Rating: 
Summary: Even better than vol. I
Review: Actually more interesting than the first. The main story actually moves at an even slower pace than the first, but who cares! Since the journey istelf is so fascinating. Our heros who had finally come together (mostly) at the end of vol. I are quickly seperated in Otherland and find themselves in sim worlds resembling an ice age, a twisted version of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz", a world where scientist study giant insects (or are they tiny scientist) and many others. Don't expect to much to be explained in this book, just enjoy the ride.
Rating: 
Summary: Looks like another V.C. Andrews
Review: After the first volume of this series, though I don't like continuations, I was looking forward to this book. After finishing it, I think I would have been better off stopping after the first. None of the major questions or conflicts were answered or resolved. Early on I had the impression I'd just be passing time until I started the third book to find some answers and that's how the book ended. I'm not sure I'm even going to bother with the next book because I've found out there's a fourth book to be written. This definitely looks like another V.C. Andrews (Floweres in the Attic) for those people familiar with that author.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as the first volume
Review: This book is by far not as good as the first volume. It is a much slower read and it is harder to finish. You don't see that much happen anymore (at least not something that is really important for the overall story) but Tad Williams writes more about the different VR-worlds. Still a good read though and I hope (and think) that the end gets faster again.
Rating: 
Summary: Otherland Part 2
Review: This book is labyrinthine in its plot, characters, and depth. I think it's stronger than book 1, which is largely a 'setup' book, but not quite as strong as book 3. I think that one has to read them all at the same time because of the volume of information contained in each. The synopsis at the beginning of each book, while useful, doesn't cover every detail. I know I'll be reading all 4 again when the 4th comes out. --Lyman Green
Rating:
Summary: A carefully crafted tease
Review: This second volume of the Otherland series was either more focused than the first or I just knew better what to expect. The imaginative descriptions of the different worlds and the distinctly individual insights into each character are entertaining enough on there own, but Williams is able to tie these worlds and characters successfully into something much bigger. Critics that claim no forward progress is being made in large portions of the novel aren't reading carefully enough, but I admit that with four volumes at around seven hundred pages a whack, you sometimes wish he'd get to the point faster than he does. Regardless, I'll be reading volume three with eager anticipation.
Rating:
Summary: Tending to Drag
Review: In the start a group of main characters are broken up into several groups. From then on it read like a series of short stories, some of which were not very... well lets just say odd bad. At the end there is no resolve. This book should have been condensed into volume one.
Rating:
Summary: Quite good for a sequel.
Review: The plot grows thicker and more convoluted in this book. I love the realistic and straightforward way in which Tad Williams writes and much appreciate the depth of his characters. He writes with an eye for detail, and portrays a depth of emotion which is not easy to find in literature. This series brings up interesting ideas regarding the power of outside influences over the human mind. In my opinion it takes virtual reality further than it has ever gone before in SF. On the other hand I found the abrupt transitions from world to world within the virtual reality rather confusing, as though the characters found themselves in an adult version of a Lewis Carrol fantasy. Although the bug world was very well portrayed, I didn't like the rather jaded ideas of the Wizard of Oz world or the cartoon kitchen. Maybe I'm missing some crucial points here, that I'll find out about later on in the series, but I'm not sure.I enjoyed the first book more, but this one was quite good considering that it's a sequel. In my experience, it's difficult to find sequels that meet the standards of the initial book of a series.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written but long...
Review: This was a well written book but at times the author was a bit long-winded. There were times when reading this book that I found the intricate descriptions amazing and yet there were other times when I wished the author would just get to the point. I'm an engineer and I enjoy details, however, keeping track of 12+ characters and all the different scenerios was a bit taxing. I am however looking forward to the next installment if only to find out what happens to these characters I have so much time invested in.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyable escapism!
Review: After reading the first Otherland volume, I had a sneaking suspician that Tad Williams was an author whose books would come to fill my shelves in the years to come; River of Blue Fire (RBF)confirmed my suspician. Tad Williams did not only prove himself capable of maintaining a merely intriging and entertaining storyline, he proved himself capable of creating a story that was fully and completely absorbing. Even more so than the first book, RBF presents us with almost hedonistically beautiful and original VR mindscapes. The plot is not as heavily emphasized in this book as it was in the last...and that is OK; to over-emphasize the plot in this novel would have been akin to being rudely brought out of a pleasant dream in order to attend to more mundane matters. Williams seems to have known that after establishing the plot in book one he was able to let his imagination run wild in book two without having to worry about where it was running to. And that is what I liked most about this book; it was an ode to the ability of the mind to create worlds of seemingly infinite variety and detail, and more importantly, to the ability to communicate and thus share those worlds that can only exist afterall, in our own heads.
Rating:
Summary: Better than the 1st
Review: I whined and moaned about how long the first volume of this series was, but after reading Vol.2 I am now converted and hooked. Sure - it's long, but I just had to learn to sit back and enjoy the lanquid pace of this incredibly colorful story unfolding. It was a welcome break from the world, and astounding storytelling. In the end - I was grateful for the length this time! That much more time to savor and enjoy it. I hope Williams can keep it up.
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