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Author: Louise Cooper
Title: The Time Master Trilogy

The world of 'The Time Master Trilogy' is that of seven ruling gods, served by members of the Circle. It's a story of sorcery, challenging of long unquestioned beliefs and the fight against a descent into madness and chaos.

What I liked particularly is that the characters were never developed to be black and white or purely good or evil as often happens. Instead the characters gain credibility through being an ever-changing mixture.

This is epic fantasy at its best.

Author: Sara Douglass
Title: The Axis Trilogy, The Wayfarer Redemption (trilogy), Beyond the Hanging Wall

Another author whose work I like to read is Sara Douglass. She writes fantasy fiction, which I read quite a lot of. The first two trilogies make a six-part series all based in the same world. The characters are very human and the setting brings to mind a middle-ages Europe, but there are fantasical races of beings and creatures that add to the dynamic of the plot, not to mention the possibilities for warfare.

If you like to escape to a different world from time to time this is simply written fiction and the author paints a colourful world to visit.

Beyond the Hanging Wall is another page turner worth reading if you're a fan of the author. There are more original ideas in this book and some brilliant writing. Occasionally the plot was a little predictable but an easy, flowing read nevertheless.

Author: Dan Brown
Title: Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, Deception Point, Digital Fortress

I’ve read all the Dan Brown books now (I'm certainly not alone in this!) and I've really enjoyed the great stories and the way he tells them. Sometimes the plots get a little bit fantastic and some things are hard to believe, but also to be questioning some of the biggest institutions and longest-standing beliefs keeps it interesting.

The basis for the plots are clever and gripping.

However, you can see a format in the way he writes, so you always know that they’re somehow going to get out of trouble! I like the cliff-hanger at the end of every chapter, but even that can become expected after a while. It keeps you turning the pages though.

Reading these Dan Brown books is just like watching a movie in the way the action is sustained, so I think that the Da Vinci Code will make a good film. It will be interesting to see if it is as good as the book.

Author: Anne Rice
Title: The Witching Hour

A big, long book from Anne Rice. What I enjoyed about this book, as with all the other books Anne Rice has written, is that her characters are very real and you can imagine them living somewhere in the world. There are a lot of different characters that are described in great detail. By the end of the book you end up feeling like you know them.

It is a very intricate story and a very precise history of a family of witches. It's also a very long and very slow book. After the first hundred pages, nothing else really seems to happen in the story. It's more like a history book from that point on. It's still a beautiful story.

The problem is that you finish the last page and you feel like you have just finished the prologue. The end of the book doesn't finish with the end of the story. It doesn't feel like it even finishes a chapter. The book starts a story, that unless you read the following book, doesn't mean much.

If you buy this book it may stay on your book shelf for a while, so when you do end up reading the book it feels like an achievement!

Author: Orson Scott Card
Title: Ender's Shadow

A new adventure in Ender's world from Orson Scott Card. A great book to read. It's not too long and is fast paced. A little bit like the first book, Ender's Game.

The whole series is worth reading. The series has a lot of social and philosophical ideas mixed in. A very futuristic approach to these ideas, allowed by science fiction.

Book number one is quite fast paced. Books two, three and four get more philosophical and then book number five returns to being quite fast paced with a philosophical content. Now book number six is out, 'Shadow Of The Henchman'. I can't wait to read it.

I highly recommend this book and the series as a whole.