A winding tale that sets up the other books in wonderful fashion. Read it and beware the Blue God
936955
If you are a fan of interesting, diverse, and unique world building, this book is for you. A dark tale of one man against divine interference. A winding tale that sets up the other books in wonderful fashion. Read it and beware the Blue God.
2436099
The Giver was one of those books that I read at least once a year every year from when it came out through my adolescence and early adulthood. I haven't picked it up in a few years, but it certainly holds a spot in my heart. It wasn't until I saw this book, though, that I knew that there were more books in the series (or, really, that there was a series). I promptly ordered Gathering Blue and Messenger and read all three the evening they arrived.

Although Gathering Blue and Messenger aren't as directly related to the characters/world from The Giver as Son is, I do recommend reading both prior to picking this up. That said, none of the three are anywhere near as good as The Giver.

But THAT said, all three are enjoyable, and I found Son to be more compelling than either Gathering Blue or Messenger, partly because of how it tied in to the original Giver story. If you've already read Gathering Blue and Messenger, by all means, pick this up, you certainly won't regret it.

If you haven't ready Gathering Blue and Messenger, and aren't so in love with The Giver that you HAVE to read these now that you know they exist, I would say, meh, you can probably skip it. Or re-read The Giver until you ARE so in love that you HAVE to read the rest of the series.
922312
I love Neil Gaiman's writing. He is one of the authors that just strikes a chord with me. I have thoroughly enjoyed everything I have read by him, and this story is no exception.

The unnamed narrator of the story is back in his hometown in rural Sussex for a funeral. With time to kill, he decides to take a ride and ends up at the home of a childhood friend, her mother, and grandmother. When he was seven, he met the Hempstocks and befriended Lettie, the daughter. They drew the boy into their surpernatural world and take him on an adventure he only recalls now that he is back.

As is common with Mr. Gaiman's tales, he draws heavily on mythology here. The three aspects of the goddess, the water of life myths, and a healthy dose of evil just bordering our world are all gathered here. The story is told with style and grace, and nothing feels cliched. It is a bit whimsical at times, and at others frightening. Gaiman has a very defined voice in his writing, and it comes through clearly here. I found myself hearing his voice as the narrator in my head as I read it.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is Gaiman's first adult novel since Anansi Boys, and it was well worth the wait. I recommend it highly.
1002950
Elizabeth Moon has given the fantasy reading world a gift with her triology called THE DEED OF PAKSENARRION. Originally released as three separate books, the triology has thankfully been compiled into one volume. Those of you experiencing "Paks" and her friends for the first time should thank the publishers for having the kindess to save you the agony those of us reading the books one at a time had to endure after each one came out (especially book 2 and its ending; I personally challenge you to stop reading after this section and see how long you can hold out before continuing to find out how it gets resolved).
Since reading this series, I have purchased it a total of five times because each time friends have borrowed it and not returned it. Not through malice, mind you, but because they loved it so much that they gave it to someone else to read because it was so good. The single volume work THE DEED OF PAKSENARRION makes an absolutely fantastic gift that you'll find yourself buying again and again for friends who truly enjoy a good fantasy novel.
It would be easy to hash over the plots of the the three books in this volume, but I think it would be more useful for you to understand what I liked the best about it. Moon's crafting of Paksenarrion is masterful and her detailing of the girl's rise from simple sheepfarmer stock to that of Palladin is not the laborous "travelling through the woods or dungeons forever" torture that so many authors fall prey to. It was impressive that Moon took a chance and started from a simple beginning rather than succumbing to the entire adventure starting from some point very near Paks's greatness as a Palladin.
Paks isn't the only character that is masterfully crafted. Throughout the book, I was enchanted by the detail of the characters, those that lived, but especially those that died. I got the impression that Moon really wanted you to know who everyone was, even if you only met them on one page and they died on the next. I got the impression that these characters, not necessarily the plot or the storyline, were what truly made Paks the person she became by the end of the tale. The plot and storyline were excellent backdrops and enchanting additions, but the people really made the story work for me. More's the pity that some of the excellent character examinations couldn't be extended into other series. An entire story about the beginnings and rise of Duke Phelan, Paks's first company commander and lifetime advocate, wouldn't be out of place with Moon's dedicated fans, I think. The books in this volume are more than a simple series of character encounters, however.
Several people have commented in the past about the similarities between Moon's work and that of the worlds created by Tolkein or Gary Gygax's D&D realms. To make this simple of a comparison doesn't do any of the three areas justice. To say that Moon's stole directly from any of the three doesn't do them justice either. I believe that Moon has taken something that had a fantastic grounding in a new fantasy realm (Tolkein) and made it something more with elements from a fantastic set of rules (D&D). Moon has made THE DEED OF PAKSENARRION something you care about, something that you can't wait to find out more about, something you willingly read knowing that bad things are happening to good people.
Give this volume a try (but try ignore the rather inadequate quality of the paper in the single volume book), and don't be surprised when you end up buying multiple copies.
4661777
Glenda Larke's The Aware (and the sequels Gilfeather and the Tainted) pulls you into a gritty new fantasy world. She opens the story with a letter between an anthropologist and his uncle, with the nephew reporting on the fantastic story an old woman has told him about the early history of the Glory Isles. From there, you meet Blaze Halfbreed, a woman who has seen more than her fair share of unfairness while maintaining her spirit and self-respect.

  The story moves quickly and smoothly and the reader isn't treated to any sugarcoating. The plot doesn't shy away from the brutal aspects of the dunmagickers, nor are the sylvs cut any slack. This aspect of the story and the world of the Glory Isles really appealed to me. There is some of the same flavor I find (and really like) in David Gemmell's books, but Ms. Larke's have a uniqueness that draws me in and keeps me reading until those bleary hours late in the evening. I highly recommend all three books in the series.
3806120
Takes into another world and time. Kent has a brilliant tale to tell and tells it with style. A moving and disturbing tale
2010553
This is a haunting tale, sweet with mystery and magic.  Aubrey is a young magician who has learned all he can from his first teacher.  He is sent on his way to the powerful shape-changer Glyrenden.  Magic for Aubrey is a thing of joy, a way to be useful in the world to himself and others.  Magic for his new mentor is a way to be powerful, to have control over the world and others.  From the very beginning these two have opposing philosophies.  More than that Aubrey finds his new home strange and peopled with servants who are even stranger.  All those from the neighboring village avoid them.  Even the woods around them are empty of wildlife or birdsong.  But it is the shape-changers wife, Lilith, that disturbs him most of all.  His growing infatuation with Lilith will lead him to discoveries that will shatter his innocence and change him forever. The Shape-Changer's Wife is a beautiful story that can be read quickly but will be long remembered.
4584666
"Greenwitch" is the third book in "The Dark is Rising" series, and it is necessary to be familiar with the first two books "Over Sea, Under Stone" and "The Dark is Rising" to fully understand what is going on in this volume. In the first book siblings Simon, Jane and Barney uncovered the grail from its hiding place, but unfortunately lost the lead-incased manuscript that would decipher the inscription on the grail's side. Now after the grail has been stolen from the museum, their great-uncle Merry brings them once more to Trewissick in order to find what they once lost.

Meeting them for the first time is Will Stanton, the youngest of the Old Ones, the beings of the Light that guard mankind against the Dark. He came into his own in "The Dark is Rising", finding the Six Signs, and now is joining the Drew children to search for the grail. An ancient soul in the body of a small boy, the Drews are initially none to pleased to find competition for their uncle's time and energy, but the search for the grail and the manuscript soon puts this out of their mind.

Jane attends a women-only all-night festival that involves the making of something called "the Greenwitch", made of rock and branches. Tentatively she makes a wish for the vastly powerful and lonely being - a wish that could do what neither the Light nor the Dark can accomplish. But with the presence of a malevolent painter that has Barney in his power, the anger of the Greenwitch and the return of a ghostly traitor from Trewissick's past, it is a challenge to reach the finish line and the next step in the ongoing quest.

"The Greenwitch" is the shortest book in the series, and most swift readers will probably finish it in one sitting (or at least one day), and although it is a carefully crafted read, it could have used a bit of padding, especially in the relationship between Will and the Drew children. It is prickly at first, and then mellows out at the end, but does not really record the transition between these two states. However, as always the story is packed with original ideas and her language is beautiful, especially the nightmare sequence when the Wild Magic of the Greenwitch is unleashed on the town.

An essential part of the collection, "Greenwitch" is a great inclusion, wrapping up plot points from the previous two books and setting the stage for the next two. In many ways, this is Jane's story, making the book unique considering she is the only female of note in the entire series - though she's hardly a strong, independent female of the 21st century, her simple wish is really quite touching and harks back to the days when females didn't have to swing a sword or do kick-boxing in order to make a real difference.
636448
In addition to being a rip-roaring good story, this is an excellent primer on Hinduism and Buddhism.  (Not for strictly accurate detail, but for the feel and genius of two fine religious traditions.)  The heroes are Sam  Kalkin, who becomes the Buddha, and the Death-god, Yama.  The villains are Brahma and his crowd, whose god-like powers have gone to their heads, and Renfrew Nirriti, the proselytizer who is willing to ally himself with  anyone, no matter how evil, to force his religious views on others. (Nirriti means "not right.")

This is not merely Zelazny's best,  but one of the best books of the twentieth century.  It ranks with  Heinlein's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Stranger-in-a-Strange-Land/dp/0340837950/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Stranger in a Strange Land</a>, Panshin's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Rite-of-Passage/dp/B000FA5TAG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Rite of Passage</a>, Butler's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Parable-of-the-Sower/dp/0446675504/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Parable of the Sower</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Parable-of-the-Talents/dp/0446610380/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Parable of the Talents</a>&nbsp;and Card's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Ender-s-Game-The-Ender-Saga/dp/1904233023/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Ender's Game (The Ender Saga)</a>; and only slightly below  Pangborn's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Davy/dp/B000L974LS/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Davy</a>.

watziznaym@gmail.com
2882576
It's one of the best books ever, but it won't be the same if you don't read the first and second books before this one.
4583177
A tale as old and relevant as the calling of Abraham, Moses, King David, Ruth, the disciples of Jesus. Jesus himself as the Son of Man was reared in a carpenters home. Only man demands that royalty come with a blood line pedigree.
God calls those in the fashion of Gideon, (least of the least). An obedient heart is His demand.

Ela the main character learns the hard lesson that even with the gift of a direct line to the Infinite,her lot is dangerous,
painfilled, terrifying, heartbreaking. Special powers only bring more demands and the gift of foresight brings  a heart break that can only be shared with the Creator. The faithfulness of the Infinite never wavers. It is written in compelling sequence. Never dragging or repeating. Character creation competely consistent with real life. Human nature beautifully portraid. Mercy. longsuffering, and willingness to forgive and restore from  a loving Infinite is painted in this tale in bold colors. All the basic ingredients of a classic tale are here, romance, intrigue, mystery, and just the right blend of the super natural minus the sillyness you get in some tales. For those who are superior to reading a fictional tale, tell me what current event book covers explains these life changing truths in a more pointed way than this tale.
This story is what an ailing and sick culture needs to hear. So much teaching material here.
2815258
Duncan takes a well worn formula, and adds a few twists and his own deft touch on characters in Children of Chaos, the first of the two Dodec fantasy novels.

The medieval fantasy world Dodecians believe they live on a twelve sided world (a note in the novel suggests that the truth will be revealed in the sequel and is more complex than this). This twelve sided fantasy world is looked over by 12  very active Gods (and one Anti-God), and boasts a variety of societies, one on each of the faces of the world.

As the action begins, the Florengian face has been overrun by the warriors from the neighboring Vigelian face, who have united their usually fractious society with the promise of conquest of another face of the world.  To ensure the safety of the city of Celebre, four young hostages are taken from the family of the Doge, and brought to the Vigelian face and split apart.

Fifteen years later, with varying degrees of knowledge of their origins and heritage, these hostages are coming of age, drawing close to one of the Gods, and slowly discovering each other.  In the midst of this and their own predicaments, the tenuous political peace on the Vigelian face brought by the promise of outside conquest is breaking down.  It seems that the Celebres are destined to live in interesting times.

Thus is the story of Bernard, Orland, and Frena, mixed up with their relationships with their Gods, peers and each other unfolds. Duncan once again shows that he understands characters (and even female characters) very well. The characters are believable, sympathetic, and none of them are false one-note cardboard cutouts. There is an interesting theology and magic system (unique, although this sort of thing is common in Duncan's work), and I want to know more about the world beyond the two Faces that we see.

There is a sequel, Mother of Lies, that I do plan on getting and reading.  I do appreciate that Duncan keeps his fantasy series to two or three at a maximum, rather than making them impenetrably interminable. In the meantime, I commend this volume to you.
1694838
I liked it. Easy to read.  The mistery of the story traps you. As you want to know the rest of the story it makes you buy the third book.
23273
I've enjoyed most of the Earthsea collection, written by Ursula K. Le Guin.  If you've read the other books, how can you not read this one?  Don't you want to follow the life of Ged?  Don't you want to monitor changes in Earthsea?

The Other Wind continues the tale.  The barrier between life and death is breaking down.  Dragons are rethinking their relationship with humans.  Humans, not mages, are being asked to control the destiny of Earthsea.

You just have to finish this tale!
3757935
If you take Mark Twains The Prince and the Pauper, place it in a post-modern world of donkey carts, add magical characters and unexplained mysteries, and, most importantly, put God at the center, you have Lee Duigons latest fantasy novel.

As with the first five books of his Bell Mountain series, The Palace can stand on its own for new readers, since Mr. Duigon deftly folds in background.

Evil once again masquerades as good, with usurpers to the throne of the kingdom of Obann offering to appease a neighboring tyrant named the Thunder King, whose face no one has seen.

One of the more fascinating aspects of human nature is when traitors attempt to rationalize treason. Mr. Duigon does a wonderful job baring their souls, illustrating the temptation to which we are all vulnerable  excusing our own sin.

In Obann, whispers of a high-tech past (is this post-nuclear war America?) echo throughout. As the book opens, the boy king Ryons is safely hidden away in Lintum Forest, protected by the warrior woodsman Helki and his men.  An imposter, with Ryons blessing, occupies the throne in the capital city of Obann in order to foil a rumored plot by the Thunder King to add Obann to his growing empire.

The book builds toward a coronation ceremony manipulated by the Thunder Kings agents that could usher in a new dark age if not thwarted.

Amid all this, a child prophet speaks with divine authority, and strange creatures abound.

Obann has long been a theocracy, with temple priests and a First Prester wielding the kind of clout that popes had during medieval times.  Hence, much of the intrigue centers on whether the Thunder King will get away with deposing the godly First Prester and install a counterfeit to go along with a fake king.  Most alarming, the Thunder King has a weapon of unspeakable magnitude that could be unleashed at any time.

Kidnappings, battles, business deals and bouts of conscience keep the book moving, as does the interventions of the tiny, manlike creature Wytt, who aids Gods people against the evil-doers.  Subplots abound, with original Bell Mountain series heroes Jack and Ellayne playing crucial roles leading to the coronation.  In the first book, they risked their lives to climb Bell Mountain and ring the ancient bell of King Ozias, ushering in freedom and Gods blessings on their long-cursed land.

In The Palace, the Temple-bred assassin Martis, who had an epiphany just before he was about to kill the children on Bell Mountain, goes to heroic lengths to save their lives. Meanwhile, the legitimate First Prester is working to ensure that the newly discovered ancient scrolls of Ozias are copied and read everywhere in the kingdom.

Its page-turning, earthy stuff, and I hope that Mr. Duigon, a Christian writer of considerable versatility, has more such books in him.

Robert Knight is an author, Senior Fellow for the American Civil Rights Union, a former news editor and writer for the Los Angeles Times, and former writer for Coral Ridge Ministries, now Truth in Action Ministries.
4344407
In this fifth addition to the Terraway Saga (there will be eight in all; the last comes out on 28 May 2017), our protagonist s abducted by manananggal, vicious harpy-like creatures from Filipino mythology, along with the younger brother of one of her Reapers.  The story is a bit grueling, although her survival is guaranteed, there being three more books in the series.

As with the previous books, Treat is well written (and typo free!).  I become frustrated at October Grace, the protagonist, when I figure things out chapters before she does, but that's only because the author is honest, and gives the readers the same hints that the characters get.

The treatment of mental illness continues to be fascinating-- few writers of fantasy fiction even attempt it.  In this sense, I am reminded of 'The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant' by Stephen Donaldson, the series from the late '70s / early '80s, in which the protagonist suffered from Hansen's Disease (leprosy).  In both the Thomas Covenant books and this Terraway Saga, the illness played a major part in the creation and evolution of the main character.

Highly recommended.
2461831
because you won't want to put it down once you pick it up. The author weaves a complex tale that intertwines an unlikely set of co-conspirators from the powers that be in Washington to the powers that rule in the Everglades. Frighteningly real. And in the midst of all the twists and turns, you are rewarded with Mr. Bethel's graceful writing and well drawn characters.