City of Golden Shadow (Otherland, Volume 1)

Rating:
Summary: Somewhat belittling to call it mere "cyberpunk"
Review: This was one of the most enjoyable popular novels I've read in years. Although it was daunting in the beginning to consider reading such a huge tome, once I started I couldn't stop and ended up doing a weekend Williams-marathon. I am a little confused by the reviews which berate the book for being the first of a series - my copy at any rate clearly indicated "Book I" on the front cover. Yes, by the time I finished it I too was desperate for the next volume and was crushed to discover it wasn't due out until June of this year. But the fact that it takes only a year to crank out such an intricately carved and well-constructed "world," is more of a tribute to the author than a criticism, in my opinion. This is the first book I've read which has ever led me to write a letter of thanks to the author and the first to lead me to review it. I, for one, will be buying the next volume as soon as it hits the shelves.

Rating:
Summary: MORE!!!!!!!!!
Review: A very intriging book. The posibility of a VR world, WOW. I wanted to strangle the person who gave it to me when I got to the last page, I want more.

Rating:
Summary: Have we all read the same book?
Review: As I look over the reviews that I see posted here I am amazed at the vehemence of the reviewers. Love or hate is the theme, and there seems very little in between. Tad writes epic stories. The complaint that he uses cliffhanger endings is foolish when what he is contstructing is one vast and sprawling story. We as readers, while annoyed and irritated with the incompleteness of Otherland, MUST understand that Tad is attempting to do two things at once: 1.Deliver a sprawling and continuous epic. 2.Feed his family. Would you rather he wait the 9 years without a paycheck and simply deliver the product in its final version then? I doubt his publisher would find that an appealing proposition. Would you rather he ruin the story by chopping it into neat little blocks that are created for no reason other than convenience of reading? I have no problem in waiting for stories of this quality. And when I say quality, I mean that. Just as in MS&T, Tad has again created a vast and enthralling world for us to explore. This time, however, the world is replete with all the elements of both classical romance and Cyberpunk, woven together into fairy tale-esque story that is at once surreal and street-wise. If you don't like it, oh well, but at least Tad has told us it will be 4 books, and not left it open ended the way Robert Jordan has WoT, so that he can beat some money horse.

Rating:
Summary: Very slow beginning but becomes engaging
Review: After 770 pages you would think there would be some closure. I ususally don't start a series until all are out, but there was no clue until the end that this was a series. Starts very slow and is not engaging until about a third of the way through. Very interesting concepts introduced which seem very plausible in the near future. I hope the pace is a bit faster in the rest of the series or I may give up on it. There seemed to be too many tangents drawn out without any relationship to the story, (I suspect some will be tied together in subsequent series but by then since they were so obscure I'll have forgotten them). Whether I finish the series, will be entirely dependant on the next one. Once it got going I did enjoy the book but like many others ws very upset with the ending.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent. A very strong, character driven novel
Review: Character development kept me interested in this engrossing novel. Mr. Williams created and maintained unique personalities that I found myself really caring about. This is a great sci-fi story that reads like a great fantasy. A good Science fiction or fantasy writer will challenge and question the notion of reality itself. Tad Williams creates a plausable future cyber world of unlimited possibility. The line between natural reality and artificial reality becomes very vague. Some interesting philosophical issues are brought up, which man might actually find himself dealing with in a future of artificial reality. This includes the concepts of self awareness of computer created individuals. Can awareness exist without biological form? I think, therefore I am? I thoroughly enjoyed this intelligent, suspenseful, creative work and I look forward to the remainder of the series

Rating:
Summary: Good, long, cut
Review: The book is very good, imaginative and shows a very interesting future. I only regret that it ends exactly when things start rolling. If you don't like long descriptions don't buy it, but I can tell you that I'm buying the second part.

Rating:
Summary: The 2nd best Williams I read
Review: I always thought JRR Tolkien eas the best but then came Tad Williams. After I read the Osten Ard Saga (in German and English,twice) I knew i was wrong.When I herad about Otherland I was Anxious to read it , but i was some how disappointed to read it. I know that Tad needs a long time to unfold the story but in Otherland th true story unfolds on the last 100 pages,I always thought Osten Ard was more Gripping and was told in a faster pace,but still the mixture of Cyber-Punk and Fantasy is quite interesting. Maybe Otherland will be "better"(9 out of 10 is still extremly good) in the next 3 Books (I hope so,because i have to spend almost 70 Dollars for the next Books.

Rating:
Summary: A cyberpunk thriller in the tradition of Lord of the Rings
Review: Tad Williams has produced one of the best extended cyberpunk works on the potential misuse of VR. His work is enormous and is reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This book has kept me engrossed through some of the longest plane flights, from Monterey to Geneva to Monterey to Atlanta and then to Istanbul. Its a great read and worth every page!

Rating:
Summary: Two words....
Review: Beazle Rules!! So does "Otherland". I, personally, liked the heck out of it. The charachters were well drawn, the story is just vague enough to keep the reader interested without giving too much away. The scenes are beutifully painted with Tad Williams brilliant prose, and draw you into the rich and wonderful universe that is called Otherland. But be warned: this book isn't for everybody. It is very long (700 some odd pages), starts off kind of slow, and leaves off with the mother of all cliffhangers. But the fact it does start off slow makes room for great charachterization, and the fact that there is a cliffhanger gives promise that there is more adventure on the way. I persnally am counting the days until River of Blue Fire comes out. So if your in the mood for a high-tech adventure, pick this one up. An excellent read!

Rating:
Summary: Nothing but a rehash of Fairy Tales in VR
Review: I could not finish this book. I cared nothing for the characters and was very disapointed with the fact that the whole story seem to be snippets and themes of Alice in Wonderland, Jack and the Beanstalk and Pinnoccio all wrapped up in a VR world that Big Tad seems unable to translate well into text form. This is the first book in 6 years that has interested me so little I didn't care to know the out-come.