Matt

Not great literature and I didn't expect it to be. Entertaining and a lot of fun. It took me back to my science fiction adolescence. I've had some problems with a few of Harrison's novels because of dialogue, but the dialogue here was good enough that it didn't pull me out of the story.

Oh, the names, the names! (There's a guide in the back of the book) What a great novel. It moved quickly, though there wasn't a lot of action. The story was gripping as our protagonist stumbles his way to learning how to be an emperor. I'd love to know exactly how Addison pulled it off.

A fast read, good fun, and some good laughs. Pick it up and love it!

It had some good points but overall it was a disappointment after reading “The Stars My Destination.”

I'm a fan of Philip K. Dick, but I read his stuff years ago. I eagerly sought this book out because I heard from a couple of people that this one was one of his best. Maybe I merely disagree, maybe my affection for PKD has waned, maybe I need more now than he can give.

Dick is famous for his drug use and for taking speed before cranking out an entire novel in fifteen hours flat. This book, to me, feels like his most drug-influenced book. Not because of his crazy ideas, those are to be expected. It's because you get the feeling that he throws things into the story as they occur to him and made no effort to smooth things over in a subsequent draft. He switches gears on a whim and those whims come at the rate of about fifteen to twenty per scene.

If you're a big fan of PKD, go ahead and check this out. If not, you'll probably want to avoid it.