Fiction Books

I have read all of Beverly Jenkins' books that I can find, the historical as well as the drama. She is an awesome writer and keeps you in suspense. Her plots are well thought out and well written. Her love scenes are tender and erotic. I am going to ensure that my granddaughter reads all of her books so she will know how a man should treat a woman. How a black man should treat a woman. She is great. I can't wait for more of her books.

This book had my heart racing. Sarita is a very strong, compassionate, stubborn, plainspoken, and driven woman. She is the epitome of a strong black woman. She and Mykal are perfect for each other. What a man, what a man that Mykal is. All I can do is *sigh.* When they are together, it's like the sun meeting the sky, very intense and beautiful. Read this book and you will see a very powerful suspenseful love story unfold.

Man I wish I read this trilogy in order. Anyway I enjoyed this novel alot although the storyline didn't have the fast-paced, edge of your seat excitement that "Dawn" had. Here's another woman that's strong, independent and full of class and here's a man that's arrogant, bossy, kinda full of himself..and they make a dynamite couple. There were two incidents in the story that made laugh out loud: the part where Mykal threw Sarita over his shoulder while she was kicking and screaming and smacked her on the behind all while the members of NIA watched, then further along in the story Mykal took Sarita shopping at an upscale mall for lingerie but she wanted to go to Sears instead. The secondary characters were interesting and fun and at the end of the book where Mykal's grandmother makes an appearance was endearing. Well, two super fine (half) brothers down (Mykal & Saint) one more to go (Drake).

I can't help it. I love Beverly Jenkins. She truly knows how to write. Whether it's historical romance or contemporary romance she knows how to tell a story. I can't say enough about her. She's awesome. I love how she ties in her historical characters to the present characters, that makes it even better to me. I have almost all of her books and I love them all. Keep it up Beverly.

If you have not read any thing by Beverly Jenkins, then this can be a great place to start. Sarita Grayson is the director of a Detroit Community Center that is on the verge of being closed due to lack of money. Sarita decides to help a local drug dealer that ultimately puts her in danger in more ways than one. Mykal Chandler is artichete, rich and handsome. He is also the head of a covert government operation called NIA. Little did Sarita or Mykal know that their paths would cross and the fireworks that ignite.

This is the first in a series of contemporary novels written by Ms. Jenkins. It is part mystery and romance novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat. She has given each character unique flavor, sass and humor that guides the story. She also included history and connection to favorites from the historical novels. No one has mastered a love scene in quite that same way as Ms. Jenkins has.

This is the fourth time I have read this book and each time I find something new and exciting. !!! Thanks Ms. Bev.

Peace and Blessings!!

Incredible read. Probably overhyped, but not by much. Still worthy of 5 stars. I highly recommend it.

I've never read a Warhammer 40,000 novel before and picked the Eisenhorn omnibus because of the good reviews it was getting. I must say I came away a bit disappointed. Three stars, because I did find it an enjoyable read mostly to learn about the Warhammer 40,000 universe. But the three stories in the omnibus - Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus - do have flaws.

Almost every encounter ends in the same way: inquisitor Eisenhorn and his allies charge in, guns blazing. They begin with stealth and infiltration, but their subtleties run out very quickly every single time - or is that Dan Abnett's imaginition failing to come up with a different conclusion to a scene?

The finales of the three parts are also remarkably similar: large-scale attacks of troopers on a heretic undertaking. Eisenhorn waving a book around everybody wants (the Necroteuch or the Malus Codicium) and then destroying it.

Hilariously funny - but not meant to be so - is the scene in which Eisenhorn tells Bequin she is an Untouchable. She takes it hard and starts sobbing, as if she has just been dumped. But no, she has just been told that all people have a soul, a signature in the warp, but that she is Untouchable and has no such psychic presence and she can therefore act as a damper on the psychic powers of others. All this happens off-camera, it just reads that Eisenhorn tells her she is an Untouchable and that she cries. The proper reaction would be one being dumbfounded :)

Despite its remarkable repetitiveness (why do we need to know in such painstaking detail all the time what characters are wearing - is this the gritty universe of the grim future or a fashion show?) the omnibus has some redeeming features. Eisenhorn's meddling with forces he shouldn't meddle with is interesting, even as his 'change' comes pretty abruptly and coarsely. The daemonhost Cherubael is very well done, the best character in the book, especially when he does not use his superpowers but just his insidious whispers.

So sure, fans of the universe should probably want to read Eisenhorn. But the general feeling of disappointment, that comes from knowing that if this is the best Black Library book ever, remains.

This was the first book I read in the Warhammer 40k universe. Very dark, descriptive and I could not put it down. I would recommend all of Dan Abnett's books. They are well written and give an excellent sense of what the Warhammer 40k worlds are like.

then by the God-Emperor's throne, READ THIS! I have never gotten into Warhammer 40K, but I read about this book because it coincided with the Dark Heresy RPG. On a whim, I decided to buy it, figuring that if I didn't like it, I could re-sell it. Well, was I SURPRISED. Fast paced and cohesive with characters that you really get attached to, it was like reading an action movie. First-rate, off-the-top-shelf writing makes this trilogy the best sci-fi I've read in a long time. It's dark, gritty, and lethal - everything you would expect from the Warhammer 40K universe. I loved it so much, that I bought a bunch of Abnett's other works. Moving on to the Ravenor series now. I can only hope that it is as good as Eisenhorn. My greatest disappointment is that the story ends. I wish I had drag in Hollywood, because I'd snap up the rights to this and start shooting tomorrow. Buy it, read it, sit back, and enjoy the ride. Just phenomenal!

As usual, with Dan Abnett you get exactly what you expect:
a fast paced, well written, action packed page turner. The story
arcs are all similar, and the besides Eisenhorn characters
are not really developed. However, the universe is
richly textured and dark. If you want a quick read that will
take your mind of things, this will do the trick

This book is a surprising gem.

The one line review that I've been passing on to friends is "This is what Ursula K. Le Guin would write, if she did something light."

On the surface, it's light but well-written storylines woven together in a sci-fi/fantasy twist.

But the book forces you to shift perspective, to move between different points of view, and to think.

I picked it up because I figured anything that got a Newberry Honor medal was probably worth reading, and I wasn't disappointed.

This is a re-read from my youth and I am glad that it has been reissued. I love all of Engdahl's work and I only wish that she would write more after her long dry period. A well-writte intelligent and charming female protagonist learns and grows within a setting much like early (good) Andre Norton- reminiscent of Ice Crown, in fact.

This is an interesting book. I like the three different voices she uses to narrate the three different worlds, and the way the most advanced world, being the most self-aware, is done in first person.

Interesting questions are raised and about truth, right/wrong, etc. I do not agree with everything the author seems to believe, but this book would be a good springboard for discussion of questions like, "What is truth?" and "What/who is God?" and "Is there anything beyond what we can see and study with traditional science?"

There are a lot of other interesting questions that can be pondered that the book raises but does not answer. For instance, was Alana's father exploiting her young heart and propensity to fall in love in order to save the world of Andrecia and, if so, is that a morally defensible thing?

Not the absolute best book I have ever read, but worth reading, and probably worth reading more than once.

Having read Sylvia Engdahl's excellent novel, The Far Side of Evil, several years ago, I approached this book with a positive outlook that it would be just as thought-provoking and well told. I wasn't disappointed, though this novel is indeed different in tone.

The Enchantress of the title is Elana, whose exact age is never given but can be assumed to be in her late teens or early twenties. Elana, looking for adventure and real life experience, stows away on board a starship that is sent to Andrecia, a medieval planet that is currently being colonized by a more advanced society. Once her presence is known, her father and boyfriend decide that Elana can indeed help with the plan to oust the invaders, which will allow Andrecia to continue to develop at its own pace. Elana becomes the "Enchantress"; she befriends two locals who are off to fight the "Dragon" (a massive rock-chewing machine), and helps them by awakening their own skills so that their quest will be successful. In the process, Elana finds herself falling for the local known as Georgyn, and in her inexperience, putting them both in grave danger.

This book moves seamlessly between points of view, which gives it a much more universal feel than had we only known Elana's side of the story. When Georyn's voice takes over, the story almost becomes a fairy tale; indeed, that is how he sees Elana and the invaders who have come to his world. Elana is, of course, young and inexperienced but desperate to do the right thing; and Jarel is the lone voice of the invaders, unsure of his world's plans but unable to do anything to stop them.

I enjoyed this novel but did feel that at times it was a bit on the fantastic side. I felt the plans Elana's father made to dupe the invaders weren't necessarily believable, but I was able to keep in mind that this is indeed a fantasy. Elana could be infuriating in her lack of knowledge and her headstrong ways, and her poor boyfriend Evrek is relegated to the background while Elana forges ahead with a relationship with Georyn. Overall, however, this is a well-written novel and Engdahl has a gift for telling a tale that will pull you in from the first pages. Over thirty years since its debut, this thought-provoking novel holds up well and is just as relevant today. Recommended for lovers of fantasy.

Please keep in mind that I really liked this book. "Enchantress" is well written and enjoyable. That being said, I could not entirely enjoy the story because I had a problem with the heroine. I know this probably says more about me than her but...

The heroine, as thoughtful and insightful as she is, is a bit of a hypocrite. She "suffers" enormously with guilt about even the smallest of lies she is forced to tell her "poor primitive" lover.

On the other hand she only feels a twinge of condescending pity for her fiancé whom she has been more-or-less betraying by concealing her "forbidden love" for the "primitive" for most the book.

And when it comes to lying to her father and sneaking around behind his back; forget about it! She doesn't even hesitate a second and even takes a certain pleasure in it, even when, inevitably, her "disobedience" endangers entire civilizations.

There are only four main characters in this book. The heroine, her male father, her male fiancé, and her male lover. I found myself many times wishing she had a mother, sister, or best friend to whack her upside the head and tell her to stop acting so ridiculous.

The one woman who COULD and WOULD have set her straight was killed as the book opened. (Actually there WAS one other female in the book; a practically-unconscious sacrifice victim being "delivered to the dragon.")

Anyway enough about my problems. If you didn't even notice the things I had issues with, (and you probably didn't) "Enchantress" is a good read.

THIS STORY WAS SOMETHING ELSE BESIDE FAST PACED. SYNEDA AND CLAYTON ARE VERY WELL MATCHED IN EVERY WAY. THE AUTHOR IS THE REASON I PURCHASED THIS AND CANNOT WAIT FOR ANOTHER TO BE RELEASED IN THE MADARIS SERIES OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

wow as usual Ms. jackson makes us laugh cry go through the whole nine yards of emotion and thats why i cant stop reading her books. clayton what can I say about Clayton whoo i have been waiting for his story since i read Whispered promises and it was so worth the wait cause him and Syneda killed it. if u love Brenda jackson books then you wont regret reading this one once you pick it up you wont put it down until you are finished i guarantee it.

I absolutely loved this book...Clayton had my attention right away. I mean this book was so real and steamy that I could not put it down. Clayton sounds so scrumptious and then his character is so determined and bold...I love it!!!! I would recommend this book to anyone because there was never a dull moment and the surprises at the end I would have never guessed, I thought I had the mystery figured out but boy was I wrong. I love Clayton and Syneda...I can't wait to read the rest of the Madaris stories since I see that I read them out of order.

I love the Madaris Family. It is about strong black men who know how to love, cherish and take care of their black women.

Clayton is my favorite Madaris brother. He is good looking, fine, funny and smart. His and Syneda relationship moves from friendship to the bedroom and the fire works begin. It took one woman who would give him the challenge he needed to turn him from his womanizing ways. When you met your match, there's no denying. Loved this book, loved this man and I love Brenda Jackson! You go girl! I can't wait to read One Special Moment.

I really enjoyed this book much more than the first book in the series. It starts off with Rose explaining very briefly what happened in book 1 but then jumps right in where the story left off. There is more romance in this book, intrigue, mystery and I started to like Rose a lot better than in the first one because she is less "hostile" at times and seems to be coming into her own person. I can't wait for the third installment of this series!! I recommend for anyone who likes vampire novels or any type of "supernatural" stories. This is a different take on vampires than what we're used to but it becomes believable as the story unfolds. I found myself rooting for Rose and Dimitri and found their chemistry off the charts, which I loved. Can't wait for book 3!!

I thought this was a great follow up book and can't wait to read the next one.

The story picks up right were Vampire Academy left us. Rose and Lissa are still at St. Vladimir's. Lissa and Christian are now together and Rose is still in love with her mentor/tutor, Dimitri. When a massive Strigoi attack halts everyone's plans to travel home, St. Vladimir sends its students to a posh Idaho ski resort, so families can come together in a safe place.

But there seems to be a lot more drama happening on the slopes than Rose was expecting. Her good friend Mason has a huge crush on her, Rose's mom pops unexpectedly back into her life, and Dimitri seems to have eyes for someone else. Not to mention the Strigoi continue to cause problems.

When Mason and two other fellow students go missing, Rose knows they went to find the Strigoi. Joining forces with Christian, they head off to find the trio and end up way over their heads......

Let me just start off by saying that I love Richelle! I started reading Frostbite and I completely devoured it in one sitting! Is it her writing, the characters, the plot? Maybe it is a combination of everything, but I get so captivated in the story that I don't even see the pages getting thinner and the book coming to an end! In all seriousness, I really enjoy this series. It has everything that I like, vampires, humor, satire, action, romance, and suspense. I feel like I know the characters. I could defiantly see Rose growing throughout this novel and I can't wait to see her grow even more. While the plot had many twists and turns, Meade kept it going at a fantastic pace! I may even like Frostbite better than Vampire Academy! This is a great vampire series and if you haven't read it yet, I suggest that you do! I am anxiously awaiting the release of the next book Shadow Kiss, which will be available Nov. 13!

It's the holiday season at St. Vladimir's Academy, an elite school for Moroi and Dhampir. But for Dhampir Rose Hathaway, the approach of Christmas hasn't been very restful. Her mentor and secret crush Dimitri has been preparing her for a test with another widely respected guardian. But instead of meeting him, they stumble across the aftermath of a brutal Strigoi attack. The attack strikes fear in the Moroi community, and instead of splitting up for the holidays, all Moroi arrange to meet at secluded and high class ski resort--including Rose's formidable and detached mother. Sparks will fly as the two clash, and tension mounts as the threat of the Strigoi creeps closer and closer.

Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series takes a darker turn in Frostbite as Rose matures and is exposed to more and more danger, and finds herself taking higher risks. Though there is less interaction between Rose and Lissa, it's believable as Lissa is preoccupied with a new boyfriend, Christian. Readers learn more about the Moroi and their magic in Frostbite as Christian begins campaigning for lessons in self defense by using his magic, adding the twist of political tensions between the Moroi.

The addition of a lecherous and preying older Moroi and a beautiful and scarred Moroi woman that gives Rose some competition for Dimitri's heart add a nice balance to the novel, and enable Rose to cause more chaos. But the ultimate ordeal at the end of the book will test Rose to her limits and give her a dose the responsibilities that will be required of her once she graduates...can she prove herself worthy to become her best friend's guardian?

From the first page of Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, Book 1) I was hooked. By inventing a fresh, original take on vampires with a believable biology and a detailed world layout explained by more than simply "magic" I saw the start of a great series. By weaving in the beginnings of a forbidden romance and a intensely interesting conflict I knew that I'd devour the book within a day. And I did. I ordered Frostbite from three different places right away: Borders, amazon and the library. Then I paced around for a week and jumped whenever the phone rang. When I wealked to the end of the driveway and found it sitting innocently in the mailbox I ripped it open right there - talk about papercuts...and I must have had an adrenaline rush because that paper was thick - I actually sat down right on the lawn and read. Mmmm. Richelle can do a sequel! Quite possibly one of the best books I have ever read. And I've reread it many times. This book will not dissapoint. Read it. Devour it. Love it.

If you enjoyed Oke's "Love Comes Softly" series, you will surely love this book! This is my favorite of her books and I recommend this one to anyone who wants to read a good romance novel.

A gown of spanish lace is about a young women that is a school teach.
and a young man that has been raised by outlaws and without a mother.

its a wonderfull book about two young agult finding love..
and a young man finding out how he is... and coming to belive....
its a graet book full of mystery and Love and advetures. and a little acshon. graet graet book!
and I think you would enjoy it!
:-)

I loved this book it was wonderful they was they fell in love. Ariana and Laramie are perfect for each other. Ariana lived the life of a schoolteacher who was hungry for god's word. She wanted her students to feels the same. She loved her town and every thing it stood for. Well. She loved being a teacher. She was adopted. Her parents died in a raid on their wagon trail. All she has heft to remember her mother by is a dress, which she planes to wear when she gets married. That wont is for a while. Soon Ariana is kidnapped so that Laramie's father can get Laramie to kill some one. She is kept in a hut near the camp, the people that live in the camp our robbers and are horrible men. They are widely known. None of them know about Ariana being on there camp except for the boss and one of the other members of the camp. Sam, Sam told Laramie about his past, well at least as much as he knew. Gave him a trunk filled with Laramie's stuff. From when he was a baby. While Ariana is a captive her and Laramie fall in love by simple acts of kindness. Soon Laramie helps her escape. He almost kills someone for it. Once they escape there past begins to unravel, in a strange way the to lovers are connected very closely. Soon all is settled but the ending will take you by surprise. You don't see it coming.

This is the best book that Oke has written. I absoulty loved it and couldnt put it down until I finished it. Read it.

I really enjoyed this book.
My mom read it to me when I was three or four and recently
She recomended that I read it myself.
I am really happy that I did. It is about
a sixteen year old girl named Ariana who is a schoolteacher.
one day two men come to the school house and kidnap her during a blizzard.
She is taken far away to an old, small, dirty cabin and locked in. When she gets a new guard, Laramie, at first she is afraid of him, but then she starts to enjoy his company. He does not mistreat her and he buys her food and soap and all she needs. one day he decides to help her escape. It is a dangerous and risk, but Laramie is willing to take it and liberate her out of camp. Will they survive?
see for yourself. I think that you should definatly buy this book It has many twists that I did not mention. 5 STARS!

Dawn Rochelle has lukemia and her 15th birthday is comming up she starts wondering if she will live to see it.Then she gets a big surprise her big brother comes to town Dawn soon finds out that teddy is getting married Dawn is so excited.When her lukemia takes a turn for the worst how much time will she have before her big 15 or the wedding or will she even live to see it?

I love the Dawn Rochelle novels. I love how the author goes into good detail.

For the past year, Dawn has been in remission. Though she has to be in remission for four more years to be declared "cured", Dawn's blood tests have been coming out positive, and life continues to go on. Then Rob, Dawn's older brother, arrives home from college with great news- he's getting married! His wife-to-be, Darcy, is pretty and nice. But Dawn senses that Darcy doesn't like her because of her cancer. At first Dawn wonders if maybe she's just feeling jealous of Darcy's perfect life and attitude, but when Dawn's cancer returns, with only a bone marrow from her brother to save her life, Darcy becomes more and more upset, which causes her brother to become upset, too, and Dawn is afraid that she is ruining her EVERYONE'S life with her cancer. But that won't last much longer if the transplant doesn't work...

This book was very touching. It talked about the closeness between Dawn and Rob, and Rob's loyalty to her in this rough time, when death is waiting at Dawn's door. It was very interesting, and was a page-turner for me. I ended up reading it from beginning to end in only one morning. Like the last book, it also talks about cancer, and is educational if you want to know what cancer really is. I recommend it to girls who love good books!

The second book of the Dawn Rochelle series...it was astonishing. The book is one true pageturner, and not only that, it brought me to tears. I cried twice in one day, as I've gone on directly to continue with the second book in the series since I got to read the first one.
Lurlene McDaniels has an unbelievably hypnotizing gift with words; she's truly remarkable. Once again, I recommend everyone who has the slightest bit of feeling in them to read it.
It's wonderful and heartbreaking.

I Want to Live is a really good book. I like this book because it tells you what it's like to have cancer. I don't think this book could be any better. If you were looking for a book I would recommend this one especially if you were a girl.

Dawn, the main character, was in remission, but then she needed a bone marrow transplant. Your going to have to read it yourself to find out what happens.

The ilustrations in this book portray you to another book that perfectly capture the original paints.

I read Edgar Rice Burroughs novels as a teen and will never forget the impact of the Frazetta covers. His heros, the settings and the creatures were so wild and vivid; plus I think he definitely set my ideals of feminine beauty for life. This collection is a must for anyone who wants a good biography of F.F. along with some great reproductions of his best work.

Frazetta is great and this book is swell... however (as one other reviewer also experienced) the cover came off my book after I had it for only one week! I couldn't believe it! To credit of the publisher they did send me a replacement. I think I will buy the sequel now. Too bad it's only available in hardcover, but at least that way the cover is much less likely to fall off. As for the third book, it seems to be completely unavailable except to those who are willing to pay over a hundred dollars for it!

Words cannot describe the beauty and passion in Frazetta's work; This book is filled with amazing art, from the original sketches to the final product; Lots of personal photographs and insightful narratives help to make this a satisfying package, but the artwork alone makes this book a must have. From his early career doing comic books and movie posters, to the grand scale of his fantasy art, this is a book that is sure to excite any and all who have a shred of creativity within them. Totally inspiring book!!!

When people think of fantasy artwork, they might think first of those Conan and Edgar Rice Burroughs paperback covers, or a berserker warrior on horseback, corpses of foes beneath him and dripping weapon above him. People think of Frazetta first, whether or not they know it's him they're thinking of. He's also done recognizable work for Mad magazine, Little Annie Fanny for Playboy, posters for Peter Sellers movies, and lots more.

Frazetta has done plenty of work in ink, especially for a range of comics, but his oil paintings are best known and most heavily represented here. It's easy to see how he became the inspiration for an entire generation of fantasy artists, and probably well into a second generation, too. No one captures the rippling sinews of barbarian warriors like Frazetta does, or beasts, half-men, dungeons, jungles, and every other fantasy-scape that he's rendered. Above all, no one comes close to the lush, rounded figures of his female characters. They can be warriors and wizards in their own right, or eldritch spirits, or even savable maidens. Some, as in "Moon's Rapture" or the standing figure in "Rogue Roman", show a rich and womanly figure at rest, but somehow promising as much raw physical power as any man.

I recommend this collection to anyone passionate about illustration or fantasy art. Any one of his paintings can be an entire course of study for a budding artist. They can also be seen as powerful narratives in imagery, or as a jumping-off point for dreams of far-away worlds and heroic adventures.

-- wiredweird

The Never War was better than the first two in the series put together. This book was much more realistic than the first two.

The Never War (Pendragon Series #3) This book came as part of a box set containing the first 3 books in the series. They are quality paper backs. They will probably stand up to a lot of re-reads. I had been in search of a series to fill in the void left from the conclusion of the Harry Potter series. I have found that D. J. MacHale's series about time travel by a teenager and his friends to be an excellent transition from Harry Potter. I am currently finishing up book 8 in the series. I have purchased 7 of the books from Amazon and will buy books 8 and 9 when they come out in paper back. I would highly recommend this series to fans of Harry Potter. Trust me, you won't be disappointed and you will love the adventure.

The Never War is the third book in the Pendragon series. I thought this book was amazing this book I think was the best of all of the pendragons. This book brings back the characters Mark, Courtney, Spader, and Bobby and a new traveler Gunny. This book brings you back into 1937 on first earth. At the start of world war two and ends with a big ending that may shock you.
I would totally recommend this book because it envolve your own world and it makes you brush up on your history. This book is definitely the greatest sci-fi I have read. The Never War is a book that you never want to stop reading it keeps you on the edge of your seat through out the whole story and this book always has you thinking of what could happen next.

This is a really interesting book for probably one reason: the historical fiction.
This book takes you to First Earth, where life is eternally 40 yeaers behind our Second Earth. The plot of this story is where Saint Dane is trying to alter things that have already happened to cause chaos throughout Halla. This is about the Hindenburg. Saint Dane offers Bobby a chance to save the Hindenburg from crashing but what will happen if he doesn't?
This is book is chalk full of good historical fiction. I liked it, A LOT!

D. J. MacHale wrote for television for years before turning his attention to novels. He created ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?, a long-running series on Nickelodeon in the United States, but it also showed in Canada on YTV and Cinar.

For the last few years, he's been writing the adventures of Bobby Pendragon, a boy who's destined - hopefully - to save the world. Several worlds, actually. Bobby is a Traveler, one of those who have the power to "flume" from world to world. He's brought into the adventure by his Uncle Press. As Bobby was growing up, Uncle Press also took Bobby scuba diving, mountain climbing, to martial arts, driving, and several other things that gave him skills he needs to survive against enemies he encounters. All during that time, Uncle Press was training Bobby to be a Traveler.

Bobby's greatest foe is a villain called Saint Dane. Saint Dane has the ability to change his appearance at will and constantly hides in different worlds while working his nefarious plans.

THE NEVER WAR is the third book in this exciting series. In it, Bobby travels to First Earth, which takes place in the year 1937. The gangster era isn't new by any means, and I was slightly let down when I discovered I wasn't being taken to a new world. I especially loved Cloral, the world Bobby went to in the second book, THE LOST CITY OF FAAR, and I look forward to returning there hopefully in one of the later books.

Still, I'm older than the average Pendragon reader. The 1930s and the Hindenburg are familiar to me through several other books I've read as well as history I've researched.

For all the familiarity with the time period, though, MacHale tells a fascinating and fast-paced tale. Bobby and his new best friend Spader land in the 1930s while pursuing Saint Dane. They're immediately met by machine-gun toting thugs that try to kill them. Bobby figures out how to escape and gets Spader out as well. Spader is way out of his depth because he's never seen anything as "technologically advanced" as the 1930s.

One of the best things about the Pendragon books is that Bobby usually gets to save the day in a down-to-earth manner. He doesn't have any really special skills or powers that help him. At this point, he's fourteen years old and can do what most kids that age can. This makes the series more believable in some ways, and I think it draws the Pendragon audience in a little closer.

MacHale's sense of timing and pacing is excellent. The story moves quickly, and I got a real sense of urgency throughout the book as Bobby tries to figure out what Saint Dane is really doing. Many of the chapters end up on cliffhangers that will draw you rapidly into the next chapter. The dialogue is fantastic and sounds real.

One of the other facets of the series that I really enjoy is Bobby's friendship with Mark Dimond and Courtney Chetwynde. The closeness they share, even through Bobby's journals, feels real.

MacHale also mixes in adult heroes with his young champion. Vincent "Gunny" Van Dyke was an excellent grown Traveler in this novel. He was kind and gentle, and guided Bobby and Spader throughout the adventure.

I did miss the world-building in this novel, but I know MacHale gets back to it in later volumes of the series. But for kids who haven't researched the 1930s much, this should be a fun book and on equal footing with fans of Artemis Fowl and Alex Rider.

A disorienting story, much too contrived. A patchwork of events taking place in both dimensions, space and time. Definitely confusing and surely inconsistent. Consequently, when the protagonists (and the author) are stuck in jeopardy somewhere or somewhen, something or someone appears out of the blue to get them (and him) out of their predicament. I must confess I didn't understand all of it... and I didn't seek to do it.

In my opinion one of the all time science fiction classics,along with Radix.You can skip the other two of the quadralogy.The story and the science are top notch.attanasio at the top of his game.I recommend this to all science fiction buffs and a great introduction to the work of Mr.Attanasio.

I love this book. I read it years ago and forgot the name of the book, the author and only now do I realize it was part of a series of books, and yet I have never forgotten the story. I think for me the most powerful part is how limited humans are relative to the Tryl (a species on Earth that evolves to an intelligence and grace greater than humans 1 billion years after we kill ourselves off) and yet we keep on, going on. Attanasio gives us the big and little of humanity sometimes within the same sentence. I read a lot of science fiction and generally the harder the better but Attanasio, like David Zindell's Neverness series, is an exception to the rule. There is enough "hard" science, like Gai's jumping up from basically the zero point dimension into a dimension much less dense and at much lower energy, to be fascinating in its own right. Another great book it reminds me of -- the Oddessy. The relationship between Gai and Ned O'Tennis (the fighter pilot) is very similar to that between Athena and Oddyseus. All in all, a great read.

The last legends of earth is a wonderfully fantastical story were the classical limitations of time and space are broken. Aliens of the future interact in a bid for god-like supremacy long after the civilizations of man have been lost in the dust. Humans become the fodder for spider-like beings and a battle for human freedom ensues. The worlds Attanasio describes are imaginative and timeless. This is a story is a classic Sci-fi adventure but also has retains a sense of humanity, love and the human spirit. This is one of my favorite books by the author; I also recommend his Arthurian series.

In my opinion, this is (along with the first book in the Tetralogy, Radix) one of the finest sci-fi/fantasy novels written in the past 30 years. It's a rollicking good time, with good vs evil, heroes and villains, interesting scientific concepts, a romance that even manly men could appreciate, and a tempo that speeds up and slows down at just the right times.

Heavily influenced by Lovecraft, Attanasio writes stuff that is not intended to be the joy of English majors or grammar prudes but is deeply fascinating and tells great, highly imaginative stories. This book is no exception. If character is the end-all and be-all of literature to you (ugh!) and story and plot are less interesting to you, then you may not find most of Attanasio's work to your tastes, although his characters are certainly believable. Certainly in LLoE there are some highly interesting characters to add to a mind blowing story that spans billions of years.

After having read the original book in the tetralogy, Radix, when it came out so many years ago, and being so impressed by it, I was disappointed by the next two books in the series. They were interesting but lacked stories that sucked you in. Not so with LLoE, which is a page turner of the highest order. I don't think you'd have to be a sci-fi fantasy buff to appreciate it, but if you are it's one of the best. It certainly has one of the most evil races of monsters in ALL of literature, the zotl. If you can read about them and not get the creeps, you should probably be in an institution somewhere.

In fact, if all you read of the tetralogy were Radix and LLoE, you would be well served, but you might want to read the others for the sake of completeness.