... I found this book to be a very powerful resource of information.

Jason Adrian, home from Camp Ravenwyng, is having more disturbing dreams -- about a sinister figure in an old house. When he wakes, he finds a message warning him about the "Curse of Arkady." All but a handful of the Magicker students have been dismissed and memory-wiped, and the remaining kids are keeping in touch through their crystals and the Web, trying to keep their identities a secret -- which is becoming more and more difficult.

As Gavan tries to get a special Magicker Academy approved by other Magickers, the kids begin to suspect that something bad is coming -- the Dark Hand, a group of evil ex-Magickers. A sinister new therapist has arrived and has a particular interest in Jason; wolfjackals are circling around. And when Jason follows his stepfather to a construction site, he uncovers the secret of the Dark Hand -- and the evil sorcerer Brennard.

Though lower-profile than the Harry Potter series, the "Magickers" books may well be the stronger fantasy series: They are more descriptive, more instrospective, the created world is more complex and serious-minded, the adult characters are capable and pivotal, and it explores the out-of-school time as well. And Drake isn't afraid to sprinkle homages to Star Wars, the Matrix, "Lord of the Rings" and the Potter series itself. And the second book of the "Magickers" series proves that the first was not a fluke (though you won't understand the second unless you've read the first).

Drake's writing is still detailed and action-packed, and she juggles the multiple storylines like an expert. Nothing is dumbed down (as shown by the faked master's degree). Her eye for detail is very present as she shows seemingly insignificant clues from Book 1 to be important plot devices. And fans of the first book will be pleased to see one character return, who had seemingly gone.

This book is a little more humorous than the first, with incidents like Stefan turning into a bear just before a football game, or the teacher's face appearing in a soccer ball. On the other hand (no pun intended), the sight of the Dark Hand encroaching on ordinary suburban homes is even more sinister, right up to the shatteringly well-written climax.

Jason is a solid lead character, an ordinary kid called on to do extraordinary things yet unsure what to do about them. Tomboyish Bailey is given a little more dimension and brains in this book. Trent continues struggling to keep up with the other Magickers; Brennard finally makes his appearance, and his charming facade just covers his nastiness. His attempts to lure Jason to the Dark Hand are just what you would expect from this guy.

"Dragon Guard," the second Magickers book, will premiere just as readers have glutted themselves on the fifth Potter book. In the meantime, pick up "Curse of Arkady" and enjoy the wild ride.

While my writer's instincts tell me the style of this piece is a mess, I can't help but be terribly excited by the prospect of the story; I was CAPTIVATED the entire time! Something about the characters and the story is downright fascinating. I literally couldn't stop thinking about it.

But, this could just be what I like to call Potter Deprivation Syndrome and I am just using this similar book to fill my empty days as a Harry Potter fan. It is true that the Mackigers seem to be oddly like the old Hogwarts crew. But Drake, instead of pretending she took none of her ideas from the Potter books, acknowledges their existance! CLEVER AND WISE MOVE! The characters make several references to the "fictional books" which makes the book all the more intriguing, especially since this book is so recent, and the last HP was published nearly three years ago.

So please...I'm telling you. Read this book. And its prequel. And Arkady's sequel which is going to be available in July. (Ack, again, nice timing: readers will be finished with Order of the Phoinex by that point and will need some serious recuperation time.)

(Alas, another failed attempt to keep Harry Potter out of my reviews. Sorry it didn't work.) Anyway, Happy Reading! A Highly Recommended book!

For those that have never read any of Martin Cruz Smith's novels featuring modern fiction most's unique detective (the others being "Gorky Park" and "Polar Star"), you might be surprised by what you find. Smith is no Mickey Spillane--he is a literate, cerebral writer and a first-rate novelist with an unusual gift for both probing, insightful characterizations and heart- pounding, edge-of-your-seat storytelling. His Renko novels can best be described as Saul Bellow meets Robert Ludlum, and Smith's voice is distinctive and unmistakable.

"Red Square" finds Arkady in post-Cold War Russia, investigating murder and intrigue in a society rife with corruption and desperation. He also reunites with his great love from "Gorky Park," and Smith's description of the reunion is among his very best writing. "Red Square" also features Smith's characteristically convoluted plotting, which can at times get confusing, but eventually resolves itself with the most satisfying ending he has yet written for a Renko novel.

All in all, "Red Square," despite a rather slow first 40 pages or so, was one of the most fascinating and unforgettable thrillers of the decade. Outstanding.

In this Strugatsky book, Maxim Kammerer is a 19-year-old explorer from a 23rd century idealic Earth who finds himself on a planet with quasi-20th century technology, but no democracy of freedom. Imagine a planet Earth in which only Nazi Germany, Soviet Union, and Communist China exist. That's where he lands.

This book is kind of an Aesop's fable in that the author's criticize their government without mentioning it by name, or, better yet, by making it look like they're criticizing other governments.

Good adventure, solid writing and characters, and an altogether interesting sci-fi story. The translation is kind of weak. This is the first book of the Progressor series, in which humans try to accelerate alien societies through their trial and tribulation times, into the utopian society humans have developed.

-- JJ Timmins

Great stuff. A real original and highly recommended for anyone wanting something different from the same old stuff.

Arkydy, by brilliant reasoning and with help from his love, Arina Ossinova, entangles the Sable fur trade, the labyrinth of KGB, and bureaucracy of FBI, tracks down the killer all the way to New York City. Here detective Curwell teams up with him to go after Osborne. But Osborne knows the score and book ends with an unforgettable scene where Arkydy fulfilling his task, limps back to Moscow. He tells Arina, his accomplice and love,who sells her very soul to come to America, to go disappear in America, where she belongs.

The book sheds light on dark, Byzantine, bad old days of Soviet Union where every body spied on every body and KGB ruled supreme. I guess people
like Arkydy, the optimistic, very human chief investigator, turned the Soviet régime around and created another revolution seventy years after the brutal first, paving the way for democracy.