Rating: 
Summary: Author's Message Gets Annoying
Review: "Vigilant" is a science fiction novel with multiple alien races. The main character is human, middle aged, with a troubled youth who becomes an investigator (sort-of). The plot is enjoyable and the universe interesting; the personalities reasonably well developped (except for the mother); and the story keeps moving into new areas, to keep the reader from getting borred. Overall, good light entertainment.
This book's largest fault is the author's message, which is rather heavy-handed. If you can ignore these political monologues, the rest of the story is 4 to 5 stars. Example soap-box topics include: a universal government can cure all ills; libertarian governments are doomed to failure; and captialist are greedy & immoral. One particularly annoying underlying message is that "if you only knew all of the facts, you would agree with me."
Rating: 
Summary: Another surprise from Gardner!
Review: As in Expandable, then in Commitment Hour, James Alan Gardner manages to surprise the connaisseur Sci-fi reader. Whereas Expandable introduced a new universe, with depth, with humanity, with a thrilling new storyline, Commitment Hour achieved much the same (but different), Vigilant now proves that Gardner is not only capable of introducing us to a new heroine, in a new universe, with depth, with humanity, with a thrilling storyline for the third time, he is also capable of subtly weaving in some of the fabrics that were so pleasing in his debut. Another pure pleasure from a writer who seems to be raising the bar for himself tremendously high.
Rating: 
Summary: The Return of Festina Ramos
Review: Demoth is a world that was devastated by a plague. The disease decimated the Oolom population with whom humanity shares Demoth. The human minority suffered psychological trauma as it watched millions of Ooloms die. The protagonist, Faye Smallwood, suffered as much as anyone. Gardner's description of Faye's response to the illness and eventual death of one Oolom is particularly well-drawn. It was Faye's father, in fact, who found the cure in something as prosaic as olive oil, but only after the Oolom Faye admired and loved had died.Eventually, Faye put the trauma behind her, becoming a member of the Vigil, Demoth's unique supra-governmental auditors and monitors. But her first assignment is a disaster. She narrowly escapes death; seven of her fellow members of the Vigil are killed. Faye escapes, in part, because of a peacock-like creature of light. And that narrow escape plummets her into an interplanetary plot with too many players, and an ancient, evil war that is still going on. With the help of Festina Ramos, the sensible heroine of "Expendable," she solves the nested mysteries and saves Demoth and its peoples. This is a much better book than "Expendable," Gardner's first book. In particular, the plotting is far better and the mystery at the core of the story is much better conceived. Gardner's insistence on the implausible stupidity, corruption and arrogance of Earth's governing Council of Admirals is annoying, but not as critical to the story as it was in "Expendable" (and will be in "Hunted"). A good read, with clever plotting. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Good Start...Well ....kinda...
Review: Faye starts out in a very heartfelt manner, attempting to save all she can from the plague. (I just couldn't put the book down at this point.) The Ooloms' charactoristics were consistant but a little lacking in depth. Faye (post plague) joins the Vigil after leading a wild adolescence/early adulthood. At this point, I could put the book down. But, I stood strong and finished it. The Vigil idea has great potential, as well as the telepathic communication with machines, but I just can't help but feel a bit unsatisfied with the action sequences (a bit predictable). I never felt Faye's life in danger, nor did I feel the charge in a good shoot-em-up battle. And why did they bring in the lead charactor from Expendable? She wasn't THAT important of a charactor here. (I am talking of this book only.) All in all, it's a good read...not great... good.
Rating:
Summary: Uneven, but overall a very good book
Review: Gardner delivers another of his fine science fiction novels, set in the same universe as his previous two and including the return of Festina Ramos, the heroine of "Expendable." "Vigilant" concerns Faye Smallwood, daughter of the doctor who found the cure for the plague that wiped out most of the Oolom, the other sentient humanoid species on the planet Demoth, when she becomes a member of the Vigil, a government oversight body. She is paired with Tic, an elderly and eccentric Oolom Vigil member, when her original partner is murdered under suspicious circumstances. As she and Tic try to find out what really happened, she is drawn deeper and deeper into other mysteries, regarding her father, the plague, and the nature of the universe itself. While this book was very good, Gardner tended to be uneven in his characterization of Faye. From time to time he fell back on breezy pseudo-characterization, and the story itself didn't start until page 56, after 55 pages of background information in this same breezy style. It's worth getting to page 56 and beyond, though, because Gardner delivers.
Rating:
Summary: Uneven, but overall a very good book
Review: Gardner delivers another of his fine science fiction novels, set in the same universe as his previous two and including the return of Festina Ramos, the heroine of "Expendable." "Vigilant" concerns Faye Smallwood, daughter of the doctor who found the cure for the plague that wiped out most of the Oolom, the other sentient humanoid species on the planet Demoth, when she becomes a member of the Vigil, a government oversight body. She is paired with Tic, an elderly and eccentric Oolom Vigil member, when her original partner is murdered under suspicious circumstances. As she and Tic try to find out what really happened, she is drawn deeper and deeper into other mysteries, regarding her father, the plague, and the nature of the universe itself. While this book was very good, Gardner tended to be uneven in his characterization of Faye. From time to time he fell back on breezy pseudo-characterization, and the story itself didn't start until page 56, after 55 pages of background information in this same breezy style. It's worth getting to page 56 and beyond, though, because Gardner delivers.
Rating:
Summary: Really enjoyable
Review: Gardner doesn't write the stereotypical future. Not everything is dark and metallic. This story is actually rather quaint, and is an easy read. It is enjoyable and moves well. The one caveat is that Gardner does not create a grand universe like Herbert does in Dune, so this series of books will be somewhat limited. But overall, this is a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Really enjoyable
Review: Gardner doesn't write the stereotypical future. Not everything is dark and metallic. This story is actually rather quaint, and is an easy read. It is enjoyable and moves well. The one caveat is that Gardner does not create a grand universe like Herbert does in Dune, so this series of books will be somewhat limited. But overall, this is a good read.
Rating: 
Summary: Succumbs to First Person Driveler
Review: Gardner wrote a fine first novel (Expendable - which I gave 5 stars) and a pretty good second novel (Commitment Hour). With Vigilant, he assumes that anything driveling forth from his first person narrator is intrinsically interesting. (This is an increasingly common affliction among writers.) Faye Smallwood assails us with her emotions and reactions so much that the reader is deprived of any reaction to the events in the novel. For example, the near extinction of the Ooloms seems little more than a side show for Faye. As a result, Gardner (or Faye) turned disaster into banalty. All I "heard" was Faye, Faye and more Faye. Yes, Faye has her story and we should hear it. But there's a whole universe out there. Gardner should have let us feel it.
Rating:
Summary: It was terrific!
Review: Gardner's Faye reminds me of Anne Lamott, author of Operating Instructions and Bird by Bird. Her biting, sarcastic humor and references to a wild past are very similar. The world he has created is fascinating and rich in detail. I haven't read his other books, but I will now.
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