Fantasy Books

The book Amy Number Seven is a very good book.It is about a twelve-year-old girl who is a clone . She has perfect powers,and she is good in gymnastics,ice skating,running,and basketball without praticing. And someone is leaving notes in her mailbox.And anyway I would give this book 5 stars. you should read this book.

Do you like mistroys,and avenchers?Then you will love this book.When you start this serises you will not be able to put them down.After you finish the frist book you will not be able to wait to start the next book.
This book is about a gril named amy, who is aregular gril. Until werid things starts to happen. She trys to find out what is going on, but her mom isgetting to protive. So she gose looking for answers while her mom is out with her friend,Monica.

This book is about a girl named Amy Candler. She was made in a laboratory by scientists. People were trying to use her and the other seven Amy's to take over the world. So the other scientists put the laboratory on fire. All the Amy's escaped. One of the scientists who helped destroy the project, called project crescent, took home Amy number seven. The scientists created them to be stronger, faster, more intelligent, and more skilled than any other human. Amy had no idea she had special abilities. When she turned 14 a crescent moon appeared on her back. Then things started to change. In gymnastics Amy could do all the flips, turns, and jumps. She also started getting the best grades in all her classes. Then a movie star came to her school to to a movie. She looked exactly like Amy, but her name was spelled Aimee. Her mom finally her mom told her the truth. Amy tried to get close to Aimee, but guards always stopped her. Aimee thought Amy was started to get attention so Aimee planned to have people kidnap her, so that all the attention would go to her. But the fake kidnappers kidnapped the wrong one. They kidnapped Amy Candler. Then Aimee came to ask why they kidnapped the wrong girl. But the fake kidnappers were the people who wanted to use them to take over the world. So both Amy's fought until they got away. Then Amy Candler told Aimee the story about the lab. Then Aimee pushed aside Amy Candler and said she was going to try and take over the world herself.
Amy Candler is a fourteen year old girl. She has long brown hair and brown eye. She is not tall or short. She is creative and very outgoing. Amy was also very smart, and athletic. She was pretty much good at everything.Her mood was almost always happy. She was very curious about her life. We are alike because I have brown hair, I'm pretty smart, and I'm happy alot. We are different because she is older, she is much more athletic than me, and my hair isn't as long as hers.
I realy like this book because it is exciting, adventorous, and you never know whats coming next. I also like reading fictional books. My favorite part was when Amy got kidnapped, she was so confused. And the fake kidnappers were offering her soda and stuff because they knew it was fake. And tey thought that Amy Candler was Aimee the move star. I would recommend this book to a friend to they came experiance the thrill of the book.

This was a very good book. It is about a 12 year old girl named Amy Candler. Amy can do a lot of stuff better than her classmates. She can answer difficult problems in her head, she can do complicated twist and turns in gymastics, and she can hear and see things from far distances. But she doesn't know anything about her past except that her father died in a accident before she was born. She other stuff to worry about, a stranger is taking pictures of her, her mother is acting paraniod about her talents, and she is getting anonymous letters to keep her talents to herself. Amy knows that her mother is keeping something from her, something she doesn't want her to find out, something about her past and possibly her future. Amy tries to find out everything, before its to late...

Amy is trying to find the answers to a twisted mystery in her life. I loved this book, it was probably the best, easy book, most adventurous book in the world. I've read the other books too and by far this is the best! Marilyn Kaye really knows how to write twisted and suspenseful children's mysteries. I would recommend this book to 10-12 year old girls who enjoy mysteries and adventure. If you like this one then you will definitely like the series. Amy is an all right gymnast that becomes perfect in one day. Amy is rocking teenager that any girl would like. I think everyone would like this if they read it. It might be able to teach mothers how to talk to their sprouting teens.

Wow. Not your typical good guys come to a new planet, good guys save the planet, good guys leave the planet and everyone lives happily ever after. I just loved the ending ,wasn't expecting that!
Now I can't wait to start book no.6!

This entire series is a great children's series. Even though I'm an adult, I still love these books. Set before Episode I, they follow Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn through their early years together as master and apprentice. If you like Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, or the master/apprentice relationship in general, you'll love these books.

Obi-Wan is on Melida/Dan. A planet steeped with violence for as long as anyone can remeber.Jedi should not take sides Qui-gon tells Obi-Wan but he ends up taking sides with a group named the Young who are fighting against there parent to stop the war. Debate rages between Obi-wan and Qui-gon and ..... well you will see what heppens.It includes Obi-Wan getting kicked out of the Jedi Order and staying to help the Young read the next books to see if Qui-gon will except Obi-wan as his apprentice again. I [16] found this to be a great book when i was younger and still do! now that iv finished the NJO series the clone wars series and the Jedi Apprentice series i cant wait for a new one . You will love this book guarenteed.If you dont well i cant give you your money back..... but you would have to be insane not to like it.

Another truly great story from Jude Watson. These books bridge the gap left vacant before Episode 1.
Jude watson has a great gift for fleshing out all the characters we've come to know on a much deeper level.
This particular series gives us the early adventures of Obi-Wan and Quinn -Jon and shows us the development of the two as the later indepent thinking Jedi they become.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan go to Melida/Daan to rescue Tahl, the Jedi peacekeeper who went there. She was gravely wounded and captured by the Melida, and so Yoda dispatches more Jedi to rescue her.
Young Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Jedi apprentice, he's not supposed to become emotionally involved in a conflict. But when he meets Cerasi and Nield, the young and charismatic leaders of the Young on the planet of Melida/Daan, he is immediately swept up in their just cause. The Elders of the planet are nothing more than defenders of the dead, willing to sacrifice whole generations to get back at each other for past battles. No one remembers the original grievances, just that the Melida are evil or the Daan are evil, depending on who they are. The only ones striving for peace are the Young. They're proud to announce that they're everyone, both Melida and Daan children who want to rebuild their war-torn planet.
The Young help rescue Tahl, but they need the Jedi's help. Though forbidden to do so, Obi-Wan's heart tells him he must help the young save their planet.

Jorge Luis Borges was one of those rare writers who can take even a bizarre, utterly unbelievable idea, and spin it into an exquisite little gem of prose.

And this classic writer was at the peak of his powers when he collected together "Ficciones," whose plain name belies the subtle power and exquisite beauty of Jorges' short stories. Even among Borges' many short stories, few of them can rival this little labyrinth of strange ancient cities, fictional histories, and the eerie depths of the human mind.

"I owe the discovery of Uqbar to the conjunction of a mirror and an encyclopedia." An odd old saying from the Middle-East leads the narrator to seek out the long-lost heretical histories of a fictional world known as Tlon. Its beliefs, language, and metaphysical eccentricities increasingly fascinate the narrator, until it's almost a surprise to realize that Borges invented all of this.

The stories that follow are no less engrossing -- the recounting of a strange, haunting novel, a man who attempts to LIVE as Don Quixote, a man who tries to dream a new being into existence, a lottery that determines the way the people of Babylon are to live, an examination of a brilliant and underrated author, an exploration of the eternal Library of the universe, and a labyrinthine spy story.

The second round of short stories is a bit less enthralling, merely because it focuses more on "typical" Borges short stories. But they are still pretty enthralling pieces of work -- the remembrance of the brilliantly eccentric Ireneo Funes, the story of a scar, a series of murders linked to "the secret Name," a condemned man's begs God for a year to perfect his art, a forgotten heretic, a conversation leading to revenge, the Cult of the Phoenix, and a man entranced by the "Arabian Nights."

Mirrors and labyrinths fill Borges' work -- real and imagined, in word, metaphor and reality. You see them in an endless library, a guitar melody, a contradiction in religious faith, a complex plot, and in the mind of a man who loses himself to an obsession. The mirrors show you the sides of people that they would never see themselves, and the labyrinth twists the mind into new places where it would never normally go.

"Ficciones" explores places where normal fiction would never go -- such as a Babylonian lottery for different places in society, corrupted by greed -- even as it imbues its eulogies, metaphysical ponderings and explanations with the tinge of reality. The cults, deaths, and art that Borges describes seem so plausible, and are given such depth and detail, that it comes as a mild shock when you realize, "Hey, he made all of this up."

Part of that is due to his unique style, full of elegant wordcraft and gently luminous imagery ("a round yellow moon defined two leaf-clogged fountains in the dreary garden"). Even a stabbing is made brutally beautiful, and often dialogue is unnecessary -- the most beautiful and striking stories in here are the ones where Borges (aka the narrator) eagerly explores some invented facet of the world.

And woven through these stories are many of the things that fascinated Borges through his career -- a tragic hero, ancient heresies, an elusive God, and people whose lives he could somehow explore through his own imagination.

If you could criticize anything at all, it's that few of the characters -- aside from the Borges "narrator" -- are much more than walking symbols of a murky little message. But hey, you could simply see this entire book as an exploration of Borges' own imagination by himself. He happily recounts countries that are nonexistant, books that were never written, geniuses who never were.

"Ficciones" is about the dullest name you can possibly give to a work of genius -- an intricate little web that is all mirrors and mazes. Absolutely stunning.

Borges is one of the great literary giants of the 20th century, a statement that in itself appears as a graveyard of a word; that his influence is comparable to that of Joyce, Proust and Beckett. I would another name to that list, that of Georges Perec, a French novelist most famous for his works "Void" and "Life, A User's Manual".

I am no authority in much of anything, so I'd advice you find and read as much Borges as you can, but I've found that this collection is a fitting place whence to start and end endeavours of life. Literature works as a way of shaping not only our imagination but expounding our sense of self; this is a phenomenon that does not exclude anyone: most of the time it is merely unconscious as we hone endless miles through the seas of matter, of influence. Reading the great masters not only takes us to the root of what has been shaping and influencing the most intelligent and worthy art created, this reading gives us tools of becoming a self-conscious human being.

But read these stories for fun if you're not a self-confessed pretentious bohemian like me. I do, too, yet for me the other half of the fun is to dwell in the experience and shape an abstractly spatial being of it, place it into my mind as a station between different poles of my being. I theorize because I don't know any better. I keep returning to this book time and again, and to his poems, in themselves undertakings of a genius mind to create a new world, a function which any work of art should consciously yet as lucidly as possible promote. Each of the stories is a labyrinth for the mind, a whole microcosm of wordplays, mirrors, riddles, puzzles, mazes, doubles, self-reflection, catalogues and everything from between. A whole literary life being constructed in these short stories, much in the same way as a word-to-word memorization of a Cervantes. As with that book, everything that we experience in fiction, that feels the same has changed forever.

With best regards,
AK

Borges, a half deaf Mephisto indian from Peru, wrote in the later half of the 20th century when half of his inheritance had been squandered in Bordellos charging full price. His forte into "asylum" literature came about as a result of being incarcerated by accident in a Bolivian prison camp which inspired the film, "Papillon". His days were spent by writing and re-reading a book he carried inside his pocket for 22 years which was titled, "Moth Collecting for Youngsters". Most of these stories deal with tidal waves and rocks but some, deal with the memories of his youth like "Hopping on Empty Books".

Transport the Wachowski brothers to the 1930's and ask them to express their philosophy by way of short stories. You might get something in the same ballpark as Ficciones. The diversity and genius of Borges' work is so unique that if you were to know all the languages in the world and had no word limit, it would still be hard to do a review that does justice. Ironically, this is exactly the kind of challenge that Borges would stand up to. I will attempt to review this work by enlisting adjectives that come to mind.

Surreal, mystic, recursive, sophistic, heretical, philosophical, religious, profound, imaginative, ingenious, circular, open-ended, unorthodox, personal, hallucinational, original, universal, self-referential, concise, contextual, complex, ironic.

Here are a few examples of the complexity of Borges' mind at work.

Borges attributes certain imaginary books and volumes of books to some of the authors that he is most influenced by. In reality, these books are projections of Borges' fertile mind and no more. In the process of critiquing imaginary works of art (let's call this meta-art), he creates an instance of the meta-art in the mind of the reader. It's like me talking to you about the eating habits of a third person you haven't met, and actually does not exist! Borges never fails to leave you with a lasting impression of a meta-art that resonates with your senses. On second thoughts, this is obvious because the meta-art is as much a figment of your imagination as it is Borges'. Every meta-art is a reflection of your own creative mind, while Borges is simply holding a mirror. And talking about mirrors, here's a quote from Borges as attributed by him to the meta-art in his first short story "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius": "The earth we inhabit is an error, an incompetent parody. Mirrors and paternity are abominable because they multiply and affirm it." And with this we come full circle just like you would in most of Borges' stories.

Borges is fascinated with the idea of god and provides several unorthodox notions of god that might be as appealing to scientists as they would to priests. This is done more so by illustration than by elucidation. In fact, subtle self-references and recursions are an integral part of the entire work. The stories embody the concept that Borges sets out to illustrate, and always come full circle at the end such that appreciating the story is equivalent to appreciating the concept. Whether it is the wizard of "The Circular Ruins", the librarian of "The Library of Babel", the spy of "The Garden of Forking Paths", the teenage boy of "Funes the Memorious", or the playwright of "The Secret Miracle"; the self-referential nature of the work is haunting. Each story leaves you wondering how Borges could convey so much with so little words [This also speaks volumes about the quality of English translation]. Then again, the very topic of brevity and excessiveness is discussed in one of the reviews of a fictional book. It is like Borges does not let anything go. Yet again, the very topic of an all-encompassing book is discussed in the context of a fictional book that aspires to BE god.

There was not a single story of the seventeen that was not profound. There is no chance that you would not re-read this book after reading it once.

Borges never fails to please, to challenge, to entertain, and more importantly make one's brain shift into high gear!
If you are looking for an easy read, don't expect to find it in Ficciones.

However, if you are looking for a little cerebral cortex arousal; grab this book and find a cozy spot...you won't be disappointed!

Reading with his head instead of his heart, Borges looks to fill his mind with all the minutia and information he can possibly hold and release it back in his works with finely crafted and fascinatingly playful philosophical stories.

The sparse, objective writing of Ficciones is a far cry from his earlier lyrical style, of which he says: "In those days, I sought dusk, the outskirts, and unhappiness; now, mornings, the center, and serenity."

Thankfully in the newer center, we are treated to 17 extraordinary stories that are teasingly succinct, yet brimming with imaginative and aesthetic prose!

The scarcity of words requires that the reader pay attention to them all or miss much of the wisdom and subtleness that define the delicate and ingenious style that is this fine master of fiction...Jorge Luis Borges!

An absolutely beautiful and deep character study. You don't have to be a Trekie to enjoy it.

The book was well written and Robinson's knowledge of the lead seems so very authentic.

He created an entire backstory that blends in very well with the DS9 series. It makes watching the show in syndication even more fun, especially when Robinson is on, because it's like you, the viewer is in, on the secret.

I look forward to seeing more of his work, be it as an actor or as a writer.

Having enjoyed DS9 and having heard about this book through Memory Alpha, I noticed all the positive reviews and decided to give it a shot. It was well worth it, the book is completely engrossing and a joy to read. I wish Robinson would write a sequel.

Someone, just lock Andrew J. Robinson in a room and make him write more. Seriously.

Deep Space Nine was my favourite of all the Trek series, and Garak was my favourite character, so you can imagine how thrilled I was when this book arrived. It is amazing. It goes so deeply into what makes up the Cardassian mind and society, every unanswered question that one could have about Cardassians is answered in this novel. I didn't want it to end! The author is also the actor who played Garak, and the insight he provides about his character is wonderful, poetic, and so moving. Anyone who has ever enjoyed an episode of DS9 needs to buy this book. I've read it three times, and I still enjoy it more than any other sci-fi book that I've read.

Ah yes, Magic the Gathering. The child of Richard Garfield, run through dark magic and incest by the terrifying and evil Wizards of the Coast. I still play Magic, but it will never be like the old days, before Wizards of the Coast became huge. This book was written during the old days, and I reread it every couple years to remind myself of how cool the CCG world was back then.

Arena tells us a story of Garth One-Eye, a mysterious fighter who can control the flow of mana, as he plays a game of cat and mouse (where he's the mouse) in a city ready to tear him apart. Anyone who has seen a Clint Eastwood film will get numerous rushes of recognition. The basic plot of the book follows A Fistful of Dollars, with Garth playing the ruling houses of the city against each other.

So it's a rehash of a familiar plot. Does that make it bad? No. For one thing, it's a familiar plot, but we have to admit it was an entertaining plot as well. And there are twists and turns in this story that go off on their own (albiet Magic the Gathering inspired) direction. But don't be surprised if you start imagining Garth with that Clint sharpness in his voice.

Why read this book? First of all, if you're a fan of the old Magic the Gathering editions, you have to read it, just so you can say you have. Second of all, even if you're not a fan of magic, while it will lose about 10% of its goodness, it's still a great read, easy to pick up and hard to put down.

Any complaints? Only a couple. One, the sequels (by a different author) follow completely different characters and while a couple from Arena appear in later books, the cameos don't quite do them justice. Another downside is that one of the characters, Kirlen, was a potential gold mine of development and plot that only barely gets used.

But I reccomend Arena, especially if it's as cheap as I think it is these days. Pick it up before your next airplane flight or bus ride. It will keep you thouroughly entertained. And it may even make you want to play Magic again.

Although the book is obviously part of the MTG series and world. It really is by far a great stand alone sci-fi fantasy book. This book single handedly intrigued me enough to go out and buy MTG cards and additional MTG books in the series. The card game is ok to play and the rest of the MTG books are not worth the money. However this book is an incredible read, it is no Thomas Paine or Thoreau, obviously, but it is a very entertaining little book. I highly recommend it if you enjoy sci-fi books.

I read this book when it first came out. And still to this day I remember it being a great read and I just recently purchased it again and re-lived the experience. This is one of my 10 ten favorite books.

The main question on your mind right now has got to be "But isn't this just using a name to sell books?"

And I can tell you no. They could have easily just slapped together some drivel, put the Magic logo on it with the card offer, and it would have sold probably just as well. While you may appreciate its connections to the card game, it's not necessary to enjoy the book. The author adds much to a, at the time, thin background to realize a whole city and a system of magic.

The story does seem to come down to the childish, but not too often, and not enough to distract me from the rest of the book. The best part is learning about the different schools of magic and the people that head them!

The worst of these, let's call them childish asides, is that they put in some PG-13 stuff in that takes up all of a page. During the rest of the book the only reference to it is the phrase "It meant nothing", which comes out more than once. Which is true of the story as well, it meant nothing. It's just added as an afterthought I'm sure, to tantalize the younger reader. As I said however, the main story grabbed me unrelentlessly in such a manner that I could overlook such things.

This is a stand-alone book and, as I understand, does not have any direct connection to the rest of the series (new or old).

It's an unfortunate curse that all popular franchises have. You know what I'm talking about - that horrid thing known as over marketing. You start with one thing that that's pretty cool on its own, like a trading card game, or a video game, or even a book. Then someone realizes that there is so much more money to be made by the unsuspecting masses, who are oblivious to the fact that they are about to be bombarded with some of the most ridiculous drivel ever conceived of by mankind. Before you know it, what was once just a really great game, is now an abominable never ending landslide of action figures, T.V. shows, DVD series, full movie theatrical releases, clothing lines, coffee mug sets, and backpacks! Who could possibly live without those awesome new Pokemon sandals? The price for them is unbelievably low - it just costs the tattered remains of your dignity!

The curse has spread to Magic: The Gathering in the form of the novel "Arena". Now we've got an unending series of books that follows all the new releases of the different card sets (which will continue until people realize "Hey, I've spent the majority of the money I've ever made on more and more new cards trying to make a non-existant perfect deck. I need to accept that I have an addiction and quit"). What we've got here is a book that should be absolutely freaking awesome - I mean come on, the entire universe of Magic is already pre-made for the author, William Forstchen. He doesn't have to make ANYTHING up himself. Mr. Forstchen could have given us an amazing plot-driven book with tons of character progression, believable dialogue, and an incredible story. With the entire historical background, geographical areas, major characters, and system of magic already done for him, there should have been plenty of time allocated to giving the readers the most amazing book ever made. Obviously, that didn't happen.

Judging this book solely as a part of the Magic: The Gathering universe, it's pretty good. Lots of out of control combat, gratuitous sex for no apparent reason (and completely contradicting a character's previous statements about his views on sexual intimacy), and an "under-dog" figure who is able to take down the current not-so-nice all powerful deity figure. It's a pre-pubescent boy's dream come true. Judging "Arena" as a stand alone novel, against all the other fantasy novels out there, it certainly ranks among the most trite, self-serving, completely pointless books of the last century. Why give it even 2 stars then? Because, unfortunately, book series based on games are judged by a different standard. Their merit as a novel has to be balanced with how well they stay true to the themes and tone of the game (which this does decently), while keeping in mind that because they exist solely to make company X more money, there will be all kinds of unnecessary stuff packed in to please all the fanboys. If only we treated game based novels as they should be - by holding them up to a HIGHER standard than most fantasy novels (for the above mentioned reason - all the work is already done for the author), but experience has taught that, against all logic, game based novels tend to be substandard in comparison. The use of vivid, or even adequate, description in "Arena" is passed over in favor of popular buzz words in order to keep the action moving at a fast enough pace. For example, when describing a battle between two wizards, the author actually wrote the sentence "He summoned some Llanowar elves". Now keep in mind there is no material either before or after that describes what Llanowar elves are - what they look like (anyone whose played the card game will have seen them, but this leaves all other readers completely out of the loop), what they do, or why they were chosen over any other creature. The most important aspect, the actual details of the summoning, is left out as well. We aren't given any description at all of how the magician accomplishes this feat, which is honestly just sloppy writing.

"Arena" isn't 100% bad writing though. There are some genuinely interesting characters and situations present, although they aren't used very effectively. The character line up starts off with a one-eyed magician/fighter type who is known as a Hannin, because he doesn't belong to any of the guild houses. Curiously, several previous reviewers of this book commented on what an amazing mystery it was to figure out who Garth really is. Obviously they didn't read the blurb on the back of the novel, as it blatantly gives away the "secret", or any of the hints placed throughout the book that were about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the stomach. Next, there is a woman belonging to the intriguing Benalish caste system, which isn't given nearly enough detail as it should have. The obligatory fiery read head type who is too strong willed for her own good makes an appearance here, as well as the old man who isn't really what he seems. The main characters aside, the most fun part of this novel is reading about the four guild leaders and their various vices (although they were done WAY over the top, and again, no attempt at subtlety is made here). The character with the most potential is Kirlen, the leader of the guild called Bolk. Having lived for an incredible length of time by using rejuvenation spells and potions, her body has withered away to the point that she could almost be labeled an undead creature. Kirlen was once the lover of the "big baddy" in the story, and he betrayed her to attain the power to become a Planeswalker - a being who can travel to different dimensions and has near godlike powers. While this could have been the most interesting story arc, it was unfortunately relegated to an un-important backstory, just some filler to tack on the pages.

If you are a hardcore fan of Magic: The Gathering you will probably drink this thing up like it's the elixir of life and then rant about how it's the "best novel ever". Anyone looking for a good fantasy novel with any real substance should probably steer clear, though.

Hey...what do I really need to say here? I mean, this is Edgar Allan Poe we're talking about! It's an excellent collection of his stories and poems. Many people are of the opinion that Poe's works are all rather macabre. Although many of his works do fit into that category, he was also a brilliant satirist. For example, I recommend his short story, "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether". Quite hilarious, and very witty. Poe was a highly educated member of society, and was also the 'inventor' of the modern detective mystery with his short story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." His incomparable literary style has gone unequaled to this day. For those already familiar with Poe, I suggest you read him again to have a fresh look at his works. For those who are NOT familiar with his works, you are missing out BIG time! Poe having been homegrown right here in America, we can be proud of his literary achievements. Check it out.

Allan F. Whitney

I bought this book as a gift for my friend. She loved it.I was so glad I was able to find it here.

Edgar Allan Poe is regarded as the undisputed master of the gothic horror genre. This collection contains all his published works, faithful reproductions from the orginals, that have made him famous. With stories like the the Pit and the Pendulum, The Tell Tale Heart and poems like The Raven, this books is a must have for any Poe fan or any one who is new to Poe.

Edgar Allan Poe is one of my favorite authors of all time. I recall reading the 'Tell Tale Heart' as an 8 year old and getting hooked. I read most any work of his that I could get my hands on, in the process inspiring in me a love of literature and mystery. I loved his works so much, many years later I coupled my biology major with an english minor just so I could have an excuse for reading during the busy college days. This work compiles the literary works of an absolute genius into a beautiful, must have volume. It would be a perfect gift for anyone who enjoys Poe and even for the child who shows growing signs of getting into video gaming...maybe catch the kid before its too late!

Edgar Allan Poe, born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19, 1809, died October 7, 1849.

What is it that makes an author famous? I don't mean famous in the sense a news article reports that "Jack Greylea's novels sold 15 million copies last year," but in the sense that he is thought of as being profound, and seminal. That he is quoted, and scholars analyse his works, and he is looked upon as being the original voice of his style, or the font from which many imitators have drawn inspiration.

Edgar Allan Poe is one such. The very hint of his name calls up images of midnight graveyards, of crumbling mansions lit by wax candles, the home of strange and tormented aristocrats, till the description "Poe-like" can draw as vivid a picture in our minds as "elephant-like."

Yet his output was not great. Basically a short story writer and poet, he produced only one full-length novel, which received more censure than praise, and which very few people today can name. Without wishing to run him down as an author (what he did, he did well, but what he did well, was to be Poe) he was a limited writer, and all of his works over twenty-two years can be contained in one thickish book.
So what is the secret of Poe, whereby a scanty writer becomes the cult-centre of a world of horror that carries his own stamp? It lies I think in two things.

Not to place these two in any order of importance as regards his continuing fame - I leave this to you - but I would say....
Firstly, that it was his choice of subject and execution of it. The mournful, weird and macabre, in which man becomes little more than an instrument of darkness, and that usually the worst darkness, that which wells up from within, whose black light shows us as being not the pawns of evil, but the source of evil itself. But to seize on this idea - or any other idea - as inspiration is nothing, merely the starting point from which the quill hits the paper. It is in the execution of his vision that Poe's genius emerges. Not with a great deal of subtlety, nor a much complexity, but with great and disciplined fixity on the horror of his intentions, Poe moves relentless to the nasty culmination of his stories, and they come to us with all the rawness of unconsoled misery. His art was that of the short story writer, and as such he wrote little, but when reading Poe a little is more than enough.

Secondly, that Poe more than any other author is identified as a man with his works. An orphan and an outcast from his adopted family, overly sensitive and reckless, he lived wildly, lied readily, lived in poverty, married strangely to his thirteen-year old cousin, was widowed miserably, and finally died mysteriously at age forty, from uncertain causes that speculation has named as anything from drug addiction to murder. As if this were not enough, his works were controlled after his death by his executor, who attempted to blacken his name. More than any other author that I can readily think of, Poe was his own tormented, tragic hero, and his oppressed characters were him.

In the nineteen-sixties, several of Poe's stories and poems - The Pit and the Pendulum, The Masque of the Red Death, The Raven, The Tomb of Legeia and others - were made into popular, low budget films, cementing Poe's reputation firmly into the mythology of modern horror movies. It's common of course for movies to be nothing like the original written work, but all of these are based on not on fully worked out novels, but ideas that Poe dealt with in comparatively few pages.

Incidentally, the principal actor in many of these was Vincent Price, whose tall, mournful frame instantly springs to mind as well nigh inseparable from Poe's weird gems.

I don't know how Lynne Ewing came up with this story. I was looking forward to reading about Serena because she seemed to be one of the more interesting characters and I was left sorely disappointed. I don't understand how you can have a romance in a book and not really give the reader anything to go on. If Serena can't remember her memories, then how are we supposed to get a feel for a connection between her and Stanton? They had absolutely no chemistry to me. Stanton and Vanessa seemed to have more chemistry (later I found out Lynne Ewing was originally going to hook those two up). Too bad Lynne didn't hook Michael up with someone else later in the series. Personally, I think Vanessa and Stanton would have made a better couple. I understand others might have a different opinion, but that's just how I feel about it.

I give it two stars for at least being well-written, if not the most interesting or the best of the series. So far, it's my least favorite.

This book is about a girl who might be endangered by a groupd of people who is after her. These group of people are bad people who try to bring good people to the bad side. This book is a magical book with girls who have powers and they are trying to fight the bad people away. I liked this book because each character has a different personality and different ways to handle things in situations dealt together.

I thought this book was good. It had a lot of action in it. I also liked it because it had magical powers that noone in real life could have. This book is great for teens who like a little bit of romance, drama, and action.

This is a story everybody should read including teenagers like us.We could relate some things from ourlife.This book is about a girl finding out what she was ment for.She wouldn't let anything about having a boyfriend keep her down.This story was romantic,action,and true friendship.Serena must know why the Antrox are after her and Jemina has a premonition that Serena is going to betray them.Then Venessa comes again and turns invisible to keep away from from the cold fire.Another thing how could cold fire be cold.Serena was the one who can go through it and save her own friends life.Jemina was thankful that she could try to be more trustworthy and see what the inside from not her premonitions and see for herself.Serena is phychic and she is one of mysteries of the Daughters of the Moon. If you want to hear more about the Daughters of the Moon check out the Volume 3.Jemina couldn't stop thinking of Veto who died last year and he appears in her kitchen.While she was going to ask him what is he doing here he comes up and kisses her in the mouth .Was her feelings still strong?She felt his cheeck and his small scar that was warm.What do you think of that if you want hear more check it out!

NOTE: PLEASE READ THE FIRST BOOK BEFORE YOU READ THIS BOOK. THE STORY WILL BE RUINED IF YOU DO NOT READ THE OTHER TWO BOOKS FIRST. THIS STORY IS HARD TO FOLLOW IF YOU DO NOT EVERYTHING ABOUT THE SERIES AND ALL THE REALATIONSHIPS. THIS BOOK IS POORLY WRITTEN AND HARD TO FOLLOW IF YOU DON'T READ THE FIRST BOOK.

Serena is a goddess, a daughter of the moon. Sent by Selene to protect the human beings from an ancient evil called the Atrox. Jimena, Serena, Vanessa, and Catty are all daughters of the moon. Each of them has a unique gift. Vanessa can become invisible, Catty can travel in time, Serena reads minds, and Jimena sees into the future. Lynne Ewing has designed all of the books to show us everyone's point of view at different times. This book is based on Serena.

The story beginns with Serena at the beach with her brother Collin. Collin is a surfer. Serena gets a little bored watching him surf so she walks down the beach until she stumbles into a party. A girl dressed in a dress throws herself into a fire. Everyone at the party cheers Lecta. Serena at first thinks the girl's name is Lecta. Serena freaks about because a girl threw herself into the fire but then sees that the fire flames are blue. Stanton suddenly calls out to Serena, then all of the sudden she wakes up. Serena is covered with cuts thinking she fell into the ocean. Her brother come's and finds her and asks her what happened, but she can't remember.

Morgan gets a crush on Collin, Serena's brother. Serena can't stand Morgan and doesn't think that Collin and her would be good together. Then Çollin tells her one day that Morgan thinks Serena needs a boyfriend. Serena is very angry and can't help but wonder if Collin agrees with Morgan. To add to all of the mess, Jimena and Collin start fighting. Serena isn't sure she can handle the preasure. To top it off Serena's crushing on a new kid at school.

Then Jimena tells Serena a vision she had. Serena gets very upset because she doesn't want to destroy the daughters of the moon. But Jimena's vision have always come true. A few days later Stanton come's and tells her that she needs to be careful about the new kid at school. He also tells Serena that he erased her memories on the beach. Serena is very shocked by this. Then Stanton tells her that Stanton and her were in a relationship. A few nights later Serena reads Collins mind about Jimena. Then once the secret of the new kid is revealed the key gets thrown into the cold fire. This book tests the faith between all of the girls, and there values.

By far this is the best book yet! Packed with
mystery, action, romance, and revealed secrets about what a travelor is really capable of. This book will keep you entertained.

The Rivers of Zadaa is the sixth installment to the Pendragon series. I loved this book it had adventure and it has mystery in it. This book was the best of the Pendragon it gave me everything that I wanted in a book. This book starts with a tragic death then ends very surprisingly. Saint Dane has gone to the territory of Zadda were he is influencing two warring tribes now Bobby must stop him with the help of the traveler Loor.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes an adventure book that is also a fantasy. This book now had to be the best because you had no idea what was going to happen next. I absolutely loved this book I just never wanted to put it down. I definitely would put this book in my top 5 of favorite books.

DJ, you keep me waiting too long. I want you pumping these books out faster.I can't get enough!!!

Hands down the best series I have laid my eyes on.

This book is packed with twists in the plot, and suspense that make you feel as if you are on a roller coaster. With two different stories filled with adventure and sprinkled with love, you feel like you're with the characters. Whenever you think you have the answer to what's going on, you want to shout it out to the characters, but each time you are soon to be proven wrong. Once you start reading this book, it will be torture just to put it down. Whenever you aren't guessing what's going to happen next, you are cheering for Bobby because you think he's going to win, or worrying because he's going to lose this battle. He is always changing position in this battle, so you feel like you're on a roller coaster, just like what I said before.

After five battles against the shape-shifting demon named Saint Dane, Bobby Pendragon is swept into another battle yet again. Saint Dane's main goal is to destroy Halla, all places, planets, and times, for a still unknown reason. Using flumes, the connection between places in time in the universe called Territories (there are ten), Bobby chases Saint Dane into the next territory, Zadaa. As a Traveler, the only people who can use the flumes, Bobby must stop the evil Traveler, Saint Dane, from reaching his evil goal. On the dessert planet of Zadaa, people are facing famine, and two tribes who were once at peace are getting close to a quick and deadly war. The aggressive tribe, the Batu, suspect that the clever tribe, the Rokador, are holding all the water from the underground rivers. Bobby, with help from Loor and Alder, the Travelers from Zadaa and Denduron, must thwart Saint Dane's plans to push Zadaa into chaos, or else Halla will be one step closer to destruction.
Meanwhile, on Bobby's home Territory of Second Earth, Bobby's friends are facing the strangest problems. Mark Dimond, pure geek, has joined a club called Sci-Clops. Things are going great for him until his enemy, Andy Mitchell, joins the club. After joining the club, Mitchell has been nicer to Mark, and Mark is getting suspicious. To add to Mark's problems, he is also worrying about how Bobby is doing on Zadaa, and how Bobby's other friend, Courtney Chetwynde is doing. Courtney has gone to a boarding school, and has gotten a new boyfriend. Of course, her boyfriend and the new Andy Mitchell turn out to be someone else...


Notes:

-This is actually my book report.

-For people starting the Pendragon series, you should start at the first book.

-It has a plot very similar to the first Pendragon book, The Merchant of Death.

I hope you enjoy this book, it's a real Tum-Tigger!

Htmlgoddess@gmail.com
a 7th grader

Aiden Thomas is heart broken. His family has moved away from everything he's ever known--including his one and only friend Robby--to take care of a grandfather Aiden thinks belongs in an `Old Folks Home'... until he finds the scrolls in his grandfather's basement. They change his life, and show him how to enter The Door Within. With Wayne Thomas Batson's fast-paced, action packed, writing style and incredible characters, you'll need to cancel school the next day... then sprint to the nearest bookstore and grab the next two books in this trilogy.

The Door Within is the first in a trilogy of fantasy books for middle-age readers. If your kids are fans of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, they (and maybe even you) will probably love these books as well. The story is not too hard to follow, but is still masterfully woven together. The characters are very lovable and reading about their friendly antics is quite entertaining. It has great moral lessons and doesn't include the inappropriate material other books in this age group may have. The spiritual undertones in the book can be very much appreciated by believers, and maybe get unbelievers asking questions about God. This book is a wonderful fantasy tale that's perfect for kids from middle school to adult!

I have certainly read my fair share of fantasy books, but none have captured my imagination and attention so much as Sir Wayne's Door Within Trilogy. Not only was the plot brilliantly-woven and entertaining, it held amazing lessons that even now have effect on my life. I doubt I would so often make the choice to believe if I had not read Mr. Batson's books. Please do yourself a favor and buy these books. They changed my life; dig deep and they can change yours, too.

The Door Within is an awesome-must-read-kind-of book! You'll meet amazing characters, go on spectacular adventures, and all you have to do is turn pages and let your imagination run wild! The Door Within is definitely on my "Best Books Shelf."

The Door Within is a wonderfully written book by Wayne Thomas Batson about an average teenager named Aidan who is called to The Realm, a fantasy world that mirrors reality. He becomes a knight and learns that he has an important purpose in the coming battle. Within this book is adventure, danger, sadness, humor and joy. There is also a wonderful variety of interesting characters that accompany Aidan on his journey. And even though the main character is a teen, I have heard several adults say they loved this book. So if you are reading this review, you should find The Door Within and give it a look.

I didn't find this book all that special. The style seemed stilted and awkward. Characters seemed emotionally flat and I didn't buy the romance in the story. Not a bad read, but half way through I was ready for the book to end.

One of the things I like about this book is that it manages to retain an archaic feeling without sounding fake (you know, the type of dialogue that sounds like a bunch of college students roleplaying). Pope's choice of using modern language for the dialogue doesn't spoil the setting at all, whereas trying to force readers to jump back and forth between Elizabethan dialogue and modern narration could be annoying, e.g. Patricia Wrede's version of "Snow White and Rose Red".

Overall, Pope's characters are really well fleshed out, and she's also a master at describing atmosphere. The supernatural terror that Kate is subjected to in the underground halls kept me up at night for a while after both times I read this.

I didn't know the plot of "The Perilous Gard" was related to an actual legend till I stumbled across the name "Tam Lin" elsewhere on the Internet. Now I'm fascinated...

This book is beautiful. The proud elves! The historical drama! Probably the best theory for where elves/fairies came from, oh, and the answer will suprise you!
This books haunts you in that though there are mystical, magical elements in this story when you done reading you have to admit that it really COULD have happened. This book made me cry, I love it when books have the power to make you feel that much emotion. Do yourself a favour and read the book!

The Perilous Gard

The Sherwood Ring

The Perilous Gard is a book I still reread as an adult. The Sherwood Ring is good also. I just wish that Ms. Pope had written MORE.

The Perilous Gard is a wonderful rainy afternoon book. The characters seem real and the Elizabethan England that is described seems real and charming but none too easy to live in.

The best part of the story is the characterizations of the fairies themselves. Not the fluttery, glittery creatures beloved of Walt Disney, but a real, proud alien race at one with nature. The queen particularly is both admirable and cruel, pitiless and pitiable.

I enjoyed this book immensely once I got into it. The first chapter didn't impress me, but after that the book held my attention. The main character, Kate, was a great heroine that I enjoyed reading about and she had her own flaws, which I thought was great. Because most books in this sort of genre have the perfect, beautiful, strong, intelligent, courageous heroine, which I always found somewhat unbelievable. This book is adventursome, fantastical, and has some romance thrown in too. Its my kind of book! I plan on looking for more books by this author.