Ace of Aces Books

(This is a review of the Fantasy Masterworks edition. The Kindle edition is based on the VIE texts, which means that it uses the corrected version, and is therefore an alternative to the Andreas Irle edition if you want a digital version rather than a paperback one.)

Others have already described the book, I would only like to add that this particular edition is badly corrupt: sentences, or even whole paragraphs have been changed or removed to the detriment of the work, the order of two chapters has been changed at one spot (to similar effect), and so on, and so forth (more detail can be found from the VIE newsletter, Cosmopolis, available for download at the Vance Integral Edition web site).

Fortunately, there is now available a corrected edition, published by Edition Andreas Irle.

Is it really only possible to give this a five star rating? It is deserving of at least double that. 10 out of 5 is more accurate. Can this series REALLY be out of print? What the HELL?! Whoever can change this...I really and trully implore you to. If you ever happen to chance upon this review...

Curious, there are 3 possible Lyonesse/Suldrun's Garden books to review, with different reviews on each one. Perhaps Amazon might consider addressing this.

This is without a doubt Jack Vance's most serious, mature work. He creates a fantasy setting of islands between Ireland and France set in the dark ages (post-roman), and offers a wandering, detailed and vivid story.

Some spoilers are in this review. Strongly consider whether to continue reading, as major plot threads may be discussed or deflated.

Initially the story mainly concerns itself with Suldrun, but before too long, she is gone and we gain other main protagonists, Shimrod, Dhrun and Aillas. Aillas' effort to find his son greatly resemble some of his other rambling adventure stories, with the protagonist moving from one setting to another. The journey of Dhrun and Gwyneth is similar, with Shimrod eventually joining them.

Antagonists are competent and developed as well, with Casimir being entirely too competent and ruthless for comfort, while Faude Carhiliot (sp) comes across more as a brilliant opportunist rather than a competent strategist.

I would need to check dates but it is possible this is the first time Vance developed complex and rational female characters in his story, particularly Suldrun. I have read this criticism of his work and in some cases it does appear justified (whether relevant or not is another matter), but I see no such issue in this series.

A major difference in Lyonesse compared to Vance's other works is that Vance's trademark humor, often deadpan or delivered in flatline the most outrageous or self-evident comments, is present but very subdued, and never does one feel oneself to be in a more normal vance story, where such humor can be a central feature. Lyonesse feels much more serious, and there is some doubt as to how things might work out for the major characters, particularly given that he kills his initial protagonist off so easily.

A fabulous story; I could nitpick but it is hard to find fault here.

Edit (9/26/07) Having recently reread the rest of this trilogy, I would say that this series is Vance's best. This is compared to Tschai, the Demon Princes, the Cadwal Chronicles, the Anome trilogy, and Ports of Call/Lurulu, plus whatever else I have forgotten. A major storyline is developed incrementally, numerous characters develop and many are discarded/killed in the course of the story, and a viable, and fairly complete, ending is provided.

Jack Vance is a true master - of storytelling as well as the fantasy genre. Lyonesse - Book 1 was a brilliant, poetic, engaging, never a dull moment masterpiece. I would highly recommend this book to all fantasy fans.

Jack Vance was a thirty-year veteran of science fiction, a Nebula and multiple Hugo Award winner, when _Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden_ was published in 1983. His assured authorial hand sets this novel apart from the huge majority of fantasy sagas, which are written by debut writers. Combined with vivid detail, including a seemingly endless variety of medieval foods, Vance's prose paints entrancing images of a fantasy world based on the lost continent of Lyonesse from the old Arthurian legends.

His shifting omniscient point-of-view may feel jarring to modern readers. Although this technique of "head-hopping" through multiple characters' thoughts in the same scene has largely been superceded in modern fiction, it was the default in Vance's era. It can leave the reader feeling distant from the characters, especially when the narrative gives large overviews of family or national history. Yet Vance's prose still places the reader as deeply inside the characters' emotions as any modern limited point-of-view, through the skill of his vivid and lyrical prose.

The organization of the book also shows the narrative fashion of a bygone era. Modern novels seize the reader by shoving many characters on-stage and immediately placing them in peril. In contrast, _Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden_ starts with the birth of the title character and spends chapters summarizing her youth. The main character doesn't show up for almost a hundred pages, and several chapters in the middle of the book follow tangential plots. Yet all the plot threads coalesce in the end, along with the seeds of conflict for the rest of the trilogy.

Despite these antiquated narrative quirks, _Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden_ still feels strikingly modern in several respects. The first is Vance's array of character conflicts based on the viciousness of realistic humans. There is no evil overlord, as became cliché soon afterwards from overuse by less talented writers. Yet Vance's human characters will do far more chilling things to each other than any overlord could. The second is the uncompromising strife that his characters face. The protagonists in _Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden_ are constantly beset by torments from both enemies and friends. No good deed goes unpunished, and quests wander hopelessly. This is the same no-holds-barred style that many modern epic fantasists have adopted, for the astute reason that a brave character in peril compels readers to keep reading. This gritty or brutal modern style of epic fantasy originated with Jack Vance.

_Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden_ stands like no other work of early 80s epic fantasy--brilliantly rendered, harshly realistic, and dated yet still anachronistically modern.

My husband loved this book and convinced me to read it...I read his copy to pieces and have had to order another to replace it. This is a laugh out loud novel...grab your copy today!

Welcome to the way NASCAR was when men were men, the cars were men and the women were, well...women. The all-time funniest expose' on NASCAR ever, bar none. This is back before the Politically Correct corporate culture that has taken over NASCAR existed. If you know a little NASCAR history, you'll identify the people (the names were changed to protect the guilty) and howl with laughter. Will someone Pulleezze make a movie that is really based on this book, not the Hal Needham peice of junk that waw released to theaters. Enjoy.

This is the best, funniest book on racing ever. I can't believe it hasn't been memorialized. I hope Neely was paid well for the Hollywood trash-it should have been done by Newman... in the spirit of "Slap Shot".

This book is an absolute MUST READ for anyone who ever wondered how to park their car in a swimming pool. Find out what racers really think just before they smack a wall at 200 mph. Learn how to start racing in a Birdcage and wind up in the big league of NASCAR. Learn out to turn a visit to the infield hospital into a long term relationship. Also, the finer points of racing in reverse gear at night. Seriously, this book is a riot! I read it orginally in the early 70's and have been searching for it ever since then.

Not to be confused with the horrid movie starring Burt Reynolds.

This book is dated now, but it is a great read for folks who were fans of the sport in the 60's and 70's. There were lots of stories from that period that took place on and off the track that are recounted in the book.

It makes me laugh out loud every time I read it!

Most everyone has seen the movie. I liked them both equally. Course I like Sci-Fi.

I became interested in the original novel after I watched the movie and found the story to be captivating. It is the tale of a soldier and his view of what it takes to be a Citizen and the entailing responsibilities. It is easy to read and the science-fiction premise makes the story attractive to a wider range of readers.

I first read Starship Troopers probably about 44 years ago. Since that time I have read probably thousands of Science Fiction Books, and while I have read some really good ones over the years, I keep coming back to Starship Troopers over and over again. There isn't a heck of a lot of Science, but there is Robert Heinlein's acidic sense of humor mixed in with a moral lesson and an incredibly captivating yarn. Regardless whether you are an adolescent or approaching the "golden years", this is a good read. Like most of Heinleins novels, you can live in this one for a day or so. Great escape, great entertainment, with none of the ever-present filth that pervades much entertainment media today. Read it, and enjoy it.

I first read this novel my junior year in High School, and it has remained one of my favorite novels ever since. Some have said that this book makes light of fascism, but this couldn't be further from the truth...

In the far future mankind is under the rule of the Federal Government, where before you can vote you must serve the government in some capacity. Usually this is done via a hitch in the military.

Rico enlists in the Mobile Infantry, fighting the enemies of mankind in a suit of super powered armor. After surviving his training he goes to war against a race of deadly insects bent on the extermination of mankind.

When Heinlein first penned this work in response to a call by some politicians to unilaterally disarm the United States, I doubt if he thought it would become one of his best known and most controversial works, a work which continues to have steady sales and whose influence on the science-fiction field has been enormous.

It's a simple story, one of the growth of Juan Rico from boy to man, as he enlists in the military of the future, and learns just what duty and responsibility mean, what his own capabilities are, and just what he wants out of life.

What is controversial about this book is the philosophy that suffuses it, is in fact the heart of this book, as Heinlein posits a future where, in order to vote or hold political office, you must prove your willingness to support and defend the society through either military service or service in one of the non-combatant auxiliary services. As part and parcel of this idea, no one can be refused entry into these services, even if blind or paralyzed, so political franchise is available to anyone who so desires (as opposed to some of the limitations that have been put on the voting franchise by various states at various times - and remember that this book was written in 1959, long before the Voting Rights Act of 1965). Heinlein further posits that such a society, even though the people who hold office were no better, smarter, or otherwise more qualified than our current leaders, would be a more stable society than our current one because their authority is balanced by their proven sense of responsibility and duty towards that society, a point that is certainly debatable, but in the absence of any real-world society so structured, must remain a conjecture.

Right alongside this idea are statements that rights must be earned (a critical failure of our current society is the inculcated belief that people have these rights just because they exist - that they are `owed' things without having to make any effort of their own), that correct moral attitudes are not inherent but must be taught (and a lack of corporal punishment in the early developing years does not help in this education), that war is a political statement whose level of violence must be geared towards what the political goal is, that the dictum that `violence never solves anything' is hogwash, that communism is based on faulty premises, and a whole host of other such ideas.

Now quite a few people have labeled this book as `fascist' because of this military service requirement, when it is no such thing (just look up the definition of fascist). Heinlein does glorify the military to some degree, but he also shows (often by counter-example) just how screwed up the military can be. And far from robotic adherence to commands, he clearly indicates that military people should question orders they think are suspect (at the right time and place - not while the bullets are whizzing over your head). There is a well-established court system, that like ours is pretty much insulated from political influence, and a political election process that is far away from any fascist government organization.

His depiction of boot camp and later military operations is excellent, comparable to similar descriptions in things like Leon Uris' Battle Cry. Rico is very well portrayed, a man that is very easy to empathize with and understand his thought processes. The plot seems to ramble a bit, as the story is not really about the Bug war, but about Rico's development. Once you understand this, it is very logical, coherent, and often exciting. The philosophy is presented with anecdotes, analogies, and concrete examples that make it easy to understand and far from being just `dry lecture', though perhaps that is the only real flaw with this book, as there is perhaps just too much of this `telling', rather than `showing'. But in general this is extremely readable, with Heinlein's typical unforced, near-folksy prose and clear thought processes.

This book has been, at various times, on the recommended reading list of all of our military service academies. I would go further, and recommend that this book be added to the list of `required reading' that our high school students are subject to. Whether you agree with ideas of this book or not, at the very least this book will make you think, and that's not a bad thing for students to learn how to do.

--Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

The second installment of one of the best scifi anthologies around and also the first where my all-time favorite Joker of all time Jube the Walrus is introduced (or is he a joker or something else entirely you will have to read to find out.

The story forces on an invading force from outer space dubbed in typical pulp fashion "The Swam" the stories focus on the attempts by Aces and Jokers to fight it and by a tyrannical cult to control it in the mistaken belief that the swarm's arrival is for the greater good of all humanity.

There are also appearances by other Aces including Cord, the Great and Powerful Turtle Captain Trips and an unfortunate teenager named Kid Dinosaur who can change into any of the long dead reptiles that he has knowledge of...unfortunately his mass doesn't change.

This is another time where my powers of description do not measure up to how great this book is

If you are a fan of

Lewis Shiner
Walter Jon Williams
Pat Cadigan
George R.R. Martin
Roger Zelazny

Then do yourself a favor and find a copy of this book.

Aces High is a high class, and high up restaurant catering to the Aces, the Wild Card victims with powers. It is expensive and snooty, run by one of their own, a man named Hiram Worchester, who has the ability to control weight.

The Aces have two serious problems in this book, and the stories all relate to these somehow, the menace of the alien Swarm, and the crazy black magic style power use of the Astronomer, a geeky crazed black magician type.

The other memorable nasty, Demise, with his death gaze and regeneration abilities, also is introduced in "If Looks Could Kill".

Wild Cards 02 : 01 Pennies from Hell - Lewis Shiner
Wild Cards 02 : 02 Jube: One - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 02 : 03 Unto the Sixth Generation: Prologue - Walter Jon Williams
Wild Cards 02 : 04 Jube: Two - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 02 : 05 Ashes to Ashes - Roger Zelazny
Wild Cards 02 : 06 Unto the Sixth Generation: Part One - Walter Jon Williams
Wild Cards 02 : 07 Unto the Sixth Generation: Part Two - Walter Jon Williams
Wild Cards 02 : 08 Jube: Three - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 02 : 09 If Looks Could Kill - Walton Simons
Wild Cards 02 : 10 Jube: Four - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 02 : 11 Unto the Sixth Generation: Epilogue - Walter Jon Williams
Wild Cards 02 : 12 Winter's Chill - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 02 : 13 Jube: Five - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 02 : 14 Relative Difficulties - Melinda M. Snodgrass
Wild Cards 02 : 15 With a Little Help From His Friends - Victor Milán
Wild Cards 02 : 16 Jube: Six - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 02 : 17 By Lost Ways - Pat Cadigan
Wild Cards 02 : 18 Mr. Koyama's Comet - Walter Jon Williams
Wild Cards 02 : 19 Half Past Dead - John J. Miller
Wild Cards 02 : 20 Jube: Seven - George R. R. Martin



Fortunato meets a nice girl to go along with his geisha collection, but his pursuit of the Masons through rare coins has terrible consequences.

5 out of 5


Walrus boy ain't what he seems.

4 out of 5


An ally makes a desperate teleportation attempt to warn Jube of the Swarm.

4 out of 5


The death of his alien ally and the loss of the singularity shifter and a garbled message of warning distracts Jube from the xmas cheer.

4 out of 5


The death of his alien ally and the loss of the singularity shifter and a garbled message of warning distracts Jube from the xmas cheer.

4 out of 5


Jube hires Croyd to find the alien corpse, and anything with it. Devil John biffo.

4 out of 5


Modular Man made, Swarm invade.

4 out of 5


Singularity shifting. Don't try and mind-control androids.

3.5 out of 5


When Jube realises his ally meant the Swarm, he knows he needs the power of the Singularity Shifter rather more urgently.

3.5 out of 5


Astronomer hires Demise eyes.

4.5 out of 5


Jube enlists the transparent infobroker.

3 out of 5


Punks find Shifter.

2.5 out of 5


Girl shy Turtle.

4.5 out of 5


Astronomer, Swarm, Takisians all prove to be a little overwhelming.

3 out of 5


Captain Trips drops back in, as Tachyon's relatives show bad timing, capture them, Turtle, and others.

5 out of 5


Tachyon and Trips vs Takisians and Swarm for the fate of the world.

5 out of 5


On the Mason trail.

3 out of 5


Astronomer has hostages and Shakhti machine, but the Aces rally for a raid.

4 out of 5


Swarm sighting.

3 out of 5


Yeoman finds the Singularity Shifter while taking out Egrets. When Tachyon learns of this, he has a plan to take the fight to the Swarm.

5 out of 5


Jube tells Red about some aliens and decides his allegiances are local.

3.5 out of 5

This is the second book in the Wildcards series. This book focuses on the lives of many of the aces of the wildcards universe, with the main unifying plot of the stories being the threat of an alien invasion.

Aces High is a more focused book, dealing with a smaller group of aces and returning to them more often rather than the sampler that the first book was. Many of the favorites return; Fortunato, Dr. Tachyon, The Great and Powerful Turtle, but there are some really nasty villians that appear in this book, as well. The villians are not nice people, so be warned, but they are interesting characters. The leader is pretty much evil to the core, but his hirelings are much more human, each with their own motivations which are explained pretty well in the book. They aren't all evil; many are just looking to get ahead and backing the team that they think will win. Well, and perhaps are a bit more accepting of the "win at any cost" mentality.

I can't think of a story I didn't enjoy in this book, either. All were well written, and were tied together well. I think my favorite story may have been the exploits of Modular Man, but Captain Tripps is a very interesting character as well. I hope to see more of them in future books.

So far, it seems that these books should be read in order, so if you skip Wildcards 1 and start here, you may be lost. Just a word of warning, since I know the books can be hard to find.
I recommend this book to all Wildcards fans and any superhero fan that has not read this series yet is doing themselves a disservice.

A great installment in the Wild Cards universe. An alien swarm is headed on a collision course with earth and the Aces must unite to fight the impending doom of the world. However, "the Astronomer" - a super-villain- is trying to stop the heroes, and employs any devious methods to reach his ends... There are new characters presented such as Demise - who can look in your eyes forcing you to relive his death, and thus die yourself...and Jube, the walrus-like newspaper salesman with bad taste in jokes and equally bad fashion sense... who knows what motives he has?

This is a great story, and I can't help but think that the wild cards would make an excellent series on the sci-fi channel.
I look forward to the next episode!

Relic113

The continuing short story collection set in the shared world as introduced in 'Wild Cards,' this is the continuing stories of those Aces and Jokers (and sometimes plain old natural humans) in the fallout of the genetic Wild Card virus. We're in the eighties now, and a new menace looms on the horizon - a dark alien organism is on its way, and the Swarm Mother sends terrible creatures down to attack earth in many places - and who else can stop them but the super-powered Aces?

The nice thing is the story-arc merely starts with the swarm assault, and from there, the weaving in of new and old characters is superb. We revisit some of the best characters from the first volume (The Great and Powerful Turtle is my favourite so far), and the story of the Swarm Mother certainly doesn't end in that single attack. This is solid stuff, and very well organized to say that it's a shared world.

Now I've ordered book three in with the last of my online gift certificates, and hope it arrives soon! Nothing quite like a new literary addiction.

'Nathan

This book is one of the best sf books i have read in awhile. The book satarts with Max who is a great character who says absurd things for no reason at all (but they dont give a reason :( ) Max has to protect a girl named Sasha from the corpies and the greenies and the book keeps you in suspense the entire time. During the book as Max destroys everyone that tries to get Sasha and reminded me of Vin Diesel for some weird reason (maybe its the whole badass bald headed thing) Well this would be wonderful if it became a movie and i recommend it to anyone who likes science fiction.

I have no complaints about this sci fi adventure and this isn't normally my genre at all. I read this book because I like "bodyguard" stories (usually I read them from the romance section). I enjoyed the deteriorating high tech world (and solar system) that this author created. It sounded suspiciously familiar, as if it's truly just around the corner for Earth in real life. And the bodyguard, Max, was a pleasant surprise. As a "chrome dome" who'd undergone brain surgery that he doesn't remember, suffering brain damage of unknown origin, he was surprisingly self-effacing and humorous. The book is a real page-turner because you're so willing to follow Max wherever he goes. And I enjoyed the little twist in the story concerning the young woman he's guarding, a protectee who's curiously able to defend herself. I hope this author has this turned into a movie soon!

This is a really good read. It keeps you exceited the whole time. In the beginning, it seems slow, but then outta nowhere! Bang! Sasha's gone, and Max has to go after her! MKuch action and advetnure, and defintely a good story. It keeps you guessing about Max's plates. Its also funny, too, when Max messes up and says things like "001000101010101" or "And how do you know that XXX672TTT?" ot "Deederwomp." or "Gaberscam." Read it! Now!

Well, when I first started reading it, it sounded pretty cool. But the action just started out of nowhere! Bang the girl was gone. And then all the travelling and action. The characters are very interesting, especially Max Maxon, who wants his memory back. Read this book! you won't regret it.

I've been a fan of William C. Dietz's work for awhile now. And I've always thought of Bodyguard as his best. When you consider he's the creator of the incredible Legion Of The Damned series, this is no faint praise.

What sets Bodyguard apart from most science-fiction is the book's heart. I can't remember the last time I read an action-driven story (sci-fi or other) with characters as well-drawn as these. I defy anyone who picks up the book not to feel pity for the hero, Max - a one-time efficient military man reduced to scrounging for living due to a head wound. And the novel is sprinkled throughout with little character moments which set the book apart.

Most science-fiction, being plot driven, doesn't bother with defining the characters. They are just there to move the story. Not so with Dietz and certainly not with Bodyguard. It is one of the best novels I've read in years and I can't recommend it highly enough. The same goes for the rest of Dietz's work especially Where The Ships Are and, of course, the Legion Of The Damned series. Bodyguard is a great read!

This one is a keeper. I've read it twice, and I'm holding on to it to read again someday.

This novel was my first exposure to the Bureau 13 books, and I went on to collected the others after reading it.

Many writers take a couple good ideas and reveal them slowly in a story. You're often left feeling short-shifted until you find that the writer was simply saving additional ideas to miserly hand out in future novels.

Not Nick. In this tail, he starts the concepts flowing and doesn't stop until the final page. He does this with the confidence that he'll simply come up with new ideas when he goes on to write future stories.

Bravo.

I enjoyed the first book and was surprised to see me in the next two (no, I'd never run the games with him). Definately a cousin of X-Files and MIB and would be a great movie. If you like his stuff, you should look for more under his other aliases: Nick Smith and Jack Hopkins (there are more, but even I can't keep track of them all )

I'm a huge fan of gaming novels and this one series is at the top of my favorites list. If you ever wanted to read a novel of a great gaming session this series has that in spades. I, too, find this one even better than the first book (though the still out of print third book "Full Moonster" is my all time favorite). If you've read the Crimson Skies novels or the Dragonlance Chronicles than you know what I'm talking about. That sense of action and adventure you ususally only get by playing the damn game yourself.

Do yourself a favor and sit down and enjoy this fun read.

Studying to become one of America's defenses against the paranormal, federal agents at the Bureau 13 Academy are thrown into the real world when a mysterious enemy lets loose every monster the Bureau ever had captured. And that was only to cover up the real crime...

Wow. These just keep getting better and better. I really didn't think Mr. Pollotta could top the first book, BUREAU 13, but he did it in this one. The big fight at the secret jail was funny and exciting (yes, I did recognize most of the monsters used), and the vampire football team was the most hilarious thing I ever read. And the terrible events at the motel had my heart pounding. For Fantasy humor novels, these have some really scary scenes in them. With things like BLADE and X-FILES on the big screen, why haven't these wonderful books been made into movies yet? Any chance there is a Bureau 13 fan club out there on the web?

I thought this was one of the best books in the EQ series, and coming from me thats saying quite a bit, oh and Winnowill is a subject worth thinking about.

ElfQuest is a wounderful series for anyone whom reads it. It is full of some of the personal expierences from Wendy and Richard Pini's own life, it contains moral lessons, it has incredible insight, a dynamic story and georgeous artwork, do not pass this book up! IT ROCKS!!!

If you are new to the world of elfquest this is the third book in the elfquest line.Before it comes the books Fire and Flight(book #1)and the Forbbiden Grove(book #2). In this book, you meet the Gliders, a group of elves that claims to be the High Ones. You also meet the dark and evil Winnowill, a healer but one which uses her powers for hurting rather then healing.Lastly you learn the secret of the Wolfriders... I won't give away the story but I do reccomend you buy this book for its art,story and feeling...

This is the third book out of four collections of the original quest which are, in my opinion, works of genius!! The first book is Fire and Flight, the second - The Forbidden Grove, and the last (In my opinion, as the stuff that follows doesn't really seem like Elfquest to me) is the Quest's End. I have been reading those same four books over and over again for 15 years and I feel that they have enriched my life.

Of course, being an ElfQuest fan, I love pretty much everything ElfQuest, including this book, and so will you if you like ElfQuest in general.

However, this is the paperback/black and white edition-don't buy it! Warp and Marvel comics are coming out with hardback, color editions of I believe all of the ElfQuest storyline, just slightly re-organized from the last hardcover/color edition of their graphic novels that they released- heads up, don't go paying fifty bucks online for someone's used old copy! Unless you're really impatient don't go buying this! The next one to be redone in color and hardback should be #3! They've done 1 and 2!

Although it will be more expensive that way, if you're going to bother getting into something that is primarily a visual medium, why not in color as it was meant to be seen? Nothing "artistic" about this kind of B&W, it just loses.

I love short stories, and each one of these wonderful fantasy shorts are perfect to read before bed! Patricia MckIllip really paints pictures with her words, and she is one of my favorite authors.

It was good to read all those fairy tales and see the same magic that enchanted me with "The Changeling Sea". My only complaint is the same for all others book by the autor, that some short stories ended without telling all about them, making me hungry for the next one.

A great selection of short stories by a masterful fantasy author.

Patricia A. McKillip is the author of several wonderful books (my favourites being "Alphabet of Thorn" and "Winter Rose") and is one of the few fantasists in the publishing world that is original. Although her stories may contain typical fantasy elements (dragons, heroes, kingdoms, quests, good versus evil, etc) they are written in such beautiful poetic-prose that the stories transcend the clichés they stem from; reading more as luminous fairytales than hum-drum fantasy. Although the prose is beautiful, it is also an acquired taste. When I was first introduced to her work, I found it rather difficult to adjust to a story that was often hidden under such dense, rich language. Of course, it's worth it in the end, but for those just starting out on McKillip, perhaps this anthology of short stories is a good starting place.

And for those already well-versed in the magic of McKillip's writing, a series of stories is an added bonus to add to a collection. McKillip is just as skilled in the creation of short stories as she is in full-length novels, and sometimes a quick-fix of her work is just what a devoted reader needs. Containing fifteen stories (some of which span a few pages, others which are better described as novellas); there's enough variety amongst them to keep each one fresh and interesting.

In the story that gives the book its title, "Harrowing the Dragon", a dragon-slayer comes to the island of Hoarsbreath in order to harrow the dragon from its shores. He is joined by a native of the island, a young woman who isn't too sure if she wants the dragon to go. "A Matter of Music" concerns Cresce Dami, a bard who has freshly graduated from her school with ambitions of playing in Daghian. Attempting to negotiate her way through the rules and etiquette of playing music in a high court, Cresce becomes involved in the political machinations of the countries surrounding her. These stories are by far the longest in the entire book, and are typical of McKillip's wonderful world-building and imagery.

McKillip borrows from other fairytales too: in "Baba Yaga and the Sorcerer's Son", she uses the Russian folklore of Baba Yaga and her chicken-legged house to imagine a meeting between the witch and a young wizard who needs her help, whilst the Hans Christian Anderson tale of "The Snow Queen" imagines a contemporary setting in which Kay cheats on his devoted wife Gerda with a beautiful stranger...but Gerda - whose entire life has revolved around Kay - finds a hidden strength of her own to survive his betrayal. "The Lion and the Lark" is an amalgamation of several fairytales, (most obviously Beauty and the Beast, though keep your eyes open for the others) which makes it a little predictable, though ends with an image of amazing imaginary force. Finally, in the story that ends the book, "Toad" is an explanatory back-story of "The Frog Prince", explaining why the prince would agree to marry such a spoilt princess. McKillip looks deep into the imagery at work throughout the fairytale, using the golden ball and the frog's intrusion into the princess's life as a metaphor for her burgeoning maturity. I'll never look at the Frog Prince the same way again.

As well as building on other sources, McKillip creates fairytales all her own. In "A Troll and Two Roses" she weaves the tale of an ugly troll who becomes enraptured by a beautiful rose and its connection to two enchanted lovers, while in "The Fellowship of the Dragon" five bards go out in search of the Queen's favourite harper, only to fall prey to the traps and snares strewn throughout the wood they must traverse. "Lady of the Skulls" (one of my favourites) involves a mysterious tower in the desert, to which many questing knights travel, attracted by the promise that should they take the most precious thing that it holds, they will be allowed to keep it. The catch? If they choose wrongly, they die. Then there's "The Stranger", which concerns a man who forms dragons out of the colours in nature and his own imagination, and the weaver-woman who tries to prevent him from the destruction he wreaks. In "Voyage into the Heart", we are privy to a unicorn hunt in which the bait (a young virgin naturally) is unaware of her part to play in its capture.

There are two other stories that don't seem to fit into any category: "The Witches of Junket", which involves three prodigal grand-daughters returning to their hometown to help destroy an escaping evil, and my personal favourite "Starcrossed", which concerns the investigation into the deaths of Romeo and Juliet by a soldier who is disillusioned with love. It's a fantastic concept, and McKillip pulls it off brilliantly.

Lastly there are two little stories (which come across more like experimental writing exercises) "Ash, Wood, Fire" and "Transmutations", the former concerning the dynamics of a medieval kitchen, the latter exploring what goes on in an alchemical laboratory. They are probably the weakest stories of the anthology, but they are both reasonably short (and with other such exemplary stories on display, it doesn't really bear complaining about). Besides, thirteen out of fifteen ain't bad.

Altogether, this is a great collection and a must for any McKillip (not to mention K. Y. Craft, who always provides beautiful cover art) fan.

Patricia McKillip is my favorite fantasy writer for a reason. She hasn't written one bad paragraph in her entire career, and I've read everything she's written. I've been reading Science Fiction and Fantasy for 40 years, and I've never come across an author whose fantasy was quite as gorgeous as McKillips. Her characters are fascinating, her plots move at a meandering, but decent pace, and her worlds are lush and dreamlike. I always feel as if I've had one of those miraculous moments of connectivity with the magic of the world when I read her work. Everything takes on a brilliant cast, and the world seems a beautiful place because of her gracious work. This book is no exception, filled with generous chapters of rich storytelling. I can't recommend it enough, but then, I recommend all of her books. It's hard for me to pick a favorite, but I must say that I adored the Book of Atrix Wolfe, and Winter Rose.

A teenage boy travels up a winging road along Crooked Brook, to find a sign advertising for an apprentice of a wizard of the pyromancy disciple. He, Douglas Brightglade, applies, and is soon put to work learning what is needed to be a good pyromancer.

Soon, Dead Winter, a very cold winter, sets in. The people of Dukedom begin to starve and freeze. Douglas, and his master, Flarman Flowerstalk, set about helping the residents of Valley make it through the winter.

Then the journeys and battles begin...


Don Callander is skilled at showing many sides of the story, not just the main character's point of view. Chapters in the book are even from the point of view of the lesser-evil characters. I believe that this is so that the reader can see the stark contrast between them, and the pure evil king, who is so evil that there isn't a point of view from even him.

I loved this book, It takes a while to get into it, but once you are it is a wonderful story, makes me wish I lived in a land where such powerful magic existed, I can't wait o read Aquamancer :)

This is one great book! The best fantazy I have ever read. And Having in mind that it was translated to my language (Bulgarian), it must have lost one bit of it's magic in the translation process. So far I have read it more than 20 times, but soon I'll read it in original (English), to gain on the lost effect.

Wonderful!

This book is one of the novels that I like the best! I usually don't read novels very often, but I made an exception for this book. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down! I've always been a fan of fantasy and sci-fi books, so I really liked Pyromancer, because it has a lot of fantasy elements in it. Basically this book is about Douglas Brightglade, a young boy who's chosen by Flarman Flowerstalk to be an apprentice Pyromancer. A Pyromancer is basically a fire wizard who conjures and controls all forms of fire. If you like this book, be sure to get the other books, as well!

The first time I read this book, I was about sixteen, and I loved it. I liked the characters and the style of the writing. I couldn't wait for the inevitable sequels. However, when I read it again, only two years later, it wasn't quite the same. I read the whole book and I couldn't put my finger on what was missing. Well, again two years passed and I read it one more time and that time I was able to identify what was less than perfect about it.

First, though, it was well-written. The book was fun. I will definitely read it again in the future and I will enjoy it. All the characters, even the little mentioned ones and the "bit players", are enjoyable and likable. The villians are bumbling and fun to laugh at and also somewhat likable. The first time I read it I got quite caught up in the plot and I enjoyed reading about the hero's training.

However, when I say the book is simplistic, I do mean it. The bad guys aren't really bad guys so much as fumbling and idiotic. They stood no chance at winning any time in the book and it was obvious. Plot holes popped up, but were ignored. It's written in such good spirit though, that it's sort of hard to complain about it.

I'd suggest this book to older children who like fantasy as a good entry point into reading more epic fantasy. (It's certainly better than a lot of the books out there for older children and teenagers, anyway.) I also suggest it for anybody who wants to read about the good guys triumph easily over the bad guys and then read about the celebration for that triumph.

After stumbling across the Wingman series I found myself hooked on all of Mack Maloneys series...especially Starhawk. I found that I couldnt put it down. I look forward to the spring/summer of 2003 for Starhawk #4. I recommend the Starhawk series to everyone.

I have read all the books by mack maloney, the wingman series specifically. The chopper ops were good, too. I just new there had to be a continuation with the Wingman books. The Starhawk series is an awesome continuation of these. The Fourth Empire was awesome..... I was literally on the edge of my seat throughout the book. I am just waiting because I have a feeling that the villain Victor from the Wingman series might surface.. I could be wrong, but that is my theory.... as it seems as Major Hawk Hunter is coming closer to discovering his roots.. I hope that Mack Maloney releases a new book really soon.. I will definitely be on the list for ordering it'
Good job Mack.

I must say that if I were to review this series I would have to give it 10
thunbs up and 10 thumbs down.

Why?

For the same reason.. :)

10 Thumbs Up -
I bought all three books at the same time. I could not put them down!

10 Thumbs Down -
Now I have nothing to read for the next 6 months, and have to go see if
there are any good books OTHER than Mack Maloney's at the book store! :) :) :)

The best of this series, the development of the plot is well drawn and set into motion. Found the same play and modeling of the earlier WINGMAN series coming thru with the full power of the science fiction genre. The exploration of the Fourth Empire sets a vehicle to explore all manor of the human experience. I have been fortunate to read some of the ancient classics and actually even more fortunate to have some smart folks explain a lot of what was written. This author explores the human experience in much the same way in his well crafted style in this book. War, struggle for life, deep dives into the face of evil that man will rain down on his fellow man, tie ins with classic literature set to fast paced science fiction. Well conceived scientific developments abound. Tie ins to religous mystery and faith. I can not but help project some of the recent events the United States and the world has faced against the fabric of this book - it is just that good. The action was solid, well paced and placed. As a military aviator not enough flying scenes from the cockpit, but you can not have everything. The battle scenes and the relentless drive through future history excellent. The probing of the mysteries excellent. The connections and lacing to the authors other works continues and is a great part of these books. Again I credit the well developed writing style and intelligence to allow the reader to start with this book and read any other book in the various series without being frustrated or lost. Enjoy, this is a great read and primes the reader for the next one. When will these books and the rest of the series come out on audio tape and CDs? One can only hope soon.

Two words to describe Star Hawk: The Fourth Empire: gripping and thrilling. It was difficult to put down once I started it. Star Hawk begins to explain how Hawk Hunter was transported into the future. In the book, we learn what has happened to previous empires. It has twists that keep the reader hooked. Hawk Hunter is a true patriot and he shows his love for America. This is refreshing to read due to 9/11 and the revitalization of our country's patriotism in all walks of life. This book is a must read for Hawk Hunter/Wingman fans!