Product Description
A continuation of "Lords of the Middle Dark". Hawks has escaped from the prison planet Melchior and is determined to find the five gold rings that could break Master System's hold over mankind. Master System, however, is out to capture him and the only place to hide is in pirate territory. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Chalker at his best!
This is the first in a series of books set in a totally original world. In this first book Cassie, a young girl born and raised in the solid, mundane, rural lands of Anchor discovers hard truths about the rulers of her society, causing her to be propelled onward to a new life in Flux. The Soul Rider series is one of Chalker's best. It has a very imaginatively conceived world that works well to showcase some of Chalker's favorite themes of transformation and trials and tribulations of his characters. Spirits of Flux and Anchor has an emotionally involving story and the complex characters and original world will keep you turning pages till you reach the end and want to read the next one in the series..It's terrific..and it still reads well in 2001. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A wonderful start
This was a fantastic book that captured my attention when I was a teenager and kept it til I was through reeding all 3 books of the trilogy.Sam and Charlie are best friends in high school and seem to have so much in common, until Sam is thrown into a strange new sci-fi world and she takes charlie with her.Now the two girls have to figure out how they'll ever get home again or if they'll even survive. ... Read more

Product Description
In its hour of need, the Well World's guardians had been neutralized. Nathan Brazil was shipwrecked on a desert island with a seemingly harmless girl who had caused his mind to be invaded, his will sapped, and his mission forgotten. Mavra Chang had been abducted by a vicious gang of inter-hex drug smugglers and held prisoner by a revenge-mad creature who had surgically and genetically altered her into a bizarre farm and made her a slave to powerful narcotics. But the Well of Souls, sophisticated beyond human understanding, was still a machine; it needed its guardians. And so it set plans in motion to jolt its champions back into the game.

But avert if Brazil or Chang could overcome the formidable obstacles in their path, they could not know that all the players, even the great Well computer, were being manipulated by the Kraang, an entity more ancient than the universe itself. For the Kraang had a game plan that would use the guardians to give it powers far beyond those avert of the Well of Souls -- making it a living god.... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

This New Watchers at the Well Trilogy Doesn't Quite Live Up to the Original Series
Jack L. Chalker's return to the Well World universe was much anticipated, and in the end pretty good. This new trilogy, Watchers at the Well, starts with "Echoes of the Well of Souls", continues with "Shadow of the Well of Souls", and concludes with "Gods of the Well of Souls".

Long locked away in an ancient prison, a completely alien force found a chink in its prison cell the last time Nathan Brazil, the immortal keeper of the Well World where control of the universe lies, reset the universe. Now it wants out so it can have free reign of the universe and control of the Well World itself.

Alerted to the danger at hand, the Well World summons Nathan Brazil and Mavra Chang, his new co-Keeper of the Well, but will they answer the call? Brazil is weary, very weary; keeping watch over the universe for all eternity has taken its toll on him and his is just too tired to deal with it anymore. And Chang, who is now estranged from Brazil, never wanted the responsibility that forced upon her.

As the threat to the safety of the universe and the Well World grows and Brazil and Chang ignore the call, the alien entity grows stronger; and, the computer at the heart of the Well World must stop at nothing to get the undivided attention of its keepers before it is too late!

If you loved the original Well World series (and who wouldn't?!?), you will most likely want to read this series as well; if you haven't, then stop and read it immediately.

>>>>>>><<<<<<<

A Guide to my Book Rating System:

1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.

Please avoid; but don't miss the first series
Jack Chalker's original Well of Souls series (Midnight, Echoes, Quest, Return, Twilight) are classics, possibly the finest science fiction series I have ever read.

The three books in this series, this one being thelast, are horrid, and I don't just mean in relation to theoriginals.

Like many other writers, his energy was spent after the firstfew series and books, and he has degenerated into rehashing formaulaic badprose over and over. Where he used to "show" what was happening,he now spends endless pages "tell"ing in justification of thepoor choices his characters make in far fetched plot.

The outcome wasthoroghly predictable. The plot was the most forced plot I can everremember reading. The lectures at the end were insufferable.

Pleaseavoid. And please read the originals - not to be missed!

Kranng rules!
I loved the krangg.He was so cool and had some great lines and I really think he should have won. But he'll probilly be back in ghost of the well of souls. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good buy
Book came in a timely manner, and looked as good as they said it would.

Shadow Dancer
I loved the G.O.D. Series. This is mostly a detective novel, but with Chalker own spin on characters and some out of this world ideas. I owed the book since it was first published, and wishing he would do more of thisseries. Once you picked it up, you can put it down. I highly recommend youto look into used book store. If you are a Chalker fan, you should not missthis series. ... Read more

Product Description
When the two horned demons--the greatest discovery of all time--escape their giant sealed amber cell and leave a trail of mutilated victims, the three major empires must follow these creatures into another dimension. Reprint. PW. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Involving sci-fi with incredible world building
This is book two in the Quintara Marathon, and you should read "The Demons at Rainbow Bridge" first, and then follow this novel with "The Ninety Trillion Fausts."

Having broken free of their ancient imprisonment, a pair of Quintara make the three empires stop and notice their ancient enemies have returned.The Mizlaplan (fanatics of the Cosmic All), the Mycholians (parasites who control other lifeforms), and the Exchange (ruthless capatalists) all send teams in an effort to stop the Quintara.

As the teams compete against and cooperate with each other on the journey to Chaos Keep, where the ancient seals that imprison the Quintara reside, they must survive the million ancient traps on the way.

This gripping science fiction novel keeps up a good pace and further develops the characters introduced in the first book.The danger and inner conflicts make it well worth reading.If you read book one, buy it... the story gets better!

A must read for any fan of sci fi
I THOUGHT THIS BOOK WAS A VERY WELL WRITTEN STUDY OF NOT ONLY THE DEMONS,BUT THE THREE DIFFERENT CULTURES WHOS JOB IT WOULD BECOME TO STOP THEM.THE CHARECTERS ARE WELL THOUGHT OUT AND BELEIVEABLE.MR.CHALKER IS ONEOF THE MOST ORIGANAL AND BEST AUTHERS SINCE TOLKIEN ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The cover art is better than the text
Evil scientists, a computer that thinks he's the Antichrist, and a woman running around outside naked.It was slow, depressing, and dreadful.It made me want to swear off Chalker forever, but by this time I had already purchased a large selection of his repertorie because of the interesting covers.As youth is wasted on the young, wonderful cover art is wasted on Jack Chalker.

Pleasing but not cleanching
You can tell this was one of his early works.It is enjoyable to read, if you like the author but don't go out of your way to acquire it. Character development okay and story line okay.Not great, just go get it at yourlibrary, I did. ... Read more

Product Description
Unavailable for five years, this series tells of a small multi-universe corporation whose inhabitants discovered long ago the pathways to alternate universes--and the resulting profits from such knowledge. "Chalker shows that an old idea can indeed learn new tricks."--The Milwaukee Journal. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Take the red pill and play it again, Sam
Just finished reading the whole trilogy (this book as well as Shadow Dancers and Maze in the Mirror), and it would very be hard to tell you how much I've enjoyed it without any spoilers - but I promise to be careful.

The best thing about these books is that they are good old detective novels. There is even self awareness in this since the heroes are detective-story buffs themselves: Brandy and Sam Horowitz are a black/Jewish couple who also have a down-and-out detective agency called "Spade and Marlowe". Throughout the trilogy - the couple keeps quoting and referring to classics like Nick and Nora Charles, The Thin Man, The Shadow, and - of course - Sherlock Holmes.

This is not only a matter of superficial stylistic additives. All 3 books are essentially detective stories with a puzzle to solve, clues, and the traditional climatic "whodunit" session where the couple unravels the complex plots and nails the culprits. The only difference is that it's essentially science fiction (although I can't tell you more than that without spoiling the surprise for you - you have to go halfway through the first book before you understand what it's about). This contrast between the hi-tech plot and good old-fashioned detective work is the main theme of the trilogy and what makes it so beautiful.

The reason why I only give the trilogy 4 stars is because there are some sloppy mistakes in the science part of the fiction. Still - the scientific speculations are interesting, and Chalker does a good job of making these technologies interact with very well developed characters. Every time he pulls some invention out of his hat, it affects individuals and society in very creative ways and raises lots of philosophical and ethical issues. This more than compensates for the tech slip-ups.

***** minor spoilers *****
Shadow Dancers spices things up with blaxploitation (the reference to Cleopatra Jones in the beginning is not a coincidence) and Nazi villains.

Maze in the Mirror begins with a badly bruised British chap knocking on the door of the Horowitz residence and - before he collapses - introduces himself as "Bond. James Bond". It then develops into a plot that surpasses the complexity of the first 2 books. Of course - you have to read them as well in order to understand this one. It even ties some loose ends left from the previous cases, so there's no way around it: you'll just have to read them all :) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

A great book!
Not much more to say but this is a totally great book with great ideas and characters. I've read it over and over again and I just love it.

absolutely no imagination
Chalker doesn't even bother to create alien life.He just makes them magical.If humans don't have any idea how their science works, Chalker doesn't have to bother writing anything.The characters themselves all have one dimension and no personality.They are stereotypes.The average of what we think a certain type "should be."The cops are all cops.The prehistoric man is a prehistoric man.

Storyline development is lousy.Character development is nonexistent because there never were characters just Styrofoam.In the end, you don't get what you were looking for.

Don't bother unless you are an avid Chalker fan.If you are, you'll clearly give this book 5 stars for no conceivable reason.

Not His Best But A Good Read
What I liked about this is that it depicted people up against impossible odds and chronicled their ability to prevail. The story line is a bit awkward and strains credibility but if you're a Jack Chalker fan, you will probably want to read this and will be glad you did.

garbage
I am 30 yrs old, read dozens of books a year and can whole heartedly say that this is the worst sci-fi book I have ever read.I just finished the book and need to express to someone my anger over the time I have just wasted.I have never reviewed a book before but needed to warn others away from this crap.
Agarrett's comments should not be ignored. After reading 35 pages of Chalker attempting to explain in depth (he fails) some battle armor the protagonist is given to help him on his mission, it is never really spoken of again.
Contrary to other reviewers, I feel there is very little character development.I still can't even remember the names of half the "ragtag crew".It is easy to forget characters integral to the plot are even part of the story until it is their turn to die saving the group.There are two romances in the book, but neither of the pairs share any chemistry.It's basically, "Her name was Spotty" . . . "Oooh we're having a baby?"There is little insight into what the characters are really feeling or thinking.Worst of all is the description of the aliens.I'll sum it up here:they flew in egged shaped fuzzy things.Want more info on the Titans?Too bad that is all you get.
What really gets me the most is all the inconsistancies. The main character goes from being completely hairless and disfigured from interstellar space travel to a receding hairline, full beard and no noticable flaws?At one point there is a whole debate over who should attempt a meeting with an unknown foe.It is finally decided after much arguing that three should go: the priest, the girl and the hero.The next paragraph, the priest and girl go.What happened to the hero?TWO separate characters are stricken with amnesia.Hours later they are describing events they were supposed to have forgotten.Finally, a central theme in the world of the Titans is the evil power of 15 foot tall flowers.Oh no, I just gave it away.Yup, that is it.The flowers are evil, don't expect me or Chalker to elaborate.
I will never read another book by Chalker. I suggest that you also stay very far away from this book.

Engaging characters, plot and world
I found only one copy of this book at a bookstore and then read a little about it on Amazon.I bought it and have to say it was very engaging and I highly rate it.Well developed characters and an interesting plot line.So far I have lent the book to 2 others and they have rated it just as highly as I have. I am not sure why this novel has not gotten more press than it has as a previous reviewer mentioned.I never read any of Chalker's books but after reading this have decided to read more! ... Read more

Product Description
In Husaquahr, behind the cloak of seeming peace, evil was stirring again as the Dark Baron plotted with a Demon Prince to bring about Armageddon.Master Sorcerer Throckmorton P. Ruddygore could only trust one man with the mission of spying upon the evil villians:Joe.The only problem was, Joe had just been bitten by a weredog . . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Job
Book arrived in perfect condition, well wrapped, and it got to me in record speed. I'd buy from this seller again. ... Read more

Product Description
Word count: 2997. ... Read more

Product Description
Discovering that he has become a guinea pig in a top-secret time-travel experiment, former Air Force officer Ron Moosic must track town two terrorists who have siezed control of the experiment and are attempting to alter history. Reissue. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Arealistic take on time travel that only Chalker could do.
What can I say other than if you are a Chalker fan, this book is a must.It appears as though it is a reprint of one of his earlier works.This is the most realistic look at time travel I have seen, (if time travel can be"realistic" at all)although Chalker manages to keep you glued tothe pages, as he often does.The journeys of Moosic in this work areintriguing and fast moving. It is interesting to see how time allows us tothink we can control it, only to be bound to obey its will in the end. This is the first book in a long while that it actually took up to the lastpage for me to say, "Oh yeah, now I get it!"You just gotta readthis one folks!

The best time travel book I read
This book is great, a real exploration of some of the possibilities and implications of time travel.All kinds of good ideas other authors seem to have missed.The book is really intricate with the story twisting wildly, but it keeps you moving.Well worth the sliced tree its printed on.

What time travel on a realistic Earth would lead to
The mental and physical changes of Ron Moosic through the book created an interesting cycle.The strange and different Outworlders (like a shadow in the backgroud and never shown) proves the ever mistrust between humans and what future human evolution will bring. ... Read more