User:Hooloovoo/Otherland

Notes to self: Link to Simulated reality, describe characters, add jacket shots, etc.

Otherland is a novel by Tad Williams consisting of four books, a so-called quadrilogy. The story is set in the not too distant future in which many technologies have developed, like the ability for people to attach themselves fully to a computer via a nerve interface in order to experience an online world as being practically real. Tad Williams weaves an intricate plot spanning four thick volumes, that paints a realistic picture of what our society may look like in the near future, with technologies that are only emerging now fully integrated into everyday life. His proposed ability to immerse oneself fully in a simulation gives Tad Williams a lot of artistic freedom, and the story winds through many classical literary works, such as Alice in Wonderland, Homer's Iliad & Odyssey or the Wizard of Oz, which (not unrealistically) are in the book available as entertainment simulations.

The Story
The book starts with the little brother of one of the main characters suddenly falling into a mysterious coma. His older sister, Irene "Renie" Sulaweyo, investigates what happened and starts discovering some strange goings on in the internet, where she discovers the world of Otherland. Once inside she meets several other people all gathered together by a man named Sellars. After a while they discover that they are no longer able to disconnect themselves from this world and they are stuck.

Major Protagonists

 * Irene "Renie" Sulaweyo - A South African teacher of Virtual Reality who's brother Stephen Sulaweyo lapses into a strange coma. The event leads her to Otherland, a meeting with Sellars and eventually the machinations of the The Grail Brotherhood.
 * Joseph "Long Joseph" Sulaweyo - Irene and Stephen's mostly-drunk father, a once proud man who took to full-time drinking after his wife died. His favourite drink is a brand of wine called Mountain Rose, a cheap kind that comes in plastic squeeze bottles.
 * Stephen Sulaweyo - Renie's little brother.
 * !Xabbu - A Bushman student of Renie's who for the better part of the book finds himself confined to a Monkey body inside Otherland.
 * Jeremiah Dako
 * Orlando (Thargor)
 * Fredericks (Sam, Pitlith)

Minor Protagonists

 * Isabel Sorenson, Major Sorenson (guarding Sellars)
 * Sellars
 * Javier
 * Paul Jonas

Major Antagonists

 * The Twins / The Pankies (Undine Pankie)
 * Dread
 * Felix Jongleur

Minor Antagonists
other grail members like Yacoubian, also the hacker girl (Dulceana Anwin, a.k.a. Dulcie)

Special Characters

 * Azador (construct) / Emily (construct)
 * The Other

todo: describe the others

Volume 1: City of Golden Shadow

 * Published as a Hardcover in 1996 with ISBN 0099683016
 * Published as a Paperback in 1998 with ISBN 1857236041

Short excerpt here... Add cover shot image floating to the right.

Volume 2: River of Blue Fire

 * Published as a Hardcover in 1998 with ISBN 0886777771
 * Published as a Paperback in 1999 with ISBN 1857237641

Short excerpt here...

Volume 3: Mountain of Black Glass

 * Published as a Hardcover in 1999 with ISBN 185723748X
 * Published as a Paperback in 2000 with ISBN 1857239903

Short excerpt here...

Volume 4: Sea of Silver Light

 * Published as a Hardcover in 2001 with ISBN 0886779774
 * Published as a Paperback in 2002 with ISBN 1841490644

Short excerpt here...