Dan Dare: Project Nimbus (Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future)

Customer Reviews:

Excellent - Even after the 6th Re-read.......2000-11-02

I have been following the Dragon Nimbus for quite a while. Inadvertantly, I began with the Dragon Nimbus History, therefore The Loneliest Magician was the last one I read before I had to start waiting on sequels. I admit that I thought those books were somewhat light and a little bland, but this particular one stole onto my favorites list almost of its own volition.

Krej was a great bad guy (I love the weasel thing!) and Rejiia picks up the burden nicely. The strain with Brevelan and the ambiguous paternity of her first son puts a little realism into all three characters involved.

Mikka and her cat...I don't believe I have ever read anything quite that original(from a cat person's perspective) and I look forward to the resolution of that.

Jack or Yaake (whatever!) is my favorite of the whole series (with the possible exception of Amaranth the cat/bird!) and his journey of self-discovery was fascinating. Katrina was a poignant one and I found myself admiring her greatly. You end up wanting those two to meet so much...

All I can say is read it. Read all of them (Including the History - they grow on you). This series may lack some of the depth and general gothic darkness of the more popular epics but they're sweet and well worth the time and they made me smile repeatedly to myself! A must for cat fans!

Stunning! Absolute must read for the fantasy genre!.......1998-01-10

I have never read a series as magical, mesmerizing, amazing, or beautiful as this. The way the author makes you feel as if you're part of the book; I could close my eyes and be flying right along with the dragons and casting spells right beside the magicians; I loved the heroes and hated the villians; I cried along with the sad times and laughed with the happy times. I lost alot of sleep over this series. I couldn't put it down. This is an ABSOLUTE must read for anyone who likes fantasy. Do not pass this up! You would regret it.

The Renegade Dragon (Dragon Nimbus History)

Average customer rating:

Magnificent!
Intriguing, but ultimately disappointing

The Renegade Dragon (Dragon Nimbus History)
Irene Radford
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0886778557

Book Description

Irene Radford, author of the new Arthurian novel Guardian of the Balance, returns to her most beloved series--with book three of the Dragon Nimbus History.

The great magical wars have come to an end. But in bringing peace, Nimbulan, the last Battlemage, has lost his powers. Dragon magic is the only magic legal to practice. And the kingdom's only hope against dangerous technology lies in the one place to which no dragon will fly....

Praise for The Glass Dragon:

"Plenty of popular elements: an intelligent cat, an enchanted wolf, a red-headed witch, a missing prince, the apprentice mage with misunderstood powers, and, of course, dragons." --Locus

"Radford's considerable gifts as a mesmerizing storyteller shine with undeniable lustre." --Romantic Times

"An incredible story of courage and belief." --Affaire de Coeur

Customer Reviews:

Magnificent!.......2000-09-05

Irene Radford blends words and imagery together into this wonderfully delightful book. The third book of the Dragon Nimbus History is just as fascinating as the ones preceeding it. The use of different names for places fits in wonderfully with the plot, like for instance "Terra" referring to "Earth". I do wish that in the next book, Nimbulan will get his magic back.

Intriguing, but ultimately disappointing.......2000-01-16

'The Renegade Dragon' disappoints both as a novel and a story. Radford's writing is painfully stilted at points. A case in point 'We must not destroy this world called Kardia Hodos as my people destroyed Terra' (p. 3) I understand why Radford put that in, she's trying to relay information to the reader, but that's just awful. There are several other instances which lamentably I didn't jot down.

Radford's universe in one where the people on this planet are apparently descended from human settlers. Radford uses abbreviations for modern amenities. Electricity = 'tricity. Remotes = 'motes. Subsititute kardia for earth in every form (ie. kardiaquakes). It's not very imaginative.

Perhaps the book's most egregious error is in a machines=bad slant. Radford spends the entire book telling how humankind started a virulent plague which wipes out huge numbers of people, all because of technology. Now the kind people of Kardia Hodos must stay free of technology so they won't die as well. It's ridiculous. The only way the good people can stay free of the disease is from a tree called 'Tambootie'. It sounds like a word a 5-year-old could invent.

Couple this with cardboard characters (characters named Scarface, Hunchback, and Red Beetle are not surprisingly evil) and you've got the makings for a disappointing read.

Customer Reviews:

Enveloping.......2003-06-13

This book, the series, are incrediable. They are amazingly accurate, every happening seems to be researched, every thing is thought out. The way this series describes magic is so belivable, so...logical. the book, as all the books in her series, is so intense, i always seem to be thinking how the hell are they going to pull this off? and she makes it fit together perfectly. If you love magic, dragons, fantasy, mystery, you will love all of her books.

I fully recommend this series!

blah.......1998-12-14

I wouldn't say this was a BAD book--well, not an AWFUL book--but it definitely was not a very compelling story. I didn't finish it (I know, you're thinking, "don't knock it till you've read it!") but this is one of the few books that has EVER failed to hold my interest until the end. It's not romantic, even in the love scenes; it's not exciting, even in the chase scenes; it's not filled with interesting concepts, even in the "magic" scenes... It's just bland, bland, bland.

It was very exciting! I couldn't put it down!.......1998-08-13

The Perfect Princess was full of magical mystical events! It was also very suspensful! I would recommend this wonderful book to anyone who enjoys fantasy and magic!

Average customer rating:

Not worth buying
Cliché filled
Junk Food Fantasy
Fantastic! As good as The Song in the Silence! Summer Paulus
It's good... until...

The Glass Dragon (Dragon Nimbus)
Irene Radford
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0886776341

Customer Reviews:

Not worth buying.......2007-04-27

This book is, at best, okay. I'd give it 2.5 stars, because I didn't completely dislike it, though it contained a lot I did dislike.

The characters intrigued me, but then, as someone else stated, things started getting cliche. If done properly, cliche can work out to be okay, but this wasn't done well at all. There's a little love triangle between the three main characters. I'm going to give a slight spoiler here to show one of the many weaknesses of this book.

When the girl and the other male lead character think their friend is dead, he comforts her and they wind up having sex. Um...it seems to me that if you're really love someone that much and are that upset, sex isn't going to be on your mind. It was rather stupid.

Tambootie isn't given a great explanation, the older mage that we see a lot of seems rather conflicting at times. Part of me is curious to see what happens, but another part of me doesn't want to because of the mediocre writing in parts.

This book had potential, but it went down the drain abouta third to halfway through. If you really want to read it, borrow it from a library, don't spend the money on buying it. If they don't have it at your library, ask about interlibrary loan.

Cliché filled.......2005-11-21

It started off fairly well and I was very intrigued with the characters.

Of course, everyone is thrown out of character once a love story is formed. I don't even think they're the same characters by the end. Next to that, the "romance" scenes were so cliché I honestly had to put the book down for a few seconds, thinking, "Are they serious?"

Save your time and find a better book unless you're looking for some cheesy romance novel.

Junk Food Fantasy.......2005-01-20

Well, the first 1/2 deserves the star, the second 1/2 deserves nothing at all (except another trip to the editors).
This is trite junk-food fantasy. The characters are unimaginative, the names are worse. Those tambootie trees . . . I never could take then seriously.

The plot is fairly cohesive for the first two thirds, but when the action picks up it falls apart. The special mysteries are also very obvious and not at all interesting. It takes all of three or four pages when the wolf shows up at the beginning to figure out why he's so special. But overall the plot drags.

Just bland overall. Best thing about the book is the cover art.

Fantastic! As good as The Song in the Silence! Summer Paulus.......2004-12-11

Okay when I went to my nearby Books A Million and went to the fantasy section (Like I always do when I first walk into the place) I look up some good books that might keep me busy and entertained through the week. I picked up diffrent books, some were great like Song in the Silence. Some were a rip off like The Black Raven! Ether way I first go there for I'm a big fantasy lover and writte my own fansay books like Elegant Sea which I wrotte over 436 pages so far on my computer. Any back to the main subject. So I pick up this book, it's like WOW what a awesome book to keep me busy! So I take it home and start on it right away. Now it's mostly about this wizard named Jaylor and Brevelan the witchwoman and Darville who becomes a golden wolf. And about this glass dragon named Shayla and they must save the kingdom from the evil man called Krej.(Who has many identeys and names to discise himself.)And must save the glass dragon who gets crystalized and taken back to the city. Also Baamin the Master of the wizards at the college has this little boy thats named Boy for he's very stupid and not smart as all them think, entail later on in the book. Which the boys calls himself Yaakke. And they all fight aganist this guy to save the kingdom from his new rulership. For the king dies and the prince has to reclaim the kingdom. Also Darville and Jaylor both like Brevelan so it's gets kind of hectic. Anyway thats what i have to say, The book was awsome, fanstatic and I say one of the best! I can't wait to get the next book and start on it.

It's good... until..........2003-11-22

Okay, I've read the histories first, so it's cool to know what the characters are talking about pertaining to historical events. So first off, I suggest you do that... Anyway, I'm not DONE with the book yet, got a lil' less than 1/4th to read, and so far I've really enjoyed it. I like the rules for magic and everything that the author sets for her world. The romance was really pulling me into it, until I crossed a questionable romance(?) scene... I'll leave you to read and decide, and I'm going to continue it hopes that the ending will make up for it.

The Last Battlemage (Dragon Nimbus History)

Average customer rating:

The mix of Magic and Technology
The Last Battlemage is a wonderful addition to the series!
It's a book you have to read if you are a fantasy fan.
IT WAS AMAZING
Love it

The Last Battlemage (Dragon Nimbus History)
Irene Radford
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0886777747

Customer Reviews:

The mix of Magic and Technology.......2000-05-02

This was a book that kept me intrigued through out the entire thing. The characters reminded me of well me. Myri may be my name but I am more likeYassima then anything. Lan is a great man to bad about his talent. Youwill have to read to find out what I mean. I love this book all the way down to the core. I would neve3r giv it any less then a 5 star reveiw, (...)

The Last Battlemage is a wonderful addition to the series!.......1999-07-03

This book is of the high quality we have come to expect from Irene Radford. It is worth it's weight in gold. The Last Battlemage is a great look into the history of Kardia Hodos. It is well thought out and well written. Read it!

It's a book you have to read if you are a fantasy fan........1999-03-17

I've read lot's of fantasy book's, some good some bad, this is on of the better ones I've read.. This is the second book by her I read, and I still enjoy reading her work..so far she is in class with eddings&jordan It's a book you have to read if you are a fantasy fan. waiting for the next.....

IT WAS AMAZING.......1998-11-17

MS.RADFORD WROTE A TRUALLY WONDERFUL BOOK AND I HOPE SHE WILL WRITE ANOTHER. I HAVE READ ALL OF HER BOOKS AND CAN'T WAIT FOR ANOTHER.

Love it.......1998-02-20

I have read the entire history of the Dragon NImbus and I crave more. I enjoyed how she tied this strange princess theme together with "The Perfect Princess". I would like to see many more stories involving the Varns, maybe some more on Hanassa and the machines. Or the plague that affected the Varns. A new type of magic or the restoration of the ley lines eveywhere would be exciting. And some more exploration of the world Outside of Cronon. All in all Mrs. Radfords booksend wonderfuly. The epilouge was heart raising. It brought the book to good close, but not the epic. I want more.

The Wizard's Treasure (Dragon Nimbus #4 )

Average customer rating:

Disappointing
The First Three Were Better
Disappointed!
I hope she writes a fifth book

The Wizard's Treasure (Dragon Nimbus #4 )
Irene Radford
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0886779138
Release Date: 2000-10-10

Book Description

The complex fantasy tapestry of Irene Radford's acclaimed Dragon Nimbus series comes to a thrilling climax-as journeyman magicians Marcus and Robb, on a quest to find the missing dragons of Coronnan, are trapped in the workings of an ancient spell.

Praise for the Dragon Nimbus series:

"Plenty of popular elements: an intelligent cat, an en-chanted wolf, a redheaded witch, a missing prince, the apprentice mage with misunderstood powers, and, of course, dragons."-Locus

"An incredible story of courage and belief...will soon take its place among the greatest of fantasy epics."-Affaire de Coeur

"A first-rate fantasy adventure...Radford continues to grow in stature as a storyteller, weaving an intricate tale of magic, politics and romance to keep us spellbound."-Romantic Times

• 4th and final novel in Radford's acclaimed and popular Dragon Nimbus series

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2001-07-07

After reading the first three books in this series, I expected the fourth to be just as good as the last three. It surprised me, though.

First off, Jaylor and Brevelan-who were basically the main characters in the first three books-were barely mentioned. They were only included when Darville or Jack needed advice on a problem. Marcus and Robb who were secondary characters in the third book suddenly became the main characters. Secondly, the book also left a lot of unanswered questions. What exactly happens with Jack and Katrina? Do the ever discover Lyman's secret? What happens with the situation in SeLennica? Or right in Coronnan with Darville and Mikka? The book ended abruptly, with no epilogue to even tell you what would happen in the lives of her main characters. It seemed to me that this book was hurridly finished, with no care or thought given to how the character's lives who many followed so faithfully in the first three books were affected after Marcus and Robb and the old monastary. Foes were still left alive, if not sane, and as I stated before, many question as to the lives of Jaylor, Brevelyn, Jack, Katrina, Darville, Mikka, and all the others remain to be answered. I hope and expect a fifth book in this series. So, to all the readers who have so diligently followed the series as I have, I warn them not to get their hopes up to high, because this book does not live up to its predessors.

The First Three Were Better.......2001-03-14

That's not to say that this one was horrible. I just did not find it quite as interesting as the others. This book mostly revolves around Marcus and Robb. Senior Magician Jaylor had sent the two young journeyman on a mission to bring the dragons of Coronnan back to the kingdom. On their journey, the two magicians are trapped by a spell set to protect a jealous ghost's treasure. Back in the kingdom, Jack is sworn to free the Queen from the cat personality that has been sharing her body and to take his love, Katrina, back to her home land of SeLenicca. While I did not find this book to be as interesting as the other three, it continues the story of the dragons of Coronnan. I'm sure it's a necessary part in the ongoing series, and the ending was rather satisfying.

Disappointed!.......2000-12-06

I found this book to be a big disapointment. To be honest, I found the other books in the series were o.k., not great but not bad. The author's use of magic is all over the place with no rhyme or reason. Her more interesting characters, Brevelan, Jaylor, Rejiia, et al. are either just mentioned or are relegated to cameo roles. The two magicians in the book took forever to figure out how to break the spell...I knew how within the first page or two. She should have wrapped up the series with the Lonliest Magician.

I hope she writes a fifth book.......2000-10-24

I have read all of Irene Radford's Dragon Nimbus and Dragon Nimbus History books. I fell in love with them instantly. Like all books I had my favorite characters and there were characters that I didn't really like. But to my surprise I'm wishing she'd write a fifth book in this series so I can read more about the characters I didn't used to like as well as the ones I'd always loved.

I only had two problems with this last book. First, she seemed to focus mainly on two characters that had minuscule parts in the first three books, when I feel she had plenty of other characters that I had grown to love to write about, however I did grow to enjoy reading about these characters as well. Secondly, to fully understand this book you really need to read the Dragon Nimbus History Series first. There are at least three characters mentioned in more than just passing, to say more than this might ruin the ending and I don't want to do that to potential readers.

I hope Irene Radford left open some aspects of the story and added new ones in order to allow her to write more on this time of the Dragon Nimbus. I will be forever looking for new novels by her. Including those promised on her website about a time before the History trilogy.

I highly recommend this and all others written by Irene Radford.

Average customer rating:

"Looks like the end of the whole bloody world, don't it?"

The Town That Died: The True Story of the Greatest Man-Made Explosion Before Hiroshima (Nimbus Classics)
Michael J. Bird
Manufacturer: Nimbus Publishing (CN)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1551091267

Book Description

A fact filled account of the greatest disaster to befall a Canadian city.

Customer Reviews:

"Looks like the end of the whole bloody world, don't it?".......2005-03-01

The Town That Died was first published in 1962 and covered the explosion of the French freighter Mont Blanc on December 6, 1917 that nearly obliterated the Canadian town of Halifax. The Mont Blanc was a "floating munitions dump" carrying an incredibly large amount of explosive material to aid the allied armies during the First World War. The freighter collided with the Norwegian ship Imo on their way through the Narrows (a mile long, 500-yard wide channel connecting Bedford Basin with Halifax Harbor). The Mont Blanc caught fire and within 20 minutes or so (the book is not specific on this point) the ship blew up in, what the Michael Bird states in his book's subtitle, "the world's greatest man-made explosion before Hiroshima." Bird uses many primary sources including interviews, journals, and letters from survivors as well as those involved at the harbor and in rescue efforts including official reports of naval lieutenants and records of the investigation that followed.

Bird follows the events of December 6, 1917 and its aftermath through the eyes of several survivors including a young woman who worked at a nearby factory, a junior at the nearby naval college, and a girl who would lose her entire family as well as her father, who was not in Halifax at the time, who presumed she had died with the others. Sometimes, especially at the beginning, Bird skips very abruptly to each of the stories which makes it a little difficult to follow at times, but the stories become more familiar towards the end. Bird does an excellent job detailing the events that took place on the Mont Blanc and the Imo right up to and immediately following the collision. Bird also gives a vivid description of the explosion itself with information on how rocks from the seabed were scooped up and hurled down and that a ½ ton shank from an anchor was flung two miles, how earth tremors caused church bells to swing sixty miles away, and "the enormous, mutated mushroom" that appeared foreshadowing another tremendous explosion nearly thirty years later. The human images of the tragedy are also very moving, especially the horrible sight the factory worker encountered when she saw a soldier who lost the center of his mouth and both eyes with one dangling down from his empty eye socket and tapping against his cheek (p. 122).

The book is 187 pages organized into nine chapters and a very brief epilogue. My copy has three sections of b&w photos. The first three chapters cover the events leading up to the collision, chapter 4 details the collision itself, chapter 5 covers the explosion, chapter six is made up almost entirely of reports from lieutenants on rescue efforts followed by brief background information provided by the author, while chapter 7 continues the stories of the survivors and includes a letter written the day after the explosion. An interview in the Halifax Herald with a naval officer, who was in San Francisco during the 1906 earthquake, giving advice on how to deal with looters and bootleggers (Halifax was a dry town) was an interesting addition to the story and demonstrates the extracurricular problems Halifax had to deal with in addition to the ruined buildings and the thousands dead and injured. Chapter 8 provides more coverage of the rescue efforts with excerpts from newspapers. The final chapter deals with the blame issue (there was an anti-German backlash) and the investigation which, Bird explains, exhibited an anti-French bias against the crew on the Mont Blanc. The Epilogue presents final tabulations on the casualties and other costs of the tragedy as well as awards given to rescue workers and the fate of the Imo.

For the most part, the book, while short, is thorough. There are some areas on which Bird does not follow up. He mentions the importance of the close fraternity of pilots in Halifax who prevented outsiders from coming in and easing their growing wartime workload, but only touches on this topic again during the investigation chapter. The reports of several survivors on hearing two explosions (reminds me of the Lusitania) is not elaborated upon. The many names of ships damaged in the explosion became a little burdensome. Also, the chapter on the investigation seemed to focus on one area of contention between the prosecution and Chief Commanding Officer Wyatt that, to me, did not seem that important (whether Wyatt ordered men from the dockyard for fear the magazine would ignite and explode). Bird describes what appears to be unfair and bias results of the investigation and what happened in the end. The blame issue never seemed to be fully resolved. Bird gives some detail on the post-explosion lives of the main participants but not a lot just as he does not present a lot of background information. The book is dated and there are probably more comprehensive books on this subject out there but, The Town That Died is a moving, well-written, quick account of an incredible, and unfortunately forgotten, event.

Average customer rating:

The Glass Dragon (Dragon Nimbus #1)
Irene Radford
Manufacturer: Daw Books Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NXWYL2

The Dragon's Touchstone (Dragon Nimbus History)

Average customer rating:

Not worth the time it takes to read
Wonderful Story
Breathless Experience
Not worth the time
Highly enjoyable!

The Dragon's Touchstone (Dragon Nimbus History)
Irene Radford
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0886777445

Customer Reviews:

Not worth the time it takes to read.......2007-01-07

Simply another rehashed, run-of-the-mill "story" that feels thrown together. Every "bad guy" is a delusional psychopath with almost identical traits. The entire story lacks drama -- key plot developments fail to develop, with changes foreshadowed, established, and reviewed all on the same page, and then forgotten.

Wonderful Story.......2002-05-30

I absolutely adored it. Myri, Nimbulan, Ackerly, etc. were depicted as HUMAN. Everyone portrays human charcteristics, no one was a super hero who saves the day, doesn't get hurt, and it all ends happily for everyone. Even though this book is set in a fantasy world, you can find some charcter that reminds you of someone you know. The story keeps moving, you don't feel it stop or stall in one scene for too long. Once picked up, you can't help but fall in love with the story.

Breathless Experience.......2001-07-19

In one word this book is riveting. From the very beginning Radford pulls you in by the string of your heart and by the soles of yourimagination. I am not usually a fan of "fantasy" or "romantacism", but this book has made me a believer. For some reason Dragons and other mythical creatures just don't seem believable to me, but Radford sparked a fire inside of me wanting to know all I could find about dragons. She introduces you to characters that aren't just characters, they are people that you trully care about and fear for their safety. The ending leaves you with a desire...no, a passion to know what is going to happen. Once I finished the book I immediately went out and bought "The Last Battlemage", the second book in the series.

Not worth the time.......2001-05-21

This book is one of the very few books I have ever regretted reading. The story was so loose it kept falling to pieces. The characters were awful perverts, the story made little if no sense (possibly because I was so bored that I couldn't quite pay enough attention). I am an avid reader and can always find something good to say about every book I read...until this one.

Highly enjoyable!.......2000-11-29

This is one great book. I just finished reading it today. I first started to read Ms. Radford's books a couple of years ago when she started her new series about Merlin's descendants. I love those books and can't wait for the next one. This book is right up there with those. Her books are fantastic. She's right up there with my favorite authors, Mercedes Lackey, Andre Norton, and Marion Zimmer Bradley. She gives the feeling that you are right there with Nimbulan and Myri. She makes you feel amost protective of some of the characters. I have yet to read the rest of her books, but I am sure that I will be as absorbed in those as I was in this.

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