Rating: 
Summary: A ripping good yarn...
Review: ... but not perfection. Basically I agree with previous reader reviews, but there were just too many little things that slipped past the editor -- such things as the use of "proceed" for "precede", and a non-corporeal alien from another dimension thinking that a passing ship would be its "only ticket" off a planet. I mean, when in its timeless existence would such a being have ever bought a ticket anywhere?Minor cavils aside, I hugely enjoyed the book.
Rating:
Summary: A ripping good yarn...
Review: ... but not perfection. Basically I agree with previous reader reviews, but there were just too many little things that slipped past the editor -- such things as the use of "proceed" for "precede", and a non-corporeal alien from another dimension thinking that a passing ship would be its "only ticket" off a planet. I mean, when in its timeless existence would such a being have ever bought a ticket anywhere? Minor cavils aside, I hugely enjoyed the book.
Rating:
Summary: Original just a little slow
Review: As usual I came a way impressed by a C.S. Friedman book as she again does a very good job of exploring characters that have consume the lives of others in order to maintain their own. I'm amazed that she was able to get the plot resolved in one book as it could easily have been set up for a series. I'm glad she did as the story does bog down at times(the one weak point of the book as far as I am concerned) but that is offset by the large cast of characters and sub-plots that the book finally manages to weave together at the end. The most interesting part I thought came with the dillemma of the scientists who slowed down their work to fool the Tir. I am convinced that there was a lot more potential for debate to be had out of the scientist's plight but I guess at some point it's really more about telling a story and letting the readers think on the issues that have been introduced. Overall the use of heroes and heroines that can easily be made into villains is one of Friedman's stronger points and I think her books are a definite must read for adult sci-fi/fantasy fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Wow
Review: Because others have already written great reviews on the contents of this book, I won't even try. Instead I'd just like to share my excitement and enjoyment over this, a wonderful C.S. Friedman book that possibly (POSSIBLY) tops her amazing Coldfire Trilogy. I'm not really into SciFi, which is why I was really disappointed with This Alien Shore and In Conquest Born (more of the author's work) after I discovered the incredible semifantasy trilogy. Because of my early disappointments I didn't even try to get hold of - and read - The Madness Season, which I thought would be just another SciFi let-down. Big mistake. One day, just months after acquiring the coldfire trilogy forever and ever, and in this way optimistic and full of hope towards Ms. Friedman's other works, I saw it sitting on the shelves and thought I should finally give it a chance. I'm glad I did. Yes, this is hard science fiction, but there are other elements interwoven, such as vampires & shapechanging. This is what immediately drew me in, thinking "Neat-o! Is this guy a kind of pre-Tarrant?" He wasn't, but the concepts of vampires in the hands of Ms. Friedman are endlessly fascinating. I liked Daetrin. His humor reminded me of Damien and his pasts and present were pretty fascinating. But to my great surprise, it was the SciFi aspects of the story that was most involving. I was drawn in by the alien races, fell in love with the un-embodied Marra species (even Kost, who has some really funny scenes with Daetrin; especially Kirri, who makes this the first almost "happily-ever-after" ending I've ever read from Friedman; and really that "priest"-Marra, he was adorable in the last scenes.) The Tyr, the enemy alien race that had subjugated Earth, was terrifying and a fascinating mystery. The Raayat-Tyr that Daetrin dubs Frederick, thus teaching him something of individuality, was intriguingly bizarre and somewhat endearing, while always just a little frigthening. The originality and creativity in the whole book, not to mention the quickening pace and sense of approaching climax, made this book a real must-read. I found it extremely hard to put it down and my mom complained that I was totally out of it when I was reading, responding automatically but without conscious thought, and really too busy chuckling over occasional moments of humor in the book. The best thing about this book to me is that it's the first Friedman book I've loved and felt a connection to with the Coldfire Trilogy, surpassing it in areas such as plotting and pace. And because of this I'm suddenly sure that if I reread This Alien Shore I'll really like it - that this excellent scifi will have somehow shown me how (and that sounds pretty dumb, but it's true). So now I get to look forward to whatever new books Ms. Friedman decides to write, whether SF or Fantasy, and have every expectation of loving it!
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: Because others have already written great reviews on the contents of this book, I won't even try. Instead I'd just like to share my excitement and enjoyment over this, a wonderful C.S. Friedman book that possibly (POSSIBLY) tops her amazing Coldfire Trilogy. I'm not really into SciFi, which is why I was really disappointed with This Alien Shore and In Conquest Born (more of the author's work) after I discovered the incredible semifantasy trilogy. Because of my early disappointments I didn't even try to get hold of - and read - The Madness Season, which I thought would be just another SciFi let-down. Big mistake. One day, just months after acquiring the coldfire trilogy forever and ever, and in this way optimistic and full of hope towards Ms. Friedman's other works, I saw it sitting on the shelves and thought I should finally give it a chance. I'm glad I did. Yes, this is hard science fiction, but there are other elements interwoven, such as vampires & shapechanging. This is what immediately drew me in, thinking "Neat-o! Is this guy a kind of pre-Tarrant?" He wasn't, but the concepts of vampires in the hands of Ms. Friedman are endlessly fascinating. I liked Daetrin. His humor reminded me of Damien and his pasts and present were pretty fascinating. But to my great surprise, it was the SciFi aspects of the story that was most involving. I was drawn in by the alien races, fell in love with the un-embodied Marra species (even Kost, who has some really funny scenes with Daetrin; especially Kirri, who makes this the first almost "happily-ever-after" ending I've ever read from Friedman; and really that "priest"-Marra, he was adorable in the last scenes.) The Tyr, the enemy alien race that had subjugated Earth, was terrifying and a fascinating mystery. The Raayat-Tyr that Daetrin dubs Frederick, thus teaching him something of individuality, was intriguingly bizarre and somewhat endearing, while always just a little frigthening. The originality and creativity in the whole book, not to mention the quickening pace and sense of approaching climax, made this book a real must-read. I found it extremely hard to put it down and my mom complained that I was totally out of it when I was reading, responding automatically but without conscious thought, and really too busy chuckling over occasional moments of humor in the book. The best thing about this book to me is that it's the first Friedman book I've loved and felt a connection to with the Coldfire Trilogy, surpassing it in areas such as plotting and pace. And because of this I'm suddenly sure that if I reread This Alien Shore I'll really like it - that this excellent scifi will have somehow shown me how (and that sounds pretty dumb, but it's true). So now I get to look forward to whatever new books Ms. Friedman decides to write, whether SF or Fantasy, and have every expectation of loving it!
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended, exceptional science fiction.
Review: C. S. Friedman's second novel is almost as lengthy and involved as her first, In Conquest Born (1986/7). Each is around 500 pages of fast-paced, intricate plotting in the fine tradition of good space opera. Madness Season adds to the space-journeys from an earth run by aliens to other planets, space stations and colonies, a permutation of the vampire myth. It introduces several non-human, and some non-corporeal beings as well as complex human adaptations to alien peoples and planets. Amongst all this wealth of detail, one might expect the characters to get lost. Such is not the case. The first-person narrator, named Daetrin Ungashak To-Alym Hall, tells the story of how he gradually deciphered the origins and location of earth's oppressors, the Tyr. However, he follows the path of discovery amid flash-backs to times as old as pre-Egyptian cultures, for he is a vampire from a family of vampires, the others of which have been killed in accidents over the ages. He relives some of his past alias at points in the story where he is stressed physically or mentally. Daetrin is an observant and conscientious individual who uses chemical substitutes to avoid the vampire's age-old need for blood, having found that this need is due to lack of a vital enzyme. Before he is removed from earth for being too curious, he has been trying to teach humans about their past, otherwise erased by the Tyr. After his transportation to domed research facilities off-planet, he spends his time unravelling the mystery of the Tyr-mind. The story is temporally placed in the not-too distant future after humans have been subjugated by the Tyr, who are manifested in several levels or races, the Honn-Tyr who are warriors and the Raayat-Tyr who are more intellectually curious have the most points of contact with humans. It is through one Raayat-Tyr, which he names Frederick, but also due to his ability to shapechange (yes, it turns out that vampires are werewolves too), that Daetrin is able to understand and locate the collective Tyr-mind that controls the aliens for most of their lives. Regardless of this unusual mix of earth legends, aliens and scientific discoveries, Daetrin falls within the classic SF-hero mold as a savior of humankind. But what a ride we are taken on along the way. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy human-alien contact stories, complex civilizations and circuitous plots. Jan Bogstad
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended, exceptional science fiction.
Review: C. S. Friedman's second novel is almost as lengthy and involved as her first, In Conquest Born (1986/7). Each is around 500 pages of fast-paced, intricate plotting in the fine tradition of good space opera. Madness Season adds to the space-journeys from an earth run by aliens to other planets, space stations and colonies, a permutation of the vampire myth. It introduces several non-human, and some non-corporeal beings as well as complex human adaptations to alien peoples and planets. Amongst all this wealth of detail, one might expect the characters to get lost. Such is not the case. The first-person narrator, named Daetrin Ungashak To-Alym Hall, tells the story of how he gradually deciphered the origins and location of earth's oppressors, the Tyr. However, he follows the path of discovery amid flash-backs to times as old as pre-Egyptian cultures, for he is a vampire from a family of vampires, the others of which have been killed in accidents over the ages. He relives some of his past alias at points in the story where he is stressed physically or mentally. Daetrin is an observant and conscientious individual who uses chemical substitutes to avoid the vampire's age-old need for blood, having found that this need is due to lack of a vital enzyme. Before he is removed from earth for being too curious, he has been trying to teach humans about their past, otherwise erased by the Tyr. After his transportation to domed research facilities off-planet, he spends his time unravelling the mystery of the Tyr-mind. The story is temporally placed in the not-too distant future after humans have been subjugated by the Tyr, who are manifested in several levels or races, the Honn-Tyr who are warriors and the Raayat-Tyr who are more intellectually curious have the most points of contact with humans. It is through one Raayat-Tyr, which he names Frederick, but also due to his ability to shapechange (yes, it turns out that vampires are werewolves too), that Daetrin is able to understand and locate the collective Tyr-mind that controls the aliens for most of their lives. Regardless of this unusual mix of earth legends, aliens and scientific discoveries, Daetrin falls within the classic SF-hero mold as a savior of humankind. But what a ride we are taken on along the way. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy human-alien contact stories, complex civilizations and circuitous plots. Jan Bogstad
Rating:
Summary: Another Excellent Book by Friedman
Review: How to describe this book? Perhaps as Sci-Fi? How about Occult? Aliens take over the world? Psychological exploration? Romance? All of those (and more) apply. This is a wonderful book that has you *scratching* your head trying to figure out what's going on for the first 75 pages and then has you *slapping* your head over the feeling that you should have known. And from there, it keeps on getting better. One of my favorite books.
Rating:
Summary: Another Excellent Book by Friedman
Review: How to describe this book? Perhaps as Sci-Fi? How about Occult? Aliens take over the world? Psychological exploration? Romance? All of those (and more) apply. This is a wonderful book that has you *scratching* your head trying to figure out what's going on for the first 75 pages and then has you *slapping* your head over the feeling that you should have known. And from there, it keeps on getting better. One of my favorite books.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: I never would have thought it was possible to pull off vampires and alien invaders in one shot, but it appears I was wrong. I have also read "In Conquest Born" and the Coldfire Trilogy, and this is undoubtably my favorite. The story takes place in a future human society where our main character is a vampire far too modern and scientific to believe in such archaic fantasies as vampires. He does, however, believe in space-aliens, as Earth has been ruled by alien invaders for the past three-hundred years. Friedman's characters are, as usual, completely real, and I would love the chance to get my hands on a sequel if there were one.
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