Fourth-market Books

Depending on how long one has been reading the Warlock series, one could become rather bored with Stasheff's never-ending devotion to the family Gallowglass. This book is one that justifies HIS devotion, and rewards the reader for his/her loyalty. Time well spent!

It has been pointed out in many cases that it is difficult to give Magnus a task too difficult to accomplish, too daunting to undertake, but this one gives him a REAL challenge.

The plot is simple... Magnus' continuing goal to provide regressed colonies with the government best suited to the needs of the society present on each planet he encounters, primarily by inserting himself into said society. What he finds on this planet is a Brazil-esque bureaucracy managing every facet of society. With no open rebellion in sight, and fewer even capable of thinking of one, Magnus has no method to use short of bloody mayhem. What he actually does do is both innovative, and emotionally draining. Magnus does things which, while noble and compassionate in nature, still have him questioning his own ethics. The solution to this society's problems takes much longer to implement than in previous quests, a statement on how difficult it is, even with Magnus's considerable talents, to start a revolution where there is no conception of what revolution IS.

From the lofty viewpoint of three books later, it is easy to say that, so far, this is the BEST of the Wizard series. Magnus has to make some very difficult decisions on his own about HOW to use his abilities... Stasheff poses some difficult questions about what is the RIGHT THING to do. So... if you were slowing down on the Wizard series, this book will give you momentum to keep going onto future books.

A Wizard in Peace is the 4th book in the Rouge wizard series where magnus and his sidekick Dirk once again find themselves on a planet abandoned by their old government but unlike the other stories this planet hasn't been taken over by a dictator but by bureaucrats. On their travels around the planet Dirk and Magnus stumble upon the local madhouse, which insodently is located in an abandoned spaceship. The mentaly insane inpersonate the bureaucrats to help Magnus and Dirk overthrow the local government. After all who could be better suited to impersonate bureaucrats then the insane?

This is a very helpful dictionary and its size makes it easy to carry or easy-reach. I in particular liked the witty definitions. It is by far the best dictionary I have owned, despite its size.

The dictionary is very compact, yet has many entries and is a good value. The only way to improve it would be to add a visual alphabetical index.

I am a budding writer. As part of my research for developing a freelance commercial writer practice, I read "The Well Fed Writer" by Peter Bowerman. In his discussion of writer tools, Bowerman recommended The American Heritage Dictionary above all others. He called it "THE happening dictionary out there."

How do you measure a dictionary? I looked up current usage of words not in common use when I bought my Webster's Collegiate twenty-odd years ago. I found a definition of "hip-hop" [n. 1. A popular urban youth culture, closely associated with rap music and the style of innre-city African-Americans.] There is a brief discussion of the distinction in use of the words "Hispanic" and "Latino." Though not an encyclepedia, American Heritage lists prominent historic figures with the source of their fame and life years.

I bought the paperback version for the price. Next time, I will buy the trade edition [larger paperback] or hard cover version to take advantage of the larger type. The paperback is pratical for carrying around. I use my dictionary in my office.

The print is way WAY too small! There are a lot of entries. However, they are sparce on information. Some very nice extras - pictures, tables, etc. if you need that kind of information.

The fourth edition hardcover version of The American Heritage Dictionary is my favorite desk dictionary by far. But the paperback -- which I bought for reading in bed -- does not measure up. At least three quarters of the words I look up are not in the paperback. I've almost given up trying. Too bad the hardcover is so heavy and my bedside table is so small. Otherwise, I would have two hardcovers and happily dump the paperback.

This book probably covers all aspects of financial planner profession. It includes education and where to get it; experience and how to gain it; support network and how to use existing one or start a new one; and most important, at least to me, what to expect in a daily routine.
Interviews with professionals helped me to decide if being a financial planner is for me. This is a excellent book of knowledge for anyone considering financial planner profession.

*** DISCLAIMER - This review is posted by the publisher! ***

Please note that an updated 3rd edition is now available, in both digital and paperback formats. The 3rd edition has more content plus, of course, updated references.

The 2nd edition has been EOL'd - Amazon has promised to delete this 2nd edition from their listing, but in the meantime we would like to direct you to the 3rd edition.

BTW - Note that Amazon requires us to rate the book in order to post this notice. While we of course feel that this is an excellent book for career advice, we have chosen to use the average of the ratings submitted by users.

There are a lot of different paths that one can choose to enter the Financial Planning field. This book takes an unbiased look at several of these paths and, in many cases, uses testimonials of people who have chosen each respective path. The author emphasizes the importance of attaining the CFP certification throughout the book. She also provides a plethora (yes plethora) of resources for those interested in the field. The key is to find the right syestem for the individual. Before I read this book I had a vision of how my practice would be. After reading the book, I made some adjustments to my plan and was able to fill it out with elements I had not considered before. This book is filled with useful information and interesting nuggets! I strongly recommend anyone who is considering entre into the field to read this book first!

This was my first book on the topic, and I found it to be very solid. The book covers a brief history and evolution of the profession, professional expectations and certifications, educational options necessary to achieve certification or professional competence, options on how to get started actually practicing (working for insurance companies, securities brokers/dealers, self-practice, etc.), the regulatory requirements involving licensing (investment adviser) and record keeping practices, and marketing (focused primarily on promotion). The material is typically delivered through a brief explanation of the topic, accompanied by personal insight and numerous stories from colleagues. In one of the final chapters the author presents numerous stories on how various practioners migrated through their first 5 years of getting started in their practice. The insight and stories are very helpful; during certain passages it would have been more helpful to provide additional detailed explanation rather than "life experiences", but there is certainly enough there to lead you to appropriate web sites where more information could be gathered. Regarding the hefty price of the book, if you are serious about being a financial planner, then you'd better get accustomed to the concept of value, and value based pricing. I feel that I got my money's worth.

*** DISCLAIMER - This review is posted by the publisher! ***

Please note that an updated 3rd edition is now available, in both digital and paperback formats. The 3rd edition has more content plus, of course, updated references.

The 2nd edition has been EOL'd - Amazon has promised to delete this 2nd edition from their listing, but in the meantime we would like to direct you to the 3rd edition.

BTW - Note that Amazon requires us to rate the book in order to post this notice. While we of course feel that this is an excellent book for career advice, we have chosen to use the average of the ratings submitted by users.

I am not someone who studies the bible and at first I didn't know what type of book this was. I thought the concept of Hitler's rebirth was intersting so I read the book. Big mistake. I wanted to read a good story and that is not what this is. The author spends the whole book trying to convert you to read the bible and become a good christen. The plot is outlined in the first fifty pages so when you read the book you've already been told what is going to happen. However I stopped reading the book at two-thirds of the way through. When the main characters are involoved in a battle with the Anti-christs army and it's a losing battle, God simiply destories the army in a few seconds. It took all the suspense out of the story when you know how easy it is for the characters to survive. If you want to read an exciting story avoid this book like a plauge.

Van Kampan is a leading expert in scriptural prophecy. In this novel he keeps to his view of prophecy and revelation, and of course the how's and who's are conjecture. It is a lesson in biblical prophecy; an exciting read, with some good fictional writing.

The book starts out good but then has problems: the physical devil, coincidences, discrepancies, the portrayal of characters, even a bit ridiculous at times. Where is the U.S.? Would not the enlightened see it coming? Is it possible for evil to be so indiscreet as to gain the peoples trust, or are the scoffers so few and blind? This aside, it is still good.

Is revelation to be read literally, or is it a warning of the times; to repent, or is it both? Let scripture interpret scripture. Be alert, watch for signs; there are wolfs in sheep's clothing.

This is of course dispensationalism, or millenniumism. It has become very popular as of late. We must let scripture interpret scripture, and I don't think this does. Test it.

Wish you well
Scott

Havent read much on the "end of the world" times. This is a great book to start with. I was intrigued from the first page and by the middle of the book i couldnt put it down. A friend of mine refered this book and I have already passed it on to a friend of mine.

I thoroughly enjoyed this 'end-times novel'. The author's 'take' on the end times through Bible prophecy really made me think.

Having read this book, one really owes it to oneself to study the factual Biblical prophecies relating to the end-times. At the very least we all need to be aware of what the Scriptures say about the time period surrounding us at this period in history.

The application of Biblical prophecy relating to the People and Land of Israel is at the foundation of this book and is also at the foundation of Scripture itself.

I highly recommend this book plus two others by the same author;-
'The Sign' and 'The Rapture Question Answered...'

Other books which you might find interesting are 'The Mystery Of Iniquity' by Michael Rood & The 'Christ Clone Trilogy'.

Marvin Rosenthal has also written some good books on this subject. All available through Amazon.com I believe.

Happy reading !

Adolph Hitler is the anti-Christ. Fear not, I did not blow the climax of this story. The author lays this out in the foreword. He further defends this rather fantastical notion by explaining in the afterword that Hitler-as-anti-Christ is by far the most logical conclusion the Bible offers, followed by Nero as a distant second possiblity. Frankly, every time I read, "Hitler said" or "Hitler did" I cringed. This pre-announced climax all but ruined the story for me.

A second flaw is Van Kempen's insistance that the pre-Tribulation rapture of the church (the belief that Christians will be "snatched away" by God, prior to a time of great troubles and judgment upon Earth) is a dangerous pipe dream. He has two characters travel around America trying to "wake up" the sleeping church and warn them to get ready. Even if Van Kempen is right, his answer to "So, what do we do?" is anti-climatic: Buy food rations, find a remote shelter, etc. I went through these preparations every year, when I lived in Miami, prior to hurrican season--it was hardly theologically significant stuff!

Bottom-line: I was thankful to reach the last page of this novel. Read the book of Revelation instead. It is shorter, and has all the same information!

English is not my first language and I don't read that much in my spare time, therefore I had a very low reading speed. I desperately sought for help, I found this book in my local library, and were surprised by how effective it was to improve my reading speed (from about 100 wpm to about 200 wpm in a month). Then, I decided I should own this book and practice often with skills and drills included in this book.

Note, though reading faster helps comprehension, I believe comprehension can be improved faster by building up vocabulary first for ESL student.

I bought this because I do a fair amount of reading and really enjoy it. And I wanted to read faster so I could read more and learn more. I tried this last year in December, after a month or so, I lost interest. It is something I want to return to, but I just don't have the time at the moment. We'll see if that changes. It did seem to be teaching my some things that would increase my reading, and the parts I do remember... it had some valid tips and techniques to help with reading speed. I'm a slow reader by nature, maybe that is why I lost interest (took too long to read ;-).


__________________
Bottom line
It worked for me, just didn't spend the time to go through it all
Make sure you have the time to DO IT

This book was interesting since it described what you can do to increase your reading speed. The actual descriptions are not that long. The majority of the book is dedicated to doing exercises.

I did increase my reading speed a little, but don't expect to increase it by the amount claimed by the book.

This book contains 3 very clear concepts, and the rest is all about practice.

The 3 concepts are:

1 - we usually read at 150 words per minute because that's the speed of talking and almost all of us were tought to "speak" (silently) what we read. speed reading cannot happen if we vocalize, even mentally, what we read. so stop vocalizing.

2 - speed reading is about making the fewest eye movements possible. moving the eyes is tiring and is a waste of time. so we should enlarge our sight field, both horizontally and vertically, in order to point the eyes only in few points of the line we are reading, hopefully in the middle. then a lot of exercises to get your mind & eyes used to "see" that broader field. I think this is the toughest think to learn, it's basically re-learning to read.

3 - before reading a book, preview it by reading the cover, the comments, the table of contents, the introduction, the conclusion, and figure out what the book is about, what it's going to prove. this way you create a mental framework and reading becomes more searching for the answers to these questions that you've made before.

I asked myself: "What!? the whole book is about these 3 ideas?! Have I wasted my money?"
But I have to be honest, and admit that my reading has benefitted a lot from the very beginning, not sure if I read faster, but I feel I'm saving my eyes from a lot of useless effort, and I'm enjoying reading more than before.

I've been using the technique's in this book for a little over a year now and for me...it works.

I can't stress strongly enough how important it is for the newcomer to adhere exactly to what is put forth in this book. For example, I practiced one of the eye exercises everyday for weeks till I aced it!
Trust me there is no "magic pill". It takes work. And this book will show you how if your willing.

I learned through the book,(with no distractions)that I can visually read and comprehend one line of text in a average sized paperback in one stop,(as well as newspaper/magazine columns and web sites. I learned to absorb the sentence as a whole then move down the center of the page with little or no side to side eye movement. Took a ton of practice your mileage may very.

Personally I do pretty well with comprehension so I skipped much of that training in this book. And mainly concentrated on techniques.

The first few chapters are very important to read and understand as well. He discusses many of the bad habits readers use and other little quirks. Increased my reading speed a bit just by knowing what I was doing wrong.

My tips.
A good vocabulary helps a great deal. Have a good handle on where prepositions(on,in,for,to.etc.) are placed.

And most importantly...
Practice..everyday
Patience....stay with it.

Although I did not enjoy this book as much as the last one it is still a great read. We have our sleuth, Jane Austen, delving into the world of espionage. The book is set in Kent in August of 1805. It was during this time that England was under threat of an invasion by Napoleon, and when a local woman is found dead in another man's chaise, Jane and her family don't at first connect the death to treachery and espionage. The lady had what was called a "reputation". Not many mourn the beautiful and brazen Francoise, but Ned, Jane's brother is the county magistrate, so he must find the killer. He enlists the help of the intrepid Jane. I really like these characters, and I have to keep reminding myself that this Jane Austen is not the real one. This is a wonderful Regency series.

A 2007 summer reading list mini review.

No one ever confused Jane Austen with Jessica Fletcher. Until now. After reading the first 3 installments of Stephanie Barron's series I had to admit they should both have obituary writers as traveling companions because where these writers go death cannot be far behind.

I had endeavored to read this entry last year, but after a chapter or so, I tired of the series for the above referenced reason. This year I attempted it again and am glad I did so. Jane and the Genius of the Place tells an excellent story melding a good mystery with the social commentary that is Jane Austen. I am glad but if in the fifth mystery she goes to the Americas in search of Cabot Cove, I am through!

The books in this series are a quite well-done pastiche of Jane Austen's style, but they are not easy reading. Unlike other reviewers, I'm afraid that I did not immediately guess how the murder was done in this one, but then I've been picking it up and putting it down for several months. Not being terribly interested in the politics of the Napoleonic wars, I can't say that I always found the details of the plot to be riveting; I enjoyed this book more for its historical detail and insight into the things that were going on in Austen's life, both personally and nationally. It is easy to forget when reading her novels that England was engaged in war with France for a large part of her adult life, and at the time this book takes place was actually in daily expectation of an invasion by Napoleon. There is also some interesting information about the mania for landscaping and "improvement of the estate," which plays an important role in _Mansfield Park_.

One small but entertaining feature of the series is that Barron sprinkles actual quotes from the Austen canon throughout the books (at least this one), which I personally find quite satisfying to catch.

Many people seem to enjoy this series very much, but I find this book and the others as mysteries feeble, and as historical fiction unconvincing. The plots are improbable, and characters cardboard. Most annoyingly, Miss Barron has distorted the characters of jane Austen' family until they are unrecognisable, most unkindly of all, she portrays Jane's mother as a raving imbecile. miss Barron is lucky not to be haunted by Mrs. Austen's indignant ghost. If Jane Austen had written mysteries, they would have been a lot better than these. In fact, most mysteries are better than these.

This is the fourth novel in Stephanie Barron's Jane Austen mystery series. Having read the previous three, I already knew what to expect. Barron has a knack for imitating the style of Austen's day and shows a vast array of study into the lifestyles of Austen's time. The fourth novel in the series proves Jane to be as stalwart a detective as ever.

While Jane visits her brother's home of Godmersham, she is inevitably caught up in the tragic events that unfold in Kent. With the news of a possible French invasion looming on the horizon, a high-spirited French woman is found murdered at the horse races. Naturally, suspicion falls on the men who were entangled in her web, and her character and affairs with these men are called into question. But the detective side of Jane suspects that the foul play was due to political motives rather than jealous passions.

Barron introduces a wide cast of characters and suspects, and fully fleshes them out as Jane endeavors to solve another mystery. The novel moves quickly due to Jane's 'journaling' of events, even if at times the story is predictable. "Jane and the Genius of the Place" is a worthy addition and homage to Austen.

I don't get michael moorcock or geln cook -- when on they are some fo best in world -- then they either have ghost written or write a stinker like this -- this book is far from the good stuff of the first 3 and silver spike [which are some fo best fantasy books ever] The next one is sorta blah as well and I'm 80% done with Bleak season which has moments. [sometimes I wish the series was from the perspective of the stump which you will know what I mean when ya read!]
[hint glen!]

I can only hope that things get nicer after bleak...

This one can almost be skipped by the callous.

After this, the series starts to lose its way a little, but this installment is still quite good. There are some nasty problems with more than one shape shifter, and of course, those undead wizards are still highly problematic for those in the company.

This book picks up shortly after The White Rose, and follows the remnants of the company into the south, south of beryl (where the series started) into areas of different races and cultures, in an effort to reach semi-mythical Khatovar to return the annals of the company. There is a major military element to the story, including training of legions superficially resembling roman pre-marian ideas though weapons are not detailed, along with elephants in military use.

Cook did something here which, while I can understand the appeal of it, does strike me as 'not playing fair' with the reader.

spoilers follow. read at your peril.

He essentially says the taken (or at least most of the original 10) are not dead after all. Many were presumed and reported killed fighting each other and the rebels in a proxy conflict between the dominator and the lady in The Black Company. Even soulcatcher is not dead after all, even though a sorceress as powerful and in control of the taken as the Lady was present at her murder.

In all fairness, on page 72 of the white rose (paperback), Croaker considers the possibility that other Taken may still be alive as he contemplates that he did everything but burn the Limper in Shadows Linger. Even if you grant the Taken members of the 'shadow lords' might have just gone south after battle of Charm, questions about Soulcatcher's inactivity in the following years are certainly valid given her apparent obsession in meddling with her sister's affairs. Given how both the Limper (whom the Lady described as murdered) and Raven return from apparent death in The White Rose, it may be he was just realizing that resurrection offered a number of intruiging plot possibilities.

I was surprised to see this years ago...assuming the Company series was over. It starts a new chapter in the Company and marks the beginning of a very involved storyline.

Reeling from the battles at the Tower of Charm in the service of the Lady, the remains of the Black Company begin a new journey - back to the Hhatovar of their origins, lost in the jungles of the south. Still under Croaker's lead the compulsion to return seems like an elephant's last voyage to the graveyard. With the original volumes of the Company's history lost, no one knows what Khatovar really was, or why there ever was a Black Company, but the trip south stirs memories of the last free company of Khatovar, and they aren't fond ones. Danger and unwelcome friends seem to lurk everywhere.

Croaker's first stop is Taglios, where the Company undertakes to provide help in a struggle with four shadowmasters who are extending their own empire. Like the Taken before them, these are wizards who have little care for the humans who serve or oppose them. The Taglians are the last free people before this new dark empire and the Company needs to get rid of the bad guys before they can reach their own origin point. Unfortunately for the Company there are some Taglians who recall the legends of the times when the Black Company headed north with considerable fear, and cooperation and trust are in thin supply.

This will be the last volume written from Croaker's viewpoint (have no fear, he still will have a part to play) and it develops his new role as captain as well as a growing connection with the more human side of the Lady. The latter has expended all her power in the struggle to keep her old husband, the Dominator, from re-entering this world. Her new vulnerability doesn't make her a weak character, and her knowledge and experience make her an asset as the Black Company once again tries to extract disaster from the jaws of success.

Glen Cook proves that there is life after a trilogy as he begins the transition volumes (The Books of the South) that will lead into the Glittering Plain series. This transition of the Black Company from a tool of political empire building to an almost mystical entity with a serious, and perhaps deadly, agenda of its own makes a strong story all on its own. There are quite a few surprises to come, and Shadow Games is an example of perfect scene setting as the rules and the environment begin to change. Cook's writing continues to mature, defying the principle that a prolific writer inevitably dilutes his strength.

This book seemed so short because it read so fast. As I neared the end I kept looking at the remaining pages trying to determine how the author, Chris Stewart, was going to solve some major world problems in so few of pages. And then he surprised me and not only did so, but turned the world upside down which caused me to read the book again. It is as good as a Grisham novel that keeps you gripped in reading, wanting to see each new turn of events. The storyline is so plausible in today's terrorist climate and so believable that you know it could occur. Only minutes separate the good guys from the bad guys, but then you have to determine which is which and who did what when. 5 stars all the way. Richard

I am a reader who starts action novels and frequently puts them down again, before finishing. Not this one. The author, a former B-1 Bomber pilot, does a great job at mixing geopolitics and terrorism with characters that are believeable, and great aerial action sequences. Good writer and I recommend this novel.

A terrorist mastermind who goes by the name of "The Great One"
implements a coup in Pakistan.The President is shot down by a jet fighter who is loyal to the forces of "The Great One".Also
there are twenty four nuclear weapons that come up missing.It is
the job of Peter Zembeic a CIA paramilitary soldier to locate
these missing weapons.Zembeic is a member of the "Campers" a CIA
group."The Great One has the intentions to use the devices on various targets throughout the world.The race is on to find the weapons.
You have the involvement of the Israel Shin Bet who are trying to locate the missing nuclear weapons.Zembeic has to deal with Afgani warlords who have no loyalty to anyone.You also
have a frightening Islamic torture expert who plays a role in the story.Colonel Shane Bradley attempts to bomb the site where
the stolen warheads are being stored.There is alo a surprise
ending as to the fate of the nuclear warheads.
This is a very good book that you will enjoy reading.

I was between books and this one caught my eye. It was GREAT! Couldn't put it down. I've already ordered another Chris Stewart book on line. Highly recommended!

This novel, The Fourth War, is a post 9-11 story on "the next war," or an all out war on terrorism. Except... it really doesn't get there. Author Chris Stewart hints at this global, gloves-off effort (a topic truly waiting for a story), but this one focuses on a small piece (but granted, a significant piece... the acquisition by terrorists of 24 nuclear weapons).

I was alternately entertained and bewildered -- entertained with the action and characters, and bewildered with the slips in writing and organization. As an example of the latter, although the commander of the B-2 squadron makes it clear to his pilots that there is no way a B-2 should EVER fall into enemy hands, he does this very thing! And in the process, Stewart writes that the cockpit is full of black, greasy, and toxic smoke, or then toxic smoke that is black and greasy (in other words, he starts repeating himself as he prolongs, and prolongs, this crash event... BTW, I watched a video of an interview with a pilot of a B-1 bomber on a training run that hit a pelican... the B-1 crashed in less than 2 minutes).

The "ending" was too predictable. The missing details of the "Fourth War" were annoying. And the coincidences that allowed the rescue at the end were a bit too "coincidental".

HOWEVER, don't toss this book out! I enjoyed reading it, and was engaged throughout. I thank Stewart for not focusing too heavily on the torture scenes... he left an appropriate amount for the imagination... the horror without the gore.

Clearly, I just wanted more from this novel than the author could give me. It is not a Clancy novel, but just how WILL that Fourth War play out?

Excellent treatment of all the major concepts -- good if you are studying for the CFA exam, as well...we used this in a top 20 MBA program and I highly recommend this book...fixed income is not easy stuff, but this book explains concepts/problems in a easy to digest way....

This book has numerous issues with incomplete formulas, math errors, and poor editing. Many of the questions at the end of the chapters are incomplete and the solutions in the manual often add in information that was not in the question. The solutions manual has lots of numbers transposed and on multipart questions these errors cause all of the answers to be incorrect. In addition, many of the solutions will change par value in the middle of the answer making it very confusing.

The editor of this book should be fired immediately.

I am a senior majoring in finance at the Curtis L. Carlson School of Management, at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. I just got done taking a bond course called: Financial Markets and Interest Rates. For the class we used this text book. Although it is a well-rounded book on bonds, it is very hard to understand if you do not have other examples describing what is going on. My professor who holds an MBA had alternative notes on Microsoft PowerPoint made for us to supplement the hard to understand text. The examples do not fully give a clear idea of what is happening, especially to the beginner learning bonds. I would rate this book 2/5 stars and would look elsewhere for an easier type of book, perhaps a tutorial. This book is used at high level universities including mine and Princeton University. Fabozzi is not fooling around when displaying info on bonds.

I was a major peer reviewer for the publisher of "Bond Markets, Analysis and Strategies," and have used it several times (perhaps as many as 10 semesters) for both undergrads and MBAs. I have no incentive to give this book any particular rating, but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT TO EITHER PRACTITIONERS AND ACADEMICS, AS IT IS AN EXCELLENT TEXT! There are very few weaknesses, and I disagree with most of those cited by the other reviewers listed here. It is clear, concise, loaded with examples, and beautifully written. It is also closely tied to real-world practice without sacrificing the mathematical modeling. Of course, it is no high-level bond pricing text, but it is not supposed to be--it is a broad introduction to bond markets. As such, it succeeds remarkably. In fact, I often refer to it to refresh my own understanding of the structure and pricing of these markets.

I highly endorse it, and will continue using it.

If you think of this as an introductory book to the world of Bonds rather than a field manual for professionals you will find this to be a wonderful book. I find it to be engagingly written (yes, engaging!) with well-chosen examples. It is very nice to be able to read a book about Bonds and find it stimulating. It would have been easy to write a book that could act as a sleep-aid. Instead, this book provides learning objectives for each chapter and the prose is so inviting that I felt the book to be a page-turner.

The math used is not complicated and is chosen to help understanding rather than demonstrate the sophisticated math used in the actual world of bond trading. If you want that kind of material this isn't the book for you.

I don't know if there is a solutions manual available, but I couldn't find it. If there isn't, there should be. I have never had a college course that used the problems in the book for actual coursework and yet, no matter how simple the problems seem, it is nice for the student to be able to confirm that he or she has indeed found the right answer.

There are also many helpful footnotes that point to materials for further and deeper reading on the subjects introduced in this fine book.

Rugad the Black King has been successful in his attack on the Blue Isle, but to ensure his total domination he still has to deal with his hybrid great grandchildren, Gift, and Arianna.

Arianna in particular, it seems, may harken back to some of her female ancestors in strength, and will likely be a big problem.

this is a wonderful series with engageing charachters and a fully realized world! bring on number 5

This book cleans up the series by tying together all of the loose ends that were hanging. Some more of the mysteries are solved, and more powers discovered. I am at a loss though as to why the animosity within the Royal family. It seems like the two children, particularly Gift, being raised by the Fey, could have known of his sibling's existance... Oh well, I guess that is why I am the reader, and not the author.

This serie is getting better and better. What a twists and plotchangings. I'm really sorry for the Islanders in their struggle for survive. But I'm also intrigued by the Fey, despite their cruel warbehavior. One of the best series I've ever read.

"The Resistance" lives up to the others in this series in terms of Rusch's world building and characterization, which remain consistently strong. However, this book gives the impression of being more of an interlude in the action, while characters move from Point A to Point B, than a vital part of the development of the story. It seems to simply be a set-up for the next book in the series. I've read many fantasy series, and I've rarely had the sensation that the author is just marking time until the next novel, but I get it here.