Customer Reviews

Chaos Come Again

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Although I've read all her books, this is absolutely the worst of the lot. Her previous works were quick, flashy, and entertaining. Chaos Come Again is slow, perplexing and vague. Any concepts and thoughts Baird is trying to convey are lost on me.

Well, I didn't think it was as bad as the other reviews indicate. I read this before reading Psykosis, and I found it very intriguing without the background. After reading Psykosis, I can see how it represents Baird's conjecture on what would happen to humanity with the profligation of symbiotes. I was rather pleased with the aggressive direction she took and enjoyed the challenge of keeping up with the inferences she expects you to draw. The plot does tend to blur with the speed at which it is written, but overall I thought it was refreshing to see Baird cast away the safety harness of her previous formulae for novels.

I loved her first three novels. Unfortunately, this one doesn't come close.

I really enjoyed this book - it's by no means 'hard' or even meaningful sci-fi, but it has a delightful positive energy and enthusiasm that carries it along. The various plot holes and occasional incoherence are inconsequential if you just go for the ride. I'm waiting for a sequel with the Desi character.

On the whole, I found this book to be entertaining as long as I did not pay too much attention to it. This is a book to read on the subway (which I did), and not one to read when seeking thought-provoking ideas--unless you mean the "Huh, where am I?" kind. When I tried to puzzle out everything Baird presented, I found myself lost and without a dimension to stand in. The plot twists--perhaps "mangles" would be a better word--are fast and dizzying, leaving a reader marooned until another universe comes along to pick up the wreckage. If you like sentinent ships and dimensional travel, try Heinlein's "Number of the Beast." Though somewhat dated and soft porn-ish, it covers the same ground in a more entertaining way.

This is only the second book in my life that I could not get through. The language is difficult, the characters totally unsympathetic, the plot tedious to non-existent. After struggling mightily for several weeks (I usually read 2/week) I just had to give up. OUch.

I have read all Baird's other works and she is a great author. Unfortunately, she has jettisoned her editor and released this abismal piece of trash. The book is incoherent. I read a couple of chapters, gave up in disgust and threw it in the trash. mz

This book is simply awful. The premise was interesting, (symbiotic virus augmenting human physiology to be able to shape change, teleport and have telepathy). The worlds depicted had promise, when you could understand what she was talking about, but overall this book was badly written. The grammer, scene transitions and overall narrative were choppy. It is clear that the author was trying a new style, since she had written books before and they were reasonably received, but the editors did a terrible job of advising her on approach. This book is terrible and a badly failed experiment. The result is that I will not read her again unless I get a personal recomendation from someone whose judgement I trust.

Wilhelmina Baird has gone from pretty good(Crashcourse) to very bad with "Chaos Come Again". Not only did I not have the foggiest idea of what was going on, but I didn't care either. Skip this one.