Science Fiction Fantasy Books

I just finished the 3rd book in the series-Chosen-and I have to warn you.
It's an intertaining story; however, MANY of the books characters are poorly undeveloped. The "twins" are too much alike and have no real personality of their own, and you hardly ever hear from Erin. The story itself takes place over the course of 2-3 months (that's ALL 3 books.) And yet these people she meets are her best friends right away, but once Zoey runs into some problems they turn on her. Then the nastiest character ends up being more of a friend then the rest of them.
The guys are all 3 the same, and fall for Zoey sooo fast for no reason. I thought there would be a lot more to Erik Night and was totaly let down. Zoey starts of telling Erik how "I'm not that kind of girl," and then she ends up being "that kind of girl," with 3 diff. guys!! Don't get me wrong, Zoey is a likable girl and even relatable, but for a smart girl, she sure is dumb! And then there is the whole repetitive problem...after the first book-Marked-the other two books repeat almost everything over in the fist half of the books!! I don't know about you, but if i need THAT much of a recap, then I can just go back to books 1 and 2!!...GET ON WITH THE STORY! lastly, I really feel that the books should span a much longer deration of time; all of book 2 takes place in a matter of a week. Come on, give us some more time with the characters, let ginuine love and trust, and friendship develop for a while longer so that the things that happen between the charachters is more beleivable.

In the beginning of this series I was a little worried but each book has drawn me in. Definitely a good read for this genre.

Okay I tried to like this book. I'm young at heart and enjoy a good high school story, but this one has a some glaring problems that I could not get past.

1. There are more run-on sentences and typos in this book than I have ever seen in a professionally published novel. Two sentences cannot be hooked together with just a conjunction. The comma is not optional. This mistake is nearly on every page of the book, at least every other page.

2. It is never okay to portray a student having sex with a teacher as a good, exciting thing. This book is listed as a teen novel. What worse message can you send than it's exciting and wonderful to get physically involved with the teacher? I'm no prude, but it's not cool for a young high school girl to make out with an adult male teacher. It's not even legal.

3. Zoey is a spoiled and unlikeable character. She'll make out with anyone with lips, and we're supposed to think it's okay bc she has a fleeting moment of guilt? Wrong. She's spoiled and cruel. If a guy were physically involved with 3 or more women at the same time he'd be portrayed as a player and a jerk, not a hero. It's not okay to toy with people's emotions in a relationship by cheating on them, and it's not okay to describe it as a fun thing. If it happened in the book with the attitude that it was a bad thing, then it would be different. Honestly if a guy were playing Zoey like she is playing them, wouldn't we hate the guy? Then how can we like Zoey without having a sexist double standard? In fact the only redeemable trait I can find for Zoey is that she wants to help Stevie Rae. That's just not enough for me. Who wouldn't want to help a friend in an extreme circumstance?

4. Zoey's grandmother was the most likable person in the book for me up until when she became a hypocrite. She seems to be an open-minded accepting person bc she is kind to Zoey when her mother is not. However she is angry with Zoey's mother and step-father bc they won't accept Zoey's religion, but then she makes a blanket comment about Christianity's main tenant being that things that are different are evil. I don't doubt that many people claiming to be Christians behave this way, but there are idiots in every religion. The main tenant of Christianity is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Love your neighbor as yourself.) That seems pretty tolerant of everyone to me. I KNOW many people don't follow this, but if they don't they're not really a Christian at all. You can't criticize someone for being intolerant of your religion while making a snarky, incorrect, generalization about another. It is hypocrisy, and characters that we are supposed to love should not be hypocrites. I'm all about tolerance, but it needs to be tolerance for all, not just those that you personally like.

5. The twins behaving like they're in a Doublemint gum commercial for the entire story also drove me crazy.

6. Every guy is described in the same way. They're all tall and drop-dead gorgeous. It's like they're all mannequins from the same department store, except for the one Christian male in the story. Characters need to be diverse, and love has to be based on more than being gorgeous. Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with beautiful characters, but they can't be cardboard cutouts. Each needs to be unique, and if they're a romantic lead they need to have other admirable traits besides being Zoey's lapdogs (or how's about a personality?). In this book it's one cardboard cutout that's been xeroxed a few times.

I can enjoy a great dark story provided that it's well-written, with likable characters, and a good message. Even the most brutal tragedy can have a good overall message. Chosen, however, had none of these details for me. I'm sorry to leave a book a one star review, but I can't bring myself to rate it any higher.

This saga has been quite consistent. To be honest, I fell in love with Twilight but New Moon and Eclipse broke my heart and Breaking Dawn was a painful read; I almost killed myself. But this series continues to provide me a consistent stream of entertainment since it didn't get my hopes up that high and then shatter it. This book is adequate but a good read none the less. I think this one is not as good as Betrayed though. but yey, go zoey get that neferet!

I read the reviews on this book before I bought it and was really surprised at the number of people that didn't like it since the previous books were so awesome. I am even more surprised now that I have read the book because I think it complements the series extremely well. Zoey is not perfect and neither are her friends. Throughout the book I kept asking myself what would I do if I was in Zoey's shoes and I never did come up with an answer. She has to make extremely tough decisions and as such, she becomes a stronger and wiser "fledging". A reoccurring theme in the book is forgiveness so I feel that although the ending left you hanging and was more somber than the others have been, you still feel the hope of a better tomorrow for book 4.

Have used Amazon.com in the past with great satisfaction. This experience was highly disappointing. When initially ordering the 6 book boxed set of Harry Potter books, I ATTEMPTED ordering with a NO CHARGE for shipping. I understood delivery would be slightly longer and did not object. The problem started when I tried to check out. Amazon.com had my credit card info from prior purchases yet when attempting to complete my checkout, I was not able to pull up my account info. Since the info did not appear, I assumed the order was not completed. I then tried a second time to order and this time somehow was successful? in placing and completing the order. This is where my frustration and disappointment begins. I was being charged over $11.00 for a RUSH delivery which was not necessary. Next I receive 2 confirmations for my single order. I attempted obviously unsuccessfully to cancel the RUSH delivery, but somehow was still not able to. I now have 2 sets of the same books and have now incurred more than double the cost of 1 set. I also read that cancellation cannot occur once delivery has been sent. I have no idea where my 3 emails went pleading my dilemma and requesting cancellation and a credit for the RUSH delivery set nor do I understand why my previous transactions were flawless and this one HORRIFIC. As delighted as I've been with reading the books, I still have an UNOPENED set that I've been charged for and do not feel confident any longer that I can rely on or trust Amazon.com for any future ordering. Ideal customer service would accept my returning the unopened set of books and crediting me this expense. If this should occur, then I could continue doing business with Amazon.com.

Fran Larson

Books arrived promptly in a sturdy box for shelf storage. Particularly nice binding on books.

These are very entertaining books: both kids and adults would like them. Of course, it would be nice if book 7 was included in the series, but I don't think it is in paperback yet. My only complaint was that the set took quite some time to arrive.

This series is an amazing series, one of the best, although i do have another series which i think is the best, It is not because these books arent as good, becasue they are perfect for all ages. MY favorite book series is about what intrests me most. I hope that makes since. This is a great story. It never gets old. For me, i have it in audio, and well im addicted. Like some people listen to music while working on something, i listen to harry potter. LOL. Not that i do that for all books. I can do that because i know the story so well. If it was a new audio book to me i would have to give it all of my attention. HP is like a great song that sticks in you head. I can easliy focus on what im doing, without needing to give the story much attention and still follow along. I'm not suggesting that you do this, but it improves my vocabulary, reading speed, etc. Harry Potter are great books. These are 5th grade books, which that does help toward me not needing to give it much attention. I simply think it is a must see and own.

The box set came to me quick and in mint condition! I really couldn't have asked for a better transaction! The books arrived well within the given arrival dates, and were obviously brand-new, or atleast unopened! I am very happy with this dealer and would not hesitate to purchase for them again in the future.

I have recommended this book to everyone around me. Though the story was only so-so, the beauty of how it was written made this a must-read.

What are you waiting for? Read it!!!

If you are looking for a fascinating plot, The Handmaid's Tale might not be for you. In re-creating her dystopic, monotonous world, the typical event structure of novels is sacrificed. The setting and characters, however, are incredibly well-thought-out and detailed. From clothing to titles to shopping methods to coming-of-age ceremonies, Atwood has left nothing out. There is no real beginning, and no real ending either--just a slow march of pages (indeed, there are at least three chapters entitled "Night") that still keep you enraptured and horrified.

While a fascinating book, The Handmaid's Tale is an exercise in imagination and thus might not be for everyone. However, if you have an interest in women's issues, this book is almost required reading.

I enjoyed this book. It could be deeply thought provoking or just a great story. I simply liked the "what could happen if..." prospective.

"Offred" tells the tale of many characters and how they find their way. It shows everyone has their unhappiness is life, but there are slices of happiness too.

Set in current times it has the feel of history....and maybe that's what swept me in.

I'm fascinated by the reviews that indicate this book is now assigned in English Lit classes. That alone is testament for reading this book. I read it for the first time nearly twenty years ago. As an avid reader, and a re-reader - it stills stands out for it's unique concept and characters - regardless of your political beliefs (and given when it was written - I'd encourage even younger readers to be a bit less skeptical about it's political agenda).Well-executed "what if" concepts with characters you care about can be hard to come by.

This is a book that intrigued me from beginning to end--- twice. Having seen the movie (a huge dissappointment - that reflects 1/1000th of the book) and read other Atwood books (thinking - way back when - that I'd discovered a great new writer) I unequivocably recommend this book - and urge you to avoid the movie and not have such great expectations for her other works.

If you find you like delving into a unique, character driven "what if" scenario (though these will probably not get recommended for English Lit class) ---- I also recommend Through Violet Eyes, The Time Traveler's Wife] and [[ASIN:0316068047 The Host: A Novel.

An interesting read from Margaret Atwood.

This is definitely a story noire, set in the not too distant future in a dictatorial, 'Orwellian' society . Life is a struggle and one does whatever one has to do, just to get by. And whatever one has to do just to get by, is usually controlled by the state.

I like Margaret Atwood's style of story telling; she takes a decidedly different plot and surrounds it with interesting characters and circumstances. As with most of her books, there are a few twists and turns along the way to keep you on your toes.

Conclusion:
Not a particularly happy story, but intriguing enough to keep the pages turning, IF, you don't mind a somewhat Draconian tale right out of "1984". If you can deal with the subject matter at hand and if you like Atwood's style, you'll enjoy (or at least appreciate) 'The Handmaid's Tale'.

Ray Nicholson

The premise of the book is what we all wonder about as we are going to sleep. What would you change if you could live your life over? Replay provides you the wisdom of deciphering how to live this life with proper persepctive. This read could be a text book for a class in Phsych. Someone needs to make this into a movie...

This is probably the most interesting book I've ever read. I could not put it down. I consider it more of the mystery/thriller genre.

I was interested in this book after hearing a review on PRI and thought the it might have a profound plot. As I began reading the story seemed quite shallow but as I kept reading it slowly became more and more deeply involved in some serious thought.
The tale is interesting and causes one to think about one's own life and what he/she coulda, woulda, shoulda done with it.
The plot moves right along without a lot of description of "scenery." The dialog is to the point and helps keep the story moving ahead.
It was a "good" read.

This time travel (sort of) novel was an unexpected pleasure. An absolutely ordinary, out-of-shape, going nowhere guy named Jeff Winston has a heart attack at his desk and dies. But he awakes suddenly--in his life of 25 years before. Replay is the story of his several lives--a life where money is the sole object, a life where Jeff's only child is his focus, a life of solitude in the mountains. What Jeff learns in his unique journey through time is the point of Greenwood's novel.

This book is quite different from the usual time/travel science fare. It's really a story of time and how we spend it, our goals and priorities, what makes life worth living. For that reason, plus numerous historical references to the 1963-1988 time period, teens might find it a bit tedious, but I loved it.
Highly recommended.

I can't really say much that others haven't done before--and better--aside from stating that this is a perfect book in every way. Grimwood has an astonishing talent for balancing rich narrative detail with concision; I can't imagine anyone else who could condense an entire lifetime into a single chapter without losing one iota of flavor of the characters or their environment. This is a model every writer should emulate.

The story itself is equally superb: by turns poignant, disturbing (for he doesn't shy away from the uncomfortable possibilities of reliving one's life), nostalgic, surprising (I was caught off-guard again and again), and always compassionate.

An absolute must-read.

Yet another perfectly crafted authoritarian horror story, reminiscent of Brave New World or 1984. Plotting, pacing, artwork, all top notch. A must read for everyone.

If you encountered the movie first and are merely following up on the book, keep one thing in mind. This is how the story was originally intended.

Initially, when I read that Alan Moore was not happy about how the movie turned out, I was puzzled. However, after going back and reading this original Graphic Novel, I now understand why. The movie (while providing for it's intended effect) leaves a multitude of things out.

The story is much more complicated and the characters are provided much more depth herein. In fact, anarchy aside, I would say that this graphic novel is a completely different story. It's a must grab.

Is the warning of this classic tale all that far off from the big brother induced haze some of the west is seeping into currently? A must read.

I find myself more compelled to write this review based upon Mr. Bernabo's "insightful review". He claims that fascism means that "the ends justify the means". Well...not exactly. That is more Machiavelli than anything else. Fascism simply means that the state is put above else; one must have a religious-like admiration for their country to qualify as fascist. An anarchist can believe that their ends justify the means (i.e. killing innocents to ensure chaos) just as a statist can believe the same thing (much more noticeable, as many fasicsts/communists have killed to maintain their order).
Okay, with that aside, let me just say that this is a good work. It portrays a direct contrast between anarchy and totalitarianism, with the extreme V representing the former and Adam Susan as a symbol of the latter. We are reflected by Evey Hammond, who is able through her journey to make her own mind about it all, and who we are meant to sympathize with.
Ultimately, as much as I dislike Alan Moore (and believe him to be highly overrated, seriously comic-book nerds, go read Moby-Dick or something) this is a fine work. If at least it makes you pause and think about our world, even if you dismiss the ideas afterward, it has accomplished one of its goals.

The V for Vendetta Graphic Novel is an astounding book. It is the depiction of the movie (if you watched it first like I did) and it is a more in-depth look at Codename V. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of: V for Vendetta the motion picture, graphic novels, or even comic books. (since it so closely relates to one)

To be cliche this book is thought provoking. I'll admit zombies are a far cry from reality, but then again you never know. But the subject matter does bring into sharp clarity the fact that we as a civilization are too complacent, slow to act and to reliant on the poor information and sensationalist reporting of the local and national media. But these are just a few of the examples that will make you think about what is not quite right with out society and world after reading this book.
The subject matter is as I said far fetched but extremely well thought out and Max Brooks really must had did his research on the subjects that he deals with in each little "interview." The format of the book is fantastic and it's a great zombie universe he's created. I'd love to see more stories come out of this universe.

I whole heartedly recommend this book to anyone that is a zombie fanatic or anyone looking for a different and thought provoking read. I won't be putting a zombie survival pack in my trunk anytime soon, but I will start to be more prepared for the other more realistic disasters that may come our way.

This follow-up to the Zombie Survival Guide is less campy but some of the survivor interviews contain just enough snark to make you shake your head in amusement. One aspect that is fun is the interviewer narrating his own actions, typically in response to questions from the interviewee.

You get so many different types of people answering questions about their time during the war that you will no doubt have some you hate and some you love. There is a smattering of all types of people being interviewed and if you cross one that doesn't float your boat then you know it'll be over in a couple of pages. This isn't the type of book that has you getting attached to any characters, it is more like a voyeuristic pleasure of other people's misfortune.

Max Brooks, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War (Crown, 2006)

If Studs Terkel were not still alive, I have little doubt that buy now, we'd have already had the companion volume to this book, telling the story of the zombie war from the other side. But Studs still clings to life (he's ninety-six as I write this, and for all I know he's still writing), and so we have only one side of the great Zombie War depicted here. Still, for those of us who lived through it, perhaps that's enough.

What, you don't remember the zombie war? Well, I'm not entirely surprised. Fewer and fewer people do. It's amazing how short our collective memory is. That's part of the reason Max Brooks wrote this book-- so that people wouldn't forget, that they'd have something to hold on to, some artifact they can consult. It's the same reason Terkel wrote his oral history of World War II; we all learn the dates and places in history class, but who ever dredges it up again, unless they go on to become history professors and propagate the same information? Terkel's book tells us what the battlegrounds were like from the perspectives of those, most of whom are now gone, who were actually there. So does Brooks'. No one who reads this will ever hear "Yonkers" and just think of a date and an event. You get an actual veteran telling the story and you can hear the explosions. You can taste the dirt. You can hear the moaning of the enemy. And Brooks captures it, as he captures the many other voices in this tome, by standing back and letting these folks tell it like they saw it.

This is an impressive compendium of voices, now that I'm n the subject. Men and women from around the globe, from the northern wastes of Canada to the South Pole (with the obvious exception of Iceland), offer their stories here. Some of them are still understandably bitter. Some are just angry. Some resilient, some defeated, some poignant. All of them together, give the clearest picture of a global conflict I've ever run across. Max Brooks is, truly, to be commended for his investigative work on this project, and his desire not to let the Zombie War fade until it becomes nothing more than a bad nightmare. For, as we all know, those who do not repeat history are doomed to learn from it. ****

i found thst this book to be a well done novel that gave true insight into this fictional event

A good effort I must say it in short describes zombie warfare first the outbrack then the panic that follows and finally the determination with which the remaining uninfected population fight back against the invader. There is also almost none of this "superman syndrome" stuff that permeates everything Science Fiction related these days. Over the course of the narrative it is clear that if humanity is going to survive it is going to have to fight as a team.

If I had to pick my two favorite installments it's the exploits of one professional bodyguard on a "Long Island" near New York basically a morality tale about how celebrity is irrelevant in the new world and the story of how Cuba of all places becomes the "arsenal of victory". If some point of views like the former computer nerd and Hiroshima survivor that become the guardians of Japan seem far fetched...well it is a book about zombies and if I were writing a book about the subject I'd have some fun with it too.

It is an excellent book providing a balanced account of the war from all fronts from land based armies to people who spent the entire war on the Open Ocean and even outer space. I would even go so far as to say that it was too short I wanted more.

If I have one compliant however is that whereas most books that run along this kind of theme are usually hampered by a single viewpoint this one while it is good is too cosmopolitan. It seemed that I was just getting to like one character then that point of view would end and we would be on to someone else a different theater of the war. This is not a bad things its just sometimes it can be abrupt.

Overall-Wonderful book I look forward to further installments if there are any.

The modern vampire genre is largely one intended for light and entertaining reading, and fans do not often make the mistake of "expecting too much" from such fiction. To this end, Harris delivers - she presents readers with quick easy reads without requiring much engagement or consideration.

As the series continues, her skills and confidence as an author continue to improve. However, her established setting is increasingly problematic - though a small town is certainly a charming setting for a novel or two, the height to which Harris has taken the supernatural has likewise increased the absurdity of her books, and becomes a detracting factor.

I never thought I would enjoy this series, but right from the first chapter of book 1, I was hooked!! This is not the kind of book I would ordinarily buy, but book 1 was given to me by a friend. she had not read it & said she bought it by mistake. I happened to open it up when I had nothing else to read & "BAM" I was hooked!!
I find Sookie an absolute delight. I love reading about each & every new & different species she manages to come across. She is serious where she should be & light hearted where it's appropriate.
I'm so happy that Sookie & Eric get together in this book, since I've always been rather partial to him.
I look forward to the other books in this series and I sure hope they all stay as good as the first four.

Love these books. Definitely adult reading..totally entertaining. adult situations are enchanting..makes YOU want to be Sookie! Some hot vamps running around!

Love it, the series is fantastic, Eric the Vamp mmm how can I say just fab.

Of the three books of the series that I've read, "Dead To the World" was the best. I skipped the first book frankly because I figured I got the gist of the storyline. Personally I think she should tell Eric what happened between them and then see how it goes, get over the whole Bill thing already ... move on. Frankly it's just something about Bill's personality that is a little off. At least with Eric she knows what he's all about.

That being said. I have a few problems with the series in general. I have noticed that we get a lot background on characters who are technically irrelevant to the storyline, but who pop up here and there for no particular reason or for filler. Sookie's internal dialogue waffling over various situations, and random thoughts that have nothing to do with whatever danger or situation she's facing are kind of annoying. Also, the "white picket fence" syndrome she seems to suffer from is rather odd considering the "disability" she's had for most of her life. And lastly, Sookie needs put Sam in the "male that's a friend" box and leave him there. often times it feels like she's giving him mixed signals.

I wish this book had had more depth to it. There are too many different points of view from minor characters that are not developed well. We're supposed to believe that the people of Sparks are "struggling" through a harsh winter, but I saw no description or details that made me believe there was any real danger. In fact, there was hardly any description of anything or anyone. I never felt a part of the world, and therefore didn't really care what happened to Lina and Doon (or any of the other POV characters). The book relies too much on setting and character development from the previous novels and gives us nothing new.

The ending seems to indicate that we will see more of this world, probably farther into the future. Let's hope she spends more time on setting, plot, and character development in future installments.

Ever since they emerged from the City of Ember, I have been waiting for them to go back and see what has become of their city. This book finally takes us back to the City of Ember. Perhaps others may have been waiting too.


The first book of Ember presented with an amazing world unlike anything that we had experienced before. A city of hope, created with love, reflected with a greatly crafted amount of detail, suspense, sadness, and expectations. You will not find any of that here. Darkhold's Ember is nothing like the City of Ember of book 1.

This time the story is not satisfying, despite offering a reasonable explanation about the fate of those who wandered into the Unknown Regions. Other than that, the journey felt rushed and not well developed. Perhaps that was intentional to indicate that Ember is now irrelevant.

There is an entire subplot of minor characters that could be dropped to save at least 20% of the book and nothing would be lost at all.

The author also continues to explore themes of alternate energy that she touches on in her other books, especially Car Trouble.

The problem with sequels is that they get compared to the previous installments. In that department the Diamond of Darkhold is clearly the 3rd best in the series, after City of Ember and People of Sparks. Unfortunately, this also makes it the 2nd weakest.

Without question, this book is an enjoyable read for the Ember faithful and serves as a reasonable conclusion for the series. Sadly, compared with past glory, this ember glows dim...

A note of caution for new readers:

Despite the quick summary in the first few pages, new readers to the series will be lost. They will most likely not enjoy this book as it really assumes that they had read the previous three books - which really should be read as they are quite good!

The premise of this book is fantastic--warriors for the Greek gods betray their masters and open Pandora's box to release the demons inside because they are angry that they were not chosen to protect it. As punishment, they become the living boxes, one for each demon that was released. We go from there to a bunch of fraternity boys living in a monstrous fortress in the hills above Budapest, each one getting on with a demon inside. There are five of them and each one's story will eventually be published, in all its painful detail, as this book set the pattern for the two that followed. Oh, wait! The sudden arrival of five more immortal warriors with internal demons in the middle of the book (who show up because they miss their buddies!) means there will be at least ten books.

This book focuses on Maddox, who in inhabited by the demon of Violence. He spends his days doing boy stuff (working out, watching porn, reading romance novels (???!!!!???), and his evenings being murdered by his friends & then spending the night being tortured in hell. OK, whatever. He meets this totally wimpy, dipstick who hears voices because of her paranormal abilities and takes her home for some unearthly reason. They spend the next couple of days getting to know each other, at which point they decide they're totally in love and have lots of hot, overly descriptive sex. The wimpy dipstick (from hereforth known as Wimpstick) has a wonderful time alternating between hot sex, throwing up, getting locked in a room with some other female captives, and ends the tension with trying to discover a way to free Maddox from his curse of dying every night. Wimpstick is helped in her attempts by a silly, immature and sexually adventurous supernatural female named Anya (yeah, I assumed Siri had jumped series and left Acheron, but I was wrong).

The writing in this book is just so dull! The story drags on for a long, long time until anything happens. The demon-inhabited immortal warriors spend lots of time bonding & fighting bad guys (at least there are no drum circles). Wimpstick is absolutely unbelievable as a mate for Maddox and I could discern no reason that the two of them were suddenly attracted (we also learn she couldn't read until a year before they met, which adds absolutely NOTHING to the story line other than when they share giggles over the fact that they both read romance novels. The ending is pat and very predictable. I cannot recommend this book to anyone and for some reason, continued on & read the next two in the series, hoping they would get better. They didn't.

I won't rehash the plot - as it's already been done.

I liked this book a lot. The chemistry between Ashlyn and Maddox was there right from the beginning. He was dark, tortured and super sexy. She had a bit of a dark past herself and they were a good match. Their story, while complete, could have had a little bit more to it. It seemed like most of this book was setting the stage for subsequent installments of the series.

My only problem with this book was trying to keep all the Lords straight. I had to go back a few times to see who was who - and when the second set come to town, forget it!

I look forward to reading the next 2 books.

This book could have been good if I didn't read the Black Dagger Brotherhood by JR Ward first. The two series are turning out to be very very similar, and to me JR Ward did something that Gena Showalter cannot and that is make her readers fall in love with her characters.

I just could not sympathise with Maddox or Ashlyn. They annoyed me. And I couldn't follow their romance, it just seemed to happen without any real explanation and I didn't believe the chemistry between them.

Yes, I will read the next in the series to see how things develop. But I wasn't impressed with this novel.

When others were comparing this series to J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, I was a little scared because those books were cheesetastic and terrible. I decided to give this first one a try and liked it enough to read the other two in the series. Sure, a little cheesey, but in a good way. I'd recommended them for a fun/sexy read.

I read quite a few paranormal romance series and needed a new author. This series kept popping up as a recommended series based on my previous purchases at Amazon. The covers were cool and so I went to the author's home page to check her out - and liked what she had to say about writing the books. So I ordered all three books.

If you like to read paranormal romance that borders on a little "unrealistic" or say a little less urban fantasy and more pure paranormal fantasy -- then this series may be for you. I myself waited several months before finally buying this series because I knew that I probably wasn't going to go for the whole premise of a group of warriors having to live with demons inside of themselves because they opened pandora's box. And I didn't.

I never really felt invested in the romance between the two characters in The Darkest Night because I just had a hard time swallowing how the whole plot played out. Or maybe there just wasn't enough development of the characters and their romance -- because of the tons of other characters in the book. I'm not sure.

Now while I did finish this book and found some parts enjoyable - the reason why I wouldn't recommend the overall purchase of it as part of a series is because I simply could not get past chapter one in the second book in the series - The Darkest Kiss.

Bottom line is that if you are a JR Ward fan or of other author's with a similar urban fantasy/romance style. Then you may not go for this series.

I simply loved this book. It was strangely moving and romantic for the time travel/scfi genre. Also, the writer's authentic feel for Cambridge, MA (past, present, and far future) touched me personally, as I spent my formative scientific years in the same streets and locales as the protagonist. After putting the book down, I find myself wishing for it to begin again. it, however, has no 'RESET' button (read book for an explanation).

This is a book I couldn't put down, and when I finished it, I had to start reading it again. This is only my second Joe Haldeman book, I have read the covers off of my original copy of The Forever War, The Accidental Time Machine is in the same class, funny, witty, scientifically accurate and compelling. The characters are even more real and likeable than William and Marygay in TFW. Joe's take on the future of mankind is believeable, this is no Eloi vs Morlock future. It's interestingly located mostly around Boston, so if you know the city, you'll find yourself saying - "Oh yeah, I know where that is". It's nice to have a familiar (or at least stationary) backdrop when careening through time.
A great read, you'll wish it were longer, but just re-read it, you'll enjoy it as much the second time.

I enjoyed this novel very much, and I look forward to reading more written by Joe Haldeman.

This is the modern version of H.G. Well's Time Machine. Except the scientist happens to discover time travel by accident. A very interesting look into the future. Well written and a definite page turner.

Let's start with the novel's hero, Ph.D. candidate Fowler. Fowler accidentally discovers a time machine that, luckily for him, distracts him from a relationship that's gone awry. The thing I liked about Fowler's character is that he has a "detached" point of view that reminded me of Neal Stephenson's characters. The drawback to Fowler's character is that there is not a solid emotional attachment to his ex-girlfriend. Haldeman, while a great author in general, slips into the forbidden "tell don't show" trope here.

Fowler's plight through the future, though, did intrigue me. In fact, most of the future worlds he encounters could serve as a foundation for a novel itself.

The most compelling future was the reversion of New England to its Puritan roots after the "Second Coming" of Jesus.

The least compelling future was the odd e-Bay like world of an AI-version of Los Angeles. While cities like L.A. are often used as "infinite cities", I would've preferred New York or London (perhaps for romantic reasons if nothing else).

The best thing about the novel, though, is Haldeman's deliberate sarcasm and humor. Combined with very tight prose, he constructed a page-turner based off the humor that kept me, well, turning paging.

If we could rate novels on a 10-point scale, I'd given THE ACCIDENTAL TIME MACHINE a 7/10. But, since I enjoyed it, I "rounded up" and gave it 4 stars.