Rating: 
Summary: Good, readable sequel
Review: A good follow-up to 'The Color of Distance', although not as strong. There were more noticeable plot elements that were hard to buy. One thing I found particularly unbelievable was the character of Bruce. In the first book, he is portrayed as a caring, understanding and giving person who doesn't judge the Tendu on human values. In this book his character does a complete 180. He's a selfish, close-minded, bigoted jerk. This Jekyll and Hyde personality was distracting and has hard for me to swallow. I felt like smacking the character on the head. I guess this change was required for plot. The implications of Tendus' ability to heal and extend lifetime on human society was touched on by the author, however, I think the impact of the Tendu was downplayed much more than would be the case. Overall, this book makes a good follow-up and worthy of a read. Several plot lines remain open for a possible continuation.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining; Though Imperfect
Review: Although I enjoyed this book and found it an entertaining read there were aspects of Amy Thomson's style that I did not care much for: (ie. redundency... "So do I," she said. "So do I," etc. was used far too many times.) The plot was rather rushed, but if you like fast-moving books, you should really enjoy this one.
Rating: 
Summary: A fine follow-up!
Review: Amy's writing gets even better as she moves along with this second story of Juna Saari. I actually enjoyed this second volume more in some ways than the first, although both are excellent. Amy continues to explore the differences and similaries between the Tendu and humans in a thoughtful and touching manner. For those reviewers below who felt otherwise, I say: "Hey, folks, lighten up." Everybody has differences in the types of works they enjoy reading, and I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed "Through Alien Eyes."
Rating:
Summary: A fine follow-up!
Review: Amy's writing gets even better as she moves along with this second story of Juna Saari. I actually enjoyed this second volume more in some ways than the first, although both are excellent. Amy continues to explore the differences and similaries between the Tendu and humans in a thoughtful and touching manner. For those reviewers below who felt otherwise, I say: "Hey, folks, lighten up." Everybody has differences in the types of works they enjoy reading, and I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed "Through Alien Eyes."
Rating: 
Summary: Through Alien Prose
Review: I could barely get myself to finish reading this book, it had so little forward momentum. There are good ideas, but the writing, plot, and pace are so lifeless that I found myself hoping it would end. The book is as much about the relatively uninteresting human protagonist and her family as it is about the much more interesting aliens. Many of the events in the story are recounted with so little dramatic verve as to sound like an article written for a newspaper account rather than a novel.
Rating:
Summary: Through Alien Prose
Review: I could barely get myself to finish reading this book, it had so little forward momentum. There are good ideas, but the writing, plot, and pace are so lifeless that I found myself hoping it would end. The book is as much about the relatively uninteresting human protagonist and her family as it is about the much more interesting aliens. Many of the events in the story are recounted with so little dramatic verve as to sound like an article written for a newspaper account rather than a novel.
Rating:
Summary: Great ideas, poor execution
Review: I enjoyed The Color of Distance but found it shallow. Unfortunately Through Alien Eyes was even worse - the reader is told, not shown, what the characters are thinking and feeling; characters discuss in (excessive) depth the meaning of honor and truth, yet a few pages later do not exhibit either characteristic; and the biological abilities of the Tendu seem inconsistent. There are positive aspects to this work - the reaction of the "general public" is well crafted; the Tendu are fully realized as characters; and the general outline of the book is well thought out. Unfortunately the execution leaves quite a bit to be desired.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointing sequel
Review: There's nothing worse than a bad followup to an excellent book. Unfortunately, this qualifies. The storyline is all over the place, no real focus. The author seems confused about what she is trying to show us. Is it the alien culture? The future Earth culture? The alien's reaction to humans? All three seem to be touched upon in this book, but none of them are detailed well enough to be enjoyed. Based on the content of the book, there's no question that there will be another book to follow. I can only hope that it will rise to the standards set by the first. In looking at the pair of books, it seems clear (to me) where the problem lay. The first book details a woman coming from a future Earth society who is stranded on an alien planet. Wonderful idea until you have to bring the aliens back to an Earth that the reader knows nothing about. Suddenly you have two focuses, the new Earth and the alien's reaction to humans. Sound familiar? Robert Heinlein did it best in "Stranger in a Strange Land". Anyone reading this book cannot help but compare the two and find "Through Alien Eyes" lacking. Hopefully, in the next book, the focus will shift away from this challenging subject and Ms. Thomson can dazzle us again in a realm more appropriate to her skills.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointing sequel
Review: There's nothing worse than a bad followup to an excellent book. Unfortunately, this qualifies. The storyline is all over the place, no real focus. The author seems confused about what she is trying to show us. Is it the alien culture? The future Earth culture? The alien's reaction to humans? All three seem to be touched upon in this book, but none of them are detailed well enough to be enjoyed. Based on the content of the book, there's no question that there will be another book to follow. I can only hope that it will rise to the standards set by the first. In looking at the pair of books, it seems clear (to me) where the problem lay. The first book details a woman coming from a future Earth society who is stranded on an alien planet. Wonderful idea until you have to bring the aliens back to an Earth that the reader knows nothing about. Suddenly you have two focuses, the new Earth and the alien's reaction to humans. Sound familiar? Robert Heinlein did it best in "Stranger in a Strange Land". Anyone reading this book cannot help but compare the two and find "Through Alien Eyes" lacking. Hopefully, in the next book, the focus will shift away from this challenging subject and Ms. Thomson can dazzle us again in a realm more appropriate to her skills.
Rating: 
Summary: Predictable portrayal of Earth's future.
Review: This is a disappointing sequel to Amy Thomson's novel "The Color of Distance". "Color" was the story of a human abandoned on an another planet who was forced to understand an alien lifestyle. This story is the reverse - aliens are taken to Earth and struggle to understand the mysterious ways of humans. The great appeal of "Color" was Thomason's wonderfully imaginative creation of a new world and a very different species with a unique culture. This novel lacks that originality. Thomason offers nothing new in her rendition of a futuristic Earth- environmental destruction, political divisions, xenophobia. Added to this, there isn't much plot. I managed to slog through this book, but I wouldn't recommend it.
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