Von's bookshelf: all en-US Wed, 11 Dec 2024 15:31:54 -0800 60 Von's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Minority Report and Other Stories]]> 534004 Viewed by many as the greatest science fiction writer on any planet, Philip K. Dick has written some of the most intriguing, original and thought-provoking fiction of our time. This collection includes stories that will make you laugh, cringe...and stop and think.

The Minority Report: a special unit that employs those with the power of precognition to prevent crimes proves itself less than reliable...
We Can Remember It For You Wholesale: an everyguy's yearning for more exciting "memories" places him in a danger he never could have imagined (basis of the feature film Total Recall)...
Paycheck: a mechanic who has no memory of the previous two years of his life finds that a bag of seemingly worthless and unrelated objects can actually unlock the secret of his recent past � and insure that he has a future...
Second Variety: the UN's technological advances to win a global war veer out of control, threatening to destroy all of humankind (basis of the movie Screamers)...
The Eyes Have It: a whimsical, laugh-out-loud play on the words of the title.

]]> 6 Philip K. Dick 0060095261 Von 5 science-fiction 3.94 1987 Minority Report and Other Stories
author: Philip K. Dick
name: Von
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1987
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/12/11
shelves: science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Divine Comedy Volume 1: Infirno]]> 31691874 The poem is written in the first person and describes Dante's travels through the three realms of the dead - Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. This is an allegorical representation of the soul's journey towards God. Dante draws on medieval Christian theology and philosophy, especially Thomistic philosophy and the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas.]]> 430 Dante Alighieri Von 3 christian 3.55 1320 The Divine Comedy Volume 1: Infirno
author: Dante Alighieri
name: Von
average rating: 3.55
book published: 1320
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2022/01/22
shelves: christian
review:

]]> Soon I Will Be Invincible 645180
Over the years he's tried to take over the world in every way imaginable: doomsday devices of all varieties (nuclear, thermonuclear, nanotechnological) and mass mind control. He's traveled backwards in time to change history, forward in time to escape it. He's commanded robot armies, insect armies, and dinosaur armies. Fungus army. Army of fish. Of rodents. Alien invasions. All failures. But not this time. This time it's going to be different...

Fatale is a rookie superhero on her first day with the Champions, the world's most famous superteam. She's a patchwork woman of skin and chrome, a gleaming technological marvel built to be the next generation of warfare. Filling the void left by a slain former member, Fatale joins a team struggling with a damaged past, trying to come together in the face of unthinkable evil.

Soon I Will Be Invincible is a thrilling first novel; a fantastical adventure that gives new meaning to the notions of power, glory, responsibility, and (of course) good and evil.]]> 287 Austin Grossman 0375424865 Von 2 science-fiction, superhero
The story, though it has promise, was no good. There was something lacking...

Maybe it was the random unconstituted sexy scene between batman and a cyborg.
Maybe it was the slow moving plot (maybe it wasn't slow moving, maybe it's just that after the story is done your realized that not much actually happened).
Or maybe it was that there really wasn't any point to the story in the end anyway.

What ever it is, the book could have better.]]> 3.65 2007 Soon I Will Be Invincible
author: Austin Grossman
name: Von
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2020/03/21
shelves: science-fiction, superhero
review:
I have anyways said that there needs to be more superhero novels. That’s right! NOVELS not graphic novels. So when I first heard of this book I loved the idea of the plot and so I wanted to read it and see it for myself.

The story, though it has promise, was no good. There was something lacking...

Maybe it was the random unconstituted sexy scene between batman and a cyborg.
Maybe it was the slow moving plot (maybe it wasn't slow moving, maybe it's just that after the story is done your realized that not much actually happened).
Or maybe it was that there really wasn't any point to the story in the end anyway.

What ever it is, the book could have better.
]]> <![CDATA[Prentice Alvin (Tales of Alvin Maker, #3)]]> 31357 342 Orson Scott Card 1841490237 Von 3 fantasy, lds-author 3.80 1989 Prentice Alvin (Tales of Alvin Maker, #3)
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Von
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1989
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2019/09/22
shelves: fantasy, lds-author
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Winnie-the-Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh, #1)]]> 99107 161 A.A. Milne 0525467564 Von 4 4.37 1926 Winnie-the-Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh, #1)
author: A.A. Milne
name: Von
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1926
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/09/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Gregor the Overlander (Underland Chronicles, #1)]]> 262430 The story of a boy who embarks on a dangerous quest in order to fulfill his destiny -- and find his father -- in a strange world beneath New York City.
When Gregor falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building, he hurtles into the dark Underland, where spiders, rats, cockroaches coexist uneasily with humans. This world is on the brink of war, and Gregor's arrival is no accident. A prophecy foretells that Gregor has a role to play in the Underland's uncertain future. Gregor wants no part of it -- until he realizes it's the only way to solve the mystery of his father's disappearance. Reluctantly, Gregor embarks on a dangerous adventure that will change both him and the Underland forever.]]> 326 Suzanne Collins 043977134X Von 2 fantasy, science-fiction 4.04 2003 Gregor the Overlander (Underland Chronicles, #1)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Von
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2003
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2019/09/22
shelves: fantasy, science-fiction
review:

]]> Skin Deep (Legion, #2) 20886354
What follows is a visionary thriller about the potential uses of technology, the mysteries of the human personality, and the ancient human need to believe that death is not the end. Legion: Skin Deep is speculative fiction at it most highly developed. It reaffirms Sanderson’s place as one of contemporary fiction’s most intelligent—and unpredictable—voices.]]> 208 Brandon Sanderson Von 3 lds-author 4.11 2014 Skin Deep (Legion, #2)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Von
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2019/09/22
shelves: lds-author
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell]]> 21411388 Originally appearing in the Dangerous Women anthology and now available as a solo ebook, Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell is a chilling novella of the Cosmere, the universe shared by Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series and the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive.

When the familiar and seemingly safe turns lethal, therein danger lies. Amid a forest where the shades of the dead linger all around, every homesteader knows to follow the Simple Rules: "Don't kindle flame, don't shed the blood of another, don't run at night. These things draw shades."

Silence Montane has broken all three rules on more than one occasion. And to protect her family from a murderous gang with high bounties on their heads, Silence will break every rule again, at the risk of becoming a shade herself.]]> 50 Brandon Sanderson Von 4 fantasy, lds-author 4.15 2013 Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Von
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/09/22
shelves: fantasy, lds-author
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sixth of the Dusk (The Cosmere)]]> 23397921
Sixth of the Dusk, set in a never-before-seen world, showcases a society on the brink of technological change. On the deadly island of Patji, where birds grant people magical talents and predators can sense the thoughts of their prey, a solitary trapper discovers that the island is not the only thing out to kill him. When he begins to see his own corpse at every turn, does this spell danger for his entire culture?

--------------------

A note from the publisher: For a detailed behind-the-scenes look at the creation of this novella, including brainstorming and workshopping session transcripts, the first draft, line-by-line edits, and an essay by Brandon, please see Shadows Beneath: The Writing Excuses Anthology.]]> 66 Brandon Sanderson 1938570073 Von 3 fantasy, lds-author 4.21 2014 Sixth of the Dusk (The Cosmere)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Von
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2019/09/22
shelves: fantasy, lds-author
review:

]]> Pearl of Great Price 747060 61 Joseph Smith Jr. 1599869667 Von 5
So I held the Pear of Great Price in, yes with respect, but but a little dislike on the same leaves with those same silly people who forget the basic principals.

Then I had the prompting to read the little book, and guess what, it was full of teaches about faith, repentance, baptism, covenants, and listening to promptings from God.

This is a beautiful book. It is full of the Love of God. I have felt its power in my life, and I know it is true! I love this book!]]> 4.57 1974 Pearl of Great Price
author: Joseph Smith Jr.
name: Von
average rating: 4.57
book published: 1974
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2019/09/21
shelves: christian, best-book-ever, lds-author
review:
I remember going through the Pear of Great Price in seminary and thinking it was full of those amazing deep doctrines you don't usually talk about. Then I got on my mission and met many people (missionary, Latter-day Saint, and other Christians alike) who got WAY too caught up with the deep doctrines. It would make me frustrated that people were so focused on the deep doctrines the would forget the basic, beautiful principals of the gospel: faith in The Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism and making other covenants, and receiving and following the Holy Ghost.

So I held the Pear of Great Price in, yes with respect, but but a little dislike on the same leaves with those same silly people who forget the basic principals.

Then I had the prompting to read the little book, and guess what, it was full of teaches about faith, repentance, baptism, covenants, and listening to promptings from God.

This is a beautiful book. It is full of the Love of God. I have felt its power in my life, and I know it is true! I love this book!
]]> <![CDATA[The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)]]> 34
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkeness bind them

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit.

In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.
--back cover]]> 398 J.R.R. Tolkien 0618346252 Von 4 Reading Fellowship of the Ring as an adult was very enjoyable! Best mindset was to take my time and enjoy the Tolkien lore so well laced into the world. I’d say to myself “Why am I in a hurry? What am I going to do when I am done with this book? Read another book. So instead of hurrying on to another story in another book, why not just enjoy the stories in the book I am already reading?� It has been so much fun enjoying this world!

The one criticism I have of Tolkien is his use of deus ex machina. It gets old.

The best thing is that the stories of Middle Earth do not contain ANYTHING sexual! No one sleeps around. No rapes. No incest. There is no love affairs (more then any Arthurian story can say). There isn’t even any mention of brothels. And no half-naked female elvish warrior that is so “forward thinking� it takes you out of the story. And all of that being, Lord of The Rings still stands today as one of the most timeless and beloved novel series ever committed to pen! Call me a prude, but the world needs to realized that just because sex sells, it doesn’t mean that you can’t make a good story without sex.

To be honest, sexual content in a story is just lazy writing.]]> 4.36 1954 The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Von
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1954
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/11/06
shelves: fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
I had read this when I was a pre-teen when the movies came out, and I didn’t get much out of it. All I remember is that it was long, wordy, and described unneeded details.
Reading Fellowship of the Ring as an adult was very enjoyable! Best mindset was to take my time and enjoy the Tolkien lore so well laced into the world. I’d say to myself “Why am I in a hurry? What am I going to do when I am done with this book? Read another book. So instead of hurrying on to another story in another book, why not just enjoy the stories in the book I am already reading?� It has been so much fun enjoying this world!

The one criticism I have of Tolkien is his use of deus ex machina. It gets old.

The best thing is that the stories of Middle Earth do not contain ANYTHING sexual! No one sleeps around. No rapes. No incest. There is no love affairs (more then any Arthurian story can say). There isn’t even any mention of brothels. And no half-naked female elvish warrior that is so “forward thinking� it takes you out of the story. And all of that being, Lord of The Rings still stands today as one of the most timeless and beloved novel series ever committed to pen! Call me a prude, but the world needs to realized that just because sex sells, it doesn’t mean that you can’t make a good story without sex.

To be honest, sexual content in a story is just lazy writing.
]]> <![CDATA[The Hobbit, or There and Back Again]]> 5907 Written for J.R.R. Tolkien’s own children, The Hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when it was first published in 1937. Now recognized as a timeless classic, this introduction to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf, Gollum, and the spectacular world of Middle-earth recounts of the adventures of a reluctant hero, a powerful and dangerous ring, and the cruel dragon Smaug the Magnificent. The text in this 372-page paperback edition is based on that first published in Great Britain by Collins Modern Classics (1998), and includes a note on the text by Douglas A. Anderson (2001).]]> 366 J.R.R. Tolkien Von 4 4.29 1937 The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Von
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1937
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/09/20
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes, #1)]]> 27774758 Alternative Cover Edition #1

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

From the Hardcover edition.]]> 446 Sabaa Tahir Von 4
Overall, it did make me want to read the sequel.]]> 4.23 2015 An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes, #1)
author: Sabaa Tahir
name: Von
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/24
shelves:
review:
At first I wasn't feeling this book. For one, I always get frustrated reading slave stories (I don't read book so I can be frustrated). Beyond this, the main reason I wasn't getting attached to the book is that when an author uses the awkward first-person-present narrative it usually pulls me out of the story. But, as I dredged through the book, it became more and more interesting and I found the character motives more compelling. Granted there are still flaws and irritation with the narrative (also the many deus ex machinas used).

Overall, it did make me want to read the sequel.
]]> Stranger in a Strange Land 350 NAME: Valentine Michael Smith
ANCESTRY: Human
ORIGIN: Mars

Valentine Michael Smith is a human being raised on Mars, newly returned to Earth. Among his people for the first time, he struggles to understand the social mores and prejudices of human nature that are so alien to him, while teaching them his own fundamental beliefs in grokking, watersharing, and love.]]> 525 Robert A. Heinlein Von 1 3.93 1961 Stranger in a Strange Land
author: Robert A. Heinlein
name: Von
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1961
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books, science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson]]> 8971659 To the Rescue is the much-anticipated official biography of President Thomas S. Monson. Beginning with President Monson's family heritage and his early years in Salt Lake City, it included his vocational preparation and his career in the world of journalism. More important, this inspiring book recounts his lifetime of Church service. Called as a bishop at the age of twenty-two, as a mission president at thirty-one, and as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve at age thirty-six, he has traveled the globe to minister to the Saints for more than fifty years. This book shares many of his personal experience, from his visits behind the Iron Curtain to his contributions on the Scriptures Publication Committee and in the missionary and welfare areas; it also provides up-to-the-minute information about his work as Church President.

Filled with wonderful photographs and little-known accounts, this biography is a portrait of a leader who ministers both to the one and to the many, and who is completely dedicated to doing whatever the Lord prompts him to do.]]> 588 Heidi S. Swinton 160641898X Von 5 biography, lds-author 4.45 2010 To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson
author: Heidi S. Swinton
name: Von
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: biography, lds-author
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Star Wars: The Last Command (The Thrawn Trilogy, #3)]]> 216422
Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!]]> 467 Timothy Zahn 0553564927 Von 4 4.26 1993 Star Wars: The Last Command (The Thrawn Trilogy, #3)
author: Timothy Zahn
name: Von
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1993
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books, science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Star Wars: Dark Force Rising (The Thrawn Trilogy, #2)]]> 216442
Yet most dangerous of all is a new Dark Jedi, risen from the ashes of a shrouded past, consumed by bitterness� and scheming to corrupt Luke Skywalker to the Dark Side.]]> 439 Timothy Zahn 0553560719 Von 4 4.18 1992 Star Wars: Dark Force Rising (The Thrawn Trilogy, #2)
author: Timothy Zahn
name: Von
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books, science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heir to the Empire (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, #1)]]> 216443 Alternate Cover Edition can be found here.

It is a time of renewal, five years after the destruction of the Death Star and the defeat of Darth Vader and the Empire.

But with the war seemingly won, strains are beginning to show in the Rebel Alliance. New challenges to galactic peace have arisen. And Luke Skywalker hears a voice from his past. A voice with a warning. Beware the dark side�.

The Rebel Alliance has destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and driven the remnants of the old Imperial Starfleet back into barely a quarter of the territory that they once controlled. Leia and Han are married, are expecting Jedi twins, and have shouldered heavy burdens in the government of the new Republic. And Luke Skywalker is the first in a hoped-for new line of Jedi Knights.

But thousands of light years away, where a few skirmishes are still taking place, the last of the Emperor's warlords has taken command of the remains of the Imperial fleet. He has made two vital discoveries that could destroy the fragile new Republic—built with such cost to the Rebel Alliance. The tale that emerges is a towering epic of action, invention, mystery, and spectacle on a galactic scale—in short, a story that is worthy of the name Star Wars.]]> 404 Timothy Zahn 0553296124 Von 4 4.13 1991 Heir to the Empire (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, #1)
author: Timothy Zahn
name: Von
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1991
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books, science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Caves of Steel (Robot, #1)]]> 41811 206 Isaac Asimov Von 3 4.19 1953 The Caves of Steel (Robot, #1)
author: Isaac Asimov
name: Von
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1953
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: science-fiction, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:

]]> Stardust 16793 Alternate cover edition can be found here

Young Tristran Thorn will do anything to win the cold heart of beautiful Victoria—even fetch her the star they watch fall from the night sky. But to do so, he must enter the unexplored lands on the other side of the ancient wall that gives their tiny village its name. Beyond that old stone wall, Tristran learns, lies Faerie—where nothing not even a fallen star, is what he imagined.]]> 248 Neil Gaiman 0061142026 Von 2 4.11 1999 Stardust
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Von
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1999
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Pawn of Prophecy (The Belgariad, #1)]]> 44659 BOOK 1 OF THE BELGARIAD, the worldwide bestselling fantasy series by master storyteller David Eddings. Discover the epic story that inspired thousands - from Raymond Feist's The Riftwar Cycle series to George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones.

A battle is coming...

...And in that battle shall be decided

the fate of the world

Myths tell of the ancient wars of Gods and men, and a powerful object - the Orb - that ended the bloodshed. As long as it was held by the line of Riva, it would assure the peace.

But a dark force has stolen the Orb, and the prophecies tell of war.

Young farm boy Garion knows nothing of myth or fate. But then the mysterious Old Storyteller visits his aunt, and they embark on a sudden journey. Pursued by evil forces, with only a small band of companions they can trust, Garion begins to doubt all he thought he knew...]]> 304 David Eddings 0345468643 Von 3 4.17 1982 Pawn of Prophecy (The Belgariad, #1)
author: David Eddings
name: Von
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1982
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
Has potential. The background ideas are well played. I felt that the over arching plot of the story was never made clear to the hero (I think that I as the reader am suppose to gather it from the prolog to the story but it was never reconfirms when the hero was told of it, which was never... I understand that this is book one (refer to first sentence of review) but I feel like if it wasn't for the prolog nothing was relieved. Just read the prolog and then jump tho the last chapter.
]]> <![CDATA[The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1)]]> 43615
He is a haunting figure, a loner on a spellbinding journey into good and evil. In his desolate world, which frighteningly mirrors our own, Roland pursues The Man in Black, encounters an alluring woman named Alice, and begins a friendship with the Kid from Earth called Jake. Both grippingly realistic and eerily dreamlike, The Gunslinger leaves readers eagerly awaiting the next chapter.]]> 231 Stephen King 1501143514 Von 2 3.95 1982 The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1)
author: Stephen King
name: Von
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1982
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:

]]> Prelude to Foundation 30013
Hari Seldon has come to Trantor to deliver his paper on psychohistory, his remarkable theory of prediction. Little does the young Outworld mathematician know that he has already sealed his fate and the fate of humanity. For Hari possesses the prophetic power that makes him the most wanted man in the Empire. . .the man who holds the key to the future—an apocalyptic power to be known forever after as the Foundation.]]> 464 Isaac Asimov Von 3 science-fiction 4.16 1988 Prelude to Foundation
author: Isaac Asimov
name: Von
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1988
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: science-fiction
review:

]]> The Princess Bride 21787
As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's recitation, and only the "good parts" reached his ears.

Now Goldman does Dad one better. He's reconstructed the "Good Parts Version" to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.

What's it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.

In short, it's about everything.]]> 429 William Goldman 0345418263 Von 3 4.27 1973 The Princess Bride
author: William Goldman
name: Von
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1973
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)]]> 7235533 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings, book one of The Stormlight Archive begins an incredible new saga of epic proportion.

Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.

It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them.

One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.

Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Like his brother, the late king, he is fascinated by an ancient text called The Way of Kings. Troubled by over-powering visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant, he has begun to doubt his own sanity.

Across the ocean, an untried young woman named Shallan seeks to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar's niece, Jasnah. Though she genuinely loves learning, Shallan's motives are less than pure. As she plans a daring theft, her research for Jasnah hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.

The result of over ten years of planning, writing, and world-building, The Way of Kings is but the opening movement of the Stormlight Archive, a bold masterpiece in the making.

Speak again the ancient oaths:

Life before death.
Strength before weakness.
Journey before Destination.

and return to men the Shards they once bore.

The Knights Radiant must stand again.]]> 1007 Brandon Sanderson 0765326353 Von 4 4.66 2010 The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Von
average rating: 4.66
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: fantasy, lds-author, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)]]> 68428 What if the whole world were a dead, blasted wasteland?

Mistborn
For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison. Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.

Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Then Kelsier reveals his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.

But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel's plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she's a half-Skaa orphan, but she's lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets. She will have to learn trust if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.

Brandon Sanderson, fantasy's newest master tale-spinner and author of the acclaimed debut Elantris, dares to turn a genre on its head by asking a simple question: What if the prophesied hero failed to defeat the Dark Lord? The answer will be found in the Mistborn Trilogy, a saga of surprises that begins with the book in your hands. Fantasy will never be the same again.]]> 541 Brandon Sanderson Von 4 4.48 2006 Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Von
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: lds-author, fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
Good book. Has kind of a New Testament idea to it. I liked the powers in it and some of the ideas. Needs more wit.
]]> <![CDATA[The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, #3)]]> 2767793
Who is the Hero of Ages?

To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as a result, the Deepness—the lethal form of the ubiquitous mists—is back, along with increasingly heavy ashfalls and ever more powerful earthquakes. Humanity appears to be doomed.

Having escaped death at the climax of The Well of Ascension only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to save the world. Vin is consumed with guilt at having been tricked into releasing the mystic force known as Ruin from the Well. Ruin wants to end the world, and its near omniscience and ability to warp reality make stopping it seem impossible. Vin can't even discuss it with Elend lest Ruin learn their plans!]]> 572 Brandon Sanderson 0765316897 Von 5 4.54 2008 The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, #3)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Von
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: lds-author, fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
The majority of the book was not as fun as I would have like, but it is the ending that sets it right. I feel that Brandon Sanderson knew how the play the cards right to have the ending for with much success. I still feel like it needs more wit in the book (of course I'm sure that he did all his effort to make it witty and it must be not the easiest of tasks. I would probably fail). I approve of this book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, #2)]]> 68429
The impossible has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler—the man who claimed to be god incarnate and brutally ruled the world for a thousand years—has been vanquished. But Kelsier, the hero who masterminded that triumph, is dead too, and now the awesome task of building a new world has been left to his young protégé, Vin, the former street urchin who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and to the idealistic young nobleman she loves.

As Kelsier's protégé and slayer of the Lord Ruler she is now venerated by a budding new religion, a distinction that makes her intensely uncomfortable. Even more worrying, the mists have begun behaving strangely since the Lord Ruler died, and seem to harbor a strange vaporous entity that haunts her.

Stopping assassins may keep Vin's Mistborn skills sharp, but it's the least of her problems. Luthadel, the largest city of the former empire, doesn't run itself, and Vin and the other members of Kelsier's crew, who lead the revolution, must learn a whole new set of practical and political skills to help. It certainly won't get easier with three armies - one of them composed of ferocious giants - now vying to conquer the city, and no sign of the Lord Ruler's hidden cache of atium, the rarest and most powerful allomantic metal.

As the siege of Luthadel tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.]]> 590 Brandon Sanderson 0765316889 Von 3 4.38 2007 The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, #2)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Von
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: lds-author, fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
In this book there are many political idea. It addresses the issue of order. Is it better for an oppressive ruler to have complete control over a people as long as he keeps order verses a wishy washy ruler who gives freedoms and liberty but is incapable of keeping order and unity? Loved the books villain, Zane, but was slightly disappointed it the end of the book. Looking for hope in the last book.
]]> 1984 5470 328 George Orwell Von 1 4.15 1949 1984
author: George Orwell
name: Von
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1949
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: science-fiction, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Out of the Silent Planet (The Space Trilogy, #1)]]> 25350 160 C.S. Lewis 0007157150 Von 3 3.93 1938 Out of the Silent Planet (The Space Trilogy, #1)
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Von
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1938
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: science-fiction, christian, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
When a man has a passion it tends to come out in ever aspect of what he does. If his heart belongs to music he will decorate his house with instruments and notes and eventually he will end up writing songs about singing song and about music being the fiber of this world. If a writer has a passion for books then his characters in his story will use books to save the day. As you read Lewis's books you will feel his passion for loving and trusting out Savior. Though often his stories lack in the "complex story and character" department, but do so well in the spiritual department. I firmly believe that in order of a story to make a true lasting and meaningful impression it needs to touch our hearts with a spiritual lesson. This is why we all keep going back to the Star Wars Saga, with it's bad acting and cheesy dialog, because it is spiritual. People from every faith feel that it was written as an allegory of their religion and not really any other. Lewis has that way of teaching you a spiritual lesson to the point of ignoring the poorly done story.
]]> <![CDATA[The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time, #2)]]> 233649
Rand cannot run for ever. With every passing day the Dark One grows in strength and strives to shatter his ancient prison, to break the Wheel, to bring an end to Time and sunder the weave of the Pattern.

And the Pattern demands the Dragon.]]> 705 Robert Jordan 0812517725 Von 3 4.25 1990 The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time, #2)
author: Robert Jordan
name: Von
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1990
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
This one seemed to drag for me, but it still had its fulfilling moments.
]]> <![CDATA[The Path of Daggers (The Wheel of Time, #8)]]> 140974
In Illian, Rand vows to throw the Seanchan back as he did once before. But signs of madness are appearing among the Asha'man.

In Ghealdan, Perrin faces the intrigues of Whitecloaks, Seanchan invaders, the scattered Shaido Aiel, and the Prophet himself. Perrin's beloved wife, Faile, may pay with her life, and Perrin himself may have to destroy his soul to save her.

Meanwhile the rebel Aes Sedai under their young Amyrlin, Egwene al'Vere, face an army that intends to keep them away from the White Tower. But Egwene is determined to unseat the usurper Elaida and reunite the Aes Sedai. She does not yet understand the price that others—and she herself—will pay.]]> 685 Robert Jordan 0812550293 Von 2 This one has a cool cover. 3.91 1998 The Path of Daggers (The Wheel of Time, #8)
author: Robert Jordan
name: Von
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1998
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
This one has a cool cover.
]]> <![CDATA[Winter's Heart (The Wheel of Time, #9)]]> 13891
Mazrim Taim, leader of the Black Tower, is revealed to be a liar. But what is he up to?

Faile, with the Aiel Maidens, Bain and Chiad, and her companions, Queen Alliandre and Morgase, is prisoner of Savanna's sept.

Perrin is desperately searching for Faile. With Elyas Machera, Berelain, the Prophet and a very mixed "army" of disparate forces, he is moving through country rife with bandits and roving Seanchan. The Forsaken are ever more present, and united, and the man called Slayer stalks Tel'aran'rhiod and the wolfdream.

In Ebou Dar, the Seanchan princess known as Daughter of the Nine Moons arrives--and Mat, who had been recuperating in the Tarasin Palace, is introduced to her. Will the marriage that has been foretold come about?

There are neither beginnings or endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it is a beginning....]]> 780 Robert Jordan 081257558X Von 2
It was fun.... And I could get caught up in the moment of the book.... but I just don't feel like anything of note happened.

Except one thing! the ending!]]> 3.94 1994 Winter's Heart (The Wheel of Time, #9)
author: Robert Jordan
name: Von
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1994
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
Review to me are a simple way of journaling my thoughts on a book at the time I read it. It is a way to to keep track of what books I have read and stuff like that. It is really hard for me to write a review for a book that didn't stand out to me enough to actually remember what happened in it.

It was fun.... And I could get caught up in the moment of the book.... but I just don't feel like anything of note happened.

Except one thing! the ending!
]]> <![CDATA[A Crown of Swords (The Wheel of Time, #7)]]> 13890
Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.]]> 880 Robert Jordan 0812550285 Von 3
It is hard to right a review for a book that I felt like had a whole lot of nothing. Maybe in honor of it I should write a long report that says the same thing over and over again only in different words. These books are repetitive and each book pretty much just restate the previous books in just new settings. Book after book the contain doesn't change much and you get lost in the constant use of the same thing said again. It is hard to remember which book has which events after 7 books of repetition. (get might point)

And finally, again Robert Jordan succeeds in titling his books with names that make you wonder "Now why was it named this?" ]]> 4.05 1996 A Crown of Swords (The Wheel of Time, #7)
author: Robert Jordan
name: Von
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1996
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
Again and again.

It is hard to right a review for a book that I felt like had a whole lot of nothing. Maybe in honor of it I should write a long report that says the same thing over and over again only in different words. These books are repetitive and each book pretty much just restate the previous books in just new settings. Book after book the contain doesn't change much and you get lost in the constant use of the same thing said again. It is hard to remember which book has which events after 7 books of repetition. (get might point)

And finally, again Robert Jordan succeeds in titling his books with names that make you wonder "Now why was it named this?"
]]> <![CDATA[The Dragon Reborn (The Wheel of Time, #3)]]> 34897 The Dragon Reborn—the leader long prophesied who will save the world, but in the saving destroy it; the savior who will run mad and kill all those dearest to him—is on the run from his destiny.

Able to touch the One Power, but unable to control it, and with no one to teach him how—for no man has done it in three thousand years—Rand al'Thor knows only that he must face the Dark One. But how?

Winter has stopped the war—almost—yet men are dying, calling out for the Dragon. But where is he?

Perrin Aybara is in pursuit with Moiraine Sedai, her Warder Lan, and Loial the Ogier. Bedeviled by dreams, Perrin is grappling with another deadly problem—how is he to escape the loss of his own humanity?

Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve are approaching Tar Valon, where Mat will be healed—if he lives until they arrive. But who will tell the Amyrlin their news—that the Black Ajah, long thought only a hideous rumor, is all too real? They cannot know that in Tar Valon far worse awaits...

Ahead, for all of them, in the Heart of the Stone, lies the next great test of the Dragon reborn....
]]> 624 Robert Jordan 0765305119 Von 3 Yet another installment of The Wheel of Time. It was good, but not fantastic.

There's really no much else to say....]]> 4.27 1991 The Dragon Reborn (The Wheel of Time, #3)
author: Robert Jordan
name: Von
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1991
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:

Yet another installment of The Wheel of Time. It was good, but not fantastic.

There's really no much else to say....
]]> <![CDATA[Crossroads of Twilight (The Wheel of Time, #10)]]> 113435 The Wheel of Time from the New York Times #1 bestselling author Robert Jordan, the world and the characters stand at a crossroads, and the world approaches twilight, when the power of the Shadow grows stronger.

Fleeing from Ebou Dar with the kidnapped Daughter of the Nine Moons, whom he is fated to marry, Mat Cauthon learns that he can neither keep her nor let her go, not in safety for either of them, for both the Shadow and the might of the Seanchan Empire are in deadly pursuit.

Perrin Aybara seeks to free his wife, Faile, a captive of the Shaido, but his only hope may be an alliance with the enemy. Can he remain true to his friend Rand and to himself? For his love of Faile, Perrin is willing to sell his soul.

At Tar Valon, Egwene al'Vere, the young Amyrlin of the rebel Aes Sedai, lays siege to the heart of Aes Sedai power, but she must win quickly, with as little bloodshed as possible, for unless the Aes Sedai are reunited, only the male Asha'man will remain to defend the world against the Dark One, and nothing can hold the Asha'man themselves back from total power except the Aes Sedai and a unified White Tower.

In Andor, Elayne Trakland fights for the Lion Throne that is hers by right, but enemies and Darkfriends surround her, plotting her destruction. If she fails, Andor may fall to the Shadow, and the Dragon Reborn with it.

Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn himself, has cleansed the Dark One's taint from the male half of the True Source, and everything has changed. Yet nothing has, for only men who can channel believe that saidin is clean again, and a man who can channel is still hated and feared-even one prophesied to save the world. Now, Rand must gamble again, with himself at stake, and he cannot be sure which of his allies are really enemies.
]]> 704 Robert Jordan 0312864590 Von 2
Thats it.]]> 3.77 2003 Crossroads of Twilight (The Wheel of Time, #10)
author: Robert Jordan
name: Von
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2003
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
With a very epic, very pivotal event happening at the end of the previous book, Jordan take a book to establish what everyone is up to.

Thats it.
]]> <![CDATA[The Fires of Heaven (The Wheel of Time, #5)]]> 13895
In The Fires of Heaven, the fifth novel in Robert Jordan’s #1 New York Times bestselling epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time, four of the most powerful Forsaken band together against the Champion of Light, Rand al’Thor.

Prophesized to defeat the Dark One, Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, has upset the balance of power across the land. Shaido Aiel are on the march, ravaging everything in their path. The White Tower's Amyrlin has been deposed, turning the Aes Sedai against one another. The forbidden city of Rhuidean is overrun by Shadowspawn.

Despite the chaos swirling around him, Rand continues to learn how to harness his abilities, determined to wield the One Power--and ignoring the counsel of Moiraine Damodred at great cost.

Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time® by Robert Jordan has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters. The last six books in series were all instant #1 New York Times bestsellers, and The Eye of the World was named one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read.

The Wheel of Time®
New Spring: The Novel
#1 The Eye of the World
#2 The Great Hunt
#3 The Dragon Reborn
#4 The Shadow Rising
#5 The Fires of Heaven
#6 Lord of Chaos
#7 A Crown of Swords
#8 The Path of Daggers
#9 Winter's Heart
#10 Crossroads of Twilight
#11 Knife of Dreams

By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
#12 The Gathering Storm
#13 Towers of Midnight
#14 A Memory of Light]]> 912 Robert Jordan 1857232097 Von 3 4.19 1993 The Fires of Heaven (The Wheel of Time, #5)
author: Robert Jordan
name: Von
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1993
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
This was again more or less the same at the previous books: more conflicts and more events. Yes, things do happen to progress the plot, but it is still another book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time, #1)]]> 228665
Moiraine Damodred arrives in Emond’s Field on a quest to find the one prophesized to stand against The Dark One, a malicious entity sowing the seeds of chaos and destruction. When a vicious band of half-men, half beasts invade the village seeking their master’s enemy, Moiraine persuades Rand al’Thor and his friends to leave their home and enter a larger unimaginable world filled with dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.]]> 800 Robert Jordan 0812511816 Von 3
Easy to got lost in for its MANY words. Easy to get lost in for its fun story.

A friend once promised me that if I read this book I would discover the most entertaining book I had ever read. To that I say: eh, it was good, but not THAT good....

but it still might be good enough to read the next book.....]]> 4.19 1990 The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time, #1)
author: Robert Jordan
name: Von
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1990
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
It was big. It was adventure.

Easy to got lost in for its MANY words. Easy to get lost in for its fun story.

A friend once promised me that if I read this book I would discover the most entertaining book I had ever read. To that I say: eh, it was good, but not THAT good....

but it still might be good enough to read the next book.....
]]> <![CDATA[Lord of Chaos (The Wheel of Time, #6)]]> 35231
On the slopes of Shayol Ghul, the Myrddraal swords are forged, and the sky is not the sky of this world ...

In Salidar the White Tower in exile prepares an embassy to Caemlyn, where Rand Al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, holds the throne -- and where an unexpected visitor may change the world ...

In Emond's Field, Perrin Goldeneyes, Lord of the Two Rivers, feels the pull of ta'veren to ta'veren and prepares to march ...

Morgase of Caemlyn finds a most unexpected, and quite unwelcome, ally ...

And south lies Illian, where Sammael holds sway ...]]> 1011 Robert Jordan 0812513754 Von 4
That side of the story that I felt was most fitting was the formation of the Asha'man. These at men who can wield the power and rally around Rand for both protection and training.

This book's ending had lots of build and rewarding resolve.]]> 4.17 1994 Lord of Chaos (The Wheel of Time, #6)
author: Robert Jordan
name: Von
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1994
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
Much more exciting then the previous book!

That side of the story that I felt was most fitting was the formation of the Asha'man. These at men who can wield the power and rally around Rand for both protection and training.

This book's ending had lots of build and rewarding resolve.
]]> <![CDATA[The Gathering Storm (The Wheel of Time, #12)]]> 1166599
Tarmon Gai'don, the Last Battle, looms. And mankind is not ready.

The final volume of the Wheel of Time, A Memory of Light, was partially written by Robert Jordan before his untimely passing in 2007. Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author of the Mistborn books, and now Stormlight Archive, among others, was chosen by Jordan's editor--his wife, Harriet McDougal--to complete the final volume, later expanded to three books.

In this epic novel, Robert Jordan's international bestselling series begins its dramatic conclusion. Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, struggles to unite a fractured network of kingdoms and alliances in preparation for the Last Battle. As he attempts to halt the Seanchan encroachment northward--wishing he could form at least a temporary truce with the invaders--his allies watch in terror the shadow that seems to be growing within the heart of the Dragon Reborn himself.

Egwene al'Vere, the Amyrlin Seat of the rebel Aes Sedai, is a captive of the White Tower and subject to the whims of their tyrannical leader. As days tick toward the Seanchan attack she knows is imminent, Egwene works to hold together the disparate factions of Aes Sedai while providing leadership in the face of increasing uncertainty and despair. Her fight will prove the mettle of the Aes Sedai, and her conflict will decide the future of the White Tower--and possibly the world itself.]]> 824 Robert Jordan 0765302306 Von 5
Robert Jordan created a fun world. Intricate cultures, fun magic, and likable characters. He just didn't know went to let go! He loved his character so much that he just kept writing, and writing, and writing, and never moved on!

In math, asymptotes are lines that continually approaches a given curve with out touching it at any finite point. So the line could get bigger and bigger but never touch the curve, only getting closer and closer. The Wheel of time is like an asymptote. Book after book the issues got bigger and bigger, approaching the end, but never getting there.

Until this book...

With the death of Robert Jordan, his life's work was left incomplete. Jordan's publisher (and wife) approached Brandon Sanderson (the greatest fiction writer of our time!) to finish the books. In all fairness, Sanderson was the best thing to happen to this series!

Sanderson brought meaning to the story. He took the same characters and dug more into who they are and why they do what they do. Sanderson accomplished more character development in this book then Jordan did in the last 7 books (I say that with 100% confidence and conviction).

This book actually made me EAGER to start the next book, whereas most of the other books I just started because I needed a new book and it was ready made.

I have high hopes for the last two books!]]> 4.41 2009 The Gathering Storm (The Wheel of Time, #12)
author: Robert Jordan
name: Von
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: lds-author, fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
Wow! Finally the story is progressing somewhere!

Robert Jordan created a fun world. Intricate cultures, fun magic, and likable characters. He just didn't know went to let go! He loved his character so much that he just kept writing, and writing, and writing, and never moved on!

In math, asymptotes are lines that continually approaches a given curve with out touching it at any finite point. So the line could get bigger and bigger but never touch the curve, only getting closer and closer. The Wheel of time is like an asymptote. Book after book the issues got bigger and bigger, approaching the end, but never getting there.

Until this book...

With the death of Robert Jordan, his life's work was left incomplete. Jordan's publisher (and wife) approached Brandon Sanderson (the greatest fiction writer of our time!) to finish the books. In all fairness, Sanderson was the best thing to happen to this series!

Sanderson brought meaning to the story. He took the same characters and dug more into who they are and why they do what they do. Sanderson accomplished more character development in this book then Jordan did in the last 7 books (I say that with 100% confidence and conviction).

This book actually made me EAGER to start the next book, whereas most of the other books I just started because I needed a new book and it was ready made.

I have high hopes for the last two books!
]]> <![CDATA[Towers of Midnight (The Wheel of Time, #13)]]> 8253920 The end draws near....

The Last Battle has started. The seals on the Dark One’s prison are crumbling. The Pattern itself is unraveling, and the armies of the Shadow have begun to boil out of the Blight.

The sun has begun to set upon the Third Age.

Perrin Aybara is now hunted by specters from his past: Whitecloaks, a slayer of wolves, and the responsibilities of leadership. All the while, an unseen foe is slowly pulling a noose tight around his neck. To prevail, he must seek answers in ձ’a’r󾱴ǻ and find a way--at long last--to master the wolf within him or lose himself to it forever

Meanwhile, Matrim Cauthon prepares for the most difficult challenge of his life. The creatures beyond the stone gateways--the Aelfinn and the Eelfinn--have confused him, taunted him, and left him hanged, his memory stuffed with bits and pieces of other men’s lives. He had hoped that his last confrontation with them would be the end of it, but the Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills. The time is coming when he will again have to dance with the Snakes and the Foxes, playing a game that cannot be won. The Tower of Ghenjei awaits, and its secrets will reveal the fate of a friend long lost.

This penultimate novel of Robert Jordan’s #1 New York Times bestselling series--the second of three based on materials he left behind when he died in 2007--brings dramatic and compelling developments to many threads in the Pattern. The end draws near.

Dovie’andi se tovya sagain. It’s time to toss the dice.]]> 863 Robert Jordan 0765325942 Von 4
Story: good pace. Explains in great ways what is happening.

Character: awesome build! Delves more into people's motives.

Ending: wow! I've GOT to read the last one NOW!

SPOILER?

If you are reading this review you have probably read to this point I the series. So should know that Moiraine isn't actually dead and the are going to save her at the Tower of Ghenjei (they have drilled that into is for the last two books). So it should come as no surprise that they do indeed save her. OF COURSE.... From the moment she "died" I was like "well... It would be no shock if she comes back... some how..." And there you go, she's back...]]> 4.46 2010 Towers of Midnight (The Wheel of Time, #13)
author: Robert Jordan
name: Von
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: lds-author, fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
Still like what Sanderson is doing!

Story: good pace. Explains in great ways what is happening.

Character: awesome build! Delves more into people's motives.

Ending: wow! I've GOT to read the last one NOW!

SPOILER?

If you are reading this review you have probably read to this point I the series. So should know that Moiraine isn't actually dead and the are going to save her at the Tower of Ghenjei (they have drilled that into is for the last two books). So it should come as no surprise that they do indeed save her. OF COURSE.... From the moment she "died" I was like "well... It would be no shock if she comes back... some how..." And there you go, she's back...
]]> <![CDATA[Knife of Dreams (The Wheel of Time, #11)]]> 13888
The winds of time have become a storm, and things that everyone believes are fixed in place forever are changing before their eyes. Even the White Tower itself is no longer a place of safety. Now Rand, Perrin and Mat, Egwene and Elayne, Nynaeve and Lan, and even Loial, must ride those storm winds, or the Dark One will triumph.]]> 860 Robert Jordan 0812577566 Von 3
Why?! Shouldn't the title of the book mentally prepare you for what will happen in the book?!
Harry Potter even knew that!!

It was an alright book. The most exciting thing about this book it that it was Jordan's last book!

Here comes Sanderson!]]> 4.18 2005 Knife of Dreams (The Wheel of Time, #11)
author: Robert Jordan
name: Von
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
In this book there is a small section that mentions a knife that can affect dreams, but beyond that the story has nothing to do with that knife.

Why?! Shouldn't the title of the book mentally prepare you for what will happen in the book?!
Harry Potter even knew that!!

It was an alright book. The most exciting thing about this book it that it was Jordan's last book!

Here comes Sanderson!
]]> <![CDATA[A Memory of Light (The Wheel of Time, #14)]]> 7743175
When Robert Jordan died in 2007, all feared that these concluding scenes would never be written. But working from notes and partials left by Jordan, established fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson stepped in to complete the masterwork. With The Gathering Storm (Book 12) and Towers of Midnight (Book 13) behind him, Sanderson now re-creates the vision that Robert Jordan left behind.

Edited by Jordan's widow, who edited all of Jordan's books, A Memory of Light will delight, enthrall, and deeply satisfy all of Jordan's legions of readers.

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass.
What was, what will be, and what is,
may yet fall under the Shadow.
Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.]]> 912 Robert Jordan 0765325950 Von 3
It was epic.

It was fun.

It was exciting.

For the most part, it delivered.

But.... It was lacking.... Something.

I think it was just the ending. The resolve was lacking... It kind of just ended with a lot of "you can imagine what happens". There were a good meany moments that were satisfying, but none that were surprising. Never did I have a moment of "I didn't see that coming" or "oh my goodness! Mind blown!!" It was kind of like "oh. Nice."

It wasn't THE ending, but it was AN ending.]]> 4.56 2013 A Memory of Light (The Wheel of Time, #14)
author: Robert Jordan
name: Von
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: lds-author, fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
Hmmm.....

It was epic.

It was fun.

It was exciting.

For the most part, it delivered.

But.... It was lacking.... Something.

I think it was just the ending. The resolve was lacking... It kind of just ended with a lot of "you can imagine what happens". There were a good meany moments that were satisfying, but none that were surprising. Never did I have a moment of "I didn't see that coming" or "oh my goodness! Mind blown!!" It was kind of like "oh. Nice."

It wasn't THE ending, but it was AN ending.
]]> <![CDATA[The Shadow Rising (The Wheel of Time, #4)]]> 9539
In Tar Valon, Min sees portents of hideous doom. Will the White Tower itself be broken?

In the Two Rivers, the Whitecloaks ride in pursuit of a man with golden eyes, and in pursuit of the Dragon Reborn.

In Cantorin, among the Sea Folk, High Lady Suroth plans the return of the Seanchan armies to the mainland.

In the Stone of Tear, the Lord Dragon considers his next move. It will be something no one expects, not the Black Ajah, not Tairen nobles, not Aes Sedai, not Egwene or Elayne or Nynaeve.

Against the Shadow rising stands the Dragon Reborn.....]]> 1007 Robert Jordan 0812513738 Von 4 4.27 1992 The Shadow Rising (The Wheel of Time, #4)
author: Robert Jordan
name: Von
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: fantasy, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
I wasn't exactly sure why this book was called the shadow rising. With A title like that I imagined a much darker book with a story filled with good struggling and evil coming out on top. It didn't feel much like that, just more story and more conflict.
]]> Brave New World 5129 Brave New World is a searching vision of an unequal, technologically-advanced future where humans are genetically bred, socially indoctrinated, and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively uphold an authoritarian ruling order–all at the cost of our freedom, full humanity, and perhaps also our souls. “A genius [who] who spent his life decrying the onward march of the Machine� (The New Yorker), Huxley was a man of incomparable talents: equally an artist, a spiritual seeker, and one of history’s keenest observers of human nature and civilization. Brave New World, his masterpiece, has enthralled and terrified millions of readers, and retains its urgent relevance to this day as both a warning to be heeded as we head into tomorrow and as thought-provoking, satisfying work of literature. Written in the shadow of the rise of fascism during the 1930s, Brave New Worldd likewise speaks to a 21st-century world dominated by mass-entertainment, technology, medicine and pharmaceuticals, the arts of persuasion, and the hidden influence of elites.

"Aldous Huxley is the greatest 20th century writer in English." —Chicago Tribune]]> 268 Aldous Huxley 0060929871 Von 1 3.99 1932 Brave New World
author: Aldous Huxley
name: Von
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1932
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: science-fiction, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:

]]> The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress 16690 288 Robert A. Heinlein 0340837942 Von 5 4.16 1966 The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
author: Robert A. Heinlein
name: Von
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1966
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: science-fiction, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:

]]> Dune (Dune, #1) 234225 Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the "spice" melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for...

When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul's family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad'Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream.

A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.]]> 604 Frank Herbert 0340839937 Von 2 4.21 1965 Dune (Dune, #1)
author: Frank Herbert
name: Von
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1965
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: science-fiction, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
Dune has an element of complexity to it. Not the easiest of reads. A game of politics, economics, and family house wars for power� but IN SPACE!!!!
]]> <![CDATA[Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1)]]> 375802
But Ender is not the only result of the experiment. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway almost as long. Ender's two older siblings, Peter and Valentine, are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. While Peter was too uncontrollably violent, Valentine very nearly lacks the capability for violence altogether. Neither was found suitable for the military's purpose. But they are driven by their jealousy of Ender, and by their inbred drive for power. Peter seeks to control the political process, to become a ruler. Valentine's abilities turn more toward the subtle control of the beliefs of commoner and elite alike, through powerfully convincing essays. Hiding their youth and identities behind the anonymity of the computer networks, these two begin working together to shape the destiny of Earth-an Earth that has no future at all if their brother Ender fails.]]> 324 Orson Scott Card 0812550706 Von 4 4.31 1985 Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1)
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Von
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1985
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: lds-author, science-fiction, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
Orson Scott Card has always had a very distinct and confusing writing style. To me anyway. He always has very fascinating topics and issues but the books themselves never seem to truly captivate me. Ender's Game was one of the better book of his I have read. The ending seem slightly anti-climactic, but I guess that was the point.
]]> I, Robot (Robot, #0.1) 41804
I, ROBOT

They mustn't harm a human being, they must obey human orders, and they must protect their own existence...but only so long as that doesn't violate rules one and two. With these Three Laws of Robotics, humanity embarked on perhaps its greatest adventure: the invention of the first positronic man. It was a bold new era of evolution that would open up enormous possibilities—and unforeseen risks. For the scientists who invented the earliest robots weren't content that their creations should ' remain programmed helpers, companions, and semisentient worker-machines. And soon the robots themselves; aware of their own intelligence, power, and humanity, aren't either.

As humans and robots struggle to survive together—and sometimes against each other—on earth and in space, the future of both hangs in the balance. Human men and women confront robots gone mad, telepathic robots, robot politicians, and vast robotic intelligences that may already secretly control the world. And both are asking the same questions: What is human? And is humanity obsolete?

In l, Robot Isaac Asimov changes forever our perception of robots, and human beings and updates the timeless myth of man's dream to play god. with all its rewards—and terrors.
--front flap]]> 224 Isaac Asimov 0553803700 Von 4 4.22 1950 I, Robot (Robot, #0.1)
author: Isaac Asimov
name: Von
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1950
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: science-fiction, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1)]]> 11
Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the years.

Where are these pens? Why are we born? Why do we die? Why do we spend so much time between wearing digital watches? For all the answers stick your thumb to the stars. And don't forget to bring a towel!]]> 216 Douglas Adams Von 4 4.21 1979 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1)
author: Douglas Adams
name: Von
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1979
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/18
shelves: science-fiction, npr-top-100-sci-fi-fanticy-books
review:
A very witty space adventure that makes fun of everything from politics to burocracy to God and whales.
]]> <![CDATA[Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia (Alcatraz, #3)]]> 6366110 299 Brandon Sanderson 043992555X Von 3 fantasy, lds-author 4.12 2009 Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia (Alcatraz, #3)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Von
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: fantasy, lds-author
review:

]]> Perfect State 25188109
God-Emperor Kairominas is lord of all he surveys. He has defeated all foes, has united the entire world beneath his rule, and has mastered the arcane arts. He spends his time sparring with his nemesis, who keeps trying to invade Kai's world.

Except for today. Today, Kai has to go on a date.

Forces have conspired to require him to meet with his equal—a woman from another world who has achieved just as much as he has. What happens when the most important man in the world is forced to have dinner with the most important woman in the world?]]> 87 Brandon Sanderson 193857009X Von 4 fantasy, lds-author 4.05 2015 Perfect State
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Von
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: fantasy, lds-author
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection]]> 28595941
Now for the first time anywhere, stories representing each of these planets, and their fully realized and distinct magic systems, have been collected in a single spectacular volume. Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection brings together tales spanning the known limits of Sanderson's universe--including the never-before-published Edgedancer, a thrilling new novella of the Stormlight Archive--along with charts, illustrations, notes...and secrets.

The Cosmere Collection encompasses six worlds in all, explored across nine astonishing works of short fiction: Sel ("The Hope of Elantris" and The Emperor's Soul); Scadrial ("The Eleventh Metal," "Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania, Episodes Twenty-eight Through Thirty," and Mistborn: Secret History); Taldain ("White Sand"); Threnody (“Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell�); First of the Sun (“Sixth of the Dusk�); and Roshar (Edgedancer).

These exciting tales will catapult you onto an unprecedented journey across a cosmos only Brandon Sanderson could have envisioned. Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection is an indispensible volume no Sanderson fan can do without.]]> 672 Brandon Sanderson 0765391163 Von 5 fantasy, lds-author 4.45 2016 Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Von
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: fantasy, lds-author
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Secret History (Mistborn, #3.5)]]> 28698036 Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection.

Mistborn: Secret History is a companion story to the original Mistborn trilogy. As such, it contains HUGE SPOILERS for the books Mistborn (The Final Empire), The Well of Ascension, and The Hero of Ages. It also contains very minor spoilers for the book The Bands of Mourning. Mistborn: Secret History builds upon the characterization, events, and worldbuilding of the original trilogy. Reading it without that background will be a confusing process at best. In short, this isn’t the place to start your journey into Mistborn. (Though if you have read the trilogy—but it has been a while—you should be just fine, so long as you remember the characters and the general plot of the books.) Saying anything more here risks revealing too much. Even knowledge of this story’s existence is, in a way, a spoiler. There’s always another secret.]]> 155 Brandon Sanderson Von 4 fantasy, lds-author 4.34 2016 Secret History (Mistborn, #3.5)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Von
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: fantasy, lds-author
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn, #6)]]> 18739426
The Bands of Mourning are the mythical metal minds owned by the Lord Ruler, said to grant anyone who wears them the powers that the Lord Ruler had at his command. Hardly anyone thinks they really exist. A kandra researcher has returned to Elendel with images that seem to depict the Bands, as well as writings in a language that no one can read. Waxillium Ladrian is recruited to travel south to the city of New Seran to investigate. Along the way he discovers hints that point to the true goals of his uncle Edwarn and the shadowy organization known as The Set.]]> 455 Brandon Sanderson 146686267X Von 3 fantasy, lds-author 4.42 2016 The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn, #6)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Von
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: fantasy, lds-author
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Rithmatist (The Rithmatist #1)]]> 22443261
As the son of a lowly chalkmaker at Armedius Academy, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students learn the magical art that he would do anything to practice. Then students start disappearing—kidnapped from their rooms at night, leaving trails of blood. Assigned to help the professor who is investigating the crimes, Joel and his friend Melody find themselves on the trail of an unexpected discovery—one that will change Rithmatics—and their world—forever.]]> 386 Brandon Sanderson 1743532806 Von 4 fantasy, lds-author 4.25 2013 The Rithmatist (The Rithmatist #1)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Von
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: fantasy, lds-author
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Shadows of Self (Mistborn, #5)]]> 16065004
Three hundred years after the events of the Mistborn trilogy, Scadrial is now on the verge of modernity, with railroads to supplement the canals, electric lighting in the streets and the homes of the wealthy, and the first steel-framed skyscrapers racing for the clouds.

When family obligations forced Waxillium Ladrian to forsake the frontier lands and return to the metropolis of his birth to take his place as head of a noble House, he little imagined that the crime-fighting skills acquired during twenty years in the dusty plains would be just as applicable in the big city. He soon learned that there too, just being a talented Twinborn � one who can use both Allomancy and Feruchemy, the dominant magical modes on Scadrial � would not suffice.

This bustling, optimistic, but still shaky society will now face its first test by terrorism and assassination, crimes intended to stir up labor strife and religious conflict. Wax, his eccentric sidekick Wayne, and brilliant, beautiful young Marasi, now officially part of the constabulary, must unravel the conspiracy before civil strife can stop Scadrial’s progress in its tracks.]]> 376 Brandon Sanderson 0765378558 Von 4 fantasy, lds-author 4.27 2015 Shadows of Self (Mistborn, #5)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Von
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: fantasy, lds-author
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive, #2)]]> 17332218 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, Words of Radiance, Book Two of the Stormlight Archive, continues the immersive fantasy epic that The Way of Kings began.

Expected by his enemies to die the miserable death of a military slave, Kaladin survived to be given command of the royal bodyguards, a controversial first for a low-status "darkeyes." Now he must protect the king and Dalinar from every common peril as well as the distinctly uncommon threat of the Assassin, all while secretly struggling to master remarkable new powers that are somehow linked to his honorspren, Syl.

The Assassin, Szeth, is active again, murdering rulers all over the world of Roshar, using his baffling powers to thwart every bodyguard and elude all pursuers. Among his prime targets is Highprince Dalinar, widely considered the power behind the Alethi throne. His leading role in the war would seem reason enough, but the Assassin's master has much deeper motives.

Brilliant but troubled Shallan strives along a parallel path. Despite being broken in ways she refuses to acknowledge, she bears a terrible burden: to somehow prevent the return of the legendary Voidbringers and the civilization-ending Desolation that will follow. The secrets she needs can be found at the Shattered Plains, but just arriving there proves more difficult than she could have imagined.

Meanwhile, at the heart of the Shattered Plains, the Parshendi are making an epochal decision. Hard pressed by years of Alethi attacks, their numbers ever shrinking, they are convinced by their war leader, Eshonai, to risk everything on a desperate gamble with the very supernatural forces they once fled. The possible consequences for Parshendi and humans alike, indeed, for Roshar itself, are as dangerous as they are incalculable.]]> 1088 Brandon Sanderson 0765326361 Von 5 fantasy, lds-author 4.76 2014 Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive, #2)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Von
average rating: 4.76
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: fantasy, lds-author
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fight and Flight (Magic 2.0, #4)]]> 33395946
So, of course, they decide to make dragons. It does not go well.

As the wizards struggle to control their creations and protect innocent citizens, they try new things (most of which they don't enjoy), meet new people (most of who are angry at them), and fight epic battles (most of which they lose).

But their biggest challenge may be a young girl who knows that the wizards created the dragons and is determined to make them pay. On her side she has powerful allies, a magical artifact, and a faithful if not particularly helpful dog.

Fight and Flight is a rollicking tale of bravery, wonder, love, revenge, greed, discovery, deception, and animal husbandry.]]> 10 Scott Meyer Von 3 fantasy, science-fiction 3.57 2017 Fight and Flight (Magic 2.0, #4)
author: Scott Meyer
name: Von
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: fantasy, science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[An Unwelcome Quest (Magic 2.0, #3)]]> 23249416
Who knew that the vengeful Todd would escape, then conjure a computer game packed with wolves, wenches, wastelands, and assorted harrowing hazards—and trap his hapless former friends inside it? Stripped of their magic powers, the would-be wizards must brave terrifying dangers, technical glitches, and one another’s company if they want to see Medieval England—and their favorite sci-fi movies on VHS—ever again. Can our heroes survive this magical mystery torture? Or will it only lead them and their pointy hats into more peril?]]> 434 Scott Meyer 147787139X Von 3 fantasy, science-fiction 4.00 2015 An Unwelcome Quest (Magic 2.0, #3)
author: Scott Meyer
name: Von
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: fantasy, science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Spell or High Water (Magic 2.0, #2)]]> 21483760
A month has passed since Martin helped to defeat the evil programmer Jimmy, and things couldn’t be going better. Except for his love life, that is. Feeling distant and lost, Gwen has journeyed to Atlantis, a tolerant and benevolent kingdom governed by the Sorceresses, and a place known to be a safe haven to all female time-travelers.

Thankfully, Martin and Philip are invited to a summit in Atlantis for all of the leaders of the time-traveler colonies, and now Martin thinks this will be a chance to try again with Gwen. Of course, this is Martin Banks we’re talking about, so murder, mystery, and high intrigue all get in the way of a guy who just wants one more shot to get the girl.

The follow-up to the hilarious Off to Be the Wizard, Scott Meyer’s Spell or High Water proves that no matter what powers you have over time and space, you can’t control rotten luck.]]> 431 Scott Meyer 1477823484 Von 4 fantasy, science-fiction 4.03 2014 Spell or High Water (Magic 2.0, #2)
author: Scott Meyer
name: Von
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: fantasy, science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Off to Be the Wizard (Magic 2.0, #1)]]> 18616975
What could possibly go wrong?

An American hacker in King Arthur’s court, Martin must now train to become a full-fledged master of his powers, discover the truth behind the ancient wizard Merlin� and not, y’know, die or anything.]]> 373 Scott Meyer 1612184715 Von 4 fantasy, science-fiction 4.00 2013 Off to Be the Wizard (Magic 2.0, #1)
author: Scott Meyer
name: Von
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: fantasy, science-fiction
review:

]]> Jim Henson: The Biography 17262134
He was a gentle dreamer whose genial bearded visage was recognized around the world, but most people got to know him only through the iconic characters born of his fertile imagination: Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie, Miss Piggy, Big Bird. The Muppets made Jim Henson a household name, but they were only part of his remarkable story.

This extraordinary biography--written with the generous cooperation of the Henson family--covers the full arc of Henson's all-too-brief life: from his childhood in Leland, Mississippi, through the years of burgeoning fame in Washington D.C., New York, and London, to the decade of international celebrity that preceded his untimely death at age fifty-three. Drawing on hundreds of hours of new interviews with Jim Henson's family, friends, and closest collaborators, as well as unprecedented access to private family and company archives--including never-before-seen interviews, business documents, and Henson's private letters--Brian Jay Jones explores the creation of the Muppets, Henson's contributions to Sesame Street and Saturday Night Live, and his nearly ten year campaign to bring The Muppet Show to television. Jones provides the imaginative context for Henson's non-Muppet projects, including the richly imagined worlds of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth-as well as fascinating misfires like Henson's dream of opening an inflatable psychedelic nightclub or of staging an elaborate, all-puppet Broadway show.

An uncommonly intimate portrait, Jim Henson captures all the facets of this American original: the master craftsman who revolutionized the presentation of puppets on television, the savvy businessman whose deal making prowess won him a reputation as "the new Walt Disney," and the creative team leader whose collaborative ethos earned him the undying loyalty of everyone who worked for him. Here also is insight into Henson's intensely private personal life: his Christian Science upbringing; his love of fast cars, high-stakes gambling, and expensive art; and his weakness for women. Though an optimist by nature, Henson was haunted by the notion that he would not have time to do all the things he wanted to do in life-a fear that his heartbreaking final hours would prove all too well-founded.

An up-close look at the charmed life of a legend, Jim Henson gives the full measure to a man whose joyful genius transcended age, language, geography, and culture-and continues to beguile audiences worldwide.]]> 585 Brian Jay Jones 0345526112 Von 3 biography 3.99 2013 Jim Henson: The Biography
author: Brian Jay Jones
name: Von
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: biography
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Defenders and Three Others]]> 7065873 66 Philip K. Dick 1434458237 Von 5 science-fiction 3.53 1950 The Defenders and Three Others
author: Philip K. Dick
name: Von
average rating: 3.53
book published: 1950
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: science-fiction
review:

]]> The Minority Report 581125 112 Philip K. Dick 0375421874 Von 4 science-fiction 3.85 1956 The Minority Report
author: Philip K. Dick
name: Von
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1956
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: science-fiction
review:

]]> Dad Is Fat 16141924 Jim Gaffigan never imagined he would have his own kids.

Though he grew up in a large Irish-Catholic family, Jim was satisfied with the nomadic, nocturnal life of a standup comedian, and was content to be "that weird uncle who lives in an apartment by himself in New York that everyone in the family speculates about." But all that changed when he married and found out his wife, Jeannie "is someone who gets pregnant looking at babies."

Five kids later, the comedian whose riffs on everything from Hot Pockets to Jesus have scored millions of hits on YouTube, started to tweet about the mistakes and victories of his life as a dad. Those tweets struck such a chord that he soon passed the million followers mark. But it turns out 140 characters are not enough to express all the joys and horrors of life with five kids, so hes' now sharing it all in Dad Is Fat.

From new parents to empty nesters to Jim's twenty-something fans, everyone will recognize their own families in these hilarious takes on everything from cousins ("celebrities for little kids") to growing up in a big family ("I always assumed my father had six children so he could have a sufficient lawn crew") to changing diapers in the middle of the night ("like The Hurt Locker but much more dangerous") to bedtime (aka "Negotiating with Terrorists").

Dad is Fat is sharply observed, explosively funny, and a cry for help from a man who has realized he and his wife are outnumbered in their own home.]]> 288 Jim Gaffigan 0385349068 Von 5
Jim makes jokes about how he doesn't like his kids, but reading this book you can really tell that he LOVES being a dad (who can blame him, being a dad is AWESOME!). It is refreshing to see a main stream media person supporting having kids (lots of them) and being religious!

The one criticism of the book is trivial. In the end, the book didn't accomplish anything, apart from making you laugh, but then again, I don't think Jim was trying to accomplish anything more then that!

It was a great book!]]> 3.77 2013 Dad Is Fat
author: Jim Gaffigan
name: Von
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/08/17
shelves:
review:
It is a really funny book!

Jim makes jokes about how he doesn't like his kids, but reading this book you can really tell that he LOVES being a dad (who can blame him, being a dad is AWESOME!). It is refreshing to see a main stream media person supporting having kids (lots of them) and being religious!

The one criticism of the book is trivial. In the end, the book didn't accomplish anything, apart from making you laugh, but then again, I don't think Jim was trying to accomplish anything more then that!

It was a great book!
]]> The Prestige 239239
Their rivalry will take them to the peaks of their careers, but with terrible consequences. In the course of pursuing each other's ruin, they will deploy all the deception their magicians' craft can command--the highest misdirection and the darkest science.

Blood will be spilled, but it will not be enough. In the end, their legacy will pass on for generations...to descendants who must, for their sanity's sake, untangle the puzzle left to them.]]> 404 Christopher Priest 0312858868 Von 5 science-fiction 3.92 1995 The Prestige
author: Christopher Priest
name: Von
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1995
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins, #1)]]> 152380 Saving Mr. Banks.From the moment Mary Poppins arrives at Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane, everyday life at the Banks house is forever changed.

It all starts when Mary Poppins is blown by the east wind onto the doorstep of the Banks house. She becomes a most unusual nanny to Jane, Michael, and the twins. Who else but Mary Poppins can slide up banisters, pull an entire armchair out of an empty carpetbag, and make a dose of medicine taste like delicious lime-juice cordial? A day with Mary Poppins is a day of magic and make-believe come to life!]]> 209 P.L. Travers 0152058109 Von 4 fantasy 4.04 1934 Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins, #1)
author: P.L. Travers
name: Von
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1934
rating: 4
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date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story]]> 1370300 48 Lemony Snicket 1932416870 Von 4 4.15 2007 The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story
author: Lemony Snicket
name: Von
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2007
rating: 4
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date added: 2017/08/17
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights? (All the Wrong Questions, #4)]]> 24607565 Train travel! Murder! Librarians! A Series Finale!

On all other nights, the train departs from Stain'd Station and travels to the city without stopping. But not tonight. You might ask, why is this night different from all other nights? But that's the wrong question. Instead ask, where is this all heading? And what happens at the end of the line? The final book in Lemony Snicket's bestselling series, All The Wrong Questions.]]> 311 Lemony Snicket 0316123048 Von 3 4.15 2015 Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights? (All the Wrong Questions, #4)
author: Lemony Snicket
name: Von
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2015
rating: 3
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date added: 2017/08/17
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Shouldn't You Be in School? (All the Wrong Questions, #3)]]> 18754759 Is Lemony Snicket a detective or a smoke detector?

Do you smell smoke? Young apprentice Lemony Snicket is investigating a case of arson but soon finds himself enveloped in the ever-increasing mystery that haunts the town of Stain'd-by-the-Sea. Who is setting the fires? What secrets are hidden in the Department of Education? Why are so many schoolchildren in danger? Is it all the work of the notorious villain Hangfire? How could you even ask that? What kind of education have you had?

Maybe you should be in school?]]> 327 Lemony Snicket 0316123064 Von 3 4.18 2014 Shouldn't You Be in School? (All the Wrong Questions, #3)
author: Lemony Snicket
name: Von
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2014
rating: 3
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date added: 2017/08/17
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]]> <![CDATA[When Did You See Her Last? (All the Wrong Questions, #2)]]> 17369219 I should have asked the question "How could someone who was missing be in two places at once?" Instead, I asked the wrong question -- four wrong questions, more or less. This is the account of the second.

In the fading town of Stain'd-by-the-Sea, young apprentice Lemony Snicket has a new case to solve when he and his chaperone are hired to find a missing girl. Is the girl a runaway? Or was she kidnapped? Was she seen last at the grocery store? Or could she have stopped at the diner? Is it really any of your business? These are All The Wrong Questions.]]> 279 Lemony Snicket 0316123056 Von 4 4.09 2013 When Did You See Her Last? (All the Wrong Questions, #2)
author: Lemony Snicket
name: Von
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2013
rating: 4
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date added: 2017/08/17
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]]> <![CDATA[By Heresies Distressed (Safehold, #3)]]> 6048478
The Kingdom of Charis and the Kingdom of Chisholm have joined together, pledged to stand against the tyranny of a corrupt Church. The youthful Queen Sharleyan of Chisholm has wed King Cayleb of Charis, forging a single dynasty, a single empire, dedicated to the defense of human freedom. Crowned Empress of that empire, Sharleyan has found in Cayleb's arms the love she never dared hope for in a "marriage of state." In Cayleb's cause, his defiance of the ruthless Group of Four who govern mother Church, she has found the task to which she can commit her mind and her courage. It is a cause for which she was born.

Yet there are things Sharleyan still does not know. Secrets Cayleb has not been permitted to share, even with her. Secrets like the true story of humanity on Safehold. Like the intricate web of lies, deception, and fabricated "religion" which have chained humanity for almost a thousand years. Like the existence of the genocidal alien Gbaba, waiting to complete mankind's destruction should humans ever attract their attention once more. Like the existence of a young woman, Nimue Alban, nine hundred years dead, whose heart, mind, and memories live on within the android body of the warrior-monk she knows as Merlin.

And so Empress Sharleyan faces the great challenge of her life unaware of all that task truly entails...or of how the secrets the man who loves her cannot share may threaten all they have achieved between them...and her own life.]]> 496 David Weber 0765315033 Von 2 science-fiction 4.12 2009 By Heresies Distressed (Safehold, #3)
author: David Weber
name: Von
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2009
rating: 2
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date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[By Schism Rent Asunder (Safehold, #2)]]> 2381756
But the powerful men who run the Church aren't going to take their defeat lying down. Charis may control the world's seas, but it barely has an army worthy of the name. And as King Cayleb knows, far too much of the kingdom's recent good fortune is due to the secret manipulations of the being that calls himself Merlin-a being that, the world must not find out too soon, is more than human. A being on whose shoulders rests the last chance for humanity's freedom.

Now, as Charis and its archbishop make the rift with Mother Church explicit, the storm gathers. Schism has come to the world of Safehold. Nothing will ever be the same...]]> 510 David Weber 0765315017 Von 3 science-fiction 4.13 2008 By Schism Rent Asunder (Safehold, #2)
author: David Weber
name: Von
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2008
rating: 3
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date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Off Armageddon Reef (Safehold, #1)]]> 72199
Earth and her colonies are now smoldering ruins, and the few survivors have fled to distant, Earth-like Safehold, to try to rebuild. But the Gbaba can detect the emissions of an industrial civilization, so the human rulers of Safehold have taken extraordinary measures: with mind control and hidden high technology, they've built a religion in which every Safeholdian believes, a religion designed to keep Safehold society medieval forever.

800 years pass. In a hidden chamber on Safehold, an android from the far human past awakens. This "rebirth" was set in motion centuries before, by a faction that opposed shackling humanity with a concocted religion. Via automated recordings, "Nimue" - or, rather, the android with the memories of Lieutenant Commander Nimue Alban - is told her fate: she will emerge into Safeholdian society, suitably disguised, and begin the process of provoking the technological progress which the Church of God Awaiting has worked for centuries to prevent.

Nothing about this will be easy. To better deal with a medieval society, "Nimue" takes a new gender and a new name, "Merlin." His formidable powers and access to caches of hidden high technology will need to be carefully concealed. And he'll need to find a base of operations, a Safeholdian country that's just a little more freewheeling, a little less orthodox, a little more open to the new.

And thus Merlin comes to Charis, a mid-sized kingdom with a talent for naval warfare. He plans to make the acquaintance of King Haarahld and Crown Prince Cayleb, and maybe, just maybe, kick off a new era of invention. Which is bound to draw the attention of the Church...and, inevitably, lead to war.]]> 605 David Weber 0765315009 Von 4 science-fiction 4.15 2007 Off Armageddon Reef (Safehold, #1)
author: David Weber
name: Von
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2007
rating: 4
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date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Aeronaut's Windlass (The Cinder Spires, #1)]]> 24876258
Since time immemorial, the Spires have sheltered humanity, towering for miles over the mist-shrouded surface of the world. Within their halls, aristocratic houses have ruled for generations, developing scientific marvels, fostering trade alliances, and building fleets of airships to keep the peace.

Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship, Predator. Fiercely loyal to Spire Albion, he has taken their side in the cold war with Spire Aurora, disrupting the enemy’s shipping lines by attacking their cargo vessels. But when the Predator is severely damaged in combat, leaving captain and crew grounded, Grimm is offered a proposition from the Spirearch of Albion—to join a team of agents on a vital mission in exchange for fully restoring Predator to its fighting glory.

And even as Grimm undertakes this dangerous task, he will learn that the conflict between the Spires is merely a premonition of things to come. Humanity’s ancient enemy, silent for more than ten thousand years, has begun to stir once more. And death will follow in its wake…]]> 630 Jim Butcher 0451466802 Von 3 science-fiction 4.15 2015 The Aeronaut's Windlass (The Cinder Spires, #1)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Von
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2015
rating: 3
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date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Robots of Dawn (Robot, #3)]]> 41810
Detective Elijah Baley is called to the Spacer world Aurora to solve a bizarre case of roboticide. The prime suspect is a gifted roboticist who had the means, the motive, and the opportunity to commit the crime. There's only one catch: Baley and his positronic partner, R. Daneel Olivaw, must prove the man innocent. For in a case of political intrigue and love between woman and robot gone tragically wrong, there's more at stake than simple justice. This time Baley's career, his life, and Earth's right to pioneer the Galaxy lie in the delicate balance.]]> 435 Isaac Asimov 0553299492 Von 2 science-fiction 4.16 1983 The Robots of Dawn (Robot, #3)
author: Isaac Asimov
name: Von
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1983
rating: 2
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]]> The Naked Sun (Robot, #2) 30016
Reacting in fear of the technological superiority of the Outer Worlds, the people of Earth have hidden themselves in vast underground cities, nursing a hatred for Spacers. The fifty Outer Worlds of the Spacers together are home to fewer people than planet Earth. And home to many, many more robots. Earthmen hate Spacer robots, too...

But Baley doesn't. He once had a robot partner, R. Daneel � and when the authorities of the planet Solaria request terrestrial assistance in investigating a murder, Baley is once again teamed with Daneel. He is the first Earthmen in a millennium to travel to the Outer Worlds... and he must endure the glare of a sun far more deadly than Earth's.]]> 204 Isaac Asimov Von 2 science-fiction 4.17 1958 The Naked Sun (Robot, #2)
author: Isaac Asimov
name: Von
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1958
rating: 2
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]]> <![CDATA[The Swarm (The Second Formic War, #1)]]> 26114175
The first invasion of Earth was beaten back by a coalition of corporate and international military forces, and the Chinese army. China has been devastated by the Formic's initial efforts to eradicate Earth life forms and prepare the ground for their own settlement. The Scouring of China struck fear into the other nations of the planet; that fear blossomed into drastic action when scientists determined that the single ship that wreaked such damage was merely a scout ship.

There is a mothership out beyond the Solar System's Kuiper Belt, and it's heading into the system, unstoppable by any weapons that Earth can muster.

Earth has been reorganized for defense. There is now a Hegemon, a planetary official responsible for keeping all the formerly warring nations in line. There's a Polemarch, responsible for organizing all the military forces of the planet into the new International Fleet. But there is an enemy within, an enemy as old as human ambition and politics. Greed and self-interest. Will Bingwen, Mazer Rackam, Victor Delgado and Lem Juke be able to divert those very human enemies in time to create a weapon that can effectively defend humanity in the inexorable Second Formic War?

THE ENDER UNIVERSE

Ender series
Ender’s Game / Speaker for the Dead / Xenocide / Children of the Mind / Ender in Exile / Children of the Fleet

Ender’s Shadow series
Ender’s Shadow / Shadow of the Hegemon / Shadow Puppets / Shadow of the Giant / Shadows in Flight

The First Formic War (with Aaron Johnston)
Earth Unaware / Earth Afire / Earth Awakens

The Second Formic War (with Aaron Johnston)
The Swarm / The Hive

Ender novellas
A War of Gifts / First Meetings]]> 464 Orson Scott Card 0765375621 Von 4 lds-author, science-fiction 4.11 2016 The Swarm (The Second Formic War, #1)
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Von
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2016
rating: 4
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date added: 2017/08/17
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]]> Treason 7956 Iron is the promise of freedom -- which may never be fulfilled as Lanik uncovers a treacherous conspiracy beyond his imagination.
Now charged with a mission of conquest -- and exile -- Lanik devises a bold and dangerous plan... a quest that may finally break the vicious chain of rivalry and bloodshed that enslaves the people of Treason as the Offworld never could.]]> 275 Orson Scott Card 0765309041 Von 2 3.90 1978 Treason
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Von
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1978
rating: 2
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]]> Earthborn (Homecoming, #5) 210482 High above the earth orbits the starship Basilica. On board the huge vessel is a sleeping woman. Of those who made the journey, Shedemai alone has survived the hundred of years since the Children of Wetchik returned to Earth.

She now wears the Cloak of the Starmaster, and the Oversoul wakes her sometimes to watch over her descendants on the planet below. The population has grown rapidly--there are cities and nations now, whole peoples descended from the who followed Nafai or Elemak.

But in all the long years of watching and searching, the Oversoul has not found the thing it sought. It has not found the Keeper of the Earth, the central intelligence that also can repair the Oversoul's damaged programming.
]]> 430 Orson Scott Card 0812532988 Von 4 lds-author, science-fiction 3.41 1995 Earthborn (Homecoming, #5)
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Von
average rating: 3.41
book published: 1995
rating: 4
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]]> Earthfall (Homecoming, #4) 31354
The Oversoul of the colony planet Harmony selected the family of Wetchik to carry it back to long-lost Earth. Now grown to a tribe in the years of their journey to Harmony's hidden starport, they are ready at last to take a ship to the stars. But from the beginning there has been bitter dispute between Nafai and Elemak, Wetchick's youngest son and his oldest.

On board the starship Bailica , the children of the tribe will become pawns in the struggle. Two factions are each making secret plans to awaken the children, and themselves, early from the cold-sleep capsules in which they will pass the long decades of the journey. Each side hopes to gain years of influence on the minds of the children, winning their loyalty in the struggle for control of reclaimed Earth.

But the Oversoul is truly in control of this journey. It has downloaded a complete copy of itself to the Ship's computers. And only Nafai, who wears the Cloak of the Starmaster by the Oversoul's command, really understand what this will mean to all their plans for the future.

Homecoming series
The Memory of Earth
The Call of Earth
The Ships of Earth
Earthfall
Earthborn]]> 370 Orson Scott Card 0812532961 Von 3 lds-author, science-fiction 3.53 1995 Earthfall (Homecoming, #4)
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Von
average rating: 3.53
book published: 1995
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[The Ships of Earth (Homecoming Saga #3)]]> 24441 351 Orson Scott Card 0812532635 Von 3 lds-author, science-fiction 3.56 1994 The Ships of Earth (Homecoming Saga #3)
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Von
average rating: 3.56
book published: 1994
rating: 3
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date added: 2017/08/17
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]]> <![CDATA[The Call of Earth (Homecoming, #2)]]> 7971 352 Orson Scott Card 0812532619 Von 3 lds-author, science-fiction 3.60 1993 The Call of Earth (Homecoming, #2)
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Von
average rating: 3.60
book published: 1993
rating: 3
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date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: lds-author, science-fiction
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]]> <![CDATA[The Memory of Earth (Homecoming, #1)]]> 92956 332 Orson Scott Card 0812532597 Von 4 lds-author, science-fiction 3.59 1992 The Memory of Earth (Homecoming, #1)
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Von
average rating: 3.59
book published: 1992
rating: 4
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date added: 2017/08/17
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]]> <![CDATA[Le Morte d'Arthur: King Arthur and the Legends of the Round Table]]> 672875 512 Thomas Malory 0451528166 Von 5 fantasy 3.94 1485 Le Morte d'Arthur: King Arthur and the Legends of the Round Table
author: Thomas Malory
name: Von
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1485
rating: 5
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shelves: fantasy
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]]> <![CDATA[The Crystal City (Tales of Alvin Maker, #6)]]> 92923 In this world where "knacks" abound, Alvin, the seventh son of a seventh son, is a very special man indeed. He's a Maker; he has the knack of understanding how things are put together, how to create them, repair them, keep them whole, or tear them down. He can heal hearts as well as bones, he build a house, he can calm the waters or blow up a storm. And he can teach his knack to others, to the measure of their own talent. Alvin has been trying to avert the terrible war that his wife, Peggy, a torch of extraordinary power, has seen down the life-lines of every American. Now she has sent him down the Mizzippy to the city of New Orleans, or Nueva Barcelona as they call it under Spanish occupation. Alvin doesn't know exactly why he's there, but when he and his brother-in-law, Arthur Stuart, find lodgings with a family of abolitionists who know Peggy, he suspects he'll find out soon. But Nueva Barcelona is about to experience a plague, and Alvin's efforts to protect his friends by keeping them healthy will create more danger than he could ever have suspected. And in saving the poor people of the city, Alvin will be put to the greatest test of his life---a test that will draw on all his power. For the time has come for him to turn to his old friend Tenskwa-Tawa, the Red Prophet who controls the lands to the west of the Mizzippy. Now Alvin must take the first steps on the road to the Crystal City that was shown to him in a vision so long ago.]]> 352 Orson Scott Card 0812564626 Von 2 fantasy, lds-author 3.62 2003 The Crystal City (Tales of Alvin Maker, #6)
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Von
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2003
rating: 2
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date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: fantasy, lds-author
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heartfire (Tales of Alvin Maker, #5)]]> 7962 336 Orson Scott Card 1841490326 Von 2 fantasy, lds-author 3.72 1998 Heartfire (Tales of Alvin Maker, #5)
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Von
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1998
rating: 2
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date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: fantasy, lds-author
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Alvin Journeyman (Tales of Alvin Maker, #4)]]> 40271 381 Orson Scott Card 0312850530 Von 3 fantasy, lds-author 3.75 1995 Alvin Journeyman (Tales of Alvin Maker, #4)
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Von
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1995
rating: 3
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shelves: fantasy, lds-author
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Red Prophet (Tales of Alvin Maker, #2)]]> 7968 Come here to the magical America that might have been
In this sequel to Seventh Son, Alvin Maker is awakening to many mysteries: his own strange powers, the magic of the land, and the special virtues of its chosen people, the Native Americans.

Alvin has discovered his own unique talent for making things whole again. Now he summons all his powers to prevent a tragic war between Native Americans and the white settlers of North America.]]> 311 Orson Scott Card 0812524268 Von 4 fantasy, lds-author 3.80 1988 Red Prophet (Tales of Alvin Maker, #2)
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Von
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1988
rating: 4
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review:

]]> The Giver (The Giver, #1) 3636 208 Lois Lowry 0385732554 Von 3 science-fiction 4.12 1993 The Giver (The Giver, #1)
author: Lois Lowry
name: Von
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1993
rating: 3
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date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes: Harnessing Our Power to Change the World]]> 11168421 167 Deepak Chopra 0062059661 Von 2 self-help, superhero 3.49 The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes: Harnessing Our Power to Change the World
author: Deepak Chopra
name: Von
average rating: 3.49
book published:
rating: 2
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date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: self-help, superhero
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ender's World: Fresh Perspectives on the SF Classic Ender's Game]]> 13586977 Experience the thrill of reading Ender's Game all over again

Go deeper into the complexities of Orson Scott Card’s classic novel with science fiction and fantasy writers, YA authors, military strategists, including:

Ender prequel series coauthor Aaron Johnston on Ender and the evolution of the child hero
Burn Notice creator Matt Nix on Ender's Game as a guide to life
Hugo award–winning writer Mary Robinette Kowal on how Ender’s Game gets away with breaking all the (literary) rules
Retired US Air Force Colonel Tom Ruby on what the military could learn from Ender about leadership
Bestselling YA author Neal Shusterman on the ambivalence toward survival that lies at the heart of Ender’s story

Plus pieces by:

Hilari Bell
John Brown
Mette Ivie Harrison
Janis Ian
Alethea Kontis
David Lubar and Alison S. Myers
John F. Schmitt
Ken Scholes
Eric James Stone

Also includes never-before-seen content from Orson Scott Card on the writing and evolution of the events in Ender's Game, from the design of Battle School to the mindset of the pilots who sacrificed themselves in humanity’s fight against the formics
]]> 304 Orson Scott Card 1937856216 Von 5 lds-author, science-fiction 3.77 2013 Ender's World: Fresh Perspectives on the SF Classic Ender's Game
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Von
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2013
rating: 5
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date added: 2017/08/17
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]]> <![CDATA[Effective Networking Freeway Guide]]> 9307737 David Nour Von 2 self-help 2.92 2008 Effective Networking Freeway Guide
author: David Nour
name: Von
average rating: 2.92
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2017/08/17
shelves: self-help
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Gathering Blue (The Giver, #2)]]> 12936
As she did in The Giver, Lowry challenges readers to imagine what our world could become, and what will be considered valuable. Every reader will be taken by Kira's plight and will long ponder her haunting world and the hope for the future.

]]> 240 Lois Lowry 0385732562 Von 3 science-fiction 3.82 2000 Gathering Blue (The Giver, #2)
author: Lois Lowry
name: Von
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2017/08/16
shelves: science-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Princess of Mars (Barsoom, #1)]]> 40395 186 Edgar Rice Burroughs 0143104888 Von 4 science-fiction 3.81 1912 A Princess of Mars (Barsoom, #1)
author: Edgar Rice Burroughs
name: Von
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1912
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/16
shelves: science-fiction
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]]> Scarlet (King Raven, #2) 611787 443 Stephen R. Lawhead 1595540865 Von 4 4.03 2007 Scarlet (King Raven, #2)
author: Stephen R. Lawhead
name: Von
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2007
rating: 4
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date added: 2017/08/16
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]]> <![CDATA[Smoke and Mirrors (The Brighton Mysteries, #2)]]> 26014706
Brighton, winter 1951.

Pantomime season is in full swing on the pier with Max Mephisto starring in Aladdin, but Max’s headlines have been stolen by the disappearance ’of two local children. When they are found dead in the snow, surrounded by sweets, it’s not long before the press nickname them ‘Hansel and Gretel�.

DI Edgar Stephens has plenty of leads to investigate. The girl, Annie, used to write gruesome plays based on the Grimms� fairy tales. Does the clue lie in Annie’s unfinished � and rather disturbing � last script? Or might it lie with the eccentric theatricals who have assembled for the pantomime?

For Stan (aka the Great Diablo), who’s also appearing in Aladdin, the case raises more personal memories. Back before the Great War, he witnessed the murder of a young girl while he was starring in another show, an event which has eerie parallels to the current case.

Once again Edgar enlists Max’s help in penetrating the shadowy theatrical world that seems to hold the key. But with both distracted by their own personal problems, neither can afford to miss a trick. For Annie and her friend, time is running out…]]> 338 Elly Griffiths 1784290262 Von 2 3.82 2015 Smoke and Mirrors (The Brighton Mysteries, #2)
author: Elly Griffiths
name: Von
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2015
rating: 2
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]]> <![CDATA[The Zig Zag Girl (Stephens & Mephisto, #1)]]> 22838934
When the body of a girl is found, cut into three, Detective Inspector Edgar Stephens is reminded of a magic trick, the Zig Zag Girl.

The inventor of the trick, Max Mephisto, is an old friend of Edgar’s. They served together in the war as part of a shadowy unit called the Magic Men.

Max is still on the circuit, touring seaside towns in the company of ventriloquists, sword-swallowers and dancing girls. Changing times mean that variety is not what it once was, yet Max is reluctant to leave this world to help Edgar investigate. But when the dead girl turns out to be known to him, Max changes his mind.

Another death, another magic trick: Edgar and Max become convinced that the answer to the murders lies in their army days. When Edgar receives a letter warning of another ‘trick�, the Wolf Trap, he knows that they are all in danger…]]> 328 Elly Griffiths 1848669852 Von 4 3.56 2014 The Zig Zag Girl (Stephens & Mephisto, #1)
author: Elly Griffiths
name: Von
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2014
rating: 4
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]]> Tuck (King Raven, #3) 4286737 452 Stephen R. Lawhead 1595540873 Von 4 4.12 2009 Tuck (King Raven, #3)
author: Stephen R. Lawhead
name: Von
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2009
rating: 4
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date added: 2017/08/16
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]]>