Adventure Books - Page 2

A War of Gifts: An Ender Story (Ender)

Orson Scott Card

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 42 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

There are better alternatives out there 1 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I've read a lot of Orson Scott Card's books, and have always found myself coming away from them a little frustrated. The ideas always seem to be interesting, but end up getting lost in mediocre storytelling. Card dwells on the same unique ideas so persistently, going back to the same well so often, that by the end of the book what I had originally found unique now just seems hackneyed. And now that I've found out Card is so outspoken politically with such (literally) fascist and discriminatory views, I don't even want his books in my house. I've sold them online and donated the money to a worthy charity.

If you find Card's story ideas at all interesting, I'd suggest the following authors for a more satisfying storytelling experience:

Neil Gaiman. Gaiman has the same unique flavor to his ideas, but he also has the execution to deliver an incredible story as well. His work is more on the fantasy side, like Card's Alvin Maker series. The only problem is that Gaiman writes so few books that I find myself becoming incredibly impatient waiting for his next story to come out.

Stephen Baxter and Isaac Asimov. Asimov's works can sometimes be a little less accessible then Card's, but Baxter's are not; they are just as easy a read. Both men are visionaries scientifically, and tell gripping, page turning stories. Both are sci-fi based, like Card's Ender Series.

Stephen King. Most people groan when I say how much I love King's writing, but universally I come to find out that those people have never read his Dark Tower series, just his horror. The seven books that comprise the Dark Tower story, widely considered King's Magnum Opus, are a truly unique blend of equal parts fantasy, sci-fi, and western. Note these are not in any way like King's horror writings, though once you've read the Dark Tower you'll see characters from it turn up in ancillary roles in many of his other books. The Dark Tower, like the Alvin series, is set is a world that is kind of our world, kind of not. The Dark Tower series is hands-down the best series I've ever read. Period.

I hope this helps some readers find some great stories they may have otherwise not found. Happy reading!

Editorial Review:

Orson Scott Card offers a Christmas gift to his millions of fans with this short novel set during Ender's first years at the Battle School where it is forbidden to celebrate religious holidays.  The children come from many nations, many religions; while they are being trained for war, religious conflict between them is not on the curriculum. But Dink Meeker, one of the older students, doesn't see it that way. He thinks that giving gifts isn't exactly a religious observation, and on Sinterklaas Day he tucks a present into another student's shoe.

This small act of rebellion sets off a battle royal between the students and the staff, but some surprising alliances form when Ender comes up against a new student, Zeck Morgan. The War over Santa Claus will force everyone to make a choice.

Rule of Two (Star Wars: Darth Bane, Book 2)

Drew Karpyshyn

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 55 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In the New York Times bestseller Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, Drew Karpyshyn painted a gripping portrait of a young man’s journey from innocence to evil. That man was Darth Bane, a twisted genius whose iron will, fierce ambition, and strength in the dark side of the Force made him a natural leader among the Sith–until his radical embrace of an all-but-forgotten wisdom drove him to destroy his own order . . . and create it anew from the ashes. As the last surviving Sith, Darth Bane promulgated a harsh new directive: the Rule of Two.

Two there should be; no more, no less.
One to embody the power, the other to crave it.

Now Darth Bane is ready to put his policy into action, and he thinks he has found the key element that will make his triumph complete: a student to train in the ways of the dark side. Though she is young, Zannah possesses an instinctive link to the dark side that rivals his own. With his guidance, she will become essential in his quest to destroy the Jedi and dominate the galaxy.

But there is one who is determined to stop Darth Bane: Johun Othone, Padawan to Jedi Master Lord Hoth, who died at Bane’s hands in the last great Sith War. Though the rest of the Jedi scoff at him, Joshua’s belief that there are surviving Sith on the loose is unshakeable.

As Johun continues his dogged pursuit of the man who killed his master, Zannah, faced unexpectedly with a figure from her past, begins to question her embrace of the dark side. And Darth Bane is led by Force-induced visions to a moon where he will acquire astonishing new knowledge and power–power that will alter him in ways he could never have imagined. . . .


From the Hardcover edition.

Dauntless (The Lost Fleet, Book 1)

Jack Campbell

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 105 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Clean and Absorbing! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Whenever I try a new series, especially in sci-fi, I am always a little nervous about the content. I love sci-fi, but sometimes the books just aren't what you'd expect. I am pleased to say that this book was clean enough to be read by teenagers but still written in a way that could appeal to adults.

This book reminds me a bit of the success of the Law and Order and CSI TV shows that could draw in a viewer but kept some normalcy by admitting that cops, forensic experts, and prosecutors don't normally spend all of his or her free time drinking and sleeping around. The portrayal of a hero who doesn't fit in to his society and sometimes not in with his fleet and the explanation of his real thoughts and insecurities, makes Captain Jack Black Geary seem like a real human hero instead of a James Bond Hollywood fantasy. If you enjoy reading sci-fi that makes you think about how you and people you know would handle things, then I would highly recommend this book!

Editorial Review:

The Alliance has been fighting the Syndic for a century-and losing badly. Now its fleet is crippled and stranded in enemy territory. Their only hope is Captain John "Black Jack" Geary-a man who's emerged from a century-long hibernation to find he has been heroically idealized beyond belief. Now, he must live up to his own legend.

Day by Day Armageddon (A Zombie Novel)

J. L. Bourne

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 202 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A very good read, worth picking up but a little "too perfect" for my tastes= 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Let me be clear from the start - I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Fans of zombie apocalypse speculative fiction would be well served picking up this book if they have not already done so. The author is clearly intelligent and has done his research and his attention to detail is fantastic.

My problem is that the story is a little bit too perfect - the protagonist is just too good at what he does and his luck appears to be just too good. There doesn't appear to be a single skill or ability that he or his crew doesn't have to tackle the myriad of situations they're faced with. This is not a story about your `average joe' who rises to the nigh impossible challenge of surviving in a world filled with the undead. It's more like MacGyver vs. the Undead.

Editorial Review:

START INTERCEPT_ Sporadic news reports indicate chaos and violence spreading through U.S. cities. An unknown evil is sweeping the planet. The dead are rising to claim the Earth as the new dominant species in the food chain. INTERCEPT COMPLETE_ Survivor, In your hands is the handwritten journal depicting one man's struggle for survival. Trapped in the midst of global disaster, he must make decisions; choices that ultimately mean life, or the eternal curse to walk as one of them. Enter if you will into his world. -The world of the undead.

Horus Heresy: Mechanicum (Horus Heresy)

Graham McNeill

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Editorial Review:

 

In this epic story, Fulgrim author Graham McNeill tells of the civil war on Mars, and the genesis of the Dark Mechanicum. This next installment is guaranteed to keep fans hooked as the series goes from strength to strength.

 

Kris Longknife: Intrepid (Kris Longknife)

Mike Shepherd

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

the middle of a series 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

First this is a fine example of military science fiction; like this genre and you will like the book. This particular work is the 6th in this series about a young woman lt. in the Wardhavan space navy. She is also the daughter of the prime minister and grand daughter of the planetary king. It is very much the middle of a series of unknown length.
The background is complicated. The commonwealth of Earth has just amicably broken up after a civil war. There has also been a war to the hilt with the only alien race so far found. Wardhavan is the center planet in a democratic commonwealth of circa 125 planets founded out of the ruins but has enemies including a forming extreme dictatorship.
The characters are well written and deep. but I would not advise just jumping in at this book becasue you will miss so much needed background. Take my advice, read the first book, then the second, etc.

Editorial Review:

Kris Longknife has been assigned to The Wasp, the best warship beyond the Rim of Human Space. But while hunting for pirates, Kris stumbles upon something. It’s a plan to kill one of the members of the aristocratic Peterwald family—and the would-be killers are setting her up as the assassin.

Order 66 (Star Wars: Republic Commando, Book 4)

Karen Traviss

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

After the fierce combat of Hard Contact, Triple Zero, and True Colors comes the spectacular culmination of New York Times bestselling author Karen Traviss’s gripping Republic Commando series. As a battle-scarred era nears its end, a shattering power play is about to stun the entire galaxy . . . and set in motion events that will alter destinies and resound throughout history.

Even as the Clone Wars are about to reach an explosive climax, no one knows if victory will favor the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) or the Separatists. But no matter who wins, the stakes are highest for elite Special Ops clones like the Republic Commandos in Omega and Delta squads–and the notorious renegade Advance Recon Commando troopers known as Null ARCs.

With Republic forces stretched to the max and casualties mounting, the last thing these beleaguered warriors need to hear is that Chancellor Palpatine is keeping vast armies of secret clone troops in reserve. Sergeant Skirata, a mentor to the clone commandos, has no intention of standing idly by while Palpatine sends them into battle like lambs to the slaughter. Skirata begins to plan the clones’ escape from the GAR, but his heroic effort will be in vain unless he can reverse the clones’ accelerated aging process.

Caught in the treacherous dealings of their leaders, and locked in the battles of their lives, the disillusioned Null ARCs and Commandos nonetheless fight with everything they’ve got, determined to wrest victory from the Seps and save the galaxy.

But even the deadliest weapons may not be powerful enough to defeat the real menace. And nothing will stop the apocalyptic horror unleashed when Palpatine utters the chilling words The time has come. Execute Order 66. Translation: The Jedi have tried to stage a coup, and all must be shot on sight.

With their faith in the Republic and their loyalty to their Jedi allies put to the ultimate test, how will the men of Omega and Delta squads react to the most infamous command in galactic history? All the breathtaking action, suspense, and intrigue of Karen Traviss’s Republic Commando series comes alive in Star Wars: Order 66.

Orphan's Alliance (Jason Wander)

Robert Buettner

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Good book 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I started this series early, then had to wait for each one to be published. It has really been enjoyable and I recommend it to anyone who likes military science fiction. It will seem a long time until the next in the series.

LOVE this series and Book 4 keeps the pace 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I loved all three of the first books in this series and was a bit concerned that the fourth might be "jerky" or not flow as smoothly as the first three did. No worries.... this was a great read and was over way before I was ready to see it end. Cannot wait for the fifth book!

The Price of Command 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Readers of the Orphan Series might see parallels with David Feintuch's excellent Hope Series. Both Jason Wander and Nicholas Seafort fought amorphous blobs that appeared suddenly from the depths of outer space. But there the similarity ends, or does it? Buettner's Wander seems to vacillate whenever the big decisions need to be made and is wracked with guilt afterward. Feintuch's Seafort, on the other hand, is hard-edged and inflexible, sacrificing his people, seemingly without regard, in order to save the human race. Yet both characters make the big decisions and both characters win their battles: Wander just externalizes his guilt while Seafort internalizes his. Both characters understand the price of command.

There is a haplessness about Jason Wander that should make the Orphan Series light fare for space opera. Compared to the heightened tension of the Hope Series which, in Challenger's Hope, is some of the best that I have ever read, the Orphan Series underachieves from page to page. But this is where Buettner demonstrates his skill, and why the Orphan Series has been so enjoyable to read. The comedy of armed conflict, the miscues, the misfits, the humor that soldiers must find in order to maintain their sanity--this is what Buettner is exploring in simple narrative form, punctuated throughout with snappy, profound passages and references to military tradition. This is a futuristic story set in outer space, but it reads as entirely down to earth.

Winning the peace is Wander's challenge this time, which he bumbles through like Jacques Clouseau, but an edge of urgency accompanies him as he deals with the petty posturing of his new allies. As always, politicians make war through action (or inaction) and soldiers, often shaking their heads in disbelief, must fight. To reveal more would spoil the book.

Editorial Review:

Humans have been discovered on the Outworlds. And the Army decides to send emissaries. Emissaries like Jason Wander.


As intraplanetary conflicts rage around him, and the personal stakes get ever higher, Jason finds that playing planet-hopping politician can be harder than commanding armies.


When united mankind squares off to battle the Slugs for a precious interstellar crossroad, Jason will discover that the most dangerous enemy may be the one he least expects.

Speaker for the Dead (Ender Wiggins Saga)

Orson Scott Card

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 410 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The thrilling sequel to Ender’s Game and winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards—this full cast unabridged recording includes an original postscript written and recorded by the author.

Three thousand years have passed since Ender Wiggin won humanity’s war with the Buggers by totally destroying them. Ender remains young, traveling the stars at the speed of relativity, but a hundred years or more might pass on Earth while he experiences a month-long voyage. In three thousand years, Ender’s books The Hive Queen and The Hegemon, written under a pseudonym, have become holy writ, while the name of Ender itself has become anathema: he is the Xenocide, the one who killed an entire race of thinking, feeling beings, killed the only other sapient race humankind had found in all the galaxy.

 

The only ones, that is, until the planet called Lusitania was discovered and colonized. The discovery was seen as a gift to humanity, a chance to redeem the destruction of the Buggers. This time, the Starways Congress vowed, there would be no tragic misunderstanding leading to war. But once again men die, killed by the aliens in a rite no one understands. Ender, now known only as the Speaker for the Dead, comes to Lusitania to speak for those who have died and discovers that in order to tell the truth about them, he must unravel the secrets of Lusitania.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier

Alan Moore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 83 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Good story, with reservations 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I enjoyed the latest edition of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The overall story held my attention and there were lots of interesting twists to the plot. The Fanny Hill porno insert added nothing to the story and should have been left out. The final chapter is in 3D, very innovative.

Editorial Review:

England in the mid 1950s is not the same as it was. The powers that be have instituted...some changes. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen have been disbanded and disavowed, and the country is under the control of an iron-fisted regime. Now, after many years, the still youthful Mina Murray and a rejuvenated Allan Quatermain return and are in search of some answers. Answers that can only be found in a book buried deep in the vaults of their old headquarters, a book that holds the key to the hidden history of the League throughout the ages: The Black Dossier. As Allan and Mina delve into the details of their precursors, some dating back centuries, they must elude their dangerous pursuers who are Hell-bent on retrieving the lost manuscript... and ending the League once and for all.