Brian Enke

The author stresses that this books is primarily a thriller, with a science fiction mcguffin. Thrillers require exquisite pacing to keep the mystery and tension up. On that count, Shadows of Medusa fails. Enke spends far too much time providing details of absolutely no consequence. Why do I care about the interior decoration of a hotel room, much less the big tub that no one uses!? The books is filled with such trivia that slows down the pacing, doesn't advance the story, and makes the book about 20% longer than it would be without it.
But I still enjoyed the storyline about the Mars expedition. There's a lot of good thinking and solid engineering there. It is what kept me from just dropping Shadows when I was less than half-way through.… (más)