thync1

Very bookclub-by. Well written if a bit rambly at times. Bit like an old boxer - solid middle, but a mishapen head and weak knees. A prudish Philip Roth.

Brilliant. Has all the trademark PKD paranoia and then some, but I think it's his most unsettling story ever.

Sometime in the near future, computer nerd Lionel lives alone with his sick cat, Buddha. His flat overlooks the high street, rundown except for the last hub of the community, his friend Mr Barber’s shop.

Lionel is mixed-race, adopted by a white family. But, apart from his gorgeous, abrasive sister Lilith – his best friend and harshest critic ¬– his adoptive family have deserted him. Lionel plays games because he’s a coward who can’t handle human interaction, Lilith says, before one of her frequent disappearances.

But when Lionel puts his headset on and enters CoreQuest he is Ludi – a fighter, a womaniser. He’s free. Here he doesn’t need to face his childhood, of being bullied by his adoptive brothers, and the shocking event he can’t remember.

Still, the ‘real’ world won’t go away. Nor will Crystal, the haunted Anime girl who needs to be saved from the ‘adult health centre’ opposite his flat. Soon nothing adds up. Why are people beginning to look at him nervously? Why do the outcasts at work suddenly want to be his friends? Has Lilith this time disappeared for good? Reality and the game begin to blur and Lionel and Ludi are assaulted on all sides. And as Lionel struggles to unravel what’s happening to him, Ludi tries to rescue the people he loves before the game is altered forever.

No, it really is that good

Disappointing. Shaky plot, mediocre execution, riddled with contradictions and holes in the plot, cheesy conclusion. The supposed big bad aliens are peripheral, the characters are stereotyped and lack substance. It wasn't wholly awful but I find it hard to remember the good parts apart from the chupacabra and the scenes it appeared in.

Considering that the book was written over a 30(?) year period and had 3 authors, it is not surprising that it sucked ass.

I really wanted to love it - the concept encapsulates everything that comic fantasy should be: dark, edgy, irreverent, offensive, witty; but suffers from several flaws that prevent the reader from really immersing themselves in the story. One, the characters and the premise of the story are really quite cliche'd. Two, the main protagonist has no charisma whatsoever. Three, intentional or not, but you can't help but feel that the author is trying to achieve a hybrid Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman style of writing.

I will read the sequel because I desperately want this concept and world to work, and I suspect it might. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Nevertheless, I recommend it as a solid read that will keep you entertained and offer up some guilty laughs and eyebrow stretchers.

The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's The Dark Tower saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.

Seriously, what is it with YA readers? Is it a prerequisite to be unable to understand how rating systems work? Has someone swapped your cocktail of Ritalin and Prozac for a Stephenie Meyer-flavoured drain cleaner Mojito? You rate a book once you have read it when you then have the opportunity to evaluate it. Once you have read the book you have the right to give it any damn rating you please because you have earned it. It's idiotic to give a book 5 stars before you've read it simply because it gets you all gooey. See a doctor, apparently premature evaluation is treatable.

I don't think it is possible to improve upon the cover of this book. Well, maybe Sgt. Lincoln Osiris could pull his costume up a bit - it looks like he's got baggage.

Some awesome (as in spectacular), though provoking and tantalizingly credible ideas which could have changed science (and anthropology) irrevocably had he stuck to the science. He did his reputation enormous discredit with some of his barmier ideas, though. Although some would say he already was, I believe he could have been a great speculative fiction writer had the fancy taken him.

Not their best work but enjoyable nonetheless. For non-Saffa's (South Africans) Madam & Eve is a daily newspaper comic strip satirizing the relationship between the entrenched conservative, post-apartheid white bourgeoisie and the hired (black) help. The more agitated liberal might deem this as an attempt to ameliorate white guilt ((none of the artists are black) and black resentment) by trivializing the entrenched master/slave relationship but perhaps it is also part of the healing and understanding process? - it is easier to engage in objective discourse over something once it is no longer a source of friction.

A recommended crash course in Saffa humour and culture, from a Europeanized perspective.

How the hell can you give something 5 stars when you haven't read it yet? Stupidest thing in like the history of ever, duh. lolz or something.

I'll have to give it 1 star for the sake of parity.

Edit: Aha! It's already gone down 0.11 points. Justice will be done...

Terrible but not as bad as The de Villiers Code. I really liked Tom Eaton's columns in the Mail & Guardian but he has so far severely disappointed me with his novels. Having said that, I haven't yet read The Wading. This is an attempt at social commentary via satire/parody which just falls horribly short.

In all honesty, I didn't finish reading this because I really struggled to get involved in Donaldson's intricately woven world, and eventually lost interest. Donaldson has really striven to create a rich and complex alternate world with realistic/flawed characters and a not too implausible unreality, which differs greatly from the majority of fantasy. This is part of the problem in my view, as fantasy relies heavily on the suspension of disbelief, and contrary to reason, the more incredible it is, the easier it is for us to accept. Donaldson has created guilt-ridden, angsty, noir fantasy which doesn't gain acceptance very easily.

Having said that, all of the above is exactly why I am determined to read it through. That and the fact that I am thoroughly in awe of his Gap SF series, which employs exactly the same characteristics as Covenant but distilled into an orgy of violence, degradation, fallibility, weakness and contradiction that is vile and addictive simultaneously.

Read it while still a teen and remembered it very fondly. Tried reading it again recently but the writing seemed a bit too puerile. Still, I would recommend it if you wanted to ease young readers into the fantasy genre. Katharine Kerr spins an engrossing tale of love gone wrong, jealously, betrayal and revenge, all rendered with poignancy.

To the uninitiated the Dune universe and its characters, plots and intrigues might seem inaccessible. And perhaps that is fair comment. The continuously shifting allegiances, uncovering of secrets and see-sawing fulcrum of power can be intimidating. Accompanied by Herbert's rather staid prose, Dune is not recommended as a primer for the novice or the curious, however, those willing to persist will be rewarded many-fold. That is not to say that Dune is difficult to read - it isn't. Dune is the reason why Sci-fi exists. It is the most magnificent theatre of the fantastic, the grandiose and the epic, whilst still retaining it's integrity.

Sci-fi is also a potent vehicle for social commentary. Not bound by the constraints of other forms of fiction, Sci-fi has a virtual blank canvas upon which to paint its social allegory, allowing it unprecedented scope and accuracy. Frank Herbert makes full use of these faculties and delivers a typically honest interrogation of both temporal and existential issues such as imperialism, globalisation (universalisation?), organised religion, free will vs predestination, and fundamentalism, amongst others. Not only that but Herbert pioneered planetary ecology in creating an ecosystem for Arrakis, an ecosystem that undergoes some drastic transformations during the course of the book, with remarkable accuracy have reported many ecologists.

But most incredibly of all, Herbert somehow created an allegory that pre-dated its subject by almost three decades, an allegory that is still as pertinent now as it was 20 years ago. Without giving too much away, the world of Dune (trilogy) and everything that takes place in it can be viewed as a direct analogy for Western, specifically US, involvement in the Middle East from Gulf War I hence, with particular reference to the conquest for oil (melange/spice). The Fremen culture is closely modelled on Arab culture, even speaking practically pure Arabic.

But what freaks me out, and many Arab readers, is that some of the Arabic words and concepts employed by Herbert in Dune did not become part of mainstream Arabic culture until the 21st century (the first book was published in 1965)!

Obviously I am a big fan - Dune was the book that eventually tilted me towards the Sci-fi windmill - but I believe this book deserves recognition as a great work of fiction, not just Science Fiction.