Science Fiction Fantasy Books

My second favorite of the series so far. So much happens in book 8... Things readers have been waiting on since book 5 come about and there's romance and violence and politics and general badassery from my favorite characters. Can't wait to get the next one!

This is a welcome addition to the series. It was a little shorter than I would have liked but it left me satiated.

This volume carries up to Fables 50th issue. And I've got to tell you, it is worth it. Wow!

Warning! Spoilers below!


This is one of my favorite books in the entire FABLES series. It is built around several major events. First, Mowgli continues his long and ultimately successful search for Bigby Wolf, partly because Prince Charming wants him to carry out a mission behind the Adversary's lines and partly to fulfill the requirements to allow the early release of Bagheera for his role in the farm uprising (see Book 2 in the series, ANIMAL FARM). Enlisting major allies in the cloud giants who inhabit a parallel dimension in the sky, Bigby is able to appear near the magic woods surrounding Gepetto's hut, completely destroying them and making it impossible for Gepetto to make new puppets for a few decades when the forest will regrow. Mission accomplished, Bigby and Snow White marry (old hokey ceremony and all, the kind of offensive one where the woman pledges to honor and obey and it concludes with them being named man and wife -- come on Bill! It is the 21st century, even the Fables would have junked that old dusty routine) and settle in the valley where the giants used to sleep. The book concludes with a diplomatic mission to the cloud giants by Cinderella to urge them to finally sign a mutual defense pact. Clearly, in the event of a major conflict, the Fabletown residents are going to need some major help. Having allies who are both giants and accomplished will surely help. But what of those who Cinderella inadvertently offended? Will that one day come back to haunt the Fables?

All in all, another spectacular addition to an outrageously fine series of graphic books.

Volume 8 kinda ties things up in a way that the series probably safely could have ended here (though I see a new one is coming out in June). Bigby and Snow are back. Things just seem to happen. The problem is that it is the weakest of all the Fables volumes so far. It almost makes me nervous about the next volume, but I do mean almost. As a whole this is (and I was a bit surprised) one of the better comic books out there.

I had to wait 9 years for book 3 and I is fantastic. When I got the book and started to read it I could not put it down. I was upset with the second death in the book, but that is personal feelings.


It leaves you dreaming of a book 4.

well...like many others i've been checking every once in a blue moon to see if this series expanded. it has and i'm glad. i started reading as a child and have grown up since, but it still keeps me enthralled.

nice read for the young at heart.

At long last, the third book to the Unicorn Chronicles! In this story, Cara Diana Hunter, daughter of a trained unicorn slayer, and granddaughter of the unicorn queen Amalia Flickerfoot, must travel with her cousin, the unicorn Lightfoot, and friends from past journeys to unearth the story that has the potential to uncover the secret between the eminity between the unicorns and the vicious monsters called the delvers. Meanwhile, in India, Ian Hunter, Cara's father, starts of on a dangerous quest to free his wife from the red shaft of the Rainbow Prison with the help of a mysterious man called Fallon and an orphaned boy named Rajiv. With over 450 pages of cliffhanger chapters, terrifying kidnappings, a heartbreaking death, the appearance of former allies and new-found friends, not to mention a horrifying betrayal, with a cliffhanger ending that will leave you beating your head against the book, Dark Whispers is a book not to be missed!
This book was well written and worth the wait, but I don't think I can wait so long for book 4!

I first started reading The Unicorn Chronicles about 12 years ago (when I was 10). I enjoy reading them as much now as I did back then. This series is dark at times, and full of imagination and a terrific history that keeps readers enthralled. This latest book is terrific, and I couldn't put it down.

I got the book and read it all today. It completely sucked me in. The world of Luster and its wondrous depth is always amazing to me.

This is a sequel to the best Star Wars book of all-time and, since it continues what the other book started, is a total must-read! It is even darker than the first book, and does an excellent job continuing an already-awesome story. Also, let me say that I am very picky and in general don't like most of the Star Wars books. Taking that into consideration, you should absolutely buy this book!

For a Star Wars book I had to give it 4 stars only, for no other reason than the cover art was so cheesy! Darth Bane portrayed as somebody wearing a really bad make-up job at Mardi Gra and Zannah with no eyes. I could barely get past the cover to read the book. Now once I got started reading the book, it is pretty good. Keep in mind I have a full time job and am unable to research every character and species and event in the book in relation to the Star Wars timeline. As noted by previous reviewers there appears to be some technical mistakes made in the plot, but if you are able to get by that, then I think you'll enjoy this book. So if for instance you would know something like - the Zorn Class Star Freighter wasn't developed until after Hans married Princess Leia but Darth Bane shot one down in the battle of Zugar which was 1042 years earlier - then you may not like this book. But if you know the difference between Historical Non-Fiction and Science Fiction I'm sure any Stars Wars fan will enjoy it. :)

this book will capture your intrest in a heartbeat. goes into further detail of how Darth Bane plans to overthrow the republic.

This book gives an even deeper look into the sick and twisted nature of the Sith and shows just how far they're willing to go to plant their seeds of evil and hide their existance from the eyes of the Jedi Order.

A good portion of the book shows Darth Bane teaching his new apprentice Zannah from the first book, but it also focusses on Bane's drive to uncover even more secrets of the Sith by traveling to the far reaches of the Galaxy in order to better understand the legends and powers of the truly ancient Sith masters.

There are several supporting characters in this book that, at first glance, don't seem to have much to do with the main plot, those being Darovit and Johun, but as the story progresses they become more and more intwined in Bane and Zannah's machinations and plans.

The only part of the book I didn't buy was the final confrontation. I won't go into too much detail because I'm not prone to putting spoilers in my reviews, but it seemed that it was over a little too easily after a lot of build up.

In any event, this is a great look into the Old Republic era of the Star Wars universe and expands even more the thinking and though processes of the evil Sith Lords.

I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to continue their experiences with the Star Wars saga.

I love these books! I have read Katie the Kitten Fairy! You should read it too!

My 7th Grader LOVES these books. It a miracle to get him to read unless its homework and he is almost done the whole set.

19 and still love these books. Book 5 opens great and ends great. Book 6 moves on to more crazy ideas and some twist i never saw coming. And book 7 begins a a whole new adventure that will last till book 9-10.

Book 8 is one of my favorites and well throughout story. If you like 1-4 you'll love 5-8.

Anything that can get my 10-year-old to read is welcome in my house. This series not only has him reading, it has him sneaking a flashlight under the covers so he can read in bed. Hmmmmm ... I'll allow it!

Santa will definitely bring him the rest of the series.

He loves these books, takes them with him to read when every he can!!!! We never thought that day would come ... and so they have now sparked a more general interest in reading ... search for material he thinks he will like. He want to talk about them so I too am reading them ... OK not great adult entertainment but not bad either. Thank you, thank you thank you!!!

MY DAUGHTER LOVES THESE BOOKS THEY KEEP HER VERY ENTERTAINED FROM CHAPTER TO CHAPTER.

the alchemist is not the main character in the book. The main character is the little boy who is a shepherd, so it should have been called "The Shepherd".

This book has some interesting nuggets on spirituality, one of which is God is within people who are happy. However, the book was also corny at times, such as when people talk to their hearts and their hearts talk back to them. The ending is really worse than most books, because it's almost like the "it was all a dream" ending that most books avoid. Surprisingly, it's the non-spiritual aspects of the book that are more interesting than the spiritual aspects of the book. It is more interesting to read about the boy making money at the crystal ware shop than about the Soul of the World. The crystal ware shop owner is the most interesting character in the book, because he does not plan on going to Mecca in his life even though he is a Muslim. So he is the most non-spiritual character in the book which makes him the most interesting. Admittedly, I am not a spiritual person, so I was prepared to not like this book, but this book was a disappointment for me because the bar had been set so high (by all the positive reviews for this book). Ultimately, the book is a debate between which theory is truer: free will or determinism. The book leans more toward determinism because it believes in destiny. I however believe in free will.

A delightful story, and full of wisdom. Influenced me in pursuing what I dream about, and rediscovering my "personal legend" as he calls it.

This little book brought me joy it gave me an escape from the cluter of everyday life and allowed me to travel with the shephard boy. It is written beautifully and it flows so easily. It is a must read. It gives you a wonderful read but it allows you to step back and breathe and put some perspective on your life, with the simple act of taking you out of the bustle of life for a little while.

An inspirational book about a boy's journey of transformation. Deceptively simple and easy to read, this book illustrates beautifully the concepts of spiritual growth, finding the true self, and following our own destiny.

This is a very simple story about Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who dreams of a treasure under the Egyptian pyramids. After meeting a strange old man and a gypsy fortuneteller, Santiago sets out for Egypt determined to find his treasure. Along the way, he learns spiritual lessons from an Algerian shopkeeper, an English scholar, and finally the eponymous alchemist.

I am a fan of deep, complicated characters, and this book has none (AT ALL). It's like a self-help book turned into a story, and I'm sure many people will find it deeply moving...... until the next fad comes along. (Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Prayer of Jabez, Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Secret, etc.) I will be really surprised if this book has any staying power.

What better way to get a 6 year old to practice reading? Add Star Wars to the equation and throw in great pictures from the movie and you have a hit!

My son loves reading these books. It is a great way to get him interested in reading.

The release of Star Wars books for young people has always been related to a theatrical promotion. In a world that has a seen all six films, a new wave of DK Readers is much appreciated. It gives us comfort that even though the movies are finished, the Star Wars experience isn't completely 'done.' As the title suggests, "Ready, Set, Podrace!" looks into the world of podracing. Most of the book offers an overview of the sport. Topics include pilots, the racetrack, pit droids and some racers like Sebulba. The book finishes up by introducing the Boonta Eve event that Anakin Skywalker raced to win his emancipation. In this sense, a nice accompaniment would be "Anakin's Race for Freedom" and "Anakin's Pit Droid." In terms of the illustrations, the vast majority were lifted from "the Phantom Menace" film. While the pictures are high quality, the writing is also good. Key terms are introduced with accompanying pictures. These concepts are reviewed in the glossary. This new series has books for most levels of elementary readers. This title is best suited to readers on a second grade level. "Ready, Set, Podrace!" offers an exciting look into galaxy's most dangerous sport.

LOVED this book!
The continuation of the "Star Wars Universe" is a better place for having this story in it!

It is very rare when a book that is ostensibly part of a series can actually be skipped altogether. This is ultimately the case with Fury, a book that ends with every character in exactly the same place they were when the book began. If you skip Fury altogether, you won't miss anything. It fails to advance any of the story arcs, and those few changes that do occur end up being reversed by the end of the story. As just one example, Jacen begins the story by abducting his daughter. By the end of the story, she has been abducted back and Jacen is once again alone in the galaxy. Sadly, this is what happens with every ongoing story arc in the series: A change happens at the beginning of the book, but things are returned to the status quo by the end of the book.

It was well written and synced nicely with the other stories that preceded this one. The author showed ruthlessness in the detail of the storyline turning on one of the beloved characters but used this as a strength to wrap up the end and lead in to the next installment.

This was a disappointing read after 'Inferno'. Aaron Allston writes a good book, but this book wasn't the greatest.

Jacen/Caedus is very pathetic in this. Kidnapping his daughter to force his secret lover to turn her fleets over to him. How unbeleivable can you get! He spends a lot of time fuming about how unfair the rest of the galaxy is and how he is only doing what is best. To end this book he strangles, using the Force, a junior officer because she was not able to predict that a shuttle actually contained Luke, Ben, Han, Leia, another Jedi and some others to destract Jacen/Caedus and rescue Allana.

The Jedi are trying, unsuccessfully, to kill Jacen/Caedus and so far have succeeded in planting a tracer on him. Hopefully he won't change his clothes.

The Allana passages read like something out of a children's book. They could have been a book of their own. "What will I do if Jacen doesn't say the special words?" Ha, Ha, Ha.

Luke is still greiving over Mara's death and Ben is a little childish in the first half of the book. At least he grows up in the end.

Han and Leia have some very interesting scenes in this book. They had to go to some rather extreme lengths to gather some imformation to help Jaina, Jag, and Zekk track down Alema Rar. Now they have a good way to locate Jacen's/Caedus's ship.

Jaina, Jag, and Zekk are getting very close to locating Alema Rar. The breastplate and crushgaunts that Boba Fett sent proved very effective in the scene on the astroid. I won't say anymore on this cause that would be a spoiler.

The Confederation has unleashed an ancient superweapon in the Corellia system.

Luke and the Jedi plan an operation to rescue Allana and to destroy Centerpoint Station.

Wedge and Tycho get some brief scenes in this book and are now semi-allied with the Jedi, at least that is the case with Tycho, Wedge is diffently on the side of the Jedi.

I recommend this book only if you have read some of the other books in this series or have read a lot of the reviews for these book. Otherwise, you could skip this book.

May the Force be with us!!

The newest installment of the Legecy of the Force: Fury if anyone is still completely in grossed in this series my hat's off to you. Its hard to feel anything but dread at this point. You know no matter how good the author tries to make it sound its going to be bad. At this point the only thing shocking is how each book is worse then the last.
Fury could have been exciting with Jacen kidnapping his daughter Allana, a group of Jedi attemmpting to kill him who were not made up of Solos and Skywalkers and the Jedi have to get Allana back. But once again like most of the series author sucked out any potential of being good...and I usually like Aaron Allston's books.
First off we have the kidnapping of Allana. Jacen only does it to get Tenel Ka to give him back her military. Not for turning her to the Dark side, making her his apprentice, or any of the more interesting reasons.
Not to mention its a sad pathetic day with a Sith has to resort to kidnapping a little girl to get anywhere. This is a problem with all three writers of Legecy none of them can make Jacen a compaling Sith. Sure he does bad things but he doesn't come off as frightening as Vader, as maniplative has Sidious or any of the thousands of other Sith. I mean could you really see Vader resorting to kidnapping a little girl in order to get Hapes to bend to his will? For all Jacen's talk of being idolizing Vader he seems to have missed everything that made everyone terrified of Vader...and apparently so have the writers.
Over in the Jedi camp we actually have a group of non-Solos and Skywalkers sent to kill Jacen. It could have been exciting except you know if Jacen's killed it'll be by one of his own relatives. But they were still more exciting then the Solos or the Skywalkers. Now how's that for sad? Perhaps if the Solos were allowed to do anything besides talk about how evil Jacen's become and he's dead to them or fight Alema again or rehash Jaina and her boyfriends (does anyone at this point care about Jaina-Jag-Zekk storyline)they might be worth reading. Having them rehash the same stuff book after book is not a story.
Its not like they are major charactors in the Star Wars Universe who's son or twin brother has turn to the Dark Side of the Force could have resulted in a wealth of plotlines for Han, Leia and Jaina....on wait they are.
Over in the Skywalker camp we have Luke who's still mourning the death of his wife. I'm glad to see someone is. Asside from Luke and Ben, everyone else seems to have forgot Mara ever existed. But neither of them did anything really interesting until the rescuing of Allana except thinking about how to kill Jacen without turning to the Dark Side. Standing around talking is not a plot.
Last but not least Leia and Han learning Allana's their granddaughter. Something that should have been interesting and exciting since we've been waiting through seven books to happen but of course it was a big let down. Leia simply realizes Allana's her granddaughter and that's it. The tragedy is this series could have been really good instead each book it gets worse and worse. With only two books left I have little doubt they'll be any good.

What tremendous fun this is! I read the first 100 pages aloud to my mother after she had surgery. Then the book got so compelling and engaging that I had to race through silently and leave poor Mom to fend for herself. (I gave her a copy of her own for Mother's Day.) This novel is aimed at a middle reader audience, although great children's lit is always enjoyable to adults. At nearly 500 pages, it's a hefty doorstopper for that market, though a certain boy wizard has already repeatedly blown through our expectations about desirable book lengths for middle readers.

The story centers around four gifted children who respond to an ad promising "special opportunities" for select applicants. The application process is fun in and of itself (with riddles the reader can solve right alongside the characters), and then the adventure begins as these unlikely kids set out to save the world. One thing I liked about the story is that three of the four are unheralded poster children for the schoolage afflictions du jour: ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder), and PAD (Pervasive Anxiety Disorder). Part of the fun of the novel is watching these kids realize that their quirks and disabilities are actually assets. Another wonderful aspect of the story is their teamwork and cooperation; each child contributes something unique and essential to the mission. The novel is clever, funny, and warm-hearted. I have just checked the sequel out of the library (after waiting for nearly three weeks, as every middle school kid in Cincinnati had signed up first).

My best friend recomended this book to me. It is a little slow at the beginning pretty good in the middle and COMPLETELY fantastic at the climax and end. I would definatly recomend it. My favorite character is Constance Contraire. Also the illustrations rock. I can't wait to read the next one!!!!!!

I've been teaching elementary school for over 15 years now, and of all the children's books I have read absolutely none of them had as terrific opening and closing chapters as this book. Luckily, the middle chapters were equally as engaging! The Mysterious Benedict Society easily drew me in as the opening chapter introduced Reynard Muldoon, full-time orphan, genius, and social outcast. We follow Muldoon as he embarks on a quest to discover a 'great opportunity' which will enable him to 'achieve great things.' The story is very clever, and there are many puzzles and mysteries for the heroes and readers alike to discover and/or unravel as the book progresses.

A wonderful read!

I was pleasantly surprised by what this book has to offer! Wonderful characters and situations that have left me, my daughter of 6 and my son of 9 completely enthralled. You won't be disappointed, you will be on the edge of seat!

He read it in 4 days. I had a hard time getting him to put the book down. He enjoys reading but It's rare that he finds a book that engagedes his interest that much. As soon as he was finished he asked if he could have the next book in this series.

What an incredible series this was. I still wouldn't call it perfect, but it is up there among the best 3 or 4 fantasy series of all time. Frankly, at least for now it would be 2 or 3 on my list. No, it's not perfect, but it was outstanding, and kept me going throughout. I finished the entire series in a week, and now can't wait to start the next set - though I may have to put it off for a brief bit while I attend to other things.

As always, the dialogue is masterful, the pacing was good. I definately recomend this to any and everyone.

While not my favorite fantasy series, this series was pretty good. I think some of the traveling that the characters had to go through was a bit monotonous but perhaps if I had read the books with some break between them instead of all 5 back to back, it may have broken the monotony some.

First of all, in my experience with David Eddings readers, they are either in love with the story or not. As such, this review is for those unsure as to whether or not to continue their literary journey over to Volume 2 of the Belgariad Series.

There were many problems that plagued the first three books (the first volume) of this series. Most apparent would be that the book was riddled with cliches (pretend there's an accent on that "e"). And though Eddings fans will rush to say that these cliches were written well, and I do grant them that the writing itself is decent, the less enthused will point out that the story is the same old one. In large part, it is. There's a prophecy, there's a farm boy destined to be king, a princess, the typical "evil" race of soulless warriors, the traveling group of mismatched adventurers, etc. But what I was looking for in Volume 2 was whether Eddings deviated from the tried and true path in front of him. Unfortunately, he did not. Every action is predictable, and even a startling death in this volume is upset by knowing how it will play out later (if you've read enough fantasy that is). As such, this book is somewhat stale. New enough to keep your attention, but cliched and predictable enough to keep you from getting enthralled.

Another issue I found with the the first three books of the Belgariad Series (Volume 1) is that there is little to no character development. For a fifteen year old, I found Garion helplessly daft, and entirely uninteresting. In a similar note, I found the large characterizations of the races in Volume 1 horribly unrealistic. For example, all of race a were sly, under-handed thieves -- no exceptions. In Volume 2, I hoped Eddings would develop the characters and the races more, and thereby giving them a more realistic feel to them. Unfortunately, Eddings fails to deliver on either. Garion continues to show little to no signs of any real, intelligent thought, and goes through his quest with little, true internal conflict. Overall, his character growth seemed stunted at best. Meanwhile, if you know the race of one character, you can predict how they'll act all the way through Volume 2. Some characters, in particular Princess CeNedra, are so petty and carping, and completely lopsided, I wonder if Eddings perceives everyone in that way. Every character here is simple, based off one defining characteristic, and as such unrealistic and boring.

There are other, minor problems I found with Volume 2 that do not detract so much from the offering, but merely annoy. Though some may love it, I personally find the style of Mr. Eddings somewhat dull. And though he does present a diverse and vast world (if not entirely realistic in respects to the people), I sometimes found his extra scenes that tried to inform you of each culture a bit obnoxious. A good example was how in one tavern, a wife was being sold, and the segment lasted a couple of pages with no influence on the plot or any of the main characters. Again, some might appreciate it, but in volume 1 and 2, I did not.

Really, what's so tragic about this series is that there's a lot to like, but not a lot to love. The world is interesting, even if the people are not. The writing is sometimes beautiful, but many times too stiff. The plot runs on cliches and the characters on linear paths. It's enjoyable to some extent, but never quite lovable. For an offering that is such a mix of pros and cons, I give Eddings the benefit of the doubt. It is not a great book as many are praising it as, but it's not a bad one either.

I have read the series several times and still find something new in them! They ARE my favorite books

Fantastic Book, one to read over and over. I never tire of reading this wonderful series.