This series is exceptionally good and well worth the time investment to
346480
This series is exceptionally good and well worth the time investment to watch if you have any interest in the Pacific theatre of WW2. As I have come to expect from Amazon Prime, the transmission via Amazon Fire TV via WiFi was excellent and without a fault or interruption of any kind.

As great as this series is, it is not for children. The language and the violence are definitely only appropriate for the mature viewer.
4091121
The entire series (so far there are 5 books) is sensational. Dialogue is realistic, descriptions are clear and easily visualized. This is probably the most entertaining series of this genre. Although other series such as those written by Joe Nobody and John Grit offer a great deal of information about how to survive, this series seems to be more concerned with entertainment and entertainment it is.
850290
I have truly enjoyed this series.  It is so well done.  The content is exceptional, the characters well developed, the setting and photography are picturesque.  It is suitable  for young girls, my niece is watching it.  It is too bad schools do not utilize it for historical and literature purposes.  There are words in it that we don't hear often that could be introduced to young people.  I can't say enough about it.  EXCELLENT!
2120061
I thoroughly enjoy good, intelligent writing and this series delivers.  Add excellent acting with good character development and I think it is a winning combination.  The premise of a renowned surgeon relegated to a small British village because of a blood phobia brings so many possible story lines. The "characters" who inhabit this charming seaside locale provide a treasure trove for the talented writers to explore.

As each show in each season progresses, we get ever more invested in the characters.  I will really hate to see it end.
4347460
I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. The plots are intricate enough to remain engaging but not so convoluted as to be confusing. The characters are also well crafted to be both strong and flawed. A fantastic read. I wish that there were more in the series.
4732076
I read the first and second books in Marko Kloos' excellent Frontlines series in about a week. Before this I was in a reading rut, stuck about 2/3 way through Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire with a month of reading/shelf time gone by.

These stories are engrossing to the max, and as other reviewers have stated, leave you in a meloncholy bliss when finished.

I have borrowed both through The Kindle lenders program, but expect to buy the third installation as soon as it is available.

This series kicked me back into hyperdrive and I finished Heir to the Empire in a day once my sci fi jonzing got bad enough.

Obviously, a highly recommendable series and an author I will keep coming back to in te years to follow.
3646142
This entire series is terrific. I hope Mr. Blackmore can take some time off from his horror & zombie novels (also excellent) to keep moving ahead on this fantasy series. The editing of spelling and grammar in the earlier Blackmore books is a bit uneven but I can assure you that it steadily improves as you move ahead. I'm a big fan of indie authors, so these days I just read right past that stuff. What I'm shopping for is a great story teller, I don't care if there's a big time publisher in the background or not.  If the spelling & grammar team misses a "your" that should be a "you're" I can cope just fine. You'll find compelling and well-developed characters in this series, some likeable, others not so much. In all it's a good balance of action scenes and background intrigue that keeps you wanting to know what happens next and turning the pages to get there.
3952693
I just finished the 3rd book in the series and would like to review the entire thing, with no spoilers.

TL;DR: The series is fantastic and you should pick it up; If you like Hobb, Martin, Erickson, or Lawrence, you will love this series.

The story focuses on three children of an emperor and their need to fight against an antagonist. Each child is shown to be raised in their own sets of difficulties and challenges which are masterly woven in the main thread of the story. The reader is kept guessing at the motive of the main characters until the end of the series, which finishes with a strong conclusion.

What really impressed me was the challenges that Kaden face. The monastic order that Staveley wrote about was so very well thought out and actually made me think about emptiness in a new way. He gave several excellent metaphors and examples that really hammer home the point of the order and tie back into the antagonists and the challenges faced by Kaden. Not to gush to much, but this is the kind of self-reflection you get arguing with buddies over lunch, not some standard fantasy tropes.

There are some fantastic twists and turns in the series, and each chapter seems well crafted and tied to advancing the plot. There are no long winded descriptions of feast or magi clothing, so rejoice that this is a well edited and crafted series.

Scores:
Finished - 5: Staveley set out to write an epic and finished it. Who can't appreciate this after seeing Martin, Jordan, and others squander their success. Not only did he start strong, but it had a satisfactory ending.

Magic - 5: Magic exists, but it is not a crutch as Erikson uses it. Staveley's magic is limited based on the resources available to the individual mage and the magic never feels like a plot device, rather it is a tool. I found Erickson's use of magic as a convenient plot device to get characters out of a jam. Staveley used magic in a limited fashion, as another knife or sword instead of a crutch.

World Building - 5: Wow, Staveley really nailed it in this one. The world is rich with history and he really paid careful attention to the different religious orders, which is where Staveley is unrivaled. There are a handful of Gods that he exposes us to through different characters, and they each have profound statements regarding their individual beliefs. I already mention Kaden's order, but there were some really well written stories of lesson his monastic order teaches that made me say, "Whoa, I could get behind that". On top of his well thought out sects, Staveley nails the history of the main protagonist and antagonist. The different Gods are well done and well integrated with the societies and characters and don't feel preachy while conveying a lot of thought provoking analogies.

Pacing - 5: There were very few chapters that felt unnecessary. My least favorite character / child was Adare, but she ended up being a strong female lead and a solid character in the end, especially with the advisers she picks up. There is not a lot of fat on the chapters, and the editor did a great job keeping things running smoothly across three books.

Characters - 5: The characters are complex and are driven by the situation they are incubated in. Kaden, again, is a prime example. His upbringing is so different, yet well reasoned, you almost feel the logic seeping through the pages when reading his point of view. This point of view does not seep into the other main characters, such Valyn and Adare, which each have their challenges but each meet them in ways that are consistent with their characters. There are a few different antagonists, and each one has a method to their madness that is tied to the main plot thread.

Overall - 5: I really can't think of a fantasy series that I could recommend more. Lawrence would be the closest I can think of, but Staveley's world building is more Erickson, and his descriptions and general feel are more Martin. Anyway, it was a money well spent and is a hallmark of American Fantasy.
4344250
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this series. The author borrows quite a bit from some other series (Wheel of Time in particular) but the characters are engaging and the story moves along quickly (unlike Wheel of Time).

The best things I can say about this series is I was sad to see it end and I'd love to see more books with these characters in this world, and there were multiple times I couldn't put the books down and read late into the night.

If you enjoy fantasy novels, this is well worth your time.
379653
If you're a sci-fi fan you will appreciate this series
4175768
I haven't bought this boxset as I own all the individual copies, however I wanted to leave a review in order to help things along anyway. Frankly speaking, this series is god damn amazing. The attention to detail and effort put into it is astronomical, especially considering Aer-ki Jyr has been releasing an episode every 2 weeks. The series itself is definitely not your typical Sci-Fi, as it jumps through time quite quickly, giving us glimpses of awesome battles, epic world building and all around badassery by the main cast of characters. (Who, despite spanning over a millennium, are still the same. Limited immortality has it's perks. Especially since we get to keep watching our favorite characters grow with the galaxy around them.)

Jyr introduces some very interesting things to the series that wouldn't typically be seen in others. And there are some interesting ideologies that work extremely well with the overall scene.

Personally, I feel that this series is on par, if not better than some of the big names and popular Sci-Fi like Star Wars, Stargate, Star Trek ect.. And in fact it is quite well know among Jyr's current fanbase that the author and series itself is heavily influenced by some of these great works.

There are few things I can say that are negative about this series overall to be honest, and while there are a few select "episodes" that I find a bit lacking compared to others, I do not in any way believe this is a series that can be judged by the individual additions to it. Another thing worth noting is the lack of an editor. For the most part, likely due to the unusual fortnightly release schedule. Hopefully once episode 100 hits the 'digital' shelves, Jyr might be able to look into finding one to go comb through the series and tidy things up. That being said, it is not something worth worrying about in my opinion, greatly in part due to the increasing leap of quality the further the series gets, but also because the series has always been at a readable standard. And complaining about a few grammar or spelling mistakes when each episode is pushed out within a 2 week timespan without fail, is like complaining about an extra cookie in your cookie jar. It would be silly.
2377450
The Brandy Alexander series is one of the best I've ever read in it's genre.  That said, it is hard to classify the series to a specific genre.  The stories tend to be much  grittier than a typical cozy, but much less graphic than a crime novel.  The characters are edgier, yet there are many  repeating characters and a dangerous but constant love interest for Brandy.  I can't decide how to classify the series; I can only say that I love these six books and eagerly await the 7th.

Brandy Alexander has to be one of the most endearing people in fiction.  She is flawed, brave, lovable, scared, passionate, confused, temperamental - in other words she is one of the most human of characters in a genre populated by entertaining, but cardboard, paragons of one kind or another.  She is also a character who continues to grow and change through each of the mysteries, and the people around her change as well. I find this really appealing in mystery series, but unfortunately rather rare. There is a strong sense of groundedness in these novels that I love.  They have substance and weight.  They are worth reading more than once.

The plots are always strong and never obvious - the story in No Such Thing as a Lost Soul is about a missing mother and child and a cult led by a charismatic mad man.  It is a stand alone book - you don't have to have read the previous books to enjoy it.  But, do yourself a favor - start with book 1 and move forward.  I guarantee you it is worth the journey.

Finally, I discovered the series on kindle where it is a bargain at the price.  I read the first installment and then immediately (same day) ordered all the rest that were available.  I love the books enough to also purchase them in hard copy to add to my mystery library.  I don't do that unless I really value a book.  This is a great series - don't miss it.
577858
I'm not a huge fan of really weighty sci-fi, big space operas and the like. I like sci-fi that's easily readable, so no convoluted politics, a relatively small number of protagonists and some good action. The Frontiers Saga has all this and more. It's not a popcorn sci-fi series, but isn't grand space opera either. This series is enthralling, enjoyable and not overly heavy. There are plenty of moments of tension which kept me reading into the wee hours, but there are just as many moments of light-hearted banter interspersing the action to make this hugely readable. The characters are interesting, believable and develop well over the course of the series. I've enjoyed every moment so far and haven't had to skip any pages yet.

I waited months before beginning this series but since starting it just over month ago I've burned through half the series. You should really be prepared to spend $57 on the entire series which currently sits at 15 books. While that may sound a lot to spend do bear in mind you might only get two or three novels from other authors for the same cost. This series is value for money, but more important it's an absolute page turner. Suitable for YA & older readers. Get it.
2360358
This series really drew me in. As an adult man without kids I had avoided them for a bit, prefering to stay with "real fantasy/sci-fi". Once I started though, I was hooked. This series is head and shoulder above all of the other fantasy stuff out there because it actually takes the time to develop a whole universe of settings, history, characters and real life style interactions. It's got the depth of Tolkien's world but in an easier to read package.

The "Deathly Hallows" does a nice job of wrapping up the series and tieing up loose ends. Being the "final battle", I thought the author handled some of the potentially tough issues like death very well for adults and kids alike. Read the set and you'll find this finale very satisfying.

Minor Spoiler - My favorite part of the book is the last chapter entitled "19 Years Later". For me, the best part of the series wasn't the "Saving the World" bit as much as it was exploring the millieu and people there. The lives of the kids at Hogwarts was some of the best stuff. I hope the author continues the stories without having to resurrect old He-Who-Mustn't-Come Back and instead has the continuing generation explore the world or other schools and such. The stage is set for so much more without having to go back to the Save the World bit. Let's see a book on the new generation at Hogwart's, or on another school, or even on the intervening 19 years. The stage is set and the background so well developed, I hope we see more!
3355090
This series is very good.  It takes a well written series to interest me and convince me to spend my hard-earned dollars to invest in multiple books.  I have found this book, and this series, worth it.

The book isn't exactly challenging mentally, but most people buy books for the entertaining story, and you will find it here!

RECOMMENDATION:  Buy New!
2677200
This series is one of the best I have read in a great while. The lead character's growth and development is handled deftly and with great charm. The peripheral characters are also well fleshed out and add greatly to the story. I am an avid reader of both sci-fi and fantasy and these first two books are so wonderful that I hope not to have to wait a year for the next one. The writing is professional and it is well edited, since I could not find ANY grammatical or structural errors.

Having said ALL of this, I now challenge Michael Southwick to push himself to get this appreciative reader the next book in the series, much like Jorem has pushed himself to become the future leader we know he will be!
2998407
I don't write many reviews, but The Synchronicity Wars is one of the most interesting series I have read in a long time.

The Good:
The slow build up to the 'synchronicity' aspects of this series is well worth the pay off in later books as the implications (and unexpected twists and turns) of the war and the 'synchronicity' aspects of it become more and more apparent.  There is an ongoing tension in this series to build a military/industrial base while engaged in a desperate war of survival that feels like an intense race to the 'final battle' (with interesting and unexpected results!)!

The Bad:
The only areas of this series I did not feel were as good as the overall story, ideas, concepts and thoughts were most of the character relationships.  Corrupt politicians are played by the usual cardboard cut-outs whose sole role is to interfere with the military (not to say this is not a real problem, its just a common trope in military / political fiction - it would nice to see more nuance in this area) and even more annoying is the silly one-dimensional relationship that the main character develops later in this series (or does he?).  The implications of establishing a relationship (or not) with another person is a good idea, but the actual relationship itself has all the depth and development of 90's adult film.  Again, a common problem with a lot of the military/sci-fi / space operate genre (not just limited to Mr Wehr's otherwise excellent series) is that most writers are not as strong at writing male/female relationships beyond a surface level description of their 'athletic love-making' (argggh! that seems to come up in EVERY story now!).

Other than those character tropes, an otherwise outstanding, fun, interesting, and thought-provoking read well worth the time and money! I will be looking forward to more from Mr Wehr in the future!