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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!
Book Description
There are more than four hundred sagas aboard the Starship Enterprise™, one for each of the unique men and women serving under the command of Capt. James T. Kirk. For years their personal adventures, their individual struggles and successes, have gone largely untold...until now.
The U.S.S. Enterprise™ is patrolling the Klingon border when sensors detect a massive power source on a planet supposedly populated only by a race of primitive humanoids. Suspecting some sort of Klingon plot, Captain Kirk decides to investigate the matter personally, beaming down to the planet with Dr. McCoy and a team of security officers.
But Kirk is in more danger than he knows. Among the landing party is Lt. Jon Anderson, a Klingon infiltrator on an undercover mission aboard the Enterprise. Anderson does not know if the Empire is at work on the unnamed planet, but if it is, then his duty demands that Kirk be stopped -- by all means necessary.
Customer Reviews:
A bit of a disappointment........2003-08-16
This is a reasonably good novel, but not nearly as good as the first of the series. For one thing, it is less able to stand on its own merit without reading the rest of the series than the first was; for another, the writing/editing was sloppier. There are a few of the typical mass-market paperback errors, which I don't remember seeing in the first book, things like saying "seceded" when "succeeded" was intended, or "face" instead of "fact". Also, there is one place where Kell is referred to by his brother Karel's name, and one where Karel is referred to as Kell. These are minor quibbles, but still annoying, and when added to the fact that the book suffers from a mild case of "middle-book-itis", the bane of second books in trilogies, it keeps it from being rated quite so highly as the first. Still, it is an enjoyable read, and the characterization, plot, dialogue, and pacing are all quite good.
and again..........2003-01-16
Mr. Ryan has continued his fine saga in this book. A very good read, and if you're a hardcore Trek fan (and I can't stress this enough) the entire series is a MUST READ. Mr. Ryan masterfully ties in many stories from many original series episodes and characters. Trek fans always love a familiar reference, and Mr. Ryan passes out plenty. But more importanly, they're neatly giftwrapped in an extremely well-written book and finely crafted story lines.
Let The Mayhem Begin.......2002-10-25
The second book in this trilogy is even more action packed than book one, with more exciting battles and heroic deeds, but the cracks also begin to show. While the continuity with the first book is maintained there are more technical and historical flaws in this work which to me weakens the plot slightly (*that's the trouble when you are an obsessed, nit-picking fan like me !!!). The Star Trek regulars are present but only Kirk and Spock make any significant contribution to the story, and there are fewer references to the original series events. The main character "Kell", is starting to lose his appeal which I suspect is to set up his end in the last book. It is ironic that as he becomes more "human" he becomes less interesting !!! However the thing that bothers me about this novel is the breakdown of logical storytelling elements, as this suggests the plot is being stretched too far. I have however rated this book the same as book one because although the first one had a more solid story base, this one pumps up the action to an even higher level. So if you're into Star Trek that gets the old pulse racing, this one is for you !!!
The Blade of Bat'leth.......2002-09-25
Disguised through surgery as a human Starfleet security officer on board USS ENTERPRISE, Kell maintains the secrecy of his true Klingon nature. However, he is conflicted about his covert mission. Captain James T. Kirk has long been a foe of the Klingon Empire, marked for death on more than one occasion, yet somehow surviving through-what the Klingon Empire has insisted-cowardly ways. During his tenure aboard ENTERPRISE, though, Kell has found the abrasive young captain to be anything but cowardly. In fact, Kirk embodies the teachings of honor of Kahless the Warrior. Striking such a man down from behind, as the Klingon Empire has charged Kell to do, would be a supreme act of cowardice and leave the young Klingon warrior bereft of honor himself. In addition to the unsettling realization about Kirk, Kell has also fallen in love with Leslie Parrish, a human security officer also assigned to ENTERPRISE. Kell's friendship with Benitez, another starship security officer, also pulls at him. Even as he's struggling with what he's supposed to do, Kell goes on a mission that reveals some of the underhanded play the Klingon Empire has been promoting. Meanwhile, on the Klingon battle cruiser D'K TAHG, Kell's brother Karel has his own problems with promoting from within and getting caught up in a major bid for captaincy aboardship. Back on Earth, Lieutenant West pursues his research for some way to settle the coming war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, a war which all resources say the Federation may well lose and that will definitely see a huge number of losses.
Kevin Ryan had co-authored two Star Trek novels before the ERRAND OF VENGEANCE trilogy for the original Star Trek series. In addition, he was an editor on the line for a number of years. Next year will see the publication of two ROSWELL novels he has authored.
With a sure hand and a deep working knowledge of the Star Trek universe(s), Kevin Ryan has skillfully engineered another Star Trek novel that will keep readers glued to the pages. The overall punch of the ERRAND OF VENGEANCE trilogy is awesome, combining the history of the Klingons tightly interwoven with the Star Trek history diehard fans are so familiar with. The pacing of the novel, like the previous one, feels very much like an episode of the television series, never dwelling too long on any one character or situation, then moving on quickly to another set of characters. Ryan also manages to pull off a romance that is realistic and touching, yet never slow the pace of the stories that he's unfolding. His actions scenes are real grabbers, reaching out and pulling the readers into the battle. The bar fight was great and set up the tragedy at the end very well.
The only things that jarred in this novel were the remembrances of Lieutenant Justman (Admiral Justman) that happened in the past. Those sequences kept running through on-going action encountered by the other characters. Perhaps if they had been framed differently, or if a header had been placed in the text to warn the reader of the impending time jump, they would have gone more smoothly. Still, the scenes and story were interesting and showed more history of the Klingon interaction with the Federation as well as Justman's own motivation.
As the second novel in the ERRAND OF VENGEANCE trilogy, KILLING BLOW doesn't stand on its own. It shouldn't. The novel is a piece of an intricate whole that is a mesmerizing tale. Editor John Ordover's vision in creating Star Trek TOS novels that weave new tales through the known mythos from the eyes of regular crewmen rather the more traditional viewpoints of the stars is a grand experiment that is succeeding. The concept brings freshness to the series that is fun and plays fast and loose because anything can happen-and probably will-to the primary characters outside of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. Anyone looking for a really well done Star Trek trilogy or well-done space opera in general should put these three novels on the required reading list.
ST-TOS: Killing Blow: Errand of Vengeance.......2002-09-17
Star Trek-The Original Series, Killing Blow: Errand of Vengeance written by Kevin Ryan is the second installment of a trilogy called the "Errand of Vengeance." This is a Klingon story, but what a "Klingon Story" indeed, one filled with a plot to kill Captain Jasmes T. Kirk.
This book is filled with action and below decks workings of the crew of the Enterprise as they prepare to set things right in the STAR TREK UNIVERSE. As from the first book in the trilogy, "The Edge of the Sword," we found out about the plot to kill Captain Kirk and the inflitration of security on the Enterprise by cosmetically changed Klingons. If this wasn't enough we also learned of a Klingon plan to start a war with the Federation. To accomplish this, the Klingons needed starship grade dilithium crystals to power the ships for the invasion, thus a mining operation commenced on the thrid planet in System 7348, even though in has a pre-warp civilization of humanoids, which is close to the Klingon-Federation boarder.
Of course, Kirk and company is now sent to investigate and as suspected the Orions are doing the Klingon Empires bidding here and mining the dilithium crystals and shaking the planet in doing so. But remember, Kell (the Klingon) posing as Jon Anderson, sent to kill Kirk and who worked in Klingon intelligence, still has a mission to accomplish.
With all of the twists, turns, convolutions and surprises found in this book... well you get the picture... you are engrossed in the story to find out what happens next. Keven Ryan writes a compelling and artful story that keeps your interest.
I found that most, not all, but most second books are not as good as the first and third of the trilogy... well... I was pleasently, bolt out of the blue, surprised, as this book, not only carried the story well, but brought us along to want to read the third book.
If you like Klingon stories... this is your cup of "Bloodwine." Filled with intrigue, treachery, debauchery, deception, mystery along with Kahless's honor and truth as a well written story telling the tale well.
In the meantime... live long and prosper... see you in book three of the trilogy "River of Blood."
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.
Book Description
A Romulan time-tampering project leaves the EnterpriseTM (and the rest of the galaxy) in an alternate dimension, where Kirk is an embittered young ensign and Spock is a besieged starship commander. Together they race to escape the plotting Romulans and return to their original timeline, before the unforeseen effects of the Romulan project destroy the galaxy.
Customer Reviews:
Thrilling and wonderful ... best for K/S-shippers.......2006-12-11
I read this book almost on one day. It is really thrilling, especially all about the time-thing. The idea of a parallel-universe always fascinates me. The story is quite fast reading and you get all the pictures you need in your head to see how the reaction of the charakters would be.
The most I liked (as a K/S-Shipper) was the special bond between Kirk and Spock. It seems like the author took that fact as something you must not discuss about it, because it was seen all over the years in the show and the movies. And I think she was right. The most important of it - it worked.
Alright, it is a book for fans of Star Trek. But I think that no one else read book about Star Trek beside Star Trek Fans...
Enjoyable escapism.......2006-05-04
My expectations for a trek novel usually aren't too high, afterall if anyone has watched the shows and movies enough they should be able to echo the characters on paper pretty well.
This book involves an alternate universe, that is not the Mirror Mirror one. The romulans in an attempt to rid themselves of the Federation have gone back in time and killed the founders of the idea of having a Federation (this is even before first contact). The deaths of these three men alter history. It affects our beloved characters mainly in Kirk being demoted to a very very unhappy Ensign and Spock being the captain of a ship--that is not the enterprise, since the Federation does indeed, not exist.
However, the universe is unstable and is exerting itself to return back to its original state, there are all sorts of interesting complications because of this. I liked the use of Pon Farr in this--though I did feel that the author relied too heavily on Kirk and Spock's "bond" she almost implied at one point that their link was helping Spock supress his Pon Farr desires...
For the most part I enjoyed the characters, new and old, only other nitpicky thing i have to say is that some of the language seemed very out of place. "suing for child support" ehh, I don't imagine that happening in the Federation for some reason, seems too petty.
Really Well Done!.......2001-09-27
From the reviews I've seen and the people I've talked to, you either love this book or you hate it, I am among the former; I loved it!
My favorite original Trek episode was 'The Enterprise Incident' and I liked the character of the Romulan Commander. However, I always felt that she and Spock had to meet again, and while other novels like 'Blackfire' and 'Dwellers In the Crusible' broached the idea, none came up with such a unique idea to make it happen. I think the Romulan Commander got a bad shake. This story makes up for it!
Tale of Romulan time tampering turns out average.......2001-09-06
In "Killing Time," the Romulans have hatched a time tampering scheme where an alternate universe is created in which the Federation was founded and primarily ran, not by Earth, but by Vulcan. This, of course, is all part of a Romulan plot to undermine the Federation's strength and thus, build the Romulan Empire.
Although the premise of the story is promising, as the story progresses the plot seems to become uninspired and the storyline fails to have very compelling "twists and turns" which you'd like to see in Trek (as well as most other fiction for that matter). Furthermore, I did not think the development of the characters "Captain Spock" and "Ensign Kirk" were as satisfying as they could have been. "Killing Time" does provide an interesting "version" of the Romulan Commander from the Classic Trek episode - "The Enterprise Incident". I say a "version" because I believe different Trek novels have had varying treatments of her fate after that episode.
For the most part I wouldn't recommend this novel unless you are a Romulan die-hard. While not terrible, I'd give it about a 4 on a scale of ten, which is why I gave it 2 stars. If you're looking for a good classic Trek novel on time travel (and the Klingons as well) I'd suggest Star Trek (#40 Timetrap).
Don't waste your time on this turkey!.......2001-04-21
Unless, like me, you are stubbornly determined to read every Star Trek novel ever published (in which case you have my condolences for sharing my unfortunate compulsion) there is no reason to waste your time with this book. It is a bad story, badly written. Granted, it is not the WORST Star Trek novel I've ever read; it is not, for instance, anywhere near as bad as "Spock, Messiah", nor even quite as bad as James Blish's "Spock Must Die", or Sandra Marshak's "Triangle" (Original Series #9). But it is a poorly conceived story, handling the concepts of time-travel and alternate time-lines as badly as I've ever seen them handled; the characterizations are mostly poor and one-dimensional, the dialogue is stilted and awkward, and (sorry if I'm being overly picky here) authors who don't know the difference between "illegible" and "inarticulate" (as in, "an illegible cry tightened his throat",) (pg 66) shouldn't be published, and editors who don't know enough to fix that mistake shouldn't be in the business either.
Average customer rating:
- Lots of the 'science', not much of the 'fiction'
- Kinetic Energy = 1/2mass x (velocity x velocity)
- King of Pop Destroys the World
- It's Good.
- Gripping hard science fiction
|
The Killing Star
Charles Pellegrino , and
George Zebrowski
Manufacturer: Avon Books (Mm)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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| Alternate History
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ASIN: 0380770261 |
Customer Reviews:
Lots of the 'science', not much of the 'fiction'.......2006-12-25
...but that's hardly a complaint, though, since the science is exceptionally good and the scenario is fascinating. If you can live with the fact that characterization is pretty well light-to-nonexistent, it's a damn good read just for the concepts. It's not for everyone, but if you like this sort of thing, tuck in your napkin and dig in.
Kinetic Energy = 1/2mass x (velocity x velocity).......2006-05-05
When the velocity in the equation approaches lightspeed, even a small mass can retain energy far beyond even the largest nuclear explosion.
Other reviewers have blasted Pellegrino as "sick" and "paranoid." Unfortunately, that does not make him wrong. The brutal logic of this book is impossible to dispute. The "hope" that we and other intelligent species evolve beyond warfare is just that - wishful thinking.
As a novel, it is a decent read. Not much character development but lots of interesting science.
King of Pop Destroys the World.......2004-05-18
While looking for some hard science fiction I happened across THE KILLING STAR by Charles Pellagrino and George Zebrowski. This is hard science fiction at it's best. The novel comprises a number of cautionary tales and thumbs its nose at Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov.
The book opens with relativistic bombs wiping out almost all life in the solar system. Relativistic bombs are missiles (just chunks of rock, really) that have been accelerated to a significant portion of the speed of light. Carl Sagan has stated that any advanced civilization that does not destroy itself becomes peaceful. THE KILLING STAR claims otherwise. I do not recommend this book to anyone that has paranoid tendencies. It is well written and frightening. So clearly frightening that it reminded me of THE HOT ZONE which is nonfiction.
Most of the book follows the few survivors scattered across the solar system and their efforts to survive after the cataclysm. Many interesting scientific studies and theories are brought up muck like in a goor Arthur C. Clarke novel.
So why do aliens try and wipe us out? Michael Jackson wrote a song about unity. Hordes of artists sang it. In 1985 every radio station on the planet broadcast it simultaneously. The song was We Are The World and the broadcast was the single "loudest" shout sent by us into space. Think about the song's message and the way it was broadcast. Read this book.
It's Good........2003-09-29
This book is pretty good. Lots of interesting ideas about xenophobic alien races, (kudos by the way for not including the typical "Gray" alien) and a horrific view of what might happen due to our radio broadcasts.
The Killing Star could've been better. First, the characters are hardly developed at all. There are some attempts at developing good characters, particularly Justin and Joshua, but they just didn't cut it. It seems that the characters were just thrown in the story, which is a big writing "no-no."
This book gets its science right. In fact, most of the book is . . . science. It seems the authors actually have been in space, their knowledge about it is superb. Every little thing from simply moving the ships to anything else has a nice, meaty scientific explanation that will make your brain bleed if you read it too much.
If this story spent more time on developing plot and characters instead of science, it'd be even more enjoyable. It's good; but there's definatley better Science Fiction books out there.
Gripping hard science fiction.......2002-02-21
I read this book in one sitting, I could not put it down. It is gripping hard science fiction that takes a hard look at the Fermi Paradox
Customer Reviews:
fun amateur sleuth .......2006-08-24
At St. Catherine's in Providence, Rhode Island, Reverend Mother Mary Frances has doubts that Sister Mary Agnes has the deportment to make it as a nun. Sister Mary lives in trouble though her intentions are good and she promises God she will make up for all her sins. This morning she has cooking duty in spite of the fact she cannot boil water, but childhood friend Richard DelVecchio, driver to an alleged crime king, arrives with the food. Not long afterward, Sister Mary enters the cellar only to find the corpse of a girl wearing an old St. Catherine's blouse; one of Richard's knives is protruding from her chest.
The police especially Sister Mary's cousin Josiah assume Richard killed the girl and so they arrest him. Richard's boss Vincent Gaetano Ricci tells her they are innocent. Encouraged by the crime boss and by Monsignor Robert Grace Sister Mary and her best friend Sister Winnie make inquires not realizing the danger they place themselves in from a killer willing to murder again.
Mindful of the Rosalind Russell's "Angel" movies, but in an amateur sleuth setting, A KILLING ON CHURCH GROUNDS is a solid mystery that fans of Father Dowling will enjoy. Sister Mary lives in trouble even before she works a murder investigation that she knows upsets her Mother Superior, her cousin the cop, and her jailed friend. Readers will appreciate her efforts in this fun but light murder mystery.
Harriet Klausner
Average customer rating:
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The Killing of a Rock Star: John Lennon (Days of Tragedy)
Sue L. Hamilton , and
John C. Hamilton
Manufacturer: ABDO & Daughters
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
General
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Lennon, John
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ASIN: 0939179598 |
Average customer rating:
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Captain Carrot and the Amazing Zoo Crew #8 : Killing Time (DC Comics)
Roy Thomas
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: B000S7WMB0 |
Product Description
Multiple books shipped as one item for your convenience. Save on Shipping/Handling charges.
Books:
- The Gladiator (Crosstime Traffic)
- The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town
- The Last Siege, The Final Truth (Star Wars: Clone Wars, Vol. 8)
- The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing, Thinking, & Problem Solving
- The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers: Gentle Ways to Stop Bedtime Battles and Improve Your Childs Sleep (Pantley)
- The Q Continuum (Star Trek)
- The Senior's Guide to End-of-Life Issues: Advance Directives, Wills, Funerals & Cremations (Senior's Guides)
- The Shadow of the Sun
- The Statesman's Yearbook 2007: The Politics, Cultures and Economies of the World (Statesman's Year-Book)
- The War of Souls Trilogy Gift Set: Dragons of a Fallen Sun, Dragons of a Lost Star, Dragons of a Vanished Moon (Dragonlance Series)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Thomas Francis Meagher And the Irish Brigade in the Civil War
- Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers
- Four Mothers: A Novel
- Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades: The Complete Guide to Natural Gardening
- I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!
- Monte Carlo Methods in Financial Engineering
- Mathematical Modeling and Numerical Techniques in Drying Technology
- Historical Ecology: Cultural Knowledge and Changing Landscapes
- Hardhat and Stetson: Robert O. Anderson, Oilman and Cattleman
- Human Development Report 2001: Making New Technologies Work for Human Development
The Demon Princes, Vol. 2: The Face * The Book of Dreams (Demon Princes)
Tales of the Dying Earth
Planet of Adventure
Alastor
Lurulu (The Sequel to Ports of Call)
