Customer Reviews (1)

"Come buy, come buy."
I believe there were only four 'Magic in Ithkar' volumes, which is a shame because Norton and Adams did a great job of soliciting (and editing?) these commonly-themed fantasy shorts.

Each of the four collections has the same prologue by Robert Adams, which explains how the fair originated in Ithkar (a religious anniversary turned pilgrimage), the set-up (temple, campgrounds for the merchants, docks and canals for the riparian traffic, etc.), and the difficulties encountered on a pilgrimage or trading voyage to Ithkar (Death Swamp, dragons, outlaw wizards).All weapons must be surrendered before entering the fair and wizards are discouraged from glamorizing shoddy goods with their spells.Of course, as at any large festival, the fair at Ithkar has its share of rogues, piratical merchants, bravos, potion-makers and witches, troupes of entertainers (not a few of them turning tricks), and gullible pilgrims.

A sampling of the fourteen stories in this volume:

"The Clockwork Woman" - Ann R. Brown
A mechanical doll is so deceptively life-like that when she is exhibited at the fair, a wealthy man in the audience tries to buy her.Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) for him, there's a real woman concealed within the doll.She is a dwarf and has fallen in love with her tall, beautiful mechanical persona.When she persuades her friend and fellow dwarf to take his place within a newly constructed mechanical man, she learns an important lesson in love.

"First Do No Harm" - Mildred Downey Broxon
Young Lithras is a character who could have been lifted from one of Norton's own fantasies--a young, untrained witch who is enslaved, then kills her master and escapes to the fair in Ithkar.She competes for a job as a body healer to a wealthy nobleman, and confesses to one of the other competitors:"I am no anointed healer, but a maimed thing, unfinished."--Doesn't that sound like a character from the pen of the Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy herself?This story also has one of Norton's ambiguously romantic endings.

"Honeycomb" - Esther M. Friesner
Author Esther Friesner has also written and published many fantasy series, including the Twelve Kingdoms ("Mustapha and his Wise Dog"), New York ("New York by Knight"), and Tim Desmond ("Gnome Man's Land") novels. "Honeycomb" is one of the most magical stories to come out of Ithkar, and involves a mysterious candlemaker and her effect on a young woodcarver.A truly sweet, funny story in which an unfaithful lover is changed into a bear and a young not-so-maidenly maiden is forced by an enchanted candle to confess her urgent need for a husband.

If you are searching for good sword & sorcery short stories, you might find exactly what you crave at Ithkar's magical fair. ... Read more

Product Description
ragon and Thief, the first novel in the Dragonback series, was nominated by the ALA as a Best Book For Young Adults. The second novel, Dragon and Soldier, is another fast-paced, compulsively readable SF adventure featuring an odd couple of reluctant partners on an unusual quest. Draycos, a golden-scaled draconic K'da poet-warrior, was on a scout fleet ship when it was attacked, with him the lone survivor. Forced to find a new symbiotic humanoid host, he found Jack Morgan. Jack has been on his own, making his way by shipping interstellar cargo on the ship he's inherited from his Uncle Virgil, a conman and thief who met with a fatal accident. Draycos has vowed to uncover those behind a vast conspiracy to wipe out his people, while Jack is determined to find out who framed him for a crime he didn't commit. Virgil, who survives as 'Uncle Virge' in the ship's computer, is against their plan. But Draycos once saved Jack's life, so Jack feels an obligation to this strange creature who can slip onto the boy's skin, pressing against it like a living tattoo. Knowing that mercenaries were involved in the ambush that killed Draycos's fleet, Jack enlists in a mercenary outfit that practically enslaves adolescent recruits. But the soldier's life isn't exactly what Jack had bargained for, especially when a mysterious girl is recruited into his group. Strange things are happening, and people and events are not always as they seem. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Gathering Intelligence
Dragon and Soldier (2004) is the second novel in the Dragonback Adventure series, following Dragon and Thief.In the previous volume, Jack had been framed for theft of cargo belonging to Braxton Universis and then was framed for murder;in fact, a BU security man had really killed the two aliens.Then Jack was extorted into stealing a cylinder from the purser's safe on a spaceliner.

Jack was persuaded by Draycos to buck the system and revealed this scheme to the victim.But then he learned that the victim was really Braxton himself and managed to defeat an attempt by the conspirators to space both of them.Braxton nullified the warrants for his arrest and profusely expressed his gratitude.Since Draycos had helped clear him, Jack left as quickly as possible to start looking for the people who had ambushed the Shontine/K'da advance party.

In this novel, Jack, Draycos and Uncle Virge discuss their options and decide not to report the situation to StarForce since someone in the government may be passing information to the ambushers.They cannot rely on mercenary units either.Instead, they decide to infiltrate one mercenary group and check their files for any relevant information.

Jack signs on with Whinyard's Edge as Jack Montana.Things start to go wrong from the first contact with the recruiters.However, he meets another recruit, Alison Kayna, who seems to know everything and is willing to pass on her knowledge.

Jack, Alison and the other recruits are put through a ten day training course to prepare them for army living and combat.The length of the course is not adequate for real training, so Jack assumes that they are being prepared as cannon fodder.If they survive their first combat, maybe they will receive further training.

When Jack tries to break into the camp computer net, Draycos notices someone else sneaking around the headquarters building.Jack climbs out the window and returns to his bunk before the general alarm, yet the recruits are not rousted out of bed.Later Jack, Alison and four other recruits are called in for a special briefing.

These six recruits are shipped to Sunright as computer operators.They are situated in an isolated camp far from other Whinyard's Edge troops.Then the regular troops in the area are withdrawn and the recruits are left alone in their bivouac.

This novel describes Jack's introduction to mercenary life.He doesn't like it very much.Moreover, he now has an excellent chance of getting shot, either by the enemy or by friendly troops.He is still mystified by Alison, who never seems to be lacking in the required skills.

Highly recommended for Dragonback fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of high adventure and sneaky gambits.

-Arthur W. Jordin

GOOD FAST PACED ACTION FOR THE YOUNG ADULT
As the sequel to DRAGON AND THEIF D and S continues the story of young Jack Morgan and his new symbiot Draycos as they try to discover the attacker's of Draycos' people before they are completely destroyed.

It is well written, and by that I mean it is written to a level that early teens will find easy and pleasant to follow.But not only that it has a simple, although interesting plot, with plenty of action to keep someone interested.I don't mean to infer that adults won't like it, if you like well crafted YA lit then you're probably going to enjoy D and S, especially if you enjoyed D and T.

Although Jack's and Draycos' don't evolve much in this volume we are introduced to another character, Alison, a girl about his age.It is plain to see Alison is not only going to be and interesting addition to the Dragonback sage but will play a critical role in the future.

A quick read D and S is a great complement to the first volume and I certainly RECOMMEND it.Not only was it fun to read but it definitely leaves you waiting expectantly for the next installment.

Zahn rocks!
This knock-your-socks-off, rip-roaring-adventure from a master storyteller continues the story of former thief, fourteen-year-old Jack Morgan who teamed up in a symbiotic relationship with Draycos, a dragon-like warrior-poet in Dragon and Thief. This self-contained story stands alone but is such fun that readers will definitely want to read its predecessor. Trying to find leads that may help them save the refugee fleet coming from Draycos's planet, Jack infiltrates a mercenary organization as a raw recruit and ends up in the middle of a war. The combination of high-tech adventure and the philosophy and moral stands of Draycos give it wide appeal. Recently I was asked if anyone was still writing the kind of grand space adventure like Heinlein's juveniles or Andre Norton's tales that enticed so many people into science fiction fandom. Now I have the answer and it is a resounding yes! Zahn rocks! ... Read more

Product Description
The Star Wars saga continues--starring Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and all the other beloved characters!. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Far Better Than Expected.
Although there are a few very trivial flaws in "Heir to the Empire" they are easily overlooked and do not take away from any of the enjoyment contained within. I can say with all honesty and not a little relief that Timothy Zahn did a far better job than any of the low-brow attempts at a worthwhile novel about our beloved Star Wars heroes than such amateurs such as Kevin J. Anderson and Steve Perry. Basically, it takes place five years after "Return of the Jedi" and Luke is just starting to feel comfortable in his role as the galaxy's only known Jedi. Han and Leia are married and expecting twins while struggling to build a new Republic in their home in the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. The Empire is considerably weakened and withering away, but it still holds some surprises for our blossoming New Republic. Strutting upon the stage is a new antagonist almost worthy of being Darth Vader's equal. A blue skinned red eyed member of the Chiss species named Grand Admiral Thrawn, the last of the Empire's Grand Admirals, has taken the Empire into his own hands in an attempt to revive the Empire and bring it back into its former power. He is a brilliant military strategist and super-genius, able to glean merely from a culture's art its military strategies and psychological traits. Although, Zahn never bothers to explain exactly how he does this, I feel that this would certainly qualify one to be an extraordinary genius among geniuses. Okay, Thrawn is quite honestly a much better "bad guy" than the ludicrously ridiculous Hutt (a Hutt that would fit much better in an episode of Looney Tunes) that Kevin J. Anderson dreamed up in "Dark Saber" however, Zahn doesn't quite make him as fascinating as Darth Vader, but after Vader anyone would seem fairly anticlimatic. And an insane dark Jedi by the name of C'baoth is bent on capturing Luke and Leia (with her unborn twins) for his own corrupt reasons. A great plot with all our favorite characters, as well as an interesting trip to Kashyyyk with Chewbacca, even though his child and wife is disappointingly never mentioned, all combine to make a great read replete with space fights, political intrigue, and new characters.

Darkhorse version did not disappoint.
Other than the GL done SW movies, this is the most important series of books in the Galaxy Far Far Away.If i were starting out as a reader of the Expanded Star Wars universe I would not start with Zahn first.I would start with the Han Solo trilogy first.

Darkhorse has made some SW books in comics.They gereally do a good job, but not always.They often suffer from poor editing decision.This one is no exception.It is to bad that you can't put the audio (book on tape) casette or CD and play it along with the comic, but you can't.The comic takes to many deletions to fit their page limitations.Still I have to give this 5 stars to reward Darkhorse for the attempt.Wishing DH would do other SW novels... thank you for this one.

The Perfect Start for the Expanded Universe
This review is for the graphic novel adaptation:

Nice story, if you love Star Wars but you're not familiarized with the expanded universe and you'd like to meet the new characters this is the best story to start with: critical characters are introduced: Mara Jade, Gillad Pelleaon, Talon Karrde, Councilor Fel'ya, Grand Almiral Thrawn, Jacen and Jaina Solo, Jorus C'Baoth, the Noghri ...etc. It was pretty cool to find Thrawn on this story, since i first met him in the TIE fighter videogame!

However i think i missed a lot of things by reading the graphic novel rather than the novel, I think i'll be reading the novel later. I liked the way the story manages its storylines, I wonder if some of those stories are going to be referenced on the new Star Wars films?

artwork in "Heir" is much better than "Dark" & "Last"
People who haven't read the books might get confused with the story line in the comic novels, but it's nice to see the artwork of all the characters introduced 5 years after the Star Wars Trilogy.This comic, in particular,does a great job of drawing the Noghri & Mara Jade.Now if only Lucaswill put it on film.

Exciting and nonstop thrills
I really liked reading this book because it was one of the best star wars books I ever read. I liked how Luke Skywalker went back to the Dagobah System. I also liked the new villians Thrawn,Talon Karrde, and C'baoth. Itwas great when they went to Chewbacca's home planet Kashyyyk. The battle atthe end was a good way to end the book. ... Read more

Product Description
This novel begins five years after the end of "Return of the Jedi". The Rebel Alliance has destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and driven the remnants of the old Imperial Starfleet back into barely a quarter of the territory that they once controlled. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Amazing Trilogy
This series is one of my all time favorites for star wars. Grand Admiral Thrawn is such an amazing character. I only wish there were more books written about him. Anyone looking to get into the star wars books should start here. ... Read more

Product Description
The golden-scaled K'da warrior Daycos is perfectly content to remain with his symbiont companion of ten years as their battle cruiser flees the Valahgua, the aliens responsible for destroying his home. But a Valahguan ambush forces their ship to crash-land on an unknown world, and only Draycos survives. With his bondmate dead, a weakened, marooned Draycos faces certain death if he cannot find a replacement within hours. But Jack Morgan, 14-year-old part-time thief and full-time fugitive, has managed to survive -- and stay ahead of the law -- while hiding his space craft on this remote planet with the help of the computerized personality of his late (and professionally dishonest) uncle Virge. When Jack investigates the crash site for salvage, Draycos discovers to his surprised relief that Jack can serve as a K'da symbiont and persuades the boy to accept the relationship. In exchange, Draycos offers Jack his considerable warrior skills in keeping ahead of the interstellar police. Jack and Draycos may make an uneasy team, but together they prove far greater than the sum of their parts. In a far-flung race across space, against time, and for a noble people, Jack and Draycos will boldly face the threat of the Valahgua at every turn. But facing each other is even more interesting.... ... Read more