Non-fiction Books

What a tragedy that such an important, enlightening, and inspiring story was written so poorly. I actually didn't get past page 15 because I just couldn't stand the run-on sentences any more. Everyone in my book club loved the book but for me, the way a book is written is just as important as the story itself, and when I have to stumble over every other sentence because it's so awkward, it ruins the experience for me.

I was so excited to read this story and thoroughly enjoyed the first 175 pages, but then it seemed to lose its focus and ramble on. The story itself is a good one, but it quickly becomes lost in "thick" writing. The author overuses adjectives and description to such an extent, his real point is often lost. He also has a knack for going into way to much detail about every little person who comes across the story. IT IS SO UNFOCUSED! The second hand view of the story is also strange, as we never get into Greg's head. The beginning of the book focuses on his struggle to build a school in Korphe, but then it is all over so quickly. We never find out his emotions or about the students. It's all very strange. I thought "ummm did I miss a chapter or something?" It just rattles on to talk about other adventures and people, having nothing to do with this school or, at some points, even Greg himself. I wondered where the editor was on this project. Yikes! What a mess! As a teacher, I was expecting to read a story that got more to the heart of this amazing man and the girls he helped to educate, but what I got was a circuatous description of small meaningless details that swallowed the real story.

Greg Mortenson is an American who was raised by missionary parents in Tanzania. These parents left a legacy in Africa of one of the best hospitals led by African Doctors and a leading international school. They also modeled to a cross-cultural son about aiming high. Greg became a nurse who loved mountain climbing, dreaming of one day also conquering K2.

This is the story of his near fatal attempt to climb that mountain. The failure led him on another journey: to a very poor village in the Karakoram mountains and to the conservative Muslim tribal worlds of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Greg, emaciated and exhausted from his failed attempt, is taken in by a local family and nursed back to health. During his recuperation, he hears of some of their dreams for their village and makes a promise to return to build a school for their girls.

The name of the book derives from what a local village chief said, "Here (in Pakistan and Afghanistan) we drink three cups of tea to do business; the first you are a stranger; the second you become a friend, and the third, you join our family, and for our family we are prepared to do anything--even die."

Greg is thrown into another cross-cultural world that is far different from his world in Africa. It is a world of tribal chiefs, imams, the poor trying to survive in incredible circumstances and the impact of poverty upon the lives of children. These people wonder why an American would make a promise that looked so impossible to keep and how this turned into Greg's destiny.

'Three Cups of Tea' is a story of wisdom learned from the local culture over the centuries. It is seeing the practical difference that education makes in the lives of poor villages of Pakistan and Afghanistan one school at a time. It is a story of deep, lasting cross-cultural friendships in a world that has been defined by its geo-political and religious divides. Read it and weep......Read it and get involved.

THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ! It makes you want to get up and make the world a better place!!! It is amazing how many lives Greg Mortensen has changed for the better. You are missing out if you do not read this book! Please pass it along to others~!

Three Cups of Tea is an inspiration beyond measure. Great story filled with determination -- I highly recommend this book for everyone. To help make a difference and spread the word, I bought 4 copies on Amazon to give as birthday gifts to my friends and family. PS

I did not realize when I bought these books that they were for young adults, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading about Alanna's adventures, friends and family. Alanna proved to the men again and again that "anything you can do I can do better". A great message to put out there for young girls. And even though it took me 1 day to read each book I just couldn't stop until I was done!

When I first picked up this book, I was the typical bookworm. I knew every corner of my middle school's library. Most often, I'd find myself in the mythology section or classic plays. However, one day, I took a fateful journey into the fantasy section.
I was 12 years old, timid and accepting of even the worst opinions of me.
When I read it, I was enlightened. A whole five foot one, (four foot eleven at the time), I was keenly aware of her height issues and the jokes her friends made.
The way she shaped her own life made me feel as if I could do the same. And I have. I took control -- or as Alanna would say "rode the tiger" and I've made my own way in the world and I don't think anyone would call me timid now.
I'm in college now, and I know if I start to feel down or like I'm losing confidence in myself, I can just pick up my old worn out copy of Alanna (or any of the subsequent sequels) and feel better, feel like a stronger woman because of it. Tamora Pierce was a saint for writing this book. Sometimes I even feel like she wrote it just for me!

Is no one bothered by the essential lack of values in this book? Getting what you want is more important than honesty or respect for others. The main character threatens others with horrible, supernatural punishment, tricks her father, lies outrightly, and that's just in the first chapter.
What about integrity, justice, truth as foundations of doing right?
Compare this heroine with Jonas in The Giver, Frodo in The Lord of the Rings, Andy in Wolf Rider, or Karana in The Island of the Blue Dolphins.

I thought this book was wonderful. However, it is not appropriate for children under 14. The reading level is not that difficult, but the content is for upper grades. This book inadvertently appeared on my daughter's third grade reading list. She did not understand why Alanna's sheet were "smeared with blood" She also had lots of questions about fertility cycles, sleeping with men and getting pregnant.

This book started with a great IDEA. I liked the idea of Allana becoming a knight in her brothers place. It sounds like a book that can have SO MANY possibilites. However, the auther's choppy writing and typing errors were just sad. The author moves from one scene to the next, with no flow whatsoever, and simply skims the surface of the character's identity. There is no depth, and no description. It is almost a simple statement of facts throughout the whole book. Though I really want to know what happens in the series, and HOPE very much that the auther's writing has improved, I think I'll just look at the library for the rest of the series.

... "On June 4, 1960, the Big Creek Missile Agency, fresh from its medal winning performance at the National Science Fair, is sponsoring a day of rocket launches at its Cape Coalwood range. Everyone reading these words is invited..." This quote can be found on page 356-357 of a book called Rocket Boys; this statement showed me that the success of the main characters was a result of personal hard work and teamwork.

"Rocket Boys" by Homer H. Hickam, Jr. is a nonfiction account of a group of friends from Coalwood, West Virginia in the early 1960's who have a fetish for making rockets. Homer and his friends have a dream to shoot a rocket up into the clouds. This story gives the reader a message that dreams really can come true.

Rocket Boys is one of the strongest books I have ever read. The author accomplished his goals to tell people that team work is one of the most important things to know in your life. This book is recommended for people that like space and rockets and who want a hopeful book to read. Reading Rocket Boys really gets you thinking about team work and how far you can get with it.

I was a little disappointed by the ending and the fact that Homer Hickam gave John Kennedy the idea to go to the Moon but other than that I couldn't help but root for the band of misfits.

I bought this book and the audio tapes and my son and I listened and read this amazing book together. Our plan was to read for 30 minutes a night...however it was sooooooo good we listened and read for 5 hours!

We are now going to rent the movie that was made from the film! All systems go....we enjoyed the adventure!

Just finished this book at 3:00am last night and the only negative comment I have is "why did it have to end?". I saw October Sky a few years ago and it was an exceptional movie - don't make the rash judgment I almost made in thinking that the book would probably not be be better than the movie because it is much, much better. It has only been a day since I've finished it but I'm still warmed by it and would have to put in into my top 10 all time greatest books. I was born in 1949 in a small upstate NY town and lived the fear generated by Sputnik. I think Homer would agree with me that, as tough as it was growing up then, it was the closest thing to heaven on earth as one could be. Wish I could go back.

Children in West Virginia mining towns became coal miners. They did not become rocket scientists. But it did not matter how well-known this was, for Homer "Sonny" Hickam, Jr. there was only one way out. He was the right age and had the right amount of ambition when the United States and Russia became entangled in the Space Race and as far as he was concerned, his fate was sealed.

Hickam's writing carried the comfort of conversation with an old friend. It was remarkable how easily I became nostalgic for neither a time nor a place that I had ever known. The story drips with the passion of a man who if he had to do it all over again, probably wouldn't change a thing. He understood and appreciated the importance of everything that happened to him and helped him on his way.

One thing that I found particularly fascinating was how closely this book resembled the old proverb that It takes a whole village to raise a child. And I mean no disrespect to Mr. Hickam when I point out how amazing his circumstance was in that he could not have done it alone. The stars seemingly aligned perfectly so that one boy from West Virginia could capture the hearts of so many people that he would be able to get such invaluable assistance. There was probably no way anyone else could have done what he did. And that is to his credit. (The way his path was guided by fate, or something like it, reminded me of how Ruth Reichl became a food critic in Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table.)

I loved this book for Hickam's ability to transport me from my favorite reading chair to a West Virginia high school in the late 50s. I found myself hanging on every word wondering what would happen next. There is something special about an intelligently written story about a successful man who takes no credit for himself, but rather gives it to each person who helped him make his dreams come true. Rocket Boys may now find itself among the short list of my favorite books.

What a great, great book! I just finished it and told my daughter when she finishes reading it, I am going to read it again. So many life lessons. You could feel God's presence throughout the whole read.

I could not put this book down. It was really a compeling story, but did get tired of the main character continueing leaving to find herself, and the last time it really was unbelievable she got herself mixed up with "Duke" again, but guess the author had to do that to bring the book to a close. I read alot of Christian historical fiction and found this one a little more "suggestive" than most. But all in all a entertaining book.

This is such a beautiful book based on biblical principles. I really do recommend it to all who are having trouble in their marriage. It really shows us so clearly how GOD wants us to love and how an unconditional love transforms each of us into the image of HIS dearly begotten Son Jesus. A must read for Christians and Non-Christians alike. GOD created us and HE has certain spiritual laws we must follow. Some follow them unconciously some read the manual which is naturally the Bible.
The book is fast paced and next to impossible to put down. Be very very blessed.

WOW! I could not put the book down. I read it in three days and it only took me that long because I have a 1 year old that consumes so much attention. This book was amazing. I have my mother in law reading it now. It reminded me of the way we treat God. This book can be enjoyed by anyone.

MY SISTER PLEADED WITH ME TO READ THIS BOOK, SHE HAD AND ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!! I DIDN'T THINK THAT I WAS GOING TO BECAUSE, I'M NOT AS SPIRITUALLY MATURE AS SHE!!!!! I GOT THE BOOK ( JUST TO SHUT HER UP!!), AND LITERALLY WAS SHUT UP AND DOWN UNTIL I FINISHED IT!!! IT WAS SO INTERESTING AND CONSUMING THAT I LITERALLY LAUGHED ,CRIED, GOT ANGRY, MY HEART SWELLED AS MICHAEL CONTINUALLY SHOWED HER UNCONDITIONAL LOVE TIME AFTER TIME!!!!! THE SIZE OF THE BOOK DID INTIMIDATE ME IN THE BEGINNING, NOW I WAS THAT THERE WAS A SEQUEL!!!! THIS ONE IS FOR MY LIBRARY DEFINITELY!!!! THE PERFECT STORY OF GOD'S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE!!!!!! THIS BOOK IS ANOITED BY GOD HIMSELF!!!!!! ENJOY!!!!!!I TRULY DID!!!!!!

I would HIGHLY recommend purchasing this book if you are a POTO phan desiring a deeper look. This book is riveting, dark, and moving. Never have I read a tale so exquisitely written about my favorite character: Phantom.

The only thing I disliked about the book was the fact that there was a smattering of language throughout. 'D**n' and 'h**l' were used frequently, and the 'f' word popped up once. For someone desiring a clean book, I would recommend "Through Phantom Eyes" by Theodora Bruns over this book.

Overall though, this book was wonderful, and I wouldn't trade it for the world!

~Laura

This is an amazingly well written book. It holds your attention and is just a work of genius. Obviously I was very impressed.

What a touching portrayal of the beginning of the Phantom's life! Society has changed for the better in many ways but this shows the real picture even if it is fiction. Bravo.

This is an amazing book. Ms. Kay has successfully filled in the missing pages of the Phantom's life, and I know that M. Leroux would only applaud her effort. For anyone starting on the road of Phantom Phandom, or anyone that is on the journey already, this is a must book. Not only do we see Erik growing up as a lonely,forlorn child, but we see his character develop as he is driven mercilessly on the road that will bring him to the Opera House in Paris. The 'lost' pages from Leroux's book are found here as Erik is caught up in a hopeless attraction for a young woman, and her frightened reaction to him. What is it about this forlorn man that has Christine coming back to him? All is explained here, with passion, love, and understanding. No one is treated unkindly, as all are flawed human beings, and that in the end, is enough to make tears flow. A MUST have!

Definitely my favorite of the Phantom genre, though not a sequel. Susan Kay delves deeply into the past, creating a wholly believeable origin for Erik. Beginning with his birth, it explains him perfectly.

The author uses the formula of changing-first person narrative, beginning with his mother and rapidly evolving to others in the phantom's life, though we also hear from the phantom himself. Not to be missed!

Excellent story plot for both the young and old.... A story to be passed down from generation to generation

This book is a childhood favorite and even to this day at the age of 21 I absolutely love this book. The adventure and writing style is absolutely irresistible.

One thing I wanted to mention about this particular book is that although it alternates between worlds (earth and Fantasia) and might seem difficult for young readers to handle...the print color changes depending on which world Bastian is in. Makes it easier for kids to handle...not to mention we adults!

I have been looking for this book for years and finally I have it!

Its a wonderful and enchanting story, you get to meet many charming characters along the way, discovering the fantasy world of Fantastica.

A beautifully written story tale for both young and old.

This is perhaps the greatest - certainly one of the most well-known - works of German juvenile literature in the last century. And it is so much more than simply a fantasy adventure, although it certainly doesn't lack in entertainment value.

The book is actually imaginative literature that makes the imagination itself its main subject. It is about the proper handling of one's imagination and how to SAVE the imagination as an essential part of being human. The English reader might not immediately notice this, but the German reader will. In the German original, Fantastica/Fantasia is called "Phantasien," which is derived from the German word for "imagination." Thus, Fantastica could be called "The Realm of One's Imagination."

For a full appreciation of the book, it is important to recognize this. When Bastian, the main character, steals The Neverending Story from an antique book store and starts reading it, he doesn't enter (within the fictitious world of the story) a real place such as Narnia or Hogwarts. Rather, he enters his own imagination and needs to learn to handle his imagination well.

Being an outsider in school, Bastian is tempted to use his imagination in a bad way, namely for egoistical daydreams in which he imagines himself doing whatever he likes and taking revenge on others. Slowly, he learns that this is not the proper way of handling his imagination - that self-absorbed daydreaming is harmful.

So he learns to save his imagination from the threat of "Nothing," which is eating up Fantastica.

The intended parallel isn't hard to find. Michael Ende was a man deeply concerned about the loss of people's imagination in modern culture (about the "nothingness" eating it up), and both his novel "Momo" and "The Neverending Story" deal with this.

Whether you are young or old, whether you intend this book for yourself or your children, it is ideal for growing one's imagination as well as reflecting on its precious realm.

- Jacob Schriftman, Author of The Crack Beneath the Worlds and Other Books

It is by far the best read, I loved it, it goes to show you that a woman such as Katherine could play a vital role in the history of england, and her love afair with a Prince! Her and John of Gaunt's love affair has been immortalised as one of the greatest love affairs of all time!

I just completed this novel last night and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is well written and does a more than adequate job of holding the reader's attention despite the fact that it is a lengthy novel. I was touched by the love story Ms. Seton creates for Katherine and John of Gaunt and was impressed that the novel still felt fresh to me, even though it was written in the 1950s.

The one complaint I have is in regard to the ending. I don't want to deny anyone the pleasure of discovering the entire novel for themselves, so I won't give anything away. However, I think I can at least say that I was disappointed in the final scenes that took place between Katherine and John. I was eagerly awaiting the denouement but was left feeling like it fell a little flat.

Regardless, if you are a fan of historical fiction, you will enjoy this book!

One of the reason historical romantic novels were so popular in their day. Lots of story, and history to enjoy, plus being well written.

This is one of my very favorite books! If you like historical fiction you will really enjoy this book.

Found it to be very lengthy and therefore dull in many sections. Lost some interest throughout.

Although this book was first published in 1991, I only recently purchased it and read it. I stayed all night and a good part of the early hours of the morning reading Paradise and it was a paradise reading..I did not feel the time as I kept turing page after page. This is a keeper.

I absolutely loved this book. This was the first Judith McNaught book I have read but it certainly won't be the last. You just fall in love with Matt and Meredith from the beginning. This book made me laugh out loud and as another review mentioned...have your kleenex box handy as well. I couldn't put it down and my family barely saw me for the two days it took me to read it. I would recommend this romance novel to anyone with no hesitation!

Fabulicious! Romantic and funny and a little sad in between. Still don't quite buy Meredith's mother, but we'll let that slide because the rest of the book was such a treat.

You will love this book. It is such an enjoyable read - as are all of McNaughts other reads.

I am looking forward to my re-read already!

Paradise is one of my favorite books of all time - right up there with Gone with the Wind. The "leading man," Matt Farrell, is one of those characters that readers will "fall in love with." He is strong and successful, but his character has depth that makes you feel as if he is a real thinking and feeling man. He isn't perfect, but that's okay because perfect would be boring. The "leading lady," Meredith Bancroft is a great character too. I've had such luck with Judith McNaught books. I've searched and searched for another romance author I consider as good as Ms. McNaught and I am still unable to find one. Other Judith McNaught books I would strongly recommend are Whitney, My Love; Kingdom of Dreams; Almost Heaven; Something Wonderful; Tender Triumph; Perfect; and Every Breath You Take.

Really good to read after you've read Chronicles because you just HAVE to know more about Raistlin!

Wow! Raistlin fan or not this is a great book. I, of course like most of the people who read Dragonlance, like Raistlin but I am not a huge fan per say but I do find him interesting to read. A lot of my question were resolved here not all but many.
Perhaps the best part about this book is that you get to witness the Test that Raistlin endured! You've heard about out it for a long time now and finally your in the midst of it all! WOOT!
Three highlights ** Slight Spoilers ** (but not really) :)
1) Meeting all the old friends Cameron, Raistlin, Tanis, Tas, Tika, Otik, Flint, Sturm, etc. and learning about them as they met. Watching them make a covenant to return to Solace to meet again...which, if I remember, brings you to the first book you read...the Dragons of Autumn Twilight. (I liked that part)
2) Raistlin's Test
3) Raistlin's Letter at the end which gives you the reason for the book you just finished,

The Soulforge, was well written and thrill. I think this book, of all the Dragonlance books I've read to date, has answered more questions than any other novel yet.

*This review is being updated and brough over from an older account.

Soulforge is an extremely exciting book that takes you across a wide range of characters and adventures. The book takes you through the life of young Raistlin Majere who becomes the greatest and most powerful mage that has ever lived. As a child, Raistlin grew up in the shadow of his twin brother Caramon Majere, who was strong and good-looking. But Raistlin had something his brother could never have, a smart, quick mind. With that intelligent mind, Raistlin Majere guides himself through the hardships of his childhood and for later on in his life. This book sets up the stage for the later chapters of Raistlin's life, in which Raistlin faces the dark goddess Talkhis in his quest to become a god. In Soulforge, Raistlin meets his friends who soon all become Heroes of the Lance. There is Tanis, the Half-Elven, Flint, the stubborn dwarf, Caramon, his brother, Sturm, the stouthearted knight, and Tasslehoff, the mischievous kender. With his friends, Raistlin fights against a false religious group, saves a town, and soon all learn to share a bond that is something far more than normal friendship. But through it all, while being taught magic at the local magic school, Raistlin has a yearning for something greater. Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman do a fantastic job in helping us see how Raistlin turned out to become the person he later becomes. Through the tragedies that Rastlin faces, he uses them to strengthen his resolve for something greater. I would recommend this book for all fantasy lovers and people who love Raistlin's character. I had trouble going to sleep because reading this book kept me so awake. All fantasy lovers MUST read this book.

Raistlin is one of my favorite literary characters ever, and this is a good prequel into his young life.

I suggest reading this after you have read the Chronicles, as not to spoil some character development, but before the Legends series. If you enjoy learning about Wizards and thier trials, you will definately enjoy this book!

I am not quite sure why people are giving this 5 stars and a perfect rating. This is nowhere near classic literature, nor is is a wonderous example of english prose.

All that aside, I simply found this book slow. If you are a huge Raistlin fan, then this might have something for you. Really all you do is follow his life day by day from childhood to adulthood. Really boring and drab with about 3 pages total of action.

The second book in this set was much better, and I would pick up a third if it gets written. By itself, this book doesn't really stand for itself at all. I have liked many of Weis' books, but this one is down there at the bottom of the stack.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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