Wizard Books

After each book in this series ends I can't wait to start the next one. If you haven't read the first three books you need it they are awesome!

First let me state that I find/found every book in the series to be superb. and that I cannot recommend this series highly enough.

Next - this is the audiobook narrated by Frank Muller - and he is simply my favorite narrator. He captures the characters so well and has such skill as a performer that it makes books almost visual.

I loved Wizard and Glass. The entire story of Roland and Susan Delgado is simply gorgeous and tragic.

It's difficult to pick a favorite DT book for me - but this one may be it.

Good Book. If you like king you will like this too. Tells the story of Roland.

Wizard and Glass is the fourth novel in Stephen King's Dark Tower series. It picks up precisely where The Waste Lands left off - with the riddling contest with Blaine the mono. This resolution is not completely satisfying, as it borrows noticeably from The Hobbit, down to specific riddles. But it gets the job done. The character then visit King's own The Stand, then The Wizard of Oz. All of this feels somewhat derivative, and the reader gets the feeling that King is just making it up as he goes (which he likes to do).

The bulk of the novel, however, does not focus on these things. Rather, Roland tells a 500+ page story about his youth, a fantasy, post-apocalyptic western story full of teenage sex and hormones. There's some attempt at mystery that doesn't quite work, as there's just too much sitting around, although the action scenes, when they come, are well done. We get more Cuthbert and Alain, and that's a good thing. This story is interesting when it gets going, but it's often slow-paced, and drags at times.

Wizard and Glass does little to advance the overall storyline. Instead, it gives the reader the formative experience of Roland's life. And this is just fine.

RECOMMENDED

Wizard and Glass is my favorite book of all time. I've read it three times and my sister gave me the audiobook to listen to at bedtime. I absolutely HATE Frank Muller's narration. The voices he does are so twangy and stupid it totally ruins the book for me. I had to stop listening after the second track.

Both of these books are great for Harry Potter enthusiasts. "Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them" is especially neat because there are notes from Harry, Ron, & Hermoine scribbled in the book that will give you a good laugh. I'd love to see more books like these 2, possibly a Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook. Hopefully, J. K. Rowling will also write the encyclopedia that she hinted at.

Any Harry Potter fan will love these books. They are a fun read, inexpensive, and the proceeds go to a great cause. Twenty percent of the retail sales price less taxes from the sale of Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them will go to support children's causes throughout the world through a special Harry's Books fund, helping one of Britian's most successful charities, Comic Relief. See the note from J.K.Rowling just inside the book. I didn't know about this until after I bought the set, but if I had been undecided about the purchase and known this, it would have convinced me to buy. Hope it does the same for you. You will enjoy!

What a great read, it really gave the reader a little more insight into the world of Harry Potter. Both books had a wimsical but educational feel to them. I really enjoyed the written inserts of harry and Ron writing in the book, just like any other kid would do. It allowed the books to have a comical touch added. A great read for any age group, now if only there would be "A Hstory of Hogwarts" to go with it , I believe it would complete.

Really nice books with lots of information about Quidditch and all kind of beasts. They are short but you can read them many times. They have some funny comments too.
The books arrived in perfect condition (and I'm an international customer)

These are really cute hard cover books. You get two of Harry's school books in a cardboard sleeving. The books have scribbles in them from Harry notes and his friends notes. Just like one would imagine his books to be if it were real. Kids will just love this! Look what Harry wrote in the book! It's Harry's book. Imagine that! Full color pages.

I wanted to have the hard copies of these books to pass on to my kids and this is an excellent collection.

I read these books when I was about nine or ten. And I was totally, utterly, and completely in love.

And then I reread them now as twelve year old, and they have degraded. The plot and the characters are ultimately lovable, though it becomes a bit too repetitive in the fifth and sixth book. But I'm actually quite proud of how the characters have developed from the first one; they are 3D, dimensional, lovable, and almost believable. (though I find Draco Malfoy is just too...cliche-bad-boy-unbelievable)

It's mostly J.K. Rowling's writing style. I like fresh, appealing descriptions, not so much the "and there was a chair in the room and a small boy and another boy and..." (Okay, I just made that sentence up. But still. I find that to sorta be her style... lists and not descriptions.)

Still, if not just for the characters - I'd read it.

WOW- I absolutly FELL IN LOVE with these books, and all because of how good the first one was. Some people may say that if you read the first couple of pages of a book, and it doesn't really "light your fire" then don't bother with the rest. I BEG to differ! The first chapter of Harry Potter #1 might make little sense to one, until you have read farther along into it. I know I didn't really "get it" at first, but I kept reading. So don't listen to those people who say don't bother!
Because this is one of the best series of books ever written. Right up there with "The Hobbit"- that's something big. And for those who are worried about their children learning bad lessons from Harry, about sneaking around, keeping secrets, witchcraft?!?!, ; people, just relax. Don't over anyalse it, (it's a BOOK! not some devil worshipping cult, I still can't get over how some people are so prejeduced against it and won't even read it because they think it will "corrupt their children" and think that Harry Potter will lead them down the not-so-primrosed path. Qualities of loyalty, honour, love, friendship, and good against evil are very prominent, and clear to see in these books.
I think everyone will enjoy these books entirely! They're not just children's books, they're books that everyone can read and benefit from.
If I could rate this book ( and it's series ) as 10 stars, I would!

cant help but to give two thumbs up...it's nice to read a story about a mother's love, great friendship, story with a twist and humor and most especially with a plot and setting that definitely would take your imaginations to the highest level in one package...so hold on to your seats and be ready for the stories that this extraordinaire would leave you spellbound!!!

It's Harry Potter, what can I say? It's the series that got kids reading again. Everyone knows the plot. A boy wizard named Harry grew up with his cruel muggle (non-magic) aunt and uncle after his parents were killed in a car crash. At the age of 11 he's informed that he's a wizard, and that an evil wizard named Lord Voldemort murdered his parents and very nearly killed him. His aunt and uncle dissaproved of the world of magic and tried to keep everything a secret from Harry. He's taken away to live at a castle called Hogwarts, a school for young witches and wizards where he befriends the studious, proper Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasly, a poor boy who lives in the shadow of his brothers Charlie, Percy, Bill, and Fred and George. In book 1, Harry arrives at Hogwarts and finds that someone there is secretly trying to destroy him and is hiding a VERY big secret from the rest of the school.

In book 2, an unknown assailant is attacking students and everyone thinks Harry's doing it. We learn that no less than THREE characters are not what they seem. We are also introduced to Ron's younger sister Ginny, who has a crush on Harry.

In book 3, a murderous madman is on the loose and seems to be coming after Harry. But who, exactly is he? And the very LAST character you'd ever suspect of being evil reveals his true self.

In book 4, Harry is enrolled in the Triwizard Tournament, where three different magical schools select students to compete in daring, dangerous tests of school. Harry also attends the Quidditch world cup with the Weasleys and has a frightening run in with Voldemort and his servant in a graveyard. One character is tragically killed (I actually cried) at Voldemort's hand.

Book 4 is probably my favorite, along with 1, but there's really no such thing as a bad Harry Potter book. The movies are fantastic as well, and the sixth book is due out in a few months.

We bought this book as soon as we decided to go to Kauai last year for our 10th anniversary. It was read cover to cover numerous times prior to our trip and was referred to hundreds of times during our stay. It was not only informative, but fun to read. I still pick it up from time to time just to read it. Thanks Andy, for making our trip to Kauai so much better than it could have been.

This book is great. Buy it before you go to Kauai, and leave it in your glovebox and pull it out when you're driving around the island. It's the best!

You won't need any other travel book for Kauai! Very detailed and well written.

What a great book. It was very helpful in organizing our trip. We used it everyday.

Do NOT go to Kauai without this book!!! You will find it more than the typical guidebook as it gives you the "insiders" information to the island and how to make this trip virtually, flawlessly enjoyable!

I wouldn't listen to anyone that claims the "new and improved" 3.5 is any bit "new and improved".

3.0 is truly the right blend of D&D tradition and sound game mechanics. 3.5 is a pile of garbage house-rules for actual D&D crafted by a new batch of "limited" designer minds.

This book is D&D 3rd edition, no other.

Woc has done it again. They have released another editon, and it is supearior. Edition 3.5 is very like third (Hence the .5), but realy cleans up the classes and makes things more balanced. This book is good, but the new Players Handbook 3.5 Edition just blows it out of the water. They tweaked all that needed tweeking, and left the good stuff there. Toss your third Edition and go buy 3.5!

D&D 3E is a massive improvement over previous editions in a number of ways ... D&D has finally embraced skills, a big plus; a lot of the arbitrary and annoying restrictions of previous editions have been eliminated; the whole thing has been streamlined greatly at a fundamental level (there is still a lot of rules grit - attacks of opportunity anyone? - but this has always been the case, and by using a much cleaner and less arbitrary basic system, the game is now more intuitive).

The problem with D&D 3e is that it requires a *lot* of work on the part of the gamemaster. This is not a ready-to-play game by any stretch, unlike WotC's Star Wars d20, say. You have to go to some lengths to create a campaign setting, and realistically you're going to have to throw some of those arbitrary restriction back in. Why? Because D&D 3e has some significant imbalances, and you're likely to be playing with one player who is going to be looking for rules loopholes to create an unbalanced character. A big culprit here is the multi-classing combined with the fact that many classes are front-loaded with a lot of cool abilities at first level, so it's not unusual to find characters with 3 or 4 classes so they can cherry-pick low-level abilities from each. This is not only aestetically displeasing and unbalancing, but makes it impossible to keep a coherent character vision. The prestige classes are a cool and interesting feature, but are for the most part egregiously broken and, in the words of a fellow-player, "pure munchkinism".

Another complaint of mine about the system is that characters are simply too hard to make distinctive; the only real tool you have is this problematic multi-classing, and that is at best a blunt instrument. The Feats are a very cool concept, but not well-balanced with respect to each other so many will simply never show up (and characters who are not Fighters and Wizards acquire them far too slowly to be of much use in distinguishing characters). Characters of some classes (notably Paladins, Monks, Druids, and Barbarians) are going to be essentially indistuinguishable from each other - an 8th level Monk is pretty much an 8th level Monk, and the variance will be quite small. I find the list of which skills can be bought by which classes unduly restrictive and occasionally bordering on the nonsensical. The restrictiveness of the class sytem, and the stereotyped nature of the classes and lack of advancement choices, is to my mind the most significant failing of D&D 3e. Some classes are now almost acceptably flexible: the Fighter has a huge number of choices with all their bonus feats, even if the basic class concept of a heavily armed and armored fighting machine can't be fundamentally altered; Wizards of course have a massive spell list, and can specialise in various schools; Clerics now can pick from a dozen or so dieties, all of which serve to flavor the class; and Rogues have immense numbers of skill points and a wide variety of skills. But if you want somthing a little more specific or flavorful, you're stuck with cookie-cutter classes.

Anyway, from a pure systems standpoint, the d20 system is fundamentally a good one, but from a pure gaming perspective it has been done better by other games. I actually like Wizard's Star Wars game better, as it addresses many of the problems I've mentioned here; but that doesn't help you much if you hanker for heroic fantasy. D&D 3e is cool, better than previous editions (often significantly), and is popular because it is so open-ended. It has rules for everthing, and a bazillion skills, feats, spells, monsters, magic items, etc. - everybody is going to find a cool idea in here somewhere that they're ready to run with. All those options don't always work together, though, and the choices are sometimes odd, so be aware that the gamemaster is going to have to do some work for D&D 3e to be truly robust.

I played RPGs for 20 years. I liked them, i liked the people I played with and then i stopped. Nothing interested me after a while until 3E. I thought this was going to turn it all around again. Boy was i wrong.

The ideas behind this haphazard collection of material is sound. The problem is, the rules do not survive under scrutiny. Balance seems to have been thrown out the window in exchange for the 'cool' factor. If you want to make a cartoon charavter out of your imaginary alter ego, this is the game for you I think.

The skill and feat system is broken so badly that you probably can't fix it without rewriting the rules. The skills are restrictive by class - making absolutely no sense at all. Afterall, you're character wasn't born this class or that. Class seemes to have become your defining trait more than your personality. Trying to make a character a certain way is actually tougher in 3E as you have numerous skill restrictions. In short, Fighters get paltry skills and Rogues get the mother load. everyone else gets to fill in in-between.
Rangers are useless, becoming simply lightly armored fighters with a few useless special abilities, little opportunity for growth and a dazzlingly undazzling array of spells.
Sorcerers are similiarly built, with a few extra spells to cast per day than wizards, but FAR fewer to pick from and absolutely no class abilities that the wizard gets to choose from.
The old moronic +1 to this ability -1 to taht rules are still in place for non human characters, with the elf that lives 750 years somehow being more frail than you average human. By the same token, dawrves get a nice constitution bonus but are uncharismatic. Why? Well because they had to pick an ability and charisma looked like a good one......
You get to multiclass more easily according to 3E lovers. You needn't split your XP between classes, you simply take a level of any class any time you earn enough experience points to go up a level. Wanna be a fighter/paladin? GO for it. The only probalem is, it is almost useless to multiclass as a spell caster. With a level limit of 20 (which is fine IMHO) you mayonly have a TOTAL of 20 levels all classes included. That's great, but if you take 15 levels of Wizard and 5 levels of Rogue, you are going to be one disappointed mage when you realize you missed out on the best spells in the game in exchange for some paltry lock picking ability. To be fair, multi classing any of the fighter classes works just fine.
On the topic of levels, you should reach 20th after anout 35-45 game sessions if you follow their experience charts. WAY too much XP is awarded and in addition, all classes use the same experience point table. It seem that someone decided that a 20th level paladin and a 20th level bard were pretty evenly matched. I think we all know better.
Finally, the comabt system - which most gamers agree is the most tedious and time consuming part of any game - has been dragged out with so many extra and optional rules, that it takes forever to resolve the simplist battle. Some may applaud the detail, but the game has taken a step back toward the old CHAINMAIL table top battle rule srather than advancing as a ROLEplaying game.
With a chartr included for every detail in the game, this book has taken all of the imagination out of your hands, and given you a rule to cover it. 3E Roleplaying is actually more ROLLplaying, and after a while, that just gets tedious.
Well aware that the game is a mess, WoTC is releasing 3.5 later this summer to suck a few hundred dollars more out of your wallets.
I beg you consider what you might be getting before flushing your money down this over simplified, over hyped toilet of an RPG. Go play Vampire or Werewolf - at least they don;t charge you $... to insult your intelligence by including a chart for your eye color.

This book for most people is the only book you will ever need for Dungeons & Dragons. While there are many more accesories expanding the game, This is the ancor, and the only book needed for a player. It includes all of the Races, Classes, Spells, Feats, and Items you need to make and run a Charactor.
The best art of this book is that not only does it list all the things you need to know, it explains in full detail how all things are related to each other. If read like a book, (front to back not just paging for specifics) It spells out what you need, need to do, and how to. You start with the abilities, go into races, classes, and then skills, and items. Finsihing with spells, and feats.
Over all, i would rae this 5, because of what it offers, and its necesity to the game it serves. i recomend you buy it, even if you dont buy it here.

With this book, the second installment in "The Lord of the Rings" (a single extremely long novel, not a trilogy), things start to fall into place. The Fellowship of the Ring was great, but it felt like it was basically build-up for bigger things to come. Well, by the time "The Two Towers" starts, the ball is rolling, and fast.

I was weary about the decision to split the book into two halves, one half dealing with Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, and Pippin, and the other half dealing with Frodo, Sam, and Gollum, because I thought it might have been a wiser decision to mix it up a bit; have one chapter deal with Aragorn and company, the next with Frodo and company, and so on. However, the way it is set up is probably for the better. Each half read very well, advancing this classic story in big ways.

Again, as I mentioned in my review for "Fellowship," Tolkien's work isn't for the impatient reader. His beefy sentences demand that you comb through them, soaking in the language and appreciating the intensely thought-out sub-creation of Tolkien's Middle-earth. Thing is, that kind of writing isn't for everyone. I've read pompous reviewers insulting those who don't appreciate Tolkien's style, but the "get on with the story, Tolkien" complaints are not without merit. I thoroughly enjoyed "The Two Towers" and consider the overall arc of The Lord of the Rings to be a classic and timeless story, but the style of writing can, at times, grate against one's patience.

So I'll end my review for this book by including something I said in my review for "Fellowship," which very much applies here: "Pour a cup of tea. Heck, sit it on a tea cozy. Turn off your phone, and absorb the writing. Visualize the mountains, rivers, all of the scenery. Feel what is happening, don't just read it. True, there is a lot of back story that could have been taken out, but it wasn't. So deal, and read it--most of it, if not all, is interesting."

PS: The character arc of Gollum (and his dialogue!) alone is worth reading this book. We loves it, my precious!

10/10 Classic.

I didn't enjoy this as much as the first part of the trilogy, but it was still pretty good. Strangely divided, though. The events of this book take place simultaneously in two locations, and rather than skipping back and forth, Tolkien for some reason tells all of what happens in one place, then jumps to the other parallel story, occasionally giving chronological markers -- while such and such was happening in the great battle to the north, yada yada. Still, a good, and obviously crucial part of a great overall story.

'The Two Towers', by JRR Tolkien, tells of the continued adventures of the Fellowship after its breaking. It traces Frodo and Sam's journey as they strive to come closer to Mordor, yet in the hard, barren lands, one must have a guide, mustn't they my precioussss?

Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas trail after the Orcs who have taken Pippin and Merry captive, seeking to over take them and free the prisoners. Many leagues they travel over the fields of Rohan, finding signs that are hopeful, as well as those that fill them with dread and doubt. Yet unknown to them, Ugluk, leader of the Orc troop, has troubles in his ranks, for not only does he have fellow servants of Saruman the White with him, there are also emisaries of Sauron. What will Aragorn and his companions find if and when they overtake the Orc host, and what of the strange forest of Fangorn, feared by so many in these untrusting days. What secrets does its tangled boughs hold, and what of this mysterious white clad stanger that shows up once they are in the forest?

RD Williams, author of 'The Lost Gate'

Greed, betrayal, infighting, and indecision have led the Fellowship of
the Ring to break up. Gandalf has fallen, and Boromir is dead. The rest
of the party is split in two, as Frodo sneaks off with Sam, to go to
Mordor, and Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli pursue the Orcs that have
abducted the other two hobbits.

A lot of breaking stuff, fighting and sneaking to be found here.

It ends in a cliffhanger.

All three of the shorter novels published as "the Lord of the Rings trilogy" are fantastic novels, but the action taking place in The Two Towers is fantastic! This "trilogy" (originally meant to be published as one book) contains lush imagery, rich and detailed description, heart-pounding action and you can really immerse yourself in the world of Middle Earth.

In The Two Towers, Frodo and Sam continue their solitary journey to Mordor, and are eventually overtaken by Gollum (Sméagol). Gollum agrees to guide them to the Black Gate of Mordor, but their journey is fraught with danger (not the least of which is Gollum's dual-personality dilemma). Tolkien cleverly wrote his master epic in six books - two books for each volume which was eventually published. In The Two Towers, the books show the division between the Frodo/Sam storyline and the remainder of the Fellowship. Pippin and Merry become separated from the rest of the Fellowship and flee into an ancient forest full of strange and wondrous creatures. A fantastic journey filled with Orcs, Ents, a confrontation with Saruman and a reunion, not only with the remainder of the broken Fellowship, but with the reborn Gandalf, this chapter of the adventure is definitely a page-turner. Even if words on a page don't tend to excite you, this will keep you enthralled. The world that Tolkien has created in Middle Earth is so easy to lose yourself in, you might not want to come back!

I really enjoyed this book as a young adult. The characters are well done and well written. And the world is very interesting. It is staple fantasy, elves, dwarves, dragons ect but its a very engaging book to read. A great series. This would make an incredible TV series or movie with CGI. Be warned DO not buy the Animated movie, it is horrible!

I first read this series when I was in high school, many moons ago and I loved it. I thought it was the best fantasy setting ever, in fact in my mind it was much better than Tolkien. I know...I know before anyone flies off the handle let me explain.
Fantasy can be compared to rock n' roll, the Beatles were the first and started it all,even though they borrowed from influences before them as did Tolkien. Like the Beatles, Tolkien should receive his due as the first but just like rock n' roll there have been those that have done it better since the Beatles. I feel the same about Dragonlance. I thought the races and history was much more interesting and well thought out.
Yes some of the characters are cookie cutter and some of the story is predictable but that doesn't mean it's not a good read.
I don't understand these reviewers who complain that this or that fantasy novel is too predictable, it's high fantasy! Just like romance novels, mysteries and westerns. Fantasy is just another genre, if you read much fantasy as many claim then you should be able to tell from the plot summary whether your going to be reading a so-called cliche or not.
With novels like this it is just a good read with the classic fantasy races given a new history and story line, read it for that and I guarantee you will enjoy it.

You can't judge a book by its cover, eh? Back in 1990 my cousin and I got into all things fantasy, mostly because we loved the 80's fantasy movies like Willow, Legend, Dragonslayer, etc., but because we wanted to further our love of fantasy into reading novels, which we had heard were always better in book form. man, were they right!

Being total fantasy literature newbies, we literally went to the bookstore and decided to get into any fantasy series that looked appealing to us. We didn't know of any authors in the genre, what any of it was about or anything, so I just walked in and looked around for a bit and the first thing that really caught my eye was the artwork Larry Elmore did for the covers of the Chronicles trilogy. The colors and detail in the artwork instantly drew my eye to the books and I picked them up and read the synopsis on the back. It sounded interesting, so I bought the entire chronicles trilogy. Which I did just by chance... I had no idea that was the first trilogy in the series, so I guess I just lucked out and picked the right ones to start with. By 1990, there were already quite a few novels out, so it's cool I started where I was supposed to.

When I got home I read Dragons Of Autumn Twilight and COULD NOT put it down. I had read few books by that time, and to sit and read a whole book in an entire day was something I never thought I could do until that day. The way Weis and Hickman described battlefields, how lovingly they described the detail of each and every dwelling the story took place in, and most of all, how much I ended up caring about those original Comapnions... man, I was and still am in love with those books. My cousin happaened to pick up a Forgotten Relams trilogy when he was in the store, and after we both finsihed our books, we swapped trilogies. Forgotten Realms didn't appeal to me nearly as much, so I decided to get into the Dragonlance novel universe as much as I could after that, and after reading my Dragonlance novels, my cousin did the same!

Over the years I read a lot of other fantasy from the likes Mercedes Lackey, Robert Jordan, George RR Martin, the Discworld books and a ton more, but none of them appealed to me as much as the Dragonlance universe. I own all 200 plus Dragonlance novels now and I can honestly say that they all range from good to excellent except for like 5 of them, mostly the ones written by Roland Green. It's amazing how the qaulity has stayed so high since so many authors have added their input to the world of Krynn.

Is Dragons Of Autumn Twilight and the Chronicles trilogy the best Dragonlance has to offer? No, that honor goes to Weis and HIckman's newest Dragonlance trilogy The Lost Chronicles. These are novels that revolve around what the original companions did between the books in the Chronicles trilogy. These books are extremely well written, and also far more adult oriented than the early novels. But as good as the new Chronicles is, they can't compare to the memories of reading Autumn Twilight for the first time. Nothing can.

Too many years ago for my mental comfort I used to play Dragonlance. At the time I read the Dragonlance Chronicles and I recently decided to go back and pay a visit. It was much what I remembered, and actually it fared badly with the number of quite good fantasy books I've read since.

It does read like fictionalised role-playing sessions. The team are several different people with different reasons for what they do and I'm really not sure that in the real world they would be anywhere near each other.

Still it's fun to revisit, and it reminds me of my college years, I still like Raistlin and the team of half-elf, dwarf, kender, dark mage, barbarian, warrior and knight have appeared in a lot of books since. The cliches are the but many of the cliches started here. The Draconians are interesting and the path to the truth is starting to become clear.

It's an interesting story but it's not the best. Worth the journey back but I'm not sure I want to read more soon. Someday I may but sometimes forward is the only way to go.

I will keep this short.

In style and use of the English language I would have to call this one of the worst books I've read in years.

The characters were intriguing and somewhat endearing but the plot rambled on like a bad road trip. Its simplistic writing kept me wondering if I'd picked the book out of the juvenile section. Compared to the work of Martin or Bakker, which I consider astounding, it is extraordinarily transparent. The punctuation, especially the overuse of of exclamation marks in narrative no less, along with inconsistencies and awkward analogies kept reminding me that I was reading a book rather than being allowed to be carried away by the story.

In short, don't waste your time.

A dark and fantastic beginning for the trilogy Amulet of Samarkand is an excellent book. Bartimeaus is surely the wittiest djinni known to our world (and his). The first book of the trilogy takes place on an alternate earth where magic takes a new and dark twist. Magicians rule with an iron fist and enslave magical beings for their dark purposes. Bartimaeus offers incredible ingenuity and impertinence guaranteed to make you laugh your brains out (quit literally I'm afraid).
Darkly funny and creative Amulet of Samarkand is sure to get you hooked on the series.

"The Amulet of Samarkland" is a outstanding beginning to The Bartimaeus Trilogy. Stroud combines a great story with original characters in this first book of the series. Bartimaeus' unique voice provides an creative twist that really makes the book.
I introduced this book to 6th grade students and they couldn't stop reading. Bartimaeus' asides can make reading a little difficult for kids who struggle with books but his conversational style is really accessible.
The nice thing about this book, and the others in the series is that each has its own ending instead of an obvious cliff hanger to be resolved in the next of the series.
This is a great book and the beginning of a wonderful series.

The Amulet of Samarkland is probably one of my favorite books of all time. It is full of magic and betrayal and keeps the reader up all night! The Amulet of Samarkland is about the ambitious adventures of Nathaniel, a young magician, who struggles to take his revenge only to find himself deep in a possibly fatal conspiracy. He employs the witty and clever dijini Bartimaeus to work with him and at the same time save him with his ancient experience. What I find most interesting and unique to this book are the clever footnotes at the bottom of the pages conveying the humourous thoughts if Bartimaeus. Overall, The Amulet of Samarkland is an excellent read for anybody of all ages. Also, it can be read many times over with the same satifaction at the end every time.

I was thrilled by this book! It was so different and refreshingly imaginative. My husband and I both enjoyed this book and the rest of the series very much! If you like fantasy adventure and are looking for book that is wonderfully written with unforgettable characters then buy this book. The "voices" of Nathaniel and Bartimaus are singularly memorable. The wit and the struggle/respect between these two make the books very enjoyable. We listened to this series on audiobook and the narrator made it incredible. I can't recommend this enough and I frequently do, for both teens and adults.

These books are awesome! I've been reading a lot of fantasy books lately, and I haven't read anything lately that comes close to as enjoyable as the Bartimaeus trilogy. The narrator is a hilarious djinni that adds in footnotes to commentate on everything he says; often the comments are longer than the normal text on a page. You'll love these!

Really good fantasy. Explores the characters deeply, making them real persons instead of stereotypes. Good development of social/class issues, economics and petty politics. A very good start to a series, really looking forward to the second one.

If you are rushed or distracted, don't read this book. Rushing through this would be like gulping down a fine wine as though it were apple juice (a crime!). Rather, get everything done that you need to get done, put the kids to bed (if you have any), turn off the tv and pour yourself a dram of whatever you love best. Find a comfortable chair and warm lighting, and enjoy.

This first installment is mainly a narrative of the life of a man named Kvothe, and it is rich with heart-moving imagery and subtley laced with the perfect amount of wry, tongue-in-cheek humor; yet there is an underlying sense of tragedy and forboding that pervades the tale throughout that actually builds suspense so gradually that it's almost feels subconscious.

Highly recommended.

First off, I would like to say that I really did enjoy The Name of the Wind. It was a great book, and I found the plot to be engaging. I found the subjects discussed to be fascinating, and I often felt as though I was right there learning along with Kvothe. Patrick Rothfuss has created an interesting world, which I will gladly return to with The Wise Man's Fear. I would highly recommend this book.

However, the book gets four stars because there were a few occasions where I just grew bored. You can only take so much of Kvothe talking about where he's going to get the money for next term's tuition. It also gets a bit annoying when he discusses how he doesn't know anything about women for the thousandth time. I also felt like there wasn't as much action in this book advancing us toward the present as I would have liked. However, I know that story will be told eventually, so I'll just have to wait.

Don't let these things keep you from reading it, though. They are mild annoyances in an overall excellent work. Name of the Wind is one of the best reads I've had in a long while, and I read quite a bit of fantasy (a good 5 or 6 hours a day at the least). Even with the rather large page count, it took me only a day and a half. I would've read it straight through, but I started too late in the day and needed sleep. Now I'm rambling, but in any case, a great read, and highly recommended from me.

I struggled to get through the first 50 pages of this book. I thought when I started this would be like any other book I've read. Boy was I wrong...

You know a book is good when you can't even figure out where to start with the review. So instead of talking about everything, I'll just like you know why I loved it.

First, the world. It's developed, alive, and refreshing. There is no magic. Instead, there is sympathy. Sympathy allows people to bind objects and thereby manipulate them. If that sounds boring, just wait. The way the author uses sympathy is usually very clever. There is also a sympathy battle at one point where you get a good idea of just how intricate it can be.
Second, the character. Kvothe is built up from nothing. You start with a simple boy, but he develops. The best part about it is, this book focuses on Kvothe's intelligence. It uses it to create a really interesting character. I can't think of any other fantasy books that develop such an intelligent and clever character.
Finally, the story. The story is interesting. I couldn't really tell you what the plot was because honestly, I don't know if there was one. But there is a reason for the character's actions, and he does have some direction.

I enjoyed it, and hopefully you will to.

You know how sometimes a book, or a movie, or a concert gets so hyped up in the press and you have such high expectations that when you finally get around to reading/seeing it, it disappoints? That's what I was worried might happen when I decided to read The Name of the Wind. I purposely came to it late, hoping to wait until Patrick Rothfuss was nearly finished with the trilogy before I starting it. But, the book has received so much attention that it became inexcusable for me, as the editor of a fantasy review website, not to read it. So I did -- in two days. (It's a huge book.)

And I'm very happy to report that The Name of the Wind did not disappoint -- I was completely enthralled. The pace was quick and never lagged. The plot was tight and had just the right amount of mystery -- I always understood what was going on, but Rothfuss regularly added new elements, twists, and layers to keep me wondering where this was going and what would happen next. In fact, by the end of the book, there are more unanswered questions than answered ones. Throughout, the writing style was smooth and pleasant, with enough wit, humor, foreshadowing, and artistry to be intellectually stimulating, but never pretentious. Furthermore, the magic system in Rothfuss's world is thoroughly explained to us, bit by bit, and it is complicated and makes sense.

Perhaps most important, Mr Rothfuss writes excellent characters. I especially appreciated what he did with his hero. Kvothe's circumstances are familiar; he's an exceptionally bright kid whose parents are killed by something evil, nobody cares for him, he manages to get into magic school on long odds, he has trouble fitting in with both students and teachers, he makes two close friends and one rich and handsome enemy from a powerful family, he's obsessed with finding out about the evil people who killed his parents, he regularly gets punished for his exploits at school, he has no clue about girls, and he actually meets one who lives in the pipes under the school .... Hmmm... This does sound familiar.

But I'll bet that most people who read The Name of the Wind never thought of Harry Potter, because Kvothe and his world are new and refreshing. Kvothe is a product of his liberal education and a lot of time spent trying to survive on his own as a beggar. Sometimes he is selfish, sometimes he is cruel, sometimes he does the right thing. At one point in the book, while Kvothe was living on the streets, he had an opportunity to help someone in distress (a particular distress that Kvothe himself had experienced). I was nervous -- worried that Rothfuss would ruin his careful characterization by having Kvothe perform a heroic deed too soon. But, no, Kvothe pulled a Kitty Genovese, which gave me a deeper respect for Mr Rothfuss. During Kvothe's maturation, we see him make more right choices and fewer wrong ones, but he is complex and inconsistent enough to make us lack confidence that he's going to turn out okay. And that makes for a very interesting story.

I'm very much looking forward to continuing this mystery next April; so much so that I'll pre-order the hardback of The Wise Man's Fear (something I rarely do). Patrick Rothfuss is a much-needed bright young star in the fantasy field. Let's hope that he can keep it up! --FanLit.net

Fantastic guidebook. Simply put, the most outstanding I've ever used and I just happened upon it by chance, after finding out last week my wife and I will be vacationing in Maui next month. Covers everything one would possibly want to know about visiting this island gem and then some. Revised every 2 years by Andrew Doughty, with updated info all the way up to press time. Mr. Doughty takes you on a journey down each road, and even points out hidden finds you won't read about anywhere else.

Initially, I figured on maybe thumbing through a few choice pages, but ended up reading from cover-to-cover. The author has personally traveled these routes on numerous occasions, and even sampled the food at nearly every establishment. You won't find a single black-and-white photograph amongst the hundreds of breathtaking examples of Maui's beauty, compliments of the 2 photographers, one of which is Mr. Doughty himself. And those map illustrations that are so helpful? Once again, partial credit goes to Mr. Doughty in that department as well.

Even if you've never thought of visiting Maui, I believe this guide will spark the desire. And done with the perfect balance of humor too. It's like having your very own personal tour guide. I can't say enough good things about this find. Bravo!

All the out of the way places revealed. Great suggestions for places to visit and things to do.

This is a must have for anyone travelling to Maui! You don't need to buy anyother guide book, this is it! Take some time and read it before you go - and then take it with you. Pays for itself tenfold with the enjoyment of your travels...

Excellent book. Enjoyed the humor as much as the useful tips and information. However, one critique I would have, is that it would've been alot easier to locate the eateries recommended in the book. A number, or a symbol right there on the map would have made it much simplier to pinpoint a restaurants location, other than just the address and phone numbers.
David

Lots of info but some of it is already out of date. The Bed & breakfast laws have changed in maui so that info is useless and some of the private property issues are more of a hassle than mentioned in the book. Some of the places mentioned are no longer open to the public.