Science Fiction Fantasy Books

"Leven Thumps" has been one of my favorite series for awhile now. I hadn't even heard of "Pillage" before I saw it sitting on the shelves and picked it up immediately. It took me a bit to get into the book, but the plot twists and mystery quickly had me hooked. Beck is a great teen character, trying to understand exactly what's going on after moving in with his uncle. I can't recommend this highly enough to fans of children's books and fantasy.

When fifteen-year-old Beck Phillips travels by train to the secluded village of Kingsplot to live with his wealthy but estranged uncle, Beck discovers some dark family secrets. A buried basement, a forbidden wall, an old book of family history with odd references to... dragons? Beck's life is about to be changed forever in this suspenseful tale about the destructive nature of greed and the courage to make things right.

This was a wonderfully written and captivating fantasy novel! This was my first experience with Obert Skye, and from this experience I plan on reading his future novels. The plot of the story is very fascinating and there are many surprises contained within! There were a few I figured out but the one that got me was staring me right in the face throughout the entire novel and I still didn't get it, until "that" moment! I love books that do that! I also enjoyed the excerpts from The Grim Knot, which is the book that Beck finds on the history of his family. There is an excerpt before each chapter detailing a history of the family. Beck is a funny, sarcastic and likable male protagonist. I recommend this book to fantasy fans young and old! The novel also couldn't have been given a better title!

Loved this book. Easy read, but Skye really gets you connected with the characters and the story. I loved the humor and sarcasm the main character has and found myself laughing a lot at his thoughts! I like Leven Thumps too, but this is my favorite from Skye so far. Definitely would recommend this to any reader!

The opening to this novel is as creative and fun as anything I've read in an awfully long time. This is his funniest work, in my opinion, the wit really pops.

The mark of a great story is a flawed protagonist that despite wanting to strangle them from time to time, you love and root for them anyway. Lead character Beck fits that mold perfectly. If you as a reader can't relate to Beck, you're probably a wax figure.

Two thumbs up. (and a toe) A fun summer read if ever there was one.

Obert Skye's Pillage is a step up in this genre. It is more mature, but not so much as to alienate young readers. I would suggest this book for older elementary level on up. Teens and Adults will enjoy this too. I actually found myself plotting out schemes to keep reading, I told a bank teller that she needed less tellers and more customers in line so that I could read my book! This book kept me turning the pages late into the night, and so quickly during the final third! The plot twists and surprises that await you will keep you thinking. Can't wait for the sequel!!!

It has always seemed rather strange to me that when people mention Niven, it is almost always in connection with his Known Space books or the Smoke Ring. The "Inferno" is kind of forgotten, although it is one of his best books. [this comment applies to the original version of "Inferno"; I haven't read this revised edition yet]

Renowned popular science-fiction writer Allen Carpentier makes a bet with his fans at a Los Angeles convention. Right out of War and Peace, he sits on the windowsill of a room on the hotel's eighth floor drinking a bottle of rum. About half way through he gags and falls out the window to his death.

When Allen lands after what seems like eternity to him, he is shocked that he can think though somehow he finds himself in some sort of brass bottle that he wonders if it is his coffin. Some big Italian who says to call him Benito frees him from his bottle prison and agrees to be his guide as Allen treks through the concentric circles of Hell.

This is more than a reprint of the 1976 homage to Dante as Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle apparently revised some of the journey to "set the stage" for a sequel next year. Accompanying Allen and Benito on the trek is fun as they meet an assortment of sinners through the circles. Obviously still filled with adulation of Dante, INFERNO is a modern day faster and hipper version.

Harriet Klausner

I first read this book in 'Top Gear' magazine, checked out the website, and then discovered that Amazon were selling the book cheaper! It's an incredible book! While there are many artists who create stunning visuals, Daniel Simon's are so incredibly lifelike I though initially he had got someone to actually build his vehicles! His love and dedication to his art are obvious from the design processes that are explained in the book. All my colleagues in my architectural firm are fighting for their turn to look through this book! Amazon, you've come through for me again. Thank you!

I ordered this item, says sent by USPS - USPS says they attempted delivery and left a notice to redeliver. USPS did NO leave such a notice, and there is no record beyond that. I was ripped off the cost of the book and shipping. I will never order a book from this publisher or any other publisher who uses USPS again.

This is a great book for reference for concept artist.
Amazing 3D models and other models with curves;)
Lots of sketches, clean presentation....great book!!

It's an amazing blend of Concept Design and (realistic)Vehicle Design. Every item has a (hi)story, a unique character accompanied with realistic renderings, which make you believe those vehicles are real. You can also witness the process of Daniel Simon's concepts through neat sketches. This book, like other Design Studio Press books, won't let you down, in addition it will give you more of what you expect/imagine.

Cosmic Motors offers a new perspective on futuristic racing machines by blending the form factors of things like WWII bombers and F1 racers with Simon's creativity to bring you some of the slickest vehicles around. Daniel Simon also provides a context for his vehicles with dashes of story throughout the book. The book contains several pages of tightly rendered sepia sketches as well as many extremely crisp 3D renderings that show off some seriously insane attention to detail. A lot of the 3D renders contain composited pilots or sexy babes posing by the vehicles to show off scale and maybe a little leg.

Overall the book is a nice addition to any concept-book lover's library. I only have two little complaints about this book: 1. I wish there were more loose sketches to paw through and 2. sometimes the composited pilots are so "earth-like" that they contrast oddly against the futuristic vehicles from another galaxy, but that contrast may have been intended.

I purchased Katie the Kitten Fairy and Lauren the Puppy Fairy to use with my R.E.A.D. group at a local elementary school. Both books were quickly chosen to read. The children seemed to really enjoy them and I look forward to purchasing more of this series to use with my R.E.A.D. students next year.

overall this wasnt a bad book, i know a few people didnt like it, and the reviews are generally against it, but still this book is a fun read. it generates over the story of the dark angels, and their beginnings, which is good because it really gives you a sense of what it was like for some planets before the imperium, and on how planets were converted after the imperium came, and how a new space marine legion is born. Lion el johnson is also a cool character to read about, but the story focus's on a knight trying to become higher in the ranks of hte brotherhood, and then eventually becomes a space marine.

The only bad thing about the book was it was it was completely unbelievable that a planet of such traditions and culture would willingly watch and praise as the emperor tore down all the forests, and totally reconstruct the world. also the change for the characters in the noval was too quick, at first they were honorable knights fighting for the order, trying to keep its power up, and build their world better. some of them spent their entire lives serving it, then the next day they just burn it all down and become space marines willing to die for the emperor. its like comparing someone in the secret service fighting for the president, or someone in the marines in one day deciding to worship the emperor.

like i said it wasnt a bad book, and its good that the horus heresy series is including books to show the background of many space marine chapters like in Fulgrim, Descent of Angels, and Legion, but still this book doesnt really help at all to the further timeline of the horus heresy.

As many have said before me, this novel has very little to do with the actual Horus Heresy. It may set in motion events that will occur many years down the road, but this book would have been better off on its own, perhaps as part of a Dark Angels series. It simply strikes me as an attempt to piggyback off of the popularity of the Horus Heresy. While the writing may not be award winning, it should make for a good read for those interested in the roots of the Dark Angels. But for those only interested in reading about the Heresy, I cannot recommend this novel.

With Warhammer 40K popularity at an all time high, finding new fans beyond the tabletop battle fields amongst PC gamers and sci-fi novel enthusiasts alike, the Horus Heresy books have been in full swing now for little over 2 years. Many have voiced their disappointment that the Heresy seems to have astrayed from the primary storyline in favor of Legion-specific tales. Personally, I happen to like the Legion-specific entries (most specifically Fulgrim), but the Dark Angels entry into the Horus Heresy series was overall a weak one.

While this novel would have been fine as a standalone tale, chronicling the era of the Dark Angels just before the coming of the Emperor, it fails to capture the tension and fear that the Heresy series has thus far presented. While it is not poorly written, the pacing of the story just doesn't match up. Furthermore, the book doesn't actually tie-in to the Heresy other than hints and foreshadowing of chaotic taint upon the Dark Angels. The ending, which may or may not scream "sequel"(very unlikely) depending on how you look at it, leaves the reader with many questions and even fewer answers.

As a Dark Angels tale however, this is an intriguing book. Following the story of one up-and-coming knight, Descent tells the tale of the young warrior's trials to achieve knighthood on the harsh and terrifying world of Caliban. Within its deep jungles and foreboding darkness, Caliban hides many Great Beasts. To embark on a quest to slay such a beast would be one of the final steps to achieve knighthood. We find that our protagonist shares many traits in common with Lion El'Jonson, soon to be Primarch of the Dark Angels. But an encounter with mysterious beings in the darkest region of the world foreshadows an impending doom not only upon Caliban, but upon the rest of the human race as well.

Following the young boy from apprentice to knighthood and eventually to the ascension of Astartes, the book is rather compelling in its delivery but fails to capture that same magic that has made the Heresy series so pulse-pounding. If this book wasn't titled under the Horus Heresy line, it would have been excellent. As it stands, it was an overall weak Heresy offering that was disappointing for many. Being that the release dates between the Heresy entries are so long, Descent succeeded only in fueling readers' impatience and thirst for more Heresy. When compared to Fulgrim (The Horus Heresy) and Horus Heresy: Legion (Horus Heresy), Descent of Angels doesn't stand up to par with the rest. I would recommend saving Descent of Angels as a side read rather than an entry into the Horus Heresy.

Descent of Angels is most definetly a prequel novel to the Horus Heresy even though it is released after the first three books. It describes the rise of the Dark Angels from before the time of the Imperium and a little after they were discovered by the Emperor. It is a interesting read up until the last chapter where a huge cliffhanger awaits. Hopefully there will be a follow up book to complete the story, but if you are a fan of the Horus Heresy series, you shouldn't skip this book just because of the incompleteness of the story.

First and foremost, this book is completely irrelevant to the series. There is not a single sentence within it's pages that mentions much less advances the larger arc of the Horus Heresy. Given this fact, one can only assume that it was branded as an HH addition in order to sell a bad, unrelated 40K book which would undoubtedly fail miserably if left to stand alone.

With that said, Descent of Angels is deeply flawed book characterized by imbalance. Descent is essentially two unrelated tales bound together with the most interesting events occurring squarely in the middle and given far too little time.

Though the grim dark phrasing found throughout better Black Library books can be found here, the vivid characterizations and visual descriptions are completely absent. The reader is continually, lazily told when one of the faceless characters of Descent feels a particular way with no effort made to indicate such in his dialog or actions.

Furthermore, while BL and the Heresy aren't known for air-tight consistency, Descent features a couple of glaring plot holes, one major twist that defies explanation entirely and dramatic foreshadowing of events that are completely underwhelming once revealed.

The only people who can hope to benefit from this book are serious Warhammer 40K fans seeking a look into the background and home world of the primarch Lion El'Jonson. However, even that hope isn't likely to be fulfilled since he is essentially a third string supporting cast member and like everyone else, completely lacking in personality and description.

Don't bother.

Lucy Scarborough is seventeen when she realizes that she and past generations of the women in her familiy have been cursed, forced to complete impossible tasks or they will go mad. All the women and her family have failed, will Lucy follow in their footsteps? But she won't be alone when her fiercely loyal and supportive foster parents, Soledad and Leo stand besides her. Also, there's Zach, whose strength astounds her everyday. But nothing is impossible in this book.

Award winning author Nancy Werlin has done it again! Impossible is by far one of the most intriguing books I have ever read. Based on the folk song "Scarborough Fair" Nancy Werlin takes the seemingly romantic song and creates a whole new story with her point of view. It shows you how strong parental and non parental love can be. Because in Impossible, true love can overcome it all.

Lucy is one of the strongest characters I have ever met and also Zach. I mean, they are incredible and so real. And Soleda and Leo are the coolest parents and do whatever it takes to kee their baby safe and happy. A wonderful cast of main and supporting characters too.

Now everytime I hear "Scarborough Fair" I always think of Lucy and Zach and all the Scarborough women and Impossible. Because that is the kind of story it is... impossible to forget.

I recommend this book but for 14, maybe 13 at the least and up because there are some mature content. But overall, it is an excellent book and you should go read it. And I mean now... GO!

As many of my friends and family know, I am picky. Not only that, but I have high standards for nearly everything, and that includes books. I picked this up because I had read Nancy Werlin's "The Rules of Survival" which I thoroughly enjoyed. "Impossible" seemed to have an excellent story line, the review were great, and you just have that burning desire to know what will happen and how something "Impossible" can turn "possible."

Based on the song "Scarborough Fair," "Impossible" is an excellent read for people of all ages, especially readers of fantasy and romantic teen fiction. Truly one of my new favorites (others include Les Miserables, the Uglies series), this was an excellent read. Not at all slow-paced, but not so fast that the characters and plot is not well developed. The reviews and summaries do not give away the story, which I always enjoy. I literally could not put this book down, and as a quick reader, finished this entire book in just under 2 hours. I then read it again, two more times within the same day. So, to make a long story short, I read it 3 times in about 6 1/2 hours. It was just so compelling.

"Impossible" should be in every family's library. The love feels classic, although the setting is modern, and the true challenges and romance really make it something that Nancy Werlin should be proud of. So far, I have enjoyed all of her books and this will not let down any fans.

Lucy Scarborough lives with her foster parents, who love her more than anything in the world. Lucy is strong and fierce, the kind of girl who will never back down. She has no idea who her father is and her mother, Miranda, is a crazy bag-lady that often harasses her at the worst moments. Miranda is always madly singing a strange version of the song "Scarborough Fair" and pushing a shopping cart. She figures that her mother is just insane and sings the song because of her last name.

One day, after a particularly horrible encounter with her mother, Lucy becomes a victim of a terrible crime that puts her in a very dificult situation. She has her foster parents and her best friend Zach to help her through it, so being a tough girl, she moves on. Lucy has no idea that this was part of an ancient curse put on all of the women in her family. Why now? Why now that she is getting her life together and her friendship with Zach is becoming so much more?

Lucy now knows that she must break this curse or she will go insane, just like her mother did. She is in a race against time to perform three impossible tasks, following the strange song lyrics her mother sings as instructions. She must do this if she wants to save her own life and those of all of the women in her family, present and future. Will the love that surrounds her be enough to defeat this evil curse?

Impossible is part coming of age story and part modern-day, magical fairy tale. The captivating story and strong, supportive and loving characters will leave you feeling as if you are under a spell as you read. This is a fantasy that feels incredibly real and a romance for the ages. It will make you believe that anything is possible.

Reviewed by Hillary Krajewski (age 15) for Reader Views (9/08)

Seventeen-year-old Lucy Scarborough has always been a very level-headed person. But, when she realizes the truth behind her mother's mental illness, she will need the all the help she can get to prevent herself from following a similar path. When Lucy is raped by her date at the school prom, the ancient process begins. Now, Lucy must try to save herself, as well as her daughter, from the problem that all the women in her family have been encountered with.

A terrible curse has plagued the all the women in her family for generations. Each woman must attempt to complete the three nearly impossible tasks, listed in the ballad "Scarborough Fair," before her daughter is born. If she is unable to complete the tasks, she will end up in the same position as her mother, insane and with a daughter in foster care. Luckily, Lucy has her foster parents, Soledad and Leo Markowitz, and her friend, Zach, to help her accomplish the tasks. But as the deadline rapidly approaches Lucy becomes increasingly unsure about how the horrible situation that she is in will play out. Will Lucy be able to conquer the evil that is trying to ruin her life, or will she end up like her mother?

"Impossible" is a fantastic story written by Nancy Werlin. The story is exciting and suspenseful and so realistic despite the mentions of magic. Although it is a fantasy story, it is still very easy to relate to Lucy's story. It is definitely a very enjoyable book that can be read over and over. Readers will love Lucy's story and sympathize with her, even if they don't normally read fantasy books. Werlin's second novel is an amazing read and is sure to captivate any audience.

Nancy Werlin uses a variation of the folksong "Scarborough Fair" as the backdrop for an interesting combination of mystery, fantasy, suspense, and the paranormal.

Generations ago an angry elfin knight placed a curse on the young women of the Scarborough clan. Each girl became pregnant as a teen and upon giving birth to a daughter, each girl went insane. The only way to break the curse was to complete three tasks described in the lyrics of the song. Until now it seemed the curse would carry on forever.

Lucy Scarborough, now seventeen, has always known her birth mother was Miranda Scarborough, but luck brought her into the lives of Leo and Soledad Markowitz. They have raised her since birth and understand the complications of her life story. Through the years they have been plagued by visits from Miranda. Her insanity has been the cause of many embarrassing situations. Now, as Lucy is approaching her last year in high school, she hopes that she can avoid anymore encounters with her crazy mother and get on with her life.

Early in the story, Lucy is preparing for her prom and her date with Gray Spencer. Her adopted parents are nervous about the date since it is one of her first, and they haven't actually met Gray. As the couple is posing for pictures and is about to leave for the evening, the unthinkable happens. Miranda shows up in her baggy T-shirt and flowing skirt, pushing her rusty shopping cart full of bottles and cans. Everyone is shocked when she begins to attack, throwing glass bottles at everyone in the yard. She is finally hauled away by the police, but not before Gray makes a get-away in his new car, leaving Lucy humiliated and dateless.

Just when Lucy is ready to give up on him and attend the prom with a long-time childhood friend, Gray returns, apologizes for running off, and begs her to still be his date. She happily accepts, but it proves to be the beginning of yet another horrible experience. As the two are leaving the prom later that evening, Gray takes Lucy aside and forces himself on her. The experience is not only terrible, but also puzzling as Lucy tries to connect the gentle high school boy with the vicious act and the sinister voice she hears during that attack.

Weeks after the prom, Lucy discovers she has followed in the footsteps of the Scarborough women and become a pregnant teen. Will her fate be the same? Will she give birth to a daughter, and will she lose her mind?

Werlin creates an interesting mix of past and present. Lucy seems one moment to be a typical teen, and the next, the victim of an ancient evil. The turning of each page reveals another fact about the family curse. The lyrics of the song provide the clues necessary to break the curse, but those clues are not crystal clear and require creative solutions from Lucy and her helpful family and friends. Encouraged by hope and love, Lucy fights to change the direction of her life at the same time as she learns to accept the hand fate has dealt. Werlin fans will not be disappointed.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

I started this series because I thought the first one was an interesting idea, but I was NOT too crazy about all of the Wiccan speak going on. In fact, I was hoping he would kill off Juniper, because her part of the story annoyed me, but Mike Havel's part intrigued me. That ended fine, but obviously it was a 'to be continued'. 'Protector's War' updated you on what was going on in the character's lives, how they had progressed, and generally stirred the pot for book 3, but it wasn't bad, especially if you love Tolkien, and I no longer wished for Juniper to die. 'A Meeting at Corvallis', was the book I had hoped it would be, delivering ALOT of battle scenes bent on strategy, and digging deep into the lives of the interesting characters, and what they stand for. It's a good book when the characters MUST fight if they want any hope for their families lives. Of course there was alot of death, and some very sad moments, but I felt they were all very fitting. Not everyone survives such hard times. I felt closure for 'this chapter' of the the story, though the book implies that there will be more to come involving Rudi and the upcoming generations, because in life, the story always continues, especially when you have upcoming generations to factor in. So, I will be reading Stirling's next series, which picks up a little over a decade later, when Rudi should be about a good fighting age....

Just finished this book and it did not disappoint. After reading the first two I did find myself skipping all of the silly songs and incantations that the Mackenzies spew in this novel. I thought it was a bit of overkill. Anyway this novel has all of the merits that the first two books had, great story, exciting and bloody action, etc. I might be crazy but I had hoped that the war would have been a bit more drawn out. The actual war was over rather quickly and I had thought there would be a bit more give and take before the final throw-down. Sam of clan Mackenzie was almost nonexistent in the later portion of the book which was disappointing since he was my favorite character. Still it was a great finish. I will NOT spoil the end of the book but will say it was very well done!

The first book in this trilogy, Dies the Fire, was wonderfully written and chock full of inventive approaches to social organization and technology. Unfortunately the author seems to have run out of the novel ideas that drove the initial entry into the series by this point, and the characters, though still compelling, developed little. That said, though, the plot does move along at a decent pace, and I chewed through the book quite quickly - The action and the ending were reasonably satisfying.

If you read The Protector's War (which featured no war), then The Meeting at Corvallis (which features no meeting at Corvallis, but does feature a war) is certainly worth the read. If you're considering whether or not to finish the series after reading the stellar Dies the Fire, you might be better off investing your money in the other side of this story as well. The entire Island in the Sea of Time trilogy is very well written, and the characters and technologies in the series develop at a much more even and compelling pace.

This was a decent book. Given the ability, I'd have given it another half-star, but it doesn't warrant a full four-star rating.

A Meeting At Corvallis, the final volume of the Change trilogy that began with Dies The Fire, comes to a satisfying, rollicking, action backed end, and there's plenty there to satisfy anyone who became a fan of the first book and followed it all the way through.

After spending two volumes, stretching over nine years, building up to a confrontation between Norman Arminger's Portland Protective Association and the loose alliance between Clan Mackenzie, the Bearkillers, and the monks of Mt. Abbott, Stirling doesn't disappoint this time and gives his readers not one, but two epic confrontations that will decide the future of the characters that we've come to know, and perhaps the new post-Change world itself.

For the first time, he spends considerable time in the territory of the PPA where people are under the thumb of a man that they rallied behind when their lives seemed near an end, only to find themselves in a bondage unseen since serfdom ruled Russia. We also see the conflict about to come from the perspective of the people living in PPA and, while it doesn't really change the moral calculus of good vs. evil, it does paint a broader picture and give depth to characters who otherwise would've been little more than cardboard cutouts.

More importantly, though, this final volume of the trilogy shows why Stirling really is such a good writer. Not only does he take care to humanize his characters, he makes you feel like you're right there in their world with them, which makes the things that happen to them, both good and bad, all the more personal.

Stirling has started a new series based on the world of the Change. The Sunrise Lands takes place about ten years after the events of Corvallis and looks to introduce new characters, new challenges, and at some point perhaps an explanation for what happened to the world back on March 17, 1998. I look forward to continuing the adventure.

Well, the first book was interesting, the second tolerable, but the final one is terrible. Heavily padded - we know the details of every meal eaten, and every journey has several long lists of local flora and fauna. The armor of nearly every important character is described again and again. Even small things are repeated endlessly - every time a character in armor hugs or is hugged we get a reminder of the armor (which generally was described a page or two back).
There continues to be no explanation of The Change, other than hints of a divine origin. Given that the basic laws of physics have been severely tampered with, this is not very satisfactory. And still, most characters seem relatively uninterested in the reasons for the Change. A bit of bad pseudo-physics is given but only annoys.
There are long, long battles and duels, described in painful detail which slows the action to a crawl.
The end is not bad, although the hints of things to come are painfully obvious.
Sigh...if you were intriged by the premise in the first, and slogged through the second, save yourself. Don't buy this book.

Darth Bane was a wonderful read! Marvelous character development into someone worthy to be called a Sith Lord. The character reminded me of a dark side Conan the barbarian. If I said more it may be a spoiler. Anyway I have only read two other star wars novels, one about Darth Maul and the other about Darth Vader. This one by far dominated either Star Wars book I have read before. Hopefully Sith Lord stories will continue and be written as well as this. Thank you Mr. Karpyshyn!

This book was great as it shed some much needed light about one of the greatest Sith of all time, Darth Bane. Aside from learning about Bane's raise from lowly mining worker to the first Darth in over 3000 years, there is a good amount of KOTOR references. Any fan of KOTOR will love the references and the incorporation of the ideas from the game into this book. It is fun to read a book about a character that is pure hatred and fury. If you want some more Dark Side in your reading diet then check this one out.

Do yourself a favor...if you're thinking of this getting this book and even remotely enjoy the Star Wars universe...BUY THIS BOOK! It is possibly the best of all the Star Wars books. Zahn's Thraw Trilogy is up there too, but this book is the darkest of all of them, fully explaining the origins of the current Sith "school of thought" and getting into stuff that no other book has touched on. Not only that, but it does it all very well. A must read!

This book was really well written and sheds light on the life of one of the great Sith Lords. It brings to life the nature of the dark side of the Force, and delves into the psyche of those how practice it. Overall and excellent read that will enhance your knowledge of the star wars universe.

This is one of the best Star Wars books that I have ever read. I would love to see more books come out about the ancient Sith lords. This book captured me from front to back. I have read this book five times now and it is still exciting to read.

Read a great review on "Rainbow's End" in the New York Times. Just finished reading the book. This is one of the best written, and absolutely the most original book I've ever read on how humanity will deal with technology in the future.

Until Alzheimer's took him Robert Gu was a multimillionaire world-renowned poet. However when a cure is discovered for his Alzheimer's he comes back to a world that is both familiar and strange, and he finds himself changed in ways that are both amazing and distressing. Convinced by his family to attend remidal technology classes at the local high school he is reluctantly dragged back into life around him when he is offered something he can't refuse but whose acceptance will mean a betrayal of everything new he has come to value.

This is a story that is a combination of a thriller and personal discovery story as someone who thought he knew everything finds out that he probably didn't know the most important things about life. I have to say I really enjoyed this novel. Its been a while since I read anything by Vernor Vinge but this was an entertaining read that kept me easily entertained till the end of the story.

Not as ... comprehensive as Fire Upon the Deep or Deepness in the Sky - but - it is pure Vernor Vinge - an amazing layering of the life of an awakening old man and poet into a world where writing and reading are obsolete - everyone is immersed in technology - and while he struggles to catch up and while books are being shredded - he is also trying to share his skills with a young student who is actually interested in this dying art. Of course there is tons of conspiracy and way more going on than this - but I loved this part of the story which is nearly lost under the levels of noise and actions and technology.

Vinge presents an excellent story about a man who "wakes up" from Alzheimer's in San Diego in the year 2025. After this, the reader is treated to a glimpse of the near future where reality and virtual reality meet. Here, various people who were on the cutting edge of technology just a decade or so earlier now struggle to meet high school standards.

In particular, I appreciated the social commentary the author provides through various characters in the book. This, and not the science alone, makes a speculative fiction book good. Normally, I do not read this sub-genre of science fiction. In fact, the first chapter in the book was a bit slow for me. However, the story picked up with chapter two, and the rest of the book was excellent reading.

I highly recommend this book!

I began reading Rainbows End ready to be amazed.

The story is set in 2025 San Diego. We follow
the famous poet Robert Gu.
Now cured of Alzheimers, but missing all
recent changes in technology.
Which we are now introduced to
through Robert's experience.
So far so good.

We learn that everyone is plugged into the net on a constant basis
via wearable computers with contact lenses for output display.
Through your contact lenses you can "google" in midair.
There is a complete visual overlay on the "real" world,
allowing everyone to effectively "live" in whatever fantasy world they desire.
And the DHS - departmentment of Homeland Security - logic
is deeply embedded in all hardware.
Athletes are on drugs ...etc.

Its all very neat and all very likely,
but not very exciting, and not very amazing,
actually. This is more
like today than 17 years out in the future ....
I wanted to be excited about this book -
but in the end I was not. I am afraid.

-Simon