Corgi

This is another episode in the long history of the planet Pern. If you loved the earlier Pern books you will enjoy this.

Although it's written by Todd rather than his mother Anne McCaffrey, the creator of Pern, he has a very similar style and knows how to build believable characters.
The book comes across as very definitely a Pern book, evoking the familiar images and feel of the earlier books while still feeling fresh and bringing different aspects of the world to view.

Really enjoyed the first half or so of this book. Good page turner with wonderful descriptions and a wicked way with words. (I particularly liked "a rota of nurses, all busts and bingo wings"). Having being brought up in small village, the slightly claustrophobic atmosphere came over with great authenticity.

However, as the story developed, the characters seemed to lose their definition and drift away, and, as the body count increased, my interest decreased and I started skipping to the end.

"This is yet another in the long running Discworld series and like all the previous examples, does not fail to impress the reader. With his humerous yet sometimes cutting insights into the social banalities we accept as part of our modern daily life Terry Pratchett has turned his focus in this instance on the two disparate social circles of academia and terrace football.

His vision yet again shows how two or more seemingly diverse areas of life, do indeed stand back to back when the veneer of society is pulled away.

I really enjoyed this book, it's fantastically funny with great, colourful characters that you immediately relate to. With an easy to follow storyline, and lots happening with each character, the author has made you want to keep reading from beginning to end. although some of the characters could be seen as cliched (It could easily be an american tv show at times!), I think it just makes for a great chick-lit! A definite laughable, feel good read.

I enjoyed this, it's a compelling read with a taught cat-and-mouse, psychological edge to it. Arnold Avery is menacing, and every bit as calculating as something that might have been dreamt up by Thomas Harris.

The back story to Steven Lamb wanting to write to Avery is just as compelling as Avery's story and poignant too. It's well handled and manages to walk the fine line between being gritty and quite heartbreaking without breaking into cheap sentimentality.

The follow up in the Bartimaeus Trilogy to the Amulet of Samarkand, and much better !

Bartimaeus the demon is summoned again by Nathaniel to help him rid London of a golem destroying buildings housing priceless magical artifacts. It's also his budding magician's political career at stake which is of greater importance to him.

In this instance magic is spells, potions and artifacts in a modern day London where magicians are in charge - in public life, in industry and the arts, and in the government. Nathaniel is a precocious young trainee magician who calls a demon to help him get revenge on a senior magician who has humiliated him. Bartimaeus, the ancient demon, proves to be an irreverent and unruly servant.

This, their first adventure together, is to disgrace the said senior magician by stealing the powerful Amulet of Samarkand he has hidden away for treasonable purposes.

Having read the previous two books in this saga I have been waiting for a chance to read this. The action starts from the get go and just keeps moving. Because of the way the events are viewed from various peoples perspective the story does at time feel a little disjointed however this does give the reader a chance to understand the full situation. Because of the way the action is portrayed from the early parts all the way through when you get to read what happens when the hero's finally win out the ending feels a little bit under described. ..read more

I picked up this book not having read the first book in the series. The story was easy to get into, well described and beautifully crafted. I have read some of the Acorna series of books so had some knowledge of the background of the worlds and people. But this book can be read entirely on its own without having read any of the others. The characters are engaging, the situations give you a very compelling read that is hard to put down. It will keep you hooked and wanting to know more of the lives of the fantastic and complex people you are introduced to.

Having been drawn into the series with the previous book I was looking forward to the continuation of this saga. The story is compelling and hard to put down, the people very well rounded. The ending however does leave you a little disappointed. For all the complex situations that the characters go through until the last chapter. The final solution to the problem that has been troubling all the characters through the series although very unusual make you feel as though it was rushed and not as well thought out as the rest of the book. ..read more