Reviews

Berg aus schwarzem Glas by Tad Williams

undeadwookieebooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

3.25

tibbarasden's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

4.0

This is such an amazing series. For the most part, it is easy to get into, and I love how the author incorporates mythology, classic stories, and fairytales into the virtual reality network. I just finished reading the Iliad last month, so I loved that I had the reference as one of the prominent themes in this one is the Iliad and the Odyssey. The author includes recaps of the previous books, which is really helpful. However, it is difficult to follow along at times because of the vast number of characters and viewpoints. The core people we started with are fine, but there are a lot of moving parts and characters that I found myself trying to grasp who they were. In addition to the recaps, a character list to reference would have been very helpful. It all is starting to tie together, and I am really looking forward to reading the final book.

guppyur's review against another edition

3.0

There's nothing worse about this than any of the other books in this series, but after a while they get so same-y that I've never managed to actually finish book 3. Book 4 remains wholly untapped for me.

belacqua's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Man I really can't stand Dread as a character...

the_pale_woman's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious slow-paced

4.0

I found this book to be more enjoyable than the first two books in the series. It benefited from more structure and a tighter focus. This whole series revolves around a VR world called Otherland, but that setting wasn't utilized to its potential, in my opinion, until this book. The second book takes you to many worlds, but it feels too predictable and too chaotic all at the same time. It even acknowledges its use of old ideas, so that particular story aesthetic was very much intentional. While I understood and gained insight with that intent, it failed to add any enjoyment to that sequence of worlds and events. 

This third book felt much more imaginative even though it only visited a few worlds. The use of existing worlds was more satisfying as well. You might even enjoy it more than me if you're more knowledgeable about the Odyssey and the Iliad. Beyond that, this book felt more rounded, more thought out, and more substantial. It has me excited to continue and conclude this beast of a sci-fi series. 

kingkat's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

kordidarling's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

laileanah's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This was just OK on reread.
Doesn't really pick up significantly until the towards the end.

subgirl's review against another edition

2.0

I really really really really hated these. It was so overwrought and idiotic and ugh. But I have a thing where if I start a series, I finish it, but this was pure agony. I nearly didn't but was sort of interested in how bad it could get.

erikars's review against another edition

This is the third book in the massive story that is Otherland. This was my favorite of the three books. Unlike the first two books, this book had a plot that felt like it was going somewhere and then got there. However, it was still frustrating at times. It is amusing but true that the longer a book is, the more frustrating it is when the author goes off on useless tangents. I enjoy the contemplations on reality within a realistic network and on how alive the simulated people can be considered to be, but I really do not need to have Williams go on about it for pages and pages each time the characters enter a new world. I also dislike the number of plotlines the author has going. I am sure they will all weave together in the end, but 3000 pages is a long time to wait for all these diverse threads to come together. At least, in this book they start coming together. Despite all this, Williams does an excellent job of painting his worlds, and I look forward to the reading the last book.