I love that Sparta's intelligence is what we see as her "super power" along with her technological "improvements". She is not a heroine who has "super strength" but rather super character. The plot is fast paced keeps you guessing and defineltly can hold even the video gamers attention. Only complaint; the book describes Sparta with blue eyes not hazel which is on the cover and her body is described not quite as thin and "top heavey" as on the cover.

I found this book to be a really excellent story. There were many places where I did not want to put the book down, so I made time to finish the section I was reading. Several times I exclaimed, "wow" aloud while reading on the Metro. It is easy to image-in what the author was writing, so I felt as though I was right there. I am looking forward to finding and reading venus prime 1 thru 5!

At first I felt put off by two things. First, the picture of the woman on the cover, while appealing, did cause me to refrain from leaving the book lying around for my 8-year old daughter to see. This book does not need sex to sell. Second, I was put off by the fact that Arthur Clarke was not authoring it. But I gave it a shot anyway, and I must say, I was very pleasantly surprised.

Arthur C. Clarke's component in this series is the inclusion of a number of his interesting short stories as the subplots with very little alteration of the details. (The original book titles were actually the names of the stories, eg. Breaking Strain.) These stories are seamlessly incorporated into the whole work.

What is added by Preuss is the style and setting - Sparta, a fragile but superhuman woman who has lost her past, searches for the people who made her what she is. In doing so, she becomes involved in the situations created in Arthur C. Clarke's science fiction. The "Venus Prime" series maps out her journey (as well as serving up great stories by Clarke). Preuss peppers the books with nice details of life in the near future (like logical extensions, interesting-but-plausible technology, and so on).

If you're looking for the original short stories, several appeared in the out-of-print collection "The Sentinel ; masterworks of science fiction and fantasy" (the title story is also interesting as the origin of Clarke's novel "2001 a Space Odyssey").

I just finished The Diamond Moon. Thoroughly enjoyed this fifth volume. I have always been a huge fan of Arthur C. Clarke and was skeptical when realizing he was a co-author, but have been extremely pleased with the masterful blend of true science fiction with an involving story line using mystery and engaging character development that I assume to be of Paul Preuss' design. This is not a book to be read on it's own, but to be enjoyed from the beginning and read through the end - (I'm going to get Volume 6 now).

I have been hooked right from the start - accolades to Paul Preuss and Arthur C. Clarke!

Was quite suprised with this book. Blake and the crew of the "Ventris" are taken on board of the the Worldship that was Amalthea, joining Sparta who had made contact with the alien, Thowintha. The alien entity on board takes them on a journey of knowledge through space and time, which changes many things for them, perceptionally and in Sparta and Blake's case, physically (gills are somewhat handy when living in a vessel that is filled with water). The finale of the book leaves a lot of questions, and you sit back a little thinking, "ok, how?" but typical of Preuss's good work, it is a very enjoyable story.

The only thing good about this book is the cover.

After 30 years experience in the Space Program, NASA, and deep Space probes, I have to say this is one of the more intellectuall accurate, and stimulating stories I have read. I am an Clarke fan, having read 2001 when it first came out in 1968, but the combination of Clarke's vision and Preuss's writing skills makes this Venus Prime Series a set of books you will not be able to put down!

Sparta is the name of a bio-enahnced young woman. She wakes everyday, knowing nothing of the day last past. Then one day Sparta's keen senses trip a deep mechanistic response to escape where she is. Only minutes later she finds herself in a mega-fast mega-powerful attack helicopter; somehow, she knows exactly how to fly it... From then on she will have to assume a new identity - hiding in the open as an elect officer. She knows only that she's looking for her true self - she will solve many other mysteries along the way. This is a fantastic trip and an excellent read! Also, it is difficult to get all six (6) in the series - if you find them (all) BUY THEM AT ONCE! It has taken me three years to collect them all.

I am not much for SF books that are set in the present. It pretty much defeats the basic idea of SF (that is to see how future developments in science and technology affect human society), and to me such books seem alternate reality rather than SF. So this is not my cup of tea. That said this is certainly a well crafted book that moves along reasonably fast, and sketches well the development of a new technology after a scientific breakthrough, although the new technology itself is unbelievable (a material harder than diamond that is stable under high pressure and temperatures? Please!)

Core was fairly good sc-fi reading. If you aren't into novels that can get fairly heavy on technical details then you might want to think twice about reading this book. The plot is sometimes a little slow moving, but picks up at the end for a great finish. I understand Preuss has a few other novels in print, and if they are anything like Core then I would love to read them.

Is the new Hollywood movie THE CORE based on this book at all?

I have to admit I bought this book by mistake, thinking it the work of Arthur C. Clarke. You see, Clarke's name is big and bold above the title, while the actual author's name is rather hidden.

In any case, the story revolves around SPARTA, a.k.a. Linda, a.k.a. Ellen Troy, a genetically altered genius. Apparently, their are bad people who want to abuse poor SPARTA, so she must escape.

The problem is, about a third of the way through the book, it briefly becomes about Nikos the shipper and his efforts to keep his father's shipping business alive.

Then it's about Sondra Sylvester and her attempts to own an antique book.

After that, it's about an accident in space and the crew of the "Star Queen."

Finally, we get back to SPARTA. In short, this book meanders all over the solar system attempting to find a consistent plot. I realize this is only volume one of a six volume series, but try a little story cohesion. If the first novel struggles with a through line, how can you expect the series to hang together?

An excellent book and an easy read that combines a good mystery with a SF setting. I have read four of the six books in the series so far, and each has been excellent. The author combines great immagery and vocabulary and a great story line. With 6 books in the series, there is plenty to keep up the interest. Although it is a light read, this is a pure SF book. There are few ,if any, fantasy components.

If you're a guy. You will love SPARTA/LINDA. She is a dream (conceived by male writers... I would love to get a female's opinion of this book). This is very good reading of the Asimov/detective/SF variety. An easy read that combines a good detective mystery with a futuristic setting. There are 6 books in the series, so there is plenty to follow. Although it is a light read, this is a pure SF book. There are few ,if any, fantasy components.

I really enjoy reading the book because of my long affair with the Greek language and culture in it's different historical incarnations. Anyone interested in traditional life, travel, or history should find this book captivating. When I'm next in Greece I want to visit Crete, and this book was the inspiration. The hard sci-fi part is quite good as well, creative and well-researched. It has a little something for everybody.

Troubled Anne-Marie Brand has a secret that she has held inside of herself for her entire adolescent and adult life. Now this secret may be the leverage she needs to get her son out of the legal grasp of her vindictive ex-husband. She needs only to acquire a bit of archaeological treasure to set her trap and quantum physicist Manolis Minakis seems to hold the key to the very treasure trove she seeks.
There is one unknown that challenges her scheme: it seems that Manolis himself has masterminded the entire game from the very start. He has lured Anne-Marie's new husband to a symposium on quantum physics, manupulated the man whom Anne-Marie desperately needs to aid her in her quest for her son and enticed Anne-Marie herself to his homeland on Crete where he enfolds his own strange personal history.
The outcome is a pleasing story of two people of different generations with the identical need to salvage the good from their past in order to face the future in a positive manner.
I enjoyed this story immensely---I did not buy it because it was supposedly a Sci-Fi tale; it has little science fiction. Rather I found the characterizations and descriptions of Greek village life vivid and fulfilling, especially when set against the foil of such archaeological greats like Sir Arthur Evans and John Pendlebury.
A most satisfying story!

Preuss does an excelent job developing characters, and bringing us in to the lives and history of the people of isolated island of Crete.

When I started the book, I was expecting more physics. I was not prepared for the 100 page biography of Minakis, and did not enjoy the interlude as much as I would have if I was expecting it.

The writing style was fantastic. I loved the characters. This book about the lives of scientists. It is a welcome relief to all the quirky sci-fi books filling the bookstore shelves. A previous reviwer made a good point labelling "Secret Passages" as fiction about science instead of science fiction.

The characters and writing style are fantastic. Preuss does an excellent job weaving together anthropology, the history of Crete, philosphy and physics. On the downside, many of the transitions in the book were weak and the plot a little disjoint. This was truly a refreshing book, but I gave the book a 4 instead of a 5.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a very deep and thoughtful work on the lives of scientists. I admit, I wish I had a map of Crete at hand while reading it. I expect it would be better on the second read.

I first read this series when it came out in the late 1980's. They are highly entertaining and among my favorite books, it is high time they got a second printing. This third installment which takes us to Mars is as enjoyable as the rest, though my favorite is the second installment, "Maelstrom".

Over the years I've had a lot of fun with Sparta and "The Free Spirit". I just wish I knew how to get my hands on one of those "Snark" attack helicopters. Ellen Troy and Blake Redfield are captivating heros, who like the rest of us, have their flaws. Any Clarke faithful who doesn't enjoy this series might want to think about going one size larger the next time they buy new skivvies.

Anyone who enjoys this and other "Venus Prime" novels should look for "Core", another enjoyable work by Preuss. (For anyone who's curious, the origional names for the Venus Prime books are "The Breaking Strain", "Maelstrom", "Hide and Seek", "The Medusa Encounter", "The Diamond Moon", and "The Shining Ones" respectively.)

I don't think Paul Preuss is attemting to take Clark's place in science fiction history. The three installments thus far of Venus Prime are clever and enjoyable mysteries. The books are well written (if not carefully edited - Clark's intro in the second book refers to the first manned orbit of the moon by Apollo 8 Christmas 1969 - AFTER the first moon landing) and fun to read. Enjoy them for what they are, and leave the comparisons to 2001 out of the experience.

preuss captures clarke's tone and complexity--a nice entry in a superior series

There are surprises galore in this latest in the Venus Prime series, among them revalations about the Commander, changes in Sparta's views on things, and the central surprise which would be rude to reveal.

As Preuss says in his notes after the novel's conclusion, this book is setting up more events in the future, while still being a good read when held alone. I'd read the first three Venus Prime books in one weekend, and then had to wait months for the fourth. Hopefully, the next books in the series will arrive more quickly, but if not, at least I know they will be well-written.

Two programmers invent a cunning process to develop the world's first biological computer that is capable of independent learning & problem solving. It reads like a snail lost at sea and is about as suspenseful as waiting for the kettle to boil. It doesn't even have a plot until you're 3/4s of the way through. I actually loved the concept, but was gravely disappointed by the way it limped through each chapter. Sure, technical garb is fine - but after a while you begin to wonder if something is gonna HAPPEN...

This is quite a good book. Basically a young computer bloke gets working with a company called Compugen (I think) and works on their newest computer which uses bioelectronics and stuff, so the computer 'grows' to the task at hand (complete with sloppy disks). With a fair bit of science fiction, genetic engineering and computer stuff in there it may be hard going for some, but it is pretty rivetting with Adrian and Toby tailoring a virus to their needs with ... well, some unexpected results. A dash of humour and some neat twists make this a pretty good read.