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

1. I will have to say that I guessed right about the bugs being taken over by humans, but it was still a surprise how KJA ended the book. It was well done, and a nice ending to a long and superb story.



2. This "epic" saga is one that I really kept reading simply to see how it would end. To be honest, this style isn't my cup of tea.
   
   Having said that, it's an interesting way of writing and gets in a lot of different scenarios and points of view. Also, Kevin Anderson has been very consistent in the way characters act, the storyline and this final volume does wrap things up quite nicely. I've made a point of mentioning consistency because when Anderson co-wrote the final Dune volume, it was very poorly written indeed. I have a feeling Anderson gets involved in too many books at the same time.
   
   I do like the jacket though. Very stylish.



3. First of all I think Kevin Anderson is one of the best writers of our times. I eat up all his books the day I get them. I thought the books leading up the finally were absolutely riviting and I welcome more in this great universe he built.
   
   However I can't help be be dissappointed with the last book. He wraps everything up too well, too many people happy - by the end I was looking for the Ewoks swinging through the jungle with music playing.
   
   Too many things in this book just "happened" to make everything work out. Things that were not evident in any other book. I think he could have use the previous books to hint at some of these upcoming events or "powers" but he saved it all for last.
   
   So to me it's a little too happy and convienient how everything worked out.



4. After eight years of labor, Kevin J. Anderson has produced "The Ashes of Worlds," the culmination of his novel series "The Saga of Seven Suns." Perhaps the most prolific science fiction author since Isaac Asimov, Anderson has been scribing this series of Harry Potter-like magnitude in between his work expanding the Star Wars and Dune universes. If you liked either of those series, chances are you'll find something to like in "The Ashes of Worlds."
   
   Publicity blurbs on the dust jacket of this novel identify it as a "space opera," and that's a fitting description of the book. It has all the short episodic action, highly wrought emotions, interweaving plot threads, and sword fights that you might expect from an opera. Kings, courtiers, and soldiers go through elaborately predictable but engaging conflicts, fighting for control of an empire that spans several solar systems. Fans of character-driven drama may not appreciate this book, but Anderson isn't writing for the literary set; he's targeting those who love to read big, expansive, cinematic books for the sheer gut-level pleasure of it all.
   
   Though this novel is the final volume in a series, it is possible for new readers to jump in at the beginning--skip the "Story Thus Far" section at the outset, which is prolix, and dive straight into the action. Much of the story is self-explanatory: we are at the culmination of an Iliad-like war spanning dozens of planets and at least eight species, all bearing generations of mutual antagonism. We start with a battle, progress through a succession of battles, and culminate in a big battle with the whole of the human race in the balance. Anderson makes George Lucas look restrained and sedate by contrast. Fans of epic rocket-ships-and-ray-guns conflagrations will find plenty in "The Ashes of Worlds" to satiate their appetite until the next SF blockbuster opens at the multiplex.
   
   Though romance is only implied, the rest of the full spectrum of human emotion is on high display throughout the entire novel. What isn't much in evidence is slow, thoughtful narrative. Anderson's interest plainly lies in battles and arguments; this book makes little room for exposition, and even less for navel-gazing. Powerful, unrelenting action is the order of the day, and like the best Hollywood films, this book keeps the gritty tension high and rising all the way from beginning to end.
   
   The book has so many characters that it occasionally threatens to lapse into a festival of stereotypes. Crooked politicians and shyster preachers manipulate big-hearted but slightly dense soldiers and heroic gypsy businessmen, while bloodless academics struggle to decide which side they're on. A few of the characters' story threads--I'm thinking here of Sullivan Gold and Margaret Colicos--are so thin that they appear extraneous and slow down the action; their stories could have been safely put to bed in a previous volume. And the author introduces one plot thread with Sirix and his Black Robots (which may turn into an indie band name next year, you watch) that he apparently forgets about, because it just gets dropped. A slightly more aggressive editorial hand would have been useful just here.
   
   But on the whole, readers who are looking for slam-bang beach reading or an action spectacular to fill a few evenings will find "The Ashes of Worlds" is exactly the prescription they were looking for.



5. This book ended a series that I have been reading for seven years now, each year waiting for the next book to come out. It gives everything a good ending and has everything that readers of the Saga of the Seven Suns expect: TONS of action, humor, backstabbing, and many, many plots. I loved every minute of it. This series has just apealed to me and many other readers who want to just be taken really far away from ones problems and sent to a universe where anything goes. All in all a really good read and one that I couldn't put down until I finished.

5 comments about A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3).

1. What do I mean by mainstream? I suppose you could also define it "literary fantasy." What drives all of George R.R. Martin's magnificent segments in his epic are the characters and how they develop across this colorful tapestry of war, greed, lust -- all the standard themes of truly great literature. He handles it oh-so-well and without a doubt Books 1-3 of A Song of Ice and Fire are among my favorites, at least the equal of The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien) and my new favorite Derek Armstrong's Song of Montségur trilogy (although so far I've only read/reviewed the first book The Last Troubdour.)The Last of the Troubadours, Carl Michael Bellman (1740-1795), although I'm about to order book 2, The Last Quest.The Last Quest: Song of Montsegur A fantastic journey, and I would recommend this to anyone over the age of 14 (after all it is a lusty, violent tale). This is one book you almost want to read on your Kindle or E-Ink reader simply due to the sheer weight of paper, even in the mass paperback, but I'd take it anyway I can get it. Just for the record, the first book in the series (separately reviewed) is actually my top favorite in this series. A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1)



2. The first thing I noticed about the first quarter of this book is that it wasn't quite as chronically addictive. I found it less painful to put down, and more predictable than its predecessors. Then it got better, then it went Scorcese...I got emotionally involved, and bummed out for an hour. And then it hit me again, I was hooked and had to read the rest...good save.
   
   But you know what, Martin either needs an editor or should send his current one to the Black. There were several forgiveable errors, but the one that says "Maybe I need to do a little more than just run a spellcheck" all over it is on p. 495 "...to rape their windows." And this was translated into how many languages? I wonder how that turned out. Raping windows...hmmm. I think some of Martin's TV-writing experience is reflected in these books as well. Is it me, or does each of these chapters/viewpoints typically end as if it were anticipating a commercial break?
   
   Too bad Martin didn't stick with his original intent of a trilogy, because the story is going all over the place , and doesn't seem to have the same solid direction that A Game of Thrones was going. Nevertheless, the majority of the characters retain a high level of interest. It's still worth reading if you read and enjoyed the previous two.



3. ...Are you ready for this? A Song of Ice and Fire Books are not only as good, they're...BET-TER THAN the Lord of the Rings. Is that the bomb that will bring us together? Probably not.



4. I guess my taste in fantasy is not similar to those who review the books on Amazons site.
   
   I was stunned to read all the reviews of how great this book series was and then to read them. There were many plots. Unfortunately most of the plots ended up going no where. When you get to the end of the book you kind of go huh? Some plots had detail that made you wonder if you were in an R-Rated type book. I guess the idea was to not leave anything to your imagination but just describe really gross and disgusting scenes.
   
   There were a few sections which gave you hope that the story was going to take off as the reviews indicated, but it never happened. In the end you were left wondering if there was another book coming since most of the plots didn't come to a conclusion, they were just kind of left hanging. As I got closer to the end with few pages left I was wondering how is he going to wrap everything up. Well the laugh was on me, he simply didn't wrap them up and the one he did, didn't make sense if you've read any good fantasy.
   
   I couldn't recommend this series of books to anyone!



5. If you haven't started reading this series, it's fair to say that you shouldn't start. While the first two books are admittedly long winded, they are well done. That's what makes this third book such a tragedy. At some point in the third book one realizes that you've invested in a tragedy where perhaps only a few will survive. The only problem is that Shakespeare did it better in only a fraction of the pages. But there it is. By the time you get to the third book you feel obligated to continue, if only for a glimmer of hope to come through.
   
   This is definitely the weakest book of the series so far and in some places even gets a bit repetitive (both sword duels reflect professional wrestling as the victors drop their guard momentarily after winning and are suddenly put down). Martin may argue that the large number of irked reviews for this book is somehow a positive, but he should remember it's not positive if people are telling each other to stay away. That I may not even be half way through this series after 3 books is what is truly tragic. Many are right to comment that it appears that the emperor has no clothes.
   
   For a truly satifying experience, read Martin's short stories of Dunk, which take place at an earlier time within this world. Then move on to something else...before it's too late.

5 comments about Moon Called (Mercy Thompson Series, Book 1).

1. Mercedes 'Mercy' Thompson is not a werewolf. Get that straight, okay? She's a walker, a coyote from Native American folklore.
   
   Being a one of a kind, she's got some interesting friends in low and high places that keeps her life just above normal. So when a newly changed werewolf, Mac, shows up at her garage doorstep wanting a job, Mercy thinks it over for a second before saying yes. Never mind the kid doesn't have permission to enter territory of the local Alpha, Adam Hauptman and his pack, or the fact that a renegade group of loner wolves and humans are experimenting on werewolves, and chasing after their runaway science project, Mac. And never mind the fact that Mercy, having been raised by a pack of wolves in Montana, knows better. Yet throws caution to the wind anyways.
   
   What should have been a very routine hire turns out to be a small, loose string, and lucky girl--Mercy gets to be the one to unravel the whole tapestry, without even trying. From finding Adam practically broken apart, his daughter Jesse missing, finding a dead body at her single-wide doorstep, Mercy finds herself in a whole heap of 'what the...' moments but never looses her ability to feel the fear but bite the bullet and pull through. She takes Adam to a safe place, her old haunting grounds in Montana, and informs Bran, the Marrok and the overlord of all the North American werewolves. As Adam takes a day to mend, Mercy revisits her memories, old acquaintances and Samuel, Bran's son, a long-time crush.
   
   As she, a recovering Adam and Samuel head back to the Tri-Cities to get some answers, the plan to figure out what is going on takes precedence over the territorial exhibitions between Adam and Samuel, much to Mercy's surprise. And that means getting help from a gremlin, Zee, who has some nifty metal abilities, and information from the local Vampire Seethe via Stefan, a client. What Mercy discovers is not at all what it seems, and as time slips away, the chance to save Jesse gets ever more complicated.
   
   FINALLY, a book worth reading, and more than once. A book that has a great female-lead who isn't that stereotypical kill-with-a-conscious and reads so normal. From Mercy to the enigmatic Adam, to all the secondary characters, you feel for them, root for them. They're so relatable and touchable, and I miss that element in these kinds of books. This world of Briggs, and especially the werewolves is pure brilliance. She does a great job of explaining while not overdoing it, creating great tension between the the characters by keeping it minimal but the descriptions and inflections pitch-perfect. She really knows her stuff and it shows.
   
   The only little thing that I noticed was that the last quarter is a bit disjointed, like Briggs couldn't decide how to wrap it up. It's not a big deal, but it's there and it gave me pause, but not enough to not finish it. Also, the 'reason', the climax, wasn't as spectacular as I anticipated but it fits with the whole feel of the book, which is meant to be more realistic and out of place.
   
   I can't wait to start the 2nd one, and boy, was it worth the money. Thank you Patricia Briggs for considering our wants and demands. Well done.



2. "I didn't realize he was a werewolf at first. My nose isn't it's best surrounded by axle grease and burnt oil -- and it's not like there are a lot of stray werewolves running around. So when someone made a polite noise near my feet to get my attention, I thought it was a customer."
   
   Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson knows a thing or two about werewolves. You see, she was raised by them. Mercy isn't a werewolf, though she does have the ability to change. She is a Walker, or "skinwalker", like the old Southwestern Indian witches. She can shapeshift into a coyote. Faster than a werewolf, but not nearly as strong, Mercy lived with the Marrok pack until she was 16 and went to live with her real mother. Now, she owns a garage (bought from a Gremlin named Zee) and works on German cars (like the VW Van outside owned by a Vampire).
   
   So when Mac walked through her door looking for a job, she knew what he was. Mac couldn't have been more than 17 and looked like a runaway. He was hungry (not a good quality for a werewolf) and was looking for some work. And Mercy felt sorry for him. She knew she had to notify Adam, the local Alpha Werewolf and Mercy's next door neighbor, and she wanted to ease Mac into telling her his story first. But he was really skittish (another bad quality for a werewolf). So she gave him a job and a place to stay....he could sleep in the van. He seemed to be a scared kid, and all Mercy wanted to do was help him.
   
   But when she showed up one night to see if he was ok, she heard voices outside the shop. Mac was there, along with a couple of humans and another new werewolf. They were trying to get him to come back with them, and he refused. When Mercy tried to help Mac out, a fight broke out, and the new werewolf ended up dead. It was time to call Adam.
   
   Apparently someone had turned Mac, and had kept him prisoner in a cage. They were experimenting new drugs on him when he escaped. Adam was none too happy about it, but he offered to help Mac understand his change and help him. But just when Mercy thought everything was going to be ok, Mac's body was dumped on her doorstep. Adam's house had been broken into and he was left close to dead. And his teenage human daughter Jessica had been kidnapped. Mercy was the only one that could help now.
   
   Smart, sassy and full of bravado, Mercy Thompson is my kind of heroine!! In a world where werewolves run in packs, fae are alive and living among us, and vampires haunt the night, Mercy can handle herself. She is gutsy and sarcastic, a true spirit. Adam Hauptman is dangerous and cool. Tough as nails, but with a soft spot for Mercy, he is plunged into a war that he never saw coming. With help from Mercy's old Marrok pack, they try to uncover what is really going on in world of werewolves. The wind is bringing change....and it isn't good.
   
   Not only was there a fabulous "new" storyline, but enough back story so a person feels they can truly understand where Mercy came from and how the packs run. This is definitely a series I'm going to continue....in fact, Blood Bound, which is book 2 is staring at me right now!! If you are a fan of the OLD Laurell K. Hamilton books, you will definitely enjoy this series. Patricia Briggs has brought us a series that is a true page-turner....filled with fun, excitement and lots of things that go bump in the night.



3. I knew that I loved Mercy from the get go. She is a no bull $h!t kind of girl. She is strong willed and she has made her own slice of heaven for herself. She lives in a world where the human population knows that they are not alone. The fae (fairy folk) have made their presence known.
   
   She herself isn't quite ALL human. She is a walker and when her mother found a coyote pup in her crib instead of a baby girl, Mercy was sent to live with the Marrok pack of werewolves. You start to realize that she has gone through quite a bit in her life which has made her strong but has tainted her views of the world and those old wounds still sway her.
   
   The whole story has a lot of politics but I thought that was great. I always like to know the reasons behind the characters decisions. We are introduced to Adam who is the Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack and his daughter Jessie. When Mac ends up dead and Jessie is kidnapped Mercy takes an injured and volatile Adam to the Marrok pack to get help.
   
   Through this little road trip to the pack that raised her we learn a lot about Mercy and why she left. What it truly means to belong nowhere and be an outsider looking in. We also meet Samuel who is he Marrok's eldest son and one of the reasons that Mercy left.
   
   So now it is up to Mercy to find out exactly what the heck is going on. We've got Mac dead, Jessie missing, Adam injured, Samuel sent back with her to help her.
   
   I really loved this book I had been avoiding reading it and I totally regret it now. I read it in one day and then went on the 2nd one. You will fall in love with the wolves and the lone walker. You will love her for her courage to persevere, for surviving all she has; you'll root her on through every obstacle. You should give this book a chance so that you don't regret it like I did.



4. Werewolf's, vampires and a shape shifting woman protagonist. What do you need more. After reading thought the first few pages the book picks up with incredible speed. A nice summer read. It was for me at least.



5. Every entertaining, hardly any down spots and a good start to a new urban fantasy. Hopefully Mercy will come to terms w/ her feelings about Samuel and Adam soon. Can't say i'm crazy about the way women rank or are valued in the packs though.

5 comments about Old Man's War.

1. I am no big time book reader, I had some time to spend so I read this book first in eBook format on my phone. Enjoyed it so much that a couple months later I bought it in paperback along with Ghost Brigades to enjoy it more and go further in the series. Not thinking much into it when I bought it I wish I also got the third book, "The Lost Colony" because despite work I finished both books in 3 days and was left wanting more like a drug crazed addict.
   
   Old Man's War tells of a normal man doing great things, and the way John Scalzi writes it got me laughing and even feeling for the poor "old" man. He doesn't get into too much technical detail like other writers do, it's an all out no bull style of writing and he ain't afraid of using certain words either. His writing really comes out in The Ghost Brigades, but no need to write a review for that as by the end of this book you'll be wanting the next. I don't think I will be able to handle it when I am done with The Lost Colony.
   
   But anyways, the Universe Scalzi creates is truly great. And I hope more comes out, even if it doesn't include the characters we have come to love in this series. Buy it, I doubt you'll regret it.



2. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed "Old Man's War". But I enjoyed it more when it was called "Starship Troopers" or "The Forever War". Scalzi's book is well written and has a few fun ideas like the BrainPal and SmartBlood and the Ghost Brigades, but in the end it is very derivative of the above mentioned sources (as well as the movie version of Starship Troopers). John Perry is an interesting character, but the reality is that he doesn't really change much through the course of the book, and in the end he doesn't seem that moved one way or another by the prospect of losing his resurrected wife from his former life. The novel is good on plot, well-paced and solidly written. It suffers from soft characterizations and a lack of originality. If you're going to give us this type of book, give us characters we care about or don't bother.



3. This is a wonderful book. Both the prose and characterizations are far above what you can normally expect from science fiction these days. Scalzi has imagined an interesting universe and there are a lot of intense action sequences balanced by thoughful, nuanced passages. The book also has a lot of clever, salty dialogue between the soldiers that is often quite funny.
   
   This is the best science fiction book to come out since The Risen Empire/Killing of Worlds by Scott Westerfeld, in my opinion.



4. I ordered this book used, which helped lessen my overall disappointment with it, on the basis of a recommendation on a review of a Alistair Reynolds book. The poster on that review pointed to this book as a superior example of the theme of that book (Revelation Space).
   
   Don't get me wrong, it wasn't awful, it was OK hence the three stars. The characters while somewhat engaging, were kind of formulaic and one dimensional. Plot line could have been lifted from a WW II movie and proceeded pretty much as expected.
   
   If you want a light weight sci-fi beach book, you'll be fine, just don't expect much else



5. I was very pleased to find this well written and well thought out book! It was, as several other reviewers pointed out, very reminiscent of Heinlein's writing style and plot lines but is good enough to put Scalzi firmly in my list of favorite authors.
   
   No spoilers or plot reviews from me on this book (others have already covered these in-depth), but I will say that the story flowed very smoothly and kept me engaged the whole way through.
   
   One word of caution, this book does contain "Adult" themes (sex, death, war, etc) handled in a casual manner. Not for the very young (R).
   
   If you like the "classic" feel Sci-Fi, this one is recommended for you!

5 comments about All-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder, Vol. 1.

1. Not counting Jim Lee's beautiful art, everything about this comic is just plain, downright terrible. Not only is the plot non-existent, the scripting completely misguided and appalling, the characterization on a par with the Joel Schumacher farce BATMAN & ROBIN, but to see that this is being published in a prestigious hardcover format is just about one of the worst things that DC has foisted on its readers (now I know how Alan Moore feels about them!).
   
   When Rob Liefeld presented his HEROES REBORN version of Captain America, everyone and his dog blasted it as a waste of paper. Well, what Frank Miller is doing to Gotham City in this is about a billion times worse!
   
   And let's not get started on the repeated delays to the scheduling/publishing of this book. It's not like it has a plot or any real sense of purpose or mystery. It's simply Frank Miller hack-writing to his bile's content. ENOUGH ALREADY! We get that you were a weedy kid who has to always resort to stealing from other's plots and yet always has to take all the credit and accolades bestowed upon you!
   
   Man, that Wertham guy had nothing on what you are currently doing to the comic community! (At least he's no longer around!)
   
   Any minute now and Alfred's gay lover is bound to stumble into the Batcave and catch Bruce with his pants down... (Don't say you weren't warned, readers! You know, there's a reason the rats are the first to abandon the sinking ship! I just wish Miller would learn from it....)



2. Wow, what a book. Before this item was released, I had read all comics in this series, and I could not wait till DC released a graphic novel. It was worth the wait. It's a beautiful book, with some neat special features. I recommend this graphic novel to anyone who supremely enjoys Sin City. Because in a way, Miller and Lee make Basin City come to mind mind every time I read it. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do!



3. I am about halfway through this book, i have to say that to me this book is un-Frank Miller. Sure it has all of the narrations like his other works, but the quality of writing and character dialog seem somewhat off. But i think i can understand where Frank is comming from here. It is practically Batman: Year 3 redone. Batman is still a rookie and trying to adjust to being Batman (like using a clint eastwood accent at times or trying to perfect a certain "Batman voice") and dealing with his own psychosis. I think frank does a good job at showing that Bruce/Batman is not as emotionally scarred as he will be. I'll have to read the rest, but so far i am enjoying it.



4. If this series is (as Frank Miller sees it) the prequel to The Dark Knight Returns concept, then The Batman quite completely an unsympathetic creature indeed. More likely, though, Miller's writing has simply taken a self-indulgent turn for the worse and The Batman is just fine. In many ways, it's as if Miller's become the misanthropic Dark Knight he's written about so much. Thing is, up until about the The Dark Knight Strikes Back, even that Batman had a heart somewhere deep down below.
   
   And yes, kicking ASB&R at this point is kicking a giant, money-making cash-cow of a book while its down. But it bears repeating: this is a train wreck of a Batman storyline. Mind you, Jim Lee's artwork is firing on all cylinders. The downside to that is he's saddled with Miller's misogyny. While Lee's always been drawn to sexy takes on superheroines, the cheesecake factor is uncomfortably high here (see reducing Black Canary to a clone of one of Miller's Sin City vixens for the most egregious example in this volume). The characterization of all characters (particualrly the Justice League) is laughable, if not more than a little insulting to the reader's intelligence.
   
   In short, curiousity may draw you in to this one, but don't say you weren't warned.



5. What starts out as an intriguing concept to retell Batman as more on the "edge" and who sees his fight against villainy as a war where people for lack of a better word are drafted (Robin) ends up being a story, as many reviewers have noted, trying to push the limits.
   
   While some of the aspects are in some way, part of the Batman myth (after all, it is a war of sorts), others are such a drastic retelling that Batman is more "crazed" than heroic and Robin does not lighten things up a bit, but one does feel sorry for him.
   
   I wanted to love this comic. After all, Frank Miller has written I assert the best comic works ever in "The Dark Knight Returns" and "Born Again" (not to much "Year One", "Love and War", "Sin City", and "Ronin"). This book has the art of a modern graphic novel or comic book, but the tone of a "Sin City" - except, Batman is, and never translates well into a "Sin City" genre. Miller's second writing disaster (The Dark Knight Strikes Again being the other).

5 comments about White Night (The Dresden Files, Book 9).

1. You know a book is good when you've picked it apart, word by word, you know it inside and out, and it still takes your breath away when you re-read it.
   
   This is the ninth Dresden Files book, and yes, it's White Night, not White Knight or White Nights. Easy way to remember: every single one of the Dresden Files titles is two words, with the same number of letters in each word--which is why Death Masks isn't Holy Sheet.
   
   Anyway. The have-nots of Chicago's magical community--those people with just a bit of power--have been going missing. Several have turned up dead, mostly in apparent suicides. And somebody's left a message with the bodies: Exodus 22:18. Harry Dresden isn't religious, but that's a verse he knows by heart: "suffer not a witch to live."
   
   And what makes things worse, for Harry at least, is that a lot of the missing women were last seen with either a very handsome man with dark hair or a very tall man in a gray cloak. Wardens of the White Council wear gray cloaks, which makes Harry himself a suspect, and the other man sounds very much like his brother Thomas, who's been secretive about his new job.
   
   The plot is convoluted, but it makes sense once you get all the pieces, and what's really cool is that it's convoluted because that's the way the people involved do things. It's that level of detail that prompts the five stars. Everything in the book has a reason for being there, usually several reasons.
   
   Harry's still training his new apprentice Molly, and that's got a bunch of layers as well--her strengths fit everything we know about her from previous books, and the effects on Harry show, too. It's not just "let's give Harry a teenage girl for a sidekick." It has so much consistency you'd believe they were real people.
   
   Several characters from earlier books show up, ones we haven't seen for a while, and that's fun, and completely plot-driven. No Mouseketeer role calls here.
   
   As you can probably guess from the fact that his brother is a suspect, the emotional intensity is up there. There's also a lot of emotion involved with Harry dealing with anger issues and with Lash, the shadow of a fallen angel who's living in his head. I needed tissues.
   
   There were also plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, and dozens of quotable lines, like "...age is always advancing and I'm fairly sure it's up to no good."
   
   And some very cool special effects, which the TV show will never get a chance to use because it's been canceled, darnitall. Ah, well, they probably work better in my head anyway. Stupid SciFi Channel.
   
   One caveat: this is a planned series: 20 books and then a big old apocalyptic trilogy, because who doesn't love apocalyptic trilogies? Which means that even though the books are complete in themselves, there is something going on that's leading to that apocalyptic trilogy. In other words: read the series in order. You'll get more out of it that way.



2. If you are into modern day swords and scorcery or if you just want a little escapeism. This is the way to go. Butcher starts off with a bang and never lets up. The only thing is you will need to have read the rest of the series to understand some of what is going on. Other than that it rocks.White Night (The Dresden Files, Book 9)



3. I've never, in my life, ever said this about anyone, ever.
   
   I am a FAN of Jim Butcher.
   
   He has consistently written top notch novels, one right after the other. He's managed to build multiple, detail-rich over-arcing storylines, significant character change and growth, emotionally-laden highs and lows and the evolution of a world so complete that I have to remind myself to eat, sleep and go to work whenever I get started on a new Dresden Files novel. They are, intentionally speaking, mesmerising, pure magic every time.
   
   As I said, Dresden isn't the ONLY Wizard when it comes to these books.



4. White Night is the ninth book in the Dresden Files. In the last novel, Proven Guilty, Harry takes Molly Carpenter as an apprentice to prevent the White Council from executing her for practicing black magic. Proven Guilty begins with fairies being sent to centers of fear. Molly had used fear to cause her friends to quit using drugs, and in doing so practiced black magic and became a beacon for the "fear" fairies. Once she was captured, with Michael gone, Charity and Harry led an expedition to the capital of Winter to get her back.
   
   White Night continues the theme lines from previous novels (the war with the Red Court, peace with the White Court, Elaine, Lasciel), but centers around a power play within the White Court. The three powerful families within the White Court are making a play for power by culling the human race of wizards. Jim Butcher also makes strides in the development of Lasciel, Cowl and the White Court.
   
   This is the best book in the series so far; I could hardly put it down. The developments with Lasciel are very fascinating and the climax of this novel was very exciting. If I didn't know that Harry was going to live, it would have even been more exciting. I just thought of interesting plot line for future novels, Butcher could have Harry die, and then continue the series with Molly and/or Elaine to avenge him. Heck, he could even start a side series with what Elaine is encountering in LA with her as the main character. I highly recommend White Night to anyone who has read the first eight novels.



5. Looking for something I knew I would enjoy, I went for White Knight, the -- ninth? tenth? I've lost count -- book in the Harry Dresden series. I liked seeing the different strains of White Court vamps, especially when we got to see all of their powers in full bloom, so to speak, when Harry and Ramirez had to confront them all at the gathering. I liked how capable Lara Raith is at manipulation, though of course I appreciate that Harry is always able to find a way through her tangled web. I thought their final escape from the cave was great -- though I didn't think a whole lot of the super-ghouls that were the ultimate bad guy; smacked of Buffy and the Neander-Vamps. Especially the whole big-showdown-in-a-cave, with a gate to the underworld that they all come through -- you get the picture. And this book didn't have nearly enough Bob in it.
   
   I did, however, love the resolution of the Lasciel/Denarian subplot that's been running through the last five books. I liked the way it worked, and I loved the message it gave: that everyone has a choice, and the simple fact of that choice makes us better people -- when we recognize and acknowledge the choice, that is. I feel like it makes me a better person when I realize that I'm living my life, I'm not trapped in it.
   
   Anyway, I liked Thomas's part in this, and I loved Mouse, of course -- I dig his super-bark -- and Elaine was fine, though not a terribly interesting character. I liked her resolution, too, how she's going to become a champion of all the lesser magic-users who aren't good enough for the White Council; you just know that's going to come back and slap them right in their elitist faces. Workers unite! Viva la Revolucion! I also liked the insight into Gentleman Johnny Marcone and his relationship with Dresden -- though I'm not really sure I buy the gangster-with-a-heart; can you really be ruthless and run all of Chicago's rackets without hurting innocents? Then again, we are talking about a book about wizards here, so maybe I shouldn't complain about suspending my disbelief.

5 comments about A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1).

1. Not that anyone will ever find this review in the amazingly long list of reviews, but I feel I must write it anyway. This book is what I consider as junior fantasy. It ranks on par with David Eddings and all of the Dragonlance books. Decent story, decent writing, but the depth just isn't there. There is very little character development, the plot is more or less predictable, and there's little original about the themes. One of my rules of thumb is that if I ever hear an adult raving about this book or any of Eddings' or Weiss/Hickman's works, I can be pretty sure that they really aren't that experienced in the world of fantasy fiction. 1000+ cheering reviews for this book shouldn't fool anyone but junior high kids.



2. 
   This book violates enough of my heroic fiction stereotypes to be worth highly recommending. For example, the first chapter involves an execution, but there's no bold rescue of the prisoner, and the lord who ordered (and carried out) the execution turns out to be a nice guy.
   
   
   This turns out to be a theme of the book. Deciding who are the "good guys" and who are the "bad guys" is difficult here (although there are some exceptions). There are shocking events and some good twists and surprises.
   
   As I perused the reviews here, I noticed that this book does have some detractors. I suppose that's to be expected, and I appreciate even dissenting views. Count me among the many fans, however.



3. The story is great i love how the chapters are really people perspective during the time. You can see how one person or side is thinking and then vice versa. There are many characters i love and hate and love to hate. I can not wait till his next book comes out. I LOVE this book and i tell everyone i know to read it.



4. So I was looking for a new book to buy and reading glowing reviews for this one, here at Amazon. After reading about ten of them I started to have the sneaky suspicion that perhaps I had actually read this book already? Indeed, I looked and there it was on my bookshelf! Bought about a year ago, read soon after, and apparently completely forgotten until now.
   
   See my point?
   
   Something is coming back to me now about pseudo-mongolian tribesmen on grasslands, something about dragons, wolves, sword fighting probably, a few names. The book has been much praised around here, but it just didn't connect with me. Consider some of the features that have been talked about:
   
   Characterization? Many people are impressed by the fact that the characters are not morally "black and white". Well, I find the preponderance of only goodies and baddies in fantasy a pain too, but real people are SHADES of gray. Instead we get uniform 50 percent gray across the board. This is probably even worse as we exchange two colors for one! Putting morality aside, the characters seem to differ only in details about which it's difficult to care. One guy wants to be leader of the horsemen, several others want to be leaders of the kingdom, etc. Then there are assorted "young" people who don't know what they want at all. Seen that before? The defining features of memorable characters for me seem to be firstly that you know enough about what they want so as to want it for them as well, and secondly that you can tell it apart from what other characters desire. Now, I can vividly remember lots of characters in other books that I have read over the years by e.g. Donaldson, Asimov, early Eddings, Jordan, early Feist, and even - prepare to cringe - the Dragonlance books! None from here.
   
   World building? It looked pretty stock standard, from what I saw. Pseudo-mongolian tribesmen again, pseudo-medieval feudal kingdoms, castles, dragon eggs, and menacing enemies hanging out in the (you guessed it) North. A compelling world tends to have at least some aspects which are NOT copies of something on Earth nor of well known human legends. Those aspects are also supposed to lead to logical consequences. THEN it seems like a real and interesting fantasy. Think of some places invented by Donaldson, Lem, Jordan (yep), Asimov, Aldiss, Herbert and even Margaret Weis or early David Eddings. I can't see anything like that here. All right, one little original thing was that the pseudo-Hadrian's wall in the north is built all of ice, but this appears to have little consequence apart from being cold to step on. We don't even get to see a redshirt character slip on the ice and break his neck during a thaw.
   
   Graphic sex and violence? Well actually I don't recall any really overwhelming amount of it in this book, in contrast to what some reviewers have written. Maybe violence is just not memorable for me when presented in large amounts. Guts, gore, skim, and skim some more. As for romantic scenes, in my humble opinion they are FAR more memorable if the explicit parts are left out - because then you can fill them in yourself!
   
   In summary: very uninspiring.



5. This book had an interesting idea in that it attempted to tell a story through the viewpoints of multiple characters. This is a good idea in theory (something more original for a fantasy novel) except that half of the characters it tells the story through are uninteresting and are really more a waste of time than anything else. If you don't like some of the characters, the chapters that focus on them become torturous and painful to read. There are whole chapters in this book that could be omitted completely and probably should have been for the sake wasting the reader's time.
   The storyline has many plots and subplots as have been mentioned in other reviews but the overall guiding storyline is predictable and any twists it introduces are pretty plain. There are a few exciting high points that should have been focused more on but were lost quickly by the dense amount of seemingly useless subplots taking place at the same time.
   I had high hopes for this book when I first picked it up but it was ultimately very disappointing in the end. When the book finishes, it eludes to something much bigger going on. But I can't bring myself to continue with this series because this book is 800 pages long but should have been cut to half that many to tell the mediocre story it does. Just plain slow

5 comments about Fearless (The Lost Fleet, Book 2).

1. This book was very entertaining to read. It's not an in depth collossal and extravagent work of sci-fi but an interesting take on the whole "lost hero refound to save the world in the nick of time". I literally couldn't put the book down and finished it that night, much like the first one. Others have given a really good synopsis of the book so I'll skip that part.
   
   What really draws me into this series is the balance between the action and the dialogue. The space battles are done in a way that leaves you biting your nails. Sure you know what's going to happen and most likely how it's going to end but how he takes you through it is the exciting part.
   
   All in all, this is a great book and a great series! I highly suggest it for anyone wanting some fast and troubled heroes facing impossible odds!



2. OK, here's the good. Jack Campbell describes fleet operations in a believable manner. Frankly, I believe his fleet structure would work better than the pseudo ship of the line fleet structure used by David Weber.
   
   But Weber has already done it (and done it, and done it, and...). Weber also included a rich universe, a good deal of romance, and a lot of involved politics. Mr. Campbell has thrown in some cardboard cutouts to ask leading questions of his hero.
   
   Oh, yeah. Are there aliens in this universe? I don't know. Stick around for book six.
   
   There's nothing new here. There is no personal story here. There is no human story here. There's a lot of inspirational interludes where the author uses the mythical "Black Jack" to opin on the santity of life and playing by the rules of war. There's also a number of set up characters who (amazingly enough) turn their life around just knowing that good old Black Jack believes in mercy and honor.
   
   Please.
   
   Sorry, for a writer with an easily readable style, I think Mr. Campbell is wasting his talent. After he finishes paying some bills, I would like to encourage him to write a well balanced novel that depends on human characters and emotions almost as much as the battle scenes.



3. This is the second book in the Lost Fleet series and it does not disappoint. The space battles are presented in crisp clean prose, with believable attention to physics. The hero, John "Black Jack" Geary evolves and changes under pressure and even, with due discretion, acquires a girlfriend. There's stronger speculation about the existence of aliens as a driving force for the 100 year old war.
   
   My biggest complaint is structural. Book One: Dauntless and Book Two: Fearless could have been combined in a single volume. The story arc would have been a lot stronger that way and a certain amount of repetition designed to bring the out-of-sequence reader up to speed could have been eliminated. As it is, I feel that the overall arc of the series has just barely crept forward. And the author is not really exploring the psychological complexity of his characters. Some of the dialog is just daft (Scottish dialect for whacko) instead of striving for depth.
   
   But I love the way Jack Campbell writes his action sequences. He manages to capture some of the agonizingly slow motion imposed by the vast distance of space and combine it with an ability to keep the reader on the edge of the chair. I'll keep reading and hoping for more. In some ways, Jack Campbell is the science fiction equivalent of Dick Francis in the mystery genre: he's a slick stylist with a knack for action.



4. Good storyline continues to be well developed and written. Characters first introduced in Dauntless are becoming fleshed out and believable. The true enemy is slowly being introduced... I expect the series to continue becoming better and better.



5. I had a love/hate relationship with this book. On the one hand, the overall plot was intriguing and kept my interest. On the other, some of the things his characters say ring so false that it became hard to continue somewhere around the middle. While Geary's relationship with Rione develops, the way it unfolds leads one of the worst-told romances I've ever read. These two characters spend most of their time very wary of each other, with Rione acting as a combination of Geary's conscience and his suspicious monitor. Lots of back and forth trying to probe each others' motivations and hammering out an awkward working relationship. Then things get romantic, but nothing changes. They have basically the same conversation over and over, which grew tedious, and I found myself wincing at the dialog. Rione has this weird quality of being both professionally detached and shrewish. It's not very convincing.
   
   I really wanted to like this book as much as the first, but it just felt like there was a lot of repetition and one-dimensional characters. Perhaps military sci-fi isn't my genre. I'm not sure I want to invest more time in reading the next books in the series.

5 comments about Watership Down: A Novel.

1. A well written, fast moving tale with a happy ending. It was so refreshing to read a children's story which remembers it's audience and while there are realistic losses - all of the main characters survive.



2. A group of rabbits searches for a new home after Fiver, a rabbit with "The Sight" has a vision of their current home being destroyed by a land developer.
   
   After the rabbits find a new warren on Watership Down, they realize that they have no females. They look for some females to join their group, but meet only a terrible warren called Efrafa run by the controlling General Woundwort.
   
   Though the characters are all rabbits, the story is all about human nature. I especially loved the rabbit culture and mythology that is so simply yet beautifully expressed in the stories they tell.
   
   An amazing read for all ages!



3. I love this book. It's been one of my favorites since I was a little girl and my Dad read it to me now I'm 33 and I'm on my 3rd copy. I read the first one until it fell apart, the second (this is the part you won't beileve)my pet rabbits ate. My new copy will be safe because the rabbits no longer live indoors.



4. We were glad to get these books quickly. They were in good shape and took care of the immediate need.



5. 
   
   Cute as rabbits are, my mother is in a constant battle with the little buggers over her flower garden. Perhaps it was why I could not remain neutral while reading this story. I just couldn't see the vermin as protagonists. They're rabbits, for heaven's sake, not a band of warriors nor a nomadic tribe in the Amazon jungle! The plot plodded and the dialogue was excruciating. My mother nearly had to shoot me to put me out of my misery as I forced my eyes to scan page by page, constantly reminding myself that this was a children's literature classic and a Carnegie medal winner.
   
   I welcome anyone to lecture me on the merits of this book.

5 comments about Grendel.

1. It had sat on my shelf for years. I'd pick it up. Put it down. Pick it up. Really, who wants to read a book in which the protagonist is the bad guy?
   
   I finally read Grendel, and it was actually worth my time. There is a very touching scene in which Grendel longs to be other than he is, but cannot find the path.
   
   "My heart was light with Hrothgar's goodness, and leaden with grief at my own bloodthirsty ways. ~ Chapter 4"
   
   There are shades of connection betwixt ill-fated Grendel and the ill-cursed The Children of Húrin. How dire it must be to recognize that one is tainted, and have no hope of a cure. Indeed, where would any of us be without a Redeemer?



2. I'll keep it simple rather than wax poetic. This is one of the best books Ive ever read. I loved it and read it in two days. Wonderful language and arrangement.



3. This is not the simple tale of what moves the monster to attack the mead hall. Yes, this is the classic Beowulf tale told from Grendel's perspective, but it's no easy narrative of me-against-him. There is an awful lot more going on here.
   
   Grendel is the basic human, the proto-human animal stripped of all aspects of civilization, what the human is before civilization has had the chance to poison him. He wholly self-centered, a world unto himself. He is pure action and the rawest of emotion, no patience for thought and contemplation. He's capricious, with no moral sense, no real logic. Action is the only thing he knows, and it is what it is, consistent or not. But evil? Not in the least.
   
   As civilization rises, Grendel observes, as only a monster can observe a human, that everything we touch we corrupt and ruin. Trees fall, water is fouled and the game leaves the forest. Ultimately, humanity is pointless and futile; we invent all of our problems. We create envy, ambition, manipulation, subjugation, hierarchy, religion, hope, confidence, arrogance, pride, rationalization and ultimately hubris, and they intertwine to ruin us, as individuals and as tribes. The joy is all around us, as Grendel describes, the bounty and its beauty, life and nature, but we instead choose competition, struggle, corruption, loss, violence and unnatural death.
   
   As civilization coalesces about him, Grendel draws closer to death, and he learns from the humans the value of the vulgar, what it means to be deceitful, what evil really is. He learns agonizingly what solitude is, and wants so desperately to fit in, but cannot. He cannot adapt, and is doomed, and somewhere down deep inside, he knows it. He wants to be included, but he cannot be and never will be. His time is ending, and he must as well. As reason and logic and knowledge come to crowd men's thoughts, his power is ever weaker, until the time comes that he meets his match.
   
   Grendel's story is the sorrow of existence, solitary in birth, life and in death. His mother is an absolute alien, unknowable. She can never truly be his friend, never be his companion or his contemporary. She is the constant reminder of age and the specter of isolation, loneliness and death. She is the ever-present reminder of the future, and is estranged by her very offspring because of it. As a woman she is unknowable, a representation of something to which Grendel mysteriously is drawn but at the same time he is repulsed; he has no concept of how to relate to or respond to his lust, and it escapes him once again in violence.
   
   I recommend readers tackle the original Beowulf: A New Verse Translation (Bilingual Edition) before coming to this revisionist approach. But remember this is not simply a retelling from another point of view. This book is a winner, poetic and lyrical, turning the ancient story of the man versus the monster from one of epic battle and victory to a cautionary tale of what it means to exist in the world of Man.



4. I thought this book would be kinda cool to read since I'm a big fan of Beowulf and have read it several times. Man was I wrong. The writing is terrible. Grendel isn't a monster, he's a cry baby. A story from the "other perspective" has so much potential, but this author didn't use any of it. After reading this book, I wondered if John Gardner read Beowulf at all.



5. If you are like myself a high school senior reading this book for English class, GOOD LUCK! It is by far the least interesting novel I have ever read. Skip it and just look up the sparknotes.