There is a barrier that separates the known from the unknown. Beyond this threshold lies a battleground, where forces of Good and Evil are in eternal conflict. The fate of mankind hangs in the balance and awaits the outcome.

In every age and time, some of us are called to join the battle.

This is the story of Dr. Stephan Strange, a man in middle years who suddenly discovers the great mystery of his own life, and of all life. He comes face-to-face with the Ancient One, Master of the Hermetic Arts- Sorcerer Supreme. He is told that he has been chosen to be the next bearer of this mantle, the next champion of Light. Yet he cannot accept it. To change his mind it takes exposure to the nemesis of Light, Morgan- who is Kali, who is Lillith, who is Ishtar.... Only then does Stephen accept his destiny- and the sacrifice of the mortal pleasures of ignorance, progeny, and an easy death. The only thing he doesn't sacrifice is Love, for that is the very fabric of the Universe itself- the Universe that he now serves.

Based on the Marvel Comics series, this film will probably disappoint some purists. There is no mention of Tibet, or the accident that cost Dr. Strange the use of his hands (in the comics he was a surgeon, here he is a psychologist), and the Ancient One is a westerner (John Mills) and lives in New York. However, the spirit of the original is definitely here. I saw this on television in the late 70's and never forgot it. A measure of how good it is, is the fact that it was released on video even though it was a made-for-TV pilot for a series that never materialized.

If you need concise, accurate, easy to digest information about any country in the world, then this publication is for you. For every single nation-state on earth you have the following data: a brief historical background thumbnail sketch, physical geographic details, people (sociologic data), government, economy, communications (infrastructure), transportation (infrastructure), military, and transnational issues (disputes with neighbors and illicit drugs.) Everything is set out in the same standardized format so that it is easy to make comparisons and contrasts between nations. Even the maps are simplified to include only the primary cities and geographic features, so that you do not get overwhelmed with detail. In fact, that is what this book is all about- fast briefing about the basics of any country on earth without overwhelming you. You won't be an "expert" on the culture by any means- but you won't be embarrassingly ignorant, either.

One of the most interesting features of this reference is the Gini index- a quick numerical measure of income inequality in a country (and a good measure of political stability.)

Oh yes, since the United States is also covered, this work is also a good indication of how the country (or at least the federal government) sees itself at any given moment.

To betray innocence is a terrible thing, but to create innocence only to destroy it is far worse.

The best thing that you can say about this movie is that it is definitely not formula written- it makes you think. Nor is it a "feel good" movie. And it is definitely not a children's movie.

What it is, is a modern fable or fairy tale- and the fairy tales of old were not written for children- they told deep primal or tribal truths. This tale tells a deep truth about our modern tribe- namely that modern man is no bloody good. The robots are portrayed as decent, innocent beings. The aliens are portrayed as decent, compassionate, and wise. However, not one human in the film comes across as a sympathetic character. Even "mommy" ends up betraying and abandoning the main character "David." Humans use and exploit and brutalize. In fact, when humans finally become extinct by the end of the film you accept it as a very good thing....

You can also see this film as parable about how mankind has traditionally treated animals, or children, or workers, or the poor. Whenever it has been possible to betray trust and behave abominably, mankind has always sank to the task. Why should we believe that we would treat intelligent machines any better than we have traditionally treated each other?

If you need quick, hard, reliable, up-to-date data on any nation in the world then this is the resource for you. You get political, historical, economic, sociological, religious, racial, military, educational, and geographic information in a concise, well-organised format. Even the maps are uncluttered and contain only the priciple cities and geographic features. You can quickly flip between entries for fast comparisons.

This publication has been updated yearly and made available to the public since 1975. The sections on internal political groups, conflicts with other states, internal conflicts, drug production and consumption, reported AIDS cases, and internal distribution of income are especially useful and usually resonably current.

The entry on the United States itself is an especially candid thumbnail on how the country views itself at any given point of time.

This is a coffee table type book that covers primarily popular culture images of life on other worlds up to 1979. It is considerably better than the usual mass market attempts. First of all, while the pictures are the dominant feature of the book, the text accompaniment is very literate (I mean, how many times have you seen Immanuel Kant worked into such a discussion?) However, the illustrations and still photos steal the show. The editors got permission to from an incredible range of sources- many obscure. You have everything from movie stills from Melies to Lucas, stills from television shows, book illustrations, to pulp and comic strip illustrations. And all of it is liberally interspersed with actual NASA photos and concept paintings from various missions (to illustrate how often fiction has become fact over the years.) Sure, it only covers the years up to '79, but if you are a sci-fi buff you will find a wealth of information and memories here.

Here is a partial listing of some of the sources covered: Destination Moon, Flight to Mars, Conquest of Space, The Adventures of Tintin, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Wars, This Island Earth, Space Cruiser Yamato, Things to Come, Quark, Barbarella, Star Trek, Lost in Space, The Outer Limits, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, The Time Machine, UFO, Space 1999, Supercar, The First Men in the Moon, Astounding Stories, Planet Stories, Wonder Stories, Startling Stories, Analog, Weird Science, Moon Zero-Two, Little Nemo, John Carter of Mars, The Angry Red Planet, Silent Running, When Worlds Collide, Planet of the Apes, Forbidden Planet, etc., etc., etc.

I even discovered some surprising stuff here- who knew that Bob Clampett of Bugs Bunny fame started work on an animated version of Edgar Rice Burroughs's Martian stories?

This is a coffee table type book that covers primarily popular culture images of life on other worlds up to 1979. It is considerably better than the usual mass market attempts. First of all, while the pictures are the dominant feature of the book, the text accompaniment is very literate (I mean, how many times have you seen Immanuel Kant worked into such a discussion?) However, the illustrations and still photos steal the show. The editors got permission to from an incredible range of sources- many obscure. You have everything from movie stills from Melies to Lucas, stills from television shows, book illustrations, to pulp and comic strip illustrations. And all of it is liberally interspersed with actual NASA photos and concept paintings from various missions (to illustrate how often fiction has become fact over the years.) Sure, it only covers the years up to '79, but if you are a sci-fi buff you will find a wealth of information and memories here.

Here is a partial listing of some of the sources covered: Destination Moon, Flight to Mars, Conquest of Space, The Adventures of Tintin, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Wars, This Island Earth, Space Cruiser Yamato, Things to Come, Quark, Barbarella, Star Trek, Lost in Space, The Outer Limits, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, The Time Machine, UFO, Space 1999, Supercar, The First Men in the Moon, Astounding Stories, Planet Stories, Wonder Stories, Startling Stories, Analog, Weird Science, Moon Zero-Two, Little Nemo, John Carter of Mars, The Angry Red Planet, Silent Running, When Worlds Collide, Planet of the Apes, Forbidden Planet, etc., etc., etc.

I even discovered some surprising stuff here- who knew that Bob Clampett of Bugs Bunny fame started work on an animated version of Edgar Rice Burroughs's Martian stories?

The meaning of the path of chivalry has largely been lost to the modern mind. It is often dismissed as an absurd cult of exaggerated manners- and an equally absurd obsession with romantic love. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Chivalry was the result of mankind's spirit rising from the barbarism of the Dark Ages. Chivalry was the recognition that men did not have to live as animals. Instead of might being used solely in the pursuit of plunder and power, came the ideal that the duty of the mighty was to defend the weak and oppressed. It was the recognition that women were not mere chattel to be used at will, but were the living embodiment of the eternal feminine ideal. The entire age was the triumph of idealism over a hard, bloody, barbaric world. Rules of honorable conduct were brought to warfare. Indeed, all of society was brought to a hierarchical order patterned after the kingdom of heaven. Everything had its rightful place in a divinely inspired order. Everything was holy and deserving of respect. All men had an honorable place in the world, and duty flowed both from the top down, as well as, from the bottom up. Even the tournament was far more than merely a contest of physical prowess- it was based in the unshakable conviction that no knight who was false could triumph in single combat over one who was true.

This book is an excellent examination both the ideal, as well as the reality, of the Age of Chivalry. It is divided into the following sections: the introduction (by Oxford Fellow Jeremy Cato), The Origins of Chivalry, The Art of Courtly Love, and Chivalry in the Late Middle Ages. The many full-color illustrations are beautiful and jewel-like. The overall effect is that of a hand illustrated medieval book. This is a high quality hard cover. There is an attractive, colorful dust jacket. It should be noted that if you remove the jacket, the cover is illustrated with the seal of the Knights Templar.

This would make an excellent gift book for the idealistic and impressionable. As the book points out, the message of chivalry is somehow irresistible, an ever-receding horizon of hope that survives all the wars and other disasters that mankind has suffered through the centuries. It is a message of nobility of purpose, of respect and compassion for others, and of courage in the face of danger.

First of all, I feel inadequate and unworthy to review this book, but since Amazon has given me the chance, all I can say is that this is one of the greatest Books (with a capital "B") of my experience. I suspect that it shall be recognised as one of the single greatest products to come out of 20th century American letters.

No, I'm not setting Campbell up as a prophet or anything like that, indeed, I suspect that this book's greatness lies in the eternal truths that transcend Campbell's individual personality. He just managed to tap into them- thank God.

The entire work deals with the hero's journey. This is the Monomyth shared by all cultures- and indeed seems to be a direct inspiration from the cosmos itself by way of the collective unconscious. Here we have the eternal cycle of 1) the call to adventure; 2) the crossing of the threshold; 3) the tests, trials, and helpers; 4) the sacred marriage, apotheosis (becoming one with god), or elixir theft; 5)the flight 6) recrossing/ressurection; and 7) the return to society with hard won gifts. He examines all of these elements in depth with a wealth of cross-cultural examples. The first half of the book deals with this cycle on a more individual and personal level (the microcosm), while the second half deals with the greater cosmogonic importance (the macrocosm.)

Now, the really amazing part of all this is that virtually all of it comes across as meaningful, interesting, and totally nonacademic. That's why many academic types hate Campbell, and his mentor Jung,- they know that Campbell's and Jung's works will endure and be read a thousand years from now, while their own monographs will be justly forgotten. There are a lot of mediocre Ph.D's out there that can never forget that Campbell never bothered to get a doctorate, because he considered such degrees to be a worthless and meaningless waste of time....

I truly hope that this book is widely read by the general public. I say this in the sense that I wish Mein Kamph would have been more widely read. If people would have been more familiar with the author's ideas it would have averted horrible tragedy, and outright evil, in the world. As Ayn Rand is the author most quoted by "libertarians", "free-traders", and advocates of "hands off" capitalism this also applies.

Her philosophy of Objectivism is the philosophy of sociopathy, of the ego freed from the restraints of social conscience. All that is important is gratification of the ego. There is no room for community, no room for humanity, no room for God- the individual ego is God. To the objectivist, "altruism", lending a hand or doing good for it's own sake, is a dirty word. I have heard a leading spokesman for Rand's philosophy denounce Hitler primariy because he was too "altruistic." Make of that what you will. In our own time, the proponents of unrestrained corporate power, and of the dismantling of elected government, love Rand. They tell you that only governments can "initiate force." This is the Big Lie- there is no moral difference between shooting a man and starving him to death through economic control of resources- or controlling people through the threat of it. Rand and her objectivists are usually very adept at formal argument and logic. However, their basic premises are so absolutely inhumane that their arguments are mere castles in the air. Castles empty of humanity and God, but filled with evil.

I sometimes wonder what sort of childhood abuse in her native Russia could have warped Rand so seriously. It is obvious that her philosophy is an extreme over reaction to communist collectivism- in the same way that Satanism is an extreme overreaction to Christian fundamentalism

If you think that this is just an adventure story with vampires, then you are missing the point. Sure, it works on that level, but intentionally or unintentionally, something much more sinister is going on.

This book was written in 1954, a time when there was general paranoia about communists hiding under every rock. More importantly, there was also a growing fear of the youth subculture and "juvenile delinquents." When the vampires in this story are described as "pallid, glassy-eyed travesties of humanity" the author is obviously talking about drugged-up kids- either then or now.

Combine this with the fact that the hero (the last true man on earth) is described as being middle aged, of English-German stock, college educated, and cultured. In short, he is an upper-class wasp surrounded by a society of vampires (i.e. blood sucking freaks who, in his opinion, contribute nothing to society.)

Having said this, I now have to say that this is exactly why people still identify with the main character. In fact, given the mass psychology involved with our current "war on terror" and "war on drugs" I am sure that this novel will enjoy renewed popularity for years to come. Paranoia still serves a political purpose.

Oh yes, this book was the basis of the film "The Omega Man", but a much better version was made in Italy in 1964 called "The Last Man on Earth"- it stared Vincent Price in one of his greatest roles.