This is a book I only recently finished. I can honestly say I really enjoyed it. The blurb on the back describes it as "post-cyberpunk, post-modern, totally unique". I'd agree with the totally unique, but I would classify it under Cyberpunk. At least according to Bruce Sterling's definition.

The book starts with a somewhat chopped, yet not fast-paced, introduction to the main character, Malise, a child of muslim parents, brought up in the West in a world where Europe is unified, and soon to be dominated by that and other religions. Her childhood is dominated by the after effects of a war and a very strange relationship with her father.

After a series of scenes from her childhood, we jump to the 'present day', where she has just come 'downwell' to Earth after spending too many years in space combat. We learn that her brain is wired up to data-fat -- military hardware that she should have checked in at customs, so to speak.

Later, she witnesses a gruesome murder with the enhanced powers supplied by her data-fat. She soon gets a visit from two grey-suited men who want information on the murder. Shortly after that she gets another visit from a larger group of people and things get exciting.

The novel really shifts into high gear at this point, and far too much happens for me to relate here. It would also spoil the plot.

Just past half-way through the novel, we get a flashback that, at first appears totaly out of place, and in fact for me, killed the pace. But it turns out to be well timed, as we learn many interesting things from both Malise's history and the recent history of Earth.

The pace then picks up again, interspersed with more, shorter, flashbacks which now take on a semblance of a sub plot, with two stories, past and present, alternating, and showing signs of coming together to an interesting climax.

This sort-of happens, in fact, but not before introducing a third, parallel to the present day, plot acted out entirely in a 'virtual space' very different than anything Gibson ever came up with.

I shan't give the ending away, sufficing to say I was left with a feeling of completeness after the fast paced end.

All in all a great read.

I have read almost everything by ROGER ZELAZNY.
His series is called THE AMBER NOVELS
The series starts with the book ; NINE PRINCES IN AMBER and the series is 11 books long .
DO NOT miss out on this series.
Overall Rating: B+
Content: PG Fantasy
Score: A
If you have read this series your comments or additions are welcome .....

This is the first series by Stephen Donaldson, of his anti-hero Thomas Covenant.
I call him an anti-hero because, despite being the main character, and occasional doer of heroic deeds, this is a man who is, to put it mildly, not very nice.
But, I get ahead of myself...

The series starts in modern times and features a man who is a leper. A person who has actually contracted leprosy! He is bitter, self-centred, self-pitying man, who believes the world probably owes him some compensation for his terrible disease. He, like Alice, somehow finds himself in a fantasy land, where strange creatures abound, and things are not as they seem. He finds that his leprosy his in remission, if not being reversed in this land. This imparts him with a certain vitality...

After some cowardly and dispicable acts, (I told you he wasn't very nice), he gets in with the natives who regard him as the fullfillment of some prophecy, due in part to his white gold wedding ring. Unfortunately they expect him to be an evil-thwarting, sword wielding hero.

No way! He manages to scrape by entirely by accident. Spending most of his time hiding, running away, blaming other people for his wrongdoings, and so on.

If this sounds, a bit crappy, or even comic, be assured it is not. Stephen Donaldson has written a dark, powerful, spellbinding series of books. The characterisations are riveting, as much for the fantasy characters as for the absolute human-ness of the main character. He is not a sword-weilding hero, he really is a human being, with all the cowardly, twisted, self-serving traits that people have in the face of adversity. (OK I haven't actually met anyone as nasty as Thomas Covenant, but I've read about them).

This series, and the second, and the book of short stories set in the same land, are highly recommended.

The second time I read them (I've managed three times now), I was out of work, and I sat down and read all seven books, about 2,500 pages, in 7 days, doing almost nothing else for 12 or more hours at a stretch. A bit extreme perhaps, but you really should read these books if you get the chance.

The titles are as follows:
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever

1. Lord Foul's Bane  Order Now from IBS!
2. The Illearth War  Order Now from IBS!
3. The Power That Preserves  Order Now from IBS!

The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

1. The Wounded Land  Order Now from IBS!
2. The One Tree  Order Now from IBS!
3. White Gold Wielder  Order Now from IBS!

Short stories (set in the same land).

1. Daughter of Regals and Other Tales  Order Now from IBS!

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The Time God is my favorite book. It is about what it would be like to be a god. If you are into being an all powerfull god, then this is the book for you! I don't want to say much more, except that the book is part sci-fi and part fantasy. Oh heck, it's mostly fantasy but, with some tek thrown in just so you can see how useless tek is against a god!
READ THIS BOOK ! ! !
stonehenge

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