Rating: 
Summary: Disappointment
Review: Having read two of Mr Carrs' previous books and enjoyed them tremendously, I am so disappointed in this new novel. The plot was so thin as to be non-existent and the characters were two dimensional at best. I listened to the book on audio and found myself having to constantly rewind because my attention had wandered and I had missed part of the story. I wish I had missed the whole story. Please tell Mr Carr that he does not have the voice to tell his stories. His voice is monotonous. The real problem was the story and I will be reluctant to buy another Caleb Carr novel in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: Best enjoyed with a bag of popcorn.
Review: Carr has a gift for portraying the reluctant participant in an ensemble of brilliant but quirky characters. You know, the guy who's always asking himself, "What the heck am I doing here?"Don't pick up _Killing Time_ expecting a magnum opus. In terms of both detail and perspective, Carr lightens up the atmosphere quite a bit from previous novels--maybe too much, given the some of the book's events. It's an entertaining read, but beware, hard sci-fi afficionados. You won't find detailed theories on or explanations of railguns, superconductors, or holographic projection, all of which Carr uses effectively to support the story and spice things up along the way.
Rating:
Summary: Not What I Expected
Review: Although I had never previously read anything by Caleb Carr, I knew of his reputation and was curious about Killing Time - I'm more of a science fiction than historical fiction fan. So, I picked it up and promptly finished it and it left me somewhat disappointed. The story was just way too easy. I'll agree with previous reviewers who have stated that this is like a Jules Verne novel only worse. Verne could at least invent some likable, well developed characters. Carr seems to gloss over most characterization in favor of a quick read. While I wasn't impressed with the book on the whole, I did enjoy Carr's ideas of the future especially coming from one who so frequently studies the past. I would have expected and enjoyed a more complex story however. The verdict: Wait for the paperback.
Rating: 
Summary: You're not just "killing time" by reading Killing Time
Review: While I am not a fan of scifi and do not tend to read futuristic novels, this book kept me reading in my butterfly chair all day. The truth is that Caleb Carr is a FANTASTIC writer. My only complaint is that he doesn't write them fast enough for me. If you have read The Alienist or The Angel of Darkness, here is what you should and shouldn't expect. First, don't expect to read a follow-up to either. This is a very different book with a very different premise. But you should expect great writing and interesting ideas. Unlike the two books I mentioned which provided an excellent marriage between criminal psychology and American history at the turn of the 20th century, I found this book to weave more political science/history/military strategies with psychology set in the future. Thank you Caleb Carr. Reading your book was time well spent.
Rating:
Summary: Wasting Time
Review: Sadly enough reading Carr's new novel 'Killing Time' is 'Wasting Time'. I was very disappointed because I had very high expectations after reading The Alienist and Angel...
Rating: 
Summary: Worth the Risk
Review: I was hesitant to read this book, because I generally prefer historic novels. However, I was compelled to take a risk because of Caleb Carr's masterful style. Although I preferred "Angel of Darkness" and "The Alienist," it was well worth the risk. Carr's understanding and portrayal of the dynamics of human relationships is remarkable. His characters are well constructed and find themselves involved in a drama that may be based more in reality than we would like to think! It is an incredible, insightful look ahead with a great twist ending. I would recommend that any fan of Carr's skip the hesitation and jump right in as this accomplished author moves into a new genre!
Rating: 
Summary: Very Jules Verne and in this case that isn't a compliment
Review: I am a big fan of science fiction, a big fan of cyberpunk, and a big fan of Caleb Carr so I was looking forward to this book very much--a blending of three great elements. I was horribly disappointed. It was very clear that Carr was attempting a Jules Vernesque adventure, the problem was he succeeded in that aspect all too well. His characters are not only like Verne characters, they could fit into any Verne novel and not appear at all out of place. Their speech patterns, their actions--at no point did I believe they were in any future time. That is unless of course you were envisioning the future from 1890. Just dumping anachronistic characters into a spaceship and telling us it is 2023 (or whenever) is not enough--not in this day and age where writers like Gibson and Stephenson (heck, even Tad Williams) have envisioned the future dystopia with so much more style, believability and interest. Stephenson even populated one of his novels with a culture that replicated Victorian society and even then I did not at once disbelieve in their placement. Do not waste your time on this one. Caleb Carr has trapped his characters at the turn of the century, let us just hope he has the good sense to set his next novel there as well.
Rating:
Summary: If you liked the Alienist, you will hate this book...
Review: I was eager to read this book. I couldn't wait to get my hands on the next Carr book since I so enjoyed his last two. I saw it in the store and bought it with barely a glance at the cover. From the get go, I was bored. It had a very predictable and shallow progression. And if I read the words "like so much" again in that book, I was going to scream! (You know what I mean if you read this book!). To me, Caleb was trying too hard to illustrate that this book took place in the future. Too many cheesy references to events of the last twenty years. A person writing in a diary would be writing to his fellow citizens, not people in the year 2000. To end on a good note, read the Alienist and the Angel of Darkness! These were great books!
Rating:
Summary: What a Disappointment!
Review: Having enjoyed Carr's earlier books (and because I work in the internet biz), I was eager to see what he'd do with a sci-fi theme. This book was boring and predictable and an all-around disappointment. Get it from the library if you want to read it, but don't buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Technoparanoiac vision descends into mediocrity
Review: Not having read Caleb Carr's previous novels I have no idea of his calibre as a writer. The dust jacket cover blurb suggests he is a master novelist, however after reading this novel I would have to disagree (the pretentious photo doesn't help either!). The novel which is ostensibly a science fiction/thriller introduces the (not terribly original) concept that society has increasingly been enveloped in a bath of unregulated information encouraged by sinister corporate- governmental elements and which seems to run out of control. With this onslaught of babble, the world is slipping into a chaotic abyss. Carr presents a dystopian vision which unfortunately at times is rather unconvincing basically involving extrapolations (simplistically and in some cases inaccurately I might add) of current events e.g. plagues , economic collapes etc. Coming to a twisted form of rescue are a small parade of curiously ill-drawn characters straight out of 1950's Sci-Fi pulp. These individuals are trying to wake up the world to the web of misinformation that they live in. The book proceeds at a breakneck pace with occasional interludes in which the author inserts the obligatory romance and various unnecessary explanations. The ending for the book for me was amusingly bad - glib, contrived and anticlimatic (and hopefully sequel proof). On the good side the book is a written as a thriller and it is kind of difficult to put down assuming you ignore several factual gaffs of the author (an ozone depleting energy ray directed by satellites with the result of rapidly increasing heat...ah right..), the 2D characters and the unlikely events.
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