Rating: 
Summary: Wow!
Review: I really liked this book! The next books in the series were nice also but this one began the tale and what a tale it is. It's a great book and only gets better as the books progress!
Rating: 
Summary: The Best Book Ever
Review: I think this was a really great book. Honestly. If you are mature enough to understand it, and you are patient with the story, it will come out good. I read the other reviews, and I was appalled to see that so many people didn't like the book. I was very surprised. The first book made me want to read the second, third, fourth, and last book. I'm currently reading Fortunes Wheel and so far it is great. I think that the first book went rather slow, I do admit that. But the places where there are dangerous situations or interesting parts, makes the book very unpredictable, and interesting. I've always loved to read books with intellegent cats, alien or not, that have some sort of special "Talent". For anybody who likes science fiction, plot twists, cats, and aliens, etc, this is a good book to read. I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series! Even if one book is bad, that doesn't make the whole series bad. Not that I'm saying a bad book has been written. My advice with this book, is to read it, and if a slow book does come along, (I don't yet know if one will) don't stop in the middle of the series, bear with it and keep reading! I guarantee you, it'll be worth it. And for all of you who stopped after the first book, read the second book, and you'll love it. If you're thinking of skipping a book, the one after it won't fill you in. So take my advice, read them all.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent writing - I couldn't put it down!
Review: I would have rated this book a 10, except that the rest of the series only gets better. In Turning Point Ms Norman has provided an intricate look at what could happen when two telepathic species meet and join forces. It explores all the classic sci-fi themes (xenophobia, diplomatic relations, war) and still did it so well that I had no idea what would happen next. I stayed up half the night to finish it! I would recommend this book to anyone who like sci-fi in the tradition of Anne McCaffrey. Ms. Norman has a very similar knack for combining adventure, romance, and aliens in engrossing situations. Beware! You won't want to wait to go back to the bookstore for the next books in the series!
Rating:
Summary: Deep Novel with Alot of Meaning...
Review: I'm only 15 and JUST finished reading it... i absolutely loved it. It does have it's draggy parts, but for the most part, it's a very beautiful story. It isn't like Star wars style Sci-Fi,it's more Softcore sci-fi focused on a different aspect of life with alien races. I found the book in the Bookstore along with the rest fo her books.... realizing she's got a series going on, and after looking in all the books, i found out this was the first of the series. I hope the rest of the series is just as good!
Rating:
Summary: The best series yet!
Review: If you like Si-fi and futuristic romance, then these series will NOT let you down.
The first book in the series is Turning Point. Carrie's Twin syster Elsie is dying and taking Carrie with her when Kusac "grabs" Carrie and saves her live.
In later books the writer introdues the reader to the Sholan Alliance and the many species that abound in the galaxy. The reader gets to know new persons, and at the same time keeps following Kusac, Carrie, Garras, Mito, Davis and Vanna...
Best is to start reading the series from Turning point and then Fortunes Wheel and so on...
It is really only one book or one story...The only problem is how long the wait is for the next book in the series...
Rating: 
Summary: This book was barely readable. NO STARS
Review: Like other reviewers, I also found it hard to believe that anyone published this book. The basic concept is appealing but poorly realized. Many situations were absurd, like allowing a man-sized wildcat to sleep in a sick girl's room. Who would do that? Who would let a cat-sized wildcat sleep anywhere but in a cage? I found cigarrette smoking in a far future high tech colony to be ridiculous and annoying, but accepting the author's right create her world her way I still wondered why the character smoked on around page 3 then never wanted another cigarette, never even thought about one, till around page 130. The book was just barely not bad enough to not finish, and had it been longer I doubt this would have been the case. I am encouraged by the suggestion of others here that Norman gets better with later books, but I am a little concerned about the readers who wrote rave reviews: I was afraid I had wasted $35 buying the whole series.
Rating:
Summary: The first of a good (but lengthy) series...
Review: Lisanne Norman's Sholan Alliance series is worthwhile. It is politically complex, intricately imagined in both physical and psychological detail, and full of compelling action. The catlike Sholans are not simply humans with fur, but neither are they so different that they require hugely different spheres of reference, which is a good thing in my opinion. That having been said, beware! This series seems to be interminable, having already run to six more fairly thick novels (at least 600 pages), with more in the works. This is a saga of titanic political and religious forces and their impact on a small cast of characters who play a starring role in forming the history of billions. Turning Point is by far the shortest entry, but consequently is a very quick and fun read. It introduces Carrie, a young Human woman on Keiss, an Earth colony planet newly overrun by Valtegans, lizardlike alien oppressors. She forms a telepathic bond with Kusac, a Sholan male who crashlands on the colony while seeking out the Valtegans, who have destroyed two of his species' planets. The delicate relationship between Carrie and Kusac is handled with imagination for the real species differences and miscommunications; the characters are not static figures. Because this short entry ends leaving you wanting more, I recommend having the next volume, "Fortune's Wheel," close to hand. I have tremendously enjoy these books. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: The beginning of a series you never want to see ended!
Review: Superbly written! It was everything I wanted from a science fiction book and more! Norman
brings the characters together in such a way
that they become a part of you forever. At the
same time two races are brought together and
forced to examine the pros and cons of their
cultural behavior. Stunning!
Rating:
Summary: Invigorating and keeps you guessing
Review: The book was exelent. It kept me in suppence and was sexual
all in one. The author kept a good pace and let you get to know'
each charater. I hope to hear about a thrird book in the series soon
and cant wait to see what happens with the leksha children!!
Rating:
Summary: Not exactly SF, but not as bad as some may say
Review: The summary of the book provided by Amazon is accurate enough, so I needn't rehash what has already been given. Let me voice my opinion, then. Turning Point is not exactly what I would call science fiction. The setting of the story reminds me more of the early 1900s, with a light smattering of SF here and there to make the existence of the marooned Sholans on the planet a bit more believable. It may be more appropriate if the Reader instead considers this book to be a young adult romance, a study into how two very different-looking species might discover something within each other that is beautiful, and some of the consequences this discovery holds. I'll go so far as to say (with full respect to the Author) that Mrs. Norman's foundation of technical knowledge (for this particular novel) is skimpy at best, though her crafting of the Sholan culture is quite good, and is probably more thorough in the sequel. Her work on the cartoonishly evil Valtegans could use a bit more polishing and development, for when I was reading some of the action scenes involving the Valtegans I saw images of Storm Troopers in white ceramic armor instead of reptillian warriors, blasting away at the good guys with their energy weapons. "There they are! Blast 'em!" In conclusion: if you are looking for high SF or hard-core technology...keep looking. But if you're a young adult and not constrained by a requirement for gizmology, then this book may be an enjoyable read. Did I enjoy the book? As a science fiction novel, no. As a romance, no. I'm an engineer, so it's almost a natural law that I despise that particular genre. But as a quick read in my spare time while the supercomputer chewed away on a simulation, yes, I did. Robert Oswell
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