Product Description
In the remote mountain village where she was born, Mariarta dil Alicg lives the untroubled life of a peasant girl...until, soon after a mysterious stranger's arrival, she starts to hear voices in the wind. The voices whisper strange secrets in Mariartas ears -- promising her the power to command the stormwind, hinting at an unknown, magical heritage, and prophesying a fate marvelous past all Mariartas imaginings.

Mariarta's search for the truth about the beautiful and terrible creature attempting to possess her body and soul will lead her into hidden domains of sorcery both dreadful and wondrous, and finally embroil her in the growing rebellion against her land's cruel Austriac oppressors. But not before Mariarta comes face to face at last with the immortal Lady of the Storms, and challenges her to one final battle for control of her life, her soul, and her destiny... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Hurray a new series in a new world from Diane Duane!
The author describes her inspiration for this reality as medieval Switzerland, a world different from her other series and solo novels, described in vivid and educational detail.We meet a new heroine, Mariarta, who grows from child to adult in this book and will have more travels, adventures and discoveries in the future.The magic and metaphysical aspects of this reality take second place to Diane Duane's usual solid structure of plot and character, with a practical heroine who must learn to plan and adapt. Although likely to be found in the Young Adult section of a bookstore, this book is no step down for us older folks.I look forward to more books in this series as well as in Ms. Duane's other excellent series and hope she can find time for it all! ... Read more

Product Description
Long before wizards were a fixture on the bestseller lists, Kit and Nita were working magic with readers of all ages. In honor of the twentieth anniversary of the Young Wizards series, So You Want to Be a Wizard is now available in a deluxe hardcover edition, featuring a new afterword from Diane Duane as well as the hard-to-find Kit and Nita short story "Uptown Local."
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Customer Reviews (10)

So You Want to Be a Wizard
I first read this book in elementary school, and its an excellent example of young children's fantasy.I read it again and its still great.The new cover design is awesome.

A fair competition for Harry Potter!!!
Don't get me wrong I love JK but Diane gives her a run for her money. Using a whole other side of magic she keeps you guessing and hoping against hope that Nita an Kit make it out alive.

Great book!
When 13-year-old Nita has to escape from some bullies, she retreats to her home away from home - the public library. While examining the shelves one book literally seems to grab her hand; its title is SO YOU WANT TO BE A WIZARD. Intrigued by such a title she checks the book out, and finds that it is indeed an introductory book to wizardry.

However, this new knowledge presents Nita with a good deal of responsibilities. Finding another new wizard in the form of 11-year-old Kit, the two set out an adventure that takes them to an alternate Earth, teams them with a creature of most unearthly form and abilities, and pits them against an evil godling and all his hellish minions. Can they win, and what will be the cost?

Though this book is listed as a juvenile book, its story is rich enough to entertain just about any reader. There is very little humor in this book; the action is serious and non-stop. This is a great book, with no sex or anything else a parent need worry about. I recommend this book wholeheartedly!

Young Wizards Afoot
One of the fantasies that many children have is to have some kind of power. This fantasy is particularly strong when children are in elementary school and they often feel powerless or helpless. Juanita (Nita) Callahan and Christopher (Kit) Rodriguez fall into this category. Kit has been advanced a couple of grades in school, so he is teased for his intelligence and his size. Juanita tends to speak her mind, which frequently gets her in trouble with the supposedly cool crowd.

Juanita is in the library one day, hiding out from ever-present bullies, when she runs across a book titled "So You Want to Be a Wizard." At first Nita wonders whether the book is some sort of joke, or fictional. After she reads the Wizard's Oath, she soon discovers that the book is remarkable in how it keeps itself up-to-date as information about the world and the skill level of its reader changes. Nita also discovers that she has become a wizard.

Nita soon meets Kit and discovers that she is not the only wizard in the world. One of the first requirements of being a wizard is to go on an Ordeal, which has a level of difficulty that matches the power of the wizards involved. Nita and Kit are quite powerful and they go up against the Lone One in a world the Lone One made to prevent the Lone One from unmaking the entire universe. In the course of trying to keep the level of entropy in the universe at the lowest level possible, and keeping the Lone One from unmaking the universe, Kit and Nita find themselves in situations where they risk death. At one point in the book it is only through the sacrifice of two remarkable beings that Kit and Nita survive their sojourn into the Lone One's world.

While Diane Duane wrote this story about children in elementary school, I feel that it is a very mature story in many ways. This story does have a number of intense moments and may be unsuitable for some children under the age of 8 or 9. Additionally, Diane's vocabulary may present an additional hurdle for some ages. However, the story does not treat children as persons to be protected by adults and the children in the story find that they have power to affect their world. One balance Diane brought into the book is an extremely strong code of ethics. Wizards must behave very morally or bad things can happen to them.

This book is a worthy introduction to the Young Wizards series and an enjoyable read.

In this world there is no sunlight and cars have feelings and act like humans.
The book is about 2 young wizards. One was a boy, Kit and the other a girl, Nita. They both have special powers for different kinds of elements. They use a different language called Speech. They talk to their special elements using it. The boy can talk to cars and different mechanical things and becomes friends with a sports car. The girl can talk to trees and other things, that can grow. Each of them has a special manual, which is how the book got its name, So You Want To Be A Wizard? In their manual it gives them information on their element. They end up having to use their special abilities in different elements to save our world from evil.

They get transported through a portal into another world where darkness rules. It is a world just like ours, except in this world there is no sunlight and cars have feelings and act like humans. Which there is only one human when they get there. It has the same buildings and subways. They can escape only one way, the way they got there through the portal from Manhattan.Sound like fun? Taxicabs come after you and you try to find Central Park in time to save the light world from the evil one.

There are many positive points about the book. Once you get into it it's so hard to put it down you just want to keep reading. It's also a good book for people who are into wizardry and fantasy novels. It has a great ending and leads you into the next book. The author makes it easy to understand what everything is. They also give a little detail, but don't go overboard.

There are few negative points. One I really remember is that it was hard to stay interested in the beginning until it picked up. It was a bad book for anyone who hated the concept of other things beside humans talking or absolutely hates fantasy or wizardry. The last point I want to point out is that at first it was hard to know if they were talking regular, talking in speech, nonverbally talking, or just thinking.

I thought the book was very good. I would probably rate it a 4 out of 5, because the book was so good and it had a lot more positive points than negatives. I would recommend it to anybody who has read or liked Harry Potter or Charlie Bone, and anyone who likes the idea that cars, plants and other things talk, have their own language, and their own personalities. It was a very good book for what I am interested in.
... Read more

Product Description
The Great Rift lies between the Sagitarius and Orion arms of the galaxy. Stars are scarce there, beyond the authority of the Federation, and legends abound of lost civilizations and of ancient monsters that prey on those who dare to venture into the vast darkness between the stars.

When several ships and colonies mysteriously disappear into the Rift, the U.S.S. Enterprise leads an expedition to investigate various disturbing reports. Accompanied by two other Federation starships, Picard and his fellow captains discover a bizarre menace of unimaginable power. And the only way to trap this destructive entity is to use the Enterprise as bait. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Ms. Duane what happened here
I usually love the Star Treknovels written by Diane Duane very much, but this book will be the exception from the rule. All the books I own from her are Star Trek TOS novels and I recommend them all warmly (her Rhiannsu books are wonderful as well as "Spock's World" and "Wounded Sky") This is the first TNG novel I have read from her and as far as I am concerned she should really stick to TOS. This book doesn't work on so many levels. For one thing she isn't in touch with the TNG characters. None of them sound the way they should and are really out of character. The initial story idea sounds very promising and interesting but unfortunately absolutely nothing really happens in the book and the storyline isn't explored in any way that is interesting. I should have been warned after reading the first few pages. They already didn't feel right. Ms. Duane I respect you very much and I do think that you are one of the best Star Trek writers out there, but it looks like this is only true for TOS. Sorry, but I really can't give more then two stars for this dud.

Very good, not great.
This was a very good story, but not a great one, even by the standards of mass market genre fiction. Diane Duane herself has done better. Which is not to say that the book isn't worth reading; if you want a good, fairly fast-paced action novel with a bit of interesting inter-character interplay, this will fill an afternoon's reading just fine. But if you want one of the rare Star Trek books that actually grip you and won't let go, or one of those that make you think, this one isn't it. It looked for a while like it might be; the colony ship full of people who worship the concept of a life-free universe being threatened and needing rescue was interesting, but the contradictions inherent in that concept weren't explored to their full potential. (If they'd been brought back from their apparent fate, would they have appreciated the fact or resented it? We'll never know.) Similarly, the conflict between self-preservation and non-interference was also largely glossed over; Picard usually agonizes over such philosophical questions more. Still, well-written and generally enjoyable.

Cogito, Ergo Fastidio
Boy did this sucker have potential.A planet that feeds off of intelligence.With a great title (and cover to boot), a very interesting plot, and Picard and Data as the main heros here, I thought there would be nothing to disappoint.

Diane Duane commences on a languid note, introducing her Holodeck motif immediately.She uses the Holodeck better in subsequent scenes.I've always loved comparing Picard, Captain of a Starship, to a captain of a seafaring vessel.

Two other starships are brought in to aid in tracking this mysterious shifting predator.That's about all the excitement that happens.Deaths are treated as nuisances.The dialogue is supremely dry and everyone speaks as if voiced as one person.Two attempts are made at humor, near the end of the book, and are devastatingly timed.When operating a starship under attack, succinctness, I should think, would be of the essence.The captain does not joke with (in this case) her XO while attempting evasive or offensive maneuvers.Perhaps this wouldn't have been so bad had the captain and her XO established a joking relationship earlier, but nary a word was spoken between them beforehand.

I highly recommend the well-written books of Michael Jan Friedman and Peter David over this contractual bilge.

STNG #45 Intellivore - A fairly good read!
Given the immense popularity and overwhelming acclaim that author Diane Duane received for "Dark Mirror," my anticipation for this numbered Star Trek The Next Generation novel was pretty high.Upon reading it though, I found the book to be good but lacking in a few areas.While Diane Duane's usual good style of writing is there where the premise is clear and executed well and the pace is steady but the characterizations are off and the overall feel of "Intellivore" is that much goes unsaid which is quite unfortunate.

The cover art for this novel is pretty much standard fare for when the novel was published.

The Premise:

In true Star Trek fashion author Diane Duane takes the Enterprise into a no win situation when several ships and colonies mysteriously disappear into a Great Rift that is outside of Federation territory.Captain Picard leads the Enterprise and two other Federation starships to investigate this mystery and what they discover can only be described as epic in its scope...

What follows from there is a fairly good numbered novel in the STNG line that I would definitely recommend to any and all fans of good Star Trek fiction despite the minor faults I earlier described.{ssintrepid}

Great writing but not spooky enough
The central plot for this book is more like something in the Original Series: the Enterprise encounters an interstellar monster and must destroy it. The author really created an epic foe for the Enterprise. Her writing is on her as usual high level. The descriptions of scenes and events are very clear. The action scenes are very clear and vividly described, and make for exciting reading. The language the characters use is a little strange though. This author just gets a bit too poetic when writing for the Next Generation crew. On a somewhat similar note, one flaw I found in this book was that the tension level, considering the magnitude of the enemy the Enterprise is facing and some of the things it does, was definitely lacking. Diane Duane showed in Dark Mirror that she could create a very tense, creepy atmosphere, but for some reason she neglected to do so here. Part of that flaw is her treatment of the monster's victims. Either they are people that we have little sympathy for, or their deaths are held at a distance from the reader, as though deliberately not to have too much impact. Instead, we get too little. On the plus side, this book also describes the lifestyle and some of the work of Starfleet's dedicated deep space explorers, which I found very interesting. All in all this is a very entertaining and well written book. A ghost story just should have been spookier, that's all. ... Read more

Product Description
Ael t' Rlailiiu is a noble and dangerous Romulan Commander. But when the Romulans kidnap Vulcans to genetically harness their mind power, Ael decides on treason. Captain Kirk, her old enemy, joins her in a secret pact to destroy the research laboratory and free the captive Vulcans. When the Romulans discover their plan, the Neutral Zone seethes with schemes and counter-schemes, sabotage and war. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

Revisionist Romulans
The Romulans used to be my favorite Star Trek villains. I read the Rihannsu series because I thought it would be a fun exploration of Romulan culture and history. However, I barely recognized the Romulans in Rihannsu. The book degrades them and seems to radically alter their characters. The main character, Ael, seems too perfect, while the rest of the Romulans seem like a bunch of buffoons. Furthermore, the book radically changes Romulan history that just doesn't seem realistic. It's too bad - the Romulans as presented in the Original Series were fascinating characters who had both honor and deviousness. The Romulans in Rihannsu have little of either.

Her name is Ael....
and she is an honorable Romulan of an old and honorable Romulan family.Unfortunately 'honor' in the old-fashioned sense, was not currently in favorin Romulan society, success was.Ael had the misfortune of being the aunt of a most unsuccessful young Romulan, the Commander of 'The Enterprise Incident' who had managed to lose the cloaking device to Spock and Kirk.Ael made the error of defending her niece instead of condeming her, a choice that not only did nothing to help her niece but also brought Ael into disfavor herself.

Now Ael has discovered a secret weapon that Romulan High Command was prefecting, one that would bring all the enemies of the Empire to their knees.A weapon that Ael realized would totally destroy the Empire as well.Ael needed to reach out to the Federation to prevent this from happening, to the one ship and crew that could stop this disaster from taking place, to the Enterprise.

This is a more light-hearted entry into this series of tie-in novels.Duane has populated the Enterprise crew with not only all the favorites but also with many welcome additions including Harb Tanzer, head of the Recreation Dept. and a young Horta, both of who appear in other novels in the series.There is quite a bit of interaction between the various crew members of the various ships involved.

The plot is well thought out, the characters, both new and familiar, are well written.The author manages to keep the action moving, achieving a good balance between back story and plot advancement.Fans of the series, even rather casual ones, will not want to miss this one.

wow...completely fantastic from beginning to end
this is right up there with blackfire, covenant of the crown, and yesterday's son as my favorite trek books..I wasn't too fond of The Wounded Sky so I was skeptical comming into this one, but I'm glad I didn't judge it on my dislike of Diane Duane's previous work.If I had I would have missed a totally great read.

This is classic Trek in all its glory.High stakes, a classic enemy in the Romulans (alot of great peeks into why they are they way they are by the way), great character moments.Every element that makes trek great is in this book.

Not to be missed.

This is a must have
I have loved this one since it first came out, still have the original book and read it often.I love how the Romulans--or the Rihannsu if you will--are given true character...you get to know and care about them and while the so called twist is not suprising when it happens, you are still sad to see it happen. I especially love the "new" characters that are introduced. One of my absolute fave parts is the interation between Ensign Rock and Spock, in fact Ensign Rock has become one of my fave peripheral (SP?)characters.In my opinion this is a definite must have in your collection

Good basic story, but meanders
Diane Duane has crafted a good basic story about a Romulan commander joining forces with the Enterprise crew to foil a despicable new weapon that she feels will be a permanent blight on the honor of the Romulan people.It has some nice suspenseful moments and builds to a satisfying climax.

However, it is also terribly padded.There are pages and pages of exposition that do little to advance the story and belabor the character points that are being made.Characters converse for pages about matters that turn out to have little to do with later events.Worst of all, Duane goes to great lengths to show us how the Enterprise crew is one big happy family.They are always giving each other amused looks, gazing at each other with appreciation, and trading gentle, affectionate comments about each other.Such a constant barrage of warm fuzzies grows tiresome rather quickly.Fortunately, this aspect of the book grew less egregious toward the end of the novel. ... Read more

Product Description
This anthology features 20 original stories of murder by acclaimed and award-winning science fiction and fantasy writers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Uneven but some real gems
This short story collection is a fun read, and had tales I hadn't expected from some authors I really like.Like all short story collections, some don't quite fit the overall theme very well.One story breaks one of the cardinal rules of mystery, that the mystery story was terribly incomplete, with no closure or capture.That tale plainly is part of a longer novel and was not long enough to either make a good mystery or introduce the world to new readers.Stories that combine the limitations of mysteries and fantasy are difficult to pull off, and the tale by Diane Duane and the homage by Lee and Miller are especially good.

Crime and the supernatural
This highly enjoyable anthology contains 20 stories by some of the best-known authors in modern fantasy (almost all female), from Roberta Gellis to Mercedes Lackey, brought together by an editor who has worked with several of them (not to mention co-writing at least two novels with the late, great Andre Norton).Despite the title, not all of the tales turn on murder (or even crime), but most do; they range from the funny (Esther Friesner's "Au Purr," in which a witch takes the form of a cat in order to learn the truth about her sister's death and watch over her young niece and nephew) to the somewhat baffling (Carole Nelson Douglas's "Special Surprise Guest Appearance By...," in which an aging Vegas stage magician meets...I'm not sure what), to the classic locked-room (Debra Doyle's "A Death in the Working," set in her MageWorlds Universe).Anyone who enjoys puzzles and the fantastical should enjoy the collection.Highly recommended.

Extraordinarily good anthology
It is very rare that I am able to say that I enjoyed every story in an anthology, but that is the case for this volume. Many of the stories have a humorous quality, not so much laugh out loud as being pastiches of various mundane mystery and other genres.

There is a great diversity in the types of stories. The characterizations and story-telling are uniformly good to outstanding.The works tend to be set in somewhat feudal cultures, as fantasy usually is, but others are quite modern or otherwise set in familiar times and places (if you credit the existence of magic.)

Worth reading both for fantasy aficionados and mystery fans.

one of the best consistent compilations of the year
This superb twenty collection anthology runs the mystery gamut but has the common thread as stated by Rosemary Edghill in her introduction that "a crime (preferably by murder), and magic and the supernatural had to be somehow involved".Each tale does that and though the format is short story, readers will believe in the use of magic albeit whether to commit a crime, solve a crime, or both.The contributions run the gamut from historical to modern with varying sub-genres in each.Fans of fantasy who-done-it stories will want to read MURDER BY MAGIC as a virtual who's who of authors have contributed strong works in one of the best consistent compilations of the year.

Harriet Klausner
... Read more

Product Description
A cosmic adventure with the fate of the galaxy at stake! Shi'ar scientists have learned of a creature that devours galaxies and is heading towards Shi'ar space.Beset by panicked people and several assassination attempts, Empress Lilandra must call upon the X-Men for their assistance--for the galaxy eater will target Earth next.

But the price for stopping the creature may be higher than the X-Men expect.They must use a device that increases their powers a thousand-fold to drive the creature back.A process that could destroy them...or make them insane with power!

Based on the Marvel characters the X-Men ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Would like to see Duane get another chance
Diane Duane is one of my favorite authors. She's intelligent and interesting and given a chance to fully explore a select few characters she can really nail them. For those who didn't like this book (and it isn't one of my favorites) I strongly suggest reading Duane's Spider-man trilogy, which is fabulous.

I agree with Diana Naier - I think this book had too many characters for her to flesh out their backgrounds and motivations fully. I would like to see her get another chance to write an xmen novel with just a few of the main characters.

it's not bad, but...
Well, she made an effort.And she raised interesting issues, though she never really resolved them.But I think Diane Duane works better with a smaller cast.Her original novels are fine; they have much smaller casts.Her Spiderman trilogy is fine; it has only three main characters.Even her Star Trek novels are fine; she tends not to use more than five major characters per book.In "Empire's End," she's dealing with Professor X, Beast, Gambit, Wolverine, Storm, Bishop, Iceman, Cyclops, Jean, Lillandra, a Shi'ar lord, etc.There are simply too many characters, and though each gets a few scenes or "moments," they all seem shallow.

The plot is as follows: the Shi'ar discover that a mysterious creature, which destabilizes galaxies by eating their cores, is heading their way.They enlist the X-Men to stop the creature.This totally unequal confrontation is made "plausible" by a strange device that enhances the X-Men's powers.Gosh, how convenient.Meanwhile, Lillandra's council is pressuring her to marry a Shi'ar noble and produce an heir, instead of continuing her relationship with Charles.Ooh, look, a romantic subplot.

There are some interesting discussions about the effects of absolute power, and the enhancement of the X-Men's powers at the expense of the more human aspects of their personalities, but when they finally save the day (you never seriously thought they wouldn't, did you?) those issues vanish like mist, never fully confronted.The power-enhancing device also conveniently disappears; I sense an author avoiding the implications of a bad concept.

Also, I'd really like to know exactly what the huge, ghostly X-Men-shaped constructs are.They are first described as psychic projections, or something along those lines, but later seem to become real.They seem to be a device for avoiding the idiocy of pitting the X-Men against a creature larger than Manhattan.I say, if you're using the X-Men, give them an adversary they can confront as is.But if you lack the foresight to do that, the least you can do is remain honest to your original premise, and keep the relative sizes of the space creature and the X-Men as is.(Actually, the ghost figures aren't needed for the final victory, which makes me wonder even more why they were there in the first place.I sense more bad concepts.)

The story is fast and fun, and Duane's style is quite readable, but "Empire's End" feels like a rush job by an author not quite familiar with her world and characters, who tried to make up for the gap by shoving them into Star Trek.

Not for those who fondly remember their youth...
If you are looking to recapture your youth through X-Men novels, skip this one. You won't like the way this book treats its characters.

If you are looking for an afternoon read; occasionally enjoy a bubblegum-for-the-brain space story; are more interested in plot than characters; and most importantly, didn't put down good money for the book but got it from the library, you might like it.

That's worth two stars.

More about Xavier's sex life than I wanted to know
First of all, let me just say Charles is not supposed to behave like a hormonal teenager.But that's exactly how he comes off in this book.A crisis hits, some new diffuculty in killing this Bug Eyed Monster of theWeek, and Charles and Lilandra hop in the bed!Honestly, it got old afterthe first two chapters.Also, the writer completely forgot Charles ISLilandra's acknowledged consort, according to the comics.An annoyingerror to be sure.

She wastes the other characters as well.Beast is onlyhere for snappy one liners.Gambit (without Rogue - BORING!) has powersutterly unlike his in the comics.Even Scott and Jean come across as ageneric couple.She could have used the exact same plot and just changedthe names to Spock, Kirk and McCoy.I doubt we would have noticed adifference.

I was hoping these books would get better with moreestablished writers.Looks like I still will have to hope.

An OK read
Diane Duane, in my opinion, did a great job on the Spider-Man novels.But this book was a major letdown.First of all, I have always found the Shi'ar, even in the comics, to be quite boring and dull.Sadly, this isalso the case with this book.I read this book, and then I re-read a fewissues of Uncanny X-Men, and I have to say that the characterization in thecomics is leaps and bounds over that in this book.The characters in thisbook are undeveloped, and seem just "off" from their normalselves.Some of them don't even have that many lines, which is always aproblem with so many characters being sqeezed into one book (at least inthe comics, they can alternate character focus each issue).

However, thisaside, I found myself not even enjoying the plot.The main villain (thatbeing the galaxy-devouring creature) was completely and utterablyuninteresting and static.And the idea of the X-Men fighting it with a"device that increases their powers a thousandfold" is justcorny, and even more "comic booky" than the comic itself.Itdidn't sit right with me from the beginning, and it still doesn't evennow.

Another thing that bothered me was Duane's apparent misunderstandingof Gambit's mutant abilities.Throughout the book, she seemed to beoperating under the assumption that his abilities involved the charging ofEXISTING kinetic energy.However, Gambit's abilities actually deal withconverting an objects potential energy INTO explosive kinetic energy.Thebook never gave any evidence that Duane realized this to be the case.Ofcourse, maybe I was too bored to notice if she did...

One last thing: shereally seemed to be writing this the way she would a Star Trek novel.Thisbook was absolutely cluttered with space jargon, from mini blackholes toblue and red shifting to galactic cores going quasar.It just reallyseemed to take up a lot of space without really saying much at all. ... Read more

Product Description
When an innocent man is killed in a Manhattan warehouse, signs point to the criminal known as Venom, who normally avoids killing innocents, and Spider-man worries that another suspect, Hobgoblin, may be involved. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Super Reader
Just another fun superhero romp. Venom being evil crazy venom and all that. I am not a huge Spider-Man fan, but I am happy to read Diane Duane Spider-Man books, no problem. Venom as big slobbering fanged crazyman, with a bit of a thing for wanting to indulge in arachnid appetisers is what you find here. Hell hath no fury like a black alien bodysuit symbiote scorned.

Classic Spidey..... well almost
By the time you get to this review you'll more than likely have read others on this book alredy.You may have noticest some complain the action sequences a to bland, and ya, OK, I have read better firght sences, but I have read alot wrost as well.Over all it is a good book with a strong story line (strongest in the trilogy in my opinion). True the action could have been better, and true Peter and Mary Jane could have had more intelligent conversations.

My only real complaint is that Duane toned down Spider-Man's powers (and Venom's powers to for that matter) a little to much.In the comics Spidey can lift up to 10 tons ( about enough to juggle a truck) and venom was about 3 times that striength.In this book Ol' Web-Head is still stronger than the normal man, but not by much.his speed and his reflexes take a toll as well.

The only other thing wrong with it is the lack of orgin on the Mystery Villian (for those of you who hve not read the book yet mystery villian is all the detail that I'll give so that I don't spoil it for you).It was my hope it would be addressed in the other two books, but was sadly, never mentioned again.

The intesting story was enough to keep the book afloat but thease few erorrs where enough to knock one star off the rating. Over all Spider-Man: The Venom Factor is a good book for any true Spider-Fan

A ho-hum Spider-Man book...
I'm going back to read all the Marvel books (I have just recently completed my collection), and will post reviews on all of them for people who still care.
Fist up is Spider-Man: Venom Factor by Diane Duane. This is not a good book to start off on, but oh well. This book is bland and, worst of all, boring to boot. The action scenes are poorly done and not at all exciting, and the "character development" scenes between Peter and Mary-Jane consist of talking, eating, and having sex....not necessarily in that order. Yes, we know they are a married couple who are attracted to each other, but we don't need their ... ...high school-ish innuendos every time they speak to each other. There are better books for you to read then this one. AND this is just the first in a LOOSELY tied together trilogy that doesn't get much better from here...sigh.

A Venomous Web is Slung!
Author Diane Duane weaves a great story about everyone favorite web-slinger, Spiderman.It appears that a someone, some creature, is terrorizing and killing certain members ofN.Y.C.'s homeless population .Plus, this someone has a tasty bite for food that is radioactive.The creature at first appears to be Spiderman's enemy Venom or is it?Could the creature be Hobglobin? An unlikely allegiance is formed to find the true killer.

Although I not familiar with the character of Venom and the plot as it appeared in the popular comic book Diane Duane fills in the gaps for the reader and continues the story and characterization(s) in grand style.While I know that casting on the Spiderman sequel has begun and rumors of the sequel's story lines use the traditional, original villains that many of us grew up with.I hope that down the road that movie producers will have the insight to do at least one film about Venom and Spidey.

She knows her spider-man
I have been a Spiderman comic collector for some time now. I normally don't read novels based on comic characters because they usually mess up. Not in this case. Duane really knows her spider-man and proves it with this book (first in a trilogy). ... Read more

Product Description
Spider-Man and his arch-enemy, Venom, must put aside their differences and join forces to stop the ruthless Dr. Octopus, the mastermind of an insidious plot to take over the world. Reprint." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Super Reader
Doctor Octopus raids a factory and gives the people there quite a scare.

Both Spidey and Venom end up on the trail of some serious arms dealing, via talking to some Russian nogoodniks.

Serious, as in mini nuclear weapons. Doc Ock decides he wants to go nuclear on some people for their own good.

No-one with Spider super powers thinks this should be allowed.

O's review shawty
I enjoyed this book because the story was extremely well written,and the imagery elements make you feel as though you're in the book. And with the addition of venom, the book gets a 4 out of 5!

imbalance
I had high hopes for this book, which I picked up secondhand.After all, Diane Duane has written some pretty good stuff over the years, and Spider-Man is a great character.Too, the different medium--thenovel--generally makes for an interestingly altered version of thecharacter than one usually finds in the comics.

However, while thecharacterization in this novel was interesting--and, as always, Duane'sprose is pretty smooth--there is a definite imbalance between many long,dry expository sections and the very few, halfheartedly-realized actionsequences they lead up to.Yes, this is a novel, not a comic book.Yes, anovel cannot feature the non-stop slam-bang stuff that marks so manycomics.But holy smokes, folks, this read is nearly tedious.

The book,in short, is a bit less than satisfying as an action tale, and aboutadequately satisfying as a novel of intrigue.As a super-hero novel, itbarely ranks.It's not a *bad* tale, as such, it's just not nearly as goodas it could or should be.My advice?Skip this one, and go find an oldcopy of Len Wein and Marv Wolfman's _Spider-Man: Mayhem in Manhattan._

Incredible
This is possibly MY second favourite book in the trilogy (Venom Factor being the first fav). There are a TON of things I like about this book, making me want to read it over and over again. Especially when Spideydiscover's one HUGE mistake that Ock made (Hey, what makes you think I'mgonna say it for those who haven't read it yet?) and foil Ock's umpteenthruthless plan from making the Earth a living nightmare. And where's a goodbook without the symbiote Venom causing havoc, yet giving Spidey a helpinghand in defeating Ock? Nowhere else but here.

Very Good Story
What I've liked about Diane Duane's approach to writing Spider-Man in these novels is that she stays so faithful to how Spidey was created by Stan Lee.A Down to Earth hero with problems that everyone can relatewith!I liked the cell-phone mystery that Diane wrote in this story,ofVenom and Spider-Man teaming up to stop Dr. Octopus from blowing up NewYork, andhow Mary Jane is given a lot of attention in the novel.Helpingmake the money ends meet while her husband is off saving the city.In away this marked the end of the first round of Spider-Man novels begun in1994 and it was a good way to end it. ... Read more

Product Description
In this new adventure, a fellow student makes life miserable for the rest of the Net Force by sabotaging a virtual simulation program. But when a Force exiles him from the group, the brilliant outcast creates a virtual "playroom" that will blow them all away. Based on the major mini-series from ABC-TV. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Tedious beginning, mediocre ending
Madeline Green, also known as Maj, is a member of the Group of Seven: a gathering of youngsters that enjoy creating virtual simulations of historic events. Maj has just finished her simulation of a 1964 bomber plane that originally crashed on its maiden voyage. She invites the Group of Seven to watch and judge her latest creation. But early in the simulation something goes dreadfully wrong: Maj is unable to control the plane and she crashes almost directly after take-off. When it becomes clear that Roddy, the super intelligent loner of the group, has sabotaged Maj's simulation just to prove that he can, the group decides to teach Roddy a lesson. But this only inflames the situation: Roddy's out for revenge.

It is difficult to make sense of the author's decision to use the first quarter of One Is the Loneliest Number as a tedious description of a virtual simulation. Apart from a poor introduction of the main character is does not contain any information that tickles the curiosity of the reader. It is more than obvious that the simulation is going to crash, so building towards this is not adding much suspense to the story.
Luckily once this mind-numbing setting has been concluded the story really starts. The tone and rhythm completely change, another character is introduced in the form of Mark Grideley who immediately takes the lead and makes the character of Maj obsolete. It is as though the author realised his mistake and quickly took action to make the plot more exciting.

All considered this story turns out to be only a mediocre episode of the Netforce series, only to be read if you feel the urge to read the complete series.

NET FORCE "One is the loneliest number" by Tom Clancy
My name is Mike from 1st period English II, and I am reviewing NET FORCE "One is the loneliest number" by Tom Clancy.
It is basically your general science fiction novel where computers rule the world in the future.I liked this book not only because I like science fiction, but because it is an outstanding piece of literature.It is so outstanding because it is a thinker.You are not supposed to under stand everything as soon as it happens.A couple of pages later, the it all clicks together.In the begining, the characters talk of simulations, North American XB-70 Valkyries, and Spitfires.When it is put into words in such a matter, the words have no meaning.In later pages, however, you soon find out that the kids are virtually simulating well known wars such as WWII, and the Battle of Gettysburg.Also, the NA XB-70 Valkyrie is a super virtual jet that Maj,a main character, brought back to life.Finally, a Spitfire is a log-lived aircraft in their virtual world.

I also like this book because it is extremely descriptive.There are adjictives that paint much more than a picture.The auther, Tom Clancy, tells the story as if he is living it at that point in time.He really knows how to stay in the moment."It stood silhouetted against the brightening crimson line of dawn, a shadow that could as yet cast no shadow of its own"(1).Tom Clancy could have simply said, "It made a silhouette when the sun came up.""Very suddenly, and Maj hoped showily, they appeared on the tarmac as they were mentioned: A threesomeof F-104 Starfighters, their brushed chrome gleaming blindingly in the sun and their engines already wound up and screaming with mechanical enthusiasm"(21).The words, "Three planes showed up," would have covered that 38 word sentence.I am not sure wheather it is the discription or what they are describing that caught my eye.

The third and final reason why I like this book is because it is all about kids.It really puts things in perspective and helped me relate to the characters ans situations better."In the future, computers rule the world.The et Force was formed to protect us fro any and all criminal activity on-line.But there is a group of teenage whiz kids who sometimes know more about computers than their adult superiors"(back cover).That showes that kids are running the show.

I give this book four out of five stars because it is only 175 pages long.I reccomend this read to teenagers that watch Star Trek, and was first in line for Star Wars Episode II.

Net Force Explorers: One is the Loneliest Number
Madeleine Green, called Maj, has spent a year perfecting one of her latest virtual sims. She decides to present it to her friends who calls themselves the Group of Seven, seven teens who are all computer whiz kids. But all it took was a few moments for one of the Group, Roddy L'Officer, to sabotage her sim program! Since Roddy has done plenty of damaging 'pranks' before, the rest of the Group decides to exile Roddy, meaning no virtmails and no sims between the friends and him. But Roddy has something up his sleeve, a new 'playroom' he has recently created. But the 'playroom' is not all he's done, he's also discovered something of pure genius, something that can be used for good... or for evil.

The Net Force Explorers is a great Young Adult fiction series, especially those with a love for computers and the Internet. Since the Net presented in the books have no boundaries, you will never know what to expect next. With well-thought out plots, the stories have plenty of twists and turns, having the whole plot well balanced with mystery, excitement, and adventure.

Unfortunately for me, "One is the Loneliest Number" isn't one of my favorite Net Force Explorer's books. The reason is because the back of the book did not explain what the story was about very well so the first half of the book was very slow and a bit dull for me. I think the reason is because though in the back it says that the Group of Seven are Net Force Explorers, it's not necessarily true. Only Maj is an Explorer so Net Force doesn't appear for a while in the story. But as soon as things began to pick up, I must admit that the story was incredibly exciting! My tip is, though maybe a bit slow at first, keep reading. The last few chapters are EXTREMELY exciting!

The character of Maj Green is pretty average, has a temper that flairs up occasionally but soon simmers down. But for me my favorite character was Mark Grideley, who appears later in the book. He is fairly young, thirteen years old, but since he is the Net Force director's son, he's very smart. As stubborn as a rock, he is in a way a good leader. I LOVE the part where he, Maj, and Charlie (another Explorer) confront Roddy. But of course I can't say too much!

The series is for Young Adults and I strongly recommend only older kids read it since there are many occasions where a few bad words are sprinkled here and there. Not that bad but still in a way a bit annoying to have them in the book. But I still highly recommend it for older kids for I'm sure you'll love it!

REALLY GOOD
I believe that this book is a really good book, and I would certainly want to buy the whole series after just this first book. I really want to go out and buy the rest of these books. Two Thumbs Up!:-))

My copy was missing pages 59 - 90, a critical part.
The copy I purchased was missing pages 59 thru 90, a critical part, and had 91 thru 122 twice. I tried to just forget the missing pages and continue, but it was impossible, to much was missing from the story. Otherthan the aformentioned problem, the book was very good, what I could readof it. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Diane (Elizabeth) Duane, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 5111 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Product Description
Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Jack London, Ursula K. le Guin, Diane Duane, Fanny Fern, Gloria Anzaldúa, L. Frank Baum, Maurice Sendak, Daniel Handler, Carl Hiaasen, James Fenimore Cooper, Rick Riordan, R. L. Stine, James Oliver Curwood, Jane Yolen, Henry Winterfeld, Judy Blume, Louisa May Alcott, Lois Lowry, John Bellairs, Susie Morgenstern, Katherine Paterson, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Lloyd Alexander, Randall Jarrell, Cynthia Voigt, Daniel P. Mannix, Scott O'dell, Bruce Balan, Ann Brashares, Edward Gorey, Walter Farley, Tana Hoban, Paul Galdone, Mary Mapes Dodge, Robert Cormier, Gregory Maguire, Jenna Black, Dav Pilkey, Will James, Julian May, Jeff Kinney, John Ciardi, Bonnie Bryant, Louis Sachar, Barbara Pierce et Jenna Bush, Theodor Seuss Geisel, Kate Seredy, Caroline Quine, Caroline Lawrence, Arnold Lobel, Judith Viorst, Robert Arthur, Harriet Adams, Lane Smith, Chris Van Allsburg, Eve Titus, Richard Scarry, Ludwig Bemelmans, Alex Flinn, Jack Kent, William Steig, Al Perkins, Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, Christopher Pike, Meg Rosoff, Todd Porter, Elizabeth George Speare, Eleanor H. Porter, Vee F. Browne, David Klass, Roger S. Baum, Helen Aberson, Michael Hoeye, Gennifer Choldenko, Sterling North, Michael Buckley, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Ruth Wallace Brodeur, Robert Mccloskey, Kathryn Lasky, Linda Joy Singleton, Munro Leaf, Jerry Spinelli, Kirsten Miller, D.j. Machale, Maxine Trottier. Non illustré. Mises à jour gratuites en ligne. Extrait : Jack London, de son vrai nom John Griffith Chaney, né le 12 janvier 1876 à San Francisco et mort le 22 novembre 1916 à Glen Ellen, Californie, était un écrivain américain. Il a écrit L'Appel de la forêt et plus de cinquante autres nouvelles et romans connus. Il fut un des premiers Amér...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! X-COM : UFO Defense - A Novel is a 1995 novel by Diane Duane based on the X-COM computer game series. It was published after the release of the first game in the series, X-COM: UFO Defense, takes place during a late-game period and has some background information of uncertain canonity. The book tells the story of Commander Jonelle Barrett of X-COM in her fight against the aliens. X-COM scientists discover that the Ethereals were living near dying red stars, and they modified themselves from the Sectoid species to replace parts of their body with bionic prosthesis to increase their psychic powers and diminish their physical needs. ... Read more

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Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Joe Haldeman, Matt Groening, John Byrne, Kevin Smith, Diane Duane, Don Rosa, Frank Miller, Wallace Wood, Neal Adams, Dennis O'neil, Joseph Michael Straczynski, Steve Ditko, Winsor Mccay, Will Eisner, Jim Ottaviani, Stan Lee, Brian Azzarello, Todd Mcfarlane, Bill Watterson, Mark Waid, Robert Crumb, Marv Wolfman, Alfred Bester, Peter David, Gardner Fox, Joe R. Lansdale, Chris Claremont, Brian Michael Bendis, Jerry Siegel, Charles Monroe Schulz, Charles Burns, Geof Darrow, Richard Felton Outcault, Douglas Tennapel, Steve Gerber, Jim Shooter, Jerome Charyn, Edmond Hamilton, Walter Simonson, Otto Binder, Martin Branner, Roy Thomas, Frank Cho, Vaughn Bodé, Joe Madureira, Drew Hayes, Harold Gray, Jonathan Maberry, Daniel Way, Gil Kane, Brian K. Vaughan, Steve Purcell, Burne Hogarth, Joe Sacco, Floyd Gottfredson, William Moulton Marston, Jim Davis, Jeff Smith, Mort Weisinger, Scott Mccloud, Jim Woodring, Dwayne Mcduffie, Adrian Tomine, Robert Kanigher, Forrest J Ackerman, Mf Grimm, Daniel Clowes, Bernie Wrightson, Mike Mignola, Gerry Conway, Paul Dini, Craig Thompson, Kurt Busiek, Brian Pulido, Louise Simonson, Dan Jurgens, Milton Caniff, Len Wein, Lynn Karp, Jimmy Palmiotti, Roy Crane, Chic Young, Gustave Verbeck, Bill Mantlo, Dan Brereton, Al Capp, Michael E. Uslan, Scott Lobdell, David Lapham, Adam Hughes, Mark Gruenwald, John Ostrander, Erik Larsen, Fletcher Hanks, Herb Trimpe, Harvey Pekar, Vincent Fago, Kevin J. Taylor, Jim Valentino, Dash Shaw, Christopher Priest, Tom Brevoort, Al Plastino, Brad Meltzer, Roberta Gregory, Brian Wood, Derek Kirk Kim, Elzie Crisler Segar, Shary Flenniken, P. Craig Russell, Frank Robbins, Archie Goodwin, Matt Broersma, Larry Lieber, Gilbert Shelton, Fabian Nicieza, Tom Defalco, Bob Harras,...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more