Customer Reviews

Shanji

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

 

 

I examined and passed by Shanji in my local bookstore several times. The teaser text on the back is rather horrible - you know you're in trouble when the first sentence is "Poor Kati!" But, after seeing it listed here as a reference from another author I enjoyed, and reading the glowing reviews, I decided to give it a shot. The good: the characters are, by and large, entertaining and reasonably well characterized. Kati, the protagonist is interesting and fun to hang out with. The plot moves along at a good clip, and there are times when the writing can sweep you away into a more fun and interesting world. The empress from another star system is also a very intriguing character, and it is difficult to decide, until near the end of the book, whether she is a good guy or bad guy, and whether or not she can be trusted. The bad: The character's actions and emotions are often at odds with their characterization. There are some truly awkward scenes in the book, that call to mind Anakin's parting with his mother in Star Wars / Phantom Menace ("Mom, I'm going away to be a jedi, cool, eh? Oh no, mom, I have to leave you (sob), oh well, bye!") Serious emotional issues are papered over or ignored, and the book winds up feeling rather shallow. Everything comes off as far to neat and tidy - and sterile - and by the end of the book, I was ready to move on. This is a book that reads like a first effort from an author with promise. I am glad to have read it, and I DID enjoy it. However, I do not anticipate reading the sequel which the book's ending basically announces. I would not recommend this as an outstanding book, but I would not warn anyone away from it. If you are looking for a light read, with some interesting "training" sequences, characters you will enjoy hanging out with, and (secondarily) a struggle to unite two cultures, this book should give you an enjoyable evening or two. If you're only looking for the very best stories told in a unique way by an experienced author, then you'd best keep looking.

I'll admit that I read Shanji over a year ago in a different form (audio tape, from Books in Motion). I'll admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn't wait for the sequel. But, as is often the case in the publishing world, the book version didn't appear until now, and the sequel won't come out until Baen sees how well Shanji does.

It does well. Glass is a wonderful storyteller, and he thrives with the longer form. The mythology of Shanji is based on Mongol or Mandarin, and Glass has researched this meticulously, even though the story stands alone, away from Old Earth.

Kati, the main character, who at is orphaned and captured by the Emperor, is special and not completely human. From her humble beginnings to her opulent life at the Emperor's court, Kati learns to understand her purpose in life, which is to unite their people against a foe coming from another star. A foe she has talked with all her life by means of the Gong-shi-jie (world of light); a foe who expects her to perfect her powers and learn to fight against them.

Glass has written a marvelous book. It brought shivers every time Kati yelled her "Shanji!" rallying cry. It will transport you into Kati's world of light and magic, show you a world of suffering and hardship, and lead you to the promise of something even bigger than Kati.

Mr. Glass's greatest strength is his world building. The world is rich: sociology, religeon, customs, climate, astronomy, metaphysics, magic and technology are all blended with a truly rare skill. The story was top-notch with characters who were delightfully human and plenty of action. My only complaint was that the epilogue was a bit over the top: straining one's credulity a bit. For days after finishing this novel I kept mentally slipping into the land of Shanji - fortunately I recovered before losing my job! That's an experience I haven't had since I was a teenager!

Tightly written, fast paced. Step into a world where two races are destined to come together in one individual, Kati, a mind reader and a reluctant warrior, a character you will love from the first chapter. Shanji is a novel where spirituality, hard science, and moral issues vie for center stage and the reader walks away feeling they have truely been to another place and time. I loved this novel and I am looking forward to the next.

Shanji is a world of contrasts. Most of the population live in third-world conditions, crowded into tiny rooms with barely enough food to eat. The emperor, however, rules from a techologically advanced city full of the wealthy elite. He ignores the conditions in the larger city that provides his comfort, and occupies himself enforcing the "traditional" limits on technology that keep Shanji stable (and the people oppressed). But the emperor's people are not the only ones who live on Shanji. The Tumatsin are a clan-based society, descended from alien invaders who were outcast a thousand years ago.

Kati is born to the Tumatsin though her father was one of the emperor's people. When her people are killed she is rescued by the Searchers, a group of psychic-priests who advise the emperor, because she shares their powers -- thanks to her Searcher father. But Kati inherits a different set of powers from her mother, making her a valuable chess piece in the emperor's court. She is trained to use her psychic powers and a sword with equal skill. Though she grows to love her adopted people, part of her heart is with the Tumatsin. Alien invaders threaten the planet, and Kati alone can save her world by uniting the people.

I would have given this book five stars for the world building, it was that good. But Mr. Glass populated his world with wonderful, three dimensional characters. One of my complaints about male authors who write female protagonists is that the women come out like guys in drag -- female on the outside, male inside. Women warriors come out even worse: Arnold Schwarzenegger in a dress. But Kati is very female -- and still a great warrior and leader.

I'll definately read the sequel.

...and not really good fantasy either.

For me, the atrocious SF aspects of this book ruined it for me. An invasion from another planet, ok. With slower than light ships, almost ok. USING CAVALRY???

And then they want to ship BUILDING MATERIALS back?? Haven't they ever heard of ROCK?

This was just a terrible book.

If I could give this book zero or negative stars I would. Shanji is a perfect example of a good idea that is horribly mangled resulting in a bad book. While the characters have mildly intesting cultural and psychic charateristics, they are neither explaned or even use to thier capsity. The end "battle" is a sad staged anti-climax and the book ends with more problems than it started with! While this may be a try for a sequel, the reader simply does not care enough about the characters to plunk down another $4.

I really liked this book because it had a bit of everything in it tragety, mystery, suspense, action, romance, and hey everyone loves it when the hero/heroin has a special ability that no one else does and uses it to save the World!! I also liked it because he created a world that i think is very appealing and personnally I would love to visit it! I hope that he writes more books like this and that they all are as good as this one! Hey if you can only buy one book, let it be this one!!I'm only 16 but beleive me I have read many books and this one is on the top of my fav list!