5 comments about Scattered Suns (Saga of Seven Suns) (Saga of Seven Suns).

1. I really liked this addition to the series. I agree with other reviewers who've said he could have done more to move the series forward but it didn't bother me enough to cost a star. If you like epic or military sci-fi it's a great read.



2. If you liked the twists and turns of Mr. Andersons previous Seven Sun Saga books....you won't be disappointed. The story comes to a crescendo and when you think everything has been tied up nice and neat, the roller coaster hits a new turn in the track. The way he tells the story from the various charcters prespective is mesmerizing and leaves very little room to get bored. This ones got it all, cataclysmic space battles, a xeno cornicopia of aliens, mystery and plots in every page, triupmhant victories and heart rending defeats. A good read indeed!!



3. Scattered Suns (2005) is the fourth SF novel in the Saga of Seven Suns series, following Horizon Storms. In the previous volume, Bill Stanna stole a Roamer scout ship and fled to the outer Osquivel system; Zhett Kellum had the stolen ship retrieved after the emergency beacon came on and brought back the body to the other EDF prisoners. Admiral Lev Stromo destroyed Rendezvous and imprisoned the surviving Roamers.
   
   Kotto Okiah found a way to open the hydrogue ship and his Analytical compy GU stated that the technology therein was very similar to that of Klikiss robots. King Peter learned that Prince Daniel was exceedingly uncooperative and Queen Estarra discovers that she is pregnant. On Theroc, Celli found a wooden tree figure shaped like her brother Beneto growing in the Worldforest and it soon became animated.
   
   In this novel, Chairman Basil Wenceslas tells King Peter and Queen Estarra that their schedule has been changed; they are going to Ildira to meet with the Mage-Imperator. Queen Estarra smuggles a potted worldtree aboard the transport as a gift to the Mage-Imperator. On Ildira, the Mage-Imperator greets the King and Queen graciously, bur snubs Chairman Wenceslas. He eagerly accepts the potted worldtree and thanks Estarra for the gift that brings back so many good memories.
   
   On Ildira, Mage-Imperator Jora'h faces a rebellion by Designate Rusa'h and Prime Designate Thor'h. He sends Adar Zan'nh and his forty-seven intact ships to rebellious Hyrillka. When the maniple is detected, Prime Designate Thor'h pilots a transport toward them, demanding protection from Rusa'h. Other ships follow the transport, firing wildly. A royal shuttle also launches from the palace and Rusa'h announces that he is coming aboard in accordance with his Imperator's orders. Both vessels are allowed to dock on separate ships, but they prove to be loaded with armed vassals who attack the loyal crew.
   
   Admiral Lev Stromo leads his Earth Defense Force battle group against Roamers in the Hhrenni system. Nikko Chan Tylar has taken time from his delivery of wentals to visit his parents there just before the EDF ships arrive. His parents tell him to leave and, with a combination of violent maneuvers and extreme acceleration, Nikko escapes the pursuing Remoras. But the EDF imprisons his parents and the other Roamers on the asteroids and take them to the prison planet.
   
   On Dobra, Osira'h prepares herself for mental communications with the hydrogues. Designate Udru'h is unaware that Osira'h knows about his treatment of her mother, but she definitely doesn't trust him anymore. On their way to Ildira, Designate Udru'h and Osira'h pass the triple star system of Durris where the fighting between the hydrogues and faeros has fatally damaged the yellow star.
   
   On Ildira, Osira'h is presented to the Mage-Imperator. Although she remembers her mothers love for Jora'h, she is not sure of her own feelings. When she notices a potted treeling next to the throne, she recognizes it as a worldtree from Theroc and yearns to touch it. Later Osira'h meets the Mage-Imperator in private and he allows her to touch the worldtree. Then he explains his relations with Nira to her.
   
   In this story, Basil continues to ignore the political enemies that he is making by his self-centered acts, among whom are Peter and Estarra. He also continues to ignore warnings about the soldier compy programming. The magnitude of this mistake soon becomes apparent.
   
   The Roamers are taking measures against hydrogue attacks, but don't seem to be undertaking any form of self-protection against the EDF. Their cut and run or surrender approach just isn't very believable. The Ildirans, however, are carrying through on their program to contact the hydrogues, with some success.
   
   Of all the characters in this story, the compy DD has the most success so far. Over his objections, the Klikiss robots insist on changing his programming to give him freewill. After the operation, DD exercises this freewill to escape from the black robots and to search for Margaret Colicos. He experiences a certain amount of pleasure in considering how surprised the Klikiss robots will be when they learn the nature of his self-will.
   
   Recommended for Anderson fans and anyone else who enjoys tales of space opera, implacable enemies and untrustworthy allies.
   
   -Arthur W. Jordin



4. Kevin J Anderson is a great writer. This series is so engrossing due to the multiple sub plots and developed characters. I couldn't put it down and I am impatient for the next installment to arrive! His attention to detail, imagery and character development puts you right in the story sometimes so much so that I wonder what it would be like as a movie and who would play some of the key characters... Good reading!



5. The initial book in the series spends almost too much time "taking off", as you are introduced to the complex vastness of characters and history of Anderson's universe; but now that I'm well into the story and many of the plotlines are intersecting, I'm finding each sequel more enjoyable. The complexity is a very positive characteristic of the series now.
   
   Much is revealed in this fourth book, but yet there's still so much more for which I'm dying to find out what's next. Saga of the Seven Suns definitely rates as one of my top five far-future sci-fi series.

5 comments about Of Fire and Night: The Saga of Seven Suns, Book 5 (Saga of Seven Suns) (Saga of Seven Suns).

1. I absolutely adore the Dune series. The most recent books of which are coauthored by Kevin J Anderson, and Brian Herbert (Frank's son).
   
   While waiting for the next Dune book to come out, i decided to try Saga of the Seven suns. I quickly devoured each available book in this series, and for the last two have eagerly anticipated their release. I can't wait for the next one!
   
   The plot line is so intriguing, the characters so well developed. I love the way the story is told from each person's perspective. Sometimes it will even overlap events two characters shared in common and show it through each character's eyes.
   
   I recommend you start from the beginning, but Dune and Saga of the Seven Suns are both written with little flashbacks here and there to anchor the current events and remind you of what happened before. (kinda like a 'previously on such and such tv show'). That might help you follow along if you jumped in the middle. But you'll probably enjoy it the most if you get to know the characters through their lives by starting at the beginning. (that way you don't have to play catchup)
   
   To summarize the series, There are 4 races of Elemental beings that have been at war for thousands of years. Earth, Water, Fire, and Gas. There are also humans (still anchored at Earth), and a race called Ildrians which have like a telekenesis that links them all together. There are insectoid robots fashioned by a long suspected to be extinct race of insectoid organic creatures the Klikiss. There is also a vagabond group of ragtag humans who have learned to survive the most extreme conditions, known as the Roamers. And there are robots (compies) created by the human race to service their needs. The smaller less sophisticated races Humans, Roamers, and Ildrians are swept into this galactic battle that has been waged for centuries between the elemental races. And join forces with Verandi (earth), and Wental (water) to fight the Hydrogues (Gas).
   
   This book has it all. Love, War, magnificent battles. Heartache. Happiness. Victory and Triumph. The battle of good versus evil. Internal conflicts of conscience. It is fantastic.



2. My kids got this for me after I put it on my wish list. I had read the first four but hadn't got any after that, and this was a treat. The Saga of the Seven Suns follows Scattered Suns and it took me a bit to get back into the story. I found myself rereading the first hundred or so pages once I reconnected everything in my mind. Two thumbs up!



3. This is a good audiobook, although the way it's divided into tracks make it difficult to transfer to an ipod. The actual book is a solid continuation of the series. I can't wait for the next installment.



4. I could not wait for the paperback to come out - The Sage of the Seven Suns is full of suprizes and a good read. A must read for those looking for excitement and entainment! I'll be look for more in this series and or just other books by the author!



5. all I can say is... wow. I started reading the series because as a kid I enjoyed Anderson's star wars books (hey what are you doing, please put away the pitchforks and torches) and i wanted to see what he could do in a universe of his own.
   
   Like the rest of the series this book has enough logical inconsistencies that the sci-fi snobs will hate it, but they are probably too busy re-reading I, Robot for the 537'th time anyways. For those of us who read for a good story this book is absolutely worth it, because this book has a hell of a good story.
   
   Anderson wraps up plenty of the storyline so you really get a good sense of closure for this part of the series, but enough ominous loose ends exist that I'm sure the next two books will be as much a roller coaster as the first five.

5 comments about The Machine Crusade (Legends of Dune, Book 2).

1. As with the other books by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, I believe this book is judged harshly based solely on the fact that Frank Herbert didn't rise from the dead and pen it himself. That aside, this novel is an excellent addition to the dune universe. This novel continues where The Butlerian Jihad leave off and is quite entertaining. Dispite being the middle book in a trilogy, this novel does resolve several plotlines and sets up a few more to come into fruition in the next novel. In all, a great set-up for continuing the plotline in The Battle of Corrin.
   
   As a side note I do recommend before beginning here to read all six classic dune books, followed by the Dune Prelude Trilogy, and then The Butlerian Jihad. The background information found there will make this book a much more enjoyable (and considerably less confusing) read.



2. We all know that this series is no match for Frank Herbert's work. So I will not beat that dead horse here.
   
   Looking at this series as on its own, I have to admit, I liked Butlerian Jihad as a summer trash read. I picked this one up to complete the story and have to say to Brian and Kevin this: Give me a break! - A Human/Machine Hybrid that looks like a dragon and flies around the galaxy in an asteroid!!!!
   
   This book does fill some holes of the history/mythology of the Frank Herbert Dune series which is nice, but this book lacks the creativity and imagination that one would expect in the Dune universe.
   
   I would have prefered an encyclopedic chronology of this era of "Dune History". Perhaps if this book/series was written as if it were a history book, without the cheesy story line, it might have been more widely accepted by the die hard Frank Herbert dune fans. Alas, this is hand that we have been dealt and now must live with it for the rest of eternity.
   
   This book/series should not ever be considered as required reading as the original series should be. Never the less, it is a somewhat enjoyable summer trash read if you are into spoon fed, paint by numbers plot and character development. No thinkers here please.
   
   3 out of 5 stars (and that is really pushing it). I hope these two don't blow it with Hunters of Dune/Sandworms of Dune.



3. An group of outlaws lead by a Wormrider is increasing their numbers on Dune.
   
   A couple of decades after the death of Serena's child, Xavier Harkonnen and Vorian Atreides are leading the human resistance to Omnius and the Cymeks, with assistance from their Priestess, but not suspecting that they are being duped by a leading politician.



4. A masterfully written book for the true DUNE lover. It helps you put all the pieces together, once you have also read The Battle of Corrin.



5. I rarely will throw a book away once I've read it, particularly if I've spent good money on it. Book #2 in the Butlerian Jihad Prequel Triology, this book was a raving disappointment. The only reason I actually stuck with this book and finished it was I was sick in bed for a week and had seen all the *Bonanza* re-runs. Worse than the opener (The Butlerian Jihad - which actually had some redeeming features,) but not as bad as the truly abysmal Battle of Corrin. As in books 1 & 3, multiple "plot" lines keep Machine Crusade a pot-boiler with some lines less woefully unimaginative than others. But I got thoroughly sick of reading of the sadistic cruelties of the robot Erasmus (he should have been named "Mengele"), the slaughter of humans by the cartoonish "Titans", and the boring ego tripping of Vorian Atreides - the "Dorian Gray" of this universe and distant progenitor of the ultimately, equally insufferable Paul Atreides (his little sister was twice the Fremen he was). I bought and read the last book (see my review of that turkey) out of a sense of moral obligation to finish the trilogy. No good deed goes unpunished.

5 comments about Metal Swarm (Saga of Seven Suns) (Saga of Seven Suns).

1. K.J. Anderson continues to write an exciting space opera on par with any of the greats. I was unable to put down this book for any long length of time. The story and character's are as engaging as they were in the first book I read in this series. Can't wait for the next book!



2. I've read the 5 previous books and the 6th (Metal Swarm ) doesn't disappoint. You either love this series or you hate it. No in between.
   
   I like it because it's like reading 4 or 5 books all in one. A long book that is made up of intertwining short stories.
   
   It takes a long time for the plot to develop and that is why some people do hate this series. After all we live in a society of instant gratification.
   
   My suggestion, pick up the first in the series and read 20 pages in the bookstore. Either it'll grab you and I'll see you on book 6 in no time or it won't and no worries.



3. I love the Saga, and KJA has defiantly given fans another great installment in the series with this book.



4. This is without a doubt the best scifi series I have ever read! The character development is outstanding. The chapters are short and concise. Can hardly wait for the final book...yes, I know it is out in hardback, but my "set" is paperback so I will wait! (Maybe) Anderson is a terrific writer and I look for his books.



5. This is the best series I've read in years. Complex characters, fast paced with fascinating plot lines, the series takes off in the first book and doesn't slow down to the last page. I will be looking for more from Kevin J. anderson.

2 comments about Star Wars Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith (Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi).

1. Some Times Dark horse makes it tough to figure out which comic is which. If you are looking for the early sith - Jedi comics try this one: Paperback: 160 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.34 x 10.18 x 6.67
   * Publisher: Dark Horse Comics; (April 1996)
   * ISBN: 1569710953



2. Very fast delivery.
   Good CD quality
   
   Very happy with the purchase. :D

5 comments about Hunters of Dune.

1. I wanted to read this book. So I had to go back and finally finish Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse Dune, (which was some work). This book was a bit lighter and an easier read. I have moved on to the Sandworms of Dune, and it is quite good as well.



2. The story created By Frank Herbet is continued and stays true to the other books a must have for Dune fans. Herbert and Anderson stay true to Frank Herberts Vision.



3. I delayed reading this book due to all the negative reviews. As a big fan of the original Herbert (read all 6 books at least twice), I wasn't that impressed with Brian and Kevin's work on the ealier trilogies. This book suffers some of the same flaws relative to the originals-lack of depth, characterization. However, it is extremely fast reading and the plot is worthwhile. Contrary to some others, I found the plot highly plausible based on the original series and overall well presented-accepting the fact that Frank Herbert didn't write it. The final book should be here today, hope they bring it to a satisfying conclusion.



4. I started reading the Dune Chronicles about 15 years ago due to the advice of a friend. Like so many, I fell in love with the way Herbert managed to weave a plethora of thematic elements into a single piece. By God Emperor, my reading hard slowed down to a crawl (Sorry, I just hate it when I invest so much time in characters just to see them all gone). I managed to dredge through and move to Heretics and Chapterhouse which refocused my interest.
   
   First of all, let me say, I read the prequel House books and thought they were fair, with the exception of House Corrino. With the books just being fair, I decided to skip the Legend books. And now we have Hunters.
   
   The first bone I have to pick with Hunters is the elementary way in which it is written. I think it is rather sad to see an author dumb down characters for the sake the reader. I don't know about anyone else, but I like it when an author makes me think. I loved the social intricacies of the original series. Hunters gives us nothing more than idiots that need the obvious stated to them, enter Miles Teg and Duncan Idaho (mentats, the human computers, ironically enough).
   
   To the next subject. I just really want to know, did anyone spot how different the characters were in Hunters as compared to Chapterhouse: Murabella seems to have become a psychopath, Miles Teg is an idiot, Duncan Idaho wavers in his loyalty to the Atreides (Sheena, of course), and the wild Reverend Mother (I am using "wild" as an adjective outside the scope of the story) Sheena becoming utterly predictable when no one knew what she was up to in Chapterhouse prior to the great sharing. What happened? Where are the characters I remember.
   
   Due to these problems alone, it's nearly impossible to get into the disjointed plot. Poor characterization keeps the reader from feeling any empathy toward the characters. Without proper characterization you can't depend upon it to move the plot. Just like the second Matrix movie everything you need to know is in the very last portion, the last twenty pages or so.
   
   Skip this book if you can and save a few hours of your life. You could obtain all the information you need for Sandworms from a spoiler from anyone who has read Hunters.
   
   Just one last question: how long will a bank hold onto a safety deposit box before they destroy the contents. Surely not a decade, I would think.



5. Understandably reviewers are angry over the prequels and sequels to the Dune double-trilogy not being Frank Herbert. Frank Herbert is dead. Brian Herbert is a different person.
   
   If you feel religiously about Dune and can't endure Frank not writing it, I suggest you await whatever future world your theology allows for and reunite with him if possible. In the meantime, in this world, Brian and Kevin write books that happen to align for better or for worse with the Dune universe. On their own merits, these books are entertaining and salve a need some of us have for "more Dune." Dune isn't the only universe where this has happened.
   
   I thank Brian and Kevin for doing a good job of reminding me of Dune, making me think about Dune, making me long for and go back to re-read Dune. And if they've made some good money for the pleasure, then they're welcome to it. I don't begrudge them a single nickel and look forward to any more Dune they can justify coming up with.
   
   God chose Dune to train the faithful, but the faithful do not always agree.

5 comments about Prodigal Son (Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, Book 1).

1. I'm sure I am one of a select few that do not appreciate a story that develops great characters and great sub-plots and then ends abruptly. It's almost as though the author got bored and quit - Zero resolution on anything. It doesn't leave me wanting more because I know the same feeling of "What the Hell?" will be waiting for me in the next book.



2. This book is amazing on so many levels. It takes the traditional Frankenstein story and weaves a modern tale of secrets, deception, and corruption hidden under a thin veneer of high society. It is creepy how probable some of the things in this book are. It is a sad tale, but it pulls you in and won't let go. I would recommend this book for anyone with a healthily inquisitive mind and a bit of empathy.



3. I admit, the idea is very origonal, yet Dean Koontz (who I'm shocked had anything to do with this book) could have made this book so much better. I've read many of his novels and this is by far the worst.
   The more I read the more outlandish the story got, and I found myself laughing at the end when Johnathon was running from the cops with a baby monster creature hanging half attached to the inside of his belly, as he was giving birth to it.
   I did however think the storyline of the retarded boy who could only move through a series of imaginary crossword boxes was cool, but I will probably not be reading the next one. I dont even think he's going to finish the series anyway. It was scheduled to come out like 2 years ago.
   Dean Koontz has always been one of my favorite authors. I just hope he's not losing his luster for writing.



4. Very creepy, but Koontz telegraphs the next horrible action again and again. Not up to his usual standards at all. Shipping and condition of book was, as usual, perfect in this case however.



5. I'd only read the first three Odd Thomas books of Koontz's, but thought I'd try Frankenstein, because the review on Amazon said it was not a rehash of the old tale. And, it wasn't. It's a refreshing twist on the resurfacing of the madman (he was never destroyed, and actually resents that Shelley woman's story), but with a clean dash of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, a pinch of James Lee Burke's detective angle, all with a flavor of hi-test horror. I'm starting on Vol 2 tonight!

No comments about Paul of Dune.

5 comments about Sandworms of Dune.

1. As for "Hunters of Dune" and "Sandworms of Dune" (and let's face it, you can't take one without the other), all I can say is that I really, really hope that somewhere out in the cosmos is a no-ship with Frank Herbert's ghola on board, and he's busy typing his version of the conclusion of the Dune saga, because this stuff is just not that good.



2. when I got 20 pages into House Harkonen after sitting through the House Atreides on Tape during a really long drive, I threw it in the trash becasue it read more like fan fiction than something from Frank Herbert's Universe.
   
   But After reading all the original Dune books, I couldn't resist Hunters of Dune. Wich I thought was alright, so I went and read the Butlerian Jihad Books, Wich were entertaining. So Now that I finished Sandworms of Dune, I can honestly say, It's not Frank Herbert But it is a fun read, and you get to see alot of your favorite charcters again. So to me that was worth it. and I think it does tie everything up nicely.
   
   I also change shape.



3. SANDWORMS OF DUNE is the latest entry in Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's series of DUNE fill-in-the-cracks novels. Having completed their 1950s-vintage back story for the "jihad" against artificial intelligence that was part of the unexplained matrix of the original DUNE, Herbert and Anderson project that back story into the future (relative to Herbert's final DUNE novel, CHAPTERHOUSE DUNE), completing what they started in HUNTERS OF DUNE.
   
   It's not difficult to make fun of the stiff, sometimes comically awkward writing in these novels. It's not difficult to wail about the ridiculousness of so many of the plot developments. It's not difficult to go on and on about how abysmally silly and awful Omnius and Erasmus are as characters and as a thread in the DUNE narrative -- it just isn't possible that Frank Herbert had anything like these monstrosities in mind when he thought about humanity's rejection of artificial intelligence. But ...
   
   It's not difficult to read this novel and enjoy at least some of it. I did not feel compelled to throw the book across the room. I did not find myself skipping over paragraphs because they were too tedious (as I have, e.g., in Charles Stross' Merchant Princes novels--and I like Stross a lot more than I like these guys). Some parts were even page-turning suspenseful. In bestselling SF novels, these are things to be happy about.
   
   Would I rather have spent my time reading a new novel by McLeod or Stross or Asher or Reynolds any one of several other authors? Sure, but there aren't any, and until there are ... there's SANDWORMS OF DUNE.



4. I'm not going to waste time repeating what the other negative reviewers said. Basically, this is a disappointment to the Dune Series, and Frank Herbert must be spinning in his grave.
   
   Too many deus ex machinas here, the ending was rushed, too much sappiness in the ending, contrived plots, and what have you. I know that Herbert left a outline before he died and all, but there is no way he would have weitten Hunters/Sandworms of Dune like this...
   
   I'm now afraid to see what Paul of Dune will be like. Seriously, Kevin and Brian, stop writing more Dune books. You wrote two prequel trilogies and Hunters/Sandworms. You wrote more Dune books than Frank did, and you want MOAR? Seriously, just stop before you wreck Dune any further.



5. First of all I am a huge fan of Frank Herbert's Dune series and I felt compeleld to read Hunter's and Sandworm's of Dune. Knowing that there was a outline written by Frank Herbert gave me some confidence that the books would at least give some satisfaction and completion to one of the best series of books ever. In that regard Sandworms was a good book. Obviously it wasnt written as well as Frank's Dune books but if you expected that you were bound to be dis-appointed. There were some interesting revelations and you could see some of the outline the Frank envisoned. Alot of critics hate the new Dune books but I think they offer some closure and are a fun read. It is not fair to compare Frank and Brian as Frank is a genius and cannot be duplicated. Brian does a good job at completing the story and I was very satisfied by the end.

2 comments about The Ashes of Worlds (Saga of Seven Suns) (Saga of Seven Suns).

1. This book was great! I was engaged from beginning to end. If you are a Saga fan this is a must to read. If you are new to the series, check out the other installments first if you want the most out of this one. My only regret is that this was the last book of the series.



2. While lacking a bit of energy, this final volume a rather overly long series works in the sense of resolving all story lines while leaving the universe so created in such a manner to invite a re-visit at a later date.
   
   The series tended to run out of drive around volume 5 beginning to smell a bit like the author / publisher were milking a hit which may have surprised them a bit. However the series is surely worth a read for the interesting place with engaging characters although toward the end the evil guys got laughably evil while the good guys would make a angel blush with shame.
   
   I'd say the author got a little destruction happy at the end and, as I mentioned the good guys got stupid good. For example, one fellow who tried to kill off an entire species of human like beings and did manage to kill millions whilst engaged in an enormous destruction spree, gets captured and sent for rehab by the target species. Gimme a break.
   
   Still, the book does the job of wrapping up the series even if a bit silly in places.