New X-Men Vol. 5: Assault on Weapon Plus

Book Description

More secrets of the world's deadliest mutant are exposed! Wolverine, Cyclops and the enigmatic Fantomex travel to the other side of the world and beyond in search of the keys to their pasts. However, what they find within the deadly Weapon Plus program may be more frightening than their worst nightmares.

Customer Reviews:

Sadly, A Black Mark On An Otherwise Good Run.......2006-11-23

Up to this point, Grant Morrison's New X-Men had been very good. In my opinion, it wasn't as good as Whedon's Astonishing X-Men, which picks up where Morrison eventually leaves off, but it was still good in its own right. This trade paperback contains two story arcs, Murder at the Mansion and Assault on Weapon Plus. The first is good, but the second is absolutely terrible.
Murder at the Mansion picks up right after the end of the previous arc. Jean Grey has discovered that Emma Frost has been having a "psychic affair" with her husband, Scott Summers/Cyclops. Enraged, Jean begins to torment Emma, but her fun is cut short when it is discovered that someone shot Emma in her diamond form, shattering her. What ensues is an investigation to find out who killed her, and though Jean is a prime suspect, the story takes some interesting turns. This story seems to set up the arc after Assault, which I can't wait to read.
Assault on Weapon Plus surprised me, but in a terrible way. It tells the story of Cyclops, Wolverine, and Fantomex, the French mutant that was introduced a few arcs back, as they plan on infiltrating the agency that made Wolverine into a living weapon. Everything about the story is awful. The dialogue, the twists, and the art. I could barely tell what was going on due to such bad artwork. Though I doubt that good artwork could have saved this story. Many of the plot points were laughable and annoying.
Sadly, this story serves as an extreme low point to what was an otherwise solid run. This trade is essential though, due to its inclusion of Murder at the Mansion. I don't know what Morrison was thinking, but hopefully his last two arcs are better than this.

Now I know why I didn't buy Morrison's run..........2006-04-25

I really didn't enjoy this TPB that much, and it definitely enforced why I'm not that fond of Morrison's writing on any X title from Marvel. He brings the angst to the characters, and he writes them intelligently enough, but he also makes me dislike all of them. Even normally upright characters like Jean Grey and Cyclops were so twisted I forgot they were heroes in this. Yuck.

My main complaint is that I was hoping for a cleaner back history of Wolverine's Weapon H/Weapons Plus origin, and I really didn't get that from this at all. Instead, Wolverine's mission with Cyclops is tacked on as an untidy footnote to three (or four, I lost count) issues focusing on the love triangle of Emma Frost, Jean Grey, and Scott Summers. I thought the title of the TPB was misleading because of that.

The opening issue continues Jean's discovery of Scott's psychic infidelity with Emma. Jean barges into his thoughts and finds Emma dressed up in her old Phoenix costume, which was kind of tacky and bizarre, anyway, when you consider that Emma's old organization, the Hellfire Club, was responsible for Jean turning into Dark Phoenix and subsequently destroying herself. My first thought was, why would that be a turn-on? Very twisted scene. So, Jean strikes out at Emma, invading her mind and plowing through her most private memories as she searches for the first moment when they started their affair. Emma stays in character, not feeling as though she had done anything wrong by offering Scott salvation from his unhappy marriage, and calling Jean "a playground bully" hiding behind her righteous posturing. Pot calling the kettle...

That issue itself offered sympathy for Emma from unexpected sources, namely Hank and Logan, both of whom I automatically expected to side with Jean. In the meantime, all any of them did was blame Jean for the dissolution of her marriage by "not taking care of it sooner." That alone made me not like this story.

This arc was kind of odd going in because it was sandwiched between arcs of the other X titles without reflecting anything that was happening in the others. Bishp and Sage were both fresh from X-Treme X-Men, namely "Schism," after solving the Jeffery Garrett murders in Alaska. The second issue to this story arc features a murder mystery, since Emma is shot and shattered while in her diamond form. I've heard readers comparing it to Clue, but I don't give it that much credit, I thought the plotting was weak. I noticed that Sage and Bishop never once implicated Storm, who not only hates Emma, but who openly threatened her with hurling a spear at her carried by tornado-strength winds to see if she would shatter. Hello? Missed the boat there, Grant. I'm guessing Storm's name never came up simply because this wasn't her book. Oh well.

The motive for Emma's murder was kind of silly; two minor characters have a secret to hide in the farmhouse on the Xavier property, and Emma's prize pupils, the Stepford Cuckoos, know what's going on but won't spill their guts.

The Weapons Plus arc started with what was actually a satisfying confrontation between Logan and Scott at the Hellfire Club. The artwork was weird, though. I like Bachalo's work on Uncanny and New X-Men Academy, but he makes it darker, and the inks are heavy-handed. Bachalo draws the ugliest Cyclops I've ever seen, and his Wolverine looks like a gopher. In this scene, Cyclops tells Wolverine that he refuses to come back to the X-Men, but Logan instead recruits him for a big mission with Fantomex, an upgraded Weapons Plus graduate who clarifies that Logan was really Weapon Ten, not Weapon X as previously assumed. This was the most poorly written issue of this collection, and it jumped around too much for me to tell where the action was taking place. Somehow Logan and Scott ended up on an asteroid, presumably with help from E.V.A, Fantomex's ship. Somehow they managed to escape, leaving Logan behind to blow up the asteroid and destroy Weapon Fifteen. Morrison and Bachalo didn't even bother to pitch a knock-down, dragout battle between Logan and Fifteen that could have been the highlight of the story. It was a waste.

The jump from Jimenez's clean penciling to Bachalo's more cartoony style is very stark and does not work. I longed for Frank Quitely's pages instead, feeling he would have done a better job of conveying the images. As a lead-in to the much more important "Planet X" arc (still not one of my favorites, but better than this drivel), this book was very weak.

Overall, I'm sorry I spent the money on this story, and I will avoid Morrison's back issues going forward.

The calm before the storm.......2005-10-16

Collecting both the "Murder at the Mansion" and "Assault on Weapon Plus" storyarcs, this TPB is more of a calm before the storm of Grant Morrison's now legendary run on New X-Men. Picking up where "Riot at Xavier's" left off, Jean Grey catches Cyclops and Emma Frost and learns of their psychic affair, sending Cyclops running off, and eventually leaving Emma in a pile of shattered diamond. From there on, Bishop and Sage make guest appearances as they investigate the murder, which leads to the beginning of Morrison's stunner twist in the next TPB, Planet X. Phil Jimenez, who provides the art for this arc and the Planet X TPB as well, creates some mouth watering renderings of Jean and Emma, and his art is nothing short of beautiful. The second arc kicks off as a drunken and depressed Cyclops is reluctantly teamed up with Wolverine and the mysterious Fantomex as they travel to the space bound the World so Wolverine can learn the secrets of the Weapon X program that made him what he is today. While this arc is a solid and innovative storytelling from Morrison, the chopy art by Chris Bachelo just looks plain sloppy. The action scenes are incoherent, and the character models are funky looking, but if you can get past that, you might enjoy the story. All in all, Assault on Weapon Plus isn't as revolutionary as the rest of Morrison's run, but it's still a solid X-Men yarn that sets forth the pivotal events in Planet X and Morrison's stunning finale, Here Comes Tomorrow.

Hmm..........2005-03-04

This was the weakest story arc in Morrison's new X-Men run.

It begins with the weakest issue of his entire run, an issue that does not seem at all to be even remotely close to a Grant Morrison comic book.

Chris Bachalo's art is the most radically different from any of the other 8 artists on the series. While Igor Kordey's art was not great, it at least fit in with van Sciver, Grant, Jiminez, Quitely, Yu and Leon. Bachalo does not resemble them stylistically.

And the story itself is probably the weakest in Morrison's run.

That being said, this is still better then most of the non-MOrrison x-books that are for sale.

Great story........2004-08-26

I didn't love this story the first time I read it; but it's much better when you read it as a whole, rather than one issue a month. Grant Morrison writes incredibly well, as always.

Wolverine and Fantomex play off of eachother very well, as do Cyclops and Wolverine. More importantly, Morrison fleshes out earlier ideas regarding the Weapon Plus program. This is a very original take on the Weapon X (or Ten) project that's been done to death throughout the eighties and nineties. There are some important character moments for Scott and Logan here, as well.

Whether or not you like the artwork depends on yor personal taste. Bachalo's style is sloppy and somewhat cartonish, but that works for him. I' not a huge fan, but I don't hate it either. Wolverine does look a little like a fat, old man in a few scenes, though.

Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space (and the Subsequent Assault of the Equally Evil Lunchroom ... (The Third Epic Novel) (Captain Underpants)

Average customer rating:

Super FUNNY!
Parent's Choice; good starter for chapter books.
You have to read this book!
THE BEST BOOK YOU EVER READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It doesn't get much sillier than this,

Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space (and the Subsequent Assault of the Equally Evil Lunchroom ... (The Third Epic Novel) (Captain Underpants)

Manufacturer: Scholastic Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0439049962

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Hooray for Captain Underpants! Everybody's favorite waistband warrior is back, ready to fight for Truth, Justice, and all that is Pre-Shrunk and Cottony. If you've read Dav Pilkey's first two comic epics, The Adventures of Captain Underpants and Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets, you already know the brave Captain is really just crabby old Principal Krupp, hypnotized into becoming the world's greatest superhero every time someone snaps their fingers. And of course you know the trouble-making hypnotists are none other than Jerome Horwitz Elementary School's two most notorious tricksters, George and Harold ("We rule!" "Me, too!").

Well, George and Harold--surprise, surprise--are at it again. The cranky lunch ladies quit after George and Harold fool them into baking super-volcanic krispy kupcakes that flood the school with gigantic green globs o' goo. Mr. Krupp finds replacements and fast, but he unwittingly hires the tentacled alien trio of Zorx, Klax, and Jennifer in disguise! Will they turn everyone in school into evil zombie nerds? Can George and Harold save the world before it's too late? All seems lost until the diabolical Zorx snaps his... um, tentacles in front of Mr. Krupp, and the power of wedgies comes to the rescue once again.

Captain Underpants's third outing is better than ever, with patented Flip-o-Rama animation and wacky bonus comics like "Captain Underpants--Wedgie Wars" and "Captain Underpants and the Night of the Living Lunch Ladies." (Ages 8 to 12) --Paul Hughes

Customer Reviews:

Super FUNNY!.......2007-03-15

My girls both loved it! It is good to get books that they enjoy and get credit for at school for reading! Thanks!

Parent's Choice; good starter for chapter books........2007-01-24

My 6 year old loves Captain Underpants. He loves to read and we wanted to keep him challenged with chapter books without overwhelming him. After trying chapter books on his favorite movies to minimal enthusiasm, we found the Cap.U series. When he reads one he can hardly put it down. Sometimes he doesn'tput one down until he's finished it. But its true the flip o rama does require assistance not to rip the pages. Still...buy the series. By the way...epic novel # 8 is a two parter. We made the mistake of buying only one.

You have to read this book!.......2005-12-16

Well ths book was boring at first but little on in the book it had action.And i coud not put it down because of the action.Harold & George are funny but get into trouble.I read it like 100 times.If you ever read this book you will say the same thing.If you want to know more you have to read it yourself.

THE BEST BOOK YOU EVER READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2005-11-18

its just plain funny.i think its the best book ever.its really funny espeicaly when the aliens blow up their own ship.

It doesn't get much sillier than this,.......2005-10-22

Using his books as evidence, Dav Pilkey must be a very weird guy. This book is extremely silly. Last year my third-grade son hated Captain Underpants, this year he can't get enough of it. If you like gross-out jokes, toilet humor, ridiculous aliens, and making fun of elementary school, you'll love this. Is reading about the school secretary being turned into a zombie good for my child? I'm not sure, but at least he is reading, which is nothing to sneeze at.

Average customer rating:

Excellent!!! Look out for Joshua Gilder!!!!
library worthy
Graphic but gripping
Entertaining and suspenseful
Bizarre tale of twisted psyches and perverted love.

Ghost Image : A Novel
Joshua Gilder
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0743223128
Release Date: 2002-10-22

Book Description

The last thing plastic surgery resident Jackson Maebry wants at the end of a long day in the operating room is a call to the ER. Once he gets there, what he finds is worse than his most hellish imaginings: a young woman, beaten and burned almost beyond recognition, a trauma case as terrible as any he has ever seen. What Jackson's colleagues don't know is that the victim, Allie, is actually his lover.

With Allie in a coma, Jackson keeps their relationship quiet and takes part in her reconstruction, a complicated and grueling set of procedures that only the most skilled specialists can perform. But as he and the other doctors struggle to put her back together, the fractures in Jackson's own life begin to break apart dramatically. When the San Francisco Police Department's investigation of the attack leads to his door, Jackson knows the truth can no longer be suppressed.

Ghost Image is an expertly plotted, chillingly vivid, and wholly absorbing mystery, signaling the debut of an unforgettable new voice in the genre. Taking readers inside the operating room and literally under the skin of its patients, it's a story that will appeal to those fascinated by medicine and forensics. It is also a story -- like all classic crime novels -- about guilt and innocence, good and evil. But, above all, it is a story of love -- the kind of love that might prove deadly, or that might just save your soul.

Download Description

"The last thing plastic surgery resident Jackson Maebry wants at the end of a long day in the operating room is a call to the ER. Once he gets there, what he finds is worse than his most hellish imaginings: a young woman, beaten and burned almost beyond recognition, a trauma case as terrible as any he has ever seen. What Jackson's colleagues don't know is that the victim, Allie, is actually his lover. With Allie in a coma, Jackson keeps their relationship quiet and takes part in her reconstruction, a complicated and grueling set of procedures that only the most skilled specialists can perform. But as he and the other doctors struggle to put her back together, the fractures in Jackson's own life begin to break apart dramatically. When the San Francisco Police Department's investigation of the attack leads to his door, Jackson knows the truth can no longer be suppressed. Ghost Image is an expertly plotted, chillingly vivid, and wholly absorbing mystery, signaling the debut of an unforgettable new voice in the genre. Taking readers inside the operating room and literally under the skin of its patients, it's a story that will appeal to those fascinated by medicine and forensics. It is also a story -- like all classic crime novels -- about guilt and innocence, good and evil. But, above all, it is a story of love -- the kind of love that might prove deadly, or that might just save your soul. "

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!!! Look out for Joshua Gilder!!!!.......2004-05-22

This book was phenominal!I loved The plot and I recommend it to all readers.The story was so suspensful. Every library should have this book! Look out for Joshua Gilder!!He has written another book called Heavenly Intrigue and it is on my top three!!Please write another book!

library worthy.......2003-07-15

read a library copy but i intend to buy one for my library, it's that good. one's interest is kept throughout the book as gilder keeps throwing in twists to keep you wondering which way the story is heading. this book is up there with the best.

Graphic but gripping.......2003-07-13

When Plastic surgeon Jackson Maebry is called to attend an emergency, he finds to his horror that the battered and burned young woman is his lover, Allie.A frantic race begins to save her life and to literally piece her back together.After other surgeons have mended her broken bones and skin, Jackson begins to do massive reconstruction on her face, having to peel it back and start from the beginning.He discovers that she'd had facio cranial surgery years before from the almost invisible scars in her bones.This is a story for those readers who enjoy medicine and forensics--sometimes rather gruesome but always compelling reading.

Entertaining and suspenseful.......2003-05-30

Fairly decent thriller about a plastic surgeon called to the ER one night when a severely burned and beaten woman is brought in. Though her face is mangled, he quickly realizes she is Allie, his lover. He manages to save her, but she is left in a coma for months while the police department searches for clues about what might have happened to her.

When she finally wakes, she doesn't remember what happened. And though Jackson stays by her side, his love for her never faltering, Allie soon becomes obsessed about her appearance -- and about the fact her boyfriend and his boss have the tools and the skills to fix her face. Her obsession turns deadly -- and so does, in some ways, Jackson's own obsession. With her.

All in all, a pretty original medical thriller. But this is Gilder's first novel and it really shows. The writing is good -- solid and well-developed. But, to put it simply, there's just too much of it. Which isn't the same thing as saying the novel is too long (although, that too), but more that sometimes sentences, paragraphs, or even whole chapters are superfluous. And, after awhile, I started skimming a bit. I wanted to find out what happened next, but was quickly becoming bogged down by the unnecessary parts. Still, ten times better than anything Robin Cook has put out in the last decade. Fans of the genre won't be disappointed.

Bizarre tale of twisted psyches and perverted love........2003-04-25

Joshua Gilder's first novel, "Ghost Image," is a strange amalgam. It is part medical mystery, part psychological thriller, and part crime novel. Unfortunately, these disparate elements do not come together to form a satisfying whole.

The hero of "Ghost Image" is Jackson Maebry, a promising young plastic surgeon and protégé of the brilliant and successful Dr. Peter Brandt. Jackson's girlfriend, Allie Sorosh, is a beauty with a mysterious past whom Jackson has asked to be his wife. Allie puts Jackson off, and they have a terrible quarrel. Soon thereafter, Allie is admitted to the hospital in a coma, after being brutally beaten and burned almost to death. Who did this to Allie and why? Will Allie be able to recover from her horrible wounds, both external and internal? To make matters worse, the police begin to suspect that Jackson may have attacked Allie in a fit of rage.

Gilder does a wonderful job with the medical elements in this novel. The information about how a plastic surgeon does his work is detailed and fascinating. The psychological elements are less expertly handled. The characters of Jackson, Allie and Brandt are muddled and they become more so as the novel progresses. Gilder's plot starts out promisingly, but it lapses into implausibility as the book reaches its melodramatic climax. "Ghost Image" had potential, but Josha Gilder ultimately does not succeed in delivering the goods.

Average customer rating:

A superb adventure!

Great Module

An excellent module!

Castles & Crusades Assault On Black Tooth Ridge
Davis Chenault
Manufacturer: Chenault and Gray
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Dungeon Crawl Classics #3: The Mysterious Tower

ASIN: 1931275629

Product Description

From the makers of the Castles & Crusades role playing game comes the first adventure for would be heroes to test their mettle in the heat of combat.

The Blacktooth Ridge, far to the east of the more civilized lands, is fabled for its string of long abandoned fortresses, treasure houses, temples and underground mansions. It invites many an adventurer seeking fame and fortune. It is an altogether dangerous place tainted with the evil of the Horned One and those who still worship him in hidden caves and temples.

Now, raids and plundering confound the settlements near the Blacktooth Ridge. The armies of King and Lord are warring in the west and few are left to protect this region. Once considered tamed, the fires of war are being fanned along this frontiers reagion. Rumors of Rottenkip the Goblin King and his fearless warriors taking up residence in the Blacktooth Ridge are circulating. The Wending Beast is said to have crawled out from its dank hole beneath the earth. Ogres are raiding villages and looting caravans. Few are coming to the aid of those beset by these depredations and the evil denizens of the Blacktooth Ridges are spilling out into the land.

The call has gone out, the mustering of militias is at hand and the Blacktooth Ridge beckons to any and all willing to come to their aid and discover what is calling forth these foul creatures.

For 3-5 characters, levels 1-3. The Adventure begins anew: Now.

Customer Reviews:

A superb adventure!.......2007-05-19

This was the first adventure I bought for the Castles & Crusades RPG system and it delivers on all accounts. As another reviewer has said, this module is very much like the earlier AD&D starter modules like The Village of Hommlet and/or Keep on the Borderlands... it gives a very well done town description that the players can use as a home base as well as an extremely well done dungeon and several unusual encounter areas. The writing is strong, descriptive, imaginative and just plain fun to read. This adventure has all the makings of a classic, don't hesitate to add it to your gaming collection.

Great Module.......2006-04-01

I really can't add anything to the excellent review that was already given, but to say I agree 100 percent.

An excellent module!.......2005-03-30

Assault on Blacktooth Ridge is a 24 page module for Castles & Crusades, written by Davis Chenault, for characters of first and second level.

General Description The module is, like Village of Hommlet and Keep on the Borderlands, a mini-campaign: it contains a base of operations, information about the surrounding region, and plot hooks in addition to the "dungeon." Assault on Blacktooth Ridge is closer to being a mini campaign even than Keep on the Borderlands: it contains no one "big" dungeon like the Caves of Chaos. Instead, there are two medium sized dungeons: one with 30 keyed encounter areas and one with 14. In addition to these two dungeons, Assault on Blacktooth Ridge contains a number of small encounter areas, which can be likened to the small encounters provided in Keep on the Borderlands. There are five of these. Encounter tables are also provided for three geographic areas (the village of Botkinburg, the nearby woods, and the area along the Blacktooth Ridge. As a base of operations, Botkinburg has everything that a base of operations needs, including low-level NPCs that could be hired to accompany the party. Botkinburg has 25 encounter areas, providing a good selection and variety of NPCs, and all the necessary hooks into the module's various mini-adventures.

Modularity The module is designed to fit into any campaign, and it succeeds admirably. A specific history of the area is provided for those who might want to use it, but it isn't necessary for the CK to use this historical background to play the module. In essence, an evil overlord once occupied the area, later retreating, but leaving behind all the expected aftermath of evil overlordship: ruined forts, goblin nests, dungeons, etc. The CK could easily ignore this backdrop - the ridge will work for any area that could contain ruined forts and monsters. However, the "evil overlord" backdrop will obviously work in almost any campaign, and it adds a nice flavor. There is also a political plotline that's not necessary for running the adventure, but which will probably serve as the tie-in to sequel adventures if the CK wishes to use them. The political plotline, like the overall backdrop, is quite modular - it involves a nearby baron who has designs on the Village of Botkinburg, and is providing information to the monsters of the Ridge. The adventure doesn't suffer if this plotline is left out, but it gives the Castle Keeper options for expanding the adventure beyond the boundaries of the module itself, if desired.

Going Beyond the Module Assault on Blacktooth Ridge does an excellent job of providing the CK with pathways that lead beyond the module and into new adventuring territory. For starters, the Ridge itself is a classic adventuring venue: a rocky ridge pocked with caves and abandoned forts. Any number of homebrewed dungeon crawls can be fitted into the area if the party decides to keep using Botkinburg as a base for future adventures. The leadership in Botkinburg is weak, with an irritating and pompous son, a senile baron, and an advisor who is loyal to the old baron and not to the son. This triad creates lots of room for the party to become involved in Botkinburg's internal political situations, which could be used to tie in nicely with the larger political plotline mentioned above (the nearby baron who wants to take control). The monsters are part of a larger group, which allows the party to pursue villains up the chain of command. Enough information is provided about the larger organization to allow the CK to take a campaign in this direction. Assault on Blacktooth Ridge is extraordinarily well designed to serve as the jumping-off point for a campaign, and it can go in any number of directions. In this regard, the module is an absolute slam-dunk success.

Weaker Points Typos are not frequent enough to be intrusive, but there are some in the module. The map is designed to serve both as a player map and as a Castle Keeper map. I prefer, as a Castle Keeper, to have a map with specific locations specifically marked. This might not be a problem for everyone, but I felt that another page devoted to a Castle Keeper's map would be a good investment of space. Troll Lord Games has announced that they will post a CK map on their website.

Strong Points As I mentioned above, the adventure is a masterpiece of providing detail that doesn't destroy its modularity - not an easy achievement. The adventures are solid stuff - just what a low level campaign needs, without getting too fancy or too clichéd. Even more impressive, though, is the way that the module's 24 pages provide the potential for tremendous depth - without spelling it out in mind-numbing detail. As an example, I'll return to the situation in Botkinburg Keep: a senile baron, an incompetent son, a loyal advisor. This situation is established in less than a page of text (which also contains stat blocks, etc), but if the party stays in Botkinburg for any length of time, accruing fame and power, this one page of text provides the guideline for a complex and interesting series of events that may follow. Almost certainly, the party will fall afoul of the baron's incompetent son. What happens next could go in all sorts of directions, leading to all kinds of interesting role playing (and combat) situations - yet this rich potential is all contained within one page of text. It's an impressive illustration of a couple of points: First, it is an example of authorial restraint - Davis Chenault appreciates that a module author's goal is not to fill in all the details of what will happen. He artfully "tees up" various situations, giving the Castle Keeper enough information to smack it out of the park, without writing pages of detail that restrict rather than enhance the Castle Keeper's options. Second, it is evidence of just plain old attention to good value. This module contains more nooks and crannies and trouble for characters to get into than many modules of twice or three times the size - just because Mr. Chenault has such a strong instinct for when to shut up and move on to the next thing.

Conclusion I highly recommend this module for anyone beginning a C&C campaign. Although only time can tell, it may very well be a true classic on the order of Hommlet, the giant series, or Keep on the Borderlands. It has the characteristics of the great modules: it doesn't railroad the party, it packs in lots of plot options, and it describes these options with enough detail to play them without crushing the CK under inflexible timetables or extraneous details. The encounter areas themselves are solid, but not masterpieces - one of them is nothing more than a stirge nest - but I've got a strong suspicion that like many of the truly great modules, Assault on Blacktooth Ridge will turn out to be more than the sum of its parts.

This is not a playtest review - the author's party is tenth level, but will have a chance to play Blacktooth Ridge in the event of a TPK.

Average customer rating:

Painful and creative
If "Before Night Falls" caught you.....

The Assault: A Novel
Reinaldo Arenas
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140157182

Customer Reviews:

Painful and creative.......2007-05-14

Tells the tale of the terror of totalitarianism. People are as animals. Life is a joyless, horror. Life is dark, miserable, and full of pain. Despite the completely terrible nature of the story it is extremely creative and a good read. Read in just one day. Marvelous.

If "Before Night Falls" caught you............2001-02-06

Hopefully the successful audience response to the film of Arenas' "Before Night Falls" will encourage readers to explore the unique and vastly enriching glimpses of Castro's (or any dictator's for that matter) Cuba. The author's style is indelibly his own, reporting and commenting on the conditions of political supression, whether he elects to satirize in the first person/s as in "Color of Summer" with its over the edge surreal view of contemporary Cuba, or placing the narrator from within as in "The Assault". Truth, as he viewed it, is so ludicrous that it becomes black comedy, not unlike Goya's "Goyescas". But for all the unsettling details of this tale of destruction of all that matters in our past, this book, once read burns a spot in our minds that makes it almost necessary to revisit it lest we forget the joy of freedom. Tough reading, but highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Mayan natives???
I could not get through this book
Excellent first novel from talented writer
Not bad .... but echoing sentiments expressed before...

Assault on Paradise: A Novel
Tatiana Lobo
Manufacturer: Curbstone Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1880684462

Amazon.com

Pedro Albarán arrives in the Costa Rican city of Cartago a "cartoon of wretchedness," having fled the Spanish Inquisition with little more than the rags on his back. He finds the chaotic colonial city full of "gossipmongers, backbiters, and troublemakers"--but also a dizzying variety of women, "the color of molasses, of stewed quinces, of peaches in syrup...." Skeptical, suspicious of authority, with a decided weakness for the fairer sex, Albarán is a picaresque hero for the New World. This vividly imagined historical novel follows his misadventures among the colonial army, the Church, and the Mayan natives, as he dallies with women and witnesses the Mayan struggle against their colonial oppressors. Costa Rican author Tatiana Lobo vividly summons the sights and smells of the young nation in the early years of the 18th century, its idyllic setting as well as the squalor and brutality of its slave auctions. The title of the novel is a pretty fair indicator of this work's political intentions; Lobo obviously venerates Mayan culture and mythology, but in doing so she never loses sight of her immensely likeable rogue of a hero. The winner of the 1995 Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Prize, this novel uses Albarán as a springboard for an eloquent and moving indictment of the conquistadors and their bloodthirsty legacy.

Book Description

Fiction. Latino/a Studies. ASSAULT ON PARADISE vividly depicts the Conquistadores and the Church invading Central America, impoverishing one world to enrich another. In a fast-paced, bawdy, swashbuckling adventure set in Central America of the early 1700s, Costa Rican novelist Tatiana Lobo lays bare the dark legacy of that conflict. Through the story of Pedro Albaran, Lobo dramatizes the intrigues of politicians and the Inquisition and the bloody battles between the native people and the invaders. "Lobo... delineates Pedro's 'education' with scorching iron and brings her crowded story to a stunning, chilling conclusion"--Kirkus Reviews. Translated by Asa Katz.

Customer Reviews:

Mayan natives???.......2004-09-08

there were no mayan natives in Costa Rica. Many pre colonials like Bribri Boruca and others, but mayans? not a lot of records for that.

I could not get through this book.......2002-11-07

I selected this book because it was well reviewed and I wanted to "get to know" Costa Rica before I visited there. Unlike other historical novels I have read about other places before I travelled there, this one failed to give me a sense of place. In fact, I could not finish it.

Excellent first novel from talented writer.......2000-07-13

Tatiana Lobo's Assault on Paradise is a deftly crafted exploration of colonial Costa Rica. From Juan de las Alas, who defies the Church and gravity, to Pedro and the child Catarina, the characters have depth and personality. In a story that is engrossing and entertaining, the author sheds light not only on a forgotten corner of colonial Latin America but also on the place of women, Indians, and heretics within it.

Not bad .... but echoing sentiments expressed before..........1999-08-10

This is an interesting book; limited to one view of one episode in the development of this unusual part of the world; and a one-dimensional perspective on the Conquistadores; an already badrapped bunch at worst not too much fiercer than what they replaced; there's so few virgins in the world today, if the sacrificial practices in place prior to the Spanish occupation had survived into the present it would impose a critical crimp.

Which is not to overlook the Spaniards' own assassination rites in the form of the Inquisition -

so maybe it all balances out.

Paradise is under assault by Europeans again - and likewise Asians - ravaging the landscape under jungles of honeycomb hutch highrise, and loggers' seeming unending decimation of the rainforests. History repeating? Ongoing examples of human nature the spoiler, down through the ages...

It's likely that ASSAULT ON PARADISE accomplished a heightened focus of attention on Costa Rica. Perhaps A CAT'S FULL NINE, in its fusing of past and present - and its fantasy/fictional Perfect Crime gimmmick - will enlarge upon this effort.

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Smart, relevant first novel

Arc and the Sediment: a Novel
Christine Allen-Yazzie
Manufacturer: Utah State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0874216540

Book Description

Gretta Bitsilly, a gin-steeped mother of two and self-proclaimed expert at standing just outside the margins of ethnicity and peering in, has been all but eclipsed by the world that eludes herâas a wife, as a writer, as a skeptic in "the other land of Zion," Utah. Gretta has set off to Fort Defiance, Arizona, where she hopes to convince her Navajo husband, who has escaped not from his family but from alcoholism, to come home. Over a sputtering two-steps-forward, one-step-back desert journey, Gretta is diverted by chance, by seizures, an inconstant memory, and the disjointed character of her irresolute quest. She is fueled by a volatile mix of rage and curiosity and is rendered careless by ambivalence toward her marriageâshe knows a welcome mat will not be waiting for her, "that white girl" who can't seem to get anything right. On route Gretta fi nds herself lost in the landscape, in strange company, or in her own convolution of language and inner space. With a dictionary and a laptop she attempts to write herself into a better existenceâa hopeful existenceâand to connect points of intellectual, physical, even spiritual reference.

This tale, though dark and difficult, is infused with tart, twisted humor. Confused, disheveled, self-deprecating, and self-destructive, Gretta is also sharp and funny. Here, first-time novelist Christine Allen-Yazzie breaks apart her own narrative arc but with gritty reality seals it near-shut again, if in rearrangement, drawing us into Gretta's wrestling match with herself, her husband, her addiction, and the road.

The Arc and the Sediment received an honorable mention from the James Jones First Novel Competition, and it won the Utah Arts Council Annual Writing Competiton Publishing Prize.

Customer Reviews:

Smart, relevant first novel.......2007-06-20

I picked up The Arc and the Sediment hungry for fresh modern fiction, and that's what I got. The narrative is not tidy; instead, it is complex, literary, real, and relevant. Gretta is a working Caucasian mom married to a Navajo man, Lance, who has left her--ostensibly because of her inability to stop drinking. But nothing is simple; Lance's leaving has also necessarily occurred against the backdrop of family resentments; the couple's location on the margins of the Utah politico-religious culture in which they live; and Gretta's struggle to find any sense of sustainable identity as a feminist wife, mother, and writer. This is a travel story, describing Gretta's road trip across the southern Utah desert to attempt to bring her husband back from the reservation and his family to their two children, a project about which she feels tremendous ambivalence. Drunk, weary, broke, and divested of hope for any morality but her own, Gretta is exhausted with the contortions of deciding what that might be. Thus, the novel takes on the messy themes of ethnocentrism, colonialism, and the crisis of inhabiting a postmodern identity. Allen-Yazzie's stark, understated prose provides the right tone for unfolding a story which feels sometimes tender, sometimes bludgeoning, and sometimes eerily barren. It's a book that deserves academic attention but also kept me rapt throughout my casual read. I'll definitely be watching for more from Christine Allen-Yazzie.

Assault - The Raid on Reichswald Fortress

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Assault - The Raid on Reichswald Fortress

Manufacturer: Award Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000E318H2

Product Description

World War 2 action! In the exciting tradition of "The Dirty Dozen" and "Where Eagles Dare"...the adventures of a savage fighting unit sent to rescue a vital agent imprisoned inside Nazi-occupied France.

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Submarine Service vets turn rogue

Assault on a queen
Jack Finney
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Similar Items:

ASIN: B0007FPD0A

Customer Reviews:

Submarine Service vets turn rogue.......2002-02-12

This was the original novel turned into a movie starring Virna Lisi, Tony Franciosa and Sinatra himself as the hero. In the film, Sinatra and crew accidentally happen upon the sunken but intact U-Boat, a WWII relic, and come up with the idea of using it to hijack the liner Queen Mary. In this novel, the characters hunt the U-Boat down, learning of its location from the WWII U-Boat ace who once served aboard it, with the intention of hijacking the Queen at the start. The U-Boat itself is older in the book than the film - a WWI relic here - and a jury-rigged arrangement using car batteries barely substituting for the boat's originals allows the crew only a single short dive. The biggest difference between book and film is the brat-pack, devil-may-care attitude of the film. The moral ambiguity of the film's main characters are substitued for otheriwse upright if flawed characters in the book, lured into the plot less for the prospect of riches than adventure, and another crack at driving submarines without a six-year hitch. Author Jack Finney highlights this with the hero's girlfriend, a pure minded and loving woman the hero knows he'll have to lose. He can't bear to have her chained to him when his prospects of a life on the run are probably a sure bet. The moral darkness of the German character stand out even further. Though lacking the snappy dialog and jazzy score of the film, the adventure of the story contrasted with the unadventurous characters is something not to miss.

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Assault on Kolchak - a Cabot Cain Novel
Alan Caillou
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000ILH96O

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