( R ) Books - Page 6

Stalking the Vampire: A Fable of Tonight

Mike Resnick

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

Editorial Review:

It's Halloween, and John Justin Mallory's partner, Winnifred Carruthers, has been so busy preparing for the biggest holiday of the year (in this Manhattan, anyway) that she seems short of energy and pale. Mallory is worried that she's been working too hard. Then he notices the two puncture marks on her neck...On this night when ghosts and goblins are out celebrating, detective Mallory must stalk the vampire who has threatened his partner and killed her nephew. With the aid of Felina, the cat-girl, Mallory and Carruthers investigate clubs and lairs that only seem to exist on this one night of the year.His hunt takes him to Creepy Conrad's Cut-Rate All-Night Mortuary, where he questions the living and the dead; to the Annual Zombies' Ball, to learn more about the undead; to the Hills of Home Cemetery, where the vampire sleeps by day; and to Battery Park, where all of Manhattan's bats come to feed and sleep. Along the way he meets a few old friends and enemies, and a host of strange new inhabitants of this otherworldly Manhattan. Locked in an intriguing battle of wits with the millennia-old vampire, Mallory has until dawn if he is to save his trusted partner.

Star Wars on Trial: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Debate the Most Popular Science Fiction Films of All Time (Smart Pop series)

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

Roger Corman's REVENGE OF THE FANBOY 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 10 people found this review helpful.

Author/critic Hallie Ephron (Nora's sister) once said that a bad review is more about the reviewer than the work reviewed, and this essay collection reinforces it, albeit with humor. Admittedly both sides come from a position of bias--the prosecution is a retinue of wish-I'd-thought-of-it-first angry fanboys led by the guy who created the source material for the box office bomb known as THE POSTMAN; the defense a group of potential shills led by a Lucasfilm employee--the defense actually manages to prove its case better by being more grown-up about it all, while the prosecution tends to get more emotional and nitpicky. One example is the charge of media tie-ins choking original sci-fi out of the market, where defense "witness" Kristine Rusch actually produces sales figures showing a consistent downward trend in sci-fi sales over the years due to snobbery within the sci-fi community; on the charge that Star Wars is elitist, Brin doesn't even produce an expert witness at all. It ultimately boils down to a festival of how much people either love or hate the most successful independent filmmaker of all time, but it's entertaining.

Editorial Review:

** COMPLETELY UNAUTHORIZED **

 

Debates on the authenticity of the Star Wars franchise and the hero-or-villain status of George Lucas are at the heart of these essays by bestselling science-fiction authors. The incredible popularity of the movies has led to the formation of strong emotions within the science fiction community on the strengths and flaws of the films, exemplified here by David Brin's attacks and Matthew Woodring Stover's defense of the movies. This intense examination of the epic works addresses a broad range of issues—from politics, religion, and the saga's overall logic to the impact of the series on bookshelf space as well as science-fiction film. The question Is George Lucas a hero for bringing science fiction to a mass audience or a villain who doesn't understand the genre he's working for? is discussed before a final "Judge's Verdict" on the greatness—or weakness—of the franchise is reached.

Visions

Luis Royo

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

One of Royo's best 5 out of 5 stars.
39 of 39 people found this review helpful.

I have had the opportunity to look at most of Luis Royo's books, and this is my favorite. If I had to give away all of my Royo books but one, this would be the one I keep.

Now don't get me wrong, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with any of his other books--some are stronger than others but I really don't think there is a weak one out there. This is my favorite primarily because I think the artwork is some of his best. The girls are prettier, their curves are rounder, the colors are richer, and the background hazes are more mysterious. The other main reason I like this book so much is that many of the finished pieces are accompanied by the concept sketches that preceded them. It's a great mix of painting, drawing, and even narrative that all come together to bring a Royo fantasy to life.

Royo's figures are amazing to me--with a few strokes of a pen and a thin wash with a brush, he creates a beautiful figure, and voila--his piece is done. None of his figures are overworked--they all remain fresh. It's hard to find an artist who can scratch out a figure with so few lines, but it makes for a beautiful rendering, and Royo does it well.

If you're shopping for your first Royo book, this would be a great choice. If you're adding to your library, oh yeah--you need this collection. Enjoy.

Editorial Review:

An artist of the spectacular. Each collection sparkles with pieces seen on book covers from around the world. Fantasy, science fiction, eroticism, etc... Royo has devised a special personal mix of media that makes his work so uncannily real, so beguilingly engaging as to make him a best-selling star.

The Ruins of Ambrai (Exiles, Vol. 1)

Melanie Rawn

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 159 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Pass This One and Read "The Sword of Shannara" Again. You'll Thank Me For It 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Alright, I picked this one and its sequel up in a used bookstore for about eight dollars overall. It was only my stalwart determination to finish every book on my shelf that got me through them.

This book started off badly by breaking one of the golden rules of storytelling, that is "show and do not tell". The first three chapters of the book are, literally, summaries of the main characters' lives up to that point. It reads like a dull biography and doesn't even attempt to be descriptive or entertaining, as if the author just wanted to get all the background out of the way as soon as possible.

At this point I'm also going to mention that the word "cock" has no place in prose. Sorry, Ms. Rawn, but you lose major points for that.

And onto the story. By large the characters are one-dimensional the villains are stupid (and by that I do mean lacking in intelligence), the plot is overly convoluted and the ending is anti-climactic and predictable. Maybe it's just me but having the Malerris go from all-powerful villains to utterly defeated losers in the span of five pages just didn't sit well with me.

Oh yeah, the bad guys lose. Spoiler warnings everyone.

I suppose while I'm at it I might as well address the matriarchal society. Might I ask why? It's an interesting concept but Rawn doesn't seem to do anything with it except to make her feminist readers foam at the mouth and howl in triumph. It's explained, rather lamely, that a woman's ability to give birth gave her power in early Lenfell's society. Ok, but women have always been able to give birth and almost always societies have emerged patriarchal. She could've at least alluded to some text or story of the first leader (the captain of the ships perhaps?) being a woman and it just sticking, and sorry but even if a society were matriarchal men are not just going to sit around at the pool drinking tea, talking about raising children instead of chicks and beer, and whining about how rough their wives are. It's just not gonna happen.

That's not to say there's nothing positive about the books. Some of the characters are rather fun and memorable, the magic system is... actually pretty cool and I thought the Wraithenbeasts sounded pretty cool and was sorely disappointed that she didn't include them.

Still... definitely not worth it. The story's plodding and clunky and doesn't go anywhere. The characters are, largely, unmemorable and flat and the whole thing comes to a conclusion as unexpected and subtle as a herd of buffalo stampeding over a tin roof, each one pulling a drum set behind it.

Editorial Review:

Fleeing persecution to build a free colony on the planet Lenfell, the magic-wielding Mageborns find their new home torn apart by civil war between the Mage Guardians and the Lords of Malerris. Reprint.

Lady Of The Forest

Jennifer Roberson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 41 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Very good with just a couple quibbles 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I liked both this book and the sequel, "Lady of Sherwood". I read both when they first came out and have recently re-read them and still enjoyed them. Marian is believable as the docile woman of the times growing into something more, and realizing that if she can stand to pay the consequences, she can be who she wishes to be rather than who she is expected to be. What more could one ask for? Robin is convincing as a sensitive man traumatized by war. I do wish some of his history could have been more fully realized. We are only allowed disjointed glances that don't really convey the depth or development of his friendship with King Richard, or the alien-ness of being a captive of the Saracens. They are experiences that have apparently changed him profoundly in some respects, but we are unfortunately not allowed to share them with him. One thing Ms Robinson does - more in the first book than the second - that drives me nuts is that she doesn't write in "scenes". She will, for example, have Robin confronting the Earl at the same time Marian is confronting the Sheriff and skips back and forth between the two confrontations as if trying to convey "real time" actions, instead of letting first one confrontation occur and build to a conclusion, and then switching to the other and letting that one do the same. This makes for very disjointed writing, and if you have to put the book down, you lose the tension of the situation and it's hard to keep track of who is doing what. It makes me want to grab the scissors and "cut and paste" the book into the proper order! Also, in every major fight in the first book, Robin loses. Little John beats him at the log bridge, Marian has to step in against the Sheriff...how did this guy ever survive the Crusade if he's that inept of a fighter? Thank goodness he won at archery! The book is also decribed as taking place in early spring (Richard finally came back to England in March of 1194), but she describes Sherwood Forest as dark, green, and leafy. I don't think a hardwood forest in England in March is any of those things, even if it is the primeval Sherwood. Those things aside, it's a good retelling, and far more believable than the obviously heroic, always clean portrayal of the 1938 movie (although I adore that movie), the sterilized belligerance and brutality of the original tales, or the more often lame than not "Prince of Thieves".

Editorial Review:

When Sir Robert of Locksley shuns his life of wealth to fight alongside Sherwood Forest's outlaws, Lady Marian of Ravenskeep, eludes the Sheriff of Nottingham to join Locksley, now Robin Hood, in his life of adventure. 50,000 first printing.

Antarctica

Kim Stanley Robinson

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Total reviews: 69 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

From the award-winning author of the Mars Trilogy comes a thrilling new novel....

Kim Stanley Robinson, author of the Hugo and Nebula award-winning Mars trilogy, is one of the most original and visionary writers of fiction today. Now, in his latest novel, he takes us to a harsh, alien landscape covered by a sheet of ice two miles deep. This is no distant planet--it is the last pure wilderness on earth.

A stark and inhospitable place, its landscape poses a challenge to survival; yet its strange, silent beauty has long fascinated scientists and adventurers. Now Antarctica faces an uncertain future. The international treaty that protects the continent is about to dissolve, clearing the way for Antarctica's resources and eerie beauty to be plundered. As politicians and corporations move to determine its fate from half a world away, radical environmentalists carry out a covert campaign of sabotage to reclaim the land. The winner of this critical battle will determine the future for this last great wilderness....

The Novels of Tiger and Del, Volume III (Sword-Dancer Saga)

Jennifer Roberson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The (Complete) Adventures Of Tiger And Del 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The Novels of Tiger and Del, Volume I
The Novels of Tiger and Del, Volume II: Sword-Maker - Sword Breaker
The Novels of Tiger and Del, Volume III (Sword-Dancer Saga)

In the beginning of this very enjoyable, unique series, we meet Sandtiger, a man who was raised as a nameless orphan, a foreigner from an unknown land and a slave within a nomadic desert tribe. He gained his name and begrudged freedom as a boy when he killed a deadly, venomous sandtiger which had been preying upon members of the tribe. Defeating death, and bearing the beast's claw marks as a distinctive scar upon his face, Sandtiger found a willing teacher who took him in and taught him the skills and honor codes of the sword dancer. Driven, he achieved the highest level of mastery, (7th level) in record time, and went on to become a living legend. Much of the story is narrated by Tiger, mixed with third person perspective. Roberson did an admirable job using this fresh technique; it works well.

When he is not hiring out his services as a sword dancer in order to settle disputes or matters of honor, Tiger, who is in his mid-30's, spends his time in cantinas, drinking and womanizing. It is within such an establishment that he is tracked down by young, beautiful Delilah, a fair skinned woman with blonde hair from the far north who carries a sword (unheard of for a female) and claims to be a sword dancer. Despite personality clashes, Delilah hires Tiger as a guide to help her journey across the very large, deadly desert of the region. Del is a driven soul, searching for her lost brother, and for revenge against murderous bandits who took him, and her innocence, years prior.

As the adventure unfolds, Tiger is forced, by circumstances and interactions, to adjust his perspectives and attitudes towards Del, and women in general. It becomes evident that Del is a truly skilled sword dancer, as well as a sword singer who is able, through her song, to call forth a mystical power which is infused within the spirit of her specially forged blade. It also becomes known that Del is quite likely Tiger's equal in the dance, a discovery which follows betrayal and near death at each other's hands. Through it all, we discover that the presence of magic is very disquieting to Tiger, both mentally and physically, every time it is encountered. This leads to ironies.

Through the first of these novels, we experience the hardships and struggles faced by the couple as they fight to fulfill Del's quests and simply stay alive. We are given views into the humorous relationship which Tiger faces on a regular basis with his very spirited, very difficult stallion. We also enjoy the gradual meeting of minds and souls of our two heroes, creating a bond of loyalty between the two, which becomes imperative to Tiger's very existence as he is eventually faced with the threat of an ancient, powerful evil which struggles to control him through his own mystical sword, a sword forged specifically for him during a journey to Del's homeland, a sword which he did not even want.

Over the course of the first four books, Tiger becomes increasingly embroiled in circumstances beyond his control, a victim of prophecy and fate. His love for Del leads him to break oaths, which makes him a target for death, outside the ceremonial circle of the sword dance. This leads to his departure from his beloved home in the southern desert region, searching overseas for the unknown, unconfirmed land of his ancestry, all upon the basis of a stranger's comments. A stranger with similar appearance and large build. This is where the final two novels begin.

Upon their sea voyage, Tiger and Del encounter pirates, slavers, and near drowning. Tiger never learned to swim, having been raised in a desert. As the story progresses, we are introduced to the interesting female captain of the pirate crew, an attractive redhead who desires Del. We also meet the first mate, a mysterious outcast from Tiger's homeland who bears strange blue tattooing upon his shaved head, multiple piercings, and a secretive knowledge of mystical powers. The mate recognizes Tiger's common heritage, and rather than selling their captives into outright slavery, Tiger is ransomed to the matriarch of his homeland as a potential lost heir to the throne. The bounty he was traded for, however, indentures and angers Tiger, but bound by his own codes of honor, he agrees to cooperate with a task she sets before him... for awhile.

Up to this point, I have attempted to offer only the most general of a synopsis, hoping to inspire interest but not to give too much away. The joy and excitement lies within the steps of the journey. From this point, If your interest has not been inspired as of yet, nothing else I say will matter. Assuming that it has, I will only say that Tiger sleeps with death, and we discover interesting things about the first mate and his abilities. Secrets are then gradually revealed about Tiger, himself, secrets he is not pleased at all to know. Intrigue and irony ensue, in large portions, in more ways than magic can account for.

Whenever magic is dealt with in Roberson's Tiger and Del novels, it is always low-key, for the most part. It is not along the lines of Tolkien's wizardry or the magic of elves, it is much more subtle, and I believe, more suited to the stories. (Nothing comes across as "over the top.") I really cannot give any more of the story away without creating a spoiler, but I will say that I was sad to see the saga end. To me, that has always been a measure of a really good book or series. This series has definately been among my favorites to read, and I am somewhat particular about what I will endorse. I hope my effort here has been enlightening and enticing.

Editorial Review:

The thrilling concluding novels in the epic adventures of Tiger, the hardened Southron sword-dancer, and Del, the beautiful and dangerous northern sword-singer. Filled with dramatic action, danger, magic, and the crackling repartee and verbal fireworks which have made the Sword series a fantasy fan favorite

Icehenge

Kim Stanley Robinson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Another Masterpiece 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

OK, I know this book was published before the Mars Trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars) and before "The Martians" but it was the last of the Mars books I read. This book brought Robinson's whole Mars reality back vividly into my mind.

I don't know if I would have enjoyed this book as much as I did had I not read the Mars trilogy first. Having the background of the trilogy allowed me to focus on the story unfolding in this book.

If you like Robinson's examination of society through the fiction that he writes then you will like this book.

The aspect of the book I found most enjoyable is its examination of how history is created and how a search of facts and historical objects can lead to many different interpretations of the same data. The book seems to me to be saying that we can't ever truly know what happened in the past; we can only examine the available information and take a guess. We should never forget that the victors make the history whether they were in the right or not.

The book itself is a triptych surrounding the creation of a monument near the north pole of Pluto. It is set in the future in the same fictional universe as the Mars trilogy and The Martians. I'd say it is most like The Martians in that it is a collection of three short stories that all deal with the same theme and build one upon the others. Each of the three stories could be taken individually and be interesting but they are related and the relationship between them is what gives this book it's unique quality. In the first part of the triptych Robinson provides an account of events in the form of a journal written by one character. In the reading of this journal one identifies with the character writing it and in a sense becomes her friend. As the book progresses the reader is confronted with the possibility that she never really existed and that the journal was written as part of an elaborate hoax. When confronted with this, Robinson's development of the journal writer's character in the first section of the triptych and of the supposed history of what happened to her presented in the second part makes the reader instinctually reject the proposal that she never existed. The evidence presented in the third section is very clear that the hoax exists but the reader is still led to believe that the journal writer was real and that even if the journal is part of a hoax it is still an authentic journal. There are no definite answers or conclusions presented in the book but none are truly necessary. Robinson presents the facts and lets the reader reach their own conclusion. Near the very end a final theory is presented that I reached about halfway through the third section. All the parts fit and it is a wonderful end to the story.

Anyway, I hope someone finds this interesting and helpful.

-Anthony

Editorial Review:

On the North Pole of Pluto there stands an enigma: a huge circle of standing blocks of ice, built on the pattern of Earth's Stonehenge--but ten times the size, standing alone at the farthest reaches of the Solar System. What is it? Who came there to build it?

The secret lies, perhaps, in the chaotic decades of the Martian Revolution, in the lost memories of those who have lived for centuries.

Anvil of Ice

Michael Scott Rohan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great Read!! 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Rating System:
1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten
2 star = poor; a total waste of time
3 star = good; worth the effort
4 star = very good; what writing should be
5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with others

STORY: When a coastal village is attacked by the seafaring, cannibalistic Ekwesh, a young thrall, Alv, is spared by their leader, Mylio the Mastersmith. In the shadow of the Great Ice, the sinister Mylio makes the boy his apprentice. Thus starts the journey for Alv (later named Elof) who discovers the ability within himself to smith items of power beyond what he or others imagine. His journeys take him to the deepest mountains of the duerger and to the lands of the children of the forest then to the battlements of the Southerners where he alone may have the ability to turn the tides of the coming Ice.

MY FEEDBACK:
Several series I read in High School I?ve hated later as an adult (i.e. Dragonlance). But this series still kept me turning page after page in anticipation of what will happen next. I have no complaints about the setting, characters, plot, sense of originality or overall writing.

The only complaint I have is that it seemed at a couple of points that a female duerger (dwarf in my mind and based on author?s descriptions) spoke in the exact same matter as a Southern Lord. This got a bit irritating for me, but the rest of the story allowed me to overlook this.

This is one of those well crafted stories that build up to a single climatic event vs. the current trend in media where every 15 minutes a climatic event occurs. But nowhere along the lines of building up to the event did I find the story slow, clich?, or boring. This is definitely up there in my top 5 series of all time. Get your hands on a copy ASAP. You won?t be disappointed.

Editorial Review:

First in a trilogy that blends magic with prehistory, here is a tale of potent magicks, immortal struggles, and human courage in the face of evil forces and awesome odds that follows Elof and his band of adventurers in a battle with the evil Mastersmith Mylio. Reissue.