As Good as It's Going to Get within Limits
923985
And, that limit is the eight hundred plus pages of this book.  Eight hundred odd pages to cover a thousand plus years of history is a major undertaking.  The author weaves a remarkably interesting and almost always coherent narrative moving along at a generally brisk pace.  Treadgold does an exceptional job of laying out the history of this vast, varied, and long lived empire.  The military, political, and theological matters of importance which are the prime moving forces in the history of Byzantium are well explicated.  Economic history, demographics, and epidemiology all make interrelated appearances to the extent that the underlying sources provide information and space permits.  And, as space permits is the problem here.  Treadgold promises a history of both the Byzantine state and society.

As has been noted here by other reviewers, it is the history of Byzantine society that draws the short stick. Another thousand or so pages and Treadgold might have been able to deliver the all inclusive history that his title promised.  The sources are certainly available to render the complex social and intellectual history of Byzantium vividly for broad sections of the Empire's existence.  And, there is the art and architecture of Byzantium which represent towering achievements at various junctures in history but which are cursorily covered here at best. Ultimately, it would appear to this reviewer that the author has his priorities in order.  He never wastes space, and the pages of this book are dense with facts and insightful interpretation.  There is no filler here.

Therefore, it is possible for this reader to excuse the author's failure to fully deliver on his stated goals.  This book is an excellent introduction to the history of the Byzantine Empire for one who is reasonably well read in the general history of the periods covered. Are other interpretations of equal validity available in specific instances regarding Byzantine history?  Yes, they are.  But that is to quibble over the details.  You might wish to consult the works of John Haldon for some alternative points of view.  Ultimately, this is the definitive one volume work on Byzantium for the moment and the foreseeable future.  We should enjoy it for what it is, and we owe the author a debt of gratitude for a lot of hard work well done.  Besides, it will give the interested reader good reason to read another dozen or so books on this remarkable and long lived empire.
4805090
It was pretty good I will be looking for more to come......I hope it's soon can't wait...And as good as this one..
3871415
I bought this expressly to enjoy more of David Finck's bass -- and  it is here, to be sure. But the arrangements and the production are all, almost continuously, either flattening the group dynamic or overwhelming it.

Finck's playing has lots of exciting surprises and just as many thoughtful places to consider and enjoy the music. His bandmates, on the other hand, seem intent on jamming every moment with trills and triplets and turn-arounds to the point where, sometimes, it's hard to get a thought in sideways, much less get a nice meditative flow going.

Even so, this is still a quite enjoyable album with lots of good moments and, if you can dig it out, with loads of great, imaginative bass.
656617
For those of you who don't know, the manifesto of this band states what it's about - Master, prog rock musicians playing music with a bit more pop sensibility.  So there's no reason to be surprised when you put the disc in and the first track isn't full of blazing guitar and bass riffs, double bass and weird time signatures.

Having said that, I listened to it with that in mind and really did enjoy the disc.  There were a couple of tracks, especially "Kayla" that in my mind deserved a LOT more radio play than they probably received.

Obviously, the band is somewhat of a success, because they have another disc coming out after completing a tour together.  That's saying a lot, because all of these guys are busy.  Morse's touring responsibilities with Deep Purple alone would be enough to make recording another album an extreme challenge.

Not in my list of favorite (5 star) discs, but a worthy effort nonetheless.
207671
couldnt have expected better -- because i think this is as good as it gets. and that is pretty darn good.
1724827
Tivoli either doesn't plan to sell many of these or will have to come down on the price--not that it's necessarily overpriced.  As a musician, reviewer, and constant listener I can attest that the Tivoli engineers' "tuning" of the sound leaves little to be desired.  Evenness across the sonic spectrum, balance,  "tightness," crispness, fullness, richness, naturalness and presence--more in evidence than ever.  It's not a sound that's likely to cause heads to turn the first time you hear it--Tivoli doesn't go in for the artificial effects, echoey and overly spacious synthesized sounds.  If you want a lot of stereo separation, save some money and pick up the Tivoli Model Two with the satellite speaker plus CD deck.  If you want to feel to rumble, add Tivoli's sub-woofer.  But if you simply want great, reliable, true sound in a small package, this is quality all the way.

A couple of minor annoyances:  the many little buttons on the machine go against Tivoli's tradition of simplicity as well as occasionally strain my patience (especially when I'm using sources other than CD).  Also, the CD will occasionally appear to jam.  The solution is to disconnect and reconnect the electrical cord.
3888430
Actually quite good.  5 stars is for outstanding, but this is very good.
3683834
The product does what it says it will do and very well at it.
3320979
Not bad.  Dig deep, learn all about plusses and minuses, and you will be on your way to giving excellent performances.  There is a lot on the market to choose from, but I can tell you this product does what it says it can, and well.
3315815
Although it does suffer from some pacing issues (a great start, a bit of a slog, a fantastic middle, and a rushed finale), this delivered on everything it promised. The storytelling was strong, and the world-building both deep and thorough. This isn't grimdark in any sense, but it is a realistic world where people have needs, where they get hurt, and where they need the escape of illicit pleasures.

It's become increasingly rare to find admirable, likeable protagonists in the genre, so it was refreshing to find them here. Smith's characters are largely what you would expect from a more traditional fantasy novel, with heroes who are (mostly) good and villains who are (mostly) bad. They're not perfect, so don't worry about clich&eacute;s, but their flaws are subtle and reasonable. As for the magical element and the mythology, it's really exciting. At this point in my reading, I thought I'd seen just about everything in fantasy, but there are some cool twists and surprises here that make for a fun read.

I have to be honest. I like my epic fantasies to be big and deep. I like a heavy page counts, long chapters, and a large cast of characters. I want to get so immersed in the tale that I'm surprised at how much time has passed between looking up from the last chapter. This delivered.
2610854
I'm still reading it; it's very good so far.
3141441
Smooth, solid action.  What more can you want?
3278381
People, keep in mind this is a lower budget film. That being said, huge surprise in how well this film is shot. Going into this with low expectations probably helped, but I can't deny the effort here. Acting is probably its biggest strength, top notch and believable. Sound would be another strength, properly placed and enhanced the experience. The two male leads did seem a little douchey at times, but not overly obnoxious. The main threat leading into the end, itself,  was a little generic looking, but more than made up for in build up and the nail biting last 25 minutes of the film where it just goes off the rails in a good way.  Its not perfect, but people are being way too hard on this.  Mostly due to being found footage, which if that isn't your thing, fair enough, but don't give it a bad review just because its not your cup of tea.
1571482
Give it a try, you'll probably like it. . .
2511901
A fine adaptation that reaches far for a limited budget, but achieves most of what it sets out do to. This movie is the deeply personal journey of a man attempting to reunite with his wife at the end of the world. First rate storytelling. Although it is unfair, a point off for budget.
3482611
"Those Below" is the concluding half of Daniel Polansky's two-part "Empty Throne" saga. The story picks up pretty much where the earlier "<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Those-Above/dp/1444779915/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Those Above</a>" left off, although a couple of years have gone by between the two, in which things have moved steadily but unspectacularly along the course upon which they were launched in the earlier part.  It is clear, however, from the brooding menace of the opening pages (a mood that never lifts throughout the book, by the way) that things will shortly be coming to a head. And in all sorts of unpleasant ways.

As regular readers of his novels will expect, the writing throughout this book is finely honed and polished to perfection, with almost every sentence a delight to read -- even when what is being depicted is of the most gruesome and viscous nature imaginable. (Although one gets the impression that Daniel Polansky can actually imagine far more than we mere mortals who share the planet with him!)  Unlike the previous volume which, for me at least, contained the occasional misstep, the author never once loses his footing in this novel, which grinds forward to its fairly inevitable conclusion with the surety and unstoppability of a well-oiled battle engine.

Right from its opening pages, it is clear that this is a book which cannot end well and the only real mystery for the reader will be in gauging just how cataclysmic its ending is going to be -- just how much may be salvageable in the aftermath of the train-crash that we all can see coming.  The fact that we care, and indeed continue to care right up the very last page, is testimony indeed to the standard of the story-telling on offer here.

Now that this conclusion to the tale is available, I do hope the publishers will do the decent thing and offer both halves together in one binding.
222107
it is nice ,and I like it, don't hesitate to buy it .