Product Description
As American and Russian astronauts take their positions aboard the shuttle Atlantis, terrorists seize the Kennedy Space Center and threaten to blow up the shuttle if their demands are not met, and it is up to the mission's injured former commander to stop them. 35,000 first printing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

Horrendous
This book was extremely badly written. The characters all have a big ego and the worst dialogue. The plot seems interesting at first but becomes an even-worse-than-B-movie plot. I hoped it would be good because I'm a huge K.J. Anderson fan but this was horrible (right next to Ai! Pedrito!). Hopefully both of these terrible novels were because Anderson wasn't working alone.

Instead I highly recommend Hopscotch and Captain Nemo, both by Anderson.

Highly enjoyable "Die Hard" formula
I agree with another reviewer that when I got into this book, I could easily see Bruce Willis taking another stab at the "Die Hard" formula in this one--but getting it right again (after that third movie flopped). One man against an army of terrorists who hold several hostages, including the man's love interest...sound familiar? Well, it works anyway. This is a fast-paced book that never really slows down once it gets started. Its breathless pace will keep your interest until the end. No, there aren't many surprises here, but the fact that the hero has a broken foot is an interesting twist.

There are a few "Oh, come on" moments in here where the hero ignores the obvious solution to a problem and goes for the grand-stand play, but if you can overlook those, you get a great story. Despite its weak points, this is an interesting story and worth the time to read it. Recommended.

Blastoff!
Kevin J. Anderson and Doug Beason struck gold when the wrote the action-packed book, Ignition. Terrorists take control of the space shuttle, Atlantis, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Join Col. Adam "Iceberg" Friese, Nicole "Panther" Hunter, and other fun characters in their quest to save the shuttle and it's crew from being blown up by the terrorists. This task would be a lot easier for "Iceberg" if he wasn't alone and didn't have a broken foot.

Cotton Candy- nice, but no depth
The plot- well, you have your usual bunch of bad terrorists, two from France, an Australian, plus other red shirt wearers who get killed in no time at all, led by a slimey leader. You have the good guys, led by "Iceburg", his nerdy brother, and his ex girl friend. Iceburg has a broken foot. The leader of the hostages is pain, and argues with Iceburg. Iceburg has to rescue his girlfriend. He does that by stealing a chopper. Its cliche city in other words. You name the stereo type, plot device seen in any number of action movies and books and it is here.

Having said all that, you will probably enjoy the read. Its face paced, frantic, and has even a few one liners that will make you laugh out loud. The characters have no depth at all, but who cares, this is an action thriller, not war and peace. And if you do want fast paced, exciting action, this is a great book for it.

You will probably enjoy this one, gentle reader, but take it for what it is- a few hours of light entertainment ( i read it in three days, and that was for a few hours a day), that will be put on your shelf and probably not touched again.

Grade: C

Exciting story - fast paced continiuous action
This is a book with action on every page. I couldn't put it down and was forced to stay up late to finish it. The only weakness is that the lead character's broken foot would not permit him to do the things he does. But that aside, the story is exciting, the reading is easy, and this is definitely a book to read and enjoy. ... Read more

Product Description
A collaboration is a close synergy between two creative artists, where one idea is a catalyst for another, and another.But when two people join their minds to create virtual universes, the artwork is so vast they begin to lose their own identities. ... Read more

Product Description
Just as the Joan of Arc killer--a rapist who burns his victims before murdering them--is murdering her, Rebecca Tamerlane finds her soul snatched by a group of shapeshifters, who transform it into the likeness of her killer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Eh...

League of not-so-great gentlemen:
A review of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Okay, where do I begin?

I know this is not the famous graphic novel.They misleadingly market this novelization of the film to appear to be a novel based off the graphic novel. It is not.It's a novel based off the film script.Well, okay. I figured I could like it for what it was...

In regard to the film, when the making of footage shows the director of film (which was based off a graphic novel with the intention of getting young people interested in reading the classics again) goes out of his way tell you 'The characters in this movie are from these huge, archaic books I never read so I found a writer that at least read some of them.'That's the first warning sign that a film is in trouble.

I think my biggest pet peeve, and ironically also my favourite part, was Dorian Gray in the film and novelization.It was not Dorian Gray of the novel, not authentically anyway.This version of Dorian dies when he looks at the painting. This bothers me because so many people who have never read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde now think that looking at the painting would kill Dorian.I've heard of people arguing with those who have read the book to insist that they, the reader, got it wrong, that stabbing the painting doesn't kill him, it's looking at it! WRONG! Dorian looked at the painting a lot in the book, that was sort of the point.

A big issue with this Dorian is M stole the painting from Dorian's Foyer.Quartermain notices the spot where it had been. If looking at it would kill him why did Dorian have it hanging in his foyer? Did he cover his eyes every time he walked into his home?

Now for the serious flaws of the time-line.

Tom Sawyer's story takes place with him, at age twelve,before the civil war. That means it has be before 1865. Tom Sawyear cannot be a teenager in 1899.

Mina Harker:Mina Harker's story (Dracula) takes place in 1897.So In two years she was made a vampire, widowed, dated Dorian, and became a Chemist?

Dorian Gray:Dorian Gray becomes immortal in 1891 (The Picture of Dorian Gray). So In those eight years he lectured at a university where Quartermain was a boy as according to this...Less than eight years after college and Quartermain looks like that?The boy didn't age well!

Another thing about the film that didn't sit right for me is Dorian's life was in danger.M had something that could kill him at any time, and Mina pretty much executed Dorian for that.But because Dorian once broke up with her and that's okay?M might as well have had a gun to him the whole time but Mina was right to kill him? Sure Dorian acted cold but would it really have been better if he was sniveling and pleading?That didn't make Dorian look that evil to me or Mina look that good.

Also Nemo 'inventing' the automobile?Are they not aware that horseless carriages AKA automobiles were already being marketed by 1899 but Quartermain asks 'What's that monstrosity?' Has he been under a rock? And we're supposed to believe Nemo built a 1940s style lemo in 1899 anyway and has a sailor as his chaufer?

Under tight scrutiny League of Extraordinary Gentlemen would require a TARDIS for those characters to all meet at those points in their lives.Just because they're all from the nineteenth century does not mean that their stories can mesh with a plausible storyline. My grandfather was born in the 1920s.That doesn't mean he and I could be teenagers together because I was born in 1981.

This film can be fun as brain candy but under tight observation it makes little sense and it's blatantly obvious the director didn't read or respect the original novels the characters came from, which is a shame because the original purpose of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen's graphic novel was to try to get young people interested in reading the classics.

I had hoped the novelization would clear up some of these inconsistencies but it did not.it thinly glossed over them.I noticed the author of the book even tried to avoid mentioning Dorian's hair because they seemed to know he's actually blonde in the original novel and did not want to draw attention to that.

There is more detail in the novelization, of course.That's a lot more than what I can say about the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's chest novelization but it certainly did not help to fix the continuity errors of the film and in fact, despite the author's efforts to avoid them, seeing them written in text just made them more apparent.

Just like the movie
I wanted to read the novelization to get more insight into the
characters' thoughts.Most novelizations reveal much more that the
movie.The book follows the movie closely and you get some extra descriptions and dialogue in key moments.I did enjoy the book because I loved the movie.If you want to relive it in the written page than this is for you.Also, read the book if you want a better ending to the story.It's worth it.

An O.K. film novelization
I saw the film a few years ago and thought it was O.K., with the exception of Sean Connery, who does a spectacular job in all his roles. The novel, which of course includes parts cut from the film and surprisingly cut the ending from the film out. Overall, Anderson does a good job converting the screenplay into a novel. He follows the path until he cut that ending.

This is a good novel for some one looking for a quick read.

PARTY ON, DUDES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Author Knows More Than Screenwriter
This movie novelization works a bit better than the movie it is based on.This is in part because the author is more familiar with the subject than the makers of the movie.For instance, instead of allowing Nemo to say, "I call it an automobile."The author points out that at that time Benz was already cranking out cars and Ford had devised the Model T.Thus it is added how Nemo improved on existing designs.There are other moments like this where minor problems are corrected.

Unfortunately the novelization has to hold true to the film so most of the real problems with the film adaptation are still present.Alan Moore's League is greatly changed from their original comic appearance and their literary appearances. Here the league is up against a madman bent of plunging the entire world into war in hopes of ruling it all.The league chases the villain around the world while suffering many setbacks until all is played out.

Well written with nice additions.It is too bad it had to follow the movie script as the author could have done more with the story.Still, if you can handle the story, the novelization is very well written.

A book that authors could be proud of
I have to admit that the first time that I met the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was on the big screen. It wasn't until I did further research that I found out about the series of comic books. However, after reading this movie novelisation I thought it wouldn't have done justice as a comic book. As a novel Kevin J Anderson brought out the actors who played the characters on the big screen as well as the characters from their corresponding classics. It was that that made the book worth reading.

A great book turned out from a great movie. Absolutely brilliant. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (100)

Lots of back stories!!!
This book is very good. Five short stories providing the backstories of the galaxies most notorious bounty hunters. The best is the Boba Fett backstory!

Awesome book!!!
Best background you could ask for to inform a "Star Wars" buff of the Bounty Hunters...

Tales of the Bounty Hunter's
Despite what I am about to write, I found this book fun to read.It is nice to read short stories that don't take up much of your time.The following is what I thought of the book's stories.

1) IG-88.Like many have said, this story starts off great.I think it does a good job of coming up with why a droid would want to be a bounty hunter.It also comes up with a potentially real situation that could develop in this droids existence.And though the death star part was tacky, it is not unimpossible to imagine a droid doing something like that with the world of computer viruses being very real.

2) Dengar.This story started off very slowly for me.I didn't need the personal hatered felt for Han Solo.But eventually the story becomes enjoyable as Dengar figures out more about himself.I do give credit for creating a real character out of him.

3) Bossk:A lot of people seemed to have problems with this story.I enjoyed it.I liked the wookie bounty hunter and his side kick and it was interesting wondering if they would survive or not.I would say that my only real problem with it was that it didn't come off as a story about Bossk.Not in the way that the other stories were actually about their bounty hunter(s).This was more like a story about the wookie and the side kick.This may have been my 2nd favorite based on the speed in which I finished it.

4) 4-Lom and Zuckuss:This may have been my favorite, which was a surprise since I figured the characters would be lame.I really liked the character development and I didn't expect it to end the way it did.Some say it was too "happy ending" like but this is in reference to a Force vision and as any Star Wars fan should know, visions aren't set in stone.

5) Boba Fett:This was clearly my least favorite story of the group.This isn't the Boba Fett I have read about (in writing before or since the prequels).He should be all about the credits & the job, he shouldn't be interested in justifying his career choices.Once again I was annoyed by the use of Han Solo.I do give it some leniance though because he and Boba Fett are supposed to be connected in the minds of many fans.The best part of the story involved the non-Han Solo element and that was maybe 15 pages.

A Very Good Read
This is a very good book. It expanded on some of the storys of all of the bounty hunters seen in "The Empire Strikes Back" so I would recommend it to any Star Wars fan.

One of the best Star Wars books out there
Tales of the Bounty Hunters is an amazing collection of stories, which will tell you tales of meditating droids, the locating of the rebel camp after they fled Hoth, and how Boba Fett survived the Sarlaac.

HIGHLY recommended to all Star Wars fans. ... Read more

Product Description
For 39 seasons at four schools, Dr. Edward N. Anderson spent autumn afternoons roaming the sidelines of college and university gridirons across America. Throughout his career, dignity, composure and a penetrating focus were hallmarks of his sideline decorum. This biography catalogues the life of that "good doctor" who became dean of America's college football coaches and was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame for lasting influence. Beginning with his young life as a star player, the book relates how Anderson mastered the game as an All-American end under Notre Dame's legendary Knute Rockne. Then, armed with a firm command of the so-called Notre Dame system of football, Anderson entered the collegiate coaching ranks in 1922 and served as a head coach for all but four of the next 43 years. Simultaneously he devoted himself to the practice of medicine and guided his teams to hundreds of victories. Dr. Anderson is a football icon not only for the indelible impression he made on hundreds of young men who had played for him but also for his role as one of the last of an era of gentlemen coaches who had cut their teeth on football during the Rockne era. On the eve of his retirement from college football in 1964, Dr. Anderson was the game's elder statesman, revered by players, fellow coaches, fans and members of the press. His football odyssey, during which he crossed paths with the most influential and colorful personalities of the game, is chronicled in depth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent study of a relative "unknown" in football history
As an avid fan of football history, I was quite pleased with Mr. Carroll's biography of Dr. Eddie Anderson.The story itself is one that I am certain few have been told, however the characters that are intertwined into the life of this "gentleman coach" are ones that shape the landscape of many of college football's most storied program.In terms of the book iteslf, I was especially impressed with the depth of research that Carroll undertook to flesh out the details relating to Dr. Anderson's former teammates and players.I would reccomend this book to anyone who has an interest in a more esoteric character in college football history, and look forward to reading further work by Mr. Carroll.

Give Another Hoya!
By John Gearan, an excerpt from Holy Cross Magazine, Spring 2007, Vol 41, Number 2

Buster Carroll, a denizen of an Irish enclave in Queens, loved his heritage, his family, his country passionately.

Buster was a die-hard Notre Dame fan, a loyal member of its famed football fraternity known as the "subway alumni." He knew everything about the Fighting Irish and the oft-exaggerated exploits of legends such as Knute Rockne, The Gipper and The Four Horsemen.

In the early '60s, his son Kevin, a member of Holy Cross' last all-male class of 1972, remembers he and his dad watching the Crusaders playing on TV -- when the camera panned to a sideline shot of the coach.

"That's Eddie Anderson,'' Buster told his son. "The guy is a college head coach and a practicing doctor.

"Imagine that," his father wondered aloud. "How can anyone do that?"

Buster knew about the good doctor because Anderson had been a Notre Dame captain and All-American end under Rockne.

Kevin, a fine football safety and baseball outfielder at Holy Cross High in Flushing, N.Y., entered the College of the Holy Cross in 1968. As a walk-on, he played freshman football but was cut trying to make the varsity as a junior.

But his interest in Anderson was piqued again. "I learned a lot more about Doc while being taped up by our trainer, Jackie Scott," says Carroll.

With the passing of each autumn, Carroll's curiosity about Anderson intensified.

How, he wondered, did Anderson do it all -- coach Holy Cross and Iowa in the Big Ten and practice medicine and help raise four kids? Buster Carroll died in 1983, bequeathing his son this intriguing question that needed to be explored by someone who loved history and sports.

"It was a perfect task for me," comments Kevin.

In 1999, Carroll undertook the quest to tell Anderson's story. Spending four years researching archives, he sifted through newspaper clippings and interviewed players and colleagues from Anderson's 39 seasons at four colleges. Carroll also talked at length with Anderson's four children: Nick, a retired businessman living in Florida; Jerry, an oral surgeon residing in Massachusetts; Jim, a 1962 Holy Cross graduate and retired businessman living in Connecticut; and Judy Anderson Moore, a bank attorney and resident of Pittsburgh.

Doc Anderson's rich life is worthy of such an examination. And, without question, Doc Anderson resides near the peak of the Mount Olympus reserved for scholar-athletes.

Mull this over: Edward N. Anderson, while attending Rush Medical College in Chicago, also served as head football and basketball coach at DePaul University -- and was captain of the Chicago Cardinals, the 1925 National Football League champions.

"He had a clause in his pro-football contract that stated he didn't have to practice," says Carroll. "There were days when he would attend medical school, coach, study and, late at night, take a run for miles along the shores of Lake Michigan, reviewing in his head the details from his Cardinals' playbook and medical texts."

Carroll scrutinizes Anderson's four seasons as a first-string, two-way end at Notre Dame. Amusing vignettes provide a rare insight into the hurly-burly birth of big-time football as Carroll pinpricks much of its mythology. A 5-foot-10-inch, 165-pound scrapper from Mason City High in Iowa, Anderson blocked for the immortal George Gipp, tackled with bone-shivering authority and set a school record with three TD receptions against Northwestern -- the last thrown by The Gipper himself. In Anderson's last three seasons, Notre Dame lost only once, to his home state of Iowa. As a senior, Captain Anderson was a consensus first-team All-American.

Carroll does not shy away from controversy. He probes a scandal that tarnished the Golden Dome when Anderson and seven Notre Dame teammates got caught playing in a semipro game just a few days after the 1921 football season ended. He details how Anderson was banned from playing senior-year basketball and baseball when the story broke nationally.

Anderson's accomplishments are astounding. In his first year at Iowa, 1939, he was voted National Coach of the Year; his star, Nile Kinnick, won the Heisman Trophy. As Maj. Anderson in World War II, Doc labored to heal soldiers in England and in field hospitals in France and Germany. After the war, he treated veterans and disabled children. Anderson won 201 games from 1922 to 1964, including 129 at Holy Cross, where he retired as the "Dean of College Football Coaches."

The book is replete with anecdotes that shed light upon Anderson's character. Carroll paints a portrait of a taciturn taskmaster of rock-ribbed toughness, a nattily attired gentleman pacing the sidelines in a tailored suit and crisp-brimmed fedora.

Cast in the Rockne mold, he would drive the team hard in practice. Yet Anderson respected his players. Behind the scenes, he would go to bat for them when they ran into trouble. He emphasized education as the path to success. He never uttered a profanity, never cursed, never denigrated players in public. Only matters such as showing disrespect for the game or loafing or displaying a lack of sportsmanship could bring him to a boil.

Anderson could appear unemotional and aloof while coaching but be kind-hearted and sensitive away from the field of combat. He could at once convince his players to ignore pain, yet attend with a tender touch to his ailing patients.

Perhaps Vince Promuto '60 -- a Crusader Hall of Famer, a former Washington Redskins All-Pro guard and a lawyer -- sums it up best in Carroll's book: "Someone or something has to touch an emotion within you -- anger, pride, whatever -- to make you play beyond your own limits. In my career, only two coaches had the ability to reach that emotion. One was Vince Lombardi; the other was Dr. Anderson.''

Lombardi and Anderson, two men of stern principle, well worth reading about in this age when shallow celebrity so often trumps true character and earned respect. ... Read more

Product Description
A lavish pop-up book brings readers to the hip-hop Mos Eisley Cantina on the planet Tatooine, where bounty hunters, scam artists, fugitives, and spies gather together, and a final spread features lights, gunfire, and cantina music. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Don't Bother
The book is very misleading. On the outside it appears to have several pages of popups, but on opening the book, there are several illustrations, but only one popup scene of the entire cantina. The author should have given the reader several diffirent popup scenes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Dune's Universe It's Here Again!
Plaza & Janes presents this Murillo's fairly good translation and economic presentation of "Dune: House Atreides".
This Editorial House presents the whole Dune Saga and its prequel thru this "out of collection" paperback format. This format also shows books written by Clarke, Aldiss and Pratchett amongst other.

Brian Herbert is the son of Frank Herbert creator of Dune Saga and a sci-fi writer himself. Kevin Anderson is also a successful sci-fi writer and Dune's Saga fan.
Brian and Kevin start with this trilogy a difficult mission: revisit Dune's universe describing the events immediately preceding Dune, the first & unforgettable volume of the famous saga.

Did they succeed? Well, yes and... no. Yes because they deliver an interesting first step with all the elements of this fascinating universe; and no because the story is not as gripping as the original Dune.
Nevertheless Dune's fans (as me) should not be too disappointed because even Frank Herbert wasn't at the same height when writing Dune Messiah, Children of Dune and God Emperor of Dune and he will recover allure only with the last two books of the series.
So let us hope the same will happen with Brian & Kevin efforts!

The variety of themes touched by the original series is still present in this book: ecology, political-religious interaction, genetic manipulation, longevity drugs and secret sisterhoods and brotherhoods.

The story is as follows.
The Scenery.
There is a Galactic Empire ruled by the Emperor. There are powerful Noble Houses that rule different planetary systems and confront each other in endless struggle, yet subject to strict rules. There is a Guild of interstellar Pilots. There is the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood following their eugenic plans and playing in backstage as advisors to all powers. Computers & AI are forbidden and replaced by human-computers called Mentat. Arrakis is Desert Planet inhabited by mysterious desert dwellers: the Fremen.

The Argument.
Consist of several threads that will mingle and interact thru the present book and the intended continuations.
A very young Leto heir of Noble House Atreides is being educated by his father Duke Paulus.
The Bene Gesserit Sisterhood following their eugenic plans is approaching their goal: to produce a male specimen that will surpass all their limitations and fulfill their mission.
Execrable Baron Vladimir head of Noble House Harkonnen, Atreides' ancestral enemy, is in command of Arrakis and planning mischievous deeds.
Prince Shaddam, the Emperor's son & heir and his intimate Fenring are getting bored of Emperor Elrood's long life and planning to shorten it.
Noble House Vernius, masters of point technology, had developed a new cruiser that will cut Emperor's income, incurring in his wrath.
All these elements and more, much more are deployed skillfully by the authors, giving way to an interesting narration.

I recommend this book to sci-fi lovers and general public too.
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

Dune.La Casa Atreides
Este libro me impresionó, supuse que el internarme nuevamente en el mundo de DUNE sería una gran experiencia, pero "Dune. La Casa Atreides" me llevó de la mano a todo el fantástico mundo de intrigas, aventuras, filosofía, prejuicios, poder y traición creado por Frank Herbert. Para cualquier persona que hubiese leido la saga original de DUNE este libro le encantará, lo sorprenderá en reiteradas oportunidades, no podrá dejar de leerlo, para cuando se de cuenta estará deseando que el siguiente libro "Dune. La Casa Harkonnen" este en sus manos para continuar. Lo recomiendo, sufrirá y se alegrará con las aventuras y desventuras de un joven Leto Atreides, se sorprenderá con un niño Duncan Idaho y reavirá en su imaginanción las imágenes que lo hicieron soñar en la saga original de DUNE. ... Read more