Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow

Book Description

"I begin with the young. We older ones are used up . . . But my magnificent youngsters! Look at these men and boys! What material! With them, I can create a new world." --Adolf Hitler, Nuremberg 1933 By the time Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, 3.5 million children belonged to the Hitler Youth. It would become the largest youth group in history. Susan Campbell Bartoletti explores how Hitler gained the loyalty, trust, and passion of so many of Germany's young people. Her research includes telling interviews with surviving Hitler Youth members.

Customer Reviews:

Biased didacticism, not history. .......2007-04-16

Halfway through listening to this book on CD, I wondered why it seemed like the author was talking down to me. The writing was very simplistic and the extremely irritating narrator felt obligated to remind us that Nazism was bad by reading every race-related word with the utmost sarcasm possible, e.g. "Hitler wanted a 'puuuuure' (tee-hee) 'Aaaaaryan' (rotfl!) 'race' (hahahaha!)." This book also felt the need to explain even the most elemental German terms, the most hilarious being when the author told us that "Heil Hitler" means "Hail Hitler" in English. I was kind of offended at the condescension until I finally looked at the CD case and saw that the book was meant for grade-school kids. It contains some interesting accounts of time in the Hitler Youth, but nothing too revelatory. I guess the point of writing this book was to tell kids that racism is bad and not to be conformist. The author goes overboard though by declaring that "All scientists agree that race is only skin deep". (That quote may not be verbatim.) Even leaving aside questions of intelligence, that statement is a blatant lie, as widely varying racial susceptibility to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. will attest. Does Ms. Campbell Bartoletti really want children to be independent thinkers, or does she merely want to indoctrinate them in her own egalitarian ideology?

Used in teaching about WWII.......2007-03-07

When pairing this book with books about World War II from the Allied perspective and the Jewish perspective, it really provides a completely different point of view. It allows students to see the historical event from more than one view, and this will encourage them to be open-minded and willing to see the points of view of others in life.

who was hitler?.......2007-02-13

this is a good book that tells the story of adolf hitler's little army the hitler youth.this book tells the story of many people tha died when hitler was a leader i relly like this book because i had heard of his little army and some of the people that were in his army. this is a very good book if you want to learn of hitler's power

The Children Loove Hitler.......2007-02-09

What do you think it would feel like if you lived during the time of World War II? The book Hitler Youth tells stories of children during this time period. There are many main characters telling the story of their lives during World War II.

The layout of this book is an easy read, but there are a lot of words and pictures on a page. There might also be a word in German that might be hard to read, but there aren't that many.

If you are interested in reading this book, then I think you should be at least in sixth grade or up. It is not a complicated book, but I think that Middle schoolers have more of an interest in World War II. I also think that this book would interest people who want to know what happened to the children during this particular time.

Susan Campbell Bartoletti has written other great books besides the Hitler Youth. She wrote Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, and Dear America: A Coal Miner's Bride.

Hitler Youth is a great book for studying, or for a free read. I recommend this book to read to anyone interested in World War II. I think it is important for people to know what happened the late 1930's to the early 1940's, because it had such a big impact in the world.
PR7

Truth from the other point of view!!!.......2006-11-30

This book is really good! It tells the story of young people of Germany. Usually the books on WWII focus on the victims of the Holocaust and the Allies, but this book tells the point of view of the Hitler Youth. I think this shows how the young people of Germany were also targeted. Hitler manipulated his way to become the chancellor of Germany. This book has a lot of interviews with Hitler Youth boys and girls. They tell their story and how they felt about the war, school, and their life. I strongly recommend this book to adults and young people.

Tome of Magic: Pact, Shadow, and TrueName Magic (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement)

Average customer rating:

Limited Use but does it well
New Ideas, New Problems
Inspiring
Three New Dynamic Magic Systems
Pretty good game supplement, if I do say so myself.

Tome of Magic: Pact, Shadow, and TrueName Magic (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement)
Matthew Sernett , Dave Noonan , Ari Marmell , and Robert J. Schwalb
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0786939095
Release Date: 2006-03-14

Book Description

Unlock the Magical Power of
Vestiges, Shadows, and Syllables

Tome of Magic presents three new kinds of magic that you can integrate easily into any Dungeons & Dragons® campaign. These magic “subsystems” function alongside the existing D&D® magic system and offer new game mechanics, character options, and adventure possibilities. Within this tome you’ll find three new standard classes–one for each new kind of magic–as well as new spells, feats, prestige classes, monsters, and magic items tied thematically to each.

Pact Magic

Powerful entities known as vestiges exist beyond the boundaries of life, death, and undeath. The binder uses pact magic–a combination of symbols and secret rituals–to summon these entities, strike bargains with them, and gain their formidable and sometimes bizarre supernatural powers.

Shadow Magic

The Plane of Shadow is a dark, twisted reflection of the real world. The shadowcaster, by understanding the fundamental properties of the plane and unlocking its magical mysteries, learns to harness and channel its umbral gloom, shaping the darkness to serve her whim.

Truename Magic

Every creature has a truename–the word of its creation. The truenamer knows the primal language of the universe–the language of Truespeech–and learns the truenames of creatures and objects to gain control over them, transform them, or destroy them.

For use with these Dungeons & Dragons® core books
Player’s Handbook™ Dungeon Master’s Guide™ Monster Manual™

Customer Reviews:

Limited Use but does it well.......2007-01-12

I really like wizards and magic users so I really wanted to love this book. If you want something off the beaten track of magic, this provides some ideas. As an aid to most games, though, it doesn't provide much. It's a niche product for those looking for variants in magic.

New Ideas, New Problems.......2006-11-07

This is one D&D supplement that isn't riddled with dead pages. The book is interesting cover to cover, which at the very least makes it a good value in terms of the ammount of the product you are likely to use.

All three of the book's concepts are interesting and somewhat unique.

However, all three have mechanical issues that are left completely up to you, the user, to resolve.

If you are the type of person who wants a product to "works" out of the book, this is a bad product. Shadow Magic has its perks, but due to its design has massive spikes an lulls in power throughout your leveling. It is depressing how bad Shadowcasters are at levels 6 and 12, yet amazing at levels 7 and 13. This uneven growth can be very unsatisfying, leaving one to wonder "Why aren't I a wizard?" The binder has a very similiar problem, though somewhat less extreme.

Truenaming carries similiar baggage as the number of skill raising abilities erraticly varies from campaign to campaign, the class's power fluxates wildly from campaign to campaign.

Personally, I like the stuff in here, but its not very "plug in and play."

Inspiring.......2006-09-28

The first time someone brought this book to the table, I'll admit that I wasn't immediately impressed by it. However, I thought I saw some potential, so I borrowed it from a friend at work to read over the weekend. I read the whole thing, cover to cover, twice, before Monday.

This book has finally reminded me what it was I loved about D&D when I started playing second edition over a decade ago. Unlike most every other third edition book (and even more so with 3.5), Tome of Magic isn't just a gotta-catch-em-all collection of new feats, spells, magic items, and prestige classes. It is stuffed with truly new, fresh ideas. I had thought that the rules in the Expanded Psionics Handbook were a novel approach to spellcasting in D&D, but the alternate magic systems in Tome of Magic are worlds beyond psionics in scope and style. This book could easily serve as the basis of at least one, if not three or four, whole new campaign settings. Truly different, truly spectacular.

And a special aside for Truename Magic. This system is the way spellcasting in a fantasy setting should be. Lets face it. Spells per day? Choosing spells in the morning when you wake up? Transparently artificial, rediculous, and illogical concepts. Truename magic fixes this and fixes it right, while still being a viable and fun system to use.

Three New Dynamic Magic Systems.......2006-08-11

Tome of Magic offers you three new styles of magic to incorperate into your game.

The first, Pact Magic, bears a slight resembelence to the "summons" system from Final Fantasy VIII. They don't attack, as such, but instead provide you with interesting abilities. The only major draw back to Pact Magic is the fact that the book seems to set up the Pact users as almost inherently evil. The beings you have to make deals with are not nice in the least, and the complicated system of "I've used this one, so I can't use this one," will be tedious to a beginning player.

The second, Shadow Magic, could easily take the place of the Shadow Weave in a Forgotten Realms setting or be incorperated into basic games as an alternate style to normal magic. Of the three new styles, this one is the most traditional, combining a blend of "domain-like" styles and specalized magics. In addition, their powers eventually become spell-like abilitites. The only real downside of the system is the sheer lack of volume of spells. Even bards get more. What they lack in versatility, though, they more than make up for in power.

Finally, True Name magic feels incredibly similar to the Earth Sea book series, in that you discover more powers and abilitites with more names. The fact that this one is actually based off of a skill, the True Speak ability, makes it even more interesting. The Difficulty Classes on the skill's use are also very well done, ranging from 10 at lower levels, up into the 50's at higher levels. Best of all, the progression into Epic Abilities, though not really spoken of much, could be easily done by simply raising the DCs of things.

A fairly good book, but not for everyone. Each of the new magics is interesting and dynamic, but this book is not for everyone. If you like playing wizards and sorcerers (or maybe even clerics), then this book is for you; however, if hacking and slashing or sneaking and stabbing is your style, let your D.M. pick this one up.

Pretty good game supplement, if I do say so myself........2006-07-16

Not to insult other popular pencil-and-paper role-playing games of our time, but there's a reason why Dungeons and Dragons is the world's most renowned RPG of them all: Because the men and women who are responsible for its design are practically without peer in terms of sheer creative genius. Sure, I love the traditional themes of arcane and divine magic that almost all fantasy RPGs provide, and psionic powers are nothing to sneeze at, either. However, by delving deep into the esoteric aspects of world history and ideology and coming up with the three new types of magic for gamers and Dungeon Masters alike to add to their most cherished gaming campaigns, Wizards of the Coast has made sure that D&D Version 3.5 is everything they'd planned it'd be: dark, mysterious, inventive, and downright appealing.

Divided into three chapters, the Tome of Magic supplement explains how DMs can incorporate the likes of Pact, Shadow, and Truename Magic into the mythical gaming worlds where their players' characters dwell in search of adventure. Players, too, can get an idea of what these more-or-less new forms of ancient power have in store for them and their allies as they sally forth into the depths of their alter egos' home realm. For instance, the chapter on Pact Magic introduces the Binder PC class and explains how participants in this occult and hence widely despised profession share their souls with a wide variety of Vestiges--beings whose existences in the world ended so tragically that their names have forever been carved into the stone tablet of history as their spirits transcended all reality into utter nothingness. Successful bondage to a Vestige grants a Binder that Vestige's powers and a physical trait that symbolizes the Binder's pact with his/her new patron. A failed pact grants the Binder the Vestige's powers as well as a successful one does, but the latter persona manifests himself/herself so heavily upon the former being that the Binder's behavior is warped by the spirit's own mentality, making the mortal perform eccentrically and--more times than not--downright irrationally.

Similarly, Shadow Casters, who participate in Shadow Magic, draw their powers form the Plane of Shadow--a literally dark and spooky reflection of the campaign's real world. It is by unlocking the mysteries of this twisted alternate reality and harnessing its nearly limitless gloom that these mages learn not only how to utilize this most umbral of all elements as the base of their spells, but also how to merge their own mortal existences with the Plane of Shadow to perform feats that no other being of their realm can, such as surviving for days without food or sleep and resisting the effects of poison and disease.

Finally, the Truenamer PC class is a student of the true universal language of all creation (called Truespeech) and as such learns the fundamentals of the third form of ages-lost mysticism, Truename Magic. By studying the fundamentals of this ancient tongue, a Truenamer can harness control over various objects and subjects, forcing them unto his/her will at the mere mentioning of their "true names"--namely, the names of their creation. To tell you the truth, the Truenamer PC class is a pretty fun one to play in a standard D&D gaming session--even more fun, in my opinion, than the standard Wizard or Sorcerer.

Oh, and before I forget to mention it, Tome of Magic has quite a few adventures in store for Dungeon Masters to put to use in their next gaming sessions--not to mention fifteen total Prestige Classes for PCs and DMs alike to try our (five for each of the three basic Character Classes presented in this book). The monsters are pretty impressive, too, and not just because they're illustrated so well by the most talented artists in the gaming industry, either. Then again, players who are satisfied with playing one of the more established Character Classes from previous releases of the D&D 3rd Edition and Version 3.5 gaming manuals and supplements will still want to check out the new spells and feats presented in ToM, if for nothing else other than to add even more variety to their PCs.

All in all, Tome of Magic is no disappointment in its quest to bring something new to the gaming table. I was definitely impressed, and I believe other Dungeons and Dragons fans will feel the same way I do. If you can find it in your local hobby shop or bookstore, then by all means, snag it! It's a definite keeper.

Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II

Average customer rating:

You Feel Like You Are There
J ohn Sutphen MD, ex navy diver /submarine medical officer
Compulsion to know the answer.
Deep Thrills
Rare Intimate Journey To The Shadows

Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II
Robert Kurson
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345482476
Release Date: 2005-05-31

Book Description

In the tradition of Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air and Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm comes a true tale of riveting adventure in which two weekend scuba divers risk everything to solve a great historical mystery–and make history themselves.

For John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, deep wreck diving was more than a sport. Testing themselves against treacherous currents, braving depths that induced hallucinatory effects, navigating through wreckage as perilous as a minefield, they pushed themselves to their limits and beyond, brushing against death more than once in the rusting hulks of sunken ships.
But in the fall of 1991, not even these courageous divers were prepared for what they found 230 feet below the surface, in the frigid Atlantic waters sixty miles off the coast of New Jersey: a World War II German U-boat, its ruined interior a macabre wasteland of twisted metal, tangled wires, and human bones–all buried under decades of accumulated sediment.
No identifying marks were visible on the submarine or the few artifacts brought to the surface. No historian, expert, or government had a clue as to which U-boat the men had found. In fact, the official records all agreed that there simply could not be a sunken U-boat and crew at that location.

Over the next six years, an elite team of divers embarked on a quest to solve the mystery. Some of them would not live to see its end. Chatterton and Kohler, at first bitter rivals, would be drawn into a friendship that deepened to an almost mystical sense of brotherhood with each other and with the drowned U-boat sailors–former enemies of their country. As the men’s marriages frayed under the pressure of a shared obsession, their dives grew more daring, and each realized that he was hunting more than the identities of a lost U-boat and its nameless crew.

Author Robert Kurson’s account of this quest is at once thrilling and emotionally complex, and it is written with a vivid sense of what divers actually experience when they meet the dangers of the ocean’s underworld. The story of Shadow Divers often seems too amazing to be true, but it all happened, two hundred thirty feet down, in the deep blue sea.

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

CHAPTER ONE

THE BOOK OF NUMBERS

Brielle, New Jersey, September 1991

Bill Nagle's life changed the day a fisherman sat beside him in a ramshackle bar and told him about a mystery he had found lying at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Against his better judgment, that fisherman promised to tell Nagle how to find it. The men agreed to meet the next day on the rickety wooden pier that led to Nagle's boat, the Seeker, a vessel Nagle had built to chase possibility. But when the appointed time came, the fisherman was not there. Nagle paced back and forth, careful not to plunge through the pier where its wooden planks had rotted away. He had lived much of his life on the Atlantic, and he knew when worlds were about to shift. Usually, that happened before a storm or when a man's boat broke. Today, however, he knew it was going to happen when the fisherman handed him a scrap of paper, a hand-scrawled set of numbers that would lead to the sunken mystery. Nagle looked into the distance for the fisherman. He saw no one. The salt air blew against the small seashore town of Brielle, tilting the dockside boats and spraying the Atlantic into Nagle's eyes. When the mist died down he looked again. This time, he saw the fisherman approaching, a small square of paper crumpled in his hands. The fisherman looked worried. Like Nagle, he had lived on the ocean, and he also knew when a man's life was about to change.

In the whispers of approaching autumn, Brielle's rouge is blown away and what remains is the real Brielle, the locals' Brielle. This small seashore town on the central New Jersey coast is the place where the boat captains and fishermen live, where convenience store owners stay open to serve neighbors, where fifth graders can repair scallop dredges. This is where the hangers-on and wannabes and also-rans and once-greats keep believing in the sea. In Brielle, when the customers leave, the town's lines show, and they are the kind grooved by the thin dif

Customer Reviews:

You Feel Like You Are There.......2007-10-05

Others have gone into detail about this book, and it is true. This book combines a mystery worthy of a Sherlock Holmes novel with the details of technical diving and written in such a gripping manner that it could be a work of pop fiction (not in a negative way, just that it flows so well and put together so well that it could have been made up, if that makes sense.)

And the author does a great job of not leaving you "hanging" with an abrupt ending.

Highly recommended and has set the bar for other books in this genre.

J ohn Sutphen MD, ex navy diver /submarine medical officer .......2007-09-21

Tantallizing and heart pounding tale based on incredibly researched information about u boats and diving with an accurate, simple description of practical diving, diving medicine and physiology.

Compulsion to know the answer........2007-09-13

A fascinating saga about 2 deep sea divers and their 6 year odyssey to uncover the identity of a sunken German U boat. A captivating story, and you'll learn a lot about deep sea diving.

Deep Thrills.......2007-09-05

An absorbing account of the discovery and identification by veteran divers John Chatterton and Richie Kohler of a sunken Nazi U-boat 100 miles off the coast of New Jersey. Kurson skillfully weaves together several threads into a very readable narrative, including the evolution of Chatterton and Kohler's rivalry-turned-friendship, the technical hazards of exploring a mangled wreck in 230 feet of water, and the duo's maddening, seven-year long ordeal to obtain positive evidence -- both on the wreck and in official but flawed US and German naval records -- of the boat's identity. As the tale draws to a close, Kurson also draws a moving portrait of the U-boat's crew, who went to sea in the final days of the war and knew that they likely would not return alive.

I started diving when the final pieces of this mystery were falling into place, and can remember following the story of New Jersey's mystery U-boat in the papers. However, none of those articles was anywhere as involving as Kurson's account, which I devoured in four days. Sure, there's some overheated prose here and there ("in a shipwreck, where every danger is first cousin to every other, a diver's desparation makes an open house of his bad situation."), but that's a minor strike against this otherwise excellent and comprehensive work.

Rare Intimate Journey To The Shadows.......2007-08-28

Sometimes the flaws make a thing so much more than perfection could ever achieve. The imperfections in this literary account of the exploration of a WWII submarine discovered in 1991 off the Coast of New Jersey are well documented. Those imperfections didn't bother me.

I was facinated by the detailed account of the personalities of the divers in "Shadow." Its easy to identify a future SCUBA diver - someone who is comfortable putting their face under water. Even better, because it will sometimes trump the 'face' test, is whether a person's curiosity is so intense that they are able to project their consciousness entirely onto something outside of themselves to the virtual exclusion of other thoughts. Divers want to investigate, explore, see something extraordinary, find out whats under that rock, go someplace very few people have been, find something unique, etc. The experience is so strong, you may forget to be worried about all the risks.

My enjoyment of "Shadow" was absolutely enhanced by my experience as a diver who is both Nitrox and advanced open water certified. I have never gone deeper than 110 ft - The U-boat 85, off of Nags Head, North Carolina, which is 20ft shallower than the recreational diving limit of 130 ft. So far, I've never wanted to see anything deeper, but I suspect I'll pass. Surface light begins to diminish rapidly. It usually gets alot colder.

At the depths routinely visitied by the divers in this book, 230 ft., nitrogen narcosis is an inevitability, and helium mixes carry their own risks. Water pressure increases to seven times what it is at the surface. Just when you need all your mental faculties and judgement, you can be assured they will be impared to an extent that cannot be anticipated from dive to dive. Even more frightening is that getting to the surface to resolve any problems that may arise (my mask came off once at 80 ft), must now include a life-saving decompression stop. When you head for the surface with less than 30 minutes of air for your stop, you're in trouble.

Diving can put you face to face with three realities that I don't sense as readily on land: 1.) the incredible spiritual beauty of the natural world, 2.) how alone we really are (I've never felt more alone than those very few times I've dived without a buddy), 3.) Death is always hiding within convenient reach.

The insatiable curiosity of the two lead characters, Chatterton and Kohler, also drives them above the water, as they travel to Europe to learn as much as they can about the submarine and its crew. There was no 'gold' involved, just an incredible mystery to solve.

"Shadow" was one of those books I read in one sitting (I missed dinner). I would compare it to Krakauer's works in power and drama, if not as well written. But again, in a way the rough nature of the text enhanced the story, as if I was sitting across the table from the author.

NOTE TO FELLOW DIVERS: After reading this book I have found my goal for my diving trips next summer - get my "Rescue Diver" certification.

NOTE TO THOSE PEOPLE trying to get young men (ages 9-15) into reading - I know of two young men who hated to read until they picked up this book. Not that they love reading now, but the 'no trespassing' sign is now down in front of the library.

Average customer rating:

Historical fiction at its finest
A well told story for any age

Megiddo's Shadow
Arthur Slade
Manufacturer: Wendy Lamb Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0385747012
Release Date: 2006-10-10

Book Description

Fueled by anger at the death of his two brothers in World War I, 16-year-old Edward abandons his ailing father on their farm and leaves Canada to enlist. After proving that he can tame any wild horse, he's is sent to Jordan to fight with the Cavalry.

Luckily, his horse is the extraordinary Buke; in battle, a trooper's horse is the key to life and death, and his true companion. In the harsh desert, Edward is grateful for the camaraderie of his tent mates, Cheevers and Blackburn,and letters from Emily, a nurse he met at base camp. As they close in on the enemy Edward finds that the glory and noble vengeance he seeks is replaced by the horror of war and the realization that he must fight not only to survive, but also, to kill.

Customer Reviews:

Historical fiction at its finest.......2007-07-30

Arthur Slade dedicates this novel to the memory of the five Slade men who served in World War I, his great grandfather, grandfather and great uncles. The dates of the youngest one jump out at the reader, "Private Percy James Slade, 1897-1918 (KIA.)

If my memory serves, I do not think there is a village or town in France and England that does not have a memorial to the fallen of The Great War. World War I does not loom as large in the memory of Americans. In Megiddo's Shadow, Slade takes the reader to a lesser known front of that war, to Palestine in the Middle East.

Sixteen-year-old Edward Bathe leaves his farm in Saskatchewan, Canada and joins the army after receiving the news that his beloved older brother Hector has been killed in France. All he wants to do is get to the front and kill the Hun who took his brother's life but upon arrival in England he is transfered to the Fifth Imperial Remount unit to break horses. He chafes at the assignment but does meet a horse who will be part of his future when he is reassigned to the Lincolnshire Yeomanry. Slade describes the role of these units on his website :

"Yeomanry were different than cavalry--they were trained to be foot soldiers and mounted soldiers. The idea was that they could ride quickly to their destination and dismount and fight. Or they could charge. They were even taught to get their horses to lay down, so they could use them as cover. The regiment was also trained to use the sword or lance in a charge."

Edward and his horse, Buke become part of the British Expeditionary Force in Palestine. The description of desert warfare is unforgettable.

"A month later, in July, I was sent to hell...

...We fed and watered our horses, working through the night because the day would be too hot for us to lift a finger. As the sun rose, it revealed a desolation only the Devil could've dreamed up: a low, flat valley of white marl and salt, spotted with swamp, stony plain, patches of dense scrub, and a thin layer of dry grass. The land had never know rain. Lumps of dried flesh--dead camels--lay here and there as though dropped from the sky, a sky that had never seen a cloud. A hot breath of wind drove the salty dust into my eyes. Occasionally, a thirteen-pounder gun would roar just to let the Turks know that His Majesty's troops were still here."

Very much a classic boy-goes-to-war novel in the tradition of The Red Badge of Courage (Tor Classics), All Quiet on the Western Front or Fallen Angels, Edward experiences the comradeship of soldiers, a first love and the grim reality of warfare. He faces the loss of those he loves and his faith in God as he struggles to find meaning and survive.

Slade relates his grandfather and great uncles' true stories on his website. They are as gripping and heartfelt as the novel and are very much the inspiration for this book. The letter Edward and his father receive about Hector is taken almost verbatim from the real letter the Slade family received about Percy Slade.

Moving, emotional and wrenching at times, this is historical fiction at its finest. I will be reading more of Arthur Slade's writing in the future.

A well told story for any age.......2007-01-22

A sobering story, well told. It follows the journey of 16 year old Edward Bathe, from the Canadian prairie, who joins the army to fight the Huns in France in 1917. Instead, he finds himself in the cavalry on his way to the Middle East. The story is well researched, full of details about army life, and also chronicles the emotional turmoil and growth of Edward. There are a few twists in the story and Slade's writing propels the reader forward. While intended for the young reader, Megiddo's Shadow was very much enjoyed by this 'mature adult'.

Average customer rating:

Filling in the Star Wars blanks
If you've never read a Star Wars novel before, try this one
Nice bridge if a little light
Episode 5.5
Filling in the Gaps

Shadows of the Empire (Star Wars)
Steve Perry
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0553574132
Release Date: 1997-03-03

Book Description

Shadows of the Empire illuminates the shadowy outlines of a criminal conspiracy that exists in the background of the events in the movies, ruled by a character new to us. Prince Xizor is a mastermind of evil who dares to oppose one of the best-known fictional villains of all time: Darth Vader. The story involves all the featured Star Wars movie characters, plus Emperor Palpatine and, of course, Lord Vader himself.

Customer Reviews:

Filling in the Star Wars blanks.......2007-08-22

Shadows of the Empire takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Han Solo is frozen in carbonite but has not yet been taken to Jabba's palace. Leia, Luke, Lando and our two favorite droids are on a quest to find Boba Fett and retrieve Han. They are joined in this quest by Dash Rendar, a cocky hotshot pilot, very reminiscent of Han Solo himself. Three very significant characters stand in their way - Darth Vader, Prince Xizor of Black Sun, and Xizor's amazing apprentice Guri.

Prince Xizor of the Falleen race is an intriguing character. He is the ultimate crime lord, and his life is filled schemes and double-dealings as he runs the huge crime syndicate of Black Sun plus some other legitimate enterprises. He is considered to be the third most important person in the galaxy behind the Emperor and Lord Vader, and he wants to move up. The point of all the Machiavellian schemes he develops during this period is to get rid of Vader and become #2 in the Empire. Even that would not satisfy him. Xizor's self esteem is extremely high. He has never met an individual who is his equal. Of course, he and Vader do not see eye to eye on most things.

The key individual in the story is Luke Skywalker. The Emperor fells that Luke is strong enough in the Force to pose a real danger to the Empire. He wants Luke out of the picture. Vader wants to keep the boy alive and turn him to the dark side. Xizor sees an opportunity here to cause trouble for Vader, so he puts out orders to have Luke assassinated. He also sends Guri to meet with Leia and to bring her back to Xizor's palace in Coruscant. Guri is an extremely advanced droid who looks completely like a human female. Her fighting skills appear to be unmatched. Leia and Chewie end up at Xizor's palace being used as bait to draw Luke in. Of course, Luke does come to the rescue. Luke, Lando, and Dash Rendar have memorable scenes making their way through the sewers below the palace and making their way up through the palace to find Leia. The last few chapters of the book tie things together very neatly and leave us set for Return of the Jedi. Maybe they will rescue Han at last.

Shadows of the Empire is an excellent tale, and Mr. Perry has done a good job with it. The story fits nicely in the time period between Empire and Jedi. I highly recommend this one.

If you've never read a Star Wars novel before, try this one.......2007-06-08

In 1996 the marketing team at Lucasfilm developed an innovative concept for a major cross-channel promotion: they proposed Shadows of the Empire, a Star Wars movie without the movie. What did this mean? It meant all the trappings of a movie were released: a novelization, a full orchestral score, a videogame, comic books, toy lines, statues, and sundry other widgets, but there was never an actual movie for them to center around. Each aspect of the campaign emphasized different aspects of the story, but the core tale was contained in Steve Perry's novel. The idea seemed to meet with mixed success, as the Shadows toys, statues, and some of the other odd products lingered on the pegs a terribly long time, but the Nintendo 64 videogame is fondly remembered by many and the score by Joel McNeely is absolutely terrific (pick up a copy if you haven't heard it before!)

Shadows of the Empire fills in some of the blank space between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, a year left largely untapped except in the Marvel comic series. Perry works hard to build a strong bridge between the two films and succeeds beautifully, exploring some of the emotional aftermath of the climax of Episode V and setting up the opening section of Episode VI. Of course, Han Solo spends the duration of this novel frozen in a block of carbonite, but the majority of the other main film characters all get a chance to shine.

The novel introduces us to Black Sun, the galaxy far, far away's leading organized crime syndicate. Black Sun is headed by the brilliant, charismatic, egotistical Falleen Prince Xizor, the third most powerful person in the galaxy after our old favorites Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader. Xizor's constant preening and self-admiration make for slightly tiresome reading, but he does play a role distinct from the usual Sith and Imperial villains in other Star Wars novels. Being the third most powerful person is not quite enough for the Prince, and so much of the plot of Shadows of the Empire is driven by his scheming against Darth Vader and his attempts to kill Vader's son. The Falleen species is endowed with some slightly creepy abilities to attract mates, and Xizor almost leads Leia, newly separated from her love Han Solo, down a very unpleasant path. Fortunately stalwart Chewbacca is on hand to help Leia escape Xizor's pheromone-driven trap. This sequence was unusual reading for a Star Wars novel, and although it is deliberately rather icky, I give Perry credit for exploring these themes rather than sticking solely to action sequences.

The other main new character is Dash Rendar, virtually a "carbon" copy of A New Hope-era Han Solo. Dash is a smuggler and superb pilot who was doing a job for the Rebel Alliance when the Empire struck the Hoth base. Dash always looks out for himself first and drops sarcastic wisecracks right and left. However, maybe Dash isn't as shallow as he first appears, and perhaps by the end of the story he'll find the need to look out for others and the ability for self-sacrifice. Sound familiar? I didn't really mind this character but Perry could have made a little more effort to make him less of a second-tier Han Solo.

The story itself is a rollicking thrill-ride. Perry takes us all over the galaxy as our heroes try to track down Boba Fett and Vader and Xizor try to track down our heroes. We learn the back story of the "many Bothans" who died procuring the Death Star II plans, how Leia got the Boushh bounty hunter disguise she uses in Return of the Jedi, how Luke spent time enhancing his Jedi skills and constructing his new lightsaber, and many other interesting tidbits. The characterization of Vader maps well with the new information we learned about Anakin Skywalker in the prequels, and it's nice to see a new element introduced to the Emperor/Vader plotting in the form of Xizor. R2 and 3PO have a hysterical sequence piloting the Millennium Falcon across Coruscant (it's rare that a Star Wars novel makes me laugh out loud). Perry writes in a brisk, cinematic style, and it is quite easy to picture this novel as a good film, an Episode Five-and-a-Half, if you will.

Shadows of the Empire does a terrific job of detailing the story between the final two films in the saga. Depending on which stories a reader considers to be canon, there are either many or very few tales set during the original trilogy. Personally, I would love to see more novels covering this period of time, as well as the three years between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. These years host the only stories with the opportunity to directly explore the Vader-Luke dynamic, an element so central to the films. The ancillary products such as the toys, comics, and especially the soundtrack further enhance the Shadows experience. This book is highly recommended to everyone, including readers trying their first Star Wars novel.

Nice bridge if a little light.......2007-04-24

I really enjoyed this book. I always wanted some link between the Luke at the end of ESB and the beginning of ROTJ - one broken and fragile, the other darkly confident and calling himself "Jedi." And since he is my favorite character, I love that this book takes him through that process, albeit in less depth than seems warranted.

Inconsistencies in Luke's character abound, however, which jarred with the character arc I had been longing to see. His attitude and dialogue in places seem more juvenile than in Episode IV. I realize that these things change by the end of the book, but they do not match the characters we leave at the end of Empire Strikes Back; this takes away much of the book's cred.

Glitches in style also undermine it - while the author has great pacing, and I don't mind his switching between characters with a jerk for that cause - he FAR too often ends a segment with two or three more lines than necessary, degenerating into hilarious cheesiness where it could have been compelling. Sigh. "Luke hoped Leia was okay." "Luke had to think of something. Something fast... What?" These things cause eye-rolling after the tenth time. So do many thinly derived conclusions on the part of characters who should have needed more evidence.

Dash is annoying, I'm sorry, in life and in death. His only merit is giving Luke a Jedi-worthy crisis of conscience towards the finale. And Leia, while a great gal here, needed to fall for a lizard while Han was frozen WHY?? Her newfound love for Han is a bit tarnished in a plot arc for no good reason.

Having said all that, Shadows is truly an irresistible read for a die-hard Luke fan, and Vader is handled very well, without goofiness or excessive sulking. In fact, Vader's take here on his relationship with Luke enhances all future read/views of Return of the Jedi. This puts Shadows on my must-borrow list and Perry on the thank-you-for-not-butchering-my-Star-Wars list with Zahn, somewhere. :)

Episode 5.5.......2007-04-17

This is the novel that connects the dots between Episodes V and VI. The novel starts firmly planted in The Empire Strikes Back with the Emperor's holo-message to Vader - but this time from Palpatine's point of view (and although Vader didn't know it, the Emperor was not alone). And then several months later Princess Leia wakes up from a nightmare about Han Solo being frozen on Cloud City.

Many questions arise about the time between the two Star Wars sequels, and this novel has the answers. How did Luke Skywalker, severely demoralized by finding out the true identity of his father and feeling that Obi-Wan Kenobi had lied to him, go from being a Jedi padawan with incomplete training to a confident, powerful Jedi Knight in every way except for his final trial? Who completed Luke's training? How did Luke construct his new lightsaber? Why didn't Boba Fett deliver Han to Jabba the Hutt right away? Who died to make Jabba the most powerful crime lord in the galaxy? How did Leia get her Boushh disguise and thermal detonators? How did Wedge Antilles become the leader of the Rebel's elite X-fighter squadron? How did the Bothans bring the Alliance the information about the second Death Star? If the droids ever tried to pilot the Millennium Falcon through Coruscant while Han was frozen, would you ever tell him about it?

Shadows of the Empire ends with Luke hiding his lightsaber in R2-D2 and recording his message for Jabba. This novel is an adventurous story very worthy of the Star Wars name. And this BOOK even has it's own SOUNDTRACK!

Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire [Enhanced CD]

I also highly recommend the following 5-star novels that are extremely relevant to the prequel trilogy:

Cloak of Deception (Star Wars)
Shadow Hunter (Star Wars: Darth Maul)
Labyrinth of Evil (Star Wars, Episode III Prequel Novel)
Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader (Star Wars)

Filling in the Gaps.......2007-03-05

Steve Perry's "Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire" explores events between the two films "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" just as Timothy Zahn's new book "Allegiance" bridges the gap between "A New Hope" and "The Empire Strikes Back".

Zahn established himself as the best writer of Star Wars fiction with his Thrawn trilogy following on from "Return of the Jedi": "Heir to the Empire", "Dark Force Rising" and "The Last Command". In "Shadows of the Empire" Perry comes close to Zahn's class in serving a similar function.

One of Zahn's strengths has been the creation of new characters who have taken their place in the Star Wars universe, like Mara Jade and Grand Admiral Zahn. In "Shadows of the Empire" Perry provides fascinating background into Prince Xizor, leader of the Black Sun criminal network, and his human-like killer droid Guri, characters also featured in A.C. Crispin's "Han Solo trilogy" tracing Han's life before the fateful day he met an old man and a kid in a Mos Eisley cantina: "Paradise Trap", "The Hutt Gambit" and "Rebel Dawn", which seem to have been published in 1997, after "Shadows of the Empire".

"Shadows of the Empire" features all the main characters of the final two Star Wars films, with the exception of Han Solo, who is still in carbonite. The action concerns the Rebels' efforts to free Han, and along the way we learn things like how Leia came by her bounty hunter suit and a thermal detonator, and how Luke made his first light saber.

In the NPR radio series of "Return of the Jedi", which goes into greater detail than the film, filling in many gaps, when Han is rescued he criticises Lando for letting C3PO fly the Millennium Falcon. That flight is in "Shadows of the Empire".

From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider's Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War

Average customer rating:

"From the Shadows" by Robert M. Gates
Engages the eyes and mind
View from the inside
Intense Reading - great enjoyment
Informative but dry

From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider's Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War
Robert M. Gates
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0684810816

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Gates, director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1991 to 1993, began in an entry level position and rose to the top. His insider's account of the Cold War, CIA operations and the unraveling of the Soviet Union is sprinkled with revelations including the fact that 1983 was the most dangerous year in U.S.-U.S.S.R. relations and that both the CIA and KGB sponsored countless "black operations" designed to embarrass and discredit the other side. Gates also reveals that he secretly met with KGB foreign operations chief Vladimir Kryuchkov on two separate occasions and how the CIA often acted in contempt of Congress. While none of this may come as a huge surprise, it never fails to shock when it's laid out in black and white by someone who was on the inside.

Customer Reviews:

"From the Shadows" by Robert M. Gates.......2007-10-01

Absolutely fascinating! Mr. Gates is an excellent writer and is able to make complicated information easy to follow. And what an insight he gave to the Presidents he worked for; he didn't have an axe to grind with any of them, even though they represented both political parties.

This is a book I enjoyed so completely that I hated to reach the end of it. It will be on my personal "re-read" list. No wonder Mr. Gates was selected to become Secretary of Defense in our nation's hour of need.

Engages the eyes and mind.......2006-11-17

Rarely do you run across a historical book that is so chocked full of names, dates and acronyms that engages your mind as you push to reader faster. Gates delivers great insight wrapped in words that are illustrative of the push and pull of power players - within and between government bodies - domestic and global. If you are curious about the claims of one party or the other concerning the end of the Cold War, then this book will prove to be enlightening. All contributed to the demise, but perhaps none more than the Soviets themselves. Great read. Engaging. Insightful. Illuminating. Perhaps now more than ever before this a read that helps look at the challenges we, as a global community, face today. Buy it. Read it. Gain perspective.

View from the inside.......2006-10-01

The CIA is probably the one institution that the US President controls the most; or so this book argues. Robert M. Gates spent over two decades working at the CIA, and is one of the few career officials who came in near the bottom and rose all the way to the top. This book is his memoir, and recollection of how the CIA served 5 consecutive presidents in the Cold War. Starting with Richard Nixon, and ending with the first George Bush, Gates shows how each president used, and sometimes abused, the CIA to further their policies with regard to the USSR and communist parties around the world.

The major points one gets from this book are as follows. First, Carter was no wimp with regard to the USSR. Second, the most dangerous years of the Cold War did not end with Vietnam; they included some years in the 1980's. Third, the CIA consistently disregards the laws of the US. Fourth, the CIA often gets suckered into doing thing at the whim of the president that it later regrets. Last, the first George Bush was probably one of the best diplomats the US has seen in recent times. Over all, this was a very good book and I am glad I read it.

Intense Reading - great enjoyment.......2002-09-18

Excellent account of what really goes on from the inside of the govt. They say that truth is better than fiction. This is true in a big way in this book. You will recall many of the events in not too distant history. They come alive in this book and history makes more sense. Intense reading - be sure to underline the names to keep track of the huge cast of characters. A big Aggie thumb's up for this one!

Informative but dry.......2002-07-23

Gates had access to some of the most fascinating characters in the history of the Cold War. His observations are incisive and revealing about many of these personalities; however, his book often reads like one might imagine a CIA memo reads, rather dry. The book provides feedback on several important historical instances but it does not go into much depth on any. I do not recommend it as a book used to learn the history of that era. Instead I would read it to gain a further understanding of what went on behind the scenes.
In general, I find Gates to be an interesting character himself. He has some hilarious anecdotes about life in the CIA. Such as when he is walking up the steps of Air Force One and turns to flip off several of the top officials (I think it was) in Romania after they botch his passport. In addition to a often dry sense of humor he also seems to have a great deal of character and integrity.

Average customer rating:

Pleasantly Surprised
"Shadow Hunter" pretty much says it all!
Shadown Hunter
Unecessary and frivolous, but still fun.
Darth Maul: Great Character - Not so Great Story

Shadow Hunter (Star Wars: Darth Maul)
Michael Reaves
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345435419
Release Date: 2001-11-27

Amazon.com

Here's another Star Wars spinoff novel, a brisk and extremely uncomplicated action-adventure romp set on planet Coruscant immediately before the events of The Phantom Menace. After a few setting-up exercises, it's essentially a prolonged chase sequence whose implacable pursuer is Darth Maul--the almost absurdly villainous-looking Sith Lord with the biggest lightsaber and worst makeup job in the entire saga to date.

The plot? Insidiously evil Darth Sidious is poised to launch the Naboo trade blockade featured in The Phantom Menace. But one of his alien henchmen has sneaked away to betray this scheme and must die. So must the traitor's contacts, smalltime crook Lorn Pavan and his uppity droid, I-Five. Likewise Darsha Assant, the female Jedi Knight apprentice who gets entangled with Pavan through either mind-boggling coincidence or the mysterious ways of the Force.

Michael Reaves makes a reasonably slick job of all this nonsense and is not afraid of clichés. Plenty of characters have wooden lines like "I've got a bad feeling about this," and "Too many questions, and not enough answers." Meanwhile in the Jedi council, Yoda makes characteristic remarks: "A good choice he would be... No accident this was."

Unfortunately, the well-known story line of The Phantom Menace defuses suspense in Shadow Hunter. That trade blockade has to happen despite the good folks' doomed heroics, and horrible Darth Maul (already far more powerful and deadly than the puny opposition he faces here) is fated to win out. This novel is for dedicated fans only. --David Langford

Book Description

For the infamous, power-hungry Sith,
beholden to the dark side,
the time has come to rise again . . .

After years of waiting in the shadows, Darth Sidious is taking the first step in his master plan to bring the Republic to its knees. Key to his scheme are the Neimoidians of the Trade Federation. Then one of his Neimoidian contacts disappears, and Sidious does not need his Force-honed instincts to suspect betrayal. He orders his apprentice, Darth Maul, to hunt the traitor down.

But he is too late. The secret has already passed into the hands of information broker Lorn Pavan, which places him right on the top of Darth Maul's hit list. Then, in the labyrinthine alleyways and sewers of Coruscant, capital city of the Republic, Lorn crosses paths with Darsha Assant, a Jedi Padawan on a mission to earn her Knighthood. Now the future of the Republic depends on Darsha and Lorn. But how can an untried Jedi and an ordinary man, stranger to the powerful ways of the Force, hope to triumph over one of the deadliest killers in the galaxy?

SPECIAL BONUS INSIDE--the exclusive story, "Star Wars(R) Darth Maul: Saboteur" by James Luceno, previously available in e-book format only!

Customer Reviews:

Pleasantly Surprised.......2007-07-23

I wasn't expecting much from this book quite honestly. Being that The Phantom Menace was really such a let down, mostly because of the lack of darth maul, a very promising villain, I started this book with some skepticism. Couple that with the fact that it's a prequel to TPM, the ending is more or less 'spoiled'.

But I was quite wrong. This is a VERY good star wars read that fleshes out the criminally under-utilized Darth Maul character much better than the Episode 1 film did.

I really enjoyed the new characters in the book, namely Lorn Pavan and I 5, his droid counterpart. Lorn reminded me a bit of Han Solo. Maybe not as big a scoundrel with a smaller part to play, he was still the reluctant hero which Han has always embodied so well. Add to that the comic releif added by the quick witted I Five droid and there some very good dialogue between the two.

I also enjoyed the Jedi Padawan, Darsha Assant (as it turns out she's also in Cloak of Deception as a cameo of sorts, but I'm reading that after the fact, but it still doesn't take anything away from the Darth Maul book), whom is young and naive, yet brave and very fun to read.

Darth Maul is just what I'd expect him to be: Cold, calculating, ruthless, but not without his honor.

Even though we know how this book has to end ultimately being that it precedes the Phantom Menace, I still like how Reaves tied everything up.

Very good star wars read.

"Shadow Hunter" pretty much says it all!.......2007-04-17

Fans of Episode I were also fascinated by the mysterious Darth Maul, the first Sith apprentice shown since Darth Vader in the classic trilogy. But don't assume like I first did that this is a story with a villain protagonist. While we are shown some of the thoughts and motivations of the title character, this story has two original main protagonists: Darsha Assant (Jedi padawan), and Lorn Pavan (underworld information broker). Following initiatives provided by his Sith Master, Darth Maul is the driving force behind the plot of this novel, a vile killer hunting the protagonists through the undercity of Coruscant. By the time I realized that the heroes must be doomed to failure (to maintain continuity with the movie), I couldn't put this thriller down anyway. Just like the prequels with respect to the original films, it's not how this story ends but the journey there that makes this novel so good. This action-packed tragedy also contains interesting dispositions of Sith and Jedi philosophies. The story takes place soon after Cloak of Deception and ends with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan preparing to leave for Naboo (leading to the opening of Episode I).

The paperback edition also contains an bonus short story by James Luceno entitled "Darth Maul: Saboteur" which takes place before Cloak of Deception. "Saboteur" sets up some elements of that novel, introducing Tarkin. The end of "Saboteur" along with the beginning of Shadow Hunter explain Maul's absence from the story of Cloak of Deception, which remotely ties in with the novel Shadows of the Empire (below). If you plan on reading both Cloak of Deception and Shadow Hunter, my suggestion is to read the "Saboteur" short story first, then the Deception novel, then Shadow Hunter to maintain chronological order.

I highly recommend the following 5-star novels that are extremely relevant to the film series:

Cloak of Deception (Star Wars)
Labyrinth of Evil (Star Wars, Episode III Prequel Novel)
Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader (Star Wars)
Shadows of the Empire (Star Wars)

Shadown Hunter.......2007-03-29

Great read. Filled with action, good length. Only regret is that Darth Maul didn't meet anyone that really challenging skill set.

Read the E-book in the rear of the book first, it precedes shadow hunter.

Unecessary and frivolous, but still fun. .......2007-01-26

This book is not integral to the plot of Star Wars in any way. Don't feel obliged to read it. In fact, the whole plot concerns covering up information. Information that anyone who saw TPM already knows, so nothing important actually happens.

If you're into Darth Maul, and I know that there are plenty of people who are, you'll like this piece of Maul action and insight. You really get to see him on the job, and get some nice looks into his psyche. Although fanboys may be as frustrated as he is at how often he seems to be eluded yet again for the sake of continuing the story.

Otherwise, the book is just an exciting game of cat and mouse, a wild chase through the dangerous and mysterious depths of Coruscant.

One thing I'll say is that the author tends to go overboard with adding new things. The back of the book will tell you that there are exciting new creature never before seen, and it's true. They're also never see again. I think the author got too excited about making up new things to add to Star Wars, and the end result is something like a fan-fic, when they should have just tied the book to the sage through existing source material.

Overall, it's a fun read. Interesting, exciting, and Maul-a-rific. It's not very well written, and it's extremely unimportant and insignificant, but still, a fun, easy read.

Darth Maul: Great Character - Not so Great Story.......2007-01-06

As much as I loved the new characters in the book, I would have liked to have seen more of Darth Maul. There are often large gaps between his appearances. However, I realize it could be difficult to have him around all the time and keep it interesting. Maul can be a rather flat character if not used sparingly.

I also would have liked to have seen more background on Maul. Why does he hate the Jedi so much? How did he hook up with Sidious? What was his training like? Some is given on this, but not a lot. Most of that was told in the Darth Maul Journal, something many fans will probably not read. It should have been saved for this.

The timing of this book is also confusing. It takes place days, if not hours, before the Naboo blockade. The whole point of the novel is that the Sith don't want the Jedi to know about their existence or the blockade. However, just a couple of days later, they completely reveal themselves to the Jedi and their plans. If the events were so close to happening that they were almost unstoppable, why did they care if some little information broker tried to sell the info? If it had been months before, their concern would have been more understandable. The closeness in chronology kind of takes away from the urgency of the events in the book.

Final Thoughts: Only read this book if you are a Darth Maul junkie. If you read this book for any other reason, you will be let down. Reading this book is not necessary to stay abreast of the Star Wars galaxy.

The Velvet Shadow (The Heirs of Cahira O'Connor Series , No 3)

Average customer rating:

The Best Yet!
Fantastic Historical Fiction Based During the Civil War
Great Book Must Read
What a wonderful story!
Hunt highlights women in history

The Velvet Shadow (The Heirs of Cahira O'Connor Series , No 3)
Angela Elwell Hunt
Manufacturer: WaterBrook Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1578561310
Release Date: 1999-02-16

Book Description

THE HEIRS OF CAHIRA O’CONNOR SERIES - BOOK THREE It is said that as Cahira, daughter of the great Irish king Rory O’Connor, lay dying of a wound from a Norman blade, she lifted her hand toward heaven and beseeched God that others would follow…breaking forth from the courses to which they are bound to restore right in this murderous world…

To Kathleen O’Connor, Cahira’s story was nothing more than a legend–until research divulged that the tale was true. Stunned, Kathleen realizes she herself bears Cahira’s mark. Is she destined to continue the legacy? To find the truth, Kathleen must delve into the past to find the truth about The Heirs of Cahira O'Connor…

When Flanna O’Connor, a young medical student in Boston, is cut off from her family in Charleston at the start of the Civil War, she decides to disguise herself and move south with the Union Army. While in disguise, she must prove herself as a soldier and a doctor, both to her messmates and to Major Alden Haynes, brother to the man she has tentatively agreed to marry. But when Flanna and Alden are trapped between two armies, can Flanna trust God with her future…and with the love she has sought all her life?

Customer Reviews:

The Best Yet!.......2007-01-10

Book Three of the Heirs of Cahira O'Connor was my favorite of the series. I enjoyed the setting - the Civil War - and the development of Flanna's understanding of the real issues of the war. The aspect of a woman doctor in a time when they were not accepted was very well done. Love, loyalty, faith - it has it all...

Fantastic Historical Fiction Based During the Civil War .......2006-05-16

This book is the 3rd in "The Heirs of Cahira O'Conner" series. Although I haven't read the 4th, so far this one is my favorite. Not that the first 2 are not good, they are terrific, it's just that this one gripped me from the beginning. I read this 400 page novel in just 24 hours!

Flanna O'Conner is finishing up medical school in Boston when the Civil War begins. She longs for her family in Charleston SC and disguises herself as a soldier in her effort to return to the south. Although Flanna's character has depth from the beginning, her travels deepen her character and trust in God. This is a profound story of sacrifice, loyalty, and how the effects of this war dramatically changed so many lives. These people gave up virtually everything (their lives, family, homes, & work) for a cause they believed in.

Flanna's experience and what is shared in this book really brings significance to the heroism of those who served in the Civil War. The author does an excellent job of researching our country's culture and circumstances during the mid-1800s. At the end she writes two pages on her references. I had no idea that there were 400 women who actually did pose as men in order to serve in the Civil War.

What I love about historical fiction is that it gives me a heart for the people who lived during the time, and a desire to learn more. What a great way to learn about history!!

Great Book Must Read.......2004-08-29

I love this book. Even though I'm just 15. I thought is had an amazing plot and a wonderful ending. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars is because of the beginning. It was incredibly slow and boring. But I'm so glad I decided to keep reading!

What a wonderful story!.......2002-05-23

This book is moving...I thought that it brought a new eye to the Civil War. Flanna is in Boston, studying to get her medical degree so that she can return to Charleston and help her father in his practice. However, the Civil War breaks out and Flanna is forced to figure out how she will get home. As in the other Cahira O'Connor books, she dresses as a boy and becomes a soldier.

I thought this book was very well written from beginning to end. The death of the professor is Kathleen's impetus to get back to work on the story of the heirs of Cahira O'Connor. What she finds leads her to wonder what HER role in this will be.

I highly recommend this book to anyone, but please read the other 2 books in the series first. This book will make you want to rush out and pick up the 4th.

Hunt highlights women in history.......2000-05-24

Novelist Angela Elwell Hunt has done it again! Her exciting historical women's fiction series shines with complex stories of gifted women seeking to make a place for themselves in a world, dominated by narrow ideas of women as little more than man pleasers.

Velvet Shadow is the third in a Cahira O Connor series. Flanna O'Connor a Southern bell who defied convention to study medicine in Boston Mass on the eve of the Civil War. Her hopes to take her degree back to the south are shattered by the outbreak of war, cut off from her family she tries to enlist in the Army as a Doctor and prejudice turns her back.

This theme runs throughtout the story as the wealthy Bostonian abolitionists bemoan the fate of slaves, while mistreating their Irish servants. Her keen eye for hypocrisy in society is entertaining. I had not known that some freed blacks also had slaves. Her devotion to research illuminates the Zeitgeist (ruling ideas) of the times. When an aspiring politican pursues her to marry him and forsake medicine, Flanna, like her ancestor and many actual women in the Civil War impersonates a man to join the Union Army. She hopes to make her way home to the south and desert but her destiny as a Doctor calls her to steal supplies to treat the wounded, in spite of threat of exposure, court martial or worse. As a surgeon she becomes the Velvet Shadow who saves men who would have perished without her. Hunt has captured the misery and mismanagement of troops, supplies etc in this heartbreaking war that redefined the history of our country. Again, we are led through a series of heart breaks and changes the character must conquer to survive and thrive.

This book will spark your appetite to read the earlier books in the series that began with The Silver Sword, set in 1400's Anika of Prague must pretend to be a knight in order to escape unwanted attention of a nobleman's son. She plays in integral part in story of Jan Hus, burned at the stake for his religious beliefs.

In the second book, the Golden Cross opens in 1642 when Aidan O'Connor penniless after the death of her father at sea ekes out a living in the slums of Colonial Batavia while her spirit longs for artistic expression. A master cartographer recognizes her talent and senses God leading him to train her. Aidan enters the aristocratic world as apprenticing artist and is coached in fine manners of high born women. She longs to learn and become a wealthy artist to lift her friends from the web of wharf poverty and degradation. Aidan casts aside the brocade to masquerade as a cabin boy aboard the exploration vessel of Captain Tasman to pursue her dream. The voyage is fraught with danger, slaughter and brings Aidan to cling to God. Aidan's voyage leads to unexpected danger, treasure and you'll need to read the book to find out if she settles or succeeds.

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Penzler Pick, January 2001: The thrillers of Alan Furst usually take place in the dark days preceding World War II, but while the main participants in that war are of course portrayed, Britain, France, Germany, and the United States do not usually star in Furst's novels. He prefers instead to focus his stories on the citizens of those countries whose allegiances and roles in that particular theater of operations are much more contradictory and conflicted.

Kingdom of Shadows is set in Paris during 1938 and 1939. It is unclear at that time what the fate of Hungary will be if Hitler has his way, but a small group of expatriates would like to insure that events turn out in their country's favor. Nicholas Morath is an Hungarian aristocrat who fought bravely in the Great War. He is now part owner of an advertising agency in Paris, while his uncle, Count Janos Polanyi, is a minor diplomat stationed in Paris. Polanyi calls on Nicholas to take part in missions against the Hungarian Fascists: carrying letters or bringing individuals back across the border in the course of his business trips.

As Nicholas's dinner parties, business deals, and dalliances with his mistress start to take a back seat to the escalating crisis in Europe, his tasks become more complicated, dangerous, and bewildering to him. He knows far less than the reader, who understands that his actions will have far-reaching consequences even beyond the fate of Hungary. Nicholas just does what he can without the luxury of historic hindsight.

Furst has fashioned here an elegant gem that vividly portrays the city of Paris during the last peaceful days of 1938 and the menace of Hitler's ambitions in the Sudetenland and beyond. Nicholas Morath is a charismatic and sympathetic figure who will come to understand, as the war progresses, the consequences, both good and bad, of his smallest actions during that turbulent time. --Otto Penzler

Book Description

In spymaster Alan Furst's most electrifying thriller to date, Hungarian aristocrat Nicholas Morath—a hugely charismatic hero—becomes embroiled in a daring and perilous effort to halt the Nazi war machine in eastern Europe.

Download Description

Paris, 1938. Forty-four-year-old Nicholas Morath is a handsome, sophisticated former cavalry officer in a community of declasse royalty. The co-owner of a small Paris advertising agency, he seems to live for dinner parties and love affairs. But looming over this elegant world is the shadow of Adolf Hitler, and as the small nations of eastern Europe fall under Nazi domination, Morath's uncle, Count Janos Polanyi, recruits his nephew for secret missions to oppose the Hungarian fascists. As Europe edges toward war, these missions grow ever more daring and dangerous, until Morath is risking his life in the fight against the secret police, Germany spies, and Soviet assassins. Breathtakingly evocative and surprising to its final page, Furst's latest espionage thriller is a triumph.

Customer Reviews:

Didactic.......2007-07-10

Sorry -- a quick judgment. I only read a bit. The author seems very inent, and heavy-handedly so, on filling us in on details of Hungarian culture. This gave every sign of weighing the plot down so that it could barely move. Two of the principals are having lunch in a seedy cafe. They talk about a friend who died and they take the opportunity to review Hungarian customs and beliefs surrounding dealing with the dead. Of course, we will pay close attention to their eating habits, too -- equally well researched. If I were very particularly interested in or attached to things Hungarian, I might like this, and I can imagine sensible people who would enjoy it, but it isn't what I was after.

not my Furst book by this author.......2007-05-09

Once I discover an author I like, my life-long habit is to read almost everything that author has written. (This took several years in the case of Patrick O'Brian.) This practice is particularly rewarding with Alan Furst's books, since they provide different perspectives of the same period of time (1933-1943).

I claim to have "read" most of Furst's books but honesty compels me to admit that I had George Guidall read them to me. (Did you know that George has narrated over 800 audiobooks?) I think if I had read the Furst novels the old-fashioned way instead of listening while I drive I might have been more impatient with some of the minor weaknesses pointed out by other reviewers (plot, characters, motivation, abrupt endings etc.)

Furst's books have helped me better understand the events that lead up to the Second World War. This is partly due to his detailed research and partly due to my own research - I always hit the books and the Internet immediately after finishing each Furst novel. After finishing the "Kingdom of Shadows", for example, I read numerous articles on the Sudetenland which made me more sympathetic to its German inhabitants than Furst's pro-Czech point of view. This is not to criticize Furst's research but to compliment him for inspiring me to read more on this subject.

If you "read" the Guidall audiobook version of "Kingdom", you'll enjoy the bonus interview of the author. Guidall asks Furst about the interesting quote "life is like licking honey from a thorn" which Furst attributes to someone else. I poked around on the web and found several versions of this - nothing too definitive - including "Hungarian proverb" "Welsh proverb"(!), and "quotation from the Slovenian-American author Louis Adamic."

Anyway, "Kingdom of Shadows" was a good read and if in fact Furst mangled some Hungarian poetry as a more erudite reviewer pointed out it certainly didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book!

The War Before the Fighting Began.......2007-05-09

The period covered by this novel are the years 1938 to 1939, just before the German attack on Poland on September 1, 1939. While the French and British try to placate Hitler, Hungary under Admiral Horthy is trying to remain an interested friend to everyone. But one Hitler starts to dismantle Czecho- Slovakia, the Hungarians have to decide whose side they will be on. For sure they will be on the anti-Russian side, but who will they be with.

We once again meet the incomparable Janos Count Polanyi who is working out of the Hungarian embassy in Paris. Janos is still doing his bit to try and save Hungary from the next war, by fighting against the facist Arrow Cross. He is now using his nephew (and heir) Nicholas Morath as a go between as part of teaching him the family business. Morath gets involved with various types of intrigue, mostly related to smuggling both money and people across borders.

After Janos sets up the suicide of the embassy fascist in charge of the intelligence service (by shooting him in the head), he disappears. Everything including the title is left to Nicholas. As Count Morath, he is now expected to take over ALL of his uncles duties. Though we get the feeling that Uncle Janos is really somewhere behind the scene watching to see how his protoge is doing. He has nothing to worry about.

All this is done against the backdrop of the German demands for the Sudetenland, the Ansluss of Austria, the take-over of Danzig, the splitting of Slovakia into an independent state, and the Hungarian take-over of Ruthenia. Furst is a master of creating the feeling that you are there in the steamy backrooms with members of the White Russians underground, and those from other empires destroyed by WWI as they bargain to get back to and control of their homelands.

Taut, well-written yet ambiguous espionage novel best suited for deep reading.......2007-03-15

"Kingdom of Shadows" is the first novel by Alan Furst that I have read, and I have to say that I am very, very impressed with Mr. Furst as a writer. Unfortunately, I am not in a position in my life where reading Mr. Furst's kind of writing is easy to do.

Full disclosure - I work long hours and I have two small children. Accordingly, there are very few quiet hours at home for sinking into the armchair for some "serious reading." Instead, I get to do most of my reading on the bus or on the elliptical machine at the gym. While I am able to enjoy most books to their full measure in that manner, this is not the optimum way to savour a dense or subtle book - and "Kingdom of Shadows" is both. (And I mean this as a compliment.)

A lean work at 238 pages, "Kingdom of Shadows" has a lot of story. The hero, Nicholas Morath, is a Hungarian expatriate living in Paris in 1938. Europe has barely recovered from the Great War, in which Nicholas fought heroically, and yet the Nazis loom on the horizon. Working with his uncle, a minor Hungarian diplomat in Paris, Morath is thrust deeper and deeper into an mysterious world of espionage where not only does the right hand not know what the left hand is doing, but the fingers aren't exactly communicating, either.

Furst sets most of "Kingdom of Shadows" in the world of Hungarian pre-war politics, something about which I was completely ignorant. That places me on a good footing with Morath, who has no idea what his missions are really about and surely has no clue as to the coming conflagration that will sweep across Europe. But I loved the book as Furst took me from the streets of Paris to the Carpathians to an idyllic holiday on the shore to a Nazi-occupied hotel in Vienna. Rich, vivid descriptions of both the countryside and daily city life make "Kingdom of Shadows" a wonderful read.

The only thing that makes me give this book four stars is the fact that the dialogue and plotting of the book was so darn subtle that I think I missed at least half of what Furst meant for me to catch. After re-readinng several passages, I still had virtually no clue as to what was going or why. Some will chalk it up to my shortcomings, but to be fair I have read books by John Le Carre, Daniel Silva, and Graham Greene on the bus and at the gym and not felt so stymied.

I am sure that if I can give Furst's words the care and attention they deserve, in an armchair and fortified with a tumbler of Scotch, I would write a rave review. As it is, "Kingdom of Shadows" must content itself with a very good review and a solid recommendation.

Erudite Exploration of Wartime Hungary.......2007-02-26

Alan Furst excels at bringing to life the nooks and crannies of World War II-era Europe. Furst's extraordinary knowledge of the history, politics and culture of that time is brought to bear in "Kingdom of Shadows," his sixth wartime novel. This time, the protagonist is a Hungarian patrician who owns an advertising agency in Paris and spies for a faction of the Hungarian government. And that small country, whose borders seem to shift every few years, contained no shortage of factions: enthusiasts of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Arrow Cross fascists, and those who simply wanted to cut deals with Germany to avoid joining the war.

The more interesting, and tragic, country described in this book is Czechoslovakia. Here was a country that was a liberal democracy and was at one time admired by the West. It also had a strong army bunkered in the hills of the Sudetenland. In order to obtain this prize, Hitler decided to provide justification for ceding the mountainous Sudentenland to Germany, by forming armed groups within the Sudetenland and fomenting riots. The Czechs, of course, were quickly blamed when they tried (with one hand tied behind their backs) to quench the flames. In a vain attempt to appease Hitler and avoid war, the West quickly agreed to cede the Sudetenland to Germany. With its defenses gone, the rest of Czechoslovakia fell quickly. Furst does not overly dramatize this story, but the pain of this betrayal stings.

As always, Furst's attention to detail is impeccable. The normality of pre-invasion Paris (women in bolero jackets and hats with veils) is juxtaposed with the giddy fervor of Austria on the day of Anschluss, when Nazis destroyed the Jewish community overnight. His clear discussion of the complicated details of late-1930s alliances and politics engaging. And Furst again draws sentences that you will want to read twice: a barman in Paris was "A man who hated having to be grateful for a job he hated." The night train from Budapest passes through one of Alan Furst's finest works.

Shadow Wars: Special Forces in the New Battle Against Terrorism

Average customer rating:

Good Read
Concise and timely- Your Situation Report on Special Ops.
Not bad
Cool Book on Special Forces JTF2 Delta Force SAS et al

Shadow Wars: Special Forces in the New Battle Against Terrorism
David Pugliese
Manufacturer: Esprit de Corps Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 189589624X

Book Description

Special forces units around the world have played a critical, though often secretive, role since war was declared on global terrorism following the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Now, through compelling narrative and explosive photos, "Shadow Wars" reveals how these units are leading the fight.

From the rugged mountains of Afghanistan to the vast deserts of Iraq, "Shadow Wars" details operations by U.S. Army Green Berets and Delta Force, U.S. Navy SEALs, Air Force and CIA special operations troops, along with Australia's Special Air Service, the British SAS and SBS, Poland's GROM, and Canada's JTF2. Also recounted is the highly-controversial raid by Russia's Alpha Group to rescue hostages held by Chechen terrorists in Moscow in the fall of 2002.

For the first time, "Shadow Wars" brings together more than 80 photos of special forces in action in the war against terrorism, some never before made public.

Author David Pugliese uncovered the inner workings of the Canadian military's Joint Task Force Two, and once again offers a must-read for anyone interested in learning more about the world of covert warfare.

Customer Reviews:

Good Read.......2005-10-26

This book is a good read. It does an excellent job of comparing SOFs from several countries, particularly the U.S., Canada, and Australia, including discussing differences in their equipment and operating philosophies. It told me several things about SOF operations in Afghanistan and Iraq that I had not read about elsewhere, and did a better job of describing a couple I knew about than I have read elsewhere.

Concise and timely- Your Situation Report on Special Ops........2004-10-09

David Pugliese gives you the P.D.B. (Presidential Daily Briefing) digest of Special Operations in the recent campaign aginst terror. While the closing chapters are peppered with his political commentary on America's incursion into Iraq, his reporting on operations conducted by the elite forces of the world is a nice, tiddy historical record. The photos are interesting and it is an entertaining read for the history, military and special operations enthusiast. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it- a fine addition to your military library.

Not bad.......2004-06-07

As an overview of foreign forces, not bad. So far, I have yet to read a better written and narrated book than Erick Haney's Delta Force and Warrior Soul by Chuck Pfarrer.

Cool Book on Special Forces JTF2 Delta Force SAS et al.......2004-06-04

Lots of information on SOF units in Iraq and Afghanistan, this book reads well and is jammed with pretty interesting photos. It includes almost 100 images including never before seen photos of Canada's Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2) in Afghanistan (which for me as a Canadian was worth the price of the book). Also included are pics of JTF2 Hummers and mountain operations,descriptions of their operations as well as Navy SEALs, Grom and a large chapter on the Aussie SAS (who come across really well as no-nonsense professionals.) There is also a good blow by blow account of the Moscow raid against Chechen terrorists in 2002. Up to date and worth the price.

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