Reviews of Science Fiction Books »

The Most Important Novel of the 1980s

Advantages: Innovative science-fiction and a cracking story
Disadvantages: 3 Megabyte RAM couriers

Neuromancer is more than twenty years old now, a fact that's a bit astonishing. Written by William Gibson, the blurb claims that the novel 'invented' cyberspace and virtual reality. Bold claims indeed (and perhaps not entirely justified in the case of VR), but there's no denying the fundamental impact Neuromancer had on the late twentieth century and beyond. This is the source text for the Matrix, not to mention every other film about computers and ...
...lot of great science-fiction novels, Neuromancer builds its world partly through what's left out. We're given hints of a brief but brutal war between the Russians and the Americans, and the repercussions of this float throughout the text, although we never find out a great deal about why the war happened, who started it, and even really who won it. Even the cyberspace technology is described surprisingly loosely, given the ongoing impact the novel ...

Olly_Plimsoll 27.03.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Neuromancer - William Gibson

Would you read it again?

Story

Characters

Readability

How does it compare to ...

Will Earth be destroyed?

Advantages: A brilliant read and an escapism novel, A well respected author
Disadvantages: It's Sci-Fi - a disadvantage for me but not in this case!

...to the Oxford English Dictionary, NEMESIS means: 'One that inflicts relentless vengance or destruction.' So in the year 2220 when a new planet is discovered and named Nemesis by the scientist who first saw it you start to wonder about the implications of the new name. 'Nemesis' (the book, not the planet) is set way in the future and although Sci-Fi isn't usually my choice of reading material, this book had me enthralled from the minute I started ...
...terrible discovery is made. Nemesis is travelling at such a speed and in such a direction that in 5000 years it's going to pass close enough to Earth to completely mess up Earths ecological system and this in turn will make Earth uninhabitable. So the Superluminal is now a necessity, Earths people may have to be evacuated..... I can't tell you any more about the story as anything else wil be a spoiler. Does Nemesis complete it's journey of destruction? ...

Fruity_Tart 02.08.2003 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Nemesis - Isaac Asimov

Would you read it again?

Story

Characters

Readability

How does it compare to ...

Closer to Heaven

Advantages: Great character building
Disadvantages: A little slow paced for my taste

Fantasy and science fiction are genres that mesh well together. Some authors have written successfully across both genres, but not usually in the same story. Jaine Fenn has managed to combine both in one book and it's an interesting read. One night, a stranger is found lying unconscious in a bog just outside the village of Dangwern. He appears to have come from nowhere and, apart from a strange piece of cloth lying near his naked body, there is nothing ...
...Unfortunately, this includes the stranger himself, as he is suffering from amnesia and has no idea even where he is, much less how he came to be there. Fortunately for Sais, as he is nicknamed, the boy who finds him is "sky touched". This means he is soon to travel to the City of Lights to be tested to see if he is worthy of being a consort of the goddesses. The village elders permit Sais and the boy's mother Kerin to accompany him to see if anyone ...

Soho_Black 19.12.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Consorts of Heaven - Jaine Fenn

Would you read it again?

Story

Characters

Readability

How does it compare to ...

It is not just about football!

Advantages: It's very funny, and oh so true!
Disadvantages: None

The Disc, for those who don't know, continues to float in space, supported by the elephants who ride the back of the great swimming turtle A'tuin. The Hub about which the planet spins is a centre of great magic, and best avoided if you want to live a happy and contented life. At the outer perimeter is the great circle sea which unendingly streams over the rim into the void, which is best avoided if you want to continue to live at all. Most Discians ...
...Smeems, for instance, is the Candle Nave at the Unseen University. He has to worry about keeping the candles not just alight, but properly melted, artistically, gothicly, dribbled, as it were. Of course, there's Trevor to help. And there's Nutt. With two t's. Trevor Likely has a tendency to skive off work whenever possible, and to kick a tin can around. His dad was a legend. Nutt is… well, no-one's quite sure what Nutt is, even him. Goblin isn't ...

hiker 07.12.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Unseen Academicals - Terry Pratchett

Would you read it again?

Story

Characters

Readability

How does it compare to ...

From Dead to Worse

Advantages: Good read
Disadvantages: Lots of threads, can be confusing

...A failed attempt of takeover from werewolves in another area results in Alcide becoming the new packleader. This, however, comes with a price which is the death of a few weres in the community including the previous packmaster Patrick, Maria-Star, Alcide’s girlfriend. As for the vampires, the explosion in the vampire summit results in the loss of various main personnel in Queen Sophie’s court and the King of Nevada, Felipe, grabs the opportunity. ...
...Louisiana apart from Eric and his gang. Eric surrenders to the new regime and manages to keep his area. And with Sookie saving the King from the attack of the Sophie’s last surviving child, Eric is slowly gaining the trust of the new King. And as for our heroine Sookie, a surprise meeting with her great-grandfather Niall reveals her heritage of being part-fairy. This completes Andre’s discovery of Sookie having fairy blood. And also explains the ...

medgenie 21.11.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of From Dead to Worse - Charlaine Harris

Would you read it again?

Story

Characters

Readability

How does it compare to ...


More popular products »

Hotpoint RFA52

Holds more than you think (*)

Philips DVDR 3380

Easy set-up, simple to use, DivX playback, multiregion capable. (*)

Skoda Fabia 1.9 Tdi

Economical, powerful, very reliable (*)

Pioneer DEH-50UB

Car Radio - Panel Release - with CD Player - without CD-Changer - with MP3 Playback - 200 Watt

The Italian Cornetto

1CD(s) - Label:Arts Music - Distributor:New Note - DDD - Released:05/1998 - 600554734828

Dylon machine dye

Dying is fun. (*)

Fake Bake Self Tanning Lotion

Streak-free, nice colour - not orange (*)

SMART Board Interactive Whiteboard 640 - touch-screen, stylus

Touch screen, Stylus, Whiteboard - PC, Mac - Wired - USB

Veet Hair Lightening Cream

legs don't look hairy (*)

(*) Reviews by Ciao members