Science Fiction Books

The first book was excellent; this one was OUTSTANDING! Telep continues on the storyline he started in the first story and improves upon it by adding more characters, more action, and more bad guys. If you're into Descent, get into this book! You won't be dissapointed.

I am amazed. Most writers that make sequels to books end up completley ruining the second book and basically destroying any chanses the series has for a 3rd book. I expected the same when I read this one. I was completley wrong. This book is even better then the first! I was really able to connect with the main charachters better in this one yet it still had all the action a book needs to keep its reader from falling asleep. Definatley buy this one! It's worth it!

Descent: Stealing Thunder the very good book . You must have it! Who love game series DESCENT, founded in this book all what want. The best design of this book give pleasure when get it in hands. Well, I'm happy have this book!

It's been almost two years since I bought this book, I've finally taken the time to write a review. All there really is to say is that this book is great. The first one was great, this one is great, and the third is great as well. Buy them all, read them all. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Author Peter Telep made me more of a Descent Fan. By reading the Descent: Stealing Thunder I got more involved with the characters and the story line. Peter gives clear understanding in the world of Descent.

My four year old son is in love with this chapter series! A friend suggested it to us since he seemed ready for a more advanced reading material at bedtime. My husband reads him a chapter every night...sometimes more because they don't want to stop. It's become a great tradition for them, and something they both look forward to. We love that there are so many in the collection! Start with number 1 and just continue. :)

My daughter loves these books and this one is the only one she was missing. Happy to have found it through Amazon!

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!

Jack and Annie are helping Teddy get all four presents. They're going to Australia to find the last present. They go on all kinds of adventures like helping a little kangaroo get back to its mother. Will Jack and Annie help the little kangaroo find its mother? If you want to know, you'll have to read Dingoes At Dinnertime. I like this book. It's good because I like the Dingoes because they remind me of my dog Paco.

Jack and Annie are trying to get the last present to free Teddy from the spell .Can they get the last present? My favorite part was
When Teddy helped Jack and Annie to get out of the wild fire.
I really liked this book you should too!

deserves the big screen treatment. Far more interesting than the X-Men, this is the story about a group of people who become superheroes through no fault of their own (its the result of machinations from somebody, but you'll have to read the series to find out), and how they deal with being "different". Negative Man, Robotman and Elastigirl are three of the most tragic figures ever to grace the comic page and their stories are far more pathetic than anything in X-Men(not that I don't like X-Men). Read the series. You won't be disappointed.

Doom Patrol, as represented in the first volume of their Archives Edition, was an interesting attempt in the 1960s at DC to expand the notion of what makes a super-hero, along with Deadman, Challengers of the Unknown, Eclipso, and Metamorpho (most of these heroes created by Bob Haney, the author behind the Doom Patrol). Their resemblance to the X-Men is obvious although DC was never able to create an environment where the oddball heroes fit in as well with Superman, Batman, et al, whereas the X-Men never seemed out of place in the Marvel universe. But Doom Patrol's biggest weakness was its lack of stand-out villains. The X-Men had Magneto and his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants while the Doom Patrol struggled along with General Immortus and the Brotherhood of Evil. The Doom Patrol stories are still quite charming, though, and show great promise for what could have been. It was an adventurous experiment at DC to create a team of outcast heroes that is worth checking out.

Found this to be one of the best archives that DC has to offer. And from one of the least popular series they had. The art and stories are superb. And still stand today. I had reservations about getting this. But when DC announced that there was going to be a new Doom Patrol series coming I decided it was time to get to know these characters all over again. And guess what. Not a single disappointment.
Pick this up if you get the chance. You will not be disappointed. So glad I did. Already ordered Vol.2. So enjoy.

They were four damaged people: Rita Farr, a beautiful actress who, while shooting on location, was exposed to a gas that gave her the power to vary her height; Larry Trainor, a daring test-pilot who flew through a belt of radiation, and come through with the ability to release an embodiment of negative energy, but only for a minute at a time; Cliff Steele, a race-car driver, until the crash that destroyed everything but his brain, which was transferred into a robot body, and; Niles Caulder, the brilliant genius who brought these people together as a force for good. They are Elasti-Girl, Negative Man, Robotman, and the Chief: the Doom Patrol.

Contrary to popular belief, DC Comics figured out pretty quickly that rival Marvel Comics formula of character-development was something that they needed to infuse into their own line. The problem was that they were very hesitant to do this with their big gun characters: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, iconic characters that never had any of the problems Spider-man did. However, DC had no problem creating new characters in the Marvel style: fantastic characters with a down-to-earth core.

Perhaps the best example of this approach is the Doom Patrol. This was a team of strong individuals who found themselves possessed of powers that they didn't want. Indeed, for these characters, there was very little hope of ever being normal again. So, they did the next best thing: they fought people who were in worse shape than them, hell-bent on spreading evil.

Arnold Drake's writing made the most of the bizarre premise. The villains were sinister, vile, and above all, quirky. Of course, while General Immortus, the centuries-old genius, was perhaps the team's most persistent enemy, by far their best loved was the Brotherhood of Evil. Led by the Brain, a disembodied brain, and Monsieur Mallah, a surgically enhanced gorilla, the team was the Doom Patrol's counter-part; misfits that sought revenge on the world.

Amazingly, Drake's scripts never stretch credibility to the breaking-point. He stayed within the rules he set for himself, and never forgot that his heroes were suffering, and not always in silence. They pined for normality, they wished for acceptance, they bickered amongst themselves. At the same time, he never let the action get bogged down in the team's personal traumas. Moreover, Drake tailored the stories to spotlight the unique abilities of his characters, while examining the strengths and weaknesses of their individual personalities.

Bruno Premiani's name is not one of those artists who immediately named when discussing comic book greats. He probably should be. As his artwork proves here, Premiani had a strong sense of realism. He made the most of his talented line work, grounding his art with a realistic sensibility that further underscored the bizarre tone of the series. One only need to look at the gorilla Mallah, and the extraordinary detail he paid to the character's design. Truly, Premiani was a craftsman, and deserves much more recognition.

It's not hard to see why, although never a first-string book, "The Doom Patrol" is still remembered fondly today. It was a unique mix of absurd super-heroics and sharp character-drama. While DC recently made some questionable continuity decisions about these characters, they've wisely pulled away from them. So enjoy these wonderfully weird stories.

A group of disgruntled social outcasts with super powers comes under the guidance of a wheel-chair bound genius and is frequently called on to save a general populace they increasingly grow to despise.

You got it...the X-Men, right? Nope. The Doom Patrol.

The comparisons are immediate and striking (The Chief/Professor X, The Brotherhood of Evil/The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants), and given that Doom Patrol actually predated the X-Men by several months, one has to wonder if Stan the Man and the merry men at Marvel didn't pass out a few copies of Doom Patrol at editorial meetings.

But to the stories themselves: the characters are great. The heroes find that their powers have literally ruined their ability to lead normal lives. They are resentful. They find code names stupid and embarrassing and call each other by their first names. Even in attempting to forge relationships with each other, they frequently fail due to shattered self-confidence over their own perceptions of themselves as nothing more than freaks. Remember kids, this wasn't written in the 80's or 90's. This was written in 1963!

Arnold Drake's scripts are hokey by today's standards, with what can be called B-movie dialogue and plots. However, once you accept them on that level (don't look for the gritty realism of the 80's or 90's), they are great fun. Bruno Premiani's artwork is simply excellent, at places it reminds me of Brian Bolland. I agree that it is simply unfathomable that Premiani is not held in more esteem.

While X-Men became a mass market phenomenon, Doom Patrol has had what can be charitably called a star-crossed publishing history. No incarnation of it has ever lasted, although Grant Morrison gave it a great run in the early 90's which I recommend to anyone. Somehow, though, this is sadly appropriate for Arnold Drake's original vision of the quintessential unhappy super heroes. They just never got popular enough to sell out.

The next time you see Hugh Jackman or Patrick Stewart onscreen, or walk past the endless rows of X-Men compilations in a comic book store, do yourself a favor and find the DC section and introduce yourself to these characters. Take the Doom Patrol challenge: go for the original.

At this point in the series, I was through with libraries. Donita K. Paul had my interest firmly in her grasp, so I rushed out and bought this one the day after it was released.

And it was worth it! Deeper than the others, more great story line, and deep characters. There's a difference here from the first three. There are fewer characters, which means more time to work on their development.

Unlike the other three, I almost cried at the end of this one. It was that good. And there's one more after it!

Bardon and Kale are together and back. This time they are on a mission to find Regidor and to save Gilda. As usual the Pretender is stirring up trouble. The people of Amara have decided to not get involved. Paladin is dying. So in his stead who can Wulder trust? Although Bardon and Kale are skilled in the art of warfare, only Wulder can help them now.

As with all Donkitas books, it is exciting and imaginative. I wish she could keep writing stories for this series.

All of the Dragon books by Donita Paul are well done. The characters are loveable and exhibit many of the struggles, doubts, introspections, etc. that all of us as regular humans experience although our lives are not set in an imaginary world like theirs. This book has a bit more sadness in it than the others but it is presented in an interesting, vulnerable and satisfying and grace filled manner.

We are enjoying these tales of multi races and critters as they interact in their adventures. They may have been written for young people, but even in our seventies, we like them. These tales are truly fantasy, with only a little relationship to real life. And that's what make them fun to read. If you like dragons, you'll find several different kinds and sizes here.

This is a great book in the series.So great I can't put down. Amy,the "perfect" clone gets a fever.what is this all about? Is it the new club in town which might be giving kids drugs?Or maybe something is affecting her in a way or another?

Since Amy Candler was built in a lab, she was made specially so that it was impossible for her to get sick. For all her life, Amy has never had a single disease--not even a cold. And whenever she gets a scab, it instantly fades away. But now, things are a little different. After visiting a mysterious teens' club, Amy begins to feel odd. Her special abilities aren't working, she can't think straight, and she's always passing out. Tasha and Eric are worried for their friend. They have no idea how to cure her. And if they don't figure out a way to make her better soon, their closest friend might not be able to live.

This Replica book can only be described in one word--chilling. Throughout the whole novel, you feel "chilling" as you wonder if Amy will survive and what could possibly be making her sick. I was pretty surprised at the end, although some people will easily be able to figure it out. The plot was good, but there's one scene in this book that's absolutely amazing where Amy has a vision of all the dead people she's experienced in her life. I don't know why, but that part really made me enjoy what I was reading. You should read it too!

The nineth book in the Replica series. Amy is a perfect human clone with superior hearing, smelling, seeing, and health. She has never been sick, shes never even had a cold! But in this book Amy catches a deadly virus and her friends and family believe a tycoon guy who just opened a teen nightclub may have been putting drugs in the kids drinks. That is the only explaination and since they have never seen drugs in Amy system (she doesnt go to regular doctors) they dont know what is going to happen. But there is more that I cant tell you! Youll have to read it. But it was a great story and I would recommend it for anyone.

This was an excellent book. I was glad it was so good, since the last two, I didn't care for particularly, but this one renewed my interest in the series. My guess at what was going on was totally wrong. I liked the way Amy thought everyone was against her, that was cool. I recommend this book, without a shadow of a doubt, to anyone who is into this series. You can't miss it.

Amy and Tasha are excited - Nancy Candler's very good friend and colleague Dr. David Hopkins has come to Los Angeles. And he has agreed to pierce the girls' ears! The girls are thrilled - but Amy is puzzled when it hurts her so much, especially since pain is never a problem for her. Soon after, Amy starts to get a bad fever and starts hallucinating. Tasha, although she knows Amy is a clone and shouldn't be seen by anyone who could figure it out, calls a doctor to take some blood from Amy. Soon after, Tasha realises it was the wrong decision. She needs to think of something fast, so she pulls Amy into the closet and gets into her bed, and even though she hates needles she doesn't make a sound when the doctor arrives and gives her the shot, and luckily, Tasha's quick change of mind produces a "normal" reading on the tests - something the orginization was hoping would show something of Amy's special genetic makeup! --This is one of the three best books in the series! I was impressed! Marilyn Kaye did a fantastic job on this one!

Great resource for the true Firefly fan. The show scripts are fun to read, especially with the chinese words translated, so you know what the gorram they were really saying. I loved the section: Jayne's Weapons, with a detailed look at Vera, one of the most notorious guns ever to grace the small or big screen. They discuss how they designed Vera, where the original gun came form, and how they added the special touches to make it unique to the Firefly 'verse.
A plethora of inset comments from the actors, and production crew, throughout the book, add insights into the action behind the scenes of making the show. Floor Plans of Serenity, and displays of various prop models of the ship, and many other props used make a nice addtion to the wealth of information.

This is the follow-up and completion of companion books to the cancelled-but-still-growing-its-fanbase Firefly television series. It provides the shooting scripts ans photo stills from the remaining episodes, as well as numerous sidebars featuring backstories and insights into the actors, crew, props, and the inner thoughts of series' creator, Joss Whedon. This glossy volume is heavily laden with color photographs, costume concept designs for the various characters, and pre-production sketches. If you have a love for the series and the Big Damn Movie ("Serenity"), you will feel compelled to buy this book.

If you're reading this review, then you must not own volume one of Firefly: The Official Companion. If you did, then you wouldn't need a review to sell you on this one. So I have a piece of advice for you: buy both books. If you have a place in your heart for Firefly, then make a place on your coffee table for these books. Each one is overflowing with behind-the-scenes information about every episode of Firefly. There's sure to be something to interest every fan. I particularly enjoy all the prop info. You get detailed views of props and weapons, along with insight from the prop team as to how they made or modified each item. Fascinating stuff, and indispensable if you're a gamer.
Treat yourself to these books. You won't regret it.

I missed Firefly, the first time around, and didn't discover the series until after I'd rented Serenity. I can't call myself a confirmed browncoat, though I really *really* liked everything about the show.

But when I saw this book on the library's New Books stack, I grabbed it. I think you should grab a copy, too, even if you're no die-hard fan. Because this book is _fun_.

Most of the book is episode scripts (half of them; the other half are in Volume One). That's worth the price alone, because the scripts are immensely readable. Like other intelligent shows, the dialogue is both fast and thoughtful, and you might not have caught everything when you heard it the first or second time around. In particular, the scripts include the translations from the Chinese expletives, and most of them are _very_ funny.

And the "stage direction" is not the dispassionate descriptive sort ("Man enters, wearing a hat"). It reflects the entire mood of the show:
INARA walks towards them, heading for the stairs up to the shuttle catwalk. She's dressed with stunning elegance.
KAYLEE: Hey there, 'Nara. Heading off for some glamorous romance?
Simon turns, momentarily stunned by her elegance.

If you're a screenwriter, this is absolutely a must-have.

The book is also peppered with cast interviews, stories about the creation of Firefly's theme song, production explanations on how, for example, they created Niska's Skyplex. In this book, you can spend an enjoyable few hours investigating how a show can be done *right*...even if the network screwed it up.

Just to let future buyers be aware....this book (and Vol. 1) are basically just the scripts to the (REALLY FUN) shows. As my husband put it, "It's just the lines, without the wonderful delivery the actors achieved in the shows." I thought it would be more like the various other "about" books that exist about popular movies/TV shows - full of pictures and other fun "about" stuff. In my opinion, these two books were not that.

This is, I believe, the first in the Good Knight series. We borrowed it from a friend while we were in California, because we simply Did Not Have Enough Books! (In our household, 400 books isn't nearly enough by far, so how we thought we'd live a week with only 7, I don't know.)

As you can guess, some of the humor in this book comes from the fact that Good Knight and Good Night sound alike - my five year old niece pointed that out to me several times, and then asked why "Knight" has a K in it. (I didn't point out that it also has a g and an h. Why confuse the matter?)

The knight makes four trips to help put some baby dragons to sleep. Every aspect of the story is explained with simple, repetitive adjectives. His tower is, twice in every trip, "crumbly tumbly". His horse goes "clipety clop" and he shouts "Away!". He stands on watch for ten minutes, five minutes, one minute before heading towards the roar again.

And the dragons are repetitive too. First one dragon wants a drink of water. Then one wants a story, and the first wants ANOTHER drink of water. Then one wants a song, one wants another story, and the first wants YET ANOTHER drink of water. And then... they want... a kiss. (This is going too far!)

But he's a good knight, the Good Knight, so he helps tuck them in every time to get them ready for bed, before finally snuggling into his own bed at the end.

My nieces loved it, and still talk about it a few weeks after coming home. We'll have to get our own copy. I found the style very easy, and the story just long enough for older children, but just fast enough for those days when you really need everybody asleep NOW. A bit much in parts (especially the umpteenth time through), but after you've read it that much you can demand that *they* read (or "read") it to you!

Maybe not a must-have, but very, very close.

Product arrived in good condition, as stated, promptly. Great communication and service by seller. Would definitely use this seller again.
Pam Pate

I love to read this to my son. It's a sweet little story and the illustrations of the dragons make you want to reach out and hug them. This book has a repetitive scene, which I really like. Similar to a song, each part of the story is a different stanza bound together by a repeating chorus. It allows my son to anticipate what the Knight is going to do. I throw in some sound effects and it makes the "chorus" a favorite part.

We love most books about dragons and knights. This one is very sweet and my 4 year old loves it. I can't wait til he's the one that begins to read it. The dragons need help going to sleep at night and the knight in shining armor is the one for the job even though its not what he expected. Its silly and fun and is great bedtime reading.

This is the kind of book that even parents will want to read again and again. Moms and dads will be able to relate to the bedtime struggles, and kids will see themselves in the whiny little dragons (and so will their parents). This book makes me smile every time, even if I am reading it for the hundredth time!

It is quite rare for anyone to write a successful sequel to someone else's work. But Carr and Green have written a brilliant continuation to H Beam Piper's book "Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen."

H Beam Piper's book was one of his "Paratime" books. Back when he was writing, the idea of an empire built on travel between alternative worlds was a comparatively unusual one: until recently only Piper and Keith Laumer (Worlds of the Imperium et. seq.) had done anything like this. Recently the genre has expanded enormously with Barnes's "Closers" series, Harry Turtledove (Crosstime Traffic) and David Weber (Gates of Hell) amongst those getting in on the act. If you've read and enjoyed any of those, H Beam Piper's Paratime books were the original.

In Piper's book "Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen," Calvin Morrison, a state trooper from our world or one like it, is accidentally transported to another timeline where Gunpowder is controlled by a corrupt church of the "Gunpowder God", Stryphon. He breaks the church monopoly and helps a kingdom which the church was about to crush to survive.

Green and Carr's sequel is about the major war which follows when "Stryphon's House" comes back for revenge.

I strongly recommend this book, but agree that to get the most out of it, read "Lord Kalvan of otherwhen" first.

H. Beam Piper (1904-64) was one of the premier science-fiction authors of the 1960s, and should rightly be considered one of the all-time greats in that field. Among the wonderful books that Mr. Piper published during his all-too-short career was Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen. In that book, a Pennsylvania State Trooper name Calvin Morrison is accidentally lifted out of his own space-time continuum, and deposited on a parallel Earth, where some of the Aryans went east, across the Pacific and into North America. Dropped into the midst of a war of conquest, directed by a religion that holds a monopoly on gunpowder, Calvin must use his knowledge of military history to save himself and his new friends.

In this 1985 sequel, Piper fans John F. Carr and Roland Green take us back to the world of Lord Kalvan. Having saved his new nation of Hos-Hastigos from destruction only last year, Calvin Morrison (now Lord Kalvan) now finds a new campaigning season upon him. But, the House of Styphon is not about to see this new force put an end to their gunpowder wealth and authority. And now, Kalvan must prepare to meet an even greater threat, and once more use his knowledge of military history to save a seemingly impossible situation.

Now, I am a massive H. Beam Piper fan, so I went into this book with a little trepidation. I mean, can anyone write a book in Piper's universe with anything like the right feel to it? Well, in fact this is an excellent book - well written and a worthy sequel to the original. All of the characters are here, but they have grown and changed, just like you would expect real people to do. The action is almost non-stop with some excellent battle scenes and tons of action and adventure.

So, if you are a fan of H. Beam Piper, or just his Lord Kalvan story, then you should get this book. It's great.

Also, if you are a fan of alternate-reality science fiction, then this book is something you should consider - but definitely read Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen first.

H. Bean Piper wrote Lord Kalvan Of Otherwhen and then passed on before he could finish the story. In "Great King's War" John Carr and Roland Green have continued the story and in the process expanded the Piper Universe. This is an outstanding book, well worth any military science fiction/alternate history fan's attention. The paperback from Ace is getting hard to find in good or better condition, but a hardback edition can be purchased from Mr. Carr at Hostigos.com. It is well worth your time and money. Mr. Carr has also published two additional volumes in the Kalvan saga; Kalvan Kingmaker and Seige Of Tarr-Hostigos. If you enjoyed Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen, I think you will enjoy the follow on books.

A copy of this book is now available in electronic format from Baen on its Baen Free Library webscriptions site.

In the top 5 of military sci fic/fantasy books I've ever read! I stumbled across this book years ago and could not believe it was so faithful to the orginal story by H Beam Piper (Lord Kalvin of Otherwhen) Its a fascinating period of Terran history grafted onto a realistic alternate world and done with style and swerve! I have written both Mr Carr & Green about the followup but it seems stalled. Both of them did their research on this one however and it shows. No miracles from the "real" world to help, tons of political intrigue, realistic characters etc etc. For anyone who likes good deep stories and hard realistic fighting will enjoy this read. You can actually smell the gunpowder and hear the thunder crash of steel on steel!

(Aug 2006 update) This book has been expanded with the addition of some 100 or more pages. The expanded version is really worth the purchase price(from Pequod Press) It explains more of the political situations Kalvin is facing and the internal wrangling of the opposing Styphon's House and its allies. Even the battle scenes get some additional work and unlike some of Carr's work this time he does a good job of illustrating the complexities of the fighting. We also see the character and background of mercenary captain Philidestro get more mention. There is alot more insight into the Paratime home culture and it's politcal ramifactions in Kalvin's timeline. Though either version is a must read, this new edition is the better money spent! Mr. Carr has done some excellent work here!

In this final installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out for the shattered kingdoms as a dark lord and evil kings seek to reign. War amongst the kingdoms of men has become a war across all lands -- war has even found the elves and the in the reaches the elves of the west battle the elves of the east. Even the santuary of the elves capital grows more vulnerable by the minute as King Mark's army sweeps across the land. In the kingdoms, it is up to a select few to save what they can and escape. In the reaches, Prince Valam and the Elven Brotherhood make their stand. This one delivers stunning surprises at every turn as Robert Stanek explores the far corners of his sprawling world. Full of adventure and heart-pounding action, this last installment is the most thrilling adventure yet. Would recommend for all ages...even parents!

If you are ever bored, pick up this series, and start reading. Usually when I read books, I read in short segments. But when I picked up the first one, it was different. When I started, I couldn't stop until the end of the fourth one! It is action packed, and has so many adventures. Plus, it is suspenseful! I highly recomend this to EVERYONE!

All 4 dragon books are filled with mystery, suspense, adventure and action, but this is by far my favorite. I've read the Kingdoms and Dragons books about 10 times each (I'm not exagerating). These books are better than Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings combined. I liked this more than Eragon and Eldest. I love all the battles and action but nothing prepared me for this one, HOLY CRP!!!! I was glued to the book the first time I read it and totally blown away!!! This book is amazing and everyone who I've talked to says its great too! Read it you won't be disappointed.

This book was amazing. I started reading this series because the kid across the street was already reading it. So then I picked up the first one and kept going and going It's like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars all rolled into one. It's really entertaining and I couldn't stop reading. I read all 4 in 2 weeks. I'd recommend this for anyone who likes fiction.

In the Service of Dragons #4 is Stanek's crowning achievement and a grand conclusion to a magnificent journey begun with The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches. Eight books later, I was astounded at how well he pulled the varied threads together and wrapped up this epic story of magic, wizards, elves, and dragons.

The characters in this series are exceedingly well portrayed. They have hopes and dreams, they have fears and wants and hungers. Each of the books features alternating storylines, allowing the the reader to see the world of the author's imaging through many different points of view. The changes points of view brings the reader into the utter chaos of this world torn by war on multiple fronts. In the Kingdoms of men, the alliances of old have shattered and Great Kingdom has fallen. In the Reaches of the elves, the elves of the West and East are for the first time at war with each other. And the reader has a front row seat for all the action across many lands.

This book does a wonderful job of bringing everything together from the previous books, all the way back to The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches #1, and answering all the reader's questions. The rousing conclusion and rip-roaring pace provide that this is one of the greatest of the great fantasy series. I love that the story is as much about the changing world as it is about the characters in the world.

Highly, highly recommended.

It is my belief that the word 'subtle' is not in Rumiko Takahashi's dictionary. 90% of the characters in Ranma 1/2 lack the trait, and several of the people in Maison Ikkoku need a lesson. We won't even get into Ataru and his crowd from Urusei Yatsura. Inu Yasha has provided us with some new examples of those who speak their mind and constantly make you hang your head and sigh.

While not as boisterous and arrogant as Inu Yasha, the Buddhist monk Miroku shares some traits with the dog-demon. Both tend to say what they think, regardless of the consequences. Both are stubborn as mules and as dense as rocks. But that's what we love about them.

Miroku has a tendency to ask something quite...personal from the women that he meets. As for what this is--you'll just have to read the books won't you?

It's a great book! I would say it's one of the best Volumes!

Ok!I am tottally in love with this series so listen closly! Things have started to heat up as the group meets a monk named Miroku. Now, they know that Naraku is the true cause of Kikyou's death! This series is so cool but I reccomend that 10 year olds read this!

...All of which are contained in this manga. This manga is VERY IMPORTANT plotwise, because not only is a new main charachter introduced but the nice little dead lady has some interesting things happen that stick with us for the rest of the series so far. As for the painter, he's of little importance in the big scheme of things, so it'll suffic to say that we get to see Miroku use that hole in his hand, as well as some brain power and Inu Yasha also kicks butt liberally.
Enjoy!

I've been a manga fan ever since I was introduced to Sailor Moon three years ago, and have been following Rumiko Takahashi's work for almost as long. Inu-Yasha, her latest series is my personal favorite. In ancient Japan, a doglike half demon, half human named Inu-Yasha, attempts to steal the Shikon Jewel, or "Jewel of Four Souls" which has the power to turn him into a full-blooded demon. The priestess whose duty it is to guard the jewel, Kikyo, uses her remaining lifeforce to ensnare him in an entrapment spell. The girl and the jewel are burned and laid to rest. In the future (1997 to be precice) Japanese high school girl Kagome is sucked back though time to fifty years after the Shikon Jewel was destroyed. There she finds out that she is the reincarnation of Kikyo the priestess, and has to carry out the responsibility of guarding the jewel. After an unfortunate "accident", the jewel is shattered and flung to the four winds, and Kagome and Inu-Yasha are burdened with the near-impossible task of restoring the jewel to its original, whole state. Which means finding every shard. And they aren't the only ones after them (but probably the only ones with good intentions). As a saftey precaution to keep Inu-Yasha from losing his temper and mauling someone, he is forced to wear a necklace that lets Kagome control him with a single word. By simply saying "sit" poor Inu-Yasha is knocked to the ground, pancake style. As the story progresses, you meet other entertaining characters, like Myoga the flea-demon, Shippo the young fox-demon, Miroku the easygoing, cursed Buddhist priest, and Kaede, Kikyo's little sister, now an old woman. Inu-Yasha has hints of Rumiko Takahashi's previous works, and yet it's a whole new cunningly irresistable story. I definately don't recommend it for the squeamish, or weak-hearted; there's some of everything, humane and inhumane. There is some brief nudity in some (but not all) of the books, and a lot of bloodshed (but it's not as violent as the Mermaid Saga) The first two books aren't as good as they could be (the plot seems thin and rushed in some parts), but it gets better. In the fifth book, an unusual twist of the plot occurs and after that, you just can't put the series down. Rumiko Takahashi also throws in a little of the romantic comedy that she's famous for as you get further into the series. Don't expect to be rolling with laughter through the whole book, though; Inu-Yasha aims for a slightly more solomn note than Ranma 1/2 and Urusei Yatsura. I would recommend the series for 13 and up, although I was able to read some of it to my 10 year old brother by editing out the less "respectible" parts. This series is definately worth recognization and I'm sure that I'm not the only one counting the days until the next volume is published.