Product Description
Thrown from a speeding car after attempting to cut into drug kingpin Aitch's empire, Mike lies near death on the Oregon desert, which, he discovers, is home to an abandoned spa with special healing waters. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I Palindrome I
The editorial review above really ought to contain a spoiler warning, so completely does it reveal the plot of this novel. Many of Jeter's usual trademarks are here, such as the generally unsympathetic characters anddirt-under-the-nails setting, but this time things seem rather slight andunder-explored. It's rare that any book could use another hundred pages soin that sense this is a rare book indeed, since there are plenty of areasthe author needed to expand upon (although not necessarily explain, as themysterious nature of this thin slice of horror is very effective). Thedenouement rushes in as rapidly as the car from which Mike is tossed intothe desert, exacerbated by the breakneck speed of Jeter's prose, as crispand sharp as any of the scalpels here used to gruesome effect. Stephen Kingwould probably have taken 1200 pages to tell this tale, spelling everythingout along the way; K.W. Jeter may have leaned too far the other way,shaving more from his story than was healthy for it. A nose above the usualhorror fiction, but not Jeter at his nerve-jangling best. ... Read more

Product Description
The first sequel to the major movie spectacular, "Blade Runner", "The Edge of Human" has been commissioned by Orion and authorised by the Philip K Dick Trust and The Blade Runner Partnership. It is written by a writer who worked alongside Dick in the years prior to his tragically earl death. It answers a lot of the questions left hanging by the movie and yet remains true to the spirit of the original Philip K Dick story "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep". Rick Deckard is living with his replicant lover, Rachael, in the rural backwoods of North America. They eke out their remaining days together with Rachael spending most of the time in cyrogenic suspension. Out of the blue Deckard is snatched away and dumped back in LA with more questions than answers. Why is he on a murder rap? Who is the sixth replicant? And is Sarah Tyrell, Rachael's double, to be trusted? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not Free SF Reader
While it was perhaps interesting to see that there was a sequel of sorts to Blade Runner, it is only of sorts.

You are never quite sure why, or what milieu you are actually in, I think, in general, and while some of the elements are there it basically comes across as just ordinary.


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Product Description
Fully authorised by the estate of Philip K. Dick and written by the author they felt best equipped to take forward the vision of one of the great names in SF, BLADE RUNNER 4: BEYOND ORION combines the dark imagery, paranoia, tension and pace of Dick’s original novel and the cinematic genius of Ridley Scott in a novel that takes the Blade Runner series into a new millennium.

Blade Runner has become one of the most recognisable and well loved brands in SF and K.W. Jeter has only added to its reputation and impact. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

For Blade Runner completists only
This is K.W. Jeter's third sequel to Blade Runner, and I suspect it will be the last.It has never been published in the USA and is only available via pricey imported copies.I was lucky enough to stumble across a relatively inexpensive copy from an Amazon Marketplace dealer; if I had paid what other copies are selling for, I'd feel much more disappointed than I already am.

Eye and Talon starts strongly, with a female blade runner named Iris getting the puzzling assignment of retrieving Eldon Tyrell's owl (although it was presented as an artificial owl in the film, Iris quickly learns that it was in fact a live owl).She meets a mysterious character named Vogel who possesses some critical inside information and offers to assist her.Some exciting, well-drawn action scenes follow, including a thrilling chase inside the ruins of the Tyrell Corporation's pyramid.Unfortunately, the story quickly runs out of steam after that; the novel ends with 50+ pages of tedious exposition in which the Big Secrets are revealed as slowly as possible.

Jeter also continues a baffling conceit from his previous Blade Runner novel: a director named Urbenton has produced a film of Rick Deckard's adventures called "Blade Runner," which just happens to be identical to Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner."Urbenton is filming this novel's action with hidden cameras and there are occasional "Intercut" chapters showing the production crew at work.This peculiar subplot is little more than a distraction.

I should add that I'm a Jeter fan; I've read all of his novels and I think he's a tremendously talented writer.I consider him the most accomplished writer to emerge from Dick's circle of friends.Unfortunately, Jeter's output is very uneven and his pacing is often maddeningly ponderous.This could have been a far better novel if Jeter had allowed information to emerge from the narrative, rather than having a character spend 50 pages explaining everything.Maybe the author was facing a deadline and just needed to get it done in a hurry.

Jeter just never got it
Probably like a number of Philip K. Dick fans I bought this title hoping against hope that just maybe a smidgen of PKD's genius had rubbed off on his friend Kevin. It did not take more than a few pages into the first chapter to disabuse me of that delusion. Iris starts out as a distinctly unsympathetic character and never gains a degree of warmth. Jeter writes this like a hack contemporary cop potboiler, a genre I studiously avoid these days. Jeter himself never seems to warm to the work and it noodles around for most of the book without ever seeming to hit its stride. Jeter tries to toss in a little PC vulnerability to add a nanometer of depth to Iris but I kept turning the pages hoping some skinjob would just air her out. Her little furbie pet only increased my urge to retch. The whole tone of cop sympathetic martydom complex is so antithetical to PKD's antiauthoritarianism that I have to wonder why anyone, aside from Madison Avenue minded publisher would have selected Jeter. Yeah, he was a friend of PKD and he was a writer but anyone who read VALIS and recognized the Jeter character in it, knows he was the last person who should have been selected.

Since the two books in this series were the first time I read anything by Jeter, he may do better with his original writing. I have zero inclination to find out. A few months ago I rented a so-so DVD documentary on the life of Philip K. Dick, "The Pentultimate Truth" which included many interviews with his friends and family. K.W. Jeter was included and his short segment toward the end was the most illuminating in terms of understanding why the "Bladerunner" series is such a disappointment. Right up until PKD expressed some doubts about his perceptions and state of mind shortly before he died, many of his friends considered him quite insane. This began during a conference in the '70's in Europe when Phil in a moment of brilliant prescience declared that he had come to believe that reality as we commonly agree it to be, is a vast computer generated virtual construction constantly undergoing updating. Now whether you subscribe to that idea or not, it certainly does not reflect in these post-Matrix days, the ravings of a lunatic. Sadly, that's just how some of his friends, including Jeter, viewed that statement and they began to distance themselves from him. I'll hand it to Jeter that he did have the decency to stick with PKD to the bitter end but he just never "got it" with regard to Phil's vision. In the DVD Jeter shows the first and only emotional reaction when he throws up his hands expressing gratitude that Phil's expression of self doubt proved he had not gone to his grave a complete lunatic. I don't doubt the sincerity of Jeter's friendship but this Bladerunner series demonstrates his utter inability to fill Philip K. Dick's shoes. But then nobody ever can.

Not Free SF Reader
The third of these authorised sequels, and this one improved a bit, capturing a little more of the feel and ambience, I think.

Having a cool owl probably doesn't hurt, either.That is part of the focus of the story, is there a real bird of prey still around, or not?This is what has to be discovered as the inhabitants and focal characters of this novel continue to not have a good time at all.

Original, enjoyable - gives the series hope
I found this in the bargain bin in W H Smith and read it reluctantly. In the last year I've read it about 3 times. It really is quite good.
It concerns a female blade runner, top of her game, who is asked to find Tyrell's owl - the one you see in the movie. Her investigations lead her to loose her job and set her on a quest for answers all over futuristic LA and deep down into the ruined Tyrell corporation (which was blown up in an earlier book). Unbeknown to her, she is being filmed (in order to create a movie!) and all her actions are being pushed towards a final conclusion in which she realises the truth about the replicant program - what its real purpose was - (not to serve the off-world colonies), and the truth about herself - why she is such a good blade-runner and why she looks like Tyrell's niece, Rachel...
It's been a long while since I read BR 2 & 3. I remember the second one being quite interesting and the third being so awful I wanted to burn it and wash my hands with acid soap.
However, in this novel the characters are set in the same universe as Blade Runner but they are far enough removed from the original book to be able to invent them whole new agendas. And the purpose behind the replicant program is both stunning and believable - and something the film never dealth with (or needed to). You remember that Roy Batty killed Tyrell by squeezing out his eyes? When you find out WHY he killed him that way - you will be bowled over. Third sequels (as films or books) usually suck but I cannot reccomend this one enough. Sure, there are some exceptionally annoying monologues as plot-advancement devices that make you want to scream - but it's worth pushing past them.


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Product Description
Word count: 2026. ... Read more

Product Description
Cyberpunk / steampunk author Jeter's second novel. First published here as a Laser Book, June 1976. Original science fiction novels, three Laser Books were issued per month beginning August 1975 until the line folded in February 1977. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Jeter's best horror novel...
I'm writing this review simply because I think the previous rating is too low although I have no issue with the review itself.

Land of the Dead (1989) is probably Jeter's best horror novel although it's certainly not a conventional horror novel.It's best described as a boy-meets-girl love story except that the girl (Fay) can control the dead.The "boy" (Cooper) doesn't believe in her until it's too late.Of course, with a premise like that, you just know it's going to have a tragic ending...

That said, the book is beautifully written, and it ends on a sad, wistful note.As the previous review states, it very effectively evokes the 1930s depression.The villain of the book, a powerful orange grower, conducts himself like a feudal lord and has near absolute power over Cooper and Fay...the main point of the book I guess is that life isn't fair.

Albert Camus Meets Stephen King
I suspect that fans of Albert Camus and Stephen King would give more stars to this book.If you prefer protagonists who combat evil and overcome hardships, avoid this book.The book is set in California during the Depression.The book convincingly portrays the agony of the dust bowl victims who headed for California in the hope of starting a new life.Among the travelors is a man named Cooper.Cooper, to avoid a prison term, becomes a paymaster for an orange grower who employs and abuses migrant workers.A nanny employed by the orange grower believes that she has the power to control dead animals and dead people.Cooper, seemingly unable to control any circumstances, is driven by circumstances beyond his control into mental and emotional hell. ... Read more

Product Description
Deep Space NineTM is forced to curtail entry to the wormhole due to increased graviton emissions, and an air of biting tension settles over the station. This anxiety leads to the murder of an Edeman religious leader, Commander Benjamin Sisko and Security Chief Odo realize they face a larger problem.

Soon Sisko and Odo have more lifeless bodies on their hands and a killer who strikes without motive. Then, both the Edemans and Cardassians arrive threatening to destroy the station unless the murderer is given to them for retribution. In order to save Deep Space Nine and stop the killing, Odo must try to destroy a powerful assassin who is the only link to his mysterious past. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Peter David is just great!
I read this Waaaay back in the day (90's), and I loved it!This guy also wrote Imzadi, and worked with Stephen King on the Dark Tower graphic novels.Love him!

DS9 #2 The Siege - An exceptional Peter David novel!
It is quite fitting that Peter David, one of Star Trek's most popular and prolific authors was given the opportunity to write the very first original Star Trek Deep Space Nine novel.It's just too bad that he's only visited Deep Space Nine one time since this great novel.

One of the most difficult problems that an author faces when writing a novel for such a young series is the fact that they just don't have much background to work with.This is something that certainly hindered early STNG authors.Peter David addresses this in the Preface of "The Siege," stating that at the time he'd written this, he'd only seen the first five episodes so if the characterizations are off, that's why.I believe that is one of the myriad of reasons that he has been on of the best Star Trek authors; you certainly didn't see any statements like this in the early STNG novels.

Although Peter David did not have a lot of Deep Space Nine background to work with, thematically the entire tone of this novel is "dead on" perfect with the first and second seasons.As usual, his wit is in high gear with this novel, despite the "heavy" tone of the novel.

The cover art for "The Siege" is quite truly standard fare for the time in which this novel was released and not really too impressive.

The premise:

Commander Sisko is forced to cut back entry to the wormhole due to increased graviton emissions and not long thereafter the overall atmosphere of the station becomes very tense.Suddenly an Edeman religious leader is but the first to be found murdered and Commander Sisko and Constable Odo must find the killer.The killer is seemingly striking without motive and the situation soon becomes even more harrowing as the Cardassians and Edemans arrive demanding that the killer be found and given to them or else they'll destroy the station.Adding a certain level of mystique in this story, Odo finds that he must destroy this killer but the killer is also the only link to his mysterious past.

What follows from there is nothing less than a brilliant early Star Trek Deep Space Nine novel that will keep you guessing from cover to cover!I highly recommend this novel for your Star Trek collection as you will find it to be among the best of any of the series.{ssintrepid}

Good, but not great.
Peter David explains in his introduction that in writing this book, he was working under a handicap: the characters hadn't been very well-defined by the time he was assigned the task. Given that, he did an admirable job of anticipating the characterizations that would eventually become canonical. Still, the feel was a little bit off. Also, while David does manage to maintain his usual ability to write with humor even while writing a very serious plot, the plot is a little too dark for my taste, and the violence a little too graphic. This is definitely not one of David's better efforts, in fact it's the weakest book by him that I've yet encountered. But even his worst is fair to middling.

Surprisingly good!
I didn't expect this to be good, considering how early in the season it was written, but I was happy to read the kind of well-written novel that only Peter David can write.You have to hand it to him, this one is another in his long series of great ST books.Even reading this after Deep Space Nine is finished, it rings true to much of the characters at that time.So read thisbook!

Good first effort
Taking place a little less than halfway through the first season of the show, The Siege is a strong first original novel in this series.As David explains in the preface, he's going to make a few mistakes, as when hestarted the book the show was only five episodes old and not everything wasthat well developed yet.

And he was right.Most of the characters didfall a little out of character at times, but just as often they soundedjust as they do in the show.There was a bunch of cool action, withshapeshifters beating the heck out of each other, as well as out ofothers.

This book is filled with David's usual Star Trek wit and humor. In fact, my biggest complaint is about that.While there is some goodferengi humor, the author takes a lot of liberties with the ferengi cultureand lifestyle, and most of them are dead wrong.This gets to be veryannoying with every few pages he talks about "tradition ferengidefensive crouch," "a stance known as the ferengi..."etc.

Still, I recommend this book to DS9 fans.This is what the episode"the adversary" should have been.Good work! ... Read more

Product Description
Continuing Adventures Of Star Trek Deep Space Nine...!Date: August to November 2000*** Contains Issue #'s 1-4 ***Complete 4-issue mini-series!Intelligent virus infects Deep Space Nine and the only one who can save the galaxy is...Quark !????! ... Read more

Product Description
Boba Fett fears only one enemy--the one he cannot see....

Feared and admired, respected and despised, Boba Fett enjoys a dubious reputation as the galaxy's most successful bounty hunter. Yet even a man like Boba Fett can have one too many enemies....

When Boba Fett stumbles across evidence implicating Prince Xizor in the murder of Luke Skywalker's aunt and uncle, Fett makes himself an enemy even he fears: the unknown mastermind behind a monstrous deception, who will kill to hide his tracks. Fett also finds himself in possession of an amnesiac young woman named Neelah, who may be the key to the mystery--or a decoy leading Fett into a murderous ambush. Fett's last hope is to run through the list of Xizor's hidden enemies. And since Xizor's hidden enemies are almost as legion as Fett's, the chance of survival is slim--even for someone as skilled and relentless as Boba Fett.

© 1999 Lucasfilm Ltd. and TM.All rights reserved.Used under authorization. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (83)

A psuedo-mystery that gives a lesson in "Show don't tell"
Fett, Dengar, and Neelah find out answers to important questions that they've been thinking and talking about endlessly since The Mandalorian Armor.
NOTE: Based on the novel (read years ago) and the audiobook.

I Liked:
The mystery that is the meat and bones of this novel is fascinating.As I read Boba Fett talking to Kuat of Kuat and relating it, I was actually impressed with the detail and intricacy that Jeter put into it (even as I was frustrated at the same time).I liked how the enemy wasn't the Empire, wasn't the Hutts, but a new person completely.
Once again, when Jeter does include an action scene, it is a good one, well-written, very appropriate for his characters.
Also, I really did enjoy reading adventures about Fett, Dengar, and even Kuat of Kuat.Fett is really well-done (if too talky and too perfect), Dengar is a really relatable character (I love his relationship with Manaroo), and Kuat of Kuat really proved to be an interesting character...

I Didn't Like:
but couldn't the characters just shut up once and awhile?Every scene is littered with endless talking, talking, talking or thinking, thinking, thinking.Fett and Dengar visit Kud'ar Mub'at and they talk.They learn nothing of value, but they talk.Then Fett and Dengar visit Balancesheet and they talk.They learn they have to go back to Tatooine, where they meet Bossk.Boba Fett and Bossk meet at opposite ends of gunpoint and they talk.Finally, Bossk hands over the falsified evidence to Fett and Fett is off to KDY.Then Fett, Dengar, and Neelah get caught by KDY and chew the fat with them.In between, Neelah thinks, moans and gripes about her lost memory.Because I was listening to the audiobook, I started toning things out or yelling at the narrator (God bless his soul) to stop talking already!It seemed like people would do something...and stop to talk about it.While they are talking, they would stop to think back on the history of something.Then they would talk.Then they would do something.And on and on and on until I wanted to strangle myself.
Bringing Kud'ar Mub'at back to life was lame.If he's dead, he's dead.I don't care what species or other lame excuse you use to bring him back.Plus, his scene was completely worthless.
Neelah was a freaking annoying character who I wanted to die.I also wasn't fond of how her sister was so evil and all that jazz.
I wasn't that fond of the overemphasis placed on the Battle of Endor or the falsified evidence of who killed the Lars family.Let's keep our Big Three in their own stories and leave them out of the side stories like this one.We have enough stories with them int he limelight.
And Boba Fett talks too much!

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Little to none.
Other than Neelah being a dancer (yes, I know it's annoying, but if you read the book, you'll find it does the same thing), nothing.
Fett and Bossk face off.Kuat Drive Yards is destroyed.

Overall:
It's a pity.There is a good story, a good mystery hidden in this trilogy.But the unfortunate thing is the trilogy is hidden behind people TELLING you the answers instead of the characters SHOWING you the answers.And that's the biggest crime: Jeter tells you, doesn't show you.He doesn't show the investigation, he tells you through Fett expositing how he learned such-and-such by doing this-and-that, which never is shown in the book.He doesn't show you Xizor planning, he tells you his plans through Xizor yapping with Palpatine and Vader.Sometimes an author has to exposit, can't show a scene, or doesn't want to repeat a whole scene again (the typical "X told Y about Z").That is completely okay.But when an entire trilogy is one long expository dialogue, it is more than tiring, it is painful.
Unless you are a Boba Fett fan and are eager to read him talk, skip.Hopefully, a different author will come along and write a much better Fett-centric story in the future.

Brought to you by:
*C.S. Light*

A fine ending to the trilogy!
I won't bother with th usual setting and timeline nonsense, because it's obvious in the book. From book 1, "The Mandalorian Armour" to the last, these books have something for everyone who is a fan of Star Wars! If its not Fett and his cold emotionless lines, then its Palpatine and his cronies who seek to do anything to gain favour with their overlord! The intamacy in these novels in respect to character relations is above all typical Star Wars! An introdustion to a more wider knowledge of the galaxies inhabitants in these books is paramount to their success. The storyline is at some points (because of the layout) a bit danting, but is well rounded up in the later chapters when all of the puzzle fits into place! This book comes highly recomended. Jack Hammond (Long live the Mandalorians)

Boba Fett Trilogy - Finally Over
Hard Merchandise by K. W. Jeter is the last book of a trilogy about the Bounty Hunter Wars, i.e., a three-part series about the indestructibility of Boba Fett. As I explained in my reviews of the previous two books, I have no problem reading stories about Fett. I think he is an extremely interesting character. His skills are amazing, and he always seems to know just what to do. I just wish another author had written the stories and had condensed them to one book.There is not nearly enough material here to warrant three books. As a result, the books are crammed with analyses of everything the characters are thinking. We just don't need explanations of what the characters are thinking before they perform some amazing feat. The story itself, although way too complicated, could work if it were left to stand on its own without all of the filler.

In this last book of the trilogy, Boba Fett stumbles across evidence that appears to implicate Prince Xizor in the murder of Luke Skywalker's aunt and uncle. Fett realizes that the evidence is a deception, and he sets out to find out who was behind it. The trail eventually leads him to the Kuat Drive Yards, the giant spaceship yard that builds all types of new vessels for anyone with sufficient credits. Neelah and Dengar are still trailing along with Neelah playing a major role once things get cleared up. The plot is extremely convoluted but eventually plods along to an acceptable conclusion.

I cannot recommend The Bounty Hunter Wars highly. The plot is interesting at times. Boba Fett is fun to watch, and you will know more about all of the bounty hunters when you're done. That's about it.

The Bounty Hunter Wars limps to an ending
Hard Merchandise is the conclusion of K. W. Jeter's The Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy. Boba Fett is back in action, although lacking his beloved ship Slave I, and he wants to know who tried to bomb him on Tatooine and why. Adding to the mystery is a cryptic recording of the slaughter of Owen and Beru Lars by Imperial Stormtroopers that we saw the aftermath of in A New Hope. The specialized smell sensors used add to the recording a sign indicating Prince Xizor might have been involved in this tragic event. None of the characters really believe that's true, but Fett smells credits at the end of the trail and wants to find out where the recording originated and why someone would want to implicate Xizor.

I haven't mentioned much in my other two reviews of this trilogy about Neelah, the escaped slave from Jabba's Palace. This is partially because her story unfolds painfully slowly, and it's only in this volume that she gets any answers about her mysterious amnesia. When she does get them, they're not particularly revelatory. We also find out the extent of Kuat of Kuat's plotting and why he is so keen on having Fett eliminated.

The theme of Boba Fett as super-human bounty hunter continues even more strongly in this book. By the end, he's piloting a Star Destroyer by himself! His gaining the upper-hand in almost every scene becomes boringly predictable, and even when it appears he might have been bested by Black Sun at the climax, it's almost certain that he'll win when he takes on the entire organization, based on his characterization here. It's lucky for Dengar that he plans to retire, based on the competency level Jeter grants him.

I simply felt worn out at the end of this trilogy from the endless repetition of names, descriptions, dialogue, and character motivations. There are some entertaining sections and the kernels of a good single book lurking in here, but the trilogy is too drawn out for me to recommend.

AMW
I was once again impressed with this book as I was in book 1. The reviews for book 1 were mostly negative. Many said that they were hungry for Boba Fett---here's an idea, buy a poster. If not, you could bake a cake in the shape of Boba's helmet. If not just read the book-relax, and everything will be alright. ... Read more