Heavy

A wonderful chronicle of a Jewish family in Belarus beginning in the early 20 th century and culminating in its destruction in Hitlers holocaust A cast of remarkable characters illuminates this novel The fiery Rachel and soft spoken husband Yacov Ivanovsky,Rachels father the respected and tough Abraham Rakhlenko,the colourful Chaim Yagudin.The Ivanovsky children includin the narrator,Boris and the beautiful Dina to name only a few of the cast of characters We grow to know and love the people in this book And it with a profound sense of horror and tragedy that we see their crule destruction at the hands of the Nazis

It is however through the few survivors such as Boris Ivanovskyand his sister Lyuda and the young Olya that we find hope

What took away from the book was as one previous reviewer points out the ommission of the horror of the Bolshevik Revolution Stalin years but due to censorship in the Soviet Union when the book was written in the 1970's the writer could only hint at these things

This book caught me with the first paragraph and never let go. (I found it browsing in a recycled store.) This epic story of family and romantic love, community, momentous change (the Russian Revolution) and war (the Nazi invasion and genocide) is told in the simple, conversational style of a master storyteller. It has the authentic an compelling voice of a participant, or witness to the events. (I find myself wondering about Rybakov... who is he? Did he live through these times? Is this his family's story? It feels that real.) This book is about far more than the Nazi attrocities (which occupy only about the last 1/4 of the book). It is really about human nature, and the nature of relationships under all sorts of conditions. It is one of the most moving and memorable works I have read, and it is truly a loss that it is out of print. Do search it out.

You know, I say this all the time, but I have really got to learn Russian one of these days. This time the reason I wish I knew the language is because I'd like to see if the original of Heavy Sand has the same plainspoken, conversational tone which makes the English translation so engaging. It doesn't take long to get [wrapped up] into the story of the Rakhlenko family and to fall in love with all the characters, from the noble to the scoundrels, with all shades of messy humanity in between. At times you don't even feel as if you're reading a novel but hearing a good friend masterfully tell his story and those of his parents and grandparents. This is perhaps the most unpretentious great novel I've ever read.

The small events of the novel's first half blend seamlessly into the world events of the war and the destruction of the entire village, and in both times and places you feel utterly transfixed by what is happening to the people of this family and their village. And despite its depressing setting, Heavy Sand ends on a relatively uplifting note. There is plenty of horror in the book, but also plenty of hope.

I didn't want this book to be over. Highly recommended!

I like to read rock-n-roll books whether I like the band or not. I like Free, but like a lot of people, only knew their hit song and the later Paul Rodgers groups. My point is: If you're a casual fan, this is still an excellent book with the kind of inside story that makes for some great reading; if you're a serious fan, this is an even more engaging book because it's very thorough but never boring. The fact that they interviewed the surviving band members gives it the credibility that so many other rock books lack. The pictures are incredible too, and not just some little middle section with 20 photos. These shots are interspersed throughout the book on every page, thus truly illustrating their awesome story! Heavy Load is highly recommended!

I like to read rock-n-roll books whether I like the band or not. I like Free, but like a lot of people, only knew their hit song and the later Paul Rodgers groups. My point is: If you're a casual fan, this is still an excellent book with the kind of inside story that makes for some great reading; if you're a serious fan, this is an even more engaging book because it's very thorough but never boring. The fact that they interviewed the surviving band members gives it the credibility that so many other rock books lack. The pictures are incredible too, and not just some little middle section with 20 photos. These shots are interspersed throughout the book on every page, thus truly illustrating their awesome story! Heavy Load is highly recommended!

this great book at second edition try the reader in a dimension as end '60 never forget and reach light on the hard times of the group.very fine photos but only black and white ,i think perhaps not could be a difficult thing to buyer for this splendid book.
i hope in a third edition with more accurate pages,photos colours and in a book only dedicated to my great guitar player and always inspiration source PAUL KOSSOFF.
peter from italy.

Heavy Gear is a great game -- both in its rules system, which is simple and easy to pick up, and its background and story material.

The main rulebook comes with a full set of rules for both the RPG and the tactical combat game, plus a good amount of detail on a likely setting for an RPG (Peace River), and a slightly smaller section on the world as a whole (which is expanded on in the Life on Terra Nova sourcebook that can be purchased separately, and is also excellently written).

Heavy Gear takes place 4000 years in the future, on the colony world of Terra Nova. Heavy Gears are one-man mecha, something between an infantryman and a tank. The planet is divided into two polar leagues separated by a vast desert known as the Badlands, poised on the brink of war after years of uneasy peace. The game has an ongoing storyline that leads from this starting point and is continued with storybooks and through the sourcebooks. The storyline is planned out in advance, which gives it a great leg up on other games.

One note -- the computer games and cartoon should not be used to judge the pen and paper game; the computer games are not really in the best spirit of the game and the cartoon...has nothing to do with the pen and paper game other than the name really.

In addition to the rulebook, you will probably want to hunt down the Life on Terra Nova sourcebook if you plan to run an RPG game (or if you're just interested in reading more about the game world).

The year is 1934... 1934 TN, that is - make that 6132 AD, or thereabouts. The planet is Terra Nova, one of several planets colonized by mankind after it survived a minor ice age and discovered a net of space anomalies connecting about a dozen planets. Unfortunately the Earth government collapsed some centuries back and left the colonies to fend for themselves...
On Terra Nova, a planet without oceans divided into two hemispheres by an inhospitable desert girdle, several nations have developped since that time. The southern nations have been subjugated by the Southern Republic, which in turn caused the northern nations to band together for their own protection. Now these two power blocks, armed to the teeth, are gearing up for war once more, with the unhappy inhabitants of the desert Badlands in the middle, seeing their home become a battleground.
And then there's the fascist Earth regime, come back to claim its own...

This is the Rulebook for the Heavy Gear system, Dream Pod 9's most exciting and best game system ever. At the core of it all is a game engine called the "Silhouette" system, a well thought out system of rules equally useful for roleplaying and tactical combat, for simulating space, submarine or ground environments.
HG offers you the opportunity to step into the future and see the world through the eyes of the inhabitants of mankind's new home, wether you want to do classical roleplaying or fast paced mechanical combat, or both at the same time.

The rulebook is very well written and contains lots of examples illustrating the realistic, yet easy to understand and use rules system. Talking of illustrations... those are there as well, *lots* of them, and very well done, too.

But you get more than just a bunch of rules. At the beginning there's a gorgeous colour section showing the planetary system and a world map, followed by a short but thorough introduction to the world of Terra Nova, covering the various nations and regions. There's even a short source book on Peace River, a huge desert city/arcology/weapons factory, allowing you to start playing right away if you wish to.
Of course you get the necessary character creation rules, an exhaustive list of skills, some equipment and weapons, and rules for interaction, skill tests and, of course, combat. You also get archetypes and some animals to populate the wilderness, not to forget the enigmatic desert nomads known as Sand Riders...
Plus you get the complete tactical combat rules, if you like that kind of thing. If you prefer hex-maps or miniature games is entirely left to you. The Silhouette system allows you every imaginable freedom while covering all the necessary aspects.

Some people have called Heavy Gear the heir of Battletech (you know, the combat game with all those giant robots... what serious Heavy Gear fans refer to as "that other game"). Fact is, HG is much, much more.
The trademark of the game is the Gear, a roughly humanoid combat machine of the future - but that 's where the similarity ends. The tactical system is hugely superior to that of BT, allowing for opportunity fire, sensor detection, communication and ECM, while the roleplaying system is not just an afterthought, but an inherent part of the game (if you want to, the main part - if not, it's a nice background. Your choice.)
HG is incredibly detailed (there's a huge range of sourcebooks, covering every imaginable aspect, if you feel like it - but you don't need them if you don't want) and quite realistic, plus it's got an overarcing background story similar to Babylon 5. And there's no need to read through stacks of badly written novels. Conflic is certainly a constand of the HG universe, but the system doesn't force you to concentrate on war, like the other game did, but allows you to explore the future any way you like.

In short, HG is my favorite game of all times. And I've tried out quite a number.

This hardcover edition of Dream Pod Nine's Heavy Gear Role Playing and Tactical Game was one of my first pruchase of the game line.

It was money well spent.

The book itself sports quality binding and paper. The printing is clear, legible and easy on the eyes. There is plenty of excellent content, spiced generously with outstanding pen art.

Even if not a fan of Role Playing and Tactical Miniatures Gaming, Sci-Fi fans will enjoy a depiction of a futuristic colony world both at war with imperialistic conquerors and with itself.

It is a stark, hard sci-fi story of human settlers that have braved harsh desert conditions, isolated from the rest of humanity and struggling not only for suvival, but also for cultural identity.

Role Play and Tactical Game Players will also find Heavy Gear to be a refreshing change of pace from the tired Sword and Sorcery Genre. And, they will find this high quality rulebook to be a perfect collectors and players peice in any library.

Enjoy!

This book is the most detailed Metallica book I have ever seen. It should be and there are so many items in the book not only the text but with tons of pictures so you know what to look for. Do yourself a favour and buy this book. I call it the bible for Metallica fans.

This book's got everything a die-hard Metallica fan could ask for. I just finished reading it and I couldn't put it down. Normally, I don't read anything, but this being the best book about the best band in the world, I never stopped until the end. Complete history, all the songs played over the years, whatever you wanna know about the band, you'll find it here. If you've never read this book, you're not a full-fledged Metallica fan. Great job, Sem!

Just when you thought you had a good little collection going, some guy from Norway goes and makes a book that makes you realize that you really don't have much! Ouch!!! This is an excellent book for the serious collector, Sem did an awesome job (like big surprise, right). Whether you think you have it all or you are just getting started into collecting "Metallica," you need this book!

This was so well done!!! The written account was complimented so well by the great pictures that I felt like I could get an better idea of being there. This really needed to be recorded before it was a forgotten era in history. Thank you for doing that.

enjoyed the book and found an artist rendering taken at a train staion, i beleive. the approximate page location is 70 & 71, give or take. what i need to know is where i can obtain a source that has this picture showing this german train station during WWII. it is for a friend who works for union pacific and loves enginges. please contact me about the picture. as for the book i grew up near wright-patterson AFB, Dayton OH and love planes - loved the book - hope to purchace it someday. any direction to a source will be greatly appreciated. thank you. Dave Falknor.

As the son of a surviving B-17 pilot, I have spent considerable time poring over books specific to the subject. This book, along with Half a Wing, Three Engines and a Prayer are true treasures. History books alone cannot convey information to our successors like a story retold by someone who had the events firmly planted in their memory by the first-hand impact of the situation.

This intelligent, playful journey through the life of the harmonica is a joy. Mr. Fields shows us, with great love and respect, the history of the instrument, and introduces us to the many who have mastered it and given it the lofty perch in the music world it so richly deserves. This book is a must for anyone even remotely interested in the harmonica, and those in that number are growing, world wide, every day.

"Harmonicas, Harps, and Heavy Breathers" is a comprehensive, authoritative, well-written examination of the harmonica's role in musical culture. The author seems to have heard and understood the work of every major harmonica player of this century and many of the lesser-known ones, regardless of style or idiom. The book surprises us often simply by reminding us of the ubiquity of the instrument, as when the author points out that 3 of the Beatles's earliest hits featured harmonica prominently. The book is heavily illustrated with photos. It is likely to serve as the standard reference for its subject for years to come. Anyone who wants to learn about the traditions of harmonica music should have a copy.

Hats off to Kim Field! This is a great book and a much needed one. His excellent research is augmented with great writing. Every harp player in the land should own one.

This easy to read, well thought out guidebook to electric guitar playing is a true revelation to the begining guitarist.
The author organizes his lesson plan perfectly, showing how the primary major and minor scales are layed out on the guitar fretboard. Not only will you get the usual "here they are" dot matrix diagrams, you are also presented with a unique way to visualize and dissect these scales that allows for quicker memory uptake when it comes to key transposition. In other words, the author's insights on guitar fretboard logic are well worth the price.
Added info on attaining and sustaining technique, tone, and style while playing the modern electric guitar and amplifier makes this a must read for anyone having a love affair with their axe.

i picked this book up almost 20 yrs ago that's hard to believe, and i'm living proof this book really works if you apply yourself to it (...). this is for those folks who don't really care about the theory thing or learning songs per say or reading music. but it is very geared to the person who wants to learn to play the guitar by feel, very easy to understand anyone can sit down with this book and learn the lessons, you WILL get out of this book exactly what you put into it and that's a promise i can say. very well written easy to understand terms for the beginer as well as the professional guitarist. i find myself constantley refering back to it just to freshen my skills. if you really want to learn this is the holy bible for the guitarist
richard lee wilson

Bought this book 10 years ago and it proved to be the best guitar book for any blues or rock interested newbie. Wonderfully written in style, approach, even the fonts and graphics. Not a huge book, but it has the essence...and teaches it very, very effectively.

Alas, lost my copy after loaning to my son (who learned even quicker BTW and quickly passed me), especially as my time to play diminished.

Recently I wanted to reteach myself, and sought out this book...was aghast! at the fact that it is out of print...Luckily, got one of the last new ones (thru amazon). Just as good now as it was then...possibly better as I have seen in the intervening years how few 'teaching' books attain this level.

I shall cherish it for it's own value, and the memories, forever.

Net: Highly, highly, highly recommended....a great achievement by the author worthy of note on his tombstone some day...

All in all, this book was 5/5, but the problem was, when I was starting the hang of it, i thought it had more pages to be read, but its only less information, oh well.. this explains the forming of the band, where they met, how they started, the Hybrid Theory days..... Chester's band called _xero_ was also mentioned on the book, i really recommend this!!!

Linkin Park is my favorite , I just adore them. I ordered there book and I'm waiting for it to arrive , but I have to tell you , if LP rules so much there book MUST be cool , I mean it features my favorite 6 guys. LP fans , based on previous reviews this is the book for you AND me. :)

This book is awesome. I was up all night readin this. Linkin park die hards this is the book for u. Keep it, tresure it, do whatever u have to. I know i will.

An excellent review of automatic weapons for the technically inclined. There is little or no operational history involved, but this book's detailed development histories of weapons and their ammunition is more comprehensive than anything I've seen since Johnson's books from the '40s. If you are into the details of automatic weapons and the ammunition they fire, you must have this book. If you are looking for operational military history of how these weapons were employed, this is not for you.

This book sets a standard that would be hard to beat. The author knows his subject and the production is superb. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the field covered, and to others as an example of how a book should look.

This book is a very well written history of large caliber automatic weapons. It gives a good coverage of the mechanisms and characteristics of the weapons, but it's real importance to me is it's well illustrated gallery of the rounds used in the weapons, complete with specifications of the rounds and the weapon and country using them, something that is rare to find in other works.In a library of over 1000 volumes on weaponry, this is one of the most used references I have.

I got this because I really wanted to learn the songs on Ride the Lightning that I couldn't figure out myself and the solos as well; I was surprised by how accurate the tab was for the main body of each song and on Kirk's main parts. However, there are a few problems with this book. First, for a lot of the solos you are expected to play up on the 20th fret even if you're not on one of the top two strings; this is a problem for me because I only have an acoustic guitar, I can play it fine on my friend's electric. Also, the fingerings are harder than they ought to be in places of "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "Fade to Black", and a few other songs. Last, this book is not for the average guitar player. It takes a lot of skill and speed-picking to nail those solos, all of which I haven't gotten quite yet. However, overall I definetely recommend this tab book because Metallica kicks ass!

The Ride tab book is definitely a must-buy for not only the avid Metallica muso-fan, but for those wishing to upskill themselves in various guitar techniques.

The solos are an absolute note-by-note transcription and each riff is intricately tabbed to include even the most subtle of variations.

Includes a very well-written introduction, outlining some very important and helpful tips to assist you in your mastery of one of Metllica's finest albums.

In a one-line verdict: A definite must-have, even as a collector's item!

If you love Metallica this is one of the best books you can get. Unless you're simply amazing you're going to need this to learn all the solos.