Rating: 
Summary: What's the big deal?
Review: "Fool's War" follows the recipe for a mediocre book perfectly. It mixes a sloppily thought out premise with stereotyped characters and below-average writing. Here's one way to make reading this book more enjoyable: try and count how many times characters "take the stairs two at a time." The plot seems as if it were cobbled together out of Star Trek episodes; every twist revolves around revealing another convenient property of their technology. The characters are completely undeveloped; they bicker because of the "dark secrets" in their past until they suddenly decide they have a crush on someone.
Why is everyone so excited about this book
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful Science Fiction
Review: "Fool's War" is a delightful book. The main character is fully engaging and extraordinarily realistic. I had begun to wonder whether the author were a practicing Moslem as I read.
There are probably no new ideas here, but what is here is something that much of science fiction has lacked and is still lacking--character and heart. I enjoyed science fiction quite a bit up until it started to enter the "idea-to-the-exclusion-of-character-zone" Sarah Zettel's book rightly restores character to the central place in the novel. There are plent of ideas, but the critical action in the novel is driven by transformation and interaction of character.
I look forward to the next book!
Rating: 
Summary: Short Beginnings
Review: "Fool's War" started life as a short story called "Fool's Errand" in the magazine Analog, Science Fiction and Fact. When Betsy Mitchell at Aspect agreed it was a good premise for a full novel, I
realized I had a big job ahead of me. What do you do when what you set up as the Big Revelation will only get you up to Chapter 6?
My solution was to send a court jester, an engineer, and an accused criminal into a war zone
Rating: 
Summary: OK sf with some dodgy premises
Review: "Fools War" is OK sf. A cast of women characters occupy the key roles in this story about a tramp freighter of the starways which inadvertantly gets involved in smuggling and AI rights.
There are no new real ideas in this story. The tech is a little dodgy, and the background culture is a bit thin. For example, the idea of physically transporting data in a starship's hold when there are faster-than-light communications reminds me of "coals to Newcastle". In addition making the ship's captain a devoted, Islamic women strikes me as a bit far fetched.
I rate it an OK read, but nothing exceptional.
Rating:
Summary: entertaining, not mind blowing
Review: Absorbing and entertaining to read, but the thinness of the artificial intelligence character was a definete flaw. Zettel made it clear pretty early what the 'fool' was, but I simply couldn't believe it: surely an AI wouldn't think like that... Oh well, I'don't how to solve that one either, so I can give SZ's fool the benefit of doubt. All in all, reading the book all the way through was not optional once I got started - many side elements of the plot were thought provoking. The female charachterisation has been critisized with some cause, but I'd rather balk at the male charachters... some stereotypes there, maybe?
Rating: 
Summary: Kept me reading way past bedtime
Review: An intriguing book. SZ keeps getting better and better. I guess I like the "relationship stuff" the male reviewer gripes about. It's certainly better than mindless shoot-em-ups in space. The only gripe I had is that some of the stuff in here is just too unbelievable.
Rating:
Summary: The best cyberspace fiction since "Neuromancer."
Review: Anticipating a long and dreary day of airplane flights and layovers, I found "Fool's War" in the airport bookstore. For the next eight hours I was not on airplanes or in airports -- I was in another reality entirely. I have not been taken so completely out of myself by a book in years. If you enjoyed William Gibson's "Neuromancer," you'll enjoy "Fool's War." Not only is it cyber-drama and gripping, but the plot has some ingenious, unpredictable, but completely believable twists and turns. Definitely on my "Ten Best Books I've Read This Year" list
Rating:
Summary: A perfectly generic book
Review: As noted by some of the reviewers above, this book does not explore new ideas. The Minds of Iain Bank's Culture could use these AIs as sofa cushions. The characters are taken from the Michael Crichton school of generic action figures -- one label serves as an entire personality for the entire book. I have no idea why this book got good reviews. Probably for the same reason Michael Crichton does.
Rating:
Summary: good solid read
Review: boring in the beginning but hang in there it really takes off later
Rating:
Summary: Page tuner
Review: Definitely a fast-paced plot. A interesting mix of characters. Since the author is a woman, it stands to reason, female characters are better developed. One main character, Al Shei, had a mix of traits I didn't buy. A muslum woman that owns a spaceship and travels extensively without her husband (.i.e very independent), 8 months at a time, yet her beliefs make her wear a veil around male crew and do ridiculous things like adopting her first mate so they can be in the same room together alone because he's male and she's female. That just doesn't fit. A traditional muslum in the future owning a spaceship doesn't make sence. The plot was reasonable, but the exact nature of the threat is unclear as well as the resolution. The descriptions of the network was enjoyable and plausable.
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