Review: "The Visitor" by Sheri S. Tepper

Killer meteors hurtling toward the Earth were big at the theater a few years ago, but with her latest, "The Visitor" (EOS), Sheri S. Tepper puts a new spin on the tale.

In a society not much more advanced than our own, astronomers spot a strange object sailing through space, on a collision course with our own world. Scientific minds prepare for survival, thinking they can preserve the human race. The religious turn to prayer, thinking Armageddon is at hand. They're both wrong.

While the world changes and millions upon millions die in what comes to be known as the Happening, the human race survives - but it's greatly changed.

The result is a future that neither the coldly scientific nor the faithful religious could have predicted. A new mythology is born with tales of rebel angels and a Guardian Council - both of which will soon return to the world. Many have heard the story, but few suspect they're real.

Disme Latimer is a descendant of one of the scientists that sheltered in hopes of preserving humanity. Since her brother and father died, she's lived with a wicked stepsister who takes pleasure in causing her pain and anguish. But her stepsister Rashel has her own secret to keep.

Disme lives in Bastion, a society of the Spared, who believe they are the only true humans. She knows she's different from the others around her, but even she can't guess the destiny that awaits her when the Visitor begins to move from its perch at the top of the world.

"The Visitor" is part "Armageddon"-style sci-fi thriller and part "Cinderella" story. It's a book that merges magic and science effortlessly into a new kind of post-apocalyptic world.

Tepper has created a place where magic and science are almost indistinguishable from each other - and both do exist. A place where concepts from our own world are skewed to fit this new frontier. A place as intriguing as it is horrifying.

The story in "The Visitor" is another incarnation of the age-old science vs. religion argument. The difference is that in Tepper's world, neither side is truly right. The reader is forced to face some facts with a cold, analytical mind, while at the same time taking other facets of the story on faith.

Even though I suspected the true nature of the Visitor, the revelation of the mystery was a bit disappointing. Not because of its identity, but because, after a long and thought-provoking novel, Tepper didn't let the readers draw their own conclusions. Instead, she takes the soap box for a few pages - in the guise of the Visitor, of course - and tells us exactly what we should get out of the book. It's a heavy-handed approach that didn't do much for me.

That being said, it's not enough to ruin the book. The story up to that point and the conflict that follow are more than enough to make up for a little bit of preachiness.

In the end, "The Visitor" is an excellent tale, one of the best post-apocalyptic novels I've ever read. Tepper has created a world of endless possibilities, a world that I wouldn't mind visiting again.

Review: "Knight Life" by Peter David

Ever wonder how King Arthur would have done in the Connecticut Yankee's world? Peter David ponders that question in his latest novel "Knight Life" (Ace). The book, originally released 15 years ago in paperback, has been updated and expanded by almost one-third for its hardcover release this month.

After centuries spent in an isolated cave, Arthur and Merlin - now a young boy due to his living backwards in time - emerge in modern-day New York. Seeing the problems in todays society, Arthur decides that the world needs him, and he'll start as mayor of New York.

But Arthur and Merlin aren't the only ones who have survived Camelot. Arthur's half-sister Morgan Le Fay has been watching for their return, and she has a surprise of her own. Their son Mordred isn't dead either, in fact he's a campaign manager for one of Arthur's chief rivals in the election.

Things are going well for the "Once and Future King" when he meets Gwen DeVere Queen, the reincarnated soul of his beloved Guinevere, of course. Despite Merlin's warnings that he's doomed to repeat history, he makes her part of his campaign.

Arthur's simple platform - "Hi, I'm Arthur Penn, and I want to be the next mayor of New York" - and his radical, common-sense views on political issues quickly earn him a following among jaded voters. But Morgan's plotting and a classic betrayal may lay his political career low.

"Knight Life" is a fun spin on the Mark Twain classic. Rather than send a modern-day person to King Arthur's court, David brings Arthur's court to us. The result is a mix of classic Arthurian fiction and a satiric commentary about the nature of today's politics.

The story is rife with intrigue, mirroring the Arthurian legends on several key points. At the same time, it pokes fun at double-talking politicians. A perfect example is the mayoral debate in the book. When Arthur is given his first chance at a rebuttal, he sputters, "but they didn't answer the question." It's something all of us have said to the TV screen after watching a politician evade an issue.

The entire tale is subtly humorous, but there are a few true laugh out loud moments as well. For example, Arthur's initial meeting with Gwen - in full plate armor - leads her to classify him as a weirdo. That meeting also sends him to an upscale clothiers shop - still in full armor - which causes quite a stir among the workers.

In "Knight Life," David manages to strike a balance that can be tough for humor writers. He's loaded the story with laughs, but doesn't take the easy way out and turn it into a slapstick tale. Instead, he tells an engaging story and manages to slip in a few commentaries on the real world as well. If you didn't catch "Knight Life" the first time around, there's no time like the present.

Review: "Stormrider" by David Gemmell

In his latest novel "Stormrider" (Del Rey), David Gemmell returns to a world that looks very much like the 17th Century of our own for what appears to be the final tale of the Black Rigante.

Several years have passed since the events of "Ravenheart," and life has returned to a semblance of normality for the Rigante. Kaelin Ring lives happily with his family in the highlands. The Moidart has taken up painting, of all things, and has turned his cruel attentions away from the highlanders. His son, the Stormrider Gaise Macon - now a general known as the Gray Ghost - has been called to the southern front by the king to help deal with a traitor's army.

That all changes when Winter Kay and his Redeemers recover the legendary Orb of Kranos, the skull of a Seidh god who wants to return to the world. Kay has been warned by the Wyrd that one with a golden eye will come for him. He takes that to mean Macon, who has one blue eye and one golden eye, a family trait.

To avoid the prophecy, Kay sets himself on a path to destroy Gaise Macon. That path may ultimately lead to the destruction of not only the Varlish and the Rigante, but all of humanity.

The tales of the Rigante have been some of the strongest stories of Gemmell's career - and that's saying something. With more than 25 novels in print, he has yet to disappoint.

The last novel "Ravenheart" left me wanting to walk the highlands with Jaim Grymauch just one more time, to experience the nobility of the Rigante clan again. This one is a much darker tale, lacking the moments of levity in "Ravenheart." Instead, "Stormrider" left me with a lot of questions about the future of a world at a turning point, and also questions of what might have happened if that turning point had gone differently in our own world.

Gemmell weaves his thoughts on mankind's destructiveness and the damage we've done to our world into the plot of "Stormrider." The Seidh god Cernunnos seeks to destroy the human race, because he's seen it destroy the magic of other worlds.

At the same time, Gemmell is not heavy-handed with the moral side of the tale. He never becomes preachy as some writers do when tackling real-world issues, but instead sheds a light of hope on the situation.

The rest of the tale is pure Gemmell. As always, his view of heroism is more realistic than many of his fantasy counterparts. He understands that great men - or women, for that matter - are made in the moment, and are usually not the glory-seekers of the world.

His heroes don't have adventure after adventure, but rather rise to the call of circumstance. It's a refreshing break from the near-immortal protagonists that flood fantasy fiction - and one of the things that manages to keep his work fresh book after book.

Interview: R.A. Salvatore

Considering his last foray into the "Star Wars" universe, R.A. Salvatore may seem like an odd choice to write the novelization of "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones."

In 1999, he was pegged to write "Vector Prime," the book that introduced the "New Jedi Order Series." In that book, he had the unenviable task of killing one of the heroes, Chewbacca.

When he found that out, Salvatore says he had to be convinced to take the job.

"When they told me to do it, I told them to take their money back," he says. "I want to be remembered for the `Dark Elf' and `Demonwars' series, not as `the guy who killed Chewbacca.' I love Chewie."

Del Rey and Lucasfilms were finally able to convince him they were doing it for the "right reasons." They needed to inject a little reality and suspense back into the "Star Wars" universe. He gave in, and the book became a best seller - despite ruffling a few feathers among fans.

Still, it was a bit of a shock to Salvatore when he got the call from Del Rey to write the novelization of the new movie.

He says his initial reaction was mixed. He was unsure about returning to the "Star Wars" universe, instead preferring to focus on his own projects.

But the author of the earlier "Phantom Menace" novelization gave him a not-so-subtle wake up call.

"I got a call from Terry Brooks, and he said: `Are you nuts?'" Salvatore says, with a laugh. "I don't think I really got it that George Lucas was asking me to write the novelization of a `Star Wars' movie. I don't think it clicked."

Surprisingly, he had the same hesitations when asked to write his first "Star Wars" book.

"When I agreed to write `Vector Prime,' I thought I was doing them a favor," he says. "Then I realized: I'm writing dialogue for Princess Leia. How cool is that?"

One of the challenges of writing a "Star Wars" novelization is dealing with rabid enthusiasts - fans who know every minute detail about the universe. Salvatore says his experiences on his own "Dark Elf" series, which has spanned 14 years and 15 novels, have helped prepare him for that.

"There are people who read the books over and over again - and I have a hard time remembering things I wrote in 1990," he says. "It's the same way with `Star Wars.' The hardcore fans know more about the expanded universe than I did and do. So I just try to tell a good story. If you read the book and enjoy it, then I've done my job."

Salvatore says he would love to be chosen to write the novelization of "Episode III," but he's not expecting the call. He says Lucas and Del Rey want a different author for each book.

But, after many conversations with Lucas while writing "Episode II," he's excited about where the movies are going.

"I'd love to be a part of `Episode III,' as a co-screenwriter or in some other way," he says. "I know where (Lucas) is going with it, and I think he's doing it the right way."

OTHER PROJECTS

In the meantime, Salvatore has several other projects. His latest "Demonwars" novel "Transcendence" hit the shelves recently; he's an advisor for a new "Forgotten Realms" series on the drow (dark elves) from Wizards of the Coast; and his most popular character, the dark elven ranger Drizzt Do'Urden, returns in the fall in the first book of the "Hunter's Blade" trilogy.

"As a writer, I couldn't ask for anything more than I've got," Salvatore says.

He's currently working on the final book in the "Demonwars" series, which should be out around this time next year. Salvatore thinks this series features some of his best work, saying it has "challenged me on every level as a writer." Too, Salvatore is eager to finish the final volume "Immortalis," and get it on the shelves.

"I'm going to line them up on my bookshelf, one through seven, and look at them and say: `You did it right,'" he says. "I'll feel like I've completed one of the most important things I've ever done."

Even though, he's wrapping up the final book of the "Demonwars" series, he says the world of Corona is a rich one with a lot of stories left to tell. Likewise, he laughs off rumors about the demise of Drizzt that swirled after his last "Forgotten Realms" novel "Sea of Swords."

"There have been rumors that this is the last Drizzt book ever since I finished the `Dark Elf Trilogy' (in 1991)," he says. "I've never been more excited about writing Drizzt, and the rest of the characters, than I am now."

Part of that excitement is the anticipation of "Hunter's Blade," a trilogy that should shake things up for everyone's favorite dark elf.

"The `Hunter's Blade' trilogy will put Drizzt in a whole new light," he says. "It's not about bigger and badder monsters, but about new challenges. Drizzt will really stand out and shine like he did in the `Dark Elf Trilogy.'"

Salvatore has also been asked to work on an upcoming live action "Forgotten Realms" television series for Fireworks Television, which he says is going well. But fans shouldn't get their hopes up about seeing Drizzt on the small screen.

"You may see some cameos by familiar characters, but I think they're going for something more original," he says. "I don't know how deep my involvement is going to go, but I hope it's pretty deep. It's something new, and it's been fun."

Salvatore's fans will be happy to know that books about their favorite characters and worlds will continue well into the future. He has plans for at least another five years and says there are infinite possibilities after that.

"I'm going to die some day, and unless my kids decide to write, I guess it will end there," he says. "But I don't see it any time soon."

Review: "Transcendence" by R.A. Salvatore

Following hot on the heels of his adaptation of "Star Wars Episode II," R.A. Salvatore dives right back into his "Demonwars" series with "Transcendence" (Del Rey).

Salvatore finds himself in the strange situation of having two books released back-to-back. "Episode II" hit shelves on April 23, while this book followed on April 30.

The second novel of Salvatore's second "Demonwars" saga, "Transcendence" tells the story of the elven-trained ranger Brynn Dharielle. She has returned to her homeland of To-Gai intent on liberating her people from the oppressive rule of the Behrenese. In order to do that, though, she faces a number of challenges - not the least of which is her own conscience.

"Transcendence" runs concurrent to the last novel in the series, "Ascendance." That book told the tale of Brynn's childhood companion and fellow ranger-in-training Aydrian Wyndon, son of the legendary Nightbird, Elbryan Wyndon. This one establishes Brynn as a To-Gai-Ru warleader. The next, and final book, should be explosive.

The "Demonwars" series has gone a long way in establishing Salvatore as one of the premiere writers in fantasy. The six books of the series are easily the best he's written, even surpassing his excellent "Dark Elf" series.

The "Demonwars" books are different for Salvatore in a number of ways. Instead of the rousing adventure tales he's written in the past, these books offer a deeper look into the environment that breeds the conflicts. The world of Corona is probably the most detailed he's ever built, with complex political and cultural structures. That's really the driving force behind the stories, unlike the "Dark Elf" series which revolves around the characters.

Salvatore said this series is something he felt he had to do as a writer.

"`Demon Wars' is a world-driven, philosophically-driven series," he said. "I needed to do this for me. I had to prove to myself that I could build a world like this. It challenged me on every level as a writer."

Salvatore, who is currently working on "Immortalis," the final book in the series, said he's very happy with how the project has turned out. He's eager to get the final book on the shelves.

"It's very satisfying the way the last piece is falling into place," he said.

Though "Demonwars" will be finished next year, he says he's not finished with the world of Corona. Salvatore says it's a place rife with possibilities, and a world he's intent on visiting again.

"The world of Corona is so rich that I could write about it forever," he said. "I intend and hope to go back to Corona in the future."

If future stories are as good as "Demonwars," his readers will gladly follow him there.

Review: "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones" by R.A. Salvatore

A lightsaber duel written by R.A. Salvatore. Do I need to say anything more about this book?

Not for anyone who understands Salvatore's writing style and his flair for combat scenes. But that fight is only one of the highlights of "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones."

Ten years have passed since the end of "Episode I: The Phantom Menace." Anakin, training under Obi-Wan Kenobi, is well on his way to becoming a Jedi Knight. Padme is now the senator from Naboo. They haven't seen each other in a decade, but after a failed attempt on her life, seemingly by opponents of her political stance, Anakin and Obi-Wan are assigned to protect her. That's a task that proves more complex than it sounds.

The assignment sends Anakin and Padme into hiding on Naboo and Obi-Wan across the galaxy on a search for a mysterious bounty hunter named Jango Fett.

At the same time, Anakin's mother has been abducted by Tusken Raiders and his dreams have been calling him back to Tatooine. There's also an important vote expected in the Senate. Many of the Republic's leaders want to form an army to deal with a perceived threat from separatist systems.

Without giving anything away, I have to say that there are some scenes in this book that I can't wait to see on the big screen. The frenzied finale should be especially impressive.

That's good, because I was beginning to worry a little. The book started slow, allowing Anakin and Padme to get to know each other again - and allowing the reader to learn more about the changes the last decade have wrought on the characters. There's some political maneuvering and a touch of romance, interspersed with a few spikes of action.

Anakin is no longer the sweet little boy of "Episode I." He has grown into a brash, hotheaded and slightly arrogant teen-ager, who questions many of the Jedi ideals. Padme is questioning her life of public service and wondering what else life has to offer. Obi-Wan is questioning his sanity for taking Anakin on as a Padawan.

"Episode II," at least the novel version, shows more depth and character development than any previous installment. The first half of the book focuses largely on Anakin's inner turmoil and the uneasy relationships he shares with his master Obi-Wan and his love interest Padme. It's something that perhaps has been lacking in previous "Star Wars" episodes.

But that doesn't mean there's not plenty of action, adventure and wonder. It wouldn't be a "Star Wars" movie without exotic locales, swashbuckling lightsaber duels, daring rescues and plenty of other derring-do.

For those "Star Wars" fans like myself, who have some misgivings about this movie, the novel is a relief. If the book is any gauge, "Episode II" will be much better than some of the trailers have led us to believe.

Review: "Living Dead in Dallas" by Charlaine Harris

Could vampires be lurking in my neck of the woods?

In Charlaine Harris' latest novel "Living Dead in Dallas" (Ace), the place is absolutely overrun with them.
Since synthetic blood was introduced, vampires no longer have to feed on humans. Now, they've gone public, and not everyone is happy when these creatures of legend come to life.

Sookie Stackhouse works at a bar in the fictional town of Bon Temps - which based on geographical clues, I guess is somewhere near Ruston. She's also a psychic with a vampire for a boyfriend, which puts her in a precarious position. When the vampire council in Shreveport calls her to duty, she has to answer.

This time, a nest in Dallas is missing a member, and a radical anti-vampire religious group is suspected of kidnapping him. Sookie's psychic abilities have been loaned to the group to help track down their brother.
To make matters more complicated, the murder of a friend back home also remains unsolved - and Sookie is about to find out firsthand about one of Bon Temps' dark secrets.

Harris is a prolific mystery writer, but "Living Dead in Dallas" is only her second foray into vampire fiction. The first, "Dead Until Dark," was also set in Bon Temps. If Harris wants to take this direction in the future, she's off to a promising start.

The most impressive thing about this novel is the detail. Though she lives in Arkansas, Harris will make you believe she lives here. She's very familiar with the culture of northern Louisiana, and it shows. From the erratic weather patterns to the area's obsession with high school football, Harris makes Bon Temps feel like a very real place, somewhere you could pass through on a Sunday drive.

The book is littered with recognizable things from the real world. For example, the Monroe Symphony may or may not be happy to know that Sookie's vampire boyfriend Bill attends their concerts.
Aside from that, though, "Living Dead in Dallas" is also an entertaining read. The book is fast-paced, and the story line is intriguing.

Harris has given her readers a lively romp through a fantasy land that's grounded in the real world, a world readers in this area will know well. Think Laurell K. Hamilton with a Southern accent.

Interview: Charlaine Harris

Northern Louisiana might seem to some to be a strange setting for a vampire story, but author Charlaine Harris thinks it's perfectly natural.

Harris' latest novel "Living Dead in Dallas," published this month by Ace, begins in the fictional town of Bon Temps, La., which is located somewhere near Ruston. It's Harris' second vampire novel set in our area. The first, "Dead Until Dark," was published in 2001.

"I wanted to corner the market on northern Louisiana vampire romance mysteries, and I think I did," Harris jokes when asked about her choice of setting.

Actually, she chose the area for a couple of reasons. The first is that it's close to her Magnolia, Ark., home, which helped with research. The second is that she finds it easier to identify with Southern rural settings.

"(Southern settings) are what I know and what I feel most comfortable writing about," she says. "The characters just seem to flow more naturally in the Southern setting."

Harris grew up in the Mississippi Delta and says she's never lived far from the South. That shows in her writing. One of her mystery series is set in a suburb of Atlanta, and the other, featuring detective Lily Bard, is set in the fictional town of Shakespeare, Ark.

Her familiarity with rural America gave her an edge when she decided to write a vampire novel. She says she enjoys reading some of the modern vampire writers, but saw a way to give the genre a unique twist.

"It seemed like a good idea to take vampirism out of the urban setting," she says. "I wanted to do something of my own with it, to go in a direction that hasn't been done so much."

Thus, in "Living Dead in Dallas" there's a vampire attending the symphony in Monroe and a psychic shopping at a lingerie store in Ruston - not to mention a vampire bar in Shreveport.

Because of her style and subject, Harris is likely to be compared to one of those modern vampire writers, Laurell K. Hamilton. Harris says she knows Hamilton "very slightly," and the writer of the "Anita Blake" series did provide some inspiration for her first vampire novel.

"I had wanted to write a vampire book before I read hers, but I didn't really know if it would be accepted," Harris says. "I read two of her books, and I thought, `sure, I can do anything I want.' But it wasn't quite that easy."

She shopped "Dead Until Dark" to her normal publishers, who all felt that it wasn't quite right for their market. By the time the book found a home at Ace, Hamilton had hit the big-time. Harris acknowledges that Hamilton's success probably helped her, but doesn't think the other author's writing was a big influence.

"In a sense, she really paved the way for me," she says. "I don't know that I'd call her that much of a direct influence - more like a guiding light."

Harris' love of writing started early in life. She says that she's always been a writer, but she finally got the chance to make a career out of it 24 years ago, when she married her husband.

"He gave me the opportunity to stay at home and work on a book instead of resuming my job," she says. "I took him up on it."

She got off to a fast start. Her very first novel sold - a rare occurrence.

"People always hate me when I tell them that," she says with a laugh.

Harris now has 16 novels under her belt, but the jump from mysteries to vampire stories has been good to her so far. Ace has signed her for at least two more installments in the series, and the books are also reaching into foreign markets.

While a few mystery fans have given the vampire books a cool reception, she says most have shown interest.

"Some mystery readers don't like them because of the higher `ick factor,'" she says. "But a lot of mystery readers do read cross-genre, so I really like to think of the vampire books as kind of transcending one genre and crossing over to another."

Harris says she'd like to do more fiction with a supernatural element in the future, outside of her "Southern Vampire" series, but she also plans to continue writing mysteries as well.

Her next mystery, "Last Scene Alive," is due out in August. It's about a movie company that comes to a small Georgia town to film the fictional treatment of a book written about the town. Her next vampire novel will be released this time next year by Ace. Beyond that, Harris says she'll just wait and see what happens.

Review: "A Caress of Twilight" by Laurell K. Hamilton

No matter how many people jump on the supernatural detective bandwagon, there's still only one Laurell K. Hamilton. She proves that again in her latest "A Caress of Twilight" (Ballantine).

Merry Gentry - also known as Princess Meredith NicEssus at the Unseelie Court - has returned to Los Angeles and her job at the Grey Detective Agency with a contingent of bodyguards chosen from the Queen's Ravens to protect her. These protectors also have a chance to become kings - if they can provide her with a child.

After years of hiding from her sidhe cousins, Merry has been welcomed back by Queen Andais - and named heir to the Unseelie throne. The catch is that she has to conceive an heir before her cousin Cel, who is currently undergoing six months of torture for an attempt on Merry's life. If she doesn't, the mad Cel takes the throne.

But there are those at the sidhe court that are unhappy with either choice. They want a war between the Seelie and Unseelie courts and are doing their best to start it.

"A Caress of Twilight" is the sequel to Hamilton's outstanding "A Kiss of Shadows." Though it doesn't quite live up to the first book, it's still a top-notch novel, with a perfect blend of fantasy, horror and mystery.

Overall, this book feels like a bridge from "A Kiss of Shadows" to whatever comes next. The reader receives a lot of information and a lot of plot elements are set up, but there's clearly more and better yet to come.

"A Caress of Twilight" starts slow, perhaps focusing a bit too much on Merry's sexual exploits. These scenes are not for the easily offended. But Hamilton deftly uses them to increase the tension within the ranks of Merry's defenders as the threats around them build.

When the Grey Agency gets a call from Hollywood's "Golden Goddess" Maeve Reed - exiled by the Seelie court for an insult to King Taranis - business begins to pick up.

When she receives an unlikely invitation from the Seelie king, Merry finds herself once again enmeshed in the Machiavellian world of sidhe politics. This is where Hamilton really shines, twisting the plot in knots that the reader fears will surely ensnare the heroine.

Hamilton also has the uncanny ability to take creatures of fantasy and make them seem like a living, breathing reality in our own world. Not once does the reader question the appearance of faeries, goblins or other creatures on the streets of Los Angeles.

But the true power of this book is in the author's style. Hamilton's writing is darker and more seductive than any of the characters she's created, and the story will stay in your head long after you've put the book down.

Interview: Holly Lisle's Forward Motion

There's a place on the Web where dragons roam the skies, wizards cast their spells and vampires - or even stranger creatures - lurk in the darkness. It's a place where hardy adventurers meet to discuss their quest or seek advice from others who have followed the same path.

The place is the Forward Motion Writer's Community (http://www.hollylisle.com), fantasy author Holly Lisle's home on the Web.

If you had visited Lisle's site in 1995, you would have found a simple page with a few writing tips. If you visit today, you'll find a thriving community of writers, a place with a free exchange of ideas, advice and encouragement.

When she began the site, Lisle had no idea what her creation would evolve into.

"I figured I'd post a bunch of writing articles and then - as the bug hit me - a LOT of writing articles, and that would be it," she said. "But the Internet is a seductive place - and was particularly seductive in 1999-2000, when the dot-coms thought they'd created a way of minting money and everything on the Web was free."

That's when Lisle's site really began to change. The availability of free tools made it easy to experiment with message boards, chat rooms, classes and plenty of other interactive features. Now, the site has over 2,000 members, though not all are active, and gains around 20 new members a month.

"I kept thinking about all these people who wrote to me - thinking they would really like each other, and we could have a lot of fun and do cool things if I had some way to bring them all together," she said.

"The explosion of freebie Web tools made that possible. I have to pay now - the days of free on the Internet are gone. But now everything works - at least most of the time - and I know the price is worth it to me."

Lazette Gifford, who designed the original Forward Motion page almost seven years ago, is also surprised and pleased by what's happened at the site

"(Holly) has taken over and expanded in ways I never imagined," Gifford said. "I'm amazed at how much it's grown and how much time and energy Holly is willing to expend to help new writers."

Lisle says she considers that something she owes to the people who helped her, people like well-known fantasy and science fiction writers Mercedes Lackey and Stephen Leigh.

"Stephen rubbed the stupid out of my storytelling, and Misty showed me how to treat writing as a profession, not a hobby," Lisle said. "I couldn't pay either one of them back. But I could pay forward - that Robert Heinlein adage is some of the best advice he ever gave - and when I discovered the cool Web tools, I figured out how I could pay forward."

Lisle says that's how the site works - not just for her, but for everyone there. The spirit of Forward Motion is people helping each other.

"That's the coin of the site, the stated agreement," she said. "If something or someone helps you reach your dreams, then when you have the opportunity to help someone else, you take it."

And writers have found help in Lisle's community. Users like Jim Mills, Robert Sloan and Julia Pass praise the site's boards, classes and the inspiration they find there.

"The site really got me motivated to write more and actually think about what I was writing," said Pass, who now serves as a moderator. "It's also helped me to put more into my writing than just a plot, so now it actually says something."

Kay House credits Lisle's site with kicking her fiction writing into gear. House says she's wanted to write fiction since she was a child, but had never been able to get it going.

"My hard drive got littered with false starts. Despite the fact that I have finished more pieces of non-fiction than I could possibly count, I despaired of ever finishing one piece of even the shortest, most mediocre fiction," House said. "Within a month of finding the site, I had finished a short story. Not a good short story, or a long one, but a finished one - and finished was the goal."

Most users say the camaraderie keeps them coming back as much as the writing help.

"The community has a unique, stimulating atmosphere where in one sense, everyone's equal," Sloan said. "Every writer here is unique. We're all striving for the same difficult goals, and the same stresses affect popular, published successful members, as well as talented young writers who are beginning their careers in high school."

Gifford says there's no other site quite like it, and the information and help she finds there is invaluable.

"Having instant contact with a community of writers is probably one of the biggest changes in the lives of authors since the invention of the typewriter," she said. "There is almost always a person or two in chat willing to talk out plotting problems or share a triumph."

The community also continues to grow with new classes and opportunities for members. On a recent Saturday afternoon, members were given a chance to chat with a book editor from a major publishing company. Insights like those are invaluable say members.

Lisle says she feels a great deal of satisfaction and delight when a member of the community succeeds.

"My objective is to one day have an entire shelf of books by site members," she said.

But she's quick to point out that success comes primarily from the work the member puts in. The site just gives them tools that will help.

"I don't justifiably get to be proud. That would be like a hammer manufacturer being proud of someone using his hammer to build a gorgeous Victorian mansion or a castle," Lisle said. "Forward Motion is a place where you can get a wide selection of tools, and I think they're pretty good tools. But the folks who have the drive and the passion to build castles would figure out a way to do it with their teeth if no other tools were available."

Lisle says the biggest push now is to get a more stable interface for the site, but that's going to be a challenge. She says pricier packages aren't in her budget, and she refuses to charge for membership.

"More people need to buy my books so that I can afford a more reliable back-end for the community," Lisle jokes.

Other than that, she says she'd like to see the community continue on its present course.

"I think I'd just like to see more of what we already have," she said. "More writers participating in critiquing each other's work, more people volunteering to teach classes on their specialties, more passionate discussions about writing, more people finding a place where others share their love of words, more people bouncing onto the discussion board screaming, `They just bought my story!'

"That's a wonderful thing to see when I log on in the morning."

Review: "Vincalis the Agitator" by Holly Lisle

There is always a price for magic, and in Holly Lisle's latest, "Vincalis the Agitator" (Warner Aspect), that price is high indeed.

The Dragons, an elite group of wizards that run the Empire of the Hars Ticlarim, have a problem. They've been converting the bodies of Warreners - people raised in captivity much like cattle - into magical energy to sustain their amazing cities that float in the air or hide beneath the waves. But that energy isn't enough anymore. They need more power, so they turn to a darker fuel source - the burning of souls.

Wraith was born in the Warrens, but for some reason was immune to the magic in the wayfare - drugged food that's pumped to the Warreners to keep them mindless and docile. When he's caught stealing bread in the Aboves, he stumbles into the home Solander Artis, a member of a highly placed Stolti family and son of a member of the Dragon council. Solander is intrigued by Wraith's immunity to magic and offers to free him and his friend Jess from the Warrens in exchange for the opportunity to study him.

Years later, Wraith, now known as Gellas Tomersin, continues his quest to free the Warreners. He produces a number of plays from a mysterious playwright named Vincalis that are intended to make people think about the luxuries they have and how they're powered.

At the same time, Solander is working on a new form of magic that doesn't require the sacrifice of others. But a shadowy group of leaders known as the Silent Inquest knows about their efforts and has decided that they are a threat to the power of the Dragons. Things are about to get ugly.

In "Vincalis," Lisle takes a trip back in time in the world of her popular "Secret Texts" trilogy. The book illuminates the history of the Dragons and the origins of the Falcons and their holy books, the Secret Texts. Aside from the history lesson about the world of Matrin, it's also a very good story and easily accessible to those who may not be familiar with her previous work.

The book was originally planned as a three-book, 600,000-word epic, but was trimmed down through what Lisle calls a "brutal" process. The result is a tightly-plotted, action-packed tale that will take readers on a roller coaster ride of emotions.

Lisle mingles classic fantasy adventure with the feel of a science fiction novel and even mixes in a touch of horror. The book also has some statements to make about political corruption and social segregation. Oh, and don't forget about the Illuminati-like Silent Inquest.

The characters are realistic, sharing the same conflicts that most people deal with, while also striving to change the world. Though their actions are occasionally frustrating, the characters command the sympathy of the reader.

Over the past 10 years, Lisle's work has gotten better with every book, and "Vincalis" continues the trend. I can't wait to see what she has in store for the future.

Interview: Holly Lisle

With 21 novels published in the last decade, you'd think fantasy author Holly Lisle might be ready for a break. But actually, she's working just as hard as ever.

Lisle's latest novel "Vincalis the Agitator" was released earlier this month by Warner Aspect, and another novel "The Memory of Fire" is set for a May release from Avon Eos. She's just finished up a second novel for Eos called "The Wreck of Heaven," and she's currently hard at work pitching her next work to Warner.

Such is the life of the full-time writer - not the glamorous life that many people might envision.

Lisle says there's a common misconception that the writer's life "involves any sort of elegance or grace or adulation by the beautiful people." In fact, she says, it's work - and if you think it's a quick way to become rich and famous, think again.

"My day involves sitting by myself in a dark, cramped workspace, thinking up a story and putting that story on the page, while dressed in sweatpants and baggy T-shirts. There is no filet mignon, no butler, no maid, no champagne, no smoking jacket," she says.

"I work long, hard hours, and when I go to the bookstore, no one recognizes my name from my check and asks me to autograph the books in stock. No one comes up to me in restaurants and tells me he's read my latest. It's a very quiet, private life."

That description may sound a little grim to some, but Lisle says she has no regrets about her choices. She admits that the life of a fantasy writer is unlike any other career you'll come across.

"Your job as a fantasy writer is to think up things that not only never happened, but that never could," Lisle says. "You put them on the page, and then hope that people will pay for the privilege of reading your mind to keep you fed and under a roof. I wake up mornings and am just amazed by the utter weirdness of that."

Lisle left a stable profession to take up the uncertainty of the writing life. She was a registered nurse, but said she cared too much about the patients. Add to that an unhappy marriage, and she was becoming a wreck. She began searching for a way out.

"If you let yourself care about your patients as people, nursing will eat you alive - and it was devouring me," she said. "I needed an escape hatch, and reading wasn't working anymore. I started writing and found something that spoke to me more deeply than anything I'd ever done in my life."

So Lisle took the leap of faith. When she got an offer for a three-book deal, she was so confident of her eventual success that she quit her day job, burned the uniforms in the backyard and didn't keep up her continuing education credits.

"I burned those bridges flat, removing all chance of retreat," she says.

That's not to say she didn't have some second thoughts along the way. Especially in what she calls "nightmare spots" where money was tight and ruin was just around the corner.

"It's a good thing I didn't know when I jumped how hard it would be. If I had seen the future, I don't know that I would have had the nerve to take the plunge," Lisle says. "When it got hard, I looked back on the steady paycheck of nursing, and all I can say is it's a good thing that I did burn my bridges. I might have given up otherwise."

There were second thoughts, but never regrets, Lisle says.

"It's been a roller-coaster ride so far, and the future beckons with the promise of more to come," she says. "It's still uncertain. It's going to be uncertain until the day I die. I think that if I live to be very old, I will look back on my life happily, knowing I gave it a good run."

But Lisle has reason to be excited about the current state of her chosen field. Three of the top films of last year were "Shrek," "Harry Potter" and "The Fellowship of the Ring" - all fantasies. And "Harry Potter" is introducing a whole new generation to the genre.

"Some of the kids and adults who love `Harry Potter' will come looking for `more like that,' and will discover the vast and varied field that is fantasy - and that's a very good thing," she says.

Lisle points out the variety of the genre, which includes the epic tales of J.R.R. Tolkien, the disturbing visions of H.P. Lovecraft and Clive Barker, the erotic dark fantasies of Laurell K. Hamilton and Anne Rice, the literary works of Ursula K. LeGuin and Samuel R. Delaney and everything in between.

"Any field that can house (those authors) under the same umbrella is going to have something for anyone who dares come looking," she says. "Fantasy is an exciting field with wide-open creative opportunities.

"From a writer's point of view, fantasy gives you more chance to completely fall flat on your face and fail than anything else, but more chance to succeed on your own terms, too."

Lisle is still looking for that breakthrough book that propels her to the top of the fantasy field. But even if that never happens, she'll still be happy if someone remembers her work in years to come.

"I want to write books that still have something to say a hundred years from now," she says. "I want to touch lives, make the world a better place, leave something behind that will continue to matter long after I'm dust."

And so what if Holly Lisle never becomes a household name?

"I may fail at everything I set out to accomplish, but I know what I want," she says. "I'm fighting to make it happen, and when I die, I know I will have given it my best run. Because of that, no matter how it all turns out, I will not have wasted my life."

Review: "The Barefoot Fisherman" by Paul Amdahl

I still remember fondly the days of laying my fishing pole over the handlebars of my bike and pedalling down the road and into the woods for a few hours. I had my choice of a tiny pond or a drainage canal and either one held just about all the sunfish I could catch. Of course, none of them were big enough to keep, but it was still great fun.

When I opened Paul Amdahl's "The Barefoot Fisherman: A Fishing Book for Kids" (Clearwater Publishing), I was transported back to those days with the first lines, which introduce us to a young boy trudging out to a pond, full of hope that this time he'll bring home the prize catch. Much like the boy in the book, even though I knew there was no chance of that, I still left home hopeful on every trip.

In the early part of this book, Amdahl rekindles that spirit of youth before launching into a serious explanation of fishing tools and tactics.

"The Barefoot Fisherman" takes kids through a thorough explanation of everything they'll need to get started fishing - from rods and reels to bobbers and lures. Amdahl then discusses some different species of game fish and the best strategies for catching them.

The topics of the book brought back a lot of childhood memories. Even though it's been a long time, I still fondly remember my Zebco 202. And what fisherman doesn't remember raking around in the dirt in search of some plump, juicy nightcrawlers?

If you're an adult, don't expect anything earth-shattering, though. For those of us who have been fishing for 20 years or so, it's pretty basic information. But thinking back to when I was 9 or 10 years old, I realize I would have loved to have known all of this.

For example, Amdahl talks about walking lightly around the edges of a pond and being careful not to cast a shadow on the water, because fish might think it's a predator. I thought of all the times I not only tromped loudly around my fishing area, but even waded out into the pond to reach another location. And I've never given consideration to my shadow. Hmm ... maybe there were some big fish in that pond, but I was too clumsy to catch them.

There's a good bit of information on trout in the book that won't be very helpful to young fishermen in this area. But who knows? They may have a chance to use it one day.

The book could have been made a little more entertaining through the use of more anecdotes, but information is its primary purpose - and "The Barefoot Fisherman" serves that purpose well. It's a book that will enhance the tackle box of any beginning fisherman.

Review: "Bones of the Earth" by Michael Swanwick

My introduction to Michael Swanwick came with his acclaimed novel "The Iron Dragon's Daughter," which took the conventions of fantasy and turned them on their heads. Now he's back with "Bones of the Earth" (EOS), a book that may do the same thing for the time travel story.

When Richard Leyster gets a job offer from a mysterious visitor, he scoffs at it. He isn't about to leave his prestigious position at the Smithsonian on the sketchy details the man named Griffin gives him. That is, until he opens the cooler the man leaves behind.

In the cooler, he finds the freshly-severed head of a stegosaurus. It's an invitation that he can't refuse.

When Griffin visits him again, Leyster becomes part of a team of paleontologists recruited from different time periods to study dinosaurs in their natural habitat.

When word of the ability to travel through time leaks to the general public, not everyone is happy. Radical religious groups see it as a threat to their beliefs and take steps to stop it - including sabotage from within. One arrogant and manipulative scientist uses the opportunity to further her own ambitions. But she finds an even darker secret waiting at the end of the line, in the form of the beings who gave us the technology.

With "Bones of the Earth," Swanwick offers a story that is part "Jurassic Park" and part Ray Bradbury's "Sound of Thunder." It mingles the wonder and fascination of a visit to the world of dinosaurs, but also explores the consequences of using the technology.

Swanwick tosses out many of the accepted "rules" of time travel that have become standard in science fiction. For example, not only can a person meet himself in the past or future, but as in Griffin's case, an older version of a person can be the younger version's boss.

All of this makes for a tangled web of a plot that twists, turns and sometimes folds back on itself. There's plenty of intrigue, mystery and backstabbing to go around.

Despite the fact that he's weaving a story with multiple time lines and multiple versions of the same characters, Swanwick keeps it easy to follow. The story is satisfyingly complex, but you won't get lost in the different threads.

I was also entertained by the some of the names applied to the newly-discovered dinosaurs. Swanwick works in tributes to other authors, as well as a few jokes. I was particularly fond of Cthulhuraptor.

Swanwick is one of a new breed of fantasy and science fiction writers who have a respect for the authors who came before them, but don't want to follow in their footsteps. With "Bones of the Earth," he continues to blaze his own trail - taking the elements that readers expect and twisting them into things that are a little different, but still engaging.

Review: "Hopscotch" by Kevin J. Anderson

Don't like your body? Imagine being able to find someone who is willing to swap with you and trying out theirs for a while. Imagine a frail person being able to rent a more muscular body to do some work around the house, or an older couple renting a pair of younger bodies for a vacation in their golden years.

Those things and much more are possible in the future world of Kevin J. Anderson's "Hopscotch" (Bantam Spectra.)

For some reason, humans have evolved the ability to separate their consciousness and trade bodies - hopscotching. Some theorize that the ability developed through years of people uploading themselves to virtual reality areas of the 'Net, but in truth, no one's really sure how it came to be.

As one might guess, the ability to hopscotch has opened up a whole new world of moral, ethical and legal dilemmas - not the least of which is what happens to children who are conceived by one person, then delivered by another inhabiting the same body. Falling Leaves is a monastery that takes in children in that situation. Four friends - Garth, Eduard, Teresa and Daragon - have recently been released from Falling Leaves and are now trying to make their way in the world.

Garth, the artist, hopscotches from body to body looking for inspiration. Eduard makes good money by enduring unpleasant experiences - like dental procedures, illness and surgery - for others, while they wear his healthy body. Teresa, the philosopher, hops from job to job, searching for meaning in her life.

But the most interesting is Daragon, one of the rare few born without the ability to hopscotch. But he has another ability - to see the real person, no matter what body they're wearing. That makes him invaluable to the Bureau of Tracing and Locations, this world's equivalent of the FBI. When someone commits a crime and then tries to escape by hopscotching from body to body, it's the BTL's job to track them down.

So far, the four friends have navigated this strange new world, looking out for each other. But when Eduard's job as a personal trainer to the head of the BTL goes bad, they're in danger of being ripped apart.

With "Hopscotch," Anderson has delivered a fantastic tale that's at times heart-warming and often disturbing. He has incorporated the best aspects of humanity and the darkest side of human nature in one story, which will have the reader alternately cheering and despairing.

The story itself is a little slow to start, but the concept and the characters are so fascinating that the reader hardly notices. Once the plot does get going, it's a footrace to the finish, without a slow moment.

Aside from the imaginative ideas and sense of wonder in "Hopscotch," Anderson also has some serious statements to make about love, loyalty, friendship, duty and what really matters in life.

Anderson has offered up a bleak vision of the future where individuality has slipped through the cracks and morality has flown out the window. But he balances that with the bright light of hope and the reassuring warmth of friendship.

Review: "Drinking Midnight Wine" by Simon R. Green

What if you followed the wrong person through the wrong door and found yourself at the center of something that could shake the foundations of the world?

Toby Dexter, a bookstore clerk from Bradford-on-Avon, finds out in Simon R. Green's "Drinking Midnight Wine" (Roc).

Toby, disillusioned and wondering what's happened to his life, falls madly in love with a beautiful female passenger who rides the train on his regular commute to work. One rainy evening, he decides to follow her, hoping he'll have a chance to meet her on the walk home. But when she opens a door in a wall where there wasn't one before, he gets more than he bargained for. He finds himself in the world of Mysterie, the world where magic has retired as science pushed it out of our own world.

Surrounded by gods, fallen angels and magical creatures of all sorts, Toby finds that he is one of the most important figures in Mysterie. He's a focal point, which means that soon he will make a decision that affects the fate of both Mysterie and Veritie, our own world.

Nicholas Hob, the Serpent's Son, is up to something and it's up to Toby and his mystery lady Gayle - who turns out to be much more than she appears - to stop him. They recruit the aid of a distant descendant of the Norse god Thor. Johnny Thunders is a leather clad godling who "looked less like a Norse deity and more like the god of Harley-Davidson worshipers, the kind of people who probably recited braking distances under a full moon and sacrificed a Kawasaki when they needed to beg a favor." Still, they'll need his help and more to stop the Hob and his father, the Serpent in the Sun, from bringing ruin to both worlds.

One thing that put this book over the top for me was that I identified immediately - and far too closely - with Toby. He's just turned 30 and is looking around at his life and wondering where those three decades have gone and what happened to his dreams and plans. Hmm ... sounds familiar somehow.

Aside from my commiseration with the main character, Green has presented a fantastic tale that weaves together ancient mythology and pop culture. It reminds me a lot of Neil Gaiman's fantastic "American Gods," but it's a little more fast-paced and intense.

Green has packed Mysterie with a cast of colorful characters who - aside from saving the two worlds - also have some personal issues to deal with. That added touch makes them more real and believable.

"Drinking Midnight Wine" has a little of everything - mystery, fantasy, horror, suspense and a wicked sense of humor. Green throws it all in a blender and what comes out is a very satisfying story. And besides, where else are you going to see a thunder god in a plaid robe and pink bunny slippers?

Review: "Black Wolf" by Dave Gross

It's been a long time since I've been excited about the novels set in the various Dungeons and Dragons worlds. But things are changing.

A big part of that change is the "Sembia" series, a group of books aimed at newcomers to the Forgotten Realms. The "Sembia" series is a group of self-contained stories that require little or no background knowledge of the massive collection of Forgotten Realms novels that have come before.

The latest in the collection is "Black Wolf" by Dave Gross (Wizards of the Coast). The novel details the trials of Talbot Uskevren, a young Sembian noble with a dark secret.

During a hunting trip, Talbot and his party were pursued by a group of werewolves. Tal escaped, but not unscathed. Now, his body heeds the call of the moon, and he must lock himself in a cage to keep from harming anyone. Things get worse when Rusk, leader of the werewolf pack, arrives in Sembia. He's convinced that Tal is the legendary Black Wolf, and intends to control him.

Rusk forms a shaky alliance with the chief rival of the Uskevrens, an odd pair of brothers from the Malveen family - Stannis, a vampire, and Radu, a seemingly unbeatable warrior. Caught between the monster growing inside him, the pack, the Malveens and his own father's wrath at his irresponsibility, Tal turns to a mysterious cleric of Selune and his old friend Chaney to help him control the beast.

I'm a sucker for a good wolf story - even if it is of the "were" kind - and "Black Wolf" certainly fits the bill. As you'd expect from a Forgotten Realms novel, it's fast-paced with plenty of action and adventure.

But there's also a deeper bit of character development, especially with the young servant Darrow - who gets shuffled between Radu, Stannis and Rusk. Despite the fact that Tal's story is fascinating, it's really Darrow that steals the show, winning the sympathy and goodwill of the reader.

Gross also has a deft hand with combat scenes, both human and wolf. His touch and attention to detail remind me a great deal of R.A. Salvatore, the master of the fight scene.

"Black Wolf" is an entertaining novel that can be enjoyed by anyone. There are a few sprinkled references to characters, places and events that longtime Forgotten Realms readers will enjoy, but as intended, no prior knowledge is needed.

The book also marks another step in the right direction for Wizards of the Coast, which has big things happening in most of the worlds of Dungeons and Dragons. In Forgotten Realms, there's the "Sembia" series and an upcoming series on the drow that looks very promising. In the classic Greyhawk setting, there's a series of novels based on classic gaming modules. And the luminaries of the Dragonlance world, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, are shaking things up on Krynn.

Review: "The October Country" by Ray Bradbury

When I think of Ray Bradbury, there's always one book that comes immediately to mind.

For most Bradbury fans it might be "Fahrenheit 451" or "Something Wicked This Way Comes." But for me, that one book is "The October Country," recently re-issued by Del Rey in trade paperback format with all of the original artwork.

I believe "Fahrenheit 451" may be one of the most important books of the last century, and there's no denying that "Something Wicked" is a wonderful tale. But if you really want to experience Bradbury at his best, look no farther than the collection of stories in this book.

The strange and bizarre is where Bradbury excels, and "The October Country" contains some of his best short stories.

The tales here range from the creepiness of "The Jar" to the uplifting "Uncle Einar" to the haunting "The Lake" to the just plain strange "The Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse." But the stories all have a few things in common. They're all incredibly well written, and they all have a statement to make about the human condition.

It's a shame that Bradbury - like many other good authors who choose to write speculative fiction - is so often pigeonholed into the fantasy/sci fi/horror "ghetto." He truly is one of the best writers of the 20th century.

Just read a story like "The Dwarf," which really has no fantastic elements at all. Instead, it's a tale of human cruelty and its results. A story in which the "monster," much like in the real world, is just an ordinary Joe.

Likewise with the bizarre "Watchful Poker Chip of H. Matisse." The story isn't strange because of some fantastic ghost or monster, but rather because of the extreme lengths the main character goes to remain the center of attention.

Whether it's the crowd mentality, the desire to be popular or the longing for something that can't be had, Bradbury is an astute observer of human nature. He puts those observations to good, and often disturbing, use in "The October Country."

Though his output may have slowed in recent years, Bradbury's older stories still stand the test of time. Most of these tales were written in the 1940s and '50s, and they're just as entertaining and thought-provoking in 2002.

If you're looking for an introduction to Bradbury, "The October Country" is an excellent place to start. If you're a fan of good stories with a bit of weirdness, I'm sure it won't be where you stop.

Review: "The Eyes of God" by John Marco

Though he's got at least three other books to his credit, I'd never read John Marco before I picked up "The Eyes of God" (DAW). Now, I may have to check out some of those earlier stories.

This hefty book starts out with a very Arthurian tone. In Liira, a new king has come to power - Akeela the Good he's called. He's a well-loved ruler, kind and generous with a desire to bring knowledge to the masses. Among his first official acts is to create peace with his country's long-time enemy, Reec. He and his champion, Lukien, the Bronze Knight, bring gifts to King Karis of Reec, but he has a gift of his own. He offers Akeela the hand of his daughter Cassandra to seal the peace.

Entranced by the princess' beauty, Akeela agrees to the marriage. But Lukien has also fallen under Cassandra's spell. The results are predictable to anyone familiar with the Arthurian legends.

Her love for Lukien is not the only secret Cassandra is hiding. She has a stomach cancer, one that will kill her unless Lukien can retrieve the mythic Eyes of God from Jador, across the desert. But when Lukien returns with one of the Eyes, the problems are only beginning.

Because of a curse on the amulets, Cassandra is doomed to never be looked upon by another human. To make matters worse, Akeela, stunned by the betrayal of Lukien and Cassandra and fueled by the power dreams of a jealous general, descends into madness. He embarks on a ruthless and single-minded mission to find the other Eye so that he can be with Cassandra again. The madness will lead him to the legendary land of Grimhold, and perhaps doom for all involved.

I used to relish the idea of 800-page reads like this one, but lately I've begun to dread them. In recent years, there's been a trend toward padding novels to bulk them up. That's not the case with "The Eyes of God." Every single word of Marco's tale serves to move the story ahead, quite an accomplishment in a novel this size.

Marco also manages to keep the tale on track, resisting the urge to get lost in a tangle of convoluted subplots. This story simply doesn't need them.

In the early going, I was a little disappointed with "The Eyes of God." It seemed to me that it was just going to be another retelling of the Arthurian legends - the good king betrayed by his queen and champion, the quest for the Holy Grail-like Eyes of God, the vision of a Utopian world destroyed by betrayal. But along the way, the story turns into much more. It's a classic tale of triumph and tragedy, well written with great depth of emotion.

As I was reading this novel, I had the feeling that I was reading something important. In 20 years, I wouldn't be surprised to hear Marco, and this book, mentioned alongside the icons of the fantasy genre.

Review: "Fool's Errand" by Robin Hobb

Robin Hobb is one of the best writers to emerge in the fantasy genre in the past decade, and her Farseer Trilogy is among the best series I've ever read. So I was both excited and a little apprehensive to find that she was returning to the tale of FitzChivalry Farseer and his wolf Nighteyes in her newest novel, "Fool's Errand" (Bantam Spectra).

On one hand, I was thrilled at the prospect of visiting with some old friends and finding out what happened after the events of "Assassin's Quest," the final book of the Farseer Trilogy. On the other hand, I'm weary of writers who continue to pump out books about characters to capitalize on their popularity long after their story has been told.

Happily, Hobb avoids that trap. She brings her readers back into the lives of Fitz and Nighteyes as another compelling story is unfolding around them.

FitzChivalry, the illegitimate son of Prince Chivalry and former royal assassin to King Shrewd, is believed dead by most of the people who knew him in his time at Buckkeep castle. Fitz, approaching middle age, has lived quietly with Nighteyes and his adopted son Hap in his forest cabin under the assumed name of Tom Badgerlock. But a few visitors are about to shatter that peace.

First, his former mentor Chade Fallstar visits to try to persuade Fitz to teach the Skill magic to Prince Dutiful, the heir to the throne of the Six Duchies. Then the Fool, now known as Lord Golden at court, comes to seek his assistance in finding the prince, who has gone missing. Despite his best efforts, Fitz's old friends are able to draw him back into a semblance of his former life.

But things are more complicated than a simple search for a lost prince. Sentiment against the Wit magic - the ability to communicate with animals - is running high. Those with the Old Blood are being brutally executed by angry mobs all over the Six Duchies. What's worse, Fitz suspects that Dutiful has the Wit and has been kidnapped by someone who intends to use that against the Farseer line.

As usual, Hobb is outstanding as she weaves a compelling tale of intrigue, prejudice and loyalty. Hobb excels at making her fantasy believable. Hers is not an ideal world where everything is black and white. There's no pure good or evil. Most of the choices her characters face are tough ones, with no truly right and wrong answers. It's also a world where things don't necessarily end happily, as fans of the first tales of FitzChivalry and Nighteyes can attest.

Hobb's fans won't be disappointed with this latest installment. "Fool's Errand" lives up to the legacy of the Farseer Trilogy. For those who haven't read Hobb, the book offers a good opportunity to get acquainted. If you like a good fantasy tale, "Fool's Errand" is tough to beat.

Tolkien was a world-builder without peer

What more can you say about a classic?

On the eve of the release of the film version of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Fellowship of the Ring," (mass market from Del Rey) I decided it was time to revisit Middle Earth and get reacquainted with some old friends and familiar places.

Frodo Baggins is a hobbit - a race of furry-footed, meal-loving, largely sedentary halflings who rarely venture beyond the borders of their homeland, the Shire. Frodo is different, though. He's been adopted by the legendary Bilbo Baggins, one of the few hobbits that has not only ventured out of the Shire, but actually had an adventure - complete with trolls, elves and dragons.

On Bilbo's eleventy-first birthday, he pulls a disappearing act - quite literally - and leaves in Frodo's trust one of the treasures from his travels, a simple golden ring. But it's not really simple at all, as the magician Gandalf soon discovers. It's the One Ring of power from legend, and it's being sought by the dark lord Sauron. If he finds it, he will use it to dominate Middle Earth.

The only way to destroy the ring is to cast it into the fires of Mount Doom, in the heart of Sauron's territory. Frodo and an unlikely band of adventurers are charged with the task of delivering the ring to the heart of Mordor - a task that could lead to their own doom and that of Middle Earth.

Millions of people have been enthralled by Tolkien's epic "The Lord of the Rings," and with good reason. While it is a fantasy tale, you don't necessarily have to be a fantasy fan to appreciate the depth and scope of the work.

Tolkien is a master world-builder. No other author comes close. Even the most minor characters and places have a rich and complete history.

He weaves myth, legend and history into a world as complex and diverse as our own. A world where every race has its own identity, culture and even language.

"Fellowship of the Ring" is the first of the three novels that make up the larger story, so it's largely a set up for the events to come. Though it's often recommended for fans of "Harry Potter," they should be warned that it doesn't have the whiz-bang action of that series. Instead, there's a slower build-up to the main action, with more attention to detail that lays a solid foundation for the story to come.

Tolkien's leisurely pace in "Fellowship of the Ring" also allows for some poems and songs that further illuminate the history of Middle Earth. And you won't find a writer with a better knack for language.

Though we often talk about being transported to another world when we read, with Tolkien, the feeling is more palpable. "The Lord of the Rings" represents the culmination of a lifetime of work, and the effort is obvious to anyone who dares to venture beyond the borders of the Shire.

Trips to Middle-Earth prove to be hobbit-forming

I was in seventh grade when I first stumbled into Middle Earth.

It was a rainy day, and I was looking for something to read. For as long as I can remember I've been a voracious reader. At the time, I was a big fan of Edgar Allan Poe and S.E. Hinton - and I was also probably reading a lot of really bad television and movie tie-ins.

As I perused the options on my bookshelf, one novel seemed to stand out. It was one I'd passed over dozens of times - "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien. I was familiar with the cartoon version, and I thought it was a "kiddie" book. But for some reason, on this day, I paused and took it from the shelf.

From the opening lines, I was hooked:

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."

I quickly became lost in Tolkien's world, devouring the book faster than I'd ever read any other novel. For a while, Tolkien was all I wanted to talk about - and truth be told, even today when the subject comes up I'm pretty expansive.

I begged for the three later volumes that made up "The Lord of the Rings" and tore through them as well. They were darker, more serious books that revolved around an ominous passage that's becoming well known to moviegoers:

One ring to rule them all,


One ring to find them,


One ring to bring them all,


And in the darkness bind them.

Discovering Tolkien altered my reading habits completely. It gave me an appetite for fantastic worlds where wizards cast their spells and dragons roamed the skies. Almost 16 years later, that hasn't changed.

For a while I had an annual appointment to visit Middle Earth. To get lost in a world where I didn't have to worry about homework and grades - or later, deadlines and bills. My original paperback copies of the books are dog-eared, stained and worn until the covers are nearly unrecognizable from the years of reading. But as more unread books stacked up and less time became available for reading, I drifted away from my annual ritual.

When the promotion for the new "Fellowship of the Ring" movie began to reach a fever pitch a short time ago, I realized it had been five or six years since I last visited Tolkien's land of furry-footed hobbits. It was time to get reacquainted.

I went to the bookshelf, letting my fingers roam lovingly over the leather-bound edition of "The Hobbit." Then, I paused at the gorgeously illustrated omnibus edition of "The Lord of the Rings" that had been a Christmas gift from Jerri several years ago. I picked it up and flipped through, looking at the fantastic illustrations. But something just didn't seem right.

Placing the book back on the shelf, I realized what it was. I went to the storage building and shuffled around in the old ammo crates that hold my book collection. In a few minutes, I had located what I was looking for - an ancient golden-covered edition of "The Hobbit," which I called well worn and others might call "ratty."

The spine is unreadable, many of the pages are water-damaged and stained with what appears to be Kool-Aid, the pages that aren't stained are yellowed and the cover is bent and torn. Still, it felt comfortable in my hands, and it seemed only fitting for my first visit back to Middle Earth after a long absence.

A little more digging produced similar versions of "The Fellowship of the Ring," "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King," all in various shades of the rainbow - and with various colors of stains. I was all set, and Middle Earth was waiting, very much as I remembered it.

Walking the road to Rivendell with Frodo, Sam and Strider was like getting reacquainted with a few old, good friends. But the reunion also added to my doubts about the movie adaptation that hits theaters in a couple of weeks.

I have to admit my concerns are a little selfish. Though millions of people have read Tolkien's books, they've always been a very personal thing to me. I've always enjoyed the idea that my Middle Earth is not quite like anyone else's - and vice versa. In a lot of ways, I also think most "Lord of the Rings" fans feel a little bit of elitist snobbery towards those who haven't shared the experience.

The film, though, makes Tolkien's world accessible to everyone - which is not a bad thing. But it also gives everyone the same image and vision of Middle Earth - which may be a bad thing.

I can't contain my excitement about seeing my favorite story of all time come to life on the screen, and those around me are probably getting sick of hearing me talk about it. But underneath, there's still that nagging doubt, despite the fact that everything I've seen about the film looks outstanding.

For now, I'll continue my journey through Tolkien's realms. I'll revel in the experiences and adventures for a last time before everyone shares in the same vision. One last walk through the barrow downs with Tom Bombadil. One last flight over the treacherous bridge in Khazad-dum as Gandalf battles the Balrog at the other end. One last rest beneath the golden trees of Lothlorien.

On Dec. 19, everyone can share in these experiences. But until then, they're all mine.