Science Fiction Fantasy Books

pre script: [This is not the last book of the Books of Bayern! There is a fourth book coming out.www.shannonhale.com!!] This book is the most humorous of the three that Hale wrote. Razo, the main character, seems to be born to be funny! If you read the other two books, you might note that the plot is quite fast-moving. The plot for this book is not as fast as those, but perhaps has more amount of surprises. It gets a little boring, maybe, in the middle bacause it is slow. Each surprising information that Hale reveals doesn't really come together until much later in the book. In that case, read the book again later, sometime not too soon. You will find that you enjoy the book more. Do remember to read all the way to the end; do not skip some pages when bored.

About Razo: Short(he grows later in the book), uncertain, seventeen years old (in the beginning of the book), easygoing, hilarious(or at least funny), black-haired. Socializes a lot, a prefect spy, an experienced slinger(Finn helps Razo find that out), flexible. The main character; fun to see the book in close third-person view of him. Caught up in the intrigue between Bayern and Tira, solves everything out(with some help) at the end. Likes food!

Enna: Eighteen years old(again, at the beginning of the book)
Finn: Very patient; Eighteen years old

Isi/Ani: Twenty-one years old (I thought she was 20...)

Geric: Twenty-five

Megina: 20
Talone: I guess he is at least 40

Napralina: Eighteen years old; the second daughter of Kildenree

His Radiance the Prince: I guess he is 20 or something

Once again, some of the characters from Goose Girl continue in this book. I love Shannon Hale, but got a bit lost in the plot of this book. Still, it is excellent and captures the imagination of all. Not as light-hearted as Goose Girl and Princess Academy, and may be more suited for an older reader.

If you enjoyed the first two Goose Girl books you will enjoy the third one.

Such a good read! I know and love the characters as my own friends. I am sorry to have the Bayern series end! I highly recommend the whole "Goose Girl" series.

This was a great addition to the Goose Girl series, and I loved it, but I was a little disappointed with the lack of action and intensity, that you found in the previous two books. I would still recommend this book for anyone who enjoyed "Goose Girl" and "Enna Burning". If there had been a twist in this story, like in the previous two, It would have made this story much better.

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).

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.

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

This book was a smoking hot read for me. I fell in love with Riana and Creed, plus her sister Sybils created a diverse background. You see Riana is fighting to save her city and the world from the Legion, a demonic organization. The problem comes smacks her in the face with her feeling for Creed who works for the Occult Crime Division. Creed, is not totally a human. He is struggling with the half of his nature. Their relationship cause a rift with her fellow sisters, and compromises their success in the battle against the Legion.

Ms. Windsor has created a world with a diverse cast of characters with different abilities. Even the bad guys have a wide range of powers and weaknesses. Even the secondary characters jump from the pages of her story. I hope all that read this, take the time to check out this book and the other two in the trilogy.

A good start to a series I think will be a real sizzler. If you like supernatural abilties mixed with uncontrolable passion.

This book could not hold my interest at all and I will usually try to finish a book when I start it, but I just couldn't do it. I actually feel asleep reading.

I am wary of a series that comes out as fast as this one. It's usually a number to things but they tend to be not thought out well and I think it lacks the fan input. Not that authors ask what they should write next but the reaction of fans is important. Well, I have only read the first book so far but it's a pretty good start. The concept isn't new but the relationship with the characters and the struggle with the Legion is authentic feeling. I feel like a lot of romance authors throw their couple together in a matter of hours and expect us to believe they fell in love that fast but with Riana and Creed they spent weeks together. There was a build up of events that worked smoothly to the conclusion at the end of the book and it left me looking forward to the next one.

This was one of the best new paranormals that I have read in a long time. The characters and plot were well written. I accidently happened on this book and thought it looked interesting but I was a bit concerned about reading an author I had never heard of. Boy, was I wrong! Another reviewer mentioned that "it's hard not to get wrapped up in the sheer beauty and power of the world the author created..." She was spot on! I was so wrapped up in it I finished the book in one night, couldn't put it down! I was also concerned at first that since the author had written 'erotica' all I would be reading was sex, sex and more sex. Yes there was some pretty hot sex, but it all balanced out into a very wonderful tale. I couldn't wait for the next book in the series. I'm just sorry that it's only a trilogy. Maybe if we beg hard enough, we'll get more????

As the broom of her triad, Merilee must sweep up after the mess her fellow sisters make as their battle against the Legion. However, this time she does not have her team to assist her because they have been knocked up by their husbands who are half demons.

Jake has every resource available to him to fix what was done to him. When all avenues have be tried, he decides to return to NY and become a cop like his brothers. But unlike his brothers, Jake is not human. He too has fallen in love with a Sybil. Merilee, the air sybil tries but cannot fight the attraction to Jake. However, Merilee has attracted the attention of the being, the man behind the Legion. Help comes from an unlikely source, in the form of her dreams.

Can Jake overcome his nightmares, and the machinations within to defeat this foe? Or will all be lost, along with his growing feelings for the beautiful Merilee? Read the final installment of this series to find out what happens to Jake and Merilee and all the others.

While his two brothers seem ecstatic over meeting their soul mates (see BOUND BY SHADOW and BOUND BY FLAME) Astaroth demon Jake Lowell feels alone as he just wants to regain his humanity. However, he knows that his fantasy will remain just a dream as the mage experts insist that is impossible. Still in spite of his depression and being manipulated by a malevolent using him as a stalker, he feels good for his brothers and follows the orders to protect the only non-pregnant Sybil triad sister air Sybil Merilee Alexander.

Meanwhile the Old One is leading his Legion on a quest to destroy humanity. This powerful demon knows the time is right as two of the Sybils are in delicate conditions. All he and his minion must do is kill the third one, Melanie. Jake finds his human side surface at the wrong time as he needs to keep the Sybil he is falling in love with safe, but to do that he requires the full power of the demon inside him.

The third Dark Crescent Sisterhood is urban romantic fantasy at its best as part of a stupendous saga. The story line is action-packed as the audience follows the latest confrontation between the Sybils and the Legion. This time the odds are more overwhelming than ever as the good guys are somewhat weakened while the evil ones have their top gun strengthens the darkness. This is a great miniseries that sub-genre fans will relish.

Harriet Klausner

This was the best book of the trilogy so far. I was nervous at first in regards to Jake being 7-8 when he was changed into a demon. I mean obviously he was no longer a child, yet he still had memories of being a little boy. Anna Windsor did excellent though and the reader no longer thinks of Jake in those terms.

Jake is special he has 'light' inside of him that allows him to heal sybils as well as himself. He fears though that he is not worthy of life and Merilee because of the atrocities he committed while his Talisman was being held against him. Merilee really shines in this book and we see the quiet strength explode from the previous two novels. Andy really, really, grows up, as a mother and as a cop. We see sides of characters that was previously understated or hidden completely.

Windsor grew as an author in this novel. Bound by Shadow was a great intro, but lacked a little in the plot/development; Bound by Flame really helped Windsor come in to her own and had great character development and intriguing story line. Bound by Light by far was a great ending to the trilogy and all the characters were tested and strengthened.

I sincerely hope that Windsor will visit the Dark Crescent Sisterhood again, and tell Andy's story and maybe another triads/quads. Definite read.

My girls and youngest niece have really enjoyed this. I admit playing with them myself (at my age!) has been great fun. My littlest girl, just three, is not quite ready for this type of toy because we don't want the dolls torn up just yet. So we appease her with a fairy plastic toy while we play and read fairy stories to each other. The dolls and outfits are representative of Barker art and are very beautiful. We love them.

These are the best paper dolls I've found anywhere -- my two granddaughters love them, any little girl will.

Sturdy for a paper doll, the dolls and clothes are 2 sided. the clothes fit over the head and connect at the bottom. 4 paper dolls, 8 outfits. There is a page of accessories and inside the back cover there is a moderate sized envelope to keep it all in. I bought this to decorate my toddler daughters room with; however my 9 year "grown up" niece fell in love, so I'll have to buy another. My favorite part of these fairies is their modesty and innocence. And of course their detail.

I gave this book as a gift to a six year old girl. It was a big hit! She loves the different fairies and the beautiful outfits. Her mother commented that unlike other paper dolls which are too delicate and need an adult to help pop them out and dress them, these fairies are sturdy enough to withstand little hands changing their outfits and playing with them! I gave her younger sister the Flower Fairies sticker book and they have had fun playing together with both books.

Oh, so pretty!

What a super little gift this is for the little girl in your life. There are two little girl dolls and two little boys. They have eight changes of costume that are absolutely lovely in a way that is not loud or garish.

The great part is the ease of removing the figures from the sturdy paper because of perforations all around. There's a lot less work before the play begins! There's an added plus of a storage pouch at the back of the book on the inside, so that the precious little pieces don't go missing.

This is a wonderful toy that will encourage creative play without breaking the bank.

Kind of a disappointment. The story was good but way too short for the $$$$

After seeing "The Golden Compass," I had to read the trilogy "His Dark Materials." It was a thrilling fantasy that left me thirsting for more, but--guess what?--that is all there is right now. But there was this little jewel of a book. It really is just a short story/chapter and a charming map of Oxford, but it was what I needed to decompress and wait patiently for "The Book of Dust."

I really enjoyed Pullman's Dark Materials and so when I saw "Lyra's Oxford" I was excited to read a new one. I neglected to look at the page length. When it came and it was a very small book, I was immediately disappointed. The story itself was okay, but it was so short I just felt short-changed. Pass this one up.

I loved this little book. It took me back into Lyra's world for a short visit without having to delve into the large books. I could accompany Lyra and Pan on their small adventure, this time without her friends Will and Roger. I love Philip Pullman's descriptions - he transports you to the place in time and you can actually see the characters. His Dark Materials features prominently in my collection and I am pleased to add Lyra's Oxford to it. Just for the record I am 69 y.o. I think there are different facets in Pullman's books to appeal to all ages.
This is a great little quick fix for Philip Pullman fans.

I purchased this book with the high hopes of giving me the closure I felt I needed after reading the awesome Golden Compass trilogy. Unfortunately, this did not deliver. In reality, it was a big let down and I was disappointed...very disappointed...

I felt this short story was more of an "extra" that fitted no where in the trilogy, and to turn it into a quick buck, the author titled it after the original main character to trick people into buying it... Well... he got me! =D

I read the entire darn thing while I was in my doctor's waiting room.

Simply put, it's a very short story, nothing really to do with the original trilogy, and required no further thought process: you just read the story and is left with nothing to ponder over.

Although it was not "terrible," I would not recommend it.

As a matter of fact, I gave the book to the friend that made me read the trilogy so he wouldnt waste his money! It's one of those books (and I have many!) that isn't even good enough to stay in my library.

This series of Sisters Grimm books by Michael Buckley has characters familiar to adult readers and to many kids, too. The characters come from fairy tales and from other children's literature, with this author's own spin on them. The books are as entertaining for an adult to read as for a child. My nine year-old and I both read them very quickly and did not want to put them down.
We also enjoyed the Harry Potter series, but after reading these books find the Potter books to be much longer and wordier than these. These are quick reads, yet have a lot of action in few pages. We definitely recommend them.

The second book in this thrilling fantasy series introducing Sabrina and Daphne's school, filled with strange mysteries. Tantilizing secrets about characters are revealed, an evil plot is discovered, and Sabrina and Daphne, as the fairy tale detectives, must find out what's going on! This fast-moving, magical, epic tale will keep you on the edge of your seat!

The Sisters Grimm series is an awesome series. When my mother first told me about it and I saw it, I thought it wouldn't be that cool so I didn't buy it. But then I got it from one of my friends and I read it and it was AWESOME! That immediately made me want to read the second book, so when me and mommie went to the bookstore and I saw the second book there, I really wanted to get it. Now that I got it and read it, I immediately want to read the third book.

I really liked how surprising it was when it seemed like some of the people at first I thought were going to be the bad guys turned out to be the good guys, and some of the good guys I liked turned out to be bad guys. An example was Principle Hamelin, when we thought he was helping Rumplestiltskin but then it turned out that Rumpelstiltskin tricked him, so Principle Hamelin became good again.

My girls, 8 and 10, thoroughly enjoyed this book. They are always begging for 'just a little bit more' every time we have to put the book down. They love making the connections to the fairy tale characters that they are familiar with from other stories.

I've enjoyed reading "The Sisters Grimm", and recommend it.
I particularly appreciate the "Wizard of Oz" references.

One section had me laughing out loud, an unusual occurance (outside of a Stephanie Plum novel). Even today, two weeks later, I still smile thinking about it. Without revealing anything, I'll just refer to the ink "drawing".
...get the series, and read it!

I remember the first time I read through this story. It was 1982, and my daughter had just been born, and I could only get in a few pages per night. The book seemed to drag on, and on, and on. It was as though it took me 3,000 years to read it. Oh wait, that's part of the plot. The tedium of knowing the future, and living out the rote script. The ultimate boredom of an unbending future written in stone.

My original thought was that this book should have been titled "God Awfully Long Emperor of Dune". Subsequent readings have dispelled my initial impression. Like all the Frank Herbert Dune series books - an excellent read.

As I tend to re-read the Dune series every few years, my recent Dune book purchases have been in hardback. Several of my old paperbacks were literally falling apart. I'm glad that Amazon now carries links to sellers who have them in hardback. That "all grown up" daughter is now a fan of the series as well. Some day, she will inherit all of these well written books - in hardback.

This is a review of the unabridged CD audio version.

I enjoyed Book I of the series the best, and in my opinion each successive one has not quite lived up to the first. That's true of this one as well. I agree that there are too many philosophical discussions, which are interesting, but drag the action down significantly. I could not finish the print version, and when the CD version came out, I began again. I enjoyed Simon Vance's reading of Children of Dune, and he does not disappoint in reading God Emperor of Dune. Kate Fleming, an American award wining audio book narrator, said of Vance: "Without resorting to vocal gymnastics, Simon is one of those narrators who can tap into a vast reserve of imagination to find the right feel for his characters." I agree. There are two other readers as well, and they help to break up potential monotony, which was my primary criticism of the text version.

If you are having difficulty getting through the print version of this book, give the audiobook a try. Yes, you could probably drive to Iowa from the East Coast and not quite finish listening, but if you are a fan of the Dune series, you won't mind that this long reading will help wile away travel tedium.

The masters of myth-making are those who are not only removed in time and place from their respective subjects but who are also removed in spirit. In the Dune series, this book gets straight to the heart of the matter and bypasses the myths and allows you to grasp the spirit of what Frank Herbert discovered in his own life.

I think that most people can accept that the great novels are reflections of their authors and of the realisations attained in their lives. The truly great novels are replete with insights into life, death and all of the rest, but what happens when such insights are coated in the guise of science-fiction? I think then, that with this in mind, there needs to be an element of trust in the author and there also needs to be some kind of capacity on behalf of the reader to be able to recognise the value of what the author has discovered.

When compared to the other novels in the Dune series, God Emperor comes across as very different. There is little action to speak of and the plot (such that it is) is held together purely by the strength of insights provided by the novel's main character Leto II. To my eyes, this speaks volumes on the nature of storytelling and on the nature of direct experience.

The truth of this can not only be seen in the following two novels in the series where for many in the Dune universe, the cult of myth worship has taken precedence over the 'facts' behind the myth, but also in the fact that many characters in this novel - even in the presence of the fact - remain blind to the value of direct experience. In this case, God Emperor is the record that the character Leto II is that fact and that, more importantly, his insights and discoveries are the insights and discoveries of Frank Herbert.

This 'fact' is what ties this book so elegantly with all of the other Frank Herbert Dune novels.

You have got to get this book- if you love Sci fi. You will not regret it.

In my opinion, the best of Frank Herbert's Dune series. Here we see Leto 3500 years later, and the consequences of Paul and Leto's actions on the Universe, and why Leto did what he did. I especially liked Siona, and I loved this book.

this book is the best. whoever hasnt read this book must be crazy. im on the fifth book of the first prophecy and it is the best!! i love warriors books!!

this is a great book, which sucked me in so much that i have read every book in the series, thank you erin hunter!

Warriors #1: Into the Wild (Warriors)

This was a very fun book to read. It is about Rusty, a cat that wishes to catch a mouse. He leaves his home and joins a clan to save all the Warriors in it. He must please everyone in the clan. He must hunt for the clan and train to be a Warrior. His best friends in the clan are Graypaw and Rayvenpaw. The clan leader's name is Bluestar; they must always protect her. I loved reading this book and if you like cats you will love this book! I can't wait to get the second one!

Fire and Ice (Warriors, Book 2)

I had so much fun reading this with my 13 year old book after book, we laughed and cried at some of the endings! Erin Hunter has created a truly fascinating world of wild cats and their adventures. I can truely say I read these as loyally as I have read Harry Potter!

I don't even like cats and i loved this book! The author describes the characters very well. I have already read 6 of the series and each book leaves you on the edge and there is always something new. I give it two thumbs up.