Fantasy and Science Fiction Audio Books
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| | (Single books On Sale For up to 60% -OFF MSRP) | | AUTHOR | TITLE | Unabr | SALE | New | Media |
| BOX 24 |
| DOUGLAS ADAMS | DIRK GENTLY's HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY -
There is a long tradition of Great Detectives, and Dirk Gently does not belong to it. But his search for a missing cat uncovers a ghost, a time traveler, AND the devastating secret of humankind! Detective Gently's bill for saving the human race from extinction: NO CHARGE.
Douglas Adams is the inspired maniac who created the BBC's cult classic "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and who wrote many of the wittiest episodes of "Dr. Who." In this hilarious novel, he continues the same combination of satire, pure silliness, paradox and ersatz New Age cosmology. As a reader, he benefits from a pleasant, expressive voice and an authentic appreciation of the author's (i.e., his own) overtones. Most listeners will forgive his lack of comic timing, which derails some of his jokes, for the ones that survive will delight the silly savants for whom he writes.
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(4T,6H) | $ | No | T |
| DOUGLAS ADAMS | THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY -
Join Douglas Adams's hapless hero Arthur Dent as he travels the galaxy with his intrepid pal Ford Prefect, getting into horrible messes and generally wreaking hilarious havoc. Dent is grabbed from Earth moments before a cosmic construction team obliterates the planet to build a freeway. You'll never read funnier science fiction; Adams is a master of intelligent satire, barbed wit, and comedic dialogue. The Hitchhiker's Guide is rich in comedic detail and thought-provoking situations and stands up to multiple reads. Required reading for science fiction fans, this book (and its follow-ups) is also sure to please fans of Monty Python, Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, and British sitcoms. | Y
(4T, 6Hrs) | $ | No | T |
| DOUGLAS ADAMS | THE RESTAURANT AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE -
Warning! This second volume in the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series is definitely not a standalone book. Enjoying, or even understanding, the continuing adventures of Earthling Arthur Dent, his strange pal Ford Prefect, and the very, very odd Zaphod Beeblebrox requires previous study and preparation. Confusion and possible insanity awaits the poor soul who tries to figure out the second title without having read the first. Arthur and Ford, having survived the destruction of Earth by surreptitiously hitching a ride on a Vogon constructor ship, have been kicked off that ship by its commander. Now they find themselves aboard a stolen Improbability Drive ship commanded by Beeblebrox, ex-president of the Imperial Galactic Government and full-time thief. Narrated by Adams, this production is a treat for fans of the late author and others who enjoy British comedy. Be sure to buy all five parts of the "Hitchhiker" series or your patrons will storm your office. | Y
(4T,6H) | $ | No | T |
| DOUGLAS ADAMS | LIFE, THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING -
Reluctant space traveler Arthur Dent finds himself drawn into a race to save the universe from the people of Krikkit, who, upon discovering that they're not alone in the universe, set out to destroy it. Join Arthur Dent, earthling, "jerk", kneebiter and time-traveler; sexy space cadet Trillian; mad alien Ford Prefect; unflappable Slartibartfast; two-headed, three-armed ex-head Honcho of the Universe Zaphod Beeblebrox... and learn to fly. Is it the end? With Douglas Adams it's always up in the air! --
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| DOUGLAS ADAMS | MOSTLY HARMLESS -
Douglas Adams is back with the amazing, logic-defying, but-why-stop-now fifth novel in the Hitchhiker Trilogy. Here is the epic story of Random, who sets out on a transgalactic quest to find the planet of her ancestors. Ford Prefect of the planet Betelgeuse relies on serendipity and his own quick wits to protect a new edition of the Hitchhiker's Guide from the loathsome Vogons.
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| DOUGLAS ADAMS | SO LONG, AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH -
Back on Earth with nothing more to show for his long, strange trip through time and space than a ratty towel and a plastic shopping bag, Arthur Dent is ready to believe that the past eight years were all just a figment of his stressed-out imagination. But a gift-wrapped fishbowl with a cryptic inscription, the mysterious disappearance of Earth's dolphins, and the discovery of his battered copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy all conspire to give Arthur the sneaking suspicion that something otherworldly is indeed going on. . . .
God only knows what it all means. And fortunately, He left behind a Final Message of explanation. But since it's light-years away from Earth, on a star surrounded by souvenir booths, finding out what it is will mean hitching a ride to the far reaches of space aboard a UFO with a giant robot. But what else is new?
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(4T,6H) | $ | No | T |
| HERBERT ANDERSON | DUNE HOUSE ATREIDES (Dune: House Trilogy, Book 1) -
Acclaimed SF novelist Brian Herbert is the son of Dune author Frank Herbert. With his father, Brian wrote Man of Two Worlds and later edited The Notebooks of Frank Herbert's Dune. Kevin J. Anderson has written many bestsellers, alternating original SF with novels set in the X-Files and Star Wars universes. Together they bring personal commitment and a lifelong knowledge of the Dune Chronicles to this ambitious expansion of a series that transformed SF itself. Dune: House Atreides chronicles the early life of Leto Atreides, prince of a minor House in the galactic Imperium. Leto comes to confront the realities of power when House Vernius is betrayed in an imperial plot involving a quest for an artificial substitute to melange, a substance vital to interstellar trade that is found only on the planet Dune. Meanwhile, House Harkonnen schemes to bring Leto into conflict with the Tleilax, and the Bene Gesserit manipulate Baron Harkonnen as part of a plan stretching back 100 generations. In the Imperial palace, treason is afoot, and on Dune itself, planetologist Pardot Kynes embarks on a secret project to transform the desert world into a paradise.
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| ISAAC ASIMOV | SCI FI PRIVATE EYE -
Isaac Asimov, the modern master of science fiction and fact, and Martin H. Greenberg, a leading anthologist of our time, team together to produce an unprecedented collection of science fiction audio books. This landmark series presents their favorite private detective stories from Asimov's private library, with a personal introduction read by the master himself. Among the classics in this collection are The Adventure of the Metal Murderer by Fred Saberhagen; Mouthpiece by Edward Wellen, and Getting Across by Robert Silverberg.
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| JEAN M. AUEL | THE CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR -
Clan, the first of The Earth's Children series, begins the story Ayla. At age 5, she is reluctantly adopted by a tribe of Neanderthals after her parents die in an earthquake. Adapting to life in the Clan is difficult because her mental and physical acuity are profoundly disparate from those of the Neanderthals - the average Clan member could almost throw a boulder, but could barely think their way out of a cave. Though it doesn't take Ayla long to adopt their sign-language (for the Neanderthals were not capable of speech), their customs, as well as their deeply superstitious lifestyle, it takes years for the tribe to accept Ayla as more than simply an oddity. Iza, the medicine woman, and Creb, the shaman, are the only Clan members who ever truly embrace Ayla as one of their own - and through years of their training, Ayla finally earns respect as she becomes the tribe's new healer. Despite her status in the Clan, Ayla was still a female, which equaled third class citizenship, and meant that she was expected to submit quietly to anything a male Clan member wanted of her - including sex. After one such incident, Ayla gives birth, but is forced to give up her child after she is banished forever from the Clan for breaking a taboo. Now, at age 15, Ayla is completely alone and is considered dead to her Clan, only family she has ever known. She knows the only choice she has is to venture out on her own to find others like herself.
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(14T,21H) | $ | No | T |
| JEAN M. AUEL | THE MAMMOTH HUNTERS -
The third in the Earth's Children Series, The Mammoth Hunters picksup where Valley of Horses left off; Ayla and Jondolar setting outon their journey to find others. Utilizing their combined acumen and hunting skills, they wend their way across the plains of the sparsely populated steppes and valleys of prehistoric Europe. In relying on each other for survival, Ayla and Jondolar develop a tight bond and grow to love each other more every day. Eventually they encounter the Mamutoi tribe, who call themselves the "The Mammoth Hunters". Ayla's interactions with this tribe reveal even more depth to her abilities; she teaches them hunting and medicinal skills, clan language, uses for herbs and plans, and invents many things, including the first sewing needle (one stretch of many that Auel asks us to accept). Ayla's skills greatly augment the life of the Mamutoi, and because of this she is soon adopted as a tribe member herself. Despite this, however, life is not grand for Ayla - a rift in her relationship with Jondolar forms when an intriguing black Mamutoi man, Ranec, vies for her love. Jondolar becomes insanely jealous, but does not fight for her because he knows that the final decision is Ayla's. Broken hearts abound from lack of communication - but in the end love prevails.
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(17T,26H) | $ | No | T |
| JEAN M. AUEL | THE PLAINS OF PASSAGE -
Ayla and Jondalar set out on horseback across the windswept grasslands of Ice Age Europe. To the hunter gatherers of their world, who have never seen tame animals, Ayla and Jondalar appear enigmatic and frightening. The mystery surrounding the woman, who speaks with a strange accent and talks to animals with their own sounds, is heightened by her control of a large, menacing wolf. The tall yellow-haired man who rides by her side is also held in awe, not only for the magnificent stallion he commands, but for his skill as an artifier of stone tools, and for the new weapon he devises that makes hunting less perilous. In the course of their cross-continental odyssey, Ayla and Jondalar encounter both savage enemies and brave friends. Together they learn that the vast and unknown world can be difficult and dangerous, but brathtakingly beautiful and enlightening as well. Fourth in the series.
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(24T,34H) | $ | No | T |
| BAYER & TENEAU | THE SECRETS OF DOMINION -
This science fiction radio drama is sure to delight fans of space opera. The evil forces of Dominion have taken over Earth and its galaxy. Rebel forces struggle to defend and preserve their planet Cygnus III and its few unconquered settlements. Reminiscent of the Star Wars series, the program draws on 2001: A Space Odyssey, as well. The best part of the program is its production. The cast of actors could have had more depth, but the sound and special effects are great. The clarity of sound, unusual dimensional qualities and subtle sound effects are a treat for listeners.
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| BEN BOVA | CITY OF DARKNESS -
He's passed his college entrance exams with flying colors. He can do pretty much whatever he wants. But what teenager Ron Morgan wants most is for his father to quit telling him what to do. Quit running his life. What better way to unwind than having a last blowout on Labor Day in the domed playground of Fun City: Manhattan.
Inside the dome, however, Ron loses his wallet and identity card. Worse, he's trapped when the dome closes for the season. There's no way out. Gangs roam the street. Food is scarce. Ron is on his own. All Ron wanted was some fun. He'll be lucky to escape New York alive....
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| BEN BOVA | PEACEKEEPERS -
Cole Alexander's search for the international renegade who murdered his family forms the core of this fast-paced chronicle of a very special group of elite soldiers. Satellite warfare, guerrilla action and undercover operations highlight this action-packed adventure by the author of The Kinsman Saga . Recommended where military sf is popular. JC
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.--
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| BEN BOVA | RETURN TO MARS -
In Return to Mars, Waterman is headed back to the Red Planet, this time in charge of an expedition that hopes not only to study Martian life but also to prove that exploring Mars can be profitable. Waterman also wants to revisit a part of the canyon where he thought he spotted a primitive cliff dwelling during the first Martian mission. The second voyage to Mars runs into trouble right away, however, as Waterman clashes with Dex Trumball, the son of a billionaire who's backing the expedition. Dex wants to turn Mars into a tourist attraction, while Waterman wants to preserve the planet for scientific research. Both men are also attracted to the expedition's beautiful psychologist, Vijay Shektar, who can't seem to decide which of the two she likes best. As if that weren't enough, one of the Mars team may be trying to sabotage the mission, while back home the elder Trumball is pulling strings in order to force Waterman to step down as the expedition's leader.
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| MARION ZIMMER BRADLEY | PRIESTESS OF AVALON -
Priestess of Avalon tells the timeless story of Eilan-known to the Romans as Helena-a British princess raised on the holy isle of Avalon as she grows from maiden to mother to wise woman. It is Helena's destiny-at a crucial turning point in Western history-to bridge the pagan world of the goddess and the new Christian empire founded by her own son, Constantine. When Helena embarks on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land she will find the intrinsic truth that transcends both the old religion and the new.
The legions of fans who cherish The Mists of Avalon will find its promise brought to rich fulfillment
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| MARION ZIMMER BRADLEY | THE MISTS OF AVALON -
Even readers who don't normally enjoy Arthurian legends will love this version, a retelling from the point of view of the women behind the throne. Morgaine (more commonly known as Morgan Le Fay) and Gwenhwyfar (a Welsh spelling of Guinevere) struggle for power, using Arthur as a way to score points and promote their respective worldviews. The Mists of Avalon's Camelot politics and intrigue take place at a time when Christianity is taking over the island-nation of Britain; Christianity vs. Faery, and God vs. Goddess are dominant themes.
Young and old alike will enjoy this magical Arthurian reinvention.
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| TERRY BROOKS | A KNIGHT OF THE WORD -
Eight centuries ago the first Knight of the Word was commissioned to combat the demonic evil of the Void. Now that daunting legacy has passed to John Ross -- along with powerful magic and the knowledge that his actions are all that stand between a living hell and humanity's future.
Then, after decades of service to the Word, an unspeakable act of violence shatters John Ross's weary faith. Haunted by guilt, he turns his back on his dread gift, settling down to build a normal life, untroubled by demons and nightmares.
But a fallen Knight makes a tempting prize for the Void, which could bend the Knight's magic to its own evil ends. And once the demons on Ross's trail track him to Seattle, neither he nor anyone close to him will be safe. His only hope is Nest Freemark, a college student who wields an extraordinary magic all her own. Five years earlier, Ross had aided Nest when the future of humanity rested upon her choice between Word and Void. Now Nest must return the favor. She must restore Ross's faith, or his life -- and hers -- will be forfeit...
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| TERRY BROOKS | ANGEL FIRE EAST -
Angel Fire East marks the close of Terry Brooks's Nest Freemark-John Ross saga, which began with 1997's Running with the Demon. After a long layover in Seattle for the middle book, Knight of the Word, the fantasy-meets-modernity action returns to Nest's native Hopewell, where once again Nest and John must face off against the Void, this time in the form of ancient demon Findo Gask, who favors a black-clad evil preacher getup for his menacing needs.
Brooks's well-realized and likable cast from the previous books is back, from Nest (now 29) to Ross (haggard as ever) to Pick (still just a few inches tall) and even grown-up versions of Nest's childhood friends from Running, including Bennett, now a junkie with child. Of course, Findo Gask has assembled a creepy little Legion of Doom to harry these nice folks: a giant albino demon; a formless, flesh-eating ur'droch; and a knife-wielding Orphan-Annie-gone-bad named Penny Dreadful. And Angel Fire's main plot thread is even compelling: John Ross has caught a shape-changing, wild-magic creature of enormous power, a gypsy morph, that he and Nest must discover how to turn to the Word before Gask and his crew can capture it for the Void.
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| TERRY BROOKS | RUNNING WITH THE DEMON -
Terry Brooks's Running with the Demon is billed as "A Novel of Good and Evil," but he could've called it "A Novel of Here and Now." The fantasy master behind the Shannara series switches his focus from neo-Tolkien jungles to the woebegone steel town of Hopewell, Illinois. Though Illinois teenager Nest Freemark (where does he get these names?) looks like your average kid, she spends her free time in the woods asking her 6-inch pal Pick for advice in dodging the Demon and his creepy Feeders, spirits who gobble the souls of humans. Nest is also being tailed by John Ross, a shining Knight of the Word who wants to keep her from the Feeders' jaws.
Meanwhile, in the real world that dominates the novel, Nest Freemark is being stalked by a handsome, evil classmate who she has rejected, and a pack of surly, insurgent striking steelworkers plot a bombing at the company's Fourth of July picnic. The boy and the bombers are unaware that they're being subconsciously manipulated by the Demon.
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| TERRY BROOKS | STAR WARS EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace
When casting about for an author to novelize the script for The Phantom Menace--the first in a series of three prequels to the eternally popular Star Wars saga--it's no surprise that creator George Lucas called on Terry Brooks to novelize the biggest science fiction movie of all time. After all, Brooks is a perennially bestselling epic fantasy author whose Sword of Shannara is a classic adventure story, not far removed from the swashbuckling exploits of our favorite Star Wars heroes.
Brooks handles the job of modern mythmaker well. He deftly juggles a hodgepodge of characters: a young stately queen (Amidala) and her handmaidens; a pair of Jedi knights (Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn); a bumbling amphibious sidekick (Jar Jar Binks); two Sith Lords (Darths Maul and Sidious) who add more than enough menace to the mix; a couple of familiar robots (C-3P0 and R2-D2); a teeming host of Senators, Chancellors, diplomats, warrior droids, and spies; and one young slave boy who aspires to be a Jedi knight (Anakin Skywalker). With cinematic prose, Brooks brings to life a number of epic battles, skirmishes, and dogfights in space--all the elements that we've come to expect from a rousing Star Wars installment. The Phantom Menace doesn't stray far from those expectations: there is a clear division between the good guys and the bad; good things come in small (and surprising) packages; and heroes lose battles only to emerge victorious on another day. But Phantom does illuminate in ways the other installments didn't. For the first time, we get a glimpse at the whys and wherefores behind the curtain; at times the book reads almost like a sociopolitical thriller as the emerging Federation shuffles for power with the waning democracy of the Republic. The Force is also further illuminated. Turns out it has something to do with "midi-chlorians"--microscopic life forms that live in the cells of all creatures.
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| TERRY BROOKS | THE HERITAGE OF SHANNARA volume's 1-4 -
Terry Brooks made a departure from his previous efforts when he wrote "The Heritage of Shannara," a second grouping of Shannara novels. Although Brooks’ previous novels were all stand-alone books, these four books were meant to be a series (maybe originally a trilogy). Since he now has 1600 pages instead of 400 to tell the story, the plot is much broader, involving quite a bit more action than the previous stories. Although Brooks broadens his scope, he didn’t fall into the "Robert Jordan trap" of creating an overly complex story that requires a glossary and frequent trips back to previous volumes to follow. The world of the four lands is primarily as it was in the first three Shannara novels. Brooks just has more time for character development and action sequences. The books form a solid, engrossing plot line. The characters in this series all have flaws and are plagued by self-doubts about their abilities. Wren doesn’t feel she has any magic at all – just painted rocks made as symbols of the Elfstones that were long since lost. Par struggles to understand what the Wishsong can do. Walker Boh possesses the most tangible magic, but is uncertain whether he can employ it after his spirit is severely damaged in his initial attempt to fulfill his part of the quest. The reader ends up rooting for the main characters because they have human failings with which we can empathize.
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| TERRY BROOKS | THE ELFSTONES OF SHANNARA -
The second volume of Terry Brooks's Shannara trilogy tells the tale of Wil Ohmsford, who, with his magical and powerful Elfstones, must protect an elf named Amberle as she takes a seed from a magical tree to a place where it can grow. Malevolent forces bar the way. Charles Keating lends his voice to this Tolkienesque fantasy, an excellent match between reader and material. At six hours in length, this abridgment is satisfying--with a fast-moving story and clear delivery.
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| TERRY BROOKS | THE SWORD OF SHANNARA -
The seminal tale of Brooks's successful fantasy series, THE SWORD is a captivating listen aided in large part by Theodore Bikel. Brooks's tale is well crafted and often gripping, as long as you don't mind the blatant Tolkien influence. Story line, characters, and the battle between good and evil are all similar, but the author's gift of clear writing and the reader's ample vocal gifts combine to create an audiobook you may want to keep in your library. As a modern fairy story, SHANNARA works admirably. | N
(2T, 3H) | $ | No | T |
| ORSON SCOTT CARD | ENDER'S SHADOW -
With all the power of his original creation, Card has created a parallel volume to Ender's Game, a book that expands and compliments the first, enhancing its power, illuminating its events and its powerful conclusion.
The human race is at War with the "Buggers", an insect-like alien race. The first battles went badly, and now as Earth prepares to defend itself against the imminent threat of total destruction at the hands of an inscrutable alien enemy, all focus is on the development and training of military geniuses who can fight such a war, and win.
The long distances of interstellar space have given hope to the defenders of Earth--they have time to train these future commanders up from childhood, forging then into an irresisible force in the high orbital facility called the Battle School. Andrew "Ender" Wiggin was not the only child in the Battle School; he was just the best of the best. In this new book, card tells the story of another of those precocious generals.
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| ORSON SCOTT CARD | ENCHANTMENT -
The story of a Ukraine-born, American grad student who finds himself transported to the ninth century to play the prince in a Russian version of Sleeping Beauty. Early in the story, he muses that in a French or English retelling of the tale, the prince and princess would live happily ever after. But, "only a fool would want to live through the Russian version of any fairy tale."
Although his fears turn out to be warranted, as he and his cursed princess contend with the diabolical witch Baba Yaga--easily Russia's best pre-Khrushchev villain--to save the princess's kingdom, Enchantment is ultimately a sweet story. Mixing magic and modernity, the acclaimed Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game) has woven threads of history, religion, and myth together into a convincing, time-hopping tale that is part love story, part adventure. Enchantment's heroes, "Prince" Ivan and Princess Katerina, must deal with cross-cultural mores, ancient gods, treacherous kinsmen (and fianceés), and ultimately Baba Yaga herself.
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| ORSON SCOTT CARD | HEARTFIRE -
This is the fifth novel in Orson Scott Card's popular Alvin the Maker series, based on an alternate America where some people are born with knacks, which resemble magical abilities. The protagonist of the series, Alvin, is a maker who not only can fix things (such as restoring a wounded bird to health with his doodlebug) but is also something of a natural leader. Alvin and his small band of followers are on a quest to build the Crystal City, a place where those who have knacks can live in safety from the people who sometimes burn them as witches. While Alvin visits the nearly holy province of New England to find out just how cities work, his wife Margaret, traveling under the name Peggy, journeys to the kingdom of Camelot, which was formerly known as Charleston, South Carolina. There she hopes to persuade the exiled King Arthur to help her abolish the practice of slavery.
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| ORSON SCOTT CARD | RED PROPHET -
Card's fantasy series, "Tales of Alvin Maker," got off to a delightful bang with Seventh Son, which introduced an alternate early America where folk magics such as healing and dowsing really work. A nation still inchoate, its independent states are a crazy quilt, some rebellious while others remain loyal to a variety of European countries, some repressive while others grant native American Indians citizenship. This second volume finds an exiled Napoleon in Detroit, dreaming of empire and glory while Governor William Henry Harrison is plotting his own future on the graves of red Americans. Between these forces are the native followers of two brothers, the warrior Ta-Kumsaw and the pacifist prophet of the title, Tenskwa-Tawa.
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| ORSON SCOTT CARD | SEVENTH SON -
From the author of Ender’s Game, an unforgettable story about young Alvin Maker: the seventh son of a seventh son. Born into an alternative frontier America where life is hard and folk magic is real, Alvin is gifted with the power. He must learn to use his gift wisely. But dark forces are arrayed against Alvin, and only a young girl with second sight can protect him.
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| ARTHUR C. CLARKE | 3001 THE FINAL ODYSSEY -
It began four million years ago when a gleaming black monolith cast its shadow on the stark African savanna *an inexplicable apparition that ignited the spark of human consciousness, transforming ape into man. It continued at the dawn of the 21st century when an identical black monolith was excavated on the moon *propelling Dave Bowman and his deputy Frank Poole on a mission to Jupiter that ended in the mutiny of the supercomputer HAL. Only Dave Bowman would survive to encounter a third, and far more massive monolith on Jupiter's moon Europa *and be forever transformed into the star child.
In 3001: The Final Odyssey, Arthur C. Clarke brings the greatest and most successful science fiction series of all time to its magnificent, stunningly unforeseen conclusion. As we hurtle toward the new millennium in real time, Clarke brilliantly, daringly leaps one thousand years into the future to reveal a truth we are only now capable of comprehending. An epic masterpiece at once dazzlingly imaginative and grounded in scientific actuality, 3001 is a story that only Arthur C. Clarke could tell.
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| MICHAEL CRICHTON | JURASSIC PARK -
An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Creatures once extinct now roam Jurassic Park, soon-to-be opened as a theme park. Until something goes wrong...and science proves a dangerous toy....
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| MICHAEL CRICHTON | THE LOST WORLD -
Written in the wake of Jurassic Park's phenomenal box-office success, The Lost World seems as much a guidebook for Hollywood types hard at work on the franchise's followup as it is a legitimate sci-fi thriller. Which begs the inevitable questions: Is the plot a rehash of the first book? Sure it is, with the action unfolding on yet another secluded island, the mysterious "Site B." Is the cast of characters basically the same? Absolutely, from a freshly minted pair of cute, compu-savvy kids right down to the neatly exhumed chaos theorist Ian Malcolm (who was presumed dead at the close of JP). But is it fun to read? You betcha.
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| MICHAEL CRICHTON | SPHERE -
"A page-turner ... A group of American scientists are rushed to a huge vessel that has been discovered resting on the ocean floor in the middle of the South Pacific. What they find defines their imaginations and mocks their attempts at logical explanation. It is a spaceship of phenomenal dimensions, apparently, undamaged by its fall from the sky. And, most startling, it appears to be at least three hundred years old....
"The suspense is real." THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
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| DAVID EDDINGS | DOMES OF FIRE -
Danger stalked Queen Ehlana's realm. When an ambasador from the far-off Tamul Empire begged for help, Sparhawk, Ehlana's champion and Prince Consort, was the Emperor's last hope. For surely the knight who had killed the evil God Azash could prevail against the terror in Tamul. But waiting for him was a glittering court seething with corruption, treachery--and the greatest danger Sparhawk would ever face!
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| NEIL GAIMAN | NEVERWHERE -
Richard Mayhew is a young businessman with a good heart and a dull job. When he stops one day to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London sidewalk, his life is forever altered, for he finds himself propelled into an alternate reality that exists in a subterranean labyrinth of sewer canals and abandoned subway stations below the city. He has fallen through the cracks of reality and has landed somewhere different, somewhere that is Neverwhere.
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| WILLIAM GIBSON | VIRTUAL LIGHT -
2005: Welcome to NoCal and SoCal, the uneasy sister-states of what used to be California. Here the millenium has come and gone, leaving in its wake only stunned survivors. In Los Angeles, Berry Rydell is a former armed-response rentacop now working for a bounty hunter. Chevette Washington is a bicycle messenger turned pickpocket who impulsively snatches a pair of innocent-looking sunglasses. But these are no ordinary shades. What you can see through these high-tech specs can make you rich--or get you killed. Now Berry and Chevette are on the run, zeroing in on the digitalized heart of DatAmerica, where pure information is the greatest high. And a mind can be a terrible thing to crash...
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| L. RON HUBBARD | A VERY STRANGE TRIP -
Caught by police with moonshine in the trunk of his uncle's car, Everett Dumphee is faced with the decision to spend ten years in prison or enlist in the United States Army. He opts for what he thinks is freedom - a hitch in the Army.
Due to beaurocratic negligence, Dumphee - incorrectly labeled as the fastest bootleg driver in West Virginia - is issued the occupational specialty designation of Expert Truck Driver. Subsequently, he is selected for a top-secret assignment in an newly designed and state-of-the-art All Terain Vehicle.
While transporting a contraband Russian time machine and developmental weaponry from Trenton Arsenal in New Jersey to the Experimental Weapons Battalion in Denver, Colorado, Dumphee finds himself cast into new settings when the device suddenly activates. What follows are fantastic high-tech experiences that might be called the ultimate off-road adventure.
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(4T,4H) | $ | No | T |
| ROBERT JORDAN | THE GREAT HUNT (Wheel Of Time, Volume 2) -
The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow. For centuries, gleemen have told of The Great Hunt of the Horn. Now the Horn itself is found: the Horn of Valere long thought only legend, the Horn which will raise the dead heroes of the ages.
And it is stolen.
| N
(2T,3H)
| $ | No | T |
| ROBERT JORDAN | THE DRAGON REBORN (Wheel Of Time, Volume 3) -
Three thousand years ago the Dragon led the male mages of the world into entrapping the Dark One, but the cost was high: all male mages, then and thereafter, were driven mad. Now the Dark One is breaking free, and the only salvation may come through Rand al'Thor who may be a reincarnation of the Dragon and who must obtain the sword Callandor, held in the city of Tear. All of Rand's companions from the previous books find themselves, willing or not, moving toward Tear for a confrontation with evil traps.
| N
(2T,3H) | $ | No | T |
| ROBERT JORDAN | THE FIRES OF HEAVEN (Wheel Of Time, Volume 5) -
Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, continues his effort to unify the diverse people of a discordant world against the Dark One in this fifth tome of the Wheel of Time series (begun with The Eye of the World ). While the Aes Sedai, women who channel the One Power, and the Forsaken, ancient disciples of the Dark One, strive to bend him to their purposes, Rand leads the clans of the Aiel in a war of unification. Rand must try to master his powers as a man who can channel, while eluding the concomitant madness, as two groups of women attempt to come to his aid. His love, Elayne, Daughter-Heir of Andor, and Nynaeve, both Aes Sedai in training, join a circus to evade an angry sisterhood, and Siuan Sanche, former leader of the Aes Sedai now stripped of her powers, and two companions seek other rebels in an attempt to avert the final doom. Jordan deftly weaves details from previous books into this narrative and includes a glossary so that new readers can pick up the saga at this point. But all should beware: the few months covered here suggest it may be years and many more volumes before this series reaches its conclusion.
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(2T,3H) | $ | No | T |
| ROBERT JORDAN | A CROWN OF SWORDS (Wheel Of Time, Volume 7) -
The series chronicles a battle between elemental forces of good and evil. On the evil side is the Dark One, a Satan-like figure who has been imprisoned for many centuries but whose prison is now weakening. On the good corner is Rand al'Thor, a young farmer from a backwater town who turns out to be the reincarnation of the man who led the forces to imprison the Dark One. Rand al'Thor, along with many other people, is able to channel the "One Power," a force akin to magic which allows him to accomplish a variety of feats.
Unfortunately when the Dark One was imprisoned, in his last strike against mankind, he polluted the male half of the One Power. Thus, any men who use the Power -- Rand included -- are destined to go insane.
The Dark One, despite being imprisoned, can still communicate with people who visit him. All of this adds up to a difficult life for Rand, who must work against not only the Dark One and his minions, but many well-meaning but misguided regular people.
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(4T,6H) | $ | No | T |
| ROBERT JORDAN | THE PATH OF DAGGERS (Wheel Of Time, Volume 8) -
The Seanchan invasion force is in possession of Ebou Dar. Nynaeve, Elayne, and Aviendha head for Caemlyn and Elayne's rightful throne, but on the way they discover an enemy much worse than the Seanchan. In Illian, Rand vows to throw the Seanchan back as he did once before. But signs of madness appearing among the Asha'man lead him to a fateful-perhaps fatal-decision. In Ghealdan, Perrin faces the intrigues of Whitecloaks, Seanchan invaders, the scattered Shaido Aiel, and the Prophet himself. Perrin's beloved wife, Faile, may pay with her life, and Perrin himself may have to destroy his soul to save her. Meanwhile the rebel Aes Sedai under their young Amyrlin, Egwene al'Vere, face an army that intends to keep them away from the White Tower. But Egwene is determined to unseat the usurper Elaida and reunite the Aes Sedai. She does not yet understand the price that others-and she herself-will pay.
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(8T,12H) | $ | No | T |
| ROBERT JORDAN | THE SHADOW RISING (Wheel Of Time, Volume 4) -
The seals of Shayol Ghul are weak now, and the Dark One reaches out. The Shadow is rising to cover humankind. In Tar Valon, Min sees portents of hideous doom. Will the White Tower itself be broken?
In the Two Rivers, the Whitecloaks ride in pursuit of a man with golden eyes, and in pursuit of the Dragon Reborn.
In Cantorin, among the Sea Folk, High Lady Suroth plans the return of the Seanchan armies to the mainland.
In the Stone of Tear, the Lord Dragon considers his next move. It will be something no one expects, not the Black Ajah, not Tairen nobles, not Aes Sedai, not Egwene or Elayne or Nynaeve.
Against the Shadow rising stands the Dragon Reborn.....
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(2T,3H) | $ | No | T |
| ROBERT JORDAN | WINTER'S HEART (Wheel Of Time, Volume 9) -
The world of Wheel of Time is one of queens and kings, nations and wars, and the One Power. Aes Sedai (women who can tap into the female half of the One Power, called saider) rule from the White Tower located in the city of Tar Valon. Even kings and queens are wary of Aes Sedai manipulations. Men who can channel the male half of the One Power (saiden) are feared because of the taint on saiden by the Dark One. They are hunted down by Aes Sedai and cut off from the power to prevent madness and destruction. However, the prophecies say that the seals on the Dark One's prison will weaken, letting him into the world, and a male Aes Sedai, the Dragon Reborn, will face the Dark One again.
Winter's Heart does add a few major plotlines while enhancing the universe of the Wheel of Time. The unnatural summer has ended, bringing winter with its fresh set of problems, plus plenty of fresh activity. Elayne continues her quest for the throne of Andor. Perrin's wife, Faile, is captured by rebel Aiel. After an attempt is made on his life, Rand decides to go on the run to deal with rebel Asha'men. Later, Rand addresses the taint on saiden. Cadsuane tries to help Rand understand his humanity. Mat schemes to get out of Ebou Dar and away from Queen Tylin, receiving help from an unexpected source. A Seanchan princess -- known as Daughter of the Nine Moons -- arrives in Ebou Dar, while the Seanchan capture and consolidate more lands in the west. The Forsaken gather to plot against Rand.
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(18T,27H) | $ | No | T |
| ANNE MCCAFFREY | PEGASUS IN SPACE -
For an overpopulated Earth whose resources are strained to the breaking point, there is only one place to look for relief: straight up. With the successful completion of the Padrugoi Space Station, humanity has at last achieved its first large-scale permanent presence in space. Additional bases are feverishly being built on the Moon and on Mars, stepping stones to the greatest adventure in all history: the colonization of alien worlds. Already long-range telescopes have identified a number of habitable planets orbiting the stars of distant galaxies. Now it's just a question of getting there.
But there are those who, for selfish motives of their own, want Padrugoi and the other outposts to fail. People who will stop at nothing to maintain their power or to revenge its loss. Standing in their way are the Talented, men and women gifted with extraordinary mental powers that have made them as feared as they are respected--and utterly indispensable to the colonization effort.
Now, as sabotage and attempted murder strike the Station, it's up to the Talented to save the day. Only who's going to save the Talented?
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(9T,13H) | $ | No | T |
| ANNE MCCAFFREY | THE GIRL WHO HEARD DRAGONS -
"The Girl Who Heard Dragons" is the story of Aramina, a teenage girl of Pern who hears dragons - a skill which does not seem likely to help solve her family's problems. They are "holdless," and must constantly roam the land, trying to hide from bandits. Aramina's mother fears losing her daughter completely to the life of a dragonrider, but McCaffrey has another fate in mind for her young heroine. | N
(2T,3H) | $ | No | T |
| ANNE MCCAFFREY | THE MASTERHARPER OF PERN -
Set just prior to Dragonflight, Masterharper details the life, loves, and heartbreaks of Robinton, Pern's most beloved harper. Readers follow him through a childhood filled with rejection and neglect by his Mastercomposer father, the loss of his wife, the death of his best friend, to his becoming Masterharper of Pern. This is McCaffrey at her best, combining excellent writing with vivid settings and detailed, fully fleshed-out characters. The book would be best read after Dragonflight (1986) and Dragonquest (1979, both Ballantine), but can stand alone.
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| MCCAFFREY & | POWERS THAT BE -
A frontier society outwits a big, uncaring parent company in this appealing joint venture by McCaffrey ( Damia's Children ) and Scarborough ( The Healer's War ), the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning representatives of two generations of science fiction writers. Major Yanaba Maddock, medically retired with severely damaged lungs after military action aboard a space station, is pressured into acting as a spy by her employer, the sinister Intergal corporation. Colonel Giancarlo, local head of psychological operations, seeks evidence that colonists on the bitterly cold and inhospitable planet Petaybee are abducting company geological survey teams, engaging in illegal genetic engineering and plotting rebellion. Yana finds the locals charming, helpful and uncannily effective as healers; their home remedies salvage her ruined lungs. As the company and its forces move in to quell what they perceive as rebellion, Yana casts her lot with the Petaybeans and geneticist Sean Shongili, the man she has come to love. Perceptive characterizations and a vivid depiction of a nurturing culture integrated with nature make up for the somewhat hackneyed plot.
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(2T,3H) | $ | No | T |
| MCCAFFREY & | THE PETAYBEE TRILOGY -
It seems, at first glance, an impossible task--to create a coherent, involving audiobook out of the abridgment of the three novels in this fantasy trilogy (Powers That Be, Power Lines, and Power Play). But the talents of narrator Marina Sirtis and skillful abridgments do just that. Major Yanaba Maddock is sent to the icy colonized planet of Petaybee to recover from lung damage, the result of a terrorist attack. She finds herself befriending the citizens, who are remarkably in tune with their world, to protect her new home as she learns its remarkable secrets. With graceful, expressive narration, Sirtis creates vocal personalities that flow from a true understanding of the story. Accents convey the Celtic and Inuit heritages of the colonists; intonations capture differences in age and gender. This program truly creates a unique world, which the listener will leave only reluctantly.
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(6T,9H) | $ | No | T |
| MCCAFFREY / MOON | THE PLANET PIRATES -
Traces the careers of two remarkable women. Sassinak escaped from slavery to freedom, and then used that freedom to fight the evil that had wrecked her world, first as a cadet, later as a captain, and finally as an Admiral of the Fleet. Lunzie, one of the galaxy's greatest healers, is Sassinak's great grandmother--but in actual years she is her junior; Lunzie spent nearly a century in coldsleep waiting for rescue when her ship was destroyed. Imagine their mutual surprise when Sassinak rescued her. How together Sassinak and Lunzie save first a world, and then a confederation of worlds--and almost in passing establish amity between the genetically engineered Heavy Worlders and normal reality--is the story of The Planet Pirates.
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(6T,9H) | $ | No | T |
| ANNE MCCAFFREY | THE TOWER AND THE HIVE -
Anne McCaffrey concludes the saga of Angharad Gwyn, the Rowan, her husband Jeff Raven, and their family of powerful telepathically and telekinetically Talented offspring with The Tower and the Hive. ( The first four books in the series are: The Rowan, Damia, Damia's Children, and Lyon's Pride.) As usual, McCaffrey delivers vividly real characters struggling with personal, political, and ethical issues and finding humane solutions.
Federated Teleport and Telepath, dominated by the Gwyn-Raven clan, provides interstellar shipping and communications for the Star League of Humans and Mrdinis--weasel-like aliens. In following the aggressive, ant-like Hivers, whose "spheres" have repeatedly attacked League worlds, naval vessels have discovered many more habitable planets, including some occupied by Hivers. Who will get to colonize these planets, Humans or Mrdinis? Should all Hivers be destroyed, or is there some way to contain them? Where will more Talents to staff the vital Towers come from? And how best to defeat those whose resentment of the Gwyn-Raven family's powers and friendship with Mrdinis could lead to violence?
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(2T,3H) | $ | No | T |
| P.J. O'ROURKE | EAT THE RICH -
A conservative, prosperous, American journalist gadding around the world laughing at all the ways less successful nations screw up their economy--this might not sound like the recipe for a great read, unless you're Rush Limbaugh, but if that journalist is P.J. O'Rourke you can be sure that you'll enjoy the ride even if you don't agree with the politics. Although Eat the Rich is subtitled A Treatise on Economics, O'Rourke spends relatively few pages tackling the complexities of monetary theory. He's much happier when flying from Sweden to Hong Kong to Tanzania to Moscow, gleefully recording every economic goof he can find. When he visits post-Communist Russia and finds a country that is as messed up by capitalism as it was by Communism, O'Rourke mixes jokes about black-market shoes with disturbing insights into a nation on the verge of collapse. P.J. O'Rourke is more than a humorist, he's an experienced international journalist with a lot of frequent-flyer miles, and this gives even his funniest riffs on the world's problems the ring of truth.
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(2T,3H) | $ | No | T |
| SHERI S. TEPPER | SHADOW'S END -
As a force of unknown origin sweeps across the universe, depopulating human-colonized planets in its wake, linguist Lutha Tallstaff travels to the planet Dinadh in search of noted adventurer Leelson Famber, whom she believes may be able to help. Set on a planet where mysterious religious practices hide a terrifying covenant between its inhabitants and the godlike power they worship, this novel offers disturbing insights into humanity's place in the cosmos. Strong characters with personal dilemmas-whose resolutions have far-reaching consequences-add depth and immediacy to the story. Another elegant piece of work from master storyteller Tepper
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(2T,3H) | $ | No | T |
| J.R.R. TOLKIEN | THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING - A BBC Full Cast Representation
An ancient Ring thought lost for centuries has been found, and through a strange twist in fate has been given to a small Hobbit named Frodo. When Gandalf discovers the Ring is in fact the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron, Frodo must make an epic quest to the Cracks of Doom in order to destroy it! However he does not go alone. He is joined by Gandalf, Legolas the elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Aragorn, Boromir and his three Hobbit friends Merry, Pippin and Samwise. Through mountains, snow, darkness, forests, rivers and plains, facing evil and danger at every corner the Fellowship of the Ring must go. Their quest to destroy the One Ring is the only hope for the end of the Dark Lords reign!
| NA
(LOR-1, 4T, 4H) | $ | No | T |
| The Following Located In Box 7 |
| SHERMAN AND CRAGG | FIRST TO FIGHT - Starfist Book 1 (2T,2H) | N | $ | No | T |
| SHERMAN AND CRAGG | SCHOOL OF FIRE Starfist Book 2 | N | $ | No | T |
| WALTER MOSLEY | BLUE LIGHT | N | $ | No | T |
| JEFF NOON | VURT | N | $ | No | T |
| HARLAN ELLISON | THE VOICE FROM THE EDGE, vol. 1 | Y | $ | No | T |
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| Wholesale Price Box - 25% MSRP (Single books On Sale For up to 60% -OFF MSRP) |
| Media Mail S&H (Insurance optional to buyer) |
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