Italian Physical Society Proceedings of the International School of Physics Enrico Fermi. Course XXVI Varenna on Lake Como Villa Monastero July 23-August 4 1962: Selected Topics on Elementary Particle Physics

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Italian Physical Society Proceedings of the International School of Physics Enrico Fermi. Course XXVI Varenna on Lake Como Villa Monastero July 23-August 4 1962: Selected Topics on Elementary Particle Physics
M. Conversi
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ITPOCC

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Italian Physical Society. Proceedings of the International School of Physics Enrico Fermi, Course Xxxviii. Varenna on Lake Como, Villa Monastero, 27th June -9th July 1966. Interaction of High-energy Particles with Nuclei, 1967 (XIV)

Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LT7C74

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Villas on the Italian Lakes: Orta, Maggiore, Como, Garda
Elizabeth Helman-Minchilli , and Simon McBride
Manufacturer: Scriptum Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Italian Villas

Magnificent Italian Villas and Palaces

Italian Splendor

Villas of Tuscany

The Splendor of France: Great Chateaux, Mansions, and Country Houses

ASIN: 1902686276

Book Description

This magnificent, photo–laden volume invites us into the villas and gardens of northern Italy’s celebrated lake region.

Book Description

Handsomely illustrated, easy-to-follow beginners' guide provides instructions for painting the head, torso, arm and leg, as well as step-by-step demonstrations for painting seven female figures. Additional advice on planning the painting, lighting the figure, sketching with oils, and figure drawing with pencil, charcoal, and chalk.

Customer Reviews:

A good start........2001-12-28

This book is good for beginners in oil figure painting. It is thorough and instructional.

As you may see in the preview pages, it covers materials and basic techniques in the rendition of female figures in oil. It is also well-written, very readable, and full of practical advice (from how to choose materials to how to find live models). The demonstrations covered in the book are presented clearly and step-by-step (as stated in the title).

For readers who consider buying this book: In the beginning, the book covers how to paint each part of a (generic) female figure. It then moves on to showing how to paint females in different positions. In essence, the artist does a quick sketch in umber (thin wash in turpentine) or charcoal to capture the gesture of the figure. The sketching involves using simple blocks to render torso, hip, legs, etc. This method perhaps is much appreciated by readers who still have not established facility in drawing complex figure gestures. The artist then continues with a dark-to-light approach, rendering masses of shadow and flesh colors; and finishes the painting with highlighted details.

If the above is still not helpful enough, let me be more opinionated, as follows:

- There are NO shortcuts in learning to become a good oil figure painter. This book only serves well as a STARTING GUIDE for beginning oil painters, rather than a comprehensive document as to how to paint female figures.

- When starting to learn something new, as in any discipline, a beginner who follows strictly the instructions will make good progresses. In my opinion, this book will guarantee the "breakthrough" that beginners are looking for. Namely, the level of confusion in the very first figure painting session will soon be diminished, likeness (in terms of gesture and color rendition) will be improved, etc.

- On the other hand, if the readers are looking for other approaches and techniques, perhaps there are two things to do: experimenting a lot and referring themselves to other books of this genre. (See my "About You Area" for a recommended list.)

Average customer rating:

Good for a beginning or intermediate portrait or figure artist

Portrait and Figure Painting Book : A Comprehensive Guide to Painting Male and Female Portraits with over 250 color plates including 30 step-by-step demonstrations in full color
Wendon Blake
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Painting Expressive Portraits in Oil

Portraits from Life in 29 Steps

Figure Painting Step by Step

Landscape Painting Inside and Out: Capture the Vitality of Outdoor Painting in Your Studio With Oils

Painting the Head in Oil

ASIN: 082304095X

Customer Reviews:

Good for a beginning or intermediate portrait or figure artist.......2006-06-09

This book is billed as a comprehensive guide to painting male and female portraits, children's portraits, and the nude figure in oil. It contains 400 illustrations with over 250 color plates and includes 30 step-by-step demonstrations in full color. The paintings are all by George Passantino.

The book starts with a few pointers on materials and some black and white plates illustrating the painting of facial features. From there it's straight into the 10 adult portrait demonstrations. Each has from 7 to 11 color plates detailing the steps and each plate includes discussion on colors used and features modified, etc. This is followed by a discussion on composition, lighting, drawing and sketching.

The next section, children's portraits, follows exactly the same format with 10 children's portrait demonstrations and the same discussion afterward.

The final section begins with a section on painting the torso, arms and legs. It then goes through 10 nude figurative demonstrations. All are female, different poses, and each is accompanied by a similar number of color plates and discussion. This section ends with a discussion on body proportions, lighting, and drawing.

The portrait and childrens demonstrations cover different sexes, ages, and races. All told this book is a very nice set of portrait and figure demonstrations. It's suited for the beginning or intermediate artist. If you're familiar with any of the other painting books by Wendon Blake this is the same format only much larger.

The Beginner's Guide to Drawing People: Step-by-Step Techniques for Beginners, Covering Figure Drawing, Human Anatomy and the Female Nude (Beginner's Guide)

Average customer rating:

It's overpriced

The Beginner's Guide to Drawing People: Step-by-Step Techniques for Beginners, Covering Figure Drawing, Human Anatomy and the Female Nude (Beginner's Guide)
Patricia Monahan , James Horton , Ian Sidaway , and Albany Wiseman
Manufacturer: New Holland
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1843305631

Book Description

From understanding the basics of human anatomy to capturing the grace of the female nude to accurately depicting a person’s figure and form, this covers it all: choosing and using tools and materials, capturing both still poses and motion, and completing exciting, skill-building projects. “Detailed and engaging projects. Highly recommended.”—Library Journal.

Customer Reviews:

It's overpriced.......2006-06-20

"The Beginner's Guide to Drawing People" by Patricia Monahan

It is way overpriced. Besides, offering a drawing book that offers FEMALE nude studies, and neglects entirely, MALE nude studies, does not make the book a bargain, especially when it is titled "Drawing PEOPLE". If a book is about drawing PEOPLE, shouldn't there be MALE people as well?

This book has 216 pages. That's twice the number of pages that most figure drawing books have, and the FOUR authors still limit it to nude female anatomy? Is that sexist, or merely neglectful?
The best "instructional" books always come from the singular vision of one author. Sure enough, this book has a "fractured" feel.

The Beginner's Guide Human Anatomy: An artist's Step-by-Step Guide to Techniques and Materials

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The Beginner's Guide Human Anatomy: An artist's Step-by-Step Guide to Techniques and Materials
James Horton
Manufacturer: New Holland
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1843300575

Book Description

Experiment with a range of drawing materials, from chalks and charcoal to watercolors and oils, allowing each medium to enhance your work. Understand the body’s structure and how it moves. Develop your skills with a series of exciting projects, including arms, torso and legs, heads, the male and female body, a female reclining, an athlete, and a dancer.

Drawing and Painting People (Step By Step)

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Drawing and Painting People (Step By Step)
John Raynes
Manufacturer: Collins & Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1855857855

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Figure painting (Step-by-step series)
Walter Klett
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007EFSLU

Figures in Watercolour (Step-by-Step Leisure Arts)

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Figures in Watercolour (Step-by-Step Leisure Arts)
Carole Massey
Manufacturer: Search Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1903975034

Book Description

Using varied step-by-step demonstrations and her own inspirational paintings, she provides helpful advice on all the important elements of figure work, including anatomy, proportion, expression, movement and clothing. Illustrating how to capture the likeness of children and adults of all ages, she also explores how to mix skin tones, and how to create perspective using shadows and highlights. Sections are included on heads and hands, and the book contains information on painting figures in a composition. Watercolour has wonderful qualities which make it ideal for creating paintings full of life and colour. This easy-to-follow book contains all the necessary guidelines to help you develop your own style.

Pastel Painting: Step-By-Step Portrait Figure Still Life Landscape Flowers

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Pastel Painting: Step-By-Step Portrait Figure Still Life Landscape Flowers
Elinor Lathrop Sears
Manufacturer: Watson Guptill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VFVKBM

START PAINTING FIGURES: All That You Need to Paint Amazing Figures Step-By-Step

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START PAINTING FIGURES: All That You Need to Paint Amazing Figures Step-By-Step
Andrea Press
Manufacturer: Andrea Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 8496527174

Book Description

All the necessary information, including cleaning and priming the figure, tools, colour mixing, painting, highlights, shadows, washes, and weathering. Techniques on how to paint faces, eyes, metal, leather, wood, cloth, stone, terrain, etc.

Easy-to-follow texts and illustrated with more than 200 images.

Book Description

Fascinating, paradoxical Cuba has a long and colorful history. Discovered by Columbus in 1492, the island was one of imperial Spain's first footholds in the New World and its last colony there. From the sack of Santiago by English freebooters in 1662 to Teddy Roosevelt's charge up San Juan Hill to Castro's revolution and the 1962 missile crisis, Cuba's turbulent past and difficult present belie its tropical beauty and the joyous, ebullient, resourceful people who spice its multiethnic melting pot.

David Alan Harvey's superb, richly evocative photographs celebrate the place itself and its extraordinary inhabitants: their vitality and humor, their ingenuity and courage, and above all their indefatigable spirit. Complementing Harvey's compelling images, Elizabeth Newhouse's insightful text presents an overview of Cuban history and, drawing on conversations with men and women from many walks of life, describes what it is like to live in Cuba now and looks at what might be expected for the future.

Shunned by the United States and impoverished since the Soviet Union cut it loose in 1991, Cuba is in the throes of a painful transition as it struggles to uphold a 40-year-old revolution that began with high hopes but seems now on the verge of failure. To survive their economic plight, the Cuban people must call on all the creativity and resourcefulness for which they are famous, especially in their never ending scramble for U.S. dollars. But in spite of their economic woes, they remain as welcoming and as winning as ever. This unforgettable portrait captures the uniquely Cuban spirit and the lovely, lush Caribbean landscape, which have seduced and delighted visitors for centuries.

Customer Reviews:

Spectacular.......2004-01-01

First the book gives a nice resume of cuba's history, then a summary of current living conditions for Cubans. This puts you in the right mindset to fully appreciate Harvey's work. But the story told by David Alan Harvey is simply spectacular. Harvey gets off the beaten track and takes you to the heart of Cuban's daily lives, but with an incredible sense of beauty and a touch of sensuality. Buy this book, take it slow, and you won't regret it.
If you have a minute go check out this link where Harvey explains his experience and lets you get a glimpse of the content of this great book.
http://dirckhalstead.org/issue9910/cubaintro.htm

Brilliant Evocative Loving.......2003-04-30

I have traveled to Cuba and I have followed the photographic work of David Harvey for more than 20 years. While neither makes me an expert I do know that the Cuba Harvey captured is the Cuba I saw and felt when I visited several years ago while on a teaching visa. Harvey caresses his subjects with intensity and love. He blends in - he becomes a part of the scene - while not changing the scene. He is both a photographer's photographer and a man of the people. We hang with the saxophone player in Trinidad on page 45, we roam the late night streets of Havana on pages 92-93, we are unseen as we observe the barbershop/front bedroom on page 166. I highly recommend this book to those who love photography, those who love people and want to learn something about another place, to those who desire to sit awhile in a culture other than their own, and to those who simply love images and the gift a fine photograph can bring to your life. It is a true gift. This captures the vibrant yet gentle Cuba of today, of now, not of tightly clutched notions that died 50 years ago.

A sublime work by a master photojournalist.......2000-12-19

David Alan Harvey, long one of the most outstanding photographers at an outstanding publication, National Geographic, has produced that captures well the beauty, spirit, and reality of life in Cuba. Harvey's masterful compositions with his trademark use of strong, vibrant color remind one of Alex Webb's photographs of Haiti and the tropics.

I suspect that those who complain about "dark pictures" have missed the point; the photographer seems to deliberately have exposed for the highlights, leaving his shadow areas to fall to blackness and lending the subjects in his photos a timeless anonymity.

And the harsh reviews that Harvey has "misunderstood" Cuba seem to be misguided on the part of some reviewers. I guess they'd rather deny that the poverty reflected in some of his photographs actually exists, and bash him for merely bringing a non-Cuban perspective to the land they love with rose-tinted vision, rather than address the actual points his work raises.

This book celebrates the passion and sensuality of Cuba but........2000-10-26

Cuba is a visual delight and, with more than 100 color photographs, David Alan Harvey shows you why. Combine Harvey's images of life in Cuba with Elizabeth Newhouse's terse yet thorough style and you have a perfect match for this book.

I have recently visited Cuba and found that Harvey's photography captures the essence of Cuba's greatest resource - the Cuban people. Strong and proud, though materialistically impoverished, the people of Cuba are rich in relationships, music, dance and defiance. Harvey, a photographer for National Geographic, has spent the last 20 years photographing Latin America and is skilled at capturing people in their everyday environment.

Newhouse's chapter on the turbulent history of Cuba is excellent. Without pulling any punches about the glaring deficiencies of Castro's totalitarian Communist government, she writes with objectivity about life in Cuba and she is able to show, with sensitivity to the culture, the strength found in the people of Cuba. "But above all Cuba is music," Newhouse writes, "expressing Cubans' intense joy in life, sensuality and machismo. Garcia Marquez calls Cuba 'the most dance oriented society on earth. And that Fidel Castro is the only Cuban who can't dance, should have warned the people about him from the start.'"

The downside of this book is the publisher/printer's very poor reproduction of Harvey's photos. Almost all of the photos are too dark and thus rob the effect that David Harvey intended. Considering that National Geographic is distinguished for its stunning photography, I called the publisher and asked about this blunder and was told that the printer, not the photographer, was culpable.

This book celebrates the passion, color and sensuality of the Cuban people, and, even with the gray backdrop of Communism framing their existence, and the deficiency in the photo reproduction, the Cubans are still able to shine through the gloom and darkness. Recommended.

cuba.......2000-02-21

A colorful well laid out book with good use of photographs in the National Geo style taken by a optimistic photographer with a quirky eye that obviously has a lot of passion for this country. looking forward to the next one.

Average customer rating:

CUBA: Island at a Crossroad
Joy darlington
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0671832956

Book Description

Four tales of the most vile, murderous, and destructive -- not to mention codependent -- couple ever to visit Sunnydale are presented in one volume, covering an entire century of bloodshed, from China in 1900 to Rio in 1999. This 96-page book collects the original Spike and Dru one-shot by TV star James Spike Marsters, Christopher Golden, and Ryan Sook, which was heralded by Buffy creator Joss Whedon as the model for future Buffy comics. Also included are the two follow-ups by Golden and artists Sook and Eric Powell, plus the final word on the duo, the 10-page epilogue Who Made Who? telling the story of their final farewell in Brazil, referred to but never delved into on the show.

Customer Reviews:

The Best Thing About This is the Cover Art.......2005-07-30

As a Spike fan and a longtime comic book collector, I was interested in buying this to see James Marsters himself write a Spike story. And I can't fault his writing for the low score I gave the book. It is simply that this graphic novel is practically unreadable due to the extremely ugly artwork.

No attempt seems have to been made by the artist to make the characters bear any resemblance to their TV-actor counterparts. And unfortunately because besides that the art itself is generally just an eyesore, you never feel like you're seeing Spike and Drusilla. It is impossible to read this and feel like you're reading a Buffy story. It's like, "Who are these characters and why do they share names with Spike and Dru?"

James Marsters tried hard to tell a touching story about Spike and Dru belonging to be with each other despite their fallout (this was written pre-Spike-loves-Buffy days), but the impact of his story is completely lost because the artist failed to bring out the emotion of the characters.

The only good thing I got out of this book was the nice cover picture of James Marsters and Juliet Landau in character. Even James Marsters himself said in interviews that the artwork was bad. Only buy this if you simply must collect all things Buffy. Even diehard Spike fans should consider staying away from this one to save themselves from the disappointment.

A must have for Spike and James Marsters fans!.......2003-06-14

Because I'm a huge fan of Spike, I knew that I had to find a copy of this rare graphic. I'm very glad that I did. It contains 3 reprinted stories, and 1 original story.

ALL'S FAIR- takes place during the World's Fair of 1933. The story follows Spike and Dru as they maim. Slash, and slay their way through the glitter and lights of the Fair. They also encounter hideous demons from another dimension and highly skilled assassins out for blood.

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS- As the pair travel to Sunnydale to be near the Hellmouth, the star-crossed lovers stop in St. Louis to do a bit of gambling and cause major mayhem on a riverboat casino. But, their blissful vacation is cut short by river demons.

PAINT THE TOWN RED- this story takes place shortly after Spike and Dru leave Sunnydale at the end of Buffy's second season. Dru's renewed love for Angel drives a wedge between the lovers. The end result is both of them trying to hurt the other as much as possible- which is a whole lot! With James Marsters helping with the writing, and Ryan Sook's artwork, this is by far the best story of all four.

WHO MADE WHO- tells the tale of Spike and Dru's final break up in Brazil. This is an epilog to Buffy's season three episode " Lover's Walk".

The only downside to this graphic is the artwork. Highly stylized, it's a deterant to fans who like Spike for his rugged good looks.

Still, if you like Buffy, Dru, or Spike and can find a copy of this graphic, than by all means buy it!

The Other Great Romance.......2002-10-08

Spike has gradually become one of the most popular figures in the Slayer world. A hopeless romantic when alive he managed to cross over to the dark side with his capacity for love intact. His loyalty to Drusilla, who made him, was remarkable considering Dru's own flighty nature. Of course, his complex relationship with Buffy once again showed us a Spike who can be stubbornly in love despite every possible roadblock.

Dru of course, is the mad mistress. Psychically hypersensitive and more than a little kinky, her relationship with Spike actually lasted for a very long time. Her beauty is hard to define and her mind is, well, let us just say she is a bit distracted. Sometimes it is hard to see what the two lovers saw in each other, other than Spike's willing compliance with Dru's every wish. Certainly, as Spike developed more independence, the relationship between the two deteriorated.

This trade paperback collects the contents of three Spike and Dru comics, two from 1999 and the other from the end of 2000. In addition, there is a short from the "Lover's Walk" comic issued in 2001. The stories run from the Chicago World's Fair in 1933 to a more contemporary Carnivale in Brazil. During this journey, we will learn much about what makes our anti-heroes tick.

"All's Fair" takes a short flashback to China and the Boxer Rebellion and then jumps forward to the Chicago Fair. Spike and Dru treat the fair as a giant delicatessen until they run into some characters bent on vengeance from their past and a demon who wants to make earth its home.

To open "The Queen of Hearts" the lovers eat an entire topless bar and then move on to a riverboat casino. No one seems to have warned Spike that winning too much draws the wrong kind of attention - in spades.

In "Paint the Town" Spike is so frustrated with Drusilla's obsession with Angel. He ends the relationship in a fiery blaze and heads of for Turkey for a prolonged escape. Unexpectedly Dru tracks him down with a new friend in tow - a necromancer. She wants to get even, but before long, everyone is in trouble.

The final story, "Who Made Who," is a short finds the newly made up lovers in Brazil. However, Dru's attention once again wanders and Spike spoils the party.

I don't care all that much for the pencil work in these stories. Two were done by Eric Powell and the other two are by Ryan Sook. The work isn't bad, just a little to simplified and roughed in for my tastes. Since Sook has become quite well known, I am probably in the minority. Regardless of the artwork, the stories are all excellent, Chris Golden doing the lion's share on all of them. Certainly, any Spike fan will find this required reading.

Spike & Dru.......2002-05-10

I found the writing to be excellent and the story flow to be very compelling. However, I did feel that the illustrations left much to be desired. Very crude drawings with very little artistic appeal. I feel that when one purchases a graphic novel like this, it is as much for the story line as the art work. The stories are wonderful, the art work is very lacking.

a must have for spike & dru fans.......2001-12-23

I would have to say this collection of issues are hit and miss. Some are really great and others are the kind you read only once. Of course, Spike and Dru are that kind of a disturbing couple. Dru has great lines such as, "the glass [in the light] are so pretty, I can see all of my selves." The first part of the trade deals with Spike and Dru when they're together in times like the early 1900s and then as the issues progress they become estranged. It is a very interesting read, and the artwork ranges from okay to very good. There are a lot of gruesome demons so be forewarned.

Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Average customer rating:

Enticing Read (and Explanation of the Inconsistency)
Caution of Spoilers
Good book , Bad ending
Spike and Dru in the 40s
An interesting (if gory) novel

Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Christopher Golden
Manufacturer: Simon Spotlight Entertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0743418921
Release Date: 2001-05-22

Book Description

"You got Slayer problems? You know what I find works real good with Slayers? Killing them." -- Spike

It's 1940, and Europe is ravaged by World War II -- an ideal environment for demon paramours Spike and Drusilla. The anniversary of Dru's resurrection as a vamp impends, and Spike wants to celebrate. What better gift than Freya's Strand -- a powerful necklace rumored to allow its wearer to shape-shift at will? Spike learns of a demon named Skrymir, who claims to possess the bauble and is willing to trade.

Spike's task is to infiltrate the Watcher's Council headquarters and get his hands on the list of young women in training to take over as Slayer should they be called. In exchange for Freya's Strand, Spike must kill the reining Slayer, a brazen young woman named Sophie, as well as the Slayers-in-Waiting. And if he succeeds, it could mean the end of the Chosen One -- all of the Chosen Ones -- forever....

Customer Reviews:

Enticing Read (and Explanation of the Inconsistency).......2007-09-25

I first read this book shortly after it was published in 2001 and I enjoyed it immensely. I had read every Buffy novelization written up until that point, and "Pretty Maids" struck me (in a good way) because it wasn't as formulaic as many other novelizations as it offered a completely new angle of the Buffyverse - the history of Spike and Dru. Considering that the majority of the characters are newly invented by the author, Golden does an excellent job of fleshing them out, giving them distinct personalities and making them sympathetic characters (more sympathetic than many of the potential slayers we are introduced to in season 7!).

My response to some comments by other reviewers:

Some readers felt that the book's violence, particularly the murders of several young girls (potential slayers) was extremely graphic - too graphic. Which is true. Golden depicts some very disturbing scenes of murder, but the graphic nature of the violence rings true to what we know about crimes committed by notorious vampires like Spike and Dru. We hear constantly on the show that Spike, Dru, and Angel have done some really nasty, unforgivable things as vampires, and here at last are examples of some atrocities they may have committed in the past. The murders may be tough to stomach, but you can imagine that Spike and Dru really have done that - and much worse - in their years as soulless, chipless vampires.

In defense of the author regarding the major inconsistency in the identity of the second slayer Spike murdered ... "Pretty Maids" was published before "Fool for Love" aired, the fifth season episode in which Spike reveals the identity of the second slayer. We learn in the second season when Spike and Dru first come to Sunnydale that Spike killed two slayers - the first one in the Boxer rebellion - but the revelation of the murder of the second slayer happens three years later - after publication.

This inconsistency may be a bit of a turn-off, but if you accept this one diversion from what Joss Whedon has established as Buffyverse fact, "Pretty Maids" makes for an entertaining read.

Caution of Spoilers.......2006-11-09

If you're picking up this book for a good Spike and Drusilla story, you won't be entirely disappointed. The books starts out almost completely focusing on the pair, but somewhere they get lost and you find the story focusing on the good guys. This wouldn't be a bad thing if the author had more talent, but he sadly doesn't. This piece is poorly written if you take character development, reader sympathy, and description into consideration. countless times I found myself wishing I actually cared about the character, wishing I actually knew what something vaguely described (and that is throwing a bone) actually looked like.

There are exactly two great parts of this book: Spike and Drusilla. Golden portrays them fairly well. Sometimes you'd notice an awkwardness to their dialogue, or get the feeling that the sex scene wasn't as much of a literary description as much as a fan-boy's wetdream.

Once you read this, you might find yourself asking who is who. The only way I could differentiate one potential slayer from another is when he gave their country of origin. Even then, I couldn't remember which ones lived and died, save for the two "main" potentials. The Louisiana girl is the only one I found myself caring about, and that comes from a single tender scene where she warms up to the current Slayer. There's a small romance under story between a potential and a watcher that is just fluff.

The end of this story is a let down and not the sort of result you'd expect from your favorite pair of Vampire Lovers.

Overall, the story is fast-paced and easy to read. If you're not part of the Buffyverse fandom, then you won't enjoy this book unless you're also a young male that falls in love with the section about Drusilla walking, swimming, and killing while nude.

Good book , Bad ending .......2006-03-16

I really enjoyed this book right up until the end. I liked the characters very much, i especially like how the author bought alot of little characters from Buffy and incorperated them into the story.i didnt like the ending because it didnt fit in with the show in that spike kills another slayer. I also thought that the last 20 pages were very uneventful and could have simply been left out.
but i still liked the book and would recommend it to any buffy fan

Spike and Dru in the 40s.......2006-03-01

Spike and Drusilla were the Sid & Nancy of vampires when they first appeared on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (S2.3, SCHOOL HARD). When Joss Whedon, who created the show, actually listened to his fans and found out how popular the two vamps were, he kept them on. To Whedon, they were secondary characters really. He already had a Vampire-Hero in Angel (the vampire cursed with a soul), and Spike and Drusilla were merely add-ons that he develeped the Aurelian vampire lore around.

This book shows the BTVS creator, writers and fans alike, that Spike and Drusilla can hold the story line on their own by themselves without the backdrop of Buffy Summers or Angel. (There is a tiny bit of reference to Angelus, but nothing noticeable outside of relation to him through blood).

Spike and Drusilla carry the story rather well with just themselves as our entertaining guides in a quest for an elusive necklace that is said to give the reflection of anyone the wearer wishes. As it was Drusilla's request to have it, so shall Spike try and find it even if it nearly kills him (quite nearly a few times). A world-spanning trek, set in war-ravaged countries of the 1940s.

An interesting (if gory) novel.......2006-02-21

Overall, I think this was an excellent book. After Spike's extreme dismay at being 'neutered' in Season 4 of BtVS, it's kind of cool to see exactly what he's missing. It shows Spike and Dru at the height of their love, and so also shows them at the height of their evilness.
It must be said, however, that this book does get very gory, and is very descriptive. There is also a big flaw in continuity. If you don't mind that sort of thing, it's a very interesting read.

Buffy caza vampiros / Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Spike Y Dru & Bonitas Doncellas, Todas en Fila / Spike and Dru & Pretty Maids all in a Row

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Buffy caza vampiros / Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Spike Y Dru & Bonitas Doncellas, Todas en Fila / Spike and Dru & Pretty Maids all in a Row
Christopher Golden
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row (Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Sagebrush))

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What Spike and Dru did during World War II, Daddy

Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row (Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Sagebrush))
Christopher Golden
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding
ASIN: 0613741528

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What Spike and Dru did during World War II, Daddy.......2004-06-04

Here is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel where Buffy herself is never even mentioned because her parents have not even been born at this point. In Christopher Golden's "Spike and Dru: Pretty Maids All In A Row," the "Pretty Maids" are the Slayers in waiting, those young girls who have been identified by the Watchers Council as potential Slayer and trained so that when the time comes they can handle the responsibility. Hitler's Germany is about to invade France and for once in her un-dead life Drusilla has something in mind for her birthday: The necklace of the Brisings, known also as Freyja's Strand. Spike has promised her the trinket, which is supposedly in the possession of an ice-demon named Skyrmir, who is too powerful for the vampires to overcome. But Skymir is willing to make a deal: if the vampires can find out the names of all the Slayers in waiting and kill them, Dru will get her happy birthday gift.

The Slayer in this novel is Sophie Carstensen, a native of Denmark, who is forced to flee her country when her Watcher, Yanna, is also a seer. However, with the outbreak of war on the continent, all of the Vampires in Britain head for the battlefield where the pickings will be easy, and the Council orders the Chosen One to follow them, even though the bullets that cannot kill the vampires can certainly kill the Slayer. Meanwhile, Spike and Dru are starting to knock off the pretty maids one by one. When the Council sends the Slayer after the two vampires while the demon Skymir attacks the very stronghold of the Watchers with his horde, Golden's narrative arrives at a most fateful confrontation. I had a little bit of trouble getting into the book, but once the situation was laid out for me I was hooked and the conclusion is as good as anything you will find in any other Buffy novel.

Readers have to remember that the Spike they encounter within these downloaded pages is the Spike of the old days, paired up with Drusilla, and not the character's current persona on the television series. His characterization is much stronger in the second half of the book than the first, but it is Drusilla that is really fleshed out in this book. Golden provides an insane sort of logic to her wild visions and ramblings much more so than the television series has ever had time to develop. Sophie the Vampire Slayer is not Buffy to be sure, but she is certainly a Slayer appropriate to time and place with a very unique relationship with her Watcher. Plus she uses the family broadsword to cut off the heads of the vamps when she dusts them. There is even a reference or two to the Giles family's association with the Council for those who like to see the past tied up neatly with the present. I am one of those readers who think that the very best Buffy stories are penned by Golden and Nancy Holder writing in tandem, but each has proven capable of hitting the mark without the other. "Pretty Maids All In A Row," like his fantastic "Lost Slayer" serial novels, certainly proves Golden can go it alone.

Final warning: do not expect this story to neatly mesh with the mythology of Spike and Dru's background as revealed on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" (especially the cross over episodes). However, it does set up the final season of "BtVS" in terms of the potential Slayers.

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Spike and Dru #1 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
James Marsters , and Christopher Golden
Manufacturer: Dark Horse Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

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ASIN: B000RZRB6Y

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