Otherland III: Mountain of Black Glass Pb [Paperback]

Tad Williams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 1999 | Series: Otherland

Bestselling author Tad Williams broke new ground in 1996 with his wonderfully imaginative novel OTHERLAND. The place is an incredibly complex and detailed virtual reality, home to the wildest dreams and darkest nightmares of its users and creators. The conspiracy threatens to sacrifice our Earth for the promise of this far more exclusive place. And, somehow, Otherland is claiming the Earth's most valuable source, its children.Then came OTHERLAND TWO: RIVER OF BLUE FIRE, which firmly established the series as a landmark in imaginative fiction, challenging and thrilling even more readers. Now, in OTHERLAND THREE: MOUNTAIN OF BLACK GLASS, Tad Williams demonstrates ever greater virtuosity, entering ever more deeply into the conspiracy and the rich world of Otherland. Look out for more information on this book and others on the Orbit website at www.orbitbooks.co.uk

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Otherland, the quartet of which Mountain of Black Glass is the powerful third part, combines some terrifying speculation on the future of virtual reality with adventures none the less terrifying because they are technologised dreaming--these are dreams from which the adventurers cannot awaken and in which, if they die, they are dead...An epidemic of comatose children has led Rennie and her San friend !Xabbu into the net and to a series of dream worlds created as palaces by the corrupt aspiring immortals, the Grail Brotherhood; two of those children, Orlando and Fredericks, have become adventurers in their own right, while their parents' lawyer Ramsey follows real world money, and lesbian cop Calliope tracks a serial killer with serious ambitions to become an angry god. In this volume we have adventures in a mythic Ancient Egypt and a rambling Gormenghast-like house before all the virtual adventurers meet where they were always destined to, before the walls of Troy... All around, death. It was not a quiet presence during the long day--not a pale-faced maiden bringing surceasse from pain, not a skillful reaper with a scalpel-sharp blade... Death on the Trojan plain was a crazed beast that roared and clawed and smashed, which was everywhere at once, and which in its unending fury showed that even armoured men were terribly frail things. Tad Williams takes the gameworld and turns it on its head, passionately; how do we know that what bleeds does not feel pain? He is writing a classic of cyberspace adventure which has a sorrowful heart.' - ROZ KAVENEY, AMAZON.CO.UK REVIEW --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Former singer, shoe-seller and radio show host, Tad Williams is now a full-time writer. His MEMORY, SORROW and THORN series established him as one of the most internationally popular fantasy authors of recent years. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 656 pages
• Publisher: Orbit (September 2, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857237471
• ISBN-13: 978-1857237474
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars long, bizarre, complicated, in other words, outstanding!, February 12, 2007

By 

Jennifer Relfe "jennilee13" (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Otherland (Bk. 3) (Paperback)

This book was recommended to me back in 2000 - I remember that I could not put it down and bought the following volumes as soon as they were available. The day that the fourth volume arrived in the mail put me out of contact with the world for a week. If you are interested in virtual reality, this is the book for you.

I have only recommended this book to a few specific friends, ones that I know are technophiles and that are sufficiently offbeat enough to possibly enjoy such a romp. It is definitely not for everyone.

I just hope that by the time I am 70 and retired, living in an old folks home, I can plug in and have such adventures......gives me something to look forwards to!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What an amazing series., March 5, 2007

By 

Larry Johnson (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Otherland (Bk. 3) (Paperback)

I bought this book a few months back just for something to read. The first few chapters were turning me off of it, but somehow I was compelled to read more. When I got to the end of this book, I wound up craving the rest of the series and bought the other three quickly.
I can't say this was the best out of the four in this series, but this is just an introduction into a vast and lovely world. The characters are actually real enough to care for, or hate.
All in all, the plot is confusing after the first few chapters, but it all comes together soon enough if you keep reading on. Definitely one of my favorite series, if not my most favorite.