If Dave Wolverton had never written another novel for the rest of his life he would have earned a place on my list of my favorite SF authors alongside Stanislav Lem, Gene Wolfe, Ursula Le Guin, James Triptree Jr, James Morrow etc. Of course like the very best SF books, this book is so good it can easily hold its own even outside the SF genre, because under the brilliant light of the authors's illumination it compels us to look more closely at the human condition. The story works at many levels and succeeds at every one. While reading it, and afterwards especially, I could not stop thinking about it and talked about it to all of my friends. Wolverton is simply incredible --his intellect, like his craftsmanship, is phenomenal. Go take the journey and dream his dream! You will not be sorry.

I read a lot of science fiction and this is quite possibly the best sci-fi novel that I have ever read. The fact that the characters were latin american (and japanese, of course) was a refreshing change from the typical anglo american sci-fi character. It was nice to read about experiences from the perspective of characters with a little ethnicity.

The ending wasn't a complete surprise, but the way that it was resolved was enlightening. I would recommend this book be read by one and all.

Although not quite the same, you might also enjoy reading John Steakley's "Armor"

I read avidly and appreciate quality work, and I read almost anything. This book crosses all the lines. It is Science. Fiction. Literature. Spiritual. Easily in my all time top ten, any genre. In used book stores there are two books I will always buy - Micheal Herr's "Dispatches" and Dave Wolverton's "On My Way to Paridise". Then I give them to someone.

If every general manager in baseball (Ed Lynch, are you reading this! ) was forced to study this book, entire paradigms of baseball lore would suddenly be pushed aside in favor or fresh, rational, and rigorous principles of management. All of the statistics provided in the prospectus are, of course, second to none, but Michael Wolverton's relief ratings (ARP, ARA, etc.) are truly something special. I have always been amazed at how even the most "knowledgable" baseball minds accept simplistic statistics like ERA and saves as valuable appraisals of a relief pitcher's talents. It's as if the baseball gurus have failed to adjust to post-1950 baseball with its growing reliance on bullpens and decreasing reliance on starting pitchers, and the completely different conditions in which relief pitchers work in comparison to their starting compatriots. Yet these same "experts" have accepted without question the notion that a team must have a real "closer" in order to be a contender. Wolverton blasts these assumptions to smithereens with his analyses, and his elaborate calculations, yet pristine conclusions should revolutionize how the later innings of games are viewed. Throw in the authors' passionate defense of wise treatment of young pitchers, their funny yet consistently incisive comments about hundreds of players, their willingness to challenge age-old fallacies like "veteran leadership" and the genuinely historical perspective they bring to the table of baseball debate, and you have one of the most informative and entertaining baseball books I've ever read.

BP debunks myths, explodes fallacies, and takes sabermetrics to a new height. It has an excellent method for evaluating and projecting performance, but many other credible methods can found elsewhere. BP's riches are found in the essays and player commentaries. Its insights will reshape the baseball debate in the coming years. Roster management, pitcher abuse, big markets v. small markets, tools v. skills -- the debates defining our age and the age to come are all discussed fully and insightfully here.

BP readers will in short time find themselves looking at baseball in a much more complex and accurate way. They will find themselves at greater and greater distance from the newsstand knowledge of those who rely on magazines and Baseball Weekly. They'll be better fans for having read BP. No other book provides so much. BP2K is the best value on the market.

Baseball Prospectus is a must-have for any hard-core baseball fan. These guys do a fantastic job of stripping away the nonsense and the myths and really analyzing the facts to come up with some really useful observations. Also, the manner in which they do it is fun, funny and engrossing; never just a cold statistical survey. All fantasy league players should buy this book immediately, but it will be a great read to any fan of the game.

If you like adventurous books I recommend this one to you!!! Usually I am not the most excited fan over Star Wars but I read the Courtship of Princess Leia and thought that book was nicely written and couldn't put it down till I was finished!

Gallen O'Day is a seasoned fighter, a guide, and a guard. He longs for adventure and for excitement. He has a widely known reputation for being a very efficient guard, robbers know his name and fear him.

Maggie Flynn works in an alehouse and thinks Gallen is handsome and the best guard/guide around. She and Gallen have an odd sort of relationship. They have an attraction to each other but Gallen doesn't make any of the moves, thinking Maggie is too young.

The adventure for Gallen starts when two strangers come to the alehouse. A man who wears two swords, walks and looks like he knows how to fight and it appears he's the bodyguard of the second stranger.

The second stranger is young, beautiful, petite, and ... perfect. And to top it all off the stranger is female. Immediately Gallen feels the urge to protect her and thinks he's fallen in love. But what are two strangers who obviously are different doing here? The strangers reveal that they want to travel to the ancient arch called Geata na Chruinne. They need someone to take them there and it can't be a boy, it has to be a soldier, or someone who knows how to fight.

Gallen is the only one who knows the way and who can fight. So they make a deal that they would travel there later. That night Gallen has another job to deal with. He guides and guards a man but unfortunately they meet robbers on the road. Gallen is awestruck when a sidhe helps him but is puzzled when the sidhe tells him that he will hold Gallen accountable for any oaths he makes this day. When Gallen finally returns he finds himself making an oath that he will help whoever his heart is hot to aid. And his heart is hot to aid ... the strangers.

A creature, a monster that no one has ever seen the likes of before comes into town and is killed. But the strangers have seen that kind of monster before, they aren't shocked as the townspeople are. Orick knows (Gallen's bear friend) because he saw their faces and he decided to follow the two strangers and take Maggie with him.

When Gallen goes to take the strangers (he finds the woman's name is Everynne and the bodyguard is Veriasse) to the arch he discovers that they have the monsters following them. When the arch appears Everynne takes a key and disappears along with Veriasse. The monsters have a key too and are about to follow them when Gallen pops out of hiding and takes the key ... going through the arch taking Maggie and Orick along. They find that they have been transported to a different world.

When they manage to find Maggie and Veriasse again things become more clear. Everynne is going to challenge the Golden Queen for her position. She is the last person of a certain race called Tharrins and if she suceeds she will be the Golden Queen. The present Queen will have to step down ... Everynne hopes to save the worlds that are being destroyed by the Queen's people (vanquishers).

But the one who does the fighting is her companion, guard, and friend Veriasse. He has to battle the Lord Protector and the Lord Protector is not human but something else that can easily cut a person in half.

Who will win in the end and what about Gallen? Gallen is a seasoned fighter ... is it possible that he could learn to defeat the monster before it's too late? Or will they all die and more worlds will be destroyed?

What about Maggie and Gallen? Gallen and Maggie have something special ... all they have to do is respond to their inner hearts before their feelings of love turn into feelings of hate ...

This book is great!!! It's full of adventure and around every corner lurks danger and death ... flashes of romance spark, and this book interwines different ways of thinking and ways of power (both good and bad) as well as showing peoples good sides as well as their bad sides ... A fantastic book and the pages seem to magically fit the story together. A book to read again and again.

This is my favorite book of all times. It skips around a lot but it is very good at keeping you in suspence

I read this book and Totally Love it. It's amazing, DaveWolverton really knows how to get your attention and keep it till thevery end. I read the book 2 years ago and Loved it, but Last week I desided to read it again during my train ride, and it's even better the second time around. Before I knew it, I was no longer just reading it on the train, I couldn't put it down when I was at home as well. It's captivating, sorta a blend of Star wars, star gate, the neverending story, back to the future, the princess bride and more. I can't wait to read the sequels.

Alex is 12 and wants to be a Med-jai. Ardeth Bay thinks it's time to send Alex on his "lone walk". But Alex doesn't expect the Scorpion King to come back wanting revenge and Alex's only help is a 13 year old girl.

Even though he's had plenty of dangerous adventures recently, twelve-year-old Alex O'Connell thought a cruise down the Nile to find the lost temple of Osiris would be relatively safe. But the journey becomes dangerous when kidnappers through Alex overboard. He's about to be devoured by crocodiles when he finds an amulet. In his mind, he wishes he would swim faster than the crocodiles, and suddenly, he is. Returning to Cairo, he shows the amulet to his friends Matt and Rachel. They discover that the amulet will grant any wish thought or spoken by the one who holds it. They also discover that an evil sorcerer is imprisoned in the amulet, and will be released if anyone uses it to make three wishes. They also discover that their enemy Ungricht wants the amulet. Alex, Matt, and Rachel have to escape Ungricht and find a way to destroy the amulet without releasing the sorcerer. This thrilling book will be enjoyed by all readers who liked the first two Mummy Chronicles books.

Twelve-year-old Alex O'Connell, the son of Rick and Evelyn from the movie The Mummy, who are now married, is living in Egypt in the year 1937. He wants to grow up and be a member of Medjai, who work to keep the dark forces from being reawakened. But before he can be a Medjai, he must prove himself. When he notices some shifty-looking Nazi soldiers, he decides to follow them to discover what they are up to. What he discovers blows him away. The Germans have made a deal with the Scorpion King - the evil creature Alex thought his father destroyed for good four years ago. In exchange for a human soul, the Scorpion King's master, Anubis - the God of the Dead - will allow the Nazis to rule to world for a thousand years. Now, it's up to Alex, along with a girl named Rachel who has her own reasons for hating the Nazis, to stop this evil bargain before it's too late. This was a thrilling read for fans of the movie The Mummy and was based on characters from the soon-to-be released movie sequel titled The Mummy Returns.

I have had this book on my bookshelf for years, and occasionally go back to it to re-read. It is a well written fantasy full of characters with depth to them. It portrays Neanderthals in a new and interesting way. It runs the gammut of human emotions and motivations. I recommend this book to all.

An excellent read: Flowing, Realistic, Exciting. A must read for anyone.

The year is 1937, and twelve-year-old Alex O'Connell and his parents have returned to London now that his mother has accepted a teaching position at Bembridge. He longs for sunny Egypt, and for the friends he left behind there - although not for the life-threatening adventures he had fighting mummies and other evil creatures. When his parents are asked to lead an expedition to Egypt in order to stop Italian and German soldiers from ransacking Cleopatra's newly discovered tomb, Alex jumps at the chance to come along - but is disappointed when he is ordered to stay at the British Embassy in Cairo while his parents get to travel to the tomb and have all the adventures. Alex is reunited with his friends - Matt, the son of the British ambassador, and Rachel, a Jewish girl who fled Nazi Germany with her father. The three kids discover information that they must get to their parents - but will three kids be able to face the burning desert, Italian soldiers, their old enemy Ungricht, and a score of mummies? I reccomend this book to fans of the two Mummy movies, and to those readers who enjoyed the first Mummy Chronicles book.

Obi-wan Kenobi was considered a clumsy. For me this little childs ready is the beginning of the pre-quel trilogy era. The Jedi Knights are in yodas care. Young obi-wan needs to be selected as a padawan. After some disappointment, he is selected by Qui-Gon Ginn, the rest is Expanded Universe history. Dave Wolverton also wrote my favorite SW novel, courtship of Princess Leia. My 3 star rating is my review for adults, to indicate that I think they will enjoy this little book. My rating for the those 8 to 14 is 4 stars. It is a book worth reading.

Great insights into the training of a Jedi. My favorite parts are learning about the beginings of Obi-Wan Jedi carreer and his training. Being of the old Star Wars school, Qui-Gon Jinn is not as interesting to me as Obi-Wan.

The only problem I have with this book is the price. I didn't realize just how short it was. It took me just an evening to finish. I also had the next book and read it the next night. It seems that these books should have been put together into a much larger book. I felt a little ripped off. I'm going to get the rest of the series from the library:o)

I liked cause it tells how Qui-Gon and Obi Wan came together. It was very hard for me to stop reading the book to do other stuff. It shows real passion,life, and fellings. If you like star wars, you'll like this one about the young jedi, Obi Wan.

Jayme Blaschke's short story Cyclops in B Minor, appearing in this 1998 edition, is probably one of the best modern fantasy stories I've ever read. This book is a collection of very talented young writers. Get this book for a sneak peak at the future of the genre.

I love short story anthologies and this is a book packed with good stories. from "Blade of the Bunny" to a thought provoking "The Price of Tea in China" every story is a must read. The tales are mixed with thoughtful tips and hints for new writers and the whole book makes a worthwhile text for anyone trying their hand at writing.

Okay, I admit I'm biased, since my story "Cyclops In B Minor" is one of the stories contained in this volume. But you're not likely to find a more enjoyable anthology this year. This one's got everything: Hard SF, Urban Fantasy, Space Opera... It just doesn't get any better.

As I read this book I noticed that I couldn't get some of the beginning of the book without reading the first 2 books of its series, but this may be the reason that this book was boring in the beginning. The beginning is boring because it is just talking about how Gallen, Maggie, Orick, and Tallea land on the planet ruin and get picked up by King Felphs who is the King of the planet and they just get introduced to other people and learn about things that happened in the past and a lot of other things. But as you progress through the book it gets fun and exciting because of what happens through the Tangles and how certain actions at the end happens. So overall I would say this was a pretty good book and I would recommend this book to all readers, but especially patient ones.

A wonderful book, great to end the trilogy, very creative. I loved the concept of the cloning and the waters of strength. Excellent descriptionsduring Gallen and Maggie getting slaughtered by the Dronon. I like how they go back to Tremonthin and settle down for a normal life. The very end is a little weird, I mean, I understand the waters of strength, but, Gallen dieing becuase of a tree? After all that?? To me, that caused it to lose the perfect score.

Dave Wolverton has done it again. Following in the tradition of the two earlier books in this series (The Golden Queen, Beyond the Gate), Wolverton is able to write one heck of a story. I suspect this trilogy is destined for superstardom in the annals of science fiction. The characters are well formed and consistent, with surprise after surprise leading you on to the incredible ending. A must read for any science fiction reader. It is the gifted writing of authors like Wolverton that has ressurected science fiction as a true art form.

I enjoyed this middle novel in the Golden Queen trilogy. It has doesn't have quite the same wide scope as the other two books, but is fun to read. I sometimes got lost in the ethical discussions. But the story is fast paced and intriguing and the characters ring true to what Wolverton had set up in the first novel. I highly recommend it!

I just finish reading Beyond the Gate, today, and boy was was I amazed! The excitement, and action-packed adventure is still there! This time Gallen O'Day, his girlfriend, now wife, Maggie Flynn, and there very good friend Orrick the talking bear, are on a journey to Tremonthin, a very distant planet to help a Tharrin woman, Ceravenne. Gallen, Maggie, Orrick and their new friend Tallea, as well as Ceravenne, set out to do go, and have a hell of a time getting to their distination. If you've read the first book, The Golden Queen, then I recommend that you read Beyond the Gate, cause it's just as exciting, with alittle romance thrown into it. Enjoy!!