Book Reviews

Post by **Rusty** » Tue May 08, 2007 8:11 pm

Gregor and the Code of Claw by Suzanne Collins. This is the fifth and final book in the Underland Chronicles and I think it might be the best of the five. There is plenty of action, but the book feels a bit more somber and reflective.

Gregor finally gets to read the Prophecy of Time, which calls for The Warrior's death. Only problem is that Gregor _is_ The Warrior. His mother and little sister are still in Regalia as an army of rats prepares to attack the city, War is upon them and the odds are against the humans.

Post by **Rusty** » Sat May 12, 2007 1:16 pm

Sisters Grimm 4 - Once Upon a Crime - The Grimm family heads to New York City to try and save Puck. They find out a number of things about Veronca Grimm, the girls' mother. They are also recruited to solve a murder case. Lots of adventure and everafters, including Long John Silver, Sinbad, six of the seven dwarfs, Mother Goose and Ebeneezer Scrooge.

Post by **Rusty** » Tue May 15, 2007 3:02 pm

The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages. This book is about a girl named Dewey, who is growing up during World War II. She is separated from her father because he is a high level mathematician and is doing work for the government. He sends for her to join him at a top secret base in New Mexico called Los Alamos. He is among a group of scientists working on a 'gadget' that may end the war. Dewey is a thinker and likes to build radios and invent different gadgets of her own from spare parts. The book is an excellent novel and captured the period very well.

Post by **Rusty** » Sun May 20, 2007 10:29 am

Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe by James M. Ward. Ward is known for his work with roleplaying games. This is the first book in a new series that takes place in a world somewhat similar to early 19th Century England, except that there are many fantasy elements - including giants, trolls, demons, dragons, etc. Blithe is fresh out of the academy and has been placed on a first rate dragonship. This is a large warship built on and in a live dragon. It's an interesting combination and we learn more about how it works as the book progresses. I found the book to be a lot of fun once I became more familiar with the setting. I'm currently reading the second book and am hoping Ward writes more books in the series.

Post by **Rusty** » Mon May 21, 2007 3:07 pm

Dragonfrigate Wizard Halcyon Blithe by James M. Ward - Halcyon sails home as the second officer on a prize ship. After reporting to the admiralty, he is assigned to a new dragon frigate with a crew consisting mostly of people who are half dwarf and half human. Their mission is to take an ambassador to the dwarven kingdom in the far south in hopes of gaining an alliance. A few problems arise along the way and once they get there. Another very enjoyable book by ward. He has a nice mix of Hornblower and fantasy. Now the long wait for the third book to be published.

Post by **Rusty** » Sat May 26, 2007 9:05 pm

Atherton: The House of Power by Patrick Carman. This book takes place on a world made up of 3 levels separated by high cliffs. The Highlands are a lush area which control the flow of water. The middle level is Tabletop where figs are grown and rabbits and sheep are raised to supply the needs of the Highlands. The lowest level is uninhabited, except by monsters known as cleaners. Problems start to arise when a curious boy finds a hidden book in the cliffs at the same time that the Highlands start to fall down to Tabletop. The world of Atherton isn't quite what the residents think it is. The book is an interesting look into a future world. It ends on a cliffhanger (literally) so I'm looking forward to the second book.

Post by **Rusty** » Mon May 28, 2007 10:40 am

At the Motor City Comic Con, I met one of the authors of the new Actionopolis line of books. The books feature short novels written by comic book writers, including Dan Mishkin and Adam Beechen, and with illustrations by comic book artists such as Tom Mandrake. Both books I've read so far are good, though very quick reads. I'm not sure they're worth the $12.95 cover price, though.

Heir to Fire - The town of Gila Flats starts getting taken over by strange spiders and Ryan Morales discovers he has powers which can save the town and his friends.

The Forest King - Woodlark's Shadow - There is an ancient evil loose in the forest which makes the game 'Old Man of the Forest' played by local kids, more than just a game.

Post by **Psychotic_Carp** » Mon May 28, 2007 3:59 pm

somoe scheduled their wedding for the day I woul dhave gone to the con

Post by **Rusty** » Mon May 28, 2007 5:09 pm

Psychotic_Carp wrote:somoe scheduled their wedding for the day I woul dhave gone to the con

What a rude person. They must not like comics at all.

More Actionopolis books:

What I Did On My Hypergalactic Interstellar Summer Vacation - A Prince and the Pauper tale with a bored alien prince and a bored teenager switching places for the summer.

Blackfoot Brave Society - The son of a very wealthy man goes away to summer camp in Montana, hoping to fit in better than he does at home. He makes a couple of friends and becomes involved with an ancient Native American legend.

Zombie Monkey Monster Jamboree[/b] - A scout troop goes camping in the woods and gets separated from their adult scoutmasters. They find a golden monkey idol in a ruined dwelling and this leads to an invasion of monkey creatures.

Post by **Rusty** » Wed May 30, 2007 3:24 pm

Dragon and Herdsman by Timothy Zahn - This is the 4th book in the Dragonback series and has Jack trying to break into the headquarters of the mercenary group targeting the K'da. He hooks up with Alison Kayna from an earlier book and they end up on a distant planet where they are attacked by the aforementioned mercenaries. It was another good book in the series, though I wonder how many books he'll have before the K'da and Shontine actually arrive. The 5th book just came out so I'll have to check on that one.

Post by **Rusty** » Thu May 31, 2007 7:00 pm

Orbital Resonance by John Barnes. It's been 30 years since the collapse and the survivors on earth live a hard life in domed cities. Space colonies like the Flying Dutchman (a converted asteroid) offer a last hope for survival. This book tells the story of 13 year old Melpomene Murray, a girl who was born and raised on the Flying Dutchman. The children have been socially engineered to think a lot differently than people raised on Earth and things get shaken up a bit when a new student transfers in from the home planet.

This book was nominated for the Nebula when it came out and it is easy to see why. It is very well written and is one of my favorites out of the books I've read over the past year or more.

Post by **Psychotic_Carp** » Thu May 31, 2007 11:19 pm

Whats up with all the books with a flying Dutchman?

Post by **Rusty** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 11:13 pm

Spirit of the Samurai by Gary Reed. Kat and David have been raised in suburban Seattle by their grandfather. They are like most normal teenagers, but have also been trained in the use of swords, knives and other weapons. Kat has received additional training in the stealth arts. They discover that they are of Japanese descent and have ancient roles to fulfill. This book was a very fast paced and quick read. It is sort of like a prose comic book and wasn't bad.

Post by **Psychotic_Carp** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 12:00 am

Did theyre GF know?

Post by **Rusty** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 5:41 am

Psychotic_Carp wrote:Did theyre GF know?

Yeah. He's the one who trained them. He had a hidden Japanese background that they didn't know of.