Average Rating:

.

Star Wars: Force Unleashed (the Novel)

by: Sean Williams

August 22, 2008
This is novel based on a game and it shows. The story moves along quite nicely however the book feels like a series of action scenes strung together. The brief interludes between the sadly rushed action scenes add new dimensions to the characters and reveal more of their motives etc. These are well written and the reason this book receives three stars. To fans of the Expanded Universe and the more dedicated fans this book will frustrate with its disregard to the saga's key story of the chosen one/Anakin being the strongest force user ever(especially when StarKiller displays his full power in the penultimate scene).Like the game this book is based on, it is a missed opportunity.

Average Rating:

.

Force Heretic #01: Remnant (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order)

by: Sean Williams, Shane Dix

2003-01
Great start to a hopefully strong trilogy.
Luke skywalker is off to find Zonama Sekot but gets waylaid in imperial space.
What is good about Force Heretic 1 is the well written prose and believable emotion and motive. All the characters are handled well and the description is simple yet involving. The space battles are easy to understand - but the book is mainly based around exploration and political motives and maneuvering.
easy to read and one of the better books in the series - along with Traitor, Destiny's way, and Star by Star.
8/10
bring on part 2

Average Rating:

.

Earth Ascendant (Astropolis)

by: Sean Williams

November 06, 2008
In Saturns Return a vast galactic geography is laid out for the reader. I looked forward to a continuation in Earth Ascendant, but was dissapointed to find that the scenery was limited and the book concentrated more on the protagonists political problems. If the first book was a space opera then this is a John Grisham novel. Nothing wrong with either - just not what I was expecting.

Average Rating:

.

Engravings

by: William Hogarth

June 10, 1974
The reproductions are rather vague, the commentry lacklustre. Wehardly do this copmmentator of the 18th century justice with this tome.

Average Rating:

.

Force Heretic: Refugee v. 2 (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order)

by: Sean Williams, Shane Dix

May 01, 2003
good solid NJO novel. Well written and the characters are handled well. the book as a standalone is actually plotted better than most. the thing is that the story itself is really annoying - i hated Bakura and the ssiruuk the first time around in 'Truce' but this is them again in a convoluted tale of betrayal and deception. They are rubbish enemies and entechment is a crappy technology that doesnt really fit into star wars at all. so to have to go back there is just annoying. The story itself is fine - but the ending is messy - the small 3 page sections seem like in the wrong order sometimes. overall solid storytelling but a bit underwhelming and an annoying subject. (plus luke spends the entire book in a library!!)
8/10

Average Rating:

.

Saturn Returns (Astropolis)

by: Sean Williams

June 05, 2008
The Slow Wave has hit the galaxy and has wrecked the Continuum in its wake. The Forts are no more and the line is in chaos as information travelling along it is trawled to find information on this disaster. What was once a united galaxy is now in turmoil as individual systems take control for themselves, resulting in more fighting for power.

When the Jinc find pieces of debris from a large artefact on the edge of the galaxy they painstakingly gather all of them together to reveal a drum, one with a back-up of Imre Bergamasc contained inside as data. After they re-create his body and mind using all this data, Imre awakens 150,000 years after his last memories, in a brand new body, unfortunately the wrong sex, and a patchy memory. Although ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Force Heretic III: Reunion (Star Wars New Jedi Order Series)

by: Sean Williams, Shane Dix

July 03, 2003
great sw book - and the best part of this quite strong trilogy!
finally the truth behind Zonama Sekot is revealed and the results are interesting for all concerned.
Tahiri's story takes some twists and the galaxy starts to properly band together against the Vong.
This trilogy has seemed like a kind of bringing together of disparate parts of the storyline and the galaxy into a fighting force ready for the last stages. Lets hope they are up to the challenge. also the heretic storyline of nom anor is shaping up to be pivotal.
Well written and handled with prose and dialogue strength, as one might expect from Williams, this is one of the stronger novels in the series and a great ending/setup for the last books. Bring em on!
8/10

Average Rating:

.

When You Walk Through the Storm

by: Sean Smith, Anne Williams

March 25, 1999
As I say above, words can only fail when you attempt to sum up this book, because simply like the authorities, words cannot do justice.

Anne Williams is obviously a very brave woman, one that will take the fight to the end to reveal the truth to the world, truth that should be accepted by the world.

I was 19 when this disaster happened and am also a football fan, albeit on the other end of the scale to a club the size of Liverpool, I support a lower league club. I remember the day quite clearly, watching my home town team and then news filtered through via fans with radios that there had been a 'problem' in the Liverpool end at the semi final. 'Problem' turned out to be such an understatement.

I arrived home and saw the horrific scenes ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Force Heretic: Remnant v. 1 (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order)

by: Sean Williams, Shane Dix

February 06, 2003
Great start to a hopefully strong trilogy.
Luke skywalker is off to find Zonama Sekot but gets waylaid in imperial space.
What is good about Force Heretic 1 is the well written prose and believable emotion and motive. All the characters are handled well and the description is simple yet involving. The space battles are easy to understand - but the book is mainly based around exploration and political motives and maneuvering.
easy to read and one of the better books in the series - along with Traitor, Destiny's way, and Star by Star.
8/10
bring on part 2

Average Rating:

.

Dark Tales: v. 11

by: A. Reader, Niall McMahon, Davin Ireland

August 28, 2007
Dark Tales is a brilliant little magazine, that has come a long way in a short space of time.

i've read the last 5 or 6 volumes and they keep getting better!
The stories vary between very short and quite long, so it's good for reading on the train or during a break.

It's got a good website too, with a great forum where you can actually speak to some of the writers from the magazine.

The quality of the fiction in Dark Tales is very good. It takes horror quite seriously, and also prints fantasy and science-fiction stories for great variety.

i really like it.