Not as good as previous work..
581055
I'm a big Kurzweil fan and I particularly liked "The Singularity is Near", so I was looking forward to this with great anticipation. Therefore I was surprised to find many chapters to be nearly unreadable. The language becomes ponderous and technical and when the author had to make a word choice he invariably chose the most obtuse or technical. The obtuse language and description takes away from the power of his arguments which are quite convincing. I recognize that some of the areas require technical language but that doesn't excuse the lack of editorial choice. If he wants a wider audience for his work, he should consider finding a good science writer to assist with this. He's obviously so bright that he may not be aware of the flaw that his general readers would prefer more accessible work that isn't quite so painful to read.

Pros:
*clearly and convincingly makes the case for human level machine intelligence within a reasonable timeline
*clearly and convincingly dismantles the contrary arguments of his many critics

Cons:
*overly technical chapters in some areas
*unnecessary obtuse language and opaque sentence structure make some chapters nearly unreadable

Summary:
Can't recommend this for a general audience. You really have to want to read the book to wade through. If you have a predilection towards technical or academic literature, this will undoubtedly be fine.
2306235
I really loved her earlier books but the last two have seemed shorter and repetitive. Not as interesting as the earlier books.
1131873
While I really enjoy this author and this very long series of books, this book was not nearly as good as previous ones. I knew a quarter of the way in that it wouldn't be finished and would leave me hanging and waiting.  I still love the characters but this book took forever to get to the action, and then was done. I like the introduction of new characters as well as a closer look at some of th he previously mentioned characters in former books, and I like that some of the recent storylines are coming together in this book. Not a terrible read, especially if you are hooked into this series,but certainly not the same quality as earlier books in the series.it just doesn't seem written with the same fire or intensity as previous books, and certainly isn't as captivating throughout. More like a means to an end.
1458794
I've really enjoyed the Hugo Marston series, so was looking forward to this one.  But it's not as well written and doesn't pack a punch like the previous ones.  Disappointing!
733886
Not nearly as good as any of the previous works. Reacher was too willing and the interaction with the British agent and MI6 was convoluted.
All too tidy of an ending.
I LOVE Jack Reacher stories but was a bit bummed by this one.
NOTHING IS AS BUMMING AS SOME IDIOT LETTING TOM CRUISE PLAY REACHER IN A MOVIE.
THAT CAN NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN...EVER
1835548
we have a good collection of Edw Gorey so I was looking for something new. this did not measure up to the great original work.
1681678
Disappointing, not nearly as good as the earlier books in this series. It was as if the author was relying on the charm and plots of the previous characters and their stories to uphold this one. The end was a series of drawn out cameos of the old characters. There was not an intriguing enough plot or sympatico for the new characters in this book to flesh it out. I bought it expecting as good a read as the others books and was severely let down.
2083156
Not as good as previous Parker novels... characters aren't "developed" here because they have been before this novel.
403858
Not as good as the previous books. The author is starting to move away from the original premise, where it's a bunch of misfits that can actually work together and to solve paranormal events and issues. Going way off track.
2276008
I am a longtime fan of the Thomas Covenant books, having read the original series (books 1-6) many times over the years. I love them very much and appreciate the creativity, originality of characters, and the uniqueness of Covenant himself. I have waited very impatiently for the new series and waited until all four books were released. I have now just finished reading them. I was not overly impressed.

The character archetypes are brought back over and over with almost no change, despite thousands of years passing. However, the new characters seem like cardboard copies of earlier ones and in some spots it seems like the writer himself forgets some of their names and instead reverts back to memories of previous characters. You could easily swicth out some of these 'new' characters easily with the ones in previous books with no one noticing.

It seems like everyone in this series now has super magic powers. To deal with this, the bad guys are made even more powerful and even white gold (which can end the world) can't hurt some of them. It seems very out of touch with the  'everyman' type of heroes in earlier volumes.

The writing itself seems like it was done on auto-pilot, with most of the key events being written in the same manner using a lot of the same words even. It all seems very formulaic, almost as if he wanted to breeze along to the ending and didn't bother to go back and re-write anything. It has the sense of being almost a stream-of-consciousness style with all of the events taking the same route. Even the point-of-view seems to have shifted, with the story no longer from Covenant's point of view... and with very little "unbelief" anymore.

That said, by the time you grind through the four volumes, you may enjoy the ending if you persevere. I think the story could have been told in about half the amount of words used and I found myself trying t push through the volumes. They plod along slowly and some of the main characters get very boring after a bit. I was not a fan of Linden or Jeremiah throughout this set... the same whining and concerns over and over get old quickly.

If you are not familiar with the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, read the first 6 and do NOT start here. I recommend this set (7-10) only for the most hard core rabid fans that refuse to avoid them. HAving read them, I think I would have been happier staying with the ending of book 6. I'll probably re-read 1-6, and probably will not ever re-read these four (7-10).
37187
I have read several of Freeman's books, which have been excellent. This work, it seems to me, was not up to par with his prior writings.
2916289
I was aniticipating the arrival of this book since her last book was so bad.  I will say it was better than "Killing Time" but not as good as all her previous books.  Started out very slow-hard to keep reading it.  Still waiting for something as good as "Mr. Perfect" and all the others!
4468682
I have posted previous reviews of the first two books of the series, so this will be a continuation of same.

Let's get this out of the way first...I didn't like this one as much as the last two.  It feels like there are some pieces being set up in this volume which is likely why it feels like the story was so frenetic.

Then again, this is a complaint I have had from the beginning.  Each chapter feels like a sharp jerk in a different direction.  This is important because there are two primary storylines that occasionally tangent each other, but refuse to connect.  It's frustrating, because each of those feels like they belong in their own story, but you are stuck ping-ponging back and forth.

Overall,  continue to enjoy the read, and want to see where it goes.
2042949
Not as good as her other novels. The plot sort fell apart at the end, being cut off by the sex scenes and the navel gazing. Yes, yes, I know that the two characters desperately love each other, but can't see how they can be together due to their issues! But, can we confront the villain already and get on with it?

Felt a little redundant in places, and I felt that enough time was given to the unraveling of the puzzle/problem, while far too much time was given to the characters lust for each other.
2275815
I bought this book and one of her other books months ago, now the last book was terrible, but this boot while, not great was better, but I only gave it a three and that's good in my opinion considering the writer I'd repetative in saying the same stuff over and over...and lts of errors misspell, missing words, words in places not needed...I did like it bug it took days to finish the book....it is just dragging on and on, I don't know about another purchase. I will just leave it, and I am surprised the other book isn't out, like I said I purchased this book months ago!
4861554
I am a huge Burke fan, having read virtually all that he has written.  This book and the previous one for that matter are decided drop offs from previous work. The story, plot, his fascinating sentences are just not up to his previous works.  I used to read his books slowly to just enjoy the dialogue and the fellings his stories evoke.  I read this book just to be finished so I could go on to something else. Read his early books they are brilliant, some of the best books I've ever read.
664536
Not as good as his past work. I didn't think the story line was that great. Having said that I am judging him on his past work and not against other writers. It is still a Daniel Silva novel.