Children's Space Books Books

The book is well written, like anything else by Neil Gaiman.
I recommend it.

How much more can you play with the baqsic idea of multiple dimensions? Well, plenty! The authors create an original, clever, and capturing read that would pleasure both young and mature readers alike. I recommended this to all my friends (and to some of their older kids).

A fun jaunt through multiple dimensions, InterWorld tells the story of young Joe Harker, who has the ability to Walk between dimensions, and the adventures that ensue when he discovers this ability after getting himself lost downtown. It's not so much a story about good vs. evil as it is about science vs. magic, and trying to keep the balance between the two.

Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves had originally conceived the concept as a television show, but when studios didn't seem interested, they changed the telling into a novel.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Straight forward storytelling and some imaginative plots made for an enjoyable experience. It's a quick read, but worth it if you are looking for something fun. I find myself hoping that they continue the story.

I am slightly biased as I am a huge Neil Gaiman fan, but this book is great. It is a very quick read and is definitely targeted for the younger audience, but it is still a brilliant story. This would be a great book to introduce the young reader to Gaiman or for an older reader (such as myself) to just kick back and relax for a bit.

The story is about a boy - Joey Harker - who can walk between alternate Earths, a skill shared by all the other "Joeys" (in quotations because they have different names and genders and forms). These Joeys form an army in order to keep the balance between science and magic used in the Altiverse. This book focuses on the villains who wish to use magic to dominate the Altiverse.

It is a quick read, and there are some questions that could have been delved more into. It made me wonder about what makes a person a person and how they're identifiable as the 'same' person across parallel Earths. For instance, Joey meets female versions of him, or a wolf-like one of him - is it only this ability of his to walk across worlds that make him identifiable as "a" "Joey"? What do you owe a being who has saved your life, but saving them could harm yourself and others? Expediency or honor/obligation?

One good scene in the book is where he encounters his mom and there's a discussion (brief, but still) about duty - this seems to be a somewhat overarching theme of the book, as well as friendship and trust. Joey's defense of Hue, a MDLF, depicts standing up for someone despite your friends and majority call them wicked.

At times the book is a little too simplistic, though I like the flashes of realistic emotions, such as feeling relief something happened even though it's not the happiest outcome for others involved. It's a good read when you want something not so heavy to delve into, but questions *could* be taken from it if you want to.

The book was recieved in a timely manner and was in exellent condition for a used book. I would recommend this seller's selection to anyone.

"A Walk in Wolf Wood" is one of the lesser-known works of Mary Stewart, famed for her Merlin trilogy. It's an enjoyable short fantasy, with good heroes and an original plotline focusing on betrayal, time-travel, werewolves, and a royal intrigue that sucks in two modern children.

John and Margaret are on a family picnic with their parents, who doze off and allow the kids to go wandering in the woods. When they see a man dressed in sumptuous clothes from the Middle-Ages, naturally they are intrigued. As they follow him, they find a golden pendant, the tracks of a wolf, and a ramshackle cottage where the man is sleeping.

The man, they find, is a nobleman named Mardian who was betrayed by a sorcerer, in an effort to alienate him from his lord and friend Duke Otho. Mardian was transformed into a werewolf -- man by day, wolf by night -- and is hunted by the Duke's men. Mardian's main goal, however, is to save Otho and his son Crispin from Almeric's plots and sorcery. But he can't go near the castle. So John and Margaret agree to infiltrate the castle and try to defeat Almeric -- a task which proves much more difficult than they had thought.

Mary Stewart writes a simply-plotted but enjoyable story, with an interesting storyline and a quick pace. Her third-person writing style makes it a little difficult to get into the heads of the lead characters, but they are still very engaging. Her descriptions of the castle, the forest, and the people around Margaret and John are detailed without being too much so. And her handling of such worn ideas as werewolves and time-travel are deft and cliche-less.

Margaret and John are the now-classic British-kids-on-vacation, who stumble onto something strange and get sucked into an adventure. They're moderately smart, a little confused, and quite willing to go along with whatever strange things are going on. Mardian is a quiet, tragic type who is determined to
fix the situation in the castle, while Almeric is simply pure evil. Prince Crispin is a good supporter to the two leads, though not quite as interesting as they are.

This is an enjoyable fantasy for all ages, with good plotting and a classic pair of lead characters. "Walk" goes plenty of places, all of them interesting.

When I started to read this book, it wasn't counfusing, but it was, diferent... I liked it, as far as "two kids, cought in the mid evil time, that has a friend that turns in to a evil beast of terror, in the night.." It's a good plot, it just doesn't suite me. But every person has they're opinions. Any way, so I would have to say this book is for any one who is an adventurest person.

No offence, but i couldn't really get into this book. But that doesn't mean you can't! It's a good book. Read it, see if you like it. And if you don't, hey, at least you tried. And if you do like it. hey, cool, good for you.

So like i said before, every one has they're own opinions, I'm just telling you mine. I'm sorry if this didn't help you alot, or at all. But, you know, at least I tried.

I really liked the book A Walk in Wolf Wood because it was a good easy read. Although it was easy to read it was not a boring book. I love books that take place in the Middle Ages like this one. It is full of enchantments and friendships. Parts of this book reminded me of Harry Potter books. This book kept me on my toes to find out what would happen next. There was always a new twist or turn when I thought that I had it figured out. The end was great, not one of those that let you down.

Mary Stewart is best known for her Merlin-themed books (including "The Crystal Cave"), which are geared toward slightly older readers, but "A Walk in Wolf Woods", (along with "The Little Broomstick" and "Ludo and the Star Horse" are wonderful books to make accessible to younger readers. Told in clear, descriptive prose, with plenty of adventure and mystery, plus a few nuggets of wisdom, Stewart's novels are a great addition to any child's library.

John and Margaret Begbie are enjoying a holiday picnic when they are distracted by the sight of a distraught, weeping man rushing into the forest. Even odder, the man appears to be dressed in clothing from another era: a tunic and hose, cloak and knife, and a beautiful gold medallion. Compelled to follow him, the children creep into the forest till they reach a ramshackle cottage where they hear an extraordinary story from its inhabitant. The weeping man is Lord Mardian, and the gold medallion was a gift from his dearest friend Duke Otho. But thanks to an evil enchanter named Almeric, the friendship has been sundered and Mardian is cursed to roam as a wolf whenever the sun goes down.

The children have inadvertently time-shifted back into the 13th century, and Mardian sees in them the chance to see things set right. Lending them his gold medallion, he charges them with the task of delivering it into the hand of Duke Otho and explaining his story to his former friend. Then perhaps, the spell will be broken. But the children must first adjust to life in the distant past, and the wiles of the evil Almeric, who has disguised himself as Mardian and dwells within the court itself, whispering poison in the ears of Otho's son Crispen.

"A Walk in Wolf Woods" is a pleasant and exciting read for the under-10s, and is of particular interest is the way Stewart incorporates legitimate information about the medieval period into the text, as well as paragraphs of unsurpassed wisdom. How many children's books do you read these days that has a paragraph like this in it: "They knew that, if you find some person or creature in desperate need of help which you can supply, you have a human duty to supply it, even if it could inconvenience you or even hurt you to do so. This, after all, is how the greatest and best deeds in the world have been done, and though the children did not say this aloud, they knew it inside themselves without even thinking about it."

It isn't all perfect; a character named Lady Blancheflower is introduced as a possible threat to the children (having seen them outside the castle walls) only to totally disappear from the action, and Almeric is a trifle bland as the lead villain (he's your typical tyrant who wants to take over the land), but nonetheless, this is a top-notch novel for young readers.

I think if I'd not been a McCauley fan and had read that this was a Gene Wolfe pastiche. I'd have been unlikely to have bought it.
It's really not too bad at all. Has a lot of Wolfean elements, basically combining the far, far future of "The Book of the New Sun" with the artificial enviroment of "The Long Sun" books.
Gene Wolfe lite desribes it well and though it lacks the embedded complexity of Wolfe it does capture a lot of his stylistic touches well.
I agree with those who think this should have been released as a single novel rather than a trilogy but its still an interesting journey rather than a compulsive page turner.

This book is really 4-1/2 stars. It shows a lot of creativity, with a far-future setting that has touches of fantasy. The fast-paced plot, the action, and the slowly unfolding mysteries make this a book a winner. Don't, however, expect any kind of closure at the end of the book, as you have to keep reading to continue the story. The lose ends really pile up.

McAuley invents great backdrops, inventions and moods in his first book of the Confluence trilogy. The City of the Dead gives the reader chills with the dust, isolation and silent videos that activate as visitors stroll by the tombs.

Most of this books races with adventure at a fast pace. A few chapters slow down the action, but only for the reader to catch his breathe.

McCauley does well in keeping the plot from making puppets out of the characters. Yama has an obvious goal: he wants to find his people, or at least who his people were. The characters are likable, but some are cliches--Dr. Dismas or Tamara, for example. Ananda and Pandaras, two different characters whose appearances don't overlap in this book, seem to be too much alike. Overall, however, the characters will endear the reader to this series.

Don't expect Child of the River to be a complete story. The three books in this series may have been only one when the author planned it, but the publisher's marketing department may have seen fit to present this story as a trilogy. I am eager to finish this series and am willing to reserve final judgement until after I read the final chapter. Worth your time for a fun afternoon of speculative fiction.

Before I really get into reviewing this book I must give a brief hisory of why I read it. Some of my viewpoints might differ from the average reader of this book , and to be completly fair an explanation is in order.

It has been about four years since I read any real science fiction, (well, I did just recently read a large collection of H.G. Wells, but personally I don't regard them so much as science fiction as I do classical literature,) and maybe seven or eight years since I have read any with any regularity.

Back then my main focus on reading was lots of fantasy with a good dose of science fiction to season.These books made up probably around ninety percent of reading. If I wasn't reading one I was reading the other. Then, I found it. Other books. Physics, history, classical, cookbooks, modern fiction, biographies, and oh so much more. A whole new world. I was still reading some science fiction, but after a few years it had slowly faded off of my general reading list. Now four years after the last (the last being the whole of the triumphant Foundation series, at least the ones penned by Asminov himself) I decided to go to the library and look for an eye-catching science fiction book that I have never seen before, or ever even heard of the author, just to keep the experiment as clean as possible. I wanted to see if science fiction still had a place in my heart, or if it was just going to be slowly reduced to pleasant, yet fuzzy memories.

Well, as you might have guessed, this is the book that caught my eye. Everything about it said Pick Me, Pick Me. A flashy cover with a nice bit of artwork inset. An author that I had never heard of with a name that had a dignified ring to it. There is more than one book to read which is always a nice thing. It takes place in the far distant future which is always a bonus for my sci-fi reading.

Turns out that this is a nice addition to the genre.Some of the ideas seem to have the recycled stamp on them, but then most books nowadays do. Still, there are alot of fresh ideas (at least from my reading experience) that seem to be well thought out. Although I will say this. I had forgotten how gritty the details can be in science fiction. In most of these kind of books you can expect in various degrees some sort of unneeded junk. Not even Arthur C. Clark or Isaac Asminov are entirely exempt from this classification. I find it to be an interesting phenomenon, and would jump at the chance to read an essay explaining why this is so.

A galaxy that was totally controlled and shaped by its super intellegent inhabitants, also known as the preservers, who had genettically engineered thousands of intellegent races from various species of animals, built whole planets, designed and arranged solar systems as if they were rearranging their living room, and when they decided their work was completed, took the ultimate final step, and as an entire race, went into the black hole at the center of the galaxy. All adding up to a very thought provoking session once all the little details that I don't have the desire to list are thrown in.

Now the story itself has been done before in many various ways (in many different genres as well, though science fiction and fantasy seem to have the beast cornered so to speak), but the setting, storytelling, and some nice little twists all do a nice job of covering it up. We follow a boy (Yamamannama I think, but everyone thankfully calls him Yama for short,) on the edge of manhood who lives a fairly boring life, but thinks he is destined for a better, more adventurous life. (Sound familiar to anyone out there?) His father isn't really his father (where did that come from?), but we are aware of this very early as they are both from different races, (ok, now things are begining to cross that *not so typical* threshhold,) Yama being a human-like human, while his father being a praying mantis or something-like human. See how the story progresses?

Yama, after some strange adventures, ends up traveling with this monkish character who seems to have a darker edge than your average monk. After a terrifingly cool scene in which he finds he can control ancient machines with his mind he ditches the monk. (Wrong move, I can see this coming back to haunt him in the next book.) He eventually teams up with a young rat-boy, who wants nothing more than to be Yama's squire. He also hooks up with a very mouthy She-Cat, who is supposed to make the story a little more fun, but instead the character comes across as just plain annoying, (think Jar-Jar meets Rosessane Barr!), constantly critizing and using words that I had better never catch my cat saying. The three then team up and embark on some fantasy based adventures that blatently reminded me of my D&D days, when the book abruptly ends almost in the middle of a sentence. ( Well not quite, but it sure felt like is did.) This isn't McCauley's fault though. It was an editorial call.

McCauley is a very good writer. He easily weaves together the story blending science fiction, fantasy, nice plot lines, lots of little surprises, a very colorful world, and quest themes that have *hero* stamped all over them.

To answer my earlier question of science fiction in general, I have found it to still be fun, capturing my imagination almost as if I had never left. Lesson learned. I will continue to read science fiction although not in the glutonous amounts of my glory days. As for continuing the series, I will most likely do so. The book has more of an epic scope to it than most science fiction can ever reach, although I won't truly know until I finish reading the series if that scope can be carried out to its fullness.

I think if I'd not been a McCauley fan and had read that this was a Gene Wolfe pastiche. I'd have been unlikely to have bought it.
It's really not too bad at all. Has a lot of Wolfean elements, basically combining the far, far future of "The Book of the New Sun" with the artificial enviroment of "The Long Sun" books.
Gene Wolfe lite desribes it well and though it lacks the embedded complexity of Wolfe it does capture a lot of his stylistic touches well.
I agree with those who think this should have been released as a single novel rather than a trilogy but its still an interesting journey rather than a compulsive page turner.

I thoroughly enjoy Jerry Jenkins work and have been a fan of his for a very long time. One would think that Hometown Legend, a book that slipped under the radar, would be a lesser product, but it is not.

Hometown Legend is a wonderful story, especially those who enjoy football and understand the impact of this sport on small-town America. Jerry's characters are wonderful and yet flawed like the readers. It is isn't pie-in-the-sky fiction and yet it leaves feeling good when you're done. It proves the depth of Jenkins' abilities. He can produce heart-pounding fiction (Left-Behind) and homespun yarns.

This is a book that your entire family will enjoy. It's plot is very simple and yet is story and message resonate with millions of Christians who struggle by God's grace to make it through life.

Get this book and add it to your nighstand collection.

This book, Hometown Legend by Jerry Jenkins, takes place in the south in high school. It is pretty intresting because it switches points of view from a child who grows up to be a teacher and a assistant football coach. This person is name Sawyer and he lives in this town until the end and in this book its shows difficulties and happiness that can happen in one place. The title of the story is based on a football lengendary player who hurt his neck in a championship game and died. After the coach knew he was dead he quit only ot come back again later to coach a team of 15 players to the championships. My favorite part of this book was when the football gmaes were occuring becasue they were always full of so much adventure and intensity. I recommend you read thhis book because it will give you a blast and it is very exciting.

This is one of the worst books I have ever read. The plot--town fallen on hard times, star coach comes out of retirement to save school and spirit--is the very definition of cliche, and the entire book is basically an excuse for Jenkins to proselytize about the saving powers of Christianity. I knew it was going to be bad when I saw the blurb (from the highly esteemed literary review Sports Illustrated!) on the back cover: "Reading this book is like listening to a good country song." Bleagh. The writing is so bad, the messages so offensive (you're a coward if you don't fight, the three important things in life are God, cattle, and football, etc) that I could barely force myself to keep reading.

I do not understand why this book did not get more attention. It's far better than the Left Behind series--more touching, more personal. I bought this book after seeing the movie (also great), and it's simply fantastic. I am very critical, and am not even much of a fan of stuff called "Christian fiction," but this is so much more than that, and I was completely blown away.

Buy this book!

Jenkins keeps the story moving along quickly and, once he establishes the characters, keeps them true to their personalities. The most believeable (and engaging) parts revolved around the football episodes and the narrator's relationship with Rachel; however, for me, the narrator's interactions with Bev did not ring as true as the rest of the storyline. Also, though the Christianity was sincere, it sometimes intruded unnaturally into the narrative (mostly toward the end). One other issue that detracted from the novel was when the coach kicks kids off the team for NOT fighting. Is this the action of a Christian coach? Even so, the characters are fully developed with both strengths and weaknesses. As the story progresses, the reader will easily predict where the plot is going; however, Jenkins does present a few surprises along the way. Overall, I can see this novel appealing to a wide audience--it has football, family relationships, and romance.

I am in the process of collecting all of John Bellairs books because I loved them so much when I was younger. I just finished reading this one as I added it to my collection and I was reminded of how great of an author John Bellairs was. I think every child should give his books a chance because I'm sure they will get hooked on reading for life!

"The Trolley to Yesturday" was very well done but once the plot starts to develop and they trapped in 1453 everything that can go wrong seems to go wrong. They are very smart characters and pass many tests but sometimes seem to lack a little common sence. I could be wrong but either way this book is still very enjoyable. Although it is not really one of those books that you can NEVER put down it still offers very much. Once again Bellairs writes another good book.

If you're a fan of these books than you have to read The Trolley to Yesterday. It is one of the best of the Johnny Dixon books.
I read these books when I was in elementary and middle school. Sometimes I even go back and reread this one to just remember. This is a great series for young readers.
I loved it and I think you will too.

Well, Johnny, Fergie, and the Prof are back at it again. Only this time their adventure lies on another continent, in another century.

This is John Bellairs at his absolute peak of creative ability. The cast of characters ranges from an amusing, tongue-in-cheek ancient Egyptian god (in the form of a floating bird statue of course), and an inventor who's harebrained schemes rival that of the professor's, to the more frightening gothic images of medieval ghosts, and talking stone heads. The locations are more exotic than ever before. And the fact that the main characters find themselves in the middle of the Ottoman Turkish siege of Constantinople, lends itself to a great deal of drama almost by default.

True, Bellairs asks the reader to suspend their disbelief a little more than ususal, (I mean, how likely is time travel in an old trolley?) but the rewards are even greater than normal.

The most different, and also the best of the John Bellairs collection.

Time travel in fantasy is now such a cliche that it's a bit hard to write anything original about it. But John Bellairs managed. "Trolley to Yesterday" has a bunch of intriguing twists and unexpected events, and while it doesn't have as much supernatural content, it still is an enjoyable read.

Professor Childermass is acting even more oddly than usual, which is saying something. When Fergie and Johnny try to investigate his weird behavior (including sand on his carpet and talking to himself), they find the professor having a conversation with Brewster, a magical Egyptian statue. He admits his secret: Behind a bricked-up wall is a time-travelling trolley. And the boys hitch a ride when Childermass travels back in time to save the city of Constantinople from invasion.

The problem? They arrive a little too late, and the city is being overrun by Turkish soldiers. As they struggle to make their way back to the trolley and the safety of the future, they encounter the trolley's creator (who accidently got left behind during one of its previous excursions), a deranged monk, and a group of ghostly Crusaders. But then Johnny is poisoned, and the only cure means going back to Constantinople -- and back into danger.

Usually time travel books are full of cliches, and this one has a few, but you probably won't notice them. Kids who read this book may become interested in the Byzantine Empire -- while Bellairs doesn't present huge amounts of historical detail, he gives enough to be very, very interesting. (There's also a dash of Egyptian stuff too) There's adventure, humor and the odd way of getting around.

Johnny and Fergie remain the surprisingly courageous duo of previous books, the shy boy and his brasher, jokier pal. Professor Childermass is crusty, sometimes a bit irrational, but very lovable. And Brewster (a deity of Upper and Lower Egypt) really steals the show with his dry little comments. .

This book proably has one of the lowest amounts of supernatural stuff of Bellairs' books. Certainly it doesn't have much in the way of horror. But there is a great twist about halfway through, where our heroes are aided by a group of ghostly Crusaders, who are trying to make amends for sacking the city centuries before. I suppose Brewster technically counts as supernatural, and he provides a lot of the humor (such as translating a Turkish soldier's words as "Butter and eggs, and a pound of cheese!").

"Trolley To Yesterday" isn't Bellairs' best novel, but it is an intriguing and informative historical book that adults may enjoy as well, especially if they're Byzantine buffs. Good fun.

This is the most recent and final book by Jack Vance and it is the sequel to Ports of Call (so buy both books and read the other one first; I imagine they will be combined in future as they are a single work). For reasons below, I consider it one of his finest novels and absolutely required for anyone who has read more than a dozen Vance books.

The story here is carried forward by stops in a journey, each episode sketched with ease. The action, worlds and characters are new, yet they deliberately evoke his past themes. From a few pages, fans may recall entire past novels. Vance can therefore write sparingly, and yet marshal a many-hued nuance that is rich and satisfying.

Working thus, Vance delivers a single story that tours the best of his voluminous life's work, illuminated now from the full bloom of his perspective in older age. Dispensing with incidentals, he comes to the essence of each situation and communicates a total world-view that transcends and unites his earlier individual works.

By the end, you get it... and you are filled with an ineluctable joy and sadness. It's a feeling that only deepens when you realize that Vance's last novel was both a masterpiece and an endpiece to his career, and that you have experienced his great art for the very final time.

Harriet Klausner, Amazon's # 1 reviewer, clearly has no idea what Vance is about and I am happy to see that the bulk of Vance readers are discerning and intelligent enough to see that her review is a cynical attempt to suck up more votes by gushing away aimlessly about every new relase that comes out. Bah! What is even more amusing and tragic is that Klausner, perhaps chagrined by criticism of her review by the estimable James Windle 'jimbo', totally changed her review in a desperate attempt to garner more votes. Hahaha. Go away Harriet, you parasite! Your infinite mediocrity will be dealth with accordingly.

As for the book, it is readable and at times amusing, but it is certainly no Maeske: Thaery, Trullion: Alastor, nor Showboat World - less known than some other Vance novels perhaps, but truly brilliant works nonetheless.

Lurulu is a sequel to the book "Ports of Call". It was announced a long time ago, and at one point there was another author's name attached to the sequel. Now that it has finally come out, it is obvious that some hack took Vance's scant notes or outline and filled it in as best he could. Many of the characters of Ports of Call are summarily dealt with in a manner very unlike any other Vance series. Ports of Call hinted at certain things happening to the three girls in Moncrief's show and that the crew would have to do something rash to save them from a "fate worse that death". This is completely absent. What happened to the Captain's lurulu on Fluter? Sad to say this current book is a vast disappointment.

Vance modestly describes this book as containing the left-over material from Ports of Call. The stories are not new to a reader of Vance - a hunt for a sex criminal, a foolish religious sect, a dramatic performance that goes wrong, these we have seen before.

What delights about this book, however, what prompts me to give it five stars, is the language. Vance has always been known for his startling turns of phrase, his carved and graven prose, but this is the best and most consistent example of it that I can remember seeing. Where in previous books the wit came in flashes, here I saw the full illuminations.

I've read Jack Vance's work off and on for years now, but it's only until I stumbled upon "Lurulu" - most likely his last novel - that I realize now that he may be one of science fiction's finest literary stylists. "Lurulu", the sequel to "Ports of Call", is more of an engaging fictional wanderjahr across the galaxy, than your typical space opera replete with starships blasting away at each other and mysterious alien cultures. Once more First Officer Myron Tany and Captain Adair Maloof are the main protagonists and crew of the merchant ship Glicca, as she travels from planet to planet in the Gaean Reach. Tany has some unexpected good fortune thrusted upon him towards the end of this novel, and without disclosing how "Lurulu" ends, will say that it does end at a rather surprising, but satisfying note. If this may be Jack Vance's last novel, then I think it is is merely a fine coda to a great career writing elegant tales of science fiction and fantasy.

Ravenor expands the 40K experience by introducing us to the inner workings (dysfunction) of the Empire, rather than the battle of space marines on the edges of civilization. On one hand, Abnett shows in excruciating detail how the Empire entertains itself, feeds itself, and self-medicates itself; on the other, he illustrates the effects of corruption and entropy on the decaying Empire, and the valiant attempt of a few to stave off anarchy. So, in effect, it is a story of order verses chaos, with a subtext of Chaos and the Warp verses the representatives of the Inquisition.

In a nutshell the story (the first part of three) follows Inquisitor Ravenor's investigation of an illicit drug ring in Petropolis to a conspiracy expanding through known and unknown space.

In the process, Abnett introduces a multitude of interesting characters-bounty hunters, psykers, rogue traders, kroots (woot), and other xenos (known and unknown), not to mention Ravenor's team of operatives.

This is a rich, multi-layered novel, with a couple of dozen story lines running through it. Consequently, although it could stand along, there are so many loose ends at the end that you know that a sequel is barreling down the tracks right behind it and probably another after it.

It is also full of fluff, which I am sure will reappear in the 40 K canon, just as other Abnett creations like bodyglove, microbead, and feth are now required in any self respecting 40K novel.

So why four stars rather five, you ask? Some of the novel's strengths and attraction are also the source of its impediments. There are multiple points of view--some clear, some not so clear--popping up maybe two and three to a page. There are story lines that begin and simply hang. Yes, we know a sequel is on the way but how about a little closure. There is a plethora of detail that seemed hackney at times because we have seen it before, as if a decaying Rome is the only matrix for 40k novel.

Irrespective of my criticism, Abnett is very good writer on the cusp of greatness. Ravenor expands the Intellectual Property and takes the canon away from the board games and the table tops and into mainstream science fiction. A very worthy novel.

This is a decent W40K book. Not as good as Eisenhorn, but better than others.

I read this book after reading Mr. Abnett's Eisenhorn trilogy, and while I enjoyed it a great deal, I did sense that some central character was missing from the story, or not focused on enough to provide a certain intensity of conflict. Ravenor's first-person narrative is less than a quarter of the book i estimate, and much of the actual conflict in the novel is through other characters, understandable given ravenor's condition. I contrast this with the eisenhorn stories, where eisenhorn was the central character and all conflict (or nearly so) revolved around his personal involvement.

I did find Zael whiny and rather tiresome, particularly when he couldn't get his act together after the last dream while ship was invaded...

great book, waiting to receive book 2. Helps a lot with background to have read eisenhorn books first, aside from them being fantastic.

A highly skilled team working for the Imperial Inquisition roots out illegal dug smugglers. Sound overdone except the drugs are tainted with an evil supernaturall power and it's Dan Abnett writing the story.
Truly one of the most underrated SF authors around. If you like military Sf,read this book. If you like adventures of Richard Sharpe, read this book. If you like Star Wars, read this book.

Heck, if you like SF read Ravenor, then do yourself a favor and read the Eisenhorn trilogy. Forget the cheesy covers and find the hidden treasure of an adventure inside.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record (particularly if one has read any of my other reviews of 40K novels), M. Abnett is easily the most talented writer in the Black Library stable of authors. His works often become canon in the game universe, and much of his writings have formative effects on the latter editions of Games Workshop's Warhammer 40K game, much in the same way that M. Watson's writings did for the earlier editions.

Ravenor, is an excellent action-adventure that utilizes many of the characters introduced in the Eisenhorn Trilogy: Inquisitor Ravenor, Kara Swole, and Harlon Nayl to name a few. M. Abnett also adds a wealth of entirely new cast-members for our entertainment. Ravenor himself is a fascinating character, essentially limited to the realm of his psychic abilities by his physical restrictions. This book clearly delves more into the background of psykers, their abilities, and the interesting physical consequences thereof than any other penned so far.

One of M. Abnett's chief talents lies in creating a vivid, believable setting. The locations sing with the gothic feel of the universe, but from the vibrant view of the privileged and powerful, rather than the teeming, hopeless masses. His characters are bigger than life, but he ensures that there are equally capable antagonists who can match them blow for blow. This contrast provides dynamic tension throughout the work. Unlike some, his villains act intelligently and have believable motivations of their own. Unlike some less capable 40K authors, he makes very little use of dues ex machina and creates resolutions that don't destroy suspension of disbelief.

If M. Abnett has a weakness, it's his endings, during which his plot devices can become a little too abrupt and a little less believable, but this is a minor annoyance in an otherwise excellent whole. It is also clearly the first book in a series, and though it comes to a conclusion of sorts, it leaves most of the bigger questions unanswered, and the characters make plans for future operations in the "last" chapter.

"Fluff"-ologists will love the book, as it covers new ground for psykers and has an abundance of other background material. General science fiction readers will enjoy it on its own merits. There is a worthy sequel already out, Ravenor Returned (which I have also reviewed).

In short: an excellent action thriller which promises to be the start of another trilogy for a fine writer.

A great read, was hooked from start to finish. The characters and history are well written and you find yourself being carried along in just the right way.
I loved the book and was sorry to finish it.
Highly recommended

I bought this book a month ago, more or less, and when I received it, I found the best backgroung history of 40K books I've ever read.

Just buy it.

In all truth this was an amazing book in all respects but one. The beginning was a tad slow, but the rest was intensely satisfying. Vivid language, tons of gore, and a dramatic plot line add up to make a wonderful book. I recommend this book to anyone.

kill a million men and they will queue to your face. But kill a single man and they will see monsters and devils in every shadow. Kill a dozen men and they shall scream and wail in the night, and they shall feel not hatred, but fear. Lord of the Night is about a traitor space marine by the name of Zso Sahaal the leader of the Night Lord Legion. The story starts of with Zso's mark of his lordship being stolen from him. He goes after the man who had planned this raid and finds out a even bigger plot behind the heist. Zso goes through many experinces and people to reach his treasured prize.....

Love the Warhammer 40,000 book series, it reflects how are world seems to going thru the similar problems in our day and age. The characters are well thought out and the storys keep you wanting to read more.

I enjoyed reading Time Cat. In Time Cat every chapter is like a mini-book. Personally, I enjoyed the end of a book because, it was a climax. At the climax Jason and Gareth were in American colonial times and I wasn't sure what was going on. Then, all of a sudden, they started climbing a sloping hill and were one their way home. The book is also one of my favorite genres, Historical Fiction. Overall, I would give this book ****.

I liked Time Cat very much! It is full of action. A cat named Gareth takes his master named Jason on a journey. They travel through time going to different times like: Egypt, Rome and Briton, Ireland, Japan, Italy, Peru, Germany, and America. Every chapter {which I just named }has someone that was famous like Neter-Khet, Petronius, Saint Patrick and Cerdic Longtooth. I can't name all of them but that is some.
I think is a great book! It would be very cool if people could go back in time. If I could time travel I would go back to the Roman Empire.
by Jacob from Stockbridge Central School

Time Cat is a wonderful fictional book about a boy named, Jason, that owns a time traveling cat, Gareth. Early in the story, Jason finds out Gareth can talk and travel to nine different lives anywhere, any time, to any country, and in any century.
When Gareth agrees to take Jason they go to Egypt first followed by Rome, Britain, and Ireland. I enjoyed Egypt because of the atmosphere and general story. I didn't like Rome, Britain, or Ireland. The adventure to Rome and Britain were in the same visit and it confused me. It jumped from Rome to Britain in the change of chapters and it didn't make any sense or have any connection. I didn't care for Ireland either because of the story. The characters were boring and the story showed no meaning to me at all.
The next journey continued to Japan, which I like a lot. The adventure Jason and Gareth have and the setting are very interesting. Italy and Peru come after Japan and both were exciting. I loved Italy it was my favorite place because of the main character and the story. After reading Italy, Peru seemed kind of plain but I liked it too. Jason and Gareth get into a sticky situation and a friend comes to their rescue.
Jason and Gareth now go to the Isle of Man, accompanied by Germany and America. In the Isle of Man, Jason and Gareth meet some interesting characters which made the adventure more fun and enjoyable. I also liked Germany because of the story and adventure Jason and Gareth experience. America was alright, but it wasn't my favorite place. The story didn't interest me and I was confused in the beginning.
I thought Time Cat was an overall good book. The characters were fun to learn about and the adventures in each country were interesting. I recommend this book to people that love adventure, are interested in cats, and like books with time travel.

The type of reader that should read this book is a reader who likes to go on adventures. The protagonists are Gareth and Jason. The antagonist is Gareth. My thoughts about Jason is the I like how he's always into adventures and knows how to solve any problems. I also like the way he can fit into his surroundings, meaning that he can dress up like the people that are in the country he's in. My thoughts about Gareth as the protagonist is that I like how he has the power to travel around the world. If it wasn't for him, Jason wouldn't be able to go home. Another thig I like about Gareth is that he can talk. My thoughts about Gareth as the antagonist is that he gets Jason into a lot of trouble. Like when Jason almost got his head chopped off. My thoughts about the book is that I liked how the author described each person Jason and Gaeth met. I haven't read anything else by this author, but I think I will.

I am in second grade. This book had very good details and the exploring was really interesting. I love this book because I love cats too. I'm going to read more books by Mr. Alexander. I hope that all of you will read this book... Time Cat.

OK,here's the deal;after the events in book 5 Yago finds himself hooked up to Mother,the supercomputer that runs the ship the Remnants have tried to inhabit.Mother reads Yago's memories and creates a computer-generated Washington D.C.Yago then finds himself leading a battalion of computer-generated soldiers against a battalion of Blue Meanies.My favorite scene is where a Blue Meanie "kills" Yago.Fortunately it turns out to be a projection of Yago,made to simulate his death.Altogether Yago played a big part in this chapter of the Remnants' saga.

i think that this book really picks up the pace in the series. sometimes though, i felt that the author tried to rush things and didn't explain them well. overall though, this book really explain's yago and is one of the better remnant's books. i though think that the first is the best.

The Remnants are a group of survivors that escaped from the asteroid that wiped out earth and have been floating in space for 500 years in hibernation. Then they landed on a ship and are now trapped on that ship controlled by a super computer called Mother. They are now going to challenge Mother. The other people that have tried to fight and take over have failed and have now gone crazy. There only hope now is a boy named Billy that has some how been able to create a bond with mother. They also learn through him that Mother is lonely and about the Shipwrights. They have also learned that Mother can create new environments and even new worlds. She can even create a computer-generated earth. But will they survive long enough for Billy to take over?
I thought that this is a great book. This is one of the best-written books that I have ever read. I would suggest reading the others and this one if youýre a Sci-fi fan.

I, personally, thought the 1st book in this series was good, but it seemed that after that, Applegate didn't know where to go with it, but had to write something, and this is the result. I have only read books 1-6, but this is my opinion. I'll stick with this series and see if a general plot ever developes. Right now, I don't reccomend these books.

The Remnants continue their struggle with a world created by Mother, the powerful computer who seems to have human qualities. The few people who have faced Mother have failed miserably, but the Remnants have one hope, Billy, the kid who stayed awake all 500 years of their journey. He is the only one who has been able to creat a bond with her. From Mother, through Billy, the Remnants learn much about the lonely negelected computer, including the fact that she was made by the powerful Shipwrights. Soon the Remnants figure out that Mother has the ability to recreate Earth too but the Remnants know she will ask something in return. Yago, against many people's wishes, makes a deal with Mother to let her delve into his mind and recreate Earth. In return Yago agrees to destroy the Children for Mother, otherwise know as the "Blue Meanies" A computer generated battle takes place as the projections of Civil War Soliders take on the Blue Meanies. Will the Remnants survive the battle they can't even control?

This wasn't one of the best Remnants books and thing definitely got weirder. Some things I felt were a little out of control weird. This book did have some pretty impressive revelations as we get to know the baby's true identity. We also meet 2 new Remnants who have been separated from the rest of the Remnants and held captive by the Children.