Science Fiction Books

My kids and I loved this book. Simply hilarious. A very positive book with the message that everyone is special. Everyone has the power within them to do miracalous things. I hope there will be a sequel.

This is a great and very imagative book!! It rocked my socks off!! I can't wait for the spy gear to come out. I want those spy gears for me. I am waiting for book #2 to come out. You should buy this book for the whole family. Watch out J.K. Rowling.

Mary

This book will make you laugh and smile, both kid and adult alike. Wow, what crazy happenings in this book, like Alice and Wonderland meets Harry Potter. I hope there is a sequel.

This is a book where you never know what will happen next, but you can best be sure that it will be funny and wondrous. From muumuu wearing Sirens to salt-water taffy to reach things in hard to reach places, you never know what crazy thing you will meet next. This is like a combination of the Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, and Harry Potter.

The story centers around Alexandra, who is staying with her rather wacky Aunt Puff for the summer. Aunt Puff's friend from the mysterious Elcarim foundation (responsible for aiding in miracles) comes to visit, but disappears while trying to teach Alexandra how to blow a bubble gum volcano. The Sherlock Holmes hats come on then as Alexandra, Aunt Puff, Puff's Great Dane Ludwig, and Minerva's cockatoo Ciber gather clues to take to Elcarim Headquarters. Alexandra ends up having to save both Minerva and Aunt Puff, but needs to find the courage and faith within herself before she can do so.

This is a book that both children and adults will love. Be sure to buy this book for your children for Christmas. It's great.

Genre: Children's Fiction

AUNT PUFF AND THE MISSING MINERVA

AUTHOR: DAVID WHITEWOLF

Alexandra adores her Aunt Puff, with all her unusual eccentricities and vivacious personality. And she is anxious to meet her Aunt Puff's best friend and colleague, Minerva, who works with Puff for a secret organization of miracle workers, `Elcarim' . But within minutes of her arrival, Minerva goes missing, and its up to Alexandra and her Aunt to save her.

"Aunt Puff and Missing Minerva" is fun and sometimes funny adventure about a young girl discovering her personal strengths, and regaining her pride and confidence. On her quest to find the missing woman, Alexandra and her Aunt, with the help of Ludwig the dog and a friendly cockatoo, must overcome great challenges, from a dangerously enchanting siren to a giant Chinese dragon. Overcoming the obstacles also helps Alexandra overcome the burden of guilt she has been feeling for several months, over the near-drowning of her best friend.

Author, David Whitewolf born in Illinois, demonstrates an unbridled imagination that should challenge and entertain any child. The story is fast-paced, with colorfully described characters, and clever predicaments. The writing style is neither belittling to a young reader, nor too complicated. It invites a sequel that I, for one, will be watching for in anticipation. Reviewer: Nancy Morris, Allbooks Reviews


Title: Aunt Puff and Missing Minerva
Author: David Whitewolf
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN Number: 0-595-32724-9
Price: $10.95 Length: 112 pgs

It could be science fiction
myths...
unrealistic scenario,
but certainly it is amazing.
So much work went in the
preparation of this book.
So much details.
My God!
It is really amazing....


S. Mahdi, Cairo, Egypt.

The artwork in this book is fabulous. It's a neat little companion book for sci-fi fans; it has wonderful illustrations of all the various organisms that have been portrayed in some of sci-fi's classic and canonical works. And along with those illustrations? Little one-page write ups on their biology, social structure, etc.

Once I saw that there was a Velantian in this, from E. E. Doc Smith's Lensman series, I was sold, and had to get it. Done as a page by page look at each species the artwork is excellent, and these are the sort of funny looking monster types that kids like too, so it can work on more than one level, most definitely.

Good book. I have owned this since I was a child. It was a great portal into many of these classic Sci Fi books as I would have never heard about them otherwise. Barlowe has a fantastic nack for bringing life to these aliens. Highly recommended.

I enjoy art books, mainly books of fantasy art. But this book is more a sci-fi art book, and a very good one at that. Mr. Barlowe did a excellent job with the illustrations in this book. I read H.P. Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness." I had a hard time visualizing the Old ones described in that novelette. But Mr. Barlowe helped me greatly by including them in this volume and even summarizing their history. I would love to see how Mr. Barlowe would visualize all the creatures in my book, Tales of Ancient Xenar. I know he has a fantasy art book and I hope to see that one very soon. And to be honest, the only thing I am disappointed about is the fact Amazon.com ony allows a max of 5 stars. This book deserve well more than that.

The Blue Djinn of Babylon is mouth-watering continuation of the Children of Lamp series. The twins learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of their djinn powers and discover some fascinating facts about their mom. Not to mention twins get separated by the Blue Djinn and have some wild hair-raising adventures trying to find each other. I'd tell you more, but its more fun to read the book! Let your imagination do the walking.

My daughter is a big fan of the series and really enjoyed this book and the first one as well.

this volume and the one after it kept us all involved till the end

The Blue Djinn of Babylon
By: P.B. KERR

The Blue Djinn of Babylon by P. B. Kerr is a story of magic and adventure that I would recommend to children who like fantasy books. The story begins with two unidentical twins John and Philippa Gaunt go practice there Djinn powers on one of the last warm days of the year. John and Philippa have just recently discovered there djinn powers when there Uncle Nimrod told them in a dream. Djinn also known as genies are made of fire so they can't use there powers to its fullest when it is cold. When Philippa enters a Djinnverso tournament (which is an ancient game only played by djinn) she is disqualified when someone takes over her body and says Philippa cheated. During the tournament the Blue Djinn assistant tells John and Uncle Nimrod that Solomon's Grimoire was stolen by himself accidentally! Now they have to arrange a meeting to get the book back. But little do they know it will put the twins in danger!

The Hanging Palace of Babylon is a enormous structure that the Blue Djinn lives and gets to design. The Blue Djinn is the ruler of all djinn good or evil so she must be beyond good or evil to so that it is fair for all djinn. Only women Djinn are allowed inside. The Blue Djinn has invisible maids to clean her house. The Hanging Palace of Babylon is underground in Baghdad. Outside the palace is guarded by terrible creatures. To get to it you must take a boat because it is a underground island. A Giant Bird guards the island and lets no one except the Blue Djinn past. A wish monster guards everything on the island including the Hanging Palace of Babylon.

You should read this book because this book you on the edge from beginning to the end.

Even though I am definitely not a young teen (unless 65 qualifies) I love the Children of the Lamp series. One of my granddaughters bought the first book at a school book fair; I had run out of my own reading material for relaxation; and, as they say, the rest is history.

After I finished The Akhenaten Adventure, I bought the Blue Djinn and Cobra King of Kathmandu. I am awaiting the next three books as much as my granddaughter.

My 1st grader hates to put it down, he would rather read Magic Tree House books, than play video games. He even reads them to his class and explains the story for show and tell. In his kindergarten class the teacher would also let him read the Magic Tree House books out loud, not to give her a break, but to promote reading out loud. Great books!

In this story, Jack and Annie go to the beach and find a mini-submarine. They explore the ocean and learn about coral reefs. Coral reefs are made of skeletons of tiny sea creatures. Jack and Annie look out the big window of the submarine and see two dolphins. Annie names them Sukie and Sam. When they look at the submarine's computer, they find out that the submarine is cracked. They are being squeezed by an octopus. They start to swim to shore because of the cracks, but when they look back, they see a fin and think that it might be a shark. When they realize they are looking at the dolphins, they ride on the dolphins backs. The dolphins take them safely to shore and they go back home in the magic treehouse.

I liked this book a lot because it has a happy ending. I like dolphins and I wish I could ride on one like Jack and Annie. I recommend this book to kids who like dolphins and who like to read about magic. This book is also good because it teaches you about the coral reef. This is a great book to read during the summer. -by JG.

If anyone is looking for a good book, here's one!
Feel the detail spray into your mind with excitement.

This book is very, very exciting!

Enjoy!

Dolphins at Daybreak takes place at the Magic Treehouse, on an island and out at sea. Morgan le Fay, the master librarian, sends Jack and Annie to an island to look for three riddles. They go there in the Magic Treehouse. The first riddle they found was a pearl inside an oyster. Jack and Annie need to fins the riddles because they want to be master librarians like Morgan. A mini-submarine takes Jack and Annie to find the next riddle. It has cracks init and begins to leak.There are two dolphins nearby that save Jack and Annie from drowning. They also save them from a hungry shark. When they returned to the Treehouse, Jack and Annie found out that the Oyster was the correct riddle that they needed. Jack and Annie were on their way to becoming master librarians. I like the book !



This review is by Maryrose Wintroath

The magic tree house is back, and with it is Morgan le Fay. She has a quest for Jack and Annie, they must solve a strange riddle. And so, the two youngsters are off to a tropical island, where they learn about the sea and its aquatic life.

This book is the ninth in Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House series, and the first in a four-part mini-series. This is a fun book, richly illustrated, and teaching while at the same time entertaining. I think that this is a great book, and a fine addition to a great series. Give your young reader a treat, and get him or her this book!

It is beach and beer season, and I need easy-read books that are nevertheless well-written and absorbing. This one fits the bill perfectly. Author Kevin Ryan knows how to write a page-turner, and for those of us who love the "Star Trek" universe, it does not get much better than this.

This story is set in the "Original Series" Star Trek universe in which Captain Kirk and all our other favorites are engaged in the Enterprise's five year mission. Unfortunately, the Federation is on the brink of all-out war with the Klingon Empire. The Klingons are infiltrating surgically-altered spies, who can pass for humans, to assassinate key Federation and Starfleet figures. This story is told from the standpoint of one Lt. Jonathan Anderson, who is one such Klingon operative assigned to infiltrate the Enterprise and assassinate Captain Kirk.

Author Ryan knows the Star Trek universe, and this is a pretty good yarn. The Klingons are always interesting, and Ryan's interpretation of how the Klingons behave is the best I have read in any of the many Star Trek novels. Plus, his characterizations of Starfleet personages are quite good. This all comes together to bring a very engaging read to the reader. This is the first installment of a trilogy (really, two trilogies) and it is a fine read.

I bought this series via my Kindle. It was great being able to finish one novel, and instantaneously download the next installment thereby continuing through the series uninterrupted.

Three stars because while this is a page turner, come on, it is not great literature either. (If I give this one five stars, what do we give "Dune" or "Old Man's War?") That is not a put-down: there is a place in literature for easy, quick, and engaging reads, and this series does the job in, well, a stellar fashion.

I've recently gone back through all my TOS novels, and I have almost all except the rarest from the 60s, and read them in the order written. To my dismay, around about the late 80s the books seemed to lose their heart.

Then I got around to this novel. Oh how I loved John Ford's The Final Reflection, and didn't expect to like this in comparison. I'm not a huge Klingon fan either, but to my surprise I fell in love with this book. It embodies everything I love about the Star Trek series, the camaraderie and sense of connectedness, the introspection and sense of learning, the adventure and courage men and women show under the bleakest circumstances, the respect for all points of view, and the way people change when faced with all of these.

What amazed me was that the book really didn't contain much of my favorite characters. It was about the red shirts, and a Klingon who infiltrates them (yes, there are plot holes, but they're forgivable ones). It's original in its scope, and it's fascinating to see it all through the eyes of a being from another culture. We learn a lot about the Klingons and about ourselves.

This was the rich sort of experience I want from Star Trek books. If you're like me and love all those older stories, I heartily recommend picking this one up.

This book was very enjoyable. It shows how Kell, a Klingon infiltrator, learns that the humans are not as cowardly and deceptive as people may think. He learns that Captain James T. Kirk is not a coward as his people think, and that Kirk has the same honor as Kahless. Once Kell learns this, he dreads completing his mission, which is kill Captain Kirk.

A superbly well-written story, that sucks you in and gets you seeing Star Fleet through Klingon eyes a little more. Only 1 major beef: it took 3 years to get the sequel trilogy to the newstands!(Errand of Fury, Book 1 Seeds of Rage). Definitely a great Star Trek book for Original Series and Klingon fans. The way he starts the buildup to Star Trek V is masterful. Lots of good battle stuff, and NO HOLODECKS or overly sensitive politically correct Picard-crew types.

Love ANY Star Trek and this series is very good!

If you like comic book deities even a slight bit, or even modern or ancient human deities, then this book is for you. Struggles are all of cosmic proportion. I love the reference to all Earth's ancient religion gods as gods who are but a drop in the bucket compared to some of the forces at work here. Even though its a comic book, it tells it like it is. Us, as human beings, can lay no claim to even comprehend the magnitude and sheer myriad of benevolent and malevolent forces that constantly struggle on planes of existence much higher than ours or any of our perceived gods. Religious zealots would do good to read this book and give them a better understanding of how small their religious texts are in the grand scheme of things.

This is a fantastic series and one of the first comic story arcs that really got my attention and kept it all the way through.

I admit that I may have had an unfair advantage, as my appetite was plenty whet from the Thanos Quest prequel books (mini-series), which is among my favorite collections to this day.

The beauty is that you don't have to be that interested in comics to enjoy this. Even a casual fan will appreciate the story that Starlin has laid out here, which is layered and compelling.

But for those looking for a more detailed synopsis...

Thanos, now equipped with the complete power of an all-powerful god takes on what seems like the entire Marvel universe in an epic battle that at times if flat out bizarre. I don't want to spoil anything, but let's just say you'll see more than a fair share of Marvel characters enduring strange fates indeed.

The beauty of it is that all of Thanos' efforts are to win the cold heart of his lover, Death. Therein lies the beauty of Starlin's entire Infinity series - its core villain's ambitions are in the name of something that is all too human.

An Awesome book because it is full of many heroes and many villians in the marvel universe.

As something of a comic book aficionado, I have to say this has always been and continues to be my favorite comic mini-series of all time. Well written, compelling and engrossing this is a must read. `nuff said!

When this originally came out i was big into the Silver Surfer, and read most anything with him in it. Then out of what seemed nowhere came Thanos. I'd never seen him before and didn't know his past with Captain Marvel and his love of Death. (the entity and embodiment) I only needed to read a couple surfer comics and the first two issues of this series to realize Thanos is the most evil and interesting villain in the marvel universe. In this collection he has attained god-like powers. (as told in the silver surfer trade "rebirth of thanos") Hes used his powers to thin out half the universes population. Whats left of the mightiest heroes earth has assembles with Adam Warlock and Silver Surfer to confront Thanos once and for all. And the result is one of most climactic battles ever put to print. I cannot recommend this book enough. If you like marvel and space oddesys it seriously DOES NOT GET BETTER THAN THIS. Its been around 15 years since this came out and i can still pick it up and read it any time. You'll be glad you bought it.

I just finished this book and it was thoroughly enjoybable, although a bit on the scary side. Not that I am frightened by science fiction stories, it is the fact that this book ties so much together that is going on in the world today.

I had always struggled with the Book of Revelations in the Bible and this book is almost like an analogy that paints it in a picutre that is easier to understand. Once you understand it you wish you hadn't, because the story it tells mirrors things that are going on right now, although many people are unwilling to admit it.

I would recommend this book to anyone just for the story, but as an added bonus you can learn from it too. If you haven't read it, do so. If you have, get it for your freinds and family. They won't be disappointed!

Just by the cover I knew this was going to be a good book but it turned out to be better than "good"; it's excellent, with a capital E! If what this author writes about is in store for society, then we all need to clean up our acts real quick. My eyes were opened when I read how the apocalypse will come down. Read it and see for yourself. I'm not one who gets online and writes reviews but I was so taken by this book that I wanted the world to know about it!

This novel made me think about where my life was going. Just by the cover you can see it has to do with choices of right and wrong, hell and heaven, God and satan. Professor Ben Abram had a life-threatening decision to make about his beliefs, and it got me thinking that we can't re-do our past but that we can step in the right direction for the future. This is a magnificently written story, and a jolting plot. Yep, satan is there, front and center, just like he is in our daily lives. If you like to read about end-times and prophecy, this is the book to read.

Okay, the image of the devil was enough to make me wet my pants, but the story itself will have you under the covers of your bed. Talk about the New World Order and all its evil...while, guys, here it is, in this incredibly well done story with great characters and a heart-wrenching ending. My mouth dropped opened in shock when I got to the end. But if you want to know what's in store for us in this world, read this book. The author has done a lot of research and a lot of Bible studies, and somehow, she managed to get it all together in one consuming story. Read it; you won't be sorry.

What a trip this book is. I have college friends who are reading this and are as engrossed in it as I was. My boyfriend's parents are even reading it. What a fantastic story; what a great writer!

This is a sweet story but I found the narration by Jimmy B. and his daughter a little lacking. I'm a Jimmy Buffet fan no doubt. I just don't think voice overs are his thing. It is cool to hear him doing something with his daughter though. Like I said, it's sweet but I don't think we will pull this one off the shelf very often.

When I read the initial literary review, I had to laugh. The story is not weakened by the Jolly Mon's lack of efforts! Hah! The story is about the Jolly Mon's total surrender to his own destiny. He sings, the fish jump out of the sea, a musical instrument comes his way, he tries to play and makes a discovery. He trusts nature. He takes the opportunites that come his way with faith and grace. He uses the gifts he was given to the best and highest purpose. He does as he is asked to do. The book is a metaphor of faith and surrender. Besides that, it is beautifully illustrated, the music is lovely and my 2 1/2 year old son asks for it again and again. And, yes we are all parrotheads...

Anyone who is familiar with Jimmy Buffett understands ~ fantasy and fun are important parts of life.

This book & CD get the dream underway...

When I ordered this book I didn't realize it was a children's book. But when it arrived I read it then mailed it to my grand daughters. So it didn't go to waste and it was at least read/heard by three people in my family. I have loved the other Jimmy Buffett books and songs.

The quality of the printing, the beautiful 'semi-true story', the bright and well done colorful pictures and the bonus CD of Jimmy Buffett's song, aka The Jolly Mon, make this an excellent purchase for anyone with young children in their lives. It can lead to laughter, clapping, dancing and giggles!

This is one of my top five favorite science fiction books of all time.



Sean O'Reilly
Editor-at-Large
Travelers' Tales

Both thrilling and moving, with action sequences to rival any popcorn flick, The Last Dancer is an intricately plotted space adventure. There are elements of cyberpunk as well as fantasy, with some ingredients in the mix being telepathy, artificial intelligence, and an outlandish version of the internet. If any of that doesn't appeal to you, don't worry, the main focus here is on the space opera, with those aforementioned elements being part of the backdrop. All the fun is in reading about characters that you're rooting for getting out of tough situations.

Now for a few technical issues. This is the third book in the series, with the first two being Emerald Eyes, and The Long Run. I'd recommend reading The Long Run before this one. It's purely an action-packed romp with a different main character, but it will set the stage and make The Last Dancer feel all the more climactic for the build up. Emerald Eyes, on the other hand, is a far less entertaining book, and the important parts of it are mentioned in the next two.

Having read this as a teenager, I can recommend it with confidence to young males. I'm not sure what I'd think if I read it now, but as further recommendation, back then this was in the top ten of the Internet Top 100 Fantasy/Sci-Fi List as voted by fans. It was, by far, the least famous book on the list.

I've probably read thousands of sci-fi books, and this is my favorite. The story is told with a beautiful compelling prose, and contains ideas and images that will flow through your mind for years. Moran's other books are also good, but for me, this one was far and away the best. Something about the way Moran phrases things gives them a lyrical feeling. I can't quite describe it, but I sometimes find myself looking for a particular scene or phrase in the book, just to read it again.

My well worn paperback of TLD says all that needs saying about this amazing book. I weep for the future of sci-fi/fantasy if TLD is not brought back into print. Dan: This story is a gem. Don't give up on us; we're not going anywhere.

The third book in the "Continuing Time" Saga was great. The only problem I have is that it was written and published nine years ago and the much awaited and promised sequel dealing with "Trent the Uncatchable" has never materialized. I believe it will be the "AI War" which is listed in the latest reprint of "Emerald Eyes" but thus far there no listed publication date.
This book however, was fantastic the twists seem to be neverending and the ongoing list of characters from Camber Tremodian and the Storyteller, to Deniece Castenvaras herself is just mind blowing. The fact, that being a "history" of a Time War that has been ongoing for centuries the book is filled with aradoxes only makes it more interesting.
In light of the current status of the world and technological developments, the storyline is not that far off. Of course we are still centuries behind the developments in technology portrayed, thanks mainly to the debilitating effect of the almighty bribe which all of our hypocritical leaders denounce but readily accept. In this work we find colonies on the moon and other planets which shouldn't be that great a job for the technology that took us from Kitty Hawk to the moon in 3/4 of a century but has been unable to go any further thanks to Oil industry bribes which have delayed technological developments of alternate energy sources and modes of transportation. Still the work does show the true machinations of goverment which has always been rule by the corrupt on behalf of the weathy/jrs

I was suprised at how good this book was. It's very well written and I look forward to reading more from Mary Herbert.

Probably my favorite out of the bridges of time series.

I finished this book 2 days ago after letting it sit in my library for nearly 3 years. I have to say that I find the book uncompelling and simple. I mean, with the word "simple", that the charecters have no depth at all, when the author needs a person, boom, he/she's there.

What disappointed me most was the dragon Cobalt. I understand that dragons can be fond of their riders (and don'T get me wrong I've been reading DL for quite some time now) but this one is just childish. Almost as if he's a pet. He is lacking depth as well. The main plot of the book is unclear until the last 60 or so pages. The reader has no idea what the book's all about.

But, the book takes hold of the reader now and then. Some parts of the book is definitely exiciting but all in all not a very good effort on Herbert's part.

What a wonderful Book. I recieved it, and read it cover to cover all in the same day! I don't usually do that, but what a damn good book.

This story is centered around Sara Dunstan, whom is still grieving over her adopted son Steel Brightblade three years after the summer of chaos. In the begining, she is living as a exile from the Knights of Tahkisis, and is pretty miserable. Then she starts having some dreams that call to her for help. Eventually, she sets out to find the source of the dreams and comes upon a wounded and riderless blue dragon whom she nurses back to health.

Thats all I'm telling you about this book. But It was page turning. I just added Mary H Herbert, to the list amazing Dragonlance storytellers, right under Richard A Knaack, whom we all know is the best. I Cannot wait to learn more about the "Leigon Of Steel" which is founded in the end of this work!

By Huma's Shield, this was a Fantastic Book!

Like i wrote in the title this has been on of the first dragonlance's beautiful books from the very first page.
This could be only my opinion, but if you like dragons stories this is your book....even if i can't tell you this is the best, for sure it is very good story filled by action and quite linear plot, easy and pleasant to read.
It's explain someting about dragon riders,dragon training and dark knights.
Read it and enjoy!

Unlike the first book in this series (Chris Pierson's SPIRIT OF THE WIND), this book doesn't have a compelling plot that draws the reader into the book. There is a bare semblance of a plot, but nothing truly engaging. It's about Sara Dunstan's (Steel Brightblade's foster mother) infiltration of the regrouped Knights of Takhisis. Herbert tells this story with no real goal observable to the reader. There is an ultimate goal of the book, but it's really just to set up a story element that will appear in subsequent books in the Dragonlance universe.

The big redeeming quality of this book is the character of Sara Dunstan. Readers were first introduced to her in Weis & Hickman's THE SECOND GENERATION and we saw more of her in their DRAGONS OF SUMMER FLAME. This book fleshes here character out much more than those two did. Since the book is told from her point of view, we get to observe the various facets of her character. This is important since I get the feeling that she will be playing a larger role down the road, possibly in Weis & Hickman's War of Souls trilogy (which I have yet to read).

The writing in the book was solid, although the supporting characters all seemed pretty one dimensional. The new general of the Knights of Takhisis was kind of interesting and it would be neat to see her fleshed out in another book at some point. Herbert does a good job of telling the story and getting to the point where the necessary things (I don't want to ruin things for people who haven't read it yet) are established for use in later books. I just wasn't engrossed in the story since there wasn't much of a plot to get involved in. Decent book and Dragonlance fans might find it useful in understanding these new concepts that I'm not mentioning. If you're not a completist, though, you can probably skip it and not miss out on much.