Rating: 
Summary: Excellent writer - surprisingly incomplete book
Review: Pros:
1) Russo is an excellent writer and very easy to read.
2) He develops characters well
3) He describes settings well
4) He initiates a number of interesting concepts
Cons:
1) Ridiculously incomplete
2) Virtually every important concept and event introduced was left underdeveloped and unexplained
Bottom Line:
If I had Russo's talent for writing, I'd be embarrassed to release such an incomplete work. Even if a sequel is on its way, this book left me feeling cheated. If he was a poor writer I could have dismissed the book shortly after picking it up, but because he has such obvious talent it was unexpected that he would fail to complete the many interesting concepts introduced.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely fabulous
Review: Stylish and provocative, suspensefull and mysterious. This is definitely the kind of sci-fi novel that will not let you set it down until you finish it. There is very little monotony, it kept me turning every page with more and more anticipation and relentless curiosity. I absolutely loved the idea of a gigantic ship that has been the home of humans for so many hundreds of years that some even believe the ship has always existed.
The ending is very un-hollywood which is a good thing, a little inconclusive and leaves the reader hoping for a sequel. Nevertheless, this book won't let you set it down! Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A dishonest book
Review: Do not let the excellent wtiting and character development fool you. This is a book that truly underestimates its audience. During the whole book, there are questions, mysteries, and plot that are never resolved. Instead, we are left to think that not all questions are answered in life and to enjoy a sense of mystery.The problem is that what is left unresolved is not trivial, but quite major and essential. So, I truly think that the author developed the questions, plot twists, and other unknown facts WITHOUT EVER INTENDING RESOLVE THEM. Instead, he opted to satisfy his readers with a movie ending. So, I repeat: the author himself does not know what motivated the aliens, the reasons for the preponderance of the Church, the history of the humans, or anything that he teased us with. He never intended to answer these questions, so he did not bother to answer them in writing or even in his own mind.
Rating: 
Summary: It's a floor wax AND a dessert topping!
Review: "Ship of Fools" seems to be that polarizing kind of book that folks either love and hate. The prose is well-written, Russo keeps the plot moving and the pages turning, and the novel is an engrossing read...until the end. The end, as others have mentioned, is where it all goes horribly wrong. Up to that point, "Ship of Fools" is a somewhat standard but entertaining mix of Clarke's "Rendezvous With Rama" and Heinlein's "Universe." Russo adds some interesting political and social observations on the theme of a ship that's been in space so long it's all anyone remembers. Putting class struggles on a ship was particularly inspired. It's when the ship starts exploring a seemingly dead ship (the "Rama" plotline) that Russo paints himself into a corner he can't get out of. The ship is Big and Mysterious--and maybe even Evil. But once Russo has given this ship all kinds of mysteries, the book ends with a movie-like escape sequence. It's ultimately unsatisfying, like reading through 300 pages of suspense only for the conclusion, "...and then the little boy woke up." Some have argued that this is an expression of the theme that space is big and mysterious, and that there are no answers. That point is well taken, but even a novel on this theme must throw some sort of bone to the reader--a sign that the author really is trying to make that point. Otherwise, an ending like this makes it hard to tell whether the author had some grand point in mind, or merely stopped when he hit his word count. "Ship of Fools" had me engrossed while I read it, but after I'd finished, it was like having read half a book.
Rating:
Summary: Subtle and well written
Review: This is a well-written thematic story. Although it has several subplots, the main storyline is written to demonstrate the power of human curiosity. Russo takes his characters through a journey of exploration punctuated by frequent and gruesome clues that Something Is Not Right. But the characters press on, and - here is the magic of Russo's storytelling - the reader is right there with them. The lure of the unknown is so strong that you are willing to leap through every new doorway just to see what is on the other side, no matter how many dried corpses or mysterious accidents should have cautioned you away. Even after the last page is turned and the folly of the exploration unmasked, the book leaves you with the nagging urge to go back, to open one more door or seek the answer to one more question - a powerful demonstration of what Pavlovian creatures we can be.
Rating:
Summary: Worth reading
Review: I think what a lot of the reviewers are missing is the fact that Richard Paul Russo can WRITE! I was drawn from chapter to chapter in a way I haven't been in years--the book had the feel similar to that in Rendevous with Rama. I don't read much science fiction anymore--there is so little sense of wonder in it. Ship of Fools has wonder aplenty, and the characterization is excellent. Nor did I find the dialogue clumsy, as one reviewer did. I was most impressed with Russo's balanced viewpoint between Christianity and disbelief. A sympathetic priest in a SF novel? Quite refreshing.
The scene with Father Veronica (you know the one I mean) is breathtaking. And yes, I felt the ending was not quite as dramatic as I would have liked. But I really enjoyed the ride. I would indeed read the sequel, but I rather hope there isn't one.
I also hope that those who read these reviews and decide to buy the book buy a new version rather than a used one. The writer receives no royalties on used books, and cannot continue to be published unless someone buys new copies.
Rating:
Summary: A good sci fi episode
Review: I received this book mistakenly (I'd ordered Katherine Porter's SHIP OF FOOLS...quite different!), but thought I'd give it a read. While not a fan of the sci fi genre, I found this to be a quick and entertaining read...actually pretty user friendly for the non "space" reader such as myself. It wasn't bogged down with a lot of technical alien/interplanetary mumbo jumbo. It actually had a story and some interesting character development. The pay off wasn't quite what I was hoping for, however, so it tended to come off in the end as a long episode of a sci fi show a la STAR TREK. Plenty amusing, tho, for that airplane ride or bedside table.
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