The Last Arab Jews: The Communities of Jerba, Tunisia (Social Orders : a Series of Monographs and Tracts, Vol. 1)

Book Description

Alita joins her arch-enemy, mad scientist Desty Nova, and two nasty replicants of herself on a journey to Ketheres to rescue her old friend Lou's brain, which is part of a vast array powering the computer known as "Melchizedek." In Ketheres, the hapless cyborg and her unsympathetic companions promptly become embroiled in a war between artificial worlds. Their hosts have the secret of immortality, but how human is someone who can live forever?

Customer Reviews:

Good, although not the best.......2006-03-03

I've been following Last Order since it came out, and this is definitly NOT the best in the series. It's basically one long battle and the story seems to be dragged out so that nothing really happens.

I can't say don't buy it since the series as a whole is what makes Alita books great. But I was quite disappointed.

Last Order series tops itself again.......2004-10-16

This review is for the just released English version of "Angel of Protest". The whole "Last Order" series so far has been very well done, with a slicker, cleaner look than the first series. This latest release builds upon the last book with more new characters and lots more fighting and action scenes. I love Alitas new jacket and leggings, they remind me of Nausicaa or even one of CardCaptor Sakura's costumes. Also, we finally get some adversaries worthy of the "Imaginos" body.

"Angel of Protest" takes the storyline on kind of a tangent, with "Alita" geting into fights for moralistic reasons again. This sets up some great fighting however, and we get to see "Zazie" in action. Most everything that was unclear at the end of "Angel Eternal" is still not resolved. This is not a criticism because, hey, we get some great battle sequences! I just hope the overall plot does not get sidetracked for the sake of great fights and then be forced into some slap-togther cheesy resolution like the end of the first series.

"Angel of Protest" is a page-turner if you follow "Battle Angel" and my only complaint is it was too short. I love the artwork and ideas in this series. The campiness of the plot and the philosophical inner dialog of the characters never fails to amuse.

My wife still won't even look at these books because of the gore, and my sister just laughs at the silly Germanized names of the fighting techniques. (I still can't get her to stop laughing at "Panzer Kunst") But I read this series over and over again and always come away with a respect for the depth of imagination, the detail of the artwork and the sheer entertainment on so many different levels.

"Good To Goý".......2004-06-03

Alita, Wu Ping and Desty Nova begin this volume on the threshold of Ketheres, the last station of Earth. The first citizen they meet is Trinidad who reveals that Nova is the result of a project that is near and dear to Tinidad's heart (or brain). Alita, from Trinidad's viewpoint is excess baggage, and a short confrontation leaves her and Wu at severe disadvantage. Once again, Alita turns an apparent weakness into a strength, and her survival shifts the plot into a new gear.

Other than vague hints, Yukito Kishiro has always been very reticent about the overall scope of the series. First one city on a single planet, then a floating city, then something most like a space station. Now we find out that there is a whole solar system out there full of people every bit as devious as the ones we have already met. A whole political dimension opens up to be exploited, and you can be sure that Alita loses no time in becoming embroiled in the future of worlds where immortality is a commodity.

The story bogs down a bit mid-volume as Kishiro brings the reader up to speed on the status of the solar system, but the hiatus doesn't last for long, as Alita heads out into space with for what promises to be a return home and a major battle. The changing settings give the artist/writer a chance to do what he does best - draw, and create characters. It is this scope and the detail of vision that sets Alita apart from most other manga other than other standouts like Akira and X/1999.

Alita is a modern hero, beautiful, deadly, and determined - which ethics and values which completely surpass her cyborg nature. This series continues to find the middle ground between action and morality play without ever leaving a hint of over-acting. While there have been some attempts at creating OVA for this story, the story begs for serialization as anime. Anime with a lot of computer graphics, since Yukito Kushiro has an eye for detail that rivals Hieronymous Bosch. I will look forward to that day.

Not All Demons Come From Hell..........2004-06-02

In a struggle that pits adults against children the residents of Tiphares act out the age old questions of whether an imitation can replace human nature. Of course, the answer is no - the adults, who have had their brains replaced with tiny computer chips, have become compliant, but that does not mean they are not jealous of their prerogative.

For the youth, who now understand the deeper meaning of freedom, the fight is for survival as individuals - as true humans. Yet, when pressed, they too will stop at nothing, and it is the children who unleash a monster so deadly that only Alita can stand up to it, But even the super-powered cyborg is dangerously outclassed.

As Yukito Kishiro's new series unfolds, the reader learns that this story is far larger that the limits of the city in the sky. Kaos, who lost almost everything in the first series has returned - ruined, but determined to make amends. And by the simple, age-old mechanism of a paper plane a bond is re-forged and a faint, slightly cynical glimmer of hope appears to light the way.

For all the this series is still a vehicle for Alita's spectacular fighting skills the story reveals more depth and a finer sense of rhythm than the first series. Too often sequels seem to suffer from weakness, but Kishiro seems to have husbanded his strength. As complexity and character develop the story grows stronger as well.

High on battles, low on plotline. Transitional volume........2004-03-26

A previous reviewer mentioned he disliked this new series because it does not fit with the original series... I have to disagree. Last Order begins one year after Alita dies at the hands of a bomb and Nova collects her brain matter. The original ending came about quickly due to medical and stress related problems on the part of the creator, and as a result, there are far too many questions left unanswered.

Last Order attempts to remedy this by filling out the universe in which this story is set.

Book Description

Master manga creater Yukito Kishiro returns, accompanid by his most celebrated character, cyborg sweetheart Battle Angel Alita. Meet Kishiro's latest bevy of bizarre and tormented characters and catch up with your favorite and foes!

Customer Reviews:

Read it!.......2007-08-04

This volume is quite good. Don't cry because Alita isn't in much of it. It's a good story, and it tells the tale of how the world running computer Merlin, which seems to have started the chain of events that lead to Alita's world, was built. The other point that seems to have escaped some readers, is that the character of Caerula the vampire is meant to be compared to Alita. This story is meant to remind you of Alita's earlier innocence. They are both women who have lived over centuries, been witness to and a part of history, loved with tragic results, fought and made hard choices. Caerula is what Alita will be if she fails. A cyborg is like a vampire in that they have greater power than humans and are virtually immortal, some of them even hunt humans. Alita has to succeed where Caerula failed, just like Luke has to succeed where Anakin failed etc...(sorry to use the SW reference) Or, perhaps Caerula will come back for a final battle with Alita with no holds barred, the old two sides of the same coin finale. Last time it seemed she gave up to let Alita "restore the world", because she thought it was destiny. The current story is showing us why she did that, since she is the one that could have beaten Alita. I think the story of Caerula is one of the most important chapters of this entire series, not some "side story" just to kill time. If it took up three more volumes with no Alita, I would say it was too far afield, and should be it's own series, but I doubt that will be the case. Just enjoy a good story where you can get it.

Charicterization.......2007-03-24

This volume is really just about expanding on The Characters. It makes Everyone's favorite Vampire a little more important, and it gives a little insight as to how earth reached it's current state, but really very little happens. Definatly Buy this volume if you're collecting the Series, but don't get too excited.

Oh, I can't not wait for the next one.......2007-01-30

I am biased. I love Battle Angel Alita and Last Order series.

The stories are deep. The characters are well developed. The drawings are top quality. And I love how the author tend to incorporate all sorts of stuff into this beautiful fantasy: like ancient and current philosophy; martial arts style from all over; and the usual struggle of humanity to understand itself of who and why we are.

Gosh, I can not wait for the next book. Heh heh.

Outstanding series.......2007-01-16

I first got hook on Alita, from the anime short done years back. Since then I've been hook on the managa series and this no different. Once you read one you will be sure to want the rest of the series.

A distraction, while remaining a return..........2006-12-23

As previous comments have explained, this is a deviation of the main story. While the change of focus was unexpected, it does finally reveal the beginnings of the Battle Angel universe and the struggles humanity went through to survive such a fiasco. The theme is pretty consistent, considering the revelation in the previous novel.

Perhaps the best thing about this novel is the feel of the earliest Battle Angel novels. The story is simple, poetic, and abounded with earlier Yukito critiques on society. It is a wonderful read, and the reader must not forget that Alita is experiencing the story line as well, so it very well may play an important role in future novels.

Battle Angel Alita: Last Order, Volume 7

Average customer rating:

Must have series
Volumne 7
Series has lost its focus
Not the same...
I have been remiss...

Battle Angel Alita: Last Order, Volume 7
Yukito Kishiro
Manufacturer: VIZ Media LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1421504332

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

Must have series.......2007-01-17

Volumne 7.......2007-01-12

I thought this book almost merited a 5 rating. I was disappointed in the beginning volumes of the Last Order series but as it goes along, the volumes definitely improve and volume 7 will not disappoint.

Series has lost its focus.......2006-08-31

When volume 9 of Battle Angel Alita was made non-canon and Last Order was announced, the sequel promised to provide answers to questions such as the fate of Alita's creator, Ido, and new questions posed by the rewrite, such as the result of the Secret of Tiphares arc and the location of Alita's operator, Lou.

Instead, the plot of Last Order is advancing at a glacial pace and these answers are nowhere to be found. Ido and Lou, as well as the vast majority of characters introduced in Battle Angel Alita, have yet to be seen except in brief flashbacks. Plot reveals are scarce and those given, such as those of Alita's past, are somewhat trivial and unsatisfying as compared to discovering the fates of characters we've seen in the first series. If this series resolves everything it set out to, it will likely span *another* 9 volumes.

The last few volumes have not dealt with search and advancement, and have instead been dedicated to a tournament, seemingly little more than a plot device to introduce numerous unnecessary new characters; it is certainly telling that the end of recent volumes includes a "create-a-character" contest. Of course, Kishiro has done massive filler before with motorball, but a tournament is nowhere near as novel or interesting. Hell, I'm not sure how many old-school shonen animes *don't* have a tournament scene, which makes it seem all the more tired.

It would be unfair of me to claim outright that Kishiro does not know where he is going. Instead, I will state my opinion that he worked better when pressured into condensing an ending into a single, more satisfying volume 9 of the original series. His current work appears to be a case of too many plot ideas interacting and inhibiting the series's potential.

Despite my complaints, Kishiro's strengths are on full display in Volume 7. The ZOTT tournament allows beautiful full page fight scenes and great characterization of Alita and her clones, easily the most interesting of the newly introduced characters. The advancement of art and style can be easily seen when comparing this volume with Kishiro's initial work. The man can draw.

I will buy future volumes and wait for resolution, but I'm beginning to wish I just pretended that Battle Angel Alita volume 9 really did end the series. If you haven't read the original series, read it. However, consider waiting for this current series to be resolved before diving into it.

Not the same..........2006-07-18

I have the entire original series (Battle Angel Alita). I have read it and enjoyed it enormously!
This 'Last Order' series is missing the soul that the original series had.
The characters are flat, caricatures of the originals just going through the motions.
Disappointing!

I have been remiss..........2006-06-23

Really, as a reviewer type person I should have reviewed all the Last Order books, not just 2 and 7. Be that as it may, I can now write a comprehensive review of the series till this point and its "major" plot thrusts.

The Last Order books have been filling in for the some-what rushed ending of Battle Angel book 9, a treasure though it was. Readers had yet to learn who Yoko really was, about her life on Mars, and the events of the past that led her to being dumped in the scrap pile. The short vision we did see had us believe Yoko was an a-moral terrorist type who fought for the wrong side in a war and was brought low by a totally unexplained ethereal enemy.

Now Yoko, aka Alita, is a fully formed character who lives, has emotions, as well as regrets and such. Although to this point Alita only see's Yoko in flashback, she now comes face to face with her past self as a actual personality. And she, in the seventh book, finally becomes one with her past. After 15 books(right? or is it 16?) that is a awesome plot evolution for long time readers.

This growth of Alita takes up the first section on the book and is well enlivened by a classic fight, the first between Alita and another Panzer Kunster. The rest of the book is taken up by the ZOT battles which, I found, to be equally well written and story progressive, even if not in the main plot. An underlying story of how even the best intentions lead to unintended results* is one which has present day resonance. In its second social attack, book seven not only illuminates the deadlieness of an innocent mind given too much power, it also highlights that creating something dark to defeat something dark still leaves you with something dark, whichever wins. All this boils down to a slow fight but a pleasant, if bloody, introspection. Well worth hitting the second half of the book for, critics aside.

As a personal note, I notice that many reviewers, whom I respect seeing as they obviously love these books enough to write about them, are dismissive of the sub plots in the Last Order books. That's fair, given these subplots have little to do with the original books and they keep these books from moving towards conclusion. However, I think Kishiro is smarter than he is being labled. The ZOT is laden with symbolizm and hidden meaning which seems lost on many. So while the main story only gets half the play, Kishiro's wonderfully cynical mind gets to speak out about what he really wants to say. And since these books are art, it seems only fair to cock our heads, look at it ascance, then make opinions based on the subject matter rather than the medium.

* By this I mean the squeaky clean image of the Stellar Nursery Society gets a shot in the kidney. All too often people stand for an ideal without truly weighing what their position leads to.

Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Vol 9 (Battle Angel Alita (Graphic Novels))

Average customer rating:

AWESOME!!
Great Back Ground For Alita's World
Something New

Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Vol 9 (Battle Angel Alita (Graphic Novels))

Manufacturer: VIZ Media LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 142151348X

Book Description

As beautiful cyborg Alita confronts her arch-enemy, mad scientist Desty Nova, for the last time, she finally learns the chilling truth about her past! Meanwhile, megalomaniacal Barjack leader Den launches a kamikaze assault on both the Scrapyard and Tiphares, the mysterious utopian city in the sky. Is there any ray of hope in this epic post-apocalyptic saga?

Customer Reviews:

AWESOME!!.......2007-10-10

I love this whole series and I CANNOT wait until the next one. Although this one (vol. 9) feels a little shorter than the previous volumes for some reason....

Great Back Ground For Alita's World.......2007-09-17

I know a lot of people are frustrated that Yukito has not talked about Alita for the past two volumes of BAA: LO, but I think this is great. The author has taken the time to explain what has happened to the world and how so many incredible things came to be. Yukito also explains how our favorite vamp came into posession of a crystal that will destroy Melchezidek and why she gave it to Alita.

I as well now have to wait impatiently for the next volume. Oh I hope it's not a long wait.

Something New.......2007-09-12

(spoilers ahead)
The newest in the BAA:LA Series although certainly not the last. Alita is not once mentioned in this entire volume. Instead it is the story of Vilma our favorite vampire, who is in fact a fan based character that Yukito has breathed an incredible life into. I for one was not disappointed in this volume at all but saw it as a welcome breath of air for Yukito. Although I am curious for our Heroine, the back story of Earth has been a question since the first chapter of book one. It is now finally answered. Yet more questions linger upon silent tongues.
Most of the Volume is taken up by the battle between Vilma and Victor. Although it was odd in it's own manner it had a good feel and was interesting to see a different style of combat. The last of the book was on fast forward. In my personal opinion, this could have been a mini-series all it's own, or at the very least another entire Volume all to it's own. There is a lot of history handed to the reader in such a short time you may have to read it a couple of times to get a better grip on it. All in All, I loved this volume and wouldn't trade it for the world. I am now forced back into my controlled coma until the next volume hits the shelves.

The Last Templar: The Tragedy of Jacques de Molay Last Grand Master of the Temple

Average customer rating:

A Needed Biography of the Last Grand Master
could be better

The Last Templar: The Tragedy of Jacques de Molay Last Grand Master of the Temple
Alain Demurger
Manufacturer: Profile Books Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1861975538

Book Description

In the wake of the phenomenal success of The Da Vinci Code, interest in the Knights Templar has never been higher—and their final days is one of the great stories of the Middle Ages. This pioneering study investigates the decline and fall of the mighty Knights Templar and their last Grand Master.

Customer Reviews:

A Needed Biography of the Last Grand Master.......2007-03-18

I have given this work 4 stars, tho' 3.5 stars is more like it. I do agree with the other review that it is slow going in some parts. I think perhaps this may be due to the fact that the work was translated from the French. But the work is significant in that a lot material that I had never read before about Jacques de Molay was brought to light. If you are interested in the Knights Templar and the final chapter of the old military order, then this is an important read. Prior to this book the descriptions of the last Grand Master were cursory at best. De Molay is revealed in this work to be a more capable administrator than previously thought. In all the previous books about the Templars I have read de Molay was often referred to as gung-ho warrior type with little talents beyond the military aspects of the Order. However, Demurger shows that this was not the case.

could be better.......2005-06-30

To tell you the truth, I was rather bored reading this book. Especially the first 50-100 pages, although afterwards it does appear to develop a more logical pace...

The fact remains that about the early part of de Molay's life we know little, and the researcher is bound to jump into numerous conclusions, which could possibly to become the subject of some debate. Taking things for granted is permissible to some extent, especially if there are at least some circumstantial evidence, but such approach must be highly careful, a quality Demourger doesn't show to fully appreciate at times. Having said that, I don't consider this book a bad read. The writer's conclusions seem rational enough, and it is evident that the man approaches the subject seriously. So maybe it's just the style of Demourger's writing that made me suffer at the beginning of this book...

One constant irritation was that the author doesn't always stick to the subject, but "wonders off" at times.

Average customer rating:

A closed world
Friendship over time
Post Modern Authentic
A touching, tender novel about friendship and loss
The English Have A Certain Way

Last Orders
Graham Swift
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679766626
Release Date: 1997-01-14

Amazon.com

From the author of Waterland and Ever After, Last Orders is a quiet but dazzling novel about a group of men, friends since the Second World War, whose lives revolve around work, family, the racetrack, and their favorite pub. When one of them dies, the survivors drive his ashes from London to a seaside town where they will be scattered, compelling them to take stock in who they are today, who they were before, and the shifting relationships in between. Both funny and moving, this won the Booker Prize in 1996.

Book Description

Four men gather in a London pub. They have taken it upon themselves to carry out the last orders of Jack Dodds, master butcher, and deliver his ashes to the sea. As they drive towards the fulfillment of their mission, their errand becomes an extraordinary journey into their collective and individual pasts. Braiding these men's voices, and that of Jack's widow, into a choir of sorrow and resentment, passion and regret, Swift creates a testament to a changing England and to enduring mortality.

"Swift has involved us in real, lived lives...Quietly, but with conviction, he seeks to affirm the values of decency, loyalty, love."--New York Review of Books

"A beautiful book...a novel that speaks profoundly of human need and tenderness. Even the most cynical will be warmed by it."--San Francisco Chronicle

Customer Reviews:

A closed world.......2006-04-14

Only three stars for a Booker prizewinner? The underlying story of this is good: four men, septuagenarians mostly, go from London to Margate to throw the ashes of one of their friends into the sea, their journey punctuated by memories of their intertwining lives over the previous fifty years. Despite betrayals and resentments, despite the fact that none of the men have done especially well for themselves, this is a story of the type normally hailed as life-affirming.

However, it is a very difficult tale to follow, even for a Brit, as I am; it must be even harder for an American. You have to know the dialect and, within it, to pick up the slight differences in voice between the various narrators. You have to know the geography, especially the social geography, of South London and North Kent. You have to keep the time-frame straight as it zigzags around over five decades. And you have to remember the relationships between a cast of characters all of whom have typically simple but barely memorable names, such as Jack, Vic, Vince, Ray, Lenny, Kath, Sally, and Susie, many of which also appear in familiar variants. It took me a while to get the major characters straight, but I can't say even now that I am sure which of the women is whose wife, whose lover, or whose daughter.

All the same, the underlying positive mood comes through, and it may well be worth sticking with these folks on their journey; just don't expect an easy trip.

Friendship over time.......2004-03-27

Last Orders by Graham Swift is to date my favorite book. The author's ability to capture the essence of the frienship between the men is riveting. Swift explores the changes that their friendship goes through over time yet still remains strong. His brilliant command of language and unique point of view narration will make any reader rethink their relationships with all their friends.
The writing style is a bit jumpy and difficult to understand at the beginning but the reader gets used to it and the message of the book is worth the effort.

Post Modern Authentic.......2003-05-20

Part way through the book, I paused and thought about these messed-up lives and unexpressed emotions, then it occurred to me that these guys are just like everyone I know. To me, this is why I found the voices so authentic. I am Vince's age and shared his attitude toward those of his father's generation. There is little narration and much stream of conscious thinking which makes the book, at times, hard to follow. Develop a score card of characters and relationships early since it does get confusing. Ultimately the four stars are for the implicit language which limits the scope of the book somewhat. Although the dialog is onviously authentic, I know that I missed some things since I am not from the neighborhood and the dialog almost assumes that a reader must be from nearby.

A touching, tender novel about friendship and loss.......2003-03-28

There's a very authentic feel to the individual voices of Swift's characters in Last Orders that gives this novel its charm. The British common man accents jump off the page. These are real people, nothing fake about them. All of them simple people, really, but at the same time their is an emotional complexity to each of them that makes them very human. I really liked the way Swift switches narrative voices every couple of pages. It gave the book variety, a strong pace, and added depth to the story. My only complaint is that there were passages where I felt a little more background about the secondary characters in the novel - women, all of them - would have been appropriate. It took a while to put all the pieces together to figure out just who they were and how they related to the main characters. I think I would have better appreciated their purpose in the story if their characters had been given more depth.

All in all, this is a charming novel about friendship, about the bonds between men, and about grieving. It's impressive that Swift was able to infuse so much tenderness into a novel with no female main characters.

The English Have A Certain Way.......2002-12-12

Be warned - this is a "Brit" book, but that said, the writting is beautiful and the story entrancing. A MUST READ for the more mature, soulful reader.

Angel Reborn (Battle Angel Alita: Last Order, Vol. 1)

Average customer rating:

Crappy rehash without the heart of the original
A tale of karma, human nature, and serious butt-kicking . .
She's Back - And Twice As Bad!!!
increased violence, decreased story content
LOVIN' IT!!! :-)

Angel Reborn (Battle Angel Alita: Last Order, Vol. 1)

Manufacturer: VIZ Media LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1569318247

Book Description

Here is a new entry from the legendary series that has already been published in 11 languages. After a four-year wait, Alita is back, making her way through an apocalyptic universe. Picking up from the middle of the previous book, Angel's Ascension, our heroine encounters a new group of bizarre characters and revisits many of her old friends and foes. Reconstructed by Doc Ido, a talented cyborg physician, Alita has lost all memory of her former life. But there's one thing her body has not forgotten - it still instinctively recalls the Panzer Kunst, the most powerful cyborg fighting technique ever known. Bounty hunter, singer, killer: as the secrets of Alita's past unfold, every day is a struggle for survival, and her fighting talents are stretched to the limit. Can Alita alone stop the war chaos between the robotic denizens of the M.I.B. bureau and the Tipharians?

Customer Reviews:

Crappy rehash without the heart of the original.......2005-07-11

I was so excited when I picked this up. Too bad it is a sub-par "what if" story. The art is kind of soulless compared to the compelling original, and the characters and motivations seem flat and cliched. Nothing like the innovative Battle Angel I know and love.

A tale of karma, human nature, and serious butt-kicking . . .......2004-11-09

This series picks up more or less half-way through the final volume of "Battle Angel Alita" (Angel's Ascension) as released in the United States by VIZ, just after Alita has been blown to smithereens by a diabolical booby trap engineered by that demonic genius, Professor Desty Nova.

This change in the originally presented storyline is neat because in my view, at least, though some interesting issues were dealt with in the remainder of "Angel's Ascension", the ending was a bit to "pat" for my taste, particularly in comparison with the deeply philosophical and convoluted storyline that threads the rest of the story together.

In this extended storyline, Alita is re-born into a Tiphares driven mad by Professor Nova's broadcast revelation of the Secret of Tiphares. (If you don't know it, I'm not gonna tell you. Read the original series, it's fascinating!) The city has split into at least three warring factions; the adult citizens of Tiphares, the children of the city, and the automated machinery of the Tiphares M.I.B., which is trying desperately to clamp the lid back down on it's shocking secret.

Settling this mad civil war proves to be only the first of a new series of challenges awaiting Alita as she sets out on her new life, with Professor Nova and some seriously strange copies of herself as companions. Political machinations are subsequently revealed that make Machiavelli look like a pre-schooler.

Yes, there is a lot of violence, but one can easily read between the blood and gore, picking out Yukito Kishiro's nuggets of psychological, para-psychological and philosophical exploration, as the central characters continue their quest to find out what truly makes a human being human.

She's Back - And Twice As Bad!!!.......2004-05-16

Nova, the villainous researcher who spent much of the first Alita series foiling the efforts of the beautiful cyborg is back. This time with a different agenda. Equipped with the barest fragments of Alita's brain he remakes her, this time with an even better artificial body, the Imaginos. Alita awakens to a world in chaos - Nova has reveled that citizens of Tiphares have had their brains replaced with chips, and the overprotective guardian machines turn on the populace to conceal the secret.

Still created and drawn by Yukito Kishiro, this new series has all that magic of its predecessor. Battle Angel Alita remains a fine example of Manga that uses are to expand the imagination at the same time it entertains. For all the spellbinding action and violence, the driving factors behind the series remains the intangibles that separate human from non-human, and life from imitation.

For all that Alita is 'made' rather than born, she is clearly more human than the chip-brained adults of Tiphares, who see themselves as the perfection of the species. In the beginnings of a complex plot that pits adults against their children, Alita once again displays both her power and her compassion, We are also granted glimpses of Alita's origins - the promises of explanations that were never forthcoming in the initial series.

In a world where sequels are cheap and easy, it's nice to see the effort Kishiro and VIZ publishing have put together to create something even better than its origins. You won't be disappointed.

increased violence, decreased story content.......2004-03-26

Yup - this new volume of Battle Angel is more violent than anything, and doesn't really explain all the mechanics of just how Alita came to be in Tiphares, and what is going on.

But given that Alita herself only just became conscious of being on Tiphares, of the city itself being strewn into chaos, should the reader really expect all the explanations to come in one volume? The Battle Angel world is unfathomably large and complex, and I think it is appropriate that Mr. Kishiro has held off on these details until Alita & co's arrival in Ketheres in Volume 3.

Readers who find this and the second volume a bit lacking in storyline will be duly rewarded for sticking in there at volume 3 - as Mr. Kishiro opens up a whole new universe full of interplanetary politics, class disparity and a bit of political commentary on current day events, if one looks hard enough.

LOVIN' IT!!! :-).......2004-01-04

Okay, I was a little suprised when I saw the backwards Manga-Style, but it is still the Angel I know and love! Alita is back after being killed by Nova. She awakens in Tiphares in Nova's lab. Tiphares is in Chaos because Nova exposed the "Secret of the Tiphareans" ( I can't tell you that now!) MIB robots are running AMOK, killing all the human survivors in Tiphares. Well, I've gone too far now! Alita will always have a place in my heart!! This was a GREAT series. Angel reborn also gives you a look at alita's past on Mars.
Enjoy this one!!

Graham Swift's Last Orders: A Reader's Guide (Continuum Contemporaries)

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Graham Swift's Last Orders: A Reader's Guide (Continuum Contemporaries)
Pamela Cooper
Manufacturer: Continuum International Publishing Group
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Binding: Paperback

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Last Orders

ASIN: 0826452426

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This is part of a new series of guides to contemporary novels. The aim of the series is to give readers accessible and informative introductions to some of the most popular, most acclaimed and most influential novels of recent years - from `The Remains of the Day' to `White Teeth'. A team of contemporary fiction scholars from both sides of the Atlantic has been assembled to provide a thorough and readable analysis of each of the novels in question.

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A satire, and life in Africa

Last Orders At Harrods: An African Tale
Michael Holman
Manufacturer: Interlink Publishing Group
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The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It

ASIN: 1904598323

Book Description

Charity Mupanga is the widowed owner of Harrods International Bar (and Nightspot) - a favorite meeting place for the movers and shakers of Kibera. While she can handle most challenges, from an erratic supply of Worcestershire sauce, the secret ingredient in her cooking, to the political tensions in East Africa's most notorious slum and a cholera outbreak that follows the freak floods in the state of Ubuntu, some threatening letters from London lawyers are beginning to overwhelm her. How dare a London store, no matter how big and famous, claim exclusive use of the first name of her late father, Harrods Tangwenya, gardener to successive British high commissioners for nearly twenty years?

Well-meant but inept efforts to foil the lawyers by Edward Furniver, a former fund manager who runs Kibera's co-operative bank and who seeks Charity's hand in marriage, bring Harrods International Bar to the brink of disaster, and Charity close to despair. In the nick of time an accidental riot, triggered by the visit to the slum of World Bank President Hardwick Hardwicke, coupled with some quick thinking by Titus Ntoto, the 14-year-old leader of Kibera's toughest gang, the Mboya Boys United Football Club, help Charity - and Harrods - to triumph in the end.

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A satire, and life in Africa.......2007-09-06

Holman certainly knows Africa and knows it well. He understands the constant to-ing and fro-ing of the self-important international aid and NGO fraternity, the fancy hotels they stay in and the world-important conferences on which much foreign aid money is spent. Holman also knows the life in the African urban townships, which westerners regard as slums. Life is difficult for all, so is the survival of children in these slums, but most of all for the AIDS orphans.
You will smile and laugh out loud as the widowed owner of Harrod's Bar and Nightspot, built from three steel shipping containers bests the representatives of Harrods Department Store in London, and makes monkeys of their lawyers. I recommend this book for its satire, and good description of African life.

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