Rating: 
Summary: Like Mendoza, you'll be begging to die halfway through
Review: I find this book the best of the trilogy. In all the three books the historical background is sound and the writing is smooth and unobtrusive.The first book, 'The garden of Iden', left me perplexed because it looked more a (very well documented, of course) historical novel and the SF side was playing a minor role, almost a pretext for describing the XVI century english society. The second one, 'Sky Coyote', was more focused on the interaction between immortals and mortals, the role of the Dr. Zeus Company and the psycology of the characters. But I felt that Baker's humor somewhat missed the point. I couldn't find believable the savant idiots from the future in charge of the rescue operation, nor the Indians and their behavior. But in this third book Kage Baker found a perfect equilibrium of style, insight into the immortal cyborgs psychology and sense of wonder for the mysterious Company which rules the past from the future.
What is it like being immortal, having lived for millennia and being separated for good from everything one loved? Seeing the unfolding of the history, the birth and the death of countless generations? Which kind of man and women do these cyborgs become? From this point of view the slowly paced, fluid narrative of the eveyday life in the the californian Company outpost is perfect, the reader is thoroughly immersed in the thoughts and the feeelings of the characters. Even the section on Griffith's 'Intolerance', which some reviewers found superfluous, is absolutely delicious, full of humor and human understanding. And the subsequent fit of despair and the wild dance of the babylonian Imarthe is one of the highlights of the book.
The climax of the novel is attained in the final section, where Mendoza comes across what appears to be a reincarnation of her dead lover. The dramatic events in the last pages, the hint of a cycle of deaths and rebirths where they will meet again and again, is a worthy conclusion of the novel.
I would not recommend this book to the the fans of starships zapping death rays against improbable aliens. But if you like SF that broadens your horizons, which involves you emotionally and makes you reflect on life, love and death, then read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Very slow...
Review: I found it very difficult to keep reading this book. I had already read both of Baker's earlier Company novels, and I had enjoyed them, but this one just seemed to drag.
I've had this book sitting around for months now, I'd start it, lose interest, and give up. Recently I had a long plane flight and I decided I'd bring it along. It starts off slowly, and mostly stays there until the third section of the book. While I thought the idea of the characters watching old Hollywood movies (as they find themselves based outside LA in the area that will become Hollywood) amusing, I really could do without a 20-page (in my exasperation I counted it, it really is double digit pages) scene by scene description of D.W. Griffeth's "Intolerence".
For the most part, the book is a character study, but without any real interesting insight into it's characters. This could be because (as other commenters have noted) Mendoza really stops being an interesting character in this novel, but instead becomes boring and annoying. Then, in the final section things begin to happen, and an engaging story it told. Of course this is only the last 100 pages or so. For me, it seemed as though Baker suddenly remembered a lot of interesting Company details she wanted to include, so supporting characters are suddenly shoved around to allow for the events of the last section without too much logic being employed. However, for those who have read the other Company novels, the revelations within these last pages will certainly grab your attention.
With all of the above, you may expect 1 star, well the last part did capture my interest, and reminded my why I had bought the book in the first place. It ends a bit abruptly (forcing me to head to the bookstore for the 4th installment if I want any questions answered), but I read those final 100 pages in about half the time it took me to read the middle 100, so that gains it a star.
Rating: 
Summary: best so far
Review: i liked the first book and was let down a bit by the second. thought i'd give this one a try before giving up on the series. so, now, i have ordered the 4th, in hardback yet and used to boot, just so i can follow mendoza's adventures in time. i'm not much of a critic, i just like to be entertained. kage baker is taking her place among my favorite writers, who include connie willis, dana stabenow, kathleen taylor, and nevada barr.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, interesting, historical science fantasy
Review: I love this series, definitely it's on my buy-in-hardcover-order-in-advance-first-edition list. Kage Baker has a fluid, supple writing style that conveys a lot while never intruding into the reader's awareness as overly mannered. Big, themed storylines can be overwhelming at times, with the larger drama rendering personal stories as petty or trite. I haven't found that in the Company War books. Baker's overarching storyline has enough power to carry through multiple books and characters, while offering niches for more personal, intimate stories. Her characters are dramatic, deftly realized, and have odd enough personalities that I can believe in them as immortal cyborgs. That's an important point, since as a reader I am always aware that immortal or abnormally long-lived character will be increasingly alienated and psychologically different. I thought that Baker did an excellent job conveying that difference, especially in the later books. Mendoza in Hollywood is a neatly told, nicely researched story. I don't know if it's the first novel I'd give someone to hook them on this series, but it's definitely a fun read.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't finish it.
Review: I loved Kage Baker's first two books, but she fell flat on her face in this one. Unlike Ms. Baker's previous books, where she managed to make history interesting, she failed miserably, her descriptions bland and leaving me bambouzled. I held on until page 156 and then I gave up when they had just traveled forward in time apparently and I was still bored as hell.
I would've given it one star but that wouldn't be fair considering I didn't finish it, so I give it the neutral rating of 3 in the hopes that people with as little patience as me heed my warning and those with more realize that it has room for improvement (lots of room) in the next few hundred pages.
Rating:
Summary: Tales of the past in a fresh light
Review: Mendoza is back with an interesting cast of characters. The only problem with the novel is the plot - admittedly a big portion of any book, but in this case occupying a secondary position of importance. We meet the cyborgs of the future, each with a a monomania for whatever scientific subject the Company decides. The fact that they are helplessly addicted to studying every aspect of this subject is something they recognize but are helpless to prevent. It is the Civil War and as Ms. Baker has explained - adding an original twist to the age old time-travel paradox problem - it is impossible to change any RECORDED historical event. But think of all those that are not recorded! Anyway, we are in early Hollywood and Mendoza meets her former lover from the first book in another man's body. The face is the same and he seems to be unaware of anything amiss. She is overwhelmingly captivated yet once more tragedy intervenes and this time she commits a cardinal sin - murder. Mendoza has somehow attained the ability to travel FORWARD in time. (Baker explains that according to time-travel rules, one can only go backward, not forward.) Her breaking of this rule and killing those who murdered her lover earn a prison sentence of ungodly cruelty - exile to a time before humans. Several questions arise: How does Mendoza travel forward in time? What is the meaning of the reappearance of her former lover? And what will Joseph do about the approaching convergence between the end of history and the workings of the Company. The
Rating:
Summary: Tales of the past in a fresh light
Review: Mendoza is back with an interesting cast of characters. The only problem with the novel is the plot - admittedly a big portion of any book, but in this case occupying a secondary position of importance. We meet the cyborgs of the future, each with a a monomania for whatever scientific subject the Company decides. The fact that they are helplessly addicted to studying every aspect of this subject is something they recognize but are helpless to prevent. It is the Civil War and as Ms. Baker has explained - adding an original twist to the age old time-travel paradox problem - it is impossible to change any RECORDED historical event. But think of all those that are not recorded! Anyway, we are in early Hollywood and Mendoza meets her former lover from the first book in another man's body. The face is the same and he seems to be unaware of anything amiss. She is overwhelmingly captivated yet once more tragedy intervenes and this time she commits a cardinal sin - murder. Mendoza has somehow attained the ability to travel FORWARD in time. (Baker explains that according to time-travel rules, one can only go backward, not forward.) Her breaking of this rule and killing those who murdered her lover earn a prison sentence of ungodly cruelty - exile to a time before humans. Several questions arise: How does Mendoza travel forward in time? What is the meaning of the reappearance of her former lover? And what will Joseph do about the approaching convergence between the end of history and the workings of the Company. The
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the 1st two, but...
Review: that'd be difficult since the The Garden of Iden and Sky Coyote were both books that made me wake up out a reader's stupor. My main complaint with this book: 18 pages devoted to relating the plot of DW Griffith's movie Intolerance. Instead of insightful examinations of the human character (Baker's usual choice for the meandering sections of her books), this read like padding. Still, the book continues to unravel the mystery of 'the Company' in a slow, tantalizing way. Unlike many contemporary SF authors, Baker doesn't seem to be writing a long series to ensure that royalties keep rolling in year after year. She seems to be releasing the bits and pieces of the overall story out in a controlled flow. These nuggets tantalize and start the thought processes rolling. This way, you the reader attempt to puzzle out the big picture. I felt myself becoming a Fox Mulder-like seeker because the way the books are written, you know that 'the truth is out there.' If it takes another 7 books to find, fine by me!
Rating:
Summary: A necessary read but a sleeper
Review: The author as well as the character are totally lost. Certainly the idea of Dr. Zeus and his immortals is interesting. For goodness sake's this is the third I have bought and read. But it is like a bad joke that goes on and on. I keep hoping for some interesting point or switch but we suffer AIMLESSLY with Menoza who is suffering for 300 years for 5/6th the book until we meet her new love, and then he is dead 40 pages later and she and the reader is endlessly punished. Get a new idea!
Rating:
Summary: Isn't that where Psycho was filmed?
Review: Time is once again moving forward (has it ever moved backward?). In the third Company novel by Kage Baker, Mendoza in Hollywood, our illustrious immortal Mendoza has to deal with some hard issues. When we last left her in Sky Coyote, she had gone off into early 18th century northern California where she could be alone and study her plants, away from the strange and disgusting mortals (that would be us normal human beings) that surrounded her. I found Sky Coyote to be a flawed but interesting sequel, but I love Baker's writing so I figured that she would rebound in her third book. Boy, did she ever. Mendoza in Hollywood is a masterpiece, having everything from social commentary to fascinating characters to mystery and beyond. We get a brief glimpse of the future, but we see nothing but agonizing hints to what is going on. Baker uses some of the tricks she used in Sky Coyote, but this time they work. It feels like Baker was maturing as a writer, determined to correct her mistakes and do it right this time. The result is a very entertaining read that will keep all Company fans engrossed and may even attract some new fans. The story is quite simple in its complexity (yes, I do mean that). Character interaction is the name of the game in Mendoza in Hollywood and what wonderful characters Baker has to use. Every one of them is vivid, from the young Juan Batista, who is tasked with collecting rare birds but becomes too attached to them, to the film buff Einar, who brings in the entertainment for the staff at the outpost. This usually consists of rare movies, including the original 8 hour cut of Erich Von Stroheim's Greed and D.W. Griffith's Intolerance. The latter movie is a wonderful character set piece, as the soundtrack is gone and Einar (along with Imarte, who actually lived in ancient Babylon) does the commentary for the entire film. The sequence is a magical bit of comedy and character development, and is everything that the show in Sky Coyote wasn't. It goes on for just as long (though Mendoza in Hollywood is a longer book, so the portion is smaller) but is much better written. I really enjoyed it. Other cast members are equally well done, with Porfirio (the outpost's security officer and commander) being the most bland. He is given some history that helps define Mendoza's character though, as she finds out that not all immortals have cut their familial ties with the mortal world. Oscar is a real treat, though. He's a salesman who is supposed to study living conditions of people in the area. He goes door to door, trying to sell items and get a look inside the domestic life of his customers. Mendoza accompanies him on some of his jaunts, and the scenes are just delightfully funny. While there is a running subplot of a British conspiracy with the Confederates for control of California (sparked by the neglectful act of leaving his briefcase by one of Imarte's johns), most of the story is about Mendoza and her interactions with these characters. It might sound boring, but every page of the book is building up her sense of isolation and her desolation over the death of her lover 300 years ago. She despises mortals because of how weak they are and how ideological they can be. Yet every one of her companions loves interacting with them and has their own way of dealing with them. As Mendoza observes, she feels more and more alone. Even Einar and his movie obsession, while providing some enjoyment, eventually adds to her burden as she realizes that even though they haven't even happened yet, the movies' settings are ephemeral and won't last long. Baker illustrates the burdens of immortality. Some people can deal with it (Joseph, Mendoza's mentor who isn't actually in this book, has been alive for thousands of years), but she can't seem to. Baker paints these characters with such loving detail that you can't help but revel in them. The book loses a little bit when the conspiracy plot takes center stage, even though Baker keeps the focus clearly on Mendoza and what's happening with her lover's doppelganger. The interaction between them kept me reading but I started to get tired of the conspiracy itself. However, I cared about what happened to Mendoza, and as I saw her go through hell yet again, for a man so much like her old lover but yet so different, I really felt for her. Baker has brought Mendoza alive, and her ultimate fate is heartbreaking yet slightly uplifting. She finally gets what she wants, but not quite the way she wanted it. I finished the book very quickly, totally engrossed in what was going on. That's the sign of a master author. With Mendoza in Hollywood, Kage Baker has another winner. It's certainly readable by itself, but it gains so much if you read the first two books before this one. But whatever you do, check this one out. David Roy
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