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Summary: an absorbing story with a message, or two!
Review: This is the tale of Mikk, from his beginnings as an apparently talentless student of the performing arts, to his triumph as the universally reknowned performance master. Throughout the book, there are two stories which unfold. In the present, Mikk is in jail, up against the Council for defying a ban on his performing a certain dance. As this story develops, the reader also learns of his growing up, his evolution to performance master and how he came to be on trial. Between the lines, there are messages about tolerance of inter-race relationships and same-gender relationships, and freedom of speech. In all, this is a fantastic story, where the technology of sci-fi does not disturb the telling.
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Summary: THE BEST BOOK EVER!
Review: This review probably won't be very helpful, but I'd still like to recommend it. It's about a Vyzanian performance master named Mikk who, when he was little, was not expected to succeed in anything. He was sent away to an "adequate" school for performers. He surprises everyone by becoming the apprentice to the "best peformance master in the universe." After that is the rest of his story. This is ~the~ book for anyone wjho likes comedy, tragedy, and sci-fi. ! READ IT!
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Summary: Enchanting book with strong characters and stories
Review: This story is about the redeeming power of beauty and integrity. The main character, Rikk, is a misfit child, abused by his parents, who becomes a great entertainer. This gives him too much power, and the Stalinist trade unionist who regulate the entertainers try to bring him down.This book works well because the characters are well defined, and they relate to each other in a believable way. The plot is well structured, moving seamlessly between different times. Rather like the main character in the Fountainhead, Rikk triumphs because he remains true to his art and himself. This is real science fiction, although there is little in the way of fancy gadgets. But there is no end of strange tribes and creatures, and interplanetary travel. This is a book that I like to re-read (it takes me about 2 hours), and recommend to my friends.
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Summary: A brilliant work
Review: This work is simply marvelous. I intended to read it for one hour last night, but instead stayed up almost the whole night, making me a bit of wreck today, but it was quite worth it. Thank you Ms. Waitman! Addressing a couple of comments others reviewers made. The only person I saw that disliked the book complains that its sci fi is not complete, that it is more fantasy than sci fi. Well, shucks, mate, if the story is incredible and the characters are deeper than deep, I don't really care if we aren't subjected to long treatises of speculative science. I like hard sci fi, but to castigate the book for *not* being hard sci fi is like castigating classical music because it isn't jazz. And anyway, I don't agree with the criticism, the sci fi is more anthropological, a la LeGuin, with completely believable worlds and races. Someone else asks to *please* tell us what other books touched us like this one, other than Dune. Here is my little list, in no particular order: Songmaster (Card), Ender's Game (Card), Kindred (Butler), Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein), The Dispossessed (LeGuin), Beggars in Spain (Kress), The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien), Childhood's End (Arthur C. Clarke), The Mote in God's Eye (Larry Niven)
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Summary: Absolutely unique....the makings of a classic
Review: This work stands in a category by itself. It adopts the universe as it's medium, but you will find that the issues raised are quite worldly and recognizable. As a musician myself, I am convinced that the author draws upon personal repetoire in crafting this amazing book. Certainly, this book is based as much upon experience as imagination. Totally genuine and honest. Not for the squeemish.
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Summary: Wonderful tale...
Review: Waitman's tale bespeaks of love as opposed to sex, freedom vs. censorship, endurance and survival and much, much more. The Merro Tree enfolds the reader into its world, displayed and presented by Waitman in such a way as to dissolve barriers of time as well as ease taints of prejudice. As many others have already appraised it, Waitman's The Merro Tree is one of the best books I've read for a very long time and, after this taste of the sublime, I am very eager to see what more Waitman has to offer.
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