Rating: 
Summary: Excellent start to new series
Review: "Beholder's Eye" is one fantastic novel.Esen is an alien shapeshifter with a twist; her race shares memories quite literally, by eating of themselves. It's rather disgusting to contemplate, but that's what they do -- and they're used to it. Thing is, Esen wasn't expected. The rest of her race happened by fission; she happened through sexual experimentation with a different race, which might be why she's different than the others. Although all are female, she's younger, more nervous, more innocent, and much more childlike overall. During her first "assignment" elsewhere to pick up new information for her people (all six of them), Esen finds a human man in trouble. She liberates him, and gets him away; this causes immediate problems for him, but also opens up a world of possibilities. While they're getting to know each other in a sort of father-daughter way (she's much too young for him), a big, bad version of something similar to her own race happens by. They're doing bad things, for bad reasons; her own people aren't pleased. The rest of the novel basically shows what Esen and Paul try to do to keep the situation from escalating any further, while continuing to deepen their relationship. Very strong start to a new series. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: "Beholder's Eye" is a coming of age story of an immortal being, only a few hundred years old, who becomes an orphan in the course of a crisis which leaves her the sole defender of life in the universe. A friendship that spans the species barrier helps her cope with shocking discoveries about her own kind as they unfold. Along the way the reader is treated to a fascinating array of new species, characters and adventures. Enjoyed the book and will look for the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating adventure!
Review: After Ms. Czerneda's first book I wasn't sure what to expect from Beholder's Eye. The beginning and the premise took a while to get used to but by the third chapter I was so utterly engrossed with the story I finished the book in a day. Brilliant! It's easy to care about the characters, fascinating cultures abound and the story moves along at a good speed. I found this a very satisfying book and one that I'll remember for a long time - as well as it being equal to her first book in every way!
Rating:
Summary: Good story
Review: After reading _A Thousand Words for a Stranger_, I felt that Julie Czerneda could write a good story, but that wasn't it. _Beholder's Eye_ is that story. The author takes a flair for creating interesting alien races, and applies it to a story that flows very well, from beginning to end. You should add this book to your collection. I could say more, but I won't.
Rating:
Summary: Great new voice in speculative fiction. Don't miss this one!
Review: BEHOLDER'S EYE is a compelling story that zips along with interesting, likable, alien characters in desperate situations--what more could you want from SF? I'm glad to hear the novel will be followed by a sequel. I'd like to hang out with the characters some more.
Rating: 
Summary: Beholder's Eye
Review: Beholder's Eye is the first novel in the Web Shifters series. Esen-alit-Quar is the most recent member of the Web of Ersh and the only member who isn't a product of fissioning by Ersh; Esen is an offspring of Ansky and her Lanivarian lover and the only one of their cubs who can shift. For over five centuries, Ersh and the others have trained her to function as an observer of sentient life, but Esen has also persisted in pranks and escapades that always get her into trouble. But now Esen is finally ready for her first independent assignment. In this novel, Esen is taken to Kraos to observe the life and ecology on that planet. However, she spends weeks trying to work up the nerve to move among the population, first taking on the form of the sentient species and then cycling back to her Web form. After using most of the nearby living mass to energize the cycles, hunger forces her to shift into Lanivarian form and retain it. Pretending to be a native canine, she moves among the natives, eavesdropping, snooping and otherwise gathering the required information. After 600 days into the assignment, she discovers that a Commonwealth First Contact team has arrived on the planet and contacted the natives. Two commercial missions have already disappeared on Kraos and she has learned that the natives also intend to capture this new ship and kill its crew. Two members of the First Contact team are killed and the third, Paul Ragem, is captured along with Esen in her canine form, but Paul and Esen managed to escape from a dungeon and warn the ship of the hostility of the natives. Unfortunately, the First Contact team has a vid of Esen changing from her canine form to a Ycl to save Paul from a deadly fungus powder which was sprinkled on his body by the natives. Moreover, the stress of the interview with Senior Specialist and Acting Captain Lionel Kearn and Sas, the Modoren Security Officer, has caused her to explosively shift back to her Lanvarian form, causing minor damage to the personnel and fittings in Kearn's office. Esen is in big trouble with the Web for violating security. After reviewing the events of this chain of fiascoes, and literally chewing her out, Ersh sends her back to learn the extent of the damage caused by these exposures. This time she takes on the form of a Ket, a very humanoid species with great massage skills. This novel is mostly about the evolving relationship between Esen and Paul. In some respects, this novel is much like Heinlein's Star Beast from the point of view of the alien. Although centuries old and very knowledgeable, Esen is very young relative to her potential lifetime. All her forms are also young relative to the species (her human form is about ten years old). Thus, Esen sometimes seems very wise and other times incredibly foolish. This novel, however, has plenty of action and plots within plots. One of the minor themes in this novel, and the whole series, is the very irritating behavior of bureaucrats. Another may be the vagaries of architects, both in expanding existing structures and in deconstructing existing structures to build new ones. Recommended for Czerneda fans and anyone who enjoys tales of young aliens becoming friends with humans.
Rating:
Summary: A Rite of Passage
Review: Beholder's Eye is the first novel in the Web Shifters series. Esen-alit-Quar is the most recent member of the Web of Ersh and the only member who isn't a product of fissioning by Ersh; Esen is an offspring of Ansky and her Lanivarian lover and the only one of their cubs who can shift. For over five centuries, Ersh and the others have trained her to function as an observer of sentient life, but Esen has also persisted in pranks and escapades that always get her into trouble. But now Esen is finally ready for her first independent assignment. In this novel, Esen is taken to Kraos to observe the life and ecology on that planet. However, she spends weeks trying to work up the nerve to move among the population, first taking on the form of the sentient species and then cycling back to her Web form. After using most of the nearby living mass to energize the cycles, hunger forces her to shift into Lanivarian form and retain it. Pretending to be a native canine, she moves among the natives, eavesdropping, snooping and otherwise gathering the required information. After 600 days into the assignment, she discovers that a Commonwealth First Contact team has arrived on the planet and contacted the natives. Two commercial missions have already disappeared on Kraos and she has learned that the natives also intend to capture this new ship and kill its crew. Two members of the First Contact team are killed and the third, Paul Ragem, is captured along with Esen in her canine form, but Paul and Esen managed to escape from a dungeon and warn the ship of the hostility of the natives. Unfortunately, the First Contact team has a vid of Esen changing from her canine form to a Ycl to save Paul from a deadly fungus powder which was sprinkled on his body by the natives. Moreover, the stress of the interview with Senior Specialist and Acting Captain Lionel Kearn and Sas, the Modoren Security Officer, has caused her to explosively shift back to her Lanvarian form, causing minor damage to the personnel and fittings in Kearn's office. Esen is in big trouble with the Web for violating security. After reviewing the events of this chain of fiascoes, and literally chewing her out, Ersh sends her back to learn the extent of the damage caused by these exposures. This time she takes on the form of a Ket, a very humanoid species with great massage skills. This novel is mostly about the evolving relationship between Esen and Paul. In some respects, this novel is much like Heinlein's Star Beast from the point of view of the alien. Although centuries old and very knowledgeable, Esen is very young relative to her potential lifetime. All her forms are also young relative to the species (her human form is about ten years old). Thus, Esen sometimes seems very wise and other times incredibly foolish. This novel, however, has plenty of action and plots within plots. One of the minor themes in this novel, and the whole series, is the very irritating behavior of bureaucrats. Another may be the vagaries of architects, both in expanding existing structures and in deconstructing existing structures to build new ones. Recommended for Czerneda fans and anyone who enjoys tales of young aliens becoming friends with humans.
Rating:
Summary: I didn't think there was anything new in the galaxy.
Review: Czerneda seems to have done it again. Many have written books about "shapeshifters", but none like this! The story is compelling, and at times, leaves you breathless. There's a new surprise around every corner, as Es transforms from one alien form to another to accomplish her mission. Once again, Czerneda has produced strong characters that leave you feeling you would like to find out more about what makes them tick. Unique alien lifeforms, captivating settings, and a sprinkle of humor in just the right places. I'd love to see what the latest "morphing" technology could do with Es and her ever-changing body!
Rating:
Summary: The thousand year headache?
Review: Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the book even if I was not that taken with the Paul Ragem character and his relationship with Esen. His feelings seem to go far beyond friendship and Esen has made it clear she doesn't do the human form (oh no, rishatha).
I would have been completely satisfied without the obvious romance or with the ending being a bit clearer on where the relationship is going.
Rating:
Summary: Beholder's Eye
Review: I got only through the first 50 pages of this before giving up. Though the idea of shapechangers is interesting, I found the sentence-level writing plodding and the character not alien enough for what she's supposed to be--the disgusting bits at the beginning notwithstanding. Her psychology seems human, and that doesn't work for me in this context. The plot didn't draw me in either. However, it's only fair to point out that other readers enjoyed the book.
| 
