An excellent feast to fans of Norse Mythology. The main story is interspersed with tidbit legends and "memories" of Vidar told as stories. Those who aren't familiar with Norse Mythology will find their interest piqued by this incredible book, which I have yet to find in a used bookstore.

After Ragnarok the twilight of the Norse Gods, Vidar, one of the last remaining sons of Odin came to Midgard (earth) in an attempt to leave behind his peoples legacy of violence. Now, after a thousand years Vidar is called back to save his world and ours from an evil of the past, a monster even the Gods fear.

We are home schooling a 7 year old who had a tough time getting started on reading last year. He's progressing very well now, though, so I've been looking for books that are a bit more advanced, closer to third grade level than what he's been reading. This book turned out to be perfect on that score.

The vocabulary is simple enough that my son could read most of it without help, but it introduced several words that he needed some coaching on. As a result, it served both as a way to increase his confidence in his own ability to read and as a way to teach him a few new words. Also, any book about Superman is bound to be of interest to a 7 year old boy, so he really wanted to read it.

The artwork in the book reminds me of the early-mid '90s animated TV series. The plot, while not entirely consistent with most of the other "Superman coming into his powers" stories, was not so different as to bother any but the most die hard detail-oriented Superman fan. The main difference from other versions of the story is that young (teenage) Clark has no idea that he has any super powers at all, and suddenly comes into most of them all at once.

Anytime I can pick up a book about Superman and have a positive message about adoption in it, I will read it to my kids. I have used Superman as an example to my two kids who are adopted. I would like to see more of this type of writing. I have also used the book to increase my child's reading ability. It is easier to learn when there is a common bond. ===> robertkohlmanjr@prodigy.net

This book is great and plus you can learn about the stuff they use in space camp. Like The MMU but you will have to read the book to Know what MMU means. I rate this book two paws up.

Wishbone The Cute Little dog is going where no one has gone before!So are his friends---Joe Talbot,Samantha Kepler,and David Barnes.Its The chance of a life time for dogs and kids alike.This Adventure reminds wishbone of one of the greatest science fiction stories of all times,"The Legion of Space",by Jack Williamson.Where He Imagines himself as the space hero John Ulnar,Who has To battle aliens to save a beautiful woman who is the last hope for mankind

Mr. Spock, the unshakable Mr. Spock. The Enterprise is on a mission to search a new planet. Spock gets attacked by this 'tree' and is quickly transported to sickbay. Kirk and some other members get stuck on the planet. Scotty is given direct orders to go to a different planet. Spock is sick, yet takes control of the Enterprise. Meanwhile the planet they are racing to is being used as slave labor to collect minerals. Spock has frequent flashbacks to his adventures on Pike's Enterprise. When they reach the planet, it is an old enemy. Spock in his weaken state, accepts a challenge. Dreen, will chase him down, and not hurt the colonists. This is an excellent book, Spock in his weaken position rises to the occasion. I wich there was more to the story, maybe more about Spock. Yet, as Star Trek books go, this is a keeper.

This is a facinating mixture of High Fantasy meets the real world! The Dream of all mortals.. Harlicch, Elf prince, is sent to Hell(earth) by his enemy Bol. He rescues Collage professor Barbara from a Mugging, fights Elven Wizards in the subway and Ends up Besiged in a Elvenhome Castle... There's a delightful Love triangle between Barbara, Harlicch and Barbra's friend, Ted. My personal favorite because it Could Happen! Mr. Friedman... A sequel! Please!!! If you liked this- try the BorderLand series.

Wishbone turns into a guy who is the kings brother but he dosn't know it. a musketteer comes to help him when he is in jail ordered by his evil brother. Then they switch places when the king is sleeping. I recommend his to anyone who likes mystery, excitment or fairy tales. IT WAS A FABULOUS BOOK!!!

I recently read the book that described the first mission ever commanded by the Captain that will always come to mind first, Captain James T. Kirk, and his starship The Enterprise. Even though I have been a fan of the various television series and the movies that have followed, the book I mention was the first Star Trek novel I had ever read. The author was familiar to me as she had written for the Star Wars series, and the decision to try Star Trek in book form was a rewarding one.

Several generations later an even younger Captain would take the helm of his first starship, a captain who would also one day command a newer Enterprise, but before he did, his first command would be The Stargazer. Captain Jean Luc Picard may be even more familiar to people who came to Star Trek during its renaissance as opposed to the original series in the 1960's, or the almost continuous availability of the original in syndication.

Both captains were very young and both came to their commands through tragedy of varying degrees at very young ages, which made their ability to command all the more of a trial. Their first missions could not have been more different, the former involving one of the legendary, "First Contacts", and this one of Captain Picard's involving the theme of, "everything is not what it seems", a task riddled with deceptions, and a crew that is far from ideal, and intentionally structured that way.

Familiar themes like The Prime Directive are here, as well as a very young captain who would go on to become a legend just like his predecessor in the first Enterprise. There are a variety of life-forms that are new, and one that requires a containment suit to function that is as interesting as any being to appear in the television series or the films.

I should note I read this in an E-Book format, a method of accessing books that I have used previously when that was the only form that was offered. I now have a LCD screen that is much easier on the eyes for extended reading, so going through this 275 page book in the Microsoft E-Reader format was no more difficult than a traditional book. The one obvious constraint was that I remain in front of the screen. E-Books can be an excellent value, and with the new formats of hardware appearing it will no longer be required that you sit at your computer, simply taking the screen with you is all that will be needed. There is also a PDA version that can be downloaded for these books, and of course laptops go wherever cords or batteries allow.

I have already ordered the next in this series, and again in E-Book form. I think they are a great way to economically enjoy books, and I will happily trade mobility of the written word for not having to venture outside in the frigid weather, or wait for UPS to bring the traditional format to my door. I am not prepared to make the switch without exception. It is not yet possible, and even if it were I still want the traditional book the vast majority of the time. But E-Books have a place, and if you have yet to try one, I suggest that you do.

Book #1 of the Stargazer series was very well done even though it required so much time to be spent on exposition of all the new players and their responsibilities. This is only the second book with Captain Jean Luc Picard in command, yet he is already demonstrating character traits and leadership style that would be familiar to those fans of the TNG television series and films. As many of the more successful stories have done in the past, "Stargazer Book #2 Progenitor", includes two solid story lines that are linked yet distinct, and includes other more minor themes from the first book encompassing the machinations of one Admiral McAteer. A name that will be familiar to many fans is mentioned only in passing, but when the name is Zefram Cochrane many memories and Star Trek History are recalled.

Ensign Jiterica whose species I found so interesting in the first book plays a major role in this second book, which also introduces the now familiar space-time rifts that are explored and endured by so many Trek crews. There are also some crew changes that were made known at the end of book one, and further development within the crew, both as a team and as individuals who make great positive strides. The introductions were handled in book #1, and many personality issues identified as well. In this second book that are largely rectified one way or another.

Captain Picard takes an away team off in support of his chief engineer much in the same way he will support Whorf some 3 decades later. None of the players on this crew are common to the TNG crew, but they are all just as interesting in their diversity, and some resemble the first Enterprise crew in their good-natured bickering. Also, as in the first book politics plays a large role, and like they often are in day to day life they are distasteful.

I used the Microsoft E-Reader for this book although I have used the Adobe Reader as well. Purely from an ease of use, and from an easy on the eyes perspective, both readers are perfectly acceptable. The Microsoft version offers a text reader option which I have not used. I am running these on Windows XP although I don't know that this makes any difference.

Welcome back the Gorn! You Trekkies should remember them. Greenish lizard like creatures, one which Kirk battled one on one on Cestus III?

Well, enter the diplomat, Jean-Luc Picard. The story starts out with a younger Picard on the Stargazer. They encounter the Gorn, and Picard transports over to their ship and eventually to their homeworld. With very little known about the Gorn, except for accounts from Kirk's encounter, Picard somehow figures them out.

This sets up the current time, where the Gorn want to establish diplomatic relations with the Federation. Picard is the only one who is fit for this of course. While traveling there, the Enterprise comes upon a huge space station. While investigating it, power surges take place, and some of the crew manage to get transported back to the Enterprise, but Picard. Then, he is caught in a blinding beam, and wakes up 100 years or so in the past in an infirmary. Guess where? Cestus III, although the captain is not aware of this yet.

Eventually, he learns where he is, and in the meantime, is considered suspicious by all the colonists there, except the doctor, who he becomes attracted to. Going by the name of Dixon Hill, he finds out what Stardate it is, and knows it will not be long, before the Gorn invade and destoy this colony. He plans his escape, but before he even has a chance to move out, they find out he is not who he says he is.

Picard then reveals some information to the doctor about who he really is, since she is the only one who trusts him. Picard manages to save the colony from a reactor core overheating, but has to use force to do it, as everyone things he is sabotoging it. After doing this, he runs away into the canyons, trying to find his communicator, in the only hope of being found 100 years in the future. The Enterprise 1701-D, get the help from Bajoran pirates. As Picard is being pursued by the colonists, the Gorn invade. Being torn between obeying the Prime Directive, or helping the colonists, and the doctor who he cares about, he decides to help them, hoping it will not affect the future timeline. While helping them, he is beamed away back to the future, or his time. Toward the end of the book, Kirk, Spock and Bones appear.

All in all a great book. Was mislead a little, thinking Picard would be facing one on one with a Gorn like Kirk did.

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Requiem by Michael Jan Friedman and Kevin Ryan is a classic. Where could you get Captain Picard, everyones favorite gnarley lizards (Gorn), time travel, interplanetary war, and camios by Kirk, Spock, and McCoy... only in this book.

This book starts out on the U.S.S. Stargazer Captain Jean-Luc Picard's first command, twenty-five years prior to his command of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Picard works on negotiations with the Gorn, but as we know the Gorn are sneaky for lizards and can hardly be trusted. But the Enterprise and her crew are now sent to finish the negotiations with the Gorn some twenty-five years after Picard's initial contact. While on their way, the Enterprize comes into contact with an alien space station, as the crew begins to evacuate, Picard is caught in a blinding light and is transported 100 years back in time to Cestus III.

At first Picard does not know where he is, then befriends the Doctor on the colony. All this time that Picard has been missing, Riker and the Enterprise crew have been searching , but to no avail, and the Gorn negotiations are going to hell in a hand basket. While on Cestus III, Picard witnesses the Gorn invasion and is in a position to change history.

This is classic TREK at its very best. You will not be disappointed reading this book, as it keeps the reader well engrossed with a tale written for the trekker in mind. You will be thouroghly entertained as war looms over the galaxy.

Picard is the key, the challenges are great, only now will the future of the Federation be held in the past?

I had so much fun reading this and many other Star Trek books in High School. Particularly good are books that elaborate on the more mediocre average Star Trek episodes. This book is one of them. It elaborates on the episode Arena, the first and only time we ever saw the Gorn in Star Trek. Time travel, another fun Sci Fi idea is also a part of this book. Seeing (in my imagination) Picard going back in time to the Original Star Trek is better than watching the DS9 episode Trials and Tribbilations (A crossover of the orginal classic episode Trouble with Tribbles). I good book. I highly recommend it if you're a Sci Fi buff.

Many of those who have disliked Conquest appear to have concluded that because characters from the Young Jedi Knight and Junior Jedi Knight series are in it, this book, too, must be for "young readers." Not so! Keyes has presented us with an epic tale of a young hero who must confront his own inner demons as well as monstrous foes in a quest to redeem himself. Conquest is, as another reviewer has observed, a classic "hero quest," and as such is a welcome return to the mythological underpinning of the entire Star Wars saga.

Keyes' style is both fluid and engrossing. The characters imported from Junior Jedi Knights are fully fleshed out and much more enjoyable than in their original venue. We are caught up in Anakin Solo's adventure, truly experiencing what he experiences and caring deeply about those things that matter to him. The story has its twists and turns, always leaving us on the edge of the seat. Even the Yuuzhan Vong are made interesting, as we see sides to their culture only hinted at in other works; we are finally given, as Anakin himself observes, Yuuzhan Vong who are not *enemies* but *people.* Keyes brings a new perspective to the New Jedi Order series, a much welcome one.

What prevents Conquest from receiving a five star rating is that its ending is too pat. Anakin's friend Tahiri undergoes an experience that cries out for an in-depth treatment (an experience that Jack Chalker's characters inevitably go through), but the potential is not followed up on. I cannot say more without completely spoiling the end, unfortunately.

Fans of adventure stories, as well as fans of Star Wars, should enjoy this one, even those who have not been following along with the rest of the series.

After reading the previous books in the New Jedi order series, i have been disappointed, particularly with Luceno's "Jedi Eclipse" and and Tyers' "Balance Point". Edge Of Victory I: Conquest, however, has finally brought EXCITEMENT back to Star Wars novels.

The greatest aspect of this book, without giving too much of the story away, is that the Yuuzhan Vong are finally depicted as a people who not all share the same beliefs, and that not all of them believe in the Yuuzhan gods. This makes the entire New Jedi Order series so much more realsitic now! There are also one or two surprises concerning the Force, which actually had my heart thumping hard while reading.

We get new insights into Anakin Solo, which are also very interesting, seems like he will have a MAJOR role in the war against the Yuuzhan Vong in the forthcoming books.

I found it difficult to put this book down, whereas previous books in the series by James Luceno and Kathy Tyers where a bit of a boring slog. "Conquest" mixes both action and ehtical Force issues perfectly, unlike Jacen's fumblings in "Balance Point".

It is also a reminder of Kevin J Anderson's Young Jedi Knights series, although much better. The characterisation of Anakin is slightly different to what we have seen of him before, however it is definitely the same Anakin, and he has quite a strong character. He is growing up, but not in the confusing way that Jacen is.

Just when I thought the New Jedi Order series was dying, Greg Keyes has produced this beauty. Star Wars fans who are losing your faith in the New Jedi Order, you MUST read this book and renew your faith!

I can't wait to read "Edge Of Victory II: Rebirth" !

Conquest is an excellent addition to the New Jedi Order series. Just when it seemed that the books were going to get predictable, Keyes takes the story in a different direction. This story is not as dark as some of the books in this series, most notably Star by Star which is very dark. Keyes captured the well-known characters perfectly. Although I was unfamiliar with many of the younger characters in this book, Keyes does an excellent job introducing them and integrating them into the older, more mature Star Wars books. Some people have complained about the length of the story, while it is shorter than some Star Wars books, but that doesn't detract from the excellent story at all. Some books just keep going, taking forever to get to the point. Conquest does not do this. As for the story focussing more on Anakin, it was really his turn. The first 3 NJO books focused on the Jedi as a whole, while the second 2 focussed on Han Solo. The book directly before conquest focussed on the twins more, so it was really Anakin's time. The casting of the Vong as different castes and in a more sympathetic light was a stroke of genius. The only reason this book has 4 stars instead of 5 is because as good as it is, Rebirth is better.