Rating: 
Summary: excellent reading - a must for all fantasy lovers
Review: I read a lot of fantasy books and have come to enjoy the works of mr. stackpole alot. Talion was an excellent book. I enjoyed the style in which it was written. the flashbacks every other chapter provided excellent insight and depth to Nolan. i agree with several other reviews and feel the book could have benifitted from more development of the other characters. My only real knock is that the ending seemed rushed. I tend to enjoy the epic or sagas alot and feel that there is plenty of room for mr. stackpole to continue writing. perhaps this would not have left me feeling the end was rushed. all told though, i enjoy the writings of mr. stackpole and reccomend this book to any and all lovers of fantasy as well as mr. stackpoles other works :-)
Rating: 
Summary: READ THIS!! READ THIS!!
Review: Talion is a GREAT book. Keeps u entertained til the end. I have read a number of Mike Stackpole's books (starting with all the StarWars ones and going onto his fantasy novels) but I always come back to Talion for a REread. It's definitely a favourite of mine. I really liked the way he alternates the past and present with each chapter. And the narrative style feels really comfortable. Very smooth. Crossing my fingers and toes for a Book 2 to be written. (please Mike pleeease) Other fav books are The Dark Glory War, Fortress Draconis and A Hero Born.
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Summary: Fantasy Done Right
Review: Michael A. Stckpole said this was the first novel he ever wrote. As an aspiring author I have to say, I wish my first efforts were this good.Fantasy books are very difficult to write for several reasons. Far too many people have tried to ride Tolkien's momentum. Consequently, many books feel like the author was afraid to try some original ideas. Conversely, some go so far off of the path that it's difficult to identify the work as fantasy. Then you have repetitive characters and plots, thin worlds, and thousands of undefined theologies. These are just a few of the snares waiting for aspiring writers. Stackpole deftly avoided all of these traps, and gave us a book that is a plain and simple good read. The story moves at a good pace. Characters and lands are very well defined. And, it's easy to understand, and identify with the main character Nolan. To me it's quite amazing. This story has many of the elements that one would expect to come off as repetitive, and maybe even a little cheesy. There's a beautiful princess in it for crying out loud. But, with a slick plot, frequent and well thought out fights, and exceptional characters this story pulls it off. My last thought goes out to Mr. Stackpole. I'm sure he's heard it before, but one more won't hurt. How about a sequal? MhalkyChris
Rating:
Summary: Talion: Revenant
Review: This was the first book that I read by Michael A. Stackpole, and after three chapters he was my favorite author. Now that's gotta be a good sign. This perfect work of art is about Nolan ra Sinjaria, whose family has been wiped out by the Hamisians (another country). Nolan travels to Talianna to be trained as a Justice in order to avenge his family. (Justices are the best of the group of peace-keepers called the Talions.) Anyway, after he is fully trained in the art of war, he is assigned to protect the life of the king that had his family slaughtered. The book is set up in a kind of strange way where all odd-numbered chapters (ie: 1,3,5,7, etc) are after his training where he is grown up and on assignments, and all odd-numbered chapters are during his training where he is a kid. Some find this setup confusing, but I thought that it was very appropriate because the chapters during his training link up with the odd-numbered chapters althroughout and most importantly, at the end of the book, and make it less typical than most fantasy books. All in all, it is a fabulous book that really gets to you and makes you love the characters. I highly recommend it to anyone that likes an entertaining story.
Rating:
Summary: One for the most engaging books I've ever read.
Review: This is the first of Mike's non-Star Wars books that I have read. It will not be the last. I don't usually like fantasy (I'm a "hard" SciFi being). But this book was great. The characters are REAL, they react to events in a believable way. The magic is consistent and believable, no more fantastic and flighty than hyperspace or the Force. The supporting characters are a treat, well done and three dimensional. I really enjoyed the way Mike wove Nolan's past and present together. The training of the young Talions was informative and fascinating. Made me want to go out and join up! ( I want to be an Elite . . . you'll just have to read the book to find out why) I found Nolan's humanity very refreshing. Nolan's ways of using his power and authority are reminiscent of Corran Horn and Luke Skywalker. If you enjoyed Mike's X-Wing books and I, Jedi, you will really love Talion:Revenant. I can't wait to get my hands on Mike's other books!
Rating:
Summary: YES!
Review: This is amazing. Read it. You have to. From the first page I was hooked, and I nearly burst into tears at the last page-because i didn't want it to end. This is a must-have for any fantasy book lover.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: One of the finer works. It is compelling without being preachy or ham-handed. Along with Martha Wells Death of the Necromancer, it goes on my all-time favorites list.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing fantasy with complex characters
Review: This was Mike's earliest fantasy book as far as I know but it reads simply brilliant. It doesn't have the reach of his DragonCrown War but the characters themselves are so real that it more than makes up for the less realized world they inhabit. A sequel would fix that problem nicely though (hint hint Mike!) The complex interactions of charcters and their ever-changing minds embraces the reader, keeping him/her guessing as the ever-deepening plot evolves into something much darker than initially thought. Buy it! Read it! You'll love it!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: In the afterword to Talion: Revenant, author Michael Stackpole states that this novel initially went unpublished because, at 175,000 words, it was too long for an unknown author. Whoever said that must have not read the book, because the problem is that it is too SHORT, not too long! This is one of those titles that you just don't want to end, and that make you seriously depressed when you realize there is no sequel, even by another author. The world that Stackpole has created in this stand-alone adventure is original, detailed, and has incredible potential. His characters, as always, are so real that you start wondering if you actually know them. This novel, like Once A Hero and I, Jedi is told from the first person perspective. This isn't an easy way to write a good novel, but Stackpole certainly makes it seem that way. The protagonist is Nolan, a Talion Justice with a tragic history that has some serious scores to settle. The story switches between his time training as a Talion and his missions as a Justice. At first this might be a bit confusing, but you will soon get accustomed to it, and it quickly becomes apparent that the author has turned this potentially unwieldy scheme into an elegant and pivotal element of his tale. Some fantasy authors write works that are what I like to call 'borderline romance,' with an obvious love scheme that is typically invincible and an almost fairy-tale style of storytelling. Don't expect this from Stackpole. Talion: Revenant is traditional purebred fantasy, and it doesn't get much better than this. If you are even remotely interested in fantasy, or just a very deep, compelling story, then look no further. Summon your tsincaat and pick a good Imperial hawk- Talion: Revenant will certainly sweep you off your feet.
Rating: 
Summary: Author In Progress
Review: Fans of Stackpole's work will enjoy this book. His vivid imagery and unsurpassed character representation shine through. However, it is easy to see why this was his first book. There are some areas of this book's world that could be expanded. While a good story, I would not say that this is one of his classics. This novel is a good read, but do yourself a favor and read some of Stackpole's later works (like the Dragoncrown War books) as well.
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