( M ) Books - Page 14

Promethea (Book 3)

Alan Moore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Promethea Book 3: Trippy Occult Comics 4 out of 5 stars.
9 of 15 people found this review helpful.

I liked this 3rd volume better than the first two. The first volume, largely a tale of superheroics, tends to put you in mind of Wonder Woman. But by this volume, the story has morphed into a Madame Blavatsky/Theosophical Society-type occultic quest story. Two of the Prometheas set out to find the older, fatter Promethea's dead husband in the afterworld. They ascend several of the 10 nodes in the Kabbalist Sefiroth, each of which corresponds to a plane of reality. They run into Greek and Hindu Gods, Aleister Crowley, Death, various demons, and so forth. So there's a bunch of discussion about magic and metaphysics along the way, that sort of thing.

The visuals contain several nice special effects, including a moebius-strip path (with inverted and sideways word balloons) and a set of rotating panels that can be read clockwise or counterclockwise. I guess it's nothing exactly BRILLIANT, but the book demonstrates some neat things you can do with comicbook graphics that you can't do with film or prose. I think PROMETHEA has the best artwork in any of the ABC Alan Moore series.

Some readers might be disappointed by the relative lack of conflict in the story (compared to, say, the first volume). This is more of an exploration/discovery thing, and a pretty druggy one at that. A little irritating in a few places, but I thought it was kind of cool.

Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle

David Michelinie

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Worth it for nostalgia's sake 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

One of the most important moments in Iron Man's history occurs in Demon in a Bottle, which makes it worth picking up for nostalgia's sake if nothing else. While villain Justin Hammer rears his ugly head, Tony "Iron Man" Stark takes on his toughest opponent: alcoholism. While David Michelinie (who's run on the title is the closest thing Iron Man ever had to a definitive writer) attempts to give a powerful/human story here, the issue gets resolved way too quickly for anyone to consider it believable. Not to mention that the book comes off as quite dated thanks to the atrocious dialogue and overall lame conflict and storyline. Despite that though, Demon in a Bottle marks a historic moment in the Iron Man mythos, and the artwork from Bob Layton and John Romita Jr. isn't bad either. All in all, Demon in a Bottle is worth picking up for nostalgia's sake alone for Iron Man fans, but all others should proceed with caution.

Editorial Review:

Iron Man faces his most untouchable foe in criminal industrialist Justin Hammer and his literal army of super-villains! But can the Armored Avenger overcome an even more implacable personal demon, invulnerable to technology or wealth? Guest-starring Ant-Man and the Sub-Mariner! Collects Iron Man #120-128.

Scepters (Corean Chronicles, Book 3)

L. E. Modesitt

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The popular creator of Recluce and of the Spellsong world of Liedwahr has built a whole new fantasy world on Corus. With each new volume of the Corean Chronicles we learn more about the magical underpinnings of this fascinating realm as we follow the continuing adventures of his reluctant hero, Alucius. In Legacies he became the first Iron Valley militiaman to escape sorcerous enslavement in Madrien. In Darknesses, he found a way to defeat a would-be conqueror who revived the fearsome creatures and potent weaponry of the legendary past. Now he returns to face the greatest challenges yet to both his courage and his magical Talent.Alucius is happy back on his nightsheep stead with his beloved wife Wendra, who is expecting their first child. But the country is beset by enemies on all sides. Although the Lord Protector of Lanachrona keeps his promise not to order Alucius back to active duty, Alucius finds his request for help no easier to ignore. Newly promoted to higher rank, and given command of a combined force of the Northern and Southern Guards, Alucius must first quell a strange religiously-inspired rebellion and then find a way to destroy the powerful weapons of ancient design again being used by the forces of Madrien. Unlike the Lord Protector, Alucius can see that a third, covert, threat must be behind the other two. He will have to confront an alien evil that seeks to enslave the whole world of Corus in the guise of bringing back a lost golden age. Only the timely assistance of the mysterious ancient Soarers and the addition of Wendra's Talent to his own give him any hope of success. Scepters is a stirring climax to the first Corean trilogy.

The Towers of the Sunset (Saga of Recluce)

L.E. Modesitt

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 42 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

So hard to read... 1 out of 5 stars.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.

If I had to sum up my opinion of this book in one word, it would be this: terrible. I don't use that word lightly or flippanlty, but I mean it in this case.

I read somewhere in an interview with Modesitt that he has gone through 3 failed marriages and 6 "headstrong" daughters. I certainly think this has influenced his writing. The main character in the book, Creslin, starts out as a very weak male character in a matriarchal society. The problem I have with this is that Modesitt reverses traditional gender roles in this book. I suspect that he does this for political reasons, which is his right as the author, but I personally found it very unappealing.

The lead female character in the story, Megeaera, is bound to Creslin through magic. She can hear his thoughts. She's attractive, and he does have impure thoughts about her. She always reacts very negatively at this, and attacks him for his stray thoughts (I said impure, but some are merely noticing her beauty). When she makes unchaste comments about his appearance, it's okay. This one sided morality becomes not only frustrating but also rather annoying.

Modesitt's writing style is also hard to read. The book is seperated into three sections, with 536 pages. With 144 chapters (the last section is filled with chapters ranging in length from less than a page to under ten pages) the story becomes very choppy and highly fragmented. Many chapters offer little to further the over all plot, some with information that could simply be done away with. The last section details the efforts at building Recluce into a viable nation, but settles on the mundane details such as crops and masonry. It made for a very boring read. (One particularly aggravating obsession of Modesitt is the constant need of the characters to "wash up." Far too much space is taken througout the book describing "washing up" from various chores).

Over all, the book was far too long for the plot, and filled with hard to read and choppy information so detailed as to be completely irrelevant. Save $7.99 and buy something more worthy of your money.

One last note--as in his first book in the series "The Magic of Recluce", Modesitt offers a somewhat graphic description of female anatomy during one scene. Although not "pornographic" in nature, I would describe it as impure or unchaste.

Editorial Review:

Tells the story of Creslin, son of a powerful military matriarch, who chooses exile rather than an arranged marriage. He sets out on a search for his true identity as a man, developing his magical talents through constant conflict with the enigmatic white wizards of Candar.

Magi'i of Cyador (The Saga of Recluce)

L. E. Modesitt

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

L. E. Modesitt, Jr., is one of the standard setters in fantasy today, and his most famous series is the Saga of Recluce. Each novel fills in pieces of the history of this land where Chaos and Order strive to maintain a magical balance.

Magi'i of Cyador marks the beginning of a new tale from deep within the rich depths of the history of Recluce. This is the story of Lorn, a talented boy born into a family of Magi'i. A diligent student of remarkable talent, Lorn lacks only the single most coveted attribute required of a Magus of Cyador: unquestionable loyalty. Lorn is too independent for his own good.

So Lorn is forced to become a lancer officer, and he's sent to the frontier to fight off the all-too-frequent barbarian raids--a career that comes with a 50% mortality rate. His enemies don't expect him to survive . . .

Lorn is a fresh, new character who will enrich one of today's most important fantasy series: the saga of Recluce.

Magi'i of Cyador is the tenth book in the saga of Recluce.

The Magic Engineer

L. E. Modesitt

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 35 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Slow, unbelievable and poorly written 2 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Somehow, I enjoy reading this book. Somehow, I want to keep reading. But at least once a page, I wonder why.

The book is broken down into nearly two hundred chapters, most of which are brief character sketches (of the same few characters!) or "a day in the life of..." static stories. Some of the chapters touch on world events in a very loose sort of way. Most, though, are full of details about what the main character has for lunch and in what order he eats it, which unimportant side-characters he speaks to about unimportant matters, and the steps involved in forging this or that object out of iron. I'd estimate that fully a quarter of the book is a list of steps in iron-smithing, and the steps aren't even given in a way that helps me visualize it. I really don't need to know.

You'd think that, with scores and scores of character sketches, the reader would at least become attached to the characters. Nope. The characters are inconsistent and uninteresting, with unbelievable dialogue. Even Dorrin, the main and most interesting (or only interesting) character in the book, so frequently breaks character that I have trouble believing he's a real person.

The prose bothers me even more than the uninteresting characters and slow-paced story. The author is incredibly repetitive, predicting an event, mentioning it several times (often in the exact same words from different characters' mouths), and then reiterating it. Contradictions abound. Characters or narrative will say one thing, and then a few chapters, pages, paragraphs, sentences or even words later, the opposite will be said. Many times while reading this book, I found myself looking up at the sky and shouting, "Why! You just said X two sentences ago!"

I feel like I'm reading a story written by a high-school student. Mistakes I'd think any author would know to avoid are made every page -- repeating the same word many times in the same sentence, narrating an observation and immediately having a character make the same observation, having characters "begin to do" things instead of actually do them, saying things "look as if" or "are almost as if" instead of just straight out saying how they are. Ellipses are used profusely, for no apparent reason. Am I really to believe that the character heard every word of a dialogue except for "I" and "and?" Characters are called "young" without any real indication of their age. The main character's physical description is limited to "a wiry, red-headed youth." I've met many people, including writers, who make these kinds of mistakes their whole lives. They're usually people who don't seek out criticism and can't take it when it's given.

And finally, there's the central love story. Two characters barely speak to each other. Every six months or so, they have a page or so of dialog before the woman has to ride across the country again, and we're given no reason to believe they have more contact than that. Then, suddenly, they're in love and have their hands all over each other. No explanation. No transition.

So why do I enjoy reading this book? Maybe I just like torturing myself. Maybe I'm attracted by the loose but somewhat interesting plot, and hope from chapter to chapter that I might get just _one_ more detail that has any relevance to the story. The main character, despite his inconsistencies, makes use of an interesting set of abilities, and gets headaches when he lies, which I find amusing. Those few things are enough to merit two stars instead of one.

Editorial Review:

The chronicles of the magical island of Recluce continue as young Dorrin, fascinated by forbidden science, goes into exile in the lands of Chaos, where he unwillingly invents devices of war to save his land from the evil Chaos wizards. By the author of The Towers of the Sunset.

The Magic of Recluce (Saga of Recluce)

L.E. Modesitt

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 114 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Not Free SF Reader 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

A dour bunch, these Recluce types. If you don't fit in with their particular philosophy, off you get sent, youngster or no.

A young man is sent out into the world to make his way, which involves training, wandering around, and meeting a woman.

By the end, he realises that those sneaky old folks knew a hell of a lot more about what was going on than he thought. Sneaky manipulative adult do-gooders that they are.

Editorial Review:

For centuries the Masters of Recluce have guarded the borders of their Order-wrought land and destroyed every threat sent against them. But the power that defends the people of Recluce comes at a cost: absolute obedience to both the Masters and the rule of Order. And those who cannot abide the price of paradise are swiftly dealt with ...So when a young man, Lerris, becomes bored with the simple, orderly life of Recluce, he is sent into exile. For Lerris it is a chance for adventure, for the Masters it is a way to make him see the error of his ways. But there are other powers in the world than Order. And when the great Chaos-Master Antonin learns of Lerris' exile he sees in it a way to break the Master's rule and bring about the destruction of Recluce ...Look out more more information about this title and others at www.orbitbooks.co.uk

Eternity Road

Jack Mcdevitt

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 76 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

A haunting and chilling experience. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

As I first read this book it was very haunting and chilling that it left me with a sense of loneliness that I cannot explain. A sadness for the characters who embark on a journey to find the truth about a lost civilization of the Road Makers.

Eternity Road is a great read for any reader who wants to get lost in an adventure or a journey. A perfect soul searching story that will leave you breathless. Eternity Road is also perfect book that is hard to put down.

Editorial Review:

The Roadmakers left only ruins behind -- but what magnificent ruins!Their concrete highways still cross the continent. Their cups, combs and jewelry are found in every Illyrian home. They left behind a legend,too -- a hidden sanctuary called Haven, where even now the secrets of their civilization might still be found.

Chaka's brother was one of those who sought to find Haven and never returned. But now Chaka has inherited a rare Roadmaker artifact -- a book called A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court  -- which has inspired her to follow in his footsteps. Gathering an unlikely band of companions around her, Chaka embarks upon a journey where she will encounter bloodthirsty rirver pirates, electronic ghosts who mourn their lost civilization and machines that skim over the ground and air. Ultimately, the group will learn the truth about their own mysterious past.

Cadmian's Choice: The Fifth Book of the Corean Chronicles (Corean Chronicles, Book 5)

L. E. Modesitt

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

L. E. Modesitt, Jr. returns to the world of Corus to continue the epic trilogy begun in Alector's Choice. It is the story of the fall of a great civilization and the tale of the Alector, Colonel Dainyl, and Captain Mykel, the Corean human with special abilities.  The world Corus has been redesigned to become the new home of a superior race from a distant world whose very life depends on drawing sustenance from the biological life force of a planet. Meanwhile, their plans are supervised by a staff of Alectors, who in effect rule the world. The Alectors alone have access to the huge flying Pteridons they have bred, and the superior weapons that underpin their psychic talents.
The time is now fast approaching for the transfer of the whole population from the old world nearly bled dry of life force to Corus. But neither the Alectors (who will be reduced in status when the real powers arrive) nor the local humans (who seem destined to become no more than cattle, though they know nothing of this) are ready. And the mysterious Ancient Ones, the true natives of Corus and assumed to have died out in eons past, still survive, and they have their own powers. The situation builds toward an explosive climax.

Killashandra

Anne Mccaffrey

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

An enjoyable read 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This was a very enjoyable read. This is one of Anne's last good books. I recommend it.

Not Free SF Reader 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The problem with the whole crystal singing gig is that you can lose your mind. Here, the protagonist has other problems. After an accident mining on the planet with the good stuff she has to take a job off world.

She ends up uncovering an alien brainwashing plot, and finds someone to shag, with a few adventures along the way.

Not as good as the first book.

2nd In Series 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I read all 3 books in one weekend. I could not put them down. Some of the most imaginative, creative storytelling, but then it is Anne McCaffrey. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy with a touch of wonder. All of Anne McCaffrey's series are enjoyable, this series takes second place only to "The Rowan" series of books.

Editorial Review:

At first Killashandra Ree's ambitions to become a Crystal Singer, get rich, and forget her past, were going just as she had hoped. But after she grew wealthy, a devastating storm turned her claim to useless rock. In short order she was broke, she had crystal sickness so bad she thought she was going to die, and the only way she could be true to the man she loved was to leave him....