Science Fiction Fantasy Books

THE GOOD: "Marsbound" is a relatively short, easy read and moves along at a pretty brisk pace. The portrayal of space exploration some 40-50 years hence (including space elevators, space tourism, Mars colonies, and the hazards that go along with them) is believable. Except for a few sexually explicit episodes, I would probably characterize this as juvenile science fiction, and reminiscent of Robert Heinlein's "Red Planet," as many reviewers have noted. The book is divided into three parts: (1) "Leavetaking," (2) "First Contact," and (3) "Second Contact." The first two parts are quite good. Unfortunately ...

THE NOT-SO-GOOD: The third and final part of the book is where it starts falling apart just a bit. The narrative becomes rather frenetic, and the science fiction becomes highly speculative. As mentioned above, this is a book that seems geared toward a younger audience, which made me wonder whatever became of the author who wrote "The Forever War," one of the greatest sci-fi novels of all time.

Overall, a mixed bag. The novel's protagonist, Carmen Dula, is likable enough, though not nearly as well-drawn as Cassandra Majumdar in Greg Bear's "Moving Mars." Haldeman has certainly left plenty of room for a sequel, and if one is written I'll be sure to read it. But coming from someone with the stature of Joe Haldeman, "Marsbound" feels a bit phoned-in.

Certainly, none of us suspected that there was a 19-year old woman living inside Joe Haldeman, but one has emerged in his latest novel. Perhaps given his contact with college students at MIT, he has chosen to write his latest novel from the perspective of a 19-year old woman. Surprisingly, or not so surprisingly given Mr. Haldeman's talent, he does a pretty good job of it. The current novel is classic science fiction and feels a bit retro in flavor hearkening back to earlier decades, but incorporating modern sensibilities.

Marsbound is an engaging novel told entirely as a first-person narrative. It is not a long novel (the one constant in ALL Haldeman novels is his compact writing style), but it is complete and will leave the reader satisfied. As with most of his novels, Marsbound is a writing exercise. Haldeman constantly tries new things in his writing and is not formulaic. You never know what to expect when you open one of his books. Some of his experiments in writing work better than others, but the journey is always fascinating. I enjoyed the current novel and highly recommend it.

Carmen Dula could just as easily be growing up on earth with her teen angst. She avoids her parents like they are the plague or when she feels kind towards them she treats them like they are just stupid; and her younger pain in the butt sibling drives her to want to run away. However, as a lottery pick family sent to live on the first human colony on Mars she knows there are not a lot places for a runaway to go to especially with the great dictator colony manager Dargo Solingen looking over everyone's shoulder.

During one of her forays away from her family, Carmen finds previously undetected Martians living in an underground city in the bleak "wilderness". She tries unsuccessfully to convince Solingen what she found, but he writes her off as teenage mutant with no brains inside her head. When she and her friends learn what the Martians plan for the colonists, Carmen and company know not to waste any time with the manager; they make the effort to save the earthlings.

This is an engaging coming of age Martian thriller due to Carmen who tells the story with a combination of young adult intelligence and teenage impatient angst at the stupidity of adults. The story line is action-packed though told mostly by Carmen as she learns first hand personal agendas as she deals with officious oppressors (parents and government are included), the enemy who wants her dead, and her guardian angel who she does not what Mr. Potatohead wants from her.

Harriet Klausner

I've always loved the subtle style Joe Haldeman incorporates into his works. The references to other sci-fi literature and the subtle humor every few pages kept my as amused as the story, which unfolded at a nice pace.
From a quadriped who expresses concern about humans standing on two "unsteady" legs to an administrative character as hated to me as Malfoy in Harry Potter, every moment was richly developed into a very plausible and interesting view of the future.
What makes Haldeman's works so interesting is that they are told so matter of factly--referring to future events that the reader does not know about as if we do (but with the understanding that the consequences of historic events play themselves out over time and that is universal)--and in a way told so that the near future is just that. There could possibly be a space elevator at some point, and if not a Hilton in orbit, what other hotel chain would beat them out? (hopefully not something like the "super 8").
A good, strong read if you're looking for a nice escape and a vivid story about the first colonists on Mars, and the inane tendencies of human interaction.

Neverwhere is a fantastic story and won't disappoint most Gaiman fans. Although Neverwhere is full of 'twists,' I wouldn't recommend this book to someone who enjoys stories solely for their surprise endings. The 'twists' in Neverwhere are somewhat predictable--to the point that I find myself wondering whether Gaiman meant for Neverwhere to be surprising in the first place, or, if so, whether surprising readers was at the top of his agenda. I've concluded that it probably wasn't: there's so much more going on in this book.

The way Neverwhere is written is interesting. It's almost like a history textbook that fictionalizes London's past and present and is authored by Neverwhere's characters (charismatic murderers, to name some), all of whom refer to themselves in the objective third-person. Similar to the way most history textbooks about most places are written, really. Except, way more entertaining.

And I loved Richard's ordeal. SPOILER: Richard's ordeal *wasn't* predictable, for me. When Richard walked through those doors, I expected some horrible Inferi to jump out and tear him to shreads and confirm that Rowling jacked her ideas from this book completely. But, no. I was wrong. Richard ends up experiencing a reality in which he's a crazed homeless man on the verge of suiciding. This is one of the most poignant, suspenseful moments in Neverwhere, and it seems to have something to say about the plight of the homeless and the calousness, disdain, and apathy with which they're received by those who are more fortunate.

I also appreciate that Neverwhere isn't about Richard hooking up with this girl or that, yet it is about love and compassion for others.

A good book. Definitely worth reading.

My favorite passage:

"...[Door] began to cry, in low, raging sobs, that sounded like they were being tugged from inside her.

"'There. There,' said the marquis de Carabas, awkwardly, patting her shoulder. And he added, for good measure, 'There.'"

Gaiman has an amazing talent for weaving a beautiful story with the most amazing and alluring descriptions. His words leave vivid impressions in your mind in the most unusual and melodic way.

Incredible ride indeed. Neil Gaiman did it again. Just heard that they want to make a movie about Neverwhere. I saw the BBC adaptation and it was somehow dissapointing. Then again, this review is about the book and make no mistake it will take you London Below in a blink of an eye. At some point you could almost feel claustrophobic while your mind follows Richard, Door and the Marquis thru the endless passages. Great book indeed.

The short of it: creative but,
1. storyline is lame
2. characters are cardboard cut-outs without a hint of personality.

eeek. I loved Stardust. It was such a witty and pleasant fairy-tale. I heard wonderful things about Sandman. I expected an interesting story. In all honestly- it was boring. There was no real point to the story. There is creativity and great ideas, but there is no substance. It is almost like the book is a dumping ground for wonderful ideas, but the chord that ties them together is painfully weak.
The plot, or the reason behind the situation turns out to be so simple, that from the moment the character in question (the one causing the problems) comes in, I figured it out. I told myself: "no, that can't be it, that is too simple. Don't worry, it will pick up. Keep reading".
The ending is painfully anti-climatic. The characters hired to be bad, are bad, and then are hired not to be bad and then are hired to be bad again- it was silly. SMALL SPOLER WARNING: in the beginning he wants her dead, but at the same time he needed her- then why was he ordering her death??? That was never cleared up. Also, Richard's ordeal? That was it?LAME!!

The place is dirty and ugly and yes, like an Alice in Wonderland adventure... but without emotion and with characters who utterly lack personality and who are painfully boring. I just never cared for ANY of them, blaaah :P.

A review by Hank Wagner, co-author (with Christopher Golden and Stephen R. Bissette) of the upcoming Prince of Stories: The Many Worlds of Neil Gaiman, due out from St. Martins in October 2008:

Richard Mayhew has resided in London for three years, and, on the whole, has found it an enjoyable place to live. After all, he has good friends, a decent job, and Jessica, his lovely fiancée. One evening, on his way to a formal dinner he is not especially eager to attend, a young woman collapses on the sidewalk in front of the couple. Apparently homeless, the woman is bleeding from deep cuts on her arm and shoulder. Ignoring Jessica's pointed suggestions, he refrains from calling the police. Instead, he carries the woman to his apartment, leaving his irate fiancée to attend the dinner without him.

The young woman, who goes by the unlikely name of Door, is the sole survivor of a brutal attack on her family, perpetrated by Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar, two wicked creatures who take pleasure in inflicting pain and death. Richard helps Door locate a friend, the Marquis de Carabas, who takes her from the apartment before Croup and Vandemar can find her there. Richard is puzzled by these events, but, as the hours pass, they seem less and less real, more like a fantasy he concocted to create excitement in his life.

He returns to work the next day to find that no one notices or acknowledges him. Richard becomes a non-entity, invisible to all but the closest scrutiny--no one, not even his fiancée or best friend, recognizes him. His erasure is so complete he ends up unemployed and homeless. Tracing this dilemma to his encounter with Door, Richard seeks her out,
eventually discovering the world that exists under the streets of London, a world inhabited by such colorful personages as the Lord Rat-speaker, a female assassin called Hunter, and a fallen angel named Islington. Richard assists Door in her search for the man who ordered
her family killed, and eventually discovers the terrible secrets behind their deaths, secrets that threaten the very existence of London Below.

Brash, charming, funny, and edgy, Neverwhere is Gaiman's novelization of the television series that he wrote for the BBC in the early nineties, his chance, as he has stated, to do things on the page that he wasn't allowed to do on the small screen, expanding on his intriguing concept of a world that exists beneath our own. Featuring covert social commentary, unforgettable characters, a unique setting, sudden violence, heroism and
villainy, Neverwhere in its final literary form (the US version is significantly different than and far superior to its English predecessor, featuring almost 10,000 words not in its previous incarnation) is yet another of Gaiman's modern classics, far surpassing the television series that provided its origin, and spawning a comic book adaptation and discussion of a future feature film version.

I would describe this book as a "easy, summer read." The characters were very simple,not alot of depth to them but I felt the details to descriptions ie. creatures, travels, forest was above the average in this book.

Prolific author Ted Dekker once again demonstrates his superior skill at weaving in multi-level themes, character profiles and belief systems, all framed within an action-packed dynamo of thrilling chase, fight and escape scenes.

In CHOSEN, the first installment of the Lost Books series, Dekker has the famed Thomas Hunter inciting his forest dwellers to fight for the chance to win one of four top leadership positions. As an unlikely candidate because of his size and interest in books, Johnis doesn't think he has a chance. But by using his mind and his heart, he outwits and outfights other choice warriors and is appointed one of the four to go on a mission issued by Hunter. With little to recommend himself, Johnis is at first ridiculed by his fellow warriors, who see little worth in this upstart.

Together, Johnis, Darsal, Billos and Silvie head toward the desert and the Horde. En route, Johnis begins seeing signs of the evil bat-like mythical creatures, the Shataiki, swarming in the trees above their heads. They are attacked and divided, and all too soon are confronted by Teeleh, the originator of all evil and instigator of much pain against Elyon's people, the forest dwellers. Johnis must try to save his comrades and trick Teeleh into setting them free in exchange for one of the seven lost books of history. After gaining help from the Roush, the pure-hearted bat-like counterparts to the Shataiki, all four warriors get further lessons in listening to wise counsel and not going off task because of fear.

After almost dying due to lack of cleansing in the fresh water, Johnis, Darsal, Billos and Silvie do manage to join together with the aid of the Roush and rescue two of the seven books. Each of the teens gains much insight and fortitude as they re-enter their forest dweller camp and report on their mission. Hunter sees something special in Johnis and predicts his rise as the leader of his people.

Dekker concludes CHOSEN on a high note of community rejoicing and celebration, but hints that the second installment will have the four heroes relying on every ounce of skill, cunning and heartfelt courage to meet their next challenge. Riveting and fast-paced, readers will find the Lost Books series up to the author's usual excellent standard.

--- Reviewed by Michele Howe

This is a wonderful book! I loved how this story shows how being "chosen" isn't always based on being the strongest, but maybe for some special inner quality that only God can see. The main characters have their faults, which make then easy to identify with, but it's so great to see them begin to grow and develop their strengths. This series is a must read for anyone who enjoyed the Circle Trilogy, especially as it gives more understanding of life in the forests there.

I have to say that way i purchased this it was for a light read. Nothing too deep. I was mistaken. This book ties in at least 3 other books of his outside of the Black, Red, White. Be on the look out for those references. Great writing, very engaging.

Did you know this is a young adult book? I didn't, until I read it. I kept thinking it was written for a younger audience, lacking the maturity of the original Trilogy, and then I saw on the back cover that I was right. For a young adult series, it's not at all bad. However, one can not even begin to understand this series without having first read the original Circle Trilogy and its sequel, Showdown, which are definitely not young adult fiction. I can't quite grasp why an author would try to change his audience in the middle of a storyline.

Don't get me wrong; for young adult fiction it's a good read. It's just not cut from the same block as the other relevant works.

Some have said that this is not a spin-off of the original Circle Trilogy. They don't know what they're saying. This series is solidly based in the original trilogy and can not be fully understood apart from it.

This is the best book in the series. I really started to like Yorick in this book. And the story begins moving forward after being drifting in the Midwest for a long time. It is well worth the read if you get the opportunity.

Ever since the first issue of the Safeword arc, "Y: The Last Man" has been a non-stop ride of awesome issue after awesome issue after awesome issue. Fans will be especially pleased with this book, the fifth collection of the series, as it is by far the longest one yet. It collects eight issue, and is composed of the two-issue "Tongues of Flame" arc, the one-shot "Hero's Journey," and the five-issue arc, "Ring of Truth," which this trade paperback is named for.

Until this point, Brian K. Vaughan has been building the story quite nicely, leaving us asking question after question, but always satisfying us with each twist of the plot. But things start to change here. New developments are made, yes, but as Yorick, 355, and Dr. Mann finally reach the destination they've been aiming for since the first volume, answered to those burning questions are heaped upon us like food on a Thanksgiving Day plate.

+ What was up with that Toyota lady from One Small Step?

+ Who were those cloaked women who assassinated Agent 711 in Safeword?

+ Why did Yorick's mother work with the Russians in One Small Step?

+ What made Hero so bad? (Hero actually gets her own one-shot in this issue, which is composed entirely of flash-backs. I was apprehensive when I saw it coming up, because I found the "side story" at the end of One Small Step to be frustrating. But my weariness for another tale that deviated from the main story line of Y were blown away by "Hero's Journey." It's one of the best comics I've read and gives us invaluable insight into one of the series's most interesting characters.)

+ Also, most importantly, we finally hear Dr. Mann's theory on why Yorick survived the plague.

With humor, drama, and some of the best action you'll find in comics, wrier Brian K. Vaughan and penciller Pia Guerra (who illustrates all eight issues this time around) continue to blow me away with Yorick's epic story. I'm sure fans and critics alike will agree that this, as the cover boasts, is "top-notch."

9/10

Volume 5 was incredibly exciting, and answered the one question Y readers have been asking since the series began; "What caused all the men to die?" This volume also shows how complex Hero is, and how she tries to fight the demons within herself. If you read the first 4 volumes, this one will not disappoint.

This is one of my favorite collections in the Y: THE LAST MAN series. I've been reading/rereading the books in the series in anticipation/celebration that the entire epic story is finally coming to an end. This is the volume that shows the end of Yorick, Agent 355, Dr. Mann, and Ampersand's cross country journey come to an end. They finally reach Dr. Mann's laboratory where she is able to determine that Yorick was shockingly not the key to the survival of malekind, but Ampersand. The next stage in the series is set into motion when Ampersand is kidnapped by the mysterious ninja who had been until now looking for Yorick.

There are a lot of fun things in this book, from Yorick's hook up with another blonde named Beth to Hero's emergence as something of a hero to the culmination of the Culper Ring story. And for the first time since the initial issues Beth returns as a character (the old Beth, not just the new one).

Some readers did not like the preceding issues. I did, very much. But I'll grant that these issues are among the highpoints in the series. They not only sum up everything that the series had been leading up to before but also provide a transition to all that would occur next.

Yorick and his allies have finally made it to California. Dr. Mann now as access to the information and tools she needs to try and work out exactly why Yorick is alive and all the other males on the planet are dead.

The female of the species also demonstrates that they are equally capable of war and crime when given the opportunity.

If someone said 'ninja monkeynapper' to you generally, you would probably laugh. Here, it is no laughing matter.

Not For Adults!!!
I wanted to like this series. My daughter asked me to read them and we have enjoyed many books in the young adult catagory. Unfortunately, this is not one. James Patterson had a good idea and the beginings of some good characters but after the tenth amazing escape and all the really poor dialog I had to stop. Although James is experiencing success with this series, his characters are a really poor rendition of the super hero. Even the teen angst falls flat. If you are looking for a book to read with your teen stick to Harry or try the Stephanie Meyer series Twilight.

I was extremely dissapointed in this book, and a little relieved that it should be the last. The story was terrible, and was not believable at all. The kids would have had to be extremely stupid to go to anartica. The entire book read like an infomercial for the Green movement. It lacked all the saving graces of the first book. It was a waste of money.

Book Three did not let me down -- another exciting ride with Maximum and her "family'. I highly recommend this saga to young and old alike.

My kids & I really enjoyed this book, and the previous books in the series. I think the female lead is a little masculine in her voice & choices. I think some of the "miraculous healing power" is kind of a cheat to make up for doing serious violence to the characters, and yet keeping them moving for an adventurous pace. But, I think this is one of those fun romping stories you just let yourself skip the thinner details for the sake of the experience. We'll keep reading.

Third book in the Maximum Ride series.

Max and the flock are back. They will finally discover their true enemy and uncover a plot to take over the world. The Re-Evolution plan, aka the By-Half Plan, involves reducing the population by half--only those deemed "useful" will be allowed to live in the new world. Even as Max races to save the world from the mad scientists, she never takes herself too seriously. My favorite thing about Max is her sarcasm. As in her internal conversation with The Voice, which has an irritating habit of butting into her head, but never answering a direct question: "You wanna explain that? Or is that one of those kung fu koans I'm supposed to meditate on at the top of a mountain? Ommmm."

Another action-packed adventure that fans of the series will enjoy.

This was a really good book and added to the over all story of the Dark Tower story line. The illustration was great and made the story come to life. The only draw back is if you have not read the Dark Tower series you may feel as if you were left hanging.

This book is very good, and the story is really interesting, Jae Lee's art is awesome and strong, well this book tells the beggining of the gunslinger Roland, the only thing is that the story has not end, and of course I can't wait to read the next collection, I never read any Stephen King's novel, but this is good, it mixes cowboys and magic, well I think if you love adult graphic novels then this is a must have, and of course if you love Stephen King's novel then I am sure you will enjoy this adaptation.

This gives a whole new approach to the series. The graphics are amazing. A must read for any King fan.

Quite impressed.


I haven't read the book series, huge multi-novel fantasy series are not really my thing, but this has been intriguing for a while.

I have, however, read some of the earlier short stories, so basically knew the setting, and the characters of Roland and Cort at least.

This was really good. Lee seems to have adapted his style to fit this dark Western type background, with sorcery, mutant cats, witches and decaying technological remnants - a fairly bizarre mismatch of stuff that seems to work well.

I think I like the writing more in this adaptation than some of the stories, too. The old-fashioned American prose can get a bit wearying at times, but it appears to be smoothed a little here and is more palatable.

Boys sent on a mission of important that have to grow up fast, leaving an unsettled situation behind them and a war backdrop and seemingly evil enemies to face seems to work pretty well.

Horror, or dark fantasy, or whatever you want to call it, so things will be not nice.

Definitely surprised by how good this was.


4.5 out of 5

I was very excited to learn about this comic series, and I was not disappointed! I love the art and the mood it creates, even though it's a simplified version of the events in Wizard and Glass, it's still a great companion to the novels. Very cool!

I liked Wicked. He did a great job creating a backstory and giving the characters depth. The "big" events in Wicked didn't need to be written as we're to remember them from the movie. Son of a Witch was written in the same way (i.e. just mentioning big events) but without giving the characters any depth. Just poorly done all the way through. Constantly waiting for something to happen, for some suspense to be created, but it didn't happen. Since I've only read two of his works, I don't know if he phoned this one in as a way of cashing in on the musical or if this is par for the course. What I do know, however, is that I won't be finding out 'cause I won't be spending any more money on his novels. Unfortunate.

Liir, presumed son of the Wicked Witch (Elphaba), is on a quest to find his identity and his (maybe) half-sister. And nothing happens. As a fan of Baum's quirky and lovely original books, I can't quite get on board with Maguire. He sucks the magic and mystery out of Oz by soaking it in political and religious rhetoric and endless boring discussions on those matters. It is as if he doesn't trust readers of fantasy to be able to understand allegory. Baum did, and he was writing for children. Maguire's story is bogged down with these aspects, taking away from the characters and the magic, and boring his readers to tears. The novel rambles and seems to lack any point at all. His language is as silly as it is pointless, particularly is constant similes/metaphors, for instance, comparing the Cowardly Lion in the rain to "a stone lion in a fountain". He uses obscure vocabulary that breaks the flow of the reading. And, as a fan of the original works, I can't understand why he even bothers to place his work in Oz except as an excuse to cash in on another's work and shock the readers by making something so fluffy and light as Oz into a dark and political world. It's pretentious. I won't be reading anything else by this author, and I chucked out all his other books. Grade: F

To start off, I have to say that I enjoyed reading "Wicked," and have waded through all of Maguire's work with varying degrees of interest. As for "Son of a Witch," I stopped reading after 72 pages - it is horrible. Maguire is increasingly and pointlessly genital-centric in his novels, which becomes both frustrating and antagonizing after just the first few scenes. While I certainly have no problem with sex and sexuality in fiction and literature, Maguire is simply absurd. Freud would have had a field day with him - I just couldn't make myself turn another page.

I must a be honest...I never read "Wicked"...So I cannot pick up on anything or give any comparison to "Son of a Witch." Liir, the son, has so many problems, and of course he is adapting to the loss of his love one. I found this real...about the only thing that was real! Thank goodness it is fantasy, as the author can take total control. It is obvious Gregory Maguire has an outstanding imaginary ability. I guess I should call it the ability to fantisize. A friend suggested I read more fantasy,and recommended this book. I must admit it is quite different from my normal read. It was entertaining reading...but yet...some of the segments, to me, did not fit together. But...it was well worth the read, and Mr. Maguire is a most talented writer. Peggy Inez, Author, ISBN:978-159858-400-4 The Gully

I found this book extremely dull. I can't believe this is the same author who wrote Wicked. I found myself wanting to quit this book or at least read another book along with it because it is slow and it rambles. Mr. Maguire flips back and forth between the Liir now and the Liir from Wicked. Sometimes there's no warning of the flipping. It's in the middle of the chapters and there's no rhyme or reason. Just sad that he felt the need to write this book without a clear picture in his head of what he wanted. I think this is a typical middle book of a series which he's obviously writing now since Amazon has up as a subtitle Wicked Years 2. Middle books usually are just about what is going to happen. Which based on the ending I think will be something wild. Oh well. I'll chalk this one up as a rush job and try to remember to pick up another one of his books sometime in the future.

When I had bought the book, Iwas expecting to be as well written as O'Neil's adaptation of Batman Begins and Batman: Knightfall, but was sadly disappointed. The novel is very bland and almost seems rushed. This is a serious decline in quality in O'neil's work. Here's hoping he is able to redeem himself.

Still, the book is decent enough, and any Batfan should pick it up just to have it in their Batcollection.

PARTY ON, DUDES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dennis O'Neil did a good job at writing this movie novelization. It was written around Feb 2008 so it closely follows the final script. Unlike the Superman Returns novel, don't expect much more than what's shown on the big screen.

No huge differences except more character development (histories are explored more in depth). The major differences from the movie are 1.) Dent's adolescent history is explored by an undercover Wayne and 2.) we learn what Scarecrow did in between both movies.

Ledger's stunning Joker character was not captured well in the novel. You'll have to watch the movie for that treat!

Depending on your reading speed and comprehension, you should be able to finish the book in 2 to 3 hrs (about the same length as of the movie).

This book is abysmal. It's poorly written, shallow and feels rushed. A lot of the subtle moments from the film are totally removed , (for example, the tone of the Jokers voice, his walk, just how terrifying he is - all these details add up to make a mental picture in your mind which is part of what reading fiction is all about. O'Neil describes none of them, the Joker could be a postman for all the info we get.)

We get no inclination about how the characters are feeling, or how they do things - much of the dialogue from the film is reported with little emotion and it feels as if Denny O Neil was rushing his way through the Nolan script in order to meet a tight deadline. The action scenes are dull and overall the writing just feels stale, it doesn't jump off the page at all.

A sample of the turgid prose - he describes Comissioner Leob's death as '...he made a few gurgling sounds and within seconds was dead.' Talk about sucking the drama out of a scene.

There's also page after page of boring exposition. Fair enough, the story of what Crane got up to after 'Begins' is a neat inclusion, but it bogs down the book and gets in the way of the actual TDK story. O' Neil seems to do this for more than one of the characters, even the infodump for Bruce Wayne is annoying. The events of the film don't begin until you're a quater of the way through the book, the first couple of chapters should've been called 'In case you haven't read Batman Begins...'

Poor. Only gets a star because I'm a Batman fanatic, otherwise I would've stopped reading it after the first chapter.

Dennis "Denny" O'Neill has been one of the principal architects for Batman over the past thirty years, doing everything from comic writer to editor to novelization author. His adaptation of Batman Begins was quite solid, so I had high hopes for this, which I read--and recommend you read ONLY--after seeing the movie.

Put bluntly, the master is either losing his touch or rushed this into print. Despite being one of the sources for the characterization of the Joker, O'Neill fails to capture any of Ledger's manic intensity, the deep depravity, and utterly chaotic nature of his violent streak. Granted, Ledger's portrayal is stunning and hard to capture with the written word, but O'Neill should do better with a character he revitalized back in the 1970s (The Joker's Five Way Revenge, for instance).

There is very little back story added, so much of what remains unexplained in the movie is unexplained here. There's a back story added for Harvey Dent, but I'm not sure whether it actually explains anything beyond what the movie does. It does make Bruce's affection for Rachel Dawes more understandable: It is less love than a deep need for her, he is almost creepy in his obsession for her.

Obviously, the action scenes are hard to put into writing, so I forgive O'Neill for making the finale of the movie so condensed (and leaves out the climactic scene in all the trailers of Gordon smashing the Batsignal). However, he inexplicably fails to capture the intensity of the scene inside the ferries at the end of the movie.

The book would be shorter if it did not begin with about 60 pages dealing with material from Batman Begins or the animated Gotham Knight.

That the book was rushed is indicated, I think, by glaring typos that made it seem as though it was scanned in from a typewriter or pages. For instance, in one sentence the "real deal" (referring to the real Batman rather than the wanna-bes" reads as "red deal." Things like this are irritating but also indicative of a broader on-the-cheap feel of the whole novelization.

Of course, without the DVD, this is your only shot, since DC isn't releasing a comic book adaptation.

The Dark Knight turned out to be one of the best sequels in both comic book and cinematic history, one could even construct a convincing and legitimate argument for it bein the best in the former's. On screen it is fantastic, a whirlwind of a storyline that takes you through twists and turns with most of the movie feelng like the climax. It is, to say the least, one of the best movies I have ever seen. So I was expecting a lot from this book. The book is in itself not that badly written, it is a solid structure with above average literary prowress, but it is simply bland at some point. The author doesn't give as much back story to the characters and hidden motives not shown in the movie as he should have. The action scenes are shabbily written and the parts in the movie that were so exhilerating are subparly portrayed in the book. Not a bad read, but the movie is far better.

Ever since playing the video game Mass Effect for the X-Box 360 i have become completely obsessed with the universe that the was created by the makers of this game. This novel does great job of expanding the Mass Effect universe by filling in some of the blanks that take place before the video game.

SPOILERS FOR THE VIDEO GAME BELOW
This novel tells the story of how the the Spectre Saren acquired his flag ship Sovereign, which we all know by now is a Reaper. I wont give away any of the books details but if you are a fan of the game you owe it to your self to give this book a chance. You wont be disappointed. This is how a true Renegade Spectre acts. Very good writing

Ascension is one of a few books based on a pre-existing media that can be read by itself. Of course, the style of the writing is also the cause of this, which is the primary reason for the 5 star rating.

The style of the writing is in such a manner that it lets the story itself progress without being hindered by the world building in the background. The two complement each other and are at times hard to distinguish. Information is given on Mass Effect's races, their culture, technology, history, etc. while maintaining linkage to the story. Simultaniously, events in the story act as catalysts for this information to be given.

Overall, Revelations is a novel that gives a good story and a good introduction to the Mass Effect universe and can easily be read as a stand-alone. It's difficult to find fault in it.

From the Prologue to the Epilogue it was mind blowing, Revelation answered a lot of questions in the Mass Effect world and then some. it even went down to how it effected the religion and economy of earth after finding a bass on Mars and a Mass Relay orbiting Pluto which they all thought was the moon Cheron. I loved how they talked about the reason behind Saren Hating humans. and it also shows how he acts when he behaves during a mission, and how he executes it as well. i was simply blown away by Revelation and cant wait to read Ascension

I've played Mass Effect on the Xbox 360 twice through now and I'm a huge fan of the game, I enjoyed reading this a lot more than I think someone who was not familiar with the ME storyline would. The writing (and I agree with reviewers like MAW who claim this is very mediocre sci-fi writing) is very average (think junior high school), not very substantial (it doesn't have "teeth") and indeed does read like a cheap sci-fi novel that was written in a few days (very ordinary prose). Having trashed the book in this manner, I do have to say it was a fun and fast read. Don't read it for literary purposes, it was obviously not written with that intent. This is not Bradbury or Asimov. This is, however, a nice introduction to the ME storyline as we so far understand it to be based on the game itself and only the game. We are introduced to the characters Anderson and Saren (among others) and we learn about how it is that they arrived at the status they have by the time we've played ME (if you opted not to go through most of the extra questions in the game you'll miss a lot of background information).


Again, a fun and fast read, recommended for fans of the game. I don't think anyone else would really enjoy this as much or find that reading it was time well spent. Fans will likely find a few flaws/inconsistencies in the details of how certain characters were eliminated but this is not a perfect book.

Mass Effect: Revelation by Drew Karpyshyn was really well written! I could not believe I was in a whole new universe! I was so excited for the video game and once I found out there was a book that takes place prior to the game, I told myself I would not play, until I read. So I did, and it made my love and totally engrossed me even further! I can not wait for more Mass Effect sci-fi to hit the shelves! Either in book format or gaming!

This book is about a young lady... actually just read the back cover and maybe an excerpt and you will get the idea.. I suggest that you read it! Thanks D. Karpyshyn!