Elves Books

Steelflower has a lot of the stumbling blocks that would normally land a book in my recycle bin, but I strangely found it rather enjoyable.

The cons: Saintcrow's attempts at middle english (twas, tis) are painful additions to otherwise modern language; the plot is simplistic and predictable; the art (which no self-respecting novel should include in any case) is abysmal; there's no villain.

However, the book has a good flow and the main character possesses enough spunk to be endearing. It's a quick read with a good amount of action, and if it comes across a bit amateurish it's at least the work of a good amateur. Great for a quick evening's read.

Steelflower isn't a bad beginning for a series. There were a few minor parts where I didn't understand.

For example, as some other readers have commented, the sudden exposure to foreign words right on the first few pages left me confused until I got along to around 1/4 of the book. Its perfectly fine to create new words and languages, its not fine when readers are not given anything, not even a small hint, to tell them what the hell was happening.

Spoilers ahead.

Another part where I felt was a bit odd was when Kaia found out about the truth about her 'shunning'. Although it wasn't very detailed, nor emphasized, I would have expected a stronger reaction. It seemed as if she didn't even hear the conversation or decided to stubbornly forget about it and continue hating her House.

And also, when she understands the fact that she has 'Power', she seems to have this habit of going back to part where she 'conveniently forgets' that she has the Power, and starts calling the G'mai, well, the G'mai, instead of 'my people', or continues calling herself flawed.
She understands she has powers, and yet she keeps on fixating on the misconception that the seeker is flawed.

Very very strange.

Its either a fault of the author, or our heroine is just very stubborn and conveniently forgets certain important facts.

Another fact I would like to point out s the illustration. The cover was alright. The illustrations, well.
Lets just say the artist has much more talent in drawing non-living objects and environments.
I noticed the walls, the floor, buildings, and even the armor on the guard were far better drawn than the characters.

However, the characters were well portrayed in my opinion. I didn't find them too cliché, and the world was surprising livid and colorful. I did see a few familiar snatches from the Wheel of Time, here and there, but I didn't find it a bad addition.

In conclusion, it was a interesting story. The ending lead me wanting to read more about Kaia and Darik's slowly deepening relationship, and the ongoing world.

I enjoyed this book very much..more than i expected considering it was about supernatural beings...well written, fast read...great...

Here's the deal with this book as I see it. If you're looking for epic fantasy, high brow world building (which I thoroughly enjoy)...look elsewhere. There's not a lot of depth here.

If you're looking for a quick read that won't task your brain much, this book is ideal and the reason I picked it up. I would read this while commuting or just to kill some time without a lot of mental commitment.

You've got your standard skillful but emotionally stunted heroine and her dark brooding partner (very similar to Dante Valentine and her demon) but it's set in a regular fantasy world instead of the semi-techy one of the Dante series.

I enjoyed most of the characters in the book but they ARE broadly drawn. And I have to agree with reviewers who did not like the illustrations in the book. They are not very good. These drawings reminded me of the ones my friends and I used to draw in Jr High!

The language parts weren't that big of deal for me as I didn't dwell too much on it. I enjoyed it overall and would read the next book in the series if there is one, but please no more illustrations.

I bought this book right after it hit Amazon and then I put it on my TBR pile because I was nervous about reading it. From the back cover blurb, it's the kind of sword and sorcery novel that can either be good or bad, no middle ground. Now, I am a fan of Ms. Saintcrow's work so I had high hopes, but still I hated to disappointed. Even a good author can have off books, and I was too nervous to immdiately take the risk.

I should have been brave and waded right in because I was not disappointed in the least. There are all the elements that I have come to expect from Ms. Saintcrow's books: characters I care about, a vivid and well developed world, and a twisty plot that is tightly built.

One thing I found particularly interesting was her use of language ideas from her heroine's native tongue. So often when dealing with sword and sorcery novels, foreign names and words are thrown around as some sort of exotic spice with no thought to linguistic intergrity. Apostrophes are plunked into the middle of words just to make them look a little foreign. I usully find this particularly annoying and was very happy to see that Ms. Saintcrow's apostrophes were used correctly from a linguistic standpoint and like the rest of her novel, the details of language were well thought out.

Now, obviously for most people language use and developement are not going to be critical elements of the story, but this is all to say that her non-English words will not detract from anyone's enjoyment. What details she adds, whether they are about language or hair styling, are all important to the characters and story. Each new detail adds to the overall richness. Frankly, once I started this book, it was so well written and developed that I simply could not put it down. To fans of sword and sorcery style fantasty, I can highly recommend this novel.

Short, readable guide to Tolkien's world, interestingly published to match the release of the first of the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings movie series, but with a prominent back-cover disclaimer that the book has nothing to do with the movie.

Stanton focuses on the books' plot summaries, geographies, characters, and major themes. And in fact it does serve as a good companion to the movies, showing by its focus on the books how closely the movies track to the books.

A concise well-written, well-organized critique. Stanton includes many tantalizing nuggets dug out of the rich ore of The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) increasing the reader's wealth of understanding and appreciation for J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece. Stanton is a seasoned guide who knows the terrain well, pointing out sights along the way, and helping us through the fogs and mists but savvy enough to get out of the way to allow the reader to see the grand vista for himself, even prompting us to do more exploring on our own paths of discovery. He writes in a manner that will enlighten the first-time reader of LOTR and add dimension to the seasoned LOTR affecianado.

Stanton never grandstands or gets in the way of the subject. I've read several criticisms on LOTR, and this is one of the best. Stanton looks at LOTR without the dated cultural bias and skewed pop criticism that mars so many other critiques and reviews of Tolkien's epic fantasy. The author is not presumptuous, or pompous, or arrogant, a tone that prevails in many other similar works. Stanton's book provides an excellent index, something that is lacking in many other criticisms of Tolkien's works, and a reasonable bibliography to broaden the perspectives of the more interested reader.

Hobbits, Elves and Wizards is a welcome addition to my library, and the one book that I recommend to all my friends who want a crisp, smooth overview and sympathetic interpretative criticism of The Lord of the Rings.

Wonderful chapter by charter review of book giving insight on characters, then an understanding of different races and interactions. Michael Stanton loves the story as much as I do and presents the information as I would have loved to have been able to do. His enthusiasm shows through.

The author claims "I wrote it to entertain and instruct myself" (i). It does not cover anything new, but is written in order to clarify. The author is an early fan from the pirated American edition, and unfortunately does not seem to have been able to get past the flaws of that edition.

He begins with a brief biographical sketch of Tolkien's life and admits the books came out of Tolkien's love of language. He calls Tolkien "flagrantly ordinary...dowdy" (6) and does not get much more complimentary as he goes on.


He points out that Hobbits came late in Middle-earth's development and that Elves were Firstborn quite literally. Ironically, the author does not support a literary criticism of the books, calling that technique "obnoxious" (10) then proceeds upon it himself. Tolkien, he claims, is "identifying Middle-earth with our Earth long ago" (10). He then does highly critical analysis of patterns he thinks he sees which have no fundimental bearing on the books at all. He claims each of the 'ages' gets better, i.e. the Third Age is better than the Second and the Second better than the First which is the direct opposite to what every reader of Tolkien knows to be true.

He then ridicules the 'conservative' aspects of teh book and quickly passes over the obvious Christian references with a brief outline of them before abruptly ending the chapter in embarassment.

Stanton then simply rewrites the books in his own words for several chapters. If we wanted that, we would have read the books or fan fiction. He continually hunts for a "basic pattern" (27) and every detail is analyzed as having deep symbolic meaning -- something Tolkien himself despised. He even calls the Black Riders "vampires" (28) which is ridiculous, considering the only thing they have in common is a tendancy to come out at night. So do burglers, owls and college students but we don't call them vampires. Stanton then ignores all prevalant theories of Tom Bombadil and sidesteps the question with a typical New Age 'nature spirit' idea.

He sees much of the book as mere "literary devices" (33). He then mistakingly traces Aragorn's lineage. He ignores Boromir's large part in the Council of Elrond and in assisting the Fellowship. He degrades the books to what the Inklings clearly despised and even claims "Tolkien again makes you feel danger in the highest degree" (41). That, in itself, is a contradiction because Lewis and Tolkien believed that writing and reading for the mere thrill of danger was not only the lowest form of literature but one to avoid like the plague.

Stanton completely misinterprets all actions as mere nature magic mother earth wicca stuff which is, frankly, nausiatingly opposed to Tolkien's view and is one of the reasons why the movies are so dasdardly. At that point, Stanton goes downhill from there. He idealizes Gandalf, and without any explantion, dismisses the profound character of Denethor as simply "madness brings him to dispair" (77). In other words -- he was a crazy old man that got depressed the more crazy he got. The more logical explanation is that he was depressed first and thus became crazy and of course the true Denethor was depressed and lost all hope which is an entirely different thing.

In Stanton's attempt to explain Aragorn's usurpation of the throne, the author uses a series of logical falacies: Appeal to Authority with a claim that it was fine because the leaders wanted it, and then the fact that the White Tree had grown when it could have grown for Faramir's kingship or Denethor's and it was merely a final ironical twist. Last time I checked, it didn't have a sign on it saying "I grew because of Aragorn".

He then examines the poems and tears them apart until they lose all meaning and beauty. Stanton then tries to spiritualize everything in the worst sense. He puts it in the same category as the wildly occult Earthsea tales which I am sure because of which, Tolkien is turning in his grave.

In conclusion, I would not only not take the time to read this book, but I would encourage others not to do so. It is especially bad to those trying to show the truth of Denethor.Just because someone put it in a book does not mean it is true. And in the case of Stanton's writings, I am not even sure how something so blatantly erroneous could have been published at all.

Hobbits, Elves and Wizards is a broad over-view of the Lord of the Rings. In it, Stanton goes over the trilogy, and analyses the patterns in Tolkien's writing, historical relevence, Tolkien's life, and his writing.
The book is divided into two parts, and each cover different things. The first half covers the trilogy itself. There are six chapters, one for each of the books in the Lord of the Rings. In each chapter, he points out similarities between scenes, how the characters are progressing, and the geography.
The second half covers the races of Middle Earth, Languges, and Good and Evil, and how they play a role in the story.

Overall, this is a fairly good read, if you are not a die-hard Tolkien fan. Stanton was a UVM (University of Vermont) professor, and taught LOTR for a long time. This is his reactions and conclusions from the books, presented in a book form. It reads like he's there talking in front of you.
But if you are familiar with the Lord of the Rings, this book will just be a reiteration of what you can get out of the books yourself.
The only gripes I had about the book are the signifagance of the Gray Havens, for I would have liked to know more, The Hobbit. This book does not cover it, but it would be good to see in included. Some of Stanton's conclusions are a little off. At one point in the trilogy, Gollum is fantasizing at taking over the world, while Stanton says that he is not ambitious. He could have explained that more.
Also, the hardcover edition was released before the Fellowship of the Ring movie was released. The paperback version has his own comments on the movie, but not in the hardcover.

Even for Tolkien or Lord of the Rings fans, this in a good read about the style and writings of Tolkien.

Rest assured that this review is probably better written then the book itself. An absolutely ridiculous yarn, the Impending Storm boasts cliche characters better found in a two-bit comic book or video game. The Warlord is an incompetent general, who sets a three-headed (and brilliantly named) 'tragon' on fire and watches it wreck a town. Afterwards, he realizes it's a BAD idea. The cover illustrations depict the characters fighting a mass of fifty some odd men, and NEVER get hurt, even though they kill them all. I read it cover to cover because I couldn't believe writing this bad could actually get published. The author even attempts intimate romance between the characters towards the end, and it reads like a bad X-rated movie. It ends on an absolutely moronic and predictable note, and there's not a twist or turn you don't see coming a mile away. It is classic fantasy, tramped down and crumpled into a cliche' so obvious it's not even worth the read. To aspiring authors, buy this book to read what NOT to do.

As a freshman novel, The Impending Storm is phenomenal! An exciting and intriguing blend of fantasy, action, a touch of romance, and characters that endear themselves to you, beg you to turn the pages. Very vivid images created by the extreme attention to detail shows just how much research the author, Cliff Bowyer, put into his verbal painting.

Though it starts off slow, and Chapter 4 I was stuck with for a while, once things started rolling, they rolled with a vengance! I swear to you, get over the sticky pieces and you will *not* regret it. And the ending! Oh my god, he is as evil as Joss Whedon, and to those of you know Joss Whedon's work you know exactly what I mean. I actually screamed at the book at the audacity of things. Then my jaw dropped. Then I cursed the time I had to wait for the next installment. Thank the gods for the YA series.

As a record, I have not been a good Fantasy reader. It takes me a long time, no matter how much I like the story. The Impending Storm broke that mold, and now I'm hooked for life.

I have always been a big fan of R.A. Salvatore and all of his books, most notably, the Drizzt series, but now I have finally found another Fantasy author that can stand up to the excellence that I expect in Fantasy Adventures. Imagine my surprise when I found out that Clifford B. Bowyer not only exceeded my expectations, but is also a first time novelist!

His book was full of depth and detail, with amazing character descriptions that leaves me thinking about them weeks after reading the book. The interaction is real and believable, and the story flows with intrigue that keeps you turning the pages.

Great intro to the series. I can't wait for the next one! I HIGHLY recommend it!

This is a great book if you enjoy a wide variety of characters and branching storylines. There are your standard as well as not so standard elves, dwarves, humans as well as a few surprises. I am easily confused by books with a lot of characters, but the author does a good job keeping everything in order while also moving back and forth between the multiple story arcs.

There is one criteria I judge a good book that is a part of a series on. When I am done with the book, do I want to read more? I can honestly say yes to this question and I am eagerly awaiting the next installment(s).

Bile will rise in your throat reading this drivel.
Makes Christopher Paolini look like Shakespeare.

I must say that I enjoyed this book much more than the first in the series, Cold Iron. Ms. Michael's concept of elves as charming sociopaths is fascinating, but it made the elf rock stars in Cold Iron hard to take and even harder to care about. That concept is ameliorated somewhat in Sister to the Rain. The elves are still incredibly self-involved and lacking in human morality, but they're a lot more likable and a lot less randomly destructive. Plus, Rosie herself is funnier and less self-destructive in this book, and who wouldn't like her beautiful, but occasionally hapless partner, Shannon? All in all, a very enjoyable read. I understand that Ms. Michaels doesn't plan another sequel, which is a shame, because I'd love to read one.

My Scale:
1 star--wretched, don't bother;
2 stars-somebody will like it, flawed;
3 stars-pretty darn good with some flaws;
4 stars-great, I'll re-read it;
5 stars-flawless, a classic of the genre.

The World:
Modern San Francisco-with pointy-eared people. Elves have been part of the world for there to have been second or maybe third generation elf-human hybrids (haflings). Elves can do magic. No other changes in human society, economics, technology, or values reported.

The Plot:
Rose Levine is a private investigator is hired to investigate unusual occurances in a mixed (human, elf, Halfling) art colony east of Berkeley. Is it Bigfoot? Another kind of being? Or are mere humans trying to scare the colony off the land, so that it can be developed into a gated, golf course community?

The Review:
This is an uninspired girl P.I. novel, not even as interesting as the previous, *COLD IRON*. Once again, the characterization stinks. The elves come across as just humans with pointy ears stuck on. There's no convincing background framework or explanation: how are elves different from humans in psychology, motivation, elven interpersonal relationships, and so forth-just labels: elves are charming sociopaths.

It also flunks the fantasy test: Elves evidently can do magic, but you don't see that reflected anywhere in the setting--that is, how has the presence of magic changed the world from the way we would perceive it now?

This is too bad. Michaels is a more-than-competent writer (if she hadn't put the elf wrinkle in, these might be better books). Either she should stick to plain mystery fiction, or imagine her worlds much more in depth.

All in all, not worth the time or money.

San Francisco private investigators Rosie Lavine and Shannon Arthur do not want to have elves as clients ever again after their previous case almost left themr for dead (see COLD IRON). Who would want as their client a sociopath, which is what an elf actually is. So who else would walk into their office seeking to obtain their services than one of those frail looking, too pretty beings. Rosie and Shannon were recommended to Lord Finandiel, a FOOF if there ever was one. He wants the sleuths to investigate a manifestation that is frightening all the children (wee ones are held in honor by elves) in his community of truebloods, mortal, and halflings.

Since the fee is good and the case seems easy enough, Rosie and Shannon agree to look into the eerie noises that are frightening everyone. However, the simple case takes a bizarre turn when a mortal is murdered. Now, the two Bay area detectives must ferret out a killer before things turn bloody between the races struggling to share a community in the California mountains.

SISTER TO THE RAIN, the second book in the Lavine fantasy mysteries, is a astounding who-done-it that makes supernatural creatures seem absolutely real. The story line is fun, but the characters steal the show. From the acerbically sarcastic Rosie to the prejudicial Finandiel, readers feel like elves are genuine and living in California. Though similar to Laurell Hamilton's Blake mysteries, Melissa Michaels makes her own distinct magic that fans of fantasy who-done-its and the fantasy genre as a whole will want to read. P.S. To learn what a FOOF is, read the book.

Harriet Klausner

I've been reading Melisa Michaels' books for years, and have always found the sense of humor she brings to the subject wonderful. When she combines this with a well-told mixture of hard-boiled detective and modern fantasy, the result is excellent.

Readers who have enjoyed Sarah Paretsky or Dorothy Sayers in the past may see some pleasing similarities in a few of the characters. The client, for example, is a dead ringer for Lord Peter Wimsey, seen from the outside world's point of view.

If you're looking for fantasy written for someone past adolescence, pick this book up, and be sure to share it with a friend. You won't be sorry.

The book was very promising. I thought it would have been much better. But it was still an ok read, never read anything by this author before. won't add to my collection of books

I didn't find this to be an especially memorable book. The plot was weak and the sex scenes were pretty tame for an erotica.

The heroine wasn't as freaked out as she should have been, and she was pretty accepting of her situation and her relationship with the hero too quickly. Then, suddenly, she develops this incredible power because she's a descendant (reincarnation?) of one of their ancients? Where did that come from? And, while there was sex in this book, I would not say it was "erotic".

It ended with the implication that there would be a second book, but I was so unimpressed by this one that I won't be buying the sequel. Maybe borrowing it from the library or a friend, but not buying.

Ms. Donovan has created a world where the characters come alive and are so vivid, as if you could reach out and touch them. You feel as if you are actually living the story from the hero and heroine's point of view--or at least you wish you were! An erotic read, this one's a keeper.

The illustrations were so so. I was expecting more fun stories about the wee folk geared toward a younger crowd. It isn't really organized in a way that holds young (4or 5 year olds) children's interest. We've only read it once and it collects dust.

We are incredibly lucky to have the wonderful and extraodinary Tanya Batt living near us, she has a story telling shop in town and knowing her was the reason we bought this book - and then went out and bought ALL her books, and all her tapes and everything she has ever published. Tanya Batt has the most dynamic imagination and interpretation of stories, and these stories are an absolute must for my children (age 3 and 4)

Tanya's use of language come's more from the oral story telling tradition so her stories are best read out loud - perfect for reading out to littlies. They are richly illustrated and there is plenty to talk about in each of the pictures.

These stories will be suitable for children of all ages, her stories are multi-layered - there are subtle levels to them which adults will also enjoy.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!

I loved this book, the intrigue and mystery kept me almost breathless till the end. I enjoyed how the author intertwined the magic and the mystery together thoughtout the story. There are a lot of characters to keep track of as well as the abilities or lack of for each character that I found myself thinking about the book long after I had finished reading each chapter. I can't wait for the sequels to start coming, sign me up.

I enjoyed this book, but if ever there was a case study of what happens when there is no copy editor or proofreader, this is it. Every book has a few misspelled words, but this is a joke. More homonyms (words that sound the same, but mean something different) per page than you can possibly imagine. I'm hoping that somehow a mistake was made and the Kindle version was done before the final (or any) proofreading. I'd hate to think that there are hard copies of this somewhere. As I said, the story was interesting, and I enjoyed it, but everything else got in the way. What a waste.

Excellent book...great read with tons of info. Out of all the different authors of books on faeries and/or other little creatures, Peter DuBois seems to catch my eye and attention the most. Only 4 stars, because I still feel that there is some element missing, but I haven't found it in any other book, either...

Pierre Dubois' The Complete Encyclopedia of Elves, Goblins and Other Little Creatures (2005) offers an extensive but eccentric, often frustrating, overview of its subject. This is especially true since Dubois has divided the large 375-page volume into two major sections, 'Elves' and 'Goblins,' without any clear indication as to why. The problem is further acerbated by the fact that Dubois applies the term 'fairy' to both of his major types, and bandies about the word 'demon' with equal irresponsibility. Since a number of the creatures involved are quite large physically, as Dubois repeatedly underscores, the book's title is also in error.

Accordingly, readers will find 'Pixies' and 'Brownies' listed under 'Goblins,' an accounting many scholars may dispute. Entities with ostensibly dwarfish body types seem to automatically fall into the 'Goblin' category, but this is not uniformly true throughout. Inexplicably, 'Trolls,' 'The Wendigo,' 'The Dybbuk,' and 'The Djinn' are designated as 'Elves,' while 'The Phooka,' 'Pan,' and 'Giants' are designated as 'Goblins.'

Dubois' vague, somnolent prose makes it impossible to tell whether he has derived his taxonomy from traditional sources, such as folkloric texts and memorites, adapted it from legitimate scholarship, or simply based it on idiosyncratic fancies of his own. Though Dubois has included an extensive eight-page bibliography, the individual entries are not footnoted, making it difficult to ascertain the exact source of his information in most cases. The overall effect suggests that The Complete Encyclopedia of Elves, Goblins and Other Little Creatures is at best a lukewarm entertainment, otherwise unreliable and academically unsound.

Despite the presence of attractive jacket and end paper art, the encyclopedia is decorated with a cartoonish series of illustrations by Claudine and Roland Sabatier that will most likely fall short of reader expectations. The illustrators seem more concerned with the book's overall design than in attempting to depict the actual beings specified. Landscapes, especially elf-and-goblin-free landscapes, predominate.

Though both the text and the illustrations are clearly geared towards children as well as adults, both contain explicit sexual content. Bare breasts, engorged nipples, and erect male genitalia dot the pages in a manner that often clashes oddly with the smiling impish faces and frolicking nature sprites.

I love this book! It's a nice little story with great illustrations.
It is a boy who follows the call and experiences the fairy world--just what a faery grandmother needs to read to her little grandsons!

This is a dreamy picture book about a little boy cuddled up in his bed who suddenly hears some "whispers from the door!" He follows the calling of Magic and hides behind a big tree to watch dozens of elves and fairies and their animal friends dance and play beneath the luminous full moon. Fireflies and shooting stars light up the night sky. A big owl warns the elven folk that morning is approaching and off they go. The sleepy little boy goes back to bed. Did it really happen? The illustrations in this book are just superb. The rhyming text is somewhat forced and there is virtually no action apart from the motion of the fairies. They arrive, they dance around, they leave. This book is certainly not destined to become a classic since there is not much of a story to make it memorable, but the illustrations are so good that a true fairy enthusiast of whatever age will enjoy it.

I bought this book for my son figuring it would be a nice way to introduce him to Christmas but this is more of a counting book with a Christmas theme than anything else.

Not really what I wanted. Guess it is true that you can't tell a book by its cover.

When Santa's elf crashes his sleigh, it nearly causes a holiday disaster. The Christmas Counter Downer has lost its boxes, and without it, Christmas will be late. But Elmo suggests they make a wish on the Christmas star for the boxes to reappear.

As if by magic, each of the boxes is returned to Santa's elf in the correct order, counting down from ten to one. And when the last box is returned, they realize a true Christmas miracle has occurred because Christmas will arrive right on time.

Adapted from the original screenplay, Elmo's Christmas Countdown is a new and fresh Christmas tale that also teaches counting - but in reverse. This fun Sesame Street story will please kids and adults alike.

Reviewer: Alice Berger, Bergers Book Reviews