Rating: 
Summary: OldSciFiDog
Review: I first encountered Ms Jane Lindskold in a short story included in Worlds of Honor, by David Weber, and was impressed enough to purchase Changer. This work I would classify as fantasy as there is very little hard science in it. This is NOT a liability, even though I normally prefer hard SF. I would certainly class this tale with any that Larry Niven has done with his fantasy magic series. I classify Niven as one of the current masters - his predecessors no longer living or writing - just kidding Larry.I normally do not give authors 5 stars, but in this case I could not find anything wrong. The characters are well established, consistent, interesting, and the tale moves seamlessly. The story introduces us to the Athanor, an immortal species co-existing with us in contemporary time. The central figure, "The Changer" gives us an interesting character, whose value system is quite unique. Being a shapeshifter who prefers animal shapes and there relationships, causes friction with normal human values and relationships (sorry folks this is as close to one of the plot lines you will get from me). The premise of the story is intriguing and the flow of story lines and characters kept me turning the pages (I polished off the 499 pages in a weekend - I was hooked). Being older than dirt (according to the grand children) and apparently outliving the Science Fiction masters of my age, I am continually searching for good authors who will be replacing them. I feel extremely fortunate in finding Ms Lindskold and being able to add her to my list. I look forward to more of her work (maybe some hard SF?). This tale needs to be read as well as this author.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, Original Fantasy
Review: I read a lot of fantasy and I am a particular fan of urban fantasy. Jane Lindskold cleverly blends all sorts of myths into the modern world. This book is right up there with the best of Charles DeLint!
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put it Down!
Review: I'm an avid reader of all kinds of Fantasy books but I usually just rip through them so quickly. 'Changer' was different and that's good. I was so fascinated by the story and the characters that I took my time to absorb every minute detail. A wonderful book. I look forward to reading more of this author's creations!
Rating:
Summary: Really excellent.
Review: Marvellous - sheer magic - enthralling. Elegantly and cleverly written, original, well thought out. The characters were consistent throughout, no random changes to aid the plot, which was clever and interesting. Characters had believable motives, reactions, etc. "Changer" inspired me to find out about these mythicial characters - Anansi, Morrigan, Gilgamesh and them all. Fascinating stuff! Anansi particularly so, tho' this may be a reflection of my liking for Anson, who I think is the best character: I wish there had been more of him! Definitely worth the read. Gripping and thought provoking. Jane Lindskold engages the reader's attention from the beginning, and the emotions shortly thereafter.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: My honors class read Changer, and it was fabulous! Jane Lindskold actually came to our class. I was very critical of the book because I liked it so much, but she had answers for all of my concerns! If you can get your hands on it, read Changer and the sequel NOW!!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Modern Fantasy
Review: The coyote Changer returns from the hunt one evening to find his mate and pups killed by ranchers. But Changer is no ordinary coyote; he is one of the immortal anathor and a shape-shifter. Enraged, he takes human form to seek his vengeance. The trail quickly points to another of the anathor, and so he goes to Arthur Pendragon to register his vendetta. Arthur is the king of the Accord, a government of sorts for the eclectic mix of immortals that make up the anathor: shape-shifters, sorcerers, animals and mythic creatures such as yeti and fauns.
Joining forces, Changer and members of Arthur's court find that the murder of the coyotes is just one facet of a much larger plot. Changer tries to protect his one remaining coyote pup while digging further into the mystery of who instigated the slaughter of his family. In the meantime, Arthur and his court are beset with their own share of difficulties, including pranksters, assassins, human reporters, and political turmoil. The hidden anathor, the ones that cannot pass for human, are increasingly agitating for the existence of the anathor to become public so that they can live in the open. The threads of trouble are woven together deftly; saving the Accord will stretch Changer, Arthur and the others to the limits of their abilities.
The idea that ancient gods, legends and myths were all sourced from individual immortals is interesting and author Jane Linskold does a good job of tying together similar archetypes from several different cultures. Her various incarnations of Arthur Pendragon, the hero king, include King Arthur, Frey of Norse legend, the pharaoh Akhenaton, and Gilgamesh. Linkskold also manages to inject humor into the mix, imagine sasquatches and satyrs chatting over the Internet or the idea that Elvis was also Dionysus.
I liked this book a lot. The plot grabbed me immediately and the characters are interesting and complex. Even though the characters are immortal, they are by no means portrayed as perfect which makes them easier to identify with. It was easy to cheer on the good guys in their defense of the Accord. But it was also nice that not everything dealt with in terms of pure black and white. There are several shades-of-grey issues dealt with in the book including the needs of the hidden ones and whether or not the anathor should interfere in various current problems such as the destruction of the rain forests.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Modern Fantasy
Review: The coyote Changer returns from the hunt one evening to find his mate and pups killed by ranchers. But Changer is no ordinary coyote; he is one of the immortal anathor and a shape-shifter. Enraged, he takes human form to seek his vengeance. The trail quickly points to another of the anathor, and so he goes to Arthur Pendragon to register his vendetta. Arthur is the king of the Accord, a government of sorts for the eclectic mix of immortals that make up the anathor: shape-shifters, sorcerers, animals and mythic creatures such as yeti and fauns. Joining forces, Changer and members of Arthur's court find that the murder of the coyotes is just one facet of a much larger plot. Changer tries to protect his one remaining coyote pup while digging further into the mystery of who instigated the slaughter of his family. In the meantime, Arthur and his court are beset with their own share of difficulties, including pranksters, assassins, human reporters, and political turmoil. The hidden anathor, the ones that cannot pass for human, are increasingly agitating for the existence of the anathor to become public so that they can live in the open. The threads of trouble are woven together deftly; saving the Accord will stretch Changer, Arthur and the others to the limits of their abilities. The idea that ancient gods, legends and myths were all sourced from individual immortals is interesting and author Jane Linskold does a good job of tying together similar archetypes from several different cultures. Her various incarnations of Arthur Pendragon, the hero king, include King Arthur, Frey of Norse legend, the pharaoh Akhenaton, and Gilgamesh. Linkskold also manages to inject humor into the mix, imagine sasquatches and satyrs chatting over the Internet or the idea that Elvis was also Dionysus. I liked this book a lot. The plot grabbed me immediately and the characters are interesting and complex. Even though the characters are immortal, they are by no means portrayed as perfect which makes them easier to identify with. It was easy to cheer on the good guys in their defense of the Accord. But it was also nice that not everything dealt with in terms of pure black and white. There are several shades-of-grey issues dealt with in the book including the needs of the hidden ones and whether or not the anathor should interfere in various current problems such as the destruction of the rain forests.
Rating: 
Summary: Great read
Review: The only thing that keeps this book from being 5* for me is that the author writes in the present tense. That bugs me a lot! But, the characters are excellent, and I read this and Legends Walking back to back. I love the plot, and I look forward to seeing more...
Rating:
Summary: Should be made into a movie
Review: This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. The first of Jane's I've read, but I will be coming back for more definitely! The main character is so, so very interesting and I totally fell in love with him. Also, the fact that he is a shapeshifter is extremely interesting. His character completely comes to life, as do all the characters. I was so sad when this book ended, because I wanted it to go on and on forever. At first, before reading the book, I kind of thought it a bit silly that all the immortals (such as king arthur) were gathering in new mexico, but I'm very fascinated by shapeshifters, and something drew me to this book, so I thought I would check it out. Maybe that still is a somewhat silly concept in a way, but Jane pulled it off and made it completely believable. The whole story and theme is very unique and original, the characters all extremely interesting and glittering off the page... There was so much mood and visual beauty/potential to this story, that while reading it, I found myself hungering for a movie version, so I really do hope Jane will write a script for it, or work with someone talented enough to write a script for it while keeping it true to the book. I love movies as much as I love to read, and this would make one killer movie! Also, I really need more of these characters, so please Jane, write more sequels for it with the same characters such as changer, Amphritrite, the sea king, the head, and Louhi, and the changer's daughter of course, because I'd like to see what becomes of her. Those, I think, were some of my favorite characters, although really, they were all wonderful. The only thing I wasn't so sure I liked was the changer's daughter's name... it seemed kinda weird or ungraceful or something, but I'm sure I can get used to it. This is a terrific book! Buy it if you are reading this right now. A lot of others seem to like it also, so I don't really think you can go wrong.
Rating:
Summary: Fiction in peak form
Review: This novel and the sequel, Legends Walking, were among some of the best speculative fiction I have ever read. I am a huge literature snob, a book has to be well written as well as in possession of a compelling story line for me to even LIKE it. I loved this novel. The characters are well developed, interesting, and (if such a thing is possible when discussing Gods and mythic heros) realistic and naturally portrayed. (Please forgive any spelling errors, I was weaned on spell-checkers). The writing style is simple and elegant, and the weaving of myths from many cultures is done with style and grace. I highly recommend this novel, and the sequel, Legends Walking.
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