Customer Reviews:
UNEDITED, TOOK MONTHS TO READ AND COMPREHEND!!.......2007-04-14
Please be forewarned, that although the text is trying to deliver an invaluable messages to the public fooled by corporate sports and fitness propaganda, it fails to do so in an efficient or practical manner. Let me explain - the book is essentially a draft. It's whopping 500 pages long, but after having been deciphering it for three (3!!!) months, I reduced it to about 10 printed pages of actual content.
Here's what's wrong with it:
1) None of the definitions or described procedures are either marked in bold, tabulated, or otherwise made distinguishable from the rest of the text. Therefore, you wouldn't be able to use the book as a reference. You have to sit down and read it LINE BY LINE in order not to miss key points, of which there's rather few considering the length of the book.
2) The author is not consistent with the terms he uses. E.g. he can refer to the same term by two or more different names in different sections of the book.
3) At least half of the book consists of author's rambling about unimportant, redundant, and obvious things. Here's a pretty close analogy of what you see in the text seventy percent of the time - "Make sure that you don't drop a plate on your toe, because after sustaining this kind of an injury you won't be able to work out for at least seven to ten days and your best working poundages on major exercises will suffer as a result. Some gyms equip their workout areas with rubber or plastic-coated plates, thereby reducing their crushing force potential. However, if you don't have access to a high-profile gym like that, or if you're feeling industrious, you may go to your local rubber plate protectors shop and order custom plate protectors or cut strips out of an old wheel tire and ...... " and so forth and so on.
4) Repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition... In different sections, the author talks about the same concepts over and over again, just using different words.
However, after managing to overcome all of the above, I feel that I learned very useful information. The approach which the author advocates (certainly not something that he himself invented) is truly revolutionary, in a sense that it's drastically different from what the popular media (TV, mags, commercial websites) try their best to tell you. It's like discovering that you can cook and eat a cheap and healthy brown rice with chicken breast and some vegetables dish, instead of overpriced, filled with refined sugars and low with other nutrients, cereals, which you've been buying for ages from you local supermarket and seeing in TV commercials.
Critically Acclaimed Advanced Natural Bodybuilding.......2006-08-14
This is not the first McRobert book you should buy. I recommend that you head in the direction of his "The Insider's Tell-All Handbook on Weight-Training Technique". That book shows you how to use perfect form in the gym. He also released a new book that is like a replacement to this book of form called "Build Muscle, Lose Fat, Look Great". Get either one or preferably both, but his books are increasingly hard to find without ordering directly from the publisher. They are considered the picture books in the series. There is no point in going here unless you get the moves right first. Learn Squatting, Deadlifts and Bench Presses. Learn these 3 well. When you do then maybe you have reason to get "Brawn" and then if you want, follow that reading up with "Beyond Brawn". "Brawn" has no pictures and "Beyond Brawn" has some, but they are very much text books, so you will be in for a lot of reading. What is a Hardgainer? A Hardgainer is simply someone who is not a genetically gifted individual who takes drugs to enhance their already immense build. Who are these drug users? They are ones who are in bodybuilding books, the covers of top bodybuilding magazines and filling most of the pages. Stuart McRobert claims that these individuals are all drug users... and he is right. Some of the genetically gifted people use steroids like it was a dinner. The top competition winning bodybuilders where always gifted. They travel from all parts of the world to congregate together for gym training in the same places because they are gifted. They are not like us. They are called Easygainers and according to McRobert, who has spent 30 years in the gym, they have absolutely no understanding of how to train people who are not gifted like them. To a large degree McRobert is correct. It is impossible for Woody Allen to create a body like Arnold Schwarzenegger even if he did eat right, exercises right, lifts weights right and takes as much steroids as his body could handle, he will never be able to compete with an Arnold who even stopped doing all of the above. However Woody Allen could develop his own potential and be muscled up in his own way. In Brawn, McRobert will talk you down at the start, convincing you that unless you are one of these gifted few you are wasting your life trying to achieve these professional bodybuilding competition sizes that are influenced heavily by drug use. He is right. Then he goes on to tell you that some Hardgainers have progressively gone on to push a single 300lbs/136kg Bench Press, 400lbs/182kg Squat and 500lbs/227kg Deadlift. Anyone who has spent a large amount of time, going to a normal gym (not the ones occupied by the genetically gifted only) will know that these kind of single lifts are well beyond the expectations of even the experienced. Yet Brawn can take you there. How to do just that is what makes Brawn a must read. Although Brawn may tend to say a lot of the same stuff over and over again in the introduction chapters, it soon gets into the meat. Goals are Bench Press 6-8 x 250lbs/112kg, Squats 15-20 x 300lbs/136kg, Deadlift 15-20 x 350lbs/158kg Deadlift. Now here comes the important part. If you find yourself doing any other exercises other than these three then you are doing something wrong, or you are very big and are using conditioning exercises for toning. These three gain muscle and virtually every other exercise out there just tones muscles. So you should be fully focused on these three like they where the only exercises bodybuilders can do. Forget all the rest for now. Start a cycle of each exercise at 70% of what you can do (say 10 reps before failure, start at 70% of this). Then increase by 2.5lbs/0.5kg or 5lbs/1kg max every week to two weeks, only working the exercise two times a week at most, once a week maybe better, or even take once every two weeks, depending on how long you need to recover (when the soreness goes away and you feel like you can give it your all again, an absolute must to gain). As you get towards week 10 you can reduce the reps you do to lift more weight. By week 14 you can go down to 5 reps but not much less. Do this for 12-14 weeks then break for a week or two. Go back to 70% of the top lift and start all over again. This is the progressive method of lifting heavier weights using the 3 important exercises. If you find yourself not lifting more weight every time you do the exercise (and remember not to do them often, like 2 times a week at the very max, 1 time a week to two weeks for most) then you are not resting or you are adding too much weight. Personally I invested in small tiny little weights (all 0.5kg weights, but I would have got 0.25kg if I could get them!) to progress. This is how you build muscle. This is how it is done. No Explosive lifting, 3 seconds up 3 seconds down per rep, Strict Form using "The Insider's Tell-All Handbook on Weight-Training Technique", mind to muscle, imagine it is the last time you will ever do a set, annihilate last set with all the effort you can but keep strict form... or else stop the rep. This is called is called PPP - Progression Performance Persistence. Break for 1-2 weeks every 10-12 weeks. Try and get your cycles of the 3 exercises going like the above. The book then goes on to cover variations of this theme, includes many good routines for those who have really advanced themselves and then hits on specialization for someone who has amassed enough muscle to warrant these exercises. Do not read the nutrition chapter. The advice lets the book down badly. When you have got into the swing of what Brawn is teaching and you crave more then "Beyond Brawn" is exactly where you should go.
Beyond Brawn is much like Brawn except it is written as a mass of bullet-point tips. It covers everything that Brawn explains so you will be reading bits of Brawn again, but it also goes into greater detail about the things covered in Brawn. The growth plan is more extensive with brief, and to the point, articles about how to get the biggest gains the quickest way, naturally. The exercises extend out beyond the big three to cover more and how they can be incorporated into different programs. The section on rep technique is probably the best for any book of its type. There are various training programs extensively covered in Beyond Brawn. McRobert comes up with a number of symptoms to help identify overtraining. He shows you how to get the most from a gym session. He then talks about his own experiences (it could do with some personal testimony pictures!) and trigger-point therapy for injury recovery. The nutrient chapter is absolutely brilliant. While Beyond Brawn may suffer from a lack of editing, often saying the same things more than once, almost brainwashing or overly preachy, sometimes going from the most conservative of advice, to the most extreme, you can't deny that between Brawn and this book, you will probably shave a decade of your bodybuilding endeavours, prevent serious injury and save a ton of money on excess gym fees, the wrong equipment, the wrong supplements, the wrong diet and the wrong training advice. That is what really matters with the Brawn series of books. It is totally against the grain stuff that genetically-gifted steroid users laugh at, but which the other 99.9% of us natural bodybuilder's absolutely need, without reservation.
Well worth it.......2006-07-14
I've read many books on the subject of Weightlifting, Bodybuilding and Strength over the past 5 or 6 years. 'Beyond Brawn' has a very old-school feel and is likely one of the most informative that I've ever read on the subject of strength/size building. This book is a must-have!
Buen Libro... pero hay mejores.......2006-04-06
Este es un buen libro para el entrenamiento de fuerza y volumen, pero a mi juicio es muy largo y repetitivo, si quieres aprender los conceptos m?s facil y concretamente mejor lee Heavy Duty II de Mike Mentzer. Para mi el mejor libro de entrenamiento con pesas. (nota: no tengo ninguna conexi?n con Mike Mentzer, que por cierto falleci? hace algunos a?os, lo escrito antes es una opini?n sincera)
The old school, strength to match size.......2005-12-12
This is a great book based around the old school concepts from back when bodybuilding and powerlifting were much closer together. In other words, from back when people didn't just want to look strong, they wanted to actually BE strong.
Stuart has a strong bent towards abbreviated training. In other words, most trainees are lifting way too much. He is also interested in conservative, long term gains. Stuart has had his training stunted by repeated over-training injuries, and urges you look at the iron game from longer term perspective than most. In other words, more gains over the long haul.
Ok, he goes off on the hard-gainer thing a little too much. I get it Stuart, you lost the lucky sperm race. You had no genetic gifts. You had to build everything out of blood, sweat and tears. Got it. Moving on. While it gets a little old at times, it's a welcome voice for folks who are legitimate "hard gainers" and haven't gotten the results they've wanted over the years.
I love that Stuart goes with the old school method of wrapping everything around a serious strength multi-joint move, the deadlift. Seeing as the deadllift works 90% of the muscles in the body, he has a really cool philosophy, similar to Pavel Tsatsouline, of using the deadlift as the framework for all strength training, and then tacking on other exercises as needed (and only if they are needed).
It has been mentioned that the organization and presentation of this book sucks. It does suck. This is what happens when a grisly old iron-tamer writes a book. He really isn't an author, he's a veteran of the iron game who tried to put his knowledge down on paper. In some ways he succeeded, and in some ways he failed. I think it's worth sorting through the pages to find the information.
If you like the "strong as you look" ideology of this book, I strongly recommend Pavel's "Beyond Bodybuilding" as well. It's a mammoth collection of Pavel's articles from Muscle Media, clearly organized.
Book Description
Babes, Beasts, and Brawn: Sculpture of the Fantastic is a definitive look into the creation of these powerhouse playthings, with hundreds of stunning color photographs and fascinating insights into Kiwus' creative process. Beyond the building of plastic toys, Kiwus has created some of the most stunning and in-demand limited-edition cast sculptures of comics and fantasy figures of all stripes, including three-dimensional representations of the paintings of Frank Frazetta and miniature renditions of the Queen of Pin-Ups, Bettie Page. Also included is an in-depth how-to section, where Kiwus chronicles his process step-by-step to aid aspiring professionals.
Customer Reviews:
Self-promoting book but good stuff!.......2006-11-21
The reviewer below is actually right, but I did like the book.
I like Mr. Kiwus works, and I don't think he is just average. He's capable of doing excellent likenesses and very smooth forms.
However the How-To section is the main reason I bought this book and for that it's a keeper. I mean, it's the only book I know focusing on action figure sculpting.
Great stuff!
Misses the mark........2004-06-08
Yes, the book is generously illustrated and the how-to section is informative but Mr. Kiwus is an average talent and this book seems to be more about self promotion than the art of toy sculpting. For a look at some truly wonderful sculpture one only need pick up a copy of Toy Fare, Wizard, Previews, Toy Review or any number of related publications. Certainly, Randy Bowen, the father of the mini-bust and comic related sculpture is more deserving of a book reviewing his remarkable career.
Customer Reviews:
Still the best........2007-02-03
The first and still the best. I still have my original first addition copy with the drawing of a man squatting. Recommended for anyone who is sick of reading all the muscle mags and getting nowhere with their training.
Absolutely Vital Bodybuilding Information .......2006-06-15
I would start by saying that this book is not the first McRobert book you should buy. I recommend that you head in the direction of his "The Insider's Tell-All Handbook on Weight-Training Technique". That book shows you how to use perfect form in the gym. There is no point in going here unless you get that right first. Learn Squatting, Deadlifts and Bench Presses. Learn these 3 well. Then when you have spent a few months learning them and have experimented with the other exercises, get this book and read it. Brawn is 225 pages of text without any pictures. Unlike other bodybuilding titles this one is very much aimed at the average Hardgainer. What is a Hardgainer? A Hardgainer is simply someone who is not a genetically gifted individual who takes drugs to enhance their already immense build. Who are these drug users? They are ones who are in bodybuilding books, the covers of top bodybuilding magazines and filling most of the pages. Stuart McRobert claims that these individuals are all drug users... and he is right. Some of the genetically gifted people use steroids like it was a dinner. The top competition winning bodybuilders where always gifted. They travel from all parts of the world to congregate together for gym training in the same places because they are gifted. They are not like us. They are called Easygainers and according to McRobert, who has spent 30 years in the gym, they have absolutely no understanding of how to train people who are not gifted like them. To a large degree McRobert is correct. It is impossible for Woody Allen to create a body like Arnold Schwarzenegger even if he did eat right, exercises right, lifts weights right and takes as much steroids as his body could handle, he will never be able to compete with an Arnold who even stopped doing all of the above. However Woody Allen could develop his own potential and be muscled up in his own way. In Brawn, McRobert will talk you down at the start, convincing you that unless you are one of these gifted few you are wasting your life trying to achieve these professional bodybuilding competition sizes that are influenced heavily by drug use. He is right. Then he goes on to tell you that some Hardgainers have progressively gone on to push a single 300lbs/136kg Bench Press, 400lbs/182kg Squat and 500lbs/227kg Deadlift. Anyone who has spent a large amount of time, going to a normal gym (not the ones occupied by the genetically gifted only) will know that these kind of single lifts are well beyond the expectations of even the experienced. Yet Brawn can take you there. How to do just that is what makes Brawn a must read. Although Brawn may tend to say a lot of the same stuff over and over again in the introduction chapters, it soon gets into the meat. Goals are Bench Press 6-8 x 250lbs/112kg, Squats 15-20 x 300lbs/136kg, Deadlift 15-20 x 350lbs/158kg Deadlift. Now here comes the important part. If you find yourself doing any other exercises other than these three then you are doing something wrong, or you are very big and are using conditioning exercises for toning. These three gain muscle and virtually every other exercise out there just tones muscles. So you should be fully focused on these three like they where the only exercises bodybuilders can do. Forget all the rest for now. Start a cycle of each exercise at 70% of what you can do (say 10 reps before failure, start at 70% of this). Then increase by 2.5lbs/0.5kg or 5lbs/1kg max every week to two weeks, only working the exercise two times a week at most, once a week maybe better, or even take once every two weeks, depending on how long you need to recover (when the soreness goes away and you feel like you can give it your all again, an absolute must to gain). As you get towards week 10 you can reduce the reps you do to lift more weight. By week 14 you can go down to 5 reps but not much less. Do this for 12-14 weeks then break for a week or two. Go back to 70% of the top lift and start all over again. This is the progressive method of lifting heavier weights using the 3 important exercises. If you find yourself not lifting more weight every time you do the exercise (and remember not to do them often, like 2 times a week at the very max, 1 time a week to two weeks for most) then you are not resting or you are adding too much weight. Personally I invested in small tiny little weights (all 0.5kg weights, but I would have got 0.25kg if I could get them!) to progress. This is how you build muscle. This is how it is done. No Explosive lifting, 3 seconds up 3 seconds down per rep, Strict Form using "The Insider's Tell-All Handbook on Weight-Training Technique", mind to muscle, imagine it is the last time you will ever do a set, annihilate last set with all the effort you can but keep strict form... or else stop the rep. This is called is called PPP - Progression Performance Persistence. Break for 1-2 weeks every 10-12 weeks. Try and get your cycles of the 3 exercises going like the above. The book then goes on to cover variations of this theme, includes many good routines for those who have really advanced themselves and then hits on specialization for someone who has amassed enough muscle to warrant these exercises. Do not read the nutrition chapter. The advice lets the book down badly. I would get nutrition advice elsewhere. I also believe he tended to think that daily cardio was not possible for someone on the above gaining program. I don't believe this to be the case. I think 30 minutes a day of medium intensity cardio is important as long as you don't push it too hard. Just a nice peddle on a stationary bike makes all the difference. 1 hour (2 x 30 min) for those who have lots of fat. I wouldn't drop the genetically gifted books altogether because they do motivate but less of their advice and more of McRobert is what you need. The book is also unedited and lots of the information does not make much sense because of the way it is presented (like the routine on p. 70) but you get the overall idea of what is being taught and that is what is most important. The idea of sticking with the 3 and not leaving them and working them in cycles progressively using the ideas in the routines makes this book absolutely vital. I can't recommend it enough. It will change your workout for the better and pack on the muscle in ways that make it undeniably eons more valuable that you can possibly imagine. For $20 you are taught things that most professional trainers being paid hundreds of dollars simply have no clue about. Most importantly is the way it explains packing on muscle and how it is done. Other books simply don't teach you this. They just don't.
No Steroids, No Powders, Just pure good old-fashioned lifting.......2006-04-25
I wish I'd wasted my teenage years following the lifting advice in this book rather than the advice found in bodybuilding magazine articles. I'd be much stronger and much bigger if I had. I'm a very small guy (I typically carry a size 29 inch waist, 28 when I'm in shape) but this program allowed me to squat over 250 pounds for the first time in my life, and it's not even designed for strength training.
The book discusses strength training and bodybuilding along the lines of a 1940s-early 1950s era lifting style, before steroids became popular. The basic contention is that most people cannot perform the type of workouts pushed by bodybuilding magazines without resorting to steroids. I'm not sure about that, but I will say that if you're training is stagnating while under a 5-day per week split training session you will want to get this book. The approach is radical, but very effective. It even allows you time to, good heavens, go out and do something other than lift in the gym!
This book is invaluable to anybody looking for ways to put muscle on their frame. Many consider this THE book for such lifting. I will say it is the most concise, well-written, information dense book on the market for bodybuilding. Beyond Brawn, by the same author, is also a good book, but it is much more in-depth and probably more advanced than most people need before they hit the "advanced" stage. Overall, it's cheap, information dense, clearly written, concise, and the best book on the market for bulking up. This should be your first choice for a bodybuilding book, hands down. After getting a grounding in this one can then move on to more advanced authors.
A great book that's realistic for the hard gainer.......2006-04-02
I have had this book for about 5 weeks now and I am already experiencing progress. I am not as tired as I was when I was doing routines from magazines and other bodybuilding books. I have got a few books on bodybuilding and this is the most appropriate for a hard gainer. I am getting bigger and stronger by following his advice.
The author says that you have to tailor the routine to suit you and your lifestyle and not just blindly follow the routines of some bodybuilding champion who is genetically endowed.
I like how he discusses cycling the intensity of the routine and advising to increase the poundages slowly to avoid injury.
Although the book contains no pictures and the section on nutrition could use a bit of expansion, it is still a great book. You may have to read it more than once to get the most out of it, cause there is so much useful information in it. To sum it up, this book works for hard gainers to pack on muscle, gain weight and get strong. You just have to be patient and keep working at it and you will see results.
Fantastic hardgainer book........2005-07-28
If you are one of those weightlifters, like myself, who religiously followed the crazy high-volume training advise dolled out but all the glossy bodybuilding magazines, yet never saw much improvement, then this is the book for you. Definately a low-volume, high intensity back-to-basics program. No more wimpy one-arm concentration curls or rediculous 2-hour marathon lifting sessions. Just lots of basic, heavy exercises (squat, deadlift, bench...) designed to build muscle. Since I started this type of training 7 weeks ago, following the principles outlined in the book, I have seen a dramatic increase in strength and I'm finally starting to grow. Ignore the grammatical errors and focus on the content. The only drawback is that the nutrition guidance isn't the best. Do yourself a favor and just get the book.
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- A great book for all to enjoy!!!
- Good for pre-movie viewing, but pretty worthless after
- A terrific book to have, a must-have!
- Good book for younger viewers
- Very slim
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The Two Towers Movie Photo Guide (The Lord of the Rings)
David Brawn
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Similar Items:
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The Fellowship of the Ring Photo Guide (The Lord of the Rings)
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The Return of the King Photo Guide (The Lord of the Rings)
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The Two Towers Visual Companion: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion (The Lord of the Rings)
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The Return of the King Visual Companion: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion (The Lord of the Rings)
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The Fellowship of the Ring Visual Companion (The Lord of the Rings)
ASIN: 0618257365 |
Book Description
Discover the fate of Merry and Pippin, last seen being dragged off by the Uruk-hai to Saruman's lair.
Find out what happens when Gollum finally catches up with Frodo and Sam as they make their way to Mordor.
Meet King Théoden, his niece Éowyn and her brother Éomer, and his evil adviser, Gríma Wormtongue.
Learn what really happened to Gandalf, and prepare yourself for the epic Battle of Helm's Deep!
Over 100 amazing color photos
Includes free photo stickers from the new film
Customer Reviews:
A great book for all to enjoy!!!.......2004-08-17
This guide was perfect for my collection as it really brings the Two Towers film to life through the 48 pages which contain 88 photos featuring Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Eomer, Eowyn, Theoden, Faramir, Treebeard, bad guys, and many more. There is so much to enjoy in this book including the 57 direct quotes from the movie script. Follow the broken fellowship continuing the journey by the wonderful photos that carry you away to Fangorn Forest, the Dead Marshes, Edoras, Helm's Deep, Osgiliath, and Isengard. David Brawn's guides are well done and, as his others, this one will not let you down!
Good for pre-movie viewing, but pretty worthless after.......2003-03-17
It's a good book, don't get me wrong. There's some magnificent pictures from the second installment in New Line's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It's the whole movie plot simplified.
But this book is only worth something before the movie. Afterward, it just loses its luster. Since you've already seen the movie, why look at the pictures again?
Nonetheless, there are some interesting items that take place in the book that give some hints as to what some extended material for The Two Towers' extended release will be. (For instance, the plot line about Aragorn releasing Theodred's horse Brego, which rescues him in the movie after the Warg battle. In the movie, the horse just showed up, without prior mention of it)
There's also (at least in ours) a page of stickers in the back of the book, but since there's only one to a character, no one wants to remove them from the page.
A terrific book to have, a must-have!.......2003-03-06
"There is now a union between the two towers - Barad-dur, fortress of the Dark Lord Sauron, and Orthanc, stronghold of the wizard Saruman."
In the second installment of the Lord of the Rings, "The Two Towers" has the fellowship of the ring broken up. Frodo and Sam are on their own as they continue on their way towards Mordor to destroy the One Ring. Merry and Pippin are captured by the Uruk-Hai and it's up to Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli to rescue them. Both new allies and new foes will be made as the battle for Middle Earth continues. What will happen to the fellowship, will Middle Earth ever be rid of the evil of Sauron?
"The Lord of the Ring: The Two Towers Photo Guide" is the illustrated story from the epic New Line Cinema film. In other words, this is more like a picture book. Includes over 100 color photos which are of very high quality! LOTR movie buffs might have seen many of the pictures either on the Internet or somewhere else, but there are some photos which are new. Lots of the pictures have captions from the movie. It's easy to look through the book since at the top of each page there is like a title for each major scene in the movie (ex. "Plains of Rohan" or "Helm's Deep".
Some of the best pictures from the book include: Gandalf riding Shadowfax, Legolas riding a horse during the battle against Orcs and Wargs, Frodo keeping the Ring away from Faramir, Merry and Pippin in the capable 'hands' of Treebeard, and King Theoden riding into Helm's Deep. Plus plenty more!
Definitely not a replacement to seeing the actual movie or reading the original books by J.R.R. Tolkien, but I can still recommend this book for LOTR Movie fans and kids. My suggestion though is to watch the movie before reading this since in my opinion it's better to not know what will happen. Another reason to by this book is that there are some missing scenes from the movie. For example, in this photo guide it explains how the horse Brego was able to rescue Aragorn. And Faramir's plan will be pleased to see at the end he helps Frodo and Sam more than in the movie. And some more info on Gollum's past! Hopefully an extended edition of "The Two Towers" will come out including these missing scenes!
Also included at the back of the Photo Guide are stickers of the characters of "The Two Towers". Stickers include Gandalf, Frodo, Sam, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Saruman, Faramir, Merry and Pippin, King Theoden, Eowyn, and Arwen, which is altogether twelve stickers. Some people might be disappointed to find that there is no sticker for Eomer, who will come to be a pretty major character in the Lord of the Rings.
Good book for younger viewers.......2003-03-02
Whether or not smaller kids will get to go to "The Two Towers" depends on their parents, given that this movie is frightening and violent and quite creepy in places. And even if they do go, some kis may be a little confused by the complex storyline. And, of course, adults who need to see the pictures.
It's basically a picture book, the events of the Two Towers and what happens to Sam and Frodo, who were last seen heading into Mordor; Merry and Pippin, who are kidnapped by orcs and receive some unexpected help; and Legolas, Aragorn and Gimli, who are pursuing Merry and Pippin, but are waylaid by an old friend whom they thought was lost. Be forewarned, this book is crawling over with spoilers about what happens in the movie.
The pictures in this guide are outstanding; most of them aren't featured in the other "Two Towers" guides coming out at this time. And many are captioned with various lines from the movie (such as a photo with Frodo and Sam, which is captioned with "What is it, Mr. Frodo?" "Nothing. Just a dream.") There are good photographs of old favorites such as Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, and Pippin. There are also good shots of Gandalf in his new incarnation, the majestic ent Treebeard (a fantastic shot of a priceless character), the noble Theoden, the grotesque Gollum, and many others. The only problem I can think of is that a few of the shots never appeared in the movie, such as one pic of Frodo holding his cupped hand in front of his shirt, and Faramir watching him. And as with the "Fellowship" photo guide, some of the pictures are rather small.
Despite these minor problems, this is a good book for the "Lord of the Rings" movie fans, especially the younger ones who might need a few pointers, or the older ones who love photographs. This one has very little in common with the other "Two Towers" movie-related books, and it's worth a look.
Very slim.......2002-12-13
This book shouldn't be overrated. It's nice to see the storyline of the second film presented in it, and it has a couple of nice pics. But that's it. The commentary is absulutely worthless and adds nothing unless you're a complete Tolkien novice. Very much a children's book, I bought it for the film storyline (which once again deviates significantly from the books at certain parts) and some stunning pics, of which there are but a few. And the storyline of the film will be known to all soon anyway so it's only merit post-TTT release will be a few nice pics.
Gary Russell's Art of the Fellowship of the Ring would be a much more worthwhile purchase. I wonder if he'll do another one for TTT and RoTK...
Book Description
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy reaches its phenomenal conclusion as Frodo, Sam, and Gollum struggle toward the fires of Mount Doom through Shelob's Lair. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli must choose the Paths of the Dead to bring desperate aid to the besieged city of Minas Tirith in Gondor, where Gandalf and Pippin have gone to rally the steward Denethor. Merry, forbidden to accompany his friends or the army of Rohan in their long march to war, joins a mysterious rider banished to a similar fate. Spectacular imagery illuminates the story as it proceeds to the Battle of Pelennor Fields and beyond.
Customer Reviews:
No Ending to The Return of the King Story.......2004-12-13
The pictures illustrated are very good but unfortunately I found that my copy of "The Return of the King" ends at the picture of Frodo and Sam climbing up Mt. Doom with Gollum trailing behind. It doesn't go any further...what happens to the ring, the results of the battle at the Black Gate, the coronation, etc. are all missing from the book. If I were to show it to children/adults they would be wondering what happen's next. Climbing up Mt. Doom is not a way to end a story.
A perfect Return of the King guide!!!.......2004-08-20
I really enjoyed all 3 of the Lord of the Rings movies, but the Return of the King was my favorite of the trilogy, and this book is the perfect compliment to the movie. The 48-page guide beautifully lays out 71 fantastic photographs from the movie which include Frodo, Sam, Gandalf, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Faramir, Denethor, Eowyn, Theoden, bad guys, plus many more. As I paged through this book, the film was brought to life, and the 46 direct quotes from the movie script was a perfect addition to the pictures. I was brought along to Gondor, Edoras, Dwimorberg Mountain, Shelob's Lair, and all the rest of the locations and battles that the characters experienced throughout the Return of the King. This is truly a wonderful book, and I am very sure you will enjoy it as well!
A post-ROTK release book review.......2004-02-19
I wanted to review this book for people who have already seen the theatrical edition of Return of the King. The biggest thing that this photo guide adds is a major clue into what may be in the extended edition DVD of Return of the King, which will be released sometime in the fall of 2004. For example, there are some wonderful pictures of Sam and Frodo, and of Pippin and Merry, that are not in the final theatrical cut of the film, and therefore, it seems that we can expect these in the extended cut. The only criticism I have is simply that, other than these new pictures, it is of course a rehashing of the story, written somewhat like a children's book. But, like I said, it is worth it for the new photos.
Passage picture book.......2004-01-19
"The Return of the King Photo Guide" is a treat for those wanting to revisit the rich Middle-Earth depicted in Peter Jackson's movie adaptation of "Lord of the Rings." The pictures are excellent, and if anyone has problems following the complicated storyline, this is something for them to check out.
In "Return of the King," the treacherous Gollum is leading Sam and Frodo into the Dark Lord's land of Mordor. With the fate of Middle-Earth -- and his beloved Arwen's life -- on the line, Aragorn fully accepts his fate as Gondor's future king, and recruits the help of a long-dead army. And Gandalf takes the hobbit Pippin to the ravaged land of Gondor, the last stronghold against Sauron.
The actual climax and precise endings of the film are left up to the readers' imaginations (this isn't exactly a storybook), although the final sentence hints at the bittersweet events of the ending. The prose is fairly standard, nothing special; quotes from the film are littered through it, some directly from the books.
The pictures are what make this book stand out, with phenomenal shots of Minas Tirith, Pippin in his silver and black Gondorian armor, a helmeted Gondorian guard, an angelic shot of Eowyn, two Elven smiths reforging Aragorn's sword, and Frodo fending off Shelob with the phial Galadriel gave him. What's more, there are scenes that never made it to the final film, such as Aragorn tending the wounded Faramir in the Houses of Healing, or Frodo and Sam looking at a broken statue crowned with flowers. (Somewhat disappointing are the lack of pictures of the monstrous spider Shelob, or the ghostly army of the dead)
While it won't satisfy those longing to know the grand finale, "The Return of the King Photo Guide" will be eagerly devoured by fans of the films, with its wonderful pictures and semi-storybook outline. Definitely should be purchased for the photographs, and newbie fans may find it helpful too.
Great collection of pictures.......2004-01-02
This is the third in the series of photo guides for The Lord of the Rings movies. With 48 pages, the selection of pictures is extensive and sometimes includes pictures of scenes not included in the theatrical release. Although intended for children, it is a good companion to the books and movies.
Written for ages 8 and up, the descriptions are elementary and sometimes incomplete. Enjoy the pictures, and those in the first two books, but adults should read the novels for the complete story.
Average customer rating:
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Walk Dorset
Charles Davis
Manufacturer: Discovery Walking Guides Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
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ASIN: 1904946208 |
Book Description
The questions raised by this title are vital, and they will provoke much-needed discussion.
- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Children select role models from their friends, movies, television, and books. As teachers, librarians, and parents, we can provide alternative roles that present well-rounded male and female characters who have choices and options. How we can do this through the many genres in children's literature is the subject of this fine collection of essays.
Beauty, Brains, and Brawn offers diverse perspectives on what it means to be a male or female child in children's literature, presenting stimulating views from the field's best-known authors, illustrators, and educators. The award-winning authors and illustrators talk about their motivation for creating the boys and girls in their books and they examine the child as audience. Essays from educators explore larger issues related to current research on gender and the classroom, multiethnic experiences and gender, and gender portrayals in contemporary fiction, historical fiction, and picture books.
Topics include parental roles in books for children, the kinds of books available for very young children and the gender issues housed within them, diversity and gender, the politics of gender and gender stereotypes in children's literature, finding authentic female and male voices in historical fiction, and the clash of conservative and liberal values in children's literature. Popular images in the media are also considered.
Average customer rating:
- Fun book, nothing new to the die hard fan!
- Need some tips?
- A Good Introductory Guide for Children and Adults
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Creatures of The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings Movie Tie-In)
David Brawn
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Similar Items:
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The Lord of the Rings Weapons and Warfare
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The Lord of the Rings Complete Visual Companion
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The Art of The Lord of the Rings
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The Art of The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings)
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The Two Towers Visual Companion: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion (The Lord of the Rings)
ASIN: 0618258116 |
Book Description
Packed with photos, this fascinating introduction to the monsters and peoples in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy shows how the filmmakers have brought the inhabitants of Middle-earth to life for the big screen.
The book contains creatures familiar from the first film, from the benign hobbits to Lurtz, the ill-fated leader of the Uruk-hai, and includes races prominent in the new movie, The Two Towers, including the Rohirrim, the Easterlings, the Haradrim and the tree-like Ents.
Both an exciting introduction for children and a reference for adult movie buffs, there are also behind-the-scenes details on how each creature was designed and brought to life.
Includes fold-out poster.
Customer Reviews:
Fun book, nothing new to the die hard fan!.......2007-09-13
To the huge LOTR/Tolkien fans out there, this book will be nothing new as far as the descriptions of the 'creatures'. However, I bought the book soley for the quotes by the cast and the behind the scenes photo's from filming which are great! They make the book well worth adding to your collection, especially for the low cost it is!
Need some tips?.......2003-03-18
The epic movie trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" was the first exposure to Tolkien's work for a lot of the people who watched it. And the fans who haven't yet read the books should check out this book, to get the tips on who and what and where and why.
Basically, this "Creatures" book lets the readers know: What's a hobbit? What's an Elf? What's an Ent? Readers of the original fantasy trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien will know all of this. On the other hand, newbies will like being able to look these things up -- especially since "Two Towers" has a lot of new material, with the Ents, Haradrim, Rohirrim, and others. The book is pretty short, and seems even shorter because it is composed mostly of photographs. These are clear, brightly colored, and great shots -- not just of stuff in the movies, but also from stuff behind the scenes.
What's especially nice are the quotes. Accompanying many of the smaller photographs are quotes from director Peter Jackson, special-effects wizard Richard Taylor, actors Elijah Wood, Ian Holm, Sean Astin, and pretty much everyone else. These quotes add insights into both the characters ("In their world, it's who you are on the inside that matters") and behind the scenes (complaints about the hobbit feet, from several actors). One of the best quotes is Peter Jackson revealing how the much-maligned Tom Bombadil almost made a cameo -- fans of the books will want to check that out.
Even if you've read the other books, this brief book will offer a few new insights and plenty of good movie and behind-the-scenes pictures.
A Good Introductory Guide for Children and Adults.......2003-01-11
Although this is the official movie guide for children to the Two Towers, I found that it was helpful for adults who are not Lord of the Rings fans and/or have not read any of the books by Tolkien. It is lushly illustrated with gorgeous photos of all of the people/creatures in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. There are also a few photos of how they developed CGI characters such as the cave troll and Sauron. Underneath each photograph is a sentence or two explaining who the person/creature is and how they fit into the story. The wording and the brevity of the descriptions make it perfect for younger readers or those looking for a quick and dirty introduction to the characters of Middle Earth including Hobbits, Ents, Easterlings, Haradrim, Uruk-Hai, Gollum, the Watcher in the Water, Dwarves, Elves, Wizards/Istari, Balrog, Gwaihir, and many more. The book also comes with a free fold out enlarged picture of Gandalf confronting the Balrog in Moria. I would recommend this book for those who are not very familiar with The Lord of the Rings trilogy and for children ages 8 and up. It is very short at app. 60 pages (most of which is taken up by pictures) and so is a great introduction. However, if you are a Tolkien fan and familiar with the stories or saw the first movie, there is nothing new for you here.
Average customer rating:
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Brains & Brawn: A Novel Of Suspense
Annie Gottlieb , and
Jacques Sandulescu
Manufacturer: iUniverse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Thrillers
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ASIN: 0595298729 |
Book Description
BEYOND Â`ECSTASYÂ'
“MDMA temporarily lowers interpersonal boundaries,” said the Harvard doctor. “Hex dissolves them.” “The potential for abuse, for mind control, is terrifying,” said the Berkeley psychopharmacology professor. Outside, packs of painfully thin kids in hex-sign T-shirts—the “hexies”—quiver and murmur and make their telepathic suicide pacts. Someone is trying to destroy a generation.
Sarah “Sunny” Randall wants to know who. The investigative reporter on the story for New YorkÂ's Metro Magazine, 5Â'3”, Radcliffe-educated Sunny is clueless in the deadly world of dealers and underground labs. But Sunny has a secret weapon: Sasha. Her “boyfriend”—a streetwise, 6Â'3”, 250-pound Soviet prison camp survivor and ex-boxer who is friendly with the Greenwich Village Don. Sasha can help Sunny root out the evil mind at the source of hex. But when her ambition and her passion to save the kids get her in too deep, can he save her life?
Customer Reviews:
Could not put it down.......2003-12-25
It's the kind of wonderful book--exciting, artful, something important at stake, tender and tough, larger-than-life characters yet filled with soul--that you don't ever want to end.
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- City Walks Deck: Chicago: 50 Adventures On Foot (City Walks)
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