Review of "City of Golden Shadow"

"And these days, what did 'real' mean anyway?"

     In Tad Williams' City of Golden Shadow, reality is what you make it. As a virtual engineering instructor at a South African university, Irene "Renie" Sulaweyo knows almost everything there is to know about the VR world of the Net. She knows how it's made, how it's controlled...but when her ten-year-old brother falls victim to a Net-inflicted coma, she must explore parts of the Net she could never have guessed existed. Meanwhile, terminally ill teenager Orlando becomes obsessed with an image of a golden city he found in a fantasy game. Together with his best friend, Sam Fredricks, he discovers Otherland--a secret server of the most realistic virtual worlds in existence. However, there's more to Otherland than meets the eye. And as Renie, Orlando, Sam, and their friends struggle to unravel this place's dark secrets, they discover a threat greater than anything they could have possibly imagined.

     The mysterious server and its creators pose a threat few protagonists would stand a chance against. Thankfully, this cast of characters seems to be up to the task. While Renie and her bushman student, !Xabbu, work the case from one end, Orlando and Sam are laboring hard on the other. A World War I soldier named Paul Jonas also makes an appearance, hopping from world to world in pursuit of information about his past and the mysterious creatures hunting him. Together, these complex, realistic heroes form an alliance to save Renie's brother and every other child with the same problem. The threat is enormous, the enemy untouchable. Yet, with these normal, true-to-life characters, nothing seems impossible.

     What is equally impressive is the worldbuilding. From towering metropolises to glittering cities and medieval taverns, Williams paints a vast landscape of countless worlds, real and virtual alike. Often, one could be mistaken for the other if not for small reminders such as incoming messages or a reference to someone's "sim", or virtual appearance. Some of these sims are outlandish, others nondescript, but alongside the settings they infuse the scenes with that finishing touch of authenticity.

     There are several things to look out for in City of Golden Shadow. First on the list is Dread, an assassin with the power to "twist" technology to his every whim. Rather than use this ability to help others, Dread hunts, assaults, and kills innocent women. There is a good deal of violence throughout the entire tale, most of which is fairly clean. However, certain people make somewhat disturbing threats on occasion, and Paul Jonas' experiences in the trenches may be more gruesome than the rest. Language is less of a problem, although the occasional curse or crass joke might slip through. This is, in the end, an adult story. I highly recommend pre-reading it before allowing younger readers to get into it.

     I would recommend this book to adults interested in a thick plot, believable characters, and a threat that could bring the world to its knees. Renie, !Xabbu, Sam, and Orlando are wonderful protagonists living in a terrifyingly possible future where the Net is all that matters. The Otherland project is scary in its scope, as is its effect on our population. Although there are a few flag-raisers to keep an eye out for, City of Golden Shadow is definitely a story worth exploring. Tad Williams has gotten his Otherland series off to a great start with a novel fully deserving of five stars.