Darren BeyerReseñas

For a novel that billed itself as one that adhered to real science, I was slightly worried that it would lose sight of the one thing that no Fiction, let alone Science Fiction, should ever ignore. That is: A Good Story.

Fortunately, I had a good time. There was plenty of good science, but above the Campbellian ideal, this author never lost sight of the fact that interesting characters and an exciting story will always carry the day.

This is a thriller. Mind you, it's a technical thriller, but it is still a thriller to its core. There's lots of action and intrigue and it spans across several star systems thanks to at least one or two slight stretches of Handwavium in the "discovered" elements that allowed us to manufacture our own naked wormholes. There's also the matter of nanotech advancement, but I didn't say that this was a novel based on our current level of science or that I was going to rule out possible unforeseen discoveries. Hyperium and the last reveal of the novel aren't outside of the realm of possibility, mind you, but it is much easier to swallow when we imagine both as having been manufactured by an intelligence rather than being mysteriously "found". In this respect, the author is moving no further outside of the lines than Arthur C. Clarke ever did, and I think that's rather the point.

The author focused on story, political and economical pressures, and most of all, on love.

We readers do love to feel a connection to the characters, don't we? :) Well, I did. I wasn't quite sure I would, and a few pages made me wonder, but I'm very happy that I stuck with it. There wasn't a wasted passage.

I'll absolutely continue on with the series and wish the author all the very best luck! Here's to a grand adventure!

And lastly, thank you for the ARC. I was certainly not disappointed with the story nor the science. :)

"Casimir Bridge" is an award-winning technothriller that combines deep space exploration and advanced technology with vicious corporate intrigue and global power struggles. The last thing I expected when I started this book, was to be abandoning it at 75%.

For me, the book got off to a weak start with a device I hate, a prologue. It was a short chapter that started in the middle of some action, ended with violence and was followed by a "One Week Earlier" heading before chapter two. The prologue wasn't badly done but I think it was a poor editing decision. To me, it shows a lack of confidence in either the reader or the writing. It says "let's show them some action at the beginning so we don't lose them while we're setting up."


I enjoyed the next part, which set up the good guys, the bad guys, and the likeable outsider to whom everything could be explained, in this case, a young reporter who actually investigates things.. There was some explanation of the technology and a little world building. Then, for reasons I still don't understand, we headed off for a Zulu dance festival where our young reporter turns out to be part of the privileged elite. What that added to the plot or the characterisation still isn't clear to me.

By thirty-two per cent I was wondering if I would continue with the book. I liked the idea of intrigue on an interplanetary scale, larded with big dollops of hard science but I wasn't connecting with it on a personal level. Then the plot took a turn, our young reporter was rescued from a dire situation by a tall, dark and handsome, respectful, competent, quietly-alpha male and real thriller stuff started to happen at some speed.


So I continued, initially because I wanted to know what would happen next, and then because the science was interesting.

I stopped at seventy-five per cent when I realised I no longer had anything more than a mild curiosity about what would happen next.

When I'm reading a thriller, I expect to be keen to find out what happens and or be committed to the success of at least one character.. Neither the lead good guy nor the lead bad guy had much going for them to hold my interest. The politics was too superficial to offer any surprises and, although our young reporter still offered some interest, the action was constantly slowed while we examined some aspect of space technology.

More Larry Niven than Michael Crichton, "Casimir Bridge" does Hard SF well but struggles for traction as a thriller. If your main interest is in space science, spiced with strategy games, I think you'll have fun with this. If you really want a thriller, I doubt this will do it for you.

This was a great book, I loved all the action and the writing was pretty good. If you like science fiction give this book a go, you'll like it.

I won this from a goodreads giveaway

This is a very solid first novel by a former NASA engineer.

Full disclosure, the author contacted me via Amazon as I had reviewed Leviathan Wakes and he thought some of the plot devices and approach to his own book was similar and he is indeed right. There are some problems with the book but I've read many first novels from successful authors that were much, much worse. Darren Beyer was very specific that he wanted an honest review so I'm going to be as critical as possible. The book has very quick pacing and is easy to read and understand, even those bits that are more theoretical than actual. Kudos to Beyer's for getting past the hardest part of writing a good SF novel.

The story features some very interesting and engaging characters and some of the locations are very unusual, including parts of the African continent and glimpses into some cultures there. For the most part I liked the characters although they all needed a bit more development.I think the book could have used more context for each but especially the primary villain whose motivations seemed one-dimensional. The story itself also suffered from a rushed-feel with short, distinct chapters that could have used some variability in length and explored once again a bit more context. But like I've already stated for a first novel you get out what you can and you adjust for the second until you hit that perfect balance. As it is, this book is borderlines a YA book in my opinion (but at least it's readable - many YA books I've read were pretty bad).

I liked the technology discussed in the book and it has an optimistic view of the space program that I can only wish will once again be true. We need more books like this and not less. I wrestled with calling this 3.5 or 4 out of 5 - it's almost a 4 to me but I decided to be more honest (at Beyer's request) and erred on the side of conservatism.

I'm also publishing this to Amazon reviews.½

Filled with amazing photographs and armed with well-presented facts, Darren Beyer’s short book Out There is a fascinating read in itself, and a fantastic resource to anyone dreaming science fiction stories with alien life-forms. The book is easy to read and filled with well-chosen, full-color, images. Details of past space missions combine with explanation of life’s prerequisites, competing theories of life, and scientific reasons to suspect the presence of life. By the end of the book, a reader will be ready to question whether we are alone, and to ponder what not being alone might mean. The solar system comes intelligently to life in this short book. And life comes to the reader’s imagination.

“Venus is one nasty place. Its atmosphere is made up of …” Read it and see. Meanwhile Mars may not be actively avoiding exploration. This is a book to enjoy, to learn from, and to treasure.

Disclosure: I was given an ecopy and I love it.

Nice little sci-fi story. Felt somewhat rushed, the writing a bit simplistic--like reading a book as a high school freshman that you would have loved in fifth grade. Also, I'm not a fan of a rushed book ending with a huge plot direction change/cliff hanger; I think books should be able to stand on their own, not just be a vehicle to try to get someone to buy the next book. That being said, I will be on the lookout for the next book, because I still enjoyed the book enough to want to see where the story goes... But not enough to pay full price for a new book. The story felt like it didn't deserve it's own book; it shouldl have been fleshed out, had the two sequels released already, and released as one larger novel. But A) that is not a good money making scheme, especially since this first edition appears to be self-published, and B) I believe the author said he spent the last ten years working on this already.

On the plus side, the technology and science seemed real-ish, even though, as one reviewer said, it was all dependent on "unobtanium." Overall, for a free book, it was a nice quick read, and I wouldn't mind reading subsequent novels if I found them inexpensively. If I had spent $16 for it, I am pretty sure I would have felt a little gypped.

**I won a copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway.**

Mystery, Suspense, Techno, Thriller At Its Best. This novel is not just for the scifi techno audience! Clear your schedule, take a seat, and get ready for a thrill ride through space.

STORY LINE:

Reporter Mandi Nkosil, receives a mind blowing tip along with documentation from an anonymous informant which will blow the top off AIC, one of the largest companies in the world, pointing to their involvement in a nuclear terror plot. AIC is a science and technology giant with many enemies. Mandi has found herself on the run from killers and evil men that do not want the world to discover the evidence framing AIC was the brain child of Greg Andrews. The evil goes all the way to the hallowed halls of government and the Presidency. This story starts with a bang and the ride does not stop until the last page.

Come along with Mandi as she uncovers jealousy, thief, murder, espionage, mystery, greed and pure evil. The world is on the edge of destruction if the wrong people come into possession of secret resources that can change history. This roller coaster ride will be one that you will remember.

CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, DEVELOPMENT:

Let me first say, science techno thrillers are one of my least favorite genre of book. However, I found myself absorbed in this story from the first pages and could not put this book down. I was very surprised at how quickly I found myself enmeshed in the story-line. I loved everything about this story. Kudos, Mr. Beyer, you have acquired a new fan!

Author, Darren Beyer, has mastered the skill of story-telling and his descriptive writing style was first rate. Few people have the ability to grab and suck you in while describing techno issues and construction, Mr. Beyer has this ability. His writing style is clear, concise, and vivid with the scientific information taking a back seat to the story-line.

Mr. Beyer has everything in this story needed to create a heart stopping thriller. Mr. Beyer even added a touch of romantic interest.

The characters are full bodied and well-developed. The story-line was intriguing and the plot was developed skillfully. The plot never slowed; this story progresses at top speed leaving no areas for lagging. I found myself cheering for the good guys and wanting to help destroy the bad guys. The author has skillfully included a wealth of scientific information that I found fascinating; Mr Beyer does not overwhelm the reader but adds elements to the story to inform his audience.

I hated to come to the end of this book and I look forward to the continuation of this story.

RECOMMENDATION: 5 STARS

I highly recommend this book to anyone that likes a solid mystery thriller that happens to also be a techno suspense. Do not be afraid of the scientific or techno aspect of the story, as the author has included everything needed to grab the mystery suspense audience.

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest book review. Book reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author’s opinion; all book reviews on line under my name and on my blog, are my opinion.