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I picked this one, and while I love John Brunner, I didn't feel this was quite up to his usual quality - and that's leaving asside classics like Stand on Zanzibar. Only the last novella I really thought was up to this, and the second to last really was quite silly. I did like lots of aspects of how time travel was handled in the first three linked novellas, and also some of the ideas regarding the alternate history were well observed. They were pretty good taken by themselves.

Just a fantastic book. Had the feel of the classic 19th and early 20th century fantasy which I love, whilst being completely modern as well. Sort of thing I've been looking for. Also would imagine it would appeal to people who are more gamers than novel readers. A book that does it all.

Much too long, with okay but sometimes very pedantic writing. I was the only person there who is a real Robert E. Howard fan - this fell into less of the pitfalls that everyone seems to hit who tries to write Conan, but that still didn't rescue a character who works best over the course of a novella, maximum. I wouldn't recommend. Why write a prequel to one of the worst of the original novellas, anyway?!

I loved this book, and would love to re-read it. That's enough.

I'd written a longer comment but got unlogged? Anyway, this was fine, not badly written. I think that the novel failed to engage sufficiently with the fact that some of the characters choices just seemed to be deeply morally questionable - I mean, they can act that way, fine, but if a novel seems to run past this without apparent comment, it either has to be very clever, or else it just has a lacuna.

The most unsublime descriptions of creatures as large as mountains I've ever read, plus quips. That's pretty much it.

Excellent book, I thought, about the workings of empire. Raised an interesting question as to whether all empires are basically unhappy (for themselves and others) in their own way, and whether, when a technology is invented, will it always be used. Agree, the ending seemed neither desirable nor necessitated, though I liked the surreality of the very last chapter.