1. Death Star
2. Clone Wars - K. Travis
3. Shadows of Mindor
4. Millennium Falcon
5. Well of Stars - Robert Reed
6. Starship Pirate - Resnick
7. Crystal Skull
8. Troy: Shield of Thunder - Gemmel
9. Fool's Errand: Tawny Man trilogy - Hobb
10. Farseer Trilogy.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Armegeddon's Children by Terry Brooks
Why have I never heard of Terry Brooks. The Swords of Shannara, published in 1977, was the first sci-fi novel to break into the New York Times Bestseller list. It spent 5 months on the list and is considered by some of today's top authors to be one of the best science fiction novels of the 21st century. I can't believe this book, and this author has not caught my attention until now. But, better late than never. This book is simply amazing. Although there is a lot of back story and characters that I am not familiar with (Armegeddon's Children being one of Terry's most recent novels), I'm glad that I read this one first. It states on the books flaps that it is a good book for new readers of Terry Brooks to be introduced to his work and worlds.
The book features a world which is destroyed by humanity. The ultimate destruction that we as humans know we are capable of. Human beings are the only species that posses the ability, and desire some would argue, to destroy itself. And Terry Brooks does a masterful job of bringing a world where human excesses bring the about the destruction of the world.
Desolate country landscapes. Burnt out and abandoned apartment buildings and city streets. Gutted buildings and empty stores provide the setting for this amazing story. The plot mainly focuses on three factions: Logan Tom, a Knight of the Word who has been been given the task to find humanity's only hope; the Gypsy Morph. This Gypsy Morph is the off-spring of characters that have appeared in Brook's older novels: Nest Freemark and John Ross. The story of Angel Perez is also told. She is a Knight of the Word and is also given a task. Her's is to find the ancient and secret race of the Elves and try to protect them from the coming doom.
The other character who's story is told is a boy named Hawk. This is a very interesting part of Terry's world. Hawk is the leader of what is called 'street kids' in this post-apoctolyptic world and has carved out a 'family' in the city and refuses to be holed up and confined in settlements which are being built and erected in all the major sporting arenas around the country. For example, Safeco Field is used as one compound which is where Hawk's friend and beloved Teresea lives. The story is the first in what is to be a trilogy. I'm looking forward to reading the next volume, which I just picked up at the library, called the Elves of Cintra. This book will follow Logan Tom and the Ghosts (Hawk's family) hunt for Hawk, also introduced briefly in Armegeddon's Children were the Evles of Cintra, so this next book will delve deeper into that story and Angel's fight with the demon that's been chasing her relentlessly across country.
This story is deep, well written and easy to read. That's what was the most surprising about this book. Is how flawlessly and effortlessly it flowed. It was a joy to read, and Terry's prose is brilliant. I still am disappointed that it's taken me so long to discover Terry Brooks, but I'm certainly glad to have found him now and am looking forward to reading his other novels. Particularly, Running with The Demon, The Swords of Shannara, and The Elves of Cintra. Running with the Demons, is considered by some to be one of the 10 best science fiction novels written in the 20th century. That's quite a claim. And I can't see a book with that sort of recognition being too bad. So, here's to Terry Brooks and the wonderful stories he's given us. And, here's to the wonderful world of science fiction. Which has given us stories such as Star Wars, Battlestar Gallactica, etc. I will write a review and some rantings on the Elves of Cintra and Running with Demons when I finish them. Unti then, keep reading the sci-fi.
Sweet River....
The book features a world which is destroyed by humanity. The ultimate destruction that we as humans know we are capable of. Human beings are the only species that posses the ability, and desire some would argue, to destroy itself. And Terry Brooks does a masterful job of bringing a world where human excesses bring the about the destruction of the world.
Desolate country landscapes. Burnt out and abandoned apartment buildings and city streets. Gutted buildings and empty stores provide the setting for this amazing story. The plot mainly focuses on three factions: Logan Tom, a Knight of the Word who has been been given the task to find humanity's only hope; the Gypsy Morph. This Gypsy Morph is the off-spring of characters that have appeared in Brook's older novels: Nest Freemark and John Ross. The story of Angel Perez is also told. She is a Knight of the Word and is also given a task. Her's is to find the ancient and secret race of the Elves and try to protect them from the coming doom.
The other character who's story is told is a boy named Hawk. This is a very interesting part of Terry's world. Hawk is the leader of what is called 'street kids' in this post-apoctolyptic world and has carved out a 'family' in the city and refuses to be holed up and confined in settlements which are being built and erected in all the major sporting arenas around the country. For example, Safeco Field is used as one compound which is where Hawk's friend and beloved Teresea lives. The story is the first in what is to be a trilogy. I'm looking forward to reading the next volume, which I just picked up at the library, called the Elves of Cintra. This book will follow Logan Tom and the Ghosts (Hawk's family) hunt for Hawk, also introduced briefly in Armegeddon's Children were the Evles of Cintra, so this next book will delve deeper into that story and Angel's fight with the demon that's been chasing her relentlessly across country.
This story is deep, well written and easy to read. That's what was the most surprising about this book. Is how flawlessly and effortlessly it flowed. It was a joy to read, and Terry's prose is brilliant. I still am disappointed that it's taken me so long to discover Terry Brooks, but I'm certainly glad to have found him now and am looking forward to reading his other novels. Particularly, Running with The Demon, The Swords of Shannara, and The Elves of Cintra. Running with the Demons, is considered by some to be one of the 10 best science fiction novels written in the 20th century. That's quite a claim. And I can't see a book with that sort of recognition being too bad. So, here's to Terry Brooks and the wonderful stories he's given us. And, here's to the wonderful world of science fiction. Which has given us stories such as Star Wars, Battlestar Gallactica, etc. I will write a review and some rantings on the Elves of Cintra and Running with Demons when I finish them. Unti then, keep reading the sci-fi.
Sweet River....
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Review for The Halfling's Gem
Tolkien rip off or not, the Icewind Dale (Or Forgotten Realms) trilogy is spectacular. It has everything a fantasy fan wants in a novel; Elves, Dwarves, Creatures, magic, wizards, and adventure.
The main characters of the story, as in Lord of the Rings, are a fellowship. They protect each other, learn from each other, and would risk their lives at a moments notice. Although it has a lot of likeness to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, there are a lot of differences. One in particular that I enjoyed, is the story of Bruenor Battlehammer. This dwarf, the heir to the throne of the long lost Mithral Hall, is the mentor of the Barbarian Wulfgar, and the father figure to an adopted human female named Catti-brie. And the relationship he shares with both of these characters is well developed and has a lot of depth. In particular, the story of how Bruenor met Wulfgar is so cool.
Wulfgar is from a Barbarian tribe who live on the harsh, cold plains of Icewind Dale. During a battle between Wulfgar's Barbarian's tribe and the dwarf, Bruenor comes across an injured Wulfgar who is helpless to defend himself. Instead of taking the expected course of action, which would be to slay Wulfgar where he lay, Bruenor instead decides that he will take this kid (although Wulfgar is a barbarian and huge in size, he is still very young) and teach him the way of the dwarves, elves, humans, and other people of the Forgotten Realms. His intentions is to rid Wulfgar of his narrow-mindedness and prejudices. After years of training and serving under Bruenor, the two become close friends and Wulfgar contiously learns valuable lessons througout the trilogy.
The main character, the beloved Drizzt Do'Urden, really shines in this book. His battle prowress, elven powers, and drow abilities make him an unlikely hero, but one who is easy to empathize with and admire. His mind is fixed on tracking down the assassin Artemis Entreri, the one who kidnapped the half-ling Regis in Mithral Hall. Drizzt fought Entreri briefly in the catwalks and chambers of the caverns of Mithral Hall, but did not come to victory. Drizzt, so surprised to see a human who was able to match his agility, skill with a sword, and ability to move quicly unnerves him and he goes on a long journey to not only rescue Regis, but to have a final confrontation with Entrerir. The reader does find out later in the book ***spoiler*** that Drizzt's fight is more with himself than with Entreri. He cannot understand why Entreri choose the life of an assassin and shows no remorse, cruelty, and no mercy. Drizzt on the other hand, coming from a land where most of the drow elves were like Entreri, has found compassion, understanding, patience, and love. So, to Drizzt, he sees in Entreri what he might have turned out like.
This book is a great conclusion to a fantastic trilogy. I'm looking forward to reading the first three books which tells the story of Drizzt in Menzoberranzan and how he came to the surface. Until then, pick up this trilogy, I see on Amazon a new collector's edition is coming out with illustrations, full color paintings ( I saw one of Guenwyhvar and it's awesome), and a foreward by R.A. Salvatore.
The main characters of the story, as in Lord of the Rings, are a fellowship. They protect each other, learn from each other, and would risk their lives at a moments notice. Although it has a lot of likeness to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, there are a lot of differences. One in particular that I enjoyed, is the story of Bruenor Battlehammer. This dwarf, the heir to the throne of the long lost Mithral Hall, is the mentor of the Barbarian Wulfgar, and the father figure to an adopted human female named Catti-brie. And the relationship he shares with both of these characters is well developed and has a lot of depth. In particular, the story of how Bruenor met Wulfgar is so cool.
Wulfgar is from a Barbarian tribe who live on the harsh, cold plains of Icewind Dale. During a battle between Wulfgar's Barbarian's tribe and the dwarf, Bruenor comes across an injured Wulfgar who is helpless to defend himself. Instead of taking the expected course of action, which would be to slay Wulfgar where he lay, Bruenor instead decides that he will take this kid (although Wulfgar is a barbarian and huge in size, he is still very young) and teach him the way of the dwarves, elves, humans, and other people of the Forgotten Realms. His intentions is to rid Wulfgar of his narrow-mindedness and prejudices. After years of training and serving under Bruenor, the two become close friends and Wulfgar contiously learns valuable lessons througout the trilogy.
The main character, the beloved Drizzt Do'Urden, really shines in this book. His battle prowress, elven powers, and drow abilities make him an unlikely hero, but one who is easy to empathize with and admire. His mind is fixed on tracking down the assassin Artemis Entreri, the one who kidnapped the half-ling Regis in Mithral Hall. Drizzt fought Entreri briefly in the catwalks and chambers of the caverns of Mithral Hall, but did not come to victory. Drizzt, so surprised to see a human who was able to match his agility, skill with a sword, and ability to move quicly unnerves him and he goes on a long journey to not only rescue Regis, but to have a final confrontation with Entrerir. The reader does find out later in the book ***spoiler*** that Drizzt's fight is more with himself than with Entreri. He cannot understand why Entreri choose the life of an assassin and shows no remorse, cruelty, and no mercy. Drizzt on the other hand, coming from a land where most of the drow elves were like Entreri, has found compassion, understanding, patience, and love. So, to Drizzt, he sees in Entreri what he might have turned out like.
This book is a great conclusion to a fantastic trilogy. I'm looking forward to reading the first three books which tells the story of Drizzt in Menzoberranzan and how he came to the surface. Until then, pick up this trilogy, I see on Amazon a new collector's edition is coming out with illustrations, full color paintings ( I saw one of Guenwyhvar and it's awesome), and a foreward by R.A. Salvatore.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Han Solo Trilogy - Hutt's Gambit
Surprisingly, I found this book in my cellar. It must've been my brother's? I don't recall ever buying it or picking it up anywhere. But, "The Hutt's Gambit", by AC Crispen turned out to be a great, fast moving, book that captured the Star Wars 'feel' better than any other book I've read lately. The worlds, characters, weapons, and vehicles were all described in such a way that it reminded me of the original films. The aura or Star Wars was evident right from the first page of this book. The story was interesting and had enough action, twists, and plot to keep me hooked and turning the pages.
My favorite part of this book was the beginning when Chewbacca and Han Solo are getting to know each other. Han has yet to take Chewie on as his partner, and Chewie is insistent on paying a 'life debt' to Han for saving his life. The incident where Han saves Chewbacca's life is played out in the first book of the series. The story opens with Han and Chewie in a bar on Coruscant and the dynamics between them are fun and provide lots of memorable moments. It's great, as a long time Star Wars fan, to see this relationship begin and how it grows into an unshakable friendship and loyal partnership.
The characters are believable and I like how the Hutt's are depicted and take on a lead role in the story. Crispen does a masterful job creating the Hutt's home world of Nal Hutta and bringing the Smuggler's Moon, Nar Shadda, to life. The grimy streets, dark alleys, and shady thugs who populate the city are all described in clever, but easy to read prose. I never felt lost while reading this book. Crispin does not overdue his descriptive writing, which many times with other authors will cause me to have to reread a paragraph a couple of times just to make sure I understand what is being said.
This book shines as a Star Wars novel. It does 'Star Wars' better than any recent SW book that I can remember and I would recommend it to starwars fans and non fans alike. Although, Star Wars fans are sure to enjoy it much more. Especially scenes that any fan would be thrilled to see: Han and Lando meeting for the first time. Han's first run in with Boba Fett. The illustrious Jabba the Hutt is introduced. Chewbacca and Hans partnership beginning and flourishing and the two becoming close friends.
My favorite part of this book was the beginning when Chewbacca and Han Solo are getting to know each other. Han has yet to take Chewie on as his partner, and Chewie is insistent on paying a 'life debt' to Han for saving his life. The incident where Han saves Chewbacca's life is played out in the first book of the series. The story opens with Han and Chewie in a bar on Coruscant and the dynamics between them are fun and provide lots of memorable moments. It's great, as a long time Star Wars fan, to see this relationship begin and how it grows into an unshakable friendship and loyal partnership.
The characters are believable and I like how the Hutt's are depicted and take on a lead role in the story. Crispen does a masterful job creating the Hutt's home world of Nal Hutta and bringing the Smuggler's Moon, Nar Shadda, to life. The grimy streets, dark alleys, and shady thugs who populate the city are all described in clever, but easy to read prose. I never felt lost while reading this book. Crispin does not overdue his descriptive writing, which many times with other authors will cause me to have to reread a paragraph a couple of times just to make sure I understand what is being said.
This book shines as a Star Wars novel. It does 'Star Wars' better than any recent SW book that I can remember and I would recommend it to starwars fans and non fans alike. Although, Star Wars fans are sure to enjoy it much more. Especially scenes that any fan would be thrilled to see: Han and Lando meeting for the first time. Han's first run in with Boba Fett. The illustrious Jabba the Hutt is introduced. Chewbacca and Hans partnership beginning and flourishing and the two becoming close friends.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Review for 'The Blade Itself'
An absolute gem. This was one of the best books I've read in the last few years. The characters were memorable, likable, and complex. The story was intriguing and engrossing. But, the best thing, as well as the most unexpected, that I enjoyed about this book was the humor. It has a dry, witty type of irony that made me laugh out loud on more than a couple of occasions. My favorite character, at least the funniest and most entertaining, is Jezal. A noble born captain, he often fumbles with his self-confidence and provides some hilarious moments for the reader. The other characters were just as expertly developed and possess a depth that will touch the reader.
The good news is 'The Blade Itself' is the first part of a trilogy. I can't wait to read the next two installments. If they are anything like this one, then I'm sure the next two novels will also rank among my favorites.
The good news is 'The Blade Itself' is the first part of a trilogy. I can't wait to read the next two installments. If they are anything like this one, then I'm sure the next two novels will also rank among my favorites.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Review of 'The Jester' by Patterson and Cross
What a delightful surprise. I picked this book up on a whim at the local library, something I normally don't do. Most of the time, I stick to the list of books I want to read and don't stray. But, luckily, the cover grabbed my attention (a 10th century castle, Crusades era) and the synopsis sounded interesting. And it certainly delivered. In both story, characters, and suspense. Many of the authors that I've been reading lately seem to be over ambitious in there desire to use paragraph after paragraph to describe landscape, skies, trees, etc. A sometimes cumbersome prose that is distracting to me and takes me away from the actual story. But, Patterson and Cross deliver a straight, no nonsense style of writing that keeps the story flowing and the pages turning. A refreshing diversion from the normal weighty, descriptive writing that I've been used to.
The main Character, Hugh de Luc, is a simple man in a world of nobles, kings, chatelaines, and Dukes. After taking up the Cross and heading off to fight in the Crusades, Hugh becomes discouraged by what he sees in the 'Holy' war and finds that he does not believe in what he is fighting for and that all he wants is to see his beloved wife. With his mind made up, he heads back home only to find that his village has been raided and his inn burned and plundered. But, worse, his wife has been captured (and believed murdered) and his newborn son, who he has never seen, brutally slain. The townspeople try to convince Hugh that his wife is dead, but nobody actually seen her die or has found her body. Driven by rage, revenge, and despair, Hugh sets out to find his wife at the castle of Baldwin, duke of Boree.
The story has many plot turns, action, 10th century warfare, and suspense. Not once did I feel bored, confused, or that the story was drifting from it's primary focus; Hugh de Luc's mission to avenge his wife and son. Under the pretext of a Jester, Hugh is able to infiltrate the Duke's court and gain access to the castle.
Although Hugh finds more despair, treachery, and brutal slaughter during his travels, he also finds love, honor, pride, and a lot of friends who are willing to stand up for what they believe in and help Hugh.
This book has a great story, keeps the story moving, has plenty of action and is perfect for anyone who enjoys seeing the underdog triumph. I give 'The Jester' a solid 8 out of 10 stars!!
The main Character, Hugh de Luc, is a simple man in a world of nobles, kings, chatelaines, and Dukes. After taking up the Cross and heading off to fight in the Crusades, Hugh becomes discouraged by what he sees in the 'Holy' war and finds that he does not believe in what he is fighting for and that all he wants is to see his beloved wife. With his mind made up, he heads back home only to find that his village has been raided and his inn burned and plundered. But, worse, his wife has been captured (and believed murdered) and his newborn son, who he has never seen, brutally slain. The townspeople try to convince Hugh that his wife is dead, but nobody actually seen her die or has found her body. Driven by rage, revenge, and despair, Hugh sets out to find his wife at the castle of Baldwin, duke of Boree.
The story has many plot turns, action, 10th century warfare, and suspense. Not once did I feel bored, confused, or that the story was drifting from it's primary focus; Hugh de Luc's mission to avenge his wife and son. Under the pretext of a Jester, Hugh is able to infiltrate the Duke's court and gain access to the castle.
Although Hugh finds more despair, treachery, and brutal slaughter during his travels, he also finds love, honor, pride, and a lot of friends who are willing to stand up for what they believe in and help Hugh.
This book has a great story, keeps the story moving, has plenty of action and is perfect for anyone who enjoys seeing the underdog triumph. I give 'The Jester' a solid 8 out of 10 stars!!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker
I've been a Clive Barker fan for sooo long. I remember when his book Everville came out, I was so excited and I read it in like 3 days. And I was not disappointed. Nor was I when I read the Books of Blood, Weaveworld, Cabal, Sacrament, The Hellbound Heart, and others. But, I must say that Mister B. Gone was close to being disappointing. It wasn't a totally bad book, and it's possible that my review is influenced by the many bad reviews I've read on Amazon.com, but I just couldn't get into it as much as I did his other novels.
One thing though, is the idea and concept of this book is amazing. The book had the potential to be a whole lot better than it was. It was also very short and there wasn't much to the story. But, with all that said, I actually did enjoy the book. I thought the lead character Jakabok was pretty interesting and believable. He tells the story from first person, which I enjoy, and we can really get into his head. I thought his descriptions of his childhood, growing up in hell, and his parents were good. And, I enjoyed the relationship between Mister B. and his demon friend Quinntoon. So, although there are some things about this book that I found disappointing, mostly the story itself seemed a bit anticlimatic, and too much ranting and pleading by the demon author, it was very good in other aspects. I would give it a 7 out of 10.
One thing though, is the idea and concept of this book is amazing. The book had the potential to be a whole lot better than it was. It was also very short and there wasn't much to the story. But, with all that said, I actually did enjoy the book. I thought the lead character Jakabok was pretty interesting and believable. He tells the story from first person, which I enjoy, and we can really get into his head. I thought his descriptions of his childhood, growing up in hell, and his parents were good. And, I enjoyed the relationship between Mister B. and his demon friend Quinntoon. So, although there are some things about this book that I found disappointing, mostly the story itself seemed a bit anticlimatic, and too much ranting and pleading by the demon author, it was very good in other aspects. I would give it a 7 out of 10.
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