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Summary: Williams is Tolkien reborn
Review: Williams is a master of fiction in the highest regard. He sits atop the fiction world with Tolkien, with all others falling way short. There is no hokie fantasia tales in his books and no extremely long flowery names, just great writing. Every new world discovered in this book is described with dazzlling details. My only regret is that I read this book too soon and have to wait so long for the next one.
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Summary: Otherland: Mountain of Black Glass
Review: If you want to read a wonderful balancing act of sci-fi, excellent characters (and characterization), satire, mythology ,with some philosophical questions wavering the scale of good vs. evil...this book is for you. Be warned: people with a short attention span will find this book difficult (the writer of the Kirkus Review comes to mind). If you like to be challenged by your choice in fiction-by all means read this book! Williams reminds me of John Barth in his manipulation of mythology and the human condition
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Summary: The third continues to build
Review: City of Golden Shadow, the first book in the series, set the stage and introduced us to the Otherland world, set sometime in our near future. In the second installment, River of Blue Fire, our various heroes found themselves spread out across the virtual realm of the Otherland virtual network. Now, in the third book, Williams has managed to up the ante, and things actually happen. I felt the first book was excellent as an introduction, but the second fell off as nothing of any real import seemed to occur. Now, in Mountain of Black Glass, Williams has paid off on the promise he made in Golden Shadow. The first two books are must-reads to understand this masterpiece, but the payoff is worth it. Williams' ability to create another world is unmatched, and his capacity to weave an ever-increasing number of storylines into a compelling and coherent narrative is startling. Well worth the read, though this lengthy series is not for the faint of heart or short of attention span.
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Summary: Threads converge.. at last
Review: This series, while flawed, is a masterpiece of modern epic storytelling. Threads woven from book one, which have spun through and around each other are finally, brutally, elegantly flung together - and then apart. The characters are forced to explore within the simulation and in themselves as they try to find a foothold in the unraveling dream-time land that the simulation has become. The themes which have been hinted at throughout, concerning the self, the implications for the human state which stem from possible immortality, these themes are much more directly explored here. Especially powerful is the ending where, as the threads all weave together, new and startling sides both to the characters and the network are exposed in a whirlwind finish. Laudable stuff, marred somewhat by the (RoBF style) cheap action-flick scenes in which continual lethal peril is escaped through last minute rescues/unpredictable events. This "filler" stuff is starting to take a toll on the real-ness of the story, beginning to emulate the drearyness (in places) of Jordan or Eddings. Nonetheless, a lot more solid events are set to take place in the final volume, and there is plenty of cause to expect this to be a rip snorter of a finale to the series. Kickass stuff.
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Summary: Might as well just re-read book II
Review: Nothing in the first three-quartes of this volume added much to the original story line. It seemed that we were simply being subjected to more virtual worlds and everyone being in constant peril... and perhaps a bit more violent peril than was necessary, for me, at least. I suppose that by now I should expect this repetition from an "epic" series, but this one seemed to initially defy the normal pattern of "sameness" that exists in so many others until now (I don't think I can bear to read another Robert Jordan "Wheel of Time" book, despite having initially enjoyed them immensely). This book ends great, and I can't wait to read book IV, but the ending should have been applied to volume II.
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Summary: Very good but getting a bit long ...
Review: I have to agree with the other reviewers in that it seems that the series is a bit bloated. While I hesitate to call for an end to such an engaging vision, I found myself often skimming through less interesting detail to find out what was going to happen next. By now, probably everyone knows what's going on and is longing for something else to pique the interest. I was happy to find the characters exposed a bit more. Dread, T4B, and Florimel are more real, and various love relationships have been developed. The end was surprising, both in that it wasn't the end and that more threads have been exposed for development in the next book. I can't wait to read it.
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Summary: Entertaining, But Where is the Payoff?
Review: I've enjoyed all three of the Otherland novels, but it seems like it could have been written in two or three novels, instead of the projected four. There is alot of wit and magic in the text, but the mystery just goes on and on and on... And the characters are not really developing; they remain static and you just get to see them do the same thing in a different scenario. Long Joseph is the most annoying character I've ever read and Xabbu's New Age psychobabble wears thin quickly. Only bother reading this series if you have about a month of free time.
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Summary: Slow but promising for the 4th
Review: I don't care about how other people complain how this one is worse for being slower to develop. A good story can't keep plowing ahead at the rate the first two books did, and this novel allows for a good time of character development and plot evolution. And the setup at the end promises a great conclusion. As for you who complain about this novel not being able to stand on it's own, well go figure! Williams said himself that he is writing a single book that is just way too big to be published in one novel. It just isn't meant to be read by those looking to read one short novel; it's part of a much, much larger whole. And Williams is not the author to look to for an abrupt or short-winded story.
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Summary: Good... but it should have been ended in this volume.
Review: Well, I have been greatly enjoying this series and I don't mind the character development that people have mentioned as being a problem. I feel that the stories of the people themselves are as interesting as the main plot (though some might very well see this as a problem). The prose is good and the plot complex. In many ways it reminds me of Donaldson's 'Gap' series in the interweaving of characters with groups of power and attempting not to be crushed by them. However... Just as in the second book, Williams managed to irritate me somewhat. In the second, I was not pleased with the jarring attempt to keep people from guessing the identity of Dread when he controlled one of their party. In this novel, it seemed _very_ obvious to me that he extended the series by changing the previous ending (there were originally only going to be three novels) in one key element, therefore being able to continue. I do admit that it's preferable to the Robert Jordan method of continuing a series by adding more and more words and descriptions in less and less 'book time', but it was still jarring and seemed to cheapen some of the sacrifices made by characters. Still, I look forward to the final book in the series.
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Summary: Bloated
Review: This is not a novel for the casual reader. This book can not stand on it's own. The author has done wonderful job of developing characters with a plausible plot line however too much time is spent in development. The author has spent so much time in character/plot development that the story itself has taken a back seat. Without reading the first part(s) in the series and without the knowledge that another novel will be added to the list this would not be worth buying. It is simply literary filler. If you love detailed characters and an above average plot line this is the book for you. If you want the above and at least part of a natual conclusion to some of participants - forget it. The book starts in the middle and never finishes. After three tries something should have been accomplished even if the story does continue for ANOTHER sequal.
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