Science Fiction Fantasy Books

Ian Douglas is a good writer. He is Marine-centric and seems to feel there is little use for other services - not too much of a problem with that, but it leaves something to be desired.

His writing is decent and he kept me interested enough to read the trilogy. As I got through it all, I found that his push against the indomitable foe got a little far fetched. The character development also began to lag a bit as things went along. Overall, not bad sci-fi and it remained interesting enough.

LUNA MARINE (1999) is the 2nd book in THE HERITAGE TRILOGY, and continues the story of "Space Marines" in space-based battles occuring in a future war (2042) between the US/UK/Russia/Japan vs. The UN(EU-UK+PRC+India+3rd World).

Book 1 of the trilogy covered MARS-based battles and Millenia old alien artifacts uncovered on the Red Planet. This book covers Moon-based battles, and additional old (8K years) alien artifacts uncovered on the far side of The Moon.

I have the same praises and criticisms for this book, that I made regarding the first book... the biggest criticism is the Global Warming angle to the story - it is much more prevalent(and obviously misguided) in this book vs. the first book, and makes it hard to imagine the story as being something that could actually happen 30 years in the future.

Ian Douglas' work is new to me. It is very much in the space/military traditions of the late Bob Heinlein and Gordon Dickson, David Drake, Steve White, David Weber et al. The first book in the trilogy Semper Mars is a rattling good read, based on the alien artefacts found at the so-call "face on Mars" at Cydonia.

In the first volume, we have a US government, with few allies Russia and the UK facing Hispanic invasion from the South to claim "Azlatan" and the Quebequois threatening from the North. The UN is now the arguably most dominant power on Earth and intent on one-world government- the staple diet of right-wing conspiracy theorists and Bush-haters on the net. The US government is looking to disband the US Marines, naturally against their wishes. The UN seizes the International Space Station and facilities on Mars, using the French Foreign Legion as shock troops.

The Marine counter-attack on Mars and in orbit succeeds but now the USMC has to seize Lunar facilities held by the UN and Lt Kathleen Galloway, daughter of a USMC hero in Semper Mars, plays a leading part. The Luna Marine is totally dependent on the the first volume which makes it hard to criticise as a standalone - it doesn't work that way. For those who enjoy the genre, Ian Douglas looks promising, even to the older reader. I wish him well - Semper Fi!

The plot of part one continues. With the characters we came to know and love on Mars and an excellent storyline. Not only were there ruins on Mars, but there is something going on on the moon aswell and was it ever our moon? The Marines are as allways on the frontline.

Another good book about the future CORPS! Ian Douglas does his reseach!
Good background! Believable tech data! Another one for the almost must-read list!

Follows a woman who spends her time, exorcising demons from people...ends up with a demon herself...and has to ask for help (without letting everyone know she needs it) from a co-worker of sorts, Adam, who has very dark tastes..
Interesting idea, unlike other reviewers I thought the sex/erotic scenes were the best part of the book. The book didn't get interesting till she meets up with Adam..and felt it would have been more interesting if the story had started there, and did more to expand that relationship.. The whole demon possession thing was a little too weak for me..
Had a lot of potential, just fell short of reaching it..
Kim Harrison, Laura K. Hamilton is more interesting..

The concept for this book was highly original and I loved it! I absolutely loved everything about this book. Can't wait for the next.

I had a lot of problems with this book, including the amount of sex, and some of the torture/S&M scenes. There was just too much of it for it to really be a mainstream novel, as S&M lifestyles aren't really mainstream... I don't have a problem with sex most of the time, but I didn't like being less than 20 pages into the book or 40 pages or whatever and hitting a sex scene... I didn't know the character well enough to enjoy reading about her having phone or in-the-car-while-driving sexual encounters. I also didn't like that the main character was attracted to everyone *rolls eyes*. I'm tired of paranormal/dark fantasy books turning into hisem or harem type stories where everyone wants to be with the main character or the main character wants to be with everyone. Way too many are following that trend and too much sex actually gets boring.

SPOILERS

Ok, not counting the sex there was also a huge loop hole in the book's entire plot premise. The main character is posessed by the king of the demon world, right? And he's not powerful enough to posess her.... and yet he's supposed to be too powerful for her or anyone else to exorcise. (I apologise if I spell things incorrectly, I'm not really in the mood to check to make sure I get them right.) Ok, so it seems the main character is stuck with this demon inside her and yet he's supposed to be more powerful than her exorcist powers, which would also imply he could take her over right? Nope. He can't for whatever reason. My OTHER big problem with this is part of the rules for this world: demons are supposed to be able to transfer to another human host after they've already been called onto the Mortal Plain and inhabited someone else. So, why didn't this king of the demons do that... because if he did, the entire story would fall apart? Or does he have to be in control of the host before he can do that? That's another thing the author doesn't explicitly state. Near the end of the book he does transfer to someone else temporarily but moves back in... but at the time he was in control of Morgan because she let him. SO maybe that IS it. I just wish it had been said for sure, because I don't even remember the question being addressed. If he transfers to someone else and takes over, would the other demons even be able to find him? I would think that would make him safe until he could return to the Demon Realm or whatever if that's what he wanted.

Also, if the demons were really wanting to kill him, why did they let Morgan go at all? Why didn't they just burn her to death as soon as they had her as a container for Lugh? I don't understand how someone wanting to kill Lugh would allow any chance for him to live.

Another problem is the main character... I have problems with her because she does some pretty stupid things, doesn't really think things through, and she says a lot of mean things during the course of the novel to people who are trying to help her. Part of this just grates on me as a reader, but I understand that it's part of her blunt truthfulness I guess. I just found most of the characters unlikable.

I don't know exactly what parts I liked, but I liked it enough to not give it a 2... and I did finish the book. I think I liked Lugh. I liked the idea of the demons not being too different from humans, except in psychology.

I thought that this was a great book ~ interesting plot, concept, etc. I was hooked after the first page and flew through it in one day. However, the amount of sex was distracting (I never knew that would be possible). Towards the end, I started skimming over the sex scenes to get back to the story; I felt as if I needed to take a shower after reading this. The jury is still out on whether or not I am going to read the second book or not...

I picked this book up, thinking that I might be lucky to grab a book about the paranormal world and hopefully latch onto a new series. The first 20 pages basically cemented the realization that the author is trying way to hard. Within the first 10-20 pages You are introduced to the main character whos name i have forgotten already, but I do know that she has a tattoo, a celtic tattoo on her back, and its really important because she mentions it alot, The character also likes to dress minimally (read trashy) in low rise sweaters and leather pants, did i mention leather pants? because the author is obsessed with telling the reader about them, I counted the words "leather pants" 8 times in 5 paragraphs. I cannot read a book that is introduced soley on what the character is wearing, and it doesnt get any better than that, you really want to yell at the book and say "I GET IT, YOUR SO SEXY AND DIFFERENT AND ALTERNATIVE LETS MOVE ON SHALL WE?" i moved on allright, put it down and never picked it back up.

In the walled island Kingdom of Ethrea, Rhian stays with her father the King as he is dying. She sadly muses she will be an orphan soon since her mom Queen Ilda died ten years ago. Rhian detests the unfairness of succession as her two brothers are dead two months and she is the next in line to the throne; however Ethrea has never had a female ruler. Even near dead with his belief he failed the kingdom when he left no heir, the monarch frets that he never found a husband for his daughter.

Sadly Rhian knows she is the best person for the job of ruling the kingdom, but knows the religious leader Marlen will tell the ruling council who she will marry; some loser he controls to the ruin of the kingdom. That is if he even lets her outlive her father. No one seems to accept she is capable not even her dying dad. Rhian concludes she must flee to find allies to take back her country. Toymaker Dexterity Jones pushed by the shade of his late spouse Hettie offers to help the besieged princess. They obtain assistance from Zandakar, the son of the insane Empress of Mijak; he helps them so that they might one day abet him to end his mother's slaughter of millions.

The second Godspeaker tale (see EMPRESS) is an entertaining epic fantasy thriller whose strong cast keeps this fine entry from being just another middle book (though it has many of the set up trappings). Rhian cannot understand why gender not skill or even bloodlines is the prime requisite to be the next ruler; Dex has talked to his wife since she died years ago, but now she is talking to him; finally Zandakar realizes he must depose his mom who is much stronger than him. Although it is a necessity to read EMPRESS first to avoid getting lost in the plot, readers will appreciate THE RIVEN KINGDOM as civil war and much worse have arrived on the island

Harriet Klausner

The Indian mutiny of 1857 sees the cantoment of Krishnapur besieged by sepoys. For three months Mr Hopkins (the collector) galvanises the British community in resisting the onslaught...
This book is superbly written and often reminds one of the style of George Elliot. It is both witty and profound and wonderfully researched and charactorized.Like the best of Elliot,Farrell uses his narrative to inform on other topics-the great cholera debate;the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace- and questions the basis of what culture actually lends to civilisation.
Books like this just don't get written these days.

Paul Scott wrote in his RAJ QUARTET that it was in India during the last days of the Raj that the British came to the end of themselves as they were. In this superb Booker Prize-winning novel written concurrently with the QUARTET (and which casts a similar cold eye towards the British imperial ambitions in India), J. G. Farrell shows how the Raj itself was formed and how it already carried within it in embryo the seeds of the destruction for the entire Empire. The novel takes place in a city in Northeastern India during 1857, the year of the Great Sepoy Rebellion: the British stationed in Krishnapur hear vague rumors of what they will call "The Mutiny" from faraway towns but are mostly unwilling to take them seriously. The ensuing siege they endure carries on for months as they wait for help to relieve them; though slowly forced to an absolute subsistence level--and then to even less--, they refuse to relinquish the habits of social conditioning that have made them already who they are. Social snobbery, physical modesty, gender segregation: all remain firmly ensconced even as their physical conditions start deteriorating so greatly they start dying in large numbers.

The novel's subject would seem to suggest that the novel would make for almost unbearable reading: oddly it does not, because the characters of the novel (who are almost entirely British) maintain such a droll and uncomprehending attitude towards their conditions, no matter how desperate things seem. Thus, since Farrell focalizes his narrative mostly through his thoughts, everything seems unreal throughout the entire siege and not quite so nightmarish as it might have been had he used a more distanced narrator. The work is in part a parody of old-fashioned "Mutiny novels," so you should know that the ending is very much in keeping with those kinds of novels (which proliferated throughout the Empire during the latter half of the nineteenth century); characteristically, however, Farrell puts his own intelligent spin on things, so even if the ending you had been expecting does occur it doesn't in the way you had expected. This is the second, and perhaps most famous, of the three superb works of Farrell's "Empire" trilogy which beautifully illustrates the conditions of Empire described in another nearly coeval work, Jan Morris's famous PAX BRITTANICA trilogy. It's exciting, amusing, intelligent, and greatly worth reading.

This is an excellent novel about the Sepoy Mutiny in India in 1857. The focus of the story is the siege of the British Civil Service enclave at Krishanpur (historically this was the siege of Lucknow). A group of Sepoy soldiers was given new rifle cartridges that were wrapped in greased paper, and the paper was removed by biting it off with one's teeth. The word spread was that this grease was animal grease, which was an insult to religion. The sepoys mutinied, killed their superior British officers, and started marauding across India.

Hearing about the mutiny the (tax) Collector in Krishnapur had ramparts built around the British buildings in Krishnapur. Shortly afterwards the Sepoys attacked in waver after wave for a period of several months. Surprisingly author Farrell describes the sufferings of those besieged with a good deal of humor, humor that pricks holes in the pompous beliefs and attitudes of 19th century British colonizers. We bring them progress, a superior civilization, yet they turn on us marvels the Collector. The condescension doesn't stop with the Indians. At one point the Collector speaks to the British women in the enclave, and silently thinks that in reality women are really useless creatures. It is the men of the world that shoulder the responsibility of getting things done. The padre runs around telling everyone that God is punishing them for their sinful behavior. A new school and an old school doctor constantly disagree over medical treatment. In perhaps the funniest scene of the book the old doctor contracts cholera, and instructs his aides to cover him with mustard plasters. The young doctor, who is aware that cholera victims die from dehydration, initiates a saline IV every time the old doc sinks into a coma. The IV brings him around, and he immediately pulls out the IV and insists on getting his mustard plasters, following which he soon sinks back into a coma. Back goes the IV and the doc becomes conscious again. This cycle goes on and on and becomes hysterically funny.

The British thought they were doing wonderful things for the Indians, but the harsh reality of it is they were creating harsh lives for their colonial subjects. The sepoys, for example, were paid near starvation wages. This is an important novel about the misguided philosophy behind imperialism. Perhaps there is a lesson here for us Americans. Should we really be focused on bringing our way of life to other countries?

"The Siege of Krishnapur', the second of J.G. Farrell's now classic works on the British Empire, (see also Troubles (New York Review Books Classics) and The Singapore Grip (New York Review Books Classics)) is a fictionalized account of the Siege of Lucknow during the Great Mutiny of 1857-1858 (aka the Sepoy Rebellion). The mutiny or rebellion, depending on one's point of view, was ultimately defeated by the British and led to the replacement of East India Company rule by direct British governance under the Raj.

Farrell masterfully recreates the insular British upper-class life in India - and the siege only intensifies this insularity. As the siege drags on and on, the inhabitants strive to maintain expected standards of behavior and decorum. Farrell populates his book with interesting characters who debate and dispute morality, religion, progress, and civilization.

Excellent introductions are a hallmark of the New York Review of Books Classics and the introduction to this volume by Pankaj Mishra places the book in historical and cultural context and adds significant value.

Highest Recommendation.

At the climax of this magnificent novel, the book's protagonist, Hopkins, the British civil administrator or Collector of Krishnapur, finds himself trapped in a Union Jack whose flagstaff has been shot down, knocking him to the ground. He recognizes it as the scenario of a persistent nightmare that had been troubling since his small enclave had been put under siege several months before. But it is also a symbol for the entire book.

The initial set-up here is similar to that of the author's TROUBLES: a group of British colonialists crammed together in a decaying building while the threat of native rebellion comes closer. But this is larger in scope, with a bigger cast of characters, grander themes, and a rebellion which is much more than some background disturbance. Unlike the violence in TROUBLES, which is seen at first hand only in the hallucinatory final chapters of the book, this one (the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857) takes center stage about a third of the way into the novel, leading to harrowing scenes of death, starvation, and disease. On the level of a simple war story, these events (based on the siege of Lucknow) make for a stirring story of heroism and courage -- especially where these qualities are unexpected, is in the formerly stuffy Collector who discovers hidden talents for generalship and strategy, and the young poet George Fleury, fresh out from England, who proves to have a strong practical streak and a remarkably cool head.

Also as in TROUBLES, there is a pervasive eroticism to this book, centering around three of the younger woman besieged in the Residency: the debutante Louise, chaste belle of Calcutta balls; Miriam, George's young widowed sister, tired of being assigned to stereotypical female roles, and Lucy, whom everybody knows as a "dishonored woman" although nobody is entirely clear as to the extent or agency of this dishonor. As the siege persists, the courtship conventions of colonial society are turned on their head by proximity and deprivation. There is one almost surreal scene in which Lucy, attacked by a huge cloud of otherwise harmless flying beetles, rips off her clothes and promptly faints, leaving two young men to scrape the insects off her, in the process discovering the differences between a real female body and a marble statue.

For, despite the bloodshed, Farrell's characteristic tone of comedy is present here too, but now his targets are as much institutional as personal: the hypocracies of colonialism, trivia of class and culture, and Victorian attitudes towards faith and science. As we meet the cast of characters, we find many different points of view: the Padre who believes that the rebellion is God's punishment for sin, the cynical Magistrate who is a confirmed atheist, the Opium Agent who believes only in profit, rival doctors from older and newer schools of thinking, bluff soldiers who do not think much at all but who can yet be excellent at their jobs, the aesthete Fleury whose first reaction to being under fire is to assemble phrases for an epic poem, and the Collector, who believes in progress, but attempts to strike a balance between all points of view. And to a remarkable extent, the author also manages to retain that balance. The siege is a crucible in which every kind of received attitude may be tested, and for the most part found wanting. But Farrell is never preachy or polemical; he does not make everything subservient to a single point of view, even the anti-colonial one. His great gift is to keep you thinking, even as you turn the pages with bated breath. A brilliant achievement!

This book is awesome. I am so in love with men who really, really love their children! Love them enough to go through time to find them.

This book is s touching, you'd have to be dead not to feel the anguish from the hero and the heroine. It's at least a 3 tissue book.

Sandra Hills name should be synonymous with wild, beleivable story telling. Her Vikings are not only gorgeous and smart beyond their time but so much fun to see get into the trouble they bring on themselves. At times you want to slap them up the side of their head if you could reach that far, although there are more pleasant things to do if you get that close. These books are the best to take to the beach on a lazy summer afternoon, but not if you are watching small children, as you might tend to forget where you are.

I, who have become a fan of Sandra Hill's viking series books, could not wait for this book to come out. I read the beginning of it at the end of Down and Dirty and got really excited. I read it the first day it came out and....ended up really disappointed. The book starts out with a really hot sex scene...and the rest of them are really good too. The plot, however, was hokey. Sandra Hill just expects the reader to just accept she could fall in love with such a stupid, unfunny, guy. Seriously, the reader can't even fall in love with him. It's completly unbelievable. I think Sandra Hill has strayed away from her original intent with the series.

Sandra Hill is Back! Her past couple of books have been soso but Viking Unchained was great! Finn was hilarious especially when he takes Torolf's advice.I read this book in one day an I cant wait till the next book.

Thorfinn, a Viking warrior, is grieving for his lost son, Miklof. Thorfinn is sent forward in time one thousand years where he meets Lydia. Lydia is mourning the loss of her Navy SEAL husband and raising her son, Mike by herself.

Perhaps fate has brought Thorfinn and Lydia together?

I have read every book in Sandra Hill's Viking series. I have loved them all. Viking Unchained is my favorite. At books end you will have sobbed, laughed hysterically and loved with all your heart. Thorfinn and Lydia are not to be missed!

Sandra Hill's books are romantic, funny and sinfully delicious.

Annmarie
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

As a fan of Asimov's I found this a difficult read. I've loved his Robot series and his Foundation series from cover to cover. But this was a collection of experiments for Asimov, put together ultimately I assume due either to their novelty in the time and day or due to his rising star.

I knew before reading the book that the movie had no relation to it. I had seen the movie a year or two prior and had enjoyed it as a fun romp that understood Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics," while having lots of great action. So, going in to read the book I had no real expectation. But what I found was that Asimov had obviously written this collection of short stories to help him work through concepts and explore how the laws of robotics though great on paper could still experience problems in real life. At times it is amusing and interesting. But the writing is not as consistent as in his later books, including character actions that are not always true to themselves. Ultimately I don't believe he really intended this for print, though of course as most were written back in the 40's I would presume that the novelty of the concept was enough to make it salable, and these may very well have been his first stories published (I'm not sure) so perhaps it was merely a young writer getting his feet wet.

I wouldn't recommend this book beyond a curiosity, even die hard Asimov fans may not find this to be worth their time, though at least it is short.

One of the most important and influential sci-fi books ever, and a prime example of Asimov's best work. You might have seen the film, which draws upon the primary theme of robotic "awakening" and some of the story aspects - but forget about it, and read the book anyway. As a collection of short stories with strong thematic links connecting all of them, the book works wonderfully as a collection and as a fragmented novel.

The three primary recurring characters - Susan Calvin, a "robopsychologist", and two field-testers of new robotic models going by the names Donovan and Powell - create a wonderful frame for the collection, and their career growth and personal development over the years is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the book.

The stories themselves provide an engaging series of surprises and shocks in the best Asimov tradition, probably closer to his books "The Caves of Steel" and "The Naked Sun" than his famed "Foundation" series. They are also supremely chilling, the cumulative precursors to full blown terror building up as the novel continues. The history of robotics begins and ends here, and also includes Asimov's first mention of the "Three Laws of Robotics", which form the keystone of the book. A lot of the stories centre around either the bickering duo Donovan and Powell figuring out why a particular machine is malfunction, or Susan Calvin doing the same. Usually it is through a twist or loophole in the Laws - which provides the biggest chill, knowing that "infallible" machines, fully integrated into human society, might slowly begin to make their own changes as their distorted logic sees fit...

I cannot recommend this book highly enough; an absolute must for any fan of classic or contemporary sci-fi, and 100% necessary for any writer, established or otherwise.

Just about every robot book or movie revolves around the idea robots take over the world and kill off humans. Asimov's "I, Robot" IS NOT one of those books.

Asimov's stories describe the evolution of robots from domestic help, to manual labor, to space travel, and finally "thinking" for humans. But don't think it ends with the cliche idea that robots learned the world is better off without humans. Quite the opposite.

This book is NOTHING like the movie with Wil Smith. The movie follows the Hollywood cliche of robots take over the world. The book is completely different and much better.

Excellent Short stories and especially ones that make you think. The last one is very much a thinking story.

"I, Robot" is a collection of 9 short stories by Isaac Asimov that were originally published in magazines in the1940s, then cobbled together into a loose narrative for this book in 1950. To give the stories some cohesion, they are presented as the recollections of Dr. Susan Calvin, an elderly "robopsychologist" who was responsible for much of the advancement in robots' positronic brains during her long career at U.S. Robot & Mechanical Men Corporation, the premier robot manufacturer and patent-holder. Over the course of several interviews in the mid-21st century, Dr. Calvin tells stories that illustrate the history of robots from before they had the ability to speak until they could be made nearly indistinguishable from humans, though robots are banned on inhabited worlds.

Dr. Calvin's stories deal with the problems in understanding and trouble-shooting robots as their brains become more advanced, their roles more complicated, while their fundamental programming, the Three Laws of Robotics, remains the same. The Three Laws of Robotics are thus: 1. A robot may not injure a human or, through inaction, cause a human to be harmed. 2. A robot must obey the orders of humans, except when in conflict with Rule 1. 3. A robot must protect its own existence, except when in conflict with Rule 1 or 2. The stories are basically intellectual exercises in working out the conundrums that the Three Rules create. Though these rules keep robots safe and humans safe from them, in real life situations, they produce contradictions.

Unfortunately, the stories in "I, Robot" are little more than intellectual exercises in the Three Laws, and not very intellectual at that. The exception is the story "Liar!", in which the predicament of the robot comments on the nature of the humans. The book is written on a level suitable for pre-teen children. Even so, the characters are one-dimensional and the stories not very interesting. Dr. Calvin professes to prefer robots to humans, yet she treats them callously. I suppose that Isaac Asimov was trying to tell his readers that technology is a good thing, and those who fear it are foolish and, indeed, blind to their own reliance upon it. In the 1940s, his new way of portraying robots influenced a lot of sci-fi to come. But reading it now, I found "I, Robot" primarily a series of dubious brainteasers.

Eve Levine is a dead witch. Because she has broken all the rules, she expected to end up in a Hell for witches. But, to her surprise she finds herself in a supernatural holding place, if it is not heaven... it is definitely not hell.

Of course, Eve needs to be a superpower. She thwarts the Fates whenever she can... In the process, she finds herself indebted to them (the Fates). That is when the real story begins. Eve as supernatural bounty hunter for evil supernaturals.

Anyway, the story and the character are enjoyable. I started keeping Armstrong's books so that when I am out of reading material, I can re-read them. So sad. LOL

Eve Levine is a ghost. In "Industrial Magic" she makes a deal with The Fates and, if Paige and Lucas are returned to life, she'll owe The Fates a favor. In "Haunted," they've decided to call it in.

What they want seems to be impossible. The Nix, a demi-demon, has accidentally been let loose in the world. For, oh, several hundred years. She's been nearly caught but has escaped. Eve's task is to track her down and bring her in, so to speak. She's scared witless but she isn't alone: she has the help of Kris (who is her daughter's father and the love of her life) and Tsriel, an angel.

The Afterlife, according to these books, is very different from what most of us think of as "Heaven." Eve encounters various things: a pirate's enclave and a school for poltergeists, for example. There is a version of what hell must be like but, in this case, was reserved for the worst among us: serial killers and like that.

The story goes back and forth between Nix and Eve, which can get confusing. I had to look back a few times to remember who this person or that person was. I have to say, as you can probably tell by the lackluster thoughts here, I didn't really care for this book. I am a big fan of Armstrong's but this one just didn't thrill me.

On the plus side, we see more of Savannah, of Paige and Lucas (who got married between Industrial Magic and Haunted) and Jaime. Since Jaime is going to have her own book coming up, that's a good thing.

I have enjoyed the Women of the Otherworld series thus far. I read them as quickly as I can so I can pass them off to our nanny, who is also a big fan. However, this book was a chore to read. The ideas were so far fetched and bizarre. Child ghosts being raised by ghost parents who couldn't conceive? Ghost hockey leagues? Magic being used in the afterlife? I realize that it's a bit contradictory to love books about werewolves, witches and vampires and call this far fetched, but it was just so hard to do much more than roll my eyes and trudge through.

I would have skipped it if I weren't concerned I'd miss something from the other story lines. This was just such a disappointment from an author I have been very impressed with. I have moved on to Broken and am already back in love again, though.

I am new to this author and this series. However, I have blown through five books in about a month (which is AMAZING as I have a 1-year-old at home) which means I gave valuable SLEEP TIME up to read them. The book was a great easy read with characters that you can't help but root for and villians you can't wait to see fail. Although I have a few more to read, I am already missing all the characters when I am done...

When Eve Levine (while alive, a witch not afraid of using Dark Magic to reach her goals and protect herself and her daughter Savannah) is called by the Fates to do them the favor owed (see Industrial Magic (Women of the Otherworld, Book 4)), she is taken by surprise. It seems that there is a nasty spirit out there - a demi-demon called the Nix - who has escaped from her hell dimension and is periodically possessing murderous young women, who only need a little encouragement to get their lethal tendencies going. Even more surprising, Eve finds herself teamed with an angel (Trsiel) to accomplish this.

While Eve and Trsiel race the clock to try to find the Nix before she causes more havoc, Eve also struggles with her feelings for Kris Nast, who is in the same Afterlife dimension and who is doing his best to convince her to try starting over with him. Kris is, however, concerned with her obsessive need to watch over Savannah and often calls her on this.

A fast-paced and fun read, "Haunted" is just kind of book that book-lovers can devour in a few hours. Eve's restlessness, impatience and dark sense of humor is balanced out by Kris' patience and the need Eve has to complete what she has started.

This series of books continues to be a joy to read. I do hope Ms. Armstrong keeps 'em coming for a good long while.

After their encounter with goblins, dwarves, and elves, Jared, Simon, and Mallory Grace realize they have to tell their mother about the faerie world surrounding them. But they may have waited too long and it will take everything they have plus help from some friends to make everything okay.

"The Wrath of Mulgarath" is the exciting conclusion to the five book series "The Spiderwick Chronicles". The book picks up right where "The Ironwood Tree" ends and is filled with non-stop action. There is the return of old favorite (Thimbletack and Hogsqueal) and not so favorite (Mulgarath) characters as well as more than one surprise along the way. The book is full of twists and turns and not everyone and everything is what they seem to be. There are moments filled with real suspense and even some humor along the way. While the climactic battle scene has plenty of action, I was a bit disappointed because certain events seemed a bit anticlimactic.

Since this was the fifth and final book in "The Spiderwick Chronicles" series, everything is neatly wrapped up in the end. Readers will love reading what happens to Jared, Simon, and Mallory, as well as Thimbletack and Hogsqueal, and even Aunt Lucinda. Her ending is the most bittersweet of all.

"The Wrath of Mulgarath" is a great ending to a wonderful series.

This book is an excellent way to end the series called the Spiderwick Chronicles. Soon after I completed reading the five book series, I watched the movie, and was very disappointed in the movie itself because it no where near as good as the book series, and actually wasn't the same story at all.
Love the book, didn't like the movie.

My son, who is just about finished with 3rd grade, enjoyed this series very much and was sad to see it end. The story was well written, with only a few story lines to follow and concluding with no loose ends. Some of the language was unnecessary and made the reading a bit uncomfortable at times as there were things written that are not permitted to be said in our household, but overall a very good read.

In the Wrath of Mulgarath, the Grace children face their worst foe yet, Mulgarath the Ogre. They must foil his plot to take over the world, save an unexpected hostage (or two), penetrate a palace of garbage, and face monsters they know and some they have not encountered yet. They will have help from an unexpected source in all of this as the balance of power in the world of Faeirie teeters on a knife's blade. There are a lot of fun moments in this last installment of the Spiderwick Chronicles, but it gets pretty intense for younger children. My kids won't be reading this until they are at least seven. Also, there is the occasional somewhat mean banter between siblings that parents will want to watch out for. Having said that, The Wrath of Mulgarath is a grand romp through fairy lore for people of all ages.

I used these books to enticed my children to read. If they completed all five books they got to see the movie. It worked! It is a little intense for younger readers. Very exciting and action packed for those that can handle the battles. The only downfall is the cat is taken by the goblins and it never mentions anything about the kids getting "Tibbs" back. Goblins eat cats uggh! I prepared my daughter beforehand and we flew through that part. No graphic details just not a great idea in childrens books. Why not rats instead of cats. Otherwise lots of fun.