Rating: 
Summary: *Whew!*
Review: My, my...after 2100+ pages of virtual madness, we come at last to the final volume of Tad William's 'Otherland' epic. And, true to form, William has made the climatic/concluding volume a massive 900 page monster explicitly designed to devour time and oh yes lest I forget answer those hundred or so plot-threads and plot-questions introduced in the first three volumes.Sigh. To be perfectly honest, I enjoyed this book, frustrating experience though it was. Tad has a penchant for overstatement and he never met a simile he didn't love (or try to wriggle in an otherwise clean and stylish sentence), but he _is_ a talented author with an extremely fertile imagination. Some would say that is the best part about him, others claim it the worst. I straddle the fence on this one. One thing that cannot be disputed: as proven in his past series 'Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn,' Tad knows how to write a dramatic climax. _Sea of Silver Light_ cements this reputation--the last 400 pages are a marvel, and I read them all in two sittings, unable to put the text down. There are some problems, however: Character development. Expecting insight into the "lesser" POV's like Florimel and T4b? Sorry. These (and others) remain cardboard cutouts, used primarily for info-dump and emotional melodrama. The first half of the book drags along rather slowly--you can *feel* the climax starting to coalese, but it takes 500 pages to initiate it! And like _MoBG_, parts of this book feel padded, with Williams creating situations simply to keep some of his characters busy while he struggles to bring it all together (Dodge City in particular evoked "been there, done that" feelings). With it all said and done, I find myself with those who state that Tad should have condensed Otherland into three volumes. Perhaps not as much money for the author in the long run, but a strong editing rinse would certainly have made this more palatable and enjoyable. But hey, at least he didn't pull a 'Robert Jordan' (*knock on wood*)!
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful ending
Review: First off to all customers and avid readers: It is necessary to read the OTHERLAND saga in order, from book 1 to book 4, because it is really all just one huge 3000+ page book. Well, I read books 1, 2, and 3, and it was getting so complicated that one practically had to take notes just to remember who all the characters were and what they were doing. I found myself rereading book 3 first because after 2 years, I could not remember enough to read the final volume. And after book 3 I had my doubts that it would all be wrapped up and finished in just one more book, without any major loose ends. But I was really impressed with this one. He did it, and he did it well. Volume 4 put Tad Williams right up there among my favorite authors, who include Stephen King and Robert Jordan (and a bunch of Anne Rice and Brian Lumley and some others...). Not only did volume 4 surprise me with a great and satisfying ending--- it made me cry! There was this one great heart-wrenching scene. I'm sure anyone who read it knows what I'm talking about. I don't cry very often reading books or watching movies, so I must say: Wow. And yes, there were a few tiny unresolved issues that remained, but if you're at all curious, don't let that stop you. All the major questions were answered with some great revelations. It's a book about the differences between humans in a future where we are even more crazy and powerful than the present day, and it's a story to make you think.
Rating:
Summary: Looking for even more from Tad Williams?
Review: SoSL was a great book. However if you can't get enough of Tad Williams and want even more, head over to Shadowmarch.com for his latest fantasy epic.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: This is a magnificent and suprsing ending to a wonderful series. I highly recommend the book to any and all, though obviously you should start with book 1. Some people may be intimidated by the length, but don't be. It is well worth the time. By the way, Tad Williams latest venture is an online only series called Shadowmarch. Check it out at www Shadowmarch com. The first chapter is great, but then I would expect no less.
Rating:
Summary: Otherland: Endgame.
Review: I was quite bored with the Otherland series when I picked up "Sea of Silver Light", the final volume. During the three previous volumes the plot development has gone from excellent ("City of Golden Shadow") to bad ("River of Blue Fire") to worse ("Mountain of Black Glass"), which was hardly an incentive to sit down and start reading something as time-consuming as another Otherland book. More specifically, I was very disappointed with the artificial "climax" at the end of the third book, which to me seemed an intentional effort to recapture the readers' wandering attention. So it was with some distrust and trepidation that I finally got a copy of this 922-page-long monstrosity, by far the longest book I've read. A minute to sum up everything that transpired so far, in a very small nutshell: children worldwide collapse after experiencing mysterious psychological trauma online; guided by an enigmatic behind-the-scenes presence, a band of self-appointed heroes invade a super-real network built by the richest of the rich to function as an immortality machine; soon, however, our heroes realize that not only cannot they find any hint of a cure, not only are their efforts to bring down the network futile and unnoticed - they can't even escape Otherland themselves! The two consequent volumes detail the band's mad scrabble to escape, but as they jump from one demented virtual world to another, clues begin to emerge about the network's nature, the souls captive inside it, and the operating system - the network's heart, which may be the greatest mystery of all... "Sea of Silver Light" marks the return of the first volume's furious pacing, but it has far more meat to grind. After having to make do with hints and implications for several thousand pages, it's extremely rewarding to see things work out and gain significance. At long last, Williams shifts the focus from the heroes - who have become flat and tired - to the Other himself, and his monumental agony. When revealed, his identity is both tragic and frightening. Williams also ties up the RL subplots, but not before unifying them into a concerted effort; at the end the reader is treated not to one, but four or five separate showdowns: Sellars' (whose significance is finally revealed) struggle to free the online captives, Olga's suicidal mission inside Jongleur's tower, Calliope's search for Dread, Dulcinea's moral struggle, etc. Numerous background characters (Jongleur, Azador, Ava) are finally brought out of suspended animation and given large, meaningful roles to play. The virtual worlds the heroes travel through are very creative - both Dread's mutant worlds and the Other's own "dark space". The trademark media highlights at the beginning of each chapter become especialy entertaining.... Easily the best volume in the series, and, quite possibly, the best book I've read all year.
Rating:
Summary: Never saw it coming!
Review: Lets take the best of Stephen King, William Gibson and Robert Jordan, mix in Williams' own deep imagination and ability to amalgamate the many diverse elements of our world, and we have one hell of a good cocktail! I demand that this book be nominated for the Hugo award! I see Tad Williams exploring the unifying act of story-telling, the psychological/philosophical concept of "the other," family relations, and the effect of this painful world on children and our role in that effect. However, all is not perfect. Though Williams does a superb job here I am still unsure how to accept this conclusion of his brilliant epic. He had me enthralled the entire time and continually reaffirmed to me his ability as a great sci-fi writer (and fantasy for that matter--see the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy), but as all was made clear at the end I found myself a little dissapointed amid those surprises that did blow my mind. There were a lot of answers to the series' mysteries that arose with the support of clues behind them, but there were some that truly seemed to come from nowhere, as if Williams was struggling to make the ending fit a mold that perhaps it didn't want to fit. People who haven't read the book should stop here.----- I saw some potential go to waste as well, for Williams could have said a lot more about the concept of copies(on which many of the "answers" in the book rely) as well make more thorough use of the story-telling motif (which I found fascinating). Also, I think that the commentary on artificial intelligence and electronic lifeforms compared to human beings may be hamstrung by the revealed true identity of the The Other--for as the reader comes to percieve the Other as being human, such commentary is distanced. Never-the-less, the Other's identity so blew me away that I don't think I care too much, and having what was reputed to be an artificial intelligence turn out to be human is, in fact, a very interesting spin. Let us stance in reverence of Tad Williams, and pray that he keeps writing. -sc
Rating:
Summary: WOW!!
Review: I have been waiting over a year for this...and I was not disappointed. I can say now that Tad Williams is my favorite author. Its been about 6hrs since I read the last page and in many ways I am still stunned. The way he wrapped up the series is amazing, and, like many other reviews, I found my mouth dropping open as each chapter brought to light a new twist. I read some of the "professional" reviews of the other volumes in the series, and it seems like they didn't get it (especially the Kirkus reviews). His descriptions of the futuristic VR are amazing. Its almost like he had a crystal ball and could see in the future. Even the blurbs at the beginning of each chapter seemed to show a great deal of insight to the future of society on earth. Well to sum up...don't punish yourself and not pick up this series. Yes it is long (4000+ pages); But even if you are a die hard fantasy reader who really doesn't like science fiction that much, Williams has managed to write a wonderful series that walks the line between science fiction and fantasy beautifully. Read these books-you will not be disappointed at all!
Rating: 
Summary: Not Enough Action
Review: Well, I've now finished the whole Otherland series and it was basically a drag. The pace was way too slow, much of the plot was extremely predictable, and the overall length of the series could have been shortened into two 400 page books. Specifically, waiting until page 740 of book four to bring Orlando back from the dead was silly when it was obvious from vol 1 that was the most likely thing to happen. Tad Williams can write a great series as nicely demonstrated in the Stone of Farewell but in Otherland, I think some money-hungry editors had the upper hand.
Rating: 
Summary: Gee it's awfully long
Review: Tad Williams has a great imagination but he really needs a great editor to go along with it. His interesting and at times compelling story does not need almost 4,000 pages to be told. After slogging through the first three volumes, (each time being just interested enough to start the next)I was hoping the last would be action-packed and fast moving. Not a chance. Over 900 pages to get to a conclusion that could have been reached easily in 500 pages. Over and over the intrepid adventurers/ rescuers go through the same pattern: menace, escape, separation, search, reunion...you get the picture. It's really very frustrating, this ubiquitous trend that every fantasy novel has to be multi-volume and weighty enough to give you tennis elbow. At two volumes, the "Otherland" saga would have been a classic heavyweight fantasy. At four volumes it's just heavy period. Bring back the editors and stop the unnecessary multi-volume madness!
Rating:
Summary: ...and it comes to a brilliant close!
Review: Tad Williams has created something beyond words with his exquisite epic masterpiece "Otherland." It has been an absolute joy to go on this amazing journey, and I'm a bit sad to see it all end. In reading the first three installments, I found each succeeding volume better than the last, and "Otherland: Sea of Silver Light" delivers more than expected. This has more thrills, twists, turns, bumps, and speeds than all of the previous three put together. New things are learned about every character (Mr. Sellars' secrets are revealed), countles questions are answered, and by the end of it all, you don't want to leave. Tad Williams' epic is nothing short of a masterpiece. It is most definately worth your while to go on this journey. I guarantee that there is nothing else like it! Sheer brilliance Mr. Williams, and thank you! Enjoy!
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