Rating: 
Summary: Timeless Tales 5 Star Review
Review: by ChereIt's Halloween and Jane Deerfield is dressed in her costume. She's dressed as her favorite comic book hero, the Oracle. Instead of the boots, she has on bright orange hightops. Of course, she's already missed all of the celebrations. Once again, she's stuck working on the computers in the college where she works. As a computer nerd, this is an occupational hazard for her. She's just getting ready to leave, when there's a sudden explosion. She feels herself being pulled into some kind of vortex, and then nothing. She wakes up ice cold in some sort of a field. When she opens her eyes, there's her fantasy man come to life. He speaks to her, but she can't understand a word he says. Somehow, he manages to get her warmed up. He does some kind of a spell on her, and she can now understand everything he says to her. But he is only one that she can understand. He introduces himself to her as King Daken and tells her that he is a healer. He tries to explain to her that all Kings are healers. Daken is from Chigan and he is on his way to see the Elven King, Ginsen, in Bosuny. Daken's people are being attacked by the Tarveen and he wants the Elven King to give him an army so he can destroy them. So, they travel by foot to Bosuny. Jane finally comes to the realization that she was sucked into some kind of vortex and transported to a different planet. She knows that she is an alien here and wants nothing more than to go back to her own world. She is definitely attracted to Daken and he is also attracted to her. She notices that everything around her has some kind of energy. This place that Jane ended up is something like a medieval setting. There are no machines but magic is rampant, right down to living rivers. They finally get to Bosuny and it turns out that the Elven King's castle is actually the University that Jane used to work at. Daken takes her to the "House of Prophecy". Jane can't believe what she finds inside. It turns out to be the computer that she was working on when the explosion occurred. Jane will now become the Keeper of Knowledge and have a seat on the Ruling Council if she can get the computer running again. She looks around her and finds a boy. She calls him Steve and decides to make him her assistant. Daken helps her as much as he can. She runs into her old boss, Dr. Beavesly, who is now a ghost in the computer system itself. Somehow, he melds with her mind and she has access to all of his memories. This is when the horror really comes into play as Jane is forced to relive what happened to her world. Some tech somewhere screwed up and started a nuclear holocaust. The magic that all of these people possess is, in reality, radio activeness. Some of the people managed to survive and melded with other living things in order to survive and it is now 200 years into Jane's future. Now, Jane has a mission. She has to get the computer up and running and she has to keep the planet from destroying itself again. She loves Daken, but he is counting on her to give her support for his plans to destroy all the Tarveen. Jane cannot condone the destruction of an entire race of people and fears what will happen when Daken discovers this. Daken is a warrior, through and through. He was born the second son of a King and had no hopes of actually becoming the King. When his parents and brother were killed in a Tarveen raid, the responsibilities of being a King hit him hard. He had trained to become a warrior and is very good at it. Daken cares very deeply about Jane but is totally confused by her. He is used to subservient women, which Jane definitely is not. Jane lost everything when she was sucked into the vortex, her world, her family, her friends and her career. She is totally lost and helpless until she enters the "House of Prophecy" and gets Dr. Beavesly's help. She is definitely not afraid to speak her mind and does so very frequently. She loves Daken but knows that she will not be able to support his plans of genocide. She sees something in the boy she takes as her assistant, even though he is a mute. There was a prophecy about Steve as well. It was said that he would become a great wizard. Ginsen had him found and brought to the palace and became very disappointed in him. Steve eventually became a servant and was abused by a very powerful man. Due to Dr. Beavesly's memories, Jane knows about the abuse and does something about it right away. Steve becomes very loyal to Jane and does whatever he can to help her. This really is a fantastic book. I was caught up from the very first page until the very last page. The characters are all very believable and well rounded. The world building is perfect, not enough to become bogged down in, but enough to read without any problems understanding what's going in. The story is very well-written. This is definitely a story that should be read. It is actually pretty frightening to read this and realize that this could all too easily come true. I loved watching how Jane had to learn the hard way about everything. She would never take anyone's word. She was pretty lucky that her boyfriend was a healer too. He ended up healing her pretty often as she got into one scrape right after another. This is a very entertaining, thought-provoking read that will stay with me for a very long time and I definitely recommend that everyone read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Realistic heroine
Review: Heroine: average/plump
Jane Deerfield, resident computer expert for Boston University, spends all of her time working on her machines. It is her life. Until the fateful Halloween night when she leaves her workplace to attend a costume party at the precise moment the city comes under nuclear attack, and is suddenly sucked through a space-time vortex.
The young woman awakens to find herself in a strange world where magic is the norm and technology is a thing of wonder. A world where Kings are Healers who cherish life, but who can also deal death with a single stroke of their mighty broadswords in times of desperation. Stormy, driven Daken of Chigan is one such leader.
Convinced that Jane is the prophesied Keeper of Knowledge and can aide him in his quest to vanquish the Tarveen who raid his lands and slaughter his people, Daken sets out to seduce peace-loving Jane over to his cause of violence. Can Jane withstand his charms and hold onto the principle she most cherishes, "life above all else", even if it means giving up the man she has come to love? What worked for me:
I'm always fascinated by post-cataclysmic societies which are trying to rebuild themselves a la "The Postman", "Rumors of Spring," and "Greybeard", so it was interesting to read a story along these lines with a strong focus on the romance between the protagonists. (I'm equally fascinated by sexy, brooding alpha males so I enjoyed the character of Daken tremendously.)
Size-wise Jane started out plump, but lost some weight during her travels. Even so, she still had a few qualms about the cellulite on her thighs. What didn't work for me: I generally prefer my fantasy and sci-fi novels to be of epic proportions, as it's very difficult for most authors to immerse the reader in an entirely new and different world in a single short novel. In this case, I would have definitely liked more background given in "Oracle". Overall: A good faerie tale with a "moral" worth heeding. I'd recommend this book to fans of futuristic and fantasy romances, but it's probably not for hard-core sci-fi addicts.
Rating:
Summary: Realistic heroine
Review: Heroine: average/plump
Jane Deerfield, resident computer expert for Boston University, spends all of her time working on her machines. It is her life. Until the fateful Halloween night when she leaves her workplace to attend a costume party at the precise moment the city comes under nuclear attack, and is suddenly sucked through a space-time vortex.
The young woman awakens to find herself in a strange world where magic is the norm and technology is a thing of wonder. A world where Kings are Healers who cherish life, but who can also deal death with a single stroke of their mighty broadswords in times of desperation. Stormy, driven Daken of Chigan is one such leader.
Convinced that Jane is the prophesied Keeper of Knowledge and can aide him in his quest to vanquish the Tarveen who raid his lands and slaughter his people, Daken sets out to seduce peace-loving Jane over to his cause of violence. Can Jane withstand his charms and hold onto the principle she most cherishes, "life above all else", even if it means giving up the man she has come to love? What worked for me:
I'm always fascinated by post-cataclysmic societies which are trying to rebuild themselves a la "The Postman", "Rumors of Spring," and "Greybeard", so it was interesting to read a story along these lines with a strong focus on the romance between the protagonists. (I'm equally fascinated by sexy, brooding alpha males so I enjoyed the character of Daken tremendously.)
Size-wise Jane started out plump, but lost some weight during her travels. Even so, she still had a few qualms about the cellulite on her thighs. What didn't work for me: I generally prefer my fantasy and sci-fi novels to be of epic proportions, as it's very difficult for most authors to immerse the reader in an entirely new and different world in a single short novel. In this case, I would have definitely liked more background given in "Oracle". Overall: A good faerie tale with a "moral" worth heeding. I'd recommend this book to fans of futuristic and fantasy romances, but it's probably not for hard-core sci-fi addicts.
Rating: 
Summary: If she wanted to vent, she should have written an essay!
Review: Honestly! I mean, I know that science fiction is the best vehicle for exploring ideas and encouraging social change, but this wasn't even subtle. This was just one whiney woman spending several hundred pages preaching aganst war, falling in love, screwing up, and having her life saved over and over (and over, and over). I lost count of the number of times she "died" and had to be urgently recussitated by our convienient hero. He was nominally more interesting, but not enough to drive an unbearably weak story. The idea that planet destroying nuclear bombs (which were set off by accident?) created some peaceful society of people imbued with magical gifts was both implausible and sad. Not to say that unbelievable worlds make for bad science fiction, look at Terry Pratchett's Discworld books. This one might have been caried by stronger and more likeable characters, a longer story with less emphasis on the sappy romance plot, and/or some depth. As it was, this was a pathetic attempt at a romance/sci-fi blend that did neither well. If you want a good blend, read Sharon Shinn, but definitely avoid this one.
Rating:
Summary: If she wanted to vent, she should have written an essay!
Review: Honestly! I mean, I know that science fiction is the best vehicle for exploring ideas and encouraging social change, but this wasn't even subtle. This was just one whiney woman spending several hundred pages preaching aganst war, falling in love, screwing up, and having her life saved over and over (and over, and over). I lost count of the number of times she "died" and had to be urgently recussitated by our convienient hero. He was nominally more interesting, but not enough to drive an unbearably weak story. The idea that planet destroying nuclear bombs (which were set off by accident?) created some peaceful society of people imbued with magical gifts was both implausible and sad. Not to say that unbelievable worlds make for bad science fiction, look at Terry Pratchett's Discworld books. This one might have been caried by stronger and more likeable characters, a longer story with less emphasis on the sappy romance plot, and/or some depth. As it was, this was a pathetic attempt at a romance/sci-fi blend that did neither well. If you want a good blend, read Sharon Shinn, but definitely avoid this one.
Rating:
Summary: A GREAT FANTASY!
Review: I expected more of a sci-fi, but this was actually more of a fantasy with future touches...I loved the unique storyline. The heroine, Jane, is a bit on the bitchy side when she first arrives in this new world -- but then who really cared about Scarlet in "Gone With The Wind" when all you wanted was Rhett? A great read and a wonderful romantic fantasy! Cathy B.
Rating:
Summary: A really good read
Review: I have to say I enjoyed finally reading romance with a tone down cover! but cover aside I found I really enjoyed the book. It was funny, dramatic, sweet and even frustrating. I got mad at the heroine for being stupid and the hero for being... well... a man. It also made me think. How would I feel in the same situation? I would have liked a bit more back story. Like how society got to were it was in 2012, but maybe thats a story for another day. However I disagree with a previous reviewer. With our currently level of dependency on technology a smart person could tumble governments by cutting out the financial base underneath, and create havoc and change the very fabric of society easily. It is possible, unlikely but yes possible. (for that matter one terrorist, one nuke, NYC, the economic impact HUGE!) and all I have to say about the comment on the change in language in 200 years is this: I'd loved to see a conversation between George Washington and Eminem, and that is with a public schools system keeping the language relatively stable. Now imagine no schools for 200 years. Slang takes on a whole new meaning. I would have to suggest you read the book yourself.
Rating:
Summary: very unusual book
Review: I loved this book from the first page. It is not your average paranormal romance. It has twists and turns that you will never expect. This one will be a keeper for sure!
Rating:
Summary: Great Story, Worth Reading Many Time
Review: I must come back to this book in about 2 months and read it again. The story is new yet old, told with the talent of a master story teller. Very hard to put down, had to read the text at one sitting. Good twists on the nuclear doomsday theme. Great Job!
Rating:
Summary: So-so
Review: I read both straight sci-fi and furturistic romances and I would not consider this a great example of either. This book is hyped as something that will be a classic, and a must read - pleasssssse! Maybe if the jacket wasn't so high on itself I would have been less disappointed. The story starts out in a totally unbelievable world just 12 years from now (and 14 from the published date) in which the heroine takes care of the ONLY public access computer, there are ray guns, curfews, and the most unbelievable part, computer people are an underclass. Of course, how any of this came to pass is never explained and also not relevent to the rest of the story for in the first few pages an atom bomb explodes and the heroine is sent 200 years into the future where people now speak so differently that she can't understand them. Again, totally unbelieable. The hero cures her of her illness through a really neat and original magic system, which saddly is never revisted. Is the heroine greatful to the hero? No. Is she curiose about he new magical world she finds herself in? No. All she wants is to get the hero to do her. (I kid you not.) I think this brings us to around page 10. Eventually the heroine is led to try to settle the age old question as to whether or not violence is ever justified. This part is book is well done. Saddly though she never really answers the question due to how she chooses to render the bad guys. The book has good ideas, and the author shows talent, but it looked to me like it still needed a lot more thought and reworking. It reads like their was originally a much bigger story, but that parts were edited out, but they missed some of the references, so they just stayed their as pointless bits. Like she mentions a few times that her Doctorial thesis was rejected, but we never learn why or how and it seems to add nothing to her complexity as a character or the plot. It won some kind of award and all I can say is, if this was the winner, I pity who ever to read the other contenders.
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