Rating: 
Summary: respectful of asimov's style and sbustance
Review: a new robot mystery that respects Asimov's three laws of robotics and then succeeds as sf...Tiedemann fulfills his short works' appeal with this amazing first full-length effort
Rating:
Summary: Very re-freshing
Review: I gave up the ROBOTS series when I was younger, because I felt the material had gotten stale. Same old philosophies were being re-hashed. But after two or three passes, I picked MIRAGE and CHIMERA up at my bookstore. I couldn't have been more pleased! Not only were the setting and characters tangible, but the presentation of the technology was both believable and imaginative! If you are (or were) a fan of Asimovs ROBOT series, these two books will re-ignite the passion. Buy these books!!
Rating:
Summary: A Surprisingly Good Addition
Review: I read Mark Tiedemann's COMPASS REACH and was blown away by his ability to do terrific characterization in the context of a full-blown space adventure. I was almost disappointed to discover that he had written books in someone else's universe, but I gave MIRAGE a shot and I'm glad I did! All his strengths are here, breathing life into what I'd come to see as a dry, been-there-done-that franchise. Proves that a good idea can always be done a bit better if a good writer is given a chance to reimagine the whole thing. MIRAGE is an espionage thriller that toys with a frankenstein idea. When the climax comes, teh possibility of a really cliche ending is avoided by following logic--like Asimov would have done!--and sticking to the possibilities in the characters themselves. Great characters (he even made Derec Avery and Ariel Burgess more interesting!) and a great plot, with impressive speculation to boot. What more can you want from a science fiction novel? Tiedemann's "original" novels are better, but MIRAGE turned out to be a really good introduction to a fine writer. FIVE STARS!
Rating: 
Summary: a bit to ambiguous, still it has some good spells
Review: Mark W. Tiedemann's Mirage is a fairly complex SF novel. Corporate and political conspiracy behind the slaughter of diplomats for the advancement of some hidden agenda. There are some pretty good dialoque and ideas floating around. I especially enjoyed the ones like : "The Church of organic Sapiens extended the belief into the religious, claiming that the true nature of humankind was pretechnological, that Eden had contained no machines." However to really follow in the footsteps of master Asimov the historical import into this setting should have been easier to follow. What is the context of this corporate and political conspiracy. Where are we headed ? What did this mean to galactic history ? The shift in interstellar policy should have had a similar feel to the climaxes in the original stories. But I don't think they have - or if so, I didn't get it ? The Asimov universe has been respectfully added to since Asimovs death - Compare Mirage with e.g. the Second Foundation Trilogy, especially the novel by Hugo and Nebula award winner David Brin. I simply think Mirage falls short. David Brin adds to the universe, explains and pushes us forward. Here the grand scale of things isn't as pinned out, Are we waiting for enlightment in a coming novel ? I don't know. But I do know that Asimov balanced complexity with a simplicity that I somehow miss here. Parts of the plot is a bit to ambiguous for my taste. Still it has its good spells also.
Rating:
Summary: SF in the old and new tradition
Review: Mirage is a great hommage to the golden days of SF but with a modern sensibility. Fast-moving plot and faithful to Asimov's three laws. The writing is fresh and the characters feel modern. Tiedemann delivers a great read.
Rating: 
Summary: Really pretty good.
Review: Mirage is a very good start at the latest trilogy within Issac Asimov's universe of spacers, settlers and robots. The story revolves around a terrorist strike at the start of a historic conference between the people of Earth and the Spacers which results in the deaths of several diplomats.
The story flows along nicely and it is obvious that this book is being used to set up the grander story to be revealed through the next two stories. The mystery surrounding the attack on the diplomats is used to explore the interaction of the different cultures as the powers in the galaxy began to equalize more. I felt as though there was a building to something significant and perhaps Mark was approaching the first test of Spacer/ Earth relations after the settlers began moving out from Earth. I greatly appreciated the development of the Earth culture which makes it seem considerly less monolithic than in the Asimov books. Especially in regards to the use of robots on Earth illicit and otherwise. There seemed to me to be a few inconsistancies. Most glaringly, the casual way in which the Solarian Ambassador tolerates the physical presence of other humans. Of course, as I've just stated I do like the way Mark does not present the Earth culture as a monolith with everyone behaving the same. Perhaps he is doing the same with the Solarians or perhaps the Ambassador is not from Solaria but only hired by them to carry out business on Earth or something else entirely.
However, almost as glaringly, I had always had the impression from the Robot City novels (which featured Ariel and Derec and which were mildly refered to in Mirage) that those books came after Robots and Empire by Asimov. Clearly, Mirage and the next two books must fall before Robots and Empire as the Solarian's are still a very active presence in the galaxy during Mark's timeline. I not sure how this will affect the overall timeline of the Robot City books or if it even really matters. It was just an observation.
All and all it was an enjoyable read that follows already established facts pretty well. I think anyone who enjoyed the Caliban trilogy by Allen (which I very much did) will enjoy this book. I look forward to reading the other two.
Rating:
Summary: Yet Another Robot Novel...
Review: The Asimov universe has been respectfully added to since his untimely death - first there were the Robot City novels, then came the new Robot novels by Allen and then the Second Foundation Trilogy. And now this, a new Robot novel. In truth, while there have been some dissappointments, most of the new novels set in Asimov's universe have been fairly good. As is this offering. In Mirage, the author does a very good job capturing the sense of mystery Asimov used in his own novels. He also shows a good grasp of Asimov's ideas and universe. What is surprising to me is the fact that no history is mentioned about the main characters who spent 6 novels together in the Robot City chronicles. Nor is any indication given as to when this story fits into the Asimov timeline - while the reader can certainly guess, the author could have thrown the reader some sort of lifeline from the original Asimov books to let us know what else was going on. At any rate, its an interesting read. Very nice to see that the spirit of Asimov is well remembered and appreciated.
Rating:
Summary: Yet Another Robot Novel...
Review: The Asimov universe has been respectfully added to since his untimely death - first there were the Robot City novels, then came the new Robot novels by Allen and then the Second Foundation Trilogy. And now this, a new Robot novel. In truth, while there have been some dissappointments, most of the new novels set in Asimov's universe have been fairly good. As is this offering. In Mirage, the author does a very good job capturing the sense of mystery Asimov used in his own novels. He also shows a good grasp of Asimov's ideas and universe. What is surprising to me is the fact that no history is mentioned about the main characters who spent 6 novels together in the Robot City chronicles. Nor is any indication given as to when this story fits into the Asimov timeline - while the reader can certainly guess, the author could have thrown the reader some sort of lifeline from the original Asimov books to let us know what else was going on. At any rate, its an interesting read. Very nice to see that the spirit of Asimov is well remembered and appreciated.
Rating:
Summary: Punches pulled
Review: This book was an enjoyable, engrossing read. Derek and Ariel fit the story nearly perfectly, esp. for anyone who has read the Robot City novels. That the author does not explicitly refer to their history permits the characters some added depth (you sense they have grown since Robot City). The role of Bogard was handled with great aplomb; Better, in fact, than in the original Robot City novels. The descriptions of its weird behavior were not overbearing, and lent a "Day the Earth Stood Still" flavor to some scenes. One thing bothers me. The plot does not sufficiently plant enough emotional investment in Aurora's leadership role (ostensibly respectful and just compared with pre-Fastolfe/Bailey Aurora) to reward the reader with much impact at the end when Solaria's role is brought into focus. The shift in interstellar policy should have a similar feel to the climaxes in Robots and Empire, or Foundation and Earth; One of the things I like so much about Asimov stories is the feel of historical import on a scale that challenges me.
Rating:
Summary: Punches pulled
Review: This book was an enjoyable, engrossing read. Derek and Ariel fit the story nearly perfectly, esp. for anyone who has read the Robot City novels. That the author does not explicitly refer to their history permits the characters some added depth (you sense they have grown since Robot City). The role of Bogard was handled with great aplomb; Better, in fact, than in the original Robot City novels. The descriptions of its weird behavior were not overbearing, and lent a "Day the Earth Stood Still" flavor to some scenes. One thing bothers me. The plot does not sufficiently plant enough emotional investment in Aurora's leadership role (ostensibly respectful and just compared with pre-Fastolfe/Bailey Aurora) to reward the reader with much impact at the end when Solaria's role is brought into focus. The shift in interstellar policy should have a similar feel to the climaxes in Robots and Empire, or Foundation and Earth; One of the things I like so much about Asimov stories is the feel of historical import on a scale that challenges me.
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