Rating: 
Summary: An amazingly thought out setting
Review: Reading this story is more then just enjoying a good plot, though by all means you can. It's also a facinating look into "humanity" and cultural diverity. The setting is so rich that I hope the author does more books here, with or without the same characters. You can just sit back and enjoy the tapestry of the world. And, of course, this is wrapped around a truely first class plot. If I had any issues at all, it would be that then end went a little too fast, but that's easy to forgive. The main character is a facinating study in architypes, and you feel caught up in what is happening from page one.
Rating:
Summary: Enchanting
Review: This had a element that alot of scifi's been missing. Wonder, and bizarreness. Now, don't get me wrong, but the best part of scifi was the detachment of reality. This could be a very real situation, but it's farfetched. Unlike Military S/F, it focused on charachterization. The story is this. The main character 1, Jamisa, has 'voices' in her head and memory blocks. When the space habitat that she lives in is attacked by a rival company, she goes to the Up-And-Out, a network of stations linked by the ainniq. Guided by a series of programs called 'Dreamscapes' she eventually learns what and who she is. The other main character, Masada, is a computer security person who has been hired to track a virus that's killing pilots and endangering the ainniq. The ending will come as a surprise!
Rating:
Summary: What a great book!
Review: Oh, from almost the first paragraph, i was captured by the strings of my imagination and held tightly. I never knew what would happen next, i couldn't forsee a way out of some of the (seemingly) no-solution problems. This is a swashbuckler of a book, couched within good old fashioned scifi parameters. The many seemingly disparate subplots (who could guess the multiple personalities thing would unfold as it did .. it seemed so distracting through much of this book to be *so* important at the climax!), all fell into a seamless whole at the end producing a complex, well-written, totally enjoyable wild ride of a novel.
Rating:
Summary: This Alien Shore
Review: I was very afraid that I had outlived all the Sci-Fi writers. This book that I have almost completed, reminds me of Asimov, Doc Smith and a dozen other writers of my time frame. Excellent, I have been totally engrossed in the story. The characters and the intelligence displayed by them, through the writer, are beyond compare in my estimation. Gene Eide
Rating:
Summary: Great new world
Review: This book was amazing. It is on the sci fi side of things, but it moves fast, focuses on character development, and never gets too tech. THe only fan who wont like this book is someone who wants it to be "just like the old ones". This book griped me in the beginning, and didnt let go till the end. I was left somewhat unfufilled at the ending,.. things were tied up,.. but The caracters didn't make the choices I wanted.. so I was a bit irked, but it was not predictable. And best yet, it has a wonderfull Whelan cover.
Rating:
Summary: Alpha Ralpha Boulevard Returns to Life
Review: In her latest, Friedman riffs on the familiar "young woman in peril" plot that Cordwainer Smith (whose universe she borrows from) loved so well, and does something fresh with ti.Using multiple points of view (and a heroine with multiple personalities), the author creates a satisfying cyberpunk-space saga with a whodunnit plot and colorful characters that manages to tie up the loose ends, but definitely leaves you hoping for a sequel. Pass it by at your peril.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: I really loved this book! The characters and concepts are all very interesting, especially the Gueran kajas. I'd love a sequel...I want to see how Jamisia and the Others fare!
Rating: 
Summary: What HAPPENED?
Review: I LOVED C.S. Friedman's earlier books i.e. the wonderful scifi/fantasy Coldfire Trilogy. So I found this one pretty disappointing as it was just pure SciFi, but I guess that's unfair, it's probably only meant for that especiall genre's readers. I kept waiting for a Tarrant-like character to pop up, but I guess he was too original, for the characters were way different. Even though I was HEARTILY disappointed, I realize that to some this is probably a really great book since it's packed with fascinating and believable technology and a fast-paced plot. Still, the main character, Jamisia, fell short of the reader's expectations, because there are so many possibilites for a multi-personality character, and almost NONE of them are realized. I found Masad, the Geuran expert on Net viruses, the most fascinating character in the book, and it was he that kept me going. Sadly, he doesn't have many scenes. Anyway, I hope Friedman will go back to semiFantasy, or atleast put more human involvement into the story. Read it anyway.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as her others
Review: I picked this one up based on my enjoyment of her previous novels, especially the Coldfire Trilogy. But the nail in the coffin of this one was when she referred to DNA as containing amino acids. Any sort of suspension of disbelief was blown then and there. I was already skeptical of the whole premise, and after that I just couldn't finish the book.
Rating:
Summary: An exciting book that will keep you engaged
Review: This Alien Shore is a story about humanity. Who are we and what makes us human? The theme has been explored by a host of S.F. writers. Friedman's novel has some elements that very closely parallel themes in "Dune", for instance. The book is, however, no simple retreading of roads well-worn. Friedman creates an exciting plot and a gripping backdrop for her work. She engages the reader as well as anyone in this or any other genre. The motives and actions of the characters are realistic. In some ways, the main character, who is immensely interesting, is the most disappointing. The potential was so great that I would have like to have seen the character take a bit more control of the action. This is a relatively minor point in book that ranks in the excellent range.
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