The Millennium Girl

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sharp and ironic, a great story

NYC man

Explore the life of a "Gold Digger"

The Millennium Girl is fresh, funny, & original.

Fun, a little long and sometimes unfocused

The Millennium Girl
Coerte V. W. Felske , and Coerte V.W. Felski
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Shallow Man, The

ASIN: 0312976976

Book Description

THE MILLENNIUM GIRL is a knockout.From her chestnut hair (color often subject to change) to her jade-green eyes to her deep-red lips to her stunner bod,she's got a package that stops limos.THE MILLENNIUM GIRL vacations in all the right places: Winter in St. Bart's and Palm Beach, Spring in French hot-spots like Paris and Cannes, Summer in the Hamptons, New Year's in Aspen.THE MILLENNIUM GIRL knows that to score big, you've got to land a Walletman-he has to be rich, generous and stylish.Sexy wouldn't hurt either. But love-that's not necessarily part of the equation.THE MILLENNIUM GIRL is running out of time.Her "Ten Year Window" is about to slam shut.She's got to find a guy to take care of her-and find him fast.But on her champagne-fueled quest, there's one person she forgot about- herself-and one thing she never counted on....falling in love.AUTHORBIO: COERTE V.W. FELSKE lives in SoHo and Montauk, Long Island.His first two novels, The Shallow Man and Word, are in production at New Line Cinema.You can visit his website at www.forwhat.com.

Customer Reviews:

sharp and ironic, a great story.......2007-02-24

There is a small group of women in the world, especially in fashionable big cities, who spend their 20's looking hot and finding generous, and wealthy men to take care of them. The Millennium Girl is about these women, who have a very short time period, or shelf life, to either make a ton of money off of their prey - I mean, men - or to find one who will marry them and keep them in their luxurious lifestyle forever.

It's ironic, it's poignant, and it talks about the fears that all of us have - women and men - about growing old alone, being taken care of, being able to take care of ourselves, standing on our own two feet, and in the end, finding out who we are, regardless of where we come from, and creating a life that reflects that.

I loved it. Well written, emotional, and it stayed with you. Definitely a really good read. If you were into this, you might want to check out Arthur Neresian's books too, for commentary on navigating life in NY.

NYC man.......2004-04-23

The very dapper Coerte V. W. Felske lives in New York City. He is the author of three novels: The Shallow Man, Word, and now, Millennium Girl. There has been no shortage of controversy surrounding the publication of his work, since Felske writes about subjects that are upsetting or morally objectionable. His first amusing novel, The Shallow Man, was about a man, Nick Laws, who was obsessed with models, and gave us the term "Modelizer." Right away, Felske's work seems destined to be filmed like authors like Nick Hornby and Chuck Palaniuk, who I think he somewhat resembles if any. His novels were a pleasant shock to me when I read them years ago. Felske was also good at coining terms and creating comic situations. He took his sharp observational skills and turned the focus on Hollywood and its hangers on, in his second novel, Word. Heyward Hoon is an unsuccessful screenwriter who gets hired by a producer to procure some women. Again, this wild and humorous look at what it takes to make it in movies is given the Felske touch. Both novels are now being made into films. His new novel, Millennium Girl, is mostly about gold diggers, and women who travel around the world in search of wealthy businessmen. Bodicea is a girl from a small town who is just about at the end of her window of opportunity, her twenties, and is desperate to marry a "walletman" before she turns thirty. Poignantly, Felske shows us a glimpse of this jetset world where people like to mix love and money. I talked to Coerte Felske recently in a cafe in Soho, where we talked about the entire buzz around his work.

AL: There is a certain sensationalism about your work. Are you ever worried that there isn't enough literary content?

CF: I think my books are, for the modern age, as literary as it gets. You can talk about the masters of old: I would guarantee that Doestoevsky or Fitzgerald, or anyone like that, wouldn't be writing like they did back then right now. It's much more of "sound bite-y" world. I don't think that I'm trying to adapt a style for that world, but I'm a product of it. There's so much more information being thrown at us. I wouldn't discount my books as being non-literary. If you look at today's writers, can you find someone who's delivering page for page the way I am? It's hard to find.

Explore the life of a "Gold Digger".......2003-07-02

The Rules meets The Happy Hooker is how I would describe this book.

The Millennium Girl offers insight into the underground world of Gold Diggers, how to meet and please a "Walletman", the cities needed to Tour to meet the rich and become a kept woman.

Bodecia aka Bo comes from meager beginnings in Cleveland, OH. The classic low self esteem issue resulting from an absent father and bad experiences with boys during her teenage years results in Bo becomming a "working girl" for survival. She goes to all the best parties, wears the best clothes and stays in the best hotels.

The Millenium Girl will explain the difference between a Hooker and a Gold Digger. The author, Coerte VW Felske (surprisingly is a male) investigated this phenomenom in depth which will shock you.

Bo decides that she wants to find love, but is uncertain if she can leave her past behind.

The Millennium Girl is fresh, funny, & original........2002-05-02

Golddigging Bodicea Lashley tells her story of living off of men's favors and shares her hard and fast rules for golddigging. She has defined an age window of between 20-30 years old to secure her future and land a man with big "bank."
Of particular fun are the Indian-American monikers Bodacia coins for the other golddiggers: Travels With Men; No Deposit, No Return; Operation: I Do; and Every Little Bit Helps. I enjoyed the smart relationship between Bodicea and her best friend Napoleon.
The tight plot for Millennium Girl gets an extra big thanks for not being predictable; Bodicea's ultimate fate is anybody's guess. Will she land her Walletman or overplay her hand? Felske does not tip us off.
Bodicea jumps off the page as one of the strongest and most sure-footed heroines I have seen in a long while. Felske creates a heroine with formidable savvy and wit. I was amazed at how well Felske channels the voice and perspective of a twenty-seven year old woman. Wow. I thought that the human interactions played out realistically...except for Bo's relationship with her sister and with Jasper at the end of the story.
I was going to give this story four stars: even though this book has a strong showing the ending is uneven and bumpy. But on reflection, Bodicea's luminescent hotel harangue puts this story over the top for me. There are moments of sheer brilliance in this story-- I look forward to reading Coerte Felske's backlist. I recently read Franzen's The Corrections. In comparison, The Millennium Girl came off as just more effortlessly brilliant to me and with better pacing.
This novel is similar to Jay McInerney's '80s timepiece Story of My Life. If you like one you'll enjoy the other.

Fun, a little long and sometimes unfocused.......2001-11-24

The narrator is well-developed, although some of her motivations, e.g. w.r.t. her niece and Brunei, were weak. Sometimes the characters lectured, seeming to show only the depth of research the author did on his subject, not anything necessary to further the plot. Also, although the story was told in the first person, it was like she was flesh and everyone else cardboard. Everyone spoke like a preacher, albeit an unorthodox one, and some dialogue went on forever. I do wish the story would have been shorter. And yes, it did seem like considering she had "grown up fast," she should have wised up more quickly. With these problems, you might think I would give it fewer stars, but I have to say this about this book - I got through it.

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Girls of the Millennium
South Beach Productions
Manufacturer: South Beach Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Calendar
ASIN: 0967011000

Book Description

The ultimate Millennium Calendar featuring 16 breathtaking models shot in exotic tropical locations throughout the world. Some of the hottest models including 6 Playboy Centerfolds hold you captive while posing in sexy colorful swimsuits.

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The Millennium Girl
Coerte V. W. Felske
Manufacturer: St Martins Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NJGRSW

Average customer rating:

Poignant and Refreshing !
Go Girl !!!!
YAYAMANDAYAYAMANDAYAYAMANDA
Amazing writing for a 13 year old!

Millennium Girl
Amanda C. Thompson
Manufacturer: 1st Books Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 141076446X

Customer Reviews:

Poignant and Refreshing !.......2003-10-08

This is a humorous and insightful look into the life of teen-age girls! The author is a teen-ager herself and captures the essence of school cliques bullies and teen-age crushes. It goes even further by delving into the emotions and worries of life and includes thoughts on finding your true self. A great book!

Go Girl !!!!.......2003-09-24

This book is definitly a reader for the young pre-teen to the older teenager. It was refreshing and touching all in one. If we could of all had friends like Carolyn. Your an inspiration, Amanda! Always remember, Reach For The Stars...
Love,
Aunt C.

YAYAMANDAYAYAMANDAYAYAMANDA.......2003-09-23

Amanda is my idol. She published a book before me! She's my friend! We were both writing stories and then we got busy with our own lives and then I see this thing in the paper that says AMANDA WROTE A BOOK! and I'm like YAY AMANDA! So I call! Obviously, I haven't finished the book yet, but... um.... When I'm done, I'll write a real review! YAY AMANDA!!!
- Chris, the Squirrel

Amazing writing for a 13 year old!.......2003-09-16

This is a great story with humor and insight into a preteen to teenagers life. I found it both funny and touching and it kept me interested throughout the whole story . I find it amazing that it was written by a 13 year old. A great inspiration to other writers of a young age! I hope to see more of Amanda C. Thompson.

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Millennium Girls
Sherrie A. Inness
Manufacturer: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Accessories:

ASIN: 0847691365

Book Description

Riding the wave of a booming girl culture worldwide, this collection of girls' voices across the globe invites us to learn more about their varied girlhoods. From coming-of-age rituals in South Africa to the impact of computers and popular magazines on gi

Superstars Of Womens Tennis (Women Athletes of the New Millennium)

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Superstars Of Womens Tennis (Women Athletes of the New Millennium)
Ellen Miles
Manufacturer: Aladdin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Girls in Sports | School & Sports | Teens | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0689839596

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20th Century Masters-Millennium Colle
Mary Jane Girls Cd440 0143572
Manufacturer: UNIVERSAL RECORDS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 6306475877

The Princess: How Daddy's Little Girl Can Survive and Thrive in the Machiavellian New Millennium

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The Princess: How Daddy's Little Girl Can Survive and Thrive in the Machiavellian New Millennium
Robert Franklin
Manufacturer: Writers Club Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0595127452

Book Description

The Princess is a hard-hitting New Millennium guide for women.

Book Description

Death to the Children of Bhaal!

On the run and hunted by everyone in Faerûn, Bhaal’s offspring are being wiped out. Instead of ridding the land of evil, each kill gives more power to a vicious group of Bhaalspawn intent on returning their father to the world.

Follow the ultimate battle of the children of Bhaal in this thrilling novel based on the computer game from BioWare and Interplay!

Customer Reviews:

"Based on the best-selling computer game from Interplay" .......2007-07-07

It's a good thing this warning was placed on the FRONT COVER of all three books in this series, lest one gets the impression that the books should include everything found within Baldur's Gate, which by the way has to be one of the BEST computer RPG games of all time (along with Planescape: Torment)!
The book picks up from where Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn left off with Abdel and his efforts to break free from being a pawn in others' schemes. His quest takes him from the land of Tethyr to the border with Calimshan, to the Outer Plane of the Abyss and back.
The book starts off incredibly well, immediately catching the reader's interest and attention. The plot as a whole is excellent! The book is so incredibly well written and presented that the reader feels that they have been transported to another plane of existence and are actually present among the characters, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, sensing what they sense.
Drew Karpyshyn has done a FANTASTIC job of acquiring and presenting, efficiently and successfully, essential knowledge relevant to Faerun, including customs, religion and the history of the peoples of Toril. His solid grasp of factual detail makes him capable of providing the necessary background needed to carry out the difficult task of writing Forgotten Realms novels, which is something often missing from the work of many Fantasy authors. Consequently, from the moment you pick up the book you have trouble putting it down and if that is not a clear sign of a fantastic writer/author, I don't know what is!
The detailed description of warfare and the Tethyrian city of Saradush under siege, in chapter 11, was simply breathtaking.
Chapter 5 is a great source of information on the history of Toril (Forgotten Realms) regarding the fate of Bhaal's faithful after the Time of Troubles (described in the Avatar Trilogy).
Moreover, similarly to Steven Pressfield's extraordinary best-selling novel Gates of Fire (1998), Drew Karpyshyn too provides detailed, realistic and mature descriptions of bloodshed: e.g. on page 202 "Images of violence and unbridled savagery filled his mind. He envisioned himself ripping the thin elf limb from limb. He imagined his sword splitting her skull and spraying gray matter across the thick trunks of the nearby trees. He fantasized about slicing open her stomach and watching her clutch feebly at her guts as they spilled out and onto the forest underbrush."
On pages 177-185 and 213-219 respectively, the author provides two more exceptional descriptions that help teleport the reader to the world of Dungeons and Dragons: the first describes a dark elf assassin "on the job," while the second provides a detailed imagery of a monk's martial arts (and their effects) in action.
On pages 235-237 the author provides exceptional descriptions of the home of the dreaded Tanar'ri... the Abyss!
In addition, evil characters are very well portrayed throughout the book such as that of Illasera in chapter 2 and Bhaal's Anointed in chapter 21.
Dark Elves, Dragons, and factions like the Five and the Harpers (Jaheira) have been presented very well.
The story, the dialogues, and the small details are all wonderful and create a strong sense of mystery and anticipation.
Love, intrigue, betrayal, and swordfights are all about.
In short, the Baldur's Gate trilogy, Baldur's Gate: A Novelization, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, and Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal is well worth your while!

PS One should seriously start thinking about making some movies here...

Terrific theme -- amateurish writing -- BAD editing.......2005-07-12

This novel is the third in a trilogy based (loosely some say!) on the Balder's Gate computer games. The plot is: the god Bhaal, of the Forgotten Realms D&D game setting, the deity of murder, spawned hundreds of children of various species (polymorphing himself as necessary) before he was killed; a decade on, they are now adults and adolescents and his former high priestess, the Chosen of Bhaal, has gathered together five of the most powerful "Bhaalspawn" ("the Five") in a plot to slaughter all of the others, releasing what fragments of "the essence of Bhaal" were contained within them. The Chosen's goal is the rebirth of Bhaal from the re-asssembled bits o' Bhaal. The goal of the Five is to suck up Bhaal essence from their half-sibs and become super-villains.

The novel opens with Bhaalspawn Abdel Adrian, around whom the trilogy revolves, travelling through a forest with his half-sister (from whom he sucked out the Bhaal juice in one of the earlier books) and his lover WHO IS A BEAUTIFUL HALF-ELF. We know that she is a HALF-ELF and BEAUTIFUL because author Karpyshyn *tells us* that she is -- often. Abdel Adrian is BIG AND STRONG AND MUSCULAR; we know this because author Karpyshyn tells us that he is every second page or so. He is also INVULNERABLE TO MELEE ATTACKS; we know this because Karpyshyn tells us ... constantly, apparently believing that anyone who would read this book must be doing so only because it is named after a video game and must therefore suffer from such severe Attention Defecit Disorder that if something is not repeated at least twice in every three pages the reader will forget it. Did I mention that Abdel Is BIG AND STRONG AND MUSCULAR? Because he is. And his girlfriend is a BEAUTIFUL HALF-ELF. Who loves him despite his being a Bhaalspawn and prone to suddenly turning into a four-armed bug which is twelve feet tall and prone to quoting Kafka. The bug, called The Ravager, is BIG AND STRONG AND MUSCULAR and delights in slaughter, which is awkward for Abdel's half-sister and his girlfriend (who is a BEUTIFUL HALF-ELF, by the way).

BIG, STRONG, MUSCULAR Abdel, his half-sister and Abdel's BEAUTIFUL HALF-ELF girlfriend are attacked by one of the Five, who is killed within four pages, so don't worry about her name. She uses rune-inscribed arrows to shoot Abdel's BIG, MUSCULAR, STRONG body, causing wounds which don't heal. This surprises him, because his body HEALS ITS OWN DAMAGE (we know this because Karpyshyn tells us at least four times in every single chapter). Surprised that the arrows prevent his BIG, STRONG, MUSCULAR BODY from HEALING ITS OWN DAMAGE, Abdel goes to some nether plane and there meets his dead half-brother -- another Bhaalspawn, whom he had killed in Book 1 or 2 -- and lets him have some Bhaal juice, which makes him come back to life. This half-brother, Sarevok, is an essential character because Abdel is as stupid as a brick and couldn't figure out that when you are in a nether plane in which *nothing* exists except for five doors hanging in mid-nothingness, the way to get home is to click your heels and say ... I mean, the way to get home is to OPEN A FRIGGIN' DOOR WHICH HAS YOUR HOME ON THE OTHER SIDE AND STEP THROUGH. Sarevok, who wears BLADED ARMOR -- which has BLADES on it, don't forget, because those BLADES will be important later on! -- tells his BIG, STRONG, MUSCULAR half-brother to open the door which has the big neon sign reading "THIS WAY TO THE FOREST WHERE YOUR HALF-SISTER AND BEUATIFUL HALF-ELF GIRLFRIEND ARE LOOKING FOR YOU," and there is the forest where his half-sister and BEAUTIFUL HALF-ELF girlfriend are wondering where his BIG, STRONG, MUSCULAR BODY (which HEALS ITS OWN DAMAGE, remember) has got to! What a surprise! (Bet you didn't see *that one* coming from five pages earlier!) The four of them then go to Saradush, where lots of Bhaalspawn are gathered.

Saradush is under siege, but they manage to walk through a sewer outflow and enter the city. The sewer is large enough for Sarevok, who wears BLADED ARMOR and Abdel, who is BIG AND STRONG AND MUSCULAR (and seven feet tall, by the way) to walk through with no problem. Twenty thousand besieging soldiers failed to notice this open grate in the wall at any time in the past six months, presumably because Karpyshyn didn't write up a neon sign for it, saying, "THIS WAY TO THE SECRET ENTRANCE!!! BHAALSPAWN! BHAALSPAWN! BHAALSPAWN!"

Sarevok, in his BLADED ARMOR and Abdel, with his BIG, STRONG, MUSCULAR BODY, and their half-sister, and Abdel's girlfriend, the BEAUTIFUL HALF-ELF, are immediately caputured by the defenders, who seem to have forgotten that there was an eight-foot wide hole in the city wall, and blah, blah, blah, they meet Melisaan, who was the one who gathered hundreds of Bhaalspawn here "for their own safety." (If you haven't already figured out who the Chosen of Bhaal is by this point in the novel, don't worry, you're no more stupid than the characters.)

Abdel is sent out to fight the besieging general, who is EVEN MORE BIGGER AND STRONGERER AND MORE MUSCULARARERER THAN ABDEL and whose WOUNDS ALSO HEAL THEMSELVES. The latter surprises Abdel, who, being slightly more a dullard than George of the Jungle, was not quick to realize that a guy who is nine feet tall and EVEN MORE BIGGER AND STRONGERER AND MORE MUSCULARARERER THAN HE, and who goes half-naked into battle against a seven foot tall BIG AND STRONG AND MUSCULAR BHAALSPAWN who can turn into A FOUR ARMED, 12-FOOT TALL BUG could *also* HEAL HIS OWN WOUNDS -- doh! (Don't forget that Abdel's girlfriend is a BEAUTIFUL HALF-ELF -- not that it matters much at this point.)

Abdel wins. Did I mention that the enemy general, who was EVEN MORE BIGGER AND STRONGERER AND MORE MUSCULARARERER THAN ABDEL, had a rune-inscribed axe, too? This surprises Abdel. It surprises him so much that he leaves it lying on the ground and walks away from it despite the fact that many bad things still exist in the world and want to kill him and his half-sister and kill (re-kill?) his half-brother (who wears BLADED ARMOR, don't forget), and these rune-weapons are the only things which can wound BIG AND STRONG AND MUSCULAR BHAALSPAWN who HEAL THEIR OWN WOUNDS.

Then ... oh, God. Why bother telling more? There are dragons, who seem to exist only to be killed for experience points, being invulnerable before twenty thousand soldiers but dropping life gnats when fighting twelve-on-one against some schmuck in BLADED ARMOR who has no weapon but his BLADED ARMOR, and there are still more of the Five (three more, in fact!), and a mysterious monastery with a bad abbot and blah, blah, blah.

This book reads like a first draft penned by a bright twelve-year-old -- someone who can put together a good story but who does not yet know how to write it well. When a writer with a good story and an execrable writing style submits material to a publisher, it is the responsibility of an editor to either fix the problems or else send the manuscript back to the author and tell him to rewrite it and keep rewriting until people like me won't be tempted to write reviews like this. Obviously no one at Wizards of the Coast bothered to do this. No *competent* editor would have allowed such sloppy, amateurish writing as this to hit the stands. Those who have played the game have complained here about the book failing to mention huge amounts of the material which is covered by the game. Had the book an editor who was even passably competent, at least one-eighth of it (which consisted of telling us that Abdel was BIG AND STRONG, etc., that his girlfriend was a BEAUTIFUL HALF-ELF, that his brother wore BLADED ARMORER, etc.) could have been cut and replaced with new information. That this was not done is entirely the fault of The slap-dash editorial policy of Wizards of the Coast, whose parent company, Hasbro, apparently thinks that, "If you publish it, they will buy it." Not this dreck!

What is most galling about this lousy writing and editing is that there *is* an exciting, ripping yarn to be told about this chapter of Faerun's recent history. Except for Gregor Samsa -- er, Abdel Adrian --turning into a twelve foot bug just before the end, the last couple of chapters in this novel are very good (albeit somewhat flawed), and *I* honestly did not know who would win in the end. One character makes a surprising revelation which elicits a major shift in sympathy from one character to another and leaves Bhaal's plan to be reborn through his children in doubt -- up until the last couple of pages the outcome is uncertain, and not in a phoney, mock-suspense way, either -- there really is no certainty of who will win in the last two chapters.

This uncertainty is dashed by the most obnoxious character in the entire book, an angel (for want of a term recognizable to non-gamers) who works for Ao, the Overpower, who gives marching orders to the gods. I know that this is what Ao does because I have read many other Forgotten Realms books. Karpyshan seems not to have known or cared who Ao is; he sticks this angel in the book *only* to pull off an _angelus_ _ex_ _machina_, thwarting the high level of suspense created just before the end and forcing it into the result that 99.99% of readers will have expected just from reading the blurb on the back cover.

The angel (who wears a robe of black with a psychedelic star pattern, which I interpreted as indicating that this creature *was* Ao until events proved otherwise), constantly prattles about what is permitted and not permitted, and then proceeds to do what is not permitted. Ao, mind you, threw every god but one out of heaven because a few of them cheesed him off. We are to believe that he is going to let a mere angel disobey orders and alter the theological history of Faerun forever? I don't think so! A competent editor would have cut that thing from the book and told Karpyshyn to figure out some other way for Abdel to move around and know what he knows. This book did not have a competent editor.

(About the protagonist's name: I don't know who is to be blamed for the name "Abdel Adrian," but as anyone who is even slightly familiar with Arabic, or who has ever read a baby name book -- or the AD&D book "Arabian Adventures"! -- knows, "abd-el" means "servant of" and is meaningless on its own; it must be followed by another word/name to show of whom the person so designated is the servant. In this series the central character's name literally translates as "servant of Adrian" -- as roughly *one billion people* could have told anyone at Wizards who cared enough to ask. Every time I came across his stupid "name" I kept wondering: "Who's Adrian?" Every page of this book burns with the result of such sloppy editing.)

I give this book two stars because the sections about the essence of Bhaal being manipulated by the Chosen of Bhaal are interesting (to me), and the ending -- except for the damned angel -- was well-done. I have not read the first two books in the trilogy. If other readers are to be believed, they are far worse than this book!

Lackluster.......2005-06-24

One of the greatest things about the Baldur's Gate video games was that the player had options. You could tell Imoen to get lost, tell Jaheira to take a hike. Instead, you could chill out with Xzar and Monty. Or Viconia, Xan, Tiax, Korgan, Edwin - and even Edwina. Sadly, here that isn't so.

Like any mind-numbingly typical fantasy novel, this story follows the route of the good guys. It's boring. It's been done. It's been done a lot.

Abdel, son of the god Bhaal, is the hero here. In short, he's an orphan of great heritige. Typical. It can be interesting in the video game, but here it is just boring and trite. Abdel is simply not a good character.

The only thing that really saves this book is the revival of Sarevok, Abdel's brother. Now Sarevok is an interesting character and a real badass. Too bad he is only in a fraction of the book.

In the end, it is hard to fault Drew Karpyshyn for the downfalls of this story; it was already ruined by the writers of the previous two books. Drew does what he can, but it's not enough. This book is not recommended.

My thoughts........2005-01-18

I think the book speaks for itself, it's well writen, but the deaths of both Imoen and Jaheira are inecessary, and painful, not only to the character but to the reader, it makes no sens that once the character has nothing left to life for he would not chose to become a god, if even just to help those people who are hurt and wounded instead of returning to a life of nothingness. Jaheira's death most of all is extremely painful to all the readers, the writer had virtually no right to kill the character Philip Athans put so much work into from the begining of the series, they had the right to live happilly ever after. The book is good so far as pacing, language and events. But I SERIOUSLY call Drew Karpyshyn's morbid mentality to question.

Even a new author could not save this series.......2003-05-25

The novelization of the popular RP computer game Baldur's Gate is perhaps one of the worst series I have ever managed to read. The first two books of the series were written by Philip Athens. The intricate story line of the game itself as well as the many interesting characters that populate the game all went missing in Mr. Athens' books. I could find no redeeming value in the first two books. The main character was poorly conceived and never fleshed out. Subplots and any thoughts on what it means to be the child of a dead God are brushed aside without a second thought. Given the mangling of the story in the first two books one has to wonder if Mr. Athens even bothered to play the game itself before tossing off his forgettable stories.

Athens was thankfully replaced as author for the third book by Drew Karpyshyn. Sadly the destruction was so complete that there was little left to salvage. Mr. Karpyshyn's writing is several steps up from Athens. The problem of this third book is not the talents of Mr. Karpyshyn rather it is the horrible and incoherent mess of first two books of the series. The very fact that Mr. Karpyshyn could continue the story and bring the tale to its conclusion speaks very well of his talents.

It is very sad that it is only in the last half of the last book of the series that some of the themes of the game actually make an appearance. The nature of good and evil, the possibility of redemption finally get some thought put to them. The notion that what makes an individual a hero are not things one is born with but arise out of the choices we make. Unfortunately this attempt to redeem the series comes far to late.

Chose to play the game and don't bother with the books.

Average customer rating:

Lot's of Help

Versus Books should be ashamed.

don' buy at all

Less than Perfect Guide

Hints good for beginners, maps and lists good for experts.
Versus Books Official Baldurs Gate II: Throne of Bhaal Perfect Guide
Jason Brown , and Matthew Rorie
Manufacturer: Versus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Baldur's Gate II : Shadows of Amn

Baldur's Gate Official Strategy Guide (Bradygames Strategy Guides)

Baldur's Gate 2: Ultimate Collection (Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal)

Baldur's Gate : Tales of the Sword Coast Official Strategies & Secrets (Strategies and Secrets)

Icewind Dale Official Strategies & Secrets

ASIN: 0970646828

Book Description

BG II: Shadow of Amn has been the #1 selling PC strategy guide since its release in 2000. This new full color guide gives extreamly detailed maps, codes and the new levels of the expansion pack.

Customer Reviews:

Lot's of Help.......2005-10-07

This was an excellent help in the game I couldn't have continued without the book

Versus Books should be ashamed........2005-05-11

It's hard to believe that this rag is from the same company that gave us the excellent Final Fantasy 7 and Resident Evil 2 guides. Hard to believe but it's true. This guide fails and it fails miserably:
-A lot of the information is either wrong or misleading. For example he says that the Turn Undead ability is "weak". Wrong! At really high levels Turn Undead can kill a lich instantly making it one of the most useful skills in the game. He never explains how useful the Use Any Item skill can be, in fact he never offers any strategy with regard to this skill at all.
-The item list leaves out a lot of items and some of the descriptions for the items which he does list are wrong.
-The character profiles are a joke. Instead of showing you how to use every NPC most effectively he simply tells you to avoid certain NPCs altogether.
-The bestiary doesn't offer much helpful advice at all.
-The boss strategies are simply pathetic and probably the worst part of this guide. Often there is little to no strategy. He basically tells you "hit the boss a lot and it will die" not exactly like that but this is pretty much what his boss strategies amount to. The strategy for Demogorgon for example has wrong statistics and offers no advice other than "kill him as quickly as possible". Well duh, but how exactly am I supposed to do that if you don't even show me what strategy you used to defeat him. If I wanted trial and error I wouldn't have bought the guide.
Don't waste your money on this. There's an excellent guide on gamefaqs.com by Dan Simpson for BG2ToB and it's free.

don' buy at all.......2004-02-02

I've found this book to be ulest

Less than Perfect Guide.......2002-03-11

The Throne of Bhaal Strategy Guide copies the handy class kit tables and information pages from their Shadows of Amn guide. There's also a useful item list and section on spells and effects. I just wish they had actually finished the guide before getting it published. A number of sections are incomplete, such as the final confrontation with Demogorgon in Watcher's Keep and details on Yaga Shura's Lair. In fact the section on the fire giant's lair had identical text repeated a number of times and blank boxes where pictures should have been. Awful spelling (on every page!) and poor grammar made the whole thing smack of a 1st grader's first attempt at writing. I found this book pretty much a waste of money and used a much better strategy guide by another publisher.

Hints good for beginners, maps and lists good for experts........2002-01-16

Pay heed to the earlier reviewers when they say the hints in this guide are often poorly considered. When they say that an NPC, spell, or item is useless, take it with a hefty grain of salt. In fact, the more vehemently they trash something, the more you should suspect that they are completely wrong. there are also mistakes and omissions. I know far more about BG2 than the authors of this book ever will. That said, I use this book frequently when I play BG2 because of the maps and list of item locations. I do not recommend using it this way as a beginner, but if you've played through the game more than 3 times and you want to know more about it, this is a good way to start. Internet newsgroup archives and web walkthroughs are usually far more thorough sources of information, however.

Baldur s Gate II - Throne Of Bhaal (Game Manual)

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Baldur s Gate II - Throne Of Bhaal (Game Manual)
David Cook
Manufacturer: Interplay
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MPRRSQ

PR Newswire : Vivendi Universal Games Captures Prestigious Awards At D.I.C.E. Summit; Dark Age of Camelot, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal Receive Top Honors.

Average customer rating:

PR Newswire : Vivendi Universal Games Captures Prestigious Awards At D.I.C.E. Summit; Dark Age of Camelot, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal Receive Top Honors.

Manufacturer: PR Newswire Association LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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