Beyond Reality discussion

Here's a general topic for people who have finished reading City of Golden Shadow by Tad Williams.

Caution: Spoilers are likely in this thread!

I've read the entire series, and it's been a few years so I'm a little fuzzy on what happens when in each of the four books - I don't want to spoil future books for anyone, so can someone give a quick rundown of what's happened by the end of this one? Then I can comment without fear of ruining anything for anyone :)

I found this to be a densely creative story. I thought the pervasiveness of virtual reality to be believable, as well as the idea that you can master commands to shape that reality from inside. Several characters were memorable -- the old man and the little girl, the Wicked Tribe, and certainly !Xabbu. But I can't say that enjoyed the book. I had to slog through too much outright evil for no specific purpose, and I still don't have a clue as to what motivates our villains or why they need to trap children's minds. While I can admire the author's fecund imagination, I find that I am not interested enough in the story to continue to the other books.

Remember, it is a 4 book series and many many questions will remain unanswered until the 3rd and 4th books.

I also read this one many years ago so my memory is a little sketchy. There is, however, a Wikipedia article on the series who gives a synapses of each book which might help you out.

I was one of the early adopters of the Internet, back when most people had no clue it even existed. I see a lot of what was introduced here as a potential expansion of what we have now before we even had what we have now. Actually as a serious game player, I have to say I adore the concept of plugging in to be online and totally immersing yourself in another world.

For anyone who might be interested, there's a MMO either out or still in development based upon this series. I've not yet looked into it seriously but just knowing the world, it could have potential.

There are a number of threads in these books, various groups of people that run parallel to one another. I have to admit, I was massively bored by the thread surrounding Paul Jonas and his purpose doesn't really come to light until the later (possibly 4th) book.

I have to admit, I enjoyed Orlando and Sam the most. Quite possibly because I could relate to the environment they were interacting with better. (Anyone here an old MUD player?)

Renie and !Xabbu would be second. I actually found Renie's father to be an interesting character, though maybe not as obvious in the first book. I also liked the thread with !Xabbu and the inevitable loss of some cultures due to the invasiveness of technology and modern society.

My memory of this book and the series is not very clear, as I read it many years ago, but I recall being fascinated by the virtual reality immersion and being confused by some of the storylines that were slow to unfold. But it was engaging and creative.