Science Fiction Fantasy Books

It starts with a fart joke and just gets better from there. This book is a fun romp and I enjoyed the intricacies of the plot. It's clever and funny while maintaining the sense of urgency that drives the characters. All in all, a good read.

The Android's Dream had me hooked from the fart (the diplomatic incident that nearly starts a war) and it kept me on the edge of my sheep the whole time. Part satire, part homage (to PKD) and completely filled with Scalzi's signature witty dialog makes this a novel that does not disappoint.

Like many who were disappointed in Android's Dream, I am a fan of Scalzi's other work and believe he is capable of much better. Obviously I did not expect this novel to be in the SF militarism vein of Ghost Brigades, etc., and I believe I am judging it on the merits of what it actually attempts to do.

Android's Dream reads very much like an oddball 1960s-era SF novel full of goofy social commentary. Brand names are delivered occasionally with a TM, for example. In this sense the novel is very much an homage to Phillip K. Dick. Everyone remembers the paranoia and reality bending of Dick's work. Few people remember (for some reason) the humor and social commentary. So I believe I see what Scalzi is going for here, but the trouble is, what might have seemed like biting social commentary in 1966 is just trite and lame in 2008. Strange products. Weird advertising. Gee.

So funny this book is not.

However, it does have just a huge amount of very interesting alien culture, a very unique and intricate plot, conspiracies, secret organizations, and horrors galore. On that level the book is certainly worth a read. Scalzi's imagination is as vivid and fun as ever.

The biggest beef I have with this book are what I think of as outright errors. Scalzi begins with an acknowledgment tipping his hat to the famous friends (Cory Doctorow!) who read the MS before publication and gave him guidance. What I read really makes me question the intelligence of those good writers who helped him.

For example, an important plot point hinges on an artificial meat product (grown in vats without the aid of actual living animals) called Boar/Bison. The product is a genetic merging, somehow, of boar meat and bison meat. The logo features a friendly bison-ish boar wearing cowboy boots. At one point the question arises as to whether boar/bison is kosher. The two individuals discussing this issue state clearly that the question of kosher-ness depends on whether the combined boar/bison creature would have cloven hooves. Now, I'm not Jewish, but I happen to know that both pigs and bison have cloven hooves--in fact, all hoofed animals have cloven hooves except for the horse, donkey, zebra, and, I suppose, hippopotamus. Jews are not forbidden from eating cloven-hoofed mammals. They eat beef, sheep, goat, and so on. This discussion was just so profoundly ignorant that I nearly put the book down right there.

A similar bit of ignorance is manifested in a scene where our hero and the "sheep" are fighting some bad guys in a mall. Our hero hits a fire alarm which causes various fire doors to swing shut. Ok. But then the narration makes it clear that none of these doors can be opened until the fire marshal arrives, thereby preventing the bad guys (and everyone else) from escaping. Obviously I don't know what fire safety regulations will be like in the future but it would be a pretty pernicious system that purposefully traps people in burning buildings.

Maybe it's just me, but these two episodes really bothered me. I'm still willing to give the book a weak recommendation. But all these 5-star reviews? Come on, people. Have at least some level of discrimination.

Scalzi seems to be trying to keep at least a dozen plots moving along in this book, but really only succeeds with two or three of them. If you are looking for humor, there isn't nearly as much here as the title/cover/blurbs would suggest. It's more of an action novel with some funny bits thrown in. The plot is convoluted beyond reason and - like so many futuristic books/movies/tv shows comes down to the enemy stupidly allowing our heroes to take control of their entire armed forces by accessing a computer network.

I did enjoy one of the aliens, and the AI(s) quite a bit and our leading characters are pretty likable as well. Unfortunately, the piling up of fortunate escapes, cardboard villains, and unlikely plot complications lead me to the final 2* rating. If you like the idea of a comedy/action SF series centered around diplomacy, I highly recommend Keith Laumer's Retief novels and short stories from the 60s-80s. They are much more successful at achieving what The Android's Dream attempts than this novel is.

It's four in the morning on a Wednesday (Harold Crick would appreciate the irony) and I can't stop thinking about John Scalzi. Let me say first that if you're looking for an analytic and evaluative review of "The Android's Dream" then this is most assuredly NOT the review for you. If, however, you are looking for a review that will make comparative observations between Scalzi and other authors (all beloved by said reviewer) and expound on the joys of the discovery of brilliant, dynamic, exciting and god-like in their awesome displays of talent new (albeit perhaps new to the reader) authors; then by all means read on and here's hoping I can actually manage to string together a series of words that will be of some value to those of you who, like me, regard yourselves as eccentric enough to take, and appreciate, an author for what they themselves actually write. Without trying to second guess, look obsessively for flaws, or just generally focus on those flaws as opposed to giving yourself over to the unmitigated joy of being flung head-first into someone else's world and then counting yourself LUCKY to be allowed to live there for however long that author chooses to let your adventure continue. You see, if I don't like an author I just stop buying their books and go off in search of one who will be better able to captivate my imagination and delight my brain. But I digress...
and apparently, I'm going to keep on digressing.

My introduction to SF came via the gift of Frank Herbert's "Dune". The same friend who gave me that book (noting that I was going to LOVE science fiction, I just needed an introduction to it by someone other than the author we had been assigned to read in high school) later gifted me with the hard-back first edition of "Children of Dune" easily accomplished as it had just been released. I was just 21 when I was loaned the recently released "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by another friend who made the observation that it was entirely possible that Douglas Adams and I were twin psychos (she didn't actually use the word psycho) of different mothers and I MUST read his book so I would know I was not alone in the universe. I think "The Foundation" series came after that but then there was Sherlock Holmes and my introduction to the world of mystery and can I just take a moment to say THANK YOU for Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Minette Walters, Carl Hiasson, and Caleb Carr!

At this point, I'm sure you're wondering where the h@$$ all this is going and when am I going to get back to John Scalzi for #%&^'s sake? Well, since you asked nicely.... I never really left him! Remember, I did mention earlier that this would not be a typical review per se but that I would compare him to other authors I loved, some of whom I regard as best friends although we've never actually met... and I was just getting to that part so hang in there if you can and hey I understand if you can't... Like my favorite authors to me and like I am to my actual friends and family... I am an acquired taste and if yours is already saying "ick" about mine, then by all means STOP READING and get on with your life! ;-)

At 48, I can honestly say I don't remember a time when the voracious acquisition of new and great authors didn't consume at least some part of my life. I am proud to say that I have read EVERY Simon R Green he's ever written and am collecting his new series book-by-book as it is released and I am delighted to find that while we are clearly both growing up, we are not growing "old"! I am also extremely hopeful that I will be able to say the same thing about John Scalzi in a number of years and therein lies the point (if you can call it that) that I was originally trying to make. There are authors and series I feel a real connection/kinship towards. They have expanded my mind, altered my consciousness, increased my intellect and in many cases, healed my heart. Authors and books I read and reread because I find something new about them and myself each time I do. Because I can't NOT reread them or I would be depriving myself of the company and companionship of old friends. By the way, another such "friend" is "The Immortals" series of books by Piers Anthony. In any case, much has been made of the series John Scalzi has written and indeed "Old Man's War" and "The Ghost Brigades" are EXTRAORDINARY and immensely impressive books. I am equally certain that "The Lost Colony" will be another bright star in his universe. Which is why I chose "The Android's Dream" to write about. It is not like it's siblings. Furthermore, it shouldn't be. "The Android's Dream" is NOT the same story. Is it in JS's voice? YES! Is is told with intelligence, warmth and humor? YES! But just as JS is a unique individual with many aspects of his personality, so are his books! I, for one, rejoice in that fact. It is what makes him so wonderful to read. He is not going to write one series ad-nauseum for the length of his life and then bequeath said series to his son to continue after his death so said son can continue to milk that idea for whatever it has left in order to satisfy readers who want NO deviation or diversity from their books or authors (much like avid music fans who are put off when a band decides to revisit some old songs in a new way) in that "one-trick-pony" mentality that views the world as a box of neapolitan ice cream and god help anyone with the audacity to want a flavor that tastes like root beer float or is in any way outside of their "box"! Huh??????????......... OK, so where was I?

"The Android's Dream" is richly sarcastic, darkly comedic, astonishingly insightful and scientifically authentic. It is, in point of fact, A DAMN GREAT READ; and fie on anyone who says otherwise! I am THRILLED with the way his mind works and the intelligence with which he writes. I wrote this "review" the way I did because, oddly enough, I read reviews on Amazon all the time and one of the reviews I found the most useful was one where other series and authors were recommended in the course of the review. It gave me a frame of reference for what the reviewer liked to read that was similar to my likes and it also gave me a couple of new places to go look. Over the years, I have learned that if an author I really respect endorses a book, then it's worth my time to take a look at it. Turns out, that is also true of reviewers but only when you know you have some common ground (literary ground that is) to stand on.

I found Nicholas a slow read at first. I had to suffer through the proper English sections to get to the meat of the book. In the end, I found it rather exciting and I will continue with reading teh next book in the series "Raine".

I bought the first book in the series and I will recommend no one else waste their money on something that deals with strange sexual exploits and is equally as poorly written and the sorry strange plot the story follows. Recommendations for this book, it makes a great fire starter. Please don't waste your money.

I have to agree with the other reviewers who mentioned a coldness to this book. I didn't connect with any of the characters so it was hard to care when negative things happened to them.

That said, my biggest pet peeve is that Nicholas tells his wife that if she's ever unfaithful to him, he will divorce her. Then he promptly runs off to his mistresses and spends hours having sex with them. Then he changes his mind and forces his wife to have sex with both of his brothers "for her protection" even though she really doesn't want to. Properly written, sharing can be hot. This wasn't.

I saw this cover on MySpace. Do I need to say more? On the front cover of NICHOLAS: THE LORDS OF SATYR, it has "Highly erotic..." The back comes with a warning label. What more did I need? So imagine my surprise when it took forever to get to the "sexually explicit" part. And before you think I've become tainted by too much erotica fiction, I can count the number on one hand.

Don't get me wrong. The book was good, great in fact, but it didn't have the "HOT" scenes like TEMPTED by Megan Hart, COLTERS' WOMAN by Maya Banks, or WILD WILD WEST by Charlene Teglia. For some readers, this might be a good thing. I just thought the publisher overstated the "This is a REALLY HOT book."

If I had to classify this, I'd list it under fantasy paranormal. But since Jane didn't know she was part fey and Nicholas kept his identity well guarded, it had more of a historical feel to it.

NICHOLAS is part of The Lords of Satyr Series. The next book is RAINE, which I have on the shelf already and look forward to reading it. I loved the author's writing style. So much so, that I neglected all the other books I've been reading to finish it. LYON, the third book, will be published in August of 2008.

Although this book gets a 5-star rating, I am betting the next book is even better.

Ok, I am not going to go into detail. I see this has been done already.
Nicholas and his brothers (half human/half satyr) are ordered by the king of Elseworld to find and marry his illegitimate daughters (who are half human/half fairie) because they may be in mortal danger so the author has decided on 3 tales, one for each brother and his pursuit of his own girl. This is Nicholas's story. On Nicholas's hunt he first mistakes one girl for his bride because she smelled of faerie magic. Nicholas takes the girl to see a furtune teller, only to be surprised to find that the fortune teller (in age altering costume) is his true conquest, Jane. Determined to fulfill his duty he sets up a meeting with his lawyer and her guardians for a speedy marriage so he can return to his home. After quick, and brutally honest, negotiations they are married and off to Nick's home.
Once home Nick is more than pleased with his new wife. He expects no more of her than to bear his touch so she can have his children. But when Jane realizes that Nick has mistresses she confronts him. Once more Nick is brutally honest, he will either continue with his mistrisses, or she is to take their place (in all circumstances). While finding the idea daunting, Jane agrees because she does not want Nick in the arms of other women. Together the passions rise and spark. Can Jane handle what Nick dishes out? Will Nick reveal what happens to the Satyr when the full moon comes? How will he keep her safe from the mortal danger her real father disclosed in the letter? Read this book and see how this all comes together.

I want to start off by saying I have not been impressed with Aphrodisia books in the past. I have considered them more FANTASY PORN genre then romance/erotica genre.
Well, the bar has risen with this book. I thought the story was compelling, the characters indepth and believable...not to mention it was HOT erotica. But it wasn't too much, it more or less built up to the steamy pages which we all know, the journey is half the pleasure. I was a little thrown off by the physical changes that overcome the Satyr during the full moon, but luckily the story was not too focused on those changes so it did not alter my overall rating too much. I would recommend this book and I will be checking out Raine's story.

Congrats Aphrodisia, you have done well with this one.

Graham McNeill is what I'd call a good science fiction author, but he's definitely not my idea of a great one. Called upon to write the second back on the new HORUS HERESY series from the Black Library, McNeill had a tall order in following science fiction superstar Dan Abnett, and I was quite wary of there being a dropoff in the quality. I don't mean to bring up Abnett-McNeill comparisons, I just mean that out of the first three authors (Abnett, Ben Counter, an McNeill) McNeill was the question mark given that he's really only written about the Generic Marines (Ultramarines) and the--albeit very good--Iron Warrior book.

Happily, he stepped it up to a level of writing I hadn't previously seen from him. While there will be the usual complaints of Horus's fall being too contrived or too "easy", it's really mostly hot air in my opinion. McNeill takes the characters Abnett fleshed out and continues developing them, and with a few exceptions (Horus Aximand is a lot different) it all goes very smoothly. The conflict between the lodge and non-frat space marines is interesting, and the battle scene on the moon of Davin is very, very, very, good.

It says no plot spoilers, so I won't say too much. I'll stick with saying that McNeill does a good job showing Horus's conflict, makes Magnus a character one feels sorry for (as he should be on some level), keeps Loken real, and writes at least two top shelf battle scenes. Overall, it's a great book, and it set up Ben Counter for the slam dunk third entry as well. Highly recommended.

I am new to the Warhammer 40K universe. I was excited after reading the first book in the Horus Heresy series and I had high expectations for this book, I was not disapointed. I love this book. I had a hard time putting it down and finished it in two days. Very good story from the start. Bottom line, get this book. I am looking forward to the third book in the Horus Heresy series.

This chapter in the heresy places the story line firmly in the readers mind and allows them to see how the eventual turn of events actually begin. It is portrayed in a very concise manner; not the vague references that 40k flavour text often has, though if 10k years has passed I guess thats understandable. Very good setup for Galaxy in flames!

Powerful, tragic, and well written, Graham does a great job of humanizing a being who is beyond human in power and scope. The thing that amazed me the most, was how seamless the writing was from the first book to the second. If the names hadn't been on the cover, I would have thought both books were written by the same person. That isn't easy to do.

Graham McNeill is one of the major innovators at The Black Library. His books are always filled with the kind of "fluff" that excites Warhammer enthusiasts and I consider him the speartip of Warhammer creativity.

For the most part I am thrilled by his creative inventions. His descriptions of the various planets and societies are inspired and his descriptions of Chaos rituals are among the best in the Warhammer universe.

I would have given this novel five stars but for some niggling complaints, which I am going to enumerate out of a certain frustration.

My frustration arises from the following: (1) he usually employs multiple points of view (a practice endemic in Warhammer writing). This is not bad in itself but he employs short passages that break the flow of the writing and slows the narrative. Tolstoy uses multiple points of view but he lets the narrative develop and flow, allowing the reader to become involved in the narrative. Frankly, I want to be unaware of the change in point of view; I want to sink so deeply into the novel that I am living it. If a novelist shifts back and forth in short machine gun like bursts, it disrupts the narrative flow. This works in a movie; it doesn't work well in a novel. (2) He tends to use anachronistic expressions that distract from the narrative. For instance, twice Horus, the great Warmaster, says to his Mournival- "You are a sight for sore eyes." (3) Horus acts child-like over and over again (but so did Hitler and Stalin, you say), even spilling his guts to a journalist in an attempt to immortalize himself in print, when he thinks he is going to die.

In addition, certain plot choices confused me. More particularly, I didn't understand the motivations behind the invasion of the Davin moon. For instance, why would the Legion transport Titans to the moon to battle an army of the undead, which they dispatch with a blow to the head? Was Horus' hubris such that he saw every battle as an insult to his pride and honor? Was it necessary to display the almost incalculable strength of the Legion against a rebellious brother? Or was it necessary to introduce the Titans into the plot? Additionally, at the end of the novel,why does Horus abandon the crusade to attack a potentially friendly world? Does he seek their technology or has Chaos already taken hold of him and he wants simply to kill and maim?

Irrespective of these criticisms, I say bravo to McNeill. He took the threads of the Horus Rising and substantially raised the level of discourse.

Jack of Fables is back, and just as rougish as ever. This is vintage Willingham, though perhaps a quieter tale than previous Jack of Fables stories. Jack spends most of his time stuck in the Grand Canyon with his double, Pathetic Fallacy and a few other characters who want to revise him into a more mortal existence. This spinoff of the Fables series lacks the punch of the main line of stories since Jack is too self-indulgent to participate in the liberation struggles of the main Fables community. A well-written diversion form Fabletown with good characters, good art, but nothing more.

If you've read my other reviews of Mr. Willingham's work on 'Fables' and the 'Jack of Fables' you'll find I am a tremendous fan. One of the things I have marveled at is how Mr. Willingham keeps the series engaging and fresh. In this, the third of the Jack novels, he finally stumbles.

For those of you not familiar with the series, in Mr. Willingham's universe, the characters of folklore and mythology are real. A lot of them have been forced from their worlds to live in secret in our mundane world. One of these is Jack as in Jack Frost, Jack and the Beanstalk, etc.

In order to really understand the series, you should start at the beginning and stop reading this review.... :-)

For those of you familiar with this series, Jack, the Pathetic Fallacy and Wicked John have been captured by the evil librarians of the Golden Boroughs Retirement Home. The van crashes into the Grand Canyon where our favorite scoundrel get a sword through his body. The sword is Excalibur and only the one true king can remove the sword.

In this graphic novel, we learn more about the nature of the Pathetic Fallacy and Mr. Revise. We also learn the connection of Wicked John and Jack and why they hate each other. Despite these tidbits the story is uneven. The characters spend much of their time bickering. this simply appears to be a means for Mr. Willingham to fill in gaps in the story and the narrative.

While this is better than the average fantasy graphic novel, it still falls short of of the overall excellence of the 'Fables' series.

I am a huge fan of the Fables series, and this spin-off is just as satisfying. I enjoyed Jack of Fables 1 and 2, and number 3 was no different. I applaud the authors and artists for creating such a imaginative series. Bravo!

Even though Jack is perhaps my least favorite Fable in the wonderful imaginative universe that Bill Willingham has created, I once again have been completely blown away by one of his collections. This addition to the sequence features some truly wonderful twists. There are also a number of additions to the overall Jack narrative that significantly increases the complexity of the tale.

The big surprise is that the revelation that Jack is the not the original of the Jack/John stories, but the copy. If you've read any studies dealing with European folktales, you have undoubtedly encountered the idea of Jack stories (very similar in Native American folklore concerning Coyote stories). There are a host of stories centered on this character, more of a type than a specific individual. Here the idea is introduced that through the Powers that Be, Jack was a copy of John, insted of the other way around. The stories were actually about John, whose memories Jack has been provided.

The real meat of the story, however, lies elsewhere, as we learn a great deal more about Mr. Revise and hints about the particular kind of being that he is, as well as the revelation that there are others like him. I am not buying the individual issues of this series as they come out so I have not checked to verify this, but I suspect that the next group of issues focus on this. Suffice it to say that this book is crucial in introducing essential plot twists to come.

The book also ties in rather nicely with Volume 10 of the FABLES story, in a couple of ways. First, this volume is entitled JACK OF THE FABLES 3: THE BAD PRINCE, while the other is FABLES 10: THE GOOD PRINCE. Second, in the Jack volume a sword is rammed through his chest by someone who appears to be Merlin. In the FABLES volume we learn that the sword may have resulted from more than just that.

All in all, another great addition to one of the best ongoing comics series around. If you love comics, you should definitely add this to your collection, but only after you've added the previous FABLES and JACK releases.

It's books like this one that adds validity and meaning to the Star Wars EU. With so many books pretending to be the movies, or books that add nothing or add something awkward, its nice to be refreshed by a book that delves into the depths of the Star Wars world. Triple Zero has nothing to do with any main Star Wars characters, but that is its biggest strength. The clones are not mindless drones willing to do whatever, but rather like children experiencing the world for the first time. Yes, they are battle hardened, but they no nothing of the intricacies of the real world. Much like any child would do, they rely on a father figure to help guide and protect them. Karen Traviss weaves a tale that is so deep and rich that the reader doesn't care that no main characters show up, we just care for the characters and the relationships between them.

Great read!

After reading Hard Contact, a fun book, I was excited to read Triple Zero. This book is the second of a trilogy and expands the storyline by introducing characters and concepts lightly touched on in Hard Contact.

Overall, the book was interesting for those who like to learn more about who Clone Troopers are and how they might be used in the Star Wars universe. Certainly we're introduced to Kal Skirata, the mentor so frequently hinted at in "Hard Contact". There is also an interesting perspective of the non-Jedi in this SW universe.

But at its core, this book is a failure for three main reasons:

1. The central plot of this book revolves around taking down a terrorist network on Corusant. But the author clearly did very little research into terrorist networks, military maneuvers, and generally how to write an anti-terror story. The entire story leads up to a central battle that takes up just a few pages. That's right, the entire book leads to a peak of something like 3 pages. We're to believe that this team of about 10 clones is this incredible fighting force, yet they go up against a team not much larger than their own with far, far less training and it's supposed to be "will anyone return home alive" material?

2. The core theme, that Kal Skirata loves his hand picked clone trooper "sons" is absolutely bashed on your head. Time and time and time again. The author has taken the easy way out and simply TOLD us that this is true, rather than showing us and assuming we can figure it out on our own. (If you've read "Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter", you'll recognize this massively repetitious plot device - hand it to the read on a silver platter rather than letting them figure out your character's personality on their own)

3. Several plot points build and build throughout the book, and like the key battle, unfold and finalize in a matter of a few paragraphs. One barked order and bam! problem solved. One quickie conversation and bam! problem solved.

Don't get me wrong - this was still a fun book to read. It had a enjoyable, if not poorly executed, build up to the conclusions. It's just that after 300+ pages, by the time resolutions came around, I was extremely let down. I could almost deal with the frequent plot holes that felt like pages were missing, but the biggest issue was that I just didn't get any sort of decent payoff at the end.

At the end of "Hard Contact", I was excited to keep reading about the team and learning more about who they were and where they came from. At the end of Triple Zero, I'm trying to decide whether to bother with the final book of the series.

I absolutely love this author's style of story telling when presenting the stories of the clone special forces. Her characters have depth and her unique professional experience reported in her bio really shows through when presenting the clones and Mando warriors as tight knit groups of professional soldiers living and fighting for each other. Her stories just have a realism to them that most authors who publish SW stories just don't have.

I could barely put this book down. If I didn't have to work I probably would have finished it in one day. I finished it in two. I am now starting the next book.

Before starting the Republic Commando series, I had been a fairly avid Star Wars fan, but had read none of the EU novels. I was pleasantly surprised by 'Hard Contact,' especially in terms of pace, characterization, and the realistic atmosphere Traviss created through her own military experiences and research. However, 'Triple Zero' maintains little of these qualities: it actually expanded on some nitpicky issues I had with the first, as well as adding a few more of its own.

My major issue with this novel is the writing, namely the tendency to tell instead of show thoughts and emotions, as well as the author's refusal to let her story carry her message, and instead insert her opinion into the narration itself. There is little question that the novel is meant to portray clones, and by extension Mandalorians, as noble people downtrodden by the bloated Republic and the ignorant "civvies." This idea is reiterated a few times every chapter, not just by characters, but by the narration itself. I found this jarring to the point of grating--Traviss's tight writing in 'Hard Contact' becomes unbearably preachy in this book, almost berating the reader for even considering that clones/Mandalorians are anything less than heroes of the galaxy. Kal Skirata, who intrigued me in the first book, is little more than a mouthpiece for this idea.

In terms of plot, one of the biggest disappointments of this book was the complete lack of pace in the romance between Etain and Darman--there is nothing but a couple lines of dialog leading up to "the big moment." Also, I certainly wouldn't expect an explicit sex scene in a YA book, but the fact that no true moment of intimacy between the two is ever shown caused me to care less about their relationship (which should be momentous).

I have other issues with the book as well, but these stood out most to me. Not to say the book is irredeemable, however--from what I hear, the RC series is leaps and bounds better than most EU novels, and if you are a fan of the clones or the Mandalorians (like I am), there's enough in here to keep you going.

WOW - I read this book in about 2 1/2 hours! Yeah, I am a speed reader, but I didn't want to put this one down. I cannot wait for the next one in the series! Sometimes you wanted to slap the heroine, but it also made it more real with her showing that in making big decisions in your life, it is a process and not something to take lightly. But once the decision was made to stay with the hero, she could be just a forceful as any other great heroine!! I also loved the hero for his maleness and at the same time his sensitivity. When he called his mom and asked her to tell him the old bed time story that she used to tell him when he was young.... I melted!! Of course it was so that he could understand what he was going through.... but you will have to read the book to find that out!!

This story would have been good if it would have had a little more interaction with the two main characters...other than sex that is. Now don't get me wrong I love the erotica romances so that wasn't the problem I just didn't think the main characters, Willow the human and Seth the vampire, connected on any level except sexually. The two meet in a club after Willow decides to play her sisters games and sit on Seths lap and ask him personal questions. Instead of building the sexual tension by having the two dance around the issue for at least a chapter they immediately have sex, lots of sex with really no story line. It had such promise but didn't follow through for me. I doubt I purchase book 2.

This is an excellant book! A real hottie! Willow plays a game and finds Seth. The real question is did she bite off more than she could chew? I loved the book, looking forward to Book Two.

I had really high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, it fell just a bit short, in my opinion. There were so many great opportunities for this book to be great, but instead it was just good. The characters themselves were wonderful, and the secondaries were just as much fun! However, overall it was good enough that I'm willing to read the next installment of the series.

I thought this seemed like a good idea for a book. I liked the series title, as well as the description of the book given in other reviews. However I did not imagine that the entire plot was listed in that 2 paragraph review.

There is no development of secondary characters, no plot twists, no obstacle to overcome. What there is: about 160 pages of sex scenes. Great sex scenes the first 3 or 4 times you read them. However by page 90 I was sitting back wondering when the plot would start. I don't need to read 10 similar sex scenes in one book, unless it's a BIG book and you give me some great plot to go along with it.

city of bones is a fabulous book along with the rest of the series i can not wait until the third book comes out. you must read this series!

I have to admit, I had my doubts about this book prior to reading it.
There have been numerous bad reviews so I was prepared for the worst.
Oddly enough, I loved this story. I devoured it in a night, and rushed out to book store the very next day to purchase City of Ashes.
There were a few typos within this volume and the story tickles you memory of works previously done, but I truly felt that this story was unique.
Clare certainly provided a twist to old legends such as the Nephilim, always thought to be doomed and evil.
Also, I loved Clary and Jace. I found myself laughing, on numerous occasions, at their witty, sarcastic banter and quickly fell in love with them both.
In fact, I enjoyed every character in this book. I found them to be very well developed.
There have been several concerns about the romantic twist at the end of COB, but it has yet to bother me. But I've always been able to separate fact from fiction and I have a feeling everything will come together in the end. However, if you are an individual who has difficulty with not incorporating realism into the books you read, you may want to pass on this particular book.
All in all, I most certainly recommend to everyone to at least try reading the book. You will either love it or you will hate it, just keep an open mind, and hopefully you will enjoy it.

I've read most of the other reviews here and must say, this is definitely a love it or hate it book. Personally, I loved it. A YA Writer myself, I'm not normally a fan of urban fantasy. There have been some rare exceptions, such as Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely, but as a whole I'm not a heavy reader of the genre.

City of Bones has changed my mind. Unlike other reviewers, I had no problem with the beginning. As far as I could tell, Clare started out with a bang and never let up - I couldn't put it down. Not a page felt slow and her prose was dead-on and interesting the entire time. Add to that wonderfully drawn characters, snappy dialog, and quite a few laugh-out-loud moments, and this book is a definite page turner.

That being said, the plot twist at the end is one which requires your ultimate trust in the author. From interviews I've read, I have faith that Ms. Clare will make it right in the end, which is the only thing that kept me from screaming after the last few chapters. It's actually brilliant - as I will definitely buy both City Of Glass and City of Ashes to see how everything turns out for Clary, Jace, and Simon. This book is a must read for both readers and writers of the YA genre...and anyone looking for a book that they won't be able to put down.

Clare's City of Bones has some interesting ideas---the Shadowhunters' use of runes as a catch-all "magic" for one---but the overall execution left a bit to be desired.

I spent the whole of the book wishing I could reach the end. Jace Wayland's generic "mysterious bad-boy" attitude that I'm sure Clare meant for readers to find charming struck me as annoying and "cool for the sake of cool." Likewise, Clare's writing of Clary herself--while tolerable--gave off the impression of trying to hard to impress readers, while giving off (at least to me) the opposite effect. Clary's art metaphors/comparisons seemed forced, just as Jace's bravado and "humor" felt similarly contrived. Trying to be funny and actually being funny are two different things, and sometimes Clare's writing feels like she is forcing the quips and witty repartee, particularly with Simon and Jace.

The characters themselves felt like I had read or seen them before, particularly Jace, Valentine, and Luke, who had hints of Draco Malfoy, Voldemort, and Remus Lupin, respectively. Not necessarily a bad thing---they were in the end characters in their own right---but it was easy to see where Clare might have been pulling her inspiration from. In general, the characters are pastiches of other character tropes seen before.

The "plot twists" seemed evident from the beginning, and Clare's prose ranges from engaging and action-packed (her imagery in her fighting and magical scenes were well-written), to overly flowery and repetitive (how many times do readers need to be told the color of Jace's hair/eyes?).

In the end, the story had potential and on the whole has very interesting ideas throughout, but I only finished it because I forced myself to, not because it held my interest for nearly 500 pages.

I will admit that the only reason I read this book was because of Ms. Clare's identity in the Harry Potter fandom. I had never read any of her fanfiction, but I believed that it's better that way for me to enjoy her published original fiction.

After reading, I guess I should feel glad I didn't waste about two years of my life following her in the HP fandom when she still wrote. The story feels so dry, and the pace is just plodding along. I feel as if Clary, Jace and friends are just being thrown randomly from one mini-adventure to another without any real connection to a central plot (I'm sure there's one somewhere, but it got lost in the interminable character monologues!) Even the supposedly witty lines felt flat and the characterization isn't enough to make me want to find out what will happen to Clary in the succeeding books.

Some day, I might pick this book up again to read, but for the moment, there are plenty other better-written YA books that I can dig into.

I really enjoyed the book so did my friends. It was in very good condition.

I enjoyed this novel. For the first time you see the characters letting their hair down and having fun doing human things and not so human things. It was also the great read Feehan fans have come to love. I like that she managed to share a bit of all the characters without rushing the story line. It flows and i am sure you will enjoy it as well.

Write on, read on
N.M. Phillips

the story is captivating and it sums up all the differnt story lines up to this point.

For anyone who has read any of Christine Feehan's Dark Series books this book is sort of like a recap on all of the previous books she's written by re-introducing the characters during a Christmas celebration in the Carpathian Mountains. It also hints at future plots for her other books that haven't come out yet. I would really recommend that you read the other books before this one to understand the full effect of the story line but you should be able to make it through if you want to read just this one.

I've read everything Christine Feehan has written. I love all her stuff. I'm so excited when a new book comes out!

I came across this book by pure accident, and am so glad that I did. Once I started reading it, I couldn't stop. I loved Camille's caracter so much. She's an amazingly strong character. The way Yasmine Galenorn has written the book, you really feel like you are a part of Camille in the book. But my favorite part about this book, and the sequals to it, is that each book, you read from a different sisters point of view. You feel like you're a part of them. not just reading about them. Yasmine is brilliant with these books. And anyone who loves to read about fantasy and magic I think will really like these books.

I personally really loved this book, I found it very intriguing, a little saucy at times, and fast paced. I kept me very interested the entire way through, I kept finding myself wanting to pick this book up over and over again, and I couldn't wait to get back to reading it. I loved it so much I went ahead and bought books 2 & 3 in the series.....

Most fiction novels like these, especially ones that are in a series, I find are usually boring, or lack something. This one however kept me VERY interested throughout the entire book. I loved the fact how it was fast paced, and still had that little bit of sauciness to it! It made me want to become a witch, actually it made me want to get back to my witchy ways in my own life.

Honestly I think this book is an incredible addition to anyones library of fiction novels/series. A great and easy read! I can't wait to read the following books in the series!

Great start to a new series. Hardly any down spots and wasted page fillers. I love the diversity of having witches, vampires, fairie/fey and my fav demons. This book had good sex with hardly any romance which I more than appreciated and had great action. I'm looking forward to reading book 2.

Witchling had the potential to be a good book, or at least an intrueging one. The plot, involving fairies, shapeshifters, vampires, Tam Lin, dragons, and ordinary humans who coping with all of the above, could be an incredible read.
Sadly, the author can not write for her life. I had to force myself to finish through to the end. I didn't borrow the second book from the library, even though the werecat-themed sequel sounded like just the sort of thing I like.
Overall, I would recommend looking for a different book to curl up with. Try Ilona Andrews or Karen Chance.

This won't be much of a review because I didn't read the book. I guess I didn't research it enough when I got Witchling. It is written in the first person and I don't prefer books like that. Just want to put this out there for other people like me.