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Author : Stephenie Meyer
Number of Pages : 544
Publisher : Little, Brown Young Readers
List Price : $10.99
Amazon Price : $5.09
Used Price : $2.80 |
Product Description "Softly he brushed my cheek, then held my face between his marble hands. ''Be very still,'' he whispered, as if I wasn''t already frozen. Slowly, never moving his eyes from mine, he leaned toward me. Then abruptly, but very gently, he rested his cold cheek against the hollow at the base of my throat. " As Shakespeare knew, love burns high when thwarted by obstacles. In Twilight, an exquisite fantasy by Stephenie Meyer, readers discover a pair of lovers who are supremely star-crossed. Bella adores beautiful Edward, and he returns her love. But Edward is having a hard time controlling the blood lust she arouses in him, because--he''s a vampire. At any moment, the intensity of their passion could drive him to kill her, and he agonizes over the danger. But, Bella would rather be dead than part from Edward, so she risks her life to stay near him, and the novel burns with the erotic tension of their dangerous and necessarily chaste relationship.Meyer has achieved quite a feat by making this scenario completely human and believable. She begins with a familiar YA premise (the new kid in school), and lulls us into thinking this will be just another realistic young adult novel. Bella has come to the small town of Forks on the gloomy Olympic Peninsula to be with her father. At school, she wonders about a group of five remarkably beautiful teens, who sit together in the cafeteria but never eat. As she grows to know, and then love, Edward, she learns their secret. They are all rescued vampires, part of a family headed by saintly Carlisle, who has inspired them to renounce human prey. For Edward''s sake they welcome Bella, but when a roving group of tracker vampires fixates on her, the family is drawn into a desperate pursuit to protect the fragile human in their midst. The precision and delicacy of Meyer''s writing lifts this wonderful novel beyond the limitations of the horror genre to a place among the best of YA fiction. (Ages 12 and up) Customer reviews Looovveeeddd!!  by .. Taiane Gregorio (Orlando,FL)
I'm in love with this book, I just can't put it down!! Can't wait to read the others!!
Twilight by .. Lauren LeBlanc ()
Loved this book and the rest of the series. Would recommend it to anyone :-)
First class trash... on ice. An insult to teenage intelligence.  by .. V. Pierce ()
Sorry ladies and gentlemen. I tried, I really did, but Twilight was so terrible that writing this review in itself is difficult. Quite frankly, I'm not quite sure what to criticize first. I SLAVED through the book, because it received such acclaim. Bad idea. In short, Twilight was bland, underdeveloped, and unimaginative. Period. The use of sexy prose may have saved it, but her writing style falls on its face... quite like the main character of her book, come to think of it.
The characters were flat, the plot was, well, virtually non-existent, and even the "love scenes" were disgustingly saccharine and lacked passion, realism, or conflict. Even the dialogue was ultra cheesy/gag-me-with-a-spoon: I mean, come on, "You're intoxicated by my very presence"... What, Edward? Really? Shut up. I would think that an adult woman can think of 50 million other much sexier turns of phrase that can be thrown at her that'd make her melt besides THAT garbage. I mean, I know this is YA, but even when I was in high school the guys had more game than that.
I understand that this book is supposed to be YA, all the way. Okay, fine. It is not Meyer's responsibility to realize the next step in literary evolution where romance and YA novels are concerned. However, that does not mean that this literary sinkhole should be excused for lacking the basic ingredients of a decent fiction novel.
The following example is overused among critics, but the Harry Potter series was certainly geared towards a very specific and much younger audience. The reason why it gained so much popularity across the board was that Rowling held her books (at least books 1-5) to the same literary standard as other fiction authors had before her. Perhaps even higher. She didn't dilute the elements of her story just because it targeted younger children. She treated it as a piece of fiction and molded it as such, with all the necessary ingredients: evolving characters with personality and depth, an intriguing plot line, imagination, vivid description beyond the conventional use of "beautiful" and "perfect", and I could go on. Perhaps if Meyer had at least made ONE of the fifteen or so characters interesting, I may have been more apt to finish this book.
In her literary future, I pray that Meyer doesn't attempt to make a full-time break into adult genres. She would only embarrass herself. (I heard about "The Host", but I REFUSE to give this woman another cent out of my pocket.) In the end though, I DO have to give Meyer props.
Congratulations for reinforcing that in America, mediocrity (coupled with quite a few spelling and grammar errors) pays off big time. I know you're laughing all the way to the bank. So for that, a tip of my cap to you, my friend. You give all crappy writers out there a fighting chance to get paid.
Disappointing  by .. Charlotte F. (NC)
After all the hype, I found Twilight incredibly disappointing. It starts out pretty strong, but withing a couple chapters the narrator, Bella, and the hero Edward are already madly in love, no build-up, suspense, or obstacles in their way, other than Edward constantly claiming he is "dangerous." The real action begins toward the end of the book when a very flat bad guy shows up and (of course) wants to kill Bella for no other reason than pissing off Edward.
I do understand that Twilight is aimed at teenagers, but for anyone who's read a real vampire romance, this book is lacking in plot, characterization, and writing alike.
If you want well-written paranormal romance, I suggest Sherrilyn Kenyon, Amanda Ashley, or Karen Marie Moning, although they are all more adult and contain sexual material.
Twilight Saga beautiful , especially Breaking Dawn etc. by .. Terry (Oregon)
The negative responses I've seen are either very closed-minded or very.... egotistical.. or maybe very young. It seems to me that she wrote the novels first for herself and then later was viewed for the teenage audience. Twilight could easily fit in that category (especially teenage). However, she stated once that she wrote the Saga for herself-- not for teens, or for me (I'm 27) or you-it was for herself FIRST. I think you should remember that. Maybe Breaking Dawn wasn't catered to teens or to the weak-stomach....in any case, it followed exactly in the same principles that made the other books brilliant.. the passion and the brilliance of plot and the PERSONAL creativity from the author herself... you can almost feel intrusive.. as though you're reading from S. Meyer's secret diary. Instead of complaining against a novel you could never write like in comparison on your best days(sorry), you should appreciate her artistic brain and be thankful that you're actually able to partake in her creativity by reading something that she wrote that is very personal to her. You're going to have to face that she writes to cater to herself and not you, me, teens, or anyone else. Creativity shouldn't be bounded by the borders that certain groups want to create. Let her be and create and respect that eh? Not a whole lot to ask. I love ALL her books (especially Breaking Dawn) as well as The Host. She is a brilliant writer that ensnares readers of all ages and reminds us of a TRUE LOVE that we all wanted or have at one point in our lives had... or can still have. Oooohh yeahhh. Be realistic please. yep.
Related Search : saga book , twilight twilight , 1  |
Author : Nancy & Randall Faber
Number of Pages : 41
Publisher : FJH Music Company, Inc.
List Price : $5.95
Amazon Price : $5.00
Used Price : $3.85 |
Product Description Gives students the tools for expressive performance. Customer reviews Piano music book review by .. Quality review (Third Culture)
This is the series our Britsh-based piano teacher recommended. Our three children have used it and continue to progress with it. I'd like to see more theory practices and minuets for finger fluidity. However, this is not a book to be used for self-teaching.
Great primer book. by .. J. M. Russeau (Monroe, MI USA)
This was requested by my 7-year-old son's piano teacher. It is the perfect pace for a beginning piano student.
Great 1st learning piano Book by .. Sue-zanne ()
This is a clear and easy to understand book for very beginners of piano. It makes learning fun and enjoyable.
Related Search : book level , 1 , technique artistry  |
Format : Student Edition
Author : Lancaster
Edition : Second Edition
Number of Pages : 406
Publisher : Alfred Publishing
List Price : $59.95
Amazon Price : $37.77
Used Price : $25.78 |
Product Description The Second Edition of Alfred's Group Piano for Adults, Book 1, includes updates inspired by numerous recommendations from group piano teachers and students. This book includes a CD-ROM containing both Audio and General MIDI Files of the 500+ accompaniments included in the text, each with an interesting and engaging arrangement coupled with the piano part. Designed for collegiate non-keyboard music majors with little or no keyboard experience, the easy-to-use text contains 26 units, each intended to be covered in one week, thus fulfilling two semesters or three quarters of study. Theory, technique, sight-reading, repertoire, harmonization, improvisation and ensemble activities are taught thoroughly and consistently throughout the text. Book 1 is 360 pages. Customer reviews Alfred's Group Piano for Adults: Student Book 1 (2nd Edition) by .. MEDIA MAN ()
SERIES: Alfred's Group Piano for Adults
CATEGORY: Piano - Alfred's Group Piano for Adults
FORMAT: Book & CD-ROM
EDITION: 2nd
The Second Edition of Alfred's Group Piano for Adults, Book 1, includes updates inspired by numerous recommendations from group piano teachers and students. This book includes a CD-ROM containing both Audio and General MIDI Files of the 500+ accompaniments included in the text, each with an interesting and engaging arrangement coupled with the piano part. Designed for collegiate non-keyboard music majors with little or no keyboard experience, the easy-to-use text contains 26 units, each intended to be covered in one week, thus fulfilling two semesters or three quarters of study. Theory, technique, sight-reading, repertoire, harmonization, improvisation and ensemble activities are taught thoroughly and consistently throughout the text. Book 1 is 360 pages.
Related Search : s group , book 1 , alfred s  |
Author : Sarah Weeks
Number of Pages : 32
Release Date : 2002-01-08
Publisher : HarperCollins
List Price : $3.99
Amazon Price : $1.09
Used Price : $1.04 |
Product Description Rain, Rain Go Away It's raining, and Pip Squeak's roof is leaking. He tries to catch the water with pots, pans, cups, and cans -- he even tries using a shoe! But the drips and the drops just won't stop. What will Pip Squeak do? Customer reviews Fantastic Beginner Book by .. Miss Dahl (PA, USA)
Why are there not more Pip Squeak books!!! I bought this story thinking it was just going to be a simple tool to help get my daughter geared up for reading but I was pleasantly surprised to find a fantastic story with one adorable little mouse we never get sick of drips or drops or plips or plops in this house!
One of my favorites by .. N. Woller ()
This is one of favorite books to read to my children. It has wonderful rhyming & tempo with illustrations that are also quite pleasant. It's a delight to read out loud.
A Cute and Energetic Book. by .. OnthegoRose (Redondo Beach, Ca)
I bought this book for my three year old and she loves it! It's a simple fun story about a mouse frantic to stop the drip drops and plip plops. It's easy enough that she can pick up and say some of the words while we are reading and energetic from start to finish.
A good book for a beginning reader by .. Marguerite P. Nico (Allen, Texas USA)
My first grader got this book for Christmas and loves it! It is easy enough for her to understand the story, and yet doesn't talk down to her or use words that are too easy.
Drip, Drop is beautifully illustrated and makes a child want to read! The illustrations draw you in and help make up the story.
It is well geared to a young reader who is just starting to read alone. I rate this a 5. It is well worth it!
Marguerite 1/29/02
Read it AGAIN, please! by .. Susan C. Ryan (Incline Village, NV USA)
A wonderfully repetitious yarn to read at home or in a barn! We never tired of each drip or drop nor all the plips and plops! Fifty readings the first three nights kept Gran and granddaughter giggling with delight! Eagerly awaiting the next Pip Squeak tail.
Related Search : 1 , read book , drip drop  |
Author : Richard G. Brown
Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Company
List Price : $88.96
Amazon Price : $54.88
Used Price : $14.00 |
Customer reviews Too few examples by .. Mark C. Fowler (Huntington Beach, California, USA)
There are too few examples in this book. And the examples that are present are for the easiest problems only. Each section's problems are divied up into A (easiest), B (harder), and C (hardest). That's fine, but they give examples and explanations for A-level problems only.
Algebra Structure and Method Book 1 by .. Yira Rawlins ()
It is a very good Math book for an high school student. Will highly recommended.
Delivered as promised! by .. Goose (Stockton, CA)
Had to order textbooks for my two boys who are in high school. Very easy to order. The right price AND delivered as promised.
Math Geek A.K.A Top math genius!!!LOL by .. L. Yu ()
I LOVE this book!! This has a various problems. They separate each sets of problems for A-C. I had a 100% every quarter with this text book. The reason why I deducted a point is that they don't always explain the harder problems. I personally think they shoudld make more different examples of problems. I have a great math teacher, so she explains stuff that I am not quite sure. But this book should be used only by advanced and intermidiates math students. This book moves with a fast past and it uses a lot of difficult math terms for special eds. I that because of my friend and I know their pace. [...]. A great source for step-by-step solution incase anyone don't know what it is. My school purchased the account and it is a great accomidation to this book. I am an eight grader in advance math, my class went through the whole book!!! LOVE IT!!!
Far better than most others by .. Derek Owens (Atlanta, GA United States)
This is a well thought out Algebra textbook. I started teaching from it earlier this year and have grown to appreciate it very much. I am especially pleased the more I compare this to other books. Most math books these days are little more than pretty colors, crazy fonts, neat pictures, lots of distractions, and very little actual math instruction. This book, on the other hand, actually focuses on the math, explains it reasonably well, and has great sets of real example problems and practice problems of all difficulty levels, including lots of practical problems that aren't forced or contrived. It is not perfect, but it is the best I have seen.
Pros:
*Lots of math rather than lots of silly distractions
*Appropriate difficulty level - not "dumbed down"
*Good examples worked out and explained
*Good problem sets for homework and practice
Cons:
*Some explanations are just a bit short, although most are good
*Factoring, the hardest topic, is early in the book, which makes it difficult for some students
Related Search : algebra structure , method book , 1  |
Format : Box set
Author : Bobby Lynn Maslen
Number of Pages : 16
Publisher : Scholastic
Company : Scholastic
List Price : $16.99
Amazon Price : $9.90
Used Price : $9.81 |
Features - Made with the Best Quality Material with your child in mind.
- Top Quality Children's Item.
Product Description Bob Books Set 1: Beginning ReadersTeach a child letter sounds with Bob Books Set 1! With four letters in the first story, children can read a whole book. Consistent new sounds are added gradually, until young readers have read books with all letters of the alphabet (except Q). Short vowels and three-letter words in simple sentences make Bob Books Set 1 a fun confidence builder. With little books, come big success. (TM) Customer reviews AMAZING product! by .. MommyMA (United States)
The BOB readers are amazing! My daughter was very motivated to learn to read but was very frustrated with "Step 1" books. The BOB books are much simpler--which helped to set her up for success! The books build on each other--in just 2 weeks, we're already working on Book 9, and I'm about to order the next sets. She is so proud of herself.
Basic reader with basic flaws by .. M. Valdivia (Chicago)
The idea behind this type of book is good, but there are some fatal flaws with these books. These flaws are so egregious, it's almost as if the authors were playing a joke on the intended readers.
First, in some of the books, the spacing between words is not much greater than the spacing between letters. It was even hard for me to distinguish where words were to begin and end. Second the lettering, which was hand-written, was sometime hard to figure out. Third, the author suddenly started using long words that were difficult to sound out. As we read these books, we were trying to teach our kid to sound out words. Then we ran into words like polliwogs. I don't understand why they didn't use an easier word to sound out. Also, why not use a more common word.
Out of frustration, I eventually put the books down. I'm still looking for a good set of beginner books for my kids. The concept of Bob books was a good one but the flaws are foolish. With beginner readers you'd think the authors would space the words properly, use easy to read lettering and introduce words that kids could sound out.
I wouldn't recommend these books.
Couldn't ask for more by .. Sue (Ashburn, VA)
This series is amazing! My 4-year-old son went from barely sounding out individual letters to fluidly reading entire sentences in less than a month. We did 1 book a day for the first 2 sets, then slowed down to a book every other day for set 3. We literally spend about 10 minutes/day on this, it is fun for him, and he is learning so fast!
Children Are Transformed by .. Jane S. Shaw (Raleigh, NC, USA)
Children who struggle to read are transformed by these books. Instead of squirming, slumping, and trying to shift to something more fun, they sit up straight, they smile, and they ask if they can keep on reading. The picture are bland, but the content and pedagogy are powerful.
Excellent!!! by .. S. Holmes (San Francisco, CA, USA)
My son is bilingual and he could read in Russian at 4, but I didn't know how to get him involved in reading English books. These book series helped a lot as he could manage to read and learn step by step by himself. Occasionally I had to help him to pronounce one or two words. He also would laugh seeing all the funny characters in a book and what they were doing. I would definitely recommend these books for a first time readers.
Related Search : bob books , set 1 , beginning readers  |
Author : Sophia Lubensky
Edition : 2
Number of Pages : 304
Publisher : McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
Amazon Price : $51.74
Used Price : $37.95 |
Customer reviews excellent tool for beginners by .. M. Velasco ()
Let me just start off by saying that I've only been studying Russian for about two months now, and thus have had the book for a short amount of time, but already it has been very useful in learning Russian handwriting. The book is easy to comprehend and a must for Nachalo book 1!
Not helpful if you're teaching yourself by .. E. Boylan (Chicago, IL USA)
Many of this book's translation exercises were very helpful to me-- they would often draw on material a couple of chapters old to review, forcing me to re-check my understanding of concepts I hadn't even realize I hadn't absorbed. The single-sentence translations and short writing assignments were a particularly helpful way to prepare for tests if I hadn't already completed them.
However, the book also contained exercises that really only tested knowledge of the cute little storyline being developed in the book's dialogs. While these tested reading comprehension sometimes, other exercises require one to actually go back and re-read the dialog to find the exact word and conjugation used, rather than to prove an understanding of the text. Other exercises waste space with unnecessary illustrations, or are poorly formatted-- for example, they may depend upon an illustration on the opposite side of the page.
These, of course, are minor problems present in almost any foreign language workbook-- the real problem that makes this book a poor buy is that the answers are not provided in the back. I might be able to use this book to practice a concept I didn't understand, but without a fluent speaker to correct it for me, the exercise would have been useless-- someone attempting to self-teach could easily make the same mistakes over and over throughout the entire workbook, wasting their time and reinforcing their learning of an error. If this book is required by a class, of course, you have no choice, and professors will probably work around this problem by correcting work themselves or together in class. However, if you're attempting to teach yourself, the lack of answers makes this book practically worthless.
Very helpful by .. S. Simon (Wauwatosa, WI USA)
Without the workbook studying Russian would be quite difficult. It really helps one practice to more depths the material in the book. I would recommend it to anyone who is purchasing the Nachalo book.
Related Search : workbook laboratory , 1 , manual accompany  |
Author : Neale Donald Walsch
Number of Pages : 211
Publisher : Putnam Adult
List Price : $23.95
Amazon Price : $8.24
Used Price : $0.86 |
Product Description Conversations with God Book 1 began a series that has been changing millions of lives for more than ten years. Finally, the bestselling series is now a movie, starring Henry Czerny ( The Pink Panther and Clear and Present Danger) and Ingrid Boulting ( The Last Tycoon). Produced and directed by Stephen Simon (producer of Somewhere in Time and What Dreams May Come) and distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films and Fox Home Entertainment, the theatrical release is set for October 27, 2006. The movie is the true account of Walsch (played by Cierny), who went from an unemployed homeless man to an "accidental spiritual messenger" and author of the bestselling book Customer reviews Breathtakingly comical and fascinating! by .. Roberto Garzona (Cartago Costa Rica)
Hello, I would like to thank Neal for writting these books and saying out loud some of my original thoughts on the true nature of God and our relationship with Him; I am also of Catholic upbringing and his books have resonated in my mind and my soul as confirmation that one's most deepest thoughts, often the one's most closely related to goodness, are the one's we should be following and not just what we "think" we should do from what other people(church, parents, teachers, etc...) tell us or have shown us in our lives. I am going to give away these books as presents to my friends who I feel need to read this book and I don't care if they cringe at the title and all preconceptions they might have about it, I know they will find them just as interesting and fullfilling as I have. Thank you again for this wonderful experience! Keep up the good work Neal! ;-)
Connecting from above by .. Laura Bank Witte (Mesa, AZ)
This book is highly readable and enjoyable. It gives insight to how we should live our lives, and connects us with God. It makes me want to read his other books. This book is a great complement to Pearls of Wellness (Pearls of Wellness 52 Inspirations to Achieve a Peaceful Body, Mind, and Spirit).
Thought provoking book  by .. James Rutowski ()
Conversations with God : An Uncommon Dialogue by Neale Donald Walsch is a thought provoking book about one man's relation with God. Walsch spends years writing down questions about religion and God on a legal pad. Out of the blue god starts answering them. It becomes quite complex at times. It's just nice to see people are interested in what God has to say in this day and age.
If you are truly interested in a book on God that you can really relate to, I recommend a great book entitled "The Enlightenment, What God Told Me After One Million Prayers: A Message for Everyone," by John H. Eagan. The content is just amazing.
Gripping and answered so many of my questions! by .. Helena Harper, Author 'It's a Teacher's Life...!' (UK)
An amazing book! It was recommended by a friend, and so I thought I would read it to see if it would give me any new insights into the age-old questions about the purpose of life etc. I didn't really know what to expect, but it blew me away! It's a conversation between an ordinary man called Neale Donald Walsch (with a lot of problems in his life) and God (you may not accept that it's 'God' talking, but then that's up to you) and it's written in a very easy to read style. From the first page it had me riveted and I couldn't put it down. You learn about the importance of trusting your feelings, expressing appreciation, how all human feelings are rooted in either fear or love and that we have been taught to live in fear. As it says in the book 'precious little is said about the glory of the most loving', but an awful lot is said in our society about being 'better', 'stronger' and 'cleverer' than others. Fear motivates us to be this, because we don't want to be considered failures. All the big questions are answered: why are we here? Why is there evil in the world? Is there sin? Is there a hell? If so, what is it? Why do things happen as they do? What happens when you die? How can I have successful relationships? Is having a lot of money a bad thing? And inbetween times there's also humour, because we're told that God has a great sense of humour!
So many of my questions were answered in a totally new way (going to church or reading the Bible had never given me answers like these) and not only did they make sense to me, they were also liberating! If you're remotely curious about any of the above questions, then I would encourage you to read this book and decide for yourself whether the answers are for you or not.
Laughing All The Way To The Bank by .. T. Elder ()
It's amazing to me the garbage you can put in a book and people come along like lemmings and buy it. Amazing. I really need to write a book of my own.
The author is a liberal nut. He may also be a genius to make so much money off of such ridiculous jibber-jabber.
If you really want to have a "conversation with God", just pick up a bible somewhere and read it. You probably already have a bible in your house so you won't even have to buy anything.
If you want a fictional and entertaining "conversation with God", rent the movie "Oh God" and enjoy the entertainment.
This book is garbage.
Related Search : dialogue book , conversations with , 1  |
Author : Carolyn Keene
Edition : Facsimile
Number of Pages : 210
Publisher : Applewood Books(MA)
List Price : $17.95
Amazon Price : $2.97
Used Price : $2.99 |
Product Description Nancy Drew's keen mind is tested when she searches for a missing will. Customer reviews Nancy Drew Vo. 1 by .. V. Corbean (mem.tn)
The seller didn't make it clear that the book they were selling was two in one. Since I need only vol. one I had to return. Then I order another on and that company was out.
The refund was fast. Thank you
Seems there should be a way the company can let you know how many vol. of a certain item they have.
Had to purchase it at the store
Want a GREAT mystery? by .. satellite4play (Florida)
A Kids Review
This book is about a slueth whose name is Nancy Drew. She needs to solve a mystery about a missing will. She meets new people along the way while she's solving the mystery. This book is recommended for people who LOVE a good suspense! It is also recommended for ages 8 and up.
Nancy Drew The Secret of the Old Clock by .. P. Howser (Paris, Texas)
My granddaughter loved this book. She reads and listens to the CD's that Laura Linney has made for the series. She loves them and can't wait till many more have been made to match her growing collection.
A great mystery story by .. K. Mantych ()
The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene is a great mystery book. All the characters are fit for the story. This is perfect for anyone who enjoys solving problems and coming up with solutions. An amazing storyline, and until the end it will keep you on the edge of your seat!
P.H
The Beginning of a Great Series! by .. Michelle A. Cope (Columbus, Ohio)
When I started reading Nancy Drew, I started in the middle. My seventh read was "The Secret of the Old Clock".
I'm glad I started in the middle. This book meant more to me. By the time I read it, I'd done research on the series, the creator, the pen name and the ghostwriters. Although the books I read in the series are revised, I love the introduction of this character. I kept in mind that this series began during a time when girl detectives were at a minimum.
I love the plot, I especially liked the characters, like Nancy's old classmates who were just plain mean. It was a page turner and I was on the edge while Nancy worked hard to escape a locked closet.
I'm happy to be a Nancy Drew fan!
Related Search : secret old , 1 , clock nancy  |
Author : John Flanagan
Number of Pages : 272
Publisher : Puffin
List Price : $7.99
Amazon Price : $3.11
Used Price : $1.47 |
Product Description He had always wanted to be a warrior. The Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways, made him nervous. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now fifteen year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger’s apprentice. What he doesn’t realize yet is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied . . . . Customer reviews Read it!.... But You Might Want To Wait On Buying by .. Andy Lynn (Florida, US)
Why do I say to read but not buy? Because all though I loved the book it took me only a few hours to read. So, unless you have a disposable income or a younger child i would strongly recommend that you take a visit to your local library; or a used book store and get it for cheap.
With that said i will now tell you why you will like this book (or why you won't.) I personally loved this breif book; the characters had some depth, and were (naturally) likeable. It's the opening book to the series so its mostly about Will being accepted as a Ranger's apprentice and the subsequent training with a little more action near the end. If you enjoy the genre of knights, castles, kings and the inevitable occurence of some mysterious faction which people regard with both fear and respect, this book is for you. If you loved those books where some luckless(?) youth/orphan happens to be taken on by the sage mentor and who quickly wisens under their tutelage (yet still has much to learn) then this book is for you. It's all very predictable, the same old formula with a little extra dash, but, as I noted before I loved it. It doesn't come out flat as one might expect from the synopsis, the environment is detailed which definitly adds some life.
But if you're a person looking for Tolkien or R.R. Martin incarnate do not read this book. Because if you're looking for that type of epic than this will doubtless be dissapointing and will lead to further less-than-stellar reviews. Instead go for the Deeds of Paksenarrion trilogy if you have not already read it and it may satisfy your craving.
Enjoyable Juvenile/Teen Fantasy - Recommended by .. CFH (Blue Ridge Summit, PA USA)
The "The Ruins of Gorlan" is the first book in The Ranger's Apprentice series. While the writing style is geared for younger readers, the story telling and flow are engaging and are able keep adults interested (both my wife and I enjoyed the book).
The story centers around a young orphan named Will (no last name) and his transformation from a child living as a Baron's ward into an apprentice Ranger. No spoilers from me, but being a Ranger was not high on Will's list of possible occupations, despite some early indications that he some natural talent for the position.
The author did a reasonably good job of character development and the main players were fairly well fleshed out by the end of the book. The plot and story lines moved along nicely and, while sticking to the normal fantasy formula (young unproven hero, experienced mentor, evil bad guy, long traveling quest, etc), was nicely written.
This book was clearly written to establish the characters and settings for the sequel The Burning Bridge (The Ranger's Apprentice, Book 2), which we are looking forward to reading.
Recommended! For a non-fantasy look at a coming of age story in a medieval society, I also recommend the classic Men of Iron
Entertaining YA Story by .. Julie C. Gilbert (NJ United States)
I listened to the audio CD for this book, so I really can't comment yet on the quality of the writing. The quality of the storytelling is decent. I feel like I've heard the story about a trillion times. It's worth experiencing once, but I don't think it's the type of thing I would go standing in lines for hours over.
Ruins of Gorlan has everything a YA fantasy should have, a young orphan (why can't these hero types ever keep their parents around?), some tough decisions, an almost unspeakable evil bad guy whose name must inevitably begin with "m", etc. Will is a likable character. Purposefully not the hunky hero type (those can all be found in the chick lit section), Will is a small, agile, intelligent lad who finds his dream of being a knight crushed, and so settles for becoming a Ranger's Apprentice.
His friends aren't very well developed, but being book 1 of 9ish so far, I'll let that go for now.
Addictive.. by .. Peter Cooper ()
This is the first in the Ranger's Apprentice that I've read, and I loved it. I'm 36 so not in the obvious target age range, but I was quickly engrossed. I agree with the many reviewers who said that Flanagan's strong point is his characters. I quickly found myself caring for both Will and Horace, and becoming part of their struggles and their triumphs. I also loved the often subtle humour, particularly the baron who hates that nobody dares laugh at his jokes. The relationship between Will and Holt is also endearing and believable. Many reviewers have complained about Flanagan's tendency to switch POV. Personally I found it unusual, but in no way distracting from my enjoyment of the story. I also disagree that his tendency to stop the action for description distracted from the flow. He does have a tendency to tell rather than show, but I felt his descriptions were vivid and didn't distract. If I were to list the one thing that I didn't like it would be the odd hybrid mediaeval/fantasy world the characters inhabit. In my mind it didn't feel real or thought out, and some of the apparent anachronisms grated (coffee? showers?). It's a testimony to Flanagan's skill as a storyteller that despite this I still enjoyed the book immensely. As a 12 year old I would have adored this book, as a 36 year old I enjoyed it and would recommend it to all ages.
2 Thumbs Way Up!!!! by .. Danielle L. Schiewek (Olympia, WA)
I honestly did not think that it was a plagerism of Tolkien but rather a venue to read more about rangers. They fascinate me so and Tolkien gives a lot of insight into their world, but not as much personality. I find these books amazing and wonderful books for children's and adults of all ages and, as a writer, I find nothing wrong with the writing! It's writen for children and so the writing is simpler! Nothing wrong with that! Nothing at all! Besides, not all children can read Tolkien, but maybe the Ranger's Apprentice Series is a good opener to Tolkien's works, especially in the case of younger kids. Anyway, I want to close with thanking Mr. Flanagan for his AWESOME books! I can't wait for the next ones!!!
Related Search : ruins gorlan , 1 , apprentice book |
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