Rating: 
Summary: Get it
Review: Semantics, objectives, and "climx" aside, there is only one thing you really need to know about this book: you will enjoy it. I was very, very surprised by how compelling this book was from beginning to end. Throw away the rest of your expectations, Zindell writes well and weaves an engaging tale that will fascinate you. I can't wait to pick up the rest of the series (although I'm VERY curious as well why this ever went out of print. Fortunately Amazon seems to have a steady supply.)
Rating:
Summary: Great read, worth your time and energy
Review: The comparisons of Zindell's "Neverness" to "Dune" are
worth making and accurate. The two novels share a lot in common
and not just from the point of view that there are similar
characters in similar roles. In fact that is the weakest
similarity.It probably won't matter how long the books are read or who
reads them, they will probably never go out of date or become
silly like so many other novels in the genre. These two books
will endure. This is an amazing feat of vision and intellect. Both books are written about the far future, so far that
everything is foreign to us: the technology, the environments,
the people, the gods, frequently the language. Even if this
is so, the author melds them together smoothly without missing
anything or confusing the reader (for long anyway). "Neverness" and its "sequel" "The Broken God" are grand works
that encompass whole populations, planets, mythologies,
histories, philosophies, disciplines and their evolutions. In fact,
the author frequently wanders off on some philosophical
tangent. They are always deep, meaningful wanderings though,
and it's obvious that the author has thought about these ideas a great deal. As a small point, I found that I didn't enjoy the time spend
with the Alaloi (the neanderthal's), especially after the time
spent in space exploring the solid state entity or the
destruction of stars in the Vild. A small price to pay to get to
the rest of the novel. Zindell will discuss the meaning of life, the purpose of
life and man, he'll talk about the discoveries of many
scholars from a variety of disciplines (some of which are
specilizations of disciplines that he's created) on just these
topics. Never does it seem arbritrary, never does it seem
contrived. All the opinions and ideas seem like they have come
from long standing philosophies that have evolved over
centuries. I'm impressed that he's done this and before reading
it, I wouldn't have thought that it would be possible to be done
with such believability. Certainly a great read and one of the gems of science fiction.
Rating:
Summary: And the kitchen sink too
Review: This book has it all - mathematics, religion, physics, music, love, hate, death, war, futility, triumph, poetry, God, gods, men, and aliens. Wow. Why did this gem ever go out of print?
Rating:
Summary: A Rich Tapestry
Review: This book is, by FAR, my favorite book. Like Michaelangelo he creates a work of art and one is not sure what is more amazing the story, or the universe he sets it in. The imagery is spectacular. It goes beyond a story to delve deep into the heart of the beautiful monster that is humanity. Amazing.
Rating:
Summary: Beyond just a book.
Review: This book is, by FAR, my favorite book. Like Michaelangelo he creates a work of art and one is not sure what is more amazing the story, or the universe he sets it in. The imagery is spectacular. It goes beyond a story to delve deep into the heart of the beautiful monster that is humanity. Amazing.
Rating:
Summary: An Undiscovered Gem!
Review: This book, and the series that follows is completely amazing. The writing is leagues better than most sci-fi, the scope is epic, the worlds and characters vivid. I just finished the whole 'Requiem for Homo Sapiens' series and I have to say that Zindell is one of the best SF writers out there right now (Greag Egan is good too). I haven't read another series this good since Cryptonomicon. Dive in... you'll love it.
Rating: 
Summary: What a vision!
Review: This is a book with great vision. Imagine a world in the far future where people have spread throughout the universe, where pilots risk everything to push boundaries further, and where some humans have chosen to step backwards to become Neanderthals, living on raw meat in smelly caves. It is a universe of extreme diversity with it's own language (which takes a bit of getting used to) and it's own protocols. I think this book may just stand up as one of the all time classics. So why do I give it four stars instead of five. Well, it is hard work. This is a textbook not entertainment. However, I still say read it.
Rating:
Summary: woah.
Review: This is the best, most engrossing science fiction book I have ever read. Truly a breathtaking experience from start to finish (with the possible exception of a few pages here and there). anyone who criticises it is most likely just jealous of Zindell's masterful abilities (or can't pick up the concepts, however well they're presented).
Rating:
Summary: it rivals Dune!
Review: This is the only sf novel I've read that rivals Herbert's classic novel. A young man grows up in the city of Neverness on cold planet and only dreams to become a star pilot.This novel is lyrical, sweeping and sometimes even humorous.
Rating:
Summary: Deeply thought out, very philosophical,
Review: very involved story about a Pilot thousands of years in the future and his search for life's meaning. A lot of good, original ideas but, for my taste, there is too much philosophizing along a sort of New-Age/Scientology route. Must be read at least once.
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