Rating: 
Summary: A good idea wasted by poor writing
Review: ''The Nun Physics bulding, a six story sprawl of red brick...'' this is how the book begins and, reading these words, I relaxed in my armchair expecting to read a good SF novel based on physics and sound logic. A friend of had recommended this book, and I had found fascinating the idea of smaller and smaller universes (the picoverses), each one generating other picoverses, similar but different from ours. I was disappointed very soon. Without sense of wonder, wihitout the reader being prepared for it, two of the main characters (Alexandra and Quinn) in the first few pages turn out to be immortal aliens endowed with superpowers, created by even more mysterious aliens. In the course of the novel all, I am saying all, the main characters becomes (or are revealed to be) aliens or superhumans with varying degrees of powers. Only poor Horst does not undergo this transformation, and the reader wonders why he was discriminated. Each one of these transformations takes place at critical turns of the novel, when the the Author lead the plot to a dead end and needs something miraculous to get himself out of trouble. It seems that Metzger is unable to tell a good story without a deus ex machina here and there. When no more useful, or when the plot gets really entangled, each one of these supposedly invincible and powerful aliens is disposed of by another even more invincible and powerful caracter. Everything is so gratuitous, so illogical. It wasn't easy to read the book up to the happy end.
What a good idea wasted by poor writing and poor plotting! I'am voting two stars only for the idea.
Rating: 
Summary: WILDLY IMAGINATIVE, MIND BENDING STORY, WELL WRITTEN
Review: Fantastic story, reminds me almost of Robert Sawyer who I think is the best sci- fi writer today. The story is fast-paced and unlike a lot of the sci-fi out there today, is perfectly coherent. Metzger does not cop out like a lot of the weak sci fi out there today, where they propose mysteries, drop a bunch of incoherent hints, and then never explain to the reader what is going on and never resolve the loose ends, leaving the reader disatisfied at the end. Metzger writes a story with cosmological implications, springs a bunch of surprises, yet ties up all the loose ends and makes it believable through the use of hard science. It is easy to understand why it was nominated for a Nebula. I would highly reccommend Einsteins Bridge by John Cramer to those who liked this novel.
Rating:
Summary: A Fun Adventure
Review: Hard-SF can at times be a tough grind to work through - very serious stuff where the characters and plot plod along as every bolt is fully tightened and the electron's mass is figured correctly to the tenth decimal place. While Picoverse is hard-SF it suffers from none of this. Packed with a wide range of science, it is obvious that Metzger intended this to also be a FUN ADVENTURE - probably over the top for those hard-SF readers worried about that tenth decimal place. In a story where you've got new universes being spewed out, Neanderthals in asteroids, planets bouncing around like ricochetting marbles, and Joseph Stalin in nothing but a pair of shorts, you should not expect standard hard-SF. And thankfully you don't get it here. Instead you find an adventure, an incredibly fast story where the plot whips you from one reality to the next, with entire universes threatening to roll up over the characters, and all of this adventure driven by some really interesting fictional physics (though a lot of it seems like it could be real). It's hard-SF, it's adventure, it's mighty fun to read, and the twisty plot takes you places you would have never expected to go.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I bought and read Picoverse due to receiving a mailing advertising the book. I am a simple man with an average IQ and I usually don't read Hard SF. I prefer Dan Simmons, Paul Wilson, David Brin, etc. But I wanted to let everyone know that I couldn't put the book down. It is hard to put my finger on it, but this book gave me a sense of "wonder". I wanted to find out what would happen next so I kept reading. At no point was I overwhelmed by the science or physics in the book, which is a huge feet of writing in of itself. The last time I felt a sense of wonder this strongly was when I read Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clark or Heart of the Comet by David Brin. This was a great book. I am orderering Quad World from Amazon.com immediately.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I bought and read Picoverse due to receiving a mailing advertising the book. I am a simple man with an average IQ and I usually don't read Hard SF. I prefer Dan Simmons, Paul Wilson, David Brin, etc. But I wanted to let everyone know that I couldn't put the book down. It is hard to put my finger on it, but this book gave me a sense of "wonder". I wanted to find out what would happen next so I kept reading. At no point was I overwhelmed by the science or physics in the book, which is a huge feet of writing in of itself. The last time I felt a sense of wonder this strongly was when I read Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clark or Heart of the Comet by David Brin. This was a great book. I am orderering Quad World from Amazon.com immediately.
Rating:
Summary: Very Very Fast
Review: I don't usually read Hard science fiction - typically a lot of talking heads going on about some strange science thing and that's about it. I like plot. I like action. And I like it to move fast. Picoverse was a real surprise. It started off in that traditional Hard science fiction manner including the cast of characters (several different scientists) starting up the big experiment that you just know is going to go badly. But when the experiment goes bad, the book takes off into a place that is not really part of the typical hard science fiction universe. It's more just a fast paced science fiction adventure. You need to hold on tight because it really takes off, jumping this way and that. As you're trying to digest what just took place then you are off and running some place else. It took me for a real ride and suffered none of the lecturing head syndrome that I've found in so many other hard science fiction books. Nice twist on the ending too.
Rating:
Summary: Very Very Fast
Review: I don't usually read Hard science fiction - typically a lot of talking heads going on about some strange science thing and that's about it. I like plot. I like action. And I like it to move fast. Picoverse was a real surprise. It started off in that traditional Hard science fiction manner including the cast of characters (several different scientists) starting up the big experiment that you just know is going to go badly. But when the experiment goes bad, the book takes off into a place that is not really part of the typical hard science fiction universe. It's more just a fast paced science fiction adventure. You need to hold on tight because it really takes off, jumping this way and that. As you're trying to digest what just took place then you are off and running some place else. It took me for a real ride and suffered none of the lecturing head syndrome that I've found in so many other hard science fiction books. Nice twist on the ending too.
Rating:
Summary: Cliched Greg Egan wanna-be
Review: I had real hope for this book, but after the grammatical errors, completely unbelievable characters, and cliches I was almost unable to finish it. Read Greg Egan, Vernor Vinge, or Greg Bear instead. I'm not sure I'll read Metzger again.
Rating: 
Summary: What a Waste of a Week!
Review: I just finished *forcing* myself to read this book. It sounded quite interesting but I found myself doing the literary equivalent of walking through jello.
I kept reading and reading, attempting to make sense of what I had read so far. It never came. No sense was made possible. Neaderthals? Come On!
If it was possible to rate this a -5 Star book, I would have.
This is quite possible the WORST Hard-Sci-Fi book i've ever read (actually, forced myself to finish.)
Rating:
Summary: Liked the Science. Hated the writing.
Review: I love hard science fiction. But Mr. Metzger's sense of timing, mystery, and constant changes in point of view is completely off in my opinion. Just as I get comfortable with a really good piece of the story and enter that warm "movie in the mind" state I enjoy so much, Metzger rudely slaps me back to reality with an ill-timed change in scene or character narration. When the main characters learn (WAY to early in the story I might add) that "aliens" from another universe have been living and working among them for millions of years, there is absolutely no believable response. After all, the scientific community of this story's universe has spent Billions attempting to decode SETI signals. I would have thought that discovering the existence of an advanced alien culture would have had more of an impact on the characters. Instead Katie is more worried about what Jack is thinking. By the way, isn't that "aliens among us" line a bit overused? Which leads me to the author's sense of character dialog and development. It's really bad. For example, Mr. Metzger immediately starts the "sweaty palms" routine after Katie and Jack meet. Before the close of the story's first act, Katie starts spouting such internal dialog as, "She would tell Jack about this. In fact, she was sure that very soon there would be nothing she wouldn't tell Jack". God-Awful! What a stinker! Pulp romance material! And right in the middle of a good piece of writing at that. This pattern of good hard science fiction writing, interrupted with predictable plot devices and dialog that is just unbelievable is my biggest complaint with the story. Katie is constantly jacking around with some piece of technology on her face called a "Virtual" to the point that it becomes a serious distraction to the reader. How many times do we have to read "Katie with her Virtuals". This just kills me! This story element was completely worn out in the first 30 pages. How many times do we have to be reminded that Alexandra is "highly advanced" and Quinn is "slimy"? Does Alexandra, with her millions of years of experience, have to constantly remind us that humans are "animals" even though they continuously surprise her with their ingenuity? I don't believe it! Couldn't Metzinger have come up with a better term for the creators of the universe than "The Makers"? Please help me! Aliens that shoot "knowledge crystals" into the foreheads of their "victims". Now you have gone too far! Although that part almost made me giggle. But I really hate plot twists being used to cover for weak storyline. Sort of a "see.. the beginning wasn't as wonky as you thought because this plot twist explains why everything was screwed up in the beginning". I hate being lectured to outside of the story. Surely Mr. Metzger can do better than that! Good (fictional) hard science, completely ruined by weak storytelling.
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