Rating: Summary: Superlative science fantasy Review: In my mind, The Lost King is Weis' finest novel. It is, by turns, intellectual, engaging, and moving. The futuristic world she describes is well thought out and is populated by appropriately complex characters. Simply brilliant.
Rating: Summary: This is a review on the whole series Review: Like I said above, this is basically a review about the whole series. My father actually showed this series to me, and when I looked at it, I was like 'I dont like sci fi novels, I just like fantasy'. Of course thats just the gist of what I said lol. I really didnt want to read it but trust me when I say, that would have been a big mistake. I was desperate because sometimes when I have nothing to read I go a little crazy. Anyway enough about me=) What I have to say about this book is that its the best I have ever read, seriously, im not exaggerating. This novel is actually 'galatic fantasy' (heh) and I hope authors keep expanding on this genre that Weis made=). There's so much I want to say about this novel, I just cant get it all straight. First off, I dont know if any other author has done this before, but I loved how she used quotes as her titles of chapters. It really made you think. After I would read a chapter, I would try and see how the quote was used. I have always hated it when a title of a chapter tells you what happens before you read it and this just solves that problem. Another thing I liked was how original it was. I was getting tired of all those novels where there's just one main bad guy and a group of good guys who save the day. In this novel those roles are always switching. If you want to read something refreshing and new, read this! Also, the way the characters are portrayed, you find them so believeable! Like, some of the main characters are supposed to be genetically superior from normal people, and Weis makes you believe this because they do seem like their on some kind of higher level all their own. I cant really explain it, you should really just read it to see for yourself. You might be interested to know though that the 3rd novel in the series was actually written first and then the 1st and 2nd. I havent read the 4th , which was written after the 2nd, because some authors tend to get worse the more they write (running out of ideas). But I want to know if the 4th is as good as the others, if someone could just write it here I would appreciate it. Of course this is Weis im talking about so I really shoudnt be asking=). Anyway, I could go on and on but I just wanted to make the point that you should read this!! =)
Rating: Summary: One of the best stories I have ever read! Review: Margaret Weis has written many books over the years that I have enjoyed but this is the first that I believe has a touch of greatness. Margaret has created a new universe never before seen and it is fantastic. This book is written in such a way as to never give away what is going to happen next with more twists and turns than a bag of pretzels. This book is one that will make you take the day off work to finish and I suggest order the next volumes ahead of time or you will regret it when you finish this one.
Rating: Summary: Excellent fantasy Review: My my, if Sagan were a real man, who could resist him? What a great bunch of characters Ms Weis has drawn. Interestingly enough, the two who are supposed to be ancilliary charaters (Maigrey and Sagan)steal the show. Dion is simply a nice reason for the book to be written, but the real story is Maigrey and Sagan. I love the little literary touches (Peter Robes=Robespierre from the French revolution, etc)and the poetry and philosophy quotations at chapter heads.
Rating: Summary: Oh, no!!! Review: Oh my, this is bad! Mind you, Margaret Weis is a brilliant writer, and this book is very well written, but IMHO (and please notice that this is just MY opinion, others may beg to differ) this one comes way too close to Star Wars (SW)! Let me give you three examples: First: You have a must-be-overthrown galactic republic (led by an evil man in robes) and a must-be-reestablished galactic kingdom. Exactly as in SW except that in SW it's the republic that's "good". Second: You have a lost boy, his heritage unknown to him, brought up on a remote planet, and who is actually the one who can save the galaxy from evil tyranny. Anyone say Luke Skywalker? And third: You have the "Blood Royal", a selected few who possess extraordinary powers enabling them to control other people in certain ways. Also, these guys have special swords that shine and buzz when turned on! I, for one, have certainly met such a bunch before! Furthermore, the warlord, Mr. Derek Sagan, reminds me a little too much of a certain person, who's clad in black and has breathing problems. This Derek Sagan thing does, however, change as the story progrsesses (a change that, to me, is rather peculiar, though!), and the presence of SW-similarities dwindles later in the series.Another annoying point was the recurring references to certain great writers and thinkers and the like of the past (those made by the characters in the book and hence NOT the ones prior to each chapter). I take it these 4 Star of the Guardians books are supposed to take place far into the future. Maybe even thousands of years have passed - mankind has after all colonized several planets, and something great is bound to have been achieved. But apparently no great books have been written and no new, daring philosophies have been made. At least none we hear of! "20th century"-persons are mentioned every now and again, but never any from the 25th or the 28th centuries. Come on! Some books of importance must have been written in that time! Neither does the plot offer anything new. It's not bad, I've just seen it too many times before: Evil must be defeated - good must prevail. There are no twists in this particular version of that good old story, just a straight (slightly boring) line. This is definitely NOT Margaret Weis standard! Usually what she writes is damn good, we all know what she's capable of writing both on her own and together with Hickman, Perrin or Baldwin. And that is why I can only give this book (and the entire series for that matter) one star, even though it's well written with juicy descriptions of the environments. But again, this is after all just my opinion ....
Rating: Summary: Oh, no!!! Review: Oh my, this is bad! Mind you, Margaret Weis is a brilliant writer, and this book is very well written, but IMHO (and please notice that this is just MY opinion, others may beg to differ) this one comes way too close to Star Wars (SW)! Let me give you three examples: First: You have a must-be-overthrown galactic republic (led by an evil man in robes) and a must-be-reestablished galactic kingdom. Exactly as in SW except that in SW it's the republic that's "good". Second: You have a lost boy, his heritage unknown to him, brought up on a remote planet, and who is actually the one who can save the galaxy from evil tyranny. Anyone say Luke Skywalker? And third: You have the "Blood Royal", a selected few who possess extraordinary powers enabling them to control other people in certain ways. Also, these guys have special swords that shine and buzz when turned on! I, for one, have certainly met such a bunch before! Furthermore, the warlord, Mr. Derek Sagan, reminds me a little too much of a certain person, who's clad in black and has breathing problems. This Derek Sagan thing does, however, change as the story progrsesses (a change that, to me, is rather peculiar, though!), and the presence of SW-similarities dwindles later in the series. Another annoying point was the recurring references to certain great writers and thinkers and the like of the past (those made by the characters in the book and hence NOT the ones prior to each chapter). I take it these 4 Star of the Guardians books are supposed to take place far into the future. Maybe even thousands of years have passed - mankind has after all colonized several planets, and something great is bound to have been achieved. But apparently no great books have been written and no new, daring philosophies have been made. At least none we hear of! "20th century"-persons are mentioned every now and again, but never any from the 25th or the 28th centuries. Come on! Some books of importance must have been written in that time! Neither does the plot offer anything new. It's not bad, I've just seen it too many times before: Evil must be defeated - good must prevail. There are no twists in this particular version of that good old story, just a straight (slightly boring) line. This is definitely NOT Margaret Weis standard! Usually what she writes is damn good, we all know what she's capable of writing both on her own and together with Hickman, Perrin or Baldwin. And that is why I can only give this book (and the entire series for that matter) one star, even though it's well written with juicy descriptions of the environments. But again, this is after all just my opinion ....
Rating: Summary: Simply one of the finest works of fiction ever printed... Review: The entire Star of the Guardians series is an amazing tour de force. The entire series is a triumph, with great plot, great emotion, and riveting characters. These 4 books cannot be missed by any fan of fantasy, or science fiction.
Rating: Summary: Good versus Evil....with a twist Review: The Lost King is a very good novel centering around two individuals who are mind-linked. These two individuals were part of an elite military corp responsible for the protection of the royal family. The royal family was killed in a bloody rebellion except for one survior. The few elite military people remaining try to hide the existence of this child. Unfortunately, the one who led the rebellion is a traitor from this elite group. These three end up together at the same time and place. Now the battle continues as to who will live and who will die. This is a great novel that you will definetly enjoy!
Rating: Summary: Very nice, but a few annoying flaws Review: The Lost King is the first book of Margaret Weis' "Star of the Guardians" trilogy. In this novel, Weis recounts mankind's continual struggle with the most appropriate form of government: republic or monarchy. The galaxy has survived a short "reign of terror" where the monarchy is overthrown, the ruling class annihilated, and a president (and would-be dictator, named appropriately Peter Robes) installed. In the previous regime, genetically enhanced humans called Guardians are trained to power to protect and preserve the galaxy and monarchy. One of their own betrays his king and country to remove the weak monarchy. Now, decades later, disenchanted with the new rule of law, he searches for the scion of the royal house to be used for his own puppet rule. Weis has constructed a believable political web. All of her "evil" characters have rationales for their actions and believe that they are doing good. They are so convincing that I couldn't decide whether I wanted them to fail or not. Look for some interesting technological/biological weapons such as the Guardians' "bloodsword" which has five needles in the hilt. When grasping the hilt, the needles break the skin and a specialized virus is injected into the wielder's bloodstream. If the swordbearer is not a Guardian, he/she dies soon after. Else, the Guardian receives enhanced abilities and shielding. Although I haven't yet read books 2 & 3 (King's Test and King's Sacrifice), this was a very strong start to the story. Only difficulty is finding the books as they have been out of print for several years. Most difficult to locate was book two.
Rating: Summary: Good read. Don't miss it. Review: The Lost King is the first book of Margaret Weis' "Star of the Guardians" trilogy. In this novel, Weis recounts mankind's continual struggle with the most appropriate form of government: republic or monarchy. The galaxy has survived a short "reign of terror" where the monarchy is overthrown, the ruling class annihilated, and a president (and would-be dictator, named appropriately Peter Robes) installed. In the previous regime, genetically enhanced humans called Guardians are trained to power to protect and preserve the galaxy and monarchy. One of their own betrays his king and country to remove the weak monarchy. Now, decades later, disenchanted with the new rule of law, he searches for the scion of the royal house to be used for his own puppet rule. Weis has constructed a believable political web. All of her "evil" characters have rationales for their actions and believe that they are doing good. They are so convincing that I couldn't decide whether I wanted them to fail or not. Look for some interesting technological/biological weapons such as the Guardians' "bloodsword" which has five needles in the hilt. When grasping the hilt, the needles break the skin and a specialized virus is injected into the wielder's bloodstream. If the swordbearer is not a Guardian, he/she dies soon after. Else, the Guardian receives enhanced abilities and shielding. Although I haven't yet read books 2 & 3 (King's Test and King's Sacrifice), this was a very strong start to the story. Only difficulty is finding the books as they have been out of print for several years. Most difficult to locate was book two.
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