Rating: 
Summary: Great story worth reading, but it ends too soon.
Review: Wonderfully crafted storytelling. This novel tells the story of two principle characters, Ampris and Elrabin - Ampris being the real focus. Both characters are members of subjugated species within the Viis empire. Ampris' early years are pampered, while Elrabin's are impoverished. Yet fate brings them together. However, they are not united till the very end. The great strength of this book is the character development. All of the characters' thoughts and actions develop naturally from their circumstances and backgrounds. Deborah Chester has done a wonderful job of creating three dimensional, and believable, characters. Additionally, when a crisis develops, the characters' responses, and the story line, remain believable. Ms. Chester never relied on tricks or unlikely interventions to rescue a character in distress. The main flaw of the book is that it ends with a cliffhanger. The story is no where near completing the story line. I grant that given Ms. Chester's richly detailed telling, 344 pages are just not enough to get us there - but I want resolution. I've read that book two in not due to be published until October - I can't wait. To her credit, Ms. Chester does provide some resolution. We see Ampris' character develop, through experience, the psychology that will bring her to greatness and we see how she and Elrabin will be thrust together. But, I don't want to wait nine months to find out what happens next. All in all, I recommend Alien Chronicles The Golden One without reservation.
Rating: 
Summary: Best audiobook I've listened to so far...
Review: My theory is you can read the summary by Amazon so I only write about what I liked. I usually read books but I recently drove from Alaska to Virginia. I picked this up at my local bookstore while looking for audiobooks for my trip. Now a lot of audiobooks are one person reading the book cover to cover. But this one was fully dramatized which means different people play different characters and awesome sound effects. The story was excellent, it leaves you wondering about and waiting for part two. The full darmatization definitely helped it out also. As most other reviewers said, its not much like Star Wars but nontheless is a great addition to the sci-fi/fantasy genre. If you'd rather see the movie than read the book, this is a great edition. But I'm sure the book is just as good for those of you that enjoy reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Once in a great while
Review: a book comes along that really inspires you... to vomit. Of the many books of sci-fi schlock I've poured through in my lifetime, this one is one of the worst. The characters are rarely interesting and the plot seems thin and in the end of this book, rushed. It seems by the 170th page of boring melodrama the author was in such a hurry to cut it short to fufill "trilogy" requirements she railroaded the characters into confusing and counter-intuitive behavior. I re-read the last part of the book to make sure I wasn't missing anything, and I wasn't. I haven't bothered to read the next two books in the saga. Usually, a first installment of a saga is supposed to grip you, not repulse you. And this did such a wonderful job of repulsing me I refused to even continue with the series. Instead, I reread "Dune" and found my faith in sci-fi writing restored.
Rating:
Summary: Alien Chronicles: The Golden One is very good adventure.
Review: I admit that at first I bought the book because the cover has the Lucasfilm logo. The story is very engrossing and I was drawn in immediately. The book's central strength is character development, something that can be found lacking in so many other novels. My only question is if the trilogy is in any way related to the Star Wars universe. If it is, then what time period is it set in? There are no references to the Jedi or other Star Wars characters. I kept expecting Luke to come into the Story at some point. It is, however, refreshing to read a book, supported by George Lucas, that doesn't rely on strong action or already familiar characters to tell the story. All of the previews that I have read are correct to point out that the characters reactions are believable and that the author did not use fantastic technology to rescue the characters. There were no Lightsabers used. In fact none of the main characters have acquired weapons yet. My only quibble is that book two isn't out yet. Otherwise the book is very strongly written and the characters well developed.
Rating:
Summary: One of the worst books I've ever read
Review: I am an avid fan of fantasy and sci-fi, and when I noticed this book on the shelf at the local book store, I was interested enough to buy it. The first book in the trilogy, "The Golden One", doesn't really let one know how bad the writing is going to get. I give it one star simply because it isn't particularly well-written, and the storyline is transparently bland. It is obviously intended to hook the customer into buying the whole trilogy, which only goes downhill from the beginning. The really sad thing is that there was a lot of potential to make this interesting, but the characters, instead of developing, become more and more one-dimensional as the story progresses. The conversations and thought-processes of the characters could have been written by a fourth-grade B student. By the end of the third book, I was so disgusted and impatient to simply be done with it, that I had to force myself to read it through to the end instead of tossing it into a garbage can. I won't give away any parts of the story, just in case someonee is foolish enough to buy this stinker, but be forewarned: the author becomes so pedantic towards the end that there can be absolutely no doubt, at all, not even the tiniest, smallest, most miniscule bit of doubt, that the lead character, Ampris, is a "tragically noble heroine who just wants to believe the best in others no matter how many times they disappoint her". Or that everyone else in the books, with the exception of her best friend, is a despicable, self-centered, back-stabbing excuse for a (sorry, can't use the word "human", so insert your own noun, here). This series, in conclusion, is an utterly pathetic attempt at writing, that starts out mediocre and eventually becomes simply abominable. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON IT!
Rating:
Summary: An Absolute Favorite
Review: This is one of those creations that comes along every so often and blows you away. The author uses characters as diverse and fascinating as the backgrounds they come from: Ampris is an Aaroun and the heroine of the trilogy, who begins her life as both abiru slave (abiru is the word the Viis use for all other races) as well as pampered pet and best friend too the Viis princess. She is later to play a major part in the overthrowing of the tyrannical Viis empire - Isrei is the spoiled Viis princess to whom Ampris is both pet and cherished friend, and who will later become ruler of the Viis empire - Finally there's Elrabin, a young Kelth who learns about growing up on the streets the hard way, and who will later join Ampris in the fight of her life. Their story is set in a captivating world unlike any other, and the plot that brings their lives together is an inspiring story about a struggle for freedom. If you are the least bit interested in science-fiction, or even if you're not, this book is sure to make a lasting impression.
Rating:
Summary: NOT a Star Wars rip-off
Review: Let's get one thing straight. This book is not just Star Wars in sheep's clothing, despite the word Lucasfilm's in the title. But, if you like Star Wars (especially Young Jedi Knights) chances are you'll like this, too. And I have indeed read that this trilogy, too, is supposed to be part of a trilogy-of-trilogies. But it is NOT another Star Wars. There is nothing remotely like the force or jedi, nad the hero of the trilogy actually uses (to a certain extent) anger and revenge as tools. Chew on that!
Rating:
Summary: catwolves and giant lizars rock!!!
Review: I'll be short for once. I loved this book and the other two in the series. It is asolutely fascinating and the perspectives of the different charcters make the Viis empire a totally believable one. This is a story you go into thinking it'll be just another one about salves and freedom and find is ever so much more. I loved it and couldn't put it down. Not kidding. I stayed up until two in the morning reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific
Review: I already wrote a review for this book, guess it's gone along with other's. Well all I can say this is a great book. The story line is great, the characters you fall in love with. It's just...I don't know what to say, It's full of color, and hte idea to no humans is a good one. Just aliens, the fighting arenas' are heart pounding. I would recommend this to any one. And don't just buy it because it says LUCAS ARTS on it....it doesn't seem starwarish to me....It's just a good sci fi book...
Rating:
Summary: ALIEN CHRONICLES
Review: THE ENTIRE TRILOGY IS A MUST READ. YOU GET "TAKEN INTO" THE STORY LINE AN CHEER WITH THE OTHER SPECTATORS FOR "CRIMSON CLAW! "
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