Rating: 
Summary: Book 3 is great & can't wait for Book 4!
Review: Book 1 of the Otherland series was one of the best sci-fi books dealing with the topic of VR. I have pointed many people towards this series because of that book. Book 2 was also good. Book 3 extends the story and races to the end. I wanted to read Book 4 the next day! This series is one of the best, long sci-fi series I have read ever. It is right on up there with quality literature like Lord of the Rings. So I recommend this and am waiting for Book 4!
Rating:
Summary: Another fine addition to the series
Review: I must say that I am really enjoying Tad Williams' "Otherland" series quite thorougly. "Mountain of Black Glass" was no exception; it was, in my opinion, a fine addition to series, and helped resolves several plot points while beginning several more. Being one of the 'in-between' books in the series, it is largely concerned with furthering the plot until the conclusion of the tetralogy, but still things that *should* get done in the plot do. And, of course, the author throws in enough new and suprising material tho satisfy--and confuse-- the audience. By the end of the book, the reader is as clueless as to what is really going on as the hapless characters are themselves. The suspense and tension only add to the book's appeal, as Williams is making us all wait patiently for the final volume for all our questions to be answered.I must applaud Tad for once again creating some fine fantastical worlds for his characters to play in. Seeing Paul struggle through ancient, Homeric Greece or Rene and the Gang struggle through the House was very entertaining. Tad has done a remarkable job on developing his characters; the reader grows to care for them, and when an unfortunate few do not make it to the last page alive...well, I must say I felt a bit distressed, to say the least. The only real complaint I have about the book is that the numerous character perspectives can be quite confusing at times. There are literally dozens of separate players in this little drama, and when each is given their own time in the spotlight, things can get a little muddled at times. But I feel that that problem is overcome by the wonderful variety of the characters and the interesting perspectives each one brings. Rene, Dread, Cristabel, Jongleur--each is different in their own way, and each brings something different to the narrative. I can hardly wait till the end of the series just so I can see how everything is finally resolved!
Rating: 
Summary: Why has this series turned from inspirational to boring?
Review: The first Otherland book stunned me. It fufilled completely the very high expectations I had for Tad Williams after reading his earlier fantasy novels. The complex plot, the interesting characters, the awe-inspiring worlds and cleverly drawn future. The characters were above all involving and put into locations that felt perfect. However, except for the pretty interesting ending of this third book, this series has been steadily dropping in quality. I feel like the characters that i grew to know have been sabotaged, that they are now robots following in a series of pointless tasks. At every step of the way, the characters' words seem directed at you the reader not at the other characters. In short, Books 2 and 3 really have been mostly filler. I can see an great story being made from the outline of these events but the execution has become so poor that they are a chore to read. I think I'll go back to reading Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash and The Diamond Age, or even, dare i say it, Piers Anthony's Killobyte now that i have finished this third otherland book! Tad Williams better pull a stunning 4th book or I will rack this series up as a brilliant idea that he couldn't follow up on. This series SHOULD have put Tad Williams up next to David Foster Wallace, Robert Jordan, and Neal Stephenson as my favorite current authors. Sadly, only the first book deserves a reread.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm starting to be less nervous about this series.
Review: I realize that's a strange headline to write this many pages into a series, but still-- it's true. The first volume in the Otherland book (it really is *a* book, not really a series as such) really frustrated me because I liked it so much and it didn't end with the minor resolution I expected to find. With the second volume I knew what to expect (or, rather, what not to expect) but I was worried that Williams would get so wrapped up in the cool possibilities of virtual worlds that he'd take his eye off the ball. With this volume, however, he's managed to ease my major concerns. Williams clearly does love the cool possibilities of virtual reality, but unlike other writers, the different layers that his characters go through all serve a purpose in driving the plot. I never had the sense that something was in place simply because Williams couldn't resist leaving it out. The characters are well-formed, their problems are interesting, and the world is intriguing. The book doesn't get five stars from me yet because it isn't finished. I still have some skepticism I want to see Otherland set aside (how the AI will be handled, the seeming invulnerability of Dread), and I'm not willing to buy into it 100% until I know where the whole arc is going to end up. Very interesting exercise in form. Worth reading.
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Summary: The story spins.
Review: After the rather lacking 'River of Blue Fire', I had felt rather reluctant going into this book. 'River' took us nowhere and told us very little in terms of the actual plot. In addition, some of the situations were laughable in their contrived strain. However, 'Mountain' changed it all. It twisted everything upside down and ended almost at a complete tangent to what it started as. The end could very well have been the conclusion, and it would not have been too far off. As it is, I was most pleasantly surprised by the mystery, and found myself banging my head against a wall after realizing I now must wait for the next one. And wait I will. I just now pray that Williams doesn't screw the end to this series up as badly as he managed to flub 'Memory, Sorrow and Thorn'.
Rating:
Summary: An extremely compelling story
Review: So far, this book seems as the climax of the whole story. Eventhough it took me a month to finish it, it was worth reading every minute. I think Tad Williams is a very good writer, descriptive in all detail.
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Summary: Homer's Echoes and future's nostalgy
Review: I'm Orlando.Roncisvalle's hero,who fell to the Saracens.Orlando should be Hector,not Achilles.Didn't you read Shakespeare's Troilus and Criseid ? But let it go. Orlando is the Hero of the saga,and ,like all the true Heroes,he dies for his friends,or risks it.And Tad is Wonderful! I cannnot begin to tell who I compare it. The House smacks of Borges' Infinite Library and Umberto Eco's Nome della Rosa. The plot enfolds in the complexity of a virtual reality that mirrors our own.Paul Jonas and Renie are the heroes of a new discovery of man's science and mind.Mankind is capable of draeadful and noble deeds as well,and is only yours to choose,
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Summary: I love these books
Review: Tad Williams has done a great thing writing these books. I must admit it took me awhile to get started with the first one ( the whole prologue was very confusing ) but once I got started I couldn't stop and then I had to wait for number two. Now I have finished three and I can't wait to find out what happens to all of the characters. Some people don't like too many story lines but it makes it so real to know so much about everybody that is connected to any one of the main characters. I love these books. Hurry Tad!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent cliff hanger, he did it again
Review: All I can say if you thought that everything would be getting clearer towards the end you are mistaken. He has written another excellent book with twists and turns at every corner. The character development is excellent and full of surprises. Go ahead and get it now and you won't be able to put it down. You can then go through the suffering of waiting for another year for the final installment
Rating:
Summary: This one's hard to beat
Review: The best in the series yet. Volume one was an exciting mix of virtual reality, folklore, and suspense, which gave you a glimpse of what was still to come but also left you baffled as to what this was all about. Volume two was a tour de force through an amazingly well described collection of virtual worlds but also way too long, with no direction. Mountain of Black Glass is excellently balanced. Great descriptions of alternative worlds (the "House" was just incredible), action, first answers, new questions, a surprise ending, I simply couldn't stop reading...
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