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I really enjoyed this book. It is a simple, easy read about love in its many forms, shapes and sizes. The author had some fantastic lines about loving and living that I had to mark as favorite quotes.
There is nothing deep to discuss about this book, it is just a sweet book with well defined characters that you really connect too. I'm glad her next book is out and that the characters continue in that story.

Cornelia Brown, manager of the Dora Café in Philadelphia, views life as movie moments, old movies to be exact, classics, so when someone walks into the café looking more like Cary Grant then anybody has a right to, she is attracted, who wouldn't be? Eleven-year-old Clare reads more than anyone her age should, identifying with fictional orphans and the chapters in this book alternate between Cornelia's first person narrative and the third person point of view from Clare's perspective, both stories beautifully told. We know pretty quickly these two are going to get together.

Now as to that man who walked in. He's Martin Grace and he and Cornelia seem destined for each other, but Martin hasn't told Cornelia about his daughter who is, you guessed it, Clare, who has been taking care of her bi-polar mother, something no eleven year old should have to do. When mom goes missing, abandoning Clare, Martin brings her to meet Cornelia and the two bond. Cornelia is the mother Clare should have had and speaking of destiny, Clare seems destined to be Cornelia's daughter, but is Martin really destined for Cornelia?

Okay, there you have it. Do you want to read this story? You should, because it is beautifully written with characters as real as your next door neighbor, characters you care about. Maria de los Santos has put a movie into a book, so vivid are her images. I loved this book, so much so that I'm starting Ms. de los Santos's Belong to Me tomorrow and if it's half the story this is, then it's a winner.

Reviewed by Vesta Irene, Number One fan of Ken Douglas, writer of Tangerine Dream, Desperation Moon & Running Scared.

I read many reviews before I purchased this book and thought maybe the bad reviews were wrong. This book is so confusing at the beginning, and goes from one movie star to the other. The story of Claire was the only one that interested me. I felt the death of Claire's father was awful the way he really had no part of the story. No one cared that he died. This book is not well written and makes the reader work way too hard for a story that is not that great. It is great for the Hollywood elitist. I read at least two or three books a week and the only reason I give this 3 stars, is for the story of Claire. I also liked that the main character Cornelia's parent are normal and still married and in love. There are too many wonderful books out there to waste your time on this one. This reader walked out.

This is easily the most beautifully written book I've ever read. The words just flow and are truly like poetry. You can really feel the love in this book. I've just downloaded the next book, Belong to Me, and am anxiously waiting to begin it. Brava to Ms. de los Santos for a wonderful piece of work.

"Love Walked In" is not your typical love story. Cornelia is a 30-something, well-educated woman who works in a Philadelphia coffee shop (the type of coffee shop where artists and academics lounge around, playing chess and engaging in witty repartee all day). Cornelia is a petite, peppy, hopeless romantic who is anxiously awaiting a Cary Grant-type to walk in the door and sweep her off her tiny feet. That moment does in fact happen when handsome, charismatic Martin Grace breezes in the door and leaves Cornelia feeling more than breathless.

Cornelia and Martin embark on a whirlwind romance and Martin seems to be everything that Cornelia is looking for in a man, until he shows up one day at the coffee shop with his young daughter whom he neglected to ever mention. It quickly becomes evident to Cornelia that Clare has no fuzzy feelings for her dapper dad due to his serious apathy for fatherhood. Cornelia soon begins to see that Martin may not be the man of her dreams...

Clare's glamorous mother, Viviana, abandons Clare and Martin and Cornelia are left to tend to her broken heart. Cornelia becomes Clare's main care-taker and the two develop a deep attachment for one another. The relationship between Clare and Cornelia is the main focus of the novel and their story is told from both points of view.

I did enjoy the novel because it's a nice story and it is an easy, relaxing read. However, I was completely thrown off by what I felt was often forced dialogue and a few very unbelievable characters. For example, the author wanted to convey that Cornelia is a huge classic movie fan (which ties into her being a romantic) but the manner in which she chose to do this did not work very well, in my opinion. It just seemed very unnatural and contrived and, on more than one occasion, I found myself thinking, "real people do not talk or think this way!" I felt the same way about Cornelia's friend "Linney" who seemed one-dimensional and more like a caricature than a real person.

On the other hand, I thought Ms. de los Santos did a nice job developing the characters of Clare and Viviana and I was able to feel a connection with both.

So, in the end, I'd say my feelings in regard to this novel are mixed. I do not regret reading it and am happy to recommend it to others, however, I was disappointed that the above-mentioned flaws (or what I consider to be flaws) detracted from what was an otherwise good story.

This is my first Auster novel. It is well constructed and very readable, although I didn't find his prose style to be particularly elegant. There is a pessimistic undertone to the whole story, which deals poignantly with personal loss. The theme of how an artist deals with that loss is explored on several levels.

The narrator David Zimmer, a professor and writer, deals with the most intense personal loss, by writing a book about a forgotten silent film comedian named Hector Mann, who mysteriously vanished in 1929 and is presumed dead. By losing himself in his writing, Zimmer, for the time being, can go on living. After finishing his book on Mann, he plunges into another literary endeavor..a translation of the immense final journals of Chateaubriand, who did not want the journals published in his lifetime. It appears that the very act of writing gives Zimmer the prime reason for continuing to live..for not killing himself.

Eventually Zimmer learns that Hector is alive, living in New Mexico with a wife, and Zimmer is urgently summoned by an attractive but slightly disfigured woman Alma Grund, who lives with Hector and his wife and also happens to be writing a biography of Mann, to visit the reclusive film artist and see film work which was never meant to be seen by the public. He is urgently summoned because Hector Mann may die soon, and needs to talk to someone who can understand him. While traveling to visit him, Zimmer learns from Alma about what happened to Hector Mann, and some things about Alma herself. Things which alter Zimmer's thoughts and outlook on life. He also starts falling in love.

In Book of Illusions Auster seems to be saying that the creation of art, whether in the form of literature, or film, or any other medium, is as critical to the life of the artist (creator), as are the basic necessities of existence, or even love itself. The world of illusion for the artist has more significance and power than the real world, and can motivate him or her to keep living, or even to stop living. As long as illusion and reality have distinct boundaries the artist is safe, but danger lurks where the lines begin to blur.

he Book of Illusions by Paul Auster is a strange book in a few ways. It was definitely and enjoyable and quick read, but I can't for the life of me figure out why. The story itself doesn't sound so literary or engaging. A widowed man finds himself wrapped up in the life of a supposedly missing director of silent films. At best that plot sounds like a bad grocery store novel, but Auster's writing is amazing and surprisingly profound.

There's a quote on the back of the novel from The Wall Street Journal suggesting that Auster is perfecting his own literary genre. If this is the case I would suggest the genre be called something like literary biography. The book reads almost like a biography, but the story is pure fiction.

The final thing about Auster's writing that confounds me is the way he seems to have separated himself so clearly from his work. While reading The Book of Illusions it's easy to forget that you're reading a story or that the is a piece of fiction. The Book of Illusions is nice and immersive, a book that makes it easy to forget the rest of the world.

Another book group selection, I read it in two sittings even though I had not the least interest in the story. The upside? Quick action, nothing objectionable about the writing style. The downside? No interest in how the main characters destroyed themselves because of unfounded guilt.

It's too bad I had not read any other Auster first, as I see that he has a very good rep.

**Moderate Spoiler Warning**

TBoI is one of the most wretched novels I have had the prolonged displeasure of reading in a while. Professional reviewers stumbled over themselves in praise of this novel and its author, for reasons that are beyond me. One such reviewer (of Publisher's Weekly fame) stated, unbelievably and incredibly:

"As in previous novels, Auster here makes the unbelievable completely credible...." (S)he's got to be kidding. Read TBoI. Get to the unbelievable parts and decide for yourself whether they seem remotely credible. I doubt you will.

The same reviewer added, later: "Auster is a novelist of ideas who hasn't forgotten that his first duty is to tell a good story." "A novelist of ideas"!? Please tell me what the weighty ideas in this novel are. Auster may be a literary critic of ideas. Other novels of his may prove him to be an occasional novelist of ideas as well. But to suggest that TBoI is itself a novel of ideas debases the category. The Magic Mountain is a novel of ideas. TBoI is a pebble.

When, however, our PW reviewer wrote: "Mann and Zimmer both are tragic figures-even melodramatic-and their stories are compelling," I'm willing to meet him/her half way. Mann's story is compelling -- albeit rather less than credible. Auster lavishes some of his finest writing, in this novel, on describing and analyzing Mann's silent comedies (a later chapter in which he does the same for one of Mann's later films is exruciating in contrast; I can only thank G-d that Auster thought to 'destroy' Mann's other late films, lest he have subjected his readers to descriptions of Mann's entire oeuvre). Auster does a brilliant job of imagining these films. But it seems to me he only nominally does so as a novelist. These particular chapters could just as well have been written by a professional film critic, and for that reason it is at criticism -- rather than fiction writing -- that I imagine Auster excels. Zimmer's story, on other hand, is about as uncompelling as I can imagine: by turns tragic, pathetic, entirely ludicrous (certain twists in Zimmer's story read like projections of Auster's own fantasies, in no way believable as plot elements in any real human being's life), and ultimately dull, dull, dull. Mann I would have liked to meet. Zimmer, I'll pass.

In the end, TBoI is a middling mess of a novel that defies easy classification or description. For all that, I also found it pretentious and boring.

And yet...to Auster's credit, I was so taken with the early 'critical' portions of TBoI that, even though I thoroughly despised this novel, I would/will read him again. Go figure.

I am an admirer of Paul Auster. I love his imagination, his sense of humor, his constant allusions to literature and culture (his novels give me the sense of being rooted deeply in the Western civilization), the way he plays with the reader and gives him the pleasure of finding numerous cross-references between his books.

"The Book of Illusions" is no exception. In fact, it is one of my favorite Auster's novels.
David Zimmer, a professor of English from New Hampshire, faces the tragic loss: his wife and two small sons die in a plane crash one summer. David is heartbroken, he sinks deep into his grief, completely unable to recover. He starts drinking, takes a leave of absence (extending into infinity) from the university, buys a small house in the mountains of Vermont and feels like spending the rest of his life in seclusion.

Accidentally, he discovers the silent movies starring Hector Mann, the actor whose miraculous disappearance in 1929 put the end to his career. David becomes increasingly interested in Hector's movies and his life, and submerges himself in research for Hector's biography. When the book is published and Davis moves on to the translation of Chateaubriand's diaries, he receives a letter from Frieda Spelling, who claims that Hector is alive, she is his wife and summons David to their ranch in New Mexico. From then on, David's life takes an unexpected turn.

The interesting stylistic twist here is that the stories of David and Hector (both unusual and full of surprises) run in parallel, but while the reader gets David's story firsthand, Hector's story is reconstituted from bits and pieces discovered in libraries, letters and memories of people who knew or know him. We do not actually meet Hector, yet he is more a central character than David. Exactly like someone's obsession becomes a central object in their mind.

"The Book of Illusions" is, indeed, a book of illusions. The key, for me, was the movie about the life of Martin Frost, which David gets to see at Hector's ranch. When I reached this point, my perception of this novel changed - I no longer regarded it merely as an engrossing story, I decided that it is brilliant. There are many motifs typical for Auster, like Brooklyn, which appear in many of his other books. Metafiction is his specialty, most visible in his last novel "Travels in the Scriptorium" - look for this title here in the Martin Frost story...This novel is definitely worth reading and discovering the Auster phenomenon for yourself!

First of all, I would like to say for the record that Captain Kirk is my favorite character and that I am still overall very happy that Kirk is still alive and kicking (in the Shatnerverse anyway). However, this is the fourth Shatner book I have read and this was easily the most disappointing. Ashes to Eden and Collision Course were very good. Shatner's ego was.. um... pretty well in check. However The Return while a great novel and great ideas I had an issue with just how much Shatner wrote the original cast(him specifically)over TNG. Avenger was a pretty similar in that aspect to the Return. Kirk, Spock and McCoy were the big heroes and TNG basically sat back and watched in amazement. The major issue that I had with this book that took this from a 3 star book to a 2 star book was the idea of The Avenger itself. Kirk was the Avenger and he avenged Sarek's death. Why did he avenge Sarek death? Answer because according to this book they had been like father and son all these years. This is the scenario, Kirk stopped Spock from killing the individual who murdered Sarek. Then a few pages later Kirk had killed the guy. Two questions, number one, when did Kirk and Sarek become so close. I realize Kirk discovered that he had a mind meld with Sarek when he was thirteen years old on Tarsus IV. However, Picard had a mind meld with Sarek too and he didn't feel like he had avenge Sarek's death. Kirk even used the reasoning that it was an vulcan custom, which is strange because vulcans are not exactly the violent type, but even if they were Kirk isn't vulcan. Question number two he stopped Spock from avenging his fathers death... just so he could do it. He didn't feel that it was Spock's place to avenge his father's death? Just that part of the book along with the fact that Shatner still doesn't respect TNG characters to even put them anywhere near the level of TOS characters are really brought my opinion of this book down.
However, the other main story was well done. There was a ban of Vulcans called the Symmetrists that unleased a virus called virogen that killed plant and animal life and it was up to the familar heroes of the starship Enterprise to stop virus from destroying all the planets within the federation. Kirk, Spock and few others followed the clues from Vulcan while Picard and the Enterprise were following events that lead to Picard and Crusher actually getting effected themselves.

Shatner and Co did an excellent job with the characters of the both generations of the Enterprise. One thing I find as a weakness in The Return was Shatner's lack of being able to bring the crew TNG to life. That is something he did a lot better in this book.

This book did not change my mind about Captain Kirk or William Shatner as a writer. I still say if you are a fan of TOS or a Captain Kirk/William Shatner fan you will love this novel. If you are a fan of both TOS and TNG like I am you will probably rate this book somewhere in the middle. There are readers out there that say "Of course Kirk, Spock and McCoy are the heroes it is Shatner writing the novels". However, I am sure that most of the writers of Star Trek have a favorite character but they still keep it pretty balanced in the long run of the books they write. Shatner just doesn't do that. Anyway, I have heard good things about Spectre but I am going to take a break from the Shatnerverse and read the classic Yesterday's Son. I saw the episode All Our Yesterdays again the other day and can't wait to read that book.

Avenger ties the Odyssey Trilogy together brilliantly. Kirk and Picard, as we saw in Generations, make a fantastic team. One of my favorite parts of Star Trek novels is expanding on a single piece of Trek lore and getting a whole novel that doesn't bore you out of it. Amazing!

With Captain James T. Kirk fully alive and well in this chapter of the Kirk Saga, we get a great story full of plot twists surrounding the death of Sarek. What makes this novel so good is that Shatner does an excellent job on his homework intermixing the book with the history surrounding the episode in which Sarek dies from the Next Generation series.

All in all, this is a great conclusion to the first trilogy and sets up well for the next trilogy involving the mirror universe. 10/10

Star Trek "Avenger" is a good conclusion to William Shatner and Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens first Star Trek trilogy that spans well over a century of "Star Trek" time. The first two, "The Ashes of Eden" and "The Return" were absolutely phenomenal in so much as telling a good story about Captain Kirk just before the events of Star Trek "Generations" and after the events of that movie with his return from the dead in "The Return" bringing this compelling character back to Star Trek readers if not moviegoers.

The one unfortunate aspect of "Avenger" is that while it is a very good novel it doesn't quite live up to its two predecessors. The story in and of itself is a pretty good one, it just reaches into some areas of Star Trek that leaves one wondering where the authors were going; by that I mean in the areas where the dialogue more or less puts Captain Kirk in such a glorious light and in doing so demeaning such STNG icons as Captain Picard and Commander Riker. That being said, the overall story is still a very good one where all three authors deftly put together a truly good story that is in good fashion in Gene Roddenberry's universe. The pacing of the novel is exceptional and the overall plot set up and execution is well on the mark.

The cover art for "Avenger" is pretty much more of the same bland stuff that was very typical of Star Trek novels at the time of its publishing.

The Premise:

In true Star Trek style and fashion, William Shatner and the Stevens brought together a story that clearly ties up many of the loose ends set up in the first two novels and set up a reunion between Captain Kirk and Spock. The two storied heroes eventually come together when Captain Kirk, long thought to be dead, sets out to discover the source of a lethal virus that is destroying crops all over the Federation causing famine throughout the Federation with the situation worsened by over population. At the same time, Spock returns home to Vulcan to investigate whether his father died of natural causes or could there have been foul play involved. Both investigations lead them into a long awaited reunion that is told extremely well...

What follows is an exceptionally well written novel with only few technical errors that aren't too difficult to overcome. Overall, I would highly recommend this and the first two novels in this, the first Shatner/Stevens trilogy to any and all fans of good Star Trek fiction! {ssintrepid}

For all those complaining that this book is self-serving on Shatner's part, realize this book is about KIRK and SPOCK, not about the Next Generation!!! That said, Shatner writes the BEST Trek books, no doubt. Although RETURN is my true favorite, this one still weaves a good tale, and includes all the best characters. Yeah, I love Shatner, so I may already be a little prejudice in regards to other STAR TREK characters, but to be honest, KIRK was the smartest captain. Kirk was the strongest, coolest, toughest and perhaps, THE BEST! And with that, I recommend this book to any fan of the STAR TREK continuum...

There's not much I can add here that others haven't already touched on. I'm a big fan of mixing horror with historical settings, so the atmosphere and fresh new characters were something I enjoyed a lot. I'm a big Spike and Dru fan, and their evil ways don't really bother me at all. I've always liked stories where the bad guys win.
There are two problems here for me. One, the epic last battle in the Watchers' Council while the bombs are falling is way too rushed, and deaths from the perspective of non-evil characters are rolled through too easily.
Two, Spike's storyline has been set up numerous times in both Buffy and Angel, and it's been said in multiple episodes that Spike killed TWO and only two Slayers in his lifetime- the one from the Boxer Rebellion, and the one who he got his infamous jacket from. But in this book, he kills a third Slayer chronologically in between the original two. I kept waiting for them to find a way for the Slayer to die without him killing her, but no, he kills her easy as pie with no way to tie this in to the main timeline. Therefore, I can't take this book seriously as an addition to the official Buffyverse, which relegates it to being glorified fanfiction that somehow slipped through the cracks and got published.
Really, it's well-written for what it is, but I can't get around the third Slayer. I'm just an [...] fan like that I guess.

I first read this book shortly after it was published in 2001 and I enjoyed it immensely. I had read every Buffy novelization written up until that point, and "Pretty Maids" struck me (in a good way) because it wasn't as formulaic as many other novelizations as it offered a completely new angle of the Buffyverse - the history of Spike and Dru. Considering that the majority of the characters are newly invented by the author, Golden does an excellent job of fleshing them out, giving them distinct personalities and making them sympathetic characters (more sympathetic than many of the potential slayers we are introduced to in season 7!).

My response to some comments by other reviewers:

Some readers felt that the book's violence, particularly the murders of several young girls (potential slayers) was extremely graphic - too graphic. Which is true. Golden depicts some very disturbing scenes of murder, but the graphic nature of the violence rings true to what we know about crimes committed by notorious vampires like Spike and Dru. We hear constantly on the show that Spike, Dru, and Angel have done some really nasty, unforgivable things as vampires, and here at last are examples of some atrocities they may have committed in the past. The murders may be tough to stomach, but you can imagine that Spike and Dru really have done that - and much worse - in their years as soulless, chipless vampires.

In defense of the author regarding the major inconsistency in the identity of the second slayer Spike murdered ... "Pretty Maids" was published before "Fool for Love" aired, the fifth season episode in which Spike reveals the identity of the second slayer. We learn in the second season when Spike and Dru first come to Sunnydale that Spike killed two slayers - the first one in the Boxer rebellion - but the revelation of the murder of the second slayer happens three years later - after publication.

This inconsistency may be a bit of a turn-off, but if you accept this one diversion from what Joss Whedon has established as Buffyverse fact, "Pretty Maids" makes for an entertaining read.

If you're picking up this book for a good Spike and Drusilla story, you won't be entirely disappointed. The books starts out almost completely focusing on the pair, but somewhere they get lost and you find the story focusing on the good guys. This wouldn't be a bad thing if the author had more talent, but he sadly doesn't. This piece is poorly written if you take character development, reader sympathy, and description into consideration. countless times I found myself wishing I actually cared about the character, wishing I actually knew what something vaguely described (and that is throwing a bone) actually looked like.

There are exactly two great parts of this book: Spike and Drusilla. Golden portrays them fairly well. Sometimes you'd notice an awkwardness to their dialogue, or get the feeling that the sex scene wasn't as much of a literary description as much as a fan-boy's wetdream.

Once you read this, you might find yourself asking who is who. The only way I could differentiate one potential slayer from another is when he gave their country of origin. Even then, I couldn't remember which ones lived and died, save for the two "main" potentials. The Louisiana girl is the only one I found myself caring about, and that comes from a single tender scene where she warms up to the current Slayer. There's a small romance under story between a potential and a watcher that is just fluff.

The end of this story is a let down and not the sort of result you'd expect from your favorite pair of Vampire Lovers.

Overall, the story is fast-paced and easy to read. If you're not part of the Buffyverse fandom, then you won't enjoy this book unless you're also a young male that falls in love with the section about Drusilla walking, swimming, and killing while nude.

Spike and Drusilla were the Sid & Nancy of vampires when they first appeared on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (S2.3, SCHOOL HARD). When Joss Whedon, who created the show, actually listened to his fans and found out how popular the two vamps were, he kept them on. To Whedon, they were secondary characters really. He already had a Vampire-Hero in Angel (the vampire cursed with a soul), and Spike and Drusilla were merely add-ons that he develeped the Aurelian vampire lore around.

This book shows the BTVS creator, writers and fans alike, that Spike and Drusilla can hold the story line on their own by themselves without the backdrop of Buffy Summers or Angel. (There is a tiny bit of reference to Angelus, but nothing noticeable outside of relation to him through blood).

Spike and Drusilla carry the story rather well with just themselves as our entertaining guides in a quest for an elusive necklace that is said to give the reflection of anyone the wearer wishes. As it was Drusilla's request to have it, so shall Spike try and find it even if it nearly kills him (quite nearly a few times). A world-spanning trek, set in war-ravaged countries of the 1940s.

I really enjoyed this book right up until the end. I liked the characters very much, i especially like how the author bought alot of little characters from Buffy and incorperated them into the story.i didnt like the ending because it didnt fit in with the show in that spike kills another slayer. I also thought that the last 20 pages were very uneventful and could have simply been left out.
but i still liked the book and would recommend it to any buffy fan

I am a huge Buffy fan and I have read many of the novels. To be honest, when I read the book preview, I thought it sounded cheesy and I was convinced that I wouldn't like it. Boy was I wrong. I wound up really enjoying the story because it was so unique and the character development was quite good. I may even reread the book. I would definately recommend it!

I really liked this one. Lots of pop culture refferances, and it looks like the leading villan ripped off Tim Burton.

Fans of the earlier seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer will certainly enjoy this novel based on the series. Published in 1997 it works from the series at that time. Willow still has a crush on Xander; meanwhile, Xander continues to pine for Buffy. Cordelia reigns supreme as the queen of Sunnydale High. The villain of the novel is interesting and the story itself is better than most of the episodes. Giles is not convinced that Halloween is a rest day for vampires like in later years but this is a minor detail. The work does fairly good job of catching the wit of the characters. This is great for those fans nostalgic for the good old days before Xander became a construction worker in love with a vengeance demon, Willow turned into a psychotic lesbian witch with a magic addiction and Buffy gained an annoying little sister.

I picked this book up at the dollar store and feel ripped off. Wow this was bad. It reminded me of fan fiction that was written by someone who had never seen the show but had heard about it.

The problems began with the premise. Halloween is supposed to be dead vamp wise. I was willing to let this go because it might have been written before that fact was established, I don't know.

The BIGGEST problem for me was the bad dialogue and the fact that for halloween Willow died her hair red from brown. They talked about how good she looked as a red head and how it looked better than her normal hair color. It was at that point I shut the book unable to read any more. The author had no idea what the characters even looked like. It was just such a shame.

Buffy didn't move to Sunnydale until half way through the school year.
Therefore, she was still living in Los Angeles at the time this book supposedly took place.

Glaring continuity problems seem to plague all the Buffy books. The fact that the authors aren't given permission to advance the storyline of the show in any meaningful way make the books the equivalent of really boring filler episodes of the show. Only the books aren't as well-written and Sarah Michelle Gellar isn't around to salvage the tripe.

Reading the authors attempts at dialogue is funny (laughing at them funny) at first, but then it just gets painful. The book reads like overly earnest fan fiction and all the characters become insufferable because of their sappiness and led balloon one-liners.
I don't know Nancy Holder and Christopher Golden personally, but reading this filled me with a strong dislike and sense of pity for both of them.

Truthfully, the description on the back cover of the book is pretty accurate. So, rather than repeat the brief summary you can find on amazon.com, I'll try to reflect a bit more on my own personal experience with the story that is told. And it really is a story. We see Mr. Murphy, the author, suffer through a kidney stone crisis at one point and experience his uneasiness about traveling home from a moviewatching expedition across the ocean shortly after the 9-11 attacks.

Fortunately with the drama, there's also a lot of fun.

First off, I love how each chapter in the 52 chapter book focuses on a certain theme. Before I began reading, I figured Mr. Murphy had watched 365 movies, and simply wrote little mini-reviews for each one. But he set out to do something much more creative, and the end result leaves the reader feeling much more fulfilled, even some of the movies Mr. Murphy listed as seeing are never brought up in the text.

To my surprise, I saw many silent films present in the book. This is a huge plus. I mean, I'm not sure if I'd go out of my way to see a silent movie, but I've always found their very concept to be quite charming. To date, I've only seen one such movie, but I wouldn't mind seeing another one somewhere down the line.

Another plus is the informative approach of certain chapters. Some tell you what working in a cinema projection booth is like, some tell you how to pick the best movie seat depending on what type of theater you're in, and some tell you how to do things you should never do like cut in line or sneak into a show. Martha Stewart even tries this in the book, but to no avail. Poor thing.

As you might notice on some of the other reviews here, the book contains constant complaints about the state of the cinema today compared to what it once was. While the sound and picture quality have improved drastically, the content of most mainstream pictures has been watered down into trite formulas that leave the audience in more of a robotic acceptance trance than a genuine appreciation for what was presented to them. However, as much as Mr. Murphy complains, he always keeps us aware that things can be changed, and gives us a clear path as to what we need to do on our end to make a trip to the cinema a true "event" again.

I was a bit disappointed to see that the "living solely on theater food for an entire week" stunt had to be altered. I was wondering if it was really possible. But I was more disappointed by the reviews of the Back to the Future and Terminator 2 attractions at Universal Studios. Mr. Murphy makes these experiences look positively awful, so bad that I question going to Disneyworld again. Which is a shame, because I loved Disney World as a kid. It would break my heart to go on a ride over there and get cussed at by someone in line the same way he did.

The Universal Studios part might have been a huge downer, but other bad film experiences turn out to be hilarious. A chapter on Corky Romano brought back fond Mystery Science Theater 3000 moments for me all over again. Former cast member Michael J. Nelson joins in the fun, only to be tormented so much by what's on the movie screen that he begins to sweat as Mr. Murphy cringes and rocks "back and forth in my chair as if I am on a charter plane on the way back from Mexico with two broken toilets."

Tons of humor in Mr. Murphy's story only add to the wonderful experience of watching movies from all parts of the globe, from places I've never heard of like Rarotonga, to places exotic enough to sound make-believe like the 24-hour sunlight of the arctic circle. I think the wonderful images of these places brought me more enjoyment than anything else in the book. They helped me remember that we really live in an amazing world, and something as simple as a movie theater can be varied in so many countless and wonderful ways.

Anybody who's ever read an interview of, or an essay by, Mystery Science Theater 3000's Tom Servo will immediately recognize Murphy's voice upon cracking open this collection of anecdotes, rants, and love letters to and about the state of modern cinema. The premise is that, for an entire year, every day, Kevin Murphy would see a movie. He traveled across several continents in all seasons to scour out every conceivably interesting or unique theater he could dig up, writing about the places, the people, and, of course, the films.

Having been somewhat familiar with Murphy's attitude regarding modern film ("Most movies blow dead rats," he elegantly stated at one point), and knowing that he was a self-confessed movie snob, I was expecting the book to be one long, bitter complaint from an old curmudgeon who'd lost the ability to experience the magic in movies. Yes, Murphy does complain, long and loud and proud, and encourages others to join him; more on that in a moment. But by and large, rather than lashing out at competent films for his own lack of ability to appreciate them, Murphy comes across more as disappointed that Hollywood has become such an unfeeling assembly line process, squelching true vision and wringing out the special qualities of truly brilliant films to deliver overpriced, homogenized Happy Meals designed to sell tickets and be forgotten as soon as they've outlived their purpose. He admits that he doesn't enjoy movies the way he used to; in fact, the introduction states that this project was organized not only as a source of income, but as an effort to help him rekindle that sense of wonder and fascination he used to experience at the movies, before becoming jaded by the increasing similarities between Tinsel Town fare and the abominations he used to screen for MST3K. Throughout the world, Murphy rediscovers the joy of good movies and of the people who love them. He chats with film critic Richard Corliss in line at Cannes. He witnesses a man giving away two ice cream cones to children who don't have enough money for them. He marvels at a theater in Australia (the land of "No Worries") that trusts patrons with glasses of red wine while watching movies. He meets Santa Clause alone in the wilderness of Finland. And his complaints work as a nice contrast, to make the good moments seem all the better.

So what does he complain about? Movies, yes, but he's surprisingly easy on even the more banal ones. In fact, I can think of only a handful of movies that he completely panned, without mentioning even one redeeming quality (Town & Country, a testament to and vindication of the oversized egos of the rich, and Corky Romano, a painful showcase for Chris Kattan's talentlessness that had even the undemanding teenage crowd abandoning the movie before it was over). What drew more negative energy was the "googolplex", i.e. any theater with more than 18 screens. They are loud and overpriced, with commercials and previews showing long past the movie's official starting time, staffed by rude employees, run by managers who automatically defer to the unending chain of responsibility and don't give a damn about customers even if they did possess some kind of autonomous power. The seats are small and uncomfortable, the projectionists don't know how to make the movies look good, the sound is either too loud or too quiet, the floors are sticky, the concessions are expensive, the movies are limited to blockbusters only with little chance of indies, foreign films, or rereleases. It's hard to disagree with Kevin on this point, as any movie lover has surely experienced frustration at the theater chains that own the movies. He also expresses dissatisfaction at the pretension of most art films, gripes about the commercialism of once-reliable film festivals, sneers at the annoying obsessiveness of fanboys, and blames a kidneystone on a particularly bad movie. Since Murphy presents himself as a somewhat demanding layman rather than a film scholar, it's easier to relate to his criticisms and harder to take offense at his viewpoints, even if you don't particularly agree with him. The only thing that really irked me was his insistense on bashing Quentin Tarantino, one of the few gems of contemporary American cinema, at every possible opportunity.

The only real flaw of this book, the reason I give it four stars instead of five, is that it's not as funny as it was intended to be. I only laughed aloud two or three times (though admittedly, one of those times I couldn't stop once I'd started). While it's always entertaining, often insightful, and occasionally amusing, it is not a towering achievement of humorous literature. Murphy's style reads a bit like a low-rent Dave Barry. Despite his efforts, he lacks the ability to translate uproarious situations into uproarious writing, which makes the book a bit hard to take in large chunks.

Despite this, the book succeeds in enough other ways that I wholeheartedly endorse it to other movie lovers and cinema spectators. Murphy's love of film shines through on every page, even when he's complaining about it. A Year at the Movies is a fun, fast read that isn't terribly challenging but thought-provoking enough to be worthwhile, and his globetrotting is interesting enough for his observations of foreign cultures to give this all the charm of a travel book, without putting you to sleep. Enjoy, won't you?

Unlike the books written by Michael Nelson, this former MST3K writter's offering is more art than humor. He uses the seemingly silly stunt of seeing a movie eery day for a year as a way of talking about film in general. He shows us how theatre goers reflect society in genral, and how much the rise of megaplexes has taken away something of the specialness of seeing films.

There are moments in this book where Kevin relats painful, personal stories about his exploits, and other moments when he uses this book as a pulpit to preach to us about our behavior as fans. At other moments, this becomes an interesting slice of history, chronicling what films were out in 2001, and which ones we should try and forget from that year.

Kevin Murphy, the heart and soul of MST3K as Tom Servo, writes with passion about movies. He makes a pact to see a movie a day for an entire year. He travels the world to see films, too, going to Australia and to the Cannes Film Festival. The fact that he sat through "Freddy Got Fingered" and "Joe Dirt" in the same week is reason enough for me to give the man props.

Writer and performer of the rotund, ruddy robot Tom Servo on "Mystery Science Theatre 3000", Kevin Murphy spent 2001 travelling the globe, vowing to take in a movie a day, every day in some of the best- and worst- circumstances imaginable. Murphy doesn't so much review the films, but the experience: picture and sound and the film's quality are important to him, but so's the food and drink available, the company he keeps, the atmoshere and decor of the theatre, the service the staff provide and the behaviour of his fellow movie-goers.

Whether sitting through yet another miserable in-flight movie, smuggling Thanksgiving dinner into his nephew's first trip to the multiplex or schmoozing at the Cannes and Sundance festivals, Murphy is never less than passionate about cinema and committed to his mission. Even his health is at stake: pre-empting Morgan Spurlock by a wide margin, he vows to live on nothing but concession-stand food for a week!

The nicest surprise about the book is how different Murphy's authorial voice is from his colleague Michael J Nelson. Working cheek-by-jowl on MST3K for a decade, and obviously sharing the same sense of humour, I'd feared Murphy's book would come off a pale copy of Nelson's "Movie Megacheese" or "Mind Over Matters". In fact, Murphy is less wry and far saltier, subversive and overtly political than Nelson. The book is part travelogue, part journal, but mostly it's a manifesto, written by a man with clear ideas on how great the experience of cinema can be, and no doubt about who's spoling it.

It's often laugh-out-loud funny, as you'd expect (Murphy's description of time spent in a darkened theatre, being groped and sat on by passing patrons is hilarious), but also touching. Murphy was far from home and alone on September the 11th. His thoughts on the role movies can play in times of grief are powerful. Later, he wonders if there's still such a thing as a "date movie" in the 21st century. His efforts might leave him despairing of Hollywood, but reaffirm his love for his wife.

Highly recommended for anyone who believes that in this age of dvd, pay-per-view and broadband piracy, the best place to see movies remains the big-screen, popcorn in hand.

An entire page was dedicated in given you the recipe on how to bake cookies...I'm not kidding, it's there!

Apart from atrociously redundant information littered through this book that has little to do with actual film making. There are still a few gems dispersed in it. If you're masochistic enough to read the entire thing then it might be worth it.

If you're really really into making movies then don't waste your time and money (I wasted the former cause I'm sick like that) buying this book. Buy a book you can actually learn something from.

I bought this book for the soul purpose to learn what it takes to make films and what not. I'm an aspiring actor and I just started in films last May 2007 and up to Dec. 2007 I've done 11 films as an extra or an actor with speaking lines. I'm also reading Screenwriting for Dummies which is also very helpful. Someday I'll take this knowledge from these two books and more to come and make a film.

This book is easy reading and enjoyable. So far I have no negative comments about it.

If you want something that might motivate you to make a film..-_- then go ahead and buy it... but dont expect to learn anything useful.

This book gave me the final nudge that I needed to go out and make my own films. It is light on the 'technique-side' but there are already enough books on that. What's missing is some inspirational words to muster up the courage as well as some wisdom to make your first filmmaking experience easier and this book fulfills those needs.

If you're interested in seeing how a newbie uses this book in making his own first film visit my film blog at www.kasemkharsa.com/empire

I just finished this book and thought I would share a few things, good and the not so good.

First the good:
The authors do a really nice job explaining a lot things first time filmmakers might have trouble with, in other words, the 'gotchas'. Things as blaringly obvious as backup batteries and duct tape are included. They touch on a lot of things one should consider when making films.

The book is well laid out and lead one from beginning to end, like a good story. It was a very easy read and sometimes out-loud funny. They talk a lot about dealing with personalities, which is both good and bad.

Which leads me to the not so good:
As encouraging as they are, at times they bring up so many difficulties that one wonders why anyone would bother to make a film at all. The book is alternately encouraging and discouraging.

Given that they are both former film students, this book relies heavily on their film school background, which is an advantage for film school students, but not as useful for non-traditional film students (like Jeunet and myself). They reference the Hollywood film industry/culture almost exclusively, which again does not help those who are based elsewhere.

Bottom line:
I found this book useful, but not as much as I had hoped. This book is ideal for anyone who went to film school, but is only half helpful for the rest of us. The cover is a little deceiving (blame marketing) in that the publisher makes the book sound ideal for any filmmaker. Despite the flaws, I find it to be a useful reference for my filmmaking endeavors. I give this four stars, one extra star than I normally would have, just for sheer entertainment and readability value.

Ideal compendium for it's attempt to focus novices on a more complete path of film experience, but in many places not to be trusted for it's facts and digests. Forgivable I guess because of it's many contributors, but not so for any one reviewer not to be fully conversant with the film they wrote about.

They left out "Song of Bernadette"!

I have read this book so many times it is falling apart! It has opened my eyes to many classics, before 1980 that is! My big problem with this book is like another reviewer has commented is the later films in the 80s and 90s and even in the current millenium. I think the writers thought they needed to even out the movies a little bit so you have many great films ommitted while you have complete junk like Independence day, Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbusters, Top Gun, Good Morning Vietnam, Die Hard, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Rain Man, Pretty Woman, Terminator 2, Many movies by Spielberg, Forrest Gump, Strange Days, Clueless, and the list goes on!
As well as overrated crap like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Titanic, American Beauty, The Matrix, The Sixth Sense, Memento, O Brother Where Art thou, Any Lord Of the rings, Chicago. I could go on forever! However there are many great films in here and i have seen probably 3/4 of them. Oh did i also mention other stupid movies like Tootsie, Gandhi, Back to the Future, Moonstruck, Big, When Harry met Sally, Dances with Wolves, Edward Scissorhands, Thelma and Louise, Philadelphia, Scream, and The Blair Witch Project are just a few.
So if you are going to buy this book please beware of films after 1980!
Except for masterpieces like Raging Bull, Eyes Wide Shut, The Decalogue, The Double Life Of Veronique, Full Metal Jacket, Brazil, Ran, This Is Spinal Tap, and a few others.

As the title says, 1001 movies of the last hundred years (considered by the editor to be the best ever) as reviewed by some of the top film critics in the English speaking world. Hollywood movies are included, but there is a fair amount of lesser known films from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America; Star Wars is included as well but also films by avante garde auteurs like Stan Brakhage, Jack Smith and Michael Snow - this book cannot be accused of provincialism or commercialism. Of the 1001 films reviewed here, I seen more than 300 hundred - which I think makes me a cinephile in relatively good standing considering that I tended to avoid Hollywood studio movies, many of whom are included here. Generally, the movies from 1900 to 1980 are hard to argue - the movies after that date are more debatable, especially from 1990 on - Lone Star? Independence Day???. It takes a while to build a canon, it takes time to see if an artwork will endure, and whomever selected this films should have known this. A solution to that is not to include the most recent films - Scorsese did this a decade ago when he filmed his Personal Journey with American Movies. Despite this reservation, I reccomend this book for cinema lovers.

IF you are a movie buff this item is great. I gave it as a gift and my son loved it.

The issue with this book isn't that there are factual errors or that its list of movies isn't what you would pick. The big problem with this book is that the writers frequently spoil the movie for the reader. The most blatant example I've found is the review of "Don't Look Now", where the third paragraph recounts what is probably the entire last five minutes of the film. The writer then has the audacity to add, "It is no exaggeration to say that few scenes in the history of cinema have proven as effective at sending chills up the spines of viewers as this one." Also, I recently watched "Oldboy" and followed it up by reading the review in this book. The second sentence of the first paragraph, if fresh in a person's mind, would definitely have given away an important plot development. I'm glad I didn't read it before watching the movie.

Please, do yourself a favor and don't buy this book. Or if you feel you still want to, watch the movie before reading the review.

Tales of the Slayer, Volume 1
(2001)

RATING: 4/5 Stakes

SETTING: Before Season 1

T.V. SHOW CHARACTERS: None

MAJOR ORIGINAL CHARACTERS: Greece, 490 B.C.E.: Thessily Tessilonikki (Slayer); Thoas (Watcher); Phidippides (Messenger). London, 1586: Virginia Dare/White Doe (Slayer); John White (colonist); Eleanor Dare (colonist); Manteo (Croatoan Indian); Takes From Eagle (adopted father); Ceremonial Fox (elder conjuror). Hungary, 1609: Idilko Gellert (Slayer); Kurt Rendor (Watcher); Countess Bathory (villian); Jo Ilona (Bathory's servant). France, 1789: Marie-Christine (Slayer); Edmund de Voison (Watcher); L'Hero (Vampire leader); Mathilde (adopted girl). Kentucky, 1886: Mollie Prater (Slayer); Ethan Bentley (Watcher); Harly (lover). Munich, 1923: Britta Kessler (Slayer); Friedrich Lichtermann (Watcher); Erich Sahr (vampire). Florida, 1956: Asha Sayre (Slayer); Laurent (Watcher).

BACK-OF-THE-BOOK SUMMARY: "Into every generation a Slayer is born. One girl in all the world, to find the vampires where they gather, and to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers. In our time, that girl is Buffy Summers. But Buffy is merely one Slayer in an eternal continuum of warriors for the Powers That Be. We've known of others: The Primal Slayer, who stalked the earth and the forces of darkness in fierce solitude . . . Nikki, the funky hipster whose demise at Spike's hands lent an urban edge to his wardrobe and a bigger bounce to his swagger. Slayers by nature have a limited life expectancy; for each one who falls, another rises to taker her place. Tales of the Slayer, Vol. 1 chronicles Slayers past who have influenced--and are influenced by--the traditional and mythologies of yore. From ancient Greece, to aristocratic Slayers holding court in revolution-era France, to the legend of the Bloody Countess Elizabeth Bathory, to 1920s Munich, each girl has a personal history, a shared moral code, and a commitment to conquer evil, regardless of the cost . . . ."

REVIEW

Tales of the Slayer (Volume 1) is an excellent collection of short stories and adds some much needed tension to the Buffy fiction line of books. The reason is simple: when reading about Buffy, Xander, Willow, etc., the reader knows for sure that they can't be killed off; when reading about these home-brewed Slayers, however, it's far from certain they'll survive the end of the tale. Indeed, all but one of the Slayers chronicled in Volume 1 end up dying--which one survives? Well, that's why you have to read the book . . . Given the high mortality rate, the reader should expect stories more gruesome and tragic (some might even say depressing!) than average episodes of the television show.

As a whole, the various writers do a nice job with placing Slayers and Watchers into different geographical and chronological settings. My favorite would have to be Marie-Christine and Edmund de Voison, Slayer and Watcher in 1789 France--the aristocratic ethos has pervaded even their lives, to the point where they question whether saving the lives of the poor is really worth it. A little more variation in the stories' villains (almost all are vampires) would have been nice, but perhaps that is saved for subsequent books.

After finishing the collection, I was left with the question--did the Slayer matter? If we put Buffy and the Hellmouth to one side (where she saves the world every season), it seems like having one Slayer at a time would be like having only one police officer for the entire world. Sure, that cop will catch his or her share of criminals, but won't have any impact on the crime rate across the world--just like one Slayer couldn't possibly impact the number of vampires in the world.

Anyway, if you can handle stories set in the mythos but not featuring television show characters, Tales From the Slayer vol. 1 is well worth reading.

Tales of the Slayer throughout time, and how they lived their short, sharp, dangerous lives. The best two stories are perhaps the first tale, by Greg Rucka. A Slayer in ancient Greece, Thesilly, is on a mission to protect Phidippides on his run, as many Persian vampires are after him. The final tale is about a cajun Slayer and her watcher in a small town. There, the Kln are all vampires, and intend to feed on a Negro prayer meeting, then blow up all the corpses. Asha the Slayer has other plans.

Tales of the Slayer 1 : 01 A Good Run Greece 490 b.c.e. - Greg Rucka
Tales of the Slayer 1 : 02 The White Doe London 1586 - Christie Golden
Tales of the Slayer 1 : 03 Die Blutgrafin Hungary 1609 - Yvonne Navarro
Tales of the Slayer 1 : 04 Unholy Madness France 1789 - Nancy Holder
Tales of the Slayer 1 : 05 Mornglow Dreaming Kentucky 1886 - Doranna Durgin
Tales of the Slayer 1 : 06 Silent Screams Germany 1923 - Mel Odom
Tales of the Slayer 1 : 07 And White Splits the Night Florida 1956 - Yvonne Navarro


A slayer protects the Marathon man from vamps.

4 out of 5


What really happened at Roanoke = vamps.

4 out of 5


Countess Bathory is a bit much for a young slayer.

3.5 out of 5


French class warfare. With monsters.

3.5 out of 5


Country girl's calling.

2.5 out of 5


A Watcher's hellspawn history, with horror movies.

3 out of 5


Cajun Kln vamp conflagration.

4 out of 5

I like BTVS and was happy when this came out. The one thing is that it goes into more than Buffy which I like but if you want only Buffy do not get this book there are only two stories about her and the gang in this book, but if your into the whole mytho's then this is the book for you!

This is an anthology series about previous Vampire Slayers. The stories are written by high profile Buffy the Vampire Slayer authors.
I normally love anthologies.
However, this wasn't really one of my favorites.
Maybe it's because I'm so used to Buffy and her fellow Scoobies. However, I think it's all so because I felt like some of the stories fell short
Some of them could have continued
But it's still pretty good none the less.
I recommend some of Navarro's other series. Such as The Wicked Willow trilogy.

There have been hundreds of Slayers over thousands of years of human history and this first volume of "Tales of the Slayers" begins to reveal the past. We have seen Lucy Hanover in several of Nancy Holder's books, walking the Ghost Roads and doing what she can to help Buffy and the Scoobies in the here and now, but only "Spike & Dru: Pretty Maids All in a Row" by Christopher Golden and Holder's "The Book of the Fours" have dealt with past Slayer in any substantive way. Those were novels and these "Tales of the Slayer" are short stories, a distinction that as I constructed this review.

Like any collection of short stories these tales are a mixed lot and anybody who reads them will like some more than others and visa versa. I liked "Silent Screams" by Mel Odom, set in 1923 Germany, although it, ironically is the story least about a Slayer of the seven tales. At the other end I would put the first tale, "A Good Run" by Greg Rucka, set in 490 B.C.E. Greece, which tells of the Slayer Thessily Thessilonkikki at the Battle of Marathon. While I like the idea of a Slayer obsessed with doing something important and memorable to justify her brief existence, I would have like to have seen something more creative than a footnote to the Greek battle against the Persians, not to mention something dealing with the Greek conception of vampires. But the biggest problem seems to me to be the story is 18 pages long, hardly enough time to set up let alone deliver the payoff. In contrast, Odom's story proceeds at a crisp pace and while it makes an ironic contrast to what Hitler was doing in Munich in 1923 he comes up with an even better twist on the German Expressionistic film movement in general and the classic "Nosferatu" in particular. Yes, it will remind you of "Shadow of the Vampire," but it is making a different point.

I really liked the historical figure who turns out to be the Slayer in Christie Golden's "The White Doe" (and I appreciate the story even more having read the About the Authors section at the back of the book) and the encounter the Slayer and Elizabeth Bathory in Yvonne Navarro's "Die Blutgrafin." Nancy Holder deals with questions of class in "Unholy Madness" while Navarro's second tale deals with the issue of race," both of which touch on the idea that people might not be happy with who the Slayer is and where she comes from (Holder's story also offers the most chilling point in the book, bottom page 119). Doranna Durgin's "Mornglom Dreaming" also has an intriguing premise, a Slayer who does not know she has been called, which is the story I most would have liked to have seen as a novel instead of a short story. Conversely, Odom's tale is perfectly suited to this format. I suppose my compromise suggestion would have been fewer stories developed with more depth (i.e., novellas). Still, these stories reflect what you would hope from such a mixed bag of tales: Slayers learning they have been called and their final battles, with only one tale comfortable with the idea of exploring the middle rather than the beginning or the end. Yes, there is high drama to be found in the birth and death of Slayers, but the mother lode is going to be in between and that is what needs to be mined in Volume 2 and all subsequent "Tales of the Slayer."

And I've read well over a hundred. This book seemlessly integrates plot threads from numerous television episodes and movies, while putting its own unique spin on all of them. It is the ONLY treatment of Data with his emotion chip that I've ever seen handled even marginally well, and it's handled beautifully. The characterizations are marvellous, the pacing is quick and never drags, and the plot concept is clever and quite unpredictable. A definite must for any Star Trek fan, and quite a good read even for someone unfamiliar with the series.

This book introduced a plot that tied a few lose ends to some of the original series episodes. It seemed to get a little boring in the middle, but there's a lot of action. You get to see Data do things he normally wouldn't do (like falling in love or meeting other androids, even if they were paranoid). It also has parts in it about Dr. Noonien Soong, which fit into the story perfectly. It's a must for a TNG fan. I've read it four times.

I've enjoyed reading Star Trek novels for years and I've read a lot of them. This one is among the best that I have ever read! Jeffrey Lang has done an excellent job of pulling together some obsure characters from earlier Star Trek series and putting them in a very plausible story line. I kept getting new surprises right on up to the end. I'll be looking for more from this author. If you are looking for a Star Trek story with a fresh plot try this one!

Immortal Coil is, ostensibly, about Data coming to grips with his own immortality. Barring catastrophe (or blowing himself up on a Romulan warbird), Data will outlive all those close to him, a prospect the emotion-chipped Data worries over. Such is the theme that should pervade the book, but all it receives is the occasional lip-service.

Instead, we are given a plot that ties in threads from several TOS episodes, including the infamous Roger Korby. There is even a cameo by "Norman" of Harcourt Fenton Mudd fame. The attempt to draw all the TOS androids into the TNG "Data Is Unique" universe is well-done and should be satisfying to all Trek fans. Non Trek fans, however, will probably be left cold (but then why would a non-Trek fan be reading this, anyway?).

Perhaps the biggest plus to Immortal Coil is a chance to see Data struggling with his emotions and identity, something we only get to see in First Contact (Immortal Coil takes place sometime after First Contact). That alone makes this one worth the time of any Trek fan, but there's nothing here to appeal to the general public. Ultimately, it's standard Trek fare.

My favorite of all Star Treks Series is by far TNG (The Next Generation). As a pretty avid fan of TNG I have seen probably 90% of the shows, most a few times. I love the show, and movies that have been made about Star Trek and this book is just an extension of that quality i've enjoyed over the years. The book itself, reads really quickly at 330 pages. I read it in 2 days, and i'm not a very fast reader, i just couldn't put the book down. The story is very unique, and as always with Star Trek, very interesting. The characters, and the emphasis in this story on Data's history, are quite believable. The story, after having read it, reminds me more of a Star Trek movie, than just an episode. The only down side to the story that i can think of was that it was purely about Data. The references made in the book (to previous episodes and movies) are what make this really a book written with the true Trekkie in mind. I would reccomend this book to anyone with an interest in TNG.