Rating: 
Summary: Powerful
Review: A beautifully written story that explores the deepest and darkest parts of the mind and soul. Captivating and heart wrenching - not your typical science fiction. Very little techno-talk. I'm looking forward to Ms. Eskridge's next book!
Rating:
Summary: none
Review: Eskridge makes a solid debut with this dark, intriguing, fast-paced near-future thriller. 'Solitaire' smashes boundairies of SF unlike any novel I've read... Gary S. Potter Author/Poet
Rating: 
Summary: A gorgeous tale full of humor and heartache
Review: For her entire life, Jackal Segura has been trained to be Ko Corporation's Hope, those children chosen to be the leaders of a new world order. Two months before the ceremony that will begin her work with the global government, she learns that her status as a Hope is a lie. Forced to continue this lie, Jackal hides the truth as best she can, but a tragic catastrophe destroys her world and her identity as a Hope. She's manipulated into participating in a rehabilitation experiment where she's imprisoned in a virtual reality cell in her mind. Nearly driven insane by loneliness and her own demons, Jackal finds that her training as a Hope helps her through the ordeal. When she is finally brought back into the real world, she is a new person in a new land, and she doesn't know who she will be anymore. Jackal's journey to a new understanding of herself and to a reconnection to love begins in a place called Solitaire, where those once imprisoned in virtual reality prisons congregate. "Solitaire" is an astonishing first novel whose soul and breadth will delight and affect readers long after the final pages.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent First Book
Review: I have finished reading Kelley Eskridge's Solitaire, and it was one of the best books I have read recently. Actually, I have been on a string of good books, and this one just happens to continue the trend. It features a young heroine, named Ren "Jackal" Segura. In the slightly futuristic world developed by Eskridge, Jackal is what is known as a "Hope". A "Hope" is someone born as the pre-designated time, in this case, the first second of the new year. Each pseudo-national entity has a "Hope" and Jackal is the "Hope" of Ko, the multi-national supercorporation that rules over the island of Hong Kong. Other pseduo-national entities include the NNA, Nations of North America. Sorry, Canada, looks like you got assimilated after all. When Jackal finds out her status as a "Hope" is a lie, she is devastated, but she keeps the secret and maintains the facade. Then, tragedy strikes. In a horrifying accident, 437 persons, including important senators as well as Jackal's best friends are killed and Jackal is blamed for the murders. Charged with 437 counts or murder and international terrorism, Jackal is sentenced to life imprisonment. She cuts a deal though and agrees to partake in an experimental program called Virtual Confinement, VC. Using electrodes hooked to the brain and a drug induced coma-like state, Jackal's mind will believe that she is spending 10 years in solitary confinement with absolutely no human contact, no amenities, and no way out. In reality, she will only be knocked out for eight months. During that time of VC, Jackal must confront her own inner demons, determine how she will survive and not go insane, figure out how to deal with the loved ones in her mind and generally come up with ways to pass the time. When she awakens, she is an entirely different person and must relearn how to negotiate the world and deal with people. But her trials are far from over - once Jackal is getting situated in her new life via a strange bar called "Solitaire" where ex-cons from the VC program go to hang out and test the social waters, her past resurfaces. All in all, Solitaire is a very engaging book, with a well developed story, memorable characters, and a fast paced plot line, despite the years spent in VC. It does not merit 5 stars because there were some loose ends at the book's conclusion that I would have liked to have seen tied up, but they were fairly minor. Check it out! As this is Eskridge's first novel, I look forward to what else she comes up with.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down.
Review: I picked this book from an Amazon.com recomenation. It took me a few days to settle down and read the book but once I did I read 95% of the book in one sitting. The subject is interesting and thought provoking. Miss Eskridge's style and presentation are on the mark. She takes a step n to the internet Web world strongly and without looking back. If you love Fantasy and Science Fiction I would recomend this to you. Enjoy the chance to learn about Jackal and KO!
Rating: 
Summary: This book was horrible.
Review: I'd rather read the entire Robert Ludlum collection in one sitting than read this book again. Have you ever been trapped with somebody who won't quit talking (at a dinner, a party, or whatever) and who thinks she is deep, smart, and interesting, but is just the opposite? If you have, this book will bring back that experience. I found the writing to be on par with that of a good high school student. For example, "She closed her eyes and let the noise of Solitaire spin around her, a tidal pool of words and glassware and background music, voices breaking against her like waves on a reef." Maybe I was just in a bad mood when I read this, but I really hope this is not what passes as a "tour de force" today.
Rating:
Summary: What can I say except...Wow!
Review: Imagine being locked up in a grey room without windows or doors for six years... Solitaire is the first novel written by Kelley Eskridge...and it's a great psychological themed science fiction.
She shows us detailed corporate structure and the two-dimensional world of "Miss World"-like thinking.
The main character is a "Hope", a young woman bred to be the ultimate representative for a corporation named Ko Industries.
She has everything, good looks, a sharp mind a nice group of friends. Anything she needs is catered for by Ko.
She undergoes tough managment, advertising and financial courses and even etiquette classes. If she has the need they provide scheduled relaxation classes for her.
Then one day, the whole world takes a deep plunge around her...everything she had is lost, and soon even her mind is on the verge of total breakdown...
Confined to virtual-solitary imprisonment for years...she soon finds a new focus in life...keeping herself sane.
But will she regain everything she's lost? Read it and enjoy this awesome first novel of a very promising author.
I can only hope she writes lots of books in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Different...
Review: It took a long time for this book to take off and hold my attention. The first part of it is almost like reading about MBA school; nothing much happens and you don't get real attached to the characters. However, Eskridge pleasantly surprised me with a major plot event, which took the book to another level, and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of it.
It's not a extreme sci-fi book, and I realized at the end that one of the major currents in the book is the love relationship between two of the characters, and I think that is the real story Eskridge was trying to tell, simply using the sci-fi aspects to support it.
I look forward to seeing what Eskridge produces in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Different...
Review: It took a long time for this book to take off and hold my attention. The first part of it is almost like reading about MBA school; nothing much happens and you don't get real attached to the characters. However, Eskridge pleasantly surprised me with a major plot event, which took the book to another level, and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of it.
It's not a extreme sci-fi book, and I realized at the end that one of the major currents in the book is the love relationship between two of the characters, and I think that is the real story Eskridge was trying to tell, simply using the sci-fi aspects to support it.
I look forward to seeing what Eskridge produces in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: It's a wonderful book. Fast-paced, interesting characters, lots to think about. It's great to read a science-fiction novel with strong lesbian characters. The plot's been summarized well (except for reviewer Harriet Klausner, who got almost everything wrong... did she even READ this novel?) so I won't repeat it here. I'll just say that I had this book on my "wish list" for some time and when I finally got a copy I wasn't disappointed.
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