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Customer Picks
January/February 2008 Picks
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
"In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut--young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.
Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.
Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives."
Recommended by Jim Toth
$6.99
Wolf Moon by Charles de Lint
"His name when he was human was Kern. Now he is the most feared of beings: a werewolf. When the change first came upon him, his parents drove him away with silver daggers. Later, he sought human companionship, but he could not hide the truth for long. And so he kept running until he ran headlong into the deadliest pursuer of alla harper bent on stealing his life away. By chance Kern was able to find refuge at the Inn of the Yellow Tinker, and the woman he was destined to love. But can he risk both human and harper vengeance to keep her?"
Recommended by Pam Kinney
$6.99
Dragonkin by Robin Wayne Bailey
"Wyvernwood, a deep and mysterious forest in the land of Engmar, is the last known refuge for the descendants of the great and majestic dragons that once ruled the skies. And with them have come most of the remaining mythological and magical creatures of the world. But there is no stopping the encroachment of Men. It is clear to all the creatures of Wyvernwood, that if they are to survive, a new refuge must be found. Lost in the dangerous outer world, prophecy says, are three ancient artifacts: the Diamond Dragon, the Glass Dragon, and the Heart of All Dragons. When the three are united once again, they will point the way to a new home. Harrow, Chan, and Luna are three young dragon triplets. Prophecy says that one of the three will rise to lead the dragons to a new home--but which one?"
Recommended by Drew Taylor
$9.99
Legacy by Greg Bear
"The Way is a tunnel through space and time. The entrance is through the hollow asteroid Thistledown and the space station Axis City that sits at the asteroid's center. From there the Flawships ride the center of the Way, traveling to other worlds and times.
Now the rulers of Axis City have discovered that a huge group of colonists has secretly entered one of the interdicted worlds along the Way. In some ways Lamarkia is very Earth-like--but its biology is extraordinary. A single genetic entity can take many forms, and span a continent. There are only a few of these "ecos" on Lamarkia, and the effect of human interaction on them is unknown.
Olmy Ap Sennon has been sent to secretly assess the extent of the damage. But he will find far more than an intriguing alien biology--for on their new world the secret colonists have returned to the old ways of human history: war, famine, and ecological disaster. On this mission, Olmy will learn about the basics: love, responsibility, and even failure..."
Recommended by Roy Carroll
$7.99
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