Product Description
Hot on the heels of The Summer Queen, this novel is a must-read for fans of Vinge's Hugo Award-winning series. BZ Gundhalinu, a policeman who became an outcast after saving the future Summer Queen, quits his job to follow his ne'er-do-well brothers into the godforsaken waste, World's End, to prospect. BZ's odyssey will set the stage for The Summer Queen. Reissue. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

BZ's Gone Mad
I will echo what I have read in the other seven reviews here.Worlds End is almost essential to understanding The Summer Queen to it's fullest extent.It can be skipped, sure, but I don't recommend it.

I'm afraid I read Ms. Vinge's books totally out of order, Summer first and then Snow and then Worlds End.So you can see how much I could have used the insight as to what was going on.

As far as World's End goes, I felt that it was great as a short.

BZ Gundalihnu is a failed suicide, a social outcast for the strictly heirarchal world in which he is from.Following his harrowing experience on Tiamat, and the unrequited love with it's new Queen, BZ is forced to leave along with the rest of the Hegemony.Though he tries to fit back in, he can't, his society is too steeped in their prejudices.

He is led by his misfortune and his squandering brothers to World's End a place that is literally crazy...even the earth and the sky follow no known physics.BZ comes across the land's leader, a woman of incredible power, who is positively insane.She wants him to remain with him, and infects him with the Sybil virus.

And yes BZ literally goes mad.But being a learned man, he figures out how to contact the Summer Queen, and with her help he gains on his sanity once more.

The molten lake at World's end is more than it seems, and it want's BZ's help to cure itself.

It is a breakthrough that will forever change BZ's life and the face of the Hegemoeny.It may even get him closer to his Summer Queen once more.

BZ Gundalihnu is a character I fell in love with from the very first time I read him.He is devout to his job, tortured inside, a good man to a fault.He oftens judges those around him just by their social stature.But for all his flaws he is endearing and charming.I always thought him older than he truly was just because of his demeanor.

Worlds End is definitely a good bookend to your collection if you can find it!

Not Free SF Reader
World's End has some overlap with The Summer Queen and is part of the
whole Snow Queen saga. It is about the lost hyperdrive, and BZ
Gundalinhu and his travel. Some time after the earlier book, he is
still doing his thing.

He goes to the planet World's End, and
gets infected with an alien virus. The book chronicles his journey and
state of mind as the disease affects him.

He comes out the other
end influenced by the odd nature of the planet. If you aren't super
keen on this level of detail for this character, you can just read the
Summer Queen instead where you will get bits of this, quickly.

In its own way, oddly amazing
As the out of print sequel to the "Snow Queen" "World's End" it is an out of print, underappreciated little sci-fi novel that you can totally skip if you want and just read a shorter version of it's major events in the "Summer Queen" which is too bad, because this is one good book.

Readers of the snow queen will remember the lost star drive that once allowed people to cross space-something the galactic hegemony cannot retrieve and rebuild without. Well this book is that about that, insanity, being sane, duty, not doing your fu*king duty for once and finally forgiving yourself. There is also something wonderful in this book about chaos and what is really chaos and the desire to find order in crazy places. It's really veryu cool if you can wrap your mind around it. Starring in a very good first person narrative lieutenant BZ from "The Snow Queen" this is a short little shocking thriller that is in the end, quite inspirational. If you can find inspiration in this kind of sci-fi.

Four stars.

Better than Snow Queen
I read this as a break from Snow Queen (which I'm almost finished as I write this). I thought this would be in the same vein as Snow Queen and Summer Queen but the story and style is completely different.

The book is told throught the eyes of BZ Gundhalinu, who was, admittedly, my favorite character in the other books, and the reader becomes deeply immersed in his thoughts and memories, which are fragmentary and not altogether sane.

The setting is fantastic and seems much more alien and alive than Carbuncle and Tiamat. The characters are far more three dimensional and believable than those in the other 'Snow Queen books', and BZ becomes far more sympathetic than any of Snow Queen's protagonists ever did (I found Moon a real pain to read about...). This book is also much more sci-fi than it's predecessors, which were more fantasy in my view.

The bok only gets four stars because some things it relies heavily on, such as sibyls and the Old Empire, aren't explained ebough if this is to be read as a stand alone, however if you have read Snow Queen or Summer Queen or posess a particularly fertile imagination you sould be fine with World's End. the ther reason for the slightly lower rating is that I thought that the background of Song, who is otherwise a fully realised character, could use more explaination. This is one of my favorite books and I would highly recommend it to anyone who lieks sci-fi books or books based on interior dialogue and highly character centric story lines.

The Unexpected Sequel
It's impossible for me to review this book without putting it the context of its classic predecessor. Probably I would not rate it so highly as a stand-alone book.

The fate of police inspector BZ Gundhalinu brought bittersweetness to end of THE SNOW QUEEN. If you care about the character, by all means read WORLD'S END. (Don't settle for the fractured summary found in THE SUMMER QUEEN.)

While reading THE SNOW QUEEN, I initially decided that I liked the officious technocrat Gundhalinu because of his unwavering support of his beleaguered commanding officer, Jerusha PalaThion. That BZ would expand his supporting role, undergo an intense personal upheaval, and emerge as a romantic renegade came as a delightful surprise. Even so, at the end of THE SNOW QUEEN, I assumed that BZ was an unfortunate bit of flotsam in the sibyl machinery's Greater Plan, and that the doors on his story had closed as tightly as the gate to Tiamat. I was happy to discover that Joan D. Vinge felt his journey worth continuing in WORLD'S END.

We catch up with Gundhalinu a few years later, burying himself in his police duties on the planet Four. Having experienced love on Tiamat did nothing to break the shackles of his Patrician background. BZ is still every bit the snob--defining nearly everyone--especially himself--according to the rigid terms of his hierarchical culture. And that culture judges him a coward and a failure.

More ghosts of the unresolved past surface when BZ's brothers, having squandered their aristocratic family's estates and good name, come to Four to seek their fortune in the notorious wilderness known as "World's End". They are presumed lost, and BZ embarks on what he assumes is a futile quest to set something right--to locate his brothers and perhaps regain his family's honor.

The quest is a Heart of Darkness-type journey, in which the increasingly surrealistic landscape reflects Gundhalinu's state of mind. A mysterious force in World's End creates disturbing anomalies in the harsh environment. As time passes, BZ succumbs to its maddening influence and loses his will to suppress his personal demons. At a shocking turning point, those demons are suddenly swept away as the demanding, insane consciousness behind World's End's anomalies invades BZ's mind. From then on he struggles to regain control and solve the mystery of this time- and space-defying wilderness.

The story is effectively told in the first person, through BZ's irregular journal entries. One can squirm experiencing the tumble towards insanity and the effort to return from the brink. The book is short, which saves it from becoming a wallow. But in spite of its brevity, it feels complete. A long, exhausting journey has taken place. Although the tone is unrelentingly grim, take heart! There is hope, enlightenment and rebirth at the end of the tunnel. ... Read more

Product Description
eturning to the memorable setting and characters of the bestselling, Hugo Award-winning The Snow Queen, Joan D. Vinge was nominated for another Hugo Award for this blockbuster epic that transports readers back to Tiamat and the other planets of the human-populated Hegemony. Interstellar politics, star-spanning criminal cabals, a millennia-long secret conspiracy, and a civilization whose hidden machineries might still control the fate of worlds all form the background to this spectacular hard-SF novel. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Nice follow-up
Great book & a continuation of the story begun in The Snow Queen.

This is a character-driven book with not a lot of action. If you're looking for space adventure - look elsewhere. Having said that, the last third of this book is so suspenseful that I almost missed my stop because I was reading it on BART & got engrossed.

Lots of levels and lots of layers. Ms. Vinge really loves her story and her characters and obviously had a great deal of fun creating all the different worlds and political wheels upon wheels. It was fun to visit other worlds and see what else was out there in her universe, but I think I loved most of all the bits and pieces of the people of Tiamat roaming around their planet amidst the Hegemony's rubble.

Interesting, engrossing, and emotionally engaging - this whole series is great.

A more than decent sequel...
... to a fantastic book. The timeline and plot have clearly been well thought out. While I enjoyed Snow Queen more, this book was still an excellent read. The ending surprised me, but it was also a rather satisfying one. It's not absolutely necessary to read this if you have read Snow Queen, but if you do, you won't be disappointed.

Even better than the first book
What a sequel - a great follow-up to an amazing first book.Often it's hard for authors to beat the first offering.This one keeps up with the first and keeps you reading and turning the pages till the very end.

Not Free SF Reader
Another massively long novel set on the world of Tiamat, like in the
Snow Queen. As the seasons shift, things change, but the wealthy and
powerful still want their longevity treatments, so the hunting of the
mer race continues.

A technological advancement does allow the isolated planet more
offworld communication, but that certainly doesn't solve all their
problems.

This One's a Slog
Last year I re-read 'The Snow Queen' after first reading it twenty-five years ago. It amazed me how much of it I remembered and how well it holds up. It's a five-star classic. Sadly, I can't say the same for its sequel.

Picking up exactly where 'The Snow Queen' left off, 'The Summer Queen' quickly turns into an over-the-top, over-written slog. It's almost three-hundred pages longer than the first one; judicious editing could have cut two hundred of those pages. Vinge never says anything with ten words when she can do it with twenty or thirty, and don't get me started on the sex scenes.Love scenes in 'Snow' were tender and tasteful.The ones in the sequel would make Michael Moorcock blush.

In spite of this, the story perks along pretty well.BZ Gundhalinu rediscovers the star drive that makes return to Tiamat possible; the Hegemony wants the Water of Life, made from the blood of the seal-like mers, who seem to be a vital part of the vital sybil net. (I asuume anyone reading this review had already read 'The Snow Queen.') Various factions are after all kinds of power. Moon and Spark's marriage is on the rocks.
Then about three-fourths of the way through, things fall apart.Incidents occur for no real reason-a kidnapping, an arrest-except to drag out the conclusion. And after all the mess, all the terrible personal losses that these people suffer, there's a happy ending!

I didn't buy it.

If you liked the first one, you should read this. I'm glad I did but I wish that it were better.

And 'the burning sword of his manhood' is just plain bad. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (25)

Pretty Good Bit of SciFi
It's not the most well written book, but it does have some very interesting ideas and images in it.I read it when I was a teen, and reordered it.It's still a great read.

Love This Book!!
I've worn my original copy out, so I bought this 25th anniversary edition when it came out.I've read the entire series so many times I've lost count....and I and expect I'll re-read them many times again in the future!

Maybe I missed something but
I don't know what all the hype is about. I bought the book mostly because of the reviews. The topper being this was something they'd read years ago and it stayed with them.

It isn't a bad book by any means. It just isn't that great, either. Not one of those "you pick it up and then can't bear to put it down" sort of things.It's an o.k. read with characters that aren't all that likeable.

Like most things, it all comes down to a matter of taste. There are books I've read in past years that have stuck with me, making me track them down to read again and again. This book isn't one of them.

Disapoitment
I have read the Catspaw and enjoyed it very much, the dinamics, colour & imagination.
I bought Psion with great aticipations and as the rule says the bigger the anticipation the bigger the disapoitment.
With all the respect to the aouthor - if you don't have to say anything don't say it , but she bothers again and again to repeat the same thing and it seems that she was paid by Kilo paper.
Sorry
Simcha

Solid start to a fine series
Meet Cat the latent telepath/street urchin as he's plucked out of the ghetto and set on a path of discovery that turns to ruin.His story and the universe that he's a part of are so incredibly written that the reader can't help but feel a part of Cat's life.

This isn't the strongest volume in this series, but it's foundation to an amazing cycle. ... Read more

Product Description
Joan D. Vinge returns to Tiamat, the world of her Hugo Award-winning novel The Snow Queen and its bestselling sequel The Summer Queen..

Set during the time of The Snow Queen, BZ Gundhalinu is a by-the-book "Blue" on the trail of high corruption within the force. When a police raid goes horribly awry, BZ finds himself teamed up with Nyx LaisTree, a hard-nosed cop with no respect for the rules, and Devony Seaward, a beautiful hooker with a heart of gold. Together these three must fight the corruption of Tiamat and try to expose it before they all end up dead.

This novel marks the exciting return to the much-loved Snow Queen Universe. While taking place during events in The Snow Queen, this novel is a stand-alone masterpiece of noir suspense--taking a story you think you know, and showing you just how deep and vast the waters really run.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Not Free SF Reader
A departure from the epic length Queen books, this novel is also set on
Tiamat. BZ Gundhalinu features in what is basically a crime novel. The
city it is set in is where people come for their longevity drugs. A
young policeman is involved in a raid on an illegal technology store.

The Snow Queen wants the gear there, his police sergeant (a
character from the other books) thinks he is useless, and there is a
mysterious femme fatale type also making life more annoying.

A very dangerous mystery that at the end of it involves very high stakes.

LA Confidential on Tiamat
A quick read, geared toward those who've read the rest of the books in the series.A couple points that were left lingering in the other books were cleared up.The book doesn't have the depth of the Snow Queen, however.I also thought the plot was similar to the movie LA Confidential.Privileged officer paired up with a street cop from a blue collar background, the whole love story, and the corruption in the police department.

Tiamat's greatest hits...
I really wish this fine lady of scifi had written more original stories, instead of retreading her old stories over and over again... this book is not bad, but it isn't anything too special.

This story finds us back on Tiamat, world of the Snow Queen, a Hugo award winning book that is much longer, but much more worth your time.The story is about Tree, a police officer who talks a lot like Cat from her Psion series.Other characters include old favorites like BZ, Jerusha, and Arienrhod the Snow Queen.The story involves a race between two factions of an ancient society called Survey (ala the Freemasons) trying to find an ancient artifact that those who have read Summer Queen will recognize.The main characters are all the Blues (cops) caught in the middle.

Herein lies the biggest problem.If you have read Summer Queen, another far superior book, you know what happens to the artifact.You know who gets a hold of it in the end, and you know for sure that BZ never learns anything useful about it because he knows absolutely nothing about it when he comes across its results in the future.So there isn't very much suspense here for Vinge fans.

Also, a lot of the characters are not very convincing.Tree's mannerisms are tried and true, but a little tired.And I am definitely tired of BZ "superhero" Gundhalinu, the detective/scientist/noble who seems capable of everything.Finally, just like Dreamfall, this book is plagued by a very lackluster and unconvincing love story.

This book is intriguing mostly as a "greatest hits" collection, as a chance to run into some of our favorite characters again, sans Moon and Spark.It's worth reading in an airport or on the beach or something, but it isn't a keeper like her other fine works.Read Snow Queen, Summer Queen, Catspaw, or even track down her awesome yet out of print "Eyes of Amber" collection, and waste your time with this fluffy confection if you get through those and still want more.

Slow going, too much foul language
Unlike her earlier books, this one was very easy to put down each night.It's much shorter but took me longer to read - a tell-tale sign that it's not very engaging.

I was also taken-aback at her fascination with the f-word in this book.I often pass a lot of my books to my children to read, but this one is going back to the library unread by my kids.

On a Vinge Kick...excellent addition
It was so wonderful to see another addition to the Classic "Snow Queen" Series from Joan D. Vinge.I was wholly impressed with this prequel story and a look at chararcters made famous by her.

BZ Gundhalinu, a fav of mine, starts to show some of the spark that made him so endearing to me through "The Snow Queen" and "Worlds End" and on into "The Summer Queen."It was nice to see some of the events that so affected his life and were alluded to in the later books.

I liked the new characters introduced as a foil for the story, and though I was not as attached to them as I was to poor tortured BZ, they kept my attention throughout the story.

It was nice to see Mundilfore again as well, as sinister and slippery as ever!

I was electrified by the "Artifact" that was the center of the story in this novel, and immediately recognized the signifcance of it for one Reede Kullervo!It was nice to see how the Sibyl net had allowed that to become "common" knowledge for the Golden Mean as well as for the Brotherhood!

Ms. Vinge another outstanding addition to your already impressive library...I can only hope my own books will be as well recieved!
... Read more

Customer Reviews (57)

Not as epic as I thought it would be but pretty good nonetheless
As soon as somebody mentions that a sci-fi product is epic, I immediately imagine it would be something akin to the Star Wars universe. This book does not contain lightsabers, spaceship battles or a cantina full of weird creatures.However, it does sell you the concept of their world and its universe pretty well.You get everything the writer is telling you and most importantly, you understand it.This is not a story full of action, it is a character-driven novel.There are moments of tension and there are wrongs that must be punished and set right, but the action is ultimately on the light side.

The main characters are likeable for the most part, although they do share their darker sides at one point or the other.The main villain is not cackling evil, but a puppeteer and control freak.Almost every character is human and relatable with only a few exceptions, to the point that this book can appeal to people that are more into fantasy than sci-fi like me.There will not be prolonged dialogues about reactors, core units or timeshifts and wormholes.Whatever alien technology the writer concocts, it is laid out simple enough as befits the main character, who is not tech-savvy.The plot is interesting and there are slight twists here and there.The reader will find no archaic or complicated vocabulary so despite the book's width, it should be a quick read.

What's it all mean?It means THE SNOW QUEEN is a very good book, easy to read, allowing full immersion into the universe.It is not hardcore sci-fi, so every reader will enjoy the literary journey.However, after reading it, I have no interest in continuing the saga with the sequels because this story goes full circle and everything is tied up nicely.Which by the way, it's a minor flaw to me because everything is easily solved towards the end of the book, and I mean everything.When the plots start to get resolved, the way the writer does it depletes any tension from the reader about what's left to be handled because you already know the way it is going to go. That doesn't mean is bad, it just feels a bit old-fashioned.

So, go ahead and check this book out and maybe you'll be interested in continuing the book cycle.For me, I was satisfied with just this one, and have no reason to delve deeper.It just worked out that way.

Soap opera...
I'm actually only 5 chapters into the book and I'm already bored and overcome by the angst. I'm considering giving it a few more chapters but, from the looks of it, I'm probably going to bring this back to the library and never look at it again.

Lots of opportunities, none taken.
I must admit, this book did not engage me.I could barely get through a few pages before my mind wandered to other things.Seemed derivative of many other books.But I was committed to reading it. So, I think I missed some plot points and maybe missed any point as my mind wandered to other things.

All the lead characters are women.The men aren't significant characters and are barely developed.Then again, the same could be said of the female characters.So I was hoping that maybe something was being said about strong females and/or leaders, but if there was, I didn't get it.There was a civilization that had a strong caste system, so I was hoping that there would be some commentary on that.But no sign that they would change, or have a reason to.There was a fluid that gives near immortality.I was hoping there would be commentary on what it would be like to live several hundreds of years, but that wasn't there.The fluid was from creatures on the planet that were whole-sale slaughtered.I was hoping that there would be some comment on some of the whole-sale slaughter that we do against animals today.Okay, this hope may have been partially met, but it got watered down through a plot twist.There is a declining civilization, so I was hoping that there might be some parallels with the thought that the US is on the wane.But I don't think that came through, if it was intended.There was a first-world vs. third-world, have vs. have-not comparison that could have been explored/exploited, but did not happen that from what I can tell.

So, kudos for fabricating a lot of potential.I just wish something had been done with all that potential.

Revisiting Tiamat
I checked these books out of library when I was in junior high.When I was supposed to be studying, I was reading this book. When I was supposed to be sleeping, I was reading this book.The story was immediately engaging and spoke to my love of fairy tales. I remember I was equally excited when I saw a copy of "The Summer Queen." on a bookshelf one day.

I saw the books were re-released and read them again in my 30's.I was delighted to find that the writing was still engaging and I was once again swept into these landscapes as easily now as I was *coughover20yearsgaocough*

Wonderful exploration of Hans Christian Andersen's story
This one won the Hugo Award in 1981 & with good reason. Someone in another review I read said that this book was what Dune would be if it had been written by a female anthropologist & that's a great description (& pretty much what the book is).

I read this when it first came out - loved the doomed love story at its core with its echoes of the Hans Christian Anderson story. Reading it now I'm more drawn to the politics and culture of the world & to the notion of the sibyl mind - a huge networked database containing all of the knowledge of the Old Empire that is accessed by those who are infected with a virus, the network is watched over by mer. The whole back-and-forth of "Input" & "Transfer ended" sounds in my head like an old school modem connecting to the Internet. Love broadband, but sometimes I miss that noise.

It's good to read science fiction with strong female characters of all kinds & with interesting stories and connections. This works. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Last book in the "Cat" series
A good book with a bummer ending. Not surprising, I suppose, since the theme of this novel is the near impossibility of surviving as an outsider in a world governed by the corporate state.

Cat's a sweet character who somehow manages to be a bridge between peoples, but also manages to find himself alone & disregarded.

This is a book filled with longing - for community, for change, for love, for companionship, for a way to be whole. Vinge writes interesting characters & the plot here is nicely character driven, although she doesn't really do anything with the cloud whales and their dreamfall - odd to set up such a cool premise & then just sort of leave it there.

This is the third book of a trilogy and I think I like the second one, Catspaw, best. The characters, landscape, & ideas are more diverse - alien, but not alien all at once.

Love it!!
I absolutely love this story! I read it for the first time in high school and since then have re-read it about 3 times (which is a lot... I hardly ever re-read books. At most, I'll re-read it once).

The elements of cyberpunk and romance in this book really draw you in. The characters are completely genuine and the world is believable. Not every science fiction or fantasy book is like that, but this one is.

And for people wondering whether or not they'll be able to know what's going on if they haven't read the books before it, don't worry. This was the first book I ever read by Joan D. Vinge, and I kept up just fine. The book reads well by itself.

Cloud reefs and dying culture
While this story isn't the happy ending readers envision for Cat, it was another wonderfully written chapter of his life.The eerie settings and the the bittersweet tone of the story make it a very satisfying read.The remains of the Hydrans and their way of life are incredibly interesting.It's nice to see how Cat has grown and developed over the span of the novels and novella he's the subject of.I count this amongst the must-reads that I own.

Interesting, but......
I've always liked the Cat series, but I think it has stagnated a bit. I mean, I'm getting a little tired of the "poor little whipping boy" routine.The series has GREAT potential, it just hasn't lived up to it yet.Too many loose ends get created and never really brought to a conclusion.Like Why he has DRACO's logo, who's his father, or just who ARE the Others and where did they go?Maybe in the next book (if there ever is one) the author will get around to tying up these loose threads...

Not Free SF Reader
Dreamfall is a sequel to Catspaw, or part of a series, however you want
to look at it. This time, Cat is on his mother's planet, and pretty
much immediately gets into trouble, something he is really very good
at. Yet again, a huge corporation is controlling a substance, and he
runs afoul of them and their aims. Not really a big surprise. Cat
becomes involved in the struggle, and is naturally on his mother's
people's side, not the megacorp.


... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Stories from a Mistress of Science Fiction
Ms. Vinge is a very talented writer, and this collection proves the point.The title story is just so wildly inventive, it's hard to imagine how the authoress came up with the idea.Set on Titan, the large moon of Saturn, the unbelievably alien culture is so unlike human society, it's incredible.Or is it so different after all?It's a real treat, and you'll remember the story for a long time.

Another excellent story is "The Crystal Ship", an extremely well-written story about a decadent society that has lost its way in a haze of drug use and the Star Well, which may be a method of transportation, or a one-way trip to death.

Other noteworthy stories in the collection include "View from a Height" about a sort-of solitary trip in a space ship, and "Media Man".

Highly Recommended.

Excellent Vinge Stories
I would classify myself as a Joan Vinge fan.I've read as much of her work as I can get my hands on, which unfortunately isn't much.For original work, she is not very prolific, and many of these are out of print.Thank goodness for Amazon's used marketplace.

This collection is among her best, as good as Snow Queen."Eyes of Amber" won her first Hugo, and it is an incredible story.A great foreward by Vinge explains that the story was written very quickly for a particular issue of Aasimov's, and it has the feeling of raw and unclean inspiration, tossing together like a salad the ideas of an alien race that speaks in music and an alien race that has not developed anything resembling human morality.

"Tin Soldier," her first published piece, is also included in this collection.It is not as complex as her later works, but it is a sweet and well-paced love story in a world where women are the ruling class.Also noteworthy is "To Bell the Cat," a story that attempts to create a completely alien but understandable race.It is rare enough to see aliens that are not bipedal in modern sci-fi, it is fascinating to read someone trying to create aliens that are not even animal, in the earthly sense.

Can't wait to pick up her other collections!

Soldier is Unbeliavable!!!
That book is really impressed me....the way author wrote the stories is really professional....the great mixture of fantasy,modern sci-fi and litareture....Especailly Soldier is really a great story...A must readone!!!!!

Absolutely-Wonderful!
Joan D. Vinge is one of the best sci-fi short-story writers.The humanity idol is given in both the mediaman and the lead soldier in the background.Esspecialy the story THE LEAD SOLDIER MUST BE READ BY EVERYONEIN THIS WORLD! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Movie was better
It's the adaptation of the screenplay for the movie of the same name.It was a rather cut and dried exposition.It just described what went on in the movie without adding much more depth to it.It was probably done from a different version of the script, because there were minor differences from the movie.All in all I was rather disappointed with it.

The story is beautiful
The book delves in to the emotions of the characters so much more than themovie.I read the book first and loved it.The movie didn't hold myinterest and so much of the story was lost in the translation.This is afantabulous piece of fiction.

Enchanting and intriguing
I have only seen parts of the movie, which is why i wanted to read this book.Joan Vinge is an excellent writer and, in my opinion, adds to this beautiful tale of forbidden romance.I can't say whether you'll enjoy it as much as the movie because i don't know, but it really gives one a sense of the emotions drive the characters.The epilog is an amusing and quaint surprise as well. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Quality of Uniqueness
Phoenix in the Ashes is a collection of six stories.They are both a demonstration of the range of Joan Vinge's talent and an clear indication of the importance of characterization in her works.All the protaganists in these stories are alienated in some way from their culture and each must resolve their own eccentric problems.

The title story involves two individuals, each an outcast in their own society, who learn to fulfill each other's needs;it strongly reminds me of the Gift of the Magi in tone.Voices From the Dust has two scientists who detest each other, but find common ground when an alien presence seizes control of their minds.The Storm King is a tale of emotional growth, as a noble boy learns empathy.The Peddler's Apprentice also has a boy growing both emotionally and intellectually, finally gaining some measure of wisdom.Psiren has Cat coming to grips with his power and guilt.Mother and Child tells of an alien who develops a degree of affection and appreciation for humanity through his contact with a human woman and her child.

Each of these stories involves an individual who is in some way almost unique in their society, but these stories have a larger theme of the uniqueness of all persons.They seem to say, forget the averages and concentrate on the distinctly different aspects of each person.

The only problem I have with Joan D. Vinge is that she doesn't write enough.Of course, quantity doesn't replace quality.And Vinge exemplifies quality to me.Enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

A Vinge collection
Phoenix in the Ashes is an amazing collection of Ms. Vinge's short stories.Each story has an afterword written by Ms. Vinge, which gives the reader insight, into what inspired that particular tale, which I found tobe a very pleasant experience.This collection is something any fan of Ms.Vinge must get, unfortunately at this time it is out of print.One storyin particular flashes back on Cat from the Catspaw, Psion, Dreamfallseries, and is set in the time between Psion and Catspaw when our hero isrecovering from the mental-psionic breakdown he suffered because of histime spent in the Telhassium mines of the Federation. This interlude inCat's life is just one of six tales included in this collection.The otherfive range all the way from a desolate future Earth, where technology isconsidered to be part of the evil spirits (Phoenix in the Ashes), to a sortof world where humans who can see clearly or even hear are considered"blessed" or "gifted" and has an incredibly suprisingplot(Mother and Child).All the stories in this collection have charactersof depth and intriguing story lines, in spite of the short length.Thereis no way to sum up this collection as each story is an individual gem, ofa different color and cut set in the ring of adaptation and survival ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

best buy
If you like her Cat books, this is the best buy yet, because it includes both Psion and Catspaw. See the individual book reviews for detail.

beware, just contains "Psion" and "Cat's Paw"
Well I was fooled, I thought maybe this contained another,
different story. But it is just a re-packaging together,
of "Psion" and "Cat's Paw" (without the more recent
3rd novel "Dreamfall" in the same series).

Anyway, they are fantastic stories, so it would be a good deal
to get them both in this one volume, unless you already
own both of them separately! as I do... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

solid 4 stars
as the book jacket says, contains the best asteroid story ever.true.the other story is very good too.both stories are smart and visionary.too bad it's out of print.

solid 4 stars
as the book jacket says, contains the best asteroid story ever.true.the other story is very good too.both stories are smart and visionary.too bad it's out of print.

Half of a good book.
This book Is pretty good, well the first part anyway. It is divided into two stories, the first ones is good and the second one is okay but not incredible. I would rebuy this book again if I lost my copy. ... Read more

Product Description
Greek myths make up the very pillar of Western culture. But they are more than classic stories every child should know. They are rousing tales—rich in character, drama, and high adventure—that have captured readers through the ages. In The Random House Book of Greek Myths, Hugo Award-winning author Joan D. Vinge introduces the Greek gods and goddesses and retells fourteen favorite myths with wit, style, and compassion. This sophisticated but accessible collection is stunningly illustrated with paintings by Oren Sherman that evoke the mystery and majesty of ancient Greece. Perfect for readers of all ages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Greek Myths
This riveting book is a must read for all mythology lovers. I enjoyed reading it because it was full of great Greek stories about mythology. In this book you can find intriguing info about Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, and many other gods. It tells everything from how the gods were created to stories about them. I really liked this book because I had something interesting to read.
While reading this book I leaned a lot about Greek gods and what they did. Some of the interesting things I read were the stories about humans that had connections to the gods and how the gods would help the humans in times of trouble, or how the humans would become great heroes. Now days we have stories about superman and wonder woman. Do we treat superheroes like the Greeks treated the gods? Do we need people like batman or Perseus to look up to? Where did the stories originate.
My favorite part of the book was the story of Hercules and how he freely became a slave and performed the excruciating Twelve Labors of Hercules to gain the respect of all of the gods back. Another story is about how Cronus the evil titan leader ate his children but then Zeus fought back, saved his brothers and sisters from his belly, and locked him away in Tartarus.

The Random House of Greek Myths by, Joan D. Vinge
It's a very good book. It took me to a imaginary place that I'd never been to. It was really fun reading this book.

Greek Myths rule
The illustrations in this book are fantastic.My kids love the book because the artwork brings the stories alive.They are beautiful creations.

Great Greek Myths for kids 8 and up
There hasn't been a wonderfully illustrated book of Greek Myths for over thirty years, until this lovely Random House book came out. Science fiction author (and anthropologist) Joan D. Vinge breathes vibrant life into theancient stories so that they touched me as though they were brand new.Their universality is clear and powerful, thousands of years later, in thehands of this masterful author. And the illustrations by artist OrenSherman are vivid and marvelously colorful. I'm eager to re-read them withchildren, so that I can share the wonder of these timeless tales.

Fantastic Illustrations!
Ideal introduction to Greek mythology, with gorgeous, deeply colored illustrations.This would make a great Christmas gift for bright children. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An interesting book
This is a minor little science fiction novel with a few really interesting ideas. It has the feel of a good author's "early novels", where they typically put a lot of effort into each book. It is definitely worth reading but not a classic, hence 3 stars.

The story may be related to another book, "Heaven Chronicles", by the same Author, which I have not read.

The book is about an interstellar trade mission from a planet in distress to a wealthy neighbor. The starship Ranger arrives in the system of the Heaven Belt to find that war has reduced the fabled space habitat based civilization of the belt to a bare subsistence level. The Ranger represents an extremely valuable commodity to the waring factions of the Heaven Belt and all sides start scheming and jockeying for position the moment it arrives. After lots of intrigue, the crew of the Ranger agree to use the technology of the Ranger to jump start the technological recovery of the Heaven Belt to it's former glory.

This book is notable for two ideas: calendars based on the second (e.g. megaseconds instead of weeks), and the political system called "The Demarchy".

Basing a calendar on multiples of the second is a sensible idea for a spaced based civilization, especially one that extends to more than one solar system. We've seen this idea used in a minor way in books like "The Mote In God's Eye" but this novel uses it consistently.

The Demarchy is a totalitarian republic whose every decision is based on constant public polling. The hideously constrictive nature of a government where every decision is subject to accurately measured public whim is an amusingly subversive idea, and the author has some fun with it.

The original meaning of "computer room", a room full of men who manually "compute" parts of a large mathematical problem in series, is recreated in this book. I liked that nod to the pre-computer age in a science fiction novel.

Starship travel isn't always as clean and pretty...
... as most S/F stories portray it. This novel tells of a future where interstellar travel is a reality, but just barely. No galaxy-spanning empire, just a set of planets, some marginally habitable, full of coloniststrying to survive, and sometimes to get ahead.
The system was calledHeaven, because it contained resources enough to sustain life and maybeeven more. But when an outside starship fell into the system on a trade andcontact mission, the crew discover how easily people can make a hell out ofheaven.
Civil war has reduced the once-great civilization of Heaven'sBelt to a set of struggling, isolated societies, each too intent on theirown survival to help the others. The crew of the starship Ranger must finda way out of the system before their ship is taken and used as the lastweapon for the last war.
I enjoyed the differentness of this novel.Life in the future may not be as easy as most S/F tales portray it. Whatwould our culture turn into if we ran out of resources? ... Read more

Product Description
Young Paul Atreides, son of a powerful family from the planet Caladan, may be the looked-for leader who will save the desert planet Dune, source of a precious spice which gives people strange mental powers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Children of Dune
"The Dune Storybook" was one of my favorite reads in my younger days. It's hard now for anyone to imagine a Dune book for children, let alone based on a David Lynch movie (I doubt "Mulholland Drive" will be cleaned up for the kids) I found the story engaging and engrossing.

"Dune Storybook" makes the complex Frank Herbert story accessible. It shows the breadth and depth of David Lynch's vision in bringing the epic to the screen. There's the mysterious Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam, the majestic Princess Irulan, the hideous Baron Harkonnen, the beautiful Chani... as well as the great Paul Atreides. Since this is a children's book, Duke Leto and the Lady Jessica are married. The scene with Sting only in a codpiece is cut out. There's no closing line of Jessica to Chani, "We who now bear the title of concubine, history will call us wives." Still, the story remains.

"Dune Storybook" shows that a complicated storyline,as well as an epic movie, can be made kid-friendly. It stands on its own. After all, there weren't children's versions of Lord of the Rings or the Matrix trilogy. As a kid, I liked the Dune Storybook. David Lynch didn't mess me up. Joan Vinge did a great job.

For lovers of either the movie or the book
Frank Herbert created one of the most enduring novels time with "Dune" which repeatedly crops up on most lists for greatest science-fiction novels of the 20th century.With "Dune," Frank Herbert showed theworld that science-fiction had a serious side.David Lynch's film adaptationof "Dune" may be disappointing to purists who find fault with histampering with the plot, but nobody can fault him for creating dazzlingvisual images.Joan D. Vinge captures the scope and complexity of the plot with her excellent streamlined version of the screen-play and the color photos capture the other-worldly feel that the movie so succesfully created. ... Read more

Product Description
When one of Santa's elves goes to work for an unscrupulous toy manufacturer, Santa's own life is ultimately changed forever. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Santa Claus The Movie storybook
I found this quite by accident and I am thrilled that I did. It's a rare storybook of the famous movie from years ago. I enjoy the book and believe it to be a collector's item -- at least for me. ... Read more