ordinary sci-fi book. nothing major... ( )

This was gracefully offered for free through Amazon by the author for a brief time period and after reading the description, I have to say, I was intrigued and snapped at the chance to read it. Even though I got this for free, I will still review it as honestly as I would any other book.

The plot of 'The Curse of Europa' is quite basic; eight astronauts, of varying expertise, on a mission to discover if there is life in the vast ocean that lies under a thick layer of ice on the surface of one of Jupiter's moons, Europa. However, it was never going to be that simple as that as there is a "curse", which makes every mission of this sort fail. The story is set in the future in 2056, so this drew me into the plot as the complicated advanced technologies are much more believable and add to the futuristic feel.

My first thoughts on this eBook format book is that I love the writing style. I am not usually a fan of the present tense being used in novels but I think in this case, it adds to the sense of danger. I also like that within the first two chapters, all of the characters are introduced and a romantic subplot is established.

As I read on, at about a third of the way through, the romantic side of the story seemed to take over slightly but I quite enjoyed it, surprisingly, as the romance seemed natural.

The story is gripping and exciting, and the author seems to have researched the subject thoroughly as the book is full of accurate scientific terms. Although I found some of the event that take place towards the end of the book a bit far-fetched, I really loved the progression of the story and the development of the characters.

I actually quite enjoyed the epilogue ending as it tied off all of the plot points instead of leaving it open for a sequel, even though I believe that this is volume one in a series.

Overall, I loved this science fiction novel. It was exciting and fast-paced, a definite 5 out of 5 stars, and I will definitely be looking to read more works by this author. ( )

Brian Kayser has done his research very well and used this knowledge to create a believeable, whirlpool-like, story which draws the reader into its heart, mixing the human elements of adventure, extreme courage, endeavour, fearfulness, hope (and even a little romance) with plausible scientific thought regarding what might be waiting for Homo Sapiens Sapiens out there in space beyond our tiny sphere of life called Earth.

The Prologue sets the scene nicely with Chapter one commencing two hours from orbit around Europa and concluding with a hair-raising (and wholly believable) landing sequence after which you need to wipe your brow and have a drink before rushing to chapter 2.

Don't be distracted by any editorial oversights, you are in for a treat, the imagination of Arthur C Clarke lives on in this promising author. ( )