Product Description
On the eve of the conspirators' plan to assassinate Caesar, Marcus Brutus is surprised in his garden by a vision of a woman so exquisitely lovely that he is immediately enchanted by her. She seduces him with ease, then persuades him to save Ceasar's life instead of taking it. She only prevails by showing him visions of what Rome will be like with Caesar dead. Original.Amazon.com Review
Friesner blends understated speculation on the affairs of menand their gods with the story of Marcus Junius Brutus whose fate istaken into the hands of a goddess on the eve of Caesar's scheduledassassination.Venus has plans for Rome that preclude Caesar's death,and she recruits Brutus to her cause, making him a new god-sponsoredhero in the classical mold. Yet Brutus is not a god, but human, and ashe seems progressively more godlike, it becomes clear that hishumanity rules him. The tension between the mortal and the divinepervades the story; the ending provides an unspoken resolution to thistight, intelligent historical fantasy. ... Read more

Product Description

THEY AREN'T ALL THAT PC, BUT YOU BETTER NOT GET IN THEIR WAY!

From the silly to the simply smashing, the Chicks in Chainmail are back to save us once again! Whether defending a charity ball against rapscallion pirates or taking names at a medievalist tournament in the Asteroid Belt, whether bringing a snotty loremaster to his rightful comeuppance or protecting our schoolchildren from magically-summoned barbarian invaders, whether weekending in the woods to get in touch with their Inner Warrior or showing giant reptiles that Tokyo's not gonna take it anymore, these female fighters will always have what it takes.

So what are you waiting for? Pick up your male -- er, mail! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Fun stuff
Obvious this is not a serious book. But the short stories are fun to read and are easy read for some quick amusement. The stories a matriarchal which is refreshing change of pace from the old damsel in distress. I give this three stars.

Fun, satisfying short stories
A compendium of varied, fun, satisfying short stories, most with at least a bit of silliness, and most with that delightful twist that characterizes the genre.

The Chick Is in the Mail
Very funny continuation in the "Chicks In Chainmail" series. These are short stories sending up the heroic fantasy genre, all with female protagonists, and many written from a feminine perspective.

Watch out!
That right, please don't eat or drink while reading this book you might choke!These stories are so funny, and it's hard to put down.I enjoyed this book and all the others like it, Chicks in Chained Mail, The Chicks in the Mail and so on. Once you read one, you want the read all the rest.All I can say is sit back and enjoy!!!

Another great Chick anthology!
Please hurry up with the sequal! 2 years is much to long a wait! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Not Free SF Reader
A reasonable collection of fantasy, with a 3.55 average.The best stories being Garth Nix's very funny and clever giant monster short, and Laird Barron's horror piece.

There is a quite brief piece by the editors about the state and source of stories in general, and each individual tale is prefaced with further info.

A solid 4, this book

Year's Best Fantasy 6 : Eating Hearts - Yoon Ha Lee
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : The Denial - Bruce Sterling
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : The Fraud - Esther Friesner
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : Sunbird - Neil Gaiman
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : Shard of Glass - Alaya Dawn Johnson
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : The Farmer's Cat - Jeff Vandermeer
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : Crab Apple - Patrick Samphire
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : The Comber - Gene Wolfe
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : Walpurgis Afternoon - Deliah Sherman
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : Monster - Kelly Link
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : Robots and Falling Hearts - Tim Pratt and Greg van Eekhout
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : Still Life with B00bs - Ann Harris
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : Heads Up Thumbs Down - Gavin J. Grant
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : Newbie Wrangler - Timothy J. Anderson
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : Being Here - Claude Lalumière
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : Mom and Mother Theresa - Candas Jane Dorsey
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : The Imago Sequence - Laird Barron
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : Magic in a Certain Slant of Light - Deborah Coates
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : Single White Farmhouse - Heather Shaw
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : Read It in the Headlines! - Garth Nix
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : Niels Bohr and the Sleeping Dane - Jonathon Sullivan
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : Mortegarde - Liz Williams
Year's Best Fantasy 6 : Inside Job - Connie Willis


Perfect magician, belt up and bonk.

3 out of 5


We're dead, stupid.

3.5 out of 5


Pregnant unicorn variation end.

4 out of 5


"I have a presentiment of doom upon me," ..."And I fear it shall come to us with barbecue sauce."

4 out of 5


Racist memory power runaway.

4 out of 5


Moggie ursa major makes troll mob minor.

3.5 out of 5


Dryad heart dump.

3 out of 5


Swiftly tilting city.

4 out of 5


Witchiness good for gardens.

3.5 out of 5


Hey, Bungalow Jim
I Might Eat Him

3.5 out of 5


Reality altering with replicating rodent robots. With a bit of mechanical criticism of the critical literary abilities of people.

3.5 out of 5


Mendicant mammaries.

4 out of 5


Sound of music is Matchless.

3 out of 5


Gud is bloody lazy, Zep Boy.

3.5 out of 5


Can't see this one, maybe that's us.

2.5 out of 5


No Aunt, just gimme shelter.

3 out of 5


Awful art lust trephination escape cave meld.

4 out of 5


Predicting dirigible desperation.

4 out of 5


Architectural pr0n, same?

3.5 out of 5


Very large Daikaiju font.

4.5 out of 5


Statue sword-slinger saves scientist.

4 out of 5


World Tree gatespeaking wyvern blood lecture dissection decision.

3.5 out of 5


Making monkeys of mediums.

4 out of 5



4 out of 5

Bizarre and beautiful
YEAR'S BEST FANTASY 6, edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer, is an engaging anthology of the absurd, the fantastic, the beautiful, and the horrifying, comprising twenty-three stories written by some of the best in the industry. The tales range from light and whimsical, as in "Still Life with Boobs" by Anne Harris, to dark and chilling, as in Laird Barron's much-acclaimed novella, "The Imago Sequence," which has been nominated for the World Fantasy Award in the long fiction category for 2005.

The book comes in with a tiger in Yoon Ha Lee's elegant parable "Eating Hearts," and goes out with a tiger, in Connie Willis's smartly crafted homage to H. L. Mencken entitled "Inside Job." Kelly Link's outstanding "Monster" is a tongue-in-cheek modern-day version of Beowulf in a boys' summer camp; and Bruce Sterling's satirical "The Denial" brings to mind the genius of Isaac B. Singer. Authors include Esther M. Friesner, Neil Gaiman, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Jeff VanderMeer, Patrick Samphire, Gene Wolfe, Delia Sherman, Tim Pratt and Greg van Eekhout, Gavin J. Grant (husband to Kelly Link), Candas Jane Dorsey, Timothy J. Anderson, Claude Lalumière, Deborah Coates, Heather Shaw, Garth Nix, Jonathon Sullivan, and Liz Williams.

Award recipient David G. Hartwell is the senior editor at Tor/Forge Books, the publisher of THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF SCIENCE FICTION, and the author of AGE OF WONDERS.

World Fantasy Award winner Kathryn Cramer is an editor at THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF SCIENCE FICTION. She has also co-edited the outstanding anthologies, THE ASCENT OF WONDER, THE HARD SF RENAISSANCE, and the YEAR'S BEST SCIENCE FICTION series.

YEAR'S BEST FANTASY 6 is highly recommended reading for anyone who enjoys variety in the fantastic.
... Read more

Product Description
A message left behind by the Kai Opaka gives Commander Benjamin Sisko a fateful mission: find a young Bajoran girl destined to be a great healer who could bring together the warring factions of Bajor. While Lt. Dax tries to find the healer, Dr. Bashir goes planetside to treat a rare disease that is killing the children in Bajor's resettlement camps.

Surrounded by thousands of dying children, Bashir goes A.W.O.L. from Deep Space Nine TM, vowing not to return until the plague has been stopped. But by the time Dax finds the girl from the Kai's prophecy the child has fallen victim to the plague. Now, with the fate of the entire planet at stake, Commander Sisko must find Dr. Bashir in time to save the child who may be Bajor's last chance for peace. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Good, involving ST:DS9 novel
"Warchild" is surprisingly good, not because of the author (Ms. Friesner is well known and I've always enjoyed her work in the past), but because of the subject matter.When I saw this book in the bookstore way back when it was originally published, I passed because it was dealing with the Bajorans, and at the time, I just didn't care about that.

However, after watching all seven seasons of DS9 and getting a better flavor for the Bajorans (and gaining more interest in them), I tried this novel, and was very pleasantly surprised.Ms. Friesner obviously "got" the Bajorans far sooner than I did, and wrote an excellent novel that combines elements of faith, philosophy and morality (along with the SFDS9 mythos) with adventure and gets more than the sum of its parts.

The quick synopsis here is, the Bajorans are in trouble (this book is between seasons one and two) due to how much the Cardassians nearly ruined Bajor before they were driven off.The Cardassians basically raped the world, and many of the people who've returned to Bajor from the refugee camps (or who never left) are tired, hungry, footsore and shellshocked.

They need a sign that things will improve, and the Provisional Government isn't giving them one.

Into this mix comes a message from the missing Kai Opaka -- one she wrote long years before -- about a child being the key to uniting Bajor again.Someone has to go after the child, but of course no one knows who she is (they do know the child needed is female), and the various religious factions are already fighting over the privilege of finding her (and some don't want the child found, too, making everything worse).Which is why a Bajoran monk goes to Commander Sisko and asks for help . . . .

Does he get the help?Of course, but it doesn't go quite as expected (if you're a fan of DS9, you're probably used to that by now) and there's lots of interested byplay between the various children and the officers, as well as some fun scenes between Jake, Nog and one of the Bajoran kids, Cedra.Ms. Friesner also managed to cram in a very credible, though understated, romance for Julian Bashir, not an easy task.

So, it's a coming of age story for Bashir, an adventure story, a mystery, and a race against time.Very good work.

Four stars, recommended.

Barb Caffrey

P.S. If you like this, you may enjoy Sandy Schofield's "The Big Game" and/or Daffyd ab Hugh's "Fallen Heroes," both also excellent stories.

Better than most.
This story is quite well-written; it captures the established characters well, creates some new characters and does it well, has a reasonable amount of action without devolving into a shoot-em-up, and a plot that moves well and stays interesting.

I've never much cared for the aspect of DS9 that gives credence to fuzzy, new-age Bajoran mysticism, and this book had more than its share of that. But that's really my only objection; if you enjoy (or even don't mind) stories that center around Bajoran mysticism, consider this a five star rating.

DS9 #7 Warchild - A rather decent early DS9 novel!
This is the first of only two Star Trek titles for author Esther Friesner, both of which, I thought were well thought out and rather well written novels."Warchild" is set between the first and second season of Deep Space Nine and is very true to the type of stories being told on the show at that time.This was a time of course, when the series was fleshing itself out and hadn't quite kicked into its main theme of dealing with the Dominion and I believe the author captured that rather well.

If one pays attention to the plot of this story, you'll also see certain similarities to aired episodes, especially in Dr. Bashir's case, a character she captured with ease in this story.I found her writing to be fairly fluidic and the pacing of the book, though it slows in some areas, was set reasonably well!Overall, the premise for "Warchild" is a very intriguing and interesting one, but the pacing detracts from the overall experience.

The cover art for this title is, unfortunately, from a time when not an excessive amount thought went into the cover art for Star Trek books and it falls into the old, "slap some caricatures on there and an image of the station and everything will be fine."

The premise:

A message left behind by Kai Opaka gives Commander Sisko a fateful mission; find a young Bajoran girl who is destined to be a great a great healer and who can stop the warring between Bajoran factions.Jadzia heads for Bajor to find this young girl and at the same time, Dr. Bashir goes there to treat a rare disease that is killing Bajoran children in resettlement camps.Dr. Bashir goes absent without leave in his quest to find a cure for this disease and Jadzia finds the young girl, but she too, is suffering from this strange disease.Sisko must now find Bashir in order to save this girl who "may" be Bajor's last chance for peace...

What follows from there is definitely a fairly decent early Star Trek Deep Space Nine story that, as stated above, faithfully fits right in with the type of stories being told during the shows first couple of seasons.I would definitely recommend this title to any and all fans of the series.{ssintrepid}

nice mix of tech and bajoran mystique
This was a good mix of science fiction, in which science combats the odds, and fantasy in which a child is sought and found to save a world. The writer must have made some study of refugee camps to give such a livelyimpression, and she sure has a way of looking at people that is revealingand kind at the same time.

There were some uncomfortable points in whichthe story comes to a virtual stand still, and then restarts again, that'swhy I can't give the 5 points I had in mind "It does not matter wecannot live to taste the fruit; still we must plant the trees"

Absolutely Horrible
I must say, this is one of the worse Star Trek books I have ever read. The plot seemed to be good, but the way it was written it could not keep my interest/attention. After reading over 50 Star Trek books, I would say skipthis one, as it's not worth getting it. ... Read more

Product Description
A zany anthology of thirty-six science fiction and fantasy tales probes the depths of the tabloid headlines in works by Alan Dean Foster, David Brin, Jody Lynne Nye, and Mike Resnick, among others. Original. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Daw anthology causes supermodel to love a Trekkie!
That headline gives you an idea of the types of stories that you'll find in this volume. 36 stories deal with Tabloid headlines and manage to create brilliant stories revolving around those scourges of supermarket shelves.

Of the 36 authors that make an appearance, some of the more famous are Laura Resnick, John DeChance, Thomas Monteleone, Alan Dean Foster, Greg Cox, Esther Friesner, Jody Lynn Nye, and Mike Resnick.

Of the 36 stories, the best by far are The Bride of Bigfoot by Lawrence Watt-Evans, the wonderfully delightful tale of one Bigfoot's search for true love. Royal Tiff Yields Face of Jesus, by Esther Friesner, a story about Charles and Dianna that turned out to be a little too close to the truth in some ways, and Stop Press by Mike Resnick a brilliant bit of fun that details just how hard it is to make up those silly headlines.

The only reason this volume gets 4 out of 5 stars and not the full five is because some of the stories really drag and could have been left out. But the clinkers are few and far between. Over all this is a really great anthology!

Editor Gets Idea: Thousands Flee Screaming!
The title sounds like one of those headlines you might read off a tabloid.The cover is silly and strange, and its supposed to be. Because this is a SF anthology devoted to tabloid tales, the kinds of stories we always hear or read about but never take seriously.Beyond the garish cover and title, are some suprisingly good and some suprisingly funny short stories. Then again, with Martin Greenberg and Esthner M. Friesner teaming up to edit this anthology, maybe not so surprising.

There are thirty six stories to choose from, some by well recognized authors such as Alan Dean Foster, Harry Turtledove, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Mike Resnick and Jody Lynn Nye.As with all anthologies, the quality of the stories varies, but there are some real delights in here. "2,437 UFOs Over New Hampshire" by Allen Steele gives a look into the lives of whole town of "alien abductee"."Is Your Coworker a Space Alien?" by "Bob" bes Shahar is a hysterical look into the workplace and the 'normal' folk that inhabit it.

This isn't the serious side of SF, but these tales can still make you think.They have fun extrapolating on the impossible. Elvis clones, aliens, bigfoot, all the kind of things that you look at in the local tabloid and think "yeah, right."It's appeal is the strange, the idiosyncratic and the screwball. If you enjoy reading scandal sheets, or just want a book that doesn't take itself seriously, this might be just the anthology to curl up with.Just watch out that those pesky aliens don't make off with your chocolate chip cookies!...

I don't even know where to start...
This guy Greenberg -- is there a subject somewhere in the world he hasn'tmade into a short fiction anthology?My God, this is beyond extreme!Abunch of fantasy writers try to out-weird the tabloids?This should bestupid, but it's surprisingly good.The expected stories about Elvis,Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster et al. abound, and there isn't a clunker in thebunch.For cryin' out loud, give this a shot! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

New Yorkers believe anything
At least in this book they do.They have no probelm with dragons taking over cathedrals. . . or terrorizing an entire city, for that matter.This is the book prior to Elf Defense, and while it is less whimsical than thesequel, it's still an entertaining read, well worth the effort to locate. ... Read more

Product Description

When Lelys, ambassador of the plague-ridden colony planet of Orakisa, approaches the Federation seeking help for her dying world, the U.S.S. Enterprise speeds to the rescue. Captain Picard and his crew escort the Orakisan delegation to its long-lost sister-world, Ne'elat, where the ambassador and the Away Team are initially welcomed, but then endangered. As the Enterprise officers make their way through a web of planet-wide intrigue, time is running out the people of Orakisa and the inhabitants of their sister-worlds as well. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Unremarkable but well-written story.
This was a perfectly mediocre, run-of-the-mill Star Trek story, written well enough to get it up into the above-average, "worth the read if there's nothing better to do" category. The sub-plot with Worf & the hamster was just silly and didn't really do Worf's character justice, the sub-plot of the search for the herb needed for medical treatment was formulaic in its existence and predictable in its conclusion, the diplomatic breakthrough seemed extremely contrived & unlikely, but still, the story was a fun read if far from exceptional.

Interesting
Despite several bad reviews of this book, I have to say I really enjoyed it.It was a refreshing change from the normal space battles and plots that usually are written.Since I consider myself a Historian of the Future, my only complaint was the lack of specified time periods between past events.That made it difficult to place events in the timeline.

ST-TNG:To Storm Heaven
Star Trek - The Next Generation:TO Storm Heaven written by Esther Friesner is really a well-written book contrary to what has been said here in these reviews.If your looking for action-adventure there isn't much in this story as the main character is Geordi LaForge in this book.

If you're looking for a story with imagination and a good storyline this is the book for you... no blood and guts.As this is well trodden path, a planet with a plague, the way the author puts a few twists and turns along the way into the story to keep you interested.There are Prime Directive issues in this book and there is a union of Skerrian daughterworlds along with planet-wide intrigue.

All in all, I found this book to be a good fast read and it was a refreshing that we didn't have to read about space battles, but battles of a different kind as the search for the cure for a plague is found underfoot.If you want to read an intriguingly different type of story this book will be for you.I gave this book a solid 4 stars just for that reason.As interesting as the tapestry of TREK is, this book adds to the TREK universe in a positive way.

Good premise, execution flawed
I kind of got the feeling with this that Friesner already had story concept that she then changed into a Star Trek novel. Many of the familiar characters did not ring true (especially Geordi); and let's face it, you could have slotted anyone into the roles of the Enterprise crew and the plot would still have functioned perfectly well.
It was a good premise for a story, full of cliches or not; and the parts set on Ashkaar were effectively done and the most enjoyable sections of the book. But "To Storm Heaven" really did suffer from being so short. Too many things came out of nowhere (like Geordi's romance), or were skimmed over too quickly. Space wasted on the saga of "Tribble who fights with honour" could have been put to much better use. And in the end, the story just dribbled away to nothing, with everything resolved by an unlikely about-face from a villain.
"To Storm Heaven" shows the author's fantasy roots. But more was needed to turn the premise into a good novel, let alone a satisfactory Star Trek novel.

NUFF SAID
The only Star Trek book I threw out. ... Read more

Product Description
With the hilarious "Happy Valley," a story originally written by John Cleese and Connie Booth for Monty Python's Flying Circus, this third volume in an extraordinarily popular Mammoth Book series gets off to a suitably silly start. It continues merrily apace with "Attack of the Charlie Chaplins" by Garry Kilworth, visits "The Strawhouse Pavilion" by Ron Goulart, and takes in "A Bad Day on Mount Olympus" with Marilyn Todd. Along the way it introduces Esther Eisner's "Gunsel and Gretel" and Cherith Baldry's "Broadway Barbarian" and renews acquaintance with F. Anstey's "Ferdie." It bemuses as well as amuses with "A Case of Four Fingers" concocted by John Grant, not to mention "The Absolute and Utter Impossibility of the Facts in the Case of the Vanishing of Henning Vok" from Jack Adrian. And before this wildly comic romp ends, it discovers "Math Takes a Holiday" (Paul Di Filippo) and "Mother Duck Strikes Again" (Craig Shaw Gardner). Fantasy finds broad definition in this wackily comic tour. While some of the stories approach the domain of science fiction, others are lodged in an everyday reality. None of them, though, fails to entertain. Together, the more than thirty selections -- thirteen of them brand-new and the balance of them often rare finds or forgotten gems -- provide a fresh sampling of comic genius in the sphere of fantasy fiction and a wide range of tales to suit every taste in humor. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wonder? Breed? How Foul is your Seed??
What to expect from "The Mammoth Book of Awesome Comic Fantasy"--a mosaic of waggish rogues and wayward wizards, misinformed planet-skippers, and would-be assassins in the grain...and from the skies. I recommend reading the book starting with the hyperactive final tale, "You'll Never Walk Alone Again"; its frenetic rhythm demands your perception be sharply angled! "Put Down that Universe!" is the second-to-last tale and features characters equally extraordinary and intriguing. Other meritorious additions: "Dragonet", "Nothing in the Rules", "How Much Would You Pay?","Math Takes a Holiday", "Polly Put the Mockers On", and "The Absolute and Utter Impossibility of the Facts in the Case of the Vanishing of Henning Vok"...On the flip side, skip "Ferdie", "Milord Sir Smiht...", "Touched By a Salesman", "The Swords and the Stones", "Fair Weather Fiend" and "Mother Duck Strikes Again". TEDIOUS!! Overall, great book...

One more in a series of ... books
What is with these British anthologizers? How perverse a talent it is to find short, comedic stories which are not funny. Sweet merciful heavens this guy found a John Cleese story that was tedious. Imagine how hard you must work to find a tedious John Cleese anything. At least in this volume you can tell that most of the authors were trying to be at least a little funny. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great book!
Spells of Mortal Weaving is a well written, interesting story.It shows different people without making it confusing, and soon after shows you how they tie in with the main story line.If you like fantasy books, this is a perfect choice.I would recommend finding the first book in the series (Mustapha and His Wise Dog) but you can still read it if you don't have access to the first book.I liked this book because it gives you a glimpse into a magical world and makes it seem real.I can't wait to read the rest of the series!! ... Read more

Product Description
The fourth issue of H.P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror presents a stellar lineup of fiction and non-fiction. Includes a conversation with best-selling author Laurell K. Hamilton, as well as fiction by such luminaries as Darrell Schweitzer ("Sometimes You Have to Shout About It"), Ken Rand ("Crickets, Everywhere"), Jay Lake ("Ever"), Erin Donahoe ("The Old Ones Reborn"), Yoiya Finley ("The Taxidermist's Collection"), Esther Friesner ("The Really Big Sleep"), Morgan Llywelyn ("The View from Here"), Leah Bobet ("Scars"), Nick Knight ("Thinking of You"), and Ron Goulart ("The Problem of the Missing Werewolf"). ... Read more

Product Description
Propelled by the magic of a genie, a ship carrying a gypsy witch, a beautiful Moorish princess, a young Jewish woman, and several nuns sails toward the kingdom of Prester John, a sanctuary for dragons, gryphons, fairies, and mermaids. Reprint. ... Read more

Product Description
E. Godz, Inc's stock-in-trade was magic. When Edwina Godz inherited the family corporation, she had put to work all the sorcery she knew, taking shamen on board as subsidiaries, and raking in the benefits of the material world, including big profits and high-selling stock. Unfortunately, Edwina's two children hated each other's guts, and if she stepped aside and let them take over the company, it was certain to go down the tubes. So she let them fight it out for dominance using all the tricks of both corporate infighting and wizardly warfare that she had taught them. No holds barred - and may the most evil and ruthless sorcerer win! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Sibling Rivalry
While I agree with other reviewers that the book ending was a little weak, I found myself really enjoying the character development.As the siblings each met with the same characters in different order, it gave the book continuity.The humor was more subdued than the two authors usually use, but it was perfect for this book.

Surprisingly disappointing
I picked this book up at the local library as just something to kill time, and wasn't expecting very much from it. I wasn't expecting anything more than something to occupy my time at the bus stop, but in the end, I got much less. This book ended up raising my hopes as I read further into it, only to cruelly dash them later.

It starts of slowly, explaining the premise and the characters, and takes its sweet time speeding up to anything remotely close to a pleasant pace. Several of the characters are just downright obnoxious and completely spoil every scene they are in. Despite this, the middle third picks up considerably, and I began to wonder if it would end up being a book I enjoyed after all. Silly me.

Most of the second third follows a fairly solid, well reasoned, and logical plot twist, which I found myself enjoying, right up until the last few pages, where it is all tossed out the window for one of the most insipid, horribly written, and flat out insulting endings to any book I've ever read. I was literally angry at the authors for wasting my time as I read the last few pages. I won't spoil it in case you are some sort of masochist intent on subjecting yourself to painful reading, but I strongly advise staying away from this book.

Another thing that bothered me was that for a book about a company based on magic, there is surprisingly little magic in it. Only a handful of spells are cast by any of the characters, and almost none of them have any impact on the plot at all.

Just stay away from this book. Do not buy it, do not rent it, just save yourself the hassle and ignore it.

Finding Your Inner Self
E. Godz is a novel about earth magic in its many guises.Edwina Godz was an independently wealthy flower child in the 60's who paid closer attention than most to her gurus and spiritual guides.Using the sharp mind and business acumen inherited from her father, Edwina started a holding company, E. Godz, Inc., for spiritual organizations, providing tax advice and administrative support.Along the way, she also had two children by different fathers, but found that her managerial talents were much stronger than her maternal instincts.

In this novel, Edwina is very upset that her daughter and son cannot stand each other.She has tried every trick and manipulation in her repertoire, but nothing has worked.Now she is down to her last card:she decides to die.

She sends faxes to Peez and Dov stating that her last medical checkup has uncovered an inoperable condition that will kill her within a few months.Since they cannot cooperate in managing the business, she has determined that E. Godz, Inc., and the bulk of her estate will be left to only one of them.Her decision as to her heir will be made as soon as possible.

Peez and Dov are electrified and fly off to round up support from the major subsidiaries of the company.They each visit the same people, but in reverse order:the witch, the Egyptian revival, the totem pole carver, the California cult, the Indian shaman, and the voodoo priest.Each carries a magical construct as a companion;Peez has her Teddy Tumtum and Dov has Ammi the amulet.

This novel is a quest for spiritual enlightenment for both parties.At first the subsidiaries are just accounts and statistics, but they begin to see some of Edwina's purposes in supporting these people.They also begin to become independent of their emotional security blankets;the laughing-out-loud funniest scene in the book is when Teddy gets thrown out the window of Sam's pickup.

This story is about character and love and spirituality and has little to do with action or even plot.Label it a spiritual coming of age or a finding your own inner self story, but the tale is about delving underneath the public persona to discover one's basic personality.

This is written by two authors known for their humor and it shows throughout the story.However, it is mostly quiet humor, with a touch of Jewish satire and some situational comedy.Teddy is pure Asprin, with a cutting wit reminiscent of Aahz the Pervect, but Edwina is pure Friesner, depicting a somewhat atypical Jewish mother (what mother is willing to confess to behaving like Edwina).

Since the authors are known for moralizing, it may not come as a shock that this story has a moral, but I am not certain what it is!Maybe that Mother Nature doesn't like siblings to quarrel with each other?In any case, the ending is quite in character with the rest of the story and satisfying to boot.Although I am still not sure what the squirrel has to do with anything.

Of course, none of the enjoyment I found in this volume excuses the authors from producing more of the Skeeve and Chicks books.

Recommended for Asprin and Friesner fans and anyone else who enjoys tales with quiet humor and self-enlightenment.

-Arthur W. Jordin

ZZZZZ !
I expected more from two of my favorite authors, but either it didn't gel between them or neither really wanted to put some effort into it.The premise is thin and the story line starts off slow and gets slower.You can't identify with any characters, (which are more two-dimensional that I've seen in any published work in years.)The finish is almost a relief, and you can see it coming by the third chapter.I'd avoid this book, even in paperback.Anyone want my copy?Cheap?

Very disappointing
I was hoping for a more humorous book.I loved the MYTH, Phule, and Time Scout series.This book was dull and the plot was not very original. After 100 pages, I jumped to the climax of the story near the end of the book so I could finally be done with it.I wished I had at least waited for the paperback edition. Although I don't think paying a cheaper price would make up for the time I wasted on it. ... Read more

Product Description
In the bestselling tradition of "Chick in Chainmail" comes this second novel on the subject. . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Satire was good and Action exciting
My order came quickly and was in perfect condition. I have purchased many books by the autor, and enjoyed them all.

Great Book
Great book - women taking care of themselves with swords and other weapons.Good book in the seriesx.I have them all.

Yes!They have a Starhawk story!
I loved almost all the stories in this anthology.However, I especially enjoyed the return of Barbara Hambly's wonderfully complex ex-nun-turned-mercenary Starhawk (of "The Unschooled Wizard" and"The Dark Hand of Magic" fame)

"A Night with theLadies" proves that the 'Hawk doesn't need her wizardly boyfriend SunWolf backing her up--although a few gal-pals don't go unappreciated...

funfunfunfunfunfun!!!!!!
I loved this book!It completely blew just about every stereotype against women out of the water.While I was reading it, I constantly chuckled to myself, and occasionally laughed out loud, hard enough to bring tears to myeyes!I've never read the first book in the series, but I always wantedto, and now I do more than ever!!!!

Thank you, Esther, for another great anthology!
As a fan of the warrior woman genre and the humor fantasy genre, I absolutely loved this book! Reading it along with the first one made for a great afternoon, especially since one author chose to write a continuation of her first story (Elizabeth Moon, write more of this stuff, please!).The dedication made me laugh out loud and immediately head to my e-mail to spread the fun. ... Read more