Science Fiction Fantasy Books

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.

"Who will defend Redwall Abbey,
in its days of peril and strife?
The beast who shuns both armour and sword,
Torn from the simple life.
He with destiny marked on his brow,
Who walks with the banished one.
Send forth a maid to seek out the Flame,
To rule when the old Lord is gone!"

Mad Maudie
Assistant cook Mad Maudie (the Hon.) Mugsberry Thropple has been asked to go on a mission. Not only is this an important mission because the great Badger Lord Asheye of Salamandastron has asked her, but it is her last chance to redeem herself and stay in good membership with the famous Long Patrol. Despite the warnings of terrible danger, the young haremaid is more than happy to seek out a giant badger named Gorath. After all, how hard can it be? Little does she know the perils that await her and the great adventures she will encounter as she plunges into battle with the Salamandastron war cry "Eulalia-a-a-a-a-a-!".

Gorath
Afflicted with the "Bloodwrath," Gorath, a giant badger, is scarred across his forehead (Gorath the Flame) from a vicious beating by the evil pirate captain Vizka Longtooth. Gorath is bent on avenging his grandparents' deaths and saving Redwall Abbey, but he does not understand that he has been chosen by Lord Asheye to succeed him at Salamandastron. It is not until he meets the fair Salixa that he is able to see a different future for himself and the friends he has met on his journey to Redwall.

Vizka Longtooth
A handsome golden fox and Captain of the ship Bludgullet, the sly, quick-talking Vizka Longtooth creates fear and death wherever he goes. He captures the giant badger and practically kills him. When he discovers the Badger's "Bloodwrath," he decides to use it for his own purposes in his quest to conquer Redwall Abbey.

Gruntan Kurdly
The warlord Gruntan Kurdly, a brownrat of great height and girth with a "mind that was teetering on the brink of madness," loves his hard-boiled eggs and being pampered. In fact, his physical comfort is so important that he wears down his crew as they carry him from place to place and try to meet his demands. Though Kurdly proves no match in leadership to Longtooth, he and his wildly painted crew manage to create plenty of trouble for the defenders of Redwall.

Rangval the Rogue
This overactive squirrel travels with Maudie as he offers his services while she looks for Gorath. He is full of mischief but is also a great soldier. Fighting beside Maudie, he uses his wit and quickness to achieve many impossible tasks. He provides humor and a great appetite for the delicious foods offered at the Abbey and from Maudie's limited menus on the road. Maudie's little troop soon comes to appreciate this wild and wacky little guy.

Orkwil Prink
Orkwil Prink is just a young hedgehog, but because of his propensity toward stealing things, he has been forced to leave the Abbey. Though good-hearted, Orkwil simply cannot help himself when it comes to "borrowing" things from his friends. In an attempt to teach the feisty hedgehog a lesson, he has been told to stay away from the Abbey for a whole season. Though he leaves in disgrace, Orkwil will become a great hero in the battles that threaten the Abbey and his friends. Orkwil, Maudie, Rangval and Gorath will find their paths crossing in most spectacular ways.

Author Brian Jacques again creates the fresh, unforgettable characters who abound in the world of Redwall. Badgers, otters, weasels, squirrels, shrews, mice, rabbits and rats are given even better definition with the fine drawings of David Elliot. An excellent map of the woods and plains surrounding the Abbey helps follow the travelers as they move toward the great climactic battle outside of Redwall. EULALIA! is yet another delightful tale to be enjoyed by the many fans of this series. For those who haven't read these books, what a treat they have in store!

--- Reviewed by Sally M. Tibbetts

in my oppinion this book is one of the most action packed books i have ever read. it is a outstanding book full of friendship and bravery. yet again brian jacques catured my attention inthis thrilling tale of redwall abbey and salamandastron. i recommend this book to anyone who loves action.

I enjoyed this book. It was based on the tried and true formula that made Brian Jacques so popular and it is always interesting to see previous characters and locations included in the storyline.

I have read nearly all of Brian Jacques' books, and this one gets my vote for best! It is full of surprises, action, and cliffhangers. Even so, I was never hanging on those cliffs for more than an hour, I just couldn't get away from that book.

I have been an avid Redwall reader ever since I found Mossflower in my school library in grade six. I was immediately taken with the series. so when I got Eulalia! I was thrilled. Do not listen to 1 star reveiwers on this or any other Redwall book. They will tell you the series has worn itself out. I say different.

Sure, there are repetitive instances such as there being a rat in Mossflower who has the same name of another rat in Lord Brocktree, but the main stories are vastly different to each other.

I had to take points off this book because of some repetitiveness like the slight overuse of the Badger's bloodwrath in every book and Vizka Longtooth trying to dig his way into Redwall. Vizka was the second vermin to try that. Cluny the Scourge tried that in the first Redwall book. He succeded but if I remember correctly he was stopped by the Redwallers pouring caoldrons of hot porridge among his troops. Vizka did not succeed but the idea was the same.

I will not reveal too much of the plot now because you might want to read it yourself. but take my word for it: great book, great author, great series. Mossflower (Redwall, Prequel to the Redwall Series)
Lord Brocktree (Redwall, Book 13)
Redwall (Redwall, Book 1)
Redwall, Mossflower, Mattimeo, Mariel of Redwall,Salamandastron, Martin the Warrior, Bellmaker, Outcast of Redwall, Pearls of Lutra, Long Patrol, Marlfox, Legend of Luke, Lord Brocktree, Taggerung, Triss, Loamhedge, Rakkety Tam, High Rhulain (Redwall, 1...

Darcy Smith is a bartender among several other jobs. She does these just to stay afloat; having not finished high school, good jobs are hard to come by. She does what she needs to, to survive. Having been in foster care since a baby, she'd been moved less than every two years, coming to believe herself a freak. finally running away as an early teen. She isn't like normal people. When she gets hurt, she heals two quickly to be human. She's stronger and faster than a normal human. At age eighteen, she stopped aging. She believes she's a freak. And for that reason, doesn't let anyone close to her - no meaningful friendships, no meaningful relationships. She's alone - and until she can figure out why she is the way she is, prefers it that way.

Styx has a problem. Seems the prince of weres is in Chicago, where he isn't supposed to be. He's outside his hunting territory, and Styx wants to know why. News travels, and Styx finds out he's after a girl - Darcy Smith. He plans to get to her first and use her as a hostage, and as a bargaining chip with Salvatore. What he didn't plan on was wanting Darcy for himself. And just when Salvatore almost has his hands on her, Styx beats him to it.

Salvatore Guiliani is desparate. Turns out, Darcy is one of four missing sisters, all who had gone missing shortly after birth and believed to have been sold on the black market. Their DNA had been `toyed' with, which surpresses the wanting/needing to shift. The weres need Darcy and her sisters because of it. Having been forced by the vampires to boundaries is slowly killing their race. Purebloods are almost non-existint, as are curs, and if they have Darcy and her sisters, who's shifting has been surpressed, they'd be able to carry children full term, replenishing their race.

Styx treats her wonderfully, never making her feel like a hostage or a bargaining chip. He cares for her a great deal - Darcy feels a kinship with him, can feel his loneliness. When Darcy finds out that Salvatore wants nothing more than a breeder, the thought sickens her stomach. And she won't be pushed, for she's fallen in love with Styx, and no one, not even the mother she never knew she had, can change her mind or heart, regardless if she is a were...

Oh, did I like this one. I adore the series and can't wait to get my hands on the next novel. While is seems that most men have that caveman attitude, Styx learns quickly that Darcy will not be pushed around. She isn't one to be told what to do. Believing she is human, he thinks her fragile and vulnerable, until Darcy shows him otherwise.

She doesn't back down from an argument, and gives as good as she gets. Styx isn't used to that. He'd lived the life of a monk for so long, celibacy and all, and is finding the stirrings of desire in him fresh and new. Darcy surprises him more and more, and what surprise could be the biggest ... when they end up mated.

I loved watching Darcy and Styx fall for each other. It was the sweetest thing. Action scenes where well written and spaced, love scenes erotic enough to make any reader hot under the collar and breathless. The author has a way with her descriptions of sucking (no pun intended) you into the story and you'll have a hard time letting go. I think the best part was when Darcy managed to convince both Styx and Salvatore that everything can work out if they compromised, teaching them both a lesson. This novel sets up the next few novels in the story really well. Truly a series in the paranormal romance genre you don't want to miss.

Styx was only just more interesting than Dante in book 1. But there was a lot more that could have been done with this...it did not deliver based on his build up in book #2. This did not deliver like that book did with Viper and Shay.

This was kinda flat against expectations..for him to be such a serious awesome warrior and the king of vampires, it felt like the soda was flat in the bottle.


On a scale 1 to 5, Five is Best:

Villian: 3.2
Plot: 3
Creativity: 2.9
Uniqueness: 3
Humor: 0
Bringing the sexy: 2.7
Passion: 2 stars
Laughs & Amusement factor: 0
Silly Whiners who get on your nerves: 0
Lazy Author repeating too much prior chapters:0

Last year I stumbled across this author by a friend loaning me her book. Wow. I've loved the two first books in this series. Ivy can actually combine humor (I actually laugh out loud once in awhile) with suspense. This book did not disappoint. I hope she continues this series, at least until it is no longer fresh. I love her style of writing.

I love all of this author's books. I can't wait for the next Guardians of Eternity book!

Great book.. Keeps you reading so you can see what is going to happen in the end..can't wait for the next Guardians of Eternity book to come out.

Taylor is back in fine form.


After an introductory altercation at Walker's request, with a man with a powerful artefact, John Taylor is put on the trail of a man who apparently has a DVD of evidence of the afterlife.

After this, Taylor (and succubus reporter sidekick from the Nightside tabloid that is employing him) go out and do what Taylor does best.

Green continues to come up with new and bizarre Nightside residents and visitors with cages for John to rattle.

As long as he can make it past the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Another good entry in the series.


3.5 out of 5

Hi,
I love Simon Green's Nightside series because he comes up with something ne all the time. This series is original and captivating, bring you head first into a place of crazy, creepy people. There are always suprises and John Taylor(aka the main character) is Wonderful and mysterious. Everything tends to connect during his books in the weirdest of ways and, sometimes, the good guy wins! :)
Hope you all enjoy!

This was a good read, but like the rest of the series some what short. Nice for a good quick fun and exciting read. The romance was funny and entertaining.

Green is always entretaining, but the last two books of the nightside felt like they were written at the same time and he just changed a few things. Basically the same plot, just the thing he was looking for changed. It is a shame because I have always enjoyed his books, hopefully he will give us something fresh next time.

THE UNNATURAL INQUIRER (Para. Mystery-John Taylor-Nightside) - G
Green, Simon R - 8th in series
Ace, 2008, US Hardcover - ISBN: 9780441015580

First Sentence: One of the many problems with working as a private eye, not counting all the many people who want to kill you, often for perfectly good reasons, is that you have to wait for the work to come to you.

PI John Taylor has been hired by Nightside's gossip newpaper, The Unnatural Inquirer. Pen Donavon, who claims to have received a television broadcast showing evidence of the Afterlife. Pen burned the broadcast to DVD, offered exclusive rights to the newspaper, and then disappeared. Taylor, with Inquirer reporter Bettie Divine by his side, is to find Donavon and the DVD.

There are a lot of other very dangerous and ugly beings after the disk and out to stop Taylor along the way.

There is a lot of very descriptive violence in this book. There is also humor and Green's outrageous imagination that keeps me coming back to the Nightside.

This was not my favorite of the series. Bettie is too mild a character to make her really interesting. Shotgun Susie only has a minor role and the other characters come and go so quickly, the book lacks the element of suspense and real horror which makes the offsetting humor work so well.

Even so, I shall still return to the Nightside.

I enjoyed the first Fairyopolis and hope that my one year old daughter will enjoy them someday as well. I agree with the other reviewer that this series is an obvious rip-off of the Lady Cottington series, but the Spiderwick Field Guide is as well, and is absolutely adorable. A whole new genre seems to have emerged, such as that used in the Piratology book, etc, etc. The problem with this book is, I think, that the actual artist/author had absolutely no input (obviously, since she passed away years ago) and the publisher of this book has basically just used her artwork to create a rather dull story. It seems rather slap-dash, with really no thought put in to the story or the 3-D extras. They could've done much better. Perhaps someone had a deadline that had to be met? I would've gladly paid an extra $5 to $10 for more substance. That said, the artwork is still beautiful and the last two pages are fantastic!

I enjoyed this book just as much as the first one. It is done in very much the same vein and is a treat for the eyes. I love sharing it with my granddaughter.

Lovely book for big and little girls.

Very good price and arrived well packed and speedily.

This book is beautiful. Hides many secrets for you to find and my 10 year old loves it. I would give one as a gift to anyone who likes fairies.

They have done it again, another theft from the ideas of better authors and publishers. The author/editors of Fairyopolis have clearly poured over Brian Froud's Lady Cottington series (especially the latest volume which includes numerous letters) and what a surprise! They have produced a book with a very similar conceit: a girl desirous to see something of the otherworld who writes to beloved mentors; letters, notes, marginalia, receipts and etc. included. Bravo, Fairyopolis! Another rip-off. Though I have a large collection of every possible book you can imagine on Faeries, I refuse to purchase books from this publisher who merely wait until better writers publish something, only to then copy their innovation in the most simplistic way. A poor lesson for children of any age. Barker's art remains lovely, too bad the family didn't keep up the copyright that would have prevent this publisher from using her art in such a shoddy way.

PS, what in the world does "Fairyopolis mean?? Are they aware "polis" means " a city-state"? What can that possibly have to do with fairies?? Why didn't they call it Fairyology? Oh wait...someone else was already using the Ology name to make far better books. Better to create an absurd name, but then copy someone elses style and concept. Well done, Fairyopolis.

THE LEGEND OF DRIZZT BOXED BOOKS 1V-V1 WAS PURCHASED FOR MY GRANDSON FOR HIS BIRTHDAY. IT ARRIVED WHENIT WAS SUPPOSED TO, WAS PACKAGED VERY GOOD, AND IN EXCELLANT CONDITION

I absolutely love all these books, they are an easy read, salvatore doesn't waste time on insignificant details like alot of other authors. However I am almost done reading The Halflings Gem so I'm ready for the next box set please! anyone know when that will come out?

This is the first time I have read fantasy and I am soooo glad my mother talked me into reading this series. I have not had this much fun reading about a character like Drizzt in so long...R.A.Salvatore did a a wonderful job with this series and I really look forward to finishing the rest of the books...

I like the illustration of this version better than the previously published ones. However, the font tends to be very small and it takes some getting-used-to.

Well, heck, if this isn't just one of the cutest things I had ever had the pleasure of reading. Yes, I have read Ms. Osborne before, but I was still sadly wary of a book like this. How surprised I was to see her skill put into an excellent and educational fantasy that works wonderfully for the kids? My first-graders (at least the ones with the capability of listening to longer books) were entranced, and I have to admit that the tight, creative plot had me absorbed, as well. I realized shortly though that "The Magic Tree House" is best read serially, but this still was perfectly understandable on its own. Great job!

When I first suggested this book to my four year old she exclaimed "Where are the pictures?" I told her that she could create her own in her imagination and she sure did!
We both enjoyed this book and look forward to more of the series.

"The Blizzard of the Blue Moon" is a very good book. We have a 10 year old Autistic grandson who did not like to read. We started reading for 20 minutes every day and sometimes longer because he wanted to find out what would happen next. During the holidays, he read 3 of the Magic Treehouse books! I like this book and the series because Mary Pope Osborne weaves historical facts that we can discuss together, in her fictional books. I am so happy that there are many books in the Magic Treehouse series, and we look forward to the next new book in March! Thank you, Mrs. Osborne, for helping our grandson become very enthusiastic about reading!

This book is about two kids named Jack and Annie who have a magic tree house. They have a mission to find a magic animal, but it is snowing really bad. They meet a giant who plays the weather band. Teddy and Kathleen help them. They think the magic animal is at the zoo, but is it?
The magic animal's powers may go away forever! Will they find the magic animal? Will it keep its powers? Find out in the book, Blizzard of the Blue Moon!

I read this wonderful book to myself the day I got it. I was thrileed and couldn't wait for the next book to come out. It takes place in New York City in 1938 during the Great Depression. jack and Annie have to find a unicorn. But how will they find one in a big city? Finally Jack and Annie find the unicorn, whose name is Dianthus. But just then two teenagers named Balor and Grinda burst in and try and take Dianthus. Jack and Annie escape with the unicorn, and stop in Central Park. There, Balor and Grinda show up, and Annie recites her favorite magic rhyme, Turn Into Ducks. Balor and Grinda turn into ducks.

Teddy and Kathleen, Merlin and Morgan, show up and the two other teenagers ride Dianthus home to Camelot. Jack and Annie travel home in the Magic Tree House, and merlin and Morgan take a ride around New York City.

For ANY fans of the magic tree house, MAGIC TREE HOUSE #36: BLIZZARD OF THE BLUE MOON, I reccomend you read this wonderful book. You will be so surprised that you read this book over and over again!

Brian & KJA got out from their feverish imagination that they are the thinking machines: "Omnius" & "Erasmus":

From Chapterhouse Dune:
"You deliberately let them get away, Daniel!"

The old woman rubbed her hands down the stained front of her garden apron. It was a summer morning around her, flowers blooming, birds calling from nearby trees. There was a misty look to the sky, a yellow radiance near the horizon.

"Now, Marty, it was not deliberate," Daniel said. He took off his porkpie hat and rubbed the bushy stubble of gray hair before replacing the hat. "He surprised me. I knew he saw us but I didn't suspect he saw the net."

"And I had such a nice planet picked out for them," Marty said. "One of the best. A real test of their abilities."

"No use moaning about it," Daniel said. "They're where we can't touch them now. He was spread so thin, though, I expected to catch him easy."

"They had a Tleilaxu Master, too," Marty said. "I saw him when they went under the net. I would have so liked to study another Master."

"Don't see why. Always whistling at us, always making it necessary to stomp them down. I don't like treating Masters that way and you know it! If it weren't for them . . ."

"They're not gods, Daniel."

"Neither are we."

"I still think you let them escape. You're so anxious to prune your roses!"

"What would you have said to the Master, anyway?" Daniel asked.

"I was going to joke when he asked who we were. They always ask that. I was going to say: 'What did you expect, God Himself with a flowing beard?' "

Daniel chuckled. "That would've been funny. They have such a hard time accepting that Face Dancers can be independent of them."

"I don't see why. It's a natural consequence. They gave us the power to absorb the memories and experiences of other people. Gather enough of those and . . ."

"It's personas we take, Marty."

"Whatever. The Masters should've known we would gather enough of them one day to make our own decisions about our own future."

"And theirs?"

"Oh, I'd have apologized to him after putting him in his place. You can do just so much managing of others, isn't that right, Daniel?"

"When you get that look on your face, Marty, I go prune my roses." He went back to a line of bushes with verdant leaves and black blooms as large as his head.

Marty called after him: "Gather up enough people and you get a big ball of knowledge, Daniel! That's what I'd have told him. And those Bene Gesserit in that ship! I'd have told them how many of them I have. Ever notice how alienated they feel when we peek at them?"

Daniel bent to his black roses.

She stared after him, hands on her hips.

"Not to mention Mentats," he said. "There were two of them on that ship-both gholas. You want to play with them?"

"The Masters always try to control them, too," she said.

"That Master is going to have trouble if he tries to mess with that big one," Daniel said, snipping off a ground shoot from the root stock of his roses. "My, this is a pretty one."

"Mentats, too!" Marty called. "I'd have told them. Dime a dozen, they are."

"Dimes? I don't think they'd have understood that, Marty. The Reverend Mothers, yes, but not that big Mentat. He didn't thin out that far back."

"You know what you let get away, Daniel?" she demanded, coming up beside him. "That Master had a nullentropy tube in his chest. Full of ghola cells, too!"

"I saw it."

"That's why you let them get away!"

"Didn't let them." His pruning shears went snick-snick. "Gholas. He's welcome to them."

*SPOILERS are included in this review*

By recommendation from a friend, I sat down at read this book though I had zero expectations (after tromping through all of the Bulterian Jihad trilogy). Unfortunately, this novel is by far the worst BH/JKA material out there--except for the next in the series. My problems:

1.) All old characters from Frank Herbert and BH/JKA novels are resurrected because they couldn't think of anything else to do. They're also all flat, undeveloped, and thrown out as if necessary to get the plot rolling. I guess they thought old friend Atreides were quick fixes.
2.) There is absolutely no deep philosophical reading in this. Okay, Frank Herbert's novels after God Emperor were a little tedious with philosophy, but you can't have a Dune book without some universal truths being discussed in religion, politics, life, etc. There would at least be some meat in the book.
3.) The writing style was horrible. It was stilted, stiff, and flat. If this book went through the reading systems, it would probably crank out at 4th-5th grade level language-wise.
4.) No plot. No plot. No plot. People talk, some things happen, but there's no plot. Okay, so we get to meet our great adversaries finally, but when I realized who they were, I was floored by how horribly predictable it turned out to be and BH/KJA's audacity to incorporate those characters as antagonists.
5.) Everything else that was wrong. Which was a lot. Really.

There is only one highlight in this novel, and it's a Leto II/worm reference. I actually smiled when I read it.

If you loved Frank Herbert's Dune series, don't pick this up. It'll put a bad taste in your mouth. If you aren't a big Dune fanatic, you probably won't want to read this anyway because Frank Herbert's implied attachment to the novel is its only selling point.

YOU HAVE GOT TO READ THIS BOOK! If you love the original Dune series- you will love this.

This is the first of the Dune books by Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson that I have read. It's an OK read, which continues the story from Chapterhouse Dune, and leaves the stage set for the suposedly Final episode to follow. However, any reader who is closely familiar with the original Dune series by Frank Herbert will recognize that this book is nowhwere near the same quality of work. They give it a good try, but there's just no substitute for the genuine article.

I suffered through the six prequels, each time wondering why in the world I keep subjecting myself to such utter crap. I guess I was thinking even badly written Dune is better than no Dune.

I had vowed never to throw more of my hard earned money at these two clowns after Battle of Corrin. But, alas, I saw Hunters in the used books bin at the local library for 50 cents, and in a moment of weakness, I picked it up..I wanted to kick myself for buying it, because I fully expected yet another disappointing read.

So with those thoughts in mind, I cracked open Hunters and soon realized.... I LIKED it!!!! They must have truly been following Frank Herbert's original manuscripts, because the writing style was much closer to that of the original novels. The introspective writing gave the characters the depth I so missed from the originals, the storyline was plausible, tightly written and kept me turning the pages. It was refreshing to not have to read endless pages of graphic violence that seemed to be there simply for it's own sake.

This felt like a Dune novel, what I've been waiting for for over 20 years.

The book isn't without flaws, it was fairly easy to tell when BH and KJA wandered off the path and injected their own plot elements. The abrupt way that Murbella discovered the origins of the Honored Matres was a bit clumsy, and the Handlers seemed a little hokey to me. But overall it was a pretty good read.

The Rapture and biblical prophecy are fascinating subjects that could be the basis for a roller coaster modern story. Unfortunately the authors dilute the potential with long, boring, inconsequential text. I trudged through the first 2 books, then finally threw in the towel on the 3rd after reading a *chapter* describing a traffic jam! The best of this series could be distilled to just a few books but, keeping with the theme, it's already too late...

To be honest, I don't quite understand the hype. There are many books better written than this series out there, yet people--even those who usually don't enjoy reading--flock to the series. It is understandable since it is a controversial topic, however it's troublesome that people actually take these books as a description of what's to come.
I'm no theologian, and I personally am a panmillenniest (it'll all pan-out in the end so to speak), but the interpretation promoted in the Left Behind Series is, in many ways, a Baptist phenomenon popular (generally) in the United States. While I'm not saying this is wrong--because, let's be honest, interpreting Revelation varies incredibly--it's important to note that this isn't the view subscribed to by most of the World. However, at least in Nicolae, the writers appear to assume (or want us to assume) that those who don't believe Revelation is to be taken 100% literally don't have ears to hear or eyes to see.
That being said, the composition isn't incredible. Sentence structure is, at times, very awkward and forced. The storyline isn't bad, though I didn't feel much attachment to characters (admittedly, it'd been awhile since I picked up either Left Behind or Tribulation Force) and, for a book as long as it was, didn't see a lot of character development.
Positives: some funny moments and a few interested steps forward in watching a man take over a willingly tyrannized world.

I read the whole series, I love it! I heard they came out with a 13th book, I'm not going to read it. Sometimes the show has to end.

From the moment I started reading this series, I was hooked. With each chapther I found myself more and more intriqued. Every book is an enthralling installment in the Left Behind series... and Nicolae was probably the best one Ive read yet. It's exploding with action and suspense, tying scripture with fiction. I highly recommend the series. Cant wait to read the 4th one, Soul Harvest.

Well I finally dragged thru the second book. #3 is a much more faster paced book, but I was expecting to learn more about Nicolae since this is the name of the book. It was more about the adventures of Buck, who seems to always get into stuff, but always makes it out. It is interesting to read how he does it. I am getting about sick of Chloe though, she's always nagging, whining, worrying and calling Buck at the most inappropriate times. Other than that a good read!