Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

Three Kane stories, with the first the longest piece. Generally under siege we find the long lived warrior.


Death Angel's Shadow : 1 Reflections for the Winter of My Soul - Karl Edward Wagner
Death Angel's Shadow : 2 Cold Light - Karl Edward Wagner
Death Angel's Shadow : 3 Mirage - Karl Edward Wagner


Kane, trying to shake off pursuers in frozen weather is helped to shelter by a woman.

However, her father's manor will come under assault by a werewolf.

3.5 out of 5


A crusading general:

"For several years he had marched forth against petty tyrants, evil wizards, robber barons, outlaw packs, and monsters human and inhuman. Always he had vanquished evil in the name of good, shackled chaos with law. And now he rode against Kane, a name that had always fascinated him, but which he had half regarded as legendary, until he began to realize the truth that lay in the fantastic tales of this man."

Trapping Kane in a town he knows, with only 9 healthy men left after taking out an ogre stronghold, not the best of ideas.

3.5 out of 5


A vampire woman is a little peeved about Kane's lack of normal human drainability.

3 out of 5




3.5 out of 5

The Eerie Quest of KANE - The Mystic Swordsman

A quest that took Kane into forbidden wastelands, and tested his killer skills against the most brutal forces ever summoned against a single man.

Kane faced death duels in strange swamps, assassins' attacks, the heart-freezing terror of the werewolf - and lived to laugh at danger.

But he knew he'd lost his strength, and perhaps his soul, when he entered the erotic web of the vampire...

A great writer involves your mind to such an extent that you lose track of time and space. You no longer are aware of anything around you. Eventually your body rebels from lack of food or sleep, you look up and realize you have to go to work in three hours. Tolkien did that to me, so does Wagner. All the other heros/anti-heros of fiction seem effete by comparison. The Werewolf story in Death Angels Shadow is the best Werewolf story ever. Why no one has made it into a movie is beyond me. I'd love to see Ridley Scott or James Cameron do it.

Kane is to most fantasy as Jack the Ripper is to Disney characters. My respect and admiration for the Kane books and stories is exceeded only by my sorrow that there will be no more.

Karl Edward Wagner at his bizarre, nightmarish best.

Flat out.

With the possible exception of some of Robert E. Howard's work, dark fantasy just doesn't get any better than the three stories of Kane compiled and presented here.

Hunt all of Wagner's books down, spend the money (these Warner paperbacks are long out of print, and I believe the two recent compilations from Night Shade Books are now fetching outrageous prices) and spend some long, sleepless nights wrapped in devilish glee...

I thought it was fabulous! I'm so pleased to have given this series a try. The cover and storyline did not appeal to me, but the first in the series, Karavans, kept showing up in my recomendations list, so I buckled adn tried it. I have not regretted my decision in the least. Deepwood picks up right were Karavans leaves off. Rhuan and Audrun are trapped in Alisanos (a sort'of sentinent dangerous forest). Surprising to readers, they are not the only ones that were trapped (I won't give that one away). Roberson, like the previous book, skips from one character's perspective to another's. The reader learns a great deal about the workings and creatures of Alisanos, as well as the 1000 gods that live there. Rhuan's father also plays a part in this book.

Also like the first, I found this book very difficult to set aside. I greatly look forward to reading more.

The second of the Karavans series lives up to the promise of the first. However you need to read them in order. Fortunatly Amazon gives you a good deal on buying both.

This series just became one of my favorites!!The book moved and flowed like a movie. I hated to put this book down. I couldn't wait to turn the next page to see what was going to happen next. Rhuan and Ilona deserve each other (and who knew that she was what he was pretending to be???). I would definately recommend this book to family and friends.

I had read all of Jennifer Roberson's previous series, and enjoyed them. This latest world is wonderful. Her writing keeps you inside the world she had created, and her story keeps you wanting more!

It isn't often that I use this word, but I think it is appropriate to call this book delightful. If you liked the first book, you will love this one. It has the same mature but easy-to-follow writing style, only there is much more happening this time around. That makes sense, because the main characters have been meticulously described in the first book, and now the focus has shifted to plot development. Nevertheless, world-building continues to be portrayed in excruciating detail, and the deepwood is so real you could swear you're there.

The plot itself is very exciting and I seriously can't remember being bored with any passage for even a second. There are 2 main settings where the story is unfolding: the deepwood, and the karavan settlement in the "normal" world. There are also some events unfolding in Cardatha, the city overtaken by the Hecari and from where their warlord rules over Sancorra (we follow Brodhi during those events). The story ends with a plot twist and some unfinished business that allow for plenty of things to happen in the next book.

Realistic characters, detailed places, good plot, and a very likable writing style are at the heart of Karavans, and Deepwood does them all justice. Jennifer Roberson is both a talented and a hardworking author, and this book will attest to that. Highly recommended.

I highly recommend this book and all the "Dragon and the George" sequels. It was a wonderful series, written by an amazing SciFi/Fantasy author!

a great book and the second in this amazing series.

a must for Fantasy readers everywhere.

This book is very exciting and does a good job how life was probably like in the middle ages, but it also has alot of suspence and action, and alot of times when you can't help to wonder how Jim(aka the Dragon Knight) can get out of his situation. It also has the interesing twist of comedy that makes you laugh every once and a while. This was a very good book but, I still like The Dragon and the George, better then this one, but they are both pretty simular. Never the less, this is a great book and I recomend it

This incredible book takes the best characteristics of a fantasy book and mixes them with a very particular way of seing every-day life during the Middle Ages. The author narrates the story with the fine humour that we see in all his work, capturing the reader with the crazy situations in which Jim and Brian are involved and trying to show us how beautiful and horrible can a life surrounded by magic and by unusual things can be. An excellent book full of magic, fantasy and optimism that any reader will enjoy a great deal!!!

This is another good book in the dragon series. If you liked the first you will surely like this one. The one disappointment I had with this book was that it leads you to believe there is much magic involved with the plot. However, in the final grudge there is really no magic but more strategy and war than any magic battle. The final ending does bring you back up to speed with an unsusspected surprise. Once again the mid-evil thriiler will grab you in the end and bring you back to the next book in the series.

I absolutly adored this book, and I can't come up with enough good things to say about it. It's great for absolutly any age (I'm 26) and I read the first three books in two days.

Wholeheartedly reccomended for girls, who will find a near perfect heroine and role model in Emma.

I loved this book,it was a great story.i cant wait till i get my hands on the third book.

I loved this story because there were more adventures and surprises, but the end made me sad until I read the next book, Once upon A Curse, and everything was better. I was hooked, I read one and I had to read them all!!!!!!!!!!

Wow!! I LOVED this book! After reading Frog Princess, I thought there couldn't be a better book in the world! But I was wrong! I loved this book even more than Frog Pricess! I love it so much, I finished it in a day. If you liked Frog Princess, READ THIS!!! If you didn't, you should still read this because it was GREAT!!! I read the third one too, and it was also great, I would recemend the series to anyone! Read them. You will LOVE them I promise!!!!!!:)

If you want to read "Dragon's Breath" I suggest you read "The Frog Princess" first so you can understand it better. In "Dragon's Breath" Emma and Eadric help Emma's Aunt Grassina, the current 'Green Wtich', turn her true love, Haywood, back into a person from a otter. After overhearing a wizard talking to the soul of her grandmother, who turned Haywood into an otter in the first place, Emma learns the things needed to turn him back. Hearing this she sets off to find the ingreddients with Eadric by her side. They find many weird 'things' along the way including dragons witch makes Emma's magic stronger. The neighboring kingdom chose this miment to attack. With Grassina distracted and Emma's magic out of controll it looks like Emma's father's army is going to lose untill something very strange happenes......

(SPOILER ALERT)

On their 5th adventure to find the seven gems of Deltora Lief, Barda and Jasmine must journey to the frightening Dread Mountain. When they find Kin on their way their (story-book characters long thought to be extinct) they meet a Kin called Prin, the only child born since the Kin moved from Dread Mountain. When Prin follows them to the mountain, they must defend her, as well as themselves from the Dread Gnomes and their leader the giant toad: Gellik.

In my opinion this is the best book of the series, it is very interesting and exciting. We learn what poison the Grey Guards 'blisters' are from and a mysterious grave and a message written in blood add to the mystery of the book.

This book is one of the best books I have ever read in my life. You really should read it,infact I bet you would enjoy it to! If you do read this book it will probabably take some time to read but, if you read the whole entire book you will be dying to read it again. Also, you need to tell all your freinds how good it is and I bet they would like to read it to!

Books Books Books. You are always forced to read stupid books for Summer reading. I begged not to have to read them and so the choice was given if I could find a book in the next week to read I didn't have to do summer reading. After searching without success I found a book to replace Summer reading that was the newest of The Deltora Quests at the time. Like the four books before this book cast it's spell and I could not put it down out of interest. It is not exceptional, not the most action packed, not the most romantic and certainly not having the best monsters but I will always consider it my jewel. I'd take Gellick over the Hoboken Chicken any day! That poisin spitting frog on the front, he will set you free.

Our three heroes are on the track of the fifth gem which lies in the dangerous Dread Mountain, but before that Lief has a terrifying vision of his parents home, barren and destroyed.Lief, Barda and Jasmine, continue on their journey, managing the long walk by flying in the pouches of a peaceful species called the Kin.When they enter the domains of dread mountain, they must face poisoin gnomes, grey guards and messages written by the writer's blood.And worst of all they are stuck in the terrifying mazes of the evil mountain!But this only seems small compared to the darkness they feel when they face the fifth guardian, the evil Gellick, who is invincible to destroy.Will our heroes survive the dreads of Dread Mountain.........................................................

As they travel to Dread Mountain, Lief, Barda, and Jasmine find a clear spring. But an ominous sign makes them unsure. They are thirsty, and out of water. They drink, and later discover the entire truth of Dreaming Spring. They also meet the Kin, a fabled creature thought to be extinct. The Kin take them to the mountain, but their only young follows. Can they care for her, and themselves, too? She proves to be helpful, and as they learn about what happened on the mountain, they are imprisoned by the Dread Gnomes, Gnomes that live on the Mountain, under the rule of a toad-like creature, Gellick. The fifth gem, the emerald, is inbedded in his brow.

In case you are unfamiliar with the Elfquest series, I highly suggest reading some of the past graphic novels in print starting with Fire and Flight and The Forbidden Grove before tackling the Hidden Years.

Wendy and Richard Pini, despite being well known in the fantasy circle, are still relatively unknown comic book artists. Which is a SHAME because their timeless Elfquest stories are extremely well-written. Often, Elfquest fans (such as myself) are very loyal and devoted fans that have been reading their stories for years (in my case 15 years).

In the Hidden Years, we get to see the years in between with Cutter and the Wolfriders after Rayak whisked the Palace of the High Ones into the near future along with his family: Leetah, Ember, Suntop. There are also stories that take place during different time periods like when Bearclaw was still chief and Cutter a mere boy. The stories are heartbreaking and center around the importance of family and finding a place to belong. Cutter somewhat adopts Tyleet, in place of Ember, and she becomes the "daughter of the whole tribe." The best story, as most have already indicated, is Tyleet's rescue of an abandoned human baby (sadly, due to his scar) and raising him. The second best story is the tragedy of Skywise's parents.

As always, the artwork done by Wendy is breathtaking. No other artist can draw Elfquest like she can. Richard is a master storyteller leaving the reader always wanting MORE. By far, this was my favorite graphic novel out of all the stories. Flawless artwork, and inspiring story telling.

Wendy Pini has certainly outdone herself! Her artwork has always been versatile, changing to fit the mood of the story. In this graphic novel, she used vivid watercolors to tell the tale. It's amazing! The stories are also superb, in the honored tradition of Elfquest. My favorite story is the one about Tyleet and her adopted human cub, Little Patch. Wendy Pini is definetly my favorite artist! :)

A collection of short stories, _Hidden Years_ fills in some missing spots in the storyline, mostly from the time period before the 'Shards'and Kings of the Broken Wheel timeline. It was really nice to see that a story could indeed be covered in the equivalent of one issue of a comic book. My favorites are the story depicted on the cover and the origin story for Skywise. No spoilers here, just go out and get it.

Wendy is arguably the best comic book artist of our time, and this little gem has got to be her greatest work ever. This is the very first book by the Pinis that I bought. (Which may I recommend that you don't get this first. You will be very confused, even though the stories are great in themselves.) This one book started the Elf-mania in my family. Now, I buy all of them, even the off-the-wall side stories that are more humorous than anything (see "New Blood" and "Worldpool"). It's really great artwork and rich color are the best. And Strongbow is a heartthrob.;)

In a slightly smaller format than the original paperback volumes, the Elfquest tales that occurred between the great espiodes of the elfin adventures on The World of Two Moons are all presented in full, glaring colors that really blinds your eyes which are more accustomed to the gentler tones of the colorized comic-book collections. Here you meet Strongbow and his wolffriend, Kyavek and her winged boyfriend, Ember and her coming-of-age discoveries, Tyleet and her foster kid, and Skywise and his ill-fated parents. Personally, I feel that the gentle little Tyleet had inherited her mother's child-hunger, so she had a chance to fulfill her aching maternal instincts with an abandoned infant from a nearby human camp. Pretty sappy, in my opinion. But all the Elfquest fans get to unlock even more mysteries about their most favorite elfin characters as well as color-saturated new stories to boot!

I don't have the third book. I enjoyed the first 2 books. I wished they woild have made another movie reguarding book 2 and 3.

N. L. Bowden

The first part of this all-in-one volume is The Talman, the Holy Book of the alien Drac race. The Talman is the premise for the rest of the three novels that follow in the volume. I consider scripture to be inspired search for truth, including the true definition of the relationship between man (or Drac, in this case) and God (or other Higher Power). While reading The Talman, I had the distinct feeling that I was reading real scripture disguised as fictional scripture. Mr. Longyear's insight was thought-provoking as well as entertaining. The series is a worthy entry among the classics dealing with the problem of the relationship between theology/spirituality and science, such as James Blish's A Case of Conscience and Robert Sawyer's Calculating God.

The first part of this all-in-one volume is The Talman, the Holy Book of the alien Drac race. The Talman is the premise for the rest of the three novels that follow in the volume. I consider scripture to be inspired search for truth, including the true definition of the relationship between man (or Drac, in this case) and God (or other Higher Power). While reading The Talman, I had the distinct feeling that I was reading real scripture disguised as fictional scripture. Mr. Longyear's insight was thought-provoking as well as entertaining. The series is a worthy entry among the classics dealing with the problem of the relationship between theology/spirituality and science, such as James Blish's A Case of Conscience and Robert Sawyer's Calculating God.

Rumor has it the tenitive title for this book was "Enemy Mine Omnibus", but in the long run I'm glad they didn't call it that.

"The Enemy Papers" is a collection of stories having to do with the war between the Dracs and Humans. The collection starts with an "abridged" version of the Draconian Talman or holy book.

A revised/extended author's addition of "Enemy Mine" comes next in line with contains a closer look at Shigan and Davidage's relationship and, later, the relationship Davidage has with the Jeriba family.

"The Tomorrow Testement" is the story of a human female soldier who gets taken to the Dracon as a POW and how she caught the eye of a leading Draconian offical and helped bring an end to the war. Bear this in mind; "Enemy Mine" and "Tomorrow Testement" occur at the same time.

"The Last Enemy" takes place around 30 years after "Enemy Mine", only this time from the point of view of a Draconian terrorist living on the planet that started the entire war. This unique view into the after effects of the peace treaty and the universal mindset of a war weary soldier is a nice addition to this collection.

The collection is completed with a set of essays about writing alien languages, Longyear's experiences writing the stories and a small Drac/English-English/Drac dictionary for those of us who are obsessed with these stories. Longyear does admite that, with a little persuassion, he might continue the series, complete the Talman and lenghten the dictionary.

With a little persuassion.

The Enemy Papers is a compilation that includes three novels, Enemy Mine, The Tomorrow Testament and The Last Enemy, as well as The Talman, an alien Bible. Barry Longyear's trilogy of the war between humans and the alien Dracs was always a fantastic story, philosophically deep while entertaining to read, but today the story is even more timely. In this world of renewed terrorist activity and threat of war, a well-thought-out treatise of unrequited hate, fierce nationalism and the horrors of war reads like a world relations primer. The issues of how to establish and keep peace are dealt with honestly and with human (and alien) nature always considered. Nothing is easy, and nothing is straightforward. Longyear is a spectacular writer and this is one of his best. I guarantee that the ending to the last novel will knock your socks off, whether you are wearing socks or not. I promise. Read this book, it will engrave itself on your soul.

I just finished reading the Everworld books 1-3. They are really good books. I want everyone to know that basic out line of these books. In the beginning these 5 people are just reagular teenagers. Then, they get dragged into another world. When they sleep they cross over back into their world and memorys from what happened while they were in Everworld comes flooding back. The books go on to tell what types of adventures they go through and how they get through them. There are about 12 or 13 books in all. I hope you read them! They are awsome!

This series is absoulutely awesome and i recommend it to any teenage reader.

I just got finished with the 3rd Everworld book. I like everything about it. My favorite charater is Senna. Senna is a witch so she is different from everyone else. I think everyone is different in their own ways but not everyone/anyone is a real witch like Senna. I like April's point of view the best so far. I just ordered the 4th book and hope to order the rest very soon.

I LOVE all ever world books! They are my favorite besides Harry Potter. Everworld books arn't about boring topics like math and things like that! They are about real people that are sucked out of this universe and into Everworld where there are dragons, wolves the size of bus's and angry gods who kill like its a sport! There interesting and hold my attention to the point where it's nearly impossable to but the book down. As you can seei feel very pationit about these books and would recomend them to anyone who likes fantasy books.

I recently just finished the 3rd book in the Everworld series, Enter the Enchanted. I loved it! I bought the first book and was hooked. I ecspecially liked how it's written from April's point of veiw. I love the fact that K.A. Applegate involves character's that are well know such as Merlin and hisorical characters like the Vikings and the Aztecs. She has added her own little twists to these characters. I can't wait to read Realm of the Reaper!

take off with Basil to the utopia of Helios, where your friend, the girl genius, gives you a ride on her pet pteranodon and demonstrates physics based on precise musical melodies. A great book to inspire reluctant readers to read on...and reluctant writers to create.

This book is the first in what is so far a series of two. I hope Mr Miller doesn't take too long with a next installment.

What a great book! Wish there were stories like this when I was a kid. Great imagination & lots of fun

My 7 year old boy and myself love this book. It is well written and keeps you wanting to read more for more adventures and surprises.

Children can relate easily to the adventures in the book and it can turn on their own imagination, as they themselves become part of the story.

Great work!

Beautifully illustrated but a tad verbose. It is a tale about a floating city of higher learning that's kept high above the petty wars fought on earth... but what happens when evil reaches up into the clouds? This is one for the history books.

"Peace Through World Domination!" The comics parrot many a dictator and well-intentioned freedom fighter, while making us laugh. That is the joy of Attack of the Volcano Monkeys.

Wiley Miller's "Non Sequitur" is one of my favorite comics as it segues from mundane to otherworldly each weekend in the Sunday comics. There, Lucille, Beatrice Pterosaur, and Basil Pepperell have adventures-and I want to tag along. Their worlds make sense as they mirror portions of our own. They come closest to the 1960s political Pogo that I can find. Besides, I enjoy Maine accents and lighthouses. In these monkeyshines, Basil returns home from his last crusade to leave immediately on another. He must save little Louise from forbidden Monkey Island, which is not an island l, but a ship that some government has disguised as an island with which to control its indigenous monkey nations. HG Wells, Tarzan, and Star Trek would like a word with that government.

Professor McGookin and his magic round submarine help Louise, Basil, and his resistance fighter monkey-friend Rathbone (Basil...Rathbone, a Holmesian nod) to defeat a dictator and restore liberty to intelligent monkeys. Evil Doctor Von Rottweil (vicious like the dog), by turns, saves Basil's life and is imprisoned by the moneys he has experimented on, but escapes to "evil-ize" something else in the future. This is "HMS Pinafore" meets "The Producers" in "Springtime for Hitler in Germany." It makes me laugh while I think, but is a rollicking good time.

Additional animals play major parts in this story. Bug-eyed owls hunt children and monkeys, but are swept from the sky by Beatrice Pterosaur. Illustrations of this and other events swim around and behind the text to comprise a jaunty nautical reading experience.

In the end, children are smart, democratic revolution can overthrow dictatorship and false idols, and we are not monkeys to be tricked. Moral character lives in the heroes and even its villains. Basil upholds freedom and honor, encourages compassion towards all, and provides an extraordinary good time all at once.

Armchair Interviews says: Readers of all ages will enjoy Attack of the Volcano Monkeys.

This collection of stories details John Christian Falkenberg's military career from start to finish and is Jerry Pournelle at his best.

I don't see Falkenberg as a facist, but a realist, as when he says: "Peace is the name of the ideal we deduce from the fact that there have been interludes between wars."

These are an awesome set of stories, focusing more on 'war stories' than science fiction and is suitable for teenagers and up.

Do yourself, and the series, justice and also buy 'Prince of Mercenaries' and read it after the story set on Hadley and before the story set on New Washington.

I've had this book for years, and read it many times. It's a guilty indulgence, something that I pick up when I'm too tired or overworked to devote mental energy to enjoying a new story. It's got every ingredient of a great war book; inexperienced junior officers coming into their own, battles on a large scale with significant stakes, and of course a genius commander who makes the impossible possible. Add to that the focus on glory and duty and you've got a story that tugs on your heartstrings even while it grinds the enemy into a fine powder.

But eventually I read it one time too many and despite my efforts to ignore them the larger political views of the author seeped into my consciousness. Falkenberg, the title character, is a fascist, or a monarchist at best, and the way that Pournelle plots his stories makes it clear that he shares that view. Democracies are invariably depicted as being unable to make any sustained effort, or to accomplish tasks that "wise men" can clearly see are needed. Obedience is the prime virtue, and failure to recognize a great man the main sin.

Even with all that baggage, the battles are engrossing enough to make it a great read. Just try to ignore the politics, and you may be able to enjoy the book.

A million years ago, back when I was a poor college student, I decided to forgoe the b-movie of the week and venture into the local Supercrown. Since I had already read Jerry's collaborations with Niven, I thought I'd give this book a chance. I did, and I got a real kick out of it. I've heard others describe Jerry's books as fascist, and his politics to the right of Attila the Hun, but they're lacking in brain cells, or have never read his work in the first place. Falkenberg's Legion (actually two novels in one) deals with the hard decisions a military commander has to make. It is in no way preachy, but sort or amoral, in attitude. It has to be or it would not be entertaining. JC Falkenberg is a great character, one I'll long remember. Jerry's Empire of Man deals with an alliance between the US and Soviet Union called the CoDominium, and the fall of the CoDominium and the wars between factions. I know the Soviet angle may sound dated, but I am sure with a little history under your belt you can appreciate it. Jerry has a great understanding of politics and history (often one in the same) and has created one of the most believable future histories in SF. If you dig RAH you'll dig Pournelle. He's damn good.

There are so few Military Sci-fi books I can read these days without cringing. But, since I'm thoroughly addicted to the genre, I tend to read em all anyway.

Dunno why I haven't read this series sooner, I've always been impressed with Pournelle, and "Footfall" is in my Top 10. Picking up Falkenberg's Legion renewed that faith, and reminded me that there are still good writers doing Military Sci-fi.

Almost the perfect mix of military action, politics and social commentary. Some interesting perspectives on military history, how the military has been used, how the military people view themeselves...and how that may play itself out in present and future roles. All mixed in this future world of the "Codomminium" and multi-worlds universe Pournelle has created in Falkenberg's Legion.

Excellent job, by someone who truely knows what he is doing...and has been doing it for quite a while. Can't wait to get the next book in the series.

I guess that is one advantage of starting a series late...no waiting :)

This book is a highly enjoyable gathering of short stories set in Pournelle's universe of the CoDominium. Where the Cold War never ended but an Alderson hyperdrive was instead discovered. This froze the Cold War into centuries of outgoing colonisation.

While set some couple of centuries in the future, much of the book's technology is little advanced from our time, on the planetary surface. Due to a plot device where the CoDominium banned most research. This also permitted (or perhaps that was its intended point) Pournelle to write stories about mercenaries without having to strain unduly for exotic weapons or ideas.

Along these lines, the astute reader might note that the civilian society scarcely mentions the equivalent of our Internet. Sure, there's mention of computers and networks. But not an all pervasive web or mesh that ours is rapidly becoming. Ironic, that even a noted futurist like Pournelle would miss it. This is one of the aspects that dates the stories to pre-early 90s, if you did not know the actual publication dates of this book or of its contained stories.

The yarn is solid military SF. Most of its stories were composed at a time when the Soviet Union seemed eternal. Another way to date the stories. But it was also when Pournelle was actively writing, perhaps at the peak of his productivity. Sadly, in 2007 things are different. Given the fall of the Soviets, we are highly unlikely to see any more stories in this series. Darn! The Falkenburg character was compellingly depicted. While some detractors of Pournelle say this book is a paean to militarism, there is not much preaching of an overt dialectic. A romping read, and you can treat it at this level if you find Pournelle's politics disagreeable.

Another reason we are unlikely to see more such stories is that Pournelle has grown strangely quiescent in recent years. Apart from his irascible ruminations on his Chaos Manor website, there has been little output in the form of stories. Pity.