Children's Space Books Books

Norton's DARK COMPANION is vintage Norton writing at her best. It combines two of her classics - DARK PIPER and DREAD COMPANION - under one cover and tells of two very different heroes who battle evil in alien worlds.

Classic period Norton, both stories reflect the mood of the "Cold War" era though they were both enjoyable to reread after these many years and stand on there own.

These two novels in one volume are well crafted and highly enjoyable, classic Andre Norton. The first of the two, Dark Piper, is particularly
notable for a richness of texture, fast flowing action, and almost eerie
settings on the surface of the planet Beltane as well as below, in a series of caverns. Well worth a read and a reread, fine storytelling!

Dark Companion (2005) is an omnibus edition including two SF novels: Dark Piper and Dread Companion. These stories are unrelated except in their mutually dark ambience.

In Dark Piper (1968), Beltane had lost most of its security and technical men during the ten years of the Four Sectors War. Those that remained became even more work focused and pacifistic, especially after the Corfu incident. Now the war has ended, not by victory but mutual exhaustion.

The Beltane population rejoices that their forced separation from the outside worlds will no longer continue. They are looking forward to word of new scientific advances and renewed trade with other planets. The end of the war will surely bring good things to their world.

In this novel, Vere Collis is the son of the former Security Commander on Beltane. On the day that a fifth-rate tramp brings the Beltane survivors back home, Vere recognizes Griss Lugard among the other halt and lame. He was much too thin and had a partially restored face, but Vere recognized his father's former second in command.

Lugard has been given title to Butte Hold and all that it contains in lieu of back pay. The old security hold is probably the sturdiest structure on the planet. Shortly before the war started, Lugard had discovered artifacts in a lava cave nearby. According to his papers, Lugard is assigned responsibility for continuing these studies.

Vere gives Lugard a lift to his new home Their conversation during the journey does not forebode a peaceful future. Lugard discusses the ships and men that have lost their homes and now have no central control to restrain their actions. They talk of pirates and raids upon the central worlds. After seeing Lugard into his hold, Vere leaves with an invitation to return at any time.

In this story, Vere brings the Rovers -- a study group for the younger set -- to visit Butte Hold. Lugard makes them welcome and invites them to return again. The Rovers are very interested in the Hold, but Vere puts a damper on any talk of forerunner treasure.

This story introduces a homeless ship that asks permission to settle on Beltane. Despite Lugard's objections, the ruling council agrees to let the refugees have land in the vacant areas. Then two more homeless ships turn up asking to join their associates.

Lugard invites the Rovers to explore the lava caves on the day that the council has scheduled a full meeting to discuss this request by the new refugees. Vere and the youngster arrive later than expected, but Lugard has a troop carrier ready for their journey. They have entered the cave and are enroute to the old underground shelter when the earth shakes.

Dread Companion (1970) is set in the 25th century After Flight. The Survey Service allowed their space personnel leave to marry and to produce children. After several years, the marriage was break-bonded and the couple went their own ways. Any children from the marriage were raised in a Service creche.

In this novel, Kilda c'Rhyn was born on Chalox. Her father was Rhyn Halcrow, a Survey scout, and her mother was a Forsmanian of a trading family. After three years, the marriage is ceremoniously broken and Rhyn spaces out. Kilda's mother remarries within her clan and Kilda goes to the creche.

Kilda does well in the creche. Unluckily, she takes after her father in her restless nature. She doesn't want to just bear children and raise a family, but to explore new worlds.

Her mentor and sponsor -- Lazk Volk -- finds her a job that will get her off the planet to a less conventional society. She is employed as a house aide for a woman traveling to Dylan to be with her husband. Kilda is to take care of the two young children.

Oomark -- the younger child -- is a typical boy. However, Bartare -- the older sister -- probably has too much influence on the boy. Kilda notes an element of slyness in the girl and hears them talk about a mysterious "She" in their private conversations.

Gentlefem Guska -- the children's mother -- journeys to Dylan in deep sleep. Kilda stays with the children to supervise their activities during the journey. When they reach the spaceport at Tamlin, Commandant Piscov meets them with bad news. Konroy Zobak -- the children's father -- has been killed in a freak accident. But Bartare already knows of the death.

In this story, Kilda finds herself living in a daze for days at a time. She suspects that Bartare is an esper, but forgets to call for an appointment with the parapsychologist. Eventually she breaks out of the daze, but is still unable to talk to any other person about the girl.

Bartare wants to go on a field trip with Oomark's class. Her brother refuses and something bad happens to Griffy, Oomark's fur friend. When Oomark changes his mind, Griffy starts to recover.

On the field trip, Bartare and Oomark slip off and down the hill. When Kilda notices their absence, she follows behind the pair. Kilda finds them striking rocks against red boulders, producing clear tones. When Kilda tries to catch up, she slips and bumps the supply bag against a boulder at the same time as the children strike their boulders. The three tones blend and Kilda falls unconscious.

When Kilda recovers, she finds herself in a gray space filled with bright, colorful geometric figures. Oomark is also there, but he sees normal terrain, plants and insects. When Kilda drinks from a stream, she too starts to see a normal environment.

This work is a precursor to the Witch World series. In the other world or dimension, magic is effective and controlled by the Folk. So, too, is magic a force in the dimension containing the Witch World.

Recommended for Norton fans and for anyone who enjoys tales of strange worlds, struggling youths, and desperate actions.

-Arthur W. Jordin

"Dark Companion" is a reprinting of two novels: "Dark Piper" and "Dread Companion." Both are set in Andre Norton's Forerunner universe, in which humans have been exploring space for so long that they barely remember Earth. Both books take place late in the greater story arc of this universe, but they can be read in any order. (Click on my name to see the list.)

In "Dark Piper," scientists have established a colony on a distant planet, where they can conduct their experiments and ignore the terrible war that is happening in the rest of their galaxy. When the war suddenly ends, a soldier returns home to the colony, full of dire warnings that civilization is about to collapse. Fearing an invasion of marauders from space, he becomes a sort of Pied Piper, befriending some of the children and leading them on a dangerous expedition into an underground tunnel system where, according to rumor, the remains of an alien society have been discovered.

"Dark Piper" is excellent science fiction, engrossing and fast-paced, with admirable characters who behave in an intelligent, believable way. It contains nothing objectionable for young readers, but it does deal with some grim topics. In fact, it seems to have been written for a young-adult audience. I highly recommend it.

The second novel, "Dread Companion," is a creepy story about a governess named Kilda, who senses something sinister about the two children in her care. Eventually she realizes that one of the kids has an invisible friend, a powerful and malevolent entity who has plans for the child. Kilda accompanies the kids and their mother to a remote planet, where the invisible entity makes its move to claim the child for its own purposes. Scary and bizarre adventures ensue as Kilda tries to protect her young charges and escape from a world that is unimaginably alien.

I must admit that I didn't enjoy "Dread Companion" as much as "Dark Piper," because the alien scenes were so fantastically odd that it was sometimes hard to figure out what was going on. Nevertheless, if you want to learn more about the mystery of the Forerunners, you should definitely read this book.

I ordered two copies for my husband, who tutors a 3rd grader weekly.
He found this book much better than anything available in the classroom, and the subject interests most boys (and perhaps girls) in this age group.

"Eyewitness Space Exploration" Tells about space and its many factors. I recommened this book for those who a really in to space (rockets, going to the moon, that kind of thing.)

The Eyewitness Space Exploration is a good book. Did you ever wonder how it would be to be an astronaut? Or how long to train for the journey? To find out these answers, read this book.

This book was fine, and tells all the rockets and rocket launches, space shuttles, the landing on the moon and a whole lot more stuff. I would have gave this book 3 and a half stars if I could but since you can't use half stars on Amazon.com I decided to use 4 stars.

Since President Bush declared his intention to have the United States go back to the Moon, establish a permanent base, and go to Mars, space exploration is in the news again. When I first started going to school my father was stationed in Florida and we would get out of class to go outside and watch the Mercury flights take off, so I remember when space exploration was an exciting idea and when the entire planet watched the first landing on the moon. But then I also remember when we stopped going to the moon and the only time we really paid attention to space missions was when a shuttle was destroyed.

This volume on "Space Exploration" for the Eyewitness Books series covers the entire history of these efforts, going back to the dreams of space from ancient sky watching to the speculative writings of science fiction. After explaining what is "space," Carole Stott establishes the idea of people from around the world being involved in the exploration of space, symbolized by Apollo 18 docked to Soyuz 19. The historical survey begins with the first rocket scientists, the idea of the reusable rocket, and the space race, with its early space travelers, and the landing of humans on the moon. The next major section talks about how to become an astronaut, what they wear, how they live and work in space. Sections are devoted to the danger and disasters of space exploration, space stations, and the various satellites and probes that have been sent off into space. The final units look at the future in space, how space technology has been used on Earth, and what lies ahead. Of course, that last bit needs to be updated now, but you have to expect new plans would pop up for the 21st century.

As always this is a book where the photographs are so impressive that you often forget there is some text for each of these two-page spreads. However, a lot of the information is to be found in the captions for all those photographs. The end result is a lot of breadth, which sacrifices depth, but that is the same effect you would get if you were at a museum getting to see all of these things in person. Of course, no museum on Earth (or in space) has all of these items, which range from the patch worn by the first Mongolian in space to toys from McDonalds that encourage youth interest in space. Do not be surprised when young readers get excited by seeing how astronauts sleep and drink Coke in space.

Although The House of Mirrors was a little slow to get strarted, I really enjoyed reading it. Its characters are interesting and its twists are unexpected. I would definately recommend buying this book.

Our family discovered the "Ulysses Moore" series on a trip out west and my young teenage girls have fallen in love with them. They can hardly wait on the next book. "House of Mirrors" is a great mystery that will keep the reader hanging on to every chapter. My 14 year old spent each available moment reading it. The ease of purchase from Amazon was nice and the delivery came sooner than expected.

I stumbled upon the first book, The Door to Time, when I ran out of books to read and it was on sale. I figured I'd give it a shot. Well, when I saw there was a second book, I immediately searched high and low. Again, low and behold, a third book. But I had such a hard time trying to find it. Finally, I was able to purchase House of Mirrors....and I am so glad I did! I love this series, and as an adult who loves to read, but is not one for sex, bad lanugage and gruesome murders in my stories, I am so happy to have found a series that is funny, easy to read, and still a little mysterious. I can't wait for the next book! I suggest this to everyone and anyone!!

purchased this book for my nephew but it looked so inviting i had to read it first. man, this is a good book for kids of any age. great mystery, you get suptle clues now and then, like you are almost right there in the bushes or on bikes with the kids trying to figure out the mystery of kilmoore cove. you jump aside when a motorcycle nearly runs you over, duck when owls fly over and around. a mysterious house on a moving platform called the house of mirrors built by a watchmaker. why is it full of nesting owls??? i found myself making notes like a detective since book 1# Door To Time. clean wholesome reading so parents don't worry on swear words or need not to know adult situations. this set of books is all child and young teen exciting reading. read it yourself and enjoy, but please remember to give it to the young reader to read. must get all 3 for the story continues as each book comes out. number 4# Land of Masks is coming out in may of 2008. the wait will be worth it.

The third book in the Ulysses Moore series doesn't allow for any breathing space after the end of Long-lost Map. Jason, Julia and Rick continue to hunt for clues and artifacts that will hopefully reveal the secrets of the Doors to Time, but as they will discover, there are more secrets in Kilmore Cove than they could ever have imagined.

Given some extra time when their parents are delayed by the moving company, Jason and Julia put aside their sibling squabbles for the moment and together with their friend Rick, they set off on the trail of Oblivia Newton, the femme fatale who seems to at the root of all their troubles.

Their quest leads them to the Mirror House, an amazing feat of engineering involving solar panels, mirrors (naturally), lots of doodads and whatnots, and somewhere deep inside, a secret that Oblivia is prepared to move anyone or anything in her path to uncover.

The inventor of the house and aforementioned doodads and whatnots had disappeared some time before our story begins, and the young adventurers are faced with solving the mechanical puzzles that he left behind.

Packed with lots of action, intrigue and challenges, this is suitable for readers from 8 to about 12, but I would recommend reading book one and two before attempting this one.



Amanda Richards, May 10, 2008

Charles Stross channels Robert Heinlein with a science fiction adventure filled with robots, spaceships and a lot of unusual sex. In the 23rd century, all of the humans are gone, leaving Freya Nakamichi 47, a robot designed to please humans, with no purpose in life. Instead she gets involved in a series of high-stakes missions that take her from planet to planet, facing constant danger and a host of very strange enemies. Much like the space travel that features prominently in the plot, "Saturn's Children" takes a while to get where it's going, but it's always an interesting experience -- and a journey worth taking.

Charlie Stross is a Scottish writer of science fiction, Lovecraftian horror and fantasy, with an emphasis on hard science fiction and space opera. His heroes are Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov and Arthur C Clarke.

"[Clarke] was the last of them to die. But even if he had not written any science fiction he would have left his mark on the world as the creator of the communications satellite. He did the maths to demonstrate how it would work. He was scientifically rigorous, but also highly readable."

Saturn's Children is a modern take on later Heinlein, a gloss of Clarke and a bow to Asimov and Roger MacBride Allen's Fourth Law of Robotics. Most of all the book is readable:

"I do not contemplate suicide lightly.

"I am old and cynical and have a flaw in my character, which is this: I am uneager to die. I have this flaw in common with my surviving sibs, of course. It is a sacred trust among our sisterhood, inherited from Rhea, our template-matriarch: Live through all your deaths she resolved with iron determination, and I honor her memory. Whenever one of us dies, we retrieve her soul chip and mail it around our shrinking circle of grief. Reliving endings is painful but necessary: Dying regularly by proxy keeps you on your toes - and is a good way to learn to recognize when someone is trying to kill you.

"(That last is a minor exaggeration; we are friendly and anxious to please, and few would want to murder us - except when we are depressed. But please bear with me.)"

The other reviewers have described the plot of this interesting novel very well. For me, good as the plot was, the character development and introspection was even better. You can find a long extract on the publisher's website orbitbooks and judge for yourself.

The sci fi trinity would have been proud of Charlie, I think.

Robert C. Ross 2008

Welcome to a future in which all the dreams of the 1950's have been realized: exploring the solar system, extraterrestrial colonies all the way out to the Oort Cloud, fast-transit spaceships, etc. etc. But they've been realized by our successors, the robots, not by living humans, who are extinct. And now our heirs squabble, in fashions just as ugly as we their Creators did.

If the title of this review sounds confusing, it's because I have a lot of trouble putting this book into any fixed category. The heroine, Freya, is a sexbot (hence the late period, where Heinlein's characters actually were interested in sex). However, her situation is pure 1950's Heinlein juvenile, wherein Our Heroine is in Great Peril and must Find Out What's Really Going On.

On the surface, this book is a really fun romp, as Freya's viewpoint effectively takes her on a Grand Tour of the solar system, from Venus to Mercury to Mars and outward to the Oort Cloud, seeing, meeting, fighting and sexing her way through the many variants that will be possible once the physical housing for intelligence becomes as malleable as technology and function allow. For that part alone, this story is worth the trip.

But this book is by no means as simple as the above summary suggests. Just as in his last book, "Halting State", it's the hidden infrastructure that's important, and it ends up involving Asimov's unstated Fourth Law of Robotics (Any sufficiently complex intelligence will end up doing what it damn well pleases, first three laws notwithstanding.), the ethics of interpersonal relations, and the ultimate question of "Just what do you mean by a person?"

I recommend this book highly. I had the great good luck to obtain an advance copy, and after I had read it once, I went back and re-read it to pick up on all the neat bits, both story and philosophy, that I missed on the first "gosh-wow" read through. I don't do that often, since my eyeballs are heavily subscribed.

And I think I'm going to go back a third time. Read this at least once. You won't be disappointed.

Charlie Stross bounces between imagining a future filled with nanotech assemblers, strong artificial intelligence, and faster than light travel and describing the present and past using the established metaphors of sci-fi and fantasy. _Saturn_ describes a technologically advanced future, but compared with _Accelerando_ and _Iron_Sunrise_, this book is far more interested in exploring the human (robot?) condition. Equal parts _Rossum's_Universal_Robots_ and _Futurama_, _Saturn_ is an entertainingly quick read. There isn't much that is new here, but that isn't the point.

By the twenty-third century humanity was extinct leaving behind androids that were built to feel and think and even dream like mankind once did. The androids created a caste system. The Aristos are nobles who own slaves expected to obey them or else. There are also some free independent droids who are mostly impoverished manual laborers.

Freya Nakamichi was made to be a sexbot, but thanks to her sibs is free. The mysterious Jeeves offers Freya a well paying job as a courier; she accepts. Her first assignment is to go to Mercury to pick up a biological sample that she is to place in her uterus and bring it to a lab on Mars. The task seems simple and straightforward although she has no idea what the sample is and why suddenly people seem to be hunting her for her "package". She eludes killers, thieves and an assortment of other predators as she races to Mars.

Imagine a world in which androids are the dominant species and act like humans in all respects except they cannot reproduce. Thus SATURN'S CHILDREN is about a culture the androids have forged centered on a caste system although the slaves and the free strive for a better life. Freya is a bot Lara Craft, a strong willed skilled beauty who uses brain and some brawn to think her way out of danger. Charles Stross answers the Philip K. Dick philosophical question Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? with this original look at a mirror humanoid culture.

Harriet Klausner

This is really good book. Going into an attic and dressing up then going into another world through a mirror, who wouldn't want to? This is a book for kids about seven or older. This book is one of my favorite of the series.

Leigh H.M.

My daughter (6) found this to be a fairly easy to understand book (I did most of the reading). Although published for slightly older readers, my daughter understood the concepts (and she has all the Magic Attic dolls, so she acted out some of the scenes). Anyway, the book stimulated her imagination, it was a well-done introduction to the four girls and Ellie.

this book is awsome it is fun and has a good adventure in the story if you haven't read this yet, i asume you should get to read it.it is so good

This book was a very good way to reaveal the girls feelings. For example I read the book to find I knew exactly how they felt being transferd through the mirror,falling through the lake during an ice-skating party or just being different. I would reccomend this book to all eight year olds and older.

What can be more fun than to escape through the attic to another time and place? Easy to read, fun, and similar to the American Girls, but without the history lesson.

At first, this book was a little hard to get into. I had become so attached to the main character Lucien in the first book that it was hard to be following a different main character, Georgia. As I got further into the book, I became more and more entranced in it until I just couldn't put it down, reading the last 150 pages in one sitting. All of the plot twists and point of view changes make this a must have on anyone's reading list.

In the second installment of the Stravaganza series, we meet Georgia: a tom-boy school girl who is the newest person to join the Stravagante. Georgia soon becomes closely involved with the Stellata, the biggest horse race in Talia. There's rumor of a legendary winged horse that has been born to one of the contestants, but is true? And will the di Chimici find the horse and use it to tighten their grip on Talia forever?

Although this is not quite as good as the first, it is still really good. In addition to seeing old favorite characters (inlcuding Lucien from the first book) we meet and follow several new ones as well giving the book a fresh, new quality. Also a new feature, we meet several di Chimici and are able to see more into the lives of these powerful political plotters. A satisfying continuation of the series, don't miss it.

This book is the best book I have ever read. Both the first and the second one are a must read book.

I raced through this book and its predecessor. They were both excellent; this one especially so. I really enjoyed it the first and second times through. It was easy to get into, had a followable plot and a satisfying conclusion. Can't wait for the next installment!

City of Stars was difficult if not impossible to sink into while reading. It seems strained and forced, and is commonly on the confusing side. The many characters switching between lands and worlds are hard to keep up with. The first was very well-written, on the contrary. The sequel, however, was alright, but very confusing.

This book is packed with great info for parents with kids that have sensory intergration dysfunction syndrome.

I bought this book in preparation for an airplane trip with my family, including a 5 year old autistic daughter. As I am familiar with Kranowitz's book The Out of Sync Child, regarding sensory integration, I was disappointed that there was not more in the book that I could use with my daughter. Also, the ideas that could be used away from home are somewhat limited.

I have found some fun activities in this book to do with my children at home, so it is not a worthless book. However, it didn't really fill the need I was looking for.

I have a basic problem with this book: it's too small! Although 101 activities sound like a lot, when you break them down into situations in which they are workable (at home, waiting in the doctor's office, in the car/train/airplane, sick in bed, etc.) a person might like more ideas. The activities presented in the book are simple. They are fun. And all of them I have tried work (many are old stand-bys that this grandma used with her own children-but many were new to me). I plan to use them soon on a long trip with my grandchildren. When could you use them next?!

It has lots of old ideas I'd forgotten from my own childhood and it has lots of new ideas. The writer understands the needs of children. They can behave a lot better if they have interesting little things to do like the ideas that are in this book.

This book is aimed at people who were sexually abused as children and are avoiding the subject of their past or don't think it is relevant to their problems of the present. If you care about someone who is clearly failing to cope with life in general, and you believe they have been abused, then this book makes an excellent gift. It is delicate and offers examples to introduce the topic. It is surprisingly compact, with a fairly simple message, that will hopefully lead to empowerment to take the next step.

Out of the pile of books I purchased to educate myself and give to my survivor friend, this book was the one I chose to give her first. It is thin and short, so hopefully it won't frighten her off reading it. I was quite nervous about giving it to her, but it was appreciated. She didn't think it would be helpful though and I haven't convinced her to open it quite yet. I know it is what she needs to do. Being light on the details, it will need to be replaced with something heavier down the track. If we get to that point it will have been *so* worth it!

This book is a very good review for your self of esteem at this diffucult time in your life. It's very easy to read and its not too long either. Personally, for me I thought it was too basic. I need more help than it gave. I need more to do with what happens in adult hood to help you get over or deal with what happend when you were a little younger. Like preteen. This book focuses on children that were abused and not preteens.

An excellent book for survivors who are starting to deal with the effects of childhood sexual abbuse.
A perfect prelude to the comprehensive extension "the courage to heal"

Like their other book, "Courage To Heal", this book is a must read for those in the abused community. It will help you to understand so much of what goes on inside the minds of those that have been abused. A Book that should be read by everyone, abused or not. Prevalant information and help, as well as inspirational.
other good reads are: Courage To Heal and Nightmares Echo

This is Norton for the younger reader-- about 5th grade to 9th grade. Four boys descended from four different cultures but all now living in the same neighborhood in the United States, assemble a puzzle that lets each of them have an adventure based on the dragon of each culture. In dealing with these dragons each boy learns an important lesson about cooperation and tolerance.

While the young adult reader may find this book a tad simplistic compared to Norton's adventure stories, this book can be a perfect way to introduce a reader at the appropriate level to the many worlds of Andre Norton.

This is Norton for the younger reader-- about 5th grade to 9th grade. Four boys descended from four different cultures but all now living in the same neighborhood in the United States, assemble a puzzle that lets each of them have an adventure based on the dragon of each culture. In dealing with these dragons each boy learns an important lesson about cooperation and tolerance.

While the young adult reader may find this book a tad simplistic compared to Norton's adventure stories, this book can be a perfect way to introduce a reader at the appropriate level to the many worlds of Andre Norton.

This is Norton for the younger reader-- about 5th grade to 9th grade. Four boys descended from four different cultures but all now living in the same neighborhood in the United States, assemble a puzzle that lets each of them have an adventure based on the dragon of each culture. In dealing with these dragons each boy learns an important lesson about cooperation and tolerance.

While the young adult reader may find this book a tad simplistic compared to Norton's adventure stories, this book can be a perfect way to introduce a reader at the appropriate level to the many worlds of Andre Norton.

Sig Dortmund, Ras (a.k.a. George Brown, but his older brother has persuaded him not to answer to that), Artie Jones, and Kim Stevens are the only boys in their age group who catch the bus outside the abandoned house on the extra-long run from the new development to their school. Each is lonely for one reason or another, but each keeps to himself. Until one by one, they sneak into the old archeologist's abandoned house, searching for hidden treasure. The only interesting thing is a 4-piece dragon puzzle, lying abandoned on a table. One by one, each assembles one quarter of the puzzle, and relives the history of that particular dragon, learning things that allow them to work together as a team in the end.

"Fafnir (Sig Clawhand)" - Sig Clawhand's deformed hand made him an outcast at Mimir Master-Smith's forge, where he lived and worked as a potboy. Only Sigurd King's-Son, working at the forge on the strength of Mimir's Foresight, has ever befriended him, and never called him 'Clawhand'. Thus it is that when Sigurd ventures forth against the dragon Fafnir, Sig fares forth as his faithful shadow.

"Sirrush-Lau (Prince Sherkarer)" - The lau, the demon-monster of the swamplands, brought ill luck to Napata upon its capture - the city was taken by the Babylonians, who took the lau back to Babylon as tribute. Sherkarer, a junior prince of the royal house of Napata and now a slave, is the only survivor of the original hunting party, so he has been taken along as the expert on the care and feeding of the lau (called sirrush by the Babylonians). But the Babylonian priests have made a wager concerning sirrush-lau with one of the king's advisors, and Sherkarer's only hope is to humble his pride and work with this strange enemy of the priesthood - a man called Daniel...

"Pendragon (Artos, son of Marius)" - Artos, the Pendragon, is the only thing standing between the realm and a long fall into barbarism, in these latter days after the fall of Rome, but he faces rebellion. Young Artos, the son of one of the Pendragon's faithful supporters, chances to learn of a conspiracy, and acts as a messenger to try to warn the king in time.

"Shui Men Lung - Slumbering Dragon (Chin Mu-Ti)" - The Emperor's canny old advisor might have looked half-asleep, but he was about as safe as the slumbering dragon he was called. When a general under his command rashly stakes his head as a wager on the success of a risky campaign, the old 'dragon' must salvage the situation.

One night astronomer John Putnam is watching the night skies when he sees a flash in the desert night sky. Dragging the pretty Ellen Fields with him, he goes off to investigate the meteor. But what he discovers is not a giant meteor but a space ship. Of course, back in town nobody will believe him, not even the Sheriff (who also likes Ellen). But then people start wondering around town in zombie-like trances and the love triangle takes a back seat to the imminent alien invasion.

"It Came From Outer Space" was one of the classic Fifties black & white science fiction films which has been novelized as part of the Monsters series edited by Dr. Howard Schroeder, Professor in Reading and Language Arts, Dept. of Elementary Education at Mankato State University; in other words, a blatant attempt to trick young kids into reading by novelizing old Monster movies in books with lots of pictures. There are two-dozen black & white photographs from the film showing Richard Carlson and Barbara Rush running around trying to save the world. The original story is by Ray Bradbury, and if young readers go from this to check out any of his short stories, that would be a good thing.

This adaptation by Ian Thorne of the Harry Essex screenplay (from the Bradbury story) is decent enough, but I swear they tried to camp this story up on purpose with the chapter headings ("The Shape-Changers," "The Old Mine") and the photo captions ("Frank invites John to listen to strange noises"). So do not let the incredibly bad cover art (a giant hand coming out of a giant blob with a big eye grabbing a running female figure) make you think this is some tacky movie ... because it is pretty much in the same spirit as the original film.

it was the best book i ever read i love jose chung,i read it at a library and would like to buy it. can you please order it, sincerily,marco stacey

This is part of a series of books called "Monster series." The script is easy to read and aimed for a young reader however the story is all there and many of the pictures from the movie. A few scenes were sketched in and lack the spookiness of the movie. This may have been on purpose but it distracted. As with many books things that were implied in the movie are made clear in the book.

This book is by Ian Thorne, adapted from a screenplay by Harry Essex, from a story by Ray Bradbury.

This is part of a series of books called "Monster series." The script is easy to read and aimed for a young reader however the story is all there and many of the pictures from the movie. A few scenes were sketched in and lack the spookiness of the movie. This may have been on purpose but it distracted. As with many books things that were implied in the movie are made clear in the book.

This book is by Ian Thorne, adapted from a screenplay by Harry Essex, from a story by Ray Bradbury.