Dark Books - Page 4

For a Few Demons More (The Hollows, Book 5)

Kim Harrison

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

great read! 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Once I started I couldn't put it down until I was done. I can't wait for the next saga of the Hallows to see what will happen next. If you are in to the paranormal these books are for you!!!

The saga continues with incredible twists and turns 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Slipping back into Kim Harrison's world of Rachel and her friends and foes is very comforting. It makes me wish that I could never leave it because once I start reading her books I feel lost and amazed, the real world forgotten and far away in my mind. Each new volume beckons me to indulge in another fantastic adventure where the fights, jokes, puns, some wicked magic and charismatic characters hold me in a trance until the last page is devoured.

The fifth book of the series has been the book of changes, so much happens from when we last saw Rachel, her solid ground composed of Jenks, Ivy, Kisten, Ceri, David, Glenn and few others is unraveling in all directions. She is torn between her wild romance with Kisten and the lurking desires she's growing for Ivy, not sure whether she wants to be friends or more, debating with herself while fighting werewolves, pissed of demons, alluring vampires, tricky elfs, hilarious pixes and not so nice witches and all sorts of enigmatic creatures with agendas of their own. With power struggles happening between those at the top of the food chain, Rachel is caught in the middle with everything she holds dear at stake. I can't say any more, these books can be easily spoiled; something that I knew was going to happen did in deed happen and it didn't lessen the shock but it took something away form me. So for those who aren't up to this book, start from the beginning and don't go peaking at spoilers.

The ending was so intense that I was torn between being afraid of reading through it and not wanting to see how the whole demon tangled up mess would resolve and unable to wait for the sixth book to arrive in the mail so I can rip the box open and pounce on it. Each character has been so lovingly written and so incredible real that any pain they went through I felt as well. Reading their stories and following their dreams, victories and fights always made me feel close to them, as if they were part of my own family. I am embarrassed to say but by page 444 tears were bubbling in my eyes, and I was a sobbing mess, I can't remember the last time a book made me cry! I can honestly say that this is my favorite series of all the books I have ever read, I can't imagine anything being warmer and filled with more glow, magic and real heart than this gem of a series. Utter perfection in my opinion and the more the better.

- Kasia S.

Editorial Review:

Despite dating one vampire and living with another, Rachel Morgan has always managed to stay just ahead of trouble . . . until now.

A fiendish serial killer stalks the Hollows, and no one living in or around Cincinnati—human, inhuman, or undead—is safe.

An ancient artifact may be the key to stopping the murderer—a mysterious relic that is now in the hands of Rachel Morgan, fearless independent bounty hunter and reckless witch. But revealing it could ignite a battle to the death among the vast and varied local supernatural races.

Rachel's been lucky so far. But even she can't hide from catastrophe forever.

Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, Book 4)

Stephen King

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 672 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Series Takes Huge Step Backwards, Literally and Figuratively. 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I really enjoyed The Waste Lands (Book 3), but I found this book nearly impossible to finish. It felt like filler, not really adding anything interesting to the series. I felt like the book was going backwards when it should have been going forward.

Roland's Fascinating Past 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Whereas the first three of Stephen King's "Dark Tower" books propel the storyline further with every word, this fourth installment takes a bit of a different tact, instead doubling back to give some much-needed backstory on the character of Roland of Gilead.

Thus, with our heroes (Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and even Oy!) holding palaver around a night campfire, Roland tells a story from his teenage years. In this tale, Roland and friends (Cuthbert and Alain) become trapped in a seemingly unwinnable struggle against shady local townfolk, while at the same time Roland falls madly in love with a local girl who is pledged to become a concubine. Typical King madness!

Many people consider this book to be a "weak link" in the Dark Tower series, as it doesn't really advance the main storyline and it is quite long. Yet, I see it as exactly the opposite. By recounting the exploits of a young Roland of Gilead, the reader is able to better understand the complex emotions that make him the stern, sullen, driven man he is. Plus, Roland's story is absolutely thrilling (I consider it to be the best single portion of the entire Dark Tower series) and will have you turning pages deep into many nights. Make sure to keep the Kleenex box handy, though, as you WILL become emotional wrapped up in Roland's youthful struggles.

Overall, I consider "Wizard and Glass" to be the pinnacle of the Dark Tower series, as it reveals Roland's fascinating childhood and the events that shaped the man he ultimately became. For all you LOST fans out there, I like this book to that show: Without the flashbacks, although they don't advance the actual storyline, the show would be severely lacking in emotional drama and cease to be as entertaining/thrilling as it is. Thus, think of this book as one big flashback...not crucial to the plot, but providing valuable information that will help you connect with Roland on an even deeper level.

Editorial Review:

The end is near.
Start at the beginning.

The Dark Tower saga builds to an explosive climax...
In November 2003, the fifth Dark Tower book hits stores for the first time-followed by books six and seven.

This #1 bestseller heralds the beginning of the end.

Claimed by Shadow (Cassandra Palmer, Book 2)

Karen Chance

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 59 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Loved It! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wonderful read--unless you're like the previous reviewer and only read romance novels, which this isn't. It's a well-written, witty, funny and engaging urban fantasy. One of the best series in the genre, in my opinion.

claimed by shadows 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book was great I stayed up all night to finish. I recommend this book to everyon

Exhausting 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I think this author needs to review some principles of writing books. She has so much action in her books that you just get tired of jumping from one disaster to another. She fails completely on drawing a vivid picture of her characters. At the end of the book I have a bunch of names in my head and not a single defining characteristic sticks so I can get a true feel for them. The reviewer says nonstop thrill ride but even a good roller coaster has some slow places so you can catch your breath. Long descriptive passages of place and character provides these breathing spaces, something Ms. Chance does not excell at to put it mildly. Unfortunately her lack of desciption makes these characters and her story a forgettable jumble of exploding noise without much entertainment being offered.

It's clear Ms. Chance has a good imagination but she very much needs some help polishing her writing skills.

Editorial Review:

Clairvoyant Cassie Plamer has inherited new magical powers-including the ability to travel through time. But it's a whole lot of responsibility she'd rather not have. Now she's the most popular girl in town, as an assortment of vamps, fey, and mages try to convince, force, or seduce her-and her magic-over to their side. But one particular master vampire didn't ask what Cassie wanted before putting a claim on her. He had a spell cast that binds her to him, and now she doesn't know if what she feels for him is real-or imagined...

Bloody Bones (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 5)

Laurell K. Hamilton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 126 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

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

Geez, I'm running out of things to say about these books. Let's see: Anita has stopped seeing Jean-Claude as a monster, because she had yet another direct contrast between Jean-Claude and some real monsters -- several of them, in fact, and each was nastier and more gruesome than the last. We start with Xavier, the vampire pedophile who likes to kidnap young boys, rape and torture them, and then turn them into vampires so he can keep doing it presumably forever; right after him we get Janos and his twin rotting beauties -- and oh MAN was that one of the most horrible things I've ever read -- and then Serephina and her damned evil arrogance and thirst for power, and finally we see Rawhead and Bloody Bones, who kills children who have been naughty because that's who he is -- that's what he does. And then on the other hand we have Jean-Claude. Who is really -- annoying. Suddenly he doesn't seem that bad.

The characterization still progresses; Anita steps back from her changing self, horrified about what she may be becoming, and returns somewhat to her former self who doesn't really want to marry Richard and who has enough faith to use a cross against vampires and prays when she has the chance. In the meantime, Jean-Claude seems to mellow in his obnoxious pursuit of Anita; I think since he had some evidence that it isn't truly hopeless, that she can have feelings for him apart from lust -- she is willing to save his life, which is a big improvement from when she sold him out in Circus of the Damned -- he is willing to slow down and be patient; it seems the worst parts of his wooing were because he was desperate for something, anything, that would give him the will to continue. I was glad to see Larry, the new animator and apprentice Anita, turning into a person of his own, strong enough to disagree with Anita along with intelligent enough to listen to her when she makes sense; it was fun to watch their changing relationship. I didn't care for the Bouviers, but not because they were badly done characters, just because Magnus was a scumbag and Dorcas was irritating and has a terrible name. Rawhead and Bloody Bones was extremely cool, as was his place in the plot.

But it seems to me now that the strongest part of these books, apart from the evolving characters, is not the plots, as good as those are; it's the memorable moments. I don't think I've read another series that has so many scenes that strike me and stick with me. In past books it has been the murder scenes in The Laughing Corpse, along with the uber-zombies in that one; the lamia-in-the-cave scene and the child vampire working for Alejandro in Circus of the Damned, and the snuff film in Lunatic Cafe. Oh yeah -- and the swarm of stuffed penguins. Gotta love that. Now this book adds two to the list: the scene with the sheriff and his wife, which almost killed me, and the scene when Pallas and Bettina (worst . . . name . . . EVER) raped Jason, which has definitely ruined the sexiness of vampires for me. Larry asked Anita how she can kiss and touch Jean-Claude after seeing that, and I know it's because she sees him as something other, as somehow alive despite being dead, but I'm on Larry's side. If that's what happens when you get snuggly with vampires, then that is the end of that fantasy. Forever and ever. Luckily for me, the vampires in these books other than Jean-Claude and Willie McCoy are so freaking unbelievably obnoxious with their jaded cruelty and their impossible arrogance that there was never much fantasy to begin with.

We'll see where they go from here.

Editorial Review:

In Laurell K. Hamilton's New York Times bestselling novels, Anita Blake, vampire hunter and animator, takes a bite out of crime-of the supernatural kind. But even someone who deals with death on a daily basis can be unnerved by its power...

When Branson, Missouri, is hit with a death wave-four unsolved murders-it doesn't take an expert to realize that all is not well. But luckily for the locals, Anita is an expert-in just the kinds of preternatural goings-on that have everyone spooked. And she's got an "in" with just the kind of creature who can make sense of the slayings: a sexy master vampire known as Jean Claude.

Circus of the Damned (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 3)

Laurell K. Hamilton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 120 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Decent end to the first trilogy, great exit point for the series 3 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Anita Blake returns in this third installment of her well-known series. The police call Anita to consult on a murder and she quickly detects that the victim had been attacked by five vampires, mostly like a master and his pack. Since the few masters resident in St. Louis don't seem likely to have committed the crime, Anita starts looking for newcomers, but they just might find her first. As if this isn't enough, she receives a visit from her old friend Edward, the master assassin, who threatens to kill her if she doesn't reveal the name and resting place of the city's Master Vampire. All of this is just the start for Anita as she struggles to save the city, and herself, from a threat more ancient than anything she's ever faced before.

Circus of the Damned returns the focus to vampires and their politics after the voodoo detour of The Laughing Corpse. Jean-Claude, the city's Master Vampire, has given Anita two marks out of four toward becoming his human servant and very much wants her to accept the last two. Her refusal to do so is hurting is position among other vampires in the city. Other masters have come to the city ready to challenge Jean-Claude and try to woo Anita into joining their cause. Anita has to choose where her loyalties lie.

The major strength of this book shows in the action scenes. They take up a significant portion of the book and are uniformly suspenseful, even gripping at times. Anita lives in a very dangerous world and the author does an excellent job of portraying this. The weakest portion of the novel shows up whenever there is a conversation or Anita's narration includes her own thoughts. If Anita is talking to the police, they basically have the same conversation every time they meet at a crime scene. If she speaks to Jean-Claude, she has the same conversation every time. Even her own thoughts take on the exact same form over and over again.

After enjoying Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter), I was disappointed by The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: Book 2). I was hoping that Circus of the Damned would be a tie breaker of sorts to see if I would keep reading more or not. This is certainly a more entertaining book than The Laughing Corpse and provided a welcome return back to vampires as the chief villains. Unfortunately, Laurell Hamilton's writing style has grown so stale and cliché for me that I don't have the desire to go any further with Anita Blake. These books all read like a poor imitation of Dashiell Hammett and the style never grows or varies in the slightest. I'm glad I bought this book because it ties up all the loose ends from the prior two books, but there's nothing here compelling enough to make me want to keep coming back for more.

Editorial Review:

In Circus of the Damned-now in hardcover for the first time-a rogue master vampire hits town, and Anita gets caught in the middle of an undead turf war. Jean-Claude, the Master Vamp of the city, wants her for his own-but his enemies have other plans. And to make matters worse, Anita takes a hit to the heart when she meets a stunningly handsome junior high science teacher named Richard Zeeman. They're two humans caught in the crossfire. Or so Anita thinks...

The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1

Neil Gaiman

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Total reviews: 52 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

THE SANDMAN, written by New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman, was the most acclaimed comic book title of the 1990s. A rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama and legend are seamlessly interwoven, THE SANDMAN is also widely considered one of the most original and artistically ambitious series of the modern age. By the time it concluded in 1996, it had made significant contributions to the artistic maturity of comic books and become a pop culture phenomenon in its own right.

Now, DC Comics is proud to present this comics classic in an all-new Absolute Edition format. The first of four beautifully designed slipcased volumes, THE ABSOLUTE SANDMAN VOL. 1 collects issues 1-20 of The Sandman and features completely new coloring, approved by the author, on the first 18 issues, as well as a host of never-before-seen extra material, including the complete original Sandman Proposal, a gallery of character designs from Gaiman and the artists who originated the look of the Sandman, and the original script to the World Fantasy Award-winning THE SANDMAN #19, "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," together with reproductions of the issue’s original pencils by Charles Vess. Also included are a new introduction by DC’s president Paul Levitz and a new afterword by Gaiman.

The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, Book 2)

Stephen King

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 212 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

THE DRAWING OF THE THREE by Stephen King 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The Drawing of the Three is the second novel in Stephen King's Dark Tower series. It picks up right where The Gunslinger ended, and chronicles Roland's efforts to "draw" three people from Earth, from various times in the twentieth century: a drug addict, a legless schizophrenic, and a serial killer. The reader is not told nor do any of the characters know why exactly any of this is taking place.

King is back to his usual style here: well-developed characters, a focus on minute details of personality, and his distinctive foul-mouthed dialogue, all of which make for engaging reading. The Drawing of the Three has plenty of action, including a couple of very well-done gun fights.

The Drawing of the Three is primarily setup for following volumes. There are some new characters, and we spend most of the book getting to know them, and we don't get the background on Roland that The Gunslinger had (this is an observation, not a criticism). And in the end, Roland isn't too far from where he started. Ultimately, this is an entertaining, necessary part of the series.

Editorial Review:

The Man in Black is dead, and Roland is about to be hurled into 20th-century America, occupying the mind of a man running cocaine on the New York/Bermuda shuttle. A brilliant work of dark fantasy inspired by Browning's romantic poem, "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came".

The Killing Dance (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 6)

Laurell K. Hamilton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 165 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great story in a great series 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This one went a different way for me than the last few have, which I think was the author's intention. In the last few books, the best part has been the character development and the memorably written scenes -- usually of gore and horror. This one had both, but the part I liked best was actually the plot: I liked that the danger Anita faced this time came from humans, rather than from monsters, and that it almost got her, twice. It was a nice reminder that as deadly and horrifying and brutal as the vampires and everyone are made out to be, they're a sight less so than good ol' humankind, which is neither one, as the bumpersticker says. I also thought the final villain showdown was wonderfully well set up; I had no idea it was going to go the way it did, neither the person behind the contract on Anita's life nor the surprise that comes after it, though I suspected the vampire. After the scene with Damian, in which yet another newly introduced vamp takes advantage of humans and tries to add an element of cruelty and manipulation to his encounter with a person, I find myself always suspecting the vampires. They're so often guilty.

I was also glad to see the romantic plot come to some kind of . . . well, "climax" seems both appropriate and highly inappropriate, so we'll go with "resolution," instead. I'm also intrigued by the possibilities of the triumvirate, especially now that the romantic story has gone where it has. And may I just say: oh, my. My, my, my, that was quite a scene. Yes indeed, quite a scene. I was also gratified to see the explanation of the vampires' fear of necromancers, and the power that Anita has over them; that is an incredibly clever idea of Ms. Hamilton's. Finally, I can't wait to find out how the promise Anita gives to Edward will play out. Lot of possibilities there, though I was sorry to see Harley go. He seemed a promising chap.

These books are now standouts in my mind not only because they are more entertaining than most other books -- especially horror books, a traditionally dry genre in my opinion -- but interesting as well. I just keep getting happier and happier with them.

Editorial Review:

Dating both a vampire and a werewolf isn't easy. But just to complicate Anita's already messy life, someone has put a price on her head. Love cannot save her this time, so she turns to Edward, hitman extraordinaire, for help. But finding the person behind the threat won't be easy, because as both a vampire hunter and zombie reanimator, Anita has made a lot of enemies-both human and otherwise.

Burnt Offerings (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 7)

Laurell K. Hamilton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 163 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Book 7 in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Laurell K Hamilton certainly has a way with words - her books draw you in and the reader never knows quite where the story is going next. These books are all very unpredictable with unexpected events unfolding and an ever-widening cast of characters.

The ever-widening epithet also describes Anita Blake's powers and responsibilities. Not content with 'merely' being a necromancer, as the books in this series have unfolded she has gained position as a lupa (female alpha wolf), leopard pack leader, vampire human servant and more. However this reader has found that the more this series continues, the more abstract and distant Anita Blake seems. In the first few books it was possible to identify with her as a woman trying to hunt monsters and not to become one. However at this point in the story I have found that Anita has become someone fairly unlikeable with her idiosyncratic set of rules that just don't work for this reader.

This story contains all the complexity of the previous stories, if more. The love-triangle is settled for the moment so more time is spent on the difficulties of Anita's life as she juggles her varied tasks. She is asked to investigate a possible supernatural firestarter, she finds herself getting involved with were-leopard and werewolf politics and her lover, Jean-Claude, needs her help with the European Vampire Council. The level of violence in this book seems rather over-the-top at times and some aspects of the plot seem rehashed from previous books, plus I have serious doubts about Anita's sanity and her self-awareness as to her limits. The author's skill in telling the tale lift this book above many in this genre but I didn't feel it was a patch on the first four in the series.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008

Editorial Review:

In Laurell K. Hamilton's New York Times bestselling novels, it's often hard to tell the good from the evil. Just ask Anita Blake. She seems to be developing a soft spot in her heart for vampires-one in particular. So, when an arsonist's fires begin licking at St. Louis's undead, it's up to Anita to save the very monsters she's sworn to destroy.

Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1)

Robin Hobb

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 341 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Beautiful, Tragic, and Epic 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Ms. Hobb, how can it be that I, a self-proclaimed fantasy nut, have only recently discovered your talent? To answer my own question, I have to retrace some recent exploits of mine in terms of research and curiosity and thus provide this warning to readers of the review simply wondering whether or not they should purchase this book (or series as the case may be). To you I say, feel free to skip ahead. No offense will be taken if you do not wish to waste time with my rhetoric. To everyone else, here goes:

Robin Hobb's name appears on the tongue of lowly bookstore staff and fantasy "must read" lists nearly as often as such genre staples as Robert Jordan, George RR Martin, and, in some circles, Tolkien himself. I was aware of this fact for some time and came close to verifying such praise on many occasions but the glaring fact that this trilogy (and the subsequent Tawny Man trilogy) are told in the nearly unheard of (in fantasy anyway) first person perspective always seemed to sway my curiosity in favor of more "traditional" offerings that share shelf space (both physical and virtual) with Hobb's works.

Recently however, I finally decided to quit putting off venturing into another well-respected series (George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire saga) and noticed that Robin's praise littered the work (and vise versa when Martin spoke of authors he enjoyed). Dismissing it as the politics of sharing a publisher (Bantam Spectra), I once again drifted away from the allure of The Farseer trilogy (although I did enjoy Martin's saga quite a bit).

The final straw came when in a fit of obsessive research here on Amazon for new paperbacks to fill my shelves, I was continually recommended Robin Hobb's latest trilogy: The Soldier's Son. I began digging around to read the general consensus and discovered rather quickly that the opinion of this, her latest series, was pretty well split down the middle. Nothing new there, but what was interesting was that I noticed a trend in the negative reviews- Even those who gave the new books one or two star ratings followed with quotes to the effect of: "I still love Rob Hobb even if this series isn't my cup of tea" or "I'll continue to read all of Robin Hobb's books even though I didn't like this" or even "I couldn't get through this series but I will be ordering her entire backlist." This stopped me in my tracks because if, for nothing else, the internet is a fickle lot of faceless smack-talkers. Such author devotion and loyalty is beyond rare here in cyber space (I mean even the revered Robert Jordan took quite a textual lashing from his fans when the tenth book of Wheel of Time came out) and yet here were reviewers greatly pained to say something negative about Hobb.

Long story short, I had to find out for myself and purchased the three Farseer entries (Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin's Quest) and the Tawny Man trilogy as well (Fool's Errand, Golden Fool, and Fool's Fate). Since this space is reserved for the first book of the first trilogy, I will focus on that alone. Having just finished Assassin's Apprentice moments ago, I'm left awed and regretful for taking so long to give Robin Hobb a chance.

The narrative is, as stated above, told entirely in first person through the lead character, FitzChivalry Farseer (or Fitz for short) and quite frankly, works so much better than I ever would have guessed. Especially cool is that the story is told in a continual recollection from a character who is in the process of recording a history of his land with ink on parchment. This results in a dual story of sorts where the land's histories, cultures, and ideals are suffused with Fitz's direct interaction with it all. "Well done" barely scratches the surface of Hobb's ability to weave her prose through this perspective. So smooth is her pacing and fluid her dialog that suddenly third-person books that I've reserved with the utmost regard up until now feel cobby and wordy.

Those looking for the epic scale of Lord of the Rings may be a bit disappointed in the simple fact that Hobb doesn't bring a whole lot of races or exotic locales into the plot. Rather, we learn of the world through the trials and tribulations of the characters themselves. This is a story of the human condition and of emotion first and foremost (with magic, mythical creatures, and sword play as the backdrop). The beauty of such writing is that it is, in essence timeless, and could work if told from just about any period in history (perhaps even in the future as well). The fact that Hobb decided to paint her art around a fantastical setting is merely a bonus for those of us who enjoy the genre.

Now for the bad news, and yes there is a bit to report: Those who read fantasy literature to escape the oft depressing and overwhelmingly unfairness of the world in which we live should probably avoid this series in favor of something more upbeat, fantastical, or unrealistic. I say this because Hobb writes with the same sort of tragedy that makes books like A Separate Peace, Of Mice and Men, and The Great Gastby timeless literary classics. She isn't afraid to have characters die, some of whom even the most callused reader will find themselves growing subconsciously attached to, and like Martin's works, death is a finality. There's no spell to bring someone back to life nor are there reappearances later on in which we learn we were mistaken about a death. There are moments along the way when hopelessness reigns supreme and (this is coming from a reader who boasts a strong ability to keep stories separate from the real world) the burden of the tasks and the emotional pain at hand drags the reader down right along with Fitz. However, keep in mind that to many, the problem I'm describing is simply referred to as good writing. A funny side note in keeping with this theme is the most common complaint from critics is that Hobb is too good!

In conclusion, I must confess that my stubbornness to accept something different (first person fantasy) has made me arrive twelve years late to something truly marvelous and classical in every sense of the word. Robin Hobb earns every bit of the praise that has been heaped upon her throughout the years and perhaps a little bit from those naysayers who accuse her of being "too good" as well.

Editorial Review:

Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father's gruff stableman. He is treated like an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him sectetly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz's blood runs the magic Skill--and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds and rejected by his family. As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission. And though some regard him as a threat to the throne, he may just be the key to the survival of the kingdom.