The Last Guardian (Warcraft, Book 3)

Book Description

In the mist-shrouded haze of the past, long before the beginning of recorded time, there stood the world of Azeroth. Every kind of magical being strode the countryside among the tribes of man, and all was at peace -- until the arrival of the demons and horrors of the Burning Legion and their baneful Lord Sargeras, dark god of chaotic magic. Now Dragons, Dwarves, Elves, Goblins, Humans, and Orcs all vie for supremacy across the scattered kingdoms -- part of a grand, malevolent scheme that will determine the fate of the world of

The Guardians of Tirisfal: a line of champions imbued with godlike powers, each one through the ages charged with fighting a lonely secret war against the Burning Legion. Medivh was fated from birth to become the greatest and most powerful of this noble order. But from the beginning a darkness tainted his soul, corrupting his innocence and turning to evil the powers that should have fought for good. Torn by two destinies, Medivh's struggle against the malice within him became one with the fate of Azeroth itself...and changed the world forever.

THE LAST GUARDIAN

An original tale of magic, warfare, and heroism based on the bestselling, award-winning electronic game from Blizzard Entertainment.

Customer Reviews:

Warcraft excellence.......2007-08-09

I read this book book as part of an attempt to understand the history of the warcraft world and it came through in stunning style. A highly enjoyable read.

Great WOW history book........2007-04-04

Helped me understand alot of the backstory of the game. The best was seeing Khadgar in Shatt after I had finished the book, awesome. I would reccomend this book to anyone who plays WOW, or anyone that just enjoys fantasy novels.

One of my favorite books........2007-02-03

This book takes place before, and during Warcraft: Orcs and Humans. It is the story of Medivh, told from the view of Khadgar, his newfound apprentice. It fully explains Medivh's actions in the games, though I don't want to spoil that. It also has a few characters people who played WC 1 and 2 may remember, such as Garona, King Llane, and Lothar. I feel that the book's description spoils too much for anyone not familiar with Medivh's story, it's like Star Wars: Reveng of the Sith in a way, if you're familiar with Star Wars you have a basic understanding of what Anikin will do, but you still want to see HOW and WHY it happened. Definiately better for people with basic Warcraft knowledge, though I think you could have never heard of it and still enjoy the book.

Very entertaining, even for the WarCraft illiterate.......2006-09-03

The Last Guardian is the third of three WarCraft books. I've read Books One and Three, but not Two. No matter. One and Three demonstrate obvious relations, but they are stand-alone stories, and I suspect Book Two is as well.

And the story is fine.

The most powerful mage in the land is haunted by something, and it is his history and very existence. A new apprentice teams up with a half human, half orc traveler, and a powerful Lord, and tries to save a world.

The nuances in this story, with its twists and turns, really is great fantasy fiction. As Mrs. Conehead would say, "You will enjoy it."

Short and simple, but good........2005-10-05

While this is the quickest read of the three Warcraft books (with less pages and larger type set) it still does a lot to reveal some of the core history behind the world of Azeroth. The mad wizard Medivh has been a cornerstone of the Warcraft story from the begining and this book does a great job of processing the lore into something easily understood.

While Jeff Grubb isn't my favorite author, he gets a passing grade on this one. The characters are intriguing and the plot engaging. The character:character interactions were my favorite aspect (between Medivh and Khadgar, Khadgar and the orc emissary).

Quick and easy to read, but also enlightening.

Last Guardian (The Stones of Power, Book Four)

Average customer rating:

Super Reader
We finally learn about Atlantis!
Contemporary fantasy at its best!
A sequel which matches the original
The last guardian

Last Guardian (The Stones of Power, Book Four)
David Gemmell
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345379004
Release Date: 1997-05-28

Book Description

"David Gemmell tells a tale of very real adventure, the stuff of true epic fantasy."
--R.A. Salvatore, New York Times Bestselling author

While the Earth quaked, a deadly power burst forth from ancient Atlantis. For the gate of time had been torn open, freeing a cataclysmic evil.

Only the last guardian, Jon Shannow, the legendary pistoleer, could shut the deadly portal. But to accomplish this he would have to find the shining Sword of God, said to be floating among the clouds in the perilous lands beyond the wall, where beasts walked like men and worship a dark goddess. As Shannow embarked on his impossible quest, demons gathered in wait.

And--somewhere--a golden-haired woman was dreaming of blood . . .

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-08-26

Jon Shannow has learned that he is not just a man. When an Atlantean king out of the ages appears to him in dreams and tells him of his mythic heroic destiny, and tells how he, Pendarric, loosed the bloodstones upon the world.

An upstart gunslinger is looking to make a rep for himself by coming after Shannow, reliant on his speed.

That is a minor problem, when a mystic time gate opens, letting loose all sorts of problems.

Easily fixed. Easy, that is, if you call finding the Sword of God easy.

We finally learn about Atlantis!.......2006-11-16

This book freaked me out. Books 1 and 2 of the Stones of Power series are centered around King Uther. Book 3 introduces the adventures of Jon Shannow.

And Book 4? Book 4 of the Stones of Power series thrusts us into a continuation of crazy sci-fi, but adds a little religion to the mix. We learn more about Atlantis (finally!) as a portal is opened that exposes the modern tipsy-turvy world to Atlantis, a nation unknowingly on its death bed. A prophet from Atlantis flees to Shannow's land and sort of finds answers to questions he didn't even know he needed to ask. Shannow battles the forces of evil, quotes scripture, and somehow is connected to the mysterious revival taking place in other parts of the land.

His ability to look back upon "our" time to see our mistakes is eye opening and a bit more than you bargain for in a futuristic novel. Eloquent and very well done fiction.

Contemporary fantasy at its best!.......2001-09-15

Gemmell's commitment to his readers surely shows in his work. He delivers, and you get good action with mind-blowing ideas and concepts.

Jon Shannow is the legendary Jerusalem man, feared and hated by many, but those who become close to him get to know the real pain inside him? He hopes not to be a killer, but still, the threats to the peace of the post-apocalyptic world force him to sling gun and shoot away at any evil that lives.

He portrays a great world that mixes sci-fi, fantasy and myth. The frequent use of the Bible here is a great idea. And the ironic mix of Shannow as a Bible reader and heroic killer is fascinating.

The way Gemmell weaves Bible lore and history together with his own telling of how the 'actual' events happened is cohesive, beautiful and telling. You can't go wrong with his books if you want action-fantasy.

A sequel which matches the original.......2001-03-09

While most sequels are underwhelming retreads of mealticket stories, some do manage to outdo, or at least match, their predecessor. 'The Last Guardian', sequel to the amazing 'Wolf in Shadow' is the latter; it doesn't quite better the first, but is an awesome story nonetheless.

Gemmell manages to take the character of the Jerusalem Man in a new direction, keeping true to the original source material but adding new details and nuances to the story. 'Last Guardian' does what many fail to do; keep the flavour of the original while expanding and adding to the mythos it created.

And like 'Wolf in Shadow', 'Guardian' bookends the amazing story with a creative knock-your-mental-socks off finale that will have you turning back pages just to relive the action.

Gemmell is a master storyteller and not only knows how to create characters, but guide them through his fantastic stories. Another near-perfect creation.

The last guardian.......2001-01-12

A deadly power burst forth from ancient Atlantis. For the gate of time had been torn open, freeing a cataclysmic evil. Only the last guardian, Jon Shannow, the legendary pistoleer, could shut the deadly portal. But to accomplish this he would have to find the shining Sword of God.

Book Description

The Last September is Elizabeth Bowen's portrait of a young woman's coming of age in a brutalized time and place, where the ordinariness of life floats like music over the impending doom of history.

In 1920, at their country home in County Cork, Sir Richard Naylor and his wife, Lady Myra, and their friends maintain a skeptical attitude toward the events going on around them, but behind the facade of tennis parties and army camp dances, all know that the end is approaching—the end of British rule in the south of Ireland and the demise of a way of life that had survived for centuries. Their niece, Lois Farquar, attempts to live her own life and gain her own freedoms from the very class that her elders are vainly defending. The Last September depicts the tensions between love and the longing for freedom, between tradition and the terrifying prospect of independence, both political and spiritual.

"Brilliant.... A successful combination of social comedy and private tragedy."—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

Customer Reviews:

The pangs of independence.......2006-11-05

One of Elizabeth Bowen's finest novels, THE LAST SEPTEMBER has grown in popularity in recent years thanks to the overtly political nature of its topic (the demise of the Anglo-Irish "county" life by means of the Irish War of Independence) and the recent 1999 film adaptation with Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith and Fiona Shaw. Most of the novel's action takes place in Danielstown, the Leinster country manor of Sir Richard and Myra Naylor and their wards Lois and Laurence. At the summer season, the estate plays host to all manner of guests, including the ill-matched and unhappy Montmorencys, the highly independent Marda Nolan, and some of the local garrisoned British officers and their wives whom Lois has befriended. As they play tennis and devour raspberries, their discussion is turned primarily towards gossip and flirtation--not to the escalating violence that surrounds and dooms their isled privilege.

Like most of Bowen's earlier fiction, THE LAST SEPTEMBER is difficult reading and demands close attention: the Naylors and their set rarely say either to themselves or to one another clearly what they mean, and express themselves via euphemism, overexaggeration, understatement, and/or indirection. Only when the change of independence, either sexual or political, threatens does language become more direct and urgent: this is one of the great themes of this important modern novel. Although its outcome is tragic, the book is ultimately quite funny (as are all of Bowen's novels), and its peculiar tension between these two modes captures well the odd tensions of the cloistered and privileged world of the Anglo-Irish.

"The façade of the house was like cardboard, without weight".......2005-09-19

Danielstown, the Irish estate belonging to Sir Richard and Lady Naylor, is the closed environment which allows Elizabeth Bowen to explore the Anglo-Irish lifestyle, values, and allegiances in 1921, a time when The Troubles are about to sweep the country and change it forever. The Naylors' niece Lois is nineteen, a bored young woman without goals, impatient to get on with the job of finding a husband so that she can fulfill her apparent destiny. Her cousin Laurence, an Oxford student who would rather be in Italy or France, also has little to do, a condition he shares with a married couple, Francie and Hugo Montmorency, who visit friends like the Naylors regularly, having no home of their own.

A British army unit is garrisoned nearby to protect their loyal subjects-and, not incidentally, provide a ready source of young men for garden parties and tennis matches. With an acute eye for detail, ironic detachment, and a sometimes caustic wit, Bowen reconstructs the lives of these aristocrats. One comments that it would be "the greatest pity if we were to become a republic and all these lovely troops taken away." Laurence remarks cynically that he would like to be present when "this house burns and we should all be so careful not to notice."

Throughout the novel, Bowen's prose remains formal and detached. When Lois and a young soldier begin to think they are in love, there are no passionate scenes--both are a product of their time and upbringing, and kisses are reserved for the engagement. When nearby estates are attacked, the Naylors simply change their schedules and limit their travel. Bowen's book has the ring of truth--she herself was part of the Ango-Irish tradition in County Cork, and she wrote the book in 1929, when the revolution was still fresh. Though she puts an iconoclastic spin on attitudes and values, she offers no apologies, preferring to present the facts, create the scenes, and allow the reader to judge for himself/herself whether Ireland was better off before or after The Troubles. Mary Whipple

The end of an era.......2005-08-27

An account of coming-of-age on a great estate in Ireland just before independence. Totally brilliant (though often knowingly vapid) as a portrait of upper-class life, with its tennis parties, discreet servants, and do-nothing guests. The "Troubles" remain mostly in the background, though they are not forgotten. The writing is evocative and perceptive ("The ladies were in the drawing-room laughing intimately, putting across the open door a barrier of exclusion") though at times rather overwrought in a Hopkinslike manner. Unfortunately, Bowen's stylistic self-consiousness rather veils the all-too-real tragedy taking place in and around her young heroine, but it is there all the same.

The Aching Self.......2004-01-28

Elizabeth Bowen's _The Last September_ is really a novel about internal self-talk and how that internal dialogue with the self is full of unarticulated desires, willful self-deceptions, and social anxieties of all sorts. Bowen has an incredibly penetrating knowledge of how people try to flatter themselves, read the world as revolving around themselves, and focus intently on an inner life that is completely wrong in many of its assumptions about what others think and feel. The way that ideology blinds people to reality of life and other's feelings is a continual subtle conflict running throughout the novel: two main ideological struggles occur. First, there is a constant tension between what "society" wants women to be and the reality of being a woman. There is a strong lesbian subtext in the novel although it is seems that the heroine has no conception of lesbianism or that frustrated lesbianism could be a reason for her problems in life. Yet at times the heroine makes such grossly inappropriate--yet spontaneous or seemingly irrelevant--remarks for a heterosexual woman that it is debatable if we are to see her as truly unaware of the potential for lesbian love. At any rate, the novel is so full of obsessive concern with gossip and what will people think of this or that to be blind to such desire seems absolutely mandatory.

Blindness is a major metaphor in the novel, one that Bowen specifically relates to the political situation in Ireland in 1918. The second major conflict in the novel is that between the Anglo-Irish and the English--despite the conflict between the pro-republic Irish and the English that is part of the plot. The real focus of the book is on the plight of these Anglo-Irish who feel such a huge gap between their worldview and that of the English. The English people's absolute failure to see this gap and assumption that of course these Anglo-Irish value all that is English and desire that is a major theme.

This book is achingly realistic in its depiction of the self-doubts that erode the joy of life with anxieties and confusion and its clear depiction of how the really important "rules of society" are the unwritten ones that determine who is able to communicate and share feelings and who is left feeling "unreal" and lonely. Ultimately the book is about the difficulty of finding happiness when people cannot understand themselves, their mental needs or desires, or the very different needs and desires of others. Bowen's best passages (to some they will be funny, to others heartbreaking) are the conversations between characters that are complete failures of communication. Bowen gives us glimpses of the self-talk of the characters and reveals their complete misunderstandings as well as their few powerful insights into each other's natures. The fate of the Anglo-Irish living in 1819 in today's Irish Republic is the most direct illustration of the theme of how difficult it is to communicate and find happiness, but I would argue it is meant to be symbolic of larger social problems that do not get enacted in violence.

"The façade of the house was like cardboard, without weight".......2003-12-12

A British army unit is garrisoned nearby to protect their loyal subjects-and, not incidentally, provide a ready source of young men for garden parties and tennis matches. With an acute eye for detail, ironic detachment, and a sometimes caustic wit, Bowen reconstructs the lives of these aristocrats. One comments that it would be "the greatest pity if we were to become a republic and all these lovely troops taken away." Laurence remarks cynically that he would like to be present when "this house burns and we should all be so careful not to notice." When an informer tells the family that guns have been buried on their property, they are blasé about it-they don't want to tell the soldiers because it might result in the trampling of some new trees.

Book Description

In 1975, the life of Cornell graduate student T.G. Shass is forever changed when he finds himself in possession of a mysterious and ancient artifact. Unable to remember how he acquired it and powerless to rid himself of it, T.G. is soon shaken not only by the object’s presence, but by a chilling encounter with evil and a jarring journey to another world.

He was the most unlikely of all prophets.
His was the most critical of all missions.

Upon his return, T.G. discovers that Earth is no longer the home he knew. His sweetheart, Jenni, is missing, and all evidence indicates that she’s been caught up into the macabre, unnatural realm he’s just departed.

His determination to find Jenni overrides the bitter aftertaste of his otherworldly experience, and T.G. seeks a way to go back. But his second journey holds far more than he imagines. Can T.G. fulfill his key role in God’s plan to defeat the forces of darkness? Or will his imperfect faith lead to destruction as the last days draw to a climactic end?

Customer Reviews:

Better Than I Expected!.......2007-10-09

This is fantastic, especially for a first novel! Very creative - the whole idea of what our world would be like if there had been no flood. And for those who found parts of it "disgusting", I found it to be a very probable and realistic picture of where our own civilization could have gone in the absence of a Savior.

Thank you, Shane Johnson! This was not only a very entertaining page-turner, but also great food for thought! (I especially enjoyed the images of the earth pre-flood and mid-flood, and what the earth was likely going through in that time). EXCELLENT!

Never read something quite like this . . . .......2006-07-31

It's long, exciting, mysterious, humorous, and inspiring. But the thing I enjoyed most about it was how the story reflected the Bible and the coming of Jesus. This book could change lives!

I had never heard of Shane Johnson. I spotted this book at the library and decided to give it a try. I was hooked! Johnson has an indescribable talent, and he's basically a genius! I would think this book would (and should) have made it big . . . really big! After over two decades of work on it, Johnson reveals one of the greatest modern novels of our time. This is something EVERYONE should read!

Once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it down. It's everything I've dreamed of writing myself, but I know Johnson's abilities far surpass my own writing skills.

So, if you want a fast paced, action-packed, perfectly inspiring, thrilling story . . . look no further! The only thing I regreted about this book was ending it! I could have read on forever!

God bless, and I hope this story gives you just a glimpse of the awsome power and love of our wonderous Creator, Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 53:5

Great idea gone bad.......2006-07-12

I really enjoy fantasy and since I only read biblically centered books that leave very few choices. The idea for the book is really good, very interesting concepts and could have made for a great story but the writing is so poor that it kept me from enjoying the book as much as I should have. One of the litmus tests I use is "do I really know the characters and if I do will I miss them when the book is finished?" The characters in this book, including the main character T.G. (an annoying name especially when you have to read it a thousand times) have no depth. Sure I knew what they did and I knew a lot about them but I didn't know them.
Shane does a good job of showing us the struggle between good and evil...God and Satan. Many Biblical truths can be found in this book, although the author does push the unbiblical view that once you come to know Jesus as your Savior your free-will has been taken away and you cannot, even if you want to, turn your back on Christ.
Beware: it is not a "Little House on the Prairie" kind of book. It gets really tough at times.
This was my first Shane Johnson book and I have another which I have not read yet. I hope its better then this one.

awesome.......2005-12-31

I thought that this was a great, exciting book that always had me guessing and on my toes. There was not a dull moment in it. It is a good sci fi/ fantasy book with a interesting story line that is woven in with the new testement and the book of revelations. I loved it!

It's crossing the boarderline..........2005-09-28

Like another reader, the only reason I picked this book up was because it was on the clearance shelf (and for good reason, too!). WHen my eyes caught the words "other world", "Ancient artifact", and "spiritual warfare" I thought that it would be a great find. And it was... at first.
The beginning starts out pretty well and the suspense builds great. I loved the parts that occured in our own world and was pleased with myself for actually buying a book I liked without even reading it first. But as soon as the main character T.G. gets caught up in "another world" the whole thing starts to spiral downward.
The world of Noron (the "other" world) is the writers idea of what we might look like today had it not been for the flood. Yes we would be barbaric, yes we would be commiting horrible sins, yes everything would be total anarchy. However, the whole idea of killing (and eating) children, newly born and unborn was totally unessisary and down right disgusting.
For that matter, the whole world was so unreal and unbelieveable I couldn't enjoy myself or get caught up in it.
The writing was also obvious that this was a first time attempt. (AT least I think it was...) Cliched and mediocre I was instantly finding mistakes and overused phrases.
Now to my main arguement. I wanted to comment on T.G.'s convinient use of a magical power given to him by the Jesus figure, Ish. (Meaning man.) THis is what I meant by crossing the boarderline. All to often we see socerers lifting a hand to destroy their enemies with a blast of power, (T.G. doest this). And the new age movement teaches that if you are really in touch with yourself or something, you can move anywhere you want, (T.G. doest this as well.) THis author tells us he is a christian,(I believe him) and in his story he tries to tell us that socery and divination is wrong, which it is. However, he is contridicting himself by usuing the same powers he just told was bad in the last chapter. Even if it is by the power of Ish (GOd) That doesn't necessarily mean it's right. I'm sure there's been at least one person in the entire history of this world that has followed blindly after Satan because he believes that all his power is comming from GOd and not a masquerading demon. ANd Johnson even tells us this. Yes, T.G. did actually meet the Godfigure and was able to identify that he was truely God, but just before that he was almost mislead by a demon. I personally believe that magic is a real and that it might be one way to describe the power of our sovreign Lord. However, I also believe what we know for the most part as magic today, is man's corrupted attempt at being like God. We are specifically told in the Bible that Satan wanted to be "Like the most High"! When man tries to use that power, (unless it is issued through God), it is most likely to have come from a corrupt source, such as Satan or one of his minions. ANd I'm not saying that it is evil to have the power of God channeled through you and that we should burn and kill ever AUTHENTIC prophet. BUt until the end times, it seems to me that all those claiming to use the power of God, are really misled or trying TO mislead.
SO, readers, please approach this book with caution and an understanding of what is going on.
The only reason I gave this two stars was that I was impressed with the author's obvious study into what life was like before the flood and his close representation of it.
I conclude by saying that if you must read this book, be careful and be aware of the forces of the devil at work around you.

The Last Guardian of Everness (War of the Dreaming 1)

Average customer rating:

Good story, Ponderous writing
Wright should stick to Sci-Fi
The High House Returns in a dream
Epic Fantasy for the rest of us
A big, fluffy dream sequence.

The Last Guardian of Everness (War of the Dreaming 1)
John C. Wright
Manufacturer: Tor Fantasy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0812579879
Release Date: 2005-08-02

Book Description

The rave reviews for John Wright's science fiction trilogy, The Golden Age, hail his debut as the most important of the new century. Now, in The Last Guardian of Everness, this exciting and innovative writer proves that his talents extend beyond SF, as he offers us a powerful novel of high fantasy set in the modern age. Young Galen Waylock is the last watchman of the dream-gate beyond which ancient evils wait, hungry for the human world. For a thousand years, Galen's family stood guard, scorned by a world which dismissed the danger as myth. Now, the minions of Darkness stir in the deep, and the long, long watch is over. Galen's patient loyalty seems vindicated. That loyalty is misplaced. The so-called Power of Light is hostile to modern ideas of human dignity and liberty. No matter who wins the final war between darkness and light, mankind is doomed either to a benevolent dictatorship or a malevolent one. And so Galen makes a third choice: the sleeping Champions of Light are left to sleep. Galen and his companions take the forbidden fairy-weapons themselves. Treason, murder, and disaster follow. The mortals must face the rising Darkness alone. An ambitious and beautifully written story, The Last Guardian of Everness is an heroic adventure that establishes John Wright as a significant new fantasist. It is just the start of a story that will conclude in the companion volume, Mists of Everness.

Customer Reviews:

Good story, Ponderous writing.......2007-05-08

At the heart, there is a great story here. The characters and plot are both intriguing and well-thought out. Unfortunately, Wright spends too much time describing unnecessary scenes.

It's difficult to write a GOOD dream sequence; there's always the danger that the reader will be overwhelmed while trying to figure out symbolic connections and allusions. This book is full of dream and memory sequences, some of which aren't necessary to either plot or character development; they punctuate the story and are slightly painful to read (boring actually). I had a very hard time actually getting to the end of this novel because of all the irrelevant prose I had to plough through.

Essentially, the bones of this novel seem strong, but they are buried under a mountain of dross.

Wright should stick to Sci-Fi.......2006-10-16

As K. Butler said in another review, and this bears reiterating, Wright's excellent Golden Age science fiction series should not be used as a benchmark for Everness.

Everness, while mildly entertaining, is by no means a masterpiece. In fact, it is not even that great of a novel series. Throw a few different brands of mythology in a big blender, chuck in some hollywood stereotypes for characters (including the Bitter Old Vietnam Veteran), and stir until no longer lumpy. Try not to fall asleep while eating.

Go for Golden Age. It is incredible. Pass by this pile.

The High House Returns in a dream.......2006-03-19

I am amazed no one has stated the co-incidences of the plot with James Stoddards "The High House" which was called evenmere, while this High House is called "Eveness". It even has that same high fantasy feel to it.

Epic Fantasy for the rest of us.......2006-02-19

This book is an amazing, epic fantasy, but with an intimate cast of characters. Following three central characters, the plot follows our heroes trying to thwart the attempt of evil beings in the dreaming to break through ancient protections in order to conquer our normal world and bring about a reign of darkness. When you put it that way, it seems cliche. However, this book (the first of a duology) is full of inventiveness and originality.

John C. Wright does not coddle his readers. You have to be paying attention in order to follow all the plot threads in this novel. You should definitely be up on your European mythology and symbolism. If you read and understood a good part of Neil Gaiman's Sandman graphic novels, you'll have most of the background you need. Everness addresses some of the more hoary fantasy clichés, and then subverts them, bringing them within some realm of plausibility. This is not a good book to start with if you are completely new to fantasy, since then you wouldn't appreciate some of his perfectly aimed pokes at tradition.

All in all the book is enjoyable, serious but not taking itself too seriously. The main characters are not normal people, but they are making their way in our world quite realistically. They don't know the rules of the game, and are discovering them as they go. The odds are decidedly against them, and there is great pleasure to be had in turning the page to see how they can keep going. The end of the book doesn't pull any punches; it's a cliff-hanger, and a seemingly very dark place for our heroes. For the first time in quite awhile, I found myself thinking while reading a fantasy book: "Wow, I'm really, really glad I'm not them."

One other note: if you've read and enjoyed the Golden Age science fiction trilogy by the same author, there is a good chance that this will also appeal to you. Similar balancing of light and dark, plot and philosophy and engaging, if not realistic, characters. If you haven't read that trilogy, you really should.

A big, fluffy dream sequence........2005-10-03

Having devoured the Golden Age trilogy I eagerly dived into Everness. Then I actually had to check the cover to see if it was the same author. Going from the dazzling mental gymnastics of Golden Age to this bit of fluff was jarring. This book reminds me more than anything else of all the Piers Anthony novels I read in high school. Just about every tired fantasy theme is thrown in--weak boy is the chosen one, must go on quest, buncha enchanted stuff to acquire, world going to end unless he defeats insanely powerfull baddie, yadda, yadda. It all reminded me of why I stopped reading fantasy years ago.

Even worse, it's all done in a kind of fuzzy dreamland where nothing seems all that real. You're transported there by mystical dream horses (which Wright should've just had the balls to call Night Mares after the Xanth novel). The characters can be suddenly transported to other frames of reality with little explanation of how or why, so why should I ever believe anyone's really in danger? This just killed any chance of suspense for me. If you're like me and you can spot a dream sequence in a movie after two seconds and resent the manipulation, this isn't the book for you.

On the one positive note, Wright can write. Even when he's writing fluff he can put words together so skillfully I found myself re-reading paragraphs just out of technical appreciation. His passages written in old english style have the kind of weight and lyrical beauty I haven't experinced since Tolkein. An extra star for that, but still I can't recommend the book. Read Golden Age three times first.

The Last Guardians: The Crisis in the RCMP - and Canada

Average customer rating:

I thought this was right on the Mountie
A bit of a crisis with the author as well...

The Last Guardians: The Crisis in the RCMP - and Canada
Paul Palango
Manufacturer: McClelland & Stewart
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

The national police force, which has proudly symbolized Canada around the world for over a century, has been having a few bad decades. From barn-burning to break-ins at 24 Sussex Drive all the way to Airbus, the force has seemed to reel from crisis to crisis.

In 1997, journalist Paul Palango, who had already written about the RCMP in the bestselling Above the Law, set out to take another look at the force for Maclean’s magazine. In the course of the article, entitled “Why the Mounties Can’t Get Their Man,” he quoted Commissioner Philip Murray, who lamented that Canada was heading towards a two-tier system of policing, with private investigative and security services dealing with white-collar crimes, because the public police force no longer has the resources – of time, manpower, or money – to do so. Palango wanted to try to show how and why the RCMP had reached this point, and what the implications might be for society as a whole. This book is the result.

With the blessings of the force, he set out across the country, interviewing highly placed officers – past and present – watching cadets train at the force’s historic Regina headquarters, going on night patrol with constables both in a remote Manitoba community and in suburban Burnaby, B.C., checking out the new drive to community policing – and some of the communities it serves. Members of the RCMP co-operated with him everywhere he went – and talked freely to him.

What Paul Palango found at the end of his journey was a force in crisis, struggling to be all things to all Canadians in a society that is no longer sure what role it wants the federal police to play – but is sure that it wants them to do it on less money. Palango also argues that looking carefully at the RCMP, shaped as a federal institution by all the societal and economic pressures that have swept the country over the years, is an effective way to examine many of the problems that ail Canada after the event of September 11, 2001.

Customer Reviews:

I thought this was right on the Mountie.......2003-06-01

This book was excellent in it's detail of how the RCMP have been challenged by political influeance and policy shift over the last decades. It explains the roots of the RCMP culture and the members who have seen the changes through various goverments and Commissioners. If you understand policing, and appreciate the challenges faced by frontline and management officers, but can't reason with current direction and focus, this book will open your thoughts and broden your opinions as to Federal and Municipal Policing in this country.

A bit of a crisis with the author as well..........2000-06-08

This book was not quite what I expected, as it contained a lot of politics and not as much policing information as I would have liked, but that was the author's decision, so I cannot condemn him for that. But I would like to meet his editor and ask him or her what they were thinking whenever they sent this book to print. I found that it repeated itself way too much, and it seemed that at least a couple of sentences on every page didn't really make any sense, such as big words being used but with the wrong meanings. I did like the personal stories and the interaction that the author had with the mounties, but the history of how the RCMP became like a business wasn't really presented in an interesting manner. But if business info is what you want, then you should definitely pick up a copy of this book, and if it is policing information you are looking for, then this book is still a good buy.

Guardianship: The Court of Last Resort for Elderly and Disabled

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Guardianship: The Court of Last Resort for Elderly and Disabled

Manufacturer: Carolina Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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