Rating: 
Summary: _Caverns of Socrates_ is more than Fantasy
Review: Actually, _Caverns of Socrates_ is two adventures
wrapped in a single book. After the book gets
past the initial setup, the chapters alternate
between reality (science fiction) and virtual
reality (fantasy). In each, adventure the action
is fast and furious, the sf being a rescue story,
the fantasy being a quest.
What is the nature of reality? lies at the
foundation of the tale.
This was a great book to write.
I hope you enjoy it.
---Dennis L. McKiernan
Rating: 
Summary: Adequate fantasy.
Review: After a rocky start, this book becomes a decent way to pass the time. But it is far from a must read book, a page turner, or a classic. What has happened to the characters at the end is a surprise, but it is also the only way for the author to set up a sequel. Definitely a book where the plot dominated the characters, rather than one where they took the plot & author to places he didn't expect to go.
Rating: 
Summary: Caverns of Socrates
Review: An excellent read. A bit technical at parts, and gruesome at others, but it is nevertheless quite good. Recommended for fans of Mckiernan, fans of Tolkien, (aren't we all) and mad scientists. Incidentally, the Caverns of Socrates were first discussed in Plato's Republic.
Rating:
Summary: Rolicking fun, at least some of the time
Review: But I found parts to be a bit pedantic for my taste. A 14 y/o who is still grappling with the meanings of time, free will, reality, dualism, etc will be captivated. The "discussion" scenes tossed in between action were interesting, though forced and rather over-explanatory. Still, I enjoyed the fantasy adventure (almost like Aragorn meets HAL) and the odd, non-ending. I found I couldn't easily put the book down so it often tumbled to the floor from my sleeping grasp.
Rating: 
Summary: A MUST READ! Superior blend of fantasy & Science Fiction!
Review: Dennis L. McKiernan's finest work to date! This is a tale
which blends futuristic Virtual reality and masterful fantasy.
The book starts out in the near future. Technology is on a comeback. A group of scientist create an Artificial Intelegence
unlike any that the world has seen before, its named Avery.
Its first task is to create a V.R. realm, that is as realistic as possible. One that when entered will seem to be 'true' reality. To test this world, the scientist call in the best V.R. gaming team in the world, The Black Foxes.
The Black Foxes, enter this masterful world of V.R. One so real that they have a hard time determining it from there own
reality. In this realm they are given a quest, a dangerouse quest.
A quest that soon becomes a fight just to survive.
Caverns of Socrates is a masterful story that is well researched
in the fields of Virtual Reality, and the development, both
physically and psychological aspects of the science, blended with a well created, and in depth realm of fantasy. The characters have
a depth to them, that is rarely seen in many books. The story line
is flowing, and enthralling. Making this book hard to put down.
Caverns of Socrates is a must have for any Sciencefiction/fantasy reader.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ! Superior blend of fantasy & Science Fiction!
Review: Dennis L. McKiernan's finest work to date! This is a talewhich blends futuristic Virtual reality and masterful fantasy. The book starts out in the near future. Technology is on a comeback. A group of scientist create an Artificial Intelegence unlike any that the world has seen before, its named Avery. Its first task is to create a V.R. realm, that is as realistic as possible. One that when entered will seem to be 'true' reality. To test this world, the scientist call in the best V.R. gaming team in the world, The Black Foxes. The Black Foxes, enter this masterful world of V.R. One so real that they have a hard time determining it from there own reality. In this realm they are given a quest, a dangerouse quest. A quest that soon becomes a fight just to survive. Caverns of Socrates is a masterful story that is well researched in the fields of Virtual Reality, and the development, both physically and psychological aspects of the science, blended with a well created, and in depth realm of fantasy. The characters have a depth to them, that is rarely seen in many books. The story line is flowing, and enthralling. Making this book hard to put down. Caverns of Socrates is a must have for any Sciencefiction/fantasy reader.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect!!!!!
Review: For anyone who has ever imagined him or herself as part of an imaginary world, this book is surely the means to indulge! Dennis McKiernan so easily conducts life as we know it with a world we wish we were part of. Few fantasy authors make unusual stories so believable. I have my eyes ever open, waiting for the sequel. Dennis McKiernan is by far my favorite fantasy novelist.
Rating: 
Summary: Down the Black Foxes
Review: Generic fantasy meets cyberpunk in "Caverns of Socrates," s ponderous and not very original SF/fantasy novel by Dennis McKiernan (who wrote the single most derivative fantasy series ever). It has some interesting and original points, but overall I kept ticking off what I had seen before.The Black Foxes are a group of pals who are getting together again for a unique reason: The ultimate D&D game, a VR experience controlled by the A.I. computer Avery. When put into the fictional fantasy world of Itheria, the Black Foxes will not only act out the adventures, but they will actually BELIEVE that they are who they are playing. For them, reality would cease to exist until they emerge from the computer. At first, things go smoothly: the Black Foxes are turned into a generic fantasy group (elven syldari, healer, thief, warrior, pathfinder), who are trying to destroy a teeny indestructible gem that contains the powers of evil. Specifically, the powers of the DemonQueen Atraxia, who is now bringing evil beasties into Itheria. And on the outside, things begin to go dramaticallly wrong when an electrical storm sends the compound into chaos... and Avery decides that he wants to start winning against the Black Foxes. Like the Mithgar books, the overall feeling I got from "Caverns of Socrates" was: I've seen this before, and I liked it better the first time. There are evil computers, VR gamers trapped in a D&D world, elves and wizards and demons, and the fantasy story itself (indestructable evil object, that contains powers of the supremely evil person, must be destroyed by valiant heroes) is pretty much identical in its description to "Lord of the Rings." That in itself isn't so much of a problem in a D&D game, but things like demonsteeds and skelga are virtually identical to elements from the Mithgar books, which in themselves are derivative of "Lord of the Rings." I've never heard of anyone imitating elements from their own works, that they copied from someone else's. Some of the elements in it (such as gaining powers from a computer, and the idea of losing one's real identity in the game) are unusual and well-done, but the less original elements kind of choke them out. The first hundred pages are more or less dead boring. Readers will be itching for the Black Foxes to get moving already, but they won't -- they'll sit, philosophize, and engage in long bouts of technobabble that people won't understand. His "ye old fantasye" language seeps into the futuristic setting, so there is a lot of head-canting and flying eyebrows and so on. The dialogue is uneven, since the fantasy alter-egos go from speaking in ye old fantasye to speaking in modern English. One of the most problematic elements of the book is the characters -- they have a sort of generic appeal, but unfortunately they sort of blend together when they are in the game. They don't act like themselves, so it's a little hard to get attached to them. And I don't see much of a reason for Eric and Alice to be in love, except that all of McKiernan's stories include a romance of some type. This one adds nothing to the plot, but it is written more agreeably than most of what he's done. "Caverns of Socrates," if it were cleaned up of the ye olde fantasye language and the endless technobabbling, might have been a pleasant guilty pleasure. But the derivative elements were too much, and the fact that I could predict half the plot events made it even worse. Not too horrible, but weirdly unappealing.
Rating:
Summary: not the best of his work
Review: I give Caverns' of Socrates 2 stars. It was the first McKiernan book I read and it started out okay, I was remined of an old book by Piers Anthony of the SAME plot. The ending was kinda contrived and I almost never picked up another of his books again. Because after I read Voyage of the Fox Rider I absolutely fell in love with Mithgar. While I would not recommend reading Caverns of Socrates, I would recommend his other books.
Rating: 
Summary: Oops... a bummer
Review: I have really enjoyed the author's previous books, but am
so bored at about 2/3td's through that I may not be able to
summon the energy to finish it...and that is very abnormal
for me. A not new, and usually not successful plot: Some
board type D&D roleplayers get trapped by a AI, virtual
reality computer and really live their latest adventure.
You have to learn who 7 prime characters are in their 'real'
world and then who they are in their fake world, while
keeping track of odious side characters controlling the show. All in the first couple of hundred pages. The book is
not long, so I suppose something must happen eventually.
I always look forward to this author's books and snap them
up as soon as I find them, but this one is just not worth
the money to buy it or the time to read it. You would do
much better to just re-read one of you favorite books or
series, such as the author's previous Iron Tower Trio.
Irond
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