YEAR OF THE FROG: A Novel

YEAR OF THE FROG: A Novel
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A moving tribute to human resilience under inhuman tyranny

A great coming of age story

The Year of the Frog

Introduction to Bratislava, Soviet-style

YEAR OF THE FROG: A Novel
Martin M. Simecka
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Slavic | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 068481367X

Book Description

Set in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, in the 1980s, Martin Simecka's stunning first novel, The Year of the Frog, portrays a young man struggling to come to terms with his circumstances in the last days of communist dictatorship. Milan, the son of a former party official now imprisoned for dissident activities, is barred from the university despite the fact that he is a brilliant student and an extraordinary runner. Forced to work, Milan takes a series of menial jobs -- first as a surgical orderly in a hospital, next as a clerk in an under-stocked hardware store, lastly as an assistant in a maternity hospital for both births and abortions -- all of which serve to break open his life.

Two great passions save him from the bleakness of his everyday existence: long-distance running, and his love for Tania, a beautiful university student from whom he seeks salvation and ultimately marries. The Year of the Frog is a coming-of-age story, a romance, and a novel which poses important questions about life and death, about love and freedom, faithfulness and infidelity.

Customer Reviews:

A moving tribute to human resilience under inhuman tyranny.......2004-01-31

In the Czech city of Bratislava during the 1980s, young Milan spends his days practicing his long-distance running, tormenting himself over the insecurities caused by his relationship with his girlfriend Tania, and gazing longingly across the banks of the Danube to the relatively liberated Austrian terrain. With his father in prison for insurrectional activity and his diabetic mother gradually losing her grip on sanity, Milan is denied the opportunity of college education and he wanders from job to job--taking work only when the danger of arrest for idleness becomes too great. Under constant police surveillance, he works first as an untrained assistant to neurosurgeons, then as a clerk in a comically undersupplied and overstaffed hardware store, and finally as a nurse's assistant in a maternity ward.

Still, amidst the absurdity of totalitarianism, Milan finds splendor and happiness: in Tania, in the woods, in his friends. "The fact that we lived in Europe seemed to me beautiful, even though it had to be in a screwed-up country where I felt happy when someone was finally released from prison." In spite of his lack of enthusiasm, Milan tries to find meaning in his employment: "Why go to America, when I can find my freedom in Bratislava? Is it not an expression of freedom when you help save someone's life?" So he is especially haunted when incompetence, infirmity, or misfortune prevents many of his patients from recovering. The scenes in the operation room, both in the first and last sections of the book, are both enthrallingly lyrical and cringingly graphic. (Full disclosure: I'm the type of wuss who can't even bring himself to watch the surgery scenes during "E.R.")

In this topsy-turvy world, it becomes hard to distinguish between sin and morality, stupidity and reason, innocence and guilt. "The more unjust it got, the more innocent and pure I felt, and up to now no one, including myself, has been able to find the tiniest fault with me. Maybe all these people are stupid and the government alone is right. Government employees have always told me that I've gotten what I deserved. . . . Maybe they've seen the future sins of which I'm still unaware." At its heart, "The Year of the Frog" is a love story against the odds, and, ultimately, Milan refuses to let the futility of his situation overwhelm his feelings for Tania and his desire to live happily. Even after the devastating trauma of the final scene, the love he and Tania have for each other triumphs over the hatred the state has for its citizens.

American readers might be perplexed by a few scattered literary allusions and historical references, and occasionally the author seems to sacrifice clarity for overwrought symbolism (and part of the trouble might well be the difficulties inherent in translation--which for the most part is surprisingly fluent). Nevertheless, Simecka's narrative is remarkably accessible, often lighthearted, and earnestly rebellious. The result is a moving tribute to human resilience under inhuman tyranny.

A great coming of age story.......2003-11-09

When the state rejects his application for admission to university, Milan knows well enough to not blame his own talents. Milan is about twenty and growing up in Czechslovokia in the years prior to the Velvet Revolution. He understands and accepts that his imprisoned father's political activity disqualifies him for an advanced education. While this separates Milan from the paths of his friends, he does not dwell on this problem. Instead, he takes a series of disparate jobs (surgeon's assistant, hospital orderly, hardware store clerk) and devotes his attentions to his running and to his girlfriend, Tania.

Milan is a very likeable character and his reflections make this book worth reading. The use of these reflections, I supposes, gives this novel a place in the traditional of realism. Milan needs to decide how he feels about Tania. Given that most of his peer group is going ahead with university, he wonders if he is an adequate partner for Tania. He discovers that other people find her attractive. He needs to determine if he is willing to withdraw in the face of the constraints on his life.

He needs to reconcile his aspirations for a career and for running. He realizes that running, in spite of his talent for it, will never really amount to something that makes a difference in people's lives. Suddenly, this becomes a barometer for him -- the worth of his actions for others. This is a turning point, his decision to shift from insularity into interdependence. The rest of the story witnesses the change in his attitudes play out in changes with how he views Tania, his work, and his future. While the end of the story does not come with a cliched feel-good event, I still expect that Milan is better off for what has transpired during the period of time in these pages. In fact, maybe that's all the better.

The choice of a title refers to two isolated incidents involving a freak outbreak in the population of frogs around Bratislava that year. It has little to do with the real meat of the novel. In a way, I think that the title gives readers the wrong impression about this book. This is not a trifling novel but a great coming of age story.

My edition also features a foreword from Vaclav Havel.

The Year of the Frog.......2000-01-31

This book is about a young man, Milan, in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia during the 1980's. His father is imprisoned as a dissident, Milan is a non-conformist and the Communist state is not his friend. Milan is in turns a hospital orderly and a hardware store clerk, when he is working. The story is intensely personal involving the reader in Milan's thoughts and feelings as he is confronted by the shocks of his eventful life. The story provides insight into the dreary and oppressive life during that period, but more importantly the author is able to make the reader feel the impact of the sometimes ordinary, sometimes traumatic events Milan experiences, and to make his discoveries, joys and anguish our own. It is philosophical as the main character tries at all turns to extract meaning and personal guidance from what he witnesses. It is also very much a love story and shows the great awe and mystery he finds in his girlfriend, Tania, and other women. This is not always pleasant to read but is gripping in the way that it unfolds his hazardous life without disclosing where it is going, if indeed it is going anywhere.

Introduction to Bratislava, Soviet-style.......1999-08-13

Milan, a twenty-something Bratislavian native, comes of age in this novel of life under Soviet rule. His father, imprisoned for political dissidence, is the reason that our hero is forbidden to go to college and is thus sentenced to a life of toilsome jobs. Divided into 3 chronological parts, we watch our hero: forever jogging and forever thinking--mature into a young man, but change and grow bitter in the process as well. A lot is packed into Simecka's slim novel. Milan's love affair with Tania is the only thing that keeps him going at times as he attempts to cope with his father's incarceration and his mother's chronic depression. The reader gets to learn a lot about Bratislava, warts and all, like the smog being so thick there that getting a tan is nigh impossible at times, or that the smog even prevents one from seeing the stars at night. Perhaps these starless skies are a metaphor for life under communist rule and how it crushes the human spirit. At first, we believe that Milan is irrepressible, but by story's end, he fares no better than the rest of his comrades. We get to see the absurdity of the socialist healthcare system; the chronic shortage of basic goods; the rampant alcoholism. Milan tells us what it is like to live in a bugged apartment, to be under constant surveillance and to have to have a current proof-of-employment stamp in one's Citizen Identification Booklet. The topical references in the story make it interesting as well. In Part 2, Milan tells of a time when he and his brother travel to Warsaw in the early '80s to see the new freedoms of Solidarity or like the casual remark in Part 3 (entitled "Gin") about the arrest of some of the Charter 77 members. (Hence, it is only fitting that Czech President Vaclav Havel pen the foreward to this book). By Part 3, still a young man, we see Milan beaten down, dispirted. His comment that the Czechoslovak nation has "fallen apart" comes as no surprise and at the very end of the novel, tiredly admits "The State has turned me to steel." Well done, Mr. Simecka. Now write and tell us what Bratislavan life is like now after a decade free of Soviet oppression!

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Highschool is More Fun with a Giant Frog Friend

LEAP YEARS
Ian Bennett
Manufacturer: Candle Light Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Shades Of Blue Volume 1

ASIN: 097431479X

Book Description

Jake's too old for an imaginary friend, but that doesn't seem to bother the six-foot frog he talks to--Longfellow High just seems more real now that Wilbur's around. In the big leap from childhood to adulthood, the lessons learned in school aren't always in the classroom.

Customer Reviews:

Highschool is More Fun with a Giant Frog Friend.......2007-05-13

Leap Years follows Jake as he goes through highschool. Freshman and sophmore year are extremely condensed, because Jake has not yet met his imaginary friend (a human sized talking frog who only Jake can see) who will help him transition into protagonist.

The frog gets Jake to do something, anything other than zone out in classes and go home to watch TV. Soon Jake is on the basketball team, on a first date, and generally getting a social life - all with a prodding from his frog friend. As Jake progresses through school and social skills, he begins to do things on his own and without so much prodding from his imaginary friend. Then he graduates.

This had a nice pace and feel to it. It had a lot of mood, and a lot of the engaging more with the world that Jake started to do was pretty true to life. The graphics are kind of rough the whole way through, without any shining moments. This is expensive for what it is, but would be good for a library to invest in.

Book Description

The first three novels,The Warhound and the World's Pain, The City in the Autumn Stars and The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Sagittarius, of Michael Moorcock's classic fantasy sequence.

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-08-30

From Millenium, it is also subtitled The Tale of the Eternal Champion 1.

It contains The Warhound and the World's Pain, The City in the Autumn Stars and the Pleasure Gardens of Felipe Sagittarius.

This omnibus collection contains two Von Bek novels and ends with a short story that features yet another of the Von Bek clan. This time it is Minos Von Bek, who is a metatemporal investigator in Europe.

He comes across Adolf Hitler, and ends up supplying Eva Braun with some useful toys

A good place to start reading Moorcock.......2003-11-27

Though this is the second volume of the series, the stories are probably stronger, so if you haven't read Moorcock it is a good place to start. For some mysterious reason (see his multiverse.org website) Mr Moorcock has seen fit to withdraw all his fantasy novels but the new Elric stories from circulation and these are no longer published, so I'd advise you to pick up copies while you can. Hinted is the chance of them becoming available again as single volumes sometime in the future. Meanwhile there is the Elric movie to look forward to (see universal website).
The War Hound and the World's Pain is the first Von Bek story in the book and describes a war-weary veteran of the Hundred Years War who loses his soul to the devil and is offered it back if he can help reconcile Satan and God. This has become a fairly common theme in modern fantasy, but was startling and new when it first appeared and still retains its freshness.
The City in the Autumn Stars is about another member of the Von Bek family, this time a cynic, rogue and soldier of fortune, who escapes the horrors of the French Revolution and comes to the city of Mirenburg where he falls in with another rogue, the charming balloonist St Odhran. Together they concoct a scam, which goes wrong when their balloon actually takes them to another Mirenburg, the City in the Autumn Stars, where a variety of mystical and alchemical action takes place. The ending's a little weak (apparently Moorcock reduced this book from a much longer original narrative) but the atmosphere of the city and the strangeness of the characters dominates. A very fine tale.
The Dragon in the Sword is more like a conventional fantasy adventure in which Moorcock's eternal champion is thrown into a world of warring factions and intelligent bears.
Anyone who finds these books a little like Philip Pullman would be right. They were written years before Pullman but most of the ideas in His Dark Materials can be found here, including, of course, characters who travel between different planes of existence.
The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Sagittarius is a great short story which exemplifies another strand of Moorcock's extraordinary multiverse and ties in with his 'metatemporal detective' stories such as the one recently published in McSweeney's (The Case of the Nazi Canary). In this a Von Bek who is a detective investigates the murder of Bismarck and is helped by police chief, one Adolf Hitler. Some of Moorcock's most fun stories are in this kind of setting, including his Nomad of the Time Streams stories, which are a later volume in this same series.
All in all tremendous value for money and highly recommended.

Moorcock continues to amaze.......2001-06-30

The three full-length novels contained within this volume are each so different, one from the other, that the reader cannot help but be amazed that the same author wrote all three!

In "The Warhound and the World's Pain," Moorcock's usual themes of "chaos" vs. "law" are put in more the familiar terms (at least for us earthlings) of the Devil vs. God. Like his more popular Elric character, Moorcock has his "hero" Ulrich von Bek allied with chaos--the devil. The reader is treated to watching a master of fantasy play with common themes (the hero descends into Hell, and comes out with a quest that he must fulfill in order to save all humanity) that he rearranges in order to ask some penetrating questions about the nature of God, the Devil, faith, and religion in our lives.

The second novel, "The City in the Autumn Stars," is written in a completely different style from the first. Set in Germany (mostly) in the late 1700's, the book makes many references to actual historical happenings, in particular the French and American revolutions and the Industrial Revolution. The motivating factors behind these and other events are examined in extensive dialogs between characters as well as through internal monologues of the protagonist, Manfred von Bek. Someone a little better versed in English literature than I am could place the exact style Moorcock takes up with this novel, but it reminds me of Jules Verne. The chapter headings are long ("Chapter Sixteen: In which house rules are broken. An infestation and a visitation. Vermin destroyed. The Red O'Dowd's fish. Some useful attributes of a magic sword.") And the author manages quite capably to maintain this tone throughout the entire novel. Until the end, that is, when the multiverses start to conjoin, devil worshippers take center stage, and the feeling that one is reading a conventional historical novel rapidly disappears. The ending was not quite satisfactory, but nevertheless a tour de force by Moorcock.

The third novel, "The Dragon in the Sword," is one of my favorites, and I have reviewed it separately on the Amazon site.

The volume is capped off with a very short story, "The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Saggitarius." Although the main character is nominally a von Bek, and Hitler the Holy Grail, and some other toss-away references to familiar Moorcock characters are mentioned, there is no clear reason why this story was ever written, or indeed, why it was included in this volume.

A very different Moorcock.......1999-10-24

If you only know (as most people do) Michael Moorcock through his Elric series, this will be quite a different take on the Eternal Champion. gone are the massive oddities of most of his volumes, gone are the gods and slimey monsters on every page. Instead this is as close as Moorcock comes to writing Historical fiction, which he does to mixed effect. It is not until the third section that we find Moorcock consciously tying the series into his Eternal Champion run.

Moorcock is a passable, but far from stellar, writer. His Elric series has some intriguing ideas, but he wastes a lot of space on pointless battles. This book has fewer battles, but still you feel as if there is a lot of empty space to it. While it is definitely a cut above most fantasy, it is far from Tolkein, Kay, LeGuin or any of the other talents of the genre. Hidden within this volume are many fascinating nuggets, but it still feels like a roleplaying game written down with a bit of filler.

The War Hound and the World's Pain, book 1 of this omnibus........1999-06-05

I would rank War Hound and the World's Pain among Moorcock's top 5 (along with The Quest for Tanelorn, Stormbringer, The King of Swords, etc.).

The book was, alone, worth the price of the omnibus.

The atmosphere of the book, though, shows it's authorship in the 60's, and it's style of writing is also of that era. And while this is not in any way bad to me, I have run into a few who dislike all non-modern styles. For me, this was good, because it evoked feelings of my first reads of Elric and Corum, taking me back to faraway days.

The City in the Autumn Stars: Being a Continuation of the Story of the Von Bek Family and Its Association With Lucifer, Prince of Darkness, and the
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Super Reader

An Alchemical Romance

A difficult read...

Puzzling but worthwhile

It ain't Mervyn Peake, but the book comes alive...
The City in the Autumn Stars: Being a Continuation of the Story of the Von Bek Family and Its Association With Lucifer, Prince of Darkness, and the
Michael Moorcock
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Moorcock, Michael | ( M ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0441106307

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-08-30

The Von Bek family is still involved with that whole Heaven and Hell thing. This time it is one of the descendants, named Manfred.

The French Revolution doesn't suit Von Bek, so he leaves, quickly. Going to Mirenberg, he gets involved with a Duchess, and an Angel?

An Alchemical Romance.......2003-11-01

This volume is not strictly a sequel to _The Warhound and the World's Pain_, since it takes place 150 years later. The hero is not Ulrich von Bek but his descendent, Manfred. The world, and the von Beks, have changed much in this interval- or have they? Instead of holy war tearing Europe apart, it is now the Terror and the spirit of Regicide that threatens to destroy it. Indeed, Manfred von Bek is a man of this new world. He has rejected Magic and the Mysteries (though he was once initiated into the Illuminati.) His Gods are now Revolution, The Rights of Man, and Science. Or rather they were, until his dreams of an enlightened utopia died in the blood filled gutters of revolutionary Paris. Now, he is now simply a wandering cynic out to secure his own fortune by any means necessary.
At least he was all this before a chance encounter with the Dutchess of Crete. This fascinating creature becomes an obsession with him. Indeed, he begins to doubt his own sanity in his relentless search for her. While he, himself, represents democracy, reason, and cynicism, the elusive countess is the symbol of royalty, magic, and idealism. Indeed she seems to be the mirror of everything he is not, or has renounced. It is almost like this mysterious, androgenous creature is his own female soul- his anima....

This hardcover edition has one of the most attractive dust jackets that I've ever seen. Moreover, I have read the book three times now- and even had it signed by the author. I considerate it to be something special for a novel.

A difficult read..........2000-09-04

...for one very simple reason--it's too damned long, and not very satisfying. None of the characters are at all sympathetic (quite the opposite in "The War Hound and the World's Pain," as I liked Ulrich von Bek very much), save Lucifer himself...sympathy for the Devil, you say? Maybe. I also gotbored rather quickly with Manfred von Bek's wanderings about the Deeper City; I really think Moorcock could have pared back quite a few of the details here, and the narrative would have improved immeasurably.

Puzzling but worthwhile.......1999-01-08

This is not an easy read, and it's probably too long by half, but it's far from Moorcock's worst. (See "The Sailor on the Seas of Fate" for a good example of Moorcock at his hastiest.) The pacing here is languid but the hallmarks of Moorcock's best work are here, albeit fitfully: his unique feel for the period and thorough knowledge of history and culture, and his ability to blend the historical elements with the fantastic. Casual readers should stick with the first book (Warhound and the World's Pain), but Moorcock aficionados should at least give this one a try.

It ain't Mervyn Peake, but the book comes alive..........1998-10-31

One of Moorcock's best fantasy novels. More in the tradition of Gloriana than the Elric or Corum books, City in the Autumn Stars relates the tale of a memeber of the Von Bek family, fleeing the turmoil of the French Revolution only to find himself entangled in an ever-expanding web of alchemical intrigue. Moorcock's use of alchemical symbolism and the various esoteric teachings that swept Europe at the time is an interesting plot device and it creates just the right kind of atmosphere for the fantastic events that develop. Don't expect him to always get his esoteric symbolism right however, he uses the material to spice up his story and develop his allegory in certain places, but the book is still a fantasy and you can't expect it to faithfully represent alchemy. It's a great read and a nice change from the vadhagh, rune-mumbling, albino doom ditties he's written in the past.

The City in the Autumn Stars: Being a Continuation of the Story of the Von Bek Family and Its Association with Lucifer, Prince of Darkness, and the Cure for the World's Pain

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An Alchemical Romance

The City in the Autumn Stars: Being a Continuation of the Story of the Von Bek Family and Its Association with Lucifer, Prince of Darkness, and the Cure for the World's Pain
Michael Moorcock
Manufacturer: Grafton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Customer Reviews:

An Alchemical Romance.......2003-11-01

At least he was all this before a chance encounter with the Dutchess of Crete. This fascinating creature becomes an obsession with him. Indeed, he begins to doubt his own sanity in his relentless search for her. While he, himself, represents democracy, reason, and cynicism, the elusive countess is the symbol of royalty, magic, and idealism. Indeed she seems to be the mirror of everything he is not, or has renounced. It is almost like this mysterious, androgenous creature is his own female soul- his anima....

In his heated pursuit across Europe, the Ritter von Bek finds himself drawn to Mirenberg, which is paradoxically both the most magical and the most enlightened city in all of Europe. It is also the meeting place for the greatest gathering of alchemists that the world has ever seen. It is here that von Bek tries to cool his obsession for the countess, while filling his own pockets. It almost works, until one night he is abducted and taken to the catacombs deep beneath the city. It is here that he learns that the old tales concerning the Grail, and the Devil, are not foolishness after all. Moreover, he is about to find that the doors to the Mittlemarch are once again open to one of his ancient blood....

Tale of the Eternal Champion Vol I - Von Bek - Signed copy. (The Warhound and the World's Pain; The City in the Autumn stars; The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Sagittarius)
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Tale of the Eternal Champion Vol I - Von Bek - Signed copy. (The Warhound and the World's Pain; The City in the Autumn stars; The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Sagittarius)
Michael Moorcock
Manufacturer: Millennium
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J1MKUI

Von bek 1 - chien de guerre et la douleur du monde (le)
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Von bek 1 - chien de guerre et la douleur du monde (le)
Moorcock M.
Manufacturer: L'Atalante
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

All French Books | French | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 290515876X

TALE OF THE ETERNAL CHAMPION. Vol. 1: VON BEK.
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TALE OF THE ETERNAL CHAMPION. Vol. 1: VON BEK.
Michael Moorcock
Manufacturer: Millennium
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J3KEZE

Von Bek
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Von Bek
Michael Moorcock
Manufacturer: GOLLANCZ (ORIO)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K2ADKK

Von Bek
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Von Bek
Moorcock Michael
Manufacturer: White Wolf Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UELGDG

Von Bek : La Fille de la voleuse de rêves
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Von Bek : La Fille de la voleuse de rêves
Michael Moorcock
Manufacturer: L'Atalante
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

All French Books | French | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 2841721957

Von Bek, Eternal Champion Volume 2
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Von Bek, Eternal Champion Volume 2

Manufacturer: White Wolf, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HK45F4

Book Description

In the year 2032, John Connor and his resistance forces wage war against Skynet, a soulless super-computer bent on exterminating mankind. Sensing ultimate defeat, Skynet goes into hiding. Centuries later, it is awakened by stealth Terminators posing as human scientists. Now an even deadlier Skynet is using the science of the far future to create invincible Terminators by gene-splicing their human tissue with the DNA of the deadliest creatures in the galaxy -- Aliens! Earth`s only chance lies in the hands of a legendary heroine named Ellen Ripley and an uneasy alliance with another deadly non-terrestrial race, the man-stalking super-hunters known only as Predators! The Predators understand that Skynet threatens all life in the universe, and so they wade in on the side of humanity...but can these feral killers be trusted? Collecting the four-issue series.

Customer Reviews:

Don't be fooled!.......2003-11-02

Trust me, because I was. It may sound like a good idea to throw these three iconic monsters together,... but alas, there is always the problem with execution, yeah? Convoluted and contrived in the extreme. Definitely leaves a sour taste like the last silly Alien movie did. And I personally thought that the manga styled art was too benign looking and underwhelming for characters of such a terrifying and imposing nature. Good for a laugh maybe, but little else.

Oh Brother..........2003-08-08

This is pathetic. A spin off of Alien Ressurection is bad enough, but to mix it with the terminator is complete stupidity. And then to make me disgusted to say that the predator is my favorite movie hurts. this is a good concept, but it really needs to be redone and fast.

Convoluted and contrived........2003-06-20

Which is fair enough. I mean, to get these three classic movie bad guys together, you need to bend a few rules. A damn good idea, but in this case, extremely poorly executed. They should have just left it alone. One star for the monsters, one star for the cover.

huh?.......2003-04-28

Well I can't deny it...i absolutely love the Alien, Predator and Terminator. So when I heard of the crossover that pit all 3 against each other, I was thrilled...until I bought it and read it, that is.

This is probably the most convoluted and bizarre story yet in the Aliens vs. Predator universe. It hardly consists of any of the 3 fighting each other at all...at least not to the extent of which the cover and blurb on the back would have one assume. The story tells of John Connor and the resistance defeating Skynet, only to have Skynet reawakened years later by Terminators that have gone into deep cover, posing as scientists. To assure victory, samples of Alien DNA have been used to construct a new generation of Terminator, which the Predators see as a great threat of war.

If it sounds ridiculous...it is. The story is bizarre and goes in all different directions. And worse yet...it spins off of Alien: Resurrection. That alone makes me not like this comic, aside from the bizarre story and sub-par artwork. The story even has Ripley 'become' a Predator. So...she's human, she's Alien, and now she's Predator. The book just gets worse and worse as you go on.

I suppose if you are a fan of any or all of the characters, like I am, it should pique your interest. But the sloppy and senseless story combined with the elements that made Resurrection such a bad movie, not to mention the lack of attention paid to detail both in artwork and in story, just make this comic unreadable. This is a crossover that had so much potential, and it could have been in so many different, better ways...but it turned out to be nothing more than an attempt to throw 3 popular franchises into one book as a cash-graber. Buy this if you are a collector and want it for your collection, but don't bother reading it. Otherwise just stay away from it completely.

it was ok.......2002-07-01

AvPvT is a very interesting plot, but the it gets one star off because the Aliens are only featured in three pages at the most, and they weren't drawn as well as the predators or terminators. How do each of the three races fit in the story? The Terminators are using Alien anatomy to perfect their combat effeciency, and the Predators have come in to stop that. The story follows Ripley, after Alien Resurrection. She is forced to follow Call and her friends to infiltrate a military compound to stop the Alien research that is going on there. The mission goes wrong when they encounter a Terminator/Alien hybrid and a band of predators that kill most of the team and cause havoc, and you figure it all out from there. The story was rushed for a book of this length, and a lot of events happen waaay too quickly, and some events take too long. For instance, one part where the team witnesses a terminator/alien hybrid fight a predator takes 12 pages, while an event where two terminator/alien hybrids single handedly attack and destroy 2 military bases, and wipe out an entire fleet of ships takes 10 pages!!!! AvPvT gets a point off for that. However, it gets 3 points for art and creativity. The art is about as close as you'll get to an anime styled AvP comic, it was all well drawn with a lot of effort and very original. The idea of how the story continues off Alien Resurrection is very original, the way the plot uses the three sides is original as well, though the aliens deserved more credit. Its a unique book. If you want an AvP book with unique art and story, this is it. But if you want something with more bite, with more of a realistic yet cinematic feel, consider getting Stronghold.

Aliens: Genocide issues 1-4 (All First Prints of issues #1-4!)

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Aliens: Genocide issues 1-4 (All First Prints of issues #1-4!)
John Arcudi Mike Richardson
Manufacturer: Dark Horse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic
ASIN: B000VUEMB2

Product Description

After a generation of rebuilding in the wake of Alien infestation, athletes from every corner of earth are flocking to the Goodwill Games. But some come with a dangerous new tool: a drug called Fire, distilled from the very essence of the Aliens' body chemistry. The military wants it. The pharmaceutical conglomerates want it. And the only place the essential ingredient can be found is on a world convulsed by Alien holocaust .

Quick & Healthy Low-fat, Carb Conscious Cooking
Average customer rating:

good book

yasangel

Okay but not what I was looking for

Cookbook

The best healthy cook book ever!

Quick & Healthy Low-fat, Carb Conscious Cooking
Brenda J. Ponichtera
Manufacturer: Scaledown Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Plastic Comb

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Diabetic & Sugar-Free | Special Diet | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Healthy | Special Diet | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Low Fat | Special Diet | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Low Fat | Diets | Diets & Weight Loss | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Low Carb | Diets | Diets & Weight Loss | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Low Carbohydrate | Special Conditions | Diets & Weight Loss | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Quick & Healthy Volume II: More Help for People Who Say They Don't Have Time to Cook Healthy Meals

The Everything Healthy Meals In Minutes Cookbook: Quick-And-Easy Recipes For Shedding Pounds Fast (Everything: Cooking)

Lickety-Split Meals: For Health Conscious People on the Go!

The Weeknight Survival Cookbook: How to Make Healthy Meals in 10 Minutes

The Low-fat Low-carb Southwest Cookbook, New Edition

Accessories:

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 0962916021

Book Description

This is the long awaited revision of the award-winning Quick & Healthy Recipes and Ideas. Recommended by dietitians and physicians, it is perfect for families who just want to eat better as well as for those with diabetes, heart disease, and those wanting to lose weight. The sensible use of carbs features whole grains and high fiber foods while limiting simple carbs. This cookbook contains quick-to-prepare, low-fat menus and more than 200 great-tasting recipes. SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE: Over 200 low-fat, great-tasting recipes

¥ over half are good or excellent sources of fiber

¥ a listing of recipes by carbohydrate (with fat and

exchanges) - especially helpful for people with

diabetes and for carb counters Detailed nutritional analysis for each recipe, including

¥ food exchanges for weight loss and diabetes,

¥ fiber, carb servings, cholesterol, fat, and more Easy to follow and quick-to-prepare, low-fat menus Tips for trimming fat and sodium from your diet A listing of foods and their fiber content Conventional and microwave directions Plus Time Saving Ideas, Weight Loss & Exercise Tips,

and Products Worth Trying Quick Sandwich and Quick Breakfast Ideas that donÕt even require a recipe! This book, recommended by dietitians and physicians, is the companion to Quick & Healthy Volume II. Both of Ponichtera's titles are life savers for those who are trying to learn better eating habits for a longer and healthier life.

Customer Reviews:

good book.......2007-09-26

This is a good cookbook with tons of awesome ideas that don't require too many ideas. I love how it has all of the recipes separated into carb categories so it's easy to choose from the list.

yasangel.......2007-08-31

Great recipes but it needed to have pictures of some of the dishes instead of illustrations.

Okay but not what I was looking for.......2007-07-13

My objective was simple-fast, small amount of common ingredients, appealing meal ideas.

This book called for some strange ingredients, some of the recipes looked tedious, and I really just wasn't very attracted to any of the meal ideas in here. Not the type of food I am going to be able to get husband to eat either, so I wound up sending it back.

I have had great success so far with a few other books:
Diabetic Low-Fat & No Fat Meals in Minutes
The Busy People Series of cookbooks.

Cookbook.......2007-02-16

Although the title says it "Quick & Healthy", I found out that most of the ingrediants in a lot of the recipes isn't something that the average person would have in their home. But there are some great hints for subsituting items.

The best healthy cook book ever!.......2006-02-27

I have been on a mission to turn over a new leaf and start eatting healthy. I have bought a few healthy cook books and they were hard to follow. By luck, I stumbled upon this book on Amazon.com. This is exactly what I was looking for! Simple, easy to follow recipes. Delicious and they don't seem low fat at all. I made the Wheat Pancakes for my family today and they loved them. I also made the Herb Potato Salad and it was a breeze and so yummy. I'm going to make the Cialantro & Coconut Milk Chicken tonight. I can't wait to make more.

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