Advantages: Wtitten in the language of the era
Disadvantages: Needs some concentration

...Andrew Taylor is the award-winning author of a large number of crime novels and psychological thrillers and is possibly best known as the author of the Bergerac novels. On discussing his novel "The American Boy" he shows himself as an almost obsessional person determined to bring a background of highly researched work to add authenticity to a historical novel that touches on the early life of Edgar Allan Poe, in my view the master of the horror genre that shaped horror for over a century. However the story is not about Allan Poe but rather a gothic masterpiece of murder mystery and romance. The narrator is Thomas Shields, an impoverished schoolteacher and a veteran of Waterloo with a past history of failure and slight dementia. Given a second chance to redeem himself through the intervention of his dying aunt he becomes a tutor... Read review

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Advantages: rich narrative, great source for social historins
Disadvantages: lack of direction, very little plot

...experience lead me to a taleof a young Jewish boy growing up in the Bronx area of New York during the 1930s, courtesy of World Fair by E. L Doctorow The book spans the boy Edgar’s childhood years from when he was a preschooler of three or four up until he is nine ore ten. It tells of everyday life in Bronx alongside special occasions and memorable and sometimes tragic events. World Fair is fiction but it is heavily influenced by Edgar Lawrence Doctorow’s childhood as he like the Edgar in the book was born in New York in 1931. The book is a very easy to read. The narrative is perhaps one of the best, if not the best part about it. The book is primarily narrated in the first person by Edgar himself with interludes from other members of his family including his mother, aunt and brother Donald. I liked this technique as I gathered information... Read review

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Advantages: will provide you with alot of depth on King Lear
Disadvantages: Will Bore the cr*p out of you

...the 'plague of custom,' the law of primogeniture which is keeping him out of the line of succession, without any hope of gaining power, prestige and recognition by society. While Edmunds brother, Edgar who he feels is his equal is set to inherit all, Edmund tells us here that he will take his brothers place 'Edmund the base shall top the legitimate.'(1.2,20) It is here Edmund that begins to show his Machiavellian characteristics, he uses Edgar's trusting naïve nature and Gloucester's lack of insight and his willingness to be deceived in order to advance himself. To grow. To prosper. Edmunds deceitful and manipulative plan for self advancement begins with his forging of a letter in Edgar's hand, Edmund then presents this to Gloucester. The letter contains comments which are meant to show Edgar's unhappiness with his father, it suggests Edgar... Read review

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Advantages: argh no more vampires
Disadvantages: argh no more vampires

...) and Michael (Jason Patric, looking decidedly not teenage). The family soon settles in and Lucy gets a job working in the local video/comic store. She soon attracts the attentions of Max (Edward Herrmann, who is suitably slimy), a man with a very vicious white dog... Sam on the other hand has found friends in the very odd shape of the Frog brothers. Edgar (Corey Feldman, quirky and convincingly mad) and Alan (Jamison Newlander, playing a good geek) consider themselves the prepubescent male equivalent of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Michael, however is taking the moody mysterious older brother thing to new levels by hanging out with a biker gang led by David, Max's son (Kiefer Sutherland, in a role he never really bettered for a while) and staying out all night with the lovely Star (Jami Gertz, being all troubled and pretty bleuuuugh). You eagle... Read review

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Advantages: An excellent magazine from cover to cover
Disadvantages: None

...to that particular months featured guest (this month (August 2000), it’s the elusive ex-Deep Purple guitarist - Richie Blackmore). Other regular features include; * Detailed album reviews (over SEVENTY albums have been reviewed in this months issue alone!) * Gig Reviews. * Multimedia Reviews. * Free ‘New Releases’ cover CD every issue. Plus all the latest music news and gossip from around the world. To give you a taste of the kind of bands that the magazine covers, I’ve decided to be extra helpful and list the bands that are mentioned in the text on this months contents page, here goes; Ozzy Osbourne/Black Sabbath, Pearl Jam, Steely Dan, Nick Drake, Jimmy Page, The Black Crowes, The Eagles, Bruce Springsteen, Van Halen, Little Feat, Iron Maiden, Edgar Winter, Matchbox Twenty, Richie Blackmore, Metallica, Richard Ashcroft, David Coverdale, Mott... Read review

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Advantages: Kiefer Sutherland
Disadvantages: None

....... Michael Emerson Corey Haim .... Sam Emerson Kiefer Sutherland .... David Jami Gertz .... Star Corey Feldman .... Edgar Frog Jamison Newlander .... Alan Frog Dianne Wiest .... Lucy Emerson Barnard Hughes .... Grandpa Edward Herrmann .... Max Brooke McCarter .... Paul Billy Wirth .... Dwayne Alex Winter .... Marko (as Alexander Winter) Chance Michael Corbitt .... Laddie Thompson Alexander Bacon Chapman .... Greg Nori Morgan .... Shelly = Technical Details = Certificate: 15 Length: 97 mins = Bonus Material = The Bonus material comes on 2 discs On disc 1 which has the film, you also get the option to have an audio commentary from Joel Schumacher. This features all the usual stuff you get on audio commentaries, such as how they filmed a scene, how a scene changed from... Read review

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Advantages: -
Disadvantages: -

...Most of you have probably read this book, or can read the other opinions for the plot. My favourite character is Catherine Earnshaw. Bronte conveys her as a petulant, spoilt and melodramatic. The very first time we meat her, she 'spits' at Heathcliff. Upset at her father for losing the whip he was going to bring for her from Liverpool. Her fondness for Heathcliff leads to the whole tragedy, and her own death. She gets on with Heathcliff, but when they are parted, she takes a liking to the upper social classes and Edgar Linton. She things it would 'degrade' her to marry Heathcliff, and insteads marry's Edgar. Bringing on herself misery. She fights for Heathcliff from thereafter. She has all the luxurious but is not happy. She is like a 'bomb' waiting to explode, she meets Heathcliff a couple of times, before her death... Read review

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Advantages: Engaging characters and story, menacing horror.
Disadvantages: The art side of things can slow the pace down.

...Edgar Freemantle has issues. After losing his arm in an accident at work he has become increasingly aggressive to the point were he has lost his wife and become a shadow of his former self. More in desperation than hope, Edgar take his psychiatrists advice and takes a break from it all in the beautiful Florida backwater of "Duma Key". In this place Edgar finds a new purpose and passion in painting and his vivid paintings of sunsets soon begin to attract attention. However, does the phantom itch in his missing arm mean something and why does he seem compelled to paint the tragic story of the doomed sisters of Duma Key? It has been a long time since I have read a Stephen King novel. After the woeful, self-indulgent tripe that was "Lisey's Story" I have intentionally had a break from my favourite author. As a self-professed "constant... Read review

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Advantages: THE ORIGINAL HORROR WRITER
Disadvantages: some of the language is a bit hard to understand, not for the faint hearted

...BEFORE I GET GIONG... i am actually reviewing "the complete ILLUSTRATED works of Edgar Allen Poe", but im sure it is much the same as the other one. Edgar Allen Poe is the original american detective and horror short story writer. Many films, tv programs (most of the simpsons halloween specials are!) are based on his stories. Edgar was the original creator of suspense. The complete works of Edgar Allen Poe contains (i htink) all of his poems and short stories. I havent read any of the poems, but i have read lots of the short stories. Contains the really cool scary "tales of mystery and imagination" such as: The Pit and the Pendulum The Fall of the House of Usher MS. Found in a Bottle The Black Cat The Tell-Tale Heart The Assignation The Premature Burial Quite a number of the earlier stories feature really mad men. This is perhaps... Read review

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Advantages: Eclectic, ethereal and certainly exquisite
Disadvantages: Hey! Don't take it personally!

...years I worked (on and off) at this bar was this. It has all the hallmarks of late-90s dance and, for me, sums up a fantastic point in my life. What makes it so special, though, is that while the underlying chord shifts are very simple, and the piano melody is similarly so, the arpeggio that drifts throughout the track is not. Indeed, it's probably something that Beethoven - surely one of the geniuses of arpeggios - would marvel at. Oh, and it's on the Positiva record label, which makes up the vast quantity of my trance record collection. --- Edgar Winter Group - Frankenstein Although my best appreciation of this track comes, not from its single and album incarnations, but from a live performance on the first volume of the Old Grey Whistle test DVDs it's still worthy of its place here. Edgar Winter (brother of Jonny) is a multi... Read review

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