Kevin Anderson Books

Using his father's copious notes, Brian Herbert has worked with another talented Science Fiction author to bring to life the material that Frank Herbert had hoped to write, but never got the chance to. (He stopped writing when his wife died.)

I also recommend the "House" books": "House Atreides," "House Harkonnen," and "House Corrino." Powerful!

These books bring a whole new and greater understanding and appreciate for the compelling world of Dune. I cannot emphasize enough how this had added to my love and appreciation for Frank Herbert's creation. Please do not hesitate -- be sure to read all of these works, especially these background novels on the pre-history and history leading to the Butlerian Jihad which forms such a strong and ever-present background note to the Dune series.

Nicely written and easy to read, the best thing about these books is finally knowing what happened during the Butlerian Juihad.

I can't recommend this trilogy for anyone other than the die-hard fans that wants a (possible and ultimately not very satisfying) backstory to the original series. Brian Herbert is not his father as a novelist, as represented by this work. It was almost a chore, drudging through page after page of mediocre prose, searching for a few choice nuggets.

if you love the storie of dune then you will want to read how it all started

I loved the first three dune books from the original series. 4-6 sucked. 7-8 ok. Loved the butlerian jihad trilogy just as much (if not more than) the first three books. The House trilogy (house atreides, house harkonnen, and house corrino) were also great.

Evil, nasty, but stupid and inept bad guys get their hands on a superweapon that can destroy the universe, but the good guys rally around their innate goodness and sheer ginchiness and manage to defeat the bad guys and everyone lives happily ever after.

If that's what you want, go for it. If you want complex and competent villains, heroes that actually do more than hold hands and focus on how good they are, and characters of all stripes that are intelligent, try Timothy Zahn or some other notables.

And be very, very grateful Anderson hasn't tried his hand at Star Trek. We barely survived having Diane Carey as an editorial favorite.

Step 1: Ignore the previous review about how bad Keven J Anderson is.

Step 2: Read the book for yourself!

Keven J Anderson is definately one of the top star wars novelists in the market. From the creativity of "Tales of the Jedi" comic series (a definate must read) to Darksaber, This man has the star wars universe down.

Kevin J. Anderson is terrible. Not just terrible, uncommonly terrible, unfathomably terrible... NUCLEAR terrible. No doubt you have noticed that many reviews of Mr. Anderson's "work" are decidedly positive. Ignore these misguided souls. It is people like these who allowed TV's Urkel to become a cultural icon. They deserve your pity, not your trust.

What makes Kevin J. Anderson so remarkably bad is not his clunky dialogue, which stumbles along like a '58 Edsel with three tires. It is not his mishandling of the Star Wars characters, his flawed plot lines or his complete and total misunderstanding of the principles of "The Force," the foundation on which the entire Star Wars universe is based. What Kevin J. Anderson does that truly marks his place as the worst author ever to pen a Star Wars novel is that his miserable choices, made relatively early in the post-Return of the Jedi timeline, negatively impact all the novels that follow. Every flimsy character he writes, every contrived storyline he creates, every stock character he unceremoniously kills off becomes a part of Star Wars history that must be dealt with by other authors. The many mistakes of Kevin J. Anderson transcend his own novels to detract from future works. No author is perfect, but Anderson creations like Kyp Duron, Darksaber and The Sun Crusher will forever diminish the Star Wars universe, not to mention stealing a few prescious hours from the lives of his readers.

So, don't get roped in by the good reviews. Don't let the fact that Kevin J. Anderson's name appears under a lot of Star Wars titles (most of which are editing projects or comics) convince you that he is a talented, or even passable novelist. And above all, don't buy his books. Don't even read them. Just pretend they don't exist... just like Jar Jar Binks. You will be a happier and healthier Star Wars fan.

For a Star Wars fanatic such as myself,this book is like the equalivent to King Tut's tomb.Reading and getting my hands on any material related to Star Wars,I found reading the Jedi Academy Series a real treat.Compared to all the other Star Wars books written by Timothy Zahn and Michael A. Stackpole,who received so much publicity,Kevin J Anderson has done what no other writer has ever done.He actually brings out the mood and feel of the story just like any good writer.The simplicity of the book's text is in no way a fallback,it is an advantage.Unlike Timothy Zahn's books which are complicated and difficult to follow for the younger generation,Kevin's books can be read by almost any age group and understood completely.This text is in no way making Timothy Zahn's books seem lousy but in the world of Star Wars writing and summarising,Kevin J. Anderson is un-parralled and I urge you to buy his books.

This trilogy is a good installment of Star Wars lore. I thought Exar Kun made an excellent villian without the need to use a superweapon or try to resurrect the empire(which seems to be the normal fare for most SW novels). Han and Chewie's adventures on Kessel were quite interesting, as were the moments in the Maw Installation. The interaction between the Jedi trainees was also fun to read. Anderson did well not to make them all too similar or worshipful of Luke. The subplots were good too. Especially the relationship between Furgan and Mon Mothma, and what schemes he hatches. I enjoyed the Ackbar plot as well, as he suffers through self imposed exile. The part involving Anakin, Winter, and their sanctuary on Anoth is also enjoyable.

The only problem I had with the books, was that the actual academy didn't seem to get too much attention. I really wanted to find out about Jedi history and the way they train to use the Force. I wanted to like, or hate, Admiral Daala, but I just could not get interested in her.

I recommend getting this collection so that you are able to keep going through the story without interruption, but the second an third novels spend some time (sometimes way too much time) summarizing the previous one. It is, however, a minor irritation and should not infringe too much on your enjoyment of the writings of one of the ebtter Star Wars novelists, Kevin J. Anderson

Okay, I didn't see the film and I picked this book up because I thought it would be a quick, but interesting read. It was quick, but I didn't find it all that interesting. It reminded me WAY too much of the bad movies back in the 50's. It just was flat-out borefest to me. I like Anderson's other writings but this one didn't cut it for me.

I suggest this for fans of bad 50's movies or some one looking for an easy read.

PARTY ON, DUDES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I saw the film at a screening in Plano, TX about 3 or 4 weeks ago. For the first 10-15 minutes I thought that it might fall apart as it just seemed a little too "corny". However, once you realize, and accept, that the characters take things seriously, there's no irony and treat it like a old-style comic adventure it really takes of and was a fun Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon/Wizard of Oz type film from there on out. My favorite "fun" film of the year by a longshot. I heard Roper on Ebert & Roper complain about Angelina Jolie's "bad British accent". When I was watching I thought she sounded just like all the old English soldiers in films like "The Four Feathers" or "The Charge of the Light Brigade". She sounded over the top becuase that's how she was SUPPOSED to sound Richard! Anyway her role isn't much more than a cameo. A great looking film that also is very entertaining.

A novelization version of the upcoming film, "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" is set in 1939 New York City. The story follows Lois Lane-like reporter Polly Perkins, who's always looking for the latest scoop, as she covers the disappearances of many famed German scientists. After an interesting meeting with a stranger, who claims he's "the only one left" and leaves Polly with just a name (Totenkopf- German for "Death's Head") and a blueprint, the city falls under attack by giant trampling robots, but the day is saved when Sky Captain and the Flying Legion enter the scene and ward them off. Polly, naturally determined to find out what's going on, teams up with Sky Captain as they both fly around the world to search for Totenkopf, aided along the way by Sky Captain's right-hand man Dex and old-time friend Captain Francesca "Franky" Cook.

As I'm anticipating this film very much, my thoughts on the book may be a bit biased, but I found it very entertaining and simply fun to read. It probably could have been written a bit better, though we're not asking for the next Lord of the Rings, here.

To appreciate it fully, you need to read this in the right state of mind. As a homage to the old and slightly cheesy "LOOK! UP IN THE SKY!" types of sci-fi serials of the 1930s and 40s, the storyline is obviously going to be full of cliches and missing backstory, and might even seem a bit ridiculous at times. It's these kinds of thing that you just have to accept and move along with and let your imagination do the rest.

If you like pulp, camp, sci-fi, or just a good (and predictable) classic mystery, (or even if the film just interests you), you may want to try this book out.

As for the film, see you in September!

Kevin Anderson is a fantastic writer (Dune series), and he makes this a book that's a lot of fun to read. Can't wait for the movie!

Algo es cierto: Si la pelicula es tan buena como el libro, vale la pena ir a verla.
Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow, (por ahora solo en ingles) es un buen libro, sin más pretención que divertir. Tiene todo el estilo de los Pulps de los 30's y 40's y las imagenes que trasmite nos remontan a las portadas de estas mismas. Desde la metropolis de Neva York, hasta las profundidades del oceano, pasando por los Himalayas y una isla olvidada por el tiempo, Sky Captain cumple con lo que promete.

El libro, aunque de encargo, esta bien escrito y es bastante recomendable... eso si. Sugiero que lean el libro antes de ver la película. No te arriesges a no encontrar el mismo nivel de calidad. Además, siempre son buenos los pre-estrenos, más cuando tu los produces en tu imaginacion.

What if the Martian Invasion had happened all over the world? And what happens if it's witnessed by all the great authors, such as Jules Verne, Mark Twain, Albert Einstein and Teddy Roosevelt? From China to Cuba, from Paris to New Orleans, from Africa to Canada follow the reports of the alien invasion. Most of the stories are very good but some are old, like 'Night of the Cooters' which is a cool story about Martians against Texas Rangers, and some don't seem to fit with the rest of the stories, like 'Paris Conquers All' in which the aliens and the machines are NOT the same used in the other stories.

The idea for this colection is such an intriguing one, but the majority of the stories are poorly conceived - the Henry James entry is almost a point by point recounting of the original work except for the "surprise" ending (and begins with one of the longest sentences I've ever read). I had to force myself to finish the majority of them. A few, however, are quite enjoyable; for example, the Lovecraft story, in which his style is exaggerated to the point of hilarity. This book is really just something to pass the time - light entertainment, nothing more.

I was absoloutley blown away by the quality of this book. The stories from the viewpoints of Roosevelt, Twain, Joe Pullitzer and the Texas Rangers are just as entertaining (and may even be better) than Wells' original masterpiece. Best read with Jeff Wayne's musical version of War of the Worlds playing in the background, at night.

This had "Soul Selects her own Society...." which won a Hugo, & "Foreign Devis" which won a sideways. I found some of the sexual detail in foreign devils irritating, but I love the Chinese flavor. (Fairly knowledgable on China too) Soul... was pretty funny, but perhaps too dry for some. Other standouts were mentioned by the others. Since many great stories come from theme anthologies it's perhaps unwise to make hard & fast rules about them. Some of these stories I read first @ asimov's

Spreading H.G. Wells's "War of the Worlds" around the Earth and having famous people encounter the Martians was a wonderful idea. Too bad that for the most part the original PLOT was also spread around the world as well, with comparatively little to differentiate the famous people from anyone else. Other than to note that I was seriously surprised that Robert Silverberg did not do better in his entry (featuring Henry James), I will refer to the stories by star rather than author. The best ones were the ones featuring the Dowager Empress of China (which was rightly included in the Year's Best), Edgar Rice Burroughs and John Carter (which nevertheless could have been developed MUCH more than it was), Jack London, Joseph Conrad, and H.P. Lovecraft. The James, Picasso, Texas Rangers, Pulitzer, Tolstoy, Twain, and to a lesser extent Kipling and Churchill were basically retellings of the same plot over and over and over. The Roosevelt was distinctive but too restricted by its format, the Lowell distinctive but restricted by its pre-invasion tone. The Einstein suffered from vagueness (all of the sudden time inside the Martian war machine is relative, no explanation for the implications of that), the Verne was ridiculous, and the Dickinson...well, it obviously wasn't serious and so didn't fit in with the rest of the book. All in all, I'd say this was reasonably entertaining reading, but not NEARLY as marvelous as it could have---SHOULD have been.

This book really kicks in the series and starts it heading towards the grand finale. KJA has made an epic series and universe. I love the deep character development in the series, and KJA also makes an interesting story. If you're looking for a series with rich characters, exciting action, and something unique, then the Saga is right up your ally!

Kevin J Anderson is a top notch sci-fi author. I got hooked onto this series while waiting for the latest of the Kevin J and Brian Herbert Dune books to be released. If you liked the Dune Machine Crusades and the other books around it, you will probably like this book. Like the Machine crusades books, humanity is challenged by a powerful enemy. The story continues through several books (unlike some of the earlier original series Dune books where the end of the book seemed like it could be the end of the story). It leaves you on the edge of your seat, foaming at the mouth for the next book, but i have no problems with that ;) . The characters are always well written and compeling, the plots complex but easy to follow (imo you could pickup in the middle of a series because they do give background and remind you of what's going on, though i would suggest starting from the beginning as it's most entertaining that way), and the great thing is it's so difficult to predict the next step in these books unlike most movies which are so predictable to me. I get so wrapped up in these i feel like i'm in the story myself. You know the character so well and follow them from book to book, you really care about them. I cry, i cheer along with the characters of these books. I LOVE the saga of the seven suns series. If you're the impatient type like the negative rater before me, rent a movie, and leave the books for the rest of us to devour.

I cannot imagine this series is still going on. What twist and turns?? KJA is just milking this series for all its worth, which in this case, is worth nothing at all.

The plot is still not going any where with no end in sight! A complete waste of time.

DO NOT BOTHER READING THIS BOOK!!

Another great book (5th) in the series by Kevin Anderson. While the series takes a bit to get going, in that you're introduced to a lot of different plot lines immediately, by this time they're all easy to follow. The thing I like most about this series is STUFF ACTUALLY HAPPENS. There are many other multi-book series where when you finish a book you feel like not much has happened even though you just read 600 pages. Not so with The Saga of Seven Suns. This fifth book, in my opinion, harbors the most change from start to finish, and left me amazed at where he's taken the story. Anderson isn't afraid to shake up the plot into entirely new directions, or to kill off characters where it makes sense...

On the opening page of M.T. Anderson's and Kevin Hawkes' new picture book biography is a portrait of Handel with a bit of commentary attached. "This is George Frideric Handel. He looks very satisfied with things. He's smiling a little, as if he's very sure of himself. You'd have to be sure of youself to wear a wig that gigantic." And that, in a nutshell, describes this world famous composer. Handel was a man who knew what he wanted. Even as a child he was headstrong and decisive. He knew what he liked, he didn't care what others thought, and he made it happen. He was a man of force and spirit who controlled his own destiny, and in doing so became one of the most beloved and respected composers in the world; a man who's music has lived on for centuries..... M.T. Anderson's witty and irreverent text is full of history, marvelous anecdotes of some famous and not so famous events, fun facts, and trivia, and enhanced by Kevin Hawkes lush and expressive artwork. Young and old alike will relish the drama, humor, and brilliant detail in each picture With sidebars within the text explaining musical terminology, and a timeline of Handel's life, and lists of recordings and other biographies at the end, Handel: Who Knew What He Liked, is a joyous, fun-filled masterpiece that is sure to whet the appetites of youngsters 8-12. One of the best new books of 2001, this is definitely a biography that shouldn't be missed!

I was dissappointed to read this book. First, I wondered, who is going to read this? It's too long for younger readers, and its a picture book, so older children will never pick it up. The narrative is poorly written and lacks cohesiveness. Based on reviews, I thought it would be terrific, but I was very dissappointed.

This is a biography that is fun enough to use as a read aloud. According to Anderson, Handel was quite a character, sneeking things behind his father's back and dueling with his best friend. The funny personal anectdotes spice up the great historical information on each page. The illustrations give a good sence of Handel's personality, and of the period. I especially liked the rococo frames and end pages. Anderson has included a time line, list of recordings, and further reading at the end of the book. Grades K-3.

What is more interesting about this slim text is not so much the content, although Peuchet's essay is in its own way perceptive, but the unintentional and not very flattering insight into Marx's method of selectively doctoring the original to say things it never intended.

For example, on page 50, Peuchet says, "I undertook a comprehensive study of this subject" to which Marx adds - in Peuchet's voice! - "I found that, short of total reform of the organization of our current society, all other attempts would be in vain," a sentence Peuchet, a police administrator, never would have written. Whether Marx is right is not the point; the point is he fabricates a sweeping social analysis and puts his words in someone else's mouth as an "official" translation. This is breathtakingly dishonest and makes you wonder how often Marx played loose with facts and figures in more significant works too.

The introduction of the book is more insightful than Marx's (Peuchet's) essay. On the other hand, being able to see how Marx approaches the issue of suicide makes this book very important. Marx uses his conflict approach to distinguish how suicide differs between the prolitariate and bourgeoisie classes; also, the anomic despair and objectification (especially of women) brought on by the impact of a capitalist ruled society is prevalent. I would recomend this book to the following groups of people: anyone interested in conflict theory pertaining to the topic of suicide; Anyone interested in understanding how women are objectified (more so than men and therefore more prone to commit suicide) under capitalist social conditions; and to anyone (students in particular, but not necessarily) who wants to start and finish a book in the same session (the english translation is only 60+ pg's), at the same time,learning something about the foundation of their own society (the economy) and the impact it has on them. Not strong academic material, but useful none-the-less.

This essay is truly fascinating. The majority of it was actually written by Peuchet (a French statistician in the 1700s), but there are certain changes that Marx provides himself. Additionally, you can see undertones of Marx's feelings in regards to exploitation of the proletariat. He doesn't argue that proles are the only ones who commit suicide, because that obviously isn't true; I think the point here is simply that society needs to be better examined. Check out this quote from the essay; it's pretty darn cool: "What kind of society is it wherein one finds the most profound loneliness in the midst of millions of people?"

This is the second segment in the story of Ulic Qel-Droma's and Exar Kun's rise and fall of Lords of the Sith. The radio-drama style works well for the story and the story itself presents the view from the Dark Side. Ultimately, the only thing that's missing the the fact that the third and final segment of the story isn't in an audio format.

Very fast delivery.
Good CD quality

Very happy with the purchase. :D

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

I confess I wanted this book because of the script for the Outer Limits episode, "Soldier," which I was ecstatic to get. Kevin J. Anderson's short stories (the bulk of the book) are very uneven. Fans og hid Star Wars or Dune work might want to contemplate a bit before buying this, as it is aradical departure from his usual.

Ellison purists might not be too happy at the short story sequel to "Soldier" written by Anderson, but I thought it was decent. My favorite was an adaption of the episode, "The Man Who Was Never Born" from the original series.

That, by the way, is the maindrawback. These stories (except for the "Soldier" sequel) are adaptions of existing episodes from the original series. Fans on the new one might want to steer clear. Fans of the classicseries (like me) will probably enjoy it, as long as they don't expect much new territory to be explored.

This is the book to have if you are a fan of sf on tv. Although the series had its usual assortment of bug-eyed aliens set on conquering the Earth, The Outer Limits did try to add a few well written episodes, including "Demon With a Glass Hand" (a Hugo winner), and the episode "Soldier", both written by Harlan Ellison. Notable in this book is the inclusion of a shooting script for the "Soldier" episode. The book contains the usual insider information on production of the series, and contains some very interesting photos. A good reference for scifi fans!

While lacking a bit of energy, this final volume a rather overly long series works in the sense of resolving all story lines while leaving the universe so created in such a manner to invite a re-visit at a later date.

The series tended to run out of drive around volume 5 beginning to smell a bit like the author / publisher were milking a hit which may have surprised them a bit. However the series is surely worth a read for the interesting place with engaging characters although toward the end the evil guys got laughably evil while the good guys would make a angel blush with shame.

I'd say the author got a little destruction happy at the end and, as I mentioned the good guys got stupid good. For example, one fellow who tried to kill off an entire species of human like beings and did manage to kill millions whilst engaged in an enormous destruction spree, gets captured and sent for rehab by the target species. Gimme a break.

Still, the book does the job of wrapping up the series even if a bit silly in places.

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