Product Description
Five years after attacking the human-colonized worlds of the Spiral Arm, the hydrogues maintain absolute control over stardrive fuel...and their embargo is strangling human civilization.

On Earth, mankind suffers from renewed attacks by the hydrogues and decides to use a cybernetic army to fight them. Yet the Terran leaders don't realize that these military robots have already exterminated their own makers - and may soon turn on humanity. Once the rulers of an expanding empire, humans have become the galaxy's most endangered species. But the sudden appearance of incredible new beings will destroy all balances of power.

Now for humans and the myriad alien factions in the universe, the real war is about to begin...and genocide may be the result. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Too many instances of deus ex machina...
I would like to offer an overall review of all seven books combined.Even though each book has its own sub-plots, one has to read all seven to stitch every piece together.Unless you plan to read all of them (a major time commitment) I suggest that you go find yourself some thing shorter to read.This is an epic saga.

I find the books and the story hard to classify.It is science fiction, but what kind?The story starts as if it is going to be hard science fiction.(That's why I probably consider the first book to be the best.)But then it degenerates into several parallel threads, many of which are pure fantasies.By the end of the seventh book, I felt that 90% of the threads and plot were more appropriately described as fantasy than science fiction.

Even if you prefer fantasy over hard science fiction, you will still be disappointed by the repeated "deus ex machina" saving the day.I count seven such cases, three of them occurring in the last volume.Anderson is very good in weaving a complex story to its crescendo and creating a very tense (nearly hopeless) situation for the heroes.Then he cannot get them out of there in any plausible way, and he resorts to dues ex machina time after time. Because of that, you will feel disappointed (perhaps even cheated) once you finish the story, even if you will find it entertaining most of the way.

The characters are one-dimensional.There are good sub-plots of love, hatred, betrayal, revenge... The evil is really evil, and the good-guys could do no wrong.If you don't mind that, you may enjoy the saga.

Better then the first
Book 2 of Seven. That places me closer to the finish line.

Looking now at what will probably be close to 4500 pages of material, and being 28% done, we should have plot twists and we do. When you thought before we had three, perhaps four combatants by the end of the last book, that number has nearly doubled.

Not that the short chapters and the cast of thousands still does not detract from the book. Though I also read it several years after publication, the story line seems to echo in my memory, and so do several of the plot points. I wonder if I have read this all before by another author. Somethings are different, the archaeologist thread, the world forest, but the battles always lost at the beginning, the abandoned officer, those seem to come from stories that are part of sci-fi lore by other authors. It is possible that it is being done better here.

But also worse. When you confront some introspection all in four pages and then flip to the next scene, it is a disservice to one of our many protagonists. We have so many it is hard to keep track of who are our real heroes and who are our villains. Where the smartest people are, and that too few brains at the top syndrome permeates to govern a society of billions. (The whole chairman, one commanders in chief, General thing is worrisome, since we know from our own reality that the top man would have hundreds of advisers who would be the best in their fields, relying on many other brains to filter information. One man can not do it all.)

To judge on style then, this book would get lower marks. Too short chapters, too many characters, action is decidedly lacking and one sided, the bad guys always win right now... (That changes as new allies? come to play)

To judge on story, except for the echo of what has happened in other very well done science fiction epics, it is getting better. Based on the first two, may not be worth a read, but by the end (3000+ pages to go) it may be so.

The whole Saga of Seven Suns series
I could go into detail about all the disappointing aspects of these books but I'm not going to waste any more time with the series.

- Unbelievable dialogue
- Unbelievable storyline
- Unbelievably repetitive (to stretch it to seven books)

I regret buying the books.

Heated up!
The book really starts to take off. The whole book was interesting. Anderson really starts to tie things together and the plot becomes much deeper it is filled with twists and conspiracy theories.

Much better then the first book.

Good read
Just like the previous book in the series, you'll be drawn in from the beginning, and become more and more intrigued as the book progresses.A highly recommended book. ... Read more

Product Description
In the third and last installment in the Jedi Academy Trilogy, a powerful remnant of the defunct Empire tries to destroy Han and Leia's Jedi twins, the next generation of Jedi Knights and the hope of the New Republic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (124)

Worthy conclusion to an enjoyable story
Jedi Master Luke Skywalker lies lifeless yet living at the Jedi Academy, while the student who put him in that state roams the galaxy in the incredibly powerful sun crusher that the New Republic believed they had effectively destroyed. Sinking the sun crusher into the core of gas giant Yavin didn't work, though, when Kyp Durron decided to pull it out and make use of it. For on Yavin 4, the moon where the Jedi Academy is located, the spiritual remains of a dark master linger; and Kyp has listened to that dark master, and believed what he heard.

This last installment in Kevin J. Anderson's Jedi Academy trilogy is a terrific read. Fast paced, exciting, and spot-on in depicting both the film characters and those who have been added in the books, it's a worthy conclusion to an enjoyable story.

--Reviewed by Nina M. Osier, author of 2005 EPPIE science fiction winner "Regs"

This is a good trilogy.
I found the books to be good y self. They fit in well with the other Star Wars books. and if you did not read I, Jedi yet I would say pis that book up as well because it also has to do with this trilogy of books but, it also has it own plot but there are a lot of tie ins.

This book by it's self is a good book but you would be lost without reading the other two.

Jumbled plot lines abruptly end, making this book feel like Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
We open the final book in the Jedi Academy Trilogy with many open plot threads.Kyp Durron is on the run with the Sun Crusher, Han in pursuit to try to reel the boy back in.Chewbacca and Wedge head off to the Maw Cluster to take it over.Leia is appointed Chief of State, and the Jedi students must find a way to bring Luke back from his Force induced coma and defeat Dark Lord Exar Kun.
NOTE: Again, I listened to the audiobook, but have read the book in the past, though too long ago for me to remember perfectly.

I Liked:
First mention goes to Chewbacca, who actually has a job in this book besides standing by Han and moaning incomprehensibly!Kudos to Anderson to putting this warrior (from both Revenge of the Sith AND the Rebellion) in charge of his own commandos!At first, it seemed an odd move, but ultimately, I liked how he was used (even if C-3PO had to be sent with him--not quite sure still why, other than to serve as translator) and showed that he could be used in more versatile roles.
Second place goes to Kyp Durron, whose Dark Side arc continues to be interesting.I enjoyed seeing his rise and fall, to see his thought process and how he wants to destroy the Empire (but ends up destroying the one he loved instead!).
Also, while it does go overboard, Tol Sivron and his cohorts on the Maw Installation made for amusing reading.

I Didn't Like:
There are so many aggravating, annoying things about this book!I almost don't know where to begin.
The characters haven't changed from Jedi Search and Dark Apprentice.Luke is still completely stupid.Ackbar is still whiny.Leia doesn't do much more than dump her kids on other people and run around the galaxy doing Mon Mothma's job.Wedge and Qui make me want to yell at them to get a room (thank God that relationship was retconned).Admiral Daala continuously proves that she should never have been given command of a turtle, much less several Star Destroyers.At least Han and Lando aren't gambling the Falcon every other sentence.I just wish Lando's feelings for Mara weren't so obvious and gag worthy.And that the characters didn't constantly quote themselves.Every other word out of their mouths was "I have a bad feeling about this", "This deal is gettin' worse" and "Don't tell me the odds".
Most of the problems I have with this book are in relation to the plots and how they are wrapped up.
For instance, the Jedi Academy faces off with Exar Kun.This is an interesting idea...but Anderson slips up in several ways.Firstly, he has Luke only be able to communicate with his two year old niece and nephew.Why can he only communicate to toddlers who have absolutely no Jedi training?Why couldn't he communicate with Streen or Kirana Ti or Kam, whom he has been training for some weeks/months?
Then, Anderson has Jacen, the two year old son of Han and Leia, wield a lightsaber against a two headed beast.Yeah, that sounds safe.Not.Firstly, I don't believe a toddler could handle the forces of the blade regardless of Luke's helping him and I don't think anyone, Luke, Cilghal, or all the other Jedi trainees, would put him in such a compromising position in the first place.Irresponsible and out of character.Of course, it's insane that Leia and Han dump their twins on Yavin 4 with Luke (who was in a coma) in the first place.I can tell Han and Leia are shapening up to be wonderful parents.Not.
Then, I was skeptical when Cilghal, the newest arrival to the Praxeum, became the de facto leader.I would have placed bets that Kam or Streen would have risen to lead in Luke's absence.
Lastly, the whole plot line was way too quickly wrapped up.The Jedi just circle around him, say they won't back down, and POOF!Exar Kun is destroyed!Wow, that was easy!I don't care if he couldn't life drain Massassi, it was still too easy for supposedly the most powerful Dark Side user ever.
And then the positioning of the end!I was 1/4th of the way through the book, when this plot line was wrapped up!We had a climax, and a denouement...and then, let's move on to our next plot thread to wrap up!Very badly done.
The whole Anoth plot bugged the heck out of me.Anakin and the twins were placed there, a place only three people knew about (Winter, Luke, and ACKBAR???), to keep themselves from the Dark Side?This just sounds crazy!Who built the compound?Did Ackbar bring them in then kill them like the Empire?Lastly, this plot just put a spotlight on Han and Leia that I hated: that they would drop their kids on anyone (Winter, nanny droid, Jedi students they barely know) at the drop of a hat to go off and doing something "more exciting" and "important".Again, so much for being parents, if any of their kids keep from heading down the Dark Side, it would be a miracle.
Kyp Durron returns to the Light Side...just because he has to.He had a really great story going, and then Anderson went, "Shoot, I have to wrap this up fast!" and just wrote a pell-mell ending for Kyp.That has to be the only reason why Kyp was allowed to go scot-free with the murder of an entire system (the Carida system) and several other planets.Either that, or the New Republic is more corrupt than the Old Republic.
After these THREE threads are over, we STILL have to wrap up the Maw Installation, Moruth Doole, and the Daala threads!Good heavens, this book has more endings than The Return of the King.At least in that movie, they had a reason to end that way (it was like the book), and it all happened in the last half hour.Here, we wade through nearly a whole book of endings.I had that "done" feeling and then had to read more endings.It was tiring and hard to maintain momentum.
I love how this New Republic works too.Mon Mothma can just pass down her office to Leia.No vote, no line of succession, nothing.Why did was the New Republic created again?To give people freedom, right?So why can't the people vote on their Chief of State?Heck, when Obama was elected, they had a whole special election for the Senator of Illinois!Another questionable aspect of the New Republic: Leia at one point "reasons, cajoles, and shames" people into letting Luke deal with Kyp.And how is the New Republic different than the Empire?Oh, right, the Republic is freedom--freedom for the Skywalkers and Solos, that is.Must be why Kyp Durron can murder an entire world and get a slap on the wrist.

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Tame to none.
Ditto.
Big space battle explosions, people die, it's Star Wars.

Overall:
Anderson had some amazing ideas.The Jedi Academy.The Maw Installation.Heck, even Daala being Tarkin's lover and Leia becoming Chief of State.But ultimately, I think he failed in one big way: in tying all these ends together in a cohesive story.This book felt like one long ending after another.Finish if you must, but I don't think it's all that critical.

Brought to you by:
*C.S. Light*

Trilogy's End.
This is the exciting conclusion to the Jedi Academy trilogy.Anderson finishes strong and wraps up all the storylines.This trilogy sets up plenty of the future Star Wars novels and is a must read for Star Wars fans.

The end of a great trilogy
The final entry in my favorite Star Wars series, Champions of the Force is highly recommended to all Star Wars fans.

The ONLY caution I can offer is to be sure that you read this trilogy in order, lest certain spoilers take some of the enjoyment out of the experience.

If you read this, you won't be disappointed. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (161)

Put the Authors in the Court-Arena
Why would you do this to such a great series of books? This is an awful finish to some of the greatest sci-fi ever written. I blame Kevin J. for this one: all of his books are written on the fourth-grade level (I, fake Jedi, anyone?). What a waste of paper. You guys really dropped the ball on this one. I could have written a better Dune novel.

A Joke
If they were brave enough, Brian Herbert and his partner would publish Frank Herbert's original notes, and show what was theirs and what has his.

*** Spoiler***
Because I cannot believe that the ultimate enemy was the main character from their prequel, 20 years after his death.Really?
*** Spoiler***

I tried to read the two books.But after 100 pages of skimming the first one, I just read the synopses online and I was floored.I mean, beyond words.This is far worse than the travesties of both the Star Wars movies, and the Lord of the Rings movies.Just way beyond the pale.The story was a joke, and I won't even get into the writing.I would say these were extremely lightly based on the original notes/outlines.Just terrible.

Getting worse
Herbert (Brian) and Anderson and getting worse. Thanks to you I won't buy any more dune prequels and interquels.

The Dune saga started with Dune and ended with Chaperthouse Dune.

Great End to the Series
This book and series is much, much better than almost all the later Frank Herbert DUNE novels. It's a great conclusion to the story - exciting, intelligent and moving. The people who are only giving it one or two stars are out of their minds!

Badly written
I finished this book only because there was enough of a story to make me want to find out what happened. The writing is filled with old cliched phrases and is often repetitive. Poor writing aside, the story arc is interesting and fits within the original series. However, it is unfortunate that the storytelling skills of this team does not come close to comparing to Frank Herbert's masterpieces. ... Read more

Product Description
The thrilling conclusion to Kevin Anderson and Rebecca Moesta's Crystal Door's trilogy finds cousins Gwen and Vic and their three friends forging the magical Ring of Might and defending all of the worlds beyond the crystal doors in their final battle with the dark sage, Azric. When their friend Sharif is called back home by his father, the Sultan, Gwen, Vic and their friends travel to the flying city of Irrakesh. When they return, they find that the Sultan is dying, with Sharif the next in line to be Sultan. Soon he will have to choose between duty and destiny, but before he can do so, Irrakesh is attacked and the city is taken hostage by dark wizards evil army. In their previous battles, they faced Azric by land and sea, now they take to the skies for the climactic showdown with the evil wizard and all of his dark forces. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Ok, I admit - I loved it
I have no shame in saying that I, an adult, loved this series.Wonderfully rich characters that I ended up caring very deeply for. There are a couple of character who are tragically predictable, but the story itself is a good read for anyone. When I finished this book (the third in the series), it left me wanting more.

Crystal Doors, #3
My son just LOVED reading all three books in this series.They were very exciting, kept his attention, and left him wanting more!I am thankful we were able to get the last two before Christmas.They were great gifts! ... Read more

Product Description
A novel based on the Emmy Award-winning television series created by Chris Carter.

When a disease-ravaged body is found in the smoldering ruins of the federally funded DyMar genetic research lab, Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully fear that a deadly, man-made plague is on the loose.As the FBI agents investigating the "X-Files" -- cases the bureau has deemed unsolvable -- Mulder and Scully pursue the truth wherever it leads, even into the labyrinthine corridors of the FBI... and beyond.

Racing to contain the lethal virus before it can spread, Mulder and Scully make a chilling discovery.Before his death, Dr. David Kennessy, a hotshot cancer researcher at DyMar, had been experimenting with a promising but highly dangerous technology: microscopic bio-machines that can cure any disease, heal any wound.In theory, this research could be a miracle cure, perhaps even a doorway to immortality.It was also the only way Dr. Kennessy could save his leukemia-stricken son.

But when a second corpse turns up, savagely mutilated from within, it's anything but theoretical. Could machines created to cure have learned to kill? Scrambling for answers, Mulder and Scully are opposed at every step by faceless enemies with all the resources of the government -- even perhaps of their own agency -- at their command. Enemies who will stop at nothing to ensure that the secret of immortality falls in the right hands -- their hands.

As sinister forces close in, Scully fights to save the life of an innocent boy while Mulder comes face to face with a crazed and desperate man. A man whose slightest touch brings agonizing death -- and perhaps a resurrection more horrible still. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (71)

Great X-Files Story!
This is what I expect when I want to read about the X-Files.

Mulder and Scully were their usual dry yet witty selves but never lost track of their investigation or what their overall goals were.Mulder had his usual minor paranoia and over active imagination, Scully had her logical and medical approach to everything that happened and together they mixed very well.

The story was entertaining, not too long and the supporting characters were well written.The disease they were fighting was interesting and the backstory was one we had heard before.A group of people researching a cure to cancer finds something that could be used for great good or great evil and we're all in danger if it gets unleashed upon the world.

It's worth your time and money to pick this one up if you're a fan of the X-Files.

Not bad, but derivative and poorly written in spots
In Antibodies, Mulder and Scully are investigating a strange death at a burnt out cancer research facility. A man who it was thought had died in the fire is actually alive because he injected himself with nanomachines which were created in the lab. But the version he injected himself with is unstable and has made him infectious to anyone he touches. The man is searching for a young boy and the boy's dog who has the stable version of the cure in his bloodstream.

Antibodies is an ok X Files story. As with Ground Zero, the characters of Mulder and Scully are not represented very well. The plot hinges on nanotechnology which has been used as a plot device everywhere from Star Trek the Next Generation to Mystery Science Theater 3000. I generally find Anderson to be a good writer but Antibodies is forced at places. There are too many metaphors and similes used throughout and besides the sheer number of them, some of them are truly awful. I got some enjoyment out of Antibodies but it's not the most original or well written book.

Awesome Summer Read
Wow! I really like science fiction shows and if you like them too then I would greatly recommend this book. Antibodies is a sci-fi book filled with action, adventure, and excitement. This book is one of the best books I have ever read.

Once you start reading you can't stop. Yes, it is that good. Mulder and Scully are on the case again. Recently the Dymar lab for cancer research has burned down to the ground by animal rights group that seems to not have existed. When the rubble was cleared, all but one of the researchers' bodies was found. What were they really researching in Dymar? Is the government trying to cover it up? Read this awesome book!

Boy, I miss Mulder *sniff*
I can't even remember where I acquired this ABRIDGED auidobook but I just re-discovered it hidden way down in the bowels of the storage compartment in my vehicle while I was searching for a missing glove (which is, alas, still missing). It rates about a four for me for keeping me entertained while on my long drive to work. My drifty mind wandered only a few times.

The story reminds me very much of something Dean Koontz could've cooked up (I love the way the Koontz writes even when he gets over-the-top silly and meanders off into pages and pages of mind numbing description). This book is fast paced (this author apparently doesn't share Koontz's proclivity for longwindyness) and tells a story of a boy and his dog infected with a cancer, gun-shot wound, burnt to a crisp curing, form of nano-technology. Don't ask. My pea brain can't comprehend it. Anyway, one of the scientists who worked on this technology is also infected with these nano-critters. But he went and infected himself with the bad kind (duh!) and instead of fixing whatever ails him they make him break out with big tumorous lesions and whomever he touches dies of plague-like symptoms. Why? Ya got me. Plague-man is desperately searching for the boy and his dog because he believes their blood will cure him (boy, dog and their mom are hiding). Along the way he touches a few people and grossness occurs. Scully, Mulder and The Smoking Man make a few appearances but this story doesn't bring them to life in any exceptional way and it lacked Mulder's morbid sense of humor (the book would've rated much higher if these characters came alive a bit more). Overall it was interesting, a little icky and very sad at times reminding me of a classic X-Files episode without the Mulderisms.

Entertaining
The subject matter here more appropriately should reside in the realm of science fiction, but here we are, taking a technology that will someday help billions of people, and complicating it with conspiracies and paronoia. But what else would a person expect, as this is THE X FILES and a lot of rationality is out the door anyway: give the audience what they want, mind-numbing entertainment. Regardless of this, the novel here is nevertheless well worth reading as it introduces the new science of nanotechnology to many people who have never heard of it before. The story is actually very well done in spite of it's sensationalism and exaggerations, with Mulder and Scully investigating the explosive destruction of a cancer research lab under mysterious circumstances. The plot developes superbly from there and is quite good to the end. However, if you desire to learn more about nanotechnology and what it can mean to you personally, read THE FIRST IMMORTAL by James Halperin, this is informed and well-thought-out science fiction, probably eventually to become science-fact in the decades to come. ... Read more

Product Description
A hard-edged horror tale.For a shady filmmaker in the early days of Hollywood, it seems like a great opportunity when a disgraced samurai offers to commit Seppuku before the cameras.But the cameras are rolling. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Japanese Ghost Story in America
I'm a huge Kevin J. Anderson fan, a huge fan of Japanese, and a huge fan of silent films, so this story was right up my alley.

The story is about two film makers at the beginning of the film industry who capture the ritual suicide of a Japanese man on film for nickelodeon viewers. Such a scene of carnage had never been captured on film and shown to the public before. In Japanese mythology, spirits of those who died in terrible circumstances can haunt a place until they are satisfied, and in rare cases the spirits of the living can do the same. Needless to say, there is a restless spirit who isn't happy.

I really liked the story. The writing was good, the plot tight, and ending very satisfying. If you like a good ghost story, you'll like this one.

Free SF Reader
Samurai sooicide sacrifice screening shame slaughter.


3.5 out of 5 ... Read more

Product Description
The third volume of Kevin J. Anderson's Terra Incognita trilogy brings brave explorers and mortal enemies across the world to clash at a mysterious lost continent. After long voyages, encountering hurricanes and sea monsters, Criston Vora from Tierra and Saan of Uraba race to Terravitae, the legendary promised land. Saan's quest is to find the Key to Creation, a weapon that may defeat Uraba's enemies, and Criston wants vengeance against the monstrous Leviathan that ruined his life long ago.

Back home, two opposing continents and religions clash for the remnants of a sacred city, unleashing their hatred in a war that could end both civilizations. Queen Anjine and Soldan-Shah Omra are driven by mutual hatred, heaping atrocity upon atrocity in an escalating conflict that only their gods can end.

And the secretive Saedrans manipulate both sides, with the ultimate goal of completing the Map of All Things, which will cause God's return. ... Read more

Product Description
Suppose you could switch bodies with another person? What exciting new experiences would you choose to explore? What forbidden desires would you indulge? Suppose someone stole your life–how far would you go to get it back?

From New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson comes a pure adrenaline thriller of hijacked identities, elusive motives, and deeply buried secrets–a disturbing, thought-provoking excursion into a sleek, hedonistic society where nothing is your own...not even your soul.

Hopscotch

For a fee, Eduard Swan will swap bodies with people in distress–those facing surgeries, emotional crises, moments of unpleasantness or discomfort they can’t or would rather not deal with. Eduard will experience the suffering for them. It’s a lucrative business, and in a world in which no one is required to feel any pain, there is no end of clients. But someone doesn’t want to play by the rules. Someone doesn’t want to return his body. And, unfortunately for Eduard, that someone is one of the world’s most powerful men. Now Eduard has no choice but to steal back his life.

He has the perfect alibi–or so he thinks. For even in a world where you can hopscotch from body to body, you always leave a trail. And following that trail is a relentless dispenser of “justice” named Daragon, a childhood friend, now a zealous and ambitious agent of state security, who won’t let old friendships stand in the way of doing his duty.

When Eduard goes on the run, hounded at every turn by Daragon, his only hope is two other childhood friends: Garth, a tormented artist who gains success beyond his wildest dreams, only to discover the terrible price of fame; and Teresa, a spiritual seeker who risks losing her own body to a fanatical religious cult as she embarks on a harrowing quest to find her true identity.

Moving from underground hopscotch pleasure bars to the highest enclaves of power to a seamy underworld of illegal Phantoms, ancient minds who steal younger bodies in a quest for eternal life, Eduard and his friends seek the meaning of identity in a society in which appearances mean everything–and nothing–and where everything is relative...even murder.


From the Hardcover edition.Amazon.com Review
In Hopscotch, evolution has provided humankind with the ability to swap bodies. All this hopscotching creates a corrupt, decadent society where just about anything goes and immortality is just one more body swap away. Bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson follows four twentysomethings: Garth, a driven artist; Eduard, an unfocused roustabout; Teresa, a self-destructive seeker of spiritual solace; and Daragon, a driven G-man who alone is not blessed (or cursed) with the ability to hopscotch. The four make their way through a dizzying reality where only their close friendship can be taken at face value. Daragon's inability to hopscotch results in his knack for revealing the true person behind the face, no matter what the body, a skill that propels him to the top of the Bureau of Tracing and Locations--a many-tentacled organization dedicated to finding people in a world where looks are always deceiving. Daragon's meteoric rise brings his three friends under the omnipresent gaze of his mentor, the novel's antagonist Bureau chief Mordecai Orb--a looming nemesis whose influence eventually corrupts them all.

Anderson, the bestselling author of novels set in the Star Wars and X-File realms, as well as coauthor of Dune: House Corrino, ventures into new territory with this clever premise, which provides a multifaceted backdrop to his foursome's travails, though at times he wanders a little far afield, leaving behind two-dimensional characters whose simple motivations offer little for the reader to care about. --Jeremy Pugh ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

'Surrogates' Inspiration?
Kevin Anderson's book is obviously the inspiration for the graphic novel and movie, "Surrogates." This story follows four orphans who obtain employment selling their bodies to older, richer, and less healthy people.The people who purchase the bodies take over physically, as the two people involved switch brains, basically.However, not all is rosy and perfect in this world, as one of the orphans is accused of a murder that one of the 'body-renters' commits while using the orphan's body.

A well-paced and intriguing tale, and a must for anyone who enjoyed the movie "Surrogates."

It's your basic Kevin Anderson novel
At some point in the future humans learn how to swap bodies with one another, and very few people lack this ability.Sometimes, however, someone will swap with someone else who decides that they don't want to swap back.Against this backdrop, we find five friends who were raised together at an orphanage by monks, and we see how far they are willing to go for one another, blah, blah, blah, blah.The main core of three include an artist, a guy who swaps his body for money with people having surgery or other unpleasant ordeals, and a girl on a major quest to "find herself."The decription of the plot beyond that on the book jacket is inaccurate, by the way.
I enjoyed the book well enough, but I approached it specifically as a Kevin Anderson book: not particularly deep but engaging enough.He didn't explain the mechanics of swapping, and I can get over that, but there are so many other things he could have done with the whole concept of swapping bodies, both logistically and ethically.The characters were endearing enough, though they were essentially walking, talking sterotypes (broad strokes, broad strokes).But I was entertained, and for that I give it 3 stars.

Interesting Premise, Poor Execution
Author Kevin J. Anderson has a long-standing interest in issues of identity and body-image -- witness his "Resurrection Inc." from several years ago. In this book he postulates a "what if" involving the ability to move personalities from body to body.In a more thoughtful treatment this could have been a philosophical exploration of packaging vs. contents, of what makes us who we are (nature vs. nurture), or even an exploration of the differences between the sexes, or between the generations, or between races.

Instead what we get is a longwinded detective novel with "hopscotching" as a mere backdrop.There are a lot of major plot holes and untidy ends (such as any explanation of hopscotching itself) and when the author writes himself into a pickle he's not above creating new characters, new powers or new conditions to pull himself out.The story is not only sloppily-plotted, the writing is wooden, with stilted dialog andunconvincing characters.As other reviewers have noted, the passage of time is jerky and off-putting, and the book's 1950s morality is loudly anachronistic.

I hate to say it, but Anderson's involvement writing series novels for Star Wars, X-Files and Dune does not seem to have instilled good discipline.

Thought Provoking but.....
I greatly enjoyed the complexity of "What if we could swap bodies" in the book.However, parts of it were disjointed and lacked flow.Specifically, many of the smaller sub plots did not with the main story.

The timeline could have been developed better.All of the sudden the story would be a month (or year) ahead without describing what had transpired.

The people in the book often swap bodies.Sometimes it takes place as no big deal with no concern from anyone.Other times, it's an issue of not having legal contracts, etc. and the author doesn't clarify why it is sometimes so serious and of grave concern and other times it is no big deal - something you meet at the bar to accomplish.

I give the author's writing a 3 but the story a 5.Overall, a 4.

Hopscotch is 40 years old, but that's not necessarily bad.
Science Fiction in the 50's and 60s - like most other fiction in the US - was discrete about sex, to say the least. Thomas Bowdler would have found little to expurgate. And that's exactly what struck me the most about Hopscotch. Not its characters or plot (more about that later), but that it is so eminently a 1960s novel. Hopscotch could have extended and completed the work Heinlein tried to do (and failed to do, I think) with "I will fear no evil." But it didn't.

Sex is important. It divides the human race in two, and each half is somewhat alien to the other. Anderson left a dark veil obscuring this difference. There are a few obligatory sex scenes, but nothing that really delves into the difference between man and woman during them. Perhaps that was Anderson's intent, but it leaves a book that will provoke far less honest discussion than it otherwise would have.

It could be that in a world where you can swap your body with another, everyone is so used to it that they slip on others' bodies like clothes from a closet. I have a feeling it wouldn't be quite that simple. Every closet has clothes that don't fit anymore, and every body has reflexes that your mind accepts naturally. When danger is coming, do you jump left or right? Everyone has a primary preference, and these are often reenforced at an early age. What if your body jumps left when your mind subconsciouly expects a jump to the right? And how do you adjust to different weight distributions between the sexes? Sadly, most of the body adaptation area is missing from the book.

Probably the best parts of the book are Anderson's descriptions of Garth's art, and the reaction of those who see it. I couldn't picture the exhibits or pictures in my mind, but I could picture the reaction of those coming out of the exhibits. That's a perfectly valid tool in a novel.

Less perfect are the characters. They just don't jell. They do things, you say "uh-huh," and go on reading. Characters in most novels much face difficulties and react to them. If the characters are fully drawn, the reader will understand - or at least accept - these changes. Changes in Hopscotch do occur, but I never felt comfortable that they were not doing so via the hidden hand of an author trying to keep a story moving along.

Hopscotch is OK, but it never truely condenses into the fine granularity that makes a novel memorable. It's not a bad book for the beach or some other idle time, but it's not worth buying until the paperback comes out. You will like the story better if you approach it with lowered expectations. You will like it least if your expectations are higher. ... Read more

Product Description
As American and Russian astronauts take their positions aboard the shuttle Atlantis, terrorists seize the Kennedy Space Center and threaten to blow up the shuttle if their demands are not met, and it is up to the mission's injured former commander to stop them. 35,000 first printing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

Horrendous
This book was extremely badly written. The characters all have a big ego and the worst dialogue. The plot seems interesting at first but becomes an even-worse-than-B-movie plot. I hoped it would be good because I'm a huge K.J. Anderson fan but this was horrible (right next to Ai! Pedrito!). Hopefully both of these terrible novels were because Anderson wasn't working alone.

Instead I highly recommend Hopscotch and Captain Nemo, both by Anderson.

Highly enjoyable "Die Hard" formula
I agree with another reviewer that when I got into this book, I could easily see Bruce Willis taking another stab at the "Die Hard" formula in this one--but getting it right again (after that third movie flopped). One man against an army of terrorists who hold several hostages, including the man's love interest...sound familiar? Well, it works anyway. This is a fast-paced book that never really slows down once it gets started. Its breathless pace will keep your interest until the end. No, there aren't many surprises here, but the fact that the hero has a broken foot is an interesting twist.

There are a few "Oh, come on" moments in here where the hero ignores the obvious solution to a problem and goes for the grand-stand play, but if you can overlook those, you get a great story. Despite its weak points, this is an interesting story and worth the time to read it. Recommended.

Blastoff!
Kevin J. Anderson and Doug Beason struck gold when the wrote the action-packed book, Ignition. Terrorists take control of the space shuttle, Atlantis, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Join Col. Adam "Iceberg" Friese, Nicole "Panther" Hunter, and other fun characters in their quest to save the shuttle and it's crew from being blown up by the terrorists. This task would be a lot easier for "Iceberg" if he wasn't alone and didn't have a broken foot.

Cotton Candy- nice, but no depth
The plot- well, you have your usual bunch of bad terrorists, two from France, an Australian, plus other red shirt wearers who get killed in no time at all, led by a slimey leader. You have the good guys, led by "Iceburg", his nerdy brother, and his ex girl friend. Iceburg has a broken foot. The leader of the hostages is pain, and argues with Iceburg. Iceburg has to rescue his girlfriend. He does that by stealing a chopper. Its cliche city in other words. You name the stereo type, plot device seen in any number of action movies and books and it is here.

Having said all that, you will probably enjoy the read. Its face paced, frantic, and has even a few one liners that will make you laugh out loud. The characters have no depth at all, but who cares, this is an action thriller, not war and peace. And if you do want fast paced, exciting action, this is a great book for it.

You will probably enjoy this one, gentle reader, but take it for what it is- a few hours of light entertainment ( i read it in three days, and that was for a few hours a day), that will be put on your shelf and probably not touched again.

Grade: C

Exciting story - fast paced continiuous action
This is a book with action on every page. I couldn't put it down and was forced to stay up late to finish it. The only weakness is that the lead character's broken foot would not permit him to do the things he does. But that aside, the story is exciting, the reading is easy, and this is definitely a book to read and enjoy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Conclusión de la Saga de Dune
Este libro escrito por Brian Herbert y Kevin J. Anderson, es el 8vo libro de la serie de Dune iniciada por Frank Herbert. Los libros escritos por Frank Herbert son una saga de ciencia ficción que nos traslada al planeta Dune y la lucha por la especia, se leen de la siguiente manera:
Forman una misma historia
- Dune
- El Mesias de Dune
- Los Hijos de Dune
3000 años despues:
- Dios Emperador de Dune
1000 años despues:
- Herejes de Dune
- Casa Capitular Dune
Cuando Frank Herbert fallecio, dejo la historia incompleta, dice Brian Herbert, que su padre habia dejado anotaciones de la conclusión de su saga y que con estas anotaciones se hicieron los 2 siguientes libros:
- Cazadores de Dune
- Gusanos de Arena de Dune
Como opinión, lei este libro en ingles y recien lo voy a leer en castellano, me gusto, aunque hay cosas que no creo haya escrito Frank Herbert, ya que si lo hubiera hecho, su introducción apareceria mucho antes en sus libros. Hay otras que si, se nota que fueron ideas del escritor original, ya que coinciden con premisas que se vieron en sus libros. En conclusión, recomiendo para todo aquel que haya leido la saga completa de Frank Herbert, leer estos 2 libros. ... Read more

Product Description
With a new generation of Dark Jedi being trained at the Shadow Academy, Luke Skywalker decides that it is time for the young Jedi Knights of the New Republic to build their lightsabers, a task that brings both a growth in the power of the Force and deadly peril. Original. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (61)

Full of character growth
One of the early books of the Young Jedi Knights series, this book establishes important facts and events in the character's lives, which will have repercussions for decades to come and are still playing an important role in the new Star Wars books of 2009.

Recommended for all Star Wars fans.

Relationship Relay...
There are a couple of really strong relationships going on in this book. Tenel Ka and Jacen (Naw Durr.) and, even if they don't know it, Zekk and Jaina. Tenel Ka starts to relize that she likes Jacen after he cut off her arm, and Jacen has already felt that way towards her. And Jacen is really scared that Tenel Ka will hate him for the accident he thinks he caused, when they both had equal measures of blame. And Jaina and Zekk's thoughts continually swirl around each other, moreso Zekk than little ms independent. Jaina and I are a lot alike, so I have an easier time seeing things in the story from her point of view. Which is probably why I liked 'Dark Journey' in the NJO series so much. Anyway, READ THIS BOOK!

Great Installment
Luke has decided its time for Jaina, Jacen, Tenel Ka, and Lowie to be trained with a lightsabre. Jacen and Jaina are a little cautious about taking up taking up a lightsabre after their experiences at Shadow Academy. Tenel Ka staying true to her charactor still prefers to rely on her phyiscal strength instead of the Force and ends up putting together her lightsabre too fast and rather recklessly.During a dueling practice with Jacen it comes back to haunt her and she's seriously injured. Uncertain if she wants to contiune her Jedi lessons Tenel Ka returns home to Hapes. Jacen, Jaina and Lowie go to Hapes to try and cheer her up and there's an assisination attempted on her grandmother. The Jedi must find out who is out to kill her grandmother. Once again another great story. Full of adventure, charactors that well fleshed out and each of them uniquely and wonderful.

Awesome
This is definatly my favorite book in the series. Its awesome to see how they build their lightsabers. It also is the most interesting! I loved it!!!!!

Good, but not the best of the series.
This was a good book, but I enjoyed the first three in the series more. I have liked reading this series now instead of when they first came out. I enjoy reading the early stories of the new generation of Jedi Knights. If you can find this book it is worth your time, especially if you enjoyed The New Jedi Order series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (100)

Lots of back stories!!!
This book is very good. Five short stories providing the backstories of the galaxies most notorious bounty hunters. The best is the Boba Fett backstory!

Awesome book!!!
Best background you could ask for to inform a "Star Wars" buff of the Bounty Hunters...

Tales of the Bounty Hunter's
Despite what I am about to write, I found this book fun to read.It is nice to read short stories that don't take up much of your time.The following is what I thought of the book's stories.

1) IG-88.Like many have said, this story starts off great.I think it does a good job of coming up with why a droid would want to be a bounty hunter.It also comes up with a potentially real situation that could develop in this droids existence.And though the death star part was tacky, it is not unimpossible to imagine a droid doing something like that with the world of computer viruses being very real.

2) Dengar.This story started off very slowly for me.I didn't need the personal hatered felt for Han Solo.But eventually the story becomes enjoyable as Dengar figures out more about himself.I do give credit for creating a real character out of him.

3) Bossk:A lot of people seemed to have problems with this story.I enjoyed it.I liked the wookie bounty hunter and his side kick and it was interesting wondering if they would survive or not.I would say that my only real problem with it was that it didn't come off as a story about Bossk.Not in the way that the other stories were actually about their bounty hunter(s).This was more like a story about the wookie and the side kick.This may have been my 2nd favorite based on the speed in which I finished it.

4) 4-Lom and Zuckuss:This may have been my favorite, which was a surprise since I figured the characters would be lame.I really liked the character development and I didn't expect it to end the way it did.Some say it was too "happy ending" like but this is in reference to a Force vision and as any Star Wars fan should know, visions aren't set in stone.

5) Boba Fett:This was clearly my least favorite story of the group.This isn't the Boba Fett I have read about (in writing before or since the prequels).He should be all about the credits & the job, he shouldn't be interested in justifying his career choices.Once again I was annoyed by the use of Han Solo.I do give it some leniance though because he and Boba Fett are supposed to be connected in the minds of many fans.The best part of the story involved the non-Han Solo element and that was maybe 15 pages.

A Very Good Read
This is a very good book. It expanded on some of the storys of all of the bounty hunters seen in "The Empire Strikes Back" so I would recommend it to any Star Wars fan.

One of the best Star Wars books out there
Tales of the Bounty Hunters is an amazing collection of stories, which will tell you tales of meditating droids, the locating of the rebel camp after they fled Hoth, and how Boba Fett survived the Sarlaac.

HIGHLY recommended to all Star Wars fans. ... Read more

Product Description
A collaboration is a close synergy between two creative artists, where one idea is a catalyst for another, and another.But when two people join their minds to create virtual universes, the artwork is so vast they begin to lose their own identities. ... Read more

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Just as the Joan of Arc killer--a rapist who burns his victims before murdering them--is murdering her, Rebecca Tamerlane finds her soul snatched by a group of shapeshifters, who transform it into the likeness of her killer. ... Read more

Product Description

Fourteen-year-old cousins Gwen and Vic are still celebrating their victory in the battle with the merlons when they learn that Vic's father has finally made it through the crystal doors to the magical island of Elantya.However, their victory is short-lived when they and their friends are kidnapped by their underwater enemies and taken beneath the sea they soon learn of a scheme that could bring Elantya to ruins.Can they escape in time to save the island from destruction?

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Customer Reviews (2)

my daughter couldn't put it down!
I ordered this book for my daughter, who is into the whole Crystal Doors series.She honestly read it through and couldn't put the book down.She loved it and wanted me to order her the next (future) book in the series.I wish she could get as interested in the literature classics as she has been in this series.We have a whole bookshelf of classics in our library that she isn't interested in reading.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Cousins Gwen and Vic Pierce, the protagonists from Crystal Doors #1: Island Realm (Crystal Doors), are back in this exciting follow-up, along with some of the other great characters we came to know and love in the first book:Uncle Cap, Ali el Sharif, Tiaret, Lyssandra, and even the wonderful djinni, Piri.

The magic of the world of Elantya is also back, along with the Citadel, Sharif's magic carpet, Tiaret's warrior skills, Lyssandra's telepathic and interpreting abilities, and the natural curiosity of Gwen and Vic.Unfortunately, that also means that the bad guys from the first book, most noticeably the merlons and their king, Barak, have also returned.

Uncle Cap (Gwen's uncle and Vic's father) has made it through the crystal doors and finally arrived on Elantya.But even before a happy reunion can happen, the merlons kidnap Gwen and Vic, none too happy about the last skirmish that took place.This time, their plans are even greater:they're hoping for total destruction of the Elantyan world and, quite possibly, the crystal doors themselves.

The twins will have to use all of their knowledge and wits to keep this from happening.Thankfully, they also have their close friends to rely on, as well as some new allies.It's not going to be an easy feat, but somehow they must defeat King Barak, Orpheon, and Azric's immortals.

The climax of OCEAN REALM is a fantasy-lover's dream, with action-packed scenes that will have you flipping pages as quickly as you can.Readers of the first two books in the series will be eagerly anticipating the third, Crystal Doors #3: Sky Realm (Crystal Doors), set to be released in June 2008.

Reviewed by:Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
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Product Description
The Gamearth Trilogy continues.It was written in the Rules—Save the World!Over the past two years, a group of four players had given so much to their role-playing world that it had developed a magic of its own.The creatures, warriors, sorcerers, thieves—all had come alive.And now there is an odd connection between the gamers and their characters, splitting into factions to determine the fate of the Game itself and both the inside and the outside worlds. ... Read more

Product Description
A lavish pop-up book brings readers to the hip-hop Mos Eisley Cantina on the planet Tatooine, where bounty hunters, scam artists, fugitives, and spies gather together, and a final spread features lights, gunfire, and cantina music. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Don't Bother
The book is very misleading. On the outside it appears to have several pages of popups, but on opening the book, there are several illustrations, but only one popup scene of the entire cantina. The author should have given the reader several diffirent popup scenes. ... Read more