A welcome return to the Three Worlds (of the Raksura)
355970
Loved this book, I have missed hanging out with Moon, Stone, Jade and the others of the Indigo Cloud Court of the Raksura not to mention exploring their fascinating world. This book is a collection of Two Novellas and two short stories set in this fascinating universe.

The Falling World starts about six months or so since the last book, The Siren Depths ended. Everyone is back home, only Jade and a select group of Moons favorite warriors have been sent on a diplomatic mission to open trade with another court... when the court learns they never arrived it's up to Moon and Stone and a large group that includes some of Moon's least favorite warriors (River, Drift)to find out what happened, but The Reaches, like the rest of the Three Worlds, is full of surprises. A well written and very enjoyable return to some well known characters and introductions to a few fascinating new ones (I like Bramble) as well as all the variety in creatures and cultures we've come to expect.

The Tale of Indigo and Cloud takes us back to the beginning of the story, where the two Raksura who would eventually give their names to Colony first meet, like other important couples they find the course of true love does not init ally run smooth. A fascinating glimpse of Raksura culture from the inside this time. An interesting blend of Romance, family drama, and complicated social politics, like Downtonn Abby with wings and claws. I really enjoyed it.

There are also two bonus Short Stories.

The Forest Boy, a tale of a young moon

and

Adaptation, a story that takes place before The Cloud Roads starts, when Chime finds out that what you are when you are born is not necessarily an indicator of what you're going to become.

If you've read the other books in the Raksura Series (The Cloud Roads, The Serpent Sea, The Siren Depths)You'll enjoy all these stories. If you haven't read them, go read them, then read this. It's all worth it.
2584443
This is the opening volume in a trilogy based on a role playing game world that has become to "come alive".

This book is set primarily in a role playing game world, apparently self-created rather than any particular rule set.  The players of the game have enjoyed it immensely but a couple of them are thinking it should end, while the others want to continue.  This sets up an adventure within the game in which the people who want the game to end are trying to end it within the rules of the game, while those who don't try to stop them.

The characters inside the game are fascinating and while the world seems a bit small it's functional enough.  There's a great deal of history and lore within the game and it's continually referred to as half-remembered past adventures and legends.  As they journey to where the evil destroying the world exists they come across all kinds of other characters, some of whom aid them and others who battle them.  Throughout we hop back to "reality" and see what the players are thinking, how they are reacting to Game Earth's apparent resistance to being ended, what they are doing to win.  These conflicts echo down into the characters within the game, and there is much conflict as a result.

It's difficult to get into the book too much without revealing plot details best left to discover.  I found it to be a page-turner myself, from the more fantasy realms in the west to the technology city of Sitnalta in the east.

A fine book, a fascinating "what if".  I look forward to the next ones!
4468260
Really enjoyed this return to the characters we knew in the early works.  Glad to revisit past experiences at just the right level to tell this current story.  I really enjoyed the early Vampire Chronicles books and was hoping for a return to those.  This book did not disappoint.  Well done
4472095
A very nice return to form by Robert Treskillard in the last book of the Merlin Spiral. Gone are the frequent, confusing visions and dreams, and while dreams and visions are still found they are well-placed, make absolute sense, and progress the plot.

Which is good, because extremely dire times are upon Britain: a withering drought has stricken the land. The Picti are raiding to the north, the Saxons are gobbling up chunks of Britain, and what little of the country that is still in British lands are held by the man who murdered the rightful king, Uther.

Of course Arthur has no idea of his royal legacy, and in fact believes that Merlin is his father. Oh how things are going to change, especially since Morgana's plan is finally coming into effect.

Merlin's Nightmare is a tense journey from beginning to end, and Merlin is constantly dealing with fear and the many forms it takes to attack him.

I loved the use of characters from old to new (especially one raven-feather wearing prophetess that I hope to see more of) and the use of the landscape.

If I had any critiques, the ending felt a little out of place with the rest of the book and I didn't get a definitive ending, the ending just felt like set up for the next book. All in all however, a very fine book that I am glad I read and I can't wait to read the first book in the Pendragon Spiral!
3551816
Its been a long time coming but author Garth Nix returns to his Old Kingdom series with Goldenhand, the fifth in the series. Sabriel is the Abhorsen and Lirael, no longer a librarian, is the Abhorsen-in-waiting. Although Sabriel is present here, this is Liraels story. The Kingdom is facing a deadly threat  Chlorr of the Mask may be dead but her spirit has refused to pass the Ninth gate and the final death. Instead, she is sending the Dead to destroy the Kingdom. The only way to defeat her is to find her spirit and send it through the Gate but for anyone to do so likely means their own death. At the same time, Ferin, a young Nomad from the Steppes, is making a dangerous trek to find Lirael with a message for her from her long-dead mother concerning Chlorr, how she might be destroyed and whether Lirael can survive the encounter.

The story alternates between Lirael and Ferin and, although this is Liraels tale, Ferin is a strong addition to the series. The book also expands our knowledge of the Kingdom.  I am a huge fan of Nix who is one of those writers whose books, although aimed at a YA audience, appeal to all ages and this one is no exception. That is not to say that I had no problems with the book although many of those result from a comparison to earlier books in the series. Lirael shows a great deal of growth in this story and certainly a romance with Nick is not surprising. However, her musings about him, often at critical times, seemed distracting  in fairness this is not a problem limited to this book but seems to be a trend in YA literature and perhaps it is more a problem of my inner curmudgeon than the story itself.  My only other serious criticism is that, unlike earlier books in the series, there is not much action in the first half of the book. What there is is mainly limited to Ferins story and it was a case of plenty of build-up, tension, and then a too quick resolution.

Still, the last part of the book helped to make up for these problems and Nix is such a strong writer that they did little to interfere with my enjoyment of the story.  The characters and the writing are engrossing, the story is compelling, and there are even some cameos by some of my (and I suspect most readers) favourite characters from earlier novels including the Disreputable Dog and Mogget. Although most of the many disparate storylines are resolved by the end of he book, it does end on a bit of a cliffhanger which, hopefully, means more installments of the Abhorsen series. It should be noted that, although Goldenhand could be read as a standalone, I highly recommend that, if you haven't already, you read all the earlier books of the series  trust me, if you are a fan of very well-written YA fantasy, you will not be disappointed.

4.5
1470967
After breaking with TSR for a few years, beloved author R.A. Salvatore has finally come back to the Realms, to visit on his old friends. With his unique style, Salvatore will cease to amaze his readers. This book is no  exception. Salvatore's progress as a writer shines through clearly in this  novel. The story deals with three intertwined plots: The return of Wulfgar  to his friends and his struggle against his inner emotional demons, the  return of Drizzt's nemesis Artemis Entreri to his home of Calimport, and  the quest by the old Drizzt gang to destroy the infamous relic, the Crystal  Shard. In this book, Salvatore has chosen to focus more on the development  of the characters Wulfgar and Entreri, giving Drizzt a lesser role. He does  this superbly. Wulfgar and Entreri in this book are essentially made more  "real" characters in that they do not represent the black/white,  good/evil archetypes that are common in many fantasy novels.  Instead,  Salvatore gives them the shades of grey, such as the emotion of apathy(that  can be ever so common today in people), making these characters rounded and  relatable. While I hate to see Drizzt becoming a secondary character(as  many do), three cheers to Salvatore for his ability to explore other  aspects of his stories and keep his audiences attention. He's kept this  reviewer's attention for 11 books, and I expect for many more.
404404
After reading The Golden Age, I was left with a great desire to continue my journey with the characters that had come to life in it : the widow Rehana and her two children are lifelike and very attaching. Both books offer an understanding of the intertwining between the personal and the political during the period in the history of Bangladesh before and after the war of secession from the union with Pakistan. They are a witnessing act to a redefinition of a nation through its people. I understood the great Bengali culture as dramatically different from the cultures that amalgamated to form Pakistan notwithstanding the commonality of religion between the two countries. I have hopes that Tahmima Anam will continue to tell us in a beautiful style about the stories of the people of her country and thus join the ranks of international writers whose voice springs consistently from their cultural identity.
2016005
Centuries ago, humankind left earth.  Ten thousand starships transported passengers to destinations throughout the galaxy.  They took their literature with them, but much of this literature was lost in the period before the creation of the Galactic Commonwealth.  While some stories, once known as the Arabian Nights survived, those stories have changed over the centuries.  Different versions of these stories have become folklore on barbarian worlds: the stories have been transformed or transmuted, corrupted or enhanced by the changing worlds they are told in.  And now, they have been rediscovered.

In these thirteen stories, we read of the war between Men and Jinn, of Hafwen (sometimes Halfwen) and her story, of Nouredan and Nesjella, of Elgelt of Gloune, and Aubwoo.  We learn (with Hekaib) that it is best not to be early for some appointments.

The stories vary in length, some stand alone, others are interwoven.  Some characters we meet but once, while others appear in different stories.  While my favourite is the story of Halfwen (or Hafwen), the story of Nouredan and Nesjella is the centrepiece of the collection.  Definitely echoes of the Arabian Nights and I was also reminded at times of some of Herodotuss descriptions of peoples in The Histories.

I enjoyed reading this collection of stories, and am likely to reread at least some of them.  In many ways, these are traditional stories in an alternative world setting.  Is it science fiction?  Not really, its more fantasy: the distant galactic future provides some (as yet) unknown possibilities, but these are secondary to the stories being recounted.  If you enjoy short stories, if you enjoyed the Arabian Nights, you may well enjoy 1,001 Lightyears Entertainments.  I did.

He never again left the city, though on occasion he wondered what parts of his life were memories and what parts were dreams.

Note: I was offered, and accepted, a copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith
3032558
The Lizard Queen Volume Two picks up where the first volume left off, and once again, transports the reader back to an imaginary world that is vast and intriguing, and rich in lore and history. The language used is reminiscent of Spanish, which I studied for about two years as a hobby now about a decade ago  nevertheless, some of the words sounded vaguely familiar, and I enjoyed that familiarity. It made it easier to remember what was what, how to pronounce the words, and so on.

Amy has grown a lot compared to the start of the series. Her role in the fate of this world grows clearer, but at the same time stays covered in mystery.

Once again, this volume exists of three books. You Are The Dream, the fourth book in the series, puts Amy between two warring factions as she struggles to find out what shes meant to do, what her role is. In A Wedge Between, as the title suggests, it grows increasingly tougher for Amy to figure out who she can trust and who she cant. Meanwhile, Amy and her friends are still on the quest to find the Extiguos and piece together the prophecy, but the story grows increasingly darker and the enemies increasingly stronger, until this culminates in Amy having to battle a terrifying foe in Furious Angels, the last part of this volume.

The story is amazing, and at times, even breathtaking. The Amy we now encounter is vastly different from the Amy we met at the start, and although shes still struggling, she has changed a lot. The world grows vaster and larger, and the threat goes increasingly stronger. The pacing is faster than in volume one, and were thrown into the action almost right away.

This is a strong fantasy series with memorable characters and excellent writing, and I look forward to reading the third volume. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
3754866
So happy to be with these creatures again. A great read! Great to revisit these people and places. I love this book
1756462
Murder in the Mountains is technically the fourth book in the author's Garden of Kathmandu tetralogy. As is always the case with a series, reading the previous three books adds to the understanding and enjoyment of the latest entry. But this book stands on its own in great part because it is a revisiting of the Nepal the author introduced us to twenty four years before in what was then his trilogy. Much of the history and politics of Nepal are updated and seamlessly woven into the plot. The role of the communists in Nepal is examined, and the assassination of the Royal Family is cast in a new light. And this book contains scenes of breakneck action, which is the norm with a Cibrario novel as readers of the author's previous novels know. (The reviewer is a friend of the author's and lent minimal assistance in a non-storytelling role.)
4270276
For bold readers, The Edge of Worlds would be a fascinating way to dive into Martha Wells Raksura series. Like the books that have come before it, its a rich world populated by bizarre creatures and strange landscapes. From floating islands to winged, shapeshifting humanoids, its a feast for the imagination, especially considering there are no humans whatsoever in the series. With this being the beginning of a new adventure, new readers can dive in here if they don't mind missing out on the references to previous books. For the longtime readers, however, get ready for another fun journey.

In this tale, the Indigo Cloud court shares a shared dream of a Fell attack. Then a strange flying vessel arrives in the Reaches. It leads to an adventure out into the ocean toward an ancient, impenetrable city. The Raksura must brave Fell attacks, strange groundlings, and unlock the mysteries of a forerunner/foundation builder citadel knowing their very doom could lie just around the corner. Cloud lies at the heart of the story, serving as the readers touchstone as it unfolds. Jade, Chime, Stone and several other familiar characters join him, including the groundling Delin and the sealing Rorra. They encounter new species, secrets and threats.

For those new to the Raksura series, its not an action packed story littered with violence. Rather its a slow build of colorful characters and imaginative surroundings that engulf and submerge the reader. Its more of a peaceful escapism than an action packed adventure. But there is action, there is violence, and there is turmoil. What begins as a scientific expedition eventually turns into chaos. It also leaves the book on a cliffhanger making the next book in the series a must read.

As a fan of the series, I really enjoyed The Edge of Worlds. Martha Wells laid out another exotic trip into the realm of the Three Worlds and the Raksura. Theres peaceful moments, mystery, exploration, discovery, action, pain, betrayal and adventure. The ending left me pumped for the next book and I cant wait to see what happens next. The Three Worlds is one of my favorite places to escape to, and this book delivers. I give it a five out of five.
4826792
This was a great addition to the world of Kalijor. After reading the Keys of Kalijor I was very excited to dive deeper into the world. This story did not disappoint!!! I am very excited to continue experiencing more of this world!!
2086242
Great revisiting the Commonwealth and the some of the characters I've come to enjoy over the years. A new Void Saga opening new dimensions in that strange universe. A world of the Void is a very steam punk interval in the science fiction domain of the 'real' universe. I have to say I was (at first) disappointed at the amount of time devoted to the world of Bienvenido. But that soon changed with the strong characters of the low-tech world.
<spoiler alert> I came to care what happened to all the players in the revolution which was a very Stalinist vs Leninist contest.
I wanted the tale to go on and on would highly recommend the richly drawn saga of dual universes. Where in both cases there is a very contemporary challenge for humans to preserve their humanity.
1887901
Yooouuuuu guys, I'm INCREDIBLY pleased to be back in the Sectors. One is definitely a different place than Four is, but getting to see the survivors put their lives back together after the war and figure out how to live without the constant threat of Eden hanging over them makes me so happy. SO HAPPY.

Which isn't to say everything is perfect. It's not. Ashwin is still soldiering, which means there are people in Eden keeping an eye on the Sectors and everything they're building out there. There are deserters and those who would prey on the weak. And Ashwin and the other Makhai are still feared because of what they are.

BUT...things have also changed. Ashwin among them. While he's playing the part of the perfect soldier and telling himself he's doing his job, seeing Kora starts to unravel him. An unhinged Makhai is dangerous and part of Ashwin doesn't trust himself. Another part can't stay away from Kora and her gentleness.

From Kora's point of view, seeing Ashwin again gives her an opportunity she'd thought she'd never get. Honestly, I liked how Kora smoothed his rough edges. I like how he didn't have to temper himself around her because she accepted him as he was. Sure, the secrets he was keeping were a bit of a stumbling block, but THINGS HAPPEN FOR A REASON, RIGHT?

Things happen. AND THEY ARE GLORIOUS!

I love love love getting to see old faces and meeting new ones. Let's see where this journey takes us!

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
939816
Greg Keyes kicks the New Jedi Order back into high gear with the eighteenth and penultimate book in the series, The Final Prophecy. The sprawling saga severely lagged in the Force Heretic trilogy, set just before this story. Mr. Keyes, already a shining presence in the New Jedi Order thanks to his excellent Edge of Victory duology, wisely delivers a fast-paced and concise book that narrowly focuses on a few key characters while also setting the stage for the sweeping scope of the series conclusion. By keeping his lens on a few Jedi and Yuuzhan Vong and not spending time inventing side trips for Luke, Han, and Leia, Mr. Keyes delivers the shot of adrenalin this series sorely needed.

The Final Prophecy brings more to the development of living planet Zonama Sekot than the totality of the three books set before it. Jedi Master Corran Horn and newly-healed Jedi Knight Tahiri are sent on a mission that involves travelling with three Yuuzhan Vong to Zonama Sekot. There are several intriguing dynamics in play here: a major one is Corran's lack of faith in Tahiri. She has made peace with her fractured personality resulting from her tortures at the hands of the Vong, but Corran has difficulty fully embracing this new Tahiri. Compounding the difficulties are their three passengers on the trip: Harrar, a Vong priest of high standing, shaper Nen Yim, and traitorous Nom Anor, disguised as The Prophet. It's a long-overdue development in the New Jedi Order to portray more of the Vong as fully-realized individuals with different goals and philosophies, rather than a faceless, relentless and death-obsessed caricatures.

Zonama Sekot itself is a major development in the Star Wars universe. A sentient planet opens up many questions about the nature and scale of the Force, such as why there is only one (perhaps the others are simply unknown?) and is the Force actively directing the creation of such an intelligence for its own purposes? Mr. Keyes opens up these themes and more as we experience Zonama Sekot from several perspectives, including the three Vong's. The most intriguing contrast is that of Harrar's rapidly developing faith and wonder at the universe around him with Nom Anor's deeply-seated cynicism and opportunistic choices.

The other major storyline of The Final Prophecy is also well-executed but I found it largely a sidebar to the events and character development taking place on Zonama Sekot. This second plot follows Wedge Antilles leading a massive strike at the Bilbringi shipyards, site of a legendary conflict with Grand Admiral Thrawn decades earlier. It's exciting enough and has a particular storyline involving an overlooked Golan Defense Platform that is quite entertaining. However, the meat of this story feels like it is in the evolution of certain Vong and the possibilities their altered viewpoints bring to ways to end the conflict with the Vong on a more permanent basis.

At this point in the New Jedi Order I doubt many readers would be clamoring for a lot more books. It's time to bring it to a close and of course the following novel does just that. But setting aside any fatigue from the overlabored nature of the series as a whole, The Final Prophet is a fine addition to the Star Wars mythos and quite an enjoyable read.
4823399
This  fantastic work transports you back to a  time where magicla rings and strange meetings changed the life of a small hobbit and the most powerful dark being in Middle earth... welcome to a new world to all who  have never read this book beofre, and welcome back to those who have.  A  DEFINITE MUST-READ.