Science Fiction & Fantasy Book

Xenocide (Ender, Book 3) Review

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Xenocide is a very difficult book to assess. On the one hand, Card pushes the limits of self-indulgence - of the book's nearly 600 pages, I think a good 150 pages or so could have been eliminated without any harm to the ideas presented or the overall story. Numerous times, Card (or his characters) would make a point and then continue making that same point across a number of pages. This could be frustrating. Rather than include an entire chapter in which characters debate free will, I think we would have been better served by having the plot develop and move forward. In other words, Card at times seems to have an agenda, and that is to show off how smart he is. He is smart, though, brilliant at times, but it can be a slog to get through.

On the other hand, when the plot does push forward, as it does in the final 100 or so pages with great force, Card's brilliance is extraordinary. His characters feel real, and their problems, whether physical or ethical, are captivating. Speaker for the Dead was a significant shift from the tone of Ender's Game, and Xenocide follows that path even further, mixing in the characters on Path deftly and adding a new dimension to Ender's universe.

Overall, I don't think this book is quite as good as Ender's Game or Speaker for the Dead, but it's a worthy continuation. If you enjoyed those first two books, I think you'll find quite a bit to relish here. Try to be patient with the slower bits, because it does build to an excellent pay-off in the concluding chapters, which I will not spoil here.

Xenocide (Ender, Book 3) Feature

• ISBN13: 9780312861872
• Condition: New
• Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Xenocide (Ender, Book 3) Overview

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

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

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

Xenocide (Ender, Book 3) Specifications

Orson Scott Card's Xenocide is a space opera with verve. In this continuation of Ender Wiggin's story, the Starways Congress has sent a fleet to immolate the rebellious planet of Lusitania, home to the alien race of pequeninos, and home to Ender Wiggin and his family. Concealed on Lusitania is the only remaining Hive Queen, who holds a secret that may save or destroy humanity throughout the galaxy. Familiar characters from the previous novels continue to grapple with religious conflicts and family squabbles while inventing faster-than-light travel and miraculous virus treatments. Throw into the mix an entire planet of mad geniuses and a self-aware computer who wants to be a martyr, and it's hard to guess who will topple the first domino. Due to the densely woven and melodramatic nature of the story, newcomers to Ender's tale will want to start reading this series with the first books, Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. --Brooks Peck

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 21, 2010 21:42:05

Demon from the Dark (Immortals After Dark Series, Book 8) Review

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First off I'm a huge IAD fan. I love that the women are as tough as the men and won't take cr@p from anyone much less their men.

The reason I didn't love this book as much as the others was probably because I felt this was a lot of filler to carry the story onwards. A lot of plot lines were opened wider (Lothaire, Melanthie, Regin) and to a degree I felt like this was the "focus" of the story with Carrow and Slaine's story there just to get us further along the ascension. Also whilst I understood Cole's need to make Slaine a sympathetic character with massive trust issues I thought the whole part about him, as a very young child, pretending to be a willing participant and enjoy his abuse and rape rather disturbing. No Cole doesn't go into any detail but I still found it a tad distasteful. Lastly I found the dialogue wasn't up to Cole's usual excellent standards. If yet another of her characters continues to call each other by their "type" (eg "Demon") instead of name I might go mad. Unlike most of her other couples I didn't "get" why they fell in love. I understand the whole mate and bride thing but with her other books I have seen the characters fall in love but here I just didn't. Perhaps it's because the dialogue is so limited in the first half as they don't speak each others languages.

Fans will still read this book and I've already read it for a second time. I just didn't think it was as good as others however and I'm looking forward to the next ones!

Demon from the Dark (Immortals After Dark Series, Book 8) Overview

From New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole comes this scorching tale of a demon outcast poisoned with vampire blood and the vulnerable young witch he vows to protect—even from himself.

A DANGEROUS DEMON SHE CAN’T RESIST . . .

Malkom Slaine: tormented by his sordid past and racked by vampiric hungers, he’s pushed to the brink by the green-eyed beauty under his guard.

A MADDENING WITCH HE ACHES TO CLAIM . . .

Carrow Graie: hiding her own sorrows, she lives only for the next party or prank. Until she meets a tortured warrior worth saving.

TRAPPED TOGETHER IN A SAVAGE PRISON . . .

In order for Malkom and Carrow to survive, he must unleash both the demon and vampire inside him. When Malkom becomes the nightmare his own people feared, will he lose the woman he craves body and soul?

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 20, 2010 21:30:16

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

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This novel goes into much more detail than others in the series to date as far as character growth and storyline. The action culminates at the end like most novels do along with some added twists and unexpected character changes. Other readers describe this novel (along with many others in the series) as slow and boring. If you like a novel to pique your interest every minute, then this series will leave you disappointed. If you want to immerse yourself into the storyline and world completely, then you are in the right place.

That being said, there was one point of the book that always made me want to read right past it. That was the women constantly getting angry with the men for being decent, well, men. Always rolling their eyes or sternly talking to them as if they were complete idiots. If I didn't know any better, this book feels like it was written by a woman who hated men. I certainly hope that the following novels don't have as much of this bashing as it became old very quick.

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

• ISBN13: 9780812550306
• Condition: New
• Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

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

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and go. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 19, 2010 21:03:04

Kiss of Midnight (The Midnight Breed, Book 1) Review

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The Story:
The Breed Warriors are at war fighting the rough vampires, the ones that are crazed with blood lust. The leader of the warriors is Lucan. He is a rare type of Breed, a gen one. That is the first generation sons from the original invaders of earth. All the gen one breeds have a harder time with blood hunger. Lucan has been fighting with his warriors against the rough and fighting his blood hunger. He comes upon a group of roughs attacking a human. To his surprise so does someone else, Gabrielle, she snaps pictures of the murder and runs. Lucan tracks her down after killing the roughs and finds out she is a breedmate. Women born with a tear drop running into a crescent moon birthmark are special women. They can mate and create blood bonds with the Breed. He wants to save her for someone else, but he is unable to stay away from her. The enemy learns of her picture taking and comes after her with a vengeance. Lucan adds another battle to his tally, protect Gabrielle.

Thoughts:
I absolutely love this series. I don't compare it to BDB, or Dark-Hunter, or any other series. I appreciate the stories and plots on their own. It is a creative suspenseful story. This whole series is fantastic. I am in the process of re-reading this series, I rarely do so. This book entertaining, fast paced, suspenseful and passionate. Gabrielle and Lucan find something their life has been missing. It is also a nice beginning into what the series will become. I highly recommended to anyone who enjoys paranormal romance or romantic suspense. The writing style is great and conveys emotions very well.

Kiss of Midnight (The Midnight Breed, Book 1) Feature

• ISBN13: 9780553589375
• Condition: New
• Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Kiss of Midnight (The Midnight Breed, Book 1) Overview

He watches her from across the crowded dance club, a sensual black-haired stranger who stirs Gabrielle Maxwell’s deepest fantasies. But nothing about this night—or this man—is what it seems. For when Gabrielle witnesses a murder outside the club, reality shifts into something dark and deadly. In that shattering instant she is thrust into a realm she never knew existed—a realm where vampires stalk the shadows and a blood war is set to ignite.

Lucan Thorne despises the violence carried out by his lawless brethren. A vampire himself, Lucan is a Breed warrior, sworn to protect his kind—and the unwitting humans existing alongside them—from the mounting threat of the Rogues. Lucan cannot risk binding himself to a mortal woman, but when Gabrielle is targeted by his enemies, he has no choice but to bring her into the dark underworld he commands.

Here, in the arms of the Breed’s formidable leader, Gabrielle will confront an extraordinary destiny of danger, seduction, and the darkest pleasures of all. . . .

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 19, 2010 20:51:05

Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon Review

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This is one of his less known works, but WELL worth reading! Its a darn good book, the Amazon descriptions are amazing, but there is a great mystery too boot!

Funny thing about great foreign writers, Verne was French, but most of us grew up thinking of him as American, (sadly I admit I did). It's easy to, watching the old movies on TV, or new movies, all in English with US actors. And of course all the wonderful books we grew up with were in English. I hope that is considered a compliment as to his power and success, as he was just as enormously popular in France, and is the founding father of science fiction with perhaps with H.G. Wells. Verne's stories, written for all ages, caught the enterprising spirit of the 19th century and its uncritical fascination about scientific progress and inventions. Perhaps some today are not so uncritical of science, but those who still have adventure in their soul, who long for the stars and the space program, will love all of Verne's works.

Enjoy!

Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon Overview

Classic novel. According to Wikipedia: "Jules Gabriel Verne (February 8, 1828-March 24, 1905) was a French author who pioneered the science-fiction genre. He is best known for novels such as Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea (1870), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1873). Verne wrote about space, air, and underwater travel before air travel and practical submarines were invented, and before practical means of space travel had been devised. He is the third most translated author in the world, according to Index Translationum. Some of his books have been made into films. Verne, along with H. G. Wells, is often popularly referred to as the "Father of Science Fiction"

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 18, 2010 19:54:06

The Ware Tetralogy Review

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In the first three books of his `live robots' series, Rucker is so brilliant on so many levels it is sometimes hard to realize that he was writing to be read for fun.

In the first three books of his Tetralogy, Rudy Rucker shows himself to be one of the rarest and brightest lights that science fiction produces; a science fiction writer who knows what he's talking about in terms of the science involved; and one who makes it happen in prose that an adult will find entertaining-even, and perhaps especially, an adult who has read something other than science fiction.

His books are like looking at an onion in cross-section: you can stay close to the surface layers if you like, or you can look deeper and try to go to see what he does and how he does it. Rucker always lets you go deeper but no matter where you stop looking, it's still a wonderful onion.

Some highlights:

Rucker's central scientific premise works by getting around the limit of artificial intelligence established by Marvin Minsky's observation that a system cannot create another system as complex as itself.

Rucker's plots involve conflict between machines and machines and between machines and humans. What comes from it creates some wildly entertaining reading involving comedy, drama, war ("how about a nice laser-blast?") and intrigue-and sometimes all three at once.

Rucker's use of language is like no one else's. He's been compared to Phillip K. Dick, but only because too many people have read Phillip K. Dick. Rucker's language is all his own and it is just *better*-often better than mainstream fiction writers whose broader audiences allow them to be paid a lot more for a lot less.

The books are a breeze to read and Rucker comes up with gems of language that demonstrate not only that he can pound typewriter keys but that he has the rare gift of understanding that each member of his audience is another mind and playing with that fact with every word.

I am delighted that they are republishing the trilogy as an omnibus edition. I loved the first three books and it will be as if I'm getting the fourth one for free.

The Ware Tetralogy Feature

• ISBN13: 9781607012115
• Condition: New
• Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

The Ware Tetralogy Overview

An omnibus of Rudy Rucker's groundbreaking series [Software, Wetware, Freeware, and Realware], with an introduction by William Gibson, author of Neuromancer.

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 17, 2010 19:51:05

Voyager Review

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I loved this book. This is actually the third one, of a so far eight part series, telling the story of Claire and Jamie. Some time ago I started with Drums of Autumn, then ran across A Breath of Snow and Ashes and realized that I wanted to start at the begining. So I ordered all the books that I have not read. I am so glad I did. This is a marvelous story with a lot of history thrown in the mix. I have become very fond of the leading characters who are very human. Amazon has it listed under Romance novels, but I don't think that is a good place for the series. I think more folks would read the books if they were under Historical Fiction.

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 16, 2010 19:39:03