Rating: 
Summary: Meandering Fantasy with Typical Faults
Review: Although at times wonderful, Gentle's "Rats & Gargoyles" is rife with excessive characters, some of whom are likeable but undeserving of a storyline, stupid jokes, elongated chapters and a pregnant pause of a final climax. Essentially the book is a hundred pages longer than it should be (I found myself dozing off at the 400 page mark), with chapters that are so drawn out that skipping entire sections is a really tempting idea. Some of the ideas are novel though, and that is finally what redeems the work as a whole. The use of magic as a decendant of Paracelsus and Agrippa is a welcome change to the typical "high sorcery"; Rats are a nice change from those bloody elves; and the disceet history of the text is nicely portrayed. It's worth reading, if you're up for some fantasy and a long read.
Rating: 
Summary: Alchemical science has never tasted so good.
Review: Culturally and chronogically eclectic, successfully combining elements of philosophies and technologies, very tightly and intelligently written to form a (for once) truly original fantasy "universe". Well written in an intensely descriptive style. The plot is very entertaining as are the peculiar characters. Two quibbles: habit of alternating a line of dialogue with a line of description (disruptive); and White Crow's teenage daughter is totally superfluous.
Rating:
Summary: A Different, Atypical Fantasy Novel
Review: I picked up this book on a whim, and found it to be a good read, but only when I had no distractions and the time to really concentrate on what was happening. There is a lot of description and detail, as well as quite a few characters to keep track of, and sometimes that can be difficult for me if I am just reading to kill time in a crowded space, or just before going to sleep when I'm already tired. If you have the time and the lack of distraction to really get into this book, I recommend it. However, if you like fantasy novels such as the Dragonlance books, you probably won't like this book because it applies some real science to a fantasy setting, rather than the standards of magic found in many fantasy novels. The characters are interesting, especially because the role of the women in this novel isn't that of the damsel-in-distress, which was refreshing. I especially liked the character of Zari because she was just so... well... different. So, I recommend this book, but only if you want to read a book that engages you and makes you think. If you are looking for a "pulpy" book to kill time on an airplane or in a bus station, this is a bad book for that purpose. --Kim
Rating: 
Summary: Bad read...
Review: I remember trying to read this book in high school for a book report. I knew I liked fantasy games and that type of thing, but I hadn't ever tried to read a fantasy book before. This was my first and it almost ruined me for good on fantasy. "Rats and Gargoyles" was one of the few books I never finished. It is a confusing read and halfway through the book I still didn't understand it. Meanwhile, 2 days before the book report was due my friend lent me "Darkwalker on Moonshae" in the Forgotten Realms series by Douglas Niles to read in place of it. I finished that book in 2 days and enjoyed it immensely. Now, 6 years later I'm still reading fantasy. I say skip this book, and check out Forgotten Realms or books by R.A. Salvatore, George R.R. Martin, and the Lord of the Rings books. You'll be much more interested in fantasy and continue discovering new writers.
Rating:
Summary: Bad read...
Review: I remember trying to read this book in high school for a book report. I knew I liked fantasy games and that type of thing, but I hadn't ever tried to read a fantasy book before. This was my first and it almost ruined me for good on fantasy. "Rats and Gargoyles" was one of the few books I never finished. It is a confusing read and halfway through the book I still didn't understand it. Meanwhile, 2 days before the book report was due my friend lent me "Darkwalker on Moonshae" in the Forgotten Realms series by Douglas Niles to read in place of it. I finished that book in 2 days and enjoyed it immensely. Now, 6 years later I'm still reading fantasy. I say skip this book, and check out Forgotten Realms or books by R.A. Salvatore, George R.R. Martin, and the Lord of the Rings books. You'll be much more interested in fantasy and continue discovering new writers.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: I'm a bit of a speed-reader, and "Rats and Gargoyles" is one of the few books that has had the honor of taking me more than a week to finish. It has an extraordinarily deep and convoluted plot (or, more accurately, web of plots and subplots) which has been described as "designed specifically to make the brain ache;" nonetheless, if you can actually follow the story, it's a highly original, intriguing, disturbing, amusing, and occasionally even erotic novel.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: I'm a bit of a speed-reader, and "Rats and Gargoyles" is one of the few books that has had the honor of taking me more than a week to finish. It has an extraordinarily deep and convoluted plot (or, more accurately, web of plots and subplots) which has been described as "designed specifically to make the brain ache;" nonetheless, if you can actually follow the story, it's a highly original, intriguing, disturbing, amusing, and occasionally even erotic novel.
Rating:
Summary: A Time of Momentous Change
Review: Rats and Gargoyles is the first novel in the White Crow series. This novel takes place in a society much like Paris in the late 17th century, but wherein the Hermetic philosophy -- i.e., magic -- of that period can effect changes in the real universe, as can Masonic and Rosicrucian principles. The God-demons each represent ten degrees -- i.e., a decan -- of the circle of heavens. The ruling class are Rats and the Decan Acolytes are gargoyles. The city itself is the center of the world. In this novel, Prince Lucas comes incognito from Candover to the city in order to attend the University of Crime. On his first day, he meets Zar-bettu-Zekigal, a Katayan princess and Kings' Memory, follows her through a shortcut in the catacombs, is separated from her and imprisoned by the Order of Guiry, escapes from his cell, meets his landlady Evelian and her daughter Sharlevian, and consults with the White Crow. Zar-bettu-Zekigal goes with the black Rat-Lord Plessiez to a meeting with the Master Falke of the House of Salomon. While they are talking, Captain-General Desaguliers, a lean black Rat, intrudes on the meeting with his armed cadets, implies that it is a treasonous conspiracy against the Rat-Kings, but allows it to continue. An agreement is reached just before the Acolytes tear the roof off the hall and starting killing the participants. Casaubon, a Lord Architect and scholar-soldier of the Invisible College, has been summoned to the city to build war machines for the Rat-Kings. He is surprised and delighted to find the White Crow there, for she is a fellow scholar-soldier and he has been looking for her. This novel is much like Dumas' Three Musketeers tales, but is filled with magic of several flavors. It is replete with obscure symbolism, political satire, and ineffable purpose. The author draws upon her studies in history to imbue the story with the proper ambiance and character. For example, the legal trial and execution of the sow for murder at the very start of the story sets the tone of irrational logic that prevails throughout. The various forms of magic presented in this novel were precursors to the natural science and technology of the 18th century. In fact, the earliest version of the Royal Society of London was called the Invisible College. Much of the technology as well as the practice of experimentation had already been developed by alchemists and other students of such magic, so subsequent developments in natural science were mostly on the theoretical side. During the next century, many plausible explanations for physical phenomena were proven to be false and were replaced with other notions which emerged from the experimental data. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys fantasies with a historical setting and rationale.
Rating:
Summary: A Time of Momentous Change
Review: Rats and Gargoyles is the first novel in the White Crow series. This novel takes place in a society much like Paris in the late 17th century, but wherein the Hermetic philosophy -- i.e., magic -- of that period can effect changes in the real universe, as can Masonic and Rosicrucian principles. The God-demons each represent ten degrees -- i.e., a decan -- of the circle of heavens. The ruling class are Rats and the Decan Acolytes are gargoyles. The city itself is the center of the world. In this novel, Prince Lucas comes incognito from Candover to the city in order to attend the University of Crime. On his first day, he meets Zar-bettu-Zekigal, a Katayan princess and Kings' Memory, follows her through a shortcut in the catacombs, is separated from her and imprisoned by the Order of Guiry, escapes from his cell, meets his landlady Evelian and her daughter Sharlevian, and consults with the White Crow. Zar-bettu-Zekigal goes with the black Rat-Lord Plessiez to a meeting with the Master Falke of the House of Salomon. While they are talking, Captain-General Desaguliers, a lean black Rat, intrudes on the meeting with his armed cadets, implies that it is a treasonous conspiracy against the Rat-Kings, but allows it to continue. An agreement is reached just before the Acolytes tear the roof off the hall and starting killing the participants. Casaubon, a Lord Architect and scholar-soldier of the Invisible College, has been summoned to the city to build war machines for the Rat-Kings. He is surprised and delighted to find the White Crow there, for she is a fellow scholar-soldier and he has been looking for her. This novel is much like Dumas' Three Musketeers tales, but is filled with magic of several flavors. It is replete with obscure symbolism, political satire, and ineffable purpose. The author draws upon her studies in history to imbue the story with the proper ambiance and character. For example, the legal trial and execution of the sow for murder at the very start of the story sets the tone of irrational logic that prevails throughout. The various forms of magic presented in this novel were precursors to the natural science and technology of the 18th century. In fact, the earliest version of the Royal Society of London was called the Invisible College. Much of the technology as well as the practice of experimentation had already been developed by alchemists and other students of such magic, so subsequent developments in natural science were mostly on the theoretical side. During the next century, many plausible explanations for physical phenomena were proven to be false and were replaced with other notions which emerged from the experimental data. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys fantasies with a historical setting and rationale.
Rating:
Summary: Horrible
Review: The only fantasy genre book I never finished. It is a pet peeve of mine not to finish books even when they are bad. However, I made an exception for this one. I have no idea what the plot of this story is and what the heck was going on, but whatever it was it added up to bad reading. Seems like a good idea for a book; however, I'm not exactly sure what the author was trying to convey with this story or even what that idea may be. Apologies for lack of detail, but I just don't know how to describe this book except that it was bad.
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