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Summary: Still one of my favorite all-time novels.
Review: Clearly, this book has made an impact! I passed it on to everyone I knew, and they passed it on, and so on. Years later I found an old, dog-eared copy in a used bookstore and read it again. It still holds up beautifully, and I'm still passing it on to my friends and relatives. I recommend this book to anyone looking for intelligent fantasy/sf....
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Summary: I guess I am not the only one!
Review: I just happened to take a peak at the used/rare book section on this website mainly to see how the hunt for Ariel was fairing. Obviously, there seems to be a theme with this book and its readers. I honestly felt like I was the only person to have read this book. I, too, lent my copy to a friend who lost it, and finally after many used book store searches found a lonely copy for a dollar. I gave the owner a 20 and told him to keep the change. I couldn't believe I had found it. It is amazing that this book has such a cult following. I am so excited to read these reviews. If Boyett ever happens upon this web site and reads this praise, and can imagine he would be extremely flattered. It's been probably 10-12 years since I have read it, and now I am inspired to go back. I have always considered this to one of the best (and most emotion producing) books I've ever read. I am extremely happy that the book didn't go unnoticed.
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Summary: Stays in your mind forever!
Review: What I have felt for over ten years is evidently shared by many others who have read this book. It just doesn't fade from your memory like so many other books. Like other reviewers here I read this early in my Fantasy induction days. I checked it out of my local library while I was in High School well over 10 times. Also like others here I have been searching for it ever since. It has been about 12-15 years since the last time I read it, and still I remember so much of it so clearly. In my opinion this alone marks Ariel as a trully remarkable book. Add to that that it is the most enjoyable storyline I have ever encountered.
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Summary: One of the greatest influences in my life
Review: When I first read this book in 1986 I was younger than the main character. I can vividly remember reading the last two chapters with tears bluring my vision and my chest tighting with sadness. Never before and never since have I read a book which so completly devours the reader, dragging them into the world created by the author. The greatest reason for this, in my opinion is that you the reader suddenly find that you care for the characters in the book. Not just care for them, but love them. This book should never have stopped being published, it should be on the "To read" list of everyone, not just those that love fantasy. If you can read this book and not have strong feelings by the end, then you know that you have lost your sense of empathy. Plain and simply put, this is the best book in the last 200 years.
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Summary: A book that should never have gone out of print
Review: It's hard to imagine how Ariel could ever have gone out of print, when it has so many loyal fans. After reading the book for the first time when it came out in 1986, I passed it on to my two oldest sons, 15 and 13 at the time. I wanted to see if they loved it as much as I did. They read it, were completely blown away by it, and we discussed the book for weeks. Their sister, 19 that year, also read it and loved it. Recently she's started haunting used book sources for copies of it to give to her brothers so they can read it again. I hear similar stories from others who remember the book and are looking everywhere for it, or are hoarding their own copies. I've seen prices as high as $35 on a good-condition paperback edition. Ace (the book's publisher) should think about all the money they could have made if these people had been able to buy new copies, thereby putting much-deserved royalties in Mr. Boyett's bank account.By the way, he wrote that book, I'm told by a reliable source, when he was 19 years old. I've read short stories he's published in Asimov's and Fantasy & Science Fiction since then, and if you think he was a great writer then, you should read him now!
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Summary: Your fantasy collection isn't complete without Ariel
Review: I first encountered Ariel through a friend who got it at a used book store. He picked it up at random and bought it for a buck fifty. He read it and loved it and then lent it to me. To quote another great fantasy book... "Who can know when their life is about to change? Who can sense revelation in the wind?" This book became my favorite. I read it earnestly and repeatedly until I had to give it back. The book was circulated among everyone in my circle of friends and we all aree it's one of the best fantasy books around. I had first read it in 1988 and could not find my own copy until another friend found three in various bookstores in Austin, TX in 1997. This book is well worth the time it takes to hunt it down. The story revolves around the life of a young man, Pete Garey, who's life takes place after the change, where the laws of physics have been altered to where technology no longer functions and magic is standard. Pete befriends a young unicorn and the two share adventure and love in a hard post-apocalyptic world. There are several well-written characters and Boyett breathes new and more realistic life into dragons, griffins and unicorns. This book is a must for fantasy gamers, readers and live-action role players (such as sca-ers and amtgarders).
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Summary: Do you remember the first time?
Review: I remember the lump in my throat when I first finished it. Being in High School(senior) and reading the book on a dare from my older sister. I remember my sister daring me not to cry that she would make fun of me if I did. When I finished my book I just ached, my throat tightened and I swore I wanted to stay "NEW". Now being married and looking into the beautiful eyes of my child. I would love if he could experience this book when he is older but I can't find it anywhere! This book is so special to me. Being raised in a difficult city when being 23 and still a virgin is a miracle in itself. If it wasn't for this book who knows what could have happened. I never thought I would owe it all to a book other than a bible but it raised my hopes. Funny isn't it?
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Summary: A great fantasy novel.
Review: I agreee with most of the other reviewers who have posted here. 'Ariel' is a wonderful book. I stopped reading alot of fantasy in the early '90s when Eddings, Jordan, Dragonlance et al took over. Most of the newer stuff is pure kack, and unreadable. Books like 'Ariel' helped make my own personal 'golden age of SF' special. I want to tell you all about two other books I find very similar. (Sadly also out of print) Try 'World Enough and Time' and 'Time's Dark Laughter', both by James Kahn. These books take place in California long after the fall of civilization. Fantasy creatures, such as vampires, centaurs and dragons, (yeah, unicorns too.) share the earth with man, although they are products of genetic engineering, rather than magic. In spite of the technological rationale, the books have the feel of true epic fantasy. The scene in 'World Enough...' where the heroes fight a dragon seems to have been the direct inspiration for a similar scene in 'Ariel' which was published 6 years later. Trust me... If you love 'Ariel', you are sure to love James Kahn's books too. I recommend you find copies right away.
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Summary: The absolute best book, Named my daughter after It.
Review: Well I have finnally found a copy of Ariel again in a Rare Book Store. Cost me a buck plus my trade in. It only took me 15 years or so. Anyway anyone that has not read this needs to.
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Summary: Wonderful Urban Fantasy!
Review: This book was fascinating! I think I was a bit too young the first time I read it, so I pulled it out of my paperback storage pile the other day and gave it a read again... it stands the test of time. I am glad I never got rid of my copy of Ariel :)
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