Book Description
Prince Dar of the Westlands calls the new fortress of Zakh Gral "a dagger laid against our throat." It was built by the Horsekin, ancient enemies of his people. To destroy the threat, the elven prince has called upon his dwarven and human allies. Their leaders know that if the Westlands fall, their own throats will feel the dagger next. Joining them are two powerful dragons, who have their own bitter reasons to hate the Horsekin.
But the fanatical Horsekin have a powerful ally as well, a new goddess. Alshandra's priestesses have announced that She has given Prince Dar's lands to the Horsekin-and that his people must be utterly destroyed.
Customer Reviews:
superb epic high fantasy .......2007-06-02
Some of the Horsekin have civilized themselves and settled in cities but that hasn't abated their thirst for war. They need more lands for their heavy horses to have more pastures and they believe their goddess wants them to have it. The dwarves, the elves and the humans of Deverry are planning to attack Zakh Grel, the fortress they built to stage their battles from. As the men make ready to go to battle, people from 983, over one hundred years ago who have been reincarnated in the present all have a role to play.
Nevyn the herbmaster was a powerful wielder of Dweomer (magic) found the woman he and then her lost to a magic wielder's poor judgment. In the present he is known as Neb a scribe married to the Lady Bronna once known as Morwen. Both possess Dweomer and are ready to defend the borders. Friends and enemies from 983 are all alive in the present and have a role to play in the upcoming war. In the past Gwairyc was a lord who looked down on commoners but in the present he had to earn his lordship and is a great leader of men. Lez Maj, an outlaw in the present was a pedophile in another past incarnation while Mella, now Sidro, an ex-priestess who is Laz's lover. Maj's lover is fascinated by the black and obsidian pyramid made with magic in 983. As the forces of good and evil begin to march, nobody knows what the outcome will be, not even the seers.
The latest Deverry novel contains an epic high fantasy plot that is absolutely spellbinding. The tale is divided into two parts, 983 and the present and the various players who have reincarnated in the present are believable characters taking their personalities from one era and transforming them into something else in this incarnation. Filled with wondrous creatures like talking dragons who are allied against the Horsekin speaking animals and heroes who will fight and die for a cause they believe is just, THE SPIRIT STONES is a wonderful and exciting tale.
Harriet Klausner
This won't disappoint.......2007-06-01
Although I enjoyed Gold Falcon, I was disappointed at its lack of a past life section. Spirit Stone suffers no such lack, and indeed fills in a missing section most satisfactorily. Without wishing to give anything away, this book also expands the action to include the perspective of two unanticipated characters, and arrives at its planned destination with many engrossing detours. Some may gripe at the relative lack of Neb and Branna in this book, but I found it heartening that they don't simply suddenly turn into super magicians over night and solve all the problems, and their story is charmingly told. Can't wait for the final volume in this saga.
Book Description
The next exciting adventure in "The Door Within" Trilogy.
Separated from his friend by a thousand miles and unable to return to The Realm of Glimpses himself, Aidan Thomas needs a way to reach Robby with the message of King Eliam, the one true King.
Enter Antoinette Lynn Reed, a bright but headstrong young lady who believes in the Scrolls of Alleble and has a passion for full-contact Kendo.
When Aidan discovers that Antoinette has been called to enter The Realm, he solicits her help to find Robby's Glimpse before it is too late.
When she arrives in Alleble, however, Antoinette finds the kingdom is in turmoil. Alleble's allies are inexplicably beginning to turn away, renouncing former ties with King Eliam. And there are rumors that the dark Prince of Paragory is seeking an ancient evil to crush Alleble once and for all.
Can Antoinette and a team of Alleble's finest knights learn the secret of Paragory's growing power? And will they be able to stop the rise of the Wyrm Lord?
Customer Reviews:
incredible sequel.......2007-09-20
Definitely a smooth follow-up from the first book. Mr. B pulls you along, then leaves you hanging off a cliff at the end. Definitely do not read this before you have read the first book, but then it is a must-read. Also completely fine for kids but plenty thrilling for those of all ages. Good work, Mr. B!
Exciting Adventure.......2007-02-04
In book two of The Door Within trilogy, Aidan is now a knight in the service of King Eliam of Alleble. Robby, his best friend, is now serving the Prince of Darkness. Aidan is barred from returning to The Realm, but the first day of school he meeds Antoinette Reed, who, like Aidan, is a believer. When King Eliam calls Antoinette to the Realm, Aidan gives her a task; find Robby's Glimpse who serves the Prince of Darkness and win him over to King Eliam.
Paragor, the Prince of Darkness, is waging war against King Eliam, and Antoinette finds herself in the thick of battle. Will she follow the commands of King Eliam, or will she keep her promise to Aidan?
The Rise of the Wyrm Lord is just as good as The Door Within, book one of this trilogy. As the Wrym Lord is unleashed on the Realm, we find a true picture of the battle between good and evil for the hearts of men. This is fantasy fiction at it's best. If you've never read fantasy, The Door Within trilogy is a great place to start.
Awesome!.......2007-01-19
This is a great book!!! Filled with adventure and suspense. The characters really come to life. I would definately recommend it!
The Rise of the Wyrm Lord, by Wayne Thomas Baston.......2006-12-18
When Aidan Thomas learned he was moving away from home and his best friend to live with his eighty-year old ailing grandfather halfway across the country, life turned inside-out. Without Robby, it was back to being un-athletic, unpopular, bullied and pushed around. It was the end of life as he knew it, a new beginning he wanted no part of.
However, Aidan finds the sacred scrolls of Alleble in his grandfather's basement and embarks upon a journey to The Realm, changing his life forever. A place of ancient magic embroiled in war; on one side stands King Eliam - loving, eternal ruler of Alleble, and Paragor - once trusted herald of King Eliam, now evil ruler of the hellish lands of Paragory. In The Realm, Aidan surmounts challenges revealing his true measure, and when he finally returns home, he burns with the desire to impart King Eliam's love to everyone.
Things aren't turning out as great as he'd hoped. While leaving The Realm, he received a disturbing vision, one showing Robby's mirror-self serving Paragor. Worried about Robby's eternal destiny, Aidan emails repeatedly for weeks with no answer, and when he finally does get ahold of Robby, he's distant, guarded, and acting very strange.
Aidan is convinced Robby's in eternal danger, but what can he do? The rules are clear; King Eliam calls a person to The Realm once a lifetime - there's no way he can reach Robby's mirror-self with King Eliam's love.
Enter Antoinette Reed, Aidan's art classmate at his new school. When he sees her artwork - a rendition of Paragory's outer gates, and she sees his, The Seven Fountains of Alleble, they realize the amazing truth: they're both believers of King Eliam, true citizens of Alleble.
Even more astounding; Antoinette receives a ghostly vision of Aidan in warrior dress, and on the back blank pages of her Book of Alleble, the same poem that brought Aidan to The Realm appears. Antoinette has been called to serve King Eliam, but before she goes, Aidan tasks her with a desperate plea - find Robby's Glimpse, and somehow convince him of the truth of King Eliam's love, to save Robby's soul!
When Antoinette arrives in The Realm, she discovers another shocking truth: she is the mirror-self of Lady Gwenne, Aidan's close comrade and friend! Though heartened by this, as well as warmed by her quick friendship with Aidan's Glimpse, Aelic, Antoinette encounters a world in turmoil: imposters have spread everywhere, speaking falsehoods and lies, attempting to destroy alliances with Alleble. Even worse, rumors abound that Paragor seeks to unleash an ancient evil power locked away for centuries. The fearful question lingers: is the rumored Wyrm Lord a myth, a fable - or Paragory's new weapon against Alleble?
The Rise of the Wyrm Lord, the second installment in Wayne Thomas Baston's The Door Within Trilogy, jacks up the action a notch, successfully following up The Door Within. Baston continues to weave classic Bible stories into an intriguing tale, and makes this novel even better than the first - which is not easy to do - by going "off the Biblical" map with the Wyrm Lord and the Seven Sleepers' mythology. The second novel is an excellent tale, building on and improving The Realm mythos.
At first I was disappointed Aidan wasn't returning to The Realm¸ but this offers a fresh new story from Antoinette's perspective. In The Door Within, the characterization was solid, believable, but in this novel they grow and acquire depth in ways most Christian fantasies don't today.
The pace picks up, the threat of the Wyrm Lord and the Seven Sleepers looming over every page. One thing to admire: many writers make the mistake of showing off their hidden bad guys too early, and in this novel, we only get tantalizing, shadowy, menacing glimpses of the Wyrm Lord and his minions. This adds suspense; Baston is now playing the "cruel author", (which we all love so much), by making us wait for the last novel for the pieces to fall into place.
The Rise of the Wyrm Lord ends in a cliffhanger: we are left suspended, in true Empire Strikes Back fashion, without a clue as to what's going to happen next, as we learn that not only is Antoinette in mortal danger, but so is Aidan - even in the "safer, real world". All we can do is trust in King Eliam and his grace, and wait until the series concludes in the final novel, The Final Storm.
"Adventures are funny things...".......2006-12-14
In my review for "The Door Within", the first book in the trilogy, I said that the beginning-->middle of the book is bad and that the middle-->end of the book is excellent. "The Rise of the Wyrm Lord" is much like that, except it is more divided.
The beginning of the book far surpasses the beginning of book one. Aidan has evolved into a likable character, and his daily non-Realm life is interesting, especially when he meets Antoinette.
The middle of the book, in which Antoinette enters the Realm, becomes problematic. "The Door Within" is plot-driven as opposed to character-driven, and that isn't a problem. However, the plot here requires heavy, heavy suspension of disbelief. Antoinette doesn't come off shocked or amazed that she was able to enter a different dimension, nor does she seem out of place or foreign to the setting, as Aidan initially did in book one. It is also strange that she was able to be deemed equal to the warriors of Alleble, who have spent their entire lives training for war. Antoinette has learned martial arts and fencing. They should be in entirely different leagues, but they are not.
The end of the book picks the pace up, and it is exciting. Almost every chapter has a different protagonist, and that is risky as the majority of the book featured Antoinette as the protagonist up to this point. However, Batson's risk paid off. The end of the book is highly entertaining and suspenseful, even more so than the climax of book one.
Let's dissect a bit...
The Bad...
+ The dialogue is stiff, and not on account of the medieval-esque language. It's on account of the dialogue itself. It's forced. Mallik is more than three times called a "hammer-wielding friend" instead of just his name. Stiff. This shows traces that the characters in this series are characterized by their skills, not their motivations or their... well, characters.
+ As mentioned above, the characters are flat and undeveloped. They seem to be pawns in the story. The story moves them, they rarely move it.
The Good...
+ Antoinette's entering the Realm gives a different perspective than that which we read in book one, and it was interesting to see the world through her eyes.
+ Plenty of suspense.
+ The world is richly described, particularly the scene where the lava veins down the volcanoes.
+ Batson's switch from Aidan as protagonist in the beginning to Antoinette was daring, and paid off well. However, I feel that the story should have traded off between Aidan and Antoinette as the story developed. All Aidan has after Antoinette enters the Realm is two pages at the end of the book. I feel as if his character should have had a few chapters through the course of the novel.
+ The book is paced well, and was consistently enjoyable. The allegory was never overly cheesy, and I found myself hoping that Kearn would except King Eliam.
+ The book cover and pages are beautiful.
+ The Robby/Kearn situation is handled well. Since the first book, I've wondered why "cool guy" Robby befriended Aidan. Prior to his adventure in Book One, Aidan was not only a "nerd", he was also an unpleasant person. In this book, it is revealed that Kearn (Robby's twin in the Realm) finds meaning in life only when he feels superior to other people. This makes sense when Robby/Kearn and Aidan's friendship is analyzed. Robby befriended Aidan because he felt superior to him, not because he wanted to help him. That was definitely a good tidbit of info.
"The Rise of the Wyrm Lord" is flawed, but always entertaining. The writing is good, with moments of excellence. I only wish that Mr. Batson restricted the use of exclamation points to his characters' dialogue(!). For example, from page 298:
They all turned and looked to the sky above the ruin of Clarion. And there, just as the sun broke through the clouds, the sky filled with dragons! (Batson).
Not only does the exclamation point here (used liberally throughout the novel) ruin the mood, it also seems childish and unnecessary to add.
However, this novel withstands its flaws and Batson proves himself to be a formidable writer. I hope to hear a lot more from him, and my copy of "The Final Storm" is on its way to my house right now!
<-- ;)
And I must add: Not only is Wayne Thomas Batson a good writer, he is also a good man. Whenever I e-mail him, he always returns with a personally addressed e-mail with nothing but kindness and good advice, as I too am an aspiring writer. I'll always buy Batson's stuff. God bless!
7/10
Product Description
Still staggering under Paragor's relentless attacks, Alleble's remaining allies flee from the four corners of The Realm to safety within the Kingdom's walls. Once there they find chaos, the forces of Alleble grieving a fallen hero, and the Kingdom's citizens clinging to an ancient legend about Three Witnesses who can bring victory. But who are they? Where are they?
There is little time for Alleble to mourn before Paragor, the Wyrm Lord, and the deadly Seven Sleepers unite against the followers of King Eliam.
As Alleble begins to lose hope, Paragor unleashes The Final Storm. Will anyone survive to see the dawn?
Customer Reviews:
This book is......AMAZING!!!!.......2007-10-02
This is the last book in the Door Within series. It is just....wow!!! You will have to read it to find out what I mean. It is superb!!! I love this book and it is one of my favorites!!!! You have to read this book!
Lindsay W.
A Book series at the top of its genre!.......2007-08-29
Have you ever been into the Christian bookstore recently? All you see is piles of the next Left Behind, some series about Amish women, a great amount of Dekker/Peretti wannabes, and a great amount of Christian romance. For some that suits their taste buds. But for the fantasy/scifi person I am, that stuff does not at all interest me. With the resurgence of fantasy thanks to Jk Rowling's awesome series about a boy wizard, fantasy books in the reign of Tolkien/Lewis; the master of yesteryears are here to stay. I picked up the series quite randomly, after reading Legends of the Guardian Kings (an amazing series I highly reccomend for mature christian fantasy readers), what I found was a series that was a bit similar to Narnia but much different in its presentation of the awesome Glimpse concept and such great creatures as the mortiwraiths. There are awesome characters such as Mallik influenced by Tolkien lore. Plus there are heroines for the female readers that even male readers like me absolutely love named Antionette, because who does not love a girl who can kick serious butt. The fight scenes are exciting and there are many surprises within the plot, nothing is as predictable as it sometimes may seem to be. Interwoven with all these great characters, locales, and battle sequences; are great spiritual messages that all Christians can relate to! I highly recommend this series to all ages; especially to those who are suffering from Post Potter Depression (like me) and who ever faced the dilemma of finding a fantasy book within a Christian bookstore. Any age can read them, as everyone who has read Harry Potter and Narnia learned, that any good story can be enjoyed by those of all ages.
Also reccomended:Dragons in Our Midst By:Bryan Davis, Dragonspell by:Donita K. Paul
For more mature readers:Legends of the Guardian King By:Karen Hancock,Restorer by:Sharon Hinck and The White Lion Chronicles by: Christopher Hopper,
Not as good as the first book, worse than the second.......2007-08-18
I have just fininshed reading all three of the Door Within Trilogy books with my son. The first book was engaging, and the Christian message was delivered smoothly and without a heavy hand. The second book was ok, with the message becoming more heavy handed, which does much to destroy the quality of the writing - it becomes less intelligent as the book moves along. The third book is simply DREADFUL. The book still has some of the adventure characteristics that a 10 - 12 year old boy would like, but the quality of the writing is so poor that I would expect more from my 10th grade literature students. The Christian message is very heavy handed, so much so that it became a turn off and distracted from the flow of the story. This book is so poorly written that I actually looked to see who the publisher was, because I couldn't believe a mainstream publisher would have published the book.
I love that Mr. Batson wants to communicate a Christian message to youngsters and applaud his courage for writing the series; probably a fine book for homeschoolers, but not for public school or for any one who wants to model good writing.
A great 'ending' to this amazing trilogy.......2007-06-28
An amazing 'ending' to the trilogy!! The story is very character/plot driven, and I had a hard time putting the book down to take care of other responsibilities(like feeding my family! hehe). Although this was the last book of the trilogy, Mr. Batson certainly does leave room for the possibility of future adventures....Adventures are funny things, after all!
Great read for everyone.......2007-03-14
I read the entire series in three nights. I could not stop reading and when it came to this book it not only stood for it's self but completed the series in a way the made you think...is this really over? I look back on this series all the time and I feel it has changed the way I look at everyday events. I recommend this book and the others to all people. I am in college and loved every minute of it. Thank you
Book Description
The cholera epidemic that ravaged the city of TrevHael has left many orphans in its wake, including Neb, the scribe's son, and his brother. Sent to the desolate farm of their last living relative, they soon learn that a worse plague lurks beyond the western border of Deverry. The savage Horsekin tribes, spurred on by their new goddess, Alshandra, are raiding the villages and taking slaves as the first step in their plans to destroy the nomadic Westfolk and the Deverrian farmers both. Drawn into a war for the survival of the kingdom, Neb and his soulmate Branna will face enemies they have fought before in past lives they no longer remember.
Customer Reviews:
Deverrey continues, but without lots of intrigue-ful baggage.......2007-07-15
This book made my fingers hover over the rating... it's probably 4.5 stars.
I read the original novel in this series when it first came out in, what, the 80s? early 90s? I must have re-read it a dozen times in the years since then, because Kerr did such a wonderful job of world building. Her main characters span multiple lifetimes, and usually they do not remember what they did in an earlier incarnation. I was absolutely charmed, because the system of magic was consistent; the characters were well drawn (in an Arthurian "honor matters!" way); and it was not a predictable "oh you know how it'll end" tale.
The first several books were great, and I highly recommend that you start with Daggerspell. But the later series somehow tired me for reasons I never did figure out.
I'm happy to report that this new trilogy (one presumes?) has brought back the original magic from the first books. Nevyn and Jill do get together (yay!, after only what, 600 years) and it's fun to see the two dweomer-masters as teenagers dealing with the "but who was I? am I still that person?" identity crisis. There is humor, compassion, honor... and none of it gets in the way of telling a good story.
Book was good, but publisher is trying to cheat . . ........2007-02-17
I thought this book was great. In fact, all of Kerr's books are just phenomenal. So, has anyone else noticed that DAW along with other publishers have switched to low quality materials for their hardcover books? Take a look at the paper for instance. Just compare this book and older DAW hardcovers from a few years ago. You won't be thrilled in about 5 years, when the books in this series have begun to yellow with age.
I hate this new trend with book publishers just to save a buck. None of us get a deal on the price, but they can sell inferior goods to us because they know we want to read the books anyway. Please watch out and if possible, complain to the company. If enough of us do, they will return to the quality we have come to expect. Just take a look at the Otherland books, to see what I mean, or the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. Look at the differences between those and this book. There is no comparison.
After a long silence...........2006-11-10
Ms. Kerr finally drops this in our lap. I must say it was an enjoyable read, if a bit callow at times. Think of how Tolkien started "The Hobbit" as a child's book. "The Fellowship of the Ring" was light and airy, and each subsequent book gets more and more "dark" and "adult". Katharine Kerr writes backwards. Her books started out "dark" and "adult" and now seem airy and breezy.
One big annoyance is she has a terrible habit of turning a phrase and sticking with it continuously. All her characters "tossed his head like an angry horse" SO often that I wonder just what kind of world she's from where people actually do this. It happens - literally - on almost every page. The characters that have depth and strengths in other books in this one seem shallow and weak.
I did enjoy reading, but I felt she was just throwing us a bone.
Great start to the end of a great series!.......2006-11-10
I absolutely adore this series and am sad to see it coming to an end. It was horrible to wait this entire time for this book (if you followed it and saw all the pushbacks like I did), but it was well worth it. It doesn't really answer questions but it definitely sets up the next two books to tie everything together. This book, unlike the others, only stays in one timeline choosing to tell the past by using small character flashbacks that are actually told to other characters instead of that character being in that time. A definite must for any follower of the series.
truly ineffable..........2006-08-28
Let's hope we don't have to wait a very long time for the continuation of this series! As with every time I pick up a Katharine Kerr book, I can't put it down. I stay up late at night fighting the sleep dweomer and end up late for work! It's well worth it!
If I had dweomer powers I would hurry up Katharine to finish the next book!
In the meantime, maybe I will re-read the whole saga since it's been years since I read the first book.
Book Description
Orphaned by a cholera epidemic, Neb and his young brother are sent to the desolate farm of their last living relative. But when the savage Horsekin tribes begin raiding the villages along Deverry's western border, the brothers must flee for their lives. A chance encounter with Salamander-a bard and master of dweomer magic-proves their salvation, as he brings them to the shelter of Tieryn Cadryc's dun. Here Neb finds love with his soulmate Branna only to be dragged into a war for the very survival of the kingdom. And though both Neb and Branna are gifted with dweomer magic, they are also facing powerful enemies they have fought before in past lives they no longer remember.
Average customer rating:
- Cyber Thriller Par Excellence
- Take it as it is...no more, no less
- I loved this book, but I have a question...
- The first book I have failed to finish in over 10 years
- The Ultimate Evil Is A Virus
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WYRM (Bantam Spectra Book)
Mark Fabi
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 United States
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Fabi, Mark
| ( F )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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| Science Fiction
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ASIN: 0553378716
Release Date: 1997-05-05 |
Book Description
As the new millennium approaches, cults, sects, and crackpot prophets flood the worldwide media. But for Michael Arcangelo none of their catastrophe theories are more frightening than the Goodknight virus. Michael suspects it is the work of a mysterious programming genius, who designed it to create a computer role-playing game so real it can kill. Now Michael and his team of techno-wizards must descend into a harrowing and convoluted world of reality and fantasy. But what they discover is even worse than they could have ever imagined. For the so-called game is already out of hand, the virus has taken over the Internet, harnessing the power of the millennial frenzy already sweeping the world. And if they don't find and defeat the twisted mastermind responsible, humanity will wake from its worst nightmare to find the end of the world is truly here.
Customer Reviews:
Cyber Thriller Par Excellence.......2004-06-25
Last Sunday I read a surprisingly entertaining book by Mark Fabi titled WYRM. Possible the best way to describe it would be as a cyber-thriller, but it has far more elements than that. With the expected artificial intelligence, Internet and technology references, there is also a strong smattering of fantasy role-playing, Lewis Carroll, Monty Python and a plethora of modern cultural references.
WRYM is the story of Michael Arcangelo, a computer-virus hunter. While checking into a possible virus at a chess tournament, Michael is first exposed to a virus of unheard of proportions. An Internet-wide virus is out there and it may have developed intelligence. It may also have bought into the idea that the Millennium will bring about the end of the world.
Michael assembles a crack team of programmers, cyber-theorists and technicians to try and stop the virus Wrym from causing a global disaster. Through role-playing and some other techniques they draw nearer to the heart of the problem until a final all-out war involving the global hacker community ensues while Michael tries to make the final move toward victory.
I only had two minor problems with this book. One, Fabi does not know where the term bug came from. Secondly, I wonder at the wisdom of including a character referred to as Al in a story that uses the term AI as heavily as this one does. Other than that, this is one of the best books I have read in a long time. The book lures the reader in quite subtly. I didn't really realize it until two-hundred pages had gone by. The next thing I knew, I was four-hundred pages further along and the book was ending.
This book makes so many references and in-jokes that it could almost be considered a SILVERLOCK for the computer generation. But even if you do not recognize every Python reference, recognize every famous programer or catch all of the other cultural and scientific references, you will still be able to enjoy this book.
Take it as it is...no more, no less.......2004-03-22
I don't know, but I have the impression that a lot of reviewers take this book for far more than it in fact is (imho of course). I picked it up a couple of years ago, because I liked the cover and the blurbs. I had a lot of fun reading it, also because it sort of took me back to my first computer and online experiences (learning Unix on the university etc.)
I re-read the book 2 times and I still think it's fun, although not it does not hold up extremely well to re-reading.
The point is that it should not be taken as too serious a work of art or literature (again, imho) but more like you watch some cheap movie or read some trashy comic. Fun, but not to be meant as more than entertaining. There are plenty of writers who stimulate the intellect and make one think about a book but sometimes I just want to have a hamburger instead of haute cuisine.
I'd recommend Wyrm warmly if you can see through some of the more obvious wannabee devices and just want an enjoyable, easily digestible read.
I loved this book, but I have a question..........2002-09-19
What did everyone else think of the General Overmind Daemon? (I probably misspelled that or something...) It wasn't mentioned a whole lot, but it seemed to have almost as much impact on the story as Wyrm itself! It's a pretty weird idea, I think... so how much did it affect whether or not you liked the book? I absolutely LOVED the book for everything except for this concept.. and I'm still not sure how I feel about that one thing. It seemed to fit in fairly well with the story, I suppose... but it DOES seem pretty inplausible to me :P Still, for the rest of that story, I was willing to suspend my disbelief! :D What about all of you other future reviewers? How much impact did it have on your enjoyment???
The first book I have failed to finish in over 10 years.......2002-01-20
What a waste of money.
I read the online reviews which were glowing, and expected an exciting Cyberpunk style thriller along the lines of Gibsons Neuromancer or Jon Courteney Grimwood's Red Robe. Er, no.
The story might be fine, but I just kept thinking 'Geeky IT bloke saves the world and gets the girl' the characterisation is just awful - more contrived than my 8 year old Sons learn to read books.
The Ultimate Evil Is A Virus.......2001-12-01
Armageddon is coming in the form of a computer virus. Set in 1999, WYRM is about a virus hunter named Michael Archangelo who discovers a radical new virus while investigating a computer built to play chess. The plot thickens when Archangelo discovers the virus is more than just a virus; it's an artificial intelligence intending to inflict destruction at the beginning of the new millennium.
The story is the standard "band of good guys take on ultimate bad guy" formula, but it is a very entertaining story that handles the formula well. It switches between events that take place in the real world and in a role-playing game. There is a heavy emphasis on computers, MUDs, and viruses, but Mark Fabi makes sure he doesn't lose any readers along the way. The story flows smoothly and Fabi takes the time to explain the technology and computer jargon used in the novel, so readers who aren't very knowledgeable of computers won't get lost.
WYRM doesn't break new ground in the genre. The issues brought up in the book could also be found in more detail in William Gibson's Neuromancer or Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash. WYRM is by no means a bad book. It is a very entertaining story that pleases from the very beginning to the end.
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- Distressed Debt Analysis: Strategies for Speculative Investors
- Byzantine Dress: Representations of Secular Dress in Eighth- to Twelfth-century Painting
- The Josh Hartnett Album
- Two Amish Folk Artists: The Story of Henry Lapp & Barbara Ebersol
- Video Field Production and Editing
- Beginning Algebra
- Wildflowers of the outback
- Controllership: The Work of the Managerial Accountant, 2005 Supplement
- The Modern World-System I: Capitalist Agriculture and the Origins of the European World-Economy in t
- When the Elephants Dance
The Gold Falcon (The Silver Wyrm, Book 1)
The Gold Falcon: Book One of The Silver Wyrm
The Fire Dragon (Dragon Mage, Book 3)
The Black Raven (Dragon Mage, Book 2)
Days of Air and Darkness (Deverry)
