Rating: 
Summary: Rather Disappointing
Review: First, let me say that in general I like the way Fred Saberhagen writes, and his stories and plots are exceptional. I got hooked on the berserker series after reading "Berserker Base", and went to my local half price bookstore and bought every book in the series I could find. This book, Shiva in Steel, has proved to be the worst. The hype over the big bad Shiva is never resolved! Did it die? Is it hiding in our hero's ship as he makes his get away? We never know. Mr. Saberhagen repeats himself a lot, and his prose isn't very smooth in this novel for some odd reason. He's done fine in the past, but this one was sloppy. New editor? No editor? The plot wasn't bad, but the execution was poor. This should have been a draft rather than the final product. If this is your first Berserker book, don't give up on the series. This was the worst of the bunch; the others are pretty good.
Rating:
Summary: Rather Disappointing
Review: First, let me say that in general I like the way Fred Saberhagen writes, and his stories and plots are exceptional. I got hooked on the berserker series after reading "Berserker Base", and went to my local half price bookstore and bought every book in the series I could find. This book, Shiva in Steel, has proved to be the worst. The hype over the big bad Shiva is never resolved! Did it die? Is it hiding in our hero's ship as he makes his get away? We never know. Mr. Saberhagen repeats himself a lot, and his prose isn't very smooth in this novel for some odd reason. He's done fine in the past, but this one was sloppy. New editor? No editor? The plot wasn't bad, but the execution was poor. This should have been a draft rather than the final product. If this is your first Berserker book, don't give up on the series. This was the worst of the bunch; the others are pretty good.
Rating:
Summary: Rather Disappointing
Review: First, let me say that in general I like the way Fred Saberhagen writes, and his stories and plots are exceptional. I got hooked on the berserker series after reading "Berserker Base", and went to my local half price bookstore and bought every book in the series I could find. This book, Shiva in Steel, has proved to be the worst. The hype over the big bad Shiva is never resolved! Did it die? Is it hiding in our hero's ship as he makes his get away? We never know. Mr. Saberhagen repeats himself a lot, and his prose isn't very smooth in this novel for some odd reason. He's done fine in the past, but this one was sloppy. New editor? No editor? The plot wasn't bad, but the execution was poor. This should have been a draft rather than the final product. If this is your first Berserker book, don't give up on the series. This was the worst of the bunch; the others are pretty good.
Rating: 
Summary: Started mediocre and got weaker.
Review: I'd swear I read this beserker story before. First, I thought this was a poor expansion of a previous short story. I've loved a lot of Saberhagen's work including a lot of the Beserker stuff. I'd suggest he put away this milieu until gets some real new inspiration.
Rating:
Summary: Wish the Berserker's had one this one.
Review: I've been a fan of the Berserker books for more than 20 years: To the point that I've been known to rebuy a Berserker novel at the airport because there's nothing new I'd rather pick up. So two stars is pretty much the lowest rating I'd give a Berserker book on principal. My two biggest objections to this book are: 1) The characters all have hidden agendas that are never exposed. Mr. Saberhagen refers to connections between the characters, but never fleshes them out. By the time the Berserker's arrive on the planet I was praying they would destroy humanity just so I wouldn't have to spend any more time with the characters. 2) Mr. Saberhagen tends to repeat himself in the book. Many times Mr. Saberhagen says the same thing within the same paragraph or two. I really wish he'd spent more time adding detail to the characters.
Rating:
Summary: What is going on?
Review: Not only is it hard to follow, but I truly have no idea if they got Shiva or not! I happen to be a great fan and have all the books and stories, but I have to say, Mr. Saberhagen may wish to pass on the series to another writer.
Rating:
Summary: What is going on?
Review: Not only is it hard to follow, but I truly have no idea if they got Shiva or not! I happen to be a great fan and have all the books and stories, but I have to say, Mr. Saberhagen may wish to pass on the series to another writer.
Rating:
Summary: Boring, nothing new.
Review: Re-hash of old plots and scenarios. Not much excitement
Rating:
Summary: I'm fond of Saberhagen, but what a mess!
Review: The editor needs a good talking to. While this book has a number of suspenseful moments, and I don't feel completely cheated, I think Fred needed to do another draft of his outline. Tension is built up on elements that prove to be completely irrelevant, like the mysterious box of contraband. Turns out, it's just a device to get the main character into the book. The McGuffin of the title, Shiva, inexplicably fizzles toward the end, and a whole new Big Ending Battle ensues that is totally unrelated to Shiva's fate. Hints are raised (Berserker's being "lucky" for the sociopath) that end up nowhere. I love the Berserkers, but this one was a disappointing mess. I wish other writers would write Berserker books.
Rating:
Summary: I'm fond of Saberhagen, but what a mess!
Review: The editor needs a good talking to. While this book has a number of suspenseful moments, and I don't feel completely cheated, I think Fred needed to do another draft of his outline. Tension is built up on elements that prove to be completely irrelevant, like the mysterious box of contraband. Turns out, it's just a device to get the main character into the book. The McGuffin of the title, Shiva, inexplicably fizzles toward the end, and a whole new Big Ending Battle ensues that is totally unrelated to Shiva's fate. Hints are raised (Berserker's being "lucky" for the sociopath) that end up nowhere. I love the Berserkers, but this one was a disappointing mess. I wish other writers would write Berserker books.
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