Given a chance to do it over, I would order one of the other gay guides available for Amsterdam.

Much of this guide deals with Amsterdam in general, and does a particularly non-stellar job of it. The limited information on the gay scene leaves me wondering, still, why is Amsterdam the gay Mecca that it is.

This guide might be adequate for the first time visitor looking for the addresses of some clubs, but, then, that information is readily available from the web. I had hoped to learn more. I suppose my expectations were just too high.

Brussels is a great getaway for US Eastcoasters, but you do not need this book to steer you in the right direction unless all you plan to do is SHOP! I believe that this little pocket-size tome is a glorified advertisement for several small select restaurants and stores in the historic centre. The maps are too general, not specific enough for a real walking tour. I left this little book in the hotel room. One would do better to go to a website on Brussels, then visit the tourist centre in the Grand Place for a map that is helpful. Once again, if all you want to do is shop, then this little book would be a minor help.

This book is written in two languages: French and Dutch. Would have been helpful if the book description so indicated. Looks great if you can read one or both of those languages.

Worth the time for a quick start; I knew nothing about Belgium when I started reading. The strength of the Xenophobe guides is their short coverage, rather than the insights of the Culture Shock! series. I read this one in about 40 minutes, and it helped me understand some of the key issues among the Belgians. It covered current issues, with very little history, and provided enough background to appreciate some basic aspects of Belgian culture. Although a little light-hearted in its discussion, I feel comfortable passing it on to a Belgian friend.

It amazes me that after 90 years there are people still trying to revive old anti-German propaganda myths from WWI. All these supposed attrocities were investigated after the war and found to be totaly false.Even the Belgian government,when it investigated the allegations made in the infamous Bryce Report,couldn't find any evidence to support the stories.And I think you will have a pretty tough time trying to convince people that the Belgians were covering up for the Germans!

This book was a great disappointment. The book only covers the most generic tourist spots, and on the subject of the Red Light district unacceptably refuses to even review or mention anything dealing with coffeeshops or prostitution. If you want a bland and intentionally incomplete guide, this would be the book for you. If you want an unbiased and complete guide, try the Time Out Guide to Amsterdam instead.

A little boy disappears. Four years later, his mother gets a call she swears comes from her son, saying he's fine. Henri Castang, former French police officer, agrees to investigate. So far, so good. But then it turns out that the grandfather of the little boy was a former SS agent who had a illegitimate child with a Czechoslovakian woman, and of course, that explains the kidnapping.

This plot was really far-fetched. The characters were unbelievable and flat. But the really awful part was the writing. I can accept a thin plot if the characters are interesting and the writing is good. But it was very frustrating trying to read this. I gave up after 6 chapters and just skimmed through the rest. The writer puts in whole conversations without identifying the speakers. He treats thoughts and words the same way. The characters, especially Castang, will carry on two conversations, one real and one imagined, at the same time. I had no idea what was going on. I will not read another one of these books.