Joshua: Man of Faith

This was written by Elder Mark E Peterson of the 12.  It was part of a simple written set if books talking about different prophets in the scriptures.
While he repeats himself a lot, and seems to use whole sections of  scripture as filler, I still enjoy his books.

This one was not even half about Joshua the man but spent most the time talking about the land and people in it. While I learned a few things I found myself getting bored.

The Weapon's Master

 This is a stand alone short story placed in the classic world of Shannara.

It features one of the best fiction hero's Garet Jax

It is hard to decide where in the line of stories this would be placed, but it is not important.

This gives a small glimpse into Garet Jax and his life, what people thought of him and then what he was to become.

 

A classic story line, girl in trouble form evil wizard, hero saves her only to not be able to have her...but done well.

I have to admit I enjoyed this one better than the last short story by Brooks.

 

If you loved Wishsong and the weapon's Master this is a must read

Allanon's Quest

This is really a short story but a must read for all Shannara fans I felt, and I was right.
Set in the time before the Sword of Shannara it helped set up the start of the books well.
As a stand alone story I was a bit disappointed. The classic Allanon while present was not used enough. The story fell into classic Brooks pattern and I knew the end before we got there.

But, having said that, I did love diving back into Allanon and the classic Shannara.

This is a must read if you love the books and will help set them up in your mind.
If you have not read any of them it is a good intro into the first book.

Dark Wraith of Shannara

This is a quick read. Mainly since it is a graphic novel, but the story was great. I enjoy the characters of this part of the world of Shannara.
Set just after the first trio of books, it is the story of Jair and his finding more of himself.

THe drawing were a bit on the fantasy conic book style but helped lend to the story line.

If you enjoy the Shannara books then this is a must read.


The Land That Time Forgot

I read this for the first time back in Jr High right after my Tarzan marathon.

Basically this is the authors take on The Lost World...which it does OK with.
Typical Burroughs hero, the physically fit male that saves the female. Written in first person as a form of a journal that is found by an outsider.
This is the first of 3 novels he penned in this world.

It had great holes in the plot and my modern day mind went, yea right several times , but like a good fantasy B movie you sometimes have to turn off your thinking and just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Not a large recommendation on this one...only if you love the author and want to relive some old fashioned 1924 hero type writing.

The Phoenix and the Sword

"This story contains the first appearance of Conan in print. (That I am aware of)

 It takes place at a time when Conan was King of Aquilonia having secured the throne by strangling the former king. This story introduces the reader to Conan's world of barbarians, wizards and monsters, and the evil sorcerer Thoth-Anon that appears later in stories.

Robert E Howard is the father of the sword and sorcery genre of fantasy and this small book shows how it started and how it can be done right.

If you like Conan or types like him, then this is a must read so you can see how it all started.                                                                                                        

Sharpe's Story

I was very excited when I saw this book on Amazon. It also helped that I had some gift money from Christmas left on my account.

 

I had tried to find this book at the Library and local book stores to no avail.

 

This is sort of a story of how the author came up with one of his greatest characters Richard Sharpe.

I have read all of the Sharpe books and have found that I can relate to this character better than any other in all that I have read.

This was a delight to go into the writers mind and see how he juggles the 20+ stories of historical fiction he has written. Unlike most series he has not followed them one after another in order. Sharpe's adventures bounce all over his life and history.

I had notice a few slight errors I thought, as I read the books and I was glad to know that the author admits to them.

I also found it interesting as he talked about the very successful TV shows have influenced his writing.

One of the best parts was where Share may not have even been created had he not been forced to write to try to earn money...

If you have read and enjoyed any Sharpe books then this is a must read.