Really liked the inclusion of the Colonal
931371
Really liked the inclusion of the Colonal, even his POV sometimes. And the frequent short parallel story lines. Did get frustrated with Darcy practically swooning every time he saw or thought about Elizabeth. Price was great for the book length. Nice story ideas.
166324
I picked out The Tuloraid to read last week, (judging a book by its cover) and was pleasantly surprised at the depth and complexity of the religious subplot that went along with the classic military Sci-Fi story line that was in itself much better than average.

The book wasn't perfect for me in a few ways; the cadence seemed uneven, maybe as it had two authors. The alien names and words slowed down the pace of the read for me, but on the positive side, the authors thoughtfully provide an appendix to remind the forgetful reader (me) what the terms were and how they applied to the story line.

The thoughtful afterward to the story of the metaphor relating to today's current events is truly something to consider. The development of several alien cultures is top tier writing.

If you like Science Fiction, religious discourse or anthropological fantasies, then Tuloraid may be a fun read for you as well.
4*
1622654
I was one of the beta testers on this and I have to say it's a great addition to the EQ2 universe. The low level quests all follow a logical progression and many of them can be done at the same time. The huge world that contains multiple zones without zone boundaries makes for seamless gameplay. The high level area as well is expansive and, except for the uissue of having to sail to the other areas of the world to progress from level 20 something to level 60 something and then come back, a logical place to go once the first part of the expansion is completed. The Sarnak "safe fall" racial ability that absorbs 25% of falling damage is wonderful and you can't fall to your death from a griffin because jumping off is not allowed. The means for acquiring this ability is found right before you see your first tower, and so once again things progress logically. I look forward to exploring the high level area more and pre-ordered this as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
649790
I enjoyed putting this one together. When I first started I thought it was going to go really, really fast. That'll teach me to get over confident. A little after the halfway point it started getting very challenging. That tree is a doozy, likewise the grass and tire near the tree. But onward I persevered and the end result made the effort worthwhile. Cobble Hill makes quality pieces with bright colors, very clear imaging and some very attractive pictures. Recommend.
3961909
intricately developed with wonderful characterizations.  The historical loop Colum McCann engineered was terrific.  As I readier I especially appreciated the satisfaction I felt in reflection after I finished reading it.
2045760
I must say that it was a very enjoyable read - one which I had to "ration out" - reading only so much at a time - so that I could enjoy it longer (otherwise it would have been over in a day). The narrative flowed so well and so compellingly that it was hard to put down.  The descriptive language is remarkable such that I could easily "see" the images in my own mind.  My only criticism is that it seemed to end quite abruptly - not really resolving some of the primary conflicts, particularly those of Sabiana and the city and of Mirnian and Lebia.  Of course this could just leave room for more stories, however, I did feel a little unsatisfied with the way they were left.  I look forward to the next book.
186073
The tea settled my colon and I have
Little or no pain now.  Plus I like the
Flavor.
4227483
The graphics were really nice and colorful.  It was a little challenging due to the many similar horses, landscape and the brick buildings but not so challenging that it couldn't be completed in a day or 2.  The pieces were all there and they fit together nicely.  I liked that not all the pieces were the same usual shapes...it had the usual shapes but also some others that made putting the puzzle together more interesting!
4610848
This story was fascinating to me in several ways. First, the technological aspect, questioning the functionality of the penial gland with regard to higher consciousness and human potential. It didn't seem so fictional to my taste - and I think it poses some salient ideas. Secondly, the transition between past and present, the allusion to past lives, was nicely done. Third - the detailed description of the portion which takes place in Egypt, during the time of Cleopatra and Ceasar, and the author's presentation of the beauty and culture of Alexandria, along with the spiritual touch - nice. Overall, I was taken by the story, and I am interested to know the outcome of the two parallels. The only minor downside is at the beginning of the book, which takes place in Prague, it was a little confusing what was happening - but eventually the author tied it together nicely. One last point - the colorful verse when describing the Egyptian period was beautifully contrasted to the rather stark, terse and digitalized prose used for the modern times - ironically showing that "modern" times with all its technological advances was woefully missing any depth of culture - as if technology had rendered mankind as quite minimalistic. Overall, I think this series will be a hit. Definitely worth the read!
2434987
But once I did I enjoyed it. There were several places where I felt there was a lot of material just put in to make it longer. I got kind of lost in some of those areas until I could get back into the main part of the story. It was easy to become vested in these peoples' lives. I am very glad that I read this novel.
626095
I love the Mass Effect series, and while Andromeda wasn't my favorite game in the series (is it anyone's?), I still enjoyed it.  Now that we're not getting any more additions to the game, it's nice to have the books to flesh out the details. And there's this:  NK Jemisin is one of my favorite authors.  So of course I pre-ordered this!

And it was quite enjoyable.  Cora was not a favorite of mine, but I liked her a lot more after reading this.  Really fits into the world of the game well, and fills in some details that I was curious about, as well.  We get a better sense of Ryder Sr. in this book.  What I really love is the Jemisin touches--lots of POCs in the minor characters, attention to things like gender (esp. relevant since Cora worked with the Asari for so long).  She even has an explanation for the reason so many Asari are dancers at clubs (something that never quite made sense to me in the game), and she plays on some of the in jokes for the games too, which I'll let other readers find.

I don't think it's a read for those who haven't played the games, but if you have, and you like good writing, too, this one is fabulous!  (I wish I could say the same about the Uprising book, which I'm having to force myself to finish, simply because otherwise I'll never get the details of the Nexxus uprising, but so far, that one is not fun to read at all).
1665897
After 6 years off and on, I finally finished this.
I have been to Rome twice before and twice while reading it.

This actually makes Rome real as it adds context to places which are now inactive.

Every trip to Rome adds to my enjoyment of the novel.
And every read of 'I Claudius' adds to my enjoyment of Rome.

It also has added a narrative thread to the non fiction that I have read.

I remember standing on the Palatine Hill and recalling how (according to 'I Claudius') Augustus built 'his' house here so that he could see the games on Circus Maximus.
It has made it a lot easier to travel around Rome, as I now have a spatial narrative.

If you treat it as a spatial novel as opposed to a historical novel it gives a new and exciting feeling to Rome

It took 6 years to read 'I Claudius' and just bought 'Claudius, the God'.
Amazon recommended that I buy 'I Claudius'.
Great idea. I would love to start it again.
4721014
I enjoyed the journey to the Amero-Italian connections. The main character was very strong , and the secondary characters were well defined as well. Some was predictible, but that is hard to avoid.
The names Antonio, Anthony... etc sometimes were mixed in my mind, so I was sure to be certain who was who before
continuing on with the book.
I enjoyed it very much
4720306
This game has a lot to offer if you like serious RPGs and appreciate exploration, a good story with interesting characters, and customizing a fleet of awesome spaceships.
There are some missing features that would have been nice - like a quest log, and a more exhaustive help section. But for me keeping my own quest log just made it feel that much more epic, "hard core," and "old school." :)
1697668
I haven't been to Alexandria in almost fifteen years, but I remember it as a lovely city on the Mediterranean, though one that partook more of the ambiance of Southern Europe than of the Middle East.  The long stretches of sea wall, the pretty beaches-Agami Beach is like fine granulated sugar-and the museums were a delight.  Little did I know that under the pavement beneath my feet lay hidden wonderful relics of Ptolemaic Egypt waiting for discovery.  At the time I was there the city was a thriving, growing community but had yet to expand even to the full size of the ancient site.  There were a few monuments from antiquity-Pompey's Pillar, the Serapeum, etc-most of them misidentified, but most of the site was much more recent.
In Alexandria Rediscovered Jean-Yves Empereur introduces the reader to the newest archaeological finds.  Expansion of the modern city and its infrastructure into and beyond the boundaries of the old settlement over the past two decades involved him in emergency excavation projects to reclaim or at least document the finds uncovered by developers.  In addition, recent discoveries in the harbor have helped illuminate the Ptolemaic period lighthouse, palaces, and government buildings, including those of the famous Cleopatra.  The author, an expert in underwater archeology helped document and reclaim some of the finds.
Complimented by the beautiful photographs of Stephane Compoint, the folio sized book gives the reader an extraordinary view of the new discoveries.  My favorites are the incredible illustrations of the catacombs and of the even more fascinating cisterns and underground canals of the city's ancient water system.  Considerable document research from the early Islamic and early colonial periods helped to identify some of these sites and to map the extent and workings of the water system.
This is probably not the book for someone looking for detail on Cleopatra or the Ptolemies or on the Greco-Roman era in Egypt.  The volume dedicates itself, as it title implies, simply to new archaeological discoveries and touches more on the history of the archaeology of the area than upon the history of its founders.  For those who want to know more about the city and its archaeology or for those planning a trip to Alexandria, this would make a very nice starting point for learning more about the area.
3349130
This was an entertaining look at how Galileo had a huge affect on the world. Interestingly his discoveries might, as it has me, surprise you.  I thought I knew more.

This was also unique in being science-historical fiction.  Characters from a possible future interposing the lifetime of Galileo.

I give this book four rather than five stars because it is a slightly dry read at times.
4967964
The Roman Empire has always held a special place for me. Clash of Eagles follows a Legion given a need to cross the Atlantic in search of plunder and a new dawn of the Empire.

The thing that so many people seem to gloss over, given the Empire was the first great "republic," was that the Romans were really vile monsters by todays standards. This doesn't mean they were psychotic, but looting, mass slaughter of civilians and the young and old, mass rape by the oldiery wasn't just the cost of doing business, it was the lone upside of joining the Legio Auxilia at all. This is explored very well, but thankfully spares a large amount of gore.

The overall story is well put together, and focuses more on the extreme clash of cultures and the difficulty an orginization like the Roman Legions would have with the massive, untamed Americas.