General Books

Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse

Stephen King, Cory Doctorow, George R. R. Martin, Octavia E. Butler, Jonathan Lethem, Orson Scott Card, Gene Wolfe, Jack McDevitt, Tobias S. Buckell

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Night Shade Books Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $7.99

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Comics & Graphic Novels -> Graphic Novels -> General
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Genre Fiction -> Horror -> Anthologies
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Authors, A-Z -> ( C ) -> Card, Orson Scott

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A fine collection of Apocalypse stories by great authors 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

With anthologies, I normally list the Table Of Contents, however because it can be viewed by rolling your mouse over the second available image below the book picture, I won't list it. There are 22 stories in this collection, by such authors as Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, Orson Scott Card, Nancy Kress, and many more. Each story begins with a short paragraph of notes and achievements by each author.

Religion, Armageddon, virus, plague, bombs, accidents, incidents, pollutants, natural disaster, and more, are all waiting to destroy the earth as we know it. Rising like the phoenix comes the new earth, explored in these tales of apocalypse. Barren landscapes, alternate ways of life, deserts, oceans, mangled cities, ragged suburbs: all are settings typical of destruction. Some of the stories in this collection are "realtime", meaning the apocalypse as it happens, such as The End Of The Whole Mess by Stephen King, When Sysadmins Ruled The Earth by Cory Doctorow, and The End Of The World As We Know It by Dale Bailey. Most, however, are post-apocalyptic, documenting humanity's struggle in the aftermath of destruction.

My favorites are The People Of Sand And Slag by Paolo Bacigalupi, a tale of futuristic inhabitation, human regeneration, and the finding of a real flesh-and-blood dog wandering the sere landscape. Dark, Dark Were The Tunnels by George R.R. Martin is a tale of two separate surviving factions, one Lunar faction and another faction deep beneath the earth. The question is, who are the real people of the long lost earth civilization? Waiting For The Zephyr by Tobias S. Buckell is a short but impacting tale of desperation to leave behind the scavenged farmlands. The Last Of The O-Forms by James Van Pelt highlights the journeys of Dr. Trevin's Traveling Zoological Extravaganza. This is a fun tale of a traveling freak show, with the question of who and what are the real freaks. Artie's Angels by Catherine Wells is the tale of teenagers growing up in a Kansas Habitat shelter, hoping for a better life in an off-world colony. Ginny Sweethips' Flying Circus by Neal Barrett Jr. is another fun story of a traveling entertainment van offering $ex, Tacos, and Dangerous Drugs. The End Of The World As We Know It by Dale Bailey offers a real time look at the confusion and loneliness of a single survivor.

There are some great stories and some mediocre stories, but there are no bad stories in this collection. A special, not to be missed feature is the For Further Reading guide at the end of the book. John Joseph Adams has created a list of books whose tales are based on the apocalypse and post-apocalyptic civilizations. Many of these I've read, but to my delight there are many I haven't. It's like having your own personalized reference of future reading material.

I'm a fan of apocalypse novels and a fan of short story anthologies, so Wastelands was a double treat for me. If you're into End-Of-Times or an aficionado of anthologies (or both), I highly recommend you pick up this book. Enjoy!

Editorial Review:

Famine, Death, War, and Pestilence: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the harbingers of Armageddon - these are our guides through the Wastelands... From the Book of Revelations to The Road Warrior; from A Canticle for Leibowitz to The Road, storytellers have long imagined the end of the world, weaving tales of catastrophe, chaos, and calamity. Gathering together the best post-apocalyptic literature of the last two decades from many of today's most renowned authors of speculative fiction, including George R.R. Martin, Gene Wolfe, Orson Scott Card, Carol Emshwiller, Jonathan Lethem, Octavia E. Butler, and Stephen King, Wastelands explores the scientific, psychological, and philosophical questions of what it means to remain human in the wake of Armageddon.

A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3)

George R.R. Martin

Amazon Price: $7.99 List Price: $7.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Spectra Amazon Marketplace: 88 new & used starting at $1.49

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Contemporary
Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Fantasy -> General
Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Authors, A-Z -> ( M ) -> Martin, George R.R. -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 753 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Is George R.R. Martin for real? Can a fantasy epic actually get better with each new installment? Fans of the genre have glumly come to expect go-nowhere sequels from other authors, so we're entitled to pinch ourselves over Martin's tightly crafted Song of Ice and Fire series. The reports are all true: this series is the real deal, and Martin deserves his crown as the rightful king of the epic. A Game of Thrones got things off to a rock-solid start, A Clash of Kings only exceeded expectations, but it's the Storm of Swords hat trick that cements Martin's rep as the most praiseworthy fantasy author to come along since that other R.R.

Like the first two books, A Storm of Swords could coast on the fundamentals: deftly detailed characters, convincing voices and dialogue, a robust back-story, and a satisfyingly unpredictable plot. But it's Martin's consistently bold choices that set the series apart. Every character is fair game for the headman's axe (sometimes literally), and not only do the good guys regularly lose out to the bad guys, you're never exactly sure who you should be cheering for in the first place.

Storm is full of admirable intricacies. Events that you thought Martin was setting up solidly for the first two books are exposed as complex feints; the field quickly narrows after the Battle of the Blackwater and once again, anything goes. Robb tries desperately to hold the North together, Jon returns from the wildling lands with a torn heart, Bran continues his quest for the three-eyed crow beyond the Wall, Catelyn struggles to save her fragile family, Arya becomes ever more wolflike in her wanderings, Daenerys comes into her own, and Joffrey's cruel rule from King's Landing continues, making even his fellow Lannisters uneasy. Martin tests all the major characters in A Storm of Swords: some fail the trial, while others--like Martin himself--seem to only get stronger. --Paul Hughes

A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire)

George R.R. Martin

Amazon Price: $7.99 List Price: $7.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Spectra Amazon Marketplace: 78 new & used starting at $3.24

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Contemporary
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Genre Fiction -> Historical
Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Fantasy -> Epic

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 761 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Few books have captivated the imagination and won the devotion and praise of readers and critics everywhere as has George R. R. Martin’s monumental epic cycle of high fantasy. Now, in A Feast for Crows, Martin delivers the long-awaited fourth book of his landmark series, as a kingdom torn asunder finds itself at last on the brink of peace...only to be launched on an even more terrifying course of destruction.

A Feast for Crows

It seems too good to be true. After centuries of bitter strife and fatal treachery, the seven powers dividing the land have decimated one another into an uneasy truce. Or so it appears....With the death of the monstrous King Joffrey, Cersei is ruling as regent in King’s Landing. Robb Stark’s demise has broken the back of the Northern rebels, and his siblings are scattered throughout the kingdom like seeds on barren soil. Few legitimate claims to the once desperately sought Iron Throne still exist—or they are held in hands too weak or too distant to wield them effectively. The war, which raged out of control for so long, has burned itself out.

But as in the aftermath of any climactic struggle, it is not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters start to gather, picking over the bones of the dead and fighting for the spoils of the soon-to-be dead. Now in the Seven Kingdoms, as the human crows assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous new alliances are formed, while surprising faces—some familiar, others only just appearing—are seen emerging from an ominous twilight of past struggles and chaos to take up the challenges ahead.

It is a time when the wise and the ambitious, the deceitful and the strong will acquire the skills, the power, and the magic to survive the stark and terrible times that lie before them. It is a time for nobles and commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages to come together and stake their fortunes...and their lives. For at a feast for crows, many are the guests—but only a few are the survivors.


From the Hardcover edition.

A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 2)

George R.R. Martin

Amazon Price: $7.99 List Price: $7.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Spectra Amazon Marketplace: 128 new & used starting at $0.46

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Contemporary
Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Fantasy -> Epic
Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Fantasy -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 631 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

How does he do it? George R.R. Martin's high fantasy weaves a spell sufficient to seduce even those who vowed never to start a doorstopper fantasy series again (the first book--A Game of Thrones--runs over 700 pages). A Clash of Kings is longer and even more grim, but Martin continues to provide compelling characters in a vividly real world.

The Seven Kingdoms have come apart. Joffrey, Queen Cersei's sadistic son, ascends the Iron Throne following the death of Robert Baratheon, the Usurper, who won it in battle. Queen Cersei's family, the Lannisters, fight to hold it for him. Both the dour Stannis and the charismatic Renly Baratheon, Robert's brothers, also seek the throne. Robb Stark, declared King in the North, battles to avenge his father's execution and retrieve his sister from Joffrey's court. Daenerys, the exiled last heir of the former ruling family, nurtures three dragons and seeks a way home. Meanwhile the Night's Watch, sworn to protect the realm from dangers north of the Wall, dwindle in numbers, even as barbarian forces gather and beings out of legend stalk the Haunted Forest.

Sound complicated? It is, but fine writing makes this a thoroughly satisfying stew of dark magic, complex political intrigue, and horrific bloodshed. --Nona Vero

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1)

George R.R. Martin

Amazon Price: $10.88 List Price: $16.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Spectra Amazon Marketplace: 67 new & used starting at $5.99

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Fantasy -> Epic
Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Fantasy -> General
Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Fantasy -> Series -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1510 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Readers of epic fantasy series are: (1) patient--they are left in suspense between each volume, (2) persistent--they reread or at least review the previous book(s) when a new installment comes out, (3) strong--these 700-page doorstoppers are heavy, and (4) mentally agile--they follow a host of characters through a myriad of subplots. In A Game of Thrones, the first book of a projected six, George R.R. Martin rewards readers with a vividly real world, well-drawn characters, complex but coherent plotting, and beautifully constructed prose, which Locus called "well above the norms of the genre."

Martin's Seven Kingdoms resemble England during the Wars of the Roses, with the Stark and Lannister families standing in for the Yorks and Lancasters. The story of these two families and their struggle to control the Iron Throne dominates the foreground; in the background is a huge, ancient wall marking the northern border, beyond which barbarians, ice vampires, and direwolves menace the south as years-long winter advances. Abroad, a dragon princess lives among horse nomads and dreams of fiery reconquest.

There is much bloodshed, cruelty, and death, but A Game of Thrones is nevertheless compelling; it garnered a Nebula nomination and won the 1996 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. So, on to A Clash of Kings! --Nona Vero

The Ice Dragon

George R.R. Martin

Amazon Price: $5.99 List Price: $5.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Starscape Amazon Marketplace: 42 new & used starting at $1.83

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror -> Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths -> Dragons
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The ice dragon was a creature of legend and fear, for no man had ever tamed one. When it flew overhead, it left in its wake desolate cold and frozen land. But Adara was not afraid. For Adara was a winter child, born during the worst freeze that anyone, even the Old Ones, could remember.

Adara could not remember the first time she had seen the ice dragon. It seemed that it had always been in her life, glimpsed from afar as she played in the frigid snow long after the other children had fled the cold. In her fourth year she touched it, and in her fifth year she rode upon its broad, chilled back for the first time. Then, in her seventh year, on a calm summer day, fiery dragons from the North swooped down upon the peaceful farm that was Adara’s home. And only a winter child—and the ice dragon who loved her—could save her world from utter destruction.

The Ice Dragon marks the highly anticipated children’s book debut of George R.R. Martin, the award-winning author of the New York Times best-selling series A Song of Ice and Fire and is set in the same world. Illustrated with lush, exquisitely detailed pencil drawings by acclaimed artist Yvonne Gilbert, The Ice Dragon is an unforgettable tale of courage, love, and sacrifice by one of the most honored fantasists of all time.

Fevre Dream

George R.R. Martin

Amazon Price: $10.88 List Price: $16.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Spectra Amazon Marketplace: 65 new & used starting at $3.22

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Authors, A-Z -> ( M ) -> Martin, George R.
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Genre Fiction -> Horror -> General
Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Science Fiction -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 73 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

When struggling riverboat captain Abner Marsh receives an offer of partnership from a wealthy aristocrat, he suspects something’s amiss. But when he meets the hauntingly pale, steely-eyed Joshua York, he is certain. For York doesn’t care that the icy winter of 1857 has wiped out all but one of Marsh’s dilapidated fleet. Nor does he care that he won’t earn back his investment in a decade. York has his own reasons for wanting to traverse the powerful Mississippi. And they are to be none of Marsh’s concern—no matter how bizarre, arbitrary, or capricious his actions may prove.

Marsh meant to turn down York’s offer. It was too full of secrets that spelled danger. But the promise of both gold and a grand new boat that could make history crushed his resolve—coupled with the terrible force of York’s mesmerizing gaze. Not until the maiden voyage of his new sidewheeler Fevre Dream would Marsh realize he had joined a mission both more sinister, and perhaps more noble, than his most fantastic nightmare...and mankind’s most impossible dream.
Here is the spellbinding tale of a vampire’s quest to unite his race with humanity, of a garrulous riverman’s dream of immortality, and of the undying legends of the steamboat era and a majestic, ancient river.

Dreamsongs: Volume I

George R.R. Martin

Amazon Price: $17.82 List Price: $27.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Spectra Amazon Marketplace: 46 new & used starting at $11.99

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Genre Fiction -> Anthologies
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> Short Stories -> General
Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Fantasy -> Anthologies

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A Whitman's Sampler of George R. R. Martin fantasy, horror, and science fiction goodness 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Twenty-two terrific, highly readable stories, accompanied by five very entertaining autobiographical essays by the author (each essay introducing a group of stories and discussing what the author was doing in his life at the time he wrote the stories in question). There's also a nice little initial introduction to the whole package by Gardner Dozois.

What I liked a lot about these stories is the skillful, artful balance between clarity and ambiguity. Plot points and story developments are always very clear, so the reader knows exactly what is going on; yet Mr. Martin often chooses to pull back and let the reader decide the implications of characters' decisions rather than hit us over the head with an obvious "lesson".

It's funny, though. Mr. Martin's developed his writing craft much quicker than he accumulated life experience. The result: several stories ("The Second Kind of Loneliness" and "Meathouse Man" chief among them) that are highly polished in their craft but about little more than a young man's fear of talking to a pretty girl or depression when a relationship with said girl doesn't work out. Make no mistake, with their imaginative science-fiction, horror, or fantasy trappings, they're very interesting stories; I just thought it was amusing how, in certain particular stories, the writing was very sophisticated but the human/emotional themes were so basic. But even some of these stories feature the sophisticated ambiguity mentioned previously.

Highlights of the book? I particularly enjoyed the long "Nightflyers" (it's pretty much a novella); it reminded me of a really good Arthur C. Clarke story. "Sandkings" was a great SF/horror hybrid. And the out-and-out fantasy entry, "The Ice Dragon" was wonderful, too. In fact, there's not a clunker in the bunch, even among the early "fan fiction" stories ("Only Kids Are Afraid of the Dark", "And Death His Legacy", etc.) also included by Mr. Martin.

When posting a positive review of an entry in a multi-part series, I try to avoid a trite closing sentence along the line of "this installment was great, and I'm certainly on board for the next volume." But, uh, there's really nothing left to say but... this installment was great and I'm certainly on board for the next volume.

Well, I do have ONE more thing to say. Maybe my new Amazon Kindle will arrive in time for me to purchase the also-hefty "Dreamsongs, Volume 2" via that handy electronic device. Like Mr. Martin's also excellent "A Song of Ice and Fire" fantasy novels, these suckers are BIG books and a bit of a pain to lug around. Get working, Amazon!

Editorial Review:

Dubbed “the American Tolkien” by Time magazine, #1 New York Times bestselling author George R.R. Martin is a giant in the field of fantasy literature and one of the most exciting storytellers of our time. Now he delivers a rare treat for readers: a compendium of his shorter works, collected into two stunning volumes, that offer fascinating insight into his journey from young writer to award-winning master.

Gathered here, in Volume I, are the very best of George R.R. Martin’s early works, including never-before-published fan pieces, his Hugo, Nebula, and Bram Stoker Award-winning stories—plus the original novella The Ice Dragon, from which Martin’s New York Times bestselling children’s book of the same title originated. A dazzling array that features extensive author commentary, Dreamsongs, Volume I, is the perfect collection for both Martin devotees and a new generation of fans.

The Fires of Heaven (The Wheel of Time, Book 5)

Robert Jordan, George R. R. Martin, Terry Goodkind

Amazon Price: $47.22 List Price: $74.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Macmillan Audio Amazon Marketplace: 24 new & used starting at $34.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> General
Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Fantasy -> Epic
Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Fantasy -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 242 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The fifth audio volume of the Wheel of Time series is now available in unabridged format on CD
In this sequel to the phenomenal New York Times bestseller The Shadow Rising, Robert Jordan again plunges us into his extraordinarily rich, totally unforgettable world:
...Into the forbidden city of Rhuidean, where Rand al’Thor, now the Dragon Reborn, must conceal his present endeavor from all about him, even Egwene and Moiraine.
...Into the Amyrlin’s study in the White Tower, where Amyrlin, Flaida do Avriny a ‘Roihan, is weaving new plans.
...Into the luxurious hidden chamber where the Forsaken Rahvin is meeting with three of his fellows to ensure their ultimate victory over the Dragon.
...Into the Queen’s court in Caemlyn, where Morgase is curiously in thrall to the handsome Lord Gaebril.
For once the Dragon walks the land, the fires of Heaven fall where they will, until all men’s lives are ablaze. And in Shayol Ghul, the Dark One stirs...

The Armageddon Rag

George R.R. Martin

Amazon Price: $10.20 List Price: $15.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Spectra Amazon Marketplace: 42 new & used starting at $5.88

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Science Fiction -> General
Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Authors, A-Z -> ( M ) -> Martin, George R.R. -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Gives a good idea of the author's development 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

An older book by this author, but a good one. You can see the development of his style from The Armageddon Rag to A Game of Thrones. Worth reading if you are a fan and even if you're not but you like eclectic science fiction/fantasy.

Strange Days Have Found Them 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Until all the old hippies head to the great minibus in the sky, they'll continually over-analyze what went wrong with their attempted revolution back in the flower power era, and will continue to put all the blame on The Man for not understanding. When George R.R. Martin wrote this novel in the early 80s, hippie nostalgia was probably already going strong, but here he delivered an exceptionally disappointed and melancholy nostalgia trip back to the dark side of the flower children. Readers who were not original hippies themselves will probably find the voluminous baby boomer nostalgia tiresome, if not completely self-righteous, while the basic theme of rock music starting revolutions and changing the world will never stop being hokey. Meanwhile, the supernatural elements of the story might be a little too vague and unexplained for some readers, the story is stretched out with a lot of ponderous prose, and Martin's characters (while certainly illustrating the diversity of the hippie scene) are annoyingly prone to big statements in the form of portentous monologues.

However, the novel is still quite compelling thanks to Martin's cynical and dystopian take on his own trips down memory lane. The story involves the resurrected hard rockin' Nazgul (whose name is one of many obsessive Tolkien references in this book), a band featuring elements of The Doors, Hendrix, and the MC5. The Nazgul represent the type of authority-shaking rock act that the hippies wished all their real-life bands could have been. The Nazgul's reunion has been accompanied by apocalyptic violence and mayhem, with the 80s version of the rock-fueled hippie revolution threatening to become a true Armageddon. Here Martin is commenting on the dark and self-destructive side of the doomed hippie vision, with an impossible utopia continually crushed by the evils and disappointments of the real world. That's effective social and historical commentary from Martin, who is clearly a little less happily and blindly nostalgic than most of his characters. [~doomsdayer520~]

Editorial Review:

Onetime underground journalist Sandy Blair has traveled far from his radical roots in the ’60s—until the bizarre and brutal murder of a millionaire rock promoter draws him back. As Sandy sets out to investigate the crime, he finds himself on a magical mystery tour of the pent-up passions of his generation. For a new messiah has resurrected the once legendary rock band Nazgûl—but with an apocalyptic new beat that is a requiem of demonism, mind control, and death only Sandy may be able to change in time. . . .