Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

This is either the best or the second best Redwall book. It's the direct sequel to the Original Redwall, so there will be a lot of familier characters. Complete with 3 huge battles, a cruel monster that lurks in the dark, and an evil slaver named Slager, this book is ultimate, and I highly reccomend it!

Why are the most known and far better books of the Redwall universe the first ones done? Well, they're the first ones done, and they were actually pretty good. 'Mattimeo', along with 'Mossflower', and possibly maybe even 'Salamandastron', were one of the best Redwall books. To me. I don't know if it applies to the rest of you readers, but I stick by my comment. 'Mattimeo' was a well done book. It was also one of the biggest, probably the biggest Redwall book. It's actually a quest I'd actually look forward to reading, and for once, the Redwall creatures are showing emotion that is actually true rather than just coming out strained and downright terrible like in Jacques' recent works.

'Mattimeo' takes place seasons and seasons after the 'Redwall' book, the true sequel, and it focuses on Sela's supposedly dead son, Chickenhound. He is now called Slagar the Cruel, has his band of wicked beasts that we know will probably be weasels, ferrets, rats, stoats...those guys. Slagar is noticed as one of the most intelligent, wicked, and more insane of any warlord that came before or after him. His face is horribly disfigured, cause of a snake's bite and painful venom, and he hides his deformity using a skull mask. Believing his own lies of how the Redwall creatures had betrayed him, he plans to seek revenge by stealing the children of Redwall under the Redwaller's noses and selling them to Malkariss, a warlord who dwells in the underground, building an empire, made from the paws of many slave children.

This story works well, extremely well, as Mattimeo, Matthias' son, slowly becomes a hardened warrior during the time of his capture and how he is forced to endure harsh beatings, cruel words, and many deaths as he is led to Malkariss' kingdom. And while the warriors of Redwall chase after Slagar, the Redwallers are having troubles of their own back at the abbey. General Ironbeak and his birds are set on seizing it. The techniques that Slagar uses to outsmart his pursuers are classic and clever, but for some reason I do not like Ironbeak's part in how he tries to conquer the abbey. Either he's really dumb or the Redwallers for some reason are extremely well trained to handle an aerial attack--either one or both, I just don't like how he tries to conquer it when there were dozens of simple solutions, like a total ambush. Grabbing them and flinging them from a range of thirty feet would have done it, but I'm not the writer. When there's a more awesome story going on, I don't care about the weak side story. I just love Slagar and his twisted schemes. This is truly one of my favorite Redwall books of all time.

I would recommend this book because it is full of action and intensity. When I started reading this book, I never wanted to put it down. After every page, it just got better and better. There were many surprises in this book, like if there is a battle or new enemy; it was just full of surprises. I would and have read a book by Brian Jacques, which was Redwall, the first book in the series. Now I am reading the prequel to Redwall, Mossflower. Overall, Mattimeo was a terrific book.

Tis book tells the story of Mattiemo, a young mouse who is captured by Slagar the fox in a break in at Redwall. He and all of his friends are taken to an evil land but Mattiemo's father Matthias is hot on this trail!!!!!

This is a good book for those that have read the series before (Expecially Redwall). It brings back our favorite characters, including Basil Stag Hare, Jess Squirrel, Matthias, Cornflower, Tim and Tess, plus many more.
It has a good plot, plus many emotions including sadness, romance, courage and a huge fighting spirit.

"Mattimeo" tells the story of the son of Matthias the Warrior, who happens to be named Mattimeo. The plot is compelling and whimsical, great especially for younger readers, and I enjoyed it even more than "Redwall". There were only a couple of minor things that kept me from giving it the full five stars.

First of all, there are the numerous (that may well be an understatement) descriptions of Slagar's mask. Believe me, if you don't know what material that mask is made of by the end of the book then you have some serious attention problems. Quotes such as "Slagar grinned from behind the silken mask" and "The silk mask sucked into a hideous grin" are okay when used in moderation, but when we are bombarded endlessly with these nearly identical descriptions, it detracts from rather than adds to the story. I'm sorry, *what* was the mask made from again?

The other thing that bothered me was the apparent lack of attention to proportion. For example, at one point, Slagar gets angry at an impudent Mattimeo and starts beating the young mouse with a cane. And yet, according to Brian Jacques, Mattimeo does not feel the blows at all. Am I the only one who thinks this is simply absurd? A fox beating a mouse with a cane would be like King Kong beating a human with an uprooted tree - that's how big foxes are compared to mice. Forget feeling the blows, Mattimeo should be crushed by them!

But despite these things, I really enjoyed the story of Mattimeo, and I would recommend it to anyone who has read other books in the series or who just loves animal fantasy. I also recommend the fantastic "Guardians of Ga'Hoole" series by Kathryn Lasky and the "Warriors" books by Erin Hunter.

A review from my teenage daughter:

"A Ring of Endless Light" is one of my favorite books!

I've read it five times since I first found it at the library last summer, and since then, I have also read "A Wrinkle in Time," "The Moon by Night,"and "An Acceptable Time".

What I really like about it is the characters. They are so interesting!

The movie, on the other hand, was nowhere near as good as the book. (Characters they left out: John, Leo, Grace, Binnie, Nancy Rodney, Jeb Nuttley, and probably somebody else, too...) And after I read the book, I was rather upset with the Disney Channel.

Although this is a wonderful novel, I would not recommend it to anyone under the age of thirteen because of some mature content.

Lastly, I want to include my frequent rant ( more of a whine, really) about that Zachary Gray person: I never understood why Ms. L'Engle kept putting him in her books. He never changes, and he's just as much of a jerk in "An Acceptable Time" as he was in this book. I don't know what Vicky sees in him. He kept saying that he "needed her" but she can't be his psychologist; Earth to Vicky, Earth to Vicky! Not a good reason to go out with him!

As always, Madeleine L'Engle delivers a stunning piece of fiction with `A Ring of Endless Light.' Although the main character, Vicky Austin, gives off a distinctive mary-sue air, the book (especially the guys!) are very enjoyable. Pieces of poetry found in this book are beautiful and elegant; they alone would be cause enough to read the book. `A Ring of Endless Light' also offers the reader an insight into the emotions and thoughts of a teenage girl in a fantastical setting. I would recommend this book for ages 13 and up. If you enjoyed this book, I would recommend Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume, Father Figure by Richard Peck and With You and Without You by Ann Martin as well as the rest of L'Engle's books.

Once again, Madeleine L'Engle has constructed a masterpiece. All her books are superb, but this one stands out to me as my absolute favorite. I understand its a Disney Channel movie now as well. I remember reading this book when I was about middle school aged and thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I took notes. There are several wonderful quotes that are worth remembering, and I think by the end I was left with some 10 pages of notes. I was a bit of a nerd as a kid, I guess. Still have all the papers filed away somewhere. Also memorized one of the poems to recite in my english class in about 7th grade. Fantastic book. I need to read it again.

In Madeline L'Enlgle's A Ring of Endless Light, 15-year old Vicky goes out to visit her sick grandfather to spend some time with him. During her stay, an old family friend, Commander Rodney, dies because he was trying to save another person from dying. On top of this, three young men are trying to get her adornment. Leo, Commander Rodney' son, is the nervous and puppy like young man who needs Vicky's attention. Although he may be nice, Vicky just wants to be his friend. Adam, a young man working at the marine biology center, confuses Vicky because he likes her, but pushes her away at the same time. Zachary, the rich, young man Commander Rodney died saving, wants Vicky back and claims that he needs her. Even though she has to deal with her love life, she has to help her grandfather, and other family members. During this vacation, she learns a lot about herself, death, life, her friends and family.

I really liked this book because it is very insightful. It gives me a lot of insight about living life. I want to live my lifelike Vicky and think like her because she lives her life to her fullest poetical and is moral, unlike me. She put phrases and lessons to heart and has a way of putting things into the right words. I liked how the author also wrote about death because I know that everyone is confused about tins subject. Some people firmly believe in one thing while other people are confused and wobbling. I remember what the Madeline L'engle writes about death whenever I come across one because her words sooth and help the soul.

I dislike the fact that the characters are a bit to perfect. The Austins are a bit like robots. There is the housewife mom that loves her husband and doesn't seem to have any arguments are all with him. The father is a strong man that supports his whole family. The oldest brother, like his father, is strong and smart. The youngest sister is beautiful and smart. The youngest brother is cute and innocent. Although Vicky seems more human than her family, she is still robotic. She always tries her hardest and it seems that everyone is drawn to her. Everyone trusts her with his or her secrets and everyone in the story has a longing to be with her. She is the person that people always want to be.

My favorite part of the book is hard to decide, but I think that my favorite part is when Vicky goes and visits the dolphins. I think that this is really interesting because Vicky learns that she can communicate with dolphins. In the beginning, she is really scared, but then she realizes that there is nothing to be afraid of. Soon, she feels comfortable with Basil. She can play with the dolphin and communicate freely. Even though people can't communicate with dolphins, Vicky can because her mind is somewhat childish, open, and free. I think that this is my favorite part because Vicky's relationship with Basil is much like my relationship with my friends. When I first made my friends, we were scared and shy, but once we knew each other, we had a lot of fun. When I am with my friends, I become childish, open and free, just like Vicky.

I loved this book and I would recommend it to girls from the ages 10 and up. This was a good story to connect to your life or the lives of the people around you. The things that happen to Vicky in A Ring of Endless Light might happen or may have happened to the reader. Therefore the plot of the story is believable. I would like to read another story by this author because I loved how thorough she was when describing Vicky's thoughts and feelings. When she was explaining how Vicky was seeing only darkness after a friend died in her arms, she painted a very vivid picture in my head. I thought that a Ring of Endless Light was truly a great book.

I purchased this series, having read it a long time ago as a young teen, and found it to be every bit as good as I remembered. My only complaint is that this boxed set version has some truly terrible CGI art on the cover. I remember the edition I read as a child was very mysterious and ancient-looking. It's too bad that that much superior artwork was not used for this edition. That's the only thing that stands between this set, and my 5th star.

I remember reading this series years ago and since then I have always thought that it would make a great movie and guess what someone else thought so as well. IMDB is reporting that this movie is in production and will be released in October 2007. I am very excited about this and I am really wishing and hoping that they translate it well to the big screen. I have since lost my books but I have just purchased this set to read all the books again and relive my youth again.

I can't even begin to describe this series and I won't try to. I'm afraid I'd only do it a disservice! Susan Cooper says SO much in so few eloquent words that her books are rather like listening to fine music. I rank this easily with the Narnia series as well as Lord of the Rings. And while I adore the Harry Potter books and think JK is a fabulous writer, I truly feel that even they cannot live up to the quiet serious intensity of these books.

Every year I read this series again. I love it more and more with each read.

Recently many illiterate folks have called these books 'boring' and 'flat'. Those same modern day readers often have to be babied through text & dazzled with fancy action scenes. It has also become a fad to bash things that have won awards or recommendations.

This is a story told with very deep and quiet emotions and if you give it a chance then I can promise you, you won't be disappointed. :)

The series as a whole is great. if you have never read them before but enjoy other great fantasy such as Harry Potter, the Forgotten Realms, or even the Lord Of The Rings these are a must read. they have been great books for the last 35 years or so and will continue to be great books 50 years from now.

This series is my son's absolute FAVORITE. He's 8 and I recently decided to introduce him to the books, and he ate them up. He said he likes how the bad people aren't always perfect, and he likes the way the Drew siblings work together in OVER SEA, UNDER STONE and again in GREENWICH and SILVER ON THE TREE. I'm pretty sure that he didn't understand all the symbolism in THE DARK IS RISING, though he liked it and made up his own belt of rings as a result.

This series is really wonderful, and I agree with other reviewers - it should be better known. It's mythical elements mix well with the action scenes. Plus, it's very well written and edited - creating really unique and interesting characters.

I'm sort of judicious with my 5 star ratings, but this one definitely deserved it. Pick them up - you won't be disappointed.

This book was kind of slow but did have enough interesting characteristics to keep me reading. Not at all a bad book but just not anything that made me want to get the second in the series.

Being a fan of the Myst series since it's original launch in the early 1990's, I can say that this book lives of to the expectations that Myst/Uru fans have come to appreciate. It's easy to read, flows well, has a great underlying story. After reading, you are able to understand and appreciate the island of Myst and Riven so much more. It's an easy book to read, which makes it great for both young and old. Though the book is around 400 pages, it flies by and as always, I was sad to finish it, but there are two more sequels to entertain the Myst fan in all of us.

The Myst series was such a wonderful series, after I found out they made a book about the history of Myst, I basically thought that it would be horrible. Grave mistake. This is one of the best books I have ever read. It couldn't get any better.
The creators of Myst even helped make it, and they knew what they were making. The horrible thing is that these books were discontinued.
Even if they were discontinued, it is not a reason not to buy them. They are all wonderful books and I suggest you get all of them.

It really seems only fitting that a video game about books would have a series of books published in its name. For some reason when such books were first coming out I was sort of skeptical about their quality. I truly am glad I overcame this and decided to pick up the Myst books. I was an early enough adopter to be able to get all the hardcover texts and they are all beautifully designed. It's strange that a lot of books don't adopt this kind of method, because it really is eye catching and I'm glad the makers of Myst picked up on that. In terms of binding, it technically is rather cheaply done to support the mass market interest in this series. Rather than have a truly older styled binding, they have the typical style with embossed paper wrapped over the hard cover. The paper is of excellent quality and is embossed in sections, which adds a tinge of making it feel artificially handmade. I've had mine for many years now and there is barely any wear on it. However, when one inspects the design you can tell it is merely paper glued over the normal hardcover pressing and it is merely there for aesthetic appeal. The books in the game have a very old styled feel, which they should since they're all handmade books, but the makers wanted to keep that atmosphere alive with printing these books. Despite my inspection of the edition, I must say it was a great marketing idea and wish more publishers would do this rather than just adopt the typical dust jacket. That being said, the current editions more readily available to readers are the regular paperback and now the collected edition which was recently printed.

I wasn't sure what to really expect from this book when I first got it. I had beaten the game "Myst" and the game was pretty well written. However, the game had a lot of unknown elements in its story, and I'm sad to report that "The Book of Atrus" doesn't fill in all the gaps. It certainly fills in quite a bit, but not everything. This book acts as both a prequel to "Myst" and a bridge to "Riven". It's an interesting story in that regard because it tells about Atrus' childhood and goes into why the age of Riven is in dire need of our help!

At the end of Myst we find Atrus sitting at a desk in a deep cavern in place known as D'ni. We are transported there with him once we escape the island of Myst, but we are never told why he is there; just that he needs to make a decision concerning his sons. This is all well and good, but there are so many holes and questions, thus the novelization seeks to explain them. At one time Atrus lived with his grandmother, Ana, in a desert region. "The Book of Atrus" goes into detail about his life and learning there. It's almost an ideal childhood until one day his father, Gehn, returns and seeks to take him back to D'ni. See they are from a race of people who lived underground until they were all of a sudden destroyed. Ana, Gehn, and Atrus are the only decedents we are made aware of from this great society. So when Gehn was old enough he returned to the world of D'ni in search of its secrets, to see if he could find it and possibly rebuild it. Needless to say he sort of succeeded.

Gehn understands how to write in the books and knows the secret D'ni language to make different ages to create portal links between his world and others. However, he does not wield this power intelligently, but he doesn't want the knowledge to die with him, so he seeks out his son. He teaches Atrus everything, but Atrus has a keener mind for creating ages. Most of Gehn's worlds are unstable and if a world has inhabitants Gehn insists on be treated as a God. Needless to say Atrus' kindly nature has the better of him and he seeks to change this.

In this we get to see the bridge to Riven's story line. Riven had been an age linked to by Gehn, but the world was vastly unstable. So he and Atrus sought to fix it if they could. Gehn, being the overbearing man that he is, did not think most of Atrus' ideas were good ones. However, one thing would change Atrus' life forever when he got to Riven, he met Catherine there. Yes, the girl he references frequently in the first "Myst" game. Eventually she would bear his two sons Sirrus and Akenar, so as you can tell, I knew Atrus would succeed even during reading this, so I don't feel I am giving anything away. The book doesn't go into detail about the two sons growing up, so you never really know how everything started with them. Anyway, there is a solution to Atrus' problem, but I'll let the readers find that out for themselves. When we get to "Riven", the video game, there are further complications based around this story... I'll leave these mysteries to be discovered for yourself.

I don't feel I am spoiling very much of the book because it is riveting in itself. Most people who read this will undoubtedly have played the video games and already know the stories' outcomes before reading this. As any Myst player knows the interesting factor is in the details, I have left every part of these out. The book is a fascinating page turner and I really couldn't put it down at all. This book leaves a lot more mystery to the reader in the end and left us looking forward to the follow up text, "The Book of Ti'ana." I especially recommend this to any Myst fan who wants to delve deeper into the story line and world of Myst. I don't think many people would pick up Myst if they didn't already enjoy reading books to find out what new worlds they would be brought to. In that spirit these books are clearly written!

I read this book when I was younger and only remember great things. Looking back on it now I can tell that the writing isn't exactly scholarly, but that doens't matter, Myst is a fun adventure story that all kids and teens should enjoy. And no, I'm not a big fan of fantasy myself, but I had no trouble getting drawn in.

This graphic novel is still great, even though it's old and it's not available since it's out of print. If you have the opportunity of buying it in a cheap price, then do it. The story is great and it won the an award for best graphic novel!

Sailor Moon is a good manga for girls, I don't think boys should read it, or girls under the age of 10 (That's what I think, atleast). You should get it, it's worth it.

>>>>>WARNING TO BOYS<<<<<
THIS IS A VERY SHOJO (girls) MANGA, YOU MOST LIKELY WON'T LIKE IT. BUT YOU NEVER KNOW...
Okay, it starts out there's a 14-year-old girl named Usagi (aka "Bunny")(I think that's how you spell Usagi's name) and she's a real cry-baby and bad at school. But then she comes across this cat with a moon on it's head. The cat scratches her and runs away. After school the she sees the cat again and it comes home with her(You find out later that cat's names is Luna). That night it wakes her up and tells her she has powers and gives her this little thing that shows her friend, Molly being attacked by her mom (or what appears to be).
Usagi scared but Luna gets her in costume. They go to were Molly is and Usagi doesn't know what the heck to do, Luna tells her to do some attacks and she does(somehow). She eventually defetes the alien that was pretending to be Molly's mom. Then This guy (can't spell his super hero name, but his real name is Darain)comes up and Usagi's all lovy-dovy.
To know more you have to buy the book! It's really good. I left out some details, though. Didn't wanna spoil it all ;)!
I really enjoyed it, you should get the books!

How I first got into it was my sister got Sailor Moon "R" (an anime) when we watched it (I was seven, I think) I got crazy over it, I even dressed up as Sailor Venus! A couple years later I noticed some Sailor Moon books at the Libary and read them, and I really liked them!
Well, I hope you like it! ^_^

This was the first Sailor Moon book. There are five chapters. (I am going to write about exactly what happens in each chapter, so you might want to skip this part if you haven't read it yet.)
Chapter 1 - Bunny a.k.a. Sailor Moon - (That is the name of the chapter in the book, but I'm going to call her Usagi instead of Serena or Bunny because that is her real name.) Usagi is late for school but on the way there she finds a black cat with a bandage on its forehead. She takes the bandage off and sees a cresent moon symbol. She thinks it is a bald spot. After school Usagi and her friends go to a jewelry store. Molly's mom works there. But it's actually a monster in disguise as Molly's mom. Usagi goes home and dreams about being Sailor V, a superhero that her friends told her about. She wakes up and the black cat, Luna, comes to her house and talks to her! Luna tells Usagi that she is Sailor Moon and gives her a brooch. Usagi uses it to transform into Sailor Moon. She sees Molly being attacked by the monster that was pretending to be her mom. Usagi goes to the jewelry store and fights the monster. She uses her tiara to destroy it. Then she sees Tuxedo Mask and falls in love. The next day all Usagi's friends are talking about Sailor Moon and Usagi knows that it wasn't a dream.
Chapter Two - Amy a.k.a. Sailor Mercury - (Actually her Japanese name is Ami.) Luna tells Usagi that she thinks she found another Sailor Soldier. (In the book they are called Sailor Scouts, but that is sort of annoying and it should actually be Sailor Soldiers in the Japanese version.) Usagi sees Ami, and Luna jumps on Ami. Usagi goes and talks to Ami. Ami is really smart and Usagi actually wants help with her homework. Ami goes to the arcade with Usagi and wins a pen in the Sailor V game. Usagi kicks the machine until another pen comes out. Then Ami has to go to school but the teacher is really a monster. Ami left a disk she needs for school so Luna puts it in the computer but it is really a brainwashing program. Luna tells Usagi she can use the pen she got for disguises so Usagi turns into a doctor and goes to the school. She transforms into Sailor Moon and tries to fight the monster but the monster gets Ami. Ami uses the pen and she turns into Sailor Mercury! Usagi beats the monster and Ami is a Sailor Soldier.
Chapter Three - Raye (Rei) a.k.a. Sailor Mars - Lately people who rode a bus have been disappearing. Ami shows Usagi a priestess at a temple named Rei. Usagi tries to follow Rei but Rei thinks she is evil and attacks her. Luna thinks that Rei is the moon princess. Mamoru, a boy that Usagi keeps seeing, thinks that Usagi is Sailor Moon. Rei has a vision of a person attacking Usagi. Later she sees the same boy driving a bus. (He is really Jedite, Sailor Moon's enemy.) She gets on the bus but it goes through a portal. Usagi sees Rei on the bus and uses her disguise pen and jumps through the portal after the bus. Ami teleports to where Usagi is and they become Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury. Usagi traps Jedite but she can't defeat him. Earlier Luna gave Ami another pen so Ami throws it to Rei and Rei becomes Sailor Mars and destroys Jedite!
Chapter Four - Masquerade - Luna tells Ami, Rei, and Usagi more about the princess and the Silver Imperium Crystal that they have to find. Melvin shows them a picture of Princess D, who is having a party that night. Usagi sees her father getting dressed up for it but he says she can't go. Usagi uses her pen to morph into a princess and Ami and Rei go with her. She sees Tuxedo Mask at the party and they dance. A woman at the party is really a monster and she possesses Princess D to steal the treasure. Tuxedo Mask saves Usagi again and Usagi transforms. She gets a new tiara and destroys the monster. Usagi falls asleep and Tuxedo Mask kisses her.
Chapter Five - Lita (Makoto) a.k.a. Sailor Jupiter - Usagi accidentally walks in front of a car and a girl with rose earrings saves her. Usagi sees the same girl at lunch and they sit together. The girl is Makoto. Makoto comes to the arcade with Usagi and Ami. Usagi sees people talking about a ghost in the bridal shop. Thatr night Andrew, the boy who works at the arcade, sees the ghost and gets possessed. He finds Makoto. Mamoru, who is really Tuxedo Mask, sees it happen and turns into Tuxedo Mask. He tells Usagi and Usagi, Ami, and Rei go to save Makoto. Makoto gets mad at the ghost and Luna gives her a pen. Makoto becomes Sailor Jupiter. She destroys the ghost and Nephrite, another one of their enemies. Luna tells Usagi that she must become the leader of the Sailor Soldiers.

Usagi, Mamoru, Ami, Rei, and Makoto are the Japanese names. This book has the American names instead: Serena, Darien, Amy, Raye, and Lita. I used the Japanese names instead because Sailor Moon's full name is Usagi Tsukino. Tsukino Usagi means "rabbit of the moon" or something like that, which is why she has that name. They messed it up when they changed her name to Usagi.
There are three Sailor Moon series:
Sailor Moon (11 books)
Sailor Moon SuperS (4 books)
Sailor Moon StarS (3 books)
Most people saw Sailor Moon on TV first. There is also a TV show with five seasons:
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon R
Sailor Moon S
Sailor Moon SuperS
Sailor Moon Stars
Sailor Moon Stars was never shown on TV in America and there are no videos or DVDs either, unless they made them and I don't know about them. You can probably buy them in Japanese though.

Okay, what hasn't been said about sailor moon. It's wonderful and happy and gives little girls the fleeting hope that one day a magical cat will show up and tell them they're a super hero (yes, I secretly hoped this and when I finally passed my 14th year, the year sailor moon becomes sailor moon, I was noticeably dissappointed). Yes, it's pathetic. However, I'm not really here to review. See, I have owned the manga series since they first came out in the US and my first five or so have been read so much that they aren't in great shape. But #1 is by far the worst (the binding is shot), so I thought that I would get a new copy to read and cherish and protect my first copy. I did not know that it appears that it is out of print or something in the US. So I'm just writing about my incredulity at the prices it is going for now and feeling very proud of my ownership of one of the first prints in the US. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, and yes I'm over 13, I just hate to divulge the info they want for the adult form.

Salvatore grabbed our attention with the Icewind Dale trilogy, and one of the heroes of that unlikely group of friends was Drizzt Do'Urden, a drow (or dark elf, as they are often called). To our delight, Salvatore's next project, dubbed the Dark Elf trilogy, served as a prequel, to tell us about Drizzt's past, and to introduce us to the world of the drow.

I cannot recall another author who so brilliantly immerses a reader in a wholly foreign world. It is one thing, to describe a world similar to ours, such as Raymond E. Feist's introduction of the Tsurani, yet even that is loosely based on Asian culture. It is quite another to transport the reader into another world so radically different from our own, and do it with a style which keeps us turning the pages at an addictively fast pace.

The book begins on the night Drizzt is born, where he is to be sacriced to Lloth, the drow deity, often referred to as the Spider Queen. Yet, as is normal within this dark and twisted subterranean world, his older brother kills the eldest brother. With a Do'Urden male having been sacrificed, Lloth is appeased, and Drizzt is spared. In an interesting inversion, the world of the drow is matriarchal, and family is everything. The head of the family is female, and the holders of the seats in Council (the leadership of the drow city of Menzoberranzan) are all female. Males are, in that world, secondary to females, and are useful only as cannon fodder in times of war, and as donors in the act of reproduction.

Right from the start, Drizzt is remarked on as being very different, with lavender coloured eyes. Yet his true difference is inside, for he is posessed with morales and compassion - virtues which are practically unheard of in a drow. Fortunately, his father, Zaknafein, is mostly responsible for his weapons training from the age of 16, where Drizzt is somewhat sheltered from the true nature of the evil drow, as Zaknafein is a kindred spirit to Drizzt.

After, Drizzt is sent to the Academy, to further advance his skill at fighting. For 10 years he remains there, learning the true nature of the drow, and battling to hold on to his spirit and morals. If he fails, he risks falling prey to the lies of the Spider Queen, and turning into everything he hates.

I'll say no more, for I encourage you to read this book. I cannot recommend it highly enough. The only thing I'll warn you of, is how very difficult it is to put the book down once you've started! Salvatore does an excellent job in immersing us in the world of the drow, and in better understanding the emotional battles and sacrifices the noble character of Drizzt Do'Urden went through, to mold him into the fighter/ranger he became.

I was never much for reading because most books could not keep my attention. This book however grabbed my attention and held it. Cleverly written, entertaining, with descriptive visuals that bring the story to life, Homeland, along with the other books in this series, is non-stop action. I highly recommend this book!!! I have since read the rest of the trilogy and I am currently reading The Crystal Shard, which is the beginning of the next trilogy.

After reading the Hunter's Blade trilogy I really enjoyed the character and wanted to read more about him. This book was everything I hoped for. I definitely recommend this book for all fans of this genre. Can't wait to read the rest of the series.

There is not much more I can say that hasn't been said. I actually picked the first two re-issue hardcover books up at bookstore going out of business and it sat on the shelf for a long time. This book has actually got me reading on a regular basis again after a long break. The story is engaging enough that I am already trying to decide if I want this whole series in hardcover, which is quite a bit of investment. R.A. Salvatore has the ability to write a story in a way few authors can. If you like Fantasy, and especially Drow, this is the only way to go.

I've read a lot of fantasy novels in the past 10 years. Some of my favorites are Robert E.Howard's Conan , The(original) Dragonlance Novels by Weis and Hickman, Lord of the Ring to name a few . OF all the 50-60 fantasy novels Ive read I'd say about 10% are great and 30% are pretty good. There are a lot of not so good fantasy novels out there.
So I thought I'd give The Dark Elf Series a try. I try to research a series and its author before I begin one. After reading many reviews of this book from Amazon and other outlets I had mixed feelings to what this book might be.
Well....
Its a great story. Full of action with a rich plot. The realm the writer conjures is deep with dark and ancient evil, mystery, and suspence. There are a few typos.Not a huge issue.
But over all I give it 4 stars. I can not wait to read part 2 Exile!

PROS:
Strong plot
Lots of well described action
Dark and Evil Magic
Well fleshed out characters
Good ending
CONS:
Some typos
Idea behind main character is a bit hard to swallow at times
is a bit too short
Print too small (this copy only)

Ten years ago while these books were being written, I was focusing on reading horror novels like Stephen King's Desperation. I saw a few Animorphs books lying around one day and thought to myself "Oh, how cute. Someone at our high school reads children's books." Then last Saturday I had some time to kill and was in the library. I saw the books again and said "Eh, why not." My first reaction was: whoa, this author really knows how to write. This book doesnt have any of the boring scenes that too many adventure story authors don't know how to get rid of.

I realized I needed to go somewhere private to allow the visual imagery of the books to really come at me full-force. So I took out four books, went home, and read them in one sitting. I'm amazed. I've never experienced "can't put it down" before. I've been going back every day I have free time to read more of the books. And even when I'm out doing other things I keep replaying the scenes in my head. I wish I'd picked up these books ten years ago.

My twin brother received this book of the series for our twelth birthday, whilst I received the second. Good gamble on my mother, for I was the one of the set that became hooked on the series. This was a marvelous introduction to a mostly stellar series."The Invasion" introduces five kids from various walks of life who may or may not be close to each other. An incident near the mall involving a UFO thrusts the kids into a done-but-still-fun adventure as they are given the ability to change into animals and fight body-snatching aliens. Good ol' fashioned sci-fi fun with a pleasant tween, modern twist. These early books had the best writing of the series, and K. A. Applegate carefully put in her original characters to mold them into the more developed characters they would become. "The Invasion" was the perfect introduction, with relationships, heartache, and good ol' alien slaughtering.

My brother first picked this book up some 10 years ago, when he was of the age at which cool book covers mattered more than content. Intrigued, I remember taking it from him in the car on the way home and reading the first chapter.
Bad idea.
There ensued a week of Civil War in our household, both of us battling over this book and stooping so low as to creep into each other's rooms at night, steal it off the nigh-stand, and read it under the sheets with a flashlight. Violence was resorted to a number of times, until my enraged mother demanded that we each get a SEPARATE copy of the second book in the series. I think she was hoping it was a trilogy.
This thing goes on for about 65 books. Sorry, Mommy.
I am now 22 years old and still consider Animorphs to be one of the best and most intelligent series I have ever read. Yes, it does get a bit systematic and repetitive after about Number 12, but the first 10 are incredible and the various "Chronicles" associated with the series--the Ellimist, Hork Bajir, and Visser--are absolutely fantastic. If you want a series that somehow weaves science, romance, fantasy, religion, psychology, and a hell of a lot more into one of the most imaginative universes available in print, then pick this up. Who cares if the covers are dorky? Just make sure you NEVER attempt to share it....

Five kids meet a good alien. He fights against bad aliens to save the Earth. And he gives them a special power to fight against invaders. The power can change them into animals. But does this power help them to fight against bad invaders?
I finished to read Animorphs book 1. This is a very fun book. It is no wonder that many my friends like this series. I almost couldn't stop reading it. But this book is little fat for one day reading for me. This book has 34,028 words. I took three days for finishing it.
This series has 54 books and the whole story had completed. The average word counts is about 30,000 words. This means you must read about 1.5 million words for complete this series. And some of my friends already completed it. Now I can see why they could continue to read this series. If you finished one book then you can not wait next.

Animorphs #1 the Invasion is a really, really great book. Now i'm reading all of the other books in the series. I'm on the third book,"The Encounter". Or at least I think that is what it is called. I even watch the show. I read this book about a year or two ago. Anyway, if you don't own this book, buy it and read it. If you do have this book and you haven't read it yet, then what are you waiting for? Start reading it right now. This is in my top 5 favorite books.

I sent this to my 17 year old grandson and he was blown away with the work done on this book. Fascinating.

This book came wrapped in cellophane, so I did not preview it before mailing to my grandson. But he was very excited and said he LOVED it!

This book is full of surprise fold-outs and visually pleasing pictures. My 4-yr-old needs supervision to prevent damage to the book and to help him find all of the fold-outs

I just write to say that my son is four years old and he is already a very big Star Wars fan and that he just love this book. That book covers about everything for episodes 4-5-6. The pop-ups are very imaginatives and ingenious but I would recommend not to let you kid manipulate it especially if he or she is as young as my son. Some of the pop-ups are so complex that even I have to be carefull when I unfold them.

The last pop-up has definetly a very nice touch to it with the two light-up caracters poping up (Luke and darth Vader). A must for every Star wars fan!

Thanks to all the wonderful reviews, I ordered this book with confidence for my 7 year old son who is a total Star Wars fanatic. The first book I received was defective and only one of the light sabres lit up. Amazon was fantastic and shipped a replacement that I got the very next day. THANKS AMAZON!! Order this book for the Star Wars lover -- they will flip over it. My son cannot put it down. My suggestion is that if you order it for a gift, open it first to make sure the light sabres both work. I love ordering from Amazon because I know they will always make it right.

Anyone who is a fan of Terry Pratchett should look into the three Master Li and Number Ten Ox stories. Of which, Bridge of Birds is the best.

I first read this book about 20 years ago. I read the two reviews that gave it only one star because I was curious why their reaction was so different from mine. After reading the two reviews, I believe I understand the problem.

It's called Fantasy for a reason.

It's not Literature, and it's not a History of ancient china.

Barry Hughart taught me that ancient wise men don't see themselves as "Ancient Wise Men". They see themselves as the little boys they once were (as do we all). They pass gas like the rest of us, sometimes they drink too much like the rest of us, and sometimes they are immoral like the rest of us.

Number Ten Ox may not have been the perfect foil for Kao Li, but he wasn't too far off the mark. His awe at Kao's "wisdom" (more often than not just common sense) and his willingness (and almost desire) to be proved to be less intelligent than Kao tells us a great deal about human nature.

By the end of the book I had reached the conclusion that there was little difference between Number Ten Ox and Kao Li, and that they, of all, knew that best. They each had their roles in a highly structured society and they played them to the hilt, trying their best to do good despite society's nonsense.

I loved this book 20 years ago and I love it still. I don't always want High Brow Literture. Sometimes I want a good, fun, frolic in the pool. The Number Ten Ox stories are the later.

This was an amazing fantasy novel. It's entertaining, hilarious, and heartwarming. The detail of ancient China, its traditions and beliefs are very vivid, and there are "feel good" parts to it that remind me of a Disney/Pixar movie (terrible analogy, I know, but that's what comes to me when I think of the feeling it gave me). The solutions that Li and Ox come up with to get themselves out of their various predicaments are clever in their conception and exciting in their execution, and I'm very interested in reading the next books in the series.

I've never read anything like Bridge of Birds, and I spent my first law school semester re-reading it in my spare time. With few exceptions, I never had any idea what was going to happen. I laughed like a loon during one of the murder scenes - I don't want to give away any more, but it was deliciously ironic - and was humbled by the intellect of the character who figured out the overarching mystery. The last few chapters were like a roller coaster. I felt like I was flying during the climax, and that alone would have prompted an eventual reread and reccommendation. I can't *not* reccommend Bridge of Birds to everyone, but I am aware that those who dislike complex storytelling would be totally confused before they got anywhere in the book. I will now go off in pursuit of modestly-priced copies of the other two Hughart novels...

This novel of an 'Ancient China that Never Was' is a brilliant gem of interweaving storylines that made me both smile and cry. It was alternately silly and beautiful, so much so that I want to use overblown adjectives to describe it. Basically, it was about a man looking to find a cure for a disease affecting the children of his village, but it turns out to be so much more.

When first starting the novel, it seemed a simple quest novel, usual for the fantasy genre. As it went on, it seemed more like a series of connected short stories with the same characters with perhaps an overarching goal for the main character. Then it went on some more, and it began to quickly connect. Characters once met were met again, and again. They changed, told their stories, and moved on, leaving the book and the main character changed.

By the time the book was over, I just sat there crying yet smiling with happiness at having read it and at the gorgeous ending. If you are not sobbing at that time, or when one of the characters has his letter to his daughter read, you are a much stronger person than me. I turned this book over to my husband who upon finishing agreed that it was a shame that the author did not have a large list of books for us to dive into.

Someone who reviewed this said it was not an accurate representation of ancient China. It truly is no more accurate in describing ancient China than modern fantasy novels describing medieval life or the Dark Ages, but as you read it, you realize that's not what you're reading it for. The way it glosses over facts and grittiness makes it a stronger work.

I really enjoyed this book! I think I enjoyed it more the further into it I got because I began to realize the scope of the book. Also, because it's a series, I wasn't sure how much of the book would be self-contained vs. continuous.
I adored the way the "fantasy world" and how Coville described the various landscapes. Ditto for the creatures of the fantasy world! From both known fantastical creatures (like unicorns) to some new (at least, I've never heard of them before), delightful creatures! I felt as though each character had a distinct personality - even if it took me a little bit to figure them out. And I felt invested in them all, which is a good feat for the book being only 150 pages.
That's really my only reason for the 4 stars instead of 5. There's really nothing wrong with the book that I can find to warrant only 4 stars - but for me, I'm used to more in-depth books with great detail to the plots. This was the only thing I wanted more of; I felt there was enough plot and character back-story that the book could have been expanded and delved into further. Though, perhaps that wasn't the author's intent - or it wasn't the intent of this book since it's a series.
However, I would think this a great book to start out for younger readers. And it's a delightful treat for those of us who adore fantasy books to read between tomes!

This is an amazing book it is number 2 in my top five favorite books. And I've read ALOT of books. This is an ideal book for ANYONE who LOVES unicorns, like me! If you get this book for some one be sure to get the second one to. Why? Becuse this one REALY gets you ready for the next one. When I finished it I had really wished that my teacher had the next one, but she didn't. I checked the school libray, but they didn't have it either! I haven't read the next one yet, but I am always keeping my eye out for it and now I've found it here! I hope you've liked my review
-an 11 year-old

Into the Land of the Unicorns is a grate book for people at or abuve a fourth grade reading Levle. Thier is nothing boring about it. I liked it so mutch that after 10 mins after I got it I had like three chapters finished. It is one of the best books I have ever read. I think this book deserves more than a five star rating. You should defently read it.

this book was written when i was born, and i love it! i love the unicorns and i am hoping to finish my own series called United Unicorns, i hope i can get it pubilshed

My kids really enjoyed me reading a chapter from this book every night after their meditation time. I am about to start reading The Song of the Wanderer to them now that we have finished this book.