This book and its sequel were good reads. But it has been ten years! since she published the second book. Apparently she will never finish the story. So I can't recommend reading or buying either of the Sun Cross books.

Hambley has a way of making her world real to the fantasy reader who decides to pick this book up, despite her otherwise being a fan-fiction Sci-Fi author. She gladly tickles our senses by allowing our own world to become the alternative world -something that is not all too original, but serves its purpose and works gallantly in this piece. Her way of writing is one for people who don't mind the long sentenses and many commas. She handles this well, though, and as a reader you seldom find yourself trying to remember what the current description is referring to, as you may with some authors.

There is a sense of lust throughout the book, growing into love in some areas, but mainly staying that of the body -however this is not too explicit, and the book overall doesn't display any 'sensous' manners in presenting the story.

All Hambley doesn't seem too informed about is that magic hasn't disappeared in the 'other world'.

I really liked this book and am eagerly awaiting a sequel... someday... please? The main character is intriguing, and I hope he learns to get over his feelings of inadequacy. I very much want to see how he applies what he learned to events in his home universe, where he is sorely needed!

It is a real shame that this is out of print.

This is another universe-changing story; the characters move from their own universe into another where the laws of magic are different. A reference indicates that this is the same "universe" as the Ingold books but is otherwise unrelated.

The sequel to Ladies of Mandrigyn, this book follows Sunwolf and Starhawk on their quest to find a mage to teach Sun Wolf the ways of power. They arrive in Wenshar, where they find a self-taught mage named Kaletha. But Kaletha's methods do not agree with Sun Wolf. They also quickly find that wizards are not welcome in pious Wenshar, where memories of the long-dead and wicked Witches of Wenshar are still fresh. And soon after they arrive, grusome murders begin, murders that Sun Wolf is sure were done by magical means most foul. But who is responsible? And how does Kaletha derive her power when she has had no formal training? Can Sun Wolf and Starhawk figure out the cuplrit(s) before they are the next target for murder while staying out of Wenshar politics?
This is the premise of this book, which is a worthy "next chapter" in the Sun Wolf trilogy. I found this book to be slightly below the Ladies of Mandrigyn in its ability to grip and hold the reader's attention, but still a great read. Hambley is an accomplished writer of both fantasy and mystery, and she combines both those skills well in producing this book. Although the some of the characters are a little too wooden (the King couldn't possibly be falling-down drunk all the time and still run his country) and some of the plot details a little hard to believe, I did enjoy this book, and fans of both fantasy and mystery ought to find this a good read. You won't be disappointed.

Mandrigyn had been left far behind. Sun Wolf had tangled with magic, and now he had to live with the consequences of that folly. With only Starhawk at his side, he began searching for, of all things, a wizard of his own... one to help solve his present problems. When the search brought them to Wenshar, he and the Hawk hoped to remain aloof from its stormy politics -- especially since the Lady Kaletha, a self proclaimed wizard with a strong following, stood at the eye of the storm. But then someone was brutally murdered by magic, and the two found themselves forced to step in and find the killer...

If you liked Ladies of Mandrigyn, then you'll love The Witches of Wenshar and the continuing adventures of Sun Wolf and Star Hawk.

I had this book for over 5 years now. A first edition,but I read that book so many times that it is quite worn. "The Witches Of Wenshar",is the continuing of another story, "The Ladies Of Mandrigyn",(look it up),and is based in(you guessed it) Wenshar,situated at the edge of a vast desert, inhabited by the Shirdar. It is about two warriors, Sunwolf and his former second in command Starhawk,who came south, looking for a wizard or a witch, to find themselves in danger from a mysterious killer that rips it victims apart.Gruesome huh? Sunwolf's father was right,magic could get someone killed before they can turn around. You will never guess who the killer is!

"The Walls of Air" is the sequel to Hambly's "The Time of the Dark". Although the characters are just as interesting to watch as in the previous book, the events move along much more slowly. I'd say that this book suffers from middle-book-itis, as it mostly spends time setting things up for the third book, "The Armies of Daylight".

I think that the SF Book Club published this trilogy in one volume many years ago; if you are new to the Darwath books, try getting that one volume instead of buying this reprint edition.

This is one of my favorite series by one of my favorite authors. If you have a low tolerence for journeys mental and spiritual, you'll find this book pretty sleep-inducing.

I actually liked it, but I like to watch Ingold work, and I find Gil's learning process and scholarly work facinating. There's lots of both in this book, unlike the more exciting first and last books.

This whole series is delightful and if Ms. Hambly writes as many of these as Anne McCaffrey's Pern and Andre Norton's Witch World, I wouldn't complain. An excellent sequel.

Do you remember the Star Wars Cantina?

Nightlily: the Lover's Tale by Barbara Hambly audiobook is about an Imperial tax official on our familiar backwater planet who is running a few scams on his own in order to make some pocket change and keep his skills honed. I don't think he was especially honest.

I think that part the appeal is the same as reading a novel set in your home town or a town so many people are familiar with either by personal experience or by association. We all remember Mos Eisley on Tatooine and Obi Wan's comment from the first several times we watched Star Wars. Its easy to integrate the visuals of the town and the cantina and I had no trouble imagining seeing it from the other side of the room and knowing what the band was thinking and going through* and witnessing the famous events from a second, or in some cases third, point of view.

This recording is dramatized and incorporates the music and sound effects from the movie, further adding to the effect.

*See "We Don't Do Weddings: The Band's Tale" by Kathy Tyers to witness this same moment from the Band's point of view. This is fun!

I love Barbara Hambly and have read nearly everything she's ever published. But I have to agree with the reviewer who noted that this novel is not up to speed with Hambly's usual efforts.

There was so much left not explained in this book. Why was the magic fading? Why were there many scenes regarding the teyn but these creatures never came to anything? Why were only men able to work magic in the beginning? None of this was explained, only kind of hinted at "there might be more" (maybe a sequel...) We were left hanging on far too many topics.

And I'm afraid that this effort came across as a little too "women are downtrodden" for my taste. Ms. Hambly often has a strong female as the central charactor which is great -- as a female myself, I find this refreshing. But she doesn't usually "man-bash" her male charactors. This novel had quite a bit of abusive men, lazy men, violent and stupid men. The women had to "suffer" being regularly beaten by their husbands. Men had real names but women were named strange things (often by their husbands) like "Summer Concubine Woman". If an unborn baby was male, a regular healer was called in for the birth. For a girl, the women handled it on their own. This kind of thing might be alright in setting a scene or describing an environment. But it was pretty heavy-handed in this novel and, I think, detracted from the book itself.

All-in-all, just not up to Barbara Hambly's usual excellence.

Sisters of the Raven is a novel of magic and mystery, with political and religious intrigue. As usual, Hambly sets the scene very well, and it was nice to get away from the characters she's known for and to get to know some other people. With an interesting world and good characters to populate it, Hambly recovers from her last fantasy debacle (Dragonstar) to hit one out of the park.

Ahhhhh, a stand-alone novel from Barbara Hambly. I've been waiting for this for a long time. Hambly has such a good touch with characters and setting that I've been wanting to see something original from her for a long time. She has two long-running series (Benjamin January and the series that takes place in the world of Dragonsbane) that I was beginning to wonder about her. But no more. Here, she shows off her creative talents once again. The world she creates lives and breathes. The characters leap off the page in full three dimensions (except when it's not necessary). Her descriptions of everyday life are scrumptious. As characters walk down the street, you get the feeling that you're walking down the street with them. She is a wonderful scene-setter, and you never know what detail is going to be important because she provides you with so much. The setting is so rich that I have no complaints, but if you don't like a lot of description, you may find yourself skimming this book (and most of her others) at times. Personally, though, I think that'' one of her strengths.

As I've pointed out before, though, this only works when the story she's telling is good and the characters are interesting. It can really drag when the rest of the book doesn't support it. However, that's not a problem here. Even the bit characters are distinctive, even if they don't truly have a third side. She has created a very interesting society, where women generally don't even have their own names, but instead titles: the Summer Concubine, Corn-Tassel Woman, Pomegranate Woman. Even so, you can always tell them apart. The only time it's difficult is if they don't appear on the page but are only talked about. But even then it's not too bad. Oryn and the Summer Concubine have a wonderful relationship based on love and trust. She acts as she does because society demands it, but she also wields great power behind the scenes, and Oryn trusts her completely. Raeshaldis is the other main character, and she's remarkably drawn as well. Hambly does a wonderful job of crafting her. We see the naivete of a young woman who's a little bit out of her element, but she is confident in some of her spells (such as the cloak that hides her when she walks around sometimes). She's ridiculed and hazed by the other male students at the college, and it hurts her. But she's strong-willed and willing to do what it takes to learn her trade. She's courageous when she has to find out what is stalking her and the other female mages around the city. And she's intelligent. Hambly puts all these character traits together and produces a character that you want to read about.

The villains aren't badly done either. Mohrvine, Oryn's uncle, is power-hungry, but he's practical as well. He'll use whomever he needs to use in order to take over the throne, but he's not afraid to side with the good guys when he has to. He's the ultimate opportunist, but he does believe he's doing what's best for the realm. Oryn has always been a bit of a dandy and Mohrvine doesn't think that he's strong enough to be king. Lohar is not as well drawn, and he's more of a plot device then a true character. He's fairly one-note (though instantly recognizable when he's on the page), and his religious rantings did grow a bit tiresome after awhile. Thankfully, while he does appear a lot as the unrest in the city gets worse, his parts are in small doses so he doesn't outstay his welcome. And the way Oryn finally gets him is priceless, and perfectly in character for Oryn.

The plot is small and local, which is a nice change of pace from the threats to the entire world that inhabit so many other fantasy novels. There is great magic involved, but it's all done on a small scale, with individual characters and one society being affected. As I stated before, Hambly's descriptions are wonderful, but her prose in other areas is good as well. There isn't a whole lot of action, but what's there is clearly described. The final confrontation is breath-taking. The dialogue is good as well. The only thing that mars it just slightly is some of the repetition involved. I know it's there for effect, but it grated a bit after awhile. This repetition is mainly when characters think the same thing over and over within the section that they're in. It's used to show how important what they're thinking about is, and how it weighs on their mind, and can be effective in small doses. I think Hambly overuses it just a little bit.

Still, that doesn't detract from what is a wonderful fantasy novel. The best thing about it is that it's self-contained. I don't see any sequel coming out of this one, and I think that it would be forcing it to produce one. The story ends, the society goes on, and the conclusion seems natural. As much as I loved the book and the characters in it, I really hope Hambly doesn't revisit them. I think, like what happened to Dragonsbane, further books would only cheapen the magic that this one carries.

If you're a fan of magic and creativity, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up.

David Roy

In the Yellow City, those who work magic (all males) are losing their powers. The Sun Priests can no longer call the rains, and the town is facing water riots and a breakdown of all order.

Yet in every corner and level of society, there are women who discover that THEY can do magic. There isn't even a word for it: a woman-who-works-magic, but they are doing it. Slowly, people are starting to believe. Can they save the Yellow City?

That's probably a terrible synopsis; I've left out all the interesting characters and social dynamics in this book! I would say it's somewhat of a study in power as it shifts, and how people of good and poor character handle it. Fortunately, some of those in a position to get or stay in power are those of good character, so we can root for them!

I truly came to care for the main characters, and I hope to see more from them. There was a resolution of the problem, but I'd like to see more of what happenes to the society as the Sisters of the Raven become more accepted.

I recommend this book to Hambly fans and others who want a contemplation of social and gender politics in a "magical" setting.

This novel is one of the dark novels in the Star Trek series. It deals with possession of Kirk's body and how it is overcome.

No offense you guys, but you both gave away a major story twist (one that is rightly only revealed a good ways into the book) without any warning.

This is one of the better Star Trek books I've encountered, though I haven't read many yet. Barbara Hambly has a good sense of plot construction and an eye for interesting detail. She personalizes the crew in her own style while still keeping them in character. I was surprised at how absorbed I became in what had seemed at first to be a rather run-of-the-mill Trek plot.

This book is about Kirk and how his body is taken over by this being who wants to get back to it's own planet. Kirk's spirit is floating around. Well Kirk makes contact with his crew through the computer and the body of Kirk is trying to kill Spock. This is confusing and yet, it comes out ok. Spock finds a way to give Kirk back his body and all is well.

I am currently going back and reading some of the ST:TOS novels that I either never read or read so long ago that I have forgotten them. THis one is a time travel/conspiracy story which I'm a sucker for. I feel the book could have used some editing but it has many nice moments including some particularly good writing of Nurse Chapel. Also, throughout the book we are told someone on the Enterprise will do something in the future and when we find out who it is I was surprised-- I had guessed wrong. Last word: entertaining, worth reading.

I dunno about everybody else, but I honestly didn't think this book was all that bad. Though a bit convaluted and extremely hazy, it was a story worthy of every other Star Trek novel I've ever read. And I was pretty happy Barbara took time to develope and expand on Christine Chapel's character. Chris has always been one of my favorite characters on the original series and I liked that Barbara gave her character significance rather than commiseration.

All in all, it was not that bad. There are worse Star Trek novels out there.

Set aside the photon torpedos. Prepare to make a command decision. On the outer marches, the U.S.S. Enterprise encounters an aging black starship. A Constitution-class ship, but one not listed on the Star Fleet registry. It's skeleton crew, a cosmopolitan band, claims to be freedom fighters from the Federation's future. This is a future where Big Brother does more than watching. The situation deepens when another starship, of unknown design, arrives claming to represent the future Federation. They want the "terrorist," but are unable to force the issue, fearing harming an unnamed crew member aboard the Enterprise. A person who will create the future Federation. What's Kirk's decision? What would be your decision?

I liked this book for several reasons:

1. The skeleton crew of the aging starship are the most interesting characters in the series since the first and last appearance of Dr.Evan Wilson in Uhuru's Song.

2. We see the crew of the Enterprise acting like a crew. Teamwork on all levels. It's not just the bridge crew, Scott, and Bones.

3. The future "propulsion" source is an example, in a crude metaphorical sense, of how a weed is any plant people have not yet found a use for. Except this "plant" is holy terror to the Federation of Kirk's time.

4. The Enterprise crew member who will choose the path for the future will do so with good intentions. An example of unintended consequences.

To compare your taste with mine, these are some of my favorites: My Enemy, My Ally / Final Reflection / How Much for Just the Planet? / Uhuru's Song / Ice Trap / The Romulan Way / Killing Time

Warning - read only if you have a few days you want to waste reading disjointed snatches of a re-telling of The Stand. Understand my anger when I tell you I WAS NOT AWARE THIS WAS THE FIRST BOOK OF A TRIOLOGY when I purchased it. By the end - I cared about none of the people and had absolutely no idea what the source/project was and what exactly was done by whom. Furthermore, I don't care enough to read the other books. I love science fiction - love supernatural - this was just plain boring.

This book is initially exciting, perhaps buoyed by Hambly's writing skill. But it quickly becomes a sort of cut-rate, bad comic book cross between Stephen King's The Stand and Sean Stewart's Galveston. Something happens -- we don't get the intellectual satisfaction of learning exactly what -- in a top secret government research facility. Technology stops working, and some people metamorphose. Two foci of presumably destructive power appear -- a rather confusing plot point -- and our questing band of heroes must tackle the first one.

There are too many characters for the modest length of the book, and most are not well drawn. The cliched imagery verges on the ridiculous. It really is a comic book -- one person appears to be changing into Catwoman. The plot is fast-moving but shallow and unbelievable. While the basic idea is an interesting one, the book never gets off the ground. It comes across as imitative, lacking themes of its own.

As always, I thoroughly enjoy anything Barbara Hambly publishes. This particular book starts off in "sound-bites," bringing in all the characters in a somewhat fragmented fashion. I make allowances, as Ms. Hambly did not write this book alone and it definately has the "taste" of another hand, Marc Scott Zicree, in the mix. It hasn't the usual character development one tends to expect from Ms. Hambly, and something more along the lines of pacing one would see in a televsion program. However, I was very pleased that not all the characters gave in to their "darkest desires" and are being re-shaped into finer beings then as they began. It is obviously not a complete story, since we know that Cal is preparing to track down his missing sister Tina, (the damsel in distress), and needs to realize his relationship with Colleen, (the experienced right hand, Xena-type). I believe there is room to continue to develop Agent Shango, as well. This is a very good beginning of a "Good versus Evil," (or perhaps, Good versus Bad, Thoughtless Government), story. I eagerly await the next installment.

Having read and loved "Dragonsbane", I was eagerly awaiting the sequel, "Dragonshadow". Deep down I think I knew it wouldn't be as good, but I was hoping. And, sadly, my hunch was borne out by a well-written but lackluster book. The character development that is one of the things that delights me about Hambly's books wasn't there in this one. We are never properly introduced to Ian, we know next to nothing about Caradoc, and there's little or no development of motives for some of the main characters. (So why IS Rocklys invading the south? Why DID Caradoc decide to traffic with demons? Whatever happened to all the bandits that were threatening the north?) Things just happened for no apparant reason, and a lot of bad things happened to the main characters that seemed to have no real purpose behind them. (Heaping trials and tribulations upon our Hero for his betterment is one thing, but some of the things that happen to Jenny and John leave me shaking my head. I mean, I know how much Hambly likes torturing her main characters, but really! If I'd wanted to read a hack n' slash, I would have. It's well written pointless gore, but pointless gore all the same.) All in all, I found the book forgettable, although there were some good parts, and it had the trademark Hambly prose. I don't regret buying it, but I should have waited for the paperback...

If you're a die-hard Hambly fan, you'll probably enjoy this, but if you've never read her before, try starting with something else (Like "Dragonsbane" or the Darwath trilogy)

Barbara Hambly is a master of her craft. She's excellent creating "atmospheres" for her books and stories. She's so skilled in wrapping her readers in the "essence" of the worlds she creates, in making her readers "feel" the environment of where her characters live, that sometimes that is her downfall.
The atmosphere in "Dragonshadow" is not a pleasant one. Her characters are immersed in a battle, not for their lives, but for their very souls, against demons of the worst kind. Demons that can possess a living person, and use his or her body to do horrible acts of violence, while the person itself remains trapped, and is forced to see, and LIKE, what the demon is doing.
This is not a story for the faint of heart. It isn't pretty, and it's so well written, that you really don't want to finish it.
It's just that the plot is very good, but you definitely don't like what is happening to the characters. Let's face it: it seems that Ms. Hambly is taking revenge against her two main characters, Jenny and John, for some unthinkable wrong they'd done to her.

But, if you can endure such torment as reading this book represents, then, when you read the next book, "The Knight of the Demon Queen", you'll know that all the torture and the uneasy feelings where worth it! (Also, when you finish "Kight of the Demon Queen", you'll be wishing you already had "Dragonstar" to finally know what the hell is going to happen to Jenny and John).

I don't understand why most of you didn't like this book. Maybe it's because I read it before Dragonsbane, but I was completely mesmorized by it. The story was powerful, the demons and their hold on the characters was terrifying, and the dragons were beautifully described. I could not put this book down. As for the gruesome details, yes, they were there, but they had a purpose - to fill the reader with horror and fascination, and build up the story for the ending. I'll admit I was a bit frustrated with the ending, but only because it never finished, but was left open-ended. I am buying the next book as soon as I see it. As for Dragonsbane, I finally read it, and found it lacking the twisted plot and incredible emotional impact of it's sequel.

This book is The Ladies of Mandrigyn and The Witches of Wenshar combined into a hardback edition. Refer to the individual reviews of each book for details.