Customer Reviews (32)

AWESOME!!!!!
OMG itz soooooo good!!!!! im 10 yearz old and itz like 1 of tha best books ive ever read!! 4 all u people that r saying there is bad langues in this it only has some word like: CRAP! thatz basically it! i say that all the time!!!!!!!

Irresponsible
Let me preface this by saying we haven't even read the book.We never even got that far.Why?Because after we got home and before my 7 year old son began reading, I just perused the book and realized the inappropriate language (referenced in other negative reviews here so I don't need to explain.)The back copy of my edition recommends the book for ages 7 and up.These are words my 7 year old has never even heard--nor has my 9 year old.I had heard good things about this series but we're done.Absolutely irresponsible and gratuitous. I'm appalled.

Swimming scared
Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi crafted a brief but captivating fantasy story in the "Spiderwick Chronicles" series, and it was all done through a glass metafictional (with the pretense that they were just telling the story told to them). Unfortunately the first book of the sequel trilogy, "The Nixie's Song," simply doesn't capture the magical world in a bottle once more -- and honestly, the new male lead is a bitter little jerk.

Nick is angry -- his father had just remarried, saddling him with a room-sharing stepbrother and a weird stepsister. Laurie is obsessed with faeries, unicorns and all sorts of fluffy fantasy things, and her bible is the Spiderwick Field Guide. But after getting a four-leaf clover, Nick is shocked to see a bizarre creature creeping across their yard... and according to Laurie, it's a nixie.

But that's not their biggest worry, especially when the nixie gives them the sight -- allowing them to see all fae creatures, including some that are not quite so pleasant. While searching for a new nixie pond, the kids encounter a fire-spewing giant that is threatening everybody and everything in the area. But they have some formidable allies as well: the Mallory kids from the "Spiderwick Chronicles," who may be able to give them a slight edge.

The "Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles" series isn't quite as magical or gripping as Black and DiTerlizzi's original series -- Nick is a sullen insensitive brat, and "The Nixie's Song" is rather flaccidly plotted, since it basically consists of random attacks (both by and against the giants) and Nick spending a lot of time griping and sulking. It leaves you wondering, "That's it? That's all there is?" There's still two more books to go, but it doesn't exactly start off brilliantly.

There's also not so much magic and faery presence in this book -- Black and DiTerlizzi dip briefly into the eerie other-world, especially with the nixie and giant. Black's writing gives a genuinely magical atmosphere to the mundane Floridian setting ("its green skin fading to white in places and dry as a leaf"), and the fae creatures seem suitably inhuman and strange. But the first half of the book is rather slow-moving -- although the inclusion of the Mallorys spices things up.

Nick isn't a terribly likable protagonist -- he gripes, he snipes, he whines, and he spends way too much time fussing about how his dad dared to remarry. He's slowly improving, but it's hard not to resolutely dislike the little jerk. Laurie, while a stereotypical airy-fairy type, is far more likable and engaging female lead, and it's rather refreshing to have the Mallory kids reenter the scene.

"The Nixie's Song" is a unsatisfying beginning to the "Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles" trilogy, although it has the start of some interesting storylines. It just doesn't gel.

a kids revew
hi i love the first part of spiderwick but some of my friends and i all agree that were disapoted in the afterpart and also we find it boring and just ant to finnish readit so we can read somthing else .
my finnal report is that the first 5 books are AWSOME bot the after part isent very good.


any ? just ask ill do the best i can to anwser and remamber this is from a kids revew

I enjoyed reading this one, but it's not a masterpiece
Story overview:

Eleven-year-old Nicholas Vargas had his world turned upside down after the death of his mother. Not long after he is forced to welcome a new stepmother and an overly imaginative stepsister (Laurie) of similar age. If that wasn't bad enough, Laurie takes over his room so that he is forced to share with his older, "surfer" brother.

Nick believes that internalizing everything and not bothering anyone is the way to get through life, but he soon finds that ignoring Laurie and her crazy ideas is impossible. After finding a four-leaf clover, Nick soon discovers that he is able to see fantastical creatures and is forced into helping a Nixie called Taloa, who has lost all her sisters.

In his journey to find Taloa's sisters, both him and Laurie discover a giant that has the ability to breathe fire. They learn that three of Taloa's sisters were killed by the giant. Accidentally leading the beast back to their home,Taloa is forced to sing to the giant to keep it from killing her and destroying everything else in its path. In the meantime, Nick and Laurie go to a book signing to meet the creators of a book called "Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You," in hopes of finding an answer to deal with their giant problem (yes, pun intended).

My thoughts:

I enjoyed reading this one. The illustrations are very well done, and the larger font size makes reading this book easier for younger kids. The attitude of Nick (the main character) seems very realistic for a boy of his age. I enjoyed the tensions between characters, their misunderstandings, and the imagination or lack there of.

Things to consider:

I would guess this is good for age eight and up. As mentioned, the fonts and illustrations would be appealing to children. Also, there's really no questionable content that I can think of beyond a few violent scenes.

James D. Maxon

Author of, The Cat That Made Nothing Something Again

[...] ... Read more

Product Description
In the final installment of Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles, Nick and Laurie had thought they solved their giant problems when they drove all the giants into the sea. But now, the Grace kids have come back to tell them they may have more trouble coming their way!

It turns out the giants control the population of Hydra, a dragon like creature that is creating sinkholes all over Florida. But with the mermaids refusing to return the giants to the shore, the nixie's still missing and the threat of a destroyed Florida drawing closer, the kids have to take matters in their own hands.

Will Nick and Laurie be able to stop the destruction they unwittingly caused? Can a new giant hunter help save the day? Can Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide help them out of this or are they on their own?

Find out in the final conclusion of the Spiderwick saga! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

The Spiderwick Chronicles
My ten-year-old is a struggling reader in fourth grade. He loves to be read to but not by himself. He loves this series so much that I have caught him up in the middle of the night reading. THANK YOU!

vivid conclusion
The Chronicles are great and I can hardly wait to read them to my granddaughter.This volume brings to a conclusion the series.The language is vivid and the pace is good enough for pre-teen and older.I want to find out for myself how the series "flies" while read to little ones (under 6).The violence is no more than found in other original fairy tales and fables.The characters' inner conflicts and parental struggles are realistic and woven into the story line with skill.I'm a believer in "fairy tales" contributing to healthy child development.If you are too then try this series.

The Wyrm King (Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles)
//The Wyrm King// is the third and last book in the Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles. As in the previous two books, it tells of the adventure of Nick with his brother Jules and their stepsister Laurie, along with the Grace kids - Simon, Jared and Mallory. Being gifted with the Sight, all of them could hear the songs of the nixies (from Book 1) and see that boulders around them are actually giants (from Book 2). Fresh from their banishment of the giants, the group, now faced with fast-growing hydras, are seriously contemplating their actions from the last adventure. For all their good motives, they now realize that the giants exist for a reason: the destruction of the Wyrm King.

Fast and action-packed, the story does not waste any time or word moving on. There's none of the historical context narration found in serial works, confusing the reviewer a bit at the beginning. Similar to other Spiderwick stories, nevertheless, emotions are given equal footing with physical actions: sibling love, commitment to promises made and responsibility over others are just a few of the humane elements in this work by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black.

Reviewed by Donabel Harms

good conclusion
I ordered this book for my 10 year old grandson. We enjoy reading aloud to each other and this book was a good conclusion to the Beyond Spiderwick series. The plot was engaging enough for us both and the vocabulary was just about right for him without being to "Mickey Mouse" for me. Even though we know its a fantasy series, we were glad to be living in WNY instead of south FL, in spite of the snow!No possibility of giants and hydras here!

"As the Rat King is to Rats, So the Wyrm..."
The third and final part of Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi's collaborative effort is called "The Wyrm King," following on from The Nixie's Song and A Giant Problem, part of the "Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles" trilogy which in turn is a sequel to the original The Spiderwick Chronicles series (why are fantasy titles so convoluted?) and which wraps up the trilogy in a satisfying, action-picked finale.

Centered on the plump eleven-year old Nick Vargas, his older brother Jules and their unwanted stepsister Laurie, the three siblings spent the better part of the last book trying to remove giants from Mr Vargas's housing development, only to find that their successful attempt to lead the giants into the ocean has only led to more trouble. The climactic finish of the previous book was the discovery that the giants were the only things keeping an even greater danger at bay, one that is now rising up from the swamplands. (As a warning against tampering with the natural order of things, could this plot element be an ecological message that's actually...*subtle*?!)

Along with the Grace siblings (Mallory, Jared and Simon, the protagonists from the previous books) Nick and his assorted team of faerie-experts try to gather all the information they can on the mysterious wyrms that are emerging from the sink-holes currently appearing across town. Like giant multi-headed eels that merge together like the mythological hydra, the creatures grow at a rapid pace and breathe out methane gas, and with the loss of Noseeum Jack (this trilogy's version of Aunt Lucinda), the kids feel completely out of their league.

To make matters more complicated, the martial issues between Nick's dad and Laurie's mother have reached breaking point. Deciding to temporarily separate for the sake of their children, Nick finally gets his wish only to discover that he's not particularly happy with the idea of Laurie leaving his life. As with the previous series, the plot of the troubled family is reflected in the faerie aspect of things as the children deal with irreversible change, working together, making the most of what they've got, and getting a taste of adult life in their dealings with the imminently selfish faeries.

Nick himself makes a great protagonist; like most kids his age and in his situation, he simply doesn't know what he wants, and a general theme of decision-making and promise-keeping is sustained throughout his story. As such, the other characters are slightly more low-key this time around, as Nick takes centre stage.

The two major differences in this trilogy as opposed to the five-part original series is the change in setting and the general theme of the story. We've moved from the old-world charm of Maine to the mangrove swamps and beaches of Florida, the home of illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi. Something is a bit lost in the transition; namely the fairytale-esque feel of the Spiderwick mansion and the surrounding meadows and forests. Although the seaside additions of mermaids, nixies and giants put the world of faerie in a more balmy atmosphere and give the series a wider scope, I have to admit that I preferred the previous setting.

Also worth noting is that the "Beyond the Spiderwick" trilogy is more of an action-driven story than a tale of discovery. Whereas the Grace siblings partook in a battle between good and evil in which knowledge (in the form of the Field-Guide) was power; Nick and his siblings are part of a desperate attempt to save their community from natural upheaval. It doesn't pack quite the same impact.

But as always, the book itself is a treat, packed full of maps, supplementary material, and Tony DiTerlizzi's gorgeous illustrations. Some aspects of the plot are a bit wonky (to get the giants to the serpents, why didn't they just use the tape recording of the nixies as they did last time? And since the faeries' activities are on a much larger scale this time, I wasn't entirely sure what exactly those that did not have the Sight were actually experiencing when giants and serpents rampaged across the countryside) yet this is ultimately a satisfying conclusion to an innovative series that harks back to the darker side of fairytales. I hope Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi have more to come. ... Read more

Product Description
Bret Easton Ellis’s debut, Less Than Zero, is one of the signal novels of the last thirty years, and he now follows those infamous teenagers into an even more desperate middle age.

Clay, a successful screenwriter, has returned from New York to Los Angeles to help cast his new movie, and he’s soon drifting through a long-familiar circle. Blair, his former girlfriend, is married to Trent, an influential manager who’s still a bisexual philanderer, and their Beverly Hills parties attract various levels of fame, fortune and power. Then there’s Clay’s childhood friend Julian, a recovering addict, and their old dealer, Rip, face-lifted beyond recognition and seemingly even more sinister than in his notorious past.

But Clay’s own demons emerge once he meets a gorgeous young actress determined to win a role in his movie. And when his life careens completely out of control, he has no choice but to plumb the darkest recesses of his character and come to terms with his proclivity for betrayal.

A genuine literary event.


From the Hardcover edition.Amazon.com Review

Donna Tartt is the author of the novels The Secret History and The Little Friend, and is currently at work on a third novel. Read her review of Imperial Bedrooms:

Customer Reviews (113)

quit while you're ahead, easton ellis
let me put it this way: i was on vacation, eating, sleeping and surfing my days away in mexico, and barely using my brain for anything, and still this did not qualify as good as beach reading! it might be good to anyone who has never read an eastonellis book before, or perhaps anyone who is getting slowly introduced to the world of reading. let me back up, for the sake of good karma: this book was just not as interesting or entertaining as his previous works.

Zero plus 25
In Imperial Bedrooms (whose title is based on Elvis Costello's second album) Bret Easton Ellis returns to the characters that featured in his first novel, Less Than Zero. If you've read that book - and if not, you probably should - you'll figure these disaffected teenagers were never going to grow up to be pillars of LA society and sure enough, they remain deep in Ellis worlds of alcohol, drugs, nihilism, misogyny and self obsession. Where better than in the world of movie making?

This is Clay's story - he has become a successful screen writer and returns to LA to cast one of his movies where he meets the beautiful, but talentless, Rain Turner who is, unbeknown to Clay, mixed up with his old associates Julian, Blair and Rip.

You certainly don't need to have read Less Than Zero first, but it adds to the experience if you have. Perhaps the worst situation is if you have not read it but seen the movie. The movie somewhat misrepresented the book, as indeed Clay begins by noting. Perhaps as a result, Ellis has gone even darker than normal for him in this book.

What Ellis does particularly well in this short novel is to build a sense of paranoia and fear. There's always someone watching Clay, but neither he, nor the reader, knows who this is. The sense of menace is ubiquitous.

With Ellis it's a fair bet that you are always going to get shocking violence, usually linked to sex and drugs, at some point and Imperial Bedrooms doesn't fail to deliver. When it comes, it is indeed truly shocking. Perhaps because we expect Ellis to shock, he always has to ratch up the level in each new book and at least one part late on in the book - Clay's weekend break in Palm Springs - felt somewhat tacked on and not part of the story which is a shame in such a short book.

Ellis is one of those writers you either love or hate. His stream of consciousness and visits to the dark side are not to everyone's taste and you always feel you are being kept at a distance with his characters. If you are new to him, I wouldn't start here. It's no Less Than Zero or American Psycho - but for fans it's an interesting read although frustratingly short.

Characters Without Souls are Poor Subjects
I would never have heard about this book had I not read some glowing pre-publication reviews. The narrator slips in and out of a series of confusing encounters, eventually stumbling into alcoholic stupor, depravity and brutalizing women, all without so much as a cogent or compassionate thought. The main character, an unapologetic shell of a writer is wholly dependent on the author for disjointed dialogue by which he strings his days together. The book failed to offer any fresh insight about the lost souls of Hollywood who remain enslaved and dependent to power as they search for fame. Clearly, they could opt for a more humane lifestyle, but we never learn what keeps them stuck. I saw no benefit to my reading about characters without souls, going nowhere, doing no good for anyone (not even themselves).It was a collection of weakness and immorality without any hope of redemption...pretty depressing. Vividly depicting aggression and violence against women without a whisper of a counter voice was inexcusable. This was not a book I can recommend. I see nothing literary about it.

Like Less Than Zero, except nothing happens, and with more debauchery.
I must say to begin that I absolutely love the cover of the book, it's simple, but powerful, and I think the text layout and the picture just create such a perfect representation of who the main character is.

Unfortunately, that's probably about the only good thing I'll have to say about it. Written 25 years after the first, the characters have also aged 25 years, and most of them are doing the same things they always were and haven't changed a bit.

The main character, Clay, once an apathetic and depressed extremely privileged teen, is now a decently successful screenwriter, and has spent the last two years in New York before returning to his hometown of L.A., where the book takes place. His newest screenplay has been given the green light and when the novel opens, he and some producers are working on casting the film.

And it's pretty much downhill from there. Clay starts hanging out with/sleeping with a young actress who severely wants the lead female role in the film, and Clay knows he's being used, but continues to use her also, always promising her he can get her into the role.

Without giving too much away, it quickly turns into sort of a murder-mystery with all of Clay's old `friends' from the first novel involved. But the murder is so typical; somebody borrowed money from somebody else and slept with somebody to get money to pay the first person back and then somebody back-stabbed somebody else and there's some drugs involved and they find a dead dude without his head or hands in the desert. We've heard that one before. Even worse, the details and motives of the whole mystery are confusing and uncertain. Yes, a mystery is supposed to be kinda uncertain until the close of a book, but this one is just poorly executed.

It's very much like a soap-opera plot, except with more violence and the sex isn't just hinted at. This pretty much sums up the book: Some middle-aged wealthy people go around from party to party, drinking lots of vodka, doing drugs, sleeping with eachother, and making BS smalltalk about what movies they're involved in, and occasionally in between all of this we see the plot's little head pop up here and there as the details of the murder come out and Clay finds himself in the middle of it.

There is not much of a climax. The mystery is revealed, but all the characters are so flat and rich and self-indulgent, you end up not really caring who slept with who and why and whose money it was and who's dead. There is a really random scene towards the end where Clay picks up two teenage prostitutes and debauchery ensues. It seems to be a weak attempt to show that Clay is `spiraling down into even further self-destruction,' but I think it was more just for shock value.

I was excited to read this book when I heard it was coming out, because initially it sounded intriguing and I figured the author has had 25 years and half a dozen other novels to improve and grow. I was interested in what he would do with the characters. And ultimately, I think Ellis is a better writer than he used to be, but the question is why does he choose to write about things like this?! The book is generally just boring, even with all the attempts to be edgy.

Less Than Zero was edgy, and is actually a decent book, and I can see how it kinda propelled him into the limelight at the time as an intriguing new author with lots of potential. But his revisit to these characters was just completely pointless.

Paste Magazine gave the book a rating of 0.0 out of 10. I guess I'd say that's about where I stand too.

Is Clay and Patrick Bateman the same person?
Ok, so I still don't know what in hell was going on with Glamorama, but I felt Bret came back into form with Lunar Park. So when I read his latest installment in two sittings, I came to the realization that he is writing better than ever. This is a spooky book, a real thriller with some very shonky characters. His writing can hit you between the eyes at any moment and I have never read anything close to his descriptions of violence. The internet video sequences of the book were very disturbing. I also liked the fact that the book is under 200 pages (thank you, God). ... Read more

Product Description
This book brings together current information on the teaching and practice of psychology collected by experts in the field from throughout the world. It is highly recommended by prominent U.S. psychologists such as: Dr. Ann O'Roark, President of the International Council of Psychologists (ICP), Dr. Wilbert McKeachie and Dr. Phillip Zimbardo, former President of the American Psychological Association (APA) and well-known international textbook author. ... Read more

Product Description
Each book in the new Longman Know-How Series provides the practitioner with expertise in developing a successful practice in a particular area of law. Compiled by experienced solicitors who are aware of the day-to-day problems of running a practice and dealing with cases, these books contain vital inside information necessary to making the business and every transaction a success. From setting up an efficient working office to getting safely through the problems that occur in cases, right through to providing the best client care, all essential points are covered. The advice contained in "Know-How for Personal Injury Lawyers" is based upon the combined know-how expertise of several personal injury law specialists. These experts take the practitioner through all the elements of practice, including dealing with witnesses, finding experts, assessing quantum, negotiation, pleadings, time limits, provisional damages, going to trial and appeals. They also advise practitioners on how to deal with issues arising from uncommon difficulties such as foreign cases, nervous shock cases and fatal accidents.Throughout the book, emphasis is firmly placed on good practice and client care and due consideration is given to other matters such as developing the personal injury practice as a whole, legal aid and time management. Information technology, file management, cost recording, case allocation and research are also discussed in full. To further enhance the practicality of the work, the authors have also provided model correspondences, questionnaires, checklists and useful addresses. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Matthew Driscoll, Dennis Mccarthy, Roy Bernardi, Charles Andrews, Elias W. Leavenworth, William F. Walsh, Irving G. Vann, List of Mayors of Syracuse, New York, William James Wallace, James Kennedy Mcguire, Lee Alexander. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 35. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Matthew John "Matt" Driscoll (born February 7, 1958) is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 52nd Mayor of Syracuse, New York from July 10, 2001 until December 31, 2009. Driscoll graduated in 1976 from West Genesee High School in Camillus, New York, a suburb of Syracuse. He formerly owned "Rosie O'Grady's", a popular Irish pub in Syracuse. He became Syracuse's mayor on July 10, 2001 when former Republican Mayor Roy Bernardi was appointed as deputy secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development in President Bush's administration. As President of the City of Syracuse Common Council, Driscoll automatically succeeded Bernardi and served the remainder of Bernardi's mayoral term. That fall Driscoll defeated several other Democrats in a primary, including Kate O'Connell. He went on to be elected after defeating former common councilor Bernie Mahoney by a thirty-two percent margin. In 2005 he defeated Mahoney's daughter, Joanie Mahoney, by a 3% margin. Driscoll won in part by claiming that Mahoney's race was funded by developer Robert Congel, a Bush-Cheney fundraiser who was overseeing the proposed expansion of the Carousel Center shopping mall. Driscoll campaigned alongside Eliot Spitzer, who had already begun his campaign to win New York's governorship in 2006; Spitzer's then-widespread popularity among New York Democrats likely helped Driscoll cement support from the majority-Democrat city. He won re-election, again by a slim 3% margin (49% to 46%) Previo...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=1773080 ... Read more