The final volume in this excellent series
937479
This book covers the Black Belt level patterns from Choi-Yong through Tong-Il.  As in the first two volumes, this is a thorough guide to the fundamental techniques that make up these patterns.  I recommend this book for our students 3rd Dan and above.
1237815
I read Tales of Ned with a hint of sadness, not because of any fault in the book, but because it was the last in the Josie Du Puy series by the author and it felt as if I was saying good bye to a whole host of friends, such has been the impact of reading this excellent series, based on the aforementioned character and her husband, the Ned of this title. I have thoroughly enjoyed each book in the series, this one no less than the others and it is to the author's credit that over the course of five books he has maintained the quality and integrity of his fictional creations to the extent that they felt like real people with real lives, each character growing and developing from book to book. For anyone just setting out on the course of navigating their way through this series, I can't in all conscience give away the content of this final volume, suffice it to say that through Ned's words, we learn much about his and Josie's lives together, the cases they've worked on and the author adds a great deal of information that shows how their relationship began and eventually led to a life-long love affair. I for one will miss each and every one of the remarkable ensemble cast that Berkeley Rourke has created with which to populate his series of Josie Du Puy books, and recommend not just Tales of Ned, but the entire series to readers of crime fiction everywhere. I loved them all!
4019599
This book represents the conclusion to The Unicorn Chronicles, a story which began with "Into the Land of the Unicorns" during the mid-1990s. Though the wait has been substantial, so has the payoff. Every addition to the series has expanded greatly on the world of Luster and its inhabitants. In this particular piece, the creation (and potential destruction) of Luster is explored and a great number of forces come together to finish a war begun centuries prior. Though the world remains open for future stories, the series is indeed complete: Every answer which was promised is delivered. Thankfully, not every inch of Luster has been expounded upon in excessive detail; the world did not "end" with the conclusion, though the finale was satisfyingly complete. In that way, this concluding volume feels more realistic than most. As in life, there is more to be told, but there were no cheap, nagging cliffhangers.

Cara remains the main character of the series, but thankfully, she feels like a component of a world as opposed to its very axis. This allows other major and minor characters the opportunity to shine independently of her presence--something which is startlingly rare in fiction. Considering the wealth of unicorns, dragons, centaurs, humans, and other species evident, it is refreshing to see that one individual was not gifted the sole limelight. The entire cast deserved the opportunity to grow, and each character was granted the appropriate span of time for such development. Even new characters, such as Graumag the dragon (who had been mentioned but never previously seen), were given sufficient time to resonate with the audience as sovereign entities, not just "friends of Cara." Unfortunately, the number of characters become rather daunting, considering that every character mentioned previously in the series contributed even if it didn't feel necessary to the narrative.

As main character, Cara is sensible, intelligent, and compassionate. She retains her believability as a young person (something Coville has always done superbly well) while simultaneously rising to the occasion and becoming an exceptional female role model. Other strong women also feature prominently, such as Arianna the centaur, M'Gama the geomancer (who appears to originally be of African background), Graumag the dragon, Belle the unicorn, and Feng Yuan. These characters certainly have distinct flaws, but they are not defined by their being female. Strong male characters, such as Thomas the Tinker and Moonheart the unicorn, are also evident, of course. (It is worth mentioning that this book should not be seen as "too girly" for boys, as is interesting and appropriate for all readers. If one's son loves fantasy, this book is still a splendid selection.)

This book brings forth many interesting ideas about duty, empathy, redemption, and identity. The book has a bittersweet tone, but it emphasizes the importance of these principles; no one is allowed an escape from responsibility or from need by virtue of being a protagonist. At the same time, a few of the decisions on the part of the author feel to have been made somewhat arbitrarily, but that doesn't break reader immersion. Fully recommended for new readers and for those who have been waiting since the first novel's publication. Great for families who would like to tackle an enjoyable, thoughtful book together.
612688
The quality of this series from England took a nose-dive with Volume 2, 1951, but now all the problems are cleared up, and the result is a quality product for years 1952, 1953, 1954 and the final volume, 1955. Still, with so many excellent cuts on the 1951 volume, it is still worth buying even if only to complete the series, and you WILL want the complete series. Each volume contains 25 cuts on one CD, a slick, full-colored booklet with information on each song on the CD, and at their low cost are real steals.

The biggest hidden treasure on this volume, 1952, is "It's In the Book," a novelty number by Johnny Standley which is very seldom found. This alone would be worth the cost of the CD.
2234285
The final book in this series is the best of the four books. The surprise ending in the epilogue is very enjoyable. All four books are brought together and the conclusion is tremendous. The development of the included technologies has continued throughout the series and the characters that have passed through all the books are memorable and all one could ask for. Well worth the time and money spent. I will look forward to reading all of them again in a couple of months.
1551201
This is a great series, eagerly awaiting the next volume.
1219357
This is an excellent finish to this series.  The fight scenes had better choreography than in Volume 1.  The movie as a whole seemed to flow together a bit better than in Volume 1.  The exceedingly bloody scenes in Volume 1 are fortunately missing in Volume 2.  Not the first time I have watched; won't be the last.  I just need to be in the mood for some good, mindless violence (without comedy).  The only real negative is that it is hard to root for anyone in these movies; they are all contract killers.  Personally I like to have a hero (or heroine) who is a "good" person, and an assassin doesn't qualify.
1166516
This is the fifth installment of a six-part series of books (Sill Life With Memories) by Uvi Poznansky. I have read all of the previous volumes and have really enjoyed them all, but this one was my favorite. A couple of interesting things about this series that makes it unique are that it is not linear storytelling - it jumps from one time period to another from book to book - and the story in each volume is told from a different character's point of view. Because of that, you can really read the volumes in any order you choose. The characters are well-developed and believable, as is the plot of the story. I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to the final installment.
3343962
I was pretty much bribed into reading the first in this series, and here at the end, I can say I'm glad I was.  This final book was so fulfilling in all the ways already described in these reviews that I can add no more - except to say I think I shall miss this characters.

The "tag-team" style of writing worked well for this lengthy series, plus it was fun to learn how each writer would spin the next novel.  I also enjoyed the straightforward way I was able to read this series, one book after another, without having to cross back and forth into other Trek incarnations and/or periods of time.  Altogether entertaining.

To anyone interested in reading this series, I would suggest that NOW is the time, since you won't have to wait between novels.  Print versions of some volumes may be hard to get, but I suspect they're all available electronically.
2481556
The Emperor has been overthrown in a silent coup, Kambei is about to be executed, and a shocking new plot is about to be uncovered...all in the 6th Volume of the blockbuster Anime "Samurai 7".

As the Anime drifts completely apart from the Kurosawa masterpiece into its own epic tale, the alliance that saved Kanna Village splinters as Katsushiro, having lost his faith in Kambei, leads himself astray from the group in order to find his own destiny. Meanwhile, Ukyo's intentions are not as gentle and forgiving as they seem - and the young new Emperor has much more in store for the six remaining Samurai, and Kanna Village.

Being a die-hard Kurosawa fan, I had serious doubts at first. However, after 5 great volumes of storytelling and a spectacularly-crafted re-interpretation of perhaps the greatest film ever created, I cannot get enough of this show. Volume 6 sets up the thrilling finale with equal suspense and action - the only thing more unbearable than pondering the outcome of the series is the horribly extended period of time between Volume releases by Funimation (the 7th and Final Volume will be released July 25th - nearly two whole months after Volume 6). Hang in there, Samurai 7 fans - the ending will not disappoint.
818115
With a bullet lodged near his heart and the Hour of the Incursion just days away, the Rider and his small group of stalwart friends do everything in their power to stop Adon from rousing the Old Ones and ending existence. But whose side will Lucifer take in the conflict? And which of the Rider's friends is fated to betray him...?

Here we are, the ultimate volume in the best weird western series since the big daddy, The Dark Tower. Erdelac pulls out all the stops in this one. We are treated to such wonders as a steampunk cyborg created with Yithian technology, shoggoths, a scientist with an alien mind, an angel from another universe, and a golem made of pieces of dead gunfighters. Couple this with the Rider dying of a bullet wound, a sigil-covered train, and the manure hitting the windmill on every page and you have one book that is impossible to put down.

All the seeds Erdelac planted in the previous three volumes are finally bearing squamous, cyclopean fruit. Unlike the previous three volumes, this one is a single story, not a series of linked stories. It's the biggest book in the series by a hundred pages. Any doubts I had that Erdelac could weave a novel length tale have been put to rest.

Faustus Montague, Kabede, Dick Belden, The Reverend Mr. Goodworks, and Yates made worthy allies for the Rider on his final journey. As with the previous volumes, Erdelac does a fantastic job tying together elements from Christianity, Judaism, and the Cthulhu mythos.

The ending of the saga was all I could hope for. All the big payoffs were there, from the true nature of the onager, the tzadikim and the Tzohar to the final conflict between The Rider and Adon. I'd say it was the best volume of the series.
4747792
After reading volume twenty-two of Fruits Basket, I knew I needed to read the final volume to know how the series ended.

Kyo and Tohru finally confess their feelings for each other.  Akito makes a revelation to the other Sohmas, and the curse is lifted.  At the end, the Sohmas start new lives and go their separate ways.  A final epilogue appears at the end of the book, and it shows what life is like for some of the characters about thirty years in the future.

Many of the stories that appear in this volume are there to tie up the remaining loose ends, but the ends are tied rather effectively.  By the time I finished reading this volume, I was in tears.  It wasn't so much due to the fact that the series was ending that I was crying; it was due to how Natsuki Takaya brought everything to a close.  When I read the final page of this volume, I was more than satisfied with how the series progressed and ultimately came to a close.  If you've read the other Fruits Basket volumes prior to this one, I would really recommend reading this one as well to see how the characters end up at the end of the series.

I wrote this review after checking out a copy of this manga volume through the King County Library System.
2490256
The sign of an outstanding series: your readers get to the end and say Its over? Ah, man! Over the course of reading Ian Williams Sentient series, I have become rather invested in the lives of Graham, Phoenix, Stephen, and even Isaac. The Sentient Corruption wraps up the series in the most fantastic, satisfying way. If you have read either of the first two books, I strongly urge you to read Corruption.

Having been returned safely to his family, Graham awakes to find himself in a strange military command center, and is uncertain how he got there. He meets up with Captains Rigs and Gregson, who are preparing to wage war against Isaac and his army of evil Sentients. They will soon discover that theyve vastly underestimated the enemy. Isaacs vision of a superior society goes well beyond the force-field covering New Chemslford, and he has powerful allies. The fate of the entire world is in the hands of this small rag-tag crew of determined fighters.

The first chapters were a little hard to follow, but thats mostly because technology and military terms fly over my head. But trust me on this: it is worth the wait, because when it picks up, it really picks up. And you will be hooked. Corruption has one of the best endings I have ever seen for a single book and an entire series. I cant wait to see what Williams will write next. I am definitely a devoted fan of his work.
1160235
OK, I feel incredibly close to the Martha Quest series; when I was younger I read them greedily to see what would happen to me next. Even though my own life was then and has been utterly different, I identified completely with Martha as a thwarted, fighting, young woman.  My huge disappointment was the last volume, the Four Gated City, where strong combative Martha seems to change into someone else; her conflicted life flows on and is soaked up.  THIS book is the real last volume of the series:  Doris Lessing/Martha Quest moves to London, struggles, and releases her enormous energy to write some of the best books in English, all the while among a vast set of noteworthy friends and acquaintances.
1386840
Sky of Swords fulfills the ultimate goal of any volume in a series: it is not only an excellent story in its own right, but it retroactively improves the volumes that have gone before it by bringing to light hidden depths. This book focuses on Princess Malinda, who had minor but important parts in the first two books, and fleshes out her story in a way that adds shades of newly-discovered meaning to the earlier books. For those who mistakenly thought (as I did) that this series was to consist of stand-alone volumes, well, we were wrong. I suppose it'd be vaguely possible to read each of these volumes individually, but the full effect of the story is only found in reading them together. I'm beginning to believe that Duncan couldn't write a straightforward generic fantasy if he tried to; so much the better.
2187
Volume 4 contains the final 3 episodes of "The Big O". They do a good job capping off the gradual build-up of tension throughout the previous episodes, and even though the last episode is a little cryptic and is a cliffhanger leading to other episodes that were never made, it's still exciting. Read my reviews of the previous 3 volumes for a summary of the series as a whole, and while you're at it, order them: they're highly entertaining and definitely a good time.
1380315
As with all previous volumes of the Blade of the Immortal series, this is an excellent piece of work; superb art, complex story, wonderfully detailed characters.
Detailed in this volume are Rin's travels -- hard and frustrating, without Manji at her side -- to find Anotsu. Anotsu ascends to take over a remote dojo, but finds himself in a sticky situation when the current master has a request: that he take his daughter as a wife when he takes over the dojo! And of course... Manji mends from his near-fatal (even for the immortal) fight with three of the Itto-Ryu, and discovers that his attempt to get a pass has failed, and that he has a new ally he never expected...
If you're a BotI fan, you can't justify NOT buying this volume! Too much important storyline comes to light here; Manji's limitations, the secrets of the Mugen-Ryu, and the Itto-Ryu's goals... This and more!