Rating: 
Summary: All the highs and lows
Review: This novel contains many of the strengths of David Brin, but is ultimately haunted by weakness. Brin's brilliance in world-creation, i.e. the ability to create an alien culture that may or may not be related to our own, populated by interesting creatures, makes the idea of Kiln People enticing. The setting is about 100 years in the future. People have developed the ability to create clay doppelgangers of themselves, which they send about on various errands each day. At the end of the day, the memories of this golem are downloaded into the mind of the "real" person.The moral question of who is real and who is not is an interesting one that is well-explored, a highlight of the novel. But the surrounding culture is not as developed as, say, the world of Jijo in "Brightness Reef" or the planet in "Glory Season." Brin makes a valiant attempt at fleshing out the world in the first hundred pages or so, but abandons any further attempts which might lend further tension to the mystery which is the core of the story. And that mystery could use some help. While I was delightfully confused by the culprit for the first half of the novel, the gradual revelation of the crime details leads only to anticlimax. And, like the "The Postman," Brin's action finale makes you wish the last 100 pages had never happened. The ethereal spiritualism that follows is so abstract as remind the reader of "Heaven's Reach," the sad end of the latest Uplift Trilogy. Another of Brin's strengths, at least compared to his peers, is character development. Alas, due to the very nature of the novel, the detective is the only character developed. Any other viewpoints are those of his doppelgangers, which are necessarily very similar to him. Overall, I have to admit I enjoyed it, as I've enjoyed all of Brin's work. But if you want a stand-alone novel of his to try out, I'd try Glory Season. And if you want a sci-fi mystery of his, check out Sundiver.
Rating: 
Summary: Larger than life but lots of fun!
Review: I always look forward to a new David Brin book, especially if it's from the Uplift universe, but sometimes cringe if it's something totally new. I was a bit nervous about picking up this one. After reading the plot line, I wasn't put any more at ease. After all, it has a sort of comic-bookish air to it, and a larger than life story-line, which of course is what a lot of sci-fi is about. But Brin made this story so infectious that I read it very quickly and look forward to doing so again. I think it's by far his best book outside of the Uplift universe. It had great characterization, many in-jokes (substituting the Dodecahedron for Pentagon just floored me!), and a surprisingly heavy ending that kept me turning pages into the wee hours. A great effort from Brin!
Rating:
Summary: fair take on fun topic
Review: actually, the thing i liked best about this novel was how uncomfortable it made me. maybe it's because contemporary sf series have become such a marketable product but it's refreshing to read something that explores as well as entertains.
or maybe it's because i'm self employed that the whole idea of making cheap copies of ourselves and then putting them to work makes me shudder. but after about 100 pages the story began to feel top heavy. the problem was there were too many clever ideas but not enough character depth to balance them out and keep it feeling real. but it's good to see sf writers jamming on cloning. they're like our temporal sherpas, scouting out paths to the future. another great take on the topic of self copying is 'the wedding album,' written by david marusek. if you have a chance check it out in the 'year's best sf' 1999 volume. definitely a writer worth keeping an eye on.
Rating: 
Summary: What an interesting concept!
Review: I'm a bit out of the loop on new Sci-fi writers, so I did not know how prodigious David Brin's work was when I bought one of his books at a conference where he was a keynote speaker.(CHI 2002). What a pleasant surprise I had, when I realized this guy is really good. BASIC IDEA:
Kiln people starts from a basic premise. You can live out multiple lives by animating clay duplicates using your "Standing wave" or soul to imprint on them. These clay dolls can only live a day. However, at the end of the day, they come back to you and give you their memories before they dissolve. This way you can live multiple lives for each day. Cool idea. CLAY PEOPLE ONLY LIVE A DAY, SO HAVE NO RIGHTS:
Society of course is not perfect but by now has settled into lives built around these clay duplicates or "dittos" as they are called. Society's infrastructure has built-in expectations of using these clay dolls to do all a real persons tedious tasks. You know like work and house-cleaning. The lifespan of these dittos is too short to consider them separately from their archetype or original person. Technically, they are owned. Also imprinting is limited from one original person to their ditto and back again. You can't trade memories. Standing waves that set the framework for "ditto-ing" are too unique to swap. DITTO TECHNOLOGY IS A FOUNDATION OF THAT SOCIETY:
Ditto technology has settled into the status quo. Lives and fortunes are built around that premise. Of course in any society there is always an urge to change, to evolve further, but then there is always costs involved. On top of that what is evolution, longer ditto lifespans, ditto to ditto copying, swapping memories, virtual immortality? The possibilities are endless when you are only dreaming. But, maybe some work toward those dreams has begun. If ditto technology ripped society apart when it came on the scene; what would the next development bring and who would make that first step? THE MAIN CHARACTER IN KILN PEOPLE: ALBERT MORRIS IS A PRIVATE DETECTIVE:
Albert Morris investigates the crimes of the day, illegal ditto copies, stolen technology, etc. He's a two-bit private investigator that makes his living keep things legal. He too uses the ditto technology of the day to get things done. AUTHOR CREATES INCREDIBLE FRAMEWORK TO SUPPORT THIS WORLD:
What truly amazed me in the book is the author's ability to create an entire world and impart to you the reader a real gist of what this world is like, from dino-buses to what dittos can eat and the finer aspects of what color ditto can do what. What is also interesting is the evolving language in the book. Before long you will know what archies, frankies, roxes and rigs mean. And it doesn't feel like a history lesson. Really good writing. ALBERT MORRIS STUBBLES ONTO SOMETHING BIG, OR DOES IT STUMBLE ONTO HIM:
The story evolves as Albert the main character in an investigation gets hints of a grander scheme. He then gets hired to do some other than routine investigations that get more and more intriguing. Is it all part of a bigger picture or separate unrelated issues? Since he can duplicate himself, this is all happening simultaneously. How cool can you get? This book is interesting on many levels; from the idea of living multiple lives, to the intrigue and situations the private eye uncovers. A very good book.. I think it would make a super cool movie.
Rating:
Summary: Spider Robinson Loses Pun Meister Title to Brin
Review: This is one of Brin's best - not only for its truly unique and cleverly handled claymatron concepts as mentioned in the other reviews, but also because the book had me laughing out loud every few pages. With all due respect, Kannealmstedt, I think the "diversion into soulistics", as you call it, was worth it just for the pun about archetype skeptics - you know which one I mean! This was not a "groan-worthy" pun but a true classic that only the specific plot of this novel could justify. Thanks, Mr. Brin. Please visit Callahan's when you have a chance....
Rating:
Summary: At last!
Review: Those fortunate enough to recall David Brin's THE PRACTICE EFFECT (possibly the only comic turn ever done on the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics) have been hoping he'd let his lighter side loose after THE POSTMAN and the "Uplift" novels. With KILN PEOPLE, Brin gives The Ultimate Questions of life-after-death and the Human Soul their own lighter twist by combining them in a hard-boiled detective format--albeit with golems. In the not-too-distant future, a new scientific discovery, the "standing wave-form" that comprises human identity, combined with the new tech which exploits it, permits anyone with the cash to, essentially, photocopy their souls onto multiple clay golems. 24 hours later, when the copy disintegrates, the memories may be "uploaded" into the original. Ever wish you could be two (or 10, or 100) people? Ever worried that technology would render you obsolete? Brin's brave new world deftly combines farce with nightmare (not to mention groan-worthy puns). Now this framework of self-duplication would seem to forestall a traditional murder mystery-but Brin pulls it off. The murder and mysteries are revealed bit-by-bit in interwoven accounts of the original detective and his copies. Alas, the penultimate piece of the puzzle is slowed by straw men in the form of "traditional" theology and some hand-waving speculation on consciousness and quantum mechanics. It's hard to guess how necessary this diversion into "soulistics" was for Brin to pull off his unusual science fiction detective novel, particularly since the disintegration and divergence of the various copies of individual characters is so central to both the plot and its resolution. Happily, however, the book winds up quite satisfactorily and much in the way of solid novelistic speculation about identity and the way technology shapes our culture willy-nilly finds its way into the (with one short exception) break-neck plot. An enjoyable read for all SF fans
Rating:
Summary: Brin shows his versatility again
Review: It's hard to imagine a more versatile author in sci-fi than David Brin. He can do space opera (STARTIDE RISING), uplifting human stories (THE POSTMAN --- forget the movie!), and now ... high comedy! Brin is astute enough not to take his clay people premise too seriously and this book really shines because of its light touch (his punny chapter titles out-Spider-Robinson Spider Robinson!) All in all, a great and fun read.
Rating: 
Summary: Brin must be having a mid-life crisis
Review: I have read all of Brin's works and found this one to be the most frustrating and disappointing. The really agonizing part is how good it is until the last 5-7 chapters. It works well as both a sci-fi and a mystery novel. But then we end up with the the main character AGREEING with the mad scientist! Is Brin having a mid-life crisis? What is all that theological and Mormonish babble at the end of the book? He actually has the Albert character thinking that becoming a "God" would justify mass murder. This ending was totally frustrating, especially because with a little rewriting the book would have been so good. Albert still could have ended up as brain toast and had Frankie take over, that still would have worked even if Albert didn't become a "God". Ultimately I have to wonder if the whole book was just Brin's way of working through a fear of death and age and a sign of a major mid-life crisis! Save yourself the time, reread Startide Rising or the Uplift War. Don't bother with this one.
Rating:
Summary: I liked the first half . . .
Review: I saw a copy of this book at the bookstore, and after flipping through it, ordered it from the public library. Thankfully. I loved the concept, and enjoyed the first few chapters. Once I'd reached the halfway point, however, I began to feel restless, an unusual thing for me when I'm reading. I suddenly realized that I wanted the book to be over. It felt finished, and as if the plot should be wrapping up, but there was still half a book to plow through. If you really want to read this book, I'd recommend saving a few bucks and checking it out of the public library.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding speculative fiction--and humorous too
Review: At the World SF Society convention in Philadelphia last year, Brin read the first chapter of "Kiln People." I immediately knew that I would have to read it as soon as I could. And it was definitely worth the wait (and, BTW--it's 470 pages or so, not 336). Brin's basic premise is that most people in society now have a way to mass-produce temporary "golems"--clay copies of themselves--that can function independently of their creators, and then fall apart after 24 hours; if they choose, the creators can download the golems' memories into their own brains. [So, for example, you could go to college, work a job, and go on vacation at the same time.] Rather than explain the plot of the book (which is explained above), let me simply say that Brin did an amazing job with fleshing out the world in which "Kiln People" takes place. It is fairly clear that it's a world where golem technology has been accepted; just seeing his ideas of how humans would adapt to such a world makes the book worth reading. And, thankfully, he keeps the tone fairly light: there are just enough puns and jokes to keep a smile on your face, but not enough that the book verges on parody. And while I have to admit that the ending does border, as some other reviewers have pointed out, on deus ex machina (as it does in "Earth"), it seemed like he laid the foundation for it over the course of the novel, so it doesn't come as a shock. IMO, this is the best Brin book I've read (I haven't reached the Uplift trilogy yet, though), and I would highly recommend it to anyone, even people who don't normally read SF.
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