Bantam

• Black Cauldron, The by Lloyd Alexander (1965)

  [4/10]

  "In The Black Cauldron, Alexander tries to show that real men don't seek honor in war; rather, they demonstrate their honor through their character and actions."

• Clash of Kings, A by George R. R. Martin (1999)

  [6/10]

  "Even though A Clash of Kings pales in comparison to A Game of Thrones, don't think that Martin doesn't tell a compelling story. In light of the underdeveloped characters, the plot works overtime to bring the tensions between the kings to an interesting climax, and Martin does set up the characters for an interesting beginning to the third book."

• Embraced by the Light by Betty J. Eadie, Curtis Taylor (1992)

  [5/10]

  "Publicity for Embraced by the Light touts this book as the most complete life-after-death experience ever written, but as a Latter-day Saint, I found Eadie offered nothing new or surprising -- except for a few items that seemed in direct conflict with accepted doctrine."

• Game of Thrones, A by George R. R. Martin (1996)

  [9/10]

  "Martin's characters drive this story. I often tire easily in a fantasy story where the characters have high morals and never waver from their course in the book. Martin's characters all have faults, act impulsively on occasion, and exceed their capabilities on others. Truly, I haven't read characters this round in a long time."

• Serpent Catch by Dave Wolverton (1991)

  [7/10]

  "In this his second novel, Wolverton shows a talent for handling a remarkable number of themes in a complex style surprising for such a 'new' writer. Serpent Catch takes place in a future where paleobiologists have brought dinosaurs back to life from samples of DNA found in fossils."

• Three Musketeers, The by Alexandre Dumas (1844)

  [7/10]

  "Dumas weaves action and intrigue (and almost no character development) into a classic story that still fascinates."

  Average score: 6.33