Travel Books

I was in Vietnam (Jan/Feb 2008) and I took with me Lonely Planet and Rough Guide, and the better of the two guides is, by a thin margin, Lonely Planet.

However, there is much to commend Rough Guide Vietnam. It is worth buying just for the section that covers the history, religion (13 pages) and the overall culture of Vietnam. Excellent.

This guide is well laid out; breaking Vietnam into eight sections. Each section has a page that points out the places not to be missed. Each of these sections opens with a very good history and explanation of the area. Rough Guide has an excellent selection of restaurant and eateries (better than Lonely Planet's) with enticing write-ups that tell you what to try, "Goi bo, a salad of banana flower, star fruit and pineapple" or "try stir-fried beef with lemongrass for starters, followed by fried scallops and then che baba - grandma's sweet coconut soup." This guide has a better selection of the discos and clubs than Lonely Planet and it has eight (8) pages of recommended books to consider - Super.

HOWEVER, Rough Guides hardly has any maps, and those that they have are not as good or easy to use as Lonely Planet. It has a cumbersome "price code" system for accommodations, i.e. 1= under to $10, 2= $10-15, 3= $15-30, etc., thus, you have to memorize what the numbers represent or flip back and forth to the legend. Whereby, Lonely Planet shows you the cost in dollars. What an idea! Duh. Only a few accommodations (very few) have webpages. In today's world accommodations webpages are a must. All savvy travelers today want to "see" what a hotel or hostel looks like. R.G. does not breakdown restaurants by cost (Expensive, Moderate, etc.) nor does it give you any prices ranges ($10-15 etc.). Not Good.

In short, the better of the two guides is Lonely Planet, especially if you are going to explore Vietnam and want to get away from the "tourist areas". However, if you are staying in HCMC, Hanoi or other major cities and want the best clubs and restaurants with good eatery descriptions then this is your guide. Strongly Recommended. 4 Stars.

I just returned from a trip to Vietnam (Jan 2008) and was given this book last minute by a friend. This book was invaluable to my trip and compared to the Lonely Planet that I had been using, it was way better. The information was useful, concise and accurate.
The only 2 complaints about it are: the language section in the back does not do a phonetic translation which means if you are trying to ask for tea (tra) you end up saying 'tra' instead of 'ja'. You could flip a few pages to where they list all the proper pronunciations of the consonants but who has time for that? It's a guidebook not a dictionary.
The other complaint I have is that massages were cheap and very good over there and yet were never mentioned in the book (where, how much, what to watch out for etc) The LP book did both. However, comparing the 2 books overall, the RG was still much better!

Used Rough Guide for my 3 week trip to Vietnam. Information is accurate and helpful. Compared to Lonely Planet, the Rough Guide to Vietnam is much better written, has more in-depth historical information, and provides a non-partial perspective to this interesting and vibrant country.

Rough Guide has become one of my favorites. It's value is that it targets a group beyond the backpackers. Vietnam is no exception. The maps are good, recommendations we used were always good. There is plenty of practical information about getting around and still has info the the backpackers, but many suggestions for more upscale restaurants and hotels. This was our primary guidebook for 3 weeks of independent travel in Vietnam.

This book was very good and detailed with accomodations and eateries. The walking tours were very easy to follow and the maps were easy to navigate. I loved the color section on food to encourage you to try some of the food that would otherwise be intimidating.

The biggest disappointment I found in this book is that it seemed that it was written SOLELY from a communist point of view. The book did not address South Vietnam and the effects of the war on the people there. It bashed the French and Americans. I FOUND IT OFFENSIVE AND WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER ROUGH GUIDE AGAIN! That's how's irritating and disrespectfuly it was.

The eyewitness guides are a pleasure to read .Many great pictures and plenty of detail but not as heavy as some guides .I am as pleased with this one as the others I already own .These guides are books you actually pick up and read again after you have completed your trip.

As always DK travel guides are EXCELLENT complete, well written and easy to use, also make very interesting reading to get to know a city with out travelling or prior to getting there.

Pretty good travel book, and is a good general guide to the city and surrounding areas. The gaps, however, could be a problem for someone who is not confident enough to piece it out with the locals with hand gestures and sometimes limited english. That said, it provides enough info about the big sites to give you a good walking tour of them.

The restaurant suggestions were 100% on with the ones we tried. However, due to slightly unusual Hungarian street and business naming conventions, the addresses were sometimes a little off or confusing. Also, the dictionary in the back lacked some fairly obvious terms, and this is important in Budapest as many seemingly important signs aren't translated into English (or any other language, for that matter).

All-in-all, a pretty good guide, and up to the typical DK experience.

Like all the Eyewitness Travel Guides this one is excellent.
Filled with maps,glorious pictures,practical information,historical background, and great tips as to what-to-do and what-to see; it is a complete guide to the fascinating and beautiul cities of Buda and Pest. I would never travel to new cities without taking along one of these well researched and well written/edited guides.

Great organization, eye-catching photography, well written narrative and superb cartography! DK Eyewitness Travel guides have got it all but, for me, it's the photography that really separates them from the competition. And "Budapest" covers it all - restaurants, music, beer halls, walks, art galleries, museums, spas, architecture, palaces, hotels, cafés, theatres and churches. And all of the information is organized by neighbourhood in the city so I can make the most effective use of my time once I'm in a certain area.

Here's my "best practices" strategy. Read "Top 10 Budapest" first. Make some basic choices, get your mind wrapped around Budapest's geography and begin to localize your choices to certain areas. Fine tune your choice and plan your attack day by day by reading "Budapest". Familiarize yourself with some of the local customes by reading the basic country information in the back of the larger "Budapest" guide - currency, communications, etiquette, food, beer and wine, local transportation and specialized hints like local tipping practices.

Why not five stars? Frankly, with the internet now providing so much current information, I can't see the value in attempting to include lengthy (and probably outdated) lists of hotels and restaurants in densely packed small print index lists at the back of a book like this.

Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

Yes its good to be portable but you would need Superman eyes to read the tiny print. I'm sending it back.

This is a helpful phrasebook, usable without any previous knowledge of Amharic. As I am not a native English speaker, I appreciate the way the sounds used are described in the beginning of the book. It is well organized, with different, logical, chapters; i.e. the possibility to find the phrase I am looking for in the chapter where I think it should be is high. The dictionary part is short (as it of course has to be), and I really miss "please" as a word in the dictionary.

Actually I didn't use the book very much, as my surroundings were almost all English or Oromo-speaking. Before spending much time on a learning a language to use in Ethiopia, be sure to check out the location. Since the Amhara's are no longer the dominant tribe, their language may be less useful. Tigrayans are now in power and Oromo are the largest language group.

I bought this book with me the first time I ever went to Ethiopia. It actually wasn't very helpful to me in helping me speak Amharic and there were a lot of mistakes that were pointed out to me in the book. However the fact that the words are also written out in Amharic are most helpful because you can always point to the word if you have trouble and someone will be willing to help you pronunciate the correct word in Amharic. If you want to learn some very basic words then this book is good. However if you want to speak phrases or sentences, that book does not exist just yet. This book also does a good job of telling basic facts about the culture which was very helpful to me during my first trip to Ethiopia. Overall I'd say that it is a good book and was well worth my money. I would say that others also enjoyed this book because when I left Ethiopia I could not find my book ;-)

I'm married to an Ethiopian and have found this book to be a lifesaver each and every time I go to Ethiopia. The book gets you close enough to the correct pronunciation that anyone can half way understand you and correct your pronunciation of the words. Although Tigrinyan's are now in power Amharic is still the national language of Ethiopia so it's better to learn Amharic if you plan on speaking to anyone in Ethiopia.

It's got the bare essential data you need for the hike.
Mileage, water sources, post offices, grocery stores, etc.
Don't leave your domicile without it.

I can't think of anything this guide has left out. It provides not only thorough trail descriptions and maps for each segment that are detailed and clear, but also a history of the trail, both natural and historic, advice on planning your trip, and a complete list of agencies to contact for trail permits. I appreciate the details regarding flora and fauna, as well as advice from everything to supply stations to how to deal with bears. I don't believe that I have ever seen a more thorough and complete trail guide.

I used this book on my first trip to Paris,and it was a valuable resource to pick how to spend our time. The maps were also very helpful in getting around the maze that is the Paris streets.

I bought both Paris and London 2008 books for my upcoming trip to Europe, and I enjoy both. The guides are easy to read, tell you how to make the most of your time at various locations, tell you how to get to where you want to go and provide a variety of eating and shopping locations for all budgets.

Fodor's Paris 2008 has everything the average vacationer would need to experience France from the inside out.
Here is a detailed index of what this book has to offer:

-Clothing size, weight, distance, liquid volume, and temperature conversions inside the front cover
-Detailed table of contents
-"About This Book" page which tells you how to read and use the information in the book
-General information about Paris such as cleanliness, diversity, and the general attitude of Parisians
-Paris Planner which includes information on what to wear, when to go, and transportation
-Detailed and easy to read maps of Paris and it's arrondissements
-Detailed lists and descriptions of Paris's top attractions
-Fun things to do in Paris with kids
-Great Itineraries
-Where to eat
-Where to stay
-A selection of gorgeous color photographs
-Word of Mouth from Fodor's online forums
-Detailed information about nightlife and the arts
-Shopping
-Free stuff to do in Paris
-Books and movies of Paris
-Vital vocabulary words
-Information and advice on traveling such as travelers insurance, booking, rental cars, guided tours, emergencies abroad, electricity, money, taxes
-A folded tear out map of Paris
-Map of Paris's Metro system on the inside of the back cover

I would recommend this book to anyone considering visiting Paris on vacation, anyone moving to Paris, or the average Joe who wants to learn more about the most romantic city in the world. It has everything you want to know about Paris.

Although I have nothing but the utmost respect for these reknowned climbers and their worthy attempt to summit K2, I did not enjoy this book nearly as much as some of the other climbing epics out there today.

It is interesting to see the difference in climbing narratives written back in the 50's as compared to those written in the last thirty years or so. It seems like there was a different attitude toward climbing in the 50's and before, one that was more supportive of teamwork and cooperation, whereas many of today's narrations are more reflective of each person being responsible for taking care of him or herself only (such as the '96 Everest disaster). As in the case of Art Gilkey's emergency situation, the entire team without question (at least in this rendition of the story) made the effort to get him off of the mountain.

I was somewhat bored by this narrative though (except for storm and the famous Pete Schoening team-arrest) and it's one-dimensional portrayal of the team members. It made me wonder if Houston and Bates were telling it like it really was. They were always very complimentary toward everyone on the team. But in extreme, stressful conditions (both mentally and physically) like these, don't people sometimes become short-tempered, or even withdrawn? But perhaps the authors' objective was not to give insight into individual team members and how they interacted with one another, but rather to just tell of their adventure and how, through remarkable teamwork, they were able to survive K2 against the odds, and live to tell about it.

I also would have liked to see more detailed maps of their route throughout the book, so it would be easier to follow them on their ascent and descent.

I won't deny that this book deserves a place with the other classic mountaineering epics, due to the extraordinary events that this team lived through. However, I prefer narratives that really tell it like it is, "warts and all." I want to get a true sense of the struggles (to feel like I am really there in the bitter cold), and come to understand each person who makes up the entire team.

At 28,250 feet, K-2 is the world's second highest mountain, 800 feet less than Everest. Mentally add 6,000 feet to K-2 for sheer meanness. Everest is considered a "snow" mountain; K-2 has everything. Snow, ice, rock, constant avalanches, loose shale and a generally evil disposition.

In 1953, an eight-man American team attempted to summit K-2. The book tells us of their meticulous preparations, financing and outfitting. I was struck by the fact the cost estimate for the entire 8-man expedition was $25,000. I recently read the cost for one ~person~ to join an Everest expedition is $80,000!

The two authors come across as fine, honorable, decent men. The entire team's bravery in adversity is inspiring. After a spell of fine weather during the first part of their ascent, all their luck went against them. One team member became seriously ill and a bitter storm locked them in their "camp" for seven days. The camp was a mere outcropping on a rocky ledge. The wind almost blew them off their fragile platform. They were determined to carry out their dangerously ill member. The task was almost impossible to contemplate, let alone carry out. They were not successful only because the storm was so unrelenting.

I will not spoil the book for you by describing their descent. The authors will astound you with their story. Highly recommended

A 1953 climb still translates in 2002. This is a detailed account cowritten by two of the climbers and is very detailed including the long walk in. I was surprised how little mountain climbing had changed although it did appear distances traveled daily were less as they required 8 campsites to get to the peak. I find books on mountaineering expeditions very interesting although the climbs themselves contain long periods of boredom. This expedition is no different as a brutal storm stops the climbers just short of the summit. The book does a great job detailing how high altitude can effect a climber's body. One of the writers was a doctor.

Needless to say, the long, unforgiving storm takes it's toll on the men placing them in ultimate peril. Getting down from the high altitude, steep face carrying a wounded member led to the most incredible living disaster I have ever read. Well, living for most of the climbers

Read this book for adventure and historical climbing perspective.

A riveting read, this book chronicles the 1953 Third American Karakoram Expedition. The authors, members and integral part of that illustrious team of eight expeditioners, regale the reader with their account of the tragic circumstances with which they were faced while attempting to summit K2, a five mile high mountain, second only to Everest in height but infinitely more perilous to ascend.

The book recounts the myriad of detail which went into the formulation of that expedition, from the selection of its respective team members to the type and quantity of supplies necessary for such an ambitious endeavor. The book, in fact, includes a series of appendixes which lists in minute detail a day to day travel chronology of the expedition, a list of all equipment necessary, the breakdown of the various foods taken, the medical supplies needed for the venture, and a list of financial costs and transport requirements. In short, it provides everything one may have ever wanted to know about what goes into mounting an expedition. Nostalgia buffs, as well as climbing enthusiasts, will revel in the plethora of information!

The book also grounds the reader in the historical, as well as geographical, pedigree of K2 and the challenges which it has presented over time. It recounts the previous reconnaissances and expeditions which had traveled to the environs of K2. Interestingly enough, on this expedition, unlike prior ones, Hunza mountain porters from a small border state in northern Pakistan, rather than Sherpas, were employed, due to the prevailing political winds of the time.

The journey of the expedition over the remote and primitive reaches of the then infant country of Pakistan is a death defying venture in and of itself. Imagine the expedition with its hundred and twenty five native Balti porters, each carrying sixty pound loads, crossing raging rivers in ancient barges said to be similar to those used by Alexander the Great in leading his armies across the same river! At other times, they crossed turbulent river waters, using rafts made up of inflated animal bladders which were lashed together. They traversed across wide gorges over bridges made of woven willows and twigs. These so called bridges had an alarming tendency to turn upside down, promising to send the hapless traveler to a certain death below! Fortunately, the expedition was able to avert death at this stage of its journey.

Upon reaching Base Camp, an assault upon K2 was quickly launched. With the assistance of the Hunzas and a stretch of good weather, Camps I through III were established with a minimum of fuss. The Hunzas, however, did not progress beyond Camp III, as the expedition members felt it wiser to ascend without them, given the Hunzas' limited high altitude experience and equipment. From then on, the expeditioners, eager for a summit bid, did all the loading and carrying work up the mountain, ultimately establishing Camp VIII at an elevation of about 25,500 feet. It was there that the beginning of the end took place.

While at Camp VIII, all eight members of the expedition found themselves storm bound for seven days. Despite being buffeted by hurricane force winds, driven snow, lack of sufficient food, drink, and sleep, all while trapped in the death zone without supplementary oxygen, they still clung to their summit dream.

That dream ended abruptly when one of them became desperately ill with thrombophlebitis, and needed to be evacuated. Their nightmare had begun. Though it was seemingly impossible to lower the ill climber down the face of K2, this group of brave men would not abandon their fallen comrade. A break in the storm, a desperate plan to save their friend, and they started off with him in tow only to have their escape aborted by the potential for avalanche. They retreated back to Camp VIII and by the next day were ready to execute an alternate plan of evacuation.

Once again, they began the grim descent with their now catastrophically ill and courageous comrade in tow, this time during a storm with driven snow and gale force winds. Braced upon snow swept ridges, they began the arduous task of carefully lowering their friend down the relentlessly steep slope of K2. There, two of them survived a skirmish with an avalanche. Despite the peril, they continued down the mountain with great fortitude. Suddenly, one of them lost his footing, however, and five of them went tumbling down the mountain side, only to have their fall abruptly checked by an amazing belay executed by the youngest member of the expedition. Despite illness, injuries and frost bite, the eight man team was still intact.

Unfortunately, it was not to remain thus. Shortly after, a heartbreaking and tragic accident occurred, resulting in a death which will move the reader to tears. The book culminates in a remarkable and harrowing descent by the remaining survivors, many of whom were incapacitated by the injuries and frostbite incurred along the way. Their survival is a testament to the indomitable human spirit and its enormous will to live.

The story of the 1953 Third American Karakoram Expedition is one of the most amazing and spellbinding in the annals of mountaineering history. Gripping in its telling, it is a must read for all climbing enthusiasts and for all who simply love a great read.

Houston, Bates and Bell's account of their "53 attempt to reach K2 is absolutely through in its coverage. If this wasn't enough, they manage to allow us to share this epic struggle not only through their clear descriptions of the events but also by giving us their honest emotions. It was truly a well-chosen team who deeply cared for each other. How noble of them to attempt to save their dying fellow climber Gilkey when most would have thought it folly and how miraculous the survival of their big fall. I have a feeling that a weaker team would not have gotten back off the mountain. Excellent book.

I am impressed to have received a new copy of this lonely planet so quickly and exactly in the condition i expected.

Purchased this book to get basic information about the Island of Langkawi. Provided great restaurant list and information about getting around the island. Highly recommend this book if traveling to Malaysia.

Only gave a very brief overview,not enough information for someone who has not travelled to that part of the world.

I spent the better part of the afternoon reading this book as I'm planning on a trip to Singapore and Malaysia this week. The Lonely Planet can usually (although not always) be counted on to provide for solid information on travel destinations and this one does just that. It's pretty well written and everything is nicely laid out. I particularly enjoyed the historical overview at the beginning and the section on the national psyche. Malaysia and Singapore (I didn't read about Brunei) sound like thoroughly enjoyable and interesting places. I especially appreciated the description of KL as being something of a nightmare for pedestrians. That's the type of honesty that travelers need, and it's also what helped make the Lonely Planet famous in the first place.

This book is great. It has accurate information and makes trip planning a breeze. I have traveled all over Asia, and I use lonely planet books to plan all my trips.

I enjoyed reading this book very much. The book has great artwork. Just a great book all around!

I found this book to be quite disappointing. It begins well with a very readable and page-turning first chapter but from there on things just go downhill and never really recover. Every now and then an interesting and believable scary story pops up but mostly it seems just like what you could expect to encounter if you took a class entitled Creative Ghost Story Writing For Beginners 101. It seems that an awful lot of the tales stem more from the imagination of the narrator than from some otherworldly realm. And not a few times I cringed in embarassment when a paranormal suggestion or explanation was offered for events that were so obviously nothing of the sort. If you like your ghost tales served up with credibility and objective research and investigation then this book is definitely not for you. Spared from a single star rating only by the heroics of Chapter One.

This was a very interesting book. My only regret is I will never get to go to most of these places to experience these things for myself. Great reading for ghosty people.

Weird Hauntings by Joanne Austin is quite good for a book of ghost tale compilations. This is from the same team that does the entire "Weird" series of books (Weird U.S., Weird Arizona, etc.), and reminds me of the best of the books that I would find at my local library as a child with a voracious appetite for the macabre. Off the bat, the introduction by Ryan Doan in which he relates the fact that his father used to hide under his bed as a child starts off the bizarre proceedings on a wonderfully weird note.

In particular, another value in the book is that it details investigations or stories from individuals that have not been repeated ad infinitum in other books on the subject. There is also mention of a few famous areas such as Alcatraz or Gettysburg to keep one interested as well.

Well done: 5 out of 5 skulls

I enjoyed reading this book, very interesting as it leads you to different places and each author has his/her own story to tell. The table of contents was organized from haunted houses, historic haunts, terrifying travels, the otherworldly outdoors and so forth. It was a well-researched book with detailed events. Some of the photos of places and people were such a good addition that made the book more interesting to read. Although I'd like to add that some of these photos were edited to make them look more scary. One of the exceptions is the main photo for pages 214-215 (Eerie Eateries, Spooky Salons), it was a bit cheesy and tacky. The Graphic Artist/s could have done a better job than that and made the images look more realistic and believable. I am a Graphic Designer and I saw the flaw in this book. I gave the review 3 stars because with all these edited photographs, the authors could have used the space for more text and information. I will give the authors credit for the great content of the book. Overall, the book is more interesting than scary.

I wouldn't say I was an inexperienced cook . . . I'd say phobic. No, this might not be the cookbook for you if you're quite the gourmet and enjoy spending an hour or more in the kitchen to prepare a meal. But if you were never really taught how to cook and have spent most nights asking your partner, "Well, what do you want to do for dinner?" back and forth until someone orders delivery, then this might be just what you need.

I love this book and its companion, EatingWell Serves Two. I seem to have two types of cookbooks: healthy (such as the Mayo Clinic) and quick/easy (as in cookbooks that advertise how few ingredients each recipe will use). EatingWell's Hurry cookbooks are the only ones that combine both.

It's been a learning process for me. Sometimes I need to google ingredients (what are fennel seeds? Where will they be in the grocery store? What's a plum tomato?) or get new equipment (Where's the broiler pan? Oh, oops, I guess we don't have one), but that's a joy, because as I do these things step by step I know I am gaining knowledge and experience (and gear and ingredients).

So let's face it; if I can do these recipes, then they are easy enough to be in some kind of cooking for dummies cookbook, and yet they are super tasty and I'm not embarrassed to serve them, even to people who aren't married to me.

If I could be in an infomercial for these cookbooks I would. In my late 20's it was finally time for me to learn how to cook (and force myself to do it more than once a week), and I don't think I could have done it without these cookbooks.

I love the Eating Well magazine and cookbook - but most of those recipes are too time consuming to do after work during the week. Here is the answer - great tasting dishes for any night of the week.

Checked out this book from public library and knew I had to have it. Highly recommend.

As a cancer survivor, I continually try to find tasty yet healthy recipes. (Trying to keep those free radicals at bay) This cookbook fits the bill, as well as the recipes being quick and easy for the most part.

The book starts out with a brief section of instructions in case you aren't wholly experienced with home cooking. This includes planning ahead tips, grocery shopping tips, kitchen equipment you should have, how to approach your cooking, and even food safety concerns. Since there are plenty of inexperienced cooks who might be tempted to pick up a book of quick, healthy meals, this is a handy set of things to include.

Recipe chapters include dinner salads; soups & stews; vegetarian fare; chicken, duck & turkey; fish & seafood; beef, pork & lamb; sauces; sides; and yes, even desserts. There are also some notes on substitutions & equivalencies. There are multiple indexes: a comprehensive index as well as one of recipes that take only 20-30 minutes (most in this book take 45 or less) and one of family-friendly recipes.

I always have a hard time faulting EatingWell's other cookbooks for producing what I consider to be bland recipes, since there's a sizable audience for that kind of fare. However, I was incredibly relieved to find myself wholly enjoying the very flavorful recipes that we made from Healthy in a Hurry. There's a vegetarian chili that is surprisingly delicious, with a simple yet effective spice mix that adds a lot. Recipes range from the elegant (grilled lobster tails with nectarine-avocado salad) to the homey (chicken & white bean soup). These recipes make use of some wonderful international flavors to spice things up in recipes such as roast chicken dal and tandoori chicken with tomato-cucumber raita. The authors seem to have found a better balance between keeping the recipes simple (without using tons of ingredients most cooks might not have) while still interjecting flavor.

Many recipes include mouth-watering photos, and the recipe layout is clean, plain, and easy to make sense of.

I started reading the Sea of Time series after I read the later 'Change' first trilogy. I can tell Stirling's writing has improved between the two series.
But,back to Against the Tide of Years. Stirling's weakest points are his characters and his descriptions of the natural environment I generally skip the latter as they are nothing more than tedious enumerations. He could learn a lot from Poul Anderson's evocations, which are shorter, but brimming with atmosphere.
The characters, unfortunately, you cannot escape. Most are settled in their ways and reading Marion Alston's thoughts for the umpteenth time is not very entertaining.
Speaking of Marion, her love affair and relationship with Swindapa is very awkwardly presented. I'm not one to skip erotic passages, yet in this book I always felt embarrassed when the lights went out in the Commodore's cabin or her room. As a side note, Stirling's romance and sex presentation has improved a lot with 'Dies the Fire'. But there is still plenty of room for improvement.
I like the action sequences and the overall evolution of the plot. Also the realistic technological evolution, although I feel some more creative contraptions should have emerged from the Island's shops.
In this aspect, Leo Frankowski's 'Conrad Stargard' series shines in comparison. I'd rather lead the Christian Army rather than the Nantucket Marines any day :) Conrad started with nothing and built ...well, let's not spoil it for everyone.
And if we're comparing the two series, Leo's zany books offer a lot more humor, zany characters and sensuality. Too bad he started slipping after the fifth book in the Conrad series.
You got to hand it to Stirling. He's a lot more meticulous and thinks of the finished product versus going off on amusing, but sometimes failing, tangents, a la Frankowski.
Overall, I give the book a 3 out of 5 stars.
Pluses: scope, details and battles.
Minuses: characters and descriptions.

This novel, the second in Stirling's trilogy of modern Nantucket mysteriously sent back in time to the Bronze Age, continues the story begun in Island in the Sea of Time. As with the first book in the trilogy, this book is fantastic - with a few provisos.

The novel is set eight years after the Event that sent Nantucket three thousand years into the past. Over those eight years, Nantucket has become the Republic of Nantucket, with a democratic Council, Town Meeting, and a protectorate over Alba - the "White Isle", bronze age England. In the meantime, renegade Coast Guard officer William Walker has escaped to Greece with the help of his ally Isketerol of Tartessos, and built a tyranny based on modern technology in Agamemnon's Mycenae. Ultimately, both sides know that, in the long run, war is coming; the novel deals with the events that are leading to that ultimate conflict.

From the scenes of the Nantucketers building an alliance with Shuriash of Babylon, to images of explorers led by Peter Giernas crossing North America in the late Archaic period, to the land and sea battles in Africa and on Nantucket itself, Stirling again shows he can build an entire past world in satisfying, rich detail. However, master though he is, Stirling stumbles a bit in this second novel in a few ways that detract from the book.

First, as other reviewers have noted, there's the matter of times. Stirling tries to show, through flashbacks, what Walker has been doing through the time between the Event and the "current" events on Nantucket. Unfortunately, the dates he uses clash with the time frame set in the first novel, and don't always mesh with each other. A minor error, but crucial to the novel's plausibility.

Second, Stirling's characters tend towards being - all of them, even the villains - logical rationalists. The problem is that people rarely operate logically in the real world, and the people of the past would have relied far more on belief in magic and the supernatural than people of the modern day. While at least some of this is evident in the scenes from Babylon, particularly the revolt provoked by an unintentionally introduced smallpox epidemic, I'd like to have seen a bit more emotion from the principal characters, given the circumstances.

Third and last, the growth of Tartessos, the ally of Walker, as a "modern" power isn't fleshed out as well as it could be. The reader is presented with Isketerol as king, in a modernized Tartessos, at the novel's start; given that the first book ended with him transporting Walker from Alba as a fugitive, I found this "presentation" rushed and not as convincing as it should have been.

However, these bobbles are relatively minor in what is, on the whole, a worthy successor to the first novel in the trilogy. Against the Tide of Years is a great read, and leads well towards the final showdown.

A fun read for those who are interested in History of Civilization. It reminded me of the old Saturday Night Live skit, "What if Sparticus had an airplane". The writer obviously did his research, especially into indo-earopean languages.

This was entertaining, the research was extensive, the antagonists were exhausting and the protagonists were ethical to a fault (can ethics be a fault?). Like all second children this one had issues. There were lots of loose ends to be resolved in the next book, a "filler" feel to some of it as story lines were beefed up for the climax and that wonderful middle book introspection by the main characters as some of them got to take a breathe and consider their future. That said, there were some great battles, some exciting new plot lines and bunches and bunches of reasons to grab the next book and see what happens. My only suggestion... PROVIDE A MAP. Holy cow, we're all over the world here and I get confused easily.

As with the previous book in the series, intriguing and well written. A bit of a Return of the Jedi bit here- things don't finish in this novel (unlike the first one), and not everything is going well for the heroes at the end of the book. You have to have the 3rd in the trilogy at the ready. Stirling again makes you interested in the characters and their lives. He balances many different plotlines and characters very neatly. His research is precise and accurate. And he provides a lot of anthropology and cultural development- not just battles and action. I recommend this book for those who have started the series, for they won't be disappointed. I recommend this series for those who've not yet started it, as it is excellent alternative history.

Some minor drawbacks: the time schema confusing. At the beginning of every chapter are a number of dates, with months and years, some in parenthesis, and I couldn't really figure out what the author was trying to communicate with this. Also for some strange reason there's no Israel. Although history indicates at this time that Samuel is wandering around as a prophet (1200 BC), and the empire of David and Solomon have already occurred, for some reason Stirling has decided that Moses is just about now leaving Egypt. But since the entire Middle East is thrown into turmoil in this book, perhaps that whole event doesn't happen, including the Jewish nation, the oppression by the Romans, Jesus . . . And the book is less recommendable than it would be otherwise do to a number of rather strange, highly aberrant gratuitous sex scenes.