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From Emma Bull'sWar for the Oaks to Laurell K. Hamilton'sAnita Blake, Vampire Hunter series, fromThe X-Files toBuffy the Vampire Slayer, creators are mixing old European myths and legends with modern American pop culture. Incorporating influences ranging from blaxploitation movies and erotic novels to tabloid staples like UFOs and Elvis, authors and directors are creating a new mythology for the strip-mall, tract-house, cell-phone America of the new millennium.

One of the best-known and best writers of the new American mythology is Charlaine Harris. Dead to the World is the fourth novel in her Anthony Award-winning Southern Vampire series. It continues the story of psychic waitress Sookie Stackhouse, who has fallen out with her undead lover, Bill. Bill has no sooner departed for Peru, than Sookie finds the head vampire, Eric, running naked and terrified through the rural night. She helps Eric, and discovers his memory has been destroyed by a coven of unscrupulous, astonishingly powerful witches, newly arrived in her small Louisiana town, and offering a huge reward for Eric. Sookie tries to hide Eric, but her brother sees him--and immediately disappears. And Sookie finds herself caught in a war among witches, vampires, and werewolves. --Cynthia Ward ... Read more

Reviews (82)

Very nice read
Love this series very much.
Just plain fun to read.Love the crazy characters as well.

Couldn't wait to read this book...
...and was only mildly disappointed.I agree with the reviewer who liked Laurell K. Hamilton up to Blue Moon.Ms. Hamilton lost me with the excessive lycan/were action and diminishing role of vampires.I am concerned that Dead to the World is leading the Southern Vampire series down the same path.That is my only complaint; a little too much emphasis on Weres and Shifters.As always, I related to Sookie's down to earth character with her self-doubts and feelings of being overwhelmed and lonely. The large group of Bon Temps citizens continued to be interesting and dynamic.I loved that Sookie was able to fulfill her sexual fantasies about Eric with out having to deal with his immoral personality.Good for her!

Dual Natured Eric & Sookie Make Sparks Fly!
Sookie Stackhouse, the attractive, telepathic barmaid from Bon Temps, LA, makes her fourth appearance in "Dead To The World," which I think is the best book in the series, so far. Boyfriend Bill, a Civil War veteran and vampire, is pretty much out of the picture here. He has been sent to Peru, by the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, to continue his research for the extensive vampire data base he is building. Sookie has ambivalent feelings about her old beau. He has proved to have a cheatin' heart, along with other unfaithful body parts. This is unfortunate because Sookie thought she had found the man of her dreams. However, there seems to be an abundance of other men, all preternatural, who are very interested in getting to know our Sookie better. And it is best for her to stick with the superhumans. She can't read their minds, and doesn't need to worry about keeping their inner voices at bay.

Driving home from work early New Year's morning, (there was a huge party at Merlotte's Bar), Sookie sees a half-naked, shoeless man running down the road. When she stops to help the poor guy, she realizes it is Eric, charismatic owner of Club Fangtasia, and vampire Sheriff of Area 5, which encompasses Shreveport and Bon Temps. It appears that Eric has amnesia, and remembers nothing about his life except that he is a vampire. He doesn't even know why he is running, or where. He is only aware of his terror - a very strange state for the strong, confident warrior he has always been. We learn later from Eric's cohorts that a coven of powerful witches, who use their magic for dark purposes, are attempting to take control of all the supernaturals in Area 5 - vampires, werewolves, shifters, etc.. When Eric refused to cooperate with them, they cast a spell taking away his memory. Sookie brings Eric home to care for him, through sheer kindness. Her brother Jason interferes with her altruism, however, when Eric's second in command visits to figure out an emergency course of action. Eric must remain in hiding and Jason negotiates a whopping $35,000. babysitting fee for his sister. Sookie finds that Eric is no longer the suave, scary, business-first, head-honcho vampire that she had been accustomed to. He is now tender, sincere, attentive, romantic, protective of her and grateful for her loyalty and decency. Our heroine doesn't know what to make of this drastic change, until sparks begin to fly between the two. She then decides to go with the flow. After all, Bill has been gone a long time.

"Dead To The World's" pace is fast and the action is nonstop throughout. Jason goes missing, the evil witches are on the loose, Alcide Herveaux, the hunky werewolf (from "Club Dead"), and his pack become involved in what is to be a major battle between the forces of good and evil, new characters are introduced, and much more. Per usual Charlaine Harris fills her well written narrative with humor, suspense, and thrilling plot twists and turns. The finale is outrageously good! Terrific escapist reading. I couldn't put the novel down.
JANA

A great, fun series.
I admit I loved Laurell K. Hamilton, right up through Blue Moon.Sookie is not Anita; in many ways she's better.She's more "real" and human.The books have humor, well-developed characters, suspense, romance, fantasy and mystery.If you are a woo-woo fan, you'll love this series.

Just keeps getting better and better
I had just finished writing a (extremely negative) review for the Laurell K Hamilton book "Incubus Dreams" when I realised how much my affection for Charlaine Harris' "The Southern Vampire Series" has grown over the years.

I suppose like many readers I had approached this series when Ms. Hamiltons star was starting to dull slightly. I was suspicious of the main character Sookie Stackhouse to begin with. Her character and situation seemed a little too familiar at first. In fact I didnt like the first book at all. I never warmed to Bill for some reason, an opinion still not changed even by this book. But I stuck with it and by the time I got Dead to the World I loved the whole universe created by the author.

Sookie is a loveable heroine. So different to the difficult and unlikeable Anita Blake. She is vunerable and sweet. She is unselfish to the point of putting her life at risk to save others. She is in touch with her sexuality, yet doesnt base whole narratives on it (*hint hint* Ms. Hamilton) and does seem to be developing with every book.

The supporting characters are consistently interesting. Eric has a certain devilish charm that keeps the reader hooked and hopefully we will see more of Sam and Alicide in later books. Same goes for Jason who, with certain plot developments in this book, should give Sookie plenty more adventures.

Dead to the World is a wonderful installment for this series that will hopefully keep going from strength to strength
... Read more

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Reviews (24)

If you're new to DMing you'll want this book
First things first: I don't think Wizard is releasing this because they are money grubbers. But I *do* think this book says something about their poor quality control & editing processes. This half-edition should never have been necessary. This is the book that SHOULD have been version 3. That said, if you want to become a good D&D DM but don't know how, you need this version 3.5 book.
The 3.0 book is useless to new DMs. It is a mish-mashed regurgitation of 2nd edition structure and 3rd edition rules with a useless glossary and index page. The 3.0 DMs guide was a horror that may have permanently scared off anyone who was thinking about DMing. If you bought version 3 wanting to see what DMing would be like, then sell it or use it to prop up a short table leg.
This 3.5 version is an excellent book. Things are properly organized, clarified, tabled and exampled. The book is presented in almost a chronological order and makes for decent recreational & sequential reading. Don't give up on learning to be a DM. Instead, buy the 3.5 version and dig in! This version is worth the money, especially if you are brand new to being a game master.

An updated Guide to DMing
Now, I am not going to say that they needed a 3.5 edition. I am going to say that a revision does seem to make the classes and their abilities more balanced (by making some weaker and a few stronger). Monsters are much more powerful in general terms. Also, there is a lot more helpful information included in the books, especially in the DM's Guide. The DM's Guide contains a great deal more information, helping the DM to make intelligent choices and guide the world of his or her players. All the magic items now include information for Detect Magic and the like, easing that all too familiar problem for DMs. All the included Prestige Classes are also useful. By far the two most important and useful things are the combat/spotting/etc. related information and the free map, counters, etc. at the end of the book. So far I've found very few errors.

Great Book, BUT NOT FOR PLAYER CHARACTERS, only for DMs
If your a Player-Character, and are reading this review, then SHAME ON YOU! As it -clearly- states at the begining of the Dungeon Master's Guide, Player-Characters HAVE NO BUISINESS READING THE DUNGEON MASTER'S GUIDE. It is for DUNGEON MASTERS
-ONLY!!-
Shame shame shame You only have the right to read the Player's Handbook.... You should be ashamed of yourselves.

Great for the unitiated, but disappointing for veterans
I've played D&D since the early 1980s when I was introduced to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Dungeons & Dragons has gone through many evolutionary changes to reach its current 3rd Edition state - many of which I do not favor. I must agree with a previous reviewer in saying that this is not the D&D I remember playing; rather, it is an overcomplicated game meant to satisfy a generation of computer and console gamers by emphasizing combat development of super-heroic player characters over social roleplaying. While it is nice to see Advanced Dungeons & Dragons become simply, Dungeons & Dragons, again; the trendy Digital Age version nomenclature of 3.5 is rather sad.

Criticisms of 3rd Edition aside, this tome is vital for gaming in the 3rd Edition world. It resolves issues presented in the previous 3.0 release. If you own the original 3rd Edition DMG, you might be better off looking for the errata elsewhere.

This DMG, along with other 3rd Edition books, has very high production value (which adds to the cost). The pages are full color and glossy. We old timers had grainy paper and black & white artwork until 2nd Edition when pages had more color. I was disappointed to find that the groundbreaking artwork found throughout the 2nd Edition pantheon of books has been replaced with distorted, almost comic book-like works, that just do not do D&D justice.

The DMG by its very nature is like a college textbook full of tables and charts. The book isn't supposed to be entertaining reading, unlike the many other books in the D&D pantheon. Therefore, the decision to use extensive color and graphics in this book is more for consistency than function. Overall, while the book is very attractive, I found the graphics and typography to be a major distraction that would slow me down if I needed to shoot through the book to find an important chart. I preferred the more mundane appearance of the 2nd Edition books.

Since the advent of 3rd Edition D&D, there is a new "Behind the Curtain" feature that gives reader some insight into why a particular rule change was made. I like this, and I hope to see it more extensively used. Unfortunately, these footnotes run sparse in the DMG. Of all the D&D books, the DMG should have used this feature the most.

I did enjoy the introductory chapter that explains to aspiring DMs their role in the game, and I thought that the Chapter 5 section on Campaigns does a good job of outlining some of the more noticeable details of a game setting.

As with all previous D&D editions, you will need more than this one book in order to run a game. If you just want to play D&D, get the Player's Handbook. If you are like me and continue to run Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st or 2nd Edition games, then you will not get much from 3rd Edition. You'll already have your own house rules, and you'll probably agree with me in saying that 2nd Edition offered more supplements to evolve your character.

If you are new to Dungeons & Dragons, don't be alarmed. For the unitiated, D&D 3rd Edition is a solid game based on time-tested mechanics. You won't have any biases or expectations to satisfy. Realizing that the 3rd Edition will lay serious damage to your wallet, you might consider collecting the 2nd Edition books, which though out of print, will provide you with limitless options for gaming at a much lower cost and give you a faithful introduction to now famous settings as the Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, and Dark Sun.

Might as well call it something other than D&D
As someone who was first exposed to D&D in the late 70s, I have to say that this game is not what it used to be. Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 (I love the hip, contemporary "3.5" denotation as if this is computer software) is obviously aimed at the adolescent, power-gaming, comic book-reading gamer. Even the style of artwork suggests it, the D&D of today looking more like an extension of the comic book realm, with superhero player characters and hip monsters and humongous steroid warriors who look like they're out of the pages of Spawn.

It's with a long, wistful sigh that I remember the days of DM manuals with cheesy homebrewed art and the beautiful Erol Otus covers on the game modules. It was the days when D&D was spoken of by the general public as if it was the dangerous pastime of Devil-worshippers and cultists. It was a mature, intelligent game that drew heavily upon the great fantasy realms of Tolkien, Howard, and Leiber, not to mention centuries of old folklore and mythology. Even the language used in the manuals was sophisticated and not easily digested by someone with less than a college reading level. It was a game of substance, a game with real SOUL. It was geeky and esoteric and a lot of fun. You played wizards and warriors, clerics and thieves, and each class had its own drawbacks and advantages. Some were even plainly more powerful than others. That's just the way it was. There was no obsessive attention paid to making every class so perfectly balanced, into turning AD&D into egalitarian fantasy, but since when is everyone in life so equal? Wizards were pathetically weak early on but then turned into the most dangerous of characters at higher levels, undoubtedly wielding the greatest power in the game. Cavaliers were unbalanced too, and barbarians. Yet at the same time the game wasn't so crazy like the D&D of today where suddenly everyone has loads of skills and super abilities and anyone can do anything and the object seems to be making your character into a superhero. But I suppose that's what everyone is looking for nowadays, Diablo II with pens an paper. A pity, because so much richness has been lost over the past 20 years, ever since TSR started cleaning up its image in the mid-eighties and marketing its games towards teenage gamers. That's what big business is about though, and how can a company reap big profits nowadays without turning "corporate" and catering to the lowest common denominator? And profits are obviously WOC's primary concern. It really breaks my heart though to see what's become of a game that once meant so much to me. At least I still have all my old 1st and 2nd edition books and they'll always be there.

Let me close by saying this to everyone: No one's forcing you to be sheep and run out and spend money on this crap. If you're happy with what you're playing then what's the need to ever "upgrade"? Why not do the truly creative thing and stop buying this garbage that Wizards of the Coast is churning out and use your old stuff (be it 1st or 2nd edition or 3.0) and make your own adventures? And who needs a company's house rules when any decent DM can make up his own? Give me a break people. Think for yourselves and stop being victims of consumerism and slick marketing. ... Read more

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Reviews (195)

Some Wandering Thoughts
Well, I made it through book five. I started the Wheel of Time series over a year ago and with each successive book it takes me longer and longer to finish. Like an all-you-can-eat buffet, I started out fast and now (with three books left) I'm more than full. Oh, I'll make it through books six, seven, and eight, but I'm reading (or eating) to fulfil a mission rather than out of hunger.

That said, I won't comment much on the book itself (I've also written amazon reviews for the previous novels). The same usual stuff happens. Elayne and Nynaeve bicker like adolescents. Egwene and Rand bicker like adolescents. Mat chases women. Trollocs attack at will. There's a big final confrontation (gosh, I hope I'm not spoiling things) at the end. Jordan's juvenile obsession with female nudity and sexuality continues. In short, it's the same old, same old.

Rather, I feel like spewing out some thoughts on why this series has received so much attention. Why are there so many readers who can't make it through the first ten pages of The Lord of the Rings (yep, it's true, read through the Amazon comments to see how many readers place Jordan above Toliken) but who CAN make it through EIGHT books and nearly 7,000 pages of this series?

Fantasy is an ancient genre. There are elements of fantasy in the Bible, in Greek Mythology. In fact, it is impossible to date just how far back fantasy goes. Our more typical conception of fantasy (dragons, battles, elves, fairies, etc.) show up in Beowulf, the epic poem, The Faerie Queen, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Most recently, of course, in the 20th century, J.R.R. Tolkien (who, by the way, translated Gawain), Ursula LeGuin, and John Gardner (in his novel Grendel) have carried on the tradition. Sadly, though, this sense of tradition is what is missing from the Wheel of Time series. I really don't believe that Jordan is well aware of the broader tradition that he's writing in.

So what tradition IS Jordan writing in? I may be going out on a precarious limb here, but Jordan's novels seem to stem from the more modern, attention-deficit disordered, quasi-Advanced Dungeons and Dragons/Role Play-gaming tradition. The Wheel of Time is a like a PC RPG put in words. There's a loosely structured main theme (Rand must defeat the Dark One) and inbetween there's a bunch of side missions and marching to and fro (the equivalent of roaming around gathering experience points). Along the way certain characters, with this accumulation of experience, recieve added skills (the ability to channel or channel with newly learned powers (healing, calling wind, etc.), the ability to dreamwalk, the ability to plan battles (Mat), the ability to communicate with animals (Perrin)). Likewise, characters pick up useful items along the way (Mat's medallion and spear, Elayne's Terangreal, Rand's Terangreal). And like in RPG's, after accumulating enough experience, they're finally strong enough to defeat a decent enemy (Asmodean, Rahvin, Moghedian etc.). And what happens after this enemy is defeated? Well, the characters go back to wandering back and forth throughout the countryside, gaining more experience points so they can do battle with the next strong enemy. Eventually, of course, these characters will be strong enough to encounter that final enemy, The Dark One, and then, well, Game Over!

My problem is this: slowly going up levels and gaining experience points may be a lot of fun on a computer screen but it makes for BORING reading. Thus, I'll wrap up my long, long review with the following: there's something wrong when today's readers shun traditional, talented writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien and Ursula LeGuin (who, in addition to being a sci-fi/fantasy writer, is also a published poet and writer of literary fiction) and turn to the thin, convoluted plots of writers like Jordan. Readers who claim that Jordan is the greatest fantasy writer of all time simply don't appreciate strong, capable writing and manageable plots; instead, many of today's readers (when they can tear themselves away from Baldur's Gate or Everquest) cast the quality of the story and the quality of the writing aside in lieu of countless numbers of battles, myriad subplots and mindless wanderings back and forth across that silly Wheel of Time Map. When will the Wheel of Time series eventually end? I honestly don't know, but it seems Rand, Mat, Perrin, Elayne, Egwene, and Nynaeve still have thousands more pages of experience points to acquire!

Great Addition!
Although I do generally agree with everyone else saying that the series is slowly beginning to lose some of its initial 'oomph', I must say that this book still tops the ranks of one of the best WoT books in the series.

And BTW, I do like Nynaeve so you guys can stop it with the insults about her 'braid tugging' and 'skirt smoothing'! Unfortunately, I don't quite like what Jordan has done with his characters. They started out pretty likable, with definitive characteristics and their own minds, but now I see that they've degenerated to extremes. The women as usual have almost formed their own unofficial universal Women's Circle, with Elayne, Aviendha, Egwene and the rest trying to rid the world of men (even though it's pretty obvious who they've thrown their hearts out for ...). Rand has lost all his appeal to me as the central character of the series, becoming more like a madman muttering to himself all the time, while trying to puzzle women out and defeat all the Forsaken for his 'immaculate' plans. Mat has always been irritating, so I'll just skip him, but Perrin was totally obliterated from this particular book! Sometimes, it gets pretty unnerving for someone with such a terrible memory like me to keep up with the central ppl in the story when they aren't even included in certain books... Anyway, the WoT is still THE series to read! I've already bought the next one, so I'm in no hurry to get to the end (if it ever comes! j/k Jordan! Take all your time! PLEASE!).

Incredible adventure.
I loved/enjoyed every moment of it.

Story so vividly told as the other previous books. Twists in plots so clever! Character development was extremely pleasant for me, enough to feel loss when some particular minor (or main for this volume) character(s) were killed off the Wheel.

A treasure.

Jordan's Wheel Keeps Turning
After surviving the disappointment of "The Dragon Reborn", the Wheel of Time series has definitely regained its lost momentum and the series continues to get better with each book.

This book has been my favorite of the series so far. Jordan builds on the momentum he captured in book four ("The Shadow Rising"), and the storyline and character development continue in TFOH.

As for the main characters, each is facing new and exciting challenges in this book. Rand is still dealing with the realization that he is The Dragon Reborn. He has rallied the Aiel clan chiefs in a massive battle against the rebel Aiel chief Couladin, who claims that he is the true Dragon Reborn. Couladin and his followers, the Shaido, meet the fury of Rand and the rest of the Aiel in a decisive and climactic battle.

Egwene, Elayne, and Nynaeve continue their pursuit of the Black Ajah. Word has reached them that Siuan Sanche has been overthrown and stilled by Eladia. The three have also learned that a group of Aes Sedai has decided to try to overthrow Eladia and reclaim the White Tower.

Mat, Lan, and Moiraine continue to travel with Rand. Mat distinguishes himself in the battle with the Shaido by beheading Couladin. Moiraine has decided to become more yielding to Rand, but this turns into disaster at the end of the book.

This book is the best of the series so far in my opinion. The storyline and character development is very good, and the plot keeps the reader interested throughout the book. The last 200 pages of the book are some of Jordan's best work. The ending of the book is a true cliffhanger and will leave the reader wondering what will happen next. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. Hopefully, it will be as good as this one.

The Fires of Heaven
Rand Al'Thor is the Dragon Reborn, He Who Comes with Dawn and possibly the Coramoor of the Sea Folk. He is destined to fight the Dark One in the Last Battle and then Break the World again. In this book The Fires of Heaven, you are with Rand a lot of the time and you see some of his characteristic development. You also read about Aes Sedai who wield the One Power, Darkfriends who serve the Dark One and Forsaken who in the Age of Legends were thirteen of the most powerful Aes Sedai who serve the Dark One and also have some Darkfriends under their command.
This book is a good fantasy novel about a young man with enormous responsibility on his shoulders and he must decide what to do with this power and responsibility that he possesses. He leads battles that get men killed, fights with his friends, orders people around and tries not to get captured in the nets of meddlesome Aes Sedai. This book is not just about Rand it also is about Mat Cauthon who is trying hard to forget what he is and has become, Egwene who is learning to become a Dreamer, Nynaeve and Elayne who are trying to find the hidden Blue Aes Sedai and many other characters who deal with their own problems.
This book is very detailed and descriptive and a very good adventure and fantasy story. I thought it was a very good book even if was a little drawn out in some parts. I think it strayed a little too much from the center of story and included none of Perrin which I was very disappointed about, but overall it was a well written and fun adventure/fantasy story. The characters were very realistic and believable and retain a lot of the characteristics people today, for instance Jordan writes about women never letting a man do what he wants and always convincing him to do what she wants, and how men can never stop women when they set their mind on something. I think it was very funny to read about all the social struggles the characters in the book go through, it was very realistic and entertaining. The theme of this book was courage, Moiraine Sedai showed innumerable amounts of courage when she faced Lanfear knowing that she was going to die, but she did it because she had to, to save the world, if she hadn't the Last Battle wouldn't have happened because Rand would have died. Nynaeve also showed courage when she went into Tel'aran'rhoid even after Moghedien almost killed her in it, if she hadn't conjured up the courage to do this then Rand Al'Thor probably would have been killed by Rahvin. Rand Al'Thor also showed courage by bearing his burdens and did what he had to do eventually and went and faced Rahvin.
I thoroughly enjoyed the entirety of this book even though at times it could be very slow, overall the book was very good if not quite as good as it's predecessors. I would recommend this series and book to anybody who likes a good fantasy novel and has a bit of time to read. ... Read more

Book Description

There's no witch in Cincinnati tougher, sexier, or more screwed up than bounty hunter Rachel Morgan, who's already put her love life and her soul in dire jeopardy through her determined efforts to bring criminal night creatures to justice.

Between "runs," she has her hands full fending off the attentions of her blood-drinking partner, keeping a deadly secret from her backup, and resisting a hot new vamp suitor.

Rachel must also take a stand in the war that's raging in the city's underworld, since she helped put away its former vampire kingpin -- and made a deal with a powerful demon to do so that could cost her an eternity of pain, torment, and degradation.

And now her dark "master" is coming to collect his due.

Book Description

Over 200 creeps, critters, and creatures to keep players on their toes. From Aboleths to Zombies, the Third Edition Monster Manual holds a diverse cast of enemies and allies essential for any Dungeons & Dragons campaign. There are hundreds of monsters ready for action, including many new creatures never seen before. Plus, all monster entries include character stats so for the first time players can play as the monsters. Dungeon Masters and players alike will find the new Monster Manual an indispensable aid in populating their Third Edition campaigns. ... Read more

Reviews (93)

WOW---the wait was DEFINITELY worth it
It took quite a while to get all three third edition rulebooks, but now they're out. DMs and players alike will enjoy this new spin on the monster manual. It has many many many encounter charts and they have taken a whole new approach by giving PC stats on all of the creatures. I always thought that they should have done this long ago; it really helps when trying to decide, say, if an Ogrillon could bash through the locked door protecting our brave and intrepid heroes. Plus it lists standard feats and skills that certain creatures always have. This is a new move for the D&D game...it breaks down the barriers between "player" races and "monsters." Wanna be a Black Pudding fighter, go for it! But you'll really need this book to get all of the necessary information. Like the other two books, the illustrations are just great. They really help you visualize the creatures, and the artwork is a little more edgy than previous editions. Another thing that I was quite glad to see was the revival of the Demons and Devils. I mean obviously in second edition they just called them Baatezu and whatnot, but now they are back and unapologetic about it. In fact they go into quite a lot of detail as to the fauna of the lower planes, which should really make for some interesting adventures. They also have added some new spins to old creatures, the celestial hound for instance. Also a whole new subtype of creature: the dire animal. Since these are listed in the summoning tables in the Player's handbook, it is really essential that anyone playing a spellcaster get this book to find out the details....all I can say is you WON'T be disappointed.

If you have purchased the other two books and, like me, have been frustrated with the lack of good monster descriptions in the DM guide, then you really MUST buy this book.

Good book that should have had more monster detail
This is an excellent monster book that gives information on hundreds of monsters that you can use in your campaign. The artwork is good although I think I liked the old black and white drawings in the 1st edition of the game more. This book should have been larger too and included more information on the ecology of the monsters, habits, etc... the old 2nd Edition AD&D Monstrous Manual did it best, an entire page for each monster with LOTS of info on how the creatures lives, society, etc... still a good book though, really a must if you want to play the game, but probably my least favority of the three core rulebooks.

3 stars with an asterisk
Okay, now, in evaluating this particular rule book, I think that I need to make my standards clear. This isn't just another collection of monsters--this is the core collection. What the Monster Manual should do is set up the standards for all future expansions and make clear the monster specific rules that they're including. As it stands, this book is pretty unclear on some issues. The templating rules can be hard to understand the first time around, and there's little information given on how to create your own templates without throwing the game out of balance. The feats which are included here seem out of place to an extent, since other abilities and feats for monsters have already been described in the Dungeon Master's Guide. The monster descriptions are acceptable for the most part, but bland, without any of the character and flavor of past editions. While this should be expected to some extent, what is not excusable is the occasionally confusing description of monster attacks and the occasionally odd listing style. Even the art has suffered in this book to some extent--while most of the pictures are right on, some of them are pretty far off base (a shambling mound does not have bark). All in all, I feel pretty safe giving this book 3 stars, since you have to own it to run the Dungeons and Dragons game. As a core rulebook, however, it leaves something to be desired, and its certainly below the exemplary standards of clarity set in the previous two releases. While this is still a good rules system and while the Monster Manual is a necessary element, I can't help but feel a little disappointed with this product.

How to make a better Monster Manual
A: Include all monsters from the previous edition's manual
B: Introduce a few new and interesting monsters (10-40 would suffice)
C: Make the layout flip-friendly for rushing GMs
D: Make sure the monsters go beyond combat statistics (as in their habitats are listed, form of society, mating and etc. Like a National Geographic Mag.)

I think if at least one of these is followed, it's worth the same as the original. If all are followed, it's a goldmine. I have the great annoyance to tell you that none of these were followed.

There are 1/3 the number monsters in the new manual as the old one (I hear that if you add this manual, 2, and the Monsters of Faerun books together you get almost as many as the old 2nd edition MM.) I believe that the creators argued "The original MM only had 40 monsters in it!" My answer to this is simple: the first edition didn't have 25+ years of books and two editions in front of it to help.

The new monsters (which ended up drowning out old favorites) are way too underpowered or overpowered, lack depth, and generally seem a little too sci-fi (remember, this is a fantasy game)

The layout definately sucks, it took me an hour to find anything. One monster a page is definately a better road to travel.

Last but not least, the monsters BARELY go beyond the numbers. I suggest you either buy all three of the above mentioned "Monster Manuals" (have fun shuffling books!) or just play 2nd edition AD&D.

Tons of Monsters...Yet Lacking
The Third Edition (3E) Monster Manual is a great purchase for any DM. It has a good amount of monsters, pretty descriptive stats, yet...it seems one caliber less than the 2E Monster Manual.

On one hand, the 3E Monster Manual delivers over 200 monsters to terrorize your campaign setting. They have some awesome new monsters. My personal favorite, is a devil, and is known as a Kyton. He is demonic humanoid with hundreds of chains drooping from his body, and his mode of attack is flailing those chains. Pretty hardcore.

On the other hand, the 3E Monster Manual doesn't seem to give enough. Some of the monsters just plain [are bad], and they aren't unique in any way. Also, the amount of creatures do not come near the amount that were in the 2E monster manual, which is frustrating.

On the FINAL hand, It is a must for any DM playing 3E. It isn't a bad book at all...it just seems lacking. The monster stats are good...the amount of monsters are good...but don't expect much more. (If they had 3.5 stars I would give this book 3.5) ... Read more

Reviews (50)

Great performance by Inglis, but some quibbles
This reading of the entire Lord of the Rings is hard not to rate highly because of the quality of the performance. Mr. Inglis seems to have a whole world of different voices. I can't imagine how he managed to come up with so many or how he managed to remember what voice he picked for each character. He performs so well that this is really more a dramatization of the whole book rather than just someone reading it; even his voicing of the narration is perfect.

I've not listened to the whole yet, being about half-way through the Fellowship of the Ring. I assume that the quality of the performance will be just as good for the parts I've not listened to yet. However, I do have several quibbles (which are not enough to lessen my rating, but which I found surprising against the overall quality).

The first quibble has nothing to do with Mr. Inglis himself: Sometimes I can hear, faintly, another voice in the background. It sounds like this voice is also reading something. To the creators of this recording: get better sound-proofing. Mr. Inglis's voice and performance are so wonderful that it is a pity to have this distraction.

The second quibble has to do with Mr. Inglis: I happen to be listening to this recording while following along in my printed books of the trilogy, therefore it becomes obvious when Mr. Inglis departs from the text. I really don't mind the sometimes excessive use of contractions that are not in Tolkien's original (even though "don't use the ring" really does not have the same emphasis as "do *not* use the ring") and it's not so bad when he substitutes one word for another of the same meaning (possibly he may be reading from a different edition).

However, occasionally, Mr. Inglis makes boo-boos that change the meaning of the sentence being read. At least two come to mind (and these from the first half of the Fellowship): Near the end of the Tom Bombadil episode (when Frodo and Co. are taking leave of Goldberry) a "morning" is changed to a "misty morning". The word "misty" is not in the text and confuses the meaning of the passage as the sentences that follow imply that the morning is a clear one. The other most noticible change is that Sam's statement "How do *we* know that you are the real Strider..." gets read as "How do *you* know that you are the real Strider...", which makes no sense. These are the two errors of reading that first come to mind, but there were more. Enough, let's say, to surprise me in a performance that is almost pitch-perfect.

However, like I said previously, these quibbles don't reduce my rating and the set is well worth any amount of money.

Super Fantastic!
Super fantastic! I have read the "Lord of the Rings" (LotR) trilogy eight times. I think that Peter Jackson's movies are the best to day. I think that the 13-hour BBC production is the best radio play to date. Although this 55-hour 46-CD set is the only unabridged audio book for LotR, I doubt that it could be surpassed.

Inglis does an excellent job at articulation and dramatization, giving different intonation and mannerisms to different characters. It really is as if you were reading the book.

The recording is very good. The CDs performed well. The packaging is excellent, in a cardboard case, with three cardboard boxes, each with three liners that can hold up to four CDs each.

One thing that I liked about this is that each track is around three minutes long. This is great for when you have to stop and pick up later -- especially if your portable CD player does not remember the track!

Another thing that I liked was the lack of dynamic range. Yes, the lack of it. The loudness is very even across a wine range of topics. This is especially important when listening in the car or with headphones, typically in noisy environment. With some other products, I was constantly turning the volume up and down. Not with this set. However, the performance of the reading did not suffer at all because of this. That is great!

This should be in every library of LotR fans, especially those that travel a lot and want to listen while on the go. Highly recommended!

Perfection.
Inglis' delivery was very nearly flawless. He also has an excellent singing voice; I was astonished to find there were so many songs written down in the books. The only major problem I had with this set is that it was finite.

I had never heard of Mr. Inglis before listening to this set. He actually made me look forward to an hour-long commute. If someone were to publish his reading of the Zip code directory, I would purchase it immediately. He's that good.

Fantstic!
I checked this CD book (and The Hobbit CD Book) out of the local library. I recommend this to any and all, especially those with copies that are missing discs. This recording is everything one could wish for in a LoTR listening experience... outstanding feeling, correct pronunciation (after all, J.R.R. was a linguist... the whole purpose for the books, really), ease of use... just fantastic! Inglis does a great job.
The movies are great movies, but they are NOT The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien... they are The Lord of the Rings by Peter Jackson. These discs are The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, and one can give no greater praise than that!

This is the one!!!
This unabridged version is the way to go. I have heard the dramitization versions and they are OK if that is your thing. I prefer this simpler version. The entire story is there and Rob Inglis does a great job changing his voice and reading generally very dramatically. I really love this audio book! ... Read more

Book Description

Roland Deschain and his ka-tet are bearing southeast through the forests of Mid-World, the almost timeless landscape that seems to stretch from the wreckage of civility that defined Roland's youth to the crimson chaos that seems the future's only promise. Readers of Stephen King's epic series know Roland well, or as well as this enigmatic hero can be known. They also know the companions who have been drawn to his quest for the Dark Tower: Eddie Dean and his wife, Susannah; Jake Chambers, the boy who has come twice through the doorway of death into Roland's world; and Oy, the Billy-Bumbler.

In this long-awaited fifth novel in the saga, their path takes them to the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis, a tranquil valley community of farmers and ranchers on Mid-World's borderlands. Beyond the town, the rocky ground rises toward the hulking darkness of Thunderclap, the source of a terrible affliction that is slowly stealing the community's soul. One of the town's residents is Pere Callahan, a ruined priest who, like Susannah, Eddie, and Jake, passed through one of the portals that lead both into and out of Roland's world.

As Father Callahan tells the ka-tet the astonishing story of what happened following his shamed departure from Maine in 1977, his connection to the Dark Tower becomes clear, as does the danger facing a single red rose in a vacant lot off Second Avenue in midtown Manhattan. For Calla Bryn Sturgis, danger gathers in the east like a storm cloud. The Wolves of Thunderclap and their unspeakable depredation are coming. To resist them is to risk all, but these are odds the gunslingers are used to, and they can give the Calla-folken both courage and cunning. Their guns, however, will not be enough. ... Read more

Reviews (256)

That car knocked the old King loose thank God
I've read damn near every Stephen King story around, and the Dark Tower is easily my favorite. The weaving in and out of his other books that this series has done should eventually be look upon as one of the great literary achievents. Yes, King isnt Ulysses but he isn't Encyclopedia Brown either, the guy has writing chops.

Anyway, as for Wolves of the Calla, I just finished it today after toilet-reading it for about 2 months. I must say i was pleasantly suprised and very satisfied. I'd gotten a little worried because King had really started this "maturity" vibe in a lot of books around the mid-90's. I noticed with Insomnia he started kinda tackling getting old and more serious looks at love and that went right up through his accident. Wizard and Glass was the peak manifestation of that. It wasn't terrible, but it was like a giant, "oh i remember young love" mind-dump for a thousand pages. I was bored, which was double disappointing considering it followed the Waste Lands the most exciting book in the series and I waited 10 years nearly for it.

Anyways, this time i really talk about WotC.

It was a really great book. I never found the plot tedious or the Calla boring. The only really slow parts were the beginnings of Callahan's story because I knew it was going to lead to something huge (and it does) and I had 500 pages to wade through to get there. I think some people dont realize that the slow build in the book is almost certainly a design. Everything that had to come about in order for them to face down the wolves was important to the broader implications of Ka and the Dark Tower story as a whole. Plus I think it further fleshes out just how iconic and complete a hero Roland is. (as a cynical person, I hope this builds to him ultimately failing as a hero to achieve whatever he means to achieve at the Tower)

But anyways, i was really shocked how many reviews actually said Wizard and Glass was their favorite book so maybe I'm way outside the mainstream and this is just me spitting into the wind. If you liked the first 3 books, then this is exactly in that same vein. Connections with other books, extensive deepenings of the plot, and some great questions are raised for the final two books.

oh and the best part? when your reading it, you know you wont have to wait a damn decade to get to the next book. GOD BLESS YOU STEPHEN KING!

Finally, a return to the quest for the Dark Tower
Long-time King fans like myself have eagerly awaited this sequel for many years, and for the most part, the master storyteller does not disappoint. After focusing on Roland's past in the previous installment, Wizard and Glass, in Wolves of the Calla, King returns to the present-day challenges facing Roland and his companions, Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and Oy. Much like in The Wastelands (the third book of the series), Wolves of the Calla tells the story not only of the ongoing quest for the Dark Tower but also of a more immediate predicament--in this case, the plight of the town of Calla Byrn Sturgis. King tantalizes the reader through brief returns to the New York City setting as well as glimpses of the tasks which lie ahead of the gunslingers in the future. In addition, dedicated King followers will appreciate the tie-ins with other King works, namely 'Salem's Lot. Although not quite as captivating as the second two books in the series, Wolves of the Calla is a satisfying continuation of this fascinating saga which will whet the reader's appetite for the two remaining Dark Tower novels, both of which are scheduled to be published in 2004.

I'd give it 4 1/2 stars if I could
For all of you, like me, who despised Wizard and Glass this book is for you. Finally we are getting somewhere. It has been YEARS since King has been this good. It is good to see him back. Don't listen to the reviews of people who don't like the fact that it seems King is going to include himself in the Dark Tower series. What is the difference between that and Eddie, Susannah, and Jake entering Roland's world. Obviously they don't understand the point King has been hinting at all along: the thinness of reality. He even goes into a beautiful aside about how the choices we make and how one side step can change the course of our history. This is King's oh so subtle way of letting us know that our perception of reality may not be the truth of the matter. I'm hooked again Mr. King. Bring me to the Dark Tower. It has been years and I am ready. As we all are. I'm sure you won't dissapoint.

King keeps giving ... and we swallow it all!
Again, King has the skill to develop his characters into breathing, thinking, 3D personalities, and once again he has done this in Wolves of the Calla. I loved this book. King takes his time, which some don't have patience for, but for me is essential in devoloping the story, the tension, and the life of these people. I just finished it today, and have already opened up Dark Tower VI to begin the next step in the journey.

King has matured greatly as a writer and storyteller, and he doesn't rely on just scares, plot twists and gimmicks anymore; his vision and goals, it seems to me, is to truly build another world and people who we must care about. And he has done so in this exceptional series. I look forward to the two final parts, even though I'll be sad when it ends.

Also, I'd recommend these books to non-King fans: it is truly above par to even his own works, which, in my opinion, are fantastic...!

Awful
I'm completely disappointed with the series at this point. The dark story of a gunslinger's quest for the Dark Tower seems to have taken a back seat to a new premise: fictional works are not truly fictional; they are the real life occurances of other worlds.

As intriguing as it may sound, Mr King tries to convey this point by including plot items only from 19th Century American pop-culture! The characters actually find and read one of Mr Kings books! Will the last book of the series spontaneously combust in my hands as the gunslingers read about themselves forcing the plot into a death spiral of circular references?

If that weren't bad enough, both this book and Wizard and Glass have very similar storylines. In both books, 700+ pages of the book is spent trying to develop a story that leads up to a battle with gunslingers grossly outnumbered, while the battle itself is over after only several pages. The characters even get the idea for how to fight this new battle from what happened in the previous book!

I bought book 6 about the same time I bought this one. I'm not anxious to read it. If I do read it and it doesn't salvage the storyline, I won't be reading book 7. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

Finally have a name for it...
I have been running adventures for D&D for years that follow more the style of game represented herein, not delving into dungeons on a regular basis but rather encounters in the world.A battlefield campaign is a great idea and Wizards did an excellent job of giving guildlines and rules for running these.The section on victory and recognition points, as well as promotion and decorations is by far my favorite out of this book.While not terribly large for a hard-back this book is packed with information ranging from the 60-minute army to a few new prestige classes (all five-level and very useful) and some new magical items and weapon/armor properties.

If you want to run a game of D&D that doesn't focus on crawling around in ancient ruins or goblin-holes all the time, but instead focuses on the glory and frightfulnes of war and surface skirmshes then this will be an excellent adition to your gaming books. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Book Description

Don't leave earth without this story of the end of the world and the happy-go-lucky days that follow. The writing of New York Times Best-selling author, Douglas Adams, has been brilliantly successful on both sides of the Atlantic in radio, television, theatre and spoken word audio. ... Read more

Reviews (169)

A Very Entertaining Book
This book, which I found entertaining to the end, follows Arthur Dent journey through the galaxy. Earth is destroyed for a galactic freeway. Luckily for Arthur Dent, his best friend Ford Prefect, who is a researcher for "The Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy", saves him by sticking there thumbs out into space. After being picked up, they have a very wild journey through time and space. I would suggest to the readers that if you do not understand what Ford Prefect is saying, or any other alien, that you continue reading because it will either explain its self or it is not important. I read this book and the following 4 books in a volume called "The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." I would recommend that you either be prepared to have all 5 books or buy the volume with all 5 books, since each one leads into the next. Have fun reading this hilarious volume wonderfully written by Douglas Adams.

Andy Says
The Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy is a hilariously comic novel about many scientific aspects of the universe and creation. Many objects that seem insignificant turn up later, revealing their significance in the big scheme of things. The story, although funny, isn't necessarily an easy read. It reveals many details relating to other points carrying on throughout the novel and the whole series of novels. Douglas Adams take his readers through his points of view about the universe, which often leaves the reader saying, "What the crap?" However one can't help laughing at how ridiculous the situation is. The book is definitely difficult to put down.
All who like science fiction will love Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. One does need to keep an open mind while reading the novel because Adams makes fun of most aspects of the creation of the universe that are popular to most people. If in general you have no idea what you believe and you do get offended is your own damn problem. After all, it's just science fiction. It's not like he means it! In closing, "life, we apologize for the inconvenience."

Just a short Correction
Greetings hoopy froods from America-land
Just a short correction for you. The Radio series (on BBC Radio 4) came first, then the original books were written from the radio script.
For all of those interested, a new radio series is going to be broadcast (again on BBC Radio 4), in September this year. See the BBC web site for details. Also, a film is being made at this momment. Personally, I don't think any film can match the comic genius of Douglas, but hopefully I'll be proved wrong.

MY review of a masterpiece
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a unique book all in itself. It is hard to compare it with any other book because there is nothing like it! It is the tale of Arthur Dent as he escapes Earth's destruction with his friend, Ford Prefect. This would not be possible if Ford himself had been born on Earth; he was from somewhere in the vicinity of Beetlejuice. They manage to get on board one of the construction ships that is destroying Earth to make room for an intergalactic superhighway. From there, the adventure just gets more intersting in later books, traveling through time as well as space, from the dawn of man to the end of the universe in a five star resteraunt. Douglas Adams describes every little thing to great detail, making every little oddity worth reading. This first book of the series is in every way one of the best books I have ever read. It even brings about the meaning of life, the universe, and everything; 42. But what is the question? Read the book to find out.

Best if read regularly
I read it once a year. If you are not much of a reader, this book will change that! ... Read more

Book Description

George Orwell's prophetic, nightmarish vision of "Negative Utopia" is timelier than ever-and its warnings more powerful. ... Read more

Reviews (1030)

Chilling...
Doesn't everybody have a list in their mind of the books they would like to read during their lifetime? '1984' has been on my list for many years and, with a long commute, I finally decided to get the audiobook.

Although I would still say it is necessary reading for all people, especially at this juncture I think Americans should pick up this book. When I read the slogans of Big Brother, I felt sick:

War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength

In some ways, I feel like George Orwell from his 1948 perspective 'called it.' So many of the scenarios that he described are right on. He wrote this book after Stalin took power in Russia. Orwell had rejoiced at the Bolshevik Revolutions but when the reports of Stalin's brutality came out, he was upset.

The first half of the book was great, but I have to warn you that the second half was extremely disturbing and depressing. I had a hard time listening (audiobook) to the last two cassettes. I did finish the book, but it was difficult.

Even more than fifty years later, Orwell's words still have the power to affect the reader. '1984' is a valuable work that rings true.

A Warning For Society
George Orwell's classic novel, 1984 is one of the most thought-provoking books I have ever read. It deals with a totalitarian government that has complete control over the populace, right down to their thoughts! The government even has the Thought Police, which make sure everyone is doing everything solely for the benefit of the government. Telescreens constantly monitor them to make sure they are doing everything for the good of the "Party."

Orwell's novel illustrates the basic human need for freedom through the main character, Winston Smith who begins the dangerous practice of questioning the government and trying to find one of the main rebels of the government, Goldstein. The book tells of his struggle to overthrow the government and how he tries to rebel against it.

Orwell dives deep into the logic of how to control a populace under wartime conditions by constantly keeping them active for the cause of having their country win the war and not being able to think of any ulterior motives. He also shows how perpetually being at war helps to waste resources, so people have just enough to survive and won't become too comfortable. If they became too comfortable they might start thinking and thinking is dangerous to a totalitarian government. An example of how resources are wasted is any extra metal is used for ships or any extra rubber for raincoats, therefore making luxury obsolete.

He also writes about different totalitarian governments like Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia and where their mistakes were in attaining absolute power. He points out that both these regimes started off tough, but as time went on got laxer and laxer until the people revolted. Orwell also dives deep into government propaganda and how that shapes the attitude of humans by constantly bombarding them with one thing over and over until it becomes fact or reality. Through exploring the propaganda in 1984, he shows us the need to trust our government, but verify what it says in order that we won't get taken advantage of.

He also explores how, in his book, humans can be taught one thing, but when the government says so, switch to believing something totally opposite. He does this under a principle called doublethink. Two examples of this from the book are that people are taught 2+2=4 but then can switch to knowing 2+2=5, completely denying that it ever equaled 4. He also shows the importance of keeping accurate and undoctored records so that if an event occurred, the facts cannot be changed to hide blame or recognition or tossed down the memory hole, simply to be forgotten. This is done often in 1984 so that the government will always look right and infallible and people will always believe that they are.

In conclusion, this novel will profoundly change how you view government and will also make you realize how important your civil rights are. I would not recommend this book to anyone under 13 or 14 because it has some sexual content.

Hands down, the best book written in the last 100 years.
Anybody who has not read this book is depriving themselves of great literature. Not only does it depict a perfect example of a negative utopia, but it illustrates the way people were thinking at the time it was written. George Orwell is one of the best writers of all time, and this masterpiece is a prime example why. Once you crack open this book, you cannot put it down. Bottom line, you need this book.

Hummm....interesting
I am not going to summarize the book becuz I am going to leave it up to the 1000 people who did the review of the book before me. This is a pretty good book, I probably wont read it again but it was still good. I love Orwell's pessimistic view on life it is some what enlightening. He is a realist and I entirely respect that he doesn't sugar coat anything or wrap it up in happily ever after. I am a very morbid person and for the better I think. well any who read this book if you would like a shot of reality to the head.

A warning that has not been heeded
Orwell wanted to warn his readers about the danger of totalitarian regimes. The promises of the fascist and nazi ideologies had misled millions and thrown the world into the ravages of the second world war. Stalinist Soviet Union was seen by many as a model state. Orwell knew far too well what was hidden beneath the promises of security, bread, and jobs for all.
1984 has become a household name as few other books; who does not know about Big Brother, or the Thought Police, nowadays? Even the title has become a catchphrase. I do not know any other cult-book that has been so thoroughly ripped apart by other famous authors; I remember Isaac Asimov thrashing it in the nineteen-eighties for instance. Many seem to believe that the society described by Orwell is an impossibility. The problem with the book is that Orwell thought his society would be a product of revolutions. When instead, in reality, the changes creep upon us. A new law here, a small change to statutes there.
The most obvious paralell to the book we have now is, of course, the war on terror. We have from top officials that it is going to go on for a long time, and that it is, essentially, unwinable. Readers of 1984 of course recognize the eternal war described in the book. Another paralell is how history changes; Winston Smith's job is to rewrite history so that it suits the present situation. Don't we recognize that? In the ninetenn-eighties, Iraq was our ally; now, Iraq has always been our enemy. Thought Police, I need not even mention this; the administration knows everything about us, and is prepared to use it.
We even have paralells to the Anti-Sex movement! The list can just go on.
Orwell's book was a cry for reason in the aftermath of a world gone mad. As with so many other cries for reason it disappears among the siren calls of our leaders.
I first read it over twenty years ago, in a different world; it was good then - it should be essential reading now! ... Read more

Book Description

The brand new third installment of Douglas Adams's classic time travel tale, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Tertiary Phase, is now available on audio. The long-awaited CD-which revives the BBC's popular radio series with this new six-part dramatization of Adams's book Life, the Universe and Everything-features 25 minutes of exclusive and previously unheard footage and features the author himself playing the role of Agrajag. The plot picks up where the second radio series left off: Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect escape from prehistoric Earth on a time-traveling sofa while a pack of homicidal robots blow up Lords Cricket Ground. Armed only with a rabbit bone, a worn dressing gown, and a spaceship that looks remarkably like an Italian bistro, Arthur embarks on an intergalactic journey to save the universe.Several members of the original BBC Radio 4 cast reunited for this special audio production, including Simon Jones as Arthur Dent, Geoffrey McGivern as Ford Prefect, Susan Sheridan as Trillian, Mark Wing-Davey as Zaphod Beeblebrox, and Stephen Moore as Marvin the Paranoid Android. Richard Griffiths, Chris Langham, Joanna Lumley, and cricket commentators Fred Trueman and Henry Blofeld also star in this brilliant satire replete with incisive comedic wit. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Life, the Universe and Everything.
Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy returns to the radio in this BBC Radio production of HHGG: The Tertiary Phase.The "Tertiary Phase" is a radio adaptation of Adams' third Hitchhiker's Guide novel Life, The Universe and Everything.Producer Dirk Maggs and his cast have put together a very good, highly entertaining production of Book Three.Many of the original cast from the first two Hitchhiker's radio series have returned, including Simon Jones as Arthur Dent, Geoffrey McGivern as Ford Prefect, Mark Wing-Davey as Zaphod Beeblebrox, Susan Sheridan as Trillian and Stephen Moore as the terminally depressed Marvin the Paranoid Android.Other cast members include Richard Griffiths, Joanna Lumley (of Absolutely Fabulous), Chris Langham as well as cricket commentators Henry Blofeld and Fred Trueman.The late Douglas Adams himself voiced the character Agrajag, a creature who has lived many lives, only to have each one ended accidentally at the hands of Arthur Dent, although Agrajag believes Arthur is deliberately murdering him each time. The storyline picks up where the previous radio series left off, as Arthur and Ford escape prehistoric Earth on a space-time eddy manifested in the form of a sofa.They arrive at Lords Cricket Ground where a group of homicidal robots who strangley resemble cricketers proceed to blow the place up.Arthur and Ford reunite with Slartibartfast and embark on a mission to save the Universe from these xenophobic murderers from the planet Krikkit.The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Tertiary Phase is a hilarious adaptation of Book Three in the Hitchhiker's Guide series, and I look forward to the Quandary and Quintessential Phase radio adaptations of Books Four and Five.

Good follow up to the series
When I heard they were going to continue the radio series, I found myself being both extremely happy and a little puzzled.After all, Douglas Adams has been dead for a number of years.

I grew up listening to the original radio show and have gone to sleep with it playing for more nights than I can count.As far as Tertiary Phase goes, it is certainly better than all 53 things you can do in zero gravity and is more exciting than a zerbra crossing.

If your a big fan of the original two series, these are the things you need to know:The voices are different but the same!Sadly, Peter Jones died in 2000, before the series was recorded so the voice of the book is a different actor.However, despite the differences in voice the new actor does a comendablejob.Despite Peter's passing, they have managed to get all the same actors back again.Mark Wing-Davey as Zaphod, Simon Jones as Arthur, and even Stephen Moore for Marvin.While it's awesome that they all came back, you can tell how much they have aged.Zaphod's beech-bum style of talking sounds oddly strange coming from an "old man's" tone of voice.Despite this, all the actors bring the same great performances they did in the original.
There's also a bit score for this series which is a good addition.

Dirk Maggs, who is this series producer has managed to create Douglas' world again without making it seem like someone other than Douglas was creating it.

All in all, if you enjoyed the first two series, I am certain you will enjoy this one.And for those of you just looking at this because you saw the movie or read the book, get the Radio Show and listen to it now! (Be sure to get the other parts first).

Like being there - without a Babelfish!
This is probably my favorite Hitchhiker's item ever! It helps, however, to have already read Douglas Adam's "Life, The Universe and Everything" because the 3 CDs seem to cover most of that book. Although it seems to just be an audiobook, these CDs were actually part of the BBC radio series for Hitchhikers. Even a television series was made based on the radio series, which also can be found on a 2-disc DVD set - so buy it too while you're at it!

The voice acting on these CDs is fantastic! Everything is just as expressive and imaginative as the books are. You can just feel those Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters (they hurt - a lot)! My favorite part is where Douglas Adams himself plays the scary, psychotic Agrajag. The sound effects add to it all to make the mental images crystal clear. If you like the Hitchhiker's feel, then this is definitely for you! Arthur is still stumbling through space with Ford Prefect and Slartibartfast, but they'll need Zaphod and Trillian's help to save the galaxy from the murderous people of the planet Krikkit! Can Marvin the paranoid android stop sulking long enough to stop the cricket-bat-carrying, grenade-ball-wielding robots? These CDs are perfect for a long car ride, and they're even better for making that ride to work extremely hoopy (extremely wonderful and a general happy feeling)! I hope you'll enjoy them just as much - especially all you froods who know where your towel is! ... Read more

Amazon.com

"What if" scenarios are often suspect.They are sometimes thinly veiled tales of the gospel according to the author, taking on the claustrophobic air of a personal fantasia that can't be shared.Such is not the case with Philip Roth's tour de force, The Plot Against America.It is a credible, fully-realized picture of what could happen anywhere, at any time, if the right people and circumstances come together.

The Plot Against America explores a wholly imagined thesis and sees it through to the end:Charles A. Lindbergh defeats FDR for the Presidency in 1940.Lindbergh, the "Lone Eagle," captured the country's imagination by his solo Atlantic crossing in 1927 in the monoplane,Spirit of St. Louis, then had the country's sympathy upon the kidnapping and murder of his young son.He was a true American hero: brave, modest, handsome, a patriot.According to some reliable sources, he was also a rabid isolationist, Nazi sympathizer, and a crypto-fascist.It is these latter attributes of Lindbergh that inform the novel.

The story is framed in Roth's own family history: the family flat in Weequahic, the neighbors, his parents, Bess and Herman, his brother, Sandy and seven-year-old Philip.Jewishness is always the scrim through which Roth examines American contemporary culture.His detractors say that he sees persecution everywhere, that he is vigilant in "Keeping faith with the certainty of Jewish travail"; his less severe critics might cavil about his portrayal of Jewish mothers and his sexual obsession, but generally give him good marks, and his fans read every word he writes and heap honors upon him.This novel will engage and satisfy every camp.

"Fear presides over these memories, a perpetual fear. Of course, no childhood is without its terrors, yet I wonder if I would have been a less frightened boy if Lindbergh hadn't been president or if I hadn't been the offspring of Jews."This is the opening paragraph of the book, which sets the stage and tone for all that follows.Fear is palpable throughout; fear of things both real and imagined.A central event of the novel is the relocation effort made through the Office of American Absorption, a government program whereby Jews would be placed, family by family, across the nation, thereby breaking up their neighborhoods--ghettos--and removing them from each other and from any kind of ethnic solidarity.The impact this edict has on Philip and all around him is horrific and life-changing.Throughout the novel, Roth interweaves historical names such as Walter Winchell, who tries to run against Lindbergh.The twist at the end is more than surprising--it is positively ingenious.

Roth has written a magnificent novel, arguably his best work in a long time.It is tempting to equate his scenario with current events, but resist, resist.Of course it is a cautionary tale, but, beyond that, it is a contribution to American letters by a man working at the top of his powers.--Valerie Ryan ... Read more

Book Description

Douglas Adams is back with the amazing, logic-defying, but-why-stop-now fifth novel in the Hitchhiker Trilogy. Here is the epic story of Random, who sets out on a transgalactic quest to find the planet of her ancestors. Line drawings. ... Read more

Reviews (135)

The Third "Final" Book in This Series is the Worst

I'm tired of people saying things like, "It was the only fitting end" or "How did you think he would end it?" Hello, people! The series was over! Both LTUAE and SLATFATF are final chapters- this book was entirely unnecessary. Adams didn't need to finish the series, he already had... twice!

Read this novel carefully, try to understand what is being done here. This book is a jab at all of you out there who would not let well enough alone. Adams was upset at the reaction to SLATFATF, and people would not cease begging for yet another installment. So you got what you asked for, and now you're ticked off.

Listen, I would have no problem with the ending, had it been done well and entertainingly. Some of my favorite novels and movies are very dark and feature bad ends for the heros (the Dune books, 12 Monkeys). I have no problem with a change of tone (I personally love SLATFATF), so long as there is a quality story to be told.

I hate wasted characters- If you liked Fenchurch, tough. She is dispatched retro-actively in a space-time accident and doesn't even appear once. Random, Arthur and Trillian's daughter (don't ask), is an entirely pointless character who is best at being annoying. The only thing she is capable of bringing out in other characters is irritation.

Here and there, there are little sparks of brilliance, as if for a brief moment Adams allowed himself to actually enjoy writing about this group of characters that he's obviously grown to resent. However, they quickly give way to the relentless mean-spiritedness of this book.

I wish you knew, Douglas, that there are those of us who were (and are) very grateful for what you had given to us and would have been content had you never written about these characters again.

Douglas Adams is now writing the screenplay for the film version of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I only hope he doesn't decide to infect it with the derision and spite that run rampant through this joyless volume.

Mostly Harmless is totally hoopy
A great book! Need I say more?

Well actually yes. Most people seemed not to like this book as much as the first three, so I suppose I should explain my opinion!

Granted, Mostly Harmless does have darker humor, and less light-heartedness than some of Adams' other books, but it is also wonderful for its seriousness. We learn that Ford is a fierce animal rights activist (except for when it comes to geese), that all Tricia wants is another chance, that Random just wants to belong somewhere. And the book does have its lighter moments- Colin, Ford's musings on his life as a hitchhiker, the depiction of Random as the Dr. Jeckle and Miss Hyde of teenagers. And there are the touching bits- Random letting her guard down towards her father (well, for a few minutes), Tricia pouring her heart out to Gail, and, of course, the heart-pounding, breath-taking romance of Random conking Ford on the noggin with a rock.

Granted, Mostly Harmless does have a few disappointments. I missed Zaphod and Marvin in this story, and the ending was completely unnecessary. Still, overall, it's a worthwhile read.

What about a sequel? Impossible, because of the circumstances of the ending? Well, not really. Adams has certainly played around with Time enough in the past. A time machine- or a sudden eddy in the space-time continuum- could either prevent the ending, or save those involved. After all, we need to know how Tricia would react to finally seeing Zaphod again, what Fenny would think of Arthur's daughter, how Ford and Random would see each other, if introduced on a friendlier basis. Hopefully, Adams will realize the potential left in the series, and continue his wonderful work!

Fun Crazy House Ride
* When I was going through my final fits of academic labor in the
summer of 1981, I was working on a summer-crash-course thermodynamics
class, work that kept me up late and reduced me to peculiar mental
states. As I closed my thermo text one night in such a state, I
turned on the radio only to hear ... THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE
GALAXY. It was appropriate to the moment and my outlook.

That wasn't the end of it, either. Now we have a fifth volume in "the
increasingly innaccurately named HitchHiker's Trilogy." In MOSTLY
HARMLESS, we see old friends: Ford Prefect, Trillian, Vogons, and of
course Arthur Dent -- and new faces: an insanely cheeful security
robot named Colin, galactic bar singers, Arthur's daughter Random (who
he had no idea existed), a group of aliens who observe Earth from a
distance but do not know why (having collectively and literally lost
their minds), an Earth where four-leaf-clovers are normal and
three-leaf-clovers are lucky, and, most important of all, a new and
much more sinister Guide.

MOSTLY HARMLESS continues the HITCHHIKER's tradition of imaginative
madness, but it differs from earlier parts of the series in two
respects. First, the story has a clever, coherent, and imaginative
underlying plot rationale, something that was largely absent in the
earlier elements of the series. In fact the whole thing resembles an
elaborate puzzle that you have to inspect carefully even when, in the
end, all the pieces have neatly clicked together.

Second, and much more important, in the end this is not a funny book
at all; there is the usual humor during the course of the trip, but
the destination is dark and despairing, and the usual sense of
insanity and fatalism that marks the earlier parts of the series seems
to be felt with conviction: events are incoherent; we understand
nothing; we are at the mercy of chance.

It is probably well, then, that MOSTLY HARMLESS is the end of
the series. Or is it? In a Universe of infinite improbabilities,
somewhere, someplace, infinite numbers of sequels are being
written. [Minor update of review from 1993.]

Action, humour, SF satire and post-modern philosophy
Always a lovely read - Adams is very user friendly. He seems to almost have his own genre of which he and Pratchett are the leading exponents. I can't say I laughed out loud too often (although the picture of a drunken Zaphod sticking a birdcage over his second head and badly pretending to be a pirate is hilarious), but it was a very pleasant ride - even if the conclusion is surprisingly bleak for what feels like a light comedy. Like Pratchett (and there are so many 'like Pratchett's, although that's probably in the wrong comparative order) Adams throws in some agnostic themes with his humour, although here the ultimate meaninglessness of life is treated a little less whimsically.

It's an interesting hotchpotch of action (and cutting between various cliff-hanger scenes), philosophy, stand-up comic perspectives of the everyday, domestic sit-com, satirical SF, and Douglas' own pleasure in blithely hurling his characters through six impossible things before breakfast. The plot is surprisingly coherent although occasionally incidental.

I still would almost be surprised if Adams didn't cite Pynchon's Crying of Lot 49 as a thematic and stylistic influence. Here he lets his sensible and considerate astrologer state the theme that it doesn't matter so much what you believe in ('truth' is irrelevant), but you need something as a structure, a lens, to enable you to live satisfactorily. Adams unsurprisingly explains this much better:
"I know that astrology isn't a science ... of course it isn't. It's just an arbitrary set of rules like chess or tennis ... The rules just kind of got there. They don't make any kind of sense except in terms of themselves. But when you start to exercise those rules, all sorts of processes start to happen and you start to find out all sorts of stuff about people. In astrology the rules happen to be about stars and planets, but they could be about ducks and drakes for all the difference it would make. It's just a way of thinking about a problem which lets the shape of that problem begin to emerge. The more rules, the tinier the rules, the more arbitrary they are, the better. It's like throwing a handful of fine graphite dust on a piece of paper to see where the hidden indentations are. It lets you see the words that were written on the piece of paper above it that's now been taken away and hidden. The graphite's not important. It's just the means of revealing the indentations. So you see, astrology's nothing to do with astronomy. It's just to do with people thinking about people."

'Discuss', huh.

Yet another author struggles to reconcile loss of faith in major, particularly religious, concepts of truth with the inner conviction that there are important, good and beautiful things all around - that it's not all just meaningless.

And it is a struggle, as in the climax (spoiler warning) Trillian explains to her traumatised daughter who desperately wants to know who she is, where her home is, where she 'fits':
This is not your home ... You don't have one. We none of us have one. Hardly anyone has one anymore. The missing ship I was just talking about. The people of that ship don't have a home. They don't know where they are from. The don't even have any memory of who they are or what they are for. The are very lost and very confused and very frightened.

Yeah, ha ha, good one Douglas - hardly Wodehouse light humour. Human condition anyone? I wonder if Adams and Pratchett self-consciously have wanted to be taken 'seriously'? I could see that it could be frustrating for them to be dismissed as merely lightweight because they're so popular. They often contain more articulate thought than works by more academic writers, and shouldn't be seen as lesser merely because they happen to also be very good at amusing and entertaining (quite the opposite). That being said, their books should also come with a flyleaf caveat: "Warning - strong post-modern agenda permeates the following jokes".

good
okay so the ending wasn't all that great, but i still thorougly enjoyed the rest of the book and thought the writing style douglas adams used was quite different from the rest of the hitchhiker books. and anyone who criticises this book for the ending is an idiot because none of them seem to realise that the characters aren't dead at the end, otherwise how would adams make the sixth book that he was planning to write before he was so untimely taken from the world. ... Read more

Book Description

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WFRP or WHFRP) is a roleplaying system created by Games Workshop. It is set in the Old World, which bears some resemblance to late medieval / renaissance Europe. The world is threatened by the forces of Chaos. The major power in the Old World is the Empire, in which most of the adventures are located. The Empire itself is a country full of intrigue, conspiracies, and dark plots. This is the core set of rules that everyone needs in order to play the RPG.BL Publishing is the publishing wing of the world famous Games Workshop group of companies. As well as its new Black Industries imprint, the division is also home to the Black Library, which has been producing best-selling and award-winning novels, comics and artbooks set in the worlds of Warhammer since 1997. It also includes the Black Flame fiction imprint for non-Warhammer titles, and Warhammer Historical Wargames.Warhammer Fantasy Battle was originally published in 1986 and subsequently licensed to Hogshead Publishing.This is the second edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

An excellent return to the FRP world of Warhammer!
The new Warhammer roleplay book is an excellent return to the good old days of Warhammer roleplaying. Gone is the cumbersome magic system and the mediore careers and the somewhat clunky dice system. In the new system everything is done by D10s and that helps things greatly. I have high hopes for this new system and the company that puts it out especially when (at the end of the book) the publisher said that there would be new Warhammer material released more often than when Hogshead published it. If you ever played Warhammer roleplay I highly recommend this book as It improves the overall game while adding new flavor. 5 stars all the way!!!

Much needed update.
The much awaited second addition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.Green Ronin provided a much needed update to an amazing old system, while keeping the feel, flavor and speed of the old system intact.Vetrans of the system will find much to love with this one.Most of the old system remains; from Elves Dwarves, Halflings and Humans as playable races, to Advanced Carreers like Assasin that everyone seemed to want.What has been removed are alot of the limits of the old system.No more must elves be Good or Lawful, no longer must you pick a Warrior, Ranger, Rogue or Academic).The system remains relatively unchanged, with percentile rolls making up the majority of game mechanics.The D6 damage system has been replaced by a D10 system (eliminating the needs for multiple types of dice) with more wounds per charcter keeping this balanced.Combat has moved from open ended miniature style to grid based - with conversion rules for fans of the old system.All tests are now done based on a skill instead of a characteristic (with a %50 penalty if you don't have the skill), balanced with the addition of purchasing certain skills more then once to add +10% each level.Without getting into too much more detail this is an amazing, well needed update, that brings Warhammer back to the forefront of dark fantasy gaming.A great addition to a veterans collection and a great way for new players to learn that +5 swords and Dragon's hoards are they only game out there. One last note- Warhammer in the past was barely supported, with new material being released sporadically over periods of years.Green Ronin aims to change that and they have.With a new book promised pretty much every 3 months this is a great time for the Warhammer world.

Great Dark Fantasy
Imagine D&D mixed with Call of Cthulu and old Hammer Films and you get Warhammer Fantasy Role-play.Combat is bloody, the world is gritty and the player characters are doomed antiheroes.A sampling of PC occupations: bonepicker (a thief that steals valuables from corpses), camp follower (prostitute), ratcatcher and servant. Spell casters get access to many spells and are not limited to the number of times they can cast them.The catch is they could go insane or accidentally summon a demon that could bite their head off.PCs are vulnerable to insanity and disease (in the case of one nasty plague, the "bloody flux", the cure is almost worse than the disease).And should your character live to the ripe old age of 35, it's likely he'll be missing a limb or an eye.And magic items?Never heard of them!
Great game for those who want a change from the high fantasy to something more realistic.The game book contains everything the players and GM need to play: PC creation, adventure creation, world background, monsters, and brief introductory scenario.Since Warhammer scenarios have a distinctive feel, I'd also recommend "plundered vaults" and the "character pack".At the cover price, this book is a bargain compared to D&D, as all the info is contained in one volume.
My only gripe is the introductory scenario has some design flaws and isn't all that thrilling.It doesn't detract from the overall quality of this excellent product, though.

Grim Fantasy finally done right.
This is by far the best done rpg book I have purchased in a long time (and I have bought lots of them). I haven't noticed any typos, the art is great, and the changes that were made to the rules were very well done. The new combat rules give you more options without being really more complicated. The new magic rules are very well done and make it very dangerous to cast spells. Even casting cantrips can make you go insane.

Perilous Adventure in a Grim World
This is the new Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay as produced by Black Industries (an imprint of Games Workshop itself) and Green Ronin. This is not an updated version of the old Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, but is instead a whole new version with new updated and streamlined rules and background. However those already familiar with the old Warhammer Roleplay will find the new rules very familiar and easy to adapt to.

Other than the rules themselves (which are very good by the way, especially the new magic system) the most notable feature is the background and world setting for this game. When this new version of Warhammer was started, the designers decided to make the background of the Roleplaying game match that of the Tabletop Wargame by Games Workshop (Warhammer Fantasy Battles). Thus the RPG is set in the wake of the recent Storm of Chaos that swept the Old World, and thus Fantasy Battle fans will find that a lot of material is already familiar to them in this new edition.

This book deserved 5 out of 5 stars for its rating because of how well it is put together. The book itself is very visually appealing (with great interior art), the game mechanics are well balanced and work very well, and the background and story of the world is unique, making this an excellent RPG product to buy. If you are looking for a new gaming system, one that involves a much darker and dangerous world than your typical gaming systems, a world of grim adventure, indepth roleplay, and many other great features, then Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay might be just what you are looking for. ... Read more

Book Description