Rating: 
Summary: Great Book, Unsatisfactory Ending
Review: A book with a fascinating premise, even though it is only partially explored (the ecologic impact of manufacturing and disposal of hundreds of millions of bodies each day is only mentioned in a passing sentence) and fun action.The main problem in my opinion is that the resolution of the central riddles in the book does not live up to the quality of the rest of the book. It reminds me a bit of how early novels by Neal Stephenson used to end, or, as another reviewer here mentions, of the ending of Joe Haldeman's _Forever Free_. Despite this weakness, this is a very entertaining book that I would recommend to any Science Fiction enthusiast.
Rating: 
Summary: Different from the average Brin
Review: If you've been waiting for more stories like those in Brin's uplift saga, then this novel isn't going to be very satisfying. I found Kiln People to be a morality play with a thin SF disguise, dubious science, an unexciting plot, and some smarter-than-average word plays. Not bad, but not what I look for in a Brin novel. I think Brin has written some excellent, perceptive, and even enjoyable non-fiction related to the effects of technology on society. I find his straight non-fiction much more compelling than Kiln People. (Plus most of it is on the web for free.) So, in summary, if you loved Startide Rising et al, get this from the library and save your money. On the other hand, if you've been dying for the next Nancy Kress "let's use mediocre SF to explore a social issue" novel, you should buy this immediately.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: The book starts off well, with an exciting look into a future world where you can literally be in two places at once. It explores interesting issues, such as what it means to be human, and puts an ironic twist on race relations and bigotry. Unfortunately, the book runs out of steam towards the end as Brin attempts to tie up the loose ends. Still, I must admit to enjoying the last few scenes (with the requisite gathering of the suspects for a final "whodunnit" moment). I enjoyed the book, and it's definitely worth reading, but Brin has written far better stuff in the past.
Rating:
Summary: great first third, slow middle, horrible ending
Review: The biggest disappointment about this book is that it started out so well. From page one it was a fantastic read, well plotted and with interesting characters. The SF and sociological elements were nicely woven into the narrative. Everything was going great and suddenly the author takes a sharp left turn into some metaphysical stuff that seemed to come out of nowhere. This sudden detour into the "soulistic mind field" or whatever it was reminds me of Halderman's crazy ending to Forever Free, or in the Ender books when Card introduced philotes and aiui's and all that strange metaphysics. The soulistics theme was insufficiently grounded in the reality that Brin had so far created to make it believable.
Rating:
Summary: Letdown at the End
Review: The first part of this book was fascinating. It's rare indeed that an author presents us with an original, well-thought out alternate universe that puts a completely new spin on the ancient questions of identity, mortality, accountability, loyalty, etc. But the last part of the story was a disappointment. The resolution of the identity of Beta, the explanation of the missing scientists, and the invocation of the Glazier as the "deus ex machina" to trump all other mysteries and wrap up the plot just weren't satisfying. It was a struggle to finish the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Hey! Brin can be funny, too!
Review: Needless to say, there's lots of hard core science in this fiction. It took me a short while to "adjust" to the notion of a person being in several places at once but that turned out to be rather cool. Best of all, Brin puts a fair amount of humor in this book. Second best of all, this book isn't a slow to get going as most of his works can be. (Still, even his slow starters are rip-roaring at the end so it's all okay). Thirdly, there are long diatribes by a "mad scientist" and I could actually follow it! I was afraid my eyes would jump over these pages but Brin keep my attention. Kiln People is a great change of pace for Brin.
Rating:
Summary: The Claymation Detective ...
Review: David Brin is one of the most talented and engaging SF writers we have ... and "Kiln People" must be the most unorthodox thing he's ever written. I found it profoundly improbable, delightfully different, and just plain funny. Essentially, Brin uses this book to play with the idea of making real the popular misconception of cloning as as kind of instant photocopying of one's adult self. Taking electromagnetic fields in a clay substrate as a possible life form (a real possibility), adding the metaphysical notion of the soul/self as an electromagnetochemical standing wave in the brain, and rejecting both computer technology and nanotechnology as too mechanical for organic life-copies, Brin creates a plot in which Gumby meets the Xerox machine and saves the world. (Okay, there's more to it than that, but you get the idea.) Brin also gives us an outrageous speculation about what the world of work might be like if it were all true. He sardonically injects a REAL color line between the "colored" dittos in hues of red, green, blue, yellow, crayon-black, and crayon-white, who do the actual work, versus their blandly skin-toned originals, who may or may not risk life and limb in actual employment. Finally, Brin pokes some kind-hearted fun at Poul Anderson's very excellent extrapolations of what Robert A. Heinlein would have written if he had been as good a writer as Poul Anderson. (And if you can follow THAT sentence, you're a fan of hard SF.) In short, this book is a keeper. I've read it twice with pleasure and own it in hardcover.
Rating:
Summary: Feat of clay.
Review: One of the more inventive mysteries out there actually belongs in the sci-fi realm.
David Brin, whose novel "The Postman" was later turned into the good adaption but poorly received movie starring Kevin Costner, puts a new spin on the private investigator tale in his new book, "Kiln People." Albert Morris is an investigator in a future where people make clay duplicates of themselves in order to gain more experiences in life. Your clay "ditto" can do mundane tasks for you, like go grocery shopping or do the dishes, or something exciting like going and getting in a gunfight or having sex. As the original, it is then your choice whether or not to "inload" their memories into your own. As a p.i., the dittos are especially helpful for Albert, as they enable him to send out many versions of himself on his cases. Sometimes, he tells readers, his dittos solve mysteries that he will never have any recollection of. The dittos themselves might have short shelf lives, but they are essentially the exact replica of the original, with all of his/her memories and thoughts. Sometimes, this is a bad thing, as Albert discovers when the green duplicate he made to do the dishes goes AWOL to go surfing at the beach. They call instances like this Frankensteining. It can also be a good thing, as "Frankie" ultimately becomes enmeshed in the plot Morris is working to uncover (more on that in a minute). But either way, it's a weird thing. One of Albert's gray duplicates (there is apparently a whole rainbow of clay to work with, like Play-Doh): "While I donned a scratchy gray jumpsuit, real-me got up from the padded scan-table and cast a glance my way. Our eyes met. If this me makes it back here to inload tonight, I'll remember that brief moment of contact from both sides, worse that staring deeply in a mirror, or bad déjà vu, which is one reason why we do it seldom." The case Morris finds various versions of himself on is pretty intricate, so the reader must pay attention or end up lost. At the heart of it is an explosive secret that may change the industry of dittomaking forever, and rattle the golem-infested society to its very core. Brin has always been a delightful writer, and "Kiln People" is no exception. The author has spun from his imagination an entire world, and it's great fun to go forth and explore. The narrative can be tricky, as it bounces from real Albert to each of his duplicates and back again, but one doesn't need a scorecard in order to keep up with the action. In the end, this feat of clay turns out to be one of the more refreshing pieces of fiction recently released.
Rating:
Summary: Feats of clay.
Review: A futuristic fantasy with as much swash-buckling derring-do as any medieval romance, Kiln People features an intriguing mix of real humans and their clay dittos (or golems), clone-like duplicates which have all the characteristics of the individual real people who create them, including their memories, but which live for only 24 hours. Albert Morris and his dittos (ditectives) hope to find the killer of the real Professor Maharal, one of the founders of Universal Kilns, the maker of dittos, and prevent the world of the future from falling into the hands of an evil mastermind who could change the very essence of human nature. No one reads a book like this for its deep philosophical insights. It is an entertainment, filled with intricate twists of plot and subplot, a confusion of real and dittoed identities, and non-stop, Superhero action, along with a great deal of humor. Puns and word play, especially in the chapter headings, along with satire and social commentary, born of the similarities between this futuristic world and our present world, abound here, adding a layer of clever playfulness to the fast-paced and energetic narrative. With so much action involving clay dittos of both the good guys and the bad guys, however, the reader does not have much opportunity to become involved with individual characters' lives and thoughts, problems, and future destinies, and this leads to a rather flat, affectless novel. The characters remain cartoon-like, sometimes mouthing cute observations about society or moralizing on behalf of the author. The subject of cloning and the question of what elements of human nature and society, if any, are worth preserving into the future are fascinating ones, and Brin deals with these in unique and interesting ways, but the overall tone is light-hearted, and the overall impact, for me, was also light.
Rating:
Summary: very well written
Review: Very first David Brin book I have read. I am impressed with him as a writer. In an industry that is in my opinion is continuing to put out garbage by people who can't write. This is a refreshing change of pace. I enjoyed the story as well, it provokes me to think as well as be entertained.
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