Product Description
The Saga of Seven Suns is a galaxy-spanning SF epic, packed with politics, war, family intrigues and star-crossed lovers.

For years, the alien Klikiss robots have pretended to be humanity's friends, but their seeming "help" has allowed them to plant an insidious Trojan Horse throughout the Earth Defense Forces. In the climactic battle, human and alien races will collide and the galaxy will be shaken to its core. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

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

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

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

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

Needed an Editor for this series.
Still ticking. This series reminds me of the old Timex commercials. All that is bad about it has not been fixed.

The time scale, the short chapters. Now we have a few new terrible elements. The pregnancy that will not end. As we see so many things happening, as the author wanted to build to his first climax he had placed one of he numerous main characters into the situation of expectant motherhood. That was a good plot point. Except with all that has happened, the woman must be carrying the child for over two years.

It is amazing to me that such a large scale spic has not taken into account any calendar.

The second large scale problem that emerges in this book is the items to lead to victory. They have been building a little for a few books. The main enemy has seen several others show up to attack them back. Not in alliance, but willing to fight and end the war. Then also our heroes come up with various technologies that become as destructive against the enemy as they have been against our heroes. So destructive we see that they can be utterly destroyed by just one of them. (The balance of power had been that the aliens could have done that to the humans from the beginning but had been doing a slow measured campaign instead of total annihilation, but now at book 5 want to totally annihilate humanity.)

Then all at once in a battle for earth, most come together in ways that see much of the eradication of the enemy. Overwhelmingly. Five books of space opera to end in a few pages. Wouldn't our greatest war have been nice like that. Japan keep attacking the US territories and Allies, whittling away and then in a week we and all our friends can mount an attack that stops them dead in their tracks. It is us developing the nuclear bomb, but not have done any of the island hopping campaign before that.

It might have worked, but Anderson just does not sell it. He finally resolves matters between his monomaniacal leader on earth, but the man could never have run the planet and sphere of humanity without more competent leadership as a check and balance, or without more then the three aides he seems to have. By making this subplot continue for so long, it has made his hero king look like a wimp. Even when he takes action to kill someone, another comes to play and makes his hands ultimately free of taint.

A story where heroes aren't. Just now to finish it up and tell all if it can redeem itself, or continue to enumerate where it fails. The worst thing to note is how Anderson drones on in the end about his process and those who helped him. Did no one catch these items I point out? Was a sense of time totally ignored on purpose? This needed more time on the drawing board before it was released. Never read again.

Great Plot That Keeps Expanding Without 'Milking' Us...
*Spoiler Free Review*The Plot keeps expanding but not in an unsatisfactory 'milking' sort a way. Quite the contrary, I find that many plotlines come to satisfying conclusions while generating new exciting plotlines.The characters we've come to love are continuing growing in thier arcs and overall I feel this is the best book in the series thus far.I read the negative review of this book and don't know what that reviewer was smoking or if he is just trolling.This book rocks and made me excited to rush out and get the next one.I read 'Of Fire and Night' cover to cover in one day and stayed up till 6:00am finishing it off.

The best thing I can say about this series, now looking back on it with some perspective, is that I think the author has done a fabulous job with pacing.I think perhaps books 2 and 3 could have been boiled down a 'touch' more and sped along a bit, but overall, they are still decent books.As long as the plot pacing stays more or less constant, then i'm hooked in the whole way.

KJA, great job!!!But beware the Goodkind curse.His Sword of Truth series started out great but then after book 3 he just decided to start milking his readers.By book 5 he was churning out absolute dribble with a plot that went sideways and stopped going forward.So far, your books are not doing that and are going forward in a very satisfying way.As long as you are going forward, I'll be with this series till the end.

Beautifully dark book
The destruction of the Earth, and indeed humanity, seems at hand.How do we react against such darkness, as we all turn against each other?

A well-written book that continues KJA's epic space opera.

Very solid
Chances are that if you've read volumes 1-4 you will be pleased with Fire and Night.It may be the most action filled of the 5 so far and certainly contains no shortage of plot resolutions and additions.

My only minor disappointment was that the two big, new plot introductions were done at the very end of the volume with little time to rev them up in preparation for the next book.Also, at least one of these seemed like kind of a silly reach to me.Perhaps I'll be proven wrong.

I am very interested to see how the author continues the various story arcs without it becoming an instance of "just one damn thing after another". ... Read more

Product Description
After terrible atrocities by both sides, the religious war between Tierra and Uraba has spread and intensified, irreparably dividing the known world. What started as a series of skirmishes has erupted into a full-blown crusade.

Now that the Uraban leader, Soldan-Shah Omra, has captured the ruined city of Ishalem, his construction teams discover a priceless ancient map in an underground vault - a map that can guide brave explorers to the mysterious Key to Creation.Omra dispatches his adoptive son Saan to sail east across the uncharted Middlesea on a quest to find it.

In Tierra, Captain Criston Vora has built a grand new vessel, and sets out to explore the great unknown and find the fabled land of Terravitae. But Criston cannot forget his previous voyage that ended in shipwreck and disaster . . . and the loss of his beloved wife Adrea, who - unbeknownst to him - fights to survive against palace intrigues and constant threats against her life in far-off Uraba. For Adrea is now the wife of the soldan-shah and mother of his adopted son . . .

The Map of All Things continues Kevin J Anderson's epic fantasy of sailing ships, crusading armies, sea monsters and enchanted islands. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Can't wait for the next book
I really enjoyed the first book in this trilogy and was excited to get the second one. Happily, I can say that I was not disappointed. I enjoyed this book very much, the story is fantastic, and now I have to wait for the third one. The waiting for the next book is the only bummer. For anyone who likes Kevin J. Anderson, this is a must have, and for all fantasy readers, it's a great addition to your library. Enjoy.

A good addition to an interesting story
I enjoyed reading this book.It started out a little slow for me, but I think that I couldn't settle down to read it.After a couple of days, I settled down and really started getting into the characters and how they were interacting.By the end of the book, I was enjoying myself and enjoying the setting up for book three.I was totally surprised that the book went into the Fantasy aspect.That the legends that characters had been hearing all their lives was being seen.Usually, in other books I've read, the legends remain legends.But now we get to see how everything ties together in Book 3.I'd recommend reading this book in conjunction with the first book.

The Map of All Things
Great book, can't wait for someone else to read it so we can talk about it.

A Good Read
I was a little worried from the description of this book that there would be a little too much doom and gloom.There turned out to be a good deal of exploration and discovery.Of which, I was glad.
As with the first book, there were no real "good" or "bad" guys.Just people caught up in the tide of things that they can no longer control.Along with some extremists on both sides.The war has lasted for years and you can see how all the main characters are being weighed upon after atrocities and bad decisions.At times, you just wish you were able to put the leaders of both countries in a room together and let them talk.
The action scenes did move along well.There was still some downtime to move the characters themselves forward too.
New elements were introduced that will play out in the final book.New characters were introduced and old ones removed from the stage.
I'm not sure how the third and final book in the set will end, but I am going along for the rest of the voyage.

I enjoyed it!
I really enjoyed this book! I don't know quite what else to say. :-)

I would say it had to do with the setting, but it doesn't, I liked Saga of the Seven Suns quite a bit and its in space. I would say that mostly its the characters in the book that I like. :)

Except perhaps to say thanks to Kevin for randomly signing books in an Omaha airport one day... which was why I picked up the first book - it was before i had my kindle and I went from place to place traveling without knowing what new books came out. He had just signed a bunch of the books at the bookstore and had em there. heh! ... Read more

Product Description
Galactic empires clash, elemental beings devastate whole planetary systems, and the factions of humanity are pitted against each other.Heroes rise and enemies make their last stands in the climax of an epic tale seven years in the making.

Acclaim for The Saga of Seven Suns

"Anderson weaves action, romance, and science with a rousing plot reflecting the classic SF of Clarke and Herbert and the glossy cinematic influence of Lucas and Spielberg." --- Publishers Weekly *Starred Review*

"Kevin Anderson has created a fully independent and richly conceived venue for his personal brand of space opera, a venue that nonetheless raises fruitful resonances with Frank Herbert's classic Dune series." --- Scifi.com

"Everything about Anderson's latest is BIG-the war, the history, the aliens. These are elemental forces battling here, folks. Yet the characters are always the heart of the story, and their defeats and triumphs give perspective to it all." --- Starlog

"A soaring epic . . . a space opera to rival the best the field has ever seen." --- Science Fiction Chronicle

"Colorful stuff . . . bursting with incidents, concepts, and a massive cast of characters, matching well-thought-out SF ideas with melodrama and interfamily strife." --- SFX ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

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

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

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

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

Ambitious Failure
I am writing this review after reading all seven books in a row. I waited until all 7 books were available in paperback till I read it so I would not have continuity issues. The main antagonists were poorly described on a sadly consistent basis. The "ancient" battlers , Hydrogues, Faeros, Wentals, Verdani really had very little motiviation for any of the actions. They exhbitied mutual hatred or fear and not much else. The Wentals desire for order had little foundation. The dialogue for most of the 7 novels was trite at best. I felt some empathy for some of the characters, but overall it just felt poor, and badly connected. The human bad guys, were just bad, with little balance. i will give the author some credit for undertaking a saga of this scope, but the societies were contrived and flimsy in their description, it was sad. I wanted to read this saga after suffering through his Dune pre-quels and sequels. In those he butchered the science and never created the atmosphere of wonder. In this saga, all of his own, he failed to go deep in so may areas, yet he had 600+ pages per book. I could not beleive how poor the dialogue was throughout. The final pages of the last book, was so poor, so trite, I was appalled.
This fails the test of great space opera, it was a big disaster movie put to print.

What Editor let Anderson publish this Marlarkey?
When reading a series if the Thank Goodness its over becomes the predominant thought, then it is clear something has been wrong with the series. That this series suffers from so many things and that the author handled it so poorly makes this a never again. Ever.

That others feel the same way shows that these opinions are not wrong. As always. Time scale. Sometimes you can from one spot to another in a few hours, traveling in space. Then later it takes weeks.

Further, that pregnancy that lasted for many books, now in relation to other storylines, must have been years again. We have an Alien threat that the entire known galaxy, 2 sentient races that are alive, wants to deal with. Then we discover a second all powerful race, stronger than our 2 sentients. Then a third and then a fourth. The dead race comes back, their robots are more powerful again then are heroes.

Throughout, there is one guy who can make new weapons to kill the evil races... Only one. Not a team of scientists. Just one.

With all those destructive races, why not have one leader who no one can stop decided that we should have the good guys fight amongst themselves. A government with no checks and balances. Total tyranny that evolved as long as it was benevolent before.

Even if you buy into that world view, you know that this meglomaniac would have been killed by another tyrant wanting power.

So the final showdown has come. But let us have 2 on the same time and day to make it dramatic. Our 2 sentient races dealing with life threatening ends or salvation and victory. Totally not believable. Let us look to human history for such examples, can't find any.

So we finally get resolved. We end. Then every person who was on stage needs their four pages of time in the sun. Wrapping this tale up consumes 100 pages.

Lousy Book, Lousy Series, Anderson disappoints.

Overall good series, but could have been 2 books shorter.
I really enjoyed the series but it began to lose me after book 5, and it should have ended there. I forced myself to finish the series because that's my nature. I actually groaned at the end of book 5 when the Hydrogues were defeated and suddenly here come the Faeros. I should have seen it coming.

I also found myself becoming annoyed by the continuation of the tom-foolery, especially the Klikiss and Basil Wenceslas. I found myself saying - do us a favor and die already! I couldn't finish this one fast enough just to be done w/ it.

Anyway, I felt the last two books were mostly a waste of trees. (not Verdani though thank goodness)

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

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

I regret buying the books. ... Read more

Product Description
The war between the alien hydrogues and the faeros rages, reducing suns to blackened shells--including one of the fabled seven suns of the Ildiran Empire. The Ildirans are engaged in a bloody civil war and are bitterly divided. Can they overcome their internal fighting to face a deadly new enemy? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

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

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

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

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

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

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

I regret buying the books.

3.5 Stars, Entertaining and OK so far...
I was worried that the series was going to lose momentum, but it doesn't and more or less keeps the same pace.Plotlines start to converge while he continues to add more conflicts and fuel to the fire that you can tell will pay off in the upcoming books.I've read many series, Goodkind, Herbet, Assimov, Adams, Hamilton, etc. and overall, this series so far is o.k.I want to buy the next book to see what happens next when I was starting to get worried about the series when reading book 3, so that says something.

As long as the plotlines keep progressing and the story keeps going with momentum I will support it.But once it starts to go the way of Goodkind's "Let's see how far I can milk this cow" then I will drop it.This series definitely has that potential, but I hope the author doesn't do that.

Terrible book and series
This book and the series are boring, predictable, and had no characters I cared about.If you like big sweeping epics like Dune this is not the book or series for you.

Perfect space opera of all time.This is the perfect space opera.It is no fair for me to go into any detail.B
This is the perfect space opera.It is no fair for me to go into any detail.

B
... Read more

Product Description
Falsely accused of murder, Troy Boren unsuccessfully puts his fate in the hands of Truthsayer Kalliana, a telepathic justice from the Atlas colony who is shaken by her fading powers and mounting evidence that Troy is innocent. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Not Free SF Reader
A look at what happens when you set telepaths up to be judge and jury.Said psionics rely on drugs to have strong enough abilities.This, of course, can be manipulated.It is, in the case of one young woman.Forced to go on the run with a luckless city worker.

Fairly ordinary execution, but still somewhat interesting.

Excellent Science Fiction novel...but you can't have my copy
After speaking with Kevin Anderson in San Francisco at a German restaurant about his new book with Brian Herbert (Dune: House Atreides), I asked him, if there were any book that he'd ever written before that he would recommend(one that he was very proud of). He told me to pick up a copy of Blindfold, if I could find a copy. Luckily, I was able to thanks to Amazon.com and I read it this fall. It is, in a word, remarkable. The story is put together like a masterpeice and I loved it from beginning to end. I hope that other lovers of Science Fiction will search and find this book as well because it is well worth your reading time. Good luck finding a copy folks. You can't have mine!

Well done Science Fiction
After speaking with Kevin Anderson in San Francisco at a German restaurant about his new book with Brian Herbert (Dune: House Atreides), I asked him, if there were any book that he'd ever written before that he wouldrecommend(one that he was very proud of).He told me to pick up a copy ofBlindfold, if I could find a copy.Luckily, I was able to thanks toAmazon.com and I read it this fall.It is, in a word, remarkable.Thestory is put together like a masterpeice and I loved it from beginning toend.I hope that other lovers of Science Fiction will search and find thisbook as well because it is well worth your reading time.Good luck findinga copy folks.You can't have mine!

Slow start but a page turner from mid book to end
All in all the book was involving and left me wanting more. The story line and setting was fairly different and the descriptions and characterizations were well done. The main characters were portrayed a bit weakly at firstcompaired to the fast action they went through from the middle to the endof the book. My biggest complaint is that it was setup a bit obviously fora sequel - i.e. the denowment left me feeling unsatisfied. So where is thesequel?

THE FUGITIVE MEETS BLADE RUNNER
BLINDFOLD IS ONE TOUGH NOVEL. ANDERSON TELLS US THE STORY OF A COLONY WORLD WHERE TELEPATHS CAN TELL WHEN A PERSON IS GUILTY OF A CRIME. THIS SYSTEM IS FOOLPROOF UNTIL A MAN IS WRONGLY CONVICTED OF MURDER. WHAT INSURES IS A THRILLER FULL OF TWISTS AND TURNS! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (21)

What a story!
With all that is going on in the Gulf, I am surprised more people haven't picked up on this exciting adventure. I read this in '95 when it first came out and remembered it with all the oil spill news. The second reading was better than the first time. Scary, realistic and a fun read. A real page turner. I was compelled to find out what happens. Hope no one tries to take care of our present spill this way. This would make a great made-for-TV movie. Producers look alive.

Lighthearted look at the end of civilization.
Ill Wind is a good book that takes a good look at the "civilized" world's dependence on oil by showing what would happen when that oil is taken away.Disasters ensue.But this book is still lighthearted and plenty of fun because it shows how people can overcome seemingly impassable obstacles.It shows life beyond oil.

Intriguing Premise, Average Execution
Premise: After an enormous oil spill in California an oil eating microbe is released to clean up the mess.The microbe becomes airborn and attacks all oil based materials including gasoline, rubber, plastics and lubricants.This causes a worldwide collapse to transportation, communication, and government.

Character development is limited.2/3 of the novel are build up to the collapse of civilization, perfect time to create intriguing characters.Instead the reader is introduced briefly to a load of 1 dimensional characters for whom it is difficult to build sympathy for.

The setting is interesting enough to sustain the novel, and the efforts being made to restore civilization are different enough from other post-apoclyptic novels the rate 3 stars.I would read a sequel should one be written.

Great premise, so-so story.
I don't read a lot of fiction, but this title caught my eye because of the current situation with oil.

The premise of the story is great - what would the world be like without oil, or even petroleum-based plastics and related products. As others mentioned, the story starts out strong but loses focus through the middle, with a decent ending. I agree except for the part about the decent ending - it was very anticlimactic in my opinion. That, and the "science" aspect was barely enough to qualify this as a science fiction novel. It seemed more like the standard fare disaster movie material.

The characters, several of whom started out interesting, were too numerous to be fully developed. Some were downright unbelievable. Specifically, I don't know that there are too many hot Japanese American female scientists who really reminisce about baby-boomer rock and roll the way Iris does. I think this character was created out of the personal fantasies of one of the authors, both of whom seem insufferably linked to bad music from the seventies, as evidenced by the completely irrelevant and pointless chapter or two dedicated to some kind of post-apocalyptic Woodstock festival. Yawn.

It is a story based on a great premise, and for that reason alone it might interest people not otherwise inclined to read science fiction.

Did these people actually read the book?
Sometimes I suspect that reviewers simply say they like it because that's their habit.This is one of the worst things I have ever seen out of either Anderson or Beason, to the point where I literally wonder if it was to fulfill a contractual obligation.Beason's scientific background simply cannot sustain a plot with all the cardboard depth of a 1968 student rally.If you live in Marin or Boston, you'll probably love it.Those with any actual real-life experience with the sorts of people depicted, however, will more likely shudder than admire how the book develops.

But the problem is that a novel isn't simply a neat idea.Ideas are cheap.Worse than a plot so full of logic holes you could put a semi through it are the ridiculous stereotypes that stand in place of actual human characters in the book:they are simply demigods, avatars for attitudes, and the progression of the plot makes the problem worse, rather than better.

It's not *total* garbage.There are moments.But coming from authors of their caliber, the work is deeply disappointing. ... Read more

Product Description
For years, the alien Klikiss robots have pretended to be humanity's friends, but their seeming "help" allowed them to plant an insidious Trojan Horse throughout the Earth Defense Forces. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating war, swarms of ancient robots built by the Klikiss continue their depredations on helpless worlds with stolen and heavily armed Earth battleships.

Among the humans, the Hansa's brutal Chairman struggles to crush any resistance even as King Peter breaks away to form his own new Confederation among the colonies who have declared their independence.

And meanwhile, the original, voracious Klikiss race, long thought to be extinct, has returned, intent on conquering their former worlds and willing to annihilate anyone in the way. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (32)

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

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

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

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

Exhausting but almost done
Only one more book to go.

Often during the reviews of this series I cite how timeline is a terrible distraction. The Pregnancy that has gone on forever is now finally over. How a second problem that the author thinks is a triumph is the short vignettes of everyone's story. That still plagues us.

How as a political treatise we have a meglomaniac ruling earth without a checks and balance system. Still the Chairman gets away with terrible horrors and no one stops him.

A new item has come to the surface and that is the absence of death. In a story with so many heroes, killing some of them would seem to be natural. Especially with so many chances that they should die. Some of the horrors that our heroes face are such that cheating death should not be an option. But here very few have died.

For a successful author who certainly has a great deal of royalties form his other successes, one should believe that Anderson had the time to devote to polishing the story. Sometimes it takes hours to get to a planet, and sometimes weeks. Sometimes days goes by in the threads of one hero and then another is picked up and it is a few moments since last we met.

This is a story that a map of the galaxy could not be given because the author creates devices he needs whenever he needs it. The same with the abilities of his alien adversaries. All that means to me the reader that logic is absent. Further causing the story to be ridiculous.

That it gains higher marks from me then before is that now as some of the storylines are finishing, I am happy for it, and have the tiniest bit of better perception. But I will be glad when it is all done.

Action Packed, Great Continued Development of Plots/Characters
In a nutshell, the stories, plotlines, and characters keep expanding.So, NO!!!!He is NOT milking the series!!!.There are no plots that are going sideways.All the plots and arcs are progressing FORWARD so I don't understand how anyone can say he is 'milking' the series.He is not.

He does so many things right, many authors can learn from him.

I love the action, plotlines, and pacing.Read this book in two days.\

The only 'slight' negative is that there are a couple of plotholes that sorta are annoying.He does attempt to explain them away but sometimes they don't ring true:

SPOILER ALERT ***like Jora'h going to Theroc with just one ship?***

Of course, it was vital for the whole plot, so I suspended some disbelief there, but it is a plothole nonetheless.Otherwise, if there were no plotholes, I'd easily rate this 5 stars.But since there were a couple of semi-minor ones, I give it 4 stars.

KJA, so glad I stuck with the series, can't wait to get the last book this weekend.

You've got a reader for life.

Could have been great with only 5 books
The four-star rating applies to books up through 5--books 6 and 7 only merit a 3-star rating. If the story would have been tightened up to fit into 5 books, this could have been a really great series instead of just a good series. The plot is complex with many characters, which is fine, especially because the author breaks out each character's story arc into short chapters so it's very clear when the reader switches character viewpoints. The scope of the plot is also interesting with several races and many sub-plots. However, the series is just too long. By the middle of book 6, when the author introduces yet another major sub-plot involving something that seemed to be relegated to the past (won't be more specific to avoid any spoliers). Because of the length of the series, it gets a bit repetitive by the end, especially given that the conflicts are resolved too easily in the same pattern, especially since forces outside of the main characters are the primary means to resolution. Still, if you like long series, this one is worth reading even though it runs out of gas before the books run out of pages.

Great ending for a great saga
Kevin Anderson is a great Sci Fi writer and this series is a very good story.I loved the whold story and almost hated to finish the story.Jam packed with action, complex characters and fantastic plot. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (6)

Great at pointing out Foucault's porblematic political turn
It is an absolute introduction to understanding the events that shaped the Iranian Revolution (as a revolution from the Right) and the relationship that Foucault's arguments have to international political sphere.

radical Islamism versus compassionate conservatives
This is a timely publication and an excellent contribution to Foucault studies. If you are interested in anything related to Foucault this is a must read. Also, if Islamic Fundamentalism and it's constant clash with Western Imperialism is your cup of tea then pick this book now.

The Authors, Janet Afary and Kevin Anderson, provide a detail overview of Foucault's writings and interviews on Iran. The authors also recount the historical Iranian revolution. And to connect this two, they offer some analysis and arguments in the context of Foucault's larger work.

Foucault's concern largely dealt with power, knowledge and discourse. I haven't read all of Foucault yet and nor have I read much on Iranian revolution. However, I didn't have any problem following the arguments in the book. What I found fascinating about Foucault is his emphasis on human irrationality. I think _Madness and Civilization_ talks about this in details. That is why the authors found it interesting to talk about Foucault's fascinations with martyrdom. They provide some detail background about Shiite (a sect in Islam) rituals and its connection with the revolution. Some of this practices are regarded as controversial in mainstream Islam.

The authors point out that the Iranian leftist and feminist sects were a major part of the movement. However, as we have seen with past revolutions it didn't turn out as we have expected. Radical Islamism got rid of the secular element pretty easily. The book goes into detail how Foucault "got it wrong" and some other interesting issues related with it.

Political analyst are saying that Ahmadinejad's recent 'landslide' victory can be summed up as a revival of the spirit of the Iranian revolution. I am curious how Foucault would have responded to this. Maybe positively?In a way, Foucault was 'anit-modernist'. He talks about 'political spirituality' to be a alternative to modern democratic institution. It is possible, that Ahmadinejad banked on some anti-American / anit-Western sentiment. What does that mean for radical Islamism which have to deal with compassionate conservatives?

Fetishism and cultural imperialism, Foucault's mission
This book is excellent! It is about time someone wrote the real account of how western intellectuals who knew too little about the culture and history of Iran, implicated themselves in a process that had nothing to do with them and helped set into motion a chain of events that has brought terrorism to the world via hardcore Khomeini radicalism that hides itself behind the guise of Islam.

An Important Contribution to Critical Theory
"Foucault and the Iranian Revolution" is by far the most important contribution to critical theory, and to Foucault studies, in years. Coming at a time of a deepening crisis in world politics as well as political philosophy, when the secular liberal ideal is dying and religious fundamentalisms of various stripes--Christian, Islamic, Jewish, Hindu--feed like bacteria on its still moving, breathing corpse, Afary and Anderson's book offers a refreshingly sober and expansive view of the contradictions and aporias of contemporary critical theory. Concentrating on a neglected moment in Foucault's career as a journalist and political commentator, the authors amass a wealth of fascinating details, old and new, to show how Foucault's credulity toward (and even sympathies with) the most reactionary and illiberal elements of the Iranian Revolution, far from being an anomaly or sudden lapse of judgment, was instead the logical outgrowth of his own idiosyncratic theories about modernity, social movements, history, and knowledge. As the authors write: "Foucault's Orientalist impressions of the Muslim world, his selective reading and representation of Greco-Roman texts, and his hostility to modernity and its technologies of the body, led him to prefer the more traditional Islamic/Mediterranean culture to the modern culture of the West."

In short, Foucault was drawn to the radical Islamism of the Ayatollah Khomeini--rather than to the feminist and socialist forces who had helped overthrow the despised Shah--precisely because of his aversion to all modern political institutions and norms, whether liberal or radical. Islamism, which had the appearance of pure, romantic fusion or unity in the will of the people (in essence, an Iranian version of Rousseau's general will), seemed to link the Shi'ite past with a present revolutionary Now. Ironically, just as an unreflexive, orthodox Marxism had blinded an earlier generation of "fellow travelers" to Stalinism, Foucault's own anti-Marxism and anti-feminism--his refusal to identify either with the socialist tradition or with women's liberation--made him blind to the authoritarian strain within Islamism. Although Foucault's defenders, and there are many today, will deny that the great French theorist had any flaws as a social critic, what comes through in Afary and Anderson's narrative is the portrait of an intellectual whose own political isolation and personal arrogance made him susceptible to the worst kind of idealism.

The poststructuralist revolution in theoretical thought, which Foucault more than any other thinker helped lead, has done serious damage to our ability both to comprehend the meaning of historical events and to render sound moral and political judgments concerning their meaning. This, to me, is the implicit lesson of Afary and Anderson's important and indispensable book. This, and the authors' own exemplary conduct as theorists and historians: by scrupulously avoiding polemic, complicating our view of Islam, and maintaining a moral center in their narrative, the authors remind us that, by reaffirming its socialist feminist roots, critical or radical theory can yet serve as an antidote both to Western imperialism on one side and Islamism (or apologia for Islamism) on the other. "Foucault and the Iranian Revolution" is therefore must reading for anyone interested in the state of theory, or the state of the world.

A deeply mistaken account of Foucault's interpretation of Iran
This book has three elements.A full third is a compilation of Foucault's writings and interviews on Iran.It is a valuable addition to the Foucault literature.Second, there is a historical recounting of Islamism as it pertains to the Iranian revolution.I do not have the expertise to comment on this.The third element, which frames the book, is an extended argument that in Foucault's reading of the Iranian revolution his own larger philosophical perspective is revealed.This element, which I do have expertise in, is comically bad.

The authors claim that Foucault values traditional forms of life over modern ones, and thus embraces (like the radical Islamists) a return to the past.In order to make their case, the authors resort to three strategies.First, they neglect Foucault's own statements about his writings.For instance, the authors insist that he saw ancient Greek sexual life as superior to ours, which Foucault explicitly denies.Second, they engage in egregious misinterpretation.For example, they read Foucault's book on the prisons as a plea for earlier forms of punishment.The first few pages of the prison book, detailing the excruciating torture of an attempted regicide, should be enough to convince anyone of the paucity of that interpretation.Finally, they misread Foucault's own sentences, in one case (p. 16) citing a long quote and then interpreting it as meaning something opposed to what it actually says.

Foucault insisted throughout his life that his work sought to deny the view that history naturally progresses from the worse to the better.The authors seem to think that this means that his view of history was that it moved from the better to the worse.It is harder to imagine a more fundamental mistake in the interpretation of Foucault's work.

All of this is unfortunate, particularly since Foucault, normally an astute observer of events, sorely misread the Iranian revolution.This requires explanation.The authors have provided the resources on which to base such an explanation.However, given their inability to understand even the basics of Foucault's work, the explanation itself will have to await another book. ... Read more

Product Description
Terra Incognita - the blank spaces on the map, past the edge of the world, marked only by the words "here be monsters."

Two nations at war, fighting for dominion over the known, and undiscovered, world, pin their last hopes at ultimate victory on finding a land out of legend.

Each will send their ships to brave the untamed seas, wild storms, sea serpents, and darker dangers unknown to any man.It is a perilous undertaking, but there will always be the impetuous, the brave and the mad who are willing to leave their homes to explore the unknown.

Even unto the edge of the world...

Kevin J. Anderson's spectacular fantasy debut is a sweeping tale of adventure on the high seas, as two warring kingdoms vie for the greatest treasure of them all. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

"The Edge of the World"
With the completion of his Saga of the Seven Suns, Kevin J. Anderson returns with a brand new series, Terra Incognita, and the first book The Edge of the World.This world consists of two great and vastly different empires: to the north lies Tierra, to the southUraba, and linking the two peoples is the melting pot of a city, Ishalem.The book begins with a formal and grandiose truce being made between the two cultures, but Ishalem is an old city, and as an accidental fire breaks out, the city is brought to burned cinders.The Urabans believe it was a planned assault by the Tierrans, and war immediately breaks out, forcing the Tierrans to flee back to their lands for protection.With minor attempts being made to repair the damage and help avoid the ongoing war, the empires seek to explore the oceans around them with the hopes of discovering new worlds.

While many of the characters are interesting and Anderson does a good job of exploring the different levels of society, the overall story just feels like an almost racist portrayal of two cultures, with the north being cultured and refined, while the south are darker skinned, wear funny clothing, and come off as inferior.I felt like I was reading a World of Warcraft story involving the proud Alliance and the evil Horde.While this may be entertaining for some readers, it wasn't my cup of tea.

Originally written on August 8th, 2009 ©Alex C. Telander.

Originally published in the Sacramento Book Review.

For over 500 book reviews and exclusive author interviews, go to [...].

Fix your big giant plot holes, Anderson!
Another Anderson Epic with Characters all over the map. Pun intended. Too many characters like too many cooks, spoil the meal. Once Again Anderson thinks he is going to give us a great feast, but he fails to deliver and he does with his premise at the very beginning when the Christians and The Muslims face off at Jerusalem.

He changes that a little. It is Ishalem, and the founders of the religion were brothers so it is Issac and Ishmael.

Were are things wrong from the start? The basis of this conflict is that one religion is settled on one continent and the other on the northern continent, only meeting in the center at Jerusalem and not knowing about each other really.

Anderson is putting devices in front of us that is just too easy to break. Civilizations do not grow with an iron curtain between them. Even when we had the Iron Curtain in our own reality, we still knew what was going on behind it.

I read a review of the movie Taps, about the kids taking over the military academy years ago. It stuck with me when the reviewer asked, why did the media not jump all over themselves to interview the boys. Anderson's work, here and in the poorly conceptualized Seven Sons, fails to meet that litmus test. If there is something so obvious that everyone would question it, then that hole in the dyke needed to be filled, or else the entire work was flooded.

The two different countries should have known about each other more. They can't have a war for 13 years with just a few terror raids. They can't have a large city state society and think that 1000 new enlistees in the army/navy is going to be enough to wage the war. They can't wage a war when the budget of building a ship, like the cost of one of our aircraft carriers for a year, is going to be hurtful.

Too many things against this fantasy tale to think that the leaders have the brains to run a country. They can barely tie their shoes they are really that narrow minded stupid about things.

Then the last big thing, that there is another continent that they all forgot where they had come from. Yeah, that happens. People are really that dumb, and that the people who first sailed ships had no writing so things could not be written down, except of course their religions.

When one builds a world, one needs to think of the holes. Plug them and make a real tale out of it. The Cover sold me this book. I wish it had been uglier now so I would never have picked it up. Not a reread.

Gave Up on It; Too Much Sensless Brutality
Its a shame that I had to give up on this book.The beginning and the premise are excellent.Much of the first part of the book seems to be concerned with escalating events that lead to the two countries to further and further into violence and conflict.With the start of the second section of the book, I gave up on it.It starts with a demonstration of a horrific brutality that may or may not further the plot.It is something that it is doubtful that the main character condoning it would agree to, given his personality and his side's experience, which was far more of the "giving" than the "receiving".

There is enough senseless anger and brutality in the news and world events.I read to enjoy and be entertained, which is not the case here.Anyone want to buy a partially read copy?

I gave the book two stars, since the characters who seem to be the focus, except when they are killed off, are well written and the reader can care about them.

Couldn't Finish It
I purchased this book along with the accompanying music CD as a set.I made it through about 5 chapters of the book and never felt intrigued enough to keep reading.I love the concept created by the author, but for some reason found myself bored and drifting.It has been suggested that I didn't delve far enough into the book and this may be true.However, I feel that if a book doesn't grab your interest in the first few pages, you might as well move on to something else.On too many occasions, I've trudged on through a book that didn't interest me in the hopes that it would get better, only to reach the end and feel my time was wasted.In my opinion, a good author will craft the beginning pages to grab their reader and make them want to keep reading, it just didn't happen for me here.That's one great thing I love about the Amazon Kindle, it allows you to sample a chapter of most books for free before buying.I would suggest any Kindle readers do just that before making an impulse purchase.

I expected too much
Maybe I was expecting too much and brought too much baggage to the book, but after fifty pages I threw the book into the corner and couldn't get myself to carry on reading it.I wanted to do it after ten pages but pushed myself for the next forty.

It felt as though the book had been written by a six year with about the equivalent degree of control over the english language.Sentences would be hacked in half with the next sentence completing the thought.It was as though.I was distracted.

The characters seemed to be flat and I had no interest in any of them and couldn't imagine being involved with them for four hundred odd pages.One character even called the sailing ships boats and this is supposed to be an experienced sailor who said this.You go up to any sailor and tell him he works on a boat and he'll smack you. ... Read more

Product Description
A group of exiles, surgically altered so that they can survive in Mars's atmosphere but no longer tolerate Earth's, plot to destroy the corrupt project to colonize the fourth planet. From the author of The Jedi Academy Trilogy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Huston, we have some problems.
As a kid, I always wondered what it would be like on Mars. This book gave me a good idea.

The storyline of a possible community on the red planet made me wonder again if it could happen in my lifetime.

This story moves quite well and deals with some human emotion as well as science. It even gives a miracle or two. I hope that Kevin J. Anderson revisits this story in the future.

I would recommend this one for all Sci-Fi fans.

Neither Good, nor Bad
CO could have been much much better since the plot line is brilliant and the setting is sumptuous. It would have been enough to make Adins and Dvas genetically modified so that they were able to pass down their genes to their children to get a magnificent environment with three races, Adins, Dvas, and Humans, vying for controlling Mars. All those ingredients well blended could have made a prodigious epic, the magnitude of Dune, indeed. Alas KJA is not F. Herbert and a large part of the story is about the past of the protagonists, past spent on Earth. Remembrance poisons the story and ends up in weakening the plot. KJA had gold in his hands and changed it into... aluminium.

Not Free SF Reader
This book was not quite bad enough for me to not finish, although it came close 3 or 4 times.Pedestrian basic economic/political struggle.Not really worth wasting your time on.

What happens when humans are altered, to in turn alter a world for others to live on.What do they do when it is all finished?

Nicely Crafted
A well-written book with real and well-developed personalities.Plenty of internal and external conflict going on as they terraform Mars. ... Read more

Product Description
Based on the legendary science-fiction series by acclaimed novelist Kevin J. Anderson, THE SAGA OF SEVEN SUNS: VEILED ALLIANCES acts as a revelatory prequel to the Saga novels Hidden Empire and A Forest of Stars. In this fantastical volume, the human race begins its expansion into outer space only to discover that for centuries a multitude of other planets have been interacting on a cosmic scale. Now as Earth attempts to become a player in this new arena, her ambassadors are thrust into a foreign world of alien life forms, backstabbing politics, lustful relationship, bitter feuds, family rivalries, and a deadly quest to become the supreme force in the universe. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Comic Book
I recently read all seven novels of the Saga of Seven Suns and came across this title thinking it was a prequel to the original stories. I was surprised to receive a comic book! A very quick read, and nothing new learnt about the main story line. Buy it for completeness of the collection, but don't expect an interesting or riveting reading experience. Maybe I missed the fine print on the amazon product description page, but it was not mentioned anywhere that it was a comic book.

Comic Book
Waste of money.Web site did not indicate this was a comic book rather than a a full story.

Great prequel
Star Wars has given Prequels a bad name, but Veiled Alliances proves that they can be good.This look at the Saga helps explain how things came to be exactly how they are, providing an interesting plot to go alongside the beautiful illustrations.

Recommended for anyone who's read any of the Saga books.

OOPS!
My husband requested this title for a Christmas gift.Neither he nor I realized the item is a COMIC BOOK.Our mistake!We returned it.

If you love Dune you'll probably love this series
I started reading Kevin J Anderson's Saga of the seven suns series when i was waiting for some of the newer Dune books by Kevin J and Brian Herbert to be released. I LOVE this series. As usual, war and conflict have tied various worlds together in conflict. And there's that touch of love story that adds a special touch to sci-fi novels. You can see style similarities between this and the Machine Crusades books earlier in the Newer Dune series. The characters are always well written, and the story line engaging. Always entertaining, it's hard to put these books down. ... Read more

Product Description
It was supposed to be just another Sunday night fantasy role-playing game for David, Tyrone, Scott, and Melanie.But after years of playing, the game had become so real that all their creations—humans, sorcerers, dragons, ogres, panther-folk, cyclops—now had existences of their own.And when the four outside players decide to end their game, the characters inside the world of Gamearth—warriors, scholars, and the few remaining wielders of magic—band together to keep their land from vanishing.Now they must embark on a desperate quest for their own magic—magic that can twist the Rules enough to save them all from the evil that the players created to destroy their entire world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

For anyone that likes role playing games OR is a writer!
This book is one of those few that really captures the imagination, and one of my favorites from the age of 14 through college.There are two ongoing scenes, one with the "real world" people playing amedieval role-playing-game, and the other focuses on what goes on withtheir characters in Gamearth...When one of the real-life gameplayersdecides to destroy Gamearth, the characters have to act independently toescape the game-world and come into the real one, proving that their landis alive and more than just figments of the players' imaginations.You getto see both the side of the real-world reacting to the characters refusingto do what they are told AND the characters' points of view as a roll ofthe die brings chaos to their land.Perfect for anyone trying to writestories or playing RPGs, as it brings into question the idea that our"imaginary" world might be more than something we just dream upthat goes away when we close the book or stop the game! ... Read more

Product Description
Having colonized other worlds, humans are certain the galaxy is theirs for the taking. But they soon discover the horrifying price of their arrogance when a scientific experiment awakens the wrath of the previously unknown Hydrogues and begins a war. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (94)

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

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

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

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

Science? what's that?
I tried to read this book and didn't make it past the first couple of chapters. You have a ship flying in the upper levels of a gas giant mining hydrogen? ok, that works.

The ship has an outside deck? ok, under a force field i assume.

Nope, it is in the open air and the crew can go out for a breath of fresh air. And there are birds that never land anywhere except on this deck. Yes you can find a level in the atmosphere where the pressure is earth sea level, but it won't be breathable air! You're mining hydrogen at that level! You think there would be oxygen in a human usable concentration? What about the gases causing all the interesting colored clouds, like hydrocholoric and sulfuric acid vapor? Not to mention mixing hydrogen and oxygen at earth pressure and temp (can you spell B O O M?)

Threw the book away, it's not even worth trying to sell to the used book store because then I would inflict this pain on someone else.

These are not the books you are looking for ...
I read the first 2 books of the series and finally quit 1/3 of the way through the third book because I couldn't respect myself if I read any more.The story is good, it's a fun space-opera, but the writing is horrible.The author would receive a C in any lit class on earth for the lack of narrative skills and it upsets me that a publisher would print these books over others that can't possibly be less deserving.There are so many great masters of Sci-Fi out there in the world, please look for them and don't waste time on this series.

Average
This series just gets worse and worse as it goes on.I would love to point out all the points where the series chooses ridiculous directions and twists but I would have to ruin the story.

Short and Sweet, if you're interested in reading something semi space opera'ish you can read this and when it starts getting annoying just put it down and know that the rest of the series just gets worse.

Not even close
Why was this book not better, perhaps is the question we should ask ourselves. It should be better. It has a seven book sequence, so that may indeed be the first clue. With seven books to go, does the author need to grab us and rope us into his world and make us feel the sense of urgency that a war in the spiral arm is going to need?

Part then is that the pacing is slow. More than six hundred pages and it is slow, and we have six more books. Then the second problem with the book is the giant cast of characters, all of whom are being treated as primary characters. Who do we identify with. There is someone for everyone. Sometimes there have been so many characters that as you begin a new chapter, you have to take a moment and collect your thoughts and think, which one is this, and where were they when we last left off.

Last we have the size of the chapters. there are 115 chapters in those 600 pages. These chapters were short, more like parts of scenes then chapters. You might need a few small scenes to give the scope that the universe is descending into war, but little vignettes always might be overdoing it.

When you put it all together, the sense is that it fails where others have told stories about galactic wide wars. Cut, cut, cut, is what this story needed, for at the end of the book, when you have read it all, there is a story emerging, but it has taken so long and been so fragmented that you know it could have been so much better. Then you find that the author had been working and thinking about his epic for so long and did so much better elsewhere, you are left with a feeling that he has gone horribly astray and left you disappointed that his skill has gone missing. ... Read more

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

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

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

Customer Reviews (7)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I regret buying the books.

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

Much better then the first book.

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

Product Description

It was a time of international tensions, a time of hope and fear—when Elvis, Howdy Doody, UFOs, and the Communist menace preoccupied America.

It was the first time in history when human beings had the power to destroy their world.

A time when heroes were needed more than ever.

Customer Reviews (96)

Enemies & Allies.....
After reading Anderson's The Last Days of Krypton, I looked forward to the release of Enemies & Allies. Now that it's been released and I've read it, I can honestly say Anderson has did it again. Although it doesn't quite match the brilliance of The Last Days of Krypton, it shines in its' own way. To me, it was like reading a good Superman/Batman story in the comics...only in book form. Get what I mean? I will have to agree with the majority, though, that the story does seem like it's geared more toward the younger set. Course, that's why I made the comment before that. This book proves that he could, definitely, write intriguing storylines for the comics.

All in all, this might not be Anderson's greatest work. However, it's his most humorous and funnest work to date. I recommend it.

Superman, Batman and the Thrilling Days of Yesteryear
Forget everything that's happened in the last five decades, put yourself square in the Fifties. Now add in Superman, Batman, Lois, Jimmy, Perry and Alfred and go from there. Now have Kevin J. Anderson write it. How can you not love a book like that?

Oh, I forgot to mention Lex Luthor, that villain you love to hate. He's as evil here as he's been anywhere. He teams with a Soviet Black Star General in an evil plot to take over the world and along the way they've discovered Kryptonite. Batman discovers Luthor is stealing secrets from Bruce Wayne's company and selling them to the government. He seeks proof. Superman thinks Batman is a crook. Batman thinks Superman is a Luthorian creation. Lois falls in love with you know who. Superman is torn between being human and alien. Senator McCarthy is in Luthor's hip pocket and if I haven't wetted your appetite here read on.

Kevin J. Anderson has taken Superman and Batman and breathed new life into them. He's made them and his alternate universe as real as Starbucks, Spaghetti O's and Spam. Batman is real, too. The dark night is not only dark, but conflicted, human. Lois and Jimmy come too life as never before and Perry even utters a "Great Scot" too, but it's believable. Kevin J. Anderson made me believe in those thrilling days of yesteryear. Yes, I know that phrase is from another masked man comic and TV show, but it applies here.

great book!
This is a great book set in the 50's.The auther does a great job with Batman and Superman.If you are a fan of these two the you will love this book!

Holy Batastrophe
I have mixed feeling about this book.I love both Superman and Batman as character's, but I was not impressed with the way they were imagined in this book.I grew up during the cold war and was very familiar with the politics of both the Soviet's and the U.S.However, this book read like a simplified James Bond knock-off.I was very disappointed.It took a long time to get started and did a very poor job of developing motivation's for the character's actions.Superman and Batman were written as very one dimensional caricature's of their comic book selves.If you want to read a novel that reimagine's the superhero mythos from an early twentieth century perspective you would be better served by reading It's Superman! A Novel.I would pass on reading this book.

enemies & allies: a novel
Excellent book for any superman or batman fans. Kevin Anderson is a master at writing novels for comic book characters. I also recommend The Last Days of Krypton by Kevin J Anderson ... Read more

Product Description
Caught in the middle of a titanic struggle between two alien superpowers, the factions of humanity and their allies, the Ildirans, are under siege. Can they resolve their differences to fight a common threat?

For the leader of the Roamers, survival means extending a helping hand to others, while the chairman of the Terran Hansa plans to use a new, untested alien weapon regardless of the consequences. And for the new Ildiran Mage-Imperator, survival involves throwing off the choking traditions of the Empire - even if it might trigger a civil war.

As old intrigues and dark secrets come to light, a man who is believed to be long dead returns with an ally who may save mankind. But this new fragile hope will be threatened by a fresh betrayal - the most bitter and brutal of them all... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (38)

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

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

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

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

Still dark before the dawn
Though this is only book 3 of 7, things are still disastrous for humanity.

That is just the worst for my ego tied to humanity. It would be as an American reading the history of WWII in real time, in the Pacific. Sometime in the middle of 42, when things looked bleak. Pearl Harbor hurt, Wake Island fallen, the Philippines lost.

But we know, living so far from the events that things will be turning around. The drama that they aren't, though is painful to watch. Painful to have seen the train wreck of one of the enemies that we know of, revealed and destroyed a very young person's world.

it is painful to watch the leader of the majority of humanity be the anti FDR, or Winston Churchill, and the leader we root for still not think of a way to usurp control. To watch this anti leader of mankind make mistakes and be an egomaniac of his own.

The book moves the plot along. The timing of scenes again is all over the place. The issues of short chapters are still a detriment to the story. The book would help with a plotted timeline by the author and longer chapters that develop scenes. Less plot lines for some new secondary characters are being fleshed out to have their own sagas.

Still a read once. But, an example taken from a true master, I read all the Palliser novel shrunk to a one volume book once. I think this would have been much better if the author followed Trollope's example.

Need a scorecard to follow all the wars!
Book Three of the Saga of the Seven Suns, an ancient war has now fully rekindled in its entirety,The heretofore unknown aliens who were disturbed when one of their planets was destroyed by a human experiment with another alien device in the first book is now REALLY mad.More information has come to light, and it seems the other human empire, the Alderans, does know something of this old war.But they have not been forthcoming with information.Meanwhile, another entity, a sentient fire being living in suns, has seemingly joined the struggle on the behalf of humans.Aligned with the trees and the water, earth, fire and water seem aligned against electricity.

The humans meanwhile have started to strike back by igniting more gas giants into small suns.However, the extinct creators of that technology left behind some evidence that suggests this tactic might not be the best idea -- they are, after all, extinct.To make matters worse he robots created by that race are now in rebellion against the humans (never trust a robot!).And if there isn't enough killin' going on for you, the human factions are splintering amongst themselves, resulting in even more battles.The politics and intrigue during this time of total ware are getting interesting.

Going From Good to Okay
In a nutshell, the book is okay.Overall, the story is getting bigger:More cast of characters, more plot complications, more arcs...

On paper, this sounds like a good thing, but in reality, it is starting to read like a story that just keeps growing and growing with no end in sight, and not in a good way.

There are certain plots that feel like they should have come to a head already, but instead, they keep building and building and building... Also, it is starting to feel like complications are being added just for the sake of making the story more complex as opposed to being necessary for the story...

Overall, I do like the characters, I like the story, I love space operas, and will probably get book four.The stage is set now to start bringing plot arcs to a conclusion.Otherwise, if this story keeps growing in book four, I will stop with this series since it can easily be one of those series that just keeps going forever and ever with no end in sight and not in a good way.

Starts a bit slow, but awesome adventure!
I am new to sci-fi and the Saga of Seven Suns is absolutely awesome.The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it doesn't start out as action-packed as the last book. ... Read more

Product Description
It is the future and the dead walk the streets ... Resurrection, Inc. found a profitable way to do it. All it took was a microprocessor brain, a synthetic heart and blood, and, presto, anyone with the price could buy a Servant with no mind of its own and trained to obey any command. But for every Servant created, a living worker was out of a job, and suddenly Resurrection, Inc.'s profits became everyone else's loss. Some took to rioting in the streets, their rampages ruthlessly ended by armored and heavily armed Enforcers, eager for the kill. Some joined the ever growing cult of Neo-Satanism, seeking heaven in the depths of hell. Only one tried to change the world. His name was Danal, he was dead--but he remembered. And he was the last hope for the living... [From the author: This is my first published novel, though I wrote many (sadly embarrassing) attempts, beginning when I was only eight years old. I had previously written the first book in a fantasy trilogy based on role-playing games, Gamearth, and while my agent marketed it, I asked him if I should dutifully write the second book in the trilogy. He gave me very good advice: "No, do something completely different." That was Resurrection, Inc.-- an unusual combination of Gothic horror, hard SF, and murder mystery. The original paperback cover art had a rather unfortunate image of a giant stone skull with a spaceship flying overhead, icons jointly designed to turn off both SF and horror readers. Nevertheless, Resurrection, Inc. got great reviews and was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award. This is my preferred text of the novel, revised for the specialty press Tenth Anniversary edition. (Cover by Bob Eggleton.)] Bram Stoker Award Preliminary Ballot Nominee, Locus Poll Award Nominee ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Intriging novel, but a bit derivative...
Kevin Anderson's debut novel "Resurrection InC" has some very good passages, and the action(once it starts) moves fast.Danlo, a newly formed "Servent" that is a corpse that is animated by a microprocessor, becomes "self-aware", and tries to figure out if he remembers his life before his death.Parts of the novel "pay homage" to "1984", with a doomed heroine named Julia that awakens a cog in a monsterous machine to the evil he is doing.Villain is of course, power-hungry, condescending and slightly insane, using a form of "Satanism" as a joke to fool the masses.Nice use of San Francisco here, and good reference to R.U.R and Kapek.

Excellent premise with imperfect execution
Resurrection Inc. is a disturbingly different kind of novel than most are used to.This could have been a painfully bad read, if the idea for the story had been put into the hands of a less qualified author.Kevin Anderson has done a suprisingly good job of taking a very "out there" premise and crafting it into a compelling novel that is hard to put down once it's started.There's a few problems with the story that occur here and there, but they are offset to the point that one could almost ignore them completely by the dead-on stinging social commentary and overal excellent story crafting present.

The story behind the novel is that sometime in the future the medical process for reanimating an otherwise inanimate corpse has been discovered and put to a very profitable use.Why pay a worker every two weeks for the rest of his natural life - complete with benefits and medical insurance, when for the price of just one normal worker's yearly salary you could have a unquestioning servant to do any simple or physical work, no matter how distatestful or strenous, and never pay another penny.While this sounds great to all the employers out there, this of course causes a huge problem for all the blue collar workers who have no higher education or technical skills to set them apart from the undead servants.

With this backstory it would appear that the author is trying to create a dystopia, and while there are elements here that could create dystopia (such as all the out of work, lower caste individuals playing the part of the "proles" from the novel 1984, or the futuristic technology gone horribly wrong ala Brave New World), it never fully manifests, which unfortunately lessens the impact of the book slightly.

There are three main organizations who hold power in the universe of this novel - the first is the actual company called "Resurrection Inc." which creates the servants, the second is the "Enforcers" who are privately owned military/police who have destroyed the need for government run police.The final orginazation is the prominent religion of the time frame - Neo Satanism.Were not talking real modern day LaVeyan style satanism either, but the "ye olde" satanism where a literal devil figure is worshipped.At first glance, this seems completely out of place in a novel about the medical advances of the future, but as the novel progresses it becomes easy to understand why this element is in the book.Anderson is contrasting mankinds technological advances with their personal and intellectual advances.While the ability to create unlimited slave labor via the dead, and a vastly complicated network of computers and every day appliances have been strung together succesfully, man still remains the gullible and superstitious sheep they have been since the dark ages.As the reader will discover part-way through the book, this religion was created specifically for the purpose of separating the sheep from those who can think for themselves, and several real world examples are made (painfully so to the members of the religions mentioned).For example, when two of the people responsible for the advent of Neo Satanism are discussing how to go about creating the religion, one of them mentions how they should fake some physical evidence to back up the outrageous claims of the religion, the other person replies caustically, "Proof?We can just say the angel Moroni popped down and did away with all the evidence, it's been done before." in a reference to the very same thing occuring in the Mormon religious doctrine.

The actual main story, that of the hero of the novel, an undead servant named Danal, is an interesting read on it's own, regardless of all the social issues surrounding the story.It seems Danal, despite all odds, can somehow remember things of when he was alive - which of course raises all kinds of fun questions about life after death, the morality of slavery, the "cosmic consciousness", and all that other stuff that man will be bickering about until the end of time.*Partial spoiler ahead here* The main thing about the story that bothered me was it's ending - it was happy.Everything worked out for the heroes and all the "bad guys" got what they deserved.This completely destroys the point that the author was trying to make.The unhappy endings worked in "1984" and "Brave New World" because it showcased the themes of the novel.The happy ending in this novel cheapens the impact, as it seems to concede some ground, as though the author is saying, "Yeah, I've got this amazingly great point to make, but I'd better cave in and give the very kind of people I'm writing about a happy ending so they don't actually think about anything and start asking any questions".

Looking past the few problems the novel has, "Resurrection Inc." is an excellent read, and highly recommened, just be prepared to take some abuse if you are one of the sheep the author is writing about.

Very, Very Troubling
I read this book a couple of years ago, and it still bothers me.As I was reading it I had trouble sleeping.After I finished it I couldn't read anything else for a couple weeks.

This was a profoundly disturbing book. I gave it three stars because of its powerful effect -- not because Ienjoyed it.In truth, it was absolutely horrifying.

The premise is thatin the near future mankind has figured out how to re-animate the dead,making them just smart enough to provide slave labor but not activating thehigher mental functions that would allow them to become autonomous.Theworld's economy has been profoundly changed (toward personal gain for avery few, and economic ruin for everybody else) by this source of unlimitedfree manpower.

The story centers around one person whose memory does notget completely wiped, and begins to remember bits and pieces of his formerlife.Oooh, it creeps me out just typing this!!!

Oh sure, it could neverhappen and there are plot holes you could drive a hearse through, but itstill kept me awake staring at the ceiling for a week.This storyout-Kings Stephen King. ... Read more

Product Description
Dr. Gregory, a renowned nuclear weapons researcher, is not only dead--he's been charred to a radioactive cinder.

Since this is a death on Federal property, Mulder and Scully are hastily called in. As FBI agents who specialize in unexplained phenomena, they are the investigators of The X-Files, strange and inexplicable cases which are also mysteries that the FBI doesn't want solved.

When a second victim, completely unrelated to nuclear science or Dr. Gregory is obliterated in the New Mexico desert, and then a third dies the same way in Washington, DC, Mulder and Scully begin to focus on the frightening dimension of their task. The bizarre deaths cannot be a coincidence. And as they work to uncover the secret unifying element that unites these deaths, it becomes clear that this twisted puzzle has fatal consequences for the entire world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (46)

Good series tie-in novelization
Our favorite FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully investigate a nuclear mystery in this tie-in that dates back to when the X-Files was a thriving TV series. As tie-ins go, this one is pretty good. Kevin J. Anderson's written a lot of sci-fi tie-ins and he wisely avoids the number-one pitfall these sort of things make - he does not turn the series characters we care about into supporting characters shoehorned into a story they otherwise have nothing to do with. Anderson stays true to the spirit of the characters and TV show and if it weren't for the fact that this would require a very large budget, this could almost have been one of the more intriguing episodes of the series.

Is this worth reading if you aren't a fan of the series? I don't know. Anderson assumes familiarity with the basic premise of the X-Files so if you haven't seen the TV show you may not understand much of the dynamic between Mulder and Scully and why they seem to get so little support from the FBI in their investigations. The mystery at hand is one of the more unusual paranormal ideas I've come across, and I just wish Anderson set it up so that someone could enjoy it as a standalone without ever watching the TV show. Still, I may have erred on the side of generosity by giving this a 4 rather than a 3 but this was one of the more entertaining books I've read on my commute in a while. If only the most recent X-files movie as nearly this good . . .

A good read for X-Files fans
In Ground Zero Mulder and Scully investigate the mysterious deaths of two people involved with a secret government project that involves a new type of nuclear device and an above ground test that is against international law. They manage to get a trip to the test site to watch the detonation. Once there they meet up with one of their suspects, a scientist turned nuclear protester and her friend, a blind man whose skin is covered in burn scars and who carries the secret to what has been happening.

Ground Zero has a great plot and excellent use of the supernatural that made the X-Files such a fascinating show. The characters don't have extreme depth, but are well drawn. While the ending is telegraphed, Anderson uses great descriptive language to paint the scenes. Mulder and Scully could have been a bigger part of the story and the author didn't really capture Mulder's personality, but Ground Zero was a very enjoyable read.

A review of the abridged audiobook
So, how can I say this succintly and clearly?

The abridged audiobook is not good. It is bad. It is not well read. It has few of the best qualities of the TV show.

Read by Gillian Anderson, the abrdiged audiobook clocks in at about 3 hours and read unenthusiastically by Gillian Anderson. One of the reasons I picked this one up is that I figured she'd read it well. It says it was recorded in Vancouver in 1995 (where the show was filmed) and it sounds like she read it between takes. She sounds tired and completely uninterested in the text.

Then again, when you look at what she was reading, I cannot blame her for being uninterested. This book has none of the zip of the show. Mulder's lines are almost non-existant. No smart-aleck lines or observation. No wry sense of humor that makes even the weakest of the TV shows watchable (I love the X-Files but let's face it - every episode is not being shipped to the TV Hall of Fame...). This book is a tired and pale imitation of what the show was. You can see the ending coming and you wish it would just hurry up and get here. Perhaps the abridgement gutted the book but I was glad it was abridged.

The science behind this audiobook is laughable. Not the supernatural stuff - that's what the X-Files is all about. I mean the atomic science. Does the author really think that anyone can explode an atomic bomb without radiation detectors picking up on it? Remember Chernobyl? The West knew it had gone wrong long before the Soviets admitted to it because it was detected by Western atomic sensors. Atomic blasts show up on seismographs. That's how we knew India and Pakistan had them. But, let's ignore facts like that and roll right along with a silly premise.

Skip this one.

Intriguing from Beginning to End
Of the three X-Files novelizations by Kevin J. Anderson, I think I like this one best. The plot is fast-paced and the story line is mysterious.

It's a shame that there are only a few X-Files novelizations by Anderson and other authors. I loved the show and am just discovering these books.

Now, it's too bad there aren't any "Millennium" novelizations!

Supernatural happenings in a nuclear age
This is a review of the audiobook version of Ground Zero by Kevin Anderson read by Gillian Anderson.
Set against the world of government sponsored nuclear weapons research , Ground Zero has agents Mulder and Scully investigating the death of a researcher who is blown to bits - but the rest of his office is intact. There is no known personal sized nuke- so what happened? The audiobook is read by Gillian Anderson , and the abridgement has the focus on Scully's part of the investigation and the unlikely supernatural conclusion that takes the agents to the south pacific and the site of a planned above ground test of a new super weapon.
Anderson's reading is great! I got a good chuckle out of her comments about how that Mulder's theories were bound to be way out there and not grounded in science. Well paced, the book moves along with action and theory and some cool supernatural mysticismconcerning a lost tribe , wiped out by an above ground nuclear test in the 50s and their long journey to retribution and vengeance from beyond...... ... Read more

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

Customer Reviews (124)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Product Description
Luke Skywalker finds his academy threatened by untold dangers when his most talented and rebellious student, Kyp Durron, delves dangerously into the Dark Side of the Force, aided by an evil and deadly enemy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (72)

a books but
it is a nice 2ed book. it keeps up with the first book and leads nicely into the 3rd.

Someone gave the characters an idiot ball and they wouldn't let go
Luke Skywalker has gathered up his troops and headed to Yavin 4 to begin training.Only problem is that his most promising student, Gantoris, is now burned to a crisp and no one is sure why.Meanwhile, a mission fails, causing Ackbar to leave his command in shame, and Daala decides to wreak havoc on the New Republic.
NOTE: I listened to the audio book, and it was abridged so some scenes I may have A) forgotten since I last read the book and B) have not heard because they omitted it from the audiobook.

I Liked:
The last book was called Jedi Search, but honestly, it mostly focused on Han Solo and Kyp Durron.Kinda missed the mark to me, even if it were exciting in its own way.This book however gets into the actual training, which is particularly interesting.I enjoy seeing the new characters, particularly Kam Solusar, and wonder how he in particular fits into the new continuity with the prequels.
Kyp Durron is a fair character.I actually enjoyed seeing how he turned to the Dark Side.It was surprisingly reminiscent of Anakin Skywalker in the prequels and pretty well done in general.

I Didn't Like:
Like my title says, it seems every character in this novel was given an idiot ball and refused to let it go.Ackbar gets all huffy about crashing on Vortex and leaves.One incident, one mistake and he leaves in shame.I know we don't see him much in the movies, but the Ackbar there, I'm sure, wouldn't leave after one incident.Heck, the Ackbar in Zahn's books wouldn't leave after one mistake.And then, Ackbar's stupidity forces Leia to spend more time away from her family to coax him back into the military.In my opinion, if he's gonna be that huffy, I say we don't need him!
Han goes on a yelling spree with Lando like he's a PMSing woman and loses the Falcon in the most ludicrous game of sabacc ever.I was ashamed to read this part.Even if Leia were in danger (and she was), Han wouldn't jump on the Falcon, start a yelling match with Lando, and lose the Falcon.He'd go on the Falcon, yell that Leia was in trouble and everyone would be off to rescue her.
While Leia is on a mission, Han dumps his twins on Chewie, after not seeing them for months, and decides to go skiing with Kyp Durron, a kid he just met.Uh, yeah.So much for that father that Zahn set him up to be.If my dad did that...well...yeah.
Luke sees Gantoris (and later Kyp) has problems with the Dark Side and just decides to ignore it.I don't mind Luke always thinking someone can come back to the Dark Side, but I don't think Luke would ignore the clear signs of Dark Side usage and not try to swerve them off the path.Plus, Luke, as always, vacillates between too powerful and too stupid to live.
Absolute worst romantic couple of the year goes to Qui Xux and Wedge.Wedge must have forgotten all his wingmates he lost while piloting against BOTH Death Stars in order to fall in love with this air head.These sections made me cringe.A general protecting some nobody scientist?Going to Ithor, the lover's getaway?Cue eyeroll!
Lastly, Daala is said to be a military genius.So she attacks an unarmed planet (Dantooine) with refugees?Brilliant military work.It's the only engagement she ever wins, as she can't help but win against a world that has no army!Her attack against Mon Calamari was too reliant on old tactics (doesn't she realize that her tactics are TEN years old) and then when she said she was going to attack Coruscant?Uh, girlfriend, if you couldn't beat Mon Calamari, there is NO WAY you will beat Coruscant, the most heavily guarded and populated world in the galaxy.Even Thrawn waited until he had the Katana fleet and even then, he never took the world, only confused it.Plus, who says "Let's go hunting" and is met with resounding cheers?Lamest.Dialogue.Ever.

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Some h*** and d*** (I think, I listened to the audiobook and can't remember).
Daala slept with Tarkin.Qui Xux and Wedge are basically a lame attempt at a love story.
Many die on the crash on Vortex.Daala attacks Dantooine.

Overall:
I had problems with Star Wars: Jedi Search, but there were some aspects that were cool enough to garner a three star review.
Not so here.I can't believe how out of character all these guys are.And the new original characters are so pathetic and lame.Cringeworthy.I don't recommend you read, but if you do, please follow up with a good dose of I, Jedi, where Stackpole calls Anderson out on a few of these stupidities.

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

yawnnnn!!!!!!!!!! i went to sleep.
after reading the thrawn trilogy by timothy zahn i was inspired to pick up this series what a disconnected effort , how many super weapons are there in the starwars universe what a copeout another apprentice turns or flirts with the darkside are there no original stories left maybe kevin j anderson and richard hatch could compare notes on how to write really bad prose because the effort here is substandard to say the least dont waste your time get a life and enjoy the sun

Great entry in a great trilogy
I absolutely love the Jedi Academy Trilogy, and recommend it to everyone.There isn't a Star Wars that shouldn't read this - so long as they read them in order.

You won't be disappointed if you buy it.

Kevin Anderson Makes a Mess of Star Wars
SPOILER FREE

It's no secret that the Star Wars novels are a mixed bag.The recent ones, written after the prequel trilogy, are generally of higher quality than the novels written in the 1990's (Timothy Zahn's work and some others excepted), perhaps because there's more to work with and because, regardless of how one feels about the prequels (I liked them, albeit with the common caveats about Jar Jar and such), they expanded the scope of the Star Wars mythos, and better defined what could and could not work within it.

Unfortunately, while "Dark Apprentice" (and by extension the whole Jedi Academy trilogy) gets some things right, it misses more often than it hits.

In Anderson's defense, the complaints I have about his work can be applied equally to almost every other novel from the same era.That doesn't change the fact that this is one more failed attempt to capture the magic that is Star Wars.

Specifically (but still mostly spoiler-free), the problems with the book include:

- an obsession with what some have dubbed the "Death Star of the Month" mentality.Like many Star Wars novels from the 1990's, the plot in some way revolves around a piece of technology that threatens the galaxy (a theme ham-handedly repeated in the Corellian Trilogy, "The New Rebellion", Anderson's own "Darksaber", and others), and once again Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, Lando, and others have to destroy it.The effect of this sort of plot on anyone who liked the original trilogy is that it completely guts the impact of the Death Star by making it "one of many" (or two of many, if you count the second Death Star).

- A silly bad guy who's supposed to be kind of like Vader, but isn't.Exar Kun has been rehabilitated in recent years, and also stars in several graphic novel adventures, but in this series, even in spirit form, he's as laughably portrayed as Dr. Evil in Austin Powers, except he's not supposed to be funny (the "stupid enemy Darth Vader rip-off" theme si also repeated in other novels, but most egregiously in "New Rebellion").

- Screwing with the Force.Before the prequel trilogy, Star Wars authors had a pretty wide-open field regarding the Jedi, how they worked, what they did, etc.Anderson doesn't get the Force totally wrong, but neither does he capture the mystery and wonder of it all.This wouldn't be a problem, except for the fact that the entire trilogy is focused on Luke attempting to reestablish the Jedi Academy.Particularly weak is a scene later in the trilogy involving certain children and Luke Skywalker . . .

In general, Anderson's writing is juvenile (that shouldn't be a given just because it's a Star Wars novel) and obvious, and he doesn't appear to have been interested in really continuing a saga so much as cashing in on a throw-away episode, that for some reason the powers-that-be haven't thrown away -- this novel, and basically all the others, are considered part of Star Wars continuity, regardless of quality.

Anderson's one valuable contribution to the world of Star Wars is in his portrayal of the new characters (with a couple of exceptions).The new academy prospects are at least inoffensive, and some are interesting.New enemies and allies, while at times a bit too much like 4-color comic characters, are generally readable and knowable.

If you absolutely must read everything Star Wars (like I'm doing), this review won't change your mind about reading "Dark Apprentice".But if all you want is to satisfy your curiosity about what happens to our heroes, instead I recommend Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (starting with "Heir to the Empire"),or even "The Courtship of Princess Leia".And if you're just looking for a good, familiar space yarn to take on vacation, try any of the X-Wing novels by Aaron Allston, or any Star Wars novel that has the words "Tales from" in the title. ... Read more