Science Fiction Books

There are few things that will make you feel this good! I could not put this book down once I started reading! I usually get bored with books, BUT this one was mesmerizing! It is a wonderful story of how people from different parts of life come together by a common fascination and experience with dolphins. As their relationships develop they discover their connection to the Mayan calendar, and how dolphins research can realize the beginning of a peaceful world rather than the end of the current chaotic one. Your stress will ease as you fall into this book and you will be inspired to appreciate the beauty around you and how important it is to work together to love one another and all that is living around us!

This was a wonderful book. A light hearted story about love relationships and communication. This book left me feeling inspired and hopeful and wanting to know more.

This book is INSPIRING, ENLIGHTENING and FILLED with HEART WISDOM! I couldn't put it down and kept turning page after page feeling like I was reading about coincidences in my own life and how they were interwoven through the author's beautiful story telling. Anyone who is intrigued by dolphins and wants Peace, Love and Compassion to reign will find themselves awakening to the messages within this book. People who see repeating numbers including 11:11 on digital clocks will be propelled to find out WHY. This is a wake-up call to rise up and remember we are Divine Humans here on earth to contribute to this incredible time in history as we move forward towards the year 2012. It's time to realize the prophecies of the Maya, Inca, Hopi and many others are unfolding as Mother Earth cleanses herself and we, as the powerful human beings we are, can unite through "pod mentality" and bring Heaven to Earth through our intentions, actions and deeds.
Reading The Aquarians fills me with Hope and excitement for our future as we enter into the age of Aquarius. A MUST READ for all ages!

I found the Aquariansn by Eric Rankin to be a well written book on a subject that I had previously not given much thought to. An interesting story and an exciting read. I look forward to Rankin's next book.

I loved reading this book. It was so nice to read something positive about the end of the Mayan Calendar. We all need more personal internal peace and love in this world. This book is a great example of looking at a situation in a favorable light rather than the constant negativity thrown at us by the media, etc.
Great job!

A strong female character that for the most part is not perfect, fantastic. How many times have you read a book where the main character, male or female, is perfect? There's no tension, no anticipation, since you already know that she or he will come out on top and they will obtain everything they always wanted. While Raine manages to get though all sticky situations, a little scratch might be nice. I don't want the character hurt, just a little scratch.

Mychael is one of those characters you just want to root for; he is the hero in the true sense of the word, not just martial courage. He'll stand up for what is right and will defend it even if he does bend the rules. He's smart, handsome but with a bit of mystery, somehow you know there is a lot more to the man that the author hasn't yet revealed.

And I liked Tam's entrance, his timing couldn't have been better but then that's how the author planned it. Tam is your typical, well not quite typical bad boy. Dangerous to be around but you want to be, good both in a fight and bed, based on his reputation and a kiss that Raine still remembers.

While the book is a fantasy, the author presents a cast of characters that are believable, one my favorites is Piaras.

And I like the love triangle between the main characters but I hope it will be resolved in the next book. (I'm voting for Mychael; for once let the clean cut guy win).

The action scenes are well scripted and move at a breakneck speed. Ms. Shearin's descriptions are perfect. Enough detail to give the reader a picture of the characters and settings without being bogged down. Sorry but I still have a problem with handsome goblins. ;-)

The author manages to wrap up the story while leaving the reader just enough to look forward to the next book and I am definitely looking forward to the next book which I read will be out in 2009. Hopefully it will be closer to the beginning of the year then the end.

Elves to the left of her, goblins to the right....and all Raine wants is OUT! After trying to help her friend she wound up with this magic stone the Saghred - otherwise known as the Soul Stealer - and next thing she knew it liked her! Now she was stuck with it, and everyone wanted a piece of her - well, the stone, really, they didn't really want her. But since it hadn't driven her insane, as it was known to do with anyone else who had touched it, a lot of questions were being tossed around. But since her mild Seeker skills had increased exponentially, as well, not too many of those questions were being asked to her face.

For now Raine and her friends have taken amnesty on the Isle of Mid with the Guardians. Raine's father, the former custodian of the Saghred, was a Guardian; they are all hoping that the stone may be contained there at the sorcery school. The spell shields help contain the stone while it is dormant, but soon trouble finds it's way to the island and Raine and her friends are soon at the eye of the storm.

Unfortunately, the Isle of Mid is also home to the Conclave, the sorcerer's governing body. It is clear that many of the sorcerers want the Saghred for their own - the power it holds draws the greed of many - but Raine is not one of the many. She stumbled upon these changes and simply wants her life back, but is slowly realizing that nothing will ever be the same again. But what will never change is how important her friends and family matter - and having this much power to control is teaching her to limit her trust in others more quickly than usual.
When the school's best spell-singer students begin to disappear - and Raine is afraid her adopted brother Piaris is next - Raine decides that she must use the power she has despite the danger of the Saghred gaining strength over her - and her losing control.

I wasn't sure how well I liked this series, even though I read straight through the first book and picked up the second and did the same. It is an unusual sci fantasy series, not like one I've read before: yes, the magic rock, the increased powers, etc. But there is still something different that I haven't been able to pinpoint, and I still cannot say positive or negative. I'll have to say I like it because I am looking forward to the next one to see what happens. Intriguing. Not gory or anything, and not a lot of mushy sex or anything - some romance, but nothing explicit. Teasing, maybe. But interesting. I guess I'll just have to wait.

This series is both beautifully written and great fun. The first in the series,
Magic Lost, Trouble Found was good. I went on to the second, this one. Even
better.
Best series I have read in ages. I have them on my Kindle. So I couldn't easily
leaf through when the action got .... well, to where I simply HAD to know what
happened next. In other words, it is a real page turner.

Another bouncing and magic filled adventure with Raine, an elf seeker.

It was interesting watching squabbles between different fractions, and we got to know a bit more about the magic system and the world this time.
The two serious love interests, Tam and Mychael, played quite big parts in the story, as did the infamous rogue of a cousin, Phaelan.

Lined with action, a ample portion of magic explosion, seasoned with Raine's sarcasm, and sprinkles of fascinaating supporting characters, Armed and Magical is a great and fun read, totally worth taking up book shelf space.

I thought the book was wordy and wandered around a lot. I found it hard to like Raine, or to care if she ever got rid of the link. It seemed to me that the book was written to stretch the tale into a three book series, but it may have been better to leave it as one grand adventure.

I found this book/series while searching for Choose Your Own Adventure type books. I've never played Dungeons & Dragons, have always wanted to, but no one to play with. The Lone Wolf series is a wonderful substitue for D&D to play solo. I wasn't sure what I'd get or how much I'd enjoy this book once I received it. I'm glad I purchased this book. It was great fun, only took me a couple times to get the hang of combat and calculating the points. It's quite a change from video game RPGs which I'm extremley familiar with. If you are looking for a great RPG solo book to get you started this is the book for you. It's written for teens/kids so it's easy to read and easy to get into but it does have depth. I've died 6 times in my quest and lived 2 times. I'm very eager to get the second book in the Lone Wolf series and further my adventure. There aren't many solo RPG books, it was popular in the 80s. Books like this are a gem. If you have it, keep it, if you don't have it get it. It passes the time, it's fun, it's an adventure.

I thought I had them all, until the internet happened. It's very exciting to see this worthwhile series rising from the ashes. In fact, one might take that literally, comparing the second printing of the series to the formation of the magna-kai, or second order. All back to that old idea of phylogeny recreating ontogeny.

Anyway, buy this. It's the best gamebook series of all time and Magnamund is in the top ten if not top five of all the imaginary worlds of the sword and sorcery tradition.

I haven't been so excited since they started making atari games again.

I read Joe Dever's books when I was in Junior Highschool (more than 12 years ago). All I could say is that no series are quite as good as these series. Rather than continuously publishing new novels from some unknown authors someone should really republish these series (Lone Wolf).

The Lone Wolf book series successfully blends Choose Your Own Adventure with Dungeons & Dragons type role playing. A perfect next level of reading for younger fans of the Choose Your Own Adventure series. I started reading this series when it came out in the late 80's. I'd say I was in around 4th grade. I grew out of the series before the Magna-Kai adventure was complete, but I still have most of the books. Recently, I flipped through book 16 and was totally brought back to Joe Dever's realm of high adventure fantasy. He makes it seem like your right there in the action with potential danger lurking around every page turn. It's extremely addictive, even for people not actually playing the choose a number game. (I always just used a 10-sided die.) Each section of writing is rarely over 2 pages long making it highly adaptable for a TV, movie, or video game series. These types of books are great in helping to develop self-reliant kids capable of forming independent thought & decision making.

I started this series probably 15 years ago, maybe more. I remember being so wrapped up in this interactive adventure that I couldn't wait to get my hands on the next installment. Well, while cleaning off my shelves a few days ago I stumbled across these gems and I tell you, I got overwhelmed with the same feelings.

You are Lone Wolf, the last of the Kai Warriors in the land of Sommerlund. Throughout your adventures (the are 28 books and 4 "World of Lone Wolf" books) you will face monsters big and small, wizards, magicians, puzzles, riddles, and everything else your imagination can think of.

This book is just like your standard "Choose Your Own Adventure" book except that it is more interactive. Not only do you choose your path, but you also choose your skills, equipment, and whether or not you want to battle enemies. This book employs an interesting combat system in which you pick a number from the "Random Number Table" at the end of the book by closing your eyes and poking the page with your eraser (see my shared photo). I highly recommend getting ahold of a 10-sided die to use instead, because after a few books one can learn where the higher number areas are.

I had the first 15 books of the series when I was younger and now that I've reread them, I am scrounging ebay and used Amazon books to locate the next ones. Unfortunately all of these books are out of print. If you are looking for these books, I highly recommend getting the UK editions of books 12-20 because the US editions are abridged and are missing huge sections. Additionally, there are many "broken links" since they were edited so when it says to turn to page XX it takes you to the wrong place. Also, good luck finding books 21-28 as they were ONLY printed in the UK. They are very rare and if you have them, hold on to them!

Finally, Joe Dever has authorized the free distribution and licensing of his Lone Wolf series which are available online. This resource has the unabridged editions which makes it great. I will not give out the URL as part of the reviewers agreement but with a little searching you should be able to find it. However, I am still a fan of reading the paper version, and look forward to sharing this epic series with my children, should I ever have any.

My son loves this book & others by the same author. This is a great book for little boys!

My two year old son is obsessed with construction trucks and this book hits the spot for him. And its great to read just before bed (with the lights dimmed) since the pictures are so large and the font is easy to read. There is enough detail to allow you to really interact with your child and ask him "Where is the dump truck? Where is the ladder? Where is the workman?" And it has a good ending where all the trucks go to bed which is PERFECT for bedtime. We love this book and have read it every night since we received it 3 months ago. I highly recommend it.

This is a wonderful book about machines and the art work is great. Toddler boys who are into cars, trucks, trackers would enjoy this book.

Our copy has now passed on to our third child -- Anna and Jane loved this book, and Danny loves it, too.

Byron Barton really seems to "get it" -- what captivates a child. Bold illustrations, nice use of color, and just enough detail for a board book.

Board books aren't necessarily meant to teach or be encyclopedic -- they're like good friends that you visit every day, and look forward to doing so. "Machines At Work" is just that -- a good friend.

We've named the characters, we make construction sounds when we read, and we love the lunch break and the end of the day pages.

Solidly constructed, wonderfully illustrated, and age appropriate, "Machines At Work" is a winner, sure to please any pre-reader. Thank you, Byron Barton!

When I first got this for my son (2 years), I thought "What a snooze-fest!" We were still high on the Mo Willems wave, still in love with Knuffle Bunny and the slightly off-kilter viewpoint of the Pigeon, so the utter barrenness and simplicity of Machines at Work honestly put me off. But, as it is all about the baby (and don't he know it!), Connor simply loves it! Although he is fickle (we have now moved on to the pop-up Bug series by David A. Carter) it firmly held the New Boy Times #1 bedseller slot for a good 3 weeks (an eternity to the toddler set). It also was known to douse many a tantrum (great diversion - "I know you just ka-bonked your head on the dining room table for the fortieth time today, but LOOK AT THESE COOL TRUCKS!") and entertain on long car rides.

The story (as it is) involves a diverse work crew doing stuff with simple 4-5 word narration for each page. It is so simple, it is almost zen-like. And Connor came to be able to repeat each phrase as we turned the page - as soon as I opened the cover he would gleefully shoud out "Hey, you guys!". Reading this to him at bedtime has become one of the fondest memories of my fatherhood experience, and hopefully one of my son's funnest moments.

I remember reading this entire series back in the day. Although some were not as good as others, they were still very much enjoyable.

Now I'm excitied to read the all-new novel in this series - The Musashi Flex!

Good stuff this.

A good one man against the galaxy book, but it never becomes unbelievable unlike a lot of other in the genre. If anything it gets more believable as it goes. It's partly Frank Russell's Wasp where one man can create a larger effect than you might think and part John Brunner's Shockwave Rider where a man is searching for a fulcrum on which to move the world. Both parts are told in separate threads and meet up nicely at the end.

Fantastic.

The Man Who Never Missed is the first novel written in the Matador series. However, it is the second novel in the series by internal chronological sequence, following The 97th Step.

In this novel, Emile Antoon Khadaji is an former Confed veteran with six years combat experience when he finds himself in a bloodbath on Maro, where three-quarters of a million religious fanatic ran, walked and crept into the Confed fire zones and died. This traumatic event breaks his social conditioning and gives him an epiphany about violence. He runs into the oncoming mob, discarding his equipment as he goes, and later finds himself in a nearby town, where he meets Pen (see The 97th Step).

He realizes that the amount of violence used by the Confed is wrong and looks for a way to eliminate the strong-arm tactics. Pen teaches him how to control himself and Juete teaches him to see others as they are. On Bocca, he learns the nature of politics and military force as well as many other subjects. He wallows in learning for a while, but then moves on to gaining money as a power base.

On Greaves, he buys a bar and specializes in providing a good time to the troops. At night and in his spare time, he shoots select troopers with darts carrying Spasm, a convulsant that leaves the victims totally incapable of speech and movement for six months, but leaves the mind clear and undamaged. During these six months, he shoots 2388 of the 10,000 Confed troops, including the commanding officer.

When the Confed finally catches up to him, he is on record as being the one and only member of the Shamba Freedom Forces. This spooks the System Marshall and every single trooper that learns the tale. His fame and example spreads throughout the Confed.

This novel is a SF psyops story, focusing on the use of minimum force to achieve political objectives. Underlying this is a martial arts philosophy which teaches much the same lesson. When a political system degenerates into a self-perpetuating organization that preys on its own citizens, it only takes a small event to crystallize opposition to its existence. Witness the fall of the Soviet Union from the inside.

This story is much like Eric Frank Russell's Wasp, but with a more military approach and a different objective. In Wasp, the goal was to reduce the will to resist of the planetary population, but in this novel, the goal is to increase the will to resist of the planetary populations by breaking the reputation of Confed forces.

Recommended for all Perry fans and anyone who enjoys psyops stories in a SF setting.

The Man Who Never Missed is, hands down, one of the finest,entertaining and most original Science Fiction novels to come out of the Eighties. The plot is both action, military and spiritual all in one as the unique journey of the Hero unfolds and we bear witness to his growth and development from a shattered, spiritualy stricken soldier to a freedom fighter capable of challenging an empire. This story remains a benchmark for all military or martial fiction in the Science fiction genre. This is the first of 3 novels in the Matador Trilogy, The Man Who Never Missed is followed by Matadora and The Machiavelli Interface. Collect them. Read them. Enjoy them and may the Spirit of Adventure never leave you.

The Man Who Never Missed is an exciting and engrossing space adventure about a soldier who has an epiphany one day during battle, and as a result decides to take on an empire. He encounters various characters along the way who teach him valuable lessons, both physical and spiritual, preparing him for the day when he will take his fight to the forces of tyranny in the known galaxy.

This is a great novel for what it is - a mythic tale of a hero, how he was formed, and the beginnings of his battle against an unassailable (and of course evil) foe. If you're looking for characters who are "ordinary mortals" or for some philosophy deeper than "good must triumph over evil", you won't find it here. But the thoroughly enjoyable tale that Perry weaves made me look past these points.

Sure, TMWNM isn't a great piece of literature, but it's a helluva fun story. And in the end, don't you want to be entertained as much as enlightened?

I forgot how much I enjoyed Butler's work. I found this book for sale at the used bookstore and snapped it up. W/O being cliche, I found she wrote the inner talk of the characters' well.

This book had me thinking about the storyline. And, I enjoyed the way she commented on race and class issues without wagging her finger at the reader. She is by far one of the best sci-fi writers. I don't know why I took a hiatus from her work, but I'll definitely read some of her newer stuff and go back and re-read the others.

Mind of My Mind is the second published novel in Octavia Butler's Patternist series, and chronologically it is the second, but the first published is actually fifth in the chronology and the fourth published is first. Confused? Don't be. Stick with publication order and everything will be just fine.

In Patternmaster we are introduced to a future Earth where humanity is divided into Patternists (telepaths), the Mutes (normal humans), and Clayarks (disease altered humans living no better than beasts). The telepaths are linked through something called "The Pattern", hence Patternists.

Mind of My Mind jumps back to a time not far off the present day and none of the future Pattern exists. We are introduced to Doro, a once human who has lived for thousands of years by jumping from one body to the next. He has been selectively breeding families of humans for millenia for telepathic ability and now he has several humans who may have sufficient power and control to take the next step.

Up until Mary, most of Doro's potential telepaths have been failures. Most who have transitioned to be an Active have been unbalanced and a danger. Mary has the potential to be the strongest and the most stable, if she lives through transition from Latent to Active.

What follows is a gathering of telepaths, the rise of Mary, and the origins of the Pattern. While this can be read before Patternmaster or after Wild Seed (which is set even before this book), but publication order is the way to go as Butler reveals this world in a particular way and with each revelation the next becomes more important.

Patternmaster was quite obviously Octavia Butler's first novel. It was decent enough, but not as strong as her later works. With Mind of My Mind Butler has written a much stronger novel which deals more with issues of identity and belonging, but it is also simply a stronger story with greater detail and description and more raw emotion. The first half of the novel is building, building and telling a consistent storyline with shifting viewpoints. Midway through when Mary actually begins building the Pattern Butler's storytelling becomes fragmented in that we are now given scattered episodes about the building of the Pattern. There are greater shifts in time during the second half of the novel, but this too is building to a great conflict and a great confrontation.

Not perfect and not as extraordinary as her later work, Mind of My Mind is a much more accomplished novel than her debut and shows the growth of Butler's soon to be masterful storytelling.

-Joe Sherry

Good premise, but charcters were not very well formed, and not very likeable either.

Octavia E. Butler's books often deal with the issues of race, sex, and class and feature young black women coming into their own. In MIND OF MY MIND, Mary, a young woman raised in tough conditions, realizes that she has extraordinary power, and this both frightens and amazes her. Her predecessor, Doro, is also someone of nearly unlimited power, but he can hardly be categorized as human. Able to take over the body of anyone, he discovered this ability as a child in ancient Africa. Through the ages he learns to control this power and with it embarks on a quest to breed a new species--one that will dominate the world.

However, his experiments are not without cost. Many of the humans that he "created" are wrong. Their abilities may be dormant and often cause mental problems that are uncontrollable. In one truly horrifying scene in the book, readers are presented with a possible outcome when two of these humans come together--a baby's rotting body is discovered among two people that are incapable of functioning because their abilities, in such close proximity, drive them crazy.

Still, there are some that function enough to breed more children. And finally, Doro has what he wants in Mary. But her power may prove greater than his, as he feels that she is what he could have been. He believes, at first, that she will be easy to guide and control because she is a female. Once she fully learns to command her abilities, she also learns to lead others like her, and she and Doro continue a dangerous game of mental chess as they learn what the other is truly capable of.

Though a short novel, it is written from multiple points of view and engages the reader with simple yet extraordinary prose and dialog. Anyone that enjoys science fiction and fantasy should enjoy this book; it is also a great read for anyone that is looking for an engaging story that probes the questions of humanity, evolution, and the responsibilities and pitfalls of power.

"Mind of My Mind" is one of Butler's most riveting excursions in vampiric fantasy and science fiction; the second chronologically in her critically acclaimed "Patternist" series, depicting a near future United States where humanity has split into two branches, most notably the telepathic vampiric one. In a riveting tale set almost entirely within the city of Los Angeles, Octavia Butler introduces us to an intriguing cast of normal humans and mutants, ultimately waging war to determine humanity's future; an intriguing cast comprised of credible, multi-dimensional people. An intricate test of physical and mental will pits the nearly age-less leader of the mutants, Doro, who has systematic bred a small portion of humanity for his own purposes, like a herder raising a unique breed of goats or sheep, against one of his "children", Mary, a young woman. Their epic struggle will determine whether this unique strain of humanity will not only survive, but ultimately, assume dominance over the "normals". Much to her credit, Butler conducts a vivid exploration of race and sexuality within the pages of "Mind of My Mind" replete with elegant literary passages and a splendid ear for dialogue. And her exploration of the importance of obtaining power is one that is timeless in science fiction, beginning most notably with Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", but skillfully depicted and embellished by Butler in this admirable example of science fiction and fantasy writing. This is truly one novel which I can recommend highly to those interested not only in Octavia Butler's greatest works of fiction, but also in one of the finest ever written in American fantasy and science fiction.

Really great SF! Accurate historical context and well written. One of the best SF books I have read, and I have read hundreds.

I don't know why I haven't heard more about this book. I stumbled across it purely by accident but have been surprised to find it is one of the best reads I've had in this genre this year. Glad I found it.

For a very long time, this book was "Unavailable" or "Out of Print". Naturally, I found that intriguing. When this book became available to order, I wasted no time. I feel my wait was certainly rewarded.

Michael's prose is magnetic. It's as if I'm drawn to read faster and faster. These types of reads are rare, to me. Character development was effective, and the storyline is wonderful, even if controversial.

To anyone who likes Cold War books, this is a must-read. For those who want a good story to read, pick this up. I know your money will be well spent!

If you like Historic Fiction, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Spy novels, Cold War Political Intrique, or even action works (to a lesser extent) then this book is for you! It welds the aforementioned genre's together and is a perfect rainy sunday afternoon read. Hard to put down, and a fascinating scenario! I had to read it two times to be sure I didn't miss any details. Totally believable plot line and excellent characterizations, as well as interesting details on the space programs of the era from both the US and Soviet perspectives. I heartily recommend Red Moon.

So far I am about half way through the novel and it is a good read.

Great way to end the series! Its somehow related to the TV series and gives you a little perspective on things. A must have for any Roswell fan! =)

Several of the books in this series had a rushed feel to them, I thought the writing got better in this one.
The teens finally figure out a way to free Max from the collective consciousness and free the alien homeworld from it's grip as well. I'd expected the story to be pretty sloppy but was pleased to see it was better.
The Max/Liz and Michael/Maria romances even ran pretty much the way the TV series did with the exception that in this story Michael was going to return to the homeworld with brother Trevor and Isabel was going to go with him. Isabel decides to remain with her "family"and Michael, who had never admitted his feeling to Maria, decided that he too had to stay.
You do kind of get left with a "where's the rest of the series?" feeling as this is the last we see of the Roswell storyline.

OK, this book, in my opinion was the best at the end for romantic reasons. Michael and Maria both had a thing for the other, but, yes, Michael is a little dense, and once he fooled around with this evil Cameron (as you can probably tell, I hate her). Finally though, Michael and Maria admitted feelings, and it was so sweet! (I'm Michael-Maria crazy). The bad thing is that Alex and Isabel practically said (yes, they did) they only wanted to be friends, which totally sucks. Another thing: Max and Liz have always been totally corny in the books, but this time, they crossed the line. They act all lovey-dovey even after Liz's problems with Adam. If you ask me, they're too perfect a couple to be real. All in all, though, this book really came through.

Melinda Metz is a fantastic author. I loved her other Roswell books but this is, by far, the best one yet. I was jumping out of my seet from the first page. I love how Melinda ended the book, it was very twisty and tourney and almost made me cry. When I was done with the book I felt good to know what happens but I also felt sad to know that this was the end of Roswell. It's so depressing realizing somethings going to end.

The Salvation by Melinda Metz was truely a terrific ending to the Roswell High series. After all of the conflicts and terrors that Max, Liz, Michael, Maria, Alex, and Isabel had gone through in previous books, The Salvation needed a happy ending to calm the reader's nerves. And that's just what Metz delivered. If you've read the other Roswell high books don't even hesitate to read about their final battle in The Salvation.
The only thing I wish now was that she had written more!

This is another book I read cover to cover in one sitting. I'm sad that it's over. The thoughtfulness and ethics and, well, honor of the writer touched me. Lots of cool insider info without compromising security. No bitchy backstabbing. No gratuitous back-slapping either. A very easy read that I couldn't tear myself away from. A couple months back, the current president was in my city for a couple of hours and the amount of disruption to traffic was startling. I now have far more appreciation for how difficult these visits are and how much orchestration they involve.

I wanted to get a little more background on the life of a Secret Service Agent. I found this book filled with interesting tidbits of information. It was an easy read that I found entertaining, as well. His recounts of what it was like working around the Reagan administration, the Pope's US visit, etc. kept me interested for several hours worth of reading. It personalized some of the details that the public often may not realize.

This book is well written with just enough detail to keep you in every scene. It hooked me from page 1 and kept me interested all along.

If you have any interest in the presidency of Ronald Reagan or the Secret Service, I highly recommend this book. The tone is very matter-of-fact, but what comes through is what an honorable person Joseph Petro is. He lost out on a possible N.F.L career when he was drafted for the Viet Nam War, but our country, and especially its elected officials during the time of his service, gained a great deal.

A very engaging book.

I found this book extremely enlightening as to what life as an Agent in the USSS will be like. Petro does a wonderful job at writing about what he is allowed to disclose yet still keeping the reader engaged. If you are interested in the USSS, you should read this book during your application process since little is know about the Service.

I loved this book. It fit perfectly in with the rest of the series and added to both the continuation and explanation of the complex storyline of the other three books.
If you have been reading this series, you must have this. If you have no idea who P.C. Hodgell is, I would recommend you start with Godstalk and work your way to this 4th book in the series to familiarize yourself with Jame's universe.

First of all, let me state that I have LOVED P. C. Hodgell's work ever since I picked up God Stalk in the late 80's. I was delighted when I learned that she had a "new" book out, and promptly purchased it. I loved the story, and felt that it continued the saga beautifully - and I hope she writes more Real Soon Now. However, having done some professional proofreading, I was less than pleased with the technical quality of the book. The maps were poorly reproduced, and nearly illegible in places. The book text was also poorly proofed; I found typos on every page, it seemed; the sort of thing that happens when someone runs a fast "Spell Check" but doesn't bother to check grammar and syntax. So, if this bothers you, buy the book anyway, because the story is great, but be prepared to wince repeatedly as these errors push you back out of the story. Hey - next time, Ms. Hodgell, or Meisha Merlin, run it by me, and I'll proof it for free!!

I recently reread the first two books of this series and then worked my way through Seeker's Mask. I loved God Stalk, thought Dark of the Moon had problems, thought Seeker's Mask had problems but was compelling enough to keep me reading, and finally started in on To Ride a Rathorn.

Wow. Amazing. I am thrilled, yes thrilled, to finally get hints and bits and pieces of the elaborate backstory that has lurked behind Jame's adventures. I feel that in this book we are finally given enough detail to have an inkling of understanding of the complex psychological issues that face so many of her characters.

Jame and Tori are wrestling with the same issues as ever, but here we finally start seeing the big picture, start really feeling their struggle and knowing it, rather than being told it exists. There seemed to be a bit more of a window into the internal life of the characters in this book, more detail about their childhood and especially more info about their father. Tori's deepseated response to the Shanir comes to make more sense.

A brilliant and fascinating book. God I hope there's another after it.

I just wanted to show support for this series. I absolutely love the books and look forward to the next one.

Hello. PC Hodgell here, thanking those readers who have kept faith with me all these years and welcoming new readers to my occasionally insane fantasy world. (Sorry about the five stars: I was afraid I wouldn't get posted if I didn't put down something.) Yes, I'm a slow writer, rather like the grain of sand in an oyster which eventually, if lucky, irritates the host enough to produce a pearl. Nor has it helped that publishers keep dropping me mid-series. Blame that for the gap between "Dark of the Moon" and "Seeker's Mask," when no one would touch my work. My last publisher suddenly went out of business without paying me anything for the past five years. Now, however, it appears that Baen is picking me up, so I hope to get all the books back in print and to have the funds to concentrate on continuing/finishing the series, which has become my life's work. ¨To Ride a Rathorn" got cut in two to bring it out on schedule. I'm currently working on the second half. If I ever get my website on line, you'll have the chance to commission "God Stalk -- the Sweater" (I have about 4000 different colors of yarn to play with) or a stained glass window, those being my other current occupations since I retired from UW-O, along with training a Saddlebred colt named Pip (aka Peregrine Stargazer) and chasing three rag-doll kittens around the house.