Showcase Presents: Jonah Hex, Vol. 1

Customer Reviews:

The Man With Half a Face.......2007-02-05

While it's always nice to read a good book, perhaps the greatest pleasure comes from the books that exceed your expectations. I'm not a huge fan of western comics and prior to reading Showcase Presents Jonah Hex, I knew nothing about the character. My only guess, based on his last name, was that there may have been something supernatural about him. I was wrong, and was delighted to find that this book, from which I expected nothing, turned out to be far better than I would have thought.

Jonah Hex is a bounty hunter in the post-Civil War West. Although he fought with the Confederates, he soon became disillusioned with their cause; he wasn't much happier with the North, however. Along the way, in a way that's left unsaid (at least in this volume), he was hideously disfigured and rather embittered at the same time. A great gunfighter (in fact, deadly with almost any weapon), he sullenly wanders from town to town, seemingly with no interest other than money.

What makes Hex such a wonderful character is that he has more depth than he lets on. As mercenary as he often acts, he actually has a moral code. His callous attitude is really more of an emotional wall that keeps some obvious pain hidden. He knows that he will never have a normal life and sometimes that bitterness seeps through.

Of course, it also helps that the stories are almost all well-written. Hex may be almost unbeatable as a gunfighter, but he is often manipulated into bad situations. Typically, at the end of a Hex story, there are few people left alive, and most of the dead deserve to be (at least in Hex's mind).

The only negative to this book is that it is not all Hex. The last fifth of the book features other characters in stories that are best forgotten. Maybe in another context, these stories may be passable, but after the excellent Jonah Hex tales, they are a major letdown. Nonetheless, I am giving this book a full five stars because most of the Hex stories are that caliber. Even if you're not a fan of western comics (as I am not), this is still one collection worth reading.

Jonah Hex is the Josie Wales of comic books.......2006-10-19

I grew up reading these tales of Jonah Hex, and I always considered him the Josie Wales of the comic books. The only complaint I have about this collection is that it is in black and white instead of color, but if you like westerns, you will love Jonah Hex!

Go Ahead Make My Day.......2006-03-24

Jonah Hex, DC comics 1970's version of Clint Eastwood's Man with no name character from the Good, The Bad and the Ugly, was a staple in the DC universe. Howeever it also played outside the DC comics realm (Superman, Batman, Justice League, Wonder Woman) as did such characters as Sgt. Rock, The Haunted Tank, and the Losers.He appeared in All Star Western and Weird Western Tales before getting his own book.

Hex was a bounty hunter. His stories weren't the John Wayne All American type of Western. He was an anti hero hero. You can see many old western style stories stolen and adapted within the Hex collection, from such Westerns like The Man who Shot Liberty Vallence, Shane, the Shootist, Sante Fe, The Searchers and Red River

Also in this collection towards the end of the book is the back up tales of Outlaw, DC Comics's jesse James style book. Some with great art from Gil Kane, showcasing his artistic skills.

This volume only touches the Hex comics history, with any hope there will be a volume two and three and so on. One can hope that DC is smart enough to also release a further volume of Western Characters like Scalphunter, El Diablo and of course the loveable rogue Bat Lash in a separate collection

It nice that DC Comics started to release its older comics and unique series in a black and white format similar to Marvel Essentals

Its a great collection for anyone who like the Hex Legend

Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD

Great early/mid-seventies western comics!.......2005-11-16

"He was a hero to some, a villain to others, and wherever he rode people spoke his name in whispers. He had no friends, this Jonah Hex, but he did have two companions: one was death itself... The other, the acrid smell of gunsmoke..." - the intro that ran on the title page of several stories in this volume.

Let's get one thing out of the way: though this Showcase Presents collection is entitled "Jonah Hex", that's not entirely true. In fact, Hex shares this volume with Outlaw (DC's take on Billy the Kid), plus one other western tale. The thing that links "Jonah Hex", "Billy the Kid: Outlaw" and the "bonus" story together is that they all appeared in the same series: "All-Star Western" (which was retitled "Weird Western Tales" shortly after Hex began appearing, not by coincidence).

So, in reality, this book's title is a misnomer. It might have been more accurate to call it "Showcase Presents: Weird Western Tales", since all the stories are from that series (again, with some of them from before the "Weird" moniker was attached to the book). I suspect that was the original plan, but marketing wisely decided to put the most recognizable name on the cover, in part to create synergy with a new Hex monthly comic that is just launching.

Of course, that does nothing to diminish the contents, which are great seventies-era westerns. They offer three distinct takes on the Old West. Hex was a stark departure from the straight-laced "Roy Rogers"-style westerns and "western superheroes" that had dominated the genre in comics for decades (and I say that with affection for both those kinds of western comics). "Billy the Kid: Outlaw" is more of a conventional action-adventure western, with just enough of an edge to make it interesting. And the final tale, "Night of the Snake" is just a fun story by some very good creators that fills out the volume. But looking at them one at at time:

Hex showed obvious influence from Sam Peckinpah and Clint Eastwood westerns, though Hex's stories didn't go quite so far with the depressing themes and nihilist overtones as many seventies movies. His stories were about halfway between Steve McQueen's "Wanted Dead or Alive" TV series and the aforementioned films. That's the best way I can find to describe the tone of the stories. Either way, nothing was quite as clean as in other western comics. That much was certain!

Jonah Hex was not a classical western "good guy", but rather he was one of the first anti-heroes in comics. He led a hard life, and it left him scarred physically, emotionally and even spiritually. Hex was a man with a shattered soul, who did a very unpleasant job (bounty hunting) because he literally had nothing else. No family. No friends. No home. No good reputation. Even his face was horrifically scarred such that most people couldn't bear to look at him. And then, there was a great irony that lay at the core of Jonah Hex. He was a brutal killer, a loner with a deserved reputation that made everyone fear him as much as they feared the devil himself, yet deep down, Jonah was a kind soul who routinely risked his life to help others, even as he talked tough. He was desperately alone and routinely opened himself up for hurt because he allowed himself to get attached to people. And very often, these people he encountered ended up being the real monsters, instead of the scar-faced "devil" Jonah. At the end, Hex almost always rode away alone, numb to his existence. The reader could feel Jonah's isolation and pain. That's not what the stories are about, but this is the subtext that makes the tales so exceptional. It makes us care about Jonah, so that his tales are not just standard pulp western fare.

These stories were done by a stellar group of creators. Hex's original creative team was writer John Albano and artist Tony Dezuniga, both of whom were deserving of far greater acclaim than they ever achieved.

Later, Michael Fleisher took over the writing credit and propeled Hex to even greater heights, staying with the character for decades. Other contributions of note include a story by Arnold Drake (of Doom Patrol fame) and a story drawn by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (DC's "it" artist at one time in the late seventies).

"Billy the Kid: Outlaw" was written by the great Robert Kanigher, who is most famous for his war comics (Sgt. Rock, Unknown Soldier, etc), but Albano wrote several of the latter Outlaw stories (In "real world" time, just before creating Jonah Hex! Was Outlaw wrapped up specifically to create a spot for Hex? Could be!). Dezuniga did most of the artwork, but legendary creators Jim Aparo, Neal Adams and Gil Kane all contributed excellently.

The final story was something of a Gil Kane special. He wrote and drew the story, with Denny O'Neil doing the dialogue over his story and Dezuniga inking (an interesting, if odd combination of styles).

All in all, a satisfying package. I just hope no one snatches it up expecting 560 pages of Jonah Hex, because Hex is really only about 70 percent of the book. That might diminsh their enjoyment, which would be a shame, because this book is a winner when taken as a whole!

And material like "Outlaw" will likely never get reprinted any other way. Kudos to DC for finding way to get good stories without marquee appeal back in print. Is this an experiment for future volumes? Could we see more of DC's legendary backups reprinted as filler for other Showcase volumes? I would vote for that! It would be a nice bonus to separate Showcase from the color Archives in terms of content. If I own a color hardcover of Superman, I might not buy his Showcase volume of the same stuff (speaking hypothetically. I'd really buy it anyway). But throw in some classic sixties backups from Action and Superman, and it makes it extra-special! So I hope the non-Hex material starts a trend.

By the way, as with all Showcase Presents volumes, these stories are reprinted in (quality) black and white. Don't let that worry you one iota. I'll be the first to admit that losing color can negatively affect comics at times, especially when dealing with traditional four-color superheroes, but the starkness of black and white works very well here. The reason is two-fold. First, the realistic subject matter works well without color; there are no garish comic-book costumes that require color. Second, the artists involved here are particularly talented, and the lack of color only serves to enhance their amazing line-work. You get to see just how good guys like Dezuniga and Kane really are!

And at a great price.

Recommended

wierd western tales.......2005-11-13

If you want to read a Sergio Leone movie in graphic art form, Hex is the book for you. Most of the stories are a step up from your ordinary western fare. Its like Shane/ The Man With No Name or Gary Cooper riding across these pages. For a comic written in the early 1970's it takes on topical issues and doesn't hold back.This is not the Vertigo version of Hex but it provides one with a wonderful feel of after the civil war Americana. Most of the line work of the artists work well in this black and white format. I only found two stories where it seemed the source material didn't scan well. You get 500 plus pages of very entertaining reading and its well written. Five stars for DC. Their version of Essentials blows Marvel away. Better paper and the pages are numbered and the bindings doesn't fall apart after one read. My only complaint is how long before volume two ???

Average customer rating:

Falls Short Of The Mark

An Odd departure from Heyer's generally light-hearted heros'

Romance, History, Nostalgia--who could ask for more?

worth reading

GH has done it with great humor
Bath Tangle
Georgette Heyer
Manufacturer: ARROW (RAND)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Regency | Historical | Romance | Subjects | Books
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Arabella

Sprig Muslin

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Grand Sophy

ASIN: 0099468093

Amazon.com

Lady Serena Carlow is an acknowledged beauty, but she's got a temper as fiery as her head of red hair. When her father dies unexpectedly, Serena discovers to her horror that she has been left a ward of Ivo Barrasford, marquis of Rotherham, a man whom Serena once jilted and who now has the power to give or withhold his consent to any marriage she might contemplate. With her father's heir eager to take over his inheritance--and Serena's lifelong home--she and her lovely young stepmother, Fanny, decide to move to Bath, where Serena makes an odd new friend and discovers an old love, Major Hector Kirkby. Before long, Serena, Fanny, Kirkby, and Rotherham are entangled in a welter of misunderstood emotions, mistaken engagements, and misdirected love.

Georgette Heyer's genius has always been in creating memorable characters, then placing them in a comedy of manners that is absolutely true to the Regency period. Bath Tangle is a delightful romp through the haute ton of early-19th-century England, and the battling, passionate, meant-for-each-other Ivo and Serena are one of her most successful romantic duos.

Book Description

In a tangle of marriage and manners the likes of which even Regency Bath has rarely seen, Lady Serena finds herself having to deal with Lord Rotherham, her lovely young stepmother, and her own childhood sweetheart.

Customer Reviews:

Falls Short Of The Mark.......2007-03-27

I bought this book in transports of delight, yearning to be at home cuddling up and devouring yet another great Georgette Heyer novel, only to sit down and finish it with wry dissapointment. This book truely falls so far off the mark that I seriously wished I had never read it. The characters, mainly Selana, are detestable, selfish, overbearing, obnoxious and as the book rightly mentions, quite in the highstep. Fanny's admiration of Selena's so called "talents" at running a household made me scoff. Selena telling a butler how to clean a drawing room is not my idea of hardworkman-ship. She constantly complains about being bored and is so self absorbed I couldn't like her. She does absolutely nothing and is extremely inconsiderate. Although the book is amusing at times, and Georgette does her best to keep the story flowing, it's all I can do not to rip the pages out. I gave this novel 1 star, the only time I really enjoyed it was when Rotherham gave Selana a scorching setdown on her attitude.

An Odd departure from Heyer's generally light-hearted heros'.......2005-07-29

If you are the type of reader who enjoys conflict between the hero and heroine of a novel, then this the book for you. I generally like heyer because although there might be some conflict it is usually understated. I find this novel the fighting between Rotherham (the heroine) and Lady Serena Carlow (the Heroine) to be irksome. Neither Character really shines but rather they simmer and seeth with annoyance at each other.

The set up is that Lady Serena's father has died, so she and her step-mother Fanny move to Bath. Only to Lady Serena's horror she has been left as the ward of her old fiance, Lord Rotherham, a man she now loathes. And with her fiery temper (which matches with her fiery red hair) she sets out to annoy him in any way she can.Trouble is that Lord Rotherham also sets out to annoy Lady Serena and he is much more successful at it.

In the background is the rather lovely story of Fanny and another of Serena's romantic interests. And all this set in Bath. Heyer only set three of her many novels in Bath and only late in her writing career. She only ever wrote novels about places she knw and had researched well. It is a lovely introduction to the area as it was in the Regency period but I think she has written better novels.

Romance, History, Nostalgia--who could ask for more?.......2005-04-02

My mother owned hardcover copies of dozens of Georgette Heyer books, and I read every one of them over and over (I honestly believe that I became 'ill' and stayed home from school just so I could read Heyer and drink hot tea)! This one is particularly beloved! The story is fast paced and full of humorous suspense, and the characters are well developed. I must admit, I remember being entranced by the title from an early age (kindergarten even), and I loved the idea of being tangled up in a bathtub--which surely added to the mystique when I was old enough to actually read the book! Every Georgette Heyer novel, whether romance or mystery, has always been a joy to me, and this is no exception! I am forty-five years old, by the way...

worth reading.......2004-05-24

Lady Serena Carlow is beside herself with anger when she discovers that her late father (the Earl of Spenborough) has placed her squarely under the Marquess of Rotherham's thumb. For the late earl has made Rotherham the sole trustee of his only daughter's wealth, and Lady Serena will have to gain Rotherham's approval for everything from frivolous purchases to permission to marry. For most young women of sense, such a will would be trying, but for the passionate and fiery tempered Lady Serena, the state of affairs is truly intolerable, esp since she and Rotherham were once engaged to be married before she broke off the engagement in a fit of anger. Soon, however, even the indignity of having to cope with Rotherham as a guardian is nothing compared to having to watch her cousin assume her dead father's place. Hoping to seek some relief from the fit of doldrums that she's sunk into, Lady Serena proposes that she and her young stepmother, Fanny, go to Bath. Hopefully a change of scene and new friends and divertments will restore both their flagging spirits. What neither lady counted on was how the reappearance of one lady's old beau would so entangle things...

Truth to tell, "Bath Tangle" may not be everyone's cup of tea. Lady Serena's quick and fiery temper and her high-handed ways could really set one's back up -- and Rotherham is no different! Certainly, Lady Serena is the type of heroine I usually have very little empathy for -- all that emotion and high drama! And yet, who else but Georgette Heyer could pen a romance novel about a high-handed and stubborn heroine and her equally autocratic swain, and still make us care and root for them to achieve their happily ever-after ending? And as usual, one can count on Heyer's wonderful prose style, together with her brilliant character portrayals, witty dialogue, vivid imagery and smooth pacing to be sure of a memorable and worthwhile read. All in all, a novel not to be missed!

GH has done it with great humor.......2003-01-30

In spite of the negative reviews posted prior to this one, I must give this book a thumbs up. I've read this story several times, and each time I gathered new details and discovered a funny line I didn't remember from the previous reading.

Heyer's style of writing, as usual, is sophisticated and informative. The details in any of her books make you inquire more deeply into the period of which she writes.

Personally, I LOVED Rotherham and Serena -- perhaps it's because I'm a bit tempermental myself. The clash between them and eventual realization of their respect and love is amusing. The twist in plot by the end makes for an endearing read. The reader does feel a sort of short-circuited denoument to the story by the time Rotherham and Serena realize their love - one awaits more - though it's not necessarily a drawback (Austen's own writings reflect similar tendencies).

It is not a fast-paced story, but watching the love develop in this story makes me think of a dawn. The sun rising over the horizon has never been a quick event, though it is always a beautiful setting with incredible shades of color to add the most intriguing character to our day.

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Bath Tangle

Manufacturer: Ace Star
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Heyer, Georgette | ( H ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: B000E5RY0A

Product Description

Never were there two young women less alike than the gentle Lady Fanny and the volatile Lady Serena. There were, however, good friends--Fanny, recently widowed and some year the younger was, in fact, Serena's stepmother. To compound the confusion, Serena's inheritance was, by the terms of her father's will, controlled by the stern Marquis of Rotherham--the man she had just jilted!

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Arabella, Bath Tangle, the Nonesuch
Georgette Heyer
Manufacturer: Peerage Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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BATH TANGLE
GEORGETTE HEYER
Manufacturer: THE BOOK CLUB
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SILVIO

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Bath Tangle

Manufacturer: The Book Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000EK9NVS

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Bath Tangle
Georgette Heyer
Manufacturer: Pan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K45JNE

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Bath Tangle
Georgette Heyer
Manufacturer: Pan Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000OEFEAS

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Bath Tangle
Georgette Heyer
Manufacturer: G. P. Putnam's Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PSBL2I

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Bath Tangle

Manufacturer: Pan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GZMHBE

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Bath Tangle
Heyer Georgette
Manufacturer: Pan Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000VHVNL2

Amazon.com

David Weber provides intergalactic thrills and political intrigue in this far-flung military space adventure, continuing where In Enemy Hands left off. The People's Republic has publicly executed Honor Harrington--or have they? While the Star Kingdom swears revenge, Honor (alive and kicking) plans escape from the prison planet of Hell. Weber's extensive knowledge of military protocol combined with deep technical exploration make for a highly detailed book, yet he avoids bogging down in it. His great storytelling skills keep this book racing along like an action-adventure movie. Fans of Star Wars and old-fashioned seafaring tales will find lots to their liking here, as will those looking for a future setting in which women play an equal role. If you're new to the Honor series, start with On Basilisk Station, the first of Commander Honor Harrington's adventures.

Customer Reviews:

Space Opera equivalent of C.S. Forester's "Flying Colours".......2007-03-17

This is number eight in David Weber's main series of novels about Honor Harrington. It is also the only one describing events in Honor Harrington's career which so closely correspond to one of the "Horatio Hornblower" novels by C.S. Forester that an exact match can be given; this book is equivalent to "Flying Colours."

If you have not read any of David Weber's other books about Honor Harrington, this book is part of a series of space opera novels set two or three thousand years in the future. If you are minded to read them, do not start with this one: these stories work best if read in sequence, so start with the first book, which is "On Basilisk station."

Despite the futuristic setting, there are strong parallels with Nelson's navy. Assumed technology in the stories imposes constraints on space navy officers quite similar to those which the technology of fighting sail imposed on wet navy officers two hundred years ago. Similarly, the galactic situation in the novels is very like the strategic and political situation in Europe at the time of the French revolutionary wars.

This is obviously quite deliberate: many thinly veiled (and amusing) hints in the books indicate that they are to some extent a tribute to C.S. Forester, and the main heroine of the books, Honor Harrington, appears to owe more than her initials to Forester's character Horatio Hornblower.

The Honor Harrington series (sometimes nicknamed the "Honorverse") is starting to develop a number of spin-off storylines. Stories set in this Universe fall into three groups, although they link together in a reasonably consistent manner.

There is the main sequence, currently of 11 novels, which follow the career of Honor Harrington herself and give a top level view of the wars between her home nation, "The Star Kingdon of Manticore" and hostile nations such as the People's Republic of Haven. The main Honor Harrington sequence is:

1) On Basilisk Station
2) The Honor of the Queen
3) The Short Victorious War
4) Field of Dishonour
5) Flag in Exile
6) Honor among Enemies
7) In Enemy Hands
8) Echoes of Honor
9) Ashes of Victory
10) War of Honor
11) At All Costs

There are currently four collections in the "Worlds of Honor" series of short stories by Weber and co-authors set in the same universe, and featuring a range of characters, some from the main series of books, others new.

Some of these are espionage stories, and Weber has produced a book called "Crown of Slaves" co-written with Eric Flint, which brings together several of the most prominent spies from the novels and short stories in a novel of intrigue and revolution.

Another book, "The Shadow of Saganami" kicks off a "next generation" sequence featuring younger officers in the Grayson and Manticoran navies such as Helen Zilwicki and Abigail Hearns.

The prologue to "Echoes of Honor" begins with Honor Harrington's horrified family watching an enemy broadcast purporting to show her execution. As readers of the previous book (In Enemy hands) will realise, this video has been faked. The government of the People's Republic of Haven (or "Peeps") are under the impression that Honor and her companions were killed when the battlecruiser on which she was being taken to a place of execution blew up. Rather than admit that a handful of prisoners of war managed to destroy a battlecruiser while attempting to escape, the Peeps decide that it would make better propaganda to fake a film of Honor's execution. In fact things are even worse for the Peeps than they realise; the escape was successful.

In "Flying Colours" Horatio Hornblower, who had been captured after a heroic fight in the previous book, escaped while en route to execution by Napoleon, accompanied by his first lieutenant Bush and his coxwain, Brown. Their families and enemies alike think they're dead. They have a long road home through enemy territory - and meanwhile Hornblower has some important family news waiting for him if he makes it home ...

In "Echoes of Honor", Honor Harrington, who had been captured after a heroic fight in the previous book, has then escaped while en route to execution by the Peeps, accompanied by her former first lieutenant Alistair McKeon and a small number of her other crew including Andrew LaFollett, Scotty Tremaine, and Horace Harkness. Their families and enemies alike think they're dead. They too a long road home through enemy territory - and meanwhile Honor will also have some important family news waiting for her if she makes it home ...

Some editions of this book have the subtitle "Conquer Hell or Die" which is a reference to the aptly named prison planet, Hell, on which Honor lands with a few comrades and two shuttles at the start of the book.

The character development, as ever for David Weber, is well done, and makes you care about the people in the book. He includes references to the strengths of some of his evil characters and the weaknesses of his heroes and heroines so that the people in the book are usually believable and most of their actions and motives plausible.

Most of the battle scenes are gripping, and the particular tactical situations in this story are such that Weber's greatest weakness - the tendancy to write and think too much like a wargamer - does not apply this time. The one significant flaw in some other books in this series is that Weber gives his characters too much of the wargamer's willingness to treat warships up to and including capital ships as expendable to a greater extent than is possible to real world commanders. But there are no implausible suicide missions in this book.

For amusement, if you want to try to look for the parallels to nations and individuals from the French revolutionary period and the Hornblower books, one possible translation would be:

People's Republic of Haven = Revolutionary France
Rob S. Pierre = Robespierre
The Committee of Public Safety = The Committee of Public Safety
Former Haven legislaturist regime = the Bourbon monarchy and aristocrats

Star Kingdom of Manticore = Great Britain
Gryphon = Scotland
Prime Minister Alan Summervale = Pitt the Younger
Hamish Alexander, Earl White Haven = (1) Admiral Edward Pellew
and (2) Lady Barbara Wellesley
Honor Harrington = Horatio Hornblower
Alistair McKeon = William Bush

Crown loyalists and Centrists = Tory supporters of Pitt
Conservative Association = hardline High Tories
New Kiev Liberals = Whig Oligarchists
Cathy Montaigne Liberals = Whig Radicals

Grayson = Portugal
Anderman Empire = Kingdom of Prussia
Silesia = Poland
Solarian republic = United States of America

Overall, "Echoes of Honor" is one of the most moving books of the series. If you enjoyed the previous episodes in the story, you will almost certainly enjoy this one.

Exceptional!.......2006-07-07

Another exception book by David Weber in the Honor Harrington series. I love the female heroine, which is not common in the sci-fi genre of this type, and she is totally believable, totally relatable, and simply amazing! I have read each and every book of this series and except for one, I found them all to be equally compelling. Now, I want one of those cats! (read the book to find out what I mean!)

Disappointing.......2006-03-17

As the series continues, my interest is waning. David needs to concentrate on his other books.

This series gets better all the time.......2005-11-29

David Weber delivers another great installment in his Honor Harrington series, one of the greatest space opera series in recent memory. Echoes of Honor continues the story which had begun in In Enemy Hands. The Star Kingdom of Manticore vows revenge for Honor's "death" after her supposed execution by the People's Republic of Haven. But she is actually marooned with a handful of her men on the Havenite prison planet known as Hell. She assembles a force of POW's and begins to plan an escape for herself, her remaining crew and the rest of the prisoners incarcerated on Hell. Weber has continued to develop the character of Honor Harrington very well over the course of these novels, as she has become more emotionally mature. He has also continued to further develop the "Honorverse," which no longer revolves around Honor herself, as evidenced in spinoff novels such as Crown of Slaves and The Shadow of Saganami. This series continues to get better with each new installment. Echoes of Honor is an excellent read, which I enjoyed thoroughly. I look forward to reading Book 9, Ashes of Victory.

The Plot Continues to Thicken.......2005-05-11

David Weber continues to develop his "Honorverse" and does so in a delightful manner. The latest installment of his space opera series is just another example of this excellence and brings to light much more of the goings and happenings of the universe of Honor Harrington.

While it would be wrong to say that Honor herself is not the central character of this installment, her presence is always felt, it would also be misleading to think that this one is all about her. Instead, it follows several story lines after everyone believes her to have been executed by the enemy. The thing is, though, that she has survived and she has blood in her eye. She manages to put together a force of POWs, cause the Peeps no end of trouble and get herself and her people out of Dodge. It is a good read.

I will not say that this one has been my favorite in the series. Some of the others are more exciting. It is, however, one that most tugs at the heartstrings. it also fills in a lot of holes and lets a few other characters come to the fore at times. It is definitely worth reading but as the series progresses, readers would be well advised to start at the beginning. It would be easy to get lost in the later ones, especially this one, if you do not already have the background stories.

Echoes of the Epic: Studies in Honor of Gerard J. Brault

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Echoes of the Epic: Studies in Honor of Gerard J. Brault

Manufacturer: Summa Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Epic | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

French | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1883479223

Return with Honor: Code of Conduct Training in the National Military Strategy Security Environment

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Return with Honor: Code of Conduct Training in the National Military Strategy Security Environment

Manufacturer: Storming Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: 1423520440

Product Description

This is a NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A317724. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: As the United States transforms from threat-based to capabilities- based combat operations, one must examine the ability of existing international laws, domestic directives, and Service regulations and training programs to protect American military and civilian prisoners of war, detainees, and hostages while under enemy control. This thesis explores the impact of The National Military Strategy of the United States of America 2004 (NMS) security environment on existing Code of Conduct (CoC) training. A thorough examination and comparison of the existing legal framework to the future components of warfare provides a new context through which to evaluate existing CoC training programs and determine the overall applicability of the course content to the expanded spectrum of captivity. The Department of Defense must compensate for the lack of effective international protection by designing a conduct-after- capture program that addresses the rapidly changing conditions of different captivity situations. This thesis reveals that the existing CoC training programs and SERE skill sets lack the flexibility to enable the isolated person to rapidly adjust to changes in the future captivity environment and proposes a core captivity curriculum that provides an adaptable set of skills designed to enable the captive to survive and return with honor regardless of the captor or location of captivity. (8 tables, 81 refs.)

The Echoes of Many Texts: Reflections on Jewish and Christian Traditions: Essays in Honor of Lou H. Silberman

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The Echoes of Many Texts: Reflections on Jewish and Christian Traditions: Essays in Honor of Lou H. Silberman

Manufacturer: Scholars Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0788504177

Echoes of the Wordless "Word" Colloquy in Honor of Stanley Romaine Hopper (American Academy of Religion Society of Biblical Literature)

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Echoes of the Wordless "Word" Colloquy in Honor of Stanley Romaine Hopper (American Academy of Religion Society of Biblical Literature)
Daniel C. Noel
Manufacturer: Scholars Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 9990819890

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Changing How I View Travel

New age tripe

Comforting and Unsettling

Review - The Way of the Traveler by Carole of TravelSITE.com

a true guide

The Way of the Traveler: Making Every Trip a Journey of Self-Discovery
Joseph Dispenza
Manufacturer: Avalon Travel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Travel | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books
General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Comparative Religion | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Essays & Travelogues | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books
General | Travel | Subjects | Books
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The Mindful Traveler: A Guide to Journaling and Transformative Travel

ASIN: 1566914493

Book Description

Winner of the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award, this illustrated guide is a collection of short essays that discuss how travel can raise consciousness, promote spiritual growth, and deepen life experiences. Drawing on his experience as a monk, lecturer, and co-founder of a holistic healing institute, Joseph Dispenza helps readers understand that all travel is a sacred journey to self-discovery. Dispenza encourages readers to keep a journal of feelings, sketch what they see, and transform themselves in other ways to enrich their lives, whether they are going overseas or just across town. "The book ... consists of essays, meditations and practical exercises; each chapter is graced with evocative photos and incisive quotations.... " -- Armchair Traveler

Customer Reviews:

Changing How I View Travel.......2007-07-21

I loved this book. Taking me through the entire journey of travel, from getting the idea to go somewhere to sharing my experiences with others, the author suggests ways of deepening the experience into something life changing. His exercises can be used for those life journeys that don't involve leaving home as well. All in all it's a terrific read.

New age tripe.......2006-07-18

Have you ever met a person where every single thing that happens to them is a spiritual awakening? The kind of person that can't go to the bathroom without making some sort of journal entry of the new vistas they discovered? Well that is the kind of mentality you get with this book. You can't simply look at a sunset and be in awe of nature or God. No you need to relate to it and make it a part of you.

I am avery spiritual person and love traveling. I have traveled all over the world and feel complete when I do so. Reading this book did the one thing I never thought was possible, it put me off of traveling.

Fortunately, the feeling passed quickly. I will not make little travel shrines. I will not take little spiritual trips across my living room. I will not follow this persons advice. And this book is going nowhere near my rucksack. Sorry, I am too stoic for this book.

I would recommend people read books about the places they want to go. Learn their culture and a little bit of their language. Don't worry about the trip just go on it.

My passport is the only material possession I truly value.

Comforting and Unsettling .......2006-05-28

There's something both comforting and unsettling in Mr. Dispenza's book and I think that's the point. When we take a journey we learn about the world and we learn about ourselves. We leave the comfortable and we enter the unknown. What we do with this experience, what we come home with emotionally, determines who we are not just as writers, but as people. The Way of the Traveler helps you explore how you experience locations.

Mr. Dispenza's explores the traveler's changes by bringing in the classics through quotes and observations, exploring how writers have used travel and travelers in their texts. And, he creates some possibilities for travelers by offering suggestions and exercises to try during all the stages of planning a trip, taking your trip, and returning home. This mix of history and self-help discovery is a fun combination.

This is one of the reasons I recommend this book. As writers explore travel writing, which comes in handy when creating fictional settings and bringing physical locations to life in nonfiction, the true key to hooking a reader is creating an experience that makes them feel like they're in the place. We're able to bring readers a deeper experience by understanding how we experience a location. Ask yourself, which of your senses are stimulated and why, which of your emotions are stimulated and how. The Way of the Traveler helps writers think in these terms.

The text is written from a perspective that embraces armchair travel as well as physical travel. Self-discovery through exploration of both the outer world and our own inner world is the underlying theme. Mr. Dispenza writes: "Every time we leave home and go to another place, we open up the possibility of having something wonderful happen to us. When we move out of the familiar here and now, we set in motion a series of events that, taken together, bring about changes at the very root of our being."

Review - The Way of the Traveler by Carole of TravelSITE.com.......2005-03-02

The Way of the Traveler - Making Every Trip a Journey of Self-Discovery

By Joseph Dispenza
Published by: John Muir Publications
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Reviewed by: Carole Herdegen
Editor of www.travelSITE.com

In his stimulating book on the spiritual aspects of travel, Joseph Dispenza has given the reader a new look at the reasons on not necessarily why we travel but how we should travel. His is a not the typical travel book advising on where to travel and what to see or what to do once we reached our destination but a book of insight into the goals, rewards and preparations of travel from an intellectual if not a spiritual point of view. As far back as 500 BC, philosopher/travelers like Herodotus and Hieronymus of Rhodes traveled great distances recording not only what they saw but what they emotionally experienced. Generations of travelers ever since have proceeded to record their own traveling experiences.

This then is but the first example of a book devoted especially to the change in the way we travel from a spiritual perspective to the rewards in the concept of self-transformation. The very first sentence of his book, Joseph Dispenza writes, "All travel is inner travel." He asks the traveler to keep a journal, but not ordinary journal. The journal he has in mind is a written record of how we feel about the various things we encounter in our travels. In reality, it's a "journal of feelings" and not simply a photographic record of people and places visited.

Joseph Dispenza concludes that travel becomes so much more meaningful when a common trip of superficial discovery is elevated into a journey of "self-discovery". We should be challenged and changed by travel and this is a good thing. And, by doing so, we will discover a new way of looking at the world and everything it offers.

This sharing of feelings about certain places or encounters with particular individuals is something I frequently do by orally telling my travel stories. I diligently try to record events and places in a diary and then rely on my memory and recall to share with my audiences my own personal feelings and emotions that I experienced on my journeys. However, these feelings and emotions will diminish if not completely disappear in time unless they are duly recorded. This was the strong message I got from Mr. Dispenza.

I strongly recommend this book for everyone from the armchair traveler to the seasoned adventurer.

a true guide.......2003-07-16

This is a special book. It is a true guide in every sense.The author sites various examples in mythology and history as well as offering up his own personal experiences to illustrate how significant and important our journeys are and how much we have to gain and learn about ourselves if we simply focus and honor the process of the journey.I am very grateful for the insites and will put them into play in my next journey,which will now be sooner than later thanks to this wonderful and stimulating work.

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