The Corsair Years

Book Description

The F4U Corsair's combat career was longer than that of almost any other World War II fighter aircraft. Its success led to its service around the globe, and it was employed by the US Navy, British Fleet Air Arm and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. After the war, the Corsair also served with the French Navy, in various Latin American Air Forces, and with forces fighting in Korea. This book showcases seven separate Corsair variants modelled across 1/32, 1/48 and 1/72 scales. Among the aircraft featured are an F4U-1 Birdcage, an F4U-1A from VF-17 'Jolly Rogers', a Fleet Air Arm Corsair Mk.II, a Korean War F4U-4 and an F4U-7 French Corsair.

Customer Reviews:

Who is this for?????.......2005-11-29

Kudos to Osprey, first of all, for publishing this line of books. BUT...I question the choice of author on this one. I have purchased other books in this series, for example the F-4 Phantom II book, and have been fairly pleased. This one, though, is a book without a specific market. It's not for the newbie (that's for sure!!) although the pictures @ first glance would make you think it is. The author walks you through the process, but mentions things I've never heard of...often in passing or in a single sentence. I've been modeling for 10 years, and am befuddled by his references...and not just because some products aren't sold here in the states. Think about it: if I knew these advanced procedures and obscure products you mention in your book, why in the heck would I buy your book???!!!
I rate the title 3 stars because they do cover a variety of scales & brands, and the printing, & pictures are very good.

A Mediterranean Feast: The Story of the Birth of the Celebrated Cuisines of the Mediterranean from the Merchants of Venice to the Barbary Corsairs, with More than 500 Recipes

Average customer rating:

A Delightful Read
Outstanding
Definitely a Feast!!!!
Extremely Biased...
WONDERFUL BOOK FOR BEGINNERS AND PROFESSIONALS

A Mediterranean Feast: The Story of the Birth of the Celebrated Cuisines of the Mediterranean from the Merchants of Venice to the Barbary Corsairs, with More than 500 Recipes
Clifford A. Wright
Manufacturer: William Morrow Cookbooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Gastronomy | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

History | Gastronomy | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Food Science | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0688153054

Amazon.com

To answer the question, "What does Mediterranean mean and what is Mediterranean food" in The Mediterranean Feast, Clifford Wright delves into not merely history, but also agronomy, economics, geography, and more. He dedicates this monumental synthesis of the influences that eventually produced Mediterranean food as we know it to "the philosophers and the cooks." Fortunately, when it seems the intellectuals have taken over completely, one comes on Wright's lyrical description of eating a cassoulet, the golden-crusted, complex French bean stew, and other passages proving that Wright's intense quest for knowledge is based on a cook's culinary passion.

Illustrated with maps and brimming with more than 500 recipes, A Mediterranean Feast is Wright's way of leading the reader beyond the popular, romantic image of this region as an eternally bountiful land. He explains how the complex web of influences between the fall of the Roman Empire in the 6th century and the Age of Reason in the 17th century transformed the Mediterranean from a harsh place where poverty and famine made "dying of hunger ... a defining occurrence," to one we could romanticize, seeing it as ever lush with citrus, sun-ripe tomatoes, laden vines, exquisite cheeses, artisanal breads, and simple but well-fed folk. Those who rise to absorb the encyclopedic knowledge and engage with the ideas set forth in this dense work, such as the peasants' willingness to accept new, unfamiliar foods to relieve the boredom and scarcity of subsistence eating, will receive a profound education about Mediterranean life as it historically relates to food.

While A Mediterranean Feast feeds the mind, it also offers a wealth of authentic and intriguing dishes from the entire region, from France to Algeria and Spain to the Near East. Readers primarily interested in cooking can flip through this massive book, picking out remarkable recipes such as the pine nut omelet of southern France, Umm Ali, a creamy Egyptian pudding containing phyllo, nuts, coconut, and raisins, and Nohutlu Pilavi, the buttery Turkish pilaf of rice simmered with chickpeas. --Dana Jacobi

Book Description

A groundbreaking culinary work of extraordinary depth and scope that spans more than one thousand years of history, A Mediterranean Feast tells the sweeping story of the birth of the venerated and diverse cuisines of the Mediterranean. Author Clifford A. Wright weaves together historical and culinary strands from Moorish Spain to North Africa, from coastal France to the Balearic Islands, from Sicily and the kingdoms of Italy to Greece, the Balkan coast, Turkey, and the Near East.

The evolution of these cuisines is not simply the story of farming, herding, and fishing; rather, the story encompasses wars and plagues, political intrigue and pirates, the Silk Road and the discovery of the New World, the rise of capitalism and the birth of city-states, the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition, and the obsession with spices. The ebb and flow of empires, the movement of populations from country to city, and religion have all played a determining role in making each of these cuisines unique.

In A Mediterranean Feast, Wright also shows how the cuisines of the Mediterranean have been indelibly stamped with the uncompromising geography and climate of the area and a past marked by both unrelenting poverty and outrageous wealth. The book's more than five hundred contemporary recipes (which have been adapted for today's kitchen) are the end point of centuries of evolution and show the full range of culinary ingenuity and indulgence, from the peasant kitchen to the merchant pantry. They also illustrate the migration of local culinary predilections, tastes for food and methods of preparation carried from home to new lands and back by conquerors, seafarers, soldiers, merchants, and religious pilgrims.

A Mediterranean Feast includes fourteen original maps of the contemporary and historical Mediterranean, a guide to the Mediterranean pantry, food products resources, a complete bibliography, and a recipe and general index, in addition to a pronunciation key. An astonishing accomplishment of culinary and historical research and detective work in eight languages, A Mediterranean Feast is required--and intriguing--reading for any cook, armchair or otherwise.

Customer Reviews:

A Delightful Read.......2007-09-20

This is one of those cookbooks you buy for pleasure. Not to cook from, but to actually learn the background of what your cooking. While most cookbooks provide little anecdotes about their recipes, this one delves deeply into the history of the mediterranean and its cuisine. We learn how climate, religion and historical circumstances shaped the cuisine of the mediterranean as we know it today. We learn about the major role the islamic civilization played in the region and about the cultural exchanges between the Europeans and the Islamic empire. The recipes, all five hundred of them(!) while excellent (I tried a few) are really incidental and are included so that we get concrete examples of what Wright is talking about. Cooking the recipes and reading the book will give you a true sense of not only what the Mediterranean is like, but what the Mediterranean is.. A definate must read for any one who whats to understand the region

Outstanding.......2007-06-07

This is not your ordinary cookbook; the authors of the previous reviews who expect one should just go browse at Walmart. This is an incredibly detailed history of food that is entertaining and enlightening--I've read no other quite like it. Every recipe is extremely detailed and comes with its own background, and the history itself is fascinating.

The sheer amount of research that must have gone into this book is astonishing.

As a lover of history, the history of food, and food, and cooking, I found this to be definitely one of the culinary masterpieces of the genre. Bravo.

Definitely a Feast!!!!.......2006-08-03

If you like history and you like Mediteranean food, you will love this book! Very fascinating stuff....

Extremely Biased..........2005-08-13

I found this book exciting and interesting as far as the history of true Mediterranean Cuisine, but some of the statements of the author are quite opinionated, bold and brash (and couldn't necessarily be substantiated) and some extremely biased against Christianity. He is an Arab-studies scholar before this, and so it seems he finds time and again places where he can make digs on Christians of the past. I had a hard time getting past his little remarks to get to the real meat of his history.

As far as the recipes...they are a bit disappointing. Like the other reviewer, they are scattered throughout the book, seemingly without organization. While trying to write about true historical Mediterranean cuisine, he throws in modern recipes from friends at various spots....almost like an afterthought. There isn't much rhyme or reason to where or why recipes are in a certain section or chapter.

And it is very longwinded...

WONDERFUL BOOK FOR BEGINNERS AND PROFESSIONALS.......2004-02-21

This is a doctoral thesis and complete cookbook all in one. This was given to me as a gift and it is not only informative, but the recipes REALLY WORK. I have a lot of cookbooks, but I will never give this one up, ever. IT has hundreds of recipes with very simple ingredients. Even substitutions for ethnic seasonings is already provided in the book. It is healthy, tasteful, easy to cook and you dont need to be a genius to have wonderful meals with this one. EXCELLENT BOOK.

Bent Wings - F4U Corsair Action and Accidents

Average customer rating:

Get into the Cockpit with Fred
Bent Wings - F4UCorsair Action and Accidents
Fun Read

Bent Wings - F4U Corsair Action and Accidents
Fred Blechman
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0738803464

Book Description

You are in an F4U Corsair, turning toward the carrier and preparing all the controls for a night carrier landing. You are dive-bombing the Japanese battleship Yamato. You are in combat and watch your best friend get shot down

Customer Reviews:

Get into the Cockpit with Fred.......2001-01-10

Told as several short stories, Bent Wings is a collection of what would otherwise be a "Pilots' Hangar Talk," stories from one pilot to another. From the start, the author straps you in and puts you in control of his F4U Corsair. Soon, your at 30,000 feet flying among the rainbows.

Many of the stories are devoted to activities of young F4U Corsair pilots, with actual accident reports and photos of both good and bad landing. An F4U Corsair pilot himself, the author reflects his experience as an aviator in a smooth easy to read style that both pilots and land-lovers will enjoy.

If you've ever dreamed of what it would have been like to fly an F4U Corsair, read "Bent Wings."

Bent Wings - F4UCorsair Action and Accidents.......2000-02-29

I met my first Corsair in Ordnance School at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida, on my way to Pensacola and a career in Naval Aviation. In the early summer evenings, I would go down to the hanger and sit in the cockpit, dreaming of things to come. Circumstances got in the way, the career didn't work out, and I never got to fly a Corsair. But I did fly the T-28 Trojan -- better visibility, yet the same kind of attitude, throaty roaring sound, and serious torque problems. Even without this familiarity, Fred makes it possible to fly with him and the other contributors in a series of vignettes every bit as exciting as an action/adventure literary effort. You can see the animated activity of the flight deck, you can feel the newness of it to these fledgling pilots, you can feel the excitement and yes, the terror, the fear of error. And you can almost smell the hot engine oil and hear the thunder of thousands of horsepower unleashed in that huge radial engine. Be in the air at night, with the golden sun dropping into the ocean, the majesty and beauty bringing tears to your eyes, and then the sudden horror at the realization; you have to put this pig down on a matchbook! One can see why it is widely thought that Navy pilots are the finest trained in the world. It's also easy to understand Fred's dubious achievement of being America's honorary Japanese Ace in Corsairs, having downed five of the aircraft one way or another. Come fly with Fred, come fly, lets fly away!

Fun Read.......2000-01-19

I met Mr. Blechman at Chino Planes of Fame Corsair Demonstration Day and he enthusiastically signed his book for me! I could hardly wait to get home and read it and I was not let down. I have long been fascinated by the hog and the stories in his book helped me experience the art of flying the long nose bird vicariously. I finally have a good appreciation for just how difficult a machine it was to land aboard an air craft carrier. Well done Mr. Blechman.

Gunfire in Barbary: Admiral Lord Exmouth's battle with the Corsairs of Algiers in 1816 : the story of the suppression of white Christian slavery

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Gunfire in Barbary: Admiral Lord Exmouth's battle with the Corsairs of Algiers in 1816 : the story of the suppression of white Christian slavery
Roger Perkins
Manufacturer: K. Mason
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Algeria | Africa | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0859372715

The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf

Average customer rating:

Laffite
Very disapointed
Learn what the brothers Laffite had for breakfast
Grammatically Challenged History
A lively survey of the Lafite brothers' practices and controversial methods

The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf
William C. Davis
Manufacturer: Harcourt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

South | Regional U.S. | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Mexico | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 015100403X

Book Description

Jean and Pierre Laffite's lives were intertwined with the most colorful period in New Orleans' history, the era from just after the Louisiana Purchase through the War of 1812. Labeled as corsairs and buccaneers for methods that bordered on piracy, the brothers ran a privateering cooperative that provided contraband goods to a hungry market and made life hell for Spanish merchants on the Gulf. Later they became important members of a syndicate in New Orleans that included lawyers, bankers, merchants, and corrupt U.S. officials. But this allegiance didn't stop them from becoming paid Spanish spies, handing over information about the syndicate's plans and selling out their own associates.

In 1820 the Laffites disappeared into the fog of history from which they had emerged, but not before becoming folk heroes in French Louisiana and making their names synonymous with piracy and intrigue on the Gulf.

Customer Reviews:

Laffite.......2007-01-25

As a physician graduate of Tulane, a former Naval Officer, a sailor, and a resident of the area. I found this book to be a treasure of information. Mr. Davis has done a remarkable piece of research, and his work reads like a textbook , done as seriously as any textbook of Surgery,and should stand as a reference for those interested in the area, the time, and its violent,colorful history and future, which persists into our century. I have given copies to others who study the history of that period. I have walked all those roads he names, and Mr. Davis is historically accurate, in my opinion. Enjoy the details of Gulf life.
Fair winds and following seas to you, Mr. Davis.
"Local knowledge prevails".

Very disapointed.......2006-12-14

This book simply got too bogged down in details and was poorly written. It is a very interesting subject but I simply could not get into it the way it was organized and written. The book jumps around and does not go into much of the naval history of the importance of corsairs. Overall very disappointed from a book that should have been very interesting and exciting to study.

Learn what the brothers Laffite had for breakfast.......2006-03-14

In constructing a narrative a historian must choose the details
to leave in and which details can be included in a broader view
of the history. William Davis, the author of "The Pirates Laffite"
writes a history that is heavily slanted toward detail. Mr. Davis
has sifted through the available historical material to provide
an extremely detailed account of the lives of the brothers
Laffite. His picture of New Orleans and piracy in the
Caribbean is interesting, but his history of the Laffites moves
at a glacial pace. The details of their various smuggling and
piracy exploits in many cases could have been summarized to
produce a more readable book. After reading 150 pages or so
of the book, I gave up. There are just too many other engaging
books on my bookshelf waiting to be read.

Perhaps this account is written for specialists in the history
of the New Orleans region. For the non-specialist the book
seems to be mired in detail. Little in Mr. Davis' writing
pulls the reader in. Fortunately I purchased a used copy of
this book on Amazon so it was not too painful to add this book
to the library book sale donations pile.

Grammatically Challenged History.......2005-09-23

As all of the previous reviewers have said, this is a well researched book. The subject matter is almost intrinsically interesting - pirates, the history of a growing New Orleans, historical conflicts in Louisiana and the United States, et cettera. The book is well documented with careful footnotes, though at times (and especially at the outset) one is confronted with many uncertain but probable or possible pieces of history (perhaps this is to be expected, or at least understood as necessary, given the general lack of definitive or authoritative sources on the subject).

However, unlike other reviewers, I've found this text to be very poorly written and painful to read. The book is riddled with unclear and poorly written sentences ("Pierre Laffite probably visited there with his friends from earlier days when in New Orleans, though most likely he did not meet Marie Louise Villard there, but at one of Coquet's or Tessier's balls") and sentences in which the tense needlessly shifts from past to present and back again ("Pierre may not have entered into a formal placage arrangement with Marie Villard, for among other things he seems hardly able to afford the upkeep of a woman in New Orleans, but very soon she and Laffite began a relationship that would last for the next sixteen years"). Suffice it to say, Mr. Davis would have been well served by a better editor.

The history is engaging; the writing makes it painful.

A lively survey of the Lafite brothers' practices and controversial methods.......2005-08-08

Several new pirate coverage's are on the market this season; but none so extensive a coverage as William C. Davis' The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World Of The Corsairs Of The Gulf. Jean and Pierre Laffite's lives coincided with New Orleans' most colorful period in history, just after the War of 1812: they ran a privateering cooperative that provided banned goods to the market and their methods bordered on piracy. Author Davis' extensive history background lends to his scholarly yet lively survey of the Lafite brothers' practices and controversial methods.

A-7 Corsair II in Detail & Scale (Detail and Scale)

Average customer rating:

A-7 Corsair II in Detail & Scale (Detail and Scale)
Bert Kinzey
Manufacturer: Squadron/Signal Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0830685324

Average customer rating:

Corsair
Dudley Pope
Manufacturer: House of Stratus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0755104404

Book Description

In the 1660s Jamaica was an uneasy island, occupied by Spain but settled by the English and French. When Admiral of the Brethren, Ned Yorke, a brave, loyal Buccaneer, learns that Spain is mounting a Caribbean fleet perhaps to protect the treasures of Spanish ships, or carry an army to Jamaica he vows to find out the truth. Yorke's audacious attacks on Spanish camps reveal all the the Buccaneers must fight a bloody, desperate battle to try and hinder them.

U.S. Navy Carrier Fighters of WWII: F2A Buffalo; F4F Wildcat; F6F Hellcat; F4U Corsair; F8F Bearcat - Aerodata International (6204)

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U.S. Navy Carrier Fighters of WWII: F2A Buffalo; F4F Wildcat; F6F Hellcat; F4U Corsair; F8F Bearcat - Aerodata International (6204)
Aerodata International
Manufacturer: Squadron/Signal Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0897471946

Average customer rating:

Researching and Restoring a Classic Airplane

Corsair KD431: Time Capsule Fighter
David Morris
Manufacturer: Sutton Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 075094305X

Book Description

Would you 'restore' an expensive piece of antique furniture by stripping it down to the bare wood, and then re-coating it in a high-gloss polyurethane varnish? If you did, then at a stroke you've probably wiped its value from several thousand pounds down to a few hundred, and destroyed its original character. The same principle holds good for vintage aircraft restoration and preservation. At the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, is a rare Second World War Chance Vought Corsair fighter aircraft. To fully understand the aircraft and unravel the myths and truths surrounding KD431, an enormous research task lay ahead. Thousands of hours of painstaking detail work were required to achieve what initially looked like an impossible goal. The skill and patience of all those concerned was eventually rewarded, but not necessarily with the results expected or at times wished for. The end result was the revealing of what is probably the last truly original Corsair fighter left in existence and one of very few Second World War aircraft displayed in such original condition.

Customer Reviews:

Researching and Restoring a Classic Airplane.......2006-08-27

The Corsair was, of course, one of the classic aircraft of World War II. About 12,000 were built, about 50 survive. One of the survivors is KD431. This machine, located at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in England is the subject of this book.

Specifically, the book is on the restoration of KD431 to as near war time condition as possible. It is believed that this is the last remaining truly authentic, most complete and original example of a Corsair anywhere in the world. By original this means that it is in its original paint (now 62 years old), and it still has the original paper inspection tags, hand written notes and stensils.

This book is on the restoration of the aircraft, which in most cases meant removing the paint that had been subsequently applied and generally removing any modifications made subsequent to its manufacture. The book is supurbly illustrated with commentary by the author who is Curator of Aircraft at the museum. Fascinating Book!

Book Description

Dennis McKiernan's newest epic, Silver Wolf, Black Falcon, takes us back to Mithgar in a time of great peril--as an Elf and an Impossible Child try to save this ravaged land from a doom long ago prophesied....

Praise for Dennis McKiernan's novels:

"Engrossing...Fans of Tolkienesque fantasy...will enjoy this lavishly told quest."--Library Journal

"Provocative...appeals to lovers of classic fantasy--the audience for David Eddings and Terry Brooks."--Booklist

"Imaginative action...there are no lulls in McKiernan's story."--Columbus Dispatch

"McKiernan's narratives have heart and fire and drive. His images and characters bring the power of archetypes to his exciting adventure stories."--Katherine Kerr

"Once McKiernan's got you, he never lets you go."--Jennifer Roberson

Customer Reviews:

Slow but mostly solid.......2006-10-06

I am a huge fan of Dennis Mckiernan, warts and all. I enjoyed this book and even the quick ending but the first 3/4's were a little slow. Welcome but long drawn out character building and world traveling to get to where they needed to be. Key focus on two specific characters and almost no Warrow Arrow action left me a tad cold compared to the Iron Tower trilogy. Still, it was satisfying and left me with a little hankering for some more on the past of the Dragons & what they will do next as well as precisely what that whole segue of the armored warrows at the Iron Tower to retrieve something or other only to find that a great evils mask was missing. THen again since that great evil is "dead" I suppose that does not matter. Solid work but not great. All in all a good conclusion.

"Falcon" doesn't fly far enough.......2002-11-14

The grand finale of the Mithgar series is, unfortunately, anything but grand. "Silver Wolf, Black Falcon" opens with plenty of promise, but it gets bogged down in the continuing plotline, underdeveloped characters, and a lot of promising material that never really gets used.

Following up from "Eye of the Hunter," Elven Dara Riatha and Baeron shapeshifter Urus just had a baby -- Bair, the "Impossible Child" who will apparently save Mithgar someday. That, and his mix of Elven, demon, human and Mage blood will allow him to go to any of those planes of existance. Around the time Bair is born, another boy of destiny is born in the Eastern land of Jung -- a child cut from a dead woman, who has a massive dragon-shaped birthmark on his head and neck.

With the help of an evil yellow-eyed demonlike mage called Ydral, the child becomes a mighty Emperor. He also gains control of the Dragonstone, and so is able to command any dragons anywhere. Bair, meanwhile, is raised and tutored by Dwarves, Elves, and the elf mariner Aravan. Fulfilling a promise, he accompanies Aravan on a journey that takes them across Mithgar toward Jung -- and then to the other worlds of Neddra (evil things), Adonar (elves), and Vadaria (Mages). And they learn that the final battle between good and evil is beginning.

One of the frustrating things about this book is that it does have a lot of promise. But unfortunately it is too wrapped up in the prior books (for instance, will newbies to Mithgar know who the heck Danner Bramblethorn is?) and too desperate to tie up the loose ends to really utilize its plot. The first part of the book is word-for-word recap from "Eye of the Hunter," and the first third of the book is essentially buildup to a plateau. And as it struggles to bring it all to a climax, it drops quite a few of the threads it was supposed to deal with.

Bair is a typical perky perfect-kid hero with special powers that nobody talks to him about. One of the worst things about him is that he's underutilized: His power to go from one plane to another really doesn't accomplish anything, plotwise. In fact, Bair never really accomplishes much at all. Aravan tells Bair not to be an idiot, engages in philosophical banter, and mopes because he thinks his girlfriend is dead. The bad guys are casually ambitious and amoral -- while this might be fine for Ydral, but his self-important pre-history Chinese emperor is a conscienceless idiot with a very big mouth. The kid has no redeeming characteristics at all, and so it's hard to really see him as a person.

Descriptions are flatter than ever, since McKiernan takes readers for the first time to Neddra, Adonar and Vadaria -- all of which are indiscernable from parts of our own world. Why bother? On the other hand, he's becoming more enamored of blood, bile, gore, and especially intestines (I don't know why he keeps mentioning intestines) and any scene with a bit of grossness or violence can be counted on to have some spilled guts. There are, however, some genuinely chilling (and disgusting) scenes, like when Ydral does his necromancer thing on a flayed man; there are also some funny scenes, though sadly too few.

And fans of this series will probably like seeing characters from prior books like Loric, Alamar, Phais and Dalavar Wolfmage, and discussions of others like Tip, Beau, Thork, Elyn and Danner. The dialogue has gradually gotten better, but there are still some really dopey moments, such as the most hackneyed love proclaimation ever ("My heart was dead, but now it lives"?) and the laughable idea of the mightiest dragon crying like a baby. That, and the dialogue of the Warrows is now almost indistinguishable from that of the Elves.

"Silver Wolf, Black Falcon" rises a bit higher than most of McKiernan's books, but it is still too self-important and too unimaginative to be even good light fun.

A little slow for newbies to Mithgar.......2002-08-08

Very Tolkien like. Also very slow. The build up to where any part of the action takes place takes most of the book, which is surprising seeing as the first chapter is from a part that doesn't happen till 3/4 of the book. Why McKiernan decided to do that is beyond me. He only breaks the chronology of the book for that one chapter. The book is also called by the author the sequel to all the others so that may have been why I didn't get into it as much, not having read any of the other books. I give this book a C.

If only every author would end it so well.......2001-11-15

For a while Mr. Mckiernan's characters discussing right and wrong, and the philosophizing behind it grated on my nerves. But his characters remained consistent throughout the series, from the humble and virtually carbon-copied-from-Tolkien origins in the Iron Tower Trilogy, to complex and reader-testing writing style that Mr. Mckiernan first introduced in full with Dragonsdoom, and carried on through the rest of the novels of Mithgar. His stories were consistent, and they were not overly predictable, and he always had a story to tell. Silver Wolf, Black Falcon continued that tradition, and did it triumphantly. I was impressed by how consistently Mr. Mckiernan kept to form, and with how consistently he kept to details to which he kept refering. The only real weakness is that I had to refer to the map more often than I would like, but I have that problem with many authors, and this is a small point. Also, his maps, while never quite complete to my satisfaction, are consistent with each other. I have found many inconsistencies in the works of other authors, and I believe that they detract from the story;there's always that slight voice in the back of the mind saying "that's not right." The only real problem I have with this storyline is that there is an author-generated element that this is a proto-history of our world. That is Conanesque, and usually cheapens the quality of the fiction. It does not in this case. I will miss this universe, but if Mr. Mckiernan decides not to write any more Mithgar novels, he certainly is ending on a high note. The progression of the writing from first story to last(in order of publication)is a model for all authors-to-be.

Classic McKiernan.......2001-09-28

For those of you who love fantasy and science fiction, this is the book for you. I have been a fan of Dennis McKiernan's for several years, and was happy to discover this latest novel, which brings together most of the Mithgarian novels, was available in paperback. This is a classic story of good versus evil, and McKiernan weaves this tale with threads from most of his other novels, and brings the whole series to a conclusion that leaves the reader feeling as if he has seen a struggling world finally achieve the peace it has so ardently fought for.

Two Books -Voyage of the Fox Rider & Silver Wolf, Black Falcon

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Two Books -Voyage of the Fox Rider & Silver Wolf, Black Falcon
Dennis L. McKiernan
Manufacturer: ROC Frantasy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VUZQTY

Average customer rating:

Silver Wolf, Black Falcon

Manufacturer: Roc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HMCQUS

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