Rating: 
Summary: A complex weave of of life both in and out of reality.
Review: Tad Williams has done a great job with this book, slow read as it may be he is dedicated to ramping up the reader to invest an interest in the characters for who they could be and not what they seem to be. The description of the Otherworld brings to mind novel penned by John Myers Myers called, Sliverlock, JMM's characters flitter from one novelistic land and into another with the turn of the page leaving the reader to guess where they are, at least in TW novel the villian, of all people, was kind enough to tell us what worlds we might wander into, but left just enough unsaid so that we wanted to pick up the next two books and continue on the journey. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy a high fantasy with a twist and a dash of Techno-babble.
Rating:
Summary: Good . But I expected better after reading Otherland Vol.1 !
Review: River of Blue Fire didn't have the tightness / level of excitement that one wd. have expected after Vol.1 -- which I rate as one of the classics at par with stuff like Dune , (the recent Uplift series by D. Brin too is another example), where each author has visualized a complete world / galaxy etc. both believable and fascinating -- Vol.2 unfortunately drags and sometimes gives the feeling of a complete lack of focus / plot line ! After reading Vol.1 I am sure that Mr. Williams can do much better -- so it's a bit dis-appointing to see that he hasn't cared to do so -- I will probably buy Vol.3 but more to see if TD's purpose has been to just sell based on past performance or really try to do an excellent job again and win back serious appreciators of this genre !! I hope he chooses to do what he has already demonstrated he can do extremely well given his capability and does justice to both his readers and himself !!!
Rating: 
Summary: Get on with it already
Review: Having read Mr Williams' Memory, Sorrow & Thorn trilogy, I knew I was in for a slow start to this series (though Mr. Williams politely reminds the reader to think of Otherland as one continuous book in four volumes). After being quite satisfied with the first installment, I was looking forward to him picking up the pace in the second. Unfortunately, Mr. Williams just seems to use this installment to show off the size of his (ahem) imagination. Detail freaks will love this book.On the up side, Mr. Williams' writing has a terrific page-turning quality to it (even when it seems like you're going nowhere), his characters are well developed, and his vision of the future seems spookily plausible. I still look forward to volumes 3&4, I just hope he puts a little more "pep" in his delivery.
Rating: 
Summary: The saga continues...
Review: The Otherland epic continues quite nicely with this volume. Williams has upped the stakes with several of the numerous plotlines and manages to tie up one or two of them.(While creating about six or seven to replace them.) The only gripe I have is the waiting for the next work.
Rating:
Summary: Plotnit
Review: I ditto the raves already submitted. Here's one rant I didn't see: Suspense was created as who the traitor in the group was by withholding from the reader information available to the Point Of View character Dread. Truer, more compelling, suspense is created when the information available to the POV characters is available to the reader, or at least is not being obviously withheld. I felt that I was being manipulated by the imposter subplot, but the rest of the plot was compelling enough to make up for it. I hope we don't have to wait too long for V 3&4!
Rating:
Summary: Ontologically scintillating
Review: There are few authors in the SF/Fantasy genres who do more than entertain. Jordan, Feist et al may churn out volume after volume of harmless entertainment, but they scarcely can be accused of making you think. Williams is one of the few who trigger some cognitive activity in his readers. Along with David Zindell, Greg Bear and Damien Broderick, he is one of the few who will rank next to luminaries such as Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlen, Philip K. Dick and William Gibson as an author who changed the way we look at the world. Forget the innumerable plotlines and characters, forget the fact that each tome is one quarter of a complete work, and even forget the lyrical style of his writing. Williams poses some very serious questions in the guise of fiction. What are the ethical considerations of AI? Does virtual reality become reality? What is perception? What is the nature of good and evil? What is a life worth? His observation of group dynamics would do a Tavistockian proud. He reaches into the realms of anthropology, archeology, ontology, psychology, cybernetics, AI and existentialism to create a world horrifyingly like our own, and yet beyond ours. It may be a bit of a slog, but every page is worth it, and invites you to go elsewhere and increase your own knowledge of these fields. It may well be classed as a classic one day, at least a classic of the genre (let's face it, mainstream literature is incapable of seeing that Science fiction and fantasy have moved beyond Conan and the Lensman series). This series deserves a place on every serious SF reader's book shelf.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Continuation
Review: For those of you looking for a nice book to pick up and read front to back and be done...go elsewhere. This book, as mentioned by the author within the contents itself is merely a continuation of his ideas within the first volume. Otherland: City of Golden Shadow. Williams himself views the Otherland series as ONE novel in 4 seperate sections, so as not to kill himself over writing it, publisher's deadlines and all. Williams is a wonderously imaginative author who has a tremendous skill for having infinite relevant subplots. For those who have read Memory, Sorrow, & Thorn get ready this is even more expansive in texture. For those who've never read Williams before, read the first volume before this one, or wait until all four are out and go hog wild through all four in a massive assault on your sanity. All in all. Tad Williams is one of the greatest living writers of this time, in my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Read these books!
Review: Tad Williams delivered to us the Otherland series, and for that I thank him. I constantly found myself envying his journey through the depths of his story. I'm sure he had as much fun writing it as I did reading it. Mr. Williams' perspective of the future is very believable, for nothing much has changed. The rich and powerful are still rich and powerful, the truth is never the easiest answer, and most of the world is too concerned with there own problems to care about that which they cannot see. These books are not small, but they are not overwhelming either. If you are looking for a great journey into the future and the past, the true and the false, or the horrifying and the absurd - read these books.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing! Absolutely the best sci-fi I've read in years!
Review: Tad Williams delivers in this, the second novel in the Otherland series. Definitely a page turner, I let everything else go until I finished the book. Mr. Williams does a great job of filling in the gaps left by the first volume while continuing the story. Full of complexity, yet an easy read, anyone interested in the internet will love this book for its thought provoking look at our not so distant future! The only downside - waiting for the next volume in the series!!
Rating:
Summary: Great sequel !
Review: Tad Williams continues the story from volume one and starts to get to the core of the story. The book (even though it is one of those middle-books) is even better than the first one. Williams really manages to make you care about the fate of his characters. I cannot wait to get the next book of this series !
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