Rating: 
Summary: Fantasy Way Outside the Box
Review: The astonishing creativity and deep, far-outside-the-box thinking inherent in this work amazes me. It's not often that you find a writer with both the intellectual capacity and the writing skills to put together a novel such as this. The high style of the writing may put off some readers, and any anarchists reading this work are sure to be unhappy, but for anyone who appreciates deep thinking, excellent writing and high fantasy, this book is a must-read and a sure winner.
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy Way Outside the Box
Review: The astonishing creativity and deep, far-outside-the-box thinking inherent in this work amazes me. It's not often that you find a writer with both the intellectual capacity and the writing skills to put together a novel such as this. The high style of the writing may put off some readers, and any anarchists reading this work are sure to be unhappy, but for anyone who appreciates deep thinking, excellent writing and high fantasy, this book is a must-read and a sure winner.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Fantasy Novel Published In the Last 10 Years
Review: The High House is a breathtaking achievement; the single best fantasy published in the genre in the last decade. Stoddard never puts a foot wrong in this magnificent, evocative, wonderful book! I am =eagerly= looking forward to this author's next.
Rating:
Summary: Ignore the femi-nazi
Review: The writing certainly equals John Crowley and the Lit crowd, but not very deep, I have to admit. Still, I enjoyed it. Not often do you find such an orginal world in fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: Ignore the femi-nazi
Review: The writing certainly equals John Crowley and the Lit crowd, but not very deep, I have to admit. Still, I enjoyed it. Not often do you find such an orginal world in fantasy.
Rating: 
Summary: Frustrating yet intriguing
Review: There are sufficient summaries posted here, so I'll simply add a few comments: This is a wildly uneven book. It's frustratingly poorly written, the characterizations are thin, the author can't seem to imagine an active female character who isn't evil, and the plot is lumpy. To me, the ridiculous conservatism and penny-ante philosophy of the book are maddening, all the more so because their very sloppiness gives the impression that these aren't things the author has considered in detail; his conservatism appears to be all received ideas, and his villiains are implausible. As a friend of mine pointed out, they aren't even anarchists, but class struggle Marxists of the most banal and cliched kind. However--and it's a big however--the House itself is amazing and absolutely believeable, from the dinosaur upstairs to the Sea. And the scary parts are genuinely scary. There's also charming pastiche of any number of famous fantasy scenes--the climb over the roof in Titus Groan comes to mind at the moment. It's rather hard to assign a rating to this book, since parts of it are unbearably annoying and parts of it are brilliant. In general, I'd recommend the book, despite its more retrograde qualities.
Rating:
Summary: Frustrating yet intriguing
Review: There are sufficient summaries posted here, so I'll simply add a few comments: This is a wildly uneven book. It's frustratingly poorly written, the characterizations are thin, the author can't seem to imagine an active female character who isn't evil, and the plot is lumpy. To me, the ridiculous conservatism and penny-ante philosophy of the book are maddening, all the more so because their very sloppiness gives the impression that these aren't things the author has considered in detail; his conservatism appears to be all received ideas, and his villiains are implausible. As a friend of mine pointed out, they aren't even anarchists, but class struggle Marxists of the most banal and cliched kind. However--and it's a big however--the House itself is amazing and absolutely believeable, from the dinosaur upstairs to the Sea. And the scary parts are genuinely scary. There's also charming pastiche of any number of famous fantasy scenes--the climb over the roof in Titus Groan comes to mind at the moment. It's rather hard to assign a rating to this book, since parts of it are unbearably annoying and parts of it are brilliant. In general, I'd recommend the book, despite its more retrograde qualities.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful tale
Review: This book can be more compared to Tolkien then most other novels in its use of language. It is a wonderful story of a boy's growth to manhood, is inheritance of his father's position as guardian of the High House, which is the house of God, and which is an allegory (or metaphysical body?) of the universe.If you prefer the hack-n-slash drivel that has become so popular in fantasy, this book is not for you. If you love a book that builds character, plot, and story foremost, this would be one of the better books for this.
Rating:
Summary: What a wonderful adventure
Review: This book is a throwback to the great fantasy of another time and place. It is rich in detail and place. Strong in characters and the representation of good and evil and the struggle to maintain and overcome was an enthralling bewitching thrill. Turning the page was a must. to find out where we (the readers) would be drawn next. I can't wait for the next book, alas I fear I must. It is a must read from a wonderful new voice in fantasy
Rating:
Summary: A New Form from an Old Foundation.
Review: This book takes much of its inspiration from such writers as C.S.Lewis and characters from old mythology. This, however, does not retract from the books greatness as a whole. Rather, this co-mingling of plot is a basis for a greater fantasy world in its own right that should be amongst the greats. This tale (which deals with the classic binary opposition of good and evil)opens up a new realm of imagination in an almost-infinite world that will enthrall any reader.
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