Rating: 
Summary: By the books
Review: While this was a very fast paced book with a lot of interesting parts to it, it didn't turn out very well. The writing, especially in the first hundred pages, was very dry, to the point where I was thinking that it would be more fun to read yesterday's newspaper. While the language and writing style did improve somewhat afterward, it was still a little lacking all throughout the novel. While there were a few riveting or very real scenes, the dialogue pretty much didn't sound real; I couldn't picture real people saying those lines. Just as a quick example...the dedication -- "we are indebted to so and so for translating this poem. we are indebted to so and so for the maps". Straight from the heart. Moving on. Again, this book was extremely fast paced, but there were quite a few flaws. A few of the characters were very well rounded, but I found most of the main characters to be quite flat. Many of the "plot twists" weren't very surprising, I had guessed the ecological situation long before all these "geniuses" came up with it. Also, while all the little details were technically correct, it was too "by the book" for a science-fiction action/adventure novel. Everything was predictably placed, and the "grendels" failed to inspire much awe or fear in me. While I agree to an extent with the reviewer before me ranting about the ecological concerns, these didn't really bother me so much...If I moved to another planet, I wouldn't care if the carnivores that tried to eat me and my kids were there first, I'd shoot now and try to get along peacefully later too. Was this book great? No. Was it good, fast, and a fun way to spend an afternoon or three? Yes. Don't look for any deep messages here, but if you want a quick shoot-em-up romp with some sex and technology on the side, you'll find it here.
Rating: 
Summary: Gripping, and an easy read
Review: Book was very well done. I tend more to the sci-fantasy, but this one grabbed me and held on. I'm going to look for more by these authors. Hard to go wrong on this one, just enough literary and obscure references to keep you thinking in the background, without adding to or taking away from the story.
Rating:
Summary: DEAR, WILL YOU GET THE DOOR, IT'S AN ALIEN!
Review: The first wave of 200 settlers have established an outpost called Avalon on Tau Ceti Four on an island called Camelot. The atmosphere and gravity is pretty much the same as Earth. Vegetables, plants, and animals from Earth are being introduced to the alien environment with mixed results. One thing all of the settlers agree on is that one day the entire planet will be covered with humanity, since there isn't any indigenous intelligent life. Or is there? The 200 settlers are specialized in particular fields and are supposed to be the cream of the crop in their specialty. One thing scientists back on Earth didn't plan for was that during the cryogenic freezing they had to undergo, some would suffer minor brain damage. A few become idiots, some just lose some of the power of memory or critical thinking. All in all, things are going very well. Colonel Cadmann Weylan the military representative and war veteran believes they are going too well, that the colony's security and vigilance is becoming soft. The perimeter of the site is left in disrepair and if he didn't fix it himself, they would be defenceless. He can't quite put his finger on his worry. It becomes apparent when a amphibian alien, similar to Earth's komodo dragons, dubbed a Grendel, finds a taste for terran lifeforms which could lead to the destruction of Avalon. The alien has intelligence and is superfast and a killing machine. The colony is also suffering from internal dissension. Weylan is treated as a goofball because of his constant vigilance. Plus he is in love with Sylvia Faulkland, who just happens to be married to another man, and also pregant with that man's baby. The problem is that the husband knows. Zack Moscowitz, the leader of the colony feels threatened by Weyland's failure to go along with the status quo. You would think that the combination of three respected science fiction writers would produce a masterpiece for the ages. Much like music supergroups, the end product ends up no better than the artists produce seperately. Sometimes, it's even worse. The same is true here. The book is entertaining, but light years short of being a classic. I liked the relationships in the book. There was some effort to build them between the characters. The bad things about it were the usual gaps in logic that have to exist to make books and movies about monsters work. For people to be killed by a monster they have to be really stupid. The colonists here reject the reality of the monster that is killing them even when there is strong evidence. For example, they have a speedboat race knowing that there could be a Grendel in the water. The fact that the planet is just like Earth reminds me of the old Star Trek episodes where every planet had an earthlike atmosphere. To expect the plants of Earth and other animals, like fish, to thrive there, is beyond belief to me. Another thing is that the thought processes of the Grendels are similar to that of the shark in Jaws in Peter Benchley's novel. "Must eat. Kill. Must challenge the pale lifeforms." Actually, this reads more like the dialogue of the indcredible hulk. This novel is also very similar to scenes of James Cameron's Aliens. Actually, parts of Ridley Scott's Alien also. Seeing as how it was published in 1987, one year after Aliens, it makes the plot even more suspicous. Well, for the usual bestseller dreck, this book is pretty good. It's worth reading, but don't think too much. I'm surprised it hasn't been made into a movie yet. It would make a good Michael Bay film.
Rating:
Summary: Great Sci-Fi book!
Review: This book really explores the idea of what life in a coloney on another planet might be like. Easy to get lost in for a while. Also, there is a second book to this one called Beowolf's Children. Pick up both books and enjoy. I had the books in soft covers and when I finished I bought both books in hardcover to have in my library. I know I will be reading them again!
Rating: 
Summary: Average. Yawn.
Review: First off, I'll start by saying that I'm not a real huge science fiction fan, and it will relfect in my review. I only picked this book up because a friend of mine is trying to change my opinion on science fiction. I just recently forced myself to read Asimov's FOUNDATION book and I figured I wouldn't waste my time reading the rest, and any other science fiction book. Well, my friend informs me that Legacy Of Heorot easy makes his top 5 books of all time, and that I must read it. I finished the book and I found myself bored with most of it. This story is about humans colonizing a distant planet and encountering large beasts that wreak havok on the colony and what not. Reminds me too much of Aliens and any other number of science fiction works. Anyways, to me, this book was a boring read and it is just like a ton of other science fiction books out there. I'm not saying the book was bad, I'm just saying I found it dull. If you like science fiction, then grab it. If not, do yourself a favour and go take a nap. Or... pick up a Robert R. McCammon book and reward yourself with a fantastic read. Also worth reading is Heller's "Catch-22". Amazing stuff.
Rating: 
Summary: A good read
Review: I am just amazed at some of the criticism of this story,and the assumptions of what the authors were trying to say. Maybe they just had an idea of a story that would be fun and captivating to read. If so, they did it! This is one of those books, like many of Niven's, that you begin to read and just can't put it down. If the authors were trying to make any particular point, it was probably (but I haven't written to them, so I and the rest of the reviewers don't really know) concerning our disregard for nature and its power in our attempts to conquer it. I know of two relatively recent movies concerning the perils of hunting a species to extinction. One, that bad but amusing Star Trek movie with the Save the Whales theme, and Medicine Man. There are quite a few real life examples of the us "modifying" the environment without truly understanding the potential repercussions. The introduction of kudzu to the US comes to mind as an example. They may not have been trying to make a social statement -- only trying to write a captivating story. And they wrote one. But they also gave a horrific example of rushing to modify the environment without understanding the potential repercussions.
Rating:
Summary: The Legacy of Heorot: Part 1 of Series
Review: I've read a number of Nivens works over the years and the two books I've read concerning the Grendels are both pretty good and well written. I would agree with some of the other reviewers I just glanced at that Niven does have better books but that's not to say this isn't worth readying as well. If you are into sci fi then this author has a number of good titles to choose from. The story of the Grendels does transpire in two seperate novels of which this is the first one and the second one Beowulf's Children. This book is more or less like an intro to the planet and the critters and they are fleshed out and given more depth in the second book where it turns out there is more to the Grendels than meets the eye. As sci fi goes I still wouldn't exactly call it a classic but if you have read all the classics you can find or think of then this is a pretty solid two book series to pick up and read. It took me one day on each of the books to read them so they are not terribly long but the storyline is pretty engrossing and I did borrow them to my friends who also liked them. Sort of a Sci Fi "also ran" that was well done.
Rating: 
Summary: Waste of Valuable Paper
Review: I love Science Fiction. I have been reading SF since I was a child. I loved "A Mote In God's Eye". I scour my local book store for any new releases. I have boxes full of SF books. I, fortunately, threw this one in the garbage. Rarely have I been unable to get through a chapter of a book, but I made an exception in this case. The people who gave this dog a glowing review either have no concept of what constitutes good Science Fiction, or have been so infected by the grade-Z [junk] coming out of Hollywood that panders to the mindless masses that they can't tell claptrap from something worth reading. Trust me, if you like SF, stay away from this one. If you find it in a pile at a garage sale or some flea-market stand, flip through it if you want, then tell the seller that if HE pays YOU, you will take it off his hands.
Rating:
Summary: Standard fare
Review: Disappointing, though not terrible. To summarize: Man colonizes his first world. Man meets alien. Alien kills man. Man kills alien. And lots of colonist soap opera in between. The "hibernation instability" thread was interesting and a rather courageous ploy for an SF novel: some of the colonists suffered brain damage in their hibernation/sleep in transit to their new world. On the other hand, I had the feeling that this idea was used as a crutch by the authors to avoid revealing "the horrible secret" to readers: for example, I was able to guess "the secret" before the colony's highly-trained scientists could. The aliens themselves are not quite fascinating, although "the secret" surrounding them caught my interest. Most readers will forget this book soon enough, but it is moderately enjoyable while it lasts. Readers who abhor Pournelle's alarmist-militarist tendencies will want to avoid it.
Rating:
Summary: great book love to know if they are planing part 3 !!
Review: I only bought this book because I was bored, and having read other books by the Authors thought I'd give it a go, It was a bit slow to start with, but once it got going I couldn't put it down. I think I read it in two days. It was one of the best novels I've read this year. (Part two was even better)..
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