Science Fiction Fantasy Books

This is a beautiful story! I love the whole series- how big and small, each has an essential part to play... trusting, forgiving, accepting... and ultimately finding your place and purpose.
They are calling this book 4 and it IS the 4th story of Alexa Daly, but "Into the Mist" should come before this one, even if the story within the story happens before Book 1.

This is book four in the Land of Elyon trilogy. At the end of Into The Mist we leave Yipes, Roland and Alexa heading towards the five pillars community hidden out in the sea. Yet a great evil, defeated once, has followed them and desires to make this place its new home and its dominion. Abaddon is this great evil, and is full of a vehement hatred because of his defeat and the new form he has been forced to take. Abaddon has taken a form much like a great octopus, with scales of iron and enough spite to want to destroy the whole world. Stargazer begins right where Into the Mist leaves off. The book opens with the destruction of the Warwick Beacon, with Captain Roland Warvold going down with the ship.

Alexa must face a world without the guidance and protection previously provided by the Brothers Warvold. She is in a strange place, where the rules and customs are unknown to her. Yet it is also a place of great adventure. Five stone pillars rise up out of the sea; the community living there resides on the first three. The first and shortest is for crops, the second has a freshwater lake on most of the surface, and the third is concave and has the most homes. The fourth is convex and is uninhabited, and finally, the fifth towers into the sky and the top is not known or visible to the inhabitants of the islands. They make their way from pillar to pillar by a series of rope bridges and slide down natural vines like zip-lines. And as much as Alexa would like to just explore this new place, Abaddon has informed her that he plans to destroy it, or make it his own. He is slowly eroding the fourth tower by tearing chucks from the stone, as it is the narrowest. They fear that it will topple into the third and cause a cascade effect.

Alexa is once again thrust into the middle of a great adventure, but an adventure filled with the unknown and with mystery. She must find a way to save this new place she has just discovered. For the first time, she must do great things with only the help of Yipes, her friend small in stature but great in heart and will. But the lord of Elyon has even more in store for her than she can imagine. As she proceeds to try to discover a way out of this situation, she begins to see her own life path and purpose.

Patrick Carman has been nominated for numerous book awards for this series, including winning the 2007 Lamplighter Award and the Cochecho Readers Award 2005-2006. This book lives up to that heritage or even exceeds it. So give the book a try - it is strong enough to read alone, but is also part of a great series.

The Land of Elyon story continues w/ this latest book. Enjoyed reading the continued story and learning more about the history of the Land of Elyon. Enjoyed the original three stories the most, but did enjoy Stargazer equally with Into the Mist. Adults and children alike will enjoy this series!

"Suspended under a twilight canopy
We'll search the clouds for a star to guide us"
(The Fifth Dimension - Up, Up and Away")

NOW we're talking!

The fifth book in the Land of Elyon series is by far the best with regards to plot, adventure and characterization. It's also steeped in religious imagery, as the young heroine receives inspiration and guidance from Elyon (Good) while being taunted and hunted by Abaddon (Evil). From this point of view, "Stargazer" reminds me of the last book of the Narnia series, The Last Battle.

In The Dark Hills Divide, young Alexa Daley's adventurous spirit refuses to allow her to remain within the confines of her walled village, and she sneaks out into the wild and magical world outside the walls.

In Beyond The Valley Of Thorns, her adventures take her away from home and into the Land of Elyon, where she makes friends with a giant, and battles an evil villain and an army of ogres.

Tenth City ends the first trilogy and reveals major secrets about Alexa's heritage. It also contains an epic battle, where (naturally) good triumphs over evil, but Abaddon lives to fight another day in another place and time.

The fourth book Into The Mist is a bridge leading from the trilogy to this book. It fills in some gaps and sets the stage for "Stargazer", but more or less is just the author treading water and catching his breath.

This brings us to book five, where Alexa and her companions continue their journey across the Lonely Sea and arrive at the hidden realm of the Five Stone Pillars. Unfortunately, they are not alone, as an evil monster has trailed them all the way, and now Alexa meets some new friends who must help her to defeat the evil Abaddon in a majorly exciting throw down grudge match.

There's no need to read the previous four books to enjoy "Stargazer", which is set in a different place and has mostly new characters, but I'm glad I read them all and experienced the whole adventure. The author also quite helpfully includes a recap of the previous books in his introductory chapter.

From the ending, it seems that this may be the last in the series, but the author craftily leaves himself an opening for a possible continuation. A short, well written story that is highly recommended for young readers from around nine or ten.


"I walked, I ran, I jumped, I flew
Right off the ground to float to you
There's no gravity to hold me down for real"
(Jordin Sparks feat. Chris Brown - "No Air")



Amanda Richards, August 20, 2008

I have been waiting for this book ever since I finished into the mist, and was hoping that it would be as great as the previous book. It was. I loved the writing and the story line, along with the great characters. I was hoping that it would be similar to Into the Mist, with more narration from Roland about the boyhood of the Warvold brothers since I really like learning about their past, but it turned back to the story of Alexa. Still though, it lived up to expectation.

It is about a girl named Alexa who along with her companions finally arrive to the five stone pillars. Tragedy strikes at once in the first 20 pages when there is an encounter with the sea monster, Abaddon, and a beloved character's life is taken by him. Alexa then starts working with the other surviver and new friends, Matilda who is also very small like Yipes and Marco, a strong boy a year older then Alexa, to work towards defeating the monster Abaddon and saving the great world of the five stone pillars. With the help from some people Alexa has heard about, but never met, Alexa comes up with a plan. Will it work, or will something unexpected or tragic occur? I really adored this book and really hope that there will be a next book coming out soon. It won't disapoint Land of Elyon fans!

I really enjoyed Jonas and Hannah's story. I thought the character development was very good as well as the descriptive nature of the storyline. I felt like I was watching that television during the attack (hope that isn't a spoiler).

I love the relationship of the sisters and how they include Jonas in that circle of family.

I also like how Ms. Feehan knows how to take secondary characters and make you yearn to know more about what is going on there! I remember having that feeling about Jonas and Hannah in previous books and now I am just dying to find out what Ilya and Joley are always hissing at each other about :)

Now, I'm even wondering what lies ahead for Jackson and Elle. I think it takes a lot of talent to create very intesting main characters and develop your secondary characters so that readers bond with them as well.

Ms. Feehan is truly a talented writer. I love her books and look forward to reading many many more :)

I also like that lots of people have taken time to post their reviews here...both minor stars and major stars....we need all reviews so we can choose wisely as we fill our hours with reading :)

I never thought I would be the one buying the cheap romances, but Christine Feehan's books are more than just erotic sex. There is intrigue, suspense, mystery, and magic wrapped up in those pages. This makes two books that I have read of Christine Feehan's. The first that I read was Oceans of Fire (book 3 in the Drake series). I was disappointed in that book that something didn't erupt with Hannah and Jonas. I was also disappointed with not knowing more about Ilya and I thought maybe that something could have happened with him and Joley. After reading this book I realize that she spreads her stories out just giving us a little bit each time. Each book follows a different sister so all of my disappointments in the first book that I read are gone. In this book I was a little disappointed that Aleksandr didn't participate more considering it goes back to his Russian heritage and because he is more than capable of helping. Hannah has so many great sisters that it is difficult to get in tune with each in ever story, but I think that is important so that a reader can pick up in the middle of a series and understand what is going on and Feehan tends to miss that important detail. I think each story should explore each character a little bit more than it has instead of just focusing on the main character of the story. Either way, I loved reading the book. It makes a great day at the beach book.

This book is a great addition to the drake sisters series and is an awesome example of what christine feehan can accomplish.

Let me start by saying I love Christine Feehan and have for the past 4 years. My favorite is her ghostwalker series but this past year having caught up with her ghostwalkers and carpathians I decided to start on the drake sisters. For me the first two book were kinda slow but I loved the third, oceans of fire, and kept reading bc i thought the sisters were great!! Of course everyone was waiting for this story and while it was good, i was let down in the sense that the relationship between hannah and jonas did a complete turn around from what we had seen in the past. It was still good but it just wasnt the same fun loving interaction that had always been. That being said even though she had been leading up to it in other books, it also seemed to happen a little too fast to be real. Honestly, the book was good, but certainly not her best especially since the build up had been coming for the past 4 books.

This is the 5th story and 4th full-length novel in the Drake sisters series. The first was a novella. In order, they're "Magic in the Wind" (in Lover Beware), The Twilight Before Christmas (Drake Sisters, Book 2), Oceans of Fire (Drake Sisters, Book 3), Dangerous Tides (Drake Sisters, Book 4), and Safe Harbor.

The seven Drake sisters all have magical abilities. This story focuses on Hannah, who's a supermodel. Though appearing in public is very difficult for her, she pushes herself to do it because she thinks it's what her sisters want and she doesn't want to let them down.

Jonas is a long-time family friend, the local sheriff, and sometime government operative. He's also always been in love with Hannah, but thinks she's too good for him, and hesitates to expose her to the danger of his jobs.

Danger finds her anyway, when a crazed killer attacks her with a knife on national television, as Jonas watches, horrified, from the other side of the country. She's saved by the mysterious Prakenskii, who has powers of his own, and designs on sister Joley.

I very much enjoyed this story. Jonas's tendency to bark orders when he's worried rather than explain his concerns is even more pronounced here--understandably so, since his emotions are out of control. The danger to Hannah and the way the various suspense plots come together were exciting enough to hold my attention.

I loved the emotional aspect, which is where I think this story shines. Jonas demonstrates that beneath the bossy exterior, he truly loves and understands Hannah--in fact, he understands her better than her sisters, and admires her courage in continuing a career that takes so much out of her, even while he's nagging her to quit because he knows she's not happy. Hannah's journey of self-discovery is lovely to see--she finally realizes that her sisters love her for herself and want her to be happy, and she takes responsibility for having hidden her unhappiness to try to please them.

Her post-attack trauma is, of course, what accelerates her growth, and it's very realistically done. She doesn't get over it right away--people don't. And that touches on a societal concern I have about people being expected to recover instantaneously from trauma or grief or whatever. Instead, she recovers gradually, and the reactions between Hannah, her sisters, and Jonas were true and emotional.

My problem with the book was that it could really have used a good editing. The repetition and backstory slowed down the pace to a crawl in spots and seriously interfered with my enjoyment. It's probably better to read this book at a skimming pace--reading to get the gist of the story rather than reading every word. Which is so odd. In some books, Feehan's writing is so lush and rich that not only do I read every word, but I slow down my reading to savor them. This isn't one of those.

After reading all of the Frank Herbert Dune series, I have become addicted to the richness of the Dune Universe. Brian and Kevin have done a spectacular job of pushing out the edges of that universe.

OMG Huge Dune fan here. This book is so captivating and everything I expected-plus more. Get a copy of this book if you have not already.

First -- they stretched one book over two. Bad move -- makes for a drawn out slow read. Second, it's just not that good.

There are a lot of opinions comparing Brian and Kevin to Frank Herbert. It's not fair -- Frank owned this material and he nailed it. Brian and Kevin are tackling someone else's work and, while I have enjoyed their other work, it does show through.

I would love to see the 'notes' and 'outlines' that are credited as being the base for building this book. I enjoyed the prequels and like the tie-in back to that. Maybe Frank intended something similar, mabe he didn't -- it doesn't matter at this point. I'm glad they tackled it. Unfortunately, it devolved into silliness related to the characters they brought back, etc. Oh well .....

To be fair to Herbert and Anderson, Frank Herbert had a number of dum ideas. Among the insideous creations: face dancers; gholas; axlotl tanks; and worst of all Leto II becoming a sandworm.

But what made Herbert's stories work; was that he was a great writer capable of taking the dumbest ideas and making something out of them. Something intriquing, something worth reading.

In Sandworms of Dune, readers are left with the worst of Herbert's ideas, taken by SF's worst writers, who conspire to create a terrible book in an attempt to enhance the cash hoards of Hourse Herbert and House Anderson.

In Sandworms of Dune, the no-ship continues through space with its gholas; Omnius marches through the empire destroying human worlds; the Bene Gesserit puts up a futile attempt to stop Omnius; the face dancers just infiltrate the humans making these worse; and the Oracle of Time has some mysterious purpose which is never revealed until the end. To about pg 475 of 549; everything goes against the humans.

Then the ending is a complete disappointment with human victory hinging on the help of Erasmus and the Oracle of Time, both of whom don't have any motivation to help the humans bc they both hate them.

Other than Duncan Idaho, no one on the Ithaca really does anything. And even he doesn't do much other than proclaim himself the Ultimate Kwisatz Haderach. Pretty stupid. In fact, the authors just ended up eliminating the ghola children bc they didn't know what to do with them.

Overall, poor imagination; bad writing; and stupid ideas make this book a complete failure.

The book directly contradicts facts established in Frank Herberts originals. Not trivial bits, but major plot points such as who and what important characters are, rewriting the background for the universe, etc.

What is worse is that it makes a mockery of the themes Frank Herbert explored in his originals: Where they discussed the problems of handing over decision-making to mechanical things and power structures, the new books talk of an evil robot trying to eradicate mankind for no apparent reason.
After Frank spent 6 books demolishing the hero archetype, charismatic leaders and our dependency on them and warning us about 'putting all our eggs in one basket' as a species, this book applauds religious fervor to incite mankind to band together under a single leader.

If you liked Frank Herbert's work for the multilayered plotting, believable characters, well crafted universe and themes of humanity, politics and overall philosophical approach to science fiction - you will feel your fond memories violated.

If you thought Dune was an action novel with a few draggy bits but a lot of lasers, giant worms and über-cool heroes and villains - then you might enjoy this and other KJA&BH work. You would also be wrong...

I LOVED this book! The first book in this series (A Great and Terrible Beauty) was a little slow, but this one is absolutely captivating! Gemma is easy to like and easy to realte to. The story is interesting, the descriptions are beautiful, and the characters are complex and wonderfully developed. This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. I wasn't sure after finishing the first one, but I decided to give this one a shot. I am so glad I did! Definitely, read this book!!

A Great and Terrible Beauty was the first and best book in this series, but the final two books in the trilogy (including this one as #2) are great as well. They are a little sexy for young advanced readers, but only in a very few parts. These books are definitely worth reading.

I enjoyed this book. It was a bit longer than I expected (550 pages seems like a lot for a young adult read); however, the writing was simple and easy to follow, so it didn't become tedious. The plot was very nicely designed. I enjoyed the first book as well, but this one was even better. This book is a worthy addition to the Gemma Doyle saga.

Rebel Angels is the wonderful sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty. A gulped up AGATB in two gulps, and RA in the same way. I enjoy this book series emensely, yet at the same time find them annyoing. I always seem to find qualms with ther hundreds of books I read each year, and this one is no exception. But don't totally forsake this book if you read this review: Rebel Angels is beautifully written, and Libba Bray is a great writer. But no work is ever perfect....

Qualm Number 1: I am a true romantic. Although I would never read downright romance novels, I love that little bit of love and denial in each book I read; I come to expect it. But I was so mad that Kartik and Gemma didn't get together in this book. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM? Kartik is so obviously crazy about Gemma, and she chooses to ignore him, sit in her little realm world, la la la I can't her you. And what she said to him was unintentionally mean, but he should have gotten over it, since love is endless. Personally, I would already have them together in the first book...but that's just me. But Kartik sounds like such a nice guy, you know? I have the absurd tendency to fall in love with characters, and Kartik joins Percy Jackson and Edward Cullen in this department. Why can't Gemma realize that? WHY? Ok, ranting over on that subject. I am not crazt haha :)

Moving on....
Qualm Number 2: Is it just me, or does it seem like Felicity and Ann are using Gemma? I think that they are, just to get to the realms. Felicity wants the power and to see Pippa, and Ann just wants to be beautiful. They really don't have those experiences friends have. When Gemma finds out about Felicity's past abuses Felicity doesn't cry on her shoulder; she just gets all amd. And Ann...although I liked how she lied about her family, I thought that was too out of character for her. Felicity is so pushing her to be what she is not. And what about Pippa? In the last book she seemed like she had multiple-personalities, and in RA too. One minute she is nice, the next whiny, althoug that might be the realms I don't know. Felicity also treats her weird, one minute Gemma's best friend and the next Pippa's. The whole friendship aspect is a little crazy.

Qualm Number 3: SPOILER!!!! I knew Miss Moore was Circe since AGATB, so that was very predicatble. I was a little sad though. She seemed really nice. :(

Ok, so I loved this book with a passion, and it is now on the sacred bookshelf in my room. I'm getting the sequel, The Sweet Far Thing, so soon as I can. So if you need a book to read, read this one. It's scary at times, but I was enraputured 24/7. Go get it now!!!

is entertaining.....it took off right from where the first one ended.....it is well worth the money

I love the books of David Wiesner, they are imaginative and fun. He has amazing talent. Even as an adult I enjoy looking back through his books, just to admire the gorgeous scenes. It's a classic for any children's book collection.

I bought this book and the first night we were to read it, it was read 4 times over and my son still did not want to put it down. The illustrations tell a wonderful imaginative wacky tale of frogs flying into a suburb and having their "night out". We can create the length of the story by spending only as much time as my son wants on each page, taking either seconds or several minutes, since there are no words to read.
I liked it and I know my son loved it. A nice "out of the box" story.

My son is now 15 and he STILL remembers this book from when he was four or five. It was a huge favorite then and it still is now. I just sent a copy to a good friend with little boys who are sure to enjoy as much as mine did. This is a great book for the imagination and one that kids never tire of -- so many interpretations.

My son is 2 1/2 and we took this book out of the library three weeks ago. He loves this book, and wants it read to him before bed and at nap times. It does not give him bad dreams like some reviewers suggest will happen with little ones. He thinks the frogs flying through the air is so funny. Because there are so few words we make up our own stories as we go, and get a lot of laughs that way. He also loves to "read" the book to himself pointing out things he knows as he flips the pages. I dread having to take it back to the library and will be buying our own copy.

This is a beautifully done work. The story is made up of entirely pictures, beautifully done pictures, with great detail and haunting coloring. There are no words. In this case, to be quite frank, words simply are not needed. The story begins at dusk on Tuesday evening. The setting is a local pond. The frogs are all out setting on their lilly pads getting ready to do what frog in ponds have done for aeons. Then it happens. The magic begings. One by one, then in greater numbers, the lilly pads take off and begin flying, taking their frogs with them. What follows is a wonderful, surrealistic journey through the country side and small down. Each encounter, be it animal or human, is hilarious, from a bird to a Gramma setting in her chair and beyond. There are many adventures and many encounters. Still, no words!

This is one of those stories that is an ideal one to curl up with the little one, and go through it, page by page. Take the trip with the frogs! Now do be warned, the adult will actually have to (gasp) think, particularly with the younger ones, as the story needs to be filled in and discussed. What I like about this is that I can read it ten, twenty, thirty times, and come up with as many different versions of the story as numbers of reads. It simply never gets old. Now I note that some reviewers felt that this book may give their child night mares. I cannot imagine such a thing, but each parent knows their child (or should, anyway) and if they feel this will damage the little one in any way, well, they probably should not read it.

The art work in this one is of the highest quality. The author, no doubt, has a wonderful imagination and it show though with each turn of the page. The color and details are a treat to the eye and not only will the child enjoy the pictures, but amost any adult will also. I love the way this one ends too. The author takes us to the next Tuesday evening, about dusk, and.....well, you really need to read this one for your self.\

I cannot recommend this one highly enough.

This book does a good job as a prequel to the video game. Gives good insight to the current state of things in the universe and for those of you who have played the game I think its more entertaining than reading thru the codex (which I mostly thought was boring) for some info. Also the story is about Captin Andersons mission that he does not go into detail about in the game so that is cool. As for the scifi action its fairly steady and a good read

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

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!

This one is probably my least favorite from the series so far. That said, I still give it four stars because I still enjoyed it as part of the overall series. I think what was lacking for me was Yorick. He did not have as much of a direct presence in this volume. I missed his whimsical, rather cerebral humor.

This one is sort of all over the place too. Lots of little snapshots of back-stories and events leading up to the plague.

Reading "Y: The Last Man" makes me feel like I'm going to the movies. It's clear how much thought is put into the writing (especially the dialogue and the back story, which is phenomenally laid out in one-shot flashback issues) as well as the art; it makes "Y" one of the most consistently fantastic comic series that I've read.

Moreso than any other volume of the series, this book--"Paper Dolls"--continues directly from the previous volume. The ship Yorick was on docks, and he and 355 set out into Australia to find Yorick's long lost fiance Beth... and they only have one day to do so. Any fan of Brian K. Vaughan knows that things, of course, do not go smoothly for Yorick. That's the main story line of this book (making up the "Paper Dolls" arc, which is three issues) and it's very good, but the three one-shot issues that follow are even better.

First, we get a "meanwhile..." issue that shows us what Hero and Beth 2, respectively, have been doing. It adds to the main plot and also gives both of the characters major development. And speaking of character development, the next one-shot is made up of flashbacks of the series' most mysterious character--Agent 355. It's gratifying as a reader to finally get tidbits of this character's past, which gives us insight onto why she behaves the way she does. As Yorick gets to know her better, so do we, and that's not only exclusive to this issue. Hints are dropped to us about her past in nearly every issue she appears in in this book. Finally, the book concludes with another flashback episode, dealing with... Ampersand, Yorick's stolen pet monkey. We finally learn the significance of Toyota's mission to steal Ampersand in the fifth book, among other things.

Brian K. Vaughan has found the perfect balance in giving us new plot developments and dishing out revealing back story. As this series gets closer to its grand finale, each issue ups the ante.

8/10

Paper Dolls had so many twists to it that I almost couldn't keep up. This series just gets you hooked and never fails to entertain. If you're looking for an example of why Y The Last Man is so highly regarded, check out volume 4 and this volume.

Yorick has finally arrived and is a position to look for Beth. However, he runs into a big problem when a journalist from a less than broadsheet quality newspaper finds out he is still alive, and is a story she definitely does not want to lose. He does eventually find Beth, and he certainly gets a hell of a surprise when he sees her.

This trade paperback collects issues #37-42 of the excellent DC Comics series. Series co-creator Pia Guerra pencils the three-issue "Paper Dolls" story arc. Yorick and Agent 355 spend a day in decaying Sydney, Australia, searching for Beth but instead running afoul of a zealous tabloid reporter. Meanwhile, Dr. Mann bonds with an Australian who may or may not still be a spy and the Israeli soldiers reappear with Yorick's mother in Washington, DC.
Goran Sudzuka pencils the remaining three issues. The subpar #40 centers on Hero and Yorick's other Beth while the excellent #41 is chiefly backstory on Agent 355. #42 focuses on Yorick's monkey Ampersand who may have the cure for the plague. I enjoyed this book, though not as much as some of the earlier ones: I'm looking forward to Book 8.

Gotta love Doug Chiang as an artist... hes just got a great style and now we can look at how he does things. another great concept art book!

After reading the author note at the beginning of the book the rest of the lessons fell in place. Chiang goes into concept design so clearly that I started to wonder,"Why didn't I think of that!" (Chiang's 20 years of experience will make you FEEL like that.) There is great insight into his process of science fiction design to the point where it made me eager to start some projects of my own. There is also a couple of great Photoshop tips you can use for digital painting which was made to be very simple. All I can say is that this is an excellent book/manual for anyone interested in creating their own science fiction art work.

Always a pleasure to see Doug Chiangs work and now we get a chance to see how he does it . A nice look into the workings of a sci-fi inventer . Lots of helpful advice and encouragement .

Graham McKenzie

This book is an insightful look into how to do mech type artwork as done by an amazing professional. He goes over his process and tools of the trade step by step. I bought one for myself and one for my up and coming nephew and we both loved it.

In this book Doug Chiang leads you through a number of his drawings from marker sketch to final render. One of the great things about this method is it offers a rare look into the step-by-step changes that occur during the development of a conceptual render. This is a excellent guide for up and coming concept designers and an good source of inspiration for established artists. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a look into how great Sci-Fi illustration is developed.

My son who is 11 read this series over the summer & could not put it down. It was great to see him excited about something besides gaming.

Septimus Heap, book 3.

Septimus is kidnapped by 500 year old physician Marcellus Pye and taken back in time. Marcellus needs Septimus (the seventh son of a seventh son) to help him turn his potion of everlasting life into a potion for everlasting youth.

Princess Jenna, joined by Nicko and Snorri, searches for Septimus. They are determined to bring Septimus back to his own time. Meanwhile, Queen Etheldredda, the ghost of Marcellus's mother, is released from an enchanted portrait by Silas Heap. She is determined to kill Jenna as she killed her daughters. She plans to rule the castle forever.

Angie Sage keeps the Septimus Heap series going strong with Physik - the third book after Magyk and Flyte. In Physik we have a complex web of plot elements (no spoilers in this review) that take the narrative deep into the history and architecture of the castle and deeper into a an increasingly sophisticated magical realm. There's more about the forms and uses of magyk in this title, and less focus on the weird creatures of this place. Nothing is lost. The central trope is magnetically compelling and there is action and danger and new fabulous characters. The Septimus Heap world keeps getting deeper and weirder with each new title in the series - yet the stories remain page turning romps that don't give kids nightmares. Sage treads the line between thrilling action and stuff that's too scary for kids with brilliant sensitivity. As an adult I don't get the feeling she's condescending - yet I have no qualms giving this to my second grader. He devours these Septimus books with gusto and is well ahead of me in the series.

If you read Magyk and Flyte you'll definitely be reading this on your way to Queste - so it's not vital that I tell you that Physik rocks. It's probably the best title in the series so far.

Although I didn't like Septimus being away from Marcia, Mr. Pyke did teach him alot while Septimus was the apprentice! Great read!

This book is the reason I can't wait for Queste-the fourth book in the series.

This book is so interesting. I am reading it aloud to my middle school grandchildren. We are all enjoying it. What a page turner!

Miranda and her mother and brother are staying up late to witness an asteroid that is supposed to be hitting the moon. They have taken their lawn chairs and a plate of cookies out and are making a family party of it. But when the asteroid strikes the moon, the moon is pushed out of its orbit towards the earth. They go inside to watch CNN report that tsunamis are destroying all coastal cities. Miranda's brother Jonny offhandedly asks, "Is the world going to end?"

There won't be any more chocolate chip cookies in their lives for a very long time. Pfeffer creates a compelling network of characters, people we really identify and care about, and then makes us watch them try to survive a Pennsylvania winter on the food and water they purchased in one desperate rushed trip to a grocery store right after the crash.

After you read this book - in one sitting, trust me - you will never look at a can of green beans again in the same way again. This is one of those rare books that reminds us just what we have, how much we can lose, and how we can still be grateful for what we have left. Tired of shopping and daily chores? Bored with the selection on TV? Read this book. It's not often a book can make you look at your life in a whole new light.

I originally read this novel because it had been nominated for a science fiction Nebula award. I had never heard of the author before, as I don't usually read teen novels. This is the story of a teenage girl living through an apocalypse. As a long time devote to end-of-the-world stories for over thirty-five years, this is the good stuff. When I first started reading after I had gotten it from the library, I could not put it down. This has not happened to me in several years. I then read it a second time. I subsequently bought the book. Like I said, this is the good stuff. It is on the same level as Alas Babylon and A Canticle for Lebowitz. Enjoy.

It is a book that makes you aware of your surrounds. When I was reading "Life As We Knew It".. and heard bad news relating to the weather, economic, looting or just feel a breeze and think something is blowing in, I felt apprehensive.
I need to find another book written for young minds by Susan Pfeffer. I want to know if she is always cynical about a political party who elected a president who just happens to be from Texas. More important, is she cynical about God.

This book was amazing! I normally take a month to read a book since I have a young child, but I was completely obsessed with this book and finished it in two days. I couldn't stop thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it. I'm going to start reading the dead & the gone tonight and I'm so excited. By the way I found the author's blog and it is very interesting. http://susanbethpfeffer.blogspot.com It sounds like there is a third book on the way that takes place in Texas about a girl named Sarah. I can't wait!