Reviews (32)

Good, actualy too Good
Jude Watson dose it again. Jedi Apprentice #11 was just too good, but I had a really big problem, becouse when I turned the last page there was no more to read. Jude Watson's elegant way of wording things is like reading poetry. It is wonderful to see that Qui-Gon and Obi-wans relationship is growing from master and apprentice into a father son relationship, or egleast friends. For the evil villan in Jedi Apprentice #11 I belive she might just be the worst one so far. She is a bountyhunter who will stop at nothing to finsh her evil deed, this book is a must read.

The excitment, and action is better than ever. Obi-Wan is amazing, and so is Qui-Gon with both their action moves, and their words.I belive that this Jedi Apprentice is the best one so far. Please do not pass this book up, or any of the books in this series. These books might say that they are for a yunger audence, but these books have poetry, action, suspence, and drama in them, what more could one want in a book. Again PLEASE! do not pass these books up, THEY ARE JUST TOO GOOD!

I loved it!
This book is excellent! Wow! I think the cover art is really cool with Obi-Wan standing there, poised for battle with the dreaded bounty hunter trying to snap her whip at him. I feel sorry for Obi-Wan, he never gets any food!! Have you noticed that Qui-Gon never eats himself? Weird! Are we sure he's even human? (j/k) Anyways, this book is probably the best JA book that Jude Watson has ever written. There are many close calls (If you've read the book you know what I'm talking about) and we get to see even closer into Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's relationship.

Please read this book!! You will not be able to put it down! I LOVE OBI-WAN!!

Deadly Delightful
After a relatively weak performance in The Shattered Peace, Jude Watson returns to form with The Deadly Hunter. An old friend of Qui-Gon's is being stalked by a vicious bounty hunter, and our Jedi heroes find themselves outmatched and outwitted at nearly every turn. After a climactic battle in the snow, The Deadly Hunter ends on a cliff-hanger to rival any that has come before.

As usual, Watson is at her best in showing the dynamic between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. Ironically, young Obi-Wan looks down his nose at the cafe dive Qui-Gon's friend owns. It's a pity Watson didn't know about Dexter's dive when writing this one.

Extremely Exciting! Well worth reading!
When Qui-Gon Jinn takes his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to meet a good friend of his, he never realizes adventure awaits him at the corner. His friend Didi, owner of a cafe and an informant, has been attacked by a deadly bounty hunter for no apparent reason! When Qui-Gon promises to protect him and to find out the mystery behind the hunter, he himself and Obi-Wan are turned into the next targets! Can they protect Didi and his daughter Astri and keep themselves alive long enough to solve a puzzling mystery?

"The Deadly Hunter" is the first of three books following one story arc. In my opinion, this is one of my most favorite story lines. There are many reasons for it, because of the exciting adventure, lots of action and fighting, and a terrific mystery that you yourself will have a hard time figuring out. I also love it how Obi-Wan is able to do a lot in the story, plus fight immensely well. But one of the best reasons is because of the bounty hunter. After Xanatos was cut off from the story, I was missing a really 'good' enemy, one worthy of battling weapons and wits against the Jedi team. And the bounty hunter (her name won't revealed till the next book, "The Evil Experiment", so I'm won't spoil it!) is pretty cool. I love her weapon of choice, her deadly whip. Have "The Evil Experiment" and "The Dangerous Rescue" on hand if you want to find out how the story ends!

This series explains a lot about how Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan first meet. Their beginning is far from simple and all smooth-sailings, which would be pretty monotonous if it was. Though the books are said for ages 9-12, like many other reviewers I agree that the Jedi Apprentice Series are for anybody. Extremely well-written, the emotions, thoughts, and feelings of the main characters are very well put down into words. I also like the different array of humans and aliens which are portrayed, both good and bad.

Plust check out the new Jedi Quest series, dealing with the master and apprentice duo of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. Another Star Wars Series I recommend and like a lot are the Young Jedi Knights series. The stories are about Jacen and Jaina Solo (twins of Han and Leia Solo), and their friends as they journey on the road to becoming Jedi Knights. More on the teenager level of reading. For adult readings, a few selections I enjoy reading are "The Thrawn Trilogy", "Rogue Planet", "The Jedi Academy Trilogy", "The Corellian Trilogy", and "The Truce at Bakura".

Real excitement and actions!
With whole lot of exciting action, you can feel real excitement in every series. You just can't stop reading it!!!!
I recommend this book very much especially to Star Wars Fans!!!
Well, what's the story? Read it, and you'll know! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

This is an amazing book, absolutly brilliant,spiffing!!!!!!!
The graphics in this book are beyond the highest standard iv ever seen, and it is my FAVOURITE book ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It deserves the book of the year award. w00p :D

This is an amazing book, absolutly brilliant,spiffing!!!!!!!
The graphics in this book are beyond the highest standard iv ever seen, and it is my FAVOURITE book ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It deserves the book of the year award. w00p :D ... Read more

Book Description

Evil thoughts and dark desires
Boil and burn in a wicked brew!
Throw bate and fear into the fire --
May friends and lovers both be true!

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe don't know that a coven of warlocks is hunting them. They don't know that one of the warlocks has entered their lives disguised as a friend. And they don't know the coven's mission -- to drain them of their magical powers, even if it means destroying them to do it!
Now the Charmed Ones must figure out which of their friends is really their enemy.
Because sometimes what you don't know--can kill you. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Fun
It's not a brillant book. It won't win any awards but as a written adaptation of the series Charmed, it does a good job. Prue, Piper and Phoebe come across as they're portrayed in the series. The mystery behind the magic shenanigans unfolds just as it would as an episode. And it takes just about as long to read as it would to watch.

One of the Charmed Ones' friends is trying to betray them...
When Piper volunteers to be a mentor at a halfway home for homeless kids, meaning she'll be a sort of "big sister" to a young teenage girl living there, her sisters Prue and Phoebe aren't so sure that's a good idea. Prue and Phoebe are afraid that Celeste, the girl Piper has been assigned to, will find out their identity as witches. But Celeste seems to be a nice kid who just got a bad lot in life. It's Daria, Celeste's roommate at the home, that Piper and her sisters are suspicious of. She seems to be dabbling in the dark arts - could she be involved with warlocks? Or could it be Phoebe's new boyfriend, Kenji? Or Prue's new friend, Adrienne, who works at a magic ship? All the Halliwell sisters know for sure is that someone is after them - and that someone wants their powers bad enough to kill them. I highly reccomend this exciting edition to the Charmed novel series. The ending was the total opposite of what I expected.

SURPRISEING ENDING
This book was really awsome I would not say it was the best nor the worst. I really liked the ending becuz it is a really big surprise but I can't tell you what it is he he he you will just have to buy it to see for your self! I would recomend this to my friends family even some physco on the side of the street!!!

the crimson spell
this is a good charmed book, i like it mainly because piper has a bigger part in this book but all three sisters do have mini stories in this book. although this isnt the best charmed book it is up there with the best

charmed best book ever
Charmed
The Crimson Spell.

I highly recommend this book. It is about Piper Halliwell who is taking a mentoring job for the Sunrise Center for runaway kids, even though her two sisters Prue & Phoebe do not want her to do this. Piper said she wouldn't take the girls to their house. The 2 girls Piper is mentoring are Celeste and Daria. Piper took them to her club called P-3 to make some pizza, but the refrigerator was broken, so Piper took them to her house. The two girls were happy to be there to make pizza. Piper told them to just stay in the kitchen so they wouldn't go looking around the house. At the end of this book the 3 sisters found out that Daria was evil and was working to try to kill the Charmed Ones, but instead Celeste try to save them, for the way Piper treated her. Celeste was good at it her powers until she had to fight the master, so the three sisters helped her by using their powers on the evil master who took over Celeste's body, with magic. So this is why I recommend this book because to anyone who enjoys stories full of action and spells. ... Read more

Book Description

When Sydney secures a cover as the assistant to a world-famous illusionist, her mission is clear.

Perform death-defying feats of magic by night, investigate a rash of art thefts by day.

Simple? Not quite.

Someone has a trick up their sleeve. And solving the mystery takes Sydney to new heights . . . without a net. ... Read more

Book Description

Masters and apprentices must trust one another. But that is not the case with Anakin Skywalker and his Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. A rift is building between them. When they are separated during a rescue mission on a dangerous planet, their conflict reaches a new high -- and shows signs of things to come. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

great insight
this book gives a great insight into the relationship of Obi-Wan and Anakin. It also shows the stress that Anakin is going through being the Chosen One. ... Read more

Book Description

Get ready for some electrifying light-saber battle action! Aurra Sing arrives on Coruscant with a mean streak, killing Jedi within the very shadows of the Temple. The Jedi Council must now decide how to deal with the infamous bounty hunter. Several Jedi Knights volunteer for the honor of bringing Sing to justice. But do they want justice or vengeance? It’s going to take more than a grudge to bring down an assassin with a reputation for killing Jedi. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

An Aurra Sing-a-long for fans
The Hunt for Aurra Sing is another commendable comic in this Ongoing series, one that has little substance aside from the fun read it is. With the primary storyline hunting down the Jedi killer like the animal she is, this comic lacks any other plots that could have made it more interesting.

This comic is closure for the Ki-Ad-Mundi, A'Sharad and Sing characters. Next up you have Twilight, and the focus under new artist teams shifts to Quinlin Vos and his peers.

Quality of art is comparable to Emissaries to Malastare---or at least its first half, before the art went out the airlock. Here, texture and illustrations are not of Twilight's superb quality but still stand out well. Aside from the saber blades, which are little more than single-colour sticks, shadowing and resolution is actually not so bad. All cover arts here, however, issue and TPB fronts, were terrible.

The dialogue varies between the cast, which incorporates the simple-minded Jedi hunters, the Quarren political retinue, and of course Sing's delightful self-indulgent lines. Cocky, sarcastic, brazen, you just gotta love her.

The prologue scene is typical of what you'd expect from this sort of comic, but being long enough it doesn't end too quickly and had enough emotional support to see it through. Sing taking out a Jedi team after her trail---an Anx and Kerestian (8 cheek noses) Jedi Master, starts the ball rolling. Interesting to see her reluctant to kill apprentices until they're old enough to face her; the little Twi'lek girl, now orphaned, appears back in the later Aayla Secura comic, a nice continuity touch by that team indeed.

The Jedi party after her hide acts like all Jedi of that era do: predictably naive and persistently outsmarted. But hey, if they weren't shot down, the plot couldn't progress, could it? For young A'Sharad, it's to account for the murderess that killed his father; for Ki-Ad-Mundi, it's concern for his master's welfare, the enigmatic Dark Woman; and Adi Gallia's lacklustre role here has her little more than a figurehead.

Did I say Dark Woman? You bet I did. She's back again, grinning in looks, with her own issue cover in the third. If Vader only slays her just before Episode 4, there's still two decades of timeline to have more of her. Hint hint wink nudge . . .

Overall, The Hunt for Aurra Sing will appeal to her fanbase, and particularly if you've already invested in Outlander and Emissaries to Malastare.

3.5 STARS - SEQUEL TO OUTLANDER
This is a review of ISBN 156971651X, called Star wars: Republic - The Hunt for Aurra Sing issues 28 to 31, released as a TPB by Dark Horse comics July, 2002.

This is a very good comic, but a step backward from the three that preceded it. The story by Truman is good, but the artwork is a step backward. The style is more cartoonish than what we have been getting in the REPUBLIC run of issues. The cover art is very dark and frankly, not very good.

The Jedi are out to hunt down Bounty Hunter - force sensitive killer Aurra Sing. Aurra is a rouge in the worst sense. She slaughters others cruelly and senselessly, and in fact she murdered Padawan A Sharad's father (see OUTLANDER).

The production quality, even if you don't care for the artwork itself, is awesome. Dark horse as of early 2002, even late 2001 has had great strides in producing great comic. They also seem to have been sensitive to the tradition of poor editing in the past, and they seem to do a much better job of helping the reader now who is who and who is speaking. My biggest complaint concerning the lazy editing was UNION. I see that Chris Warner edited that one. He is still editor-and-chief of HUNT but had an assist from David Land. Thanks for being more attentive for the fanatics like me.

The lightsabers. Some have criticized that the lightsabers in some comics were drawn to small. Looks like they may have overadjusted here because they look larger and I would say, more cartoonish.

I assume that the person who does the pencils is in effect the artist. I did not that a different person did the pencils here from the previous TPB's that I liked a lot. Lets just say that I really like the work of Jan Duursema, Magyar and McCaig, and am less a fan of the work of Robinson and Fabbri (though Robinson's art in Twilight as great).

The Ultimate Match
If Fett and Sing were to do battle it would likely make for one of the more interesting face offs in the Star Wars series. Like Fett there appears to be almost no way of stopping this huntress who collects the lightsabers of the Jedi that she has vanquished. And as far as deep seated hatred of other Jedi her anger can only be matched by the Dark Lord Vader himself.

In this graphic novel Aurra Sing has a posse of Jedi Masters, and even members of the council sent to finally take her out. One Padawan learner, a former Sandperson whose father was killed by Aurra is also included in the hunt. As these collections of graphic episodes go, this one is quite good, and will be especially appreciated for fans whose favorite sound is the snap hiss of a lightsaber and the mayhem that follows. Duels in this book even include opponents both fighting with a ligtsaber in each hand. This was shown briefly in Episode II, and I for one wish there had been more.

This series also featured some of the most haunting dark art that has ever appeared on the covers of the individual issues prior to there being collected in to this graphic novel format. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

I've pretty much already got this book.
...Those chapters in them stand for mini comic. 1 chapter= 1 mini comic. And this volume covers volumes 26-29. And I own volumes 26,28,and 29. But not 27.
In the first chapter:
The outer senshi talk about what happened in the past. The inner senshi and the outer senshi try to kill each other. The Holy Grail appears.
In the second chapter:
The inner senshi and the outer senshi turn back to their normal selves. The Holy Grail turns Sailor Moon into Super Sailor Moon. Hotaru kills Rini.
In the third chapter:
In the third chapter:
The Death Busters try to stop the scouts from fighting against evil. The Death Busters create an illusion for Sailor Moon to make her think the scouts haved turned against her.
In the fourth chapter:
The scouts separate. Sailor Moon saves the outer senshi and herself from being trapped in a bottomless world of darkness. But what about the Inner senshi? Buy this book and find out!!

Sailor Moon Manga
I think this has to be the best of the Sailor Moon manga so far It explains the origins of the Outer Sailor Scouts including the Scout of Destruction Sailor Saturn and how they must protect the world from her I give this book a high rating of 5 stars

Yayyyy! #9
Number 9 is a great book! Rini finds out Pluto is back and Hotaru is not what she seems.Kaori Knight calls on the last of Witches 5, Cyprine, to elimnate the Sailor Scouts.When Cyprine fails Kaori puts her strongest spell on the Sailor Scouts. Will the newly powered up Sailor Moon, Super Sailor Moon, be able to break the spell and save her friends? This book is awesome for any Sailor Moon fan and should definitely be on your must read list. The next book in a great storyline, something I would want to read!

Thrilling!
This is a great book! Like usual Naoko's drawing are gorgeous and the story line is enthralling! We finally get to see what exactally who Outer Senshi are and what they suddenly showed up for. Also, Mistress 9 appears and Chibi-Usa is horribly affected. O_o I'm not going to go into more detail, because I don't really want to give out too many spoilers, if you want to know what happens, go buy the book. :) But I recommend getting number seven and eight because if you don't, trust me, you won't have any idea what is going on.

Vol. 9, the Best! ^_^;
I have been reading Sailor Moon Manga for alomost a year, I have all of the avaiable books and I think that Vol. 9 is the best! It anwsers many afore unanwserable questions, and Mistress 9 appears.The artwork is beautiful, and the story line great! This manga is a must have for any Sailor Moon Manga reader. (Even if your not one!) ... Read more

Book Description

Join The Wiggles and their friends Dorothy the Dinosaur, Wags the Dog, and Captain Feathersword on this fun Wiggly adventure, which ends with a fun party at Captain Feathersword's! This board book features photos and colorful holographic foil throughout! ... Read more

Book Description

Trust betrayed...

Michael: He's still having flashbacks of his escape from the underground compound. Only Cameron, the mysterious girl he met behind bars, seems to understand him -- and realize that the sheriff may be gone but an even more dangerous enemy is out there....

Cameron: She fell for Michael while in the compound...spying on him for Sheriff Valenti. Now she feels guilty, and wishes she could tell him the truth. But how can she be honest -- without losing Michael? ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Roswell.....Book 6 As Good As Others
The Stowaway was as good as the rest of the Roswell books, ifnot better. When Adam and Isabel are taken over by some sort of evilit's up to Liz, Max, Michael, Maria, and Alex. When they find out that Elsevan DuPris is the evil force, they decide that they HAVE to get rid of him. With page-turning suspense this book is one of the best in the series

Quick, easy read for those rainy days
The TV show sucks. The books do not. They're not great literary masterpieces but they're good for a quick and entertaining read when you just can't be bothered with Stephen King or Jane Austen anymore. And also, Brendan Fehr on the cover makes great eye candy...the same cannot be said for Max. I liked Cameron, I wished that she could have stayed.

There's a very evil control freak out there ...
Something is controlling Adam - using his body. "Ray took something that didn't belong to him. I have to get it back," the controlled-by-something-evil Adam responds when Adam's friends tell him that something's wrong with him. Soon Adam isn't the only one controlled by Whoever. Isabel is hurting people that she would never hurt if she was in control of herself. Max, Liz, Maria, Michael, Cammeron and Alex have to figure this out, pronto. Or else . . .

This book was so good and so many things happened.
This book is awesome as all the others but my favorite is the first one. This one is cute though. And it has a wonderful cliff hanger at the end that really surprised me. These are the best books in the world they really get you hooked. I enjoyed this termendously. They are always good books and this one was great and highly recommendable. READ AND WATCH THE SHOW ON THE WB. YOU WON'T REGRET IT. IT LIKE A BONUS. ROSWELL IS GREAT READ IT.

Pretty Good
This book was pretty good, but ever since they changed the models for the cover to the people form the show i've been mad. Every body has got to admit, the Max on the old cover was WAY better looking than the one on the new cover. Same with Micheal, and Alex too. And they all fit the descriptions too. The new Max has dark eyes not the unusal blue the old one in the book has, IT MAKE ME SOOO MAD! they should at least print a cover with the old models so that some of us can be happy. ... Read more

Book Description

Set between Episode I and Episode II, JEDI QUEST traces the emergence and education of Anakin Skywalker as a young Jedi devoted to the Force -- and tempted by its dark side. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Its all about Anakin and his evolution
Anakin is about 14 years old here so this story is -27 BNH on the timeline. Of course, the story is all about Anakin. Where Anakin is only 12 in the Rogue Planet mission and still acts more like a child, here he is 14 and wants to exert more influence in the decision-making. Anakin makes his first friend, because they share a love of machines and ships, Tru. The story is dumbed down of course, but not bad. For reasons that are only to enhance the story, the masters leave the Padawan's behind, finding themselves cutoff. With the masters gone, the Padawan's must work together to solve problems.

Anakin learns to cooperate with a fellow Padawan Ferus (Padawan of Siri Tachi) who is well liked by his fellow Padawan's and also a good leader. The continuing curiosity in any 'Prequel' book is how Anakin becomes Darth Vader, and how Vader does kill off all the Jedi. Jude Watson does advance the character study of Anakin Skywalker.

Windu hasn't gone stupid yet, or at least Palpatine hasn't started messing with the Jedi yet. Hence, Windu sends 4 masters and their Padawan's to a system with 2 inhabited planets where a plague or virus has broken out on one. One of my theories of the fall of the Jedi is Windu's failure to adequately deal with crises. Here is an example where Windu sent significant force to deal with a crisis.

This is a book written for 9 to 12 year olds, but I enjoyed Jude Watson handling of Anakin. I am pleased that the decision was made to put this book on unabridged Audio cassettes. I have almost every Star Wars audio book ever made up to NJO Star by Star. Davis is an experienced SW reader and does a great job.

Ooh
This book has an excellent story line. Nicely written! It's about the apprentice and master(Anakin and Obi-Wan) The Jedi council gives them a mission as well as other teams of Padawans and apprentices on a mission. Read to find out the mission and the rest of the story!
PS: Oh don't think this book is childish. It has rich vocabulary.

Action Packed Jedi
Star Wars Jedi Quest: The Way Of The Apprentice is an action and adventure book. It has light saber battles, droid killing and ships blowing up.
This book is about a boy named Anikan. He is a padawan. His master is Obi-Wan Kanobi (a jedi knight). He and three other jedi teams need to go to another planet because there is a toxic cloud killing all the creatures on this planet. Anikan needs to work with his rival to save the planet.
If you like adventures with action, this is the book for you.

TRAIL is Book 2 and begins the continuing story.
This a review for Trail of the Jedi, TOTJ. Trail is the 2nd book in the Jedi Quest series and I am reviewing both the Unabridged audio casette and the paperback.

In TOTJ Obi-Wan feels that he are Anakin are not as close as they should be. So he plans a 10 day exercise on a very sparsely inhabited planet where he and Anakin must work together in a game of hind and go seek with an experienced Jedi Master.

Of course things start to go wrong right away in the hunt. Also, Anakin and Obi-Wan do not understand each other. In the end they both learn a little something about each other, but they also learn that someone want to kill them. The hunt is resolved in this book, but the Identity of the killer is not and will be continued in future books of this series.
The audio book is extremely well done by veteran SW reader Davis. The story here is defineately simplified for younger readers, but for completists like me, Watson dioes a nice job exploring the interactions between Ben and the future Vader.
In the first book Anakin learns to cooperate with a fellow Padawan Ferus (Padawan of Siri Tachi) who is well liked by his fellow Padawans and also a good leader. The continuing curiosity in any Prequel book is how Anakin and Obi-Wan loss each other such that Anakin becomes Darth Vader
Jude Watson does advance the character study of Anakin Skywalker.

This is a book written for 9 to 12 year olds, but I enjoyed Jude Watson handling of Anakin. I am pleased that the decision was made to put this book on unabridged Audio cassettes. I have almost every Star Wars audio book ever made up to NJO Star by Star. Davis is an experienced SW reader and does a great job.

Its all about ANAKIN.
Anakin is about 14 years old here so this story is -27 BNH on the timeline. Of course, the story is all about Anakin. Where Anakin is only 12 in the Rogue Planet mission and still acts more like a child, here he is 14 and wants to exert more influence in the decision-making. Anakin makes his first friend, because they share a love of machines and ships, Tru. The story is dumbed down of course, but not bad. For reasons that are only to enhance the story, the masters leave the Padawan's behind, finding themselves cutoff. With the masters gone, the Padawan's must work together to solve problems.

Anakin learns to cooperate with a fellow Padawan Ferus (Padawan of Siri Tachi) who is well liked by his fellow Padawan's and also a good leader. The continuing curiosity in any "Prequel" book is how Anakin becomes Darth Vader, and how Vader does kill off all the Jedi. Jude Watson does advance the character study of Anakin Skywalker.

Windu hasn't gone stupid yet, or at least Palpatine hasn't started messing with the Jedi yet. Hence, Windu sends 4 masters and their Padawan's to a system with 2 inhabited planets where a plague or virus has broken out on one. One of my theories of the fall of the Jedi is Windu's failure to adequately deal with crises. Here is an example where Windu sent significant force to deal with a crisis.

This is a book written for 9 to 12 year olds, but I enjoyed Jude Watson handling of Anakin. I am pleased that the decision was made to put this book on unabridged Audio cassettes. I have almost every Star Wars audio book ever made up to NJO Star by Star. Davis is an experienced SW reader and does a great job. ... Read more

Book Description

While traveling through Colorado, Liz sees a vision of Maria being chased through a large house. Needless to say, the van then mysteriously breaks down right in front of a creepy old mansion. Tired of being pushed around by fate, the group decides to spend the night. But what they find hidden inside the house forces them all to face a powerful enemy, Max to make a decision about his leadership abilities, and Liz to reconsider her role in the group now that her powers are developing.

Looks like the battles they fought back in Roswell aren't entirely over. And while the group knows they have changed their destiny by leaving Roswell, they begin to wonder how much they are really in control. Liz can see the future, but when they act on her visions, are they changing or simply carrying out their destiny? ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A much better effort.
Nightscape is a much better effort by Kevin Ryan (and his editors) after the rather poor 'A New Beginning'.

Once again this is no literary masterpiece and if that were the sole criteria, I would have only given it one star. However as an extension of the Roswell TV series I have given it 4 stars as it fills that role well.

As other reviewers have said, it is a good suspense story with a rather surprising twist. Often these twists are broadcast or are so obvious that they lack the element of surprise. This one surely didn't and I was taken aback when it was revealed.

This book is a must for Roswell fans.

Excellent suspense/mystery story w/great characterization!
This was the second of two new Roswell novels written by author Kevin Ryan. The first of the two was "A New Beginning", which was not that great a book. Well, "Nightscape" is the complete opposite in terms of quality compared to the first book. I actually sat down and read the whole book in four and a half hours. I couldn't put it down it was so good.

Unlike the last book, the author gets to the main action and interest of the story fairly quickly. After having an encounter with the Special Unit while traveling through Washington state, the group drives down a deserted logging road and finds a spooky old manshion to hide in for the night. During their stay, things happen to convince them they are not alone in the house, and the group end up encountering an evil from their past.

The plot of this book is a great mixture of character exploration and suspense. I'll start by analyzing the character development:

Max is really shown as being tired of having to take the lead all the time in this book, taking the time for the group to vote on even small decisions. He is determined to protect his friends, sister, and the girl he loves, but finds failure in his past efforts to do so, and wants to make up for it in the present. Liz is also exploring her powers more, and how they may be used to help Max and her friends.

Michael and Maria are really explored well in this book. Michael is shown as having felt freer than ever before. Now, he has firmly concluded that Maria is his future. Just as this happens, Maria is deliberately pushing Michael away. But, the reason she is doing so is logical. She knows about Liz's premonitions about how Max, Michael, and Isabel, all die in the future during some alien attack. She is afraid to let Michael get close to her again because she is afraid of the pain she would feel in losing him.

Isabel is really shown to be at a crossroads. She is stepping into a new life, but is looking back at the one she is leaving behind. She spends a lot of thought on how Alex's death has affected her, and how it may relate to her marriage to Jesse that she has given up. The events of this story allow her a chance to explore some of her emotional baggage and confront some of the feelings she has been suppressing for a long time, since Alex's death. Kyle doesn't get much play in this book, but he is shown as wanting to be closer to Isabel, and risking his life to save her from a powerful enemy.

Now, for the plot. This is really a suspense/mystery novel. It almost reminds me of a classic haunted house story, but with a twist regarding who is shown to be behind some of the spookiness of the house. The atmosphere of the old house they end up in has a sense of otherwordly presence, but one that is rather sophisticated, not relying on chains rattling and moans in the night. Isabel also connects with the unseen forces she thinks are may be at work in the house in ways that really draw out her emotions and aid in her exploration of her past, especially her loos of Alex.

As they explore the house, I was really interested in just why certain things are the way they are in the house. The reader continues to be drawn into the spooky and mysterious atmosphere, and can't wait to read on to see what the answer to all of it is. Then, in an action packed climax of the book, the group is in an all out battle for their lives against an evil foe who has occupied the house. All extremely well carried out by Kevin Ryan in his story.

There are also some funny moments along the way, such as when Max and Michael chase away some Special Unit guys who try to capture them before they even get to the old mansion. Plus, I am convinced Kevin Ryan must be an Andy Griffith fan. In the last book, he had a mechanic named Gomer. In this book, the group runs into a Sheriff named Taylor. All that was missing was a deputy named Barney and a little boy named Opie.

I highly recommend reading "Nightscape". It was trully an excellent book. Just give yourself a few hours, though, when you pick it up. Once you do, you are not going to want to put it down.

the roswell legend continues
this book you can call part 2 of "a new beginning". our 6 teenagers find themselves in the state of oregon when they run into trouble. they pull off the road onto a side road and run across a deserted mansion and decide to spend the night. they soon start to get the suspicion that they are not alone and that something or someone is haunting the mansion. they also find that no matter how far they run that they cannot escape their past for it will come back to haunt them. this book starts out brilliantly but the climax to me was someone of a letdown. i loved keven ryan's first book "a new beginning" but this one was not nearly as good. it seems he ran out of ideals and had to improvise and that ruined a lot of the climax. but to all roswell fans who miss the show dearly, it is worth reading and i can't wait until "pursuit" hits the bookstores. ... Read more

Book Description

You can shine no matter what you're made of.

Rodney Copperbottom arrives in Robot City to find corruption and chaos everywhere. Will he be able to find his hero, Bigweld, and turn the city around, or will the evil Ratchet prove to be too much for a young robot from the country? Join Rodney and his friends, the Rusties, on their quest to save the city and in their fight to save themselves.

Relive the excitement of the big-screen adventure with this photo-packed storybook!

Book Description

Mara Jade is beautiful, intelligent--and deadly! She is the personal assassin of the Empire`s dark overlord. But after the Emperor`s death, an unforeseen variable is about to enter the scene of her final mission, the assassination of the leader of the Black Nebula crime organization. Though her master is dead, Jade must complete her final mission...even if it costs her life! ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Definitely worth it. :-)
(First off to that reviewer who all but said anyone who loved Mara Jade had a mud-for-brains mentality: grow up. I don't care if you dislike Mara or not, but if you're going to flame those who do like her- at least justify your opinion somewhat, like the other anti-Mara reviewer did, or you're just as guilty of being as stupid as you say we apparently are.) Anyway: I adored this series; it's what turned me on to the comic series side of SW. The art was wonderful: almost exactly how I pictured Mara-- beautiful yet deadly and *not* a Pamela Lee-esque bimbo, and the other characters were done well too-- the artist's style fits in very well with Star Wars, IMO. The storyline gave a very good look at Mara's character, probably what I loved best about this series, and you can very easily see this woman developing into the woman we see in the books later on-- this probably in part to her own creator being one of the writers. It was well-developed and worthy of the previous work I've seen from Zahn and Stackpole-- oh heck, I'll just say it. I *loved* this series! :)

A rare comic that's a must purchase
Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand is one of those rare comics that has great art, smooth storyline, commendable dialogue and genuine depth. Co-authored by Stackpole and Zahn, two of Star Wars' more popular novelists known for quality output. The result here is another of their hits you expect when collaborative craniums work well.

The quality of art shines bright, considering the comic dates back to a period where quality and art are not what they are now. You can just tell efforts were made to add extra ice to this cream, the way the front credits were specially done. Characters and climates, scenery and locale, were all highly rendered and coloured well. This is definitely one of your more 3D-ish comics, and worth the purchase if just for that.

Dialogue is what you'd expect from usual Stackpole and Zahn efficiency: quick, creative and inventive. Mara's persona here, in her Imperial days, lends her a cool competence matched only by her slick lines. The support cast isn't left out, and while I haven't quite worked out who oversaw what issues, the authors are at their vintage best here.

What makes this comic stand out from the mediocre variety out there is its creativity and effort to give just a little more for readers. The sheer range of aliens is both amazing and appreciated, both the familiar denizens and all new ones just for a show here and there. Alien species ranged from the typical to exotic to comical. Mara's is never without a way of working, and the inventive methods of working past obstacles speak highly of the writers' imagination behind her.

The storyline itself is simple and enough: eliminate Black Nebula's crimelord, who fancies himself the heir of the recently toppled Black Sun criminal network. Having failed to kill Skywalker at Jabba's palace, this she does easily. Too easily; and when her Emperor master bites the dust, she resolves to finish the job.

Nice use of Isard and Pestage, and why Mara earns her wrath. Good to see a dark-skinned man, that Imperial tech. It's rather rare to get that in comics, when humans are predominantly fair skinned. Humour, of course, wasn't lacking. The bartender alien looked like that Dexter from AOTC, his voice easily imagined.

There were some faults to note, small but noticeable as they were. The facial likeness of Strok was given to other Imperial army officers, which can confuse readers at the end. The end page itself just sorted of finished . . . perhaps a bit too abruptly and not slow enough. Mara doesn't complete her mission till almost the last page.

Further more, she does an astonishing amount to self-thinking. Thought-bubbles were everywhere, which you will find common in books but sort of gave the bemused impression the lady sure speaks a lot to herself! Almost every panel had text in which, factored into the full 144 pages, slows down reading and makes for a long comic here.

While I had problems with Jabba "just" giving Mara a speeder to get away from him when she arouses his suspicions, overall, omitting this nifty slight of work is outright criminal, and with such high standards of excellence it's well worth your $$.

YOU WILL MARRY LUKE SKYWALKER!!!
This is a review of Mara Jade ' By the Emperors Hand a comic TPB which collects 6 issues. ISBN 1569714010 published Sept 1999 and made in Canada.

This is a beautifully done comic given the technology available at the time, 1999. Visually the artwork took the time to draw the panels at a higher quality level than was usually done in the late 90's. Artwork gets 4 stars.

Inking and lay out is a step up from, but still has the newspaper comic strip appearance. The inking and color selections are subdued so I grade at 3.5 because it lacks the richness that Dark horse is capable of, but not displayed in this comic.

Story but Zahn and Stackpole oh my' Story is worth any quibbling about art and ink, though this is a comic as in a visual story. The story is 4.5 and pulls the overall grade up to 4 stars.

This is written almost as a companion to Zahn trilogy that revived the EU. We also see Mara in Jabba's fortress. The cover shows Mara with a Red light saber, but she wields a purple one throughout the book. Old Red eye ' blue eye Isard is in this story.

JediMack! Only 4 stars? This is arguably the best comic produced in its timeframe given the technology that existed in 1999. The binding is superior, which is good because this book has been re-read and seen some abuse and was made well enough to take it. I must reserve 5 star ratings for the best of the best, and in future years dark horse starts producing comic that are jaw dropping gorgeous with rich coloring and awesome penciling.

Excellent! Fun and Interesting...
This has to be one of the most truly entertaining comic books I've ever read. The storyline is awesome, the graphics are awesome, and most of all, Mara herself is awesome. This story focuses entirely on her, (making it a definite must of you're a Mara fan at all) and follows her from shortly before the Emperor's death, to perhaps a year afterwards, long before she came to be in Talon Karrde's smuggler organization. After failing utterly in her mission to kill Luke Skywalker, Mara is determined to make it up to her master in the next one: destroy the head of Black Nebula (a branch-off of Black Sun). And this she accomplishes easily. Too easily perhaps? But all fades into the backround when her world comes to a violent end in the death of her beloved master... Far from just another depthless, action saturated drone, (though there is plenty of action) this is also in a lot of ways a character story, as it subtly let's us see other, kinder sides of Mara. Though at times she does some pretty awful, heartless things without batting an eyelash, we can forgive her because we know she has one. As I sais before, this book would be great for any Star Wars fan, though I would recommend being at least fairly well versed in the Expanded Universe, otherwise you most likely won't know who most of these people are.

Good Book for those who take the time to read it
What's the problem with Mara Jade? She's one of the best female characters in the SW universe! Who would you prefer, Admiral Daala, who rose to a high rank in the Navy despite the fact she doesn't know the first thing about naval combat? And just look at how Mara adapted- she did her job one way, with all of Palpatine's toys, then relearned her trade when those toys were robbed from her. What else do you want? An no brains? Read that escape from Isard and tell me that. You try to escape people who can control the air you breath. Or is it you were too lazy to read all of the text? But enough ranting and onto the review.

My appreciation of this book tended to grow the more I read over it. As I pointed out in my ranting, you have to read all the text and get a grip on the situation to fully grasp it. After reading through a lot of the scenes I've pretty mcuhed surmised that Zahn and Stackpole must have drawn out maps of a lot of the areas just to write the story, its so detailed. Very good work there.

Zahn and Stackpole are also my favorite authors, I should point out, as compared to Anderson and his horribly botched attempts to write dialogue. Whatever the case, if you bother to read it all and use your brain to some extent, you'll discover a lot of the scenes are very well written and mapped out. Kudos to Zahn & Stackpole for that.

The art is good, but I still find it to be a bit un-Star Wars-ish. I barely recognize any of the numerous alien species. that said, its still quite good and keeps a good sense of movement and lots of details. (Very important.)

As I said in my rant, its also important to note Mara's transistion. She goes from the Emperor's Hand with all of her toys and gadgets to Mara Jade, scavenging what she has and being a bit more creative.

And she does have a heart. She realizes the consequences of her failures and how they hurt innocent people. And that she has to make things right. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that the whole point of the bloody thing?

Oh, yes. Reccomended. ... Read more

Reviews (33)

More than just girls in sailor suits!
Sailor Moon is an excellently written story. If you thought the first and second book were great, you ain't seen nothin yet! The plot in this book is a little hard to follow, but you'll catch on. The artwork is as always, gorgeous. This is more than just a story on fighting girls in sailor suits. It's about four girls who are princesses of planets, another girl who is princess of the moon, falls in love with prince of the earth....anyway, they are STRONG girls, sometimes protecting guys (hehe) and have major roles. It's more than what meets the eye. So if you love beautiful artwork, great storylines, cool enemies and of course great GIRL characters, get this book! But be sure to get 1 and 2 1st. :)

book #3 contiues the wonderful story
This book is another master piece by Naoko Takeuchi. The third book continues the story of Sailor Moon and her Scouts. In it is their first visit to the moon. This book also has the start of the Scouts' first big fight for the world with the Queen of Evil. But beware: you have to read book #4 to finish it. A truely enchanting book; I recomend it to any person who enjoys Sailor Moon.

The Best!
One of the best in the series! Sailor Moon is going through a lot in this book and it is absolutely superb how the author puts the amazing pictures and fantastic dialogue together to tell a heart wrenching story of love. Parts of this series make me cry because of the emotional turmoil in these stories. Absolutely wonderful book in a marvelous series! I give it high regards!

Very Good...........but.................
I have been a SM fan for quiet awhile. In fact, it was my very first anime! Soon after my love of Sailor Moon began I started liking Tenchi Muyo, Card Captors, Ranma 1/2, and so-on. It's a great series. Though the "action" scenes fall flat, it is very funny and the charectors are interesting. My favorite SM's are the ones where they show the scouts just doing everyday things and going to school. ...

Sailor Moon novel #3
Fantastic! I couldn't put it down. It was very tense- from the evil shell that used to be Endymion, to the near-death of Luna and Sailor Venus, to the repeated suicide of Princess Serenity. Very passionate and profound. And did I mention the artwork? Beatuiful! ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Beginnings of the world's greatest heroes
The Avengers were initially an obvious recipe for success - take a number of characters already supporting their own comics and bring them together as a group, an idea as old as the Justice Society of America. So, in the debut issue, we have Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, Ant-man and the Wasp joining forces as an unexpected consequence of a plot by Loki against his half-brother, Thor.

However, the ideas changed quickly as the Hulk left and teamed-up with the Sub-mariner to fight his former allies and was replaced by Captain America, a World War 2 hero frozen between then and the 60s. And then again, to suddenly have all the original members depart, leaving Cap with Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, three super-villains seeking to reform, as his teammates.

The stories in this volume represent a fairly diverse bunch, showing both the best and worst aspects of Stan Lee's writing at the time. Interesting team dynamics, where the characters are not always each others' friends, villains with motives beyond the banal, references to events in other titles, secrets and subplots that aren't resolved in a single story all show the hallmarks of a writer seeking to develop a loyal following. At the same time, we have blatant sexism and racism, villains with banal motives and some very hokey dialogue.

The art is OK, the early Jack Kirby issues not his best work, and I've never been fond of Don Heck's art. It seems a little odd to be reading these stories in black and white, although this obviously keeps the price down.

If you want to see how one of the best super-hero team series started out, get this.

Earth's Mightiest Heroes---in the Mighty Marvel Manner!
As good as the early Fantastic Four issues were, the Avengers took the superteam concept to a whole new level. Here was a team formed for the noblest of goals, thrown together by the machinations of an evil immortal only to turn the tables and begin the legendary association which would have teenagers all over the world shouting "Avengers Assemble!" in their backyards.

"Essential Avengers vol. 1" captures the first 24 issues of the classic series, scripted by Stan Lee and illustrated by Jack Kirby and Don Heck. If the first appearances of Kang the Conqueror, Immortus, and the Masters of Evil aren't enough for you, pick this collection up for Avengers # 4, the return of Captain America. This alone is enough to mark a substantial return on your investment for this book.

Highly recommended to all comics fans and X-Men fanatics who need a primer in how team books used to be written.

Chaff
The hulk joins the circus to escape from the Avengers (this is issue 1), and Ant-man shows up and defeats him by having his ants quickly dig a tunnel that causes the ground under him to collapse. What?

Then captain america is discovered imprisoned in a block of ice, where he is worshipped by Eskimos. Eskimos don't worship frozen human beings. And why is he still frozen, even though they've hauled him out of the water onto solid land?

Then - get this - most of the Avengers decide to 'leave the team' and hire new heroes to replace them. Considering how loose-knit the group is (most of them don't live at the Mansion; and they already have their own adventures apart from the Avengers in their own books), what does it mean to 'resign from the Avengers'?

Then, they hire three super-villains who have reformed within the last two or three months to replace them. Why trust these jokers. This issue (16) is the worst in this book.

Forgettable junk
Ant-man defeats the Hulk by having ants tunnel under him, collapsing the ground on which he is standing. Silly.

"Immortus" has the power to bring historical figures into the present to fight the heroes. Why would these figures agree to fight, once they were brought here?

Then the original team disbands, and decides the replace themselves with another set of heroes? Why? They were obviously a pretty loose-knit team to begin with, since Thor, Iron Man, and Giant-Man frequently undertook adventures in their own books without summoning the others. It's not like they all lived at the Avengers mansion.

So to replace themselves, who do they pick? A bunch of super-villains who have just recently declared they are going to become good guys. Why believe them?

Companion piece for this great graphic novel
As great as this graphic novel was by itself, I know of one helluva great companion piece in the form of a book entitled "The Adventures of Darkeye: Cyber Hunter" whose odd manner of having log-entries over chapters seems almost like the script for a graphic novel, even though it is in the science fiction/high-tech and cyberpunk genre along with books like "Cryptonomicon", "Snow Crash", "Prey", and "Altered Carbon". Very fast-paced and visual as well as being very exciting due to its action-packed pages. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Reenact the adventures of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 with this fun and informative sticker book. Jam-packed with over 60 full-color stickers of the characters and situations from these popular Disney movies, the book is sure to be a hit with every fan! The eight-page booklet provides an outline for each image, with a descriptive caption. From the four-page insert, choose the correct sticker--it'll fit perfectly in the available space. For example, next to an outline of a sassy cowgirl is the caption "Yodeler: Jessie, the Yodeling Cowgirl, was Woody's spirited sidekick in the Woody's Roundup gang. She was once a little girl's favorite toy, but when the girl grew too old for dolls, Jessie suffered the heartbreak of being given away to charity." You'll find this bowlegged charmer inside the insert, waiting to join her caption. The booklet is divided into four categories: Andy's Room, Woody's Roundup, Sid's World, and The Outside World. Or venture "outside the box" and use the stickers to make an all-new picture book, complete with stories to fit the characters! Stickers can be used more than once if applied carefully. Just peel 'em off and stick 'em on again! (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (2)

stickers do not stick
I've got to agree with scoobiedo.The stickers DO NOT STICK in this book.After spending a good bit of time putting the stickers in the proper place, they were peeling off in no time.Also, the story is just ok--not that great.What I thought would be a fun book turned out to be a great disappointment.

this is SO not a STICKER book
My son LOVES Buzz Lightyear and all of the characters from Toy Story, so this book seemed like a logical choice. There is one very important problem..the stickers do NOT stick. The stickers are in the middle of the book, you pull them off and place them over the corresponding picture, however, they literally fall off the page..not so much fun at all. The stickers are great looking..but if you buy this book, get ready to use your glue stick..you WILL need it! ... Read more

Book Description

Get a closer look at Alex, Marty, Gloria, and Melman, the stars of this hilarious animated movie from Dreamworks, the producers of Shrek and Shrek 2. This comprehensive guide is packed with enough movie stills, information about the characters and plot, and interesting facts about the island of Madagascar to satisfy even the wildest fan. ... Read more

Book Description

Samhain: 10/31, or Halloween -- traditionally a time to reflect, a time of divination, and a time to honor the ancients. But Phoebe's plans to communicate with her ancestors are cut short when she's recruited to help reunite a star-crossed, magical couple.

Yule: 12/22, or the winter solstice, and the longest night of the year. And when Paige enters an all-night party at a local club, she finds herself at the center of an evil plot to bring about permanent midnight.

Imbolc: 2/1, a time when the earliest hopes for spring are fostered and seeds are planted for dreams of the coming summer months. But Piper can't look toward the future -- and having children with Leo -- when her half-whitelighter, half-witch sister's powers are on the fritz. Is a hybrid baby destined for doom? ... Read more

Reviews (7)

7th Grade Reader
I am a very huge fan of this show so I was absolutly interested in this book. The individual stories for each sister was great. I enjoyed each section. With each section I became more engrossed with this book. Please, the writers of this book, make a 2nd volume for us to buy!! Anyways, this book was great, if you like the show, you'll love this book, if you don't know the show, you'll STILL love it!!!

seasons of paige?
this is a good book but it focuses mainly on paige not the other sisters, espiecally in piper's story. as a big charmed fan i noticed that in the early paige books they tended to focus on paige there but i thought that was just so that they could establish her character after the lost of prue. but now it seems that she a bigger focus in all the books even though she's now been in more books than the character prue. i think the writers should share out the characters roles more evenly.

this is a good book though in the fact that in infuses a bit of every day practiced wicca into it when it focuses on certain rituals preformed at certain times of the years.

overall it's a good book but not if you've had enough of paige

Nice printing
The best thing about this book is the appearance. It's got cool cover and nice printing. It uses better quality paper (whiter - very friendly to the eyes). Larger than usual Charmed books. The first and second story are good but the last one is a bit boring. If you're a Charmed fans, buy it anyway. It's good addition to your collection.

the seasons of paige
Although I thought this was a great charmed book because it had a separate story for each of the charmed sisters I did find that two of them were more centred on Paige even in Pipers story it was nearly all about Paige's problem with orbing. However the stories were good I just think that Holly Marie Combs should get a bit more attention

not bad
this book has three short stories. the first story has pheobe performing a spell to contact a halliwell witch from the past. she is hoping to contact prue but instead a witch comes from the past in search of her love. this is all well and good but there are evil forces at work that will try to prevent this from happening. this story was a little too predictable and luckily the next 2 get a lot better.

the second story finds paige going out to a new club on the longest night of the year for an all night. little do the party goers know but the club owner has sinister plans that will let the evil doers (such as demons and vampires) have a party all of their own with the human race at their mercy. this was a very well thought out story and easily the best of the three.

the third story is just plain funny. piper is having serious worries when she thinks that she is pregnant. she thinks that having a child who will be half witch half whitelighter will be more than she can handle especially when paige's orbing is totally out of control and she ends up in some of the most amusing places. the ending here was a little boring but the story was good and funny.

i think all charmed fans will enjoy this book. it is a enough of a distraction to keep you interested but not too long that you get tired of the story. ... Read more