The book was absolutely gripping. It is hard to believe that the writer of the Fairy Godmother books could produce such an emotionally overwhelming book of the horrors of the Vietnam war. You know the book is fiction, but you wonder just "how much" is really ficiton. E. A. Scarborough pulls you kicking and screaming through desperate war situations that you know, deep inside, must have been real, yet she makes it bearable with her "healing hand" of magic and mystery. Had I known beforehand what the book was about, I would never have read it. I was sick of the Vietnam war ages ago when it happened. But, Scarborough made me relive it with her, sometimes sobbing, sometimes livid with fury, and I wound up reading all night a book that years ago, I would have scorned. She is quite a lady, and a genius to have pulled *me* into her coils.

Being born in the early '80s, I never experienced what the Vietnam War was like for Americans, military and civilian. To me, Vietnam was "just another war"; another chapter in my history textbook. Until I came across The Healer's War. The Healer's War is pure fiction, set in the war-torn jungles of Vietnam. The plot revolves around a mysterious amulet that the main character Kitty "inherits" from one of her patients. (She's a nurse in Vietnam.) As time progresses, Kitty realizes the true healing power of the amulet. Although fiction, this book paints a vivid picture of Vietnam during the war. The conditions the soldiers had to tolerate, and the daily battles is described in excruciating, almost explicit detail. The Healer's War gave me a view on Vietnam that no textbook or history class could offer. I will never look at the Vietnam War the same way again, and I now hold a respect for those that served in it. This book is a must-read.

This is an excellent novel about a nurse serving in Vietnam during the war (the author was also a nurse in Vietnam). A Vietnam veteran myself, I recommend it highly. The main character, Lt. Kitty McCulley, is having a difficult time with her nursing responsibilities and with her interactions with others. An elderly Vietnamese holy man gives her an amulet which allows her to see the "auras" of others. It helps her guide herself through the war and helps her find herself in the end. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and Ms. Scarborough's writing (note the five stars I awarded) and I recommend the book to everyone (the publisher should be shot for letting it go out of print). However, I do have a bone to pick! What makes this novel so different can be seen by the fact that it won the 1988 Nebula Award for best science fiction novel of the year, the Nebula Award being given by the Science Fiction Writers of America. I loved the book; but, it was not the best science fiction novel of 1988. It's excellent speculative fiction and I'm certain that is the reason the members voted for it; but, I'm sorry Ms. Scarborough, every few years the SFWA seem to go off on a tangent. Nevertheless, because it has won the Nebula, it is now incumbent that all serious students of science fiction literature read "The Healer's War." But then, they should read it anyway.

i found these books to be great. very descriptive and worth reading agin. anne mccaffery is wonderful writer that deserves praise. works of art.

I'm a great fan of McCaffery, and I like this series second behind the Dragonriders. Marina Sirtis reads it well, a bit hypnotically in spots. I can't tell if its abridged or not. These tapes are great in the car. They keep the kids quiet even on short runs.

I have all three of these books and can only hope that there will be more. Once again we are taken into yet another realm of fantasy by one of the genre's most skilled & talented authors.

I've never read Elizabeth Ann Scarborough's books in the past, but I definitely will be looking out for them now. These short stories draw in the reader and make you laugh. Some of them make you choke up and think very long about our veterans. Some are very much showing her love for felines, and the ability of a cat to be above all other species on the earth... at least in their own minds. I picked it up because of the artwork on the cover by Ursula Vernon, a favorite artist of mine, and was not disappointed by the contents!

I discovered this book simply because I found the title and cover intriguing, but it gets even better on the inside! Each of the short stories is well-written and unique, and I loved them all. This book has appeal for almost everyone, from cat lovers to science fiction fans. (As it happens, I fall into both of these categories.) If you like fantasy, humor, mystery, or a story that leaves you a bit teary-eyed at the end, there is something in this collection for you.

This eleven-story collection runs the gamut of speculative fiction. For the most part, the tales take place on a "mundane" earth that is where the readers and the author live, but something extraordinary occurs to this everyday environs. Some of the contributions use supernatural elements, others fantasy, and finally science fiction to tell a story of the unexpected imposing on the "normal". Most contain humor (though some more are more subtle than others) and the key characters seem real whether they are mummies rising from roads or creatures residing in fairyland. Each tale entertains the audience who will agree on how astonishingly well Elizabeth Ann Scarborough blends the whimsical and otherworldly into the "realistic" in her telling of pleasant stories.

Harriet Klausner

I love books that're quest fantasy, but the usual serious dry way authors tell it is boring. I want humor, a kind of tongue-in-cheek thing, and Bronwyn's Bane is the perfect book for that. If you're sick and tired of blood, guts, and gore fantasy, try this!

I cannot wait to read more of Elizabeth Scarborough's work after finishing "Bronwyn's Bane" a few days ago. "Bronwyn's Bane" is a delightful story of a princess' curse, told with a mesmerizing tongue-in-cheek style, reminiscent of the "Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series. What makes Scarborough's characters so fascinating is their dry, quirky wit, and their talent for stumbling into one troublesome situation after another. Scarborough's royalty, rather than being elegant, sage and lofty, is verbose, well-meaning but clumsy. All of her characters -- mermaids, gypsies, princess swans, ogre sorceresses -- are endearing, charming characters, and have great hearts -- despite the fact that they often get on each other's nerves. Scarborough also has one of the best and most foresightful imaginations I have encountered. Scarborough, for example, connects omnivorous sea-monsters that come ashore in the dark (terrorizing the islanders) with the islander's toxic contamination of the waters, which in fact created the giantic horrors. Ms. Scarborough has an excellent hand at very effective and thought-provoking irony, as well as an understanding of wit and human nature. "Bronwyn's Bane" is an ingenious,tongue-in-cheek tapestry of imagination, and I am delighted to have found Ms. Scarborough's work. I look forward to reading as many of her other works that I can find.

Before I knew it I was nearing the end of the book! The writing is so smooth and the storytelling wonderful that I didn't want to put it down nor have it end! The characters are well written and the location sounds breathtaking.

It was fun to visit with Pelagia our heroine again though this time in the Yukon during the Klondike. So many positives in this book! A face paced story that is not only smooth and well written but fun and humorous, too! Such fantastic characters that I didn't want to say goodbye at the book's close. More please!!

A rough-and-ready shepherdess/princess is swept off by a genii to be the wife of the charming Aman Akbar. The problem is he can't get enough, and is unforturnately turned into an ass while trying to get a fourth wife. The other three wives set off to save the ass and prevent the marriage. This book is full of exciting adventure and surprising twists. Scarborough is at her best here, and, as always, is extremely funny.

Scarborough's forte lies in creating books with intriguing plots, believable main characters, and lots of humor. This book is no exception. The idea of genetically-stored memory that can be downloaded into someone else's personality is an updated version of an old SF plot device, but the author takes the concept and makes it her own. The main character, Leda Hubbard, a forensic anthropologist and wannabe Egyptologist is a classic Scarborough heroine--an ordinary woman, competent and a little dissatisfied with her life. The other characters range from the delightful (Duke, Leda's macho philandering father) to the repulsive (Mr. Rasmussen, the true villain). Some of the characterizations are a little thin, and the plot could have been fleshed out in spots, but there are enough wonderful moments to make this book a rewarding read. Duke's fate alone is worth the price of the book. As with Scarborough's "Fairy Godmother" books, everyone gets their just desserts at the end, and there is an element of "they all lived happily ever after." Perhaps a bit pat, but that's part of the pleasure.

To tell the truth it was the cover that caught my attention as I was browsing though the new books at the local library. I then sat down to blow through the first few chapters to figure out if the book was worth checking out. Well needless to say, I sat there in the libary till closing time!

Leda Hubbard has been obsessed with being a Egyptologist and joining a dig. The navy being the only way Leda can get her PHD, which she finally gets in forensic anthropology, but still can't find a dig that will take her, Until she recieves a mysterious invatation to work with a man named Chimera. Not one to look the gift horse in the mouth Leda heads of to Egypt.

Our heroine, Leda, is one for always getting in trouble, for the right reasons of course. But in the end, her reward is something beyound anything she ever imagined as a young woman dreaming of Egypt.

This is a book that is definately worth the reading time!!

The cover art really drew me to this book, as I have not read much before by this author. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a very enjoyable read; a suspenseful science fiction novel filled with espionage and action. The idea of cloning from ancient DNA is not new (Jurassic Park, need I say more) but the idea of "blending" personalities inherent in DNA was a new twist, handled very well. The archaeological aspects in Alexandria were also well described and made for some vibrant settings.

One of the highlights of this novel was the way Scarborough develops her characters into unique individuals that are easy to associate with, both good and evil. The protagonist and antagonist(s) are people that truly act out according to their personal beliefs and values-a very human trait which often gets left behind in science fiction works. I highly recommend this book-entertaining, engaging and full of plot twists that keep your interest.

Elizabeth Ann Scarborough's "The Godmother's Apprentice" was a masterpiece. It was an excellent display of talent and imagination. Although I was skeptical about it after the first few pages, the plot really picked up and I couldn't put the book down! I recommend it to anyone seeking an adventure that is out of this world, yet thrilling AND realistic...all at the same time.

Sno got rid of her evil stepmother, but didn't find a prince, she decided to be a fairy Godmother herself. Set gorgeously in Ireland, this book describes her training to become a Godmother. It has the same deft twists of old stories into modern fantasy that worked so well for the rest of Annie's books.

Wow, this second book in the Godmother trilogy by Ms.Scarborough is even better than the first! It lets us peer deeper into the domain of Godmotherdom and even introduces us to the Queen of them All. If you enjoy felines, the lovely lilt of Irish brogue and fairy tales, this book will surely satisfy you! The dialog flows wonderfully even interspecies.

Song of Sorcery is hilarious. The characters are interesting, and real.(Well, mostly.) Anyone looking for a good time without the disembowling and stereotypical protegenists, this is it.

This book was incredibly full of wit and humor that I was laughing almost every time I turned a page. Colin Songsmith sings a local song to an old witch who takes an unlikely revenge. Her granddaughter rescues him from a certain death of being eaten alive by the cat and hears the song herself which happens to concern her recently married sister and a gypsy. Convinced that she has to save her sister, she takes the minstrel, the cat and her magical resources towards Rowan Castle. I absolute recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a good time.

The usage of other witches from other stories was masterful. The author grabbed your attention and held it all the way, and left you wanting more. She made you see things in a different light. I applaude you!!!!