Rating: 
Summary: Sci-fi at its absolute best.
Review: This is one of the best sci-fi books I have ever read, and if you read many of my reviews you will realise that I do not say this lightly, nor do I often award five stars for anything.This is an intriguing and intelligent book set in a world where women dominate life in great families of female clones and where men are the lesser species. Both species are ruled by sexual urges, but at different times of the year, Summer for men and Winter for women. The result is a stagnant population level. We follow two sisters who are of low status because they are Summer babies, not clones, who travel together to pretend they are clone sisters. They run into a man from "normal" humankind who has come to bring this planet back into the human collective and is imprisoned by the great families who do not want their stable society disrupted. This is a great adventure story told against the backdrop of a rich history on a planet that is moving slowly away from technology in a reverse development towards an agrarian existence. The great families of clone sisters are the equivalent of medieval feudal families who kept Europe in stagnant thrall for so long in the middle ages. This book is in some ways like 1984 by George Orwell, where the great families take the role of big brother to keep things stable, but in a feminine, non agressive way. The book is littered with sub plots, each rich and full in its own way, a drug running scam, a war with an extraterrestrial species, the story of setting up the planet and the genetic enhancements required to adapt humans to it, the travels of the sisters and the game of life played by the sailors. The worst thing about this book is that it ever ends. This is a world you want to stay in because it is so full and interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: A great adventure book
Review: This is really more of an adventure book in a Sci-Fi setting. Lots of action, some parts dragged a little bit, but overall it's an enjoyable read. The ending is a little weak and inconclusive. The author seems to be saying that even after all that Maia, the main character, went through, it wasn't going to change the world of Stratos much in the short term. That's fine, but I still would have liked to read a little more about what happened to Maia herself. Three pages before the end of the book, she is in mortal danger, then at the end she is ok...sort of...but it left me feeling kind of empty. A good book if you can deal with the somewhat vague ending.
Rating:
Summary: A great adventure book
Review: This is really more of an adventure book in a Sci-Fi setting. Lots of action, some parts dragged a little bit, but overall it's an enjoyable read. The ending is a little weak and inconclusive. The author seems to be saying that even after all that Maia, the main character, went through, it wasn't going to change the world of Stratos much in the short term. That's fine, but I still would have liked to read a little more about what happened to Maia herself. Three pages before the end of the book, she is in mortal danger, then at the end she is ok...sort of...but it left me feeling kind of empty. A good book if you can deal with the somewhat vague ending.
Rating:
Summary: A Fine, Thoughtful Novel
Review: This is the best book that I've read in years. Brin explores one of science fictions most popular themes, a matriarchal society, but unlike almost every other attempt, the world of Stratos is not filled with ridiculous stereotypes of sword weilding amazons and meek child sized men. Instead, Brin has created a world where women seeking to solve some of the real problems that they have faced throughout history utilize bio-technology to craft a "utopian" society. The result is one of the most thought provoking works of fiction that I have ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: An interesting premise turns into a tedious plot
Review: While I am a fan of Brin's other books (particularly the Startide Rising series) this book just seems an unending series of adventures without a rousing conclusion. Whoever did the editing for this book should take a hard look at it again. It's about 250-300 pages too long. Having said that, leave it to Brin to create yet another fascinating world and characters. I was especially intrigued by the mysterious history of Stratos and the way it slowly emerged.
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