Science Fiction Fantasy Books

If you love laughter, strong women and the strong alpha males that meet them head on then this is the book for you. Not too dark (actually dark enought) but still a zippy read.

I loved the main story Dragon Actually (which started out as a short story originally epublished as To Challenge a Dragon). This dragonshifter tale had all of the trademark brashness, humor and steamy intensity you would expect from Aiken a Shelley Laurenston alto ego.

If you're a fan of any of the author's other books you'll be pleased to see how well Aiken's trademark uber-alpha female lead translates to the medieval time frame of the book. Annwyl the Bloody is fatally wounded and outnumbered but still fighting to take as many of her vile brother's warriors along with her through death's door. Just about the time the Annwyl is about to lose her head, literally, her foes' smug satisfaction at their looming victory turns to terror and flaming death courtesy of the horned black dragon on whose doorstep Annwyl is dying. Much to the dragon Fearghus' the surprise, the bloody woman meets his fierce dragon's gaze without fear and her brashness intrigues him enough than instead of making her a tasty snack, he brings her into his lair sees to her healing. As time goes by the dour dragon hermit who preferred a quiet life is amused and captivated by the bold, fearless woman. When Annwyl begins to heal, Fearghus provides an irritating but powerful Knight to help Annwyl hone the battle skills which will allow her to defeat her odious sibling. Annwyl spends her days in bruising training with her helpful but annoying `adversary' and her nights talking with Fearghus, torn between the powerful lust she feels for the Knight and the comfort and friendship she feels for the dragon.

Annwyl's `two' relationships are what really make this story. Her relationship with the despised but oh so attractive Knight was combustible, laden with sexual tension and with verbal sparring (along with some physical sparring too), but where her relationship with the Knight burned hot and fast, with Fearghus it was a slowly building deeper connection, as the two let down their guards and shared themselves in a way that neither had allowed before. Adding even more fun to the story, Dragon Actually is chockfull of supporting dragon characters, many of Fearghus' fabulous siblings turn up to help or stir up mischief, most all of them deserve stories of their own.

The second story Flames in Chains, also previously epublished, was the story of Fearghus' parents `courtship'. Fearghus' father Bercelek, a fearsome battle dragon, has always had a soft spot for the dragon Princess Rhiannon who loathes him. Fearghus was great, in his unrelenting campaign to win the mate who is now within his grasp and the advantage is his since she's stuck in human form and can't shift to dragon and flee him. This story had some great moments and Bercelek's odd ball dragon parents and siblings, like his children in the previous story, were a kick. But I didn't like Flames and Chains as well as the first story. If you are an erotic reader my nits with the story won't bother you, but an increase in the frequency and coarsenss of the language used, along with the chains and spanking, though both of these were very mild by erotica standards, knocked this one down a notch for me where Dragon Actually manage to toe but not cross the line for me.

Overall though I will be definitely checking out Aiken's next book About A Dragon (Dragon Kin, Book 2) in which the first - of hopefully many - of Fearghus' siblings get their turn in the spot light. If you like Dragon Actually be sure to check out Aiken's pride and pack stories written as Shelley Laurenston, they are also full of pushy alpha shifter males (lion/wolf) claiming their oh so dangerous mates and the stories share the same fast pace humorous tone as these two stories.

Here are a couple of her more recent books to check out:
The Mane Event (Pride, Book 1)
The Beast in Him (Pride, Book 2)

"Dragon Actually". Desperate to save her people warrior Princess Annwyl the Bloody fights to the death to end the cruel reign of her brother Lorcan the Butcher of Garbhan Isle. As she nears death from wounds, she remains resolute and still battling when Fearghus the Destroyer dragon swoops down and removes her from the battlefield and takes her to his cave. Unable to resist her courage and her beauty, Fearghus heals her instead of dining on her. As the dragon and the lady fall in love, her sibling continues his vigil to kill the only person whoever opposed him, his sister.

"Chains and Flames". Dragon Queen Addiena informs her First Born White Dragonwitch daughter Rhiannon that she will mate with lord dragon Bercelak. Addiena calls him the "Great" while Rhiannon insists he is the "Vengeful". Rhiannon's choice is to die or accept the Claiming of Bercelak as her mate.

These two entreating dragon romances are fun to read from the moment that Fearghus snatches Annwyl from the battle. Whereas "Dragon Actually" is a full length medieval paranormal thriller, "Chains and Flames" is a novella dragon equivalent of "Meet the Fockers (or at least what their courtship must have been like). Both are well written complements.

Harriet Klausner

My 3 year old is fascinated with Wall-E and he loved this Wall-E book. It's very simple with just a few words on each page, perfect for young ones learning to read.

So, I had this book sitting on my shelf forever as I had heard so much about it, as well as both authors. I hadn't ever read anything written by either of them previously, so this gathered dust until I had a real craving for something funny. I had seen someone reading this book on a train one time and they kept busting out laughing so I figured it probably fit the bill.

It most certainly did. That was the number one appeal of this book. It simply just made me laugh and it was often very clever in its description of hows and whys of heaven versus hell, good versus evil and the like. Some of the things Gaiman and Pratchett thought of could even easily be categorized as "ingenious." I really loved how a lot of the book was certainly aimed to make the reader laugh, but at the same time it really did you make you think about certain things, as well. It's a very light and fast read but none of the jokes are cheap shots. You can already tell that a lot of the jokes are going to age really well and remain funny for a long time.

Overall, I really liked it. My only problem is with the ending. It all seemed a little too easy, and for some reason that always turns me off a bit. But, actually, now that I think about it a little more it's actually kind of hilarious because of the whole "ineffable" aspect to the way things just worked out in the end. Haha, good one, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. You got me. Five stars for you.

These two authors are terrific in this novel. the book is witty, sarcastic and hilarious. ( first class lurkers, for example as they describe some of the characters!)
i have not read any Prachett books yet, but neil gaiman has been on my shelves for years( not literally, of course!)

If you enjoy absurd fiction with snappy dialogue, this is for you! i recommend it to everyone along with Chris Moore's book, "Lamb" and also, any thing by Jasper Fforde.

Good Omens (1990) is supposedly a parody based off the movie The Omen (1976) written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, which I did not know about when I read the novel and have not seen the film either. So you could say my opinion of the novel alone remains untainted.

It took me awhile to get through it, as while it was interesting, it wasn't compelling enough to keep me reaching for it, until it hit the last fourth of so. It starts out pretty slow, but with a great premise, the Antichrist is placed into an American diplomat's family to be raised in Britain as their child so as to never really know the difference between good and evil. Unfortunately the minions at the hospital screwed up and the real Antichrist is off living elsewhere, a normal, regular life with friends, a dog and a active 11 year old boy's imagination.

There is an angel and a demon, Heaven and Hell representatives on Earth (respectively) who have become quite comfortable with their lifestyles amongst the people on Earth and humanity and upon hearing that the End Times is near, begin to grow closer and even work together to keep an eye on the Antichrist. Rather, who they think is the Antichrist. They start coming in handy at the end when they realize they might actually have some compassion for the people of Earth.
Now you might ask, where does this Agnes Nutter, witch, part fit in. Because I sure was asking myself that. The witch part doesn't really materialize until the latter half of the novel, in which it is revealed that this witch, Agnes Nutter, in the 17th century, made a whole lot of predictions about the future, published them in a book and then was promptly burnt at the stake like all good witches. I won't spoil what this particular witch did as her revenge, but the prophecies turn out to be extremely true and the last copy in existence being held by a distant relative who has made it her life's work to follow the progress and decipher the prophecies. Upon figuring out that the end of the world is near, she begins to look for the real Antichrist, knowing that there was a mix up at birth.

Enter the Four (updated) Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It's at this point that novel gets a lot more interesting, particularly since one of the horsemen is actually a horsewoman and pestilence has become pollution and so on.

Without spoiling it, since the best part is where it picks up at the end, I'll stop here! If you enjoy tales with satire on Heaven, Hell, Christ and Death, than this tale is for you. I ended up reading it because I liked Christopher Moore's A Dirty Job so much, but in this case, A Dirty Job is still the winner.

The quick wit, wry humor and awesome imagery of this book push it quickly into one of the most fun and imaginative out there. One understands the characters' behavior intimately and enjoys the roller coaster ride of a story while hilarious and ominous events constantly unfold.

I think my favorite part of the book is the representation of specific English accents and slang -- the reproductions in my head were enough to make me chuckle on more than one occasion. I don't think anyone with a sense of humor could avoid enjoying this book.

"God does not play dice with the universe; He plays an ineffable game of His own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players [i.e. everybody], to being involved in an obscure and complex variant of poker in a pitch-dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time."

The end of the world is coming.....what are you going to do? For angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley, that is the question. After spending centuries on Earth, they've become friends....sort of. And they actually LIKE it here. They don't want a war between the "sides". So when the Antichrist is born, the two of them take it upon themselves to "watch" him to see if they can stop him from becoming evil. If they work together, maybe they can keep him from choosing between Good and Evil, and postpone Armageddon. Sounds like a good plan, doesn't it??

But due to a mix up at birth, the son of the American Diplomat is not really the Antichrist. He's just a normal 11-year-old boy. The real Antichrist is named Adam, and he lives in Lower Tadfield, England. Raised by normal English parents, he has friends and a dog (the Hell-Hound has become a normal, little dog that likes to terrorize cats). He doesn't even realize the power he possesses. Can this seemingly normal little boy actually become the purveyor of the end of the world??

All of this has been prophecized by Agnes Nutter, a witch in the seventeenth century. She was the only true prophet that ever lived. She even wrote a book, called The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. Unfortunately, the book didn't sell very well. In fact, it didn't sell at all. Not that it mattered to Agnes; she just wanted the author copy anyway. And that copy is now in the hands of one of her descendants, Anathema Device, a witch of her accord, who is also trying to stop the end of the world.

There are also the four horseman of the Apocalypse, who have assembled to usher in the end of the world. However, they aren't horseman, but bikers. REAL Hell's Angels to be exact. War, Famine, Death and Pollution (Pestilence had to retire after the discovery of Penicillin). Now the race is on to find the real Antichrist, and depending on your side, either save or end the world!

A satirical look at Armageddon, this book is also kind of parody of the movie, The Omen. When Warlock (the boy everyone THINKS is the Antichrist) is young, his Nanny buys him a tricycle. But she can never get him to ride it in the house! The irony and wit in this book astounds me! A. Crowley (ie Crawley) was the serpent in the Garden of Eden; The tempter. Aleister Crowley, in real life, was the famous Satanist or occultist. Which makes this line even funnier:
"Crowley always found [Satanists] embarrassing. You couldn't actually be rude to them, but you couldn't help feeling about them the same way that, say, a Vietnam veteran would feel about someone who wears combat gear to Neighborhood Watch meetings."

What Pratchett and Gaiman have done with this book is take a horrible, scary, evil happening and make it humorous. But in the midst of all the fun, they make some really valid points:
"There had been times, over the past millennium, when Crowley had felt like sending a message back Below saying, Look, we may as well give up right now, we may as well shut down Dis and Pandemonium and everywhere and move up here,there's nothing we can do to them [humans] that they don't do themselves and they do things we've never even thought of, often involving electrodes."

But in the end, they leave it up the wisdom of an 11-year-old kid, who just happens to be the Antichrist. And I guess this says something for the whole nature vs. nurture debate.

"I don't see what's so triffic about creating people as people and then gettin' upset 'cos they act like people," said Adam severely. "Anyway, if you stopped tellin' people it's all sorted out after they're dead, they might try sorting it all out while they're alive."

I realize I'm kind of all over the place with this review. That's because the book is kind of all over the place. It's not the easiest book to review, that's for sure. But I'll tell you this: This is one fantastic book!! If I didn't already have a total crush on Neil Gaiman, I'd fall in love all over after reading this one. Of course, now I'm totally enamoured with Pratchett too. The end of the world doesn't have to be all doom and gloom. It can be positively hilarious!! Gaiman and Pratchett just proved it!!

As with all the Library of America titles, this collection is superbly edited and presents the best available drafts of the selections. These selections, although less famous than the titles in the earlier Library of America volume, are still interesting, thought-provoking and entertaining to read. I recommend this collection for your own personal library.

The first two books in this series made me think this series was dead, but this one happily surprised me. I liked the story, unlike the previous books. Troy does things in this book that the other 2 had failed to do in their books, making it interesting. The first one wasn't bad, the second one was horrid, but this one is very well written and interesting. I wanted to give up, but after reading this one, I want to continue. Thank you so much, Troy!

I liked the book but it seemed to drag a little leading up to the big battle at the end but then the battle ended real quickly. I understand this story isn't really about the military battles. But, this was the most important battle of the series so far and it just ended really abruptly. I think Jacen should be kicked out of the JO by now. They are having way to much patience with him.

Denning kicks the GA/Corellian war ahead in TEMPEST, bringing Hapes into the mix on the side of the Alliance. Unfortunately, here the confusion begins; the Hapans have their own fleets, while the very thing that the Corellians rebelled over was *because* they wanted their own fleets! Denning fails to make clear exactly how this works; the reader is expected to hand-wave this in favor of the further character exploration of Jacen with his daughter and his lover. And while the sickly logical Jacen is further convinced that the Sith way is right, it's hardly a new development for the character.

With the bounty on Han and Leia taken out of the picture with the deal of Sal-Solo, Denning also introduces a new threat to keep them in the picture: Alema Rar. Brought back from the seemingly-dead, she joins forces with Lumiya and the Sith in order to help execute her vengeance. Even under the Dark Nest's influence she didn't renounce the Jedi ways; seeing her do so here was odd. The best Sith have a reason for their actions… and Alema doesn't.

These strange character developments, or attempts thereof, are backed up by some not particularly interesting fleet battles at the end. Denning's never had any particularly outstanding naval scenes, and the ones in TEMPEST just dragged. I found myself skimming them rather than reading them; unfortunate, as they're usually some of my favorite parts of other STAR WARS novels.

TEMPEST was a serviceable read, but it could've been better—both on its own terms, and on how it fits into the series overall. Hopefully Denning's later books will be more enjoyable.

I have to give this book four stars because it makes to many references to the dark nest storyline. WHY? is this a problem, simple. I did not read it and found myself guessing or side track by names, events and characters that I do not have a clue.

I love the book otherwise, the story moves fast and not as complicated as it was in bloodlines, where we spend a lot of time reading Bobba Fett.. and still is not clear his true role in the story.

I was glad to read Tenel Ka, since she was never used in New Order, just for one book and a minor role. Here we see her not a lot but just a sneak. Of course, this Tenel Ka is not a shadow of the former in the Jedi Academy books, she is more mature, a mother and in reality boring. Not a true heritage from Dathomir (read the courtship of princess Leia, to see real background on the Hapes Consortium).

The book has action from beginning to the end, and it is nice to see every one figuring out what is going on or how some times we are blind by the love we feel for a family member.

I will start EXILE tonight and hope is as good as this one, since I will not like to have to wait for the Denning book to get me somewhere.

Nice read, Nice Star wars book... but still Shadows of the Empire and the Zhan books rule this universe.

I know I'm probably different from most Star Wars fans in that I read this book about 6 months after I read Bloodlines, so it's hard for me to compare Denning's writing to that of Karen Traviss. Not that it's required for the review, but I'm hoping I can get the next one a little sooner so I can get a better comparison of the writing, if only because I felt like Troy Denning's writing was only really well suited to the scenes involving the Solos. Of course, the Solos are also the most interesting characters, while everyone else is kind of stale and bland, so maybe that's why the former seem more well written.

There were times when the use of certain phrases cropped up several times in a chapter and then were never used again. Maybe I'm being hypercritical, but it really took me out of the story at those points.

Overall, though, this was a solid addition to the Legacy of the Force series, and obviously worth reading for anyone who likes Star Wars. If you've already read the first two books in the series, you're probably not going to stop reading unless the writing is truly awful, and even then, you'll probably just skip a single book. This is a pretty easy read, and certainly not one you want to skip.

This was light reading and fun for those that like Betsey the Vampire Queen adventures.

Loved this book...my only problem is that she doesn't write fast enough to satisfy my appetite for more stories.

Mary Janice Davidson delivers all her traditional full length punch in these short stories. As always, she keeps her plot lines moving, her readers engaged and laughing out loud, and her characters developed and developing inside the stories.
This is a great quick read if you need a light hearted escape with a supernatural kick to it. Whether it be vampires, werewolves or merfolk, the fantasy is believeable enough for your real world brain to check out for an hour or so and unwind.
Absolutely, do check this book out!

Typical Mary Janice Davidson fun awaits you while you get latest scoop on all her favorite charters. Nice short stories that you can take with you on the run. Enjoy.

I got a kick out of Dead Over Heels with the three zany shorts that tied into Davidson's "Undead", Fred the Mermaid and Wyndham werewolf books.

It was fun getting a little slice of vampire Queen Betsy's misadventures this time on her honeymoon in "Undead and Wed". All the standard stuff you'd expect from the "Undead" books is here: daquiri's, shoes, shopping and sex with Sinclair (whenever Betsy could ditch Jessica and Nick who crashed the honeymoon).

I also enjoyed the spin off from Davidson's Fred the Mermaid series, "Survivor" with the inept Survial show host lost at sea and his mermaid rescuer, Davidson writes the most wacky and offbeat characters.

But the story I liked best was the Speed-dating Werewolf Style... It was one of Davidson's better Wyndham Werewolf tales, with Cain the alpha werewolf female who decides she's got to get married in the next three weeks and tasks her longtime buddy, also a were, with setting her up with some eligible weres. It had two of my favorite elements: werewolves and the friend who has secretly longed for more. It thought it was funny watching the passive agressive beta male friend, secretly undermining Cain's attempts to find a mate, hoping that she'll finally see that the perfect wolf has been under her nose the whole time. It's always nice to see the nice (but sneaky) guy finally finish first.

I've pretty much stopped reading Davidson since she's gone to Hardback and Trade Paperbacks for her releases. Too much money for something that I can read in such a short amount of time. But I got lucky with Dead Over Heels and found this one used, and even better since I haven't read alot of Davidson lately these were a fun reminder of why I enjoyed the earlier "Undead" books, Sleeping with the Fishes (Fred the Mermaid, Book 1) and Derik's Bane (Berkley Sensation).

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA pop-up book begins with a roar --- almost literally. In a two-page spread that chronicles the creation of Narnia, a splendid Aslan the lion practically leaps off the page as planets swirl and flowers and plants burst into life. It's a magnificent beginning to this superb pop-up overview of Lewis's novels, with paper engineering by Robert Sabuda.

Each of Lewis's novels is given a full two-page spread, dominated by one or more fantastical, multi-dimensional pop-up creation. For THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER, for example, a sailing ship, complete with sails and rigging, bursts off the page as the mouse Reepicheep declares his courage. In other pages, fierce battles rage, a horse bounds across the landscape and a whole parade of beloved Narnia characters seem to march right out of the pages toward the reader --- and toward Aslan's Country.

The text accompanying each pop-up creation is spare, reducing the summary of each novel's plot to a handful of sentences. For example, the perennial favorite THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE is summed up as follows: "Many years later, four children enter the wardrobe and discover the snow-covered land of Narnia. They meet all kinds of magical creatures, but they find danger, too. The White Witch rules now, making it always winter but never Christmas. With Aslan's help, they break the Witch's spell and become great Kings and Queens."

This textual brevity is entirely fitting given the audience for this book, which certainly will be made up primarily of Narnia aficionados who will eagerly anticipate Sabuda's interpretation of their favorite novels. And what an interpretation it is. On the pages I've quoted above, snow-covered trees and menacing icy towers rise up majestically above pages that sparkle like new-fallen snow, where Mr. Tumnus the faun holds up his umbrella and four children emerge from a wardrobe when the reader opens a secret flap. Fans of Lewis's novels will be thrilled to find them come to life in this new way.

For years, I've given Robert Sabuda's classic pop-ups, from THE CHRISTMAS ALPHABET to THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS, as holiday presents to family and friends young and old. This year, I know I will be giving his latest masterpiece as a gift. For fans of Lewis's classic children's books, devotees of paper engineering or those who just marvel at fantasy worlds, you can't go wrong with THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA POP-UP as a gift this holiday season.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

What a delightful work of art. The mechanics and cut out art work are superb. One must understand that the pop up book depecits all the stories within Narnia. If you have the complete series as shown on BBC or have read all 3 stories by C.S. Lewis then you will be able to relate to each page. Walt Disney has only released one movie "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" so one can only connect the first pages of the book to the movie. But even if you have never seen any part or read C.S. Lewis books, this is wonderful pop up book to own. I bought one for my granddaughter and one for me.

I expect my daughter to grow up enjoying this book. It's so beautiful I will be showing it to her for a few years. My nephews looked at it and now want to see it everytime they visit. I won't let them touch it, for fear they may break it and my daughter won't get to enjoy it when she is older. I would buy it again.

I enjoy looking at this book. It is a pleasure to share with others. The art and engineering are great. I would recommend the pleasure of this book to anyone.

I bought this book for my niece but have loved it myself. The artwork is beautiful and I enjoy looking at it over and over again.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves the Chronicles of Narnia books.

I have read the entire series of the Wheel of Time and I have to say I look forward to the end. So why read it at all you ask? I do like the story, but the books are getting monotinous in the telling. I picked up The Eye of the World in 2005 out of curiousity (since I love fantasy) and got hooked on the story. I began reading the books in sequence and am about to finish Crossroads of Twilight shortly. I honestly feel that if Mr Jordan had ended the series two books ago he would have done a justice not only to his fan base but also to the story. The beginning of the last three books have been very well done, capturing the readers interest and drawing them into the plot of the book. Unfortunatly the story takes a turn for the mundane about chapter five or so in each book and doesn't pick back up until the last four or five chapters. Everything inbetween is pretty useless and could be edited down into a few chapters that keep the reader on edge and interested instead of a lot of empty filler about who is doing what and wearing which dress with what hair piece and so on and so on. Also the inner thoughts of who has the hots for who and what it makes them feel is pretty far from the original premise I found in the first three books. I guess to sum it up, this is a good book if you can muddle through the middle and concentrate on the beginning and the end. I have about three or four chapterts to go and the story is picking up as I expected. I expect the next two books (the story is supposed to end with book 12 I hear) will read much the same. I only hope the conclusion is exciting and unexpected. I can dream can't I??

Worth reading, but only to appreciate these reviews, the majority of which are infinitely better written and more entertaining than the primary source.

Is it bad that I now keep a highlighter in my hand as I read the WoT books? I go through and highlight every time someone gets their coat, cloak, shawl, dress, skirts, or stole described, is tall for a Cairhienen, is short for an Aiel, fingers their weapon, or adjusts anything. No joke, in one of the books one of the characters stops herself in mid-thought to ask herself "Who cares about dresses?" Even better than describing someone's coat, I just read a passage where he said someone wasn't wearing a coat! Hardly a page goes by that I don't have a passage to highlight. I'm actually re-reading the series just to see if it's really as bad as I've complained...and it looks like it is. I hear 11 is good. I sure hope so.

3.5 stars. The events in the beginning of this book, told from Mat, Perrin, and Elayne's perspective, occur simultaneously with the ending scene of the previous book, Winter's Heart. The last several books, beginning with A Crown of Swords, have slowed down time-wise considerably with events occurring a few days to a week after the conclusion of a prior book. Therefore, the plot also slows down, and it is still winter in the WOT world. Probably 2 years since everything unfolded in the first book, The Eye of the World.

Now, that said, what did I think of this book? I agree with many others that the plot slows to a crawl in this book. In fact, not much action occurs, not much plot development takes place (of what has been introduced already in the series) in Crossroads of Twilight.

However, that doesn't meant there isn't anything going on in this book. There are several plot threads introduced that cause interest and speculation** (**Note: I will discuss this further at the end of the review). As there are only 2 books left, (well, possibly 3 books if the final book is split into 2 volumes, but as B. Sanderson is currently at work on the final book, I can't say for sure), you can be sure that major plot-lines will be tied up in the next book or the final book. I look at the 10th book, Crossroads of Twilight, as the lull before the storm.

Everything seems boring and you can't see anything big happening that's obvious, but what new developments *does* occur is behind the scenes. It's subtle, and you have to be patient, as this book provides more clues about various characters. Sure, I love action-filled scenes as much as the next reader, but the political intrigues and twists are a big part of this world and its characters. Depicting such matters can be slow-moving, as all the players have to be set up on the chess board in such a way that will come together at the end.

If you've reached this book and haven't realized by now that this was one of Jordan's intentions for this world (that people, even when they *know* the end could be coming, they're still looking out for # 1), well I'm saying it now.LOL. The scheming, changed loyalties, questionable motives, the insular nature of people to mention a few, are all what make this fictional world fascinating to read about. For example, something called "The Game of Houses" (manipulation, plotting, and scheming of noble houses) is played to a large extent in one country, Cairhien, but to a smaller extent everywhere else as well. Saying one thing, meaning another, all in subtle tones. At one point or another, *every* character in this series has engaged in some form of manipulation and scheming, and hiding of a secret or two. Every character has a secret. Every character is more than he or she appears on the surface.

The twists and turns are intentional on the author's part, and in order to get from point A to C, you'll have to navigate the murky waters of point B to get there. That's how I view this book, it's set up and geared toward major stuff going down later on, so that is what I meant when I said this book is like the lull before the storm.

A brief summary of where the previous book, Winter's Heart, left off: An incredible feat was struck against the Shadow, with Rand and Nynaeve cleansing the Dark One's taint from saidin and the Forsaken unable to prevent this from happening, slinking away in defeat. Mat sneaks out of Seanchan-controlled Ebou Dar with his group, which includes the kidnapped heir to the Seanchan throne, Tuon (who also happens to be his future wife, not that he's pleased about that!), Perrin is on the rampage to locate his wife Faile held by the Shaido, and Elayne is in Camelyn securing her claim on the Lion Throne.

In Crossroads of Twilight most of the chapters are devoted to Perrin, Elayne, Mat, and Egwene with little of Rand (there are brief chapters told from his perspective). Winter's Heart leaves you on a cliff-hanger, after all that happened, you expect Rand to be in the front and center as you learned in Winter's Heart there were Darkfriends in the Black Tower, and that his second-in-command, Taim, in charge of the Black Tower could be a Darkfriend as he ordered Asha'man to kill Rand in book 8, The Path of Daggers. Not to mention, the fact Rand cleansed saidin.

With the other characters, Perrin is still searching for Faile, Elayne is still trying to secure the throne of Andor for herself, Egwene is still on the march with her army and trying to figure out how to get control of the White Tower and Tar Valon, and Mat has escaped from Ebou Dar and is hiding out at a traveling circus (this group will be familiar, as Nynaeve & Elayne hid in this group in book 5, Fires of Heaven).

**Despite the fact there weren't any forward developments of the plot in each of the character perspectives, I still enjoyed this book. While it's not the best book in the series, there were several plot-lines that caused me to wonder what will happen next. I love figuring out puzzles, trying to understand what the answer to various character motives, basically, what is the agenda or goal here?

For instance, a new character is introduced in the prologue chapter (he was given a brief scene in a prior book, but I didn't find importance in this character at the time), and it made me wonder what role he will or might play in the future. Another character seen before, Logain, another false Dragon, is seen planning "something" and I'm very curious to know where that plot thread will go. One of Rand's generals, Bashere, seems to have something going on the side, a secret that maybe Rand doesn't even know and makes me question his loyalties to Rand when I didn't before. He seemed to be solidly with Rand, but now it seems up in the air how loyal he is to Rand.

Those are just a few unanswered questions, new ones that have cropped up, so I don't think this book is the bust that so many are making it out to be. Yes, compared to earlier books (The Shadow Rising or The Fires of Heaven), the book is *very* slow-moving but I do think it was needed. It is the book that sets up what will come in the later books. So while the book can drag in some places, overall I enjoyed the book. One more book to go, Knife of Dreams, and then it's a long wait for the final book to be published!

The rubber soles of my shoes had touched the dusty hardwood floor of the bookstore when I had walked into the bookstore. I took one step. I took another step. And finally, I was at the white bookshelf, when I found an ounce-thick book called Crossroads of Twilight.

My fingers and the soft palm of my hand had touched the book and all the dust flew off the book as I had moved the book from the shelf all the way over to the counter. I had taken the money I needed to pay and placed it onto the wood counter. When I had gotten home, I sat down on the dark red leather couch and I opened the book and the first chapter. I had began reading all the words on the page because it was part of a story.

A week later, I had finished the book and all the thoughts were in my mind about how awful this book was. I had placed the book down on the shelf, and my mouth moved as the words came out of it about how awful it was. Then my feet had touched the floor as I walked over to the chair where my laptop was, and I placed my rear on the chair as I began to sit down and use it. Then I placed my hand on the mouse, and my fingers had touched the keys on the keyboard which typed in the adress to a website called Amazon. Words poured out onto the screen as I then began writing this review.

My four year old son is in love with this chapter series! A friend suggested it to us since he seemed ready for a more advanced reading material at bedtime. My husband reads him a chapter every night...sometimes more because they don't want to stop. It's become a great tradition for them, and something they both look forward to. We love that there are so many in the collection! Start with number 1 and just continue. :)

Tiger in trouble?

That's what Jack and Annie find when the Magic Tree House whisks them and Teddy, the enchanted dog, to a forest in India. The rare tigers are being trapped by greedy poachers! Can Jack and Annie find a way to help? Or will a fierce tiger eat them instead?

I purchased this book in order to replace a damaged book and I had no problems with the transaction and the price was great.

My 1st grader hates to put it down, he would rather read Magic Tree House books, than play video games. He even reads them to his class and explains the story for show and tell. In his kindergarten class the teacher would also let him read the Magic Tree House books out loud, not to give her a break, but to promote reading out loud. Great books!

Magic Tree House: Tigers at Twilight # 19
by Mary Pope Osborne

Would you be excited if you had a tree house that could travel through time? That's what happens to 8 year-old Jack and 7 year-old Annie in the book Tigers at Twilight #19 by Mary Pope Osborne. So far this is the best book I read in the series because a tiger gets stuck in a bear trap and the kids try to rescue it. Then, the tiger is about to attack them, but I'm not saying any more. You should read the book to find out what happens.

Jared, 9
Cunniff School
Watertown, MA

The Culture is a civilization of sentient beings, both organic and "machine" (think artificial intelligence with all the rights of intelligent life forms) based. There is no need for money except to use in less evolved cultures. The Culture doesn't even have goals of planetary conquest. They just build enormous artificial habitats in space.

But the Culture does pay attention to those other civilizations that can upset the status quo, or keep the Culture from its path to enlightenment.

In Consider Phlebas, author Iain Banks follows one small chapter in the decades long battle between the Culture and the Idirans. The Idirans have been very successful in expanding their sphere of influence, and the godless Culture is a dangerous irritant. Religious passion is an alien concept to the Culture, and their Contact branch, and the Special Circumstances division within Contact, must fight a war.

As a story within this battle, a Mind (AI) is stranded on a peculiar planet (protected for reasons unknown by a vastly powerful entity that allows no armies to approach). A team of Changers has had a historical presence on this planet, and the Idirans have one Changer loyal to them (Horza) who used to be stationed there. His mission is to return to the planet, locate the Mind (with its secrets of the Culture's technologies), and turn it over to the Idirans. The Culture simply wants to rescue one of their own, the Mind. They are confident in an eventual outcome of the war in their favor, but they recognize that the capture of the Mind will delay success for a few years. They are very analytic.

This book is the tale of Horza and his extraordinary adventures in getting to the planet hiding the Mind, and finding the Mind on the planet. The uniqueness of AI sentience, the Culture's technologies, the physiology of the Changers, and determination of the Idirans, all make this an intriguing tale and a unique sci-fi offering. Banks makes Horza a horrible person who seems to care not a wit who is hurt or killed (usually killed) in his search for the Mind, while trying to make the reader sympathetic to his life and loves. I'm not sure this works. However, what does work is the introduction of the Culture. This is the second Culture book that I've read (the first was The Player of Games). I was told they don't have to be read in any particular order, and that certainly is bearing true.

The Culture series is an exciting addition to the sci-fi literature. You'll finish that last page, close the cover, and find yourself just sitting and thinking. Isn't that what great sci-fi is all about?

The book starts interestingly, and has a very detailed world built around the story. It has several sections that have nothing to do with the story, so I believe that the author added in a few short stories to pad out the pages.

The Culture Wars is interesting, but I'm not sure if I want to continue reading about them. I may pick up the second book and see if that is a tighter story.

It was annoying to have a story that is heading in one direction detour and have pages and pages of detail about something else.

Great, great, great !! My first Banks but definitely not my last.

Hard-core SF with many plusses; incredible environment (you're there & the best ringworld/halo environment ever), great plot & theme (with turns & peoples you can not imagine & perfectly applied humor), incredible characters, (reminds me of Whedon's Firefly / Serenity) and thankfully it's a stand-alone novel (its ends but you can read further and stay in the same universe)

I'm right in the demographic that is completely nuts about star wars, but I'm not. I saw the film in 1979 on the big screen. I was eight years old. Yes, it completely blew me away, and I was obsessed with it as a kid. I still have a soft spot for the three original movies, probably because they were seen through the eyes of a young boy without much access to TV or movies in general, and a bent toward nerdy scifi/fantasy stuff.

As I got older, I saw star wars for what I think it really is. A really great space opera for its time, with great special effects, characters and costumes. But limited. The empire and the rebels are kind of cardboard. Yoda (and I realized this the first time I saw it) has the same voice as Grover. The Ewoks are just cutesy muppets. Not to diminish it, but from an adult perspective, it just doesn't scratch my itch anymore. I'm more jaded, more sophisticated, and don't want to watch a muppet with Grover's voice dispensing Jedi wisdom.

This is where the Iain Banks culture novels come in. They scratch pretty much the same itch, but in more of an adult way. First, they're hard R for violence, sex, peril, etc. Second, there are some realistic and sophisticated political machinations going on that the characters inevitable interact with. More realistic and sophisticated than rebels vs. empire- more interesting as well. Third, they have cooler races, cooler weaponry, and WAY cooler robots!

That said, there's a certain sci-fi reader that may not like this. Someone who's into, for example, Greg Bear or John Scalzi. A more sedate and "scientific" breed of reader who likes plodding, pedestrian development, characterization, and books where the good guys always win in a nicely tied up ending. Banks doesn't play that. He writes on a grandiose scale- baroque plots, nasty alien races, awesome artificial intelligences- surprises around every corner. This is the real deal.

My first read of Iain M. Banks was The Algebraist, which I quite enjoyed and thought worth 4 stars. That was until I read "Consider Phlebas", the first of the Culture novels, and found myself far more impressed and interested.

The main character, an interesting Changer with some nasty surprises for those who irritate him, is on the hunt for a Culture mind that decided to hide itself on a Planet of the Dead. Horza is commissioned by a race at war with the Culture to find it and get it. The commission goes to the dogs pretty much right from the first minute, and the book's plot is made of Horza's attempts to get at the Mind. Sadly, the Culture are also aware of it, and his mission, so that adds something extra.

The scope of the story is massively huge, and the universe Banks has created is simply boggling in its immense size and variety. The range and sheer detail of the universe is wildly cool, and this alone kept me hooked until the end.

Sometimes, Bank's turn of phrase stretched the mind as he said things in a strange or unusual way. However, for the most part, this added to the "other-worldliness" of the story. Only occassionally did it distract from the business of enjoying the adventure.

Although I gave this the same rating as "The Algebraist" in my ignorance, I do consider this to be a much better book and story. Having read this, I am no longer wondering what people see in Iain M. Banks.