Interesting, entertaining and action-packed
579737
This is the third book in Jim Butcher's Dresden files, and I have yet to read the first two, but I did enjoy this urban-scape detective of the supernatural fantasy. Dresden's first person narrative keep this story full of dry humor and film noir feel.
  Dresden is a PI/wizard who's middle name is trouble. This time his supernatural snafu is a ghostly being that is able to rouse other ghosts and harm Dresden's friends.  It's up to the only wizard in town to discover who's behind it all.
  This series has been pegged as similar to Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series, and on the surface, that's a fair comparison. Both deal with urban societies and parnormal baddies. Both have a tough edge, supernatural powers, and a penchant for violence. Both have a tough time in their love lives.  That being said, Jim Butcher's novel has a distinctly male flavor to it.  There is far less relationship time and sensitivity, more interest in action, gadgets and intrigue--this is not a bad thing, but the overall result is you care about the characters less (they're distanced) and you have more interest in the mechanics of the supernatural. Those who enjoy Butcher's books might want to try STALKING THE UNICORN by Mike Resnick, about a gumshoe who gets hired by goblin to find a kidnapped unicorn.  For those who like both Hamilton and Butcher, I also reccomend Tanya Huff's Vampire series.  There a tough lady PI teams up with a romance-writing vampire to hunt down some supernatural baddies.
I'm intrigued to see where Dresden's story is going.  Perhaps my biggest gripe with the whole book was that at the end the hero appears to be in deeper problems than he was at the beginning and I want to know what happens. But, that's the curse of series books...guess I'll just have to wait for the next one.
3133706
I really enjoyed this book.  I stumbled on it at the bookstore and bought it after reading the jacket.  The author hooked me into the lead character (Eskkar) and the reader gets to see his progression from just a warrior who puts his trust in brute force to a leader of a future city who puts his trust in intellect and wisdom.  One of the more interesting parts is learning (along with Eskkar) about the "glue" of civilization - namely agriculture and how everything in civilization springs from surplus food supplies: math, writing, money, and trade.  Moreover, the author shows how so little has changed across the many centuries with political maneuvering and literal back-stabbing.

The lead-up to the battle with the barbarians is very exciting and while the outcome is somewhat predictable the means to that end are not - in fact, I couldn't put the book down as the final battle materialized.

One can see how these types of warring themes undoubtedly occurred in ancient agricultural-based communities with their nomadic neighbors and unlike a boring documentary on the History Channel the author makes learning about the rise of walled cities time well spent.

Isn't it so true that the the ability to survive as a people or a nation is essentially decided by how efficiently you can kill those that threaten you and your way of life?

Well done.
1323473
I received this story, this is my voluntary review.

Brennus is a fast-paced and well-written read.  It is action-packed with vivid imagery.  It also offers drama, humor, intrigue, and romance.  I appreciated the emotion-evoking moments that allowed me to become invested in the characters and their outcomes.  I enjoyed the twists and turns of the story that kept me engrossed and entertained.  I also adored the dynamic between Brennus and Althea, as well as the progression of their relationship.  Looking forward to the next book in this series.  Definitely, worth the read.
945746
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The book is an action thriller about terrorism with your requisite heroes and bad guys but it is a cut above most I've read. I appreciated the lack of stereotypes. All government types weren't stupid, all foreigners weren't bad and the good guys had flaws. The story was told well and the action was mostly nonstop. The author did his research and my only real criticism of the book is an individual preference. The author gives a great deal of technical information regarding weapons and vehicles etc. After telling us what a TXT 1900 machine gun is and does once it's fine with me to refer to it as the gun ,the SUV, the plane from then on. I find the continued use of technical terms distracting. Overall I found the book interesting and fun and enjoyed the characters. I will read more from this author.
446463
Divided Empire is a fast-paced and action-packed story, set in the 4th century, at a time when the Roman Empire in the West was in serious decline. The author has obviously researched the period extensively and his detailed descriptions draw us into the sights, sounds and smells of the towns and countryside in Roman Britain, as well as the religions and politics of the time.
The characters are well-drawn and believable, from the high-ranking Roman officials, some with questionable motives, to groups of bloodthirsty thugs, tempestuous travelling players and women who know how to wield a weapon or two, as well as the ability to hide a few secrets.
Following an exciting opening set in Gaul, Flavius Vitulasius, and his right-hand man, Siward, become secret agents and are sent on a mission to Roman Britain. Joined by fellow agent, the devout Christian, Lucius Aurelius, their task is to find a missing document in order to prevent a pagan uprising  and possible civil war between pagans and Christians.
Events continue at a rapid and exciting pace, with danger, intrigue and suspense present at every turn. Tense scenes of danger and bloodshed are broken by welcome touches of humour and even a little romance.
Divided Empire is a well-rounded and completely enjoyable read. The author has succeeded in bringing the period to life and, for anyone unfamiliar with the many Roman place-names used, he has included a list of their modern-day equivalent at the back of the book.
I look forward to catching up with Flavius and his friends in Book 2 of the series, Dark Betrayal.
2212198
This is a tough book to place in LE Modesitt's universe, but the Lord-Protector's Daughter is an interesting if not as action packed as his previous books. There is the standard intrigue, the standard story lines of interfamilial issues, and of course being married off for politics rather than love or even liking the person. It is never easy being the daughter of a person in power. What is interesting and this is what really makes the book is the interplay of ambition, ability, and the full knowledge that no matter what Mykella (The daughter) does, she will never realize those ambitions, and may not ever be able to truly work and explore her abilities.

Short on action and violence, long on the despair of Mykella, and how she must work and find it within herself to rise above the situation to realize who she is, and what she wants to be, or the situation starts to cast itself towards a destiny that looks more hopeful than bleak. She gets a warning, and must work on her psionic power to save herself and her family from the general treachery that is a standard plot element of Modesitt's work. While the treachery is predictable (we all knew this was coming), the use of talent, and Mykella's steadfast duty to her friends and family sets this book up in the general orbit of a good Modesitt book.

With this being a general reoccurring theme in Modesitt's work, the struggle to find out what you are, who you are, and overcoming at times fantastic odds, this plays on the previous works and fits in nicely with the Corean series that this derives from. Overall, this is a well-written book and highly enjoyable yarn. You start caring for Mykella throughout the book, and want her to succeed when everything it at its bleakest. The ending is a bit short, not the usual ramp up, but just as exciting and action packed as only Modesitt can write.

Excellent book, very enjoyable to read, started caring about the lead character in the book, five of five stars.
319720
Fast-paced, suspenseful, and entertaining, this whirlwind ride through Israeli-American politics kept me up well into the night. If you are looking for an entertaining suspense/thriller to gloss through at the beach, this is a good choice. If you are a picky or critical reader, choose something else.

I felt like this was an almost-final draft of a manuscript. Between the numerous typos and grammar glitches and the issues I comment on below, I felt sad that this book hadn't had a more thorough review before publication. It has great potential. Scenes are conveyed with clarity, the plot is intriguing and relevant, and the pacing is perfect. I enjoyed the history lessons peppered through the story, and the author did a great job bringing the multiple locations of this story to life. As an Arizona native, I was happy with his descriptions of Phoenix and noticed that characters spoke of roads and places in ways that true locals would. I was especially impressed with his succinct but graphic portrayal of bombed-out Palestine.

I'm usually willing to suspend disbelief when it comes to plots, but the plausibility of this plot is staked on unbelievable characters. The story would be over in a couple pages if it weren't for the navet and obstinence of the female characters. Masada El-Tal is blinded by bias, more interested in pinning blame on her ex than on investigating the truth, and frustratingly unwilling to entertain any theory other than her own--not qualities I would associate with an award-winning journalist. And though immigration lawyer Elizabeth McPherson is intelligent about legal matters, she is so gullible, dense and naive about everything else, I don't know how she made it to adulthood.

Not only are the characters painted in black and white, but they all seem to view the world that way as well. Miscommunication, snap judgements and reflexive actions propel this plot forward, and the most surprising twists are not due to amazing revelations, but to the lack of them - I just couldn't believe how stubbornly these characters refused to grow or change or learn from their experiences, doomed to repeat their actions over and over again.

After working hard to suspend disbelief for 400-something pages, I felt owed a good ending. But the characters failed to evolve and the end left me with no sense of resolution.

Despite its flaws, I found the book entertaining and I know there are plenty of people out there less critical than me who will enjoy the ride.
845840
This fast-moving Star Wars novel set several thousand years before the movies is action-packed, with a number of evocatively described battle-scenes, including jedi-sith combat (which is the good stuff).

For a relatively short book, and especially for this genre, the characters are surprisingly deep and believable, such as the "Z-man", the tormented ex-soldier turned-smuggler, trying to provide for his crippled daughter.

"Deceived" does suffer from the usual Star Wars quirks that make suspension of disbelief difficult: Force users who are more super-heroes than the original movies/books would have allowed.  They are able to withstand great explosions, more-or-less fly, move physically faster than many hundreds of near-light-speed energy blasts, etc.  There's a little too much emphasis on the super-heroics, but Star Wars books in general suffer from such, and the tight plot and flow of action make it forgivable (if still noticeable).

It's a fast, fun read.  Recommended for all Star Wars fans; other Sci-Fi fans will likely enjoy it also.
419292
Great read .. Entertaining and action packed .. Well done .. Author has crafted an excellent story that holds interest! Will follow the author and see if that holds true .
3858029
This was a pretty enjoyable read all around. Its action-packed, exciting, contains a lot of interesting information about the criminal underworld, and sports a colorful cast of characters who are each pretty well-characterized despite having limited screen time. This is one of those fast-paced books that, while still being fairly long, manages to keep your eyes glued to the page, anticipating the twists and turns coming around the bend. There was always something going on, always a tide turning, always an unexpected shift in the storys direction.

In terms of the pacing and plot of this book, I cant really complain. Its exactly what it says on the tin: a fast-paced action thriller.

That being said, I can tell you that if you're looking for any sort of deep thematic elements or lessons or complex, multi-layered story lines, you're not going to get that in this book. Despite its array of twists, most of them are fairly standard and predictable for the genre, and none of them particularly shake up the overall idea of the novel. This book is a bit of fun and excitement for the adrenaline-loving crowd  shootouts, fist-fights, and a few clever tricks from a wily protagonist are the fare.

Not to say thats a bad thing  I did enjoy this novel  but it lacks a level of thematic depth Ive come to enjoy from other major authors in the crime thriller genre.

Overall, this was a fun ride, and really, it never purported itself to be anything but, so theres not a whole lot to complain about.

It shaped up into a pretty good read in the end.
2897432
This was a pretty good thriller that had a lot of action, and a little different slant to the main character of the story.  I think the author did a good job of weaving the tale, and keeping you interested.  Without having a spoiler, the ending did come to a logical conclusion but he set the stage for the next book in the series with an open-ended scene.  I picked this up for free during a Kindle promotion vs. its regular price of 99 cents, and I certainly received more than 99 cents worth of entertainment value.
1329682
I have a simple rule when it comes to action/adventure novels: they need to be entertaining and W. Hock Hockheim's MY GUN IS MY PASSPORT is that and more. While there a few small snags in the editing, the storyline and rich history and flavor gets it up and quickly running, offering a new and interesting take on the western that is a refreshing change of pace. This isn't your stereotypical western or something that you've seen before. It's original and as a fan of good action/adventure novels as well as westerns, it works!
  Hockheim knows his history, his settings, and his weapons as well, so what you're getting here is a good look into a time and place (places actually)long gone with enough gritty, bold and daring action to keep the storyline entertaining.
  It's a good, enjoyable, and entertaining read.
4045146
Never having heard of the Bow Street Runners before reading"Blackstone" I found this book not only a really entertaining tale but a lively and action-packed look at the beginnings of an official police force in London.

Blackstone, is the charismatic "cop" from a dubious background who sees and carries out justice with his own
particular ideals. which can veer from one side of the law to the other. In this book he is sent to the Palace to safeguard the young. Princess Victoria from a threat of kidnap. Not a duty to his liking but one that involves him in dangerous situations which he handles with brawn,brain,irony and a dash of sophistication.

The author has a marvelous ability to capture the ambiance of London in the 1820's both the seamy and the genteel side. This is apparently the first of which I hear there are more to come. Let's hope soon. Viva Backstone!

Carmel Sastre
3104199
Into the Hexagon is a fascinating and action packed book. It interweaves excellent fantasy world elements with good character development to keep the reader engaged at a quickened pace. I thoroughly enjoyed the supernatural elements woven into the story. I highly recommend it as a very entertaining book.
2955685
Very good action-packed book, interesting plot and very entertaining throughout.
The book is a fantasy/SF story, dynamic and fast-paced. There are some flaws to it  the main character is not someone I cared too much about, he is a bit clichd. Actually, the story has several typical clichs for this type of novel, but the author somehow manages to make everything enjoyable and fun. I liked the book more than I expected, I recommend it to anyone who likes this type of novel. I will definitely check out other books in the series.
3994840
"Plagued" jumps on the bandwagon of the current zombie craze, but it offers up a unique and compelling story-line that takes our brain-eating friends in a new direction. In the post-apocalyptic world created by Better Hero Army, the zombies are transitioned into controllable slaves. While this story is certainly the action-packed adrenaline rush that fans of this genre expect, it also touches on deeper issues of morality, and it delves into a character study of the hero, Mason Jones.

This is a fast-paced read that feels almost voyeuristic at times, but the presentation is suspenseful, personal, and engaging. Although this is the second book in a series, I was able to connect with the story without having read the first book. This is not highbrow literature, but it is a fun and entertaining apocalyptic read.
4341677
The God Particle has all of the trappings of a very interesting story.  It has intrigue, mystery, action, romance and, of course, science.  As one who has an interest in Physics, I found the scientific content of the story fascinating as the author adeptly presented some fairly involved theories through conversation and introspection.  While the story is a work of fiction, I believe the more important work contained on the pages within are of the possibilities that still exist in the universe, many of which we can yet only dream.  It was both entertaining and enlightening.