Fiction Book reviews and recommendations

"Must read book !!!!!"

"I have read her books and she never disappoints!! Fantastic writing style and always keeps me coming back for more!! Keep it up Kathleen."

"I could not put this book down, I enjoyed it so much I didn't want it to end. I am now reading the The Wolf and the Dove and will let you know how it ranks in her list of books. "

"Interesting suspenseful book personally i loved it!!"

"It is actually a real thriller dragging the reader into the world that Brown created. Astonishing. Also, you don't need any literary or any academic dowry to understand this work of art. You will envy the luck of Robert Langdon. "

"It's just a fun read, well written, light fare. Just a very nice interlude between more serious tomes."

"Mitch Albom’s first non-fiction since Tuesdays with Morrie does not disappoint. It starts with a request from his childhood rabbi that Albom deliver his Eulogy. Needing a deeper understanding of the man behind the mission, he is brought back to the world of faith he left behind years ago. Albom also meets a convict turned pastor and soon realizes there are more similarities between Christian and Jewish faith than he thought possible. This is not a book about religion, but about the comfort of finding something to believe in. "

"Beautifully written, poignant and intriguing. Each word is woven like a delicate thread into this powerful novel by Brunonia Barry. History, romance, and mystery in a perfect blend to create the most compelling read of the year. "

"Coleman Luck�s ANGEL FALL is a captivating mix of J.R.R. Tolkien�s �Lord of the Rings� and Alice In Wonderland, with a touch of C.S. Lewis�s �Narnia Chronicles� thrown in for good measure. Creative and well-written, it paints the most vivid pictures in your mind while spinning a fascinating tale of the age-old struggle between the forces of good and evil. This is a dark fantasy. As is often the case in real life, the forces of Good appear in forms that are not easily recognized at first while the forces of Evil appear in forms that are appealing, enticing, alluring. It takes discernment from the Lancaster children (which comes too late for Alex, with horrifying results), and the reader, to �test the spirits� and decipher who is really good and who is really evil, who is trying to help and who is luring them to destruction. The �beautiful side of evil� is deceptive and that is what makes it so dangerous, both to the Lancaster family and all of us. The characters that populate Boreth are clever, unique and colorful. I particularly enjoyed Bellwind�s twisted syntax and turn of phrase. The Lancaster children- Alex, Tori and Amanda- have been through some hard times in their young lives. Their responses to the hand life has dealt them and to the surreal world they are thrust into are utterly believable. There are dark themes in play here, including one involving past abuse at the hands of a trusted adult. Frankly I�m not entirely sure that one is appropriate for the younger reading audience, however the payoff involving redemption and forgiveness is overwhelming- a powerful �teachable moment�. And a much needed lesson in today�s world. Amidst the adventure, there are insights scattered throughout this story that are profound and revealing, both to our protagonists and to the reader. Thought-provoking gems, such as the true nature and purpose of pleasure, and the subtle but destructive effects of pride, are reminiscent of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, but set against a much darker, even hellish, backdrop. Choices have consequences. The story woven by the choices these characters made and make drew me in and wouldn�t let me go until I found out where it led them. As another reviewer put it quite aptly, Angel Fall takes you on a journey through �the world of the seen and the unseen. The physical and the spiritual.� Creative and fast-paced, Angel Fall is a compelling, intriguing, fascinating read. "

"Balram Halwai is a complicated man. Servant. Philosopher. Entrepreneur. Murderer. Over the course of seven nights, by the scattered light of a preposterous chandelier, Balram tells us the terrible and transfixing story of how he came to be a success in life -- having nothing but his own wits to help him along. Born in the dark heart of India, Balram gets a break when he is hired as a driver for his village's wealthiest man, two house Pomeranians (Puddles and Cuddles), and the rich man's (very unlucky) son. From behind the wheel of their Honda City car, Balram's new world is a revelation. While his peers flip through the pages of Murder Weekly ("Love -- Rape -- Revenge!"), barter for girls, drink liquor (Thunderbolt), and perpetuate the Great Rooster Coop of Indian society, Balram watches his employers bribe foreign ministers for tax breaks, barter for girls, drink liquor (single-malt whiskey), and play their own role in the Rooster Coop. Balram learns how to siphon gas, deal with corrupt mechanics, and refill and resell Johnnie Walker Black Label bottles (all but one). He also finds a way out of the Coop that no one else inside it can perceive. Balram's eyes penetrate India as few outsiders can: the cockroaches and the call centers; the prostitutes and the worshippers; the ancient and Internet cultures; the water buffalo and, trapped in so many kinds of cages that escape is (almost) impossible, the white tiger. And with a charisma as undeniable as it is unexpected, Balram teaches us that religion doesn't create virtue, and money doesn't solve every problem -- but decency can still be found in a corrupt world, and you can get what you want out of life if you eavesdrop on the right conversations. Sold in sixteen countries around the world, The White Tiger recalls The Death of Vishnu and Bangkok 8 in ambition, scope, and narrative genius, with a mischief and personality all its own. Amoral, irreverent, deeply endearing, and utterly contemporary, this novel is an international publishing sensation -- and a startling, provocative debut. "

"This is an outstanding First Novel, although I would not recommend his later work. This was the first book in many years where I actually both laughed and cried out lound in reading it. This elegant piece of fiction will delight you. If you enjoy it, you may wish to try "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving."

"I loved this book too. All the Dark books have been great. Lucian and Jaxon are two of my favorite characters. They balance each other well."

"Dvalin, the hero of ICE LAND, a half dwarf, half god (through his swan maiden mother)rides across Iceland to visit his mentally disturbed, extremely ill sister Idun, goddess of eternal youth. He discusses Idun's condition with her husband Bragi, god of poetry. Why had Bragi left Asgard, home of the other Aesir (race of Nordic gods)? "I grew tired of life among the Aesir. There was so much deceit. So much corruption. When a race of people is universally admired, their hearts turn to stone." *** ICE LAND is about the coming disappearance of Odin, Loki, Idun, Bragi, Freya and all the other Nordic gods. We see the earliest stage of their displacement by the first Christian missionaries sent to Iceland by King Olaf of Norway. We experience the destruction of the home of the Aesir, Asgard, by the mighty volcano Hekla. It is "Goetterdaemmerung," the Twilight of the Gods. *** Powerful and magical as they are (Loki changes shapes, Freya flies, thanks to her feathered cloak given her by Odin), at bottom the gods of Iceland are just folks like everybody else, no more worthy of special attention than other races such as giants and dwarves. All races can and do interbreed. We will miss those human, all too human, Viking gods with their quarrels, jealousies and amours. But they were not destined to be more than a passing phase in the history of Germanic religion. Odin hadn't a chance against God the Father. Freya could not hold a candle to the Blessed Virgin Mary. But they were arresting while men still believed in them. *** ICE LAND is for easy bedtime reading. It is smooth, undemanding, touching lightly on important issues and topics such as plate tectonics, fate, the true religion, monogamy, loyalty, political decentralization of power, climate, agricultural and ranching practices. Great fun. Enjoy! - OOO - "

"Interesting triangle love. Contains all the best and worst elements involved in male-male attraction. Author very creative."

"JDROBB always gives a great story with flawed characters who overcome these flaws and deal with them in a positive manner. Eve Dallas and Roark are some of my favorites."

"I was unable to put this book down. I felt as if I was in that time and era."

"The filmed versions (1939, 1977, 2002) of the FOUR FEATHERS are all worth seeing. Each is in some ways better than the book. Ralph Richardson (1939) plays a strong Colonel Durrance. The desert and battle scenes with Beau Bridges (1977) and Heath Ledger (2002) are breathtaking. But each film is to the original novel of 1905 as a marionette version is to a human-acted KING LEAR. You have to read the book. The films are but thin icing on a many-layered cake. *** THE FOUR FEATHERS is all about the apparent cowardice displayed in 1882 of Harry Faversham, a 27-year old English soldier, on leave from his regiment based in India. Two days before he learns, during a party in his London apartment with army friends that his regiment is to be transferred to Egypt for duty in the Sudan fighting fanatical muslims, Harry had become engaged to marry beautiful 21 year old Ethne Eustace at her home in County Donegal, Ulster, Ireland. He had already been seriously considering resigning from the army to help Ethne's father rebuild the nearly ruinous family estate. Sudden unofficial knowledge of his coming assignment to Sudan accelerated his decision to resign his commission. *** Only one of the army officers at the party, Jack Durrance, was not in Harry's regiment. But he had known Ethne Eustace longer than Harry and was in love with her himself. Durrance and Faversham had been best friends at Oxford University and would remain so for life. When, the next day, Harry told Jack that he had resigned his commission, that seemed reasonable to Durrance. But the other two friends there, plus a third member of the regiment who had sent a telegram that Harry received during the party, soon pieced together that Harry had resigned only after learning that he would be sent to Sudan. To these other three friends (unlike Jack Durrance) Harry Faversham was, therefore, a rank coward who had shamed the regiment. Accordingly, they sent him three white feathers along with their name cards. The three officiers agreed, however, to keep the facts of the timing of Harry's resignation a secret. By unplanned coincidence these three feathers later reached Harry in Ireland c/o his fiancee. When she saw them fall out of the package when Harry opened it, she too learned why they had been sent. Ethne then added her own fourth feather, accusing Jack of cowardice, and breaking their engagement. *** The rest of the novel reads like a detective story answering questions upon questions: e. g., was Harry Faversham really a coward? If so, was it because his mother died young and his father, an eighth generation army General, could not grasp how his son's imagination might make him fear death or maiming in battle yet never quail under fire? Had Mrs Adair, a woman in love with Jack Durrance, deliberately led Harry to fall in love with Ethne, so that Durrance would drop into her own romantic web? Was Ethne right to accept Jack Durrance's marriage proposal the day she learned of his sun blindness on duty in the Sudan? Did almost everyone underrate Harry's courage? What led Harry Faversham to atone for his great fault by spending five years in Africa, learning native tongues on a quest to make each of the four feather givers take them back? *** A great, great novel probing cowardice, loyalty, courage, motivation, romantic love and a military code of honor. -OOO-"

"What can I say, Bertrice is an excellent writer. I am not one for comptemporary books but when Bertrice writes, who cannot read it. This book in one in the series of Pleasures, I have read all of them and all of them are absolutely marvelous, what imagination, what a storyteller.... all I can say is Bertrice is my women when it comes to ROMANCE at its utmost. Before you read any of the pleasure books, go to her website and get the order of how it was written......and begin with the 1st book, you wont be able to stop until you have read ALL of them!!!! Another Great buy and well worth the cost and time to read it. I once again Love Bertrice!!!!"

"I just love this book. It was very captivating, entertaining and most enjoyable. Julia Quin is on my list for historical romance. I could not put the book down. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will read the rest of her books on the Bridgetons. Enjoy. It's a great buy."

"This novel is so cleverly constructed that it is easy to miss the fact that at its core it is a simple tale of romantic love and playing at love. English writer Juliet Ashton is in her early 30s at novel's beginning in January 1946. Three years earlier she had been engaged to marry serving officer Lieutenant Rob Dartry. She broke things off the day before the wedding. Three months later he was killed in Burma. We learn from a letter to her girlhood chum, now her publisher, the reason for the breakup: Rob thought too much of himself. The afternoon before the wedding day, Rob was busily moving his things into her flat. Juliet returned from delivering an installment of her famed Izzy Bickerstaff humorous wartime series to the printer, only to find that Rob had removed and boxed for basement storage all her books. He had replaced them on her shelves with his athletic trophies and memorabilia. End of engagement. *** Later we are misdirected for a while to think that Juliet might have a crush on ten-years older Sidney, her publisher and mentor; but no, he is revealed as an unconcealed homosexual, so known to everyone. No romance there. *** Juliet is then pursued relentlessly by a narcissistic American entrepreneur, Markham V. Reynolds. All he wants is a trophy wife and that Juliet will not be. *** Meanwhile she has made a new lot of friends on the island of Guernsey off the coast of France. In the end a little half-English, half-German orphan girl wins her maternal heart while taciturn, Charles Lamb-admiring pig farmer Dawsey Adams improbably wins over Juliet's erotic side. The book's last words are spoken to Juliet by Guernsey's most priggish female censor of female morals: "I hear you and that pig-farmer are going to regularize your connection. Praise the Lord!" *** Though I personally think the amours of Julie Ashton are what drive the novel, most critics see things differently. And I have written nothing here to spoil those other views of the plot. Beyond 90% of the yarn remains therefore for you to discover and enjoy for yourself. -OOO-"

"Aside from Chaucer's CANTERBURY TALES, Thornton Wilder's THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY may have been the first tale to ask one of literature's most enduring questions: what were a bunch of ostensibly unrelated people all doing at the same place on the same catastrophic day? In Wilder's case, the event was the collapse of the grandest, highest pedestrian rope bridge in all South America. In the case of Professor John Pipkin's first novel, WOODBURNER, the occasion that unites diverse people in Concord Woods, Massachusetts is a fire inadvertently started on a dry windy day by a hungry man wanting to make fish chowder for himself during a river outing. That historically attested fire burner was none other than Henry David Thoreau. And when all was over, this future preacher of environmentalism had burned 300 woodland acres. His life intersects those of a half dozen other real and imaginary characters. All their lives are transformed by the experience of fighting and philosophizing about the fire. In another few months Thoreau will retire to a cabin on Walden Pond, an area untouched by but close to the great fire. "He will keep the injured woods company until they revive. And, if they will have him, he will become their steward." -OOO-"

"Reviews and Testimonials for The Sorcerer's Key: HERE'S WHAT REVIEWER SYLVIA COCHRAN OF ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE SORCERER'S KEY: THE SORCERER'S KEY is Clayton Bye's 272-page fiction debut novel that was published in January of 2005. While this novel of the Fantasy genre is Clayton Bye's first work of fiction, he is a seasoned speechwriter as well as a well-known author of motivational books, such as GETTING CLEAR, HOW TO GET WHAT YOU WANT FROM LIFE, THE IT CAN'T BE DONE, NO WAY, YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING, CRAZY OR UNBELIEVABLY STUPID TO TRY IT HANDBOOK FOR SUCCESS, and THE HUNDRED. THE SORCERER'S KEY examines the reality of God against the backdrop of Eden (as the cradle of life) and Earth. Existing parallel to one another, yet with the majority of Earth's inhabitants blissfully unaware of the magical place that is Eden, the fragile border that separates both worlds is suddenly in danger by the workings of Morgan Heist, sorcerer and ruthless user of the "dark arts." Heist will stop at nothing to gain free access to both worlds, and seeks to conquer and rule both. In his path stands young Jack Lightfoot whose key allows him to travel between the worlds. Unfortunately, Jack is unaware of the powers that seek to control him, and he soon finds himself in mortal danger. Will Morgan succeed and literally take over the world? Will Jack stand in his way? Clayton Bye's work of fiction creates a fascinating set of "what if" scenarios. What if God had tried to start over? What if the devil is still around and lending active support? What if magic and sorcery were God's gifts to mankind? What if they weren't? THE SORCERER'S KEY is a fast-paced read that combines action, adventure, and even romance with the elements of spirituality, religion, and magic. Without taking the quick way out by route of an omnipotent deity and an equally formidable adversary, Clayton Bye avoids the easy answers to the age old question of good versus evil, and instead offers the reader a third version, what if God made mistakes? What if the devil is not as powerful as we would have him be? An interesting read! LEA SCHIZAS FROM ALLBOOKREVIEWS.COM WROTE: Eden - haven to both good and evil? Jack Lightfoot feels a need to end a lifelong battle with the most feared sorcerer devil in Eden, Morgan Heist; a battle his father has struggled in for over 20 years Young and inexperienced for Morgan, Jack finds himself in a very compromising position when Morgan confronts him at one point. The overpowering spell to reveal how Jack is able to travel so freely from earth to Eden, with no side effects whatsoever, is a climatic scene. Jack, realizing he foolishly and prematurely stepped into this fight without truly understanding what he was facing, now needs to pull every trick in his possession to get out of this predicament, Traveling back and forth from earth to Eden, Jack desperately searches for the answer he unknowlingly possesses, before his next and ultimate face-off with Morgan: how does he, indeed, possess this power to travel so freely? With the help of old friends on earth and new ones in Eden, Jack slowly begins to piece together this puzzle. Alongside this battle enters Kate, a resident and eye-beholding beauty of Eden, who allies with Jack to help him capture and rev up his hidden magical powers. Interesting and riveting characters amidst an intriguing plot sets this fantasy novel apart from ones I have read. Mr. Bye, using first person point of view, draws you into the Lightfoot family predicament, allowing the reader to step right along with Jack and help him solve the mystery of the "key." Mr. Bye excels his writer's voice in this truly highly recommended read. At times, its appeal felt like an Agatha Christie mystery, intermixed with a bit of that Stephen King flair for bonding a reader with his characters. AND MY THANKS TO SERENA POLHEBER WHO WROTE THE FOLLOWING FOR THE GOTTA WRITE NETWORK: Jack Lightfoot has known that Earth is not the only place where man lives. Beyond The Sword lies a land of magic and sorcery, Eden. Both of Jack's parents traveled through the void to settle on Earth taking with them the secret of traversing the void. Being raised as a child of other-worldly people has not been easy. Jack spent weekends throughout his childhood training and preparing for the day that his father's ex-partner, Morgan Heist, would rip through the void in search of his father's secret. Now that day has come and Jack is forced to rely on unused skills and his wits. He traverses the void and is chased from one world to the next. During his race for his life he comes to learn a myriad of truths that have been only alluded to in the myths and religions of Earth. Morgan Heist has finally found a way across the void to find his erstwhile partner, John Lightfoot. Now that he has begun the search it will not end until he is successful. He will rule this world without magic. With magic. This book was an amalgamation of magic, religion, self discovery, and adventure. Jack was a complex character that grew from the beginning of the book to the end. The fabulous world that CC Bye created was rich in details and consistent throughout the book. I felt as if it were not only possible, but probable. Morgan Heist did his job as the antagonist remarkably well. He was everything evil and his minions added an extra edge. I was amazed by the depth of character and the well-thought out plotline. With a unique look at the mythology and ideology of our culture CC Bye took a fantastical reality and drew the reader in from page one. I give Sorcerer's Key a full 5 turns of the key. --Copyright Serena Polheber September 18, 2006 EVEN PETER FERGUS-MOORE OF THE THUNDER BAY CHRONICLE-JOURNAL MANAGED TO SAY A FEW NICE WORDS: ...Bye succeeds in painting a believable picture through the eyes of his 20-something protagonist Jack Lightfoot, whose parents are fugitives from a parallel, magic-centred world named Eden. Bye loosely borrows his universe of Eden and Earth from the Judeo-Christian world view, with a Creator-God and a devil who more or less compete for influence. I say "more or less" because Bye's God is a deist God, who set the whole thing in motion and then walked away in disgust. Before leaving, however, God set up a barrier between the two worlds. That the barrier is somewhat permeable, and that people can occasionally travel between the worlds, though at great personal cost, makes Bye's narrative possible. ...The real competition for control and influence is between an evil, all-powerful sorcerer in Eden, Morgan Heist, and the Lightfoot family, who Heist sees as hoarding the secret to safe travel between the worlds. Heist desperately wants to extend his empire to the non-magical Earth, and so embarks on a deadly single-minded hunt for the Lightfoots, and Jack is caught squarely in the middle of it all. ...Bye's characters are largely believable, and the writer stays firmly within the parameters he has set up for his worlds. Much of the book is seen through Jack Lightfoot's eyes and rendered in Jack Lightfoot's language. Not surprisingly, Jack's story is not only a narrative of a struggle between good and evil, but a chronicle of Jack's growth as a person. HERE'S WHAT PAYING CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING: The Sorcerer's Key is a great, fast paced read. The narrative of the scenes was excellent. I could easily picture Jack running through the Safeway parking lot in Kenora, even though I haven't lived there for over 4 years. I could almost as easily picture in my mind the author's vision of Eden. Well done! Gene, Mount Gambier, South Australia Excellent! It should be made into a movie. Lyle, Kenora, Ontario I couldn't put it down. Stephanie, Alexandria, Ontario You've got a winner! Andreas, Thunder Bay, Ontario Better than J.K Rowling. Judy, Kenora, Ontario Enjoyed immensely. Read in a night. Very good read. Hali, Kenora, Ontario I am an avid reader of the genres of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and just plain “weird tales” ala H.P. Lovecraft, JRR Tolkien, Raymond Fiest, Tad Williams, Terry Goodkind, Terry Brooks, Charles DeLint etc. Clayton Bye’s new fantasy novel, “The Sorcerer’s Key” would not be out of place amongst these authors. The storyline of Eden and its parallel existence to our earth is storytelling at its finest, and I very much look forward to the continued interactions between the two worlds, especially the meshing of what is “traditionally” known about the biblical Eden and the realm of fantasy created by Mr. Bye. I recommend this book to any person with a taste for the fantasy genre. Terence, Kenora, Ontario Enjoyed your book. Well written & interesting. Judy, Rainy River, Ontario"

"THE PILOT is about warfare on land and sea between the rebelling USA and mother Britain between the years of, say, 1778 and 1792. The pilot in question, though never named, is legendary John Paul (Jones), father of the American navy. He lands in northeastern England to extract valuable hostages to exchange for American revolutionaries taken at sea by the British. The success of his mission depends on his uncanny seamanship amid shoals, rocks and currents. Subplots abound. Jones meets with a former love. Other young lovers pursue their future mates against great odds. By 1792, the year of Jones's death, two wartime enemies are the best of friends on the US-Canadian frontier. This novel established a new literary genre: the sea adventure tale. ... The volume's second novel is THE RED ROVER, written five years after THE PILOT. After a very slow beginning full of intrigue in and around the harbor of Newport, Rhode Island in October 1759, young Harry Wilder and companions board the disguised pirate ship, the Red Rover, with a royal commission to identify and bring to justice its captain who uses the same name. After a long sea chase of a rich merchantman, the Red Rover captures a British frigate. In time the pirate proves himself an early patriot laboring for the freedom of the North American colonies from their British overlords. The novel abounds in mood changes, disguises, false flags for the Rover and twists and turns in the pirate chief's identities, moods and whims. At novel's end the Rover, whose real name is Heidegger, is revealed to be an American patriot, as Newport celebrates the end of the war for independence. -OOO-"

"A book about cops by a cop. Wambaugh has only gotten better with time. This one is hilarious and I hope he brings out another one soon."

"Almost dreamlike and surreal in its language and imagery, but also starkly realistic in its detail and impression of the forces at work during the early era of America's creation. Very moving on the level of the individual narrator and Cherokees, as well as on a level of a "nation" facing ethnic cleansing and the mainstream citizens that supported it. Author Charles Frazier very much humanizes a little known chapter in American history, but its telling indicates that the perpetrators are now mature enough to admit it. I read this book at the same time the PBS series "We Remain" was being aired, and the two were very, very complementary."

""Sail" is another great summer read by James Patterson along with Howard Roughan. Although there is no mystery to the story, there is enough action and adventure to keep the pages turning. "

"Our book club has a new favorite! We spent two hours discussing Lottery and picking out our favorite lines to read aloud. It was an evening filled with tears and laughter. The characters are so real that we could all relate to at least one of them. Having the story told from Perry�s point of view added depth and insight. I found myself envying his simplistic way of seeing the world. To not feel the anger and bitterness that I felt toward his family would be a blessing. As a first novel, this will be hard to beat, but I hope Patricia Wood gives it a try. "

"Most of us, I think, have a vague notion that Britain's King Arthur is a product of the dying, perhaps recently stone cold dead (at least in Britain), Western Roman Empire. Professor Valerio Massimo Manfredi's novel THE LAST LEGION (2002) imagines how Arthur might have been the son of Romulus Augustus, the last (western) Roman Emperor. And Manfredi firmly locates the future King Arthur's coming field of operations in southern Scotland and Northern England rather than, say, the earlier more popular Cornwall. Deposed in 476 by a barbarian Gothic general Odoacer, young Romulus and his tutor Ambrosinus are exiled to Capri and guarded by Gothic warriors. A handful of legionaries loyal to the idea of non-Barbarian Rome, hastily thrown together by troubled, amnesiac Aurelianus Ambrosius Ventidius, aided by a woman warrior who is one of the founders of Venice, free both teen-age emperor and tutor and move together to Hadrian's wall on the border of today's Scotland and England. Pursued by Gothic warriors of Odoacer who had also co-opted a war band of Saxons, the emperor's few followers make contact with veterans of aa long disbanded Roman legion once stationed at Hadrian's wall. In a decisive battle at the wall, the Romans fight off the Goths and Saxons, aided by veterans of the old legion, decked out in their long obsolete armor. That legion's banner still existed and displayed a red dragon. Romulus's tutor, whom we have long known to be a British Druid, resumes his non-Roman name of Myrdin, soon corrupted by local Britons to Merlin. Romulus, now using the name Pendragon, "son of the Dragon," became King of the Britons. After marrying the Celtic Ygraine, Romulus/Pendragon became father of the future King Arthur. The entire story is narrated by Merlin. At story's end young Arthur is five years old. His name came from "Arcturus," "born under the sign of the bear." In his lonely wanderings during his captivity in the Emperor Trajan's ancient palace on Capri, young Romulus had found Julius Caesar's sword, the finest ever made. Its name would later be corrupted from a time-blurred Latin inscription on its blade (CAI.IUL.CAES.ENSIS CALIBURNUS) to Excalibur. At the end of his friends' great victory against Goths and Saxons at Mount Badon, young Romulus shouted "No more war! no more blood!" He then walked to a nearby lake, carrying Julius Caesar's mighty sword, "still dripping blood." "He hurled the sword far into the lake. Excalibur "plunged like a meteor into the heart of the moss-covered stone that rose at the center of the lake" (Ch. 37). The final words of the tale are Merlin's: "Here my story ends. Here, perhaps, a legend is born." Not a bad preparation for reading this excellent fictional evocation of the last days of the Western Roman Empire and the first days of Medieval Britain would be to watch the 2007 film derived from the novel. Styled, like its original, THE LAST LEGION, this arguably too compressed and simplified film is available in DVD. It stars Colin Firth (Aurelianus), Ben Kingsley (Ambrosinus/Merlin) and 1994 Miss Universe Aishwarya Rai as a warrior maiden serving the Eastern Roman Emperor. There is, indeed, a warrior woman in the novel, but she is Livia, a Roman survivor not an East Indian. The film is not at all bad. The novel is great. It successfully shows how the collapsing Empire might have looked to a handful of legionaries and to the post-Roman little people, mainly Celts, among whom they moved. The author is a scholar of the period and has also written a fictional trilogy on Alexander the Great. -OOO-"

"I first picked up this book because I knew of AVI and enjoyed his other books. Tho only one of these shorts is actually written by AVI the collection is fantastic. A book every teacher who reads aloud needs. I use several of the stories in literature circle classes to teach the jobs before the students start on their own. All the shorts are fiction, full of deep meanings, funny parts, scary parts, parts we all relate to, and the pure wonder of good fantasy. My particular favorite is "Baby in the Night Deposit Box"; the one about a very extraordinary princess baby who appears in a very ordinary bank with the motto 'Your treasure is safe with us'. Great stuff!"

"Great book. Classic Updike: lush prose, piercing observations of both the physical world and the human psyche, great sex, and terribly interesting examinations of various religious impulses. A booklover's book!"

"Kerr is one of my favorite authors, but this book compares poorly to his earlier AND later work. "

"This novel is a literary tribute by the author to gothic and romantic novels enjoyed in her own English girlhood -- especially JAYNE EYRE. Pick any five consecutive sentences of THE THIRTEENTH TALE and you may find at most one flat, ordinary formulation. This is "poetry" or poetic prose as Heidegger saw it: "thickening" (German Dichtung). That is, ordinary words and experiences carry weight beyond what most writers make language bear. No glossary needed for this tale of Yorkshire. Just bring your heart. *** Can two depressingly dysfunctional generations of the Angelfield family finally spawn normal offspring? Must twin girls neglected by their parents remain weird for life? The novel asks why does it take Margaret Lea, an outsider biographer, whose twin had died at birth, to tell when Britain's greatest novelist, Vida Winter, is lying about her family. "Trust but verify" is Margaret's model and it helps her both unravel the Angelfields and their tragedy and come to terms with herself and her parents. *** THE THIRTEENTH TALE makes a case that the classic way to tell a tale (especially when the yarn is deliberately gothic and romantic) is always the best way: with a beginning which assumes nothing, a middle which blends the elements into fiendishly complex puzzles, enigmas and terrors, and a brief end and coda in which all is explained. Does that also sound like the best kind of detective story? *** -OOO- "

"julie garwood is my # 1 author!"

"Warm, moving, memorable, educational; an exceptional read."

"David Liss's 2008 historical novel THE WHISKEY REBELS weaves together three events in the early American Republic. These are the chartering of the first Bank of the United States in 1791, the financial panic of 1792 and the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794. Widowed Joan Maycott, who wishes to write the first great American novel, believes that by persuading Congress to impose an excise tax on the making of whiskey, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton is responsible for the violent death near Pittsburgh of her whiskey distilling husband, Andrew. Step by step the handsome, brilliant Joan wins allies and builds a network of whiskey boys to do her bidding with an eye to toppling Hamilton and making themselves rich. *** The second major fictional player in THE WHISKEY REBELS is Ethan Saunders, a onetime star in George Washington's Revolutionary War spy network. Ten years earlier, just before Yorktown, Saunders was asked by Colonel Alexander Hamilton to resign from the Continental army under suspicion of selling minor secrets to the British (a charge eventually proven false). From initial hater of Hamilton, Saunders slowly comes to admire and defend him. This puts him on a collision course with the conspirators around Mrs Maycott, though it is years before they discover each other and she tries to make him a pawn in her schemes to ruin Hamilton. *** I will not spill many more words on a book far too long and tedious. The historical underpinnings are too undramatic and technical (6% bonds, 4% bonds, the usual greed and fear of stock markets, political jockeying by Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, etc., etc.) to justify the ungainly, rambling narrative structure. As a morality tale THE WHISKEY REBELS is not without attraction. Its thesis is that civilization is a very thin veneer. Transport well read, Christian men and women to a frontier wilderness (in this case the environs of Pittsburgh) and they will become nasty, unkempt, murderous and self-absorbed. David Liss provides some good local color in the lovingly recreated taverns of late 18th Century Philadelphia and New York. Otherwise, forget this book. -OOO- "

"ISBN 0590424017 - A fan of James Herriot and Lassie (among others!), I was excited to read true dog stories for children. And the inclusion of a talented "bad" dog, in Grip the thief, was a pleasant surprise. Five very short dog stories, each told in a few pages. Dox, a police dog in Italy, is bought by a policeman who just happened to pass a pet store. He'd had no thought of buying a dog at all - but he did it, and then he turned him into a superb detective. Grip, owned by a thief and a successful thief himself, leads a life of crime until his owner is caught and Grip gets a surprising new owner. Author Alfred Payson Terhune's dog, Wolf, lives with many other dogs at Sunnybank Farm. He isn't very sociable, but he does watch out for the other dogs, right up to the very end. Barry is one of the very special St Bernards living at a monastery in Switzerland. The dogs are trained to rescue people, and Barry is even a little more special than the others. Balto is a sled dog in Alaska when Nome calls out to the outside world for help. They need medicine and the only way in is by sled. The town is in terrible trouble, but Balto comes to their rescue. The stories are all true, and the reader can follow up most of them by reading longer books and stories about these dogs. That's a nice thing, a way to encourage reading, and answer some questions that the book leaves unanswered - like why there's a statue of Balto in New York, when his heroic actions were in Alaska. Not superbly written, but the author is hampered by the attempt to keep the stories short. The back cover says RL2, ages 7-9, and that's the only thing I have to disagree there. The stories seem to me to be better suited for younger children. - AnnaLovesBooks"

"Very nice love story"

"This book was awesome!!!! If you love Dee Henderson like i do you will not be disappointed by this book. I enjoyed the characters, and the courtship of Bruce. "

"A beautiful story about a woman lost in the present while her mind is haunted by the past. Wonderfully descriptive recollections of the artwork at the Hermitage Museum give hope during the siege of Leningrad. “The Madonnas of Leningrad� perfectly intersects the life of a young Russian woman during World War II with the life of the same as an elderly woman gripped by Alzheimer's. An unforgettable first novel. "

"I feel as if I am in mourning today. For Edgar and Almondine. For the unfortunate end of their story. A story filled with such passion and fury and loneliness and longing. A story I foolishly believed would come to it’s conclusion long after I lost interest and was ready to read the happily ever after and move on to the next. There is no moving on from Edgar Sawtelle. He will be with me now for the rest of my days. I can only envy David Wroblewski who completed his life’s purpose with depth and beauty"

"When Blanche starts college two years ahead of her classmates she is drawn to the only other student her age, the charismatic Christa. Blanche's parents are delighted that she finally has a friend but Christa is not the ideal friend for a girl like Blanche and soon seems set to take over her home and her family and Blanche must find a way to fight back or risk vanishing from her own life. I borrowed this book from a library, loved it and searched for a long time to find my own copy before discovering one on Biblio.com. I'm delighted to have a copy, received in excellent condition and very promptly, and would highly recommend it as a fantastic book."

"I think Mrs. Johanna needs new editors. I have read every book she has ever written. An though she got away from her historical and ventured into the future (?), it was well done and very entertaining. The only problem I have is when I read a book that is so good and find simple mistakes in the actual writing and plot that throw it completly off. If Mrs. Lindsey needs someone to read her books, let me know. I have found the same problem in many other books and have also alerted the author to them. They sincerely thanked me. One thing I will say, when you write to her, which I did years ago, she actually wrote back, in person, no less. Great way to keep your readers."

"Unparalleled Erotica! No other erotic romance writer can seem to equal or be as unique as P. F. Kozak. In her debut "Sins and Secrets" this talented writer took the reader on an erotic adventure above and beyond expectations by allowing the reader to choose which sensual path they would like the characters to take....and in "Take Me There" this writer successfully does it again! The main character in this story, Journalist Presley Knowles discovers the answer to the question if a woman could love two men, but as always, pushing the erotic envelope further, P. F. Kozak adds a touch of paranormal....can a woman love a man and a ghost? Vadim, a lover from another life Presley lived centuries ago enters her life after a fatal near-death accident. When Presley wakes up in the hospital after having a strange sensual dream, it is sexy Dr. Daniel Hanson she sees standing by her bed, patiently waiting for her to quickly get well so that he can have from Presley what he witnessed as he watched her dream while caring for her. As Daniel and Presley's wild sexual relationship begins, suddenly Vadim enters Presley's life again, as well as Presley and Daniel's bed by bringing another surprise... another woman, Ezra, who happens to be Presley's sister from her other life, which Daniel just happens to be sexually drawn to as well. Will this threesome, suddenly turned foursome's love, love that is both physical and emotional, survive from the past to the present and beyond to the future? This author just keeps getting better and better with each book. "Take Me There" is so much more than beautifully written sexually explicit love scenes. Once again, like this author's other books, it has a storyline with quality characters that keep the reader glued to the pages. If you are a fan of a well-written erotic romance, don't miss this or any other book written by P. F. Kozak! This reviewer is patiently waiting for the November 2008 release of "Do It To Me." - Beverly Meiner, Beverly Romance Books "

"As a Christian teen who grew up around books, I know how hard it is to find ones that can really be trusted to stay true to the Christian values, especially in the fiction genre. I almost did a dance when I stumbled upon "Raising Dragons" in my local Christian bookstore, and read it for the first time. Not only has this author successfully presented Christian themes alongside fantasy (almost completely unheard of at that time), but he has done so with a storyline and characters that are genuinely enjoyable, even for an older teen like myself. Parents, you can feel safe letting your children lose themselves in these pages. And for anyone older, don't pass this one up either!"

"Uniting familiar characters with delightful new ones, “The Rise of the Wyrm Lord� chronicles the further adventures of Aidan Thomas as he readjusts to life in our world, the Mirror Realm, as well as detailing the journeys of headstrong Antoinette Reed. When the teenagers meet at school, they quickly discover a mutual love for King Eliam and his ways. Convinced that Antoinette is being called to the Realm, Aidan secures her promise to search for Robby’s Glimpse and persuade him to join them while he tries to persuade him in their own world. Never dreaming of the trouble it would cause, Antoinette gives her word and soon her adventures in the Realm begin. Like “The Door Within,� “The Rise of the Wyrm Lord� works with a broad cast of twelve knights, each with different strengths. This book introduces my favorite character, the herbmaster and pyromaniac knight Sir Oswyn. Batson manages to keep his main characters—both the Glimpses from each other and Antoinette from Aidan—very distinct so that we do not lose track of characters for the number of them. Teenagers who enjoy fantasy will love this second book in the Door Within trilogy. Woven within the fast-paced tale is a lesson of trust and obedience—and the consequences of ignoring wise counsel. The only problem with the book is that it is the middle of the sequence. The ending leaves one wanting more! And that is hardly a true problem. "

"Bloodthirsty pirates. Buried treasure. Mysterious monks. Hidden islands. Daring escapes. Perilous searches. All these things and more are found in “The Isle of Swords.� As Captain Declan Ross tries to discover a way to leave piracy behind, his daughter tries to persuade him to let her join the crew and his newest deckhand tries to recover his memory. A strange monk offers Captain Ross his chance to escape piracy if he will grant him passage to an island no one has seen. But the ruthless Captain Bartholomew Thorne also wants the treasure and will do anything to get his hands on the map now in Captain Ross’ possession. I had a little trouble at first with the manner in which Batson constantly shifts the point-of-view from which the story is being told. Hearing from half a dozen different characters who I barely knew was a bit confusing and frustrating. However, as the story progressed, I quickly lost sight of the point-of-view changes and lost myself in the story. “The Isle of Swords� is first and foremost an action and adventure story populated with memorably quirky characters. Secondly, it is a tale of what is really important in life—not the adventure, but those family and friends who share it with us. The message is smoothly interwoven into the story with the same skill Batson has shown in his Door Within trilogy. Nearly every reader should be enthralled by this fast-paced story set on the high seas. "

"Eye of the Oracle is my favorite book out of the whole series! Not only does it leave you with the answers to questions you had left over from Dragons in our Midst, it starts another story blending new characters into the Dragons in our Midst story. Eye of the Oracle is kind of like behind the scenes for Dragons in our Midst. It starts all the way back at the flood and comes up to Bonnie’s story so you’ll find out what happens before raising dragons. But Eye of the Oracle isn’t just about filling you in. It’s packed with just as much action as the rest of the books in the series that will keep you up reading all night long!"

"If you thought Raising Dragons was good then you HAVE to get The Candlestone! The thing about the Dragons in our Midst series: the books keep getting better as the series progresses and Mr. Davis comes up with a whole new idea for each book. This is the kind of book that you will want to read again, and again, and again… "

"Circles of Seven, another book to add to my absolute favorites list! Mr. Davis has done an amazing job of writing a book that is like no other in the series (or the entire bookstore) and in my opinion even tops the first two books. As soon as I got this book my parents didn’t see me until I finished reading it and I couldn’t wait for the next one to come out! But before you read Circles of Seven make sure you get Raising Dragons and The Candlestone and read those first. You will be able to understand and enjoy the Dragons in our Midst series much better all together."