Rating: 
Summary: Interesting fusion of ideas; not bad, but not perfect
Review: 'Darwinia' is really a tale of two halves. The book as which it begins is charming, mysterious, and deeply entertaining. Somewhere near the novel's midpoint, a plot pivot appears which transforms the novel into something *entirely* different. To say it was 'unsettling' to this unsuspecting reader is an understatement; however, sticking with it proved to be rewarding nonetheless. The reviewer who described 'Darwinia' as Edgar Rice Burroughs meets 'The Matrix' is dead on target, with maybe a sprinkling of Lovecraft's Old Gods thrown in for good measure. 'Darwinia' has a strange disequilibrium to it, and it is definitely difficult to categorize - but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's not a five-star book , in my humble opinion, but it is still a thoroughly enjoyable novel. It's a smart, interesting read unlike anything I've seen before.'Darwinia' is the first writing by Robert Charles Wilson I've read. He definitely impressed me as an author worth seeking out, and will appear on my reading list again soon.
Rating:
Summary: Strange Days
Review: Darwinia is a flawed masterpiece. In March 1912, half the world disappears. Great Britain and Europe and all the people who live there vanish into nothingness and are replaced by a land that is geographically similar to the old land but which is covered in forests of plants and trees unknown to science. The forests are inhabited by birds, animals and insects the like of which have never been seen before on the Earth. Expeditions are mounted to explore and exploit the new lands and speculation as to the cause of the catastrophe run wild. The story follows one such expedition deep into the heart of what was once Europe. One by one the members of the expedition die. Only two survive to return to the outside world and these two, for their own reasons, remain silent about what they found. Up to this point the book held me enthralled. An exciting adventure, an eerie mystery, what more could anyone want? But then there was a brief interlude in the middle of the book that completely destroyed the spell. The interlude explained all the mysteries - but only to the reader, not to the characters in the book. They don't discover any of these secrets until much later on. Such a massive spoiler in the middle of the story completely destroyed its momentum. I didn't like possessing information that was unknown to the characters and while the book did eventually pick up again, there was a long dry patch where it simply stopped working. It's an ingenious book with a carefully worked out plot and the reasons for the strange thing that has happened to the Earth are beautifully original. The sheer detail of the new lands and their flora and fauna are exquisitely presented and the hardships of travelling through them are excellently dramatised. All this is high praise indeed and the book deserves it. But the structure is very badly flawed - I really did hate that massive spoiler in the middle.
Rating:
Summary: Kind of slow, but very good.
Review: It seems like there are more and more books where part of the Earth is mysteriously changed overnight. S.M. Sirling's Islands in the Sea of Time and Wilson's own Mysterium come to mind. In all of them that I have read, you simply accept this change as part of the setting of the story. Darwinia is different, in that the main character wants to find out why the change occured, and much of the story is dedicated to explaining that change, and this was why I liked this book better than I expected. The story was pretty slow at the beginning, and I almost gave up on the book. However, once Wilson started to explain how the change happened, it got much more interesting, if not much faster. I enjoyed the characters in the book, particularly Gulliford Law, who is curious about what happened to cause the change in the Earth, but once he finds out, wants nothing more to do with it. As I mentioned, the story is kind of slow, but I think it is worthwhile. I have read several books by Wilson, and they have never been quite what I was expecting going in, but I have enjoyed them all. I would recommend this book, and will look to read more of Wilson in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: THIS is something new? Not.
Review: In my opinion, this book is neither science fiction nor is it fantasy. It seemed much closer to a horror novel with some sci fi elements and also elements of alternate history. In fact, because of the number of genres Darwinia manages to suck in, it's a hopelessly muddled tale. I enjoy both fantasy and science fiction. I enjoy "softer" sci fi and hard sci fi. I even enjoy alternate histories. BUT, when they are all thrown together in one novel, it gets confusing and irritating. In addition, this book actually gave me nightmares because of the elements of horror novels that are incorporated. I read a description of this author as a new star of hard science fiction based on the less than ΒΌ of this book that is actually hard science fiction. What a shame that he is receiving accolades for this muddled drama when other more talented authors (Michael Swanwick jumps to mind) are being ignored. If I step back and make an overall assessment of this book, it suddenly seems to be very familiar. In fact, in many ways, this book has the same plot as Stephen King's The Stand. Good vs. evil, lots of people wiped off the face of the earth, secret evil entities controlling infiltrators into the good side, a final conflict between good and evil, etc etc etc. If you're going to copy someone else's plot, you could be a lot less transparent about it. Did I enjoy this book? Well, it was okay. There were certainly parts that were interesting. For a brief period of time, I was actually interested in what was going on with the main character. However, I would not recommend this book except possibly for those who enjoy horror novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Weird and interesting
Review: Europe gets wiped out by a mysterious replacement continent called Darwinia (to mock people who trust science over miracles) in the 1890s. Most interesting part is how Wilson manages to explain his odd beginning (which I won't give away for those who haven't read it). Superb as that part is, Wilson confronts a problem that he really doesn't do a good job of resolving. Having created an excellent, even credible (within the explanation of the story) universe, he doesn't show the same creativity in working a plot in that universe. Instead it's a not too interesting good vs evil battle as the climax.
The mystery was excellent. The rest needed help
Rating: 
Summary: An Enchanting Read
Review: What seems, at first glance, like a simple adventure story in Robert Charles Wilson's "Darwinia" is actually anything but simple -- something you will learn as the book leads you deeper and deeper into a complex, rich, and hauntingly beautiful story. "Darwinia" takes place in a world left reeling after Europe was transformed over night into a foreign and unexplored wilderness. The story follows the journey of Guildord Law who explores this new world and learns about the land and so much more. The charecters in the book are vivid and you will come away feeling that you know each of them. It is science fiction at its best, full of surprises and powerfully written. One can't quite say enough about this book!
Rating: 
Summary: ....
Review: This book started out as being good. I started reading it and I thought it was going to be about some explorers trying to survive in a strange alien world. This is what the book started out like. Then it suddenly turned into stuff about alternate lives, gods, etc, etc. Just [not good].
Rating:
Summary: Edgar Rice Burroughs meets "The Matrix"
Review: "Darwinia" is an eerie, frequently fascinating tale that takes place after Europe is suddenly and mysteriously transformed into an uncharted no-man's land. Guilford Law, a photographer drawn by the continent's enigma, takes part in an expedition to its interior, facing evolutionary mysteries and paradigm-toppling revelations. Wilson is one of the genre's most appealing and overlooked storytellers, and "Darwinia" is a canvas of cosmic scope. Unfortunately, the ending is something of a letdown after the initial build-up; "Darwinia" reads as a paleantological thriller unsuccessfully fused with a virtual reality shoot-'em-up, complete with interdimensional mutants and bullet-proof avatars. Edgar Rice Burroughs meets "The Matrix."
Rating:
Summary: Food for thought. Well, maybe more like a snack.
Review: Overall impression: An interesting idea, but not a very entertaining book. First off, let me admit I'm not a huge follower of alternate history SF. Therefore, this is not my favorite sub-genre, and I am therefore less forgiving of other narrative problems. As you've probably read from the synopses above, this book is about when one day in 1912, everyone looked around and found that all of Europe had been replaced by a jungle wilderness. Since it was a stable ecology, all we could figure is that it was some transplant from some other alternate Earth, somehow. We find out in the book that the actual events are even stranger. However, I didn't really LIKE the alternate events. It was all too much of major events happening offscreen by vast powers too incomprehensible to explain. While I liked the main viewpoint character of Guilford Law, I thought he was too whiny to really become important to me. Other characters came and went too choppily for me to really identify with. If you like fiction with a vast (and I mean VAST) scope, you may like this better than I. If you like to engage emotionally with your fiction, you probably won't like it either.
Rating:
Summary: Good Premise, Bad Book
Review: This book started out with a good idea, but soon flopped. I was looking for an alternate history novel, but this is more science fiction than anything really. I like the fact that Wilson covers a wide range of history in this novel, so I gave it a higher rating than I would otherwise. The scope of the novel is it's only redeeming characteristic. If you wish to try this novel, I would recommend that you request it from your library, so in the likely event that you do not care for it, you may return it quickly.
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