Official Final Fantasy VII Strategy Guide

Amazon.com

This Squaresoft-sanctioned book on one of the most highly anticipated console games ever does not disappoint. Those who have managed to obtain a copy of the game (descriptions of rioting and fighting upon the retail release of Final Fantasy IIV sound like sheer hyperbole, but probably aren't) will find plenty of helpful clues, maps, and general game play advice. Those less fortunate can at least take solace in--or further whet their appetites with--the hundreds of beautiful glossy screen shots that fill each chapter.

Book Description

With the Official Final Fantasy VII Strategy Guide gamers have the opportunity to save their world from an evil corporation which is siphoning off energy from the planet. Complete walkthroughs and all the maps help players navigate the game. Character descriptions, complete lists of items, monsters and magic and the revelation of all the secrets help players defeat the evil corporation. The ONLY Guide with COMPLETE Coverage of the American Game! Find over 350 full-color maps, ultimate weapons, extreme breaks, complete bestiary, walkthroughs, character bios, boss strategies, materia combinations, and more.

Customer Reviews:

Lack of clarity and unhelpful info.......2007-09-05

This book was a bit of a challenge. There are some times when it helps and a lot more when it doesn't. I would like to know when the Limits increase, how to learn more Enemy Skills, and about Chocobo breeding. This book doesn't cover these things. It gives you a walkthrough, the plot and some battle tips, but not much else that you can use. (As soon as I figure out how to change the stars, I'm putting it down to a 2-star rating.)

FF7 Strategy Guide.......2007-08-31

This strategy guide is good for people who don't want to miss parts of the storyline or the best items, etc., while still having to do everything yourself. However, for people like me who just wanted to be told exactly how to get everything in the game, it was dissappointing.

Misunderstood Intent.......2007-08-11

I think a lot of people over look the difference between a strategy guide and a walkthrough. If you want to be walked through the game step by step theres tons of free FAQ's on line. This guide is the same as every other official guide for a game. It's a GUIDE, its meant to help you along while you do most of the work. Thats what a guide is.

One thing I heard a lot of people complain about is that this book is full of spoilers. While that may be true, its your own fault if you let it spoil you. Don't want to be spoiled? Then don't read ahead of the part of the game you're in.

Another thing I heard a lot of complaints about is wrong info and typo's. While I haven't read through the entire book so far, I've yet to come across any wrong info. As far as typo's, I may have seen one or two but I wouldn't go as far as to say this book is "loaded" with them.

Yet another bad thing I've heard about this book are the maps. I think the maps are fine. The world map is the last page, makes it real easy to be able to flip to it while holding the page you're on. Also, the towns and areas are lettered and in the order that you have to visit them. For instance, Midgar is lettered "A" and the second town is "B" and so on. As for the maps of the towns and dungeons, I'll have to admit they sometimes get a little hard to read. But if they confuse you and you can't figure them out, you should consider going back to school. I think the game itself is some times confusing, when you're on a certain screen sometimes it isn't clear right away which way you need to go (where entrances and exits are) and the maps match that. I'm going to stop referring to them as maps because they're actually screen shots of the game itself.

This guide is perfect for some one who hasn't played through the game before. One thing I really liked about it was it gives you steal suggestions. For example, it suggests to steal a certain weapon outside of the first town instead of buying the weapon upgrade in the town. Not only do you save the money, but its a stronger weapon. Better yet, the weapon is available to buy in the next town so you saved on buying two items and had the stronger weapon all the while. Another example would be the guide suggesting to steal a certain armor while in a dungeon. Its stronger then what was currently available and better yet free.

I don't give the guide 5 starts because I feel it could have been better, but this isn't a bad guide at all. It could have had a better explanation of materia to beginners, and might have been a little weak in some other explanations. But all the info you need for anything is in the game itself. This is how an RPG works, you have to talk to every one. If you're upset that this guide doesn't hold you hand and tell you how to do everything step by step then I don't know what you're doing playing an RPG game. Half the fun of an RPG game is discovery.

If you're playing this game for the first time and you want something to help you when you get stuck, then this guide is for you. Its also nice to look over an area after you've completed it to see if you missed anything. I recommend it to anyone playing the game for the first time.

Please remember the difference between a guide and a walkthrough ;)

Great game, terrible guide........2007-06-15

As much as I love this game, the guide was of no use to me.

9 times out of 10, an item was misplaced from one dungeon into another.

And the thing that really upset me was the Side-Quest tasks.
No where does it give an in depth description of the All American Creatures. Now I know that's part of the challenge is figuring out how to defeat them. But if Cassady's intentions were to put them into the guide in the first place, he should have at least gave more than what he wrote.

In addition, the Chocobo raising guide is bleaker than a rainy Sunday. Sure it tells you how to achieve the infamous Golden Chocobo. Though does it tell you to race 9 times to reach class S? Does it tell you the possible great prizes to be won for dominating races?

Another interesting thing is the amount of cool materia that is shown in the back, yet half of them aren't even expressed in the guide.

It's pretty sad that I had to go online to find out where to obtain some of them.

For those of you buying the guide, I'd advise against it. Invest ten dollars on bubble-gum.

Should have been better.......2007-06-09

For such a legendary game, I would have liked a meatier guide. The walkthrough is great, but that's pretty much all this book features. A quick overview of limit breaks is good, but the fly-by of the side quests leaves a lot to be desired. The bestiary is kind of goofy too. They've improved on these guides for the more recent games, but in comparison this one just seems kind of flimsy. It's a nice tool the first time around,especially because this game can get pretty difficult to master, but afterwards it isn't all that useful.

History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire [8 Volumes Complete Book Set] (Volumes 1-4, and Volumes 5-8, I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII)

Average customer rating:

Brilliant, beautiful classic

History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire [8 Volumes Complete Book Set] (Volumes 1-4, and Volumes 5-8, I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII)

Manufacturer: Folio Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000BRUDMM

Product Description

2 boxed set, each wrapped in the original cellophane. Each box contains 4 books. Volumes 1-4, and Volumes 5-8

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant, beautiful classic.......2007-01-25

This classic presented by the Folio Society, cream leather bound, and gold leafed was a nice touch.

Hours of some of the best history reading that many authors have used as referance. Everything you wanted to know about the Roman Empire, to Attila the Hun, Constantine the Great, The Byzantines, Mohammud, and onwards.

Encyclopeadic knowledge at its finest.

Average customer rating:

I wish I'd never started.
dont go beyond the warning!...spoilers!!!
The Crimson King Revealed
A little disappointing.
I liked it ...

The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower
Stephen King
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0743538110
Release Date: 2004-09-21

Amazon.com

At one point in this final book of the Dark Tower series, the character Stephen King (added to the plot in Song of Susannah) looks back at the preceding pages and says "when this last book is published, the readers are going to be just wild." And he's not kidding.

After a journey through seven books and over 20 years, King's Constant Readers finally have the conclusion they've been both eagerly awaiting and silently dreading. The tension in the Dark Tower series has built steadily from the beginning and, like in the best of King's novels, explodes into a violent, heart-tugging climax as Roland and his ka-tet finally near their goal. The body count in The Dark Tower is high. The gunslingers come out shooting and face a host of enemies, including low men, mutants, vampires, Roland's hideous quasi-offspring Mordred, and the fearsome Crimson King himself. King pushes the gross-out factor at times--Roland's lesson on tanning (no, not sun tanning) is brutal--but the magic of the series remains strong and readers will feel the pull of the Tower as strongly as ever as the story draws to a close. During this sentimental journey, King ties up loose ends left hanging from the 15 non-series novels and stories that are deeply entwined in the fabric of Mid-World through characters like Randall Flagg (The Stand and others) or Father Callahan (Salem's Lot). When it finally arrives, the long awaited conclusion will leave King's myriad fans satisfied but wishing there were still more to come.

In King's memoir On Writing, he tells of an old woman who wrote him after reading the early books in the Dark Tower series. She was dying, she said, and didn't expect to see the end of Roland's quest. Could King tell her? Does he reach the Tower? Does he save it? Sadly, King said he did not know himself, that the story was creating itself as it went along. Wherever that woman is now (the clearing at the end of the path, perhaps?), let's hope she has a copy of The Dark Tower. Surely she would agree it's been worth the wait. --Benjamin Reese

Visit the Dark Tower store
Over 30 years in the making, spanning seven volumes, Stephen King's epic quest for the Dark Tower has encompassed almost his entire body of fiction. Find every volume of this fantastic adventure, an interview with the master himself, and much more in our Dark Tower Store.

Authors on Stephen King
Mystery writer Michael Connelly thinks Stephen King's "one of the most generous writers I know of." Thriller author Ridley Pearson says "King possesses an incredible sense of story..." Read our Stephen King testimonials to find out what else they and other authors had to say about the undisputed King of Horror.

The Path to the Dark Tower
There are only seven volumes in Stephen King's Dark Tower series but more than a dozen of his novels and short stories are deeply entwined with the Mid-World universe. Take a look at the non-series titles, from Salem's Lot to Everything's Eventual. Can you find the connections?

History of an Alternate Universe
Robin Furth, an expert on Stephen King's Dark Tower universe if ever there was one, has created a timeline of Mid-World, the slowly crumbling world of gunslinger Roland Deschain. Read it and get up to speed on a world of adventure.

Hail to the King
Fans applauded and critics howled when Stephen King was awarded the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Service to American Letters. In typical fashion, King accepted the honor with humility and urged recognition for other "popular" authors. Listen to a clip of his acceptance speech, then order the entire speech on audio CD.

Book Description

All good things must come to end. Constant Listener, and not even Stephen King can write a story that goes on forever. The tale of Ronald Deschain's relentless quest for the Dark Tower has, the author fears, sorely tried the patience of those who have followed it from its earliest chapters. But attend to it a while longer, if it pleases you, for this volume is the last, and often the last things are best.

Roland's ka-tet remains intact, though scattered over wheres and whens. Susannah-Mia has been carried from the Dixie Pig (in the summer of 1999) to a birthing room -- really a chamber of horrors - in Thunderclap's Fedic Station; Jake and Father Callahan, with Oy between them, have entered the restaurant on Lex and 61st with weapons drawn, little knowing how numerous and noxious are their foes. Roland and Eddie are with John Cullum in Maine, in 1977, looking for the site on Turtleback Lane where "walk-ins" have been often seen. They want desperately to get back to the others, to Susannah especially, and yet they have come to realize that the world they need to escape is the only one that matters.

Thus the audiobook opens, like a door to the uttermost reaches of Stephen King's imagination. You've come this far. Come a little father. Come all the way. The sound you hear may be the slamming of the door behind you. Welcome to The Dark Tower.

Download Description

"All good things must come to an end, Constant Reader, and not even Stephen King can make a story that goes on forever. The tale of Roland Deschain's relentless quest for the Dark Tower has, the author fears, sorely tried the patience of those who have followed it from its earliest chapters. But attend to it a while longer, if it pleases you, for this volume is the last, and often the last things are best. Roland's ka-tet remains intact, though scattered over wheres and whens. Susannah-Mia has been carried from the Dixie Pig (in the summer of 1999) to a birthing room -- really a chamber of horrors -- in Thunderclap's Fedic; Jake and Father Callahan, with Oy between them, have entered the restaurant on Lex and Sixty-first with weapons drawn, little knowing how numerous and noxious are their foes. Roland and Eddie are with John Cullum in Maine, in 1977, looking for the site on Turtleback Lane where ""walk-ins"" have been often seen. They want desperately to get back to the others, to Susannah especially, and yet they have come to realize that the world they need to escape is the only one that matters. Thus the book opens, like a door to the uttermost reaches of Stephen King's imagination. You've come this far. Come a little farther. Come all the way. The sound you hear may be the slamming of the door behind you. Welcome to The Dark Tower. "

Customer Reviews:

I wish I'd never started........2007-10-03

Other (negative) reviews seem to sum up my opinion pretty well. Please don't start this series. If you start, please don't read the last book. It's really just bad. And it could have been so good.

dont go beyond the warning!...spoilers!!!.......2007-09-13

when i finally put down book six of this epic adventure i found myself relishing every page of the 7th and last book. before i could start the last book i had to get myself in the right mind set, it was that important to me. for all those who say the whole series was ruined by this books, i feel sorry they feel so strongly. this book is really a great book. the only problem is the ending of it all. after Roland leaves patick to go to his finally won dark tower i should have stopped reading. even stephen king tells the reader to stop if you enjoy the first ending. and i was close to putting the book down then,so close.
but i kept reading.
i remember telling a good friend who had finished the series already that i though the worst ending to the series would be if all the main characters had forgotten what they had achieved. i told him i would hate such a cop-out ending. well i cant say jake and eddie really forgot, since they died and Susanah, i could have over looked her memory loss since i was glad to see she found her way back to new york.
but when i finished the book, the one thing i had feared had come true. Stephen king ended the series with such a cop-out ending, the one i had told my friend i would hate. Roland standing in the desert he began in. "the man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." and he remembers nothing of his preiviouse adventure. really. i wanted Roland to die in that tower. i wanted him to have his final resting place in the top room of his finally won tower. in my mind that is where Roland died. in the worst way possible. THANKs KING. THANKS FOR COPIN-OUT!!!!!!

The Crimson King Revealed.......2007-09-13

this is the one we've been waiting for! Those stalwart souls who have journeyed with Roland,the gunslinger, and his cohorts finally arrive.
It's ben rough going,to put it mildly;my designated source of disgust were the "lobstrocities"Although the Wolves in the Calla were "no picnic".
Book 7, "The Dark Tower" introduces us to a revolting little half baby half spider but when The Crimson King is encountered this entity disintigrates into ashes to ashes dust to dust.
Stephen King"s "Crimson King is a shock but not really for "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower came" by Niina Lockwood
fermbois@yahoo.com

A little disappointing........2007-09-07

I started the Dark Tower series with anticipation of a really good epic tale and for the most part it was...at least until Steve decided to interject himself into the story. Sigh..how self-serving and unimaginative can you get. I actually stopped reading and said out loud, "You have got to be kidding! Oh, Steve, no". I only continued on with the series because, in spite of this egotism, he had written some truly memorable characters and I just had to see what happened next. I particularily loved that he wasn't afraid to kill them off. Most writers are too insecure to trust their readers enough to do away with a really good character. I think this just enhances the experience of a good story. All in all, I would recommend this series as a whole just for the plain good storytelling of King at his most imaginative and to just overlook the author's intrusion.

I liked it ..........2007-09-06

Especially the part when Roland sings the names of all the people who helped (and died) so he could reach the Tower. If this series could be made into a movie or movies (which I doubt) that would be one of the best moments in cinema ever, it gave me goosebumps and haunted me (that night I dreamed of the Tower and what could be inside - I hadn't read the Coda yet). The ending is cruel, but I think it worked as a metaphor for the cleansing of one's karma (ka - karma?). I also hoped that Roland could get his much deserved rest when he reached the Tower, but maybe his whole quest perfected him somehow, and now he will make the right choices through his journey, so he can be worthy of entering the White and be at ease at last... Just my opinion.

Love, Marriage, and Family in the Middle Ages: A Reader (Readings in Medieval Civilizations and Cultures VII)

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Love, Marriage, and Family in the Middle Ages: A Reader (Readings in Medieval Civilizations and Cultures VII)

Manufacturer: Broadview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1551111047

Book Description

This reader of primary sources focuses on the burgeoning field of the Medieval family. While much of what it means to be in love, or to marry, or to be part of a family has remained consistent over the past two millennia, dramatic changes have also taken place. Love, Marriage, and the Family in the Middle Ages now allows readers a vivid sense of what these issues, which make up so much of daily life, meant to those in the Middle Ages.

Average customer rating:

couldn't put it down
Great Revisionist History
Fabulous, thorough, historically accurate novel
The best of Penman's fabulous historical fiction
Excellent writer; Excellent story; not a single dull page

Sunne in Splendour
Sharon Kay Penman
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0345363132
Release Date: 1990-01-14

Book Description

"The reader is left with the haunting sensation that perhaps the good a man does can live after him--especially in the hands of a dedicated historian."
SAN DIEGO UNION
In this stirring historical novel, Sharon Kay Penman redeems Richard III from his villainous role in history as the hulking, evil hunchback. This dazzling recreation of his life is filled with the sights and sounds of battle, and the passions of the highborn. Most of all, it brings to life a gifted man whose greatest sin was that he held principles too firmly for the times in which he lived, and loved too deeply to survive love's loss.

Customer Reviews:

couldn't put it down.......2007-09-16

I'm not a fan of historical fiction. I picked this up cheap somewhere and it sat around for a year or two before I dove in. Hesitant to start, I couldn't put it down once I got going. It was one of those "you don't want it to end books".

I've read a fair amount about the Wars of Roses (time frame of this novel) and felt like I was getting a great story and a re-cap of good history to boot. I'm not an authority but the history seems fairly spot-on. The author has some notes regarding her few changes at the book's end.

One sided? Yes. She's a Richard fan, no doubt. I lean toward the Richard camp anyway. I don't agree 100% with a few things but that's ok. The story works and maybe she is right about all of it. You'll like the either way. On more than one occasion I found myself wanting to jump in the story and lend a hand (as if I was could!). It gets that exciting. The main characters are well developed and to be fair, you heart will go out the Lancastrian as well as the Yorkist.

If your interested in the Wars of the Roses, medieval history, or good old family warfare (this beats Godfather stuff any day), go for it.

Great Revisionist History.......2007-09-03

A thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening read. I love the way she makes the characters come alive. No cardboard cut outs here! By making over Richard, one gets a more balanced picture of what might have happened. The supporting cast--Buckingham, Hastings, Elizabeth, etc.--are well drawn, too, and the complexity of the period is brought out in an exciting way. Loved it!

Fabulous, thorough, historically accurate novel.......2007-06-26

Though a novel, THE SUNNE IN SPLENDOUR accurately reflects the times (approx. 1459-1485). The story is sympathetic toward Richard III, but it is less romanticized than some other fiction in this category.

If memory serves (I read the book awhile ago.), it treats the disappearance of the princes as a murder - one committed by the Duke of Buckingham without Richard's knowledge or consent. I think this scenario is unlikely, but the work is fiction, and no one knows what happened for certain.

While the novel centers around Richard, readers also will learn about Edward IV, who reigned during most of the time period covered by the book. You will also learn about the disputes between the Houses of York and Lancaster, as well as the role of the French, and to a lesser extent, the role of Burgundy during the Wars of the Roses.

Penman is an awesome storyteller - strong character development, credible blend of fact and fiction, engrossing writing style.

The best of Penman's fabulous historical fiction.......2007-05-17

I love all of Penman's historical fiction, and I think this is the best one. What more can I say...it's in a class all its own.

Excellent writer; Excellent story; not a single dull page.......2007-05-17

This was my first time to read Sharon Kay Penman. She's the best. The other reviews will tell you about the story. I'm just wanting to brag on the writer. This was her first novel which is set in 15th century England. Next she wrote a trilogy about 13th century England and Wales, Here Be Dragons, Falls the Shadow, and The Reckoning. They should be read in that order. I hope this review is helpful. I look forward to reading all of Sharon's books.

Data Mining VII: Data, Text And Web Mining And Their Business Applications

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Data Mining VII: Data, Text And Web Mining And Their Business Applications

Manufacturer: WIT Press (UK)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1845641787

Book Description

This book features papers from the Seventh International Conference on Data Mining and Information Engineering. State-of-the-art research results are brought together with practical development experiences from researchers and application developers from many different areas. The Conference provides a platform for discussion of theoretical and applicative aspects of data mining, with participants from all over the world from both academia and industry. Topics included are: Data preparation; Clustering technologies; Link analysis and categorisation methods; MS SWL server data mining; Text mining; Web mining; Customer relationship management; Applications in science and engineering; Applications in business, industry and government; Information systems strategies and methodologies.

The Princess Diaries, Volume VII: Party Princess (Princess Diaries)

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Courtesy of Teens Read Too
4 stars
Princess Not Fun?! By Ariel Anand
Princess Not Fun?!
GRANDMERE TO THE RESCURE

The Princess Diaries, Volume VII: Party Princess (Princess Diaries)
Meg Cabot
Manufacturer: HarperTeen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060724552
Release Date: 2006-12-26

Book Description

Princess just want to have fun . . . And Mia does too, despite the fact that the student government over which she presides is suddenly broke. But Grandmère's got a wacky scheme to raise the money, catapult Mia to theatrical fame, and link her romantically with an eligible teen bachelor who's not her boyfriend. No wonder Michael seems to think she's a psycho, or worse: not much fun. Is it possible that Mia, soon-to-be star of the stage, president of the student body, and future ruler of Genovia, doesn't know how to party?

Download Description

Princess just want to have fun

This spring, Mia's determined to have a good time, despite the fact that the student government over which she presides is suddenly broke. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it) Grandmère has an elaborate scheme to simultaneously raise money, catapult Mia to theatrical fame, and link her romantically with an eligible teen bachelor, not her boyfriend. It's no wonder that Michael, the love of her life, seems to think she's a psycho, or worse: not much fun.

Is it possible that Mia, soon-to-be star of the stage, president of the student body, and future ruler of Genovia, doesn't know how to party?

Customer Reviews:

Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2007-06-09

Princess Mia is back in this seventh installment of the popular PRINCESS DIARIES series, and, as usual, she's facing more problems than she knows what to do with. She's recently been elected student body president, which shouldn't really be that difficult a job since she's been in training to rule her own county someday, but it turns out that the student government is broke.

As if that weren't enough, Lilly starts a new literary magazine, calls it Fat Louie's Pink Butthole, and wants to publish Mia's story about "The Guy Who Hates It When They Put Corn in the Chili," a story that Mia would rather the entire student body not read.

Luckily (or not so luckily, depending on how you look at it), there's Grandmere to the rescue, and she's got a plan to help Mia's financial situation, social situation, and romantic situation all at once (not that Mia was aware she had a romantic "situation" in the first place). Unfortunately, Mia's romantic issues become all too clear when Michael decides to throw a party, and Mia starts freaking out because she's not a "party girl."

Fans of the previous PRINCESS DIARIES books won't want to miss this and will definitely enjoy reading along as Mia shares her crazy high school experiences through her journal. Meg Cabot's writing is light and breezy as always, and perfect for a lazy afternoon.

Reviewed by: Andie Z.

4 stars.......2007-03-23

It may be some time before Princess Mia rules Genovia, but she is already getting a taste of governing as the President of the student body of her school. It is not going well. With three months left until the commencement, Mia is faced with bankruptcy and being unable to pay for the ceremony to be held at Lincoln Center. She does not want to resort to selling candles to make up the deficit, but that is a more appealing idea than having the valevictorian cause her bodily harm, if she can get past Lars, Mia's bodyguard. However, Grandmere has an idea. Unfortunately, when Grandmere or the princess' best friend, Lily, has an idea, Mia knows life is about to get "interesting," in the worst sense of the word. She's already dealing with a mountain of potential fall-out from Lilly's idea of creating a school-based literary journal whose sales will go toward meeting the budget. Now, Grandmere has the bright idea to put on a show. Her delivery of the suggesting somehow lacks the perkiness of Judy Garland telling Mickey Rooney that is what they ought to do. Now that the Queen Mother has spoken, so shall it be done. Being beaten senseless by an irate senior might be a better fate!

**** Mia's trials and tribulations continue to charm and amuse readers of all ages. Her angst has a ring of truth, even in the most ridiculous situations. Subtle in-jokes enhance the humor. If you need a laugh, or just to be reassured that things will get better, pick up a Princess story. ****

Princess Not Fun?! By Ariel Anand.......2007-03-23

Princess Mia has a BIG problem. She is a fifteen-year-old girl living in a loft with her mom, stepdad, and baby brother in New York. She has triangular shaped short hair, a flat chest and a horrible social status. She is commonly called "freak". She goes to Albert Einstein High School and she's the student council president. She's heir to the throne of a small country called Genovia. Most people would think that being a princess is great. You'd get whatever you wanted. But that's so not true. Mia HATES being a princess. But the real problem is, she is completely broke. Or at least the student government of AEHS is broke. But her job as student council president is to keep track over everything. Unfortunately, the treasurer didn't really do a good job of saving money. So now, Mia is stuck trying to raise $5,728 for the Senior's Commencement Ceremony in June. Amber Cheeseman was going to kill her for losing all the money. Amber was the senior valedictorian and she was a black belt in karate. She was going to destroy Mia. So Mia has to star in her evil grandmother's musical or else her grandmother would tell Amber about the money problem. All the money raised from the musical would go towards the student council fund. And of course, Mia gets the lead. Could her life be any more difficult? Oh yeah, her boyfriend asked her to go to a COLLEGE party. Mia has never truly been to a college party before. She has no idea what to do. She tries to convince herself that she's a party girl but inside, she knows she isn't. She goes to seek advice on how to party like Paris Hilton. She tries hard to cheer herself up by making snacks for the party and dressing great. But when she does go to the party, she makes a complete fool out of herself. She has a beer and is completely ashamed of what happens. Mia thinks that her boyfriend, Michael, won't like for what she's done. Michael doesn't talk to Mia for days. But that's only because Michael's parents are splitting up and Michael is going through a bad time. But in the end, Michael forgives Mia for humiliating him and her, too. He explains to her what was wrong with his family and she really understands. Also, the student government makes enough money to fund the Senior's Commencement Ceremony and Amber doesn't know anything. Mia's grandmother gives her the check for $5,728. Even her grandmother says that Mia did an amazing job performing onstage. Mia is very pleased and happy. The musical turns out to be a hit! Her grandmother got off her case and Mia is finally free from it all. Now she doesn't have to worry about anything... for only a little while, though.

Princess Not Fun?!.......2007-03-23

GRANDMERE TO THE RESCURE.......2007-03-01

Just when you think Mia has done it all in the past six books Meg Cabot can prove you wrong! Mia finds herself in a stressful situation after she realizes she has spent all the money of the student government on High tech Recycling bins, Mia realizes she may end up going door to door to selling candles! THE PRINCESS OF GENOVIA Selling candles! Now that's a pretty picture! Grandmere decided to take it one step ahead and help Mia with her financial problem! Grandmere decided to embrace her creative side and give a chance to students of AHEAS a chance to shine!
To give the story a bit of spice Meg Cabot added another male in Mia's life that could stir some problems between her and Michael.
I have grown up reading this book and I still find it more interesting than the previous. If any fan has felt the books have began to get to repetitive this book will change your judgment, it's a well recommended book to any Meg Cabot fan.

The Legacy (Forgotten Realms: The Legend of Drizzt, Book VII)

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One of the better series in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting
Salvatore Kicks Off Another Great Series
The team is no longer invincible
Drizzt's past comes back to haunt him.
The Drow Strike Back

The Legacy (Forgotten Realms: The Legend of Drizzt, Book VII)
R.A. Salvatore
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0786939842
Release Date: 2006-04-11

Book Description

Because of the friends I have known, the honorable people I have met, I know I am no solitary hero of unique causes. I know that when I die, that which is important will live on. This is my legacy; by the grace of the gods, I am not alone.

–Drizzt Do’Urden

Customer Reviews:

One of the better series in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.......2007-08-20

Series review: Legacy of the Draw

This series is a 4-part sequel to The Dark Elf Trilogy, which introduced the character of Drizzt Do'Urden, the exiled drow-hero swordmaster (and ranger). In this series, Drizzt undertakes an epic reverse journey back to Menzoberranzan, into the very heart of evil, in order to try to put an end to the hit squads and assassination attempts that threaten him and his friends on the surface.

I enjoyed the series very much, but it didn't quite feel up to the same level as the original series. Still, it's a very solid read for those who are fans of The Forgotten Realms Genre, and Role Playing Games in general. There's action and drama aplenty, and plenty of new information on Drow culture for hardcore gaming fans.

Salvatore Kicks Off Another Great Series.......2007-01-07

After finishing The Icewind Dale Trilogy I was addicted to Drizzt and his companion's adventures. I got my hands on The Legacy and was more-than-pleased. This book brings back Artemis Entreri from the previous trilogy and Jarlaxle from his relatively minor role in The Dark Elf Trilogy. We get to see a little more of Menzoberranzan and bit more of the drow way of life. The Legacy has all the fights and adventure from the previous books and you won't be disappointed.

The team is no longer invincible.......2006-12-19

The Legacy, the 7th book in The Legend of Drizzt (read in order, not by release date), takes the gang of Drizzt, Bruenor, Catti-Brie, Wulfgar and Regis back to Mithril Hall and facing Drizzt's kin, the drow, for the first time in the series. The remainder of Drizzt's house Do'Urden is out for vengance and attacking the dwarfs in their homebase is part of the plan.

Normally winners of almost every battle to date in the series, the team and the army of dwarves run up against a huge challenge in fighting the drow, as hardened warriors as the dwarves and much crueller. It is good to seem them challenged and even beaten in a skimish or two.

This book features the return of Artemis Entreri (did he ever really leave?), Drizzt's main enemy. Though their banter gets old (with Drizzt taking the high moral ground and Entreri the competitive) the fight scenes are well written as always.

Though disheartnening when it happens, the team finally loses its aura of invincibility as one of their members falls in battle (no name will be given, as I hate spoilers). This brings a bit more realism to the story, and hints at future strife for the team.

Not as good as the first three (Homeland, Sojurn, Exile) but well worth the read.

Drizzt's past comes back to haunt him........2006-07-25

In this first novel of the Legacy of the Drow series, Salvatore picks up the tale where it left off in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Bruenor has conquered Mithral Hall and Catie-Brie and Wulfgar are set to be married. Soon after Drizzt and the rest of the crew assemble for the occasion, trouble begins. The few left in Drizzt's family (sister Vierna and brother Dinin) are tasked by the Spider Queen to capture him for sacrifice.

This story is typical of Salvatore's style, with fast-paced action and fight scene after fight scene throughout the book. As usual, this makes for a very quick and exciting read that you'll probably read in just a couple of days. With Artemis Entreri back in the picture (and fighting Drizzt multiple times) the sword play is top-notch and Salvatore does a great job of bringing it to life. New tensions between the heroes have developed in this story that were absent in the previous books that provide a deeper level of personality to the characters. The companions go through some tough times in this book, including Wulfgar being lost, but that isn't unusual for Salvatore's work.

Overall I'd say that this book fits in nicely with The Legend of Drizzt, and if you liked the others in the series, you'll like this one too.

The Drow Strike Back.......2006-07-19

Following up on the heels of the Dark Elf trilogy(published order) or The Crystal Shard Trilogy(chronological order) we have a return to what made the first two books of the Dark Elf Trilogy a success. The Underdark and the drow society. We also finally have a terminal change in the status of one of the formerly untouchable compadres.

What makes the book is the delightful convoluted intrigues of the drow society as Matron Baenre and a surviving daughter of Drizz't's house engage in an offensive against the dwarves of Mithril Hall. On top of that treachery add in the new character of Jarlaxle, a conniving drow mercenary owing no allegiance to any but himself and his band of merry men.

There are some weaknesses, character wise many of the drow suffer from inexplicable monomania which blinds them fatally to other goings on. The battle-rager Pwent, probably meant for comic relief proved to be only annoying, not funny.

The battle scenes as always are superb, and after the weak Sojourn it is a welcome return to the Underdark and some solid light entertainment. Unforunately, tragedy isn't necessarily permanent in epic fantasy which reduces the emotional impact as the reader wonders "Really?".

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Genes
the best book
Great book
Good
Genes 7- A Primer For the Beginner

Genes VII
Benjamin Lewin
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 019879276X

Book Description

Genes VII gives an integrated and authoritative account of the structure and function of genes. It is thoroughly up to date with the latest research and thinking in the field. Successive editions have provided an integrated account of the whole field of modern molecular genetics and this edition continues that approach, providing a new synthesis and continuing the greater emphasis on how genes function in their biological context. In a change to all previous editions, which started with a traditional analysis of formal genetics, this seventh edition has been organised to present the subject in the context of the eukaryotic gene as revealed in the last decade, an analysis based directly on the molecular properties of the gene itself. From the Preface: "The thesis of Genes is that only by understanding the structure and function of the gene itself will we be able in turn to understand the operation of the genome as a whole. Although the emphasis has shifted to the characterization of eukaryotic genes, and therefore to their analysis by the direct techniques of molecular biology rather than the subtlety of genetics, the classical approach remains intellectually penetrating. It remains an aim of this book to integrate both approaches in the context of a unified approach to prokaryotes and eukaryotes."

Customer Reviews:

Genes.......2005-08-31

The organization of this book is horrible and the explanations are not student friendly. You could buy this book if you wanted to fill your bookshelves for aethetics reasons only, but if you want to learn about genes, get another book which is student friendly.

the best book.......2003-08-22

In my opinion it is the best book i have partly read by far and every time when i have a free time i intrestingly like to read this book. In fact, i have found it very usefull to undrestand basic meaning of celular and molecular phenomenons and genes.

Great book.......2003-07-10

This book is well written and provides an excellent introduction to the subject matter. It's a comprehensive text for anyone who wishes to gain a thorough exposure to the genes, genomes and gene regulation. However, this book does have it's drawbacks. Recent advances in genomics maybe covered on a later textbook. Perfect for an undergraduate or a beginning grad student. I suggest this book as a companion for a more comprehesive text such MBOC by alberts et al. If you are faced with a choice of either alberts or Genes VII, I suggest alberts. For the seasoned molecular biologist I urge you to look elsewhere.

Good.......2003-02-04

This book is useful but if your new to genetics and want a nice reference book that is easy to read I recommend "Concepts of Genetics" by Klug and Cummings. I have the 6th version and even though it is not as popular as Lewin's texts it reads well and has great pictures.

Genes 7- A Primer For the Beginner.......2003-02-04

Lewin has excellent figures and gives you the basics in Genes VII. Recently he's gotten into this pay for info on his website. Buy the book but don't get involved in his website.

The Gnostic Jung and the Seven Sermons to the Dead (Quest Books)

Average customer rating:

A classic analysis of the subject
Jung the Pneumatic
The Modern Gnostic
Wake up... and read this book!
Beautiful, moving and true

The Gnostic Jung and the Seven Sermons to the Dead (Quest Books)
Stephan Hoeller
Manufacturer: Quest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 083560568X

Book Description

Jungian psychology based on a little known treatise he authored in his earlier years.

Customer Reviews:

A classic analysis of the subject.......2007-09-08

To date, Hoeller's detailed and sophisticated analysis of C.G. Jung as an authentic, albeit modern gnostic has not been surpassed. A great read - highly recommended.

Jung the Pneumatic.......2007-08-02

Carl Gustav Jung once studied under Sigmund Freud but separated based on philosophical differences mainly due to the belief in the spirit of man. Early in his life Jung had a mystic experience that lasted several years. Jung documented them but only one of the pieces of that period of his writing has been released. It consists of "The Seven Sermons to the Dead".

I am not quite sure "why" I am so interested in Gnosticism but when I found this book on Amzon.com, I had to get it. Carl Jung the Gnostic!

Carl Jung though not credited as the Father of psychology clearly saw what the Gnostics were experiencing, of course he had no problem making the connection between Gnosticism and psychology.

Since reading The Nag Hammadi Library's Gnostic scriptures, Jung's Gnostic definitions were extremely helpful to me. I especially enjoyed many references to the Gospel of Truth, the Gospel of Philip and of course the Gospel of Thomas. The following are some of those definitions:

-Abraxis: The God of Opposites. When opposites are combined nothing and everything is experienced.
-Archon: Ruler. An inferior cosmic being ruling over and imposing limitations on the human soul.
-The Demiurge: The stupid God and architect of the Earth plane. Also known as the ego.
-Gnosis: Spiritual knowledge arrived at intuitively.
-Syzygies: Polar opposites or duality.
-Pleroma: Fullness of being. Holiness. Wholeness.

From Hoeller "............the Gnostics, like psychologists, do not aim at the transformation of the world but at the transformation of the MIND, with its natural consequence----a changed attitude towards the world."

Hoeller explains that while Rome (which Jung refused to visit) was the spiritual center of Christianity, Alexandria was the spiritual center of Gnosticism. The Seven Sermons to the Dead appear to be written by Basilides, the purest known Gnostic Master, channeled thru Carl Jung!

From Hoeller "...............Jung's spiritual forebears in the early Christian centuries called Gnosis--------is never accomplished by beliefs in ideas but only by realization in the form of experience."

"Jung said in essence that human beings have a religious need, but that this need is not for religious BELIEF but rather for religious EXPERIENCE." Hoeller then goes on to say that this experience brings about the inner unity and wholeness (pleroma) of the human being.

From Hoeller "Only what man EXPERIENCES of the Devine is alive: what he BELIEVES about it is dead.

In my opinion Jung's greatest discovery is the concept of "Synchronicity". Synchronicity manifests itself in the seventh sermon as the "inner eternity" and the "outer eternity". In simple terms it is an event that occurs in the mind and the external world at that same time.....................Synchronicity. Once Synchronicity occurs, transcendence follows.

Finally, Hoeller devotes an entire chapter to the English translation of the Seven Sermons and then devotes a chapter to his analysis of each of the seven Sermons. I recommend that after you read each of his analysis's, go back and read each of Basilides' Sermon's separately and experience Carl Jung's Gnosis for yourself first hand!

The Modern Gnostic.......2003-12-24

After Carl Jung broke with Sigmund Freud and psychoanalysis because of a difficult personal and intellectual dispute over specific tenets of the new discipline, it is known that Jung fell into a long period of depression and introspection. Separating proved to be much more complicated than either of the men first envisaged. Jung was heralded to be the "Crown prince" of the fledgling movement, but disagreements with the master over core doctrines proved to be far too radical for Jung to attempt to create reconciliation. After this break they never uttered a word to each other again. During this time Jung fell into a period of self-analysis that he has written about in his autobiography, 'Memories, Dreams and Reflection'. It was also during this time that he wrote a curious text that he titled ' The Seven Sermons of the Dead". He reports that strange phenomenon in his house began before the writing: loud retorts from invisible sources; a series of disturbing dreams experienced by Jung and his children. At one point he said the house seemed to fill with an invisible presence, a crowd. It was at this stage that he was compelled to write, ordered, in a sense, to scribe what is now known as this text. The esoteric, magical and ultimately Gnostic overtone of the work is without question. Curiously, Jung was not the 'author' of the text, but the ancient Alexandrian Gnostic heretic, Basilides. The work begins:

VII Sermones ad Mortuos

'Seven exhortations to the dead, written by Basilides in Alexandria, the city where East and West meet.'

In chapter three we are given the seven sermons in their entirety. The remaining chapters are devoted to interpreting and analysing the contents, sermon by sermon.

One does not necessarily need to have a strong acquaintance with Gnosticism in order to fully appreciate this book. Hoeller clearly provides the reader with enough background information on the subject in order to follow his well-written exegesis on the sermons themselves. Hoeller's arguments centre on the indisputable connection between the sermons and Jung's depth psychology with Gnosticism. The 'sermons' are clearly Gnostic and expound, symbolically, on the spirit and its relationship with the Divine.

Stephen Hoeller is an excellent writer and his passion and knowledge of philosophy and comparative religion shines forth from every page. He believes Jung to be the modern Gnostic, bringing the once and future Gnosis with us again. This is an important book as it guides us to look within ourselves to possibly discover what we all are consciously or unconsciously searching for.

Wake up... and read this book!.......2002-10-12

"The dead came back from Jerusalem, where they did not find what they were seeking." So begins the short esoteric treatise "The Seven Sermons to the Dead" by the late C.G. Jung, reproduced here with an introduction and extensive commentary and analysis by the learned and insightful Dr. Stephan A. Hoeller.

Who are the dead? They are really the living dead, the spiritually dead -- those who are ignorant of "the knowledge of the heart", or Gnosis. Why do they return from Jerusalem? Because it is the symbolic home of the dogmatism and "dead creeds" which have blinded men to their own true nature.

This book is part gnostic treatise and part academic exegesis of Jung's "Seven Sermons". It serves as an extremely enlightening introduction to both Gnosticism and Jungian psychology. Hoeller clears up many misunderstandings about the ancient Gnostics, who have been vilified by mainstream Christians as "heretics" since ancient times. He also restores dignity to the notion that we (post)moderns can draw on a store of "ancient wisdom". New Age gurus who can't hold a candle to Hoeller bandy this phrase about ad nauseum. Hoeller's knowledge of history and primary texts and his own insight and wisdom shine through to create a unique and vital synthesis that puts the New Age crowd to shame.

Hoeller's writing is intellectually sound and spiritually compelling. There is no dry analysis or tedious language here. Indeed, Hoeller clearly loves the English language and uses it more creatively and adeptly than many native speakers (English is not his first language). His style tends toward the esoteric, but such is the clarity of his thought that the sometimes archaic vocabulary doesn't distract one's attention for an instant. To give an example, Hoeller explains the symbolism of the rooster-head found on images of the ancient Gnostic "god" Abraxas as follows:

"The head of the rooster symbolizes vigilant wakefulness and is related to both the human heart and to universal heart, the sun, the rising of which is invoked by the matutinal clarion call of the chanticleer."

If such highbrow style isn't your cup of tea -- well, then, this book isn't for you. As for me, I found joy on every page and give Stephan Hoeller's "The Gnostic Jung" the highest possible recommendation.

Beautiful, moving and true.......2002-09-03

Many decades later Jung commented thus upon these sermons: "All my work, all my creative activity, has come from those initial fantasies ... everything that I accomplished in later life was already contained in them ..."

The seven sermons deal with the self as the androgynous being Abraxas, with the message that self-knowledge may be attained by the conscious assimilation of the contents of the subconscious, in order to achieve unity. The "dead" are those who stopped growing spiritually by not questioning their egos. By not growing, they are in essence the living dead.

Jung considered his own work a link in the golden chain from ancient gnosticism via philosophical alchemy to the modern psychology of the subconscious. Just as in those ancient texts, his work reveals a fragmented self in which the image of the divine may be found.

The author made his own translation of the sermons and provided a comprehensive preface, exegesis of the sermons and afterword in which he comments grippingly on Jung, gnosticism and the current era. His views on the survival of the pansophic/theosophic tradition (through the arts) are particularly enlightening.

Jung's central doctrine of individuation is an ancient concept of the western esoteric tradition - the tendency of the individual consciousness not to surrender its light into nothingness. Unlike many eastern spiritual systems, the Western tradition never knew the permanent dissolution of the individual consciousness in the divine.

Already in the first sermon this question is discussed, i.e. how to remain an individual while simultaneously achieving an optimal degree of unity with the ineffable greatness of the pleroma within us. Jung gives us an undivided model of reality in which both causal and acausal connections, spirit and matter, are reconciled.

As for belief, Jung convincingly argues that human beings have a religious need - not a need for belief, however, but one for religious experience. This is a psychical experience that leads to the integration of the soul. Inner wholeness - gnosis - is achieved not by belief in ideas, but by experience.

In the place of a god to believe in, Jung thus offers us an existential truth that we can experience. He rejects the "god of belief" in favor of a symbol of lasting validity, and instead of the much abused concept of "belief", he offers the power of the imagination as the way to gnosis, just as in the magickal and alchemical traditions.

The seven sermons are gripping and poetic, while the commentary is full of insight and enriched by quotes from inter alia the Nag Hammadi texts, Plotinus, Helena Blavatsky, Emerson and others. The most beautiful is a moving poem by the mystic Angelus Silesius, of which I quote a part:

"God is such as he is,
I am what I must be;
If you know one, in truth
You know both him and me.

I am the vine, which he
Doth plant and cherish most;
The fruit which grows from me
Is God, the holy ghost."

This text, and Basilides' thoughts on the pleroma (fullness of god), reminded me of Patti Smith's song "Hymn" on her album Wave:

"When I am troubled in the night
He comes to comfort me
He wills me through the darkness
And the empty child is free

To take his hand, his sacred heart
The heart that breaks the dawn, amen.
And when I think I've had my fill
He fills me up again."

I highly recommend this book as a bridge between psychology and religion, or rather the religious experience in the human psyche. It ought to be read together with William James' "The Varieties of Religious experience" and Richard Maurice Bucke's "Cosmic Consciousness", for a breathtaking metaphysical and metatextual experience.

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