Rating: 
Summary: A Good Book -- No Fooling
Review: FOOL'S WAR is one of the best scifi books I've read in the last couple of years. No humans with far-fetched mental powers. No apocalyptic ending. Just a good, fast-paced story with some engaging (and generally believable) characters and a plot that keeps you guessing. Not all the plot twists were entirely unforeseen, but there were enough surprises to keep it interesting. Also, the technology was mostly plausible and understandable for the casual (scientifically challenged?) reader. The book is a little hard to get into at first, but this is true of many books. It can be unclear at first how seemingly unconnected people and events relate to each other. A little patience is well worth the effort with FOOL'S WAR.I had never read anything by Zettel before, but this book kept appearing in my "recommendations" from Amazon, so I gave it a try. I'm definitely not sorry. Kudos to Amazon and I'll be reading more of Ms. Zettel's work in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Unusual twists and turns
Review: Fool's War is one of the more unusual science fiction books I've read recently. I recommend reading various reviews on Amazon rather than rely on the blurb on the book's back cover since it misleads the reader -- specifically, the book is more about intrigue, shifting alliances, socio-economic warfare, and prejudice rather than merely a hard-core examination of artificial intelligences and viruses. In fact, Zettel seems driven to put a human face on bigotry and prejudice and is using science fiction imagery to make her case. She describes many types of bigotry: Religious -- Several of the main characters are Muslim and their faith is an integral part of who they are. Not everyone they meet, however, can separate the individual from terrorist acts that occurred in the past. Spiritual / philosophical -- A community has arisen that denies that humankind will ever be truly free when trapped on a single planet. Humankind must create its own environments and be master of its own fate rather than rely on the capricious nature of Nature. These individuals are ridiculed and, in essence, reviled for their beliefs and are considered second class citizens. Zettel even makes one of her enlightened characters intolerant of members of this cultural "diversity". Life-form -- Human vs. artificial intelligence. What does it mean to be human, or alive? Are humans so inherently xenophobic that they cannot accept the possibility of other types of life? Are artificial intelligences so jaundiced that they must instill fear rather than convince? All in all, this is a very strong book. Strong characterization, strong plot, enough twists and turns to make things interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Unusual twists and turns
Review: Fool's War is one of the more unusual science fiction books I've read recently. I recommend reading various reviews on Amazon rather than rely on the blurb on the book's back cover since it misleads the reader -- specifically, the book is more about intrigue, shifting alliances, socio-economic warfare, and prejudice rather than merely a hard-core examination of artificial intelligences and viruses. In fact, Zettel seems driven to put a human face on bigotry and prejudice and is using science fiction imagery to make her case. She describes many types of bigotry: Religious -- Several of the main characters are Muslim and their faith is an integral part of who they are. Not everyone they meet, however, can separate the individual from terrorist acts that occurred in the past. Spiritual / philosophical -- A community has arisen that denies that humankind will ever be truly free when trapped on a single planet. Humankind must create its own environments and be master of its own fate rather than rely on the capricious nature of Nature. These individuals are ridiculed and, in essence, reviled for their beliefs and are considered second class citizens. Zettel even makes one of her enlightened characters intolerant of members of this cultural "diversity". Life-form -- Human vs. artificial intelligence. What does it mean to be human, or alive? Are humans so inherently xenophobic that they cannot accept the possibility of other types of life? Are artificial intelligences so jaundiced that they must instill fear rather than convince? All in all, this is a very strong book. Strong characterization, strong plot, enough twists and turns to make things interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Imagine you lived in a computer
Review: Good story. Made a good stab at what it might feel like to be an Artificial Intelligence. You will finish the book and like it.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best AI books I've read
Review: I bought this book by mistake. I read it because I was too lazy to return it. Talk about luck! I loved having a Moslem woman as the protagonist. We seldom get a sympathetic view of these women and it was an eye-opener. I don't think that her portrayal was unrealistic since there are many moderate Moslem societies that encourage women to be educated and work. The Fool's Guild is a masterpiece of SF. The ideas explored were really thought-provoking. The novel was also really exciting to read. I couldn't put it down. I was surprised I'd missed Sarah Zettel books, but I'm going to go back and read them all now!
Rating:
Summary: INTERESTING FEMALE CHARACTERS
Review: I don't usually read hard sci-fi, and I'm assuming this was in that category. It was a bit technical, at least to this humble reader, and didn't really--really--capture me until about the middle of the book. It's not until this point, when long-held secrets begin to be revealed, and the pieces of the puzzle finally begin to come together, that the book really picks up for me. From then on, I must admit, I found it hard to put down, though I still felt a bit lost in the "network." The history of the Fool's Guild was quite interesting, as well as the various AIs met during the course of the book. When it comes right down to it, the AIs, though I'm sure some of them would be loath to admit it, aren't much different from the humans, in terms of what motivates them anyway. All in all, I'm definitely NOT sorry I read this book. It was chock full of interesting, non-typical, and non-stereotypical characters--especially Al Shei, the engineer; Yerusha, the pilot; and Dobbs, the fool; but on the same token, the male characters were quite underdeveloped and hard to distinguish from the other males. Also, the book could have done without the "crushes" touched upon towards the end. These seemed to be hastily "thrown in" and added nothing whatsoever to the story.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Enjoyable Read
Review: I found it hard to put the book down - the twists and turns in the plots kept coming. While some of the premises are a bit thin, the there are a lot of original ideas, or at least a lot of original treatment of ideas we have come across in the past. I look forward to her next book
Rating:
Summary: Good Sci-Fi
Review: I have been reading Science Fiction since I was 11, am now 49 and a trained scientist (for whatever that means). I finished Fool's War several weeks ago, and looking back it was one of the more enjoyable science fiction books I have read recently. I usually only read three or four a year now....having read all of the classic stuff. Usually I just catch the Hugo award winners and nominees or ones receiving great reviews. I thought the characters were interesting but more important the premise, the concept of the Fools, the development of an alternative cyber universe was well done. Tthis book is linked to the tradition of fun to read science fiction that moves quickly....Issac Assimov's style. Having Moslem characters, was an interesting part of the book. Too often the main characters are cut of the same cloth...handsome men and compliant blond women. So..if you like accessible science fiction, read this book
Rating:
Summary: Good sci-fi
Review: I like the fact that the book does not immediately divulge the reason for it's title. After some interesting build up of charecters, setting and believable technology, we start to realize how the Fool features into the bigger picture. This was an excellent fast paced and action-packed read. Great fun.
Rating:
Summary: Good sci-fi
Review: I like the fact that the book does not immediately divulge the reason for it's title. After some interesting build up of charecters, setting and believable technology, we start to realize how the Fool features into the bigger picture. This was an excellent fast paced and action-packed read. Great fun.
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