Science Fiction Fantasy Books

The Quillan Games (Pendragon)
The book was exactly the same as described on the description for the book. It was brand new and I was satisfy with it.

D. J. MacHalle do it again. A great book, with many twisting plots. Always bringing new hanging points to the series.

This book had me confused for white a long time. I thought at first that this was more of comedy than action/adventure. But then at the very end a traveler turns sour and it turns into another Reality Bug. Very sad and serious. I didn't know what to think at first but than I decided Bobby probably didn't either.
One of the best parts of the whole book is where Bobby is running in a forest getting chased by clowns. As you find out, Bobby hates clowns. he than prceeds to rant about how much he hates clowns and especially the ones who are trying to kill you.
I liked this book even though it wasn't my favorite it was still very good.

Victory is the way out of the Quillan games. Would you rather be a brainwashed civilian or a Challenger fighting for life everyday? A Challenger by day and a Traveler by night Bobby Pendragon lives a double life. In this epic fantasy a teenage boy fights the evils of Saint Dane for his seventh time. In the past six books Bobby has flown through flooms to different territories and time periods. The Quillan Games describe what a currupt enterprise can do to a weak society. There are many things a teenage boy should not experience but Bobby does it all in this excellent book. D.J. MacHale uses strong language while Bobby is in the field of battle and delicate when it is needed. This fast-passed first person novel is perfect for any young adult that enjoys spreading their mind into uncharted waters. There are so many twists and turns in this book there are hardly any stopping points.

This was a wonderful chapter in Bobby Pendragon's adventure. However, I found it rather long. I also found it had slow parts, but climaxed in a fantastic story line. Saint Dane's plan on the territory of Quillan is amazingly unique and sinister. I found this as a very very good book. A definite read.

The Warcraft novels have been mostly of middling quality, and this does little to change that perception. It tries to squeeze in too many characters in too limited a space, and the reader has little time to form any emotional link with any. The book ties together events that lead to the reopening of the dark portal, and Burning Crusade players might get a treat to see numerous characters from the game in the book. Nonetheless, it's a plodding effort, even though both writers, who have written much better work, try to save the proceedings.

I have read the majority of the Warcraft books and I believe I like this one the least. There is practically no tension between Alliance and Horde. The entire book is pretty much one sided with no real retaliation from the Horde faction. It was pretty much just reading the how Alliance slaughtered the Horde in every way over and over again.

I have been playing WoW for a long while and am a huge fan of the whole setting. This book fits in really well into the WoW universe.

I highly recommend this to both serious WoW fans and newcomers alike

I have read every book in the series and this one continues the great story.

This series chronicles many generations of families who join, and become famous in, the Space Marines. Fun to see how it all happens. Hard SF readers will especially enjoy the tech. advances that take place over the course of the series.

It took me all of two days to devour this title. I enjoyed the legacy trilogy so much that I decided to purchase this book as soon as I could. I believe that Ian Douglas gets better with each book. The character development continues to get stronger. By the end of the book you feel like you are a part of the family of Marines Douglas keeps mentioning. You start to identify with the emotions and struggles they experience fighting for people who often don't seem to want them around. Ultimately I would recommend anyone who is interested in good speculative fiction purchase this book.

While the characters aren't quite as strong as those given in the original trilogy, the story goes to a new level. The tech has advanced significantly, the society itself has evolved and changed, etc.

Extrapolating out 1,000 years and taking into account a devastating asteroid collision with Earth, the author does a wonderful job in figuring out social evolution. This is an excellent start to another grand, legendary tale.

This is the first volume in the "Inheritance Trilogy," his third trilogy in his future history of the Marines. It's about 500 years after the events of the "Legacy Trilogy," and humankind has spread over a considerable number of stars, as the Xul seem to have lost the location and even knowledge of the existence of Earth after the Marine raid destroying one of their bases at the end of the previous trilogy. But then a final message squirted from the AI running a ship bound for the Andromeda galaxy, carrying a lot of Important People (in cold sleep) who'd decided not to risk being around when the Xul attacked Earth, reveals that the Xul had found that ship and downloaded all the information from the AI's data banks before destroying it. So someone of the Xul knows of Earth again, and the question isn't if but when they'll strike again (and then search out other human-inhabited planets and annihilate them). So the Marines to the rescue again, with an expedition to take the war to the Xul. And they're also looking for help, and think they may have found it in the region of the Orion Nebula... This series isn't a patch on several others of similar nature that I've read, like Weber's Mutineers' Moon/Armageddon Inheritance/Heirs of Empire trilogy, or the first few of Ringo's Posleen War books (though that one has gotten tedious as Ringo has let his far-right politics dominate the stories, so I haven't read the last few), but it's readable enough and has fast action, so I keep buying and reading it even though the characters are generally pretty cardboard and it's not terribly imaginative.

This book succeeds where books like Heldenhammer fall almost flat. In the ancient empire of Nehekhara Nagash's father dies and he begins plotting to seize total power. As royalty and a high ranking priest in the Mortuary cult, he is delighted when dark elf prisoners fall into his hands and he strikes a deal with the dangerous followers of Malekith to learn the black arts from them in order for sparing their lives.

From their it only gets better, as an epic story of world gripping ambition, black treachery and the epic struggle of Ancient civilization whose covenant with their Old Gods is threatened by the Dark Forces Nagash threatens to unleash upon the entire world.

Brave Kings and Priests of Old Gods of Nehekhara must take a stand against one of the greatest evils the world has ever seen and beware treachery from their own as they fight to preserve their way of life against the undead legions of Nagash and his evil folllowers. It all leads to an epic showdown at the most ancient city of Nehekhara between the heroes of that great civilization and the Black Necromancers evil sorcery.

The Show Queen is not up to Ms. Lackey's usual level. This book qualifies as a light, entertaining read that goes well with its publishing as a Luna romance, but her previous Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms were more engaging. I liked that she did not have explicit sex in this novel, which means I won't have to hide it from my kids, but the romantic relationships lacked the attraction, tension, longing, and the sizzle that make her books enjoyable. Also, the only character development I noticed was in the spoiled children learning their lessons and Ilmari learning to appreciate someone his own age. I don't expect depth from a romance novel, but it would be nice to see some reason for attraction between the mature protagonists besides the usual "she's beautiful, smart and brave" meets "he's strong-bodied and brave, yet willing to learn from her superior female viewpoint." (Quotes are my indication of a cliche, not actual quotes from the book.)

The most annoying thing was the poor editing. There are some glaring problems with internal consistency and continuity. As just one example, Ilmari is described in Chapter 4 as having "gray in his hair and beard," but in Chapter 14 "his hair was not yet graying." There are many others, and they were distracting and annoying.

The first and second books in this series were well-written (for the genre) and engaging. The third was cute enough and was interesting for expanding into Russian folklore. This fourth book feels like a draft, not a finished novel. There are some fun passages in here, and it does have the feel-good, "this is how it should be" ending that she referred to in her Author Note, so I won't give up on the series yet. Here's to hoping she returns to her usual level and gets better editing.

This was an interesting take on the old fairy tale, The Snow Queen. It starts off with the Snow Queen, who is actually a "good fairy godmother". If you've read the Five Hundred Kingdoms series, you will understand the "Tradition" that is always trying to push people into fairy tales. The Snow Queen finds out that someone is terrorizing the countryside in her name and sets out to find this imposter. When dealing with tradition, the godmothers must be very careful to twist and redirect the magic that the tradition builds around events and people. The Five Hundred Kingdom series cleverly update and transform well known stories into adventures that delight readers. The Snow Queen is a delightful and somewhat more mature read, and will satisfy a craving for light reading fantasy.

This is a nice summer read with good character development. It isn't the best in the Tales of the Hundred Kingdoms series, but it has some nice twists.

While this is a well-written book, it isn't my favorite in this series, or my favorite of Mercedes Lackey's books. I agree with several of the reviewers that the unpredictability of the plot, and the overall much darker tone of this book did not endear it to me. I actually prefered One Good Knight because of the plot twists (Go George!), and my favorite so far in the series is Fortune's Fool.

What does fascinate me about this series is the intermingling of fairy tales and cultures. The Snow Queen, the Katchei, the Bereginia, and most of all, the Godmothers. Having spent part of my childhood in Europe, I'm more familiar than some with the fables and tales of other countries, and really LIKE Misty for mining them for her series!

The Snow Queen (2008) is the fourth fantasy novel in the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series, following Fortunes's Fool. In the previous volume, Guiliette forgave Rheinhardt and herself and a beam of light took her into the heavens. Katya, Sasha, the Queen of Copper Mountain and the dragons returned the Jinn to his bottle, then sent the bottle to the City of Brass to hold until the Jinn reformed.

In this novel, Aleksia is the Snow Queen and the Ice Fairy, the Godmother of her domain. Although the ice and snow come from the position of her palace high in the mountains, she does have the northernmost Godmother domain. She almost exclusively deals with boys who are following traditional paths into evil ways.

While Aleksia has the brownies for company and mirror contact with Godmother Elena, most of the time she is dealing with self-centered boys and love-struck girls. Her days get quite lonely and irritating. She is beginning to detest sulky boys and naive girls.

Kay is her latest project. He is very clever and even more spoiled by his parents. He wears black garments despite his fair coloring and tends to stick out his lower lip when he is frustrated. Kay is well on his way to becoming a Clockwork Artificer.

Gerda is a very determined -- yet dependent --- maiden who loves Kay. Unfortunately, she is currently incapable of denying him anything. She is well on her way to becoming the forgiving, defensive and verbally abused wife of an arrogant man.

In this story, Aleksia has brought Kay to the Palace of Ever-Winter and given him everything he desires except company. She is acting ever so haughty toward him and has made the brownies invisible. Moreover, she is keeping the Palace rather cold so that he is always chilled. Hopefully, he will soon become so lonely that he recognizes the worth of Gerda.

Meanwhile, Gerda is traveling toward the Palace to rescue Kay. She is so nice that farmers and other travellers have given her rides most of the way. But now she is traveling cross-country and is soon to be accosted by a band of robbers within the woods.

Overall, everything with Kay and Gerda is following the script devised by Aleksia from long and boring experience. While she is waiting for developments, Aleksia receives a mirror call from her friend Alena. It seems that someone is impersonating the Snow Queen and something else called an Icehart is killing people.

The problem appears to be restricted to the land of the Sammi. These reindeer herders are not directly served by a Godmother, but are vaguely within Aleksia's rather extended domain. At least, she is the only nearby Godmother.

Aleksia starts gathering information on the impostor. Her mirror spirit Jalmari searches for mentions of the Snow Witch while she finishes up the situation with Kay and Gerda. However, the data provided by Jalmari convinces Aleksia that she must become directly involved in the new problem.

This tale takes Aleksia into the Sammi Underworld to question the dead villagers who were killed by the Icehart. The problem she faces is not getting into the Underground, but rather getting out. The task gains her a little more knowledge, but ruins her clothes and requires a major soak and shampoo to take away the stain and stench.

Like the previous volumes, this is a tale of high romance. It may be the most romantic of the whole series so far, at least by the couple count. Enjoy!

Highly recommended for Lackey fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of fairy godmothers, magical quests, and high romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Holy Smokes is the forth installment of the Guardian series, and is as fun and entertaining as the other three in the series. The dragons remain as complex and mysterious as ever, which is possibly one of the more appealing aspects of the series (aside from Jim of course!). The addition of two new dragons and the possible re-emergence of the black dragon sept made for interesting reading as well as some great potential story lines. The power struggle within the blue dragons, and the "disappearance" of the red wyvern also has the potential for some interesting dragon politics in future books. Although, the way Aisling attains her freedom from being the blue wyvern's mate seemed just as little too "neat and tidy." The same could be said for the resolution of the Prince of Abaddon issue too, which thankfully appears to be over.

Aisling's ignorance of her duties and responsibilities was not as annoying in this book as they have been in the past. She did not seem quite as oblivious to her abilities and duties in this installment as she did in the last. In fact, she actually seems to be able to perform many of her "duties" with some level of competence, and takes more control in her own life. However, some of her interactions with Drake were a little obnoxious.

Jim remains his usual wise-cracking and humorous self, but it seemed he was relegated to the background a little more than usual in this book. Rene, while seen in this book, does not play a big role in the story. It seemed as if both Jim and Rene were pushed to the back in order to make room for Aisling's family and the demon steward, Tracie. The family does not captivate or make one laugh as much as Jim and Rene do; however, Tracie had could have been almost as funny as Jim.

The book is fun and entertaining to read, especially if you enjoyed the other three books in the series. If the third book had you questioning whether or not to continue with the series, consider giving the series one more chance, but you might want to borrow it from the library instead of paying for it. If you have never read any of the books, start at the beginning with Slay Me, because this is not a stand alone book, and you will likely be a little lost if you do not read the rest of the series first.

Aisling Grey is a Gurardian, a demon wrangler. She is also a demon lord. Aisling doesn't want to be a demon lord but doesn't know how to get out of it without upsetting the people of Abaddon who would then wreak havoc in the mortal world.

Drake Vireo is a wyvern, the leader of the green dragon sept. He and Aisling are mates, or were mates until Fiat, the wyvern of the blue dragons, cheated and made Aisling his instead.

Aisling has been damned; she now has the dark power within her. She is desperate to be rid of Fiat and marry Drake. Drake keeps disappearing though. Can they save the world, themselves, and be on time for their wedding?

Katie MacAlister's imaginative storylines, seductive heroes and witty heroines never fail to entertain and Holy Smokes is no exception. There is action, suspense, and drama along with out of this world scenarios and red hot passion between Drake and Aisling. This is the first Aisling Grey novel I have read. I felt a bit lost at times because there is a lot going on and a ton of back story, so I would recommend reading the books in order.

Nannette
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

...but there's TOO MUCH SEX in this book!!! By which I mean, honestly, it's just boring. Too much fire, too much panting, too many little bites and kisses, etc etc etc, frankly, ad nauseum. I have long enjoyed Ms. MacAlister's writing, plot and character development, and sexy love scenes, and recognize that I'm not reading Proust here (or whoever), but enough is enough -- and is, in fact, too much! Bleah. Who knew you could be bored by sex scenes?! But as it turn out, you can! I only hope my next read of hers focuses even just a little bit more on the story arc and character quirks at which she's usually so expert (which, by the way, is why she gets 2 and not 1 star for this effort).

Aisling Grey, Guardian, Demon lord, Prince of Abbadon, and wyvern mate is finally going to be made an honest woman by Drake (her dragon "sweetie"). She will have to overcome a few things first, of course, since nothing is easy where she is concerned.

To start off the fun, the Red Sept has not given up its feud with Aisling, Drake and the Green Sept; they are causing all kinds of trouble for them. Aisling is trying to keep all of this and the Otherworld stuff from her human step-mom and dad, along with her tough Uncle who are in town for the wedding. Then Drake goes missing on their wedding day!

Aisling starts being proactive and sets out to find and rescue Drake; in the process learns a lot more about the different Dragon Septs and regains some trust for Gabriel. As always Jim is by her side offering his colorful comments and whining about food or how he is being treated. Through all of this the Dark voice in her head won't shut up and Bael requires something from Aisling that she is not prepared to give.

What can I say but "Holy Smokes! That was Awesome"! Katie MacAlister continues to deliver with this fourth installment in her Aisling Grey Guardian series. Action, sexy dragons, magic, sarcastic sidekick demon (in a wonderful Newfie form), Lord of the Underworld, relatives, a little B & E, a wedding and did I say sexy dragons, all delivered with her signature humor and style.

What I loved most about this book is that we got to see Aisling step up to the plate and really figure things out this time (without getting herself deeper into trouble) and that the romance is still there between Aisling and Drake. There is a major amount of closure at the end and I am not sure if this means there will be no more Aisling books or not; but do not fear for she has a new book due out in May also set in this world. I do not know how she keeps coming up with these great stories but they are golden to me and they are on my keeper shelf (maybe I have a little dragon in me).

Aisling Grey books in order
1. Playing With Fire
2. Fire Me Up
3. Light My Fire
4. Holy Smokes

I have read all of the Aisling Grey books by "Katie Mac." I think I have come to the point, when they are getting too boring for me. Time for a different direction for this author.

Good background fluff and intresting reading. If your a 40k player and want background material on the Heresy for your games this must read series.

I was eagerly anticipating this book after reading the first two Horus Heresy books. Ben Counter did an excelent job. I loved this book. It is the best of the Horus Heresy trilogy. The action was nonstop. I could not put the book down. He did a nice job of tying up all of the loose ends of the trilogy. I am now definately a big fan of Ben Counter. Superb work. He did a great job of bringing the space marines and the warhammer 40k universy to life. I am looking forward to the next book in the Horus Heresy line.

A galaxy in flames is the kind of book that you read like you would grap red twizzlers. You do it without thinking because that is what the author want you to do. Kind of fun but lacks any sembelance of Hard Science Fiction.

I am an avid reader of fantasy and science fiction and I can tell you there is no sci-fi like the Horus Heresy. This series is loaded with awesome descriptions of brutal combat. The conversations between characters are philosophical. Reading this is more entertaining than watching a great movie or playing your favorite video game.

Ben Counter's description of the massacre on Isstvan III and the last stand of the loyalists Sons of Horus rises to the highest level of military science fiction. He seems to have relied heavily on historical renditions of the battles of Stalingrad and Berlin to create a gritty realism that far surpasses the first two Horus novels.

But his achievement doesn't end with great battle scenes. He accomplishes two things that elevate his novel to a level above "good" military science fiction. First, he captures the camaraderie that develops on the battlefield between fellow soldiers and conveys those feelings with both pathos and warmth. Several set scenes vibrate with such emotion that I found myself comparing them to similar scenes in Homer's Iliad and Tolkien's The Return of the King. Second, he illuminates the rise of the Emperor cult and illustrates vividly (not tells) the attraction of Chaos gods. This illumination is essential to the tension that must exist between Chaos and the Empire.

If the Horus Heresy is going to be a great series and I suspect it will be, the reader must understand the attraction of Chaos, otherwise it is just another story about super heroes fighting villians or put another way--good verses evil. I think Ben Counter has found the middle way, fairly describing the attraction of Chaos and the piousness of the Emperor or Order.

Just about like every other P. Hamilton book I've read. Start out wondering why did I buy this, but keep picking it up until it's finished. Now I can't wait on volume 2. Go figure!

Ok, there's this guy who dreams a zany fantasy sequence, and convinces a lot of people to throw themselves in the central black hole of the galaxy where lies the world of the dreams ( that doesn't seem so appealing, after all). How ludicrous is this for a premise? Plus characters absolutely devoid of any appeal, a flat storytelling accumulating disparate threads and the usual display of terms like "biononics". The Night Dawn Trilogy was great, this is pure sci-fi burger. Throw it in a black hole with all the void dreamers. Finally, how in the Multverse can a guy finding himself with total amnesia about who he is and what he is to do, finds himself perfectly at ease with the situation?

I've been reading SF since Tom Swift Jr days so I think I have some experience with the genre. Hamilton's use of interplay, history (his own other works), sex, greed and other life spices are all added to the stew of imaginative new technology to produce a bouillabaisse that can't be beat but must be eaten slowly and savored bit by bit.

If you like Peter Hamilton, you will like The Dreaming Void. However, if you haven't read the two earlier books in the same universe, Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained, I recommend that you read those first. Those books are as good as The Dreaming Void, cheaper, and will be a good foundation for any reader tackling this latest book.

Hamilton's biggest gift is SF universe building. He takes nanotech, bioengineering, space flight, and any number of other features and develops future societies that are fascinating and wonderful. His challenge is how to leverage this talent into actual books. After a series of action mysteries, Hamilton hit on what seems to be his best form - civilization-wide disaster epics, where dozens of interlocking characters are affected by or respond to some disaster, allowing Hamilton to reveal his universes through their eyes.

In the two earlier Commonwealth books, two dozen or so characters responded to a threat to human society brought about by hostile aliens. Now, twelve hundred years later, human society has evolved into different strains. At the periphery of the human worlds are slightly engineered, but still recognizable humans. The central worlds are home to the "highers", highly engineered post-humans who have evolved beyond market economics, modern government, etc. At the very core is the ANA, a quantum computer where highers tired of physical life upload their memories and personality.

This time around, humanity is threatened by the Void, a gigantic black-hole-like object at the center of the galaxy that periodically expands, consuming entire star systems. Some characters are seduced by a series of dreams that indicate that human life can survive and thrive within the Void, while others seek to prevent a pilgramage to the Void, fearful that a mass migration will trigger a final expansion and destroy the galaxy. Several characters from the original series reappear, or affect events from offstage.

All in all, it's typical Hamilton - good, intruiging, and a little scattered. If you liked Pandora's Star and the Judas Contract, you will like this one.

The one new idea is Hamilton's narration of the dreams, which is a nice effect. From time to time, Hamilton describes the dreams to us, which are a fantasy story about Edeard, a psychic living in the medieval world within the Void. In doing so, Hamilton draws the primary characters themselves into one of the most common fantasies of fantasy and sf readers -- the desire to join the characters in the fiction they themselves are experiencing. It's a nice effect and a good idea.

The Dreaming Void (2007) is the first SF novel in the Void trilogy. It is set about 1500 years after the Commonwealth duology in a galaxy filled with many sapient species. At least one alien species -- the Raiel -- has been active in galactic affairs for more than a million years and others preceded them.

Humanity has separated into three different cultures: Higher, Advancer and Original. They have developed genetic and implanted technologies that allow them to emulate psionic talents. And the ANA -- Advanced Neural Activity -- facility provides a perceptual reality environment for those who wish to become postphysical.

The center of the galaxy is occupied by the Void. What was thought to be a black hole in the twentieth century is actually a giant artifact with an event horizon. Humanity has joined a Void study effort at the invitation of the Raiel.

Inigo came to Centurion Station to study the Void. He attended the handover party to celebrate the departure of one set of researchers and the arrival of their replacements. After the party, he had the first dream of the Void. It wasn't his. Afterward, Inigo instituted the Living Dream organization that has grown into a political power within the Greater Commonwealth.

In this novel, the Cleric Council of the Living Dream has not been very innovative under the past few Cleric Conservators. Then Ethan is selected by the Conclave as the next Conservator. He immediately declares that Living Dream will take the Pilgrimage into the Void as soon as possible.

Aaron is in Golden Park when Ethan announces the Pilgrimage. He is on Ellezelin to find Inigo. He does not remember why he has to perform this mission -- if fact, he doesn't remember much of anything -- but every now and then he suddenly remembers just what he needs to know. Aaron has been equipped with some heavy duty biononic weapons to facilitate the task.

Corrie-Lyn had been very close to Inigo. He had appointed her to the Cleric Council, but Ethan bumped her from that position shortly after being selected as Conservator. Aaron locates Corrie-Lyn in a bar and walks out with her when she leaves. Then he defends her against a Living Dream assassination them.

Marius is an agent of the Accelerator faction of ANA. He offers to provide ultradrive engines for the Pilgrimage ships. Ethan agrees, but still orders the design crew to furnish standard hyperdrive engines for the ships just in case.

The Delivery Man is an agent of the Conservative faction of ANA. He delivers an ultradrive to Ellezelin shortly after Marius confers with Ethan. The Delivery Man carefully avoids Marius at the spaceport and soon returns to his family.

Araminta is a divorcee living in Colwyn City on Viotia. She had married Laril despite her families disapproval of the much older man. Since the divorce, she has been working as a waitress at Niks. Then her cousin -- and attorney -- Cressida tells her that Laril has left the planet, leaving her 83,000 pounds as a divorce settlement.

Troblum is a physicist and a Starflyer collector. He works for the Commonwealth Navy as a consultant and has just delivered an evaluation of the Dyson Pair. He also works secretly for the Accelerator faction as a spacedrive designer and has another project related to the Dyson Pair.

In this story, various human elements and alien societies are very opposed to the Pilgrimage. The alien Ocisen Empire threatens to put a stop to the whole idea and sends a fleet toward Ellezelin. Even the Raiel are concerned.

According to the Raiel, they had previously sent a fleet into the Void to reconnoiter in force. None of that fleet had returned, but the Void had generated disruptions and expanded to incorporate more of the galaxy into itself. Many fear that the Pilgrimage will lead to an even greater set of disruptions resulting in the entire galaxy sliding into the Void.

Meanwhile, the Living Dream organization is still monitoring dreams about life within the Void, featuring Edeard and his friends and the Skylords. Lately they have noticed a Second Dreamer stirring up the gaiafield. Living Dream believes that this new Dreamer is located on Viotia.

This tale is an epic science fiction story. The sheer size of the action and cast rivals classical space operas. Yet the approach is hard SF. There are reasonable explanations for the technology, but naturally much of it is very speculative. What else would you expect for such advanced technology?

Longevity is a major element in this story. The natural lifespan is lengthened and several forms of rejuvenation are available. ANA allows minds to continue without their bodies. People can be suspended in stasis, reincarnated from ANA, and even brought back from death itself.

The very nature of the culture changes because of these various methods of life extension. Some social viewpoints become perpetual factors, especially within ANA. Yet some individuals rise above their original mindset and genes through sheer perseverance.

Anyone who has not read the Commonwealth duology probably will be greatly confused by this storyline. Some of the characters and plot elements featured prominently in the previous series. Yet many aspects have arisen over the past fifteen centuries. Since the backstory -- newer advances as well as ancient history -- only appears bit by bit throughout the book, the reader will be inundated with data.

This work is shorter than the volumes in the previous two series, but it is still over 600 pages. Moreover, the stories are interleaved and the Void dreams are presented among the Commonwealth segments. The novel is interesting, but frequent rest breaks may be necessary to digest the contents. Enjoy!

Highly recommended for Hamilton fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of the mid-future, human enhancements, and a large cast.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Ok. I had heard she was a great writer, and I started with this book. At the end I was still trying to figure out the storyline. Too much bizarre sex, and no real live plot. I don't recommend this one. Maybe her other books are better. This one left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

Please tell me why I actually paid for this book? Like everyone else here I am invested in Merry. The first two books took me on a rollar coaster ride and I couldnt wait to get to the next book. Now i'm just wishing the end would HURRY up and get here. How about a book that goes somewhere? Better yet, how about a book at all. I think somewhere along the way LKH lost the plot and forgot why she was writing this story. I hope she finds it again. But from now on, I will wait till it goes to paperback and get it at the discount bin. I'm tired of spending 17-25 dollars of my hard earned money for this one - two scene crapola.

Its an exciting book that leaves you breathless literally. when its finnish your upset because you never want it to end.

Ok, this book just confirms it for me, LKH is a money hungry #$#$%!. She's no longer concerned with finishing this damn storyline. As long as people are shelling out $$ she doesn't seem to care that her books are not even worth a #$%# anymore. AND another thing, stop with Merry being tight. I'm sorry, she stopped being tight after the first book. I mean come on, I know it's fiction but the woman just had back to back sex with 2 men about what an hour before Sholto and I'm suppose to believe that she's so tight.... Pulleezee.. I am soooo happy I only spent $3 for the hardcover (used book) or I would have been really pissed. I mean, this book is sooo tiny and to add insult to injury, half of the book is about 1 sex scene, ONE FREAKING SEX SCENE. COME ON.

Like many reviewers, I think this book was too short and filled with way too much sex and not enough plot. The reason I actually read this far in the series is that right from the start, I've been fascinated by the character of Sholto. He was a character with terrible beauty and really seemed to break the mold of the other guards. And I'll admit, I was incredibly curious to see what a full sex scene would be like with him given all his "extras".

So, for me, the most disappointing part of this book was that when Merry finally does get around to having sex with him, it's only after all of his tentacles have been completely amputated. LKH seems to pride herself on "edgy" books, but I really feel like it was a cop out to mutilate the character of Sholto just long enough for Merry to have sex with him (because of course he is magically restored right after the sex is done).

For me, the only interesting part of this book was the Wild Hunt at the end, where we finally get a reprieve from boring sex scenes and get to see some action.

My 5, 7 and 9 year old daughters continue to love the series. You have to be careful though this time. Even though the books are slightly adapted for the US market the week in this series still begins with Monday as typical in Europe. Sarah the Sunday Fairy is the last of this group of seven books.