Sea of Silver Light (Otherland, Book 4)

Rating:
Summary: Recovering the Fantasy of Sci-Fi
Review: I think Williams manages to do in this book what few other authors have done - he reminds us that Sci Fi is at its heart a fantasy genre. It is the emergence of the human spirit in conditions foreign to us, and the recognition by the reader that the devices within the hero that cause them to be successful are not foreign to us, but transcend the settings and circumstances.

This book is a masterwork. It sets a new standard for the genre, and helps it recover its roots in doing so.

Rating:
Summary: Stellar Conclusion
Review: For me, the first Otherland book was introductory. City of Golden Shadow took me a total of about 3 years to get through, (I kept picking it up and putting it down again) but once I had reached the second book, it was like there was no stopping me. Once Tad Williams opened the door to his multitude of virtual simulation worlds, layer upon layer of new plot emerged, along with a multitude of new, interesting characters. From there, things just kept getting better and better. The plot felt like it was reaching something very climactic, but I had no real idea what.

I actually read the second, third, and fourth books of this series in about two weeks. The last two took me about 5 days, which is probably faster than I've ever read any books in my entire life. One thing that I have always loved about Tad Williams (or this series, anyway) is that, even though sometimes the descriptions may get long, and the chapters skip around a lot between characters, every single word you read is directed towards the plot. Everything there is moving forward in the storyline, progressing seamlessly. Other authors may go out on unnecessary tangents, but I felt that in Otherland, everything was truly moving towards some sort of goal. The entire series flows amazingly well.

As for this final book in the Otherland series, I can think of no more satisfying conclusion. It's over 1000 pages in length, but it certainly doesn't feel like it. Yet, so much happens in the last 1000 pages of this gargantuan series. In the last 200 pages alone, you'll find yourself surprised and intrigued on several occasions by plot revelations and nuances. The ultimate climax of the book, dealing with the true nature and fate of Otherland, its creators, and those directly involved in it will leave you in awe. I suppose that the Otherland series, and the journey of uncovering new plot elements, and seeing the characters develop is almost like playing a very long Role Playing Game. The plot is almost like something you'd find in a Final Fantasy game, with very sinister and startling twists towards the end.

There's absolutely no way I can see someone who truly appreciated the first three books of this series to be disappointed with the fourth. It ties together everything you could hope for, and will leave you wondering how one many would come up with such an intricate, imaginative series of novels.

Rating:
Summary: One of the Greatest Science Fiction Series I've Ever Read
Review: I have to say that overall I enjoyed all four books in this series. Williams did an excellent job of juggling multiple plot lines and developing his characters. The first book in the series moved a little slowly while he introduces all of his elements but once you get through it the final three were quite enjoyable. I eagerly followed the adventures in the virtual world and was always excited to see what the next world would be when they crossed through a portal and were transported to a new land. A lot of creative thought was put into the writing (I enjoyed the Oz land....a very wry twist on what COULD have gone wrong in that realm). All that being said I was somewhat disapointed with the ending. After all, again, reading all four book was quite an investment of time and I felt that Williams did a few to many cliffhangers (Dread's final victims, Renee's father and company to name a few) that were resolved by basically saying "and then they were rescued". After 4,000+ pages he could have spent the time to elaborate on these story lines and completed them in a much more satasifactory manner. All in all, though, a good read and I would recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: I read all four volumes of the Otherland series back to back, and boy is my mind tired! While I agree that the plot is an endless series of separations, conflicts, and escapes, the author writes so well and is so imaginative that the sometimes-repetitive plotlines didn't bother me too much. The resolutions and explanations at the end were fine and mostly unexpected, and I am neither happy nor unhappy with the way they were presented. The only thing that really annoyed me was Williams' habit of ending many, many scenes with one or a group of characters losing consciousness, or everything fading to black; it was the only badly-handled aspect of the series. Now I have my life back and will bid Otherland a fond goodbye.