Otherland - Tad Williams Book Review

Enter a review
of your own!

Other books by
author Tad Williams

"Otherland"
Message Board

Tad Williams Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR: Steve Arthur

SCHOLARS: Jess Hannah Bravo_Leader Boaz Haberman james carns

Would you like to be a scholar and make five dollars per review? Click here to submit a review!

Click here for free online dating advice!

Review Summary
A cyber punk novel with fantasy worlds that exist in Virtual Reality. The main character trys to discover what caused her brother to fall into a coma. Other characters across the globe experience weird phenomenon in VR and all are drawn to the secret world of Otherland, a VR world beyond comprehesion. Bravo_Leader, Resident Scholar
The characters are trapped in a virtual reality setting. At first, they think it is only a virtual reality, but they can die in it, or worse. The story starts with the main character finding out about a worldwide epidemic that her brother is affected with. This epidemic seems to be linked to Virtual Reality, as she finds out. The characters discover Otherland, and attempt to find out what it is there for. Meanwhile, two detectives seek a depraved killer with powers to destroy electric devices. The killer is also hunting the group trapped in virtual reality. This is a great book, I highly recommend it. Boaz Haberman, Resident Scholar
It can't be done! This story is epic-like, complex, with great sci-fi and fantasy elements. Otherland is an incredible computer network that is taking the lives of children. Courageous characters get sucked in so they can solve the mystery and save loved ones. Debbie Savannah George, Resident Scholar

Detailed literary breakdown of Otherland

Our unique search engine breaks down books and movies into dozens of literary elements, all of which are searchable.
New movie search (click here) New book search (click here)

Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book - very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - part earth & part fantasy world
Spying & Investigations Yes
What is main char. doing? - rescue mission/escape from confinement
Tech./$$$/Info hunt Yes
Stealing/recovering/destroying - cure/disease/bioweapon
Robots, Computers, VR Yes
Robot, PC, VR Plotlets: - virtual reality - fighting bad computer AI
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Female
Profession/status: - scholar
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - an organization
Age: - long-lived adults

Setting
Terrain - Jungle - Desert - Water - Mountains - Forests
Takes place on Earth? Yes
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only) - none/very little science jargon needed
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog

Most similar books to Otherland
Pollen by Jeff Noon
I Sing The Body Electric! by Ray Bradbury
The Hades Factor by Robert Ludlum
A Coming Of Age by Timothy Zahn
The Ringworld Throne by Larry Niven

Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

Try our new Star Wars & Star Trek puzzle pictures! Click here

Advertise with us
Feedback
Star Wars Revenge of the Sith plot spoilers
Hobbits
The politics game
The lawyer game

3 Movie search options!
1) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
2) Detailed movie search
(click here) or

3) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot below!

Animal Story

Clones

Coming of age

Cultural problems, alien culture

Explore/1st contact/ enviro story

Family relations

GIANT monster(s)

Horror story?

Inner Struggle

Lifeform altered?

Mental/magical powers focus

Parody

Political power play

Religious overtones?

Repressive society story

Robots, Computers, VR

Romance

Spying & Investigations

Tech./$$$/Info hunt

Time Travel story?

Training/Apprent.

War or Invasion

Games:
Trivia Masters!

Rescue your favorite
scifi characters from
slavery!

Talk to your favorite
scifi characters!

Eating New Yorkers
Computer Game

Pomeranians

Most recent TV & Movie discussions:

Charmed: What's wrong with Rose McGowan's chin? 7/5/2008 11:53:33 AM

Charmed: Is Piper really a Halliwell? 7/5/2008 11:48:59 AM

Doctor Who: Who was the best Doctor? 7/5/2008 4:23:13 AM

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 7/5/2008 2:40:59 AM

Doctor Who: Who was the best companion? 6/30/2008 7:37:52 AM

A Boy and His Dog: A Boy and His Dog 6/30/2008 12:55:48 AM

Lost in Space (TV): What kind of a name is Guy for a guy? 6/26/2008 10:21:30 AM

Lost in Space (TV): Wasn't it obvious that Major West was never going to get any? 6/26/2008 10:17:45 AM

Alien Series: Was Vasquez a lesbian? 6/26/2008 6:57:27 AM

Battlestar Galactica: Do Vipers fly past the speed of light? 6/26/2008 1:27:52 AM

Newest slaves:
Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) 6:56:22 PM
Shinzon 6:54:50 PM
Lieutenant Commander Data 6:52:28 PM
Counselor Deanna Troi 6:51:21 PM
Space Hippie Squeeze 6:48:44 PM
Number 1 6:47:23 PM
Romulan Miniskirt Commander 6:46:20 PM
Tpol 6:45:50 PM
7 of 9 (Jeri Ryan) 6:44:04 PM
Enigma the Butt Pirate 6:40:02 PM
All slaves
(click here)

Celebrity interviews:
President George W. Bush 6:32:00 PM
Jan-Michael Vincent 2:16:51 PM
Captain Kathryn Janeway 3:47:46 PM
Jack ONeill (Richard Dean Anderson) 1:39:22 PM
Jennifer Aniston (Friends) 5:01:07 PM
All celebrities
(click here)