The Veiled Web

Rating:
Summary: Can't compare with her Skolian series
Review: Fearing that she was becoming too immersed in her dancing, Lucia del Mar's parents introduced her to computers and, by extension, to the world of the Internet. Now the net has become a necessary outlet in her regimented life, and she follows its developments closely. When she meets a handsome Moroccan businessman at a White House reception, and realizes that he is the creator of a remarkable new technology, she is intrigued and attracted, but nothing prepares her for the storm of intrigue that rips her away from her world and throws her into his, bringing her virtually face-to-face with a technological advance so important that there are people willing to kill for it.

Cyberspace, virtual reality and artificial intelligence are all hot items in the Science Fiction community right now. As the world moves deeper and deeper into the information age, the questions posed by Asaro and other authors become more pertinent: What are the limits of cyberspace? What is reality? Can a machine be self-aware? And how does humanity fit into this brave new world? Neal Stephenson and William Gibson are exploring this territory with a good deal of vigor and inventiveness, in dense, quirky narratives which push the limits of reader as well as writer. In that company, Asaro is something of a lightweight. Even Zaki, the computer which, or perhaps more properly, who seems even more self-aware in many ways than his creator, pales by comparison to Mike from Robert Heinlein's great 1966 novel The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Ultimately Veiled Web is an uneven mix of science fiction and romance. Asaro has all the credentials, and her previous titles have been well-received in the SF community so I can only assume that the problem lies with the subject matter, that the sub-genre that's come to be known as "Cyber Punk" is simply not one which mixes well with other genres.

Because Asaro is a good, competent writer, this is especially unfortunate. She knows how to tell a story, but it seems that her story works against her here. Her hero is ostensibly Rashid al-Jazari, but in fact, the real hero of the book appears to be the computer, Zaki, who is far more interesting, likeable and appealingly vulnerable than his maker. Because of that, and because of the romance between Rashid and Lucia, Zaki's fate is pretty much a given, and both storylines are shortchanged. I don't honestly know if anyone is capable of doing a much better job balancing such disparate elements, and I give Asaro points for trying. She has a real feel for the culture of the Internet and writes with authority about computers and dance. The only weakness I can find here is that her characterization is not as deft as it could be, and that does contribute to the unevenness of the narrative.

If you're a fan of Cyber Punk, don't bother with this one, but if you're looking for a romance with some good, solid science fiction elements, then give this a try.

Rating:
Summary: More for romance readers than science fiction fans
Review: Fearing that she was becoming too immersed in her dancing, Lucia del Mar's parents introduced her to computers and, by extension, to the world of the Internet. Now the net has become a necessary outlet in her regimented life, and she follows its developments closely. When she meets a handsome Moroccan businessman at a White House reception, and realizes that he is the creator of a remarkable new technology, she is intrigued and attracted, but nothing prepares her for the storm of intrigue that rips her away from her world and throws her into his, bringing her virtually face-to-face with a technological advance so important that there are people willing to kill for it.

Cyberspace, virtual reality and artificial intelligence are all hot items in the Science Fiction community right now. As the world moves deeper and deeper into the information age, the questions posed by Asaro and other authors become more pertinent: What are the limits of cyberspace? What is reality? Can a machine be self-aware? And how does humanity fit into this brave new world? Neal Stephenson and William Gibson are exploring this territory with a good deal of vigor and inventiveness, in dense, quirky narratives which push the limits of reader as well as writer. In that company, Asaro is something of a lightweight. Even Zaki, the computer which, or perhaps more properly, who seems even more self-aware in many ways than his creator, pales by comparison to Mike from Robert Heinlein's great 1966 novel The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Ultimately Veiled Web is an uneven mix of science fiction and romance. Asaro has all the credentials, and her previous titles have been well-received in the SF community so I can only assume that the problem lies with the subject matter, that the sub-genre that's come to be known as "Cyber Punk" is simply not one which mixes well with other genres.

Because Asaro is a good, competent writer, this is especially unfortunate. She knows how to tell a story, but it seems that her story works against her here. Her hero is ostensibly Rashid al-Jazari, but in fact, the real hero of the book appears to be the computer, Zaki, who is far more interesting, likeable and appealingly vulnerable than his maker. Because of that, and because of the romance between Rashid and Lucia, Zaki's fate is pretty much a given, and both storylines are shortchanged. I don't honestly know if anyone is capable of doing a much better job balancing such disparate elements, and I give Asaro points for trying. She has a real feel for the culture of the Internet and writes with authority about computers and dance. The only weakness I can find here is that her characterization is not as deft as it could be, and that does contribute to the unevenness of the narrative.

If you're a fan of Cyber Punk, don't bother with this one, but if you're looking for a romance with some good, solid science fiction elements, then give this a try.

Rating:
Summary: VEILED WEB: the best of science fiction & romantic suspense
Review: Finally read VEILED WEB and it's just wonderful. The author did an incredible job showing the two religious and cultural heritages of Lucia and Rashid and then setting them in modern society, trying to respect and understand one another's views. I especially liked Zaki, the AI - his transformation from (dare I say it?) spoilt egocentric child to an entity with a conscience and world view was a lot of fun to read. He is charming in his vulnerabilities, rather than weak and despicable - truly an achievement! I would highly recommend this as a look at a culture clash and how determination can overcome bias. The author deals with a lot of concerns such as "how do we know if a machine has a soul" in a sensitive and forthright manner without bogging down in technospeak.

Rating:
Summary: I liked it!
Review: I enjoyed this story. I normally read books in the romance, sf and fantasy genres. This book covered 2 out of 3, and well done, too. It was fast-paced, interesting, romantic. The woman's relationship with the AI computer/person more than made up for for the fact that the main characters weren't always together. I also very much enjoyed the interfaith relationship - something few romances cover. The author somehow managed to make it interesting and a serious concern without dragging the story down. I enjoyed learning a bit about the Muslim faith away from the propaganda and extremists we see on the news.

Rating:
Summary: an enormous disappointment
Review: I have all of the Skolian books, which I really enjoy but this book is going straight in the trash. I am also a big fan of romances and this is one of the most stilted, uninvolving stories I've read in a long time. The artificial intelligence part was really trite.

Rating:
Summary: A stunning, intelligent, wonderful novel!
Review: I will be the first one to admit that I am a newbie to SciFi.I had heard much about Asaro's Quantum Rose ......................and then I picked up this story of love, terrorism, and Internet intrigue. Ballerina Lucia del Mar spends her time dancing or surfing the web. When she performs at the White House, she meets handsome businessman Rashid al-Jazari, who is working out the kinks on a brand new web technology. They are thrown together during a second meeting and Lucia finds herself married to this mysterious man. Alone with his Muslim family, Lucia must not only navigate the politics of her in-laws, but also figure out just what is going on, and which side her new husband is on.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing setting, great plot, wonderful characters
Review: I will be the first one to admit that I am a newbie to SciFi.I had heard much about Asaro's Quantum Rose ......................and then I picked up this story of love, terrorism, and Internet intrigue. Ballerina Lucia del Mar spends her time dancing or surfing the web. When she performs at the White House, she meets handsome businessman Rashid al-Jazari, who is working out the kinks on a brand new web technology. They are thrown together during a second meeting and Lucia finds herself married to this mysterious man. Alone with his Muslim family, Lucia must not only navigate the politics of her in-laws, but also figure out just what is going on, and which side her new husband is on.

Rating:
Summary: This author shines
Review: In 2010, ballerina Lucia Del Mar lives to dance. Surprisingly, dancing and her zeal for the Internet are the two prime means of communication for the very shy Lucia. After performing at a White House reception, Lucia meets Rashid al-Jazari, the inventor of Websparks, a special browser that literally talks with its owner. Rashid and Lucia are attracted to each another.

However, Rashid has created Zaki, an Artificial Intelligence that his enemies want. They see Lucia as a potential weakness to attack the brilliant inventor. To keep her safe, Rashid marries Lucia and hides her behind the veil of his native land of Morocco. However, Rashid's foes remain dangerous to the newlyweds, as nothing will stop them from stealing the AI. Meanwhile, Rashid and Lucia fall in love, but their radically different religious beliefs make a long-term relationship seem doubtful. There is also the problem that the western Lucia feels more like a prisoner than she does a wife in Rashid's home.

THE VEILED WEB is an interesting tale that focuses on where information technology will be at the end of the next decade. Thinking back over the gains of the last decade, readers will realize just how difficult it was o create advances in technology that the reader would believe. However, Catherine Asaro shows she is a fabulous speculative fiction writer as she describes a future technology that appears very real. The story line is entertaining and the lead characters are a warm romantic couple. However, Zaki and his not so intelligent "siblings" will leave the audience speculating into the future and ultimately looking back in 2010 to compare with Ms. Asaro's 1999 speculations.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: A complicated romance
Review: In the end, this is a romance. A rather haunting one that had me thinking a lot about Islam and religious differences today. To me the mystery of the AI computer was a subplot. It was developed enough for the intrique, and it was credible, but the book was about two people from very different cultures who want to be together and have a difficult time trying to make it work.

I think this is more of what Catherine Asaro wants to write about today. Low on the sci-fi, high on the romance. She is a good romance writer so maybe this is better for her. I must admit that I still miss the Skolians. I love those strong, tough, 40-year plus old women who know what they want and go for it. The Veiled Web is not about these women, but it is still good read.

Rating:
Summary: A complicated romance
Review: In the end, this is a romance. A rather haunting one that had me thinking a lot about Islam and religious differences today. To me the mystery of the AI computer was a subplot. It was developed enough for the intrique, and it was credible, but the book was about two people from very different cultures who want to be together and have a difficult time trying to make it work.

I think this is more of what Catherine Asaro wants to write about today. Low on the sci-fi, high on the romance. She is a good romance writer so maybe this is better for her. I must admit that I still miss the Skolians. I love those strong, tough, 40-year plus old women who know what they want and go for it. The Veiled Web is not about these women, but it is still good read.