Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

If you don't know Phil and Kaja Foglio from -his- work in Dragon Mag's "What's New", from the MythAdventures series (book and/or comic), the Buck Godot stories, their (blush) XXXenophile series, or their work illustrating "Magic, The Gathering" cards (notably Urza's Science Fair Project), shame on you! Go back two spaces and loose a turn. Gas-lamp Fantasy is sort of like what Jules Verne, Mary Shelly and H.G. Wells were writing back in the day. Steam-powered wonders, cobbled-together reanimated monsters, and pneumatic nutcrackers. (who doesn't like nuts?) Add a bit more modern-times feel, fantasmagoric (tm) illustration and color, and more tongue in cheek humor than you can shake a bag of knezels at, and presto! Genius! And the Girl, DON'T forget the girl! Damsels-in-distress, damsels-outta-de-dress, damsels who would shemk me upsidy-like the head with a 3/17 occipital left-leaning heterodyne wrench if I continues! (Yowza!) So stop reading this and BUY it already! Buy the whole series! (Buy two! Gotta keep one set "Mint Condition", dontcha?)

I love the art and the airships definitely need to be looked at. The age of steam and invention captured here is great, but if you're looking for a 'steam punk' setting this is not it. The title is certainly worthy to own, but doesn't have the darker aspects that would go with a true 'steam punk' setting. Otherwise, if you're looking for a great work, look no further!

The art is really the best part of the series. All the bits and bobs and mechanically doodads make for a very pretty comic. (And they serve as good plot devices too!)

I zoomed through the first book too quickly and hadn't yet ordered the rest of the series, which I would say is the only bad part about the book.

The drama is top notch and the fantasy setting keeps it moving forward. You'll find that the plot reveals little secrets along the way that you would never expect. The best comic I've seen from the Foglios in a long time.

This is the first volume in Phil Foglio's ongoing series featuring Agatha Heterodyne and a cast of hundreds. The book collects the first few issues of what was originally a comic book series. The publishing schedule, though, seems to have been troubled for a variety of reasons, and "Girl Genius" now appears in webcomic form (with ensuing regular compilations in print form).

Kaja Foglio, wife and co-creator, describes this as "gaslamp fantasy": crypto-Victorian science and pre-pulp adventures in a world filled with mad scientists, giant steam-powered robots, weird technology, mysterious cults, and cackling villains. A great deal of which is played for laughs, simultaneously embracing and sending up the usual tropes of the genre. The humor throughout balances between sly drollery and slapstick.

One of the major attractions is Foglio's art, which many gamers will well know from his years of penning the "Phil & Dixie" feature in "Dragon" magazine. It's drenched in color and is highly detailed, to the point that you wonder how he ever completes a page. There's almost always 18 different things going on in the background, none of which is ever really relevant, but Foglio apparently really enjoys jamming in the sight gags.

I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff, and the Foglios have done a great job in creating an internally consistent alterna-Earth with its own physical and magical laws and history and politics, and they've also introduced seemingly dozens of plot strands. This latter is both good and bad. In later issues, there is some loss of cohesiveness, and the story seems to wander off into side treks, and none of the storylines ever seem to get wrapped up. (It's sort of the "Lost" of the comics world.)

On the other hand, it's got enormous fleets of dirigibles! And scar-faced pseudo-Teutonic bad guys! And talking cats! And endangered heroines in corsets! So, you know, all of the good stuff. Check it out!

My wife and I play the Girl Genius card game, though up until recently I have known little of the background story. One day, curious, I looked it up and found this volume and ordered it. Before I was finished, I was already in love with Agatha. This volume gives little of the flavor of the full story that folds over the next 5+ volumes, but it does give insight into a richly imagined world.

In some ways, it is a very common story. There is a student who seems not particularly good at anything, though the reader is made aware early own that there is more than meets the eye. There is a university where she learns, that seems to be taking part in caring for her and hiding something of a secret. There is a mysterious set of events in her past, and her family's past. She has an "item of power" that is taken and sets gears into motion. She meets a guy she both despises and admires at the same time.

Somehow, though, the Foglios have found an excellent way to balance the "steam-punk", the cliche story line, and the relatively small beginnings of a comic that are meant to hint at things to come in a way to come up with something that feels fresh and, more importantly, fun.

If you are thinking about ordering this volume, by the way, I recommend getting the next couple as well. It reads fast and I assure you that you are going to want more.

I originally got this book as a gift when I was a young girl. I never got read to, except in school, so I never had the desire to read it. When I was about 12, and grounded, I grabbed it out of my closet to pass the time. Well, I didn't put it down til I was finished. This book sparked my interest in reading. I had let a friend borrower it and never got it back. But when I found out I was having a little girl of my own, I wanted to be able to share this wonderful book with her, and hopefully give her a love a reading that I would not have had without it. It is beautifully written and illustrated.

This book should be in every child's library. It is full of beautiful pictures and a wonderful story. The Mother of the Owls in her cave is my favorite picture and I wish I could get a poster sized print of it.

This book combines a wonderful story with beautiful pictures. I've loved this book ever since my mum used to read it to me throughout my childhood years and I recommend it to all - it is a book which will appeal to both children and adults, and you will not be disappointed with it's exquisite content.

When I was first given Gwinna as a birthday present(oh, I don't rember what birthday!)I must admit I thought....."Yuck! ANOTHER book, what are my parents thinking? I want a Barbie." Well, I got a Barbie as the next package, but Gwinna has stuck with me much longer. This book is one of the best I have ever read. The moving story is backed up by some of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen. Gwinna takes you to a place that you always knew existed, you just didn't know it exited anywhere beyond you own heart. As you are spun from word to word, and page to page, you will really feel as if you are flying. Now, on the main "Gwinna review page" it says this book is for ages three to eight. Well, I am fourteen going on fifteen, and Gwinna remains a huge influence on my life and one of my favorite books. When I say influence, I mean the same influence you get from reading someone like Tolkien or hearing a beautiful peice of music. Gwinna is a book that makes you feel as if you can reach out and feel the breath of its chairicters. If that doesn't convince you that this is a good book, I don't know what will.

I have fallen deeply in love with the stories of Barbara Helen Berger. She is a visual artist of stunning talent. Her pictures breathe with life and light. Her words are even more captivating. They are clear and precise...flowing like water from a mountain spring.

Gwinna is, in my opinion, Berger's masterpiece. At just over a hundred pages, it is a longer work. While Grandfather Twilight, A Lot of Otters, and the Donkey's Dream are great books for children, I would have to recommend Gwinna to children who are a little older or more mature.

Gwinna, at its heart, is a story of many things: it is a story about needing others, it is a story about giving, a story of love and faith and being true. It was a difficult story for me. I often suffer from knowing all too well were a plot is going to go before it gets there...to my delight, Gwinna kept me guessing.

The highest recommendation I can give, I give to Gwinna. It is a fine thing to read a story where the character grows in wondrous and moving ways within the imagination. The reader (unless they miss the story completely) must grow in turn. Gwinna is such a story...get it today.

...And on into the fourth book of The Chronicles of Amber. It's been a pleasant journey, as the series keeps getting better. (I started out not particularly liking the first book.) This is fun, escapist fare, chock full of melodrama, scheming, betrayal, and cliffhangers. What more could you want from this kind of read? There are some dry patches during which characters explicate at length -- too much telling, too little showing, as I used to hear in creative writing class. But then things pick up again, and by the time this book ends I'm yearning to pick up book five and find out what happens next!

Corwin and Random discover a problem with the Primal Pattern, and set out to work out what happened to it. Corwin needs Dworkin's aid for this, and contacts him.

At the end, he realises things have been fitting together way too neatly, and discovers what Oberon has actually been up to.

In section four of the Amber series, Brand emerges as a major character and villain. Brand is the brother who had been imprisoned for so many years, and finally in this book we learn why, and Corwin regrets ever releasing him from his prison.

Which raises a question for me. Why didn't Fiona tell her brothers and sisters about the danger that Brand brought with him? Why didn't Fiona explain why Brand was imprisoned? It really isn't enough to just say that Fiona didn't trust her siblings.

Zelazny is a master of storytelling in certain ways. He can keep us very interested. He can tell us a story from various perspectives. He can mislead us by telling the story from a villain's devious point of view, and then re-tell it from someone else's. He is the one to determine what we know and what we don't know.

This reminds me of what he does in the first book of the series, when he tells his story through Corwin, and Corwin has amnesia. It is Zelazny's way of controlling what Corwin knows, and what we know. Zelazny does it again here, telling us a story as narrated by Brand to Corwin, and then telling us the same story, only "the truth" this time, by a more honest sibling than Brand.

Throughout this book and previous books I found myself wondering about Ganelon. He's stronger and smarter than Corwin. He protects Corwin from a stronger brother. And here I thought that the sons and daughters of Oberon were so much more powerful than mere humans like Ganelon. Not so. Ganelon kicks some serious butt, against a sibling of Corwin. And it is Ganelon, all along, who is coming up with all the ideas and analysis. At the end of The Hand Of Oberon, this seeming flaw in the story is more than explained, and it is no flaw. When something doesn't seem to make sense, there is a reason.

I don't like the way Zelazny resolves his conflicts. One minute there's a whole heck of a lot of trouble, and the next minute it's over, something magical has intervened, problem is solved, thank you very much. The magic arm does WHAT? Oh come on.

It reminds me of something in the Lord of the Rings movies. One moment the good guys would be surrounded by bad guys, and it would be looking very bad for them, and the next moment the victory has been attained, the bad guys routed, and the good guys none the worse for wear. Remember when King Theoden was surrounded by wargs? Poof, battle over, no more wargs, we win, break out the champagne. Zelazny does that too. Hey, poof, we win, don't worry about it guys.

Another of Zelazny's tricks is to switch good guy - bad guy on us. This fellow is a good guy. No he's not, he's a bad guy. This other bad guy is a good guy now. Son of a gun.

Anyway, this series has finally graduated from three stars to four, as Zelazny's storytelling outweighs the things about his writing style that I don't like. What I dislike most is when he goes on and on telling us about shifting worlds as we travel "through shadow" or the incomprehensible style he uses when describing the ghost world. All the incomprehensible stuff leaves me cold.

In a strange, fantastical way, Zelazny's Amber series are the archetypes of the political fiction genre. At least in the sense that there is not one character who does not have hidden agendas, schemes, and counter-schemes. And, of course, there is even a kingdom at stake. Even Amber, supposedly the closest thing there is to 'real,' is just another pea in the pattern shell game.

So when Corwin, Random, and Ganelon follow a trail to the 'really, real' pattern and discover that the damage to the pattern was the result of the attempted murder of Random's estranged son Martin, it is almost business as usual. Almost, but not quite. Random heads out to discover Martin's fate and Corwin sets about discovering who had summoned Martin into the Pattern and drawn blood. With Chaos itself poised to enter the fray, damage to the pattern threatened everything Amber stood for.

Knowing something bad has happened, and even knowing who was traitor this teime, resolves little. Enemies and friends change places once again. Corwin chases after the master of the pattern and the trumps and finds himself visiting the Courts of Chaos. As the tension gets higher Corwin finds more questions than answers, and just when things show any sign of making sense, Zelazny hits the reader with yet another cliff hanger and the only thing we can do is grab for volume five.

One has to give Zelazny a great deal of credit for keeping the reader's attention in a plot that depends entirely on a series of betrayals. It proves his mastery as a story teller. The children of Oberon are a family that makes the Borgias look like innocents, but even the bad apples are fun to read about. Magic aside this story has much that makes is a medieval melodrama, which is no surprise considering Zelazny's own literary background. Only no medieval story ever took the increasingly baroque turns that the Amber stories do.

Yet Zelazny makes no pretense at deeper, more philosophical meanings. He is first and foremost an expert at the telling of tales. His values are wonder and surprise, his heroes and villains may be flawed, but they are still larger than like. That this series is still in print after all these years is testimony to a level of quality that today's authors still strive to equal.

"The Hand of Oberon", the fourth book of the first Amber series, is perhaps the most pivotal. Within, many of the mysteries we've followed since "Nine Princes" are finally resolved, setting us up for the big climax in "Courts of Chaos".

In addition to enough plot twists to make your head spin, it's also notable for Corwin's first real problem with Random - who finds that he might have very personal reason to take out a sibling who Corwin considers necessary for information purposes. The fact that by this book just the thought of a rift between them makes you squirm is proof of how important their relationship has been - not only because strategically Corwin needs someone to back him up but because, in a world where so much else has been suspect, we know they honestly like eachother.

After being burned by the lackluster Deathlands (they must call it that because it kills so many brain cells), I was afraid to take a look at the Outlanders series. However, on the recommendation of a couple authors I respect - you know who you are - I picked up this and the next book.

And I learned immediately why you hardly ever find used Outlanders books laying all over the place.

The universe of the Outlanders is only nominally that of the Deathlands, conceived in a different set of attitudes, where three heroes fighting a geriatric Nazi suddenly becomes a thrilling unfair fight - in the favor of a Benzadrine-hopping madman, and his pet Australopithicus, Jacko.

And that's just the setup -
We have our main hero, Kane, a man of action who takes lumps and cuts and other bangs, who can do his own research, who is the reincarnation of a legendary Celt warrior, summoned to England to prevent an apocalypse from Atlantean times.

If you're looking for Man of Steel gunfights where the hero never even gets a bruise, go look elsewhere.

If you're looking for some real adventure and excitement, wit and humor and fantastic mythology plugged into a dreary and wasteful genre, made fresh and new again, YOU GOTS TA CHECK OUTLANDERS! Technically this is a "post-nuke" genre book, but only as far as you can heave the combination of Celtic Myth, Nazi cyber-genetic experiments, and teleportation technology. The "if the world ended tomorrow - every man for himself" premise has been replaced with awe, wonder and gee-whiz honest adventure and delight.

All in all, highly recommended, and it will inspire you to look up the legends of Balor and his fomori, Lyonesse, and Cuchulain, if you weren't familiar with them already.

The story seem a little too much like now. After a global holocaust, and nuclear winter, I would have expected the British Isles to be a little different and the introduction of a dead race as the dominant group (Celtics) seem a little off, but the story still flowed. This was my second book of the series in audio and was entertaining enough that I will being looking for more books in the series, in the future.

This is the first Outlanders book I've read, definitely not the last. Axler's unique style is refreshing and the storyline has me fired up for more. The characters were well constructed and intriguing. Not usually a big fan of violent scenes, these had me riveted and one actually choked me up at its conclusion. Overall, this book is very nicely done and the Lovecraftian touch at its conclusion is superb.

Hell Rising is one of the best in the series of Outlanders adventures. It had it all--action, violence, interesting people and a fascinating plot. I'm always entertained and impressed by Outlanders. Its the only sci-fi books I read regularly. I wish they would make a movie!

This installment of Outlanders not only meets the high standards of quality it has imposed on itself since the beginning of the series, it has surpassed it! The blending of Nazi thinking, the traditional rumors and stories of Atlantis, mixed with both Gailek (sp?)history and lore as well as Plato's theroetical thoughts create not only a credible story which revives a previous character that some, who read the series, may see as contrtoversial, but maintains the on going storyline of which the Outlanders series is based. From start to finish, this book will keep you hooked.

For those who have read the series from the beginning, the interactions between the main characters of Kane, Grant, Brigid, and even Domi, heat up and new character insights once again make this series even more outstanding. If this is your first foray into the Outlanders series, then you will know and, I believe, get hooked on the series.

This is no ordinary one dimentional "sci-fi" series. Multi-layered plots, indepth characterizations and interactions that are not pure black and white, keep the reader on their toes and often waiting for each installment with eagerness. Not the neat furturistic imaginings of Star Trek, yet each installment is just as imaginative and compelling. It is, to put mildly and simply, a wonderful read. Which is something I have come to expect in this series.

I bought this book because I wanted to read the original story from which a first season episode of Showtime's "Masters of Horror" was built around. The episode was "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road", and both the television adaptation and- I was happy to learn when I received "High Cotton" from Amazon- the original Lansdale story are top notch. In fact, the TV show was excellent largely due to its sticking extremely close to the Lansdale original.

Happily, there are many other great stories in this collection other than "Incident". As other reviewers have pointed out here, the stories range from darkly humorous to dark & gritty, the dark & gritty ones being my favorites. There are also a few good stories of the ironic and darkly poetic variety, where some poor schmuck gets an undeserved ton of bricks dropped on his life for no other reason than fate sometimes does that (I'm thinking mostly of the story involving the guy who tries to help the seemingly pathetic blind groundskeeper). The outright "funny" stories, like the one about Godzilla being in the twelve-step program (he wants to stop stomping on tourists), and the story about the inflatable dinosaur who wanted to visit Disneyland so he could meet Mickey Mouse, are also okay, but less memorable than the dark & gritty stories, which usually involve hapless characters taking a wrong turn somewhere and in short order finding themselves in the midst of one form or another of earthly hell.

Sensitive readers should note that there are many instances of racist humor, and many racist observations, throughout the book, as this or that character spouts something ignorant. In fact, there's so much of it that I started thinking that the author perhaps had a benign view of such things, or maybe even held those views himself. But, no, it ultimately becomes clear that Mr. Lansdale is just trying to accurately show how many people talk and think, and also demonstrate that such thoughts and observations can mean one of several things: that the character in question truly IS racist, or might just be a little ignorant and stupid but not truly bad. I say this because in several instances (especially in the last story), a couple of SEEMING racists meet up (after one of those wrong turns) with a group of true, hateful, monstrous racists, and... well, let's just say Mr. Lansdale makes it clear that there's a difference between dumb, ignorant spoutings and true evil.

With the exception of the occasional inflatable dinosaur and the not-as-friendly-as-it-seems housecat (and even the tales containing those offbeat elements were perfectly engaging), these are intense, dark, memorable stories, and I look forward to experiencing more Joe R. Lansdale in the near future. Just not quite yet. There's some grim stuff here, and I could use a breather.

"High Cotton" is representative of the period when Joe Lansdale was still writing hardcore horror - and no one did it better. The stories in this collection are truly disturbing and graphic, reaching splattery heights without ever straying too far from Joe's East Texas sensibilities. Plenty of sick twists and thinly veiled stabs at racial injustice to keep our more "sophisticated" readers interested. For those of us who like down and dirty country-fried horror, you can't do any better than this collection.

As more than one review has pointed out, a better title for this anthology might be The Best of Joe R. Lansdale - which the term High Cotton symbolizes (its farming parlance for an exceptionally good crop). Gathered between the covers are 21 terrific stories that show off Lansdale's considerable talent for spinning yarns that can be gruesome (Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back), funny (Steppin' Out, Summer 68), frightening (Incident On and Off a Mountain Road), and poignant (Not From Detroit), sometimes all at the same time (Drive-In Date). If you are easily offended by vulgar humor and salty language, not to mention microscopic examinations of the darker aspects of humanity, Lansdale will make for a very tough read. But stick with him, his stories are worth it. Highest recommendation.

So, "High Cotton" reprints several of Lansdale's personally selected best stories. These stories, all of them except for one are also featured in his original collections "By Bizarre Hands", "Bestsellers Guaranteed", and "Writer of the Purple Rage", and are arguably the best of the stories featured in the original (and out of print) books.

Lansdale's follow-up, "Bumper Crop" collects many of the rest, but not very many stories from "Writer of the Purple Rage." If you can get a copy of "Purple Rage" get it. It has the original "Bubba Ho-Tep" novella, which is one of Lansdale's best stories and was made into the wonderful movie starring Bruce Campbell, which may be one of the most faithful adaptations of a writer's work ever put on film.

Anyway, "Booty and the Beast" is the newest (to me) story in this collection, which centers around a specific item associated with the Virgin Mary that brings doom to those who possess it. It is an entertaining story. The best stories here, however, are the ones his true fans have read before: "The Night They Missed the Horror Show" (his signature story), "The Phone Woman", and "Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back", "Not From Detroit", and many others. The stories also have introductions by Lansdale telling how they were conceived. There is also an introduction at the front of the book explaining how he came to write short stories and why he deosn't write as many anymore.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading the stories again and I hope this one stays in print for a long time, so that readers don't have to track down out of print collections to see what a fabulous writer this man is. These are the stories that made him famous, using his unique blend of humor, horror, and gritty realism to form a truly effective story. Highly Recommended!

High Cotton by Joe R. Lansdale is the best short story collection I have ever read so far! The stories are funny and will make you laugh aloud -- so don't read this book in public places! Funny story: I was reading this book whilst waiting to board the plane in the airport, and I could not stop laughing! Security guards started to crowd around me -- just because I was acting in a 'peculiar manner' due to the loud laughing... so Joe R. Lansdale, it's your fault people are laughing out loud in public places whilst reading your book! Read this book and you will know what all the fuss is about.

Castles and courts suck.


Skeeve is left with a lot more than he really wants to have to deal with, let alone just the whole court magician gig. The king bails out due to impending nuptials, and this then leaves someone's mother mad at him, not to mention a fairy godfather, of the somewhat mafioso flavor, as opposed to the Glinda flavour.

This Myth book is the fourth in the series. Like the others, this book is chock-full of marry mischiefmaking as Skeeve, the young magic apprentice, and his master Aahz, the powerless demon, continue to experience eeary adventures.

In this volume, Aahz is spirited back to his dimension just as Skeeve is being commanded to replace the king so the king can go on vacation. Now, why would a king want a vacation, asks Skeeve about one moment too late? Because of some deals that will likely cause him to be killed. Skeeve manages to extricate himself from this mess by creative use of his talents and his friends including Hugh Badaxe, Big Julie, Tanda, and Chumly.

Just as Aahz returns and the story ends, the second story line develops. In this one, Skeeve gets tangled up with the mob and the whole gang has to figure out how to get them away from Postillum, Klah, and the Bazaar at Deva.

Needless the say, there are plot twists aplenty as well as much of the quirky humor that is written in so well by the author. For instance, at one point, there is a wrestling match provided by midget wrestlers with four arms from the dimension Tue (sounds like too). So, of course, the puns commence: The team is known as the "terrible Tues" etc.

The book is great fun and will not take long to read. Pay close attention to the quotes that grace the beginning of each chapter. They are a hoot and a holler in their own right.

This is the fourth book in Asprin's Myth series and it's just as good if not better. Aahz is transported back to his home dimension, Perv, and Skeeve is left to handle his job as court magician on his own. He soon ends up with a homicidal queen, Hemlock, and the Mob's fairy godfather, Bruce, after him.

Hit or Myth is just as entertaining as the previous books in this series. Even though Aahz was out of the story for most of the book, the storyline continued to work. It allowed the reader and Aahz to realize how far Skeeve has come in his apprenticeship. It was nice to see Skeeve develop throughout the book from an apprentice to a magician in his own rite.

This was the first book by Robert Asprin I ever bought, it was the first I had ever seen and most of my friends have spent the last few years being regailed with how brilliant this guy is. The pottential this book showed made me spend ever since looking for anything written by this guy in the hope that he maintained the passion of this book. For the most part I have not been dissapointed, and I am still convinced I was one of the first Brittish people to hear of this guy.. I have one important thing left to say.... BUY THIS BOOK....

This was my first Robert Asprin book, and it will not be my last. With a quirky cast of characters including a murderous princess, a kidnapped mentor, a silly pet dragon, a war unicorn, an absent king, and the mafia, not to mention the apprentice this story revolves around, this is truly an enjoyable read.

It goes quickly enough to be a great vacation book, but don't wait to pick it up! Run out to your nearest bookstore, grab a copy and start enjoying, and laughing. You'll be glad that you did!

And for those that won't trust me and want a preview of the plot, Skeeve, an apprentice magician, is tricked into assuming the kings likeness and place on the throne, by King Rodrick himself! The king then runs away. Why? Because he's about to be married to an infinitely rich princess! Right about then the mob shows up and things really get bad from there, but if you want to know what happens next, buy the book!

This is a beautiful, but somewhat fragile1book -- probably more satisfying for girls than boys. Make sure thr recipient is old enough to handle it without tearing it.

This really is a fantastic book. What beautiful pictures and illustations. My daughter loved it.

How to Find Flower Fairies

This book is wonderful. It is beautifully done. Not just for children. Adults enjoy this book, as well. I have sent it to my grandchildren, and their parents are enchanted with the book, too. I highly recommend this book for all ages.

I actually bought this book to use it as a background for photo's of my fairy sculpts. Well,when this book came, it literally took my breath away. One, the cover is beautiful, then when you open it and go page by page, you see all the little things. Things that if you don't take your time, you'll miss. If you have a young girl that loves magic and fairies, this is a wonderful, wonderful book. I've honestly never seen a book like this. It is amazing......

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R32JHHYXFHMGZG This is a brief video that shows you this beautiful pop-up book.

I have to say this my second-favorite trilogy of all time, right after "The Lord of the Rings", which is incredible company. I have never understood why Louise Cooper isn't better known, because her characters are so well-written, perfectly drawn individuals, and the story here is an extremely original take on good vs evil. The idea that evil is easily seen and identified at first look is not encouraged here. This story shows that evil takes many faces and forms, even in those who are supposedly good. Tarod, the main person of the story, is very well-conceived and thought-out, and as a result is very easily the most sympathetic character. This first book of the trilogy is the most character-intensive of the trilogy, and so needs the most effort to get through. Really, though, it's no effort for this is a great read. My copy of this book is coming apart at the seams due to the many times it's been read. The ending leaves you wanting more, and more than ready for the second book in the trilogy, The Outcast. Truly, Louise Cooper has introduced an original, fresh, and extremely entertaining story, which is in itself something to be impressed with, as original stories are rare, and good ones even more rare.

My first experiance of Louise Cooper was "Lord Of No Time" a 1977 book that told the tale of the mage Tarod and how he fell foul of his one time friend Keridil Toln. I loved it and hoped that the characters would appear in additional volumes. They did but not in the way expected, Louise Cooper rewrote the whole thing, spreading it out over the three volumes of the Time Master trilogy. Fortunately at no time does it lose the sharp freshness of the original, it's well worth getting hold of as is the subsequent series The Chaos Gate trilogy, though I would only give that four stars.

I just recently got a copy of this book and ever since I've been glued to it! It's a really good book. Definitely worth the time it takes to read. The only problem is the ending, and there are 2 more to help with that. I have no complaints about this book. The confrontations especially are superbly well done, if you have any inclination toward fantasy or science fiction (especially both) this is one book you should look up.

If you are young, romantic, impressionable, warning! You are about to have a hero (Tarod) for life! This book is so melodic and finely balanced I never read it without hearing a silent wail of the perfect background music: U2's Achtung baby album... probably Mysterious Ways, Y Love is blindness.. And wasn't that just the best album they produced? I believe this series is LC's most outstanding trilogy.. it is achingly beautiful and impossibly tragic...
Okay I hope I'm not putting you off it here, but honestly, this is still one of the best books I have ever read, and I've read more than a few. For similarly smashing books, see my so you want to list...
Read the book and then write you can write your own overly gushy & cringe worthy descriptions trying to capture it's essence, and convince others to read it. Until then...

This author and her books are so overlooked - How Sad! This trilogy is an interesting Law v. Chaos undertaking and it keeps you hooked through all three. Well written and well concieved. Completely enjoyable, filled with action and suspense. You will find yourself recomending these books.

I've read Science Fiction for a long time but haven't encountered much YA SF until recently. This book is now one of my favorites. It does explain some science: gravity, spaceflight, Mars conditions etc. But it mostly deals with how people live, act and react in these different future conditions and locations. I loved how the story showed that our point of view and preferences are largely based on what we've been exposed to so far in our life. Melinda has to deal with new things, ideas, people and places that are different and hard for her. As she comes to understand, accept and even like the alien things and people of Mars we also are taught to be more open minded. Melinda is a great character. It was good to read a Martian novel again - it seems like there has not been many recently.

Melinda should be happy to get to travel to Mars with her dad. Everyone wants to go to space, don't they? But not 18-year-old Melinda. She had her life all planned out with her earthbound boyfriend, and she's not happy when dad springs this graduation trip on her. Still, it's for less than a year, she can start college when she gets back, and her boyfriend will still be waiting.

Once she arrives on Mars, she's surprised at how, well... civilized the colonies are. Of course, she makes a few enemies when she inadvertently insults colonists she meets by calling them the equivalent of savages. Still, she manages to make friends with a second-generation colonist named Alex and is soon torn between new love and old prejudices.

Wow did I love this book. I grew up on old sci-fi young adult books, especially those of Robert A. Heinlein. The moment I first saw this book on the shelf in hardcover, I wanted to read it. The cover just reminded me of Podkayne of Mars (by Heinlein), which was one of my teenage favorites. As it turned out, both books were originally published about seven years apart. I did hesitate to buy Journey Between Worlds, because I had a couple of other books by the author, and neither book had really caught my interest, but I was in love with this one from the first page.

The author, Sylvia Engdahl, writes after the story about how when she re-released this book, all she did was update some facts about Mars, but in essence, this is the same book that she published in 1970. And the book still holds a lot of truth. Journey Between Worlds is about the unknown and shaking your life up. Melinda expects Mars to be cold and dome life to be a sterilized bore. True, there are some differences, meat is synthetic and everyone lives in apartments due to space issues, but she finds that people adapt and can love this life just as much as the one back on Earth. She simply can't comprehend why someone would choose to leave Earth for Mars or if they were born on Mars, not move back to Earth. Alex, her new Mars born friend, especially puzzles her, because he spent a few years in college on Earth and actually wanted to return to Mars to live out his life. His choice to live on Mars makes no sense to Melinda.

While the book has science fiction elements, it's more of the pioneering western sci-fi. A sub-category all of its own, it's one that I personally love. There's something so human about adapting to a new environment, the give and take of living and molding the land into what we want. Humanity has never been happy with where it is, and the stars are simply the next great unknown. I think a lot of 50s, 60s, and 70s era sci-fi really captures that wonderment in a unique way, because at the time, humanity hadn't yet put its footprint on the Moon and there was still so much unknown. (Yes, I know, the first moon landing was 1969 and the book was published in 1970, but you have to allow a year or so for publishing.) And after we did land on the Moon, it was suddenly all possible, and we could begin to imagine that our children's children might really live in colonies on the surfaces of other planets.

Another great aspect of this book is the pioneer spirit. As I touched on before, Melinda can't understand why people would want to live away from Earth, just like others have wondered why someone would want to cross the deadly ocean from England or make the trek to Oregon. For as long as pioneers have made the journey, there have also been those wondering why someone would want to leave. Sure, space might be getting cramped, but why risk the dangers of the unknown? Engdahl does an excellent job of showing the journey of Melinda's thoughts and giving us a very believable conclusion to her story. I really felt like Melinda was growing and changing, that she was a real person telling me a story.

Lessons on growing up are often unpalatable for teens, but this one tastes great! I can still remember the first time I read it upon its original publication. It stresses that sacrifice for the greater good of all humanity is one of the highest qualities a person can strive to have. Great science facts are also included.

Reviewed by Kim Peterson for Reader Views (4/06)

Melinda plans to marry Ross after graduation and someday live at Maple Beach in the house she will inherit from Gran. She fosters no aspirations to pioneer new places like her ancestor Melinda who traveled across the plains to Western Oregon in a covered wagon. She plans to teach and live a quiet life. But her father's graduation gift threatens to change her world-literally. He offers her a ticket to accompany him on a year-long business trip to the colonies on Mars.

Wanting to reconnect with her father and responding impulsively to her fianc?'s negative reaction, Melinda boards the Susan Constant and journeys to Mars. She compares everything about the trip and her time on the planet to Earth. She misses the abundant water, the fresh air, the rhythm of the ocean and "normal" gravity. If it weren't for Alex Preston, a second-generation Martian colonist, she might not have learned many of the positives that life on Mars offered or the thoughtfulness of genuine love.

Engdahl's science fiction romance targets young adult readers well. Melinda tells her story in first person with believability and the indecisiveness and emotion that naturally accompany major life decisions when the ramifications will last forever. The journey between worlds literally spans between Earth and Mars, but it also shows her journey into adulthood as well as the shift in her thinking about what she wants from life.

I enjoyed my return visit into the world of Engdahl's books. She updated this volume to reflect what we now know about Mars, and to reflect our shift in thinking about women. However, the book seems to me as fresh as it did when I read it as a child. The pace moves a bit slower than today's readers might expect, but the story line remains solid and the themes still feel relevant today. What a thrill to see Engdahl's books back in print!

Melinda doesn't want to go to Mars. Why leave Earth when everything humans are meant to enjoy is there? But when her father, whom she's only seen sporadically over the last ten years, asks her to join him on a business trip to one of the Mars colonies after she graduates from high school, she can't bring herself to refuse him. Little does she know her months on Mars will change the way she thinks about life, love, and humanity.

With JOURNEY BETWEEN WORLDS, Sylvia Louise Engdahl has written a science-fiction story that will appeal to a variety of teens. Melinda faces many of the same problems today's young adults do, only in an otherworldly location. The first person narrative puts readers right inside Melinda's head and allows them to see through her eyes. Her struggle to overcome her fear of change and to examine her feelings and beliefs honestly should resonate with anyone uncertain of exactly who they are and want to be.

The story, of course, is not only about Melinda, but also Mars. The descriptions of Mars and its colonies are fascinating in their detail and realism, providing an exciting setting for Melinda's personal conflicts. The colonists, with their pride and passion, will make readers wonder if they, too, would have the pioneer spirit.

I would recommend JOURNEY BETWEEN WORLDS to any teen looking for a thought-provoking read. Unlike many science-fiction novels, this is not a story of action and technology, but rather of wonder. I'll admit, at times I wished there was more excitement, but overall it was a satisfying read. Both Melinda's problems and the issues raised by the colonization of another planet will give readers much to ponder long after they've finished reading.

Reviewed by: Lynn Crow

I enjoyed reading this book so much! Julie in the book went through the same feelings I did when I moved to a new school. I felt alone and sad just like her until I met my best friend. This book was great and I can't wait to read the sequel to this book. Any child will love this book just like me.

Julie and the Unicorn was such a pleasure to read and so was the sequel as well. This author writes enjoyable children's books. My children and I enjoyed the books! It was such an touching story about a young girl and a unicorn having a secret friendship. We can't wait to read the new book by Cynthia Rizzo called Angela and the Princess.

I bought the books Julie and the Unicorn and Julie and the Unicorn 2 for my daughters ages ten and six, they both love these unicorn books. The writing is great for their age that even my six year old can understand the words and is able to read the books on her own. I highly recommend both books!

I bought this book for my neice as a birthday gift. My neice is in love with this book and the sequel. She loves the part where the unicorn brings Julie to the fairy land to meet all the unicorns and see the pretty land. If you have a child or know a child who loves to read or loves unicorns, then Julie and the Unicorn and Julie and the Unicorn 2 are the books to get.

I bought this book for my daughter and she loved it. She is crazy about this book. She reads it over and over again since it's only 50 pages. She loves unicorns and was very excited when I bought this book for her. She can't wait to read the sequel. I highly recommend this book to any parent for their child.