Customer Reviews

City of Diamond

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Great characters, especially Tal and the little princess. But how exactly the economy of these city-ships works? I would like to inform all the readers who loved Ms. Emerson's book "City of Diamond" that she also wrote under the name of DORIS EGAN the Books: "Ivory Gate" , "Two-bit Heroes", "Guilt edged Ivory". This trilogy was great too.

I have a mixed feeling; I am sincerely glad to read this book, and at the same time I am sincerely sorry to read this book.

City of Diamond is an interstellar city-ship of 4-million population. The basic axis seems to be the rivalry between Diamond and Opal, a sister city-ship, and various characters on Diamond and Opal do various things. Although the story is rather slow-moving and it doesn't readily go to the main subject (I wonder if it has the main subject), I LOVE IT. The characters are EXTREMELY interesting and peculiar, and they make the story completely unpredictable. And the various cultures such as Diamond vs Opal, City Ships vs Outsider, and Outsiders (Empire vs Republic) are also very interesting.

The most attractive character is definitely Tal, an Outsider demon. He is a half-alien, and his kind are always sociopath and are loathed as demons. For example, Tal recognizes it is disadvantageous for him to betray his supporter, but he doesn't feel it is wrong to betray his supporter. Meanwhile, he does everything he can to rescue people who work for him from peril. Understanding his way of thinking, logical Tal is much more reliable and likable than inconsistent human beings.

One BIG problem, though. When the story becomes REALLY interesting, it ends cliff-hanger, leaving several mysteries unsolved. At the author's web page, she states that she intended this book as a first part of a trilogy, but that health and memory problems have kept her from writing the sequels. Oh, WHAT A PITY!

If the sequels were available, I would buy and read them NOW, even if they were 600-page English books (English is a foreign language for me). Ms Jane Emerson, PLEASE WRITE THE SEQUELS! PLEASE!

Well, they say the plot is maybe thirty awesome new ideas, tops, and the rest a pastiche of every great science fiction novel you ever read, and that's probably true. The characters though, the characters: there's 5 or 6 of them, and they're drawn like you've never seen before in fiction. Anywhere. Buy this book. Buy 10 copies; no one you ever loan it to is going to give it back.

I LOVE City of Diamond. It's one of my favourite books. A cast of fascinating characters, a world on a spaceship that's a mixture of the futuristic and medieval, mysterious artefacts to track down, future mysteries to be solved, moments of pathos and humour, a clear and flowing writing style . . . What more could you ask for?
I've been waiting years for the sequels and they haven't appeared. To my knowledge, this is the second time Doris Egan/Jane Emerson has had a series cut short. DAW, what's going on?

This was one of the best reads I've had recently. Hope very much there is more of the story to come!

It takes a lot of skill to create a complex universe of places, people and ideas.
The number of characters in this novel, all fully formed in flesh and blood,
is astonishing. Most impressively, each voice shines through vividly; each with a different story to tell.

This book is what every good yarn should be:
a gift-wrapped confectionary of hearty characters and exciting
events; and at the core, a concrete world--believable, tragic and humorous.

Thank you Ms. Emerson--write more!

(perhaps the only objection: the ending is so cliffhanger-like it is annoying that it is now two years since publication--where is the sequel?)

For its genre, and excellent book. The characterisation was good, the character of Tal being one of the most interesting I've come across yet. Falls down slightly on plot, especially the love plot between Adrian and his new wife which I found rather nauseating and pat. However, the author does keep several plots spinning at once, which is quite successful for the most part and makes the overal plot quite complex.
I assume there are two sequels, "City of Opal" and "City of Pearl" which I have been waiting for since buying "Diamond" in 1998. Will someone please print them and put them out of my misery???!!!

I love, love, love this book. I love it so much, that almost four years after reading it I am still mourning the fact that apparently there is no sequel in the stars. Doris Egan (aka Jane Emerson) seems to have abandoned books permanently in favor of the flickering screen. (Oh well -- probably explains why shows like Smallville have been such a success...)

What is it about this book that is so marvelous? It's the intricate, fascinating characters that Egan masterfully brings to life. From Adrian, the confident young leader of Diamond, to his sociopath friend Tal, to Tal's warrior by contract, Keylinn (warning: I've listed about 1/8 of the main characters...) they all have depth, personalities, motivations, dilemmas that organically propel the action of the story. Honestly, I have a hard time remembering what actually _happens_, but I know for sure that I burned the midnight oil many a night to see what these people would do next.

In The City of Diamond, Egan also explores one of my favorite sci fi themes - how drastically different cultures interact and develop, the prejudices that form vs. the commonalities between people. No earth-shattering conclusions, or overly moralistic commentary is made in this book - but it's all very interesting nonetheless.

Well written, with snappy dialogue, and oh, did I mention terrific characters? This book should be read, sequels or no! Egan's other three novels can be bought in one volume, The Complete Ivory, and are also very good. We can only hope that maybe one day Doris Egan will leave Hollywood and come back home to the world of prose. Please, please...

This is the best science fiction novel I've ever read.

Other reviewers have alluded disparagingly to the plot(s), but (originality aside) I can't think of any other book that balances so much, so effortlessly. Let's face it, THE PLOTS ROCK.

Then there's the characters. I've never felt so fond of or close to characters in a book before. In such a plot-happy book, the amazing thing is that it's the characters that come back to me, day after day.

I can't get this book out of my head! I love this book. Did I say that already?

The author has created some of the
most memorable characters I have
ever encountered. The demon is
especially fascinating. I stayed up
until 4 A.M. reading this book.

Please - where is the next volume?

While I agree with one reviewer that the plot does not quite live up to the drama and complexity of the characterization, this world and these people are so deftly realized that it was still a fun and compelling read. When so many books are forgettable, it's a joy to once again meet characters and situations which leave me with a desire to experience more of their adventures.

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And I agree with the other reviewers: It's a tragedy this book has no sequels! I actually bumped into the author years ago and she said she had no plans for any--was on to other things... Very sad! Years later, I'm still wishing!