I generally read really good books more than once. This will not be one of them. Don't get me wrong, I did get some interesting insights into ancient Europe from this book. What I found annoying, however, was the constant interjection of personal politics that the author is incapable of keeping to himself.

I do not believe, for example, that the western defense industry is a quasi-spiritual relic of the battleaxe culture.

Still, this book is worth reading. Good information about migrating cultures and social development.

Drinking from this Well is Well-Worth it!

Ralph Metzner has helped us to remember many of the Old myths of northern Europe. With great detail, he shows the history and social developments which shaped the beliefs of the northern people. This is not a book of modern day Asatru practices or Norse rituals. It is a rich text of Pagan history, pointing out many examples of how we can benefit today by learning from the past. Metzner's title refers to the magic Well from which Odin drank to learn (i.e. "remember") the age-old origins of all things. He points out that we too can drink from this Well, and remember much of what modern society has sadly forgotten. While Metzner focuses mainly on Germanic, Scandinavian cultures, he makes frequent connections to the Celts, Romans, Asians -- and even Native Americans.

More than mere history, Metzner (now in his sixties) mixes in his own thoughts and dreams, tales of vision quests and crossroads which he has faced upon his own spiritual journey. He also includes contributions from other writers, including an inspiring forward from author Marija Gimbutas.

Readers will find a detailed history of how the migrations and invasions of the Indo-Europeans changed the face of northern Europe. Metzner explains how this change affected the beliefs and customs of northern Paganism. If you'd like to learn how Pagan society slowly shifted away from matriarchy to patriarchy, this book is a good resource. Metzner gives many examples of the shift from the matriarchal Earth Deities, or Vanir, to the warrior Sky Gods, called the Aesir. He bases much of this work on a good variety of historical sources, including Germanic cultural texts called the Eddas. (The term Edda translates to "Great Grandmother.") While Metzner offers his own personal views and interpretations, he leaves the door open for readers to draw many of their own conclusions. He also gives many examples of word origins, showing their root in social customs. An interesting example of this is the word matrimony, which Metzner claims is rooted to the matriarchal custom of family wealth being passed down along maternal lines, "matri" meaning mother and "mony" meaning money.

His ten-page timeline of world history is an excellent research tool. It starts with the rise of human culture, using stone tools 2 million years ago, to cave paintings of "paired male and female figures," then brings us through classical Europe, ending in 1492 with Columbus.

His views on the ferocious warriors, called the Berserkers, is interesting. Berserkers, meaning those who wear bear skins, fought wildly, sometimes under the influence of an herbal-induced frenzy. He also mentions the concept of Valhalla, a paradise reserved for warriors "lucky" enough to die in battle. Metzner then puts the ugliness of war into perspective, stating that Valhalla was a religious belief used to conveniently motivate the troops, moving the reader to ask what Valhallas we create today for our own patriotic causes. Very timely! His concept of "the New Berserker" describes the new, more peaceful, environmental movement of the Earth-based religions.

Metzner's view of northern lore is quite unique. For example, reading the Runes, he states on page 198, can be viewed "in a broader, more general sense, as any symbolic sign that we come to understand in a personally meaningful way..." Odin learning to read the Runes was symbolic for us learning to read the language of nature; the word Rune itself means secret or mystery. (He also states that some believe the Runic alphabet is based on Latin, Greek or Etruscan characters.) His views on the Tree of Yggdrasill are also fascinating. Metzner claims the word Yggdrasill means Ygg's (an aspect of Odin) horse, where horse is meant as a vehicle for travel. Metzner claims many of these myths contain shamanic beliefs; Odin hanging on the Tree was symbolic of a shamanic journey between the worlds. The Tree, or "Axis Between the Worlds" was his vehicle. (Those interested in the Cabala's Tree of Life will enjoy Metzner's diagram of Asgard, Midgard, Hel and other aspects of the Nine Worlds, page 201.) While somewhat far-fetched, Metzner makes an interesting cross-cultural comparison between Odin hanging on the Tree, Prometheus chained to the Boulder, Innana hung on the peg, the chest of Osiris being absorbed into a tree, and even Christ hanging on the cross -- all as Deities bound to an Earthly world. His section entitled "Animism, Shamanism and Paganism" (pages 48-51) is also a very unique perspective!

He also offers thought-provoking ideas on Ragnarok, the great battle which destroyed the Old Gods, from which the few survivors rebuild a new world. He compares this "death" of the Old Gods to the shift from Paganism to Christianity, with the current Pagan revival being a form of rebirth. Metzner's optimism about the future is an inspiration.

Metzner's association with Timothy Leary in psychedelic "research" probably helped shape the 17-page appendix focusing solely on certain specific ancient herbal arts. (You won't find this info in any ordinary history text.)

While most of the book's 300+ pages are not graced with great artwork, there are twelve interesting black and white photos of pottery, statues and carvings with ancient images of Old deities. There are also several maps and diagrams showing how ancient society branched out.

While his research seems solid, much of Metzner's points are based in sources so ancient they are open to many interpretations. Some scholars of northern culture will undoubtedly disagree with much that Metzner says. But Metzner doesn't claim to have a monopoly on the truth; he does not position himself as the definitive voice of the northern people. He merely points out some valuable areas of Pagan history which speak to him as an author, as a student of world history, and as a fellow Spirit on a Pagan path.

Metzner's writing style is not like today's easy-reading popular neo-Pagan authors. Readers must plow through his quite wordy prose, which feels more like an academic text than consumer entertainment. But doing so is reading well-spent. Drinking from this Well is well worth it!

Link (Anthony) 203 Main Street, #211 Flemington, NJ 08822 AnthLink@aol.com

Of all the Norse reading I have done, this was my favorite. Ralph Metzner examines Norse mythology through a very matricentric set of lenses, deconstructing some of the dominance-model material that has found its way into Norse "tradition". He reclaims the Vanic tradition without dishonoring the Aesir. He focuses on the shamanic aspects of Odin and deconstructs a great deal of misogynistic material surrounding Freyja. He separates the Norse heritage from the Nazi mythos and gives us a humane and empowering way to reclaim the Nordic traditions. This is a unique book--one I cannot recommend loudly enough.

Among others, I purchased this book along with "SYBASE SQL SERVER 11 UNLEASHED". I was amazed to find that both books contain largely the exact same text. Not almost the same words but EXACTLY the same text. Either book is useful by it's self however, there is no point in purchasing them both. While I am a dedicated follower of the "UNLEASHED" series, I was very disappointed in the publisher this time.

Good book for beginning Sybase DBA.

Text has bolded blocks highlighting useful tips and warnings.

Excellant reference book to have during upgrade from Sybase 10 to 11.

Sybase Sql Server 11 Dba Survival Guide is now the one book I take with me instead of the 4 or 5 books I have carried before. All of the essentials are here. I also like the tips and tricks that the author has put in. Much of this info can be found in the product manuals but is very hard to extract. This book has it right where I need it -- all in one place.

The new religion of the Northwest is definitely eco-terroism. Learn how to kill loggers and spitefully waste human life. Judy Bari and Earth First! are on the FBI list for Terrorism, worse than Ben Laden.

This book is one of the greatest stories about environmental activism and support for loggers' and women's issues. Judi Bari was able to do what few democratic activists do; support the workers of the very companies she protested. She knew the struggles of loggers as well as the issues of exploiting nature and the environment for unbridled greed. One of the reasons that she was so successful as an activist was that she was able to bring together so many diverse people and issues. So few activists are aware of women's issues and the sexism inherent in many organizations. And yet she was able to look realistically at the limitations of the organizations around her and speak out for the rights of all. Her inclusiveness, bravery, and ability to organize people to come together for peaceful, non-violent protests was one of her amazing legacies. This book tells the story of that legacy and gives insight into one of the most profound and remarkable environmental activists of our time.

Earth First! is explicitly not an "organization" as the Book News, Inc. Portland, Or. person says, it is a Movement. Nor was it ever discredited. Judi Bari's contribution to the Movement was extending it beyond matters purely ecological, into women's rights & pro-choice activism for example.

This pitch-perfect foray into a young man's agonizing adolescence is made vivid by the small details of his daily life. Living at home with a devout Catholic mother, 1960's Belfast is a tough arena for a young man on the path toward manhood, especially when rigid Catholic school ethics stand sentinel over natural self-expression.

Strict Irish priests are rigorous in their training of young men, using corporal punishment, coupled with the occasional spiritual retreat: three days of silence, prayer and soul-searching. The most effective and lasting discipline is mental, constant drumming lectures concerning the nature of sin, especially when entertained as lascivious thoughts, where a boy's chastity is threatened by self-will. Martin Brennan and his friends survive just such an environment, their sexuality a driving force, as they bond in friendship defined by four-letter words and innuendo. Driven by hormones, conscience runs a close second, carefully nurtured through years of training.

To his shame, Brennan is repeating his last year of high school before seeking employment. Kavanagh, a star basketball player, is Martin's best pal and co-conspirator. When the more sophisticated Blaise Foley boards at their school, the paradigm changes, the three boys forming a lopsided triumvirate, as Blaise challenges Martin to question everything he has been taught. The free-floating anxiety common to boys on the verge of manhood tempers Martin and Kavanagh's natural hubris and enthusiasm.

The iconoclastic Blaise is a perfect foil to the more conscientious Brennan and Kavanagh, pricking holes in their beliefs and expectations. It is Blaise who suggests a scheme for passing exams, critical to each young man's future. Blaise is an antagonist whose best work is done while skating on the thin edge of risk, a practiced con man with a deep distrust of conformity. But ill-conceived interference by a disciplinarian begins a cycle of violence that leaves one boy fighting for his life and shocking the others into adulthood overnight. This injudicious incident changes the course of their futures.

Some harsh lessons burn a hole in the soul, a black mark that cannot be removed, possibly requiring a sojourn in Purgatory. But youthful experience denies the pull of grief and shame, where hope bravely shimmers, a light at the end of the tunnel.

There is a notable scene where Brennan loses his virginity, perfectly capturing the tortuous journey from exploration to intimacy. Unaware of his own charms, Brennan is an attractive young man to the opposite sex. His first foray into sexual adventure is tender and touching. MacLaverty skillfully portrays the difficult terrain of youthful maturity, when young boys perform age-old rituals that mark such significant events.

In a familiar and humorous rendition, MacLaverty's Martin Brennan, carefully tended by a religious mother who surrounds her son with moral values, is the essence of a boy's transition into the next phase of life, his struggles proscribed by universal experience, successfully navigating his path towards the future. Luan Gaines/2003.

MacLaverty has a great feel for working class life. His characters feel very true, and the rhythms of his writing are incredibly seductive. You can feel his clear-eyed yet forgiving nature hovering over all his characters. Simply put, he's one of the best fiction writers out there. That said, The Anatomy School doesn't delve as deeply as you want it to. I prefer his short stories (see his "Walking the Dog" collection) which, with less words, achieve far richer, more suggestive results. Still, MacLaverty is always worth reading. His best themes are the failures of the church, and the sympathies between males. Both are treated excellently here. In fact, no one deals with maleness exactly the way MacLaverty does, allowing his male characters to express intense need, love and attraction for each other, without ever crossing over into the sexual. He defines an area of affection between straight men that few have ever explored before.

Confronting the usual thorny, coming-of-age issues of sex, religion, and morality, Belfast teenager Martin Brennan and his friends, with their hormones in high gear, are stunningly naïve, their primary concern, sex, remaining a mysterious, dark realm into which they must feel their own way. Unable to gain much needed knowledge of basic biology from home or school, they try to sublimate their urges, exploring the mysteries of faith, the example of Christ, the meaning of sin, and the importance of family and friends, while privately garnering as much information as they can about the Big Secret.

Brilliantly creating the jokey banter, braggadocio, and innuendoes of teenage conversations, MacLaverty introduces a main character who, while a bit more serious and naive than some of his friends, is still a typical teenager facing typical teenage problems. And that, to me, is both the attraction and limitation of this novel. Many readers will chuckle out loud as they relive their own pasts through Martin, but at the conclusion, some may also ask, "Is that all there is?" The superficial resolution of normal teenage predicaments, no matter how well presented here, may not be satisfying for readers who expect a broader treatment of themes and a deeper exploration of inner conflicts. The author's introduction of the Catholic/Protestant violence at the end of the novel seems gratuitous, an overly strong element used to make a generalized point about morality and religion--Martin is almost untouched by The Troubles.

The book pulses with the drama of teenage life, kooky characters, a wonderful feel for the tenuous relationships between teens and adults, and often hilarious repartee--especially with the "dotery coterie" of Martin's mother, the local priest, and her two friends. These individual delights are not fully integrated into a thematic whole, however, and the reader may be left feeling a bit short-changed at the end--thoroughly entertained, but no wiser.

Most books written about the IRA sacrifice any notion of relism to the agenda of the author-the IRA become dim-witted psychopaths stalked by noble and idealistic British agents- so it was a welcome relief to find this dark, factualy-based story set in one of the most intriguing areas of Ireland, East-Tyrone. The IRA Volunteers in the book are certainly violent,but they are also profoundly human, Seymour puts their frailties on display and paints them as victims of the conflict rather than its villains. In one revealing passage he describes the 100-year history of one IRA family and asks "where was escape? Escape was impossible." In contrast it's hard to be sympathetic with the young British agent who seems a vain, shallow careerist( In a droll scene in a later book we see that Brennard has become a pencil-pushing beaurocrat with MI6). The book's main flaw is its blind adherence to the conventions of the modern thriller, with plucky Brennard making the lucky shot against his adversary, a far more sympathetic IRA man. Also jarring is the fact that Seymour gives the impression of not having spent much time in Altmore, the setting for the novel. Physical descriptions are sparse and although Seymours' character descriptions are spot on, he has no idea of how people from Tyrone actually speak- he simply props the word "feckin'" in every second sentance and hopes for the best. The author might have benefitted from a little more time walking the roads of Altmore, like Brennard in the book he has tried to assimilate the nature of the place from the reading room in a library, like his character he fails.

If you're into the real macoy of what it feels like to live undercover, where everything and anything you say and do may give you away, this is the book for you. Always sharply focussed and with enough suspense to stop you putting the book down before you've turned the last page. The only down side is the lack of a sequal!

Captured the essence of the Catholic/Protestant conflict. The reader empathises with the Irish people but can still appreciate and applaud the actions taken by the British security forces. The use of a strong central female character in the initiation of an inexperienced male operative in this arena is at the heart of this book. Their interactions, and his own internal battle in justifying the cold, calculated acts committed in the name of God and country serve to introduce two unforgettable characters. The icing on the cake is the blending of history with the present in the introduction of, and frequent allusions to, a historical character who seems to come alive in another central character who is the protagonist of the "dynamic duo".

The great strength of this book is in highlighting the ethos of Southern gentlemen like Willy Pegram. Carmichael demonstrates that men like Pegram were engaged in a holy war and as such, performed heroic feats on the battlefield. So if you're one of those people who are still facinated by "the cause" of this war, then this is a book for you. If you're looking for a book on Confederate artillery tactics, techniques, and procedures, however, you'll have to look elsewhere.

I found this book a very interesting read. In it, Peter Carmichael describes the military career of the young Confederate officer, William Pegram. The books gives a nice overview of his successful role in the Army of Northern Virginia as an artillery officer. Most of the text chronicles Pegram's swift rise through the ranks as he boldly leads his men, cannons, horses and caissons on the battlefield. Mr. Carmichael uses many of Pegram's letters home to tell his story. More importantly, Pegram's view of the war, slavery, and the Confederate Cause, come through as well.

Mr. Carmichael does a fantastic job of revealing how some of the young Confederate officers like Pegram viewed the Civil War. Since most Civil War books focus more on the Generals than the junior officers who actually fought the battles, I felt that this book really brought a new perspective to my understanding of the conflict.

I do not recommend this book for those who do not already possess a good understanding of the Civil War. Instead, I highly recommend this book to anyone who has gained an appreciation for the war, and is looking to find out more about its participants. This book really opened my eyes about "the Southern Cause", and how it meant different things to different people.

More than just a blood-and-guts biography of a incredibly brave young officer, this book provides really very interesting insight into the minds and motives of educated Southern twentysomethings before and during the war. This is a fine offering from one of the better young historians working today.

Few things can turn an abstract conflict halfway across the world into reality than to see it through the eyes of a child growing up in the middle of it. That's really the strength of this book about Amelia, a Belfast girl who is seven when the "Troubles" kick off in 1969. Most readers will be comparing their own (comparably) sheltered and secure childhoods to that of Amelia's, who collects plastic bullets, sees a friend shoot another girl on the playground, and grows up in an area under military occupation, where IRA thugs dole out kneecappings, and being in the wrong place in the wrong time can get you very dead.

The clear central theme is that growing up in such an environment is scarring-and as one reads Amelia's story, it's not hard to think of children from El Salvador, Palestine, Algeria, and other areas of recent civil war. Amelia is emotionally broken by the violence around her- totally ambivalent toward her family (as they are to her), and closed to deep friendships, love, or any kind of intimacy. While some of her schoolmates recycle the omnipresent violence into acting out, Amelia absorbs it and rechannels it into self-destruction. She anesthetize herself first through anorexia and then alcoholism, drifting through her twenties before suffering a total breakdown as the ghosts of the dead haunt her.

While Amelia's story is a novel, it's comprised of 23 disjoined episodic vignettes that unfold in chronological order over 25 years as Amelia passes from childhood to mentally ill adult. The first third of this debut-spanning 1969-79-is really, really good, unfortunately the focus is lost with the chapter "Mr. Hunch in the Ascendant, 1980." The longest chapter, it's a rambling, surreal story about a mentally ill neighborhood guy who escapes and hangs own with Amelia. It's so long and so unconnected to her that the dark spell of her story is broken and is never recaptured. There are too many gaps between her childhood, alcoholic adulthood, and breakdown to get a full sense of the tragedy.

There are some nice part in the rest of the book though, such as the chapter "Incoming, 1986" where two old schoolmates run into each other and over the course of a drink contrive the murder of one's husband (all of which is totally unrelated to Amelia). One the whole, the novel shows great promise, although as the author grew up in Belfast at the exact same time as Amelia, and moved to London just as she did, one wonders what she'll draw on for her next book.

How often do you get to put together the words chilling and funny? But this book is both and does it well. It enmeshes you so deeply in Belfast, during the Troubles, than when you look up you eye everyone to see if they are IRA or British soldiers. I was amazed by the author's control over voice as perspective shifts from the protagonist to other characters and was moved by the horror that is drawn so well by the young voice recounting it. Every Brit and every Irish American should read it to discover and uncover the not-so-secret secrets of the Troubles that we all scoffed at. There was nothing to scoff at. The ghosts come back to haunt you.

For the reader who is an enthusiast of Northern Irish fiction, this is a must. Enjoyable reading, although at times painfully disturbing for its realism and humanity.
It does not escape the "political" situation, yet it escapes the usual cliches in novels about this country. People's lives are still affected by "the Provies," Protestants and Catholics fall victim to bigotry, both sides are maimed and killed. However, this gives much more intense insight into the mind and body of Amelia, her views toward life in the war-torn country, her ambivalent feelings towards family,friends, and sexuality, and her combatting madness--her own and that which permeates her society as a whole.

An "Angela's Ashes," Ulster-style. Definitely difficult to put down.

I didn't find The Northern Girl as entertaining as the other two in this universe [Watchtower; The Dancers of Arun]; In fact, I didn't find myself much interested in anything until the very end of the book. She continues with her familiar themes: the flexibility of human love and sexual attraction, and the necessity of force to bring and maintain peace. It's as competently written as the other two, though the pacing seems much slower [and it could be that I simply wasn't as interested in the story]. I'm not sorry I read it, but I don't think I'll ever re-read it.

A note: It's not necessary to read the first two books to understand this one; all of them can be read out-of-turn.

I read this book a number of years ago. I really liked the story and how all the charactors were developed. I liked how she found what she was looking for even though her visions were of the past.

Down in the Delta, the martial arts and the power of the Red Clan have declined but have also been incorporated partially into general culture. Contrary to the first books of the Tonor series Northern Girl focuses on a female protagonist, but gives also ample space to male characters. The book tells the story of a young girl whose emerging telephatic gifts might eventually lead her far away from every home she knows. While she struggels with the question wheather she should stay or leave and thus loose her lover, who is captian of the guard of her "employer", she is caught in midst of a dangerous political intrigue.

Northern girl revisits the lands of the first two books and closes the circle as Tonor Keep was once founded by a renegrade smith from her southern city. The warm atmosphere of an almost utopian society where men and women can live and love each other freely and without any barrier to create families (including numerous children) in various gay, lesbian and even sometimes straight familiy arrangements is cleverly balanced with action.

This and the detailed descriptions of both characters, the world and the landscape make "Northern Girl" a pleasant summer read, I have read this book numerous times and am glad to ree it reprinted again.

It is a book I can highly recommend to any lower of martial art and utopian fantasy or any age.

While the author is, without a doubt, knowledgable of Irish history and the conflict that has plagued Northern Ireland, his plot and his story leave one confused in a maze of historical facts, depictions of real-life conflicts, and, unfortunatley, a completely incredulous love/lust/hate affair between Reason and Wilder.

Indeed, passion and sexual tension are an interesting part of any novel, but the reader is asked to believe the persistence with which the male characters (almost ALL all of them, at that) seek Reason, regardless of her apathy, even hostitlity toward them. One keeps asking whether there is a shortage of women who can accomodate and respond to the sexually-overcharged males that seem to desperately abandon themselves to this extravagant beauty, making her the center of their existence.

Aside from its ostensible political and social commentary, the novel's pervasive "love story" is hard to digest. And, when Reason is not busy in an intimate physical relationship with one of Wilder's aquaintances, her endless questions (She doesn't know who the RUC is, this being only one of at least a dozen inquiries) and imprudent decisions (going down into a mysterious cellar where IRA men are hiding and escaping, through Wilder's intercession, of course) become tiresome.

Aside from providing a plethora of information of the background of the conflict and existing difficulties encountered by people who live in Northern Ireland, Reasonable Maniacs asks too much from a reasonable reader.

For anyone interested in the conflict in the North of Ireland, this is the book for you. In fact, anyone who likes Ireland, check this out. The book is well-written and the story wonderfully told. I couldn't put it down! The romance was terrfic and the sex HOT! This is one of the best, most accurate "Belfast" books I've read in years. GET IT!

I was pleasantly surprised by the book. I enjoyed learning about the history of an 800 year old war and how it affects those living under the stress of conflict. Add in the human interest that the author provides and it was a very enjoyable, defintely readable book. What I particularly enjoyed was how the author painted a very picturesque story of Northern Ireland and its citizens.

While Gale demonstrates considerable writing talent, he's unable to sustain the pace for more than a few pages at a time. The hapless hero is unconvincing - one moment all rugged virility, the next a wimpering wuss - and the dialog is often dreadful. As for the implausible plot twists noted by other reviewers, either you accept them as essential to the fable-like atmosphere of the book, or you regret that Gale finally resorts to a sitcom story line to pull it all together. But despite all its failings, I can't help but give Gale at least two stars for some writing that's good enough to keep me on his side - hoping in vain that in the end he'll really pull it off. Unfortunately, he doesn't.

I liked this book enormously. It had such a contemporary feel to it and yet I couldn't help draw comparisons to 19th century writers like Hardy, Dickens, and Collins. The novel starts out with a criminal investigation but quickly resolves that plotline and delves into the workings of the family. Like a network of branches and twigs in a maturing tree, we follow the characters in increasingly complicated paths and watch how they keep crossing those paths in outrageous coincidence after coincidence. For those readers that love novels of character and writers who work wonders with the English language, this is a novel worth discovering.

Patrick Gale has written yet another fine book full of believable characters and unpredictable plots. I have read all of his books and found them to be consistently well written, entertaining, and thought-provoking. This book delves into the infinite complexities of human relationships but does not become ponderous. His sudden and eccentric plot twists keep the reader stimulated and guessing. This book may seem dark at first, but don't give up - there is a rare treat in store. I have eagerly awaited Patrick Gale's each new offering for the last 10 years and have yet to be disappointed.