The Malloreon, Vol. 1 (Books 1-3): Guardians of the West, King of the Murgos, Demon Lord of Karanda

Average customer rating:

Relax and enjoy it.

My most cherised series

Amazing

A wonderful series to read and reread

One of the best Fantasy series since Tolkein!
The Malloreon, Vol. 1 (Books 1-3): Guardians of the West, King of the Murgos, Demon Lord of Karanda
David Eddings
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Malloreon, Vol. 2 (Books 4 & 5): Sorceress of Darshiva, The Seeress of Kell

The Belgariad, Vol. 2 (Books 4 & 5): Castle of Wizardry, Enchanters' End Game

The Belgariad, Vol. 1 (Books 1-3): Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit

Belgarath the Sorcerer

Polgara the Sorceress (Malloreon (Paperback Random House))

ASIN: 0345483863
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Book Description

Discover the magic of The Malloreon–David Eddings’s acclaimed series, the sequel to his bestselling The Belgariad. Now the first three Malloreon books appear in a single volume, taking us on an epic quest across strange lands among gods, kings, sorcerers, and ordinary men. It is a gripping tale of two ancient warring destinies fighting a battle of good against evil.

Garion has slain the evil God Torak and is now the King of Riva. The prophecy has been fulfilled–or so it seems. For there is a dire warning, as a great evil brews in the East. Now Garion once again finds himself with the fate of the world resting on his shoulders. When Garion’s infant son is kidnapped by Zandramas, the Child of Dark, a great quest begins to rescue the child. Among those on the dangerous mission are Garion and his wife, Queen Ce’Nedra, and the immortal Belgarath the Sorcerer and his daughter, Polgara. They must make their way through the foul swamps of Nyissa, then into the lands of the Murgos. Along the way, they will face grave dangers–captivity, a horde of demons, a fatal plague–while Zandramas plots to use Garion’s son in a chilling ritual that will make the Dark Prophecy supreme. . .

Customer Reviews:

Relax and enjoy it........2007-09-25

Eddings writes mindless drivel, but it is ENTERTAINING mindless drivel - great for telling the world to go soak its head and just sitting back and having a good time.

My most cherised series.......2007-07-26

Along with The Belgariad, the Malloreaon is probably my most beloved series of fantasy. I read all the books in the series over 10 years ago & to this day when I just need to escape, I find myself in this world. What David Eddings has crafted is every bit as beautiful as the Tolkien world, as magical as Harry Potter, and as rich as Anne Rice's history in the Vampire Chronicles. The characters are faceted & complex, the story line flows easily & I feel that I am a lucky reader to have found such a magical world!

Amazing.......2007-05-20

I've read alot of fantasy books from all kinds of authors. High fantasy and Epics and light fantasy. Usually in a series, the first 3 books are the best and if there are any after that they decline. I started out reading the Belgaraid knowing that this series was "light fantasy" and I didn't expect anything more than that. Then I get to the Mallorean and not only did it surprised me but it was actually better than the Belgaraid. Even the 3rd book in the Mallorean was better than the first. It seems that the author got better as he wrote and had a story to tell instead of stretching out a shorter story just to sell more books.

A wonderful series to read and reread.......2007-04-29

I first picked up Guardians of the West in the Library while I waited for my three children to finish their homework assignments. I couldn't put it down. Then I discovered there were five previous books. I immediately went and checked out Eddings first book The Pawn Of Prophecy and I was hooked. I was especially intrigued by their world and the numerous societies they developed to fill it. The background story was always intriguing. As Tolkin said about Bilbo's home, `There was always something more to discover'.
The landscape is rich in detail and their characters are warm and real. I enjoyed the surprises David and Leigh build into their stories. I was especially entertained by twist that the Murgo King and Silk were half brothers. While I love all the characters, I was fascinated by Polgara. I loved Beldin's character as a foil to Belgarath. I was surprised, happy, and saddened by his departure at the series finale. I have all the books in my collection and I have reread them many times. I go there to escape or find inspiration. This is truly one of the great works of fiction by a truly distinguished writing team.

One of the best Fantasy series since Tolkein!.......2007-03-31

In most cases, it seems, sequels tend to lose the punch and energy found in the origanal series. This is far from the truth when it comes to The Mallorean, by David Eddings. In his first series,The Belgariad, Vol. 1 (Books 1-3): Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit andThe Belgariad, Vol. 2 (Books 4 & 5): Castle of Wizardry, Enchanters' End Game Eddings spins a tale of good and evil that is worthy of J.R.R. Tolkein, without being a slavish copy of the masterwork of Fantasy fiction.

In The Mallorean, Eddings successfully creats a new story, resurecting most of the old characters. He creates a story that shows that even though everything seemed to come to a successfull conclusion, fate often needs to go full circle. His characters are immensely believable; the reluctant king of an island kingdom, Belgarion, who also is one of the world's most powerful wizards, to his Queen, headstrong and with a short-fused temper. Add in the Emperor of the largest land, who must forge a reluctant reliance with Belgarion to save his people, and the young child destined to take his place as the newest god. The story is wonderfully crafted to carry this tale. Add in the final bookThe Malloreon, Vol. 2 (Books 4 & 5): Sorceress of Darshiva, The Seeress of Kell to tie all the ends together and you have the perfect series in the world of Fantasy literature.

Every year or so, regardless of where I am in my reading list, I make the time to reread The Lord Of The Rings by Tolkein, Eddings' Belgariad and Mallorian, and the works of Raymond FeistMagician: Apprentice (Riftwar Saga), et al. These are, in my opinion, the benchmarks of all Fantasy. If you haven't read Eddings yet, do so at your earliest oppurtunity. You won't be dissappointed.

Rage of a Demon King (Serpentwar Saga , Vol 3)

Average customer rating:

Great
The death of all life or salvation for all
Outstanding!!!!
FEIST.....You couldn't do better than steal old Marvel Comic Storylines?
Appalling, sometimes it is better to stop writing.

Rage of a Demon King (Serpentwar Saga , Vol 3)
Raymond E. Feist
Manufacturer: Eos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0380720884

Book Description

A loyal soldier and a wealthy merchant have served bravely in the flames of an enduring war that is ravaging their land. But swords, bows, wits and courage will no longer be enough to defeat the scourge that is descending upon their home. For a foul and terrible thing has escaped from a world already devoured to feed on one consumed by chaos—an insatiable nightmare creature of dark and murderous nature which seeks to own and corrupt the very source of life itself

The final conflict is joined, pitting serpent against man and magician against demon. For those who battle in the cause of good, there will be victory . . . or there will be doom for all.

There can be no other outcome.

Customer Reviews:

Great.......2007-06-27

Exciting books. I have not reread this one yet, but I remember it from about 5 years ago. RF is a great writer. If you like a good story that keeps you turning the page,choose him. Love the series aspect.

The death of all life or salvation for all .......2007-06-12

By: Trent Volkman

An army from across the sea, a demon king, a war of massive perportions.

This is Fiests third installment of the serpent war saga a 4 book series. It tells the story of Erick Von Darkmoor and his life training the many raw recruits for the special fighting force the crimson eagles. The story of Rupert Avery as he clashes with the mighty merchant Jacob Esterbrook and his seductive daughter Silvia for control over trade to Kesh. This also speaks about the magician Pugs part in this he is combating the mysterious third player Nalar the mad god of evil. My favorite part in this book is when the Marcos the black, magician, fights the demon king Maarg.

The theme of this book could be considered protect your heart don't give it away to anyone unless you know they are the right one for you. As far as I'm concerned this was a good book it had suspense, action, mystery, even a little romance everything a good novel needs.

Outstanding!!!!.......2007-01-29

This book is among many amazing stories that Feist has written. I love how he devolps everything. People need to be patient when they read his books. its not like u can " have an amzing tragic story, and still be homefor dinner " they take time. He doesnt rush his series, which, as long as he delievers like hes done every single time, then thats fine with me.

FEIST.....You couldn't do better than steal old Marvel Comic Storylines?.......2006-06-29

The Riftwar was a good saga. Pug was good. Tomas was good. Arutha was good. Everything was good.

Then Feist came out with this series...

Anyone who wants to know the plotline for this one just save yourself the money and read the Atlantis attacks comic books by Marvel, the Eternals by Jack Kirby, and the Fantastic #337-340 and then you'll easily see where Feist stole this storyline from.

A dreaming Mad God that influences a world around him, that's buried under a mountain, whose thoughts become reality?/A dreaming Black Celestial from a race of space gods who is buried under a mountain and can control reality around him and is trying to destroy the universe?

C'mon, I can't believe I'm the only who has seen this. Everyone takes ideals from someone, hence Tolkien syndrome, but to couple it with this sorry book(ie a stupid book where a stupid Pug that throws fireballs but can't dodge them and can't time travel like in other books and can't deal with a minor demon captain)insults the people that made the Dreaming Celestial(KING KIRBY) and the Eternals. If he was gonna steal ideas, he should have made the entire book worthwhile.

In this book, besides the old guard, Erik is the only guy we really care about. Characters that were developed in the two lackluster books before are killed off before they have a chance to sign and we're left with characters like Miranda, whom we don't reall any thing for at all. All in all, a very poor effort in the Serpentwar saga.

Feist gets an A for stealing storylines and an F for originality. I'll stick to newer guys like Simon R Green, Aaron Mccarty, and Ferrenzano for new takes on fantasy/sci fi.

Appalling, sometimes it is better to stop writing........2006-04-24

This book attempts to "reboot" the continuity of several major characters by changing their backstory in midstream. Mr Feist is faced with the problem writers face when their major characters become too powerful (Both Pug and Tomas are almost gods). You end up just inventing more and more powerful adversaries. At some point it becomes both tired and ridiculous. This is way past that point. Yet somehow I still kept reading. Sigh. I am sure there are still Midkemia stories to be told. But vast end-of-the-world stories should not be one of them. After all, just how many times can Midkemia be threatened with "the end to everything" before it becomes just another yawn.

David's Secret Demons: Messiah, Murderer, Traitor, King (The Bible in Its World)

Average customer rating:

Excellent and engaging scholarship
Makes a few dubious assumptions, but sets up a very plausible scenario.
Revisionist history?
Compelling yet flawed
Amazing New History of David

David's Secret Demons: Messiah, Murderer, Traitor, King (The Bible in Its World)
Baruch Halpern
Manufacturer: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0802844782

Book Description

Biblical tradition portrays King David as an exceptional man and a paragon of godly devotion. But was he? Some scholars deny that he existed at all. Did he? This challenging book examines the textual and archaeological evidence critically in an effort to paint an accurate picture of one of the Bible's central figures.

A leading scholar of biblical history and the ancient Near East, Baruch Halpern traces the development of the David tradition, showing how the image of David grew over time. According to Halpern, David was the founder of the dynasty that progressively exaggerated his accomplishments. Halpern's clear portrait of the historical David reveals his true humanity and shows him to be above all a politician who operated in a rough-and-tumble environment in which competitors were ready literally to slit throats.

David's Secret Demons explores a number of provocative questions:

Did King David actually exist?
Was David an Israelite or a Philistine?
Was Solomon really David's son?
Did David take the throne of Israel by the consent of the people?
How many murders did he commit on his way to the throne?
Are the biblical texts about David reliable?

Challenging, well argued, and written with accessible, at times humorous prose, David's Secret Demons will provoke discussion by scholars and general readers alike.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent and engaging scholarship.......2007-01-04

A sea of works imagining themselves as "biographies" of King David have made an appearance of late, mostly the works of non-scholars who ranging from mediocre to execrable. As a group, these tend to fit into the take a character from the Bible and put them on the couch approach, a fate suffered first by Moses and now by Israel's second king. From that morass comes this fine book, by thoughtful and able biblical scholar Baruch Halpern, one which should be read by any interested in the field.

Halpern neither seeks to bury David nor to praise him. Instead, he takes a textual approach, examining Samuel carefully and often in comparison with the royal accounts of other contemporaneous Levantine kingdoms. Thus, instead of taking the rather sophomoric and ultimately useless method of holding a 3,000 year old character up to ridicule and condemnation based on modern ethical notions, Halpern examines King David within his own literary idiom. Some may find this a less than thrilling read, but it accomplishes a useful goal. Thus, we can understand what parts of David's record count as his successes and where, following the style particular to his time, the text is covering for his failures.

Of course it is not David's military or foreign accomplishments that render him for many a subject of such great interest, but instead his personal and political life which, as so often proves true among royals, proved so intertwined as to be a single rope. To the end of untangling this knotty subject, Halpern again reads the text closely and makes many logical assumptions leading to interesting, if often disquieting theories. Readers inclined to take Samuel as gospel, pardon the pun, will find their blood pressure rising at many suggestions offered, but then again, even the most cursory reading of Samuel demonstrates that David can hardly be seen as a paragon of virtue. However, unlike Mckenzie's "biography," which portrayed Saul's successor as a sociopath with a gift for music, sort of a cross between Ted Bundy and Marc Cohn, Halpern renders an image of David for what he likely was, a late bronze/early iron age leader using the acceptable means of his day to consolidate power and strengthen his kingdom.

Readers may have an easier time accepting some of Halpern's conclusions then others. That David's enemies seem to time and again suffer violent deaths even as the text over and over again insists that he is blameless makes it easy to believe that the Book of Samuel "doth deny too much." His assertion that the relationship between David and Jonathan is a fiction to strengthen David's claim to the throne, while also logical, lacks the same strength of argument. Another presentation of a scholarly theory currently of high currency, that David's whole Tribe of Judah are of late constitution and not part of the original Tribal confederacy presented in the Bible, will upset many, but even those rejecting this argument should at least be able to admit that it is interesting. Rather than taking the churlish approach of simply throwing up ones hands and rejecting these ideas because "the bible doesn't say so" readers should try and attempt to look at the evidence and undermine the argument on its own terms.

No matter ones personal religious stripe, Professor Halpern has produced a thoughtful and scholarly work, one worthy of deep consideration and analysis. Those interested in the subject who let them selves be put off by its often thick prose and occasional digressions will regret their failure to explore "David's Secret Demons."

Makes a few dubious assumptions, but sets up a very plausible scenario........2006-10-15

This is quite possibly the most thorough, critical investigation of the figure of David ever done, and comes to the same conclusion regarding the extent of David's territory that I had arrived at based on what I've read of the archaeological material- roughly, that David ruled "from Dan to Beersheba," and no more than that. Typical reconstructions that give David and Solomon control up to the Euphrates, or even to the southern border of Hamath, base their borders on later 7th century Judean traditions and not on the relatively early material preserved in the books of Samuel. Halpern uses linguistic, epigraphic, and other elements to separate early material from late, and shows that the earliest material does not give David territory touching Damascus, let alone the Euphrates.

Unfortunately, this otherwise excellent study is marred by a few dubious assumptions- first and foremost is Halpern's separation of 1 Samuel into A and B sources. Unlike the Penateuchal sources sources JEPD, which are pretty much universally agreed upon, the division of 1 Samuel into "A" and "B" sources is only one of several explanations that have been offered to explain the doublets and contradictions, and he makes no attempt to explain why he believes this model is better than, say, McCarter's model of a continuous base narrative supplemented by several independent stories which contain some duplicates of the larger narrative. Another dubious assumption- and this really harms the book- is the starting assumption that every piece of early material in the David-Saul narrative, including the main redactive framework, is an apologia dating from Solomon's reign (except the A source, which he dates a bit later). While some of the stories certainly originally stem from propaganda seeking to exonerate David, and the Court History is concievably from Solomon's reign, the Saul-David cycles clearly contain an amount of folklore in the narrative; for the deed of slaying Goliath, originally attributed to David's subordinate Elhanan, to be transferred by storytellers to David himself, would take some time, and would probably not have been completed during Solomon's reign. Perhaps a little later, c. 900 BC, is a better candidate for the Saul-David cycles.

Revisionist history?.......2003-05-18

Some see David as a mythological figure. Certainly the image projected of him and the shadow this character casts over subsequent Israelite and biblical history is one of mythic proportions. Partly the constructs around David have become so strangely skewed that one asks the question, as the literature both in the biblical texts and later developments can lead one to asking the question, 'can any one man have been or done all this?'

Halpern addresses this question in this book By looking at the latest archaeological evidence, Halpern concludes that the character our David is based upon was most likely a real character. But, how much similarity is there between the real David and the David of later biblical writers? How much is legend? Will the real David please stand up?

Halpern takes the reader on a journey through various questions, and part of the different questions can be discerned from the title of the book: David's Secret Demons: Messiah, Murderer, Traitor, King. One issue with which to contend is the diversity of voices in the biblical text itself. The portrayal of early Israelite history in the Bible is not a uniform, seamless construction. The Chronicles relay different information than the historical cycles that runs through the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings. Even when they relay the same information, they do so with differing interpretations behind motives and outcomes.

David is an intriguing figure. While being held up as the exemplary King of Israel to whom all others must be compared, he is at the same time shown to have some devastatingly human failings. The number of people that David kills, for instance, Halpern contends would earn any modern politician the label of serial killer. David's loyalty to Saul and to Israel is, through much of David's early career, never complete and never without question: consider this - suppose, during the height of the Cold War, a popular American general decided to reside the USSR because he had a difficulty with the President, and even helped them in a few military operations against American interests. When that President was gone, he returned to the United States. Is it likely the Americans would welcome him back, much less make him the new President? And yet, this is close to the scenario presented in the biblical texts - David goes to reside with the Philistines. The biblical writers work hard to justify his actions, but some seem to stretch beyond reason looking for this justification. Of course, we know from the later writer of Ruth that David has some non-Israelite ancestry. Could it be more than just from that line of the lineage? Could David have actually been part Philistine, sufficient to have a reasonable expectation of their help? And why, if David does become the leader of the Kingdom of Israel at the height of its power, does he never finish off the Philistines, long considered the mortal enemy of Israel?

These are but a few of the very intriguing questions Halpern addresses. In one of the final sections, Halpern reconstructs a life of David based on various assumptions and readings which make various assertions plausible and understandable. Like any reconstruction of modern history taken from biblical and legendary texts and sources, there are numerous points of contention. Yet this is a construction and set of conclusions worthy of study and debate.

Another point of interest is the succession - David's reign was never a peaceful one, and with so many sons running around waiting for a chance to reign, it is no wonder there would be strife. Was the succession of Solomon, however, David's own design, or has history been revised to legitimise Solomon? Certainly in modern convention we have a difficult time understanding the nuanced behaviours of the characters involved in the story. One question that can be asked - was Solomon in fact David's own son?

Professor Baruch Halpern teaches ancient history, classics, religious studies and Jewish studies at Pennsylvania State University. He has also been the co-director of the Megiddo Expedition since 1994 (Megiddo is the Hebrew word for what in English is usually called Armageddon, an actual place in Israel). He has written extensively in the area of the Bible and history, with particular emphasis on the monarchy of ancient Israel.

This is a very interesting book, bound to give interesting questions and fuel conversations for Jewish and Christian people of every background. Even if you disagree with it on multiple levels, it raises significant issues worthy of consideration.

Compelling yet flawed.......2002-01-31

This is a mystery story. True, it is nonfiction, but it is a mystery, nonetheless, the mystery of David. Halpern does a good job of solving this mystery and showing us what the real David was probably like, but it is a rough journey to see the solution.

Halpern has done his research and definitely knows his stuff. Unfortunately, he is not very good at presenting his material; this book has all the detail and tedium of a courtroom trial (although he does give warnings about the most technical chapters). The overall organization is not well-thought out; he revisits the same information over and over again.

I think that this is almost a good book. Halpern does get his point across and shows that David was not as heroic as he is often thought of. He brings out the reality behind the myth. If he only could lay out the details better, this book would go from almost good to either good or great.

Amazing New History of David.......2001-08-15

Every so often, a scholar emerges in a particular field to reinvigorate it with a flash of brilliance. Baruch Halpern is one such scholar. Recently in the field of Biblical Studies, open warfare has erupted over whether the biblical record of Israel's past is anything more than a well-written romance, whether the Bible contains material useful to the modern historian. Halpern turns the historian's lense on the biblical portrait of David, and provides positive answers to these questions in a tour de force that is witty, learned, and hugely entertaining. Halpern shows that the main narratives about David, in Samuel and the first chapters of Kings, preserve a nearly contemporary effort to vindicate the king from the calumnies hurled by his erstwhile enemies and their supporters (since most of the enemies "wake up dead"). Two principles of historical reconstruction distinguish Halpern's work. The first is the idea that the voices of David's opponents can still be heard if the historian engages in imaginative reconstruction. The second, the product of Halpern's immense erudition and familiarity with other Near Eastern historical literature, is that royal scribes in Israel and the Near East are not free to give false testimony about their lieges' accomplishments. The scribes may try to lead the reader to the grandest possible interpretation of even minimal accomplishments, by tolerating or even promoting ambiguity, but they can't spin their reconstruction out of whole cloth. The logic of these principles leads Halpern to reconsider the extent of David's "empire," which the text would have us think was extremely vast. It also leads to a portrait of the king that shines with a duller veneer than the one David's (and Solomon's) apologists apply. What is finally so interesting in this book is that it allows the reader to enter the biblical text in the company of an agile, imaginative historian. The reader can laugh with Halpern (the comparison of the shepherd boy armed with sling to the Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's court almost killed me), can admire the sophistication of the biblical writers, and can appreciate anew the complexities in the account of David. The sheer pleasure of reading Halpern's book may delay the recognition that this is history writing at its best, but make no mistake. The biblical writers asserted repeatedly that "God was with David." This reviewer was led to conclude that Clio the Muse is with Halpern. This is a remarkable book that leaves others recently written about David looking rather pallid by comparison.

The Demon Princes, Vol. 1: The Star King * The Killing Machine * The Palace of Love (Demon Princes)

Average customer rating:

Not Free SF Reader
Classic Vance
Demon Princes by Jack Vance
Classic Vance
I am a monomaniac

The Demon Princes, Vol. 1: The Star King * The Killing Machine * The Palace of Love (Demon Princes)
Jack Vance
Manufacturer: Orb Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0312853025

Amazon.com

Jack Vance excels at writing a series of shorter works that together comprise a grand, interstellar adventure. Such is the The Demon Princes, a series of five tales that chronicle Kirth Gersen's quest for vengeance against the five demon princes. The princes led the Mount Pleasant Massacre, a raid that destroyed Gersen's family and his world. But now Kirth is on their trail, and no matter how many galaxies there are to search, he will find them one by one and exact his revenge. This first volume collects three of the five Demon Prince stories, while the second volume will carry the remaining two.

Book Description

Kirth Gersen carries in his pocket a slip of paper with a list of five names written on it. Theses are the names of the five Demon Princes who led the historic Mount Pleasant Massacre, which destroyed not only Kirth's family but his entrire world as well. He roams the universe, searching the endless galaxies of space, hunting down the Demon Princes and exacting his revenge. Three princes will fall before Kirth's work is done, and two more await their doom....

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

The Demon Princes series is a very serious revenge story, or series
even. Think Red Sonja, or The Executioner, or The Punisher. Each of
these is basically novella length.

A boy's family gets killed by some very, very bad men. His
grandfather trains him to be a killer to gain revenge. His grandfather
dies, off he goes to kill some people that aren't that easy to kill.

Classic Vance.......2007-06-19

Classic Vance which is to say excellent.

I am over the age of 13.(but just barely)

Demon Princes by Jack Vance.......2006-11-05

Vance is my favorite fantasy author. The Demon Princes is a fine example of Vance's story telling ability, in the vein of classics such as The Faceless Man. Extraordinary imagination, fabulous imagery, and a smooth style are the standard Vance trademarks.

Classic Vance.......2006-02-06

Star King is the first and, I think, best of the Demon Princes novels. In essence they are well told detective stories with Keith Gersen seeking to find and eliminate those responsible for the slave raid on his village, with he and his grandfather among a handfull of survivors. What sets Vance's stories apart are the backgrounds. He paints the exotic flora, fauna, societies, planets and places so vividly that you could believe he actually spent a night at the inn on Smade's planet and is writing from first hand experience.

Another thing I like about Vance's writing is that he never talks down to the reader as Arthur Clark sometimes does. Space boats are powered by the Jarnell Intersplit, period! He assumes the reader is smart enough to understand that it operates on physics beyond the normal three dimensions plus time. No need to quote quantum theory so we appreciate how smart he is.

Some people find his stories hard to read. I believe this comes in large part from the unusual names he gives to people, places and things. Keith Gersen is the most normal name in the book. You'll find characters named Sivij Suthiro, Pallis Atwrode, Hildemar Dasce and the like, never a Joe Smith. Persevere and the names add to the exotic flavor of his books.

He does have some rather sub-par books in print but Star King/Demon Princes series are some of his best and at his best he is one of the most outstanding Sci-Fi writers to come along.

I am a monomaniac.......2005-09-11

'The Demon Princes' was once published as five separate books, but in 1997 was reissued into only two volumes, the first volume covering the first three princes and the second volume covering the forth and fifth.

Kirth Gerson is just a boy when his village and planet are ransacked in a joint venture by the five most evil, most powerful criminals ever. They called themselves The Demon Princes. Kirth survives, along with his grandfather, who then raises the boy to become the ultimate revenge maker on the ruthless princes. After the death of his grandfather, Kirth finishes his training and is ready to take on the first of the five demon princes.

The Star King, first of the five books, (or long chapters, if you will) is the story of Kirth's hunt for Malagate The Woe. In a neutral, off-world tavern called Smade's, Gersen meets Lugo Teehalt, who tells him a fantastical story about a beautiful planet he has discovered. Gersen learns that Attel Malagate is after Teehalt's monitor in order to find this world, so Gersen uses the monitor's filament as bait to lure Malagate out. Shaking off assassins and bargaining with influential Institutes, Gersen brings about his encounter with Malagate, culminating on Teehalt's fantastical world.

The second part, The Killing Machine, is about Gersen's hunt for Kokor Hekkus, better known as The Killing Machine. From filthy out-worlds to the renowned institution called Interchange, Gerson is off on another chase. Located far out on a desert planet, Interchange exists for the expedient and safe exchange of kidnaps, acting as liaison for hostage and monetary demands. Freeing two innocent children and a contractor for Hekkus, Gersen finds more than he was looking for when he himself is kidnapped and held for ransom at Interchange. Guessing at a connection between Hekkus and a beautiful woman held for a phenomenal amount of money, Gersen finds himself on the mystical planet of Tamber and smack in the middle of a confrontation with The Killing Machine.

In the third part, Gerson takes on demon prince Viole Falushe at Falushe's Palace Of Love. Getting to the Palace isn't easy. Gersen begins with a visit to the planet Sarkovy, a dismal place famous for its many poisons. Then he flies to earth, to take up with a crotchety old poet named Navarth and his young daughter Zan-Zu. When Navarth discovers that Gersen intends to exact revenge on Viole Falushe, the man who ruined Navarth's young lover, the old poet joins the assassin on a trip to Falushe's Palace Of Love, where Gersen must first identify Falushe before he can eliminate him.

While all three tales contain a bit of mystery over who the real identity of the villain is, the majority of their intrigue and charm come from Vance's imaginative worlds; worlds complete with custom, foods, dress, environment, law (or lack of), flora and fauna, even planetary statistics. There are twenty-six planets in the 'Concourse' around the sun Rigel, and many more in the 'Beyond'. Vance creates a galaxy of rich and interesting places, peoples, and things.

Truly a delight for the SciFi fan, with enough adventure for some tight situations and narrow escapes, plus a bit of detective intrigue (though our 'detective' is an assassin), 'The Demon Princes' is a science fiction romp that should satisfy most palates. Don't forget to pick up volume two at the same time, or you will be left adrift between Gersen's meticulous pursuit of the five men who destroyed his world long ago. Enjoy!

Average customer rating:

Superb Anthology

The Demon Princes
Jack Vance
Manufacturer: SFBC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ASIN: 0739451030

Product Description

This 2005 SFBC Edition contains all 5 of the stories previously printed in Vols 1 & 2 : 'The Star King' , 'The Killing Machine' , 'The Palace of Love' , 'The Face ' , 'The Book of Dreams'

Customer Reviews:

Superb Anthology.......2005-10-24

THE DEMON PRINCES is an anthology of five related science fiction novels written by the Grandmaster Jack Vance between the years 1964 and 1981, set about 1500 years in the future. The hero of the stories, Kirth Gersen, is a kind of "James Bond/Sherlock Holmes in Space"; who, as a young boy finds himself and his grandfather witnesses and sole survivors of a town massacre perpetrated by five "Demon Princes". Kirth's grandfather grooms him to seek revenge, and enrolls him in an elite Intergalactic Police Training Academy, where Kirth excels, and sets out to "The Beyond" to locate and extract revenge against the Demon Princes.

As is always the case with Jack Vance books, be sure to keep a dictionary handy and prepare to improve your vocabulary. I find myself looking up a new word on average of once every 4 or 5 pages... and I rarely have to look up a new word when reading books produced by most modern-day authors.

Following are brief reviews of each of the 5 stories contained in THE DEMON PRINCES:

THE STAR KING **** (1964, 170 pages) - A nicely interwoven tale of mystery, intrigue, action, courtship, and alien worlds. "They just don't write `em like this any more".

THE KILLING MACHINE **** (1964, 165 pages) - Somewhat similar to THE STAR KING in that Kirth ends up having a hard time telling what the "bad guy" Kokor Hekkus really looks like. The alien world that Kirth traces Hekkus to is something out of the Middle Ages, with castles, princes and princesses, but also includes huge dreadful centipede-like man-killing beasts. Kirth manages to come into quite a bit of money by the end of this story.

THE PALACE OF LOVE **** (1967, 185 pages) - After the princess from THE KILLING MACHINE ends up taking a walk because she can't live with Kirth Gersen's single-mindedness, Kirth tracks the oddball Demon Prince Viole Falushe to his secret "Palace of Love". Interesting subplot regarding the plight of typical slaves on the lawless planets "beyond".

THE FACE ***** (1979, 222 pages) - Fantastic story, it is my pleasure to say that this is one of the best stories I've ever read. It has it all; action, mystery, romance, believable situations, innovative alien worlds and cultures - all leading up to a superb ending. This particular story is so good that it single-handedly brings the entire anthology (which is otherwise made up mostly of 4-star offerings) up to a 5-star rating.

THE BOOK OF DREAMS ***** (1981, 222 pages) - Another top-notch story, which starts out with Kirth Gerson using a ruse somewhat similar to that described in A. Conan Doyle's THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE, in order to attract the interest of the last remaining Demon Prince, H.A. Treesong... he then chases him from one bizzare future human culture world to another - including one funny/wild scene where he buys his way into a high school reunion garden party band as a beginner flute player, to get a chance to kill Treesong.

I only have two negative comments regarding this anthology; 1) About every 100 pages or so, and especially in the first three stories, there would be missing or transformed letters, or even missing words... and at times you will find yourself playing "WHEEL OF FORTUNE" trying to piece a sentence back together, 2) In the first three stories, Kirth's character, while entirely believable and not unlikeable, is a bit wooden and most of the time is fairly unexciting around the women (this is explained away by the fact that he is "a man on a mission", and has to keep his life focused on tracking down the evil-doers). By the fourth story, Kirth's character evolves into a much more exciting, inventive, personable, and introspective person, who is much more at ease with the ladies.

Malloreon/Boxed Set (Guardians of the West; King of the Murgos; Demon Lord of Karanda; Sorceress of Darshiva; Seeress of Kell)

Average customer rating:

At least as good as The Belgariad!
Typical Eddings: Awesome!
This is best!
Top-Notch Fantasy
At least as good as The Belgariad!

Malloreon/Boxed Set (Guardians of the West; King of the Murgos; Demon Lord of Karanda; Sorceress of Darshiva; Seeress of Kell)
David Eddings
Manufacturer: Del Rey Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0345379888

Customer Reviews:

At least as good as The Belgariad!.......2000-01-14

But then again - this is David Eddings, and this man IS the best! These books are absolutely fantastic - funny and well written. Everything David Eddings writes - Belgariad & Malloreon + prequels, Elinium and Tamuli - it's just perfect.

PS. I know I've written this once, but this time it'll link to my user-site.

Typical Eddings: Awesome!.......1999-12-09

I have found myself reading and re-reading David Eddings work with great frequency. He writes about believable characters that bicker, pout, and get along much like my friends with whom I grew up. This is not Tolkein. The heroes aren't perfect. Belgarath is about as flawed as they come and is perfectly contrasted by his prudish daughter Polgara. Poor Belgarion is caught in the middle with the way he was raised and egged on by his little queen. This makes for a great comedy. The adventure is almost secondary to the story or as Alfred Hitchcock would put it, the McGuffin; a simple plot device.

David Eddings is one of the best writers there is.

This is best!.......1999-12-03

This is better! then the 5 star Belgarion serie. The characters are so lively. It's more comedy than in a real comedy but also excitement. If you haven't read this do it!

But a tip read the Belgarion serie first. For you that have read the Belgarion I just want to say that this is more comedy and less excitement. But at my opinion it is better.

Top-Notch Fantasy.......1999-11-08

If you enjoy Fantasy, you will love both the Belgariad and the Mallorian. I've read them so many times, I've lost count. So have both my kids. What makes Eddings' books so good is his ability to bring his characters to life. They become more than just fictional constructs - in fact, they become friends.

At least as good as The Belgariad!.......1999-10-23

Average customer rating:

Porno movie type sex and stupid women
This book defines bad
Ouch
Amazing and truely brilliant!! A++++
A Unique, Atypical Fantasy/Military Book

The Demon King
Chris Bunch
Manufacturer: Orbit
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 1857237617

Customer Reviews:

Porno movie type sex and stupid women.......2005-01-19

This book was kind of a fun read but the plot and characters were very weak. First of all, no woman would ask a man to sleep with her one last time while she is dying, which is exactly what one of his consorts does. I mean please. Also the only reason why women are in this book at all is so the main character can have sex with them..very silly and lame. The second problem I had was the authors use of military titles, he borrows from Roman history and modern military rank which is a little confusing.
If you like stupid heroines saying mindless things that live for nothing but sex this book is for you.

This book defines bad.......2004-08-02

I have several problems with this book, but for the sake of brevity I won't mention them all. Instead, I'll just address the supposed "qualities" that everyone insists on mentioning.

1. Graphic Sex. No, I mean, GRAPHIC. OK, fine, we're all adults, we've heard those naughty little words before and can handle reading them. But the problem is two-fold: first, they are completely disconnected from the storyline (as mentioned many times); second, they are totally implausible. The fact that Bunch, who styles himself a 'historian', expects us to believe that a countess from one of the oldest and wealthiest families in the empire would let a soldier do those things to her is just ridiculous. Did people have kinky sex in the middle ages? I suppose so. Would a fabulously wealthy and beautiful woman of impeccable breeding let a poor soldier do things with her some American women of the 21st century would blush at? Of course not. Laughable. Bunch is just writing his fantasies out on paper.

2. Bunch's Knowledge of Military Society. This bothered me the most. I was in the military for ten years, and I can tell you, the author's description of how soldiers interact was shallow and inaccurate. You do not promote a twenty-three year old man known as 'the Fair' to the rank of general over the heads of men twice his age. Not ever. No, kids, not even if it makes the story exciting. Said generals do not meekly accept this. The army does not accept this. It never has, other than rare, generally disasterous exceptions. Then, when Damastes has reached this exalted position, he's given a suicidal mission (by the very man who promoted him in a fit of blatant favoritism) into enemy territory that requires little more than brute strength and the ability to be quiet. Wait, why was he made general again? What the heck is going on in this book?

3. The Lack of Magic. Sure, there's some use of it. Every now and then, mages will pull out a deus ex machina that takes care of everything (then avoid doing the same thing later), but for the most part, it is never explained how or why these things work. If demons can do all these things for mages, why worship the gods? Why not demons? How are they trained? Why are so few weapons enchanted? With such convenient inventions such as telepathy, surveillance, and armageddon-style spells, why weren't all these kingdoms ruled by sorcerors ages ago?

Though this review is long-winded, I have only touched on this series' many, many faults. Do not encourage such hack writers by buying this. I can't believe that the thousands of fantasy authors out there cannot churn out better stuff than this. My standards aren't that high, but boy, this trilogy disappoints.

Ouch.......2004-04-11

I second many other people in saying this is one of the worst "fantasy" series ever. Now to be fair I never read the third book, I just couldn't make myself. Like someone else said, I don't mind sex in books, pretty much nothing offends me but this series has so much unneeded sex scenes it is ridiculous. I got the feeling the only fans of this series would have to be sex addicts, people who like their characters written extremely shallow, or young teenagers who get a kick out of the sex scenes.

It keeps coming back to the sex scenes, they are like every third page and go on and on and on and on and on...... The hero is a schlupp and the villian is laughable. I am never this harsh on a book usually but I am trying to hammer home to you people how bad this book and the first one are.

Do not waste your time!

Amazing and truely brilliant!! A++++.......2003-09-29

I have never read a more fasinating book. One of the greatest fantasy authors of our time. Rober Jordan and others such as Tolkien can not compare to Bunch's vision. His writing is like poetry, while your reading you can clearly see the battle schemes in front of you and can even feel his characters' passion. Chris Bunch has done it again and I can't wait to see what glories you have for us in the furture.

A Unique, Atypical Fantasy/Military Book.......2002-05-15

I am an avid military history and fantasy reader. Often the two genres don't mix, so I was pleasantly surprised when I read the series. It is doesn't follow the typical prosaic path of the average fantasy and it is able to suspend reality a bit more than the typical military history book. The book was much more gritty and graphic than a typical fantasy- which is nice considering that much of fantasy is written for a teen crowd, and as I am older now, I desire a bit more. The book took me through the gamut of emotions - I thouroughly enjoyed the book, and just reread it for the second time in 3 years. It was just as enjoyable the second time. The only other book I have read recently that goes into the darker parts of fantasy as does this series is Mathew Woodring Stover's "Heroes Die". If you liked that, you will definately like this as well.

Rama and the Demon King: An Ancient Tale from India (Punjabi-English Bilingual Edition)

Average customer rating:

I can't believe they have a book like this!

Rama and the Demon King: An Ancient Tale from India (Punjabi-English Bilingual Edition)

Manufacturer: Frances Lincoln
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1845073843

Book Description

Banished by his jealous stepmother, the good and brave Prince Rama has lived in the forest for 14 years, along with his beautiful wife Sita and his loyal brother Lakshaman. Rama has triumphed over the demons that dwell there and the three live a simple, peaceful life among the forest animals. But it is not to last, for the ten-headed King of the Demons vows to take revenge

Eye-catching illustrations, based on the Indian tradition of shadow-puppetry, convey the exuberance of a millennia-old tale which is still very much alive today.

Customer Reviews:

I can't believe they have a book like this!.......2001-01-30

Whether you are familiar with the Ramayana or not, this is a wonderful introduction to the main plot and characters. My 4-yr old daughter likes this story and actually has grown to love it more. It is very difficult to create a kid-friendly version that is nonviolent but also educational. Jessica Souhami does a wonderful job. I hope such a book will come out regarding the Mahabharta.

Average customer rating:

Cursed Blood
Amber Rigby Grosjean
Manufacturer: PublishAmerica
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

Cursed Blood is based on the experiences of a woman who must deal with a demonic curse. Born with the curse, she has learned that running away from everyone, including herself, is the only way people can survive on her birthday. This was until the day Donna met Jack Green, F.B.I. He claims there is a cure and the bureau has it. Will the cure be what Donna is looking for to end her misery? Will the cure work? And how will her new relationship with Jack be affected if it doesn't work?

Average customer rating:

An utter delight

Married To The Demon King
Susan Fulop Kepner
Manufacturer: Silkworm Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 974957558X

Book Description

"This is a book about love and marriage in contemporary Thailand," declares the preface of this charming book. The volume is ingeniously built around six short stories called "Tales of the Demon Folk" by Sri Daoruang, one of Thailand's leading fiction writers. With striking creativity, Sri Daoruang has placed the familiar characters of the Ramakian, the Thai epic based on the Indian Ramayana, within the Bangkok of today. By re-envisioning their relationships and adventures, she portrays husband and wife relations in Thai society, cloaked in the comforting garments of myth and laced wit the kind of humor readers appreciate most--ironic, sarcastic, earthy, and compassionate.

Customer Reviews:

An utter delight.......2005-04-15

These stories are wise, witty, moving, and always delightful. They have a wonderful funny twist whereby the characters are drawn from ancient mythology and placed in present-day Thailand, but you don't need to know anything about Thai literature to enjoy them. Reading these stories, I felt as though I were in the presence of a Thai Eudora Welty, and I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to share in her world.

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