Science Fiction Fantasy Books

My son Jarett is 8 yrs old and very much into marvel super heros and especially the villians!!! This book is so detailed and so wonderfully illustrated. We can't believe you can learn so much about one charater in a paragraph or just one page. You will find out things you did not know. For example, what happened to Mary Jane Watsons mother!!!! But the best part is my son carries this huge book around wherever he goes. He reads in the car back and forth to karate practice and even sits on the couch and reads instead of TV or nintendo DS all the time!!!! He has not put it down since he recieved it. In fact, he put on his Christmas wish list the DC encylopedia next!!!! Thank you marvel for making such a wonderful and interesting book even a mom can enjoy with her son!!!!

My kids are young (girl-3 and boy-5) but they love going through the pictures and asking me to read about each superhero's powers. Really feeds their imagination. My daughter favorite super power is strength (like in the Incredible Hulk) and my son's is producing fire. Mine is flying. Wooooosh!

Bought this to help out with the Marvel Masterpiece sketch cards I was doing. A must have, very informative and full of great illustrations.

This is one of the best superheroe books ive ever read, very well explained and pictured, recomend it to every Marvel fan.

If you love comic books, you will love the Marvel Encyclopedia. If you're new to the whole comic book thing, you will LOVE the Marvel Encyclopedia! :) It's a great little reference to have!

Way back when I was in seminary school, there was a person there who said you could never write a narrative in the second person. I wonder if someone rapped Charles Stross's knuckles then too. This novel is stubbornly written entirely in the second person--the first novel I have ever read written that way. Perhaps it was to imitate the vernacular of video games ("you have picked up a level 7 blunderbuss...") to give the reader a closer connection to the characters. At first it was extremely irritating, often requiring me as a reader to do some subliminal translating before proceeding. However, by the time I had reached the climax of the plot, I agreed that this story could not have been written any other way. It left me with an eagerness to pick up the book again and read it over on some later date.

There has been a few negative reviews of this book--mostly that it starts off at a strong pace, but fizzles at the end. I strongly disagree with that assessment. The denouement was more extended than most modern science fiction, but not nearly as winded as Stross's obvious role-model Gibson has been of late. This is a very well-paced story, with intriguing themes and endearing characters. It managed to do something to me that only David Brin has been capable of: make me wonder what the characters are up to when the book is closed.

I hate to criticise one of my favorite authors, but I have to agree with E. Lyons sentiments: "Function lost in form".

There are no technical challenges for me in this book. I'm an internet software engineer familiar with crypt keys and even the nascent quantum computing.
I'm British, so the scots brogue is clear, even cute.
Also I've been an avid RPG gamer (City of Heroes mostly).

However suppose you login your favorite RPG in which you have created three characters - but the game randomly selects one of your characters to play and gives no indication as to which one!
I guess you'd have to spend 10 minutes finding a clan mate to say "Hello bear", or "Hello brown Orc" or whatever. It would no longer be your favorite RPG I assure you.

I bought this book Oct 2007. I tried 3 times to get into the book but I just couldn't keep track of who I was meant to be. Maybe it's because I rarely read more than one chapter at a time, more often less than this.
Maybe because other books to hand offered no such obstacles to good reading.

Finally I've finished it. Whoop-de-doop.

Rather than rewrite the book in the 3rd person, I would suggest to the author to emulate the RPG's he seems so keen on: each page should have the chapter title, and each chapter title should include who the current "you" is.

Call me a lazy reader, but reading scifi is meant to be recreation.
This was a slog.

best book about the coming future and what physical and digital systems will look like and how we will interact with them
Read this book!!

The second person perspective is annoying and distracting at the best of times and completely ruins the narrative at others. It was an attempt to bring back the 1st and 2nd generations of role-playing video games when they game told you what you were doing, and it annoyed me then too. The most interesting chapter is the bit about the digital heist. The rest of the book seemed to go on and on about which character done it. The chapter character switches made it impossible for me to care one way or another about any of the characters. Skip this one. There is far better sci-fi satire/cyber-punk.

I encountered to this book in the course of an hour-long hunt through cross-references ("people who bought this book also bought..."), best-seller lists, etc. looking for something new and good in the vein of William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, etc. - a work by an author who really gets how the present works and the near future is likely to work, and can be truly, literarily creative with it. I ordered it expecting something decent, and found that I had received a real gem. Not only is the tech background super-solid (it helps if you're a sysadmin, but if not, no worries), but the writing is great - the dialog and internal monologues are as sardonic and humorous as, say, Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiaason, or John Sandford. Finally, dear God, it's set in Scotland and reads like Ian Rankin tartan noir. What's not to like?

Peter and Tinker Bell are perfectly happy on Mollusk Island. Peter and his little troop of orphaned boys live day to day in this paradise of fresh food and friendly natives. Fighting Prawn, leader of the Mollusk tribe, is indebted to Peter for saving his life, and though he doesn't care for "Englishmen," he and Peter have formed a strong bond. As content as they all are, that world will soon disappear as a carefully planned attack will turn their lives upside down. The fiercest of tribes, known as the "Scorpions," has begun an invasion of this peaceful little community. Determined to take over the island, absolutely no one will be safe from these ruthless warriors.

"In battle, the warriors sometimes hurled venomous snakes and spiders at the enemy; they also coated the tips of their arrows with a special mixture of toxins that caused horrific, paralyzing pain. It was this practice that gave the tribe its name, the most feared name in this part of the ocean: Scorpions. It was a name that meant misery and death."

Far away in London, Peter's old friend Molly Aster is planning a kind of invasion herself after discovering that her father, Lord Leonard Aster, will be going to Paris to investigate problems related to the "Starstuff fall." She is determined to go, though is definitely not invited on this journey. Molly and her friend George do serious research and discover some strange things about her father and a man known as Mr. Pan (is this Peter's father?). Finally, they manage to sneak aboard her father's ship, where they encounter and become prisoners of the evil Lord Ombra and Zarboff, King of Rundoon. The only thing worse than being in prison would be to fall victim to Zarboff's giant pet snake, Kundalini.

"He reached down and touched the dark shape next to his throne. The shape moved, and slowly a triangular head rose, the torchlight reflecting from two yellow eyes. Peter had seen snakes before; there were many on Mollusk Island. But he had never seen one half as massive as this."

For the boy who will never grow old, Peter's friendship with Molly is both sweet and poignant. They have shared so much together and will share more; still, they have the knowledge that they cannot grow up together.

"And then Molly kissed him on the lips. It was the first time either of them had ever kissed anybody on the lips, and it was a kiss they would both carry in their minds for the rest of their lives."

In this action-packed finale to the Starcatchers trilogy, authors Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson enrich the world of J.M. Barrie's original tale. Non-stop action and colorful characters keep the reader engrossed. A strong theme of family values and good friends runs throughout the series, and the delightful illustrations by Greg Call are perfectly suited in capturing this magical world. Like the previous two books, PETER AND THE SECRET OF RUNDOON stands well by itself --- but do read the others, as this is a totally outstanding set of Peter Pan adventures.

--- Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts

If you've read this book I seriously hope you've read the two preceeding books of this trilogy or else you'll be just a tad bit lost. That being said, this is the best book in the three part series by far. The writing is at its best, it's pollished and the typos that so plagued bothe previous books are thankfully gone so it's safe to give to kids without telling them all the grammatical messups from before. The story arch works rather well and nothing feels too forced. Instead you're offered a perspective of Peter Pan's origins that don't seem too forced and that offer a great reading experience for kids and adults. All three books should take you about a week and a half to read at the most because they are truly a light read and chapters are rarely more than ten pages long. so if you're in the mood for a light read and have always wondered where Peter Pan came from, how Tinker Bell was created, why Peter's shadow is detached from him or why that huge crock has a huge ticking clock that won't quit, you should definitely read this series.

This book is non-stop action. There is no down time. You must catch your breath after each chapter. We enjoyed the whole series immensely. Perhaps blasphemous, but this series is better than Harry Potter. No loose ends. Very tight, raucous story. The best EVER!!

If you like the notion of Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, etc. this series is really excellent. I don't use the word WONDERFUL much, but they're a great read. They really do carry on the story of Peter and his friends in a believable and fun way. Really AWESOME and you won't be disappointed. The entire series is highly recommended - all three books so far.

It's sad that this awesome trilogy must come to an end, but I'm happy to say that I enjoyed every minute of it, from the moment those boys and that girl met up with each other and a horrible secret to the end of this installment when Never Land finally becomes familiar.

This story completes the bunch when Peter and the crew are kidnapped to a horrible kingdom where kids are slaved and the darkness of the universe has a horrible plan for the earth.

This is just as exciting as the previous two books, though I think the fantasy went a little annoyingly Star Trek at a point. Still, it was fun and witty and answered a lot of questions. Finally.

Afer awhile, the story begins to drag and tries to throw everything in but the kitchen sink. Frank Herbert's Dune (The original Novel) was so much more than the sum of all its parts. Here, the story meanders aimlessly onward, trying to serve up a big whopping finale, trying to appease those fans whose imagination have gone lacking. The finesse of government, religion, industry, Machiavelli intrigues and the slavish addiction to a rare commodity has never been equaled or surpassed. Sooner or later, all things end. it is time to let go before this series is ran into the ground.

Having read Hunters of Dune I was very anxious to read the conclusion. I enjoyed it, but I needed more. More details about certain characters agendas and motivation, certainly more details about space flight and ship to ship battles. The series was unpredictable the whole way through, which is a big part of its appeal to me and then the ending arrived suddenly and the "revelations" were anticlimactic. Loved the characters though. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of the series.

That's SIX TIMES that you deleted my review. I will just keep coming back and reposting it if this continues.

I can't believe that you're so hard-up for good ratings that you delete negative ratings and actually PAY people to shill for you!

I was kinder in my last review and explained WHY the book was bad. However, since my review got deleted so many times, I shall not be so kind.

Brian Herbert is not his father. With that in mind, I read this book, not expecting him or Kevin to write exactly like Frank. But even with NOT expecting Brian to write just like his father, this book SUCKED. There were SO many things wrong with this book. It was full of unnecessary, plodding details. Alia and Serena Butler acting as Other Memory even though neither of them had surviving descendants, is utter ridiculousness. The Baron-ghola and Erasmus commented on Alia and Serena in Other Memory respectively, wondering how they could be there (just like us readers) yet Brian and Kevin never offer a explanation for this. It's like they're saying 'Well, we're the ghostwriters, so we'll rewrite FH's canon however we want, and you can suck it!'

I was also VERY disappointed in the fact that nothing is revealed of Gilbertus Alban's fate. Erasmus thinks a lot about Serena, but you'd think that he'd have some thoughts about his ward, because out of the entire population of humankind, Serena and Gilbertus are both undeniably very important to Erasmus.

The thing with Norma Cenva and Omnius was one of the most retarded and ill-thought out ways to wrap up things, and the fate of some of the gholas, Leto II, Sheeana, etc, was all one HUGE disaster. The ending left me feeling unfulfilled and frustrated. I plodded through what, over 1000 pages (Hunters/Sandworms) only to see this crappy ending that RAPED my fond memories of Dune to the fiber of their very being.

Frank Herbert is without a doubt spinning in his grave. How dare you besmirch his memory by planning to write even MOAR Dune books! We don't need 'Paul of Dune' and whatever else you have planned. Just stop writing, seriously. Haven't you raped Frank Herbert's legacy up the wazoo for long enough?

And by the way, I have this review saved now, so if it is deleted, I will just copypasta it here so I don't have to rewrite it like I did the first few times this review was deleted.

Did you think you could get rid of me so easily? Me and my TRUTHFUL review about your crappy writing are here to STAY. I also see that you deleted two other on-e-star reviews. My God, you two bring butthurt and fail to a whole new level. People didn't like the tripe you wrote, and with good reason Suck it up and cancel your plans for future Dune books.

Let me just say that living up to Frank Herbert's legacy would be a daunting and impossible task for anyone. The pressure that his son must have felt writing these books must have been incredible. It's really unfair to hold him to the same standards but, that said, this IS a Dune book so the comparison must be made, unfair or not.

The book would be a decent SF novel, in my opinion, if it was not a Dune book. The writing is not sharp or insightful and the plot lacks both finesse and, even worse, doesn't make much sense (especially at the end). Still, it is more than adequate when compared to a host of other novels on the market.

The problem really is that this is a Dune novel. The characters are all supposed to be extremely intelligent and insightful. The threats they face should be extremely formidable and well thought out, the victories hard-fought and bittersweet. Religion, politics, and human psychology should be at the forefront of the story, all played out against a landscape of brutal insight where everyone (including we, the readers) realize that the world must be seen for what it is, and never for what we wish it to be.

The Bene Gesserit betray their emotions as though they were hormone-drunk teenagers, making ridiculous decisions and comments without any of their usual insightful quips. None of the supposedly disciplined characters in the book are very good at controlling themselves or of properly accessing the world around them. Instead of subtle comments with multiple meanings, words used with a beautiful economy of motion, sharp as razors, the characters can't keep from repeating the obvious, over and over again, and all have forgotten, it seems, the power of silence. They all operate at the mental speed of a somewhat gifted fetus, but only on their good days.



Another thing that bothered me was the ending. The entire concept flew in the face of some of Frank Herbert's original Dune concepts and, to be blunt, made no sense at all. One line, for instance, says: "Just because a man's legs will grow stronger by walking, should we deny him a vehicle?" The answer is, of course: OF COURSE WE SHOULD! One of Dune's most powerful concepts is that humanity must develop human talents, without any crutch to stunt our development and evolution. While the short-sighted man may strive to make his life peaceful and without conflict, he is doing little more than destroying his potential. "I must strive always to avoid going down the easy-path. That way lies stagnation and death." This key concept is abandoned, at the end, in favor of trying for a "trick" ending of some sort. It seemed contrived and ran contrary to one of the underlying messages of the entire original series. (Another example of the original concept is the Golden Path, by which humanity was guided into the Scattering, a time of horrible trial and death but necessary as it sent humanity so far across the galaxy that no one event could ever threaten the species again)

Sorry that this is so long. I do not wish to belittle the authors as what they attempted to do is probably beyond most everyone, but I wish that they had tried to keep to Dune's tone and flavor much more than the did. The series deserved that much, at least. I wish them success in the future and am sure that they will do much better work provided their own stories to tell.

This book Sandworms of Dune, coupled with Hunters of Dune were based on an outline left in a safe desposit box by Frank Herbert before he died. Two decades later, his son Brian and author Kevin J Anderson take this outline and produce a fantastic, stunning, and at times mindblowing conclusion to Frank Herbert's original Dune storyline. Like all Dune fans, the ending of Chapterhouse left me scratching my head saying 'is this all?', knowing full well that the author had passed away. Being able to read this book and see the series concluded in such a profound way was exciting to say the least. Many have criticized Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson for falling short of the prosaic vision and authorship of the original Herbert. I for one am glad to see the series finished and done well. Consider this a necessary read for all Dune fans, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are coming to new stages in their lives. Sabrina, against her tomboy nature, is becoming more interested in makeup, trying to look prettier. Daphne is imitating her, because Sabrina is her role model, and yet Sabrina is annoyed by her sister's new antics. However, the girls do not have time to ponder their new ways in life: they have a new case to concentrate on.
The family wants a trial to be held for Mr.Canis in order to prove him innocent in the crimes against Little Red Riding Hood and her grandma. That is, if anyone would work with them. Mr.Canis is resistant to their assistance, and Mayor Heart and Nottingham won't let the Sherwood Associates (i.e. Robin Hood and Little John) get a word in for their client. Adding to the Grimm family troubles is finding Goldilocks so she can wake up the girls' parents. With help of a traveling chest, Uncle Jake and the girls travel to help her escape from a Scarlet Hand member, yet are denied her help.
This book is hilarious, as all the others all. I'm probably considered too old to read these books yet I find them all delightful. Everything is funny and witty, with a great spin on traditional fairy tale characters.
One touch to this book that I find particulary endearing is how Puck attached himself to Sabrina. The more we see him, the more I like him, especially because he helps Sabrina and actually has morals now. I cannot wait to see similar action in the upcoming books.
All in all, this book does everything it should. The Mr.Canis story is finally revealed, and with a does of laughter, this fast read will keep you in your seat.

This 6th book in the Sister's Grimm Saga makes me hungry for more! If you want an exciting twist to Happily Ever After, this is the series for you.
The Grimm Sisters and their unusual friends are lovable characters that readers really connect with emotionally. I feel curriosity, anger, embarrassment, and hope, right along with the characters.

This is one of my favorite books of the series. Almost as good as the 5th book (my favorite). I can't decide if I like it more than the 3rd book or not though. Both have the creepy Little Red Riding Hood in it and she is SUCH a fun character to read.

The only thing I didn't like about this book - was that it ended! :) My parents gave me the first four books for Christmas, and once I started them, I couldn't wait to read 5 and 6. By the way - I am in my thirties! :)

The Grimm books are clever - simple enough that a child can enjoy, but smart enough, so well-written, that I enjoy them too!

I highly recommend this series!!

Despite their many problems (including the fact that their parents are under a sleeping spell) Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are growing up. Sabrina, despite herself, is becoming a girly girl and Daphne is starting to imitate Sabrina. In a way, this is a welcome diversion for the girls as their grandmother's best friend, Mr. Canis, is on trial for crimes he committed while he was the Big Bad Wolf. The Grimms have very good reasons to fear Mr. Canis will not have a fair trial, but do everything they can to help him, including trying to find out what really happened to Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother. What they discover will surprise all of them - even Mr. Canis.

"Tales from the Hood" is the wickedly funny sixth book in Michael Buckley's The Sisters Grimm fantasy series. The series is set in Ferryport Landing where fairy tale and other fantasy characters such as the Queen of Hearts, Robin Hood, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, and others live. Buckley has a lot of fun turning the fairy tale world inside out for better or for worse (especially the Wizard of Oz series - he does a number on the Scarecrow in this book) and creates a world in which the Queen of Hearts is mayor and the Sheriff of Nottingham is, well the Sheriff. All of the regular characters in the series are maturing as the series goes along, especially Sabrina and Daphne and Mr. Canis - whose back-story is finally reviewed in the book and it is a good one. While the book is aimed at children, readers of all ages will enjoy it - adults will love the way Buckley skews the fairytale and fantasy characters. And without revealing too much, the courtroom scenes are some of the funniest scenes in that setting I've ever read - Buckley's choice of judge is inspired. The book ends on a cliffhanger that left me anxiously waiting for the next book in the series.

"Tales from the Hood" is a great entry in a wonderful fantasy series.

Read this book, but then do yourself a favor and stop
and save yourself from a hard fall.
The ending, 'Confessor', most awful ending I ever read in my life!
And worse, bad writing!!!
And worse because many of his books in this series were so awesome.
I really loved most of his books.But...I just read finished the last book last night.I got it from the library. I'm thanking God I didn't buy it.When I got it from the library, I noticed the spine was all broken and torn. I was intending to fix it...but now I realize it must have been because the last reader threw it against the wall.
I was tempted to as well, but didn't.
It was as monotonous and amateurish. Where the heck was his editor??
I should have listened and not read the book and just made up my own ending.

The one thing I think I hated the most was the way he ended it the whole boring slog.... It was COMPLETELY obnoxious.

His theme in most of the books was to protesting religious zealotry. Those in the Order where following some misguided notion that they were killing in the name of the creator and lived under very communistic conditions.

As I read Confessor the preaching and reminding got so irritating I ended up simply skipping pages and pages of 'reminders'.

Through out the series there seemed to be an acknowledged basic natural(and good) desire to connect with the Creator and the spiritual connection in all of us. And that there was indeed an afterlife and he seemed to be pointing out that those killing in the name of the Creator are wrong.

Also, Goodkind spends many chapters explaining the 'theology' of his fantasy world....how magic works and is connected with the underworld etc etc..But then he completely trashes it AND connects his fantasy world to our real world!!! The whole effect was disconcerting and took away from the 'fairy tale ending'...because you know in this ending the Creator is dead, or consigned to some corner and told not to bother anyone ever again.

In the end Richard destroys the entire afterlife for those banished to the non magic world, where he conveniently alludes to those formally of the Order are now the 'building churches'!!! What?)
Not mosques, not temples, not circles...but CHURCHES! (and not just any Churches, but CATHOLIC churches because they use medals and 'talismans'. What?)

Excuse me? Is Terry Goodkind really this ignorant, or is he just another patsy for the secular order that is encroaching with the culture of death? I think both.

Does anyone want a link to pictures of happy young jihadists brandishing the hands of Christians and other kaffirs they collected for allah???? Those of the Order where more like militant islam and the Saracens of history and militant communism and nazi's rolled up in one!! Knowing that as of this minute while I write this thousands of Christians are being executed for 'blasphemy' and oppressed with well documented sharia dhimmi laws in muslim countries or as in communist China's case, having children ripped from their wombs because they value life and would want to welcome a new child among them,...but it's against the godless of laws of china. Or what about the mass graves of Orthodox and catholic priests and nuns from Communist Russia and it's former satellites??

What an insult to those really truly have and are suffering on behalf of the values of life and liberty.

Ugh. I was completely irritated that I even read the series to begin with. I will not bother to watch the TV series.

My advice is save yourself aggravation and money and skip this series.
It's a garden path to nowhere even if slavish anti-catholicism and Nietzschism doesn't bother you, the ending is so horrifically badly written, disjointing and boring after so many really good books, you come out of it feeling like you were slapped...hard.

M~

Goodkind has created a very real, intricate and interesting world and after finishing the third book, I'm totally hooked. I love the main characters, but just as good is the huge cast of sub-characters and sub plots that all seem to come together in a well planned and exciting way. Unlike many series of this sort, you're never sure where the story is going to take you and how it will turn out. And as each book comes to an end, you know there are many unresolved and interesting branches the book can lead to.

Other than the three main characters, you also never know who is going to get pulled down to the dark side or who is already on the dark side and we just don't know it yet.

There is an amazing variety of various and sundry animals and ghosts with crazy uncontrollable powers, there is a huge base of interesting background and history from characters long since dead, there are hidden vaults and old libraries, prophesies, and very real and evil twisting and torturing of the good to get them to move to the evil side.

I love these books and have ordered the next three. A whole new world is opening to me and in some ways, it is even better than the sacred trilogy. It is definitely more adult and certainly not as beautiful and poetic, but the story telling is gripping.

i enjoyed this book very much. Read fast, not much slow parts, all interesting. I have read alot of fantasy, but Goodkind is the best so far.

...but already the Kahlan/Richard storyline is growing really, really, tired. Richard overreacts...Richard apologizes...Kahlan cries and swears she will never betray Richard...Richard and Kahlan talk about getting married and sharing Kahlan's big, big bed...Richard somehow thwarts the advances of every hot woman known to mankind but listens to Kahlan prattle on and on about some nonsense...other characters become angry then apologize...someone else cries...someone else apologizes for crying...someone else apologizes for yelling...Richard theorizes about this, that and the other thing....Richard talks about how he lacks control over the magic...We get the 15,000th recapitulation of the history of the Confessors, the Wizards, the Palace of Prophets, the Keeper, Darken Rahl... we read the 1,000,000th inartfully drafted prophecy which mysteriously works itself out by way of some tortured plot twist...Richard befriends more enemies and inexplicably converts them into longtime friends...the Mord Sith prance around in red leather grabbing their Agiel and make cute comments but do little else...Richard grinds his teeth for the umpteenth time and grabs the Sword of Truth and lets the rage flow through him...just send me to the Keeper already!

Wizard's Fourth Rule: Read George RR Martin

Blood of the Fold picks up right where Stone of Tears left off. It opens with Richard taking control in Aydindril after having executed the Council. However, one of the lands in the Midland alliance, Nicobarese, is resistant to the new order Richard proposes, being controlled by the Blood of the Fold. Meanwhile, the scattered remnants of the Sisters of the Dark in the Old World are plotting Richard's demise.

Heavier on political intrigue than the first two installments, Blood of the Fold is about Richard's first steps into becoming Lord Rahl, ruler of D'Hara, and how he handles being a leader, and not just a simple woods guide or even the Seeker of Truth.

Favorite characters like Gratch and Nathan Rahl play fun parts here, and some new characters like Lunetta, Tobias Brogan, and Emporer Jagang (who will become the arch-villain of the series) are all fascinating.

The biggest problem is that after what we learned about the Blood of the Fold in the previous book, the drama one might expect from a book specifically about them falls short of expectations. But those expectations were awfully high, and it would almost be unfair to Mr. Goodkind to demand that every book in his series top its predecessors, when he started out so spectacularly.

The audio book version is well-narrated (probably my favorite naration in the series, as some of the others are a bit dry). The reader's deep, resonating voice suits the story very well.

While we liked the author's Chrestomanci novels, this book was a tedious read. For us, its rambling style did not hold our interest and we found reading House of Many Ways a chore that had to be completed.

Perhaps you may like the book, but it was not one of our favorites.

it the third book in howls moving castle and if you read the first two you got to be wondering how much trouble howls getting into and if sophie can handle it

I always look forward to any new Diana Wynne Jones books, but I have to admit they are a hit or miss. Most of her stories are fun to read, but some are so off the wall and unbelievable, they become too awkward to read. "House of Many Ways" fell completely between hit and miss, leaning more closely toward miss. It definitely was not one of Jones' better reads. For one thing, calling this a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle is a stretch. When I saw this book on the shelf, I liked the description enough to want to read it. But I hadn't read Howl's yet, so I bought that one too. Howl's Moving Castle was very cool. It was so enjoyable, I expected the "sequel" to surpass it. It didn't, not by a long shot. Sophie and Howl showed up about 3/4 of the way through the book, but they were both out of character and seemed forced into the storyline.

The scant roles of Howl and Sophie were a minor annoyance for me and not really enough to drop my five stars to four. The reasons for the lower rating had to do with the extremely weak plot (or lack of one), awkwardness of the story flow, and my dislike for the two main characters. Neither Charmain nor Peter were very likeable. She was irritating beyond belief, and he had very few distinguishable features (not very promising for an apprentice). Charmain's dialect was almost freakish (i.e. "Oh bother!" Was this an English teenager or Winnie the Pooh?). I know she was supposed to represent someone who was raised obsessively respectable, but I winced every time the girl had a thought. Peter, too, was hard to swallow. His character wasn't solidly developed. He showed up as a small boy, but Charmain sees that he has whiskers, so we are left to wonder...is he a teenager? A young man? A 12-year-old with a jump start on puberty? The plot itself was sporadic, confusing, and just as underdeveloped as the characters. When you open a book, the first questions you ask yourself (subconsciously) are, "Why am I here? What's the goal of this book?" House of Many Ways had no apparent goal. First you think the plot is about Great-Uncle William's labyrinth of a house (like Howl's house with all the door destinations). Then you think it might have to do with the Lubbock that chases Charmain. Or it could be that the main plot was about Peter or the dog or the kobold. But then you leave the house and all the action occurs in the castle, where Sophie and Howl appear, acting very strangely through a side-plot that the reader is not immediately let in on. The whole thing was entirely too confusing and more cartoonish than Bugs Bunny.

The reason my rating is a 4 and not lower is because of the author. Diana Wynne Jones has a prime imagination. Normally, she can tell a pretty entertaining story. So she's not an amateur. She knows what she's doing. House of Many Ways, however, seemed like a rushed job, like she had a great idea but didn't take the time to sort out the bugs.

If you are a fan, I would recommend adding House of Many Way to your collection. If you are new at Jones' books, I'd suggest starting with the Merlin Conspiracy or one of the Chrestomanci books.

Charmain is sent to take care of her great-uncle's magical house. Although she'd much rather be reading, she finds herself having to deal with elves, mischievous little blue creatures, giant evil purple bugs, an apprentice wizard that keeps forcing her to help clean, and an overly-affectionate dog. Things get even more complicated when she goes to help the King in his library, only to discover the royal family is in danger. The story is just as enchanting, though maybe not quite as clever, as Jones' other fantastic tales, particularly those featuring Howl and Sophie. In fact, it is Sophie, Calcifer, now-toddler Morgan, and, of course, Howl (in the guise of a curly, blond, lisping six year old Twinkle) that steal the show. It is an utter delight to see them as parents and an old married couple. Grade: A

I liked the story. I thought the link with Howl's moving castle was thin, and had hoped to read more about those characters. They do not appear as satisfying in this story, but the heroine is sweet and resourseful, able to solve problems on her own and take her destiny into her own hands. I would read it again, but I am not sure I would buy it, I may only get it from the library.

I picked this up in the library at random because of the cover and some reviews. What a great find! I will be reading the rest of Mr. Sanderson's books for sure.

I selected this when Tor had their free books for Kindle. What a fun read. I like a book that keeps me wondering what will happen from one chapter to the next and this one did. I enjoyed Sanderson's characters, his concept of the use of metals and allomancers. I look forward to buying my next Brandon Sanderson book.

"Mistborn"
By
Brandon Sanderson

Vin, a skaa street urchin, struggles every day just to survive. These are dark days for the Final Empire...if you're a skaa that is. Oppressed for years by the noblemen of the Final Empire, which is ruled over with an iron fist by the "Lord Ruler," the skaa work as slaves every day, sweeping the streets, working in the mills, mines, and fields.

There are a lucky few like Vin who have some talent. Talent earns them places with the many numerous skaa thieving crews, groups of men who make small-time raids on the noblemen of the
Empire. Dragged there by her abusive brother, Vin remained to pay off her and her brother's debt to the Crew Chief after he ran away and left her.


One day however, after a raid gone wrong, Vin meets up with Kelsier, a handsome, scheming Crew Chief who just happens to be an Allomancer. And not just any Allomancer, a Mistborn.

Allomancers use metals such as Iron, Tin, and Pewter to enhance their bodily powers. Most Allomancers can only use one metal, but a select few, Mistborn, can use all of the 10 metals. Once Vin finds out that she is in fact a Mistborn as well, Kelsier offers her a chance to become a member of his crew. This crew however, isn't just going to "pull a job," they're going to pull the biggest job in the history of the final empire...

"Lord Ruler..." That's what I have to say about "Mistborn!" It was SO GOOD! The first installment to the Mistborn series is one not to be missed! Sanderson has such a good balance of good, evil, action, drama, politics, scheming, backstabbing, mystery...you name it, "Mistborn" has it all!

Though the language in "Mistborn" took some getting used to, it wasn't the usual boring "court battles" that a lot of fantasy is famous for. I understood all of the politics and actually wanted more, surprising even myself.

The only downside is, I fail to see how the second book in the series ("Well of Ascension") could possibly live up to the greatness of "Mistborn." I'll definitely be there to give it a shot however.

In summary, "Mistborn" was a refreshing book in a world of sub-standard fantasy littering most of the genre nowadays. If you need a little excitement on your bookshelf pick up "Mistborn" !
Four and ¼ stars.

I've been keeping an eye out for this author's novels, because he's the guy writing the 12th book of the Wheel of Time from Robert Jordan's notes. I wanted to see if he had the authorial chops to handle the task he's taken on.

Short answer: Maybe.

Mistborn was really good; apart from the whole WoT thing, Sanderson is definitely an author I'd want to keep up with. The concept was brilliant: the idea that this novel takes places a thousand years after the great hero, the chosen one, comes to save the world -- and fails. One of the best parts was the characters' belief that he must have succeeded, because the world hasn't been destroyed -- but it's so dystopian and nasty that the reader has to wonder if, in fact, the world has been largely destroyed, and they just don't know any better. A wonderful starting point.

The positives: the writing was strong, though a bit plain; the magic system and the world were outstanding, one of the best fantasy settings I've seen in a while -- comparable in some ways with WoT, which is probably why he was tapped to write Book 12. The concept is that there is an absolute dictatorship ruling this world, a single world-spanning empire with an immortal god-king at the head. The world has turned ugly, with volcanoes spewing a constant stream of ash and smoke into the sky, blocking most of the sun's rays and leaving the people with brown plants and a world coated in black ash, which falls like rain. The empire has divided people into nobility and peasants, and the peasants suffer just as they did in the feudal system of the Middle Ages: they exist only to serve the nobility, who slaughter them wholesale just for amusement, and who work very hard to crush their spirits, mostly with great success.

The book is about a group of people, thieves, who try to organize an uprising in order to overthrow the all-powerful emperor, slaughter the nobles, and free the people -- and make themselves impossibly rich in the process. The cast of characters were mostly good, though some of the secondary characters were a bit cliche -- a soldier who tries to think like a philosopher, but honestly, his philosophical questions are a bit ho-hum (The best one was: if the Lord Ruler is actually a piece of God, as his reputation has it, then doesn't his divinity make his actions morally right, and thus make our insurrection the wrong thing to do?), and then there are the overweight bombastic politico, the quiet organizer, and the cantankerous old man. But the main characters were much better, and the magic system -- which is based around metals, which the magic-users ingest and then "burn" to gain magical powers -- was both subtle and intricate, as well as being basically straightforward and easy to follow.

The plot was great, though again, there were little cliche moments that irritated me slightly -- I could have done without the love interest, for one, as the lowborn main character falls for the one noble with a heart of gold. But the ending was outstanding, and the image of the villains -- the Inquisitors, horribly powerful, immortal servants of the Lord Ruler -- was inspired: instead of eyes, they have steel spikes driven through their heads, with the tips protruding from the backs of their skulls and the square ends of the spikes right where their eyes should be. That was fantastic.

So basically, Sanderson has the imagination to keep up with the Wheel of Time, but not really the storytelling skills, at least not in this book. Unfortunately, the imaginative parts of WoT are already done for him, so this doesn't play to his strengths. I'm hoping his other books show better writing.

What a great book! I couldn't put it down. The sci-fi world created in this book seemed real to me. Well-developed characters. Fantastic twisted plot, lots of fun.

They believe the opportunity to destroy malevolent vampire Samos and his minion is near; so assassin Jaz Parks and her vampiric supervisor Vayl plan on the hit. However, when they return to the Trust to finalize their strategy, they walk into a shocker. Vayl is no longer in charge; instead the only vampire he created Disa is now running the show.

Disa has been a nuisance to Vayl since he changed the alien. This time with her as the boss, Disa refuses to allow Vayl to work the field operation to take out Samos. On the other hand, Jaz will not sit idly by allowing Disa to own her Vayl as her relationship with him was just turning to a new more exciting level. Her missions are to kill Samos permanently and keep Vayl at her side not that of Disa, who now gives the orders.

In her fourth CIA chick lit urban fantasy (see BITING THE BULLET, ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST and ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY) Jaz Parks is at her cheeky amusing yet exhilarating best. The story line told from her cynical perspective is fast-paced as she insures the paranormal species seem genuine and her mission essential especially winning the tug of war with Disa over Vayl. Thus the series is refreshed with a weird triangle in which the relationship between top CIA operative Vayl the vampire and his best subordinate has been evolving towards something personal but now with the return of Disa as their superior all bets are off. Jaz is at her mocking best in this engaging entry.

Harriet Klausner

This is a well written book. I was pulled through the story by the action and the suspence. This will be one of my favorite book series.

The title of this isn't to say anyone and everyone will enjoy this. But the title of my review is to say that I couldn't stop enjoying this book.

I got it on a Tuesday and finished it that Wednesday night. The story for me was Star Wars, fast and full of twists and turns to enjoy. And unlike most books, the ending itself not only satisfied me, but left me craving the next in the series.

I really liked Sacrifice (except for the Boba Fett intervals), but this book is where it REALLY takes off. I loved reading all of it. Finally it seems like Jacen's character has progressed, and this is some of the best writing of Han's comic character in a while, and FINALLY Luke gets in the actionI almost started cheering. I was waiting to see the most powerful Jedi ever finally show some of his stuff. Overall, this one was a page turner. Denning really gets the characters right this time.

Very fast paced and entertaining. Inferno picks up with Luke trying to cope the loss of his wife, Mara. Meanwhile Caedus prepares to launch a decisive strike against the Confederation fleet.

Hoping to rely on the Jedi he tries to coerce them into helping him he decides to have a squadron hold the Jedi Academy hostage.

Though still grieving Luke leads the Jedi away from Jacen and creates a new alliance. Caedus, of course is enraged, but life sucks, jerk. Anway it leads to an all out fight with Luke and Caedus with Ben's life in the balance. Unforuantely Luke doesn't kill Caedus when he has the chance. My only gripe about the book.

But still, Inferno is really entertaining and a good read.

I have come in during the middle of this series and, despite having only a partial view, this book is the best in the series.

The book opens with Jacen manipulating Tahiri, who apparently is still swimming in grief over Anakin. A rather sorry state of affairs for a Jedi, if you ask me.

Luke is in shock about Mara's death and his killing the wrong person in retaliation. Totally understandable. I mean, this guy has had it rough throughout his entrie life and had finally found some happiness. I would have perferred that Luke and Mara died together, but we can't always get our wishes.

Han and Leia are front and center in much of this book and that is a good thing.

Jacen/Caedus is becoming very dark in this book. He punishes the home world of his father's best friend just because the planet's inhabitants weren't immediately turning over their ships to him. And it is just typical Sith stupidity is that he doesn't realize that his actions are causing more harm than good.

Tenel Ka gets hit between the eyes with just how evil Jacen really is. She trys to make him reconcile with Luke and the Jedi, but Jacen just deceives her and then trys to blow smoke over his trail.

Ben is about to get hit with the fact that Jacen is trying to make him into a Sith, too.

A character that I really liked in the New Jedi Order series and absolutely despised in the Swarm War Trilogy gets slaughtered to deceive another character.

Jaina, Jag, and Zekk are busy hunting for Alema Rar and get side tracked when they arrive at the Jedi Academy on Ossus. The idea of Jacen posting GAG soldiers at the academy to enforce the continuing "friendship" between the government and the Jedi is just plain sick. The commander of the GAG soldiers is totally insane and proved it near the end of the book.

The subplot about Alema Rar was rather interesting. A Dark Jedi with a Sith ship who is trying to murder Leia and is currently being hunted by two Jedi and a bounty hunter (I don't like that description of Jag, but I don't write the character titles). Alema goes to the Sith homeworld to try to enlist their help and she hopes to become Jacen's new mentor. Highly unlikly, if you ask me.

There are some pretty good space battles in this book.

You get a scare in the last 150 pages of the book when Luke and Jaina make a run at Jacen's flag ship. I almost had a heart attack when I read that passage.

The lightsaber duel between Luke and Jacen was very well written. I could almost hear John Williams 'Battle of the Heroes' track from Episode III while I was reading it. (Hey, George Lucas! You've got a great possibilty for a new movie in this book, if you ask me!!!)

The scene is Jacen's secret chamber on the 'Anakin Solo', just before the lightsaber duel, was pretty hair raising. *READ AT YOUR OWN RISK*

Jacen clearly is deceiving himself if he thinks that what he is doing is good for the galaxy. We will see how Mr. Denning writes the final book of this series. I can't wait!!

May the Force be with us!!!