Wizard Books

What's to eat? I wish I could have found it in this book! I had to put this book aside, and cool-off, before writing a review. I was disappointed, but I'll keep it for my Oz collection, if nothing else.

It's 2007, and we don't eat like we used to eat in 1937. I mean, who smothers a sandwich with gravy these days? And it's a big, cheesy, greasy, meaty, sandwich that you bake into a LOAF to begin with! Who makes those crazy-looking jello desserts, that no one eats? When was the last time you decided to break-out and make a batch of JELLY? You will have to dig-through these recipes, and alter them in order to make a quick, healthy meal. (No wonder Judy Garland struggled with her weight!!) Many of the recipes for sauces and snacks can be found at the local deli or grocery store already, now. I recommend, if you collect Oz, that you purchase this book used and at the cheapest cost you can find. (The photos are okay!)

I was appalled and thought this book is poorly edited. Anyone and everyone who had anything to do with the word "Oz" managed to contribute a recipe. That means: you also have recipes from the cast of the Wiz, and actors, etc. from every Oz cartoon or movie done in the '80's. Is it because some of these people might be semi-famous? By virtue of being married to one of the authors, you even get recipes from Steve Cox's wife. (IE, recipes from stage managers who've done an Oz play in 1999?) I think the authors should have stayed with the original cast (but, the newer contributions might actually be edible). Regardless, it is off-putting. Now I think I was looking at the book more for nostalgic reasons than anything? (I certainly won't be "cooking" with it!) The presentation is very nice. But I found myself feeling more frustrated by the content, than interested. In fact, every time I pick up this book, I feel prompted to want to write my own Oz recipe book. I could send them to this publisher! (Obviously, they will publish anything.)

Who doesn't love the Wizard of Oz... and who wouldn't adore a cookbook in its honor!! This is such a treat. Lots of simple, fun and crazy tasty recipes will be found in this gem of a cookbook. PERFECT for when your child is into Oz and wants an Oz-themed birthday party! There's even a Toto inspired treat for your doggie too!

Lots of behind the scene info, pictures, history of the cast and favorite cast recipes. Enjoy!

This book is great fun! Movie-themed cookbooks often fail, as usually the recipes are simply a collection of cleverly named dishes with no other relation to the film. This book, however, succeeds wonderfully as the recipes are all from people associated with The Wizard of Oz in one way or another. Filled with rare photographs of all phases of Oz-mania (from the books, to the films, to the various theatre productions), the recipes are surprisingly good. My favorite is Barry Van Dyke's (co-host of the CBS Oz broadcast in '61-62) Shrimp Salad - perfect on a hot summer day, this dish gets rave reviews every time I serve it! A must-have for all Oz fans, Judy Garland fans, or anyone who loves to cook!

I loved this book so much that I almost want to learn how to cook (well, not really!)!! Once again, Stephen Cox mixes humor and trivia with painstaking research, rare photographs and fascinating tid-bits. I've always said that this author's books are like comfort food for the mind. Now he feeds your body too!

The entire book is great fun. The recipes are genuinely tasty and even have hilarious names! Plus, the book is chock full of photographs and trivia. Even if you don't cook, any fan of Oz will find plenty to love. And if you're a kitchen wizard who isn't into Oz so much, you'll pick up lots of delicious new ideas. Makes a great gift. A treasure written by two wonderful people!

I bought this book for my grandson who is 15 years old and learning Latin for the first time. He thought it was neat although I can't tell you if he has read much of it yet. He is a great Harry Potter fan and is now taking his first class in Latin. I think it will be fun for him after he knows a few more Latin words. This is for children and teens who are interested in language, enjoy learning new words, and want to be prepared in English and Romance Languages. I also believe that Dr. Seuss or Winnie-thePooh in Latin would be perfect for a beginner.

A solid translation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and fun to read. My one peeve is that typos are if not frequent, noticeably not absent. Still, it's a fine whetstone to sharpen one's command of the language.

At age 68 I recently decided to renew my brief high-school acquaintence with Latin so picked up a copy of Wheelock's Latin (another superb book)and jumped right in. By Chapter 14 (out of 40), I wanted to tackle something a little more meaty and different than the Wheelock exercises, but certainly not the classics yet. Harrius Potter is currently filling that bill very well. The Latin is obviously not a perfect translation, but close enough that the English version is a good check when I need a hint. At my re-learning stage, it's dictionary-heavy work (Cassell's and/or Chambers Murray work fine) and it forces me to jump ahead for grammar items not yet covered in my normal progression...both good things. And, of course, it's a good story.

quis aliquid magis quam hunc librum Latine legere vult? bene scriptum est et bonum non solum alicui legere sed etiam ad discipulos docendos. eme, tolle et lege hunc librum et laetus esto!

My son has had a few years of Latin. He is just starting to be able to understand more complicated pieces. This is a great book because he is already familiar with the story, and can figure out some of the chapters even when he doesn't know all the words. And he has found it fun to see how some modern words are "created" following the Latin rules.

Get extra's because this poster book is great. My whole family loved it and I had to get 4 more for the grandchildren. Beautifully done. This is destined to be a collectors item and for the price it can't be beat. I highly recommend.

in this poster book. This book has 15 pages of glossy posters with scenes from the Sorcerer's Stone movie. The posters are one sided, so you won't be hiding anything if you decide to take them out of the book and hang them on the wall. It's not overpriced, so if kids want to have a room full of Harry Potter, they can, without breaking the bank and mum and dad having heart failure because an expensive book has been pulled apart.

I have found several of these at DOllar Tree stores for only $1

The second Harry Potter poster book brings you huge, glossy photos from the "Chamber of Secrets" film. There are posters of your favorite Harry Potter characters (castmembers dressed up in costume) and great film scenes. You can cut them out of the poster book if you'd like and hang them up but they are just as fun to look at by flipping through the book. The photos are not the same ones that you keep on seeing on every single Harry Potter site--a lot of them are rare ones that can only be found in this poster book. If you're a huge Harry Potter fan and can't wait for the "Chamber of Secrets" film to open, then this poster book is a must.

I highly recommend the "Chamber of Secrets" poster book.

Score:
100/100
A+

The "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" Movie Poster Book is an excellent addition to any Harry Potter fan's collection. The posters are high quality; slighltly glossy, nicely sized, and has a clean and crisp finish to the photos. Many of the posters are collages, which I really liked because they are done in such a nice way. My entire household (that would be three younger sisters and two parents) all love Harry Potter, so of course we all ran out to get our own copies! I suggest saving this booklet (or buying two, the price is great), because it will defintely become more valuable as the years go on since Harry Potter is destined to be popular years from now!

Like the title says, A must have if you liked the first I, Strahd book.

War against azalin is worthy book, Elrod's Narrating really awesome , In my opinion if there was some action more it could be excellent work, but its still very good and must read. I like faster-movin acts so gave it 4 stars but i impressed....

There is somthing about the appeal to this novel I cannot put into words. I really can't say what it is. I found myself so enthralled in the text it felt like I wasn't reading a book, but rather Strahd was standing over my shoulder reading his thoughts out loud. Creepy. Surreal. Those two words come to mind.

Strahd is an evil worth rooting for. But Azalin the lich is worse. The author invariable gives us the lesser of two evils to choose from. While Strahd seems only to be striving to protect his own, one can't help but wonder the real meaning to his actions. Everyone colors their own stories. Strahd's viewpoint must indeed conflict with Azalin's, and we catch a glimpse of it through a few biting commentaries by the master wizard himself. It would be very interesting to read the title, "I, Azalin: The War Against Strahd".

When I started reading the book I had no idea as to what Azalin was. When Strahd found out it was almost as much of a surprise to me as it was to him. Both of the characters are well portrayed, and the plot is well developed. This makes an excellent sequel to "I Strahd: The Memories of a Vampire."

The first part of the book had a good plot that continually increased the tension, and even had me on the edge of my seat, even in the last couple of chapters the action was superb. But after finishing the novel I was a little disappointed, there had a been "A war unlike any you have ever known" promised (and I can imagine Strahd has seen some nasty wars), but it just turned out to be a kidnapping and an assignation on 6 people. It was a nice ending, but I was expecting a grand war to take place.

All in all, it was a really good book for the Strahd fans out there.

This is kinda like the sequel to I, Strahd: Memories of a Vampire..

But for true Azalin fans you still need to acquire 2 more books which he stars in..

King of the Dead
Lord of Nercopolis

This book picks up right where RATH AND STORM left off, with Gerrard and Co. escaping Rath in a damaged Weatherlight and crash-landing on the world of Mercadia. The friends soon become entangled in the rather complex but intriguing politics of this mysterious new land, eventually becoming something like heroes to the common people. The main premise of this book involves the capture of the Weatherlight by locals and Gerrard's efforts to reclaim the ship (and simultaneously upgrade it). There is also a lot of character building, particularly with Orim and Squee. This book also helps to bring the other MAGIC books into the story. Events from THE BROTHERS' WAR are talked about as legend, linking this series with that one.

Francis Lebaron does a pretty good job on this (debut?) novel, keeping the pace of the story up and including plenty of action, humor, and drama. Still, there is something lacking in the writing style. For some reason, even scenes that should be very exciting or highly dramatic fail to inspire all that much. I can't really pinpoint exactly what is missing, but for some reason Lebaron's writing just doesn't convey the same feeling that other good writers do. I'll bet that he will improve in this as he matures as a writer.

Overall, this is an above average MAGIC novel that tells a very exciting and interesting tale in a rather bland manner.

The beginning of the books is really slow and then I realized I was supposed to read Rath and Storm first. Once it got going, the gook was great with lots of action and a great story.

This book was very well written and very original. Great plot and great characters.

As most of hte reviews have pointed out, you MUST read Rath and Storm. The language is hard at a certain point and the plot includes way too many fightings.

IT's necessary, though, to understand the unfolding plot of the Weatherlight Saga.

BTW, I wouldn't have called hte Cycle "Mercadian," since the rest of the cycle has nothing to do with Mercadia.

Well, I must say...Mercadian Masques contained the most interesting story I've read since Tempest. In it you have nearly every story element that you could think of. Mystery, suspense, drama, action, adventure, comedy, Masques had it all. I won't ruin any storyline, but I will say this : Be prepared for many plot twists.

One aspect I fear about the Magic storyline is that it may all be going downhill. If you've been paying attention to the new expansion sets and blocks being released, you might realize that all of the storylines in these are based on wars of some kind. Not that is is a horrible thing, but we members of the audience need some variety in the plot, not just (insert Phyrexian bad guy here) invades the good guys. This may just be a rant, but I encourage you to take what I have said into consideration. Thank you.

The reason so many people have commented on this book and said similar things is because these books are incredible, not because we are all Hugh Cook (the guy is battling cancer and so surely has more important things on his mind than trying to revive a career he was forced to abandon so long ago anyway). The characters are *real people*, not a bunch of tedious morally "almost but not quite" impeccable/irredeemable stereotypes. They respond to each other and events in believable ways. They have human flaws in abundance, even (perhaps especially) the heroes. The storylines are snapshots of significant events in an ever developing world which would barely care or notice if the heroes die, and many of them *do* die, often in brutally meaningless fashion rather than the typical noble sacrifice storyline.

Most of the books in the series can be read as standalone titles, but by reading out of sequence you will miss out on a lot of overlapping storylines and neat moments where one character/book's take on an event is entirely different to another's. This book is the first in the series and is also one of the better ones, so it is an ideal place to start.

The books are written in several different styles; Cook's versatility and creativity in this regard is pretty astonishing. In every instance, the books are packed full of sharp and dry humour.

This series is to fantasy writing what independent studio and foreign films are to Hollywood blockbusters. This is probably the main reason the series sold so badly and got cancelled after 10 books, and also the reason people with a brain *usually* enjoy them.

...Which just about covers it. I was given this to read by my brother, who was then stationed in Germany with the British forces, and who often passed down some of his books to me once he'd finished with them. I recently reread this and many of the other books int the series (I think I have 6 or 7 of them). Most of the other reviews have spoken about the whole series, but the books are very different, and at least one of them I couldn't get into at all, so I'll stick to reviewing just this book.
The author certainly isn't afraid of showing just how selfish, vicious and ignorant people are, and how quickly the veneer of civilisation can be stripped from us. There is plenty of humour, lots of gore, and a nice mix of high fantasy and low down grittiness.
I find some parallels with Modesitt's central message of power corrupts and entropy wins unless you engage in vicious self analysis, and unbridging honesty.
Although the subtlety was lost on me the first time I read it, Cook's approach is to show dirty self interest with gem's of humanity and integrity that are all the more touching because of their rarity.
This didn't get a 5 because it lacks closure. There are good reasons for this, and plenty of other fantasy series suffer from the same problem, but that doesn't stop one from feeling a little unfulfilled at the end.

Because it's so tough to find Hugh Cook's books in America, I've pursued this series in an awkward order, reading the second, third, and fourth books before getting to this one. This may perhaps give me a unique experience, since I some of the key events in "The Wizards and the Warriors" before I read the first page. Nevertheless I found this novel a treat, packed with action, bizarre magic, larger-than-life characters, and conflicts to match. I wouldn't praise it to the moon; it has its ups and downs just like all of Cook's novels. But ultimately I think this is his best work so far.

I'll cover the downs first. Hugh Cook is a poor world-builder. He doesn't flesh out the various locales or the societies we encounter along the way. Every city seems more or less like every other. The pacing is very unbalanced, as we may spend twenty pages hunting crabs for food and then rush through some vitally important developments in a few paragraphs. And there are some highly likeable and engaging characters who just drift out of the story, never to be seen again.

On the up side, we have, well, quite a lot. "The Wizards and the Warriors" is a story of awesome scope, and the sequence of major events is developed with great creativity. You never know what will come next. Of particular note are an epic journey on an underground river, and the final encounter with the Orders of Wizards at the Castle of Controlling Power. Cook breaks the standard rules of narratives, bravely disposing of important characters at unexpected moments. The magic is another high point. I desperately want a magic green bottle of my own.

The characters steal the show, however. Cooks eye for human nature is keen. He understands well how a person's behavior changes in extreme circumstances, often in unpredictable and illogical ways. To that end, "The Wizards and the Warriors" is filled with oddball turns of events. The central character, Morgan Hearst, passes through many stages on his journey, from brave and foolish, to brave and ruthless, and finally to true heroism at the end.

This guy is quite simply hilarious. Volume 4 is far and away the funniest, but all are great. Read, chuckle and enjoy.

I happened to be the proud owner of all ten volumes of this series that comprise just one of two series of Fantasy books I have chosen to keep; the remainder passed on to friends or donated to local libraries. The other series I kept was the Dragonlance Chronicles Trilogy.

I cannot say enough about the absolute breath of fresh air these books were back when I was a youngster and still are today. Upon picking up this first volume I looked at the 800 pages with trepidation wondering how on earth I would complete such a task!

I began reading and spent the rest of the day in bed. It was raining but I couldn't even let the sounds of rain on the rooftop distract me from what I believe is the best epic tale of fantasy writing that rivals Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. That was nearly 20 years ago and such was its power that I remember the day so clearly today.

I was so incensed by the movie version of Dungeons and Dragons (2000) that I kept wondering what a wonderful movie this first book would make. There is enough material in it and the series to even make a trilogy.

The two main characters Elkor Alish and Morgan Hearst were wonderful as each battled their own demons. There were grand wizards, robust warriors and the mistrust between them caused by their chosen paths as well as betrayal, war and pursuits of power and the threat of world destruction.

My hope is that Hugh who quietly works away on other projects acknowledges that his work is a masterpiece in its own right and that in someway it should be brought to the attention of a new audience of young minds who have just discovered Tolkien's LOTR and dined on Harry Potter.

Such is the allure of tragic heroes like Frodo and Boromir in LOTR, Sturm Brightblade in Dragonlance and Harry Potter as well as anti-heroes Elkor and Morgan in W&W and Raistlin Majere in Dragonlance that makes fantasy worth reading and watching.

The boredom and predictability that is par for the course of a sizeable number of fantasy writers is what stifles any hope for reaching the mainstream and making memorable characters worthy of visual representation on screen.

I hope that these books become more widely available once again for the enjoyment of a new generation.

I bought this collection of short novels having read many good reviews but I was disappointed. I think that the thing that I liked less is the Sembia location and the characters that here take life. I think this setting is not fantasy after all, it is more a kind of 18th century Europe mixed with fantasy elements that don't fit well together at all. Ed greenwood confirms himself a great inventor of poeples and settings and a bad writer, but also most of the other authors couldn't really suspend my disbelief. I didn't enjoy at all this collection of stories and will not buy other books located in Sembia.

This was an excellent book and provides a very intriguing opening to this series of books. The book is divided up into 7 chapters, each chapter focusing on a member of the Uskerven household.

I found most, if not all, of the characters to be enthralling with all of the stories well written. There is the proud patriarch of the family, Thamalon Uskevren, the disappointed heir to the family forturn Tamlin, the free-spirited daughter Tazi, the very independent second son Talbot, the proper yet mysterious matriarch Shamur, the distinguished butler Erevis Cale, and the young, innocent servant Larajin. The chapters set up stories for each family member. These stories will unfold through the rest of the series, with one book focusing on one family member. It definelty is an original way to do a series. Hopefully the full-length stories will be as good as these chapter length ones were.

Erevis Cale is by far the most popular of the characters and with good reason. He is much like Drizzt in that he has a very honorable streak in him and love for the people around him, but his past is very dark and shady. I know he has gotten one trilogy dedicated to him, and I believe there is a second one planned. I was also drawn to Talbot. His story one of being cursed and having to be responsible for things he wasn't responsible for. Something we can all relate to at certain points in our lives.

These were just my two favorites. I am looking foward to reading all the stories about the family, and I'm hoping that they develop more series for the individual characters and not just Erevis Cale.

I read this book very, very fast because of the fact that is is seven separate stories, there was something bran new every fifty or so pages, so you go through the book very fast. The stories are fast paced and exciting and good for anyone that likes a good fantasy or medieval based book, regardless of if you've read any other Forgotten Realms books. It can easily be a stand alone novel.

This is an excellent novel, with only a few faults. The main gripe I have with the book is that it is truly a series of short stories, but is treated like a novel. What I mean to say is that there is no table of content that allows you to easily jump one from story of interest without having to scan through the entire book. The tales need not be read in order at all, and yet you are expected to do so.

Each story centers on one member of the Uskevren house, starting with the Patriarch all the way down to the maid. Each of these people seem to have some special quality about them, and their secrets are kept close to their breasts. Sometimes, it seems that there is a reason that each person is so special or has so deep and dark a secret. Clearly, there is more to this family than is initially let on, and only further tales will reveal what is so special about them.

In case you did not know, the shorts in this book are but preludes to the other novels in the series, they are basically the set up tales that get you interested, but really give you no completion. Many things are left unsettled by the end of this book.

The only downfall I can really see, and it has nothing to do with this novel in and of itself, is that the final book that was to be penned by Greenwood has been canceled. I would love to see another anthology of tales to close out the series.

Of them all, the Best tales deal with the matriarch, the butler, the maid, the daughter, and the second son. The Patriarch's tale is informitive, but dry and the heir's story has plenty of drama, but no depth. Two out of seven aint bad! Besides, they are still decent tales.

Warning: If you buy this book you will have to pick up the rest of the series!

This is a fair to good collections of short stories that are somewhat interesting.
Why buy this book, well if you want to read the books and series that follow the characters that are started here, that would be the reason.

Ed Greenwood `The Patriarch' -- slow and dull (C-)
Richard Lee Byers `The Matriarch' -- strange (C-)
Clayton Emery `The heir'-- unlikable fop (C+)
Voronica Whitney-Robinson `The Daughter'-- spoiled, very spoiled(C)
Dave Gross `The Youngest Son'-- interesting werewolf (B)
Paul Kemp `The Butler' -- superb story of a likable assassin!!! (A+)
Lisa Smedman `The Maid' -- really good story of a cleric to be? (A-)

OVERALL SCORE: (B-/C+)
READABILITY: (?), PLOT: (B-), CHARATERS: (B-), DIALOGUE: (B-), SETTING: (B+), ACTION/COMBAT: (A-), MONSTERS/ANTAGONISTS: (C+), ROMANCE: (B), SEX: (n/a), AGE LEVEL: (PG)

J. K. Rowling introduces to us in this fabulous story, the tale of a young boy who is anything but average. You see Harry is a wizard who has been sent to live with his muggle relatives after the death of his parents. His relatives try to thwart his becoming a wizard by any means possible. This causes Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to send Hagrid the game keeper to bring him to Hogwarts and thus begins the magical tale of how a young oppressed boy finds friendships, danger, and a mortal ememy who wants nothing less than his death. This is the fast paced tale of a high-flying sport, Quidditch, potions and spells, and intrigue where things are not what they seem. Highly recommended as the start of a classical series.

Well if you're looking at this product you're probably like me, busy and not the biggest fan of sitting down to read. I've always been a big fan of stories but I could just never find the time to read because of work and when I did I am admittedly an abysmally slow reader. After years of hearing how amazing these books, the Harry Potter series, were and loving every movie immensely it finally dawned on me to see if there was an audio book and there obviously is.

When I first started listening to the series I must admit I was a little turned off because Stephen Fray came across as a little dry and I was beginning to think the audio books weren't going to be much more tolerable than simply reading the books. As new characters are introduced though I was pleased to find that he managed to give most of them a unique personality and even more so that he maintains these personas not just through this single book but all the way to where I am now, The Half Blood Prince. Aside from just their vocal definition Fry also manages to display a diverse range of emotion for each individual character as if there is a separate actor for each character, it's really quite an amazing performance in my opinion. At certain times various audio filters are added for dramatic effect like echo and things of the sort and I guess that's really the only place this audio book comes up short for me is that there really isn't a whole lot to it other than Stephen Fry reading the books. This being my first audio book I can't really compare it to anything but I guess I was expecting at least some music between chapters or maybe some ambient sound effects but I still find the overall experience enjoyable without them.

There are probably hundreds of reviews for the books themselves so I'll keep my opinions on the series short and sweet. I believe the thing that I like most about the Harry Potter series is the overall charm of everything and the connection Rawling maintains to both the real world and real life. She really seems to nail human archetypes and the teenage inner dialogue and I can't help but think there are many pieces of her own children in this book. It showcases such an amazing insight as to the way people think and feel that I really can't help but be awe inspired. Like I said though, I'm not a big reader/listener so I imagine there are better books out there but that really doesn't take away from this series' ability to crack a smile on my face at work. I guess my only gripe is that it sometimes appears as if she has some favorite words or a limited vocabulary or perhaps people in England just find these words more common but there is an obtuse overuse of the words incredulous, glower, and one other that I will add in a couple of hours when I remember it. This obviously isn't a big deal but it can make me cringe a little.

Anyways, I work in science and listen to these all day when I don't have to read for work and I'm actually doing lab work and they have improved my enjoyment at work immensely so they come highly recommended by me. Each book is probably about 18-24 hours long off the top of my head so the whole series should take you a while to get through. I hope you enjoy!

Most decidedly curmudgeonly! Yes, that's it. One of the few remaining people on the planet who hadn't read any of the Harry Potter novels and, like Vernon Dursley, my initial reaction to all this wizard and magic rubbish was a very mugglish "stuff and nonsense". I admit it. As I read the first few pages, my initial thoughts were that this was all quite silly. Where had this Harry Potter phenomenon come from and what did everybody see in it?

But then, very quickly actually, JK Rowling, undoubtedly a graduate of Hogwarts herself, began to weave a most hypnotic magical spell and I was hooked. Transported to that child-like garden of delights at Hogwarts - a land of fantasy, witches, warlocks, trolls, spells, potions, charms and, for the readers, total enjoyment and smiles - I fell in love with Harry, Hermione, all of their Gryffindor classmates, and with Dumbledore's paternal wisdom and I cheered wildly as Harry, the team seeker, dove and swooped in quest of the Snitch during their quidditch matches.

There is a benefit, of course, to having waited so long to read my first Harry Potter novel, you know. I've got six to go and now I can pick them up, one after another, just as quickly as I want to with no waiting for years at a time for the next book to be published. Eat your hearts out everyone! I claim membership in the legion of Rowling's happy fans.

Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

I got the UK adult edition to add to my collection that complements the U.S. version. Unlike the U.S. versions however, all UK editions (for adults and children) do not contain chapter art.

I write this review from not only the viewpoint of a mother but also as an avid reader and new JK Rowling fan. I had bought the American (Scholastic) version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for my then 11 year old child several years ago. I, like many other parents, thought it nothing more than a children's book and did not really have much interest in reading it at that time.
It took 7 books and 5 movies, before I began to realize that maybe there was something to the Harry Potter books then just a children's tale. The 5th movie left me with a lot of unanswered and confusing questions to which my 17 year old replied,"If you want to know who, what, where, and when Mom, you NEED to read the books! I'm not going to tell you ANYTHING else!"
So, I picked up her first book and proceeded to read the rest of the books in a matter of two months. By that time, I found myself addicted. These books literally are quite difficult to put down once you start. So here I am with my OWN Harry Potter book for my own collection.
I find the UK version quite similar to the American version with perhaps a change in a handful of words here and there. I'm not sure why they felt the need to have an American version when the UK version reads perfectly fine.
As it was JK Rowlings first venture, I think there a couple of areas which could have been better developed, but otherwise, I find the Philosopher's Stone a great read for readers of all ages with more emphasis to the teenage to adult population. With it's recurrent dark themes, it's definitely NOT a children's book.
I recommend this book and this entire series to anyone who likes to read about a whole new world that exists in our imagination.

This trilogy of books was my introduction to not only Salvatore, but also fantasy-- and also my interest in reading. These stories were well off for a first time reader of Salvatore's style, which jumps from character group to character group at every "story break" (separation of differing story parts in each chapter). That being said, Salvatore drew me into fantasy with these books, but I learned that they were crap.

The good about the books is Drizzt's several journal entries, spaced throughout the book. They show a great deal of character development. Since Salvatore does not come out and say "this made him feel upset" or have Drizzt talk about his feelings in the story, this part was very interesting; instead of reading a page of paragraphs to find out how something affected Drizzt, Salvatore explains it through Drizzt's journal entries. Some people may not like the entries (and that is a matter of taste in what you like to read) but it adds to the story by letting Salvatore keep the characters as they are, not making hardened warriors talk about their feelings through dialog or through paragraphs explaining the character's thoughts.

The action, as well, is very well played out. He became known for his intense battle scenes. The description is very nice in these books. Pages of the stuff and not weak stuff either. You get a blow by blow, not a "they locked swords and pushed. He broke free and slashed at him." These scenes are very descriptive and are nothing like you have read before (unless you read his earlier books).

BUT, that is also the bad in these books. The scenes seem to repeat in these three books. Reading his older works offer a larger variation in battles, but these books seem to be the same formula and the same blows. Added on to the repetition, when one person is killed in battle, it isn't as big of a tear jerker as I think it should have been. Some of the deaths I had to actually reread. It took me five minutes to understand one part because she was skewered then raised into the by the behemoth. And a sentence later, the character that saw this happened just ran off like nothing happened... I didn't like that about most of the deaths that occurred.

Also, the bad is that a lot of his descriptions on what is going on, aren't what is going on. They are full of information, but then it seems that what he said happened contradicts something else... For example(not from the actual books, just my example), "the bubble ran out of the water, up the vacuum and to the surface of the lake. After reaching the surface, it blew up in the water, sending a shockwave from the lake's floor that disturbed the boat on the surface... Stuff like that makes little sense, but it runs rampant in the books.

The biggest thing these books lacked was the ability to make the reader give a hoot. I would speed read pages, skimming over paragraphs for the basic idea, and 50 pages later I would know everything that happened. Some people are into those books-- like Dungeons and Dragons, Eberron, and Forgotten Realms-- but I tend to like the more in depth books rather than books that tell battles of gore. I love those books, of course, that is why I read Salvatore and other select Wizards of the Coasts books, but I don't just want action. If I wanted to gore and violence I'd go to another country, pick up a spear and start killing people with it. I could find a group of other crazies to follow me and that would be more exciting than reading those books. But sadly, this book is only a slight step above that level- one of those steps that is too deep to skip to the next, but doesn't rise high enough to really get anywhere (those steps tick me off. Grandparent Steps =.=)

Salvatore's writing is a good introduction to the genre, assuming you aren't anti- violence, because they are good adventure books, but I would recommend buying his other series (preferably from the first series, The Icewind Dale Trilogy, and working your way up due to the fact-- as I learned-- that it makes a lot more sense seeing how all of the characters grew rather than trying to figure out why some people hate each other.

In the end, these books seem like they should be his first works of writing rather than his most recent. Do yourself a favor and pick up his first works.

One of the best series I have read in a long time. Some people have said that this band of characters is getting old, but I beg to differ. I have already read the "Ork King", which is the first book in the next series. I still think this series is great. Well worth the money for me.

This book is so terribly disappointing - not for just what it is but what it should have been. It appears as though Salvatore may have finally burnt out with respect to this series. Every single battle description makes you feal like you've read the same battle before - many times before. The fight scenes got old very quickly, and I found myself speed reading over them to get to something meatier - but that just never happened. The plot is the weakest of all the Drizzt books, and the last 50 pages seem like they were just thrown together to get the book published. It's all just a setup for another book anyway, which is extremely frustrating. When I finish a monster trilogy like this, I expect some finality, yet the main story arc didn't even have a conclusion! The last 50 pages introduce many side plots for the next series of books, and they all came from nowhere.

I've read every other Drizzt book and enjoyed them, but I think this might be my last. I wish Salvatore well, and I hope he finds something new to be passionate about. It appears that his passion no longer lies with Drizzt and friends. :(

James

The Hunter's Blades Trilogy Collector's Edition (Forgotten Realms)

The Thousand Orcs, The Lone Drow and The Two Swords. 3 great books by R.A. Salvatore. The orc attacks and Drizzt and his friends' reaction and the consequences of it. Great storyline leading to Drizzt's understanding of "What does it mean to be an elf."

"Once more into the breach!" Drizzt Do'Urden must face the consequences of loss when an overwhelming force of orcs decimates the town his friends were trying to defend. Now he is the lone person in the region who can face down the orcs' leader - Obould Many-Arrows - and save the region. But his struggled of grief and pain go back much farther than the recent loss of his friends, but include his father and others. Before Drizzt can face the awesome specter of a reinforced Orc God-king, he must find a way to cleanse his heart.

In addition to the epic fantasy, amazing descriptions of swordplay, and rich cultures, Salvatore does an unparalleled job in portraying the depth of humanity in the soul.

Good detail and a great number of organizations makes this a decent addition to anyone's FR library.

This was a relatively good book, in terms of the FR accessories. Some of the art seemed half-assed (not bad, just rushed), but its the book's content that really shines through here. As a FR Dungeon Master, i had plans to incorporate some evil organizations from what i learned in the Book of Vile Darkness (BUY IT! It's the best D&D book to date), and this book helped a lot.Aside from giving me some solid info on the organizations and characters i had planned on using, it also gave me some ideas for the campaign and quests, among other things. My only big complaint? The PRICE. i didn't get it on Amazon, because i hate waiting for anything (i want everything yesterday, if possible), and it was 24 bucks. Jesus! For a 150-page paperback! Other than that, it's a great book, and a very useful one for FR.

This is one of the FR books you should own. It's excellent, has lots of great prestige classes, depicts major and minor evil organizations in Faêrun, and also describes each organization's most important sites (with site maps and their respective keys, and NPCs). This is really useful, you can insert these sites in any adventure, in any geographical site in the realms, and build an adventure around it. Also, great spells and magic items. You won't regret buying this book, it's simply great!

Wonderfully put together, beautiful maps of the bad guyz' hideouts you can use for anything, the organizations and details on the NPC's can likewise be used with other side treks, etc. I personally look forward to using the Cormanthor Drow Elves and the Cult of the Dragon in my campaign.

Truth be told, you probably have enough information in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting to pass through or conduct simple quests with regard to most of the evil groups of Faerun. All of the organizations in this book are mentioned, with varying detail, in the campaign. They are also described in Forgotten Realms novels, so if you have read a great deal of those, you might not need this accessory.

If you want to get into real detail with the powers of darkness and haven't read that much fiction, then this is the book to have. Even if you have done your homework, there's quite a lot of original material in here. As an example, if you'd like to actually visit the City of Shade, Lord of Darkness contains a wealth of information about how you would describe it. The campaign provides more simple demographics and locations than in-depth detail, so this is most welcome. There are also new encounters, weapons, and spells for the organizations, as well as some pre-made dungeons to explore. Specific points of interest in lands held by the enemy are also noted, as well as details on particular leaders of each order.

In all, every major evil organization is covered, as well as a host of lesser ones. Lords of Darkness has enough info about how they operate and what they look like to give a DM totally unacquainted with the FR setting the capability to correctly portray enemies and guide adventurers through enemy territory.