Rating: 
Summary: Some good, some not-so-good. (CONTINUED)
Review: (Continued from previous)
There's no resolution to Lain and Tooloo's misgivings at all, in fact . . . just like there's no resolution to the Nathan plot, or to Riki's predicament . . . and Riki was one character I really did like, and would like to hear more about. But it seems that at the end of the book, everything else was dropped in favor of the mushy "our love will solve everything" interlude between Tinker and Windwolf, leaving the reader feeling vaguely cheated. (Was Tooloo actually the ancestress of Tinker, or was I imagining hints that weren't there? And now that they're stuck, will Oilcan be able to pursue a relationship with that newbie scientist?)
Granted, much of this may be addressed in a sequel. There's no indication of a sequel within the book covers, but a couple of the reviewers here seemed pretty certain there would be one. And that might help when it comes out, but here and now, the reader is left hanging, and that's a pity, because there really is a lot to enjoy about the book. Pittsburgh is a very original and interesting place and the situation with the elves, humans, and oni is full of narrative potential. Tinker is an engaging character, brilliant gadget-wise and incredibly naive relationship-wise. The plot moves along nicely and the various secret organizations are wonderfully done, although I can't help wishing for a little more explanation and depth to the oni culture, because I think it sets up a very interesting situation and would love to see it carried further.
To sum up, the action and plot: good. The romance and some of the character development: not so good. The beginning and middle were great; the ending seemed like the author reached a certain page count and just stopped writing without bothering to wrap up any loose threads.
Rating: 
Summary: Quantum Elves meet there match.....
Review: Before beginning this review, please allow me a moment to explain why it didn't get a five star rating. I recently realized I was not being realistic in my ratings. Thinking about all the books I have read I decided (arbitrarily) to pick my top two or three and make them my guide to future ratings. So! To get a five, the book has to be as good as Robert Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land", J.R.R. Tolkien's "Hobbit" or Andre Norton's "The Beast Master." This will cause me to rate lower than I have in the past. Well! On to Tinker; this book was an excellent read. I loved the heroine Tinker who reminded me a little of an older Podkayne. She is brave, bright, funny and just naïve enough to be fun yet believable. Her character has been well developed by Spencer making, the entire adventure more enjoyable. As I found him also interesting, it is my hope and expectation that her half brother's character will receive more notice in the next book. Yes! There must be a next one, because this one definitely left me wanting more. Not because it isn't a stand alone story, rather it is one that begs to be continued.
This work has just enough Science to qualify as SciFi and enough fantasy to make an Anne Mcaffery or Andre Norton fan very happy. I really want to get to know all of these characters better and am looking forward to doing so. Oh yeah, why couldn't Tinker have pulled power from the stones herself? Okay, I know she saved the hero's life (at least twice) earlier in the book; just hated missing the chance to see her rub the Elf's face in the mud one more time. Thank you Wen,
Donald
Rating: 
Summary: Already eager for the sequel
Review: Due to a side-effect of the orbital gate, a 50-mile section of Pittsburg has been pulled into the alternate Earth of Elfhome. For 20 years, Pittsburg has existed in Elfhome, except for a once monthly 24-hour gate shutdown period, when it returns to Earth to allow for trade and such. Tinker runs Pittsburg's scrap yard, where she uses her free time to invent incredible gadgets using her genius for quantum physics and the ambient magic of Elfhome. The Elves are generally friendly, but rather private about their culture, and though Tinker has made less effort than most to understand them, she soon finds herself up to her ears in Elfin intrigue, after twice saving the life of the Elf Viceroy. To save Earth, Elfhome and her honor, Tinker must out maneuver the Elfin court, the NSA, the Elfin Interdimensional Agency and murderous technology smugglers, without further endangering her life and the lives of those she loves. Wen Spencer has conceived a profoundly detailed world with characters so vibrant and realistic, I almost feel like I've actually met them. The book's three main strengths are uncommon depth of the characters, portrayal of the fantastic in such a way that it seems utterly plausible, and an inspired, well-organized plot. If you like science-based fantasy, mystery, magic, romance, elves/faeries, smart girls that kick butt, or great storytelling, you'll love this book. The ending is a bit abrupt, but after my second read, I find it fitting. I'm already looking forward to the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Wen Spencer can write!
Review: European Elves, Japanese Oni, the city of Pittsburgh spending 1 day a month on earth and 30 days on the world of Faerie, and an eighteen year old girl who makes Eienstein look mentally challenged. These are the elements that Ms. Spencer weaves into a highly entertaining tale.
Tinker is an inventive genius, born ten years after her father died, who has spent all of her eighteen year growing up in this strange/familiar city of Pittsburgh. Brilliant, inventive and brave it developes that she is the pivot upon which the fate of worlds turns.
These elements could have been put together into a terrible book. But Wen Spencer's supurb writing turns them into a wonderful romp. The only disappointment was that the story ends far to soon. One can only hope that Ms. Spencer plans to revisit Tinker at some time in the future.
Read this book. Then if you have not read her first three books, get your paws on them and read them.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: I despise sci-fi that's more science than fiction, more tech than plot but Wen Spencer delivers with a bang. Tinker, a barely eighteen year old genius, is naive enough and brassy enough to grab your attention and keep it. I thought I had gotten a book I could take my time with and found that I finished it in one night. If you like fantasy, romance, sci-fi or just a good romp this book has all the elements to keep you reading. I hope that we can revisit old Pitt again to see Oilcan or even Rikki again. It would be fun to see Tinker wrap her brain around magic instead of quantum physics. The possibilites make me drool....
Rating: 
Summary: Where'd all those stars come from?
Review: I have read all the reviews on this book (one of the reasons I bought it) and now that I've read it, I can't quite figure out why everyone liked it so much. It was okay but I had a lot of problems with it. To me it read like a bodice ripper crossed with a fantasy crossed with a sci fi. The main character was pretty entertaining, but all the other characters were defined by their relationship to her and were totally 2-dimensional. There was the cousin who depended on her, the friend who had the hots for her, the elf who had the hots for her, the two managing mother figures who contributed absolutely nothing as far as I could tell, and then the bad guys who had the hots for her. This all went to an 18 year old virgin. PULEEZE. Way too much [vulgar] references without any point that I could see. I guess I could live with all that if the other characters had some personality or depth. They all seemed like cardboard cutouts to me - just there to move the plot along. I also got the feel that the [vulgarity] was there just as a selling point for the book. It did not serve any purpose that I could see. It certainly did not help explain the character or her relationships with others (or lack thereof!). Overall I did not like this book very much and probably will not keep it in my library.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read
Review: I just finished Tinker by Wen Spencer, and it was fantastic!!! I actually rate it up there as one of my 5 favorite books, ranking it up there with 1632, Ender's Game, The Stand and Path of the Fury (rounding out my top five in no particular order). The book was great because it had all of those thing that I feel a book needs to stand out: a cool and/or unique storyline, excellent characters, good action, unpredictability, a bit of comic relief, and also a small amount of erotica, which I feel is a real necessity in books. Brent Snyder
Rating:
Summary: What a delightful surprise
Review: I picked up this book solely on the reviews I read on Amazon.com. I prefer fantasy to sci-fi, but I truly enjoyed this book. I plan to look into reading more by Wen Spencer.
Tinker is based only 30-40 years in the future. In this world, a piece of Earth, Pitsburg (of all places) is now located on a planet from a different demention. In this world, Elves are at the top of the food chain. Once a month, Pitsburg is transfered back to Earth for 24 hours (called Shutdown). For those 24 hours they are able to gather supplies, take care of business, etc. Also during Shutdown, pretty much all electronic equipment, including phone lines, are dead.
It was during this Shutdown that our hero (Tinker) saves an elf's life. Spencer then brings us on a roller coaster ride, where we follow the lead character, a physic's genius at age 18, discover her first romance, as well as save the world (both of them) by becoming involve in political intrigue.
What amazed me the most was the way Spencer was able to blend the romance, fight scenes, science, and political intrique together so flaulessly. I wonder, though, is there a follow-up story to this one? I plan to find out as soon as I send this through! ;-)
Rating: 
Summary: Started off great . . .fizzled out fast
Review: I read the first four chapter on BEAN and thought . . .WOW! got the HB and about chapter six was wondering what had happened. Not nearly enough time is spent building up the characters. There's an abrupt and totally unexplained bit of 'elf soft porn' between Tinker and 'Windwolf', followed quickly by an almost rape by Tinkers friend and almost lover 'Nathen'. And it all happens simply because the author wanted it. NOT, as far as I can tell, out of any internal logic. The entire story seem to be like this, bits and pieces stuck together at random. A bit of fantasy here, some SF jargon there, a dash of soft-porn here, mix quickly with some mystery and half-bake for 340 pages.
What a shame. This had the start of a great story. Instead it's a mish-mash of almost this and nearly that but not a complete story in the lot.
Rating:
Summary: I loved it
Review: It has a few rough edges, where it reads a bit young and fan girl marysue-ish because Tinker is pretty much 'perfect' by being insanely brilliant and strangely fascinating to all the hot if troubled male supporting cast.
However, it's such a fun romp, with endearing characterization and a very fast paced and suspenseful plot. It's a marysue that works because Tinker has enough character quirks to make her delightfully unique and comes across with a mix of fresh and honest innocence and determined earnest maturity.
The story really draws you in, as politics, romance, and danger from very, very bad guys mix about to make the whole story a really well rounded and exciting read.
It's got Elves, tech, magic, all sorts of legendary critters and people from different types of mythos. There is betrayal and conspiracies and sacrifices, and plenty of grab your heart and squeeze moments.
I'm looking forward to the sequels. =)
Mooncat
|
