Product Description
He's Hawk. She's Fisher. They're cops, patrolling the mean streets of the ancient city misnamed Haven, a sinister place where demons, thieves, sorcerers, and murderers own the night and anything can be bought-except justice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Exciting and entertaining as you would expect all of Simon R. Green's books!
Just as fun as Swords of Haven!And all of the Deathstalkers, and Shadows fall, well, I am enjoying all of his books!

Where do the heros go?
I have always injoyed Greens book's. When I read The blue moon, I always wondered what happened to the 2 main heros. Then I read Guards of Haven and found both again.

Swords, Sorcery, and Cops: Good Fun
Reviewed by Vicky Burkholder
on 07/10/2008

This book includes three stories in one book: Wolf in the Fold, Guard Against Dishonor, The Bones of Haven. It is my understanding that all three have been previously published under a different title (Fear and Loathing in Haven) so if you've read that, you've already read this.

Though I'm not usually a sword and sorcery/cop story type of reader, this book surprised me with its wry wit and offbeat humor. I was drawn in from the first line and enjoyed the stories immensely. They are set in a modern medieval world where magic is acceptable, fighting is done with swords (or in the case of Hawk, an axe), and corruption rules the land - or at least, the city of Haven. Hawk and Fisher, husband and wife Guards, are the two best crime fighters in the city. The worst area, the Northeast Corridor, is their beat and nobody crosses them. In a city where crime is the norm, they can't be bought. Together, they attempt to bring order to chaos.

With a plot that is straightforward, a small twist to keep you interested, and characters that are slightly stereotypical but fun, this is a lighthearted book that doesn't take much thought. It's pure entertainment. The only caveat I offer is one of copyediting. There are enough areas where a good grammarian would have been an asset, but it's not enough of a problem to completely detract from the enjoyment of the story. If you like sword and sorcery, cops, wizards, and good vs. evil stories, but don't want to have to work at understanding it, definitely pick this one up.

Another Splendid Green Production!
Simon R. Green has created another engaging set of characters in this novel, which relates the tale of the only two honest City Guards in Haven, a man and wife with a mysterious past that is occasionally hinted at.It will quickly grab you, and you won't want to put it down.
Green's writing has matured since his 'Deathstalker' series;the 'Guards of Haven' characters seem more real and believable than those in 'Deathstalker'.

Simon R. Green has never done me wrong
I discovered Green at Coliseum books in NYC (Now sadly closed) when I just wanted something similar to mental popcorn to pour through on the odd quiet night.Boy was I in for a shock.I'm now a slavish devotee of his work in any setting, but it was Hawk and Fisher that laid the bait.An effortless wordsmith, Green blends humor and turn of phrase in a way that just delights.The plots may not always be convoluted or hard to decipher, but I have never ever cared.It's always been about how we got there.Do yourself a favor and pick up Green. ... Read more

Product Description
Tony Hawk is a skateboarding sensation.At he 1999 ESPN X Games, he astonished viewers by performing a 900, a trick thought impossible to do.But astonishing people was nothing new for Hawk.Since taking up skateboarding at age nine, he's almost single-handedly revolutionize the sport.Whether dominating vert competitions, inventing new tricks, or providing a positive role model for young skaters, Hawk's sheer athleticism and dedication have helped change the way skateboarding is viewed by the general public. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Great read
My[..] son read this book for a 2nd grade biographical book report.He thought the book was interesting, fun and funny.He didn't want to put the book down.There aren't too many books that capture his interest, but this one certainly did.

Skating book with Tony Hawk
Matt Christopher is on the Halfpipe WIIIIITH......no idea what a half pipe is.Matt's a writer, not a skater and it shows.You'd be more satisfied with documentaries or interviews on Tony Hawk if that's what you're interested in.Save your money!

-Caleb
Visit our skate shop online!
www.myboardshop.com

Not worth it
Why would you want to read this book when Tony Hawk wrote his own? That has all the information on him you need to know--plus more that wasn't covered in this book. Tony Hawk rocks and I would rather read what he writes.

Good for Young Kids
Like all Matt Christopher books, this is a good basic introduction to skating and skateboarder Tony Hawk, with an emphasis on Hawk as a role model.Young skaters will learn a lot about the sport without the baggage that comes from other sources

a great book
this is a great book.buy it ... Read more

Product Description
Hundreds of years have passed since Earth's last war.The planet's citizens are tranquil laborers who have achieved a utopian existence.Peace and harmony are the norm.Individuals who express anger or display violent tendencies are considered ill and are banished from society.Into this perfect world descend the Minith, a vicious race of off-world invaders.Their goal:ransack Earth's resources and enslave its population.Unable to defend their world from their alien oppressors, Earth's leaders and scientists labor to accomplish the impossible.Their goal:resurrect a fallen soldier from an earlier time -- someone who can rid their planet of the Minith and save the human race.It's the mid-21st century when Sergeant First Class Grant Justice is killed during an ambush on an enemy tank column.Six hundred years later, his body is retrieved from the frozen, arctic lake where he perished.Re-animated by a team of scientists, Grant awakens to a civilization that has abolished war.A civilization that has outlawed violence and cherishes Peace above all else.A civilization that has been enslaved by an alien race called the Minith.Grant is humankind's final hope against the alien menace.He must be...the Peace Warrior. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Aliens vs. Humans
America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 1: Feeling Lucky

I like humans vs evil aliens books, so "Peace Warrior" had me from the start.There really is good vs evil out there.It's good Sci/Fi entertainment.

Interesting Plot, Stunted delivery
For thousands of years, humanity has stood on the brink on annihilation as nations warred against each other for supremacy.Finally, when it seemed that all of the human race would be destroyed, the surviving cultures found a way to suppress their violent tendencies and achieve a lasting peace.But just as the human race had settled into the idea of a future without war, the empire-building Minith attacked and enslaved the Earth.Now, humanity is faced with a choice.Maintain the peace it sought for so long even if it means remaining enslaved to an alien species, or unleash its ancient warlike nature once more to liberate the planet.


This is the premise behind Peace Warrior.Steven L. Hawk presents a bleak future where humanity has lost both the ability and will to defend itself from an oppressive, alien regime.Unable to actually fight for themselves, however, humanity needs to find a hero.That hero is Grant Justice, a war hero frozen in time during the last great war who, through the science of cryogenics, is brought back to life to teach humanity how to defend itself.


At times, Peace Warrior is an exciting and thought provoking story that asks a lot of important questions about what it means to be human.But much of the story gets bogged down by the author's tendency to reduce everything to a stereotype.The Minith are rather one-dimensional bad guys, never really developing into anything other that an evil race that needs to be defeated.In truth, they aren't even really interesting bad guys.More like greedy intergalactic capitalists with a license to kill workers.


The human race has been reduced to six major remaining "cultures": S'mercan, Urop'n, As'n, Musl'n, Afc'n, and N'mercan.The weird naming conventions serve no purpose but to trip up a reader, as the different cultures are never actually defined beyond the most vague of cosmetic descriptions.The As'n representative to the leadership council, for example, is describes as being diminutive and exotic.Her actions, however, never seem exotic or all that much different from anyone else.Hawk seems so insistent on keeping everything sterile to avoid offending someone that the "Musl'in" doesn't even pray to Allah, but to "the culture's God."


The only character with any real personality, and the one worth reading the book for, is Grant Justice.Cheesy name aside, Grant is the only person who seems to develop a full blown personality over the course of the book as he comes to terms with his second chance on life and what has happened to the human race over the last three centuries.His reactions to the strange world he has found himself in are authentic.


Peace Warrior is well plotted, and when Hawk does stop worrying about offending someone he does an amazing job at storytelling.Unfortunately, the author seems to equate "peace" with "conformity and complacency" when it comes to character development, preventing the novel from delivering the epic adventure it could have offered.

Reviewer note:Review copy provided to the reviewer by the author.

Peace Warrior by Steven L. Hawk
I really enjoyed this book. This is an excellent read, especially as a first book from this author.The story line is intriguing and quite believable. Great if you are a sci-fi or military fan. You can feel the heart and mind of a true soldier. The character development is terrific; you know and can relate to the individuals-from Tane to Mr. Blue.

As I do not have a lot of time to read (not as important to some readers), having shorter chapters and reading breaks makes it much easier for me to enjoy a book.I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone

Out like a Lamb...
Well written, well-paced, legitimate crisis, and a likeable old soldier.Put these together and you end up with Peace Warrior.I enjoyed the read.I bought into the social dynamic that lead to the situation.I'm very comfortable suggesting this title to anyone.

An excellent read
From the moment I started reading this book, the author reeled me in.You are immediately thrown inside the mind of Sgt. First Class Grant Justice while he is leading his men on a combat operation.Unfortunately Sgt. Justice is savagely killed on the mission and his mangled body ends up in the frigid waters of a lake.This scene sets up the premise for the rest of the story.

Flash forward 600 years and the reader is propelled into a time when all the inhabitants on Earth are peaceful.There are no wars, no fighting or even any bickering.This utopian world is the perfect place for the savage and military race, the Minith, to invade and conquer.The Minith rule with an iron fist and the humans are easily enslaved because aggression and violent tendencies have been bred out of them.

I found the chapters dealing with the Earth Peace Council dragged a bit.Their names were complicated and dialogue was stilted, but as soon as Senior Scientist Tane Roland was introduced, I was eagerly turning the pages again.I would have liked it if the author had let us see more into Tane's inner thoughts. He is an anomaly among the humans and it would have been great if his character had been fleshed out more.I would have also liked more back story for the major prison characters.A few fell flat for me.

Tane receives permission from the Council to awaken the newly improved bioengineered Grant Justice and from the moment Grant opens his eyes I was back under his spell.Grant was given an impossible task, but relying on his 600 year old military experience might just save the planet. The author kept Grant true to his ideals and morals throughout the book and it clearly reflected the author's military experience.

Without giving the climax away, I can say that I couldn't stop reading.Page after page flew by during the final chapters.This is an impressive debut novel for this author and I look forward to reading more by him. ... Read more

Product Description
Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand
American Indian Art of the Ancient Midwest and South
Edited by Richard F. Townsend
Groundbreaking discoveries about the art and cultures of ancient Native Americans in the midwest and southeast United States

Along the Ohio, Tennessee, and Mississippi Rivers, the archaeological remains of earthen pyramids, plazas, large communities, and works of art and artifacts testify to Native American civilizations that thrived there between 3000 B.C. and A.D. 1500. This fascinating book presents exciting new information on the art and cultures of these ancient peoples and features hundreds of gorgeous photographs of important artworks, artifacts, and ritual objects excavated from Amerindian archaeological sites.
Drawing on excavation findings and extensive research, the contributors to the book document a succession of distinct ancient populations in the pre-Columbian world of the American Midwest and Southeast. A team of interdisciplinary scholars examines the connections between archaeological remains of different regions and the themes, forms, and rituals that continue in specific tribes of today. The book also includes the personal reflections of contemporary Native Americans who discuss their perspectives on the significance of the fascinating and beautiful prehistoric artifacts as well as their own cultural practices today.
FThis book is the catalogue for an exhibition at The Art Institute of Chicago (November 20, 2004 to January 30, 2005); The Saint Louis Art Museum (February to May, 2005); and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (June to September, 2005).

Richard F. Townsend is curator of African and Amerindian art at The Art Institute of Chicago.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Hero, Hawk and Open Hand Exhibit Catalogue
This book is an absolute must have for anyone in the field of archaeology and iconography of the Southeast, but if you are in that field you probably already know this.Robert Sharp, the executive director of publications for the Art Institute of Chicago, did a marvelous job, as did all the contributors and editors.
This volume makes an excellent book for anyone interested in the prehistory of the peoples of native north america; the pictures are of the highest quality, and the included essays are knowledgable and well written, by the finest minds of the field.
Whether a coffee table book or a valuable resource material for thesis, dissertation, or post graduate studies, this book is incredible.two thumbs way up!

Not just a pretty book
This is a spectacularly beautiful book.Hundreds of exquisite photographs of Indian pottery and other pre-historic artifacts, plus maps, drawings, and paintings illustrate the text.

The illustrations accompany about 20 essays on the Indians of southern and midwestern United States from archaic times until contact with Europeans.The essays vary in quality and interest, but most are well written in scholarly but accessible prose.The contributors include anthropologists, art historians, folklorists, and members of several Indian tribes. Footnotes and a substantial bibliography round out a scholarly and artistic book of real merit.

Throughout the book the continuity of ancient Indian cultures with those known to the Europeans is emphasized.One of the most interesting essays concerns the people of Cahokia, the largest Northamerican archaelogical site dating from about 1200 AD, in which the author speculates about the identity of the inhabitants, relating them to present day Indian tribes.Other essays concern the Bread Dance of the Shawnee Indians -- written by a Shawnee -- and the cultural continuity from pre-historic to present day Caddo Indians. Hopewell, Poverty Point, Moundville, and other important pre-historic Indian cultures are also given meticulous attention.

Smallchief

Hero, Hawk
I saw the show in Chicago!!!Amazingly, the book, due to the excellent phothgraphy and printing comes close to the gallery experience.The text is insightful.A definite buy.I bought the book at the museum shop($60) and immediately purchased two copies for friends from my favorite bookseller - Mother Amazon!

AnEye-Opening, Mind-Expanding Treasure
The sheer number of gorgeous images in this book is breathtaking.But for many readers I suspect the most astonishing image might be a fairly simple one on page 17: a rendering of a orderly semicircle of structures facing a river, it is a city in Louisiana----in 1500 B.C. This book reveals Native American civilizations rivaling what we know of the Maya and Inca, but in the heartland of North America.

In the south and Midwest a series of sophisticated cultures left behind artifacts and even structures that we are just now beginning to study and understand.For example, the Hopewell site in Ohio, where "the most dramatic" sacred structures were "geometric in form and combined circular, oval, square, octagonal, or other elements in compositions covering hundreds of acres."

The artistry of the artifacts presented here is amazing, and this book has a generous selection of large, excellentphotographs.But the prose is equally good: intelligent but intelligible, often with an interesting narrative. Even the occasional semiotic language is used as vocabulary rather than jargon.Not only does this book explore so much about these next-to-unknown cultures, but it provides an exemplary context of explaining a worldview shared by many Native cultures and peoples.Although this is a scholarly presentation based on a traveling art exhibit, it is pretty graceful about integrating contemporary Native views and information.It's only in recent years that scholars have taken the testimony of contemporary Native Americans about their own culture as seriously as they take their own theories about old artifacts that survived.

For all of these reasons I count this book as instantly one of my most treasured.
... Read more

Product Description
Hawk and eagle watching is an increasingly popular birding activity.Special knowledge is required, however, and this lavishly photographed, full-color book provides all you need to know in the Uninted States or Canada.The second part of the book focuses on the detailed species-by-species descriptions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Hawk/Eagle Review
This is a great book for a beginning birder.It really gives you a better idea on how to tell birds apart.Great book!

hoe to spot hawks & eagles
This book is informative for Bird Watchers & Falconers,Orinthologist or Anyone intrested in Raptors of the 21st Century! ... Read more

Product Description
Howard Hawks is the first major biography of one of Hollywood's greatest directors, a filmmaker of incomparable versatility whose body of work includes the landmark gangster film Scarface, screwball comedies like Bringing Up Baby and His Girl Friday, the Bogart-Bacall classics To Have and Have Not and The Big Sleep, the musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and aviation classics and Westerns like The Dawn Patrol and Rio Bravo. Sometime partner of the eccentric Howard Hughes, drinking buddy of William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway, an inveterate gambler and a notorious liar, Hawks was the most modern of the great masters and one of the first directors to declare his independence from the major studios. He played Svengali to Lauren Bacall, Montgomery Clift, and others, but Hawks's greatest creation may have been himself. As The Atlantic Monthly noted, "Todd McCarthy . . . has gone further than anyone else in sorting out the truths and lies of the life, the skills and the insight and the self-deceptions of the work." "A fluent biography of the great director, a frequently rotten guy but one whose artistic independence and standards of film morality never failed." -- The New York Times Book Review; "Hawks's life, until now rather an enigma, has been put into focus and made one with his art in Todd McCarthy's wise and funny Howard Hawks." -- The Wall Street Journal; "Excellent . . . a respectful, exhaustive, and appropriately smartass look at Hollywood's most versatile director." -- Newsweek. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

About as thorough as we're likely to get.
Todd McCarthy has just about closed the book on Howard Hawks.It isn't that there is no more to be told about Hawks, particularly about his private life, it's that for one reason or another -- death or discretion -- no one is going to tell it.

"Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood" gives us everything we wanted to know about Hawks' professional life, his deals with the studios, his treatment of his performers and crew, and then it gives us more than we needed to know.I frankly got bogged down in his cross-chases with moguls like Darryl F. Zanuck and idiosyncratic millionaire nuts like Howard Hughes.But it has to be admitted that McCarthy did his homework.My God, what a heap of information on display, and what a Mount Everest of papers and documents and letters and memoranda he must have dug through in order to unearth this stuff, going back all the way to the businesses run by Hawks' grandparents.(Was the business a success?No power on earth could drag the answer from me.)

We also get a reasonably objective picture of Hawks' character.McCarthy is no fawning fan.When Hawks makes a stinker, McCarthy admits it and tries to figure out why.And we get Hawks as a person too.He was, in a word, dull.Dullness, it could be argued, was his most interesting trait.He was dull as the child of a wealthy Midwestern family and he didn't evolve over the trajectory of his life.He didn't even visit Europe until his professional responsibilities required it.Neither did President George W. Bush or Elvis Presley.This lack of curiosity could be called insular American.When you already are certain about things, why challenge yourself?This complacency is reflected in his plots (which he rewrote extensively during shoots) and even his technique.His directorial style is straightforward and scenes are shot from eye level.No razzle dazzle, no furbelows.And he stole from his earlier work shamelessly.He seemed to have two chief motives for making movies.(1) It was "fun", and (2) it made you a lot of money.

Slow in every dimension, he rarely showed anger or any enthusiasm or amusement that required more than a smile for its expression.He gave his old friends and relatives occasional jobs but showed them little affection.If he hired some people repeatedly it was largely because he knew he could rely on them, not because he especially enjoyed their presence.He died in December, 1977.John Wayne spoke (briefly) at Hawks' funeral but hardly anyone else of note showed up.He had always been distant and reserved.

Well -- except in a few regards.As a younger man he enjoyed gambling on horses, which sometimes landed him in considerable debt.He could be relied on to lie in ways that boosted his image.And he did have a few co-workers with whom he appeared to share an unspoken bond.William Faulkner was one.(Hemingway was not.)He and Faulkner were comfortable simply sitting next to each other, silently, except for an occasional drawled remark.

The Australian actor Leo McKern met with Hawks when Kern was being considered for one of the parts. His description of Hawks' drawling interactional style is kind of amusing.

"I have never met anyone who spoke or moved slower; a broad gesture with an arm took so long that it became an effort not to take the eyes from his face and follow its movement like a stoat-thralled rabbit; and yet the word it accompanied . . . 'e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e' . . . lasted as long as the gesture. I believe that it was long ago that he had simply decided that if anyone was going to come down with an ulcer, it was not H. H."

Hawks went through women as if they were going out of style.The one he found most attractive, and took the usual advantage of, conformed to the same generic template -- beautiful, tall, outdoorsy, stylish with appearing to put much effort into it.Lauren Bacall, whom he turned into a star, was emblematic.He was married three times -- once to a woman who suffered from a mood disorder, next to a socialite, finally to a high-maintenance lady less than half his age.

Which brings up a question that in the context of Hawks' life is inevitable.He had all the women he ever wanted.All he had to do was beckon.Yet they didn't remain with him for long, usually leaving of their own accord.So how was he in bed?He was about as dynamic in the sack as he was in his social life.In the 1930s, Jean Harlow expressed an interest in dating Hawks.It was arranged.Later, the panderer passed Harlow on the beach and asked her how it went, and she scowled and pinched her nose.Hawks had no religion or politics, but in turn-of-the-century small-town Indiana, you didn't get too demonstrative about anything.

There isn't much of the author in this biography.I kind of missed the personal touch.McCarthy missed some opportunities for guesses or wisecracks that might have been incisive or richly humorous.Not that anyone would want a tabloid expose, but, I mean, what ABOUT all that supposed homoerotic subtext in Hawks' work?

Anyway, I got through the book, and although it has its longueurs, it includes just about everything you might want to know about Howard Hawks, one of America's iconic film directors -- a superb story teller.

Hawks Biography Depicts a Sphinxlike Director of Good Movies
As a native Hoosier I was prepared to like Howard Hawks. Hawks was born into relative luxury in Goshen, Indiana. He was raised
in Pasedena, graduated with an engineering degree from Cornell,
served briefly in World War I and rose to directorial fame in
silent film.
Hawks wed three times. Wife one was Athole the daughter of
the lovely and nice Norma Shearer. His second wife "Slim"was a
social climbing fashion plate whose nickname was used by Lauren
Bacall in To Have and Have Not with Bogey. His third wife Dee
was an aspiring actress who wed the older Hawks to achieve a life of comfort. Hawks was a womanizer throughout his life who was unfaithful and often cruel in his dealings with women.
Repugnant!
Hawks was also a gambler losing fortunes and also known as a drinker of note matching bourbons with such buddies as William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway and Gary Cooper. His closest friend was famed director Victor Fleming the director of Gone With the Wind and other classics.
Why then spend almost 700 pages on this taciturn, egocentric,
cruel man? Simply put -the great movies he directed. Hawks is
known for such classics as Dawn Patrol; Sergeant York; To Have and Have Not; the Big Sleep. Classic westerns directed by Hawks include Red River with John Wayne and Rio Bravo with the Duke.
Sophisticated comedy delivered at torrid rates of dialogue verbniage include His Girl Friday with Cary Grant and Rosalind
Russell. Grant also stared in Hawks's Only Angels Have Wings
and "I Was a Male War Bride" with Ann Sheridan. My personal
favorite of the great director are "To Have and Have Not" and
"The Big Sleep" with Bogey and Bacall.
On and on I could go listing the classics making this man's
oeuvre impressive; his influence on younger directors and his
storytelling skills reasons to celebrate the genius of HWH!
Movie books like this one could be boring to someone who tires of reading countless pages on the making of each movie, the financing of the films and the often legal troubles Hawks engaged in against such powerful moguls as Mayer. Warner and
Zanuck. To those of us who enjoy learning about the golden age of Hollywood they are glorious glimpses in the story of Tinseltown.
Hawks was a man of action enjoying sports, auto racing and
even croquet! He loved horses, bourbon, babes and making films!
Hawks was no intellectual and admired he-men like Wayne. If we
look at America we see the vision of HOward Hawks making an impression for generations of filmgoers. His films never won an
Oscar but his ability to excell in many genres from Westerns to
light romance to war/adventure tales is admirable.
McCarthy gets a good grade for showing us Hawks in all his
glory and all his greedy desire to seize life by the neck!

"Good Enough"
This is a very good book.Hawks apparently left no papers, and some aspects of his life are undocumented.(For example, McCarthy keeps mentioning Hawks' great friendship with Gary Cooper, but because of both men being dead and no documentation, Cooper remains a very shadowy presence in this book.Hawks' friendship with William Faulkner gets far more space, since Faulkner left papers.)

So there is not a lot about "the inner Hawks."However, there is a lot about Hawks' films.Once the talkies begin, there is a chapter on practically every film Hawks made.I was fascinated by the stories behind the films, how long it took some films to get made (Hatari began as an idea for a movie with Cooper), the films Hawks never made (apparently a very traditional vampire film), and his frequent tangles with Howard Hughes.

McCarthy did a lot of research, and he does not uncritically accept the stories Hawks told (frequently told) about his work.So if you like the films of Howard Hawks and are familiar with books such as Hawks on Hawks and Howard Hawks Storyteller, this is a book that you will still get a lot out of.

To use a term from Hawks' films:"This book is good enough."

"There's no `there' there ..."
McCarthy's reach far exceeds his critical grasp in this one-dimensional biography of a Hollywood icon. Like the famous description of 1930s Los Angeles - "there's no `there' there" - McCarthy's superficial account of Hawks' life, times and work is a sprawling, unfocussed mess. Clumsily written and sprinkled with the tongue-twisting Varietyese McCarthy employs at his day job (he's the uber critic at the Hollywood trade paper, usually a very perceptive one), this book is a difficult read as well as a shallow one. The definitive biography of Hawks, whose life was every bit as complex and multi-layered as his films, remains to be written. Whatever his other talents, Mr. McCarthy is no Boswell.

That Others May Live
This is a true life adventure about the Air Force's para jumpers, a group of heroes I've never heard about. In fact almost no one realizes that they are the ones on tv doing all those splashy things.They are the ones thatdove out of the helicopters looking for John F. Kennedy Jr. They are theones who are out there to save floundering people in the ocean. They arethe ones who help with NASA and the space program to dive in the ocean andrescue or support the astronauts and equipment. I always though that thosepeople who did this were the Coast Guard or Navy--no as I havelearned.

What this book does is tell the real life story of a local LongIsland boy Jack Brehm, who winds up trying to make it in life by enteringintothis elite outfit, this fraternity of men even tougher than the NavySeals or the Army Rangers, and does it. It tells the story of theirtraining and the danger of each mission and how regardless of how good youare, regardless of what excellent shape you are in, any mission can be yourlast. The scenario for this real life adventure is supported by a cast thatis Jack Brehm's family. A group of normal rambunctious kids who turn intoteenagers and then adults while their father goes to work each day at thebase and jumps into danger to save others. Then its home to the kids andwife.

The contrast of a cold calculating job where a mistake can easilycause loss of life, and the warmth of the family make a juxtaposition thatis really fascinating.

I loved the book because it was a about a realhero. Someone who risks his life that others may live-and then he goes homeand plays with the kids. Real life! Only for a very few whom we never hearabout unless tragedy strikes.

If you like real life adventure, Irecommend it! ... Read more

Product Description

"A spellbinder?told in prose as taut as a garrote."-Bradley Steffens, author of Ibn al-Haytham: First Scientist

"Robust and sophisticated story-telling...grippingterrorist plot...don't forget to breathe."-Margaret Richard, author ofBody Electric

"QUENTIN HAWK...a guy who'd put a bullet in your enemy's medulla, help you move your furniture, buy you a beer, and punch your arrogantboss in the mouth...A REAL HERO."-Robert Ross, author ofRed Hand

Child, Flynn, Grisham and Connelly, make room for a new voice. From the first page, Brian Neary's Hawk delivers action, suspense and a gripping story that seems lifted right from today's newspapers. Yet everything about it is completely original.

Extremely credible villains, so rich in political motivation and personal agenda, that after having finished the book, you'll find it hard to believe that Neary's bad guys don't actually exist. Likewise, the good guys; complex, intriguing, and volatile.

Thoroughly irreverent; believable, intricate science; complicated story lines; a strong finish. Interest never wanes; you'll want to read it end-to-end.

And woven unobtrusively throughout the plot, there's a romantic relationship - unique, passionate, unpredictable and once again, original, like none other I've read. Brian Neary is a new, dynamic voice in the spy/thriller genre. And his Hawk is a great read.

Finalist - 2010 San Diego Book Awards - Thriller Category ... Read more

Customer Reviews (41)

Do ya like fun?
If you like to have fun while you're reading, this novel will be high on your list of favorites.Brian Neary has a hip, conversational style that succeeds where other authors fall short, when it comes to adrenaline.If you like smart sarcasm, in-your-face surprises, explosive action, and--well--fun...Hawk is your novel.After reading Hawk, this much I know:I can't wait to read more from Neary!

TENSION PACKEDREAD
Quentin Hawk is a tough young CIA agent with an attitude problem - he's a rebellious, non-conformist. His street smarts and self-deprecating humor make him a terrific hero. The plot of the novel is so real - it seems you're reading it right out of this morning's headlines. Hawk is a complex page-turner that gets more and more intriguing with each chapter. Along the way, the author provides us a wonderful glimpse of the self-serving and divisive motives that drive political decisions on The Hill and within the Intelligence Community as well. The interplay amongforces is both entertaining and chilling.

The characters are well developed, interesting and believable. The Muslim extremists aren't your typical bad guys; they have a point of view, their motives are clear, passionate and well researched. I find this to be a rarity in modern spy novels, and I read them all. The plot is full of twists and tricks. And the conclusion is as surprising as it is frightening. Hawk is one stimulating, tension packed read.

FIVE STAR THRILLER
BRILLIANT! Couldn't put it down. Action, drama, suspense, scary realism. I've read Flynn, Thor, Child, Baldacci, Patterson, Berenson and the rest. Hawk takes it to another level. And Neary's style is different from all of them. Sexy. Sophisticated. Compelling.Thrillers are normally a male genre; but my wife absolutely enjoyed it as well. It has depth of character, complexity of relationship, humor and crisis that kept me up late, night after night; hooked from start to surprising finish. Can't wait for the next book, the movie and the sequel.

I bought this book based on reviews and was very disapointed
Wow, this was bad. Huge credibility gaps.Laughable characters. This book was written for simpletons.

Hawk doesn't let up (or down)!
Author, Brian Neary has crafted CIA agent Quentin Hawk with the perfect combination of quirkiness, irreverence, and street smarts. The characters come alive with with an honesty that brings a real sense of intimacy to this reading experience. As a female reader, I am a new devotee to the action/spy/thriller genre. Hawk has me hooked! ... Read more

Product Description
This is the story of the French Service of the famous American fighter Curtis Hawk H-75. Service history in France before and during WWII with combat records.Superb color illustrations of camouflage and markings, and rare black and white archive photographs. Essential reading for aviation enthusiasts, aviation historians and scale aeromodelers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Welcome but flawed book on an American aircrft in French service
Books in English about aircraft in French service during World War II are not thick underfoot.For many years the best one could do was French Fighters of World War II by John F. Brindley in the old Hylton-Lacey series Men and Machines. This is Mushroom's second book concerning an aircraft in French service (although of American origin). This book is in the Red Series (No. 5112) which emphasizes service history over aircraft nuts and bolts. It's 144 6-1/2" x 9" pages.

The book really delivers on the service history front. It narrates in great detail the acquisition of the aircraft, its introduction into French service, its use by various units, its commendable combat record against the Germans, its post Armistice service with the Vichy regime, and its final postwar use. This is well supported photographically including some period color photos. There is also a nice set of walk around color photos of a museum specimen. The book's last 26 pages is devoted to color profiles of the aircraft in its various markings over its career.

There are a few shortcomings, however. Irritatingly, the manufacturer's designation of the aircraft is given as the H-75A1, H-75A2, etc throughout. Other sources are generally unanimous that it was H75A-1, etc. On all photos the tail nomenclature (the official French designation) is given as H75-C1, the significance of which is not explained. Also never explained are the meaning of the cryptic symbols on the tails of the aircraft (PT, PE, PC, PD) which appear in numerous photos and color profiles. Abbreviations are used for French ranks throughout. Some are self explanatory but some like Cne, S/C, or Adj needed to be given in full at least once. Also irritating, given the level of discussion of the unit badges in the text and the traditions associated with them, is that said badges are not presented separately in larger size in the color profile pages. I'm sure modellerswould have been appreciative if they had been. Also, given the depth of discussion of H75 victories, a tables of aces would have been nice.

Two other things were minor annoyances. The word "American" is rendered as "american" in a number of places. There is also the understandable, but regrettable, crude colorized cover photo.

All in all, a book that can recommended but that could have better. One interesting further tidbit was the promotion of a new series on the rear cover entitled French Wings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Book ordered through Amazon.com
The book I ordered, Hawk's Pledge was in great condition, and I received it in a few days.It was wrapped well.I would definitely buy from this seller again.

One of the Most Enchanting Romances I've Read!
This story was so sweet and enchanting that I actually cried several times while reading it!And, I am not the type who regularily cries while reading romance novels!(In fact, often, I'm rolling my eyes.)I actually put this book in my "one of the best" category.This means that I will actually save it on the book shelf and re-read it.(There are only 4 other romance novels on my booshelf, and I've been reading them for 20+ years!)The characters in this story are very real and the reader finds herself truly caring about them.Whit and Jackie's love is unexpected for both of them.Also, both have suffered hardships in their lives.The author describes their unfolding love in a sweet way.It really made me cry at times!This is the first book in a series of 4, about 4 siblings seperated as children, with a common (and unknown to them) enemy.I've only read the first 3 books so far.This one was the best, but they are all good and definately worth reading.

#1 of THE HAWK CREST SAGA - HAWK'S PLEDGE
Whitford Hawk is looking for his brother, Drew who is just a year younger than he.Whit carries the crested ring that his father made for the boys and tied the girls in with a pendant.

Ah, but Simon Gault stole Harold Hawk's ring and his journal when he eliminated the man.Gault is determined to have a life of riches and influence, and moves to Galveston, Texas.

In the progression of time Whit stumbled onto La Posada and Jacqueline Douglas and her gram, Nada.The ranch used to be very prosperous before the war but was now down to the help of two men, Mort and Ortega.
Whit decided to stay a day or two and help with repairs to pay for borrowing Jackie's Arabian gelding so that he could ride onto Galveston.

I will let you read on how Jackie's and Whit's attraction for each other progresses.

When Hawk lands in Galveston he heads for the fancy bordello run by Chantalle Beauchamp.She has one nasty gal, Angie who works for her and is ready to tell all that she learns, for money.Angie has an unhealthy liason with Gault, but she would like to have the distinction of getting Hawk up to her room.

Jackie has trouble with a wandering bull - a hungry mountain lion and her hormones, which she doesn't understand.She also tends to be bull-headed.

Hawk has stirred up a hornet's nest around Galveston before he decides to horn in on Hutch Steiner, who wants Jackie and her ranch [well his father does].

Oh yes, don't forget to keep an eye on Bruce Carlton, the little weasel - he works for Simon.

Excellent plot - great characters - a gal who thinks she can take care of herself [don't they all] - a masculine hero who carries a threatening presence until he bumps into the female pheramones that scramble his brains.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED -- might be a keeper set!

Solid Story - Captivating Beginning to Series
Whit Hawk was the eldest of four children abandoned in an El Paso orphanage. Their mother had run off with another man, their father in desperation gambled away his fortune then left to search another. As soon as he was old enough Whit left to search for his father. By the time he returned for his siblings it was to discover his two youngest sisters had been killed in a fire and now he was desperately searching for his brother. What he found instead was Jacqueline Douglas, a spunky beautiful rancher too proud to ask for help, whom he knew from the moment he laid eyes on her that she must be his. He would also meet a man whose hatred for him and his family would be a mystery to be solved.

***With HAWK'SA PLEDGE, O'Banyon writesa full-bodied tale featuring Whit Hawk and the beginning of the "Hawk's Crest Saga".This saga is part of a quartet of novels in which she and author Elaine Barbieri will each write two books.In this first book Whit is shown to be a gambler as a means to an end in being able to pick up and go in order to follow any lead in locating the last remaining member of his family.Whit doesn't have any inclination to form attachments as he is driven by guilt over the deaths of his two sisters in a fire he feels could have been prevented ifhe'd never left them in the orphanage.He is hard but honorable and he is driven until he comes upon the sight of a beautiful woman dancing barefoot in a meadow.

Jackie Douglas is driven.She's lost her mother, father, brother and is now about to lose La Posada the ranch that has been in her family for generations. She's mortgaged the ranch and the note is due, so her dance was more of a tribute to the good memories of a lost way of life.Jacquie hadn't noticed Whit but when she did, like him it was a `knowing' feeling that her life belonged with him, in spite of the fact he was a complete stranger and she should have been leery of strangers.

Also introduced into the saga is one very bad, nasty piece of work, Simon Gault, who is going to do everything he can to destroy Whit and his family. Not only a central character in this book, but seen as being woven into future offerings feeding on his hatred for the Hawk siblings with the intention to destroy them all to cover his own guilt.The reason for his hatred, unbeknownst to Whit is fully explained in this first volume.

This is a captivating well-written beginning to a promising new series I'm looking forward to and recommend for your genuine reading pleasure.

Marilyn Rondeau, RIO - Reviewers International Organization
Courtesy of The Mystic Castle

Oh, I love a series!
While I love a series since it allows the author(s) more time to develop a character, I will have to wait until later this year for the final books in the series. I'll list the titles in the order they should be read for future readers: 1) Hawk's Pledge, 2) Hawk's Passion and 3) Hawk's Pursuit and 4)? Unknown at this time.

This is a well written book that developed the base of future stories to come. While I felt the characters fell in love a little too quickly, they didn't act on their lust immediately. I liked Jackie's honesty--no coy answers to Whit and I appreciated Whit's ability to curb his lust until he 'properly wedded Jackie. It seemed the right course of events for these two.

I'm reading Hawk's Passion and am enjoying it as well and look forward to all the books in this series. ... Read more

Product Description
When thirteen-year-old Ricky Diaz discovers that his mother was actually murdered by drug dealers, he's desperate for revenge. But his father, a former drug enforcement agent, refuses the mission the DEA now offers: to steal an airplane with an American-made radar detector that the cartel uses to smuggle drugs from Mexico.

Angry with his father for throwing away the chance to avenge his mother, Ricky decides to take matters into his own hands – he will steal the plane. He runs away to Mexico, disguising himself as one of the many rateros, or homeless children. Life on the streets proves extremely hard and dangerous, and he's barely surviving when he meets Soledad, a crafty but kindhearted ratera. With her help, he must find a way to get into the drug cartel's compound and take the plane - or end up as yet another casualty in the raging drug war.

In this thrilling novel, author Ben Mikaelsen sheds light on America’s war on drugs and the grittiness of street life while exploring an unexpected friendship and the healing power of family.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Ricky/Soledad belong together
Sparrow Hawk Red is an adventurous story. Ricky Diaz learns that drug smugglers killed his mother. He runs away to Mexico to get revenge. Ricky plans on stealing a bi-plane from the drug cartel and flying it back to the U.S.A. After he gets there Ricky experiences many difficulties. A girl named Soledad becomes his friend. Soledad tries to get Ricky to realize that his idea of stealing the plan is a death wish. If you want to know more about Ricky's and Soledad's adventures you should read this book.It will make you hungry for more. Studio A!!!!

sparrow hawk red
Sparrow Hawk Red is an excellent book. It is about a boy who's mom got killed in a car accident that was set up by drug runners who were trying to kill his dad who was in the DEA and busted one of the drug runners. Now go on an adventure with a young boy who traveled to Mexico to help his Father and ruin the people who killed his Mother.

YO DADDY
sparrow hawk red is about 13 year old ricky tries to avenge his mothers death.cuased by a couple of drug dealers. all he has to do is steel a biplane!!
i like this book becuase its got lots of good details. and good action,and leves you dieing for more!

SICERLEY,
$$YO DADDY$$

Marilyn Monroe from Tennessee
The name of my book is Sparrow Hawk Red.It's about a boy who finds out his mother was killed by drug dealers.He runs away to Mexicoand becomes a sreet rat, ratero. He meets a girl named Soledad who helps him out. She helps him get to Ranchao Camacho where he plans on stealing an airplane. It is a good book .If you want to find out what happens,read the book!

Sparow Hawk Red
"Sparrow Hawk Red," written by Ben Mikaelsen is a very fun book to read. The story takes place in Arizona and Mexico and the climate is very hot. The description is so well you start to sweat because of the heat. The moral of the story is to keep going for your goal and never quit.
The story is about a kid named Ricky Diaz and his dad Benito who was in the DEA, but quit after his wife died. The F.B.I wants him to go on one last mission to Mexico to steal a plane from drug dealers, but refuses. Ricky thinks his dad is a quitter so he goes to Mexico and can't go back because he ripped up his I.D. Then he meets a poor girl named Soledad who is a huge help to Ricky. I do not want to give away the end.
This is a great book for future pilots or people that like adventure. I give this two thumbs up. This is one of the most suspenseful books I've ever read. I don't recommend this book for people who don't like violence.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Recommend Seller
I received the book in a few days.It was well wrapped and in great condition.I would definitely buy from this seller again.

Purchased at Amazon .Com
This book is part of a set of four others I had been looking for since a year ago.
I have not read this set as of yet. Everything I have read of Elaine Barbieri has been great!

Hawk's Prize
This book brought together the other three books.Drew was the last of the Hawk children to be found and it also had showed a great deal compassion for their mother.

Recommended for Those Who've Read the 1st Three
Compared to the first three books in this series, this book falls short. In order to make this book able to stand alone (for readers who haven't read at least 1 of the first 3 books in this series), the author spends a lot of time explaining characters and events from the first 3 books.So much happened in those books, that it takes up a lot of space! I feel that the story line of this book suffers because of that.However, having read the first three books, I am definately glad that I read this one.Loose ends are tied up and the siblings are reunited.There is also a final twist revealed (but I think everyone already guessed this while reading the other books.)So, if you have read at least 1 of the first three books in this series and are curious about the fate of the siblings and Simon Gault, I recommend this book.If, however, you have not read at least one of the prior three books in this series, I don't recommend this book.The first three are much better written.

#4 AND FINAL BOOK IN THE SERIES OF HAWK CREST SAGA
Oh, yeah, knock out the star and let an angel nurse him back to health.
It works for me.Now the bed hopping did not.

Drew Collins rode into Galveston with his buddie, Willie Childers, not expecting to stop at the bordello when his leg pained him so.
He was all for passing on as Galveston seemed to be overrun with blue coats.It would only be a matter of time that they found out that he was wanted.

He chased Willie on home and stayed to pass out from infection - Well Tricia had already made it to the bordello, against Chantalle's wishes, so who else was qualified to nurse the big man after calling the doctor?

Yup! there in starts the attraction - I wondered how she fit into the plot.
Angie was up to her old tricks as usual and snoped into Drew's money bag.
She went running to Simon Gault with tales of this new man in town.
Chantalle sent one of her men to La Posada to find Whit Hawk - wouldn't you know he was gone on a cattle drive.

Gault sent his man, Bruce Carlton, to eliminate this man, Drew just in case.Therein starts a lot of trouble and the downfall of the mighty.

Gault has syphoned a lot of his money to Houston in hopes of making more when he leaves Galveston, that is after he gets rid of all of the Hawk offspring.He is hoping that they are now all together and he will enjoy a little vengence as he bumps off each and every one.He also has a score to settle with Chantalle.The only woman he could not bend to his will.

Suddenly there happens to be dead bodies popping up.Bringing in Col. Clay Madison who is now married to J.L. Rebel [Hawk] - He refuses to let her get involved but she does some research on the stolen gold shipment.

Jason Dodd is bringing his wife Elizabeth home from New York, after the death of her foster mother, as he still means to bring Gault to justice for the death of his friend.Bruce lost the oportunity to kill Dodd.

Whit finally shows up and stomps into Drew's room.Although Drew refused to believe that his brother was here in Galveston, he did recognize Whit.
What a reunion.[I found a distinct lack of self-preservation in these characters] If one has been through harrowing experiences one tends to be suspicious of all that is going on around one. [Don't let the mind wander.]

And Tricia, as usual, just has to be where she shouldn't [because of hormones] Sure does muddle the mind.

Well, guess who sets fire to the bordello?I thoroughly enjoyed the resolution of all of the Hawk's conflicts and the destruction of evil. [although not grusome enough].

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED-M - as a set - not hard to read - romantic scenes and emotions just a bit dull - but then I like intense, restrained passion, not necessarily grafic sex [after marriage they can do all the huffing and puffing they want.] ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (6)

Fun adventure
This is his best book yet.Finally, one of his adventures turned into a true human adventure.He actually touches on the deeper side of life - culture, friendship, love, loneliness and the importance of each to our true selves.I laughed, I teared up and I felt pure jealousy.In his former books I felt nothing more than, "when will this book end?"I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a story with real character yet wants to be entertained at the same time.Very enjoyable.

A Bit of Tinkering
Normally when I say I'm looking for a book by Tony Hawks, sales clerks usually assume I mean the skateboarder.Ever since reading "Round Ireland With a Fridge" several years ago, I have looked forward to Hawks' continued forays into weird and irreverent travel schemes.So I was pleasantly surprised to find "A Piano in the Pyrenees" recently.While not as travel-based (and therefore contest-driven) as his previous works, it is a pleasing and funny read, especially since fans can witness the maturation process of this creative jack of all trades (well, at least a little bit).

Never the one to do things that others would consider sane or to make great deliberations about important decisions, "A Piano in the Pyrenees" finds Hawks spontaneously buying a house in a small town in the French mountains where he can practice the piano and escape from the rat race of London life.His friends think it an ill-advised purchase, especially when confronted with the prospect of moving his piano from one country to another.However, luck (at least in terms of the house) seems to be in Hawks' cards and he quickly finds himself accepted as the odd, slightly famous English bachelor in the neighborhood.Now if only he could find the woman of his dreams.

For fans of his other works, "A Piano in the Pyrenees" has Hawks' trademark wry humor and effervescent writing.There is much more soul-searching and philosophizing than there has been in his previous books as Tony confronts what it is he truly wants out of life.Therefore, while highlighting several aspects of the French Pyrenees and the surrounding area, this is truly not a travel book nor even what one could rightfully consider travel writing.But for those of us not lucky enough to have a house in the French mountains in which to tinker at the piano, we can live vicariously through Tony's unique, funny, and sometimes ill-advised experiences.

Cows, Vans, And A Swimming Pool
I am a longstanding fan of Tony Hawks' work, and still believe that "Round Ireland With a Fridge" is the single best travel book ever written. I have also enjoyed his other books (on tennis and pop music) greatly. Needless to say, when I was in Ireland last (sadly, without my fridge), went into a bookstore and found this, Hawks' latest book, I bought it immediately. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a letdown. While I liked the book, I found that it drags and is much more directionless than his earlier books, although the reappearance of a lost love at the very end does provide the book with a convenient conclusion.

The book essentially showcases Hawks' impracticality in purchasing a house in France with no preparation, and the subsequent adventures of getting it arranged as he would like. I did enjoy his adventures with the white vans of doom, but found the endless pontification on building his swimming pool to be decidedly tedious. The book comes in at 307 pages long, far longer than "Round Ireland With a Fridge," and demonstrates a need for editing. The book wants to be about a man's search for significance in middle age, but the important messages the book delivers (and to Hawks' credit, the messages are in there) are buried under layers of minutiae that are neither particularly interesting or amusing.

I did like the book, but not nearly as much as Hawks' earlier, more focused, books. I would recommend this book to fans of the earlier works, but I would recommend all of Hawks' earlier books first.

I wanted to like it.
From reading Tony's previous work i had expected something funny, clever and
entertaining but it was not any of these.Perhaps he's taking a new direction into light, unfunny travelogues.If so i would recommend he not do so.

Warning - Book Can Cause Public Embarrassment
Fantastic book, very well written & entertaining.
But be careful, if you have a sensitive disposition & want to avoid making any kind of public scene - make sure you read it in private. This book is laugh out loud funny.
... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (8)

just so-so
Based on reviews thought this would be a great book- but it was long and repetitive and I never really felt anything for the characters.

Twisted narrative = frustration and boredom
With all the advance praise and recommendations from writers I love (F. Paul Wilson) imagine my dismay when I discovered this book is nothing more than a torrid mess.

* college-freshman level writing
* abrupt narrative changes
* southern gothic soap opera cliques

And for everyone on Amazon declaring that this book is "original and daring" you obviously need to read more. Check out Dan Simmons' CARRION COMFORT or go watch the movie THE SKELETON KEY. Or better yet, go check out the 1948 novel by Josephine Pinckney called GREAT MISCHIEF; it deals with another Southern city, Charleston, and a deal with the devil without resorting to Hollywood cliques and southern stereotypes.

Rhodi Hawk works too hard to create the southern atmosphere. Everything in this book seems forced, nothing is believable and often not very precise. Can we please have a novel about New Orleans that DOES NOT trot out the black voodoo queen? THAT would very original.

A Great Read, Couldn't Put it Down
I'm not a regular reader of suspense novels, but a friend gave this to me after a recent trip to New Orleans.I read it cover-to-cover in just a couple of days.Rhodi Hawk creates a great cast of characters and does an amazing job making the setting--New Orleans and the Louisiana Bayou--come alive as an intricate part of the story.While some of the major plot points become easy to predict by the end of the story, others kept me guessing and made the book hard to put down.I hope there's a follow-up in the works!

Completely original
I loved this book, although I occasionally lost interest in the earlier, parallel plotline. "A Twisted Ladder" was the most original book I've read in years. As someone with an advanced degree in psychology, the suggestion that there's something to the idea of psychic ability being related to evolution was fascinating, as was trying to discern what was supernatural, what was schizophrenia, and what was something else entirely. Highly recommend this to Southern Gothic lovers.

too many errors!
I confess, I'm only part-way through the book, but I'm forcing myself to continue to read. It's hard to imagine a professional writer making this many errors, from punctuation to factual information about Louisiana and its residents. Perhaps I'll change my mind later, but so far, the writing is laughably inept and the depiction of Louisiana and Louisianians is so wrong that I cannot imagine that this author has ever been to the state. ... Read more

Product Description
Eight-year-old Harriet is determined to climb to the top of Longs Peak in Colorado. To get there, she'll have to overcome steep slopes, a freezing blizzard, and what her wise trail guide calls "surprises." But she simply must try&150both for herself and for the mother she has lost. If she succeeds, she will spread her wings and fly . . . high as a hawk.

Based on the historic 1905 ascent by the youngest person ever to climb Longs Peak, the highest mountain in Colorado, this book combines T. A. Barron's powerful, poetic writing with Ted Lewin's magnificent, evocative paintings.Together, they make a truly inspiring journey.

An author's note describes how the ascent encouraged guide Enos Mills to pursue his dream of creating the Rocky Mountain National Park. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Determination
High as a Hawk is a sensational story of a little girl's determination to live out her mother's dream.Anyone who has lost a loved one can relate to wanting that person to live on in some way.T.A. Baron captures the endurance and the hardships that come with accomplishing this.The challenges that face the little girl in this book don't stop her and the image of being as "high as a hawk" at the end makes the reader breathe that breath of accomplishment right along with her.Ted Lewin's illustrations add the touch of expression and scenery that make this story as sensational as it is.

High as a Hawk
After the death of her mother, at the tender young age of [...], Harriet Peters is inspired to carry forth her mother's dream and climb to the top of Longs Peak summit. This book is based on the true story of the youngest person to ever reach the 14,000 feet Colorado summit, led by guide Eno Mills.Harriet's father is also trying to make it to the top but just can not manage the grueling climb. Guide Mills has his own dream of turning the land into a national park so Harriet and Mills press onward together. This book has breathtaking illustrations and is full of suspense and expectations. Harriet's triumph and courage is genuine and heartfelt and should be inspirational to all readers.

High As A Hawk
This story was enchanting. The illustrator's illuminating pictures really helped bring this story to life. The descriptive language in this story made it easy to imagine that you(the reader)are right there climbing the towering peaks. The fact that this is a true story makes it that much more enjoyable to read. Until reading this book I was not familiar with this author or illustrator, but now that I am I will be looking for more of their work, it is great!

High as a Hawk
It is a wonderful book for all ages!As a 4th grade teacher is is full of figurative language that I can use to teach students.It is also a wonderful story of
perseverance and goal setting.

How high can you go?
It all started with her mom's dream to climb Longs Peak in Colorado.After Harriet's mother died, Harriet, her Pa, and Mr. Mills started the grand adventure to conquerer Longs Peak.After her Pa could no longer go on with the journey, Harriet decided she would not give up; she wanted to live her mother's dream and see the hawk soar.Her and Mr. Mills continue until Harriet no longer has the will to go on.One more climb over the top is all she can manage.Finally, all of her pain and tiredness goes out of her arms when she spreads them open on the summit copying the great hawk she sees soaring through the sky.A great use of color, Ted Lewin, depicts the mountains with oranges and purples.The colors throughout this book are magnificient and give the reader a sense of dept and realness.This is a great book that proves that no matter what, no person shall give up on their dreams. ... Read more

Product Description
A rediscovered, defiant work of Native American literature, presented here on the 175th anniversary of its first publication

Upon its publication in 1833, this unflinching narrative by the vanquished Sauk leader Black Hawk was the first thoroughly adversarial account of frontier hostilities between white settlers and Native Americans. Black Hawk, a complex, contradictory figure, relates his life story and that of his people, who had been forced from western Illinois in what was known as the Black Hawk War. The first published account of a victim of the American war of extermination, this vivid portrait of Indian life stands as a tribute to the author and his extraordinary people, as well as an invaluable historical document. ... Read more

Product Description
1996 is the centenary of the birth of Howard Hawks, one of the great directors of American cinema. This anthology collects together writings from around the world on the director of such films as "Bringing up Baby", "The Big Sleep", "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", and "Rio Bravo".Amazon.com Review
It's hard to overrate Howard Hawks, the extraordinary film director whose credits include the classics Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep, Red River, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Rio Bravo. Hawks directed Cary Grant in most of his best comedies, and John Wayne in many of his best Westerns. He was instrumental in furthering the careers of Angie Dickinson, James Caan, Jane Russell, and Marilyn Monroe. Fortunately, the critical writing on Hawks is excellent and this book collects the best of it. With essays by Graham Greene, James Agee, Andre Bazin, Jaques Rivette, Robin Wood, Andrew Sarris, Molly Haskell, Hawks's screenwriter Leigh Brackett, Stanley Cavell, and Laura Mulvey, this will surely be the single most important book on Hawks for many years to come. ... Read more

Product Description
It doesn't take much - "£100 is usually sufficient" - to persuade Tony Hawks to take off on notoriously bizarre and hilarious adventures in response to a bet.And so it is, a pointless argument with a friend concludes in a bet - that Tony can't beat all eleven members of the Moldovan soccer team at tennis. And with the loser of the bet agreeing to strip naked on Balham High Road and sing the Moldovan national anthem, this one was just too good to resist.

The ensuing unpredictable and often hilarious adventure sees him being taken in by Moldovan gypsies and narrowly avoid kidnap in Transnistria.It sees him smuggle his way on to the Moldovan National Team coach in Coleraine and witness (almost) divine intervention in the Holy Land.

In this inspiring and exceptionally funny book, Tony Hawks has done it again, proving against all odds that there is no reason in the world why you can't do something a bit stupid and prove all of your doubters wrong.Or at least that was the idea....
... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

Tries very hard, but not funny
A disappointing and tedious read. Tony Hawks clearly considers himself an extremely funny guy, but he comes across as arrogant and condescending, and occasionally mean-spirited as well. (Making fun of Moldovans' teeth? Is that really a good joke?) I thought the idea was interesting, and I forced myself to finish the book, hoping to find something that would make me laugh, but I came up empty. A waste of time and money. If you're looking for a good, funny travel book, skip this one and go to Bill Bryson.

A blast from the past
That's exactly what this book was for me. I was born in Moldova and spent 25 years there, including the 1999 when Tony visited. The description of the Moldavian family with whom he lived reminded me of my own, as I was exactly Adrian's age in 99 and my brother was a year older than Elena and my mom was a doctor. Reading of the streets I used to walk on brought some good old nostalgia. Some things I didn't see the way Tony did, but I guess that's just different look and a different opinion.

Thank you Tony!

Better than Bryson
This book was an wonderful discovery for me. I enjoyed it on many levels.As a travel book.As a humor book.As a human book. Hawks is actually funnier than Bryson, and that is no small compliment... because Bryson is great. I learned so much and enjoyed myself.Ive read this book three times now.Hawks Rocks!Keep up the great work dude!

Achieving Notoriety
If the Moldovan football team may not reach notoriety on the playing field, it certainly reaches notoriety on the tennis court. After watching a football match, Tony Hawks---not the skateboarder---makes a bet with his friend that he can defeat the entire Moldovan football team ... in tennis.

Masterfully done by a leading British comedian, "Playing Moldovan in Tennis" is a perceptive novel about the struggle, bureaucracy, kindness and hospitality in Moldova. Describing the good and the bad of a country so remote from the private eyes, Hawks' insights reveal a beautiful land with its share of problems - tensions in Transnistria, ethnic relations with the Roma community in Soroca, and the corruptive measures of a green organized crime.Yes, there are those references of which a Moldovan may not be proud. But in the heartiest of lights, the book opens a window into the intrinsic splendor of a country that even its people choose to ignore in today's daily struggles.

Filled with laughter, "Playing Moldovan in Tennis" is the best comedic piece to emerge in the West about transitional economies. Highly recommended!

Non-Fiction
Highly amusing sports journalism, if you want to call it that, not to mention a travelogue.

A writer, who also happens to be your A-grade pennant sort of standard type of tennis player thought it would be interesting to see if he could get one of the worst national football team's players to each play him in a short tennis match.

Not being the most open or easy to get by in country this presents some challenges, and some bemused players, although most are pretty good sports.

Some eye-opening local stuff about the country he comes across, especially with some of the less athletically skilled inhabitants.

A good read, especially given nobody knows anything about the place.


3.5 out of 5 ... Read more