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Review Date: 3/29/2007
It's a planet ripe for a new vision-of a glorious past that once was, and could be again. Andrei Mironenko, a powerful magnate in the Star republic, believes the pristine planet of Belarus is uninhabited and unspoiled.
He didn't dig deep enough.
He didn't dig deep enough.
Review Date: 3/29/2007
Naval SF is the common theme in this solid collection consisting of a short novel, Ms. Midshipwoman Harrington, and three stories, all set in the same universe that Weber (Ashes of Victory) created for his popular series heroine, Honor Harrington. In the novel, Honor is now a midshipman in the Royal Manticoran navy (which sails space, not the sea) on her "snotty" cruise. This trip will determine whether Honor will keep her commission or flunk out of the naval academy as a complete failure. Along for the ride is her constant companion, Nimitz, a tree cat who has bonded with Honor and now is able to share emotions and some empathic ability. Unfortunately, someone who has a grudge against Honor has manipulated the crew roster to include Elvis Santino as her training officer. Besides having the power to ax Honor's career without moving a muscle, Mr. Santino has a real problem with people who are smarter than he is and that definitely includes Ms. Harrington. The outlook for Honor is bleak, to say the least. Like the novel, the three stand-alone stories, which are only lighted connected to Honor, have the flavor of C.S. Forester's Hornblower books.
Review Date: 4/6/2007
Helpful Score: 2
Most people have a pet at least once in their lives, and the experience makes an impact on them - the caring, trust, love and tenderness affects how the person lives and grows. This book is full of stories of pets that had profound impacts on their owners lives, and how the owners experienced joy and sorrow as their pets grew and died. A great book for anyone with a furry companion, or even those with feathery, scaly, or slimy ones!
Review Date: 3/29/2007
Sookie Stackhouse is having man trouble. Her vampire boyfriend, Bill, has been distant and inattentive lately. Then he announces that he is going on a business trip, which clearly is more than it seems. After a werewolf tries to abduct Sookie at work, Bill's boss, Eric, tells her that Bill fell under the sway of his--Bill's, that is--ex, a sexy vamp named Lorena, and has been kidnapped. Eric wants Sookie's help in getting Bill back, and despite her hurt over Bill's betrayal, Sookie agrees to go to Jackson, Mississippi, to find her wayward lover. Eric has persuaded Alcide, a dashing werewolf, to get Sookie access to Josephine's, aka Club Dead, the local hangout of Jackson's supernatural element. In between dodging kidnappers, the advances of amorous Eric, and her growing feelings for Alcide, Sookie has to find out who kidnapped Bill and figure out a way to rescue him. With some droll touches--Elvis, now a vampire, is Sookie's faithful guard --Club Dead is ideal for readers who like their vampire fiction light, humorous, and fast-paced.
Review Date: 3/29/2007
With The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown masterfully concocts an intelligent and lucid thriller that marries the gusto of an international murder mystery with a collection of fascinating esoteria culled from 2,000 years of Western history.
A murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle. The duo become both suspects and detectives searching for not only Neveu's grandfather's murderer but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect. Mere steps ahead of the authorities and the deadly competition, the mystery leads Neveu and Langdon on a breathless flight through France, England, and history itself. Brown (Angels and Demons) has created a page-turning thriller that also provides an amazing interpretation of Western history. Brown's hero and heroine embark on a lofty and intriguing exploration of some of Western culture's greatest mysteries--from the nature of the Mona Lisa's smile to the secret of the Holy Grail. Though some will quibble with the veracity of Brown's conjectures, therein lies the fun. The Da Vinci Code is an enthralling read that provides rich food for thought.
A murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle. The duo become both suspects and detectives searching for not only Neveu's grandfather's murderer but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect. Mere steps ahead of the authorities and the deadly competition, the mystery leads Neveu and Langdon on a breathless flight through France, England, and history itself. Brown (Angels and Demons) has created a page-turning thriller that also provides an amazing interpretation of Western history. Brown's hero and heroine embark on a lofty and intriguing exploration of some of Western culture's greatest mysteries--from the nature of the Mona Lisa's smile to the secret of the Holy Grail. Though some will quibble with the veracity of Brown's conjectures, therein lies the fun. The Da Vinci Code is an enthralling read that provides rich food for thought.
Review Date: 5/10/2007
Helpful Score: 6
In 1865 Boston, not many people spoke Italian. It was much more popular for people to study Latin and Greek; the classic works in these languages were common reading for students and academics. But the small circle of literati in Pearl's inventive novel is bent on translating and publishing Dante's Divine Comedy so that all Americans may learn of the writer's genius. As this group of scholars, poets, publishers and professors readies the manuscript, much more exciting doings are happening outside their circle. The Boston police are hot on the trail of a series of murders taking place around town. In one, a priest is buried alive, his feet set on fire; in another, a man's body is eaten by maggots. It doesn't take a rocket scientist-only a Dante expert-to realize these murders are based on Dante's Inferno and its account of Hell's punishments. Scholars become snoopers, and the Dante Club is soon on the scene, investigating the crimes and trying to find the killer. A tad unlikely, but it makes for a terrific story. Gaines gives an stirring performance, nimbly portraying some of the "Hah-vad" professors' "Bah-ston" accents and impressively reading the Italian passages from Dante's work. Although it's sometimes hard to differentiate between the various characters-after awhile each stuffy Bostonian begins to sound alike-Gaines nonetheless amuses and, via Pearl's historical references, educates.
Review Date: 3/29/2007
Having an affair with a vampire has one main benefit for Sookie. Her predilection for reading minds doesn't seem to work with him. But as is common with vampires, violence follows in his wake, and she becomes afraid that she might be more than just a spectator.
Review Date: 3/29/2007
Helpful Score: 1
Julian Class is a full-time professor and part-time combat veteran who spends a third of each month virtually wired to a robotic "soldierboy." The soldierboys, along with flyboys and other advanced constructs, allow the U.S. to wage a remotely controlled war against constant uprisings in the Third World. The conflicts are largely driven by the so-called First World countries' access to nanoforges--devices that can almost instantly manufacture any product imaginable, given the proper raw materials--and the Third World countries' lack of access to these devices. But even as Julian learns that the consensual reality shared by soldierboy operators can lead to universal peace, the nanoforges create a way for humanity to utterly destroy itself, and it will be a race against time to see which will happen first. Although Forever Peace bears a title similar to Joe Haldeman's classic novel The Forever War, he says it's not a sequel.
Review Date: 3/29/2007
Helpful Score: 1
Say you've spent the first 10 years of your life sleeping under the stairs of a family who loathes you. Then, in an absurd, magical twist of fate you find yourself surrounded by wizards, a caged snowy owl, a phoenix-feather wand, and jellybeans that come in every flavor, including strawberry, curry, grass, and sardine. Not only that, but you discover that you are a wizard yourself! This is exactly what happens to young Harry Potter in J.K. Rowling's enchanting, funny debut novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. In the nonmagic human world--the world of "Muggles"--Harry is a nobody, treated like dirt by the aunt and uncle who begrudgingly inherited him when his parents were killed by the evil Voldemort. But in the world of wizards, small, skinny Harry is famous as a survivor of the wizard who tried to kill him. He is left only with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, curiously refined sensibilities, and a host of mysterious powers to remind him that he's quite, yes, altogether different from his aunt, uncle, and spoiled, piglike cousin Dudley.
A mysterious letter, delivered by the friendly giant Hagrid, wrenches Harry from his dreary, Muggle-ridden existence: "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Of course, Uncle Vernon yells most unpleasantly, "I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" Soon enough, however, Harry finds himself at Hogwarts with his owl Hedwig... and that's where the real adventure--humorous, haunting, and suspenseful--begins.
A mysterious letter, delivered by the friendly giant Hagrid, wrenches Harry from his dreary, Muggle-ridden existence: "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Of course, Uncle Vernon yells most unpleasantly, "I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" Soon enough, however, Harry finds himself at Hogwarts with his owl Hedwig... and that's where the real adventure--humorous, haunting, and suspenseful--begins.
Review Date: 3/29/2007
When a vampire asks Sookie Stackhouse to use her telepathic skills to find another missing vampire, she agrees under one condition: the bloodsuckers must promise to let the humans go unharmed.
Review Date: 3/29/2007
Into the cyber-hip world of William Gibson comes Mona, a young girl with a murky past and an uncertain future whose life is on a collision course with internationally famous Sense/Net star Angie Mitchell. Since childhood, Angie has been able to tap into cyberspace without a computer. Now, from inside cyberspace, a kidnapping plot is masterminded by a phantom entity who has plans for Mona, Angie, and all humanity, plans that cannot be controlled...or even known. And behind the intrigue lurks the shadowy Yakuza, the powerful Japanese underworld, whose leaders ruthlessly manipulate people and events to suit their own purposes.
Review Date: 5/10/2007
In just a few short years, David Weber has shot to the forefront of science fiction with his top-selling novels of Honor Harrington, the toughest, smartest starship captain in the galaxy. Now two more military SF world beaters join him in Honor's universe, bringing their own celebrated skills in this homage to Honor Harrington.
Review Date: 3/29/2007
Helpful Score: 1
The creator of sf series heroine Honor Harrington turns successfully to fantasy. Bahzell is a prince of the Hradni, an outsize humanoid race prone to berserk rages. Due to a variety of circumstances, he becomes obliged to flee into regular humans' lands where Hradni are understandably unpopular. He and his companion survive a series of briskly paced adventures in a world Weber builds with a nice eye for detail, above-average knowledge of history, and a pleasing amount of wit. Moreover, the book's ending neither requires nor precludes a sequel. At the moment, Weber is not on a course to high honors or academic reputation but rather is emerging as a consistent producer of highly entertaining and intelligent action tales
Review Date: 4/6/2007
Sci-Fi and Horror are blended to excellent result in this collection of 10 short stories, featuring telepaths, ghosts, strange life forms, and very imaginative worlds. The standouts were "With Morning Comes Mistfall", "Override", and the Hugo Award-Winning title-story, "A Song For Lya", but in truth- there wasn't a bad apple in the bunch.
Review Date: 4/6/2007
The third volume of the high fantasy saga that began with A Game of Thrones and continued in A Clash of Kings is one of the more rewarding examples of gigantism in contemporary fantasy. As Martin's richly imagined world slides closer to its 10-year winter, both the weather and the warfare worsen. In the north, King Joffrey of House Lannister sits uneasily on the Iron Throne. With the aid of a peasant wench, Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer, escapes from jail in Riverrun. Jaime goes to the other youthful ruler, Robb Stark, to secure the release of Joffrey's prisoners, Robb's sisters Arya and Sansa Stark. Meanwhile, in the south, Queen Daenarys tries to assert her claim to the various thrones with an army of eunuchs, but discovers that she must choose between conquering more and ruling well what she has already taken. The complexity of characters such as Daenarys, Arya and the Kingslayer will keep readers turning even the vast number of pages contained in this volume, for the author, like Tolkien or Jordan, makes us care about their fates. Those two fantasy greats are also evoked by Martin's ability to convey such sensual experiences as the heat of wildfire, the chill of ice, the smell of the sea and the sheer gargantuan indigestibility of the medieval banquet at its most excessive.
Review Date: 3/29/2007
In their third adventure (after Teklords ) set in the 22nd century, private detective Jack Cardigan and sidekick Sid Gomez are once again fighting the evil and omnipotent Teklords. A serial killer who calls himself the Unknown Soldier is stalking and executing people whom he perceives as war criminals. The wife of the latest victim thinks her husband was murdered by a copycat assassin at Teklord command, and she hires the detectives to find the Teklord killer. The story goes rapidly downhill as the villains, miraculously aware of the detectives' plans, calmly kill off the witnesses but only try to scare Cardigan away. Nor is the reader distracted from the flaws in the plot by the depiction of earth in 2120: a sprinkling of buzzwords does not paint a foreign culture. There are so many cameo appearances and short sidetracks that all tension is drained from the main story line. What little resolution there is comes not from the efforts of the heroes but from unmotivated mistakes on the part of the Teklords.
Review Date: 3/29/2007
Ex-policeman Jake Cardigan continues his vendetta against the powerful distributors of the insidious drug known as Tek in this sequel to TekWar ( LJ 8/89). As an unknown virus controlled by the drug lords threatens 22nd-century Los Angeles, Cardigan battles programmed assassins and intransigent authorities to prevent a disaster of worldwide proportions. Fast-paced action, high-tech gloss, and a dash of romance combine to establish Shatner as a capable proponent of the hard-boiled school of sf action/adventure.
Review Date: 3/29/2007
Helpful Score: 1
n his first novel, Shatner delivers a hard-boiled private eye story set against a science-fiction background. The erstwhile "Captain Kirk" of Star Trek fame takes us to the 22nd century where many of the technical trappings of society have changed drastically, but politics and attitudes remain the same. Some of Shatner's projections are likely (newspapers and magazines published by fax), some are improbable (androids so human-like that most people can't tell the difference) and some are the same old thing (a missing scientist with the standard-issue beautiful daughter). Ex-cop Jake Cardigan has been sentenced to 15 years in a controlled coma on an orbiting penal colony after being framed for dealing "Tek," an addictive, computerized mind-altering drug. Mysteriously released after only four years, he is hired by a detective agency to find the missing scientist, a task involving a trip to a Mexico torn by civil war to question his former lover, the beautiful rebel leader known as "Warbride." Accompanied by an android of the scientist's missing daughter and torn by the growing evidence that his ex-wife is involved not only in the present case but also his framing, Cardigan fends off attacks by maniacal cyborgs and other futuristic menances. While the writing is awkward in spots, the pace is unrelenting.
Review Date: 3/29/2007
(Collection of Short Stories)
In this special collection, Cadigan presents the cyberpunk world, in which reality and virtual reality intersect. The growing impact of the Internet on our sense of community, the seduction of a world behind the screen, and the inherent dangers of a society in which any information can be hacked, stolen, and sold are some of the topics explored by our best cyberpunk writers.
In this special collection, Cadigan presents the cyberpunk world, in which reality and virtual reality intersect. The growing impact of the Internet on our sense of community, the seduction of a world behind the screen, and the inherent dangers of a society in which any information can be hacked, stolen, and sold are some of the topics explored by our best cyberpunk writers.
Review Date: 4/6/2007
The author of Neuromancer takes you to the vividly realized near future of 2005. Welcome to NoCal and SoCal, the uneasy sister-states of what used to be California. Here the millennium has come and gone, leaving in its wake only stunned survivors. In Los Angeles, Berry Rydell is a former armed-response rentacop now working for a bounty hunter. Chevette Washington is a bicycle messenger turned pick-pocket who impulsively snatches a pair of innocent-looking sunglasses. But these are no ordinary shades. What you can see through these high-tech specs can make you rich--or get you killed. Now Berry and Chevette are on the run, zeroing in on the digitalized heart of DatAmerica, where pure information is the greatest high. And a mind can be a terrible thing to crash.
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