Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

This is a quirky and lovely book. The text is provided by Mr. Berton and the whimsical illustrations by his daughter Patsy. My children and I read this book over the course of a summer vacation and each one, ranging in age from 6 to 11, loved it. They couldn't wait for the next chapter. The four children in the book go on an underground adventure into a magical world of strange little people.
I especially loved how the brothers and sisters help each other and watch out for each other through it all.
Highly entertaining.

One of my favourite children's books. It makes my top 5 (all the others are by Dr. Seuss).

I'm a bit surprized that only 200,000 copies have been sold, but I guess that's amazing for a Canadian kids book. I remember reading this book about 25 years ago (when I was around 7 or 8) but couldn't remember the complete name (just "Og").

I note that two other reviewers say they've had a hard time locating copies. Luckily for me the Vancouver Public Libary system has 20 copies available. But even so, I think we're leaning toward purchasing our own copy.

Like many of the other reviewers, this book was read to me by a teacher when I was about 9 or 10. It was magic! It is so cleverly written that it's easy for the reader to escape into the secret world under the playhouse themselves. Now that I'm a third grade teacher, I have read it to my classes and they, in turn, have also shown their appreciation for such a wonderful piece of writing! I'm so pleased to have found a copy for myself. It's difficult to come by in schools these days.

This book was read as a class project when I was 10 years old by one of my favorate teachers. Three years later, my sister had the same teacher and the same project. This became our favorate book, but we never saw a copy outside the classroom. We talked about it on occasion over the years and (we were now in our forties) my sister ran across it on Amazon and ordered copies for each of us. I received mine on Christmas morning (best present that year). We were able to enjoy reading it once again and pass it on to our children and hopefully our grandchildren when it's time. Highly recommended - it's a book you don't forget and those are rare indeed.

I read this story back in grade 4, and I never forgot how magical it was. Now, at the age of 19, I finally received it as a Christmas present from my sister. This story is by far one of the most magical stories I have ever read. It was fantastic, and completely unforgettable.

After the release of hundreds of Watchers from Hades, the remaining nine dragons prepare for war against overwhelming odds. But when Billy and Bonnie enter Dragon's Rest in search of Billy's father, tragedy strikes. Even when the battle's over, dragons and anthrozils face the toughest choice of their lives. Remain dragons, or become fully human? This ending made me cry. I really enjoyed the whole series and was sad to see it draw to a close. But the adventures continue with Oracles of Fire.

Tears of a Dragon definetly deserves the motto of the company it's published by..."Writing worth Reading". It is amazing how Bryan Davis can mix Christianity, mythology and adventure to keep readers on their seats.
I feel like I'm really there, and the ending is brilliant. I don't see why this isn't a movie, but reading Tears of a Dragon is worth it!

Tears of a Dragon definetly deserves the motto of the company that
published it... "Writing worth Reading". It's amazing how Bryan Davis can
mix Christianity, mythology and adventure to keep readers on the edges of
their seats. I feel like I'm with the characters the whole time. It is a
wonder that this is not yet a movie, but reading Tears of a Dreagon is worth it!

Dragons in Our Midst (Dragons in Our Midst, Volumes 1-4)
These books are great. My 11 year old son loves the stories and as a parent I love the fact that I do not have to worry about what he is being exposed in this series. These are great for the entire family to read aloud together.

Bryan Davis starts with a great series and does the almost impossible. Each book and episode just keeps getting better. The thrills and tensions just keep being ratcheted up. Every book does the near impossibility of always raising the bar. There is no weak moment or book in the entire series. This finale is a classic example of plotting, pacing, atmosphere, characterization and expanding our knowledge of dragons and myth. A genius is a work here. Don't miss a book, sequel or prequel. AND THERE IS MORE TO COME!!!

You'll love it! What a fun, frightening, captivating, creative, well-written page-turner of a book. Thoroughly refreshing and entertaining. Surprising twists, well-written. Absolutely fabulous what else can I say? I loved it and started TRAVELING WITH THE DEAD immediately following which I'm enjoying just as much. They both gave me scary nightmares and I'm 37 yrs. old!

I really like this book. The vampires are so "real." Much better than the vampires of Ann Rice. The story is good, the ending leaves you wishing there was more. Read Traveling With the Dead also. More about James and Lydia in it.

I picked up Barbara Hambly's vampire novels in a fit of boredom, and was unable to put them down. They are dark and rich as a Black Forest cake. The characters, human and inhuman, are enticingly complex and fascinating. Unassuming professor James Asher, erstwhile spy, makes a dogged if reluctant sleuth. His wafelike bride, Lydia, has guts, heart, and brains. And Don Simon Ysidro, who blackmails Asher into helping him hunt a murderer of vampires, shimmers with compelling menace. And between Asher and Ysidro grows a bond as strong as it is macabre.

Even tangential characters come alive under Hambly's artful pen, especially Don Simon's companions in immortality. And the killer of vampires, and the mad, fragile stranger to whom Asher and Ysidro turn for help, are perhaps the most fascinating characters of all.

All, from the Master Vampire of London to the stevedore on the quay, move against a rich tapestry of historic Europe that invites you to believe.

Try, if you can, to read each novel in one sitting -- alone.

Well, what can I say that hasn't already been said? I absolutely loved this book from the first few pages, and I absoluely deplore its current inavailability. Hambly crafted a thrilling tale, using stunning writing, great logic, and memorable characters.

When I rave to my friends, I always stress Hambly's genuis at writing this fine peice of literature. She weaves a beautiful tapestry of words. She strings her sentences like fantastic jewels on a priceless necklace. The setting was so realistic, the people so intriguing, the story itself so engrossing, that I'll be rereading this book till the day I die.

Hambly dealt with vampirism very intelligently. Few authors actually try to explain that state, and I think Hambly offers the best explaination, a combination of science and fantasy. Her vampires are believable, something I require when dealing with fantasy and science fiction.

Don Simon Ysidro has made his way into my personal hall of fame. He refreshingly offers no apologies for what he is, and doesn't go around biting at every other neck he sees. Forget Dracula...compared to Don Simon, he's a dead corpse. While the rest of the main characters--James and Lydia Asher-- perhapse pale against the magnetism of Don Simon, they are nevertheless well-drawn. James and Lydia both have their own voice and personalities, as do all the minor characters that populate this book.

I enjoyed Those Who Hunt the Night better than its sequel, Travelling With the Dead, but I'd abvise anyone who loves vampires and well-crafted tales to read both. I can only hope that Hambly will eventually return to the characters she created in late eighteenth century London.

Without writing a long winded review, I will keep it short. If you only read 1 book on vampires in your life, this is the one you read, nothing like it except possibly its sequel. Ms. Hambly ruined me from this genre since I have never found anything else that can compare.

This entire trilogy has captived my daughter who has never loved to read due to learning challenges. She has in just a short time read the entire trilogy twice.

Kate Constable has written yet another great book for young adults, as well as older adults. The Chanter of Tremaris is a great series.

Kate Constable has given us a magical world to explore in three remarkable texts. Through these books, the author joins the company of Lloyd Alexander ("the Prydain Chronicles"), Ursula Le Guin (see "Gifts" and the just published "Voices"), and Joy Chant ("Red Moon and Black Mountain", "The Grey Mane of Morning" and "When Voiha Wakes") in creating stories and characters of depth and beauty.

To some of the other reviewers here, my suggestion is that the way to enter the Chanters of Tremaris trilogy (and, really, any work) is to let go of your expectations (whatever we think it should look and sound like) and to surrender to the magic that lives in these stories. As readers, we can fall into the trap of always scanning the horizon for something new, something that we've never seen before. The downside of this is that we often miss the treasures that are sitting at our feet. Don't miss this outstanding fantasy series.

This book, The Waterless Sea, was the best book ever! I could never put it down!
Basically Calywn and here group are chanters. They can use their magic by singing. Heben (he's awesome!) searches for them to find his taken chanter siblings. So many adventures and so little time to explain!

I loved this book. I literally read it in the space of a few hours, it was such a page-turner I could /not/ put it down.
The characters are wonderfully painted; my favorite is Halassa, with Trout following close behind (I was dissapointed at his dissapearance in this book!).
I hate Darrow. In the first book, at the beginning, when he was all crazy in Ataris and then when he was cheerful on their way to Kalysons, he was fun. But he was simply a mentor then. Now he's all dark and depressed and in love with Calwyn. Their little drama is exciting, but I dislike it and it gets in the way of the action and the suspense (for instance; Halassa's dying and their talking about their feelings. Halassa should of been a more important part of this story; considering he almost died.)
Now, Heben. I loved meeting this character; just liked I loved meeting the other main charries in the first book; it was all part of the adventure. I really hope Heben stays around. The only thing I would changed is his relantionship with Calwyn. I would of liked a tiny bit of romance between the two. So Darrow didn't simply look like a crazy jealous idiot. And so it made sense. I mean, why not Halassa instead of Heben? Calwyn was closer to Halassa then Darrow, she says so herself.
Mica and Tonno. They were slightly annoying, but lovable all the same. I kept wanting to picture them in a lounge drinking Diet Cola and making fun of Calwyn and Darrow.
Overall, the book was good. What I'm waiting for (and hoping for) is that Trout learns to chant (LOL)!

Rabbi Harold Kushner is best known for his book When Bad Things Happen to Good People, but this work is in my judgment his greatest contribution to the philosophy of the spiritual life, Kushner's pièce de résistance. Using my favorite Hebrew Bible text, Ecclesiastes, as a springboard, Rabbi Kushner writes about the "ultimate thirst of our souls": the need for "meaning," for "the sense that we have figured out how to live so that our lives matter." Rabbi Kushner offers readers his wisdom -- born out of years of study, struggle and life experience -- about how to live a life that matters.

READ this BOOK! Rabbi Kushner hits on so many relevant and pertinent topics that you will be amazed how you see yourself in the anedotes and examples used to illustrate Kushner's point. Rabbi Kushner uses the Old Testament story of Ecclesiastes to illustrate how man's search for happiness is eternal and not unique. I could not believe how similar Ecclesiaste's view on life and search for happiness are so similar to my own. I found myself stopping on many occasions and telling my wife "READ THIS!"
I have been on a self-help book crusade for the past several months. Reading a bunch of these books have helped in finding some understanding to the search for happiness I have been after. After each book, I can say one or two of the points explained in the book have made sense and have some good practical applications to dealing with everyday situations that arise in my life. Kushner's book is by the far the best. He gives you straightforward and understandable examples of the negative behavior that conflict in man's search for happiness.
From the opening pages Kushner had me! He hits the nail on the head when he says the lines "If you ask anybody what is more imporant - work or family? - without a doubt they answer family. But then ask them how much time they spend away from family by putting work ahead of family and making work more important than family obligations." (paraphrased) He has many of these observations that help the reader get some insight into how destructive these behaviors are towards our supposed goal of happiness. I highly, highly recommend this book - READ this BOOK!

A great book and one the everyone should read at some time in their lives!

Thanks again for getting me the book so fast and in such good condition!

Gary

A thoughtful, spiritual examination of why fame and fortune do not produce happiness, and why "average" and "successful" people often feel emptiness in their lives. Many brief anecdotes are used to illustrate the author's observations, which are linked to the book of Ecclesiastes.
Read by the author. You will read (or listen to) this more than once!

Kushner is a sage and this book is a classic. As always Kushner's knits together wonderful stories, quotes, and historical observations that are always on the mark and move his thoughts forward. The disease that plagues our age is overconsumption and Kushner invites the reader to step away from the table of materialism and instead search out the things that really matter.

The kids in my son's fifth grade class were all raving about this book, which was a miracle in itself, so I decided to read it for myself. I have to admit, I've been a big fan of Gina Gershon for a long time and it's hard to imagine her writing a kid's book. What a pleasant surprise! The book is well written, the story is clever, and the dialog is hysterical. The main character, Einstein P. Fleet, is a computer geek turned reluctant hero who faces the challenges of a monster theme camp run by aliens with a great sense of purpose and humor. My son has turned me on to a lot of new experiences --- reading Camp Creepy Time was one of them. Looking forward to the sequel.

Einstein P. Fleet has already logged hundreds of hours trying to blow the whistle on baddies. Through his popular blog, The Smoking Peashooter, Einstein manages to spread the word on all sorts of conspiracy theories, and he's even had a lawsuit pending against him since the fourth grade, all thanks to "The Wilson Incident."

Naturally, he questions his parents' motives for sending him to a remote summer camp for eight agonizing weeks, with no Internet access and a limited supply of Twinkies. From the moment he steps on the bus and sees every other camper in a monster costume, Einstein worries that perhaps this particular camp may be much more difficult to deal with than any normal one would be.

Unfortunately for him and his unsuspecting parents, his fears are well-founded...

Chock full of werewolves, vampires, mummies, giant spiders, and greedy mobster aliens, this book provides the same brand of entertainment as a classically cheesy monster film. Highly recommended for reluctant readers.

Reviewed by: Allison Fraclose

I got this book as a present and really had fun reading it. So much so, I ran out and bought 3 books, one for each of my nieces and nephews, ages 8-13. They loved it! We all had fun talking about the adventures of Einstein and his cohort. My 11-year-old niece really loved Roxie and has decided she wants to be an alien spy. I would recommend this book for anyone. We are all looking forward to the movie version to come out.

Every once in a while you come across a book that makes you laugh out loud. Camp Creepy Time is one of them. The main character, Einstein P. Fleet, is a lovable thirteen year old computer geek. You know, the kind of kid that rarely sees the light of day. His parents send him packing off to a monster theme camp smack dab in the middle of the Mojave Desert for the summer ---- which turns out to be merely a stop over on the way to being abducted and sold to an intergalactic monster zoo in another galaxy. The story mixes all types of elements from the science fiction genre and somehow manages to glue them into a cohesive, original plot. It's also funny and very well written, especially for a pair of first time authors. The book ends leaving the door open for a sequel, which I can't wait to read. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a sense of humor. You will be pleasantly surprised.

You simply can't go wrong with this wacky zany summer send-up. Einstein P. Fleet, a loner-nerd trapped at a hellish summer camp in the Mojave Desert, leads us through a wild storyline of escape, with monster costumes, vampires, werewolves and aliens all in the mix.

This fast-paced, well-written farce is a quick, irreverent, hilarious read for kids and adult-kids. Highly recommended. It's no surprise that Dreamworks has this story in script development....Can't wait for the movie!

I enjoyed this story. I am eager to see how it ends. Havi is a no nonsense, trash talker. There are no wasted words here. Everybody speakes his mind. Vald is a good substitute for Bald, namewise. The linguistic slippage between B and V is common.

the story isnt bad but it seems like there are a few parts missing, but all in all I didnt mind it. if you want lots and lots of sex your not going to get it. theres only a few sex scenes, maybe three the most I think.

The best word for this book is Beautiful. The art is amazing and the story is great. I love it and I cannot wait for the second one!

Love, love, LOVE it!

Ayano Yamane-sensei has done well in the past with the Finder series, and this new series is a fantastic follow! You are instantly drawn into the story. The Prince Bald is seemingly unguarded and brave. The Wizard Havi is mysterious and seemingly in complete magical command. Things are soon not what they seem. The artwork makes a loving tracery of every slope and curve of the two men. There is flawless detail on every drape of fabric, every thread of hair. Of this there is much, but it is the perfection of it that really makes you pause to get all the details. Perfect for this format. Ohh, yes. The scenes are perfectly explicit as well. Everything is shown. The impact of the images on the brain does make the stomach flip in that way that is addicting. This is another hallmark of Yamane-sensei's work. The story is engaging. The characters of Bald and Havi are fairly well drawn out by the end of the story you are cheering for both of them. The only thing I would love to see would be the translation of the sound effects. Those little sounds are usually good for another stomach flip or four! Ha! This is a highly recomended buy, and I'll be pre-ordering any following manga of this series.

This is definitely one Yaoi title worth owning! The story is about beautiful Prince Vald (in my version it IS Vald and not Bald, someone must have clued them in that Bald was an uncomplementary name)who gets cursed and seeks out Havi a sorcerer to rid him of the demon which takes over his body each nite as he sleeps. Havi agrees, and unbeknownst to Vald, Havi drains the demon of energy by having sex with him in the demon state. A relationship between the normal Prince Vald and Havi eventually grows, which provides more depth to the story. Let's cut to the chase here. Upon opening the book, the first person you get to see is Prince Vald, who is SO beautiful (and manly) that you go "wow." At this point I know it will not matter too much about whoever else might show up in the book, after watching Prince Vald fell demons, I am quite sure I could happily watch this guy hump a tree. Then we meet sorcerer Havi who is easily as impressive. Refreshingly there is no soft simpering uke. Both characters are strong. There is almost no lead up to the first sex scene, you turn the page, and Havi has an unbelievably hot demon form of Vald, (complete with the sexiest tiger stripes I have ever seen)tied down and goes right to it. It shocks you at the very least with just how unexpected and how hot it is. The storyline can be a bit contrived, but I'm an intelligent woman an frankly it was wonderful. This is a keeper!

As soon as I finished Forests of Silence I plunged into Lake of Tears. This book kept me going with the series until the next one.

The Shadow Lord has taken over the land of Deltora and it is up to Lief, a young boy, Barda, an ex-palace guard and Jasmine, a wild girl who they met in the Forests of Silence to find all the jewels to the magic belt of Deltora to overthrow the Shadow. They already have the topaz but now they must find the next jewel in the deadly Lake of Tears.

Filled with new friends like Manus, and absolutely teeming with villains like Thaegan the witch and two of her children whom I will not name, Grey Guards, the Shadow Lord's evil servents and the treacherous Soldeen, I will treasure this book forever.

Lief and his friends have to find seven gems to put in a belt called the belt of Deltora. This belt has special powers that is the only thing that can stop the Shadow Lord from his evil rule. I loved how Lief would stick with his friends even in the most perilest positions. I think it's great that they could do anything if they put there minds to it.

Deltora Dead or Alive?


In the fantasy novel The Lake of Tears by Emily Rodda , Lief, the son of the King, Barda, a place guard, and Jasmine, a gypsy of the Forest of Silence, are the only ones that stand in the way of Thaegon, a sorceress of the Ruby territory, and the Shadow Lord's evil rule over Deltora. Deltora is a magical land.
Over 14 years ago Lief's father, mother, and his fathers friend met and decided that if the Belt of Deltora, a mystic belt made by the first king of Deltora to protect its people, was to be kept safe it should be worn at all times by the current King. But the Shadow Lord was quick, he sent big black birds called Ak-baba to steal the seven gems of the belt and hide them all over Deltora. The kids now quest to find all 7 gems; Topaz, Ruby, Opal, Emerald, Diamond, Amethyst, and Lapis lazuli of Deltora, the kids have made it through The Forests of Silence, defeated the guardian of the Topaz gem and placed the Topaz on the belt of Deltora. There is one down and six to go. They now must quest to find the mysterious Lake of Tears. The gossip about this place races around like wild fire. Most have never returned from this journey into the lake to retrieve the next stone of the belt. Lief hopes that he and his friends will return from this trip to the lake as it had worked out at in The Forests of Silence, a previous book.
This book has a lot of interesting riddles and messages. Emily Rodda scans pictures and diagrams into the book that makes all the mystery and riddles even crazier to decode. Emily also has written many other series like Dragons of Deltora. The stories of Deltora Quest, Deltora Dragons, and Deltora Shadowlands are interrelated as past and future. I would recommend this book to readers 9 years and up and all who have a strong stomach

This was a very good book, I like everything (the characters, story, magic...) but the bad dude.

The Lake of Tears is the second to the Deltora Quest series. In this book the trio of Lief, Barda, and Jasmine are off to the Lake of Tears to get the second gem to the Belt of Deltora. The gem was the Ruby, which they had to defeat the evil Thaegan to get. In the first book of the series, Lief found out from his father, Jarred, that he was the one who was meant to save Deltora by finding the Seven Gems of the Belt of Deltora. By defeating Thaegan they shall have two of the gems and be on there way to saving their home from the evil Shadowlord.
Emily Rodda used tons of details in this new addition to her fantasy series filled with mischief and mysteries. This book was probably the best fantasy book I have ever read and I recommend it to any fantasy, dragon, and magic lovers. I recommend this book to both boys and girl who are okay with some frightening events occurring throughout the book.

deserves the big screen treatment. Far more interesting than the X-Men, this is the story about a group of people who become superheroes through no fault of their own (its the result of machinations from somebody, but you'll have to read the series to find out), and how they deal with being "different". Negative Man, Robotman and Elastigirl are three of the most tragic figures ever to grace the comic page and their stories are far more pathetic than anything in X-Men(not that I don't like X-Men). Read the series. You won't be disappointed.

These stories are some of the best silver age superheroics you will ever read. Though much as been made of the parallels between the Doom Patrol and the X-Men (the two debuted almost simultaneously, and with many things in common), the original Doom Patrol was on another level creatively. The early X-Men stories were romps, but the Doom Patrol had texture.

In fact, it could be strongly argued that when Chris Claremont reformulated the "All-New, All-Different" X-Men in the late seventies, that he drew obvious inspiration from how DC done it in the sixties with the Doom Patrol! Certainly, the New X-Men read much more like a revitalization of the Doom Patrol than of the original X-Men.

Make up your own mind.

Doom Patrol, as represented in the first volume of their Archives Edition, was an interesting attempt in the 1960s at DC to expand the notion of what makes a super-hero, along with Deadman, Challengers of the Unknown, Eclipso, and Metamorpho (most of these heroes created by Bob Haney, the author behind the Doom Patrol). Their resemblance to the X-Men is obvious although DC was never able to create an environment where the oddball heroes fit in as well with Superman, Batman, et al, whereas the X-Men never seemed out of place in the Marvel universe. But Doom Patrol's biggest weakness was its lack of stand-out villains. The X-Men had Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants while the Doom Patrol struggled along with General Immortus and the Brotherhood of Evil. The Doom Patrol stories are still quite charming, though, and show great promise for what could have been. It was an adventurous experiment at DC to create a team of outcast heroes that is worth checking out.

They were four damaged people: Rita Farr, a beautiful actress who, while shooting on location, was exposed to a gas that gave her the power to vary her height; Larry Trainor, a daring test-pilot who flew through a belt of radiation, and come through with the ability to release an embodiment of negative energy, but only for a minute at a time; Cliff Steele, a race-car driver, until the crash that destroyed everything but his brain, which was transferred into a robot body, and; Niles Caulder, the brilliant genius who brought these people together as a force for good. They are Elasti-Girl, Negative Man, Robotman, and the Chief: the Doom Patrol.

Contrary to popular belief, DC Comics figured out pretty quickly that rival Marvel Comics formula of character-development was something that they needed to infuse into their own line. The problem was that they were very hesitant to do this with their big gun characters: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, iconic characters that never had any of the problems Spider-man did. However, DC had no problem creating new characters in the Marvel style: fantastic characters with a down-to-earth core.

Perhaps the best example of this approach is the Doom Patrol. This was a team of strong individuals who found themselves possessed of powers that they didn't want. Indeed, for these characters, there was very little hope of ever being normal again. So, they did the next best thing: they fought people who were in worse shape than them, hell-bent on spreading evil.

Arnold Drake's writing made the most of the bizarre premise. The villains were sinister, vile, and above all, quirky. Of course, while General Immortus, the centuries-old genius, was perhaps the team's most persistent enemy, by far their best loved was the Brotherhood of Evil. Led by the Brain, a disembodied brain, and Monsieur Mallah, a surgically enhanced gorilla, the team was the Doom Patrol's counter-part; misfits that sought revenge on the world.

Amazingly, Drake's scripts never stretch credibility to the breaking-point. He stayed within the rules he set for himself, and never forgot that his heroes were suffering, and not always in silence. They pined for normality, they wished for acceptance, they bickered amongst themselves. At the same time, he never let the action get bogged down in the team's personal traumas. Moreover, Drake tailored the stories to spotlight the unique abilities of his characters, while examining the strengths and weaknesses of their individual personalities.

Bruno Premiani's name is not one of those artists who immediately named when discussing comic book greats. He probably should be. As his artwork proves here, Premiani had a strong sense of realism. He made the most of his talented line work, grounding his art with a realistic sensibility that further underscored the bizarre tone of the series. One only need to look at the gorilla Mallah, and the extraordinary detail he paid to the character's design. Truly, Premiani was a craftsman, and deserves much more recognition.

It's not hard to see why, although never a first-string book, "The Doom Patrol" is still remembered fondly today. It was a unique mix of absurd super-heroics and sharp character-drama. While DC recently made some questionable continuity decisions about these characters, they've wisely pulled away from them. So enjoy these wonderfully weird stories.

A group of disgruntled social outcasts with super powers comes under the guidance of a wheel-chair bound genius and is frequently called on to save a general populace they increasingly grow to despise.

You got it...the X-Men, right? Nope. The Doom Patrol.

The comparisons are immediate and striking (The Chief/Professor X, The Brotherhood of Evil/The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants), and given that Doom Patrol actually predated the X-Men by several months, one has to wonder if Stan the Man and the merry men at Marvel didn't pass out a few copies of Doom Patrol at editorial meetings.

But to the stories themselves: the characters are great. The heroes find that their powers have literally ruined their ability to lead normal lives. They are resentful. They find code names stupid and embarrassing and call each other by their first names. Even in attempting to forge relationships with each other, they frequently fail due to shattered self-confidence over their own perceptions of themselves as nothing more than freaks. Remember kids, this wasn't written in the 80's or 90's. This was written in 1963!

Arnold Drake's scripts are hokey by today's standards, with what can be called B-movie dialogue and plots. However, once you accept them on that level (don't look for the gritty realism of the 80's or 90's), they are great fun. Bruno Premiani's artwork is simply excellent, at places it reminds me of Brian Bolland. I agree that it is simply unfathomable that Premiani is not held in more esteem.

While X-Men became a mass market phenomenon, Doom Patrol has had what can be charitably called a star-crossed publishing history. No incarnation of it has ever lasted, although Grant Morrison gave it a great run in the early 90's which I recommend to anyone. Somehow, though, this is sadly appropriate for Arnold Drake's original vision of the quintessential unhappy super heroes. They just never got popular enough to sell out.

The next time you see Hugh Jackman or Patrick Stewart onscreen, or walk past the endless rows of X-Men compilations in a comic book store, do yourself a favor and find the DC section and introduce yourself to these characters. Take the Doom Patrol challenge: go for the original.

This is a very interesting fiction story about three kids who go to an
island and explore it, then they find a three-headed dragon. I like it a
lot! It is very intriguing.

This is from my son:

I give this book five stars because the kids use their imagination. I enjoyed the adventure on the island and the mysterious key that unlocks the secret room. I would like to visit the kind-hearted golden dragon's island because of the magical dragon's stories. All the childeren seemed to have learned lessons from the stories. My favorite scene was the silver-eyed story. Find out why...

The three Davis children Have to go to lonely island. Where thay find a cave and they find a great big dragon! They visit the dragon alot. Each time they meet a new dragon. It is a three headed dragon and each time they go to the cave they meet a new head and each head tells them a story.

The three Davis children Have to go to lonely island. Where thay find a cave and they find a great big dragon! They visit the dragon alot. Each time they meet a new dragon. It is a three headed dragon and each time they go to the cave they meet a new head and each head tells them a story. I give this 5 stars because I love dragons and the writer did a good job of writing this story. I love this book and I hope you will to.

This book is about three kids that go to thier aunts house with thier mother. There, they find a dragon that has been in a cave. You will have to see what happens when the kids and the dragon go face to face.
I loved this book.I hope you will like it to.