Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Awful!
Review: After reading the jacket blurb I was expecting something really intelligent. That's the reason I kept reading until the end, but it never happened. Granted, the author seemed to be up on his science, but as a writer, my granddaughter could do better on a school essay! I actually laughed out loud when I read characters in the eighth century using the word "OK." The author also constantly throws in meaningless "asides," and goes off on tangents only he can understand. This is the poorest writing effort I've ever seen, and I've been reading for forty-five years. Thank God I didn't buy the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Silk Code Slippery Subject
Review: An okay read. Great premise, but flat characters and dialog that regularly misses a beat. If I had checked it out of the library instead of having bought the hard cover I would probably have stopped reading it early on. Wait for it to hit the bargain bin at your local book store.
Rating: 
Summary: High Synergy/High Technology
Review: Even though Paul Levinson (author of non-fiction works such as DIGITAL McLUHAN and THE SOFT EDGE and former student of Marshall McLuhan and Neil Postman) is well qualified to write a cyberpunk novel in the same league as Gibson or Sterling -- he decides not to do so. Not only that, Mr. Levinson steers clear of the "hard SF" camp even though he is the published author of over 20 stories in ANALOGE. Instead, the SILK CODE is something much better, an original work with an extremely engaging premise. Levinson has combined anthropology, social history, linguistics, genetic engineering and information theory in the context of a detective story ... and it reads a little like Linus Pauling and H.G. Wells collaborating on an episode of QUINCY. It may be one of the most intellectually ambitious SF novels I've read in the last 10 years. I do have a few disagreements with the way he handles the passage through Canadian Customs (Mr. Levinson should try dealing with the uniforms facing north sometime!) and as well as his handling of the British character...but that's all pretty minor stuff. Definitely has my recommendation. Hugh A.D. Spencer
Rating:
Summary: An awkward little book I almost didn't finish
Review: I almost didn't finish this book and kept hoping that what story there was would be rescued. I like mysteries and I like science fiction but this book fell down in the end for three reasons. One is that the detective is boring -- he's prone to being suddenly smart after being really stupid. The second problem is that the science is really, really, iffy -- more like something out of a bad conspiracy theory than convincing science. The last, really bad problem is that the author continually violates the "show don't tell" prinicpal of writing, which means the story is often carried forward by heavy blocks of explanation instead of by action. All detectives require some witticisms or habitual sayings and Levinson falls down there, too, making his "hero" prone to TV-style one-liners that don't work in print, especially with his bland and blocky scene-setting. In fact the scene-setting is so blocky it almost feels like this is a series of somewhat related short vignettes rather than a novel, something some editing might have fixed. I finished it hoping to find a saving grace but this book costs too much to buy just because there's one OK giimmick in it.
Rating: 
Summary: Delightful diversion from new science fiction novelist
Review: I am always delighted to find a new science fiction author. There are simply not enough of them being published these days to suit me. I found "The Silk Code" in an airport bookstore, where the science fiction pickings were very slim, and was delightfully surprised. This one came with recommendations from Stanley Schmidt and Connie Willis, so I had to give it a try. Levinson is still new at writing novels, and it occasionally shows. I sometimes wanted a section to move faster, and occasionally felt that the dialog dragged a bit. Overall, it was was too interesting to put down. The annoyance of an extra-long morning in the airport and an aching back disappeared by the end of Part One, and it kept me engrossed until the very end. "The Silk Code" is is a solid first novel, and I very much hope to see more from Paul Levinson.
Rating:
Summary: There's much better out there to read.
Review: I found a signed stack of Silk Code in a store in Towson and the sales clerk knows I read mystery and scifi too and really pushed. I'm not impressed. The story felt like a ho-hum collection of short stories and the so-called detective was so stupid he deserved to get clobbered. Now I know why it was discounted so much!
Rating: 
Summary: This is a cool book.
Review: I found The Silk Code to be wonderful. I had just finished reading Patricia Cornwell's "Black Notice" and had been disappointed. A pinch of enthusiasm is worth a pound of technique. This was a real treat and had exactly what I had been looking for. It blends mystery and science fiction perfectly. One of the most pleasant aspects of the book was that it clear the author was excited to be writing it and that excitement really shines through. The plot was well thought out, creative and unique. I found the characters to be very believable. I never had any interest in the Neanderthals before, but found myself intrigued enough to watch a Discovery Channel special on them. I always have shelf space for books that expand my interests. The fact that people either love or hate it speaks to its originality. I hope that there will be sequel or at least more offerings from Dr. Levinson.
Rating:
Summary: This is a cool book.
Review: I found The Silk Code to be wonderful. I had just finished reading Patricia Cornwell's "Black Notice" and had been disappointed. A pinch of enthusiasm is worth a pound of technique. This was a real treat and had exactly what I had been looking for. It blends mystery and science fiction perfectly. One of the most pleasant aspects of the book was that it clear the author was excited to be writing it and that excitement really shines through. The plot was well thought out, creative and unique. I found the characters to be very believable. I never had any interest in the Neanderthals before, but found myself intrigued enough to watch a Discovery Channel special on them. I always have shelf space for books that expand my interests. The fact that people either love or hate it speaks to its originality. I hope that there will be sequel or at least more offerings from Dr. Levinson.
Rating:
Summary: Not worth the money
Review: I found this book to be a great disappointment. I was hoping that it would be a refreshing tale, but alas, it was not to be. It just seemed to trudge along, and really going nowhere. Too much description, and not enough action. The science was too far fetch. When you read a space or a magic land fantasy, you know that something outlandish is expected. However, when you place something in a contemporary time period, you kinda expect technology that is much more plausible than this. Frankly, I thought this was as interesting as spending the night reading stereo instructions. Look somewhere else for a good book, because this isn't one.
Rating:
Summary: well worth the money
Review: I guess its a question of what you think is worth spending money on, but for me, a great sci-fi book is always worth it. And this book is a great sci-fi book. I've read other books about neanderthals and I've read other books that claim to be mystery sceince fiction, but this book has them all beat. You can't wait to get to the next scene and you're never disappointed. It moves along quickly and keeps you guessing. What more can you ask from a book? I don't for the life of me understand what a few of these people are talking about - this is the best damn money I've spent on a book in quite a long time! Let's hear more from this writer!
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