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"Knocked out by my Nunga-Nungas" is a histerical book about girls, guys, teenagers in gerneral, gossip, Georgia's, the main character's, family, and her cat, Angus. Georgia Nicholson is a normal teenage girl who has a "sex god", Robbie, as a boyfriend and she has a hard time being faithful to him even though she is totally obsessed with him. Georgia's red botomosity keeps her ending up locking lips with Dave the Laugh, her ex-boyfriend, who never fully got over Georgia. Also, her cat, Angus, fallsin love with the kitten Naomi from across the stree, and has to get his trouser snake removed, which Georgia doesn't agree with.
My favotirte part of this book is when Georgia goes to one of the Stiff Dylans conert anddances in front of Dom's dad because she thought he was a talent scout. This is also the first time Georgia gets mad at Robbie for blowing her off for wet Lindsey. Shortly after that, Georgia kisses Dave the Laugh. This is my favorite part because the author describes what happens, like Georgia's dancing so well that I feel lke I was there.
I deffinetely recommend this book, but mostly to girls because it's about girl sistuations and gossip. Also, if you have read other books in the Geogia Nicholson series I recommend reading this book "Knocked out by My Nunga-Nungas" has been my favorite book in the series yet! If you like girly, funny books, then this is the book for you. In conclusion, I really hope I persuaded you to read this great book full of hilariosity.

This is the third book in the series, and it is just as good as the others. :)

Georgia is back!!!! In this fabulous installment of the GN series Georgia must decide if she can fight off he red botomosity and resist Dave the Laugh (see book in series before this for info on Dave). Also in the book Georgia has to go to Scotland (Och Aye land) and some odd things happen there. Wonderfully funny and is the kind of book to read to cheer yourself up!!

Fourteen year old Georgia is with Robbie again, but as soon as they get back together her family wants to go on a trip to Scotland, and she must go too. Towards the end is a bit of a suprise, a conflict with Robbie is staying with him right or not?

The first book was refreshing and funny, soured only by continous lesbian bashing. The second book was decidedly less so, and by this third installment, I am personally quite sick of listening to materialistic, shallow and self-centered Brit Georgia Nicholson whine about her parents, friends, and school. Even the subplot - Angus' courting of the neighbors' cat is so out of control Georgia's dad threatens to have him spayed - is not funny.
In Knocked Out, Georgia, having recently hooked up with an older Sex God, is abducted by her parents on a family vacation to Scotland, which she refers to as Och Aye land and insults with her usual brand of dramatic sarcasm. Upon her return, she cheats on her new boyfriend by snogging the guy she used as bait to make the first boyfriend jealous, and debates her decision to date a hot but unavailable older guy versus a funny available boy who obviously likes her IN SPITE of the fact she blatantly used him in the last book. When Dave the Laugh tells her she has to choose, she is in a quandary for all of a DAY before deciding she will find a way to have both. UGH. She is a thoroughly despicable character. Still, the Printz award stamp on book one and the fact that the prequels were popular will make this a likely choice for most libraries.

I loved this book because it was about a girl that helped her mom so much. I liked that she always helped out and she was always brave for telling her brothers that everything was going to be alright. I also love this book because she always had so much courage in herself and she always believed in herself that she can do whatever came her way. Mercy in this book was always a sweet child and she always did whatever she was told. I can tell you that when you start to read the book you won't ever want to stop reading the book that I read. When I read the book it felt so sad to me because of the war at the begining of the book. Mercy always knew that everything was going to be alright even though she was trapped with the indians. I really loved this book because she was kind of like me because I always help out and I am sometimes brave and I always believe in other people and myself. That is why I love this book.

The Ransom of Mercy Carter is a historical fiction book about a young girl who along with about a hundred people from her little frontier town, is kidnapped by Indians. This book is very exciting and suspenseful, it really brings you into the difference between the Mohawk indian way of life and the Puritan way of life. Mercy and her friends are seperated and dispersed throughout different Indian villages to be adopted by Indian families. Mercy lives with her Indian "family" for a long while waiting for a ransom from the English that seems will never come. I will not give away the ending but all i can say is that this book is an extremley well written book that makes you have sympathy for the characters in the story.
This book is well suited for all middle schoolers who have a sense of aventure and are interested in peoples ways of life. I encourage those people toread this book becasue they would love it.

This book is excellent. This is what happens...


Mercy Carter is a 12 year old setterler in Deerfield, Mass. One day while her family is fearing an attack from the indians (they would be sent by the French, who are at war with the English) it happens. Mercy and her family are taken on a 300 mile walk from Deerfield to somewhere in or by Canada. While they are walking, the people who talk to much, or play, or cry, etc., are killed. By the time they get to their destination, Mercy's family is either dead, or she gets seperated from them, and all the white people are slowly becoming Indians. As the story goes along Mercy wonders if she wants the British to ransom her away, or if she wants to stay.

I thought this was one of my favorite books! The story is very interesting and a great book to do a school report on. The book is mainly about a girl named Mercy Carter who is about 11 and the time. One cold winter night, her town was taken over by a bunch of native americans. These Native Americans killed many in the town and took hundreds of captives. Their plan is to march all the way to Canada from Deerfield Massachusetts. When they get to the Native town, Mercy learns the Native's way of life, and learns to become a NAtive. She learns the language and everything. When ransom arrived for people in the Native town, will Mercy choose to become an Native, or go back to her home?

I teach 8th grade literature and I truly enjoyed this book. I have taught Light in the Forest in the past and I will probably switch to this. The subject is interesting, the characters are well developed and it is one of the best historical fiction novels for young people I have read.

This was a pretty good follow-up to an excellent dystopian novel. The best part of this was the character development we see in Kestral, Bowman, and Mumpo. They've come a long way from their encounter with the Morah.

I got this book a couple of days ago and I enojoyed reading it. I would recommend this book to 7th and 8th graders. It was a book that I couldn't put down. The characters were the best, but they didn't have alot of description. They did have alot of emotion and feel. My favorite character Mumpo was odd but kind hearted. I also loved the setting of the book. Its such a beautiful and wonderful place. This is book perfect for enjoyment and as a book report. I really liked the book but the beginging was alittle bit on the down side. The middle and end was great. I hope everyone who reads this review also reads the book. This book was a number one book because of its emotional feel on me and its a very addicting to read. I can't wait to read the next book. Remember never judge a book by its cover.

Couldn't wait to read the third one after finishing this one. The imagination of the writer is incredible. The adventures in this book kept me reading into the night.

I've just finished reading this book. I loved it so much that wherever I went it was always staring at me, waiting for me where I put it down last. In one word: Mastery!

My ten year old had just started to read Book one, and he is already half way through. He said it is really interesting. We got him book two and three also. So he can't wait to read all of them. He also said that it is weired so far, but nice and keeps him want to know more. I can see that they will all be interesting.

I purchased the book "Ten Steps to a Federal Job" in January of this year 2008. I filled out my first application after reading the book in March 2008 was interviewed May 21,2008 and offered a job with the Federal Government on June 4, 2008!!!!!!! I started June 23, 2008.

I am so excited after 12 years of trying and going through the process so incorrectly, *I figured that out after reading the book*.

I would recommend you purchase the book immediately if you had any hesitations before don't it absolutely worked for me! If you are tired of working for the private sector and want to get into the highly competitive Federal Government get this book.

It is a must have and a best seller in my book!

Thank you Kathryn Troutman :)

I just used this book to apply for a job with the Federal Bureau of Prisons a month ago. I received a response via email and two weeks ago I received a notification. This book was really helpful on assisting me with my resume. This is really an investment that you should get.

I had been looking for a Federal job for five years; after reading and applying the principles in this book, I landed a GREAT position at the VA within weeks! This book prepared me for all aspects of the selection process ...right down to the second interview, the questioning process, and how to follow up. If there is one book to have in your search for a Federal job, it's this one. Use this and any resources that Ms. Troutman has ...it is well worth any price!

This book gives hints and advice for any type of federal job applicant. If you're seeking information specific to an agency, you will NOT find it here. However, this book has outstanding sample interview questions- I would have never thought of them but can see them asked in any interview. Also, there are about 15 different resume formats with tips on information that federal resumes require that you would never list on a private sector resume. All in all, this book was helpful in creating a great federal resume and preparation for general interview questions. Again, don't count on it for specific agency information.

Having read several books on how to gain employment in the federal sector, Kathryn Troutman has been able to succinctly explain how to position yourself for success in seeking a civil service opportunity. She shares her vast knowlege of the federal hiring process in a way that is easy to understand as well as implement. By investing the time in reading this book, you will have taken the first, probably most important step, toward being granted an interview for a federal opportunity!

Michael Hordern did a superb acting job. I was very impressed with him, Anthony Qyayle as well. I first heard this performance on tape cassette and was thrilled to hear Judy Dench. She impressed me very much in Hamlet, Henry the 5th also. For a late bloomer (now 67) in the classics I really started gorging Shakespeare after Hordern, Dench, Brannah, Quayle and many others performances. I should have known better being raised in New Orleans but the school systems there was absorbed in jazz, rock and roll i.e. Pete Fountain, Al Hirt, Fats Dommino, Dixieland Jazz, Gospel,gut-wrenching Blues and sort of shaped me for 60 years which led me to listening to the Classics starting with Sabastian Bach.

Everything was in order and I was glad that it came just a few days later. Thank you.

Titus is the play for our day of crumbling and self-destructing empire; this fable has much to teach us now. As the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. warned us: Either we learn to live together as brothers or we die apart as fools.

Here we find fool brother killing brother, citizen killing citizen, the extreme abuse of the most vulnerable and pure, the excessive cruelty of wealth and power, a fable for our age.

Here in the Third revision series from Arden (the first presentation nearly one hundred years old and thus this represents one of the most ancient, traditional and continual series of Shakespearean texts, unlike certain far more recent and much less reliable usurpers of the "traditional" crown) we may discover a nearly impeccable edition of this four hundred year old much maligned and frequently orphaned text, a fable for our present times.

The editor Jonathan Bate presents strong and nearly undeniable reasons for his selection of readings from Quarto, Folio and emended editions, including of course Theobald and Capell but also the most recent scholarship and productions. His use, for example of "Muly lives" rather than "Mulietus" is admirable, as is his conflation of false starts, later additions, and other lines always clearly indicated in other typeface and explained fully in the footnotes and introduction.

Nevertheless, I found some of his interpretation unfortunate. I believe this play not a comedy but an exposure of the absolute corruption to which power and wealth lead us. It is not comedy but an exposure of our depravity. It is not to laugh but to weep, and to repent, and to resolve to live in peace and communal cooperation and compassionate concern, to learn to live together as brothers, although not as these. It is thus a morality play, not a comedy; yet we now have no concept of such a thing, and thus laugh where we must repent, and revolt.

His continual praising and uncritical reference in the footnotes to the televised BBC and to the Warner productions also calls into question his judgment. I cannot imagine, for example, admiring bringing in the cannibal banquet table singing as did the Warner = "Heigh ho it's off to work we go!" as anything other than an inappropriate, anachronistic indulgence.

In short about half of the footnotes might easily and gratefully find blue pencil from a compassionate and wise editor of this edition who can distinguish personal interpretation and opinion from scholarly fact. As well, a basic rule for those who wish to define or explain words is never to make the definition more complex nor obscure than the word being defined, nor make the definition so general as to be useless. Thus we find the terms suffrages and tyrannies in Act Four defined completely as "key terms in the political lexicon" rather than explaining their significance in terms of Act One. This is neither helpful nor necessary.

In short, about half of the footnotes may be eliminated to the benefit of this great book, as they cast doubt upon the reliability of the edition itself, and this edition seems nearly impeccable.

this is a very violent play, but there are actually a lot of crude humor (think of it as a Quintin taratino film, except it's a book). it takes on ancient dicotomy between civilization and wilderness. the movie is good as well

I'm a shakespeare fan and I love the story that this one tells.
Sure, gore, blood, and a great deal of depression around the middle, but what story now-a-days isn't?
Great story, love it!

It was a decent book, but there are others better I believe in the chin -na instructional books. Chin Na in my opinion is the absolute best when it comes to the joint-locking arts.

1st Id like to say this was a great revised edition. It is a solid book printed on quality paper jam pack w/ nuggets of insiteful wisdom on becoming a master wrist locker. The photos are of him instead of drawing like in his last book. They are very clear and concise in their demoing the techs. I really liked his lock flow pattern. It was dfficult to make out in the older copy but not so in this one. It also has some nice lock flow reversals that are a nice way to warm up a class to while you get some muscle memory reps in. he also does a better job in explaining the tech to overcome the resistor known as fist circling.Yes the book is pricey but it is a specialty book. He does a great job in explaining all the locks not like other books where they only show the physical action being performed. He also promptly answered any and all questions i sent over to him.
I rate this 5 sankyo wrist locks up !!!!! kudos mr.kip

A Consummated Small Cirle Jujitsuan

The Book is a very useful tool. I'm a Wado Ryu researcher (also I' studing Daito Ryu, Aikido, Kenjutsu ecc.) from many years and also I teach Martial Arts. Keith Pascal is a very good Martial Artist, he is skilled and you must put into practice his advice. Practice, practice,practice. This is only way for development your skill, but you should have tha right teacher and the right book. Well! Keith is a good teacher and his Book is a very good book.

Leonardo Barcaroli
Italy - Rome

I have no background in martial arts, but I bought this out of curiosity. I have found this book to be informing and easy to use, and most importantly I can easily slap a wrist lock on most people.

This book is well formatted and reads very well. The drawings could have been more elaborate but they served their intended purpose. I have practiced with this book and it is helpful and practical. Also I would like to mention I have nothing but good things to say about the author,Mr Pascal is a stand up guy. I would advise anyone to purchase this book as I am confident they would walk away with a greater knowledge than they began with.

I'm just finished reading the Railway Children to my 10-year-old, and it is such a great read!

I loved it as a child, and this is my second time reading it aloud. I can't recommend it enough.

It's just a nice story. Set at the turn of the century, three children are forced to leave their comfortable life in London and go live in a smaller house near a railway when their father is mysteriously taken away from them. They don't know why; we don't find out until the end of the book. In the meantime, their mother is very brave, earning money by writing, and they try not to bother her by getting to know the railway and getting involved in everybody's lives all around them.

The children are very sweet, and there's a thread of definite morality throughout the book.

Don't miss it with your kids!

If you liked Railway Children, you may also want to try Little Women (Unabridged Classics) or Island of the Blue Dolphins. My children loved those ones as well!

Utterly delightful. Loved it, ate it up. Need more Nesbit, soon as poss.

Three kids are taken to live in the English countryside when their father, well, disappears. While their mother suffers silently, and sells short fiction to help pay the bills (those were the days!), the children make a fantasy land out of their little village, especially the local railroad depot with all its fascinations. Imagine being fascinated with the steam train when it was cutting edge technology, not nostalgia! Communicating with the passengers via signs, befriending engineers, porters and station masters, even preventing a nasty rail accident, the kids end up both having fun and relieving the hardships of poor, careworn mother.

Beautiful book both remembers what its like to be a child and peeks into a childhood none of us ever knew. If you love the world of late Victorian/Edwardian Britain, read it. If you love the early parts of the Narnia books, before the kids enter the wardrobe, read it. It's precious.

This is not simply a children's book. It is an extremely touching story of three children whose father is suddenly taken away from them and how they cope with the changed circumstances, how they adjust to "play at being poor" as their mother says. It is a book that is bound to enthrall you.

I think it is kind of cool how the kids think of how to stop someone from wrecking a train. Also how they got someone un-fainted from when they were fainted. It was also pretty funny how their mother made a mistake when one of the kids said they revived a hound with a red shirt, but it was really a person.

I didn't give it 5 stars because there isn't very much action. But I still liked it a lot.

The Railway Children was originally published in 1906. It's different from many of Edith Nesbit's books, in that it doesn't feature any magic. The Railway Children is the story of three children, Roberta, Peter, and Phyllis. At the start of the story, the children live with their loving parents in a nice, modern house in London. Their lives change drastically, however, when their Father is called away unexpectedly and mysteriously. Their Mother takes them to live in an older house in the country, with only a single part-time servant, where they quickly realize that they are now poor. Mother spends all her time writing stories and poems, to submit them for publication, instead of playing games with them and teaching them, as she had done previously. The children are left largely to their own devices, with no lessons to distract them.

The house that they live in, Three Chimney's, is located near to a railway line and a small railway station. The railway quickly becomes a source of friends. The Stationmaster and the Porter (most especially the Porter, Perks) become major figures in the children's lives, as does a friendly "Old Gentleman" who waves to them every morning from the 9:15 train.

And the adventures begin. Through bravery and ingenuity (and through the coincidence of always being in the right place at the right time), the children avert not one, not two, but three separate disasters. They also get into trouble through their innocent attempts to help their Mother, and through their own sibling rivalries, and eventually help a Russian stranger newly escaped to England. Through it all, they miss their Father, and wonder what's happened to him, and why their Mother is so sad.

The constant adventures in this book make it a lot of fun. It does feel a little bit dated in places. There's a scene in which the local doctor tells Peter to be kinder to his sisters, for example, because they are "so much softer and weaker" than he is. But overall, I think that Edith Nesbit did a wonderful job of making the girls strong characters, too.

This book has lots of messages about bravery and right and wrong, and what makes up charity vs. friendship. And how to be good without being priggish. Some modern-day children might find it a little bit preachy in this area, though it is generally lightened with humor. But hopefully the adventures, and the realistic imperfections of the children, will win new readers over anyway. I know that I love this book (despite having a slight problem with the number of coincidences) and that the end brings tears to my eyes. If you haven't read it, The Railway Children is well worth checking out.

This review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on April 30, 2006.

The story is ectremely good. Kestrel, Bowman, and Mumpo (the main characters) set out of their home (Aramanth) to retrieve the Wind Singer's voice made by the Manth people. On the way, they ecounter wierd people on rolling cities, Ombaraka and Omchaka. They manage to escape from them and find the Morah, an ancient enemy. Find out for yourself to see if they live while they run away form the Morah's army, the invincable Zars!

It was nice to see that this series ended on good terms, with the author wrapping things well without any gaping plot holes or nasty loose ends. The continued development of the characters was a treat. There shoule be more authors like Mr. Nicholson.

Name: Cydney
Book title: The Wind Singer
This book [The Wind Singer] is good. The author [William Nicholson] makes up amazing names. The setting of the story is in a city called Aramath where they are ostracized. The main characters are Kestrel a girl, Bowman her brother and Mumpo their friend. The theme of the book is to get the Wind Singer's voice and give it to him so he can bring peace to his people. The author is saying life is rough.
My favorite part of the book is when Kestrel, Bowman and Mumpo are flying on birds. This book starts with funny words. This book is filled with adventure. A person who loves adventure would love this book.

I thoguht this was one of the best books i have ever read(Besides Harry Potter). It is interesting to see how the characters changed from regular kids to extraordinary. A must read for anyone in search for a book to read a long time with.

Children's books about the horrors of standardized testing are increasingly popular these days. From Edward Bloor's well-intentioned, Story Time to The Report Card by the otherwise talented Andrew Clements, these books have attempted to capture the dangers of this destructive teaching tool. Both books have fallen short, leaving some people to wonder if there could ever be a book that discusses this controversial subject well. What few people know is that there's a fantastic well-written and beautifully put together fantasy series that begins with the horrific results of what happens when a society bases all decisions on testing. Regular methodical testing. In William Nicholson's, "The Wind Singer", (the first in his "Wind On Fire" trilogy), the term "distopia" takes on a whole new look and meaning. In a book that is simultaneously wise, beautifully penned, and deeply moving, "The Wind Singer", gets to the bottom of rigid test-based communities and show us a great worst-case scenario.

Aramanth is a community that loves its tests. Living by the daily pledge, "I vow to strive harder, to reach higher, and in every way to seek to make tomorrow better than today", its citizens embody the ultimate caste system. Based on strict standardized testing, people live according to how well they test. The nicest homes belong to those members of society that answer quizzes effectively and intelligently. For those people who don't like tests or don't do well on them for a variety of reasons, they live on the bottom rungs of society. There's very little rebellion in Aramanth due to its rigid control of any possible insubordination on the part of its citizens. That is, until the day little Kestrel Hath decides that she doesn't want to live in a world based on testing anymore. Suddenly she's endangered her family and herself. There seems no escape from Aramanth's rules and regulations, until the ancient Emperor, a disused ruler, tells Kestral about the Wind Singer. This gigantic and ancient construction of pipes that towers over the town was once given the ability to sing to its citizens, calming their hearts and making them happy. When the key to the Wind Singer's voice was stolen, the society became cold and hardened into its current state. With her twin brother Bowman and their initially unwanted tagalong Mumpo at her side, Kestral and company embark on a quest to save Aramanth from itself once and for all.

I nominate this book for the title, Perfect Distopian Novel. I've not fallen for a fabulous fantasy in a long time, and this book has everything you could want in it. A great (and little used) moral. Characters you care about deeply. A gripping plot. Everything. I greatly appreciated that the parents of the heroes in this book were not only both alive (not usually the case in fantasies) but also active, amusing, and subversive aids to their kids' efforts. Too often parents fret and flail in children's novels, adding nothing to the story but woe. In this book Mr. and Mrs. Hath recognize the quest their children are on and decide to raise a little hooplah in Aramanth on their own. The results are quite fabulous. I was also impressed by the character of Mumpo. A developmentally challenged boy who loves the Hath twins desperately, Mumpo could easily have been a kind of mock-Forest Gump character, spouting simple platitudes and giving everyone around him a patented new lookout on life. Ugh. There's a little of that, but Nicholson is clever enough to know how to give Mumpo more complexity than Mr. Gump. His character learns and grows (sometimes frighteningly) through his experiences and his very existence makes the twins kinder people through his presence.

There are an awful lot of other great moments in this story, though. For one thing, I think it contains the scariest evil army I've ever read. You can keep your The Lord of the Rings-type orcs and goblins. I personally believe that the army of the Zars, a relentlessly cheery troop of endless, young, white-suited, peppy people given to singing "Kill Kill Kill" at the top of their voices, is the most horrifying group to ever appear in a children's book. The Zars are rivaled in evil, however, by a prematurely old group of children with the ability to suck the youth out of anyone they touch. Worst of all is the evil spirit-lord, the Morah. The Morah has long since convinced the citizens of Aramanth that he's a myth. It reminds me of the quote, "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist". With these incredibly awful foes, it's a wonder Kestrel and Bowman keep their wits about them. Finally, the book has a deep emotional core that I think will be appreciated by all readers. The Hath family is very loving and caring. The bond between the twins is deep and Nicholson deftly portrays the depths of Mumpo's loneliness and despair. Plus the book has an amazing array of different worlds through which the kids travel. From the deep mud world below Aramanth to a traveling city on wheels (somewhat similar those found in the more recent Hungry City Chronicles by fellow Brit, Phillip Reeve), Nicholson creates new fantastical universes out of thin air. The result is a book that'll have you continually reading for hours on end, unable to stop even part way through.

The most recommended fantasy book in schools nation-wide is undeniably Lois Lowry's, The Giver. I suggest that, as good as it is, we give, "The Giver", a break for once and encourage our kids to read "The Wind Singer" instead. Those children that suffer under the strain of repeated testing will appreciate the book's strong message. Children who like great action sequences and heightened danger will fall for the book's fast-paced escapes and battles. And those children that simply like a good story with good writing will be entranced. I say with conviction that this is probably one of the strongest British fantasy book for children written in the twenty-first century. It's simply the best.

When I ordered this book, I thought I had a pretty good grip on the iPhone. In reality, I knew the basics and that was it. This book fills in a lot of blank spots, so to speak. The author obviously has the technical knowledge to write this book which he shares in a light, yet technically accurate, style of writing. The book also has a web site associated with it so you may keep up with changes as they develop. If you own an iPhone, order this book. It really IS the missing manual!

I have learned quite a bit about my iPhone from this manual. It was easy to read and to understand and just the chapter on making the keyboard work was worth purchasing the book for me. I would recommend this book to everyone who has just purchased an iPhone.

I loved my iPhone from the moment I got it, but I am not very tech savvy and really did not understand it all.

This book was recommened to me by a friend and it was a great recommendation. No more poking around and stumbling to see what I could do with the iPhone.

The book is easy to read with good illustrations to supplement the text and the author is amusing while conveying tech knowledge - it is not ddry or boring.

High recommended.

This book gives you all the tips you need to fully utilize the iPhone.

The iPhone doesn't have a manual as such, so this really fills in the gaps.

You don't know what you can do with your iPhone until you read this book. It isn't ground breaking, it just fills you in on the little stuff no one tells you. The tips on using the touch keyboard alone are worth the price of the book.

Joshua Spanogle writes a respectable first novel in ISOLATION WARD. His protagonist, a young infectious disease doctor with a checkered past, must unravel a series of ghastly infections in Baltimore. The story generally held my interest and I found the ending enjoyable, if somewhat predictable. My main criticism is that the plot lacked enough twists and turns. For the first several hundred pages the main character investigates the disease outbreak with little success - nothing learned, and only more questions discovered. Also, the author also spends very little time describing scenes and characters. Don't expect a lot of vivid imagery in this story. Nevertheless, Spanogle joins the ranks of mid-level thriller writers with this book. He is no Grisham or Crichton but the story does satisfy.

Before someone recommended Spanogle's Isolation Ward, I was a complete stranger to the medical thriller genre. Isolation Ward is fabulous, far beyond the mere escape novel I'd hoped for. Completely engrossing, confidently and smartly written, totally unpredictable, I haven't been able to put it down. A thriller that references Hobbes and Faustus? Fabulous!

Isolation Ward caught me on the first page. The book continued to present twists and storyline bumps on virtually every page. I felt the hero's frustration at every step. The medical descriptions were great. The story was plausible and believable. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 was that I felt the writing was slightly disjointed in some places. I also felt that the storyline twists could have been meshed together a little better. The final explanation of the viral infection was a little bit weak. However, for a first book, this was an amazing read and I look forward to reading more of Spanogle's efforts.

The plot was interesting, original and believable, and my hope is that Spanogle made his main character so unstable so that we can find more about his past in future novels. I'm looking forward to his second novel.

The debut novel by Joshua Spanogle is one of the most original medical thrillers I've ever come across. The book's narrator, Nathaniel McCormick is brash, smart, and quick-witted. He's blessed with the ability to tick almost anyone off, yet still have them like him. In this thriller he has to track down the source of a virus that's sweeping through Baltimoe, and his path takes him down roads from his past that he'd rather not travel upon. The pacing and dialogue are superb, and keep the novel moving briskly.

I highly recommend this book.