by Cinda Williams Chima

Book One of the Heir Series
1. The Warrior Heir
2. The Wizard Heir
3. The Dragon Heir

Raised in a small town by his mother and host of friendly neighbors, Jack considers himself a normal boy, aside from the scar on his chest, acquired from heart surgery as an infant, and the medicine he has take daily. He has girl troubles, teenager problems, homework, and soccer tryouts.

But one day, Jack forgets to take his medicine. Surprisingly, instead of feeling ill, he feels great – better than he’d ever felt before! That day, something strange happens in soccer tryouts, as a competing player is mysteriously thrown into the goalie net.

Enter Aunt Linda. She whisks him away for a few days to hunt for a family heirloom. But even more strange things happen on this trip, and Jack learns a huge secret about his family – and himself. He is Weirlind, part of a magical society people governed by wizards, and even owned by them.

Suddenly, Jack’s entire world is thrown into disarray as wizards from warring factions compete to find him and steal him to train for a great tournament – a fight for the death. He must keep himself hidden from these wizards and also train to learn control of his power – all while keeping up with school classes, soccer practices, and the fascinating girl, Ellen, from homeroom.

The Warrior Heir is vaguely Harry-Potterish with its introduction of a magical society which lives unnoticed among the Anaweir, or non-magical humans. Jack is a likeable hero, as are his friends, Will and Fitch. His Aunt Linda, an Enchanter, maintains a believable, if somewhat vague, character in this twisting plot. This is a fascinating coming-of-age story that will have readers staying up through the wee hours of the morning to finish.

adapted by Eoin Colfer & Andrew Donkin with art by Giovanni Rigano & color by Paolo Lamanna

Artemis Fowl is an incredibly clever 12-year old boy – and he knows it. Ensconced in his family mansion, he plots to regain his family’s fortune. In order to do this, he engages in an all-stops-pulled scheme to capture a fairy and trade it for gold. But to do this, he needs to find a copy of a fairy book containing the history of their race, laws, rules… and weaknesses.

Once this book is found, it needs to be translated from Gnommish – an extinct script. But Artemis is crafty, and soon finds ways to find what he needs.

Meanwhile, deep in the underground fairy city, Captain Holly Short, of the Recon, is trying to live up to the high expectations of being the only female in the business – ever. She specializes in keeping runaway fairy creatures from making contact with the human world.

But her magic is dwindling, and she needs to travel to the ancient oak to replenish her power. And Artemis Fowl is there, waiting, with his burly butler, conveniently named Butler.

Can the fairy world protect itself from exploitation at the hands of this wily 12-year-old?

I found this graphic novel highly entertaining, if just a tad bit slow in the beginning. Artemis Fowl is a highly intelligent perpetrator, and the other characters, Butler, Juliette (Butler’s sister), Captain Holly Short, and her boss, Julius Root stay true to character, adding humor and depth to the story. The depiction by Giovanni Rigano is, I must say, quite excellent.

One thing that I must mention, however, for its high annoyance factor, has nothing to do with the story, but rather with the book itself, published by Hyperion Books. It simply falls apart. Every single page that I turned came unattached. Yep. The binding is crappy, and now, instead of a book, I have a book cover full of loose pages.

So, buy at your own risk, but you might be better off just checking it out from your local library – they’ve probably already redone the binding so that your pages stay in.

by Terry Brooks

Book Two of The Genesis of Shannara

1. Armageddon’s Children
2. The Elves of Cintra
3. The Gypsy Morph

About a year ago, I found myself on a plane to Seattle. In my carry-on bag was the first book of the Genesis of Shannara trilogy: Armageddon’s Children. Ironically, that book was set in Seattle - the very place I was going to visit for the first time ever. I found myself enthralled with his descriptions, and while wandering the streets, I found landmarks which he mentioned in that book. I counted Armageddon’s Children as one of Brook’s finest works and anxiously awaited the day when its sequel should arrive.

I just received The Elves of Cintra in the mail from Amazon last week. I had pre-ordered the paperback version. At 11pm that very night, I lay down to read it… and had completely finished it by 3am. What a trip!

Brooks continues with his amazing ability to astound my senses and leaves me saying “What a great book!” For that it is. The same compelling characters continue, with Logan Tom and Angel Perez as Knights of the Word protecting their charges from the invading demons and once-men. Hawk of the Ghosts has now realized his potential as the magical gypsy morph and is given the quest to lead humanity to safety.

I absolutely loved how in Elves of Cintra, Terry Brooks makes a deep connection with the world of Shannara. He does this by both the re-introduction of the King of the Silver River, and by recounting the powers and history of two powerful sets of Elfstones.

But the Elves are compromised, for there is a hidden demon in their midst.

How will this all play out? Read it to find out.

by Richard A. Knaak

DRAGONLANCE

Book One of the Ogre Titans
1) The Black Talon
2) The Fire Rose
3) The Gargoyle King

The minotaur empire has transformed Silvanost into the thriving colony of Ambeon. But the old alliances are giving way to surprising new ones.

The ambitious half-breed Golgren is still rising in power. He has solidified his leadership over the ogre race through intrigue and bloodshed, and aided by a dark pact with the mystical spell-casters, the Ogre Titans.

But the cult of sorcerers, guided by their Black Talon ruling council, has ambitions of its own, a secret agenda that threatens Golgren - and all of Krynn.

by Cam Banks

DRAGONLANCE

Book One of the Anvil of Time
1) The Sellsword
2) The Survivors
3) Renegade Wizards

The Journeyman must use the ancient Anvil of Time to travel through history. He is told to observe, not to interfere, a task that is easier said than done…

The War of the Lance has ended, but the world of Krynn remains in peril. Even after the defeat of the Queen of Darkness, a disciple of Emperor Ariakas rules Nordmaar by sword and spell.

Enter Vanderjack, a mercenary with a dark past and a sword haunted by ghosts. The sellsword finds himself in Nordmaar, fighting for his freedom - if he can settle old scores and escape acquiring new ones.