( M ) Books - Page 8

Natural Ordermage (Saga of Recluce)

L. E. Modesitt

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Tough call 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I am really broken up on this book and this author in general. Things that are great end up being crummy and things that are bad end up being great. I'm going to try and pro/con this, but its a bit up in the air.

Pros:

-The author does a good job characterizing a character that has lived under strict rule for his entire life. You can tell that Rahl's parents are very over bearing and the author does well in showing Rahl's rebelliousness and difficulty with structure.

-I felt that pages 400-500 were pretty solid in terms of mixing in some different characterization of how this character learned things in comparison to most other characters from this author's formula. I really liked the emphasis on feeling and the shying away from the long mental conversations that this author usually plagues readers with.

-The author does not use as many "...thats a big fellow..." or "..he wont last long..." as he usually does in other books. This is refreshing because overhearing those kinds of conversations comes across as a lot more authentic then when you see it about 40 times per chapter.

-The story in general was intriguing, I liked learning the differences between Recluse and Hamor and thought the author had some interesting insights into free trade and the role of government in business.

Cons:
-This author has this annoying habit of telling you how a character is instead of showing you. Luckily this was to a minimum in comparison to some of his books, but it was still very apparent. For example, we dont see the main character being stuborn, but all the secondary characters tell him he is. We don't get to see this character struggle so much with fights, but we are told its a struggle etc... Id say if 10 were the best and 1 were the worst, this would get probably a 6 in terms of this author's ability to have you experience the story instead of your experiences being told to you (which doesnt really work).

-The fact that we know every single little thing the character does throughout his day can get tiresome. I like detail, and I like when its done well, but when its over the top i tend to start skipping paragraphs and tuning out in certain parts of the novel. I felt the flow was pretty good but there were definitely some dry spots where the novel was tough to get through.

-(Spoiler) The Author attempted to make this character more human than some of his other characters by sending him (SPOILER) to Luba. At first I loved it, I felt like I was reading George RR Martin (maybe a fraction of a second) and he was going to give his character hell. But then Rahl regains his memory very quickly, along with most of his skills etc. So The whole Luba experience ends up being kinda "meh," not adding much real depth to the character. But good attempt

All in all, I give this a 3.5. Its tough to justify shelling out cash for this if it weren't so cheap (thank you inflation), and its hard to justify giving it the time. But its not terrible, and I havent read the sequel, which may prove interesting. Happy Reading

Editorial Review:

L. E. Modesitt, Jr. begins a new Recluce story in Natural Ordermage, the first of two volumes set mostly on the continent of Hamor, far across the sea from Recluce.

Rahl, a young apprentice scrivener on the island of Recluce, likes life to work out in his favor. And he has a bad attitude, too. To make sure things go his way, he uses a small amount of order magic in opportunistic moments--but his abilities are starting to get the attention of the Council magisters. So the Council sends him to the mages training school for testing, and through misuse of his powers, which are getting stronger all the time, he gets himself banished to the continent and empire of Hamor.

As an exile in Hamor, working in the Ordermage Council's import and export business, Rahl’s powers increase more—and so does the amount of trouble he can get into.

Welcome to the fantasy world of L. E. Modesitt, where the adventure is just beginning.

Elric: The Stealer of Souls (Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melniboné, Vol. 1)

Michael Moorcock

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

“The stories here are the raw heart of Michael Moorcock. They are the spells that first drew me and all the numerous admirers of his work with whom I am acquainted into Moorcock’s luminous and captivating web.”
–from the Foreword by Alan Moore, creator of V for Vendetta

When Michael Moorcock began chronicling the adventures of the albino sorcerer Elric, last king of decadent Melniboné, and his sentient vampiric sword, Stormbringer, he set out to create a new kind of fantasy adventure, one that broke with tradition and reflected a more up-to-date sophistication of theme and style. The result was a bold and unique hero–weak in body, subtle in mind, dependent on drugs for the vitality to sustain himself–with great crimes behind him and a greater destiny ahead: a rock-and-roll antihero who would channel all the violent excesses of the sixties into one enduring archetype.

Now, with a major film in development, here is the first volume of a dazzling collection of stories containing the seminal appearances of Elric and lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist John Picacio–plus essays, letters, maps, and other material. Adventures include “The Dreaming City,” “While the Gods Laugh,” “Kings in Darkness,” “Dead God’s Homecoming,” “Black Sword’s Brothers,” and “Sad Giant’s Shield.”

An indispensable addition to any fantasy collection, Elric: The Stealer of Souls is an unmatched introduction to a brilliant writer and his most famous–or infamous–creation.

“The most significant UK author of sword and sorcery, a form he has both borrowed from and transformed.”
–The Encyclopedia of Fantasy

Swamp Thing Vol. 5: Earth to Earth

Alan Moore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

His Blue Heaven 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

If you've read the prior collections in this series and you thought things couldn't get any better, well you ain't seen nothing yet. This installment of the Swamp Thing graphic novel series contains just six issues from Alan Moore's run (#51-56), but that does include the double-sized blockbuster issue #53. In any case, quantity is meaningless here because Moore and his artistic team have reached the dizzying heights of their powers, unleashing the most mindboggling and gutwrenching stories in comic history. The basic subplot running through the series at this point is Abby's arrest for immoral conduct while Swamp Thing was off saving the universe, and her escape to Gotham City. As Swampy is searching for his true love, she is being held by the authorities in Gotham. In the overwhelming "Garden of Earthly Delights" (issue #53) Swamp Thing unleashes his full elemental powers on the uncaring city that imprisons his lover, and even temporarily defeats Batman in the process. Sadly, Swampy is supposedly assassinated by government agents, and finds his spirit floating in outer space. This is where Moore's imagination really goes into overdrive, giving us the highly unique and moving story "My Blue Heaven" (issue #56), a tremendous tale of loneliness and soul-searching, where Swamp Thing is blue in more ways than one. This episode is also another pinnacle for the artistic team, and much credit must go to colorist Tatjana Wood for her moody and unconventional work. By this point regular artists Stephen Bissette and John Totleben had mostly moved on - Bissette was only doing the covers and Totleben's only major contribution is "Garden of Earthly Delights." The artistic torch had been passed to the outstanding team of Rick Veitch and Alfredo Alcala, who barely miss a beat in keeping the series' haunting and lovely artwork rolling. The only sad thing about this edition of the Swamp Thing series is that fact that Moore's run would soon come to a close.

A Gift of Dragons

Anne McCaffrey

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

For more than thirty years, Pern has conjured visions of brave men and women mounted upon the backs of dragons. As anyone knows who has been touched by the storytelling magic of Anne McCaffrey, to read of the exotic world of Pern is to inhabit it - and to experience its extraordinary dragons is to soar aloft with them and share their dazzling adventures. A Gift Of Dragons brings together three well-loved stories and a thrilling new tale of Pern in a single volume illustrated with beautiful artwork by Tom Kid. In 'The Smallest Dragonboy', Keevan is the youngest dragonrider candidate, determined to impress a dragon when the next clutch of eggs hatches. But what transpires will surprise everyone - Keevan most of all. In 'The Girl Who Heard Dragons', a young girl's rare ability to communicate with dragons puts her family in danger and will bring her face-to-face with her greatest fear - and her most secret desire. The 'Runner of Pern' is a girl named Tenna, who follows family tradition by delivering messages - and who will find her destiny on the mossy traces that runners have used for centuries under dragon-filled skies. And finally, a very special gift; an exciting new Pern adventure fresh from the imagination of Anne McCaffrey.

Decimation: X-Men - The Day After (House of M)

Chris Claremont, Peter Milligan, Salvador Larroca, Randy Green

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

The more things change... 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Taking place after the events of Brian Michael Bendis' surprisingly good House of M mega event, Decimation: X-Men - The Day After follows the X-Men in the aftermath of the global mutant depowerment. What gets focused on the most in the issues collected here include the return of the robotic Sentinels (who are good guys now...) along with the forging of new alliances with some unexpected guests. Later on, Havok and Polaris find themselves on the road back to each other as Havok helps Lorna deal with the loss of her powers. That's pretty much all that goes on in Decimation: X-Men - The Day After, and while there are some nice story quips by the underrated Peter Milligan (X-Statix, Human Target), there's nothing relatively worth seeing here that hasn't been seen before. Salvador Larroca provides his usual solid artwork too, so the overall package isn't so bad. That being said, there are better X-Men stories, and House of M tie-in's, that are more worth your time than the X-Men's decimation day.

Editorial Review:

It was the worst day in X-Men history. Now it's the day after. The House of M is over, but the effects will be felt for the rest of their lives. How do the X-Men pick up the pieces in a world that has completely changed? Plus: Something's amiss at the House of Xavier! A sneak attack forces the X-Men to re-evaluate just who their friends are, and to align themselves with former enemies! Collects Decimation: House of M - The Day After and X-Men #177-181.

Odyssey

Jack McDevitt

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 35 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Boring and predictable 2 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book was billed as "flying off the shelves" and the author's books are said to be lapped up by eager fans. What's the attraction here? I sure don't know.

The writing is pretty decent; the plot is fine, but what suffers is the development. McDevitt sets out to discuss a project in space that has a small (just a small) risk of tearing the universe apart (blithely ignored by the scientists) and a space exploration/tourism industry that is under fire by an equally blase world. Meanwhile "moonriders"--UFO's we'd say, manifest themselves and scare the interstellar space travelers. What are they?

The author develops political intrigues and struggles fairly well, in fact, too well, as this takes up almost all of the action. If you remove this portion of the plot, you find that the story was pretty well covered by Isaac Asimov's The Gods Themselves Not enough to make me care about the new characters and the setting. The author should polish up his development skills and find a new plot --he can write well enough to do something a lot better than this.

Editorial Review:

To boost waning interest in interstellar travel, a mission is sent into deep space to learn the truth about "moonriders," the strange lights supposedly being seen in nearby systems. But Academy pilot Valentina Kouros and the team of the starship Salvator will soon discover that their odyssey is no mere public-relations ploy, for the moonriders are not a harmless phenomenon. They are very, very dangerous-in a way that no one could possibly have imagined.

Deluge: Book Three of The Twins of Petaybee

Anne Mccaffrey, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

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

Editorial Review:

When two award-winning science-fiction masters like Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough collaborate, the results are astonishing. Their master creation is Petaybee, a sentient planet able to guide its own evolution and, with some help from its loyal inhabitants, defend itself against predation by offworlders. Now, at last, McCaffrey and Scarborough return to Petaybee for the thrilling conclusion of the Twins of Petaybee trilogy, the sixth novel of the amazing self-aware world.


DELUGE

InterGal Corporation has long desired to exploit the resource-rich Petaybee. But the planet and its guardians, led by Yana Maddock and Sean Shongili, along with their twin children, Ronan and Murel, have successfully thwarted every attempt by the Corporation to impose its iron-fisted dominion.

Until now.

In a bold two-pronged assault, the predacious Corporation has arrested Petaybee’s leading off-world champion, Marmion de Revers Algemeine, on trumped-up charges, while InterGal’s military arm has dispatched an invading force to subdue the planet once and for all. Marmion has allies within the Corporation who can halt the invasion. but if they cannot be found quickly, it will be too late for Marmion . . . and Petaybee.

While their parents work to foil the invasion of their world, Ronan and Murel are captured and sent to a desolate prison world where an old enemy, Dr. Mabo, waits to continue her cruel experiments on the shape-changing siblings. The twins’ only hope of escape lies in the uncharted seas of the prison planet. But in the murky depths, something else is waiting. . . .

Spindle's End

Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 143 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A bit slow and somehow un-edited 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I bought this after having read several other McKinley books and loving them to pieces. This one was much slower and dryer. Also, I got the impression that the editing was poorly done, or not done at all. There were sentances that didn't end, and jumps in action that made no sense. I found the ending a bit unsatisfying too, but that is strictly opinion.

Editorial Review:

In the tradition of Beauty and Rose Daughter, Newbery Award-winning author Robin McKinley "lends a fresh perspective to a classic fairy tale, developing the story of Sleeping Beauty into a richly imagined, vividly depicted novel" (School Library Journal)

BRILLIANT...[a] sumptuous world. (New York Times Book Review)

MYTHIC GRANDEUR...with magical detail and all-too-human feeling. (Publishers Weekly starred review)

Satisfying reading, pleasing in the depth of the weaving and elaboration. (Chicago Tribune)

Rich prose and colorful description...keep readers spellbound. (Rocky Mountain News)

Spindle's End

Robin McKinley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 143 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A bit slow and somehow un-edited 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I bought this after having read several other McKinley books and loving them to pieces. This one was much slower and dryer. Also, I got the impression that the editing was poorly done, or not done at all. There were sentances that didn't end, and jumps in action that made no sense. I found the ending a bit unsatisfying too, but that is strictly opinion.

Editorial Review:

In the tradition of Beauty and Rose Daughter, Newbery Award-winning author Robin McKinley "lends a fresh perspective to a classic fairy tale, developing the story of Sleeping Beauty into a richly imagined, vividly depicted novel" (School Library Journal)

BRILLIANT...[a] sumptuous world. (New York Times Book Review)

MYTHIC GRANDEUR...with magical detail and all-too-human feeling. (Publishers Weekly starred review)

Satisfying reading, pleasing in the depth of the weaving and elaboration. (Chicago Tribune)

Rich prose and colorful description...keep readers spellbound. (Rocky Mountain News)