Product Description
This is a novel of Healers in wartime, in which a unit of medics struggles against the worst possible circumstances to save lives as the Clone Wars rage around them. It has a special appearance by Jedi Padawan Barriss Offee, who will gain her knighthood. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Quintessential Fantasy
As far as dramatics go, this novel is awesome, with a sustained climax of a hundred fifty pages of exotic settings and danger.It takes place in a world destroyed and recreated in cataclysm, where land masses are asteroids floating and orbiting in an abyss filled with breathable air and unpredictable weather.

For me, this is the highest high fantasy I ever read.Why?Because of the beautiful language.It's not like I have an English degree or anything, but I play the Magic the Gathering card game.I kept seeing obscure fantasy words that appear on magic cards... stuff like azoic, sedge, tor, odylic, and autochthonic.This simply reinforced everything together in a united whole.Having one of the main antagonists be the demonic Lord of Snakes, Demogorgon (reminded me of Demigorgon from the original AD&D supplement 'Deities and Demigods'), simply added to this total experience.Is there a prestige class for cloakfighters yet?

Anyway, as much as I loved that stuff, I could not stand a small part of it.One main character is a thief named Beorn, who can turn into a bear.For the first fifty pages, all I could think of everytime I saw that name was Gandalf and Bilbo getting fat on honey while staying at Beorn's house during winter after coming back triumphantly from slaying Smaug in Tolkien's "The Hobbit."

If you like unique and strange fantasy realms, do yourself a favor and buy this book.

The only thing "epic" about it is all the 75 cent words
Uninspired and dull. In an attempt to create a new world the author leads us to a realm that is not fleshed out or properly described. For example, the wizards use spells with names that were meaningless, like "Burnham's Incantation of Evanescence". There simply wasn't enough context to enjoy the more fantastical aspects.

The characters too were lifeless and boring. Let's see, how bout a "super thief" with a troubled past, a mighty magician filled with self-doubt, a slutty, power-hungry wizardess, and a wizard in training with unlimited power that must be controlled...how clever and original...NOT! None of the protagonists are worth rooting for.

Then there is the lack of a decent antagonist (is it the cult of the "one god"? the demons of Xoth?, the magician's cabal?) Who cares. The adventurers leap from fragment of land to another just as the story leaps from plot fragment to plot fragment.

And lastly is the graduate reading level required. I was picking up a dictionary as much as reading the book, and I have a PhD! I mean come on, not everybody is an english major so lay off the fancy words, they only detracted from the already spurious and obtuse plot.

Got my copy for 50 cents, paid too much. Avoid unless you are otherwise required to read this one. There is a lot of good fantasy fiction in the world, spend your time on that.

Excellent Book!
This is a really good book.It has been almost 20 years since I read it, and it has remained one of my favorites.I enjoyed it so much I told my kids stories from the book when they were younger.I just bought "Shattered World" and "Burning Realm" again for my kids since they are now old enough, and I plan to read them again myself.

The Tomb of the Necromancer
The Shattered World is the first novel in a duology, followed by The Burning Realm."There was once a beautiful world of green and gentle continents ...Shining cities were built by the hand of man, and empires rose and fell.In measureless caverns beneath the ground, an inhuman race known as the Chtons ... pursued their own ways ... the world was shattered by a cataclysm that sent the fragments spinning into the void ...A cabal of sorcerers ... provided an envelope of air ... and created runestones ... that provided weightfuness on the surfaces of the fragnents and kept them orbiting each other ... "

In this novel, the thief Beron is caught with the stolen goods on him, found guilty, and remanded to the custody of Ardatha Demonhand for punishment.She informs him that the trial was really a ruse, for she wants him to steal a talisman from Pandrogas, the master of Darkhaven.In return, Ardatha promises to remove the curse from him that forces him to occasionally shapechange into a bear.Unknown to him, the talisman is the runestone for Darkhaven and it is being stolen for the Circle, of which she is a member.

Marquis Tahrynyar has fled to Darkhaven with his wife Amber after an assassination attempt by his enemies.He has been on Darkhaven for a year and during that time Amber has begun to love Pandrogas.While he is not happy about the affair, Tahrynyar owes his life to Pandrogas, who rescued him from the Demogorgon, the ruler of all Chtons, after his ill-advised reading from the Red Grimoire.

This story is a quest for the lost runestone.Pandrogas also searches for the magic of the Necromancer, while Amber comes to realize that she too is capable of magic.

Recommended for Reaves fans and anyone else who enjoys tales of sorcery and intrigue.

A Surprise.
It isn't a well kbown book , actually I only know of me and my brothers having read the book book when I showed it to them they gave me a frown at first and took a lot of convincing to make them read it but once they read it they loved it just like me. The world is richly pictured and very cohesive. The characters are not so well thought out except the thief and his lycanthrope problem, he is a truly 3 dimensional character and you love him from the start.So do give this book a chance it will surprise you ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Still Remember It!
I read this book a long time ago but I could never remember the title until I saw the cover art. This was a wonderful book and a good introduction to the SF genre for a then teenager. I highly recommend it for any up and coming young readers or older ones who want an enjoyable read.

Dome.
I Googled the crap out of this book and couldn't find anything. I had forgotten the author, but visuals of this book haunted me while practicing creative writing. I found this book at a second hand store when I was twelve and was very intrigued, as Star Wars and Star Trek were the only main-stream Sci-Fi my sheltered childhood allowed. (of course this book doesn't quite compare to the Original Star Wars Trilogies) Definitely, a good read all the way through...recommended! (not only because I'm being nostalgic)

Making Waves
This book was a very pleasant suprise for me. I am not going to rave about it and compare it to Dune or other science fiction classics, but if you are looking for a decent underwater adventure with oodles of good ideas and excellent character development then snatch up a copy of DOME-(if you can find one).The plot moves very quickly and their is enough action to easily sustain this novel-and their are a lot of books out there I have spent more money on and enjoyed less-well worth the price of admission. ... Read more

Product Description
Not long before the events of The Phantom Menace, the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, is meeting via hologram with the Neimoidian Viceroy, Nute Gunray, and his seconds in command. But something is wrong: Where there are three Neimoidians, there should be a fourth. Where is he? No one knows. Angry and suspicious, sure that the fourth Neimoidian, Hath Monchar, is out there blabbing Darth Sidious' secrets, Sidious sends his apprentice, Darth Maul, out to investigate. His mission: Find and kill Hath Monchar. Then figure out whom Monchar might have spoken with, and kill them, too. Lorn Pavan is an information broker, who makes his living finding information and selling it to the highest bidder. When the Neimoidian, Hath Monchar, shows up with a very interesting holocron with information about an actual, living - and evil-plotting - Sith Lord, Lorn knows he's got something really hot. So when Monchar is murdered, Lorn manages to get his hands on the holocron anyway. His motives are anything but noble. Darsha Assant is a Jedi Padawan.She and Lorn find themselves thrown together unexpectedly, and when they realize that it is a Sith Lord on their trail, they realize that they must somehow get the holocron to the Jedi Council. But Darth Maul is too good a tracker. What's more, he's never failed his Master, Darth Sidious, and he doesn't intend to this time, either... ... Read more

Product Description
Skeptical of magic in general, San Francisco street kid Danny finds his skepticism waning when he encounters a Scatterling--one of the elves trapped in the mortal realms when the Queen of Fairie locked the gates of her land. Original. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Elves in San Francisco, with a twist
Street Magic is the first novel in a series of urban fantasies based on different magic traditions, but with a twist.Moreover, these stories are all hard-boiled mysteries.This novel invokes the tradition of Tir Nan Og, the land of the Irish Faery.

Scott Russell is an unemployed detective agency operative in San Francisco who has been hired by an old college chum, Ed Thayer, to find his runaway son, Danny.however, Danny has absolutely no desire to return to his father;he only wants who wants to go home to Fairyland.His wishes seem to be coming true when he meets a young woman, Robin, with pointed ears and the ability to use glamour to conceal or disguise herself and others.

Robin is a scatterling, a drifter from Tir Nan Og, who moves in and out of the human's world as the mood strikes her.However, she and her fellow scatterlings can no longer cross back to Tir Nan Og without the assistance of a Full Blooded Sidhe.When Danny sees through her glamour, she begins to think that he is a Full Blooded changling, a Keymaster, and her ticket home if only he can remember how to open the gallitrap.

Scott is assisted in the case by Liz Gallegher, a reporter on the Midnight Star, who is tired of making up crazy articles and wants to properly investigate a real story for a change.They are greatly helped in their efforts by a fantasy novel, The City Under the Hill, which tells of the restrictions placed on the gallitraps between Tir Nan Og and the world of humans.

Recommended for Reaves fans and anyone who enjoys a good fairy tale with a different ending.

-Arthur W. Jordin

A wonderful combination of reality and fantasy...
This wonderful book, set in the city San Francisco, is of excitingadventure with a run-away teenage boy, and many other characters that youlearn about through out the book, the whole thing is almost directed likefrom a movie point of view. Great book, wonderful for young-adults, though,yes there's profanity in it... but, it's only neccessary for details...READ IT!

Freak Kirkus P. Associates - this book rocks!
I found this book a few years ago in the library.I read it.I LOVED it.And then, like a good library person I turned it in, thinking that I would be able to read it again some day.The brilliant colors of its imagery are still emblazoned on my mind many years later.Unforunately, the next person to check out the book did not feel obligated to return it at all, the library never purchased another copy, and now it has gone out of print.If I could get my hands on a copy of this book today I would snatch it up soooooooo fast.....Be warned, however, that it has extensive profanity.Wouldn't want anybody to be offended. = ) ... Read more

Product Description
A MAN. A DEMON. AN ANGEL.
WILL THEY SAVE THE WORLD . . .
OR DESTROY IT?

In a Greenwich Village townhouse, a mysterious man named Colin, an orphan raised by sorcerers skilled in dark magic, awakens to find the talisman known as the Trine missing from its place of safekeeping--and an angel named Zoel impatiently ringing his doorbell.

In the death chamber of the Oregon Federal Penitentiary, Liz Russell, author of a bestseller on the serial killer called the Maneater, watches her subject receive the lethal injection that will end his life. But the Maneater has sworn that she will be his next victim--even if he has to claw his way up from Hell.

And in an Alabama backwoods clinic, a young girl gives birth to something monstrous and unholy, something that thirsts not for mother's milk, but for the blood of all that lives . . .

Now it's up to Colin, with the assistance of Zoel and the demon Asdeon-- aiding Colin for his own sinister purposes--to recover the Trine before its awesome power can be used to spark Armageddon. It's a struggle that Liz will find herself part of as well, whether she likes it or not. The only trouble is, without the Trine, Colin's magic is no match for that of his enigmatic adversary. And Zoel can be trusted no more than Asdeon to avert an apocalypse that may be as much God's plan as the Devil's desire. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Light versus demonic Darkness at the Millennium
"Babylon is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit." (Revelations)

Perhaps it was the advent of the new Millennium that inspired so many fantasies with Babylonian demons, but I've read three in the past year including "Hell on Earth."I think Michael Reaves originally wrote this book with Millennarians as a target audience, since it makes isolated references to Armageddon. However, if that was the original theme, it has been transformed into a generic (or perhaps I should say gnostic) battle of sublime Light versus demonic Darkness.

"Hell on Earth" is the type of professionally crafted fantasy that we've come to expect from Del Rey.The reader is subjected to more cliff-hangers than Pauline in all of her perils, and Pauline's exclamations of horror and disgust have been thoroughly modernized.The action never stops from the birth of a demon and the loss of a magical talisman, to the epilogue when a famous ball descends in Times Square.

Even though the author makes several biblical references, "Hell on Earth" is not at all preachy.Humorous and inventive touches abound, including a demon that likes to masquerade as Humphrey Bogart.The three major human characters are Colin the magician, Liz the author of a best-seller about a serial killer called `The Maneater,' and Terry, ex-Army Ranger and current bodyguard.They are all likeable, vulnerable, feisty, and willing to fight for the Right Side in the battle against evil.Although all three are battling current dilemmas, the reader is also treated to lengthy flashbacks---so lengthy that I began to wonder if there was a prequel to "Hell on Earth" that I had somehow missed.The book drops definite hints about a sequel:

"He [Colin] had to find out. If there was even the faintest chance of Lilith [a character seen only in Colin's flashbacks] still being alive, he would do whatever it took to find out.Even if it meant going back to the one place on Earth he had sworn never to set foot in again."

Michael Reeves has also written "Darth Maul Shadow Hunter," which was spun off from a movie.His "Hell on Earth" is a book that could head in the opposite direction and end up on film.It's got snappy dialogue (especially between Zoel the angel and the Humphrey Bogart demon), strong visuals, likeable characters, lots of action, and a plot that easy to follow.The flashbacks that slow down the book's momentum would probably be shortened, eliminated, or treated as part of the current action if "Hell" goes to the movies.

Suggestion:if this book gives you an appetite for Babylonian demons, try Jonathan Aycliffe's "The Talisman."His demon, Shabbatil (Lord of the Flies) is totally horrific and has no sense of humor at all.

Generic Horror wannabe
The title and synopsis was enough to make me pick this book up on a slow day, but I quickly discovered that they had little to do with the actual story within.To begin with, the writing style itself is very amateurish, written by someone more focused on the visual medium of TV or film than the more subtle nuances of the page.The moment I read about Colin's black leather motorcycle jacket and ray-ban sunglasses, I knew that literary talent would be in short supply.
One could almost see that Reaves had an entire back story in his head about this character and literary universe of the Shadowdance and black school, but he failed to inform the rest of us what it might be.It was like picking up a novel from the middle of a series and not knowing what is going on.
If anything, this is just a slasher movie on page rather than film, with the same level of character development, dialogue, plot development and, ultimately, originality.Normally I would encourage a writer to continue to improve, but after having written, and shockingly having had published, the number of books Reaves has, I do not see that happening.I would keep away from his work and, if horror is your interest, stick with authors like F. Paul Wilson and H.P. Lovecraft.

A deception of demons
Hell on Earth is an occult detective story written by the author of the Shattered World novels. While Reaves has several other such stories to his credit -- including one featuring the reporter Liz Russell -- I believe this is his first based on traditional Judeo-Christian mythology.

Colin is an orphan trained at the Scholomance in Transylvania, a school of dark magic. He has a Door that can apport him to any place on earth, but won't retrieve him. He did have the Trine, a mystical token of great power, but something Fallen has stolen it and left a smell of brimstone behind. Moreover, he has Zoel, an Unfallen Angel, who has come to ask him to help with a little problem. It seems that a demon has been born, the undead are walking, and the apocalypse may be near. No big deal for a magic wielding detective with an Angel sidekick, right?

The remainder of the story is a matter of searching for the Trine, questioning the suspects -- demons and such -- and checking out the various locales -- Vlad Dracula's castle, for one -- and putting the clues together. Along the way he picks up a few more assistants: the demon Asdeon, reporter Liz Russell, and ex-ranger Terry Dane.

This novel is bloody and violent, but more like suspenseful mystery that a horror story. Recommended for Reaves fans and anyone who likes magical detectives and occult mysteries.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Well, if you want a quick read that isn't too bad
I like horror novels, I like fantasy novels and so I figured I'd give "Hell on Earth" a try.I read this book in a few hours, it's not complex or hard to understand and the print is large.It's a good day at the beach book."The Stand" it's not.

This isn't a bad book at all, it's entertaining and scary and suspenseful even.The writing is pretty good and I think that a few books down the line could be really good.

The book takes us through the lives of several characters - Colin the mysterious demon hunter, Liz the former tabloid writer who is being stalked by a serial killer and Terry, the bodyguard with a hidden past.Each of their lives becomes connected as they move toward a demonic convergence with apocalyptic proportions.

Amusing, entertaining and an easy read.

Epic horror fantasy
Three strangers find themselves pawns in a battle between hell and earth: A bodyguard who loses one of his clients to something supernatural. A journalist who finds herself stalked beyond the grave by a serial killer named The Maneater. And a third who has lived his life between three worlds-- Hell, Heaven, and Earth-- and is a practitioner of an ancient art called The Shadowdance. All of them will have to confront two battling demons where the winner takes all. Before it's all over there will be help from above and below. But will they be too late?... Michael Reaves gives us a wild modern-horror-fantasy that is epic in scope, but delivered in a meager 280 pages. Things move in a kind of staccato fashion and with some tongue-in-cheek humor that sometimes hurts the story's credibility. (Even though I laughed out loud a few times.) But the imagination of the author and a rich background that we're only given a glimpse of, makes it worthwhile and hints at more to come. Overall, an engaging and inventive book that I recommend for horror-fantasy fans. ... Read more

Product Description
While the Clone Wars wreak havoc throughout the galaxy, the situation on the far world of Drongar is desperate, as Republic forces engage in a fierce fight with the Separatists. . . .

The threatened enemy offensive begins as the Separatists employ legions of droids into their attack. Even with reinforcements, the flesh and blood of the Republic forces are just no match for battle droids’ durasteel. Nowhere is this point more painfully clear than in the steaming Jasserak jungle, where the doctors and nurses of a small med unit face an impossible situation. As the dead and wounded start to pile up, surgeons Jos Vandar and Kornell “Uli” Divini know that time is running out.

Even the Jedi abilities of Padawan Barriss Offee have been stretched to the limit. Ahead lies a test for Barriss that could very well lead to her death–and that of countless others. For the conflict is growing–and for this obscure mobile med unit, there’s only one resolution. Shocking, bold, unprecedented, it’s the only option Jos and his colleagues really have. The unthinkable has become the inevitable. Whether it kills them or not remains to be seen. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

More of the same...Star Wars M*A*S*H Part Two
Our team of crack surgeons, nurses, and Jedi healers return in the second part of this set.Jos Vondar has to choose: his family or the love of his life, Tolk.I-Five continues to seek out his lost memory.And there is a spy in their midst!
NOTE: Based on novel and audiobook.

I Liked:
There are a lot of little things I love about part two in this duology.One of the things is just how different it is from the rest of Star Wars EU.There are no major movie characters, no huge, epic battles with people running all over the place.The novel is very focused on one location and on one highly ignored aspect (at least in Star Wars) of fighting.It's refreshing and unique.
The characters continue to intrigue, from Den Dhur befriending I-Five and his quest to get the droid drunk to the reasons why the spy turned against the Republic in the first place to Barris Offee and her addiction to bota.My favorite characters continue to be Den Dhur (the Sullustan reporter out for a story) Barris Offee (the young Jedi Padawan Healer).
I really liked how Jos had to decide whether to choose Tolk or his family.Even today, this is a real concern.Often times, our own families put restrictions on who we should love or spend time with.Plus, this hasn't been addressed in Star Wars, so it's nice to see that Star Wars EU has the same problems we do.

I Didn't Like:
What works for a first novel, often doesn't work for a second.This sequel is a perfect example.Sure, the events in Battle Surgeons was great, but we want something a little different, more expanded this time around.Unfortunately, the authors didn't do that.
Many things in this book were just underutilized, from yet another Tatooine native, Ulie (who reappears in Death Star) to Barris' bota addiction to the spy outcome.Ulie just pops in on the scene and is "I'm here!"At least in the audiobook, he serves no role other than to point out to Jos how everyone knows that Jos and Tolk are going together.And honestly, isn't Tatooine supposed to be the butt crack of the galaxy?Then why is everyone from that planet?Barris' bota addiction was very interesting, but I think the issue should have been brought up in Battle Surgeons, so she could have grown more.The spy issue was interesting, but it was painfully obvious who the spy would be very early on.And Barris basically realizes there is a spy because of the Force.Oh, geez, that was insightful.Not.
Lastly, we spend an awful lot of time on the Black Sun/Kaird subplot, which goes nowhere.In the end, we see Kaird in space vowing revenge.For those who've read Coruscant Nights I, you know he returns, but even there, it isn't very clear what happened to him between the Medstar books and Coruscant Nights.

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
"Mopac-faced" replaces "sh**-faced" when referring to someone getting drunk.This sort of substitution occurs frequently.
Tolk and Jos sleep with each other (off-screen, if you will).
Much "action" happens in a surgical unit, and this is Star Wars, so expect explosions and people being held at blaster point.

Overall:
While this isn't a bad book (as in horrible), after the great setup of Battle Surgeons, I almost expected a bit more than what we got here.It ties up the spy plot nicely (almost too nicely), and it's great to see the characters again.However, the last book had a really good ending, so reading this one isn't 100% necessary (unless, of course, you want the full story of Den Dhur and I-Five, recurring characters in Reaves' writing).It deserves a 3.5, but I'll be generous and rate 4.

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

Not the best books, but enjoyable enough...
I'm a bit of a completist... I've got all of the Star Wars audiobooks (less the "children's series" ones).A few were AWFUL, most were average, and some were terrific.This one (and the other part of this two-book "series") falls into the "average but enjoyable" category.

Basically, these books aren't so much "Star Wars" in the classic sense as they are "M.A.S.H. in a Star Wars setting."Yes, there are Jedi involved... minor Jedi we know nothing about from the movies...but it's the surgeons who are really at the heart of these books, and as such, this is a unique storytelling experience in this particular genre.

I drive long distances, and spend a lot of time in my car...though, thankfully, I do that less today than I did when I lived in Chicago.Audiobooks are what keep me (mostly) sane.

These are certainly worth the time to listen to.

Clone Wars MASH Unit - Part 2
Jedi Healer is the continued story of the Clone Wars MASH unit on the Planet Drongar. The Republic medical team of surgeons, nurses, and droids is still headed by Dr. Jos Vondar, but his close friend Dr. Zan Yant did not survive Medstar I. The wounded clone troopers continue to be brought in by medlift, and the doctors continue to exert every possible effort to save lives.

Much of this tale deals with the efforts of the Separatist spy to create chaos on Drongar and the efforts of the Black Sun operative to obtain as much of the miracle plant bota as possible. At the same time we are treated to the ongoing love affair between Dr. Vondar and his chief nurse Tolk le Trene as they try to overcome cultural prejudices stemming from Vondar's upbringing. The droid I-5 and the reported Den Dhur are still with us and have significant roles as the story unfolds.

Much of the book deals with Jedi Padawan Barris Offee and her experiences with the Force. She discovers that an injection of the miracle plant bota opens up areas of the Force that she never dreamed existed. She would be able to perform miraculous feats by using the bota. However, could this be a direct path to the power of the dark side? Offee struggles with this situation and finally manages to reach a conclusion.

This book, along with Medstar I, gives us an extremely interesting look at the world of the medical teams serving in the Clone Wars.

Solid conclusion to the duology
The Medstar Duology is the only multi-book series in the prequel era published to date. Medstar II: Jedi Healer picks up the story one week after the events of the first novel and brings the tale to a satisfying conclusion. I'm not clear why this story in particular was chosen to be split into two books, when a slightly edited version could have been condensed to a single volume, but this is a curiosity rather than a complaint. The extra breathing room permits a story that features some slices-of-life a tighter focus likely would have precluded.

Uli Divini, a barely out of school but highly skilled doctor, arrives at the Rimsoo early in this book to replace the main character lost at the end of book one. Uli adds youthful energy and naivete to the mix, as well as providing Barriss Offee with some insight on her personal inward journey to Jedi Knighthood. The other major new character, Admiral Erel Kersos, brings turmoil to our hero doctor Jos Vondar and complicates his burgeoning relationship with nurse Tolk Le Trene.

Den Dhur, the scrappy Sullustan reporter, is tiring of his nomadic life and faces temptation to abandon his career and settle down when an attractive entertainer is stranded on Drongar and makes him an unexpected offer. I-Five has continued his journey to reclaim his memories (wiped at the climax of Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter), as well as his exploration of self. Michael Reaves and Steve Perry have done a good job of interweaving many main characters' soul-searching explorations and logically connecting most of them together in believable and entertaining ways. Additionally, as authors they are strong with realistic and often funny dialogue, something some of the Star Wars EU can be a little weak on.

The unexpected weather change mid-book in the Rimsoo was a great idea, fleshing out the "force dome" concept and some of the possible side effects of shielding a facility in this way. I enjoyed the visit from the galactic entertainment troupe and the frequent visits to the cantina. Barriss Offee's path to Knighthood is continued well and the form her hardest trial takes, in the form of organically-fueled limitless power, is unexpected.

I'm still a bit cold on the Column/Lens spy story - it simply feels rather forced. Early in the first book, there's a sentence that uses a male pronoun for the spy, so the suspense of who it was when the candidates are reduced to two was non-existent for me. The reasons the spy has for his actions are solid, but the storyline could have been re-written to give you his point of view early on and then explored from a more engaging angle. Black Sun agent Kaird and his two henchmen are decent antagonists, but the real star of this show is the focus on the lives of the heroes and their incredible struggles against the nature of war itself, rather than any personal direct confrontations with the book's villains.

The two Medstar books were a fun read and I'd be delighted to link back up with Den Dhur and I-Five on Coruscant in a future novel.

An Enjoyable Read
I enjoy how these authors write.The characters really come to life after the first book.It's still not the most exciting Star Wars book I've read, but it sure isn't the worst one either.Not too much to say...overall I think that the Medstar books are worth reading. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A bad melding of tech and magic
This wasn't a novel, it was a collection of four short stories with the same protagonist.The Big Spell, The Maltese Vulcan, Murder on the Galactic Express, and The Man with the Golden Raygun are their names, names mystery readers will be familiar with.The other review here summarizes them nicely.

These stories were jam packed with action and plot, but little in the line of cleverness.By that I mean the deductions of the detective never felt like 'wow that was brilliant Holmes!' instead they felt like a mechanism for advancing the plot further and faster.I couldn't sympathize with Kamus, because Reeves tries writing him as a moral hero.This fails because he is never concerned by slavery or death, which is all around him in the stories.Kamus will have one or two thoughts on the matter, the proceed to forget about it in the next paragraph while the bodies are still warm. This behavior is very inconsistent. This was the missing element for me, not to mention Reeves makes a big deal about high galactic civilization, and yet here is a primitive slave planet where life is cheap.Meh.

This novel was a solid three stars, merely Ok.The conflict of Kamus vs the Darklord is concluded in the last story, so dramatically the work made it.I felt it failed as a detective story because it had too many fantasy elements, and it failed as a fantasy because it tried too hard to be logical.The technology just felt like another excuse for more deus ex machina escapes.

Offworld Private Eye, With a Twist
Darkworld Detective is a fantasy detective novel.Kamus of Kadizar is the one and only private eye on Ja-Lur, the Darkworld, where science and sorcery uneasily co-exist.A half-breed Darkworlder, he has visited Earth through a limited cultural exchange program, where he discovered the vocation of private investigator and determined to bring these functions back to the Darkworld.

The Darkworld is a planet that is partially overlapped by the Darkness, an adjacent universe where magic can be effected by rituals.Those having the Blood of the Darklands can manipulate such magic by word and potions.The Darklord has the strongest magic, but his son Jann-Togah is also very powerful.Kamus has some magical abilities, but they are relatively weak.

Darkworld has one spaceport near the city of Mariyad.The Terrans would like to build more, but the Darklord is content with the single existing spaceport.The Terrans keep encountering bad luck -- quakes, plagues, spontaneous human combustion, etc. -- whenever they try to construct another.The Darklord also enforces his Mandate that Terran science/technology is not allowed to function outside the limits of the port nor are manifestations of Darkness allowed within the port itself.

A thousand years prior to this novel, the Darklord attempted to conquer all of Darkworld, but was foiled, primarily by Mondrogan the Clever, a Terran/Darklander half-breed.Thereafter, the Darklord has been restricted to Ja-Agur, but his influence is felt everywhere on Ja-Lur.

This novel is actually an accounting of four different, yet related, cases during a time of magical disruption prior to Shadownight.All indications are that the Darklord will once again attempt to conquer the whole planet.Forces are gathering and the powers to be, both local and interplanetary, are growing nervous.

In The Big Spell, Kamus acquires a client, a Darklander slave, who immediately tests his abilities by summoning a Darkling, a denizen of the Darkness.After Kamus defeats the creature, his client Valina asks him to find Kaan Ta'wyys of Thanare, an offworlder who had recently come to Ja-Lur with another Unity agent, Daniel Talon of Earth.These agents were searching for Edward Knight, another Terran but of the Blood.Knight had been onworld for seven years and had grown powerful in Darkness magic.

Kamus reluctantly agrees to do some work for Valina.As he is checking his sources, Kamus learns that some barbarian is looking for him and eventually discovers that the barbarian is working with Daniel Talon and they want Kamus to find Valina.Then things get really confusing.

In The Maltese Vulcan, Kamus is hired to protect a local deity from another solar system who has been threatened with assassination.He is also reluctant to take this case, but his client is poisoned while talking to him and then he meets a nice girl connected with the case and then her suitor is murdered, so what else can he do but catch the assassin and solve the murder.

In Murder on the Galactic Express, Kamus is hired to guide an android and an Osteomech, a former human converted to a skeletal being made of bone, brainbox and fields, to a wrecked spaceship in the mountains.According to the android, he has rescued the Osteomech from a death-worshipping cult known as the Order of the Osteomechs, who are now hunting for them with murderous intent.Kamus is reluctant to take the case, for he has other things to do, but the android, Orpheus, offers to show him where the Black Mask, a powerful magical token, is hidden near the wreck.On their way through the mountains, Kamus encounters Valina fleeing from a vigilante mob.

In The Man with the Golden Raygun, Kamus is trying to reach the Darklord to prevent his conquest of the planet and is offered a ride by an offworlder in an aircar.Since Kamus is short of time, he accepts and flies off with Valina and Polaris Lone, the offworlder.They make good time until the Darklord's Mandate, which had been ineffective for a while, suddenly flares up again and the aircar technology ceases to function.Suddenly they have to use the aircar as a boat.

This novel is written in a style somewhat like the American detective story tradition, but Kamus is definitely not one of the violent killer types.He uses his sword to protect himself from assaults and his magical abilities to disable his attackers, but never intentionally harms nor threatens anyone.He gathers information and solves puzzles, usually in full view (but some clues are only suggested during the action).While these mysteries could possibly be solved by an alert reader, the endings always lead off into unexpected directions.

Highly recommended for Reaves fans and for anyone else who enjoys magical detective stories with unexpected endings. ... Read more

Product Description
In bookshop specializing in rare volumes, an avid fan of horror fiction seizes a tome too valuable and too incredible to fathom. In the end, the man was too curious to live. . . .

A few miles away, in a Manhattan brownstone, another man learns about the explosion that left a gaping hole in the fabric of reality. Colin–he has no other name–has been an unrelenting warrior against the dark, the demonic, and the damned. A man who has angels at his side and hell staring him in the face, he has devoted his life to solving magical crimes and tracking down–and neutralizing–the perpetrators of those crimes, human and nonhuman alike. Now Colin is about to team up with a beautiful Native American a long way from home and a tough NYPD detective who seems to be immune to magic. Together, in a funhouse of evidence and apparitions, they are chasing a killer and untangling a tale that leads from the infamous Vlad the Impaler to a dead twentieth-century occult author and his gorgeous daughter–who is as seductive as the devil himself.

Mr. Twilight combines the mystical and the mysterious, the supernatural and the primitive, in a rich, steamy brew of otherworldly adventure.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Gripping story perfect for dual fans of mysteries and science fiction.
A rare bookshop find sends an avid horror fiction fan into danger while a fighter against the demonic battles a hole in the fabric of reality. Connections between the two events will bring in an investigation team unique in their ability to chase a killer through an underground occult world in this gripping story perfect for dual fans of mysteries and science fiction.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Looking forward to reading the sequel(s)!
LOVED the characters and intriguing plot...some great mystery and horror here, as well as a dash of romance. I also very much enjoyed the dark humour. Looking forward to following these characters in future books.

Fantastic!
I couldn't put this book down!

Part magic realism, part urban fantasy, with more than a passing nod to Lovecraft and his ilk, but not too much for the horror-squeamish.It's got a whole lot of what always draws me to Charles de Lint, and I think de Lint fans would enjoy it.It also shares elements with the Magic Time series: parallel narratives, separate stories that gradually come together, and the gradual reveal of an overall picture that's bigger than you imagined.

Mages, shamans, angels, demons, historical figures, fictional monsters, and rifts in reality. Who could ask for anything more?

Well, actually, I could.Because it's the first in a trilogy.More please! ... Read more

Product Description
A madman stalks the streets of London's Whitechapel slum, leaving a trail of grisly murders in his wake. The police have only one suspect: a prominent and respected physician named John Watson! The master detective Sherlock Holmes, in order to solve the most fantastic mystery of his career and save his greatest friend from the gallows, employs a band of young street urchins to infiltrate the alleys of Whitechapel. They can go everywhere, see everything, overhear everyone. They are the Baker Street Irregulars! Join the Irregulars in the most fantastic and terrifying adventure of their lives, as they uncover an evil unlike anything Sherlock Holmes has ever faced! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Holmes-Lovecraft Misfire!
Silly me. Here I thought this graphic novel was going to be an interesting journey back to Sherlock Holmes' London as seen by those street-smart urchins known as the "Baker Street Irregulars." But, no, this tale quickly jettisons Watson and Holmes and plunges Wiggins & Co. into yet another "tampering with nature/unleasing forces beyond the grave" mishmash that has almost nothing to do with Holmes, London, Victorian life, times and crimes, etc.

THE IRREGULARS feature Moriarity - naturally - who has gone beyond robbery, murder, extortion, etc. and now wants to bring the god-awful "Dark Ones" out of their interdimensional prison to wreck and ruin dear old London and the immediate vicinity. The irregulars - who I have to admit are nicely delineated and have the lingo down pat- travel into the rift with some help from Professor Challenger and a violin-laying deaf mute to do battle.

I thought the tale was a poorly grafted together combination of Doyle and Lovecraft with a little Stargate thrown in the mix. Lots of huge, tentacled creeply-crawlies, shape-shifting ghouls, foreign-language gobblydegook, etc. Holmes, it ain't! I also had mixed feelings about the artwork. Sometimes I felt it was too much; so much detail being crammed into a panel you didn't know where to focus.

I certainly wouldn't mind a return visit from the Irregulars if the authors anchored their adventures in the correct time and place. (News flash: Real-life Victorian crime was fascinating!) But if it's going to be more world-ending beasties, I'll take a pass. Not recommended.

Slightly silly Cthulhu/Holmes pastiche
The Irregulars features Sherlock Holmes' rag-tag group of street urchin informants, the Baker Street Irregulars. The group (all of whom are surprisingly clean with good dental hygiene) set off the clear the name of their good friend and mentor, Doctor Watson. The kids soon find themselves in too deep, as the villain (predictably Moriarty) seems to be tinkering with something eldritch. In fact, he's doing something a bit squamous as well, and it all goes quickly tumbling down into the Lovecraftian well.

The realm of Lovecraftian/Sherlockian fiction has tempted a lot of writers, and none of them (with the notable exception of Neil Gaiman) have ever handled it very well. The Irregulars tries very, very hard to be up to the challenge of being a pastiche of both genres, and winds up failing at both. The Sherlock bits are decidedly un-Sherlock and the Lovecraftian bits reek of Lin Carter. The ambition is there, but the execution is not.

Too Much Unacknowledged Lovecraft for My Taste
I'm a fan of graphic storytelling, and more of a fan of the Sherlock Holmes canon than the average citizen, so this particular bit of pastiche caught my attention. Here the focus is not on Holmes, but on the titular "Irregulars," that band of street ragamuffins he used as minor henchmen. The plot kicks off when Dr. Watson is identified as the perpetrator of a grisly slaying in Hyde Park. Leaving aside the implausibility that in Victorian London a respected gentleman who has worked with law enforcement would go to jail on the word of a prostitute (or that the prostitute would come forward as a witness to start with), as well as the implausibility that Holmes would heed a directive to head overseas while Dr. Watson was in the lurch, Holmes places the good doctor's liberation in the hands of his urchin Irregulars.

From here, the story takes an altogether unexpected turn, as the Irregulars turn up evidence of the dark arts, and the malign hand of Professor Moriarty. Indeed, as the tale grew ever more fantastical and veered into the realm of opening interdimensional gates, summoning ancient Egyptian demons, and so forth, I felt as if the writers had stopped channeling Doyle in favor of Lovecraft. And indeed, a little poking around on the internet reveals the plotline to be a Lovecraftian one and at least one of the characters (a violin-player of some considerable power) to be borrowed from a Lovecraft short story (see "The Music of Erich Zann"). This raises a complaint I have: in the front of the book "grateful acknowledgement" is given for the use of Doyle's characters, however no mention is made anywhere that both character and plot elements have also been borrowed from Lovecraft. Yes, most of Lovecraft's work is now generally believed to be in the public domain, but that doesn't mean you don't cite it! (And for the record, this is hardly the first Doyle/Lovecraft mashup, Neil Gaiman's Hugo-winning short story "A Study in Emerald" is freely available online.

Anyway, I've never been a huge fan of Lovecraft's baroque tales, so when the Irregulars find themselves trapped in another horrifying dimension, I rapidly lost interest. A nice job is done giving the sextet (plus a dog) some personality and individual quirks and characteristics, but once the spells start flying and netherworldly creatures start appearing (not to mention a shapeshifting character based on the Springheel Jack legend), I was hard pressed to care. Others may get more mileage from it. The black and white artwork is impressively detailed and does a very nice job capturing faces, however there is sometimes a certain flatness to it that make some of the crammed panels hard to decipher. I'd definitely be interested in seeing further adventures from the Irregulars as long a they steer clear of the fantastical.

The Miskatonic Irregulars
This handsome volume is illustrated by Angelo Ty Dazo in a black and white style that is both contemporary and yet evocative of a Victorian penny dreadful.The tone of the adventure is established by a series of Joe Friday-style captions set over a moody cityscape: "It's the year of our Lord 1885. The city's our London.The hour's on midnight.My name's Wiggins."

I am a sucker for a tale about a gang of spunky lads, and they don't come spunkier than Wiggins and the Irregulars (Patch, Molly, James, Burke, Puck and, since they gotta have a dog, Toby).

When Watson is charged with murder and Sherlock Holmes is otherwise engaged (Yeah, right, just like he was too busy to help Henry Baskerville), the responsibility of exonerating the good doctor is entrusted to Wiggins and Company.Taking to the street to see everything and overhear everyone, the intrepid youngsters encounter a terrifying cosmic evil in Whitechapel unlike anything ever faced by Holmes himself. Only with the help of Professor Challenger, Miss Adler and H. P. Lovecraft's ill-fated musician Erich Zann can the plucky Irregulars hope to foil Moriarty (!) and survive to collect their shillings.

As is perhaps natural in a story of energetic youth, there is more emphasis on wide-screen action than calm ratiocination, but that is what the illustrated medium is designed for.Best of all, however, are the nicely drawn (in every sense of the word) characters of the Irregulars.Instead of indistinguishable dirty-faced ragamuffins clattering up and down the 221b stairs, Altman and Reaves present a group of vivid individuals with clearly defined personalities and, like any elite task force, specialized abilities.... Sort of a dirty half dozen.

This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.I would love to follow the adventures of these Irregulars as they grow and mature --- Molly the matchstick girl is going to be a real heartbreaker.
... Read more

Product Description
Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes is among the most famous literary figures of all time. For more than a hundred years, his adventures have stood as imperishable monuments to the ability of human reason to penetrate every mystery, solve every puzzle, and punish every crime.

For nearly as long, the macabre tales of H. P. Lovecraft have haunted readers with their nightmarish glimpses into realms of cosmic chaos and undying evil. But what would happen if Conan Doyle’s peerless detective and his allies were to find themselves faced with mysteries whose solutions lay not only beyond the grasp of logic, but of sanity itself.

In this collection of all-new, all-original tales, twenty of today’s most cutting edge writers provide their answers to that burning question.

“A Study in Emerald” by Neil Gaiman: A gruesome murder exposes a plot against the Crown, a seditious conspiracy so cunningly wrought that only one man in all London could have planned it–and only one man can hope to stop it.

“A Case of Royal Blood” by Steven-Elliot Altman: Sherlock Holmes and H. G. Wells join forces to protect a princess stalked by a ghost–or perhaps something far worse than a ghost.

“Art in the Blood” by Brian Stableford: One man’s horrific affliction leads Sherlock Holmes to an ancient curse that threatens to awaken the crawling chaos slumbering in the blood of all humankind.

“The Curious Case of Miss Violet Stone” by Poppy Z. Brite and David Ferguson: A girl who has not eaten in more than three years teaches Holmes and Watson that sometimes the impossible cannot be eliminated.

“The Horror of the Many Faces” by Tim Lebbon: Dr. Watson witnesses a maniacal murder in London–and recognizes the villain as none other than his friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes.

With these and fourteen other dark tales of madness, horror, and deduction, a new and terrible game is afoot.

The terrifyingly surreal universe of horror master H. P. Lovecraft bleeds into the logical world of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s champion of rational deduction–in these brand-new stories by twenty of today’s top horror, mystery, fantasy, and science fiction writers, including:

• Steven-Elliot Altman
• Elizabeth Bear
• Poppy Z. Brite
• Simon Clark
• David Ferguson
• Paul Finch
• Neil Gaiman
• Barbara Hambly
• Caitlin R. Kiernan
• Tim Lebbon
• James Lowder
• Richard A. Lupoff
• F. Gwynplaine McIntyre
• John Pelan
• Steve Perry
• Michael Reaves
• Brian Stableford
• John P. Vourlis
• David Niall Wilson & Patricia Lee Macomber


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

Great collection.
I had already owned a copy of The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and a few of the stories had come from this collection. As they were some of the better in that book, I decided to get this collection as well.

I was not disappointed. The story elements of the two authors were generally woven together with great care and creativity. H.P. Locecraft was a genius in suspense as well as horror, and his tales of otherwordly horrors mixes very well with the foggy gas-lit streets of Holmes' London.

The only thing I can warn you against is to make sure you have at least a passing knowledge of the Lovecraftian Canon, as you might be lost in the fog without it, and getting lost in that world might wind you up in R'lyeh.

Loads of fun, especially for fans of both Holmes and Lovecraft
I don't really know how those who are not fans of both Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and H.P. Lovecraft will react to this book, but if you like both authors then it is a real treat. Every story kept me greatly entertained, and I came away with a few authors I will be looking for in the future. Elizabeth Bear's "Tiger! Tiger!" was a particularly amazing read for it's references to the adventure/safari novels of the early 1900s.

a pretty good read
I found this far better than the other lovecraftian spinoffs I've read. Better ideas, and better written treatments.

Somehow it didn't click...
As you can guess from the other reviews, there are mixed feelings about this book.You would think placing Sherlock Holmes in the same universe with the nightmares that are just under the surface of reality would be wonderful.At least there was a chance of him going crazy.
While I did enjoy some of the stories, such as Nightmare In Wax by Simon Clarke, A Study In Emerald by Neil Gaiman, and The Drowned Geologist by Caitlin R. Kiernan which is set in Whitby, most of the stories seem bland and most of the authors seem to be fans of the same Lovecraft stories.Well, Tiger! Tiger! is interesting as Sherlock Holmes is NOT in it, most of the stories seem to repeat the same basic themes and, sometimes, use the same horrors.
I would suggest checking it out of the library or getting it used.

Conan Doyle and Lovecraft Collide!
Michael Reaves and John Pelan's collection of horror fiction, "Shadows over Baker Street" is a wild thrusting of Sherlock Holmes into the grotesque and macabre worlds of H.P. Lovecraft.The concept, as odd as it sounds, generally succeeds and offers many intriguing and chilling stories.One of the better entries in this anthology is the first, Neil Gaiman's "A Study in Emerald", a riff on Conan Doyle's "A Study in Scarlet" which contains a smashing surprise ending. If you are a fan of Lovecraft's odd mix of sci-fi and horror you will enjoy these stories, as will fans of the great detective.As with any anthology however, there are weak spots and some stories that don't quite live up to their potential, but most of the stories here are fun and quick reads.Fans of horror will have a field day. ... Read more

Product Description
For the infamous, power-hungry Sith,
beholden to the dark side,
the time has come to rise again . . .

After years of waiting in the shadows, Darth Sidious is taking the first step in his master plan to bring the Republic to its knees. Key to his scheme are the Neimoidians of the Trade Federation. Then one of his Neimoidian contacts disappears, and Sidious does not need his Force-honed instincts to suspect betrayal. He orders his apprentice, Darth Maul, to hunt the traitor down.

But he is too late. The secret has already passed into the hands of information broker Lorn Pavan, which places him right on the top of Darth Maul's hit list. Then, in the labyrinthine alleyways and sewers of Coruscant, capital city of the Republic, Lorn crosses paths with Darsha Assant, a Jedi Padawan on a mission to earn her Knighthood. Now the future of the Republic depends on Darsha and Lorn. But how can an untried Jedi and an ordinary man, stranger to the powerful ways of the Force, hope to triumph over one of the deadliest killers in the galaxy?

SPECIAL BONUS INSIDE--the exclusive story, "Star Wars(R) Darth Maul: Saboteur" by James Luceno, previously available in e-book format only!
Amazon.com Review
Here's another Star Wars spinoff novel, a brisk and extremely uncomplicated action-adventure romp set on planet Coruscant immediately before the events of The Phantom Menace. After a few setting-up exercises, it's essentially a prolonged chase sequence whose implacable pursuer is Darth Maul--the almost absurdly villainous-looking Sith Lord with the biggest lightsaber and worst makeup job in the entire saga to date.

The plot? Insidiously evil Darth Sidious is poised to launch the Naboo trade blockade featured in The Phantom Menace. But one of his alien henchmen has sneaked away to betray this scheme and must die. So must the traitor's contacts, smalltime crook Lorn Pavan and his uppity droid, I-Five. Likewise Darsha Assant, the female Jedi Knight apprentice who gets entangled with Pavan through either mind-boggling coincidence or the mysterious ways of the Force.

Michael Reaves makes a reasonably slick job of all this nonsense and is not afraid of clichés. Plenty of characters have wooden lines like "I've got a bad feeling about this," and "Too many questions, and not enough answers." Meanwhile in the Jedi council, Yoda makes characteristic remarks: "A good choice he would be... No accident this was."

Unfortunately, the well-known story line of The Phantom Menace defuses suspense in Shadow Hunter. That trade blockade has to happen despite the good folks' doomed heroics, and horrible Darth Maul (already far more powerful and deadly than the puny opposition he faces here) is fated to win out. This novel is for dedicated fans only. --David Langford ... Read more

Customer Reviews (157)

More Darth Maul Action
When I first saw Phantom Menace, Darth Maul became one of my favorite characters. Of course, I knew going in there what his fate was going to be. Because of this, I felt a little bit shafted, as did many others so I have been pleased to see that there have been books dedicated to him (two others that I recommend are Star Wars: Darth Maul: Saboteur and Star Wars: Darth Maul).

Without restating what other reviewers wrote, I just wanted to mention that there is some great Darth Maul action here. The pace picks up and never slows down. You also get a bit of a closer look at Maul. Lots of action here, so sit back and enjoy watching this Sith make mints meat out of his opponents.

Mike Saxton, Author of "7 Scorpions: Rebellion"

Awesome SW novel taking place right before "The Phantom Menace"...
When I started this book, I wasn't sure what to expect, it does get off to a slow start, but once Darth Maul arrives on Courasaunt, it doesn't let up, it becomes a thrill ride from that point foward, It begins on the Trade Federation ship where Nute Gunray & Rune Haako, (the two cowardly dudes seen at the beginning of TPM) isvistited by a Holographic image of Darth Sideous who quickly notices one of their lackeys missing, Nute & Rune downplay the absense by saying he is not feeling well, when in essence the lackey Hath Monchair has disappeared without notice, Darth Sideous then lays out his plan & tells them he will be in touch, Nute & Rune, terrified of Sideous hires a female bounty hunter to track down Hath & bring him back before Sideous contacts them again, meanwhile Sideous is just as suspicious & knows the Nemidions are oppurtunist & Hath Monchair's absense can only mean that he is going to sell this sensitive information to the highest bidder, Sideous then dispatches his apprentice Darth Maul to kill Hath & anyone else who may know of this conspiracy that we know will happen in TPM, we are then introduced to Darsha Assant, a Jedi Padewan who in essence could be the girl next door, who is facing her final trial as a Padewan & is told by Yoda & Mace Windu to bring back a spy who may have information vital to the Republic, but it means going into dangerous territory in a remote part of Courasaunt, which she does but faces opposition in every way possible & loses her charge & ultimately fails in her mission, we are then introduced to Lorn Paven & his droid I-Five (think a pre-generation Han Solo & C-3PO, only with a sense of humor), Paven is a Corrilean like the future Han will be, & has just as many one-liners, & meets with Hath to discuss the news he has, Hath then tell Lorn to meet him at his place later, Darth Maul eventually tracks Hath down as does the bounty hunter who follows him, when Darth Maul dispatches Hath Monchair & his cronies a face-off ensues between Maul & the bounty hunter in which she dispatches a missle, blowing up Hath's place, killing her with Maul just barely escaping with his life, leaving behind a hologram that Lorn & I-Five take when they arrive later & then try to sell it to Yantha the Hutt, when Maul returns to retrieve it, he learns that Lorn & I-Five are on their way to the Hutt, & quickly dispatches the Hutt & all his cronies with Lorn & I-Five escaping just barely & are pursued by Maul but are saved by Darsha & her Jedi Master, who is also killed when he takes on Darth Maul leaving Darsha to help Lorn & I-Five escape, what follows is treacherous jounrney for the three of them with Maul in hot pursuit, eventually there is a bit of an attraction between Lorn & Darsha, but it never really goes anywhere because a face-off between her & Darth Maul happens as well, & well, I won't spoil it, what I really liked about this was the fact that Darth Maul really gets to do a lot here, unlike TPM, & Darsha could be that sweet innocent girl we all know, even Padewan Obi-Wan Kenobi has a fondness for her & is dispatched by Qui-Gonn to find her & her Jedi Master unaware of the events taking place, this story is told with consistency to TPM & would make a great SW film, sadly, it will never be, but a great read, especially for the Darth Maul fans out there, Eric Bana would make a good Lorn Paven...while Sophia Bush would be who I would picture as Darsha Assant

"He can't be bought off, scared off, or thrown off the trail and he'll stop at nothing..."
"He can't be bought off, scared off, or thrown off the trail and he'll stop at nothing..."
Lorn Pavan hates the Jedi.So when he and his droid companion, I-Five, get access to a Sith Holocron detailing the impending Naboo blockade, the first person he goes to is a Hutt crimelord attached to the Black Sun, not the Jedi.But someone wants that Holocron back...and he will stop at nothing to get it.
NOTE: Based on audiobook and novel.

I Liked:
WOW!I am astonished at how good this novel is!I remember when I had first read it eons ago, that I adored it and thought Reaves was an impressive author.And time has aged this novel favorably.
The writing is very engaging, very quick paced for the action, yet insightful and thoughtful for the character moments.Reaves balances the two well, not spending the whole novel on a underbelly of Coruscant race (Anderson might have) or having his characters sit around a fire gabbing all night (Traviss might have).
The characters are absolutely impressive.Lorn Pavan is your average guy.Sure, he lives in the underlevels, his best friend is a droid, and he sells information, but he isn't a Jedi, smuggler, Sith, Mandalorian, bounty hunter, assassin, or any of a million occupations that have been almost exclusively seen in Star Wars.In fact, he used to work in the Jedi Temple in finances.No different than the millions who go to work each day at Sterling Bank.What this "Everyman" character gives us is the chance to see how one guy, who isn't the best shot, pilot, or fighter in the galaxy faces off against a Sith Lord.He has guts, he has courage, and he has a friend who helps him along.Plus, we see a character who has a reason to hate the Jedi, yet when he faces on personally, realizes that there is more to them than meets the eye (unlike the Jedi-haters from Traviss' books).These qualities really stand out to me and make Lorn Pavan (Jax Pavan's father) a much more approachable character.
Then we have Darsha Assant.In some ways, she is a predecessor to Etain Tur-Mukan.She's a Jedi Padawan, trying to become a Jedi Knight, but totally ruins her first mission.She meets up with Lorn, who informs her of his find and now it is her task to see him to safety.I don't want to ruin the plot, but there is a scene where she faces off with Darth Maul that is up there with Ganner Rhysode from Traitor.
I-Five is probably the only droid I actually like to read about.C-3PO, R2-D2, and all the others always seems to get in the way or are just thrown in for a plot element.I-Five is actually a character, with feelings, with opinions, and with an excellent sense of humor.It was a good move on Reaves' part to have I-Five and Lorn banter as they do, and add levity to this intense novel.
Lastly, Darth Maul appears.If I could say only one thing, it would be this: Reaves needs to write more Maul books!He does a great job with Maul's single-minded hatred.My only complaint is there wasn't enough of him.
The plot was fantastic.The pacing was great, the flow was superb, the scenes made sense (no deus ex machina or other @ss-pulling), and the outcome was fabulous.

I Didn't Like:
Michael Reaves likes his vocabulary.He loves to dig deep into the dictionary and pull out words no one has ever heard of, such as "pyrric" and "rictus".
Obi-Wan is included, and while his part isn't inflated and does serve the purpose as to put closure for the characters, I wonder if we really needed such a prominent character in this role.Couldn't Reaves have invented a different apprentice or Jedi?Why Obi-Wan?
Lastly, Mahwi LIhnn, a bounty hunter going after Hath (who has the Sith Holocron), makes a comment that there are 1 trillion people on Coruscant, and, at a rate of 1 person/second, it would take her 100 Tatooine Sarlacc's lifetimes to interview them all.Being an ubergeek, I crunched the numbers and came up with 31.7 years.Either the character can't do math or Tatooine Sarlaccs don' live very long ;)

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Lorn spews b*****d and d***.
Obi-Wan finds Darsha good to look at.
Darth Maul is a ruthless hunter.Several people end up dead by the end.Hath wets himself from fear.

Overall:
This is a positively astounding novel, interesting, compelling, with great characters, great writing, and great story.I enjoyed rereading about Jax's father, I-Five, and their origins.About my biggest complaint is, for a "Darth Maul" book, there isn't enough Darth Maul.Otherwise, this is definitely going on my top 10 favorite Star Wars novels list, and I highly recommend Star Wars fans to read.

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

Darth Maul
The book was ok at best...not as good as Darth Bane novels, not even close.

Star Wars: Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
Star Wars: Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, by Michael Reaves

Another prequel novel to "Episode I: The Phantom Menace," this Star Wars book focuses on Darth Maul, the apprentice to Darth Sidious. Tasked by his master to find a missing Neimoidian, Maul travels to Coruscant on what first appears to be a simple mission.

Maul feels that this hunt and kill mission is beneath him - he is a Sith. He was born to fight and kill Jedi, not cowardly Neimoidians. But luckily for him, Maul soon encounters a resourceful Corellian information broker, Lorn Pavan. Unluckily for Pavan, he had been sold information on the upcoming Naboo blockade by the Neimoidian, information Darth Sidious wants kept secret - so Maul is commanded to kill Pavan.

In a strange twist of fate, Pavan is rescued by a Padawan on her first solo mission. Ironically, Pavan hates the Jedi, and here he is in debt to one for his life. Pavan is accompanied by a protocol droid without creativity dampners who provides dry comic relief as well as a voice of reason when needed.

"Shadow Hunter" is a great view into Darth Maul, and his philosophy - while he detests the Jedi, he also respects the ones who give him a challenging fight. While I wish Reaves would have expanded more on Maul's training in the Sith order, the few flashbacks provided do the job, showing how his unshakable loyalty to Sidious was developed, as well as his devotion to lightsaber fighting.

Darsha, the Padawan who rescues Pavan, is also an enjoyable character. After failing her first mission, she is doubtful of her future as a Jedi, and Reaves handles her internal debate well. Far from being an "all-knowing Jedi," she is the perfect person to partner with Pavan.

If you're curious about Darth Maul, this book is for you.

4/5. ... Read more

Product Description
With the Jedi all but wiped out in the grim aftermath of Order 66, the Empire’s power seems unchecked. But one lone Knight continues to fight the good fight–against all odds and when all else fails.

Deep in the bowels of Coruscant, Jedi Jax Pavan ekes out a living as a private investigator, a go-to, can-do guy for the downtrodden. Now a mysterious Zeltron knockout named Deejah approaches Jax with a case that needs to be cracked: to find out who killed her artist lover Volette, brutally murdered hours after his triumphant unveiling of a dazzling new light sculpture with obvious links to lightsaber pyrotechnics.

Finding Volette’s killer won’t be easy–too many secrets, too many suspects, and all kinds of motives. But with the droid I-5YQ’s help, and ex-reporter Den Dhur’s excellent snooping skills, the investigation is soon operating like a well-oiled machine.

Unfortunately, there’s a far more efficient machine hunting Jax. It’s a deadly game of cat-and-mouse as the clock starts ticking toward the final explosive showdown . . . to see who strikes first and who will die first. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

"You're being hunted by the best, Jax"
"You're being hunted by the best, Jax"
After reading the first one, I realized I had no choice but to read number two!
Jax Pavan, LaranthTarak, Den Dhur, and I-Five are back and this time they have a murder to solve.Ves Volette, a Caamasi artist, has been murdered!Was it his partner, the gorgeous Dejah Duare?Or someone else?And can they solve the crime before Aurra Sing finds and kills Jax?

I Liked:
This time around, Michael Reaves wrote his novel as a mystery, which is sort of the marketing for this series of the Star Wars Expanded Universe.And he does an okay job with it (more later).
What really stood out to me, however, was the further depth given to Laranth's character.She really gets fleshed out, from being stoic action girl, to a woman who is beginning to develop feelings for Jax...feelings that, unfortunately for her, aren't reciprocated (which makes me want to slap Jax silly!!).I love how Reaves didn't overwrite her feelings, how he kept it subtle and delicate.Well done!
Also, gotta give Reaves a hand for writing two characters not seen much in Star Wars novels: Captain Typho and Aurra Sing!While I didn't much like his character, Typho was interesting to see (and to see what happened to him!) and his twist (his unrequited love for Padme) brought some definition to his character.Aurra Sing was well done, a cold-blooded killer, yet also half-crazed.
Lastly, Reaves knows how to finish off his novels with a bang!Not only do you get the mystery wrapped up, but let's also throw in a righteous battle between our heroes and Aurra Sing!

I Didn't Like:
I just didn't enjoy this book as much as the first one.I didn't like Dejah Duare, the perfect, sexy Zeltron female (who is, of course, always wearing nice, sexy clothes that make the guys eyes pop out) introduced in the book (gag me already).Jax was still an annoying character whom I wanted to throw across the room.No one says what happens to Nick Rostu.The mystery was very so-so and not very interesting at all (though who did it makes a nod at the mystery genre cliches and got me laughing!).The pacing I felt was rather plodding.People just seem to float for pages on end, not really doing anything that seems all that important and just saying the same things over and over (Typho's quest for vengeance, how Aurra will bring in Jax, finding the murderer of Ves, etc.).I understand that second novels/movies/whatever are a challenge, but this one seemed particularly "saggy".

Dialouge/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Star Wars invented language if anything.
Dejah is, of course, a gorgeous, beautiful, sexually appealing woman.This is mentioned frequently.Also, some of the denizens of Coruscant's underworld could be interpreted as sexual.
Ves Volette is murdered and while it isn't gory, he still does die.There are a few lightsaber battles, chase scenes...nothing that great overall.

Overall:
It's really hard to rate this book for me.I didn't hate it, but I felt that it lacked something, that final quality that could have made it a sure thing for me.I certainly don't consider this a terrible book; I adored the subtle changes to Laranth and some discussion of droids and their "sentience".But there were other parts, such as the weak mystery, that really make me second guess my rating.So, after much contemplation, I think it's fair to rate it 4.5 stars rounded down to 4.

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

A Little Better than the Last One, but still Average
Ultimately, I was disappointed with this book's predecessor (Jedi Twilight) and hoped Street of Shadows would hold more of the "hard boiled detective" feel this series is advertised as.In some ways, this book was better than the previous one, but on the whole, it was about the same: just average.Spoilers follow.

Most of the characters from the previous novel star in this one.Jax Pavan, Laranth Tarak, I-Five, and Den Dhur return as our heroes.Oddly enough, though, there's no mention of Nick Rostu.Considering he played a rather large role in Jedi Twilight, I was hoping to at least discover what had become of him, but I guess everyone has forgotten about him.Darth Vader returns as the main villain, aided by the Jedi hunter Aurra Sing.There are a couple of new characters, too, including the Zeltron Dejah Duare (whose name is spelled "Deejah" on the back of the book, for whatever reason) and Typho, one of Padme's late security officers.

The detective aspect I was waiting for in the first book finally appears in Street of Shadows, but it's a lot weaker than I'd hoped.What is interesting is that Reaves decided to include the destruction of the Caamasi home world, as it is a Caamasi artist that's murdered.Jax and friends set out with the victim's longtime friend, Dejah Duare, to solve the murder mystery.This could have been a very exciting plot...but it wasn't.In fact, the detective side of it was almost boring.I usually finish Star Wars novels in a week or so, often staying up late to finish them; it took me a few weeks to get through this one.The main plot just couldn't hold my attention and, perhaps it was just me, but there's no way I would have linked the murderer to the crime before it was revealed.For me, that's the fun of mysteries: following the clues and finding the culprit along with the characters.That fun couldn't be found here.

Meanwhile, Vader still wants to find Jax Pavan and has acquired the skills of Aurra Sing, a hardcore Jedi hunter, to help him in his task.I greatly enjoyed the addition of Aurra Sing to the story and greatly enjoyed reading her parts of the book.She's a great villain: cool, calculating, tough, dominating, and always on top of her game (or, almost always, as she is seemingly defeated at the end of the book).Considering this is a middle novel, I don't think it'll surprise anyone that Jax manages to evade Vader's clutches yet again.

There's a third, slightly less important, plot running alongside the previous two.Typho, one of the late Padme's security officers, is set on finding Padme's killer and getting revenge for her death.Unfortunately, a lot of his portions of the book are spent with him trying to figure out just who killed Padme, which the audience already knows and therefore isn't particularly awed or surprised at the outcome.He eventually figures out that Darth Vader must have killed Padme and sets off to, in turn, exterminate the Dark Lord.I think everyone can guess how that turns out: badly.

What remains to be the shining beacon (much like in the last book) is the characterization of most of the characters.Jax, Laranth, Den, I-Five, and Dejah all receive a good amount of character growth and the relationships between them continue to evolve (especially between Jax and Laranth).Again, Reaves thrives at giving personality and character to his own creations, but (again, like with the last book), he falls short at portraying the already established character of Vader.While Vader seemed a little more in character than the previous book, something about him still didn't feel quite right.I'm hoping that Reaves will nail the characterization by the last book.Aurra Sing was also well done and filled the role of villain quite well.Typho didn't really do much for the story, in my opinion, and will most likely fade into Star Wars oblivion.I found Typho to be a pretty boring character who seemed to know a little too much about every species he encountered.Regardless, with the exception of Typho and Vader, Reaves's characterization was the highlight of this novel.

All in all, this book was better than the first one.To begin with, it actually had a plot and explored the detective side of Coruscant the trilogy advertises, albeit not as well or thoroughly as I'd have liked.The characters continue to be a joy to read about and Reaves's writing can be engaging at times.However, the novel ultimately struck me as being boring and didn't really do anything to develop the years between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.I'd like to hope the third installment ends up tying everything together and ending with a bang, but I'm not getting too hopeful.3 Stars

Squeeze every last drop.
If this book were just a straight up detective story it would fine unfortunately for it this is a detective story set in the Star Wars universe hence it suffers from the same flaws of all ofevery entry in prequel fiction.

It does not matter that you create characters that people could really like given half a chance and you have a well enough written A plot.If you're B plot is "oh my goodness Anakin Skywalker is still alive" doesn't it lose all meaning?

It also doesn't matter how good of a writer you are because in the end you are still the poor sucker that got roped into revealing to us another "lost tale" such entries are ultimately useless

Why do these authors keep spoon feeding prequel stories and expecting us to be surprised when we have already seen the ultimate resolution?

Decent Star Wars book with a ho-hum mystery
Having survived the purge, Jedi Jax Pavan now dwells in the underbelly of Coruscant assisting a fledgling resistance known as the Whiplash.A beautiful woman asks him to help her and her artist partner escape the planet, but before they can, the artist is murdered.As Jax sets out to find the killer, other seekers enter the picture.Bounty hunter Aurra Sing has been commissioned to locate the renegade Jedi and a grieving Captain Typho has set out to avenge the murder of Padme Amidala.

Street of Shadows is the second instalment in the Coruscant Nights trilogy.The book is billed as a detective story which sounds like a great idea.Unfortunately, it doesn't live up to its back-cover blub.Sure, there is a bit of mystery, but it's not really the main focus.

That's not to say the book is bad.Although it's not as good as the previous volume, it is enjoyable.Michael Reaves writes with precision (he uses words I occasionally have to look up in the dictionary) and humour (this book contains what has got to be one of the funniest lines in the Expanded Universe).While the storyline isn't exactly riveting, it does keep you reading and sets the stage for a final showdown between Jax and Vader in the next book.

3.5 stars.

Not too bad, but not that good.
This book was really weak compared to the first one.There was almost no action in this one at all.There was more sitting around and talking than anything; BORING. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of (James) Michael Reaves, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 1742 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Product Description
This is nonfiction commentary. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Death Star, Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, Medstar Ii: Jedi Healer, Jedi Twilight, Medstar I: Battle Surgeons, Street of Shadows, Patterns of Force, Darkworld Detective. Source: Wikipedia. Free updates online. Not illustrated. Excerpt: Death Star is a 2007 science fiction novel by Michael Reaves and Steve Perry that is set in the Star Wars galaxy. It deals with the construction of the Death Star, which first appeared in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The books was originally published in New York by LucasBooks/Del Rey/Ballantine Books, in 2007, with the title of Star Wars: Death Star, and is held in 860 WorldCat libraries. It was reprinted in London by Century in 2008 as Death Star. The Death Star is an enormous space station capable of destroying an entire planet, constructed under the orders of the ruler of the then new Empire, Emperor Palpatine. Aware of the possibility of rebellion, Palpatine knew that the Death Star would instill fear throughout the galaxy, as well as give him an invaluable weapon in destroying his enemies. The architect of the project was Wilhuff Tarkin. The novel depicts the many politics and hidden agendas behind the massive project, from its construction up until its final destruction. The hardcover edition charted on the US bestsellers list in its first week after release. ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=11243908 ... Read more