Feel a bit conned

Same book as Battle for Skandia (which I already own) but with different title. Very poor Amazon.

Ridiculous

<br />After writing LotR Tolkien should have hunted all of his Hobbit books and burnt them in a giant bonfire.<br />This book tells about the adventure of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf and a number of Dwarves (I can't remember the actual number, because all the dwarves were so similar).<br /><br />This book is so silly, juvenile and ridiculously written that it is completely unprecedented.<br /><br />People are defending this book by saying that it's a childrens' book unlike LotR. Well here's some news for you. There are some actually good childrens' books out there.<br /><br />Not all would doom this 1 star, but no way would this book be receiving so many 5 star reviews unless it was written by Tolkien.<br /><br />I'm not saying someone couldn't like it, but from any sane point of view it just isn't *good*. Period.

slightly disappointing

After reading, and really enjoying the first three in this series, I was quite excited when I realised the fourth book was out, but after reading it, whilst it is still a good book, I don't think it is up to the same standard as the previous three. There is less of a focus on the characters in my opinion, and the plot is not exciting enough, up till the last quarter of the book, to carry this off. All in all, still worth a read if you enjoyed the first three, but don't expect great things from it.

Very enjoyable book with big possibilities for the series

I bought this book based on an Amazon recomendation and reading the customer reviews. Now this doesn't knock you off your feet like"Dark Lover" does but it is a promising start to a paranormal series. Yes there are Black Daggerhood similarities in this book but if you read it and judge it own it's merits, there is definately something here. After reading this I immediately orders books 2 & 3 in the series and am thouroughly enjoying them.<br /><br />Where I found these characters differed from the BDB boys, was that they felt more modern. I think this is because their history is not based around a religious head (like the Scribe Virgin) and they a species left that were left to evolve independantly from their creators (flesh and blood beings). If you read it you'll understand what I mean when I say it gives these characters a much larger scope for having a very dark side...<br /><br />Give the series a chance - it grows into its own as it goes on...

Discworld Decoded

Having introduced the Discworld to Roundworld readers with"The Colour of Magic", Terry Pratchett enhances our knowledge of it through this volume. New characters, previously unexplored regions of the Disc and deep questions about The Great A'Tuin almost garner answers. Rincewind, the failed wizard, is still acting as a guide to Discworld's first tourist, Twoflower. It's not always clear however, who's doing the leading and who the following. Twoflower, who is thrilled by everything and refuses to feel threatened by anything, absorbs all the novelty introduced to the reader. Through it all, Pratchett's delightful wit and innovative abilities keeps the reader's full attention. Only your laughter will interrupt the flow of narrative.<br /><br />There's magic to this book, and no little magic in the story. Rincewind, having been catapulted over the Rim marking the edge of the Disc, inexplicably finds himself lodged in a pine tree. The entire universe has been rearranged to let him survive. Why should one timid outcast be so favoured? Twoflower, in a side gesture of cosmological justice, isn't far off. Rejoined, the pair struggle to find a way home to Ankh-Morpork. A sense of urgency over that return has appeared in the sky - and the Disc is likely to be destroyed soon.<br /><br />Rincewind's role in changing the universe and coping with a"new star" that's appeared soon become apparent. As a student wizard, one of The Eight Great Spells entered his mind. Those spells are the glue holding the cosmos together. To survive, the Spell must keep Rincewind alive - not out of danger, but a survivor of many dire threats. Even Twoflower has noticed Rincewind's special role in life. The tourist has actually counted the number of Rincewind's near-death experiences. Those threats keep the wizard in a state of tense expectation. Rightly so, since there are yet more to come. Including the end of the world.<br /><br />In their attempt to return, Rincewind and Twoflower encounter some fascinating characters. Perhaps the most engaging is the aging hero, Cohen the Barbarian, the Disc's Greatest Warrior. He, too, is a survivor, having long ago shed the notion of a"fair" fight. Fast with sword and knife, he knows the value of treasure, the delight in rescuing virgins, and the comforts of"soft lavatory paper". Trolls are encountered - those night creatures who live backward in time and who"suffer from philosophy". Yet, the Discworld isn't lodged in some parallel of the Roundworld's Middle Ages. There are computers and hardware consultants serving them. The Ring of Stones on the Vortex Plains"has gone down again" - a phrase every computer user will recognise. Who but Terry Pratchett could so successfully broker a liaison between such disparate concepts? And adapt from a hotly contested work about the meaning of the Stonehenge monoliths? **<br /><br />There are other elements Pratchett considers in this tale. Death, who can be seen by wizards, joins the party to observe people's reaction to the new star. Death's perplexity is manifest at encountering humans who fear him, yet will subject themselves to a"death of the mind" almost without hesitation or reflection. Pratchett will keep you pondering many paths as you wend your way through this book. It's a delight to read Pratchett at any time, but taking up this book again after a long hiatus proved even more enlightening. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]<br /><br />** Note: for young folks who find this meaningless today, Gerald Hawkins published"Stonehenge Decoded" in 1965, explaining that chalk- and charcoal-filled pits at Stonehenge provided a"computer" to forecast eclipses.

Roll on Saturday

Whilst I adore Garth Nix fantastic and boundless imagination, I find myself more and more skimming to get to the end of the books. I am a bit bored by the whole"want to go home, cant get home, must find key, must free will blah blah thingummy" Its a shame there are 7 days in a week because frankly I just want to know what the heck is going to happen. <br /><br />Where and who is the architect.<br />What will happen when the will is whole again.<br />What will happen to Arther. Surely he will be a full denizen by the end.<br /><br />And so on and so forth.<br /><br />I really feel like we're killing time til Sunday.<br /><br />Hurry up Garth, we need to know stuff!<br /><br />However, despite my rambling and grumbling. I love these books and would recomend them. Just a pity its going to take 7 days to save the universe rather than a long weekend!

An entralling high level snapshot that challenges possibilities

Got this book and finished it the day after it arrived. Captivating stuff ! As a high level introduction to the current state of a variety of scientific areas it's fantastic.<br />Kaku tends to spend a little more time on the areas close to him, but everthing gets good coverage. As a springboard to understand current progress it allows the reader to go off and find more information on the particular subject areas that interest them.<br />I read it in the same week as Ray Kurzweil's 'The Singularity is Near' and it's interesting to see both the overlap, and how things have moved on in 5 years.<br />All in all a great book for the layman and those with a scientific background. Oh, and a great price for a hardback book right now :)

An excellent story, beautifully written

An excellent story that tells a wonderful tale that brings the Dark Angel's story to bloom, however (and this is the tricky part) I hope GW ask Mr Scanlon to write part 2. I want to know what happens next.<br /><br />Luther is developed thoroughly, his jealousy well defined and hidden, the stormbird leaving is done well - but at the end why were they sent away? I really wanted to pick up book 2, but alas, no.<br /><br />However, a rapid, fast paced read with great scope. <br /><br /><br /><br />

4 & 1/2

The Last of the Wilds is better than Priestess of the White. It moves along at a slightly faster pace. It also jumps around less. I am not sure if this is because i got used to the stlye or maybe because there were less new characters to introduce. It might just be that this was a better book. I found it more humourous as well.<br />I think Auraya is a good character but i still feel that shes a little flat. Considering her lingering love for a dreamweaver and her controversial actions at the end of the book I was expecting a few more fire works. <br />There was a bit of travelling (which is always nice), bringing new scenery with it. <br />The story again is faultless and fascinating. How can I come to like the Pentadrians?! They have some likeable characters. As the duality of both religious worlds is introduced, this story uncovers part of how they came into being, but not enough. Now you just have to read the next book.

Complex and Satisfying

Not an easy read - let's get that out of the way first. The scope here is massive and original. Secrets are kept right until the last pages and the author rewards you"just enough" throughout the book to keep you turning the pages, although I was frustrated at times due to scarse explanation. I didn't fully understand a lot of what was going on in the book initially, events unfold with little explanation of character motive but it all comes together at the end making it one of the most satifying reads if you've got the patience. If you're a David Eddings or Terry Brooks fan, then maybe this isn't for you - no generic Swords and Sorcery to be found here - but if you like your fantasy gritty and characters that have more than one dimension with rewards more advanced than"generic hero finds generic magic device, defeats generic villain and gets generic princess" then you'll love it.

Fantastic adventure

This is a wonderful and original adventure story about a convicted murderer who is saved from the noose by the skin of her teeth only to embark on a new, ridiculously dangerous career as a food-taster to the Commander. She is recruited to this role by the commander's spy-master and is quickly drawn into a web of suspicious events which at first make little sense to her. As her story unfolds we slowly learn how she came to be in her perdicament. The story is set in a cold dark and totalitarian country where she is watched constantly, her loyalties are put to a series of tests and she can trust no one. The protagonists are interesting original and surprising. There is an element of a love story which reminded me of Trudi Canavan's"The High Lord".<br /><br />I cannot recommend highly enough, for a debut novel this is indeed hardy stuff, most entertaining and readable.

A fun fantasy read

I really enjoyed this book. It has some very interesting characters and a story line that just keeps you reading. Michelle Sagara's style is easy to access and has some witty dialogue. The story has a darker mysterious side which is not all resolved by the end of the book. Which means that there is lots to look forward to in next books in the series.<br /><br />So, if you are looking for something that is as fully realised as Tolkien you may be disappointed. <br /><br />But for a fun and enjoyable read that looks as if there is plenty of material for future stories this is a must read.

Pleasure for pleasure's sake.

When I reviewed Graham McNeill's"False Gods", his previous book in the Horus Heresy series, I accused him of wasting the Primarch Fulgrim. Fulgrim only featured in one scene in"False Gods", but now McNeill has rewarded him with the longest single novel the Black Library has ever printed. Indeed, the scene that featured Fulgrim in"False Gods" is represented in this novel, with subtle differences as the story is explored from Fulgrim's perspective.<br /><br />"Fulgrim" is magnificent. As a dedicated follower of Slaanesh, I feared that the depiction of Fulgrim's perfect space marine chapter and its descent into the worship of the chaos god of licentious excess could easily be bungled. Games Workshop has shied away from Slaanesh of late - for whilst bloody violence is accepted by society, sex is still taboo. McNeill, however. handles Fulgrim's fall from grace extremely well. Crowley, Wilde, and Blake all appear to be reference points for this highly literate Warhammer novel, in particular Blake who is present in paraphrase and also quoted directly at one point (suffice to say I will not bother to make myself explicit for the idiot). The whole vista of Slaanesh's depradations are on display in the form of one character or another, and there are some extremely impressive and wonderfully ornate set-pieces. This book has everything you'd hope for from a Horus Heresy novel, and is probably the best volume to date.<br /><br />Since this novel extensively expands the character of Fulgrim from his depiction in"False Gods", I am hopeful that the previous book's two other Primarch cameos - Magnus the Red and Angron - will one day be gifted with a novel of their own by McNeill. And I hope they will be as good as this volume. McNeill strives for perfection in his writing as much as the eponymous Fulgrim does in his labours, and the results are worthy of much praise. Praise for the Prince of Pleasure! Pleasure for pleasure's sake!<br />

Be inspired to read Ibsen's plays!!

This is a great version of the play. The notes and charcter information is really useful and I would reccommend this version to anyone studying A Doll's House. The translation is good and easier to follow than some other versions. It is also useful if you are studying the Victorian period because Ibsen had great insight into his society. It has inspired me to read more of Ibsen's plays.

Totally magical, totally random, totally amazing!

Barcode: 9780007175031<br /><br />So, having finished the simply awesome Abhorsen trilogy i was eager to read more of Garth Nix's books and thought where better to go next than the Keys To The Kingdom series. I was quite surprised for a number of reasons but thanfully, it was a pleasant kind of surprise.<br /><br />My first recommendation is that make sure you read the first novel, Mister Monday, first as there is a lot of stuff you need to know about like the Will, the keys, the days, the house etc. the list goes on. You kinda get thrown in at the deep end and it can all seem a bit random and disorientating at the start but onhce you get into into it the world of the Keys To The Kingdom series is just as magical as the Old Kingdom.<br /><br />Nix's ingenuity is amazing as he depicts our real world living alongside a mystical 'house' which contains vast areas of land. This particular novel details Grim Tuesday's pit, a kind of vast quarry miles wide. The imagery is fantastic and his legal-esque spin on magical themes is just spellbinding.<br /><br />Main character Arthur comes across well as the everyman who reluctantly takes up his role of venturing into this world in order to save his family. He is accompanied by the ever-charming Suzy who i think goes on to become the star of the book.<br /><br />In its feel, Grim Tuesday is perhaps aimed at a younger audience than those used to his other books, but i assure you regular readers will enjoy it just the same. Things never get overly dark and morbid and there's always some lighthearted humour round the corner to make you smile and the semi-immortal characters create a very interesting outlook as it dampens the sense of threat leaving you to focus all the more on the wonder of Nix's world.<br /><br />My recommendation is to go into this book with an open mind and you are sure to totally enjoy it. I found it an inspiring tale and yet more evidence as to why Garth Nix is one of my favourite authors ever.

Boys don't cry!

The fine art captures the superb action, and as much gritty realism as you can fit in a superhero graphic. A world seen when the rose tinted glasses have been lost. A fantastic idea which has been well crafted, and will leave you drooling for more.

Best one yet for me

Sookie is one of my favourite heroines now but at the start of the series I found her a tad irritating. As the books have progressed I think that the author has developed her main character beautifully without the incredible and implausible leaps from their core personality that other authors in the genre seem to do. Sookies love interests are developing well, enough variety and conflict to be interesting without detracting from the plot line- I think that this and the previous book are winners for me precisely because Sookie's meetings/workings with the supernatural are now the norm for her and for the reader therefore the focus is upon the inner workings of that alternate world rather than her wide eyed wonder at all she sees, big score for me all round.

gridlinked

Neal Asher is one of those authors who manages to deliver something that is fast-paced and engaging without feeling like something you wish you'd borrowed from the library instead of buying. To be honest he borders on pulp at time, but in this case it's not a bad thing -"Gridlinked" is a great example of how he counterbalances the pulp factor with comprehensible science and surprising clarity at times, forgoing the fancy narrative and pseudo-poetry that a lot of science-fiction authors go for.<br /><br />He is concise and compelling for the most part - the downside is that the characters feel like film characters rather than real people, but when you're after this kind of action sci-fi, that is weird and wonderful stories filled with awesome gadgets and creatures, it doesn't matter too much. "Gridlinked" is one of the Agent Cormac novels to feature the brilliant Mr Crane, a bronze android with fearsome strength and almost tangibly intimidating personality. One of the most original characters I've read in sci-fi, he's the character who causes you to tut when his scene ends and grin when his next one begins. Cormac is almost as engaging, a man dehumanised by his integration with technology and his intellectual proximity to the many AIs that govern Earth and other colonised worlds.<br /><br />It's a fine novel and well worth a read, especially if you haven't read Asher before and want to branch out into new authors.<br />