Billboard magazine named The Beatles the greatest performing musical act of all time, and their albums continue to chart to this day. This is no surprise to the author, who combed through nearly 60 years of the magazine, week by week, to compile a list of every song and album that charted. The end result is an intriguing look at the band's influence, including their solo efforts. The author assigns points to the positions of songs and albums on the charts in order to create a list ranging from the least successful to the most successful. Each entry includes a picture of the album cover or single sleeve, along with an analysis of the song or album. Also provided are introductory chapters about the Beatles and an explanation of how the Billboard charts have been tabulated and changed over the years.
Glass-ceramics can be versatile joining materials with tailorable thermal and mechanical properties; they are not affected by oxidation and can be used as pressureless joining materials above their glass softening point. The glassy phase can be minimized by a suitable thermal treatment in order to improve the glass-ceramic creep behaviour. The use of glasses and glass-ceramics as sealants in solid oxide fuel cells and as joining materials for SiC-based materials will be discussed.
In this sequel to Long Title: Looking for the Good Times; Examining the Monkees' Songs, One By One, authors Michael A. Ventrella and Mark Arnold look at the careers the Monkees had outside of the show and the band: From Micky's early appearances as "Circus Boy" through Peter's financial and legal problems to become a respected performer with his band Shoe Suede Blues, to Davy's frustration with record labels and his many solo albums for his fans, to Michael's evolution from country rock founder to the creator of MTV and video technology ahead of many others. They look at the various reunion concerts, the movies and plays, and the ups and downs of their varied careers, all with insight and humor. "Some people are so ignorant as to imagine that the Monkees are not a 'real' band. That's crazy! That's like saying that lemon meringue pie is not 'real' food. They're both an inspired synthesis of disparate wholesome, delicious, natural ingredients combined, orchestrated and executed with expert skill and sublime results. What this book makes irrefutably clear is that all four Monkees were consummate professionals - talented musicians and skilled performers, all - producing strong, creative, original, yet inexplicably unheralded, music recordings and video content before, during and after their frenzied 'Monkees' moment. Never underestimate a 'pop star'. There's always more to them than you could ever imagine. This book proves it. I will always love lemon meringue pie. And I will always love the Monkees." - Dean Friedman ("Ariel," "Lucky Stars," "McDonald's Girl")
Discover the secrets of their recordings: which of The Monkees played what instruments on each song, when it was recorded, how well that song did on the charts, whether there were any interesting cover versions of the song done, and when it first appeared on a record.
Welcome to Fortannis-a place where adventure waits to waylay you around every corner. It's a land where humans mingle with stubborn dwarves, mysterious elves, and feathered biata against shape-shifting gryphons, necromantic zombies, and silly goblins. It's a land where things are never as they seem; where good and evil are not always clear-cut, and where the strong do not always prevail. In Fortannis, one can learn magic by summoning the power of the flow of order in the world, to tie yourself to the living cycle of all around you. Or, if your inclinations are darker, you can be tempted by the flow of chaos and entropy, which allows you to create undead abominations and cast substantially more powerful spells (in exchange for the corruption of your soul). Hey, the choice is yours. This is the second collection of stories which take place in the world of Fortannis (which also happens to be the world in which my two novels take place-what a coincidence!). I am very proud of the stories collected here. There are grand adventures, humorous contrivances, and strong morality tales. You'll meet clever con artists, suspicious spies, and pompous nobles. There are unexpected twists and turns and danger lurking on every page. "Magic. Knights. Werewolves. Doppelgangers. Elves. There's no telling what will pop up in Michael A. Ventrella's Fortannis fantasy series when he invites other writers to play in his sandbox. No need to wait for any 'extended editions.' These stories are good to go now." - Daniel M. Kimmel, author of the Hugo-nominated "Jar Jar Binks Must Die" and "Shh! It's a Secret." "A very fun anthology of tales in a world both expected and very different indeed! In 'A Bard in the Hand', Michael Ventrella and others revisit the world of Fortannis and emerge with tales to astound, amuse, and bemuse; here is sword-and-sorcery to stand well next to that of Leiber and Moorcock, and ordinary people swept up into events far larger than they which can still be addressed with some common sense and cleverness. A young woman makes a choice, and faces the consequences of choice and the price of learning, while another duels in darkness for the soul of a child, and an old man recounts an adventure of his youth that kindles a spark in those who listen. A fun book, well worth reading!" -- Ryk Spoor, author of "Phoenix Rising" and "Grand Central Arena" "Curl up in your favorite chair with your favorite beverage and get ready for adventure, action and derring-do-it's all here!" Gail Z Martin, author of Ice Forged
Lawyer Michael A. Ventrella argues to try to improve things. In this accessible, snarky book of Constitutional history and opinion, he draws on his experience working on political campaigns and teaching law to explain what the Constitution says and means, and how it can be improved. Illustrated by Pulitzer Prize-winner Darrin Bell.
One barbarian tribe has a prophecy saying the legendary hero Bishortu will unite the three warring tribes. Another has a prophecy that directly contradicts this, and they want Bishortu dead. And a third, which may or may not be comprised of werewolves, refuses to let anyone know what their prophecy says. Meanwhile, the Duke on whose land the barbarians live wants them all gone. In the middle of all of this is squire Terin Ostler, who has been mistakenly identified as the great Bishortu. Under the Duke's orders to get rid of the barbarians, he heads to their lands without the slightest idea of what to do. Along the way, he has to avoid assassins, werewolves, lovesick barbarian princesses, and confused goblins, while attempting to figure out the meaning of the magical and mysterious Wretched Axes. Nobody said being a hero would be easy. --- "Here Michael A. Ventrella takes up the mantle of Christopher Stasheff. Terin's exploits are as entertaining as those of Rod Gallowglass, and fans of The Warlock in Spite of Himself will hugely enjoy The Axes of Evil." -Gregory Frost, author of Shadowbridge and Lord Tophet "The Axes of Evil is a taut nail-biter of a thriller. Edgy, funny and dark." -Jonathan Maberry, multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author of V-Wars and Rot & Ruin "Humor, danger and a twisted tangle of unlikely prophecies make for a page-turning adventure." -Gail Z. Martin, author of The Chronicles of the Necromancer series
What is really fascinating about an anthology like this is seeing what the world of Fortannis looks like through eyes with so many different perspectives. Old familiar friends are here - Ventrella's own squires Terin and Darlissa, Curso Brambletoes the clever, subtle hobling, exiled sellsword Sarlon and his companions Minnow and Mumblepeg - and new ones, including a unique view of the life of a rather unusual Goblin in "Shiny Savior," the eponymous and clever hero of "The Life and Death and Life of Beryl Truesword," Brenlund in "Blinded" who has to overcome his preconceptions to save both himself and others from a terrible fate.
Werewolves, barbarians, and misguided goblins stand in the way of Terin's attempt to resolve three contradicting prophecies. If he can live that long... Accompanied by his fellow squires, Rendal, an expert swordsman, and Darlissa, a biata spellcaster, Terin sets out to obey his Duke's orders -- orders that go against everything he believes. Can fulfilling the barbarian prophecies help him find a way to morally obey the Duke's orders as well?
Bloodsuckers is a delicious blend of mainstream thriller, oddball horror, and biting social commentary. Sink your teeth into this one!" Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Code Zero and V-Wars "Bloodsuckers takes modern politics and adds vampires to the mix (yes, we already know all the jokes you're making!) to make it actually new and exciting. Washed-up reporter Steve Edwards can't believe what he sees when a Presidential candidate is gunned down by a man who then disappears before his eyes, apparently transformed to a bat. But that's just the beginning as Steve finds he's been framed for the crime and what he's seen is just the very tip of a blood-drinking iceberg. Ventrella's quick, bright dialogue punctuates the adventure with dry humor even as he ratchets the tension up towards an ending that might just surprise even the jaded reader. Highly recommended!" Ryk E. Spoor, author of Grand Central Arena and Phoenix Rising Journalist Steven Edwards considers the "Batties"-the loonies who believe that vampires are real-just another crazy extremist group. Then someone shoots at a presidential candidate, changes into a bat, and flies away before Steve's eyes, leaving him as the prime suspect. With the help of the Batties, Steve goes underground. The only way he can establish his innocence is by proving vampires exist-not an easy task while on the run from both the FBI and the bloodsuckers.
When a cowardly young bard is called before the Duke and told that he must perform a task because of an ancient prophecy involving a mysterious Arch, he is certain there has been a grave mistake. When the Duke's own men later try to kill him and he is forced to run, unsure who to trust, he realizes that it may be his own grave that is in question. "Arch Enemies" is an exciting adventure in the vein of the "Harry Potter" novels, as our young hero struggles to overcome his inexperience and limitations to figure out the meaning of the mysterious prophecy. His only friends along the way are two squires who are torn between obeying the orders of the knight they have sworn to follow and doing what they believe is right.
Norman Mark was a politician with skeletons in his closet.Literally. "Bloodsuckers takes modern politics and adds vampires to the mix (yes, we already know all the jokes you're making!) to make it actually new and exciting. Washed-up reporter Steve Edwards can't believe what he sees when a Presidential candidate is gunned down by a man who then disappears before his eyes, apparently transformed to a bat. But that's just the beginning as Steve finds he's been framed for the crime and what he's seen is just the very tip of a blood-drinking iceberg. Ventrella's quick, bright dialogue punctuates the adventure with dry humor even as he ratchets the tension up towards an ending that might just surprise even the jaded reader. Highly recommended!" - Ryk E. Spoor, author of Grand Central Arena and Phoenix Rising
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