Rating: 
Summary: Better than mediocre but not up to Greg Bear's usual
Review: I just finished Queen of Angels, and throughout the last half of the book I kept wanting to put it down and start something else. But I didn't. Something held me to the end. Bear writes very well, and executes better than average character development I think. But this book contained at least three different major subplots, none of which were much related (far as I could see anyway). Bear used a quasi-stream of consciousness style in various places that I could never quite understand... why?? Each of the subplots were reasonably interesting on their own, but there was very little synergy. It was like reading three short, interwoven SF stories. Plus, some was "hard" SF and credible, other parts were not at all believable, for a story set about 70 years in the future. And too much was left unexplained (what the hell are "combs?") to make it a satisfying book. My recommendation: read some of his others first, such as Eon (really excellent) or Eternity (very good) or Moving Mars (good).
Rating: 
Summary: The pieces of a mystery...
Review: I picked this book up in desperation at a school book fair--there wasn't anything that really caught my eye, so I figured I'd give it a shot. To my surprise, I had stumbled upon a worthwhile read.
Greg Bear's quasi-stream of consciousness was somewhat off-putting at first, but fascination with the world he depicts overcame my irritation. Here are three puzzle pieces of a mystery: the murderer and the researcher who enters his mind in search for the secret of his soul; the murderer's friend, who finds redemption in memory; and the cop who searches for the murderer in Hispaniola and finds the answer that eludes the researcher. Only the reader holds the pieces and the final answer.
More puzzling were the segments concerning Axis and Jill, two AIs, the former an explorer of life on a distant world and the latter its more complex, earthbound counterpart. At first I wondered what this had to do with the murder mystery. Though seemingly unrelated, this is warp to the weft of the murder: crisscrossing themes, a man who lost his soul and one who regains it, a man who looks into a soul--all three against the tale of AIs whose souls are born.
This is not to say that _Queen of Angels_ lacks rough spots, quirks (I never did figure out the exact meaning of "tro shink"), and confusion. Nevertheless, if you have the patience, it is worth trying.
Rating: 
Summary: Took starting Slant to really get into this great book
Review: I picked this book up over a year and a half ago. It seemed a little distant and hard to grasp at first. Even though I found it interesting, I eventually put the book down. That was almost a year ago. A couple of weeks ago, I picked up Slant, and lo-and-behold, I recognized it as a follow up to Queen of Angels. This time around, it wasn't long before I found myself pulled into Bear's vision of the future. So, before making too much progress, I put down Slant to resume reading Queen of Angels. I was ready this time around. Queen of Angels was great, with many different layers, and a very interesting exploration into the _Country of the Mind_. If you like Bear as an author, and are ready for an intellectual roller-coaster, pick this one up. You will want to follow with Slant, too!
Rating:
Summary: It might be better the 2nd time . . .
Review: I read this book several years ago and it seemed pretty good, but not that great. I recall it seeming to be a little too heavy, involved. I've since talked to several people who thought it was great, and have also read reviews saying the same, and it seems they all might have caught something in it that I didn't. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention. Since I'm a big Greg Bear fan, I'll have to read it again in the future. I think it's one of those books where you might not get it the first time around, but the 2nd time's a charm . . .
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely brilliant
Review: I read this book some years ago, and I have come to the conclusion that it is the best book I have ever read. Other reviewers have already explained, and sweetly reminded me, of just what makes this book special. The parallel realisation of a soulless Goldsmith and a soul "ful" AXIS is a central theme to this book I feel. Having said that, I noticed a few bad reviews. I am sure if I had given up after a hundred pages, I might have given it one or two stars out of desparation, but its just the kind of book you have to read to the end, and only then does the true value of this work become clear.
Rating:
Summary: Start Here
Review: I really liked this book. Unfortunately, I read it after reading Slant. If you can, read Queen of Angels first, followed by Slant, then Moving Mars. it'll make more sense.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read
Review: I've read good and bad things about this novel. My personal opinion is that it was a great read overall, with some annoying exceptions that prevented me from giving it five stars (the lack of commas, the futuristic slang). I thought the idea of having three or four subplots that were *thematically* linked instead of physically linked was brilliant. The ending was perfect and the sequel, "Slant", is just as good. The book does not follow the usual sci-fi formula, so maybe that's why it takes a little getting used to, but this novel will definitely form a part of permanent library!
Rating: 
Summary: Extremely difficult to connect with.
Review: I've read most of Greg Bear's novels and consider him one of the most thought provoking of the genre. His visions are fantastically compelling and mostly very well written. Queen of Angels? Words fail me (and I think they failed Greg when he wrote this one). This is one of the few books out of very many that I just could not finish. I found its grammatical style almost impossible to read and the characters so profane and paper thin that I could not, in any way, connect with it. Why such a radical difference from his other, superb works???
Rating:
Summary: Save your money, a very poor read!!
Review: It is this reader's opinion that "Queen of Angels" is one of the worst Science Fiction books ever written. I could not get past chapter 11 without the urge to throw it out a window. Certainly not up to the standards of Greg Bear as displayed in "Eon", "Eternity", "Moving Mars" etc. The characters are thin uninteresting and nondescript. The plot is not self evident and the overabundance of miniscule data and non defined abreviations, attempting to outline a society of tomorrow falls short, leaves the reader with the felling that he has entirely missed points not clearly represented. A very bad read, regardless of the commercial reviews. Save your money on this one!
Rating:
Summary: This book really deserves to be read twice
Review: It's slow. It doesn't use a lot of commas. I love it anyway! This is certainly Bear's best book, and his most fascinating (maybe second to the perfect "Blood Music"), conceptually. This book carries three major "strands"... the effect of nanotechnology on a future society; the nature of intelligence (natural & artifical) and the soul; and a mystery novel about a poet who murders 8 friends. This book is a fabulous success. The plot is complex, and each of the four main characters -- the dectective hunting the poet, the AI going insane from loneliness at Alpha Centauri, the scientist studying the poet's mind, and a friend of the poet who himself is going slowly mad -- add something to this incredibly dense and wonderful novel. Don't let the idiots bog you down... prepare to be amazed!
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