In Shade and Shadow

In Shade and Shadow
Barb & J. C. Hendee
Noble Dead Series 2
High Fantacy

Summary
Wynn Hygeorht returns to her sage guild after her adventure with the half-vampire, Magiere and her half-elf partner, Leesil, but the guild is not the same as it was before she left.

Right after coming home to the guild, Wynn's journals and the books she took form the old Noble dead castle are taken by the masters of her guild and she is not allowed to even see them or help in the work of translating them. This makes Wynn mad and after a few months of doing nothing she must act.

When two of her fellow sages are killed for the small pieces of the translation that they where taking back to the guild and the killing has all the signs of being the work of a noble dead.

Wynn must for the first time hunt on her own but along the way she will run in to some old friends and meet some new ones, but will it be enough to stop the killer from taking more lives?

Review
This is the first book of the second Noble Dead Series, but in stead of following Magiere and Leesil we follow the tales of Wynn, and her guild.

I really like this book and what it adds the over all series. Its also nice because this book has given the series new live. At the end of the first Noble Dead series the books had started to get a little boring and predictable, but after this restart the books are good again.

I loved the way this book really got in to the mind of Wynn and got in to a whole new way of looking at the world. I also liked seeing the guild and more of the world. This created an even fuller world for the reader and added to the power of the story.

I loved the new characters that this book added both Wynn's new friends and enemies. We also got to see some old friends and I think the blend adds something to the over all book.

I would give this book a 7 out of 10.

Invincible

"Invincible"
Robert Kirkman
Image Comics
Superhero

Summary
Mark Grayson is the son of the most powerful super hero on earth. Sadly his powers have not come in yet but when they do he will seek to live up to, not only his fathers actions, but also his own knowledge of right and wrong.

After his powers come in, young mark starts discovering all his powers and learning what he can do with them. At first he has trouble being a super hero, but quickly he learns how to control his powers.

He must now balance being a super hero, High school, girls, friends, homework and growing up. Taking the name "Invincible" Mark starts on his super hero adventures, and we will have to see where that take him.

Review
The best way of thinking of "Invincible" is Superman mixed with Spider-man. Being the son of the Superman hero in this universe Invincible's powers are just like superman's, but because he is young his personality is more like spider-man.

This is a great comic and is worth every page. For me this is the comic to read. If you are in to super hero's and love a good read this is the story for you. Every time I read these comics I can't stop with just the first one, I have to read them all.

I would give this comic a 9.1 out of 10.

The Last Unicorn

"The Last Unicorn"
Peter S. Beagle
Fairy tale Fantasy

Summary
A unicorn that has lived for hundreds of years in forest learns that she might be the last unicorn left in the world. At first she fights the idea but soon she can't help it she must find the others or at leased what happened to them. So she heads off in to the world to find her people but the world is not the way she remembered.

As the last unicorn heads off in to the world she finds a few friends to help her. A powerful wizard who can only use the most basic parts of his powers, a royal lady who ran away at and young age turned old and bitter, and a young prince who seeks after what he cannot have.

She also find enemies who will do anything to stop her, and although her journey will take her far from home and show her things know unicorn was ever meant to see she will find a way through.

Review
When I was a little boy I had four favorite movies I always wanted to rent from the store "The Hobbit", "My Neighbor Totoro", "Flight of Dragons", and "The Last Unicorn". So when I found the book The Last Unicorn at a book store I was really excited.

The book is very close to the movie in a lot of ways but it is even better. In the book we have the opportunity to really get in to the unicorns thoughts and her feelings. As a reader we also get to understand the world a lot better. Unlike the movie the book gives us depth in to the lives and the magic of the world.

This story is built like a fairy tale and even the characters in the book talk about it like that. This is a story that both children and adults can really enjoy. The book is also less then 300 pages and it is a fairly easy read I would say at about a 9th or 10th grade level.

I love this book and have taken the opportunity to reread the book several times in the last 6 years I have owned it and after reading it again last week I know it will be a book I will have forever.

I would give this book an 8.75 out of 10.

Pathfinder

"Pathfinder"
Orson Scott Card
Pathfinder Series
Science Fiction/Fantasy

Summary
On the other world of Garden a young man with the amazing power to see where all living things have been is trained to by his father to save his sister. After his fathers death Rigg goes to his father's best friend and gets his inheritances, a bag full of gems all worth millions of gold.

Rigg then travels with his best friend to the city of "O" under the protection of an old solder. there his is pulled in to an age old game of social rules and political war.

But something is coming even larger then what is happening now and if they can survive this then will they survive what is coming next.

At the same time the pilot Ram is flying the first hyper drive space ship. Earth is no longer a good place to live so the human race has no choice but to seek out a new planet. Can we do it? and what does all this have to do with Rigg and the people of Garden?

Review
This is Orson Scott Cards newest book series and I loved this it. The story is interesting and I really came to love the characters. Rigg and his friends fight for a new world and I think everyone can respect that. This is also a story about a brother finding his sister and the love that can grow even from a distance.

The book does have some weaknesses. With the divergent time lines the book can get bogged down and at first its almost boring before you know why ram is there. Also it is hard to follow some of the logic when it comes to time travel but over all it just took a little bit more work then some books

The book is hard to put down I had to fight myself to not read it when I was driving and at work and supposed to be sleeping. The story is powerful and the plot is strong. This book is a little long but is worth the work.

Over all I would give this book an 8 out of 10.

His Majesty's Dragon

"His Majesty's Dragon"
Naomi Novik
Temeraire Series
Historical Fantasy

Summary
In an alternate history where dragons are used in war as there own form of aerial combat. Napoleon is trying to take over all of Europe and England is one of the last countries standing against them.

Capt. Will Laurence commander of the ship Reliant captures a French ship on its way back from china. On board the french ship, Laurence finds a dragon egg, but unluckily the egg is about to hatch. If a dragon hatches and is not bonded to a rider at birth then it becomes wild.

Because of the war with France, England needs all the dragons it can get. So when the dragon hatches and chooses Laurence for his rider he accepts and most now rider his new partner Temeraire for king and country, but to do that he most leave everything he knows behind and fly for England.

As his life changes Will finds that he loves flying and he loves his dragon Temeraire and although he was not born to this life like most riders he finds that he is born to it.

Review
This book follows the Napoleonic wars and is historically correct up to the dragons part. The level of research and knowledge in the book makes it a really interesting read and helps to make the world more real and believable for the reader.

The way the dragons are described in the book and the combat used in the book by the dragon riders is not only cool but is also very believable. Throughout the book the writer pulls the reader with exciting events and interesting facts.

The writer does take a lot of time to explain things that are interesting but it does sometimes slow down the plot and makes the book move more slowly. Over all the this is the only weakness of the book and its not really a large weakness.

I would give this book an 8.25