Rating: 
Summary: Extremely disappointing
Review: If the whole set of 4 books had been 770 pages long, it would probably still have been too long. We can hardly be expected to chase 2800 pages after such a scrawny carrot. The Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy was beyond a doubt my favorite serious of books in any genre. It's unfortunate that Tad couldn't pull this off, even with such a fascinating premise. There's a 30% chance I'll buy the second volume, only to give him a chance to redeem himself -- and because I've invested too much time in volume one not to!
Rating: 
Summary: I admit I'm not quite done either..
Review: I first bought the book for a friend as a Christmas present. It tok me an hour to wrap the stupid thing because I *really* wanted it for myself. I finally wrapped it and promised myself that I would buy myself a copy after Christmas. So I went to school and gave it to my friend, who was so happy to get the book she wanted! I then sat dejected and sullen while she smiled over her new book. Then another friend showed up and stopped right in her tracks and pointed at the book, thinking it was mine. Then I got my present, it was the book! Yeah! I think it's a great book, nice and complicated just how I like it. I cannot predict anything, and I would still be reading it now if I could find it! I'm only halfway through and I want to know what happens at the very end. At first I was expecting a slow beginning like that of Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, though I know it did get better. The only bad part about this series it the wait between books. Just look at the bright side, at least Williams isn't Jordan who takes almost two years between books. :)
Rating: 
Summary: I like it, but....
Review: I really enjoy Tad Williams' writing. In Memory, Sorrow, & Thorn he rang fresh changes on stale old fantasy tropes. In Otherland, he uses virtual reality as a springboard for his characters to leap into many different fantasy worlds. The story is huge, detailed, fascinting, & confusing. I loved it. I can't wait to read more. I want to know where the story is going. However, at the rate Mr. Williams produces books, I really hope I live long enough to read the final volume of the series. When I realized (toward the end of this book) that there are *4* projected volumes, I was dismayed. Waiting is tedious, especially in this situation.
But it's still a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Without a doubt ,stunning in scope and imagination.
Review: As with MS&T, I was taking to another realm of the imagination. Yet with this new novel I find that imagination indeed holds to many truths. This is what compels me to applaud Tads expertise, not only as a writer but also as a visionary in grasping what we are being lead towards. As with most Science Fiction, todays innate writings become tomorrows reality. Well done Tad, I look forward to the next book.
Rating:
Summary: Terrible ending.
Review: This book kept me interested enough to read through to the end, but I think that was a mistake. The ending cut the story line short of its conclusion, and offered a pedantic observation of the obvious instead. I feel cheated, like I have wasted my time reading this rather large volume.
Rating:
Summary: Tad Williams is a story-teller on the level of Tolkein
Review: Otherworld deals with a topic that is not as far-fetched as we would like to believe. Was there life before computers and the Internet? His way of telling a story is captivating and addicting. Unable to put it down, I lost many hours of sleep and work! His attention to detail is is both intricate and interesting without losing the reader.
His books get better with each one he writes. Unfortunately for me, I devour his work long before he has time to create another.
Rating:
Summary: he did it again, the little %&^%(&$##*** ;)
Review: He did it again. You would have thought that with the MS&T series (which he himself called the "Bloated Epic"), he would have been content to stick with short(er) fiction, that wouldn't take him umpteen number of years to complete. But NO! He publishes _Otherland_, a monstrously huge book that is only the first of 4. And you want to know what the worst thing is? It's GOOD! Page-turning, breathing-hard, frantically blazing through text only to exclaim "oh my GOD, he did WHAT? they went WHERE??"... it's sickening. Frightfully enthralling. It'll suck you in like a bad horror film; you know, the kind where you cover your face, but peek out between your fingers to see what happens next. Tad Williams has become something of a demi-god, even though his readers/Worshippers must wait breathlessly, loathing the fact that they have to wait for so long for the next installment, but waiting anxiously nonetheless. He did it with the MS&T series, releasing each new segment agonizingly slow, waiting sometimes as long as a year in between, and it looks like the same thing is going to happen with the _Overland_ series. Will that keep us, his faithful readers, from purchasing it? Not on your life!
Rating:
Summary: Maybe it's just because I don't like cyberpunk...
Review: I picked this book up with high hopes, because I loved the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn Trilogy. I made it through about 1/3 of this one before I gave up from intense boredom. I didn't care about ANYBODY. I'm holding out for another trilogy in the MS&T world, but I'm not holding my breath, since I guess Williams is finishing this one first.
Rating:
Summary: A Fantastic Voyage into the Net
Review: I just want to make a few comments on Otherland: City of Golden Shadow. The other reviews I read cover most of what I would have said. I just want to stress the intricate way this novel is written. It is the writing that makes this story so fascinating. Williams' creativity, characterizations, and plotlines help this book become a masterpiece, but very occassionally, it is slow. The other three novels should tell if this series will be a classic. I expect it will be, at least in the science fiction genre
Rating:
Summary: Near future SF with an epic fantasy feel.
Review: Otherland is a wonderful book that is the first of a series (what isn't part of a series anymore?) that goes beyond the usual cyberpunk cliches. I recommend it, and can't wait for the sequel
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