Rating: 
Summary: How wonderful!
Review: A few years ago, my housemate received this book free with a subscription for a fanzine, gave it to me, and now I will never, never give it back! I'd stopped reading fantasy/sci-fi when I was still in high-school, but this book has revived my faith! I've read it so many times the pages are dog-eared, the cover is grubby but it is still the first novel I reach for when I have the flu/stomach ache/blues to make me feel better. I love the combination of genres, the depth of the characters, the breadth of landscapes, and the stylistic debt it owes to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I've just discovered the sequels in my local bookstore and can't stop reading them either! Thank you, Kate Elliot, for these wonderful new worlds!
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely gay fiction, and a very slow read.
Review: An entire tribe of gay men? And all so the author could have one gay man in love with the hero? Please, things don't have to be real, but they have to be realistic, and that just isn't. The rest of the story is ok, but slooooooooow.
Rating:
Summary: What a nifty book.
Review: At first glance, Jaran seems to be a typical "aliens have conquered the earth" story. It's not. It's a story of personal
growth and relationships. Blending sf, fantasy, linguistics,
anthropology, and romance, this book's a great read. Follow Tess as she leaves Earth and is stranded on Rhui. See
what happens as she treks across an endless plain of grass.
Check out the culture of vigorous men-who-embroider-shirts.
Find out what happens when two strong people both insist on
doing things *their* way.
Rating:
Summary: Whatever you're looking to read, it's here
Review: Do you want a multiple book, well written epic to keep you busy for a while? Buy this book. If, on the other hand, you want to read a romance between two strong-willed people set against the backdrop of war, then buy this book. If, on the third hand :) , you want a book about the rebellion of humanity against their alien conquerors, then buy this book. Perhaps you want to read about characters that seem real, that have faults and talents in equal measure, that love and hate and die and do everything that real people do. If so, buy this book. Maybe you want a book that examines relationships of all kinds, that constantly surprises you, that is creative, original, deep, and still a good read. If this is the case, then (all together now!) BUY THIS BOOK! Have you noticed a pattern yet? Kate Elliott is a wonderful and talented writer who seems to be at home in any number of genres, from historical fiction to epic fantasy to romance to war story to science fiction. Her charac! ! ters are three dimensional, her plots are creative, her settings are lovingly detailed without being overdone, and her books will keep you saying "Just a few more pages, I'll be right with you" until you sigh, reluctantly stick in a bookmark, and wonder where the time went. I just finished re-reading this series, and it still took my breath away. Please, please, write book 5! Eager fans are waiting!P.S. Don't let the plea for book 5 put you off. Though there are obvious hooks for another book, there is a definite sense of closure with book 4. This is not one where you need to wait for the series to finish being written before you start it.
Rating:
Summary: A well-written, refreshing page-turner.
Review: Having found the "Crown of Stars" books to be a slog-through experience, I approached Jaran with a bit of trepidation. I was pleasantly suprised by how fast time seemed to vanish while reading this one. This is the type of novel that restores my faith that culture and character-building can actually be done well. Elliot seamlessly builds up compelling characters, the culture that defines them, and even the background and mythos of the culture. The transition from advanced technology to "primitive" living and from the role of powerful noble to fish-out-of-water to the later, more unique, roles is done smoothly and believably, accompanied by indicision, hand-wringing, and growth. Much of the journey for the characters here is internal rather than external, and things are kept very interesting by the fact that just about anybody is fodder for the swords - good-guys, bad-guys, red-shirts, beloved companions and all. Here's hoping that the high quality of book 1 carries forth into the rest of the books in this well-conceived universe.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book
Review: I bought this book after reading a review that said it was Cherryhesque. And I have to say that Jaran does remind you of a Cherryh style science-fiction. The characters are all well developed, the long-distance travelling gives you the feeling of distance (so many authors fail when they write travelling stories). The descriptions and dialogues are very good (I only thought about it when I was writing this review, the type of writing that does not give you words, but vision). The story ends in a good place, but makes you want more, and luckily there are three more books available. One thing is that all the characters have their own agendas, and are not just present to react with the main characters. If you like Cherryh, Elliot, Moon or even Hambly you will like this one. I was a bit concerned when I bought it that it would have a fantasy element, but it is pure science fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre at best
Review: I enjoyed reading this work, but I still think it is mediocre. The characters and dialoug were wonderful, but I found the relations and the society to be superficial. I felt the matriachial elements were forced in and the love was mostly told and not shown. The most emotional part was the death of Yuri while I felt the love stories amounted to little. And also I feel Yuri was there for too short of a time for the reader to develop a strong relationship with him. The author seems to have just created him to kill him off and make it a non-cliche book where one of the main characters dies. Elements of the society seemed to come into play just so Tess could observe them and seemed unreal. The love was fluid unlike real life (usually).
Rating:
Summary: This book has been eternally my favorite
Review: I first read this book when I was eleven and since then have read it countless times. The story stuck with me, but I didn't rediscover the book or its author until just two years ago. I like Tess and the female oriented dynamic of the culture of Jaran. The story is complex, the people are very real to the reader, and when it is finished you are left satisfied but wanting it to continue- emotionally drained as if you've lived the lives of these people. I didn't even know there were sequels until recently and devoured them rapidly, but this first book, which focuses on Tess, remains my favorite.
Rating:
Summary: This book has been eternally my favorite
Review: I first read this book when I was eleven and since then have read it countless times. The story stuck with me, but I didn't rediscover the book or its author until just two years ago. I like Tess and the female oriented dynamic of the culture of Jaran. The story is complex, the people are very real to the reader, and when it is finished you are left satisfied but wanting it to continue- emotionally drained as if you've lived the lives of these people. I didn't even know there were sequels until recently and devoured them rapidly, but this first book, which focuses on Tess, remains my favorite.
Rating: 
Summary: What a find
Review: I found this book in a garage sale for 50 cents. If I had of known the quality of the book I would have paid full price from a normal book retailer. While I dont consider it one of my all time favourites it is certianly worth reading and brings a remarkably refreshing view of story book romance that makes it mildly more realistic. Over all, an intelligent book and well worth reading.
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