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Dreamfall

Dreamfall

List Price: $15.95
Your Price: $10.85
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A lovely end to a thought-provoking series.
Review: A work of art... written almost as if she were writing for herself rather than for her readers, as if she were concentrating on creating a good book as opposed to just a popular one...

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: I'm totally bummed
Review: As far as I know, this is the last book Ms. Vinge wrote about Cat, and I think that's a damn shame. This book does not do him justice. I think Catspaw is one of the best books I ever read about sci-fi psychics, but this book was pale in comparison.

The first problem is the girls. Kissindre and Miya aren't half as interesting as the symbplayer and Elanor taMing (sic). Even Jule had more spunk than Miya, and every time Kiss shows up, I keep thinking, Aren't you the dull student from Catspaw? The answer is yes.

Also, because Cat is so enamoured of Miya, he spends a large chunk of the book being bubbly and happy. That's no fun! Cat is best as a snarky, cynical freak, and I'm not interested in listening to him go on about his 'one true love.' He makes up for this with much suffering towards the end, but still, this section is a wasteland.

The worst thing about this book is that the ending is not a great ending for the trilogy. His life is still up in the air, and spoiler : He's still pretty much where he started, psi-wise. Gah! This is a book about psychics, and he hasn't had the power since Psion??

If you're like me, you pretty much have to read this book if you read Catspaw. Just don't get your hopes up too high.

If anyone's interested, I found Joan's homepage. Looks like it might be kinda old, but still authentic:
http://www.sff.net/people/jdvinge/home.htm

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: I'm totally bummed
Review: As far as I know, this is the last book Ms. Vinge wrote about Cat, and I think that's a damn shame. This book does not do him justice. I think Catspaw is one of the best books I ever read about sci-fi psychics, but this book was pale in comparison.

The first problem is the girls. Kissindre and Miya aren't half as interesting as the symbplayer and Elanor taMing (sic). Even Jule had more spunk than Miya, and every time Kiss shows up, I keep thinking, Aren't you the dull student from Catspaw? The answer is yes.

Also, because Cat is so enamoured of Miya, he spends a large chunk of the book being bubbly and happy. That's no fun! Cat is best as a snarky, cynical freak, and I'm not interested in listening to him go on about his 'one true love.' He makes up for this with much suffering towards the end, but still, this section is a wasteland.

The worst thing about this book is that the ending is not a great ending for the trilogy. His life is still up in the air, and spoiler : He's still pretty much where he started, psi-wise. Gah! This is a book about psychics, and he hasn't had the power since Psion??

If you're like me, you pretty much have to read this book if you read Catspaw. Just don't get your hopes up too high.

If anyone's interested, I found a Joan homepage. Looks like it might be kinda old, but still authentic:
http://www.sff.net/people/jdvinge/home.htm

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best of the 3
Review: Dreamfall is the third book in the Cat series, and the least enjoyable in my opinion, which makes it about six times better than all books anyway. Dreamfall is the story of Cat's exploration of his heritage. While traveling to a distant planet with his university to study the "cloud whales," Cat goes to the "Homeland" (where the indigenous Hydran population lives, much like Native Americans were pushed off of their land to reservations) and ends up in a mess. His telepathic talent still doesn't work except maybe once in a while, so he finds he isn't really welcome over in the Hydran town because keeping his mind closed is offensive to them. As he is feeling hopeless about not fitting in with either the humans or the Hydrans, a woman smacks into him, running away from security, and drops a child's databand into his hand as she runs away. He helps her escape and ends up taken into custody himself. He is interrogated and briefly tortured, but since he knows nothing he is unable to help them catch the Hydran woman, who apparently kidnapped a human child. It comes out that the child is Joby, a baby with neurological damage that makes him unable to control himself at all, and so his family hired a Hydran companion for him to make him able to move and react the way he wanted to and try to rehabilitate him. The woman, Miya, took off with their son for reasons unclear. Cat feels a connection to the woman, though, and ends up meeting her again very soon, when she explains herself to him. She takes him to the Hydran town and tries to help him get to know the people, though her sister, Naoh, takes an immediate aversion to him. Miya and Cat become lovers, and Cat learns the Hydran language and attempts to act as a go-between for the humans and the Hydrans. But trouble is brewing (of course). The humans see the Hydrans as terrorists holding the child hostage, and the Hydrans--specifically a freedom-fighting radical group of them--see the humans as invaders. They are led by Naoh in a fight against the humans, and Cat is swept up in it, yet again, trying to find his feet. Cat thinks Naoh is wrong and very sick, and tries to stop the Hydrans from attacking the humans, but Naoh is too persuasive and ends up getting hundreds of people to riot. And the humans retaliate with a kind of gas that makes Hydrans unable to use their psionic abilities, rendering them helpless and confused. Cat, Miya, and Joby retreat to a quiet place to heal. There are tons of details I've missed here, of course--Cat's attempts to expose Corporate Security's treatment of their bonded workers; Cat's friendship and relationship with Kissindre Perrymeade, his classmate who is somewhat entranced by him; his relationship with an old woman known as an oyasin who teaches him much about life and himself. But of course it all comes together in an ending that definitely isn't "happy" but just seems right. Cat is much more mature now and his exploration of the Hydran part of himself is fascinating; he always felt very human because of being raised thinking he was only human, and so it's great to see his acceptance of both halves.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Dreamy dreamy...spoiler alert!
Review: Dreamfall is the third book in the Cat series, and the least enjoyable in my opinion, which makes it about six times better than all books anyway. Dreamfall is the story of Cat's exploration of his heritage. While traveling to a distant planet with his university to study the "cloud whales," Cat goes to the "Homeland" (where the indigenous Hydran population lives, much like Native Americans were pushed off of their land to reservations) and ends up in a mess. His telepathic talent still doesn't work except maybe once in a while, so he finds he isn't really welcome over in the Hydran town because keeping his mind closed is offensive to them. As he is feeling hopeless about not fitting in with either the humans or the Hydrans, a woman smacks into him, running away from security, and drops a child's databand into his hand as she runs away. He helps her escape and ends up taken into custody himself. He is interrogated and briefly tortured, but since he knows nothing he is unable to help them catch the Hydran woman, who apparently kidnapped a human child. It comes out that the child is Joby, a baby with neurological damage that makes him unable to control himself at all, and so his family hired a Hydran companion for him to make him able to move and react the way he wanted to and try to rehabilitate him. The woman, Miya, took off with their son for reasons unclear. Cat feels a connection to the woman, though, and ends up meeting her again very soon, when she explains herself to him. She takes him to the Hydran town and tries to help him get to know the people, though her sister, Naoh, takes an immediate aversion to him. Miya and Cat become lovers, and Cat learns the Hydran language and attempts to act as a go-between for the humans and the Hydrans. But trouble is brewing (of course). The humans see the Hydrans as terrorists holding the child hostage, and the Hydrans--specifically a freedom-fighting radical group of them--see the humans as invaders. They are led by Naoh in a fight against the humans, and Cat is swept up in it, yet again, trying to find his feet. Cat thinks Naoh is wrong and very sick, and tries to stop the Hydrans from attacking the humans, but Naoh is too persuasive and ends up getting hundreds of people to riot. And the humans retaliate with a kind of gas that makes Hydrans unable to use their psionic abilities, rendering them helpless and confused. Cat, Miya, and Joby retreat to a quiet place to heal. There are tons of details I've missed here, of course--Cat's attempts to expose Corporate Security's treatment of their bonded workers; Cat's friendship and relationship with Kissindre Perrymeade, his classmate who is somewhat entranced by him; his relationship with an old woman known as an oyasin who teaches him much about life and himself. But of course it all comes together in an ending that definitely isn't "happy" but just seems right. Cat is much more mature now and his exploration of the Hydran part of himself is fascinating; he always felt very human because of being raised thinking he was only human, and so it's great to see his acceptance of both halves.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A novel of Cat and his struggle to find a belonging place
Review: Dreamfall is the third novel about Cat( a hydran/human breed)and his struggle to find where he belongs. His greatest obstacleis neither humans nor hydrans see him as an equal.Though hefails time after time he never gives up trying. Joan Vinge hascreated a character that will appeal to all with a message thatsnever gets old, IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED TRY, TRY AGAIN.Read it you'll fall in love with CAT and find yourself anciouslyawaiting the next boo

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Intriguing, with a dash of unusual spice!
Review: Dreamfall, the last one so far written of the "Cat" series, has left me desiring a quick fourth helping. Psion, the first book was good; Catspaw, the second, was intriguing. But - Dreamfall was so outstandingly entertaining yet so different... Being a telepath (who has somehow supressed his gift, without wanting to) and a halfbreed on his home planet was bad enough, but being on his non-human parents' planet and falling into "Murphy's Law" was excellent, add the uniqueness of the "cloudwhales" - now you have the spice! Ms. Vinge will be added to the special place in my library where I keep all the greats - McCaffery, Lackey, Bujold, Asimov, Hambley and Zimmerman-Bradley; and now Vinge. To be read and reread for years to come

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Intriguing, with a dash of unusual spice!
Review: Dreamfall, the last one so far written of the "Cat" series, has left me desiring a quick fourth helping. Psion, the first book was good; Catspaw, the second, was intriguing. But - Dreamfall was so outstandingly entertaining yet so different... Being a telepath (who has somehow supressed his gift, without wanting to) and a halfbreed on his home planet was bad enough, but being on his non-human parents' planet and falling into "Murphy's Law" was excellent, add the uniqueness of the "cloudwhales" - now you have the spice! Ms. Vinge will be added to the special place in my library where I keep all the greats - McCaffery, Lackey, Bujold, Asimov, Hambley and Zimmerman-Bradley; and now Vinge. To be read and reread for years to come

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A worthy sucessor -- with a blundered finish.
Review: For 90% of the book, "Dreamfall" is every bit as good as "Psion", moments are as good as "Catspaw". Then, in the last chapter, she blows her dismount and landing very, very badly. It's almost like she hit a time or length limit and said "and now, it's over", tying up the remaining loose ends with a couple of totally unbelievable ham-fisted gestures. Ms. Vinge then has Cat surrender to authority and walk away from everything he loves without a fight (completely out of character), presumably to rid him of complications that might hinder future sequels. It really pissed me off, because I had really been enjoying it until then.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A worthy sucessor -- with a blundered finish.
Review: For 90% of the book, "Dreamfall" is every bit as good as "Psion", moments are as good as "Catspaw". Then, in the last chapter, she blows her dismount and landing very, very badly. It's almost like she hit a time or length limit and said "and now, it's over", tying up the remaining loose ends with a couple of totally unbelievable ham-fisted gestures. Ms. Vinge then has Cat surrender to authority and walk away from everything he loves without a fight (completely out of character), presumably to rid him of complications that might hinder future sequels. It really pissed me off, because I had really been enjoying it until then.


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