Pick up a Rollins title instead
587318
'The Secret Scroll's' premise has potential, and its setting is fascinating, but unfortunately that's where the good stuff ends.

First, many of the events in this novel feel... capricious. Convenient. Whenever the main character, Josh, needs to figure something out, he gets a hunch, meditates, has a vision or dream, or realizes something by instinct. There's no tension in that, no question that the story might end in any sort of surprising manner.

Josh isn't a very likable character. I realize that part of the author's agenda is wanting us to see him as flawed and human. However, the author is very heavy-handed in terms of Josh's moral judgments of others. Josh debates and prods at others' beliefs in ways that bely his own dislike of judgmentalism and turn him into an annoying hypocrite.

Danielle, Josh's love interest... oh, you don't want to get me started on this one. She spends virtually the entire book being viewed as a sex object, being used as a sex object, and using her sexuality as her ostensible only weapon (and a poor one at that). She's supposedly an intelligent archaeologist, yet she's entirely shut out of that side of the plot and raises only a token protest. She's referred to repeatedly as being brilliant, resilient, remarkable, etc., yet she spends almost the entire book simpering, coming onto Josh in front of everyone, etc.

As for the bad guys, they're obvious, stupid beyond belief, stereotypically eeeeevil, and one-dimensionally maniacal; they act like excitable children rather than fanatical adults. They've supposedly remained a secret sect for nearly 2,000 years. Yet they have a proselytizing web page, they put out pamphlet propaganda, and they carve their 'secret' sign into blatant ritualistic killings. A five-year-old could keep a secret better than these guys. They'd be at home in a Scooby-Doo cartoon, complete with mask-removing reveal.

The premise and setting had a lot of potential, but unfortunately everything else is one-dimensional, predictable, heavy-handed, and stilted. This is clearly meant to be the first book in a series, and as a story it would be an interesting one to follow, but the writing itself is too painful for me to want to continue with it.
1261742
The 1995 IWA King of Deathmatch tournament is a interesting pro wrestling time capsule
if you take it for what it is by '95 the Dathmatch gimmick was being over played in Japan
W*NG and FMW did much more brutal insane gimmicky type of matches earlier on (so much that the deathmatch was already  over saturated by 1995
The idea of Dathmatches are cool but, these  promotions beat it like a dead horse

Overall this particular Tournament is romanticized due to Mick Foley's book  and the now classic Raw segments with the footage during the Mankind interviews
It's interesting but, once you see it once the whole thing seems anti-climatic
Two very cool stand out matches  include
 seeing former UFC Champion Dan Severn  defend the NWA World heavyweight belt against  Tarzan Goto
Severn would hold that same  belt for four years until he lost it to Dory Funk Jr
and  The Headhunters defend the IWA World Tag Team belts
all the deathmatches are a bit average (you can tell CZW was inspired by this tournament)
 Both FMW and W*ING went all out
The deathmatch crutch would later be used in  promotions like ECW, XPW, CZW  Big Japan Pro Wrestling, Onita Pro  and IWA Mid-south
If you are a die hard ultra violet fan this might disappoint
This is the second print is North America it has a much better PQ my guess it's from the original master
The audio stinks sound effects have been put in and the original Japaneses commentators are removed
(which takes a lot away from Pro Wrestling out of the far east!) If you want  bad american commentators to this tournament get ICP's  Stranglemania at least that super funny and has dumb entertainment value  7/10
This second print also is a two-disc set (The second disc has XPW footage since Big Vision bought XPW they pad everything with XPW stuff which isn't a terrible thing over-all XPW was a cool concept/idea brought down by a shady incident
4625164
I've played every single one of these WWE games since Smackdown! 2. And I played the N64 greats like No Mercy and Wrestlemania 2000 (as well as some of those NWO games). I had the most fun with the older games. I don't think it's nostalgia, it's just fun factor. Admittingly, I don't give in much to the story mode in this game. I played some of the attitude era mode and it was a cool extra in the game over previous ones but it just didn't feel right. So online is where I spent most of my time. Character creation is pretty amazing, and customizations are also amazing.

What ruins this game for me is the community. People always find 'cheap' ways of playing and ruining the online experience. The kickout system in this game is so flawed. Finisher after finisher, full body damage, and over 20 minutes of playing, and the the person can still kick out in just a second. On the flip side, sometimes you're caught off guard and can't even kick out at a very simple attack.

Seems like when you're knocked down in this game, you stay down for a very long time. There are other flaws too. Other than all that, it's still the same WWE formula we all know. I don't need to list all the good stuff to convince you. It's definitely worth playing. I got this on black friday for $25. I would never spend anything over $35 (new) for this game. It's just not worth it.

Unfortunately, these WWE games are losing their value. It's becoming more of a Call of Duty thing where it's the same thing shoved down our throats every year (although WWE 13 has some of the best improvements of any wrestling game).
2141030
The Dark Horse Conan volumes are getting worse and worse in quality like a Friday the 13th movie. That being said, It's still Conan, so it's still better than most tpb's on the market. If you want to read some enjoyable Conan without having to read anything else ANY of these volumes are perfect for that. They are the encompassed arc within themselves. But as I said before if this is your first look, go to the earlier volumes especially 0-6 first. You'll appreciate those so much these later ones will seem more a part of your collection than, a bad first impression.
1102441
disappointing summerslam, the only good match is Cena v. Styles. The worst match is Lesnar v. Orton, when Brock busts Orton's head open.
3917503
Usual Rollins stuff - breakneck pace, mix of far-fetched theories and science - I always liked his books - not for thought-provoking stuff but simple entertainment. Those who liked to read other thrillers around giant species (gigantopithecus) being probably one of human ancestors - there is a much better thriller - The Genesis Secret by Tom Knox (though its explicit gore may not be everybody's liking, but the book feels much more credible).
1909810
You only get half of what you expect
The 6th Gun Hardocover Volume 4 collects The 6th Gun issues 36 through 41 (which would be Vol. 7: Not The Bullet, But The Fall)  and The 6th Gun: Sons of the Gun. With an intro comic by Usagi Yojimbo. Afterwards there talk through issue 31 and have the script compared to the final issue; plus plenty of extra artwork and sketches. If you are purchasing this book you already know what you are signing for: a western action horror fantasy. The story gets really good, until issue 31. You get some backstory with a new artist. And here comes the problem then for the second half you DO NOT get the next collection of trade paperback. Which would have been Volume 8: Hell and High Water Instead you get a collection of the Sons of the Sixth gun, who has a different artist and is back stories on the original wielders of the guns before Sinclair and Becky got a hold of em. The art isn't as good and the genre is just plain horror which is not as good as the main story arc.
So the problem with this Hardcover Volume is that it does not collect 2 trade paperbacks like the 3 previous ones. So the main story gets very intense and then now you have to wait another year for the next hardcover. As of today, November 6, 2017, nine trade paperbacks have been released and the this series 50 issue story arc has concluded. You can get the issues easily on Comixology.

 I would rather have ALL main story and not the tie in books, and as a collector now I feel the need to purchase all these hardcovers. I doubt they'll do this in the future because the final issue is a 60 page issue. So it will have enough issues for the complete hardcover.

Had it collected issues 42-47 I would have definitely given it a 5 star.
3323814
This collection of matches is not nearly as good as it could've been. A lot of crappy matches like HHH vs Umaga, but there are a few good matches(most notably HHH vs HBK at summerslam). I personally would not buy this if I could go back in time. I am not speaking on everyone's behalf about this dvd but this is my personal experience with the collection.
1792251
LesnerVs. Big Slow w/ PaulE
Brock F-5s Big Slow for the w. 7.5/10
Dudleyz vs Storm/Regal RAW tag titles
Worst Dudleyz match ever. Chief Morely tries to interfere. Regal tries the brass knucks But D-Von ducks and Duddleys hit him with the 3D. Only good part is the Dudleyz won. 4/10
Stepmother/Stepdaughter.
an ok match. Torrie has improved scence Invasion. Dawn Marie has also improved from her days in ECW.
HHH W/ Pric Flair vs. Steiner
Scott beats the hell out of HHH but HHH gets DQ'd after hiting Steiner w/ the overrated Sledgehammer "big surprise" 6/10
Angle/Benoit
not one of the classic Beniot/Angle matches but still fairly decent. Benoit taps to ankle lock. best match on the card. 8/10
Royal Rumble
HBK gets eliminated first by Jericho. Y2J had help in Christain distaction and steele chair. HBK gets revenge,attacks jericho after test eliminated him. 'Taker last entrant. cool new music for Big Evil. Maven has a poor memory, he tried to dropkick UT out of the ring like last year, well he failed and last year when he did he got his but handed to him by the Undertaker. You would think after all that Maven would stay away from the Undertaker, but nooo he has to be a big shot well Maven you failed. Your plan backfired are you happy now? HBK first one in, first one out. Taker last one in last one out. Brock wins Taker congratulates him after. one of the best Royal Rumble matches I have ever seen. 8.5/10
All in all Angle,Benoit and the rumble match it self save the ppv.
3214176
Sadly, the Jonah Hex series seems to be spiraling downhill.  I started picking up these collected editions of the Gray/Palmiotti series after the excellent&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Jonah-Hex-No-Way-Back/dp/1401225500/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Jonah Hex: No Way Back</a>, and ever release is a little worse than the one before it.

"Jonah Hex: Origins" collects issues 13-18 on the ongoing series and as the name implies deals with the origins of the legendary bounty hunter.  How did he lose his eye?  How did he get that scar? Those are the questions that are answered here.

The problems with the decline of the series are all due to art.  There has never been a regular artist for this Jonah Hex series, just a rotating group who pop in for a story then rarely come back.  This means that not only is there no chance for a writer/artist style to be built, but also the main characters look different with every issue.

"Origins" has some particularly bad art.  In the story "Retribution" artist Jordi Bernet draws a gunfight with so many "Kapows" and "Bdams" that it looks like a parody of the old Adam West "Batman" TV show.  I actually laughed when I read it, and I shouldn't be laughing reading a Jonah Hex comic.  He isn't a bad artist, but just particularly unsuited to this type of story.

Phil Onto does a better job with "The Ballad of Tallulah Black," a great story with supernatural elements harkening back to Hex's "Weird Western Tales" origins.  That was definitely the stand-out story for this collection.  Val Semeiks's "I Walk Alone" is decent enough, but I didn't really like his take on Jonah Hex.  He face looked less like a scar and more like a zombie.

It's too bad that the writers Gray/Palmiotti never managed to wrangle a permanent artist for the series.  The writing is excellent, and the first volume proves that this could have been a legendary comic book.  Comics are a visual medium, and need that balance of good story/good art to make for a great book.  The Jonah Hex series, and "Jonah Hex: Origins" in particular, has one but not the other.
4184321
I really enjoy the Sigma Force Novels. In my opinion Rollins offers a fresh twist to the suspense novel by incorporating science, conspiceracy and religion. However Blood Line left me disappointed I thought the story seemed rushed and failed to really develop the characters that I have grown to enjoy. I did enjoy the new characters Tucker and Guild yet it seemed as though they would not be in follow up novels. I did enjoy the surprise ending (I don't want to give it away) and it seemed this will be the story in the next book which I eagerly await. All in all comparing Blood Line to the other books in the series this was my least favorite which is why I gave it 3 stars however if you are not familiar with Rollins you will enjoy this story and you don't need to read the prior books to understand what is going on.
4165386
I've bought a tons of wrestling games ever since the first Wrestlemania on Sega Gensis came out......so I like to think of myself as a wrestling game guru.  This game had high hope in my opinion until I got home from work and put it into my PS2....sure the graphics and entrances are close to realistic, but the story lines sucks.....it the same thing over and over again.  That definately will have to change.  The sound is alright, but the commentary needs a tune up as well.  To hear Michael Cole say anything is allowed in the singles match, makes me think I can bust the guy open with stairs, so I go and get the stairs throw them in the ring and nail the hell out of on my opponent and I get disqualified.  Ok well he said anything was allowed....see where I'm going with this.  This wrestling game was definately under par compared with the 2 coming out for GCube......watch out for RAW and Wrestlemania 2002 coming soon.
4300651
Sorry I cant get too excited for this set. The only reason to buy it is the Nikita Koloff vs Ric Flair match from the first Great American Bash on July 6th 1985. The other matches, especially from 1986 & 1987, have all been seen. There's tons of footage from 1986 that needs to be seen. The first card from the 86 Bash fron Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium had Ric Flair vs Road Warrior Hawk. How about some the best of 7 matches from Nikita Koloff & Magnum TA and the cage matches with Baby Doll included her partnering with The Road Warriors & The Rock N Roll Express. Did we need to see her with Magnum & Dusty. That match was on the original Bash 86 tape from Turner. 1987 had some great cards in Greensboro & Maryland. Nikita Koloff vs. Lex Luger for the US title, Jimmy Garvin vs. Ric Flair winner gets Precious. Come on Vince we know you're jealous of the NWA stop releasing the same stuff.
2548809
Let me say first of all that I am a Rollins fan.  While I liked the characters of Jake and Kady I was a little disappointed the way Rollins introduced a hodge podge of different lost civilizations in one place and the reason they were there.

The big battle scene at the end seemed to be missing something, maybe it just was not quite suspenseful enough and the antagonist (Skull King) really wasn't that scary.

One of my favorite things that Rollins did was the use of Mayan symbols, modern technology mixed with the fantasy world and the explanation of how things reacted better.

With that said I will continue to read to my boys about the young adventurer Jake and his sister.
4882126
I actually thought this one could have been way better. Some of the match choices were a bit baffling, like the selection of the Clash I meeting between Arn + Tully against Lex and Barry instead of the more important rematch that had Windham turn on Luger and join the Horsemen. But still worth having.
2652758
These PPV's sound good but they really arn't.
A rematch that I really didn't want to watch
Rock vs Hogan
The return of Austin should have bin more badder and bloody, not funny as most people say
Austin vs Bishoff....
HHH vs Stiener....
This match was obviouly going to be bad and cause Stiener to go to the low wwe rank like poor Raven.
The rest of the matches just didn't cut it for me.  This was better than last years NWO but it still doesnt beat
No way Out 2000 and 2001(which I thought was one one of the best PPV's ever including 2000)
Overall This Road to WM just isn't good enough to buy.  That's what I should have learned.....My bad.
3.5/5
Later....
633413
This years's Judgment Day Was As Disappoinitng. Even when it had all the 3 brands but still didn't live up to the ecpectations.

Ric flair def.carlito. Flair made carlito tap out after giving a figure four leg lock.

CM pank def. that black guy. Punk when after giving his finishing move.

Lashley def. mcmahons n umaga. Lashley pinned shane after giving a slam. But vince had a story to say that he didn't pin him so that he is still the ecw world champion.

Hardz def. cade n murdock. Jeff pinned murdock after giving swanton bomb.hardyz retained the world tag team championship.

Randy orton n Hbk Fought in a no contest. reason hbk collapsed after suffering an injury.

Edge Def Batista. Edge won by giving a school boy to batista and retained his world heavyweight championship.

John cena def the great khali. Cena made khali tap after giving an STFU and retained his WWE championship.

  Overall An Average PPV At Best.