Rating: 
Summary: Pohl still an amazing storyteller
Review: Although a sequel, I read Siege of Eternity as a stand alone novel -- and found it highly satisfying. Fredrik Pohl tells a good tale and creates a contemporary story that is both entertaining and thought provoking. As with his Gateway/Heechee novels, he has created aliens that tell us much about ourselves through their actions while providing a memorable tale of good solid science fiction. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: My interest wasn't "sieged"
Review: Although not quite as entertaining as "The Other End of Time", this is still a good read. It is basically building up to what I hope is a climactic ending in "The Far Shore of Time". Most of the book deals with USA's/NBI's reaction to the duplicates and the aliens once they arrive back on earth. It also describes the political posturing by the various UN nations to gain access to the aliens and their technology aboard the Starlab. Things become more interesting toward the end of the book when the Scarecrows' spacecraft is detected and a broadcast is received. At the end of the book there is the dreaded realization that the Scarecrows have already infiltrated the populations of earth and have begun their conquest which should set up the third novel in the series very well. One thing I didn't care for was the comment boxes that Pohl inserted randomly throughout this book. It is somewhat annoying to break from the story to have to read these. Perhaps they would have been better placed at the beginning of each chapter.
Rating:
Summary: My interest wasn't "sieged"
Review: Although not quite as entertaining as "The Other End of Time", this is still a good read. It is basically building up to what I hope is a climactic ending in "The Far Shore of Time". Most of the book deals with USA's/NBI's reaction to the duplicates and the aliens once they arrive back on earth. It also describes the political posturing by the various UN nations to gain access to the aliens and their technology aboard the Starlab. Things become more interesting toward the end of the book when the Scarecrows' spacecraft is detected and a broadcast is received. At the end of the book there is the dreaded realization that the Scarecrows have already infiltrated the populations of earth and have begun their conquest which should set up the third novel in the series very well. One thing I didn't care for was the comment boxes that Pohl inserted randomly throughout this book. It is somewhat annoying to break from the story to have to read these. Perhaps they would have been better placed at the beginning of each chapter.
Rating:
Summary: My interest wasn't "sieged"
Review: Although not quite as entertaining as "The Other End of Time", this is still a good read. It is basically building up to what I hope is a climactic ending in "The Far Shore of Time". Most of the book deals with USA's/NBI's reaction to the duplicates and the aliens once they arrive back on earth. It also describes the political posturing by the various UN nations to gain access to the aliens and their technology aboard the Starlab. Things become more interesting toward the end of the book when the Scarecrows' spacecraft is detected and a broadcast is received. At the end of the book there is the dreaded realization that the Scarecrows have already infiltrated the populations of earth and have begun their conquest which should set up the third novel in the series very well. One thing I didn't care for was the comment boxes that Pohl inserted randomly throughout this book. It is somewhat annoying to break from the story to have to read these. Perhaps they would have been better placed at the beginning of each chapter.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing ending - leaves NO closure.
Review: Evidently there is a prequel to this book, although the book itself has NO reference to such that I can find. I've only found out by buying the other book (The covers look very similar). It's disapointing to read these two out of order. And this book leaves it WIDE open for another sequel - and without it, it is quite "way to open".What publisher publishes a book without mentioning the predecessor?
Rating: 
Summary: Unsatisfying book
Review: I just borrowed this book and the prequel from the library. I have loved Frederik Pohl's books in the past and thought that this sounded good. The prequel was a great read, bringing forward some very interesting ideas and creating a believable if somewhat depressing view of the future. This book on the other hand, was what can best be described as filler. Nothing really happens in this book and it is much more a political potboiler than a science fiction book. It's sole purpose seems to be to show how petty and greedy people as a whole can be and to set up the next book. It is fine to put in some political intrigue and background information into a book, in fact it made the first book in the series very satisfying. But there still has to be some new ideas or at least some action mixed in or the reader feels cheated. All I can say is that if I had actually paid for this book I would definitely have felt cheated.
Rating:
Summary: Unsatisfying book
Review: I just borrowed this book and the prequel from the library. I have loved Frederik Pohl's books in the past and thought that this sounded good. The prequel was a great read, bringing forward some very interesting ideas and creating a believable if somewhat depressing view of the future. This book on the other hand, was what can best be described as filler. Nothing really happens in this book and it is much more a political potboiler than a science fiction book. It's sole purpose seems to be to show how petty and greedy people as a whole can be and to set up the next book. It is fine to put in some political intrigue and background information into a book, in fact it made the first book in the series very satisfying. But there still has to be some new ideas or at least some action mixed in or the reader feels cheated. All I can say is that if I had actually paid for this book I would definitely have felt cheated.
Rating: 
Summary: Pohl at his best
Review: Part of a true three novel trilogy Eschaton, including (The Other End of Time, The Siege of Eternity, The Far Shore of Time). This trio deals with first contact but Pohl couldn't let it be a simple aliens encounter, there are two different and of course warring alien alliances but that is as far as the "of course" goes. The leaders of earth first have to come to terms among themselves so they can choose correctly from slim, hidden and misleading evidences, which group of aliens is truthful and altruistic and which will conquer and enslave.
Besides the wonderful Sci-Fi and multitude of sentient beings there is a good study of the human psyche in captivity. Also a twist in dealing with unwanted clones; not knowing which is the original, if there is an original, which clone gets the spouse and like conundrums.
You have to stay alert to the fast pace and changing / multiplying cast. A very good read with interesting alien customs and biology's.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing and Uninvolving
Review: Pohl has managed to write a novel in which I could not care about a single character. His plot moves along with the finest leaders of earth performing some of the stupidest action. Oh let's see, here is an alien who can erase memories, implant machinery in your body without your knowing, a representative a race who is so far beyond our science that we can't begin to understand their abilities. Let's try to grab the personal property of these creatures and then insult and treat them badly. Does this seem likely to you? Not to me. And the ending was sudden and left me with one regret, that I had spent my time reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing and Uninvolving
Review: Pohl has managed to write a novel in which I could not care about a single character. His plot moves along with the finest leaders of earth performing some of the stupidest action. Oh let's see, here is an alien who can erase memories, implant machinery in your body without your knowing, a representative a race who is so far beyond our science that we can't begin to understand their abilities. Let's try to grab the personal property of these creatures and then insult and treat them badly. Does this seem likely to you? Not to me. And the ending was sudden and left me with one regret, that I had spent my time reading this book.
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