The Book Stacks

Daniel Crosse, highwayman, thief, murderer and leader of the notorious Country Gentlemen, is unaware he carries a secret. Daniel holds the key to the future existence of the world.

Cassandra is the lock to Daniel’s key, with knowledge that will set his life upon a course he never dreamed possible. Will love be strong enough, set amid the beauty and dangers of a volcanic land, to fulfill an eight-hundred-year-old prophecy?

DragonCrosse, the first of a trilogy, is a book that leaves me feeling a bit conflicted as to how to ‘rate’ it.

The book reads easily, as if it was written for a younger audience, but this definitely isn’t a young adult fantasy book. With sex, violence, swearing and more, it lands well and truly in the ‘adult fantasy’ side of the spectrum.

Thomas has paid a lot of attention to detail, especially for geography’s sake. Having travelled around New Zealand volcanic areas in person, I loved the setting of the volcanic areas Thomas created by inspiration and didn’t mind the long descriptions of the landscape there.

Unfortunately, this can and will bore some readers, who would rather not pay attention to the geography wherever and whenever the Country Gentlemen (which is often). Descriptions often come in paragraph(s) length and very much contribute to the 700+ page length of the book. Though Thomas’s love of geography definitely shines through, she lets it dominate her book like a huge character who never does anything.

After about the fifth or sixth mention of how silver Princess Cassandra’s eyes are and how blue Daniel’s are, I found myself getting a bit annoyed whenever they were mentioned after. But like with a lot of my nitpicks with this book, I ignored them and kept reading on.

All in all, DragonCrosse is an entertaining book and a good light read for anyone who is looking for such. If that is what you’re looking for, then I definitely recommend it.

However, if you want something a bit ‘deeper’ that will truly make you think or are looking forward to a book full of action, then this probably isn’t the book for you. There is a lot of human interaction, but the plot isn’t filled with a lot besides relationships and geography.

*Special guest book review by Nick Oliva.*

Beatle George Harrison wrote “Something” for her and it remains one of the most covered Beatle songs ever. Eric Clapton, the guitar hero of the world for over three decades wrote the Derek and the Dominoes 1974 Album “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs,” that fast and furious super-hot rock and roll epic about his love for this model and former wife of George Harrison and eventually Eric’s-Pattie Boyd. She’s the only woman to have two superstars write songs to her, and in her prime, her intoxicating beauty was that of a sexual siren driving men’s souls to the rocks in pure passion.

Her new book “Wonderful Today” is a biography that seems to want to tell all, and indeed sheds light on this wonderful woman who came from an abused childhood to make it as one of the world’s top models. Ms. Boyd begins in a chronological fashion with pictures of family and tales of Kenya with snakes, tigers, and scary natives. Quite the childhood, but then when her parents separate she is forced back to England with an abusive and cruel step-father.

The voice of the book is sweet and innocent, but the sixties flower children go through an innocence of their own and as the drugs they use to free their minds and give them empowerment for hope eventually drive them to pure misery as well. She became the wife of Mr. Harrison at the end of a fairy-tale courtship, but due to the heavy hand of the Beatle’s Manager Brian Epstein, was denied a proper wedding, as the public was not to know George was “no longer available” in the heady days of Beatlemania.

She and George lived a simple life, in a relatively small house with George off to the studio each day and Pattie embracing the role of wife, lover, cook, and home keeper. It was all she wanted and needed. George on the other hand became intensely involved in meditation, ironically because of Pattie’s suggestion, to fill a need for a childhood he never completely experienced, and they all went off to the Yogi Master Maharishi Mahesh in India.

For those who haven’t read past books on the Beatles, her book is full of references such as their Los Angeles house on “Blue Jay Way” and Prudence Farrow, Mia’s sister, was the “Dear Prudence” who would not leave her house in India with the Maharishi. Sergeant Pilcher was the British police officer who busted John Lennon, George, and many other rock and rollers of the day for drugs including Mick Jagger. “Jennifer Juniper” was a Donovan song for Pattie’s sister Jennifer who was also Mick Fleetwood’s main squeeze off and on and there are many other tidbits of rock trivia that have their place in history connected to Pattie’s life with George.

George eventually became emotionally unattached to her as he began binging on drugs and then meditation trying to find his way through a lost childhood. Eric Clapton then appears writing her passionate letters and begging her to leave George for a life with him.

At first, she thinks this is all very nice and flattering, but then Eric goes on a heroin binge because of her refusal to give in and be with him much like a spiteful boy. Eventually George’s lack of attention and Eric’s determined persistence, get the best of Pattie and she leaves George to follow Eric on tour. Years go by and the addiction to drugs, alcohol, and heroin take their toll on “Slowhand” and he shows no attempt to stay faithful to any one woman.

As much as Pattie wants to understand and deal with the issues of his dalliances and drunkenness, she indeed compromises her own principles in doing so, the relationship grinds to an inevitable crash as Eric “keeps on keepin’ on,” in full persona of what a rock star “is all about-After Midnite”-sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Pattie was and is only looking for love with someone who can make her laugh, and treat her as an equal.

This book is not a kiss and tell epic, and one would love to hear some of the intense times of emotion and vase throwings I’m sure, but one can sense the immense pain she had in finally putting this to words for all to read without destroying her relationships especially with Clapton.

Her only mistake was believing in young men that couldn’t tie their shoes on their own, and needed to grow up and take their marriage seriously. But now at last she is on her own, enjoying her life without expectations and has accepted her responsibility in enabling these “boys” and being a part of the problem. She still maintains great beauty within and without and is and will always be the mythical lady immortalized much like Helen of Troy in that Pattie launched a million flickers of light for encores at concerts everywhere in the world.

“Layla, you still got me on my knees…”

Rahkel Williams, grief stricken over her beloved Uncle’s murder, decides to take matters into her own hands in solving the mystery surrounding the murder. Becoming obsessed with finding her Uncle’s killer, and no definite answers from the police, she enlists the services of private investigator Darrin Miller. With his help, she sets out to find answers and it’s not long before they both begin to get personal.

Soon Rahkel finds herself caught up in something bigger than she ever imagined, where no one can be trusted completely. As people start getting killed, she begins to wonder if she’s next…

I am one of those people who claim to not like mystery novels very much, and then I read one and get caught up in the mystery just as fast as the biggest mystery fan.

Searchable Whereabouts definitely did not disappoint in that area. The main character, Rahkel, who is not only easy to get to know but a character you can relax with, caught me up in the mystery of murders happening in her life.

Like Rahkel, I pondered over the clues – even when not reading – and tried to figure out what was really going on. While I had my ideas of what was happening, the story was engaging and kept me reading even with my certainty.

The setting of this novel is almost like a character in itself. Complete with a mall, local salons, and even a few strange people in the residential areas, this story feels like it could be set in almost any medium city. Johnson knows her setting and uses it quite effectively for this book.

The main thing that keeps me from wildly singing the praises of Searchable Whereabout is the editing. While I enjoyed reading the book, the mistakes caught the attention of the editor in me, making it hard to focus on the book purely as a reader. With a mixing of different types of errors, I felt disappointed at times because it detracted from the value of the story being told.

Even so, I was sad to see the story end where it did. I wasn’t quite ready to give Rahkel and her family up.

I recommend this book, regardless if you’re a mystery fan or not. If you can ignore the mistakes, you will enjoy this book.

Jonathan Fitch is distraught when his girlfriend, Serafina, leaves him. And so desperate, in fact, that, when the peculiar Mr Rinyo-Clacton makes him an offer of one million pounds with only one year to live, he agrees to the proposal. But soon both Fitch and Serafina find themselves embroiled in Rinyo-Clacton’s strange sadistic games, and Fitch begins to wonder quite what it is that he has agreed to…

Have you read or watched something that, when you were done, you sat and stared blankly for a moment, wondering what you had just experienced? If you have, then you’ll know exactly how I felt when I finished reading this book.

I cannot describe this book better than calling it an ‘experience’. One of the first notes I made while reading this book was about the lack of description and how it felt abrupt, leaving me disappointed in some areas. However, the author decided to have a little fun with me then as he proceeded to describe many things that left me wondering what the point of the description was.

A lot of the book was like this – giving me something and then changing it the moment I made a note (mental or paper) about it. In that, the author was completely successful. While reading, I felt in a nearly constant state of ‘what’s going on’ and ‘what’s going to happen next’. That sort of seemingly aimless confusion won’t be appealing to all readers, though.

In fact, it didn’t particularly appeal to me either, but this book is akin to a car crash which you can’t quite bring yourself to look away from even though ‘polite society’ says you should.

In the end, I’m not sure whether I recommend this book or not. As you may have guessed by the review, I can’t even decide whether or not I like it.

Perhaps I will leave it as something you might like to read if you’re looking for something a little out of the ordinary and ‘dark’ in quality. It’s also not too long, so you won’t feel cheated of your time if you decide you don’t like it.

Thirteen-year-old Daine has always had a knack with animals, but it’s not until she’s forced to leave home the she realizes it’s more thank a knack – it’s magic. With this wild magic, not only can Daine speak to animals, but also she can make them obey her. Daine takes a job handling horses for the Queen’s Riders, where she meets the master mage Numair and she becomes his student.

I read the Immortals quartet for the first time when I was about twelve, and eight years later I bought the whole quartet to own.

Tamora Pierce has a writing style that reflects my tastes – dialogue, focus on the people, action, and enough description to keep me aware that there are different locations. Her writing is clear but on a level that will be comfortable for the young adult reader.

Pierce does well in creating characters who are varied and have distinct personalities but who are also ‘simple’ enough so as not to distract the reader. The reader is interested in their personal lives, but their lives encourage the story along while satisfying what background a young girl is going to want to know about.

I mention young girl because, while young boys will probably enjoy this book, it’s great for young girls. Daine shows confidence, caring, and love even while dealing with some tough issues. She will be a great main character to follow.

Having read the entire quartet and knowing where some things end up, I do wish she would have started out a little older, but her age does serve well for the age group the books were written for so I won’t make a big deal out of it.

I definitely recommend this book. If you’re a mother with a young daughter, buy this book for her. You might even enjoy reading it yourself.

The story opens in the year 2020, with a romantic/erotic dream sequence and waking of one lonely sixty-six year-old widower Chris Vadia, a retired professional musician, and his sullen celibate perspective due to his wife dying fifteen years earlier. After establishing the time period and showing the impossibility of replacing human intimacy with the high-tech devices of the period, we flashback fifty years to 1970.

To be honest, this was my second time starting this book. I mention this because the reason I put it down the first time might be a reason that you, the reader, might be put off from reading it: description.

This book has a lot of description. There is no getting around it. There is a lot of action, as this is the story of someone’s life, but it’s not all action in the explosions and shoot out sense. There is also dialogue, but it by no means dominates as the main focus.

I am by no means saying this is a bad thing. However, if could put you off as a reader. If you are not someone who tolerates description well, you will likely be challenged with this book. But if you approach this book with the expectation that it reads like a biography, then you should have no problem.

Doing book reviews and learning to look for more intricate details of creating a story helped me through the large descriptions. However, at a few points, I did wonder where it was all going. I felt a certain lack of understanding what ‘it all’ was about, but I also didn’t go in with any expectation of what kind of book it would be.

The description serves a good purpose in the beginning, as the main character’s world is very limited in then. Learning the fine details of what is around him is all he has left. That makes it so when action does happen it is as jarring to the reader as it is to the main character. Oliva does a good job of easing you into the main character’s world before ‘testing the water’ with actions that are almost involuntary to the main character.

The description also helps in that this book crosses many miles and covers many settings. They are clearly distinguished from each other and rich with details that make the world more real to the reader.

Overall, the thing to know when considering this book is that it reads like a memoir or biography. That is why this review focuses so much on the description – description is what dominates this book. There are sections of detail and even events that could arguably be taken out, but that’s somewhat like arguing whether someone’s life events are important or not. They are all part of the story.

If you like biographies and/or personal tales of history like I do, then you should read this book. However, if you need a lot of action and dialogue, this might not be the book for you.

Today we have a special guest book review from author Nick Oliva. Join me in welcoming him to The Book Stacks and enjoy the review!

**
Review by Nick Oliva
The Sun Singer is a book of calculated splintered realities. The line between the real and the metaphysical is blurred through the eyes of a coming-of-age teenager whose psychic ability mirrors that of his precious grandfather. His grandfather holds the secrets of a world that co-exists with and within us here on earth.

The plot of the book is revealed shortly after he is informed of a family trip to Glacier National Park for reasons that have been unclear to his parents, but because of the grandfather’s “gifts” no one questions this apparent pilgrimage and they faithfully bring the teenage boy to meet his destiny.

Mr. Campbell’s prose is burgeoning with all manner of intricate facts providing a most accurate description to the background through which the characters are exposed. It is obvious the author is an outdoorsman and his ornithological knowledge is deep and concise with each description of any winged creature that he brings to the forefront.

Each character that our unintentional hero meets places another piece of the mystery into play ever so much as to beg to want to ask even more questions. We breathe along with the main character, we feel his confusion and innocent bravery as he takes on a medieval persona, fighting soldiers and conjuring supernatural power from a magical wooden staff that has been given to him, another legacy of his grandfather. The maze of tunnels seem to be a metaphor for the possibilities or alternate paths that one can choose, having to take the responsibilities for choosing such paths.

If Faulkner wrote science fiction I would envision it would read much like this novel. I could easily envision a screenplay that would surpass “The Golden Compass” in scope and imagination. The only criticism that I can offer is that the language of this teenage boy seems a bit seasoned and older than his years, but I’ve been critiqued for the same reasons myself in my first novel.

I found myself running to “Google” latin words and phrases and noticed a few new words being added to the English language such as clairaudiently that means the hearing of things metaphysically through different realities. Mr. Campbell also employed the use of split columns that expressed the separate lines of Sonny’s or Osprey’s or Robert’s (the same boy depending on what universe and who he was with) thinking at the same time, again the constant alluding to parallel posturing within the writing itself. Are you intrigued yet?

The road to and from the magical universe that Osprey’s (I like that name it was my college’s mascot) is loaded with surprises and revelation. There are a cast of characters that have distinct and immediate personality and the rapid movement of the plot requires one’s concentration to keep it all in order.

This is not fluffy pulp fiction. The subject matter is fantasy but it’s presentation is far from it. It is a very structured intelligent novel, each word placed exactly where the author intends and this author intends to stretch the rules, so stay strapped in and bring along your bookmarker-it is not a book to be read quickly.

During her short time as a ward in Queen Marguerite’s Lancastrian court, fifteen-year-old Isobel, passionate, courageous, and of exceeding beauty, has not suffered for attention. Although suitor after suitor has asked for her hand, she is blind to all but Yorkist Sir. John Neville, whom she can only hope to see at affairs of state. And it is nothing short of a miracle when the queen allows Isobel’s marriage to the enemy, albeit at a hefty bride-price.

All around them rages a lawless war… But it only strengthens their love. Refusing to sit idly as her husband joins in the strife, Isobel uses her cunning to his advantage, even employing disguises. It is only their passion that can see them through the bloody march on London by the Duke of Lancaster, the violent madness of Queen Marguerite, and the devolution of Isobel’s meek uncle into the Butcher of England. For theirs is an everlasting love that fears not the scratch of thorns, from either the Red Rose or the White…

Lady of the Roses is one of the few historical fiction novels I have read, and I can say with all honesty, she does favours for her genre. I liked this book so much that I want not only to read more of her books, I want to read more widely in the genre.

Worth uses language that reflects her main character, Isobel – beautiful and gentle with an undeniable strength. She doesn’t not waste words, but nor does she withhold anything from the reader. When I began reading, I was surprised by how much the way Worth writes helped me to relax and enjoy the story she told.

While this is a historical novel, the historical events do not overshadow the fact that this is Isobel’s story – a story that no one is going to want to miss. Isobel is a character who delights the reader as much as she delights and captures the hearts of the other characters in the book. The reader easily identifies with her happiness and her sorrow. Her viewpoint is one we want to follow.

My only regret with this is book is that it had to end without me having other Sandra Worth books in my possession.

Whether or not you have read historical fiction before, I recommend this book. I enjoyed every aspect of it all the way through.

Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have.

King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported near-fatal accident in 1999 – and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery.

I think the person who wrote the back caption of this book needs to start drinking decaf coffee.

While I loved the autobiography beginning of this book, I had quite the love and hate relationship with it for a while. (Thus it took me a longer time to read than usual and it has been on my ‘what I’m reading’ portion of the Tuesday list forever and a day.)

Stephen King starts out with a little mini autobiography, which I liked, and then gets into the nuts and bolts of writing. While being extremely quotable throughout the book, I found myself not satisfied on some level that kept me putting this book down and not picking it up for a while quite a few times.

It was when I realized that this is not a ‘here’s how to write’ book and is a book Stephen King wrote about writing (yes, there is a difference) that I began to really love the book. What you need to realize is that King wrote a book about writing; he didn’t write a manual. It seems like that’s what it is at some points, but he mainly tells you about what works for him instead of what should work for everyone.

All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone, even if you aren’t a writer. In fact, you’ll probably have an easier time of enjoying it if you aren’t a writer, strangely enough. I am going to read this book again now that I know to read it like a book rather than some guide written by a guru.

After being run out of Boneville, the three Bone cousins – Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone – are separated and lost in a cast, uncharted desert. One by one, they find their way into a deep, forested valley filed with wonderful and terrifying creatures.

Eventually, the cousins are reunited at a farmstead run by tough Gran’ma Ben and her spirited granddaughter, Thorn. But little do the Bones know, there are dark forces conspiring against them and their adventures are only just beginning!

Bone: Out From Boneville is the first book of the Bone graphic novels by Jeff Smith featuring the Bone brothers and all the wonderful characters of the valley.

Fone Bone is the first Bone brother we get to follow one-on-one, which was an excellent choice on Jeff Smith’s part. Fone Bone is an entertaining and lovable character who is easy to follow into this story. He has all the awkwardness of a clumsy teenager as well as a good heart, a combination fit for a hero.

The valley is rich and beautiful in characters, humour and settings. Both the characters and the valley itself will have you laughing even in the most dramatic chapters of the story.

There is even a bit of romance thrown in just to make things more complicated

Jeff Smith does a superb job with the art. It’s full of detail and colour, but it doesn’t overshadow the story or the characters. He combines simple lines along with fine details to create a world I couldn’t have created better in my imagination.

If you haven’t read a graphic novel before (and even if you have), I highly recommend you read Bone. It’s funny, engaging, and an excellent graphic novel overall.

You’ve heard the claims that the earth is warming up just because of cars, light bulbs, factories and the many other wonders that human ingenuity has created. But is it really true?

Yes, it’s OK to chill about global warming. Look inside and find out why.

I was, admittedly, someone who didn’t know much about global warming. So when I heard this book is about global warming but also geared for children ages eight and up, I felt quite excited. I’m not ashamed to say I wanted to start at this level of reading to start learning about things.

The first thing that struck me about this book is that right in the beginning, Fretwell points out that her list of sources is in the back and you should check them out for yourself. That is probably the best beginning of a ‘might not agree with popular opinions’ book I have ever read.

She doesn’t want to challenge your beliefs without being able to back up what she’s written with facts.

I would love to send this book to everyone, child and adult alike, because there are so many people who have no idea about the facts that are in this book.

For example, if humans are the sole cause of global warming, then why is Mars getting warmer too?

There are a lot of amazing facts like that in there that you probably didn’t know.

I firmly believe that it is the informed country that can truly take steps towards making the world a better place for everyone. If you want to be more informed about global warming (with a list of sources to back up your knowledge) then you need to read this book.

On this blog I most often review fiction novels with a few exceptions here and there. However, today I would like to take a break from that and review a very neat journal I received in the mail a few weeks ago:

Judi Moreo’s Achieve Your Dreams Achievement Journal

The first thing I noticed about this journal is that it’s not like any of the other journals I’ve had. (And I’ve had plenty.) Bound in a hard cover but also with inner rings, it is easy to use. It also has big type in appealing colours which makes for easy reading.

Reading? Yes, reading. See, unlike other journals – even ones that accompany books – this journal is filled with words of wisdom in the forms of ‘how to use this journal’ instructions from Judi Moreo herself, questions for you to answer before getting into the actual daily journaling, and many affirmations to keep you in a positive frame of mind on your journey.

This journal incorporates not only questions to stimulate your mind. There are pages to put pictures, to draw, to put stickers and do whatever else you care to do. Writer or painter, you will enjoy this journal and find your own places to express yourself.

By far, the best thing for me about this journal is the entry spaces are not dated! You can start a day late or six months after you buy it and it’s okay! No dates. No. Dates. Can you tell how very annoying I have found dated entry spaces to be in the past?

As if this wasn’t all cool enough on its own, in the back of the journal you have pages of gold stars to stick wherever you want. Even as a small gesture, putting a gold star next to something important or a big accomplishment can make you feel great.

If you are nervous about keeping a journal, don’t like highly structured journals, or even if you are a journal addict – try this journal. You won’t regret it.

The Death Wizard Chronicles
Book One: The Pit

Only a Death-Knower can die
And live again.
Only a Death-Knower can return from death.
And remember.
Only a Death-Knower can tell us what he has seen.
Not all care to listen.

While war approaches under the direction of the sorcerer Invictus, threatening to completely destroy the peace Triken has known for centuries, Death-Knower wizard Torg is trapped in a pit that is a hell like no other.

Though no ordinary human could survive more than a few hours in the Pit, Torg lives on…

Jim Melvin proves himself to be a master storyteller, putting his characters through the worst imaginable hells and showing no mercy. He keeps you turning pages, the reader wondering what the characters could possibly be put through next.

The Pit, the first book of the Death Wizard Chronicles, is an action-packed tale taking place on vibrant three-dimensional world. Triken is a world rich with intricate relationships and a full history on which Melvin has built the lives of many races.

Triken truly comes alive for the reader and is filled with mysteries and places that even the most powerful characters in the book are unaware of. That gives the reader the opportunity to discover and learn with the characters, which makes them easier to identify with.

Melvin has added to the texture of the world by integrating eastern philosophies, giving the magic used not only consistency but depth. He has worked out the details of his magic system so readers can understand where it comes from and how it works.

As a story, The Pit is rich and full; as a book it is addictive and quite an excellent addition to the adult fantasy book shelf. And it is distinctly ‘adult’ fantasy – the scene that redefines ‘all-consuming orgasm’ is enough to lift this from a level suitable for children.

I definitely recommend this book. As the author himself has said, reading this book will make you decide if the Death Wizard Chronicles are for you.

They are for me. All in all, an excellent package.

*Interview with Jim Melvin

Hello once again everyone. I am pleased to present Mr. JM’s (my husband) review of his Christmas present, Larry Niven’s Fleet of Worlds.

Enjoy.

Fleet of Worlds – Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner
Disclaimer: This book is probably not a good introduction to Larry Niven’s Known Space – there are answers here to plot points found in other books.

Larry Niven created a new genre decades ago when he virtually invented the concept of writing many of his books and stories within an internally consistent universe. No matter when he actually writes the story, it fits into a common history and early plots will be referenced in stories told of Known Space that lay hundreds of years in the future.

An example is the story of Beowulf Schaeffer’s journey to the centre of the galaxy – the result of his trip has repercussions that change the course of Known Space and provide the impetus behind the setting for Fleet of Worlds.

Larry Niven (and some other established writers) break a rule to which novice writers must adhere. When starting out, before making the kind of name that has readers seeking out their books, authors need to remember that they have the cover, the blurb and maybe 3 paragraphs to grasp the potential buyer and cause them to buy the book. Writers like Larry Niven are good enough, consistent enough and famous enough to open with an explanatory Prologue to describe the basics of ramjet travel.

It is a puzzle, as regular readers of Niven would not need the explanation and new readers might easily reject the book as too dry to purchase. I don’t recall having read any of Lerner’s works, but Niven is an excellent storyteller who uses hard science to create scenarios that boggle the mind. He uses well-crafted characters and well-told stories to explore ideas that stretch the possibilities of physics and does it so well some of his works have been used in Universities and schools as educational tools.

Kirsten, Sven and Omar are Colonists, humans raised far from any human planet of Known Space. They begin as favoured agents of Nessus, a Pierson’s Puppeteer and one whom regular readers will know well from other books.

Pierson’s Puppeteers are aliens, the only herbivore sapients known across Known Space and cowards by nature. As Niven portrays them, they are loveable creatures and it is only after a while he makes the reader aware of the power they hold. Puppeteers have three legs & small, one eyed heads at the ends of two tentacular necks. Prehensile lips with knobby fingers give them hands with a sense of taste and the ability to move the heads well apart provides excellent stereo vision.

Kirsten, Sven and Omar grow into an appreciation of the reality of the beings who have, till now, been benefactors of all they know of Humanity. They work their way through puzzles and lack of knowledge while remaining ignorant of the deeper issues being negotiated by the Citizens, the Puppeteers who hold the lives of all Colonists in their mouths.

Once it gets moving, Fleet of Worlds is engrossing and a typical example of how Niven can show a story that seems straightforward and then alter its path in ways that make one cease reading while trying to work out the inherent possibilities and permutations of what just happened. Trying to understand just how a Puppeteer will view actions of humans who aren’t quite Earth-normal takes some doing in reading – creating it takes the hand of a master storyteller.

Definitely a good read for Niven aficionados, but I’d recommend newbies do some other reading of Known Space stories before getting into this one – there are spoilers here. Try Neutron Star (short stories) Ringworld, and other works to get some perspective for Fleet of Worlds.

Three thousand planet-bound years have fled while Ender the star-traveller remains young. In that time his name has become anathema, for he is the one who killed an entire race of thinking, feeling beings. No other has been found – until Lusitania is discovered.

The young race there is a chance for mankind to redeem the previous destruction. The only humans allowed near them are trained xenobiologists. But once again there are tragic misunderstandings. And when Ender, as Andrew Wiggins, is called to Lusitania to speak the terrible deaths of men killed by the aliens, he walks into a maelstrom of fear and hatred.

In the second of the Ender books, Card brings us to a whole new world filled with wonderful creatures the reader wants to learn more about. And once again, he also gives us human characters who are easy to love and whose lives and emotions translate easily to the reader.

From the beginning, this story presented a mystery: the mystery of the piggies. I was as eager to solve it as the characters were as the sometimes horror, sometimes strangeness of their actions puzzled me as they did the characters.

Overshadowing all the smaller mysteries was the large mystery of exactly who and what the piggies are and their evolution. This is, thankfully, revealed at the end and went above all my highest expectations of a satisfying explanation.

Ender’s words and reactions towards the other people who study the piggies struck hard with me at some points. Even I wondered how to make the piggies fit into human terms instead of thinking how the humans would feel if the piggies tried making the humans more like them. I had this subconscious assumption that the human way of life is better. That is, until Ender made it clear how he felt about that view.

Card does a very good job of presenting not just a different culture but a different life form. He teaches us in story form how to appreciate and learn from each others differences instead of following the assimilation instinct.

He also uses planet-bound time versus light speed time to his advantage. The time differences work well for the purposes of the story, and yet he doesn’t make the reader feel ‘jostled’ or out of sorts when using them.

Speaker for the Dead did not set my mind spinning like Ender’s Game did, but I still enjoyed thought-provoking storylines. As I expected, Card made me think long after reading the last page, which I believe is the mark of a good novel.