General-Order

This book is incredibly useful to any examination of the eastern frontier of the Cape Colony. Its examination of the Xhosa cattle killing is especially well done, and as a whole the book is readable, challenging, and useful for research.

I will never be without this book. Within the first week of owning it we saved over $200 on 2 products delivered right to our door. One had no shipping charges. When we are considering any purchase we'll check this book first. It makes an awesome gift. That's how we received ours.

This book is an excellent examination of the decline of catholic religious order from a sociological perspective. I found it very insightful to those working in the creation or maintenance of religious communities.

Women Saints deserves ongoing mention as an inspiring survey of female saints in a subject partial to men. Headings from 'visionaries' to 'martyrs' and 'penitents' provide themes for lives which cover all centuries and cultures. Highly recommended.

This reprint of the 1970 classic provides a very accessible introduction into the intellectual background and writings of the venerable Bede. It is based on the written history of Bede and his times and mentions but does not rely on archealogical evidence to support its description of this early flowering of enlightenment in a dark time.

The text has held up well in the past 30 years and it provides great insight into the history of the English as Bede knew it, Bede's intellectual environment in which he wrote his works on various topics, and, of course, on the history of the church in England.

It reads as a tour guide book to the physical and mental territory in which Bede lived and wrote. Not too hagiographic - but it does assume at least a passing familiarity with Bede's more famous works.

The horrors of September 11th 2001 have resulted in terrorism and political violence as an area of study becoming increasingly topical. In terms of publishing output this has been a mixed blessing. The area has become "fashionable" but quantity has not always been matched by quality. The past year has, quite frankly, seen a lot of rubbish published - from both ends of the political spectrum.

This book goes some way towards redressing the balance. It is essentially a series of essays by various academics on various aspects of the "War on Terrorism". There is something for everyone here. You will almost certainly find something you agree with, but equally you will doubtless find something that will infuriate you! The book purposely draws on academics with unashamedly differing world views (many of whom are EXTREMELY distinguished - a real A list bunch). A chapter by the Marxists' favourite Noam Chomsky shares space with a chapter by the British uber-realist Colin Gray and another by that master of fair and balanced analysis, Lawrence Freedman (why has John Keegan got a knighthood when Freedman hasn't?). Kenneth Waltz and Robert O'Keohane both feature, as do half the International Politics department of Aberystwith University. You really would be hard pressed to find work by so many quality people in one place elsewhere.

There's somebody for everybody here - corny but true. These are the people who have been setting the standards for the debate - not the left wing editorials of the European press and the right wing columnists in the American print media that both sides seem to get so worked up about these days.

If you're interested in the debate on the "War on Terror" post September 11th, this book deserves to be on your shelves.

This book is a study of the collections of miracle stories surrounding the cult of Sainte Foy (Saint Faith) centered in the monastery of Conques in southern France, especially the "Liber miraculorum sancte Fidis." One of authors' main goals is "to situate this collection of miracle narratives culturally within the eleventh century without losing the nuanced and subtle differences inscribed in its textual subdivisions" (p. 19). Though primarily a literary analysis, this work attempts to integrate methods of various academic disciplines in order to achieve a more nuanced reading of the texts. The authors focus their attention on the shifting authorial voices behind the collections of miracles and eschew the more naïve readings of earlier scholars which sought to glean from these documents data on the culture of tenth and eleventh century southern France without sifting out the authors' intentional tropes which served their rhetorical purposes, the so-called "bobbing for data" approach (p. 12). This study builds upon the research of revisionist historians of medieval monasticism who have stressed the ideological and community-shaping nature hagiographic literature (p. 14). Chapters 1 and 2 focus on books 1 and 2 of the Liber miraculorum written in the eleventh century by Bernard of Angers, a classically educated monk from northern France and, thus, an outsider to Conques. Chapter 1 employs the paradigm of the trickster saint to analyze Bernard's telling of Sainte Foy's miracle traditions. Foy seems to specialize in restoring eyes, freeing prisoners, and resurrecting dead animals. Many of the saint's miracles often appear to have the quality of a practical joke or serve humorous ends. Often she outwits an opponent, and is even shown to be a murderer, even a "serial killer" (p. 37). It also becomes clear in this chapter that Bernard is constructing an "ideological portrait" of himself as well as the Conques monastery and the Rouergue (p. 24). He inserts himself as an "eyewitness" to several of the miracles he reports. He portrays himself as converted skeptic. His portrayal of the "rustic" nature of Conques and the Rouergue is self-serving and meant not only to emphasize the humble piety surrounding Foy's cult but also to contrast with his own sophisticated environment in northern France. In these and many more ways, the author is "present" in his account and uses it to construct his own image. In chapter 2 a picture of Bernard emerges as both an early medieval and a pre-cursor of the twelfth century. Among the early medieval tendencies are Bernard's association of the monastery with power, more than holiness; the absence of any moral criteria for those Foy helps; suspicion of three-dimensional representations of the sacred; the acceptance of a traditional, three-tiered social model. However, in many ways "Bernard's intellectual approach seems to have more in common with what we expect in the twelfth century than what we know of the late tenth" (p. 56). In chapter 3 we learn that the authors-continuators of Bernard had a very different approach and agenda. Their own presence is much more limited in the text and their primary concern is with the expansion of Sainte Foy's cult. Thus in books 3 and 4 the monk-authors portray cult of Sainte Foy as universal. She is less the trickster-child of Bernard and more a celestial virgin martyr with the added qualities of an adult and physician (p. 85). In order to demonstrate Foy's worthiness to be one of the leading saints, the authors of books 3 and 4 add resurrection of humans to Foy's miracle repertoire (p. 89). Chapter 4 focuses on the "late miracle narratives" written in the second half of the eleventh century. Much attention is placed to the manipulation of earlier traditions that show up in the various manuscript groups. Chapter 5 looks at the semiotics of the miracle collections with special attention to social symbols and gender issues. One surprising feature is the lack of anti-feminism. Finally, the conclusion includes a comparison with the miracles of Saint Benedict written at Fleury. Overall, the authors have done an excellent job of showing the importance of the authors' "voice" in the miracle narratives of Sainte Foy. Both ideological and community-shaping agendas were important to those who wrote these accounts. It would have been nice to have a table show the relative numbers of the different types of miracles in various collections, and the late addition of comparative material in the conclusion was odd. Also, the brief analysis of architecture at Conques (though probably irresistible to an art historian such as Sheingorn) seemed tacked on and not particularly relevant. Despite these minor criticisms I found this book both enlightening and useful. It is MUST for anyone interested in monasticism, miracles or the middle ages!

There's a lot of baby equipment out there.. Just walk into Babies R Us and you can quickly get overwhelmed!

Thankfully, I went armed with this book! It is true that many of the top suggestions are pricey, but I have found that you often (though not always!!) get what you pay for in terms of quality and features. If you get a less expensive and poorly constructed item, you may end up having to buy another to replace it. The authors do consider value in their ratings, so a less expensive and good quality product would get a better rating than a more expensive and good quality product.

I used it mainly as a ratings guide and to figure out what safety/convenience features to look for when shopping for baby equipment and what to avoid. I also liked their listing of outlets.

Sometimes I felt the authors let their personal design preferences affect their ratings, especially in the sections on bedding and clothing. Also, since they have two boys, they are more familiar with boy's stuff. In some areas, they only list one or two options, and a couple of times I have disagreed with their choices, based on experience.

Some of the information and pricing is outdated, but thankfully they have a website full of updates. Nowadays you can get great deals online with coupons and rebates: their next issue should have more information on online shopping. Since I bought this book, I have emailed the authors a few times to ask questions about baby products and, miracle of miracles, they actually replied with a personal and useful response!

I always recommend this book to my pregnant friends and relatives!

Every new parent can relate to the huge money drain that comes with a new infant. We want our children to have the best, and it just seems the list of must-haves is never-ending. Many of us choose to do without certain items or find them second-hand, but there are certain things, like car seats, that are often better to have new. Thus the dilemma: how to find new items at the cheapest prices. Furthermore, how does one choose between the multitude of companies, brands, and styles of endless baby stuff? Baby Bargains to the rescue! This book is about "how to save money and still buy the best." If you're looking for a detailed comparison of brands and how they rank up, you'll love poring over the chapters that range from Nursery Necessities to Maternity and Nursing Clothes to Catalogs, The 'Net, Child Care and more. They also include lots of up-to-date safety info, "email from the real world" (letters from parents-they interviewed over 1000!), and they even tell you where to find specialty items like African-American bedding, affordable art prints for baby's room and rental baby equipment when you're on vacation. On top of all this, they include Smart Shopper Tips, a Phone/Web Site Directory, and they have a web site of their own

A practical guide of what you'll really need for baby.

I picked this book up on Tuesday, and finished it Thursday night. It's riveting.

Knowing this series isn't afraid to have consequences for the heroes, such as the loss of Chewie, or the events of Star by Star, I'm excited by every new story, because you REALLY DON'T know what's going to happen.

Coincidentally, that unpredictability isn't just affecting me. It's affecting all the characters in story, and is the basis of Rebel Dream. The Republic has realized that the Yuuzhan Vong are such effective invaders, because they understand human nature better than humans want to admit. We/they are slaves to beliefs and behaviors born of peace and prosperity. Complacency and compromise rule the Republic. (Sound familiar?)

That, plus traitors inside the Senate have given Coruscant, the capital of the galaxy, and humanity...to the enemy!! Also, another major Star Wars character loses their life in the invasion of the planet. Being traditional and predictable is costing us everything.

These losses have struck some deep and nearly-forgotten nerves. The pain is too familiar for those old enough to remember Palpatine and his Empire. These heroes of old were once children themselves, who learned that Rebellion, resistance, and fighting hard against overwhelming odds proved being unpredictable and resourceful can win not only battles...but the WAR. Now their children are learning it too.

The Rebel Dream of victory takes shape, and gives the Republic new hope. The would-be conquerors suffer sudden and substantial losses. The enemy is thwarted, and pauses to consider that the Republic isn't just a broken bureacracy with leadership-by- committee.

This book gives us and the Yuuzhan Vong what has been missing in this Universe for twenty-five years...Rebellion!

I read this book in less than 2 days, and I have 3 months to wait for the next one. The excitement is incredible. Get it. Read it.

First of all, I'll say that few of the New Jedi Order books have managed to convey what this book did even in it's first few chapters; emotion, powerful relationships, heart-pounding action sequences, all the while keeping with and expanding on the complex overall plot of the series.

The book backtracks slightly, opening about two-thirds of the way through Dark Journey, which was fine with me, since that book focused so singly on Jaina and her personal angst that I tended to lose the big picture in my mind. Rest assured, Allston is a terrific author, perhaps the best yet, and he definitely shows his talents in this one. While much of the attention is still reserved for Jaina, it also gives a sweeping, overall look at the whole war, which isn't looking good for our heroes at present. Anakin Solo, one of the best hopes for victory, is dead; Jacen is captured and presumed dead by just about everyone except his mother, Leia. Jaina, torn by grief and rage over the death of her brothers is off fighting her own demons; and the Yuuzhan Vong have finally taken the capitol, the crowning jewel of the galaxy, Coruscant. Luke and Mara are becoming increasingly protective of their infant son, which makes them both less useful as leaders to the Jedi.

Luke, desperate to do something to make the galaxy safer for his son to grow up in, decides to take on a near suicide mission to Coruscant, both to investigate a strange and frightening infestation of the dark side there, and to confirm whether or not Jacen is still alive, and if so to free him, or die trying.
The government is in shambles, our heroes are dying, and the Vong now have the majority of the galaxy. Even so, despite the ominous and painful direction the series is taking, Allston still lightens it from time to time with slight inflections of humor. Barely noticeable, but there. While I never caught myself laughing out loud like I did over some of his X-Wing books, it lightened this dark tale considerably, and kept it from depressing me out of my mind the way Star by Star did.

Also, thanks to the author for making Tahiri a mildly interesting character again. After Star by Star (when she played the typical jealous teenage girlfriend, Ugh) and Dark Journey (the whining weeping mourner everyone feels sorry for) I was really starting to dislike her, but this book restored her in my relative favor. Jaina as well was better here, instead of being portrayed as she usually is (the sort of bratty teenage daughter that's every parent's nightmare, determined to bring her parents to early graves) but rather, we finally see the true warrior that she is; the better halves of both her parents, as she wages phsycological warfare on the Vong, determined to make them pay for hurting her brothers.

Even so, some parts of this book really did annoy me, hence my four star rating. First and foremost is the lack of Jacen-action. How long are they going to keep us in limbo like this? Bring him back or kill him permanently, and soon. If they don't intend to let him be rescued yet, at least let us see what they're doing to him in captivity. The suspence is killing me!

Also, what has happened to Mara? Where is the toughness, the dark humor, the inner strength and vitality that made her so endearing in the first place? Yes, I realize that now that she is a mother she needs to start putting her child first; especially in the middle of a horrible war, but that doesn't have to mean she should suddenly dissolve into a complete weakling, I mean, was there a scene in this book when she was not holding Ben? As for her relationship with Luke, I won't even go there. They need to give her something of her own to do, besides wiping her baby's rear.

Third, I really disliked the Jaina/Jag developments in this book. Of course, anyone who's read the Dark Tide dualogy could see this coming a mile away, but it still bothers me. Of course, I'm probably biased on this subject, since, being a long time fan of Young Jedi Knights I always thought Jaina should end up with Zekk. But really, it isn't that I don't like Jag, in fact I've gotten to be quite fond of him, I just think he's all wrong with Jaina. Jag is a rule follower; a by the books, take-your-hat-off-inside, Yes Ma'am kind of guy. Jaina is adventurous, a risk taker, most of the time not bothering to think of the consequences of her actions before she makes them, and frankly I think Jag would bore her out of her mind in a week, and her constant heedless recklessness would drive him insane. Much as I hate to say it, even Kyp would be better. :-( Oh, well. For fans of the series, this book won't disapoint you.

I was waiting for Aalston to jump into this series. He did a commendable job. It was a great plot and the battle scenes were written very well. I felt like someone was doing backflips in my stomach while I read this book.

I have been reading the New Jedi Order books with trepidation. Every time I read one I find I am so drawn into the books that I feel the same horror as the characters as they see the destruction the Yuuzhan Vong evoke as they take over the Star Wars Galaxy. This book was no exception. I bought it when it first came out and couldn't bring myself to read it until recently. I kept looking at the book and saying "I can't read that - I don't want to know what happens next..." It was very hard to approach this book since I had read the Jr. Jedi Knights series and remembered the characters Tahiri, Tionne and others. Needless to say, this was the first book that gave me hope as well as more insight into the Yuuzhan Vong and the characters of Anakin Solo and Tahiri. If you are looking for the "tried and true" characters, Luke, Mara Jade, Han and Leia - this is not the place to find them. It's a new galaxy ...

Conquest is an excellent addition to the New Jedi Order series. Just when it seemed that the books were going to get predictable, Keyes takes the story in a different direction. This story is not as dark as some of the books in this series, most notably Star by Star which is very dark. Keyes captured the well-known characters perfectly. Although I was unfamiliar with many of the younger characters in this book, Keyes does an excellent job introducing them and integrating them into the older, more mature Star Wars books. Some people have complained about the length of the story, while it is shorter than some Star Wars books, but that doesn't detract from the excellent story at all. Some books just keep going, taking forever to get to the point. Conquest does not do this. As for the story focussing more on Anakin, it was really his turn. The first 3 NJO books focused on the Jedi as a whole, while the second 2 focussed on Han Solo. The book directly before conquest focussed on the twins more, so it was really Anakin's time. The casting of the Vong as different castes and in a more sympathetic light was a stroke of genius. The only reason this book has 4 stars instead of 5 is because as good as it is, Rebirth is better.

First of all, I have to say that I was almost dreading the new subseries by Greg Keyes, Edge of Victory. So far in the New Jedi Order series, new authors have disappointed, and the only ones who wrote good books had prior experience (Michael Stackpole and Kathy Tyers) but Keyes just blew me away. Even though the story focuses almost exclusively on Anakin Solo (who i cant stand), I still found this book exciting to read.

As first shown in James Luceno's Hero's Trial, the Yuuzhan Vong hate the Jedi. Whether they fear the Jedi or just want them out of the way, is unknown. Warmaster Tsavong Lah has declared (at the end of Kathy Tyers' Balance Point) that the Yuuzhan Vong will stop invading new lands if and only if all of the Jedi are turned over, especially Jacen Solo. A group of people who want peace with the Yuuzhan Vong have called themselves the Peace Brigade and have set out to capture all of the Jedi, starting with the Jedi students on Yavin 4.

While Luke Skywalker sends Talon Karrde to pick up the students, Anakin Solo fears that Karrde will not arrive in time, and sets off, against orders, to Yavin 4. He arrives in time to see the Peace Brigade baring down on the defenseless children. Without giving the story away, Anakin sets off to save the children, and in the process his closest friend, Tahiri Veila, is captured by the Yuuzhan Vong, and Anakin sets off to save her, with the help of ex-Imperial Tie fighter pilot, Qorl, who had previously kidnapped Jacen and Jaina. Along the way, Anakin really establishes himself as the wonder kid of the Star Wars Universe, as he allies himself with a now shamed Yuuzhan Vong, to save Tahiri, and it the Vong's case, to get revenge.

Greg Keyes puts forth a great effort, creating one of the top books in the whole nineteen book series. While focusing only on Anakin, Keyes manages to not get repetitive and the reader will not get tired of hearing about Anakin (even if they dont like him). You wont be disappointed with Edge of Victory: Conquest. Even if you have not liked the New Jedi Order series so far, Conquest is sure to please.