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Alright. My first review will be the six books that make up the Corean Chronicles by L.E. Modesitt Jr. Please bear with me as I will place my review in three seperate posts; one for the first three books, another for the last three, as well as a third overall review. These will be based on a scale from one to ten.

So let's start with the first three in the series.

Title of book(s): Legacies, Darknesses, Scepters
Author: L.E. Modesitt Jr.
Genre: Sci-fi infused fantasy
Perspective: Third Person Omniscient
Plot and development: 9
Characters: 9
Readability: 8.5 (Descriptions can sometimes seem overdrawn.)
Re-readability: 7.5 (more so after reading the last three books.)
Overall: 9 (It's the best I've read but it is still not perfect.)

The Corean Chronicles begins with a young night sheep, an animal known for their wool that is soft as silk but strong as armor, herder named Alucius. Alucius is a man with a mystical power over the life force of this world known as talent, a needed power to raise the night sheep who only obey by talent control. This power however, is a secret of the herders who live on the chilly Iron valleys.
A war is raging against the three countries that make up the continent of Corus and Alucius finds himself conscripted by the countries militia to defend his country. Something so simple as a dispute for land turns into something a little more sinister placing Alucius with his talent in the center of the fray.

Will he survive the war and return to the valleys or will he end up as another body strewn on the ground?

Modesitt has proven himself to be a weaver of stories set deep in the human condition and politics. The Corean Chronicles are his second attempt at fantasy, although his love for Scifiis made evident later on as things develop.

Modesitt also has a creative way to establish plot in the means of controlling multiple characters of all backgrounds for integral parts of the story. This is much unlike other authors who actually tell the tale of many people from each of their perspectives. Modesitt has found a nice balance in placing the focus on Alucius but using others to give insight to the political and social side of matters from all sides of the war.

There are few other creatures besides humans living on Corus and all are born of pure talent such as the enigmatic, and to some mythical, creatures known as Soarers, the earths equivalent of Angels only the Soarers are not of a religious background except to those who believe them.

During battle scenes, as well as chapters devoted to human interaction, are the vocal point of Modesitt's writing, often drawing you deeper into the world making it seem as if it were real. However, Modesitt has one problem that is consistent in his writing, and that is his ability to let his characters describe their surroundings while traveling. It sometimes feels long winded and on few occasions, I believe it was four times throughout the three books, the need to read was more of a mental trudging through knee deep mud. Things always pick up when they reach their destination or when re traveling familiar ground as a brief description is used instead of the paragraph upon paragraph of description.

All in all, These three books that tell the tale of Alucius and his role in the war is intriguing as well as satisfying to read. Modesitt's previous life in politics has truly made everything shine like a polished gem. I highly suggest you read them all as the political and human insights can be transfered in understanding how our own world works, even if the setting seems medieval with civil war era technology.

Series name: The Corean Chronicles
Books in series Legacies, Darknesses, Scepters, Cadmian's/Alector's/Soarer's Choice.
Author: L. E. Modesitt Jr.
Genre: Sci-fi infused fantasy
Perspective Legacies, Darknesses, Scepters = Third person omniscient/ Choice books = Third Person limited
Plot and development: 8
Characters: 8 (Alector's power for choice books = yuck)
Readibility: 7.5
Re-Readability: 7.5
Overal 8 (The first three save this series)

The Corean Chronicles by L. E. Modesitt Jr. is a delightful if not somewhat sluggish tale of the continent of Corus on the planet Acorus. The series has you believe however that the only place on Acorus that people live on is Corus. This is odd as that would make the world like a pangea of sorts and much unlike his other series The Saga of Recluse, in which many continents surrounded by ocean are used much like our world if it was run completely by European's.

Both parts of the series revolve around war as well as have a large but underlying political agenda that truly compliments the series as a whole. This political side oozes throughout the Choice books as the administrative world makes a much greater presence. Also unlike the first three books, the Choice books have "break periods" in which another book, one placed inside the series as an individual tome made by the alectors, delves greatly into the philosophical side of politics, teaching one about how a government should act, views that are no doubt the author's but ring true to this day and age.

Comparing these two separate tales is like comparing apples and oranges as the way they are written and the way the world runs is very different. A good example of this is the addition to Aerial battles in the Choice books with the Myrmidon forces controlling large talent creatures known as Pteridons. With the more subtle example being the casual use of table travel also used in the Choice books.

Overall I greatly suggest this series to anyone wanting to read a fantasy with sci-fi tendencies that revolves around the government and it's people instead of others like The Lord of The Rings which although also revolves around a great war, is more of a personal tale then anything else.

A thank you goes out to those who read my review the whole way through. It took some time to write and really works best in the delivery I conceived for it.

Sorry I love to write. I usually tend to get carried away when I do it and seeing as it's an author many may not know, I thought I would do the best I can to tell all about some of his work.

Ooooh, I've seen the Artemis Fowl book around or is it part of a series? While I'm here I should do another review lol.

Author : Anne Rice
Title : The body theif

We once again get to join our favorite vampire Lestat biggrin . Set after Queen of the Damned takes place Lestat is now godlike in his powers. Even the scorching sun of the Gobi Dessert can no longer kill him. So what is a poor (ok, maybe really filthy rich..) vampire to do?

Switch places with a mortal of course. Lestat dons the shackles of mortality only to find that its not quite like he remembers...

Anne Rice is an interesting writter, very descriptive so you get a good picture about what she wants you to see. I find that when I read her too much though I start looking over my shoulder too much - especially at night lol.
Well I hope this is a better review then my first one lol. And J-Machine, no need to be sorry. I enjoyed reading it biggrin

At least it will satisfy the kid inside us all then biggrin lol. Think I'll have to go looking for it - once you've done a review of course lady B wink

Amercian Gods by Neil Gaiman is one of the finest and most readable novels that I have ever read. Gaiman is a master story-teller.
In addition, his "Sandman" comic series sets a standard by which all other comics should be judged.

These all sound very interesting. I am reading a series of "nonfiction" books entitled "Culture Shock!" I have read the one on Japan and am now reading the one on Britain. I would highly recommend these books to anyone thinking of spending a good deal of time in a foreign country. Unlike other books, they aren't made to specifically get a person there and then leave them to their own devices. They tell you about everything from local customs, shops, tourist ideas and geography to cultural pitfalls. The one on Britain was written by Terry Tan who immigrated their from Singapore over 40 years ago and he tells all about all the things he did wrong! It also has some seriously funny cartoons in it.