Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

This book was very enjoyable. It shows how Kell, a Klingon infiltrator, learns that the humans are not as cowardly and deceptive as people may think. He learns that Captain James T. Kirk is not a coward as his people think, and that Kirk has the same honor as Kahless. Once Kell learns this, he dreads completing his mission, which is kill Captain Kirk.

A superbly well-written story, that sucks you in and gets you seeing Star Fleet through Klingon eyes a little more. Only 1 major beef: it took 3 years to get the sequel trilogy to the newstands!(Errand of Fury, Book 1 Seeds of Rage). Definitely a great Star Trek book for Original Series and Klingon fans. The way he starts the buildup to Star Trek V is masterful. Lots of good battle stuff, and NO HOLODECKS or overly sensitive politically correct Picard-crew types.

Love ANY Star Trek and this series is very good!

I wholeheartedly agree that this classic Star Trek novel is great! Not only capturing the very feel of the TV series, but propelling us into the "human adventure" created and propelled decades ago by the late/great Gene Roddenberry. But this is not just a great Star Trek novel, for it is sci-fi space opera at its best, just like: "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Puppet Masters", "2001", "2010", "Rendezvous with Rama", "Ringworld", all the "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" books, "Advent of the Corps" and others.

This book started out with two strikes against it; it was part of a trilogy, and it focused on a Klingon. Given that I'm NOT one of the multitudes of Klingon fans among current Star Trek afficionados, and I HATE I HATE I HATE stories that end "to be continued" without finishing what they started, I had low expectations here.

So imagine my pleasant surprise when we actually had a story that finished one full plotline, and ended at a perfectly acceptable point, even if there was an overarching continuing subplot in the background, and one that dealt with the Klingon element in a way that could almost make me, a diehard Original-series, Klingons-are-stereotypical-bad-guys kind of guy, appreciate them.

There are several very large holes in the basic concept, that require a bit more suspension of disbelief than I can manage: the central character, Kell, aka Jon Anderson, is a Klingon infiltrator disguised as a human, much like the character in the episode "Trouble With Tribbles". He is surgically altered to "appear" human, even to the point of having his blood's color changed from lavender to red. But he won't be able to pass any examination from a doctor, as his internal anatomy is essentially unchanged and so he has to go to great lengths to avoid sickbay.

Now, how many ways is this silly? Can a person really expect to be assigned to a starship and NOT get a routine physical exam within 48 hours? Given that the answer to this question is "no", would the Klingons really be dumb enough to try this scam? And if this happened BEFORE "Trouble With Tribbles", and if Kell is eventually discovered (granted, he isn't by the end of this book) wouldn't that have caused the Federation to be more diligent in finding disguised Klingons, thus making it even less likely that THAT infiltrator could have succeeded as far as he did? On the other hand, if it happens AFTER that episode, wouldn't they be even more on guard here? All of this makes the main concept EXTREMELY dubious, but it's such a fun story that I'm at least mostly willing to give it a free ride on the issue. It would have been better, though, if it had been explained that the disguise was good enough to fool a routine physical, but a THOROUGH exam would reveal the deception. That would have been plausible, and have made the suspension of disbelief a LITTLE easier.

I read this book when I is was in 8th grade but I still like to go back and read things over it is a wonderful book if you like fantasy dragons and a girl hero.

Since I am not good at explaining things I will type what it says on the back of the book:

There is a story about Kara and dragons. When she was four, she came down with vermilion fever. Her parents, thinking there was no cure, left her in a cave to die. A month later she walked back into her parent's home as healthy as if she had never been sick. It is said that a mother dragon lived in that cave, and she nursed young Kara back to life. Now, eleven years later, the only reminder of Kara's illness is a small scar on her cheek. Of her contact with the dragon, there is more. Her eyes, which once were blue, are now green. And she can call down birds, which many believe is a sign that she can also call down dragons, for the two are distant cousins. Only Kara has her doubts. How can a beast as huge and terrifying as a dragon be related to a sweet, gentle bird? But could this explain why the king has sent for her? Does he think she has powers over dragons? For Kara, the answer to this question means life or death- not only for her, but for all the dragons, also.

I loved this book. Susan Fletcher has done it again. However, I did prefer the first and third books to this one. But this book is very important to the series, and it's amazingly good, too. This is the best trilogy ever written!

:-)

The story is about a young girl named Kara,who is sick as a small child and was brought to a cave to be buried. Instead of dying,dragons fed her milk,which nursed her back to heallth. This milk also gave her speial powers. Kara meets the royal family ofthe land of Krag because of her powers, which throws her into the middle of a of a blood war between dragons and this royal family. Kara has mant adventures as she
tries to do the right thing for the family and the dragons. The prince of this
famly,Rog,threatens to kill two childrenif Kara doesn't sumomon dragons for him to kill. She gets help from the kiing and his army,the birds that she summons,and her friends. They defeat Rog,and her falcon flies off with dragons. Kara goes back to the king dom of Krag with king Orrik as his summoner.
I like this book because there are plenty of suprises. It issuspenseful and exciting.

I enjoyed this second book of the Dragon Chronicles more than the first for several reasons.

Susan Fletcher does very well with the first-person narrative of Kara, and the language used by the character makes the story all the move believable. Its a more intelligent read than the first book, with a more interesting range of vocabulary. Also, Kara as a charcter is much more interesting to read about than Kaeldra. Kara's pride and her fears, and even her hypocracy at times, make her a real human being. And what's more, she has a fire-cracker temper that I found refreshing after reading about the droll,ho-hum, stick-in-the-mud Kaeldra.

In this second book, there is a bigger cast of characters and Fletcher does well to make sure these people all have personalities of their own. (The first book, had more character 'types',and less characters with personalities.)

I agree, the book's main relationship is a little stale. It wouldn't have been if we had not seen a similar build up in "Dragon's Milk"'s major relationship. If they had not been mirror images of the same stormy and mistrusting courtship then I would have been much more entertained.

All and all, "Flight of the Dragon Kyn" was a better written book with a more interesting array of charcters. Well worth the read.

A Review by Jessica

One day log ago a girl named Kara got Vermillion fever and almost died, but a dragon saved her. This book takes place many years after this incidence. The thing is that Kara remembers nothing that happened. The only things that remind her of the dragon is a name, Flagra, which she screamed in the middle of the night and the gift of being able to call birds down from the sky. A king named Orrick sends for her to come to him, and she dose. What Kara doesn't know is he wants her to call down dragons. The Problem is that Kara has never seen a dragon let alone call one down from the sky. Kara and a group of warriors go out to seek dragons. Kara calls for Flagra and she comes what she doesn't know it that the men are going to kill this dragon, the one that saved her life. As the dragon becomes visible the arrows rise to the deep blue sky and they shoot.

In this book I really enjoyed the suspense and adventure. The main character, Kara tells this story in first person. Susan Fletcher is a great author. One thing I like in her books is there is a little hidden love story within them. There is one in this book. It is between Kara and one of the king's men named Kazan. I also like the extreme detail that Susan Fletcher uses. An example of detail is when she describes a falcon she calls. Kara says, "I steeped back startled, the gray falcon screamed, tightened her grip on my hand. One wing clouted my head, and then she was flying." The vocabulary in this book is not too hard but not to easy. I also found the dialogue to be very easy to follow.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good adventure with suspense and action. It's a real great read! This book keeps you in the edge of your seat the whole time your reading it.

I just purchased my third copy of this book: read the first one to bits, one of my (normally trustworthy) friends jacked the second and no one will be allowed to touch the third. Take Douglas Adams craziness + Terry Pratchetts upbeat humor and imagination = a refreshingly funny novel where mankind is not perpetually cast as overly violent/barely civilized animals or whiny "get in touch with my feelings" emotional cripples trying to solve the problems of the universe. Pompous or pseudo intellectuals need not bother, you will not get it.

Like I said, Don't be fooled by other reviews on this book. I hate to read since a lot of what I had to read in High School was complete drivel to me and put me off of reading for a long time. Anybody who gave this story a bad review probably loves Henry David Thoreau poems and that was one classic author who needed to be put out of his misery before he published his acclaimed TRASH!
Phil Phoglio is more of an illustrator but also wrote in his own fair right {Myth Adventures, VERY HIGHLY RECCOMMENDED BY ME AT LEAST} but this was a cooperative effort and it paid off. This was one of the few books that I read cover to cover non-stop. Just when you thought you were going to predict what was to come the autors threw something new into the mix catching the reader by surprise. The remarks of the humor being sexist by other reviewers shows the poor level of their understanding of the 'human condition' or cultural behavior. We are all sexist pigs at heart and the idea of a New York street gang taking control of a powerful star ship and being faked out by special forces soldiers described as goergous women in bakinis delivering a huge stack of pizzas fit well. What the hell does one think a bunch of adolesent punks would want when in control of a star ship? Money, Cars, and beautiful women (none of which they could afford or get since they were adolescent punks in New York city). If you want sexist try "Star Trek the next Generation" (granted not a book but a fine example of my point). Captian Picard is a diplomacy spouting liberal sissy boy too afraid to get any woman who threw herself at him in bed blowing around in a galaxy where all the aliens have nothing more than a pat of latex on their foreheads while the second in command Will Riker was falling in love with every new alien they came across in every episode. It was nothing but the Love Boat with Photon Torpedos. Next Gen had more sex (and inter species sex) in it than all of the seasons of the Love Boat put together. At least with Babylon 5 the idea of inter species sex was covered very well. Many times there were compatability issues preventing it from happeneing and other times the non-humans being proposed didn't take it well. It would be like getting busy with a dog to them. To call Illegal Aliens sexist is short sighted. Needless to say I lost all respect with Star trek thanks to Next Gen. Illegal Aliens was refreshment for the mind in a world of mediocer sci-fi. I thought the real good sci-fi died in the mid sixties and yes I read A LOT of paperback sci-fi from the fifties and sixties. Issac Asimov was a brilliant author in his day as was Authur C. Clark so I do feel qualified to rate the quality of this story. Titles like Analog and Sci-Fi weekly should come to mind with any avid Sci-Fi reader and I liked a lot of what they contained. Red Sands of Mars was around long before the movie (which stunk) Red Planet came out. I could go on with the titles of sci-fi books I read in the past but I am addressing Illegal Aliens which was the most unique sci-fi written in recent history. it does not beat an old idea into the ground.
This story was well laid out and flowed evenly with surprise after surprise and many of the aliens were nothing like what any sci-fi autor would describe like the R'porrians. R'porrains are cockroaches with a penchant for destroying other planets' economies and stripping them of all their resources and they are so prolific they were blockaded on their homeworld by the galactic federation. Another oddity was Silverside, an intellagent Death Machine with free will who became a crime lord. What was even funnier was how frustrated the Gee (the galactic police force) got while trying to catch up with "the All That Glitters" {the stolen space ship that landed in Central Park in the beginning of the book} while it was crewed by humans trying to make it to the headquarters of the Galactic Federation.
If anything this is one book that dearly needs to be made into a movie or an animation. This is not Star Trek at all and does not take any political stance one way or the other. This is not what I would consider intellectual reading and if that is what you seek GO ELSEWHERE AND QUIT WHINING ABOUT THIS BOOK'S LACK OF WHATEVER! It was written to entertain and not in the mindless way that many other books were written. It does not cater to the least common denomonator and does not barrage you with so much technical information that it leaves many readers confused. The most technical thing said in the book was a comment the ship's engineer Trell {captured by special forces when the ship was captured from the street gang who controlled it. The original crew hated him so much he was kept locked up in the engine room because he was a pacifist and the original crew would have spaced him if they didn't need him so badly. Trell actually is an intellagent plant. Go figure.}. Trell turned out to be more than willing to tell us about the ship he manned and described the ship's need to be white as "serious mojo that made the ship go really fast" since the explanation was too complicated for us to understand. The story manages to simplify stuff that gives physics majors a bad headace and helps make the story readable.
This is one story that will not leave you behind nor is it mindless. It was written with heart and deserves to be read. The only thing this story lacks is being a more visual experience where many reviewers who had to complain might finally understand. If you need an epic go read "war and peace" and quit complaining. This is no classic like the "Illiad and the Odessy" or "MacBeth" but what the hey, This is not placed in the past or writen in the past and is not intended for scientific reading or gripping social commentery. it is a funny story and nothing else. It was not intended to be openly sarchastic about any one thing in particular. It lacks the dry sacastic tones of Monty Python but it does posses a more subtle hint of it. It is not a social commentary ever so popular to the liberal crowd. It does say some mild things about our society but not enough to detract from the main plot of the story which was us seeking admittance into the Galactic Federation once we found out about its exsistance in a stolen space ship.
Come into this book with an open mind and don't look for this to be a serious read. Nick Pollatta did a great job writing this story and as long as you are not reading this as an intellectual (the bane of entertainment) you will be pleased. You also will be wondering why nobody put this to film yet!

OK. I gave it 5 stars because I didn't want to ruin its rating, when it is evidently so beloved by every other reviewer. It was really only worth 1 or 2 stars. I read this because of its high rating,but didn't find it the equal of, say, just about any other science fiction book. Having said that -- I did get a real laugh out of the first few chapters. The street gang vs the aliens was definitely amusing. But once that was done....
I do think the authors are good at describing people. This would probably make a good "made for TV movie." And it did leave me with a certain good will towards the writers. But that is really all. Can't recommend it.

This novel was more fun than I anticipated. Aliens land in New York and the UN first contact team takes over the world to deal with them. This is almost 2 books. The first half deals with the first aliens who land on earth and the second half what earth does in retaliaton to what they find out about people-out-there.

This book sends up tonnes of standard SF stories and is fully tounge-in-cheek. It has a cast of eccentric characters and aliens who really aren't any better or worse than humanity itself.

For a fun satire on the whole SF genre this book is a good read (as long as you aren't expecting anything too sophisticated..)

So nice to see this puppy back in print! all you folks selling it for 80.00+ go soak your dirty heads! One of the great stories from TSR's heyday. I read this sucker the first time while a senior in high school way back in 89 and it still makes me bust a gut! Fun,wacky and a great read!update 2/18/06 I guess I should add this book is extremely sarcastic,sophmoric and juvenile(it was intended for teens after all)I do think the way it portrays humankind as self absorbed and unable to accept defeat is right on(its at once a strength and a weakness). I guess if you were teenager reading it for the first time never having lived during the cold war you might rate 2-3 stars

I am an avid reader of science fiction, fantasy, romance and historical novels. I found this entire series to be exceptional. I am an adult and these seemed to be written for a younger generation but I could not put these books down!

If you would like some light fantasy reading that is different from many of the books out there, then this is for you.

Tal has the Red Keystone now, and following Lokar's instructions, he seeks the Empress, haunted by the memories of the people he believes that he has killed, including his Uncle Ebbit. He is also haunted by thoughts of Milla, because she has returned home to tell the Crones of the Castle- and die. Instead, she has become Milla Talon-hand, War-chief of the Icecarls. And she plans to invade the Castle, do whatever it takes to defeat the Chosen. With one of the Talons of Danir, and the knowledge of the Freelies at her side, along with an army of Shield Maidens, she is ready to strike down the Chosen!

I liked this book because it had a lot of unexpected twists, including the one when Tal delivers the `death curse' of the old Emperor Mercur. This book was a very intense book, and it was definitely what I wanted to hear from this series. It's lived up to what I heard about it and much more, this book especially. Anyone should read the fifth book of the Seventh Tower series, Into Battle!

In the second to last volume of this series, things get even more intense, if that's possible. Milla has a more prominent role, which is good because I like her quite a bit, though she and Tal continue in separate storylines for now. Tal's quest to save his family has become a far bigger struggle. Now, the future of the world of the Chosen and the Icecarls itself is threatened. Milla has taken command of her people as War-Chief, and must lead a fierce battle against Castle, while trying to come to terms with her own confused feelings of inadequacy and guilt. Needless to say, the plot is explosive, the characters deep and easy to relate to, and the descriptions paint a vivid picture of this vibrant world. Definitely read the series from the beginning, and buy them all at once! This author has a terrible affinity for unbearable cliffhangers...

Garth Nix wrote a wonderful children's series in this Seventh Tower series of books. My son (aged 10) and I have read all the books together. Garth Nix has some of the most inventive and ingenious ideas I have read in science fiction. Before you read this book, you really need to read the other Seventh Tower books that come before. I can't say enough good things about this author!

Garth Nix's Seventh Tower series approaches its climax with "Into Battle," a taut action-fantasy that throws a few new kinks into the complex plot. It seems a bit late to start introducing the main villain, but otherwise "Into Battle" could not be more compelling.

Milla is now the War-Chief of the Icecarls, and is leading them to a final assault on the Castle. As she and a junior Crone infiltrate the entryways, trying to get airweed, they encounter Free Shadows -- which are killed by the ancient Talon she acquired earlier. But when she rejoins the Freefolk, Milla finds that they have a traitor in their midst.

Meanwhile, Tal is struggling to find the Empress so he can tell her of the conspiracy. But after a harrowing trip to Aenir, Tal finally finds her -- a doddering old woman with no real power to stop the evil Sushin. But then Tal discovers the creature that is manipulating Sushin -- and his own destiny.

Garth Nix packs a lot of story into six slim books, and managed a fully realized fantasy world to boot. Not many authors can create as good a fantasy series in dozens of books. "Into Battle" has one weakness, but is otherwise a magnificent buildup to the series' climax.

"Into Battle" also introduces us to the Big Bad Guy, Sharrakor. Not personally, but this is the first we hear of him; it's a little jarring to have the sinister Sushin suddenly replaced as a top bad guy, this close to the end. Fortunately, Nix does sustain the sense of ominous mystery that this series has always had.

And when he introduces us to the doddering empress and her equally doddering brother, Nix also hints at what's in Tal's future in this series, if he defeats Sushin and Sharrakor. Milla has already gained her destiny, and we see her as a humbler, more self-assured warrior.

"Into Battle" is a strong buildup to the final book of the Seventh Tower series, and proves again that Garth Nix has mastered the dark fantasy novel.

If you have not had the pleasure of viewing an episode of Inu-Yasha on Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network take the time to check it out, you will be hooked! One of the best anime series coming out of Japan I think. The storylines are entertaining and the content is not to questionable. There is some sexual content with some of the storylines, but it is completely within reason and not presented in any vulgar or offensive manner. The series is geared toward the adolescent viewer with funny cracks directed at the awkward stages of puberty. Your younger teens will laugh out loud and come to love every character.

As Inuyasha and company are sailing down a river they encounter a girl named Nazuna as she is escaping from a spider-head demon. It seems the whole area is infested with the spiders who take the heads of humans, except for a temple which is inhabited by Nazuna and a wizened priest. But when the spiders break into the temple, Inuyasha is at a loss because it just happens to be the time in all half-demons lives when they lose their demonic power and become fully human for a short time! Our heroes will have to use their brains instead of brawn this time. After that they will have to deal with a witch that steals Kikyo's bones in an effort to resurrect the priestess that imprisoned Inuyasha for 50 years!

What can I say about any work by Rumiko Takahasi? They are probably the best manga out there! She is a genius! The great thing about this volume is that we learn a bit more about the past conflict between Inuyasha and Kikyo and that their relationship was a bit more "involved" than we were led to believe. It wasn't just a simple battle for the possession of the Shikon Jewel. The twist of making Inuyasha become a human for a night was also a clever twist in the plot. Rumiko seems full of surprises in what is essentially an action manga. Excellent work!

There are 21 volumes of "Inu-Yasha" out as I write this, but volume 5 is still my favorite.

Inu-Yasha, Kagome, and Shippou meet a young girl whose village is being attacked by spider head demons. Strangely, Inu-Yasha is reluctant to help. We get to see Inu-Yasha's human form for the first time, and if you like the romance between Inu-Yasha and Kagome, you'll love this volume. I like the series before I read this, but this one made me fall in love with it.

If you haven't read up to this point, you'll probably want to get the other volumes first. Inu-Yasha is a must for any manga collection.

I was little surprised (given the author) that this was such a well-written manga but I was surprised that there was still humor.

Some of the action is not as well drawn as the conversation episodes of the work but still very enjoyable.

For the parents, there is one brief scene of some topless nudity but nothing overt.

I am looking forward to continuing this series.

Inuyasha a human! With black hair no ears or claws and fangs! (Gasps and faints) Buy this great book to find out more.

Today was a very good day. An ebay order of books arrived, complete
with a copy of this. Something I have been looking to buy for around 15
years, and finally considered this method. Could not believe it. Still
remember reading it, and the cover (Bantam edition with the green
armored pair looking out a cockpit windscreen). A great story or the
horrors of war, death and love, with something greater that has to be
overcome.

It is basically criminal that this is out of print.

I'd be interested to know if Peter F. Hamilton and Richard Morgan have read this, and if it influenced them.

Wolverton's book explores a futuristic world with a great deal more thought and human feeling than is common to the genre. The author's broad experience and philosophical leanings lend the prose greater intellectual weight, and the characters are believable and compelling. Highly recommended.

I read this novel after reading review by Orson Scott Card praising it highly. It is my favorite sci-fi novel of all time.
It is powerfully psychological,clearly influenced by Phillip K Dick, but it is also marvelous for its "hard" technical content, as well as very intellectual in the way the hero examines the moral questions of his world. Plot is also handled very well, with lots of violent action, and images which are simply unforgettable. How can this be a first novel? It is moving on every level and I consider it a masterpiece.

The other reviews have pretty much covered this book. It is five stars all the way. Its one of those books that you look back longingly on, almost fifteen years old now, I remember a day when I was much younger, and the world still exciting and new. Im sure you all have books that stay with you like that. It evokes great memories from a great time to be in college (early 90's). Anyway, the question is, will Dave Wolverton ever write a sequel? Will he ever write under his real name? Or write true sci-fi, not just star wars young adult trash? I sure hope he does. Dave, if you ever read this, please return to the world you created in "Paradise!"

Hello:

This book is everything the "positive reviews" above say, and more. From the first page, until the last paragraph, to the last three words of that last page, this book will awe, inspire, and haunt you in ways few other books ever will. It is a work of science fiction genuis that has been totally over looked and neglected for far too long. And that is a shame. This book should have won Hugo and Nebula and Campbell. Sadly it did not, as the politics of the day in the Sci Fi community were decidedly "anti-war" in any way when it was on the shelves.

It is long past over do for a new printing, (but better cover plz)

Like one reviewer above, I found six copies of this book at a book store and I bought them all. And I proceeded to hand em out, along with A.A Attanasios Radix. What a good year for books that was. Paradise and Radix combined could ruin you for other books for years to come. It's impossible to top this kind of quality. But back to this book...

You are unlikely to find this books equal on any shelf today. The new Space Opera (my favorite) is sadly laced with affection for the Marxism that never happened (thank god) and the rest is now so PC and Left Wing, as to be nearly unreadable, or at best, as gray and boring as a crowd of people in Soviet Russias old days. (they all wore black or gray)

If you read only one Sci Fi book in the next year, make it this one. And keep your copy, for you will need to read again one day. No one reads this book just one time, in their life time. It's simply that damn good.

I wish Dave Wolverton would do this kind of book again, and do it well. Someone tell him he should.

John H. Myers Jr.

Santiago is a mythical outlaw and adventurer. In this story, three people of different backgrounds and abilities set out to track the man down. What they find is not what they have initially been lead to believe and know about the man, or what his actual role in history and the galaxy has been. A look at the mythologising and creating of heroes or outlaws, depending on what side you are on.

This here is a genuine SciFi classic from the 80's, and it holds up quite well some 20 years later. A very entertaining charactor and plot driven, western flavored tale. I'd think fans of Joss Whedon's "Firefly" would love this book.

If I could give this a 6-star rating, I would. Read all the other reviews, and consider why so many diverse people think this book is great.

I tend to prefer fantasy, with medieval-type settings, with some magic or things of similar nature. This book doesn't even come close, and yet it is one of my favorite books; one of only a handful that I enjoy re-reading.

It starts out as a corny space opera combined with corny wild-west style story. You might groan, thinking you may have picked up one of the silliest stereotyped stories ever written. (I did, the first time I read it). And yet, at the same time, it's so much fun I couldn't help but continue reading it. Soon it's obvious that there is a lot more to this book than first appears. Fascinating characters and unexpected plot twists make it hard to put the book down.

By the end of the book I was in awe with how skillfully Mr. Resnick manipulates the story from corny to something truly meaningful with the reader hardly even aware of it.

When you finish the book you realize it wasn't anything like what you expected when you started reading it, and that is what makes it such a great book.

Even if you had been looking forward to reading a space opera/space western, you won't be disappointed in the book.

SANTIAGO (1986) is definately a classic... I've read at least 500 books, and this one just made my top 5 list. Never boring, and frequently exciting - it is amazing that SANTIAGO hasn't been turned into a motion picture yet. It is like an old Western, but set in the far future.

SANTIAGO is the story of an obscure "outlaw", who is the #1 most-wanted man in the inner frontier of the Galaxy, at a time when mankind has spread to over 100,000 planetary systems. The ruling "Democracy" has place a 20,000,000 credit price on Santiago's head, and bounty hunters suddenly begin tripping all over each other, trying to get the reward... the end result is a lot of dead bounty hunters and other riff-raff. Many of the main characters in the story have been legendized by a singer/ballad-teller named Black Orpheus, and this adds to the fun, as we are exposed to their many individual personalities and idisynchrocies as the tale unfolds.

In the end, Santiago turns out to be more than just an obscure outlaw, but I'll leave the details out, so as not to spoil the ending of this classic SciFi Future Western.

I liked this book. It's not a book I'll likely read again, but I immensely enjoyed reading it and am glad I did.

Sebastian Nightingale Cain (the 'Songbird'), bounty hunter, chases across the galaxy to find the king of criminals himself, Santiago, with a price on his head larger than anyone else. But Cain doesn't only want the money; he wants to create a name for himself. By killing Santiago, he would be remembered.

He meets up with some strange characters along his way:
Virtue McKenzie, the 'Virgin Queen', a reporter who desperately wants an interview... with Santiago;
The Jolly Swagman, art collector, who is looking for several pieces of art currently possessed... by Santiago;
The Angel, the most famous bounty hunter, cold, deadly, and never failing, who wants money... from killing Santiago;
Moonripple, a nice girl who likes to work as a waitress, and thinks the greatest hero in the universe... is Santiago.

Clue after clue, name after name, lead after lead, Cain will follow the bread-crumbs that could lead him to Santiago. But as he nears his goal, he doesn't know if he will ever kill Santiago... but he's not sure of the reason why....

A satisfying read, that will have you brimming with excitement and even laughing at times, this is a 'must read' for anyone who likes science fiction. I prefer fantasy, myself, so even those who love fantasy may like this book.

Don't let the title of the review throw you off. When I say "unusual," it usually means it in a good way. In the case of Varjak Paw, it is unusual because the story line is very cool, and the drawings are very, very weird and crazy. I loved this book, and if you liked the Warriors series, then Varjak Paw is a must-have for you.

This is a very good book, about Varjak Paw, a Mesopotamian Blue kitten who never has fit in with his snobby, self-centered family. One day a strange Gentleman with two black cats arrives and he seems to be dangerous. Varjak Paw is sent on a quest to find a dog to save his family. On the way he meets several other cats, some good, some bad, and he learns about the struggle to fend for yourself. He also learns the Way-a secret martial art for cats-from his ancestor Jalal in his dreams. The book is well written, with lively, detailed characters (Holly is my favorite :D) and an exciting plot. The only bad thing is that (spoiler! spoiler!) I don't understand what the Gentleman does to the cats that Vanish. Does he turn them into robots or stuff them or what? If you have read Warriors (my favorite book series-I love cats) I recommend this book, even though personally I like Warriors better. But Varjak Paw is great. Read it. And when you're done - read The Outlaw Varjak Paw!

When my grandaughter, Robyn, purchased this book for *me* with her own money, I had visions of creating a cassette for a virtual, long distance, bed-time read Unfortunately, after reading it, I think it is a bit too "dark" where it refers to the "vanishings" and the [mini-spoiler alert follows] taxiderm-esque feel to it.

Being sensitive, and a cat-lover herself, she still cries about her "lost" cat, Mork, and I think this would give her other scary thoughts about his fate.

It is a well-written, a "coming of age" adventure, and an easy read, which earns it 4 stars -- but the caution is what I wanted to speak to, and I hope it is taken with an appropriate grain of salt, among these raves. Thank you for including my .02 for free.

Varjak paw is a good book. It is good because it has a lot of emotion and action also all the charicters are cats! It is a good book if you like cats. It is kind of like the warriors series because it has a whole lot of action. I think it is a 5 star book.

One thing in the book that I liked was when Varjak had to catch the pidgeons it showed bravery because Varjak could have died.

This book was wonderful to read it was so cool, I liked it because the writter added a lot of details in this book. My best part was when varjak saved the other cats! I would love to read this book again, I thought this book was interesting to me because varjak has to save his family! I liked reading this book and I hope you will to!

In true form this book was a wonderful read, most difficult to put down.
Action all the way, as the books say you'll never view the weather as before, makes you wonder!! The next book is a must read!!

Love this whole series. This author is just great. Rachel Caine came highly recommended by Jim Buthcher, author of the Dresden Files. If you've read any of her Weather Warden series, you just have to read Book 4 to keep up with the characters and find out what happens to them.

Rachel Caine's 4th entry in the Weather Warden series is a page-turner deluxe, and a highly enjoyable way to spend a few hours. The scenes depicting Joanne's job at the TV station make this book well worth your time, even if you were to skip over the magic, romance, intrigue, and humor. One of the things that makes this such a good series is the rich cast of supporting characters, added to in this book with the addition of Joanne's sister. This is almost becoming as humorous a series as Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum's series!

I have been putting off writing this review since February. Why? I didn't think I could put into words how amazing and fantastic this book truly is. It wipes the floor with the three previous Weather Warden books, which is a feat in itself as those books are among the best ever written. Windfall is even better.

But now I'm finally writing the review. Expect it to be rambling and full of me gushing about how much I love this series and this book in particular.

I love Windfall so much, I've borrowed it from the library four times in succession, and even got an overdue fine because I didn't want to take it back. The books aren't available to buy here, so I have to rely on the library. But it's worth the fines and the borrowing since the book is so damned good.

If you've read the other reviews, you'll know the basic plot - Joanne has moved back to her hometown of Florida after quitting the Wardens, has a new job as a TV weather girl at a local station, and is trying to find a solution to her problem. What's her problem? Her Djinn lover David is draining her power. In Chill Factor, he was turned Ifrit, and is slowly wasting away to full Ifrit state. On top of this, Jo has a police officer from the Las Vegas police department on her case (he wants information about his dead partner Quinn from Chill Factor), master Djinn Jonathan has given her an ultimatum - heal David or else, her older sister Sarah turns up homeless and wanting to shack up with Jo (and meets a "cute British guy" who is not what he seems), Jo is still pregnant with a Djinn child forced onto her by David and she is forced to wear stupid foam outfits at her job and is continually hit on her by her sleazy weatherman co-star.

All these plot elements add up to one fantastic story - and this is only the tip of the iceberg. This all escalates into something much larger as the book goes on. It seems like too many storylines to follow at once but it's all woven together easily and will keep you riveted.

On the character side of the things - all the favourites are still around. I was glad to see that Lewis still had a major part in this story, he's one of my favourites. I'm also glad Rahel is still in it, and I'm surprised at how much I like Jonathan (I hated him in Heat Stroke & Chill Factor). The new characters are great too - even though Jo's sister Sarah is annoying, it's hard to hate her. Cherise, Jo's sidekick in weather presenting hell is one of the best new characters introduced to the book in ages! She's cute, perky and hilarious. Her and Jo's banter lightens the more darker serious tone of the book (I'm so glad she's going to be in Firestorm!). Eamon, otherwise known as "cute British guy" (a name given to him by Jo and Cherise) is a two dimensional character who is very very interesting. What disappointed me is that Marion was left out of this installment, and that they brought Kevin back. Kevin REALLY annoys me, he's so tiresome.

Some scenes of Windfall left me in tears - especially most of the (limited unfortunately) scenes with Jo and David. I'm a David fan, so to see him transform into something horrible is just awful - their relationship is heartbreaking and one scene near the end of the book had me crying. I'm kind of worried that it's over for them now, but we'll find out in Firestorm. This book is much darker and much more serious then the previous books, and is full of action. It's non-stop, there's no boring scenes. The humour is still present - most of Jo and Cherise's adventures at their job are amusing, and the "great mall expedition of 2003" bit had me laughing.

Well, I did ramble and say how much I loved this book. I truly do. It's the best of the series (maybe to be surpassed by Firestorm?), and Rachel Caine continues to impress me with her writing skills. The Weather Wardens are my favourite book series of all time, and Windfall definitely is one of the best books I've ever read. You absolutely need to read the previous books before cracking into this one, they provide backstory for the events of this one.

I'm eagerly anticipating Firestorm (September 5th!), and more from our fiesty heroine Jo. Well done Rachel Caine!

This book is the cause of great tiredness today - I tried to stop reading it at 11pm last night when wanting to go to sleep but it had become so exciting that I couldn't sleep and had to pick it up again, finally finishing it at 1am.

Book 4 of this excellent series is slightly different in that some time has passed since the end of book 3, rather than it being a non-stop roller-coaster ride of Joanne's life. She's now working as a sidekick on a weather channel, living in a nondescript flat and not using her weather powers at all to prevent a power lobotomy. David, her seriously weakened lover/Djinn, has to spend almost all of his time in the bottle as he's draining her powers and is on the verge of becoming an Ifrit.

This story focuses rather more on Joanne and how she deals with different situations without using her powers. The usual list of characters are there - Lewis, Jonathan, Paul, Rahel, Alice, David and Ashan, but we also meet her sister, her sister's new boyfriend and a policeman who was a former partner of Quinn's.

There's a kind of subtext in this book about good and evil - yes, Quinn was evil but he also had some good. Another character who appears good turns out to be evil, but he also has some redeeming features. Although overall this series might come across as a battle between good and evil that's not always the case - yes, the wardens are manipulating the weather to prevent loss of life and damage through natural causes, but we learned in the last book that the Ma'at believe that the wardens have actually increased the problems from the weather due to their interference. We learn more about this at the end of the book as we discover the underlying reason that things are going wrong.

The romance between David and Joanne is still there in this book, as is the little surprise that David left for Joanne in the last book, but the story focuses more directly on Joanne. When the book finished I found myself breathless, waiting for what was coming next (I have several more months to wait for it to be published, unfortunately) but also slightly disappointed in the direction Rachel Caine had taken with a couple of the main characters. I shall wait and see how the follow-up pans out and if she brings these new threads into the story in a satisfactory way. Somehow I think she well, she hasn't let me down so far.

Overall this is a very good book; the dialogue is perhaps a little less sparkling than normal, but there's plenty of action and the characters keep growing, including Djinn who are so difficult to understand, Jonathan being the most impenetrable of them all. I recommend this series highly, although I think it's probably best to read them in order.

I'm finding this a facinating book to read if only in terms of looking at how the Earth actually works and all the little details which seem to need to be just right in order to have a stable biosphere.

While tackling some very technical issues, and being packed with enormous amounts of information, the book remains very readable.

The only thing infuriating about this book (and it's not the books fault) is that it will force me to rethink the a world I was planning as it clearly appears to be implausible.

Some would argue that this is evidence that it is a barrier to creativity but I beg to differ, a reallity check will force me to be more creative to get the story effects which I want. Even then at the end of the day just because I know the theories about how world work doesn't mean that I can't ignore them if so doing suits my purpose. The only difference will be that I'll know I'm ignoring them. In the end it is better to break the rules on purpose then to do so accidentally.

Picked this book up as a reference for beginning my own SF book. Enjoyed it. Has some good info presented in a understandable manner.

As both a author and reader of fiction I enjoyed World Building even though I was not able to use any of it in my first book. I was looking for something to help me build heaven. However in my next book a lot of what I have learned from reading this book will be use to help me build believable worlds
Tommy Taylor

This book explores and details assorted aspects of world-building, some that I hadn't considered previously. Going through it's questionnaire helped me flesh out and enliven my fantasy planets. Well done!

I would most definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in writing science fiction! I originally borrowed the book from my local library, and I was so impressed I decided to purchase it. It works as a reference guide to the process of world creation, designed specifically for science fiction, though some of its information can be used in fantasy as well.