Rating: 
Summary: intriguing essay on dealing with power and consequences...
Review:
This is one of those books that can be curled up with and enjoyed for hours on end...like a good Heinlein novel, it keeps one engrossed in the details of the society at view. Set in the far, far, future, after nanotechnology and interstellar travel have become commonplace, it tells the story of the few who have the ability/responsibility to manage these awesome technologies. These "Aristoi" are absolute rulers of their domain, charged with the task of preserving and protecting lesser human beings.
Problem is, how do you cope with that kind of stress? Not everyone is content to simply stay at home and putter about in a garden...
Most interesting to me was the concept of "daimones" : semi-autonomous parts of the self which are conciously developed to "handle" events while the primary personality is otherwise engaged. The protagonist is posessed of an entire stable of such beings, each of which has distinct, but very limited, personalities. Mataglap is vengeful, Augenblick is diplomatic, etc. Any of them is capable of assuming control of bodily or netbourne functions when asked to do so...at other times, they simply remain as permanent voices in ones' head.
Interaction with daimones forms a large part of the book and is handled well. Particularly effective was the technique of splitting the narrative into columns, with one conversation on the right, another on the left. The confusion created by trying to follow both threads at once brings home the multiple 'presences' of the character in a way impossible with a normal linear stream. I wish I could do that on IRC or in chat...
At one point, we see a novice undergoing intense pain to summon and control his own fledgling daimones. The ceremony is portrayed as a means of gaining mastery over the self, but it also raises questions about the sanity of the Aristoi lifestyle. What does it say about society when a rite of passage involves creating multiple personalities?
The protagonist, naturally, feels that concious control of the mind's aspects is a noble goal, even at the cost of exaggerating/alienating them into separate entities; he looks down on people who 'allow their daimones to control them.' Ironically, this emphasis on control is his undoing, as his own training/conditioning is used against him. What finally saves him is an untapped, uncontrolled, and previously unknown daimon, who resists all his attempts to name and identify it after his escape.
The questions this raises are intriguing : what effect does power and control have on the human mind, and where can they go too far? What's the line between rationalism and hubris?
The society described in Aristoi is very much influenced by "eastern" thought - traditionalist, deference to elders, status based on examniation, etc., but the book ends on a decidely expansive/activist note, with the surviving Aristoi roused to action.
Wish I'd thought of more of this while actually reading the book... :-)
Social pseudo-analysis aside, this is one of those books that will simply force you to finish once started. It's thick enough to keep one occupied for a day or so, but the time is well spent. The more I read of Walter Jon Williams, the more impressed I become. If all his books are like Aristoi, I think I'm going to be busy for a good long while...
Rating:
Summary: Williams takes one of everything
Review: Being a long time fan of Walter Jon Williams, I was naturally delighted with Aristoi. Like many authors, there were many ideas that he borrowed from his previous works. But also there were plenty of new and refreshing ideas.I would say Aristoi is either a book a person reads before reading any other novel by Williams, or after they have read through his works. The ideas in it are covered in virtually every other book he has written, save each individual novel covers only one or two aspecs of Aristoi.What sets Aristoi aside as one of the best modern S/F novels written was the intriguing writing style of Williams. In the novel, people have controlled split personalities (who are beholden to the prime). Williams splits the page in half and while on one side the story progresses, the other side has the commentaries of the personailities. Unique to say the least.I can not recommend this book any higher. Buy it, borrow it or steal it.:
Rating:
Summary: Nanotechnology at the high end of its development
Review: Come and read about an almost-paradise several thousand years in the future, one in which the concepts of VR and Nanotech are developed by Mr. Williams to a logical extreme given the huge passage of time. On the character/story side, human nature is examined at its best and worst; two truly altruistic viewpoints go to war, one of them one the side of maintaining paradise, and the other on the side of destroying it. There wasn't anything here I wasn't willing to believe in. Although a complete book, Mr. Williams cleverly leaves the door open for future novels. Somehow, though, I doubt there will ever be one. I hope I'm wrong. This book definitely represents one of the best books I've ever read on these subjects.
Rating: 
Summary: molto buono, ottima "contaminatio"
Review: ebbene sì, un contributo anche in italiano (lingua abbandonata sulla rete) il romanzo é un eccellente esempio di come sia ancora possibile ottenere una contaminazione di generi di assoluto risultato (esotismo, un pizzico di esoterismo, la cultura orientale, il romanzo si science fiction tradizionale etc.) : anche la cura e l'attenzione per la scrittura, non meno che per il "plot", sono estremamente positivi; la leggerezza del tono e del "suono" riesce a bilanciare la crescita della storia; verso la fine il libro soffre un po', e perde la concentrawione e l'ispirazione delle prime parti.
Comunque, un interessante esperimento e un buon romanzo
Rating:
Summary: Probably Williams' Best Novel to Date
Review: For a number of years I have been a really big fan of Walter Jon Williams' novels. From the very beginning I have found them very entertaining, but his early works were generally a little shallow. That said, as time has gone on he has matured as an author. This novel has a very great amount of depth. Admittedly the way he presents parallel trains of thought is sometimes a little hard to follow, but is well worth the effort. If you enjoy reading serious science fiction I feel that this particular novel is a must.
Rating:
Summary: Probably Williams' Best Novel to Date
Review: For a number of years I have been a really big fan of Walter Jon Williams' novels. From the very beginning I have found them very entertaining, but his early works were generally a little shallow. That said, as time has gone on he has matured as an author. This novel has a very great amount of depth. Admittedly the way he presents parallel trains of thought is sometimes a little hard to follow, but is well worth the effort. If you enjoy reading serious science fiction I feel that this particular novel is a must.
Rating:
Summary: The Evolution of Mankind Challenged
Review: I first read Aristoi not long after it's original release in Hardcover, and have re-read it three times since then. When I first read the book, I thought it was a work of art that created a world and culture as it someday might come to pass and still remained realistic enough to be believable. I was very impressed, and have since read most of the authors other works. After re-reading the book a couple times, some of the magic I originally experienced faded but the underlining principles that made it a great book remained. It remains a classic on my bookshelf, and to this day I hope to see a sequal. The book touches upon the evolution of mankind, and focus' on one individual, Gabriel, who is one of the cultural elite. With god-like authority, Gabriel can create worlds of great beauty while at the same time compose poetry and music and still hold a conversation on medical science. Gabriel is restless though, and in his desire to solve a mystery he sets off on an adventure that ultimately challenges his beliefs, and the foundation of his culture. In the end he discovers that the aura of arrogance and power that came naturally to him before is now a difficult matter, and for the first time in his life knows fear and what it is to be "just human". As a cultural analyst, I found the book rich in depth and, despite a couple raw points, very well done. The nuances that make a culture, and which I find lacking in many science-fiction books that attempt to create new or alien cultures, were very well done. I hope the author will someday write a sequal and continue the saga as Gabriel explores the universe in search of what he lost.
Rating: 
Summary: not as good as everyone says it is
Review: I had heard such good reviews about this book. I just couldn't get into it. I found Gabriel and the other Aristoi to be boring, egotistical, and were not characters that I could care about. The premise of the book was interesting, but it was not carried out well.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Idea, Bad Delivery
Review: Mr. Williams has a beautiful command of the English language and the concepts he intends to introduce us to in this novel are interesting, but the story fails to entertain. The main character is so unlikable that the first word that comes to mind when I try to describe this book is: "Crap".
The Aristoi are the aristocracy of a future society. They are the leaders and rulers of humanity; they came into power because they are more than mere humans. Their personalities are fragmented enabling them to do true multi-tasking. Mr. Williams introduces us to a multi named character that is simultaneously existing in Real Space, and several Virtual Worlds. We watch as the main character monitors and tutors a pupil working on creating multiple personalities within himself, introduces an old apprentice recently raised to the level of master to other established masters, seduces a married woman, surgically impregnates his male lover, and has conversations between his personalities.
Whether this book failed to reach me because I am not an "Aristoi" and therefore unable to simultaneously follow four conversations at once, or because this idea is not suited for the printed page, it failed to entertain me. In the end when I measure the success of a novel, it must come down to this question: "Was I entertained?" Aristoi failed that test. The main character was pompous, shallow, vain, and not worth the effort of "Getting to know him". I don't mean to insult Mr. Williams and would not want to hurt his feelings. He is obviously a talented writer with the ability to create picturesque prose. But perhaps his ideas would be better suited to a different medium, one that includes more dimensions than print alone. That future attempt should include a character worthy of a reader's time.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: This book is one of the most underrated books I have ever read. It deserves to be a classic, in my opinion. In short, it tells the story of Gabriel, an Aristoi, something like a "modern god",(ordinary people, yet who control a planet with future technology). The book's greatness is in the amount of great ideas it has.. every one of those could be a basis for a book on its own. I know some people didn't like this book... but I loved it! Certainly deserves a chance.
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