Science Fiction Books > 10 GBP to 14 GBP Science Fiction Books > M

Enter the Dragon

Advantages: Epic character based fantasy
Disadvantages: plot slightly weak

...you should know about the Dragonlance series is that there are many many books in it. There are however only a handful that are classed as 'First Tier'. What that means is that only these are the books that have been written by the original authors (Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman) and they tell the main story. All the other Dragonlance books tell other stories that are in some way related to the main story theme (ie. books about each of the characters ...
...world of evil. What makes Dragonlance slightly different is the fantastic character development. This is without a doubt the strong point of the book and the whole series. The story is brilliant, but nothing too original. The story revolves around a group of friends who get together at the start. You have the twins Raistlin and Caramon who are as different from each other as night and day. Raistlin is a moody young mage in hopes of becoming the ...

Wahla 03.03.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Dragonlance Chronicles - Tracy Hickman, Margaret Weis

Soldier or Terrorist?

Advantages: An entertaining read and a warning
Disadvantages: Many will be put off as it is classified as Science-fiction and Military.

The Weapon by Michael Z Williamson. This is a hard cover book published in August 2005 in U.S.A. So what is 'The Weapon'? Many will tell you that it is a sword, knife or even a gun. In this case it is a human man, a soldier. Not a conscript but one who volunteered to be there. Not any kind of superman but one who has gone through an intense form of military training. Lots of push ups, and sit ups and running. All designed to build up a very fit ...
...that he is one of the best. You will have a highly trained soldier. Not one without feelings, one who will get the job done with out pity or too much emotion, but one who will feel and grieve for the innocent. This is the hero of this tale. One Kenneth Chinran, who is an operative in the special Black Operations of the Freehold Military Force. These are the elite special forces, so special that they are not acknowledged to exist, though every body ...

Coloneljohn 05.11.2006 · Read full review
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Review of The Weapon - Michael Z. Williamson

A military Dilemma

Advantages: an enjoyable read
Disadvantages: not to everybody's taste. Classified as military sci-fi

...his home would make a better soldier being more motivated to defend it. This does not take into account the training and esprit of either the citizen soldier or the mercenary. It appears to be a rather common belief among some that mercenaries have no ethical or moral code of behaviour. Many mercenary companies at this time engeged in elaborate manourvers to make it impossible for an enemy to actually fight without actually engaging in any fighting. ...
...will be familiar with." Its better to get forgiveness than to obtain permission" is the full quote. When dealing with a very large bureaucracy it sometimes is almost impossible to get them to make a decision.(If nobody actually makes a decision then its nobodies actual fault) A situation can arise than needs to be addressed at once and if you have to wait for permission an opportunity can be lost. So hence the quote. Sometimes military situations ...

Coloneljohn 01.03.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Better to Beg Forgiveness - Michael Z. Williamson

Freedom or Slavery?

Advantages: A very thoughtful read.
Disadvantages: Many will be put off by it being military science fiction.

...is just one place, the Freehold of Grainne. A system that has declared itself to be non aligned with any power block already in existence, especially the U.N. To get there will require courage and determination. To survive will take even more courage and determination. And so the story starts. This book is classified as science fiction, military and thriller. What it is about is a clash of cultures. There is a military element in it but that is used ...
...For the society on Freehold is a totally alien one. It is composed of humans but there are major differences from what we may be used to. For a start there is very little government, hardly any crime and virtually no police. What there is is a personal acceptance of responsibility. We follow the progress of Kendra who arrives in an alien city with no job and no money. Employment, food and housing need to be obtained. The book is a large book, some ...

Coloneljohn 01.11.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Freehold - Michael Z. Williamson

Closer to Heaven

Advantages: Great character building
Disadvantages: A little slow paced for my taste

Fantasy and science fiction are genres that mesh well together. Some authors have written successfully across both genres, but not usually in the same story. Jaine Fenn has managed to combine both in one book and it's an interesting read. One night, a stranger is found lying unconscious in a bog just outside the village of Dangwern. He appears to have come from nowhere and, apart from a strange piece of cloth lying near his naked body, there is nothing ...
...Unfortunately, this includes the stranger himself, as he is suffering from amnesia and has no idea even where he is, much less how he came to be there. Fortunately for Sais, as he is nicknamed, the boy who finds him is "sky touched". This means he is soon to travel to the City of Lights to be tested to see if he is worthy of being a consort of the goddesses. The village elders permit Sais and the boy's mother Kerin to accompany him to see if anyone ...

Soho_Black 19.12.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Consorts of Heaven - Jaine Fenn