Product Description
On Iomard, Cymels father has been murdered, and she has been trapped by sorcerers in the body of a white bird. Her other-world companion Breith has crossed from Glandair to rescue her. Lyanz, the only one who can save his world from the coming chaos, is sequestered far away. But if he is to be of any use in the upcoming conflict, he must leave his safe haven behind.Bestselling author Jo Clayton died before she could complete her masterwork, The Drums of Chaos series. Her friend and proteg Kevin Murphy, a successful author himself, has worked closely with the outline and early chapters she completed. The result is a thunderous conclusion to this irresistible tale. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A difficult task
I imagine it must be very hard to pick up someone else's work midpoint and try to bring it to the conclusion they intended. Kevin Andrew Murphy certainly gives it a good try here, and I'm not at all sorry I finished the book (which I had been eagerly awaiting for years. There is no huge let down here, no great frustrations. But while there are hints of Jo Clayton's voice here, and I enjoyed visiting with her characters again...this is a pale continuation of the series...the depth is, sadly, missing...and I suppose, in a very real way, that is the most fitting tribute to Ms. Clayton possible...her work was finished, but her spirit is clearly absent.

The White Bird and the Mole
Drum Into Silence (2002) is the third novel in the Drums of Chaos series, following Drum Calls.In the previous novel, the three Mages attack Ellar in the Vale of Caeffordian and Cymel yields wholly to the Flow, blowing away the Mages and becoming the White bird.She takes Lyanz, Amhar, Talgryf, and the bodies of her father and Elizeth to her home.At Ellar's Tower, she finds Breith and tries to return to her own self, but can't.Terrified, she flies away.

In this novel, Breith calls to Cymel, but she starts to fly away.He grabs at her, but only clutches some long black hairs and a leather clasp, a tie that Cymel used to hold back her hair.Breith hauls the bodies, both dead and alive, into the entryway of the Tower.He wraps the dead in sheets and carries them into the cellar.Then he carries the sleepers upstairs to the dusty, cobwebby beds and quickly falls asleep in his own bed.

The next morning, Breith finally gets to wash off the ash, sweat, blood, and stench and drink a cup of tea.He decides to leave Talgryf with the responsibility for Lyanz and Amhar so he can pursue Cymel to turn her back into a human.Breith slips away under a flimsy shield of no-see and, days later, Talgryf manages to get the Hero and his lover off the mattress and onto the road.In the shrine of Marath Alaesh, Brother Kyo drops an icon of the god and chases it around the altar, only to realize that it has become an incarnation of the god Himself;he is signaled to seek out and help his brother.In Valla Murdoch, Faobran sends Yasayl, Malart and a group of scribes out to sea.Rinchay Matan watches her god, Kamkajar, shrivel and fade away and she dedicates her life to finding and punishing the liar who has destroyed her tribe.

Deep beneath the temple of Dyf Tanew in Tyst, Oerfel, the hidden Mage of Neddys, makes it back to his hexagram and resolves to destroy Cyfareth University.Mahara lays siege to Kar Markaz.Hudoleth renews her youth and returns to the palace to manipulate the Emperor.

This novel is the conclusion to the series, which was interrupted by the author's demise.The posthumous collaboration with Kevin Andrew Murphy has been very true to the previous volumes.

Highly recommended to Clayton fans and anyone else who enjoys complex tales of wizardry and war.

-Arthur W. Jordin ... Read more

Product Description
There is a growing need for appropriate management of aquaticplants in rivers and canals, lakes and reservoirs, and drainagechannels and urban waterways. This management must be based on a soundknowledge of the ecology of freshwater plants, their distribution andthe different forms of control available including chemical andphysical, and biological and biomanipulation.
This series of papers from over 20 different countries was generatedfrom the tenth in the highly successful series of European WeedResearch Society symposia on aquatic plant management, this being thetenth. It provides a valuable insight into the complexities involvedin managing aquatic systems, discusses state-of-the-art controltechniques and deals with patterns of regrowth and recoverypost-management. Careful consideration is given to the use ofchemicals, a practice which has come under scrutiny in recent years.Underpinning the development of such control techniques is a growingbody of knowledge relating to the biology and ecology of water plants.The authorship of the papers represents the collective wisdom ofleading scientists and experts from fisheries agencies, riverauthorities, nature conservation agencies, the agrochemical industryand both governmental and non-governmental organisations. ... Read more

Product Description
Before there was Nick Knight there was Garreth Mikaelian!Before there was Forever Night® there was BloodWalk!Garreth Mikaelian, a dedicated police officer, runs into more than he counted on when he investigates a very peculiar murder. This leads him to Lane Barber-Young, beautiful, hypnotic, and a vampire. Now Garreth is a vampire also, but the books on the legends and lore of vampirism don't seem to help. How can he keep his job, his friends, and his humanity while battling another vampire in his new life? How will he keep from being the hunted while hunting Lane Barber? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

A fun read, if a little dated
Blood Walk is a compilation of Lee Killough's two Garreth Mikaelian novels Blood Hunt and Bloodlinks. The writing is straight to the point, no frills, the characters interesting, and the action just strong enough to carry the whole thing along. Not a bad airplane read. The references to various 80's-related paraphernalia made it an interesting ride into nostalgia land, though were I the editor of this edition, I would probably have had the author try to update the technology just a little bit. If you're looking for a quick no-nonsense Laurell K. Hamilton read, this is a great book for you, and a great alternative to the Anita Blake books. If you're looking for something deeper and more prosaic, stick to Anne Rice or the other up-and-coming gothic authors.

Bust me, Garth!
This is a damn good vampire novel, but it's also a damn good police procedural. My husband's a cop and I'm a reporter, so I know the police beat pretty well. I can tell you Killough did a good job capturing thefeeling of a small town police force, as well as the mechanics of coppolitics in general.

From the standpoint of a vampire fan, I reallyenjoyed the portrayal of Garth and his struggles with his changedexistance.In fact, I think Killough does the best job with thattransformation I've ever read this side of Anne Rice. However, Garth is amuch more admirable character than Rice's vampires, as human as he issuperhuman.

Overall, finding a good vampire novel can be tricky, butKillough's book is so good I've read it a dozen times.And that sayssomething, since the majority of vampire novels I buy I can't even finishbecause the writing style or characterization or plotting drives me nuts. But this book worked right down to the ground.

Do yourself a favor andbuy it.

2 of my favourite vampire-detective novels
I read this book when it first came out, and was delighted when the sequel came along.I'd reccomend these books to anybody who enjoys the 'vampire-detective' genre.A subset of the vampire genre, whichfor mewhich started with these books, and remains my favourite theme in thisarea.

I'd love to read some more books with Gareth in them.My onlydissapointment with these books was that there hasn't been more in theseries.

A fine read for mystery readers.
When I saw the cover of this book in person I was a bit concerned that I'd made a mistake...and now I find that I didn't. The two novels that make up Bloodwalk come together seamlessly, and the characters bring an extra depthto what could have been a slick "vampire-cop" pastiche. Buy acopy for yourself and one for that mystery reader you know who is always onthe look out for something different. No one I've suggested this book tohas complained yet!

Stay up late to read it!
As a conspicuous consumer of vampire novels, I am often looking forsomething "new under the moon."Blood Walk filled the bill mostsatisfyingly.With it's well developed characters and neatly twistingplot,it's a refreshing departure from some of the worn cliches of thegenre.I found myself reading hte final chapters slowly, only because Iwasn't ready to say good-bye to Garreth Mikalean just yet, who by the endof the book became someone I wanted to give a nice warm bowl of blood to. Get this book and plan to stay up late with Garreth, Lane, Harry and therest. ... Read more

Product Description
As good health is inextricably wedded to pure drinking water--and this particular concern looms larger every day--understanding delivery systems is almost as important as the water itself. Water for Hartford chronicles the century-long effort, beginning in the 1850s, to construct a viable, efficient water system. The story of Hartford's water works is a fascinating one, for it recalls the hard work, great sacrifice, and extraordinary engineering feats necessary to deliver wholesome drinking water to a growing urban center. It also illuminates the ever-changing social, political, and economic milieu in which it was built.

The story of its construction is also the story of three men--Hiram Bissell, Ezra Clark, and Caleb Saville. Readers are transported back in time and given a firsthand glimpse of what these champions of a water system faced on a daily basis: unforgiving geography, venal politicians, and an often-indifferent public. The book culminates in the exhilaration of having built a water works from scratch to deliver clean, safe drinking water to the masses. Water for Hartford is a human story, peopled by men of vision and achievement, who understood that their decisions and actions would affect millions of people for decades to come. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Vibrant History
Author and Historian Kevin Murphy's book on the development of water supplies for the city of Hartford, Connecticut is so much greater than the title implies.His vibrant descriptions of the era (1850 and forward) bring you directly into contact with the people and places involved in these massive projects.You feel as if you are walking the dusty streets of the past and are part of the culture of each time period.The tapestry he weaves includes all aspects important to the effort involved, the engineering, the people, and the politics.A delightful and an enjoyable reading and learning experience.Highly recommended! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

The best game in the World of Darkness
This is the best game in White Wolf's game universe. I have never played a game with so many possibilities. This book is the core rulebook for Mage the Ascension Second Edition. The book contains everything you need to understand the Mage universe. Every aspect of the game is elaborated on fully or contains enough information for you to come up with the rest of the details. The book focuses on the Traditions but there is also a good amount of information on the Technocratic Union, Marauders, and Nephandi for you to use. The worlds beyond the Gauntlet and Horizon are also touched on along with sample umbrood. With this book any game is possible. You want to play a fireball-chucking mage? No problem. How about a hacker from the Matrix? There's a Tradition available just for that. Want to play a tough martial artist who can catch bullets? There are rules for that too. This is a great book that can stand alone without supplements, unlike its revised edition.

I wish they'd reprint this game!
I really do wish they'd reprint it! Mage 2nd edition has potential! Stories can *happen* in it! It's not a bunch of gaming execs trying to squeeze a few bucks out of Vampire and Werewolf players so they can have stupid little duels to prove which kind of supernatural PC is tougher, unlike some more recent stuff!Mage 2nd edition is the *total* modern fantasy game!

My Favorite WoD Game, Hands Down.
Let's face it, in the World of Darkness, hope is all too rare.Vampires are abberations of the natural order whose agelessness serves only to illustrate the beauty of death.Werewolves are fighting a losing battle against the Wyrm, the spirit of active destruction.Wraiths are dead souls wishing for Oblivion.Hunters are angsty mortals with nary a clue about their benefactors' identities ... but they kill the Outsiders anyway.(Changelings I don't know, sorry.)

And among all this chaos ... the Mage stands tall, looking to Ascend.

Oh, it's not all fuzzy bunnies, being a Mage.There's pain, and death, and the rest of the World of Darkness to contend with.But Mages have something to fight for other than survival.They have ideals.(Perhaps morbid ideals, but nobody ever said morbid is wrong ...)They have dreams.And, in the World of Darkness as in our own world, the perception of reality shapes reality itself.(Okay, I play too many Malkavians in Vampire.So sue me.)This is what it means to be a Mage.

It would take far more space than I have here to explain the worldview behind Mage.Suffice it to say that Mage (at least Second Edition) is positive in outlook, with a scope that encourages the imagination.This setting focuses on wonder, pain, and Ascension to a higher state.The group Storyteller will either love this game or hate it: love because of the openness of a magic system that's actually -realistic- (okay, you Christians are probably laughing at me now - oh well), or hatred because you've just spent twenty hours of preparation on Umbral Lords and now your players just want to use the spirit world to break into a Technocracy stronghold.

When I read this book for the first time, it was almost a spiritual experience.This is what a magical RPG is supposed to be like, in my view.However, hack-n-slashers can wreak havock on the system, mainly through over-use of Forces.I find that taking Forces away entirely is the best way to deal with this nuisance ... although with a group of powermongers, perhaps Werewolf would be a better game for you.

Warning: Revised Mage takes all the wonder and hope out of the setting and leaves you with the same old gloom and croon of the rest of the World of Darkness.The developers certainly did a wonderful job of making sure that the backstory fit the rest of the WoD, but I'm rather sorry to see hope go.(Life is painful enough without vicarously living through a rotting pile of bones, IMHO.)So, I proudly recommend Mage: The Ascension Second Edition to the Real Roleplayers and Loonies out there, Revised Mage to the Real Men among you (heaven help us all), and Harvard to the Munchkins that exist like worms at the heart of every gaming group...

This is what the game always should have been
Forget Revised, this is what the game is really about. A generic setting in which you can launch a game in any time, any where, with any who. The revisions made from visionary-but-glitchy First edition make it much clearer and smoother to run.

Has everything you need to start an Ascension War chronicle (whether you want to get involved in the War or not is another matter), including details on the Technocracy, governments, secret organisations, the Umbra, the Digital Web, and a little on history.

Magick is appropriately powerful, and the game flows much more than the "crunchier" games like Vampire or Werewolf. It's a harder game than those, requiring more in the way of maturity and intelligence, but far more rewarding. And you don't have to play some kind of freaky monster.

Not for everyone...
yes, I gave it five stars, and I will get to the why. But I do believe, like other reviewers, that this game might not suit everybody, and it is certainly not easy to either explain nor play without running into some quite peculiar pitfalls. I started out with RPGs when I was 12. I have read, played and "directed" at least 10 different RPG systems. Fantasy, star wars, star trek, marvel superheores (anyone whot thinks I was waaay to deep into it is absolutely RIGHT, I was positively addicted). I even wrote a short monthly column on RPGs for an "alternative culture" magazine for a while. So when my best friend and companion in roleplaying introduced me to White Wolf games (with a copy of Mage as a birthday present), I was openly distrustful. (Mages with computers? you gotta be kidding me!). However, I overcame my first impression and read it, read it and re-read it. I was hooked! What was going on with this game was REAL MAGIC! All the other RPGs I have played and directed have the same problem: magic is a static thing, confined to the stereotypes which are known by all: wizened old men, reading out of musty old books, recipes including bat dung and frog eyes. Interminable list of spells, some of them useless, some inaccessible until the characters were incredibly powerful already, and the eternal problem of mages being weak and useless once their spells were spent. Mage: the Ascension is my favorite RPG (out of, like I've mentioned, many others I've met and struggled with for a while). But, it's not for everyone. It's not a game you can throw at the players out of the blue. It's a challenging game for the Storyteller. Yes, it's White Wolf as far as the basic system is concerned, but the Storyteller must do extensive homework ,and at least skim some of the reference works and recommended further readings given by the authors (some of which, BTW, are very good). Otherwise any chronicle will look and sound bland. I agree with other reviewers in that the designers reach out for much and leave a lot of spaces and gaps: I believe this to be intentional. The flexibility implied by a game where reality is "up for grabs" does not allow any hard-and-fast rules regarding the nature of the stories or the possibilities of what the players might do. For example: the Technocracy's struggle can (in my opinion) be seen as equally "noble" than the one from the traditions, in that they can be understood as seeing themselves as protectors of humankind from "what's out there". They can also be insane megalomaniacs out for world domination, will ye or nay ye, but it's another thing the Storyteller must decide beforehand. The Traditions are another kettle of fish: in my opinion they are more guidelines than models to build characters upon. For example: the Akashic Brotherhood is way too big, attempting to encompass many different real-world beliefs in one page of description. Again in my opinion, an Akashic can be fashioned after Indian yogis or Tibetan ascetics just as they can be made to look and act like your regular action-film martial arts master. I tell my players not to delude themselves into thinking that all Akashics are bald, and assume kung-fu stances, and that not all Dreamspeakers wear loincloths and beat drums.The Avatar is another thing that most people I know who've played Mage seem not to understand. It's a great tool for the players to relate to their character and for Storytellers to keep the pace of the story in moments when the players seem to lose track of everything that's going on under their noses, but, again, if the Storyteller is not consistent with the Avatar thing, it either gets left out altogether, or the players see through it and cry foul when the Storyteller turns their Avatars on them.As for the system: I believe it to be a blessing, through and through. White Wolf's system really lets you forgo dozens o dice rolls, and its by far more "realistic" than any other RPG system in my experience. All the White Wolf books insist on it: tell stories first, roll dice only if it helps the story. Because, despite the occassional confusion in interpreting this or that (or finding stuff in the index: I agree, it's dreadful), can anybody deny that a magic system like this would be flat-out impossible to run with any other set of RPG rules? It's a great game, folks, but in order for it to be truly enjoyable and all that it can be, it does require more careful attention and input than other RPGs. Take the contents of this book as GUIDELINES, to be greatly expanded upon, and more than any other RPG let a lot of you into it. Do not be afraid to innovate, to discard what you don't like, and I venture to say that it will prove an unprecedented, exciting experience for all RPG enthusiasts, players and gamemasters alike. ... Read more

Product Description

Aspen Matthews has no memories of her life before the age of 11, although she does recall being aboard the cruise ship Paradise when it docked in San Diego&#45ten years after it mysteriously disappeared..

Now, a decade after the Paradise's unexplained reappearance, Aspen is a marine biologist who feels strangely drawn to the water for reasons she can&#39t even begin to understand. What she does understand, though, is that the answers to the questions that continually haunt her&#45who she is, where she came from&#45can only be found far beneath the waves, in a world of hidden wonders&#45and hidden dangers....

... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Thoughts about Fathom Book 1
If you like reading normal paperback books without pictures than you're likely to like this book. It combines science fiction and fantasy and brings them to a whole new level. If you like Fathom and her story you should read this. ... Read more

Product Description
Yes. He was born in the first week of June, in the year 1906. Quite a short while ago, as you see--that is, as we men count time--but long enough, just as a child's life is occasionally long enough, to affect the lives--ay, more, the characters--of some who claimed to be his betters on this present earth, with certainties in some dim and distant heaven that might or might not have a corner here or there for dogs.

... Read more

Product Description
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Clinical Workbook, Second Edition, provides a master set of the forms, questionnaires, and handouts recommended by Barkley in the second edition of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment. Now these invaluable materials many of which are available from no other source are expertly translated, clearly formatted, and ready to photocopy and use with Spanish-speaking clients. Particular attention has been given to making the translation appropriate for culturally and geographically diverse clients. As in the English edition, all child and adult interview forms and rating scales have been completely revised for DSM-IV and new norms for many of the scales have been provided. Included as well in this 8 ½ x 11 comb-bound workbook are a fact sheet for parents and teachers of children with ADHD, as well as ADHD-diagnosed adults; daily school report cards for monitoring academic progress; and more. The Spanish edition also features four newly added scales: the Distraction Scale, the Activity-Impulsivity Scale, the Family Experiences Inventory, and the Parent Practices Inventory.

Your Photocopy Rights: The Publisher grants individual book purchasers nonassignable permission to reproduce the handouts and forms in this book for clinical use with their clients. For complete details and limitations, see copyright page.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I want it in Spanish
Sorry, I haven't read it, but i will like to have it in Spanish, because I work with Special Education, in fact, with kids that have DDA. Sorry to write here, but I would like to have this, I did not see where to writeabout my request, my english is not good at all, and if somebody can helpme, I will apreciate it, from my heart, seems to be the best. Thanks ... Read more

Product Description
Memory and Modernity focuses on the first project of the reknowned nineteenth-century French architect and theorist Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, the restoration of the Romanesque church of the Madeleine at Vézelay in Burgundy. This is the first book-length study to approach the work of Viollet-le-Duc from the perspective of institutional and social history.Kevin D. Murphy situates the Vézelay restoration project within the government architectural bureacracy that emerged in the July Monarchy. Drawing on extensive archival records, he describes the controversy that arose from the restoration process, as changes in the physical form of the church, its permitted uses, and its place in history provoked heated exchanges among the Burgundy region and Paris, the Catholic clergy and government officials.Examining in detail the architect's transformation of the church of the Madeleine, the book also draws out the implications of the project for understanding Viollet-le-Duc's theoretical development. Murphy shows how Viollet-le-Duc's rationalist interpretation of medieval architecture informed the decisions that were made about the restoration, but also how that way of thinking was influenced by the architect's experience at Vézelay. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Its a very deeply emotional book and it draws you in
I have not read the entire book and am not qualified to give a proffesional review I thought it was abook that reveals the deepest side of manand of nature.Thank you for letting me and others read it.I always like to read a good vampire novel...You never know what's out there. ... Read more

Product Description
217 pages/spiral bound book. Contents include: labs on knife cuts and stocks, soups and sauces, roasting, grilling, baking, broiling, vegetable and salads, sauteing, pan frying and deep frying, breakfast cookery, steaming and submersion cooking braining and stewing, also includes some additional recipes from Professional chef, (7th edition), culinary institute of America. ... Read more

Product Description
Meisha Merlin is proud to announce the continuing adventures of Jame in P. C. Hodgell's Seeker's Mask. This edition will contain a new introduction by Charles de Lint, the novel Seeker's Mask, and the maps that P. C. has created for the book.

Jame has found and been reunited with her ten year older twin brother Tori. Now all she has to do is find a place for herself among the Kencyrs that are following her brother. This is not quite as easy as it sounds. For, if you remember, Jame has not grown up in the normal Kencyr lifestyle. When she is placed in the Women's Halls and is expected to change and become a normal quiet Kencyr lady, it is the Women's Halls that undergo the changes. For when you have Shadow Guild Assassins, ghosts, strange beings, and other characters from your past after you, it is rather difficult not to want a weapon, instead of a sewing needle, in your hand. Soon Jame and Jorin, her blind ounce, are on the run again, trying to stay one step ahead of the danger.Amazon.com Review
Seeker's Mask is the sequel to P.C. Hodgell's classic high fantasy novels God Stalk and Dark of the Moon (collected in the omnibus volume Dark of the Gods). Fast-paced, fascinating, and skillfully written, Seeker's Mask continues the story of Jame the Talisman, the noblewoman/thief who possesses (or is possessed by) dangerous magical talents.

Jame has finally been reunited with her twin brother, the Highlord Torisen. But the joy of reunion doesn't last long. Jame is banished to the purdah-like Women's Halls as her brother's noblemen argue over who will marry her. When assassins slip into the segregated quarters, Jame must flee for her life, alone save for her blind, mind-linked cub, Jorin. But her attempt to rejoin her brother is complicated by court intrigues; by the ghost of her cruel half-brother Bane; by the conquered Merikit, who assault Jame's people with unknown magic; and by the weirding-mist, a mysterious fog that magically moves individuals, armies, and even castles to new and sometimes unidentifiable locations in the Riverland and beyond. And there are other problems. Jame's little-understood magical abilities are growing not only stronger, but more destructive. She bears the Ivory Knife and the Book Bound in Pale Leather, monstrously dangerous magic tools. The lost memories of heradolescence are returning, and they reveal that Jame may be a servant of the archenemy of her people, the worlds-destroying Perimal Darkling. --Cynthia Ward ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Jame and the Matriarchs
Seeker's Mask (1994) is the third fantasy novel in the Kencyrath series, following Dark of the Moon.In the previous volume, the Southern Host fought the Wasters.Jame stole a white horse and returned her father's sword and ring to Tori.Then Tori presented Jame to the Highborn lords and she slipped a little something into Caldane's drink.Alric went into the desert to locate the body of his son Peredon.

In this novel, Jamethiel is a Knorth Highborn and the daughter of the former Highlord of the Kencyr.She was raised in the Haunted Lands and fled to the lands of the Perimal Darkling when she was seven.Since time moves slower in those lands, Jame is now ten years younger than Tori, her twin brother.

Torison is twin brother of Jame and the current Highlord of the Kencyr.He led them to victory against the Wasters, but his political position is still shaky.Too many people want to control or replace Tori as the Highlord.

Kinzi was the last Knorth Matriarch and sister-kin of Adiraina.Three decades ago, she and most of the other Knorth women were killed in the Massacre.Someone had hired assassins from the Bashtiri Shadow Guild to wipe out all the Knorth women.

Aerulan was a Knorth Highborn and sister-kin of Brenwyr.She was also killed in the Massacre.Aerulan died while protecting Tieri, the Highlord's younger sister and the sole survivor of the Massacre.

Adiraina is a Highborn and the Ardeth Matriarch.She is blind, but still the leader of the Matriarch Council.She is also the cousin of Alric and the sister-kin of Kinzi.

Brenwyr is now the Brandan Matriarch.She is a bit of a maverick;for instance, she likes to ride in split skirts.This unladylike behavior offends the other Matriarchs.She was sister-kin to Aerulan and still misses her.

Alric is a Highborn and the Ardeth Lord.He is an ally of Tori and his former mentor.Alric still believes that Tori needs his protection and advice.

Kierien is a Highborn and the Jaran Lordan.The Jaran are generally scholars and hate losing time to rule the clan.Kierien lost a roll of the dice and become the Jaran heir.There will be some fireworks when the rest of the Lords learn that she is a female.

Graykin is Jame's half-breed servant.He is the illegitimate son of Caldane, the Caineron Lord.Growing up in Restormir, Graykin became a skilled sneak and now provides Jame with some significant information.

Kindrie Soul-Walker is a Highborn and a Shanir healer.He is the child of Tieri by an unknown Highborn.

Briar Iron-thorn is a Kendar cadet in the Randon school.She had been a Caineron yondri, but Tori accepted her allegiance as a Knorth Kendar.This really irritated Lord Caldane and his Kendar.

In this story, Tori sends Jame to the Highlord's Keep in Guthregor.The Matriarchs, however, take her away from his steward and install her within the Women's Halls.They put her into the hands of Kallystine -- Tori's temporary consort -- but the relationship is rather strained.

Since Tori had sent her without proper clothing, Jame is clothed from the wardrobe of the dead Aerulan.They also place her in the class for little girls to learn how to act and think like a Highborn Lady.

Jame is not happy as a Highborn Lady trainee.She particularly hates the mask that she is required to wear.She also doesn't believe that the basic tenets of a Highborn Lady are obedience, self-restraint, endurance, and silence.Or maybe she just cannot live such a life.

Then Jame sews her gloves together again.She swears and the teacherinquires as to her distress.In the ensuing discussion, Jame states the nature of Honor's Paradox and the instructress slaps her.Jame restrains herself and only slashes the sampler held before her.

Jame leaves the classroom and again trips on the staircase.Her dress is much too tight for long strides or even normal steps.Naturally, Jame reaches the bottom of the stairs without breaking anything, but she will have more bruises.

Jame hides out in the Ghost Walks.She greets Aerulan's death banner and, for the first time, notices that she has been wearing Aerulan's clothing.When Caineron guards come seeking her, she climbs up to the Highlord's study.

Then a casting of Bashtiri assassins comes to Guthregor.The twelve apprentices are there to be blooded.But the master assassin is after Jame.

When the Caineron finally catch her, Kallystine slaps her face with a razor ring, laying open her skin to the bone.Jame fights against her captors and her beserker rage.Finally, she sounds out a master rune and leaves while everyone else is reeling.

The Matriarch Council sends to the Priest's College for a healer -- Kindrie -- to repair the wound on Jame's face, but Jame hates priests.Brenwyr also lays a curse on her.Jame decides to depart Guthregor.

Jame has another reason to leave.Graykin is being tortured by his father.She travels to Restormir to rescue him.

This tale leads Jame to a meeting with Kindrie, whom she rescues from the priests.Then she picks up an escort of ten cadets under Briar Iron-thorn.She even encounters a migrating golden willow.Jame also shares dreams with Tori as they had done as children.

The story has a compelling urgency that enchants the reader.It also has a subtle humor that may well become addictive.The next volume is To Ride A Rathorn.Read and enjoy!

Highly recommended for Hodgell fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of weird magic, decadent societies, and a possible avatar of a god of destruction.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Seeker's Mask
I waited YEARS for another book about Jamethial... This is excellent, rich, and as always, it brims with myth, darkness, and absolute chaos. P.C. Hodgell creates a rich tapestry that always makes a reader want more and more. I hope she continues writing this saga...as it is, it is not yet finished (which is frustrating)

Note: To really follow the tale, though, you need to read the first 2 books, "Godstalk" and "Dark of the Moon"---and after, do not forget "To ride a Rathorn" with follows this book (and is my personal favorite)

Torn about the rating, torn about the book
I had read the first two books years ago, and was thrilled to find that I could now get my hands on the third and fourth.I agree with much of what other reviewers have to say; that the book is woven through with weird and wonderful ideas, that the writing is often lyrical and that Jame is a fascinating and complex character.

But the process of reading the book was a frustrating one.I found myself at times skimming through paragraphs because the events or the decisions that characters made seemed so obscure.However, as I worked my way through the book I became more and more engaged, more fully aware of the relationships between characters and the issues that loom large for Jame and for Torisen.

It is a fine story, and I have more and more appreciation for its intricacies the farther I get into the tale.There are just times when I find it difficult to understand how two characters relate to each other, or how a moment of action plays out.I think it has to do with the fact that Hodgell does not hold the hand of the reader; she does not over-explain and give us a character's every thought (like Mercedes Lackey?).For example, it is not until this third book that she actually mentions that Jorin, the ounce, weighs 40 pounds.Until this point there is absolutely no reference for how large Jorin is or will grow, except for the fact that Jame can carry him.I had previously found myself wondering, "Tiger, or house cat?"

a rocking book
i read the second book and i find that it continue flawlessly into this book.I lov the way Jame had been potrayed and i can understand Torisen apprehension at finding Jame.But i think their relationship will grow better in the next book as i think that Jame,Torisen and Kindrie formed the three faced God.Each one of them represent a different aspect of their God.Toriesen and Jame shared a connection that strong enough that those bind to Torisen are bind to Jame and vice versa.I probably had read the book a couple of times since i had it.
I find that every line convey a certain richness and i had my favourite lines and scenes.But the best scene for me is when TOrisen disowned Kallystine not only for what she tried to do to him but to what had happened to Jame.Jame'presence had freed Torisen from Kallystine influence so i think the twins nwill slowly but surely rely on each other strengths.Torisen will learn to trustJame and Jame will be the rock in Torisen life.I do think this is one of the best book that i have read.

A World that you can believe in
The whole Jame series is so good. I love them. They are so good because the plot is so original, there are so many books out there that should be sued for stealing plot lines. These books are such a refreshing read and amazingly enough, our main characters aren't omnipotent gods. While Jame has a great deal of power as a Shanir (aka, Kencyr Highborn with supernatural abilities) she is haunted by her abusive childhood and adolescence that she is only starting to remember. She makes terrible mistakes and is tempted to make selfish decisions.

Torisen, her brother is the Highlord of the Kencyrath, and also has great power. But unlike Jame Torisen tries to deny his heritage as one of the Shanir (once again, thanks to an abusive childhood). One of his abilities is farseeing, particularly in his sleep, and so he is an insomniac, haunted by the voice of their insane, dead father. The Lords he governs with on the High Council at best try to minipulate him, and at worst would love to see him dead.

It doesn't help anything that in the first book Jame made the Kencyr High Priest stationed in the city of Tai-Tastigon, Ishtier, hate her either.

And our other protagonist is Kindrie, a Shanir Priest with a awsome gift of healing, but has been locked out of his own soul by Ishtier and his allies which greatly limits his powers. He is also troubled and as result of his priestly upbringing in the luxurious Priest's College is completely unprepared for the journey with Jame that he embarks on, especially now that his healing powers are nearly nonexistent. Jame must also deal with responsibility for her semi-demonic half brother. Turned into an undead shadow being that was killed and then forced to keep on existing by a freak mistake, precipitated by Jame who had without knowing blood bound him through another one of her unknown Shanir abilities. This means that his sould is bound to her to death and maybe beyond, and now he must perforce consume other souls to remain in the world. Jame has to deal with the guilt of creating this thing and putting her half brother through such pain. Not to mention the fact that since she had blood bound him she was now resposible for him. Obviously Jame and Tori go through some awsome trials and yet do make mistakes. Everyone should read this book. ... Read more

Product Description
This book analyzes important criticisms of the current research on Emotional Intelligence (EI), a topic of growing interest in the behavioral and social sciences. It looks at emotional intelligence research and EI interventions from a scientific and measurement perspective and identifies ways of improving the often shaky foundations of our current conceptions of emotional intelligence. With a balanced viewpoint, A Critique of Emotional Intelligence includes contributions from leading critics of EI research and practice (e.g., Frank Landy, Mark Schmit, Chockalingam Viswesvaran), proponents of EI (e.g., Neal Ashkanasy, Catherine Daus), as well as a broad range of well-informed authors. Proponents claim that EI is more important in life than academic intelligence, while opponents claim that there is no such thing as emotional intelligence. Three key criticisms that have been leveled at emotional intelligence include: (1) EI is poorly defined and poorly measured; (2) EI is a new name for familiar constructs that have been studied for decades; and (3) claims about EI are overblown. While the book presents these criticisms, the final section proposes ways of improving EI research and practice with EI theories, tests, and applications. ... Read more

Product Description
Economists assume that people make choices based on their preferences and their budget constraints. The preferences and values of others play no role in the standard economic model. This feature has been sharply criticized by other social scientists, who believe that the choices people make are also conditioned by social and cultural forces. Economists, meanwhile, are not satisfied with standard sociological and anthropological concepts and explanations because they are not embedded in a testable, analytic framework.

In this book, Gary Becker and Kevin Murphy provide such a framework by including the social environment along with standard goods and services in their utility functions. These extended utility functions provide a way of analyzing how changes in the social environment affect people�s choices and behaviors. More important, they also provide a way of analyzing how the social environment itself is determined by the interactions of individuals.

Using this approach, the authors are able to explain many puzzling phenomena, including patterns of drug use, how love affects marriage patterns, neighborhood segregation, the prices of fine art and other collectibles, the social side of trademarks, the rise and fall of fads and fashions, and the distribution of income and status. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Reads like a textbook -- Advanced knowledge required
This book assumes much prior economic knowledge on the part of the reader.If you are looking for an intuitive, digestable text that highlights the relationships between social and market forces... THIS IS NOT IT.
Becker's ideas, though compelling, are often lost in the academic murk of sophisticated formulas and equation analysis.For example, the first three pages of the opening chapter talk extensively about derivatives of utility functions as they relate to social capital.It felt like I was back in calculus or finance class.This book reads like a textbook.I don't recommend it for anyone with less than an intermediate, working understanding of economic theory.

Read this book!
Gary S. Becker and Kevin M. Murphy explore the market behavior in a social environment most magnificiently in this book.The insight that I have gained through reading this book cannot be measured by a mere mortal.Furthermore, it astounds me that the sales rank for this book is 72,711, when on my bookshelf it is number 1!This is a must buy for anyone, even if you have no prior knowledge of economics. ... Read more

Product Description
From Lee Killough, the author of BloodWalk, Meisha Merlin presents the new Garreth Mikaelian vampire novel Blood Games

Garreth Mikaelian has an enemy…Time. He thought he knew all about being a vampire. After all, he has had fifteen years in the life to learn. But now he discovers that while Time ignores him, he cannot ignore it. Around him everyone he knows is aging: fellow officer and periodic lover Maggie Lebekov, friends, parents. His own son now looks more like a brother. The price of his existence, he realizes, is standing rooted while Time carries everything away from him.

But suddenly he has more urgent matters to worry about. Baumen's comfortable peace is shattered by sudden death and a lethal trio playing ever escalating blood games. Garreth finds himself racing time to learn whether the trio's leader is the vampire he appears to be and find a way to deal with him. Garreth must locate the suspects before other law enforcement officers do, to be sure they are captured alive…because if not yet vampires, they have drunk vampire blood and if killed will rise again even more deadly, and unstoppable. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Review by Jean Marie Ward for Crescent Blues Magazine July 2001
Vampire cop Garreth Mikaelian spent the last 16 years in Baumen, Kansas, dutifully playing his role as a good cop in the town's tiny police department.He refuses every chance to advance from uniformed patrolman.He successfully pretends sunlight doesn't bother him.As far as the department can tell, Garreth's only distinction is the number of times he and fellow officer Maggie Lebekov break up and get together again and again.

But this stultifying, if comfortable, undead life comes to an abrupt end when Garreth and Maggie give chase to a van carrying a very pale man and two girls wanted in connection with a number of forgeries.Driving like a racing pro from hell, the pale man forces Garreth's car off the road.As Maggie and Garreth hover at the edge of death, the pale man and his companions loot Maggie's purse and gun.They also steal Maggie's and Garreth's blood.

Maggie dies of her injuries.Garreth can't remember if his attackers actually drank his blood.

Are the man and his girls human or vampire?And if they're still human, can Garreth reach them in time to prevent their transformation--or mete out the true death needed to prevent them from bringing others across.

Could the pale man be the legendary albino vampire who served in Caligula's Praetorian Guards or merely a human impostor?And of the two, which will prove more dangerous in the final showdown--man or superman?

That questions lies at the heart of Killough's tale, and she offers no easy answers.Each of her central characters--human and vampire--displays a spark of greatness.The balance seems weighted in the favor of older women, but that may reflect their role as nurturers and advisors to the forty-something Garreth, who searches for understanding with the same tenacity he hunts for clues.

Blood Games offers a solid police procedural that never allows the fantastic elements to detract from its central mysteries.This proves both a great strength and weakness.The need to construct the details of Garreth's everyday life further slows a beginning already weighted with the hasty deaths and departures of several of Garreth's nearest and dearest.But keep reading.The pace picks up nicely once Garreth hits the highway in his Porsche, and the dear departed provide a wonderful spectral chorus to Garreth's journey of self-discovery and renewal.


Reviewed by Barbara Franchi for REVIEWING THE EVIDENCE, July 2001

Garreth Mikaelian, the vampire police detective has finally resurfaces in the third book of the series.First introduced, and vampirized in Blood Hunt, it is now 16 years later.Garreth has stayed in Baumen, Kansas, where he met and killed the woman who made him a vampire.He has a quiet life with his job and lover, fellow police officer, Maggie Lebekov.

Then the two are run off the road by an albino man and two girls, killing Maggie.He dreams they are licking his blood.He begins searching for the killer, who may be a vampire or who may be faking it, but if he has drunk Garreth's blood, he will become a vampire when he dies.Garreth wants to get him, and the girls, before that stage is reached.

In both Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake series, and Tanya Huff's Vicky Nelson series, and even in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the old vampire legends are accepted at face value.Killough has turned the vampire legend on its side with this series.In the first two books we learn how Garreth became a vampire and what being a vampire entails.He can go out in the daytime and go into a church but he must drink blood and he prefers the dark.He has retained much of his humanity, but he will live forever and he must learn how to cope with that.I raced through all three books in this series and hope that more will magically appear soon.For someone who dislikes and distrusts fantasy for the most part, that's a very strong statement.


Reviewed by Sue Johnson for [...]

Garreth Mikaelian is an unusual cop.He has been a vampire for the past 15 years.He has also been on the beat in Baumen.He had chosen to work the night shift for the obvious reasons and had passed up the opportunity for promotions to remain on that shift.

His peaceful existence is shattered on night when a carload of joy-riding teens wreaks havoc on the tiny town of Baumen.A beloved police officer is dead and Garreth must find the killers.Not only have they killed the one officer Garreth was in love with, but as a prank or maybe not they have drunk his blood.

Are they vampires or just kids playing at vampires?Either way Garreth must find them and deal with them himself, because if they are killed now they will come back more deadly than ever.

This was my first Lee Killough book but not my last.I have always enjoyed a good vampire story and this one features a vampire that still has human feelings and characteristics.I need to go back and find how Garreth became a vampire and how he dealt with it.


Reviews from Amazon.com as of August 1, 2001

Christine Hawkins from Canberra, Australia [...]
Sixteen years after he became a vampire, Garreth Mikaelian is back. This time he's hunting a killer - who -might- be a vampire - across the western United States. Lee Killough meshes the police procedural elements of this story with the vampire elements, making a seamless and absorbing whole.

All this takes place against a background where the main character has to take some major life decisions. As in the previous books in this series (published together as "Blood Walk") Killough has done a wonderful job in fleshing out this sympathetic and entirely human vampire and his dilemmas. Many of her secondary characters from this series return, and a new and fascinating character is introduced about two thirds of the way through. If the author writes a sequel I hope she appears in it.
I waited nearly ten years for this book. It was worth it.

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

Kathy Maxwell...Sydney, Australia
Garreth Mikaelian is the original vampire detective, and he's finally back. This book takes place 15 years after the last book in this series (Bloodlinks), and the fact that Garreth doesn't age as 'normal' is now starting to become a talking point among his family and the people he works with.

This is an inevitable situation for any vampire-style character, if they survive long enough, but not many books actually chronicle with how it would be dealt with, given the links to the human world that any vampire would need to survive.

Garreth is grounded in 'real world' police procedures and its limitations, and in many ways that is what sets this series apart from many other 'cop-vampire' books. There are very definite limits to what you can do as a police detective, and still stay as one later when the adventure is over.

In this book, Garreth gets caught in a car accident in daylight, and his girlfriend is killed, while the people who deliberately crashed into him drink his blood when he is unconscious, believing him dead.

Garreth is shattered by this turn of events, but in a whirlwind of anger and fear that new vampires have been created, he sets off on a cross country chase after what turns out to be a serial killer.

In many ways this book is a real turning point. What has gone before can no longer be continued and by the end great changes have occurred in all the main characters life. It'll be interesting to see where the next book goes.

This book will not be for you if you like vampire stories to be horror stories or full of romance and sex, because this book is really about how a policeman, who just happens to be a vampire, learns to deal with the world as it comes without bending the rules so much that the story becomes ridiculous.

Lee Killough writes fine police based books and by the end you always have the feeling that in the 'real world' this could just have happened. They are always worth reading more than once.



Reviewed by Maria Y. Lima of Alexandria, Virginia for COZIES, CAPERS & CRIMES

Cop. Father. Lover. Friend. Four words that can describe most any man also describe handsome police officer, Garreth Mikaelian. Oh, yes, but there's one more word - Vampire. With fifteen years of the night life behind him and an equal number of years as a cop, Mikaelian figures there's not much he hasn't either seen or heard about.

He's getting used to the idea that his family is getting older while he remains the same physical age. He's even getting to like living in Baumen, and has fallen in love with fellow officer and sometime lover, Maggie Lebekov.

Dealing with his vampire nature has become routine. He stays out of the sun as much as possible, gets his blood from the local supply house, and has established a comfortable routine. But, as luck or fate would have it, his life demands more of him than he feels he can give. First a beloved grandmother passes, leaving Garreth feeling alone, then a nightmarishly brutal attack leaves him seemingly near death and leads to the demise of someone he really cares about. A trio of seeming joy riders are the culprits - and two of them seem to be young girls. Is their elusive leader a vicious vampire seeking blood and glory, or just a frightening wanna-be with delusions of fanghood and a taste for brutality and vampire blood?

My first foray into the world of Garreth Mickaelian and author Lee Killough's take on the modern vampire was nothing short of captivating. Killough's characters proclaim their existence with every breath, drawing the reader into her realistic fantasy world as she tells a compelling story. It's easy for a writer to create cardboard vampires, either evil, twisted hellspawn or conversely, angelic do-gooders with funny eating habits. Killough skillfully crosses that divide and creates a likeable, yet humanly (or vampirically?) flawed protagonist that seems right at home in our own "real" world. Some critics have proclaimed that there's nothing new or different about Killough's story, which thus has little worth - but I have to disagree. She's established a world that could be, a set of characters that anyone might find next door, even if some of them happen to be undead. With the rise in popularity of Buffy and other mainstream American vampire tales, Killough continues to add to this tradition with her own version of the myth. Fans of both the mystery and science fiction genres will enjoy this excellent story and Killough's world.

Vampires - Oh Yes
If this is your first encounter with Vampire Cop Garreth Mikaelian, you're in for a terrific read.Fasten your seatbelts and prepare for the ride of your life.Blood Games is fantastic.

Disappointed
I waited 10 years for this book and must admitt that I was
disappointed. It's not as good and the first two. I found that
it dragged and really didn't make me want to finish it.
I do like her newest book Wilding Nights and hope she
will write more in that series.

Vampire whose human family accepts him.
Garreth Mikaelian is a fascinatingly different vampire, and maybe the most exciting one of all.

He lives on bottled blood, like most of the vampires I like(Forever Knight etc) and write about (Those of My Blood, Dreamspy -- or even my fantasy vampire, Dorian St. James in the anthology Heaven and Hell from Speculation Press.)But what makes him realistic for me and thus different is the way his ex-partner and family accepts what he is.

It's Garreth who has trouble accepting his human friends' acceptance.His ex-partner's wife is especially interesting for her expertise with the I-Ching and Garreth's attitude toward her pronouncements.

Meanwhile Garreth is acquiring a new family - a vampire family.

This novel, Blood Games, takes us through a necessary transition phase in Garreth's existence, and it's a page turner with a complex multi-leveled plot and rich adult themes.

At the start, Garreth is settled into a stable, somewhat fulfilling and almost happy life.Nothing has happened for years now as he works in the Sheriff's dept. in a small town and becomes well known and trusted.Once again, Lee Killough paints us a picture of a normal person who happens to be a vampire.You can easily picture yourself in his position.

But by the nature of his condition, it can't last.And here in this book is the beginning of change.

The plot is all about chasing a serial killer or three who seem perhaps to be vampires (or think they are).You aren't really sure about what Garreth is chasing until the end -- and neither is he.

He shows us once again that despite being a vampire, he's a cop.It's what he's always been - it's what he wants to be.

And he's still able to use his original identity, but in this novel, he's facing the fact that he must soon move on. And that's the real conflict in this novel - the real developmental tension for these characters -- change.The resistance to change, the confrontation with necessity, the anguished acceptance of change, and the whole new situation that results at the end of the novel -- is all about change.

The new situation at the ending puts me in mind of Fred Saberhagen's FRIEND OF THE FAMILY - the vampire that watches over generations of a human family.

I'm hoping that Lee will carry on Garreth's tale and let us meet up with his family's descendents as he watches over them.

But this book leaves us with a twist.If you like vampire novels at all, you must have this book on your special shelf.

Live Long and Prosper,
Jacqueline Lichtenberg

POLICE PROCEDURAL WITH A DIFFERENCE
Lee Killough's BLOOD GAMES grabs you from the first paragraph and never lets go. Killough masterfully intertwines fantasy, science fiction, psychology and solid police procedures in an excellent and excting story of a vampire detective. Garreth Mikaelian balances his detecting with one foot in this world and one in the vampire world. Yet, throughout the book, he he solves crimes with good detection, sometimes making use ot his unique abilities. I highly ecommend this book. Janet B. Fudala, Ph.D. CEO, Educational Solutions ... Read more

Product Description
This proven program can make anyone in business an effective listener and a more successful manager via quickly learned "ear opening" techniques that are guaranteed to increase any manager's effectiveness at every corporate level. ... Read more

Product Description
Fascinating insights into what influences behavior on the job. Here, leading psychologists examine the entire spectrum of individual differences and show how they affect personality, vocational interests, job performance, and work dysfunctions. Cutting-edge theory and research no manager should miss.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Kevin Murphy is a snake oil salesman
Murphy finds it convenient to switch between his support of non-cognitive traits and "g".In the day, he touted non-cognitive traits.No doubt this was aligned with his book sales.He has since claimed that these tests have little validity.If you wish to use this book as a primer for tests and measures, move on.Murphy's recent stance on personality measures invalidates his editorial vision. ... Read more