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Being a crossover success is rare for any Sci-Fi work, but it's amazing for a 918-page book with appendices. The plot jumps between World War II and the present day with sprawling, and weird, tangents. The World War II story centers on members of an Allied cryptography team. In the present day a team of salvagers, including grandchildren of the Allied cryptographers, try to crack a German code to recover a lost treasure in gold. In the process they run afoul of secret societies and government conspiracies. The result sometimes reads like William Gibson or Tom Clancy. This book is definitely for the nerd at heart, but its wide acceptance has shown that everyone has something to gain from it.

Reviewed by Rogan H., Main Library

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Stephenson’s strongest point is his incredible prose style, and he does not disappoint here. He is able to render the most complex scientific and mathematical ideas in language that is at once understandable and viciously funny. This is at once one of the best world war two novels I have ever read, and one of the only books about hacking that actually portrays it with accuracy. A breathtaking read.
-Ian, Charlotte, NC

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Most of us have heard of Camelot, and King Arthur. How many, however, have considered it from the point of view of Morgana, Arthur's sister, or Guenivere, his queen? This is exactly what Ms. Bradley does in this beautifully woven epic. The flesh and blood characters leap off the page, each with their own views of what is happening around them. Arthurian England never seemed so real, so violent, and so heart-wrenching. This book lasts not long enough; you must read it slowly, savoring every page. All too soon it is over, leaving you touched, and enlightened. The terrific adventures of Arthur are more complete with this feminine view of Camelot.

Reviewed by Tammy S., University City Regional

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Frodo the hobbit comes into possession of the One Ring, all-powerful and utterly evil. If it falls into the hands of its maker, the Dark Lord, all is lost. Neither can it be used against him, for it corrupts even the wise. The only hope is a hopeless quest: to carry the Ring into the heart of the enemy's land and destroy it. This trilogy (published separately as The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King) is marked by high adventure and mythic depths. Imaginative characters and creatures come alive. I have read it many times, from age 11 to the present, and it has never failed to entrance me.

Reviewed by Jane M., Deputy Editor, Charlotte, NC

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Strange things are happening to clinical psychologist Leslie Barnes. Psychic visions appear from nowhere, and after helping police find the body of a missing girl, Leslie’s psychic visions continue to haunt her. In an effort to escape from the madness (and the press), Leslie buys an old house overlooking the San Francisco Bay. But instead of escaping her psychic visions, Leslie finds more in her house than she bargained for--objects crashing in the night, the ghost of a murdered cat, and a mysterious world of pagans and psychics. Set in modern times, this gothic tale will keep you turning the pages to see who or what will pop up next.

Reviewed by Lori R., University City Regional

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From the author of the spectacular “Wayfarer Redemption” series comes a great stand-alone novel about the courage of a young man and his quest for justice. Garth Baxtor is a physician’s assistant to his father James. In lieu of the annual tax, they are commanded by the king to heal prisoners sentenced to life in the terrible gloam (coal?) mines. They each have a special “touch” for healing magically. Garth’s powerful ability leads him to discover a lost treasure in the mines. He then finds himself on a journey of enlightenment and adventure with new and powerful allies in his effort to right a wrong committed long ago.

Reviewed by Jeff G., Charlotte, NC

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One of the biggest problems with fantasy is unrealistic characters. The heroes are perfect, the villains despicable. A Game Of Thrones is one of the first fantasy novels that treats its characters as people, not stereotypes. The book is set in the kingdom of Westeros in a world where the seasons last for ten years. Winter is approaching, and Lord Stark of Winterfell is called upon to do a service for Robert Baratheon, his childhood friend and now king of Westeros. Stark faces conspiracy at every turn, and soon the kingdom is plunged deeper into chaos as Stark is forced to play the game of thrones, not knowing if he can survive. An astounding multi-character narrative that begins the groundbreaking Song of Ice and Fire.

Reviewed by Ian R., North County Regional

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The epic begun in A Game Of Thrones continues in this saga of murder, magic, sex, and war. After King Robert Baratheon’s death, the kingdom collapses into civil war. Prince Joffrey takes the throne despite suspicions that he is not Robert’s son. Robert’s brothers both make claims for the crown. Robb Stark, son of the executed lord Eddard, declares himself King In The North. On the Iron Islands, Balon Greyjoy declares himself the Iron King. Half a world away, Daenerys, last of the Taragayens, plots to retake Westeros in the name of her fallen dynasty. All the while, beyond the wall of ice to the North, Winter is coming. An astounding novel filled with incredible characterization and a beautiful, exhilarating plot.

Reviewed by Ian R., North County Regional

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Martin’s Song Of Ice And Fire continues as rivals fall and new foes rise up in the kingdom of Westeros. Theon Greyjoy, son of the Iron King, has sacked the Stark castle of Winterfell, leaving Robb Stark’s brothers on the run with nowhere to go. Tyrion Lannister, badly wounded in Stannis Baratheons’s assault on King’s Landing, loses his place as the King’s Hand, as his father – the king’s grandfather – steps in to be the power behind the throne. In the free cities, Dany gains support from some even as she is betrayed by others. Beyond the Wall, Jon Snow tries to discover who he is, even as cold inhuman forces threaten to destroy all he loves. Addictive, beautifully written fantasy from a master.

Reviewed by Ian R., North County Regional

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The mysterious Enoch the Red arrives in 1713 Boston and pleads with Daniel Waterhouse to return to his native England in order to settle a scientific feud between his old friends Isaac Newton and Gottfried Willheim Liebniz. As Waterhouse returns, the narrative of this life is recounted (his early Puritan upbringing, his coming-of-age with Newton at college, and his supporting role in various Britisih political upheavals during the late 1600s). Midway through the novel, other characters are introduced (a slave named Eliza who works her way up the rungs of Dutch society and a colorful mercenary named Jack Shaftoe), and their lives gradually intersect as the novel concludes. This impressive historical novel takes place during that time when modern science was being born, but when superstition and alchemy were still prevelent. This is part one of Stephenson's three-part "Baroque Cycle."

Reviewed by Greg E., South County Regional

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Something is rotten in the kingdom of Westeros. After the death of the boy-king Joffrey, his even younger brother is on the throne, which means that his mother Cersei is all powerful – or so she thinks. King Stannis Baratheon is gathering his forces on Dragonstone, the Iron Islands have declared war under King Euron Crow’s Eye, and the Dornish are plotting revenge for the death of the Red Viper. Add to this the outlaws terrorizing the kingdom and the uneasy balance of the kingdom may soon be overturned. And, as the Starks will tell you, Winter is Coming. This is the fourth part of the Song Of Ice And Fire, and lives up to the expectations set by the last three. Incredible, compelling high fantasy.

Reviewed by Ian R., North County Regional

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