Hammerfall

Rating:
Summary: Great sf
Review: Since he was eight, Marak did his best to conceal the visions he saw and ignore the voices he heard because he knew either condition is considered a sign of madness. Those who are deemed mad are turned over to the Ila. Until he turned thirty, Marak successfully hid his delicate situation. He joined the war against the Ila, trying to break into the great city where she lived in splendid security. Marak confesses his illness and his father disowns him, giving him over to the soldiers for disposal to Ila.

After traveling across the large desert, Marak meets the five-century-old Ila. Everyone who is dubbed mad hear voices telling them to go east. Ila wants Marak to do just that but report to her what he finds. After a long arduous trek, Marak reaches a tower where he meets Ian and Luz, Ila's peers, claiming that the world is coming to an end. If he is to survive he must return to this tower with Ila and as many people as will go with them.

C.J. Cherryh is one of the most gifted science fiction writers of our time and with her latest novel, HAMMERFALL, she has created a new universe for the first time in thirty years. The story line reads like a modern day Noah's Ark as the audience keeps on reading to learn what happens as a world gets destroyed. Those sequences of scenes are brilliantly crafted. The protagonist is a hero as his actions and choices speak well of him as a person. Ms. Cherryh has another winner in this novel.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Just finished reading it
Review: The reviews really put me off and I held off reading the book until today; but guess what, I just finished reading the thing in one sitting (it is now 6 am and I'm debating whether I should catch an hour of sleep before work). There is a slower pace, but it seems right, and it is NOT dull or boring as some here claim; and the expected level of quality is there, I'd say easily on a par with foreigner series. The story is engrossing and internally consistent (as usual, I wish there was more of it); there are no logical inconsistency that can't be explained away if you read the story carefully enough for the explanations. Best of all, I get the feeling that this is only the beginning of the story line/series (this may in part explain the slower pace) There is a possible tie in with any of her universes (I'm hoping for Union/Alliance); I'm certainly interested in what happens next, please!!!

Rating:
Summary: Reminiscent of "Earth Abides" in style
Review: There are a few odd little inconsistencies. Marak being necessary to be the finder and message bearer wasn't entirely clear. Maybe it was due to some kind of rules. Maybe it was because of the battle between the two nano-god-ship-people. Nor was it entirely clear how the nano-goddess could have missed the landing of a starship so nearby, though it isn't clear that she did. There are a couple of small inconsistencies in behavior for the nomads, where in one part their tradition was one way, in another part a different way.

But, it's still a good story. I found it engrossing enough to keep me up into the night.

Rating:
Summary: A Promise Kept
Review: There are science fiction writers who are good, some who are excellent, and a few who are masters. CJ Cherryh is a master. I've read the comments of other reviewers and sense a great deal of impatience. Reading a book is not a race. Hammerfall is an excellent story written with prose that is a pleasure, with phrases, descriptons and characters that can be savored. The reason this book has been reviewed by so many is that CJ Cherryh is one of the pre-eminent authors of SF/F, past or present. For those of you who are in a hurry to get through life, go to a movie with lots of noise and bombs, but little substance. For those of you who take pleasure in the elegant details of life, read Hammerfall and take pleasure in it. I do have one confession to make: I too am impatient, impatient for the next oportunity to share in the imagination and skills of a writer as gifted as CJ Cherryh. For those of you who are already fans of CJ Cherryh, just read it and enjoy it. For those of you who are new to Cherryh, read it and enjoy it. A novel by CJ Cherryh is a promise of pleasure and Hammerfall is a promise kept.

Rating:
Summary: Good but different
Review: This book seems a bit different than most of her stories, but you will be glad you read it when you read the next in the series wich is set centuries in the future from this story. Then you will see how it fits with her work.

Rating:
Summary: Problematic and disappointing
Review: This is the first Cherryh book I haven't liked in a long time. It has flaws in pacing, motivation, tension, and character. In most Cherryh books there are points where the story comes together in brilliantly constructed ways. Reading them is like seeing the work of a great architect; it fills you with amazement and joy. This one doesn't.