It may be that the number one reason I kept this book, and let most of the others go, is the cover art. It seems somehow a bit dated, and it really wasn't all that long ago it was new.

Still, the horse is a beauty, cyborg or otherwise. ( )

Fun book. The only problem with it is that as I learn Fess' history, it makes me want to read the other books - Escape Velocity and The Warlock Wandering in particular. The frame is - well, a minor story; Rod and Gwen have been granted a castle, and they and the four kids (not sure of ages, but Magnus is still, barely, a pre-teen) go to visit it and to deal with the haunt that's kept it empty for a couple hundred years. Magnus discovers he's a psychometrist - a stone-reader - and finds his power has...interesting...effects on a place with a lot of strong emotion tied into it. And throughout, Fess is telling the kids stories to keep them quiet and prevent fighting; the story of his 'life' and experiences, how he came to be what and who he is. Lots of pointed morals, along the lines of "fair face may hide foul heart" and the balance of obedience and independence. It makes a good frame, with a couple interesting points, but is mostly way too convenient. Fess' history is the real point of this book. There are some nice twists to it, too - not going to mention any, since that's pretty much the point of the book. A few glimpses of Rod's history, too, and quite a bit of foreshadowing of the children's later adventures. Fun - I picked the book up to check a couple points (was it really Fess' history, and was he the viewpoint character - yes and no), and some 6 hours later I'm done reading it. ( )

You know a series is getting a little long in the tooth when it can support a "best of" episode. To me, this books feels like one of those "Different Strokes" season or series finale episodes where you see snippets of all the best moments in the series up to now. Basically, family Gallowglass is on its way to take up residence in a haunted castle that they have been given. Along the way, Fess is cajoled into telling stories about his former (and current) masters... Some we know (Whitey, Dar, Rod) and some we don't. The flashbacks in this one are definitely more interesting than the plot for the book itself...

There wasn't much in the way of banter at all. Which was very disappointing. Although there was a reference to Ghostbusters. And the end of the book definitely gave me "Punmeister" Peirs Anthony flashbacks. The conclusion left me empty considering my respect for controlled anger and decisive action being taken with no room for a counter offensive.

I have to admit... the speech from Gwen and the kids is starting to get on my nerves. It wasn't quite as bad here because Rod and Fess can counter balance it, and quite a few of the flashbacks used normal speech. In other books, like "The Warlock is Missing", it was much more difficult to handle.

This book did have some interesting, thought provoking pieces - what it means to be a parent and to guide a child; the differences between science and engineering; dependence in marriage... Not bad in that respect...

Read 7/2007 ( )