Queen of Sorcery
This is book two of the Belgariad (following on from Pawn of Prophecy). This book was a good quick read, and I think they'd be a good mid level reading book for a child. I liked it. [isbn: 0345335651]
First Family
I finished this book on the bus into work this morning (I had a pretty distracted weekend, and didn't get much reading done). This is the second book in the Amtrak Wars series, and takes place immediately after Cloud Warrior. The book feels like it is only half a book -- there is plot development such as learning more about Roz, meeting the First Family, and the Iron Masters, but there isn't much action. Basically I look back on the book and wonder what happened in it -- it would have been better to combine this with the next book and have a complete story in one. [isbn: 0671655671;0722185170]
Pawn of Prophecy
The Belgariad is a pretty formula fantasy epic, with striking similarities to things like stories of King Arthur. The series is written in a style which is very accessible to younger readers, which might explain why I loved these books as a kid. Its also a pretty "safe" story, in that nothing truly bad is allowed to happen to the main character, who is a child who grows up during the books. That might be why I loved these books so much as a child, and read them many times. As an adult, this is a pretty easy read, and quite entertaining. I imagine its a lot like the Harry Potter series in its accessibility, although I haven't actually read Harry Potter as its not my kind of thing. I quite like this book, and would recommend it to young readers interested in fantasy books. [isbn: 0552148075]
Cloud Warrior
I read this post-nuclear holocaust book as a kid and liked it, so I thought I'd give it a try again. Given most second hand science fiction books are $2, the barrier to entry is admittedly quite low as well. This book revolves around two groups -- the Amtrak Federation (a military society formed from survivors of those who crewed MX missile trains, a real system of roaming trains carrying nuclear missiles from the late 1980s and early 1990s -- the idea was that something which moved was harder for the Russians to find) and the "Mutes" (the civilan survivors of the holocaust, who are now mutated by radiation). Its a good book, although very different from the Asimov I've been reading recently. That's a good thing, because I think I need a bit of an Asimov break to be honest. [isbn: 0671559729;0722185162;1857235355]