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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Annnnd They're Off!, September 22, 2000
This review is from: The Price of the Stars: Book One of Mageworlds (Mass Market Paperback)
Kicking off my second-favourite on-going space-opera series (aside from my brother's books, which i am *required* to like), this was a refreshing find back when i first pulled it down off the shelf and read the first couple pages... and discovered that i had to finish it that same day.While, as someone has pointed out, this *could* be read as a stand-alone book, unlike the first books in some series, a reader who stops here will be missing a lot of fun in the sequels and prequels that follow.The Rosselin-Matadi clan and their friends and enemies are all marvellous characters, but Beka's mentor and co-pilot, known only as "the Professor" is the most amusing and frustrating of the lot, as it becomes more and more obvious that he, somehow, is manipulating history itself.What sets this series aside from more ordinary space opera, i think, is the concept of the Adepts and the Mages -- both posessors of great power, who both sense and utilise what, for want of a better word, we might call "the Force", but in completely different and mutually-conflicting manners. The three Rossellin-Metadi siblings, Beka, Owen and Ari, so different superficially but so similar in their drive and inability to admit defeat are worth getting to know, and the associates and enemies that they pick up along the way are a marvellously-assorted crew (not all of whom are even *nearly* what they appear to be). But i must admit that the villains -- as opposed to adversaries, an important distinction in these books -- are just a bit *too* slimy and odious. {If i ever run into the authors, though, i intend to ask them if they were thinking of "Rio Lobo" or of "Assault on Precinct 13" when they wrote one important sequence...}Recommended -- both this book and the entire series.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good, solid start to a fun series, January 27, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Price of the Stars: Book One of Mageworlds (Mass Market Paperback)
Price of the Stars is a solid start to the Mageworld series; I like the characters and the basic idea. This is space opera, and though it isn't quite up to the Liaden Universe series by Steve Miller and Sharon Lee I think it is a lot more fun than the grim and hyper gory Harrington books by David Webber (which is just Hornblower in disguise!). If there's a quibble I have with The Price of the Stars it is the idea that the protagonist could sneak around playing a member of the opposite sex for so long.I also thought the unprounceable name of the disguised character was rather silly, even if it is an anagram for "keen trap". This book and the mageworld series are for fun reading and aren't hard science fiction; if you like the Liaden books you'll probably like these. I have the whole series of these but the Harrington books I gave away. L70
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An enjoyable read, December 2, 2002
This review is from: The Price of the Stars: Book One of Mageworlds (Mass Market Paperback)
In the first installment of the Mageworlds, Beka Rosselin-Metadi agrees to captain her father's prized starship Warhammer, and sets off on a mission to find her mother's assassins. What follows is a grand adventure with non-stop action and intrigue. I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and very interesting. I especially liked Beka, with her multiple personas and how we begin to understand her feelings about her estranged family. I also liked the mysterious "Professor" who's identity was an enigma until the very end, and Beka's brother Ari, with his unusual background. In fact, all of the characters were likeable, with their own distinct personalities and quirks. I loved how they were thrown together by unusual twists of fate, yet managed to become an effective team. The action was great. The plot was interesting and original. There was a surprising amount of humor and witty dialogue. And technology didn't overwhelm the storyline (definitely a plus for me). There were a few spots where it slowed down a bit, but then it picked right back up again, and I couldn't stop turning the pages. I will certainly be looking for the next book in the series, Starpilot's Grave, to see what happens next for this unusual group of friends.
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