Recently orphaned, seventeen year old Jenny Benet arrives from her home in the American pioneer West to live with her uncle and guardian, Neville , in late 19th century London. However, her arrival has thrown Neville into a certain amount of disarray, as he is about to set out on an archeological expedition to Egypt.

Ten years earlier, Neville guided a German explorer in an attempt to find a lost tomb that, according to myth, was buried by the gods themselves, to protect the pharaoh in his rest. They were attacked by Bedouin tribesman and had to return without discovering the location of the tomb. In the intervening years, Neville has been planning his return, knowing this is something he cannot leave unfinished.

on hearing the story, Jenny is determine to accompany him, and eventually Neville, his assistant Simon Holmboe and Jenny depart for Egypt, where they meet up with a former companion of Neville's who was on the original expedition. He stayed in Egypt to marry the daughter of one of their native guides and has since converted to Islam.

The four of them intend to find the tomb, but they are plauged by ominous anonymous letters, unwelcome fellow English archeologists and a fantatic cult determined to protect the resting place of the pharaoh. Finding the buried tomb is certainly not going to be easy.

This was a fascinating book. As with all Lindskold's novels, it was well written, solid and strong, and drew the reader into the tale immediately. Its main oddity is that it read a little like two different books. The first is a detailed, apparently accurate (as I don't know any Egyptian history I can't say for certain) historical novel. Then in that last third or quarter of the book, the fantasy element kicks in. Both work equally well, but the difference was noticeable. I think to enjoy this book it would help if the reader enjoys both genres at least to some degree.

The characters are all nicely developed and I did like the way, when the time came for them to be judged, the young heroine didn't turn out to be as fundamentally pure and perfect as is often the case. An exploration of how different times and different religions judge what makes a person "good" was a nice touch and examined both the points that are the same and those that differ, especially in relation to where forgiveness and mercy fit into the mix.

I did find the end a little abrupt and would have liked to learn a bit more of what happened to the characters after their adventure and how it changed them. Maybe there is a dequel planned that will address some of these issues, but I got the impression this was to be a standalone book.

I feel like I've just given this book a bad review, when I definitely enjoyed reading, so don't trust my ramblings and it is sounds in the least like your thing, get a copy and find out for yourself!

Nathaniel is young apprentice of a magician who holds a minor ministry in a relatively modern England that is ruled by magicians. Magicians gain most of their power by raising djinni and commanding these creatures of varied degrees of power to do their bidding. They also form a government that looks down on non-magical commoners and has little time for them.

Frustrated by the slow pace of his lessons and determined to avenge a slight given to him a year earlier by rising star Simon Lovelace (and secondly his master, who failed to stand up for him), Nathaniel raises the djinn Bartimeus and sends him to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from Lovelace.

Unfortunately for Nathaniel's plans, Lovelace has already stolen the amulet himself and it is fundamental to his plans to overthrow the current government. When Bartimeus learns his true name and therefore gains a certain amount of power of his master in turn, Nathaniel finds himself in a whole lot of trouble he never imagined.

Technically, this is a children's book. Technically. It is, in fact, a clever and witty story that is suitable for all ages. It doesn't have the bleak grittiness of some "adult" fantasy, but it has plenty of intelligence and is a lot of fun.

The story is told alternatively from Bartimeus's first person point of view and third person narrative that focussed around Nathaniel. Bartimeus is caustic, witty and a lot of fun. He tells his share of the story along with footnotes that can be hilarious and certainly add to the reader's enjoyment. Nathaniel's sections, on the other hand, a pretty standard fare.

I love Bartimeus, but Nathaniel is a much less appealing character. While he has some great moments, he is also immature and whines a lot. (Although, given the characters of the other magicians we meet in the novel, his temperament may prove to be the norm.) There were moments when I wanted to give him a good shaking, or a kick up the pants and tell him to get over himself.

There is a subplot with a resistance movement and a group of children that appear able to see through magic without being able to wield it themselves. I also suspect these two plots will converge and the children will be a significant factor in the Resistance. In this novel, this entire subplot seems unnecessary and intrusive; however I get the impression it will become more important in the later books in the trilogy.

I'll be reading the next books. Book two, The Golem's Eye is out now in a large trade paperback, but I don't need to read it quite enough to rush out and pay full price for it. (Besides, I want to knock off some more of my TBR pile first.) If I can get it second hand, hooray, otherwise I'll wait for a cheaper edition to be published.

Average Earthman Arthur Dent is rescued at the very last moment before the Earth is destroyed to make way for any intergalactic bypass, but his friend Ford Prefect, who turns out to be "not from Guilford after all, but from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse". After facing certain death in open space, they are rescued by Zaphod Beeblebrox, two-headed, three-armed and now the ex-President of the Galaxy since he stole the spaceship Heart of Gold, and his travelling companion Trillian, who Arthur once had a crush on. So begins Arthur's adventures in a galaxy that proves to be more colourful and a much, much weirder than Arthur could ever have imagined.

The Hitch-Hiker's novel is the second incarnation of Douglas Adam's story. The first was a BBC radio series and there have been many after it, of which the current big screen movie (which I haven't seen) is the latest. Adams' cult hit seems to be a love-it/hate-it thing for many people, so I'll say right up that I'm in the love-it category.

This was an umpteenth time reread and I know it so well (I used to be able to quote the prologue in entirety and used it to get to sleep instead of counting sheep; I'm relieved to say I couldn't do it now) that it was an interesting experience to read. Nothing was a surprise and I found my main response was a contented nostalgia, like visiting favourite childhood haunts and finding them as magical as I remembered.

I remember getting into trouble in my third form social studies class for reading the book when I was supposed to be studying. I'd borrowed it from another boy in the class who was a bit geeky and a big fan. I remember visiting Auckland on a trip with Dave, long before something as outrageous as marrying him had entered my mind, and his delight at finding the CDs of the first two radio series in a bookshop. I haven't seen that boy in over twenty years and the bookshop is gone, but I can see both those moments in my memory as clear as a bell (and I'm generally not a visual person at all). Rereading the book didn't just let me revisit the story and characters, but the times in my life when I've read it before.

For a silly, fun book, I realise as I write this review, that it has really had a profound effect on me. Not so much for the book itself, enjoyable as it is, but for the other memories it holds.

Kindan is the youngest son of the watchwher handler at a coal mine in Pern's Third Pass. The mine is new, only six months old, and still needs to prove itself before it can become a legitimate Hold. With the next Pass due to start in less than twenty years, getting the mine established is vitally important.

Much as Kindan likes the watchwher Dask, he has ambitions to be a Harper and loves his time working with the settlement's Harper Zist. When his entire family, and Dask as well, are killed in a cave in in the mine, Kindan finds himself expected to raise a new watchwher for the mine. He knows very little about watchwhers, but it soon becomes clear that most of Pern knows even less. Kindan, along with his friend Zennor and Nuella, the mine leader's blind daughter, soon finds himself working along harpers and even dragonriders to rediscover lost watchwher lore. It is Kindan, the new watchwher Kisk and most especially Nuella, who find themselves forced to be heroes when tragedy threatens the new mine a second time.

I loved Anne McCaffrey's Dragonflight when I first read it many years ago. I don't think the later books live up to the early ones (and I've grown up a lot since then too) but I still really enjoy the Pern books and keep on reading them as they come out. This one was interesting for two main reasons: McCaffrey's son Todd was collaborating with her on the novel and it was about watchwhers, the dragons' lesser, ugly cousins, instead of the dragons themselves. Both these things might have ruined this book, but neither did.

There are no great themes or epic tales in Dragon's Kin. It is, as so many of McCaffrey's tales have been, essentially a coming of age story, in this case for both Kindan and Nuella. It is a comfortable visit to a familiar place and a chance to learn a bit more about some of the inhabitants. Don't start this book expecting amazing adventures and incredible new ideas, but if you want to while away a few hours for pleasant enjoyment but no major brainpower required, then I recommend Dragon's Kin.

Roarke finds himself facing a series of distractions when he wants to be focussed on hosting the year's biggest charity auction. The arrival of an old friend from his youth in Ireland is surprise enough, but when a young maid in one of his hotels is brutally murdered by a known assassin, he finds he is being personally targeted, although neither he nor Eve knows why or by whom.

As the murders escalate in intensity as well as personal closeness to Roarke, Eve goes all out to find not only the murderer, but whoever is paying him. His methods stir her own childhood demons and she must face those as well as the difficulties of the case. And although neither Eve nor Roarke is prepared to admit it, both are aware that as the victims become closer and closer to Roarke, then Eve becomes more and more a potential target.

It's a while since I read this one, and I have to admit that I don't remember a lot of the details. It's not that this was a bad book - I enjoyed myself thoroughly while reading it - but it doesn't seem to have been particularly memorable. All the same, I always enjoy a visit with Eve and Roarke and this one was no exception.

A few hundred years ago humanity fought a great war against an implacable Enemy. That Enemy then withdrew and most believed they were gone. Unfortunately, this is not true; they were only biding their time and building their strength and plans. Now they are returning.

Jela is a soldier, specifically bred and trained to fight the Enemy. As the book begins, he is forced down during a space battle and finds himself stranded on a harsh, desert planet. He follows at long line for dead trees down a dry river to an equally dead sea. At the end, almost dead himself, he finds a small, barely living bush. Sharing his last water with the plant, he vows to save it if he possibly can, and when he is rescued he insists of taking the tree with him.

He soon finds himself on a special mission, tree in tow, in an attempt to discover the turn extent of the Enemy's plans and weapons. Trying to make a contact, he instead finds himself in the company of pilot Cantra, a trader of somewhat dubious intent. They soon find themselves caught up in murder and mayhem, forced to rely on each other, despite their secrets and necessary distrust, first to survive and eventually to save the galaxy.

To both the characters in and the readers of Lee and Miller's Liaden series Jela and Cantra are figures of legend, the couple who headed the Great Migration, founded Liad and established both Clan Korval and its famous tree. In this latest edition to their growing mythology, Lee and Miller go back in time to tell the "true" story and Jela and Cantra. Both a real people, different from how myth has painted them and fascinating to met, both in their successes and their failings.

This is the first half of a single story and it reads as one. While the immediate issues are solved within its pages, more is set up and the reader is left wanting more. As with all Lee and Miller's novels that I have read, they refuse to spell things out for the reader, instead laying out all the pieces of the puzzle and trust their readers to put it together. Because of this, I always feel a little stupid after reading one of their books as I'm never sure if the picture I have created is the one they intended. All the same, I know I "got the drift".

I was both delighted and frustrated as I tried to figure out who each group of characters introduced were both in the current story and who their descendants must have morphed into in the Liaden universe I am familiar with. The Yxtrang and the Dramliza's origins (and the latter was a much bigger surprise than the former) are perhaps the easiest, but there are also hints to the ancestors of the Scouts, Traders and other groups we've met before, including Jethri's father's family in Balance of Trade.

As for the main characters, I love them all. Jela and Cantra are fascinating people and discovering their strengths, weaknesses and secrets was a most pleasant pastime. All the same, by favourite character of them all had to be Jela's Tree. It might only be a shrub in a pot at present, but already there are hints of the majestic and enigmatic specimen it will become.

All in all, this was another great Lee and Miller novel and I'm now hanging out for its other half to make it complete. I don't think I would recommend it as a place to begin. I think the story does stand well on its own, but the reader will miss the delights of fitting the pieces together to match the picture already created in the previous books.