River of Blue Fire

The second installment of the Otherland series by Tad Williams picks up where the last leaves off. The “heroes” gathered by Mr. Sellers at the Golden City narrowly escape into another simulation, one that seems perfectly normal except that they are now 1/100th their real size. Gigantic insects and birds populate the world, going about their natural activities, but those are hazardous when you’re the size of the next meal.

Soon, events beyond their control shatter the small company and each remnant must find its own way through the increasingly disturbing simulations. Renie and !Xabbu find themselves in Oz gone wrong where they meet a mysterious man who can overcome the rules of the simulation and a naive young girl named Emily who needs rescuing.

Meanwhile, Orlando and Fredericks find themselves in the kitchen sink of a cartoon simulation. Soon, they are drawn into a quest to save a baby match (yes, a match) called Little Spark from evildoers who have kidnapped him for nefarious reasons. The river becomes a stream of spilled water where Orlando, Fredericks and Chief Strike Anywhere’s (the match’s father) lives are threatened by ravenous salad tongs that call the river home.

Shortly after Orlando and Fredericks are swept away, the others find themselves in a world where the river takes on the form of a jet stream, where flight is as natural as walking. Martine becomes the voice of this segment of the group, keeping a log of what’s happening and to whom. The mystery of “who is Dread” takes hold as several of her log entries note anomalous behavior by various members, a mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end.

Finally, Paul Jonas continues his quest for the mysterious winged woman who haunts his dreams. Plagued by the tireless Twins, once known as Finch and Mullet, he runs from simulation to simulation, some quite horrifying. Gally, a kid who is neither puppet (part of the program) or citizen (human guest) makes another appearance but fails to recognize Paul from before.

In the “real world”, the family and friends of those trapped play out their own dramas. Jeremiah is dismayed with Long Joseph abandons him to see his son who is still in the hospital. Christabel worries for her friend, Mr. Sellers, who has taken Cho-Cho, a scary street boy as his assistant. Catur Ramsey, a lawyer representing the Gardinar and Fredericks families, tracks down leads, including the skittish agent, Beezle Bug, who seems to want to help but cannot do so without his comatose master’s permission, and one of the stars of a popular kids show on the net. And in Australia, a detective takes a closed case as a personal challenge and begins to unravel a mystery that may reveal the earliest conquest of a serial killer.

A common theme throughout is the feeling of hopelessness, despair, and perhaps even boredom of both those trapped in Otherland and those in the real world. It’s difficult at times to believe that things will get better.

The River of Blue Fire is complex, vivid, and at times scary. The action is intense and hard to predict, which is something I like in a story, and the characters are well-developed and interesting.

On the other hand, this book reminds me of The Two Towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien, in that it’s a continuation of a story in progress, sort of like a bridge. There is no true beginning or ending, though certain plot elements are resolved along the way. Like Tolkien, the story isn’t rushed and in some places seems to linger just a bit too long. The length of the book and the pace may be daunting to those who are unprepared for it. If you have trouble finishing The Lord of the Rings or Battlefield Earth, you might have trouble finishing The Otherland series.

Overall, however, I really liked this story. I would recommend it to anyone who likes epic fantasy, epic sci fi, or the idea of living in a fantastic, yet unpredictable, virtual world.

Wow. Just finished Otherland Volume 2. I’m addicted.

Tad Williams convinced me, in Volume 1, that he is really good not only at characterization but using multiple characters in a usually 3rd person storyline. He’s good at switching from scene to scene and incorporating elements that keep you interested in all of the characters.

Another thing that Tad Williams is good at is cliffhangers. He knows how to build up suspense and interest in his writing. Since he writes with multiple character in multiple places, you’ll find yourself nearly dying to find out what happened to a character before he returns to them. It makes for an exciting read, and there is always a great deal of adventure within the tragic framework of his Otherland story.

Tad does a great job picking up where Volume 1 leaves off. In this book, we go deeper into what Otherland is, and the people involved with it. We learn more about the Grail Brotherhood, as well as their opposition. We also see more revealed about what some of the characters can do within the system…

One of the main complaints I’ve seen in some reviews about the book is the slow pacing and the “wandering too long”. Well… that depends on what kind of books you like. Tad cites Tolkien a few times (through his Orlando character… don’t worry, that doesn’t spoil anything) and he incorporates works from different epics and classic books. This should already alert a reader that Tad is a fan of the old school books where heroes travel and go on great quests, have to survive, etc.

So if you’re not a fan of reading epic fantasy/sci-fi and books where, every now and then, they have to travel, then I can understand how that would annoy some people. Then again, such books aren’t made for those individuals. Tad is a lover of epics that writes for people that love epics, and like to be taken on a journey.

Many people like books like that, especially me. And it isn’t ALL travelling… there’s a lot going on in the plot, and even the travelling sequences reveal more secrets, ideas, and parts of the story that make it truly complex and beautiful.

Okay, that’s it, I’m read to read the next one.

Tad Williams was one of my favorites when I originally read the series in the late 90’s to early 00’s. I was always curious if the series can stand the test of time as well as my own changing, evolving reading habits. After finishing book 1 I was happy to find that it was just as good if not better than what I originally thought of it. Book 2 was even better and the best of the series.

Where book 1 was more about setting up the rest of the series, book 2 finally gets in to the Otherland network where Williams’ imagination can go wild. The motley group of people are thrown in to these surreal situations/simulations without any guidance, instead having to find their own way through the treacherous worlds. We see a giant world where they are the insects and the Wizard of Oz, just to name a few, not to mention the worlds Paul is moving through. The worlds are real and fantastic and I savored every bit of it.

The major drawback to this series and thus the main reason why some people don’t like it, is that it is very wordy and long. Williams’ builds his worlds, which inevitably leads to dry, slow moments that can seem to drag on. Personally I don’t mind because I love the world he created and so will gladly follow where he leads. But since this is a massive series, 4 large books, and the fact that Williams said that this is essentially one really long book broken in to 4 parts, instead of 4 books to a series, it is a necessary evil to describe everything in great detail.

Personally I think this is the best of the series (although I haven’t gotten around to re-reading book 4 yet, so maybe I’ll change my mind) and, if you don’t mind sitting down to a meaty book, very much worth your time to invest getting to know Otherland.

5 stars.

River of Blue Fire continues right where the last book left off not only in plot but also in style. If you loved the first for it’s unique world building, interesting characters and mystery you’ll love this one. On the other hand if you thought the first book was a little slow and meandering you’ll likely think the same of book two.

For me the world building and character development that the author spent so much time on in book two really pays off here. They are deep, believable and the focus can now shift more to what they do than who they are. The author delivers there too with a bigger focus on action, betrayal and real peril for characters you now care about.

So overall another good book that builds brilliantly on the last but, somewhat surprisingly after 1500 pages and two hefty tomes, leaves the audience wanting more. Come for the interesting worlds, stay for the deep and realistic characters and hope we get the answers we seek in book three.

Ok, so some of this kind of dragged in the middle – I thought that the first time I read it and I thought it again this time – but do NOT let that put you off. Theres the mini-whodunnit about who is actually Johnny Wulgaru, more of the mystery of Paul and the further adventures of the now-split party. Its a trip and the mysteries of Otherland are slowly – SO slowly – being unveiled. As usual Xabbu! is MVP in my opinion – fight me.

And on to volume 3! How could I not?

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