Rating: 
Summary: A Roller Coaster Through Our Own Minds
Review: The much criticised "cliffhanger" ending from Volume One serves as a springboard which launches the increasingly fragmented group into a wild variety of different interactive worlds. Dread, the warped and treacherous minion of the Grail Brotherhood has betrayed his masters and assumed the guise of one of the invaders. This volume offers a spectacular insight into his gruesome, sadistic mindset as well as the haunted and increasingly unhinged mind of his rich-as-creusus master. Previously, Tad Williams has made little effort to explore the personalities of his evil characters, but this novel changes all that. The wild adventures among the simworlds are perhaps a little predictably akin to cartoon adventures in which characters are always saved from dire fates by flukish luck or the last gasp entrance of another "good guy", but perhaps Tad intended this and is sending up this genre from within as it were. Whichever it is the repetition of this "last gasp escape from danger" theme becomes a little tiresome. Again, information as to the nature and motivation of the grail project is passed out strategically, and yes!, dammit, slowly. But don't be in a hurry. Enjoy the wealth of imagination and the beautiful writing and just let the book swing you around from world to world. Underlying the wild adventurers and imaginative passages is a slow building feeling of imminent disaster and the darkness which underlies the whole project. This was a Great Book, a spectacular combination of the technological, the fantastic and the insane. Awesome stuff.
Rating:
Summary: A story of awesome power and potential....................
Review: "Blue Fire" was everything one can ask of a hybrid fantasy/sf novel. It was great how Williams could integrate technology into a grave yet whimsical story of a band of 'travellers' trying to uncover the greatest scam ever. I also thought it was interesting how he took other classic works and changed their general themes to make them fit into Otherland's story line. The only weakness I have found in the series thus far is that Williams attempts to tell so many subplots that the overall story becomes difficult to follow, especially if the reader reads "Blue Fire" over many days-once a subplot pops up, the reader forgets how the situation came to be in the first place. Nevertheless, I have greatly enjoyed Otherland so far and eagerly anticipate "Mountain of Black Glass."
Rating: 
Summary: a bit of a letdown
Review: I was rivited with vol 1, and 'sold' many copies because of my enthusisam. However, I found vol 2 mostly tedious, but still read it voraciously as to get to the end! Found the 'kitchen' sequence a real drag, and while the image of giant salad tongs was meant to scarify, it was just a tad too silly for me... Ditto for the matches come to life. BUT I am still extremely engaged by Renie, Martine, Orlando, Sellers, etc... the 'original' cast is worth following, and I will follow til the bitter end. But the excitement and detail basically wasn't sustained from vol 1 - not unusual when setting up a series - I found this with Chung Kuo and Greg Bear's Eon/Eternity/Legacy. So, my review isn't totally laudatory, it is not a dismissal either. Michael in SuperNatural British Columbia
Rating:
Summary: Stunning, ambitious and brilliant
Review: Great, exciting second volume by one of the great writers of our time. Yeah, yeah, I know about Pynchon and DeLillo and a few other brainy cools but Tad is not only just as complex and authoritative but he is also accessible and a great deal of fun. The OTHERLAND series is incredibly enjoyable as a story on its own but it is also a running commentary on some of the great books and myths of our culture. Where else could you find Philip Dick, the Wizard of Oz, H.G. Wells, Conrad and Tolkien but in a Tad Williams novel?. He is a great storyteller who will one day truly get his critical due from the literary establishment. And on top of that - he is a beautiful writer. He is happening now. Read him. Then you can say you were there.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as the first one
Review: I am quite disappointed with this latest offering from Tad. I have read all of his other books, and this one is nearly bereft of action and cohesion. The book is one long, disconnected and chaotic chase scene. The kaledescopic change of perspective is prohibitive to getting involved with the plot. The few strong characters, Renie, Xabbu and Gardiner stumble and tumble helter skelter through the ether, struggling to remember what their original goal was entering the Otherworld. I have to admit I will pause before purchasing the third for $25. Money spent better on worthier tomes...
Rating:
Summary: Definitely worth the time.
Review: Yes. It's long, okay? But it Otherland and Otherland II don't require patience. In fact, you will wish you had read it SLOWER if the next book isn't out by the time you finish. It's completely engrossing, and I promise you will be too busy anticipating the next page to worry about how long the last one took to read. There's no such thing as too much of a good thing!
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievably good!!!
Review: I may have had to wait two years for this book, but it was certainly worth it. I have never been disappointed by a Tad Williams book yet (with the exception of the ending of To Green Angel Tower). It mayhave taken awhile for me to get into it but once there I was utterly hooked by this books complexity and charm. The entire futuristic world that he has created seems so realistic it is scary. I find myself wishing that I could live in that time sometimes.
Rating:
Summary: Dramatic and epic mix of VR/RL/Sci-Fi/Fantasy!
Review: After finishing this 2nd book of Tad Williams' Otherland trilogy, I collapsed and struggled to fall asleep (it was 1am). The characters become more real (even though even MORE characters join the cast) and their interaction is beautifully crafted. Especially Orlando Gardiner and Sam Fredricks' tale become more emotionally involved than the first book. Tad Williams uses a very effective method of pleasing his reader's interests by mixing mystery with action, drama with hints of romance (without the sex), sci-fi and RL (real life), VR (virtual reality) and fantasy. Excellent middle-of-the-series book!
Rating:
Summary: Without a doubt...
Review: Tad Williams is, simply, one of the greatest (if not the greatest) among the writers currently toiling in the genre of fantasy/science fiction. In fact, I am hesitant to even think of the OTHERLAND books as part of the genre; in no way can it be compared to the usual tripe: Eddings, Goodkind, or the run of the mill Dragonlance filler. Having this opinion, I approached River of Blue Fire with some hesitancy, remembering what I disliked most about his previous series Memory, Sorrow and Thorn--while the first volumn was captivating, the pace and structural backbone of the following two books slowed to a crawl and became, at times, needlessly complicated. Happily, the second volumn of OTHERLAND does not suffer these (small) fallicies; in fact, though enormous and complex, the above review by Kirkus is astonishing. I found my time and attention consumed by this book--at times I forgoed sustience and rest to explore deeper the bewitching qualities and hidden beauties burried within. One scene I will use for an example is where Dread finds the 'dreamtime.' Though the actions are horrific, Tad portrays the charicters psyche so well that I found myself in collaberation with this sick serial killer, lusting, feeling, tingling with the rush of ardrenilene... This book is a marvel, full of vivid imagination and clever prose. On the surface River of Blue Fire is a deliciously overwhelming adventure that is threaded with the subtle themes of humankind, of how we interact with the world around us and winthin us; themes interwoven in any great novel. At completion I wondered how Tad planed to finish this monster in simply four books...
Rating:
Summary: A worthy sequel that maintains the edge of the first book.
Review: This book held me spellbound like few others have in recent years. After devouring the first book (and waiting very impatiently for this one) I was afraid there would be a let-down. Instead, this book continues the author's penchant for imagination and intense drama. The characters and their interactions are so real you can truly relate to them. The look, feel and potential problems of the author's future internet is all too plausible and eye-opening. I can't think of a book that I would recommend more enthusiastically. Those who enjoyed a look at a possible future for the "net" will love this book, and should read Neal Stephenson's "Snow Crash."
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