Rating: 
Summary: A VERY mixed bag.
Review: "The Merro Tree" can be best described as "The Lion King" meets "A Bug's Life" on the set of "Star Wars". And, indeed, this milder, more verbose variation on "Ender's Game" would feel right at home in a galaxy far, far away. There is absolutely no science involved here. The dull, unimaginative aliens include dog-men, snake-men, bee-men, emotionless, mechanical men, and blue-skinned men. Apparently, all planets in the galaxy share a Mediterranian climate and atmosphere, and any alien can survive on a diet of foreign food.Yes, this book deals with personal freedoms, censorship, and same-sex love, but it deals with those subjects in a shallow, inadequate way. The good is a bit too good, and the evil, instead of being ambiguous, is definitely, outrageously evil. Even the book's centerpiece same-sex (but different species) romance is contrived and artificial. Ms. Waitman seems convinced that the success of such relationships lies in two things: constant mutual gratification and a knack for femininity. "The Merro Tree" is about the blossoming talent of a young prodigy, told in parallel with our now-aged hero's struggle against a galactic ban on his unique art. An entertaining concept, certainly. But the characters are almost entirely two-dimensional and the prose tends to be flowery and melodramatic. Mikk is not entertaining in his role as the main character. As the book starts out, his personality seems shifting and impermanent. For a good deal of time, his young aspect is shy and clumsy, but that goes away within several pages with little or no explanation. Which is really a pity, since two-thirds of the way in, Ms. Waitman wakes up and takes advantage of the reader's pent-up jealousy for Mikk's apparently inborn talents. Soon, she starts pulling on other strings, and the book gains a surprisingly effective amount of drama and pathos, but nevertheless manages to end on a flat and mystifying note. Ms. Waitman has definite talent. Unfortunately, her characters in "The Merro Tree" take a great deal of time to take shape, and most of the dialog is either stunted or predictable. In her next work, "The Divided", Ms. Waitman fixes some of her errors, but some are still there. Watch for her upcoming works.
Rating: 
Summary: It gets better every time I read it. . .
Review: I just finished reading this book for the fourth time. The Merro Treeis amazing! It's completely cohesive; the plot and the flashbacksfit together in a seamless succession. Every mention connects with the big picture. The labels and titles that Waitman fabricates for alien names and things create a terrific visual image. There's nothing to nitpick about. The story is totally fulfilling and her structure and presentation are flawless. You might be disoriented reading through the novel for the first time because you're placed right in the thick of things and then transported to Mikk's very beginning on Vyzania -- which is confusing in itself because they have a different culture, social structure, and way of thinking as us. But everything falls together as you read further. You'll pick up on more and more subtleties and cross-references in the text if you read through again. And again. . .
Rating:
Summary: Katie Waitman is now on my, "Buy It Sight Unseen" list.
Review: Actually, my full review appears in The Monthly Aspectarian in my sf review column (usually posted at www.lightworks.com)in the May '98 issue. However, in brief, the subject matter of this novel is near and dear to my heart and the writing style gives it that extra something that glues me to the page and fires my imagination. I also have (as those who've read my own novels know) an affinity for human/alien love stories, and this book contains one of the best I've seen in a very long time. Much of the enjoyment of this 'good read' depends on the suspense developed so don't read too many reviews before you read the book. If you like Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake novels, I think you'll probably like Katie Waitman's work -- but for entirely different reasons. Ostensibly, they're complete opposites, but they carry much the same kind of appeal for me. (and Waitman has no vampire or supernatural elements at all here!) Live Long and Prosper, Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Rating:
Summary: One Book
Review: After reading the book I wished for more adventures with Mikk. Even after i finished the book,I still was thinking about it. I loved it.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: Amazing book! Expressing concepts of censorship and homosexuality at the same time, as well as a great insight into the performing arts. Amazing!!
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, Lyrical, Astounding!
Review: An absolutely gorgeous book. I barely made it though the day at work until I could get home and finish it. Ms. Waitman has a lyrical power that will leave you stunned, gasping and yearning for more. The only thing I regret is that this is her first book and I can't read more of her work immediately. Please go out and expand your horizons by reading this book, you won't be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful piece of writing
Review: Even after the first two pages, I knew that this was one of those books that I consider my most valuable. Beautiful in what it has to say about love, cenorship, but most of all, the performing arts. I love how Katie Waitman brought forth the wonders of dance, song, and the theatre. Thank you for writing this book Katie!
Rating:
Summary: An amazing debut effort
Review: Few science-fiction writers, other than Jack Vance, have dealt with the role of art in an age of interstellar travel. But Katie Waitman makes up for this lack in her gracefully written and compassionate first novel. (and probably you'll discern some similarities with Waitman's Master Mikk and Vance's Cugel the Clever). _The Merro Tree_ demonstrates that when a vibrant endeavor is controlled by the dead hand of a bureaucracy those at the creative end of the process will indeed suffer. The novel generates a terrific amount of suspense, even though you learn at the outset that Mikk has been taken into custody for having performed a forbidden dance routine. The suspense is all in what got him into the predicament in the first place. You'll probably have the tendency to read rapidly just to see what will happen next, but the advice here is to slow down, because Waitman, a skilled wordsmith, makes every one of her words count. Skim over a passage and you're sure to miss something. Since the publisher herself makes reference on Amazon's boards to sex with a snake, it gives nothing away to say that Waitman renders the impossible plausible, thus adding a stratum of Freud to a work that already has layers enough.
Rating:
Summary: Sensational Success
Review: Highly recommended. Couldnt put the book down. I will psychologically grip you and carry you away on an intersteller roller coaster.
Rating: 
Summary: Science Fiction This is Not
Review: I absolutely had to review the Merro Tree, if for no other reason than to question virtually nearly all the other on-line reviews. The overwhewlming consensus appears to be that is a 5-star sci-fi classic, and hence the reason I bought it. I was extremely disappointed. For a start, there is next to no science in this book. Apparently there is extensive space travel, yet most of the worlds described in this book appear to possess little in the way of industry. This brings me to my second beef. The settings for the action are very poorly described. The worlds that are the basis for science fiction novels should be fantastic, but they should be described in a way that enables the reader to suspend reality and actually start believing that they could be real. There was nothing about the Merro Tree that was believable. It is pure fantasy, and IMHO, the fairy floss kind. Okay. Some pretty big issues are dealt with - censorship, racial tolerance and homosexuality - but are we really expected to take these issues seriously when the settings and the characters are just so silly.
| 
