Rating: 
Summary: It grows on you, insidiously...
Review: Okay, the first time I read this I only rated it `okay-a little dull.' But I have since read it twice more-it keeps drawing me back. One of the blurbs on the jacket calls the writing `moody and elegant,' and for once the blurbs have it right. Not a whole lot seems to take place in any of the four books in this series, and I tend to get them all mixed up as to which book contained which episode, but they all have the same sneaky allure--at least for me. (One thing I like about this tetralogy is that the author knew when to end it-unlike some fantasy sagas, which seem likely never to reach a conclusion in our lifetime. I name no names: Those who are continuing to slog through them, know to which ones I refer!)
Rating: 
Summary: Great writing, great characterisation
Review: A hero innocent yet full-grown, magically conjured up by a dying mage to combat a growing evil in the world: this plot could have been so dreadfully corny! But somehow, it isn't, because of the quality of Cherryh's writing. The childlike Tristen's education in the world is handled so beautifully that it is both believable and moving. I read this several months ago: all too often with fantasy novels I've forgotten the characters or the plot by then. Not with this one, though. In contrast to one of the other reviewers, I certainly don't think Tristen's story is over yet by any means, and I look forward to reading the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: It takes a bit of patience
Review: Although the story was great it does take patience to get through some of the slower scenes in the book, particularly the first part, in which there are few characters. That's all that is even partially wrong. The book has a great story that kept me up late at nights reading. If you like fantesy you'll love this book. I can't wait to get my hands of Fortress of Eagles!
Rating: 
Summary: Painfully slow, but a good storyline
Review: Anybody who's read the Foreigner series can attest to the quality of C.J. Cherryh's writing. It was (and continues to be) an excellent series. That's why I was so disappointed in this book. While it had many fine qualities, it just couldn't keep my interest. The problems included over-detailed political debates, not much action, and a very weak attempt to create suspense. There was so much time spent on the details of events that I frequently lost track of the story. I've always liked detail, but in this case the detail was all about who was politically affiliated with who and what court intrigue would cause this or that to happen. There was page after page about alliances and whether or not a war should be started and who the prince should marry or not marry - all of which I found exceedingly dull. It all would have been excellent if it had been a mystery or a political drama, but it didn't fit at all well in this genre. There simply wasn't much fantasy to this fantasy. The detail of the political issues could have been off-set with a few Terminator-style action scenes, but I could count the number of action scenes on one hand, and they were missing all of the detail of the debate scenes. I will grant that the issues I had with suspense not being built up well may have been particular to me, since I've never taken much interest in politics of any kind, but it seemed to me that the only suspense she attempted to create was related to whether or not Lord So-and-So would turn against Prince What's-His-Name and who's bed Her Grace was obtaining information from. All the action events seemed well-planned, and there never seemed much doubt in my mind that the good guy would make it through so that he could play hero. The issues relating to the well being and survival of the world classic to this type of story were there, but were sadly downplayed. I've never been a big fan of one-person-can-save-the-world-precisely-when-the-stars-are-alligned-thusly type stories, but in this case I think it could have worked and worked well. As disappointed as I was, there were many high points to the novel. The characters were mostly well-rounded - the good guys had problems and the bad guys had good qualities, and it often wasn't clear whether or not someone was a good guy or a bad guy - a rare quality in most books. I was also pleased to note that people did things because they were interested in them, even though they didn't necessarily relate directly to the plot. On par with the quality of the characters was the quality of the storyline. While I didn't like large chunks of the book, the overall plot was an extremely well thought out and creative idea. The main character had an interesting struggle to overcome his... deficiencies, as did some of the supporting characters. What I think of as the "save-the-planet" struggle, while downplayed, was an interesting concept which I would like to know more about. While there were some minor distance/time issues relating to the amount of time it took to reach a certain location (it seemed to vary a bit), they were forgiveable and the world turned out to be larger than the places written about without being impossibly vast. While I have to admit I won't be purchasing the rest of the books in the series, I will say that if you don't mind a dreadfully slow story this one is thought provoking enough to possibly be worth your time. It doesn't rate close to Battlefield Earth, Foreigner, or the Wheel of Time, but it can compare in quality (and slowness) to World Without End by Sean Russell, Dan Simmons' Endymion (I liked Hyperion, which came before Endymion, very much) The Rise of Endymion, or some of the novels in L. Ron Hubbard's Mission Earth series.
Rating: 
Summary: Hmm...
Review: Before I even start, let me tell you this: I love to read, and I especially love fantasy books. But this was the first book I've read that I not only had to force myself to keep on reading, but also, I'm not sure that I liked it now that I'm done. I made myself read it because it sounded interesting & the sequels looked great. Unfortunately, there's little action and Tristen is a childlike main character who spends about 40 pages near the beginning following a bird around and yelling "Owl? Where are you, Owl?" This is exceedingly boring. I've read some of the sequels, and they're a lot better, but reading this book was like wading through molassess in winter. Worth the effort? I'm not really sure. I can't say I recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Master Innocent?!
Review: Cherryh is justifiably praised for her unique alien cultures, her complex political and social settings and plots, her sense of fast paced action and psychological insights. But it seems that she reserves all these good qualities for her science fiction novels, and is almost a different writer when it comes to fantasy. Fortress spends it first 200 pages on just two characters, the wizard Mauryl and his Shaping Tristen. Mauryl is one of the world's oldest creatures, and reputably one of the strongest, part of both the first and second great ages of this world. But when the book opens we are in the third age, and Mauryl is old, his powers not quite what they were. His Shaping of Tristen is his last great act of wizardry, and it does not go totally according to plan, for when Tristen appears, he knows nothing of his abilities or purpose or even the essentials of what it is to be human, and must be painstakingly taught by Mauryl. And here we see one of the main failings of this book - Mauryl could obviously be a very deep and intriguing character, but we are given almost no details about his earlier life, about what type of person he is, about why he felt that summoning his Shaping was necessary. Instead we view almost everything through the eyes of Tristen, at this point very much an innocent, who can only see the obvious. And Mauryl's enemy is very nebulous, manifesting as a wind, a shaking, with no background of what he is, what his capabilities are, or even why he is Mauryl's enemy. All of this would be perfectly acceptable for a 15 page introduction to the main story, but here it is stretched out over a very slow moving, apparently pointless 200. After this point, when Tristen is forced to go on the road to discover his purpose, and we start the see the whole imagined world, the novel gets much better. Here we find Cefwyn, heir to the throne, dealing with the constant political intrigues of feudal society, a scenario that allows Cherryh to stretch her legs and begin to show the writing she is capable of, mixing multiple very distinct characters and event lines with a complexity she handles very nicely. As the world is painted in, we also begin to find out its history and the faint beginnings of who Mauryl's enemy is, and a little insight into just what Tristen is. When Cherryh gets to describe the problems and logistics of putting a feudal army into the field, every detail rings true, and the reader gets a real sense of actually being part of this world. But we also find the second major problem with this book, and that is Tristen himself. As we proceed through the story, Tristen finds that he has abilities and talents that manifest at need - such as when required to ride a horse, he immediately shows the talents of a master horseman. This is a very dangerous deus-ex-machina plot device, as Cherryh can basically state at any point that Tristen now suddenly has such-and-such ability to be able to deal with whatever the current problem is. And it is this rabbit-out-of-the-hat feeling that mars the denouement of this book, making it far less exciting than it could have been. A well constructed world that shows intimations of being very intriguing, some very good characters, especially Cefwyn, but little sense of high fantasy, poor pacing, and an ending that left this reader with a letdown feeling.
Rating:
Summary: Not terrible, but not interesting either
Review: Cherryth's "Fortress in the Eye of Time" just did not capture my fancy. Weighing in at a dense 700+ pages, it is not a quick read at all, particularly when it bogs itself down with excessive detail. Like many of the author's works, this one has a striking Celtic flair, which can be both an advantage or disadvantage, depending on your tastes. Where this book failed for me was in the presentation of its ideas. There was too much detail and seemingly pointless intrigue between nobles that were hard to keep straight, and not enough action. The protagonist was not particular exciting, and few, if any, of the other characters likable in the least. The ending didn't seem clear enough - it obviously was an attempt to wrap the book up, but didn't seem to really resolve the book's mysteries for me. I felt very disappointed by the time I reached the end. I had put forth a lot of effort, and was waiting for an "Aha!" moment than never came. After reading seven hundred pages, I felt that I hadn't been particularly entertained, and hadn't read anything that hadn't been written a hundred times before. Somewhat disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: Not for fantasy nerds
Review: For the first time since her Morgaine series C J Cherryh has managed to create something which goes beyond the good, though at times over stretched intermediary works such as Rusalka - Chernovog - Yvgenie, Ealdwood, Farey in Shadow, and The Goblin Mirror. In this book she has combined elements from them all, bringi9ng her fantasy work in line with the qualities that mark her Sci-Fi stories: the ongoing Foreigner series especially, which would warrant the rather OTT statement on the back cover of this being her 'high fantasy triumph'. Parts of the narrative don't work as well as they could, some sequences requiring a little more stretch in them in order to add more credibility - the part where Tristan is so keenly welcomed into the Royal fold so soon after getting to town standing out the most, with a few others rushed in comparison to the length of the build up. There is also rather too much dashing about the countryside to add an element of overt action. Even so, Ms Cherryh - like Carlsberg is to lager - is probably the best writer in this genre; her combination of literary technique, and attention to detail within context outstanding in its appeal to those who want to read something more involving than is usual. And look out for the others in this set: Fortress of Eagles, Fortress of Owls, etc.
Rating:
Summary: Good book, but what about sequels?
Review: Fortress in the Eye of Time is a good book and reading it is time well spent. What makes the book work for me is that it is a great story, accented by a superbly detailed world. However, when I say detailed, don't think that this means the book describes every blade of grass for the imagination handicapped, rather its detail lies in things like intricate political intruge and authentic seeming (I have no basis to say for sure) horsemanship. While the conclusion is abrupt, it seems to fit in with the rest of the book so I can't complain. But I still want more, which leaves me with mixed emotions. I know this book is successful bacause it tells a great story, but it also finishes the story and there a very few loose ends to create anything more than a contrived plot for more books. So I can only cross my fingers and hope for the best.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: Fortress in the Eye of Time is the most endearing and original of all fantasy stories - at a time when we thought we'd had enough of wizards, kings and castles. With only a ghost of Arthurian legend, this tale builds to a final and stunning finish, a flash of brilliance that pulls the entire story into crystal clarity. Tristen will be remembered.
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