Beyond Our Mothers Footsteps

Book Description

Linda is striving to emulate her mother's achievements; Melanie battles with an abusive spouse; Gina tries to hold her family together at all costs; and Lisa's marriage is tested as she is determined to seek her parentage. Can these daughters go beyond their mothers' footsteps to correct mistakes of the past? If not, they risk destroying their own families and futures.

Customer Reviews:

Great Sequel.......2000-12-24

Will there be a third part? I truely enjoyed the story lines in both Ms. James' books. "Beyond" explored the girls' as adults several years after college. It answered the question of the rift between Barb, Debra, Catherine and Marilyn. It also explored the backround of their male counterparts. It was amazing to me that Debran and Della were Ms. Mattie's children. Excellent writing! We still do not know who Lisa's father is and at this point it does not matter. Maybe I missed who Lisa's mother was (Debra or Della). But I do have one question for Ms. James-who was Caleb Arvell? In "Secrets" Ms. Mattie was on target. In "Beyond" it was Debra. She was a BAD woman. She made sure that all sinners paid their dues. GREAT JOB!

Beautifully written.......2000-08-22

This books was absolutely interesting. There was some very interesting characters. I finished reading it in 24 hours. I always wanted to be a soror but never did. It made me laugh, cry, get mad and try to get even. I would recommend this to any and everyone that likes a good read.

superb story *S*.......2000-08-13

i was so excited when i read there was a sequel to sister secrets. it was so fulfilling to me to know that these ladies sacrifice a lot for their families and friends no matter what. it's like all in the family when someone needs help, everyone pitches in. differences were amend because they all stood together and worked their problems out. on a deeper note the spirits made it a lot touching and emotional because we all have lost that somebody we loved deeply rather it was a friend or a loved one, and we still want that special connection to them like our guardian angels *S* this is a great book to read about forgiveness, understandings and letting go of the past. *S*

It comes together..........2000-08-03

I felt that this book needed to be written after reading "Sister Secrets." I had so many questions and "Beyond..." answered them. I enjoyed this book. The characters were scaled down and you could become more interested in them. I liked these people and and wanted good to come of them. I was glad that this author went back and gave us clarification on some of the older characters from "Sister Secrets." This book kept me interested. in the outcome of each person. Good job.

A Great Sequel.......2000-07-12

Breggie James has done it again. This book puts closure to all the mysteries that came about in "Sister Secrets". I literally had to write down all the characters and their relationship to make sure I had everything straight. This book was a perfect example of how we need to know our past in order to avoid repeating it. James makes us realize that the Mother/Daughter bond is somehting special and should not be taken fro granted.

Book Description

The novels of New York Times bestselling author Barbara Hambly have broken new ground in the realm of fantasy. With a sweeping cast of characters whose powers are both awesome and heartachingly limited, the Dragon series is built around the touching relationship between a husband and wife separated by a flood of violence and chaos.

Condemned to die for consorting with demons, dragonslayer Lord John Aversin sits in a dank prison cell and calculates the odds of escape, while smelling the smoke of the executioners’ pyres. In Winterlands, Jenny Waynest pays a heavy price for choosing to be human, mourning the loss of her husband, Lord John, and the dangers that engulf her family. But in a season of the Dragon Star, strange miracles are about to transpire.

As a pitched battle between the Hellspawn and the human rages, Jenny and John will be reunited in a city under siege. And there, they will have one last chance to understand all that has happened to them and why, who their true enemies and true allies are, and most of all, for what magical purpose each has been chosen.

A vast adventure and a powerful mystery teeming with demons and witches, gnomes and dragons, Dragonstar explores profound issues of faith, fate, and technology–while obscuring long held boundaries between good and evil, love and hate, what is human and what is fantastic. With this glorious finale to a breathtaking series, Barbara Hambly establishes herself as one of the most visionary and inventive storytellers in the field of fantasy fiction today.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

A Very Fitting Conclusion.......2007-09-10

Dragonstar is the fitting conclusion to one of Barbara Hambly's best series. The book does not stand alone. It did, however, inspire me to re-read the entire Dragon Series. (Dragonsbane, being one of the best fantasy books that I've ever read!) Dragon fans take note. This is a series which you will enjoy! As stated by Anne McCaffrey--"She writes darn good books!"

Fini.......2004-12-03

Barbara left her characters and her beautifully crafted world in general within the clutches of peril at the end of Knight of the Demon Queen. I was happy to see matters resolved and the book take a more upbeat feel as an open conclusion to this series.

Having said that, I would have to say I have had my fill of demon lore. At the end of this novel, Morkeleb has undergone such a stark transformation that I hardly recognize him. For a dragon, being a Dragonshadow means essentially not being a dragon at all. He has abandoned magic and his "dragon ways." In fact, he often appears in human form by the time this final installment comes around, and I feel like I lost an old friend of sorts.

Nevertheless, I am happy to know Caradoc's fate, and my lovely Aohila's as well.

Oh, what a relief.......2002-11-20

I love Hambly's works. I love Dragonsbane, the first book in this series. However, this last trilogy is a gruelling read, and the ending of Knight of the Demon Queen is just brutal.

As this book begins, our characters are quicky rescued from the horrible situations they were in at the end of the previous book. They go on to make all things right, to my great relief.

But should you buy/read this book? I think that depends on what you want from it.

This series (Dragonshadow, Knight of the Demon Queen, and Dragonstar) is not like most of Hambly's other work. If you're looking for a book to transport you to another world and relieve you of the cares of your day, this isn't it.

If you're looking for a story that probes what happens when people are stressed to the breaking point, or how families can find their way back to each other afterwards, this is something you want to read. Fantasy is often described as escapist literature... but whoever does so hasn't read THIS. There's no escape here. There's going through all the hard parts.

You can tell from the mixed reviews here that this isn't for everyone. If you're going to read these, I recommend that you have Dragonstar on hand before finishing Knight of the Demon Queen. These are heavy books. They may save your sanity, or bore you silly. Take a chance on them.

Comet comet, burning bright.......2002-09-02

Dragonstar, by Barbara Hambly, is the conclusion to a series that never should have been. This series is a sequel to Dragonsbane, one of the best books I have ever read. It stood completely on its own and was wrapped up perfectly. Instead of leaving it, years later she started this series. Dragonstar, while much better than the first two books, still limps along unnecessarily, never earning the right to have been created in the first place.

I have read that Barbara Hambly was going through a very tough personal time when she wrote the first two books in this series (Dragonshadow and Knight of the Demon Queen). You could tell this because they were very depressing books. Characters that I had grown to love in Dragonsbane were being put through a ringer that seemed more than just the normal "putting characters through conflicts to see how they come out." Massive doses of mistrust were placed between John and Jenny, wrenching their relationship apart. Meanwhile, the story that she was trying to tell wasn't very interesting and seemed almost cliched at times. There really isn't a new spin placed on the "demons trying to take over the world" concept.

Dragonstar almost seems to have been written as an apology to fans for the gloom of the first two books. Jenny and John are rescued quite quickly in the book, both immediately thinking about what they should have said to each other the last time they saw each other. Both characters apologized to each other profusely in their minds, and then did so again when they finally met. Once they are together, there are numerous references to the pain they have caused each other, and how now that they're together, they will make things back to normal between them. When you take this book by itself, there is nothing wrong with all of that. It's the earlier behaviour that's a bit out of character for them. However, when you read the whole series, the change is extremely jarring.

The only other semi-interesting character is Morkeleb. He's a dragonshadow now, a dragon who has renounced magic. The relationship between him and Jenny, the love that they share (though Morkeleb knows that it can never replace her love for John) is very sweet. Morkeleb has a very un-dragonlike sense of humour as well. In this book, he leads the other dragons in an attempt to help Jenny and John defeat the demons. He does this for Jenny, but you get a sense that he does this for the good of the world as well, which is something a dragon would never do. It's interesting to see the culmination of his transformation from dragon to what lies beyond.

However, the same can't be said of any of the other characters. Especially sad is Gareth, the regent and the man who came to John & Jenny so many years ago (in Dragonsbane) for help in defeating a dragon. In this series, and especially this book, he's a shadow of his former self. Some of this can be attributed to the fact that his "dead" wife has come back to life inhabited by a demon, but even that doesn't excuse how uninteresting he has become. Events happen to him, but nothing seems to really affect him that much. Then, there are the three demon characters; Folcalor, Amayon, and the Demon Queen herself. None of them move much past the moustache-twisting villain. They're evil for evil's sake (not surprising, for demons, but that doesn't make them intriguing enough to read about). When your protagonists have nobody interesting to interact with, it makes for really laboured reading.

The final problem with this book, and this may surprise people who have read my reviews of Hambly's Benjamin January series, is the extremely slow pace of the novel, mainly caused by her excessive description. Usually, I love that trait in Hambly's writing. However, I think what she's writing about has to be of interest in order to make it bearable. In this case, it isn't, and thus the pace grinds to a halt as she's describing things. The action scenes plod because of this, and the lengthy scenes where the plot is "developed" are almost unbearable. The only thing that kept me reading was my loyalty to Hambly (probably my favourite author) and my loyalty to these characters.

The plot is resolved, but an opening is left for a subsequent series of books. I sincerely hope that, if Hambly does decide to give in to the temptation, she really thinks about it first. This series almost destroyed my love for the original. I don't think it could take much more of a beating.

Excellent!.......2002-08-21

Dragonstar, the latest book in the Dragonsbane series, returns to the breezy, upbeat style that made Dragonsbane itself so readable (and the lack of which made Knight of the Demon Queen, the third book in this series, so UNreadable). While this novel cannot be said to stand on its own, it is an excellent conclusion to the series. Read it!

Average customer rating:

Dragonstar: Smuggler's Run [d20 system]
Greg Benage , Alexander Flagg , and Will Hindmarch
Manufacturer: Fantasy Flight Games
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1589941322

Book Description

Take Your Adventure to the Stars. At the edge of civilized space or in the shadow of the Dragon Empire itself, the citizens of the galaxy need foodstuffs, technology, clothing, and contraband. This is the role of the intergalactic free trader, delivering important, secret, or illegal cargo to the richest spires of the Empire and the deepest pits of the Outlands. It's a career full of tough choices, bad breaks, and risk, but it's yours. Smuggler's Run has everything you need to a play smuggler or free trader player character in the Dragonstar campaign setting, plus the tools players and DMs both need to make a privateer's campaign fun and easy. New prestige classes, new feats, new spells, and new starships expand and define the markets of the Dragon Empire. Simple new rules for commerce, supply, and demand focus the smuggler's business on its exciting choices and adventure possibilities. To demonstrate it all, this book describes a new, remote corner of the Dragonstar universe that's easy to place into any campaign: the Smuggler's Run.

Develop Your Latent Paranormal Powers: An Eleven Lesson Course

Average customer rating:

Not by Commander X
Disappointing
Not much of a lesson
The Occult For Beginners

Develop Your Latent Paranormal Powers: An Eleven Lesson Course
William Walker Atkinson
Manufacturer: Inner Light - Global Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

ESP | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Occultism | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Supernatural | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1892062453

Book Description

LEARN TO USE SUPERNATURAL ABILITIES YOU NEVER KNEW YOU POSSESSED. . .

The authors offer secrets of spiritual alchemy that are guaranted to enhance your hidden mystical powers.

There are many books that profess to teach psychic abilities, but this book goes way beyond ESP parlor games and mentalist tricks, encompassing the entire dimension of TRUE paranormal powers.

The ultimate goal of these wise avators is t promote clairvoyance, astral energies an intuition to those who feel guided to take this 11 step course and raise their awareness levels. DRAGONSTAR is today's reigning master of an association of ancient magicans who have practiced in silence since the days of Atlantis. While Sir William Walker Atkinson is known the world over as a skilled practitioner of the metaphysical arts and sciences.

IN THESE PAGES YOU WILL LEARN HOW TO. . .

* Pick up a crystal ball and peer into the future.
* Know how to use a magick mirror.
* See through solid objects.
* Learn to read minds.
* De-materialize one's body.
* Tune into the Akashic Records.
* Feel the past association of any object.
* Travel in the past/futue though time and space.

YES! THIS MAY BE A TINY BOOK, BUT IT IS ONLY ADDITIONAL PROOF THAT GOOD THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES. .

Also information on magic mirrors, astral travel, and much, much, more that will enable you to use your inner awareness and take control of your life.

Customer Reviews:

Not by Commander X.......2004-06-18

First, the titles of the reviews by Irridium (Disappointing) and Radion (Not Much Of A Lesson) sum up my thoughts as well.

But my problem is that this book, or at least the edition I bought here on Amazon (and also the one pictured in their listing, is not by and has no affiliation with Commander. As a fan of Commander X and his work that was the only reason I bought this dinky little 93 page booklet. I've long suspected that Inner Light publisher Timothy Green Beckley is actually the mysterious Commander X. Is that what you are saying Amazon? I don't see any connection to Commander X in this book unless there is a newer edition then the one I received and the one pictured here.

Disappointing.......2003-08-11

The claims made on the cover of this book are not matched by the content. It purports to be an 11-lesson course on crystal gazing, clairvoyance, dematerialization and other supernatural skills. What it really is, is an introduction by Dragonstar dealing in a cursory fashion with channelling, ESP, coincidences, hunches, predictions etc. The main body of the book is by Sir William Walker Atkinson and is set in old-fashioned typography. It deals with the astral body and is abilities. Chapter headings include The Nature Of Psychomancy, How To Develop Yourself, The Astral Tube, Psychometry, Crystal Gazing & Astral Projection. Atkinson's work might have been a classic when first published many years ago, but it reveals nothing new and provides no new insights, consisting mainly of short case studies. There are zillions of better books on the subject nowadays. For those who are serious about developing their psychic powers, I recommend Awakening Your Psychic Powers (An Edgar Cayce Guide) by Henry Reed and Practical Guide To Psychic Powers: Awaken Your Sixth Sense by Melita Denning and Osborne Phillips.

Not much of a lesson.......2002-09-16

I would give this 0 stars if there is a choice. The book doesn't even tell you what to do. Its a small booklet with information on psychometry. The ability to see beyond the physical plane. I can add more that this book doesn't tell. Seeing through walls is nothing more than training your psychic abilities to see energy pattern on object. Some people develop this to a point where they see only energetical vibrations, thus being able to see through walls. The book doesn't teach you anything at all!! Dragonstar just added his introduction on the first few pages, and the rest is just nothing but ..... *sigh* I'll make it short. Its boring, and you wouldn't learn anything from this. Its not a lesson. Its like some tabloid binded into a booklet.

The Occult For Beginners.......2002-06-19

"Develop Your Latent Paranormal Powers" is a joint effort by modern day magician "Dragonstar" and early 20th Century author Sir William Walker Atkinson. Dragonstar sort of functions as a warm-up act, setting the stage and mood for Atkinson's much longer treatise on the basic techniques involved in crystal gazing, telepathy, seeing into the past and future and various other bits of paranormal phenomena.

It is the purpose of both authors to demonstrate to the reader that most of what is called "paranormal" and thought possible only for certain gifted people is instead something that anyone can learn to develop on their own and without the help of an instructor skilled in the occult sciences. The most basic ingredient is like the old joke where a man asks for directions on a crowded New York street:

"How do you get to Carnegie Hall," he questions a passerby.

"Practice, practice, practice," comes the reply.

Which is indeed what Dragonstar and Atkinson continually urge the reader to do. While the initial exercises may seem deceptively simple, even naive, results can only come with a great deal of repetitive and faithful practice. You must also believe the methods will actually work, because skepticism only creates negative clouds of energy that make the tasks at hand much less likely to be successful.

Atkinson's section of the book, the eleven lessons, offers a crash course in navigating the world of what he calls "Psychomancy," and consists of a delightfully complete survey of numerous potential paranormal abilities, including learning to read people's auras, influencing their minds, seeing through brick walls, locating persons with a lock of their hair, traveling with your astral body and even materializing at a desired location and showing yourself to a friend like a visiting ghost.

Atkinson also presents several fascinating anecdotes and case histories that give the reader examples of the abovementioned powers in actual use. The book is worth reading just for the sake of those stories alone, though of course it is made even more interesting by the ideae that the reader has the potential to become part of the astral landscape and participate directly himself.

Both Dragonstar and Atkinson caution the reader never to use any powers or skills they develop to do any evil or intentional harm to another person. The powers that be, they say, have a way of repaying the evil done with these abilities many times over.

Book Description

SEE THE FUTURE IN THE FLICKER OF A CANDLE'S FLAME

Throughout history there have been numerous references to the use of candles in many daily activities. Fire was the ultimate tool used for banishing and cleansing destruction and worship, life and death.

In performing candle magick you are adding the necessary element of your will or desire. The wick represents the human potential. A candle needs a wick to be lit, a wick needs a human to light it. When lit we are sending off our human desires in hopes of manifestation and completion.

By using the arcane art of candle burning the reader may now obtain luck, love, spiritual growth and all around good fortune quickly and more easily then ever before.

Whether you are a professional or novice in the occult sciences, this book will teach you how to improve the accuracy of your psychic reading by addng the dimension of candle magick to the form of divination you may already be most comfortable using. This is an easy to understand and very practical study guide.

* Wax, fire, smoke readings.

* Candles and tarot cards.

* Colored candles and their specific uses.

* Oil, incense, herbs and much MORE.

One little known aspect of candle magick is the ability to channel ones psychic energies in order to see the future. Whether you use cards, crystals, a pendulum, ink, lead, dice, the flight of birds or anything else what you are really doing is opening your end of a channel to higher wisdom.

Sections Included:
* The many forms of divination.
* How to mark a candle for spiritual use.
* Preparations with incense and oils.
* Selecting the right candles and getting them ready for ritualistic use.
* Inscribing the candle.
* Language of the flame.
* Watching the wax drip.
* Locating lost objects.
* Shapes to be found in the wax and smoke of a candle -- and what they can do to your future.

Dozens of practical spells that can turn your life around...presented in an easy to utilize manner so that the reader can be on the well to personal perfection in little time.

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Enter the wonderful world of the Dragon Empire

Pay No Attention to that Man Behind the Curtain!
Dragonstar: Guide to the Galaxy
Fantasy Flight Games , and Various
Manufacturer: Fantasy Flight Games
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Role Playing & Fantasy | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Dragonstar: Starfarer's Handbook (Dragonstar)

Dragonstar: Players Companion

Dragonstar: Smuggler's Run [d20 system]

Dragonstar: Galactic Races

Dragonstar: Imperial Supply

ASIN: 1589940571

Customer Reviews:

Enter the wonderful world of the Dragon Empire.......2007-05-27

There's a lot of meat to the Guide to the Galaxy. Reading through it left me wanting to jump right into a new campaign. Together with the Starfarer's Handbook a GM will have most of what they need at their fingertips.

Pay No Attention to that Man Behind the Curtain!.......2002-12-28

In any game being the GM/DM/Referee is like being the Wizard of Oz before Dorothy came to visit. The Galaxy Guide is for the Game Master running a Dragonstar campaign. Like any good storyteller you need to know the history and working knowledge of what lurks beneath surface and behind closed doors of a given setting to give it true life. Described within is the history of the setting, major players for good or for ill as well as some mechanics necessary for the genre that traditional sword and sorcery never need worry its pretty little head about. There are also toys to dole out to the players in the form of spellware (the Dragonstar equivalent of cyberwear)and new monsters to possibly spring on your unsuspecting players. Enchanted armor and equipment(including guns) are discussed here as well. It is an excellant book, but it can be a bit bewildering if you have not read its companion the Starfarer's Handbook first. If you have the basic trilogy(Player Handbook, Dungeon Masters Guide and Monster Manual) from Wizards of the Coast, these two offer a bit of fine tuning as well as new option. Keep in mind that Dragonstar fully works within the framework of the Dungeons and Dragons game just that it presents the game within the fabric of a science fiction universe with slight tang of Fantasy for a bit of extra taste and flavor. If you have the money to get all three, buying this with the aforementioned Starfarer's Handbook and Imperial Supply for the same campaign setting will not only give you a lot of enjoyable reading to do but a very complete science fantasy setting that you can use to transport yourself and your players on a magical, mystical journey into uncharted territory where the only limit are the collective imaginations of your group.

Average customer rating:

Day Of Dragonstar
Bischoff
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Day of the Dragonstar
David F.; Monteleone, Thomas F. Bischoff
Manufacturer: Berkely Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000K07IS2

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Day of the Dragonstar.
David F. & Monteleone, Thomas F. Bischoff
Manufacturer: Berkley Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NXNGLY

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Day/dragonstar
Bischoff
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0425081729

Average customer rating:

Dragonstar Destiny
David F. Bischoff , and Thomas F. Monteleone
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0441166768

Average customer rating:
Alien Legion: Tenants of Hell (Alien Legion (Titan))
Chuck Dixon
Manufacturer: Titan Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
Science Fiction | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Alien Legion: On the Edge

Alien Legion Piecemaker (Alien Legion (Checker))

Alien Legion: Footsloggers (Alien Legion (Checker))

Alien Legion: Force Nomad (Alien Legion (Checker))

ASIN: 1840238119
Release Date: 2004-10-01

Book Description

They are the dregs, the lost and the forsaken. They are loyal only to each other. They are the mudslogging mercenaries of Force Nomad, Alien Legion's worst of the worst, and they are the stars of this planet-busting new series!

Lost for 15 years in a black hole, Force Nomad returns to combat as little more than the plaything of mega-corporations whose business transactions are paid for in Nomad blood. However, being used as pawns for the idle rich is something they won't stand for — as their paymasters are about to find out!

With new cover artwork by Alan Davis and an introduction by Chuck Dixon, make sure your infra-red sights have been calibrated to capture this one!

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Alien Legion Tenants of Hell Book 1

Manufacturer: Epic Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 087135764X

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Alien Legion: Tenants of Hell (#2)

Manufacturer: Epic Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic
ASIN: B000GQNBV8

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Alien Legion: Tenants of Hell #1, 2
Chuck Dixon
Manufacturer: Epic Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M8BYTQ

Average customer rating:
Alien Legion: Tenants of Hell (#1)

Manufacturer: Epic Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic
ASIN: B000GQR9HU

Book Description

While the success of J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings is remarkable, it's certainly no mystery. In a culture where truth is relative and morality is viewed as ''old-fashioned,'' we eagerly welcome the message of these tales: we have free will, our choices matter, and truth can be known. Matthew Dickerson investigates the importance of free will and moral choices in Tolkien's Middle Earth, where moral victory, rather than military success, is the ''real'' story. He explores Christian themes throughout, including salvation, grace, and judgment. Following Gandalf will delight veteran Tolkien fans and offer new fans an impressive introduction to his major works. Engaging and theologically thought-provoking, it will interest pastors, students, seminarians, and layreaders.

Customer Reviews:

Good stuff.......2005-01-29

As a long-time Tolkien reader, I enjoyed this book's exploration of some important underlying themes and attitudes in the trilogy and associated works. There's nothing nicer than seeing your own observations codified in print!

The author has obviously lectured on this subject for many years, and for some of his discussions I can just see which terms he writes on the blackboard! The college-lecture-series origin explains the repetitions that bothered some reader-reviewers. This is not really a book to read in one sitting (though it is pleasantly short).

The quibble that Gandalf is not really the major subject of the book, so he shouldn't be in the title, reminds me of a book report I wrote in 8th grade (many years ago), where I complained that Sir Walter Scott shouldn't have named his book "Ivanhoe" because the real hero was Richard the Lion-Hearted. "Following Gandalf" is a good title, concise and easily identified as being about both Tolkien and ethics.

Refreshing.......2004-07-14

I have read a lot of critical work on Tolkien, and this was a refreshing change of topic. As opposed to the usual linguistic/mythic examination of his work, this book examines the role of war and of moral conflict. Mr. Dickerson writes well, and has a knowledge of tolkien's works. Well worth your time.

Interesting and insightful.......2004-07-12

This is an interesting and insightful book on Tolkien's attitude to war, valour and heroism, and to the sacrifices and hardness war demands. However I suggest that Hal GP Colebatch's "Return of the Heroes" covers the same ground better and more learnedly. Read the two together, and you will see a lot of bad criticisms of Tolkien expertly shredded.

Intelligent and insightful, with a few major flaws..........2004-07-12

_Following Gandalf_ is a thoughtful book that, somehow, doesn't quite follow Gandalf.

Dickerson's main topic is the treatment of war in Tolkien's Middle-Earth - specifically in the LOTR trilogy, with references to _The Hobbit_ and _The Silmarillion._ The book asks whether Tolkien's works glorify war and violence, and Dickerson spends a lot of time wandering around this question. Which is okay - that deceptively simple question, after all, encompasses a childhood classic, a popular trilogy, and a pseudo Old-English saga... three very different forms that require different methods of literary analysis.

Dickerson draws some fascinating, well-defended conclusions in this book. He creates a convincing argument for the existence of an absolute set of morals within Middle-Earth (granted, Tolkien establishes this in _The Silmarillion,_ but it's nice to see a critic do his homework and "prove" his thesis through analyzing the other novels); and his study of "the one ring" is quite good. I don't want to spoil the book for you, so I'll just say that Dickerson provides an excellent case for the ring's corruptive properties - there are intrinsic and extrinsic forces at work, and if you think about how the ring was brought into being in the first place, it seems rather obvious...

However, I found two things distracting or unnecessary, which prevented me from giving this book five stars. First, Dickerson relies rather heavily on Peter Jackson's film versions - only two of which had been released with the publication of the novel. His scholarly analysis is interspersed with scenes from the films, which I feel is inappropriate since Jackson's films are NOT Tolkien's books. (Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Jackson's films, but they are only "based" on LOTR, and cannot be considered the same as the source material. They are visions and revisions by someone other than the author, in a different era, for a different audience, all of which is compounded by being in a totally different medium. Sorry, but Jackson's LOTR is not Tolkien's LOTR, even if the plot and characters are the same...) I suppose if Dickerson had written a separate chapter that compared Jackson's LOTR with Tolkien's LOTR I would not feel this way; however, a discussion of Tolkien's work should not include Jackson's work. The two works are not the same. One-half point removed for inappropriate source material.

My second quibble is that the book closes with an argument about whether or not the LOTR is a Christian myth. In his introduction, Dickerson says, "In the final chapters, I return to the question of war and put much of the rest of this book, and thereby much of Tolkien's writing, into the context and perspective given to us by the [...] opening part of Tolkien's book _The Silmarillion_" (17). Dickerson does this very thing, only in the larger context and perspective of the Christian Bible - a perspective that Dickerson admits Tolkien neither wanted nor intended.

Dickerson's Christian-myth analysis is insightful, to be sure. My complaint is twofold: (1) the book is about the question of war and violence in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien, not about the Christian allegories to be found in those writings; (2) the Christian-myth section is out of place in the book - it feels tacked on, as if Dickerson had written this section years before and decided it just might "fit" in this book. It does, but badly. One half-point removed for losing sight of the "point" of the book.

The book is otherwise an excellent resource for critical study of the LOTR, though I was irritated at the lack of an index. No points lost for that omission, though it might deserve it. Also, the title is somewhat deceptive in that Gandalf is not the primary character being studied.

Last word: Good, with flaws. Grade: B-

Outstanding exploration of Tolkien's moral view of war.......2004-06-17

Matthew Dickerson's book is an insightful exploration of the moral issues Tolkien deals with in The Lord of the Rings and other writings on Middle-earth. Dickerson sees free will as the central concern of Tolkien's creations, and by extension, all that free will implies about moral responsibility. Dickerson examines this thesis primarily by analyzing Tolkien's depiction of war and battle in Middle-earth, contrasting military victory and moral victory and showing how they are often at odds. This duality reinforces Tolkien's depiction of characters who live in two worlds -- the physical world, where military victory is a vital concern, and the more important spiritual plane, where the moral dimensions of one's actions are shown to be far more important than any physical battle. In our current world situation, an examination of the moral issues in war, and how and why one can act morally in such a situation, are highly apposite.

Dickerson does an excellent job throughout, and has a fine touch in delineating the moral issues behind the characters' choices and actions, and what they can mean for the reader. One quibble -- in his early discussion of the major battles in The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, he writes that seeing battle through the eyes of the hobbits (as we do in all cases except the Battle of Helm's Deep and the Defense of Laketown) de-glorifies it. I wanted to see what he would say about the battles of the Scouring of the Shire, which are seen exclusively through the eyes of the Hobbits and seem to me distinctly de-glorified, but he does not analyze these actions in this chapter. He does, however, devote much thought to the Scouring other places in the book.

I also lament the lack of an index. Perhaps, now that we have seen the third of Peter Jackson's movies (not yet released when this book was written) and are seeing more biographical information becoming available on Tolkien's own war experiences (Tolkien and the Great War, War in the Works of JRR Tolkien, and the forthcoming Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull two-volume reference), we may hope for a second, expanded edition with a thorough index. I know I look forward to reading more of Dickerson's insights.

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