Caverns of Socrates

Rating:
Summary: Proto-Cyberpunk meets D&D!
Review: I haven't read anything else by this author & have seen alot of criticism for his others; but this book has something for everyone- techno future, role playing, philosophy . . . who wouldn't/hasn't fantasized about truly becoming their alter?! I can't quite put my finger on any one thing that brings this out- but I came away saying that this was the best book I've read in a LONG time. If you don't like to be "preached at" or given a MAJOR tweak to your ethics, then you probably won't think it deserves my high praise. If you're a Gamer- GET IT!

Rating:
Summary: great and something that might actually happen!
Review: I just finished reading this book today, and it was great, although I do like Dennis's other books better, I would definnitly recommend you read this book.

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Summary: high-tech suspence
Review: i loved it it has great imagery and a fantasically loriginal stor

Rating:
Summary: Superb Writing
Review: I picked this book up because i have long been a fan of McKiernan's work and i thought it would continue the tales of Mithgar. After reading a few pages i was horribly shocked this book had nothing to do with Mithgar at all but dealt with the future. Felling a bit betrayed i continued reading and was pleasantly surprised the book did in fact contain a fantasy tale while also taking place in the world of high technology at the same time. This book while a diversion from the world of Mithgar was truly excellent. Both the fantasy and technology aspects of the book were truly captivating and made for an excellent read. i heartily reccomend this book to fans of either genra although this is more of a fantasy than a sci fi novel.

Rating:
Summary: a good read with a great premise
Review: I truly enjoyed this book( and others by this author) because he has the ability to sieze your attention and keep it, by force, if necessary. The storyline is exciting and has truly thought-provoking ideas included. A truly fine novel and I think the followup hinted at will be equally innovative

Rating:
Summary: A good read but definitely not his best
Review: I would rate this book a bit above average but a bit below the standard I hold to this author. The premise is relatively sound, and the book does get good toward the middle. It just seemed to me there was so much left out that deserved attention. The VR competition they were supposedly so good at, the background on the world they were thrown into, how each character developed his/her VR "persona", etc. I would have been interested more in the physical makeup of the machine(where's James Hogan when you need him?) but instead recieved a psychology lecture - a bit too much for me. By far the most wanting part of the book, however, was the ending. Instead of a satisfying ending McKiernan threw in a couple of well used plot stunts (which I won't detail and ruin the ending) that left me a bit dissatisfied. Despite these shortcomings, however, the storytelling was excellent and quite compelling - it made all the problems with this book palatable. Overall, a good book, just not a great one.

Rating:
Summary: A truly captivating book.
Review: Mckiernan beautifully blends a riveting tale of science fiction with classic fantasy. This book was an interesting change from Mckiernan's usual fantasy universe, and I applaud his creativity. However, the fantasy storyline could have been slightly more developed, and I found the character Mark Perry rather annoying. Yet, overall, this was an amazing book, and I would recommend it to any fan of science fiction or fantasy. I greatly enjoyed the philosophical questions woven into the plot, and the scientific conjecture provided a perfect foundation from which this captivating story could be launched.

Rating:
Summary: A glowing recommendation
Review: Perhaps it is because I had just read Socrates for a philsophy class, but I found The Caverns of Socrates to be one of the best fantasy novels I had ever read.
The author skillfully blends fantasy, computers and adventure into one exciting non-stop read. I think a book is good when I don't want to stop reading it. I couldn't get this one out of my head.
Being a role-player, I also enjoyed that aspect of the story as it underscored the camraderie that exists among gamers. Look for the scene in the cave where the character must solve a puzzle or die. If you like fantasy, you will love this book

Rating:
Summary: A disappointment
Review: Since I'm usually a devoted McKiernan fan, I actually surprised myself by being unable to finish this book. It starts out promisingly, if predictably: fantasy game players are caught up into their role-playing world, assuming the identities of their characters. Some complicated techno-babble attempts to explain this phenomenon, but I really don't want to know and honestly don't care: In books of this type, the good stuff doesn't usually start until the crossover has taken place. Given this standard, you can imagine my disappointment when I discovered that the fantasy adventure here is derivative, poorly-written and just plain boring! McKiernan borrows shamelessly from such fantasy/science fiction standards as Tolkien (small group of bold adventurers defy all-powerful-evil-wizard type by attempting to destroy an artifact of great power in a distant mountain) and Arthur C. Clarke's _2001_ (evil computer goes insane and attempts to destroy the humans around it). In fact, there is not a single scene in this book that contains even a smidgen of originality or invention. I was so put off by the theft that I couldn't get through the book. If you feel the need, through loyalty to the author, to give this book a try, please take it out of the library for a free test-run. McKiernan should be paying Tolkien royalties for this

Rating:
Summary: Masterful blend of Science Fiction and Fantasy
Review: The best part of the book was the grasp of modern day ideas. For someone with a technology background the descriptiveness of McKiernan is awesome. The in depth view of some far out theories completely makes up for the unusually poor performance in the Fantasy department. Usually such a strong writer in all areas, this time the characters within the Fantasy world needed a real goal, and more fleshing out