Book Description
The first complete illustrated guide to The Avengers, one of the most popular television series of the sixties. Foreword by Patrick Macnee.
Customer Reviews:
A muddled mess!.......2007-09-01
If the format of this book was an experiment,then I'm afraid it's a failed experiment.
I was continually looking up the abbreveated storytitle code to find which episode Mr Pixley was referring to.
I may not be able to recommend this book but I can recommend the following two.
If you want to learn more about the particular episodes in a more coherent style try Dave Rogers; "The Complete Avengers".
Which is an excellent episode guide,even if some of the episode synopses are from shooting scripts,and not the televised version.
Or if you want a more Macnee centric one try; "The Avengers and me".(By Patrick Macnee and Dave Rogers.)
Plenty of Great Info, Bad Format.......2007-08-31
My anticipation piqued when I saw the mail package containing this book in my mailbox. However, after the initial perusal through the pages of The Avengers Files, that anticipation soured, only to be overtaken by disappointment. Please do not misunderstand. There is plenty of great background information on all the main characters of The Avengers, from the David Keel Years to The New Avengers in the late 70s. The problem with this volume lies in its format.
First, the blurb from the publisher on this book's Amazon page claims that the book is "abundantly illustrated". This claim is simply not true. What pictures this book does include are limited to two glossy eight-page photo inserts placed in two different parts of the book. While the photos are quite lovely and glossy, in both monochrome and color, they hardly qualify as an abundance. In fact, I'd consider 16 pages of photos in a 352 page volume a dearth.
The next problem has to do with the way Pixley presents the background information. The Avengers Files treats each episode as a real life event, even claiming that somewhere in the vast unknown lurks the real John Steed. Therefore, each story becomes its own case, each televised episode a surveillance film kept hidden away hush hush in the files of the ministry, with top secret and background information for each. Had Andrew Pixley chosen to present this info in an easy-to follow, year-by-year, story-by-story format, it would have worked much better. Instead, he gives each character his (or her) own chapter or chapters, with Steed getting the most chapters, being the longest-running character in the series, and recounts the background information in a prose style that is much like a novel. Unfortunately, this method is not conducive to a neat, chronological order of events. At one point, he discusses Steed's characteristics in the early 60s, then jumps to the mid 70s with the very next paragraph. There is plenty of great info here, but unfortunately it is scattered throughout the book in a hard-to-follow format.
Another problem I have with this book is, when referencing each story, Pixley designates a four letter code for each. Thus, The Hidden Tiger is [TIGE], Murdersville becomes [MDVL], and a Sense of History goes by [HIST]. You can understand the problem right off the bat. If the reader is not familiar with the story titles, he will be hampered in his understanding of the reference. Give Pixley credit for including a definition of acronyms, or Codes, if you will, in Appendix A toward the end of this volume. However, if the reader has to constantly interrupt his reading to check up on a code, his enjoyment of the book will be severely strained.
Also, I really don't understand the need for all the footnotes in the book. Most pages are inundated with them. If this is fiction, there really should be no need for them. Why not just include the footnote material as part of the main text? In this regard, Pixley went too far in his work of "espionage". Footnotes, just as the definitions of Codes in Appendix A, interrupt your reading.
I consider this book an opportunity lost. Great research went into The Avengers Files to incorporate all this great background information into one easy-to-follow-volume. Too bad this volume is not so easy to follow. This malady could have been easily fixed by putting all this info in an episode-by-episode format.
The (Almost) Perfect Avengers Guide.......2004-08-24
Mr. Andrew Pixley has pulled together into one place what has to
be the most comprehensive coverage of that debonair Ladies' man
and spy (oops, sorry, agent), Mr. John Steed, and all of
his various partners. From Dr. David Keel, to Mrs. Cathy Gale.
From Venus Smith and Dr. Martin King, to the irresistible,
charming, cool, intelligent, independent, sophisticated and
sensuous Mrs. Emma Peel. From Miss Tara King, to Purdey and Mike
Gambit. From Charles and One-Ten, to Mother, Father, and even
Rhonda, they're all here!
In "The Avengers Files", you enter the fictional, undercover
world of Great Britain's top agent, and all his helpers and
associates. Mr. Pixley threads through all the "surveillance
tapes" (TV episodes) from all the years of The Avengers and The
New Avengers, and the "books and comics", passed off upon we,
the unsuspecting public, and extracts all the intelligence data
and missions, clearly detailed here for us to relive and enjoy,
over and over.
As a work of fiction, Mr. Pixley's book is very good background
material for fan fiction writers, and anyone who wanted to know
more about their favorite Avenger.
The fault that I find with it, is that the sections
on Emma Peel should be the largest of the book, since Emma Peel
did appear in nine more of the surveillance tapes than Cathy
Gale, and Emma Peel was certainly the subject of many novels
and comics and comic strips.
If Emma sells, then here would have been the place to do it.
I feel that Mr. Pixley favors Cathy Gale, judging by the size of
the chapters involving her, and the picture on the back of the book.
Maybe someday, somewhere, someone will finally realize who was
the apex of Steed's partners, and give Emma her just due, giving
us the "perfect" book on The Avengers.
In the meantime, "The Avengers Files" can feed some appetites.
Average customer rating:
|
Investigating Couples: A Critical Analysis of the Thin Man, the Avengers, and the X-Files
Tom Soter
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
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ASIN: 0786411236 |
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The Avengers Files
Manufacturer: Borgo Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0809581310 |
Customer Reviews:
Mixed bag of short stories.......2001-04-06
Lumley's series of Dreamlands books concludes with an assortment of short stories involving David Hero and Eldin the Wanderer.
The first two stories have, aside from the boisterous characters, a Lovecraftian feel to them. The stories have a slower pace than is usual for the rest of the Dreamlands series, but more than anything else in the series I thought they conveyed a sense of awe and horror. Some will be bored with those stories since there's so little action, others will revel in the horrible weirdness.
The third and final story (aside from some interstitial pieces) was a major disappointment, I thought. The villian does all those silly things that the bad guys in James Bond movies do. He reveals all the details of his evil plan before attempting (unsuccessfully) to kill David Hero and his girlfriend in a silly way. Big surprise, Hero and girl manage to survive, meet back up with sidekick and other girl, and win the day. Ho hum, a cliche that we've all grown very tired of.
The climax unfolds in a predictible fashion, and the conclusion is not very satisfying. I also found the use of acronyms to be extremely silly and annoying - the "Seer with the invisible eyes" is refered to as SWIE or somesuch throughout the last story. Blah.
If I were able to rate the stories individually, the first two stories would get 5 stars, and this last awful story would get one or two stars.
For the Lovecraft nut, the second story provides a whole new aspect of the Dreamlands underworld; the remainder of the book doesn't really add much new in terms of exploring or adding to Lovecraft's settings.
A so so ending to the Dreamlands Saga.......2000-03-04
The concluding novel to Lumley's Dreamlands series. Hero and Eldin are now in the service of the King and are 'official' heroes in the Dreamlands. After the action packed Mad Moon of Dreams, this one falls a little short I thought. Still an okay read.
Average customer rating:
- Gives the Cthulhu Core Book a Run for its Money
- Complete Indeed
|
H. P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands (Call of Cthulhu Horror Roleplaying)
Chris Williams , and
Sandy Petersen
Manufacturer: Chaosium
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Binding: Hardcover
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Call of Cthulhu: Horror Roleplaying in the Worlds of H. P. Lovecraft, 6th Edition
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Cthulhu Dark Ages (Call of Cthulhu Horror Roleplaying, Chaosium #2398)
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The Keeper's Companion 2: Prohibition, Firearms, Tomes, & Creatures (Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying, 2395)
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Miskatonic University: A Sourcebook (Call of Cthulhu Horror Roleplaying)
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Malleus Monstrorum: Creatures, Gods, & Forbidden Knowledge: Roleplaying Game Guide (Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying Game)
ASIN: 1568821573 |
Book Description
H.P. Lovecraft's: Dreamlands Roleplaying beyond the Wall of Sleep A Hardcover Sourcebook for Call of Cthulhu
We all dream. For some, dreams can become reality. H.P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands provides everything needed for Call of Cthulhu investigators to travel down the seven hundred steps, through the Gates of Deeper Slumber, and into the realm of dreams. Includes a travelogue of the dreamlands, a huge gazetteer, dreamlands character creation rules, over thirty prominent NPC's, over 60 monsters who dwell within the dreamlands, descriptions of the dreamlands gods and their cults, six adventures to help jump start a dreamlands campaign, and a new fold out map of the Dreamlands by Andy Hopp. Hardcover.
Includes the Adventures Pickmans Student; The Lemon Sails, To sleep, Perchance to Dream; Season of the Witch; The Land of Lost Dreams;Captives of Two Worlds by Sandy Petersen.
Customer Reviews:
Gives the Cthulhu Core Book a Run for its Money.......2006-03-16
After I bought the Core Book for Call of Cthulhu I did not think any of the Supplementals could rival the information, story, and imagination but Dreamlands comes very close. It encapsulates HPL's world very concisely and accurately. It even includes a nicely illustrated Dreamland map.
Complete Indeed.......2005-03-19
This hardback copy of HP Lovecraft's Dreamlands is an improvement over the 4th edition. Previously removed adventures were restored, with Lovecraft's original conception of the land of Xura. It still has Lumley's description of Zura and the Eidolon Lathi, which many people resented. I just found it interesting that the scenario involving Xura (not Zura) admits that the decription is different from the one in the sourcebook, but was still worthy of inclusion.
To begin with, it is a nice hardback book. I like my source books to be hardcover for more use. I tend to mangle softcovers that are used a lot for reference. There is a nice color landscape on the inside covers. However, all other graphics are black and white, which at least cost less. Some of the pages weren't bound well either.
The material begins with a description of dreaming, the land of dream, and how to get there. This edition says that in order to enter through dreams, characters must have less than 300 points of modern skills (science and technology); they can still enter via other methods (artifacts, magic, and chemicals). The dreaming skill is described, which allows MP and POW to be used to alter reality within the dreamlands.
The next section is a paraphrase of "The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath". I assumed it would merely leave out some prose from HPL, but it also includes further information on each of the areas that Carter visited - very informative and fun to read! The Gazeteer of the Dreamlands follows, which divides the world into the North, East, West, Seas, Oriab, the Moon, and the Underworld. I didn't feel that these sections were well-developed; it was almost just a list of places and people. It really would have been more productive to focus on a few sites of interest and add more background to those than do a lukewarm job on all of them.
Afterwards, there are sections on people, creatures, and gods of the Dreamlands. These are mostly complete, but the major races and gods ere only references to read the core rulebook. I would have preferred to see the entries repeated than have to pull out another book for the most important denizens of the Dreamlands. There are also artifacts, books, and many spells - the magic of the Dreamlands is much more powerful in its ability to warp "reality".
There are then 6 scenarios presented. The first is two pages, and really just a suggestion to travel through the Dreamlands to meet a friend - big whoop. This is a "seed", not a "scenario". "The Land of Lost Dreams" and "Season of the Witch" are powerful narratives with physical and psychological challenges for investigators to overcome. "Pickman's Student" is a horrific transformation of a friend into a fiend from the Underworld, requiring a travel to the Dreamlands to gain assistance to end the change. "Lemon Sails" seems like a fun adventure for Dreamlands-only characters, although the plot is forced.
One huge point in favor of this book is a section on creating a dreamlands character, with rolls, skills, and a character sheet. There are occupation skill sets listed and weapons more common to dreams. This allows the Dreamlands book to be used as a standalone, which I think adds a LOT of value. There is also a bibliography of authors and stories referenced in the dreamlands - a great reading list!
I think this book has some weak points - a lot of names of cities and people, but not much info. Clearly, this allows the Keeper to improvise a lot, but then if you wanted to do that, why buy the sourcebook? But there is a lot to approve of - the restoration of all the scenarios, the acknowledgement of the difference between Lovecraft and Lumley on some points, the rules for creating a character so that this supplement can be a standalone, and, well, the hardcover itself. Might be worth upgrading if you own 4th edition, otherwise a good buy for anyone new to dreams.
Book Description
Once David Hero was an ordinary man living in the real world. Now he is trapped in the Dreamlands, cut off from the waking world. David Hero's dreams and nightmares have become his own reality.Swollen, glowing oddly in the gloom of night, the moon hangs lower and lower over the Dreamlands. Its weird, unearthly light transforms beautiful landscapes into twisted nightmares and imperils the sanity of any who walk abroad after sunset.Beams of terrible power stab the unsuspecting earth, destroying the land, shattering buildings, and dragging people into the shrieking sky, straight toward the hellish moon!David Hero, once a man of the waking world, finds himself fighting side by side with his worst enemies--Zura and her zombie armies, the Eidolon Lathi and her termite men--against the slimy, many-tentacled moon monsters.
Customer Reviews:
An epic, ambitious adventure.......2001-03-21
In my opinion, this book gets off to a shaky start. Hero and Eldin are to do battle with a conspiracy of the Dreamland's most evil forces. But rather than set up the situation with a gradual unfolding of events, Lumley shoves his characters right into it, explaining the full background of the conspiracy in a long letter from Randolph Carter. I found this to be somewhat forced and awkward, it was as if Lumley couldn't be bothered to set up the story in a more natural way.
Still, I can forgive him that, because once the weak setup is done, Hero and Eldin are launched into their most sweeping adventure yet.
But it's also the corniest adventure yet. All of the old villians are back and united - it reminds me of a silly Batman plot, with the arch-villians banding together to fight the caped crusader, but spend as much time fighting with themselves. Still, it works, as long as you don't take it too seriously.
This is the first of the Dreamlands books that introduces some Great Old Ones into the action. As usual with Lumley, he shows them as being far more interested in and susceptible to the affairs of men than Lovecraft ever would have. The HPL purists out there will probably be disappointed or offended. I'm not a purist myself, but I did have problems with some of the Nightgaunts starting to act heroic, on their own, being even a little bit human.
Once the action gets started, this is the most ambitious of Lumley's Dreamlands books, with harrowing escapes, battles between large fleets of sky-ships, all the way up to the incredible fate of our heroes at the end of the story. If you're willing to tolerate the absurdity of some of it, and can deal with the liberties Lumley takes with some of HPL's creations, it's a fun ride.
Reunion!.......2000-03-04
Our heroes are back for more adventures! In Mad Moon of Dreams everyone is back. The Hive Queen, Zura, almost every evil and good character we have ever met in this series so far. It leads to a fun reunion. Hero and Eldin however, still have their duties. An ancient god residing on the moon wishes to take over dreamlands. It is up to them to stop it.
Product Description
"Box Contents: * The Dreamlands:
The Dreamlands book provides the background needed by the keeper to run Dreamlands adventures. Sections include Entering the Dreamlands, New Spells, Dreamlands Creatures, and Dreamlands places.
* Dream Journeys:
Dream Journeys contains six scenarios, including "To Sleep, Perchance to Dream", "Captives of Two Worlds," Pickman's Student," Season of the Witch," "Lemon Sails," and "The Land of Lost Dreams." The scenarios can be played in any order, but it is suggested that "To Sleep, Perchance to Dream" be played first, and that "The land of Lost Dreams" be saved until the keeper has some experience with Dreamlands adventures.
* A Portion of Earth's Dreamlands map:
An intentionally incomplete map of the Dreamlands. The Dreamlands stories traverse only a small fraction of the immensity of dream. Each keeper should feel free to fill the blank areas of the map with cities, kingdoms, islands, and empires. The edges of the map are by no means the edges of the Dreamlands. An 8 1/2 by 11 version of the most visited portion of the dreamlands is provided in the handouts; this can be given to the players after their first trip to the Dreamlands.
* Handouts:
The handouts include items to be given to the players during the scenarios. Each item should be cut out (cut just to the inside of the dotted line) and given to the players when their investigators have found it. Also in the handouts are a small map of the central Dreamlands and several Call of Cthulhu character sheets with the new skills required for dream travel added. The handouts are on the opposite side of this book."
Product Description
"Ethereal and haunting, life in the Dreamlands is distorted and slightly unreal. Unearthly beauty thrives, as does cosmic terror. All the world is a dream."
Average customer rating:
- Captures Wooden's Keys to Success
- GREAT BOOK!
- Interesting
- Wooden's Way
- AMAZING AND BRILLIANT
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Beyond Success: The 15 Secrets efftv Leadership Life Based Legendary Coach John Wooden's Pyramid
Brian D. Biro
Manufacturer: Perigee Trade
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Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success: Building Blocks for a Better Life
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Wooden on Leadership
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Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success Playbook: Applying the Pyramid of Success to Your Life
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Be Quick But Don't Hurry
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Wooden
ASIN: 0399526900
Release Date: 2001-01-09 |
Book Description
Building upon the fundamental principles devised by Coach John Wooden, Brian D. Biro presents an accessible system for leadership development. With anecdotes, excercises, and Wooden's philosophy, the author captures the essence of Wooden's Pyramid of Success and the secrets behind each of the pyramid's building blocks.
Customer Reviews:
Captures Wooden's Keys to Success.......2006-02-08
I have always respected the tremendous success of John Wooden and his Pyramid of Success. The UCLA basketball coach who won 10 NCAA Championships in twelve years demonstrated his successful system not by winning basketball games, but by inspiring and directing his players to perform at their highest level and achieve greatness by doing their best.
Brian Biro's book is based on Wooden's Pyramid of Success. In his book, Biro effectively describes and identifies each building block, starting with the key foundations of industriousness and enthusiasm. Biro then illustrates these qualities with entertaining anecdotes of his work as a swimming coach, businessperson, and "life coach."
While Biro's name does not have the prestige of Wooden, he is able to write an entertaining and informative description of Wooden's principles. Moreover, Biro provides the reader with a few useful tips and exercises to help us realize our potential.
In addition to quoting from Wooden, Biro also seems to rely on the work of Tony Robbins as well.
Most readers will appreciate this book. While nothing in here is groundbreaking or revolutionary, it encapsulates the keys to success in any endeavor. You will enjoy it.
GREAT BOOK!.......2004-03-09
What a great book! Brian has PASSION for helping and motivating people to success. His style is both warm and uplifting. I love the stories in this book. Brian teaches you how to find meaningful motivation. A must read!
Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works: How to Get Motivated and Stay Motivated
Interesting.......2004-01-06
This is the best book on Wooden I have read.
Wooden's Way.......2003-11-15
I've always admired John Wooden's work as a leader of men. I have his Pyramid of Success on my office wall. Mr. Biro's work has brought the building bricks of the pyramid into focus for me. This a well written work that reaches far beyond the "self help" genre. It was very well organized, inspirational and motivating.
AMAZING AND BRILLIANT.......2001-07-30
I have always been a sceptic of the books located in the "self help" section of bookstores. But a friend bought me Brian Biro's book Beyond Success for my birthday and told me i HAD to read it. I didn't plan on it but one day i was lying in bed, and i looked over on my nightstand, and i saw the book there. I decided to give it a try. By the first chapter of this amazing book, i was hooked. Brian Biro is one of the most talented and inspirational author out there today. I HIGHLY recommend this book all people. Parents should read it to their children, teenagers should read it, everone should!!This author if not yet, will definetly become a bestselling author in the near future.
Books:
- Bad Blood: An Illustrated Guide to Psycho Cinema
- Beyond Document: Essays on Nonfiction Film
- Black Film As a Signifying Practice: Cinema, Narration and the African American Aesthetic Tradition
- Blonde Heat: The Sizzling Screen Career of Marilyn Monroe
- Boogie Nights (Faber Reel Classics)
- Boom and Bust: American Cinema in the 1940s (History of the American Cinema, 6)
- Bringing Out the Dead
- Bullets over Hollywood: The American Gangster Picture from the Silents to "The Sopranos"
- Chaplin and Agee: The Untold Story of the Tramp, the Writer, and the Lost Screenplay
- Chick Flicks : Theories and Memories of the Feminist Film Movement
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The Complete Avengers: The Full Story of Britain's Smash Crime-Fighting Team!
Diana Rigg: The Biography
The Avengers: The Inside Story
Saints and Avengers: British Adventure Series of the 1960s
The Avengers
![H.P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands, 1st Edition (Call of Cthulhu RPG) [BOX SET]](http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/31QWQFRY9HL.jpg)
