Science Fiction & Fantasy Books - Page 6

Black

Ted Dekker

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 160 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Amazing! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This was incredible! I couldn't put it down! The entire trilogy was like that for me but this was my first and it gripped me entirely. It was recommended to me by a bookseller and she was right on the money. I ended up reading it so quickly I had to run to buy the next two. I have now bought almost everything Ted Dekker has written and I have yet to find one of his books that I didn't tear through.

This begins the epic adventure of Thomas Hunter living and dreaming in two realities. Between Colorado and what ends up being Other Earth, as it comes to be known in the follow up series "The Lost Books", one pleasant, unassuming young man becomes the savior in both planes. Pulse-spiking adventure, love, pain, angst - all part of "Black" and the trilogy!

Don't just buy this one because you'll be running out to get the next two - buy them all at once!

Editorial Review:

The Circle: Book One: The Birth of Evil

A CBA Bestseller

From #1 bestselling author Ted Dekker comes a groundbreaking trilogy - Black, Red, White - delivering one mind-bending thriller. In Black, a virulent evil has been unleashed upon the people of the earth, an unstoppable force bent on the destruction of all that is good. Only Thomas Hunter can stop it, and he has been killed. Twice.

The Candlestone (Dragons in Our Midst, Book 2)

Bryan Davis

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 36 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

dragons rock! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I really loved this book. It was really funny when Sir Barlow and all the knights were playing video games and eating pizza.

If at all possible, this is better than the first one! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Let's face it, being able to top an already amazing book is hard to do, but Bryan Davis has done it here! More action, more suspense, more stuff for techno-geeks (like me!), and more truths that will challenge what you believe. Learn more about your favorite characters from Raising Dragons (Dragons in Our Midst 1) and walk away ready for more.

Wonderful Book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

A book of wonder and excitement. This is a book that will take you deep into faith and love. Enjoy a captivating storyline and characters that are thriling. Step into a world where dragons and knights come to life. See a battle against a blood thirsty knight and help turn the tide.

An excellent sequel!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The Candlestone is an excellent sequel to Raising Dragons! You must read it... it's filled with adventure as the series continues.

Editorial Review:

A modern fanasty novel that inspires young people to believe in the promises made by trustworthy friends, to discern between good and evil, and to use their God-given strengths to fight against evil and set the captives free.

White (The Circle Trilogy, Book 3) (The Lost History Chronicles)

Ted Dekker

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 56 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

MUST READ!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

You have GOT to get this book! Get the first two and read them... or get them all at once because you will go from one to the other right away not wanting to wait.

Editorial Review:

"Never break The Circle."

In this final installment of Ted Dekker's groundbreaking Circle trilogy, Thomas Hunter has only days to survive two separate realms of danger, deceit, and destruction. The fate of both worlds hinges on his unique ability to shift realities through his dreams.

Now leading a small ragtag group known as The Circle, Thomas finds himself facing new enemies, never-ending challenges, and the forbidden love of a most unlikely woman.

Enter the Great pursuit, where Thomas and a small band of followers must decide quickly who they can trust--both with their own lives and the fate of millions. Dreams and reality quickly bleed into each other as time runs out. And neither the terror of Black nor the treachery of Red can prepare Thomas for the forces aligned against The Circle in White.

The Book of the Dun Cow

Walter Wangerin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 35 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Astonishingly Beautiful 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I've been a fan of Walter Wangerin Jr.'s writing for many years and somehow put off reading "The Book of the Dun Cow" until recently. One of his most highly acclaimed works, the book weaves a hypnotic tale of the war between good and evil as experienced by a number of memorable characters...all of them animals (barnyard and otherwise). The main character is the rooster, Chauntecleer...the leader of his group of loyal animals. His stunning journey from "keeper of the coop" to spiritual leader and warrior is at the center of this amazing tale. I suspect that some readers, like myself, might be somewhat reticent to read a book populated with talking barnyard animals...but...the grandeur of this tale coupled with Wangerin's amazing talent transform it into a true work of art. I actually realized somewhere around pages 140ff. that the story had become so powerful that, for lack of a better word, the experience of reading had become mildly "electrifying". This is a stunning example of what a writer of Wangerin's caliber can do with a simple story.
This is not just one of his best works...this is a true -masterwork-.
I'm currently reading the sequel..."The Book of Sorrows" and am still amazed. Walter Wangerin, Jr. is just one of those authors that you just can't help sharing with others!

Editorial Review:

Walter Wangerin's profound fantasy concerns a time when the sun turned around the earth and the animals could speak, when Chauntecleer the Rooster ruled over a more or less peaceful kingdom. What the animals did not know was that they were the Keepers of Wyrm, monster of evil long imprisoned beneath the earth ... and Wyrm, sub terra, was breaking free.

The Chronicles of Narnia Audio Collection (Narnia)

C. S. Lewis

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 52 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

so much more to me than just a fantasy saga 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

I've wanted to reread the entire Chronicles of Narnia series, back to back, for a long time and just never got around to it. When I found it in audio as a boxed set, I had to have it and it gave me the excuse I needed to revisit my childhood for a little while.

In The Magician's Nephew, we discover the origins of the wonderful land of Narnia and how Aslan the Lion brought it into being. Digory is a young boy tricked by his magician uncle into travelling to another world, where he must rescue his friend Polly who Uncle Andrew trapped there. Thus begins a grand new adventure for Polly and Digory, not all of which is enjoyable, as they jump through various worlds and see the birth of Narnia. Digory knows he caused most of the problems and will not quit until he fixes his mistakes.

It's been so many years since I read any of this series, I can't remember if I read The Magician's Nephew before or not. What a delightful story! Here we have the prequel to one of the most beloved children's books of all time. I enjoyed my foray through worlds with Digory and Polly and especially enjoyed being there when Aslan creates Narnia. I also liked getting to see the origin of the witch and how the division of good and evil in Narnia began.

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevency are sent to live with a reclusive professor to protect them during the war. A game of hide and seek leads to a whole new world when the children discover a wooden wardrobe that is a door to Narnia. The game grows serious when they learn they are the answer to a prophecy about two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve bringing peace to the land.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is definitely the most popular book in the series and probably every single person of the past few generations has at least heard the name. This is the story that drew me into the world of Narnia and as such, it will always hold a little corner of my heart with the memories of meeting Aslan, the centaurs, the fauns, all the talking animals, and of course the infamous Pevency children.

In The Horse and His Boy, Shasta is a young orphan taken in as a baby by a fisherman and raised to work the fishing boat. When Shasta finds out his master is going to sell him to someone new, he decides to escape. While trying to figure out what to do, he discovers the horse belonging to the man wanting to buy Shasta is a talking horse from Narnia who also wants to be free. So they run away and early in their journey bump into a young girl Aravis who is also running away with Winn, her own talking horse from Narnia. Aravis and Shasta decide to journey together and find themselves in a whole mess of adventures that lead them to bump into King Edmund, Queen Susan and Queen Lucy and even the great Aslan himself.

The Horse and His Boy is first and foremost a quest novel, at least in my opinion. Here we have young Shasta who escapes his dreary life to go on the adventure of a lifetime, where he finds out there is such more to him than he ever realized. Aravis too, is trying to get away from her fears and she finds the strength to do so with Shasta at her side. She also has a tendency to speak her mind with n fear of consequences, which gets her into trouble on more than one occasion. I loved the horses, who added so much personality to the story, and experience some adventures of their own.

Centuries after Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy left Narnia they are unexpectedly called back from their world. There is a usurper ruling in Narnia and the true king, Prince Caspian calls for aid in defeating his uncle the phony king, so he can take his rightful place on the throne.

Much has changed in Narnia since the sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve disappeared. Centuries have passed in Narnia though only a little more than a year in Earth time is gone, and Prince Caspian needs their help to bring Narnia back to the way it is meant to be. I especially liked meeting one of my favorite characters, Reepecheep, in this installment of the saga. Anotehr part of this story I loved was seeing the reactions of High King Peter and his family when they realize Narnia is nothing like they remember it. Their friends are gone and their castles in ruins, but we also get to see them overcome their shock to once more step into the roles prophesized to belong to them. They've all grown up a bit and this has quite an impact on their reactions to their beloved Narnia.

Lucy and Edmund are sucked into a painting, with their cousin Eustace in tow, while visiting Eustace's family. They end up in Narnia on The Voyage of Dawn Treader, King Caspian's ship. Caspian is on a journey to the east and The End of the World in the hopes of finding several knights sent out seven years ago by Caspian's uncle, and they hope to finally reach Aslan's country.

The Voyage of Dawn Treader is actually much slower paced then the majority of the books in this series and as a result seems to take an awfully long time for the adventures to begin. Eustace is a spoiled little rich boy who finds everything he believes challenged on this sea voyage. He has to rise above his faults to become the boy he is meant to be. Anotehr nice touch is we see how much Caspian has grown up since he won the throne of Narnia from his uncle. He is destined to be a great king and here we really see this side of his personality.

Eustace Scrubbs (cousin to the Pevency children) has had a complete personality change after his first experience in Narnia. While trying to help a young girl, Jill, being bullied, they run off through a door in the stone wall and end up in the far east of the world, Aslan's country in Narnia. They have been summoned by Aslan to assist King Caspian in finding his long lost son, missing for 10 years. While on their journey they have four signs to follow that Aslan gave them and manage to mess up three of them. They get into scrape after scrape as they search for Prince Rillian and discover The Silver Chair.

Eustace is back in Narnia, quite by accident, and he has changed so much since his last experience. But then, who wouldn't be changed after what he had to go through in the previous story? We also get to visit with Caspian one last time, in the twilight of his life as king. I have loved Caspian since we met him in his first story so while I was pleased to see he had such a wonderfully blessed life, I was a little heartbroken to see him so close to the end, in agony over the disappearance of his son. I had a hard time deciding what I thought of Rillian initially, but he grew on my after a while, especially once I understood the curse he suffered.

When Shift the ape and Puzzle his donkey friend find a lion skin in the water, the ape decides it would be a great idea to dress Puzzle up in the lion skin and tell everyone Aslan has returned. When Shift gets greedy and makes a deal with the Callormens to sell the talking animals into slavery and cut down all of the dryad's trees, the real Aslan sends Eustace and Jill back to Narnia to help the king put an end to Shift's schemes with The Last Battle.

Patrick Stewart narrates this one and he does a fantastic job. He had me cracking up as he brayed like a donkey and barked like a dog, among other little bits he had to perform. The Last Battle starts a little slowly, as Shift and Puzzle put their plan into motion. But once the scheme starts to work, the pace picks up as we fly down the road into battle preparations and the final war.

For years I've heard about The Chronicles of Narnia as being a Christian allegory and the many references to similarities between Narnia beliefs and Christian beliefs. I also know there are many people who spend significant amounts of time studying the books for these Christian references. When I was little, all those hidden meanings were way over my head and the books were just adventure stories. Now that I'm older and wiser (or like to think I am anyhow), I can view the series with new eyes and pick up on many of the references. The allegorical nature of the series is most evident in The Magician's Nephew (the creation story) and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (the rising, crucifixion, and rising again of Jesus Christ) and The Last Battle (the Second Coming of Christ). The Voyage of Dawn Treader also struck me after I looked back on it, as reminding me of Noah and the Ark in some ways.

I loved the opportunity to read Chronicles of Narnia once more and enjoyed the fact that it is now so much more to me than just a fantasy saga.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, January 2008. All rights reserved.

Editorial Review:

The Chronicles of Narnia Audio Collection brings all seven of C.S. Lewis's beloved Narnia tales to life, as they are read by some of the world's most celebrated and renowned performers.

Prince Caspian

C. S. Lewis, Pauline Baynes

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 140 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Not the same when read as an adult 3 out of 5 stars.
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It's funny, how you come at these books as an adult and take something completely different away from them than you would as a child. I read these books about 20 years ago when my uncle gave me a complete set for my birthday. As a child, I think I read them simply as a fantasy/adventure story. As an adult, I can see the subtle religious references sprinkled throughout, and while some may see this as a hindrance to the story, at least through the first 2 books (I go by the original published order, not the new chronological order), I can look beyond that to the story underneath.

However, in the case of Prince Caspian, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of story. It seems to me that the book can be broken up into two sections: the first being the Dwarf relating Caspian's understanding of his role of Narnia's future leader (the entire importance of this seems to be related to him over the course of one evening while star-gazing) and the second being Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy's trek through the jungle to get to Caspian. The ending seemed too contrived for my liking and far too rushed. It was all build up and no follow through as far as I'm concerned.

Looking at the story differently, it is a story about faith; about how faith can be hard to see sometimes, but it's always there and as long as you believe in that faith, it will lead you where you need it to. Overall a good moral to the story, if a little didactic in the telling.

Editorial Review:

The abridged recording of the fourth volume in the timeless and enchanting Narnia classic, performed by Claire Bloom. One hour on one cassette.

The Magician's Nephew (adult) (Narnia)

C. S. Lewis

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 243 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

There are a thousand stories in the land of Narnia, and the first is about to be told in an extraordinary motion picture, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, from Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media.

In the never-ending war between good and evil, The Chronicles of Narnia set the stage for battles of epic proportions. Some take place in vast fields, where the forces of light and darkness clash. But other battles occur within the small chambers of the heart and are equally decisive.

Journeys to the ends of the world, fantastic creatures, betrayals, heroic deeds and friendships won and lost -- all come together in an unforgettable world of magic. So let the adventures begin.

The first volume in
The Chronicles of Narnia®
The Magician's Nephew

Narnia ... where Talking Beasts walk ... where a witch awaits ... where a new world is about to be born.

On a daring quest to save a beloved life, two friends are hurled into another world, where an evil sorceress seeks to enslave them. But then the Great Lion Aslan's song weaves itself into the fabric of a new land, a land that will become known as Narnia. And in Narnia, all things are possible ...

Phantastes

George MacDonald

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Father of modern fantasy- or father of depth psychology? 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I was not sure what to expect from this novel. I had from reading C.S. Lewis known that he considered MacDonald to be his "master." I also knew that he was highly regarded by both J.R.R. Tolkien and G.K. Chesterton. Then there was the fact that so many called him the father of modern fantasy. In light of this I expected to find an early adventure tale set in faeryland with a few elves and dragons thrown in- and interlaced with Christian platitudes. I could not have been more wrong...

What I found beneath the dense Victorian and Scottish veneer of his writing style was pure depth psychology- written in 1858!

It is all here: anima, animus, shadow, Self, the higher spiritual world as the source of patterns (archetypes), the subconscious reached through dreams- and through the plane of the mirror or of the surface of the waters, the necessity that the ego or small self must die that the Self find its place. Then there are hints and suggestions of the earth, or even faery, as a place of struggle for the purpose of growth and transcendence. Chapter 24 gives hints of the immortal part of the soul separating from the body for spiritual life- or rebirth ("take to itself another form.")

In short, there is no "fantasy" here, for George MacDonald instead broke through into the Higher Reality. His Faeryland is the higher spiritual world that interfaces with our own like veins of silver through granite. No, I would not call McDonald the father of fantasy, but I would call him the father of depth psychology, for he had obviously anticipated Jung's life work- and even gone directly to his hard-won spiritual conclusions. Both men crossed the plane of the subconscious to bring back Truth, for as C.S. Lewis told us in THE GREAT DIVORCE, MacDonald would never lie to us.

Editorial Review:

One of nineteenth-century novelist George MacDonald's most important works, Phantastes tells the story of its narrator's dreamlike adventures in fairyland, masterfully recounted to convey a sense of profound sadness and a poignant longing for death. Introduced by C.S.

El Leon, la Bruja y el Ropero (Narnia®)

C. S. Lewis

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

almost identical! 4 out of 5 stars.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.

I actually really wanted this set because the covers were so much better than the english versions, and I was unhappy that the cover was different and has a huge circle on it saying "now a major motion film!" The quality of the translation is great though, and even the pictures are the same as the set I have. I would recommend this book as a spanish translation!!

Editorial Review:

Abrieron una puerta, y entraron a un nuevo mundo.

Narnia ... la tierra que se encuentra más allá del ropero, el país secreto que sólo conocen Pedro, Susana, Edmundo y Lucía . . . el lugar donde empieza la aventura.

Lucía es la primera en encontrar el ropero secreto en la vieja y misteriosa casa del profesor. Al comienzo, nadie le cree cuando habla de sus aventuras en la tierra de Narnia. Pero muy pronto, Edmundo, Pedro y Susana descubren la magia y conocen al Gran León Aslan. En un abrir y cerrar de ojos, sus vidas cambian para siempre.

Entra en el mundo encantado de Las Crónicas de Narnia. En total hay siete libros:

El Sobrino Del Mago
El León, La Bruja y el Ropero
El Caballo y el Muchacho
El Príncipe Caspian
La Travesía del Viajero del Alba
La Silla de Plata
La última Batalla

Merlin (The Pendragon Cycle, Book 2)

Stephen R. Lawhead

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 40 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

please give me back my wasted time... 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I spent a MONTH trying to slog through this book. Taliesin wasn't too bad, i liked the new twist on Atlantis, but this book was a constant headache. I fought my way through the first half, then had the person i had borrowed the book from skim through and tell me what the heck happened in the end.

The Second Book in the Pendragon Cycle 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Stephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. His works include Byzantium and the series The Pendragon Cycle, The Celtic Crusades, and The Song of Albion. Stephen Lawhead has his home in Austria with his wife.

I admire Stephen Lawhead's writing very much. It is quite obvious to the reader that the author loves his subject matter and in his historical novels has diligently researched the material that he uses. Even with Merlin, which can only be described as a fantasy, the way the author sets the scene makes the reader almost believe that they are reading a factual rather than a fiction book.

Having brought the `children' of Atlantis to the shores of Britain in Taliesin, the author now focuses on the mystical figure of Merlin, who in all the other legends is always at the right hand of Arthur. Merlin has a vision of the Kingdom of Summer ruled by the Summer Lord.

Editorial Review:

The legends of King Arthur come alive with a Christian world-view in these masterfully told adventures. These new editions contain new maps and other new material.