Describe Books During City of Golden Shadow (Otherland #1)
| Original Title: | City of Golden Shadow |
| ISBN: | 0886777631 (ISBN13: 9780886777630) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Otherland #1 |
| Literary Awards: | Corine Internationaler Buchpreis for Futurepreis (2004) |
Tad Williams
Mass Market Paperback | Pages: 780 pages Rating: 3.91 | 23770 Users | 861 Reviews
Narrative Conducive To Books City of Golden Shadow (Otherland #1)
Let me just start by saying this: the first time I finished this series, I immediately went back and started reading it again. I can't think of any other series that I've done that with. This is one of Tad Williams' "economy-sized manuscripts," similar to his fantasy classic Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. Similar in size and scope, anyway - four giant tomes chock full of all things awesome. It's a series of grand scope, amazing scale and great imagination, well worthy of your time. Seriously, top-shelf stuff here, people. It begins with the children in a near-future world. Renie Sulaweyo, a teacher in South Africa, has a brother in the hospital. He, like many other children around the world, has gone into an inexplicable coma, the causes of which defy medical science. The only clue she has is that the outbreaks of these comas coincide with the availability of access to the Net - a virtual reality internet that is what Second Life dreams of becoming. Here, depending on your equipment, you can live in a virtual world that is more vibrant and exciting than anything the real world can offer. And you can do it in full sense-surround 3D. Renie's brother, Stephen, engaged in the usual mischief that any kid with access to his own virtual universe might do, and finally got caught. Something shut him down, and Renie was determined to find out. With the assistance of her student, a Bushman named !Xabbu, Renie uncovers an amazing virtual world, something that puts the best virtual reality to shame. It is the Otherland, a playground for the obscenely wealthy. And it may hold the secret to what has afflicted her brother. That's the short version. There's a ton of other storylines going on in there as well. There's young Orlando Gardiner, who compensates for a crippling illness by being the baddest barbarian on the net. There's little Christabel Sorenson, upon whose earnest desire to help the funny-looking Mister Sellars the entire future of the Otherland rests. There's the aptly-named Dread, an assassin extraordinare whose strange "twist" gives him an edge in all things electronic. And, of course, there is Paul Jonas, a man trapped in an imaginary world, whose escape threatens the greatest dreams of the richest men the world has ever known. All of this, as the series title suggests, centers on the Otherland project, a virtual reality of monumental proportions. It's a world that is more real than the real world is, a world of digitally-created, but very deadly, dangers. The slightest misstep could spell disaster. And just FYI, Otherland predates The Matrix by three years and, kung-fu aside, is a much better story. The really fun part is re-discovering things in this series. There are some things I remember very clearly, but other little details that pop up and make me think, "Oh yeah, I forgot all about that." There's just so much stuff crammed into this series that even after two back-to-back readings, I still let details slip away. So, make a sandwich and find a comfortable place to sit. This'll take a while, but I guarantee - it'll be worth it.
Itemize Based On Books City of Golden Shadow (Otherland #1)
| Title | : | City of Golden Shadow (Otherland #1) |
| Author | : | Tad Williams |
| Book Format | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 780 pages |
| Published | : | January 1st 1998 by DAW Books (first published December 5th 1996) |
| Categories | : | Fantasy. Science Fiction. Fiction. Cyberpunk |
Rating Based On Books City of Golden Shadow (Otherland #1)
Ratings: 3.91 From 23770 Users | 861 ReviewsCrit Based On Books City of Golden Shadow (Otherland #1)
(Whole story - All four volumes)This is, without a doubt, the best series novel I have ever read. Multiple plot lines in a fantastic world that slowly twist and turn until they eventually merge. A simple beginning, children falling into comas for no apparent reason, leads to an epic quest typical of fantasy but applied to science fiction, the historical novel, Victorian children's literature, detective fiction, myth and much, much more. A large cast of unforgettable characters, writtenExecutive Summary: Slow in places, but this story really works for me. Interesting world building and decent characters has me looking forward to the continuing on this series.Audio book: George Newbern does an excellent job with this book. Good inflections and emotion, as well as a variety of accents. He is definitely a narrator that adds extra enjoyment to the book. Full Review My only experiance with Tad Williams prior to this book was his urban fantasy book The Dirty Streets of Heaven. I was
Robert Jordan level wordulency, plus SF internet idea outdated before its publication date, minus appealing writing style, divided by Michael Springer's mid-semester attention span,times 90-bunjillion pages in four volumes,equals "FUCK YOU, TAD WILLIAMS, YOU GO TO HELL! YOU GO TO HELL AND YOU DIE! YOU FUCKIN' DIE! WHAT THE FUCK!" *Throws book against the wall, then walks over and urinates on it*(Okay, so I actually just took it back to Half Price Books. Whatever.)
Really enjoyed this, lots of different worlds and good characters. No resolution at the end though, will just have to get the second book in the series to find out what happens next.
Williams' near-future sci-fi epic is a compelling exploration of the social/psychological costs and benefits posed by the advent of true virtual reality. A disparate cast of heroes find themselves trapped in an array of artificially constructed realities where death is an all too real possibility. Williams' pedigree as an epic fantasy author is evident in the scope of the narrative and the presence of a dark lord of sorts lurking at the heart of this web of invented worlds. Reading the whole
In the first installment of Tad Williams "Otherworld" series the reader is introduced to a future where the net and virtual reality are readily available to anyone with enough credits. A virtual reality professor at a South African University, Renie Sulaweyo, becomes good friends with her student, !Xabbu, one of the last remaining African Bushmen. Renie and !Xabbu become entangled in a conspiracy involving the most powerful and dangerous men in the world. The scope of what needs to be done is
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