5 comments about Parasite Eve.

1. Mitochondria are specialized subunits of those cells which contain nuclei, or eukaryotic cells, whose basic function is to provide energy for the cells with which to do their thing, as well as in assisting with other functions, such as controlling the cell cycle, the cell growth and the cell death. The word mitochondrion comes from the Greek words for thread and granule. Mitochondrial genes are not inherited the same way as their nucleic brethren. Basically, mitochondria are matrilineal, meaning they receive most of their genes from their mama. What does manage to get through from the sperm is marked for termination and later destruction inside the embryo.
   
   Imagine, if you will, a mitochondrion that goes wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong.
   
   Toshiaki Nagashima has a job that he loves, as a research associate at the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and a wife, Kiyomi, that he adores. Life is very very good. Until he receives the phone call telling him that his wife has been involved in a traffic accident, having run into a tree, and is feared to be brain dead. Kiyomi is on the list of kidney donors, and immediately matches are sought for her kidneys, so that the donees can be put on standby, prepared for transplant. One of these is a 14 year old girl, Mariko Anzai. Mariko had been a transplant recipient just a few months before, having received a kidney from her father. But it had not worked out, and she is back on the list. When the call arrives about the new transplant, Mariko doesn't tell her father about it, as if she doesn't wish to go through another transplant. But why?
   
   All the tests come back that Kiyomi is indeed brain dead, as her husband and her parents wait for news. Although she has signed up to be a donor, it is still required to gain the consent of the next of kin, which is Toshiaki. The grief-stricken man, consumed by an overwhelming heat which makes his head spin, consents, but with one stipulation - in exchange for giving up Kiyomi's kidneys, he wants her liver, to use for a primary culture. The doctor warily agrees.
   
   Dr. Takashi Yoshizumi is notified by the transplant coordinator, Odagiri, of the donor at the university hospital. He is the surgeon that performed Mariko's other transplant, the one that failed. He is determined that this one will be successful, as he begins his preparations. This type of transplant is trickier than one from a live donor - Japan has an extremely high dialysis patient-to-transplant ratio as compared to Europe and America, because of public unease in regarding brain death as actual death. They are operating on a tricky timeline now - they must wait for the patient to suffer actual heart failure, and then extract the organs as quickly as possible to send them to where they need to go. They are being split, one going to Mariko, one to someone else. And once Kiyomi dies, that is just what happens, with her husband receiving her liver. He slices it up, and breaks it down to its constituent cells, placing them in test tubes which he labels "Eve" - because his wife's birthday is on Christmas Eve.
   
   Mariko has issues which neither Dr. Yoshizumi nor her father understand. It's almost as if she doesn't want the transplant, but why would that be? When the doctor removes the kidneys from Kiyomi, he too feels a strange heat that he cannot explain. But he continues, and transplants one into Mariko, determined that this one will not fail. Meanwhile, Toshiaki has begun experimenting on the Eve cells, becoming obsessed with them, as if through them, his wife is still alive. Maybe it's just a way to comfort himself over her death - or maybe there's more to it than he realizes. It seems that there is an entity, something as old as life itself, something in the mitochondria - something that IS the mitochonria - which is determined to have its way and become the ascendant life form on the planet. Nothing is coincidental, it has all been fiendishly coordinated and arranged and set into motion by . . . HER. Who is she, what does she want, and what will she do to get it? And what's this about a child?
   
   Parasite Eve is a chilling picture of good science gone wrong, mixed with the best of Japanese what if science fiction and horror. It begins slowly, normally, setting the stage for what will be, and an elaborate stage it is as we learn more about cellular structure and growth than is usually found in a work of fiction. The characters emerge from this warm amoeba soup, taking shape and form before our very eyes - Toshiaki, the tortured doctor/lover whose life has come to a screeching halt with the death of his beloved Kiyomi and who is attempting to resurrect her after a fashion, through the maintaining of her cells, but whose idea is that truly?; Mariko, the young girl whose previous transplant failed because she stopped taking her anti-rejection medicine, for reasons known only to herself, and who is suffering horrible nightmares, convinced that someone or something is after her, and that there is no one that can or will protect her; Dr. Yoshizumi, the brilliant transplant physician, who is determined that this transplant shall not fail; Sachiko Asakura, a second year master's student whom Toshiaki is mentoring, who becomes suspicious of the work he is doing with the strange cells, worrying about his obsession with them; and HER, the nameless form which is the driving force behind everything that is happening, with the intent of taking over the world, using mitochondria.
   
   I admit to not having a detailed science background, and to having a lot of the scientific explanations go over my head, but even so, I understood enough to be interested and amazed at what goes on in the story. Hideaki Sena lulls us into a false sense of security with the slow start, I think, although he tugs at our minds now and then with hints of what is to come, as if to say dont be deluded entirely, pay attention, there may be a quiz later. And when the horror begins to unfold, you can just imagine that you are watching a Japanese horror film in its chilling execution. By that point, you will find yourself turning the pages in an effort to get to the heart of the matter. Parasite Eve is a very interesting read. Although categorized for Young Adult, I see it as being enjoyable by adults as well. I certainly did. It was the inspiration for two video games, with a third one being in the works that is supposedly to be released only for PSP. There are a lot of interesting concepts in this book, about cells as well as the origins of the species. I bet you won't look at mitrochondria the same way again.



2. The book arrived when it was intended to, and the content was in perfect shape. I have no complaints with the service.



3. I was have expecting this to by like the video game of the same name. That was only a minor inconvenience.I found this book a real page turner. It does get a little hard to follow at times. I suspect it has something to do with the unique Japanese names and culture. Despite that one tiny gripe, I was quite happy with the read.



4. The book, Parasite Eve, pulled me in immediately and I read with wide-eyed upsetness. The story begins with a car crash. The lovely Kiyomi appears to be dead. How will her loving husband cope? How will this biologist possibly keep at least a part of her alive?
   
   Yes, this is pretty icky in spots, and it has the pacing that is usual in translations of Japanese novels. That is, it appears slightly off to the western reader. But, guess what? Some of us find that very appealing in a thriller.
   
   I found the idea of mutant mitochondria excellent (always thought that would be a good idea, and there are several other science fiction writers that have tackled that possibility very well). The writing was strong enough to make my heart break for the husband, Toshiaki Nagashima, and for Kiyomi's parents.
   
   I didn't expect the end of this book to play out as it did, and that is always a plus for me, too. The writer kept me engaged and surprised clear to the end.



5. The premise of this story is that mitochondria -- tiny, bacteria-like organisms that live inside human cells (in real life) -- have evolved to become a sentient entity that wants not just to parasitize humanity but to annihilate it completely. While this is a decent-enough back story for the series of videogames it spawned, however, it's a fairly goofy premise for a novel.
   
   Other reviewers have remarked that there's a lot of science jargon in this book, and that's true -- but it's completely pointless jargon. The author rattles off all sorts of facts about mitochondria and cell biology, but it's really nothing more than a smokescreen. The events of this novel defy not only the facts of cellular biology but the laws of physics themselves.
   
   Some will say, "So what? It's just a story." In the movie Iron Man, we saw a man fly for long distances in a suit of armor that not only violated the principles of aerodynamics but lacked any visible source of fuel for its rockets, and we loved it. But that's just my point -- Iron Man didn't see a need to offer us a ten-minute discourse on solid-fuel rocket engineering to cover up its obvious lapses in believability. It was telling a fun story and that was that.
   
   Parasite Eve, on the other hand, seems to want to try to justify its ridiculous plot with pages of dense descriptions of biology labs and processes. If you have even a glimmer of knowledge of these subjects, however, you'll immediately recognize that what is being described does absolutely nothing to justify what happens next; it's just a bunch of words. As W.C. Fields once said, "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull."
   
   Take away all the scientific mumbo-jumbo and the rest of the novel reads like a comic book, or a B-grade horror movie. In fact, the author describes much of the action in ways that recall the most cliched devices of horror moviemaking -- you can almost visualize what the special effect would look like, at what point the camera will cut to a character's reaction shot, and what the character's next line of dialogue should be.
   
   Be aware that there are a few fairly graphic episodes involving penises, vaginas, melting human flesh, and various other nastiness. If you're looking for a horror novel, none of that should really shock you. If you're looking for something intelligent, on the other hand, look elsewhere. This is a completely banal, forgettable horror book with a thin plot, cardboard characters, and an icky monster. And it's not even particularly good at that. Recommended mainly for hardcore fans of J-horror or the eponymous videogames; others will probably be disappointed.

5 comments about Kit's Wilderness.

1. Kit's Wilderness is a very interesting book. When we started reading it i had a completely differnt idea of what the book was going to be than what it turned out to be. I thought i wouldn't like it but it actually turned out to be a pretty good book. Every character had a very unique personality that made them seem like a real person. By the end of the book i felt like i knew Kit Watson and Granpa and Allie. Also, the way that David Almond described certain scenes and events it was almost as if you were there watching it happen. Overall, good book!



2. This is such a beautiful and poetic book. The characters are so alive and the story is enchanting. I would rank Kit's Wilderness up there with The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and A Wrinkle in Time.



3. David Almond's book was assigned to my juniors for their outside reading assignment. At first, it took me a little while to get accustomed to the author's style of writing but once I got into Kit's Wilderness, I got hooked by the story, the creepiness, suspense, and storylines. Kit Watson is a young man who moves to Stoneygate and gets involved with a bunch of his peers and a strange game called death. Of course, it's only a game but is it? Kit and his new friends are involved in this game. Kit's grandfather recalls stories of his youth and the stories of his past as well as the ghosts of Stoneygate. I found it fascinating that Kit and his friends have this morbid curiousity in contacting their dead ancestors or trying to experience death in this bizarre game.



4. Christopher Watson, nicknamed Kit, is thirteen when his grandmother dies and he and his parents go back to the old mining community of Stoneygate to live with his grandfather. There Kit meets Allie Keenan, the girl who protect him and drives him crazy, and John Askew, a loner most other kids avoid. John is drawn to Kit, though, telling him that their lives are connected, that the two of them are alike. He tells Kit to look at the monument to children who died several generations ago in the mines, and Kit finds that the top line of the monument reads "John Askew, aged thirteen." The bottom line reads "Christopher Watson, aged thirteen." At first Kit thinks that this coincidence means nothing, but then he starts to see the ghosts of the dead children. He writes a story with characters who seek him out in his dreams and leave him feeling they are just a little too real. Is Kit communicating with the dead? Or is everything just in his imagination?
   
   There were some great things about this story. I liked the supernatural aspect; it worked really well. I liked the relationships Kit had with his grandfather and with Allie. I also liked the ending of the book. The beginning, though, was very slow. It took me about twenty pages to get into the story, instead of being hooked right from the beginning.



5. This book is great. It is about kids that play a game that no one would ever imagine. It is very interesting and I did not want to stop reading it. I definately recommend it to anyone who dosent enjoy reading or even people that do.

5 comments about Entertain the End (Everworld, 12).

1. How sad that an author who could write enticing books like the first eleven in the series, would even allow such a poor ending to be published as the twelfth and final book. It was like eating a delicious Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings, then having dog poop pudding for dessert, to leave the final aftertaste. Did her contract expire and the editor finish the story? (Huge apology to the editor if that didn't happen, but wait - cancel the apology since the editor should have sent this back for a complete re-write.) Was she about to miss the publication deadline and finished the story in a taxi on the way to the editor? I should have been tipped off by unavailability of the book through any bookseller except Scholastic. ALL the other copies, I could get at discounted prices or used book stores, but the very last of the series, I could only find at Scholastic at a comparatively exorbitant price. This series would actually have been better left completely un-ended with an apology from the printers that the author had decided to dump the series, as she so obviously did. If some fan has written a fan-fiction script for better ending (any 8 to 15 year old should be able to do so), please post it in these reviews. As memorable as book 12 was, when I read it a year ago, all that sticks in my mind at this point is (spoiler alert) ...so the author blew up the Earth and everybody died and everything was gone- except for one shuttle with all the last of humanity. The End.
   
   If she plans on resurrecting humanity from a shuttle's worth of people, she doesn't need to worry about selling any more of these books. The "shuttle" would have to be stumbled across by another civilization explorers who then reveal to us they'd been searching for their own long-lost space colony that turns out to have been what seeded the Earth with people in the first place. Either that, or they have an updated model of the Omega-13 device from Galaxy Quest that can rewind time to before book twelve and come out with a different and better ending.
   ...
   
   Her ending even violates her own Tips and Advice on writing [...]
   "Drug trips or dreams. Then I woke up. Why bother? Nothing is real here, it's vaporware before there was a name for it. We got more tired of drug trip stories than we could bear, and in the end they were all the same with minor variations. "
   It felt like I read books one through eleven, then book twelve woke me up and all the other stories vanished like morning mist in the sun, never having been solid. Good characters survive in the reader's mind, even after they've died. It's been years since I read any Dragons of Pern stories by Anne McCaffrey, but I clearly recall the personalities of the main players because they became real, even (and sometimes especially) as they died.
   ---
   For readers who liked the Everworld type of story, but want better stories, character development, and endings, I'd recommend the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane, which I thought were much better written, and also came out well as audio books.



2. So here it is, Entertain the End, the last book in the entire Everworld series, narrated by April O'Brien, that supposedly concludes the Everworld series.
   
   This book should be required reading for budding writers. It can teach them what not to do, and what happens when you do those things.
   
   See kids, this is what happens when a great story and world idea comes to an untalented author.
   
   This is what happens when you try to cram a large and expansive world and story into a quarter of the size it needs.
   
   This is what happens when you flanderize your best character and then abruptly kill her off for the sake of simply resolving plot as quickly as possible.
   
   This is what happens when you ignore most of your characters' thoughts and interactions and leave them behaving like robots.
   
   This is what happens when you force the token Holier-Than-Thou Chick to become a murderer and then leave her to angst about it.
   
   This is what happens when you lose heart in your series and just want it to end so you can move on to something else.
   
   This is what happens when you decide to leave important plot elements and story arcs completely unresolved and call what should be the penultimate novel the last one.
   
   This is what what happens when you leave the reading hanging for the sake of an ambiguous ending that could potentially be revived one day.
   
   Entertain the End raises the standard in the Everworld series for flimsiness. This book is only 156 pages long, and contains perhaps a tenth of what would have been necessary to bring Everworld up to a good conclusion. There is no ending; Ka Anor is still alive and well, the Hetwan are still a power in Everworld, the Sennites are still razing hell, the gods still haven't united as one, and there are loads of loose ends, including but not limited to: The identity of the Watcher in the void, what happened to Senna's mother, whether Senna was really killed or is still somehow alive, who the boy with the "glow" that Senna saw when she was thirteen was, what will happen with the gods of Everworld and Ka Anor, what the Sennites will do next, how will Etain turn out, who will be the next mayor of Atlantis, whether the Great Scroll will be found, etc. The ending does nothing, doesn't satisfy on any level. Any self-respecting author would have at least published another book to bring this to a conclusion, but no, we don't get that. We're cut off just as the adventure seems to be drawing to a close.
   
   If this was the second to last novel in the series, the ending would have been mediocre. For the last novel in the series, it's dreadful, almost as bad as "Mystify the Magician."(I cringe at the typing of that hated title.)
   
   Well, that's the way it is. Everworld had great potential, but it doomed itself the moment it formed in KA Applegate's mind, because its creator just wasn't worthy of bringing it fully formed into the world. What we've got instead is a series of novellas that barely hint at what this story could have been. I knew from the first moment that I started reading Everworld that this series was a titantic let-down of its potential, and with this book coming to a close, I see that I have proven myself correct.
   
   So with this mediocre, pathetically inadequate "ending"(in the loosest sense of that word), I hereby end my sojourn into Everworld. Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to go fantasize about how much better this series could have been in more capable hands.



3. God, K.A. Applegate pisses me off so much.
   
   I absolutely loved her Everworld series, and I finally managed to track down the last few copies after a couple years.
   
   And then, I reach the ending of the book. What the hell is that kind of ending? All we learn is that the four decide to stay in Everworld. Nothing about Ka Anor, nothing about the Greeks, nothing about Christopher and Etain, nothing about how Everworld works, not even the Great Scroll. The list goes on and on.
   
   After hooking us on a dozen books, don't you think we deserve some sort of conclusion? Not a damn cop out. So thanks Applegate, you got the last laugh again. I could just stand the ending to Animorphs, at least we knew what happened to the Yeerks. But this? God.
   
   You write some fantastic novels. Please, just try to end them. Don't just throw manure into the faces of everyone who's been reading faithfully.



4. After reading the first 11 books, I couldn't wait to find out how it was all going to end. For most part, I liked most of this book. It finds the group traveling to the fortress of the dwarves. There they have to try to talk them into digging a tunnel to be able to sneak into Hel. While all this is taking place they find themselves all fading in the real world except April, who is fading in Everworld. The realize that they have to decide which world they really want to be in because the other will fade out. Though the book does let you know in the end what the four decide, it does not tell you the rest of what goes on. This whole time through all of these books, they are on a quest to help Everworld from falling into the hands of Ka Anor. The book never tells you whether they win or not. What happens if they do win? What happens if they don't? I guess it leaves you to make your own ending but I would have like to either see one last book with the battle with Ka Anor or another 50 or so pages added to this one to help end it. There were so many unanswered questions... did all of the Coo Hatch make it back to their own world? Who won the final battle? Did all the gods help in the battle? Did they destroy the Sennites? I really was expecting more at the end.



5. Entertain the End By: K.A. Applegate is an adventure filled book packed with action, that will keep you guessing until the end. I would recommend end this book to anyone that would like to get sucked into the book on the first page. To start this book out, a nice friendly witch get killed by her half sister, and that captures your attention from the beginning. Four young teenagers are set on an adventure to figure out why strange things are happening to them. They are getting huge holes in their stomach. Yet nothing is happening to them in Everworld, Everworld is like an alternate world that has strange creatures and strong armies with a lot of battles. But the battle just begins when people start to die and go missing. Except for her half sister that murdered the friendly witch for no reason. The witch that got killed, her name was Senna. She said she killed her because she was sick of her sister getting all the attention. And the nice witch leaves spells on all of her close friends and relatives that really freaks out the sister because she thinks that something bad is going to happen to her after she watches all of her close friends slowly disappear.
   The setting is in two different worlds, one of those is Everworld. Everworld is an alternate world that has the same people but different things are happening to them in the real world rather than in Everworld. It also has you act the same but different things happen., it is very confusing. For example if you were in a real world you would be the same person with the same personality but you would be in totally different situations. In the real world you would be the person you are now and you could do everything that you can do now, but if you were in Everworld you would be the same person you are no also but you would be in completely different situations and you would have different friends and you would hang out with different people. To conclude this review I would like to say that I would recommend this book to anyone that is willing to read this. And if you read it the book will capture your attention and will make you want to read the rest of the series.

5 comments about Red Is for Remembrance (Stolarz Series).

1. Five months after her boyfriend was pushed overboard and never seen again, Stacey Brown is now at university with a full scholarship. Even though she doesn't actually attend lectures, and when she does she fails tests. And forget sororities, sports and shagging - all she does is down tranquilisers, and perform spells that used to help her but don't anymore.
   
   The uni's president brought Stacey here to help his troubled teen daughter, who's having nightmares of a death not yet committed. At first Stacey tries to help Porsha for selfish reasons, but the pair makes a breakthrough to become friends, and Stacey no longer puts herself first.
   
   It's so hard to discuss this book without major spoilers, but RED IS FOR REMEMBRANCE is lovable. The entire series is fabulous, but this outing steps up with an added dimension. Some plot points may be predictable, but they're still great rides. Even though some characters are annoying, that doesn't matter.
   
   This is a series to glom. I love how the spells have ingredients, instead of just "magic". I love Stacey's awkward social graces. I love the spookiness, and the suspense. But here's the tricky part: Published in 2005, this book and its predecessors may be hard to find, though there's a boxed set you may be able to purchase. I'm now ultra-eagerly awaiting the upcoming graphic novel BLACK IS FOR BEGINNINGS. Laurie Faria Stolarz's work is so underrated, and well deserving of new fans.



2. this book is filled with intresting excitement and mystery of stacey browns nightmares and a crazy twist in a way u wouldnt belive.!
   ot has her jsual "got to help people charm in it
   with a touvj of happily ever after"



3. after the first three books of this amazing series red is for remembrance was a disappointment. i loved the first three books, heck the epilogue of book three was so amazing that this is now one of my favorite series, then i read this book.
   
   the story takes place four months or so after silver, and it starts off fairly interesting. stacy's still reeling from the events of silver and is unable to cope. however, unlike the previous three books red switches btw stacey's pov and the third person pov of some boy named shell who lives in a commune in the woods. red also takes us in the direction of stacy being a mentor to a girl, porsha, who has the same nightmare problem stacy and jacob have and has been dreaming of some boy named trevor. meanwhile shell depicts his life at the commune which is more sinister than shell was originally led to believe.
   
   honestly the story lost me at shell's pov. which i probably could have eventually gotten used to except shell's storyline was boring. the whole fanatics who live in a forest preaching against the evils of the world may in fact be evil itself has been done before, and done better. stacy's story wasn't any better. in my opinion this book would have been much better if laurie faria stolarz had just stuck with stacy's pov and worked around the restrictions of that like she has in the past, to be honest.
   
   in the end i wish laurie faria stolarz had stopped at silver, because as amazing as silver was this book not only ruined it but just gave more of the same old same old. i'll check out the next book in the series, black is for beginnings but if its anything like this book i'll probably stop following this series and just treasure the first three books.



4. The final book in the Blue is for Nightmares series by Laurie Faria Stolarz. This book was a good read and good conclusion to the series. I didn't think it was as good as the previous books though. This book didn't have nearly the suspense elements of the previous books.
   
   In this book Stacey is at college and rooming with Amber. After Jacob's death she is fighting to not succumb completely to depression, when she starts having nightmares again. The president of the university contacts her and wants her to help his daughter Porscha, who also has strange dreams about death that are driving her crazy. Stacey's dream are hinting that maybe if she can help Porscha than she can save another boy's life; why does Stacey get the feeling this all has something to do with Jacob?
   
   This was an easy read, a well-written book, and a nice conclusion to the series. That being said I was a little disappointed with the book in general. This book never had the creepiness of the previous books. In fact there weren't really many horror elements at all. There was a little mystery but not nearly to the degree of the previous books. As for the chapters alternating between Stacey and the mysterious Shell; I figured out the part that Shell would play in the story right in the beginning and was disappointed to find out I was right. I kind of felt like Stolarz was sick of writing this series and just wanted to wrap it up in the quickest way possible; and in a way that would leave her readers happy and not disgruntled.
   
   This was a fine conclusion to the series but I really felt like Stolarz didn't put much into the story; she is extraordinary at writing creepy horror scenes but she kind of skipped out on that for this book. I was just so disappointed. Should you read the book? Well you kind of have to given how "Silver is for Secrets" left us all completely hanging mid-scene. Will I read more books by Stolarz after reading this series? Probably not. Although it would be interesting for her to do a couple books about Porscha.



5. This series is amazing. The first three books were all page turners. I couldn't put them down until I was finished. However, this book is sadly lacking the caliber the other books in the series possessed. The ending was predictable from the beginning, and the outcome was bittersweet.
   
   Some people believe that after Silver is for Secrets, the series should have been over. However, the author didn't really finish the series there. An ending to Stacey Brown's story was required. The attempt to close all the doors left open, though, was unenjoyable. I give the series, overall, a 4 star rating, but this last book is definately not on the same level as the rest.

5 comments about The Baby-Sitter (Point Horror Series).

1. I have read quite a few R.L.Stine books. I cannot say this was one of the best of them. But it sure was interesting -I finished it overnight- and I sure do want to read the rest baby-sitter stories (II, III, IV) to see what happens next.



2. Synopsis: Jenny Jeffers has a new job babysitting the Hagen's boy Donny every Thursday and Saturday night. The Hagens just moved to their new home, which looks old and run down like a haunted house. At first sight, Jenny has an overactive imagination and imagines the worst case scenarios that could take place in the house. She reads an article in the newspaper about a person who has been attacking babysitters, but assures herself that the attacker cannot possibly come here in the middle of nowhere.
   
   She enjoys babysitting Donny, but after putting him to bed, strange things start happening that she cannot explain. An odd man named Willers claiming to be the Hagen's neighbors suddenly shows up, telling her that he thought he saw a prowler and starts asking her bizarre questions. Later, someone starts making obscene phone calls, calling her `babes' and tells her that `company's coming'. She also notices a car parked outside the house with someone inside watching her. One time, someone knocks on her door, and she sees a hideous face jump leap at her window. She starts to suspect Chuck, a boy who likes her, is behind all this because she feels he is too moody and doesn't take rejection well. Can she stop the crazed killer from attacking her next?
   
   Review: This is a classic! I remember reading this many years ago when it first came out, and it still gave me the chills as I re-read it recently. Stine uses the classic `lonely girl in a scary house' scenario and puts his own twist to the tale. What really struck me about this book is how realistic the story is. Usually, in Stine's other books, even if the story doesn't revolve around a supernatural element, it is still a little farfetched and unbelievable. This story had a perfect mix of romance, comedy, thriller, horror and suspense.
   
   Probably the only part I found confusing in this book was Mrs. Hagen's character. I cannot figure out why she seemed so enthusiastic and outgoing in the story, considering what happened to their family. She seemed like a really odd character, and there was no explanation given as to why she behaved that way.
   
   Other than that, everything in the book made sense. The plot was well written, and the ending leaves for a good sequel (Baby-Sitter 2).



3. Jenny, the main character, takes a babystitting job on the other side of town, in a big old creepy house that needs repairs. Creepy things are happening . . . is it her imagination, or are there really footsteps and crashes and bangs, or is it just the wind? Creepy phone calls come . . . those are not her imagination. Jenny is terrified to stay in that house because of all the terrifying things that are happening. Including that creepy next-door nosy neighbor who snoops around the house.
   
   Meanwhile, Jenny has a boyfriend named Chuck who really cares about her. He is a jokester. With all the horrifying things that are happening, Jenny is not in the mood for jokes.
   
   Even though Jenny is stressed out, you love her. I think she is cool.
   
   At the end of the book, we find out who the prankster is who threatens Jenny with those creepy calls. You will not want to put the book down until you found out who it is.
   
   I read this book many years ago, and because it is so good, I always knew that I would read it again. I finally read it again. I enjoyed it that much. I don't normally re-read books. Of all the R.L. Stine books that I have read (and I have read a lot of them), this book is the one I like the best. This book is written with superb talent, is very cleverly and perfectly crafted, and everything smoothly flows from one thing to the next. I love the whole book. It is interesting and fun. Even though I feel a lot of R.L. Stine's books are worthy of 5 stars, this book makes his other 5-star books pale in comparison - it is that good.
   
   This is a teen book. Even though it is teen, it is fun. It is awesome. I love it.
   
   This is the first book of a 4-book series. If you love this book as much as I do, you will definitely want to read the other 3 books. Even though each book can stand alone, I think it's more interesting to read them in order, you don't want to miss any of them. All 4 of the books are awesome. And all 4 books are original and have their own plot - they do not repeat themselves.



4. This has to be one of Stine's best books. It's a YA book but I think anyone could enjoy this. The plot's simple enough, Jenny gets a new job baby-sitting in a creepy house during a time where baby-sitters are being attacked in her town. She starts getting threatening calls and notes, is she next? You feel as if you know Jenny, and this book has some great twists. This book launched many sequals, some good, others not, but start with the original!



5. The Babysitter, was a great book that was so good I just couldn't put it down! I would definitely recommend it to girls that are a fan of thriller books. This book gets a bit scary at the end. If you are not a fan of scary books then I would not recommend reading this book. R.L. Stine writes great scary books , and I love reading them. If you read this this book you might want to read The Babysitter 2 and The Babysitter3.

5 comments about Chain Letter (Avon Camelot Books).

1. What can I say, the book is the first I read of Mr. Pike's and I I was in love after that. I am a writer becuase of this book. It's deep and beautiful and painful and wonderful. Just read it!



2. Chain Letter has a very similar premise to I Know What You Did Last Summer. A group of kids are involved in a hit and run accident that kills a man. A year later, the horror starts up again when one of the kids, Fran Darey, receives the first of many letters in the mail. Only in this book, the letter is a chain letter. The chain letters ask them to do shocking, horrible things and it all goes downhill for the characters from there. But some of the things they're asked to do are actually quite amusing. For example, one of them is asked to mouth off to her teachers. I won't say any more but that's just one example of the dark humor to be found in this book (it's also an example of why troublemakers probably shouldn't read this book :)). So yeah, I thought that having it be a chain letter was an interesting twist to what could have been a stale plotline. I felt the ending was really sad and really satisfying (in a tragic way). That is why I was so disappointed with the sequel. The sequel just seemed to exploit supernatural elements to make it more spooky. The first one had a humanity to it that impressed me. It can`t compete with Poe or anything, but as a teen horror book, it's pretty good.
   
   It's good for 13 year olds. It's a little more mature than R.L. Stine books. The characters are more sexualized and the language is more harsh. But it's better written.



3. Chain Letter is one of Pike's earliest novels, written in 1986. Pike peppers this book with cultural references from the '80's, which make it a bit dated. How many teens in 2006 will have a clue who Natassja Kinski is and that she was in a sexy photo with a boa constrictor?
   
   The story starts out strongly. A group of friends have covered up an accident - or a crime. An ominous person calling himself The Caretaker knows all about it. The Caretaker wants each of them to do extremely embarrassing things - or he will kill them one by one. Will the friends stick together or turn on each other? Worse, what if the Caretaker is one of them?
   
   The best part of the novel was the setting of one of the character's homes, a deserted housing tract in the desert. Look at the cover and see the dark hills around the lonely house. Great setting and descriptive writing when talking about the tract! Good explanation as to why no one but this one family had moved in yet.
   
   Pike develops the characters well. Unfortunately, most of them are not likeable. The end was not smashing in that it was not a surprise, and Pike left loose ends hanging. Many incongruities in the final resolution were not explained.
   
   I was nauseated by the sickeningly sweet, sentimental, and totally implausible ending. Who cares about the budding romance between so and so? Oh, God, it was so Disneyfied! I also did not like the fact that Pike took the easy way out and had all the teens' parents away on long trips during all of the action.



4. This was the first Christopher Pike book I read, and is still one of my favorite ever. If you want to read something good, than this is the bookl. I liked how the letter had the whole colom system, and Neil being not just one of them, you have to read number two to see the second Caretaker(Sasha). In short, this book is good. Read it.



5. Of the four Pike novels that I've read, Chain Letter is by far the best. Pike works within a strict formula that involves a whodunit, attractive young protagonists, and a thrilling sense of danger. In this particular outing, these elements are bolstered by a stronger-than-average set of characters, and above all the nifty idea that a chain letter is making demands that must be met.
   
   This book could have served as the inspiration for "I Know What You Did Last Summer," and shares that movie's premise of a shared horrible secret that comes back to haunt the young beautiful friends who left a man for dead.
   
   Pike has a knack for moving a story along in the manner of a conventional thriller novel, and this book is extra exciting because of the gimmick of overt threats and unspeakably horrible demands.
   
   By playing on an Urban Legend, Pike has tapped into something that hits a little closer to home than most of his works.
   
   If you're going to give Pike a try, this is the book to cut your teeth on.

5 comments about Ghost Soldier.

1. In this book a boy named Alexander, from Indiana, and his dad go to North Carolina to met Mrs. Hambrick. They live with her and daughter Nicole and son, Charleton. While Alexander is down there they all go to a Civil War, or what the south called it The War between the States, battlefield. It is Fort Stedman, which the north took and won the war. While Alexander was there, he fell and woke up to a battle. There was a young man there named Richeson Francis Chamblee or Rich for short. Rich kept telling Alexander to help him. When Alexander gets back to the real world, he meets the ghost of Rich. Only Alexander can see, and talk to him. Rich needs him to trace his family so he knows that his family survived. If you want to know if his family survived, and Alexander helps, Rich you will have to read the book.
   There is hardly anything in a book I did not like. It has all of my favorite kinds of stories put into one. It also goes to different things, and is not caught up in one thing.
   In a book there is a battle so, if you like action books this would be a good book for you. If you like, mystery books this is a good book for you because new things always pop up, or things happen when you do not expect them to.



2. Ghost Soldier
   
   By: Elaine Marie Alphin
   
   4 out of 5 stars
   THE SCARIEST BATTLEFIELD
   In the book Ghost Soldier a boy named Alexander lives in Indiana and is on a trip with his dad to North Carolina to visit a woman that his dad wants to marry. Alex's real mom just picked up and left many years ago. A couple of days into the trip they go to see a battlefield, and Alex falls into the past and experience something that you could never even imagine! When Alex gets back into his time there is a ghost that just won't leave Alex alone! This Ghost name is Rich, and he insists that Alexander must help him or he will haunt him in a way for the rest of his life. Rich also starts to haunt the people around Alex.
   I thought that this was a pretty good book. A reason that I liked it is, because it was always right there keeping me on edge convincing me to keep on reeding. The main reason that I liked this book so much, is because it was about the Civil War, and I have always found books about wars to be quiet interesting. There was also a lot of action in this book.
   If you like books about action adventure and a ghost every now and then this is the book for you! Gary Paulsen is a great writer, and I enjoy his books, I liked this book even more, so if you Like Gary Paulsen books you'll love this book.



3. Ghost soldier
   By: Elain Alphin
   
   The book Ghost soldier is about a boy named Alexander. Him and his dad are going to North Caroline. They going there because Alexander's dad is wanting to meet a lady he likes, Paige. During this trip Alexander finds himself going through time windows. In one part of the book he goes into a time window. Alexander doesn't know if it is real or if he is imagining it. He meets a ghost who needs his help. While trying to decide if he wants to help he realizes he is has a problem of his own.
   The parts I really like that Alexander becomes closer to his dad. This story reminded me of how I felt growing up with out a dad. This book almost mad my cry. The book isn't just sad it is funny too. This book is for children or adults who like fun and interesting facts about history. The book would be perfect for ages 9-14.



4. Ghost Soldier was definitely among my favorite novels I have read in my freetime. Alexander, a somewhat lost thirteen-year-old, is forced to spend his Spring Break with the Hambricks, a family consisting of a hyper seven-year-old boy, a stubborn teenage girl who can't seem to cooperate at any costs, and a mom who is deeply admired by Alex's dad. Alexander's vacation takes a turn when he ends up in Petersburg, an old Civil War battlefield, expecting to see nothing more than a few trenches and a historical reenactment--when he finds himself witnessing the famous battle in the very time period it took place. Richeson Francis Chamblee, a ghost drummer boy and persistent soldier who died for his country, won't seem to leave Alexander be, until he finally gives in to help the ghost solve the mystery of his century-old family. As time goes on, Alexander learns the meaning of teamwork when he makes some pretty unexpected friends, and realizing sometimes, the answer to a problem could be right under your nose.
   
   I found this as an excellent book because of the time period that the story refers to (I believe I'm the only twelve-year-old girl that obsesses over the eighteen-hundreds), and the part of the story that relates to the main character's supernatural powers to see and communicate with ghosts. If you're interested in the Civil War, paranormal, or are just looking for a good kid's read, Ghost Soldier is a perfect match.



5. Ghost Soldier

   There is a boy named Alexander whose Mom left him many years ago, he still waits for her day by day year by year to come back. He expects her to just come walking down the street one day but that hasn't happened yet. So Alexander is forced to live with his Dad in North Carolina, that is the last place he wants to be. The one-day Alexander finds himself in the center of the Civil War battlefield. There is where he meets Richeson, the ghost of a Civil War soldier. Richeson has problems of his own. Alexander doesn't care at all. Alexander can barely take care of himself let alone ghost from the past. Alexander is put into a mystery 100 years old. I didn't really enjoy this book because I don't really like ghost stories and it was kind of hard to follow. Him and his dad are trying to get along with each other through about the whole story. It gets hard to follow. I wouldn't really recommend this book to everyone.

5 comments about Realm of the Reaper (Everworld #04).

1. Another fairly mediocre book in a fairly mediocre series. This book is okay, but not great.
   
   Story is a bit weaker in this novel than in the others. All the books have an unpleasantly cramped feel, but this one feels more than anything like a minor sidequest, a brief fall into hell(literally, almost) along the way to a greater objective.
   
   The ending was okay, nothing spectacular, nothing special, just "meh." Thankfully, Senna showed up towards the end and adds some much needed complexity by revealing a few of her characteristically intriguing motives and goals. Her personality, sketchier than the other characters' at the start, is coming together like the pieces of a puzzle.
   
   Unfortunately, I can't really say the same for the rest of the cast. I find them to be gradually becoming more and more annoying and less and less sympathetic the further I read into these books. In fact, if every character except Senna died, I probably wouldn't really be very moved. The only marginally okay one was the hopelessly naive and idealistic "hero" David Levin, who seems to be becoming more passive as the books go on. The other four seem to be endlessly taunting and kicking him around(except for Senna, who is opting for turning him into her personal dog instead). He, at least, elicits some sympathy from me. The other three can go die extremely painful deaths and I won't care. Jackasses.
   
   That's not to say they aren't well written. In fact, probably one of the better parts of the series is the unflinching honesty and realism. However, that does little to comfort me when the majority of the main characters have annoyed me to the point where I'm hoping for their deaths.
   
   The Everworld series is not particularly remarkable, which is kind of why it is a mostly obscure series. There's some good characterization and dialog, but all in all there's only one character in the book that makes it anywhere near remarkable, and I think you know who I'm talking about. The biggest plus here is that it introduced me to a very intriguing character. If Senna wasn't in this series, I don't think I'd still be reading it.
   
   Best scene: Senna completely fooling the four and using their own paranoia of Everworld against them when April tries to use her as a guinea pig. Way to turn the tables.



2. This is the fourth part of the Everworld saga. This time Jalil, the smart one of the group, is the narrator of the story. After their battle with Loki, They leave Galahad's land and start moving. They run into this wierd town. Jalil, along with David, the heroic one, Christopher, the comedian of the group, and April, the only girl with them at the moment, are actualy captured by some of the guards from the town. So as they walk in they notice something very odd about the people there. They realize that it is mostly guys. There are barely any women around. Not only are there mostly guys in this place, they are all small in size. But that doesnt mean they are small in strength. They look very tough and could easily take down Jalil and the rest of them. They all wonder why. But later that night they realize why they are tough. Hel, a half-dead, half-living woman, as well as Loki's daughter, takes some of the men and brings them to her lair. And it jsut so happnes she chooses Jalil, Christopher, and David. They try to run away but she has migcal powers and seems irresistable and they can't manage to even leave. So they follow her to her lair. How will they manage to escape this half-dead magical woman. they call Hel. You have to remember that Hel's magic only affects men. Their jsut so happnes to be a woman in Jalil's gang.



3. I would have to say that so far, this is my favorite book out of the Everworld series (I still have 8 more to go). April, Jalil, David and Christopher have escaped Loki only to be in a never ending forest with not much to eat or drink. They finally come to what looks like a town and the smell of baking bread drives them closer to it. They find that it is more a prison than a town. Mostly everyone in town in male and terrified of "she". Who is this she and why is everyone so scared of her?



4. A Review by Jonathan

   The group Jalil, April, David, and Christopher are still searching for the witch Senna. They stumble upon a village of men. The need for food and rest drove them to an inn. They cannot leave this village unless a dredded "She" of which people speak, lets them. They learn of Loki's daughter Hel, and that she plans to torture them for the end of eternity. If they can't escape her clutches, they will certainly die.

   I liked the feel of the environment of this book. It envelopes and immerses the reader. It creates an atmosphere that helps the reader along. It also creates a sense of emotion such as fear. Another point of liking is that it is very easy to get into. The book has a clean, crisp plot that is easily readable, yet enjoyable. One more point of interest is the problems that the characters face. This adds to the intensity of the book. I like the fact that most of their problems are god related. This makes it interesting because they also have to survive. They don't know what will happen to them in the real world if they die in Everworld. Sometimes the concept of their consciousness traveling between universes can be confusing, but I get it. This is a semi- easy book.

   I recommend this book to people that take a liking to thrills and adventure. Also, there is a lot of action in this book. I think this book is excellent, I think the same about the entire series. This is a semi-easy book to read.




5. I loved this book because of its extreme intesity. It made you excited and anxious to see what happens next. It is unpredictable and builds up tension while you read. I would reccomend this book for anyone between the ages of 12-and up.

5 comments about Go Ask Malice: A Slayer's Diary (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

1. I'm a bit late coming to this book and wish that I had known about it sooner. I've always wanted a book about Faith, namely one that gave some insight into her past.
   
   And I finally got it with this book. It definitely did not disappoint. I've always been a Faith fan and I've always been interested in finding out about her life before he became the Slayer... I mean, anyone that has watched Buffy knows that before being called, Buffy was your typical popular girly-girl with a pretty typical life but we never really knew much about Faith and why she was the way that she was. It was hinted at a few times and we got a little detail here and there... But this is a story that finally reveals it all.
   
   Saying that Faith didn't have an easy life is putting it lightly. She had it very, very rough.
   
   This book is written from her perspective (Shocking, given the title, huh?) and in her own words. The Author does a very good job writing as Faith. The things that she says and does are things that I would expect from her. She is, at times, vulnerable and it plays well into her personality once she arrives in Sunnydale on the show. The tough exterior that she has and the way that she deals with confrontation.
   
   I have to say that I definitely enjoyed this book. I'm very glad that I found it.



2. Faith is both one of the more complex characters in the BtVS/AtS universe, and one of the most unknown. All you know of her background is a few almost throwaway lines. This book greatly expands on this, giving an explanation of several key aspects of her character.
   
   Although of uncertain canoncity, I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the character and would like to know more. Written in a diary format, you see Faiths life from her perspective, experience things from her background, something not really possible in the TV series'.



3. Go Ask Malice: A Slayer's Diary
   
   Robert Joseph Levy (2006)
   
   RATING: 5/5 Stakes
   
   SETTING: Season Three
   
   T.V. CHARACTER APPEARANCES: Faith, Kakistos
   
   MAJOR ORIGINAL CHARACTERS: Diana Dormer (Watcher); Faith's Mother; George Lehane (Faith's Father); Kenny (psychic & boyfriend); Vanity Collins (social worker); Alex (imaginary friend/Slayer soul?)
   
   BACK-OF-THE-BOOK SUMMARY: "Faith has always been a loner. Growing up in a broken home in South Boston, shuffled from relative to relative, her only companion was an imaginary friend named Alex, who helped her escape into a fantasy world of monsters and the supernatural, far from the real-life horrors of the waking world. Now, taken away from her mother by social services and shipped off to a foster home, Faith learns that some nightmares are all too real, that the inventions of her childhood really do haunt the night, hungry for blood. Enter Diana Dormer, a Harvard professor and representative of the Watchers Council who has come to tell Faith of her destiny, to train her, to prepare her for what is to come: Faith is the Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. But she's not alone. When Alex, her childhood companion, returns in her dreams, she warns Faith that someone else is coming to her, a force so deadly and unforgiving that it has inspired fear in the underworld for a thousand generations. Its name is Malice. As memory and fantasy begin to merge, Faith's two worlds collide, with cataclysmic results. A violent battle for the Slayer's soul is staged, winner take all. This is her story. . . ."
   
   REVIEW
   
   The stylistic conceit behind Go Ask Malice is that it is the diary of Faith found in an archaeological expedition of Sunnydale after the end of Season Seven (though the last entry takes place just prior to Season Three). The concept works beautifully, as Faith has a strong first-person voice and seeing events from her perspective offers insight in to her character and background that would be much harder to achieve in normal third-person storytelling. The television show hinted that Faith had a troubled upbringing, but this book really fleshes it out as we encounter Faith's frequently-absent mother (who becomes a prostitute), her incarcerated father, her bouncing around foster homes, and more. We're also introduced to Faith's first Watcher, Professor Diana Dormer and learn much more about the backstory of Kakistos, the demon responsible for killing Dormer and driving Faith out of Boston. Kakistos was polished off in a single episode in Buffy (and probably wasn't handled very well), but here the demon has a nice menacing aura and build-up through prophetic dreams that Faith is having. The fact that the reader already knows that Kakistos kills Dormer lends a pall of impending tragedy over the book that works very well because the reader is constantly kept guessing as to how and when it'll happen.
   
   Suffice it to say, Go Ask Malice is a very dark book--something the too-sacharine Buffy novel line desperately needed. If you only like happy endings or can't stand Faith, this isn't the book for you. Otherwise, I highly recommend it (and hope the author can get talked into writing some stories for the Buffy comic).



4. Interesting look into the mind of one of the most complex Buffy characters. She's not all bad. She wants to do the right thing, she just doesn't always know what it is or how to accomplish it.
   
   The whole thing's written diary-style, a la Louise Rennison's Georgia Nichols books (like "Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging"). So it's all from Faith's POV.
   
   Definitely worth a read.



5. Curious about the last name of our evil slayer? Then you should definitely read this book. The whole book is all about Faith before she came to Sunnydale. It starts out with learning about her drunk mother, the horrible guys she dated, and how she discovers she is a potential slayer.
   
   I just really enjoyed this book because it gives a lot of insight about Faith. You kind of feel and see why she is the way she is. It's written in her point of view and it actually looks like a journal so you kind of feel what she feels.
   
   In the end, if you want to read about Faith and discover things which were left out on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, then you should read this book. I really enjoyed it and couldn't put it down until I finished it.

5 comments about Queen of the Slayers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

1. Like some of the other reviewers, I really wanted to like this book as well. For the majority of the book, it was actually a pretty nice ride, it was the ending that sucked and didn't make a lick of sense. Folloing the demise of Sunnydale, the Slayer team hauls ass only to find a bit of trouble with shadow creatures in a small desert town. Ok, that was interesting and believable. The chunk of the story, how they wind up back at what is left of the Council, and how they get to Rome and associate themselves with The Immortal is also very good. Training hundreds of new Potentials with the aid of The Immortal is now Buffy's concern until a man on the inside has his own agenda with some very old ancestors of his and his rogue slayer/supermodel/evil biotch of a girlfriend. Basically, the story is solid until it landslides into Slayers against Slayers, the original Scoobies are split up on separate worlwide missions, and a frustrated Giles is maintaining the Council with a reluctant council member. I'd really like it if Nancy Holder, the author of many mediocre Buffy books would find another day job because muddying up the Buffy storyline is just a bit old now. It seems as though her ideas sound good until they're actually on paper. Then the reader is left bored and annoyed at having wasted 6 bucks and 2-3 days trying to figure out at what point in the story she really stopped trying to make sense. If you wanna buy this, go ahead. But right when you get to the part where the Immortal leaves their dimension for another, leaving Buffy to impending doom, close the book right then and there because it gets much worse after that.



2. For a book with such a provocative title, reading Queen of the Slayers was anticlimactic, and a letdown. Something went very wrong here. Ever since Buffy the Vampire concluded its seventh season in 2003 few authors have written a post-season seven epic, and for good reason. It's difficult to come up with a plausible plot that keeps fans interested in what might have been. I have read a few good post-season seven books--this is not one of them. That is particularly unfortunate since Nancy Holder is generally a good author. I usually like her because of her fascination with history (I love history,) and because she uses the past to come up with some very interesting plots and ideas--but in this book her passion seems to backfire on her. Why? For the simple reason that she focuses too much on a historical mythology and not even time dealing with the present. It's almost as if she has two different stories and then attempts to mold them into one cohesive book. Also, she starts a number of what could be interesting plot ideas, and then either butchers them by writing them badly, or even more often by making them and then promptly forgetting about them soon afterward.
   
   I see no reason to ruin the book for those interested in reading it by giving away the plot, but I will say that I would not recommend it There are many reasons why I don't recommend it, the primary reason being that the book is too disjointed. Some of the events which occur make little sense, and there a lot of plot holes as well. Another aspect of the book that really annoyed me is that Holder spent far too much time describing the villains and their evil plans while she almost completely neglected the main Buffy characters we all have to love so much. In fact, one irritating thing about this book is that it has very few features that would distinguish it as a Buffy book.
   
   In other words, the characters, and in particular the good guys, are hollow and one-dimensional, not distinct. Buffy, Willow, Kenneddy, Xander, etc. are not really the characters that we know well. Instead, they're caricatures who unfamiliar strangers to us. Oh, yes, certainly there are times when Buffy will make some quick-witted quip, or Willow will be characteristically Willow, but all the familiar dialogue from Buffy that we know so well is watered down by the complete lack of character development both in the villains, but more importantly, the good guys. It's so bad that one could easily substitute any fictional characters for Buffy and Co., and come out with exactly the same plot and story. Also, Holder changes the character viewpoint too often for us too get to know any of the characters well, and...simply stated, there are too many characters and not enough characterization. They are all as I said, essentially hollow. There is no Buffy hallmark in this book, and so in essence, there is almost nothing Buffy about this Buffy book. Now, as I said earlier, this a great author. I have a lot of respect for Holder, but I'm sorry to say that this book is just a flop. To me this seems like she typed it up in a few days and handed to the editor. I'm not sure why she decided to write it, quite frankly.
   
   Positive elements: there are very few. As in most of her books, she brings in a lot of history (which I like) so if one likes to read ancient Greek or Roman mythology they might find this book interesting.
   
   Bottom line: Great author, bad, terrible, virtually unreadable book. I would easily recommend anything Holder has written other than this. She even wrote a good Smallville book called Hauntings, and all of her Buffy books are great--just not this one. I'm not sure what happened here, but to be fair, if Holder writes another Buffy book, I'll read it, in the hopes that this is simply her dry-spell as an author.



3. Just finished reading this book and it was great. I think picking up right where the show left off was genious and all the twists were amazing. I was always guessing what was going to happen to next. The only part that didn't like is that is had to end.



4. execellent book could'nt put it down once i started reading.wish they would continue this line in novel form. would love to know what happens with buffy and spike.and the rest of the scooby gang



5. I think people who are madly in love with both Buffy and Angel can appreciate this novel the most. The storyline follows the final season of Angel, with the Immortal and such. So I think it was an intelligent idea. Maybe not the best book ever, but not horrible.