Reviews

Mountain of Black Glass by Tad Williams

seafamboonie's review against another edition

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4.0

First mini review I'll give. Whole series is pretty awesome; book one starts out slightly slow, but I think Tad gets into more and more of a groove as the books progress. The concept of the entire series if fantastic, and the the multiple characters and how they relate is exciting and interesting. There are still mysteries and some unanswered questions that entice your interest, and I'm excited to get those answers I'm looking for. Anyways these books are sweet. Read 'em.

dariusfli's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kinosthesia's review against another edition

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4.0

The book remains as gripping as ever for me, so much so, that I forgot to even come back to update before moving onto the last part. Of all the worlds they've encountered so far - the house with its library monks, kitchen battle and unique society intrigues me the most. It feels like whole novels could be set there. We discover more about the band of travelers and I'm so glad I didn't have to wait to start the last book!

undeadwookieebooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

3.25

tibbarasden's review against another edition

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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