Helpful votes received on reviews:
89% (8 of 9)
Location: Fremont, CA United States
In My Own Words:
I was born in Lynnwood, CA and have since lived in Bellingham, WA, Simi Valley, CA, and grew up in Marina, CA (10 minutes north of Monterey). I attended the University of California, Davis and graduated in June of 1997 with Bachelor's degrees in Mechanical Engineering as well as Aeronautical Science and Engineering and am now an aerospace engineer in Mountain View, CA (about 40 minutes south of S… Read moreI was born in Lynnwood, CA and have since lived in Bellingham, WA, Simi Valley, CA, and grew up in Marina, CA (10 minutes north of Monterey). I attended the University of California, Davis and graduated in June of 1997 with Bachelor's degrees in Mechanical Engineering as well as Aeronautical Science and Engineering and am now an aerospace engineer in Mountain View, CA (about 40 minutes south of San Francisco in the heart of Silicon Valley). I recently finished graduate school at at California State University, San Jose with my Master's of Business Administration and Master's in Engineering. My wife and I are expecting our first child in March 2004.
I read mainly fantasy, but also have an extensive collection of sci-fi. Other than that, I read a few individual authors in various genres: Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Tom Clancy,and John Grisham, to name a few.
My hobbies include collecting comics, roller hockey, tennis, and snowboarding. I listen to rock, alternative, and hip hop music (predominantly the latter).
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Reviews
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Having never read any of Holly Lisle's work, I came into this book unsure of what to expect. The premise sounded interesting, but I've been disappointed before. I'm happy to say that this is not the case here. The world and its history are well thought out, the magic systems are interesting, and the characters are intriguing and well developed. The plot is definitely engaging and the book flows well overall. I think the thing that grabbed my attention the most was Lisle's worldbuilding. I'm a sucker for history in a fantasy book that has been forgotten by most of the characters. I enjoy learning about that history along with them. Lisle comes through in spades here. A Wizard War a… Read more
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I wasn't really sure what to expect coming into this book. The blurbs on the back are kind of vague, but the positive reviews got me to pick it up. Now I understand why the cover blurb is so vague: it is very difficult to describe the plot of this book. The most general way, without giving away too much, would be to explain that it is the story of two stage magicians in turn of the century (the last century, that is: 1900) England who end up in a feud that escalates in unexpected directions. At the heart of the novel is a mystery, one which the reader is not fully revealed until the last 50 pages of the book. This book won the World Fantasy Award, but I found that it leans more… Read more
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While I didn't think this was quite a four star book, I felt it was closer to four than three stars. Crook gives us a very interesting look at the Solamnic Knights and the poor condition they find themselves in after the departure of the gods and the subsequent arrival of the great dragons. It seems both the Solamnic Knighthood, as well as the Knights of Takhisis, have fallen on hard times with the arrivial of these dragon overlords. They are grasping at straws and, in desperation, decide to do something that would otherwise be unthinkable for both sides (don't want to spoil it). The story is told from the point of view of the Solamnics and we get to see their struggle between doing… Read more
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