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Summary: The best book I have ever read
Review: Ariel touched me more deeply than any other book I can remember.Reading it for the first time when I was eleven, I was deeply affected by this emotional, beautiful story.Like many others, I lost my precious copy to a friend who moved away.This was thirteen years ago and I am still looking for another copy.I highly reccomend this book to anyone who is fortunate enough to find it.
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Summary: I loved the book and Ariel, I would love to read it again.
Review: I wish to read this book again if I could find it. I have been looking for it for the pass 12 years at garage sales and used book stores. If this goes to the publishers please bring the book back in print. The best book I have read in a very long time.
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Summary: Where has Steven Boyette gone?
Review: I loved this book so much and as several people have already commented, it did have a deep impact in my life. I searched for it for over 10 years after I loaned it to a class mate in school and she moved away (taking Ariel with her). I really want to know why Steven Boyette has not written another book like this one?
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Summary: more books from boyett, please!
Review: I first read _Ariel_ more than 10 years ago; I still have my copy today. essentially, it's an adolescent wish-fulfillment fantasy, and, as more than one reviewer has noted, the last chapters degenerate into a messy martial-arts/commando-strike extravaganza. On the other hand, you could say the same thing about 90% of all sci-fi or fantasy ever written -- and none of it stops _Ariel_ from being a really enjoyable read. In fact, _Ariel_ has obviously done more than entertain; judging from some of the reviews, it's actually touched quite a few people deeply. All of this is due, of course, to Boyett himself. Boyett seems to have a natural gift for storytelling, as well as a narrative voice that's very appealing (even if he pushes the smart-aleck button maybe a bit too often). All of this makes _Ariel_ an impressive first novel, and anyone who's read his second work, _The Architect of Sleep_, knows that Boyett has only gotten better with time. Sadly, Boyett hasn't had the chance to follow up on his promising start. At least to my knowledge, there haven't been any more "books of the change" (sequels to _Ariel_). And most readers are probably aware of how Boyett has been prevented by corporate stooges in the publishing world from finishing the _Architect_ trilogy (if you haven't heard this story, you should try tracking down Boyett's explanatory essay, "The Archetype of Slop," on the Web). It's Boyett's publishing problems I want to use as an excuse for a brief tirade against what appears to have happened to the sci-fi and fantasy genres over the last decade or so. Lately, science fiction and fantasy have become SO franchised -- so ruthlessly streamlined -- that anything different or original has a hard time standing out. If your book doesn't have exactly the right number of pages, the right plot formula, the ability to be exploited over 7 or 8 books, or the potential to create a video-game tie-in, good luck getting it published. The fact that authors like Robert Jordan, Mercedes Lackey, the Dragonlance authors, David Eddings, and others can churn out volume after volume of bland dreck (my apologies to their fans), all while people like Boyett, who are trying to do something different, struggle to get their stuff published, is very distressing. This isn't to say that there aren't good authors doing good work in the sci-fi/fantasy field. But they're fewer and fewer... and they're harder and harder to spot. That will continue to be the case as long as consumers go out to Waldenbooks and Barnes and Noble in droves and buy the pablum that the mass-marketed authors keep putting out. So do your bit to change things. Read _Ariel_ and enjoy. Then go on to read _The Architect of Sleep_ and enjoy even more. Then let's see if somebody can encourage Boyett to get those sequels out into the light of day
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Summary: I named my daughter after this book...
Review: This book touched me so much that I named my daughter Ariel after the Unicorn in this story:) I, thank goodness, have kept this book and am saving it for her to read. This was one of my first books of fantasy/sci-fi. And what a story to start off with!
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Summary: please give us another
Review: When I received this book as a gift I wasn't into Sci-Fi, but this book changed my mind and reading preference. I loaned it to a friend and it was never returned. I finally found another copy in a used book store and will not let this one out of my sight. I really recommend this book to all if you can find it.
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Summary: A book well worth reading for anyone of any age
Review: I first read this book the year it was published. I found it by chance on the shelf of a local bookstore. I was young as Peter was young when I read this book. It so affected me that I have never been able to forget the story. I visualized each part, each scene and can still today remember them vividly. It changed me much as Peter's adventure changed him...I'll never forget it.
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Summary: Only the most unforgettable book I've ever read.
Review: The first time I finished reading Ariel, I simply turned back to page one and began all over again. I needed to remain in the Changed World with the griffins and sorcerers and truly evil villains and the teenage virgin kung-fu master hero and his unicorn. I was young then, too, and it really didn't matter that the premise was preposterous, because the execution was inspired. I won't belabor the fact that I no longer have a copy of Ariel; suffice it to say that I'd give a lot to get ahold of another. And you know what? Some days, I'd still take my chances in the Changed World.
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Summary: Hooks you from start to finish!
Review: I'm an avid reader, and this book has to rank #1 atop my wish list for books to find again. I read my original copy into pieces, and would truly recommend it to anyone! Boyett is a fantatic writer who truly deserves more publication then he has had.
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Summary: A very believable story, if fantasy came to life.
Review: I borrowed this book when I was 12 years old from a schoolmate. I read it and fell in love with fantasy then and there. I spent the next 13 years of my life looking for a copy of it. The believability of the story line is amazing. If such a thing were to happen in real life, I think it would go just as Mr. Boyett has written. It shows the everyday inner struggle of innocence against outside forces, and our own inner selves. It brings our fears and dreams into a glaring vein that seems frightenly real. I suggest this highly imaginative book to all first time fantasy readers. I have found it worth the search, to own this book once more.
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