Shadowrun 32: Wolf and Raven

I wouldn't call this a kid's book. Characters get blown away, there is violence, and so on. BUT it's fantastic, futuristic, and outrageous. Stackpole's a reasonably talented writer with a lot of credits. This may not be 'the best' ShadowRun novel, but it's certainly one of the better ones, and a solid intro to the world. VERY memorable main characters and enjoyable supporting characters too.

This book is actually a set of short stories woven together as plot twists into one longer tale. These continuous arcs offer the reader exposure to every aspect of Shadowrun such as the return of magic, advances in technology, and cultural climate of Shadowrun's universe. Wolfgang Kies and Kid Stealth are two of the most memorable and well-developed characters in Shadowrun fiction. This book is so good, any fan of Sci-Fi Fantasy would enjoy; even readers totally unfamiliar to Shadowrun. If you ever wondered how the SOTA-elite-Delta-grade runners work and play, check out this novel.

I will preface by saying that I am a HUGE Mike Stackpole fan... and this book is why. Way back in 'the day' many of these stories appeared in the late-lamented mouthpeice of GDW.. a magazine called Challenge. I picked up every issue in hopes that I would get a new story about Wolf. This anthology collect those stories and more into a chronological set of case studies by Dr. Raven's number ONE aide (ala Doc Savage) Wolfgang Keis... The stories have a lusterous pulp-novel field set in the high-tech magic of Shadowrun... each one carries a sense of wonder and amazement and overflows with likeable characters that set you to cheering in every installment...In the words of Oliver... "More please?"

I don't know what the one-star guy was on when he read the book. Maybe he just hates Shadowrun. I've read perhaps 20 Shadowrun novels, and of those, this is the best. In fact, not only is it one of my favorite Shadowrun books, it's one of my favorite books, period. The entire Raven team is great, and I eagerly await any more adventures the author may pen in the future. Go with the majority this time. This once, they're right. -Nick Youngblood

although the storylines in this book don't relate any major change in the Shadowrun-universe, the characters are incredibly well-developed and draw the reader into the plot - as usual, M. Stackpole's talents will motivate readers to finish the book, no matter how late they have to stay out of bed to complete it - even for those not that familiar with Shadowrun, these stories are a definite must-read