Rating: 
Summary: Rip Van Winkle science fiction.
Review: "Kaleidoscope Century" is the best dystopian, future-history fiction
I've read in recent history. It rivals McHugh's "China Mountain Zhang".
The story is about a man who periodically, and violently rejuvinates
himself through the 21st century. The rejuvination wipes his concious
memory of life prior to the event. Each time he rejuvinates, a new
identity is setup to protect him. His personality is also subtly different
from lift-to-life. He's not real good at keeping records, and historical
data shows that his personal memoirs are "revisionist". Think of this as a
Cyberpunk, Lazarus Long novel. Barnes is good, and getting better. This is
his best to date. One complaint. The "timetravel twist" was not needed
in this story. It needlessly complicated a twisty-enough yarn.
Rating: 
Summary: Meandering Memories of the Future
Review: For a while, I really liked this book, though it defies all attempt at catgorization. "Like Vonnegut" is the best way I'd describe it, and it fits pretty well. It's based around episodic memories of Joshua Ali Quare, who has complete amnesia, a century in the future, as they slowly start to come back to him and bits of the puzzle of his life trickle into place. The first he remembers is his brutal childhood way back in the 1980's, then a job for a meme that employed him to kill and rape for its war in the mid-21st century, back to early adulthood and the US Army, and even in flashbacks there were flashbacks, with occasional narration from the end of the line. Long flashes from working for the KGB in the Eurowar (the kind of grim European techno-WW3 everyone has long feared), the War of the Memes, the escape from Earth and more interleave vexing questioning of who he really is and how many of the memories are correct, before he leaves and encounters the final surprise.
The first half, when you're already thrown well off balance and just trying to come to grips with everything, somewhat random mixtures of memories keeping you from getting a solid toehold anywhere, especially given that many things remembered conflict outright or are hazy enough to perhaps be dreams. The memories are vivid and real, familiar and at the same time futuristic and eerie. The second half kind of lost its charm as it settled down and became more dull, becoming linear and without the grandiose vision of the beginning. An astute reader will notice many anachronisms (such as the memory of learning parlor tricks with the knight long after he remembers doing them earlier), but I think they're intentional.
The surprise ending was a surprise, but I felt that it was much too drawn out explaining a very confusing time travel and most of the effect was lost. One short flashback would have been acceptable, but not a couple of long ones. Too much was explained and wrapped up; the reader ends up feeling she has a full grasp of the world by the end, in fact by the last major section, when some confusion should be left. Except for that strange time travel.
The end result was that the book was a muddle that didn't seem to know what it wanted to be or where it was going. The ending was rather abrupt, and there was no real sense of conclusion. It seemed more like the writing just stopped at a convenient point. Overall the writing itself wasn't bad at all, and I enjoyed the time reading it; but it does read something like a history lesson trying to show too long a timeline. The plot just didn't hang together (or act chaotic enough for that to not matter) or leave me satisfied in the end.
Beware the violence, sex, language, and all the other grift that comes with the seamy side of humanity. They are present in spades, along with a very bleak view of humanity and the future. But there is some counterpoint.
Rating: 
Summary: Not very nice at all!
Review: A cold, soulless book with profoundly unlikeable characters. Furthermore, the female characters appear to have been included merely as exploitative window dressing and hint at a streak of misogyny. This is an opportunity missed, as the promising plot, faintly reminiscent of Jose Farmer's Dayworld series, had much potential. Barnes however can elicit no empathy from his readers and, if there are any redeeming features in the denouement, I'm afraid I didn't have the heart or stamina to find out. It's not often I give up on a book, but by half way through I'd had enough. If this is representative of Barnes' work then I'll give this author a wide berth in future.
Rating: 
Summary: A Dark Depiction of a Possible Future
Review: Barnes' second novel in the Century series (unofficially titled the Century series, the books include Book #1: Orbital Resonance, Book #2: Kaleidoscope Century, Book #3: Candle, and Book #4: The Sky So Big and Black) is a harrowing and often unflattering depiction of an all too possible future in which one man, Joshua Ali Quare, wages a War of Self against circumstances that constantly threaten to kill him or destroy his identity in one way or another. The first thing that must be addressed in this review is the other reviewers failure to understand the complexity and depth of the protagonist of this story, much as the other characters in this novel fail to truly understand him. Joshua Ali Quare's personality and actions, like every other human being that walks the face of this planet, are formulated by a combination of influences from environment, upbringing, and his own innate sense of self. His parents were fringe elements, his mother an african-american communist activist, his father a hard drinking "good old boy" white criminal with a violent streak and a gift for an eloquent turn of phrase. He is recruited by his mother's communist friends to act as a spy for the KGB/Organization within the U.S. military. As awful an act as this must seem to many readers, Josh tells us himself, "I grew up knowing that the United States had to fall eventually." This is not a patriotic American child. This is the child of revolutionaries, and he shows the resilient, pragmatic approach to life that revolutionaries have. He does commit despicable acts of murder and rape, but most of the time when he does these things he is under the influence of powerful psychotropic drugs. That he is a revolutionary terrorist is not to be disputed. The acts he performs are truly disgusting, but one must look at the whole picture before judging Joshua Ali Quare. In the course of the book Josh leads many different lives under many different identities. His memory is erased and his age regressed every 15 years. The only information he has to connect him to the world and himself are the trinkets and words he has left behind, and as he himself puts it, he is not a good writer. Some of the lives Josh lives are positive, productive lives. But he is under no illusions. Everything move he makes is done in intelligent self interest, and he knows it. This does not mean however that he is a monster. He, as Shakespeare's character of Shylock so eloquently puts it, bleeds when he is pricked, cries when he is hurt, laughs when he loves. The key to understanding this novel is to understand that in every person there is the potential for good and evil to some greater or lesser degree. Read the book with an open mind and you will see it as an interesting exploration of a sociopath's mind. It will also show you a future whose similarities to our own will disturb you, and it will open your mind to the possiblities of what can happen if one is true to oneself.
Rating:
Summary: "Mother of Storms" it Ain't!
Review: Disappointed doesn't even come close to my feelings about "Kaleidoscope Century" after having read it. Disgusted and horrified come closer. The book is fairly well-written with an interesting view of the future (which saved the book from a 1 rating). However, its main character is an unrepentant bad, amoral, and possiby evil human being. Barnes could have salvaged the book by having the protagonist recognize his mistakes and try to correct them when given a chance. Though it appears that that was where the book was heading, it wasn't.
Sure, maybe it's just a personal opinion. But, I don't need to become immersed in the point of view of an amoral person and have that mind-set and his actions rattling around in my skull. Perhaps humanity is essentially bad or evil (which seems to be the implication). Though if it is, I don't want to be a participant via a book as the protagonist.
Rating:
Summary: I wanted to love it
Review: I am a fan of many of John Barnes works. One of my favorites, Candle, is set in the same near future world of mayhem ruled by computer viruses that have jumped to the human brain. The concept is mind blowing and more than a bit eeire. But where Candle succeeded, I think that KC has failed. Set in our near future, the hero begins a spree of violence that extends 160 years into the future. Killing and raping and killing and raping and killing and raping ad infinitum--you get the point. To give you a flavor for the book, I'll quote: "Not really esthetic or special, but still there was something about doing them all in an hour, in one mass hanging, chick after chick hoisted kicking into the air, all of them naked, the ones yet to be done cowering in the corner, bruised, bloody, crying for their mothers--I still got stiff thinking about it." I'm not typically one to be squeamish about a little (or a lot of) violence to advance the plot line. What I do object to is the use of violence as the plot line. I realize that writing is difficult, and is more art than science, but this seems to be taking the easy way out. I only wish that JB had spent the extra time to fully explore the plot. Hopefully he'll write more about this fascinating world in a more accessible manner.
Rating:
Summary: I wanted to love it
Review: I am a fan of many of John Barnes works. One of my favorites, Candle, is set in the same near future world of mayhem ruled by computer viruses that have jumped to the human brain. The concept is mind blowing and more than a bit eeire. But where Candle succeeded, I think that KC has failed. Set in our near future, the hero begins a spree of violence that extends 160 years into the future. Killing and raping and killing and raping and killing and raping ad infinitum--you get the point. To give you a flavor for the book, I'll quote: "Not really esthetic or special, but still there was something about doing them all in an hour, in one mass hanging, chick after chick hoisted kicking into the air, all of them naked, the ones yet to be done cowering in the corner, bruised, bloody, crying for their mothers--I still got stiff thinking about it." I'm not typically one to be squeamish about a little (or a lot of) violence to advance the plot line. What I do object to is the use of violence as the plot line. I realize that writing is difficult, and is more art than science, but this seems to be taking the easy way out. I only wish that JB had spent the extra time to fully explore the plot. Hopefully he'll write more about this fascinating world in a more accessible manner.
Rating:
Summary: KaleiDULLscope Century
Review: I didn't care for this book. Lots of concepts are introduced which could have been explored in more detail and explained better by Barnes. Confusing, because of continual shifts from present to the past. Protagonist is an unlikeable and despicable character. He is a murderer, rapist and a pervert and has little remorse for his actions. This is the only book I have read by Barnes. I probably will not buy another written by him.
Rating:
Summary: extreemly diturbing - and possibly Barnes' best book
Review: I don't understand some of you people. If you were to be believed, the perfect story would be of a highly moral priest going through everyday life! Come on! All because a character is diturbing and disturbed doesn't make it a baddly written character or a bad book. In fact, the author's ability to make a *real* character that leaves the reader uncomfertable is quite a feat. This is not a textbook character in a standardized plot - in fact, the main character is in a similar vein to Clint Eastwood's character in the "fistfull of dollars/few dollars more/the good, the bad, and the ugly" movies - but even nastier! Barns lulls the reader into comfort with a plot presented as a first person narative where, for the most part, the character is very likeable - then he goes and does something heinous. What's disturbing (and might be a problem to many) is that Barns makes his actions understandable. Be warned, this is not a *nice* book, but it is a very, very well written, thought-provoking page-turner. If you can stand the sex and violece you will be moved by this great novel that looks at humanity and human nature. If you are a sci-fi fan and not squemish, buy it; if you aren't, go look at this weeks top ten best-sellers and pick out a trite, safe little book.
Rating:
Summary: depraved violence, no redeeming qualities
Review: I hated this book. I have a large collection of F&SF, and after reading this book to the end -- hoping for it to get better all along -- I threw it away, because I would not want to inflict this on anyone else. I've enjoyed other books by this author, and enjoyed them, so it is Barnes's choices in anti-hero characterization and plotting that I can't stand in this book.
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