Changing Vision (Web Shifters) (Paperback)

by Julie E. Czerneda (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"...Every single alien culture is well thought out and the numerous moral dilemmas Esen finds herself in make for a consistently absorbing read. The world-building is excellent, the characters are believable and sympathetic (even the unpleasant ones), and the plot is fast and strong from beginning to end." -KLIATT "CHANGING VISION is the delectable second installment in Julie E. Czerneda's engaging Web Shifter series. Fifty years after shape-shifter Esen-alit-Quar reveals her true self to the human Paul Ragem, both are living under new names on a remote planet making a nice living from their import-export business. In fact, everything is going so well that they decide to take a vacation. That, of course, is when the trouble begins. Ms. Czerneda deftly spices an intricate, ever-surprising plot with breezy wit, characters with panache and irresistible style." -Romantic Times Magazine --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Description
The first book in Julie Czerneda's acclaimed Web Shifters series made the Nebula preliminary nomination list in 1998. Changing Vision continues the story of Esen, the last survivor of an alien race with the ability to assume the form of any creature. Now Esen must break her species' rule of noninterference-to keep interspecies tension from escalating into all-out war....

#2 in the Web Shifters Series

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: DAW (August 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0886779049
• ISBN-13: 978-0886779047
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #337,765 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another hit from a rising star!!!, August 18, 2000

By	Mfitz... "Mfitz..." (Cincinnati, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

At the heart of this book is the relationship between Esen Alt Quar, a 500 year old shape changing being and Paul Ragem, a human male. This might make your want to put this book with the SciFi novels that are really romance novels in SciFi costumes. That would be a big mistake. Although "Changing Visions" is personality driven it is also a first class space opera full of interesting aliens, plot twists, and wonderful characters.

Ms.Chzernda shows how immage effects the way we react to an individual by showing how various caracters, who know Esen's secret, react differently to her as she changes form. At the same time she exlores how biology influences personality as Esen's physical forms effect how she reacts to each new situation. Then there is the problems that arise from the differences in the life span of the main charactes. As the plot twists throught a series of adventures that could be labeled 'the perils of Esen' you come to realise that Paul and Esen are not suffering from unrequinted love, but a bound by much ties that are deeper and truer than that. I particularly like Paul'd "It takes a villiage..." answer to the problem, even though Esen resents his solution.

The cliff hanger last chapter leaves not doubt that there will be more adventurs ahead for Esen and her Web. I can't wait.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent sequel to "Beholder's Eye" - hooray!, October 3, 2000

By	Hank Schwartz "banjo & SciFi" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book begins 50 years after Czerneda's fine story "Beholder's Eye" ended.

We now find Paul Ragem and Esen-alit-Quar living as partners of the trading company "Cameron & Ki" on the fringe planet Minas XII. Their comfortable and amusing life is interrupted when Paul takes the reluctant Es on a "vacation" trip.

We continue to meet wonderfully detailed alien cultures and to follow the amusing escapades of the hapless shape changing Es as she continues her dedication to understanding and protecting all sentient lives. The fact that Paul shares the same goals is complicated by the desire of each to protect the other from the inevitable tribulations of their complicated life together.

I felt that this book started out slower than "Beholder's Eye" but came to no less satisfying a conclusion. In each case, Czerneda has demonstrated her considerable skill at portraying remarkably different beings and cultures in a way that makes them comfortably familiar, intriguing and exciting to us. Her plots are absorbing and her writing is eminently readable.

I'm decidedly looking forward to the next installment of Web Shifters!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Acceptable, January 21, 2001

By	C. Bickford (Round Lake Beach, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While I liked the predecessor to this book, I found this one hard to read. On a gross level, the various pieces of a good story were there. There were interesting characters, well developed background and a well-developed plot.

Unfortunately, this book tends to be somewhat disjointed, with what I find to be unnecessary amounts of tension in the various threads that make it up. Items that could be resolved are dragged out in excruciating detail as the various characters viewpoints don't permit the obvious resolution. Which is ok, since most problems in life aren't easily solvable, but some of the items could be left unresolved, instead of contortions being made to wrap everything up neatly, despite the fact that a neat wrap-up isn't really possible.

The last disappointment was in the villians. I tend to find narrow-minded fanatics as villians a bit of a disservice. Creating a compelling villian that is interesting enough to be plausible while not dominating the scene is difficult in the best of times. Somehow the quality of the opposition didn't seem to rate effort the victories required. Or, didn't seem to merit the victories. Villians overcome by an obvious and silly fatal flaw just aren't good villians.

That being said, the book is still worth reading. It's just not a book that excites me.