Never Deal with a Dragon (Shadownrun, Vol. 1)

I recommend the entire series. Robert Charette's style isn't very much a departure from the usual Shadowrun format, but the story, characters, and concept come together for a very good read overall. A great introduction to Shadowrun in this series.

someone below said that this is built on William Gibson's cyberpunk world with a twist. If you're a sci-fi afficionado, that statement is misleading. Firstly, Gibson to my knowledge invented the cyberpunk genre (coined the term cyberspace, even), and since then, many have followed in his steps. It's not based on Gibson's world... it's written in his _genre_. The "Shadowrun" world is based on a role-playing game which has a MUCH different feel to it. Of course, that feel varies between authors, but Gibson's worlds tend to feel much harsher to me. There seems to be more warmth in most of the Shadowrun books I've read. Especially this series by Charette: my favorite Shadowrun books by far, and this is my favorite of the series. A very fun read.

This was the first (and in my opinion the best) book I have read from the ShadowRun series. If you ever read William Gibson (if not, you should read his works), the universe should be familiar to you. It is the same world where corporations control the information but includes freelancer hackers, cybernerically beefed up street samurai, and returning mythical creatures such as elves and goblins. Highly recommended.

This book is a masterpiece in literature. The journey of the main character is one of growth. On this journey he is forced to do what he can with the tools given him by nature and by men. All the while pursuing what he knows in his heart is right. Not too unlike our own journeys in life, though a lot more fantastical with the magical abilities and cybernetically jacked-up individuals. Of such individuals, one sentence or rather phrase I will always remember in the description of Jason (one the cybernetically enhanced beings) was his hellbent aggressiveness. This book is just incredible and is a must read. I wish it were still in print, many people I know would like it.

I have read many science fiction/fantasy type books. I have hated many of them. I do not however, hate this. Some might say that there is to much description, and others would say that it is "odd" But take it from me, if your looking for something new and interesting, this is it. A bazar setting and rather unusual characters might put some people off, but the plot is VERY convoluted. When I first started this book, it seemed rather confusing, as there were so many sub-plots. But they all turned out to be conected, and the ending didn't seemed rushed or contrived. All in all, a good book, definitly worth the read.