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Good Omens

Terry Pratchett

Good Omens Terry Pratchett By: Corgi
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 523 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

B+ 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Featuring the combined writing of two of fantasy's most revered authors, Good Omens had a lot to live up to. Luckily, their styles meshed very well together, providing a narrative that was both sarcastically witty and full of heart. Introducing us to two wonderful characters - an angel and a demon, both of whom are drawn up flawlessly - and a dozen other minor characters, Gaiman and Pratchett give us a humorous take on the apocalypse; an original and highly conceptualized feat that is not altogether perfect. Slow in parts, sometimes meandering to a fault, and images that become monotonous after they are used many times over, the novel is, essentially, a giant wink at pop culture and religion in the modern world. Satire is a strong word, and funny too soft. The authors found that lovely middle ground - a gentle, nudging poke. All of the characters are well formed; the characterization is quite developed. Just don't expect big battles or page-turning adventure...the meditations on good vs. evil, and the other themes of religion-based fiction round out the book to a fine conclusion.

The Ender Quartet Box Set: Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind (Ender Quartet)

Orson Scott Card

The Ender Quartet Box Set: Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind (Ender Quartet) Orson Scott Card Amazon Price: $20.43
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Editorial Review:

This boxed set contains Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind

 

Ender's Game

Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.

 

Speaker for the Dead

 

In the aftermath of his terrible war, Ender Wiggin disappeared, and a powerful voice arose: The Speaker for the Dead, who told the true story of the Bugger War.

Now, long years later, a second alien race has been discovered, but again the aliens' ways are strange and frightening...again, humans die. And it is only the Speaker for the Dead, who is also Ender Wiggin the Xenocide, who has the courage to confront the mystery...and the truth.

Xenocide

The war for survival of the planet Lusitania will be fought in the hearts of a child named Gloriously Bright.

On Lusitania, Ender found a world where humans and Pequeninos and the Hive Queen could all live together; where three very different intelligent species could find common ground at last. Or so he thought.

Lusitania also harbors the descolada, a virus that kills all humans it infects, but which the Pequeninos require in order to become adults. The Starways Congress so fears the effects of the descolada, should it escape from Lusitania, that they have ordered the destruction of the entire planet, and all who live there. The Fleet is on its way, a second xenocide seems inevitable.

 

Children of the Mind

 

The planet Lusitania is home to three sentient species: the Pequeninos; a large colony of humans; and the Hive Queen, brought there by Ender. But once against the human race has grown fearful; the Starways Congress has gathered a fleet to destroy Lusitania.

Jane, the evolved computer intelligence, can save the three sentient races of Lusitania. She has learned how to move ships outside the universe, and then instantly back to a different world, abolishing the light-speed limit. But it takes all the processing power available to her, and the Starways Congress is shutting down the Net, world by world.

Soon Jane will not be able to move the ships. Ender's children must save her if they are to save themselves.

Blood of the Fold (Sword of Truth, Book 3)

Terry Goodkind

Blood of the Fold (Sword of Truth, Book 3) Terry Goodkind Amazon Price: $7.99
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 268 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

2 stars for some intense moments... 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

...but already the Kahlan/Richard storyline is growing really, really, tired. Richard overreacts...Richard apologizes...Kahlan cries and swears she will never betray Richard...Richard and Kahlan talk about getting married and sharing Kahlan's big, big bed...Richard somehow thwarts the advances of every hot woman known to mankind but listens to Kahlan prattle on and on about some nonsense...other characters become angry then apologize...someone else cries...someone else apologizes for crying...someone else apologizes for yelling...Richard theorizes about this, that and the other thing....Richard talks about how he lacks control over the magic...We get the 15,000th recapitulation of the history of the Confessors, the Wizards, the Palace of Prophets, the Keeper, Darken Rahl... we read the 1,000,000th inartfully drafted prophecy which mysteriously works itself out by way of some tortured plot twist...Richard befriends more enemies and inexplicably converts them into longtime friends...the Mord Sith prance around in red leather grabbing their Agiel and make cute comments but do little else...Richard grinds his teeth for the umpteenth time and grabs the Sword of Truth and lets the rage flow through him...just send me to the Keeper already!

Wizard's Fourth Rule: Read George RR Martin

Editorial Review:

An Epic of Two Worlds

In a world as rich and real as our own, Richard Rahl and Kahlan Amnell stand against the ancient forces which besiege the New World-- forces so terrible that when last they threatened, they could only be withstood by sealing off the Old World from whence they came. Now the barrier has been breached, and the New World is again beset by their evil power.

War and treachery plague the world, and only Richard and Kahlan can save it from an armageddon of unimaginable savagery and destruction.

Terry Goodkind, author of the brilliant bestsellers Wizard's First Rule and Stone of Tears, has created his most masterful epic yet, a sumptuous feast of magic and excitement replete with the wonders of his unique fantasy vision.

Fearless (The Lost Fleet, Book 2)

Jack Campbell

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 60 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Enjoyable 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Very fun. This is my first space opera series. The premise is good. I can see where the author is starting to repeat sections. Almost as though its from a military mind that must repeat it for the rest of us dunces who can't retain it unless its repeated endlessly... Now that is getting tiresome.


On a scale 1 to 5, Five is Best:

Villian: 4
Plot: 4
Creativity: 4
Uniqueness: 4
Humor: 2
Bringing the sexy: 0
Passion: 5 stars (for duty & honor ) 4
Laughs & Amusement factor: 1
Silly Whiners who get on your nerves: 2.7 (and growing)
Lazy Author repeating too much from prior chapters: 2.5

An engageing writer does it again 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Jack really does a great job grabbing your attention. He makes you want to know what's going to happen next. Part of his success is character development. You believe in these characters.

His understanding of the battles is inspired and he gets the points across to the readers extremely well. The characters jump off the page and you can really lose yourself in the book. Sure, we 'know' there is going to be some sort of success in the end, but you really want to experience the ride. Jack really pulls you along.

The story isn't new, the 'reality' of the physics of the battles is interesting, the desperation of Black Jack Geary is palpable. Well done!

Editorial Review:

Captain John "Black Jack" Geary tries a desperate gamble to lead the Alliance Fleet home-through enemy-occupied space-only to lose half the Fleet to an unexpected mutiny.

Stone of Tears (Sword of Truth) (Sword of Truth)

Terry Goodkind

Stone of Tears (Sword of Truth) (Sword of Truth) Terry Goodkind Amazon Price: $112.25
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 340 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

In Wizard's First Rule, Richard Cypher's world was turned upside down. Once a simple woods guide, Richard was forced to become the Seeker of Truth, to save the world from the vile dominance of Darken Rahl, the most viciously savage and powerful wizard the world had ever seen. He was joined on this epic quest by his beloved Kahlan, the only survivor among the Confessors, who brought a powerful but benevolent justice to the land before Rahl's evil scourge. Aided by Zedd, the last of the wizards who opposed Rahl, they were able to cast him into the underworld, saving the world from the living hell of life under Rahl.

But the veil to the underworld has been torn, and Rahl, from beyond the veil, begins to summon a sinister power more dreadful than any he has wielded before. Horrifying creatures escape through the torn veil, wreaking havoc on the unsuspecting world above.

If Rahl isn't stopped, he will free the Keeper itself, an evil entity whose power is so vast and foul that once freed, it can never again be contained.

Bloodfever (Fever) (Fever)

Karen Marie Moning

Bloodfever (Fever) (Fever) Karen Marie Moning Amazon Price: $70.11
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 127 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Get's better and better 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Seriously, Moning is Awesome. I was really hesitant in buying the first one in the series, but once I started I loved it. It sucks you in and you can't get enough. All her books are great, especially the highlander series.

Editorial Review:

MacKayla Lane’s ordinary life underwent a complete makeover when she landed on Ireland’s shores and was plunged into a world of deadly sorcery and ancient secrets.

In her fight to stay alive, Mac must find the Sinsar Dubh - a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over both the world of the Fae and of Man. Pursued by Fae assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she cannot trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and irresistible men: V’lane, the insatiable Fae who can turn sensual arousal into an obsession for any woman, and the ever-inscrutable Jericho Barrons, a man as alluring as he is mysterious.

For centuries the shadowy realm of the Fae has coexisted with that of humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down, and Mac is the only thing that stands between them….

Stardust

Neil Gaiman

Stardust Neil Gaiman Amazon Price: $6.99
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 347 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In the sleepy English countryside of decades past, there is a town that has stood on a jut of granite for six hundred years. And immediately to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here in the town of Wall, Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. One crisp October night, as they watch, a star falls from the sky, and Victoria promises to marry Tristran if he'll retrieve that star and bring it back for her. It is this promise that sends Tristran through the only gap in the wall, across the meadow, and into the most unforgettable adventure of his life.In the sleepy English countryside of decades past, there is a town that has stood on a jut of granite for six hundred years. And immediately to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here in the town of Wall, Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. One crisp October night, as they watch, a star falls from the sky, and Victoria promises to marry Tristran if he'll retrieve that star and bring it back for her. It is this promise that sends Tristran through the only gap in the wall, across the meadow, and into the most unforgettable adventure of his life.

Courageous (The Lost Fleet, Book 3)

Jack Campbell

Courageous (The Lost Fleet, Book 3) Jack Campbell Amazon Price: $7.99
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 54 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

ruffled around the edges 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Though extremly well written and graphically depicted beyond all expectations, i did find that much of what happens in the book must be simply accepted. For instance, HOW BIG are some of these ships, compared to actual objects, foot ball stadium? and is there artificial gravity or do they float around inside the ships. What's the propulsion system? does it have a name, is it gravity fed, ect, ect... Though these questions seem incredibly important, the books seem to glance off of the implied incredibly well.

Enjoyable but I am getting annoyed 4 out of 5 stars.
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This is my first space opera series and it was fun. The premise is good, excellent. My complaint is in the extreme irritation in an author who continues to repeat sections via wholesale cut and paste. It is almost as though 20% of the book feels as though its a repeat. I find myself rolling my eyes. The characters who whine is ridiculous. The hero who is not asserting leadership and lets knuckleheads walk over him is ridiculous. The author who produces cardboard love scenes so stiff they could break like uncooked spaghetti is kinda amusing but I give him a wave for trying. It feels he was commanded to do so by his publisher.

The battle scenes were extra long. The bitchout sessions by his lover were getting tedious. This was not going in a positive direction at all by books end.

On a scale 1 to 5, Five is Best:

Villian: 4
Plot: 3
Creativity: 3
Uniqueness: 2.5
Humor: 1
Bringing the sexy: 0
Passion: 3 stars (for duty & honor )
Dullness setting in on Series: 3
Laughs & Amusement factor: 1
Silly Whiners getting on your nerves: 5
Lazy Author repeating too much from prior chapters: 5

The investment has been made now and I want to know what is going to happen next. I bought the first 3 as as books on tape (audiobooks). Now that I know the author has been a little lazy, I will not invest in an audiobook on book #4. I will buy that as paperback because I do want to know what happened but not at $24.00.

If the pattern continues, there will be a lot of cut and paste, not a lot of plot advancement and the characters chasing their tails and not going anywhere except someplace pretty durn depressing.

For that I can read in an afternoon in Barnes and Noble and not even buy the paperback for #4.

Editorial Review:

The Lost Fleet continues its perilous journey home.

Badly damaged and low on supplies, the Alliance Fleet is raiding Syndic mines for raw materials-and Captain "Black Jack" Geary hopes they can continue to remain one step ahead of their enemies. But the Syndics are the least of Geary's worries when he learns of the existence of aliens with the power to annihilate the human race.

Sins of the Night (Dark-Hunter, Book 8)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 89 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

In the realm of the Dark-Hunters there is a code of honor that even immortal bad boys must follow:

Harm no human. Drink no blood. Never fall in love.


But every now and again a Dark-Hunter thinks himself above the Code. That's when I'm summoned. Who am I? I'm the one thing the fearless fear. Step over the line and it's my wrath you will face. Nothing can touch me. Nothing can sway me. I am relentless and unfeeling.

Or so I thought until I met a female Dark-Hunter who goes by the name of Danger-it's not just her name, it's how she lives her life. She doesn't trust me at all. And who could blame her? She alone knows that I'm here to be judge, jury and most likely executioner of her friends. Yet she is my key to saving some of them. Without her, they all will die.

Dangereuse St. Richard is a deadly distraction. Something about her is reawakening a heart I thought was long dead. But in a race against evil, the only hope mankind has is that I do my duty. And how can I do my duty when it means that I will have to sacrifice the only woman I've ever loved?

Breakfast of Champions

Kurt Vonnegut

Breakfast of Champions Kurt Vonnegut Amazon Price: $11.20
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 253 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

You must read this 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is Vonnegut's famous "50th birthday present to himself", and if you ask me, he spoiled himself with it. Out of the few Vonnegut books I've read, this is the funniest, and probably the best. Basically, Kurt here dismisses the entire American nation as racist, materialist, and obsessed with sex, class, alcohol, conformity, and whatever else you could trot out. It would be considered a pessimistic, nihilistic viewpoint if it wasn't a sadly accurate look at the way America worked, and still works today. And for a little note to those who think the book is racist, keep in mind that the black characters are actually portrayed as being, in a way, a lot more intelligent and less misanthropic than the white ones.
This isn't an easy book to describe. There's a plot, but Kurt veers away from it on several occasions, offering a wide variety of satiric tangents that make for some of the most hilarious parts of his writing. There are illustrations, crude, simple, and absolutely hilarious. Kurt even sticks himself in the book, makes himself a character, and has discussions with other characters. Choice segments include the scene at the Holiday Inn cocktail lounge, where Kurt has a discussion with himself; every discussion of Kilgore Trout's misadventures with getting his books published by his sleazy publishing house; the uproarious prologue; every illustration; every tangent; and... well, pretty much everything. It's not a book for everyone, but if you're looking for a whole ton of laughs in one place, and some of the best satire known to mankind... whoa. This is it.
Oh yeah, the book's about what happens when car dealer Wayne Hoover decides everyone on Earth but him is a robot. But, as I said before, the plot is secondary here.

Editorial Review:

Breakfast Of Champions is vintage Vonnegut. One of his favorite characters, aging writer Kilgore Trout, finds to his horror that a Midwest car dealer is taking his fiction as truth. The result is murderously funny satire as Vonnegut looks at war, sex, racism, success, politics, and pollution in America and reminds us how to see the truth.

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