Rene Auberjonois Books

This is a unique entry into the world of mystery thrillers. The hero is a 2-time Oscar-winning screenwriter (Rush Lightbody) who is now a shell of his former self due to Alzheimers. However, he is able to function due to a wonderful computer that he pre-programmed before the Alzheimers set in that interacts with him by way of speakers, microphones, videocameras and pagers. Thus, Rush Lightbody is able to convince the outside world that he is still okay by way of a series prompts and firm instructions that come from the computer.

At times, it is reminiscent of Peter Sellers' movie 'Being There' in that the people Lightbody interacts with over-interpret his incorrect responses as exceedingly wise responses. Often funny, often sad, this book causes the reader to enter the mind of an Alzheimers victim and get a taste of that alternate reality. It never degrades Alzheimers victims or goes for the cheap jokes.

The technology is a bit dated, due to the book having been written in 1995, the author was merely guessing as to the nature of computer technology in the future. Cell phones have basically replaced pagers and at one point Lightbody re-programs the computer in just a few minutes - an impossibilty, as is Artificial Intelligence thus far. However, suspend the techno-geek part of your personality and this is a wonderful book on tape experience.

Rene Auberjonois (From TV's 'Benson' and he played Odo on 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine') does an absolutely wonderful job of reading this novel. He does several characters perfectly, including an aging blonde-bombshell B-Movie actress - his characterization of her was so good that I had to pick up the box and see if there was an actress playing her part. Wonderful job! Seriously, one of the best jobs of reading a book on tape that I've heard (and if you are a frequent listener of books on tape, you know that there are some real bad ones out there!)

The concept of this book is so original! Just when you thought that there could be no new heroes, along comes one with Alzheimer's! How the author manages to pull this off is amazingly clever. It's funny, sad, suspensful, and keeps you riveted to your cassette player. I find myself wanting to read more by this superb author!

This is a typically beautiful, mesmerising read from one of the most gracious men ever to walk the planet.

Combined with the breathtaking narration by Mr. Auberjonois, and the scintillating prose produced so effortlessly by Mr. Frost, this first time novel/audio listens like a breakneck roller coaster ride. I came to dread its finish. It is the sublime mixture of fantasy and adventure which propels this work into one of the best audio novels I have ever heard.

I have read all of the Pendergast novels and other various Preston/Child works and find myself always thinking of this one as my favorite. Although I like the "Diogenes Trilogy" (Brimstone, Dance of Death and Book of the Dead), this one seemed to really work my imagination better. It was more mentaly stimulating for lack of a better phrase.

One of the reasons I liked this book so much is because although the idea of Enoch Leng's "work" is a little far fetched, it isn't quite as out there as the Relic/Reliquary monsters. Things are more believable and therefore seem more realistic.

Without saying too much, I liked the way that they linked Pendergast to the story to add more substance to his family's "affliction." It also a better way for him to involve himself in a case than the way he takes special interest in odd cases like in "Still Life with Crows." This way, he has a personal interest in the case.

Lastly, this book goes to show Pendergast more human and less superhero than in others. In this book he goes through some rough spots and it's good to see him not getting through things unscathed but have to work hard.

Overall a great book and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys the Pendergast books or has enjoyed other Preston/Child works.

You know how you can always tell "Ensign Fodder" by the red shirt he's wearing? Not so in this one. I was actually wrong about the fate of one of the characters! That hasn't happened in a long while, and any book creative enough to stump me gets high praise indeed. And while the ending wasn't exactly the way I would want it, it was still a great book and I'd recommend it to anyone who's read any of the other Child/Preston books and enjoyed them (this was my first exposure, and I don't think reading them out of order detracted much at all since each is a solid stand-alone story).

This was a fabulous novel with such an incredibly deep understanding of the history of New York City. This novel left me in love with New York City and wanting to learn more. I love the time period that much of the novel refers to, and the mystery/thriller aspect of the novel was also well written. Again, an A+ for Preston/Child and I can't wait to see what comes next.

Timothy Lassiter, author of Three Degrees of Separation and The Devil You Know

I got this book as and advanced reading copy in 2002 and started reading when I got it.....I just finished it yesterday (6/24/06). I've been reading it on and off for that long because it would only catch my attention every 5 or so pages then would get boring. The only reason I fininshed it is because I hate not finishing a book I started no matter what. The story is interesting but the pace was just way too slow. I would not recommend this to anyone.

I love ordering books from Amazon. I can shop whenever I want and the books arrive within a couple of days

I preview all of the books I assign to my kids to read. I enjoyed this one. Vivid descriptions allowed me to vividly imagine the scene and hear the music the cricket plays. This is a book I will have my 11 and 13 year-old read.

My daughter loved the book, and we have given copies of it several times as birthday presents, to 7-9 year old friends. I bought this CD as a gift for my 7 y.o. nephew, who wanted Books on CD so could listen in the car. This is a quality children's story, which adults can enjoy too. A good adventure, without buying into a whole series and marketing machine! Boy and Mom love The Cricket in Times Square book on CD.

An engaging dramatic reading of this fabulous animal adventure and story about friendship. This is great for a car trip.

This book portrays very old racist stereotypes of Chinese people. It portrays Chinese people as speaking in stereotypical accents with all r's replaced by l's. It portrays Chinese people as not knowing when to stop bowing to each other. It portrays Chinese people wearing Japanese Kimono's. If you MUST buy this awful ignorant book, do not let your child read it without teaching them about the racism and teaching them how not to be as ignorant.

This is a fun book. It's a nice book to read a chapter at a time as a bedtime book, because nothing particularly stressful or traumatic happens. The chapters are reasonable short and benign. There is tension, there is some drama, there are rich characters struggling with their individual challenges. But there aren't many chapters ending on cliffhangers that will leave young readers or listeners feeling unsettled.

The strength of the book is the warm friendship between a displaced country cricket, a scheming but kind-hearted urban rodent, and an unflappable feline. There is also the human protagonist, Mario, a young boy who labors in Grand Central Station at his parent's newsstand. Mario's family dynamic, with the passive dad and the hard-boiled, derisive mother, sets up a nice juxtaposition. We see the sweet sap of childhood innocence standing its ground against a well-meaning but distrustful adult world.

I bought this book to read to my kids because I remember loving it so much as a little kid myself, both the book and the filmstrip adaptation, which I believe I can picture myself watching in an overcrowded mobile home that was functioning as a second grade classroom.

There's one distressing flaw to the book, which I don't remember from my own childhood because I wouldn't have noticed or cared at the time, but there is a part of the book that takes place in China Town, where it feels as if the story gets a dose of 1950's borcht belt race humor. The wise old Chinese man's dialect is achieved by switching every `R' into an `L.' As is "Vely solly." Since I was reading it to my kids, I just improvised a little and avoided doing the accent, but if an older kid is reading the book for themselves it merits a discussion. A little social-historical context.

That aside, we had a great time reading this book. The part I am asked to reread is when Chester Cricket, while dreaming that he is home eating leaves, waked up and realizes he's half-chewed through a two dollar bill borrowed from the newsstand register. There's brief panic and then excited brain-storming with his mammalian accomplices. As always, some credit goes to my unsubtle vocal performance, and I'm sorry, you can't buy that at Amazon. But it is funny stuff.

Mark Frost is best known as the writer on Twin Peaks, and he brings a similarly twisted vision to this wonderful neovel set in a slightly skewed Victorian England.

The protagonist is Arthur Conan Doyle, still a doctor, and with no inkling of his creation of the worlds greatest detective.

That's before he gets involved with a secret service agent with amazing deductive skills, a penchant for morphine, and a twisted, brilliant older brother.

This may sound like a Holmes pastiche, but Frost's imagination takes it way beyond that. We get a flight through the British Museum vaults, chased by the undead. We get a visit to Whitby abbey in the dead of night alongside an Irish writer named Bram Stoker who gets the idea of his life on the trip, and we get a glimpse of what might have happened if Victorian ingenuity had taken a slightly different turn into Zombie armies and vast, impersonal factories.

All that, and more literary references than you can shake a stick at, alongside pathos, friendship, betrayal and loss.

Frost is a fine, intelligent writer, with a unique vision, and this is his best work.

Mark Frost grabs your attention and gives you a thrill ride mixing historical events and figures. Think Sherlock Holmes hopped up on Red Bull meets Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde while riding a roller coaster.

Attracted to Frost due to his exceptionally good non-fiction works on golf, thought I'd try his fiction, and so here it was.

And what a was it was, a breath-consuming romp through mythology and paranormal and literature and medicine, etc. all tied in to a plot loaded with well-developed characters that slowly unfolds in the typical climax which leaves room for sequels.

How many plots feature a child gone demonic almost who seizes a family and then unplays a sinister plot to go world conquering through bringing satanic rule to physical presence? Couple this with Aruthur Conan Doyle and a supposed agent for Her Majesty galavanting around the English countryside and you've got one read you won't quickly forget.

If you're anything like the consumate reader that I am, this one will have you scrambling for your dictionary to see the likes of such vocabulary as: lyceum, mendacity, rumbustrious, hansom, tessellated, etc.

Such will captivate and hold your attention and live you vicariously winded and unnerved as a reader.

I just finished this book last night. The ultimate page turner, I couldn't put it down! I stumbled upon this book in the thriller section; I had no previous knowledge of the author, and was completely and most pleasantly surprised! It was the first novel I've ever actually gotten spooked by. The characters have vivid and diverse personalities. Each contributes beautifully to the tale, making what would otherwise be strange and obscure perfectly believable. I really enjoyed the internal dialogue of Doyle and the dry sarcasm of Jack. The integration of mythology, history, and literature references added considerable depth to the story. I whole-heartedly recommend this novel and can't wait to read the sequel.

1. Because even though this is a "sleeper" book it's right up there with the Da Vinci Code in terms of not being able to put it down. Except for one thing...it's much better written.

2. Because you can read it once a year and still feel the same sense of "the game is afoot" adventurous pleasure. I've read it about 6 times since I bought it years ago (in the bargain bin no less).

3. Because Mark Frost weaves a supernatural thriller, "Sherlock Holmes meets the mummy" kind of tale that keeps you hooked from page one. The characters and emotions are strong, the action and mystery keeps you on edge and you can't help but stay up at night turning pages (nestled in that huge cozy high-backed leather armchair next to a crackling fire in the library whilst sipping a snifter of brandy and wearing an ascot); it's the kind of book I'd wish I had written. In the right hands this book could be a fantastic movie and a good bet for blockbuster success (I think Universal bought the rights in 1997 but so far it's never been greenlit).

4. Because at 7.99 it's a steal. I'd get the hardcover edition if you can though, because it belongs in your permanent library.

5. Because if you read most of these reviews you'll see that I'm not the only one who feels this way about this book (fifty 5 star reviews at the time I wrote this).

When Quark inadvertantly activates an alien signal device, invaders infiltrate DS9 and slaughter ensues. Although badly written, this book features a tight, creative plot that would have made a fine episode (albeit a very bloody one). I expect sloppy prose in a Trek novel, but it's important for the author to get the dialogue right, and Dafydd ab Hugh succeeds for the most part. The central characters are Quark and Odo; their interaction is handled well. At this point in the series, Odo's nature and backstory had not been developed very well, so ab Hugh has him doing some things that don't quite jibe with the way he would be developed later, but that's forgivable. In particular, the climax requires him to withstand some impossibly harsh environmental conditions. All in all, though, it's a good read if you like Trek.

I can't put this book down. Basically "K. Wyat" took the words right out of my mouth. Just wanted to leave a review so I could put my five stars in.

If you want to know more about Odo and Quark relationship this is a good book. Also if you want to know about the wimp O'Brien this also the book.

SPOILER:
I wish they developed Colonel Hata some more. Why was she so good and revered?
The bits on the Ferengi cringes were good.
I didn't understand why they didn't figure out the Bekkir weakness earlier in the book. I mean come on! Use their own weapons against them.
The references between Odo and Luxwana I didn't understand because I didn't know if they came from a book or an episode.
Overall it's a good story.

This book is a good example why the Star Trek series accept story ideas from outside the writing staffs, and an equally good example why the scripts themselves are written by the experts. The plot is truly interesting, and in the hands of someone with a better grasp of the characters, this could have been dynamite. However, unlike the Avatar books, for example, there were far too many examples of characters saying or doing inappropriate or uncharacteristic things. An apparent attempt to capture some of the popular give-and-take between Odo and Quark from the early seasons of DS9 is badly handled, and the mood swings wildly from somber to silly. Unnecessary sexual dialogue during the story's climax (no pun intended) is just an example of the type of thing that jarred me out of the plot. This is a book with a neat plot idea. I wish the author had collaborated with someone who could write the characters in a more believable way. Somewhat interesting read for the plot but ultimately not satisfying for me.

Maybe I just don't get it. There are so many glowing reviews for Fallen Heroes that it almost made me wonder if I had read the same book. Granted, the plot is very good, and if I were rating just on that I probably would have given four stars. The dialogue is so horrible and inconsistent, though, that the best I could do was two stars, and that in my mind was being generous. This isn't the first book written by Dafyss ab Hugh that had me wondering if he ever watched the series but this one had some moments that really bothered me. The biggest one was Chief O'Brien. In the show he was a family man who loved his children (a fact established on Next Generation, at least with Molly who was the only one born at this point, so the arguement that the show was new and the characters not yet fleshed out when this book was written would not work). Yet in this book, when his wife is killed O'Brien decides that it's time for him to die as well, never once thinking of his daughter or the fact that his planned actions will leave her an orphan. The Chief O'Brien on the show would never abandon his daughter like that, especially while the station was under siege and Kieko was already gone. This O'Brien never even gave his daughter a second thought. Or a first thought, for that matter.

The second character that I had trouble with was Jake Sisko. Forget the inconsistencies between the Jake of the show and the Jake in Fallen Heroes (there were several). The Jake character in this book was inconsistent with himself from page to page. In one scene he is a young child having trouble putting his thoughts into words. In another scene he is using technobable that would have Chief O'Brien scratching his head. The frightened child I could buy - especially this early in the series. The boy genius, though, I had a major problem with. It was as if Hugh forgot which series he was writing for and confused Jake with Wesley Crusher (and a couple of the lines would have even been a stretch for Crusher).

I guess the bottom line is if you like violence and want to see a reality where most of the characters die, this is the book for you. If you want to read a book that is consistent with the series and with itself, look elsewhere. There are a lot of superior Star Trek books out there. This, despite some of the other reviews, is not one of them.

This is a very different format for the author, but very readable. Anyone who has grown up in Massachusetts will surely recognize Frenchtown as Leominster. I could personally relate to the setting, sights and smells portrayed in this short, unique book. It was a nostalgic trip back to my hometown after being away for 50 years.

I really enjoy Robert Cormier's novels. I've read several of them and enjoy the Monument, Frenchtown setting particularly of some of them. I also like YA novels in verse, Hesse's "Witness" and Koertge's "Shakespeare Bats Cleanup," for instance, are terrific. Other reviewers here have quoted the first four lines of the book: "That summer in Frenchtown/ in the days/ when I knew my name/ but did not know who I was./ Perhaps I would have liked Eugene's story more a few years later when he did know who he was. This was uninvolving. Cormier's heroes tend to be lonely and loners, observers as Eugene is, but he's so very cut off.
I imagine I will *love* the next Cormier novel I read.

FRENCHTOWN SUMMER is brilliant. Where other free verse novels
seem to be words thrown together in quick, uneven fashion,
this one (like OUT OF THE DUST and JUDY SCUPPERNONG) has
heart, poetic language and story. Robert Cormier has succeeded
in giving us real, solid, amazing literature.
Page after page is an easy, quick, yet worthy read.

Frenchtown Summer is a book written in verse form. It is written from the point of view of Eugene, a 12-year-old, and tells the story of his summer living in Frenchtown, hence the title.

I was disappointed in this book. When I first saw it, I thought since it was short it would be very easy to read. This book was 113 pages long, but it took me 4 days to read it, which is sad since usually I finish books in this format in a day.

This book has no plot. All it is is this kid telling about different things that happened in his summer. The only thing close to a plot is him feeling separated from his family, especially his father, and then at the end he finally feels close to him. But that is just a minor part of the story, the rest of it is just descriptions of random things. The first few chapters aren't too boring or anything. They set the stage and setting for what seems like a good story. But then the rest of the chapters pretty much just describe random things. All of those random chapters are tied together slightly, but not enough to make it a good story.

If you are looking for an action-packed story, find another book. Even if you are looking for a book that describes a 12-year-old's summer, there are better books out there. If you are looking for a good book of poems that tells a good story, tying in the random chapters really well, there are also better books out there. Try Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse or What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones. If you are looking for a book that you can finish fast and read easily, don't be misled, this isn't one of them. This book just doesn't have that element that good books have that keep you wanting to read more. Sure, it's not the most boring book I've read, but it's sure one of them.

The way the verses are written isn't bad. They are actually written pretty well. This is a talented author, but this book isn't one of his best.

This book was chosin in a book club at my school as the next book to read. I thought when I first saw it that it was small so it would probably be pretty boring, but easy to read. After I had begun to read it I found that it was anything but boring. Many different things occur that are mysterious or hard to understand. After reading the book within a couple of hours I had a couple of questions that lingered in my mind about it, with several different answeres that I could think up. When we were all done my club hada group discussion and answered some of those questions. I reccomend this book just because it is so mysterious yet easy to read. ~4 stars~

A collection that just about gets a 4 out of 5, and would bet 3.75 if such a thing existed, rounding up, however a few ordinary stories here.

Apparently there is a collection some 20 years or so earlier with the same title, with mostly different stories, too, just to be confusing.

This is for the 21st century Ibooks edition, which happily includes the fantastic Home Is the Hangman

Last Defender of Camelot : Comes Now the Power - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : For a Breath I Tarry - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : The Engine at Heartspring's Center - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : Halfjack - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : Home Is the Hangman - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : Permafrost - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : Loki 7281 - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : Mana from Heaven - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : 24 Views of Mt. Fuji by Hokusai - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : Come Back to the Killing Ground Alice My Love - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : The Last Defender of Camelot - Roger Zelazny

Mind block.

3 out of 5


Big machine needs a hobby.

3.5 out of 5


Bork Bork borked.

3 out of 5


Cyborg bodyglove = get no love.

4 out of 5


Telepresence party prank has terrible results, robot killer wrongly represented afterwards, but does his duty despite detective.

5 out of 5


Leopard stiff story.

3 out of 5


AI assistance plot.

3.5 out of 5


Power shortage.

3.5 out of 5


Japanese introspection ending.

2.5 out of 5


"All the death-traps in the galaxy, and she has to walk into mine."

4 out of 5


Lancelot, the Wandering Frenchy is still around when he runs into Le Fay fortunetelling, and Merlin's arrival 1000 years later. That's about enough of the Arthurian stuff for most of them.

4 out of 5




3.5 out of 5



This is for the version from the 1980s, and whenever else it was reprinted.

A quite good collection here by Zelazny, a 3.44 average, with 4 particularly good stories to be found.

Another bonus is that the author gives introductions to each story as to when, where and why he wrote it, in general, for those that like that sort of thing.

Last Defender of Camelot : Passion Play - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : Horseman! - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : The Stainless Steel Leech - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : A Thing of Terrible Beauty - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : He Who Shapes - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : Comes Now the Power - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : Auto-da-Fé - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : Damnation Alley - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : For a Breath I Tarry - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : The Engine at Heartsprings Center - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : The Game of Blood and Dust - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : No Award - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : Is There a Demon Lover in the House? - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : The Last Defender of Camelot - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : Stand Pat Ruby Stone - Roger Zelazny
Last Defender of Camelot : Halfjack - Roger Zelazny


Car death and rebirth.

3.5 out of 5


Prefer Reed, Sue, Ben and Johnny to this apocalyptic bunch.

4 out of 5


Monsterbots.

3.5 out of 5


Personal gate-crasher atomic audience.

3 out of 5


Psychiatric seeing rather stupid.

3.5 out of 5


Mind block.

3 out of 5


Careodor.

4 out of 5


A post-apocalyptic action story. A criminal is given the standard two choices, really bad things now, or very very possible really bad things later, and, of course, takes the later.

The later in this case is a trip across the country to deliver vital medical supplies. He has a few more problems than the standard cracked by snow and ice cheapish US highways though. In this world, they don't call it Damnation Alley for nothing.

3 out of 5


Big machine needs a hobby.

3.5 out of 5


Bork Bork borked.

3 out of 5


Two opponents duel using past history as their gameboard.

3.5 out of 5


Killer telepathic brain split plan.

3.5 out of 5


Knifejack.

2.5 out of 5


Lancelot, the Wandering Frenchy is still around when he runs into Le Fay fortunetelling, and Merlin's arrival 1000 years later. That's about enough of the Arthurian stuff for most of them.

4 out of 5


Reproductive ritual end.

3.5 out of 5


Cyborg bodyglove = get no love.

4 out of 5

This guy is one of the best Science Fiction fantasy writers ever. (he wrote the Amber series -- about 9 brothers and sisters who hate, love, ally with and betray each other for supreme mastery of a multi-universe) In this book this is a collection of his short stories. It's really quirky you never know what's going to happen next.

"The Last Defender" is an excellent collection of some of the master's best stories, including "24 Views of Mount Fuji," and one previously uncollected story. Zelazny did more than just write science fiction; he captured the essence of human emotion, even when writiing about computerized intelligences in the distant future (see, for example, "For A Breath I Tarry." )

This is worth it all 4 "For a Breath I Tarry," which is 1 of my all-time faves -- words fail me; it's hilarious, heart-wrenching; it'll change your world in 25 pages. "He Who Shapes" (aka "The Dream Master") is also outstanding. Also solid: "The Last Defender of Camelot," & a romantic heart-wringer called "The Engine at Heartspring's Center." There R many others which R at LEAST worth reading. Zelazny was a poet; I miss him. If U like him, U might also try early George R.R. Martin, early Samuel R. Delany, & some of Robert Silverberg's mellower work (like DOWNWARD TO THE EARTH, DYING INSIDE, THE BOOK OF SKULLS).

This new collection of Zelazny stories, selected by Robert Silverberg, is a good one. It contains 3 of his stronger stories from earlier collections made by Zelazny himself: "For A Breath I Tarry," "The Last Defender of Camelot," and "24 Views of Mt. Fuji."

The book also contains several other worthy stories to create a collection that spans Zelazny's career. I suspect length issues caused the selection to be limited to only 11 stories. Still, as a long-time reader of Zelazny's work since the '60s, I think he would have been better represented if I Books could have made the collection bigger. New readers of Zelazny can't easily get a feeling for the magnitude of his accomplishments with such a small selection.

The absence of "He Who Shapes" and "Damnation Alley," for instance, is to be regretted. Still, the collection is good overall. New readers who wish to read more of Zelazny's work will simply need to scour 2nd hand bookstores.

Another, somewhat irksome problem is that the collection name, _The Last Defender of Camelot_, matches that of a collection that Zelazny published himself back in 1980. That collection was probably one of his 2 or 3 best, and it was also quite large. Giving this collection the same name seems an ill-considered choice, and it will result in some confusion that should have been avoided. Most regrettable, but oh, well. At least these stories are available again, and that is a plus.

The Scions of Shannara is a fictional book with classic adventures and romances. The story tajes place in the Four Lands. There are different races like the dwarves, elves, humans and several others.

Three hundred years have passed since Allanon the Druid died. The Four Lands have changed since then. The Elves have vanished and the Dwarves have been enslaved. The Southland is under the rule of the Federation. However, Par Ohmsford still has the power of the wishong. Allanon's spirit summoned Par and Coll and a few others to rid the Four Lands of the dangerous shadowen.

Par's cousin Wren has to find the elves. His uncle, Walker, has to bring back the Druids Keep in Paranor, and Par and Coll have to find the Sword of Shannara. Once all the quests are complete, the Four Lands will be back to normal.

I would recommend that you read the first Shannara books before you read this one. Several of the characters are descended from previous characters and knowing the history helps to understand the book.

Terry Brooks' writing style is one of a kind. He focuses on description and details so that one can see everything. When Brooks describes a character, it is thorough and one might find them selves agreeing or disagreeing with a characters thoughts.

I liked the book because there was a little bit of suspense and mystery. Just when you think you have figured it out, something else happens to twist the story around. The end of the story is surprising and it makes you want to read the rest of the series of Shannara.

There were some things I didn't like about the book. For one thing, it was kind of repetative. I read all the books before the Scions of Shannara and they were pretty much the same. Another thing was the characters didn't interact much. Sometimes, in the book, it would be days before anyone talked to someone else.

Overall, I thought that this book was unique because even though the story line has been seen before, Terry Brooks came up with new ideas that suited the setting and made it his own.

It follows in the footsteps of the Shannara Trilogy, with more magic and more energy that keep you guessing and hoping and right on the edge of your seat. It was a very well written and exciting book and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

I have never even heard of the Shannara before. I bought book 3 when I was in grade 8. It sat on the bookshelf for about 7 years. I was sitting at home and began to read it. I couldn't put the book down. I read to about page 100 and my dad told me I shouldn't start a series without reading the first book first. So I went to the Grande Prairie Public Library and got out The Scions Of Shannara. I read this book in about 4 or 5 days. I loved it. It had a good story line. The way Terry Brooks, described Par Ohmsford, kind of made him sound like a bad ass. Which describes me. So I really liked it. I am just starting book 2 and am on about page 120 and it is still the same. The Shannara Heritage is very interesting, and would reccommend it to anyone. Especially if your still young and exploring the library's to see whats out there

I was looking forward to reading the book. We surely do need a female messiah :) but I was hard-pressed to suspend disbelief at how overwhelmingly her messiahhood(?) was accepted, esp. after background information was revealed about her origins and in light of her sex.
Jehovah's Witnesses get a mention albeit an unflattering (and unaccurate) one. JW leadership are pretty closed-lipped about predicting things assertively these days and are not publicity seekers. ie the president of the governing body does not seek tv interviews and if he did, his 'pronouncement' would be rather tame and generic (and released through public relations).

Muslims get pretty positive treatment as accepting Jeza. Except, Muhammed (SAW) is traditionally considered the Seal of the Prophets- the last one- no more- no new revelations. Sure, she'd get a few followers, but the majority? At one point the author mentions they seem to accept her as begotten daughter (or prophetess at least). Yikes! Big time shirk (associating someone with God)there.
Towrds the end her detractors suggest she's the antichrist. Finally! I was surprised this didn't get thrown out a lot earlier in the storyline.
How long was the storyline anyway? The novel has her emulating the life of Jesus. So, was it 3 yrs? I didn't get a sense of three years of her presence in the novel. Nor did she really gather any disciples to really speak of, except the news guy through whom we experience the story.

This book came highly recommended to me, and by the virtue of the glowing reviews here on Amazon, I thought this story would be riveting, interesting, and worth the time it would take to read it. Unfortunately, that's not what happened as I trudged through to the end of this book.

This book is already quite dated - we miraculously survived the turning of the new millenium without so much as a cosmic peep, and much more horrific things have happened since that time. The story takes us through the events leading up to January 1, 2000, with a fantastic explosion, a mysterious, covert experiment, and an even more mysterious young woman who may or may not be the messiah. What ensues is chaos as the world begins to divide itself into the "we believe she's the messiah" and "we think it's a hoax" camps of thought.

First, I like that the author brings in the media frenzy that would undoubtedly occur with this type of event. However, the fact that it took what felt like about 5 minutes for everyone in the world to take a side on the messiah issue was far too forced and unbelievable. In short, although I can read almost anything and find something to like about it, I was bored by this story. The characters were very one-dimensional, the action seemed forced, and I never read anything that had me on the edge of my seat. In fact, if this book had not been recommended to me by a fellow book lover, I doubt I would have finished it at all.

Based on all the positive reviews of this book here on Amazon, I can concede that this simply was not the right kind of story for me. However, I can forgive almost anything while I'm reading a book (poor editing, bad grammar, inconsistencies, etc.), but I can't forgive a story that doesn't pique my interest at least slightly, and this particular book was a chore to read.

Due to a recommendation, I was under a totally different impression of the book's "goal." Apocolyptic thrillers are some of my favorite fiction novels. Before I go forward in my review let me state " I am NOT Catholic" and I DO have some problems with certain aspects of organized religion.
This book is no better then The Davinci Code in undermining Christianity with it New Age agenda against the evil, evil Catholic Church. The Author fails to realize there are good in bad in all things, not just the Catholic church and religion. The Good an Bad does not make the foundation (Christ!) UNTRUE
As a Christian I found the Jeza character blatantly offensive in having her mimick Christ in prophecy yet illogically does not present Jesus' message as truth. What is the author trying to do here?
Truth is all relative, there is no such thing as sin or judgment or right or wrong. So (of course!) there is no need for a Saviour..
The author FAILS MISERABLY at his attempt to use Bible Prophecy in this book. He clearly twist and omits those things which do not line up with his agenda. If you are going to use Bible prophecy as your guide. Know what you are talking about!!
The author clearly does not.
After I finished this book I put this "work" in its' rightful place....
The TRASH

After reading this book, I have a better understanding of the impact a Messiah would have on the religious organization. When Jesus scattered the money changers, he was rocking their income boat. Would it be any different today if the Messiah returned? Would they welcome him/her or try to discredit and destroy such a threat to the statis quo? I hate to say it, but I think he'd have a real hard sell...if he performed miracles, it would be called a trick, sham, or the work of an Anti-Christ. A very disturbing and tantalizing read....I highly recommend!

I bought this book after reading the reviews, which are quite strong, and being a skeptic, read this with a critical eye. Nevertheless, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this novel. It held my suspense from the very beginning, is far more complex and intriguing than most suspense thrillers, and kept building as I went. By the time I was halfway through, I found myself thinking about it even when I wasn't reading it, to the point it became a near obsession. Like the best books, when I finished it, I was both thrilled and sad. Thrilled at a story that surpassed my expectations by far, sad for it to end. I'd like to read more from this author, and hope a sequel is in the offing. I can give THE LAST DAY my highest endorsement. An exceptional, intelligent, fascinating story.