Customer Reviews:
Great Adventure.......2007-08-18
This is a great twist for Dragonmark and non Dragonmark races alike. The four pc's I am running through it are loving it. The new encounter system is great. You don't need to lug around all your monster books, it has everything you need to know in the book itself. From tactics to different scenarios, depending on what the pc's do. This adventure will easily take characters from 5th to 9th. Keeps the pc's rockin with little down time.
LENGTHY BUT VERY GOOD ADVENTURE.......2007-07-30
Eyes of the Lich Queen is a campaign/adventure book designed for the Eberron setting although with a little creativity and work, it can really be dropped into any fantasy campaign of your choosing if you do not play in Eberron. You'll require all of the standard books to play. The adventure is designed for four 5th level characters although five or six may be more reasonable. This is a good ol' fashioned quest adventure with the players seeking an artifact called The Dragon's Eye. The ancient artifact was created during the age of Demons and its said the Eye can give the holder total domination over dragons. The dragons are none to happy about someone finding the artifact that had been considered mere legend. They set out to find the Eye for safekeeping. Meanwhile, the lich queen Vol is dead set on finding the Eye for herself and has set her agents about finding the artifact.
The adventure is plated out over four parts and at 126 pages, is a fairly lengthy adventure, designed to take the player characters from 5th to 9th level by the time the campaign is finished. The journey will take the group over 5,000 miles in their travels although DM's are encouraged to give players a sense of the vast distances they are traveling without bogging them down with random encounters every step of the way. The designers are looking for an epic feel to their adventure, not a tedious one. The players will be drawn into their adventure with the promise of a great treasure, hired by a Silver Dragon named Sur'Kil, who will appear to them in the form of a middle-aged human.
The first target is the Temple of Kha'shazul, located in the jungles of Q'barra, and home to various tribes of Lizard Folk. Sur'Kil speaks only of ancient relics to be found within the temple but does not mention the Eye specifically. With the ancient temple is where the players will first hear mention of the Eye and, should they survive the temple, report their findings to Su'Kil. Sur'kil then sends the players on the path of another ancient artifact hunter who sought the Eye. Next up the players go island hopping, encounterin pirates, and eventually finding themselves at the prison fortress of Dreadhold, searching for an old gnome who has important symbols and notes tattooed into his skin that will lead the players to their next clue on the trail of the Dragon's Eye.
Like the other adventure books, Eyes of the Lich Queen presents the locations in full, and in brief overview, with the specifics of each encounter area coming after that. The thing I like most about the book is the sense of wonder and scope of the entire adventure. This isn't just a jungle crawl but a truly epic, world-spanning quest to exotic locations, cities, and yes, dungeon settings as well. There's also a strong sense of intrigue as well. The players are not only pitted against the creatures they encounter along the way, but also against the forces of the Lich Queen Vol and her deadly agents who believe the players may have already located the eye. Of course, it will take a deft DM to really bring this all home to the players and hopefully, yours is one!
There's a lot to do in Eyes of the Lich Queen and it need not be followed in linear fashion...again, a skilled DM can really make this a great time for the players. There are scores of maps in the book! I personally don't play Eberron, but as I said, it's no big deal to drop this into, say, a Forgotten Realms campaign or even one of your own designs. One Beef...I'd have liked to seen this at around $20 rather than $25.
REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON
Since this is soft bound.......2007-06-12
This is a well written adventure with some extremely good ideas on DMing and keeping the story moving. My only real problem with it is the price and the fact it is a soft bound book. If I wanted to overpay for something I would have bought this at a comic book shop.
Very good addition .......2007-06-08
This seems to be one in the latest trend of WoTC adventure products for its various gameworlds. Once again, this is a set of adventures that make up a mini-campaign taking the players through various levels. It uses the latest formatting design from WoTC. That is, having encounters in a separate area, at the end of the chapters, complete with maps. Honestly, it is confusing at first, having to jump back and forth between the non-combat description and the tactical scenarios. It takes maybe two sessions to get the hang of it, in my opinion.
The adventure itself is very intriguing to read, and hopefully this will translate to the gaming table. The encounters are challenging, and the authors seem to have made very tough, and memorable opponents instead of your basic cookie-cutter monsters. There are a few typos and omissions in the text, which unfortunately, bring a good quality product slightly down.
In summary though, well worth purchasing. Plenty of surprises for players, and so far, loads of fun to run.
Best Eberron published adventure.......2007-05-05
So far I would have to say that this is the best published Eberron adventure out there. The first adventure paths starting with Shadows of the Last War were adventures in railroading if you ask me. Eyes of the Lich Queen is much better as Nicolas Logue is at the helm. You might know him since he wrote some great adventures for Dungeon Magazine.
Average customer rating:
- Very disappointing...
- Jane Stanton Hitchcock fan!!
- A Page Turning Mystery...
- Don't believe all you see
- A Literary "Trick of the Eye"
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Trick of the Eye
Jane Hitchcock
Manufacturer: Miramax
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Social Crimes
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ONE DANGEROUS LADY
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ONE DANGEROUS LADY
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The Hamptons
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The Debutante Divorcee: A Novel
ASIN: 0786888474 |
Book Description
Faith Crowell, a trompe l'oeil artist, reluctantly puts her well-ordered, uneventful life aside to accept a prestigious commission painting a grand old ballroom on the estate of a legendary and reclusive society hostess. She expects only money and perhaps a little glamour, but what she discovers is terrifying. The ballroom was built for her employer's daughter who was brutally murdered years ago in a crime that was never solved. Faith gradually realizes that her own uncanny resemblance to the dead girl has more to do with her job than she ever could have imagined. This sophisticated, hugely entertaining nail-biter was nominated for both an Edgar Allan Poe Award and the Hammett Prize for Best First Novel of the Year when it was published in 1992. Now in print again, Trick of the Eye will fascinate suspense readers as well as Ms. Hitchcock's many fans.
Customer Reviews:
Very disappointing..........2007-03-21
Because I loved Social Crimes, I purchased this book and was looking forward to an excellent tale. Oh my! How disappointing. I figured out it was a "first book" right away, but even allowing for that, the dialogue was stilted, the characters were poorly developed, and the ending was awful. The unfortunate result was a terrible waste of paper which should have remained in the hard drive and spared all of us Jane Stanton Hitchcock fans! Thankfully, she improved immensely as a writer and I whole-heartedly recommend her subsequent books. Save your money and purchase one of those!
Jane Stanton Hitchcock fan!!.......2007-02-10
I bought this book because I loved Social Crimes so much. In fact that is my ultimate favorite book, and I've been reading since I was literally 4 years old. I also recommend One Dangerous Lady by the way. :) Anyway Trick of the Eye is a great book because nothing is predictable. I think Jane Stanton Hitchcock does a great job putting the reader in the shoes of the character. Some quality about her writing makes you feel that you are going through and feeling everything her character is. This book is not as good as Social Crimes or One Dangerous Lady, but I still highly recommend it. Worthwhile book!!
A Page Turning Mystery..........2007-01-08
I have to preface this 4-star review by saying two things. First, I would really give this book about 3.5 stars, were that an option. Second, if I hadn't read Hitchcock's Social Crimes before reading this book, I probably would have given it an even higher rating. Social Crimes was just such an amazing book that it made Trick of the Eye pale in comparison.
Trick of the Eye follows trompe l'oeil artist Faith Crowell as she embarks on the biggest assignment of her life: painting the interior of the ballroom that was built for the cotillion of a wealthy socialite's daughter Cassandra twenty years prior. Cassandra was murdered shortly after, and the murder remains unsolved.
Without giving away the plot, what was great about this novel was that the ever-changing personality of Frances, the wealthy socialite, and Faith's constant attempts to figure out what she was really supposed to do, kept the plot moving. It was definitely a page turner, with a lot of twists and surprises (especially the end) along the way.
However, Faith's character left a bit to be desired. She seemed almost passive-aggressive to me. At times she just longed to please, at others she was distant and remote. Sometimes her actions didn't make a lot of sense to me.
Overall, a great, page-turning read. If you haven't read any Jane Stanton Hitchcock before, I'd recommend starting with this one -- her first novel -- because it only gets better after this.
Don't believe all you see.......2006-10-23
This thriller held my attention, because there are so many twists and turns in it that occasionally, if your mind strays, you lose complete track of what's happening. There's a mystery of sorts to solve, and a plucky heroine who sets out to do just that. The characters are fully realized, but the reader doesn't know which ones are actually who or what they appear to be. I found the book quite satisfying, and the twist at the end came as somewhat of a shock. I recommend this book for good relaxing reading, but stay alert!
A Literary "Trick of the Eye".......2006-08-18
'Trick of the Eye' is a truly compelling book. It kept me up until 2am on a week night (I overslept and was late for work the next day!) so I could finish it and find out what would happen to its protagonist, Faith Crowell, and what secrets she would discover about her patron Frances Holt Griffin.
I happened to read 'Trick of the Eye' because I recently saw again the movie that was made out of it some years ago. Meg Tilly played the role of Faith and Ellen Burstyn played that of Frances. I've always found Meg Tilly fascinating (a combination of beauty, sexiness, sweetness, and mystery that is all-too-rare in Hollywood these days; the fact that she only made one more film after this before retiring is a great pity).
Anyway, I noticed that the movie was based on a novel, and I decided to read it. I thought that as a guy, I might find it to be too much an example of "chick lit." But it wasn't. It was an engrossing tale of psychological suspense, obsession, and art. It kept me guessing about the outcome to the very end. It is also a much better book than the movie, which benefited greatly from Tilly and Burstyn's performances but suffered from the plot being severely abridged).
'Trick of the Eye' is beautifully written in simple, clear, and evocative prose that sets mood and tone perfectly. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I think Faith is a sympathetic character. I also think that the charges of it not being realistic are specious. Is it unlikely that something like the story might unfold in real life? Yes, but sometimes fact is stranger than fiction (and one can only wonder if the author drew on experiences of her own or those of close friends to create the plot). And the story certainly does not suffer from the clich6s and stale chestnuts that mar most suspense fiction produced these days.
The narrative follows a "twisty" path where the reader is led to believe a succession of different answers to the riddle that Faith tries to unravel: who killed Cassandra Griffin, Frances' daughter, so long ago. Some readers might not like the final twist to the story that comes at the very end of the book, labeling it a cheat. But I did like it, and I think that was because I remembered the title 'Trick of the Eye' (which is the English translation of "trompe 'oeil," a style of painting that deceives the viewer into viewing something as real that is not). So I would say read the book, and remember as you approach the end that 'Trick of the Eye' is a literary version of a trompe l'oeil. Besides, as a reader, you're free to make your own conclusions about what the ending really meant, and I've decided that the final "trick" did not mean that all that preceded it was illusion.
Book Description
The Three Investigators must solve an old man's riddle to uncover a great fortune for their friend, Gus. But they're racing against a sinister bunch of treasure hunters who are also hot on the trail. Who will arrive first at the mysterious Fiery Eye?
Customer Reviews:
The Eye Is Fiery!.......2006-11-13
This book is the seventh in the Three Investigator series. "The Secret of Skeleton Island" precedes this book, and "The Mystery of the Silver Spider" follows. As we learned in previous books, The Three Investigators are Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw and Bob Andrews. Jupiter is the intelligent, sometimes inadvertently arrogant member of the group. Pete Crenshaw is typically the muscle of the group. Pete is usually quite fearless. Bob Andrews works at the library and handles records and research for the group.
This mystery finds the boys in difficulty. In the first mystery in this series, "The Secret of Terror Castle," Jupiter Jones had won the use of a gold-colored Rolls Royce for thirty days of twenty-four hour each. Unfortunately, thirty days has passed. Jupiter manages to convince the owner of the rental company to allow the use of the Rolls twice more, but the loss of the Rolls will be a serious blow to the aspirations of The Three Investigators.
The boys travel to the office of Mr. Alfred Hitchcock to meet August August. August's recently deceased uncle left August a valuable object, but to find the object August must solve a riddle. August enlists the aid of The Three Investigators. As we know from previous books in this series, The Three Investigators are quite good at unraveling mysteries and solving enigmas and thus their success rate has been absolute.
The boys believe they have solved the mystery early in the book when they learn that busts owned by August's uncle included a bust of the Roman emperor Augustus. However, Jupiter's Aunt has sold the busts and the boys have no clue as to the buyers or their addresses. Even Jupiter's superior intelligence is at a dead end. Eventually the busts are located, but finding the busts provides only more mysteries.
Unfortunately for The Three Investigators, two other groups also seem to be seeking the object August's uncle left behind, and these groups include men that appear to be coldly ruthless. The Three Investigators may, once again, be in danger for their lives!
I was a little disappointed with the previous book, "The Secret of Skeleton Island." That mystery was almost too simple and mundane for The Three Investigators. The Three Investigators almost solved that mystery accidentally. The danger was often accident related and perhaps a little bit of carelessness on the part of the boys rather than threats from enemies. However, this book came charging back with sinister enemies and a chilling curse on an exotic jewel. The mystery is nicely convoluted and layered and the boys solve one mystery only to find another. I also enjoyed this mystery because there were enough clues in the mystery for you to learn the hiding place of the Fiery Eye before The Three Investigators. This mystery is fun and fast paced!
Enjoy!
One Puzzler After Another.......2001-08-19
In yet another of a series of rip-roaring puzzlers from the mind of Robert Arthur, we now see Jupe and the Three Investigators triumph over a secretly coded message and a cast of assorted bad guys to solve yet another case. The puzzle of the coded message sent to August August (yes, that's his name) by his great-uncle proves to be even more perplexing than it at first appears. The boys seemingly solve the mystery several times, only to be rewarded each of those times with yet another clue to the location of that which they seek, namely a brilliant, long-lost, cursed ruby. Racing them to the prize are a mysterious man from India and a gang of rather foolish tough guys running around with fake black mustaches. I really admired how Arthur brought everything together at the end of the book, incorporating several small details I had dismissed as tangential at the beginning of the tale. As usual, you will find a chapter named "Trapped!" in the book, but, as is also quite usual, the boys find a way out of danger and prove that criminals are no match for the brains of Jupiter Jones and the steadfastness of his intrepid companions. This isn't quite as good as some of the earlier books in the series, but it is certainly an enjoyable story; also, it makes you think. Try putting the book down as you approach the final chapters, after all of the clues are known to you, and see if you can solve the mystery along with our heroes.
Turn back the clock........2001-08-05
I started reading the Three Investigators Mysteries back in the late 70's as a boy of ten. I believe that The Mystery of the Fiery Eye was the first and it hooked me in for many adventures to come. Now, as a man in his 30's, I am rediscovering just how wonderful these books really are. It is so refreshing to put aside adult matters for a few hours and return to a simpler time. I can't recommend this series highly enough to young and old alike.
Great reading.......1999-12-08
I was a fan of these characters growing up. I was always trying to find the next case that the boys would be solving. I am buying these books for my 9 year old son so that he can enjoy them as much as I did. They were even better than the Hardy Boys! (I will probably re-read them to share the fun with my son)
A mystery of a lifetime.......1999-05-30
The three investigators get a call from Hector Sebastian, but this time, they have problems finding the clues to solve the key to a treasure of a lifetime. Recommended for bored children! Stevie B.
Average customer rating:
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Social Crime/Trick of the Eye
Jane S. Hitchcock
Manufacturer: Little, Brown & Company
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Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: 1401362931 |
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- American Popular Music
- Very Thorough Undergraduate Text
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American Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MTV Text & Audio CDs
Larry Starr , and
Christopher Waterman
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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ASIN: 019510854X |
Book Description
The history of American popular music provides crucial insights into the establishment of a distinctively American culture. Authors Larry Starr and Christopher Waterman examine popular music in the United States from its beginnings to the end of the 20th century, furthering our understanding of the relationship between music, culture, and social identity. Using well-chosen examples, insightful, up-to-date commentaries, and an engaging writing style, American Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MTV poses such questions as: Why do people make and listen to music? What do they want from it? What does it give them? Numerous listening examples (corresponding to the 2-CD package that accompanies the text) prompt readers to listen closely to popular music and to learn about its history and the people and institutions that have produced it. American Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MTV integrates detailed discussions of particular popular songs and recordings with a thoughtful consideration of the broader historical and cultural context. Other distinctive features include a rich illustration program, strong pedagogy including numerous boxed inserts, inclusion of earlier American popular music, and well-organized listening charts with lyrics. Themes such as the multicultural roots of popular styles, the development of musical technology, and the operations and strategies of the music industry unify the text. This book is an ideal text for courses in American Studies, Cultural Studies, Popular Culture, and Music. Its accessible style and warm tone will captivate students and other readers, encouraging them to become more critically aware listeners of popular music.
Customer Reviews:
American Popular Music.......2005-08-04
American Popular Music is a book that is easy to read and is very useful when wanting to learn more about Music History. I would recommend this book for people who would like to brush up on their music skills and who want to learn more about different music that has developed over the years.
Very Thorough Undergraduate Text.......2005-05-28
This book is designed to be an introductory college-level text for courses about Popular Music in America. It's good overall, but not great.
The book begins with the initial "split" in America between "Classical" and "Popular" music in the nineteenth century, with minstrel shows and brass band music. The following chapters cover social dance and jazz, Tin Pan Alley, "race" records and "hillbilly" music, swing, postwar era music, Rock `n' Roll, the British Invasion, the 1960s, the 1970s, outside influences on 70s music (reggae, punk, funk, progressive country, etc.), the 1980s and MTV, and the rise of "alternative" music.
There are some great aspects about this textbook. First the prose is well-written, informative, entertaining, and thorough from a social/cultural standpoint. The book does not make any significant omissions, which is not easy considering all the subject matter which must be covered. Also, with two CDs included with the book price, the textbook does provide a good value. This is a nice feature.
I was able to find some serious drawbacks to the book, however. The book seems to focus more on the cultural aspects and less on the musical aspects of each section. The analyses of the musical tracks on the included CDs are too fluffy. It is likely that students will not get enough from the book to understand why the music is so special. Also, while 2 CDs may seem like a lot of music, it is really inadequate to chronicle the history of jazz, blues, musical theater, rock `n' roll, alternative rock, and so on.
There was one minor aspect of the book which also cropped up repeatedly. The authors seemed a little too eager to inject race into every nook and cranny. Obviously, racism is a central issue American popular music and deserves a healthy focus. The book, however, includes racism related not just to singers and performers, but record companies, disc jockeys, and more. I found it extraneous in some parts.
This textbook is very strong, but I would probably recommend And the Beat Goes On by Michael Campbell. With that series, one can order a 5-CD set, and the textbook, while shorter, has more in-depth musical analysis. This textbook is very close in quality overall, and is more up-to-date.
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