Science Fiction Fantasy Books

I love this story...Sylvester is such a sweet character, his parents make you so sad that they can't find him and there he is, right under their noses! It's a simple story, one that even the youngest children will appreciate. I especially like how the parents never really gave up looking for Sylvester and even though he wasn't around, he was still very much a part of their lives. Our loved ones never truly leave us, we are reminded of them daily in all sorts of ways. Such a nice sentiment to share with our children.

I was disappointed in the book as a whole. When I read it to my second-graders, their "review" of the book was mixed. I don't think that I will be reading it again to another class.

This is quite a touching story filled with lots of symbolism. It actually hits home for a friend of mine. Her husband did not want to have a child and so she terminated her pregnancy out of great disappointment. The savegery of a lion serves as a symbol for what can take a child donkey away from you. The magic pebble is like God that wisks the donkey child away to safety. The wolf howling on the rock in the middle of winter is suffering from the pains of hunger, hunger to have a child back. You can think especially of a mother's pain when a child is gone and the hunger she has to have him back, sort of, the winter of her discontent. The donkey parents try their best to find joy despite their sadness, and, like in a dream come true, their son, Sylvester, is back. It says that even after a very catastrophic event to not lose hope no matter how terrible it can be.

This book was written about thirtyeight years ago. This would explain words like "sassafras salad", or the "timothy compote". These must have been the very popular delicacies of the time, but the theme of this book is timeless: be careful what you wish for while it is important to wish.

I bought this book - sight unseen - because it was on my son's reading list for kindergarten. I about cried the first time I read it - it is very sad. It is about a boy who gets a magic pebble, and he can get whatever he wishes - and he accidentally turns into a rock and his parents cannot find him and mourn his loss. Then circumstances happen that he turns back into himself - like a year later. I just thought it was very weird and we will likely donate this book to the local library. Did not like it at all.

Being a long time fan of Angela Knight's books, I ordered Shifter. And, as usual, Angela Knight's novella was great reading. She can make her characters come to life and is a clever, talented author. The other three stories, unfortunately, were not even interesting reading and I will not be buying books by any of those authors.

Angela Knight's was okay. Lora Leigh's about a school teacher had no plot (I was getting Laurell K. Hamilton flashbacks!). I felt it was the most terrible of the four. Alyssa Day revisited the shifters in her Atlantis series. I liked that one because it was nice reading about the alpha of the panthers that Bastian is now an ambassador of, as well as Bastian's sister get together. My favorite was by a writer I have never read before, Virgina Kantra. Her short story was about selkies. I enjoyed the plot and the characters. I'm happy to have read the book because it introduced me to Kantra. Although, I could have done without the Knight and Leigh story.

"Mad Dog Love" by Angela Knight

Rance Conlan cannot believe he let himself get captured by a slave merchant. Normally, he would be able to shift into his powerful wolf self, but right now all of his control is at the mercy of the merchant and he doesn't have any. Zarifa Lorezo, is looking for a shifter to help her with her self-imposed mission. Zarifa has to be careful, as she is an on-the-run-empress. Once she meets Rance, Zarifa knows that he cannot only help her, but can possibly be trusted with her secrets. Now if she can just pull this off. Rance has reason to disbelieve Zarifa when he finds out who she is, but reality does not seem to match the so-called facts. Both Rance and Zarifa know they have the future of the very empire depending on them reaching their destination and righting thewrongs of the past.

"Mad Dog Love" gives an intergalactic thrust into what can happen when one person decides to fight greed and lies. Zarifa has two lives, her public one that shows a party girl and her private one that now consists of her determination to right a wrong that happened before her birth. Rance was working on helping fight for the empire when he was captured. Rance and Zarifa came together while they had both been working for the same thing without knowing it. I was taken by the immediate flash and passion between them. I never know where Ms. Knight is going to take me when I open one of her books but I'm always willing to go there with her. In this case, I was pleased to find a couple who had no reason to believe each other, battling the odds and not only finding justice but a love that will take them across the galaxy.



"A Jaguar's Kiss" by Lora Leigh

Natalie Ricci, is a school teacher who decided to challenge the extreme odds and send in an application to teach the breed children. She never expected to be picked after so many months had gone by with no word. Saban Broussard, a black jaguar breed with a Cajun voice knows just what he wants to do with Natalie, but his job is to bring her to meet with the Breed Ruling Cabinet and her new teaching job. Natalie believes herself to be a sensible person but Saban is about to drive her crazy. He's always around and the attraction is thicker every day. When the tension comes to a point and they share a kiss, Natalie learns there is more "fact than fiction" to the breeds then she truly believed. Saban knows that now not only does he have to show Natalie what she means to him but also to keep her safe as the council is just waiting for its chance to grab a breed mate.

"A Jaguar's Kiss" brings Saban the mate he has always wanted but doubted he would ever find. Saban is one of the breed enforcers working on security. He leaves for his job of escorting Natalie to the Cabinet only to discover his job is more personal than ever. Natalie has ended a bad marriage and is looking forward to a new life, it's looking up when she learns that she won the breed job. However, Natalie is much more concerned with the sexy breed who won't leave her alone. The differences between Saban and Natalie played off each other perfectly. I could feel the tension between them from the opening of the door the first time and it never left. While Saban and Natalie are hot together, there are times that the subtle eroticism of a touch, look or even a statement can speak volumes. I found that Ms. Leigh has all with "A Jaguar's Kiss".



"Shifter's Lady" by Alyssa Day

Ethan is a panther shifter and the alpha of Big Cypress Pack. In the recent past, he has lost much but rather than living in the past, Ethan is going forward and is helping to lead his pack in helping those from Atlantis. Another thing on his mind is who is coming into his territory and killing panthers. Ethan is there to welcome the Bastien's sister. Marie, First Maiden of the Temple of the Nereids, has never left Atlantis but is anxious to meet the soul mate of her brother's. Marie knows the times are not the best for traveling but she just can't wait to see her brother again and meet Kat. However, right after arriving, it is not her brother or Kat that holds her attention but rather a sexy man who is very arrogant. Neither Ethan nor Marie could have guessed what this first meeting would come to or how her simple visit would quickly be changed with the mixture of danger and a love neither expected.

"Shifter's Lady" brings two alphas together in a soul bound that is not to be denied. Ethan has lost one mate and does not expect to find anyone else to fit that area in his life for a very long time if ever. Marie has spent her entire life using her powers and training as the First Maiden and has never even left her homeland. Both Ethan and Marie are leaders in their own ways and when they meet and a furious attraction is felt, it remains to be seen what will happen. I was very happy that Ethan was made to wait too long for a mate after losing his. I read along watching as they learned to trust each other and the rules of each other's world. While I understand the way it ended, I truly wished there could have been another way. However, I'm going to read on and watch how Marie and Ethan have their happy ending as the series goes on. If you have been following the Atlantis series, then this will be a must read to keep up with the who, what and whens.



"Sea Crossing" by Virginia Kantra

Emma March, is a teacher who has found herself forced to seek new employment, in another country. However, the trip across the sea does not go as expected and her ship has a serious problem. Forced to abandon ship, Emma ends up in the water and awakens in a bed she does not know. Griffith ap Powell ap Morgan ap Dafydd, is a Selkie and a Warden on the estate Emma is brought to. However, Emma is not aware that such thing as Selkies exists and Griffith is not about to tell her now. Emma is convinced to stay and teach the children and is quickly falling for Griffith. Until one day, when one of the children has what appears to be a seizure and Emma learns that there is much more to the world and her place in it then she ever believed. Now Emma will have to decide if she can believe everything that Griffith has told her or if she will demand to leave her new home.

"Sea Crossing" takes a single schoolteacher who took a wrong step and thrusts her into a world that is very different than anything she would have imagined. Emma has burned her bridges when she slept with the wrong man and had to either seek a new life or become his mistress. Griffith was following orders when he rescued Emma, but soon he found his own wants are taking over his actions. I watched as Emma and Griffith worked their way around each other and then settled into a companionship only to have it threatened by fear of the unknown. "Sea Crossing" is a historical look at the paranormal world and I was intrigued as Selkies is not a usual creature picked. While I do not know Ms. Kantra as well as the other authors, I found her story to be a fitting last entry.



Shifter combines three authors I have come to auto buy and one author I have just discovered. To say that I loved and enjoyed the stories within would be an understatement. I was taken out of this world to see love conquer an empire, watched a breed find his mate and a happiness he never expected, cheered when a shifter found a soul bond that would have meaning in two worlds and finally watched as a warrior showed a skittish teacher that all creatures deserve happy ever after. No matter whether you follow only one of the authors in Shifter or all of them, the stories all just flow one after another. I have already put Shifter on my need to re-read shelf and I bet that won't be the last time.

Jo
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

A great collection. Very sizzling love scenes. All of the stories were well written too, especially for short stories. It helps if you have followed some of the plots from the authors previous books, but even if you have not I think this would be a good steamy read. I enjyed all 4 stories and will look for more from all these authors.

Angela Knight's short story gets 2.5 stars for being forgettable and boring.

Lora Leigh's story gets 4 stars for having another hot, hot 'breed', but really nothing new here.

Alyssa Day's story gets 3.5 stars for being good, if not memorable or new.

Virginia Kantra's story gets 5 stars for bringing a fresh new storyline with interesting characters. This was the highlight of the four books and I had never even heard of this author before I bought it!

I had not read a Star Wars novel in quite a while, which is exactly why I decided to pick up the first book in the Legacy of the Force series. However, this beginning seemed quite bland. If not for my big interest in the Star Wars universe, I probably would have put the book down as uninteresting. The problem with this book was that it did not seem to have a decent plot. Sure this is the kick-start to the series, but the two main story-lines that were explored did not seem to have much of a point to them. It seemed more like a history book than a novel. I found myself liking it in a couple places, but left very unsatisfied overall. I hope the rest of the series makes up for this one.

And indeed, this does smell vaguely Star Wars. But the fact that this story is about as Star Warsy as an episode of Deep Space 9 is painfully driven home by the attempt to buy your belief with the liberal scattering of names from the films and more successful games. Sadly, the entities in the books connect to their previous incarnations almost solely by name.

The story ducks and weaves around the plot, flourishing the film-names like an 8 year old waving hasbro figurines every time his story hits a thin stretch. Luke may spout "force be with you" or Han might mention the Millenium Falcon, but otherwise the bevvy of familiars are attached to poorly handled mannequins that bear absolutely no resemblance to the characters of the same names.

It's hard to tell whether this is because the author was afraid of genuinely wielding Luke Skywalker or if he had the story written and decided to try and fit famous names to some of the cast to meet executive desires to increase the chance of sales.

That said, when I stopped connecting Luke, Leia, Han, Wedge, R2, C3PO, etc with those in the Lucas films, it became a decent enough time killing read.

I think the best praise I can give this book would be this: This could easily be the script for the cut-scenes in a StarWars game, and although you might not find yourself hurrying through a gameplay segment to reach the next cutscene, you would certainly sit through each of them and feel entertained.

I think overall Betrayal was a good book. It was interesting to see some sith history. I also liked that they introduced Ben Skywalker. It was unusual to see Jacen kill a jedi. It also showed some of the extent of Jacens force powers. I also liked seing some new characters, such as Admiral Niathal. If you read the New Jedi Order and the Swarm Wars series, this is the book for you. I would reccomend this book to all star wars fans.
John Grady Age:11

I thought this was a nice start of the new series. It's going to continue Jacen's exploration of the Force. I'm excited to see where and how this goes. Plus I want to see how he handles Luke's reactions. I thought that was one of the best parts of the New World Order series with the Vongs was Jacen's maturity and growth through the Force. I really liked this book and how it flipped around to different worlds to keep up with the characters. It wasn't a whole chapter about just one thing but it was flipping you around almost in real time, so you could keep up. I liked how it brought back Han, Leia, Mara and Luke but one of my favorite things was the introduction of a Padawan, Ben Skywalker. I enjoyed how Luke was forced to make choices about where to send him. I recommend this book to anyone that wants to see how both sides of the Force could play out in one person.

If you are a Star Wars fan, this is a must-read novel. It's very engaging. I read this book (and could hardly put it down) in 2 days. You will not be sorry. It's not boring or over-filled with technical specs like some SW books are and it's got a great story that you want to see through to the end. As soon as I finished this book I went out and bought the next 3 in the series (from a book store because I didn't want to wait another minute to get them in the mail). It's that good.

I bought this book and the two others in the series because it was in the Young Adult section and usually that means that the books are good and mostly clean (no overt sex or foul language). These books are YUCKY!!!!! I could not read them! The "F" word was used constantly. The mother had sex with her teen daughter's boyfriend. It went on and on! What good is a faery-tale if you can't get past the filth?! Don't waste money on these books. I wouldn't read them if they were free.

This was a waste of reading time. Inconsistent plot (if she's a faerie why is she so human?), the courts are merely subterfuges for warring nations, good and evil are completely neutered. No one is good, there is no truth and we don't even get to enjoy the beauty of faerie land, it is unbearably cruel.

I really enjoy all of Holly Black's work. It filled with drama and offers ample opportunity for escapism.

Holly Black certainly did a wonderful job of creating a world that lives within our own, yet remains oddly at the fringes. Her character's are a variety of folk from the pixies, faeries and beasts...oh, and some humans. She has successfully created a language unique to her characters' world, yet isn't very foreign for we humans. Kaye, the pixie love interest of the Unseelie Court's beautiful and terrible lord, is a changeling, switched at some point in her young life with a human child. She has the ability to hold a veneer of humanity over her green pixie skin. Black calls this "glamour." I jumped in on this third novel, but it didn't take too long to piece things together. Even pixies and seemingly dark lords can love. I kept forgetting that Kaye was green with wings. There is room for all kinds of readers here--older teens and adults. I couldn't stop reading the last three hours of the book. Clever. Now I have to read the first two books...

I bought Ironside and Valiant at the same time, although Valiant came before Ironside, i read Ironside first. I wanted to read more about the changeling faerie, Kaye, and her adventures. I then read Valiant. i would recommend to read the books in order to fully understand the plot. the three books flow really nicely. Valiant explains a lot of what Kay and her Friends go through in Ironside. I think that Tithe is the best of all three leading into so much revealing of characters and feelings. I would most definitely recommend one to buy all three of these amazing faerie tales at once. These books will open your mind to new thoughts and expand your imagination to higher creativity's.

This is a gorgeous book. The pop-ups are intricate and there are lots of beautiful details. It encourages the reader to look closely to find things. It uses different fonts which is great for children learning to read and write cursive. Would definitely reccommend and buy again.

The book is all pop-ups that show how the fairies live and hide. My ten year old received this book for her birthday and it's the one gift she didn't want to put down to open up more presents.

This is a beautiful, but somewhat fragile1book -- probably more satisfying for girls than boys. Make sure thr recipient is old enough to handle it without tearing it.

This really is a fantastic book. What beautiful pictures and illustations. My daughter loved it.

I love pop-up books and have been a long-time Robert Sabuda fan. Well, after buying a couple of Cicely Mary Barker's fairy books, I think they are quite wonderful in their own right. In "How To Find Fairies", we have a beautiful pop-up book that allows us an 'intimate' look at fairies and their habitats. As the great video review posted by another reviewer shows, there are altogether 5 big spreads that show us the different habitats of fairies, such as the tree top fairies that are concealed amongst leaves, the forest floor fairies that hide in the hollow of old tree stumps, fairies that make their home in the garden hiding amongst colorful flowers,fairies that conceal themselves amongst the brush by the wayside, and finally fairies that live in the marshlands which also happen to be the abode of the royal couple, Kingcup and Queen of the Meadow.

The video review posted by another reviewer has illustrated the beauty of this book, but the beauty is not just visual. The text enhances the visuals as it gives basic yet useful information about fairies and their habitats. And of course, the last page contains a delightful surprise! Highly recommended for fairy lovers and pop-up enthusiasts of all ages!

I haven't read many Urban Vampire novels so I really don't have a 'ton' of books to compare it to but I have to say I will keep reading the series because I enjoyed it. The writing style is easy on the mind and the twists and turns in the plot keep me turning the pages. The story centers around Anna Strong, a one time teacher turned Bounty Hunter. She is in for quite a surprise that forever changes her life (or should I say non-life) after a hunt for a bail jumper has gone awry. She begins living in a world that has turned unbelievably 'ghoulish' and tries with all her might to keep a foot in both the world of her human life as well as the life she has been forced to take refuge in. In this first novel she begins to figure out what she is, as well as how to *be* what she now has become. The second book in this series is 'Blood Drive'. Blood Drive (The Anna Strong Chronicles, Book 2). When you are done with 'The Becoming' I'm sure you will want to check it out!

This book while following the sames basic premise of most vampire chic lit books, still has something that makes it readable. Mainly a strong female heroin.

This is the first book in the Anna Strong Chronicles by Jeanne C. Stein.

Anna is a bounty hunter who is savagely attacked while hunting one of her bounties. When she wakes up from the attack she finds out that she is not quite human anymore. This book details the process of her discovering new found abilities and hunting the one who attacked her.

This book was well-written. Stein has a very straight-forward unembellished writing style. The plot was fast-paced and contained enough twists and turns to keep you interested. The vampire concepts she uses in this novel are pretty routine, at least up to the point where this novel leaves off.

Anna Strong is a strong straight-forward character. I like that she wasn't whiny, and that she accepted the changes in her life pretty well. I liked her independence as well. I also like that she was confident, without out being stupidly over confident. Dr. Avery's character didn't do much for me; I thought he was shallow and predictable. That part of the book ended exactly how I thought it would.

However, Anna's boyfriend Max seems like a very interesting character and I look forward to meeting him in more detail. Also the guy who took care of her partner in that hole of a place (I am forgetting his name) who was not human but not vampire could be very interesting.

I like that Stein put sex into the story without having to describe every moment of the act. Sometimes it is sexier to leave some of the sex to the imagination.

I think this series shows promise. Hopefully the coming books develop this world into something more. I would hate for this to be just another vampire series with a female lead. Unfortunately with the book market saturated with these types of books right now; I think Stein is going to have to have something that makes these books really special to keep readers interesting.

It's a promising debut and I will read the next one to see what happens.
karissabooks.blogspot.com

As a native San Diegan I was really hoping I'd like this book set in my home town, but I didn't. I'm not sure what it was.

Anna felt wooden to me, she had emotions, sure, but for a first person narrative I felt completely disconnected from them. I kept trying to chalk it up to her being in shock, but as the novel wore on I just got more and more bored with her story. She didn't even seem all that interested in it.

I did enjoy the twist on the mythos of vampires, and the structure of the society they live in. All in all, I'd say the book was interesting and well built, just the character development needed some work.

That being said, I did buy the second book, and we'll see if I like it better than I have the first.

Anna Strong is a bounty hunter who, inadvertently, goes against a vampire. When trying to apprehend the vamp, he attacks. Of course, he meant to kill her but somehow Anna wound up drinking his blood and becoming a vampire herself. She doesn't realize it until the doctor at the hospital where she is taken tells her so. He becomes her mentor, so to speak, and her lover.

She needs an ally since someone is trying to kill her, it seems. She's pulled over by a state trooper who is a vampire killer, but she escapes. Her home is burned down. David, her business partner and good friend, is kidnapped. Anna is determined to find him. What she finds surprises her and nearly gets her killed.

I read a review of this book sometime back but for some reason I never bought it. That is, until I saw it at Charis when I was in Atlanta. I'm so glad that I did. The Becoming was fantastic! The story is fast paced with enough turns and tricks to keep the reader guessing. I am going to have to find the next of this series soon because I can't wait to find out what happens to Anna next.

With Wanderlust, Ann Aguirre proves she is no one-hit wonder author. Not many authors can make me stand up and take notice like Ann has done.
Wanderlust is no walk in the park type of read. This is one emotionally draining book. Ann is a sly author because the way she ends Wanderlust wants to make you scream because there is no neat and tidy ending. Things are left very open and as soon as I finished, my inner voice was screaming for the next installment.

You would think Sirantha, otherwise known as Jax would have it easy since she saved the universe. Think again. Jax's former employer, the Farwan Coporation has been eliminated thanks to Jax and her rag tag crew, which also includes her new lover March. Grimspace is where we were introduced to Jax, a jumper that can make spaceships go through time and space at the speed of light, a.k.a grimspace. In Wanderlust, Jax is given a new job as an ambassador for the centuries old Conglomerate, which is a coalition of planetary representatives that keep peace and order in the universe. The Conglomerate wants Jax to travel to those known planets that still are not a part of the coalition and recruit them into their group. Since Jax is out of a job, she has no choice but to accept. Jax is not happy with these turns of events. She lives and breathes to jump, it is in her blood. But something is very wrong with Jax. She is weak and sick because of all her jumping through grimspace. A few more jumps could kill her. March is scared for Jax and doesn't want her to jump anymore. But grimspace is like a drug to Jax and she can't stop, even if it means her death.

Things are not that great between Jax and March. Jax has always assumed she wouldn't live that much longer and even tells March so. March feels that Jax holds back a part of herself from him even though he has opened his heart and soul to her. He begins to questions if their love is real. They are both hurting and because of that, their relationship is breaking down before it can even truly begin. Before they can even work things out, they are on another adventure. Jax's ambassadorship is not smooth sailing, especially when Jax's mother, Ramona, who she hasn't seen in sixteen years comes to Jax for help. Romona is in a bind and may end up dead by a secret group called the Syndicate unless Jax sabotages her mission. And even though mom lays the guilt on thick, Jax doesn't fall for it.

Jax and March round up their crew, which includes some familiar faces such as Dina, the ship's mechanic and Vel, an alien bounty hunter. And as these four travel to places unknown, they end up taking on some new crewmembers. Their intergalactic journey is even more treacherous than before. Not only do they have to keep an eye out for space raiders, killer aliens out for their blood and the nasty Syndicate, but Jax's body is slowly weakening to the point that she may indeed be dying. Jax is very scared and constantly thinking morbid thoughts, which make March so angry to the point, he questions Jax's true feelings for him. And because of this, he makes a life alternating decision that may destroy their very fragile love along with his soul in the process.

Wanderlust is a rip-roaring adventure tale that sci-fi enthusiasts will embrace. Even if you are not a sci-fi fan, don't be surprised if Wanderlust ends up being one of your favorite books this year. The way Ann writes Jax and her point of view is so very real and scary. Jax is at her wits end and close to the breaking point. She is somewhat responsible for March's suffering and the path he has decided to take. Jax knows this and there is nothing she can do, because in order to save March, she has to give up a part of herself that makes her what she is and that is a price that is just too high for her to pay. Along with Jax and March's emotional heartbreak there are some intense scenes of destruction and death taken right out of some of my favorite space adventure movies. One such scene, where Jax boards a space station had me freaked out because it was so reminiscent of the 1979 Ridley Scott movie, Alien.

Wanderlust had my hooked from beginning to end but there are some things that Ann does that made me so angry because she sure does like to make her characters suffer. There is a lot of suffering going in within these pages and my heart broke for both Jax and March because they are not in a good place right now. But even though Jax is going through some intense situations, the thing with Jax that I adore, is her tenacity and determination to overcome roadblocks whether it be personal or life threatening. Jax may talk about her own death and mortality, but she does have a will to survive. If only Jax can see in herself what others see.

If you were a fan of Grimspace, you will most definitely enjoy Wanderlust, perhaps even more than Grimspace, which I did. This is a fast and furious read that will have you panting for the next book, Doubleblind, which cannot come fast enough.

Katiebabs
Grimspace

I so wanted this book to rock - after reading initial reviews that talked of Wanderlust being a "tweener" or not as action packed as Grimspace, I was worried. I don't think they were, no disrespect intended, reading the same book. I loved it!

Ann Aguirre has a way with her characters that, I can count on my fingers the number of authors who do this, make them "jump" off the page and into action with almost no down time. This story seriously goes from one "holy crap" situation to another.

I was hoping this book would have more of the hunter who was sent after Jax to kill her in Grimspace - they ended up saving one another - and in Wanderlust it is no different. Vel is my favorite character. I would read a whole book devoted to him and his planet Ithiss-Tor or the "bugs" as they are sometimes called.

I waited for this book hoping it would be as good as I thought it should be, considering who was writing it, and actually it was better then I imagined. So on one hand I am stoked, I wasn't disappointed, and on the other - well, crap, I have to wait for the next book.

I don't do spoilers, but there is a relationship in this book that I hope is repaired or helped or something in the next. At least I hope so.

Happy reading. JaimeK

The Farwan Corporation "Corp" s is dead after the revelation that it deliberately destroyed the ship the Sargasso carrying hundreds of passengers. The Conglomerate rushes in to fill the power vacuum and be in charge of controlling tariffs and jump-traveling voyagers. Sirantha Jax, who played a role in revealing the Corp treachery, is made ambassador to the Ithiss-Tor world where she is to convince the inhabitants known as the "Bugs" to join the Conglomerate. If they fail to do so,, they will be subject to "jumping" bans and a stiff tariff.

Jax navigates through several conspiracies and jumps because she contains the J-gene. . She takes on two passengers one being pregnant and near giving birth, which she does in the spaceship. They travel to Emry Station to drop off the new family, but all are dead there; killed by Marguts. They escape the station only to land in the middle of a clan war on Lanchion. Jax and some of her crew escape again, but are kidnapped; her only hope for freedom lies with her and her crew's ingenuity.

WANDERLUST is a great space opera starring a crew who looks human, talks human, behaves human; but Jax knows there is a breed on board ( a bio-experimental engineered intelligent being). The other non-human is a "Bug" who acts more human than humans do. The heroine remains brave though a little strapped for cash after losing her job by exposing the Corp's atrocity (the fate of whistleblowers has not changed). Sci fi fans will enjoy her roller coaster thrill ride as the turns, twists, and upside down spins make for an exhilarating outer space voyage.

Harriet Klausner

I was blown away by Ann Aguirre first Jax installment, Grimspace, and couldn't wait for the next installment! I wasn't disappointed! Though it Wanderlust didn't exactly pack the same punch as Grimspace, it was still an enthralling story with great characters and plot development. As another reader mentioned, there was definitely a lot going on in this story, but I must admit I still had a hard time putting it down.

~Anxiously waiting to read about Jax's next adventures!

103-2960884-3449842

Wanderlust is Ann Aguirre's follow up to Grimspace.Grimspace Jax is once again off to reek havoc on the Universe. Appointed as the new ambassador to Ithiss-Tor, she discovers not everyone is excited to welcome "bugs," non-humanoid species, into the Conglomerate and they will do everything possible to stop her mission.

I loved Grimspace, but Wanderlust lacked the flare of the first book. There was plenty of action, but the plot seemed to have way too much going on - making it seem like it was more to set up the next book than to tell its own story.

While I didn't love this book like the original, I did have a great time reading it.

I just finished reading "The Umbrella Academy" and I have to say that this comic--and others like it--is one of the many reasons why I'm becoming more of a graphic novel fan. Its originality made me turn the page and I love the fact that Way played up the dysfunctional family angle throughout the entire volume. Because the characters are so complex, they remain interesting by not coming off as these cheesy individuals who just come together to save the world. And the writing. Though it's dark, it's funny to the point where I'm laughing at the most inappropriate parts. It's as if Way uses his comic to express what he can't say through his music.
In other words, I love it. I love it. I love it. I'm not just saying this because I'm an MCR fan. There has to be another volume in the works. I hope there is.

One could be forgiven for expecting that a comic miniseries by one of the members of the band "My Chemical Romance" would be a gratuitous vanity project. That is, however, not the case. While I do not rate is as highly as many others here do, Gerard Way has produced a genuine story, with nice art by indie favourite Gabriel Ba (also known for Matt Fraction's Image series "Casanova").

As the description says, an unexplained global phenomenon saw numerous children born to women who had not previously shown signs of pregnancy. Seven of these are adopted by an eccentric millionaire, Sir Reginald Hargreeves (secretly a space alien), and raised to fight evil. This is the classic superhero setup of the X-Men. Well, it is, and it isn't. Way subverts some of the basic idea, particularly regarding the Professor X figure, Hargreeves (aka The Monocle). Hargreeves is a cold and demanding person who is not interested in providing the children with a genuine father figure; he is merely their boss. He even refers to the children by numbers, rather than names (their names are supplied by the 'mother' he deigned to provide, an animated clothes dummy; the kids are split in how they treat her, with some accepting her, while the rebelious Diego sees her as just another layer of artifice in their upbringing). Hargreeves' parental neglect is the catalyst for the primary villain plot, revolving around #7, Vanya, who has no powers, and thus was just not "special" as Hargreeves tells her directly. However, she may indeed have some purpose for an eccentric villain out to bring about the end of the world.

Way's style has been compared to Grant Morrison (who provided strong praise for the series, and an introduction to this trade paperback), and, indeed, one can draw strong comparisons between this series and Morrison's "JLA". High concepts are thrown out quite frequently, there is a lot of action, and there isn't a huge amount of characterization. The two most interesting powers concepts are the White Violin, the weird villain of the piece, and, even moreso, those of Allison/The Rumour, who can literally warp reality by lying (most clearly demonstrated in a bonus story included in this collection written for Free Comic Book Day).

Recommended for people interested in a Morrison-esque superhero experience.

I tried. I really tried...but no matter how many story angles I slide in and out of to gain a foothold on this beautiful, melodic jam of funny pictures, at the end, it's hard to steer clear of musical comparisons when talking about Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá's The Umbrella Academy.

In the first place because the trade collecting the first six issues of the series is sub-titled, Apocalypse Suite; next, because one of the heroes turned main evil dudette is a living, lethal musical instrument hellbent on destroying the world with her music; and lastly because Gerard Way is the lead singer of My Chemical Romance.

But it doesn't stop there.

When you stop sucking in the story in separate layers of pictures, words and color, and really let the thing coalesce in your noodle, what is heard high above the campy noise of pseudo-steampunk-end-of-the-world-heroics is how well the creative team riffs off one another. That near perfect jam is so rare in comics, it's worth getting this collection to witness it, even if you're not a fan of doomsday storylines.

To begin with, consider Gabriel Bá's artwork. Clearly taking stylistic cues from Mike Mignola, Bá takes what could have been one-dimensional characters created to invoke the ludicrous nature of superhero teams and turns in character designs and sequentials that grab you sometimes by the shirt collar (if not your cojones) and at others by your funny bone. Either way, his linework is clearly in the service of his storytelling mojo and they don't let go. And honestly, you don't want them to either, which is why this story works so well as a graphic novel.

The artwork in black and white is stunning. But it's not until Dave Stewart joins in the storytelling that the characters and the emotional undercurrent begins to rise. Stewart is an accomplished colorist, and really, an artist with few peers. Hellboy stories, for example, owe plenty to Stewart's genius for translating emotional tension into color. But he isn't an artist because he can use Photoshop really, really well. In The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite, Stewart blends his brand of magic to extend Bá's kinetic linework. Take a look at any action scene in the collection and you'll see that Stewart doesn't simply lay down flats that are color-appropriate to the scene. He goes far beyond the production work to draw with the color, echoing and amplifying Bá's line. And if you think that's Stewart just doing what he always does, you'd only be half right. As a counter measure, take a look a his work on Hellboy: Darkness Falls. It's just as powerful, but he let's Duncan Fegredo's complex and nuanced linework take lead. In TUA, Stewart is front and center with Bá in transforming the high concept into an emotionally resonant story that gives credence to Way's tight script and characterization.

Which leads me to consider the story itself. Being a newbie, you'd forgive Gerard Way if he had taken himself too seriously in this first story arc and tried to convince us with a straight face that it's a story of aliens born through human female hosts and trained from birth to save the planet. The rest of the book is so strong in art, color and lettering (kudos to Nate Piekos for knowing how to treat words as art without pushing Bá and Stewart offstage to get all the attention), it would still have been worth buying. But Way didn't go there. Instead, Way seems to stand confidently under the spotlight (as surely he is used to) and with the mash-up allure of a lead singer channeling P.T. Barnum, tells us his outrageous premise through characters that seem to have backstories to fill ten graphic novels -- characters so fully formed and relationships so exquisitely dysfunctional, you want to buy into the spectacle, for it's one grand show.

Way, Bá, Stewart and Piekos have achieved something rare in comics. In an industry that models itself around "production lines", this bunch of beautiful anarchists have managed to create a work that transcends all of them. It's not perfect, but you want to see and hear more. Get me a lighter. Anybody got a lighter? Suddenly, I feel the urge to be a groupie. Anyone...anyone?

Ommus
Editor, Indiepulp.com

Editor's Note: As we finished sprucing up this piece for publication, it was announced at the San Diego Comic-con that The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite won the Eisner Award for best limited series. Dave Stewart won for best colorist. Gabriel Bá and his twin brother, Fabio Moon won for best anthology, 5.

I had become a fan of the Umbrella Academy when it had come out last year. It was smart, it was vivid, and it had this humor about it that drew me right to it. This collection of the original comics was wonderful, but there are a few extra stories (the online preview and the free comic book day) and concept art made by Gerard Way followed by completed sketches by Gabriel Ba that made this graphic novel even better. This is a wonderful story and any fan of classic, grotesque comics, Gabriel Ba, or Gerard Way (and/or My Chemical Romance) should get their hands on!

A rocker writing comics? What's that about? And, yet, Gerard Way, of the rock band My Chemical Romance, comes up with a humdinger of a comic book in THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY: APOCALYPSE SUITE, a wonderfully strange and inventive six-issued limited series published by Dark Horse Comics. It's an auspicious debut, really, and, now, count me as completely sold on Gerard Way, comic book scribe.

So what's this thing about? Well, some time ago, around the globe and in the same instance, at 9:38pm, forty-three gifted children were born to women who had before shown no signs of pregnancy. An extraterrestrial masquerading as a human adopted seven of these children and trained them to save the world. But theirs was a cold and callous father, so it's no surprise that the kids grew up as a dysfunctional family. However, the training took hold and the kids did become superheroes.

But the story really begins years after the team, called the Umbrella Academy, had disbanded as most of the siblings reunite for their father's funeral. I say most, because one had perished (we don't know how), while another is too bitter and disinclined to pop in. During this sad gathering, a world-threatening menace promptly surfaces, forcing these bickering capes to quit the bellyaching and work together...except that, of course, they don't quit the bellyaching.

For those looking for something different, something original and wonderfully off-beat, THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY: APOCALYPSE SUITE will fit the bill. I don't know how much of Gerard Way's experiences and life style influenced him in his writing, but his stuff reads as from an askewed perspective. APOCALYPSE SUITE is inventive and surreal and keeps on surprising. For a first-time writer, Gerard writes with startling confidence and with wit and a certain airiness. To quote THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY's artist, Gabriel Ba: "For me, it's not important anymore that it's his first comic, or that he's a big rock star, because the story is really interesting and well told."

Even thru the bizarre takes, Way infuses a layer of complexity and tragedy which grounds the stories. A key moment surfaces early on when eminent scientist and entrepreneur Sir Reginald Hargreeves (the alien's guise) impersonally tells one of his adopted daughters, "There's just nothing special about you." This heartbreaking indictment would have devastating repercussions years later for the Umbrella Academy. By the way, Sir Hargreeves is so detached that he tends to refer to his children as Numbers One thru Seven. Likewise, he insists that his children call him The Monocle, instead of "dad." Dang, that's cold. You could see why the kids grew so messed up.

Way peppers his story with a diverse cast of personalities. I have my favorites. How could you not dig Spaceboy (Number One, and team leader), whose head years ago had to be transplanted onto a gorilla's body. Or the time-travelling boy (Number Five) now forever stuck at the age of ten? Or Rumor (Number Three), who has the neat ability of telling a lie ("I heard a rumor...") and have it come true. These characters happen to inhabit a quirky world in which apes have gained intellect and where supervillains are regularly featured guests on television talk shows. Man, I love it!

This trade comes with very decent bonus material: the intro written by Grant Morrison, who is a huge influence on Gerard Way; an afterword by Dark Horse Comics editor Scott Allie; rough concept designs and bonus art by Ba, cover artist James Jean and, yes, by Gerard Way, himself a graduate of New York's School of Visual Arts (although his stuff here is pretty sketchy); and two out of print short stories - the two-paged online teaser "Mon Dieu" and the 16-paged Free Comic Book Day story "...But the Past Ain't Thru With You."

A bit now about the artwork, because Brazilian illustrator Gabriel Ba's significant contributions shouldn't be neglected. Dude's style is expressive, angular, and semi-exaggerated; it deftly captures the off-kilter essence of this comic book. Dave Stewart's colors complete the visual look, while James Jean's covers are terrifically evocative (and not at all reminiscent of Ba's artwork, but it works). All in all, a near perfect storytelling team. I hope they stay together for more UMBRELLA ACADEMY stories (although rumor has it that cover artist James Jean might be simply too busy to stick around for future issues).

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY is off to a roaring start, garnering props left and right from fans and critics. If you like being nudged off your comfort zone, then give this one a try. This is simply too good to pass up. The cheery news is that Way is chock full of ideas and has promised a limited series per year for the next busload of years. So, me, I'm desperately waiting on the Academy's next set of adventures, projected to be titled THE SCARECROW BLUES.

And, by the way, Gerard Way's rock band isn't bad, either.

My teen kids love this series. They want all the five or six available
They read them very fast and can not wait for each one to arrive.
I will read them myself soon

Purchased the Audio CDs for travel, and just like the other 3 books, Nathaniel Parker does an excellent job in narrating. If you enjoy Jim Dale (Harry Potter Series), you'll enjoy Nathaniel Park too.

Book 4 offers a ton of adventure and suspense, but also contains highs and lows in the story line. Like every Artemis Book, it leaves you wanting more.

This is the fourth installment of the Artemis Fowl series and is an excellent addition

Like most fairy tales this is an enjoyable one that ends with a happy ending. The plot is well written and you'll enjoy the elf's and fairies all the way. So open the book read and enjoy.

Just when I was worried the Artemis Fowl books would fall into a rut, here comes the Opal Deception! From a shocking death early in the book to the continued original ideas that Artemis, Holly, and Mulch come up with, this book shows that Eoin Colfer is not content to just sit back and ride the gravy train that he has created without making the readers continue to care about his characters. Artemis has changed as much in these four books as Harry Potter did in his books, and I can't wait to see what comes next!

Reading this book made me realize just how cliche a lot of the current batch of paranormal romances are- doom stricken vampires looking for their soulmates to save them. Bleah...boring after a while.If you intend to buy this, don't plan to sit down and just read. Though I didn't feel the time reading this was a waste, none of the stories made me want to go and seek out other works by the same author.

Yes, the Mammoth Book of Vampire Romances is truly MAMMOTH containing 25 short stories. You'll recognize the names most of the most of the 23 well known authors as the writers of your favorite paranormal romance and popular urban fantasy series. Despite the title, only about half of the stories in the book are `romances' though most have some sex, but they do all have vampires and most all have a key element of the story associated with the vampire's bite: bringing a transformation, granting immortality, unlocking or stealing memories, sealing a bond or, with the refusal of the acceptance of its offer, breaking a heart. Together the stories pretty much cover most of the niches of the PNR and UF genres, one little tidbit at a time.

Since these are truly short stories some of the endings are a bit abrupt. A few of the entries tied into the authors' existing series, Gleason's and Arthur's read like deleted scenes from early books, and Devlin's, Holder's, Raye's, Chance's and Saintcrow's (the first of her two) explore other characters/pieces of their worlds. It's my first time with authors Kiernan, Devlin, Hart and Walker, but I suspect Walker's was a connected story too. My favorites were the ones from Chance, Black, Devlin, Emrys, and Morgan, they did the best with their characters and stories in the very short space. My least favorite were both of Kiernan's entries and Pettersson's - the vague poetic style of these stories left me unconnected to their characters.

*** "Fade to Black" - Sherri Erwin - A professor's tryst with a gorgeous student brings a whole new meaning to `unsafe sex' when he infects her with the `vampire' virus. (3 stars - This one was pointless and not a romance, it was all set up and then a too abrupt ending.)

*** "Ode to Evdard Munch" - Caitlin Kiernan - A man shares his blood with a mysterious vamp for a piece of her dreams. (3 stars - no romance and the connection between the leads was odd)

*** "Fangs for Hire" - Jenna Black - When a vampire hit woman finds her oh so sexy prey is not what he seems, she just might have to consider rewritting her `contract'. (4 stars - both the leads were interesting and I like the way they found to feed their hungers)

*** "The Righteous" - Jenna Maclaine - A sorceress and a King put events in play to establish a group of vampires to police their own, which is the catalyst to bring a vampire and a woman who stakes them together in Paris. (4 stars - I liked the huntress and the vamp)

*** "Knowledge of Evil" - Ravent Hart - An ancient vampire with a passion for learning meets a gorgeous professor who shares his thirst for knowledge. (3.5 stars )

*** "Viper's Bite" - Delilah Devlin - A solitary vampire and a lonely woman connect but he must steal her memories to keep her safe. (5 stars -the story was bittersweet but hopeful )

*** "Dreams" - Kerri Arthur - Arthur's Riley Jensen and her sometimes lover vampire Quinn share dreams and danger. (4 stars - seemed like deleted scene from an early book but has the feel of the series)

*** "Love Bites" - Kimberly Raye - From her Dead End Dating world, a hereditary vampire slayer flunks her final test when instead of finishing off the vampire she's staked she takes him her home to heal. (3.5 stars -humorous but a bit on the cutesy side)

*** "What's at Stake" - Alexis Morgan - A legal enforcer must either prove the innocence of the vampire she's secretly loved or she must put him to death. (4 stars - more on the fantasy side, I liked this one a lot)

*** "Coming Home" - Lilith Saintcrow - Dante Valentine's foster daughter Liana is hired by the Nichtvahren who broke her teenage heart to kill his maker. (3.5 stars - Even though the heroine is Liana, her internal dialog feels very much like Dante - who make a brief appearance. Though with Saintcrow's writing style, it took two reads to understand everything that was going on.)

*** "To Ease the Rage" - CT Adams & Cathy Clamp - A police officer will join with her undead partner to find the strength to protect her city from vamps that threaten the peace. (4 stars - good chemistry between the leads)

*** "Dancing with the Star" - Susan Sizemore - A vampire's dreams of a dancing movie star may signal the end of her loneliness. (3.5 stars - a long dream sequence, not a fan of those, and the italics bugged me after a few pages)

*** "Play Dead" - Dina James - A vampire finds his soulmate and challenges the leaders of his clan for the right to choose his own bride. (3 stars - okay, but the most interesting character was not one of the leads. But well enough done that I would check this out if it were the start of a series.)

*** "In Which a Masquerade Ball Unmasks an Undead" - Colleen Gleason - Gleason's vampire hunting debutante Victoria tries to persue her attraction to Rockley while fighting off vamps at a masquerade ball with a little help and snide remarks from Max. (3.5 stars - One of the few historicals, this felt like a deleted scene from the first book, but missing the more serious events from the books which play against lighter scenes like this one)

*** "A Temporary Vampire" - Barbara Emrys - A vampire discovers a captivating `vampire' actress in New Orleans. (4.5 stars - Liked the vamp & it had a nice feel to it, but it should have been longer since it offers the promise of romance but ends before it can be fulfilled)

*** "Overbite" - Savannah Russe - A vampire patient gives a dentist a chance to expand his practice to the undead and to pursue his secret fantasies. (4 stars - Almost humorous)

*** "Hunter's Choice" - Shiloh Walker - Seems like a spinoff from her series the leading man is a vampire and a 'hunter'. A grieving/vengeful woman turned vamp-slayer must reexamine her beliefs about vamps to keep the star of her passionate dreams when they meet again. (4.5 stars - I liked the hero and because these two had an established connection from a previous tryst the romance worked even as a short. )

*** "The Sacrifice" - Rebecca York - A princess becomes a willing sacrifice to a `monster' to save her father's kingdom under seige and gains not only her kingdom's freedom but her own salvation. (4 stars - beauty and the beast theme, with a brave heroine and the noble sacrificing hero)

*** "Remember the Blood" - Vicki Petterson - Two vampires are reborn without memories each year but strive to bring forward clues to `remember' each other and their love. (2.5 stars - didn't like any of the characters and the style was too vague to be engaging)

*** "The Midday Mangler Meets his Match" - Rachel Vincent - An ordinary everyday vampire teen and her younger sister discover a use for their vestigal fangs when they have a run in with a killer. (3 stars - on the humorous side but a bit overboard on the `normal vamp' slice of life bits)

*** "The Music of the Night" - Amanda Ashley - A phantom of the opera obssesed woman gets a chance to star in her favorite fantasy when she meets her own phantom. (4 stars - I like the tragic phantom theme in this pleasant story)

*** "The Day of the Dead" - Karen Chance - From the Cassandra Palmer series, vampire Thomas seeks to rid the world of his evil former master and to aide a magical mercenary with a forbidden power to save her missing brother from the evil vamps yearly human hunt. (4 stars - Thomas is a favorite of mine and it was fun to see a bit more of him)

*** "Vampire Unchained" - Nancy Holder - A return to Holder's House of the Blood/Shadows/Flame/Phoenix world. Vampire Liam's secret negotiations with the House of Phoenix cause him to be accused of treason against his clan, his punishment is imprisonment with his human lover as the only source of blood, but their love holds the key that may free them. (4 stars - a nice little carve out from her series, Holder does a good job of developing Liam and his history)

*** "A Stand-up Dame" - Lilith Saintcrow - A soft touch for a dame in danger, this PI returns from the dead to solve his case. (3 stars - Sort of a Bogart with fangs, this one was okay but didn't feel very original, sort of like a P.N Elrod knock off.)

*** "Untitled 12" - Cailtlin R. Kiernan - A sick woman searches until a vampire finds her. (1 star - I detested this one. More on the horror side, the vampire and the turning were truly icky, though I debated giving an extra star to the author for inspiring such strong negative feelings with so few words.)