And the authors don't flinch from showing the personality and culture-clashes that can occur when so many culturally diverse species live and work together onboard a starship. It introduces us to new characters that I really want to know better.

So here's hoping that there are more entries in the Star Trek Titan series. So we can be reminded of the value of 'Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations'

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