I didn't finish this book. Hence the no star. I got about 25% of the way and realized I just didn't care.

A little confusing in parts. Since I read the 1st book nearly a year ago, I had to catch myself up. ( )

Though it may not appear obvious by a lot of my recent reviews, I actually don't like giving a negative review. I read for pleasure. I read to be entertained. I read to experience wonder. I read to provoke thought. Science fiction, or speculative fiction, is the perfect vehicle for that. In my opinion, with the possible exception of Fantasy, there's no better genre.

And in the hands of masters...Clarke, Asimov, Bradbury, Herbert...it often does just that. In the hands of someone of lesser talent, it's just painful.

This book was painful. I can't tell you how many times I considered abandoning it. At the end of virtually each section for the first third. Most of the time in the first half. Occasionally in the second half, including right up to the final pages. Yet, for some reason, I stuck it out. And was not rewarded.

There's so much wrong with this novel, which is distressing, because Goyer is responsible for some of the scripts to movies I truly enjoyed. I truly believe his entire contribution to this novel was to provide a series of quickly-scribbled notes on a napkin to Cassutt, along with a contract that places his name above Cassutt's for marketing purposes and the promise of a fat fee. Because if he's in any way more responsible for this plodding pile of crap, I seriously question his talents as well.

What problems are there? Pacing, characters, backstories, plot, storytelling style, and tell versus show.

As I said above, I read SF for the wonder, the entertainment and thought-provocation factors. So, when the authors set up a situation where 187 people are scooped off Earth and dropped on Keanu, I'm expecting a Ringworld or Rama type of story, lots of exploration (providing the wonder), lots of imagination-firing (and thought provoking) discoveries, lots of initial obstacles to overcome (providing the entertainment). When writing SF, any author is simply honour-bound to do so.

Instead, we're treated to characters wringing their hands, pointing out repeatedly that they don't understand what's happening, and, for most of the first third, if not first half, we're treated to such exciting events as: Organizing people into groups! Punishing a murderer by making him dig holes! Working about dying batteries! Electing a mayor!

Please.

On top of all this, as we meet each new member of this politically correct highly international cast of characters, any slight momentum the plot has managed to build up dies as we are dragged through that character's backstory in a giant tell, instead of showing the salient points through reveals during the forward narrative of the plot. But that would take more work.

Pretty much the first half takes place over the trip to Keanu and the first 48 hours once they arrive there. The second half, while still unbelievably slow, at least gets some things happening. Still, the big excitement pieces are another murder, some people returning from the dead (yeah, we got that in the first book, it's getting old), a ridiculously drawn out and incredibly boring First Meeting between humans and a Real! Live! Alien!

We're also treated to a lot more Tell, Don't Show here, as the authors bring in Revenants (dead characters brought briefly back to life) exactly when the other characters need them to provide information or direction. At the same time, all the really fun stuff (the stuff that could provide more entertainment, thought-provocation and wonder) happens off stage. The Reaver bugs' secrets are learned off-stage. The weapon to fight them is devised and created off-stage. The methods the survivors use to learn to use the alien technology and feed the masses is all done off-stage. I get the impression that the authors needed this handy plot device - technology that can create all the things they need, but it takes some thinking and manipulation and effort - but really don't know how to explain it satisfactorily, or show it in action, so they just say, screw it, write a scene where on of the politically correct highly international cast of characters walks up with the solution, and maybe some beads of sweat on his brow from the effort.

I also have problems with the actual voice of the narrative. The authors switch between several characters, male, female, young, old, gay, straight, American, Indian, etc. And yet, the storytelling voice never varies from the detached, plodding, semi-technical writer style. Sort of a slightly engaging technical writing with dialogue.

And finally, there was the epilogue. Don't worry, no spoilers. I'll just say that, instead of choosing one of the few slightly interesting endings, they decided to tack on an epilogue that was, again, in a mostly telling this-is-what-happened-after-that wrap up. Why not choose to simply provide an enigmatic view of the survivors that whets the appetite for book 3, and build it out in that book instead?

Because, in the end, that's one of the biggest issues of this book. It's like going on a trip to a foreign country you've never visited before. And, thinking it's the best way to take it all in, you book a tour with a crazed, socially-awkward, nerdy tourguide that rushes you from place to place, pointing at things, stating they're important, but only giving you a few words as to why, before scooting you to the next thing they think is interesting. All the while, you're left vaguely pointing to something else, saying, "but that looks interesting too," and being told it's really not (when you know it really is), before they tap their watch and tell you to sit down and shut up, we're on a schedule, lots of things to see, no time to explain. In the end, you're left with lackluster photos and no stories to bring back home.

Typically, when I'm two books into a trilogy, no matter how bad the book is, I'd still soldier on and complete the last one, just to see how it ends. But in this case, considering the story, the characters and where it's all headed? Frankly, Scarlet, I don't give a damn.

I'm done. Goyer and Cassutt won't steal any more of my time.



( )

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3405907.html

It turns out to be the second book in a series where I have not read the first, and the action is so tightly connected to the previous volume that I could not make head nor tail of it, and gave up after only 16 pages. For what it's worth, the characters seemed to me to be behaving very oddly, but I was not interested enough to keep reading and find out why. ( )

Very good second instalment. Interesting how they try to bring a society together on Keanu. Good mix of characters (as in pro team work, teenagers, loners, doers etc), and character development. More on the mysterious Sentry race etc with glimpses of how Keanu should work and what it's purpose was. More explanation of the revenants. Very interesting concept of how the dead can be 'brought back to life'. Maybe we'll have that tech one day. ( )