Rating: 
Summary: A good tale....confusing at times....but good
Review: Tad Williams has presented to us a magnificent masterpiece which melds fantasy and science-fiction into a seamless whole that, once immersed in the world he has created, one will virtually be unable to "unplug". He borrows already created worlds (like Alice's wonderland, Jack and the beanstalk, etc) and spins a compelling story around them, at the same time creating his own mult-faceted universe which will amaze and stretch the imagination. The characters are created with great care and sensibility such that there are no stereotypes or cliches, each retaining a strong personality. The only thing to be careful about is that this story actually comprises of four books and this one ends in a fashion that will only make sense if one goes on with the rest of the series.
Rating: 
Summary: The Never-Ending Plot Scam
Review: What type of author cannot resolve a plot in 800 pages? Not a good one. What kind of publisher publishes such an author? Same answer. What type of author and publisher uses the "never-ending plot" as a pathetic way to get readers to spend money on the "sequel?" Tad Williams and DAW Books. Will it work on this avid science fiction reader? No.
With that, the story itself was good and I appreciate the oh-so-rare African lead character.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining SCIFI!!!
Review: When I finally discovered Tad Williams' books, I was pleasantly surprised. I thought I had exhausted what I found to be "good scifi" a list which includes books like Ender's Game. I was entertained immensely by the author's intelligent handling of a subject that could have quickly become overwhelmed with "tech" details. He takes a human approach to an inhuman subject, earning this book a right to be referred to more as "futurism" than as old-fashioned sci-fi. I find the friendship between !Xabbu and Renie to be a little bit mystifying, in that !Xabbu (from what I know only from the first volume) seems a little to good to be true as far as people go. He seems almost inhuman. However, I suspect there is a reason for this treatment of a character by Williams, who otherwise developes and maintains his characters masterfully. It is a quick easy read and will maintain the avid reader's attention as well as it will help the odd airplane-only variety of reader pass the time. Thumbs up as far as a good sci fi goes. However, keep in mind that volume 1 ends seemingly in the middle of the story. A good technique. I just bought the second volume.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh no! Not another world! Not again!
Review: You're able to read all about the plot & the story in other reviews. Everything that's positive has also been mentioned earlier, so what is wrong with this book, this series?
Most here say 'nothing at all, it's the best ever.' Not me. I read 3 of the 4 books, and can't yet bring myself to pick up the final volume. I thought I'd write a warning as a review for book 1, as you're bound to start there. In short: the books are too long. By far. The thought that keeps popping into my head is: Williams decided early this was going to be a 4-novel series, and when he found out the idea is only good enough for two novels of this size, he decided to drag it out. Instead of 4 or 5 different worlds, you get over a dozen (haven't counted them) and though some are great & others are not, the general feeling when the characters cross into another world is: not again! It's description after description, instead of focusing on plot development & character interaction. Not that he doesn't do that (although not by far as I had heard, most characters seem to be made of cardboard instead flesh), but there is just too much static in between. You start to feel as if Williams is actually plotting against his characters to make them mess up just enough to keep them from finding out what they must, just so he can add another few chapters.
This series would have been a lot more readable if someone had taken a pair of scissors and cut out half of it. The end result: I just don't care about what happens to most of these characters anymore. Which is a pity, because the idea and the story *are* good.
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