Fantasy/SF Book Reviews
Page Three of ThreeStar Charts: The Complete Atlas of Star Trek by Geoffrey Mandel
Pocket Books, October, 2002Trade paperback, 95 pages
ISBN: 0743437705
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Just in time for the upcoming Nemesis feature film,
Geoffrey Mandel provides Trekkers with
the ultimate star chart resource. Printed on
high-quality, glossy thick paper are multiple
illustrations showing the location of all the
known worlds of Star Trek: from Terra to
Qo'nos (the Klingon homeworld) to
the far reaches of the Gamma quadrant.
Our system, the Sol System in the Alpha Quadrant,
is beautifully illustrated, as is the Cardassian Union,
the Romulan Star Empire, the Klingon Empire and
many, many others.
Also included are the routes of every voyage
made by the Federation during all of the
various Star Trek series. The maps are beautifully
illustrated with excellent production values.
The "you are here" feature allows you to start
at Terra and see where all the other species in
the Star Trek universe live, in relation to
the Earth. This is an absolute must-have for
Star Trek fans.
Star Trek: The Starfleet Survival Guide by David Mack, Illustrated by Timothy Earls
Pocket Books, September, 2002Trade paperback, 177 pages
ISBN: 0743418425
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Millions of people have bought the Worst
Cast Scenario Survival handbooks which provide
advice about how to handle all kinds of Earth-bound
emergencies. Now
David Mack has had an absolutely inspired
idea: he presents us with the recently
de-classified Starfleet Survival Guide,
which is the guide for Starfleet officers in
sticky situations. This handy book is divided
into sections: Standard Issue Equipment -
Nonstandard Uses; Unconventional Medicine;
Dangerous Life-Forms; and Extreme Scenarios.
Every contingency has been provided for:
how to evade the pheromonal, psychotropic
effects of Elaasian women's tears, how to survive
an attack by a Crystalline entity, how to navigate
inside a Borg cube,
how to recognize and treat the symptoms of
temporal narcosis (temporal problems
seem to crop up quite often and its crucial that
one be prepared), how to erase humanoid short-term
and long-term memories, how to
seal quantum fissures and many, many more.
Written in a straight-forward and easy to read style,
this is the manual to own for anyone aspiring to
join Starfleet or who is getting ready to venture into
the uncharted realms of space.
The Veil of a Thousand Tears by Eric Van Lustbader
Tor, July, 2002Hardcover, 672 pages
ISBN: 0312872364
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
In The Ring of Five Dragons, Riane, the daughter of the
Kundalan sorceress Giyan, has saved her beloved
homeworld from total destruction. As she lay dying,
she was magically transformed by the addition of the
soul of Annon Ashera, the assassinated (male) V'ornn
leader. Riane is now the Dar Sala-at, the Chosen One
of prophecy who must
search for the Veil of a Thousand Tears in order to
free her mother from possession by the
archdaemon Horolaggia and to stop the daemons
from taking over the planet. She/he sets out on her
quest with several companions. On their travels,
they will encounter incredible challenges, magic,
intrigue, violence and even romance.
The Veil of a Thousand Tears is a vividly imagined, tightly plotted fantasy which showcases the versatile Mr. Van Lustbader's considerable writing talents. The richly imagined world of Kundala is populated by many diverse cultures, each of which is vividly brought to life. The magical system is detailed and intriguing, and the characters are complex and interesting. Eric Van Lustbader has created a compelling world that readers will be sure to want to visit again.
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