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Liked It “This is the first book in the very enjoyable Otherland series. I highly recommend the entire series, which is the story of a diverse group of people who find themselves trapped in a bizarre virtual reality world. The strength of this series is the characters - you will grow attached to them as...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It2 of 2 members found this review helpful “This book (and series) is all the more tragic for the fact that it could have been great. There's so much potential in there, and Tad Williams is and has proved himself a very capable author in other works. A cyberpunk world without the over-the-top despondency, a multi-cultural tale from an...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Fantastic series, based on "real life" vs virtual reality. Great, deep writer.”
terry g wrote this review 5 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This is the first book in the very enjoyable Otherland series. I highly recommend the entire series, which is the story of a diverse group of people who find themselves trapped in a bizarre virtual reality world. The strength of this series is the characters - you will grow attached to them as the story develops. The first and fourth volumes are the best of the series; the middle volumes bog down a bit (especially the second), but it's worth reading through to complete the series. ”
Emily E wrote this review Thursday, November 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This series is brilliant, aside form being too long :)”
Nihal Engin V wrote this review Sunday, November 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Set in the future, Otherland is a haunting, original, and complex tale woven by the great master, Tad Williams. A strange cast of characters enter the stunningly real virtual world called Otherland, each for different reasons. They join together for survival and the answers to the questions they seek. Otherland will change all their lives...continued in River of Blue Fire, Mountain of Black Glass, and Sea of Silver Light.”
Helena M wrote this review Sunday, November 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“this set of (4?) Otherland novels would be a crowning acheivement for any author but it really came of left field, I thought, for Tad Williams, "the courses of his youth promised it not"....
Kae10 wrote this review Saturday, October 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
How to describe: a towering (and yet human scale [how does he do it?]) tale of a not-so-distant future and how the powers that be manipulate us through our dependence on the internet - and yet it is also a powerful mythic tale that meditates on friendship, the nature of heroism, family, culture. What a ride - it was an exhausting read and the characters dominated by waking life - my real life seemed tiny and far away when I was reading. It was almost a relief when it ended and the spell broke so I could get on with my life!”
“Not stock characters; Tad has put together a truly unique work both in the variety of characters and the interesting settings. This book and the whole series define their own SF/fantasy sub-genre: Epic VR? I don't know. You'll have to read it to decide!”
stuckfly wrote this review Tuesday, September 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Great book... I'm totally engrossed in this series now.”
Kristal wrote this review Thursday, September 10 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“borrowed it from library a few weeks back on a friends recommendation, it was good but the wording and writing style kept bogging me down like quicksand. I would have to take my time reading it and probably not comprehend much, much like anne rice's witching hour. to each their own i guess”
Aaron D wrote this review Tuesday, September 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Although it took awhile to get into this deeply complicated book, it turned out to be another great series of good vs. evil adventures (akin Lord of the Rings) only it has a virtual reality component. This author has an incredible imagination and these books will keep you engrossed for a long time. Each of the four is quite thick (small print too) - but as fascinating as the Stephen King Dark Tower series. The really interesting thing is that much of William's imaginary world is closer and closer to becoming reality within our growing medical and computer technology. ”
Sandi B wrote this review Monday, August 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Williams wrote this book back in the 90's, but it reads like he wrote it for today. Each time I pick up this novel, I am shocked by how spot-on he was about the future and it's problems. He deals heavy blows to the current trend of expansion, industrialization, and the struggle of the natural order of things. If you want to find a relevant book dealing with current issues, this is a must. Once you begin this volume of Otherland, keep in mind this is in 4 volumes (it is one continuous book).
Raliesha Ashenden wrote this review Tuesday, September 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The way Williams crafts his world in this novel is great. He uses several different genres, all the while making a point totally outside of any of them. It is clear that he is blending and merging the lines in this novel, and he does it masterfully.
Williams has always had a way with crafting a world in which the reader knows nothing about anything, and realizes that s/he is not supposed to. In this novel, he manages this while tossing around genres with extreme grace. ”
