Includes from August 7, 2001 to December 31, 2002
Date Finished: ONGOING Title: Edgar Allan Poe's Complete Tales and Poems
Date Finished: December 30, 2002: Title: Temple of the Winds
Date Finished: December 18, 2002: Title: Dragon Issue 303
Date Finished: December 16, 2002: Title: Book of Vile Darkness
Date Finished: December 7, 2002: Title: Dungeon Issue 96
Date Finished: November 30, 2002: Title: Blood of the Fold
Date Finished: November 23, 2002: Title: Onimusha 2
Date Finished: November 16, 2002: Title: Warcraft 3
Date Finished: November 15, 2002: Title: Dragon Issue 302
Date Finished: November 13, 2002: Title: Stone of Tears
Date Finished: November 1, 2002: Title: Monster Manual II
Date Finished: November 1, 2002: Title: Dragon Issue 301
Date Finished: October 31, 2002: Title: NFL GameDay 2002
Date Finished: October 31, 2002: Title: Neverwinter Nights
Date Finished: October 22, 2002: Title: Tekken Tag
Date Finished: October 2, 2002: Title: RC Revenge Pro
Date Finished: October 1, 2002: Title: Dungeon Issue 95
Date Finished: September 30, 2002: Title: Epic Level Handbook
Date Finished: September 29, 2002: Title: Sea of Swords
Date Finished: September 13, 2002: Title: Dragon Issue 300
Date Finished: September 7, 2002: Title: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Date Finished: August 23, 2002: Title: Dragon Issue 299
Date Finished: August 21, 2002: Title: Wizard's First Rule
Date Finished: August 11, 2002: Title: Dragon Issue 298
Date Finished: August 11, 2002: Title: Dungeon Issue 94
Date Finished: July 26, 2002: Title: Faces of Evil: The Fiends
Date Finished: July 25, 2002: Title: The Vampire Lestat
Date Finished: June 18, 2002: Title: X-Men Mutant Academy 2
Date Finished: June 16, 2002: Title: Dragon Issue 297
Date Finished: June 16, 2002: Title: Dungeon Issue 93
Date Finished: June 15, 2002: Title: Meaning of Life
Date Finished: May 24, 2002: Title: Soul Reaver II
Date Finished: May 19, 2002: Title: Dragon Issue 296
Date Finished: May 14, 2002: Title: Interview with the Vampire
Date Finished: April 18, 2002: Title: Dragon Issue 295
Date Finished: April 17, 2002: Title: Dungeon Issue 92
Date Finished: April 16, 2002: Title: Brave New World
Date Finished: April 1, 2002: Title: Smuggler's Run
Date Finished: March 27, 2002: Title: Get Medieval
Date Finished: March 18, 2002: Title: Dragon Issue 294
Date Finished: March 1, 2002: Title: Masters of the Wild
Date Finished: February 23, 2002: Title: Dragon Issue 293
Date Finished: February 21, 2002: Title: Final Fantasy X
Date Finished: February 19, 2002: Title: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Date Finished: February 18, 2002: Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Date Finished: February 7, 2002: Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Date Finished: January 30, 2002: Title: Wavelets for Computer Graphics
Date Finished: January 29, 2002: Title: Dungeon Issue 91
Date Finished: January 27, 2002: Title: Oni
Date Finished: January 27, 2002: Title: Dungeon Issue 90
Date Finished: January 25, 2002: Title: Dragon Issue 291
Date Finished: January 25, 2002: Title: Dragon Issue 292
Date Finished; January 23, 2002: Title: The Last Battle
Date Finished; January 21, 2002: Title: The Silver Chair
Date Finished; January 13, 2002: Title: Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Date Finished: January 8, 2002: Title: Prince Caspian
Date Finished: January 3, 2002: Title: The Horse and His Boy
Date Finished: January 1, 2002: Title: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Date Finished: December 25, 2001: Title: Queen of the Demonweb Pits
Date Finished: November 20, 2001: Title: Dragon Issue 290
Date Finished: November 17, 2001: Title: Descent into the Depths of the Earth
Date Finished: November 14, 2001: Title: Realistic Image Synthesis Using Photon Mapping
Date Finished: November 13, 2001: Title: Dragon Annal 2001
Date Finished: November 13, 2001: Title: Magician's Nephew
Date Finished: November 6, 2001: Title: White Plume Mountain
Date Finished: November 4, 2001: Title: The Return of the King
Date Finished: October 21, 2001: Title: Manual of the Planes
Date Finished: October 20, 2001: Title: Dungeon Issue 89
Date Finished: October 19, 2001: Title: Dragon Issue 289
Date finished: October 19, 2001: Title: The Two Towers
Date Finished: October 6, 2001: Title: The Grimoire: Manual of Practical Thaumaturgy 15th Edition 2053
Date Finished: October 6, 2001: Title: The FellowShip of the Ring
Date Finished: October 3, 2001: Title: The Joy of Photography
Date Finished: September 29, 2001: Title: The Hobbit
Date Finished: September 21, 2001: Title: The Chaos Curse -Book Five of Cleric Quintet
Date Finished: September 16, 2001: Title: Fallen Fortress -Book Four of Cleric Quintet
Date Finished: September 14, 2001: Title: Dragon Issue 288
Date Finished: September 7, 2001: Title: Night Masks -Book Three of Cleric Quintet
Date Finished: September 3, 2001: Title: In Sylvan Shadows -Book Two of Cleric Quintet
Date Finished: September 2, 2001: Title: Canticle -Book One of Cleric Quintet
Date Finished: August 27, 2001: Title: Realistic Ray Tracing
Date Finished: August 15, 2001: Title: Blue Mars
Date Finished: August 7, 2001: Title: The Age of Spiritual Machines
First: A bit about my ratings.
10 - Best book I've ever read. Everybody should read it.
9 - One of the best books I've ever read.
8 - A great book. I didn't find much I didn't like.
7 - A good book overall, but one or two things bugged me.
6 - A Good book overall, but I didn't like parts of it.
5 - I liked some things, but didn't like other things.
4 - I didn't like most of this book. But it had some good parts.
3 - The majority of the book was crap, but one or two parts saved it.
2 - I disliked the entire book. I couldn't find much to like.
1 - One of the worst books I've ever read.
0 - Worst book I've ever read. Nobody should ever read it.
Date Finished: ONGOING
Title: Edgar Allan Poe's Complete Tales and Poems
Author: Edgar Allan Poe
Pages: 842
Dimensions: 2.17 x 9.20 x 6.56
Paper/Hard: hard
Released: September 2001
Publisher: Castle Books
ISBN: 0785814531
Date Finished: December 30, 2002: Title: Temple of the Winds
To be honest, I think the book didn't really accomplish alot. The first
3/4 of the book really could be skimmed. This is scary becaues I found the
same trend in Jordan's books. What's that mean? I'm not quite sure I want
to read all the build up to an event which disappears so quickly. We shall
see what befalls our heroes in the future. This book is a little more
mature (in my mind) than Jordan's, but he doesn't over do it. I give the
book a 7.4
Date Finished: December 18, 2002: Title: Dragon Issue 303
Date Finished: December 16, 2002: Title: Book of Vile Darkness
Ahh, so utterly evil. If you have demonic possession, sacrifices, or any
other sort of vindictive players, then this book can give you ideas. If
nothing else, it can be used as a tool to tempt good players towards
evil. Most go over so easily... its amusing to watch. I give the book a
7.3 because I wasn't able to find tons of content that was immediately
useful. Demonic possession was good, as was vile damage.
Date Finished: December 7, 2002
Title: Dungeon Issue 96
Type: Periodical
Released: for month: jan/feb 2003
Date Finished: November 30, 2002
Title: Blood of the Fold
Author:
Pages:
Dimensions:
Paper/Hard:
Released:
Publisher:
ISBN:
The blood of the fold is an evil organization covered by dogma and false
faith. I think its an interesting idea, but its been done. The
similarities between these book and Jordan's astonish me sometimes. I
wonder who wrote what first and if they read each others works. Anyway, I
push myself further into the series and hope I'm able to catch up :P I
give it a 7.6
Date Finished: November 23, 2002
Title: Onimusha 2
Type: Software
Platform: PS2
I'm not sure that I like the idea of playing the game over and over to
unlock more plot lines :/ I guess it was a fun game, but boy, that kind of
stuff could get annoying!! In any case, I give it a 6.3
Date Finished: November 16, 2002
Title: Warcraft 3
Type: Software
Platform: PC
Awesome game in a lot of ways. zug zug! Of course, it is a bit of a
change from the typical warcraft series, but I'm so happy I got to play
this game. I long to play it online against some fiends and see how I
fare. IT should be fun. I give it a 8.7
Date Finished: November 15, 2002
Title: Dragon Issue 302
Type: Periodical
Released: for month: December 2002
Date Finished: November 13, 2002
Title: Stone of Tears
An interesting book and series. I definitely like some of the groups and
their ideals as everyone rages against the changes the lead character is
making. I will finish this series, but I fear that they will drag on and
become mired in politics as Jordan's books have done. I hope this isn't
so. I give it a 8.2
Date Finished: November 1, 2002
Title: Monster Manual II
Hello Banshee. The Banshee has gotten quite a tone up, but I like it. I
am only sad that she is such a high CR. I will have to make lower level
versions of this powerful creature to torture my poor players with! In
all, the book didn't have tons that I wanted. I give it a 6.7
Date Finished: November 1, 2002
Title: Dragon Issue 301
Type: Periodical
Released: for month: November 2002
Date Finished: November 1, 2002
Title: NFL GameDay 2003
Type: Software
Platform: PS2
There was some bugs in this game that annoyed me (generally during extra
points). But, in all the game was mildly amusing. IT would be more fun if
I had friends who enjoyed sports games. Oh well. I give ita 7.8.
Date Finished: October 31, 2002
Title: Neverwinter Nights
Type : Software
Platform: PC
This was a pretty cool game. Admittedly I got tired of doing the side quests
after awhile, but I still finished them all anyway. I was surprised that I did not
end the game with more powerful equipment. I think it would have been cool to have
some better items. The end battle was a littel bizarre and at best, weird. I'm not
exactly sure how to know which people to kill. Anyway, the ending was also semi -
anti-climatic but I don't want to give anything away. In general, the single
player game was pretty cool NWN's true ability lies in the fact that it is so much
better than single player games. With the ability to create entire modules
(including scripting and the like), NWN allows infinite oppurtunity for
adventuring with your comrads and doing some online gaming. Of course, it will
necessarily have a hack and slashing sort of tone to it, but I think the game
could adapt itself even to those of the story teller feel. In any case, obviously
I think its a great game. I give it a 9.9 because almost everyone should
experience it to know what the edge of gaming online and D&D 3e is all about.
Date Finished: October 22, 2002
Title: Tekken Tag
Type: Software
Platform: PS2
Well this is your typically 'mostly 2D' fighting atmosphere. This one is
more interesting in some ways because you 'tag' out your fighters. The
round is over if either of your characters is knocked out. Against the
computer, when careful and sneaky, I can often knock out a character
before the computer tags out. In any case, this game is loads of fun. It
has offered hours of entertainment for myself (as I unlock movies and
the bowling game) and others as they come over for the mindless pushing
of buttons. I had been searching for the game and finally found it in a
used shop for $17. I give this game a 8.7. Gogo Linu and Yoshimitsu!
Date Finished: October 2, 2002:
Title: RC Revenge Pro
Type: Software
Platform: PS2
Race car games are meant to be played with friends I think. Unfortunately,
I don't really have friends to play games with me cuz I don't really play
games that often I guess. In any event, I cleared all the trophy levels. I
am not sure how to clear the UFO or Concept car however, but if you know let
me know (Yes I know the R1 R2 ... etc cheat). Anyway, its a fun little game
either way and I 'have' played it with others and that was fun. I will give
it a 6.7.
Date Finished: October 1, 2002
Title: Dungeon Issue 95
Type: Periodical
Released: for month: nov/dec 2002
Definitely not my favorite issue - again. It did have some interesting things
about dungeon alertness...but nothing drastic. The mecha-armor was kinda
interesting too. Anyway I give it a 6.5. However, you if you really want any
of the things I mentioned - get the module!
Date Finished: September 30,2002
Title: Epic Level Handbook
Author: Andy Collins Bruce Cordell
Pages: 320
Dimensions: .84 x 11.18 x 8.40
Paper/Hard: hard
Released: july 2002
Publisher: wizards
ISBN: 0786926589
For a book about epic levels - I guess this is the book you're going to need.
As opposed to high level campaigns, this book actually has stuff that I think
people will look forward to using. Epic feats and spellcasting allow characters
to do some pretty cool things. Not to mention what you can do with some of these
skill checks - its pretty heinous, and I like it. The stuff in this book IS out
of control so expect that. But, it does allow me to think about how I could add
something that is actually challenging to a high level campaign. Of course, with
these characters involved, things are bound to be powerful. When the users have
wish spells at their finger tips, you have to expect things to start getting out
of control. In any event, I give the book a 9.9.
Date Finished: September 29,2002
Title: Sea of Swords
Author: R.A. Salvatore
Pages: 410
Dimensions: 1.16 x 6.88 x 4.14 inches
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: august 2002
Publisher: wizards of the coast
ISBN: 0786927720
A pretty good book. Salvatore may be bowing down to those who wish for
certain things to happen, which I won't like. *grumble* Also, he spent a
lot of freaking time just getting the group together - which of course I'm
happy about, but it just wasn't that interesting to me. Also, its been
forever since I've actually gotten a chance to read this series, so I was
'missing' a lot of things. Someday perhaps I'll get back to it. Until
then, this book gets an 8.5.
Date Finished: September 13, 2002
Title: Dragon Issue 300
Type: Periodical
Released: for month: October 2002
Supposedly one of the most mature magazines they've released with a
sealed section inside. Quite bizare if you ask me. In any event, the issue
was okay, but nothing THAT great. I guess it was vile enough that I
wouldn't want my young child reading about it, but things like Phil and
dixie are in every issue. anyway, I give it a 5.5
Date Finished: September 7, 2002
Title: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Author: JK Rowling
Pages: 752
Dimensions: 1.81 x 7.54 x 5.48
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: july 2002
Publisher: scholastic trade
ISBN: 0439139600
I think I liked the book. I definitely got into it and wanted to finish
reading it after I started. I think it was the best book in the series so
far although it would be interesting to see Harry do more at Quidditch.
9.3 (note 9.30.2 You could tell that rowling was seriously lengthening her
books - likely due to her popularity. This kind of thing is annoying as
they begin to drag series on and the like, but I don't think she's doing
that. Yet at the same time, its like, why the double book length?).
Date Finished: August 23, 2002
Title: Dragon Issue 299
Type: Periodical
Released: for month: September 2002
One of the best dragons I've read yet. Why? Because they talk about
knights and paladins! I must say that the sage slipped a little in this
issue in answering some of the questions, but that overall it wasn't too
bad. Honor points are a useful resource and they give a small list of new
paladin spells (also on the cleric list) which is probably one reason that
I'm enjoying this issue of dragon so much. In any case, best to take your
rating and run because I'm giving you 9.7 for your magazine in this
community.
Date Finished: August 21, 2002
Title: Wizard's First Rule
Author: Terry Goodkind
Pages: 836
Dimensions: 1.78 x 7 x 4.22
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: September 1995
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 0812548051
I think I started out not liking this book very much. The dialogue
didn't seem that great and I think may be I just wasn't prepared to learn
about an entirely new world. Anyway, as the book progressed, I learned to
enjoy it. The play on the love of two characters who aren't allowed to
love is not a new trick, but it seems to do the job most of the time. The
author seems to forget about one or two important points and the editor
needs to be fired!!! I've found dozens of typos/misspells/etc in this book
that should have been found. In any event, it has given me a lot to talk
about - perhaps the most for any book lately- so that must mean that it
has something good going for it. I will read the second book, because I
have found that I'm interested in seeing what new creatures are yet
undiscovered in this strange new world. I give this a 9.3.
Date Finished: August 11, 2002
Title: Dragon Issue 298
Type: Periodical
Released: for month: August 2002 Dark elves? While amusing and fun -
they're simply way over done. Necromancers are good? You have got to be
kidding me. Do the means justify the ends or does intent really matter?
Oh well, I give it a 5.3 for its heavy drow content that I wasn't really
interested in. Its saving grace was in its mention and discussion of
necromancers.
Date Finished: August 11, 2002
Title: Dungeon Issue 94
Type: Periodical
Released: for month: sep/oct 2002 Definitely not my favorite issue.
Polyhedron dived into stuff I wasn't really interested in as well. I give
it a 6.3.
Date Finished: July 26, 2002
Title: Faces of Evil: The Fiends
Author: Colin McComb
Pages: 96
Dimensions: ?? 8.5 x 11 x .5 inches ??
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: 1997
Publisher: TSR, Inc
ISBN: 0786906847
Hilarious book. basically its written from several different types of
creatures perspectives. I thoroughly enjoyed the slaad's portions of the
book. If you want to know about demons or devils from the perspective of
D&D, then this is the book for you. For its direction, I give it a
definite 9.3 for its info, humour, and lack of numerical content about
fiends! It makes it a useful book for any edition of D&D.
Date Finished: July 25, 2002
Title: The Vampire Lestat
Author: Anne Rice
Pages: 481
Dimensions: 1.14 x 7 x 4.38 inches
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: Oct 1985
Publisher: econo-clad boks
ISBN: 0833563521
This book was much better than the first book of the series. I'm clad I
read it. If you watched queen of the damned, then read this book. Things
simply did not happen the way they did in the movie. Marius did not make
Lestat. Marius did not save Lestat either. I hope that "Queen" is as good
as this book. I give it a 9.3
Date Finished: June 18, 2002
Title: X-Men Mutant Academy 2
Type: Software
Platform: PS1
Well this game is one of those 2d fighting games. There is no 3d movement
in the game. However, it does sport some of your favorite marvel heroes.
There are some secrets to unlock and unfortunately, a kind of commercial
in here too, but all in all I had fun unlocking everything. Also, it
didn't take me too terribly long. This game will be fun to play against
others mostly, which is the reason I got it. anyway, I give it a 8.5. If
you like comic books, you should get it.
Date Finished: June 16, 2002
Title: Dragon Issue 297
Type: Periodical
Released: for month: July 2002
Fairly decent articles. I was upset by the new races, but really enjoyed
the artwork in this issue. The epic spells were astonishing. I think one
of them was a level 180 spell or something. Yeesh. It was basically a
fireball times 30 or something. Anyway, it was another teaser for epic
level campaigns - argh. I give The issue an 8.5
Date Finished: June 16, 2002
Title: Dungeon Issue 93
Type: Periodical
Released: For months: jul/aug 2002
Teased again. One more month until the epic level handbook arrives. It
will be quite interesting and I will be happy to see it in a lot of ways.
Unfortunately, I may have to change some things in my world to make them
compaitble - we shall see. Until then, this looks like a decent issue,
although I must say that I pretty much hated the polyhedron portion. I
give it a 6.5.
Date Finished: June 15, 2002
Title: Meaning of Life
Author: Bradley Trevor Greive
Pages: ~130
Dimensions: ~6.5 x 6.5 x 1
Paper/Hard: hard
Released: ~2002
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 0740723367
A great book with cute pictures (: I think everybody should give it a
read! Although some of its advice isn't what I'd call perfect, I think its
probably decent for those who would buy the book in the first place. I got
it as a gift for somebody's birthday that is nearby. If she reads this, I
guess its not a surprise, but oh well. I give this book a 7.8.
Date Finished: May 24, 2002
Title: Soul Reaver II
Type: Software
Platform: PS2
This game was pretty cool. Not much for subplots but I think I really
liked the main story. If you like puzzle solving and stories about
vampires, you should get this game. I rate it a 8.7.
Date Finished: May 19, 2002
Title: Dragon Issue 296
Type: Periodical
Released: for month: June 2002
Didn't have much I could use in this issue. The 'wurms' were a bit
silly. In any event, it wasn't bad for any particular reason, so I'll give
it a 7.5.
Date Finished: May 14, 2002
Title: Interview with the Vampire
Author: Anne Rice
Pages: 342
Dimensions: .96 x 6.85 x 4.18 (inches)
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: 1976
Publisher: ballantine books
ISBN: 0345337662
You've seen the movie? Well let's assume you've seen the movie. All in
all I would say the movie did an okay job with this one. But I'm not the
critical type - am I? In any event, I do believe that the relationship
between Louis and Claudia is much more established. It makes some things
make more sense. The story ultimately ends better as well. What I mean to
say is that it is concluded far more gracefully - although I dare say it
isn't complete. It still amazes me that the number of people that 'fall in
love' with Louis is so great. As always, things are just a little more
flushed out in the books and that's why you like books better? The book is
a great demonstration of what I currently would think vampires to be. It
gives me some ideas of why vampires feed and the such. in any case I give
it a 9.2.
Date Finished: April 18, 2002
Title: Dragon Issue 295
Type: Periodical
Released: for month: May 2002
Castles.... This issue seemed to be mostly about building keeps and
castles. In fact, it did inspire an interest in me for the Stronghold
Builder's Guidebook or whatever its called. I may in fact have to purchase
that one since it almost always seems to be an issue. Plus - if I wish to
dump large amounts of time into designing something, then I can put a
price tag on it and some real stat stuff on it. Great huh? In any event,
the insert was great (boy how I love maps) but I wasn't really highly
impressed with this issue. I give it an 8.3.
Date Finished: April 17, 2002
Title: Dungeon Issue 92
Type: Periodical
Released: For months: may/jun 2002
ahh one of my favorite issues that I've gotten yet. What made it so
great? Well I'lll tell you! its the epic level hints in dungeon and the
spelljamming in polyhedron!! Ahhh for some reason I can't/couldn't get
enough of this silly issue and I kept looking back through it to try to
find more things to read which I thought ouwld be interesting. Oh well
huh!? I give it a 9.8!
Date Finished: April 16, 2002
Title: Brave New World
Author: Aldous Huxley
Pages: 288
Dimensions: .66 x 8.02 x 5.34
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: 1932?
Publisher: Harper Perennial
ISBN: 0060929871
An interesting look into a possible future. Surely huxley never imagined
that it might be relevant to this day. In a lot of ways I think it is.
Soma was an interesting look at the direction that our happy drugs could
take us. Our quest for comfort and happiness... In some way I liked the
contrast that huxley's civilization showed to that portrayed in the movie
'The Matrix' ... the height of human civilization leads to ... what? Well,
read this book and find out. I give it a 9.2.
Date Finished: April 1, 2002
Title: Smuggler's Run
Type: Software
Platform: PS2
Ahh, a fairly okay game I guess, for what its worth. I wouldn't pay $40
for the game, but it was mildly interesting for the couple of hours that
it took to beat it. Nothing as legacy like Gran Turismo or anything like
that but it was a fairly decent game I guess. I give it a 7.7. Boy I've
played a lot of software lately.
Date Finished: March 27, 2002
Title: Get Medieval
Type: Software
Platform: PC
I know this game exists for other platforms, but I played the PC one. if
you liked old school gauntlet, you'll love this game. I loved it. I give
it a 9.4. I hate thieves!!!!! I think most of the curses are pretty funny
though. Move like the rook! I think moving like a knight would be the true
challenge! Get this and play it!
Date Finished: March 18, 2002
Title: Dragon Issue 294
Type: Periodical
Released: for month: April 2002
Gods!! Ahh, epic levels. I am really anxious to get this book now. Its
great that they gave me this really teeny tiny preview. At least it was
better than forgotten realms! anyway, not too much of actual usage for me
in this issue. Any interesting look at the gods though. It makes me want
to redo all mine or somthing :P Maybe I will once the source comes out. I
don't think that I'll get deities and demigods though. I'll just look at
their template. In any case this issue is a 9.3
Date Finished: March 1, 2002
Title: Masters of the Wild
Author: Selinker, Mike and David Eckleberry
Pages: 96
Dimensions: .21 x 10.76 x 8.38
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: Feb, 2002
Publisher: Wizards of the coast
ISBN: 0786926538
Wow, an impressive book. I think that I'll use a lot of what was
presented in this book and boy am I glad!! Tome and Blood was the perfect
example of things I didn't want to see, but I guess that was just my
personal viewpoint of things. I think most of the prestige classes could
actually also be worked into my campaign, so I'm happy. Go, read about
regenerate spells. Go read about Greater Wild Shape and Supreme two weapon
fighting. Go and be happy. If you don't play in these fantasy worlds, then
this book, won't be of any use to you anyway, so I'll rate it according to
the other source books. (This one was for druids, rangers and barbarians
if you didn't know or couldn't guess). I give this book a rating of
9.8!!!
Date Finished: February 23, 2002
Title: Dragon Issue 293
Type: Periodical
Released: for month: March 2002
Well, mostly a boring month for me. Sage's Advice was on Oriental
Adventures which I don't have. Anyway, it was a world-builder Dragon, of
which I'm thankful and very interested. The dungeon craft gives
interesting tactics and rule sets for running a kingdom. In fact, it might
even make those who have a kingdom, be able to understand what's going on
inside. I think its great and maybe I'll try to see if what I've done for
Mardarkack's Kingdom could hold water in that system or vice versa. In any
event, This dragon is a 8.8 - the best since I have started giving these
little reviews.
Date Finished: February 21, 2002
Title: Final Fantasy X
Type: Software
Platform: PS2
Easily one of the best games out there so far. By saying that I've
'completed' this game, I really mean that I beat the final boss and the
game said Game Over. However, there are plenty of things for me to do
(Ultima,Omega,etc). In any event, the ending was pretty sad with a few
surprises...sorta. The game still doesn't compare to VII, but its easily
my second favorite FF game so far. The leveling system is strange at
first, but it allows for characters to be completely customizable.
Unfortunately, towards the end my cleric was casting mage spells more
powerful than my mage was. In any event, I may go back and try to beat
some of the things like Ultima and the like. Its rated a 9.8.
Update: 2.24 I've gotten all but Wakka's Legendary weapon, all of the
aeons and I've defeated ultima and omega (too easy)!! In any case, the big
monsters to defeat are now in the monster arena. I've defeated perhaps 30%
of the really tough monsters presented there. I have to do some work to
get all of the monsters to appear (capture capture capture).
Update: 3.24 I beat Omega Gold/Nemesis today. Great Great!! I've got some
pretty cool items and abilities. Omega has a couple of cool things but if
you play it right he's really not too hard to beat.
Date Finished: February 19, 2002
Title: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Author: JK Rowling
Pages: 435
Dimensions: 1.17 x 7.64 x 5.31
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: sept 11, 2001
Publisher: scholastic trade
ISBN: 0439136369
#3. Well, this book was an even better read than the other two. Perhaps
I'm growing more attached to the characters, but it just feels like its
more believable fantasy. Which was my major gripes with the other books
anyway. There are a couple questionable things, but this book gets an 8.9.
Date Finished: February 18, 2002
Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Author: JK Rowling
Pages: 341
Dimensions: .93 x7.6 x5.28
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: august 15,2000
Publisher: scholastic trade
ISBN: 0439064872
The second book of Harry Potter. I think that yet again the odds are in
favor of the hero winning although through blind luck. I really don't know
why fantasy has to go there. However, it did seem a little more reasonable
than some other fantasy I've read. I give this book a 8.3.
Date Finished: February 7, 2002
Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Author: JK Rowling
Pages: 312
Dimensions: 1 x 7.85 x 5.37
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: 1997
Publisher: scholastic trade
ISBN: 059035342X
A pleasant surprise to say the least. I didn't really expect much from
these stories and to be honest, I didn't really get much out of them
either. But fantasy 'children' books have to start somewhere and I think
this one did a good job. It would definitely appeal to those youngsters
and that's exactly what we need to get youngsters involved. I think there
are some good morals in the books as well. I'd have to reread, but I feel
that rowling made a classic children's book mystery ERROR which is not
providing the clues necessary to solve the mystery. Scooby Doo did this
and annoyed me with it first - GRRR! I rate this a 7.9.
Date Finished: January 30, 2002
Title: Wavelets for Computer Graphics
Author: Stollnitz et al
Pages: 245
Dimensions: .76 x 9.58 x 7.69 inches
Paper/Hard: hard
Released: Jan 15, 96
Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann
ISBN: 1558603751
An interesting book on wavelets. If you want to compress something,
multi-res edit it, progressive transmit it or anything cool like that then
you should look at this book. They have some interesting applications in
here. There is a fair amoutn of math in here for you junkies too. I give
the book a 8.2.
Date Finished: January 29, 2002
Title: Dungeon Issue 91
Type: Periodical
Released: For months: mar/apr 2002
I like the challenge of heroes or whatever its called. It was pretty
fricking difficult to me though. I'm not sure that 15 minutes of puzzle
solving would have done it. Maybe I'll throw it at my players next
session. Anyway, I give this a 7.3.
Date Finished: January 27, 2002
Title: Oni
Type: Software
Platform: PS2
So I've decided to put some Software titles into my little review
section. Its interesting, but I often think of a good game as like a good
book. It tells a story and it even lets you intereact a little. Great huh?
In any event, I just finished Oni today and it was a good game. I ended up
having a pretty good weapon at the end of the game which made the last
encounter a little too easy. Overall though, the game was great. I played
it at Normal (Easy, Normal or Hard are offered) and I found it to be
challenging yet defeatable. I give this a rating of 8.9.
Date Finished: January 27, 2002
Title: Dungeon Issue 90
Type: Periodical
Released: For months: jan/feb 2002
An okay issue. I liked the Elfwhisper module and it was nice to see their
version of a mage's tower in one of the modules. I rate it a 8.0.
Date Finished: January 25, 2002
Title: Dragon Issue 291
Type: Periodical
Released: for month: January 2002
Gnomes!! I thought it was some good information on gnomes - if not a bit
redundant at times. I liked the family info they had in there too. Useful
for a campaign. 8.7 rating.
Date Finished: January 25, 2002
Title: Dragon Issue 292
Type: Periodical
Released: for month: February 2002
Barbarians druids and rangers. Well, I don't feel like they did anything
special for the classes in this book, but I do like a couple of the druid
spells that were presented. 8.0 rating
Date Finished; January 23,2002
Title: The Last Battle
Author: CS Lewis
Pages: 224
Dimensions: .71 x 7.64 x 5.16
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: 1956
Publisher: harper collins
ISBN: 0064409414
The last book and they did well. Certain deaths were quite interesting.
In any case, a very good conclusion to a nice little series of books.
Although its not really mature reading, it was a great series of books to
read to get an introduction to fantasy in some ways. I gives this book a
9.4 and the series gets a 9.0 as there isn't too much that I don't like.
Date Finished; January 21,2002
Title: The Silver Chair
Author: CS Lewis
Pages: 272
Dimensions: .61 x 6.99 x 4.18 inches
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: 1953
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0064471098
The 6th book in Narnia Series. I went through this one pretty qickly and
I remember parts of it from reading it as a kid. In any case, this is one
book which kept the characters in their boundaries in my opinion. I would
recommend this book to anybody who has read the narnia series. If they
just wanted another narnia book, I would suggest this book as well. In any
case it gets a 8.7.
Date Finished; January 13,2002
Title: Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Author: C.S. Lewis
Pages: 288
Dimensions: .68x 6.98 x 4.13 inches
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: 1952
Publisher: Harper collins
ISBN: 0064471071
Book 5 in the Narnia series. I had trouble getting through this one as a
kid, but I managed to get through it more easily this time. I liked the
book although I thought it a little silly that they happened upon each and
every island that the previous 7 found and that nobody had ever gone out
there bfore. I s'pose narnia isn't really an old world or a huge country,
so perhaps it makes sense that none of them had ever traveled far on a
ship. In any event, the book gets a 8.5 since I liked most of it.
Date Finished: January 8, 2002
Title: Prince Caspian
Author: C.S. Lewis
Pages: 256
Dimensions: .62x6.99x4.17 inches
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: 1951
Publisher: harper collins
ISBN: 0064471055
Ahh another book in the narnia series. This one was strange because the
pretense of a majority of the story was that it was being told. What I
mean to say is that there was supposed to be a narrator telling the story
to others. In any event, it was interesting to see what Lewis would do
with children who entered the world for an extended period (grew up) and
returned and now i've seen it. I'd rate this book a 8.5. Kinda low for cs
lewis, but I think he'll bounce back.
Date Finished: January 3, 2002
Title: The Horse and His Boy
Author: C.S. Lewis
Pages: 254
Dimensions: 0.58 x 6.95 x 4.18 inches
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: 1954
Publisher: harper collins
ISBN: 0064471063
The 3rd book in narnia. This was an interesting book although it had less
to do with Narnia than the previous two. Its good that the world is
flushed out a little more (one would tend to think it consisted only of
narnia), but I do like narnia better in general (: In any case I think
they portrayed the main character fairly and honestly which is nice. I
gets a 8.5 as there isn't too much not to like in the book.
Date Finished: January 1, 2002
Title: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Author: C.S. Lewis
Pages: 208
Dimensions: .67 x 7.61 x 5.16 inches
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: 1950
Publisher: Harpercollins Juvenile Books
ISBN: 0066238501
The second (and most popular) book in the Narnia series. It was a pretty
good book, although it always seems as if stuff just happens to the
characters and that they don't really make too many decisions for
themselves. A good book and a must read though for all those entering
fantasy. I rate it a 8.8.
Date Finished: December 25,2001
Title: Queen of the Demonweb Pits
Author: Paul Kidd
Pages: 320
Dimensions: .9x6.92x4.19 (inches)
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: october 2001
Publisher: wizards of the coast
ISBN: 0786919035
It was a good ending to the Kidd novels. They take on Lloth and Thoth
however. I think that's a little obnoxious really. They're s'posed to be
10th level and taking on gods. Or trying to. I think that all in all they
were good books though. From the persepctive that they have it was fairly
reasonable I s'pose. In any event, I would give this an 8.5
Date Finished: November 20,2001
Title: Dragon Issue 290
Type: Periodical
Released: for month: December 2001
They included some stuff from Paul Kidd's books. Escala and the Justicar
are interesting and its cool to see their stats specifically. In any case,
this receives a rating of 7.9
Date Finished: November 17,2001
Title: Descent into the Depths of the Earth
Author: Paul Kidd
Pages: 320
Dimensions: .92 x 6.88 x 4.17
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: june 2000
Publisher: wizards of the coast
ISBN: 0786916354
Well its the second book in the series by Kidd. I must admit that either
the characters grew on me, or I'm just getting used to them, because this
book didn't annoy me quite as much as the first book. So, this moves the
books up to an 8.0 and the series to a 8.0 a well.
Date Finished: November 14,2001:
Title: Realistic Image Synthesis Using Photon Mapping
Author: Henrik Wann Jensen
Pages: 200
Dimensions: .67 x 9.29 x 6.21 (inches)
Paper/Hard: Hard
Released: 2001
Publisher: AK Peters
ISBN: 1568811470
If you want to do photon maps, there's no question that this book is for
you. Although I've implemented photon maps on texels, this book talks
about using actual stored hitpoints and calculating the illumination based
on the k nearest neighbors. Its an awesome idea and Henrik gets great
results with very few numbers of photons, but wow, what a data structure
nightmare he must go through. In any case, this book is not for everybody,
but I'm going to judge it for what it was written for. This gives it a
rating of 8.7.
Date Finished: November 13,2001
Title: Dragon Annal 2001
Type: Periodical
Released: (In November 2001)
I can't say there is much I will use in this dragon. It had an
interesting little map for a gun-maker or something, but that's about the
only thing in it I'd use. I rate this a 2.3.
Date Finished: November 13,2001
Title: Magician's Nephew
Author: CS Lewis
Pages: 240
Dimensions: 0.57 x 7.03 x 4.20
Paper/Hard: Paper
Released: 1955
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0064471101
The first book in the chronicles of narnia. I'll be going through all
seven of these and giving my opinions about them. I would say that its not
horrible for a first book. In some aspects, Aslan annoys me, but if you
look at his doings as a big test, then its not so bad. In any event, I
love the simple way these books read. I s'pose because they're written for
someone a bit younger. I give this book a big 9.5. If you have never read
the narnia series, please, take a day and read this one. Be sure to notice
parallels to other great fantasy reading ( :oP ).
Date Finished: November 6, 2001
Title: White Plume Mountain
Author: Paul Kidd
Pages: 310
Dimensions: .89 x 6.95 x 4.20
Paper/Hard: paperback
Released: October 1999
Publisher: wizards of the coast
ISBN: 0786914246
Not a bad book, but not one of my favorite. They begin the characters
with quite a considerable amount of power. What's nice about the books
however, is that they probably face even odds. I like that. The only
conceivable problem could be in the choice of personalities, somewhat
annoying. In any event I rate the book a 7.3.
Date Finished: November 4, 2001
Title: Return of the King
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Pages: 1137
Dimensions: 1.09 x 8.19 x 5.50 inches
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: October 1965
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
ISBN: 0618002243
Ahh the last book in Lord of the Rings. I must admit that the beginning
was slow for me. The further I got however, the more I liked the book.
Which is a good way to write a book if you can manage it. Anyway, the
ending was even a little sad for me. As usual I would like a little more
information about what happens in the end, but perhaps its better this
way. I rate this book a 9.3. The series is a 9.8 as I think eveybody
should read these.
Date Finished: October 21, 2001
Title: Manual of the Planes
Author: Jeff Grubb
Pages: 224
Dimensions: .61 x 11.10 x 8.44 (inches)
Paper/Hard: hardback
Released: august 27,2001
Publisher: wizards of the coast
ISBN: 0786918500
This book is good if you want to know what's going on behind the scenes
on different planes. If you have absolutely no interest in doing any sort
of planar travel or you just don't care what type of things might happen,
then you don't really need this book. Some of the aspirations for me for
getting a book like this come from simple spell effects like Prismatic
Spray's sent to another plane. I rate this book a 7.5 because its not for
everybody but as far as a manual for the planes, its fairly good detail
and gets a 9.3. At first glance I didn't think I'd like it.
Date Finished: October 20, 2001
Title: Dungeon yIssue 89
Type: Periodical
Released: For months: nov/dec 2001
Ahh, this periodical posts adventures for role playing. Generally the 3e
system. In any case I really liked most of the adventures except for the
far eastern one (which I guess just doesn't interest me). Talk of honor
and the like does interest me, but the scenarios are usually just bad. In
any case, I'm actually debating running one or two of these adventures in
some capacity at some point. I rate it a 8.3.
Date Finished: October 19,2001
Title: Dragon Issue 289
Type: Periodical
Released: for month: November 2001
This had another map that I like. it was mostly about eastern stuff, so
I wasn't as into it as I should have been. they did have a good idea about
leveling up items however. Really I liked this idea I think. Anyway, I
rate this month an 7.3.
Date finished: October 19,2001
Title: The Two Towers
Author: JRR Tolkien
Pages: 725 pages
Dimensions: .87 x 8.15 x 5.48
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: October 1965
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co.
ISBN: 0618002235
Ahh the second book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. A great book. I
really loved the first 300 pages or so, but I think the last 200 didn't
add much (for) me to the books. Hmm, given that, I'm going to give this
book a rating of 9.5. I loved the first part so much, that it makes up for
the bits at the end.
Date Finished: October 6,2001
Title: The Grimoire: Manual of Practical Thaumaturgy 15th Edition
2053
Author: Paul R. Hume
Pages: 142
Dimensions: (guess) 0.61 x 11.10 x 8.44 inches
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: 1992
Publisher: FASA Corporation
ISBN: 1444501901
Well this is obviously a type of sourcebook for shadowrun. It does have
some interesting information about mages. Hmm, as I haven't actually even
read the SRII book all the way though, I don't have much to compare this
to. However, except for perhaps a couple extra spells (*which I feel are
largely un-needed), and the advent of initiates (which I'm not sure is
worth the cost of karma), its pretty hard to say if this sourcebook is
worth it or not. I think it is, but as always its stuff somebody could
have done on their own. So I'm griping a bit here, and since this book is
only for gamers and only for gamers of shadowrun and only for magicians
and gamers of shadowrun, I'm only rating it a 2.5 for the populace. For
mages in shadowrun, I'll give it a 6.5 (if your DM allows stuff from it -
otherwise its obviously not of use). For DMs in shadowrun, you could go
without or with. It does give some powerful flesh forms/spirits to add to
your campaign at least, so it may be worth it. However, I would probably
say that life as a wizard goes on without this ability. One thing that is
cool is the abil to get spells via quests. Anyway, For DMs a 7. To be
honest, I didn't read this book word for word but I read every page.
Date Finished: October 6, 2001
Title: The FellowShip of the Ring
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Pages: 479
Dimensions: 1.07 x 6.85 x 4.22 inches
Paper/Hard: paperback
Released: 1965
Publisher: ballantine books
ISBN: 0345339703
The first in the trilogy.Excellent book except for the ending. Of
course, it has two sequels so perhaps the ending was appropriate. Again,
as with the Hobbit, this is almost required reading for anybody that plays
any sort of fantasy games or anything of the sort whatsoever. Frodo and
Sam make an interesting couple in this book that I like. Anyway, my rating
is a 9.7.
Date Finished: October 3, 2001
Title: The Joy of Photography
Author: Eastman Kodak Company
Pages: 301
Dimensions: .74x9.98x8.20 inches
Paper/Hard: paperback
Released: 3rd rev (October 1991)
Publisher: Perseus Pr
ISBN: 0201577879
Jason gave this book to me as I showed to him my interest in
photography. My interest in photography rebirthed as I did some realistic
renderings of images that could be taken by a real camera. In fact, to be
honest, I didn't read this entire book, but I'm placing it on my list
anyway. I did look at every page and read something at every page, but not
in total detail. So, here's my review. I thought the book had a lot to say
to the novice photographer. I think that it is essential for books like
this to exist to give people a broad idea of photographs and how some of
those photographs can be taken. In any event, I did learn something from
this book, so I'm glad Jason put it on my desk. I rate the book a 7.5
since not everybody will be interested in what it has to say. If you don't
know much about how to take good pictures however, I'd rate it a 9.5.
There may be better books out there, I wouldn't know. Also of point is the
fact that I was looking for diagrams and specifics on cameras rather than
what this book gave me. So if you're reading this and you know a good book
that talks about thin lens, equations, focal length, aperture, fstop, etc
and has some good images and diagrams of what's going on, then let me
know. Its not really popular among photographers it seems.
Date Finished: September 29, 2001
Title: The Hobbit
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Pages: 320
Dimensions: 1.48 x 9.72 x 7.25 inches
Paper/Hard: Hard
Released: 36?
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co
ISBN: 0395177111
Well if you've never read the hobbit you really should. This is the
cheerful book about how Bilbo comes upon the ring and begins his
adventures. In any case, its a must read for all fantasy readers and
probably for 90% of those who aren't strictly into fantasy. I rate it a
9.8. Of course, the lord of the rings movies are coming out soon, so you
better go read all 4 of them!
Date Finished: September 21, 2001
Title: The Chaos Curse -Book Five of Cleric Quintet
Author: R.A. Salvatore
Pages: 312
Dimensions: .89 x 6.87 x 4.16 (inches)
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: June 1994 (July 2000)
Publisher: TSR (Wizards of the Coast)
ISBN: 0786916087
Ahh the last book in the series. I think that perhaps I like this one the
best because at this point you can come to accept that Cadderly is as
powerful as some of the most poweful wizards and clerics. Given this and
his companions, Salvatore throws him up against some powerful enemies and
the ultimate incarnation of the chaos curse that had so haunted Cadderly
throughout his entire years. In any case, give this book a 9.4 especially
for its potentially sad ending. The series moves up to a 9.2. Good ending!
Date Finished: September 16, 2001
Title: Fallen Fortress -Book Four of Cleric Quintet
Author: R.A. Salvatore
Pages: 320
Dimensions: .97 x 6.87 x 4.16 (inches)
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: June 1994 (July 2000)
Publisher: TSR (Wizards of the Coast)
ISBN: 0786916079
Supposedly, in this book, Cadderly faces off with his most powerful
father. Well its not really that great a battle if you ask me. Also in the
book, Cadderly faces off with a pretty powerful dragon. One of the things
I still dislike about the books is the fact that Cadderly is so
overwhelmingly powerful. He's able to call upon whatever spells he wants
whenever. That minorly annoys me but I think that perhaps characters are
allowed to have a little leadway into their powers or else why would they
be interesting to write about? I guess that's the difference between role
playing normal characters who are out trying to change the world and role
playing characters who have special events in their future. I dunno. I did
like the book although its flaws are forcing me to give it a lower rating
than I think I should. Its rating is a 8.7 and the series is still 9.0 I
believe. I have one more book left.
Date Finished: September 14,2001
Title: Dragon Issue 288
Type: Periodical
Released: for month: October 2001
Well I've finally decided to put some blurbs in on any interesting
periodicals
that I read cover to cover (or close to). This was actually a great issue
because it had good villain ideas, a good prestige class (sorta), and some
nice little artifacts or magical items that could be interesting in a
campaign. Good maps are always awesome. This issue and last they've given
forgotten realms maps. I rate this month's issue at a 8.5.
Date Finished: September 7, 2001
Title: Night Masks -Book Three of Cleric Quintet
Author: R.A. Salvatore
Pages: 314
Dimensions: 0.89 x 6.89 x 4.18 (inches)
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: June 1993 (May 2000)
Publisher: TSR (Wizards of the Coast)
ISBN: 0786916060
Ahh, a little slower but reasonable finish to the third book. The group
ends up in caradoon where they are assaulted by an assassin guild with
Bogo (the third of the triumverate). Basically, in the end they're all
killed! Leaving only allistair alive of the triumverate. This time I
thought the power level was better. However, Cadderly has turned into some
favor of some God and is overly powerful. This is one of the second things
that bothers me about fantasy. The PCs aren't just PCs half the time, but
they're avatars or something absurdly powerful. Cadderly, was pretty cool
before he started hurling spells at will. Anyway, I still liked the book
and I give it a 9.5 as well. The series is at a 9.0 for now.
Date Finished: September 3, 2001
Title: In Sylvan Shadows -Book Two of Cleric Quintet
Author: R.A. Salvatore
Pages: 314
Dimensions: 0.93 x 6.93 x 4.17 (inches)
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: April 1992 (March 2000)
Publisher: TSR (Wizards of the Coast)
ISBN: 0786916052
Ahh quite a quick finish to the second book of the series. The group
goes off to the forest for differing reasons and ultimately attempt to
save the elves. In any case, all the main characters reappear here and I'm
ultimatley happy with the book and series so far. Again though I find that
the enemies are much tougher than they should face. I think its something
that I'll simply have to deal with. The book gets a 9.5, but as you can
tell the over-powerment issue is bothering me and putting the series down
to 9.1
Date Finished: September 2, 2001
Title: Canticle -Book One of Cleric Quintet
Author: R.A. Salvatore
Pages: 314
Dimensions: .92 x 6.91 x4.21 (inches)
Paper/Hard: paper
Released: October 1991 (February 2000)
Publisher: TSR (Wizards of the Coast)
ISBN: 0786916044
Well, yet another fantasy book by Salvatore. I think that I generally
liked this book. It introduces Cadderly, Danica, Pikel and Ivan. I don't
really have too much to say other than I think that the power levels which
they had to over come were pretty overwhelming. Also, it seems that
authors have a tendency in fantasy to begin their characters with much
power. They don't have to be complete stars at the beginning of their
careers in order to be fun characters. But I guess the tendency even in
role-play would be the same. In any case, I would rate this book a 9.5. If
you like fantasy, is a must read.
Date Finished: August 27, 2001
Title: Realistic Ray Tracing
Author: Peter Shirley
Pages: 184
Dimensions: .67 x 9.29 x 6.21 (inches)
Paper/Hard: hard
Released: June 2000
Publisher: A K Peters Ltd
ISBN: 1568811101
Obviously, this book was about ray tracing. Since I haven't really read
that many books about ray tracing, I liked this one. I actually
implemented a large portion of the earlier part of the book as I went
along. One nice addition might be to include some code to do some of the
grunt work involved. For example, 3x3 matrices and 4x4 matrices and their
multiplication and/or addition. Since the book didn't concentrate on speed
but rather simply implementation, I think that might be a nice feature.
Well, the only other thing I have to say is that its great! Buy it! I rate
this book a 9.1.
Date Finished: August 15, 2001
Title: Blue Mars
Author: Kim Stanley Robinson
Pages: 761
Dimensions: 1.33 x 6.31 x 4.20 inches
Paper/Hard: Paperback.
Released: July 1997
Publisher: Bantam Books
ISBN: 05553573357
This book was the third book by KSR in the 'Mars Series.' I liked all of
the books for the most part. There were certain parts of the book which I
thought were 'off.' For example, in the third book, the year is well into
the 22nd century. At the given current rate of growth, we would likely be
way more advanced than KSR seems to realize. On the other hand, he
introduces some ways to increase life spans by huge leaps and bounds. But
enough of the criticism. I found that I liked several of the characters in
this book and I had no problem zooming through it. It seemed to me that
Red Mars was hard to get into, but I'm glad that I picked them up because
Green and Blue Mars were definitely worth it. Despite my criticism, the
annoyances were not really that great. The books flowed well and KSR
either impressed me with his knowledge or his ability to fake the
knowledge he was imparting. The book gets a 7.5 and the series a 7.0.
Date Finished: August 7, 2001
Title: The Age of Spiritual Machines
Author: Ray Kurzweil
Pages: 388
Dimensions: 0.87 x 9.25 x 6.0in
Paper/Hard: Paperback.
Released: January 2000.
Publisher: Penguin USA
ISBN: 0140282025
This book had an interesting look at the current trends in computer
technology and where that would take us in the future. I liked the book
and its ideas. Especially the discussion of humans' dependence and then
collaboration/merger with computer intelligence. The book is philosophical
and reasonable (in most aspects) in its assumptions if you follow his
guidelines and train of thought. Ultimately, I would rate the book a 8.1.